As ti passed, the excitent surrounding the Twin Stars Cup grew increasingly intense. Six days later, on the evening before the tournant's comncent, the anticipation reached its peak. Finally, the seventh day arrived.
The eyes of the entire world were focused on this impending showdown. Though no battle had yet begun, everyone seed to sense an inexplicable tension and oppressive atmosphere in the air, like hearing the wind howl and spotting cranes—an on of approaching conflict.
In New York, where it was already late at night, the young Go players at the New York Go Academy remained awake, gathered around computer screens with intense focus.
"It's about to begin," soone said, watching the countdown tir in the Twin Stars Cup live stream. Despite the match not having started yet, rely thinking about the upcoming ga caused him to unconsciously hold his breath.
"Yu Shao versus Su Yiming," another young man nearby remarked with visible nervousness, unable to calm his racing heart. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "A year ago, these nas were completely unknown to anyone... Yet now, just one year later, they've fought their way up from the Ranking Tournant, defeating countless formidable opponents along the way. Even Jiang Changdong and Fu Shunan lost to them in title matches."
His eyes remained fixed on the countdown as he added, "This kind of achievent is truly unprecedented. Now they stand facing each other at the very summit of Go's towering peak. What kind of ga will they show us?"
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At the Kansai Go Institute in Japan:
"Hurry! Run faster!" Two boys around twelve or thirteen years old sprinted down the hallway, their faces filled with urgency. "The Twin Stars Cup is about to start!"
After running desperately, they finally reached the broadcast room. Without hesitation, the shorter boy threw open the door and rushed inside, followed closely by his taller companion.
The broadcast room was already crowded. When the two boys burst in, all eyes turned toward them.
"Pant... pant..." The shorter boy caught his breath briefly before looking up at the assembled group. "Has the Twin Stars Cup started yet? Who's playing black? Who's white?"
"Not yet," a young man answered, nodding toward the television screen.
Relieved to see the countdown still running on screen, the boy exhaled in satisfaction. "Good, we made it in ti!"
"Are they professional players? Institute students?" soone asked, noting their unfamiliar faces.
"That's right," the shorter boy replied, patting his chest confidently. "Teacher Mura kept us reviewing gas all day—we almost missed it. I'm not a professional yet, but it's only a matter of ti!"
"Oh really? That confident?" soone teased. "Are you in Group A? What's your ranking? Becoming a pro isn't that easy."
"Group A... currently last place," the boy admitted sheepishly, but quickly clenched his fists with renewed determination. "But I'll reach the top soon!"
The taller boy adjusted his glasses and glanced at his companion. "Keep dreaming. You'll never beat ."
"Looking down on , are you?" the shorter boy retorted, feigning anger. The room erupted in laughter at their antics.
Institute students in Japan were similar to aspiring professional players, just with different terminology. Divided into Groups A through D with monthly rankings determining promotions or demotions, Group A students were essentially professional Go players in training. These two were clearly talented students from the Japanese Go Institute—one struggling at the bottom of Group A while the other excelled at the top.
"Why are you so interested in the Twin Stars Cup? So afraid of missing the broadcast?" soone asked curiously.
"Of course I'm interested!" the shorter boy replied, his eyes shining as he stared at the screen. "Yu Shao is amazing! Watching his National Championship matches gave chills. I'm his biggest fan!"
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Pyongyang, Korea:
A group of young professional Go players stared intently at their computer screens, each lost in their own thoughts. As the match ti approached, they all felt an inexplicable tension. For original chapters go to NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"Yu Shao..."
"Su Yiming..."
All eyes were drawn to these two nas on the screen—Yu Shao on the left in black, Su Yiming on the right in white, clearly demarcated like yin and yang in Go.
One had shattered centuries of Go convention with unconventional moves like the 3-3 point strategy, Fifth Line Shoulder Hit, and Pointed Apex techniques, revolutionizing everyone's understanding of the ga. Because of Yu Shao, Go strategy had undergone astonishing transformations over the past year.
The other had created the most complex joseki to date—the Great Storm Joseki—that left opponents dumbfounded. In title matches, he had crushed Fu Shunan three gas to none. While many had once said Su Yiming's style resembled Shen Yi's, after the Great Go Player Tournant, such comparisons ceased. So even remarked that Shen Yi's play resembled Su Yiming's more than the reverse.
This would be their confrontation. Their previous encounters had left the world in awe, and now they would face each other again, both having claid titles and standing at the pinnacle of their profession.
The outco might no longer matter. What truly mattered was what kind of ga they would present to the watching world.
The door suddenly opened, breaking the room's silence. Everyone turned to see who had entered, their expressions shifting to surprise.
"Everyone's here?" An Hongshi (Go Sage) scanned the room with a smile. "Mind if I join you?"
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Beyond Arica, Japan, and Korea—in France, England, and virtually every other country—countless people were eagerly, nervously awaiting the start of the Twin Stars match. Online discussions flourished as countless comnts flooded the live stream.
"This past year, the entire Go world has undergone astonishing changes. Looking back at gas from just a year ago, they almost feel unfamiliar now."
