I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 162: Finally, a Worthy Opponent

"I’ll play the first move..."

Yu Shao stared at the board, reached into the Go bowl, and carefully picked up a stone.

With the eyes of the world upon him, amidst the anticipation of the crowd, the first move landed softly.

Column 16, Row 4—Star Point!

After Yu Shao’s opening move, it was now Fang Haoxin’s turn.

Fang Haoxin gazed at the board, reached into the Go bowl, but didn’t immediately pick up a stone.

The stones that were usually so light suddenly felt unbearably heavy—just like during his second game against Su Yiming in the Promotion Tournament.

No... no, compared to that moment, the stones in the bowl now felt even heavier.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Fang Haoxin hesitate on his move, Kong Zi looked at him with curiosity.

Fang Haoxin bit his lip, his left hand unconsciously clenching into a fist. Memories of his two matches against Su Yiming flashed through his mind—followed by the image of Yu Shao’s game against Su Yiming.

"Master Zhuang Weisheng was wrong… The one who truly needs refining is me, the one who didn’t even dare to play a move and just resigned outright..."

"I’m not even as good as Jiang Xiahua..."

His mind drifted back to that unforgettable match—Yu Shao versus Jiang Xiahua.

At first, he had thought that after defeating Su Yiming, Yu Shao would crush Jiang Xiahua without resistance. But that didn’t happen.

Jiang Xiahua’s relentless resistance, his desperate struggle to fight back, had left an indescribable impact on him.

Fang Haoxin suddenly clenched his teeth and, despite the immense pressure weighing on him, finally picked up a stone that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Even Jiang Xiahua fought like that—how could I, a Fang, bring disgrace to my name?"

Fixing his gaze on the star point in the upper right corner, Fang Haoxin’s face no longer showed hesitation or doubt. Instead, his eyes were sharp—almost murderous.

"I’m going to play—"

"My own game!"

Snap!

The stone landed.

Column 4, Row 4—Star Point!

"A star point?"

Seeing Fang Haoxin finally make his move, Kong Zi was a bit surprised. Although it was just a common star point opening, he could feel a certain aura behind it.

Still, Kong Zi didn’t dwell on it too much. He glanced at the board, then swiftly reached into the Go bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it with a crisp snap.

Snap!

Column 17, Row 16—Small Point!

"Click."

The moment the black stone landed, another stone immediately followed. Zhuang Weisheng had already reached into the Go bowl and played his move in response, without a second of hesitation.

Snap!

Column 4, Row 16—Star Point!

Inside the Go Academy’s Analysis Room

"Zhuang Weisheng played that move fast!"

Seeing the broadcast on the TV screen, many spectators showed expressions of surprise.

"Even though this move doesn’t require much thought, playing it this fast is still unusual."

Someone was puzzled. "This isn’t a blitz game with a fixed time limit—there’s a full 90 seconds of byo-yomi. Taking a few seconds to consider between a star point, small point, high point, or diagonal approach would be reasonable."

"He’s using this overwhelming speed to shake his opponent’s confidence!"

Another person, watching the screen with a more serious expression, spoke up, "Zhuang Weisheng is putting psychological pressure on Yu Shao!"

"Pressure? Are you serious? This is just the Flame Inheritance Match."

Someone still didn’t understand. "Sure, Kong Zi is a titleholder, but the one receiving this pressure is just Yu Shao, a mere 1-dan professional. There's no need for that, right? It’s not like winning or losing this match matters."

"But—he defeated Zhuang Fei."

The previous speaker shook his head. "As his father, Zhuang Weisheng undoubtedly understands Zhuang Fei’s skill level better than anyone."

"Zhuang Weisheng must be curious—what kind of game will the player who defeated his son play? Testing Yu Shao and applying pressure to him makes perfect sense."

At that, the crowd fell silent. It was a logical explanation—probably the only one that made sense.

"Zhuang Weisheng is trying to shake Yu Shao’s composure and see if he can withstand the pressure!"

Hearing this, the spectators unconsciously held their breath, staring intently at the screen, waiting for Yu Shao’s response.

Yu Shao—the dark horse who had dominated the Promotion Tournament.

Now, faced with the challenge from Zhuang Weisheng, a 10-dan professional—what kind of move would he play?

Among the crowd, Zheng Qin remained silent.

Jiang Xiahua, on the other hand, took a deep breath as he stared at the screen.

A moment later, a hand appeared on the screen, holding a stone.

Then, the stone landed softly.

Column 14, Row 16—Large Knight’s Jump!

"This...?"

"A high knight’s jump to defend the corner?"

The audience was momentarily stunned.

"Against Zhuang Weisheng… Yu Shao’s response is a large knight’s jump?"

Someone gasped in surprise and immediately picked up a black stone, mimicking the move on a separate board.

"A large knight’s jump to defend the corner isn’t exactly common. It places the stone at a high position, aiming for central influence while disregarding immediate corner territory—it’s an extremely difficult move to control!"

"Yu Shao’s response… totally unexpected. It’s bold—although you could say it’s just the courage of youth—but I have to admit..."

"It’s a beautiful move!"

"This move… I bet even Kong Zi is surprised and probably a little troubled by it."

