The Way of the Blind Girl Chess Saint

"I heard they're also chess players from Crescent Moon Province. I really hope I'm not grouped with them!"

Ji Yingting narrowed her eyes slightly and said softly, "From now on, each player whose name is called will come up one by one to draw lots. This box contains 30 cards from Group A and 30 cards from Group B."

"First place, Ye Xing [16 wins last year]." Soon, a young man stepped forward.

“I’m from Group A,” he held up the card in his hand.

When An Ruotong saw Ye Xing, her eyes twitched slightly. She seemed to remember him a little. He liked to shout "Earth Explosion Star" when playing chess, but in reality... there was nothing there, and she had even thoroughly humiliated him.

"Second place, Shi Shishi, Group B [22 wins last year]"

"Third place, Quan Shihui"

"…………"

A girl with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a dark Taoist robe, walked forward blankly. She fiddled with the lottery box for a long time before finally taking out a card.

"Note that this woman achieved 25 wins last year, just one step away from becoming a professional player."

Quan Shihui didn't speak. She turned the card in her hand over for An Ruotong to look at. Group B... Shi Shishi, who had already entered Group B, frowned slightly.

Next, the number of members in Group B and Group A increased at a similar rate. However, this year Group B seemed to be slightly stronger, and many newcomers were assigned to Group A.

"Fifteenth place, Luo Xinglu, Group A." After glancing at the card, Luo Xinglu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sixteenth place, Luo Qiu'er..." Luo Qiu'er walked up to the drawing table with a smile and calmly drew a card: "Group B".

"........."

"The balance has been completely broken."

The players in Group B were somewhat gloomy, especially those who had a chance this year, such as Shi Shishi. Luo Qiu'er went from a six-game losing streak to a 24-game winning streak, and this year she has become the senior player of the semi-professional Go school. It can be said that... her existence is a disaster for the players in Group B.

"Sixteenth place, Bai Yongye." The white-haired girl stepped forward, her hand trembling slightly as she took out a card. "Group A... Phew~ Not bad."

"The 27th place, Lü Binghu," "Group A..." The girl with ice-blue dragon-whisker pigtails, also a player from a semi-professional dojo, showed a relaxed expression.

Group A currently only has Bai Yongye, whose skill level is comparable to his own. If this continues, the probability of him becoming a professional player is very high.

"Thirty-third place, Qin Hanyue, Group B"

“The forty-fourth, Bai Chang’an…” Upon hearing this name, Bai Yongye’s eyes narrowed rapidly.

How is this possible?! My sister actually came to take the professional exam?! Wait... is she an amateur 5th dan?! A pure-looking girl with long, straight black hair walked onto the stage... Group A.

"Number 47, Xin Yufei"

As her name was called, a black-haired girl in the Qingchayuan uniform stepped forward and gave Ji Yingting a faint smile.

Yeah……

So you've become like this?

Her long, neatly braided black hair and fair face free of freckles—has she grown up? Has she become more beautiful?

No longer as inconspicuous as before, I'm now memorable and popular...

Despite the overwhelming emotions, Ji Yingting couldn't hide her relief. Unfortunately, she was no longer the junior schoolmate she once was.

The person who should be expecting her attention shouldn't be herself anymore, Ji Yingting said softly, "Work hard, no matter where you are."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Xin Yufei showed a sad expression, forcing herself not to cry.

Xin Yufei, Group A.

The fifty-eighth, the fifty-ninth, and then...

"Sixtieth place, Ma Gongling"

The moment the name was uttered, everyone almost held their breath.

A girl with low brown pigtails walked forward, the vermilion mark between her eyebrows still so conspicuous.

"Which team, Group A or Group B, is still missing one person?!"

While everyone was still counting, Ma Gongling finally found the last card and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Group A."

The players in Group B finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the expressions on the faces of the players in Group A became much more complicated...

Ma Gongling and the players from Qingchayuan, Group A may have overtaken Group B in the final draw. As the true champion of this professional exam, Ma Gongling undoubtedly raised the danger line of Group A tenfold.

After all, no matter how strong the average chess strength is, there are only three people in a group who can become professional chess players.

The professional exam starts tomorrow, one game a day, lasting for a month...

For newcomers taking a professional exam for the first time, it's also their first time participating in such a competition.

The timer is much longer than in the super slow games of the past, and there is even a lunch break. This is also the first time they need to consider the right to play.

The psychological battle during lunch break: whether it's your turn to play or not, whether you want to give yourself time to think or put more pressure on your opponent.

These are all things that these new 5-dan players need to learn well, otherwise... having great skill in Go but falling into a psychological disadvantage is undoubtedly very bad.

Many chess players are now discussing this issue.

Lu Binghu, with her ice-blue twin ponytails, walked alongside Bai Yongye. "Anyway, I definitely won't be thinking during lunch break. I'll just let my opponent have the initiative in every game. The professional exam time is so long, I can't possibly use it all up no matter how I use it."

Bai Yongye shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. After all, the opponent is a level stronger, and besides... there's also Senior Sister Ma Gongling."

"Ma Gongling and Xin Yufei, there aren't many spots left for us," Lü Binghu muttered to herself. Judging from the current situation in Group A, the mid-level players are much weaker than those in Group B.

