I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 331: If Su Was Born, Why Was Yu Born?

It wasn’t just China.

Scenes like these were playing out across the globe.

The Great Avalanche and Demon Blade had already been disproven. And from the latest game in the National Master Tournament, it was clear that while the Large Diagonal still existed in form, once the concepts of thickness/thinness and lightness/heaviness had been overturned, much of the Large Diagonal’s complexity was bound to vanish.

Even many professional players had joined online discussions about the Large Diagonal, analyzing it with a fresh perspective and rejecting numerous old variations.

As a result, opinions online began to diverge.

Some argued that since the Large Diagonal was still playable—albeit simplified—it should still be considered one of Go's great complex patterns.

Others disagreed, saying: If the Thousand Variations are gone, then can it really still be called the Large Diagonal? Without its legendary ferocity and complexity, it no longer qualified as “unsolvable.”

There were even some who firmly believed that the three great unsolvable josekis had all vanished, and that the Great Storm, newly born, was now the only one worthy of such a title.

As online debates raged, the world’s impression of Yu Shao grew stronger.

People across countries suddenly realized—this young man who only became a professional this year was now a household name in the Go world.

Yes. Though he had only recently turned pro, **no one—**absolutely no one—had received more attention in Go this year than Yu Shao.

Looking back at his rise, everyone felt a strange unease in their hearts.

From mastering the 3-3 invasion, to redefining the Unassailable Corner, to dismantling the three legendary josekis of Go—these were feats unprecedented in history, enough to make every player in the world bow in awe.

Now, Yu Shao had climbed out of the pile of corpses in the National Master Preliminaries and officially stepped onto the grandest stage: the Main Tournament of the Title Match.

Naturally, everyone began to anticipate Yu Shao’s performance on that stage like never before.

Even days after the preliminaries ended, online discussions around Yu Shao and the three great josekis were still burning hot.

But Yu Shao himself?

He didn’t care much.

With the preliminaries behind him, he finally had some long-awaited time off.

There was still a full month until the Main Tournament, and no other competitions in between. He could rest and recover fully, preparing for the month ahead.

A few days into his break, news broke that Su Yiming had advanced to the Go Master Title Main Tournament as well—causing a fresh wave of online buzz.

No one was surprised. Su Yiming’s strength was unquestionable, and his creation of the Great Storm joseki was also an earth-shattering achievement.

Even today, people still couldn’t forget that iconic finals match against Yu Shao in the Hero’s Pride Cup. Su Yiming had spent over an hour in deep calculation, unraveling every variation in a massive local fight. His decision to sacrifice a dragon to seize the initiative still stunned everyone.

And now, both of them had stormed into the halls of top-level Go.

Each of their games was a work of art, dazzling and profound. The entire internet was eagerly awaiting the next time they’d face off.

Offline, rumors were already circulating about “the twin prodigies of Go.”

Half a month passed quickly.

Yu Shao originally thought he’d rest all the way until the Title Match began, but then—after just two weeks—he got a call from the Go Association.

“The Tiger Cubs Match?”

Yu Shao blinked when he heard the term.

“Yes,” the staffer on the line said. Realizing Yu Shao didn’t come from a dojo, he quickly explained, “Every year, the major Go dojos hold a dojo competition, also known as the Tiger Cubs Match.”

“The name says it all—it’s a clash between young tigers.”

“Every year, promising new talents emerge from these matches. The top five performers get the chance to play against players who’ve qualified for the Title Match Main Tournament.”

“Reaching the main tournament means being a top-tier player. And if these Tiger Cubs can place top five, their chances of going pro are very high.”

“The games between them are fascinating—like a spiritual relay between generations. It’s a way to nurture newcomers and inspire the next wave. Especially with the Promotion Tournament coming up soon.”

“Today, the top five from this year’s Tiger Cubs Match were finalized. Their matches against the top pros will be scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”

The staffer chuckled, “All of these dojo trainees are hoping to face you, Yu Shao. So I’m calling to see if you’re available—maybe you could mentor the next generation.”

Yu Shao finally understood.

He’d done many events like this in his past life. Some dojos even held international exchange matches. In this world, such events would surely be even more common.

Dojo-trained kids not only underwent strict, systematic training—they also had to constantly compete. So typically, trainees were far stronger than your average amateur.

That’s why successful amateur promotions to pro status were so rare here.

After a moment of thought, Yu Shao asked, “Are these even games?”

“Hahaha, of course not,” the staffer laughed. “They’re handicap games—two-stone handicap, actually.”

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly felt awkward.

After all, Yu Shao hadn’t even been a pro just a year ago—and now, these elite dojo kids needed him to give them stones.

Still, the staffer quickly regained composure. “There’s a bit of payment for participating—not much. But would you be willing to guide them?”

Yu Shao paused again. “Is Su Yiming going?”

The staffer was surprised. “I haven’t asked yet—you’re my first call. But Su Yiming is next on the list. Why?”

“I’ll go,” Yu Shao said without hesitation. Then added, “Su Yiming will definitely go too.”

The staffer sounded puzzled. “How do you know?”

“I know him.”

Yu Shao chuckled. “Just call and ask. He’ll say yes.”

“…Alright. Thanks, Yu Shao. I’ll reach out to him now.”

“No problem.”

After hanging up, Yu Shao felt a wave of nostalgia.

He had played many instructional games like this in his past life, but this was the first time in this life. Being invited back to teach… it felt like he had returned to his old self.

