611 Grueling Go Game (1/2)

Sir Bi was no longer as calm and composed as he had been earlier. His eyebrows were knitted into a tight frown as he immersed himself into the Go board.

In a normal Go game, the results were more or less certain once it came to the hundred and thirty-fifth move. If the players were of a higher standard and somewhat equal to each other, then could there be an opportunity for a stand-off. Whichever way it went, the number of stones between black and white would always differ; it was always obvious which side was taking the upper hand in the game. Even when both sides were incredibly careful in laying down the stones and had crafted extremely secure strategies, there would still be a slight distinction among the players.

However, the game Yun Yang had laid out was different.

Since the beginning of the game, an intense battle unfolded; both sides were fighting with their all. This was not the most shocking development; what was truly astonishing was that the Go game had reached its hundred and thirty-fifth move, but no one had removed any stone from the board yet!

This was an unbelievable result.

The game had been risky, with tactics planned out at every step, but no one had suffered from any loss or gained any benefit from removing stones. The game was only growing more dangerous as it progressed. Whether it was the black or white player, the entire game was engulfed in an atmosphere that threatened the participant, be it taking one step ahead or moving one step back.

It was either your death or mine! This was what the game had boiled down to after so many moves.

The hundred and thirty-sixth move should be made by the white stone, but Sir Bi was hesitant, holding the white stone between his fingers.

”Cut1?” He shook his head immediately. ”No, no. Cutting it here looks like a good move, but I'll only fall into the other's trap. Once the opponent does a follow-up move, not only will the cut area be sacrificed, my dragon2 will be lost as well. It'll be a landslide defeat.”

”Clamp3? I can't do that either. It reeks of unnecessary desperation.”

”Underneath attachment4? Worse. It'll only show my weakness and cause self-sabotage.”

”Knight's move5? Too weak for a counter. It'll only give the enemy a chance.”

”Go diagonal6? No, no. Absolutely not…”

”Bump7? An even bigger mistake, undoable…”

”Do I do a knockout8? But how can I do a knockout with such a game? There's nothing to capture.”

As Sir Bi studied the game, the more he thought the black stone was truly malicious; each step was full of traps and threats. The white stone had been cautious in each ambush-filled step and was already defending itself to the limit.

Coming to this point, the situation had turned into an unusual realm where whoever initiated the attack would be attacked first.

If it were to be compared to cultivators, it was like two masters on a battlefield; both of them had fought for three hundred rounds to a draw and entered an immobile situation where no one took initiative first. Both were experts and well prepared, both wanted to finish the battle with a counterattack, hoping for the other to move first. If so, they could then break the tactic and launch an overwhelming counterattack to defeat the opponent! With one step, the opponent would be forced into a disadvantage that the end result could be distinguished!

In spite of this, this was a game where both sides were heavily guarded and invincible, thus prolonging the standstill.

”This… Whose Go playbook is this?” Sir Bi could not help murmuring with a frown after a long period of contemplation but was still indecisive on where to move.

”It was unnamed.” Yun Yang placed the playbook on the table and said, ”The book contains no record of the author; there are no hints or clues of any sort. I thought that Sir Bi might have an idea or two since you're wonderfully skilled.”

”This is a marvel.” Sir Bi said, ”A man leaves his name passing, a wild goose leaves its sound flying by. A player who can render this game must possess unparalleled Go playing skill. How can he not leave his name behind?”