It is highly likely that she and Bai Yongye will compete for the last spot, and may even tie for the same score to become professional Go players.

Of course... this is a professional exam with a total of thirty rounds of play. Until the very last moment, no one can be sure if they can become a professional Go player. There are many examples of people who win all the early games but lose one game and their entire game collapses. Lü Binghu does not want to become such a victim.

"The referees will be using a machine to sort the matches internally this afternoon. I really hope I can face Sister Ma again in the last round."

"Hmm... By the way, does Xiaoye know those two referees? I heard they're newly promoted first dan players who just became professional Go players last year, Ji Yingting and An Ruotong. I saw the news about their Three Lives Cup championship."

"Huh?" Xiaoye's face stiffened. Because Lü Binghu entered Group A late, she didn't know much about it. Ji Yingting and the others had actually been to the semi-professional dojo before, and she had even played chess with An Ruotong. She just didn't expect that... they would actually become famous and become champions in the Three Lives Cup.

"That's great! To achieve such results so early in your career, it should be easy for you to join any kind of Go academy, right?"

"Sakuraba-nee, what do you think? Which player in Groups A and B is the strongest...?"

The staff at the chess academy were using a computer to rank the players when An Ruotong, holding a cup of tea, asked softly.

"Only players with perfect chess skills and mentality can become professional players without any suspense. Xiaotong... you almost self-destructed last year, right? Because you lost to Xiaoxi?" Ji Yingting laughed.

“…There was nothing I could do. I really wanted to become stronger back then.” An Ruotong’s face fell. She had really let down Sister Hongying’s expectations by not being able to become stronger than Ji Yingting.

"The chess academy is finished. Would you like to come over?"

An Ruotong tilted her head. "Was Sister Yingting's invitation genuine? Or was she just asking me to fill a spot... After all, the Yin family's Nightmare Go Academy spent a lot of money to have me serve as their team's captain. Their resources and platform are top-notch."

"........."

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, An Ruotong's expression turned somewhat gloomy.

Having known Ji Yingting for so long, she really doesn't need many promises; she simply wants to follow in her footsteps. Sister Yingting... does she even understand?

After a moment of silence, Ji Yingting, twirling a strand of her light green hair, said softly, "The chess academy currently lacks funding and professional players, so we can't hold seminars. However, I genuinely want you to join the academy; I believe in your abilities."

"Yes, it's okay."

"But!! I genuinely want you to join the chess academy."

"Yes, I agree."

"Huh? Why?" Ji Yingting was slightly taken aback, and asked belatedly.

"You're the one who led me to the championship, and I believe in your ability. Even after becoming a professional Go player, even after winning the Sansheng Cup, I've never been satisfied. I want to be as strong as you!"

An Ruotong said calmly, and seeing her like this, Ji Yingting felt an indescribable emotion.

It's not just Xin Yufei... Compared to An Ruotong, who used to seem like a child, is it because of her improved chess skills? Or is it because she's grown older and matured in the blink of an eye, with a year having passed?

"When I first started learning Go, I thought I was just learning it because of my hobby. But from then on, I played Go with others day after day in the Go hall that my father's hotel owned."

After I became a professional Go player, my teacher died. He told me that the long road of learning Go, becoming a professional Go player, is only the beginning.

Because... the path to the top is open to anyone.

"One day, I want to become a professional 9-dan and win a title. I want to get stronger, and I want to join Sakuraba-nee's Go academy!"

"Anyway, thank you... Hitomi"

Ji Yingting's eyes were a little wet, and she wiped them away embarrassedly.

..........

After waiting for a while, the match order for the thirty consecutive rounds was finally completed, and Ji Yingting took the file.

In her eyes, besides Bai Chang'an, the only other person in Group A who really caught her attention was Ma Gongling... Although it was hard for Xiao'an to understand, Ji Yingting ultimately hoped that Xiao'an could face that woman later.

Lü Binghu, who achieved a nine-game winning streak in the provincial competition, and Bai Yongye, as rising stars in the semi-professional Go academy, both have a good chance of becoming professional Go players.

As for Luo Xinglu of the Luo family, he is still far from being a professional player. It would be good if he could get fifteen wins in this professional exam, which is far from being a professional player.

as well as……

Xin Yufei, who is now a student at Qingcha Academy, has been studying there for half a year. Even Ji Yingting cannot judge whether Xiao Yufei's current chess strength is enough to put her to a fight against that woman.

The candidates in Group B that An Ruotong was concerned about were Qin Hanyue, who had won all the provincial competitions.

and also……

Luo Qiu'er and Quan Shihui were both candidates who almost became professional Go players last year. No, if they had been in Group B last year, they might already be professional players! What kind of Go skills will they display this year…?

Chapter 511: Despair

In the morning, two girls were sitting at their breakfast table when one of them, a girl with long blue-green hair, asked a question.

"Xiao An, who is your opponent in the first round?"

"It seems to be a chess player surnamed Xia..."

"Xia Youyou?"

"Hmm, where's your opponent?"

“She’s a player from our dojo, but unfortunately she’s not as strong as me… There shouldn’t be any major problems,” the girl said, placing her small hand on her cheek.

She is Lin Qianyu, Bai Chang'an's roommate who is taking the professional exam this time, and also a member of the semi-professional dojo.