Chapter 162
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Chapter 162: [Pure White Ode], Team Selection, the Dust Has Settled
On stage, both teams seemed a bit distracted.
Xie Qingxuan was lost in a fragile bubble of feelings, sitting silently and staring blankly.
Ji Shuzhu felt dizzy; she almost tripped while stepping onto the stage, her mind lost in the long-lasting echoes of delicious flavors that satisfied her soul and body, completely forgetting that she was still live-streaming.
Fan Qiuling was filled with mixed emotions when she entered [Heart Flow]. After being fiercely defeated by her opponent’s stage, she felt confused and hadn’t gathered her thoughts yet.
Chu Qiushuang managed to act somewhat like a normal person. She was still far from fully transformed. Once her shine returned, her desire to win and advance grew many times stronger. After a moment of daze, she remembered she needed to pay attention to the PK results.
On the other side,
The pink hue in Kirimi Miyuki’s eyes faded. The Rose Oath in her ears and the [Cocoon of the Heart] deep in her soul returned to darkness, no longer stirring any emotions within her.
The girl felt a sharp pain in her head, her breathing became quick, and her heart raced strongly. Her chest heaved violently, as if she were struggling to catch her breath after overexerting herself.
This was the price of continuous bursts of energy.
[Heart Flow] was already an explosive skill, consuming a lot of energy and stamina. Going beyond her limits many times had drained the essence of the [Cocoon of the Heart] even further.
Before the performance ended, it was fine. Her obsession with victory, her love for her idol, and even the energy she kept inside helped her momentarily ignore these side effects. But after the show, she had to face the consequences of her recklessness.
Little Sakura suddenly admired that silly dog.
You can only understand how strong the willpower must be after experiencing it yourself, to keep going through 14 rounds of Stage Battle and only faint after the last performance.
If it weren’t for the surge of emotions Little Qing felt at the end, which seemed to wash away most of her physical and mental fatigue, she thought she would have fainted right there.
Tang Liuli was doing well; she only struggled with a few key parts. Her progress was in using the "Emotional bond" rather than pushing herself to the limit. So she only felt completely drained, lying behind her lovely daughter, looking tired and listless.
Chu Wang Shu was in great spirits, her eyes sparkling with surprise from finally stepping into the "Heart Flow" realm, a big smile on her face, filled with joy.
Yay! Even if she accidentally loses, she can still join other teams with her permission and move on to the second performance. She isn’t worried about disappointing Dad at all!
Chu Yuanqing understood her daughter’s thoughts clearly and sighed in her heart.
She knew that as her sweet daughter showed her magical girl talents, many troubles would soon follow.
The simplest point is that, as Chu Wang Shu’s only relative, Chu Yuanying’s identity will officially come to the government’s attention.
With the power and resources of the government, uncovering all of his experiences from the past 17 years would be very easy.
But the key is that once the government digs deeper, they will find that they can only uncover things from these 17 years, and everything before is just a blank, as if this person had never existed.
The reason is simple: he does not exist in world history and arrived in this era as a completely unknown person, so of course, there is nothing to find.
If the authorities try to find Chu Wang Shu’s mother, it becomes even more abstract.
Even if they compared DNA data from around the world and somehow matched it to Charlotte in this era, no one would think that a 17-year-old girl could be the mother of another 17-year-old girl.
These little troubles aside, Chu Yuanying’s almost complete disappearance is already very suspicious.
If further digging continues, it will soon reach his current identity.
For 17 years, she believed that the idea of a disaster beast had been successfully cut off as planned, not knowing the secret hidden behind the project "Dazzling Stage," which left far too many loose ends and flaws.
Not to mention, the surveillance in modern society is everywhere, and it could leave evidence of a connection between Chu Yuanqing and Chu Yuanying.
The most decisive factor is that she used a phone belonging to this identity and had talked with Chu Yuanying using her daughter’s phone card.
