Inside the Handtalk Room.

Yu Shao looked down at the board in front of him. Though the game had turned intensely turbulent and unfathomably complex—with black and white tangled in a battle of life and death—his expression remained calm.

Or rather, it was precisely because the situation had reached this point that he appeared even calmer.

Beside him, the female recorder and the two referees instinctively held their breath. They watched Yu Shao’s composed expression, anxiously waiting for his next move.

Time ticked by.

Finally, nearly ten minutes later, Yu Shao reached into the Go bowl. The stones clinked crisply against each other.

The stone fell slowly.

Click!

A white stone landed on the board—under the watchful eyes of the entire world!

Column 8, Row 15—Push!

“Hm?”

Seeing Yu Shao finally play and watching that particular move, Zhuang Weisheng’s eyes shifted ever so slightly. “He played there?”

Zhuang Weisheng frowned slightly, looking over the board.

“A surprising move—it doesn’t appear to connect with the urgent points of the board, and yet, it doesn’t feel like a bad move either.”

Staring at that fallen white stone, Zhuang Weisheng momentarily fell into contemplation.

“It’s hard to say where the strength of that move lies, but it clearly holds deep meaning. At first glance, it seems slow, but it ties into the whole board.”

Time continued to flow.

And as it did, Zhuang Weisheng’s expression grew more and more solemn.

Finally, another seven or eight minutes passed before he exhaled slowly, picked up a black stone, and placed it on the board.

...

Donghai City, in a run-down apartment.

Chu Jingfeng and Jiang Changdong stared intently at the computer screen, watching black and white stones continue to fall alternately.

They were so focused that Jiang’s cigarette had burned all the way to the filter without him noticing.

“That push... is incredibly deep.”

Zhuang Weisheng fell silent for a while, then said gravely, “Before white entered the board, it was hard to believe. But with that push, the whole board shifted again.”

Hearing his words, Chu Jingfeng finally snapped back to reality. Instinctively, he tried to take a drag—only then realizing his cigarette had burned out. He clicked his tongue.

He shook his head, reached under the desk for the cigarette pack, pulled one out, lit it with a click, and took a long inhale.

“Phew...”

He exhaled a cloud of smoke and muttered, “Since Jiang Changdong’s been plotting this whole game, and his opponent hasn’t even fully entered yet...”

“There’s been a shift, sure, but white can’t possibly break through black’s massive framework without paying a price. At best, it’s a fight to the death.”

Chu Jingfeng opened his mouth but didn’t speak. He simply gave Jiang Changdong a sidelong glance.

Looking at the current state of the board, yes, things had changed. But white had pushed deep into enemy lines. Normally, even achieving a mutual destruction outcome would be extremely difficult.

And yet...

Jiang Changdong actually believed white could force black into a draw-or-die scenario.

“Even Jiang Changdong doesn’t realize it—but he’s already feeling the pressure...”

Chu Jingfeng turned back to the screen and thought to himself, Maybe... he really can do it.

But how?

The stones continued to fall.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The crisp sound of stones echoed, seemingly through the screen into their ears. The clash on the board was growing fiercer by the second!

Suddenly, a new white stone appeared on the screen. Both Chu Jingfeng and Jiang Changdong were visibly stunned.

As more stones fell, their expressions changed rapidly.

“This is...”

Sweat beaded on Chu Jingfeng’s forehead. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

The stones kept falling!

On the screen, white moves piled up—and the more they did, the more his forehead dripped with sweat. His face became increasingly stunned.

“This—”

He stared blankly at the board, his heart trembling.

And Jiang Changdong’s cigarette, barely touched, had already burned down again. But he didn’t notice at all, eyes glued to the screen.

Not just the two of them. At this moment, everyone around the world watching this match had the same stunned expression—and that feeling only grew deeper!

...

The internet had completely exploded!

“No way!”

“This isn’t just mutual destruction anymore!”

“White entered the fight, but somehow... it feels like there’s no one standing in his way!”

“That solid sequence... Yu Shao is trying to destroy black’s territory without suffering a single scratch himself!”

“And what’s more terrifying—black somehow can’t stop him!”

Everyone stared at the board, breath held, unwilling to blink as black and white continued to intertwine on the board.

Could white really break through black’s massive framework unscathed?

It should’ve been impossible. After all, white had already pushed into the center—it should’ve been hard enough just to break even.

And yet, seeing this game unfold, everyone was shaken.

They stared at the board, utterly dumbfounded.

At last!

With the entire world watching, another white stone slowly fell.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze.

Then—

“White... White really did destroy black’s entire framework without taking a single hit!”

Someone couldn’t help but scream, their face filled with shock: “And it was sente too!”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Words could no longer describe what people felt as they looked at this board—it was like witnessing divine insight.

Black had laid out a masterpiece of strategy, a game that had the world’s Go players bowing in admiration. But then white entered alone—single-handedly carving a bloody path through a sea of troops!

Not only unharmed, but in storming through the encirclement, white turned black’s grand strategy upside down. What black had painstakingly planned—dissolved like smoke.

“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!”

In the Seoul Go Institute, Lee Wuhyun couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming, “This game... it really is... it really is—”

He searched his entire vocabulary but could find no words to express what he felt!

...

Inside the Handtalk Room, the atmosphere was heavier than ever.

Beside them, the female recorder and two referees stared at the board, shocked... and dazed.

They looked blankly at the game, feeling a sudden urge to kneel.

Honestly speaking, black had done everything—utterly awe-inspiring, beyond belief, worthy of thunderous applause.

Black’s strategy had been a final, desperate gamble. And because of that, white’s destruction of it made it even more tragic, even more sorrowful.

But even so, every black move had already far surpassed their comprehension.

“I can still fight.”

