Chapter Summaries

Fujiwara Family Head welcomed Utsunomiya Taro and his two companions, whose visit appeared to support Fujiwara Shinnosuke in his contest with Inoue Ieyasu. Inoue tried to counter their influence by inviting Ooyama Iwa and Nishikann Jirou to join the gathering.

• Fujiwara Family Head ordered the three guests admitted and greeted them with unusual courtesy.
• Utsunomiya Taro and his companions met Fujiwara Family Head, who recognized their recent military achievements and favored Shinnosuke’s position.
• Inoue Ieyasu realized the family head had likely sided with Shinnosuke and asked permission to invite two guests of his own.
• Fujiwara Family Head approved Inoue’s request, and Inoue summoned Ooyama Iwa and Nishikann Jirou, hoping their reputations would strengthen his case.

Inoue Ieyasu’s attempt to secure his position in the Fujiwara Family collapsed when Ooyama Iwa and Nishikann Jirou sided with Fujiwara Shinnosuke. The family shifted its support to Shinnosuke, while Ieyasu resolved to wait for him to fail and reclaim the authority he had lost.

• Inoue Ieyasu brought Ooyama Iwa and Nishikann Jirou into the gathering as his trump cards, winning support from the Fujiwara Family members present.
• Ooyama Iwa and Nishikann Jirou recognized Xu Yue and, after Utsunomiya Taro reminded them of their shared hardships, openly backed Fujiwara Shinnosuke instead of Inoue Ieyasu.
• Nishikann Jirou rejected Inoue Ieyasu’s familiar address, embarrassing him and prompting the gathering’s support to swing toward Shinnosuke.
• Fujiwara Taku gave Shinnosuke an approving look as the family agreed that he should fulfill his responsibilities as a direct descendant and heir.
• Inoue Ieyasu smashed ornaments in anger, but his wife comforted him and he vowed to wait for Shinnosuke to fail and return the authority within two mission cycles.

Xu Yue entered the world of Hikaru no Go with a powerful financial identity but was forbidden from using money or supernatural abilities to win a Go title. He began studying Go from scratch, aiming to use the mission as a chance to recuperate while considering whether Shindo Hikaru had met Sai yet.

• Xu Yue learned that his Punishment mission required him to win one of seven major Go titles purely through Go skill, while all Go abilities were sealed and the Divine Hand privilege concealed his ability use.
• Xu Yue recognized the setting as Hikaru no Go after learning that Touya Kōyō held the Meijin title.
• Xu Yue ordered his secretary to bring him Go textbooks, buy a board, and arrange tutoring.
• Xu Yue found little useful information online and learned that Touya Akira was twelve and the story had likely just begun.
• Xu Yue studied Go and realized that winning a title would require sustained practice and time.

Xu Yue arrived at Shindo Hikaru’s grandfather’s home and found Hikaru unconscious in the attic beside the ghost Fujiwara Sai. After Xu Yue spoke with Sai and confirmed his identity, he had the Doctor brought to Hikaru as the boy’s soul began to leave his body.

• Shindo Hikaru screamed at the sight of Fujiwara Sai and fainted in the attic.
• Xu Yue arrived at Hikaru’s grandfather’s home after tracking down the boy.
• Xu Yue saw Fujiwara Sai and addressed him as an Upper Realm senior and Fujiwara ancestor.
• Fujiwara Sai asked whether Xu Yue was his descendant, and Xu Yue said he was from Great Xia and planned to absorb the Fujiwara Family.
• Xu Yue noticed Hikaru’s soul beginning to leave his body and ordered his bodyguard to bring the Doctor.

After Shindo Hikaru woke in the hospital, Fujiwara Sai appeared and persuaded him to play Go after his discharge. Meanwhile, Xu Yue trained at a Go club, where Touya Akira noticed his rapid improvement.

• Shindo Hikaru woke in a luxurious hospital room after fainting at his grandfather's house, and his family told him a businessman had bought the family's watermelon harvest.
• Fujiwara Sai appeared to Shindo Hikaru and explained that he had possessed him; Shindo Hikaru agreed to take him to play Go to escape Sai's distressing feelings.
• Xu Yue visited a Go club for the fourth day and accepted an old man's challenge, asking to play without komi.
• Xu Yue played the old man while observing Touya Akira, who had been reviewing a game nearby.
• Touya Akira watched Xu Yue play and noticed that his skill improved noticeably during the game.

Xu Yue watched Shindo Hikaru and Touya Akira play a remarkable Go game, then used his capital to expand the Go world. He left the club planning to raise the game’s profile and attract more players.

