The work of the Go master

Is this... Stone Heart's strength?

Under immense pressure, Ke Zhiguang raised his head, wiped the sweat from his brow, took a breath, and his gaze inadvertently drifted to the window—

He was stunned into silence at that one glance.

It felt like I was really seeing Cthulhu.

"Hey, is that Yugenji Temple over there?" Ke Zhiguang pointed out from the balcony, unconsciously standing up from the chessboard and walking over there.

It's not a formal match anyway, so moving around a bit won't hurt.

Moreover, he was moving around unconsciously, as if he was attracted by some scene that had shocked the mortal world for ten thousand years.

"Yes, Master Shi Xin is right there playing chess with you."

Ke Zhiguang went to the balcony, leaned on the railing, and looked into the distance in surprise. His gaze traveled thousands of meters and reached a high place.

A powerful wind pressure pushed in, as if a storm was roaring from high above.

Facing the hurricane, Ke Zhiguang managed to see clearly and with difficulty where he was.

Under the bright moonlight, the shoulders of a huge Buddha statue were covered with silver light.

It stands atop a mountain in the darkness, overlooking almost the entire city of Tokyo.

Immovable, suffocatingly silent, the dark clouds dared not move, the night dared not utter a sound, and all the demons and monsters held their breath under its gaze.

Tokyo is unusually quiet tonight.

【Name:--】

[Symbolic Spirit: Holy Buddha]

The man closest to God

This is the symbolic spirit of Stone Heart. His real name has been crossed out, as if he has abandoned his original self and devoted himself to the Way.

This is... the final boss of this series, the pinnacle of combat power, Stoneheart.

Ke Zhiguang didn't know whether he should gasp in horror or make a gesture of equivalence and say goodbye; in any case, he was speechless.

This thing can actually be a symbol of spirit?!

Looking from this Japanese-style barbecue restaurant towards Yugenji Temple, the straight-line distance is at least several thousand meters. Yet, the Buddha statue still stands tall and majestic, like a lighthouse atop the mountain, almost touching the sky.

With a height of at least 800 meters, it is comparable in height to the Burj Khalifa, the building of a Middle Eastern oil tycoon, even though the building is not yet completed.

I never imagined that symbolic psychic energy could be so vast, and its corresponding chess strength is naturally self-evident.

He finally understood why, when he first met Shi Xin at Youxuan Temple, he could clearly sense the presence of the symbolic spirit, but he couldn't see it.

Because the thing was so big, and since he was indoors, his view was blocked. If it had been outdoors, he would have been able to stand at the foot of the Buddha statue and look up at it.

An oppressive force strong enough to drive someone with megalophobia crazy.

"So that's how it is. This is truly a powerful force that's easy to understand at a glance." Ke Zhiguang gasped as he looked at the distant holy Buddha, instantly becoming much more alert.

This feeling is similar to the first time I faced the Dragon-Locking Pillar of Qingdao Deer. It was also filled with a sacred and indescribable awe. I just didn't expect that after reaching such a high level, I could still feel this awe. It highlights that there are always higher heavens. If this map-changing process continues, it could fill another 10,000 chapters... Pshaw!

Thankfully, I cleared the mission panel beforehand, otherwise it would have popped up a ridiculous dialog box asking me to defeat Saint Buddha, and I would have just stepped on the gas and left it on the last minute.

After a moment of silence, Ke Zhiguang finally... scratched the back of his head and smiled, though it was a helpless smile, forced to appear righteous.

He already knew what to do.

They even understood how to do it.

The next moment, Ke Zhiguang's eyes suddenly hardened.

Ke Zhiguang strolled back to the chessboard with leisurely steps, his posture relaxed and casual, causing the woman to frown.

Previously, his fighting spirit had almost disappeared, but now it has been ignited, bursting forth with raging flames.

"How about we play another round?" Ke Zhiguang said casually, hugging his knees.

The woman snorted coldly: "The person who was famously challenged to a game by Master Shi Xin, is this all the skill and attitude he has?"

She then turned to leave, completely ignoring the proposal to play another round.

Not everyone is qualified to play against Shi Xin, and getting another match won't be so easy.

Just as she was about to push open the door and leave, Ke Zhiguang's voice rang out from behind her: "I have two key pieces of information for you. First of all, I did not use my true strength in this game."

"You didn't unleash your true power? Could you please be a little more arrogant?" The woman seemed to be provoked by Ke Zhiguang, and she actually stopped, ready to engage in a fierce verbal exchange with him.

"Well, I was a bit resentful after being given a three-stone handicap, so I figured I had to win by at least 20 points. That's why I resorted to some extreme tactics at crucial moments. But it turns out I underestimated Shi Xin, and I apologize for that." Ke Zhiguang was quite frank.

"The reason is well-made, but unfortunately Master Shixin has no interest in accompanying you." The woman still had to leave.

"The second key piece of information... I discovered that Master Shixin, besides me, is also playing against someone else, is that right?" Ke Zhiguang raised a second finger, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as iron.

"Master Shixin, are you still playing against someone else?" the woman asked in surprise.

The walkie-talkie was not turned off, and the conversation reached Shi Xin's ears.

Stone Heart wavered slightly.

