The Way of the Blind Girl Chess Saint

Xia Tianran ignored An Ruotong and said calmly, "Ji Yingting, what do you think? The 10-dan Go Academy has disbanded, hasn't it?... Without a place to go, you'll stagnate. My teacher has high hopes for both of your talents. If you can join the Jinghong Go Academy, you'll be given priority consideration for spots in the various A and B leagues."

"........."

A league spot from the Jinghong Go Academy? An Ruotong was slightly surprised. Ji Yingting then added, "I'm thinking of building my own Go academy, so I'm sorry..."

"Huh!? Sakuraba-nee, do you want to build your own Go academy?"

"Yes! Of course, it's just a thought for now. We'll use the prize money from this Sansheng Cup to fund it!" Ji Yingting chuckled.

Xia Tianran's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Really... then good luck."

Should we build our own chess academy?

Although this is difficult for ordinary players, for Ji Yingting, as long as she can win the title in the future, everything is not a problem. The more fans the lovely player has, the wider the publicity will be.

Xia Tianran wrapped her scarf around her neck and turned to leave. Ji Yingting and An Ruotong's affairs were none of her concern. For her, the most important thing was the battle tomorrow...

Professional 7th Dan, Giant Goddess Luo Dule!

An Ruotong is right. If Jinghong Dojo wants to enter the top four, it must overcome Luo Dule's challenge.

.......

PS: This chapter was written hastily and is only 1000 words long. I will officially resume daily updates of 2000 words tomorrow.

Chapter 461: The Final Battle of the Quarterfinals

"Snapped"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ji Yingting placed a white chess piece onto the chessboard. She was wrapped in a snow-white plush scarf, her long, light green hair styled in a Hime cut, and her light green eye makeup accentuated her crescent-shaped eyebrows.

"One and a half points"

When the game ended, Ji Yingting blurted out the score without even counting the points.

"Hmm...?" An Ruotong was slightly taken aback. After finishing the game, she realized that she, playing black, had indeed lost by one and a half points.

Of course, both are professional Go players, and they could easily tell who won by simply counting the points. But how could a professional Go player be like a novice who has just learned how to count points, nodding and calculating the points at the same time?

"One and a half points, that's enough for today."

An Ruotong sighed softly, one win and four losses.

Even though friendly matches aren't as serious as professional matches, Sakuraba's skill level is still noticeably higher than mine.

Her judgment of the score was incredibly accurate... She won that game by engaging in a fierce battle; otherwise, she would have been suppressed until the end.

"I'm going to have dinner with Senior Wang Xi. If you're not coming, stay in your room."

Ji Yingting and senior Wang Xi had made plans to have dinner together, but An Ruotong felt awkward and didn't want to go, so she decided to eat takeout in her room instead.

Wearing a snow-blue Taoist robe, Ji Yingting applied light makeup and pushed open the door.

Walking down the corridor, a sadness appeared between her brows. The Ten-Dan Go Academy... had just disbanded. Of course, this was inevitable, after all, the old Ten-Dan had lost.

Losing doesn't mean losing everything, but it signifies the end of a legend and the birth of a new epic.

"Ji Yingting, do you... know how Yufei is doing now? I heard from Lin Hao that she's dropped out of school and gone to some semi-professional dojo? She really dropped out?"

"Well, I guess I know a little bit."

Ji Yingting stirred her milk tea with a straw. Go requires a lot of calculation ability, and children who learn Go are unlikely to do poorly in their studies [provided they want to work hard].

She hadn't played chess with Senior Wang Xi for a long time, and she was almost forgetting what she looked like. Ji Yingting chuckled, "What, Senior Wang Xi, are you feeling sorry for her?"

"No... I'm envious, I'm so envious. I never imagined... that deceptive move she made back then to get into the junior high school league, the 'Eighteen and a Half Points,' could have such a profound impact. Liu Tongtong should be able to let it go now, right?"

Wang Xi silently shook his head, then asked, "Ji Yingting, what do you think would happen if I told you now that I actually wanted to become a professional Go player back then?"

"Thank goodness you didn't say it..."

"Pfft," Wang Xi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"There's nothing funny about it, and I won't laugh at you, because... no one has the right to laugh at someone who wants to become a professional Go player."

"What do you think of Xin Yufei, Sakuraba? Can she become a professional Go player?"

"It's alright. Although I'm a professional Go player, I think there's a lot of luck involved in the professional exam... First, you have to look at the group, and then you have to look at the opponent. If it's a group of death, it'll be too difficult for Yufei in her current state."

"Hmm??" Wang Xi frowned slightly. "What do you mean? Are there any very strong professional Go players this year?"

Ji Yingting twirled a few strands of her light green hair in her small hand and said softly, "No, it might not be at a very high level anymore. There are even... players who can easily beat professional high-ranking players."

"Advanced professional level..."

Wang Xilian isn't even a professional Go player, and that's why she feels how distant a high-ranking professional is for her... how unattainable it is for ordinary Go players.

Ji Yingting had already heard that Xin Yufei had followed professional 9-dan player Shui Tingyue to the thriving Go academy, Qingchayuan.

however……

"Wait, why is the coconut beef cooked to 80% done?"

Ji Yingting poked the fragrant green steak with dissatisfaction. She had clearly said she wanted it medium-rare! She was reporting it!!

Then, the night passed, and the Manyue Provincial Professional Chess Academy ushered in the final round of the quarterfinals, with the Luo family facing off against the Jinghong Go Academy.

