I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 121: A Reunion

The Main Tournament Begins

The next day.

The Go Promotion Tournament Main Event was finally about to begin.

At 9 AM, Yu Shao took the elevator down to the hotel lobby. By then, the lobby was packed—a sea of people, all waiting for the opening ceremony.

Among the competitors, there were both men and women, spanning a wide range of ages. Some were nearly 30, while others were barely 10 years old. Everyone’s expression was serious, creating an atmosphere of tense anticipation.

Aside from the players, there were numerous reporters and cameramen, capturing footage of the scene with flashing cameras and rolling video recordings.

"Over here!"

Jiang Xiahua spotted Yu Shao and waved excitedly.

Yu Shao glanced at him and walked over, quickly reaching his side.

Standing beside Jiang Xiahua was a short middle schooler, around twelve years old, who looked curiously at Yu Shao.

"He's Yu Shao, an amateur player from Jiangling. We met yesterday."

Jiang Xiahua introduced him, then turned to Yu Shao with a grin. "And this is my junior, Yuan Wenyi. We all call him Monkey."

"Nice to meet you."

Yu Shao and Yuan Wenyi exchanged nods.

As the opening ceremony approached, more and more players gathered in the lobby.

Soon, Yu Shao spotted some familiar faces.

He Zhi’an and Qiao Anli, who had been in Group E with him during the preliminaries, were among them. When they noticed Yu Shao, their expressions hardened slightly, glancing at him for a moment before looking away.

"They're He Zhi’an and Qiao Anli, from Langhong Dojo. They’ve both competed in the promotion tournament a few times before, and they're pretty strong."

Jiang Xiahua, unaware that Yu Shao already knew them, started explaining the competitors like a seasoned tournament veteran.

Most of the players in the main tournament were dojo trainees, and Jiang Xiahua knew nearly all of them. Even some of the amateur players, he could provide brief evaluations on.

Looking around, Yu Shao noticed that over 90% of the players were dojo trainees, with an average age of around fifteen. Amateurs were incredibly rare.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiahua’s eyes focused on a man in his late twenties, his expression turning serious.

"That guy is Pu Weize—he's an amateur player, but he's really strong."

"Really strong?"

Yu Shao was a little surprised by the wording. Jiang Xiahua had described He Zhi’an and Qiao Anli as simply "pretty strong," but this was different.

"Yeah, I've lost to him before."

Jiang Xiahua nodded. "Like me, he makes it to the finals every year—but every year, he falls just one step short. He's twenty-nine years old now, so this is his last chance."

"If he doesn't turn pro this year, he never will."

Jiang Xiahua added, "He's one of the top contenders for the remaining four pro slots, and this year, he's going all out."

In this world, the age limit for the Go Promotion Tournament was 30. Once a player turned 30, they were no longer eligible, meaning they could never become a professional Go player.

Hearing this, Yu Shao glanced at Pu Weize again before looking away.

A Familiar Face Appears

Moments later, Xu Zijin arrived.

The entire lobby stirred.

People’s eyes immediately turned to her—not just because of her looks, but because of who she was.

The daughter of Jinxiu Group's CEO, choosing to pursue a career in professional Go, was major news.

As she stepped into the lobby, Xu Zijin’s gaze briefly met Yu Shao’s.

Then, without a word, she withdrew her eyes and moved to a quiet corner.

"I don’t need to introduce her, right?" Jiang Xiahua smirked. "You already know her."

The Big Names Arrive

Just then, a boy around thirteen years old entered.

His eyes carried an undeniable sharpness, his very presence drawing immediate attention.

No one underestimated him because of his age. Instead, there was a hint of wariness in their gazes.

"Zhuang Fei."

Jiang Xiahua's expression turned serious, his usual carefree attitude nowhere to be seen.

Even he felt the pressure just from Zhuang Fei’s presence.

Then, another player walked in.

He had soft, tousled hair and an easygoing aura, his presence gentler than Zhuang Fei’s.

"Fang Haoxin."

Jiang Xiahua took a deep breath. "I don’t know much about him—he's been abroad all this time."

A moment later, another young man entered—wearing a white button-up shirt, about sixteen years old.

Unlike Zhuang Fei and Fang Haoxin, hardly anyone noticed him.

Only a few people turned to look.

"That guy… I don’t recognize him," Jiang Xiahua admitted.

"I do."

Yu Shao's gaze settled on the boy in white.

"His name is Su Yiming."

Seeing Su Yiming here, Yu Shao wasn’t surprised at all.

At that moment, Su Yiming also noticed Yu Shao in the crowd.

He froze in place.

Their eyes locked.

Despite the crowd, at that moment, it felt as if they were the only two people in the room.

After a long pause, Su Yiming exhaled deeply and nodded slightly toward Yu Shao.

Then, he looked away and stood silently in the crowd.

"Wait… you know him?"

