Super Gene Hunting Ground-Chapter 655 - 655: Chess Divided into Ninth Grade

The fatty glanced at Yang Xiao and said:
"Follow me."
Qin Lu said:
"Where to? I'll have you know, my father is acquainted with the City Lord of Karachi. Don't mess around."
Just like all rich second generations who are humiliated, Qin Lu brought up his father's friend.
The fatty scoffed:
"Ah, then your father must be quite something. We're not interested in you, you can stay. Just you come with us."
The fatty pointed at Yang Xiao with his hand.
"No way!"
Quite loyally, Qin Lu stepped in front of Yang Xiao.
This gesture did move Yang Xiao a bit.
The fatty coldly said:
"Don't get in the way of my business, or don't blame me for not being polite to you."
Qin Lu was stiff-necked and about to confront head-on when Yang Xiao quickly said:
"Brother Qin, don't worry. I believe they won't do anything to me. I'll just go with them for a bit."
Intuition told Yang Xiao that these people just wanted to know how he could break their Go setup.
As a Go master, Yang Xiao was very clear about the obsession with it; a single game can captivate enthusiasts, consuming their every thought until the puzzle is solved.
Since the fatty and his two cohorts understood how to set up the game, their level in Go must also be high, probably suffering from that kind of irresistible itch.
"No, I'll go with you."
Qin Lu had a stance as though ready to face troubles together.
The fatty said:
"No need to be nervous, we're just going to the Precious Intricacies Chess Art Hall. You can come along, and afterwards, telling your father is fine too, it's up to you. Friend, let's go!"
The fatty was relatively polite to Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao nodded his head.
The group immediately headed towards the Precious Intricacies Chess Art Hall.
The fatty and his two associates directly asked a service girl at the Chess Art Hall for a private room.
"I'm sorry, there are no private rooms left."
"The hall is okay too."
Not waiting for the service girl to finish, they eagerly headed toward the inside of the hall.
The fatty sat down at an empty Go table, and another old man sat opposite him.
Their Divine Senses faintly stirred, and the white and black stones began flying out of the Go box, one by one landing on the board.
In the blink of an eye, they had reproduced the previous endgame setup.
Yang Xiao thought, just as expected, these three had thoroughly studied the endgame. Whether it was white or black stones, they knew the next move like the back of their hand.
Meaning, whether they chose white or black stones, they were basically guaranteed to win.
After reenacting the game, the old man stood up, gesturing for Yang Xiao to sit.
Then the fatty said:
"I'll play the black stones, you'll play the white. If you can win against me, I'll give you a million."
"What if I lose?"
"If you lose, you don't have to pay a single Crystal Coin; you can leave freely."
"Not betting money anymore?"
Qin Lu said something dumbfoundedly from the side.
The fatty glanced at Qin Lu, chuckled, and said:
"Do you want to bet?"
"I'll bet on the white stones, a million Crystal Coins, but your stake isn't enough."
The fatty smiled and said:
"Good, if he wins against me, I'll additionally pay you a million Crystal Coins, and if he loses, your million Crystal Coins will be mine. Is that fair?"
"Fair!"
"Alright, I'll make the first move."
Having said that, the fatty's Divine Sense stirred slightly, and a black stone flew out of the Go box, landing directly onto an empty spot, beginning a fight over territory in the blank area.
Yang Xiao immediately followed with a white stone, landing it right next to the black stone.
The fatty gave Yang Xiao a look, without a hint of expression, continued to play a few moves in the blank area, enclosing a small territory for himself, enough to form a living group.
Yang Xiao didn't contest the new territory but instead connected the white stones in a line, blocking the connection between black stones and the central battle.
When Yang Xiao placed the ninth white stone, the fatty felt as if a sharp spike pierced suddenly, with a "hiss," into his mind's Divine Sense.
The fatty was shocked, looking at the situation on the board, his spiritual power began to fluctuate slightly.
In the following gameplay, Yang Xiao gradually compressed the black stones' territory, confining them to a relatively small area and cutting off the connection to the rest of the board.
As a result, although black had occupied a small territory in the blank area, it lost the chance for a larger space.
And at this moment, Yang Xiao had already enclosed the center of the board as his own territory.
The chubby man and his two companions watched with nervous spirits, sweat beading on their foreheads.
After another ten or so steps in the chess game, the chubby man conceded, saying:
"You win!"
After speaking, he had the elder beside him take out a transfer device, transferring 2 million Crystal Coins to Yang Xia and Qin Lu each.
