Chapter 075: The Newcomer Arrives

Dancing the Universe is a rhythm and dance game inspired by the classifications from “Superstrings”—dividing the Dance of Soul and Sound into 72 minor realms, 9 great realms, 4 supreme realms, and the Ultimate Realm—combined with theories such as the Water Sutra String Theory’s entropy increase, quantum leap energy conservation, b7285’s ninefold black holes, and the Shining Stars. No one truly understands what all this means, but it certainly sounds impressive.

Simply put, this isn’t one of those games where players just step on a dance pad and hit a few directional keys, nor is it a typical online game that only requires hand, eye, and brain coordination while sitting in front of a computer. This is a game that demands full-body participation. It’s a dreamlike, otherworldly experience.

A flash of rainbow light, a shift of the scene—Le Xiaotian and Chen Fang entered the game.

The environment was set at night. The game lobby was a bustling, ultra-cool dance floor, with lights flashing, shooting, spinning, sweeping—enough to blind any unsuspecting eyes.

Without hesitation, Le Xiaotian and Chen Fang prepared to step onto the dance floor.

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, Le Xiaotian cried out as a virtual voice chimed, “Improper attire. Access denied.”

Seeing that she was allowed in but he was not, Chen Fang couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s what you get for not minding your appearance.”

Without a word at being stopped, Le Xiaotian immediately broke into a dance.

He sprang into a forward flip, landed on his right index finger in a handstand, his legs bent and spread, and then spun wildly in place.

After completing a dizzying 3600-degree spin on his finger, the virtual voice returned: “Player’s dance skills are exceptional, demonstrating a breakthrough to dance technique. Attire requirements waived. Enjoy your game.”

Chen Fang stood dumbfounded, the corner of her mouth twitching. Was this the privilege of a genius?

Le Xiaotian shot her a triumphant glance, swaggering like a peacock in full display during mating season.

Yet Chen Fang offered no enthusiastic response, leaving Le Xiaotian a bit deflated.

Shouldn’t she be rushing over in tears, seeking comfort?

Putting aside his thoughts of impressing Chen Fang, Le Xiaotian created a private room.

The environment shifted again as he pulled Chen Fang inside—a spacious dance studio, perfectly designed with flawless acoustics.

He reached out and grabbed the air, summoning a three-dimensional light screen before him.

Though she’d never played Dancing the Universe, Chen Fang quickly grasped these technological features.

As she scrolled through the options, she exclaimed in surprise, “Xiaotian, your songs are included here!”

With a swipe of both hands, all information was instantly clear to Le Xiaotian—this was speed reading. Many renowned figures and great minds on Earth were adept at speed reading; in the information explosion of the 21st century, some could even read 150,000 characters a minute, setting world records.

With a sufficient information load, Le Xiaotian could now scan millions of words in a glance, retaining over 98% accuracy.

Reading ten lines at a glance was nothing to him.

Nodding, Le Xiaotian smiled. “Out of my 385 works, this game includes 383. I must say, they did a great job. I’m quite pleased.”

Chen Fang replied with a hint of disdain, “If they hadn’t included your music, I bet you wouldn’t be so generous with your praise.”

Of course—if they’d dared to omit his tracks, Brother Xiaotian would have seen to its utter downfall!

Le Xiaotian then chose “Snail” at 40 bpm (beats per minute, using Earth’s terminology here for convenience, like MV or USB) and started the beginner practice mode.

Music is an art of time; discovering the true tempo is a conductor’s first skill. Without it, one cannot succeed.

Musicians practice with their instruments, but conductors must rely on extraordinary imagination to rehearse amidst the stars and the sea.

After all, their “instrument” is far too expensive to own—it’s a whole orchestra!

Watching Le Xiaotian in practice mode, Chen Fang was astonished. “You… you’ve never played this game before? And you’re practicing now?”

Le Xiaotian looked back, puzzled. “What’s wrong? I’ve been busy. It’s perfectly normal not to have played.”

Dancing the Universe was a famed game; most players would study guides and prepare extensively before entering. Otherwise, they’d never make the rankings.

Yet here he was, knowing nothing, only now starting to practice. Was he just going to mess around?

Thinking this, Chen Fang sighed. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late to start practicing now?”

Le Xiaotian grinned. “How could it be late? I only need to see things once to learn them.”

Chen Fang pursed her lips. “Brag away, it’s free after all.”

Le Xiaotian only smiled, saying nothing more.

He tapped on the classic “Snail,” clenched his fists, pulled them back, and wriggled his body forward, exclaiming loudly, “Ah!”

Chen Fang frowned, her gaze sharpening. Why did he suddenly seem so… sleazy?

After finishing the move, Le Xiaotian checked the results. “Scored out of 100. That was for strength—I only got 85?”

He repeated the same move after understanding the scoring.

“Second criterion—speed. 88 points. Xiaofang, come here a moment.”

Uncertain of his intent, Chen Fang nonetheless walked over without hesitation.

Le Xiaotian placed his hands on her shoulders, his whole body wriggling forward. “Ah!”

As her cheeks flushed, he quickly withdrew his hands. “Whoa, my blood’s boiling—I’m playing with fire here.”

Seeing his restraint, Chen Fang teased him. “Come on, let’s do a close dance. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

Le Xiaotian ignored her.

Third criterion—control, 87 points.

Strength, speed, control, grace, harmony, precision, demeanor, expression, breathing—nine judging standards, each out of 100.

Once familiar with them, Le Xiaotian mused, “They even consider demeanor, expression, and breathing—this game truly has depth.”

He then studied the dance effect tiers.

As a music and dance game, performance is judged across these nine dimensions, and the composite score yields nine levels—or realms: Transcending the Ordinary, Entering the Sacred, Frenzied Demon, Devouring the Void, Subduing Spirits, Slaying Immortals, Beyond God, Shamanic Perfection, and The Great Flood.

A single perfect score—Transcending the Ordinary. Two—Entering the Sacred. Three—Frenzied Demon, and so on.

After finishing the beginner mode, Le Xiaotian turned and asked, “Xiaofang, care to dance? There’s a duet mode. I can help you level up for free—no need to thank me.”

Chen Fang turned her head. “The rhythm of ‘Snail’ is too slow. Your dancing is too… wicked. I’ll pass.”

Le Xiaotian chuckled. “Slow is the hardest to master. You want fast rhythms? We’ll ramp up the tempo and see if your legs don’t go numb from the workout. Pa-pa-pa!”

Chen Fang remained unmoved. “No way.”

Failing to invite her, Le Xiaotian felt no disappointment. He inhaled deeply, adjusting his breath.

With a serious expression, he selected “Snail” with his mind.

Dancing the Universe allowed for both manual and voice song selection, but most impressively, it could be controlled by thought—offering everything one could desire: play, pause, replay, search, speed adjustment, version change, scene switch, volume control, and more—utter freedom.