The work of the Go master

"Then our family must be going through the cycle of four tribulations, right?" The daughter was very clever and immediately understood.

“Yes, the cycle of four tribulations.” The man smiled.

A draw....

The cycle of four kalpas...

Xingcai suddenly realized something and decisively drew her chess piece when only one minute remained.

The buzzing vibration sounded like a bee rapidly flapping its wings!

Move 141! Black has squeezed a cluster of pieces into the eye space!

142 blocks! 143 hands, keep building wards!

"This...this is the fourth calamity?" Da Mu asked in surprise.

"Yes, speaking of which, this whole chess piece shape is really strange, it looks like a honeycomb."

"Honeycomb" is also an internal Go slang term, slightly less widely known than "Old Man Pushing a Cart." It refers to an area where Go pieces are frantically plucking each other, creating holes like a beehive.

However, in this game, this particular area wasn't about plucking the flower; rather, the bees diligently built their nest, stacking small rooms one after another...

The queen bee sprinted toward the colossal Emperor Rhinoceros Beetle!

But in the next instant, a hexagonal light membrane unfolded around it, like an energy shield, protecting it from the rhinoceros beetle's fierce attack!

Hive Barrier! Activate!

Hexagons stretched across the night sky in geometric multiples, completely encasing the rhinoceros beetle within them!

Everyone understood what would happen if they followed the script, and they all showed expressions of surprise!

This included Ke Zhiguang, as well as Jiang Men himself; the only one who wasn't surprised was Xing Cai herself.

"A four-ko cycle? Could it be that such an extremely rare game is really going to happen?" Naosaka also realized it.

Move 156! The gatekeeper slammed the gate on Black's capture, refusing a draw!

The hexagonal light membrane was subjected to a violent earthquake!

157 moves! Xingcai, without hesitation, pressed her piece firmly onto White's liberties! She reinforced the light barrier!

"Is this... a draw? It looks like a draw to me," Shika Harushima asked.

"It seems like a draw is the only option." Ke Zhiguang nodded, having calculated the upcoming changes.

He had indeed anticipated that the following changes would be extremely complex, but he hadn't expected it to be a draw.

Perhaps this is what it means to be a player who specializes in playing against their father... When facing their father, their fighting power can increase several levels...

Seeing the impending draw, Xingjia's eyes flickered, and she clenched her fists: "Go, Xingcai, let Father see... your resolve..."

158, 159, 160, 161!

Like an irreversible gear spinning rapidly!

The hexagonal honeycomb barrier is becoming increasingly robust...

163rd move, the last move.....

A four-ko cycle, a draw, achieved.

The rhinoceros beetle was trapped inside the barrier, separated from the bees outside by a wall.

No one can hurt anyone else; that's the final result.

The referee paused for a long time before speaking: "This game ended in a draw after four kos, but the remaining time for Inoue Masakado's side is still calculated, 13 minutes."

After he finished speaking, the referee began to applaud.

On the entire ship, all the knowledgeable chess players stood up and applauded, including the two commentators. On the other side, in Japan, many chess pros also clapped enthusiastically.

"Why is everyone clapping?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"This is a tradition. I think it was Hanno-sensei who said that if such a rare ending to a game is achieved, everyone should applaud and celebrate... Later, I don't know how, but whenever a draw occurs in a major competition, everyone stands up and applauds. It has become a ritual." Harushima Shika absentmindedly clasped his hands together, his main thoughts still immersed in the unbelievable draw.

"So it's Professor Hanno..." Ke Zhiguang said with amusement, and then clapped.

He then remembered a trivial matter.

When the god of quantum mechanics initially recommended Star Bride as a teammate, he added this comment: "Let's reconcile our families on the chessboard!"

It turns out it wasn't some kind of emotional breakdown, but a draw in a game of chess.

Thinking about it this way, it really does make one feel a little warm.

Jiang Men also stood up and applauded, but his expression remained largely unmoved.

Xingcai was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses in front of the chessboard. She bowed awkwardly and then started to clap her hands, managing to catch the last train of applause.

“You’ve grown up…” Jiang Men said.

Xingcai's heart stirred, but when she looked up, she only saw the back of Jiangmen as he left.

The result was unexpected, yet also reasonable: he neither won against his father nor lost to him.

The fist that had been clenched tightly in her chest, wanting to deliver a vicious blow to her father's face, was instead gradually released.

