I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 216: Only He Can Rival Yu Shao

“Le Haoqiang… lost…”

Dou Yiming gripped his folding fan, staring blankly at the board. A thousand questions filled his mind as he muttered, “Why?”

Even now, despite Black’s massive dragon being slain by White, he still couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

Yes, White had killed Black.

But why?

Why did White believe it was stronger than Black—and why did it turn out to be true? Why did Black crumble so completely under White’s relentless assault after that small knight’s move?

Dou Yiming wasn’t the only one who couldn’t understand. The entire room was filled with a confusion that surpassed even their shock.

Silence.

“It started with that two-space extension,” Zheng Qin finally spoke, breaking the heavy stillness as he stared at the board, his voice filled with certainty.

His words startled everyone. They instinctively turned to look at him.

“White never hid its intentions. The moment it extended, it had already decided—it was going to kill Black.”

Zheng Qin took a deep breath, still staring at the board. “Maybe White always saw Black as thin. Maybe it always believed Black should pay the price for that weakness. From the moment White played that extension, it was already working to isolate Black.”

The crowd froze, then quickly turned back to the board.

Their expressions began to shift—shock spreading across their faces.

“At the time, it looked like Black was surrounding White from both the top and the upper right.”

Zheng Qin pointed at the board, continuing, “But what if… it was actually the opposite? What if it was the White stones on the top and upper left, using their thickness to trap Black instead?”

“But Black played too aggressively. So… White had to back down temporarily.”

“Until that small knight’s move.” Zheng Qin’s voice grew sharper. “At that moment, White no longer held back. Black, which had been barely holding on with its aggressive stance, completely collapsed, and the entire board crumbled with it.”

“It was never any different.”

Zheng Qin slowly lifted his gaze, looking at the stunned crowd. His voice was firm. “From the very start… White had always intended to kill Black.”

The room fell into complete silence, shaken by those words.

White had always been aiming to kill Black?!

Everyone looked at the board again, trying to see it from a different perspective.

And it made sense.

White’s intention to kill had been there from the very beginning!

After invading with a deep probe, White had pressed down from the sixth line, allowing Black to build a massive territory—while simultaneously making itself stronger. The White stones on the left became thick, forming a strong outer influence that trapped Black’s star-point stones.

This approach completely shattered the conventional understanding of “thickness” and “territory.”

White… had no fear of Black’s large moyo!

“If… if this is his level of play—”

After a long silence, someone finally spoke, their voice trembling with awe. “Then even in the Hero’s Pride Cup main tournament… I doubt anyone can match him!”

No one could argue.

Le Haoqiang was only a 5-dan, but his skill far exceeded his rank. He was one of those rare players who couldn’t be measured by mere numbers. Even in the main tournament, he was destined to stir up chaos and dominate the field.

And yet, he had lost to Yu Shao. Not just lost—he had been utterly crushed!

At that moment, a bespectacled young man hesitated before speaking. “Maybe… Qin Lang and Che Wenyu?”

“Qin Lang? Che Wenyu?”

Someone turned in surprise. “I’ve heard of Qin Lang. I know he’s strong. But is he really stronger than Le Haoqiang? And… Che Wenyu? Didn’t he already lose to Le Haoqiang before?”

“A single game doesn’t prove anything.”

The bespectacled young man shook his head. “Go isn’t like cultivation. Winning once doesn’t mean you’ll always win.”

“Sometimes, the one who loses is even more terrifying than the one who wins. I’ve heard that Che Wenyu is incredibly strong now.”

“As for Qin Lang…”

The young man hesitated before finally saying, “I’ve heard that in the Northern Region, not a single player his age can rival him.”

His words left the crowd exchanging uneasy glances.

“No, you’re forgetting someone.”

Suddenly, Zheng Qin shook his head.

“There’s also Su Yiming.”

“Su Yiming?!”

“He’s stronger than Yu Shao?”

Someone gasped in disbelief.

All eyes turned to Zheng Qin, faces full of shock and skepticism.

No one doubted Su Yiming’s ability—he had made it this far, after all. But in their minds, Su Yiming and Feng Zhenzhong had simply been lucky with their matchups. Neither of them had faced any true powerhouse in the preliminaries.

“You’re underestimating him!”

Zheng Qin took a deep breath, his voice firm. “I don’t know exactly how strong Che Wenyu and Qin Lang are, but I still believe that among players eighteen and under, the only one who can truly rival Yu Shao… is him.”

