Dad, Please Let Me Solo-Pick! 122
The presence of this character makes the core of the story on stage incredibly vivid, bringing all the characters' emotional conflicts to the forefront. By contrasting the purity of his own body with the filth of sin, he greatly amplifies the taboo of defiling the idol.
Therefore, the final ending was stunning and full of inspiration.
It can only be said that Ji Shuzhu, who re-choreographed it, must have seen through Chu Yuanqing's charm beforehand, and specifically used the other party's special charm as the axis to compose a very different <ACUTE>. Otherwise, there would be no reason for it to fit so well.
This resulted in Xie Qingxuan becoming a recognized Stage Tyrant, and Chu Yuanqing not displaying the same personal charisma as before, but in <ACUTE>, the former still became a supporting character used to set off the scene.
Flow State is not invincible.
Or rather, Chu Yuanqing's charm, revealed through the core of the stage, is enough to surpass the dazzling brilliance of [Flow State], and with the support of the protagonist's role, he renders a unique aura of his own.
This trio dance performance was undoubtedly the result of teamwork and striving for perfection. He believed that no one could have performed the same <ACUTE> more perfectly.
Zhao Dapan filled with complex emotions and countless feelings. He was an old-school musician who had always held an arrogant attitude towards his idols until... the miraculous state of "Flow State" appeared, and he couldn't help but feel that he was a relic of the times.
Now that the country has enacted laws to establish a ranking system for idols, it has drastically reformed the Chinese Entertainment Industry, no longer stifling but controlling all "Flow State" idols, heralding the arrival of New Era.
As a semi-retired veteran in the music industry, Zhao Dapan experiences a mix of emotions, but also the pure joy of being a musician. He hopes that the public can appreciate better and more excellent works.
Whether it's music, dance, stage performance, or anything else.
Healthy competition is far better than the vicious cycle of bad money driving out good.
Zhao Dapan collected his thoughts and gave an objective score, sparing no praise for the performance. He even analyzed and commented on areas outside of vocal music, marveling at the group's dedication to the stage before subtly pointing out their vocal shortcomings.
In short, Xie Qingxuan and Ji Shuzhu both performed very well, and Chu Yuanqing has also made a lot of progress.
However, since the language of the song is not her native language, and given the limited time, many details could not be properly controlled. Even though the emotional performance was very strong, the points deducted were still more than last time, totaling 4.5 points.
Luo Siling was extremely satisfied with the performance of <ACUTE>, including the facial expressions, stage presence, and even the overall fit with the music. She then proceeded to give only a symbolic deduction of 1 point.
Jiang Chi silently pointed at Chen Baijiu.
Chen Baijiu, accustomed to this, began to comment:
"I was pleasantly surprised. Whether it was the ingenious choreography, the emotional delivery, or even your individual facial expressions, it all exceeded my expectations of <ACUTE>."
"It's hard to believe that this is a finished product you've polished in just one week."
"Ji Shuzhu, in the realm of choreographers, you and I are on the same level, so there's no need to say more about the adaptation of this dance."
"Xie Qingxuan, you must have taken acting classes, right? At the beginning, you perfectly expressed a complex mix of emotions—jealousy, murderous intent, hesitation, confusion, and anger—with just a single micro-expression, thus establishing the core theme of the performance."
"This surprised me. If I were Professor Luo, I would have given you full marks in this regard as well."
Chen Baijiu went through it point by point.
During this time, Ji Shuzhu on stage seemed somewhat distracted.
Her expression was indifferent, but her skin was flushed as if from exercise. Her eyes were lowered, hiding a dreamy look, and a misty vapor rose within them. Her small hand rested gently on her dress, and her lower abdomen was burning hot.
--So refreshing.
Although Chu Yuanqing still didn't unleash her "Flow State" state, the dance music, which was transformed around her charismatic qualities and perfectly performed on stage, not only brought out a few alluring strands from the depths of her soul, but also made the dazzling brilliance of the group performance even more intense.
