"Ah."

With a soft exclamation, the door to the Go room gently swung open. The two referees and recorder inside immediately straightened up and turned their gaze toward the entrance.

Yu Shao stood at the doorway, scanning the room. The Go table at the center stood empty on both sides - Jiang Changdong hadn't arrived yet. After a brief glance, Yu Shao entered and walked directly to the central table, stopping at the left side where he pulled out a chair and sat down quietly to wait.

About five minutes later, the door opened again. Jiang Changdong, dressed in a crisp black suit, paused at the entrance to observe Yu Shao, his expression darkening slightly. After a few seconds, he strode purposefully to the opposite side of the table, pulling out his chair with noticeable force before sitting down facing Yu Shao.

"Just ten minutes until the match begins!" A referee checked his wristwatch, looking between the two opponents seated across from each other with complex emotions.

"This is... the final game of the National Champion title match..."

"This single game will determine who claims one of Chinese Go's seven highest honors - the National Champion title."

"And I... will witness it firsthand."

Tick. Tock. Tick.

Time passed second by second as everyone waited for this final game to begin. Initially, the various Go clubs, academy broadcast rooms, and game halls had buzzed with activity from the large crowds. But as match time approached, the noise gradually faded, replaced by a strange tension in the air - like the calm before a storm.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Looking back on this National Champion tournament - from preliminaries to main event, then to the championship matches - the entire year-long journey had been long and arduous, bringing countless surprises and shocks. Complex emotions welled up in everyone's hearts.

Over this year, countless players had battled through title matches, climbing upward while deciphering the mysteries of the board. There had been disappointments, bitterness, sorrow... and joy. All of it would culminate in this final game about to begin.

This... was the final endgame!

Finally—

"Time's up!"

A referee watching his wristwatch stood as the clock struck ten. As he rose, he felt an almost physical pressure bearing down on him! Steadying himself, he announced solemnly: "The current score stands at one win each. This final game will determine this year's National Champion."

"In Game 2, 3-dan Yu Shao took white while National Champion Jiang Changdong took black. For this deciding match, colors will be swapped - Yu Shao 3-dan will take black, National Champion Jiang Changdong will take white!"

"Each player has three hours of main time, with 90-second byo-yomi periods. Black must compensate with 7.5 points komi."

"Let the match... begin!"

As the referee's voice faded in the Go room adorned with the "Sit and Discuss the Way" calligraphy scroll, Jiang Changdong gave Yu Shao a slight bow, which Yu Shao returned.

The formalities complete.

The decisive battle... had arrived!

Yu Shao looked at the board, quickly picking up a stone to place the first move under the world's watchful eyes.

Click!

4-17, komoku (small point)!

"Clack!"

Seeing Yu Shao's move, Jiang Changdong's right hand plunged into his bowl, making the stones clatter loudly. Staring intensely at the board, he couldn't help recalling their second title match a week earlier, his jaw tightening slightly.

"I started learning Go at five years old. Now, after over thirty years of playing... while he's only been professional for one year!"

"I won't lose."

Jiang Changdong's eyes shone with unprecedented determination, even a hint of ferocity, as he finally picked up a stone and slapped it down forcefully.

"No matter what... I won't allow myself to lose!"

Clack!

16-4, star point!

Yu Shao silently observed the board before reaching out to place another black stone gently.

Click.

17-16, komoku!

Almost instantly after Yu Shao's move, Jiang Changdong picked up a stone and placed it with airtight speed and palpable pressure!

Clack!

4-4, star point!

The opening thus far: Black played asymmetrical komoku, while white answered with twin star points.

"Next move could be 3-3 invasion, knight's approach, or corner enclosure - all viable options," Yu Shao instantly considered several responses as white's stone landed.

The 3-3 invasion was a solid corner approach. The knight's approach represented the most aggressive attacking option. While corner enclosure maintained flexibility.

Yu Shao's hand instinctively moved toward the bowl for the knight's approach... but his fingers froze upon touching a stone. Looking at the board with only four stones placed, his eyes grew inexplicably complex.

In this moment, he seemed to see his past self, all his memories surfacing one by one. Turning professional at twelve, his first tournament, first loss, first championship... Every move from his past life remained vividly clear even now, across worlds - perhaps unforgettable for a lifetime.

In that previous life, he'd dominated not through direct combat but through positional pressure, subduing opponents without fighting, controlling games into the endgame to sweep the Go world and conquer countless rivals.

But since Game 2 of this title match, he'd already diverged from that past self.

"Perhaps... it's time for a proper farewell."

Yu Shao gazed calmly at the board. All those famed games from his past life seemed to materialize before him - he still remembered his thoughts behind every single move.

When he'd crossed worlds, he'd been in Jiangling. Now this final title match was also in Jiangling. No place could be more fitting for farewells.

"The ghost living in my heart... if it were to silently fade away like this... he would surely be unwilling."

"Regardless, he truly reached Go's pinnacle once. But that path can't continue - a new road must be taken to reach higher realms..."

"Only I know of your existence. But with Go so flourishing in this world, you must want to leave your mark here too."

"After all, I understand you - no one better. You loved Go so deeply, spent your life pursuing the perfect move. To leave quietly would leave you full of regrets."

