Chapter 96
Chu Yuanqing's existence is like a piece of the puzzle that fills in the gaps.
If she were by my side, my Flow State " would eventually develop "normal" abilities, preventing the birth of a true Demon King.
Yes, Demon King.
Xie Qingxuan had unintentionally stolen Luo Chan's brilliance. Her initial reaction was that, combined with the chain of skills formed by [Meditation State], she could very well reach the domain of her sister.
However, as the memories of Luo Chan, her initial aspirations for stepping onto the stage, and even the source of her dreams continued to flash back in her dreams that night, the corresponding thoughts faded away.
--shine.
--What exactly is the definition of "shining"?
Xie Qingxuan began to ponder this question for the first time: Is brilliance talent, dreams, gifts, emotions, original aspirations, passion, or a combination of all these elements?
The dazzling brilliance of [Flow State]—is it eternal plunder or fleeting borrowing?
These are all unknowns.
Xie Qingxuan is aware that she can trample on other people's dreams.
But this argument, in essence, is about eliminating the other contestants who truly have dreams, and making it into the limited Debut Spot for oneself. It's a matter of winning and losing on stage, which is common sense, and it doesn't mean crushing the other person's will, self, talent, passion, and dreams into a tangible product.
These two are worlds apart.
Even someone as stubborn as her wouldn't easily humiliate someone to this extent.
So things are fine now. Using Chu Yuanqing as a limiter, we can create a team of extremely high quality, get through the current second Public Performance, and then think about what comes next.
And if in the future, I am truly forced to use [Flow State]...
She might... never be able to go back.
"Qingxuan, your hair is done."
Chu Yuanqing looked at the silly beauty in the mirror, her eyes lowered, her expression blank, as if she had something on her mind. Her slender fingertips brushed through the strands of hair that still had the warmth of the wind, and she stroked the golden retriever with a sense of accomplishment.
But before she could finish masturbating, she realized something was wrong, silently withdrew her mischievous fingers, and reflected that she had once again treated the other person like a daughter.
There's nothing we can do about it. After all, our roommates are all kids around the same age as our Little Cotton-padded Jacket, with a kind of cute, cat-and-dog charm. Once we get to know each other and realize that the others are all problem children, it's inevitable that we'll worry about them and feel sorry for them.
Xie Qingxuan didn't think anything was wrong.
Or rather, even girls who aren't very close wouldn't mind this level of physical intimacy after practicing a dance like "Dangerous Party" together for three days in a row.
The girl quietly raised her eyes, her pretty face expressionless, yet inexplicably giving off a very well-behaved feeling. After politely thanking him, she skillfully tucked her hair back, revealing her fair neck with its graceful, winding lines. Then she got up, left the bedroom, and planned to continue practicing her dance.
If it weren't for the fact that he also needs an average of 5 hours of sleep, this child would be so disciplined and hardworking that he'd be like a robot.
Just then, the loudspeaker in the practice room blared:
"A contestant in Zone C1 has launched a stage challenge."
Challengers: Kiriwake Yayoi, Chu Wangshu
"The challenged parties: Tang Liuli and Lin Bao'er"
"The two teams have agreed to a formal match at 12 noon the following day. All players can watch the match via the virtual screen in the practice room."
Xie Qingxuan stopped in her tracks upon hearing this. She processed the information and seemed to realize something, her eyes filled with an inscrutable emotion.
Chu Yuanqing said with some emotion:
"It's only been three days, and Yayoi and Liuli have already practiced to the point where they can perform on stage?"
Xie Qingxuan corrected him:
"You don't need to be good enough to go on stage. In a competition, all you need to do is be better than the other side."
"But if the official performance is too ugly, it could easily generate negative public opinion during the broadcast. So, in Kiriwake Yayoi's view, tomorrow's timing is close to the ideal threshold."
Chu Yuanqing understood the meaning behind it.
In the so-called stage PK, the winner is determined by the judges' scores. The earlier the challenge is initiated, the lower the contestants' familiarity with each other's songs will be, and the lower their scores will be.
For those who learn and practice dances quickly, or who draw relatively simple dances, the earlier they take on the challenge, the greater their advantage becomes. The range of values and calculations involved are all part of the strategy.
