"This Go hall has such a great atmosphere." Wu Zhixuan couldn't help but admire as she looked at the classically decorated Phoenix Go Hall before her.

Yu Shao was also surprised as he observed the hall. Built with blue bricks and green tiles, its stone-paved floors gave it a simple yet elegant ancient charm. While retro-styled Go halls weren't uncommon, this one blended perfectly with the ancient town surroundings, exuding a refined aesthetic.

"Yu Shao," Wu Zhixuan suddenly said excitedly, "I just bought a Go fan and was looking for a place to use it. I want to go play a few games and show off my skills!"

Clearly, with her newly purchased fan, Wu Zhixuan was brimming with enthusiasm, eager to play some games while wielding her folding fan.

"Shouldn't you be saving your big moves for professional matches? As a pro player, isn't playing at a Go hall just smurfing?" Wu Shuheng couldn't resist teasing his sister as usual.

Ignoring Wu Shuheng completely, Wu Zhixuan grabbed Yu Shao's arm and dragged him toward the hall. Seeing this, Wu Shuheng had no choice but to follow them inside.

Upon entering, they found the first floor completely packed. Many Go tables had spectators standing nearby, intently watching the matches. The players exhibited various expressions - some looked heavy and suppressed, some concentrated intensely, some smoked pensively, while others rested their chins on hands, frowning at the board.

Despite the crowd, the hall was remarkably quiet, with only the sounds of stones being placed echoing through the space.

"Young man, here to play?" A bald middle-aged man at the front desk asked Yu Shao as the trio entered.

"Not me," Yu Shao replied, withdrawing his gaze before smiling at Wu Zhixuan. "She is."

"A female player? Most of our visitors are men - we don't see many women players here," the bald man remarked with surprise, glancing at Wu Zhixuan and then Wu Shuheng. "Miss, are you playing with your friend?"

"No no, he doesn't know how to play," Wu Zhixuan immediately shook her head, not wanting to play with Wu Shuheng at all. "Manager, could you arrange for me to join another table?"

"Well..." The bald man hesitated. "These past couple days have mostly been groups of friends playing together. All the open seats have been taken. If you don't mind waiting, you could see if any individual players arrive or wait for a table to free up."

"What? I have to wait?" Wu Zhixuan's face fell with disappointment as she glanced at Wu Shuheng before shaking her head with visible distaste.

"What? Playing with me is beneath you?" Wu Shuheng immediately bristled at her expression.

Yu Shao thought for a moment. "How about playing with me—"

"No way!" Before Yu Shao could finish, Wu Zhixuan cut him off firmly. "This is my first match since buying my fan! I absolutely cannot afford to lose!"

Yu Shao was momentarily speechless before suggesting, "How about I give you a two-stone handicap?"

"Do I look that desperate?" Wu Zhixuan's almond eyes widened in outrage. "Forget it, I'm not playing with you!"

Just then, a young man and woman wearing masks entered the hall together. Judging by their eyes, the man appeared to be around 27-28 years old, while the younger woman, dressed in a long skirt, seemed under twenty.

Wu Zhixuan's eyes immediately lit up as she hurried over to greet them. "Hello there! Are you here to play Go? Would you like to play a game with me?"

The newcomers stopped in their tracks, looking puzzled at Wu Zhixuan's sudden approach.

When they didn't respond immediately, Wu Zhixuan repeated her question, thinking they might not have heard clearly. "Are you here to play Go? Would you like to play a game with me?"

The girl, who appeared around Wu Zhixuan's age, responded in English, "Sorry, we don't speak Chinese."

"Oh, you're not Chinese?" Wu Zhixuan was briefly surprised but not shocked - with the Phoenix Cup World Championship approaching, foreign visitors were common. She quickly repeated her question in English.

"Play Go?" The two exchanged glances.

"Are you two already matched up?" Seeing this, Wu Zhixuan assumed they had come to play each other and felt disappointed.

"No, we just came to see this Go hall, not really to play," the girl explained with a shake of her head.

At this, Wu Zhixuan's hopes reignited. "Then would you like to play with me?"

"With you?" The girl gave Wu Zhixuan a slightly odd look. After hesitating and glancing at her male companion, who showed no reaction, she finally nodded. "Alright, no problem."

"Great!" Delighted to have finally found an opponent, Wu Zhixuan turned to the bald manager. "Manager, do you have space? Please find us a table."

"There's space on the second floor. The first floor is full. Table fee is forty yuan," the manager quickly responded, happy for the business.

"Fine." Wu Zhixuan nodded and soon, after scanning the payment code, the five of them headed upstairs together.

"Where are you from?" Wu Zhixuan asked curiously as they ascended. "Korea? Japan?"

"Japan," the girl answered softly.

"Japan?" This made Wu Zhixuan even more excited for the upcoming game. After becoming a professional player, she'd never actually played against a foreign opponent in person, only online.

Just then, the girl asked, "What's your rank?"

"I—" Wu Zhixuan's eyes darted about before answering, "4-dan. Pretty good, right?"

Hearing this response, Yu Shao couldn't help but smile privately. Technically, Wu Zhixuan wasn't lying - she was indeed 4-dan, just omitting the "professional" part.

"4-dan?" The girl seemed genuinely surprised. Even for an amateur, 4-dan was quite impressive for most players.

