The work of the Go master

2 points.

3 points.

6 points.

8 points.

......

It doesn't seem too difficult to accumulate 10 points; you can easily get it by defeating just two people.

Moreover, with the Grandmasters Tournament approaching, everyone is now training in rapid chess, and if they are efficient, they can play almost 10 games a day.

In addition to studying the points each player carries, Ke Zhiguang also pays attention to the correlation between points and their chess strength.

The results showed that the score a chess player carries is not directly proportional to their chess strength.

Some chess players are clearly weak, but they carry a score of 8 points.

Some strong players only carry 3 points.

"Hey, good morning, Koji Mitsuaki." Yamaoka suddenly came over to greet him.

"Good morning." Ke Zhiguang continued to observe his surroundings.

"It's really rare to see you get up so early for work. If I went to Hokkaido for two weeks and came back, I would probably be exhausted the next day."

"Well, the early bird catches the worm."

"Um???"

—What does that mean?

So you really think we're nothing special?

Ke Zhiguang finished his rounds of inspection.

The highest score you can carry is only 9 points.

It looks like this is another task that requires patience and time to complete slowly.

But when his gaze returned to Yamaoka, he froze.

"Why are you able to carry 20 points?"

Chapter Thirty: Can we have a... I mean, a game?

"Huh?" Yamaoka asked, puzzled.

"Stop talking and let's play a game."

Yamaoka was thus caught by Koji Mitsu and brought to the chessboard for a tense and exciting rapid game.

Although Koichi Hikaru's chess skills have been improving rapidly recently, Yamaoka has also made significant progress.

No matter what, he was a strong person who could reach the second stage at the initial stage. It's just that he hung out with Ke Zhiguang every day, which gave others the illusion that he was very weak.

“Although rapid chess is your domain, mine is not bad either,” Yamaoka said confidently, striking a pose as if he were about to engage in a gangster fight.

"Then, let's go."

The game ended in the blink of an eye—

Yamaoka slammed his fist on the table.

"Damn it, it's still as steady as ever..."

After the game ended, the special effects disappeared, but the expected "ding—your 20 points have been credited to your account" notification sound did not come.

It's unclear how it will be scored.

After being in near-perfect condition, Ke Zhiguang played very steadily in this game, giving Yamaoka no chance.

As for Yamaoka's strength and condition, they were just as Koji Mitsuaki had expected.

This person had just returned from vacation and was completely rusty, so brushing was quite easy for him.

This score doesn't represent ability or current form, so what does it actually represent?

Ke Zhiguang continued to observe his surroundings. In his view, in addition to the items that could be dropped, each person also had a string of Arabic numerals with scores ranging from 1 to 10.

In comparison, Yamaoka's 20 seems particularly special.

Looking at Yamaoka again, a small countdown clock suddenly appeared after the number 20 displayed next to him, indicating a 24-hour period.

A cooldown period of up to one day.

"Let's review the game," Yamaoka sighed, wiping the board.

"coming."

"I just don't understand, why are you so good at blitz chess?" Yamaoka asked, scratching his head.

"Didn't you just say your blitz chess skills were pretty good?"

Yamaoka choked up: "This... I was just a little tipsy, well, just a little tipsy."

As we were reviewing the game, Xia Fuying and Naosaka walked over together: "Your performance was still outstanding, Koji Mitsuaki. In this tournament of famous generals, it must have been a three-way battle between you, Taketō Kaname, and Gentama Tomoyuki, right?"

Upon seeing the two approach, Yamaoka immediately bowed and said, "Good morning, both of you."

Good morning, you two.

But Ke Zhiguang then added, "So, when will you Photoshop me onto the magazine cover?"

"Haha, you'll be in the next episode, don't worry about that."

Amidst the banter, Ke Zhiguang continued to observe the two of them with his eyes—

Xia Fuying got 7 points and Naosaka got 9 points, which are already considered high scores.

Suddenly, the sounds of pieces being placed in the training hall all disappeared at the same moment.

Bamboo swordsmith stepped into this place.

Although everyone worked so hard mainly to fight against Ke Zhiguang, in terms of sheer intimidation, Zhu Daoduan was stronger, after all, his eyes looked more aggressive.

Across half the training hall, Ke Zhiguang and Zhu Daoduan exchanged a glance, but neither of them showed any intention of approaching the other to start a fight.

Seeded players typically do not schedule practice sessions before the official start of the competition.

Bamboo Knife Forging's figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor, went up one floor, and entered another training hall.

