Go: The live broadcast queen launched a gorgeous rebellion against the dog

"...Tsk!"

"Why are those trolls on the internet causing trouble again?!"

Meanwhile, at the Zhigao Junrui Hotel, backstage of the official studio where the live broadcast is about to begin.

After looking at his phone for a while, Jiao Kai, the national team coach who was about to start his live commentary, couldn't help but curse.

Hearing Jiao Kai's seemingly random complaint, the female host Song Jin raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled, and couldn't help but ask:

"Teacher Jiao, what's wrong...?"

"Ah...I see!"

Jiao Kai frowned, his finger slamming down on some glaring comments on the screen:
"I just took a quick break from my busy schedule and browsed the Yiguo forum to see if any of the online chess fans had any new and compelling reasons to praise Rui Zhao's brilliant sacrifice game yesterday..."

"Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of weirdos popped up, saying things like 'Rui Zhao's chess skills are only good enough to beat up noobs among human players' and 'You have to look at AI for real skill'... Tsk!"

"These losers! They're truly ignorant and fearless, saying whatever comes to mind!"

Jiao Kai's chest heaved, clearly indicating he was quite angry:

"Rui Zhao's game yesterday can be described as one of the most brilliant sacrificial moves in the history of Go. His skill has reached a certain level of divine ability!"
"Nowadays, anyone with a bit of influence, even if they are not interested in Go, will have to respectfully call Rui Zhao 'God Zhao' when they see his record of a single year with a complete gap in history!"
"As a result, a bunch of losers are nitpicking about this game of chess. When we tell them how difficult it is for Rui Zhao to achieve this level, they just repeat themselves like broken records, saying things like, 'It's not as good as a graphics card that costs a few hundred dollars. Case closed.'"

"A bunch of useless people who can't achieve anything in their own fields, who don't even dare to reveal their real identities, all they do is hide behind the internet and spew nonsense, ruining other people's moods..."

"Could this be the recent online trend of 'a lose-lose situation is better than a win-win'?!"

"Uh... Teacher Jiao, that's not how you use that phrase..."

Song Jin was caught off guard by Jiao Kai's rapid-fire angry remarks, but she could understand his anger and the reasons behind the situation:

"However, it must be admitted that modern people's sophisticated selfishness has indeed reached a rather serious level, and they are easily guided and provoked by the outside world."

"Even if it's just for a fleeting moment of superiority or pleasure, they don't hesitate to deny the hard work others have put in for decades, and they even lie flat and flatten their own cowardice, calling it 'human clarity'..."

"But let these trolls just lie there!"

"What's the point of spending all your free time criticizing others online?!"

Jiao Kai couldn't help but chime in again, his tone full of dissatisfaction with the unwarranted attacks.

"...There's no way!"

"That's just how the online environment is! Lots of noise and a lot of hostility..."

Song Jin first acknowledged Jiao Kai's words, and at the same time quickly glanced at the time:

"Ah! Um...it's almost time for the live broadcast!"

"Teacher Jiao, shall we start the live stream?"

Jiao Kai was brought back to reality by Song Jin's timely reminder. He then rubbed his long, thin face and transformed back into the composed and serious national team head coach.

"Okay! Let's begin!"

Soon, soft lighting focused on the commentary booth. A huge background screen displayed the Dream Lily Cup logo and the upcoming match information.

"Good afternoon, everyone!"

"Welcome to the live broadcast of the quarterfinals of the 7th 'Dream Lily Cup' World Go Open Tournament! I am your host, Song Jin!"

"I am your commentator, Jiao Kai."

After a brief opening and introduction to the event's background, Song Jin skillfully steered the conversation towards the competition:

"Okay, I believe what everyone is most concerned about is undoubtedly the highlight of today's quarterfinals - the battle between the two generations of leaders, Lin Ruixin 9-dan and Rui Zhao 9-dan!"

"Teacher Jiao, as the head coach of the national team and a senior figure who has watched these two players grow, what are your expectations for the outcome of today's match and the potential highlights?"

