Inside the Go room, silence reigned.

The two referees and the recorders all instinctively craned their necks, holding their breath, their expressions focused yet tinged with a hint of tension as they stared intently at the nearby board.

It was Yu Shao’s turn to make a move once again.

However, unlike before, Yu Shao did not immediately place a stone. Instead, he paused, gazing at the intricately complex board before him.

The black and white stones seemed intertwined with life and death, hiding countless unfathomable mysteries.

“At this moment on the board, I hold the advantage. But to completely crush the black stones in one decisive strike is still unlikely.”

In Yu Shao’s mind, the words Su Yiming had said to him a week ago after the first game of the National Hand Championship surfaced again.

“In your subconscious, you always take the whole picture into account, but sometimes that actually harms you.”

“For some moves, once played, they don’t seek temporary success but eternal fame!”

“Without this mindset, you cannot fully leverage that move’s advantage;

you might even end up doing more harm than good.”

“Only by risking everything can you see that one and only path!”

Yu Shao’s gaze was calm and profound.

At this very board position, he saw a move.

This move bore no resemblance to the previous game’s but was equally a desperate bid for survival—within what seemed like a dead-end, it contained a glimmer of hope!

All the experiences of his past life and present life surfaced in Yu Shao’s heart.

In his past life, he conquered without fighting, standing atop the Go world with a meticulous and subtle style, with precise and airtight endgame plays.

But in this life...

Yu Shao quietly stared at the board, beginning to attentively feel each move.

He no longer relied on past life experience for judgment but, like a beginner, felt every stone shining with brilliance.

His past self was like a ghost, always present in his heart, softly telling him how to play each move, how to assess value, how to choose on the board.

Even if he did not follow that ghost’s advice entirely, because the ghost had already shown him this move, even if he did not choose it, his thoughts would unconsciously drift in that direction, influenced by that voice.

Now, that ghost’s voice was growing quieter and quieter...

Until it became completely inaudible!

Viewing the game from another angle, with a stranger’s body, although there were similarities, there were more secrets he had never noticed before!

He played a move... utterly different from his past life.

“Click!”

Yu Shao’s eyes shone brightly. His right hand seemed pulled by some force, almost uncontrollably reaching into the stone box!

The stones clattered inside, echoing throughout the Go room!

The next moment, Yu Shao’s right hand pinched a stone, wrist poised high, then—

It fell like a meteor plunging from the heavens!

This move pierced space, spanning dimensions.

Two lives playing two lives, everything, all for seeking that one move, touching the highest realm of Go—and now, that move finally shone on the board!

“Tap!”

Column fourteen, row thirteen, diagonal move!

The sound of placing the stone resounded through the entire Go room, reverberating throughout the Go community!

Silence reigned over the mountains and rivers, only the echo of this move remained!

“Diagonal move!”

Seeing this move, the two referees and recorders first froze, then an expression of deep disbelief quickly spread across their faces like lightning!

“At this position, actually... attacking with a diagonal move?!”

Because the situation was unfavorable, Jiang Changdong’s complexion had been pale all along, his forehead already covered in fine sweat. At this moment, seeing Yu Shao’s move, he was also stunned.

The next moment, his eyes suddenly widened, exaggerated to the point that his eyeballs seemed about to leap from their sockets!

“A diagonal move here?!”

In Tokyo, Japan, a young man with white-dyed hair seemed to be shaken. He involuntarily stood slightly, eyes wide with shock, murmuring in disbelief: “He actually used a diagonal move?!”

“Unbelievable. With this, White’s advantage is no longer obvious. Black clearly counterattacks on the Small Point, and the board becomes bewilderingly complicated again!”

Behind the white-haired youth, his friend also stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock and confusion.

After a brief moment of silence, the online world exploded like a powder keg, a tidal wave of discussion and uproar erupted!

“This move is way too reckless!”

“But to say it’s not a good move is definitely not true, because the board has become very subtle, with countless possibilities. White now has a chance to capture Black’s large group in one strike!”

“I understand, but it’s terrifying. The changes on the board are countless, and no one can calculate all the variations. Even if it’s a good move, no one would dare play it!”

“Go is too dangerous. Even the strong are not always the victors, so playing moves you are confident in is the correct path. This move... could it be that he is certain he can kill the black stones?!”

Online debates surged like a flood. The National Hand Championship’s official livestream was covered in dense barrage comments!

Naturally, the two players were completely unaware of these online discussions.

Jiang Changdong gritted his teeth, and after a long moment, his face revealed a fierce look. He finally reached into the stone box again, pinched a stone, and quickly placed it.

Yu Shao immediately followed, pinching a stone and placing it on the board.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The black and white stones began spreading again, the battle between black and white intensifying.

As the game continued, the uproar from before instantly vanished, returning to utter silence.

Everyone stared tensely at the board, not daring to blink, completely immersed in the game!

After Yu Shao’s diagonal move, the board became bewilderingly subtle. Black’s pressure to rescue isolated stones lessened significantly, but the white stones deep within Black’s formation threatened Black’s life and death!

However, over more than twenty moves, Jiang Changdong’s handling of life and death was incredibly precise, even delivering a painful counterattack on Yu Shao’s white stones!

But...

Gradually, everyone’s expressions began uncontrollably changing.

Some opened their mouths slightly but could not utter a sound.

The recorder in the Go room was already covered in fine sweat on her forehead. Even though she was not a player, she broke out in goosebumps, feeling both shocked and amazed!

Tap, tap, tap!

The world was quiet except for the continuous sounds of stones being placed, echoing through the ages!

“What is this?!”

Finally, after a long silence, the white-haired Japanese player almost shouted, releasing the words pent up in his heart!

