“A cut, huh?”

Yu Shao stared at the board, calculating the potential variations.

“If I jump, he might attach? In that case, White could counterattack. Or maybe he’s planning to sacrifice a group on the lower side?”

He slowly reached into the bowl, fingertips brushing the cold stones.

“But that move might be too cunning... easy to overplay and backfire.”

“No. In this situation, the strongest move is still—”

Click!

The stone collided crisply with others in the bowl, then landed swiftly on the board.

Tap!

Eight columns, ten rows—diagonal move.

“Eight-ten, diagonal move!”

Li You’s gaze tightened on the board. When he saw Yu Shao's placement, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly responded with his own stone.

Tap!

Seven columns, five rows—hane.

“Hane on top? That’s a strong move.”

Yu Shao was mildly surprised, but he quickly spotted several potential variations.

“Still, I just need to block lightly and make room above. White will be forced to respond. That way, he won’t be able to commit too much to the center, making his group even harder to save.”

Having finished his calculations, Yu Shao placed his next move with measured confidence.

Tap!

Eight columns, five rows—block.

Li You had already reached into the bowl, ready to play, but froze mid-action. His face darkened.

Even the referee beside him glanced at Li You with concern, realizing that White's situation was becoming increasingly precarious. This block hit White right where it hurt.

Seconds ticked by.

Li You remained frozen, staring at the board, lost in a deep think.

“I want to rescue the group, but he’s refusing to follow my script—always skimming the edges, never giving me a real chance to fight back!”

“If I don’t act soon, and the board closes up, I might never get another opportunity!”

His eyes scanned the board relentlessly.

“There has to be something.”

“The situation looks bad, but I can feel it—somewhere on this board, there’s still a way for White to live!”

“Where is it?!”

Time flowed on, and Li You's think time extended far beyond expectations—over seventy minutes had passed, and he still hadn’t moved.

“A wedge!”

Su Yiming sat up abruptly as he stared at his screen. The visual impact of the move left him momentarily stunned.

“He actually played that?”

He stared in disbelief.

“This squeeze limits Black’s liberties. If Black doesn’t extend, White can peep, which becomes sente. And if the peep is sente, the atari becomes sente too!”

“That would mean—White’s earlier cut, the one that looked questionable—now works!”

“White’s path to life... has revealed itself!”

----------------------------------------

Elsewhere, Ding Huan, staring at his screen mid-article, paused mid-typing. His fingers hovered.

“Move 78 for White—a wedge!”

He opened his mouth but no words came out.

A moment later, his face flushed with emotion. He began hammering the keyboard:

“White just played this move!”

“I’m just a Go reporter—obviously nowhere near pro level—but I’ve watched thousands of games. I may have seen more games than some pros.”

“But watching these two players, move by move... it’s like hearing your fighting spirit being shattered!”

“This move doesn’t need commentary. The visual impact alone tells the story. If you understand the language of this battle, then the shock you feel in your heart is its silent explosion.”

“No matter who wins—just playing this move is enough to cement Li You as a legend.”

“This is 8-dan Li You’s Go!”

----------------------------------------

Seoul, Korea.

“That move…”

A young pro swallowed hard, throat dry, his vision blurring as he stared at the screen.

“8-dan Li You caught the fleeting chance in a foggy board position—and made the best move possible.”

“A move that rivals nature itself.”

“The strongest life-and-death play isn’t some dazzling combo born from crisis.”

“It’s the willpower to say, ‘Even if I let you defend one more time, I’ll still break all your territory!’”

“That... is iron will!”

Everyone around him was stunned, deeply moved by the wave of intensity on the board.

That move took them back to the days when a young Li You stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhu Huai’an, hailed as a prodigy.

This move... was monumental.

----------------------------------------

Back in the match room.

Yu Shao stared hard at the board, mentally simulating endless variations.

This wedge had caught him off guard. He’d calculated nearly every line—except this one.

It wasn’t just unconventional. It went completely against standard logic!

He reevaluated the board, and his expression grew solemn.

“I overlooked this.”

With this wedge, Black's central group was suddenly in danger—even its edge connections were under threat of being cut.

Time passed.

After more than ten minutes of deep thought, Yu Shao reached into the bowl again, face darkening. He quickly made his move.

