Chapter 44: Breaking the Spirit Dragon Chess Game

"Master Congbian, please."

Zhang Jie sat leisurely on the stone stool on the other side of the chessboard.

Although he was a beggar who couldn't even get enough to eat in this life,

he couldn't say he was well-versed in Go, or even that he knew nothing about it,

but who told him he was a cheater with a golden finger?

With the blessing of Zhang Jie from the Water Margin, who had a photographic memory and had studied chess skills out of boredom,

his chess skills couldn't be called a national master, but could be called an expert.

Zhang Jie: I never cheat! How can relying on myself be considered cheating?

My achievements today are all the result of my own hard work!

And after further superimposing intelligence, spirit, and other powers,

Zhang Jie's chess skills further transformed, reaching the realm of a national master.

Zhang Jie could only shrug his hands at this.

Unlike the mathematical pit that requires absolute IQ and inspiration, and only immortals can fly,

he doesn't need too much inspiration for Go, as long as he has enough calculation ability,

then he can basically determine the victory.

In the 21st century, Ke Jie, who showed talent in Go from a young age, became a professional first-dan at 12,

won the Samsung Cup world championship at 13, becoming the youngest Go world champion at the time;

successively won multiple domestic and international Go tournament championships, including four Samsung Cups,

two Bailing Cups, one Dream Lily Cup, and one New Ao Cup, etc.,

becoming the youngest "eight-time champion" in the history of Chinese Go,

and could be called a "Go Saint," also lost to AlphaGo.

Since then, Go has been on the road to a dead end: many Go players no longer study chess techniques,

but instead began to recite chess manuals generated by artificial intelligence.

Slap, slap, slap...

Su Xinghe, who has extraordinary talent and has practiced chess skills for decades, naturally counts as a national master.

Two great national masters fought, almost without thinking, placing chess pieces one after another.

The collision between the chess pieces and the chessboard formed a crisp and pleasant piece of music that rose and fell.

Watching the flowing movements of the two, Xue Muhua's eyes were full of brilliance.

He looked at Zhang Jie, who was evenly matched with his master Su Xinghe, or even had a slight upper hand,

and began to feel happy in his heart:

"Perhaps, Young Friend Zhang can really break the Spirit Dragon Chess Game today!"

The excited Xue Muhua forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart, fearing that he would make a sound,

affecting Zhang Jie and the other, who had already entered a realm where there was nothing but chess.

"It's coming!"

Suddenly, Zhang Jie, who was immersed in playing chess, let out a low drink in his heart.

He knew that the critical moment of the Spirit Dragon Chess Game was coming: how to choose.

In the original work, Duan Yu, the son of the Prince of Dali, had superb chess skills,

but because his heart was too heavy, he was unwilling to abandon pieces, and ultimately failed to break the chess game.

Murong Fu was obsessed with power, brave enough to abandon pieces, but found it difficult to abandon his advantages, and ultimately failed.

Duan Yanqing, the head of the Four Evils, changed to practice evil arts due to his disability,

his inner demons were heavy, and he almost committed suicide in the chess game, but was saved by Xu Zhu.

Fan Bailing, the chess demon who was an expert in chess, because he was obsessed with the chess game,

vomited blood many times due to excessive calculation, and was saved by Su Xinghe.

Only Jiu Qiu Mo Zhi, the national teacher of Tubo, although he participated in the chess game,

knew he was no match, and directly chose to withdraw, so he was safe and sound.

"How will you choose?"

Su Xinghe looked at Zhang Jie expectantly, wanting to know how he would choose,

and whether he could break the Spirit Dragon Chess Game that his master Wuyazi, who was learned in heaven and man, spent three years researching.

"This is very simple."

The corners of Zhang Jie's mouth curled up slightly.

Although his chess skills were ultimately not as good as Wuyazi, an all-rounder who was proficient in everything from zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting,

and he couldn't break the Spirit Dragon Chess Game in a short time, but he was a man who had read the script.

The secret to breaking the Spirit Dragon Chess Game lies in seven words—place yourself in a dead end and then you will live!

Zhang Jie, who held the black pieces, suddenly placed a chess piece in a place heavily surrounded by Su Xinghe's white pieces.

"This..."

Xue Muhua's face was full of confusion, not knowing what Zhang Jie meant by this.

Placing black pieces among white pieces, how is this different from suicide?

"Could it be that Young Friend Zhang knows he is no match, so he wants to find a decent way to admit defeat?"

Xue Muhua began to speculate on Zhang Jie's thoughts.

Young people care about face, and it is normal not to want to admit defeat directly.

"Why is this?" Su Xinghe's brows were locked.

He didn't know why Zhang Jie, who was originally fighting him to a standstill, suddenly made such a move.

"Could there be some mystery in this that I don't know?"

Su Xinghe fell into deep thought.

He didn't believe that a national master whose chess skills were on par with his would choose to "commit suicide" and admit defeat.

However, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't think of Zhang Jie's intention.

Zhang Jie's move was no different from directly placing a piece at the center point at the beginning of the game.

Placing a piece at the center point is equivalent to giving up half a move, and this move directly reduces the winning rate by about 10%.

In Go, there is a saying: "Gold corners, silver edges, grass belly."

Playing chess in the corners has the greatest value, because it is easiest to surround space in the corners, and the efficiency is the highest,

at the same time, it is easier to survive, which means it is not easy to collapse halfway.

