Seeing this move, Jiang Changdong's expression shifted instantly.
He glanced at Zhang Dongchen across the board before refocusing on the ga, falling into deep contemplation.
Click.
After a long pause, Jiang Changdong finally reached into the Go bowl, picked up a stone, and placed it swiftly.
Click!
The sound was sharp and decisive.
Without hesitation, Zhang Dongchen followed up, grabbing a stone and placing it in response.
The fierce battle had begun.
Yu Shao watched the ga intently.
As he observed each move, he continuously moved his mouse, recording the sequence into his digital Go board.
His mind worked rapidly.
"Even though White just countered strongly, the position is still highly volatile. A single mistake could decide the entire ga—either player could still fall!"
Seeing Zhang Dongchen place another White stone, Yu Shao clicked his mouse, replicating the move on the computer screen.
"From here on, it's a pure battle of perception and calculation!"
Click. Click. Click…
The crisp sound of stones falling onto the board echoed through the room.
Seconds turned into minutes as the ga intensified.
Even Yu Shao, watching from the sidelines, found certain midga sequences thought-provoking.
"However—"
"There's a slight difference in raw strength."
"While White has made no mistakes, in this particular ga… Black seems to be just a bit stronger!"
Click!
After a long silence, Jiang Changdong once again placed a move, the sound ringing through the room.
Seeing the move, Zhang Dongchen’s left hand clenched instinctively.
For the first ti in the match, he didn’t imdiately reach for another stone.
With this last major endga sequence completed, the remaining moves were just small endga calculations—there was no more chance for a coback.
A few monts later, Zhang Dongchen closed his eyes.
Then, he spoke.
"I resign."
The match was over.
White wins by 2 points.
Yu Shao exhaled softly.
After placing the final move on his computer, he leaned back slightly, staring at the completed board.
Even from his perspective, this ga had been a masterpiece.
From the opening, both players had been at each other’s throats.
Even when White fell behind, Jiang Changdong had held on with tenacity, never allowing the gap to widen.
The two players clashed continuously, right up until the endga finally revealed the victor.
"Congratulations, Zhang Dongchen! You’ve taken the first ga!"
The mont the match concluded, one of the caran stood up, addressing Zhang Dongchen.
"That was an incredible match!"
A referee standing near Ma Zhengyu spoke up, his gaze filled with admiration for both players.
Even though Zhang Dongchen lost, he had played exceptionally well.
"Jiang Changdong still has his signature style. What are your thoughts on this match?"
Ding Huan, the reporter, couldn’t resist asking as he stood up.
Jiang Changdong glanced at Zhang Dongchen, then smiled.
"Zhang Dongchen, the Go Sage, played excellently. I didn’t win easily—he gave quite the fight."
He chuckled before adding—
"But in the end, while young players have energy, we older players have experience."
"It seems age still has its advantages."
Zhang Dongchen opened his eyes, his expression changing slightly.
Jiang Changdong’s words were calm and asured, but the underlying aning was clear.
He had just lost, and imdiately, Jiang Changdong had subtly thrown his own words back at him.
Before the match, Zhang Dongchen had confidently stated in an interview that he was certain he would win the first ga.
Now, after losing, Jiang Changdong had seized the mont to counterattack verbally.
"Being young is a good thing—especially for talented young players."
Jiang Changdong’s voice remained light and friendly.
"But one shouldn’t be too confident."
Zhang Dongchen gritted his teeth.
Internally, he cursed.
"Damn it… he's rubbing it in."
At that mont, Jiang Changdong suddenly turned his gaze toward a corner of the room.
He smiled.
"Yu Shao, 1-dan—wouldn’t you agree?"
Yu Shao paused slightly.
Not just him—everyone in the Handtalk Room froze.
Wait… he’s asking Yu Shao?!
The atmosphere suddenly shifted.
Everyone instinctively turned toward Yu Shao, their eyes filled with curiosity.
For a mont, so weren’t even sure who Jiang Changdong was addressing.
Was he speaking to Zhang Dongchen?
Or was he deliberately speaking to Yu Shao as well?
Or maybe… both?
Yu Shao frowned slightly, eting Jiang Changdong’s gaze.
After a brief mont, he nodded.
"You're right."
But then, he added sothing unexpected.
"However… I don’t think that statent is entirely accurate."
Jiang Changdong raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Oh? What part isn’t accurate?"
Yu Shao t his gaze directly and spoke clearly.
"It should be—no matter who it is…"
Yu Shao paused, then lifted his head and t Jiang Changdong’s gaze directly.
Then, he spoke.
"No one should be too confident."
No one?
Hearing this, Jiang Changdong’s smile gradually faded.
His eyes narrowed slightly, a faint hint of danger flashing through them.
Did he an… including ?
Initially, he had seen Yu Shao as just a prodigious talent, a bold young player who didn’t know the weight of the world yet.
He had assud that after watching today’s ga, Yu Shao would realize the true pressure of the professional stage and be naturally intimidated by it.
But instead—
Yu Shao not only wasn’t intimidated but challenged him directly.
Jiang Changdong squinted at Yu Shao for a few monts.
Then, he suddenly smiled again and nodded.
"You have a point."
"Go is endlessly complex. No matter who we are, we should never be overly confident."
