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

Chapter 300 Meeting at Xuanwu Gate
"I lost."

Chen Yanran's voice was not loud, like a sigh squeezed from the depths of her throat, carrying a heavy sense of exhaustion, and it didn't even resonate in the empty square.

Chen Yanran couldn't help but pat his face. There was no other way; coffee and milk tea were no longer effective. He could only resort to this physical therapy to try and dispel the weariness and frustration that was almost completely engulfing him.

Compared to Yi Zheng, who has won four consecutive games so far and is as powerful as the rising sun, Chen Yanran... can be said to be completely numb from losing, numb from his fingertips to the top of his head, he's lost so much he's gone mad.

Four consecutive losses—these three simple words felt like three invisible mountains, weighing heavily on his back, making it almost impossible for him to straighten up.

The way of chess is profound, and luck is an invisible yet immense force.

As the saying goes, one must press on with one's might, for the second attempt will be less effective, and the third will be completely exhausted. Chen Yanran's momentum has already reached its limit at the very bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Although theoretically the skill gap between the eight players in the Go Saint Tournament is not particularly large, and it is normal for anyone to win or lose, losing four games in a row is still a bit abnormal.

After losing to Jiang Mobai, he lost to Zaxi Sangjie, then to Chu Tianjiao and Yi Zheng. There was no more to lose to him.

Chen Yanran can only console herself now that the opponents she encountered a few days ago were really too strong, which is why she kept losing, and it's not that she was in bad form.

After all, if you're really not in good form, you're doomed. You can't adjust in a short time, let alone if you keep losing, which will only affect your form even more.

Chen Yanran is in this state right now, her hair is messy and she is leaning against the chair, looking completely listless.

There was nothing wrong with it, but now everything has cameras, and as some people have complained, kids' embarrassing moments are all in high definition these days.

At this moment, the live stream was focused precisely on Chen Yanran's face, which was filled with "life is meaningless." His eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at some non-existent point in the air not far away.

As viewers watched Chen Yanran leaning back in her chair looking exhausted, various comments flooded the screen.

[Feeling completely drained.JPG]

[Yanran baby, you've worked so hard, Mommy feels so sorry for you (just kidding)]

[Upstairs mom fans, calm down! It's victory time for Empress Yi's Palace Group!]

[Classic Recitations: Are you suffering from kidney exhaustion? Feeling completely drained?]

[Medical students, please answer! How do I determine whether it's Yin deficiency or Yang deficiency? I need an answer urgently!]

Listen to me! A pale complexion and cold limbs indicate Yang deficiency; try some Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan! If you have night sweats, hot flashes, and restlessness, then you need Liu Wei Di Huang Wan! (Manual sarcasm)

[Pass it on! Yi Jianlian has once again completely drained his opponent's strength!]

[Pass it on! Emperor Yi has unleashed a martial arts masterpiece on the chessboard—'Double Anal-Digging with One Piece'!]

[Pass it on! Yi Huang has hollowed out his opponent Chen Yanran's chrysanthemum! The evidence is conclusive!]

[Hey! Are you trying to make me laugh so hard I'll inherit my newly signed up TMNO membership?]

[There's only one truth! Watch this crucial move (system-generated slow-motion GIF) – Yi Jianlian's mid-air thrust is brilliant! One move kills two dragons! The dragon-slaying tournament's designated dragon-slaying blade! If you don't get hollowed out, who will? (Tactical shrug.jpg)]

[I suggest Chen Yanran take inspiration from the esports players next door and quickly equip herself with a three-piece set: a thermos filled with goji berries, a neck pillow, and a tactical oxygen tank! Esports (?) doesn't believe in tears!]

[Just search 'Six Flavors Emperor Pills'! For the Emperor's rival! (Laughs like a pig)]

In fact, although Chen Yanran's state was extremely "depressed", it was still within the realm of human understanding in the extremely dense and brutal Go Saint League.

Four consecutive days of intense peak competition, with brainpower outputting at maximum power to extract the essence, each day often lasting five or six hours battling it out on the small chessboard, the mind always as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.

Once the game is over and you relax, you're immediately overwhelmed by a tremendous feeling of exhaustion and mental fatigue that can almost swallow you up. It would be a miracle if you were in good shape.

But netizens don't care about you. I'm using your memes to give you face and to get you traffic.

Today's victor, Yi Zheng, still looked refreshed and composed, as if he hadn't just experienced a fierce battle, but merely gone for a morning run.

There's no way around it; seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys always have inexhaustible energy, their physical functions are at their peak, their metabolism is off the charts, and they often even have the super buff of not gaining weight no matter how much they eat.

Energy recovers as quickly as lightning, and staying up all night feels like drinking cold water.

This state of being evoked tears of envy from the chess players who had long since passed the age of twenty-five. After all, once you're over twenty-five, even if you try to maintain it, you're nowhere near as good as you were when you were younger.

The state of the other top players who also finished their games confirms this point.

