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

Chapter 277 Delisting System

"Ah Zheng, wake up! The lottery is about to start."

Hearing Miao Jun's low but urgent voice, Yi Zheng, who thought he had fallen into a deep sleep, groggily opened his eyes.

Southeast Asia is naturally hot and humid, and with hundreds of people sitting close together in the stadium, even with powerful air conditioning, the temperature couldn't be lowered for a long time, and high temperatures make people want to sleep.

As the saying goes, spring brings drowsiness, autumn brings fatigue, and summer brings sleepiness; the same applies to lying in bed during winter.

"……Um?"

Yi Zheng squeezed out a muffled single syllable from his nose, a hint of annoyance at being interrupted from his sweet dream, and struggled to lift his eyelids a thin slit.

Miao Jun had to admire Yi Zheng's excellent mentality. He could actually fall asleep at such an important occasion and moment. Was it because he didn't value the game or because he had an exceptionally good mindset?

"It hasn't even started yet..."

Yi Zheng glanced at the scene on the stage and mumbled in a daze. As soon as he stretched, his elbow hit the wooden armrest of the chair, which woke him up completely.

Even if I didn't run into Yi Zheng, I still had to get up.

There's no other way; he has to wake up now, the lottery is about to start.

However, the players do not need to draw numbers; instead, the computer randomly assigns the numbers.

It seems that if that's the case, there's absolutely no need to wake Yi Zheng up, since after the random assignment, you'll know who your opponent is right away, and you don't need to go up and draw lots.

Not to mention that this method makes it far too easy to manipulate signatures in the dark.

To put it bluntly, many competitions cannot escape the tricks of the organizers in manipulating the draws, and it has even become a tacit unspoken rule in many competitions, a small act of arbitrary power by the organizers.

Therefore, the Asian Cup adopted a unique competition rule a few years ago, changing the draw system to a card-picking system.

In simple terms, the thirty players who were pre-selected through a comprehensive process went on stage in order to choose their opponents based on numbers randomly assigned by the computer.

To some extent, those players who directly obtained seed status in this tournament represent deeply entrenched old power barriers, the "Old Money" club.

These thirty players who managed to emerge from the grueling preliminary rounds are all grassroots heroes who fought their way up through sheer skill; they are rising stars, the "New Blood" of the chess world!
The gimmick of a new force challenging an old one can still make it interesting for many people.

This also added a lot of topics and even fun to the competition.

In addition to the thirty people selected through the preliminary round, the champions and runners-up from the previous year can also freely choose their own participants, and they have priority in choosing their own participants without having to draw lots. This can be considered a privilege of the champions and runners-up from the previous year.

The champion and runner-up of the previous competition were Teruto Kuroki and Mobai Jiang.

Lee Jun-hyuk, currently ranked number one in the world, was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year.

It's actually quite normal. Don't even mention targeting anyone. Most world number one players experience a first-round exit during their peak, and it happens quite often.

After all, Go is a game of chance, and anything can happen.

The reason why early selection is considered a benefit for the champion and runner-up is because they enjoy VIP privileges: they don't need to condescend to participate in lotteries or draw numbers; they can directly cut in line! First and second priority! They have priority in making their own choices!

After all, if we leave their strength to the end, there will likely be no one left to choose. It's better to let the two of them go out first to choose others, which will be more interesting.

"Most of them definitely prioritized players from smaller countries."

Miao Jun glanced at his number, 8, which was already quite high, meaning he could pick a decent opponent; it wasn't too bad.

Yi Zheng glanced at the number below his name on the large screen above.

"1?"

"Holy crap, the first one! Ah Zheng, you've got incredible luck!"

Miao Jun reacted quickly, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. He didn't know what to say. Yi Zheng felt that his luck had really improved after he gained momentum.

The first option is practically arbitrary; given Yi Zheng's skill level, he's guaranteed a spot in the next round.

"I bet these two big shots definitely prioritized players from small Southeast Asian or Central Asian countries."

Miao Jun lowered his voice, as if sharing some industry secret, "Those who know, know. The chess players from these small countries are usually inexperienced. Although they have professional titles, most of them are just struggling in the lower ranks of ordinary professionals."

"If it were us, almost anyone could politely and gracefully 'step on' it, achieving a 'safe first landing'."

Although there is no direct avoidance policy for people from the same country, if given the choice, most people would still likely avoid their own countrymen, not to mention that most of China's own people are tough nuts to crack.

The normal choice would be to find a small, vulnerable country to bully.

But what about normal people?
Hearing Miao Jun's envious and jealous explanation, Yi Zheng, who got number one, merely raised an eyebrow slightly, showing no ecstatic joy at winning the grand prize.