If we were to describe this dazzling flavor, it would be as complex and layered as the twisted and tangled nature of this <ACUTE>, combining sourness and stimulation, purity and sin, decadence and selfishness, like an overly rich dark chocolate, or an overly sweet caramel.
The saliva on my tongue rolls around, making my whole body feel comfortable.
A sense of ease pervades the depths of the soul; the rusty emotional mechanisms, washed away by the overwhelming pleasure, have lost their dullness, allowing one to further appreciate the deliciousness within.
Yes, it has a texture that's a mix of rose petals and jelly, and it's like fresh tea grown with the blood of sin mixed with pure milk, leaving a silky and smooth sweetness in your mouth.
This is the stage, this is a high-quality stage.
Xie Qingxuan's "Flow State" performance was incredibly pure, far surpassing her usual style, and set the tone for this dish.
Chu Yuanqing's performance.
No, it should be said that the wonderful qualities that the person was unwilling to show, but which were brought out by the stage, became the finishing touch that transformed the taste of the dish.
As for herself? She's like the water in soup, the flour in biscuits, the rice in fried rice—just one of the foundations that makes up this brilliance, yet she seems ubiquitous, insignificant, merely a reproducible element.
Ji Shuzhu's true role lies in being a professional chef who designs dishes and Genius Choreographer who creates dazzling masterpieces.
And now, she is immersed in the harvest season, reveling in the ever-expanding brilliance on her tongue, and experiencing the taste of happiness that she hasn't felt in a long time.
During this time, a great deal of magic vaporized from the depths of the soul, branching out into trickles that continuously flowed into the platinum ring on the finger, causing the colorless diamonds and pure white pearls on it to emit a delicate shimmer.
The same phenomenon also occurred to Xie Qingxuan, but unlike Ji Shuzhu's unique way of gaining experience points, her [Goddess Skirt] only absorbed ten times more magic power than usual, far less efficient than Chu Yuanqing's kiss to Magic Replenishment.
Xie Qingxuan had no further thoughts.
Over the past week, her mastery of [Flow State] has become even more refined. The skill she deconstructed through [Shining Plunder]—the first move always wins—has become even more terrifying, living up to her name as the Stage Tyrant.
If Kiriwake Yayoi's team had played first, their chances of winning might have been 50/50. But now, with this debuff stacked on them, the difficulty for the opposing team to turn the tide has become hellish.
It's important to know that this stage is different from the last one, "Dangerous Party".
Ji Shuzhu's addition not only made the dance music more brilliant and exquisite, but also made every detail fit the personalities and strengths of the three members. She herself is a stage machine that never makes mistakes.
With Chu Yuanqing's improvement, the stage performance by this team is already a first-class and excellent performance, even without the amplification of [Flow State].
Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for us to lose.
Chen Baijiu continued her commentary:
"Chu Yuanqing, although the choreographer played a part, you truly showed everyone your unique charm."
"As for the dance, your solo performance, whether it was the progression and explosion of emotion, or the lightness and freedom you displayed when spinning in the air and landing, was truly worthy of that ballet tutu, and it really amazed me."
"Everyone says that the ballet tutu is the shining crown of ballet art, but in my eyes, you in this group are like the most dazzling jewel in that crown."
As soon as he finished speaking, he deducted 2 points from the dance.
At this point, excluding the stage effects score, a total of 7.5 points were deducted.
Chu Yuanqing pursed her lips, feeling unworthy of the honor.
Whether it's Qingxuan's "Flow State" or Shu Zhu's choreography, their effects are far greater than hers. Her only standout solo dance on stage was also a product of cheating with magic.
Fortunately, this time I didn't hold the team back too much.
Most importantly, the lantern disguised as Mobius Ring is greedily consuming the positive emotions offered by a large number of fans, and a large amount of magic crystals are condensing, continuously expanding the capacity of the magic center, proving that the audience is very satisfied with this.
--cup, pool, river, sea.
This is a rough classification of magical power.
