Xiaokai opened his mouth, but suddenly couldn't speak a word.
Judging by everyone's reaction, he should be able to tell just how frightening Ningyuan was.
Ningyuan patted Gu Dao's shoulder. "Enough talk, find me a match room."
"Go upstairs," Gu Dao said straightforwardly. "Room A, it's vacant right now."
Ningyuan hesitated. "No other rooms?"
"Heh heh, you want to hide and play?" Gu Dao smirked. "Quit the nonsense. It's rare to see you here, you have to perform. Let's go, it's just a live broadcast. Every time you played with me or Lao Liu, it was always in Room A."
Ningyuan looked at Xiaokai and frowned, feeling troubled. He just wanted to defeat Xiaokai, not humiliate him for no reason. That wasn't his style.
Xiaokai smiled. "No problem, let's go to Room A."
"Alright," Ningyuan said, seeing Xiaokai agree and then stopped refusing. "After you."
Gu Dao's eyes suddenly lit up, brimming with excitement. He gave Xiaokai a deep look, his face filled with anticipation.
Yan Xiaokai, this man never heard of, actually dared to play against the Go genius in Room A, accepting the live broadcast. Could it be... Could he also be an extraordinary master?
Clearly, there were quite a few people who had the same thought as Gu Dao. A large group of people rushed downstairs, wanting to grab the best spot to watch the live broadcast.
In Room A, Xiaokai and Ningyuan sat facing each other, Ningqing and Xiaoyun sat nervously beside them, not daring to take a breath. The high-magnification camera on the wall was aimed straight at the exquisitely crafted Go board.
If there was a vote for which sport required the most mental effort, it would undoubtedly be Go. Scientists have calculated that, in the middle game, accurately calculating every move's possibility would require astronomical numbers. Some complex game arrangements, even just one move, would be enough to keep the world's most advanced computer calculating for days and nights, yet the human brain showed its supercomputing capabilities during this time. It could surpass the computational abilities of a computer, performing almost impossible calculations in a matter of minutes to tens of minutes.
Because of the enormously complex calculation required in Go, Ningyuan chose it as the setting for his first battle against Xiaokai.
Sitting in front of the Go board, Xiaokai looked a bit dumbfounded, unable to even count how many horizontal and vertical lines there were, let alone play. For Ningyuan to think of this kind of challenge method, he admired him.
Xiaoyun's face also turned pale when she saw Xiaokai's bewildered look, knowing that he was in trouble.
Ningqing, however, wasn't paying any attention to the board, completely focused on watching Xiaokai. Though Xiaokai wasn't handsome, teenage emotions are strange like that. If a girl likes you, everything about you is good. In her heart, Xiaokai was already perfect. So, seeing him like this, she felt a bit distressed, couldn't help but glare at Ningyuan, thinking, "Big Brother, you're making Xiaokai like this, wait till I get back, I'll teach you a lesson."
Ningyuan didn't notice his sister's actions and pushed a can of black Go pieces to Xiaokai, smiling, "Yan Xiaokai, the black pieces go first. I'll let you."
Xiaokai nodded, looked at the board, and thought, "Since ancient times, the central plains have always been a battleground. People say Go is like two armies at war, the principles should be similar." With that in mind, he didn't hesitate, picked up a black piece, and placed it on the center point of the huge board.
When that piece was placed, Ningyuan's eyes widened.
In the Go world, there is a saying: "Corners and sides are key, the center is trash. To play well, you must remember these things."
It can be said that even the worst Go player would never make their first move to the center of the board. Even the minor Miss Xiaoyun, who only knows the rules, finds it unbelievable.
Xiaokai, however, didn't know that. Proudly, he looked up at everyone, saw their astonished, speechless looks, and couldn't help but smirk, thinking, "Indeed, my move has stunned them."
The game room remained quiet, but the broadcast hall downstairs had already erupted.
"Damn, is it possible to play Go like this? Has this guy never played Go before?" said an honest person.
"Teacher, look, you taught me to occupy corners first, but this master has played in the center right away," said an apprentice.
