"Teacher Jing yu, you're amazing!"
"How did you come up with that move? Teacher Jing yu, have you really never played in a professional Go tournament before? With skills like yours, why haven't you gone pro?"
"Teacher Jing yu!"
"Teacher Jing yu!"
Inside the suite arranged for Jing yu by the event organizers, he sat with his assistant Zhong Xiang, along with a team of makeup artists.
Zhong Xiang chirped away like a little bird.
She hadn't been this enthusiastic yesterday—everything changed after she saw Jing yu defeat three professional Go players in a row.
And they weren't just any professionals. All three of them were well-known faces, regularly appearing on Go programs on TV.
The way Zhong Xiang looked at Jing yu had completely changed.
Jing yu recognized that look all too well—the look a fan gives to their idol.
"Hey, calm down. I just played three matches. No need to get this excited."
"Teacher Jing yu, you just don't understand! I've loved Go since I was little. But I was never nearly talented enough to go pro, so I ended up working at the TV station. Do you know why they picked me to be your assistant? Out of everyone available, I had the highest Go rank!"
She spoke in a rush, eyes glowing.
"Keep going, Teacher Jing yu! You even beat Xu Jun, an 8-dan player, today. Who knows? Tomorrow you might even take down a 9-dan!"
Her eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement.
That night, the entire Go community in the Great Zhou was in an uproar.
One pro losing isn't unheard of—but three high-dan professionals losing back to back, and all to an amateur? And not just any amateur—someone young, ridiculously good-looking, dressed in an ancient-style outfit like he walked off a film set?
It was the perfect storm of hype.
People had thought the six professional players attending this amateur Go exhibition were going to dominate—a group of masters showing off against casual players. But that turned out to be totally wrong.
Instead, it became a massacre by a young screenwriter.
In the morning, Qian Yu (6-dan) resigned mid-game.
In the afternoon, Huo Yu (7-dan) lost by four stones.
In the evening, Xu Jun (8-dan) lost by three stones.
To hardcore Go enthusiasts—people who argue endlessly over which pro is stronger—this was exhilarating. It didn't matter who their usual favorite was. If an amateur like Jing yu could defeat players of this caliber, they'd support him, no question.
Because Jing yu wasn't "one of them"—he was one of us. A fellow amateur.
The better Jing yu performed, the stronger their side looked. Next time some pro looked down on amateurs, they could just bring up this tournament and shut them up.
That night, Go forums all across the internet lit up with talk about Jing yu.
His background, his history—
Yunteng TV Station – screenwriter.
Actor who played one of the leads, Fujiwara no Sai, in 'Hikaru no Go'.
Previous works: 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', 'White Album 2', 'Your Lie in April'.
A lot of Go fans realized they might not recognize the name Jing yu—but they definitely recognized the face.
Damn—it was that guy!
They watched dramas too, after all.
Why was he at a Go exchange event?
Wasn't he just a romance drama actor?
How did he become a screenwriter and the lead in a Go-themed drama?
Many viewers watched shows but didn't really follow the people behind them. Even though 'Hikaru no Go' was popular, hardcore Go fans would usually rather study high-dan pro matches than waste time watching a fluff drama about Go.
But tonight…
"I'm convinced. I'm bowing down!"
"Is the entertainment industry this insane now? A screenwriter who can beat Xu Jun, an 8-dan? If his ranking was just a little higher, even a weak 9-dan wouldn't stand a chance against him. He just lacks the official experience—otherwise, he'd be 9-dan material!"
"Does anyone have the records of the three games Jing yu played today? Please share them with marked move orders."
"I have them—give me a second to post in the group chat. In today's game, he made several moves that were never seen before in pro matches. Especially in the game against Qian Yu—that inside-corner maneuver, I heard some pros are already studying it."
"This is insane!"
"I'm actually excited now. With his skill, he's bound to go up against the two remaining 9-dans. Will it be an amateur slaying the gods—or will the pros defend their honor?"
"I didn't think an amateur Go exhibition could turn into this kind of drama!"
"Go Jing yu, go! I've always hoped someone from the amateur world would challenge the top-tier pros. If you win, I swear I'll follow 'Hikaru no Go' every week!"
"Same here. I'd heard of the show, but I had no idea the creator had such deep Go knowledge. Now I'm actually interested in watching it."
"You guys are just now figuring that out? I've been watching it since episode one. I've even posted on forums weeks ago saying that the Go moves in 'Hikaru no Go' are surprisingly well-done—some matches between the main characters are so clever they could inspire real-life Go strategies. And people flamed me for it! Said I was brainwashed by a TV show, that there's no way a screenwriter's Go is worth studying. Well, look who's eating their words now. What are some of the new move sequences Jing yu used today? They already appeared in his drama."
"Seriously?"
"If you don't believe me, go look for pirated low-res versions of 'Hikaru no Go' online. You'll need a VPN, and yeah, the video quality sucks, so it's not great for watching the drama, but it's fine for analyzing the games they play in the show."
"I don't get any of this—I'm just an old guy. Someone post the game records on the forum!"
"I need to sleep early tonight. The fourth match starts at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Gotta rest up and be ready to watch."
"Me too. Gotta be sharp for tomorrow morning. Only eight players left, and Jing yu has a one-in-four chance of drawing one of the two 9-dans."
"Real talk—there are five pros in total. Is this going to turn into a one-man army situation where Jing yu wipes them all out and wins the whole tournament?"
"Five pros? Wasn't it six?"
"Six? Who's the sixth… Oh, Li Le? Zhou Zhengguang's disciple? He never even entered the tournament. He was just a consultant for the 'Hikaru no Go' production. He already lost 28 consecutive games to Jing yu during filming."
"Twenty-eight? I heard it was thirty-three! Supposedly, it crushed his confidence."
Late into the night, Su Lin sat at his computer, reading through all the Go forum comments, seething with anger.
But he forced himself to calm down and began analyzing the games Jing yu had played today against the three pros on his team.
After a while, a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
At first, he'd only wanted to dissect Jing yu's playstyle and prepare for tomorrow's match.
But these games—
They were brilliant.
Some of the ancient joseki (standard sequences) that no one used anymore—Jing yu had modified them slightly, and suddenly they came alive again, full of endless potential.
Much of Go is about universal principles. The famous openings and move patterns that made waves in Jing yu's previous world also existed in this one. But no one here had studied them in depth. They were seen as outdated, abandoned.
But in reverse, some of the obscure moves in this world had been deeply explored—moves that could've opened the eyes of even the top pros from Jing yu's past life.
In the end, it wasn't a matter of which world had the stronger Go scene—it was about the information gap.
If you fully understand all the follow-up variations of your own moves, but your opponent doesn't? If they can only respond based on instinct and skill?
That's a massive advantage in Go.
Zhou Zhengguang, meanwhile, slept soundly.
To him, Go was just Go.
If you're strong, you win. If you're weak, you lose.
Professional title or not—it didn't matter.
If he did end up facing Jing yu, he'd make sure Jing yu understood:
It's not the title that matters.
It's Zhou Zhengguang himself who's strong.
One night passed.