However, since he respected her so much, he couldn't let her lose too badly. He controlled the situation to be more intense than Lu Renjia's round.
With his intentional leniency, the score reached a 6:6 tie. The next person to correctly answer two questions first would win.
【"Ballade pour Adeline" and "Mariage d'Amour" are representative works of which French pianist?】
"Richard Clayderman."
"Excellent! Congratulations to Yi Xing for getting to game point first."
【The 'mantis shrimp' and 'mandarin shrimp' are what kind of shrimp that we jokingly refer to?】
This question completely stumped Yi Xing. He went through all the shrimp he could think of but couldn't identify the 'mandarin shrimp' from the question.
Instead, it gave Lu Cheng an opportunity. She pondered for a moment and replied, "Pipi shrimp!"
"Correct! The score is tied again."
Yi Xing looked a bit dazed when he heard the correct answer. In his knowledge, there was no such creature as pipi shrimp. He was a rich second-generation heir, after all; what rich second-generation heir would eat pipi shrimp? He truly suffered from being too rich.
He quickly adjusted his mindset and seriously answered the next question. The next two questions were very normal, none related to price, and he answered them easily, winning this round of the competition.
Watching Lu Cheng fall off the platform, the stage lights suddenly changed. He squinted slightly, standing in the center of the stage, adapting to the changing lights, and at the same time, listening to what the person next to him said.
"Congratulations! You have successfully defeated all the current contestants on stage. The person you are about to challenge is Liu Xuhui. A reminder here: he currently has no losses on this stage and is a well-deserved God of the Stage. Are you ready?"
The male host's words contained both congratulations for Yi Xing's victory and anticipation for the upcoming strong-on-strong showdown.
At the same time, a highlight reel of Liu Xuhui's past performance appeared on the big screen in front of Yi Xing and the others.
In the video, he always maintained a calm and composed demeanor while answering questions, even when the score reached his opponent's match point.
Moreover, he could always quickly provide accurate answers the moment a question appeared. His powerful knowledge base and incredibly fast reaction speed made someone feel as if he had seen another version of himself in the world.
The highlight reel quickly finished playing. The audience present, after watching Liu Xuhui's performance, all gasped.
Especially those who were watching live for the first time, they realized that a particularly intense "battle" was about to unfold, and they had truly come to the right place this time.
Liu Xuhui walked out slowly from one side of the stage with steady steps, a confident smile on his face, exuding composure in every gesture. He stopped at a pillar, and said politely,
"Hello, Yi Xing. I saw all of your performance backstage. It was excellent, and I look forward to our duel."
"Since you've seen it all, you must know how the previous few fell off. Do you think you'll be one of them?" Yi Xing looked directly at Liu Xuhui, his eyes full of provocation.
"Hahaha, I don't think I will."
"Is that so? Then let's wait and see!"
It wasn't that Yi Xing didn't want to communicate politely; it was because Liu Xuhui had started with an attitude of not putting anyone in his eyes. He had to maintain the persona he had created until the end of the recording.
He couldn't let it collapse; this was key to making the public remember him. On the stage of "Who is the God of the Stage," having personality leads to screen time, and screen time achieves the purpose of his appearance on the show, even if this person carried a hint of arrogance.
Seeing the atmosphere in the air becoming increasingly tense, the male host quickly smiled and stood in the middle to smooth things over.
"It seems both contestants are very spirited! Well then, without further ado, let's officially enter the turn-based answering segment. Each person only has one chance to pass, so please cherish it. Now, the answering begins!"
【What is the psychological phenomenon where people find themselves more attractive in videos than in photos called?】
"The frozen face effect."
"Correct."
【The scientific name for the halo at the tail of rockets and jet planes during flight is named after which scientist?】
"Mach."
"Excellent."
Although everyone already knew it would be an intense match, no one expected it to be so fiercely contested.
Yi Xing and Liu Xuhui were both contestants with extensive knowledge, and with the help of the question bank, it was like adding icing to the cake. Their answering speed was ridiculously fast; they almost spoke the answer as soon as the question was finished.
Twenty minutes later, no new questions appeared on the screen, and the female host picked up the microphone, somewhat shocked, and said,
"Audience friends, an unprecedented situation has occurred on the stage of 'Who is the God of the Stage.' Our director's first question bank..."
"...which contained a full hundred questions, has now been completely answered. However, our two contestants have still not determined a winner, and they even appear to be still at ease and full of energy."
The audience present immediately burst into an uproar upon hearing this news, whispering to each other, marveling at the two contestants' profound knowledge reserves. They were also curious about how the production team would handle it next—would they bring out a second question bank, or would it end in a draw?
The male host learned the next arrangements from the cards held up by the on-site staff. It said to chat with the contestants, stall for time, and then switch to a rapid-fire mode.
"Let me interview the two of you. How do you feel right now? Just watching from the side, I'm a bit tired, but you two don't seem to mind."
Yi Xing raised one eyebrow. His tone was noticeably less arrogant than before the questions, perhaps a little parched from speaking for so long, but he still maintained his facade well.
"Tired? This is just the beginning! I could answer another question bank. Besides, confronting a master is precisely why I came here."
"Just as Yi Xing said, it's very rare to encounter an opponent of equal strength. We can't just end it so hastily!"
Liu Xuhui echoed him. He hadn't had this much fun on stage in a long time and wanted to seize the opportunity.
"Since both contestants wish to continue, I will announce the new rules. The answering mode has changed from turn-based to rapid-fire. The first person to reach 7 points and lead the opponent by 2 points will be declared the winner. Now, I announce, the answering officially begins!"
【In the 1984 Spring Festival Gala, which singer's skit with Jiang Kun made the Hunan Huagu Opera "Liu Hai Kills the Woodcutter" famous nationwide?】
"Li Guyi."
"Li Guyi."
"Yi Xing was faster! One point."
...After a long contest, the score was fixed at 42:40. Yi Xing defeated this contestant from the Hall of Fame with a narrow two-point advantage.
The venue immediately erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. Everyone was shaken by this exhilarating and incredibly intense showdown, rising to their feet to cheer for the winner.
"Liu Xuhui, I'd like to ask about your feelings at this moment," the male host asked, walking over to the loser.
"Yi Xing is truly strong. I hope I'll have another chance to duel with him. Next time, I won't lose!"
"I'll be waiting for you."
"Well then, goodbye!" After seeing Liu Xuhui fall, he turned to Yi Xing and announced the final result of the competition.
"Congratulations to Yi Xing for becoming the God of the Stage in this competition and also a member of the Hall of Fame. We look forward to your next performance."
Upon hearing the host's announcement, Yi Xing's face broke into a brilliant smile. His first variety show recording had gone so smoothly, and he had immediately earned the title of God of the Stage. It felt a bit too easy.