However, based on her understanding of Kiriwake Yayoi, there was no reason for her opponent, who followed the mainstream idol route, to resort to such a clever strategy, unless... Yayoi's goal was not to increase her chances of winning, but to race against time!
--Tang Liuli is the strongest active vocalist in this episode of <Flash Dance>.
"Is it to steal teammates?"
Chu Yuanqing hit the nail on the head, guessing the surface reason, but what she was more curious about now was why a certain Green Eyed Cat would agree to this PK that looked extremely disadvantageous.
Before she could think any further, the broadcast continued:
"A contestant in Zone C1 has launched a stage challenge."
"Challengers: Luo Sijia, Liu Yun"
"The challenged parties: Qi Xiangling, Ruan Qing"
"According to the agreed time between the two teams, they will take the stage to face off in ten minutes. All players can watch the match via the virtual screen in the practice room."
Before I could even complain, announcements for four or five more stage challenges came on.
For a moment, the contestants, who had not yet figured out the secret, were all surprised and puzzled as to why all the stage challenges were concentrated in one place and erupted one after another. They also couldn't understand why these teams were so efficient.
Xie Qingxuan and Chu Yuanqing remained silent, both vaguely guessing what was going on.
Half an hour later, the results of the stage challenge between the two teams further strengthened the possibility of this speculation.
Both dances were poorly executed, so poorly executed that they seemed utterly childish on stage. After being bombarded by the mentors, they received low scores of 28 and 35 respectively.
Subsequently, the winners' bracket eliminated the B-Class from the losers' bracket, allowing the remaining F-Class players to directly enter the waiting area.
An hour later, the stage PK of the two groups of four teams came to an end. The result was exactly the same as the initial stage PK, starting with a stage that was so childish that it seemed like a routine, and ending with the high-rated contestants being selected.
Ironically, news of the stage challenge continued to blare from the radio.
Chu Yuanqing said quietly:
"This is the result of collusion among highly-rated players; they are deliberately and quickly eliminating any 'Burdens' from their respective teams."
Xie Qingxuan said calmly:
"However, because agreeing to a challenge requires the consent of both team members, their challenge applications were all strictly controlled to avoid exposure."
"This is a blitzkrieg, but more importantly... it's a game of human nature."
P. S.: Waaaaaah, I stayed up all night again...
P. S.: Today is the Hedgehog Cat summer event, please give me some free monthly tickets and razor blades!
Volume 1: Chapter 103. Xie Qingxuan's Turn: Miracles and Magic Come at a Price. (6K)
From the very first stage, Flash Dance reveals its testing of human nature.
In the initial stages, in order to maintain their public image, trainees unconsciously set frameworks and constraints for themselves and did not show an overly aggressive side.
However, due to the long-accumulated anxiety, greed, ambition, and fear, these frameworks and constraints continued to deform and distort, and finally collapsed completely under the heavy blow of a 50% elimination rate.
Therefore, this has given rise to the current spiral of betrayal and deception.
Chu Yuanqing disliked this atmosphere, but he had to admit that for those high-rated players who unfortunately drew the [Burdens] card, this extreme self-interest was the best solution to embrace victory.
Moreover...
"After the Second Evaluation, a contestant's popularity is almost directly linked to their evaluation rating."
"The methods they used may seem dishonorable, but as long as they play the victim a little when discussing their plans, their respective fans can suppress negative comments and direct public opinion towards the rules of Flashdance itself, without affecting their popularity with the audience."
"Moreover, this incident is a bombshell for the show. The Program Group will most likely edit the whole story into the third episode, and the high-rated contestants who participated in the planning will get more screen time. It's indeed a very clever tactic."
Xie Qingxuan meticulously analyzed the situation, revealing that while she was very natural in everyday life, she was remarkably perceptive about such matters. She had considered even more possibilities but refrained from further discussion.
The only victims in this incident were those who were deceived, abandoned, and discarded—the "Burdens."
What's even more thought-provoking is whether Dream Weaver Rabbit, which created this high-pressure environment and forced players to compete fiercely, has always expected to see this kind of development.
Regardless, the fact that such farcical stage battles have occurred one after another, while the mentors and the Program Group have consistently turned a blind eye, already speaks volumes about their attitude.
