The work of the Go master

Just then, Shuicheng knocked on the door: "Xiaoguang, have you changed your clothes? If you have, hurry up and take a bath. Once you're done, we can come out and do some activities together."

"They're here." Ke Zhiguang stopped recalling the two people from before.

After changing out of his soaking wet clothes, Ke Zhiguang put on a yukata and carried the bathtub toward the hot spring.

The hotel's hot spring pools are scattered across the hills, dozens of them in total. Guests can move from one pool to another. Each hot spring is covered by a canopy to block the snow, but a small amount of snowflakes can still fall in to enhance the ambiance.

The main pleasure of soaking in a hot spring is not just the hot water, but also the sensation of the cold air on the exposed part of the body and the hot water on the lower body, which creates a refreshing feeling of both hot and cold.

A wooden fence separates the men's and women's bath areas, dividing the entire hill in two, which speaks volumes about the high-end and expensive nature of this hot spring hotel.

Looking at such a high-end scene, Ke Zhiguang was quite doubtful that he had come to the wrong enemy.

These five travel vouchers were obtained from Zezi, but considering that Zezi is only at the professional level, it seems a bit incongruous for him to get such luxurious items; it would be more appropriate if they had come from Yabu.

Thinking of this, Ke Zhiguang suddenly became alert.

Based on initial experience and convention, these dropped items served as quest guides. However, as Ke Zhiguang entered Peach Blossom Village and began his unparalleled mowing-down-the-grass mode, the number of dropped items increased, and the quest-related aspects of the items diminished.

However, this travel voucher is one of the key items that were dropped at the beginning, and there might actually be some kind of mission guidance inside.

The foreshadowing by the god of quantum mechanics may have been laid long ago.

After understanding this, Ke Zhiguang became much more accepting of things.

Although being given a task during his vacation felt a bit like being forcibly called back to work by his boss, he firmly believed that the god of quantum mechanics was on his side. Even if he were to be given a task, it would only be a fun one that he could easily handle while on vacation.

Ke Zhiguang confidently walked into the hot spring area behind the hotel, ready to bring whatever he wanted.

With his current strength, ancient evil creatures are probably no longer able to get close to him. As long as nothing of the level of an ancient chess master comes near, everything will be fine.

Lifting the curtain and stepping into the back mountain, the temperature plummeted as soon as the heating was off, making one want to jump into a pool on the spot.

But Ke Zhiguang said he was fine. He had improved his cold resistance a lot during this period and was very calm in the face of the severe cold, comparable to the winter swimming pigeon.

The steam from the hot springs spread throughout the area, making the entire hill rise in a cloud of mist. The pebbles provided just the right amount of friction for the soles of the feet, and an electric-like pleasure surged through the acupoints.

As I passed by a hot spring, something was displayed on it.

【Blessed hot spring pool】

Sleep quality +100%

[Lasting all night]

See? It really did show something.

Looking around, every hot spring here seems to have its own unique effects, including those that evoke a strong sense of traditional Chinese medicine, such as "purifying toxins" and "promoting metabolism."

While ordinary hot springs can also have these effects, the fact that this hot spring specifically displays these effects indicates that its therapeutic effects are far superior to those of ordinary hot springs.

It seems that the god of quantum mechanics is indeed trying to help me.

If described in the style of fantasy novels, this place should be called a training room for those with superhuman abilities.

Ke Zhiguang continued walking deeper into the area. Following his good habit of checking the catalog before flipping through the books, he planned to browse around the entire place first before choosing a suitable hot spring pool to soak in.

As we reached the hot spring pool at the very end, a voice suddenly came from the rising steam: "Who is it?"

"Huh?" Ke Zhiguang was surprised for a moment. It turned out that such a good place had already been discovered.

The person on the other side of the fog continued, "Excuse me, I thought I was the only one here recently."

"It's okay, I also thought it was just me."

At this moment, a cold wind drifted in through the gaps in the roof, dispersing the mist for a moment and allowing Ke Zhiguang to see the face of the person soaking in the hot spring pool.

With just one glance, Ke Zhiguang was stunned into a daze.

This person...doesn't he look a bit like a bamboo swordsmith?

Chapter Five: The Wind, Carrying Dangerous Signals

In the misty fog, a man of similar age lay leaning against the edge of the hot spring. Although he was not very fleshy, he was exceptionally lean and had a strong oriental feel.

However, this face looks exactly like Brother Duanzi, doesn't it?

Especially with that signature fringe, can he really see what's in front of him like that?

Although Ke Zhiguang had never met the bamboo swordsmith in person, he still carefully memorized his face through magazines and newspapers. After all, the reason he embarked on this path was because he saw this person playing chess on television.

For the past six months, Zhudao has been out of the public eye in the Go world, but everyone knows he has been in seclusion to hone his skills.

As for the reason for his seclusion, Ke Zhiguang could probably understand it.

And then this hermit appeared right in front of me? So he'd been in seclusion in Hokkaido all along?

Regardless, Ke Zhiguang once again felt the tremor of an impending formidable enemy.

Although I had defeated him in an exciting way last time, it was obviously not convincing enough.

