Chapter 158
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Chapter 158: Puppetry Melody, the Return of Brilliance, the Continuation of Dreams
The official website of "Dazzling Stage" had just launched the live broadcast, and within moments, hundreds of thousands of viewers rushed in, typing a long string of bullet comments with impressive speed.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Please tell me when the fourth episode will air!"
"Wow, is it going to be Xie Bao and Little Sakura facing off again? Is this the second round of the battle for love?"
"This is too funny! The final round of the qualifiers has added rival power-ups. I can’t even imagine how fierce this stage will be this time!"
"Didn’t you notice an important point? This time, the contestants can watch from the audience seats. The Great Devil has such an advantage, and Little Sakura below will also have to guard against the powerful move, ‘Heart Flow.’ It’s a tough start!"
"It’s hard to say. In idol shows and sports shows, doesn’t the one that goes first often lose? Little Sakura’s experience and personality are just so classic; she practically has the power to turn things around even when facing difficulties. Remember last time when everyone thought Honey Qing was safe, and then she sang ‘Encounter With the World’ and turned the whole situation around!"
"Don’t forget, Xie Qingxuan has leveled up too. Just a few days ago, she won 14 stages in a row and has a great momentum going on. With her struggles turning into strengths and the luck of the pure love champion added to it, she might not lose this time!"
Fans began to passionately calculate the odds of winning and losing in this crucial match.
It’s no wonder the discussion is so intense; after all, these two teams gather the top players from Sea City’s ‘Dazzling Stage.’ Out of the six Grade A players, five are all here, and the outcome of this stage is very important.
You could say that Chu Yuanqing, Kirimi Miyuki, and Xie Qingxuan have become star players who guarantee high viewership for Sea City’s ‘Dazzling Stage.’ They are all strong competitors for debut positions and carrying the center.
So, putting them together for a final battle, especially in the last round of the teammate competition, feels very important. To put it seriously, the outcome of this stage could even affect their debut position and the fight for the Carry Center, which will surely grab a lot of attention.
This has caused the fans behind the five Grade A players to be very active, continuously flooding into the live broadcast room while watching the stream and discussing on various platforms.
Some say that Xie Qingxuan’s individual skill is strong, but the quality of the team she can form is not as good as the others, and she has only just risen to A1 recently, with too little practice time and low chances of winning.
Some say that Kirimi Miyuki was able to win last time mainly because of the song choice and Tang Liuli’s outstanding performance as the lead singer. If everyone’s dance skills are similar this time, and considering the advantage of going first, it will be hard to secure a win.
Amidst all the discussions, the stage’s lighting system slowly came to life, and the background music faded away. The first sound to reach the ears was a mysterious melody filled with dark style, rising like a tall building looking down at the stylish neon lights, along with the soaring notes sampled from a violin.
On stage, the virtual projections changed the scene, making the dome’s lighting system disappear, spreading like an open window into the night sky. The dazzling neon lights settled into the wide stage, with pink decorations being set up one by one. On the far left stood a pink sports car filled with roses, creating a surreal stage background.
Most uniquely, there were suddenly eight backup dancers around the four performers.
This was clearly a fake illusion created by the system, yet it felt very real. Together with the background and music, it was enough to immerse the audience in the world of the stage.
Xie Qingxuan had already activated [Heart Flow]; she was like a powerful ruler leading the charge. The cross star light in her eyes was sharp, and her captivating charm, as she scanned the audience, rose with the climbing violin melody, as if reaching higher floors, welcoming a peak moment as she stepped into the dance.
"This is not a return, because we have never left."
"Keep your head steady, don’t twist your neck too much."
"Pink ice, drip drip drip, freezing them on sight."
The girl walked forward, showing off her graceful figure. Her movements were confident and bold, even hinting at a natural pride and madness. The four AI dancers next to her moved like serving maids or soldiers following an emperor, dancing in sync with her every move, greatly enhancing the visual effect.
"This is not a game, because we have never lost."
"Bark all you want, the collar around your neck is in my hands."
At the same time, as the song was sung, the live chat burst with many reactions:
"’Shut Down’?"
"Wow, isn’t this a hip-hop diss track with everyone rapping? What a fierce choice."
"You know, this song really matches Xie Bao’s personality. It has a proud, queen-like, and over-the-top vibe, with a touch of an emperor’s calmness. I must say, it’s perfect for a competition, especially with an opening performance; it’s hard to imagine how amazing the impact will be."
This is a proud and straightforward diss track. Not only is the choreography bold, but even the lyrics are quite fierce. The music samples from Paganini’s classic piece ‘La campanella,’ blending classical music with popular hip-hop. Opinions about this mix vary.
Overall, as the title track of an album by a famous international girl group, it has quite a bit of recognition. With Xie Qingxuan’s looks and strong presence, the audience in the live stream is eagerly anticipating the stage effect that will be created.
At this moment, on stage.
