I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 145: Each Generation Weaker Than the Last

The sixth round of the Promotion Tournament took place the next day.

After five rounds of intense battles, only two players remained in the winner’s bracket, while the loser’s bracket had been whittled down to ten players.

This meant that today’s winner would, in all likelihood, secure a professional Go qualification.

The only uncertainty lay in today’s defeated player from the winner’s bracket.

That player would have to face an opponent from the loser’s bracket—one of those who had previously had a bye—for the final professional slot.

—

The moment Yu Shao appeared at the entrance of the playing room, all eyes instantly turned toward him.

He scanned the room and spotted Zhuang Fei sitting in the back row. His expression flickered with surprise.

The front seats were reserved for those who had advanced. The back seats… were for those who had been eliminated.

"Zhuang Fei was eliminated?"

Yu Shao was genuinely taken aback.

He hadn’t heard about this at all.

After his game yesterday, he had gone out for dinner, then returned to the hotel, paying little attention to the tournament’s results.

But Zhuang Fei, eliminated?

He had played against Zhuang Fei before.

Even though Zhuang Fei had resigned after just seventy-something moves, his actual strength wasn’t weak at all—about on par with Zheng Qin from Mountain-Sea Chess Hall back in the day.

As for Zheng Qin’s current level, Yu Shao wasn’t too sure.

The reason Zhuang Fei had lost so quickly back then was simple—he had played overly aggressively. Even after sacrificing stones, he refused to retreat and kept pressing forward recklessly.

And yet, during their fighting sequences, Zhuang Fei's responses weren't solid enough, leading to a complete collapse.

At this moment, Zhuang Fei also noticed Yu Shao looking his way.

He could feel the surprise in Yu Shao’s gaze—

As if stung by that look, he lowered his head and averted his eyes.

"...This…"

Seeing this, Yu Shao hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.

He found an empty seat in the front row, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

—

As the match time approached, other players gradually entered the room.

Each time a new arrival walked in, their first reaction was to look toward Yu Shao.

After a moment of silent acknowledgment, they quietly found their seats.

Shortly after, Jiang Xiahua also arrived.

Like the others, his gaze immediately landed on Yu Shao.

His expression was complicated as he lingered at the entrance for a second, then sighed and walked toward Yu Shao’s table.

Yu Shao was seated at Table One, the same as yesterday.

Despite the other players noticing that the seat across from him was empty, none of them had dared to sit down, choosing other tables instead.

The reason was obvious.

There were only two players left in the winner’s bracket.

And these two—had to play against each other today.

The only other player left in the winner’s bracket, besides Yu Shao, was Jiang Xiahua.

Seeing that his opponent was Jiang Xiahua, Yu Shao raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise before giving him a small nod.

Jiang Xiahua’s expression remained complicated.

After taking his seat across from Yu Shao, he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.

His lips moved—but no words came out.

"What’s wrong?"

Seeing his expression, Yu Shao found it amusing. "If you have something to say, just say it."

"I don’t even know how I’m supposed to play this game."

Jiang Xiahua sighed, a wry smile appearing on his face. "Honestly, I thought you’d get eliminated in the main tournament. But I never expected you to be… this strong."

"Especially after watching your game against Su Yiming yesterday…"

He paused, then shook his head and laughed at himself.

"I don’t even know what the hell I’ve been doing in the dojo all these years."

Hearing this, Yu Shao didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

He knew better than anyone why his skills were at this level.

After all, he had spent a lifetime playing Go in his previous life.

Jiang Xiahua’s years in the dojo hadn’t been meaningless.

"I used to think I had talent," Jiang Xiahua continued, his expression somewhat dazed. "But now I see you and Su Yiming. You two… are on a completely different level. I was just a frog in a well."

"If I were facing Zhuang Fei or Fang Haoxin, I’d still fight with everything I have. Sure, I’d probably lose, but I’d have a chance."

"But when I think about playing against you or Su Yiming… I don’t feel like I have any chance at all."

At the mention of Su Yiming, Yu Shao momentarily fell silent.

His strength came from transmigration.

But Su Yiming—

That guy was a pure genius.

A genius to the point that even Yu Shao found it hard to believe.

When Yu Shao had first joined the City High School Go League, he thought he wouldn’t have any real competition.

And yet—

Even when at a disadvantage in the midgame, Su Yiming had pushed him to the edge.

Yu Shao had won both of their encounters, but neither victory had come easily.

Even when backed into a corner, Su Yiming’s positional judgment, his relentless tenacity, his ferocious counterattacks—

All of it had been a serious threat.

In Yu Shao’s view, Su Yiming still lacked experience in thickness evaluation, balance assessments, and overall game theory.

But even then—

His level was already terrifying.

At that moment, Su Yiming walked into the playing room.

Instantly, every gaze in the room turned toward him.

Yu Shao also looked up.

Their eyes met—briefly locking in the air.

Despite losing yesterday, Su Yiming’s gaze showed no trace of retreat.

If anything, it had become even sharper—to the point of being alarming.

A moment later, Su Yiming took a deep breath and broke eye contact, walking toward an empty board and sitting down.

With his arrival, a heavy pressure settled over the room.

Because now, everyone knew—

Su Yiming was in the loser’s bracket.

Which meant—

Any one of them might have to play against him today.

—

"But until I play, I won’t truly understand the difference."

