I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 181: Play Another Game with Me, Yu Shao

That evening, an interview video featuring Yu Shao, along with a special report titled "Prove It to Me", was published online.

Both the video and the article were released by Ding Huan, a reporter from the Go Association.

The moment the interview and report hit the internet, they spread like wildfire, creating an unprecedented sensation!

Self-taught in Go for three years.

No teacher.

Became a professional player.

Flawless promotion record.

Three consecutive victories in the professional league!

When these phrases were strung together, the impact was explosive.

Before this report was published, everyone had been speculating—who was the mysterious master that had trained such an unorthodox player like Yu Shao? And why had Yu Shao been virtually unknown until now?

After all, in traditional Go training, playing a 3-3 Point Invasion during a lesson would get you a smack on the hand from your teacher!

No Go instructor would ever tolerate their student making such a move.

But once the report came out, the truth was revealed.

There was no legendary master.

Yu Shao was entirely self-taught.

"Oh, that makes sense now. No wonder he dares to play a 3-3 Point Invasion so casually—because he never had a teacher."

Makes sense, my ass!

Self-taught Go? Fine.

Becoming a professional player after just three years? That’s insane.

Flawless promotion? Even more absurd.

Then, right after entering the professional league, he casually racks up three consecutive wins?

Netizens would rather believe that some reclusive Go master trained Yu Shao in secret than accept that he became this strong entirely through self-study. Even if it was true, three years was just too short!

But what truly made this interview go viral was a single statement Yu Shao made toward the end—

"If you say my playstyle is wrong, then prove it to me with your own game."

Or put another way—

"If I’m wrong, then show me proof."

And how do you prove it?

For a Go player, the only way to prove anything is on the board.

Beat me first—then you can say I’m wrong.

Losers don’t get to speak.

Currently, the 3-3 Point Invasion was still a highly controversial move in the Go world. Most people doubted it, some were cautiously observing, and only a rare few believed it might have potential.

So with that one statement, Yu Shao had essentially declared war on the entire Go community—regardless of rank.

Normally, arrogance like this would invite backlash and ridicule, but Yu Shao was different.

First, he had just earned his professional rank—a fearless newcomer. Netizens had a much higher tolerance for youthful boldness.

More importantly, he had done the impossible—self-taught in three years, achieving flawless promotion, and winning three consecutive matches in the professional league.

To many, that alone earned him the right to be arrogant.

"You’re a 9-dan?"

"I taught myself Go for three years and became a pro."

"You hold a championship title?"

"I taught myself Go for three years and became a pro."

"You’re a world champion?"

"I taught myself Go for three years and became a pro."

Even if someone did beat Yu Shao in a match, as long as they didn’t achieve professional status through three years of self-study, they still couldn’t say they had won.

Because of this, when the interview was released, Yu Shao barely received any hate online—an almost unheard-of phenomenon.

In short, after his performance in the Flame Inheritance Match, Yu Shao was already a rising star. But this interview? It made him explode in popularity.

Even people outside the Go community were taking notice.

And no one was happier about this than Yu Dongming.

For the past few days, every night after closing his shop, Yu Dongming would lie on the couch, scrolling through netizens' discussions about Yu Shao—grinning like an idiot.

Yu Dongming didn’t know much about Go, so he had no real understanding of what it meant to become a professional player in just three years of self-study.

But that didn’t stop him from feeling immensely proud as he read the comments.

All he knew was—it had to be a big deal.

"That’s my son!"

—

Yu Shao’s viral fame lasted for three days.

On the fourth day, the Yingjiao Cup Preliminaries finally began.

Unlike the National Master Cup Preliminaries, which had a long and slow tournament process, the Yingjiao Cup had an age limit, meaning fewer participants and a much faster tournament pace.

The real competition behind the tournament, however, was no longer a secret among professional players.

The top ten finishers in the Yingjiao Cup would qualify for the upcoming Ranking Challenge, giving the tournament a new layer of significance.

Everyone knew what the Ranking Challenge represented.

It was a challenge letter—a direct confrontation where newcomers could attempt to shake up the established order.

To move up the rankings, players had to fight for it, head-on.

