I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 118: Could He Be This Year’s Dark Horse?

In Group E, the three strongest players were undoubtedly Qiao Anli and He Zhi’an, both dojo trainees, along with Miao Xiaoxiao, a well-known amateur powerhouse.

But—

Within just the first seven rounds, all three had been eliminated.

Even so, after the brutal weeding-out of the preliminary rounds, the remaining players still weren’t weak.

"I lost..."

In the playing room, an eighteen-year-old player stared at the board.

After a long silence, he unwillingly lowered his head and placed two stones on the board—resigning.

"The Peep White played earlier was the sturdiest move, creating an incredibly thick shape, making it difficult to invade. Black’s connection was the standard response."

A referee stood behind Yu Shao, having witnessed the entire game.

Even now, he was staring at the board in shock, unable to look away.

"But then, this kid Yu Shao—"

"Instead of following the usual flow, he played a throw-in, forcing White to capture—"

"And then, without hesitation, he cut through the shape."

"The timing was perfect. Sharp. Precise. Ruthless."

"Neither I nor his opponent saw it coming."

"No wonder Qiao Anli, He Zhi’an, and Miao Xiaoxiao all lost to him."

"If he has this level of strength, then how have I never heard of him before?"

Today, the referee had been assigned to oversee this playing room.

After hearing from his colleague that he should keep an eye on Yu Shao, he had decided to watch this match closely.

And what he saw was—

An overwhelming display of dominance.

"His opening moves might look a little… unconventional."

"But his midgame power is absolutely terrifying. His calculative depth is astounding."

"If this were any other year, I’d have no doubt he’d become a professional Go player."

"But... this year is different."

The referee glanced at Yu Shao, his expression complicated.

"Still… even this year, he has a real shot at turning pro."

"I’ve never heard of Yu Shao before…"

"Could he be this year’s dark horse?"

Hearing his opponent resign, Yu Shao finally let out a small breath of relief.

Not because this game was particularly difficult—

But because with this match over, the preliminary rounds of the promotion tournament were finally coming to an end.

It was over.

And his record?

The only undefeated player in Group E.

"Thank you for the game."

Yu Shao bowed slightly as he spoke.

The eighteen-year-old opponent across from him was silent for a moment before he begrudgingly nodded and responded,

"...Thank you for the game."

Yu Shao stood up, then turned to look at the referee.

Seeing Yu Shao glance his way, the referee snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, signaling that he had recorded the result.

Yu Shao was about to leave the playing room for a meal when the referee suddenly called out in a low voice—

"Wait a moment."

Yu Shao paused, looking back in confusion.

What was this about?

The referee studied him carefully before explaining,

"After today’s preliminary rounds, the players who qualify for the main tournament will have a photo and video session with journalists from the Go Association."

"Make sure you return to the competition venue after lunch."

Hearing this, Yu Shao was slightly surprised.

Just qualifying for the main tournament gets media coverage?

But after a moment, he understood why.

He nodded and replied,

"Got it. I’ll be back after I eat."

With that, he left the playing room.

After exiting, Yu Shao headed to the hotel lobby, about to go outside for a meal.

But then—

He noticed the free snacks and fruit provided for the competitors.

I’m not even that hungry…

Thinking about it, since he’d have to come back soon anyway, he decided to skip going out.

Instead, he grabbed some snacks, sat down on a lobby sofa, and began eating.

Because his match had ended relatively early, most of the other players were still deep in their games, locked in bitter battles.

At this moment, aside from a few staff members, the lobby was nearly empty.

"The selection results for this year’s Fangyuan Cup are out?"

On a nearby sofa, a group of staff members was chatting.

"Yeah, the selected players are—"

"Gao Pengze, 7-dan, Li Jiefang, 6-dan, Lu Ding, 5-dan, Li Hounan, 5-dan, and Yu Liyang, 5-dan."

A middle-aged man, about forty, thought for a moment before continuing,

"These five will be representing us in this year’s Fangyuan Cup."

"So Zheng Qin, 2-dan, didn’t make the cut after all?"

Hearing this, someone sighed.

"I really thought Zheng Qin had a shot at making it."

"Zheng Qin?"

Yu Shao’s ears twitched slightly at the mention of the name, and he glanced over toward the staff members.

"He’s only 2-dan, and he only turned pro less than a year ago. How could he possibly qualify for the Fangyuan Cup?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and laughed,

"This tournament is open to all professional players aged 18 to 21—why would you think Zheng Qin had a chance?"

"Because I heard Zheng Qin has been improving insanely fast!"

The other person insisted,

"When he first turned pro, he lost to Liao Shuang, 2-dan. But now? Liao Shuang can’t even come close to beating him!"

"And that’s all within a single year!"

"That’s true… what a shame."