His base score was a whopping 30.

I understand this scoring standard less and less.

"Is this also part of the pre-match provocation? Sure, sure, this tournament is bound to be the most exciting ever," Xia Fuying said with satisfaction.

Although traditionally, chess players are expected to be humble and refined, young people today don't appreciate this and prefer to rebel and be flamboyant. For the traditional older generation, even if they don't like this behavior, they have to acknowledge it.

"I'd like to ask how he managed to train in seclusion in Hokkaido. Did he really have someone training with him there?" Ke Zhiguang asked with surprise.

Xia Fuying replied, "Yes, and he is definitely strong enough... Kitaro Hikaze, the current holder of the Moon God title."

"The holders of the three major titles are personally helping him?"

“Yes, compared to Yagami Kunikyo and Koshikawa Tatsumi, Hikaze Tani Kitaro has a very good temper, is easy to talk to, and has no ambition. Even if an ordinary player goes to him for advice, he will most likely agree,” Xia Fuying said, as if describing a kind grandfather.

Ke Zhiguang recalled the newspaper clipping pasted on his desk, featuring the image of Kitaro Nikikawa.

To be honest, this guy doesn't look like a good person either.

Moreover, this person practically had the word "ghost" written all over their face.

Xia Fuying seemed to have noticed Ke Zhiguang's doubts and smiled frankly: "This is just the personal style of Nikuka Kitaro. Don't be fooled by the fact that he holds the same level as the Moon Sky, the City Chess, and the Dragon Throne. He has different pursuits than those two."

Naosaka added, "Besides their playing style, each player pursues different things on this path. The further you go, the more interesting you'll find these guys."

“Yes, I understand.” Ke Zhiguang nodded, turned back to continue reviewing the game with Yamaoka, and then went to hunt other targets.

The workday passed quickly. When I left the chess academy, it was already 8 p.m. The air suddenly turned cold and the lights became bright.

Guess how many demons and monsters are lurking beneath this glamorous exterior of the city?

Ke Zhiguang subconsciously stood on the steps of the chess academy square for a while before walking forward.

I only managed to score 53 points today, which is much slower than I expected.

"Who could possibly be carrying a large number of points...?" Ke Zhiguang pondered this question as he walked through the bustling streets.

Suddenly, a familiar greeting came from the front of the street: "Hey, senior, are you off work now?"

Ke Zhiguang looked up at the sound and saw Xingcai standing in front of him, wearing a business trench coat that seemed a bit too old for her, and also wrapped in a thick scarf.

The shop next door was a beverage shop, similar to a milk tea shop, where she had just been waiting for her drink.

"Are you just finishing work now?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Yes, my work here is very busy, but I'm more curious, I didn't know you would get off work this late, senior..." Xingcai covered her mouth and smiled slightly, as if she felt a little bit of satisfaction.

It really feels great to see others get off work late.

Having studied under Harushima Kashima for so long, her improvement in chess skills may be secondary; what she has truly mastered is how to get the thrill of the game.

"I'm working overtime voluntarily, and without asking for overtime pay. If the boss knew about my noble act, he might be so moved that he'd betroth his daughter to me," Ke Zhiguang replied in a sarcastic tone, treating it as a relaxing activity after get off work.

"No way, the boss will only visit you after you've lost all your hair from overwork and are in the hospital. He'll be touched and buy some fruit, hold your hand, and say, 'Thank you for your hard work that allowed me to live in a mansion. Young people should exercise more like you.'" Although Xingcai's expression didn't change much, her tone of voice was a perfect imitation, capturing the essence of the character perfectly.

After the relaxed, joking conversation ended, Ke Zhiguang waved and said, "I'll be going now."

"Okay, take care. School starts in a few days. I hope to see you on the first day of school, standing on the podium and giving a speech."

Although their conversation seemed quite adult, and they were both returning from their respective workplaces, they still seemed to genuinely carry the aura of students.

He must have become a legendary figure at the school by now. If he were to step into the school gate, the entire teaching building would be empty. The principal might even be at the front of the student line with his autograph book in hand.

"Yes, I will go... but let me make this clear first, I'm not going to show off or anything, but simply for my alma mater and its sacred learning environment. Do you believe me if I say that?"

"Hehe, if you take away the line 'Do you believe me when I say this?', I would think it was a line from Senior Harushima."

Well......

That makes sense. Without that sarcastic rhetorical question at the end, the whole line would sound really awkward.

Could it be that after spending so much time with her, I've become like a deer myself?