On the other side, as the black stone landed, Yu Shao pondered for a mont before reaching into the Go box again, swiftly pulling out a stone and placing it down.
Column 4, Row 2—Cut!
Su Yiming followed closely, picking up a stone and placing it on the board.
Column 6, Row 2—Connect!
Tap. Tap. Tap...
Black and white stones alternated in rapid succession. Each ti a stone touched the board, it produced a crisp sound—small yet sharp, like the clash of blades slicing through the air.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the board, as if they had forgotten everything around them.
In their vision, only the 19x19 grid mattered, the intricate lines weaving across the board, and the unrelenting cascade of stones.
As the battle intensified in the upper left corner, spectators found themselves holding their breath.
"Black's moves are incredibly precise!"
Soone, still shaken, whispered to their companion, “Black launched an all-out assault on White. That earlier extension, combined with the exchange of White's cut, forced White to reinforce while shrinking their own territory!”
Another person nodded, their expression filled with awe. “But White, after that push, also played brilliantly.”
“White's capture put Black under imnse pressure. Black cut forcefully, and White imdiately countered with an atari, forcing Black to extend!”
A third person, nodding gravely, added, “Black isn’t giving White any breathing room, but White’s defense is flawless—no openings at all!”
“White’s response has been airtight, countering every move perfectly. But... that earlier push might still co back to haunt them…”
One spectator, staring intensely at the board, spoke in a solemn tone. “Even if Black doesn’t break through White’s defenses, these exchanges have already given Black a significant positional advantage.”
Amidst the hushed discussions, Pu Weize studied the board, coming to the sa conclusion.
Yet, despite this realization, a strange doubt lingered in his heart.
“Is that really the case?”
He couldn’t help but recall his previous ga against Yu Shao. Back then, he too had believed he was ahead.
But as the ga progressed, he realized—sohow, inexplicably—he had fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Even now, he still couldn’t pinpoint the exact mont things had turned against him.
In the end, he could only attribute it to Yu Shao’s vastly superior skill, his deeper and sharper mid-ga calculations.
At that mont, Yu Shao reached into the Go box once again, placing a stone down swiftly.
Tap.
Column 10, Row 4—Press!
"He’s not continuing in the upper left but biting into Black's position?"
The mont this move landed, the spectators were montarily stunned.
White’s move was ruthlessly aggressive, directly clamping down on Black, suppressing their formation on the left, and provoking a full-on fight.
But… Black had already established a strong position in the upper left!
For White to initiate a direct battle here—it was absolute madness!
The crowd instinctively looked up at Yu Shao, hoping to glean his thoughts from his expression.
Yet, what they saw was rely a calm, composed young face.
Yu Shao’s gaze remained fixed on the board, his expression serene, as if even if the world crumbled around him, he wouldn’t flinch.
For a mont, the audience was dazed.
Yu Shao was only sixteen years old.
And yet, right now, they could feel an inexplicable aura emanating from him—an undeniable pressure.
“He’s pressing in…”
Seeing White’s move, Su Yiming’s gaze flickered.
He could feel it.
From this single stone, a chilling killing intent radiated.
After a brief pause, Su Yiming reached into the Go box and finally placed a stone down, his eyes sharp as he stared at the board.
The next mont—
Tap!
Column 13, Row 4—Press!
"Black… is biting back at White?!"
The crowd's expressions shifted dramatically!
Black’s response was shockingly firm, refusing to back down even a single step.
Despite already securing a strong position, despite having no real need to tangle with White any further—
Black chose to retaliate aggressively, opting for an all-out war!
Yu Shao reached into the Go box again, picking up another stone and swiftly placing it down.
Tap!
Column 11, Row 6—Small Knight’s Move!
The audience collectively held their breath.
This move was brilliant.
With this single play, the three white stones on the upper side instantly connected, forming an impenetrable formation—a celestial net!
Qiao Anli stared at the board, waves of shock surging in his mind.
White had precisely assessed the situation and found the perfect local maneuver—a move dazzling in its brilliance.
“This small knight’s move is an absolutely vicious tesuji. The upper board position has suddenly beco highly complex—if Black continues attacking White’s formation, they might end up in grave danger!”
“But Black doesn’t have to engage in a direct fight anymore. The upper-left position is already solid. Black can simply tenuki, approach the lower-right corner, and claim a large territorial gain.”
At this mont, Su Yiming had already reached into the Go box, but this ti, he hesitated.
“Tenuki?”
His eyes shifted to the lower-right corner.
But an unshakable sense of danger lingered—
A deep, unsettling unease that had haunted him since the opening moves.
“The three white stones above have already ford an inescapable net. Tenuki and approaching the lower-right is the natural play, but… this retreat feels terrifyingly dangerous.”
After a long pause, Su Yiming pursed his lips, his gaze sharp as a blade.
At last—he placed down his stone.
