The work of the Go master

He himself was also very curious about how far he was from the other person's level—he would always ask himself this question after winning the championship.

After meeting Shi Xin for the first time, on the train back home, Ke Zhiguang made a small vow in his mind, saying that it would take him at least two years to possibly defeat him.

Before I knew it, almost two years had passed, and it seems that the promise I made at will is really coming true.

"Anyway, if there are any mysteries you can't figure out, you can ask him in person. You already have that ability now... So, my lobbying mission for today is over." He said, getting up to leave. If you think about it carefully, he had only been sitting there for less than ten minutes.

Indeed, even inexpensive tea and snacks shouldn't have been prepared...

As Nikko was leaving, Koji Hikaru seemed to remember something and called out to him, "By the way, you said before that if we fail to stop Yagami Kunikyo, it will leave an unmanageable mess. What are the specific impacts on us... and most people?"

Regarding the answer to this question, Ke Zhiguang thought that if the luck of chess collapsed, the bubble would burst, and the real estate market would definitely crash.

Perhaps the effects of good fortune will disappear, and all sorts of strange halos will become ineffective.

We can't just let the concept of Go disappear from the world, can we?

Hikaze Tani turned around and replied, "Well..."

Hinata slowly began to speak, describing the terrible consequences.

But Ke Zhiguang didn't hear it. From his perspective, Nikko was simply opening his mouth and moving his lips, as if the sound was stuck.

However, this wasn't because the fortune-telling effect was working, but rather... Zero came up behind Ke Zhiguang, reached out, and covered his ears.

Physical noise reduction.

Ke Zhiguang showed a surprised expression.

“That’s it, do you understand?” said Nikkoya.

"Yes, I understand roughly." Ke Zhiguang nodded, pretending to understand.

"Then I'll take my leave now. I'll go inform Shi Xin that I'll be going to see him tonight, and I'll be reporting to the Go Academy in a few days." Nikkazeya pushed open the door and left.

Only Ke Zhiguang and Ling remained in the room.

"So, I'd better not hear about this consequence, right?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

Zero was manually muted; it wasn't a post-event memory erasure of the fortune-telling effect.

In other words, Ke Zhiguang was able to foresee the consequences.

"That's about it. Anyway... anyway, in the end it's just a game of chess. Can't I tell you the consequences after you've truly defeated Yagami Kunikyo?" Zero said casually, his smile as usual, full of the leisurely feeling of the morning.

It was still early morning, and the morning light was adjusted to its gentlest hue. Ling leaned against the sunlight, elegantly sipping her endless cup of coffee.

She was like an elegant royal maid, or a wise British cabinet secretary who had seen through everything.

After such a stalemate, Ke Zhiguang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll listen to you this time. We'll answer any questions later, just like always, and you'll get one mission review manual after another."

"Then it's decided, alright." Zero said, twitching his dog ears.

The pleasant breakfast continued.

Time flies by, and in the blink of an eye, it's the boundary between dusk and night.

As soon as the moon began to rise, Ke Zhiguang arrived at Youxuan Temple as promised.

Although Ke Zhiguang had only been here once before, he felt he had many memories of this place.

As you climb the steps from the foot of the mountain and enter the temple gate, the faint scent of incense wafts through the air.

Although this place is a tourist attraction, it closes to visitors at night after the staff have gone home, but the gates leading into the courtyard are wide open, as if waiting for a specific guest to visit.

Ke Zhiguang looked around. Although the lights were off, the place was as bright as snow.

The reason is that the moonlight shines on this side.

Lately, the whole of Tokyo has been shrouded in an atmosphere of danger, and the stars and moon have dimmed, but this place seems to be isolated from the world, as if it has its own private moon.

Ke Zhiguang gazed into the depths of the temple, his eyes landing on the tallest ancient pagoda.

Although it's called an ancient pagoda, it's actually just a typical Japanese-style old building, resembling a small building.

However, considering the height of the mountain, one could probably see the entire city from that building.

It should be a good place to play games.

Although there were no explicit instructions, Ke Zhiguang was basically certain that the stone heart was there.

Passing through layers of doors and corridors, climbing the steps, and finally pushing open an old-fashioned sliding door...

After so long, Ke Zhiguang finally saw the other person again.

"Long time no see, Shi Xin," Ke Zhiguang said calmly, as if meeting a strange friend he had only met once.

“You’ve finally arrived, Ke Zhiguang,” Shi Xin said.

His seated figure was bathed in moonlight, the shimmering light and shadow resembling a chess piece floating on the surface of a shallow sea.

"When we last met, was it in the scripture room of Youxuan Temple, or... behind that door?" Ke Zhiguang asked with a touch of emotion.

“In the library, I had my back to you, so it can’t be considered a meeting. Meeting behind the door is not a real meeting, so this is the first time I’ve met you.” Shi Xin looked directly into Ke Zhiguang’s eyes.

