I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 278: The Rising Tide

The day after the fifth match of the Fight for the Pro Slot ended, the sixth match followed immediately. This time, it was the American player Dong He, 9-dan, facing off against Meijin Kong Zi.

Compared to Ma Dong, Dong He was far less well-known, and his recent performance hadn’t been great—in fact, among the ten American players in the Pro Slot lineup, his track record was the worst.

Kong Zi’s performance in the previous day’s match had been phenomenal. Yu Shao originally thought this game would be an easy win for Kong Zi. But what happened next completely caught him off guard.

Kong Zi had held the advantage at first, but Dong He exploded under pressure and pulled off a dramatic comeback, forcing Kong Zi to resign midgame, securing a win and closing the score gap.

Yu Shao was a little surprised—but not too shocked.

In Go, the stronger player doesn’t always win. No matter how powerful a player is, a sudden storm can still blow them off the board. Sure, Kong Zi may be a stronger player than Dong He on paper—but if Dong He happened to be in top form, then nothing could be done.

The next day, in the seventh match, Dong He was then defeated by Chu Jingfeng, 9-dan.

This second round of the Pro Slot challenge had become a true back-and-forth battle. At a rate of one match per day, this war of attrition could go on for quite a while.

And with the seventh match concluded, it was finally time for the National Master Tournament to resume.

Early that morning, Yu Shao arrived at the Go Academy and walked into the Playing Room where the National Master matches were being held.

“Chu Jingfeng’s game yesterday was absolutely incredible! That midgame Life-and-Death defense was god-tier. He built up his influence and slayed Dong He’s Large Dragon!”

“Wonder if Chu Jingfeng will continue his dominance today. Too bad I’ve got a match—I’ll have to check the game record later.”

“He’s definitely going to crush it. He’s been in amazing form this year. You can tell he’s eyeing that Meijin title. After yesterday, Kong Zi must be feeling the pressure.”

“Yeah, Chu Jingfeng this year—”

In the Playing Room, several people were chatting excitedly about the Pro Slot match from the day before. But the moment Yu Shao stepped into the room, the chatter abruptly died.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at Yu Shao. As he walked into the room and headed to Table Eight, a mix of emotions flickered across their faces.

Ten straight wins in the Pro Slot challenge. It was unprecedented—world-shaking.

Even though some time had passed since the end of the first round, with the intense second round unfolding now, people were remembering that first round even more vividly.

It might have only involved young players, but none of them were average—not with names like Zeng Jun, Ma Jie, and Lu Yihong among them.

And yet, all ten had lost to Yu Shao.

Yu Shao reached Table Eight, pulled out a chair, and sat down to wait for today’s opponent.

It had been a while since he’d been in the Playing Room. His recent matches had all been in the Handtalk Room, but now he was back here again.

He hadn’t waited long when a lean man, around thirty or forty years old, arrived and sat down across from Yu Shao.

Yu Shao looked up and recognized him immediately: today’s opponent, Zhao Shuyu, 7-dan.

Zhao Shuyu glanced at the young player in front of him—twenty years his junior—with a complex expression. In the end, he didn’t say much. He quietly pulled out his chair and sat down.

Seeing the two players seated, the other people in the room looked away, but their focus was no longer on the Pro Slot matches. The pressure was suddenly palpable.

Soon after, two referees entered the room. After a brief wait, they cleared their throats and began explaining the rules, announcing the start of the match.

After the turn order was determined, Yu Shao took Black, while Zhao Shuyu played White.

Ding Huan led the ritual, bowing and saying, “Please guide me.”

“Please guide me,” Zhao Shuyu replied immediately.

The game began.

Yu Shao stared at the board, thought briefly, then picked up a black stone and placed the first move.

Click!

Column 17, Row 3 – 3-3 Point Invasion.

“Wait... a 3-3 Occupation?”

Seeing that Black stone at the 3-3 Point in the upper right corner, Zhao Shuyu was stunned.

This wasn’t a 3-3 Point Invasion—this was a 3-3 Occupation.

“But... his game records show he has a great sense of the whole board?” Zhao Shuyu was a little dazed.

Normally, players choose Star Point, Small Point, or occasionally High Point or High Outside Point to occupy the corner. Very few go straight for the 3-3 Point.

The reason is simple—corner openings should balance Outer Influence and Territory. Star Points and Small Points offer both potential territory and future development into outer influence.

High Point and High Outside Point offer less solid territory, but by being played high, they generate influence.