The crowd was stunned into silence, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Then, as if realizing something, several people turned their gazes toward Dou Yiming.

Somehow, amidst all the commotion, Dou Yiming had already put away his folding fan. He stood quietly, saying nothing.

“There’s still one game left, isn’t there?”

After a moment, someone suddenly asked, “Has that match been decided yet?”

That question seemed to jolt the others awake.

“I’ll go check!” someone said, rushing off.

---

Inside the chess room.

Although his own game had ended, Yu Shao didn’t leave immediately.

After reporting his results to the referee, he walked over to Table One and quietly observed the ongoing match—waiting for Su Yiming’s game to reach its conclusion.

“White has the advantage, but…”

Yu Shao glanced at the timer beside the board.

Su Yiming had very little time left. He was about to enter byoyomi. In contrast, Feng Zhenzhong still had plenty of time—enough to formulate a strategy around it.

Feng Zhenzhong also noticed Yu Shao standing at the table. He knew that Yu Shao had defeated Le Haoqiang, and his expression darkened.

Under normal circumstances, this news would have shocked him beyond words. But right now, he had no time for distractions—all he felt was a crushing, suffocating pressure.

If Le Haoqiang had lost, that meant if he lost this game, he would have to climb out of the loser’s bracket… and defeat Le Haoqiang to advance!

“The winner of this match will secure the second spot in the main tournament. The loser won’t be eliminated immediately but must win every single game in the upcoming rounds to qualify.”

“To be honest… I don’t feel confident.”

“That’s why I have to win this match—no matter what!”

Feng Zhenzhong clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the board. His black stones were in a precarious position, teetering on the edge of collapse.

“I need to push my abilities beyond their limit—twelve-fold, no, fifteen-fold!”

“The situation isn’t in my favor, but I have the advantage in time. I can use that to break him.”

“As long as I play at a relentless pace, denying him the time to think, I can wear him down. Once he enters byoyomi, he’s bound to make a mistake. Then… I’ll crush him!”

With his plan set, Feng Zhenzhong reached into his stone box, his eyes sharp as blades.

Snap!

Move: Hane at Column 13, Row 10!

“This hane complicates the board.”

The moment the stone landed, Yu Shao immediately understood Feng Zhenzhong’s intent.

Feng Zhenzhong wanted to force an intense, chaotic battle. By leveraging his time advantage, he aimed to lure White into a mistake and overturn the game.

This move wasn’t necessarily bad. However, a solid reinforcement move for Black would have been more stable.

But with his time advantage, Feng Zhenzhong’s aggressive play posed a serious challenge to White. This could be even more effective than a defensive move—because now the game had become extremely complex.

“If White is worried about the game becoming too complicated and running out of time, the best choice here would be to back down.”

Yu Shao remained silent, watching intently as Su Yiming prepared his move.

White still held the advantage and could afford to play cautiously.

Su Yiming’s gaze dropped to the board. Without hesitation, he reached into his stone box, the clicking of stones colliding filling the air.

Then—he placed his move.

Snap!

Move: Hane at Column 13, Row 11!

White directly responded in kind, pressing against Black in a head-on collision.

Like two armies engaging in brutal close combat, neither side had a path to retreat. The air around the board felt charged with tension, the killing intent palpable.

“But… White refuses to back down!”

Yu Shao’s eyes gleamed.

Across the board, Feng Zhenzhong’s face flushed red with shock and anger. His expression twisted in disbelief.

“White has chosen the best move… but also the most chaotic one!”

“Su Yiming isn’t compromising. He’s meeting Black head-on in the most complex battle possible!”

Crack!

The sound of stones colliding echoed again.

Feng Zhenzhong didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a stone and slammed it onto the board.

He played fast—too fast. He clearly wanted to deny Su Yiming any chance to think, using his time advantage as a weapon.

But Su Yiming didn’t falter.

The moment Feng Zhenzhong placed his stone, Su Yiming reached into his box and responded immediately.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The two players unleashed a flurry of moves, stones falling like the clash of a thousand soldiers on the battlefield.

The intensity of their fight was so fierce that even as a spectator, Yu Shao could feel the suffocating pressure.

With every move, Feng Zhenzhong’s face grew paler.

His expression slowly shifted from confidence… to disbelief.