"We lost."
Though Zhou Zhengguang was still finishing up the final moves with Jing Yu, deep down, he knew—it was over.
Jing Yu studied the ongoing fight over the fourth corner with a thoughtful gaze.
This shape…
"Impressive." Jing Yu sighed inwardly.
As expected of a 9-dan professional. After getting caught in Jing Yu's traps three times in a row, Zhou Zhengguang had finally adapted. In this fourth corner's 3-3 invasion battle, he relied purely on phenomenal instinct, avoiding countless pitfalls and playing out the sequence almost perfectly.
And this corner formation—if only he had made one more correct move—it would've fully reproduced the "New 3-3 invasion" pattern from the AlphaGo era in the previous life, the very variation widely recognized by pros.
What a shame.
Even so, just being one move short of perfection still left countless pros and spectators watching on TV in complete bewilderment.
The shape was that complex. If played out to the end, this 3-3 invasion could develop into a sequence with a mind-boggling number of variations.
"Lost by five stones."
That was the final result of the match between Jing Yu and Zhou Zhengguang.
"That was a brilliant game," Zhou Zhengguang said, his eyes full of interest as he looked at Jing Yu. "Mr. Jing Yu, if you have time, how about visiting the Modo Go Institute sometime? We could exchange ideas and improve together."
Zhou Zhengguang wasn't bitter about the loss. Sure, losing four times in a row to Jing Yu stung a bit. But more than the pain, what he took away from the match was a deep appreciation for the charm of the 3-3 invasion.
What a beautiful move—containing such endless possibilities.
Anyway, the pressure now fell on Su Lin, the final player in their team relay. His match would decide whether the professional team or the amateurs would win the entire exchange. In other words, he was the last man standing—the one destined to "carry the blame."
Zhou Zhengguang wasn't about to stress himself out over it. Losing a single match? Please. What 9-dan pro hasn't lost thousands of games over their career?
Jing Yu let out a long breath.
He was exhausted. Facing a top-tier professional wasn't just about having a fancy trick up his sleeve. Zhou Zhengguang had his own depth and tricks as well. But in the end, Jing Yu had the upper hand.
Back in his rest room prepared by the organizers, Jing Yu didn't want to think about anything. He flopped down and caught some sleep.
"Hopefully I'll get matched against an amateur or Li Le this afternoon," he thought before falling asleep. "If that happens, I'll just resign and go home to play games."
Meanwhile...
In the professional team's prep room, Su Lin, Zhou Zhengguang, Li Le, and others were analyzing the game on a laptop and discussing it with their fellow pros at the Go Institute.
Su Lin didn't understand how Zhou Zhengguang had lost so badly, but once he saw the game replayed in front of him, his expression changed.
Over a hundred professional players were discussing the match in their group chat, and Su Lin was deep in thought, combing through the analysis.
"Su, you've got this! The reputation of all pro players rests on your shoulders. If you lose, this exchange will end with a complete 6–0 sweep by one amateur!"
"You have to hold the line. If you lose, Great Zhou's Go community will explode with criticism."
"Su Lin 9-dan, I've compiled all the Go records from the drama 'Hikaru no Go'—the one Jing Yu created. In one match, that character Tsutsui uses this exact new 3-3 invasion move against the No. 2 player from Kaio Highschool. The drama didn't go in-depth, and the move sequence wasn't fully shown, but the corner formation was fascinating. I didn't understand it completely, but it might be useful. I'll send you the clip."
Su Lin received the clip and, the moment he saw the formation, his eyes lit up.
He got to work studying it immediately.
He had between four and eight hours to study Jing Yu's games, depending on whether they'd meet in the afternoon match or the sixth and final one that evening.
He couldn't afford to lose.
That afternoon, the group chat of professional players blew up. Everyone was deep in discussion about that game.
For fans of 'Hikaru no Go' and casual Go enthusiasts across Great Zhou, it was all overwhelming.