Because of this, the two Ranking Challenge Matches were expected to draw worldwide attention.

One match represented the future.

One match represented the present.

For the challengers, only winning both matches would count as a true victory. Losing just one meant total defeat.

But everyone understood—being strong now doesn’t mean you’ll be strong in the future.

Ultimately, the future belongs to the younger generation.

The first Ranking Challenge was even more crucial.

For the defending players, even winning one of the matches to maintain their ranking wasn’t enough. To truly hold their ground, they had to win both.

—

That morning, Yu Shao took a taxi to the Go Association.

As soon as he stepped into today’s assigned playing room, he immediately noticed something different from previous tournaments.

There were both male and female players in the room, but every single one of them was young—not a single person over eighteen.

The oldest among them was just shy of eighteen years old.

And every one of them wore a solemn expression.

It was clear they all understood the weight of the responsibility on their shoulders—the pressure was unmistakable.

The moment Yu Shao walked into the room, all eyes turned toward him.

Some gazes carried faint hostility.

Some were filled with curiosity.

But among them—there were also a few eyes showing admiration.

"That’s Yu Shao?"

"If his moves are truly wrong, then tell him with a game?"

"He's too young and reckless. How does he dare to say something like that?"

Over the past few days, Ding Huan’s explosive report had caused such an uproar that almost every professional player had taken note of Yu Shao’s name.

No one could predict how far he would go, but the Yingjiao Cup was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

Many prodigies who had earned their professional status at just twelve or thirteen years old had already reached high-dan strength. Some had even defeated 9-dan players before. They were bound to make their mark in the tournament.

So, who among them would be the one to prove it to Yu Shao?

Yu Shao glanced at Table Three and noticed that it was still unoccupied. His opponent hadn’t arrived yet. He walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Not long after, a familiar figure entered the playing room.

Yu Shao instinctively looked up toward the entrance.

At the doorway, Su Yiming also looked in his direction.

The two locked eyes briefly before Su Yiming strode straight toward Yu Shao, pulling out a chair and sitting across from him.

"It’s been a while," he said.

"Almost two months," Yu Shao nodded. He studied Su Yiming and smiled. "How many wins in the Grandmaster Tournament now?"

Since the Promotion Tournament, he and Su Yiming had played a few games online, but they hadn’t seen each other in person. Su Yiming had also skipped the National Master Cup in favor of the Grandmaster Tournament.

Currently, the titleholder of the Grandmaster Tournament was Fu Shunan, who had defeated Su Yiming in the Flame Inheritance Match. So, it wasn’t surprising that Su Yiming had chosen this path.

"Four consecutive wins," Su Yiming replied. "So far, the preliminaries have had four rounds."

Three days after the Flame Inheritance Match, the first Grandmaster preliminary had already taken place, while the National Master Cup hadn’t resumed until the seventh day. That meant Su Yiming had played one extra match compared to those competing in the National Master Cup.

"Four in a row, huh..."

Yu Shao nodded thoughtfully. He wasn’t surprised and smiled. "Congrats."

"Isn’t that expected?"

Su Yiming’s expression remained calm as he looked at Yu Shao.

"If I can’t keep winning, then I won’t even have the chance to sit across from you," he said.

Yu Shao was slightly taken aback, sensing an unusual atmosphere in Su Yiming’s words.

"That new variation you played with the 3-3 Point Invasion during the Flame Inheritance Match—it shocked me," Su Yiming admitted. "I never imagined the game could be played that way. It was a masterpiece of ingenuity."

After a brief pause, Su Yiming met Yu Shao’s gaze with unwavering intensity.

"Thank you for showing me that game," he said.

Yu Shao fell silent, meeting Su Yiming’s sharp gaze.

"Play another game with me, Yu Shao."

Su Yiming’s eyes were like unsheathed swords as he spoke.

"On the tournament stage—I’ll be waiting for that day."

There was an undeniable sharpness in Su Yiming’s eyes. It was so intense that even Yu Shao, confident as he was, had to take him seriously.

A match on the tournament stage was completely different from casual games.

—

"Time's up."