When Chu Yuanqing first awakened, he didn't even have the magical power of the Zhan Realm, which was a very low level. It was only through exposure on stage after stage of <Flash Dance>, the fermentation of public opinion, and the growth of fans that he barely reached the minimum threshold of the Zhan Realm.
This magic conversion ratio is not conserved.
The fundamental reason is that the lantern, as the embodiment of the soul, is constantly being crushed by the Sea of Truth, and is in a Schrödinger's cat state of being half-shattered and half-crushed.
Chu Yuanqing's soul, as a vessel for magic, loses some magic each time it is broken, much like a cup that is shattered and then immediately repaired.
Simply put, the reason she can maintain the magic of the realm is because the outside world pays so much attention to her, to the point that she can easily convert that attention into positive emotions, and the magic she gains is just enough to match, or even exceed, the magic she loses daily.
Therefore, to acquire enough magic and climb to a higher level of magic, one can only rely on the continuous expansion of popularity, the increase in the number of fans who love her, and... the special advancement method of the stage, which can instantly gather a large amount of magic.
Judging from the feedback in the final few minutes of <ACUTE>'s story, her magical power could probably increase tenfold or more after fully fermenting, truly touching the threshold for advancing to the Pool Realm—[Lighting Up].
The word "Zhan" in the "Zhan" realm not only refers to the size of the magic power, but also describes the core of the magical girl.
--lantern.
Magical Girl each carry a lantern, but things like Little Sakura's earrings, the Green Eyed Cat's brooch, and the Golden Haired Doggy's watch, though called lanterns, don't actually look like lanterns.
The reason is simple: their lanterns are all in their nascent stage. They need to accumulate enough magical power in one lantern before it can unleash its true form and thus create its own unique Magic Armor.
Chu Yuanqing started with Magic Armor because she was an Outer-level Pure White Witch, but due to her excessive weakness, her Magic Armor was purely for show, making little difference whether she had it or not.
The Magic Armor that is formed after the "Lighting Up" is officially activated is just like the effect of a child transforming into Magical Girl, which can make a girl who is powerless become a supernatural Combat Power unit.
Therefore, for her, who craved power, [Lighting Up] was the first step, and also the most important one.
At this moment, the Live Broadcast Room chat exploded with comments, a mix of hysteria and critique, all expressing their support for Chu Yuanqing's savior mission.
"Waaaaah, no one's going to talk about the part where Qing Bao commits suicide and collapses? I was so immersed in the performance, it made me cry so much!"
"The dance was already of high quality, but after the radical changes, it became even more amazing with the performance of the three dancers. It felt like watching a high-caliber musical, with an incredibly powerful emotional impact. After watching it, I felt a sense of spiritual satisfaction."
"My god, they're taking turns attacking me, I'm not kidding???"
"Hilarious! After watching for several minutes, the only thing that's straight is the platform???"
"Hard to say, wasn't Qing Bao supposed to die in the Kunlun Mountains? And Qing Bao's hair is as straight as hers???"
"I don't know if Qing Bao is straight or not, but Xie Qingxuan's murderous gaze doesn't seem like acting. What do you mean by favoring women? Qing Bao must have fallen into a trap. I'm praying for her."
"Mom, Qing Bao is straight? I don't believe it! Just because her hair is so straight doesn't mean she can't be straight too!"
Of course, there are still serious people who care about the stage competition itself:
"Oh no, this team is performing so well, and with the Great Demon King's [Flow State] suppression, it feels like Little Sakura's team is going to be eliminated."
"It still depends on the stage effects, that's true, but I don't think it will be much lower than the last 'Dangerous Party' performance."
As expected, the mentors quickly obtained the scores, discarded the highest and lowest scores, and the average score was as high as 46 points.
Although it scored a full 3 points lower than <Dangerous Party>, the reason it scored so high last time was 90% due to the first appearance of the Great Demon King [Flow State], which had a killer effect on first impressions.
This rating is relatively more objective and rational, yet it is still a rare high score, which is enough to demonstrate the excellence of <ACUTE>.
The total score was then successfully calculated and projected onto the virtual screen.