"Heh, you don't get it, do you? This is a standard opening for an attack-style game," This guy was definitely bullshitting.
"No, no, this must be some advanced tactic we don't understand, otherwise, how would he dare to challenge Young Master Ning?" This person was none other than Gu Dao, one of the four small kings.
Even though Gu Dao was a master himself, Go was vast and mysterious. The more skilled he was, the more unknown things there were. After practicing Go for more than ten years, he felt like an ignorant fool, having missed even the basics of Go. Now, seeing Xiaokai's move, countless thoughts rushed into his mind. Legend after legend about Go flooded his thoughts, and in an instant, numerous Go-related stories emerged in his mind. Observing the lonesome stone that landed in the center of the board, he felt it grow larger and more imposing before his eyes. In a moment, countless ideas about Go rushed to his mind, making him feel incredulous, yet unable to express it. Suddenly, cold sweat ran down his face, causing the concepts he had formed over the years to crumble, leaving only an exclamation in his mind: "How unstoppable is this excessive dominance!"
Ningyuan remained calm, but even he had some doubts. He remembered Xiaokai's performance in the previous bet, and he couldn't be sure whether Xiaokai had intentionally made that move. Who could say that he didn't have a follow-up move?
The principle of preference is very clear: whether you are a rabbit or a lion, I will treat you as a lion to deal with.
So, preferring to confidently place a white stone stably, right in the corner of the chessboard.
Xiao Kaixin was happy and determined, thinking, "Sure enough, as I expected, I have occupied the initiative in the center of the board, and he has no choice now, he can only develop into the corner. This is the famous 'countryside surrounds the city' strategic thinking."
Since he had figured out the current situation, he didn't hesitate anymore. He casually picked up a stone and placed it next to his first one, saying, "Hehe, I have to occupy the center of the board properly."
Prefer was increasingly surprised but didn't speak, picked up a stone, and quickly placed it in another corner.
After these two moves were completed, the discussion downstairs had become increasingly intense. People were fervently discussing, then they heard a familiar yet vigorous voice saying, "Hmm, why is it so lively today?"
The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone turned to see a spirited elder walking in with some urgency.
Initially in a daze, Gu Dao's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Liu Lao, come and take a look. This chess...this chess... is being played in such a bizarre way!"
"Who is playing chess?" Liu Lao asked solemnly.
"It's Ningyuan and an unknown player named Yan Xiaokai," replied Gu Dao as if he had found a savior, grabbing Liu Lao's arm. "You see, this is Yan Xiaokai's opening move. I really can't understand it."
Liu Lao smiled and nodded, apparently pleased by Gu Dao's display of vanity. But when his eyes focused on the screen, he was also dumbfounded.
While Prefer could imagine the situation that followed, Xiaokai was oblivious. Feeling good about his performance, he picked up the third stone, wanting to consolidate his "advantage." However, before he could place the stone, he suddenly heard a voice, "Oh, Xiaokai Daoist, you are playing Go!"
It was, of course, one of the old men from the Book of No Words. Although these four old men looked exactly alike, they had different tones of voice. Xiaokai had sought the opinions of the four old men and had given them each a nickname. The old man who had discovered the mahjong artifact in Huangshan was called the "Mahjong True Man," the old man who had been helping Xiaokai make amulets in recent days was called the "Town Element True Man." The remaining two old men, one closed himself off for long periods of meditation and rarely spoke, so Xiaokai called him the "Seclusion True Man." The last one always spoke in a refined manner, so Xiaokai gave him the name "Learned True Man." And now, speaking was not the talkative Town Element True Man, but the usually silent Learned True Man.
Xiaokai sighed, "I don't really want to play, but this time it's a competition, so I have to."
The usually steady Learned True Man glanced at the chessboard and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Whoever is playing, how can you occupy the center as soon as you come out? This person is just a pure idiot. Xiaokai Daoist, it looks like you are sure to win."
Xiaokai's face turned red, and he muttered, "The black pieces are mine."
"Uh..." The Learned True Man was taken aback.
