Jiangling, Southern Go Institute, Handan Room.

The short-haired female recorder stared at the board for a while, then couldn’t help but raise her head to glance at Su Yiming seated at one side of the table.

Su Yiming was fully focused on the game, his gaze clear and calm, his expression composed.

“The board is so complicated, and he's in a bad position—already falling behind—yet he's still so calm.”

The female recorder silently observed Su Yiming, a flicker of awe rising in her heart.

“That kind of composure… It’s unbelievable to see it in someone just seventeen or eighteen years old.”

Suddenly, the image of Yu Shao surfaced in her mind.

“Wait, no…”

“Besides Su Yiming, there’s another freak like Yu Shao… Two monsters.”

She shook her head and looked back to the board, thinking quietly to herself: “Still, it looks like Su Yiming is indeed a notch below Yu Shao. The black group is in grave danger.”

On the board, the large black dragon was at risk of being captured by white. Even though Black might still have some potential to leverage the captured stones, White had secured a vast territory—it was going to be tough to overturn.

From the current position, Black was clearly at a disadvantage.

“No wonder she’s the strongest female player who once beat top-tier players like Master Zhuang Weisheng and Master Kong Zi—Master Chang Yan is just as formidable as ever.”

The female recorder glanced at Chang Yan seated across from Su Yiming and couldn’t help but feel admiration.

“She really is every female Go player’s idol… If only I could become as strong as Master Chang Yan one day.”

Although she held the advantage, Chang Yan’s expression remained serious. Her bare face showed no signs of relief—only deep concentration.

She was waiting for Su Yiming to play. During the long pause, she continuously ran through variations in her head.

“I’m still ahead.”

“He’s incredibly strong. I tried twice to sacrifice and attack, yet he managed to turn things around through a massive conversion. I built up a huge moyo and have been attacking nonstop, and I’ve only managed to barely stay ahead!”

“Black has means to entangle me, but no truly vicious counterattack options. As long as I keep things steady, this game should be mine.”

After a long think, Su Yiming suddenly looked up and met Chang Yan’s eyes. Though he was slightly behind, his gaze remained astonishingly calm and composed.

Click.

Su Yiming withdrew his gaze and looked down at the board. He reached into the bowl of stones, the clatter of pieces echoed.

Seeing that he was about to play, Chang Yan’s expression became even more serious. She stared at his right hand as he pulled out the stone.

Soon, under her watchful eye, Su Yiming gently placed the stone down.

Clack!

14th column, 11th row—Clamp.

“Clamp?”

Seeing the move, Chang Yan paused slightly.

...

Two hours later, in the broadcast room.

“At this point, there’s no way for Chang Yan to come back.”

A long-haired young man twirled a folding fan in his hand, a look of awe lingering on his face: “Did he take performance enhancers? He actually clawed back a win from this?”

Among the group, Xu Zi was also staring at the screen, forehead beaded with sweat from focusing too hard.

“His mid- and late-game ability is terrifying.”

A burly, buzz-cut young man also looked deeply shaken, unable to believe what he was seeing. “At midgame, Master Chang Yan was clearly in the lead.”

“But after that, Black’s entanglement play and his attack centered around the moyo… He mobilized every single piece on the board, as if he could control the entire game. In the end, he turned it all around!”

“His mid-to-late game… it’s honestly…”

He trailed off.

Just then, a previously silent young man spoke up, finishing the sentence: “It’s like watching Shen Yi reborn.”

Hearing the words “Shen Yi reborn,” everyone in the broadcast room flinched.

“Shen Yi was an all-rounder, no major weaknesses. A lot of people think what made him strongest was his large-moyo style and relentless tenacity in close fights.”

The long-haired youth fanned himself, still unable to look away from the screen.

“But as professionals, we know better—”

“That’s not it.”

“The moyo style is tough, yes, because it relies on handling the vague center territory. But top players generally handle that fine.”

“Tenacious fighting? Sure, but any high-level player is good at that too.”

“What made Shen Yi terrifying—absurdly so to modern Go players—was his incredible analytical precision.”

“He could always sniff out the hardest-to-detect flaws in the most complicated positions. The more chaotic the board, the stronger he became. And if things were too simple, well—good luck beating him then.”

“Unless you had a 99% winning position at midgame, even a 90% advantage wouldn’t be enough. His endgame was unmatched.”