• Xu Yue won a close Go game against an old man, and Touya Akira praised his talent before preparing to challenge him.
• Shindo Hikaru arrived at the Go club and agreed to play Touya Akira, while Xu Yue encouraged Touya to accept and teased Hikaru about calling him Uncle.
• Guided by Fujiwara Sai, Hikaru defeated Touya by half a point, stunning him; Sai later warned Hikaru that Xu Yue could become a formidable Go rival.
• Xu Yue resumed practice with the old man after Hikaru left, while Sai followed Hikaru home and reflected on Xu Yue’s potential.
• Xu Yue learned that his associates had completed negotiations to multiply Go prize money and acquire clubs and training classes, and he resolved to use investment to grow interest in Go.

Professional Go player Shirakawa Michio began teaching two new students at the cram school, including the late-arriving Shindo Hikaru and Xu Yue. As Shirakawa played Xu Yue while guiding Hikaru, Fujiwara Sai was stunned by how quickly Xu Yue improved.

• Shirakawa Michio worried that outside investment might change the Go industry, but set aside his concerns to teach his class.
• Shirakawa noticed Xu Yue and Shindo Hikaru among the new students and assumed they would need help with the basics.
• Shindo Hikaru arrived late, sat beside Xu Yue, and struggled to focus on Shirakawa's lesson.
• Fujiwara Sai asked Xu Yue how he kept finding Hikaru, and Xu Yue hinted that his identity made it easy to watch him.
• Shirakawa discovered that Hikaru knew nothing about Go while Xu Yue already understood the rules, so he played Xu Yue while guiding Hikaru.
• Fujiwara Sai watched Xu Yue improve during the game and was astonished by his apparent mental strength.

Xu Yue praised Shindo Hikaru’s Go prospects but left before Hikaru’s coming encounter with Touya Akira, focusing instead on using a charity initiative to lure Reincarnators. Inoue Ieyasu seized on the aid program as a chance to fund his mission and publicly announce his comeback.

• Shirakawa praised Xu Yue’s rapid improvement and suggested he could enter the Go Academy as an insei, while Shindo Hikaru sulked at the attention Xu Yue received.
• After the class, Xu Yue left Shindo Hikaru to attend a youth tournament and contacted his associates about the Go Charity Initiative.
• Xu Yue planned to use the charity program to draw Reincarnators into the open by offering aid to hospitalized patients.
• Inoue Ieyasu reviewed his mission and decided that Divine Hand was worth pursuing despite his frail, wheelchair-bound body.
• A caregiver told Inoue Ieyasu that the Go Academy’s charity initiative would soon visit with reporters, and he saw it as a chance to fund his plans and announce his return.

At Yezu Middle School's festival, Shindo Hikaru waited for Fujisaki Akari, then wandered to a Go booth and met Xu Yue and the club president Glasses. Kaga Tetsuo confronted Hikaru, but someone cut his folding fan in two, leaving the conflict unresolved.

• Shindo Hikaru arrived at Yezu Middle School to meet Fujisaki Akari, but she did not show up, so he wandered through the festival hungry.
• Fujiwara Sai directed Shindo Hikaru to Glasses's Go booth, where Hikaru solved a basic problem and complained that the prize was only tissues.
• Xu Yue took over the hardest Go problem, solved it quickly, and claimed he had seen it before as he accepted the prize.
• Kaga Tetsuo arrived at the booth, mocked Glasses, and pressed his folding fan against Shindo Hikaru's forehead after Hikaru challenged him.
• An unseen flash of cold light sliced Kaga Tetsuo's folding fan cleanly in two.

Xu Yue arranged a Go match between Kaga Tetsuo and Shindo Hikaru, while Inoue Ieyasu’s public appeal inspired disabled Go players across Japan to seek treatment and lessons. After Shindo lost the match and faced a winter-swimming forfeit, Fujiwara Sai realized that Inoue might be another Reincarnator and was shocked by the apparent gap between their circumstances.

• Xu Yue stopped Kaga Tetsuo and Shindo Hikaru’s argument and proposed that they settle it with a Go match.
• Inoue Ieyasu appealed on television to disabled Go enthusiasts, and a quadriplegic man who heard the broadcast regained movement after paying a B-Rank Plot point.
• Disabled Go players across Japan traveled to Inoue Ieyasu’s home to learn from him.
• Shindo Hikaru lost to Kaga Tetsuo after being distracted by Fujisaki Akari, leaving him to face their winter-swimming bet.
• Xu Yue discussed the match’s possible significance with Fujiwara Sai, who then suspected that Inoue Ieyasu was a Reincarnator and wondered why he was so severely disabled.

