I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 134: Too Many Unexpected Challengers

For a moment, everyone couldn’t help but look up, their expressions frozen in shock as they turned their gazes toward Fang Haoxin in front of the judges' table.

Ma Zhengyu noticed Fang Haoxin’s expression. Even though Fang Haoxin hadn't spoken further, he knew exactly what he wanted to ask. Silently, he nodded, confirming Fang Haoxin’s doubts.

This time, he didn’t blame Fang Haoxin for his outburst—because he understood just how much of a shock this news was to him.

Even for himself, when he first heard about it, he almost lost control of his emotions.

A surprise player, Su Yiming, had already come out of nowhere to defeat Fang Haoxin, which was shocking enough. But now, there was another hidden master on top of that?

Seriously, just how many dark horses are showing up this time?!

And to make matters even more absurd, Ma Zhengyu hadn’t seen the full match, but from what he had heard, the game had ended in just seventy-four moves!

Even now, his mind was still in chaos.

First, Su Yiming had given Fang Haoxin a teaching game, and now there was a seventy-four-move speed victory over Zhuang Fei…

No, seriously, what kind of promotion tournament is this supposed to be?!

Wasn’t the biggest highlight of this event supposed to be the highly anticipated clash between Fang Haoxin and Zhuang Fei?

How did both of them get eliminated before they even had a chance to face each other?!

Everything about this tournament was becoming increasingly ridiculous, to the point where Ma Zhengyu started wondering if he was dreaming.

This… How is this even possible?!

The moment Ma Zhengyu nodded in confirmation, Fang Haoxin stood frozen in place, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

The rest of the players in the match room, upon seeing Ma Zhengyu acknowledge the statement, were just as stunned. Their minds went completely blank.

Zhuang Fei… lost too?

Their thoughts were in total disarray, and the sheer absurdity of the situation made them question reality.

Zhuang Fei didn’t lose to Fang Haoxin.

He didn’t even lose to that surprise contender, Su Yiming.

Instead, he lost to… Yu Shao?

As much as they didn’t want to believe it, the undeniable truth was that both Fang Haoxin and Zhuang Fei were far superior to them.

The only ones capable of challenging Fang Haoxin were supposed to be Zhuang Fei, and vice versa.

They were supposed to be each other's equal rivals!

And yet, reality had completely shattered that expectation.

First, Su Yiming appeared out of nowhere and took down Fang Haoxin in the main event.

And now, to their utter disbelief, Zhuang Fei had also lost—not to Su Yiming, not to Fang Haoxin, but to some unheard-of Yu Shao?!

Only a few people in the match room, despite their initial shock, remained relatively unfazed. Pu Weize was one of them.

"...He really won..."

Pu Weize took a deep breath.

The game he played against Yu Shao yesterday had left a deep impression on him. From the opening moves alone, he had inexplicably fallen into a disadvantage. By the midgame, the gap in strength had become glaringly obvious.

Even though his playstyle was steady, prioritizing solid territory and a more conservative approach, it made no difference. Under Yu Shao’s violent and relentless attacks, he had crumbled in just over 120 moves.

Moreover, Yu Shao had played at an astonishing speed.

Every time Pu Weize racked his brain for the next move, Yu Shao would respond immediately, as if playing purely on instinct.

"Fang Haoxin, Zhuang Fei, Su Yiming, Yu Shao..."

Looking at these four names, Pu Weize felt an even greater pressure weighing down on his shoulders.

Zhuang Fei had now dropped into the losers' bracket, which was good news for the remaining winners' bracket players.

But for those in the losers' bracket… it was a nightmare.

They couldn’t afford to lose anymore.

One more loss, and they would be eliminated—falling at the final step before becoming professional players, reduced to nothing more than stepping stones beneath someone else's feet.

Even after Fang Haoxin left the match room, the remaining players struggled to settle their minds.

They took deep breaths, forcing themselves to suppress their chaotic emotions before finally reaching into their bowls, gripping their Go stones, and placing them onto the board.

—

As more players finished their matches, they gradually gathered at the judges' table to report their results and check the updated rankings.

And then, as they laid eyes upon the official tournament standings, even though they had already braced themselves, everyone still instinctively gasped, their minds reeling.

Hearing about it was one thing.

Seeing it with their own eyes… was something else entirely.

Zhuang Fei really lost.

—

By 6:00 PM, as the second round of the finals officially came to a close, the news of Zhuang Fei’s defeat and his fall into the losers' bracket spread like wildfire—setting off a massive shockwave throughout the tournament.

—

"Zhuang Fei lost too?"

In the main competition hall, a crowd of journalists and photographers who had just received the news were left completely dumbfounded.

For a long moment, the entire hall fell into absolute silence.

—

"This..."

"This has got to be a f**ing joke!"

