Chapter 86: A Master—He Is Undoubtedly a True Master! (Launching Tomorrow!)

The competition among the team leaders was to be judged by three street dance legends invited from abroad.

The purpose was to select the mentors who would have the privilege of choosing team members first, as well as to award the enrollment cards.

But those in the know understood: this segment was actually one of the biggest highlights of the entire program.

No matter what, it had to be filmed and recorded with the utmost care.

After all, having the celebrity mentors personally take to the stage and dance would generate significant buzz.

Once the episode aired, this was likely to be the season’s high point in viewership.

At this moment—

In the sponsor’s team, someone was on a video call, holding up their phone.

On the other end of the line, Liu Qiangxi sat in a conference room, watching intently with several other project managers.

“President Liu, why are you so certain that Su Mu will put on a dazzling performance?”

“He’s wearing our new brand, after all, and if—”

Before anyone could finish, Liu Qiangxi smiled, raised his hand for silence, and pointed at the projected screen. “Do you know what I admire about him?”

“???”

“???”

Everyone stared at Su Mu, looking stylish in streetwear on the big screen, and shook their heads in confusion.

Liu Qiangxi clasped his hands on the table, his gaze sharp and penetrating once more.

“What I appreciate most about Su Mu is his dedication to money!

I pride myself on my judgment of people: those who are devoted to wealth usually know how to respect money, and only by respecting the money in their hands can they achieve greater things.

Su Mu is exactly that kind of person. Think about it—he had the nerve to ask for another five million from me. Do you really think he’s just greedy?

No, I think not.

That’s simply the way he measures his own worth.

For this show, the street dance he’s about to perform is exactly worth that price!

Otherwise, he would never have demanded more at the last minute.

I know him well—the man is unfathomable.”

“!!?”

“It’s… starting…”

While Liu Qiangxi was singing Su Mu’s praises, the battle had already begun on the other end of the video call.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the screen.

…

The atmosphere on stage had reached its peak.

Everyone formed a circle.

Standing at the four directions were Su Mu, Zhang Junyu, Tang Jiahao, and the four members of NNQT.

The DJ’s music was electrifying, with an intense rhythm that made everyone want to move along.

The host announced, “OK, OK! The mentor battle begins now!”

As soon as the host finished speaking, a bottle in the center of the stage began to spin, finally coming to rest with its mouth pointing toward Zhang Junyu.

This was the street dance equivalent of a coin toss to decide who would go first; four camps, paired off, with the winners facing off in the final round.

Zhang Junyu and Tang Jiahao were placed together, while Su Mu faced the four from NNQT.

“Zhang Junyu and Tang Jiahao, the two strongest, are up against each other first?”

“Su Mu’s side is even funnier, a one-versus-four! Haha.”

“I’ve watched NNQT—they’re no pushovers.”

“Doesn’t matter, the winner will definitely be either Zhang or Tang.”

Before the dancing even began, many had already drawn their conclusions.

Although Su Mu had earned some respect with his professional insights and critiques during the auditions, when it came to dancing himself, expectations remained low.

At that moment, Zhang Junyu stepped onto the stage.

His body moved subtly in time with the music, and as soon as he caught a break in the beat, he slipped into the rhythm and began his moves.

Zhang Junyu was performing locking; he had previously won a national championship and, because of his youthful looks, had been scouted and debuted by a media company.

Tang Jiahao, his opponent, was of similar skill but specialized in a different style—he was a b-boy.

Their battle was spectacular.

However, when it came to the music, Zhang Junyu had the advantage.

Breaking music tends to be more limited compared to other styles.

After several rounds, Zhang Junyu emerged victorious.

Offstage, Zhang Hua’an seized the break to gather the four members of NNQT.

“You four better give it your all! You absolutely can’t lose! Surround Su Mu and take him down!”

Zhao Feng replied, “Boss Zhang, the battle is turn-based—we can’t really surround him.”

Sun Han added, “That’s right, and besides, we’re dancing as a group, not individually.”

Li Hang chimed in, “A relay battle against Brother Su Mu? That’s just embarrassing.”

Zhou Yang reassured him, “Don’t worry, Boss Zhang, we’ll beat him with real skill—we won’t win unfairly and embarrass you!”

“Good! Give it your best!” Zhang Hua’an said, clenching his fists in excitement.

He shot a sidelong glance at Qian Jida across the way, savoring a secret sense of triumph.

Qian Jida, do you even know what I’ve been through this past year?

I’ve been waiting for this day far too long!

The more he thought about it, the more a bittersweet feeling welled up inside.

It had been pure torment working with these four troublemakers.

Not to mention previous setbacks.

Later, when they finally filmed “The Four Talents,” Su Mu had dominated the screen, stealing the spotlight in an instant.

Who could understand this kind of frustration?

But today was a new day.

Fortune turns, the moonlight shines at the window—victory is in sight!

Winning in street dance is still a win!

As Zhang Hua’an indulged in his excitement, the music started up again on stage.

“DJ! Popping move! Su Mu!!!”

“He’s up, he’s up!”

“Wow, Su Mu is going first!”

“Haha, I’m curious to see if his supposedly unbeatable theory matches his basic skills.”

“This is popping music, and it’s not old school—the tempo is really fast. Even I might struggle to catch the beat, let alone a beginner.”

Everyone turned their eyes to the stage.

Most assumed Su Mu would just muddle through a few moves and call it a day.

But in the next instant—

Every mouth in the room formed an O.

Σ(⊙0⊙“!

Normally in battle, dancers will pick the start of a fresh eight-count to enter—the perfect chance to sync with the music.

If you jump in at random, the rest of your routine might never catch the beat.

But Su Mu did the opposite.

He chose the very end of the previous eight-count, grabbing a spiral sound effect as his entry point.

This was an ascending melody, giving a sense of spinning.

Usually, for such sound effects, dancers use a wave or electric current motion to handle it.

It’s quick enough and makes it easy to transition into the next musical segment.

But no one expected what happened next.

Su Mu seized the last two beats of that eight-count, suddenly dropped into a squat, and, with the spiral sound, spun on one knee three and a half times!

“!!!”

“Damn, a knee spin!”

A knee spin is a fairly advanced move.

You see it in popping, hip-hop, and even breaking.

It requires excellent balance and core strength.

Your waist and hips, with a bent knee as an axis, must be strong enough to let the knee act as a pivot, supporting your whole upper body in rotation.

Any slip or mistake and you’re likely to collapse on the spot.

Yet Su Mu executed it with remarkable grace.

After three and a half rotations, his body didn’t stop twisting; instead, he rose smoothly, rolling his feet and body into the next move.

He flowed seamlessly into the next eight-count!

Bang~ snap! Bang bang snap!

The beats in the music rang out sharp and clear.

And there, Su Mu launched into his first full-body pop!

When he unleashed his pop with nothing held back,

The crispness and texture were unmatched.

The entire audience was thrown into shock and wild excitement!

“!!!”

“My god!”

“That pop! It’s massive!”

“That’s the quality of a true master? Is this really Su Mu?”

Suddenly, everyone realized—

“I get it now, I get it… We misjudged him.”

“He’s an expert! An absolute master!”

“No wonder his theory was unbeatable—at this level, he could make the KOD finals!”

“Su Mu is incredible!”

“Aaaah!!!”

The whole venue erupted.

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(P.S. Tomorrow after noon the book will be officially released—please stay tuned on the Qidian app and support with your first subscription! Endless thanks!)