This is not hard to check. Base station information, GPS, online addresses, and satellite monitoring can all reveal the flaws.
Chu Yuanqing has a bit of a headache. She first communicated with her daughter using the phone after the debut performance, completely unaware that "Dazzling Stage" could involve so many things. Given her limited time, she naturally did not worry much.
As for what happened afterward, there is not much to say.
Since she has already used it once, if it gets checked, it will be discovered, and using it two or three more times makes no difference.
It all depends on whether the officials will investigate, what direction they will take, and how they will interpret their findings.
However… saying that, the issue is not too big.
Chu Yuanqing’s identity was formed from a true history corrected by cause and effect, and with her youthful appearance now shining with beauty, no one would think she is a middle-aged man.
Well, it’s like no one would think that 17-year-old Charlotte could be the mother of 17-year-old Chu Wang Shu, even with a genetic report.
This itself is a paradox that goes beyond all logic; even if all the evidence is laid out on the table, one can still imagine completely different answers.
The boat will reach the bridge when it gets there.
Chu Yuanqing’s small hand rested on her chest, and the Lantern Gem hidden inside was incredibly active at that moment, making a soft jingling sound that lingered, as if a flood of Magic Crystals was endlessly pouring in, causing it to tremble with a sweet sensation and create a beautiful scene of spring snow and arcs of light.
"I have indeed learned [Heart Flow], but unlike Miyuki and the others, my [Heart Flow] is more like magic; no, it should be said that it is magic."
In the moment of making a wish on stage, the lantern used past memories as ink, anchoring with the nature of the soul, and building a unique [Heart Flow] based on the present wish.
— [Pure White Ode].
This is a song of the soul that mixes epic chapters, the Inscription of Salvation, saintly compassion, divine love, and various elements; it can be presented as a simple melody or descended in pure white brilliance. It seems that depending on the magic and emotions infused, it can also create certain stage atmospheres based on memories.
Besides that, it also has effects of sharing, easing, and healing debuffs.
Little Sakura had not fainted yet from the strain of the "Cocoon of the Heart," just because she had been cared for.
Chu Yuanqing felt that, since it was her first time using it, her performance on stage was not perfect. Even though it was not perfect, it still used up a lot of energy. She felt severe phantom pain after using "Pure White Ode" for just a few seconds at the last minute.
Especially with this passive ability that shares the debuff, unless she replenished her magic right away afterward, she couldn’t use it for long because of her low health. This time, it almost led to trouble.
"I finally understand a bit of how magic works. This ability is like carving the chanting formula into the Lantern Gem, and afterward, I can activate it by pouring in magic."
"If nothing goes wrong, ‘Pure White Ode’ can be seen as the prototype of Patronus Magic, but I don’t know how to fight the disaster beast with this development in the future."
Chu Yuanqing thought that this was much more important than the risk of revealing her identity.
But it seems that "Dazzling Stage" is intentionally guiding in this way, and there must be a good reason for it. Perhaps this is one of the core ideas of this audition project?
Chu Yuanqing tiredly closed her eyes, enduring the painful cracking of ice, and stopped thinking further.
At this moment, the figure of the Dream Weaver Rabbit gathered in the air above the center of the stage.
The super AI was overjoyed, its crimson eyes glanced at the two teams, revealing a joyful smile. It couldn’t help but clap and praise loudly:
"What a moving realization!"
"What an exciting stage!"
"What a momentous shining moment to celebrate!"
"Everyone, this is without a doubt the most amazing Stage Battle of ‘Dazzling Stage’ so far! Thank you for your hard work until now. There are now millions of viewers watching your brilliance and cheering for your dance!"
This statement made the little idols present feel much more alert.
Indeed, this PK is likely the Stage Battle with the most bursts of [Heart Flow] so far.
The strength of the opponents makes it hard to determine the winner, but it also greatly increases the enjoyment of this PK. Everyone in both teams will share in a significant amount of attention. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a stage performance can gain hundreds of thousands of followers, and it might even be an underestimate.
