I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 217: Main Tournament Spot

“In such a chaotic battle, every single one of his last ten moves was correct!”

Feng Zhenzhong’s flushed face had turned ghostly pale. His mind reeled in shock.

Su Yiming calmly reached into his stone box, picked up a piece, and placed it down.

Snap!

Move: Push at Column 3, Row 11!

Feng Zhenzhong clenched his jaw, sweat beading on his forehead. After a brief moment of thought, he reached into his box and swiftly placed his next move.

At some point, the players from the review room had gathered around the game, completely surrounding the table.

The crisp sound of stones landing filled the air as the battle continued.

Then, Su Yiming’s timer finally reached byoyomi. From now on, he would have only one minute per move.

On the other hand, Feng Zhenzhong still had ample time. He could take long, deliberate pauses to analyze the board.

But despite that, even as Su Yiming made his moves within a minute, Feng Zhenzhong’s face grew increasingly pale.

“He’s still not making any mistakes!”

Feng Zhenzhong couldn’t believe it.

Even with all the time he had to think, he couldn’t find a single flaw in White’s play.

Worse yet—every move White played seemed to carry an overwhelming pressure.

Despite being the one in time trouble, White was the one launching a killing attack!

The stones fell one after another—Black, White, Black, White.

But under White’s precise and ferocious offensive, Black was on the verge of collapse!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The sound of stones landing echoed like the clash of swords in a brutal battlefield.

White placed another move.

Move: Clamp at Column 17, Row 7!

Feng Zhenzhong’s pupils contracted. It felt like a heavy blow to the back of his head. A bead of sweat slowly rolled down his cheek.

“He… he found the gap in my formation and took away my last eye!”

A long silence followed.

Then, with sheer reluctance, Feng Zhenzhong reached into his stone box, gritted his teeth, and made another move.

Time ticked away.

The surrounding room grew quieter and quieter.

At this point, all the other games had finished.

The only sound left in the entire chess room was the clicking of stones from Su Yiming and Feng Zhenzhong’s match.

And now, that match was nearing its end.

Finally, ten moves later, it was once again Su Yiming’s turn.

He reached into his stone box, carefully picked up a white stone, and gently placed it down.

Snap!

Move: Peep at Column 11, Row 5!

The sound was soft—yet in the eerily silent room, it rang like a thunderclap.

The air grew even more still.

Feng Zhenzhong’s lips trembled slightly. Then, after a brief pause, he lowered his head in defeat.

“…I lost.”

The game was over.

Yet the silence lingered.

Everyone remained frozen, staring at the board, unable to process what had just happened.

In their minds, they replayed each of White’s moves.

Despite having almost no time to think, every move White played had been ruthless and precise, carving into Black’s territory like an unstoppable force, utterly destroying it.

“…Thank you for the game.”

Su Yiming lowered his head slightly as he spoke.

With that, the second slot for the Hero’s Pride Cup Main Tournament had been decided.

The player who had earned it—was Su Yiming!

Now, only one spot remained.

Three days from now, the last qualifier would be determined.

And a week later, the three qualified players would head to the Central Region to compete at the Central Go Academy in a brutal single-elimination tournament until the final champion was decided.

But what made this Hero’s Pride Cup different from previous years…

Was that qualifying for the main tournament also meant there was a high chance of becoming one of the ten players selected for the upcoming national Fight for Pro Status Tournament!

Everyone’s emotions surged.

Not even players as strong as Le Haoqiang, Wang Xiuyuan, Yang Yuqiang, and Qiu Jingrui had secured their spots yet. Everything now depended on the intense three-day preliminaries ahead!

As the match concluded, Yu Shao finally shifted his gaze away from the board and looked at Su Yiming.

“His understanding of Go… has deepened.”

For most of the match, Su Yiming had been in byoyomi—he couldn’t afford long calculations or deep reading. He had relied purely on his instincts.

And yet, despite that, his moves had been sharper and more profound than before.

At that moment, as Su Yiming and Feng Zhenzhong began tidying up the board, Wu Zhixuan finally snapped out of her daze.

She quickly turned to check if Yu Shao had left—only to find him still standing there.

Relieved, she immediately said, “Yu Shao, congratulations on making it into the main tournament! That was incredible!”

Yu Shao gave her a small nod.

“…Thanks.”

Yu Shao chuckled at her words.

Wu Zhixuan had been completely focused on the match earlier, and now that both games had ended, she finally noticed the emptiness in her stomach.

Pouting, she said, “I’m starving! I haven’t eaten yet. Want to grab a meal together? My treat!”

