The first game of the National Champion Championship ended with Yu Shao losing to Jiang Changdong by half a point, immediately stirring a huge uproar online and sparking countless heated discussions.

Some marveled that Jiang Changdong was indeed strong, truly worthy of being one of the “Five Legends.” Others joked that since Zhuang Weisheng lost to Yu Shao, and Yu Shao lost to Jiang Changdong, it was clear that Jiang Changdong’s strength was above Zhuang Weisheng’s.

Many were shocked by Yu Shao’s relentless pursuit after falling into a desperate situation in this game, becoming completely captivated and turning into his fans.

This was actually quite rare. Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser the bandit. No matter how the game played out, in the end, Yu Shao lost by just half a point.

Yet, paradoxically, Yu Shao’s fanbase surged dramatically because of this very game.

Some even said that compared to Yu Shao’s previous wins, this game’s every move made in a desperate situation moved them deeply and gave them goosebumps.

Many professional players replayed this game online, dissecting every move.

But because the board was so incredibly complex from start to finish, even a group of pros analyzing for a long time couldn’t produce a perfect review.

Some pros thought the “squeeze” move was the root cause of Yu Shao falling behind;

it looked brilliant but actually left no viable options.

Others felt that squeeze was a brilliant move, but they couldn’t find the correct path afterward.

Because the game was astonishingly complicated and difficult to decode, even four or five days after the first game of the National Champion Championship ended, discussions about this match showed no sign of cooling down.

Time flew by to the sixth day after the first game ended, and only then did the online chatter finally quiet down a lot.

This was not because the game had been fully studied or resolved, but because—

The second game of the National Champion Championship challenge match was about to begin!

The National Champion Championship uses a best-of-three format, with each game spaced a week apart and played at different venues.

Six days had passed since the first game, and now the second game was finally set to open, taking place in the Go room of the Eastern Go Academy.

As the country’s most significant Go event, interviews usually flow out after a game ends, with players sharing their thoughts and previewing the upcoming games.

But these days, Yu Shao seemed to have vanished without a trace. No reporter had been able to contact him, and naturally, no interviews appeared.

So many online worried that Yu Shao might have had a psychological breakdown after his loss.

After all, Yu Shao had never lost a formal match before. Losing in such an important title battle on his first round could be a huge blow to a genius like him.

Victory and defeat are common in warfare, but for a perennial winner, one loss might cause a lifetime slump, even leaving their mindset worse than an average soldier.

And now, the second game of the National Champion Championship was finally about to begin!

This night was destined to be sleepless for many. Countless people anxiously awaited the result of the second game.

Would this edition of the National Champion Championship be decided early by Jiang Changdong in the second game? Or would the suspense stretch to the final third game?

Would Yu Shao’s mindset be affected? Would this prodigy, who stunned the Go world since his debut, be stopped at the title battle?

These were questions everyone wanted answered.

...

Shuchuan City, Western Go Academy.

“The seventh game of this year’s National Champion Championship is at your place, right?”

A young man about twenty years old with Leslie curls looked at the bustling crowd in the Go Academy’s main hall, unable to help but comment, “It’s not the first time hosting a title battle, but this time there are way too many reporters.”

“After all, this year’s National Champion Championship is insanely popular. Plus, Yu Shao lost to Teacher Jiang Changdong in the first game. Today might be the decisive match. Of course, reporters wouldn’t miss it.”

Nearby, the curly-haired youth’s friend popped open a can of cola and said, “More importantly, no reporter has contacted Yu Shao this whole week.”

“Is he shaken?”

The curly-haired youth looked puzzled and asked, “Even though it’s a title battle, this is the only official match he’s lost so far, and it was to Teacher Jiang Changdong. Plus, the game ended that way! Even losing, it’s not a shameful loss, right?”

“Actually, for most players, even losing that game is something to be proud of!”

His friend shrugged with a ‘who knows’ expression and said, “Who can tell?”

He took a sip of cola, then continued in a complicated tone, “For us, wins and losses are normal. But for geniuses like him, maybe losing even one game is unbearable?”

“You just don’t understand the genius world…”

The curly-haired youth shook his head, full of envy. “I really want to experience what it feels like to lose in a title battle challenge!”

Hearing this, his friend rolled his eyes and teased, “Your title battle? First see if you can even get into the main title matches before thirty.”

“Hey, a person has to have dreams. I never said I wanted to win. I just want to feel what losing in a title battle challenge is like. Is that too much to ask?”

The curly-haired youth complained a little, then suddenly thought of something and asked, “It’s getting late and Yu Shao still hasn’t arrived. Do you think he might... forfeit?”

Hearing this, his friend hesitated, uncertain, “That... probably not.”

He had never thought about anyone forfeiting in a title battle before, since there was no precedent.

But now, hearing the curly-haired youth say this, he frowned.

“The more genius someone is, the worse their mindset sometimes. Especially someone like Yu Shao — it’s extreme. So the blow might be even bigger. If his mind isn’t strong, he might really give up and forfeit.”

His friend said, “After all, geniuses can be a bit willful.”

The curly-haired youth was about to speak when suddenly the crowd in the hall stirred loudly, and he stopped talking, turning toward the source of the commotion.

Not far from the Go Academy’s hall entrance, a boy with short black hair, dressed cleanly in a white half-sleeve shirt, walked steadily toward the Eastern Go Academy’s hall, expression calm beyond words.

Yu Shao had arrived!