Jinghong Go Academy: Located in the center of Diyue Province, it is the most famous Go organization besides the Ke family. As a representative of the new generation of professional Go players, professional 5-dan player Xia Tianran also achieved a perfect record in this Sansheng Cup.

Luo Dule is different from Xiao Qiyu, and she is incomparable to Fei Qiluo and An Haimi. She is a true overlord-level seventh dan! The kind who can reach the top four in title battles.

..........

"Let's keep going today!"

A soft, almost inaudible baby voice rang out. The girl with long, milky-colored curly hair looked in the mirror and patted her face. She was wearing a thick down jacket and a somewhat worn scarf wrapped around her neck.

Leaving the room, Xia Tianran went straight to the preparation room of the chess hall. She did not notice that a girl with long, jet-black hair was silently watching her.

Ke Jiurui stared at her for a while, her feelings complicated.

To think that a professional Go player as weak as myself could make it to the semifinals, the Ke family's team... Ke Jiuman and Ji Heiyu are just too strong, except for the game against Manyue Go Academy which was a bit of an accident.

But Xia Tianran! She's so strong and talented, yet she might be eliminated soon.

Facing Luo Du is likely to be her last battle, and there's nothing I can do to help her.

But... more than whether she could win the game, Ke Jiurui was always more concerned about whether she would be hot dressed like that. Why was she wearing a coat? Why was she wearing such thick clothes?

There will always be people, reporters, who will interview her like this.

A girl with long, milky-white hair sat on the sofa in the chess room and slowly closed her eyes.

Actually, there's no particularly special reason, it's just that it would be very cold if I didn't dress like this.

Her body gets cold, her feet are freezing, and her little hands can't even hold a chess piece properly.

Even the heart can grow cold.

Xia Tianran plays black, Luo Dule plays white.

"Oh? They didn't let Luo Zhuyu or Luo Qingsheng go first. It seems the Luo family wants to decide the outcome with one game. It's a pity that the Jinghong Dojo didn't send out a stronger player."

"After all, this isn't a top-tier league... Generally speaking, a professional fifth or sixth dan is enough? It's more like the Luo family's behavior is strange! They actually made Luo Dule the captain; do they really want to win the Three Lives Cup that badly?"

"A new round of the Meijin Tournament is about to begin, and Luo Jiangxing is very likely to take over the Meijin title this time. Su Chan has also just obtained the [10-dan] title. It is clear that the Luo family wants to surpass the Ji family in one fell swoop and become the number one Go family on the moon."

Wang Xi sat in the chess enthusiasts' viewing room, listening attentively to everyone's analysis. After all, she had never followed the professional chess scene, and these were things she had never understood before.

With the recent holiday, many chess enthusiasts who were traveling in Manyue Province wanted to come and witness the semi-finals.

She also brought her little niece, Wang Zhao [whose name will be censored], to watch the game today.

Wang Xi was rather curious... Ji Yingting was also in the semifinals, and he wanted to hear what everyone would say about her during the semifinals.

Chapter 462: Covering the Sky with One Hand

"pat"

In one corner of the chessboard, the sickly white fingers gently pinched a chess piece and moved it to the left, as if creating ripples on the surface of water.

The weather wasn't that cold. The girl with long, milky-white curly hair was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, with even her arms wrapped up tightly.

Sitting opposite Xia Tianran, a professional 5-dan player, was Luo Dule, a professional 7-dan player playing black.

"Luo Dule must be very strong."

Xia Tianran pondered silently. She was very disappointed when Ji Yingting refused to let her enter the Jinghong Dojo yesterday... After all, someone like Luo Dule was considered one of the top chess players even within the Jinghong Dojo.

There's still too much of a lack of foundation. It would be great if the teacher could succeed in the Tianyuan Tournament at the end of the year.

All new talents from Honinbo appear...

The chess master sits serenely in the cold tower, while the famous player wears his own crown.

The new 10th Dan has just taken office, and the throne is even more unshakeable. The Little Chess Saint lacks influence. If Jinghong Dojo wants to become a top-tier dojo, it must first defeat Xiao Xiaoxiao of the Xiao family...

Like most people, Xia Tianran also thought that Xiao Xiaoxiao was the weakest title.

Summer felt a chill as she looked at the short-haired woman with double pupils in front of her, her beige eyelashes narrowing. She couldn't help but wrap her cotton-padded coat tighter.

"pat"

Split into two.

Seeing this move, Luo Dule, sitting opposite her, frowned slightly. Xia Tianran's way of playing chess was unusually conservative...

Unlike Niu Xiaochai's deliberate conservatism, and unlike Lü Kuangmei's ethereal aura, she brings an unusual quietness to her opponents, making them wonder, "Does she really want to win?"

Luo Qingsheng also asked her yesterday, "Have you seen that child's chess score?"

"Hmm, very much in the style of the Jinghong Dojo."

Luo Dule silently picked up a black stone, and the match was over... Xia Tianran should be able to successfully advance to professional sixth dan.

Her talent rivals that of Xiao Qiyu, Ji Heiyu, and Ji Hongying, who only recently entered the mid-career stage. These newcomers might challenge for the title within a year... Unfortunately, at least for now, she is not afraid.

"Whoo~"

Exhaling a chilling breath, Luo Dule's black chess piece landed with a thud directly above the white one. Green wisps of energy rose, and her entire body began to cool drastically...