Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 267 Hot stove
Yi Zheng's game ended very quickly today. The match, which had a two-hour time limit for both sides, ended in just over three hours, making it arguably the earliest game to finish among the seven regional title challenge matches.

With only five minutes left in the game, the homepages of major portal websites and Go-focused media outlets were already flooded with text messages proclaiming "Yi Zheng's First Victory."

While lengthy reports may require time to develop, explosive short messages, like a pack of hungry wolves, pounce on the hottest topics instantly, dominating the top of the trending lists.

Yi Zheng defeats the defending champion in the first game, just one step away from the youngest title!

17-year-old Go prodigy Yi Zheng achieves a winning start in his title match, breaking the record for the oldest Go challenger!

These are still relatively objective statements. Scrolling down, more eye-catching headlines, filled with inflammatory rhetoric, begin to dominate the mainstream view:
"On the Eve of the Collapse of the Senior Brother's Dynasty? Yi Zheng's Crushing Victory Shocks the Chess World: The Young Dragon Slayer is Just One Game Away from the Throne!"

Youngest vs. Most Veteran: Yi Zheng Sweeps Defending Champion in First Game! Is the Youngest Person in History Title Within His Hands?

"Is the era of the senior brother over?" - Yi Zheng draws his blade, swiftly winning the first game of the title match, igniting age controversy.

Arrogance of a Genius? Yi Zheng Admits "No Resistance Encountered" After Match; Senior Brother Dynasty May Suffer a Shutdown in Final Battle!

"I rely on!"

When Yi Zheng saw this headline, he was completely baffled. Dude, all I said after the game was "no comment," how did it suddenly become "no resistance"?!
I didn't say a word and you guys just made it all up!

These editors will make up anything for clicks; speed is everything these days, the faster and more sensational the better, and the truth has become secondary.

However, it must be said that the comments in these news reports can indeed incite a lot of war between fans.

At this point, fabricating a contestant's statement and citing audience questions is the most effective way to incite conflict between supporters of both sides.

Compared to Yi Zheng's speechlessness and even a bit of anger, Yun Linglei, one of the eye of the storm, appeared unusually calm.

He didn't leave the chess academy immediately, but instead sat in his office with a cup of tea, quietly looking out the window.

He naturally saw the commotion on the screen. His assistant asked worriedly if they needed to handle these obviously false reports through public relations, but Yun Linglei simply waved his hand dismissively.

Yun Linglei didn't seem to care much about this. He had experienced similar situations countless times before; the experience of the King of Sanya was not just empty talk.

It's not that he's unfazed by honor or disgrace, but Yun Linglei has already experienced even the most vicious verbal attacks.

He was once known as the "perennial runner-up" and ridiculed by countless people for his "poor mental fortitude" and "failure at crucial moments." Those vicious words etched on the internet were like cold needles, pricking him and keeping him awake at night.

These days? "'Senior brother is getting old,' 'It's time to make way for the young people,' these words are basically harmless to him. These 'no resistance,' 'bloodbath'... are insignificant."

Looking at the negative comments online, Yun Linglei could only say that the attack power needed to be strengthened.

In response, Yun Linglei was even more worried about Yi Zheng, not because of the online attacks against him, but because of the praise he received.

The online hype is so intense right now that it's practically elevating Yi Zheng to an unprecedented level.

The media hype is insane! It's like putting him on a hot plate. Online, Yi Zheng is being portrayed as a supernova destined to illuminate the chess world for centuries to come. The comment sections under those headlines are filled with fanatical devotion.

Many people are saying that the world of Go is about to change, and Yi Zheng is about to ascend to his most loyal Go throne.

Such praise is not entirely unfounded. Even against the world's top five players, Yi Zheng defeated Ethan 2-0 and Kuroki Teruto 1-0. He has no record of playing against the other three yet. He was undefeated in this year's Go League and became the youngest title challenger. He may even become the youngest title holder soon.

Some people are even now calling for the birth of a new Go master, a new world champion.

Between the lines, it seems that Yi Zheng winning the title of Chess Saint is already a foregone conclusion.

The praise detached from reality, sliding towards a pedestal, placing all the "hope," "future," and "change" on the shoulders of this seventeen-year-old. This kind of excessive praise is deadly to any young athlete.