Xu Yue entered the Go Academy after arranging a fair assessment and asked the staff to treat him like an ordinary student. As the academy students discussed the wealthy newcomer, Ochi Kosuke mocked his age and short stay, but a newcomer replied that Xu Yue would likely leave as a professional player.

• Xu Yue decided to visit the Go Academy after recognizing Inoue Ieyasu among the Reincarnators and considering how to deal with him later.
• A politician-like man pressured the Go Academy teachers to admit Xu Yue, while Xu Yue showed them polished game records to meet the entry standard.
• Xu Yue accepted a last-place start in Group Two and asked the teachers not to publicize his status or let anyone go easy on him.
• Watanabe, Iguchi, Afu, and Asumi discussed the wealthy new student, while Ochi Kosuke criticized him for being seventeen and staying less than a year.
• A handsome newcomer entered and countered Ochi by saying Xu Yue would probably leave the academy as a professional player.

Ochi Kosuke looked down on Xu Yue’s home-cooked lunch and refused to try it, but the aroma and a specially seasoned piece of beef overcame his resistance. He tasted it and became dazed by the experience, while the other insei finished every dish.

• Ochi Kosuke left after being caught criticizing someone and returned to Group One’s lounge to eat his lavish lunchbox.
• Hearing the insei praise Xu Yue’s lunch, Ochi Kosuke went over and dismissed the food as ordinary.
• Naze Asumi urged Ochi Kosuke to try Xu Yue’s dishes, but he refused and called them commoners’ food.
• Xu Yue seasoned the beef as Ochi Kosuke reached for it, and Ochi ate a piece despite himself.
• Ochi Kosuke became lost in a vision of a green prairie while the other insei ate all the remaining food.
• Ochi Kosuke came back to his senses and saw the empty lunchboxes.

Xu Yue quickly rose to Group One at the Go Academy, where his first match against Watanabe ended in a crushing midgame resignation. The other students saw the strength of Xu Yue’s play, while Watanabe was left stunned by the gap between them.

• Xu Yue became popular at the Go Academy with his delicious lunchboxes, while Ochi Kosuke kept asking about the chef and reportedly began crashing into restroom doors more often.
• Watanabe was surprised to see Xu Yue take the twenty-fourth seat in Group One, and Xu Yue explained that his Go strength had improved.
• Watanabe checked Xu Yue’s Group Two record and found a rapid run of wins that ended in midgame resignations.
• Watanabe began their match determined to test Xu Yue, but Xu Yue’s presence made him feel as if he faced an unreachable mountain.
• Xu Yue defeated Watanabe by midgame resignation and left without reviewing the game, while Watanabe and the other students stared at the decisive position.

At the Go Academy, Iguchi, Ochi Kosuke, Mashiba Mitsuru, and Watanabe discussed Xu Yue’s extraordinary strength and the influx of major capital into Go. Meanwhile, Shindo Hikaru tried to recruit Mitani for Yezu Middle School’s Go club, but their visit to an underground gambling club revealed a formidable enforcer.

• Iguchi, Ochi Kosuke, Mashiba Mitsuru, and Watanabe acknowledged Xu Yue’s talent, and Watanabe mentioned that major investors were expected to raise Go title prizes.
• Shindo Hikaru joined Yezu Middle School’s Go club and sought Mitani’s help after deciding to lead the team against Neptune Junior High himself.
• Shindo Hikaru and Blondie entered an underground Go club and watched Mitani gamble against a smiling middle-aged man.
• Xu Yue walked into the club and remarked that a skilled visitor could win large sums by challenging the players.
• The middle-aged man revealed that he was left-handed and began turning around his game against Mitani, while Xu Yue sensed he was near professional strength.

Mitani lost his wager to the intimidating Go player, but Xu Yue challenged the man to a new game, staking a hundred million yen. Xu Yue’s first move sent a powerful shock through the club, leaving even Fujiwara Sai stunned.

• Shindo Hikaru watched Mitani lose his lead as the dark Go player overwhelmed him and narrowed the score until Mitani resigned.
• Mitani paid what he could, borrowed two thousand yen from Shindo Hikaru, and headed for the exit.
• Xu Yue stopped Mitani and claimed White could still recover, then accepted the uncle’s challenge to play for ten times the wager.
• Xu Yue placed a white stone, and the onlookers felt the board come alive with the force of a soaring dragon.
• Fujiwara Sai watched Xu Yue’s move and was horrified by how much momentum he had gained.