In the first half of that game, Shi Xin gave him a three-piece handicap. When Zhu Dao Duan took over midway, it was unclear what the odds were at that point. Perhaps Shi Xin deliberately tricked him, giving him a 73-3 advantage.

Anyone who has played a game with Shi Xin will forget it afterward, even if the players switch hands midway through the game.

Ke Zhiguang's only memory of that game was that, just when they were about to reach a draw with a four-ko cycle, he flipped the table and forcibly won an incredible ko, which also resulted in a large number of cherry blossoms blooming.

In short, he is very worthy of another match.

"Long time no see, Mr. Bamboo Sword. I didn't expect to meet you here." Ke Zhiguang raised his aura, stepped into the pool, and assumed a fencing stance.

But after I stepped on it, I felt something was wrong.

The hot spring was so hot that it almost forced you to step back.

【Emperor Pool】

[Gain countless bonuses]

[Prerequisite: Soak for a full hour]

What a great phrase, "gaining countless bonuses," it sounds like there are too many benefits to list.

However, this assumes that the water is soaked in such high temperatures for an hour.

In anime series, you often see a scene where two people are competing in a hot spring or sauna to see who can soak the longest, but the result is usually that both of them pass out and wake up to find themselves being resuscitated.

The correct way to soak in a hot spring is to cool off after soaking for a while.

Soaking someone in that water for an hour is practically murder.

"Is he one of my supporters? Excuse me, please wait a moment. I'll be done soaking in a few more minutes. It'll be almost an hour." Bamboo Blade held out his palm, indicating that he should be patient.

The man kept his eyes closed and didn't see Ke Zhiguang, clearly a StarCraft player.

"Excuse me, why are you soaking here for an hour?" Ke Zhiguang asked in surprise.

“This is part of my training. My teacher told me that after I soak in this hot spring for an hour, I will be reborn,” said Bamboo Blade, his eyes closed.

If I remember correctly, the master of the bamboo sword forging workshop was named Atokai Kuraemon, who was also a senior 9th dan.

"How long have you been soaking here?" Ke Zhiguang asked instinctively.

"It's been... 50 minutes. I'm about to pass the test. Please don't disturb me." Bamboo Blade Forged's brows were furrowed, as if he was concentrating on breaking through the demonic barrier.

Wow, they can actually soak here for almost an hour?

This must be the way ascetic monks practice!

In fact, Ke Zhiguang really wanted to remind him of something: taking a hot bath can easily damage one's genitals, just like how nobles in ancient Rome loved to soak in bathhouses, and most of these people were often infertile.

After some thought, Ke Zhiguang also came in to experience the sudden surge of heat.

It's hard to believe I could stay in a place like this for 50 minutes.

This is the Asura's way of cultivation... It's truly remarkable.

but--

So what exactly is the connection between this thing and improving chess skills? Is it really like some shonen manga where the main characters are thrown into a place, do some laundry and chop wood, and then they get the same improvement that Goku got from training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a whole year?

Ke Zhiguang stood there in the hot soup, facing off against the bamboo swordsmith on the opposite bank.

Although not on the chessboard, Ke Zhiguang could still feel the intensity coming from afar.

The storm, hotter than magma, was spreading outwards from the bamboo sword forging center, giving Ke Zhiguang the feeling that he was boiling the hot spring like a heating rod.

Ke Zhiguang never underestimated his opponent, especially after entering the Go Academy. He often heard people talking about the legend of Zhudao Forging, saying that he was very likely to become the first young generation to reach the 9-dan level, to win a major title, and then be promoted.

At the height of his fame, he chose to retreat into seclusion for spiritual practice, which, in many ways, demonstrates remarkable courage.

In conclusion, after nearly half a year of seclusion, he is not to be underestimated at this stage.

Finally, an hour later, the alarm clock placed by the hot spring rang. Bamboo Sword Forge immediately opened its eyes, stood up and leaped out of the hot spring, landing gracefully, its whole body flushed and hot.

"I...did it! I finally passed the test of the God of Hot Springs! Now I can leave the pass smoothly!" Bamboo Blade shouted excitedly to the sky.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. It's good that you're out of seclusion. Let's play a game of chess to calm your nerves first," said Ke Zhiguang.

"Want to play a game of chess? Who are you?" Bamboo Blade turned around in surprise, his mind still reeling.

Their eyes met.

"My name is Ke Zhiguang."

Upon hearing the name, Zhudao Tuan shuddered, as if recalling something, his fingers trembling: "You're Ke Zhiguang? You're the one who... with me that night..."

"Exactly."

"You, you, you, you!"

Each time he called out "you," he would take a step back, then cry out "Ah!" and fall back into the Emperor's Pool.

Hey...bro, are you alright?

Is this what you call passing the test and being reborn?

Ke Zhiguang frowned as if annoyed by the trouble, then pulled him out of the pool and found him unconscious.

This person had just been soaking in this scalding hot pool for an hour, and after getting out and cooling off for a short while, he was shocked again and fell in headfirst once more... In short, after a lot of turmoil, he ended up losing his life.

Judging from the visual effect, it looks like Ke Zhiguang's self-introduction scared Wang Lang out of his wits, comparable to Zhuge Liang cursing Wang Lang to death on the battlefield.

This person seems unreliable...

It looks like we'll have to wait until he wakes up to play another round.