The rewards for the recorded sessions were as follows: those eliminated in the first round received no cash prizes but were given a souvenir.
Those eliminated in the second round received a souvenir plus two tickets to Mango TV's New Year's Eve concert.
Contestants eliminated in the third round were awarded fifty thousand yuan in cash.
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The third runner-up received one million yuan and a guaranteed admission to Z University. The runner-up received three million yuan and a guaranteed admission to Air Defense University.
The champion received an even higher reward of five million yuan and a guaranteed admission to Yan University.
As for the rewards for the special guests, they were detailed in their contracts.
Liu Yifeng glanced at the contract a few times but found no loopholes. However, he didn't dare to sign it lightly, fearing that if there were any word games he missed, Tongtong would be the one to suffer.
Unexpectedly, Tongtong sensed his concern and immediately said, "Daddy, don't worry, just sign it!"
Though he didn't know how Tongtong understood the contract, Liu Yifeng believed his son implicitly. Without any further hesitation, he signed his and Tongtong's names.
Soon, all the contestants had signed their contracts, and the director then proceeded to explain the rules of the competition to everyone.
"Esteemed contestants, I am the chief director of this program and also its planner.
You are all intelligent children, which is why you stand here today, ready to showcase yourselves to countless viewers.
I also hope that you will perform exceptionally during the competition. However, in any competition, there are winners and losers. Regardless of who is eliminated first, you will always remain outstanding geniuses.
Before I explain the competition rules, I first want to introduce someone very special: the youngest contestant in our competition, contestant Liu Tongtong. Please give him a warm round of applause."
Everyone turned to look at Tongtong and began to clap. Tongtong stood up and introduced himself, "Hello, Director Uncle, and hello to all the brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunties. My name is Liu Tongtong, and I am three years and eight months old.
I am greatly honored to participate in this competition as a child prodigy.
I am also very excited to be competing on the same stage with so many talented brothers and sisters.
As Director Uncle said, win or lose, the mere fact of standing on such a grand and spotlight-grabbing stage is the greatest achievement.
I also hope that my brothers and sisters will not go easy on me during the competition because of my age. Giving your all to your opponent is the greatest recognition and respect you can show them.
Furthermore, I want to thank my Daddy. He brought me into this world, and he has accompanied me to this competition despite his busy schedule. I want to say, 'You've worked hard, I love you!'" He then gave a special bow to Liu Yi.
Others were unaware of Tongtong's capabilities, but seeing a boy not yet four years old speak so eloquently and express himself so well already surpassed most children his age.
After listening to his words, everyone applauded.
Mother Song also applauded, but her expression was one of disdain. She thought he was just glib-tongued and that competitions relied on substance, not just rhetoric. What could a little kid learn? Being able to recite three hundred Tang poems would be considered good.
The director, having not expected Tongtong, so young, to deliver such touching words, found himself looking forward to the youngest contestant with increased anticipation.
"Thank you, Tongtong, for your introduction. You spoke very well. Competition demands fairness, impartiality, and openness, principles that our scoring and review teachers here will uphold.
I hope you will all give your best during the competition and hold nothing back.
Next, I will explain the competition rules.
The rules are quite simple, with a total of three rounds.
However, each round will have a tie-breaker. If the tie-breaker is still a draw, there will be an overtime match. In any case, a winner will be determined, allowing the competition to proceed to the next stage.
The first round, which is today's competition, will consist of thirty-two contestants. We will use a draw to determine the order of matches.
In the first round, the first event tests your memory.
We will display various videos on the large screen in the competition hall, and you will need to provide the correct answer based on the content you see.
Your ranking will be determined by how quickly you provide the correct answer.
Each participant will have three opportunities. The on-site directors will rank you based on your response speed and accuracy.
The top sixteen contestants will proceed directly to the second round.
The remaining sixteen will participate in a tie-breaker match. In this round, we will eliminate four contestants, so please do your best.
After each match, our host will explain the rules in detail for the first round.
Additionally, your special guests can provide you with three off-site rescue opportunities. When you choose to use them is entirely up to you."
After hearing the competition rules, many contestants began to feel nervous.
The elimination of four people in the very first round felt a bit brutal.
No one wanted to die before even reaching the battlefield, so everyone was giving it their all.
While they were listening to the competition rules, the special guests were also being briefed.
"You have three opportunities to assist contestants from your group. There will be twenty outstanding students from Yan University present as your 'helper squad.' When your teammates seek your assistance, you can choose one person from the twenty to help answer.
Therefore, you must choose wisely, as I cannot guarantee they will all know the answers.
Whoever accompanies their teammate to the end will receive different rewards.
These rewards are already detailed in your contracts, so I won't go into specifics.
I hope your presence will be helpful to your teammates. Of course, I also hope they won't need to use these three opportunities and can overcome all challenges on their own.
It is now ten-thirty in the morning. You have half an hour of free time and should gather here at eleven.
Our staff will escort you to the studio's cafeteria for lunch, after which you will proceed to the dressing rooms for makeup. Once the audience, judges, and helper squad are all present, the host will introduce the contestants and the special guests one by one, and then the official competition will begin."
With that, the director departed. Everyone then got to their feet.
However, they didn't rush out immediately. Instead, they surrounded Gao Yuan and Yun Duo'er, asking for autographs and photos.
One might have thought this was a fan meeting for the two of them. Yun Duo'er, far from being impatient with their requests, did her best to fulfill everyone's wishes.