Yu Shao quietly stared at the board, eyes fixed on the black stone that had just been placed.

"He chose the Large Knight’s Move..."

Yu Shao’s gaze sharpened. This move was not the same as the Ultra Knight’s Move—using the same response he did against the Ultra Knight would only backfire now.

"This is... Zhuang Weisheng."

He could clearly sense the deeper meaning behind that stone, the intimidating pressure it carried.

From an AI perspective, in Go opening theory, side extensions were never bad—but they were always inferior to corner enclosures or approaches. That’s why, in his previous life, the Ultra Knight’s Move had eventually fallen out of favor.

But this High Knight’s Jump—though technically a side extension—leaned more toward corner defense. Compared to the Ultra Knight’s Move, it was practically a rebirth!

Even without AI backing him, Zhuang Weisheng had, through sheer intuition, sensed this shift—this superiority of corner-focused play—and played a better move.

Go evolves with change. Since Black had played the Large Knight’s Move, White's response would naturally need to evolve too.

Clack!

A moment later, Yu Shao reached into the Go bowl again, drew out a stone, and gently placed it on the board.

And under the eyes of the entire world, the stone landed.

Clack!

Column 16, Row 15 – High Approach!

The moment that stone hit the board, it was as if everyone watching skipped a heartbeat.

“High approach?”

Someone murmured, “He really went for the high approach?”

"Faced with Teacher Zhuang Weisheng's new move, Yu Shao chose to watch calmly."

Someone swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the game, thinking, “But this kind of 'watching' isn’t tenuki—it’s continuing the pressure with a high approach, waiting to see how Black responds!”

“Unexpected. Against this new version of the Weisheng-Style, the safest response is to tenuki. But Yu Shao still chose to high-approach—choosing to observe the board's development!”

“If Teacher Zhuang played this move, he must have first considered all the normal white approaches. Yet Yu Shao still chose this line... is he really walking into the tiger’s den knowing full well it’s there?”

The livestream chat exploded with bullet comments flying by like a waterfall.

Zhuang Weisheng soon clamped a stone and responded, followed swiftly by Yu Shao.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

Under intense attention, black and white stones fell in rapid succession, spreading out as the clash between both sides became vividly etched on the board.

“That last move—retreating would’ve been safe!”

Zhuang Weisheng stared at the board, as if seeing its distant future.

Or rather, he likely had calculated very deep into the game—simply revealing what he saw would probably send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“After his high approach, if I shoulder-hit, my ideal sequence is White hane, Black pull back, White connect, then Black hane again, White has to respond, and Black triple-hanes…”

“If it develops like that, Black ends up very satisfied.”

“But instead of following that pattern, he just jumped straight into 3-3!”

Zhuang Weisheng stared hard at the board, as if trying to peer farther into that fog-filled road ahead.

"If I tenuki now, will he keep pressing?"

"He will. This group is still unstable. If I tenuki recklessly, White will charge into the gaps. I may have dead stones to utilize, but he’ll definitely see that."

"Traps like these are useless against him."

"I must cast off preconceived notions. I need to view the board from another perspective—only then will I see the path ahead clearly."

"There are still things on the board I haven’t noticed."

Zhuang Weisheng’s gaze became even more focused.

"Where are they!"

...

...

Jiangling – inside a luxury apartment.

“That move... is a bit troublesome.”

Zhuang Fei leaned forward, eyes unblinking as he stared at the computer screen. The bluish light from the monitor washed over his face.

“Black’s trying to grab initiative at every turn, but... White’s responses are so nimble. At this moment, the game is perfectly balanced.”

“This clash—who will come out on top...”

Zhuang Fei couldn’t help but recall the game he played against Yu Shao during the Pro Qualification Tournament last year. He clenched his jaw.

Right now, he hadn’t even qualified as a professional yet, but Yu Shao was already on the pro stage—facing his father head-on.

Just then, a new black stone landed on the screen after a long think.

Clack.

Column 14, Row 18 – Jump!

Zhuang Fei froze at first, then his heart jolted violently. His eyes widened.

"Dad… jumped away with that move?"

“Why?!”

He couldn’t understand at first and re-examined the position. After a moment, realization dawned—his pupils contracted.

“So that’s it...”

“That’s what’s going on!”

Zhuang Fei was so stunned he could barely speak.

“If Black bends outward and White pushes, Black blocks, White extends... in the end, that entire group of Black stones in the lower-right would get forced to death—White gains real territory.”

“But Black would also gain compensation—tons of outer influence and a magnificent outer wall. The coordination would be excellent, so the game would still be even.”

“...By conventional logic, that’d be the assessment.”

“But shift perspective, and it looks completely different!”

Zhuang Fei stared at the screen in awe, his mind buzzing.

“If you compare this variation to a 3-3 invasion joseki, you’d realize White gains far more actual territory than a standard 3-3.”

“Black does get outside influence—but White's territory is huge. In this variation, Black comes out behind!”

Zhuang Fei took a deep breath, eyes locked on the screen.

“Dad’s judgment of territory vs. influence has changed! He finally realized this and avoided the trap—he’s even turned it back on White!”

...

Elsewhere, Southern Go Association – Press Office.

“Yu Shao must be shocked too.”

Ding Huan stared at the screen, his face filled with disbelief.

“He was the first to popularize the 3-3 joseki, but now... that very pattern got used by Teacher Zhuang Weisheng to read his intent.”

“If this were a year ago, anyone—anyone—would’ve bent outwards, and White would have easily taken the advantage.”

