Chapter 99 Part 1

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Chapter 99 Part 1: The Contest Filled With Challenges (1)

The whole room erupted in surprise at these words.

You see, in a normal talent show, to maintain viewership, enough program length, and to give more contestants a chance to make a comeback, unexpected twists are created. In the first round, only about one-fifth or one-fourth of the contestants are usually eliminated.

However, "Dazzling Stage" chose to go a different route, accelerating the process, and adopting a cut-throat elimination mechanism by removing a total of 84 contestants at once. Coupled with the cost of being eliminated and losing the chance to perform on stage forever, it truly felt like a crazy shattered dream journey.

The audience in the live broadcast room, who had just tuned in, were taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, and discussions began to break out.

"Hey, I remember that Grade F and Grade D are almost the same in number. What does Dream Weaver Rabbit want to do? Are they going to eliminate the ‘flawed’ ones directly?"

"Don’t worry too much. Even Grade A and Grade B contestants can’t relax with this elimination rate. It’s a state of everyone being at risk. Lower-rated contestants may not all be eliminated, we have to see the follow-up rules."

The audience reacted like that, and the participants at the scene naturally felt even more excited.

Even though they were prepared for the "Dazzling Stage" to shake things up, the number of eliminations still exceeded many people’s expectations.

Suddenly, a green-eyed cat with drooping eyelids opened them wide, her emerald eyes widened in surprise. She shook herself awake as if her fur was standing on end, feeling a rare sense of urgency in her heart.

Tang Liuli has a clear understanding of herself. Unlike Little Sakura following the royal idol route, Great Devil heading towards a dark path, or Chu Yuanqing leaning on the savior image in Heart Flow, she can’t easily access her Heart Flow.

Even if she could access it, she hadn’t figured out how to enhance her acting skills through Heart Flow on stage.

Furthermore, she was the most imbalanced contestant in Grade A. Aside from her position as a top singer and expression management rooted in acting, she was not as strong as some Grade B or even Grade C contestants in other aspects.

In other words, if one contestant were to be eliminated from Grade A, she would probably be the first to go.

Tang Liuli daydreamed for a moment about what would happen if she got eliminated. She closed her eyes to prevent her bangs from getting in her eyes, and shook her head vigorously while saying to herself:

"No, I can’t be eliminated yet. I have to stay and continue to make amends to Mother Qing!"

"If I have to leave the arena without Mother Qing’s forgiveness, I will definitely lead a completely failed and regretful life!"

The green-eyed cat thought about this and tried to cheer up, focusing intently on the Dream Weaver Rabbit in mid-air, listening carefully to the upcoming rules.

Chu Wang Shu stood by, looking serious, keeping her lips tight, appearing very nervous. Her skill level in Grade B was average, and if luck wasn’t on her side, the half-open elimination rate could easily take her out.

Liang Xiaoxiao’s eyes looked distant and confused.

Ever since she made up her mind, she started pushing boundaries, actively seeking attention, causing controversy, and making unexpected moves.

As long as she could stay, even if faced with negative public opinion and being seen as a clown by the audience, it wouldn’t matter to her at all.

During yesterday’s free time, she still focused on being in front of the camera, trying to interact with higher-ranked, popular contestants, and eventually choosing to approach the popular contestant Xie Qingxuan.

As for the result…

At that time, Xie Qingxuan casually covered the camera in the dormitory. She looked down at herself with a cold gaze, without any contempt or disgust, only a hint of confusion. She softly asked:

"Xiaoxiao, why do you do this?"

"You should be very clear, whether it’s the innate quality of idols or the overall level cultivated afterwards, you now meet today’s standards very well."

"Although you gained some popularity at the beginning with some novel character settings, and in the first episode, you also gained a lot of benefits through the traffic of me, Liuli, and Little Qing."

"But you will still be eliminated, perhaps in the first round, perhaps in the second round, the final result will not change."

"So, since in the end you will have to use this popularity to transition to other industries, why not make yourself more likeable?"

Liang Xiaoxiao chose to remain silent at that time. After many days of getting along, she knew that Xie Qingxuan was essentially too straightforward, appearing aloof and lacking emotional intelligence like a natural puppy.

