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

Chapter 291 Roaring Howls
"Thank you so much, Yi Zheng, 8th Dan, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to grant us a second interview! Yesterday we had a brief five-minute warm-up session, and today, as the intense first stage of the Asian Cup has come to an end, we would like to take a little more of your valuable time for a short interview."

Yi Zheng took a sip of mineral water, handed the bottle to the staff member, and nodded: "Okay, but the time should be short, because I have to catch a flight soon."

Just now, the first stage of the Asian Cup reached its climax – the brutal knockout round of 16 finally came to an end, leaving eight winners standing at the top.

This list caused a huge stir both inside and outside the Go world: Yi Zheng, Jiang Mobai, Kuroki (Japan), Yun Linglei, Li Zongrui (Malaysia), Shen Guhong, Chu Tianjiao, and Zaxi Sangjie.

The results of this quarterfinals were quite surprising to many people. One reason was that China actually took six of the eight spots. Although they had previously occupied about half of the spots, it was still relatively rare for them to take all six.

Another point is that among the top eight, there are three handsome young men who are all under the age of twenty!
What's even more astonishing is that one of them is a Southeast Asian player, a rarity in international competitions!
For many years, Southeast Asian players have been known as easy targets, and this time, Lee Zongrui, representing Southeast Asia, defeated several strong opponents and also reached the quarterfinals at the age of twenty.

More and more onlookers and industry experts are exclaiming: "The storm of the new generation is not just a storm brewing, but a direct overturning of the chessboard of the old players, sweeping away those legends of the past!"

In previous years, none of these things would have been unimaginable.

Yi Zheng will be flying to Europe to participate in a competition immediately after his match today.

There's nothing we can do about it; there are just so many competitions. The day after tomorrow is the first round of the new World Go League, and we'll have to fly to Europe to participate, playing away.

Therefore, Yi Zheng had to rush to catch a flight to the competition venue. Although the itinerary seemed to have reserved dozens of hours, after deducting the long flight time, customs and security checks, baggage check-in, and the time to transfer from the airport to the hotel after arrival, there was not much rest time left, not to mention that the time difference between East Asia and Western Europe is as much as seven or eight hours.

If you're jet-lagged and not in good spirits when playing on the opponent's home turf, you're really just giving away points.

"First of all, congratulations on reaching the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. How do you feel about it now?" The reporter's eyes were fixed on Yi Zheng, as if trying to read the turmoil in the center of the storm from his calm expression.

Yi Zheng simply shook his head: "I don't feel anything. I said from the beginning that my goal is to win the championship. This is just a small task in the first stage."

If I were to become complacent at this stage, starting to feel 'I've got this in the bag' or 'I'm invincible,' such a volatile mindset would make winning impossible.

"We've noticed from online professional players and commentators that your playing style seems to be quietly 'evolving'."

Previously, your chess style was like an assassin, often lurking on the board waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. But now you seem to be more proactive and aggressive. Is there a reason for this?

When Yi Zheng heard this question, he couldn't help but recall for a moment. After all, this kind of thing is purely subtle and he himself didn't feel it much: "I didn't feel what you said very obviously, but if this situation really exists, it may be because my level was not good enough before and my strength reserves were not enough, so I needed to lie low and look for opportunities."

Now that your skill level has improved, you can naturally rampage across the board; after all, if you can simply push forward, no one will bother using technique.

To put it bluntly, Superman does possess super intelligence, but has he ever used it? Every time Superman uses his super intelligence, there is only one outcome.

Super Intelligence: Now unleash your super power!

"Then there was the interview with Li Junhe 9-dan a few days ago, who said that your game still lacks substance and that you lack experience. What do you think about this?"

Have you seen the original video of that interview before? If not, I have a downloaded high-definition version with subtitles on my phone.

The reporter seemed worried that he hadn't conveyed his meaning clearly enough, and wanted Yi Zheng to watch the original video.

After all, Yi Zheng is currently competing and may not be paying much attention to the internet, so there's a high possibility he hasn't seen the video.

He felt that his message was too bland, and that the original videos edited by the media were what really stirred things up.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng couldn't help but wave his hand: "No need, I've already seen it."

Although it's a competition, in this era of increasingly explosive internet access, most people cannot avoid contact with the internet unless there are special restrictions.

Yi Zheng couldn't help but glance at Old Ke, who was humming a song next to him. Not to mention, this guy was a real internet addict; he would roll on the ground if he didn't go online for a day.

If Mr. Ke goes online, Yi Zheng has to act as his human arm, so he is forced to go online with him.

