The work of the Go master

Time continued to move forward, and the New Star Tournament and the Dream Paradise Tournament were still being held in an orderly manner. News from the Go world was scrolling at the bottom of the TV program, with a brief news item about the outcome appearing every few minutes, as if no one could escape this hot topic.

Ke Zhiguang and Qingdao Lu also proceeded according to plan. After a simple breakfast in the morning, they would go in different directions after leaving home, and meet again in the evening.

Koji Mitsuhiro also inquired about Furuya Ikumi's situation. After waking up in the infirmary, she was still in the same state as usual, with a blank and mechanical demeanor.

She agreed to play a match against him. In the game, what was displayed behind her was only her own symbolic spirit, and there was no mysterious black shadow as Harushima had mentioned.

There is reason to believe that the shadowy figure saw that Ke Zhiguang had the ability to help it pass on, so it hid away.

Or rather, you have to beat it in the game.

Time flew by, and September 15th arrived in the blink of an eye—the final day of the competition.

Ke Zhiguang was the first to stand on the stage of the finals. Under the spotlight and the camera's lens, he walked into the game room and took his seat in advance.

The advancement process was exceptionally easy, bloodless, as if Napoleon had returned unimpeded from Elba to Paris, the city loyal to him.

The process on Qingdaolu's side was similar. Neither side encountered any difficulties, and the people they met were all ordinary people. Winning the lottery on the first day was a very low-probability event.

In the commentary booth, Naosaka excitedly said, "Just as we predicted, Koji Mitsuaki easily sat down at the finals board. In the next match, Harushima Shika was the same. They were both members of the Dragon Throne team last year. Could it be that they will win both championships?"

"Me too. I was on the commentary desk for the finals, so it counts as me making it to the finals," Xingcai said.

"Ah...that's absolutely right."

On the top floor of the seaside hotel, the place where Ke Zhiguang fought last year, in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, Qingdao Lu stared blankly at today's opponent.

The stream flows quietly over the abyss; it's been a long time.

"Oh, little princess, we meet again." Shizuru Fuchigami asked casually while picking at her nails.

Why are you here?!

“I’ve been here for the Rising Star Cup all along. You’re not even willing to take the time to look at the schedule and qualifying chart, so what can I do?” said Shizuru Fuchigami.

This... Harushima Kashima couldn't refute it for a moment.

In her view, the only real threat to her in the new Star Wars is Star Marriage, so she focuses her attention solely on Star Marriage's advancement path.

As it turned out, she ran into Xingjia yesterday and successfully knocked him out to third or fourth place. As a result, tomorrow's final is just a formality.

Now sitting opposite is the third female member of the group. Although she is still not a threat, it is by no means as easy as going through the motions.

"Then let's begin, little princess."

The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn back, revealing a vast sea of ​​sunset, and the entire view suddenly opened up.

It is now 3 PM.

Night is just around the corner.

On the other side, Koji Hikaru's opponent for today was also present. His name was Kosugi Yasuhiro, a 34-year-old 8-dan player. He was on par with Narita Shunji, though he might be slightly stronger than Narita.

In the last Dragon Throne Battle, this person was on the same team as Atsuki Oki and played as the main general, which is enough to show his strength.

Strong in the general sense.

However, the moment this person sat down opposite Ke Zhiguang, Ke Zhiguang's eyes widened slightly.

coming.

This time it was my turn.

Finally, on this final stage, they encountered what was called a "crisis".

Chapter Thirteen: Can this really be considered playing chess with a fellow villager?

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the stage for the finals in the chess academy was as quiet as a blue flame, clearly burning, but without any temperature.

Under the spotlight, on the opposite side of the chessboard, Kojiro Kosugi, Kojiro's opponent in this game, remained seated lifelessly, his eyes vacantly fixed on the chessboard.

To be fair, it does resemble a zombie, and there's a possibility it might suddenly attack and bite itself.

From the commentary booth, Xingcai looked at Xiaoshan Anhong, who was far away, and her expression became uncomfortably furrowed.

"Kosugi, 7th Dan, how... is he today?" Hoshino asked, frowning.

"It doesn't look too good, but on the final stage, we have to go for it even if it's not good," Naosaka said optimistically.

"Can't you notice?" Xingcai asked in confusion.

"Huh? What did you notice?" Naosaka quickly looked around, wondering what the other person meant.

"No, it's nothing, just a joke." Xingcai shook her head.

The psychological suggestion of good fortune has already worked.

Although Kosugi Yasuhiro's current state seems to indicate a problem, others, under the influence of psychological suggestion, will ignore this fact and will not come to check on his condition.

The only people who can clearly notice this phenomenon right now are probably the members of their team, with Ke Zhiguang at its core. The witness of history has given their entire team extraordinary insight.

Xingcai glanced out the window; the sunset today was still unsettling.

"Gentlemen, may we begin?" the referee asked.

“Okay,” Ke Zhiguang said.

"Okay," Kosugi Yasuhiro replied in a heavy voice.

"Guess first, begin!"

The moment the game began, Kosugi Yasuhiro's eyes suddenly twitched, and he forcefully pulled a handful of Go stones from the box and pressed them onto the board.