As he spoke, he suddenly seed to rember sothing and asked—
"If I recall correctly, Yu Shao, you’re competing in the National Master Tournant, right? What’s your current record?"
"Three consecutive wins."
Yu Shao replied calmly.
"Three wins, huh…"
Jiang Changdong smiled, nodding slightly.
"Not many 1-dans can maintain a winning streak right after turning professional."
"At this rate, you might make it into the main tournant soon."
He paused, then chuckled before continuing.
"Maybe… you’ll even make it into the challenger’s tournant and fight for the title?"
Hearing this exchange, Ding Huan and the caran exchanged glances.
They could all see the hidden aning behind Jiang Changdong’s words.
On the surface, it sounded like a friendly encouragent from a veteran to a newcor.
But in reality—he was subtly challenging Yu Shao.
"Get through the National Master preliminaries first—then we’ll talk."
But everyone knew—
Making it into the National Master Tournant’s main stage wasn’t easy.
Not just for this tournant, but for all major title tournants, there was a phrase that described the level of competition—
"Immortals Gather Like the Clouds."
At that mont, Zhang Dongchen stood up.
A hint of sharpness flashed in his eyes as he spoke.
"Jiang Changdong, this is a five-ga series—three wins are needed for victory. This was just the first ga."
"The battle is far from over!"
The first ga of the Go Sage Title Match had ended.
Jiang Changdong, playing Black, won by two points, taking the lead in the best-of-five series.
But despite the match being over, discussions online continued to explode.
If anything, the hype around the Go Sage Title Match had only grown stronger.
One ga alone didn’t determine much.
The real fight in a five-ga series ca from the ability to adapt and endure.
Fans across the internet debated endlessly—
Who would ultimately claim victory?
Three Days Later – National Master Tournant Preliminaries
Yu Shao arrived at the Go Academy early, stepping into the playing room and taking his seat at Table 22.
As usual, many eyes were on him.
But when they saw that his opponent was Shi Hong, 2-dan, so of the players looked disappointed.
"Shi Hong has been playing well lately, but he’s still weaker than Qiu Kaizhi, 2-dan."
"With the montum Yu Shao has right now, Shi Hong probably isn’t much of a threat."
"Honestly, given Yu Shao’s current ranking, the only one who could really slow him down is Tong Lecheng, 3-dan."
Shortly after, Zheng Qin also entered the playing room.
His presence imdiately drew attention.
As he walked in, other players whispered quietly among themselves.
"I heard Zheng Qin got promoted to 3-dan."
"He never even participated in ranking tournants—he just climbed from 1-dan to 3-dan purely through official matches. That’s insane."
"A few days ago, he even beat Qin Haisheng, 7-dan, and made it into the main tournant of the Regional Team Battle."
"Unbelievable… Could he actually qualify for the main event of the National Master Tournant?"
"Honestly… it’s not impossible. He still has ti to keep improving before the qualifiers are over."
"It's crazy to think that when he first turned pro, his first loss was to Liao Shuang, 2-dan. Now Liao Shuang is still 2-dan… and Zheng Qin is already 3-dan."
Zheng Qin glanced toward Yu Shao, then looked away and walked toward Table 5.
He pulled out his chair and sat down.
His current record in the National Master Tournant was 8 wins, 1 loss—far ahead of Yu Shao in points.
Because of that, the two of them wouldn’t be facing each other anyti soon.
For a mont, Zheng Qin felt a slight disappointnt.
But at the sa ti—he also felt a strange sense of relief.
He wanted to play Yu Shao again as soon as possible.
This was a ga he had been waiting for—
For a year and a half.
And yet—
Another part of him was glad it was being delayed.
A week ago, he had defeated Qin Haisheng, 7-dan.
But that ga had been a brutal struggle.
Victory only ca from a mont of divine inspiration, where he found a miraculous winning sequence at the last second.
Even then, he had only won by half a point.
"It was an extrely difficult ga. If I played him again, I’d probably still be at a disadvantage."
He had managed to close the gap, but only because of a brilliant, once-in-a-lifeti move.
But relying on miracle moves wasn’t sustainable.
In the end, only solid, fundantal Go—the "Mainline Moves"—could determine true victory.
Ever since becoming a professional, he had felt his strength growing with every ga.
Each ti he placed a stone, it felt as if he could hear the blood in his veins rushing forward.
And ever since Yu Shao had turned pro and joined the National Master Tournant, Zheng Qin felt his growth accelerating even further.
As if his entire purpose had been leading toward this inevitable rematch.
And if there was still so ti left before their next match—
Then he would use that ti to sharpen his sword even further.
Until the day of their ultimate battle.
Thinking of that mont, Zheng Qin’s right hand trembled slightly.
He took several deep breaths, slowly regaining control of his emotions.
"The first ti I played Yu Shao, I felt only confusion, frustration, and disbelief."
"The second ti, I felt nothing but helplessness."
"And when I watched him play in the High School Go League… I felt nothing but despair."
That was why he had chosen to train in the professional circuit—
To reforge himself.
For a year and a half, he had dedicated himself solely to Go, all for this mont.
Now, he was no longer the sa player he had been.
And finally,
Yu Shao was here.
"The past was blind and weak."
"But now, I should be able to see his every move clearly."
"And when that match arrives…
No matter what—
I will win!"****"
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