--88.5 points.
This high score prompted a flurry of comments in the live chat:
"Is this probably the highest score in the history of stage battles? The last one, <Dangerous Party>, was 88 points. Considering the complexity of a trio dance, this extra 0.5 is already a huge improvement."
"Little Sakura is in trouble. She didn't get an advantage in the rounds and was overtaken by the Great Demon King's [Flow State] early on. It's easy for her to repeat the cycle of Ningbao's defeat."
"The Great Demon King's [Flow State] ability has taken full advantage of the information gap. It's estimated that only Ning Bao and Flow State Ji Shuzhu are aware of it. The other contestants are still unaware that she has awakened [Flow State], let alone its specific effects."
"Not necessarily. In a 'Flow State' versus 'Flow State' scenario, Little Sakura might not lose. Don't forget, she was the first player to truly grasp 'Flow State'."
"But you also have to look at the team composition. The Great Demon King's team has a 3A combination, while Little Sakura is missing an A, which puts them at a disadvantage from the start."
The debates in these comments resonated with many people.
Xie Qingxuan's dominance on stage, Chu Yuanqing's charm, and Ji Shuzhu's choreography—the combined chemical reaction has pushed the atmosphere to its climax. The audience, who are currently feeling mentally satisfied and emotionally exhausted, can hardly imagine how this team could lose.
However, the Flow State is also a major highlight, making the outcome of the match still full of unknown suspense.
Kiriwake Yayoi's die-hard fans didn't believe their Little Idol would lose at all, and they flooded the comments section with "???" as a show of support, eagerly anticipating the performance she and her two teammates would deliver.
Chu Wangshu's fans are quite laid-back, regarding their idol as a mascot. They just want to see her energetic and adorable on stage, and hopefully she can ride on someone else's coattails to get through more Public Performance. Right now, they are all praying for her to get high scores on stage and smoothly advance to the A1 area.
Most of Tang Liuli's fans are long-time fans who have accumulated their interest from past works. When they look at this Green Eyed Cat, they are all influenced by the feeling of "my daughter has grown up."
Yes, the symptoms are similar to Chu Wangshu's childhood idol filter, but even more fan-circle-like. They think everything this child does is super cute and pleasing to the eye, completely ignoring whether they will lose or not, their attention is entirely on her new skin with pigtails.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone,
This team, which was either being predicted to fail or was being anticipated, was captured on camera during the live broadcast.
The three girls' stage costumes were simple, unlike Chu Yuanqing's team's more formal musical style. They all wore the same template of white shirts and pleated skirts, with only differences in style and details, showing their youthful and pure beauty.
They walked slowly onto the stage together.
Kiriwake Yayoi walked to the center of the stage, stood with her hands behind her back, and looked down at her toes.
Tang Liuli and Chu Wangshu stood neatly behind her, doing the same thing.
From the frontal view, the three overlap, and only the Little Sakura, who appears to be smiling, is visible.
At the same time, the virtual reality set was completely removed, dispelling the atmosphere of the previous musical, leaving only the lighting system that had just started operating on the stage.
The light and airy prelude of the music then began to play.
Tang Liuli and Chu Wangshu walked to opposite sides, paused briefly, and then, in time with the rhythm, looked up at the camera along with Little Sakura, revealing infectious and adorable smiles. The three of them then moved as if they were conjoined, put their hands together above their heads, and spun around in unison.
The girl's pleated skirt spun beautifully, and to the classic Pop Dance music, it proclaimed the youth of midsummer, like a gentle breeze that brushed across everyone's heart.
This dance is...
<Into the New World>.
Volume 1: 124. Tang Liuli's [Flow State], the Milky Way and the Flame, the Final Victory. (6K1 words)
The viewers in the Live Broadcast Room went wild as soon as they heard the intro:
"Holy crap, Girls' Generation's debut song?"
"What kind of trump card did Little Sakura and the others draw? <Into the New World>! This debut song became the second national anthem of Chao Nation. Its historical significance alone is far greater than that of <ACUTE>."