“My treat?”

Yu Shao gave her a puzzled look. “Meals at the academy’s cafeteria are free.”

“I mean eating outside.”

Wu Zhixuan had an expression like she was making a great sacrifice. After some hesitation, she finally said, “To celebrate you making it into the main tournament, I’ll treat you to a meal… and even buy you bubble tea!”

“For real?”

Yu Shao was genuinely surprised.

In his mind, Wu Zhixuan was as stingy as they came, always complaining about being broke. The last time she treated him to a canned coffee, it was already shocking enough. And now she was offering to buy him food?

“Come on, let’s go!”

As if embarrassed, Wu Zhixuan quickly reached out and pushed Yu Shao forward. “I’m starving! Aren’t you hungry?”

Now that she mentioned it, Yu Shao realized he was indeed feeling a bit hungry. The match had started at ten in the morning, and all he had eaten was a few beef buns. It was already three in the afternoon.

So, he nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

The two of them quickly left the game room and walked out of the academy.

“I feel like you’re totally different when you’re playing in a tournament!”

Wu Zhixuan couldn’t hold back her thoughts as they walked. “You’re so focused… to the point where it’s almost intimidating. Super cool!”

“Huh?”

Yu Shao glanced at her, amused. “So that’s why you’re treating me to a meal?”

To his surprise, Wu Zhixuan tilted her head and seriously thought about it. Then, as if confirming something, she shook her head.

“Nope. I’m treating you to a meal to celebrate you making it into the main tournament.”

“But—”

She paused, her bright eyes flashing with amusement as she smiled.

“That’s the reason I’m buying you bubble tea.”

Yu Shao was momentarily speechless. “…Well, thanks, I guess.”

Not far from the Southern Go Academy, there was a bubble tea shop.

After asking Yu Shao what he wanted, Wu Zhixuan quickly went inside and returned with two cups of yogurt purple rice pudding tea, handing one to him.

“Thanks.”

Yu Shao took the drink and straw, nodding in appreciation.

“No need to thank me.”

Wu Zhixuan playfully poked his forehead with her straw and said with mock seriousness, “But now that you’ve had my bubble tea, you have to do your best in the main tournament!”

“Got it.”

Yu Shao chuckled, inserting the straw into his drink. “This bubble tea suddenly feels way more expensive.”

“Hahaha.”

Wu Zhixuan laughed, her dimples showing.

After taking a few sips, she suddenly thought of something. “I heard that once the preliminaries end, the academy is going to officially announce the Fight for Pro Status Tournament.”

“The Fight for Pro Status?”

Yu Shao was surprised. “I thought they’d wait until the Hero’s Pride Cup was over.”

“People have already started hearing about it. It’s been discussed online too. Since it’s going to be public knowledge sooner or later, they might as well announce it after the preliminaries.”

Wu Zhixuan sipped her bubble tea as she spoke. “So once they do, the Hero’s Pride Cup is going to get a lot more attention. After all, the ten players selected for the Fight for Pro Status will come from this tournament.”

“But don’t stress about it.”

She turned to Yu Shao, her tone full of confidence. “I’ll be cheering for you, just like today!”

---

For the next few days, Yu Shao had no matches.

He stayed home, resting and preparing for the Hero’s Pride Cup main tournament.

For him, the preliminaries were over.

But for others, the brutal fight continued.

Three days later, the final round of the Hero’s Pride Cup preliminaries came to an end.

The last remaining main tournament spot was finally decided.

Le Haoqiang had made no mistakes.

He had climbed out of the loser’s bracket, fought his way through every challenger, and successfully secured the last slot!

With that, the Hero’s Pride Cup preliminaries officially came to a close.

But this was far from the end—it was merely the beginning.

The real challenge, the main tournament, was about to begin.

And on the night the preliminaries ended, the Go Academy finally made their long-awaited announcement.

They officially confirmed the upcoming Fight for Pro Status Tournament and declared that the top ten players from the Hero’s Pride Cup would be the ones to participate!

Yu Shao had always known that Go held massive influence in this world.

He had mentally prepared himself for the buzz this announcement would create.

But even so—he had underestimated just how big the reaction would be.

Within less than an hour of the announcement, the phrase “Fight for Pro Status” skyrocketed to the top of the trending charts!

The entire internet exploded.

And soon after, the official list of the fifteen players who had qualified for the Hero’s Pride Cup main tournament was also revealed.

The moment the list dropped, unprecedented attention and heated discussions erupted across every platform.

Because from these fifteen players, the ten participants for the Fight for Pro Status would be chosen.