“That’s why in his era, no one could even stand toe-to-toe with him.”

The room went quiet for a while.

Finally, the buzz-cut youth let out a long sigh. “Master Chang Yan’s dropped to the loser’s bracket. She said she was determined to win a title this year…”

“Su Yiming’s just too damn strong.”

The long-haired youth shook his head, snapping his fan open again as he clicked his tongue. “Even Master Chang Yan lost to him. Are he and Yu Shao really going to win titles at the same time?”

“Honestly, it might happen.”

Another young man stood up. “Let’s go to the review room. That game’s worth breaking down—it’s a jaw-dropping comeback.”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

Everyone rose to review the game.

----------------------------------------

Later that night, at home.

After his win in the Grandmaster League main tournament, Su Yiming returned to his apartment, entered his room, and set up his Go board again.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The crisp sound of stones echoed through the room.

Very soon, Su Yiming completed the board setup and stared down at the intricate position in front of him.

It wasn’t the game he’d just played against Chang Yan. It was a replay of the recent game between Yu Shao and Zhu Xinyuan at the East Sea Go Hall.

“I’ve been in this timeline for over a year now.”

He gazed at the board, and a flash of memory crossed his mind—the first time he met Yu Shao back in Jiangling High School.

“Our first game—I had just arrived in this world and barely understood modern Go.”

“The second was at the qualification tournament. I’d learned much more by then, even played the Demon Blade and Avalanche lines—but still lost.”

“The third time was the Yingjiao Cup finals. I’d fully internalized modern Go patterns by then. But even so, I couldn’t beat him.”

“That’s when I realized—just mastering modern theory isn’t enough to beat him.”

“The fourth time was the team selection match… Though I had a complex follow-up after invading 3-3 and then jumping, I hadn’t yet delved deep enough into that path.”

His gaze lingered on the board, complex emotions stirring.

“It’s hard to believe, but… he’s truly redefining what Go means.”

“Thickness, profit, territory, lightness, speed, initiative…”

“He’s overturning everything—then rebuilding it, piece by piece. He’s above me. He’s above Shen Yi. Above a Shen Yi who had mastered modern Go.”

He remembered the words Yu Shao had said to him after the Yingjiao Cup:

“I’ll be waiting for our next match.”

“I finally understand now—until I completely discard the old concepts of Go, no matter how many games we play, it’s not truly a battle of equals.”

“No matter what, I want to play a match where we’re evenly matched. And you… you weren’t waiting for me to stand still.”

“But that match will come…”

“These days, I’ve been reviewing every one of your games, breaking them down, studying everything.”

Su Yiming slowly reached into the stone bowl and pulled out a piece.

“Soon… I’ll be ready.”

“And when that time comes—your opponent won’t be Shen Yi.”

Clack!

7th column, 12th row—Knight’s Move!

With that one move, the whole board changed subtly. Had Zhu Xinyuan played this during their match, the game might have gone in a completely different direction.

Su Yiming stared at the board, expression calm.

“It’ll be—Su Yiming.”

“And in that match… who will win, and who will lose?”

----------------------------------------

Six days later. East Sea, Eastern Go Institute.

Early morning, Yu Shao woke, got dressed, and left the hotel. After a quick bowl of noodles from a nearby diner, he walked toward the Go Institute.

Today was his third match in the National Champion main tournament—and his opponent was none other than Master Chen Shan.

When Yu Shao arrived at the lobby, the place was buzzing. It seemed there were several matches scheduled that day. Many Go players stood around chatting.

But as soon as people noticed Yu Shao walking in, the noise in the hall dropped sharply. Many turned to look at him—some curious, some admiring, some in awe.

“That’s Yu Shao? First time seeing him.”

“Freak of a genius. Even if he doesn’t win a title this year, it’s only a matter of time. With him around, normal people like us look pitiful.”

“Who knows, maybe he will win one this year.”

“Yeah… if he really becomes the youngest national titleholder at seventeen, the media’s gonna go insane. Most champions are in their twenties.”

“Who’s his opponent today?”

“Chen Shan, 9-dan.”

“D*mn, that’s a clash of titans! Gonna be intense!”

Amid all the whispering, Yu Shao passed through the hall and walked down the corridor toward the tournament’s Handan Room.

Soon, he arrived at the room and pushed open the door.