Following Miao Jun's method would indeed be easy, but if that were the case, it wouldn't be meaningful to Yi Zheng. Yi Zheng habitually shook his head, not to deny the fact, but with a subtle, almost imperceptible expression.

According to Yi Zheng's observation, one cannot be normal in order to become the world's number one; the more normal a person is, the less likely they are to become the world's number one.

The main focus should still be on the abnormal!

When will people who want to climb that "world's number one" peak be considered "normal"?
The more normal and rule-abiding one is, the more one resembles a frog thrown into lukewarm water, destined to never reach the peak.

Yi Zheng glanced around at the contestants below the stage, as if the owner of the Death Note was searching for his next prey.

I'll pick whoever's name is on my list.

Choose one lucky person to be eliminated in the top 64.

Thinking about it, it does seem quite similar; it's also a case of one person paired with a Grim Reaper.

Now, a certain Go nemesis is hovering above, like a ghost.

A ghost, a ghost of Go, hovers above all the top players, but no one knows it.

Meanwhile, the footsteps of another Grim Reaper are also quietly approaching.

"Welcome everyone to the Asian Cup Go Tournament. There are 32 plaques on our display wall, each bearing the name of a seeded player in this tournament."

"First, please welcome the thirty-two seeded players to the stage! Please take your places on either side of the 'Tianyuan Ding,' the championship trophy that symbolizes the highest honor in Asian Go!"

The host waved his arm, pointing to the reserved positions on both sides of the stage.

The seeded players in the audience had different expressions and stood up one after another.

Some walk with composure, carrying their usual kingly demeanor, such as Li Junhe. Even when the outside world "talks down" him, the aloofness in his eyes is still as sharp as a knife.

Some appeared slightly nervous, and some even unconsciously rubbed the corners of their clothes. As chess players from small countries, although they reigned supreme in their own countries, they became "commodities" to be selected on the world stage.

Some of the first-time participants looked around with a sense of novelty and excitement.

For a moment, the figures on the stage, dressed in suits, of varying heights and skin colors, stood in neat rows, forming a spectacular sight.

"The rules are simple and clear!" The host's voice boomed, ensuring that even those in the back corners could hear him clearly.

"The thirty brave warriors who successfully advanced from the brutal preliminary rounds, along with the 'selection panel' composed of last year's champions and runners-up, will come up on stage one by one to make their selections in the order previously announced on the big screen!"

Remove the nameplate of the opponent you deem easy to beat—no, I should say, your preferred opponent—and you are considered a successful pair! You will then become opponents in the first round of this Asian Cup, facing off in a do-or-die battle!

The host paused, creating a sense of suspense: "Now, let's give a warm round of applause to our two Asian champions who fought to the top in the last tournament and showcased their highest level of skill to the world!"
Last year's champions and runners-up! The "Divine Demon of a Thousand Changes" from the Japanese Go world—Kuroki Teruto 9-dan! And the "Dragon-Slaying Saber" from the Chinese Go world—Jiang Mobai 9-dan! They'll be the first to take the stage to make their choices! Applause! Screams! Where are they?!

Upon hearing the referee's voice, applause erupted from the audience, and many even screamed on purpose. Some of the contestants on stage even whistled.

However, the two men were already used to similar scenes, waved to the crowd, and walked onto the stage.

Kuroki Teruto randomly selected a lucky player from a small Southeast Asian country for elimination. After all, having special privileges means not being a bastard. Beating a rookie is like taking a break, which is economical and affordable, everyone!
The poor, unlucky child who was chosen instantly turned pale, his mouth slightly agape, and his eyes filled with visible despair.

It's like a tragic scenario where you run into a max-level demon king as soon as you step out of the beginner's village.

Is it true that a fourth-dan can beat a ninth-dan?

Jiang Mobai's choice was a bit different. He chose a Japanese Go player because he had been tricked by this player in the recent Go League, resulting in a minor upset. So, he clearly wanted to get revenge.

After the two made their choices, the two chosen ones walked off the stage with bitter expressions and stood to the side with the two champions and runners-up from the previous year.

Seeing that the four people had been paired up, the host glanced at the identity cards on their hands and continued, "Okay, next, let's welcome contestant number one, Yi Zheng, to the stage to make his selection. Please give him a warm welcome."

Upon hearing this, countless gazes—expectant, scrutinizing, curious, speculative, and even some silently pleading, "Big brother, please let me go"—all focused on the figure who stood up in the audience.

"Yi Zheng!"

"Number 1!"

"We've arrived at Yizheng!"

"Who will he choose?!"

China's newly crowned title holder is Yi Zheng, the diviner.

Everyone knows it. Everyone knows it.

And now, his choice is about to ignite the first suspenseful climax of the night.

(End of this chapter)