The middle-aged man sighed,

"But in the end, Zheng Qin came from an amateur background. If he had trained in a dojo since childhood, who knows how strong he’d be now?"

"Look at Yu Liyang, 5-dan—he’s younger than Zheng Qin, but he qualified much earlier and was a dojo trainee. No matter how talented Zheng Qin is, it’s hard to catch up."

"After all, these guys are all prodigies, and they’re all still improving."

One of the staff members shook his head and said,

"No, I think… he can catch up."

"Hmm?"

Everyone was startled and turned toward him.

"You guys probably haven’t seen the match between Zheng Qin, 2-dan, and Yu Liyang, 5-dan, have you?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then added,

"I watched it."

He paused before continuing,

"Yu Liyang still won in the end…"

"But let me tell you this—"

"It was not an easy victory."

At that moment, the others fell silent, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief.

"Before he turned pro, Zheng Qin didn’t even take Go that seriously—he just played it as a hobby and figured he might as well become a professional player."

"I actually knew him back then."

The staff member continued in a calm voice,

"But... one year ago, it was as if he became a different person."

"Starting just last year, he began seriously training and studying Go."

The group of staff members exchanged glances, seeing the shock reflected in each other's eyes.

"Just playing Go as a hobby… and casually deciding to become a professional?"

Most amateur players, even if they weren't dojo trainees, had still dedicated years of effort to Go.

Even for those who didn't fully devote themselves to the game, their hard work was undeniable.

"So… what made Zheng Qin change?"

The middle-aged man couldn't help but ask.

"That…"

The staff member smiled and shook his head.

"Only he knows the answer to that."

Yu Shao silently listened to the conversation.

Memories surfaced in his mind—

Memories of his two games with Zheng Qin, played one year ago at Mountain-Sea Chess Hall.

"It's been a year… since our second game."

"If I become a professional… it probably won’t be long before I face Zheng Qin for the third time."

Thinking about this, Yu Shao felt a complicated mix of emotions.

He knew that Zheng Qin had been waiting for that moment—

Waiting for a very, very long time.

"I wonder… what kind of Go he’ll play when that day comes?"

As time passed, players finally began emerging from the playing room.

Most of them wore heavy expressions.

One eleven-year-old boy walked out—

And the moment he stepped past the doorway, he burst into tears.

His mother knelt beside him, gently comforting him.

Seeing this, Yu Shao couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

"Failing to promote at eleven years old is completely normal."

"In my last life, I only turned pro at twelve."

"And the competition this year is even tougher."

Still, Yu Shao understood.

Even though failing at eleven wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things—

At the moment of defeat, the pain and disappointment were real.

Older players could handle it better.

But for someone so young, it was much harder to bear.

Crying was only natural.

Meanwhile—

A small handful of players had flushed faces, unable to suppress their excitement.

It was clear that they had performed well and secured a spot in the main tournament.

By 6 PM, all games had concluded.

The top ten players in Group E had finally been determined.

These ten would advance to the main tournament, continuing their journey toward becoming professional players.

As for the others—

They would be nothing more than stepping stones.

Now, every participant had gathered in the hotel lobby, crowding the space until it was packed tight.

Despite the large crowd, the atmosphere remained quiet—

A sense of pressure filled the air.

At the front of the crowd, several reporters and cameramen snapped photo after photo, their camera shutters clicking rapidly.

At this moment—

The goateed referee stepped forward, holding a score sheet in his hand.

"Now announcing the top ten players in the Group E preliminary rounds."

"Those whose names are called, please step forward."

Taking a deep breath, he raised his voice and read aloud—

"First place in the Men’s Division—Yu Shao."

"Second place—Miao Xiaoxiao."

"Third place—Qiao Anli."

"Fourth place—He Zhi’an."

"Fifth place—Zhou Weifang…"

The moment Yu Shao’s name was called, he stepped out from the crowd.

And as soon as he did—

Every single person in the room turned to look at him, their gazes filled with complicated emotions.

After all—

The three players who had been expected to dominate—

Qiao Anli, He Zhi’an, and Miao Xiaoxiao—

Had all been defeated by this previously unknown player.

Even now—

It still felt unbelievable.

Soon, the top ten male and top ten female players—twenty in total—stood at the front of the crowd.

Facing them, the reporters and cameramen eagerly took photo after photo.

The goateed referee continued,

"These ten players from the Men’s Division, and ten from the Women’s Division, have officially qualified for the main tournament!"

"I hope you will continue to strive forward."

"The preliminaries were only the beginning."

"I look forward to seeing your performance in the next stage."

"And ultimately—"

"Seeing you become professional players."

The goateed referee paused before adding—

"Lastly—"

"To those who were eliminated in the preliminaries—"

"I thank you for the wonderful games you played in this tournament."

"The end of one game—"

"Is simply the beginning of the next."

"Go is a lifelong journey—"

"And it is a path worth walking."