Chapter 102 Part 2

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Chapter 102 Part 2: The Game of Humanity, Lightning War (2)

During these three days, most of the contestants worked overtime to keep up with the pace. They immersed themselves day and night in self-learning dance routines at the initial stage, striving to quickly reach the level required for the official competition.

Xie Qingxuan and Chu Yuanqing returned to their dormitory on the first day.

The next day, they brought their laundry into the A-level practice room, starting a rigorous life of practice around the clock, except for eating and sleeping.

The conditions were not bad at all, as the A-level practice room was luxurious as usual, with bedrooms and guest rooms. There was no shortage of sleeping space, making it like a multi-functional high-class dormitory with a dance room.

Chu Yuanqing actually wanted to slack off, but Xie Qingxuan’s high concentration, execution, and willpower in this aspect made her feel ashamed to slack off as a teammate.

Under this serious to almost obsessive attitude, even the embarrassing elements such as breaking down female movements, trying to remember the beat, replicating with the body, and completing a section formally were filled with an academic and serious atmosphere.

With the high-intensity dance practice in the past few days, initially feeling awkward, embarrassed, and wanting to give up, she almost surrendered and followed Xie Qingxuan’s training arrangements after exhaustion set in and she couldn’t bother to think. She went through all the major movements in a blur.

Xie Qingxuan is very serious about the stage.

This seriousness is like someone needing to sharpen their skills like a demon slayer to uphold righteousness, beyong the realm of dark arts.

Because the idea of stage and idol is like a sword she forged to cut her sister’s dream, it is a weapon that will lose its meaning after achieving the goal.

This dedication made her highly value every stage performance.

But that’s all there is to it.

Neither the stage nor being loved by fans can break the thick walls of her heart. She cannot pour any extra emotions into the stage.

So, even the awakened Heart Flow of Xie Qingxuan is beyond redemption.

Born from the obsession of being unable to fulfill a dream but having to fulfill it, what emerges is the twisted power of Plunder Shine.

Holding Chu Yuanqing’s slender waist, feeling her green and tender movements, looking at those bright and clear eyes that need to feign desire, for the first time, her heart bursts with rich and varied emotions, even overflowing enough to be shared with the stage.

If…

If she were to dance with this person, even if they didn’t have to be so close, even if they were just a little closer, maybe she could infuse her emotions into the stage without the need for Heart Flow, creating performances beyond the framework.

Xie Qingxuan had already realized that she could achieve her dreams without taking away others’ shine and beauty in their hearts. She didn’t mind stopping if she could still reach the top step by step.

Chu Yuanqing’s presence was like a piece completing a puzzle of flaws.

With her by her side, the flawed Heart Flow would eventually develop "normal" abilities, preventing the birth of a true Demon King.

Yes, the Demon King.

Xie Qingxuan unintentionally took Luo Chan’s shine before, but with her first reaction and the chain technique she learned from meditation, she could potentially reach the same level as her sister.

As memories of Luo Chan kept flashing back in her dreams that same night, along with revisiting her initial intentions on stage and the origin of her dreams, Xie Qingxuan’s corresponding thoughts dimmed.

– Shine.

– What is the true definition of shining?

Xie Qingxuan began pondering for the first time – Is shining about talent, dreams, giftedness, emotions, intentions, love, or a combination of all these elements?

Is the shining of plunder eternal or just borrowed temporarily?

These are all unknowns.

Xie Qingxuan is determined to trample on other people’s dreams.

However, essentially speaking, this statement eliminates the other competitors who truly have dreams, allowing oneself to secure a limited spot in the spotlight, a common stage of victory and defeat based on common sense, rather than crushing the manifestation of the opponent’s will, self, abilities, passions, and dreams into reality.

These two are very different.

Even someone as stubborn as her, doesn’t want to easily degrade someone to this extent.

So for now, it’s fine. Using Chu Yuanqing as a constraint, create a team of extremely high quality, get through the upcoming second performance first, and think about what comes after.

And if in the future, she really is forced to use the [Heart Flow].

She might… never be able to go back again.

"Qingxuan, your hair is all dry now."

Chu Yuanqing looked at her reflection in the mirror, her brows furrowed and her expression dazed, like a beautiful fool with something on her mind. With her slender fingertips, she smoothed out the warm strands of hair, feeling a sense of accomplishment grooming her golden retriever.

