I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 116: The Shattered Black Stones

"This..."

He Zhi’an stared at the board, his gaze locked onto the white stone at Row 10, Column 12. His heart trembled, and he almost couldn't stop himself from standing up. His throat felt dry.

"This move... Press at Row 11, Column 11—"

"It's not just about securing some edge territory, nor is it a simple corner enclosure!"

"Even though it's the easiest area to claim... the simplest space to surround..."

He Zhi’an was overwhelmed by shock as he stared at the board, waves surging in his heart.

"But White isn't just aiming for the center, it's going for everything beneath it... nearly half the board!"

This was a move full of imagination, an awe-inspiring, majestic move! It completely disregarded small, secure territories and instead pursued a large-scale framework, a grand vision!

One stone landed, and the entire board trembled!

Seeing such a powerful large-scale strategy, such an overwhelming stance, He Zhi’an suddenly recalled the question Qiao Anli had asked him a few days ago—

"If that online game wasn't played by Shen Yi, then who else could have played it?"

At this moment, He Zhi’an finally understood why Qiao Anli had asked such a question.

The strategic approach in this move—where the strong dominate the center—was exactly the same as Shen Yi’s style. It was identical to the white stones in that mysterious online game.

Seconds passed. Minutes ticked by.

It took a long time before He Zhi’an finally gritted his teeth, reaching into the bowl of stones once again. His fingers trembled slightly as he picked up a black stone and placed it on the board.

Row 12, Column 8—Jump.

Even though the situation had become incredibly dire, he still refused to back down. Gritting his teeth, he chose to endure!

"He jumped out."

Yu Shao glanced at the board, slightly surprised.

"A reinforcing move... and at the same time, it subtly threatens my unstable dragon on the upper side."

"Unexpectedly tenacious."

After a brief moment of thought, Yu Shao picked up another stone and placed it on the board.

Click.

Row 13, Column 11—Flying Press!

"He flew!"

Gasps erupted from the crowd. Their expressions shifted in shock.

"White is ignoring Black’s threat and continues expanding downward—he's even extending pressure onto Black’s dragon!"

Click. Click. Click.

The sound of stones being placed rapidly filled the room. The battle intensified.

The spectators' expressions shifted with each move, tension rising.

Realizing that his position had sunk into despair, Black launched a desperate, all-or-nothing struggle against White, attempting to carve out a sliver of life.

But—

"Black has charged into White's formation, hoping to disrupt its influence. But after a fierce entanglement..."

The goateed referee stared at the board, his heart pounding, before delivering the verdict:

"In the end... Black only managed to survive with two points of territory."

At that moment, Yu Shao picked up another stone and gently placed it down.

Click!

Row 11, Column 9—Point!

"White strikes!"

The moment this move landed, everyone held their breath.

A terrifying, suffocating pressure filled the air, as if a blade had been pressed against their throats.

"And White isn't just attacking casually—this move marks the beginning of a dragon-slaying operation!"

He Zhi’an stared at the board, his face as pale as a sheet.

And his time—

His countdown had already begun.

He had burned through a full three hours, and now, he only had one minute per move left.

On the other hand, Yu Shao still had two full hours remaining.

After a long pause, He Zhi’an finally grabbed a stone from the bowl, placed it quickly on the board, and pressed the timer.

Yu Shao, as if he too had entered overtime mode, responded within two seconds, following immediately with another move.

Click. Click. Click...

Move after move.

Finally, after another dozen moves, a deep silence settled over the room.

He Zhi’an lowered his head.

Moments later, a weak voice broke the stillness.

"I lost..."

The room remained dead silent.

Everyone stared at the board.

The black stones—

Shattered. Broken. Ruined.

"...Thank you for the game."

Hearing He Zhi’an resign, Yu Shao gave a slight bow and responded,

"Thank you for the game."

He Zhi’an’s lips trembled, but he still managed to force out a response:

"...Thank you."

Yu Shao stood up, preparing to report the results to the referee.

He glanced around—

Only to find that the referees were missing.

"...Where are the referees?"

For a moment, Yu Shao was stunned.

Then, two faint coughs came from behind him.

Turning around, Yu Shao finally spotted them—the two referees.

The goateed referee silently observed Yu Shao before finally nodding slightly, acknowledging that he had witnessed the entire game and already knew the result.

Yu Shao let out a sigh of relief and returned the nod before leaving the room, heading out for a meal.

Click. Click. Click.

In the playing room, the crisp sounds of stones being placed continued.

It was still early, and many games were still in progress.

But even though the game at Table Eight had ended,

not a single spectator left.

The room remained utterly silent.

Moments later, Miao Xiaoxiao finally couldn't help himself.

He looked up toward the doorway—

But Yu Shao was already gone.

He still couldn't fully process Qin Xiaojun's words. In fact, he thought they sounded almost ridiculous.

