I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 161: A Game Under the Eyes of the World!

"You should use it while not many people know about it," Yu Shao chuckled. "Otherwise, in a little while, it might be completely useless."

"But someone has to actually play into the Demon Blade sequence first!" Jiang Xiahua scoffed. "That joseki is so ridiculously complex that one wrong move means total disaster. Unless someone is ready to fight to the death, no one would willingly play it."

The two chatted as they walked, quickly arriving at the cafeteria. After grabbing a quick bite, Yu Shao got up and bid farewell to Jiang Xiahua, heading to his Flame Inheritance Match.

"I'll be watching from the discussion room later."

As Yu Shao left, Jiang Xiahua called out, "Play your best!"

Yu Shao nodded in response, then left the cafeteria and made his way toward the Handtalk Room.

Though the Southern Go Academy had multiple Handtalk Rooms, the Flame Inheritance Match was always held in the same one.

Before long, Yu Shao arrived, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

At this moment, there was only one other person in the room—a man in his thirties, with a rough, rugged face and a thick stubble.

He was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

Hearing the door open, the man opened his eyes and turned toward the entrance.

Upon seeing Yu Shao, his eyes immediately lit up, and he grinned.

"You're Yu Shao, right?"

"Meijin Kong Zi."

Yu Shao had seen Kong Zi’s photos online before. His trademark stubble left a deep impression, so he recognized him at a glance and greeted him.

"I heard you beat Zhuang Fei, and as an amateur player, you earned a professional rank with a perfect record. Pretty impressive."

Kong Zi studied Yu Shao for a moment before smiling. "You know who we're up against today, right?"

"I do."

Yu Shao nodded. "Zhuang Weisheng, 10-dan, and Fang Haoxin."

"Right, Zhuang Weisheng."

Kong Zi completely ignored Fang Haoxin, as if he wasn't even worth mentioning.

"We don’t know each other well, so our teamwork won’t be the best, but that goes for them too. No big deal."

"You’ve probably seen my games—I usually play very aggressively. Be prepared for that."

"Even if you're not an attack-oriented player, you must have strong fighting fundamentals to have gone undefeated in the Promotion Tournament."

Kong Zi reached out and clapped Yu Shao’s shoulder with a heavy hand, grinning.

"Let's go all out today. You already beat Zhuang Fei, now go ahead and take down Zhuang Weisheng too—start your pro career with a bang!"

"Alright."

Yu Shao couldn’t help but laugh, then took a seat next to Kong Zi.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

Fang Haoxin entered, immediately recognizing Kong Zi and giving him a polite greeting before quietly sitting across from Yu Shao.

Unlike with Yu Shao, Kong Zi didn’t act friendly toward Fang Haoxin.

He simply nodded as acknowledgment, keeping it brief.

After all, in a few moments, they would be opponents, not teammates.

Shortly after, the door opened once more.

This time, a middle-aged man in a sharp, well-fitted suit strode in. His features were handsome and imposing—a presence that made the entire room feel heavier the moment he stepped inside.

The once-relaxed Kong Zi immediately straightened his posture, his expression turning serious.

The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.

Zhuang Weisheng had arrived.

Yu Shao’s gaze flickered.

Although he had seen Zhuang Weisheng countless times on TV, posters, and game records, this was the first time he was seeing the legendary 10-dan player in person.

Stepping into the room, Zhuang Weisheng first glanced at Yu Shao, then turned to Kong Zi, and finally looked at Fang Haoxin before walking over to take a seat across from Kong Zi.

"You really traveled all this way?"

As soon as he sat down, Zhuang Weisheng smirked at Kong Zi.

"Kong Zi, don’t you find this troublesome?"

"If it means beating you again, how could I be bothered?"

Kong Zi smirked back, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Zhuang Weisheng simply shook his head and turned his gaze back to Yu Shao.

"So, you're Yu Shao?"

Yu Shao met his gaze, nodded slightly, and replied, "Yes."

"And you must be Fang Haoxin?"

Zhuang Weisheng now looked at Fang Haoxin.

"I have to thank you both," he said calmly. "Because of you two, I was able to see Zhuang Fei’s shortcomings—I realized he still needs more tempering."

"Otherwise, even if he had become a professional this year, with his current mindset, he wouldn’t last long on this path."

Before Kong Zi could respond, the door opened once again.

A young woman with bright eyes, delicate features, and charming dimples entered the room, followed by a referee.

Behind them, a reporter and a cameraman followed closely.

The game was about to begin.

Seeing the referee, recorder, and media personnel arriving, Kong Zi closed his mouth and waited for the match to start.

When the recorder, Wu Zhixuan, saw Yu Shao, her eyes lit up with excitement.

She playfully winked at Yu Shao, her dimples showing faintly as she smiled.

Yu Shao didn’t say anything—he simply gave her a polite nod.

Soon, the referee and Wu Zhixuan took their seats at the long table, while the cameraman quickly adjusted his equipment, aiming the lens at the board between the four players.

At this moment, no stones had been played yet, but once the match started, every move they made would be broadcast to the entire world.

The Handtalk Room fell silent.

The air was so still that one could almost hear the faint rustle of the wind.

Meanwhile, in the Official Flame Inheritance Match Livestream—

The number of live viewers skyrocketed, while the chat was moving at breakneck speed.

