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

Chapter 369 Finding Oneself
"Didn't Takenouchi 9th Dan come?"

After the match, Yi Zheng looked at the other chess players and reporters who flocked to the research room, but he didn't see the face he was looking forward to.

The official staff member of the competition organization looked slightly embarrassed upon hearing this, and said in a barely audible voice, "I...I didn't see Takenouchi-sensei..."

After all, they couldn't very well say that Takenouchi-sensei had already sprinted away from the Toyingo Go Association before the match ended; that would be disrespectful to a senior like him.

Yi Zheng could roughly guess what had happened. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a very subtle way, forming a delicate arc between mockery and disappointment.

It seems Takenouchi 9-dan isn't thick-skinned enough. Yi Zheng thought Takenouchi could stubbornly insist that Yi Zheng's victory over Kuroki Teruto was a victory of beauty over idiocy, and therefore a win! He forcibly twisted a game of Go tactics and concepts into yet another great victory for the "appearance association."

However, it is obvious that Takenouchi 9-dan's understanding of winning strategies is still too lacking. He can't win at everything, so he simply hides and pretends to be dead.

In this respect, the Japanese are far inferior to the Koreans and Indians. They can never reach the selfless state of mind of a certain cosmic superpower, where "everything can originate from me," nor can they reach the idealistic peak of some Indian strategic experts, who believe that "you don't win, only my victory counts."

They are not even as confident as the Americans who call themselves the Promised Land, because the Americans are genuinely arrogant, while the Japanese are arrogant on the surface but insecure inside.

Takenouchi essentially employed the traditional neon escape technique—"dogeza, shutting down his microphone and playing dead"—transforming into an ostrich by burying his head in the sand, pretending he had never been near the research lab.

On the surface, he's a Showa-era man; on the inside, he's a Reiwa-era otaku.

"That reduces the fun by more than half."

Yi Zheng couldn't help but shake his head. He was looking forward to slapping the other person in the face, but the other person just played the ostrich and wouldn't come out. There was no way for him to catch up with the other person and continue to slap them in the face.

I think I went a bit too far. I need to try a different approach next time and see if I can lure him out.

Although Kuroki Teruto had already conceded defeat, his mind still seemed to be on the chessboard. He pulled Yi Zheng along to continue reviewing the game, as if he was determined to understand everything.

The two reviewed the game for about half an hour, and Yi Zheng couldn't help but sigh: "Kuroki 9-dan, the problem now is not that you don't understand, you do understand, but the problem is that you don't accept it! Or rather, you refuse to accept it."

Simply put, the new ideas are in conflict with the education that Kuroki received from childhood, and Kuroki is unable to quickly reconstruct his view of Go.

With his abilities and calculation skills, he had actually understood it, but understanding is one thing, and being able to accept it is another.

Kuroki Teruto's current state is that his upbringing didn't support him doing this kind of thing. As for when he'll become a good judge of character, that depends on when he can get over that hurdle.

"Leaving your comfort zone is a painful thing, but if you want to go higher, you have to leave your comfort zone."

We've all seen further ahead, and no one wants to stay put. So even if it's painful, we must keep moving forward, because only in this way can we reach even higher peaks.

Yi Zheng left after saying a few words. The pain of transformation is inevitable, but it is something everyone must accept.

This is also true for Yi Zheng himself.

After the first two games of the five-game match, there was a day of rest. Yi Zheng, surrounded by everyone, returned to the hotel and reviewed the game with Master Ke.

Yi Zheng sat down on the sofa opposite Ke Lao, the sofa making a slight creaking sound: "How does it feel?" "From my perspective, this game was practically perfect. I'd give you 99 points, I'm afraid you'll get arrogant if I deduct one point."

Looking at the chessboard, Master Ke commented that Kuroki Teruto's understanding of thickness and thinness in the opening was completely outmaneuvered by Yi Zheng. He was also forced to leave the main battlefield and was severely punished by Yi Zheng. After that, he basically had no chance left, and Yi Zheng completely controlled the whole game.

A very beautiful game.

"But it's not quite like your usual style. The flavor has changed. You're seeking change."

Yi Zheng's usual style is very similar to that of Coach Ke, which is why many people call Yi Zheng "Little AlphaGo" because they are indeed very similar.

This is quite normal, as the formation of one's personal style is generally influenced by one's mentors, especially one's first teacher.

When Yi Zheng first started learning Go, he learned from Ma Zhaoxu, a 9-dan player. Later, he met Master Ke, which helped Yi Zheng reach an even higher level!

But now, Yi Zheng is changing his style.

Hearing this, Yi Zheng nodded. There was no point in hiding it: "If I rely on my past achievements with my current style, I think I can dominate the Go world for at least ten years without any problem."

But whether it's catching up with you, Mr. Ke, or facing even greater threats in the future, this is still far from enough.

I've been learning all along, like a sponge that can absorb any amount of water you pour in, but I've never been able to escape your confinement.

But what I'm learning is your approach, how to thoroughly transform the essence of it into my own style, and truly find my own way of playing – that's my next challenge.

Yi Zheng felt that he had trusted Ke Lao too much for a long time, accepting everything about him, which led to him gradually becoming like a younger version of Ke Lao.

However, there is always a limit to learning from others. Yi Zheng could clearly feel that this path was nearing its end. Simply learning from others would not allow him to surpass Master Ke. He had to find his own path.

"Don't make it sound so scary, it's not the end of the world."

Seeing Yi Zheng's serious expression, Ke Lao waved his hand. The emergence of artificial intelligence is unacceptable to many people, but it is only a blow to the Go industry. It has also made many people question their efforts over the years, but life still goes on as usual.

After glancing at the chessboard, Master Ke couldn't help but remind you, "But finding your own style is one thing, but don't get stuck on the details."

Old Ke was worried that Yi Zheng might do something stupid like starting all over again, which would be foolish.

Yi Zheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "It's not that bad. No matter what, I'm still me even if you abandon me. How could I possibly drop to the beginner level just by changing my style?"
What I want now is to figure out how to integrate what I've learned, so that there won't be any more "your moves" or "my moves."

"I'm really looking forward to it too."

Old Ke couldn't help but glance at Yi Zheng sitting opposite him. He was really looking forward to seeing how far Yi Zheng could go.

(End of this chapter)