"Mmm." Wu Zhixuan looked between the girl and her companion uncertainly. "So which of you will be playing with me?"

The girl smiled. "I'll play."

"You?" Wu Zhixuan was taken aback, having assumed the young man would be her opponent since the girl had checked with him before agreeing. But she didn't dwell on it, quickly nodding. "Alright."

Soon they reached the second floor. Wu Zhixuan and the girl found an empty table and took their seats, with Yu Shao and Wu Shuheng standing behind Wu Zhixuan, while the girl's companion stood behind her.

"Do you want Black or White? Or should we nigiri?" Wu Zhixuan asked as she opened her bowl.

"Let's nigiri," the girl replied, also opening her bowl lid.

"Okay." Wu Zhixuan nodded. Since her bowl contained white stones, she grabbed a handful and concealed them in her palm. The girl opposite placed two black stones on the board in response.

White: five stones.

Black: two stones.

"I'll take Black," Wu Zhixuan announced, quickly collecting the white stones from the board and returning them before exchanging bowls with the girl. She then bowed slightly. "Please teach me well."

The girl returned the courtesy. "Please teach me well."

Wu Zhixuan studied the board briefly before picking up a stone and making the first move.

Click!

16-4: Star point!

As the game began, the girl's gaze became intensely focused, her attention solely on the board as she soon placed her stone.

4-16: Star point!

Wu Zhixuan followed immediately.

16-16: Star point!

The girl responded again.

4-3: Komoku!

"Star and komoku opening?" Wu Zhixuan mused before setting down her fan, reaching into her bowl, and quickly placing another stone.

Click!

3-17: 3-3 point invasion!

Seeing this move, the girl's expression remained unchanged as she promptly responded.

4-17: Block!

The two began alternating moves rapidly, the crisp sounds of stones striking wood filling the air.

Nearby, two young men finished their game, drawing quiet commentary from surrounding spectators and creating a small stir.

"Brother Li, that small knight's move was excellent."

"Haha, can't stay stagnant forever. Learned that move and got to use it today."

"Wang Tianzhi, your central pressure move seemed a bit problematic..."

"Really? I thought White wouldn't break through so easily."

As they chatted, someone suddenly noticed Wu Zhixuan's table and exclaimed in surprise, "There are two beauties playing over there!"

This drew everyone's attention toward Wu Zhixuan's table.

"Let's watch? Rare to see two women playing."

"I've seen plenty of men playing women, but women playing women is uncommon."

"Can't see their faces but they seem pretty."

"Shall we watch? Love seeing women compete."

"Hahaha, let's go!"

Many moved to surround Wu Zhixuan's table until it was packed tightly with onlookers.

After about a dozen more moves, Wu Zhixuan studied the board before placing another stone.

Click!

8-12: Tiger's mouth!

While Yu Shao's expression remained neutral, the surrounding crowd gasped in surprise before murmuring excitedly.

"What a brilliant tiger's mouth!"

"Expected Black to extend here since it's the obvious big point, but this tiger not only reinforces while subtly threatening to extend..."

"Really? White's in trouble now. If she pushes, Black can cut through..."

Even the girl opposite showed surprise at this move.

"Tiger?" She analyzed the potential variations in her mind.

"Clever technique."

Yet she remained composed, even showing a faint smile.

"Her opening has been solid - not particularly aggressive but with excellent flexibility."

"I expected this to be one-sided, but she's better than I anticipated."

"I'll finish her off quickly - good warm-up before the Phoenix Cup."

After a moment's thought, she picked up a stone and placed it decisively.

Click!

7-13: Jump!

"Responding like that?" The spectators' eyes widened.

"No... not bad at all!"

"Pushing would be difficult, so she jumps away instead. The situation becomes complex but White seems fine!"

"Really?"

Excited whispers spread through the crowd.

"She found the jump? Not bad." Wu Zhixuan was also surprised, unconsciously tapping her fan against her palm before finally making her next move.

Click!

Click!

Click!

Black and white stones continued spreading across the board.

The spectators grew increasingly engrossed, having come initially out of curiosity but now completely absorbed by the intense battle unfolding before them.

"What are they watching so intently?" Others whose games had just ended noticed the crowd around Wu Zhixuan's table.

"Watching two girls play with such focus?"

"Should we take a look too?"

"...Let's go."

More and more people gathered until the table was completely surrounded. Soon, they too became captivated by the game.

The entire hall gradually fell silent.

After another dozen moves...

"Wu Zhixuan... might be in trouble." Yu Shao silently analyzed the board. Though still early in the middle game with both sides seemingly balanced, the reality was different.

Black was becoming passive. While her lower area seemed large, it would inevitably be reduced. Once White invaded, Black would struggle to recover and likely face constant pressure.

Yu Shao glanced at Wu Zhixuan, noticing her tightened brow and the grip on her fan - she clearly recognized the unfavorable situation. This reassured him somewhat;

had she remained oblivious, defeat would come swiftly. At least she was aware.

If she could find some clever moves now, the game might still be salvageable.

After long deliberation, Wu Zhixuan finally set down her fan and placed another stone.

Click!

8-14: Hane!

"Planning to attack strongly from the lower right?" The spectators' eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's... too aggressive!"

"Why? The situation is balanced - no need for such risky moves!"