"Because... I am you."

"Then... this is the last time."

"I'll let you play this entire game."

"It's the National Champion finals - one of Go's seven highest honors. You shouldn't be dissatisfied, right?"

"This is the last time... and also the first."

"So then..."

Yu Shao's right hand finally lifted a stone. This single piece carried unbearable weight - the lifetime achievements of a peak player, his entire existence - so heavy Yu Shao could barely grip it properly!

But as the stone finally left the bowl, Yu Shao could feel its reluctance giving way to wild joy at approaching the board! Behind Yu Shao, a faint silhouette seemed to materialize - a figure nearly identical to Yu Shao but slightly older, with clear eyes that seemed to see through space to this very game!

This figure gradually merged with Yu Shao as they both held a stone, their hands moving in perfect sync to place it!

"Here we go!"

The next moment, the stone struck the board with a sound that seemed to echo worldwide - even across worlds to his past life, making mountains and rivers tremble!

Click!

3-14, large knight's corner enclosure!

......

......

"Large knight's corner enclosure?"

Seeing this move, Jiang Changdong blinked in surprise. He'd anticipated a 3-3 invasion or knight's approach from Yu Shao, but not corner enclosure. While not unheard of in Yu Shao's records, such defensive moves were relatively rare since they represented reactive, non-aggressive play.

Still, this was a standard opening, so Jiang Changdong didn't dwell on it, quickly responding after brief thought.

Click!

15-17, small knight's approach!

"Direct aggression! National Champion Jiang Changdong's response to the corner enclosure is unexpectedly forceful!" The referees exchanged serious looks.

"Black's large knight enclosure shows no sharpness - just solidifying his framework!"

"Remember, white doesn't bear komi - black carries the heavy 7.5-point burden. The simplest approach for white would also be corner enclosure, maintaining flexibility against black's formation."

"This could lead to mutual frameworks if neither side attacks aggressively."

"But Teacher Jiang clearly rejects this approach! Despite black's komi handicap, he chooses the most aggressive invasion to force direct combat!"

The referee couldn't help glancing at Jiang Changdong, thinking: "Teacher Jiang... is overflowing with killing intent!"

Yu Shao studied the board. The faint figure behind him mirrored his gaze with clear, far-seeing eyes that seemed to contemplate deeply.

After a moment, the figure reached into the bowl. Yu Shao followed suit. The figure's hand seemed to cross space itself as it placed the stone - with Yu Shao's hand moving simultaneously to the same point!

Click!

16-15, diagonal move!

"Diagonal?!"

This move made both referees and recorder startle, eyes widening in disbelief! Across the table, Jiang Changdong froze momentarily before suddenly looking up at Yu Shao - but saw only a seventeen-year-old boy, not the figure standing behind him.

Southern Go Academy broadcast room:

Zheng Qin stared dumbfounded at the screen. "Diagonal here?!" he blurted.

Nearby, Su Yiming had already reached for a stone to mimic Yu Shao's move, but paused mid-motion upon seeing it.

"The diagonal... that's an ancient move," Xu Zi said with equal shock, clearly puzzled. "Over 180 years ago in Shen Yi's era when games used small komi without modern komi rules..."

"Back then, this diagonal was considered the absolute best - unrivaled by any alternative."

"Some even claimed that no matter how Go evolved, as long as boards remained 19x19, this diagonal's value would remain eternal."

"But history proved them wrong."

"With modern komi, this move, while solid, became viewed as too slow - rendered obsolete by time, replaced by pincer attacks!"

Further away, Wu Zhixuan's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. "Yu Shao must know this... yet he still played it."

Su Yiming remained silent, staring intently at Yu Shao's move on screen. He knew this move intimately - having played it thousands of times! As Xu Zi said, in his era this small komi move was practically Go's standard answer!

But 180 years later, this diagonal had been abandoned. After arriving in this modern era, he'd had to relearn contemporary Go - yet even that wasn't enough. Yu Shao's play constantly shattered his Go understanding - from the 3-3 point onward, countless modern joseki had been overturned, leaving only the Large Avalanche among the three great difficult joseki barely surviving!

Under modern komi rules, contemporary Go emphasized speed and adaptability. Yet now... Yu Shao was reversing course with this ancient diagonal move - one even he considered outdated? This was a move thoroughly abandoned by time!

In the Go room, everyone stared at Yu Shao in stunned silence. Yu Shao simply gazed calmly at the board, seemingly oblivious to their gazes.

Before komi rules, this diagonal had flourished. But with komi's introduction and Go's evolution, it faded into obsolescence - considered inferior by nearly all players. Yet his past self had stubbornly favored this solid, meticulous style, deploying it repeatedly in major tournaments.

Then... with the advent of AI, everything changed! Go AI validated this diagonal's worth - proving it still shone brilliantly even under 7.5-point komi!

Because ancient players had pioneered this diagonal, its rediscovery became legendary - inspiring and moving countless modern players! It demonstrated humanity's capacity for near-perfect play, for transcending limits - whether past or present!

And precisely because this diagonal had been his past self's signature move, he'd deliberately avoided it until now - despite knowing its merit through AI verification.

Having decided to bid farewell to his past self... naturally, he would let this diagonal shine brightly one last time!