Jiang Xiahua gasped dramatically. "Damn, Yu Shao, you actually recognize someone?!"

Then, in a more serious tone, he asked, "Is he an amateur player? How strong is he?"

Yu Shao thought for a moment.

"Pretty strong."

"Oh, really?"

Jiang Xiahua laughed. "Then I guess I’ll have to take him seriously if I face him."

The Tournament Begins

By 8:30 AM, all the players had arrived.

A burly, square-faced man stepped forward, holding a microphone.

"I am Ma Zhengyu, the head referee for this year's Go Promotion Tournament and the vice chairman of the Southern Go Association."

After a brief introduction, he continued:

"First, I congratulate all of you. You have successfully passed the preliminaries and earned your spot in the main tournament."

"It is truly inspiring to see so many passionate young players striving to become professional Go players."

"You should all take pride in standing here today—because it means you are among the best players of this year’s competition."

Ma Zhengyu paused for a moment.

Then, his tone grew heavier.

"But the road to becoming a professional player is never easy."

"The main tournament will be ruthless."

"And for most of you—this is where your journey will end."

"You must play to your full potential. That way, even if you fall short, you will have no regrets!"

"Do not let the cruel format affect you. Forget about winning and losing—immerse yourself in your game. Strive to play the best move possible!"

"If you can do that—it is enough."

Ma Zhengyu took a deep breath before continuing, "Alright, that’s enough talk."

"At 10 AM, the first round of the main tournament will begin. The stage is yours now. In this year’s Go Promotion Tournament, let me hear the voices of the next generation!"

As he finished speaking, the players began making their way to their assigned playing rooms.

After the harsh eliminations of the preliminaries, both the men’s and women’s divisions had around 400 players in the main tournament. However, only 50 from each division would reach the final stage.

Even though the matches hadn’t started yet, the atmosphere was already heavy with tension—like the calm before a storm.

"This year is brutal."

A young player sighed as he walked alongside Qiao Anli and He Zhi’an.

"With Zhuang Fei and Fang Haoxin in the mix, that leaves only four open slots for the rest of us."

"It’s not just them," He Zhi’an suddenly said.

The young player hesitated, looking at him in confusion.

After a brief silence, Qiao Anli added, "This year… might be even harder than you think."

Yu Shao’s First Opponent

Upon entering his playing room, Yu Shao immediately checked the match-up board on the wall.

In the main tournament, there was still no drawing of lots—only in the final stage would match-ups be randomly assigned. The first round was still system-matched.

Quickly scanning the board, Yu Shao found his name.

"Table 13: Wan Baihan."

He made his way to Table 13, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

His opponent hadn’t arrived yet.

"You’re new to the main tournament, right? Haven’t seen you before."

The player at Table 12, a young man around 16 years old, glanced over at Yu Shao with curiosity.

"An amateur player?"

"Yeah."

Yu Shao nodded.

The young man looked surprised. "That’s impressive. But man, you got unlucky—your first-round opponent is Wan Baihan. He’s tough. Made it to the finals last year. Not an easy match at all."

But before he could finish his thought, a 17-year-old with a calm and composed aura entered the playing room.

The moment he walked in, the player at Table 12 immediately shut up.

The newcomer strode toward Table 13, glanced at Yu Shao, then silently took his seat across from him.

Clearly—this was Wan Baihan.

The Match Begins

Not long after, two referees entered the playing room.

As soon as they arrived, the tension in the room intensified. Many players instinctively took deep breaths, trying to steady their nerves.

Even Wan Baihan, despite his experience, grew visibly more serious.

Although he didn’t recognize Yu Shao, and knew this was his first time in the main tournament, he didn’t dare underestimate him.

After all—anyone who made it this far was no ordinary player.

To become a professional Go player, every match had to be taken seriously. There was no room for carelessness.

One moment of complacency could mean elimination.

"Time's up!"

After checking his watch, one of the referees announced:

"Each player will have three hours, with one-minute overtime periods. Now, let’s determine turn order."

Wan Baihan reached into the Go bowl, grabbed a handful of white stones, while Yu Shao took two black stones and placed them on the board.

"Four stones."

Wan Baihan declared, then looked at Yu Shao.

"You’re playing black."

Yu Shao nodded, placed the stones back in the bowl, then looked up.

"Please guide me."

"Likewise."

Wan Baihan nodded back.

Yu Shao’s eyes locked onto the board.

His hand reached into the Go bowl, picking up a black stone—

And dropped it swiftly.

Snap!

16-4. Star Point.

Unexpected Attention

Meanwhile—

At Table 33, after the turn order was determined, Su Yiming was assigned white.

However—

After his opponent placed the first move, Su Yiming didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, he did something unusual.

He stood up.

Under his opponent’s confused gaze, Su Yiming walked away from his board—

And headed straight for Table 13.

Stopping behind Yu Shao, Su Yiming silently began watching the game.