Hikaru no Go: I taught you Go, and you made the Kisei cry?

The referee on the judging panel, holding a match list in one hand and a microphone in the other, announced loudly, "Please take your seats in an orderly fashion, advancing contestants."

Upon hearing the referee's words, Su Ran and Touya Akira stood up and sat down at the two chess tables in the center.

"It's the semifinals now..."

"Could it be that two students from the academy will advance to the finals?"

"No, the professional Go players who have made it this far are by no means ordinary."

"To advance to the finals, both the courage and the belief to fight to the death are indispensable!"

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, two professional Go players pulled out chairs and sat down opposite Su Ran and Akira Toya, respectively.

"Please give me more advice."

"Please give me more advice."

Akira Touya glanced at Su Ran out of the corner of his eye, then silently opened the Go box.

"We must persevere and never give up."

Akira Touya reached into the Go box, his eyes resolute.

"I will meet you in the finals and compete with you once again!"

……

After the coin toss, Su Ran played white, and Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, played black.

"Please give me more advice."

Su Ran lowered her head first.

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, looked quite young, but with a deep gaze, returned Su Ran's greeting and said, "Please give me your guidance."

As Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, picked up a Go stone, the game between Su Ran and Jing Youzhen came to mind again.

He watched almost the entire game because his opponent withdrew from the match due to physical discomfort.

He originally wanted to watch Akira Touya's match, as he always believed that Akira Touya was the only opponent among the insei (senior students) worthy of his attention.

However, seeing that many people were watching Su Ran's game, he couldn't resist his curiosity and went over to watch the whole thing.

"Undeniably, this young man... is the strongest academy student..."

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, let out a slow sigh, calming himself down.

"I passed the assessment as an amateur player, and I've even played against the previous year's students, but..."

"They are still too inexperienced. Although they are strong, they cannot grasp the changes in the game, the kind of changes that can turn everything upside down..."

"Placing a chess piece is like... a rebirth."

"But this boy is different."

The hand holding the chess piece hesitated for a long time, unwilling to put it down.

The very first move was met with a long period of deliberation.

The onlookers remained silent, glancing at their watches and lost in thought.

"Taking such a long time to think about the first move... was even Yuan Yi, a 2-dan player, amazed by Su Ran's extraordinary talent...?"

"I thought about my first move for six minutes... The games next to me have already played seven moves."

"Let's think about the perfect start, Yuan Yi, second dan, the pressure is too much..."

"Should we go for the Tianyuan position? Like the YiXing player who has suddenly risen to prominence online recently? I heard that Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, has done a lot of research on YiXing."

"YIXING? Is that the new chess master who has recently emerged online after SAI and THESAI? I heard he also has a ninety-nine-game winning streak."

"Yuan Yi, a 2-dan player, started as an amateur player and didn't have any teachers before. But since Yixing rose to prominence, he has been imitating Yixing's playing style and I heard that his chess skills have improved a lot... You could say that Yixing, the online chess master, is practically Yuan Yi's teacher."

"What move will he make to deal with this genius academy student?"

During the game, Su Ran did not urge her opponent to make a move, calmly waiting for her opponent to make their move.

Although it's a bit strange that the other party took so long to think about the first step.

But how someone uses their time is none of anyone else's business.

"Yes... I am afraid."

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, felt a tremor in his heart, which was why he couldn't make a move for so long.

"I'm terrified of a student, I'm terrified that he'll figure out my moves, I'm terrified that he'll unleash a deadly attack on me in the middle game!"

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, took a deep breath: "A Heavenly Origin move? Like Yixing? But..."

"But Su Ran gives me the feeling that THESAI is here in person! The same fierce playing style, the same fast-paced thinking! And I remember that THESAI... was once the most skilled at the Tengen move!"

"Sometimes, I even feel that THESAI, YIXING, and the boy in front of me... the three of them are like the same person!"