Online discourse has gradually veered towards complete irrationality, detached entirely from objective evaluation.

To put it bluntly, Yun Linglei felt that if he had achieved these things when he was young, he would have been arrogant and complacent long ago, and he should indeed be proud.

However, the media has been praising him too much. Yi Zheng is currently at the peak of his career, and everyone is enthusiastically supporting him. Now, the fear is that one day this enthusiastic support will explode, and many people will pour cold water into it.

To put it bluntly, the vast majority of netizens are fence-sitters; they'll side with whoever wins. Today you're riding high and everyone's your follower, but once you hit a low point, countless of your former supporters will immediately turn against you and viciously attack you!
This stark contrast between heaven and hell is something most people can't bear; he knows all too well what it's like.

Back when he was hailed as an unparalleled genius, he was praised in the same way, as if no one in the world could rival him.

But once setbacks occur, the immense sense of loss is enough to destroy confidence. Yun Linglei recalled his long career slump, falling from the clouds to the dust. His once enthusiastic supporters turned into the most scathing critics. The overwhelming questioning and ridicule, the helplessness and darkness of self-doubt, almost crushed him.

"The higher you're lifted up, the harder you fall. Hopefully, that won't happen."

Yun Linglei couldn't help but sigh. Only those who have truly experienced such things know how desperate and painful it is.

"I was just one game away from winning the title, but today's game ended way too quickly."

Jiang Mobai felt a headache coming on as he looked at the news popping up on his phone. Dude, you really came?

I was just saying I'd wait for you, but you actually came so quickly.

Yi Zheng is now practically halfway into the realm of titles, a half-step title holder, just one step away from the ultimate leap to become a title holder.

"Looks like we need to prepare in advance; there are quite a few new faces this year."

As the only defending champion to directly enter the third stage, Jiang Mobai had more time to prepare in advance. In previous years, it was always the same people, but this year many newcomers have emerged.

"Yun Linglei, stand up a bit! Win at least one round! Put this kid's arrogance to rest."

Jiang Mobai couldn't help but shake his head as he watched the two start today. After Yun Linglei made a mistake in the lower left corner, the entire game fell into Yi Zheng's complete control, and he had no power to resist at all.

The collapse happened so fast that it only boosted Yi Zheng's momentum to a new level.

Yi Zheng's current aggressive momentum needs a defeat to break it, but Yun Linglei doesn't know if he can do that.

However, when Jiang Mobai saw the hot headlines and comments about "the youngest title is within reach" and "only one game away from the throne", he was not as worried as Yun Linglei. Instead, he was anxious because Yi Zheng had stolen all his popularity.

I need to think of new ways to show off!

"It's alright. In the third stage of the round-robin tournament, it's impossible for Yi Zheng to go without losing a single game in seven rounds."

Jiang Mobai felt a slight sense of relief upon thinking about this. The round-robin tournament was different from the qualifying tournament, and it was basically impossible to win all the matches.

Even though Jiang Mobai would lose one or two matches each time, and sometimes even advance to the finals as the second-place finisher.

After all, the third stage of the round-robin tournament is full of China's top players. No one is absolutely certain of victory against their opponents, and most people would be grateful if they could get a 50% win rate.

Meanwhile, Yi Zheng and the ghost were also playing chess in the hotel, but they did not review the game.

Mr. Ke said that there was really no value in reviewing this kind of game. After Yun Linglei collapsed at the beginning, the rest of the game was basically garbage time, and Yi Zheng did not make any mistakes.

Ke Lao estimates that the AI's accuracy in these matches would be over 90%, but the accuracy of matches that collapse early on and then struggle in the end is not of much reference value.

Yun Linglei had absolutely no chance throughout the entire game, and Coach Ke felt that even if he came on in the second half, he would be powerless to turn the tide.

But this doesn't mean Yun Linglei lacks ability; Yi Zheng is now making full preparations for the second game.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted!

2-0!

It will only be 2-0!

There will be no changes!

P.S.: Please vote for me, brothers! My migraine is still not better, so I'm going to bed early... I shouldn't have stayed up late last night; the headache got worse. I'll update 10,000 words tomorrow even if it hurts terribly!
(End of this chapter)