The work of the Go master

Those who were watching TV also turned it off.

Although the person explaining the game was still explaining it, it was obvious that his pace had paused.

All eyes in the room turned to him.

Both convey a rather restrained yet profound sense of aggression.

As a professional challenger, Ke Zhiguang was used to the unvarnished hostility coming from all directions, and even quite enjoyed the thrill of mowing down enemies.

But all of those were in clubs, chess halls, team competitions, and Peach Blossom Studio, where the chess players ranged from fry to sharks, but ultimately they all came down to being fish.

But it's different here. Everyone around him is a veteran with years of experience in the competition. Ke Zhiguang's expression is no longer the naive hostility he used to have, but a more reserved one.

It wasn't hostility, nor was it an attack; it was more of a display of simple interest.

If the area was still in the mortal realm before, it was already surrounded by immortal sects, with everyone starting at the red level and only one weakling at the orange level.

Huh?

So this orange one is the hill.

Ahem, sorry.

In short, the exhilarating feeling of playing against many opponents like before can only be sealed away as a memory. The next time I experience that kind of pleasure will probably be after I've achieved success and fame, when I'm giving guidance to students in the academy.

"I never thought I'd be the first one." Sasahara Noriyuki looked both honored and embarrassed, and could only scratch his head.

"You expected I would challenge you?"

“Of course, we’re all ready. You defeated the prince-like Yabu Ruijin, and we all predict that you will become the number one in the Go world, and may even challenge the throne of Master Ishishin,” Sasahara Noriyuki said. “A new king like you always has to make a splash, right?”

Yamaoka: "Master Shishin? Who's that?"

There was a moment of tacit silence around him, and his question was ignored.

Yamaoka glared at him.

—What's going on? Why do I feel like I've been excluded from some incredible secret?

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Anyway, we were all prepared to be challenged by you, but we didn't expect me to be the first one. We thought you would choose someone with a lower rank to fight," said Sasahara Noriyuki.

"Huh? Senior, aren't you already low enough?" Ke Zhiguang scratched his head in confusion, subconsciously using the ninth dan as a reference point.

"Huh?" Sasahara Noriyuki choked, feeling as if he had been hit on the head with a 5-ton iron block.

Well, thinking about it carefully, I haven't actually defeated Saito properly. I've only relied on the blitz rules. In other words, I haven't defeated a 9-dan yet. It's a bit unfair to compare him to that number right off the bat.

Fine, let them provoke me. People in this line of work all have their own unique skills in provoking others.

After regaining his composure, Sasahara Noriyuki shrugged and gave a wry smile: "It seems I've really been underestimated by my juniors, don't you think? Junji?"

Narita Shunji helplessly shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll take this provocation. Let’s get started quickly. Considering you’re a newly promoted third dan and just arrived today, I won’t charge you a match fee.” Sasahara Noriyuki took his seat first.

"What about the fees after winning or losing?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"About this..."

As Sasahara Noriyuki was pondering, Narita Shunji said, "Why don't we all make a bet? Everyone's focused on this game anyway."

After saying that, he stacked two 10,000 yuan bills on the table.

Looks like this is going to be a big deal.

The onlookers also started to move, coming over to symbolically toss in one or two banknotes and place their bets on the side they favored.

“It’s just a regular activity. If there’s a game that’s worth watching, people will come and play like this,” said Toshiharu Narita.

Usually, the games that can capture everyone's interest are the final games of major tournaments. At that time, anyone sitting in the chess academy watching the live broadcast will be unable to resist placing a bet.

This is the first time that a regular practice game has attracted so much attention.

"Yamaoka, lend me ten thousand," Ke Zhiguang said.

Yamaoka sighed, "Yes, yes, I'm scared of you."

Yamaoka squeezed out 30,000 from his not-so-bulky wallet and bet it on Ke Zhiguang.

The remaining 20,000 was his own bet.

As a newly minted 3-dan, challenging a 6-dan right off the bat should theoretically result in being turned away, but considering that this person is Ke Zhiguang, well... well, let's just say it's not his place.

Moreover, he had heard this saying in the past few days: if someone is initially assigned to the second dan, it is usually assumed that they have the ability to challenge the fourth dan.

As for how high the initial three-dan level is, it is very likely that it will just double and reach the sixth dan.

Sasahara Noriyuki is a typical sixth-dan player. He climbed his rank step by step through promotion tournaments, without any record of winning championships to advance several ranks.

Those who climb the ranks through the regular promotion tournaments often possess the hard skills associated with their rank, which is quite genuine.

As for someone like Ke Zhiguang, who is initially ranked as a third dan, his actual strength is uncertain. He might win two more championships and become a sixth dan. If he can win a major title next year, he will become a ninth dan.

He achieved his professional rank in July of this year, and the Dragon Throne Tournament is in May of next year. Theoretically, it will only take him 10 months to go from his debut to 9th dan.

This is exactly what everyone here is hoping for—to see it happen, and to see it get thwarted halfway through.

Of course, many people are hoping it will be eliminated, since they are all in the same industry. Rather than the overall prosperity of the chess world, they would rather see their friend die than themselves.

“Then, let’s begin,” Ke Zhiguang said, as he placed the chess piece in his hand in a firm arc.

