The work of the Go master

"Quick! The competition is about to start, and these contestants are full of witty banter! We'll have enough material to keep us entertained for ten years!"

At Yunjing Middle School, the entire day's activities consisted of watching chess games. Students were all called to the gymnasium, and the images were projected onto a large screen, much like showing a movie in a courtyard.

Countless eyes are focused on today's match, and tomorrow, even more eyes will be on it.

Ke Zhiguang's team was all ready and waiting in the lounge, listening to the impending storm and crisis.

He glanced out the window and saw a seagull, separated from its companions, circling anxiously under the gloomy sky, looking lonely and desolate.

Sure enough, yesterday turned out to be the best day of the next few days.

Dark clouds lingered in the sky, blending with the sunlight to create a sky-blue hue reminiscent of the world's end. Countless photography enthusiasts brought out their cameras and aimed them at this spectacular celestial phenomenon.

It can basically be used directly as the opening of a tokusatsu drama, as a prelude to the appearance of a monster.

"That's really something. Since we set off, it feels like we haven't seen the sun for more than a few days!"

"It shouldn't rain heavily later, right?"

"It's alright. Even if it rains heavily, the ship can still sail. In fact, the ship will stay here for a while today. It will continue its voyage to its destination after the best-of-three final begins tomorrow."

"I have a bad feeling, this ship might encounter a tsunami..."

"Nonsense. Don't be fooled by the bad weather these past few days. The route we chose is perfectly fine. Even if a tsunami occurs, it won't hit this area."

The tourists on the Dragon Palace cruise ship were chatting excitedly, feeling as if they were watching a natural performance from a safe audience seat.

Ke Zhiguang stopped gazing out the window and turned his attention to his teammates to check on their condition.

Although everyone was in perfect form, the tension was still there, after all, this was a major title match, a floor that countless players could never reach in their entire lives.

Bamboo sword forging was frantically munching on chocolate, and not only that, it was also swallowing the character "人" (ren, meaning person) in its mouth.

Xingjia smiled and helped the other two girls with their makeup; she was probably the only one who wasn't nervous at all.

"Hey, Long'er, don't move. It'll be a real hassle if you mess up your eyeliner. Otherwise, you'll have to do panda makeup. But that's fine too, since the pendant on the back of your folding fan is a panda anyway," Xingjia threatened with a smile. Qingdaolu immediately stopped moving.

"Why would someone like you, a shut-in, wear makeup..." Harushima Kashiwa asked in a low voice, puzzled.

"Oh dear, Long'er, don't you know how to do makeup? That's an essential skill for girls."

Actually, the Celestial Palace title comes with the "Makeup Mastery" attribute.

"What do you know? I'm naturally beautiful, I don't need such things!"

"Really? If I remember correctly, you seem to always be buying cosmetics and beauty magazines, although you usually only use them once and then throw them into the storage cabinet because you find it too troublesome... But this also shows that you have a love for beauty that is both reluctant and eager."

"Ugh, Xingcai, you betrayed me!" Qingdaolu naturally felt that Xingcai was the one who leaked the secret.

The three of them were getting their makeup done and it looked like they were about to fight.

Speaking of which, whenever girls appear in a trio, they always manage to form a wonderful group, like Bai Meng's family of three.

At this moment, Xingjia turned around and winked at Ke Zhiguang, meaning, "I will take care of these two little girls."

Hmm... This woman's overwhelming aura and shrine maiden-like presence are truly amazing; she's a professional counselor for little girls' anxiety and tension symptoms.

Since that's the case, I'll just give Duanzi a little pointer... Well, as the most manly person on the team, he probably doesn't need this kind of extra help. I believe that the moment he touches the chess piece, all the tension will turn into maximum motivation.

Just like that, more than ten minutes passed, and their makeup was done.

"What the hell? What is this?" Harushima Deer looked at herself in the mirror, her face twitching.

Her childish face looked even more childish, and the upturned corners of her eyes, which originally carried a hint of maturity and stubbornness, were smoothed out, making her appear harmless.

The age has dropped even further...

On the other hand, Xingcai is going in the opposite direction. With deep eyeliner and a sharp, mature temperament, she has given this ordinary girl a layer of armor.

"What is this?" Xingcai looked at her suddenly unfamiliar reflection in the mirror and touched her cheek.

"This is a gift for the two of you. Use this makeup to defeat your respective opponents." Xingjia hugged the depressed Qingdaolu and the stunned Xingcai as if they were taking a photo booth picture, and made a peace sign in front of the mirror.

The final team battle for the Dragon Throne will still consist of four matches played in one day, but the order of appearance will be sequential, rather than all four players appearing at the same time.

It's 8 a.m. The first match is the vanguard battle, with each side having four hours to play, and no countdown timer.

After 10 o'clock, the second match will follow immediately, the second-round match, with both sides having a time limit of three hours and no countdown.

At midnight, the battle skips the main battle and proceeds directly to the deputy general battle, which lasts for two hours with no countdown.

At 2 PM, the middle battle began, with no time limit and a countdown of 30 seconds.

The four rounds can be played with different duration rules, but if managed properly, they can all end at the same time.

Except for the final rapid chess game with a time limit, in the other three games, whichever side wins will have 30 minutes deducted from the remaining time of the winning side of the opponent's captain.

For example, if Shizuka Harushima really keeps his promise and treats Shizuru Fuchigami like a child, and the remaining time at the end of the game is 50 minutes to 5 minutes, then Tatsumi Koshikawa's reserve time for each game will be reduced by 75 minutes, which is a huge disadvantage.

In Dragon Throne Battle, each side has only 3 hours of reserve time, with a countdown of 3 x 1 minutes.