Ke Zhiguang was right.

Shi Xin is indeed playing chess against another person right now; you could say he's playing two games at the same time.

Chapter 83 Buddha and Asura

"Stop joking! So what if Master Shi Xin is playing chess with another person at the same time? Doesn't that mean Master Shi Xin is fighting two against one? You have even less right to challenge him!" the woman shouted.

“That makes sense, but I can tell that Master Shixin is fighting two against one, so I shouldn’t be too weak, right?” Ke Zhiguang said in a low voice, constantly scrutinizing his opponent with a confident gaze.

From what was probably the last few moves, Ke Zhiguang sensed this unease, as if his opponent was still playing against another opponent.

At first, Ke Zhiguang didn't pay attention to this incongruity, only taking it as a manifestation of Shi Xin's strange way of playing chess.

However, when looking towards Youxuan Temple, in addition to Shi Xin's own [Holy Buddha], Ke Zhiguang could also sense the presence of another powerful symbolic spirit, which was very likely the one who came to challenge Shi Xin.

At the same time, Ke Zhiguang recalled a detail from a few days ago.

That happened when he went to pick up his custom-made suit—

"Was that Path of Asura taken away by the bamboo sword?"

"Yes, he just picked it up at noon today, saying he was going to wear it to fight a very strong opponent."

"A very strong opponent... Let's cheer each other on."

-

Considering that the description of the Asura Path is "to transform into an Asura, step into purgatory, only to one day kill gods and Buddhas," it is almost an explicit statement.

"The person currently playing against Shi Xin should be Zhu Dao Duan, right?" Ke Zhiguang continued.

A single sentence hits the nail on the head.

On the top floor of Yugenji Temple, there was also a spacious Japanese-style room. Moonlight streamed in like flowing water, illuminating the chessboard clearly even though no lights were on. The tatami mats shimmered, and the whole room was like a fairyland.

Shi Xin, a large figure in a black kasaya, sat in the center of the room. There was a chessboard in front of him, another chessboard to his side, and a walkie-talkie.

The chessboard on the side is a game between Kazuhiro and Koji, while the chessboard in front is against Taketsugi.

Bamboo swordsmith sat opposite him, wearing the Shura Path outfit that cost 80.

Hearing his name called out on the walkie-talkie pulled him from the chessboard in front of him, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

—I was called out by name?

He didn't tell anyone that he was here to challenge Shi Xin today. How did the other party figure out that he was here in just one sentence?

Who exactly is the other party?

Not everyone is qualified to challenge Stoneheart.

The easiest way to challenge Stoneheart is to win a major title, or a minor title plus another cup title; there is no other way.

There is no overt way to do this, but it cannot be ruled out that Shi Xin has seen someone's chess record, became interested in that person, and deliberately played a game against them.

A personal introduction from Oshiro Ki is also very important; in short, it is a very difficult process.

Because Taketo had previously won an NHK blitz chess tournament and a newcomer title specifically for newcomers, he had the opportunity to challenge Ishishin this time.

He came to challenge him with unparalleled pride and self-esteem. Before challenging Shi Xin, Zhu Daoduan first used his newly earned bonus to order this suit, and then fasted for a week in the deep mountains, without touching any electrical appliances, treating this match with the utmost solemnity.

But upon meeting Shi Xin, he was asked, "How many stones would you like to be given a handicap?"

When Shi Xin said these words, there was not a trace of arrogance, only seriousness, and an imposing presence without anger.

Bamboo Knife Forger acknowledged his strength.

He intended to say "give me two pieces" but when he learned that the empty chessboard next to Shixin was for someone else, Zhudao felt seriously provoked.

"Separate first!" he shouted, stubbornly holding onto this bottom line.

To be outnumbered two to one and then given a two-piece handicap is simply too much to ask.

Seeing the determination in the bamboo knife forging, Shi Xin nodded and agreed to the separation.

Then the nightmare of bamboo sword forging began.

Starting from around move 30, Taketsugi began to feel a significant strain. Logically, move 30 is just the beginning, and the gap shouldn't be too large, but Taketsugi felt like he was falling behind his opponent from the very beginning.

The game became unplayable after only 60 moves.

After more than 90 moves, the large group of stones was officially captured, and the game had to be declared over.

This was the result of Shi Xin fighting two opponents alone.

He suddenly began to doubt his own arrogance, and even doubted Go itself. He had originally thought that once you reach this level in Go, the gap between masters is basically even, and neither can give the other half a point.

Then, as if by some mechanical god, a person with the ability to give a two-stone handicap appeared and crushed this self-proclaimed master of Go.

It was as if the Tower of Babel had been destroyed by divine punishment, and some kind of belief had collapsed.

It was at this moment that the name of Zhu Daoduan came through the walkie-talkie, mentioned by name, which made him feel like a frightened bird.

Shi Xin was also deep in thought, his dignified features remaining perfectly still, making it impossible to tell that he was pondering something.

It was probably last night when Oshiro Ki personally came to Yugenji Temple and handed a game record to Ishishin. It was the game between Kazuki Hikaru and Kiyonuma Yosawa.

"We would like to request that Master Shi Xin test this young man's potential," Yu Chengqi said respectfully.