An immense pressure, almost equivalent to Yabu's strength, swept in.

However, there was no excessive hatred or hostility; they simply regarded Ke Zhiguang as an ordinary opponent.

.......

.......

The sky quickly darkened, and flocks of crows perched on the telephone poles along the street, watching over the traffic during the rush hour.

Sasahara Noriyuki placed his last piece in the corner, resigning the game.

"So that's how it is. Is this the strength that allowed you to defeat the Crown Prince and secure a spot in the initial third rank? Looks like I need to get on your good side beforehand." Sasahara Kiyuki said, yawning and rubbing his forehead.

"Senior Sixth Dan, you are also very strong. If you hadn't gotten carried away halfway through, I think I would have had a hard time winning," Ke Zhiguang answered truthfully.

"Hey, you keep calling me a sixth-dan, have you forgotten my name?" Sasahara Noriyuki was hit by the small iron block again.

"Hmph, how could I do something so rude? Senior, what's your name...?" Ke Zhiguang quickly turned his head and asked Yamaoka in a low voice, "What's his name again?"

"Fine, sixth dan is fine too, it's one of my few labels anyway." Sasahara Noriyuki accepted it helplessly.

"Yes, Sixth Dan Senior."

"This... alright." Sasahara Noriyuki was still choked up. It was just a joke, but he actually went along with it.

"I'll be going now, see you later." Ke Zhiguang said, getting up and hoisting the school uniform he had put aside onto his shoulder.

"So rushed, are you going on a date?" Narita Shunji teased him from behind. As a dashing and debonair active high school boy, he shouldn't have any trouble with that kind of thing, right?

Yamaoka nodded, indicating that this was highly likely, and that the date might involve multiple people.

"The weather's nice tonight, I think something interesting might happen." Ke Zhiguang glanced out the window, uttered this cryptic remark, and left.

Based on his experience of observing celestial phenomena at night over many days.

Something interesting might happen tonight.

For example, you could visit that music and video store.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Demon King

At 8 p.m., more than three weeks later, Ke Zhiguang returned to the alley entrance of the audio-visual store.

This place still looks very eerie.

The streetlight at the alley entrance often flickers, but no one seems to come to fix it; it's just left there to die out on its own.

After thinking about it, I realized that everything still had to start from this place: the mysterious shop and the mysterious owner.

After clocking out at the Go academy, Ke Zhiguang made a detour to Taohuazhai to retrieve the loot Sasahara Kiyuki had dropped. Unfortunately, the loot was all rather unreliable stuff, like a "VIP Gym Voucher" with the caption, "Find a messy gym and happily become a member!"

There was also a "Shooting Skill Scroll." Upon seeing this scroll, Ke Zhiguang happily assumed there would be a mission involving fighting, and with a gun no less. However, the accompanying text read, "There won't be the kind of storyline you're expecting."

In a single sentence, Ke Zhiguang's illusions were extinguished.

In the past, Ke Zhiguang would have thought that these special scrolls would have unexpected and crucial effects. However, after spending so much time at Peach Blossom Inn, he had accumulated quite a few similar cards and scrolls, including a bunch of strange shop membership cards, from hotels to barbershops. His skill scrolls ranged from repairing radios to 100% accuracy on cockroaches. Although having many skills is never a bad thing, it was still quite frustrating to carry around a bunch of useless skills.

The reason he rushed to work to clock in was not only to salvage his attendance record after seventeen days of absence, but also to farm treasure maps.

The treasure map quest series has started again, as if hinting that a new storm has arrived and an urgent boost is needed.

The first new treasure map was obtained from Saito, and it gave him a skill scroll with a curse attack effect.

While this skill is indeed quite satisfying in many ways, as it can inflict some down-to-earth debuffs on opponents you don't like, it didn't play any substantial role in the battle against Yabu; it was more like an Easter egg performance.

It may not be time for it to truly come into play yet.

Or rather, a second treasure map is needed to complete the process.

Considering the possibility of finding a treasure map, he quickly found a sixth-dan senior to fight, but it seems he chose the wrong opponent.

As expected, treasure maps are always found by chance. The more you actively search for them, the less likely you are to find them. Just like the last treasure map in the previous series, the last treasure map was on Akio Masakazu. Who would have thought it was so close by?

Since that's the case, let's just be reckless, like now.

Entering the boss's shop naked is like taking an exam without any preparation.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?" Ke Zhiguang stepped into the shop from the threshold, already prepared to face the owner directly.

But there was no one inside.

The only sign on the counter that reads "The owner is out on business; please select and pay for your own items" gives me considerable confidence in the security and customer behavior here.

Although it wasn't expected to be a legitimate business that made a profit, this kind of laissez-faire management style can be described as unrestrained.

Ke Zhiguang sensed a conspiracy.

Is it possible that the boss was deliberately avoiding him, and as soon as he learned that he was coming here, he immediately ran away?

Or perhaps they deliberately left the venue empty, guiding him to discover something.

Ke Zhiguang didn't think too much about it and started investigating the audio-visual store on his own.

First, check the videotapes displayed on the most conspicuous shelves one by one. Or, if you're feeling a bit low-class, just take the videotape out of the box and glance at it.