Conversely, the center point is despised; on one hand, there is no way to surround space efficiently;

on the other hand, it is too easy to be attacked and difficult to defend.

Almost all Go players will not play the first move at the center point.

"Sigh!

Could it be that there is no way to break the Spirit Dragon Chess Game left by Master?"

Su Xinghe sighed in his heart.

A national master like Zhang Jie was forced to almost directly abandon pieces and admit defeat,

could he still count on Northern Qiao Feng and Southern Murong?

Although Northern Qiao Feng and Southern Murong are both talents of the younger generation,

they are ultimately people of the Jianghu, and most of their energy is placed on martial arts.

Their chess skills could never exceed Zhang Jie's anyway.

No matter how Su Xinghe sighed in his heart, his movements did not stop.

Even if Zhang Jie had almost abandoned pieces and admitted defeat, as long as he hadn't really opened his mouth to admit defeat,

this game had to continue until the winner was completely decided.

Unlike Xue Muhua, whose expression was solemn, and Su Xinghe, whose brows were locked,

Zhang Jie was very relaxed and easy, and one couldn't see at all that he had just "committed suicide."

With the sound of "slap, slap, slap," this game was nearing its end.

Zhang Jie's black dragon had been surrounded by Su Xinghe's white pieces, and the dragon couldn't move,

as long as Su Xinghe played one more piece, he could directly slaughter Zhang Jie's black dragon and declare the winner of this game.

"What a pity, what a pity."

Xue Muhua's heart was full of regret.

A young man with extraordinary talent, after all, was still unable to defeat an old senior who had practiced for decades.

Su Xinghe's heart was also bitter and unspeakable.

Missing Zhang Jie this time, I'm afraid he would never find anyone who could break the Spirit Dragon Chess Game again.

"Could it be that he would just let his master pass away with regrets?"

Su Xinghe struggled bitterly in his heart.

The pride in his heart did not allow him to let go, but his master Wuyazi didn't have much time left.

At most three years, at least half a year, Wuyazi would go to find his grandmaster Xiaoyaozi.

"Let's let go this time!"

Su Xinghe gritted his teeth and decided to play randomly after the next move, giving Zhang Jie a chance to break the Soul-Stirring Chess Game.

Compared to the pride in his heart, he was still unwilling to let his master, who was more like a father, pass away with regrets.

Just as Su Xinghe was struggling bitterly in his heart, Zhang Jie played a piece.

This piece, echoing the one that was almost suicide just now,

suddenly was like the finishing touch, and Zhang Jie's black pieces instantly surrounded Su Xinghe's white pieces!

"A stroke of genius, a stroke of genius!"

Su Xinghe, whose black dragon was slaughtered in an instant, muttered to himself in disbelief.

He didn't expect that Zhang Jie's move just now was actually preparing for the final endgame.

Such an unconstrained idea of placing oneself in a dead end and then living, who could have it?

Su Xinghe suddenly understood why he had studied the Soul-Stirring Chess Game for so many years, but still couldn't break it.

Because he was too eager for stability, and did everything to be foolproof, he dared not take risks.

But he didn't regret it; the lives of his master Wuyazi and his disciples, the Hangu Eight Friends,

were all pressed on his shoulders, he dared not take risks, and could not take risks!

"Broken, broken!"

Looking at the broken Soul-Stirring Chess Game, Xue Muhua fell into a daze.

He didn't expect that giving Zhang Jie a chance also gave himself,

his master Su Xinghe, and other fellow disciples a chance.

He suddenly realized a truth:

"Convenience to others is convenience to oneself; forgive others when you can."

"Young Friend Zhang, I lost."

Su Xinghe, who had unloaded a heavy burden, said with relief.

"Master Congbian, you, you can speak?"

Zhang Jie still played the role of an ordinary person who was scared.

"Young Friend Zhang..."

Xue Muhua was about to introduce the Xiaoyao Sect to Zhang Jie.

"Muhua, let's talk about this later."

Su Xinghe spoke to stop Xue Muhua.

"Go, someone is waiting for you there.

He can also tell you everything you want to know."

Su Xinghe pointed to the cliff behind the chessboard and smiled at Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie maintained the ignorance that an ordinary person should have and came to the cliff.

"It's real rock."

Zhang Jie touched the cliff, feeling its rough texture.

He couldn't help but sigh at the attainments of the Xiaoyao Sect disciples in stone carving and other skills.

Such attainments, I'm afraid it would be enough to build an imperial tomb for the Great Song Emperor!

"Young Friend Zhang, try hard to hit it and you can get in."

Su Xinghe's voice full of encouragement came from behind Zhang Jie.

"Drink!"

Zhang Jie gritted his teeth, took a few steps, and slammed into the cliff.

"Crack, crack~"

Under Zhang Jie's impact, the cliff instantly shattered like bean dregs.

It turned out that Su Xinghe and the others used extremely superb skills,

to hollow out the inside of the cliff, leaving only a thin layer of stone skin!

"With such a thin stone skin, how did it fool experts like Duan Yu,

Duan Yanqing, and Jiu Qiu Mo Zhi in the original work?" Zhang Jie was puzzled in his heart.

Such a thin stone skin couldn't even fool him:

He knew it was hollow inside as soon as he touched it.

Finally, Zhang Jie could only attribute it to the Xiaoyao Sect having unknown secret techniques. ===== CHAPTER 45 =====