"So… Mr. Jing Yu won."
"Sai lives on!"
"I'm on my knees. Jing Yu is a real man. Sure, he's a screenwriter—but he's not just making stuff up! He wrote 'Your Lie in April' and could play piano and violin. He wrote 'White Album 2' and could play guitar fluently. He wrote 'Hikaru no Go'—and his Go skills can defeat a 9-dan pro! What can't this guy do?!"
"That game was thrilling! Crush Su Lin in the next round, Jing Yu!"
"Let's goooo, Jing Yu!"
"Win it all! You're just one step away from the championship. Don't start holding back now just to save face for the pros. Forget that—go full Sai mode. Wipe them out!"
"You'd better not lose. We're counting on you, Jing Yu!"
By noon, fan groups and Go forums were all abuzz discussing Jing Yu's match with Zhou Zhengguang.
This wasn't just a game—it had opened a new door in the world of Go.
By 2 p.m., Jing Yu had napped for two hours and finally felt a bit more refreshed. His makeup team touched him up again before he returned to the stage.
"Ugh... if the network ever asks me to do something like this again, I'm not coming. It's more exhausting than acting," Jing Yu said with a lifeless expression.
Beside him, his fangirl Zhong Xiang helped straighten the wrinkles in his traditional outfit.
"But Teacher Jing Yu, you're so strong. Why hide your talents? If a genius like you just works quietly on set as a screenwriter, isn't that a huge waste of talent?"
Jing Yu chatted with her a bit and then stepped back into the venue.
Among the four semifinalists were Jing Yu, Su Lin, Li Le, and a wildcard amateur.
The moment Jing Yu appeared, Su Lin's gaze locked onto him—sharp, focused.
The eyes of someone who saw him as an equal. In just two days and five games, Jing Yu had gone from "random screenwriter" to being on the same level in Su Lin's mind.
The ratings for YunTeng TV's subchannel hit 3.5%—unreal numbers for a Go tournament broadcast.
Even the official government channel had over 1.5%.
Every Go fan across Great Zhou tuned in to see—could Jing Yu really sweep all six professionals in one go?
The organizers, Qimu Sports, were no fools. Normally, the showdown between Su Lin and Jing Yu should've been saved for the championship match.
But the current audience was filled with 'Hikaru no Go' fans—what if they all left in the evening to watch other shows?
So—
Jing Yu vs. Su Lin
Li Le vs. Wu Yan
Those were the pairings for Game 5.
Jing Yu finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He filed a complaint.
"Why has every single opponent you've given me been a professional? From the first round until now, all my matches have been against pros!"
If he had the choice, he'd just resign and go home to play some games.
But looking at all the fan group chats before the match, he knew—if he lost to Su Lin now, the whole Sai fantasy would collapse.
Some fans had completely lost their grip on reality and believed he was Sai. That this was Sai playing himself in the show.
"Objection overruled. Pairings were randomly drawn by computer. Fair and impartial. No behind-the-scenes interference."
The organizers didn't entertain his complaint.
Heh.
Jing Yu mentally cursed them with a seven-word mantra.
Still, he took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage.
Sigh… At this point, there's no going back.
Like he'd always said—even if he gave it his all, there was no guarantee he could beat Su Lin.
But if he did win, it would massively strengthen his bond with 'Hikaru no Go' fans.
As for the dignity of Great Zhou's professional Go scene? Not his problem.
At 2 p.m. sharp, the match began.
Two rooms. Four players. The fifth game of the exchange started.
"That game this morning... it was quite something. You're strong," Su Lin said as they drew for colors.
"Thank you for the compliment, Su Lin 9-dan," Jing Yu replied with a smile.
"Ever considered becoming a professional?" Su Lin asked.
"Not at the moment. I'm happy working in television."