Ji Shuzhu’s eyes lifted slightly, her soul’s ‘Cocoon of the Heart’ was finally made whole. The emotional debuff that was holding her back disappeared, and she was no longer cursed to just be a choreographer and dancer—she had earned the right to shine like an idol.
The idol’s realm—’Heart Flow’—shined like sparkling diamonds, bestowing her with a unique power unlike before.
This talented choreographer, with her incredible memory, created the ‘Choreography Puzzle Method,’ and in the ebb and flow of her emotions, she grasped the power called ‘Puppetry Melody.’
In short, this ability, like choreography, helps synchronize her teammates’ rhythm, movements, techniques, and even their understanding of the dance. With Ji Shuzhu’s top-level dance skills and world-class choreography, it’s an unbeatable technique in group performances!
As the emotions flowed, the two dancers beside her—Fan Qiuling and Chu Qiushuang—who were struggling to keep up suddenly seemed to be pulled by invisible strings, as if divine power was aiding them. In an instant, they perfectly synchronized, making the performance a complete whole.
What about Xie Qingxuan?
The Heart Flow of this Stage Tyrant is so powerful and dominant, her dancing skills are nearly as good as Ji Shuzhu’s. Since she is the main dancer of this performance, she doesn’t need the Puppetry Melody to support her completely; she just needs to help maintain the dance’s specific poses to ensure the curves are perfect.
So, within less than 15 seconds of the opening, multiple Heart Flows erupted, pulling the audience into the stage’s atmosphere, leaving them unable to avoid being captivated by this dazzling performance.
In the audience seats.
Chu Wang Shu was both worried and astonished, whispering:
"What a high level of performance! Have they really only practiced for a few days?"
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and said:
"I’m not surprised that Qingxuan and Ji Shuzhu dance like this, but those two normally wouldn’t be able to keep up with their progress. I think… it must be the effect of the Heart Flow."
The girl’s eyes sparkled with tiny golden lights, her extrasensory perception revealing layers beneath the surface, showing her the beautiful wavelengths of feeling. She looked at the stage and saw a surreal and magnificent scene.
All at once, Xie Qingxuan’s dark halo appeared, like a black hole pulling in the shining light around her, sometimes swallowing the waves of brilliant blue light. These unfamiliar bright colors surrounded everyone like threads, but they were most intense on Fan Qiuling and Chu Qiushuang.
As for the source…
It was that Miss Choreographer.
Chu Yuanqing was momentarily speechless. Although she always knew that the two little idols beside her were not quite normal, this was her first time watching the stage of the Heart Flow holders from the audience’s perspective, and she couldn’t help but feel that the concept of idols and the stage was gradually transforming into something greater and different.
Thinking of this, she inevitably remembered Charlotte.
If even the little idols around could create such a stage, how much surprise could the former The Last Diva bring to the world?
That kind of brilliance was far more legitimate than her own trick of using a lantern to amplify emotions, capable of standing out in the idol world and easily winning the highest crown.
But that was the old Charlotte.
The new world’s Charlotte didn’t have the life experiences and knowledge of the old days, hadn’t felt the despair born from suffering, hadn’t lost beloved friends or family, and didn’t carry the awareness and belief of sacrificing for the world and humanity.
So, she would lose the maturity and perfection that time gave her, losing that ultimate desire for happiness and beauty.
The Last Diva is someone who could only be born from the soil of that era.
The Charlotte of this time may still be the best idol, but she will never again be the The Last Diva that she used to know.
Tang Liuli was greatly shocked. She carefully observed the stage and murmured,
"This level of harmony and synchronization is off. That choreographer’s ‘Heart Flow’ can’t possibly synchronize the dance moves, can it? That’s just ridiculous!"
In fact, Ji Shuzhu’s ‘Heart Flow’ was even more outrageous than she imagined.
If it were just simple synchronized dance moves, it wouldn’t truly be a one-to-three.
Because not every movement in group dances is the same, each idol is responsible for different parts, creating different visual effects together. Having only this function, if the timing is not right, it will make the performance seem stiff.
The key lies in synchronized rhythm, synchronization skills, and synchronization understanding. With these three points, Ji Shuzhu can actually connect four Grade E rookie trainees and still surpass 99% of the performances in this season’s ‘Dazzling Stage’ during the second show.
The reason is simple: with this choreographer in charge, the team doesn’t even need to practice. They can just show up and wait to be directed, and they will dance beautifully under her guidance, achieving 100% completion. It is truly impressive that she can manage three performers at once.
Kirimi Miyuki’s heart was heavy.
This meant that their time advantage was forcibly erased.
In other words, the strengths and weaknesses of both teams have become nearly equal at this stage, and even… they have managed to surpass!
When it comes to dance difficulty, "Pandora" is much harder than "Shut Down." The former is a dance performed by a virtual AI girl group, and the choreography was never meant for real idols to perform live.
