Chapter 147
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Chapter 147: Little Qing, I Feel Like I’m Closer to You Now
On that day.
There were a total of 27 teams in the B1 area.
Xie Qingxuan won nine crushing Stage Battles in a row, acting like a fierce ruler defeating 27 trainees from nine teams. She not only stole their spotlight but also made them redo their dance songs.
It’s important to know that there are only nine days left until the end of the month. Losing in the B1 area now means there won’t be any second chances, another loss almost guarantees elimination.
Xie Qingxuan’s impressive nine consecutive victories in battles was like a powerful selection process that made everyone in the B1 area nervous and worried.
The reason is simple.
Xie Qingxuan’s team went crazy challenging 17 other teams at once, almost dominating two-thirds of the teams in the B1 area!
The remaining one-third either lost to her overwhelmingly strong team or were intimidated by her presence, which is quite exaggerated.
The live stream repeatedly showed Xie Qingxuan’s battles, with comments at first criticizing her unfair advantage, but eventually, the mood shifted in her favor. By the seventh battle, even her rivals couldn’t help but admire her talent.
Even if idols only perform for a few minutes on stage, creating a spectacular and emotionally engaging show requires a lot of physical, mental, and emotional energy, as well as coping with pressure.
Especially when performing the Heart Flow routine!
Even though many top idols worldwide know how to use Heart Flow, they usually only use it once at the beginning and end of their concerts.
Heart Flow is a powerful temporary ability, so using it constantly is not realistic. There was once a famous superstar in the 20th century who used Heart Flow excessively, creating amazing performances but unfortunately passing away early.
Despite criticism and negativity from some fans, Xie Qingxuan’s impressive record of nine wins using Heart Flow earned her respect and admiration, overshadowing any negative comments.
The scene shifts to the dressing room backstage.
Xie Qingxuan sits in a chair, sipping water quietly, looking aloof yet slightly vulnerable, with a hint of innocence in her tired expression.
Ji Shuzhu rests with her eyes closed, both her and Fan Qiuling in good condition.
Within this team, Xie Qingxuan is the main focus and core member. Her continuous use of Heart Flow ensures their victories.
Essentially, the pressure is mostly on their opponents, allowing Xie Qingxuan and Fan Qiuling to conserve their energy and stay relaxed.
It’s like a cyclist breaking the wind for their teammate, reducing air resistance and helping the other rider save energy for the final sprint to victory.
Xie Qingxuan now, she is both a fast racer and a precise shooter. The other two only need to avoid mistakes, so they don’t feel much pressure and are not very tired.
After all, these high-level trainees are used to training for 10 hours a day, focusing on physical fitness.
Of course, Miss Choreographer’s rest is definitely different from Fan Qiuling’s.
The girl’s delicate skin is flushed with a healthy glow from intense exercise. If she were to open her eyes now, they would be filled with misty focus. Lost in the lingering taste on her tongue, she quietly murmured to herself:
"It’s clearly the same shining formula, but the taste is subtly different every time."
"This is definitely not just about Plunder Shine."
"Xie Qingxuan, are you using the stage’s chemical reactions to break down and absorb these shining qualities, pushing yourself to evolve continuously in a tightrope-walking way? It’s truly… a terrifying person."
At the same time.
Dream Weaver Rabbit also watched Xie Qingxuan in the rest room, its crimson eyes narrowing slightly as it whispered in amazement:
"Xie Qingxuan, what a strange obsession."
"Based on current data, she can only activate ‘Heart Flow’ for a maximum of 10 minutes within 24 hours, otherwise ‘Cocoon of the Heart’ won’t be able to handle such a surge of emotions, causing intense phantom pain in her consciousness."
"In other words, she has been performing under the state of phantom pain since the fourth Stage Battle."
"This is not a pain that a normal person can endure."
"So, not only does she possess outstanding beauty and soul quality, but even her mental strength and willpower naturally surpass those of ordinary people."
Dream Weaver Rabbit glanced at the fusion data of Artificial Lantern and whispered softly:
"Completing nine Stage Battles has propelled your fusion progress to the level comparable to Kirimi Miyuki."
"If you complete the remaining eight battles, how much further can you grow? Perhaps… you will be the first perfect fusion reserve witch who can wield the Lantern in this district, apart from Chu Yuanqing."
The fusion of ‘Cocoon of the Heart’ and Artificial Lantern will create a life embryo surpassing human limits.
In this story book, it can be said that by successfully integrating the lantern, the foundation for transforming into a witch is laid, and they will start to get closer to that cruel truth that the global government is desperately trying to hide.