"That concludes today's matches. The process was quite exciting, and I hope viewers will take the time to watch the replay... The final result..." Naosaka announced in a loud voice, "The final Dragon Throne Captain Battle: Challenger Koji Mitsuaki vs. Current Dragon Throne Ryuki Koshikawa. Koji Mitsuaki has 3 hours of reserve time and 3 x 56 seconds of countdown!"

Oki then took over the line and announced: "Tatsumi Koshikawa has 2 hours and 49 minutes of reserve time, with 3 x 60-second countdowns. The conditions for both sides are quite close, making it a very evenly matched contest!"

"The match will be held promptly at 8:00 AM tomorrow..."

Just as Naosaka was about to read out "progress," a sudden yet incredibly captivating voice descended from the sky:

"The match will begin in ten minutes!"

Everyone was frozen in place.

That's the voice of Tatsumi Koshikawa.

What? Another round in ten minutes?

It's almost 4 PM now. Are we going to play another round and keep going until late at night?

"Speaking of which, this is the first time the boss has spoken in front of everyone. As expected, this man with an excessive desire to perform has chosen to put on a show," said Shizuru Fuchigami.

"As expected of the boss, he always strikes at the perfect moment," Nishi Chiaki said.

Before anyone could react, he continued to announce over the loudspeaker to the entire ship and the television station: "After watching so many exciting games, I'm sure everyone is eagerly anticipating the next one. I'm sure you feel the same way, right, Koji Hikaru?"

He deliberately elongated the last syllable of "light," and his Chinese pronunciation was quite standard.

Demonic, highlighting its demonic nature.

Outside the window, the rain has stopped.

But new torrential rains are already on their way.

"I'll be right back." Ke Zhiguang unfolded his folding fan and then closed it, as if drawing and sheathing a sword, just to hear the crisp sound.

By the way, let me test it; the sword isn't sharp.

Finally, it was my turn to take the stage.

Chapter 83 Sea Fog

“Wait a minute, Mr. Guang, there’s something I need to remind you of…” Xingjia suddenly said.

"Is it about Tatsumi Koshikawa?"

"Yes, I had a bad feeling when I played against Nishi Chiaki just now... Anyway, we absolutely cannot lose a single game in this best-of-three series," Hoshino said worriedly.

Ke Zhiguang was able to understand the other person's fear.

Watching the game on screen, Ke Zhiguang could already sense many unpleasant things; who knows what it would be like to sit on the chessboard and face the final boss in person?

They have no idea what the consequences will be after losing a game in a best-of-three series.

If things go wrong, you might get stuck in a super negative state.

"Ideally, we could win 2-0 directly," Xingjia said with earnest eyes.

“I understand, it’s two to zero.” Ke Zhiguang nodded.

"Hey, if you say something like this out loud, it's bound to backfire!" Harushima Shika seemed to understand this law of cause and effect.

Oh, it really is true.

Murphy's Law... is on its way to detection and attack...

An ominous sign rose like a shadow.

"Then let's make some changes..." Ke Zhiguang suddenly raised his voice, "As long as we win, who cares about the score!"

"That's right, this is it!"

A bold step forward!

The feeling is like a Gundam sortie, where the energy bar is filled to MAX level, and the layers of thrust propel the machine out of the bridge and into the vast universe.

The luxurious main battle hall at the very top floor is right in front of you!

Exquisite marble floor tiles spread out in all directions, and elegant pavilion pillars stand tall in all directions. A chessboard is set up in the center of the hall on a jade platform raised by stone steps.

This is the arena for the main battle, like a Roman emperor's palace, enough to make certain special groups of people ecstatic.

There are no hard and fast rules requiring chess games to be played in an Eastern-style space; the specific style depends entirely on the mood of the player at the time.

Considering that Tatsuki Koshikawa is an expert in classical music, this style is perfect for him.

If I can win this title, maybe I can incorporate some refined Suzhou elements next time.

Just as I was getting distracted, the lights in the entire game room suddenly came on, and the light poured down like water.

"Welcome to my palace, Ke Zhiguang!"

A purple trench coat billowed up on the second-floor steps, blocking out the light and casting a huge shadow downwards.

The oppressive force surged down the steps, engulfing Ke Zhiguang's feet like mercury.

After who knows how many months, the man finally reappeared in front of Ke Zhiguang. The last time they met in person was at that video store.

“Yuechuan...Longji..." Ke Zhiguang said, looking at the other person.