But 3-3 Occupation? Sure, it secures the corner, but offers almost no outer influence—purely a short-term gain.

After a brief moment, Zhao Shuyu regained his composure, reached into the Go Bowl, and played his move.

Column 4, Row 16 – Star Point.

Yu Shao didn’t hesitate. As soon as White moved, he picked up a stone and placed it gently.

Column 17, Row 16 – Small Point.

Click. Click. Click...

Stones were placed back and forth. As they played, time quietly passed.

---

Meanwhile, elsewhere—inside the press room:

Ding Huan stared intently at the computer screen, watching the eighth Pro Slot match live.

On the screen, White placed another move.

“Huh?!”

Ding Huan’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t expected White to play there. “Chu Jingfeng, 9-dan, played that?”

He kept staring at the screen, running through the variations in his head. Then, his face flushed red. He slapped his thigh hard.

“A strong move! So bold!”

“White’s just thrown himself into Black’s Tiger’s Mouth. If Black captures directly, the board becomes extremely complex—those two White stones could escape and even trigger a mutual kill!”

“If Black doesn’t capture, White can Atari instead, and could swallow up the whole corner!”

He waited a moment, but Black still hadn’t moved. Clearly, this unexpected move had forced Black into a long think.

Seeing that this single move had thrown Black into hesitation, Ding Huan took a deep breath—he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Looks like this one’s gonna take a while... I’m gonna go step outside and have a smoke.”

Decision made, Ding Huan grabbed the cigarette box from his desk, stood up, and left the press room.

Soon, he was out in the hallway, lighting up. After taking a long drag and exhaling slowly, the corridor filled with smoke.

“This really is a battle of dragons and tigers.”

He puffed on his cigarette and stared up at the blue sky, overcome with emotion.

“I’ve been a reporter for so many years... watched countless games... written so many Go articles.”

“And yet, every time I see those stones fall onto the board, it still sends shivers down my spine.”

Not long after finishing his cigarette, just as he was about to head back to the press room, a figure emerged from the Playing Room—and caught his attention.

A man in his late thirties, slim build. Ding Huan recognized him immediately.

Zhao Shuyu, 7-dan.

Ding Huan was about to greet him, but then he noticed Zhao Shuyu’s deeply somber expression—and wisely kept quiet.

“Did he lose? Who was his opponent today?” Ding Huan wondered.

Just then, Zhao Shuyu slowly turned back, glancing into the Playing Room behind him. His expression was unfathomably complex.

In the end, he silently turned away—and left without saying a word.

Seeing that look on Zhao Shuyu’s face, Ding Huan froze.

He was a literature graduate and had written countless articles over the years, but even digging deep into his vocabulary, he couldn’t quite find the right words to describe that expression.

It was overwhelming regret, mixed with disbelief—but no matter how much disbelief there was, the truth was undeniable. In the end, Zhao Shuyu had no choice but to silently accept the cruel, heavy reality...

Ding Huan looked through the window into the Playing Room and saw Yu Shao finishing up, calmly putting away his Go pieces and standing up.

Seeing this, Ding Huan changed his mind—he no longer felt like returning to the press room to watch the eighth match. Instead, he quickly made his way toward another Playing Room.

Soon, he arrived outside and peered inside through the window.

This room was hosting the Tourney for the Great Player Title preliminaries.

It didn’t take long for Ding Huan to spot Su Yiming inside.

At Table Twelve, Su Yiming sat quietly, eyes focused on the board in front of him. His expression was serious—but his opponent’s seat was empty.

Seeing this, Ding Huan frowned slightly, puzzled. But then, out in the hallway not far away, he noticed a young man in his twenties, silently smoking.

Hong Hanwen, 6-dan...

As a reporter for the Southern Go Association, Ding Huan immediately recognized him. But he didn’t greet him either.

A few moments later, under Ding Huan’s gaze, Hong Hanwen flicked his cigarette into the trash, turned, and walked back into the room—finally sitting across from Su Yiming.

But he didn’t reach into the Go bowl.

After sitting silently for a moment, Hong Hanwen slowly lowered his head toward Su Yiming—

He resigned.

“Another high-dan player bows his head before them.”

Watching this unfold, Ding Huan took a deep breath and finally turned to leave, heading back to his office.

“As unbelievable as it is, this is reality—the rising tide has already arrived.”

“They may still be young, but perhaps... only the very top players can stop them now. They’re already launching their charge toward the title matches!”

Ding Huan felt a storm of emotion in his chest.

“What kind of games will they play next—what kind of brilliance will they show the world?”