Although the actual distance between the two was less than ten square meters, and they could reach each other in a single step, in Ke Zhiguang's perception, the surroundings had become a turbulent sea, and he and his opponent were facing each other like reefs.

Ke Zhiguang looked around the room, which was filled with incredible moonlight.

Zero is the same at night; wherever she goes, there is light, making her exceptionally energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

This room... also contains a kindred spirit of zero, another god of quantum mechanics.

"You should already know why I'm here, right?" Ke Zhiguang asked bluntly.

“I already know your purpose… If you want me to take action, you are indeed the only one, Ke Zhiguang,” Shi Xin said.

"That's simple then. Tell me, what do I need to do to get you to come out of seclusion?"

Shi Xin remained silent, deep in thought like a stone Buddha.

"Did you bring the 'Ten Games of Danghu'?" Shi Xin suddenly asked.

"Not this time. I just feel that now is not the best time to return it to you."

"That's good. If you had brought it now, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to grant your request," Shi Xin said with his eyes closed.

That book, "Ten Games of Danghu," was indeed given special significance to some extent.

It's like a button to unlock the final level; feeling confident in its abilities, it brings the book to him.

However, you only have one chance. If you fail the challenge, you will fail to pass the level.

Therefore, only when one is absolutely certain of defeating the opponent can this book be thrown out like a knight's glove.

Although most top players are qualified to play against Shi Xin and are occasionally called upon by him to play handicap games, Ke Zhiguang has not been summoned since he achieved great success and his chess skills have skyrocketed.

On the other hand, Ke Zhiguang was also able to take the initiative to apply for a challenge, and with his current chess strength, he probably wouldn't disappoint Shi Xin.

Both sides knew they could do it, but neither did.

In a sense, this is a special understanding between Ke Zhiguang and Shi Xin, or perhaps... it can also be considered a special friendship.

However, the current situation is also quite special, so this tacit understanding of not seeing each other before the day of the decisive battle has to be broken.

After a long silence, Shi Xin reached out and flipped a black chess piece onto the upper right corner of the board.

The meaning is self-evident.

"This time, I'll let you go first." Shi Xin's voice echoed in the empty room, with a huge moon shining outside the window.

The signal to start the war was like a sudden, amplified downpour, enveloping the two men in a curtain of rain.

"Then let's begin." Ke Zhiguang was not surprised by this result.

No matter when or where, playing chess is always the only way to solve problems.

Ke Zhiguang sat down in front of the chessboard with his knees bent, and naturally reached into the black chess box.

“Besides you, there are three other people in this world who are qualified to be given priority by me.”

"Harujima Isshin, Koshikawa Tatsumi, Yagami Kunikyo?" Ke Zhiguang said, "The common point of these people is that they are all capable of obtaining the title of Eternal Grand Master."

Harujima Isshin had already been obtained. If I hadn't suddenly intervened, Koshikawa Tatsumi would have also achieved his goal. As for Yagami Kunikyo, he was just one step away from eternal life.

“That’s right. Although they all have the strength to defeat me once, the number of times they have won or lost is very different,” Shi Xin said.

"Harujima Isshin's strength is slightly inferior, with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses against me. Next is Koshikawa Tatsumi, with 5 wins and 11 losses. The strongest is Yagami Kunikyo..."

Ke Zhiguang listened intently to the data Shi Xin was about to report, his breath catching in his throat.

"8 wins, 8 losses".

As he spoke, Shi Xin made his first move—

The holy Buddha appeared in the sky above Tokyo, his shoulders gleaming with silver light.

Viewed from this close-up perspective, it appears even more magnificent and spectacular.

However, zero did not appear this time.

But it's also possible that she might suddenly appear later.

"8 wins and 8 losses?" Ke Zhiguang repeated this somewhat surprising record.

In other words, even when given a one-move advantage, Yagami Kunikyo was still able to achieve a 50% win rate against Ishishin.

A truly remarkable achievement.

At the highest level of Go, being given a one-move advantage is somewhat shameful, but considering the opponent is Shi Xin, being given only one move advantage is already an honor.

Building upon this honor, achieving a completely level playing field is truly a feat that can be described as second only to one person.

To be honest, this win rate is a bit beyond what I expected.

During the conversation, Shi Xin's chess pieces were also placed, filling all four corners.

"You defeated Koshikawa Tatsumi in the best-of-three match, proving that you have enough strength to challenge Yagami Kunikyo, but that alone is not enough."

Ke Zhiguang adjusted his breathing, feeling the chilling pressure, as if Yagami Kunikyo was already sitting opposite him.

This is a hurdle that must be overcome.

Thinking of this, Ke Zhiguang, who was originally going to move the fifth move to the corner, suddenly changed direction.

One strike—3-3!