"I don't know why, but this match feels particularly significant... Both Yu Shao and Su Yiming represent the new generation of players. Now that they've both claid titles and joined the ranks of top-tier players, could this match mark the official beginning of a new era?"
"Perhaps. Twenty years from now, when people ask when the new era of Go truly began, the answer might be this very match."
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The stream was inundated with comnts, but as the match ti approached, the chatter gradually subsided. Everyone seed affected by so intangible force, growing quieter and quieter.
Yu Shao!
Su Yiming!
All eyes were drawn to these two nas. Everyone seed awestruck by the grand narrative of this "era," silently waiting for the new age to unfold. The prolonged anticipation made the air itself feel oppressive—like the calm before a storm.
Finally, Yu Shao arrived at the Southern Go Academy. He walked straight through the academy's corridors, stopping before the Go room door, then gently pushed it open.
Inside, the elegantly furnished room contained only a Go table, two chairs, a long table for the referee and recorder to rest, and... a calligraphy scroll hanging high on the wall. The scroll bore four dramatically inked characters: "Sit and Discuss the Way."
Beneath this scroll, seated at the central Go table, Su Yiming turned his head the mont Yu Shao entered, fixing him with an intense gaze.
"We et again," Yu Shao said, looking back at Su Yiming with complex emotions.
"This will be our... fifth ga."
Their first match had been during the High School Go League, when Su Yiming was no match for Yu Shao—though even then, his tenacious resistance when cornered had been remarkable, the skill gap was obvious.
The second ga occurred during the Ranking Tournant. That match had been sowhat unfair—Su Yiming had already declared defeat after playing the Great Avalanche formation, and his subsequent Ghost Blade move led to an even more crushing loss than their first encounter.
The third match took place during the Yingjiao Cup. Though Su Yiming had clearly improved significantly with deeper understanding of Go strategy, there remained a gap in their abilities, and he ultimately lost by three and a half points.
Their fourth match was during the team captain selection tournant, where Su Yiming unexpectedly deployed the Great Storm Joseki—a formation Yu Shao knew intimately from AI gas. Yu Shao's superior familiarity with this strategy led to another loss for Su Yiming. Yet the fact that Su Yiming could recreate this AI formation in a world without Go AI had deeply impressed Yu Shao.
All four previous matches had ended in Su Yiming's defeat. Though they were well-acquainted opponents after so many encounters, each ti they t, Yu Shao felt like he was facing a completely new version of Su Yiming.
Now, their fifth match had arrived. What would the outco be this ti?
Su Yiming slowly rose from his seat. "Yu Shao," he said, "you've finally arrived."
"I'm here. Have you been waiting long?" Yu Shao responded.
"Not long. To face you, no wait is too long," Su Yiming replied, shaking his head.
Yu Shao couldn't help but chuckle at this, but before he could speak, Su Yiming continued.
"The fifth ga," Su Yiming said abruptly.
Yu Shao paused, waiting for him to elaborate.
"We've played four official matches," Su Yiming said, his piercing gaze locked onto Yu Shao. "I lost all four. This... is our fifth ga!"
Nearby, the two referees and recorder started slightly, then turned to observe Yu Shao's reaction.
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Hearing Su Yiming's words, Yu Shao remained silent, simply studying Su Yiming's dark eyes as if trying to discern his innermost thoughts.
After a mont, Yu Shao finally responded with a quiet, "Mm."
Then his own gaze suddenly sharpened, his entire deanor radiating an intimidating pressure that was hard to confront directly.
Their stares t and clashed midair, neither yielding an inch—a true confrontation of equals.
"In official matches, we've played four gas," Yu Shao said, his voice echoing through the Go room. "I won all four. This... is our fifth ga!"
Ti itself seed to stretch and freeze in that mont.
After a pause, Su Yiming finally broke eye contact and sat back down. Yu Shao also moved forward, striding to the opposite side of the table and taking his seat.
The recorder and referees had remained silent throughout. Watching the two players now seated across from each other, their minds were in turmoil.
Beneath the "Sit and Discuss the Way" scroll, the two players faced each other without words, yet an intangible pressure gradually filled the room.
As Su Yiming had said, Yu Shao had won all four previous matches. "Will this title match be different?" one referee wondered, a thin line of sweat forming on his forehead.
"This match is destined to draw worldwide attention. Who truly has the upper hand?" the referee mused silently. "For them, is each other's existence a blessing... or a curse?"
Just watching them sit opposite each other, he could feel an imnse pressure—a solemn, almost sacred atmosphere.
"Regardless, their existence must be a blessing for all who love Go. More than the outco, perhaps what everyone truly anticipates is—what kind of performance will they deliver on this board? The answer is about to be revealed."
Finally, checking his watch as the hour hand reached ten, the referee stood slowly. Looking from Yu Shao to Su Yiming, he suppressed his swirling emotions and announced solemnly, "Ti's up!"
"This match will use the alternating colors system—colors will be determined by nigiri for the first ga and swapped for the second. Each player has three hours of main ti with one-minute byo-yomi overti. Black gives 7.5 komi."
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "The Twin Stars Cup—"
"Begins now!"
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