Jiang Xiahua suddenly exhaled deeply and spoke. "I’ll give it my all in this game."

Yu Shao blinked, then gave him a slight nod.

—

Shortly after, Ma Zhengyu arrived, scanning the room.

After looking at Yu Shao and Su Yiming, he turned to the others and said, "Loser’s bracket players, come forward to draw lots."

At his words, the players in the loser’s bracket stood up and walked toward the judges’ table.

Since only two players remained in the winner’s bracket, there was no need for them to draw lots.

The selection process finished quickly, and the players returned to their assigned tables.

Su Yiming’s opponent for this round was a young trainee named Shi Wang—

A matchup that caused the rest of the room to breathe a small sigh of relief.

—

"Time’s up. Each player has three hours, with a one-minute byo-yomi countdown. Black gives a 7.5-point komi. Let’s begin the nigiri."

Ma Zhengyu checked his watch and announced the start of the round.

Clack. Clack.

The crisp sound of Go stones hitting the board filled the room.

The eliminated players sitting in the back rows, upon hearing the match had begun, quickly stood up and hurried toward Table One, crowding around until there was barely any room left.

—

After the nigiri, the match was set:

Yu Shao as Black.

Jiang Xiahua as White.

Yu Shao stared at the board for two seconds, then swiftly pulled out a stone from the bowl and placed it.

Sixteenth column, fourth row.

Star point.

Jiang Xiahua looked at the black stone resting on the star point.

He reached into his stone bowl—

But for some reason, the stones felt heavier than ever.

At that moment, a memory surfaced—his master’s words echoing in his mind.

"Don’t think you can exceed your limits. If you lose to a stronger player, that’s perfectly normal."

"And don’t sulk just because you lost. Even more importantly, don’t run away from strong opponents. If you do, you’ll never improve!"

"If there were no opponents stronger than you, wouldn’t Go be unbearably boring? If someone were truly unmatched, what they should be wishing for is a worthy rival!"

"Think about Shen Yi from over a hundred years ago. If he had a real rival, just imagine how much stronger he could have become—I can’t even begin to fathom it!"

"You’ve reached the finals three times but have never become a professional. Why? Because you always expect to lose. You’re always afraid of facing strong opponents."

"You constantly complain about how unfair it is—how this person is too strong, or that person is too strong, and how you don’t stand a chance."

"If you can’t push yourself to the absolute brink, you’ll never grow. Be grateful for the opponents who drive you to the edge of defeat—taste every one of their moves!"

"But remember this—

"No matter who your opponent is, even if it’s me—until the game is over, you must play with the belief that you can win!""

"Tsk, each generation is getting weaker. I became a professional at thirteen. You’re already sixteen—do you plan to waste your whole life in a dojo?"

—

Finally, Jiang Xiahua pulled out a stone.

His gaze sharpened like a blade, and he placed his move without hesitation.

Clack!

Sixteenth column, sixteenth row.

Star point!

Yu Shao immediately placed another stone.

Fourth column, sixteenth row.

Star point!

Clack. Clack. Clack…

Stones began landing in rapid succession.

The entire room watched in rapt attention, their gazes fixed on the board as the battle unfolded.

—

From the very opening, Black quietly took control of the game.

This came as no surprise to anyone.

But as time ticked by, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Expressions began to change.

Among the crowd, Zhuang Fei, who had been watching the game, looked increasingly stunned.

—

Meanwhile.

"I lost."

A young player sitting across from Fang Haoxin let out a heavy sigh, his face full of regret as he lowered his head in resignation.

He placed his stones back in the bowl and formally conceded.

He had made it so close to becoming a professional player.

Yet, in the end—

He had fallen short.

During the midgame, Fang Haoxin had made a single slow move.

His opponent had noticed and launched a relentless counterattack.

But—

It still wasn’t enough.

He had been just one move away from turning the game around—

But one move was all it took to decide victory and defeat.

The two players bowed to each other.

Fang Haoxin then stood up, turning to look at Table Four where Su Yiming had been playing.

Both sides of the board were empty.

That game had already ended.

His gaze then shifted to Table One.

And there, amidst the gathering crowd, he spotted Su Yiming.

Su Yiming wasn’t playing—

He was watching.

He was completely focused on Yu Shao’s game.

Not just Su Yiming—

Everyone was intently staring at the board, expressions full of surprise.

Fang Haoxin’s eyes widened slightly.

He had been through so many rounds, but he had never played against Jiang Xiahua.

He didn’t actually know how strong Jiang Xiahua was.

And yet—

A horrifying thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"No… It can’t be…"

His heart pounded.

Suppressing his unease, Fang Haoxin took a deep breath and hurried toward Table One, squeezing through the crowd.

His gaze locked onto the board.

—

"Yu Shao is playing Black. Jiang Xiahua is playing White. The current board position is…"

—

Analysis.

"Black’s advantage is nearly unshakable."

"He’s launching a full-scale attack on White’s left-side dragon?"

Fang Haoxin relaxed slightly.

He felt relieved—his earlier worry had been unfounded.

But then—

A new confusion settled in.

If White was already losing this badly—

Then why was everyone still watching so intently?

Why did they all look so shocked?

Still puzzled, Fang Haoxin continued watching the game.

And as he watched…

His expression began to change, bit by bit.

—

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The stones continued to fall.

And the storm on the board—

raged on.