That is—to let it go unchecked.
In the current environment, letting things go unchecked is the greatest encouragement.
Xie Qingxuan gathered her thoughts, turned to look at Chu Yuanqing, and asked:
"Xiao Qing, can you control your [Flow State] state?"
Chu Yuanqing felt a little guilty. The [Flow State] she had mastered was more in line with the universal meaning, which was pure and complete immersion.
While it can enhance thinking speed, memory, reaction speed, and concentration, it doesn't abstractly amplify stage presence or personal charisma, let alone extend to abilities like [Perfect Performance Method], [Plundering Brilliance], or [Absolute Replication].
All the previous outbursts were simply a re-enactment of Charlotte's dazzling charm.
Therefore, when faced with her teammates' questions, she could only try to answer honestly:
"I can freely activate [Flow State], but my energy is limited. I can only use it for a few hours a day at most, and only when I'm learning dance moves, memorizing lyrics, and training."
"But I couldn't perform consistently on stage; the first few times were largely due to unexpected events."
"I suggest that you don't include my [Flow State] in your overall Combat Power. Just use my usual training level to determine my final level in stage battles."
Xie Qingxuan nodded thoughtfully. Being rather straightforward, she believed it immediately and interpreted Chu Yuanqing's "Flow State" as an ability to accelerate growth offstage, analyzing it as follows:
"In that case, our setup will be similar to Kiriwake Yayoi's group."
"Their team will face Liuli at noon tomorrow. If they win, they'll most likely eliminate Liuli, forming a 2A1B combination."
"Therefore, if we want to maintain the team's superior quality in the next round, our only goal can be to challenge for A-Class."
Chu Yuanqing thought about Sakura's idol power and [flow], silently swallowed the complaint about "Why did Liuli lose all his money by default", and continued:
"Then the only option left is the pair of Ji Shuzhu and Chen Yining."
Xie Qingxuan fell silent upon hearing this, the darkness in his eyes growing even deeper. Challenging the Double A combination would be a huge risk.
However, her original conservative and comfortable mindset has been shattered by the rapidly changing situation.
Whether it's the pressure from Kiriwake Yayoi or the reshuffling of the alliance of dozens of B-Class players, both could potentially pose a threat to him.
The former refers to the quality of the team.
The latter will have the speed advantage brought by blitzkrieg.
If those B-Class were truly clever enough, they could easily continue their match-fixing tactics into the next round after negotiation, or even use this childish approach to ignore the vast majority of time costs and assemble several 5B teams weeks in advance.
In other words, they will have half a month more than our side to practice the dance for the second Public Performance in advance.
Therefore, we must take an unconventional approach.
Xie Qingxuan said earnestly:
"While the lead vocalist is certainly important, the choreographer plays an even more crucial and central role in the subsequent 3V3 and 4V4 rounds of competition, and even in the second Public Performance."
"Ji Shuzhu, we need her choreography skills."
Chu Yuanqing understood the meaning behind it.
The Program Group actually allowed contestants to choreograph the dances they were given, but for most people, just learning the dance was difficult enough, let alone trying to choreograph it.
After all, the dances that can be drawn from the dance library are already quite mature. Even if the choreography is done, it is only to make the dance more suitable for the trainees in the team, and it is difficult for any qualitative transformation to occur.
However, there is a premise here: [the majority of people].
For a second-rate team and a second-rate choreographer, these statements are indeed correct.
But...
Xie Qingxuan is aiming to assemble a top-tier team.
And Ji Shuzhu, whom she chose, is a world-class Genius Choreographer.
The latter, in particular.
Ji Shuzhu's choreography genius surpasses even that of Chen Baijiu, the Program Group's choreography mentor, who can only rely on seniority.
The choreography puzzle method, which is based on Hyperthymesia and has been developed over time, is capable of disassembling any unfamiliar dance in a matter of minutes. It breaks down the dance into distinct segments based on keywords such as rhythm, movement, and cadence, and then arbitrarily recombines and merges them to complete an exaggeratedly efficient choreography.
It can be said that with her addition, the larger the team, the more they can leverage the advantages of having a choreographer, resulting in increasingly Shining Stage performances.