At least, after a few weeks of this Stage Battle continuing to unfold, the first-time user of [Pure White Ode], Chu Yuanqing, will likely gain a lot of fans, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she approaches or even surpasses one million.
The Dream Weaver Rabbit seemed to shake his head with regret and continued to say:
"Even so, you will still have to determine a winner and a loser."
"Now, we come to the official scoring section. Unlike before, this time, apart from the four mentors, I, as the head mentor, and… the audience in the live stream will also participate in the scoring!"
The rule change is very simple.
The scores are still divided into two parts, with fifty points decided by the four mentors.
Zhao Dapan is in charge of vocals; Luo Siling is responsible for expression management, stage emotions, and the connection between the two and the dance itself; Jiang Chi evaluates rap; Chen Baijiu takes care of dancing.
Each of these four has their own duties, and the final score after deducting points is the total score.
The other fifty points will be for stage effect scores.
Dream Weaver Rabbit will decide on 40 of those points, and the remaining 10 points will be determined by audience voting. The program group will allow the live stream audience to vote, and it will close in ten minutes.
Interestingly, these 10 points are not taken away but are shared. The points are divided equally between the two teams based on their number of votes, giving a total of 20 points to be shared.
For example, if both teams received one million votes, then both teams would get ten points.
So, in extreme cases, it is possible for one team to receive over ten points while the other team only gets a few points, creating a lot of suspense about who will win.
Time passed.
On the Tutor Group side, they had to rewatch the performances of [Heart Flow] on video to ensure their professionalism.
Soon, Xie Qingxuan’s team began to be judged.
Vocal performance lost 0.5 points, and rap lost 1 point, resulting in a score of 48.5 points.
The unusual nature of this score makes it hard to believe it was the result of only a few days of practice.
Kirimi Miyuki’s situation was even more dramatic.
Because of the BUFF from the Perfect Sphere, Chu Yuanqing’s cheating with her magic circuit, and the advantage of training time, she scored full marks in dance for the first time. Vocal scores were lowered due to the special requirements of Pandora, and thanks to Tang Liuli’s repeated bursts of talent, she also received full marks.
As for the rap, it was skipped entirely; things like facial expressions and suitability were no longer judged after the four-layer Heart Flow exceeded the dance framework, so not a single point was deducted.
Therefore, the score was 50 points.
Dream Weaver Rabbit understood the situation well and humorously balanced things out, giving Xie Qingxuan full marks while deducting 1.5 points from Kirimi Miyuki’s team.
At this point, the scores of both teams were 88.5 points.
This score is an excellent result in any stage competition, and with the scores that followed, there is a good chance to break the high score record set by Encounter With the World—95.5 points.
Dream Weaver Rabbit looked around, probably because the little idol was not in good spirits and couldn’t see any interesting expressions. It didn’t tease anymore but smiled and clapped its hands, saying:
"Now, let’s announce the final vote count."
As the words ended, the votes and scores from both sides were revealed together.
Xie Qingxuan, Ji Shuzhu, Chu Qiushuang, Fan Qiuling: 88.5 + 9 = 97.5.
Kirimi Miyuki, Tang Liuli, Chu Wang Shu, Chu Yuanqing: 88.5 + 11 = 99.5.
At this point, the winner and loser are decided.
"Ah, adding audience votes doesn’t feel fair; it makes the Stage Battle less pure. Chu Yuanqing’s team has 3 A’s and 1 B, and the fans clearly have an advantage. This 2-point difference isn’t a loss for the stage, but for popularity."
"It’s hard to say. Didn’t you see Dream Weaver Rabbit trying to balance one and five points? There’s no need to calculate this, and isn’t the normal elimination process of talent shows all about popularity? Dazzling Stage is already quite straightforward."
With the result announced, some are happy while others are sad.