“Then…”
“I’ll fight my way in—battle it out inside White’s formation!”
The next mont—
Tap!
Column 8, Row 6—Small Knight’s Move!
The entire venue erupted in shock!
“Black didn’t tenuki—he’s invading White’s territory instead, launching a direct assault!”
Seeing this move, Wan Baihao gasped in disbelief.
Beside him, Qiao Anli swallowed hard, his face filled with shock.
“T-Too bold!”
Black already had solid positions on both the upper-left and lower-left corners.
White’s earlier small knight’s move had ford a nearly airtight formation—so the obvious play was to tenuki and claim the lower-right.
And yet—
Black had chosen to charge straight into danger, fearlessly diving into White’s formation to launch a full-fledged attack!
The sheer ruthlessness of this decision left the crowd stunned.
Seeing Black’s move, for the first ti, a flicker of change appeared in Yu Shao’s expression.
A mont later, he finally spoke—
"Good move!"
Under this position, White’s three stones had woven an inescapable net, an overwhelming formation that would make most players instinctively choose to tenuki.
But if Black tenukis now, it will lead straight to an irreversible disaster.
Because not only is Black's lower-left position not thick, but even the upper-left group is far from secure!
The mont Black tenukis, White will simply ignore it and play a soaring move above. Not only will this solidify White’s territorial frawork, but the next peep will create a dual threat—attacking both of Black’s weak groups simultaneously!
"At first glance, this small knight’s move from Black seems like an overly aggressive, reckless attack… but in reality, this is the only correct move on the entire board!"
Black’s only chance of survival is to fight White to the bitter end here, eliminate the thinness on the right flank, and launch an all-out attack. Only then is there a sliver of hope to escape from this perilous situation!
Yu Shao stared at the board, contemplating for a brief mont before finally reaching into the Go box again. He swiftly placed his stone down.
At almost the sa ti, Su Yiming followed suit, placing his move imdiately after.
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
White and Black beca entangled in a fierce struggle, their stones weaving a complex battle on the upper board. The chaos expanded rapidly, making the ga increasingly intricate.
The fight had reached its peak intensity.
Everyone held their breath, unable to even breathe too loudly, as though the slightest sound would disrupt the clash unfolding before them.
As the stones continued to land, it felt less like a board ga and more like a battlefield, where countless soldiers and warhorses stood at the ready, poised for combat.
The clack of each stone striking the board echoed like the thundering hooves of a cavalry charge, like the sharp clash of blades eting in the air!
“This… this is insane!”
Pu Weize took a deep breath, feeling an almost insurmountable gap between himself and the players before him. “They’re both so strong… unbelievably strong!”
Every player who had reached the finals of the Promotion Tournant already possessed the strength of a 1-dan professional. It wasn’t surprising at all if any of them were to earn their pro ranking.
But this ga—
Neither side was playing at an especially fast pace, yet even so, Pu Weize struggled to keep up with their thought process. Many of the moves only revealed their depth after several turns had passed.
Black’s offense surged forward like a raging tide.
That earlier peep, in particular, was so fearso that Pu Weize couldn’t even begin to imagine how to respond.
Beside him, Ma Zhengyu swallowed hard, his throat feeling dry. “And yet, White’s cross-cut counterattack was… absolutely brilliant.”
On the other side, Wan Baihao stared at the board without blinking, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"White was at a disadvantage from the opening. Under such relentless assault from Black, he still managed to hold on? If it were … I probably would’ve already collapsed under the pressure."
“But sothing feels… off.
White’s play has been nearly flawless, but so has Black’s.
So why does it feel like Black is struggling more and more?”
Minute by minute, stone by stone, the ga progressed.
As the board filled, the tension in the room transford.
Expressions shifted.
Shock slowly crept onto the spectators’ faces.
The eerie nature of the ga had beco overwhelmingly clear.
“This is… what?”
The crowd reevaluated the position— and imdiately broke out in a cold sweat.
No one could remain calm anymore.
Eyes widened in disbelief.
Sothing was terribly wrong.
“What… what the hell is happening?!”
The entire board state had completely diverged from their expectations.
In fact—it had flipped entirely upside down!
Black had played solidly throughout the entire ga. Even though the attack hadn’t broken through White's defenses, Black should have still been ahead based on the advantage from the opening.
And yet—
As the battle raged on, as the exchanges beca increasingly complicated—
Black was starting to struggle.
Black had been pushed into a hard fight.
White, on the other hand, was growing more and more comfortable.
Black’s groups in the upper-left and lower-left, which were supposed to be impenetrable, were now subtly under threat.
And even worse—
White had begun to form a large territorial frawork, extending towards the center with terrifying montum!
“The balance of attack and defense… has reversed?!”
A bespectacled young dojo trainee stared at the board, eyes wide with disbelief. “But… when? When did this happen?!”
Ma Zhengyu, standing beside him, muttered under his breath, “How… how did it co to this?!”
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