The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

The professional ranking tournament, held every July, is the most important selection tournament in the national Go community.

Hundreds of aspiring young men competed for twenty-four professional first-dan spots, making the competition as fierce as a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge.

A total of twelve people from the Yijianghu Dojo participated in the competition this time. Ban Heng and Zhu Dayong led their students to gather at the entrance of the Neifang International Convention and Exhibition Center to count the number of participants.

"Shen Yilang, Hong He, Yue Zhi, Tian Minze, Bai Xiaoxiao, Deng Yang, Zhang Fugui, Li Zhouli, Li Zihao, Liang Le..." Ban Heng called out each name, "And Shi Guang—"

"arrive!"

Time squeezed through the crowd, and my forehead was covered in sweat.

Why are you all sweaty?

"I was too nervous," Shi Guang honestly confessed.

Zhu Dayong snorted: "What's there to be nervous about? It's not like you're going up or down; you're here to observe and learn."

Shi Guang blushed and didn't dare to say a word.

Yes, he was just "observing" this time.

At his current level, it's too early for him to participate in the professional ranking tournament.

Ban Heng asked him to come so he could get a feel for the atmosphere and prepare for next year.

Ordinary students naturally don't have this opportunity; it's mostly because of Zhang Rui's connections.

"Listen up, all of you." Zhu Dayong stood in front of the trainees, his square face taut. "The ranking tournament is not just about the game itself, but also about mentality. Each of you can only lose two games at most. After that, your fate is in someone else's hands. Got it?"

"Got it!" the students replied in unison.

"Go in."

The first floor of the exhibition center was transformed into a temporary competition venue, with hundreds of chess tables neatly arranged.

The first round of the competition began at 9:00 AM.

Yu Liang sat in the first row, opposite a person who was much older than him, but he wasn't flustered at all.

After the coin toss, Yu Liang played black and decisively placed his first move on the star point in the upper right corner.

White responded cautiously, and both sides played conventionally in the opening phase.

However, after entering the middle game, Yu Liang suddenly exerted his strength and used a "cross cut" move in the lower left corner, tearing a gap in the white's territory.

The opponent clearly did not expect this move, and after nearly ten minutes of deliberation, they still failed to hold on.

On move 103, White resigned.

Yu Liang stood up, left his seat, and ran into Fang Xu in the corridor.

"How is it?"

"We won."

"Don't underestimate your opponent." Fang Xu patted him on the shoulder. "The professional ranking tournament is a round-robin tournament. One game doesn't prove anything."

"I know."

On the other hand, the Yijianghu Dojo is experiencing mixed feelings.

Shen Yilang won, Hong He won, Yue Zhi won, Tian Minze won, Bai Xiaoxiao won, and Deng Yang lost.

Shi Guang sat next to Ban Heng, helping him enter various data, his palms sweating profusely.

"Chu Ying, you went in and saw how Shen Yilang was doing today?"

Chu Yingpiao was beside him, pondering, "Shen Yilang's chess is very stable, but too stable. In the game he won today, he actually had a chance to win in the middle game, but he chose to back down."

Why?

"He's afraid of losing, he's too afraid of losing."

Shiguang was silent for a moment, then said, "He's under too much pressure."

"I know," Chu Ying sighed, "but that's how the ranking tournament is; whoever feels less pressure has a significant advantage."

Round 2, Round 3, Round 4...

Shen Yilang, Hong He, and Yue Zhi won consecutively, while Tian Min lost one game but quickly recovered and won again in the fifth round.

Bai Xiaoxiao also has four wins and one loss, while Deng Yang has two wins and three losses, ranking lower.

Shi Guang spent every day by Ban Heng and Zhu Dayong's side, watching the senior brothers and sisters in the dojo fight, and felt a mix of emotions.

"Chu Ying, do you think I'll be able to secure a job next year?"

"Yes, as long as you practice as I say."

"You're that confident?"

"I have confidence in you, but more importantly, you need to have confidence in yourself."

In the seventh round, Shen Yilang faced Yu Liang.

Shen Yilang had been waiting for this game for a long time.

He knew Yu Liang was very strong, but he still wanted to try again to see just how much of a difference there was between him and Yu Liang.

As a result of the coin toss, Shen Yilang played black.

First move, the star position in the upper right corner.

Yu Liang responded with a gesture, making a small eye in the lower left corner.

On his third move, Shen Yilang placed a small eye in the upper left corner. This was his habit; he liked to use small eye formations for a steady and solid approach.

Yu Liang's fourth move, the star position in the lower right corner.

During the opening phase, both sides played very slowly.

Shen Yilang thought long and hard before each step, while Yu Liang remained calm and composed, maintaining a steady pace.

In the middle game, Yu Liang suddenly changed his move, and White played a "shoulder strike" in Black's territory.

This move is a tactic that Zhang Rui has been using frequently lately.

Shen Yilang was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Yu Liang to make such a move.

Yu Liang's playing style has always been known for its stability, and he rarely initiates battles.

But now, he has taken his leave, and very decisively.

Shen Yilang took a deep breath and began to recalculate.

If Black responds here, its external influence will be weakened; if it doesn't respond, White will rush in directly, and Black's territory will be torn apart.

After much deliberation, he ultimately chose to back down, making a move on the other side and letting the white stones rush in.

Yu Liang gave him no chance to breathe, and White immediately played "point 3-3" in another local area.

It's Zhang Ruiliu's trick again.

Shen Yilang's forehead began to sweat. He had studied Zhang Rui's chess, but those games required strong calculation ability.

Yu Liang's calculation ability was already strong. Although his imitation of Zhang Rui's style was not as accurate as Zhang Rui himself, it was still fatal enough for Shen Yilang.

In the 127th move, Shen Yilang made a mistake by playing a "cut" move in a local area in an attempt to counterattack, but this move was miscalculated and Yu Liang seized the opportunity.

White then captured two of Black's stones, widening the score difference to more than five points.

Shen Yilang stared at the chessboard, his fingers trembling slightly.

He knew he was powerless to change the situation.

I wanted to win too much, and I wanted to prove myself too much, which made me lose my rhythm.

On the 143rd move, Shen Yilang resigned.

He stood up, bowed slightly to Yu Liang, and then quickly walked out of the arena.

In the corridor, he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

It can't collapse.

As Teacher Da said, we can't afford to collapse.

If we win all the remaining games, there's still a chance.

Shen Yilang opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and then went to report today's results to Teacher Ban and the others.

The following day, in the eighth round, Shen Yilang faced Hong He, a "civil war" within the Yijianghu Dojo.

Both men sat in front of the chessboard, their expressions serious.

As per the coin toss, Shen Yilang still chose black.

During the initial planning phase, both sides played very cautiously, as if testing each other's bottom line.

After entering the middle game, Honghe took the initiative and played a "leaning" move on the right side, attempting to break through the black stones' territory.

Shen Yilang responded calmly, and the black pieces steadily defended their position without revealing any weaknesses.

Honghe attempted several more attacks, but Shen Yilang thwarted them all.