Qin Lu was overjoyed and said:
"If I had known, I would have bet ten million Gold Coins."
The chubby man glared at Qin Lu, then turned his gaze to Yang Xiao and said:
"Your chess skills are admirable. If I were to play white and you black, are you confident you could win again?"
Yang Xiao smiled and said:
"Why not have a game, still for one million Crystal Coins, how about it?"
"I'll add ten million Crystal Coins!"
Qin Lu, excited, exclaimed.
The elder by the side said to Qin Lu somewhat angrily:
"This time, we're not allowing you to place bets. Keep quiet or leave this place."
Qin Lu felt somewhat intimidated and could only mutter resentfully:
"If your skills aren't as good, don't show off. You set up the bets, if you can't afford to lose, then don't put on airs."
The elder, upon hearing this, became furious, about to chase Qin Lu away, but the chubby man gestured not to, saying:
"No need, for his sake, let his friend stay here,"
then turned his head and said to Qin Lu:
"Boy, enough is enough, keep quiet!"
Qin Lu had no choice but to hold his tongue.
This time, without the elder sitting down to review the game, the chubby man activated his Divine Sense, and alone, he restored the chessboard to its state from before the match.
"You play the black pieces this time, you go first."
Yang Xiao smiled and said:
"I'd like to play, but I have a small condition."
"Speak."
"No matter who wins or loses, you must let us leave freely. My friends are waiting at the inn for us; if they don't see us, I'm afraid they'll be anxious."
The chubby man hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head.
Yang Xiao didn't dilly-dally. He directly started to fight from a vulnerable spot on the board.
Ten moves later, he miraculously revived one of his dead groups.
In ancient times, Xuanming Country classified go players into grades from Ninth Rank to First Rank, with Ninth Rank being the weakest and First Rank the highest.
Ranked Ninth meant 'Defending Stupidity,' implying when the opponent is too strong, I shall just defend.
Ranked Eighth meant 'Appear Foolish,' suggesting the setup looks clumsy, yet not easily defeated.
Ranked Seventh meant 'Combat Power,' indicating a fondness for entangling with the opponent during play, contesting every inch of the board, not yielding a single stone.
Ranked Sixth meant 'Small Ingenuity,' meaning though there isn't grand wisdom in the overall game strategy, there are smart local tactics, with brilliant moves emerging continuously.
Ranked Fifth meant 'Using Wisdom,' implying the ability to use intellect to calculate both one's own and the opponent's positions several moves in advance, and to respond proactively.
Fifth Rank is considered average chess skill, neither high nor low.
Ranked Fourth meant 'Understanding the Subtleties,' indicating the ability to adapt to changes in the game and take control of the game's initiative.
Ranked Third meant 'Versatility,' meaning equally capable of both attack and defense.
Ranked Second meant 'Sitting and Illuminating,' implying sitting before the board without needing to rack one's brains, a single move can hit the opponent's vital points.
Ranked First meant 'Divine,' signifying a level where one's chess skill has become so intuitive and unpredictable that one can subdue an opponent's forces without battle.
Yang Xiao participated in many go competitions during elementary school, middle school, and high school, winning numerous trophies. He had been keen on rising above the amateur ranks, and after reaching amateur Eighth Rank, he aspired to advance to professional Ninth Rank.
That is until he met his junior female disciple.
She was already at professional Ninth Rank, representing the national team and winning many awards in Ice Wolf Island and Jun'an Country.
Yang Xiao once exclaimed:
"Sister, when can I reach professional Ninth Rank like you? Even professional Sixth Rank would satisfy me."
The junior female disciple smiled sweetly and said:
"Describing go skill in terms of ranks is an insult to the player."
Yang Xiao stared blankly at his beautiful junior disciple, who seemed like a fairy.
She explained to him the nine grades of go mentioned above and then said:
"The essence of go lies in the divine, not in the skill. However, most of us are confined to the skill and cannot transcend it, and so we fail to grasp the divine essence of go."
At the time, Yang Xiao listened very confusedly and asked:
"Sister, you're almost like a fairy, aren't you divine? You are the goddess in many people's hearts."
The junior female disciple chuckled and responded:
"Such a young age, and you're already so sweet-talking."
"Sister, at which grade would you place me in go?"
"You? Above the Fifth Rank 'Using Wisdom,' below the Fourth Rank 'Understanding the Subtleties.' If you have good comprehension, you can smoothly 'Understand the Subtleties'; otherwise, even if you reach professional Ninth Rank, you might not be able to transcend 'Understanding the Subtleties' and enter 'Sitting and Illuminating'."