Looking around, apart from Yi Zheng, this shining "young and fresh" guy, the other seven "veteran" guys all had varying degrees of weariness on their faces. They were too lazy to even do a post-mortem analysis anymore.

Fortunately, all the top chess players were provided with assistants and support staff. Every night, their baths and massages were arranged by someone. Otherwise, they probably would have just gone home and gone straight to sleep.

The biggest challenge of this competition is that there isn't even a day of rest; everyone can only adjust their condition while sleeping at night.

Therefore, it is extremely difficult for players who are on a losing streak.

The competition has only been going on for four days, but the results page on the official website of the Chinese Chess Academy has already become a popular spot for chess fans and enthusiasts.

The scores, points, number of wins, opponent's score... all data is updated in real time and is crystal clear. Not to mention the netizens who have built-in Excel-like skills and are proficient in calculating scores, various leaderboards and posts analyzing the probability of qualifying have already flooded the Go forum.

First place: Yi Zheng, four points, four-game winning streak. A rising star, a true powerhouse!
Tied for first place: Jiang Mobai, with four points and a four-game winning streak. The current champion, the king of showing off!
These two players have very impressive records. After all, the skill gap between title holders is not large. Excluding the fact that their playing styles are incompatible and some opponents are difficult for them, the best they can achieve is a 70/30 split.

But this is a prerequisite for being number one: having a record that surpasses all others of the same era and completely defeating them.

Occasionally, someone who can achieve a 50/50 chance can be considered his nemesis.

Both of their next opponents have maintained a four-game winning streak in the first four rounds, but if they meet in the fifth round, only one of them can continue to maintain a perfect record.

However, the dean of Yunyi Chess Academy was all smiles, because if the funding was allocated according to the number of wins, Jiang Mobai and Chen Yanran from North China with 4+0 wins received the same amount of funding as Yi Zheng from East China with 4 consecutive wins.

Even if Chen Yanran suffers a seven-game losing streak, the funding for North China this year might not be as much as that for their own East China region.

Of course, this possibility is relatively small, but four consecutive wins is already a pretty good result, and there is even a high probability that they can advance to the finals.

After a brief debriefing, Yi Zheng and Chen Yanran nodded and prepared to leave. At that moment, Jiang Mobai slowly walked over.

Yi Zheng glanced at Jiang Mobai, who was wearing a trench coat even in the middle of summer, and didn't know where to begin complaining.

Although we live in the north, it doesn't mean it's not hot in the summer. The temperature is so high now that if we didn't have an outdoor air conditioner, no one could stand it.

And now you're wearing a trench coat? Aren't you afraid of getting heat rash? Are you risking your life just to show off?!

Moreover, Yi Zheng clearly remembered that when he was patrolling the area earlier, he saw that Jiang Mobai's hair was all messed up and his face looked stiff.

But now Jiang Mobai's hair is particularly smooth. Yi Zheng guessed that Jiang Mobai had specially gone to the side to get it styled, and judging from the way his hair looks, he even used hair gel.

Jiang Mobai stopped, cleared his throat, and then, as if reciting some sacred incantation, recited his signature pretentious entrance poem with deliberate intonation: "Sweeping through a hundred games, no chess opponent; emptying a thousand cups, a wine immortal!"

Then he raised his voice an octave higher: "Tomorrow is our match!"

Jiang Mobai looked at Yi Zheng standing opposite him. Sometimes he really didn't want to stand next to Yi Zheng. Not only was Yi Zheng really Meng Shiji, but also because standing with young people always made him feel like he was already an old man.

I'm only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, I should still be quite young.

"The chess academy must have told me back then that a ten-game winning streak would earn me the title of Chess Saint for life. My journey is still a few steps away."

—I, Jiang Mobai, will never be defeated!
Remember this, young man! As long as the emperor lives, the crown prince will always remain just a crown prince! This chair is not one you can covet!

Jiang Mobai's words were resounding, a defense of past glory, an obsession with the throne, and a deterrent and warning to the most threatening young challenger before him.

He is the undisputed supreme player in the Chinese Go world! His goal is to suppress any genius who dares to emerge in this era!

The only way to become a true and eternal king is to defeat the older generation of players when you're young, and then continue to suppress the younger generation when you're old!
Only by defeating the old James Harden when you're young and the young James Harden when you're old can you become the longest-lasting and strongest king!
Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng calmly raised his head and smiled: "Senior Brother Jiang, we also need to study history properly."

As the saying goes, "Shimin had no elder brother, and Zhu Di had no elder nephew." I'm very familiar with the script regarding the succession!

Rain or shine, we'll be waiting for you at Xuanwu Gate! Love you, Lao Jiang, see you at Xuanwu Gate tomorrow!

Raise an army (yes), reduce the power of the barbarians (no)
Fengtian Jingnan go, go, go
Come is to come, go is to go
Double Kill in Xuanwu Gate
Fengtian Grand Stage, if you have a nephew, come join us!
Xuanwu Grand Stage, come if you dare!
(End of this chapter)