Row 7, column 10, cut and hit.
Ao Ying gave the answer.
white connected to defend, and black stone extended upwards to defend.
white jumped one space to defend, and black stone bent one space to the right to defend.
"What the hell? Bend? A foolish triangle!"
"Oh my god, Xiao Liang Teacher played an extremely inefficient move, it's incredibly unaesthetic."
"Huh, I think I've seen that somewhere before."
The game continued, unaffected by the will of the onlookers.
Clack, clack...
Both sides played their moves swiftly.
white extended, black stone jumped, white jumped.
black stone cut!
"Ah, I remember now."
The bald Middle-aged Man touched his shiny bald head, "That 'bend' move by black stone is Jo-wa's Three Wonderful Moves, also known as the Bloody Wonderful Move."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, I know that anecdote."
The pot-bellied Middle-aged Man echoed, "Jo-wa was the 12th Honinbo, and also held the Meijin title and the club."
"Genan Inseki was jealous and arranged for his disciple, Akaboshi Intetsu, to challenge him at a go meeting. With the title and club ownership at stake, Jo-wa calculated the Three Wonderful Moves to win the game, causing his opponent to vomit blood and die."
"The same foolish triangle, the same cut, Ao Ying Teacher is mighty!"
Those who knew and those who didn't, now all knew the origin of black stone's 'bend' move, filled with surprise.
"Hey, in the first game between Shindo Hikaru and Ao Ying, Shusaku's Point was played."
"Shusaku's teacher and father-in-law were both Jo-wa, does that give off a 'father beating son' vibe?"
"It's also strange, early on Jo-wa didn't think much of Shusaku, but for some unknown reason, Shusaku's Go strength suddenly surged, and only then did he gain favor."
Hearing the interesting tidbits from the onlookers, Ao Ying's lips curved upwards. Sai, possessing him, becoming stronger was very reasonable.
"Sai, are you happy to encounter your teacher's favorite move again?"
"This is a small gift from me."
white turned to capture.
black stone pressed hard, attaching and capturing.
white retreated.
Ao Ying took a black stone stone from the goban and slowly lifted it into the air.
"Sai, by capturing this vital stone, black stone will have an unobstructed path across the entire board."
"How will you deal with the two unsettled white groups on the right side?"
Snap!
A stone was placed, calling for a capture.
Everyone was in an uproar.
"The 'bend' foolish triangle came into play, perfectly netting this white stone."
Watching black stone's Bloody Wonderful Move take effect, Sai's eyes flickered, feeling a monstrous beast opening its maw, blood-red light filling the sky.
The air seemed to stop flowing, and the void was silent.
Sai was speechless.
"The Bloody Wonderful Move combined with the net capture, a stroke of genius."
"Ao Ying, he already has the qualifications to challenge me."
"No, he is stronger than I am now. If it were a formal game, those new variations would put me in a tough fight."
"Teacher's Three Wonderful Moves, could he, as Shindo said, see me?"
"That's not right either, he couldn't possibly know Shusaku is me, it must be a coincidence!"
Sai slightly moved his eyes, his gaze sweeping towards Ao Ying.
Ao Ying sat calmly on the other side, his expression serene, his breathing long and steady.
"An interesting young man, a fated game."
"The vital stone is dead, but the initiative returns to me..."
Sai fell into a long contemplation, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, his Go intuition screaming danger.
Where was black stone aiming?
"If I fly-cap, I can counterattack the few black stone stones in the center, and at the same time deal with the safety of the right side."
"But my Go intuition cannot be wrong, this is the sixth sense developed through countless battles."
"Ao Ying is a bit unfathomable. From my initial calculations, I can't even determine the general direction."
After waiting a long time for instructions, Shindo Hikaru turned his head to look at the void, "Sai, what's wrong? You can't do it either?"
Sai acted as if he hadn't heard.
"Sai?"
"Uh... Shindo, Ao Ying's series of moves caught me off guard. I need time to recalculate."
"This... this amazing?"
"I have never encountered such terrifying calculation power. Every move, every style, contains hidden follow-up moves, and deadly blows can appear out of nowhere at any time."
Sai lightly tapped his folding fan, looking regretfully at the captured vital stone.
"It's come to this, I cannot easily admit defeat. I must calculate a more imaginative move."
"Ao Ying, if you can temporarily think of the Bloody Wonderful Move, so can I. My Go intuition tells me it's not over yet."
Toya Akira was much stronger than the spectators and clearly understood the serious consequences of capturing the vital stone.
Although the territories of both sides were similar, and even the initiative was in white's hands, black stone's entire board was incredibly thick.
If black stone charged recklessly, it would definitely give white a hard time, and perhaps even lead to the death of a group in the end.
Strictly speaking, white's stone in the upper right corner was basically dead straight, and the few stones on the right side were in a state where they could be attacked but also counterattack. The lower left outside was temporarily safe, but not completely settled later on.
white effectively had two and a half unsettled groups, subtly falling into an encirclement.
Sai pondered, Shindo Hikaru remained silent, occasionally stealing glances at his opponent.
Toya Akira noticed all of this, habitually showing a strange expression.
The onlookers chattered incessantly.
"white can still fight, what are they thinking about? Counterattack, counterattack."
"It's just as I thought, the black stone group in the middle isn't completely settled, although it's unlikely to be killed, white can stabilize itself through a counterattack."
"Don't worry about the upper right corner. The lower left corner is a tough life, but not a big problem. Xiao Liang Teacher, what do you think?"
A quick-witted Middle-aged Man asked Toya Akira, and the eyes of the others lit up.
That's right!
The atmosphere was tense, and they almost forgot it wasn't a formal game.
Besides, reviewing and discussing moves was standard practice.
Toya Akira's eyes were red, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"This won't work, that won't work either..."
"After capturing the vital stone, I can't even see any winning moves."
"Ao Ying, have you calculated the entire board through?"
"You, who are two years older than me, what have you experienced to possess such calculation power?"
"From the very beginning, I feel like I haven't seen your back."
Toya Akira then looked at Shindo Hikaru in the game.
"Strange young man, you are very strong, but I cannot feel the qualities of a master from you."
"Perhaps you are the goal I should pursue, Ao Ying... sigh..."
Toya Akira sighed and replied, "I can only see a counter-cap move, first stabilize the white stones on the right, then plan for other things."
"Ah, since Xiao Liang Teacher says so..."
"Look quickly, Shindo Hikaru moved."
In the void invisible to others, a folding fan extended, pointing to a spot.
"Shindo, I've found a way out."
Sai's voice was full of joy. After Shusaku, he had never met an opponent, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"Heh heh..."
Shindo Hikaru wiped his forehead, giving an awkward smile. What did he hear?
Just finding a way out made him joyful?
It completely contradicted his imposing demeanor when he first appeared.
You are a thousand-year Go spirit, strong beyond measure, far surpassing a professional 7-dan.
While thinking, Shindo Hikaru's hand movements were not slow, and he quickly placed a stone.
Row 12, column 12, counter-cap.
One stone away from black stone's escape route, seemingly attacking but not quite.
Once overlooked, white would bare its fangs and pounce to tear.
If that happened, even with Ao Ying's calculation power, it would be very difficult to find a way to live.