Therefore, the choreography completely ignores the idols’ physical stamina, the need to breathe while singing and dancing, and the extremely demanding level of teamwork. This dance allows the dancers to only practice the movements without singing in the practice room, and recording a video is not too difficult since it can be redone anytime.
However, on a real stage, it’s a completely different story.
Little Sakura sighed and said:
"Their completion rate might be higher than ours."
Chu Yuanqing didn’t speak; she was a bit puzzled. How could Qingxuan express what she wanted to show in such a powerful dance style like "Shut Down"? It can’t be that she wants everyone to see her as a strong and confident queen, right?
Although it is quite cute and contrasts with her softer side in private, it shouldn’t be that, should it?
Chu Yuanqing wasn’t very sure either; after all, she didn’t really understand what Charlotte meant by "girl’s heart." For now, she could only comfort Miyuki beside her and encourage her.
"Don’t think too much. Let’s put aside the competition and focus on showing our fans the best side of ourselves."
Kirimi Miyuki nodded silently; her belief remained strong as she focused on the stage.
The atmosphere on stage grew even more intense.
"Green rain falls over our heads. Don’t trip, baby."
As the lyrics flowed, a dazzling rain of money fell in the virtual setting. With Xie Qingxuan’s dance that combined strength and grace, her confident smile when she glanced at the camera lifted the emotions of the song and dance to a higher peak.
"How much longer do you want to wait?"
Ji Shuzhu murmured to herself, knowing deep down that this person was still hiding something. The dance had gone on for 61 seconds, and the usual sparkling formula had yet to be officially revealed by the other side.
It was like Star Platinum without the ability to stop time; it could only strike the enemy with its attributes on paper. Although it relied on both strength and speed, it was impressive but still held back.
Now even as a teammate, she did not know when Xie Qingxuan would unleash her own "time stop."
Time passed, second by second.
Xie Qingxuan played the role of the queen, looking down on everyone in the dance. She was proud and aloof, enjoying the attention she deserved, living a life of luxury that others dreamed of, with her dancers acting like servants, dancing alongside her for most of the performance.
As they switched dance steps again, bringing the four of them together in unison, the light hidden in the "Cocoon of the Heart" became increasingly hard to contain, and the 61 threads extending to various areas swayed gently.
Snap.
This was the delicate sound of a web breaking.
One of the shining threads representing Fan Qiuling surged upward in an instant, sending a dazzling light along the thread that stirred heartfelt emotions as it flowed briefly into her nearby teammate, making them feel the return of their original inspiration.
——— The shining returns.
To everyone’s surprise, Xie Qingxuan returned the shining light on the most important stage.
But this was not the end.
The indifference in the girl’s eyes, which came from her view from above, faded away. She stepped out of her meditation, opened the loaded Dream Puzzle, and returned completely to her true self. Her delicate fingers fell gently, like a pianist playing, swiftly cutting through all the strings one after another.
Snap, snap, snap, snap!!!
The remaining 60 strings shattered like fizzy soda, creating a loud crash as countless marbles broke through the glass, echoing in the ears of all the trainees who had ever been touched by Plunder Shine.
At that moment, 60 shimmers created by different people, ideas, emotions, reasons, experiences, and selves surged forth like a grand wave, flooding the entire stage with vibrant colors.
What Xie Qingxuan needed was no longer the shine itself; she only needed that moment when all the shines returned, bursting forth with incredible power, enough to transcend the limitations of the dance itself!
This was a breathtaking sight that could only bloom once, a fleeting midnight flower, a firework that lights up the world for a moment, and also… a miracle crafted with the tail of a rainbow as ink to create the dreams in her heart.
The girl showed a pure and sincere smile. The black cross star in her eyes was so soft, and the emotions stirred by the "Cocoon of the Heart" were incredibly vast, as if she had put all her energy into this brief moment, holding onto the shining echoes and weaving a grand resonance.
The dream continued.
The world seemed to pause, and the heavens swayed.
The stage in the live broadcast was the same as always, yet the deep feelings that filled the soul were like the gentle touch of the greatest artist, spreading ink in her mind and creating an illusion just like the one Chu Yuanqing once gave to the world.
It was the celebration of Blooming Flowers, like a sea of colorful flowers reflecting the stars in the sky, where beautiful waves of light breathed with the wind, moving with the pulse of the earth, alive in the endless flower fields, creating a breathtaking scene that surpassed the world.
Xie Qingxuan stood in the center, wearing a soft dress, gently touching the bright red Rhodes rose, with a relieved and joyful smile on her lips.
How strange, why am I so happy?
The reappearance of the dream touched her heart, and she heard a whisper that seemed to linger for eternity:
"Laevateinn."
Then, the black fire ring burning the sky ignited the clouds.
In the silent vibrations of the great sound, the lonely giant blade of fire danced with the sea of flowers, turning them to ashes, rising towards the sky like a grand epic painting.