"Well, to be honest, there's really nothing to say about winning or losing."

Jiao Kai offered a frank and honest assessment:

"Although Lin Ruixin has recently shown an extremely rare resurgence in her condition and her performance in various competitions has been relatively stable... but why didn't she do this earlier!"
"Rui Zhao is practically invincible now! He can only be threatened by Lei Qi if he has the chance to use a throwing knife and successfully hits the target."

"The problem is that Lei Qi clearly threw out flying knives two or three times this year, but Rui Zhao dismantled them all!"
"The skill that grants immunity to throwing knives is just too unreasonable..."

"Okay, Teacher Jiao!"

Seeing that Jiao Kai's emotions were still fluctuating and he was about to veer off-topic again, Song Jin quickly helped to steer the conversation back on track:

"Besides the outcome, what other aspects of today's match do you think are worth paying attention to?"

"Uh... if I really have to point out the highlights..."

Jiao Kai pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the screen as the upcoming match information began:

"...We can only wait and see if Rui Zhao will go all out again, just like in the Spring Orchid Cup, and give us an even more dazzling performance, when facing his arch-rival Lin Ruixin!"

"Yes, thank you for your insightful analysis, Professor Jiao!"

Song Jin picked up the conversation and then turned the topic to the already started game: "The game has started now. Rui Zhao is playing black in this game, and Lin Ruixin is also fortunate to have gotten white, which he is good at, again. Let's get into the game!"

"Both sides opened with a small star point against a two-star point. Then, Black made a single jump to defend the corner in the lower right corner. But Lin Ruixin saw this and actually made a direct contact with it!"
"It has to be said that Lin Ruixin showed an extremely strong desire to win from the very beginning!"
"Even when facing the number one player with the biggest gap in history, or even the best candidate in history personally acknowledged by Choi Myung-ho and Yoo Se-hyun, Lin Ruixin 9-dan is not afraid at all!"

...

...

Half an hour later, in a corner of the Zhigao Junrui Hotel.

Nie Yunyi sat alone on the soft sofa by the window, leaning slightly forward, his gaze fixed on the live stream on the tablet in front of him. The screen showed the quarterfinal match of the Dream Lily Cup between Rui Zhao and Lin Ruixin.

The game had progressed to the 43rd move. Nie Yunyi's brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions, as if a tangled mess of threads was swirling in his heart, leaving him with mixed feelings.

In the scene, Lin Ruixin, who is holding white, is deep in thought, and Xiao Nie, the eighth-dan player, can't help but focus his gaze on that familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar figure.

That once spirited and angular face now bears the clear marks of time.

The wrinkles around his eyes were deeper than they were two years ago, and several obvious nasolabial folds extended downwards from the sides of his nose. The few strands of white hair at his temples, which were originally inconspicuous, became even more noticeable under the scrutiny of the high-definition camera.

Ruixin looks noticeably older than he did two years ago...

The thought clearly surfaced in Nie Yunyi's mind, and an indescribable emotion welled up at the same time.

Nie Yunyi's heart naturally leaned entirely towards the woman he admired, who was sitting opposite Lin Ruixin.

He longed to see the contemporary Zhaojun continue to win, and to see that Go goddess continue to write that amazing legend of "winning all the championships in a year"!

But looking at the weathered face of his once-powerful idol on the screen, now with graying hair... a pang of reluctance stirred deep within Nie Yunyi's heart.

What moved Nie Yunyi even more was Lin Ruixin's competitive level on the chessboard, despite his appearance showing obvious signs of aging...

But she's defying age!

In the changes in the lower right corner, Rui Zhao played several aggressive moves, even some probing moves. In the AI's recommendations, these moves were not the first choice, but rather the second or third choice, obviously carrying their own unique flexibility and sense of pressure.

however!
Faced with the seemingly casual yet subtly cunning move by the world's number one player, Lin Ruixin's response was nothing short of perfect.

Every move he made was precisely placed at the optimal point recommended by the AI, every move was a perfect choice! He wouldn't give up an inch!