“White actually has a hidden Golden Rooster Stance in the corner! After Black surrounded White, Yu Shao not only didn’t reinforce, he even lost the initiative?!”

He turned to his friend behind him and asked, “Did you see through White’s Golden Rooster Stance in the corner?!”

The so-called Golden Rooster Stance is a classic tightness and killing technique in Go!

This tactic involves placing a stone at the bottom line of the board during a fight to force the opponent unable to place stones on both sides due to tight liberties, thereby creating a local territorial advantage!

This method is mostly used in corners and edges, exploiting the “no entry” rule to form lethal shapes like “killing with eyes but no eyes” or “no connection to return,” often causing a whole block to fall into a dire situation instantly!

For the vast majority of professional players, if the Golden Rooster Stance is possible, they would immediately suppress it. This game was no exception!

Although White had the Golden Rooster Stance, Black had the means to surround and kill White. Once Black pressed the attack, White had to reinforce!

But beyond all imagination, facing Black’s siege, White did not reinforce but instead played a tiger’s mouth move that made his scalp tingle!

The friend behind the white-haired youth stared blankly at the computer screen, sweat slowly dripping down his cheek.

“Did you see that?”

He gazed at the screen in a daze, murmuring, “I don’t know... what kind of calculation power or imagination is needed to play this move.”

“I never dreamed White wouldn’t reinforce, never dreamed... no one would dare not to reinforce. No matter who it was, they’d think reinforcement was a must.”

He swallowed hard and continued, “Too strong... no one but him could see this move, no one!”

Under the gaze of the world, black and white stones continued to alternate on the board. But after White formed the Golden Rooster Stance killing shape, Black’s position almost visibly approached collapse!

Everyone stared tightly at the board, their hearts filled with unparalleled shock.

Black obviously had used all their strength but was no match for White in this battle. Every white stone placed seemed to carry an oppressive pressure!

Each move was terrifyingly powerful!

Quiet.

Growing quieter and quieter.

Watching the stones pile up on the board, the entire world fell into a strange and eerie deathly silence!

“Click.”

In the Go room, Yu Shao pinched a stone again and gently placed it down.

Tap.

Column seven, row seven, jump.

The sound of placing the stone echoed inside the quiet Go room.

Seeing this move, Jiang Changdong opened his mouth but could not say a word, staring at the board in disbelief.

His complexion had turned paper-white at some unknown point, and his hair was completely soaked with sweat.

The game was over.

Victory and defeat were decided!

Yes, from opening to midgame to endgame, this match progressed at a speed beyond everyone’s imagination!

Jiang Changdong twitched the corner of his eye twice, bit his back molars tightly, staring at the board. Even though he already knew the outcome, he could not accept it and tried to find a point to turn the tide.

Suddenly, his face flushed intensely red, ears burning, clenching his teeth as he forced out a few words through gritted teeth: “I...”

The words stuck in his throat, unbearably heavy, unable to be spoken.

He simply could not accept it.

Not that he couldn’t accept losing—the truth was, he had mentally prepared for defeat.

But he could not accept losing without any chance of resistance.

After two or three seconds, the remaining words were finally squeezed out from between his teeth with great difficulty.

“I lost.”

Silence remained all around.

The female recorder and the two referees still stared at the now-finished board not far away.

They no longer cared about Jiang Changdong’s feelings after this defeat.

No one cared!

Not just them;

at this moment, all the viewers worldwide watching this match felt the same way!

Everyone was deeply shaken by the strength White displayed in this game.

It ended too fast.

Too fast for anyone to prepare!

They originally expected another nail-biting, razor-sharp peak confrontation, but in the end, White almost crushed Black outright and unilaterally declared victory!

In this game, Black never even had a chance to resist White.

No!

Not even a chance to struggle—the match was cleanly and decisively ended by White from start to finish!

The whole world was silent. Although silent, it spoke louder than a thousand words!

Finally, after an unknown amount of time.

“This is a game worthy of being immortalized!”

Someone could no longer hold back and shouted excitedly: “Yu Shao not only fooled me but also fooled the entire world!”

“I even suspect that even the God of Go would be deceived by that move!”

“No one could see the Golden Rooster Stance in the corner. Everyone thought if Black surrounded White, White must reinforce. But White didn’t!”

“This miscalculation had a profound impact on the subsequent battle. The earth-shattering trap directly defeated Jiang Changdong, the National Hand. White no longer has any room left to fight!”

Others stared at the board in disbelief, their minds buzzing even now, muttering in a daze, “How is this possible...”

“The first game, Jiang Changdong won.”

“With Yu Shao’s strength, winning the second game was reasonable.”

“But how could this second game have turned out like this? Completely... powerless to fight back?”

After a quiet spell online, the discussions finally exploded like ignited gunpowder. Countless barrage comments wildly flooded the screen, almost filling it completely!

Victory and defeat were decided!

Yu Shao was completely unaware of everything happening outside and the uproar caused by this game.

Although Jiang Changdong conceded, Yu Shao did not immediately collect his stones but quietly stared at the board before him.

Although Su Yiming was not present to watch this game like the previous one, Yu Shao knew Su Yiming was certainly watching somewhere—certainly.

Yu Shao had never been so certain.

Yu Shao observed every move on this board, the thought process behind each, and how the variations played out, all still vivid in his mind.

This was a game he absolutely could not have played in his past life. Perhaps his judgment of formations and value trade-offs, and his sense of thickness and thinness of the position, were still influenced by his previous life.

These things were inherently inseparable and should not be discarded.

But those ingrained ways of playing had completely changed.

Even those players who knew him well in his past life would never think this game was related to him—

As if... he had been reborn!

“This time you see me is the Yu Shao of this life... and also the first time you see me.”

“But it will definitely not be the last.”

“This game... is my answer.”