“I have to go all in. I must completely cut off White’s path to life!”

“If not—I’m the one who’ll lose!”

Tap!

Yu Shao answered Li You’s wedge.

Nine columns, seventeen rows—strike.

The move sent shockwaves through the room.

“Strike?!”

Gasps followed.

“Faced with White’s wedge... he didn’t retreat, but struck?!”

“He’s not backing off? I don’t get it—why wouldn’t he fall back here? Unless he’s got something hidden up his sleeve?”

“I don’t see it—but Yu Shao must be confident. If he plays this, he has to have read it through. But... if White peeps, how does Black respond?”

Li You’s wedge had already stunned everyone.

Now Yu Shao’s counter stunned them again.

All eyes stayed glued to the board, waiting for White’s next move.

Soon, White placed his stone.

Tap!

Nine columns, nine rows—peep.

Another ten moves followed in quick succession. Then expressions around the room began shifting with disbelief.

Only now did everyone begin to understand Yu Shao’s decision.

Yes—entering that variation meant a grueling fight.

But while grueling, it didn’t lead to sudden collapse. And if he’d calculated everything precisely, the aftermath of this variation left one more black stone on the outer board.

That one stone... could decide the match.

It was as if a lion, calm to its core, let a venomous snake wrap around it—then sank its teeth right into the snake’s heart.

“Too strong…”

Someone whispered, awestruck.

“If it were me, I would’ve panicked after that wedge. But he calmly played the best possible move—reading all the insane complications.”

One professional swallowed hard. He felt the yawning gap between them—so wide, it left him despairing.

“This board is insane... What kind of reading ability, judgment, and steel nerve does it take to play that strike?”

It was a difference hard work alone could never bridge.

Back on the board, the stones kept falling. Everyone was completely consumed by the game, their emotions riding its waves.

Black and white were now locked in brutal combat, tangled like snakes, every corner a battlefield of life and death.

White, having been countered, struck back. He began choking Black’s lone group.

Black responded with equal force, fighting tooth and nail to break free from enemy lines.

The board reeked of blood—each stone drop felt like a charge of ten thousand soldiers, a pile of corpses marking their passage.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The crisp sound of moves echoed again and again.

Sweat beaded on foreheads across the room. No one even noticed.

Li You gritted his teeth, back drenched in sweat, droplets rolling down his face—but he seemed unaware.

He’d thought for over thirty minutes to find that one wedge.

Not only had he found White’s path to survival—he was trying to turn the game completely around.

But the path proved ten times harder than expected.

White’s every move was aggressive and ruthless—yet no weakness emerged in Black’s formation.

“Logically, we shouldn’t be deadlocked this long...”

Li You clenched his left fist. His right hand placed another stone.

Yu Shao, across from him, was no more relaxed. His expression was icy.

As soon as Li You placed his move, Yu Shao responded.

Tap!

Ten columns, eight rows—push.

“He pushed!”

Li You could almost feel the murderous intent behind that move.

This was a commanding move—White had no choice but to respond. But doing so might open him up to further traps.

“Next move—I hane from above. If he extends, I’ll fly and descend. If he blocks and takes the top point first, I’ll cut!”

“As long as I pin Black’s group below, I can move on to saving my center. That could lock in my victory!”

His gaze was sharp. He moved after a moment of thought.

Tap!

Fourteen columns, fourteen rows—hane.

Yu Shao followed immediately.

Fourteen columns, fifteen rows—block.

“Of course he blocked…”

Li You answered right away.

Tap!

Thirteen columns, sixteen rows—cut.

Snap!

The sound of capture rang out. Yu Shao responded at once.

Eleven columns, thirteen rows—wedge.

“Wedge?”

Li You flinched. That move caught him completely off guard.

Black was willing to sacrifice points just to kill White’s eye space—and threaten to destroy territory.

“D*mn it!”

He bit his molars, reached into the bowl, and struck back.

Tap!

Fourteen columns, ten rows—placement.

This barrage of high-speed, high-tension exchanges left everyone breathless. Their minds reeled.

Since the wedge, White had launched ten or more ferocious moves in a row—each one sharp as a blade.

Even as spectators, they could barely breathe—so how must it feel for Li You?