When Yu Shao stepped into the hall, which had just been noisy, it instantly fell silent. Everyone instinctively looked at him, their gazes varied.

Since the first title battle game ended, Yu Shao had been the center of all players’ discussions, but he had disappeared without a trace for a week, with no news at all.

Now, after a week of silence, Yu Shao appeared under everyone’s watchful eyes!

Yu Shao scanned the Go Academy hall once, then quickly withdrew his gaze and stepped forward again. Under everyone’s attention, he crossed the hall and headed toward the Go room.

The crowd remained silent until Yu Shao’s back disappeared from view, then the hall burst into noisy chatter again, voices rising and falling!

“Yu Shao is here!”

“He looks surprisingly good, no sign of frustration.”

“Too calm, almost abnormal. Probably forcing himself to appear fine, right?”

...

The curly-haired youth’s friend listened silently to the hall’s gossip, quietly sipping his cola, pondering what kind of mindset Yu Shao was in now.

Just then, the curly-haired youth’s voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

“Old He, do you think Yu Shao has... changed? Feels different from before.”

His friend was stunned, turning to look at the curly-haired youth, asking, “Changed? How changed? Have you met Yu Shao before?”

“No.”

The curly-haired youth immediately shook his head like a rattle. “He’s from the Southern Go Academy. How could I have met him?”

His friend was speechless. “You’ve never met him and yet say he’s changed?”

“I haven’t met him in person, but I’ve seen videos and photos.”

The curly-haired youth hesitated and asked, “You should have seen the opening ceremony of the China-Japan-Korea team tournament, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

His friend was confused.

“Well... how to put it...”

The curly-haired youth stroked his chin, thinking. “Back then, he said that before him, there wasn’t a single game in the world that could be called a good game. Sounds pretty arrogant, right?”

“So what?”

His friend was dumbfounded. “Could it be even more arrogant than that?”

“Actually, even though Yu Shao said that to the global media, to me he still seemed very calm and steady.”

The curly-haired youth thought for a moment, then said, “I didn’t sense arrogance. It was like he simply believed it and felt that before him, no game could be called great, and that was just natural.”

“Huh?”

His friend looked baffled. “Isn’t that arrogant?”

“Ah, it’s different! It’s like everyone thinks one plus one equals three, but you think one plus one equals two and say it in front of everyone. Would you feel arrogant?”

The curly-haired youth explained, “I haven’t met him, but somehow I feel he’s mature beyond his years. Though he’s an outrageous genius, I don’t sense that sharp edge in him, you know?”

“He gives me the feeling of seeing through everything, understanding everything clearly, thinking thoroughly, taking the big picture into account, naturally possessing an unparalleled pressure that feels unshakable.”

“But he’s missing the sharpness a young man should have, hiding his talents, holding back his brilliance.”

The curly-haired youth paused, uncertain. “Now, he’s different. There’s a sharpness, a kind of... exposed brilliance.”

His friend twitched his mouth corner, rolling his eyes in disbelief. “Are you sick? Making a movie here? Showing off your dominance and asking for death? How come I can’t feel any of that?”

“I feel pretty sure about it. You should know! I play Go based purely on feeling. Though I don’t know why I make certain moves, I just feel they’re right, and it turns out to be brilliant.”

The curly-haired youth immediately defended himself. “You lack that feeling! Go requires intuition and inspiration!”

“Which is why you suck. How can you play based on feelings? It’s all about logical reasoning.”

His friend laughed. “Those times you think you’re right are just dumb luck. What about the times you’re wrong? If all your feelings were right, you’d be playing title battles today.”

“Damn it!”

The curly-haired youth couldn’t help but curse. But after his friend’s words, he started doubting himself, muttering, “So I was wrong again?”

Yu Shao walked straight toward the Go room. Not long after, he arrived at the door, then reached out and gently pushed open the Go room door.

Hearing the door open, the referee and recorder inside immediately looked toward the entrance. Seeing Yu Shao, they subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

They had been worried earlier that Yu Shao might not show up.

Inside the Go room, Jiang Changdong had already arrived and now looked up at Yu Shao.

“Third Dan Yu Shao, good morning.”

A referee greeted Yu Shao and asked, “You’re a bit late, huh?”

“Sorry, I wanted to sleep a little longer, so I lazed in bed. But isn’t it fine as long as I’m here before ten?” Yu Shao smiled and said.

Hearing this, the two referees and recorder couldn’t help but show a hint of disbelief, exchanging glances.

Sleep a little longer, laze in bed?

This is a title battle challenge!

And you already lost the last game. This game is a life-or-death match for you!

Shouldn’t you have gotten up immediately and come early to prepare?

Isn’t this a bit too relaxed?

“Could it be... because today is the life-or-death title battle, you were too nervous yesterday to sleep well, so you couldn’t get up this morning?”

The three exchanged glances and saw the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes.

Yu Shao naturally didn’t know what they were thinking. He soon walked into the Go room, sat down slowly opposite Jiang Changdong, and pulled out his chair.

His expression was calm, seemingly unaffected by the defeat a week ago.

“A bit too forced, isn’t it...”

Sensing this, one referee sighed inwardly, “Losing a game and then playing a second game against the same opponent can bring all kinds of emotions, but never this kind of calm.”

“Especially in the title battle challenge, the most important event. Such calmness is over the top and feels fake.”

“Looks like the last game really hit him hard...”

The referee silently thought, “I hope when the game starts, he can adjust his state and not be affected by the previous loss.”

“I really don’t want to see such a genius lose his spark just because of one lost game...”