Inside, the two referees and the recorder were already seated, waiting quietly.

As soon as the door opened, they turned their heads toward the entrance. Upon seeing Yu Shao, they greeted him warmly:

“Good morning, Yu Shao 3-dan.”

“Morning.”

Yu Shao nodded and took his seat at the board, waiting for Chen Shan to arrive.

About five or six minutes later, the door opened again.

Chen Shan, dressed in a black suit, stepped into the room.

He looked around briefly, scanning the referees and the recorder, then locked eyes with Yu Shao.

“Good morning, Master Chen.”

Seeing him arrive, the officials greeted him as well.

Chen nodded slightly, face solemn, and walked across the room to take his seat opposite Yu Shao.

Neither spoke.

Suddenly, the room was filled with a heavy silence, an invisible pressure descending over all.

Even the referees and recorder unconsciously straightened up, their faces serious.

“Chen Shan and Zhu Xinyuan are pretty evenly matched, usually 50/50,” one of the referees thought silently. “But Zhu Xinyuan lost twice to Yu Shao.”

“And in that second game… Zhu Xinyuan played the best match of his entire life. That match was a masterpiece… but it was also full of pain.”

“Chen Shan must be under massive pressure.”

Silence.

Time crept forward.

Finally, the referee checked his watch, drew in a breath, and spoke solemnly:

“It’s time. Each side has three hours, with one-minute byo-yomi. The match begins now. Please proceed with nigiri.”

Chen Shan reached into the bowl and pulled out a handful of white stones.

Yu Shao grabbed two black stones and placed them on the board.

Chen opened his hand—five white stones.

White is odd.

Yu Shao would play White. Chen Shan would play Black.

They both reorganized their bowls, exchanged them, then bowed formally to each other.

The match… began.

Chen Shan stared at the board, then quickly pulled out the first stone and played it hard.

Clack!

17th column, 4th row—Low Chinese Opening.

“That was loud!”

The female recorder flinched slightly.

Usually, a stone sounds like “tap” when placed with normal force. But this was a crisp clack—a sign of real strength.

“For a player, every stone is a piece of their heart.”

She glanced at Chen Shan’s stony face and silently thought:

“So… what’s on Master Chen’s mind right now?”

Yu Shao calmly looked at the board. After two or three seconds, he picked up a stone and placed it.

Tap.

16th column, 16th row—Star Point.

Chen instantly played another move.

Clack!

4th column, 3rd row—Low Chinese.

“Diagonal Low Chinese?”

The recorder marked the moves, thinking:

“This usually leads to complex development. Looks like Master Chen wants to complicate things and avoid territory fights.”

“I wonder how Yu Shao will respond…”

Yu Shao quickly answered.

Tap.

4th column, 16th row—Star Point.

At this point, both players had played two stones. A Diagonal Low Chinese versus Two-Star configuration had taken shape.

But Chen Shan didn’t play immediately this time.

He stared at the board, deep in thought.

“Zhu Xinyuan lost to him twice, even with all his strength.”

“I’ve played too many games against Zhu. I know exactly how strong he is.”

“Li You, Zhu Xinyuan… both lost to him.”

“Now, it’s my turn to fight him.”

His face turned even graver. In that seriousness, a glint of cold resolve shimmered—almost frightening in intensity.

The room felt colder.

“Use the orthodox to defend, use the unorthodox to win.”

“To beat him, I can’t follow conventions. I have to take risks.”

“In the most chaotic battlefield, find his weak points—and with the sharpest claws, even if it costs me everything, fight to the death!”

“This match—”

Chen reached into the bowl. The stones clattered.

He pulled one out—and slammed it down!

“—from the very first move, must be played with do-or-die resolve!”

Clack!

4th column, 6th row—Knight’s Move to defend the corner!

“Knight’s move to defend the corner from Low Chinese?”

The referees and recorder all looked stunned—even Yu Shao raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a move Yu Shao himself played before. Even Zhuang Weisheng once adopted it.”

“But unlike the 3-3 point, this move—while not exactly bad—is strange. It’s not generally accepted.”

“And now Chen Shan plays it?”

Yu Shao soon recovered and calmly placed his next stone.

Tap.

15th column, 4th row—High Approach.

Chen Shan didn’t hesitate and played quickly.

Tap.

3rd column, 14th row—Diagonal Approach.