He shook his head, collected his thoughts, and turned back to the TV.

The broadcast was covering the Honinbo League.

The match was between Higashiyama Kaoru, 7-dan, playing Black, against Takeda Tosei, the current Tengen titleholder.

They had just played a 3-3 invasion in the lower left. Takeda responded with a Small Knight’s Move—then boldly initiated the Great Storm joseki, triggering a fierce battle!

—

Two days later, the Tiger Cubs Match began.

That morning, Yu Shao woke up, got dressed, had breakfast at a nearby noodle shop, and took a taxi to the Southern Go Association.

As soon as he stepped out of the cab, he spotted Su Yiming exiting another taxi nearby.

“Morning.”

Su Yiming saw Yu Shao and greeted him first.

“Morning.”

Yu Shao smiled. “So you really came to the Tiger Cubs Match.”

Su Yiming looked confused. “How’d you know I’d come?”

Yu Shao grinned. “Two days ago, the Go Association called me about it. I said you’d definitely agree—and now, here you are.”

Su Yiming raised an eyebrow. “How could you be so sure?”

That stumped Yu Shao for a second. He thought for a moment, then replied, “Hard to say. I just had a feeling you’d say yes.”

“What about you?”

As they walked into the hall together, Su Yiming asked, “Why’d you come?”

Yu Shao glanced over. Half-joking, half-serious, he said, “I came to see if there’s anyone in the next Promotion Tournament who has your level of talent.”

“Funny,”

Su Yiming laughed. “I was thinking the same thing. I want to see if there’s anyone out there like you.”

Then he paused, turned his head, and asked,

“So… do you hope there is? Or do you hope there isn’t?”

Yu Shao smiled faintly. “Whichever answer you’d choose… that’s my answer too.”

Su Yiming blinked, then smiled back, saying nothing more as they entered the Go Association building together.

—

At the same time, inside one of the match rooms—

Five young trainees were chatting excitedly.

“I heard both Yu Shao and Su Yiming are coming to the Tiger Cubs Match!”

A slightly chubby 14-year-old rolled up his sleeves in excitement. “I might get to play against Yu Shao! Watch me destroy him and make my name known—Yu Shao’s blood will mark my rise!”

“Fan Tianhong, can you be any more over-the-top?”

A thin boy with glasses pushed up his frames. “Besides, these are two-stone handicap games. Even if you win, it’s not that impressive.”

“What’s wrong with handicap games? It’s Yu Shao! The guy who single-handedly wiped out the Three Great Josekis—the strongest young Go player today! If I beat him, even with handicap, you bet I’m bragging!”

Fan Tianhong glared at the bespectacled boy. “Feng Ruotao, he even beat your idol Su Yiming multiple times!”

Feng Ruotao’s face twisted slightly. “Losing a few games doesn’t mean anything!”

“You copy Yu Shao’s moves and even his style, and yet you still lose to me! So does that mean you admit you’ll never beat me?”

“You’re insane. We’ve only played a few games!” Fan Tianhong shouted, his face turning red.

“Oh, so now you’re saying it’s just a few games?” Feng Ruotao shot back coldly.

“But Yu Shao crushed the three great josekis!” Fan Tianhong yelled, righteously. “That’s legendary!”

“But Su Yiming created the Great Storm!” Feng Ruotao shouted back.

“Ugh, I’m done arguing with an idiot like you.”

Fan Tianhong rolled his eyes. “Everyone online is saying it already: If Su was born, why was Yu born? Between the two of them, who’s stronger is obvious. You just like Su Yiming because your style is like his. Biased much?”

“One win or loss doesn’t prove anything!”

Feng Ruotao snapped. “You study Yu Shao’s games and still can’t beat me!”

“What the hell?! We’ve played, like, three games! You think that proves anything?!” Fan Tianhong stood up, ready to fight.

Sensing things escalating, a burly boy quickly stepped between them to calm things down.

“Enough, enough! Why are you guys fighting over who’s stronger? That’s none of our business!”

“Exactly! Our priority is qualifying for the next Promotion Tournament. We’re not even pros yet—why are we stressing over top-tier pros?”

A 14-year-old with thick brows nodded seriously.

At that moment, the youngest of the five—probably only 11 or 12—finally spoke.

“People online say If Su was born, why was Yu born?…”

“But…”

“Does Su Yiming really not want Yu Shao to exist?”

“Does Yu Shao… really not want Su Yiming around?”

That question made the room go still.

Everyone froze.

Did Su Yiming truly not want Yu Shao to exist?

Did Yu Shao truly not want Su Yiming to exist?

Though they were all older than the boy, none of them could answer.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a suit walked in, accompanied by a few journalists carrying DSLRs.

Seeing this, the five boys finally snapped out of it and called out,

“Chairman Ma!”

Ma Zhengyu scanned them, nodded, and placed a drawing box on the table.

“Since you’re all here, let’s draw lots.”

“Whoever you pull—that’s your opponent.”

The five boys’ expressions turned serious. One by one, they lined up in front of the box.

“Yu Shao, Yu Shao, Yu Shao…” Fan Tianhong chanted, reaching in and drawing a slip.

He took a deep breath and opened it slowly.

“My opponent is…”

He froze.

“…Su Yiming?”

The next in line, Feng Ruotao, also drew his lot. With a mix of anxiety and anticipation, he opened it—then his face changed too.

His slip read:

“Yu Shao.”