Just like the plan devised by Yagami Kunikyo, the ideal situation is to use the overall strength of the Nine-Dan Group to directly reduce Koshikawa Tatsumi to a lone commander with zero backup time.

In the mid-level rapid chess game, although there is no limit to the number of times the timer can be used, the timer duration for the final main battle will be reduced by 1 for each additional timer used compared to the opponent.

If we win, the countdown time will be reduced by 10 seconds.

However, the bottom line for breaking through is 30 seconds. Even if you win a lot, the final battle of the main general will still have at least 3 x 30 seconds of countdown time, so it won't all be wiped out directly.

This is the arena that Yagami Kunikyo used to punish Koshikawa Tatsumi, but now this operation will be carried out by their own team.

"It's time for the match. Please have the vanguard enter the field," a staff member announced from outside the door.

The sound of the waves intensified, and the restless seagull finally accelerated and rushed out, leaving the area where it had been circling anxiously.

Xingjia loosened her grip on the two of them, a smile spreading across her face: "Take care, everyone... I hope your makeup will still be on your faces when it's all over."

"Okay, stop with the cool talk and get on!" Harushima Shika gave the other person a shove.

With a graceful turn, her long, black hair billowed as she stepped out the door in her wooden clogs.

Ke Zhiguang waved behind her.

Inside the game room, the doors were flung open to the left and right, and a powerful storm roared in!

"It's finally here! This team match, which can be called the battle of the century, features Inoue Hoshino 8-dan and Nishi Chiaki 9-dan! It's rare to see a female player on this stage!"

"Both are players who rely on internal strength, and they are particularly good at playing slow chess. This game, with each side having four hours of play time, is perfect for these two to determine the winner!"

“Miss Xingjia, this is our first time meeting, isn’t it?” Nishi Chiaki said, shaking his collar.

"Yes, every single one of your appointments has been rejected by the gods. Maybe you're not very popular with them," Xingjia said with a smile, covering her mouth.

After a polite provocation, surrounded by cameras, the two sat down at the chessboard, their eyes meeting without flinching.

The pieces are drawn, the player guesses who goes first, and the game begins.

The first black stone was placed by Nishi Chiaki!

Xingjia's eyes flickered.

An indescribable force was transmitted from the opponent's pieces.

Its state has also reached perfection.

"So that's how it is. This is the power of the Dragon Throne." Xingjia sighed helplessly.

—Mr. Guang, you're in a difficult situation now.

As the game of chess progressed, a light drizzle began to fall.

Before a real thunderstorm arrives, there is always a light rain as a prelude.

Ke Zhiguang reached out to catch the raindrops, but quickly turned his attention back to the television broadcast in front of him.

"These two are really slow. They came up by taking small steps and frantically trying to get to the ground..." Harushima Kashiwa said, yawning.

"I really can't believe it. This flashy guy is actually a chess player with internal strength. Can he sit still?" Ke Zhiguang asked, resting his chin on his hand.

"That's what makes him so remarkable. In his own words, the reason he could endure three months of arduous preparation and two days of tedious sitting was because he knew he had a nine-month vacation ahead... As long as you know why you live, you can endure anything in life. He's a ruthless person." Bamboo Blade Forging nodded.

"I see, that's a bit like me." Ke Zhiguang nodded, suddenly understanding why the other person had 50 points.

"How could you possibly endure three months of arduous preparation?" Harushima Kashima complained.

"Oh, I forgot, I don't think it was that tough for me." Ke Zhiguang slapped his palm, suddenly realizing, "What? I'm still better than him."

"Pah! Pah! Pah! How come you can always twist anything into praising you!"

On a remote, uninhabited island, Yagami Kunikyo was already in position, having arrived at his villa there.

"Just drop me off here, you can go back now," he said to his butler-like servant.

"Yes, sir, please be careful." The butler bowed and stepped back, leaving the deserted island with all the other entourage.

Yagami Kunikyo sighed deeply, then sat down on the sofa in the living room, turned on the TV to watch today's match, his gaze as steady as ever.

Around the uninhabited island, the seawater was already surging and undulating, ready to crash onto the shore at any moment.

The chess pieces move through the hourglass of time, colliding in the metaphysical space with countless calculations and battles!

"Nishi Chiaki chose to place his piece in this position. It has to be said that this is a move that truly tests one's skill. It's not a move that grants initiative, nor does it count towards points, but it concerns the ambiguous balance and aftereffects of the move. No one can say for sure whether this move is good or bad..."

"Xingjia's response was also quite peculiar. She feinted and jumped into the air. Neither side chose to make contact with their pieces. That's definitely her style of play."

On the chessboard, two concentrated auras collided, testing each other's strength, each move carrying an ancient aesthetic.

“This… I feel like I’m watching two old men play chess…” Harushima Shika said.

The game is progressing quite slowly; it's been almost two hours and only 30 moves have been played—enough for some fast players to play two games in one.

At this level of skill, it's basically impossible to discern which is better or worse.

Even through the screen, Ke Zhiguang could see the unusual special effects on the chessboard.

Every move by Nishi Chiaki is shrouded in an unsettling mist, brimming with an eerie quality that subtly makes one lose their senses.

From this position, the other party's symbolic spirit cannot be seen, but Ke Zhiguang also felt that this was not a special effect that he himself carried.

"Alright, it's my turn. I've already changed my clothes." Xingjia came out of the dressing room next door, clutching her trembling chest and gasping for breath.

It's almost ten o'clock, it's her turn to go on.

And the clothes she changed into... were truly a sight to behold.

It was an orange Japanese-style adult formal dress, with fluffy trim around the neck and embroidered carp, lotus flowers, and bamboo leaves on the sleeves—a truly magnificent outfit.

The mature makeup on her face perfectly matched her outfit, suggesting that Xingjia had planned this all along.