Chapter 044: The Rhythm Before the Outbreak

Out on the balcony, at the edge of his vision above the central garden of the residential complex, a blue helicopter belonging to Su Yun's family hovered in the sky.

He had no idea how long he stood there; it felt as though the air itself still lingered with a faint sorrow and a deep, lingering longing.

Staring in the direction the two women had disappeared, Le Xiaotian's eyes were red-rimmed, his teeth clenched, and his voice came out in a low, wounded growl, like that of a beast nursing its injuries: "Your husband will definitely dominate the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament and bring you both back in glory! I promise!"

Only by becoming the champion of the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament could he hope to gain the power to protect himself—even to become extraordinary.

He roared, "Xiao Jiu, give me another simple but detailed introduction to the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament."

Xiao Jiu replied, "The All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament is a grand event in the Celestial Realm. Its purpose: to master the dance, one must first excel in martial arts. This time, the Northern region of the Celestial Realm, the Martial Dance Civilization division, is hosting. The competition is designed to push contestants to develop the five basic attributes of resonance (the body's force): strength, speed, endurance, agility, and flexibility. The mortality rate is extremely high.

Events include: bull-and-horse pulls, sprints and marathons, seaside fishing, mad gourmet contests, war chariot rampages, kilometer archery, mech battles, fire-and-ice chamber trials, airplane races, alpine skiing, beach volleyball, musical gymnastics, burning ice blades, stunt darts, and 100,000 other extreme sports disciplines.

The rewards? A performance stage with an audience of millions, a cash prize of nine million dance coins, and the martial art 'The Great Surge of Heaven and Earth' that can elevate a mortal dancer to the extraordinary. To be the overall champion, one must win three thousand different events. Registration can be by race, sect, alliance, nation, or individual…”

Le Xiaotian quickly absorbed this information, his tone softening slightly. "Compare my physical abilities with Su Yun's."

A moment later, Xiao Jiu’s voice returned. "Your physical evaluation: lung capacity, extremely low; strength, extremely low; speed, extremely slow; agility, not worth mentioning... Compared to Su Yun, it's at least a gap of one to one hundred thousand, not worth further comment."

Comparison is always the cruelest. He had never imagined his physical stats would be so poor, while Su Yun herself was only a five-star extraordinary dancer—the lowest tier in a system of ten grades with ten stars each.

Not long ago, he’d been proud of his ability to dent a twenty-centimeter-thick steel plate, but this was no longer Earth. For mortals here, punching through steel was the norm.

Xiao Jiu continued, "Given that the All-Star Public Enemy, Le Xiaotian, has been separated from his beloved Su Yun and Sun Yuzhen, his heart has suffered ten billion points of damage and he’s even succumbed to tears. Add to this the punishment of a broken right leg. Therefore, I am now drafting a martial arts training plan: within one day, you’ll master the essence of all martial arts on Earth."

Veins bulged on his face, writhing like worms. Le Xiaotian barked ferociously, "Cry my ass! Master the essence of all Earth’s martial arts in one day—is this The Matrix? Is science that advanced? If you dare turn me into a cold machine, I swear I’ll never let you off!"

Xiao Jiu replied, "Science? It’s only a tool. No matter how dazzling, technology is mere intelligence. Please, never compare it to martial arts. Science is for those who need knowledge to dispel their fears; other beings may use it a lifetime, but you are destined to command the Grand Dance God—how can you be like everyone else? When I have the chance, I’ll show you the pinnacle achievements of every realm. Then you'll see: divine arts, spellcraft, talismans, incantations, technology, magic, whatever—it all pales beside the dance arts. For martial dance is the wellspring of all worlds and all laws!"

Le Xiaotian snapped, "Cut the crap and stop bragging! I don’t care what method you use—make me a training plan tailored to my body and work me to the bone. I want strength! Your misjudgment got my leg broken—brilliant! Xiao Jiu, just you wait!"

Xiao Jiu responded, "Le Xiaotian is the absolute core service target of the All-Star Public Enemy system. You are the sky itself. Your will is the will of the heavens. Everything revolves around you, for your own good."

Le Xiaotian roared, "For my good, my ass! Don’t try to fool me. Su Yun already told me—over a hundred All-Star Public Enemies died young. You can’t trick me."

Xiao Jiu remained calm, "It was their own fault before. This time, the system is a brand-new version with vastly improved functions, and the chance to bring Hongkun Celestial Realm back to glory has increased dramatically. The old odds were one in a billion. Now, it’s one percent."

Le Xiaotian nearly bit his tongue. "Keep bragging. One percent—this is your idea of dramatically improved odds? Dramatic, my ass."

After his tirade, Le Xiaotian was anything but calm inside.

His mission seemed impossibly distant. If all he had to do was become a superstar, with Earth’s artistic legacy, it would be a breeze. But that clearly wasn’t the way.

To escape Xiao Jiu’s control, he would have to keep training and learning, making all musical knowledge his own.

Or else gather eighty-eight musicians and defeat every one of the evil stars.

But most importantly, Su Yun and Sun Yuzhen were already gone.

He let out a long breath, said nothing, and returned to the living room to begin martial arts training.

For his background music, he chose "Victory," one of the Ten Grand Concertos of the Star Soul Philharmonic.

"Three hundred forty-six." Push-ups finished.

"Three hundred forty-eight." Squats finished.

"Three hundred forty-six." Frog jumps finished.

"Three hundred forty-six." Sit-ups finished.

"Five hundred thirty-two." One-arm push-ups finished.

"Five hundred thirty-three." Dips finished.

"Four hundred thirty-three." Pull-ups finished.

"Four hundred thirty-five." Lying leg raises finished.

"Four hundred thirty-three." Deadlifts finished.

One hundred fifty-eight items of physical training completed.

"Three hundred twenty-eight." Lightning punches finished.

"Wah-da!" Three minutes and three seconds—lightning quick strikes on the ironman posts and sandbags, completed.

Results: three ironman posts battered out of shape, sixteen sandbags pounded to dust.

With Xiao Jiu’s help, and building on his earlier hellish training, Le Xiaotian’s upper body now bore sharply defined muscles. Though not overwhelming to the eye, the overall aesthetic was perfect.

The only flaw was his lame right leg.

Most striking, though, were his dark eyes—deep as the ocean, increasingly profound, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.

Within him, the aura of one who commands the Grand Dance God had finally awakened.

After all, the road ahead would not be easy, but Xiao Jiu had provided every kind of assistance. All the arts of Earth were original and unknown in the Celestial Realm!

That was Xiao Jiu’s true trump card—the equivalent of being dealt three aces in a high-stakes card game.

Training complete, Le Xiaotian’s gaze was razor sharp. This year, he was determined to win the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament!

Before that, though, even though Win Denbo and Zhang Hao had, in their own way, helped him bring down Blue Sky Television, he could not let the past go so easily. The Blue Moon Prison’s Star Tower—he would have to visit it himself!

He glanced at the sky outside. Unknowingly, night had fallen once again.

With Xiangxiang and the other three maids gone, Le Xiaotian now cooked for himself.

He didn’t know if he would be able to return, nor how long this trip to Blue Moon Island would last. So he ate everything edible left in the house. Afterwards, he treated himself to a long, hot bath before going to bed, his mind still restless.

When the sun rose the next day, Le Xiaotian acted as if nothing had happened.

He cleaned every corner of the room, wanting to soak in the lingering presence of Su Yun and Sun Yuzhen, to savor the memories of happiness that filled this home.

Before leaving, he looked back one more time. "Win Denbo, Zhang Hao—your big brother Xiaotian is coming!"