"The same person exhibited three different personalities, but ultimately, they are still the same person!"

"Can I... really beat this boy in front of me...?"

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, pondered for a long, long time before finally picking up the black stones.

"We can't hesitate any longer, this is fine!"

"Go down as usual!"

"Even if this boy in front of me is really Teacher Yixing or THESAI, I will still bravely pick up the chess piece and let him see my sharpness!"

Finally, the chess piece was placed!

Four columns and four rows, stars.

On the other side, after seeing his opponent make a move, Su Ran finally picked up a piece and quickly placed it down as well.

Sixteen columns, four rows, stars.

"The first two moves were both on the stars..."

Su Ran calmly looked at the chessboard.

"Does he intend to continue following the established patterns?"

Finally, Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, placed his piece.

It wasn't a matter of star position; he chose a different change!

Sixteen columns, seventeen rows, bottom right corner, small eyelet.

Su Ran reached into the chess box again and picked up a white piece.

Snapped!

Four columns and sixteen rows, stars.

Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, seemed to have already guessed Su Ran's move during his long deliberation in the first move.

He descended extremely quickly.

Seventeen columns and eleven rows!

"Shenzhou Flow?"

Su Ran was slightly taken aback. This was the first time he had seen someone use the Shenzhou style in a game other than the one played by Teacher Chi Shang.

It seems that this opponent named Yuan Yi is quite knowledgeable about Chinese culture...

Su Ran nodded, gave Yuan Yi, the second dan player, a deep look, and picked up a white piece from the chess box.

Snapped!

Fourteen columns in three rows, a small flying hanger!

Thus, the chessboard is set, and all subsequent attacks and hidden maneuvers will unfold from this point.

"Oh? Little Fei, is that a typical response?"

"In terms of the Shenzhou style layout, compared to the fixed star position pattern, the small flying hook does not appear to be as sharp and aggressive. It is a method of suppressing the killing intent without releasing it."

"The key to Black Gate's first move is to expand the small eye direction in the nine columns and sixteen rows. This is extremely stable and will form an ideal configuration with the small eye's two wings spread out."

Everyone is familiar with this pattern. Back then, Chess Saint Su Yuan used the Divine Continent Style to defeat all the top players in Yingzhou.

Subsequently, Yixing, the online chess master, also used the Shenzhou style many times to defeat his opponents one by one.

This has led to the recent re-examination of the Shenzhou style's opening moves by Go enthusiasts in Yingzhou.

Therefore, when Su Ran saw that Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, had indeed used Yixing's Shenzhou style, and Su Ran had resolutely accepted the challenge,

Everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the event, filled with anticipation.

"Perhaps this young man can create another miracle and bring a different kind of life to this recently popular scheme?"

Seeing the small move of the corner move, Yuan Yi quickly placed his piece.

Fourteen columns, four rows, bang!

Instantly, the black piece landed right next to the white piece, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Did the black player strike first?"

Everyone was surprised, exchanging bewildered glances.

Few people play this variation because it is too complex, the offense and defense are extremely fierce, and after a large exchange of pieces, neither side is always in a favorable position, creating a situation where a single move can affect the whole situation.

"Moreover, it was actually Yuan Yi, a second-dan player, who launched the first attack!"

"Does he know this student is difficult to deal with and want to strike first?"

"No, this is not simply about seizing the initiative, but rather it is a style of play inherited from Yixing. Yixing's style of play is extremely aggressive, almost exactly the same as THESAI's before."

"Then... Shiro will probably jump away, right?"

But unexpectedly, Su Ran landed in a place no one expected.

Thirteen columns, four rows, turn!

After a brief moment of astonishment, everyone quickly calculated and their expressions turned horrified; they had all discerned Su Ran's intentions.

"Should we turn it on!?"

"This is also a unique concept. Few people have come up with this kind of variation. Originally, there was only a jump move in the game, but this student came up with another response in a short time."