I Have A Dual World Seal

On the grand stage, LED and 3D projections revealed a scene of a sea of clouds.

In the distance, mountain peaks emerged, their color a soft bluish-green.

Eagles and wild geese soared in all directions, cutting through the vast sky.

The white clouds drifted gently, resembling a calm, flowing sea.

The occasional cry of wild geese added a sense of tranquility and serenity.

"Zheng——"

The sound of the zither began, and in the next moment, the entire scene seemed to come alive.

Gu Tingting, dressed in a qing silk lotus skirt, sat at about one-third from the left of the stage. On a low wooden table, lay a Phoenix Tail Jade Zither.

At this moment, her eyes held a soft smile, her mind immersed in the scene before her. Her right hand strummed, plucked, and flicked the strings, while her left hand pressed, pushed, hit, and spread.

With her waist leading her shoulders, and her shoulders leading her hands, her entire body swayed gently with the performance, movements flowing seamlessly and smoothly, appearing comfortable and natural.

The zither’s melody was gentle, like a silken thread, easily drawing people into it.

Lu Zheng couldn’t help but nod, realizing Gu Tingting’s zither skills had improved significantly. She managed to bring out the mental realm of "Cloud Dance" through her playing.

Meanwhile, from about one-third to the right of the stage, another dancer rose from below the stage, entering while gracefully twirling.

The dancer wore a plain white dress with cloud patterns and long flowing sleeves measuring two meters. After entering, she moved her steps, spun her form, lightly raised her sleeves, her dance posture soft and graceful, like fluttering and floating.

The dance perfectly complemented the melody of the zither.

"This dance is quite beautiful," Shen Ying couldn’t help but praise.

Lu Zheng nodded, acknowledging that the wide-sleeved solo dance was indeed very beautiful, and the dancer possessed profound skills, yet it still couldn’t overshadow the brilliance of the zither’s music.

In fact, one could say the beauty of the dance owed much to the zither’s melody, which created the mental realm of a fairy among clouds.

"This is the best performance in the gala so far," Lin Wan commented, knowing Lu Zheng had just arrived, and further explained, "This gala celebrates the opening of the canal, showcasing cultural confidence. Most performances highlight traditional styles. Even the earlier programs were quite good."

Lu Zheng nodded, expressing his understanding.

Referring to the previous performance of "Spring River Flower Moon Night," which Si Lingxi criticized due to her high standards.

In truth, that program showcased the diversity of traditional Hua Country instruments, the vastness of the musical range, and the skilled coordination with grand music.

The entire music performance was executed smoothly, with no disruption from start to finish, maintaining high quality, and to an average person, it might even seem grandiose.

Of course, it is said that one isn’t afraid of obliviousness, but when compared to "Cloud Dance," even with just a touch of its mental realm, the difference in quality is evident.

While one might find a performance melodious, being immersed in it is a completely different experience.

"Spring River Flower Moon Night" was good in quality, but "Cloud Dance" was even better.

With the zither skills acclaimed by Si Lingxi, paired with a dance praised by Shen Ying, whether it was the live audience and guests or the viewers in front of screens, all were drawn into the sea of clouds, dancing lightly along.

Just as the zither music ended, and Gu Tingting and the dancer quietly retreated, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted at the scene, and the online world buzzed with excitement.

Moments later, #CloudDance# became a trending topic, one of the standalone hot searches of the entire gala, and its popularity soared rapidly.

"Cloud Dance feels so beautiful, but it was only a few minutes, not enough!"

"Comparable to the Peacock Dance!"

"Probably not as good as the Peacock Dance, Cloud Dance owes much to the music."

"Is this a new zither piece? It sounds quite classical, but it’s really beautiful!"

"That girl played so well, it felt so beautiful! Ah! I’m in love!"

"Played well! The piece is also great!"

"Are you all blind? Didn’t you see the arranger credited as Si Huang?"

"What the heck?"

"Wow!"

"The acerbic folk music commentator?"

"Nonsense! It’s the Folk Music Fairy!"

Although Si Lingxi had not revealed any photos, just a silhouette from the Dark Night Star Bar had shocked netizens as incredible.

Along with the popular "Flowers Blooming" and several scores for the TV series "Biluo Song," she was dubbed "Folk Music Fairy" or "Ancient Melody Fairy," sparking a wave of traditional style craze back then.

Although her online comments were less frequent recently, and her popularity waned slightly, she had not been entirely forgotten.

Or rather, her status within the circle remained quite solid, as many still attempted to contact her for composition, but Zhao Xiaodao turned them away, not even seeking her music for his own new drama.

At today’s gala, which grabbed national attention, not only did Gu Tingting amaze the audience, but it also brought Si Lingxi back to the center of public discourse.

"Absolutely amazing... I opened the ’Biluo Song’ promo again."

"’Phoenix Seeking Phoenix,’ ’Flowers Blooming,’ ’Winged Love Song,’ and ’Mufeng Liuguang,’ they never get old!"

"I thought Si Huang had run out of talent, but then came ’Cloud Dance’ again."

"Si Huang Si Huang! Phoenix Soaring!"

"Requesting the mp3 format of ’Cloud Dance,’ can’t find it on Penguin Music!"

"Speechless, last time ’Flowers Blooming’ at least had a lossless black screen video, but this time ’Cloud Dance’ is just a live performance, right?"

"This Gu Tingting plays so well, and she’s pretty. I’m her fan from now on!"

...

Online excitement aside, backstage Gu Tingting only realized what had happened, covering her chest, feeling her heart pounding wildly, as she started to feel both excited and fearful.

"Tingting! Xinyan! The performance was a success, you were amazing!"

Gu Tingting’s mother, Liu Jingqin, was waiting backstage, coming straight to give Gu Tingting a big hug, then embraced the other dancer Ning Xinyan.

Ning Xinyan was a graduate of Hai City Dance Academy, later joining the Hai City National Dance Troupe, and was a friend of Gu Tingting, so for this opportunity, Gu Tingting invited Ning Xinyan.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Ning Xinyan expressed her gratitude, then immediately turned to hug Gu Tingting, "Tingting, thank you! Thank you for giving me this opportunity!"

Gu Tingting smiled, "Thank what? I should thank you for dancing so well!"

Ning Xinyan shook her head.

It was entirely different; Gu Tingting brought the piece into the group, passed the review, and no one could replace her.

But there were many dancers who could pair with the zither, and as far as she knew, after hearing the music, many famous dancers wanted to collaborate with Gu Tingting.

So strictly speaking, for this stage appearance, it was completely Gu Tingting who gave her a hand up.

With the credential of stepping onto a nationwide gala-level grand stage, her future career path was completely transformed.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"Amazing!"

At this moment, backstage was also filled with applause, with everyone aware that wherever Gu Tingting and Ning Xinyan went from now on, they would be addressed as "teacher."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Gu Tingting and Ning Xinyan thanked the surrounding people with joined palms of gratitude, following Liu Jingqin to leave.

Just then, they saw a renowned celebrity waiting at the door.

"Hello!"