On the way to the Golden Hall.
Lin Tian checked his phone for updates on the Ke'er Cup that he had missed over the past few days while buried in training.
A few days earlier.
While Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu had been making intense preparations for the second stage.
The results of the first stage had all been announced.
The day after all the qualifying rounds ended, the Ke'er Cup's official website and Twitter account jointly released the first-stage results.
A total of 476 contestants had participated in the first stage, which lasted a full three days.
In the end, only 26 contestants successfully advanced to the second stage.
The advancement rate was an absolutely terrifying 5.4%.
Including the 38 directly invited contestants.
There were 64 contestants in the second stage, exactly matching the data Old Master Wan Qi had previously given them.
How brutal.
Out of more than four hundred cellists who had fought their way through the ranks, only 26 spots remained alongside the 38 directly invited players.
It seemed rather unfair.
But as an invitational competition, it was perfectly reasonable.
The reason "wild cards" were called "wild cards" was because they had not originally qualified for official spots. An extra stage had been added to give them a chance to compete for those formal slots, allowing them to enter the competition.
In fact, in the eyes of quite a few Ke'er Cup viewers, the second stage was where the "Ke'er Cup" truly began.
Even so, the three-day first stage had still generated considerable buzz online.
On Twitter, the world's largest social platform, many users commented:
(This first stage really exceeded expectations!)
(It was far more exciting than I imagined! This year's cellists are insanely strong, aren't they?!)
(It was great! There were already several cellists