Prefer, seeing that Xiaokai was hesitating about his third move, couldn't help but look up. He saw Xiaokai looking embarrassed and lost, as if he had become stupid. This amused Prefer, who continued to observe Xiaokai's expression without saying anything.
Xiaokai's expression seemed depressed at one moment, angry the next, excited the following moment, and then dejected. After two or three minutes, he suddenly slapped his hand and said, "That's it!" His eyes suddenly sparkled.
Prefer was perplexed as he watched Xiaokai swiftly pick up a black stone and "slap" it onto the board.
But this time, it wasn't placed in the central position. Instead, it was placed in a corner that Prefer hadn't occupied yet. However, this position was different from Prefer's typical corner strategy. While Prefer favored the corners, Xiaokai moved two spaces towards the center, leaving the stone standing alone. It faced the top corner of the board while still remotely concerned about the two lonely stones in the central area.
"What does this mean?" Prefer scratched his head, feeling perplexed, and even though he had already decided on the placement for his third stone, he hesitated to put it down.
"Hiss..." Downstairs, the renowned Go master Liu Dayuan couldn't help but gasp, "This person is indeed not playing randomly. His opening strategy looks quite mysterious."
"Liu Lao, what do you mean?" Gu Dao asked anxiously.
"Look at his third stone; it is two spaces off from the corner. Though it's not hung on the corner, it's securely guarding the corner while still being concerned about the central area. This predicts some extraordinary means to come," Liu Lao said, rubbing his beard, looking resolute. "It turns out to be a fierce fight between dragons and tigers!"
"But..." Gu Dao hesitated, "I think, even if Prefer seizes the corner now, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Uh..." Liu Lao blushed for a moment and said, "Actually, I also think it's not a problem...” Seeing the crowd getting ready to stir up again, he quickly added, "But..."
"But what?" Gu Dao asked.
Liu Lao revealed a mysterious expression. "But I always feel that there is a deep mystery in this. It's completely based on intuition. It's a sense that comes from reaching a certain level in playing Go, something that cannot be conveyed by words!"
Since it was something that could not be conveyed by words, the people naturally had no further questions. Their eyes focused on the chessboard once again, eagerly anticipating what the mysterious Yu Xiaokai would play next.
After five minutes of contemplation, Prefer placed his third stone. It was according to his established principles of playing Go. He finally figured it out; no matter how bizarre Xiaokai played, he just had to play according to his own Go philosophy.
Xiaokai played quickly, without much contemplation, and immediately placed the fourth stone, which was neither in the corner nor on the edge but landed in an inexplicable spot once again.
Prefer was utterly puzzled. He gritted his teeth and, not bothering about Xiaokai's plans, placed another stone.
"Damn, is this going to work?" Xiaokai asked the Learned True Man quietly, "Although I don't know much about Go, I heard that you win by surrounding the opponent. Look, my stones are scattered everywhere, but his are all connected."
"Don't worry, just trust me," the Learned True Man said confidently, "You need to know, I played Go for at least a thousand years during my practice. My level is absolutely not to be underestimated. Although this kid called Ningyuan might not have weak Go skills, compared to me, he's far behind. Ha, there are at least fifteen ambushes in this game that he hasn't seen, and he thinks the situation is good."
Prefer indeed felt that the situation was good. Not just him but also Gu Dao and Liu Lao thought that the situation for the white pieces was excellent; not just excellent, they had basically secured a winning position. Even if it was any random professional player holding the white pieces against Liu Dayuan as the black, the world's top player wouldn't be able to reverse the situation.
Xiaokai's initial moves, which occupied the center, had brought serious consequences. Falling behind with every move, being relentlessly chased and attacked by Prefer, it appeared a bit distressing at this point. The two stones in the center had already fallen into a dire situation; if Prefer decided to move, he could drive them off the board at any time.
At this point, Liu Lao's face had turned red, and his expression looked a bit strange. Everyone thought, "Just now, Liu Lao mentioned that there's something indescribable about this mysterious black pieces, but why does he not show any sign of it and has been totally blocked?"
