The next day, seeing that all the trainees had arrived, the production team started the recording ahead of schedule.
Arriving at the recording site, Li Mubai discovered that the contestants for this show, Idol Producer, included participants from South Korea, and the mentor panel was also composed of heavyweight figures from the entertainment industries of both countries.
Aside from the director and producer representative Li Mubai had seen yesterday, the other professional mentors were divided into three categories: vocals, dance, and rap—quite similar to the classes he had previously taken.
Each category had three mentors, with representations from both countries across the board.
Among them, Zhang Yixing, Li Ronghao, and Wang Jiari were quite familiar to Li Mubai.
These three were all senior figures with massive fan bases in their respective fields, and most importantly, their foundational skills were extremely profound.
At this moment, these mentors were already standing on stage facing all the trainees, led by Li Mubai, as the host began to speak:
"Trainees, next each of you will need to perform a piece to showcase your abilities. We will combine your overall performance to give you a score."
"The production team has arranged six categories labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F. You are free to choose any category to determine your performance order!"
"Begin now!"
After the host finished speaking, the one hundred trainees started walking toward the six boxes in the center of the stage. Once they made their choice, they simply had to drop their names into the designated box.
Li Mubai stepped forward and very casually dropped his name into box F, purely because it was the closest one to him!
"Alright, congratulations to everyone for successfully determining the order. Next, we will announce the order on the big screen!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, the performance order of the one hundred trainees appeared on the overhead big screen.
Li Mubai was ranked eighty-sixth—not the last one, but quite far back in the sequence.
Subsequently, the host began reading various sponsorships and advertisements on stage, while all the trainees in the audience started making their preparations.
A few minutes later, the first trainee took the stage to perform, and the atmosphere of the entire venue suddenly became tense.
The first person to take the stage was a contestant from South Korea, who looked rather fragile and shy.
Yet after going on stage, he directly performed a zombie act. Apart from looking somewhat like a malnourished zombie, he didn't resemble one in any other way.
Soon after, more than thirty contestants finished their stage performances, each receiving evaluations from the mentors.
Watching all the contestants down below, Li Mubai felt quite puzzled as to how they managed to keep from laughing.
Of course, he had undergone professional training; no matter how funny something was, he would never laugh—unless he couldn't help it!
"Next, let's welcome contestant number 46, Caixukun, to the stage for his performance!"
As the familiar name was called, Li Mubai, who had been sitting in the audience feeling somewhat bored, instantly lit up.
Soon, Gege was seen walking onto the stage with a confident expression to begin his performance.
"I am Caixukun, an individual trainee with two and a half years of training experience. I love singing, dancing, rap, and basketball. Music!"
As the music started, Gege began keeping rhythm and commenced his performance.
This entire performance could be described as having zero dull moments. For Li Mubai, who was watching closely from the audience, the impact was even stronger than what he had seen on television in his past life.
Of course, after watching the performances of over fifty trainees, Li Mubai could fairly put in a good word for a few of them.
Amidst the chaotic dancing of those fifty-some trainees, Gege's performance actually looked quite normal.
"Next, let's welcome contestant number 86, Li Mubai, to the stage for his performance!"
Hearing the host call his name, Li Mubai slowly walked up to the stage and bowed politely to the host and the mentors. "Hello, mentors."
Li Mubai's appearance also caught the attention of several mentors.
Compared to the dozens of contestants who had appeared before him, Li Mubai's looks might not have been the absolute highest, but in terms of temperament, he definitely stood out like a crane among chickens.
Especially his height of over six feet, combined with his perfect physique—even while wearing the clothes prepared by the production team, he still exuded the peerless and unique charm belonging to a descendant of the Eastern dragon.
Neither humble nor arrogant, Li Mubai closed his eyes and quietly waited for the music to begin.
"Stopping and going along this journey... following the traces of a wandering youth~~"
Right after, Li Mubai began singing the song he had prepared. In his past life's memories, "The Wind Rises" had been immensely popular, but in this world, no one had released this song yet.
Therefore, as long as Li Mubai sang it, claiming it as his own original work would pose not the slightest problem.
"From the days when I first knew this world, filled with reluctance~"
"Watching the horizon as if right before my eyes, willing to go through fire and water to traverse it once~"
The melodious and beautiful music was delivered through Li Mubai's voice, instantly immersing everyone in the production team into the captivating tunes.
Li Ronghao, serving as the music mentor, listened with a blank stare, looking at Li Mubai as if he were looking at a monster.
Although mentor Zhang Yixing was primarily a dance mentor, his singing foundation was also quite good, so upon hearing the song reach its climax, he stood up in excitement.
Until Li Mubai finished singing, everyone remained immersed in the lingering taste of the song.
It could be said that "The Wind Rises" was a top-tier piece in both arrangement and lyrics, and Li Mubai had perfectly interpreted the emotions the song aimed to convey through his vocals.
Calmly, Li Mubai looked at the somewhat emotional mentors, not speaking to disturb them, and simply waited quietly.
"I once lost myself in the vastness of the world, and indulged in its dreams, unable to tell real from fake, making no struggle, fearing no mockery~"
Li Ronghao continuously muttered the lyrics to himself, intoxicated by the exquisite wording, before finally speaking with a shocked expression after a long while: "Did you write this song yourself?"
Li Mubai nodded.
"Too amazing! Whether it's the lyrics or the melody, it's exceptionally moving. Just based on your vocal skills, sitting here as the music mentor suddenly makes me feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles!"
Unsure whether the other person was joking or serious, Li Mubai smiled and expressed his gratitude in the face of such high praise from Li Ronghao: "Thank you, teacher!"
"Good, good, truly wonderful! I never expected this show could discover a contestant like you." Zhang Yixing was evidently quite excited, standing up to continue:
"This contestant, please introduce yourself first!"