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

Chapter 280 It's Time for the Legend to End
"Does Yi Zheng, 8th Dan, have anything else to say?"

Seeing that Li Junhe rarely responded to provocations, the host handed the microphone to Yi Zheng again.

These two are undoubtedly the biggest topic of conversation tonight, and it's only natural that their combined interview time is longer than anyone else's!
Yi Zheng seemed completely unfazed by Li Junhe's provocative response, still smiling broadly: "I think what Senior Li Junhe said is indeed very true. For many people, one game is a very good result, and I think the same is true for Li Junhe, 9-dan."

But I think what kind of results Lee Jun-hyuk, 9-dan, can achieve in the future will probably depend on when he meets me.

Your sword is sharp, but my sword is not sharp either!

Before he finished speaking, a chorus of low gasps and whispers rose from the audience.

The comments on the large screen behind were refreshed at an even faster pace.

Holy crap! They really dare to say that!

[Translation: Your future livelihood depends on when I decide to take it away!]

[About the fact that I made world champions' results depend on meeting me]

The conversation between the two was truly a clash of titans; even the other contestants waiting on both sides seemed to smell a burning sensation in the air.

I don't know if it was the smell of the flashlights from the audience that were burning because they were flashing too fast, or if it was the invisible but scorching smell of gunpowder that came from the will itself when the old and new forces collided.

Their gazes clashed countless times amidst the smoke of battle. The young man's eyes burned with the rebellious spirit that "royalty is not eternal," while the old king's eyes were frozen with the arrogance that "royalty will never end."

The clash between the old and new eras is so intense that the killing intent has already shattered the dust on the field before the game even begins.

A Southeast Asian chess player, whose world ranking was relatively low, quietly asked his partner, "Is this... available to watch for free?"

After the host asked several more questions, focusing on tactical predictions, psychological adjustments, and the gains and losses of past encounters, trying to dig deeper into the energy at the center of this storm, the two men's answers became increasingly watertight.

It wasn't until the directors in the audience pointed out that if things continued like this, the other contestants wouldn't even have enough time for the draw, let alone for interviews.

The host then seemed to wake from a dream, a genuine and deep regret showing on his face, as if he had missed a once-in-a-century recap of a famous game.

Clearing his throat, the host spoke with a sense of heartbreak, as if the show was about to end: "One last question."

The host seemed a little disappointed at this point, as interviewing these two people would have been much more interesting: "What do you think your chances of winning this game are, 9-dan Lee Jun-hyuk?"

After so much time, Li Junhe's previously fluctuating emotions calmed down, and his face returned to its expressionless state: "I've answered many similar questions before."

His speech was calm and measured, like a cold stream flowing over a smooth stone: "Before the game starts, I always feel I have a 50% chance of winning. There are no guaranteed wins or losses in the world, it doesn't matter who you're facing."

Li Junhe's words sounded like polite platitudes from a refined gentleman, but in reality, he seemed to be saying that no matter who he was, it made no difference to him.

Beneath his almost emotionless tone lay absolute confidence that surveyed the entire chess world, a pride bordering on madness!

No one can question his pride, because he truly has the credentials – his numerous victories, displayed at the pinnacle of world chess history, are his strongest backing.

The host reluctantly handed the microphone to Yi Zheng: "This is also the last question. Li Junhe 9-dan thinks he has a 50% chance of winning. What do you think, Yi Zheng 8-dan?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng glanced at Old Ke, who was watching the silly comments from netizens on the big screen. Old Ke seemed to sense Yi Zheng's gaze and turned his head away.

The moment their eyes met, they instantly understood each other's thoughts.

Old Ke: "Are you going to say it now? Isn't it too early?"

Normally, the change of power should take place in the final match of a best-of-three series, right?

Is he already going to play his trump card on the very first encounter?
Yi Zheng didn't speak, he just nodded.

Yi Zheng felt that from now on, Li Junhe would be constantly eliminated by him and would never make it to the finals again!

So the beginning is the end! Old Ke seemed to sense something as well, and silently opened his mouth.

Two voices overlapped and rang out in the space, but everyone could only hear one of them.

"What did Li Junhe, 9th Dan, say?"

Yi Zheng deliberately dragged out his tone, his eyes crinkling into slits as he scanned the entire room, as if he were telling a great joke.

This posture is practically like Ke Lao channeling his inner strategist, packaging a highly provocative declaration as a witty remark: "Li Junhe, he says he has a 50% chance of winning, right? I think, out of 100%, he definitely won't exceed 50%. Hahahahahahahaha!"

But the unrestrained laughter lasted for less than two seconds before it ended.

Yi Zheng suppressed his smile and fixed his gaze on Li Junhe again. His eyes were no longer frivolous; they were filled with a pure and fervent declaration of ambition.

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and solemnly and clearly uttered the final declaration that would surely be recorded in the history of Go and ignite the entire internet: "Legend—"

The voice deepened, like a morning bell or evening drum, striking the heartstrings of everyone.

"It's time for the curtain to fall!"

His formal expression seemed to be telling everyone that he was not joking.

This statement was like a bomb dropped on calm water, instantly causing countless waves to surge.

The reporters in the audience went crazy; they really couldn't believe that Yi Zheng would drop such a bombshell at the last minute.

Bah!
The air in the entire scene seemed to be instantly sucked out, compressed, and then exploded!

All the reporters had the same thought: how much their colleagues who didn't come today must regret it!
It feels like I've used up all the explosive moments I've ever had in my life!
Countless live stream comments were flooded with "?????????", "!!!!!!!!!", "Holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!" and a large number of censored symbols.

Social media editorial teams are destined to work through the night today, while those reporters who didn't come because they took leave, were stuck in traffic, or simply thought the pre-event lacked excitement are probably regretting it now.

Even the numerous contestants on site looked at each other in bewilderment, and Jiang Mobai clenched his fists tightly around his fan.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How did he even think of that?! How did he come up with such a pretentious line?! He just said it all! He stole all the limelight!"

Jiang Mobai really didn't expect Yi Zheng to be such a show-off; it was simply unbelievable!
Not only are they more arrogant than I was back then, but they're also much better at talking than I was back then!

Why create both white and zheng?

Jiang Mobai felt a strange background music playing in his mind, and it started playing on a loop. In a daze, he seemed to see a sad man kneeling on the ground in the snow after his phone was hung up on in a public phone booth.

"Sri Lanka, number one..."

Kuroki Teruto had known for a long time that Yi Zheng was very individualistic, but he didn't expect him to be this individualistic. Is this really something that can be said on the spot?
Yun Linglei's eyes widened involuntarily, and he was already inwardly screaming "Oh my gosh!"
The countless young chess players in the audience were even more excited, and it seemed like they all wanted to go up and take the place of the champions.

He's the undisputed star of the chess world! At this moment, Yi Zheng is the light that tears away the old shadows and heralds the arrival of a new era!

Not to mention the scene, the entire Go community was in an uproar the moment the live broadcast started.

At that very moment, the highest viewership ratings since the start of the Asian Cup live broadcast were achieved, and countless people even went online to watch clips of the live broadcast replay.

Just to see Yi Zheng say those words and see Li Junhe's expression next to him.

Countless people are flooding the screen with comments. Lee Junhyuk, how are you feeling right now?
as well as……

Will a new era arrive?

P.S.: Please vote for me, everyone!
(End of this chapter)