After what felt like an eternity, a tall and skinny journalist finally managed to swallow his saliva, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief. He couldn’t stop himself from cursing.

"Fang Haoxin and Zhuang Fei... both lost?!"

—

A bearded journalist, Zhang Feng, was equally bewildered. He muttered under his breath,

"And they didn’t even lose to the same person...?"

Once again, the entire hall plunged into silence.

No one could find the words to describe what they were feeling at that moment.

—

Earlier, when the journalists heard that Fang Haoxin had lost to Su Yiming, they were stunned, but also thrilled.

After all, the emergence of a dark horse meant this year’s tournament had just gotten way more exciting!

Journalists lived for hot topics like this.

But now…

Now that they had learned that Zhuang Fei had also lost—and not to Fang Haoxin, nor Su Yiming, but to yet another unknown player—this revelation left them with only one feeling.

Pure, unadulterated shock.

—

This wasn’t just a hot topic.

This was an earthquake in the Go community!

—

"Zhuang Fei and Fang Haoxin both lost?"

Had they both lost to Su Yiming, it would have been somewhat believable.

If anything, they would’ve been ecstatic, knowing that they had a sensational news story on their hands.

But instead…

Zhuang Fei and Fang Haoxin each lost to different opponents.

And that…

Was even more unbelievable.

—

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

After a long silence, Zhang Feng finally spoke, his voice trembling.

"Brothers, this year’s promotion tournament… is about to explode!"

That night, countless people found themselves unable to sleep.

—

Final Round of the Promotion Tournament, Third Match

Early the next morning, Yu Shao once again arrived at the match room.

But the moment he stepped through the doorway, the once lively conversations inside came to an abrupt halt.

Silence.

An eerie, absolute silence enveloped the entire room.

Every single person turned to look at Yu Shao.

But this time, their gazes were completely different from before.

Previously, their eyes carried curiosity, some even showing traces of wariness.

But today—

All that remained in their expressions was shock and a heavy sense of impending doom.

Especially Bai Jingchuan and Jiang Xiahua.

The looks in their eyes were the most complex of all.

Even now, the game from yesterday replayed vividly in their minds—every single move carved into their memory.

If anything, after an entire night, their recollection of the game had only grown clearer.

From the very beginning of the opening, when Yu Shao faced Black’s Twin Swallow Formation and ruthlessly sacrificed the Star-Point White stone…

To the moment when he completely ignored Black’s "Balanced Exchange" move and instead jumped forward, keeping the Star-Point White stone alive in an unpredictable way…

Then came his 2-4 invasion, where he played a move so sharp it made their hairs stand on end—an absolutely earth-shattering two-space extension along the fourth line.

And finally, in the corner battle, he sacrificed his stones to gain initiative, completely choking Black’s shape.

The final move—

A hanging move that sealed the deal with surgical precision!

From the opening to the endgame, the entire match had lasted only seventy-four moves.

—

"Why is everyone still here?"

Yu Shao glanced around the room, slightly surprised by the scene before him.

There were no eliminations after the first round of the finals, but after the second round, players should have started getting knocked out.

Yet today, even the defeated players hadn’t left.

However, Yu Shao didn’t think too much about it. He quickly found an empty seat and sat down.

Before long, more players entered the match room, one after another.

And without fail, every single one of them immediately looked at Yu Shao the moment they stepped inside.

Only after staring at him for a long moment did they finally find their seats.

—

A little while later, Zhuang Fei entered.

Instantly, all eyes turned to him.

Zhuang Fei himself also looked toward Yu Shao as soon as he stepped in.

After a brief pause, he lowered his gaze and silently found an empty chair, sitting down without a word.

Then, Fang Haoxin arrived.

Like Zhuang Fei, the first thing he did was look straight at Yu Shao.

Only after a long moment did he finally shift his gaze and take his seat.

And soon after—

Su Yiming walked in.

Unlike the others, Su Yiming merely glanced at Yu Shao before immediately looking away and finding his seat.

—

"Huh?"

The players who had been quietly observing the interactions exchanged confused glances.

They had all expected Su Yiming to pay much more attention to Yu Shao.

After all, Yu Shao had just defeated Zhuang Fei yesterday—a major upset that should have caught Su Yiming’s interest.

But strangely enough, Su Yiming didn’t seem to care much at all.

—

As the match time approached, Ma Zhengyu and another referee entered the match room.

The moment they stepped inside, everyone immediately retracted their gazes and straightened their postures.

Their expressions turned incredibly serious.

—

No matter how unpredictable things had been so far, they had already made it to this point.

No matter how tough the road ahead might be, not a single one of them would back down now.

All they could do was grit their teeth and keep moving forward.

—

Ma Zhengyu scanned the room, his eyes lingering on Yu Shao for a moment before finally looking away.

Clearing his throat, he announced:

"Time for the draw."

—