This Wasn't a Game an Ordinary Person Could Play

Xia Wen gazed at the Go board curiously, watching Xu Ziqin repeatedly place black and white stones on the board.

At first, Xia Wen did not pay much attention, but when Xu Ziqin placed the fifth move, she could not help but freeze.

"3-3 Point?"

Xu Ziqin nodded slightly without explaining and continued placing stones.

Xia Wen furrowed her brows slightly and continued studying the Go board, puzzled.

The person playing the white stones clearly did not know how to play Go. How could he have opened with such a bad move as the 3-3 Point? Why did Xu Ziqin want her to watch a game like this?

Xia Wen knew Xu Ziqin's personality well and knew she was not someone who acted without purpose. So although she was puzzled, she patiently continued watching.

As the game gradually developed, Xia Wen's expression began to change as well.

Her expression first showed confusion, then surprise, followed by seriousness. After that came a gravity she had never displayed before.

At first glance, it seemed that White did not know how to play Go at all. But judging from the moves that followed, that clearly was not the case.

She could tell that White's subsequent moves were all extremely precise, and the ferocity of his attacks placed immense pressure on even her, a Professional Go Player!

The entire living room became deathly quiet. The only sound was the constant click of stones landing on the board.

At last, Xu Ziqin placed the final stone.

Click.

White had achieved a Dragon Slaying Victory.

The living room remained utterly silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Xia Wen stared intently at the Go board. Her beautiful face was filled with shock, and at some point, cold sweat had beaded across her forehead.

"This game actually reached... this level?"

Xia Wen murmured in disbelief.

Xu Ziqin did not answer. She was looking at the game as well.

Even though she had watched the entire game once before at the Go club, she still found it unbelievable now that she had replayed it.

"The person playing White was Zheng Qin?" Xia Wen suddenly asked.

The moment she said it, Xia Wen rejected her own answer. "No, I've seen his games. He isn't weak, but he absolutely couldn't play a game like this. So Black was Zheng Qin? But this... was still far beyond his actual strength."

"The person playing Black was Zheng Qin."

Xu Ziqin nodded and asked, "Teacher, what do you think of White's strength?"

"Very strong. No, extremely strong."

Xia Wen stared at the Go board. After thinking for a moment, she pointed to the center of the board and said gravely, "Here. An ordinary player would definitely choose the Small Knight without hesitation."

"But White played three consecutive Continuous Hane moves. The depth of this idea is extraordinary. This is not a game an ordinary person could play."

"And here."

Xia Wen pointed to another position and said, "Black's Jump here was meant to set a trap and lure White into attacking. It was a very subtle move, but White saw through it and made use of it, turning the tables on Black."

"And furthermore..."

Xia Wen took a deep breath and said, "Although White's Clamp after the Tenuki genuinely surprised me..."

"What I find most unbelievable is the attack after White's second Sacrifice. Nearly every move was precise, every move lethal, and the sequence flowed like water without the slightest hesitation!"

"A Brilliant move born from a flash of inspiration is certainly enough to earn admiration. But a Brilliant move can win one game; it cannot win many games."

"What truly determines the outcome of a game is always the seemingly most inconspicuous solid move!"

Xu Ziqin fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then asked, "So, Teacher, what do you think White's Go strength is?"

Xia Wen shook her head. "That's difficult to say. Although Zheng Qin played far above his usual level in this game, many of his moves still seemed too immature and lacked refinement."

"So I can't judge the opponent's strength from Zheng Qin's game. I would have to play a game against White myself."

"So I can only make the simplest judgment: the person playing White possesses, at the very least, the strength of a Professional Go Player."

Xia Wen paused, then looked at Xu Ziqin and asked, "So who was playing White? Is he also a Professional Go Player?"

"No."

Xu Ziqin shook her head and said, "He's a classmate from my school. His name is Yu Shao."

"Ah?"

At this answer, Xia Wen's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Your classmate? Did he come from a Go academy?"

"According to him, he didn't."

Xu Ziqin said, "He's never had a teacher teach him Go, either."

"Another person who never trained at a Go academy and never had a Go teacher?" Xia Wen found it somewhat hard to believe.

"Another?"

Xu Ziqin keenly caught the key word in Xia Wen's statement.

"Yes."

Xia Wen nodded and said, "As it happens, I only found out a few days ago. He's a first-year student at Guangnan Affiliated High School named Su Yiming."

"He intends to sign up for this year's high school Go league. To verify his Go strength, his teacher played a game against him, and then he won."

"What was his teacher's Go strength?" Xu Ziqin asked.

Xia Wen answered, "Amateur Fifth Dan."

"He only beat an Amateur Fifth Dan?"

Xu Ziqin could not help feeling puzzled.

If he had merely beaten an Amateur Fifth Dan, how could that be compared with the Go strength Yu Shao had displayed in this game?

Although an Amateur Fifth Dan was already incredibly strong among ordinary people.

"That's right. He only beat an Amateur Fifth Dan."

Xia Wen nodded, then continued, "But it was a Teaching Game."

"A Teaching Game?"

Xu Ziqin was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

A Teaching Game was a game played with the purpose of guiding the opponent toward the correct moves. During the game, the instructor would not employ merciless moves simply to secure victory.

Giving an Amateur Fifth Dan a Teaching Game?

It might not be difficult to beat an Amateur Fifth Dan, but to play a Teaching Game against one required strength far beyond that of an Amateur Fifth Dan.

"Funny, right? A student actually played a Teaching Game against his own teacher. He completely turned the natural order upside down."

Xia Wen found it somewhat amusing. "His teacher knew He Yu 5-dan and sent him the game record. A few days ago, He Yu 5-dan sent it to me as well. Do you want to see the game? I can set it up for you."

"Sure. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher."

Xu Ziqin nodded.

Soon, Xia Wen had cleared the Go board and began placing the stones while Xu Ziqin quietly watched from the side.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The crisp, pleasant sound of stones landing on the board echoed continuously through the living room.

Before long, Xia Wen finally placed the last stone.

"All right. Once Black plays here, White resigns."

Xia Wen raised her head, looked at Xu Ziqin, and asked, "What do you think after watching this game?"

Xu Ziqin stared intently at the Go board without saying a word.

"Looks like you've already given me your answer. Incredible, right? This really was only a Teaching Game. Black suppressed White from beginning to end, but never once played ruthlessly."

Xia Wen looked at the board and assessed the game. "Although it was only a Teaching Game, it still revealed Black's flexible and varied style. His moves were as free as a heavenly steed soaring through the skies, very much like the style of Go Saint Shen Yi. He must have studied many of Shen Yi's game records."

At this, Xia Wen could not help sighing. "Geniuses keep emerging one after another. Your classmate, this Su Yiming, and you, Ziqin... Even as a Professional Go Player, I feel immense pressure!"

"But fortunately, Ziqin, you're destined to inherit the family business."

Xia Wen smiled and teased, "Otherwise, if you devoted yourself to learning Go, then with your talent, you might have become a Professional Go Player long ago. I wouldn't have been able to be your Go teacher."

Xu Ziqin immediately fell silent.