Now... the winning percentage of the world's number one player is even slightly lower than it was at the beginning!

It's important to know that the two players facing off at this moment are recognized as mortal enemies in the chess world!

Facing Lin Ruixin, the contemporary Zhaojun never holds back! Every confrontation is like a thunderbolt, striving to crush her opponent with the most powerful force!
Despite the relentless pressure from the world's number one player, Lin Ruixin managed to withstand it. In fact, in the early stages of the game, he managed to slightly lower the winning probability of his country's leader thanks to his profound strategic research and precise calculations.

This is undoubtedly an extremely impressive level!

This also proves once again that it was no accident that they eliminated Sun Yi, the "strong vs. weak" player, in yesterday's round of 16!
But... Nie Yunyi's mood did not lighten as a result.

He knew better than anyone just how powerful the person he loved was.

Facing the Meijin Tengen, whose true strength is completely unfathomable to human players, the current seemingly evenly matched stalemate is only temporary!
As the game progresses into a complex mid-game battle that pre-match preparations could not fully cover, Lin Ruixin could fall behind at any time!

Sure enough, Xiao Nie Miao's premonition soon came true.

After a two-minute deliberation, Lin Ruixin finally chose to play the 3-3 point in the upper right corner. The chess master in the game was clearly extremely familiar with this local variation!

Almost the instant Lin Ruixin placed his piece, Rui Zhao made his 45th move, instantly placing a second-lane flying piece! Precisely hitting the AI's first choice!
In contrast, Lin Ruixin did not seem to have a deep understanding of this local area. He then proceeded to make his group live step by step. However, after Rui Zhao played the tiger move on move 53, Lin Ruixin realized that if he simply made his group live in the corner, he would gain too much thickness and influence, which was unacceptable!

Therefore, Lin Ruixin, having clearly assessed the situation, decisively broke through and fought the opponent right in front of the world's killing god!

However, when Black played the move, Lin Ruixin, who was not familiar with this local variation, made another mistake!
On move 60, White must jump out.

However, just because the place of his move was one line away from the correct answer, Lin Ruixin's winning percentage plummeted from 37.5% to 13.1%, almost a complete loss!
Even before Zhaojun had fully displayed her terrifying mid-game strength, she had already gained a huge lead in just one local area in the upper right corner!

Seeing Lin Ruixin's increasingly serious expression on the screen, Nie Yunyi felt his breath catch for a moment.

Xiao Nie Miao couldn't help but pray, secretly hoping that the person she admired would show mercy and not let her former idol lose too badly!
And perhaps the god of fate did hear Nie Yunyi's whispered prayer at that moment—Lin Ruixin's loss in this game wasn't too crushing.

In the long back-and-forth of offense and defense that followed, Lin Ruixin did not collapse! Instead, he displayed incredible resilience and fighting spirit!

Unyielding and meticulous, every step was taken with utmost care and effort, striving for the best possible outcome with each move, resulting in virtually no further noticeable mistakes!

With a near-perfect performance in the second half of the game, he tenaciously resisted Rui Zhao's relentless, tidal wave of attacks!
That seasoned skill in managing an orphan, that precise value judgment, that almost obsessive dedication to victory and defeat...

He clearly told the world's spectators how much effort he had put in during the past two years of almost self-torturing training, and his once formidable reputation as "Lin Bai with zero defeats"!

but……

Nie Yunyi's prayer was only half fulfilled in the end.

Because, faced with Lin Ruixin's tenacious and powerful resistance, the number one person in the world showed no mercy whatsoever!

Just yesterday, the world's number one player shocked the world with a divine sacrifice game that was worthy of awe. Today, he has delivered an even more insane, more extreme, and more despairing performance!
So much so that when the game finally came to a close, chess fans around the world, and even ordinary people who had been misled into believing that humans were powerless against AI, were so astonished that they could not put their words to words!
They could only stare blankly at the screen, at the young figure sitting calmly before the chessboard...

Step by step, they entered that supreme realm beyond human comprehension! (End of Chapter)