Zhuang Weisheng stared intently at the board. Though the gap was clear and the game on the verge of collapse, he remained calm.

In fact, calmer than ever.

The past was past. What was lost was lost. He never clung to what was gone—he always looked forward.

“I can still use the remnants of white’s stones to generate aji—keep biting at white, keep entangling!”

He reached into the bowl again, picked up a black stone, and played quickly.

Yu Shao glanced at the board and responded with a white stone in return.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The stones spread like a spiderweb, covering the final empty spaces as both sides fought the last battle.

All eyes around the world were locked on this game, as if trying to burn each black and white move into their minds.

“What a fierce bite!”

“Black is nearly crumbling, but somehow never quite collapses—constantly maneuvering through the leftover aji!”

“If it were me, I’d have resigned already. And yet... black still has a sliver of life!”

“But white’s moves are just too precise, the reading too deep—black feels completely outmatched!”

The world was silent. No one’s heart was at ease.

Yu Shao’s expression grew cold. Though he held the advantage, black’s tenacious defense surprised even him.

Even now, black still had a sliver of room to fight. Not much, but enough that he couldn’t afford to relax.

Soon, Yu Shao placed a white stone—right next to black’s.

Click.

Column 18, Row 14—Peep!

“White... is starting a ko?!”

Everyone froze. Then, their faces changed, holding their breath—knowing the end of this brutal slaughter might finally be near!

“Teacher Zhuang Weisheng tried to leverage white’s leftover stones to create aji, but Yu Shao’s reading was flawless—not only killing black, but seizing sente and starting the ko first!”

The female recorder looked at the screen, murmuring dazedly, “Teacher Zhuang Weisheng... has done all he could.”

White bit down with unrelenting strength, using the sharpest attack to completely destroy black—attempting to end the game right here, in midgame!

That move was so strong—it made you want to resign on the spot.

“He started a ko at this moment...”

Seeing that white stone, Zhuang Weisheng’s expression darkened, but he quickly responded.

“White had so many options... yet among them all, he still found the one that threatens me most—a ko that forces mutual destruction!”

“If I jump, he’ll cut. If I play on top, I can survive—but white will bleed me dry.”

“In that case, the dragon may live, but the game is lost. The gap will be irrecoverable.”

“If I directly counter, he might dive in, force me into tight liberties, and use sacrifices to drag me down—a move most players couldn’t see... but he can.”

“He definitely sees it.”

“After playing him this far, I know that much.”

“Then I can only push down—I can rely on my thickness here and keep fighting!”

Zhuang Weisheng played another move swiftly.

Click.

Column 17, Row 10—Push!

Yu Shao followed up immediately—another sharp move, aiming to wipe out black completely!

Click. Click. Click...

They played more than ten moves in quick succession. Every black stone was sharp and forceful—but more astounding was how white repeatedly entered near-fatal positions and emerged intact!

Yu Shao’s gaze grew colder. He reached into the bowl again and played:

Click.

Column 12, Row 15—Clamp!

Seeing the move, Zhuang Weisheng’s expression shifted, but he answered without hesitation.

White’s offensive was fiercer than ever, pressing relentlessly on black’s large dragon.

By now, the board was nearly full. Black had little room left to maneuver, and no way to counterattack.

And yet, to the astonishment of all—black still hadn’t fallen.

Black stood alone against an army—and though battered, never collapsed.

Utterly heroic.

Utterly tragic.

As the stones continued to fall, viewers were both shocked and bewildered—this game was beyond anything they could imagine.

Time flowed on in the sound of falling stones.

Even after white cleanly killed a section of black and started a ko, black still held on!

Both players had entered the endgame.

The livestream chat was nearly silent. Everyone watching was overwhelmed by the somber weight of the game, watching in reverent silence.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Stones continued to fall.

In this situation, black had somehow survived into the endgame. Endgame was all about precision. No more intense fighting—but black’s final chance to catch up...

The silence deepened.

They watched the two players in awe, as they delivered this ultimate display of black and white artistry.

Finally—

A long time passed. Zhuang Weisheng looked at the board and slowly closed his eyes.

Then, he reached into the bowl, picked up two black stones, and placed them at the center of the board.

In front of the whole world—he let go.

Click. Click.

The stones fell, ringing like chimes of jade and iron.

The game was over.

After the endgame was finished, Zhuang Weisheng resigned.

“Teacher Zhuang Weisheng used every ounce of strength and fought all the way to the endgame—but in the end... he couldn’t close the gap.”

The female recorder stared blankly at the board. “Teacher Zhuang Weisheng lost... by three and a half points...”

Tokyo, Japan.

Higashiyama Kaoru and the others stared at the screen. The room was silent.

“Yu Shao... won.”

A long-haired youth finally spoke, voice hoarse.

“Teacher Zhuang Weisheng held on until the very end, but... in the end, he couldn’t make up the difference...”

Seoul, Korea.

“It’s over.”

Lee Wuhyun still stared at the screen. Even knowing the game was finished, he couldn’t bear to look away—he wanted to etch it into his memory forever.

“A masterpiece...”

“From the new evolution of the Weisheng Style, to that unstoppable Tesuji... it began the most brutal battle of all.”

“The brilliance of this game—enough to make every Go player in the world bow down, awestruck and humbled, unable to meet its light...”

California, USA.

“Tengen Zhuang Weisheng... lost.”

A blond man stared at the screen in a daze.

After a long pause, he suddenly stood from his chair.

“It’s like the Titans of Greek mythology!”

“In the beginning of the world, the primordial god Uranus was overthrown by his son Cronus. Cronus had three sons—Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. And in the end, they overthrew him, casting him into the depths of the universe!”

The blond man’s face flushed. Unable to contain the surge of emotion, he grabbed his hair and shouted:

“The new god has defeated the old one—each generation stronger than the last!”