"Television? You mean 'Hikaru no Go'? I've heard of it. But instead of creating a fictional Go god in a show, why not become one yourself? Compared to the 360-to-the-power-of-3 variations in Go, what are TV, drama, or even the world of humans, really?" Su Lin's voice was firm.
"Su Lin 9-dan, I'm playing White. Your move," Jing Yu replied, clearly unwilling to continue that line of conversation.
The match had started, and he couldn't afford to let his focus be split. For all he knew, Su Lin's words were just another psychological tactic.
Move 1: Su Lin played the upper-right komoku.
Move 2: Jing Yu answered with a hoshi in the lower-left.
Move 3: Su Lin played komoku in the lower-right.
Move 4: Jing Yu placed a hoshi in the upper-left.
"It's obvious Su Lin studied over lunch. He knows how to counter the 3-3 invasion now."
"Exactly. If I don't play star points, how will you invade 3-3?"
"Right. Jing Yu may play star points himself, but if Su Lin doesn't cooperate, there's no entry point for his trick."
"This is a combo that needs both players to fall into place. If I refuse to play star points, what can you do?"
"But still, for a move to force a 9-dan pro to avoid star points? That shows how powerful it is."
"Ha! What kind of 9-dan is this? Coward. Zhou Zhengguang at least fought head-on this morning. He knew the 3-3 was a trap, but still accepted the challenge. Even if he lost, I respect that. But Su Lin? Avoiding the fight entirely? Scared of losing to an amateur? What a joke."
"You call walking into a known trap courage? That's just stupidity."
"I know avoiding the star point is smart… but it feels so stifling. I used to like Su Lin a lot. If he ducks out of this fight, I'll be really disappointed."
But just when everyone thought Su Lin would play it safe—
Move 5: He invaded the 3-3 point in the upper-left.
The entire venue froze.
Eliminated players, audience members, everyone in front of their TVs—
Stunned.
The look in Su Lin's eyes was fearless, and many felt a surge of emotion.
Who didn't have pride? Jing Yu had already taken down four pros, including Zhou Zhengguang.
A strong amateur was still an amateur. Su Lin didn't mind losing—but if he refused to challenge a move just because he thought he'd lose, that was unacceptable.
If Jing Yu had dared to challenge Zhou Zhengguang with 3-3 regardless of black's response, that meant he believed he could counter anything. So why should Su Lin back down?
Bring it on. Su Lin didn't believe that, after forty years of Go, he would lose to some trick that only appeared a day ago.
He had spent the entire afternoon studying that 3-3 variation from 'Hikaru no Go', along with the four practical examples from the morning match. He now understood—it was a deep, complex move.
And if it ever caught on in Great Zhou's Go scene, Jing Yu would go down as the creator of that variation.
So in that case, Su Lin would become the first to beat the creator.
Jing Yu stared at the board, blinking.
Here it comes.
Since Su Lin wasn't afraid, Jing Yu wouldn't worry either.
The two of them locked into battle in the upper-left corner.
But after just a few moves, Jing Yu started to feel that something was wrong.
Too smooth. Not a single trap from the 3-3 variation had caught Su Lin.
And this board shape…
It looked way too familiar.
Jing Yu looked at Su Lin.
Su Lin smiled and said:
"Mr. Jing Yu, I think you've forgotten. In your drama 'Hikaru no Go', one of the board sequences gave away the entire correct path for your new 3-3 variation."
Su Lin was candid. His clean and precise moves were thanks to a board pattern from 'Hikaru no Go'.
There was no way a few hours in the afternoon could decode a move this complex.
But with that sequence as guidance, Su Lin had reverse-engineered the traps and tricks.
"Ah… I see."
Jing Yu froze for a moment, then recalled the game he had designed in the drama between Tsutsui and the second player from Kaio Highschool.
He examined the shape on the board more carefully—then smiled.
"But Su Lin 9-dan, that board in the drama… didn't point out that this complex 3-3 variation was only the first step. There's still a second phase of development after it."