“No... even now, even after the 3-3 has been studied deeply, almost every player would still instinctively bend there.”

“The only reason Teacher Zhuang could jump is because he’s Zhuang Weisheng!”

...

...

Handtalk Room.

Yu Shao sat silently, face unreadable. Like a mountain crumbling before him, yet his expression didn’t change. Still, under that calmness... a faint chill lurked.

After a moment, he reached into the bowl again and slowly placed his next move.

Clack!

Column 7, Row 12 – Small Knight’s Move!

Zhuang Weisheng’s expression remained calm as he looked at the just-landed white stone.

"White has started attacking!"

Nearby, the female recorder craned her neck, staring at the board.

“But... a small knight’s move? He’s not trying to break in directly using his outside strength, but launching a direct attack. That means he won’t be able to invade anymore—only reduce. That’s unexpected.”

She’d studied many of Yu Shao’s game records, and she could see his usual style—fierce and unrelenting. He often crushed opponents in complex positions with razor-sharp reading.

That’s why she assumed Yu Shao would use his thickness to invade directly.

But unexpectedly, he didn’t.

He chose a frontal attack instead of a deep invasion.

Attacking from the front wasn’t as threatening as an invasion. It was more like a skirmish on even ground, whereas an invasion was a strike right into enemy territory.

Of course, attacking had lower risk. Invading meant entering the enemy’s formation and facing encirclement from all sides.

Zhuang Weisheng considered this for a moment, then picked up another stone and placed it.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

Stones began falling rapidly again. Seven or eight moves later, it was Yu Shao’s turn once more.

Clack!

Yu Shao stared at the board, plucked a stone from the bowl, and placed it.

Clack!

Column 4, Row 10 – Side Extension!

The moment that stone landed, all three people in the Handtalk Room froze.

Even Zhuang Weisheng, sitting opposite Yu Shao, had a visible change of expression.

"White… invaded?!"

Not just in the Handtalk Room—everyone watching this match felt their brains go blank.

The official livestream room for the National Master Tournament exploded.

"???"

"What does this mean?"

"White invaded Black’s territory? He didn’t do it earlier—why now?"

"I don’t get it. What kind of play is this?"

In Seoul’s Go Academy discussion room, Lee Hyunwoo also stared at his screen in shock.

After a long pause, he finally exclaimed:

"Using outside strength to invade—that makes sense!"

"But going Small Knight’s first, then letting Black thicken, then invading? That’s backwards! It’s like... an anti-joint move!"

This wasn’t just Lee Hyunwoo’s question—it was everyone’s question.

Earlier, Black didn’t have outer thickness, which made that the perfect time for White to invade. Dangerous, yes—but manageable. Done right, it could live.

But instead, White launched a frontal attack first, allowing Black to build thickness. Then, now, White chose to invade!

With such strong Black outer influence, White’s invasion was practically a suicide mission—and yet, this was all White’s doing!

This was a completely counterintuitive sequence, beyond anyone’s imagination!

Online debates raged.

Players around the world were watching, stunned by this move from White.

Anyone else would’ve lost their composure. But Zhuang Weisheng only hesitated for a moment before calmly returning to the board, falling into thought.

"This invasion seems absurd. But ‘nearly certain death’ isn’t the same as ‘no chance of life.’ If there’s any chance of living, it’s not a blunder."

"Still... no one plays like this."

"Maybe White can live—but the path is torturous. Even if the outcome is slightly better than a direct invasion earlier, no one would take such a risk."

"No one plays like this."

"Usually, a player’s Go style draws from predecessors. For example, Su Yiming’s play clearly shows influence from Shen Yi. Shen Yi’s play, in turn, was shaped by his mentor Yang Shirong, and so on..."

"I’ve seen so many game records—from ancient players to modern ones."

"Go has a lineage, a tradition passed down over 4,000 years."

Zhuang Weisheng couldn’t help but raise his head and look at Yu Shao.

“But his style... who does it resemble?”

"His strength is undeniable—but the problem is, I can’t..."

"...I can’t find a single player, past or present, whose Go style is remotely like his."

"Why?"

"Why would there be a player whose style is completely unlike any other in history?"

"It shouldn’t be possible—for a style to be completely without precedent."

After a while, Zhuang Weisheng finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at the board.

"White looks reckless—but if you dig deeper, it seems full of hidden intentions. I’d best not engage too hastily."

He reached into the bowl, picked up a stone, and gently placed it.

"This game... looks chaotic, but it’s profoundly deep."

Clack!

Column 6, Row 3 – Small Knight’s Move!

"Teacher Zhuang... isn’t attacking?"

Seeing that move, the female recorder and two referees simultaneously swallowed hard, eyes wide with astonishment.

"Faced with such a bold White invasion, Black... chose not to attack?!"

This White move was far too bold—easily capturable.

But shockingly, Zhuang Weisheng didn’t strike. He merely blocked off the territory.

"I don’t get it..."

Everyone watching this game was now completely lost.

"This match... has become incomprehensible."

Yu Shao’s gaze darkened slightly as he saw the move.

"So... you’ve noticed?"

He looked down at the board, mind calculating variations rapidly.

Time ticked by.

Online, countless viewers were still dissecting the past ten moves, arguing over each decision.

Then—

Yu Shao reached into the bowl again. With a crisp clack, he pulled out a stone.

The next moment, he placed it.

Clack!

Column 5, Row 3 – Diagonal Cap!

In an instant—

The entire world fell silent.

All chatter, all whispers, all discussion—

Vanished into stillness.