Compared to the fans in the live stream, the reactions of the main characters are somewhat subtle.
Xie Qingxuan feels a bit down, but losing to Little Sakura and a certain cat is entirely different from losing to their own Honey Qing, who is as loving and gentle as a god.
The first makes one feel unwilling and hostile, while the latter leads to "Little Qing is amazing; I like her even more!"
Ji Shuzhu was not yet awake, or rather, she did not care at all.
Whether it was a secret move from a Stage Tyrant or the shining performance of Chu Yuanqing that she had always dreamed of, both came true in today’s Stage Battle, bringing her months of satisfaction and even allowing her to occasionally savor this unbeatable delight.
On the other hand, the young lady forcibly cured the memory disease with her flower-kissing therapy.
In this situation, she actually had no reason to stay with this team; the only reason she hadn’t switched back to the young lady’s side was that.
First, she felt she couldn’t let down the captain who treated her to so much brilliance.
Second… returning to Little Ning before the Stage Battle, considering the other’s personality, wouldn’t that make it hard for her to be fierce with herself?
Right now, it’s perfect, like a stray dog with a good reason to go back, pretending to submit in a humiliating way, like a prisoner, stirring Little Ning’s desire to educate and dominate, allowing the other to happily engage in some play they hadn’t been able to before.
Fan Qiuling wasn’t that twisted; she simply stepped into the [Heart Flow], holding a guaranteed advancement qualification, feeling completely at ease.
Chu Qiushuang felt anxious and lost, even a bit confused. She had come close to the [Heart Flow] at a moment, but she didn’t quite understand it and was unaware that the [Cocoon of the Heart] was slowly being woven, her mind filled with thoughts of how to break the deadlock afterward.
On the winners’ side,
Little Sakura was still a bit dazed, using the little brainpower she had left to think about when to have the Imperial Ruthless Tiger keep its promise.
The green-eyed cat happily hugged her cute daughter to celebrate, enjoying the hard-earned victory. She blinked and teased,
"I thought we were definitely going to lose, but everyone worked so hard, especially Little Shu and Little Qing’s Heart Flow—it’s super effective and looks really stylish!"
Chu Wang Shu nodded repeatedly; her expression remained unchanged, but deep down she felt a bit embarrassed and couldn’t help but clench her fists.
Ugh, discussing abilities like Heart Flow is really so cringeworthy, just like boys in elementary school waving their Ultraman cards and shouting out skill names.
Plus… before learning it, she had no idea, but after learning it, all she wanted to do was complain: is Heart Flow a bit too unrealistic? Are top idols really superheroes?!
Chu Yuanqing pinched the faces of the three little girls and glanced at the opposing team, saying helplessly,
"Let’s stop chatting for now; isn’t the most important thing choosing our teammates?"
Kirimi Miyuki suddenly woke up and confidently voted:
"I choose Ji Shuzhu!"
The green-eyed cat quickly followed and added:
"Yes, I also choose the choreographer!"
The lovely daughter hesitated a bit; she really liked how Xie Qingxuan performed on stage, but it seemed that Sister Miyuki and Liuli were a bit against her.
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and said:
"I have no objections, but don’t forget, Ji Shuzhu still has one chance to refuse and one chance to change teams."
"I’ve been seeing her with Chen Yining a lot lately, so she will probably choose to go back to Chen Yining’s team."
After this, there was silence in the room.
This kind of emotional element involving outside feelings is truly too overwhelming.
If they think carefully, if they were in a different place, they would choose to join their good friends.
So, aside from the two unfamiliar Grade B trainees with clear gaps in strength, the only person they can choose now is just one.
After some discussion,
Chu Yuanqing looked up at the distant and pure golden retriever, who appeared innocent and pitiful. Her eyelashes trembled, her eyes filled with complex memories, her pink lips curled up, revealing a gentle smile as she softly said:
"Dream Weaver Rabbit, the teammate I want is — Xie Qingxuan."
