What kind of monsters are these two?

How big is the gap between professional and amateur Go players?

It's so large it's almost incomprehensible.

There was once a professional First Dan player who was constantly questioned about their lack of skill because their win rate in matches was very low; they barely ever won.

So, a renowned amateur Sixth Dan player confidently went to challenge them.

Logically speaking, an amateur Sixth Dan is the closest an amateur player can get to a professional. Ranks like Seventh or Eighth Dan require participation in international amateur competitions and achieving a certain ranking.

The result of this particular game was that the amateur Sixth Dan was easily defeated by the professional First Dan.

Professionals and amateurs are not even in the same league. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare one to a martial artist and the other to an immortal cultivator.

Even if you've trained martial arts to the point of being unrivaled, you're still unlikely to be a match for a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

Every player who successfully advances to professional First Dan has fought their way through a massive crowd.

Therefore, even when giving a two-stone handicap, a professional player should still be able to easily defeat an amateur player.

But how was it possible that someone, with only a two-stone handicap, could push a professional player to the brink of despair?

This isn't even a nine-stone handicap!

He stared at the big screen in disbelief, continuing to watch with a sense of confusion.

Gradually, his expression began to change.

"So... so strong!"

He couldn't help but swallow, sweat beading on his face. He stared at the big screen in utter shock, finally beginning to understand how the game had reached this point.

"The black stones' play is too precise, and their reading is incredibly deep!"

"When faced with White's move to extend, Black didn't choose the seemingly most logical move to cut, but instead chose to attach. This silent observation, using softness to overcome hardness, left White with no way to proceed!"

"Every time White attempted a counter-attack, Black seemed indifferent... No! Rather than indifferent, it's more accurate to say Black subtly diffused the threat!"

"How... how is this even possible for an amateur player to achieve?!"

At this moment, Yu Shao placed another stone, and it was Wu Shuheng's turn to move.

Wu Shuheng looked at the board, large beads of sweat slowly trickling down his cheeks.

After being forced to sacrifice stones, he began a fierce attack, hoping to open up the situation. However, Black's subsequent move, an extremely subtle move to stand, made him feel as if he were walking on needles.

In the subsequent play, Black gave him no opportunities whatsoever. It was like a supremely calm hunter, holding a rifle, staring at the wounded prey from afar, but cautiously refraining from approaching.

He was waiting for the prey to bleed out.

It was as if Black knew that if they approached the fallen, wailing prey, the prey would lunge forward and bite back!

In the remainder of the game, he found no openings. Especially after Black, relying on that subtle standing move, gained a significant sente in a local fight, White was completely suppressed!

"It's as if he completely understood my every move, saw through all my thoughts..."

After a long period of thought, he cast a deep glance at Yu Shao. Ultimately, he did not make another move. Instead, he left that table and went to Xu Ziqin's table.

At this moment, the big screen switched to Xu Ziqin's game.

And when he saw Xu Ziqin's game, the second-year high school student's eyes widened even further.

"This..."

"How is this also..."

Looking at the game on the big screen, he felt a sense of existential doubt, to the point where he struggled to speak.

Xu Ziqin's game had become incredibly complex. Black and White stones were intertwined, fighting a fierce and indecisive battle. Five large groups were dancing on the board!

And each of these large groups was biting and fighting, every part of the board filled with the scent of war, making one's hair stand on end.

Although White was not completely suppressed and unable to fight back like in Yu Shao's game, it was still evident that White had fallen slightly behind!

Even if the disadvantage wasn't significant, one had to remember that in such intense, life-and-death battles, even a slight disadvantage could be seized upon by the opponent and continuously exploited.

"What kind of monsters are these two?"

He looked at the big screen, feeling his throat go dry.

He had initially thought he had lost, and that the other two would soon be unable to hold on. But now, it seemed that not only had they held on, but they were also... about to win?

No.

What does "holding on" even mean?

The fact that these two games had reached this state indicated that White had been on the defensive from the very beginning!

A sense of absurd, almost comical, helplessness washed over him.

Just as he had predicted, upon realizing that White was starting to fall behind, Xu Ziqin immediately seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack against White.

"She's also so strong!"

The second-year high school student watched the stones being placed, feeling the immense gap between them.

Many of Xu Ziqin's moves were ones he had never even considered, yet she could play them so quickly. And Wu Shuheng could also respond rapidly.

This meant that they had both considered moves that he had completely failed to think of!

"Also, the black stones are playing so aggressively. For that last move, if they had played it safe, they could have extended and still had an advantage, but the black player still chose the sharpest move, the 'pierce'."

"Xu Ziqin... is this good at Go?"

Generally, a high school would have three campus beauties, one for each grade level: first year, second year, and third year. It was originally the same for Jiangling First High School, but ever since Xu Ziqin enrolled, Jiangling First High School has only had one campus beauty.

Therefore, even though he wasn't in the same grade as Xu Ziqin, he still recognized her.

He absolutely couldn't have imagined that Xu Ziqin, who appeared so detached from worldly affairs and had such a serene personality, could play such fierce and aggressive Go.

Unlike the previous game against Yu Shao, in this game between Wu Shuheng and Xu Ziqin, neither player was playing quickly. They took a moment to consider each move.

But precisely because of this, the game provided more time for the students below the stage to think. Some students who hadn't been very familiar with Go were now gradually able to understand bits and pieces.

A moment later, as Xu Ziqin was contemplating her next move again, Wu Shuheng returned to Yu Shao's side and picked up a white stone, placing it down.

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, calmly looking at the board. He soon picked up a black stone from the container and gently placed it down.

The two players continued to alternate placing stones.

The girls in the audience looked up at Yu Shao on the stage, whispering amongst themselves.

"Who is that guy? He looks... so handsome?"

"Right? I think so too. Especially when he's focused on playing, his profile is so beautiful. He's got such boyfriend vibes, oh my god, help me, I'm starting to have a crush."

"Isn't he from Class 7 of the first year? I only thought he was a bit cute before, but seeing him play Go, he suddenly seems so much more handsome. It's like a male lead from a historical drama playing Go."

"Then when he's done playing, go ask him for his WeChat!"

"He probably already has a girlfriend, right?"

"It doesn't matter if he does. They're not married yet. Let's just add him first, and then make a move when he breaks up!"

Cheng Mengjie looked at Yu Shao on the stage. Hearing these comments, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

That 'him' you're all talking about should have been mine!

It's difficult for niche genres to achieve good results because the subject matter is inherently niche. So, if you feel that this little author is writing well, please continue to follow the story. Of course, if you could also give some data support, that would be even better! Whether or not I can pass the PK stage depends entirely on you all.