Yi Zheng: I really don't want to go online. It's meaningless. "I don't feel anything about it. Winning is winning, and losing is losing. The outcome of the chessboard is always determined by winning or losing."

The loser's words are nothing but barking and meaningless chatter, and I'll be the same if I lose.

The absurd logics, including those blatantly proclaimed by Silla media such as "throwing knives doesn't count as real skill" and "winning through underhanded means is not honorable," are merely attempts by the losers to save face and save face.

But this attempt to cover up their shortcomings only makes them look even more... indescribable, and their level of embarrassment is off the charts.

Flying knives, including standard opening moves and others, are part of a player's skill as long as they are present on the board, not to mention that they are essentially martial arts moves in Go.

If that happens, won't I have to have a friendly exchange beforehand when dealing with Lee Jun-hyuk, a 9-dan player?

I said I was about to play a new set of moves in the top left corner. I'll show it to you beforehand to make sure you know how to play it. If you don't, I can teach you first.
"To avoid you accidentally stepping into a trap later, and then your country's media will come crying to you saying we lack martial ethics? Is this a game of chess or a Go tutoring class? Isn't this ridiculous?"

As Yi Zheng spoke, he realized something was off. It sounded like he was repeating what Old Ke had said yesterday, and he had even picked up on the tone of the other man's voice.

The host laughed when he heard this. Yi Zheng's tone was very amusing, with a hint of sarcasm. The host had a feeling that the show would get a lot of views after it aired.

However, as Yi Zheng said, this request is like asking Qiao Feng not to use the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, otherwise you would be winning unfairly.

If this is really the requirement, then no one should research new strategies anymore, otherwise using them in professional matches would be an unfair victory.

Anyone with even a modicum of fame in the Go world wouldn't dare say that; only some nobody or extra would utter such a phrase.

"I don't care much about what Li Junhe, a 9-dan professional, said. He said I lack experience, but I have actually been experiencing experience for a very long time, even longer than them."

Then there are other media outlets saying that only best-of-three matches can truly showcase hardcore, deep-rooted strength. This kind of rhetoric… I can only say, its logic is appalling.

However, I sincerely hope to meet Lee Jun-hyuk in the finals. Let's have a fair and square match, whether it's a best-of-seven or a best-of-five, and make sure we understand each other! Let's not have that ridiculous situation where I'm in the finals but Lee Jun-hyuk, a 9-dan player, is nowhere to be found.

It can't be that Lee Jun-hyuk 9-dan doesn't want to appear in the finals, right? No way, right?

And does that mean that if I beat Lee Jun-hyuk 9-dan 7-0 like Meng Huo, just because he can't make it to the finals and play a best-of-three match against me, I can conclude that 'a best-of-three match represents strength, so I'm not as strong as him'?
My goodness! How can there be such ridiculous logic?

And there's something I was actually reluctant to say: he thinks my game lacks depth and is unfathomable. Is it possible... that with his current understanding, he can't yet see, understand, or comprehend the depth within it?

This is not arrogant self-praise, but Yi Zheng's true feelings. Because if you don't look at the complete reasoning and subsequent moves of artificial intelligence, you simply can't understand them, let alone comprehend the deep logic behind them.

Yi Zheng is still learning like a primary school student, so it's perfectly normal for Li Junhe, who is an "observer" standing on the opposite side of the chessboard and has not yet grasped the essence of AI chess theory, not to understand it.

However, others wouldn't understand this point. When Yi Zheng said such things, the humiliation effect on the person involved was basically maximized.

The world's number one player can't even understand my moves, so what's the point of explaining?

"He can't understand it at all!"

On the screen, Yi Zheng's young and calm face uttered each Chinese character like an icicle, piercing Li Junhe's heart. Especially since Yi Zheng looked so serious while saying those words.

When Lee Jun-hyuk, who had just gotten off the plane, saw this interview, his face turned even redder. The glass of water in his hand seemed to lose control, and with a crisp "clatter," it slipped from his trembling fingers and smashed on the floor.

Accompanying the crisp sound was a shout of "Ashiba!"

No matter how hard Li Junhe tried to maintain his calm and composed demeanor, he couldn't keep it up at this moment. All the words that came to his throat were reduced to just three: "Good! Good! Good!"

I can't understand your moves? Do you really think you're AlphaGo?
good good!
See you next time.

It's a battle to determine who's superior and who's inferior, and even to decide life and death!
P.S.: Please vote for me, everyone!
(End of this chapter)