A small number of people still felt that this guy named Yan Xiaokai was experimenting with new tactics, while most people suddenly realized, "Oh, turns out he just doesn't know how to play at all!"
But at this moment, Xiaokai suddenly made a strange move.
At this point, all of Xiaokai's stones had been completely disintegrated, cut up by Prefer, needing rescue and life-and-death strategies everywhere. But this particular move made by Xiaokai, far from struggling or making a concerted effort, happened to fill his own void and killed his own eye.
"No need to look," Gu Dao sighed, "He has given up and started to make random moves."
Prefer, with the victory in his hands, felt even more convinced that his philosophy was correct. He just had to play Go according to his own principles, no matter how oddly Xiaokai played. His only need was to aggressively seize the benefits, and this move was something he had carefully scrutinized and was sure that Xiaokai would suffer a significant loss, representing a wonderful opportunity.
So, without a second thought, he played a move and casually confiscated over ten of Xiaokai's stones.
"Ah," Gu Dao sighed again and, shaking his leg, wanted to go to the bathroom.
However, at this moment, a hand suddenly reached out, grabbed his arm with such force that it caused a lingering pain. Before he could even exclaim, he heard Liu Lao's somewhat excited voice, "Wait, something's not right!"
Gu Dao turned his eyes to the screen and was suddenly stunned.
The black pieces, which had been seemingly doomed, suddenly opened up the situation after losing these ten or more stones.
"Rather than see this move, couldn't help but quietly exclaim 'oh'. "Wonderful move! Wonderful move! It's truly a brilliant move!" Lao Liu sighed up to the sky, "To take first, you must sacrifice first. The level of this game is tremendous, it's the best I've ever seen in my life!"
As Ning Yuan carefully observed the current situation, sweat started to appear on his forehead. After thinking for over ten minutes, he finally made a slow move. "Good, now just need to fill in this spot, it's quite a bother." Lao Liu confidently pointed at the screen, "Yes, it's right here."
But Xiao Kai's move did not land in the intended spot, instead, it fell in a completely unrelated area. This move, no one could understand it, not even Lao Liu. Today, the world's number one Go player's reputation took a hit, and even after careful observation, Lao Liu finally shook his head, "I don't understand, truly don't understand."
Ning Yuan's brows furrowed even tighter. Although Xiao Kai had managed to recover the game to some extent, the advantage that he originally gained was significant. As a result, Ning Yuan decided to delay and started to ponder deeply.
Ning Yuan closed his eyes, leaned softly on the sofa, took deep breaths for five minutes, then rubbed his eyes and stretched his shoulders before focusing on the game board with full attention.
"Xiao Kai, you're too formidable!" Xiao Kai boasted, "My admiration for you is like the endless stream of rivers and the unceasing floods of the Yellow River, unstoppable!"
"Hmph, that's nothing, the real excitement is yet to come," the erudite man had the chance to showcase his outstanding side for the first time in thousands of years, and his emotions were extremely high, "Based on his skills, he definitely won't understand this move, and after a couple more moves, he'll be crying."
Adhering to the rules of the game room, neither Xiao Yun nor Ning Qing dared to speak. However, the joy on their faces clearly indicated the situation. Seeing Xiao Kai leaning back softly on the sofa, Ning Qing immediately ran over and gently massaged Xiao Kai's shoulders.
Startled by her actions, Xiao Kai was now accustomed to her initiatives and did not refuse, enjoying the moment.
Xiao Yun was filled with frustration, both annoyed that Xiao Kai couldn't resist the temptation and also at herself for not thinking to approach him first. While sulking, she suddenly saw Ning Qing wink at her, looking pleased, causing Xiao Yun to clench her fists in secret, thinking, "You win this time, but next time, it won't be your turn, hmph."
This time, Ning Yuan was quite exaggerated, contemplating for nearly two hours that it was almost noon when the room's bell rang. A voice came through the speaker, "Young Master Ning, would you like to have lunch now and continue in the afternoon?"
Ning Yuan was slightly startled, as if just waking up from contemplation, and finally sighed deeply, "Enough, no need to wait until this afternoon, I concede."