It was as if a switch had been activated, and I suddenly switched into battle mode.

Behind him, as if there was a malfunction, the blurry black shadow flickered and made a crackling sound.

Judging from his appearance, he's going to be a very scary guy.

However, as I said before, even if it's a little outrageous, it doesn't matter, as it's basically within Ke Zhiguang's range.

Thinking this through, Ke Zhiguang calmed himself down, gently slapped out two pieces, and guessed a pair.

"The guess was correct. Ke Zhiguang, 9-dan, will play black in this game."

The pieces were exchanged, and Ke Zhiguang's black piece fell with a streak of light, every moment captured by the camera.

"Ke Zhiguang is aiming for his fourth title!" This scrolling message appeared at the bottom of each channel.

Long after Koji Hikaru placed his first piece, Kosugi Yasuhiro finally placed his second piece, the dark curtain blurring the surroundings.

The game world has been entered.

But when he opened his eyes, an unexpected scene unfolded.

On the opposite side of the chessboard sat not Kosugi Yasuhiro, but an ancient man with an ethereal air, his features delicate and sword-like, his wide sleeves seemingly ready to rise with the wind at any moment.

And behind him, the symbolic spirit that appeared was still... a dragon.

Or perhaps it was a giant black serpent, its entire body covered in iron-like scales. Although it was still some distance from being a dragon, it was already in the nascent form of one.

[Symbolic Spirit: Jiang Yongqing]

That's right, he's the prototype for Jiang Liuer!

This? ? ?

Where should I even begin to complain about this?

Ke Zhiguang's thoughts went blank for a moment, staring blankly at everything in front of him.

Ke Zhiguang knew about Jiang Yongqing's background.

This is a chess player from the late Ming Dynasty, one of the famous Four Masters of Xin'an at the time, and arguably one of the four strongest chess players in the late Ming Dynasty. He became famous at a young age, with strange moves and extraordinary chess skills.

Besides his exceptional chess skills, this person's life story is also legendary. He claims that when he was young, he accidentally entered a secret realm while traveling in Tiantai Mountain and received guidance from a master, which led to a rapid improvement in his chess skills.

While other chess players were all scheming to become imperial chess attendants, he remained idle in Huizhou, disdainful of fame and fortune.

After Wei Zhongxian seized power, all the chess players in the capital were so frightened that they retired and returned to their hometowns. However, Jiang Yongqing saw that there were no chess players in the capital who could be considered his opponents, so he spent all his wealth and went against the tide to the capital.

As it turned out, his gamble paid off. Wei Zhongxian soon fell from power, and the Ming Dynasty experienced its final resurgence. During this period, Jiang Yongqing was the Ming Dynasty's foremost strategist, accompanying the dynasty through its final days.

His final fate is unknown and unrecorded. No one would pay special attention to a chess player's movements when a country is on the verge of collapse, even if he is the world's best player.

From a historical perspective, this is the story of Jiang Yongqing's life.

But from a meme perspective... he is the prototype of Jiang Liuer, the protagonist of "Go Master".

As for whether this historical assessment of his "strange moves" implies that he started with a strategy of "Great Harmony of Heaven and Earth" and straightforwardly went straight for the center point, we don't know.

Ke Zhiguang cautiously glanced at the location where the opponent's piece had been placed...

Fortunately, it's not the center of the natal chart; it's just a regular astrological position.

After finishing vomiting, he examined the other party again. Strange, bewildered, and incomprehensible thoughts immediately flooded Ke Zhiguang's mind... along with a touch of curiosity.

Is this the danger created by Yagami Kunikyo?

Is this the reason why you shouldn't play chess after dark?

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Ke Zhiguang had encountered this kind of script.

Based on the experience of the last Nova Battle, Ghidorah's true form, "Dragon Gift," is a product of the ancient Japanese Go master, Dosaku. It's something that Mitsuaki Kazuki is familiar with: dragging a couple of ancient figures over to fight.

However, these are not the biggest drawbacks.

The biggest problem is... it's one thing for the symbolic spirit to become a dragon, but why was the chess player himself replaced by an ancient person?

Kosugi Yasuhiro was taken by Jiang Yongqing, so who took the place of Furuya Ikumi who played against Harushima Kashima? Could it be another ancient Go player?

One chilling question after another arose, and all the clues, like threads in a snake, connected, seemingly pointing to a massive conspiracy.

"What's wrong? Haven't I been waiting too long for this move? Young Master Ke." Jiang Yongqing suddenly smiled, his wildness resembling that of a carefree wanderer.

this......

It can still talk?!

"You...are you really Jiang Yongqing?"

"Yes and no... Jiang Yongqing died long ago in the chaos of war in the capital. What stands before you now is merely an incomplete personality, a homeless soul, a madman who only knows how to destroy his opponents... So said our master, that black dragon." Jiang Yongqing gave a self-deprecating laugh, still looking at Ke Zhiguang with a provocative gaze.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his aggression was undisguised.

"Please... don't be kind to me, young hero. The consequences of being defeated by me are no joke." Jiang Yongqing slowly pulled out a chess piece and stretched it straight towards Ke Zhiguang.