Therefore, what the other party said was not mocking, but advice given out of familiarity.

It’s just that… because it wasn’t a joke, because the other person was truly confused, she couldn’t speak from the heart, and felt like her heart was being twisted like a knife, standing there in silence.

And when Dream Weaver Rabbit announced the elimination of 84 people,

Xie Qingxuan’s words from yesterday echoed in her ears like a nightmare.

Since elimination is inevitable, why not try to be more likable?

These words held a different meaning in her heart.

Since departure is inevitable, why not let go of the warmth she’s attached to?

Liang Xiaoxiao looked silently and stubbornly at Dream Weaver Rabbit, she still wanted to give it a try.

Even though the company’s agent had hinted on the phone, advising her to maintain her current popularity by sticking to a likable and funny character role, in order to improve her life, offering some resources to increase credibility.

But staying had unknowingly become more important than getting rid of that oppressive contract.

Isn’t this very strange?

It’s just a game after all.

If she just let go, she could live a slightly freer and wealthier life.

Yet even so, she still wanted to keep struggling, willing to pay any price to find a way to survive in this harsh elimination competition.

Therefore, the following rules became especially important.

On the other hand, as the most popular contestant who theoretically had the least to worry about being eliminated, she stood out from the rest of the players, almost like a different style.

Chu Yuanqing looked serious, but her eyes sparkled. Upon hearing about a 50% elimination rate, she couldn’t contain her joy for a moment. Her inner hope reignited, illuminating a path of glorious elimination in the future:

"Eliminating 84 people at once? So harsh!"

"Yes! By eliminating so many people, I should be able to secure a spot for elimination, right?"

Dream Weaver Rabbit’s powerful calculations silently assessed the overall state of the 168 participants.

——Pressure, anxiety, confusion, perplexity, grief, anger, tension…

These numerous negative emotions almost immediately intensified after revealing the number of people eliminated, creating a increasingly heavy atmosphere.

Dream Weaver Rabbit’s crimson eyes, which had been watching the discussion below, subtly met the gaze of its most valued Gemstone – Chu Yuanqing.

The super AI analyzed the other’s expression and couldn’t help but marvel.

Ah, truly a treasure on par with the saintess, her will is so resolute. A mere 50% elimination rate cannot shake her beliefs; she remains optimistic and positive.

However, it’s okay. The first-round elimination is just to refine further and stimulate the hidden talents, like Chu Yuanqing, whose chances of being eliminated in the first round are nearly zero.

Dream Weaver Rabbit clapped and continued:

"Of course, no need to worry. Before the official team matchups, you will go through three stages of selecting teammates."

"In the first stage of the training, 168 trainees will be paired up to form 84 teams. Each team will randomly pick a duet dance. You will have a month to freely challenge other teams."

"The winners can choose a dancer from the opposing team to join them. They will move on to the next stage, pick a trio dance, and continue challenging other teams to recruit desired members and form a team of four."

"This process repeats until a team of five is formed, ready for the official performance battle."

"Keep in mind that each time a team loses, they will go back to the previous stage and pick a new dance routine for the competition."

"If a team ends up with just one member after losing in the initial stage, they will wait in the standby area for other losing members to form new teams freely."

"However, a losing team can refuse to join the winning team. But in return, they must pick a new dance routine for the competition, and lose 10 points in the next Stage Battle."

Dream Weaver Rabbit smiled as she softly said:

"But I don’t think anyone would be silly enough to turn down an invite from a strong team, right?"

With that, she fell silent.

The audience in the live room suddenly became excited:

"LOL, Blue Prison, right ⚽⚽⚽."

Someone carefully analyzed the competition format and calmly commented:

"It’s not as idealistic as it seems. According to the rules mentioned by Dream Weaver Rabbit, even with a perfect run, you still need to learn three dances, and for each additional teammate, you have to remember more steps, but the time given to form a team is only one month."

"Moreover, while the benefits of challenging higher levels are indeed great, the risks are equally high. In case of failure, teammates can be taken away, forcing a return to the starting point and having to select dances again."

"Starting from a two-person dance is manageable, but as you move to three or four-person dances, the time and effort required increase. Players need to carefully balance these factors and make the right choices to succeed in this stage."