Xu Yue took over Mitani’s losing Go game, crushed Yue Guang, and demanded the billion-yuan stake. When Yue Guang refused to pay and threatened to expose Xu Yue’s gambling, Xu Yue summoned armed men to take him away and had the witnesses silenced.

• Xu Yue reversed Mitani’s disadvantage against Yue Guang and told Mitani he had failed to press his earlier advantage.
• Yue Guang attacked after hearing Xu Yue’s advice, but Xu Yue quickly killed Black’s stones and won the game.
• Xu Yue demanded the billion-yuan stake, but Yue Guang refused to pay and threatened to report him to the Go Academy.
• Xu Yue pressed an electronic button, and armed men entered the club and dragged Yue Guang away to collect his valuables.
• Xu Yue’s secretary made the witnesses leave their fingerprints and warned them not to reveal what happened, while she excused Mitani and Shindo Hikaru.

Xu Yue moved beyond the insei students and dominated online Go while Shindo Hikaru and Touya Akira met at a middle school tournament. Two Reincarnators planned to keep Touya from this year’s professional exam, but Xu Yue appeared beside Fujiwara Sai as they approached.

• Inoue Ieyasu selected three Reincarnators to take the professional qualification exam and aimed to lead them into the title league.
• Xu Yue exhausted the training opportunities at the Go Academy and began defeating online opponents under the ID yue.
• Shindo Hikaru brought Mitani to the middle school tournament, where Yezu Middle School faced Touya Akira’s Neptune Junior High.
• Two disabled Reincarnators identified Touya Akira as a threat and planned to leave him with psychological scars so he could not take the exam.
• Fujiwara Sai noticed the Reincarnators approaching Touya Akira, and Xu Yue appeared beside him.

Xu Yue confronted two Reincarnators who planned to secure professional Go player slots, then revealed that Touya Akira was strong enough to claim one. The Reincarnators followed Touya toward the restroom to sabotage him, and Xu Yue followed them as Fujiwara Sai watched.

• Touya Akira overwhelmed Shindo Hikaru, who resigned, leaving Touya furious and Shindo silently weeping.
• Xu Yue told the two Reincarnators that Touya was already stronger than an ordinary low-ranked professional and would likely earn a slot.
• The Reincarnators recognized Xu Yue, demanded that he withdraw, and grew alarmed when he confirmed Touya's strength.
• After Touya stormed toward the restroom, the Reincarnators followed him, intending to plant doubt in his heart.
• Xu Yue took a folding fan and followed the Reincarnators while discussing their faction with Fujiwara Sai.

Xu Yue rescued Touya Akira from two Reincarnators who intended to harm him, earning the Touya family's gratitude and an invitation to their home. There, Meijin Touya recognized Xu Yue as the acclaimed academy Go player and learned he planned to take the professional qualification exam.

• Xu Yue knocked out one attacker and severely injured the other after they cornered Touya Akira near the restroom.
• Xu Yue explained that he had followed the men, and Touya Akira thanked him for stepping in.
• Venue security restrained the attackers and called the police, who jailed the two Reincarnators.
• Meijin Touya and Akiko Touya thanked Xu Yue and invited him to their home for a meal.
• Meijin Touya asked Xu Yue about his reputation as the Greatest Academy Student of All Time, and Touya Akira was astonished by how quickly Xu Yue had improved.
• Meijin Touya learned Xu Yue would take this year's professional player qualification exam.

Touya Akira and Meijin Touya were shocked by Xu Yue’s rapid progress, while Inoue Ieyasu prepared his Reincarnator team for the professional qualification exam. As the exam began, Xu Yue struggled against the undefeated online Go player Sai, whose identity and thoughts connected him to Shindo Hikaru and Fujiwara Sai.

• Touya Akira told Meijin Touya that Xu Yue had studied Go for less than half a year, prompting Meijin Touya to take Xu Yue seriously and later replay their beginner’s game with Akira.
• Inoue Ieyasu scolded the two injured Reincarnators he had freed from prison, and they agreed to rely on their Go skill in the upcoming qualification exam.
• Xu Yue entered the thirty-six-player qualification league directly, while Touya Akira passed the preliminary rounds with a perfect record and Inoue Ieyasu sent all five of his capable members into the competition.
• Sai defeated Xu Yue repeatedly in online Go, remaining undefeated despite Xu Yue’s improving ability to challenge him.
• After Xu Yue logged off, Shindo Hikaru praised his strength, while Fujiwara Sai privately realized he might need to draw on hidden reserves to keep defeating him.