For the next few days, Yu Shao continued attending school as usual, cherishing the last monts of his student life.
After the Fla Inheritance Match, he would officially enter the world of professional Go. At that point, his ti in school would beco scarce.
Xu Zijin, perhaps sharing the sa sentint, also started attending classes regularly. With that, Class 6 of the second-year class beca the center of attention once again.
Although many students knew that Xu Zijin ca from a well-off family, they hadn’t known the full extent of her background.
But after the Promotion Tournant ended, the revelation that her father was Xu Duanhua sent shockwaves through the school.
Every day after class, Yu Shao would head to the activity room to play and review gas with Zhou De and the others. Naturally, Xu Zijin was there as well. Around 5:20 PM, the crisp sounds of stones hitting the board would echo through the room.
Ti flew by, and soon, a week had passed.
The buzz around the Promotion Tournant had mostly died down, but with the Fla Inheritance Match about to begin, the newly promoted 1-dan players were back in the spotlight.
Without a doubt, the most talked-about na of this year’s Fla Inheritance Match was Yu Shao.
In this world, amateur players earning professional status was already rare—too many dedicated dojo trainees were competing for the limited slots.
And to do it with a flawless record? Unheard of.
But what truly made this year’s Promotion Tournant insane was the presence of Zhuang Fei and Fang Haoxin—two players who had been all but guaranteed to qualify.
Yet, out of nowhere, two dark horses erged and shook the tournant.
Fang Haoxin barely scraped through, while Zhuang Fei—son of the legendary Zhuang Weisheng—was eliminated.
This shocking upset turned the Fla Inheritance Match into the most anticipated event in the Southern Region, drawing not just national but even international attention.
And finally, the first match was about to begin!
That morning, Yu Shao took a cab to the Southern Go Association Headquarters.
Though he had been to the Jiangling Go Academy for the Promotion Tournant, this was his first ti at the Southern Headquarters.
Yu Shao had thought Jiangling Go Academy was already quite prestigious, but standing in front of the Southern Go Headquarters, he realized it paled in comparison.
The Southern Headquarters wasn’t just a competition venue—it was a sacred battleground where the biggest tournants in the region took place.
The sprawling compound was grand and imposing, built in traditional architecture with red walls, green tiles, and towering pagodas. Beyond the high walls, countless ancient-style buildings could be glimpsed, giving the place the solemnity of a temple at dawn.
As Yu Shao stepped out of the cab, he imdiately spotted Jiang Xiahua at the entrance.
Even though today wasn’t Yu Shao’s match day, Jiang Xiahua’s Fla Inheritance Match was scheduled, as was Xu Zijin’s.
A few days ago, Jiang Xiahua had ssaged him, inviting him to watch the gas live. Since Yu Shao had never been to the Southern Headquarters, he figured it was a good chance to check out the venue.
"Yu Shao, did you get your match schedule?"
Jiang Xiahua quickly walked up to him with a curious look.
"Who’s your partner? Who’s your opponent? When’s your match?"
"Yeah, I got it—my match is tomorrow."
Yu Shao nodded. He had received the email from the Southern Headquarters two days ago.
"My partner is Kong Zi, and our opponents are Zhuang Weisheng, 10-dan, and Fang Haoxin."
"Hahaha! My master called it!"
Jiang Xiahua clapped his hands and laughed.
"Kong Zi really doesn’t mind the trouble, huh? Traveling all the way here to join our match, only to rush back right after for his disciple’s ga."
"You guys predicted this?"
Yu Shao was a bit surprised.
Even he had been shocked when he saw the match schedule. He hadn't expected to face Zhuang Weisheng in the Fla Inheritance Match.
Zhuang Weisheng was a living legend—a player whose na he had constantly seen in news articles and advertisents ever since transmigrating to this world.
Dubbed the "Eternal 10-dan", Zhuang Weisheng held two major titles: Tenth Dan and Tianyuan.
"Well, you did beat Zhuang Fei. Zhuang Weisheng is definitely curious about your strength."
Jiang Xiahua grinned.
"Besides, Kong Zi recently managed to take the Tianyuan title from Zhuang Weisheng… only for Zhuang Weisheng to snatch it back right after."
"Kong Zi must be holding a grudge. This is the perfect chance for him—if he loses, no big deal; if he wins, it’s a massive morale boost. No way he’d pass this up, even if it ans flying across the country."
"And since Chairman Ma of the Southern Go Association is good friends with Kong Zi, once Kong Zi volunteered, it was almost certain that he’d get the spot."
Jiang Xiahua sighed.
"That said… my master might not like hearing this, but honestly, Zhuang Weisheng is just too strong."
Yu Shao raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Xiahua.
"You know Qin Haisheng, 7-dan, right?"
Jiang Xiahua’s eyes held a hint of admiration as he continued.
"Back when Qin Haisheng was just a 2-dan player, he faced Zhuang Weisheng in the Grandmaster Tournant."
"That match ended in a crushing defeat. He never stood a chance."
"Later, Qin Haisheng moved to Japan, where he trained relentlessly and rapidly improved. Just half a year ago, he reached 7-dan—a level where he could compete with 9-dan professionals."
"Recently, he returned to China to compete in dostic tournants. And in the regional team event, he faced Zhuang Weisheng again."
Jiang Xiahua paused, not stating the outco directly. Instead, he turned to Yu Shao with a smirk.
"Do you know what Qin Haisheng said in his post-match interview?"
Yu Shao shook his head.
"What did he say?"
Jiang Xiahua took a deep breath and slowly said,
"Just like when I was a 2-dan, I once again experienced… the feeling of complete helplessness."
Yu Shao blinked.
Even though Jiang Xiahua hadn’t outright stated the result, the answer was obvious.
Qin Haisheng had lost.
And not just lost—he had been utterly, rcilessly defeated.
"So? Knowing that you’ll be playing against Zhuang Weisheng in tomorrow’s match—how do you feel?"
Jiang Xiahua grinned.
Yu Shao thought for a mont before replying,
"Hearing all that…"
"Now, I’m even more excited."
Jiang Xiahua was montarily stunned.
Then, he laughed and gave Yu Shao a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"Damn, no wonder you’re so good at Go! I can't wait to watch your match tomorrow!"
"Alright, let's head inside. I’ve never been here before."
Yu Shao was curious to explore the headquarters.
"You, a Jiangling player, have never been to the Southern Go Headquarters? I’ve been here multiple tis already."
Jiang Xiahua looked at him in surprise but didn’t press further.
Soon, the two of them stepped through the grand entrance.
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