But before she could finish grooming, she realized something was amiss. She quietly withdrew her teasing fingers, reflecting on how she had mistaken her dog for her daughter again.

It was unavoidable, after all her roommates were kids almost the same age as her lovable daughter. With their charming pets-like cuteness and upon realizing they were all troubled children, it was natural to feel more concerned and sympathetic.

Xie Qingxuan didn’t feel anything was wrong.

Or maybe, even if it was a girl she wasn’t very familiar with, practicing the dance "Dangerous Party" together for three days straight, she wouldn’t mind this level of closeness.

The young girl lifted her eyes quietly, her pretty face looking subdued but oddly obedient. She politely thanked her, skillfully tied her hair back, revealing the graceful line of her fair neck. Then she stood up and left the bedroom, intending to continue practicing the dance.

If she didn’t need an average of 5 hours of sleep, this child would be disciplined and hardworking to the point of seeming like a robot.

And just then, the broadcast inside the practice room echoed:

"In District C1, some players are challenging each other on the stage."

"Challengers: Kirimi Miyuki, Chu Wang Shu."

"Challenged ones: Tang Liuli, Lin Baor."

"The two teams agreed to have an official match the next day at noon. Players can watch through the virtual screen in the practice room."

Hearing this, Xie Qingxuan stopped in her tracks, processing the information as if she had sensed something, emotions clouding her eyes.

Chu Yuanqing sighed and said,

"It has only been three days, yet Miyuki and Liuli have already reached a level where they can perform on stage?"

Xie Qingxuan corrected her, saying,

"They don’t need to reach a performance level, they just need to be stronger than the other side for the so-called PK."

"But going on stage officially will look very bad, and might create negative public opinion on the show, so the timing for tomorrow, according to Kirimi Miyuki, is close to ideal."

Chu Yuanqing understood the meaning behind it.

The so-called stage PK, winning or losing only requires the teachers to give scores, the earlier the challenge is initiated, the less familiar they are with their own songs, resulting in lower scores.

For those who learn dancing on their own quickly or get easier dances, the earlier advantage of challenging is bigger, the range values and calculations involved are all part of the strategy.

However, from her understanding of Kirimi Miyuki, the one taking the mainstream idol route wouldn’t choose such a tricky strategy unless… Miyuki’s goal is not to increase chances of winning, but to compete against time!

– Tang Liuli is the strongest active singer on this episode of "Dazzling Stage."

"To snatch a teammate?"

Chu Yuanqing hit the mark right away, guessing the surface reason, but what she’s more curious about now is how a certain green-eyed cat would agree to such a clearly disadvantageous PK.

Before she could continue pondering, the broadcast continued:

"In Zone C1, contestants are initiating stage challenges."

"Challengers: Rosalind, Lucia."

"Challenged: Xiangling, Qing."

"According to the agreed time of both teams, they will face off on stage in ten minutes. Contestants can watch the battles through the virtual screens in the practice room."

Before anyone could comment, several stage challenges were announced one after the other, continuously falling down.

For a moment, everyone was surprised by the sudden flurry of challenges on one point, wondering why all the stage challenges were concentrated there one after another, and couldn’t understand why the teams were so efficient.

Xie Qingxuan and Chu Yuanqing were speechless, vaguely guessing about it.

Half an hour later, the results of the stage challenges for both teams further strengthened this possibility of the guess.

The completion level of the two dance teams was very low, so much so that they appeared particularly farcical on stage, receiving low scores of 28 and 35 respectively after being bombarded by the Tutor Group.

Soon after, the winners’ team took away the losers’ team Grade B, allowing the remaining Grade F players to directly enter the waiting area.

One hour later, the stage showdown between the two groups of four teams came to an end. The outcome mirrored the initial stage showdown, starting with a seemingly easy stage performance and ending with high-rated players being picked.

To everyone’s surprise, news of the stage challenges continued to echo through the speakers.

Chu Yuanqing softly remarked:

"This is the result of the high-rated players colluding, purposely getting rid of the burdens in their teams quickly."

Xie Qingxuan calmly said:

"Since both team members need to agree to the challenge, they are very strict in approving challenges to avoid exposure."

"This is not just a battle, but a game of human nature."

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