Not long after, a referee glanced at his wristwatch and announced, "Both players have two hours of main time, with a one-minute byo-yomi countdown. You may now proceed with the turn-order selection."

The first round of the Yingjiao Cup Preliminaries had officially begun!

As the referee’s voice fell, the players immediately reached into their bowls, grabbing stones to determine turn order. The crisp sound of stones clashing echoed throughout the room.

"I play black."

After counting the stones, Yu Shao returned them to the bowl and looked at his opponent, Han Anhui.

"I play white," Han Anhui said softly, returning her stones as well. She lowered her head slightly. "Please guide me."

"Please guide me," Yu Shao replied with a slight nod.

Then, he turned his attention to the board, reached into his bowl, and placed his first stone.

Snap!

Column 16, Row 3—Small Point!

Han Anhui had finally steadied her emotions. She studied the board for two seconds before reaching into her bowl and placing her stone.

Snap!

Column 4, Row 16—Star Point!

Without hesitation, Yu Shao followed up.

Column 16, Row 16—Star Point!

Han Anhui responded immediately.

Column 4, Row 3—Small Point!

The first four moves formed a Star-Small Point vs. Star-Small Point opening, a classic formation that could lead to either a large-scale center battle or a precise territorial game.

Now, it was Yu Shao’s turn again.

He reached into his bowl and placed his stone.

Snap!

Column 3, Row 17—3-3 Point Invasion!

"Here it comes!"

Han Anhui’s expression shifted slightly.

In her mind, she couldn’t help but recall the words from Yu Shao’s interview just days ago—

"If this move is truly wrong..."

"Then prove it to me with your own game!"

—

Meanwhile, at Table 18, another game was unfolding.

Su Yiming was playing black, while Yang Shi held white.

Four stones were already on the board—black had played a Double Star Point, while white had chosen a Star-Small Point opening.

It was now Su Yiming’s turn.

He studied the board but didn’t immediately make his move. Instead, he lowered his gaze in thought.

In this position, there were many viable options. Taking time to think wasn’t unusual, so Yang Shi wasn’t surprised.

Taking advantage of the pause, Yang Shi glanced up at Su Yiming.

"He’s just a 1-dan, while I’m 2-dan. This should be fine, right?"

"Back in the Flame Inheritance Match, he completely disappointed everyone with that bizarre Tengen play. What was he even thinking?"

"But still... The way he fought against Han Ying, even with that Tengen move, was beyond my expectations..."

Just then, Su Yiming reached into his bowl, slowly picked up a stone, and placed it.

Snap!

The crisp sound interrupted Yang Shi’s thoughts.

"Finally played a move."

Yang Shi looked down at the board.

"Did he extend along the side? Approach the corner? Defend? If he extended, where? If he defended, was it a Large Knight’s Approach or a Small Knight’s Approach? Or maybe a Two-Space Jump?"

But the moment Yang Shi saw the move, his eyes widened in shock.

His mouth fell open slightly, and his expression turned into one of sheer disbelief.

Su Yiming didn’t extend.
He didn’t approach the corner.
He didn’t defend.

Instead—

Column 3, Row 3—3-3 Point Invasion!

—

At Table 21, Xu Zijin silently studied the board before finally making her move.

Snap!

Column 15, Row 4—One-Space High Approach!

"A high approach?"

Her opponent, Chu Xiongdian, 3-dan, raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and looked up at Xu Zijin.

"Interesting. Even a female 1-dan is playing aggressively."

Chu Xiongdian chuckled inwardly and studied the board.

"If I want to avoid complications, I could just play a simple attachment and retreat. But that would be boring. Since she chose a high approach, it’d be a shame to play too passively."

After a brief moment of thought, he reached into his bowl and placed his stone.

"Alright then. Let’s go, Demon Blade!"

Snap!

Column 13, Row 4—Two-Space High Pincer!

Xu Zijin immediately responded.

Seven or eight moves later, it was her turn again.

She took a deep breath, grabbed a stone, and placed it.

Snap!

Column 16, Row 5—Push!

"She pushed?!"

Chu Xiongdian, who was just about to grab a stone, froze mid-motion.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the board—

"What the hell is this move?!"