The Go Club.

A crowd of young men and women, all first, second, and third-year students, sat inside, brimming with the vibrant energy of youth. The arrival of Xu Lai, their new advisor, caused quite a stir.

"Senior Lu, this is my brother-in-law, Xu Lai. Even famous players like Zheng Zong and Zheng Jiuduan invited him to become a professional!" Ruan Lan announced excitedly.

The student, a senior named Lu An, wore a white tracksuit and glasses. She had a quiet, studious demeanor and looked at Xu Lai with skepticism. Zheng Zong's reputation was just too immense. Would such a towering figure in the Game of Go Path really invite an unknown person to become a professional?

Besides, Lu An and the other club members knew Xu Lai was the director of the campus medical office. A doctor teaching them Go? It seemed utterly absurd.

"Ruan Lan, I know you and Xiao Yu can't stand each other," a young man with a resolute face spoke up. "You're both competing this year, and you're fired up, but you can't let your emotions get the best of you."

"Senior Li Cheng, my brother-in-law can easily defeat Xiao Yu. Can you?" Ruan Lan retorted.

Li Cheng was rendered speechless. He was only an amateur 5-dan; how could he possibly be a match for Xiao Yu, who came from a family of Go masters?

"If the club members don't welcome me, I'll just leave," Xu Lai said with a shrug. "But don't forget about the intel."

"Dr. Xu, wait," Li Cheng said with a cold snort. "Ruan Lan claims you're good enough to crush Xiao Yu. I challenge you to a game!"

Not just anyone was worthy of a game with Xu Lai. If he hadn't needed to help his sister-in-law win back her bet, he couldn't have been bothered with the childish match between Ruan Lan and Xiao Yu.

So he said lazily, "Ruan Lan, you can play in my place."

Li Cheng frowned slightly. "Her?"

"Brother-in-law, I'm only an amateur 4-dan," Ruan Lan said nervously.

Amateur 4-dan. While that rank was quite high for an average club member, the world was full of prodigies. For instance, Xiao Yu from Dong University came from a family of Go masters. Her father was the professional 9-dan player Xiao Duo, who, alongside Zheng Zong, was once hailed as one of the "Twin Heroes" of Hua Country's Go scene. Despite having only average talent, Xiao Yu herself was already an amateur 6-dan. Her older sister, just a year her senior, was a bona fide genius who had reached professional 6-dan and nearly swept the last national university tournament. And between amateur 4-dan and 5-dan, there was a definite gap in skill...

"If you have hands, it's enough," Xu Lai said indifferently.

Li Cheng was stunned. To him, those words were the ultimate insult. He strode to the Go board and said coldly, "Your move!"

"Go on," Xu Lai said to Ruan Lan. She hesitated for a moment before taking her seat opposite Li Cheng.

They skipped the *nigiri* to decide who went first. Furious, Li Cheng simply took the black stones and made the first move.

Ruan Lan was slightly annoyed. It was common knowledge that between players of equal skill, Black had a higher chance of winning. But seeing Xu Lai's lazy expression, she could only grit her teeth and play on.

Soon, a smirk played on Li Cheng's lips. Ruan Lan was too inexperienced, and she had fallen right into his trap.

Three more moves, and her loss is guaranteed!

And that was exactly what happened. Three moves later, White was cornered. Ruan Lan's face paled. She had lost.

"So, what's your expert opinion?" Li Cheng asked, looking at Xu Lai with a provocative smirk.

Xu Lai nudged his chin, and a white stone flew out of thin air to land on the board. A single move, and the dead group of white stones suddenly had a path to life!

"Hm?" Li Cheng's eyebrows shot up. He hesitated before placing his next black stone.

Another white stone materialized and landed on the board.

Unlike the engrossed Li Cheng, Club President Lu An and the other members were utterly bewildered.

Fly? How are the white stones flying...?

"My brother-in-law is also a magician," Ruan Lan explained.

Everyone was speechless.

Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li watched in awe. Brother-in-law really is multitalented!

"No, that's not it." Lu An's brow furrowed. As the club's strongest player at amateur 7-dan, her skill was already comparable to a professional 1-dan or 2-dan. She stared at the complex board and realized with a shock that the white stones were gradually being revived!

Li Cheng had realized it too. He couldn't believe his eyes. He kept placing black stones, trying to deliver the fatal blow, but his own stones were losing their liberties and being captured one by one...

In just five minutes, Black had suffered a crushing defeat.

The Go club fell silent as everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

"Brother-in-law, how did you win?" Ruan Lan asked, scratching her head. Even though she'd watched Xu Lai play the second half, she hadn't understood his strategy at all.

"It's because you have no talent. You're not cut out for Go," Xu Lai said with a dismissive click of his tongue.

Ruan Lan was speechless.

Lu An stared intently at Xu Lai. From that game alone, she knew she was no match for him. Still, she asked with eager anticipation, "Dr. Xu, would you honor me with a game?"

Xu Lai glanced at Yu Xiaoxiao.

Seeming to understand his intent, she quickly waved her hands. "Brother-in-law, I'm only an amateur 2-dan! I'm even worse than Ruan Lan."

"Do you have hands?"

"...I do."

"Then go."

Yu Xiaoxiao found herself sitting down at the board. Taking the white stones, she was crushed so thoroughly by her senior, Lu An, that she began to question her very existence.

"It's your turn," Lu An said, her eyes burning with intensity as she looked at Xu Lai. A white group worth seven points was completely surrounded. It was a hopeless situation. Can he possibly salvage this?

"This game is even more boring than the last one." Xu Lai shook his head. He picked up a white stone and placed it in a distant corner, seemingly abandoning the surrounded white group.

Lu An, of course, took the stones for granted and captured the group.

But twenty moves later, Lu An's pupils constricted. She suddenly realized that Xu Lai's earlier move had been a feigned retreat, a setup for a later attack! All the weaknesses in her own black formation were instantly exposed.

Lu An's hand, holding a black stone, froze in mid-air. She was speechless for a long time.

After deliberating for a full five minutes, her forehead beaded with sweat, Lu An finally let out a shaky breath. "I lose..."

"Actually, you had nine different ways to turn the tables with Black," Xu Lai said. "Any of them could have led to a counter-kill against White within fifty moves."

Xu Lai snapped his fingers. Eight more Go boards materialized in the air like holograms, each showing a different sequence of play.

Lu An's pupils contracted to pinpricks, her breathing growing ragged.

It was true. All nine variations could have saved the game for Black. Some of them even seemed to be entirely new *joseki* that had never been seen before.

The students, all passionate about Go, didn't bother wondering how Xu Lai was making the boards float. They figured even if they asked, the answer would just be "magic."

On the nine phantom boards, the outcomes varied—some games resulted in a win for Black, others a loss.

But Lu An was utterly convinced. She bowed deeply and respectfully. "Mr. Xu, please become our advisor!"

His prejudices completely gone, Li Cheng also bowed low. The other students followed his lead.

Xu Lai wasn't keen on getting involved in this mess, but he had made a promise to Ruan Lan. He nodded and asked, "When does the tournament begin?"

"Tomorrow!" Ruan Lan replied. "But that's just the preliminaries to cut half the teams. The second stage is in five days, where they'll decide the top twenty-five!"

Lu An added, "A hundred teams are competing in total, two people per team, for a total of two hundred participants."

"Who are our two participants?" Xu Lai asked, rubbing his temples.

Lu An raised her hand.

Ruan Lan quietly raised hers as well.

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