At this moment, the audience in the live streaming room, unaware of the truth, were still commenting with bullet comments in the chat box:
"I am truly afraid that she might faint on stage now, this child is being too hard on herself."
Similar comments quickly escalated into a chaotic battle among fans of "Meet You in the Mist," "Clear City Lord," and "Qing Ci Li Qu," with each side claiming to be the true and orthodox.
On Little Sakura’s side, fans of the coupling presented a heap of sugary details, such as the magical picture in the rain, being chosen as the Carry Center by Chu Yuanqing, a lesbian wedding dress advertisement, a real kiss during the shooting process, the Stage Battle where Chu Yuanqing was snatched away, and a series of imaginative scenarios, showing great confidence.
On the side of the Golden Retriever, it was comparatively barren.
The incidents that could heat up the outside world’s interests were all kept under wraps and unknown to the public.
Among the few things that could be mentioned were the act of applying lipstick for Chu Yuanqing before going on stage, the various stickers in the dormitory, the stimulating kiss and physical contact in "Dangerous Party," and the huge contrast in personalities.
The green-eyed cat had an even harder time, as her own fans could only dig up less compelling things like the stickers in the dormitory, leg massages, head and face touches, and bedtime stories.
This caused a fight between "Qing Ci Li Qu" and two other CP teams, who ended up getting beaten up soon after. They had to go back with bruised faces, while the peaceful "Chu Chu Ke Ai" – Chu Yuanqing and Chu Wang Shu’s CP – sat at a table, feeling embarrassed just like the main characters.
Once similar topics were brought up, the Little Yuanxiaos couldn’t sit still and started whispering:
"Nonsense! Is Honey Qing really that great by herself? You CP pairings have no business here!"
With the addition of Yuanxiaos, Yuan Peis, and Qingmen believers, the atmosphere in the live broadcast became even more chaotic. However, it was comforting to see that there were still good children watching attentively, and some even raised a crucial question.
That is, why did so many teams agree to Xie Qingxuan’s challenge?
By combining this question with the schemes of the contestants from the previous round, it is easy to come to a conclusion.
Xie Qingxuan, Ji Shuzhu, and Fan Qiuling were indeed among the top three in terms of quality. However, they had only moved up to Zone B1 a few days ago, while most teams still in Zone B1 had been training together for two weeks.
In other words, their team had a significant advantage and the rewards of victory were high, so it was natural for them to have the courage to engage in battle.
On the other hand, this also involved human nature.
Everyone thought that challenging Xie Qingxuan was a rare opportunity, with a high chance of getting a Grade A teammate for free. Some even believed that Xie Qingxuan, who was eager to start a Stage Battle, wanted to be chosen in a losing way to move up to the A1 area.
Unlike the challenges in the C1 area, the challenges in the B1 area could be chosen to be blocked voluntarily.
Assuming the 17 challenged teams all had the idea of keeping their strategies hidden, not communicating at all, they would most likely each think they were the only ones being challenged.
With some instigation, there was indeed a possibility of creating an unprecedented situation.
Considering this analysis, the audience in the live broadcast was greatly shocked.
"Wow, such a deep and cunning plan. Does Xie Bao really have this intelligence?"
"Xie Bao is quite smart, but let’s be honest, those who have been her fans for a long time know that she has a bit of a simple personality. Either Ji Shuzhu or Fan Qiuling came up with this plan."
"…A long-time fan of Zhu Bao said that she’s mostly focused on choreography and wouldn’t come up with this type of plan. I think it’s most likely Fan Qiuling."
At the same time, Fan Qiuling, the main culprit, was sitting quietly in the corner of the dressing room.
The girl’s eyes were empty. She remembered the scene that led the rest of the team, feeling dark, gloomy, and thick pleasure in her chest. An excited smirk unconsciously appeared on her lips.
[Feeling unfair? Yes, it’s strange that only you had your shine stolen, right? If we don’t drag down the other teams, how can you stand on the same starting line with the other trainees again?]
– Inducing submission.
[Losing to Xie Qingxuan in the Stage Battle of C1 zone was deliberate on my part. After all, Xie Qingxuan had only trained for two days, how could she beat us? Do you really think Heart Flow is that magical? I just wanted to advance, it was easy to manipulate her to challenge your team, as long as… you promise to choose me as your teammate.]
– Serial deceit.
[Why did I help you deceive Xie Qingxuan about your team’s poorly drawn music? The reason is simple, I hate her, I want revenge, that’s all I want. Even if you end up choosing Ji Shuzhu or Xie Qingxuan in the end, it doesn’t matter to me, I just want her to taste the bitterness of defeat.]