Inside the Handtalk Room

"A large knight’s jump?"

Kong Zi’s eyes widened slightly at Yu Shao’s move—he hadn’t expected this at all. Of all possible responses, Yu Shao had chosen the hardest one to control.

But soon, Kong Zi regained his composure.

Rather than feeling troubled, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"This kid… he wasn’t shaken by Zhuang Weisheng at all—in fact, he’s counterattacking!"

"Nice, nice… f***, I like this!"

Seeing Yu Shao's move, Kong Zi felt his blood boiling.

Across from him, Fang Haoxin was also slightly surprised, while Zhuang Weisheng remained silent, staring at the board with an unreadable expression.

"A high knight’s jump to defend the corner, huh?"

Fang Haoxin pondered for a moment before reaching into the Go bowl and placing his stone.

Column 17, Row 6—Small Knight’s Approach!

Kong Zi glanced at the board, then swiftly reached into the Go bowl, snatching up a stone and slamming it down with force.

Snap!

Column 16, Row 8—One-Space High Pincer!

Kong Zi's move was incredibly fast, and instead of a crisp snap, it landed with a smack, carrying an unmistakable strength and aggression.

The moment Kong Zi’s move landed, Zhuang Weisheng, just as before, immediately picked up a white stone and placed it down with suffocating speed, carrying a weight of sheer intimidation.

Snap!

Column 15, Row 6—Jump!

Yu Shao, calm as ever, gazed at the board. The moment the white stone landed, he, too, reached into the Go bowl and swiftly placed his move.

Column 14, Row 4—Jump!

"He’s playing this fast too?"

Fang Haoxin was slightly taken aback. After thinking for two seconds, he refused to be left behind, quickly reaching for a stone and placing it down.

Column 18, Row 4—Jump!

Kong Zi’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he immediately followed up, his hand moving like a blur.

Snap!

Column 17, Row 3—Peep!

The four players continued placing their stones, their moves coming in rapid succession—so fast that it felt more like a blitz match than a standard game.

Sitting at the recording desk, Wu Zhixuan was caught completely off guard.

She kept glancing up at the board and then back at her laptop screen, furiously clicking her mouse to keep up with the game.

The crisp snap of stones echoed continuously in the quiet Handtalk Room. With each move, the atmosphere became increasingly tense, almost suffocating with its intensity.

Seoul, South Korea — Dojo Research Room

"You’ve got to be kidding me! They’re playing this fast?!"

A short-statured boy stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Four players playing faster than two people in a normal match? That’s insane!"

"Even though they’re following a somewhat old-school opening pattern, it has so many complex variations. And yet, none of them are hesitating!" Another boy nodded in agreement, equally stunned.

"Black and White have already started entangling in the upper right corner. Facing Zhuang Weisheng’s jump, Yu Shao chose the peep variation, aiming to reinforce before entering a ko fight—a fierce battle is unfolding!"

"But Fang Haoxin’s response is flawless! He extended forward, meeting aggression with aggression. As expected of him—no hesitation at all!"

The research students were buzzing with heated discussion, their hearts pounding as they watched the game unfold.

The sheer speed of the moves was beyond their imagination. Even through the screen, they could feel the tension growing.

And it wasn’t just them—anyone watching this game was left in shock.

They could only stare at the board without blinking, afraid they’d miss a move if they so much as looked away for a second.

This was no longer just a battle of Go skill.

Nor was it simply a test of judgment.

At this blistering pace, the match had become a trial of sheer willpower. Any of the four could waver under the pressure—even Zhuang Weisheng and Kong Zi were no exceptions.

This was now a battle of pride!

At that moment, another hand moved on the screen.

When the stone landed, the entire board trembled slightly—proof of the sheer force behind the placement.

Column 11, Row 4—Two-Space Extension!

"Kong Zi chose a two-space extension, breaking away from the entanglement and shifting his focus to the overall board position!" the short-statured boy exclaimed.

The next moment, White followed up immediately.

Column 16, Row 5—Tiger’s Mouth!

"Zhuang Weisheng immediately reinforced White’s weak point, leaving Black with no openings!" another student observed intently.

A few more moves followed in rapid succession.

Then, it was Black’s turn again.

Just as everyone expected Black to keep up the rapid pace, something completely unexpected happened.

The game—stopped.

"...It stopped?"

The research room fell silent as everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"Why?!"

Inside the Handtalk Room

Yu Shao was the first to stop.

Instead of playing his move immediately, he stared at the board, deep in thought.

Noticing this, the other three players were visibly surprised.

Even Zhuang Weisheng cast a glance in Yu Shao’s direction, caught off guard.

Seeing that Yu Shao had genuinely fallen into deep thought and wouldn’t be playing instantly, Zhuang Weisheng withdrew his gaze.

His eyes returned to the board, finally settling on the stone at Column 14, Row 16—that bold large knight’s jump to the corner.

"He’s young, but with that one move…"

"He bared his fangs at me—showing no fear, refusing to be overwhelmed. He’s even biting back."

Zhuang Weisheng’s expression darkened slightly.

"I have to admit…"

"He finally looks like a true opponent."