"It’s finally starting! I’ve been waiting all day!"

"This isn’t just a Flame Inheritance Match—it’s Kong Zi’s chance for revenge!"

"Yu Shao already beat Zhuang Fei. If he wins this match too, he’ll have beaten Zhuang Weisheng as well???"

"Where did this Yu Shao even come from?! I’ve never heard of him in the amateur Go scene before! And yet, he went undefeated in the Promotion Tournament and even beat Zhuang Fei?? This is insane."

"I’m not sure how well he’ll do here. Kong Zi’s playstyle is so aggressive—can a 1-dan rookie even keep up?"

"If he went undefeated in the Promotion Tournament, his fighting skills must be solid. After all, you can’t become a pro if you have glaring weaknesses."

In the Discussion Room—

When the game feed finally appeared on screen, the discussion room filled with professional players immediately perked up in excitement.

"It’s finally starting!"

Players who had been chatting fell silent, their attention fully locked on the screen.

"Going up against Zhuang Weisheng, a 10-dan, and Fang Haoxin… I wonder what kind of game Yu Shao and Kong Zi will show us?"

The players in the discussion room today weren’t the same as yesterday’s group, but their curiosity about Yu Shao was just as strong.

After all, the results of this year’s Promotion Tournament had been unbelievable.

The tournament favorite, Zhuang Fei, had been eliminated.

Fang Haoxin barely scraped by, advancing from the losers’ bracket.

And the only undefeated player…

Was Yu Shao.

A name they had never even heard before.

And yet—

He wasn’t even a dojo-trained prodigy.

He was just an amateur player.

Just as the discussion in the analysis room was reaching its peak, the door suddenly swung open.

A young man, barely twenty, with sharp features and an athletic build, strode in quickly.

He glanced at the TV screen, saw that the game hadn't started yet, and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Zheng Qin? You came to watch the Flame Inheritance Match too?"

Seeing him, someone looked surprised and laughed. "I guess amateur-born players really do feel a special connection to each other, huh?"

Seoul, South Korea.

Inside a dojo training room, several young Go players gathered around a laptop, their eyes locked onto the screen.

When the live broadcast finally appeared, they burst into excitement.

"It’s starting! Fang Haoxin’s Flame Inheritance Match!"

"I still can't believe Fang Haoxin didn’t get a perfect record in the Promotion Tournament when he came back to China… and the guy who did? Some amateur player named Yu Shao."

"Yeah, it’s unreal. Losing is one thing, but the person who beat Fang Haoxin also lost to this Yu Shao guy? What the hell?"

"Still, Fang Haoxin is paired with Zhuang Weisheng, 10-dan. They should win, right? Zhuang Weisheng is insanely strong, and Fang Haoxin has studied his game records a lot."

"Not necessarily. Kong Zi is also a beast."

Su Yiming’s Home.

Seated at his computer desk, Su Yiming stared at the previously black livestream, now displaying the game board.

His expression turned serious.

"It’s starting."

He took a deep breath.

Jiangling, High-End Apartment.

"It’s finally here."

He Yu gazed at the computer screen, took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it with a lighter resting on the table.

"Teamed up with Kong Zi, going up against Zhuang Weisheng, 10-dan, and Fang Haoxin…"

He Yu exhaled a slow puff of smoke, his gaze flickering with complex emotions.

At this moment, all eyes were locked on this one match.

Some people didn’t even know Yu Shao personally, but they were captivated by his miraculous run in the Promotion Tournament.

A dark horse who dominated the competition with a perfect record.

Others weren’t interested in Yu Shao at all—they only cared about the legendary rivalry between Zhuang Weisheng and Kong Zi.

Some people were only watching for Fang Haoxin.

Others only for Yu Shao.

And some were intrigued by both.

But regardless of their reasons—

At this very moment, the entire Go world was focused on this game.

This match was about to unfold…

Under the watchful eyes of millions.

Inside the Handtalk Room

The four players seated beneath the ancient calligraphy scroll reading "Discussing the Way Through Play" had no knowledge of the outside world's frenzy.

This was a place for true battle.

"Time’s up."

The referee checked his watch, took a deep breath, and announced:

"Each player will have two hours of main time, followed by a 90-second overtime countdown per move."

"The turn order will be as follows:

• The first 1-dan player plays first.
• The second 1-dan player plays next.
• The first 1-dan player’s partner moves third.
• The second 1-dan player’s partner moves last.
• The cycle repeats."

"Now, the two 1-dan players will determine who plays black."

Hearing this, Yu Shao reached into the Go bowl, grabbed a handful of white stones, and rubbed them in his palm.

Fang Haoxin held his breath slightly, reached into his bowl, and took out two black stones, placing them on the board.

Yu Shao opened his hand, letting the stones drop onto the board—seven white stones.

"We play Black first."

After counting the stones, Yu Shao looked up and declared.

"We’ll play White."

Fang Haoxin nodded slightly, gathered the stones, and exchanged bowls with Yu Shao.

As he received the Go bowl, Yu Shao lowered his head slightly and bowed.

"Please guide me."

"Please guide me as well."

Fang Haoxin, his expression heavy with focus, returned the bow.

Beside them, Kong Zi and Zhuang Weisheng also bowed toward each other in respect.

And with that—

The game began.