CHAPTER 675: CHAPTER 426: THE TERRIFYING OPPONENTS OF THE KELLER CUP!

Upon hearing this, He Zhichen immediately took out his tablet and opened a document:

"Please go ahead."

"Firstly, the number of participants."

Wan Qi said,

"Sixteen years ago, in the Keller Cup that Gan Hua participated in, there were a total of 104 competitors, 32 of whom advanced to the second stage, and 8 made it to the finals."

"And now, sixteen years have passed. Since the change in the international competition system, cello competitions have developed rapidly, gaining a larger and larger audience. By this year... haha!"

At this point, the old gentleman let out a chuckle full of dark humor,

"The number of participants has exceeded five hundred."

"Five hundred!"

He Zhichen exclaimed,

"That’s a fivefold increase."

Even Gan Yanyu gasped, her face showing a serious expression.

What does it mean to have over five hundred of the world’s top cellists?

To put it a bit dramatically,

excluding those who have connections.

What they are facing,

are 500 Bai Xi, 500 Nannali, 500 Bai Junze...

It’s terrifying.

However, Lin Tian’s mentality about it was quite good.

No matter how many people, most are just there to fill in the numbers. The ones that truly need attention are usually only the few dozen at the top of the pyramid.

"How many of the 500 participants remain by the second and third stages?" Lin Tian asked.

After all, they were starting directly from the second stage, so the number in the second stage was more important.

"If the information is accurate, there are 64 competitors in the second stage, and 14 finally advance to the finals."

When you look at it this way,

Group A and Group B, each with 32 people, with the top 7 from each group advancing to the finals.

As I said,

just by this ratio, going from 64 to 14, it might not seem that hard.

But, it’s important to understand that after filtering out from five hundred people, these 64 are each the top of their national divisions.

Having not competed against players from other countries yet, it’s understandable for Gan Yanyu to feel a little nervous.

But, in Lin Tian’s eyes.

This is completely like Yanyu, who has leveled up to 100 in the novice village, having no basic understanding of her own strength!

You must know,

that Gan Yanyu came up all the way from local competitions to the Keller Cup through classical music.

Although it was a bit of luck that she unexpectedly advanced in the Dragon Violin Cup, had it not been for the prior attention Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu garnered during other competitions, they wouldn’t have been directly invited to the Keller Cup by the organizers.

Lin Tian thought that Gan Yanyu should definitely feel proud of her journey.

Gan Yanyu, who fought her way up like this, is not someone an average cellist can compare with.

Of course, Lin Tian doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Gan Yanyu’s current lack of confidence.

Yanyu is not the Yanyu of the past; her uncertainty now is merely because everything is still unfamiliar to her first time here.

Being her first time in Vienna, it’s quite normal to be reserved.

"By the way, when does the first stage of the competition start?" Lin Tian asked.

"It’s starting in three days—why, are you guys planning to watch?"

"Of course."

Lin Tian looked at Gan Yanyu with a smile.

For Gan Yanyu, the best way to boost confidence is naturally to watch the preliminaries.

"Yeah, that’s good. Actually, most of the players advancing directly will also watch the first stage, because every year there are always some wild card dark horse players. The organizers know this and have specially arranged viewing rooms for you direct advance players. You’ll likely get to see many of your opponents early."

"Oh, then we have to go."

Lin Tian felt a bit of anticipation; the earlier you know your opponents, the better.

Maybe you’ll even see some curious characters, like African chief cellists or Middle Eastern cello aristocrats and the like.

"Well, are we going?"

Lin Tian looked towards Gan Yanyu.

Though he just blurted out "we have to go," he still sought Gan Yanyu’s opinion again.

What if this girl feels more pressured by the early viewing?

"Go, of course, we’ll go."

Gan Yanyu immediately stood up, nodding her head like a little chick pecking at rice.

Lin Tian was startled by the girl’s reaction, and soon, little stars sparkled in Gan Yanyu’s eyes:

"Golden Hall... we must go!!"

"..."

Lin Tian chuckled:

"You’ll be performing there soon, and you still care about these few days?"

"I can’t wait that long."

Gan Yanyu rarely showed such a longing look, saying eagerly,

"Actually, I already wanted to go today....."

"Alright, let’s leave your first time at the Golden Hall for the Keller Cup."

Lin Tian said.

In fact, the Golden Hall is also Lin Tian’s dream venue.

In his previous life, his understanding of the term "Golden Hall" came from Yaoshige.

In that Golden Hall, many famous abstract memes were born.

But Lin Tian also knew that this is indeed the grandest stage, attracting music from all over the world. In this world, the musician Lin Tian likewise has a strong filter for it.

As he thought of soon performing at Vienna’s Golden Hall, Lin Tian couldn’t help but feel excited.

But for now, he has to hold back, as visiting as a tourist and entering as a contestant when the Keller Cup officially begins are different experiences.