I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 233: Discussing the Dao While Seated

The day before the Hero’s Pride Cup Finals.

Inside a hotel near the Central Go Academy, the crisp sound of stones landing on the board echoed continuously.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

Yu Shao sat at the table, his gaze locked on the board, silently reaching into the bowl, picking up stones, and placing them down one after another.

"This move… he jumped in directly for a life-and-death struggle?"

After several more moves, Yu Shao suddenly paused, staring at the board in deep thought.

He had already reviewed Su Yiming and Che Wenyu’s game several times over the past two days.

When Black jumped out to survive, he had immediately noticed the pressing maneuver that followed.

If he had been playing White, he would never have allowed Black to link up so easily within White’s influence.

Che Wenyu’s failure to recognize that pressing move was the turning point. Once Black successfully connected its forces inside White’s position, the game had already tilted heavily in Black’s favor.

Though White still had some chances to turn the tables, it was clearly beyond Che Wenyu’s ability. Despite his efforts to fight back, he never managed to counterattack properly and was eventually crushed by Black’s relentless pressure.

Still…

The fact that Su Yiming had jumped into a life-and-death battle like that in the first place—

That was unexpected.

"He’s really gotten stronger..."

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, studying the board.

Back in the Hero’s Pride Cup qualifiers, during Su Yiming’s final blitz game, he had already sensed that Su Yiming had improved.

However, back then, Su Yiming’s opponents weren’t particularly strong.

But now?

He had taken down Che Wenyu, Qin Lang, and Le Haoqiang— three formidable opponents.

None of them were weak.

Even if one of them fell behind early, as long as the disadvantage wasn’t overwhelming, all three had the ability to mount a comeback and drag their opponent into a brutal struggle.

Among them, Le Haoqiang might have been a little weaker than Qin Lang and Che Wenyu.

But as for who was truly stronger between Qin Lang and Che Wenyu…

That was difficult to say.

And because Che Wenyu was no pushover, Yu Shao could clearly sense Su Yiming’s growth through their game.

"Tomorrow."

Yu Shao’s eyes reflected the board as he reached into the bowl, slowly picking up a stone.

Then, he placed it gently on the board.

Snap.

Column 13, Row 14—Knight’s Move.

At another hotel near the Central Go Academy...

The sound of stones being placed echoed once again.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

"That move… the airborne tenuki in the center… it was a complete strategic retreat."

After playing a few more moves, Su Yiming stopped, his eyes locked onto that single, floating White stone in the center of the board.

That move had completely caught him off guard.

He had never expected White to abandon the corner battle so suddenly, retreating to secure the central territory instead.

"His balance between territory and influence is impeccable."

"In the second round, he played Black and brutally invaded White’s formation, ultimately slaying the dragon…"

"Yet in the third round, he played White and used an airborne tenuki, fighting for control over the vast central battlefield."

After a brief pause, Su Yiming reached into the bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it down.

Then, he picked up another stone.

"Tomorrow."

His expression remained calm, but his mind replayed every single game he had played against Yu Shao.

A moment later, he gently placed his next move.

Snap.

Column 2, Row 14—Diagonal Move.

The Entire Internet Was Watching.

Ever since the Hero’s Pride Cup semifinals ended, the names "Yu Shao" and "Su Yiming" had dominated online discussions.

People debated the upcoming final.

And—more than anything—they debated that one move.

The 3-3 Invasion.

At first, the online community assumed that **by now—nearly half a month later—**some professional players would have stepped in and given a definitive verdict on the strategy.

But—

That didn’t happen.

Even after nearly two weeks, even after the third round ended, not a single professional player had come forward to officially comment on the 3-3 invasion.

Not one.

The silence from the professional Go community was deafening.

Something wasn’t right.

3-3 shouldn’t work.

It defied conventional Go theory.

How could no one have found a flaw in it?

Yes, Yu Shao and Su Yiming had used it to reach the finals.

But that didn’t mean it was fundamentally sound.

If 3-3 actually worked…

Then what was the meaning of Go theory?

How could a move that immediately conceded influence, gave away thickness, and crawled along the second line… be viable?

How?!

As the final match drew closer, the online atmosphere grew more and more unsettling.

The discussions about "Yu Shao," "Su Yiming," and "3-3" became fewer.

But the attention on the Hero’s Pride Cup final skyrocketed.

The Morning of the Finals.

By 6 AM, the official Hero’s Pride Cup livestream was already flooded with viewers.

Even though the match wouldn’t begin for another four hours, the viewer count had already exceeded ten million—and it was still rising.

But what was truly eerie was the chat.

Despite the massive audience, almost no one was typing.

The silence was suffocating.

Every Go player watching felt an inexplicable heaviness in their chest.

Even casual viewers—who didn’t fully understand Go—sensed something strange.

The sheer quiet was overwhelming.

Time continued to tick by.

At 9 AM, Yu Shao finally got out of bed, dressed in the required formal suit for the match, and after a quick wash, left his hotel for the Central Go Academy.

By now, only one Handtalk Room remained active.

From the intense qualifiers to the brutal main tournament, everything had led to this final battle.

If the entire Hero’s Pride Cup had been a single game of Go—

The qualifiers were the opening.

The main tournament was the midgame.

And the finals…

The finals were the endgame.

Upon arriving at the Handtalk Room, Yu Shao glanced inside.

He had arrived early.

Inside, two referees and the female game recorder were already seated at their respective stations, waiting.

But at the center of the room, the dark wooden Go table sat empty.

Su Yiming hadn’t arrived yet.

Moments later, Su Yiming appeared at the doorway.

He was tall, his gaze steady.

Like Yu Shao, he was also wearing a formal suit.

But there was a striking contrast—

Yu Shao wore black.

Su Yiming wore white.

The game recorder swallowed dryly.

Two figures, one in black, one in white—facing each other in absolute silence.

The Handtalk Room felt eerily still.

Even though neither player had spoken a word, the atmosphere was already tense—like an invisible battlefield had formed between them.

At 9:50 AM, with ten minutes remaining before the match, the entire world held its breath.

Finally, a referee checked his watch, then took a deep breath and stood.

"The match is about to begin."

"Each player has three hours. The overtime countdown is one minute per move. Black gives 7.5 komi."

Then, he looked at the two players.

"You may now determine the turn order."