– Pity seeking sympathy.
Like a counsellor controlled by the Demon King’s charm to turn dark, Fan Qiuling, in recent days, resorted to extremes and managed to deceive the 17 teams into this deep pit.
Fan Qiuling muttered to herself in her heart:
"How strange, is it so fun and joyful to see other people’s dreams shatter, beliefs collapse, and even cry and kneel in pain and emptiness?"
The girl was obsessed and immersed in dark and unhealthy emotions, couldn’t help but glance at Xie Qingxuan on the other side, none of the [Heart Flow] could surpass this cruelty. As long as she continued to follow her, she could keep enjoying this kind of happiness.
And with this thought, murky threads spread deep in her mind, as if… slowly weaving into a cocoon shape.
On the other side, the 10th Stage Battle officially began.
Although the contestants watching the Stage Battle live broadcast all understood that the probability of defeating the Great Devil was infinitely close to zero, once they engaged in battle, unless both sides agreed to cancel the challenge, they couldn’t back out halfway.
Therefore, the challenged team could only grit their teeth and step onto the stage, completely unaware that after losing, they would face an even more tragic fate.
Time passed by.
Xie Qingxuan didn’t agree to cancel any of the teams’ challenges, the stage broadcast went from the beginning of on and off, to later constant, until the sunset fell and dusk faded, they still couldn’t finish all the battles.
And from the 10th Stage Battle onwards,
The girl’s eyes had a dark cross in them, going through a stage of being scattered at times. Deep inside her soul, the "Cocoon of the Heart" was like overheating, causing her to gradually lose control of her emotions. Strong ringing in her ears and phantom pains came over her like a storm.
Strangely, she even started to enjoy this process.
Whether it was the intense flashing, loading of the Dream Puzzle, or the painful overload of the brain, the images in her dream became clearer.
The red to black ring of fire engulfed the flower sea, ashes and petals raining down heavily. The sounds of cello and organ intertwined melodiously, and the memory of "Laevateinn" peeling off in a retracing of memories, revealing a gentle and sad posture.
This epic scene made her soul tremble with emotion, like a magical visualization, even the overhead view of meditation became more elusive, stirring up a stronger surge of emotions, capturing a larger magical power, triggering the most immediate chain reaction.
That is – the Artificial Lantern named Goddess’s Skirt continued to accelerate its fusion on the stage, expanding the limit of the "Cocoon of the Heart," allowing the exaggerated Stage Battle to be maintained.
And so, the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth battles.
Not until the fourteenth Stage Battle victory at 9 p.m. did she awaken as if from a dream, coming out of that state of concentration where only those emotions were present.
In an instant, the tight strings in her heart loosened, and a strong tiredness washed over her brain like a tide.
Xie Qingxuan stood under the spotlight on stage, breathing slightly faster as she glanced at the camera. Her eyes, with dark cross-shaped pupils, shimmered brightly before shattering into pieces, the color soft like a deer’s, gentle and elusive, with a faint curve at the corner of her lips.
Somehow, she was very happy now.
The platinum blonde hair of the girl fluttered in the wind, displaying feather-like shades. Her upturned eyes softened the usually cold and forceful atmosphere, smiling like an angel sent to earth, emanating an incredibly warm and contrasting feeling.
Xie Qingxuan closed her eyes, listening to her heart beating, she took off her earphones and whispered softly:
"Little Qing, I don’t know why, but I always feel… like I’m getting closer to you."
Those words, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, left her feeling drained, like the gradually dimming starlight on stage, as if a paper kite plummeting heavily to the ground from the sky.
In the next moment, her teammates hurriedly bent down to help, the mentors below the stage stood up together, and the staff members rushed to the stage, while the live bullet comments in the control room multiplied like an avalanche.
Xie Qingxuan felt dizzy, a wave of dizziness engulfing her soul, as if being cut off from the sea, her vision reflected in her eyes warped, and the sounds around her seemed to slow down and fade.
Eventually, her consciousness plunged into darkness.
A few seconds later, the live stream room went black, leaving behind a lot of bullet comments showing either shock, confusion, or worry, along with Xie Qingxuan’s fans anxiously asking questions.
Public opinion quickly brewed outside.
Even an hour later, "Dazzling Stage" announced that the contestant was just exhausted and not seriously hurt.
News of Xie Qingxuan winning all 14 Stage Battles and advancing to the A1 region with a terrifying undefeated record spread across the internet, shaking up fans accustomed to domestic entertainment, solidifying Xie Qingxuan’s title as Stage Tyrant.