Although he hadn’t seen the entire game, by the time he arrived, White had already secured an overwhelming lead within just fifty moves.

Black had been crushed beyond despair.

Black had been forced into a position where they didn't even know what to play, resorting to random defensive moves just to survive.

And this was supposed to be a terrible opening?

He Zhi’an was a dojo trainee, meaning his opening fundamentals were rock solid. For White to gain such a dominant lead within just fifty moves, how could anyone claim the opening was "terrible"?

Miao Xiaoxiao shifted his gaze back to the board. Even now, the sight of this game still sent shivers down his spine.

White’s grand framework dominated the board, while Black’s stones lay in ruins.

He was still holding onto a six-game winning streak.

And if nothing unexpected happened, his next opponent would be—

Yu Shao.

"That guy... Yu Shao..."

Beside him, the bespectacled young man finally couldn't hold back anymore. His voice carried disbelief as he asked,

"Who the hell is he?"

No one answered.

Because that was the exact question on everyone’s mind.

10 PM, Yu Shao’s Home

"Dad, Mom, you're back."

Seeing Cai Xiaomei and Yu Dongming walk in together, Yu Shao, who was sitting on the couch watching a movie, immediately greeted them.

"Hmm."

Yu Dongming didn’t even bother changing his shoes. He immediately asked the question he cared about most, his voice even carrying a hint of nervousness.

"How was the tournament today? Did you win?"

"I won."

Yu Shao nodded and said, "I'm currently at six straight wins."

Hearing this, both Yu Dongming and Cai Xiaomei visibly relaxed. They exchanged a glance and saw the joy reflected on each other’s faces.

Even though Yu Shao had defeated Su Chengping before, as parents, they still couldn’t help but worry about him choosing the path of a professional Go player.

After all, no matter how they looked at it—

Even if Yu Shao had beaten Su Chengping, he had never received formal training. He was completely self-taught in Go.

Becoming a pro player through self-study?

That sounded ridiculous.

Over the past few weeks, they had done their own research on the professional Go world and learned just how brutally competitive it was—a battlefield where only the strongest survived.

So ever since the promotion tournament started, they had been far more nervous than Yu Shao himself.

But so far, all they had heard from their son was—

Victory after victory.

Maybe… just maybe… their son really was a Go prodigy?

"Hmm, not bad."

Cai Xiaomei suppressed the joy in her heart and reminded him,

"But there are still four more days of matches. Don't get arrogant. Even if you pass the preliminaries, there’s still the main tournament and finals ahead!"

"Got it, Mom."

Yu Shao nodded, showing no sign of impatience.

"Do you want to find a teacher?"

At that moment, Yu Dongming suddenly asked,

"I did some digging. Some high-dan professional players take on private students. You wouldn’t have to join a dojo, just learn directly from them."

"Dad, not this again."

Yu Shao let out a helpless smile, immediately shaking his head in refusal.

"I have confidence in becoming a pro. I really don’t need one."

Yu Dongming always felt that self-learning Go wasn’t reliable, which was why he constantly pushed Yu Shao to find a teacher for formal training.

This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.

"Even if you can become a pro, having a teacher would still help," Yu Dongming insisted.

"I've heard of low-dan pros who only improved rapidly after studying under high-dan players."

"Dad, self-learning has its advantages."

Yu Shao thought for a moment and explained,

"Because I never had a teacher, I’ve never been restricted by conventional openings or rigid strategies. I play however I want."

"I can completely unleash my creativity. If I were to get a teacher now, it might actually limit me, and I could even get worse."

Hearing this, Yu Dongming suddenly had no response.

Maybe… he had a point?

"Dad, I’m heading to bed. I have a match tomorrow."

Worried that his dad might bring up the topic again, Yu Shao quickly turned off the TV and headed to his room.

"This kid..."

Watching Yu Shao walk into his room, Yu Dongming shook his head with a sigh.

"Old Yu, just let him be."

Cai Xiaomei, on the other hand, took it lightly and laughed.

"Neither of us knows Go, and yet, Xiao Shao taught himself and still reached this level. Maybe self-learning really suits him?"

"Yeah…"

Yu Dongming sighed, feeling a mix of emotions.

"He’s grown up now. For him to reach this level on his own, I never would've imagined it."

"Exactly! Instead of forcing a teacher on him, think about it this way—"

Cai Xiaomei smiled, "If Xiao Shao really becomes an elite pro player entirely through self-study, wouldn’t that be even more impressive?"

"Just imagine—if a journalist interviews you one day and asks how you trained your son, you can just say—"

"I didn’t train him at all. He learned Go all on his own!"

Yu Dongming couldn’t help but chuckle.

"But he hasn’t even passed the preliminaries yet. Even if he does, there’s still the main tournament and finals—no guarantee he’ll make it!"

That’s what he said—

But in his mind, he couldn't help but picture the scene—

Heh… you know what?

That actually sounds kind of awesome.