While a man and a demon were chatting idly, Xu Lai arrived with his daughter at the university's indoor gymnasium. It was filled with tables and Go boards, and many contestants had already begun their matches. Of course, as the host, Dongli University's matches were scheduled for the last one or two rounds of the afternoon, serving as the grand finale.

When the dozen or so members of the Dongli University Go Club saw Xu Lai, they all gathered around, their eyes filled with respect. Clearly, the more they studied his game records, the more shocked they became. The strength he displayed with both the black and white stones was so terrifying it made their scalps tingle; it was simply awe-inspiring.

"Consultant Xu, please have a seat." Li Cheng, the third-year student who had previously doubted him, eagerly led Xu Lai and Xu Yiyi to the last row of the spectators' seats.

He didn't lead them to the first or second row because he felt that with Xu Lai's skill, a university Go competition was nothing more than child's play to him.

The members of the East Sea University Go Club, winners of ten consecutive championships, sat in the first row. No one dared to sit near them; after all, they were the reigning champions.

Among them, Xiao Yu looked at Xu Lai and said, "Sis, that's Xu Lai. Zheng Jiuduan once invited him to become a professional player, but he ended up becoming a consultant for Dongli's Go club instead…"

Following her sister's gaze, Xiao Ling glanced at Xu Lai. Sensing her look, he offered a faint smile.

Xiao Ling subtly furrowed her Liu brows, withdrew her gaze, and said coolly, "It's of no concern. The championship will be mine again this year."

Xiao Yu stuck her tongue out playfully. "Of course! Dad always says the student has surpassed the master where you're concerned." She then looked a bit downcast. "It's a shame I don't have the same talent…"

"You're studying fine arts. It's wonderful to be an artist," Xiao Ling consoled her.

Xiao Yu gave a bitter smile and said nothing.

She suddenly glanced at Ruan Lan, and their eyes met, sparks flying. Despite the distance, the two girls tacitly gave each other a thumbs-down. This mirrored mockery made them turn their heads away at the same instant and huff, "You're definitely going to lose!"

Beibei: "..."

Xu Lai: "..."

With their high Boundaries, the man and the demon naturally heard their muttering clearly. The synchronization between those two is terrifying. They truly are well-matched rivals.

Unlike the Xiao sisters, who were leisurely sipping tea, the competitors from other universities were incredibly tense. After all, it was a brutal single-elimination tournament with no second chances or revival matches.

"Do you need me to kill her for you? I can do it without a trace." Seeing Ruan Lan staring at Xiao Yu, the Sea Demon Beibei, a shell on her back, had already gripped the hilt of her Sword, waiting only for Ruan Lan's nod.

The moment she did, Xiao Yu would lose her head.

Ruan Lan shook her head. "No, let's not resort to killing."

"Hey, Ruan Lan, when did you buy this figurine?" Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li asked, looking at Beibei in surprise. "It's so cute and lifelike."

Tsk. Stupid Human Race. You're the figurine, your whole family is figurines!

But to avoid exposing her identity, Beibei remained perfectly still, pretending to be a figurine. Only her eyes, fierce and filled with murderous intent, glared at Li Li, who had just spoken.

Li Li shrank back and said timidly, "I… I think that figurine is glaring at me. Is it… alive?"

The 1.8-meter-tall Yu Xiaoxiao threw an arm around Li Li's shoulders, holding her like a hot water bottle. This girl from The North said breezily, "You're overthinking it!"

"Maybe I'm just too stressed," Li Li muttered. When she glanced at Beibei again, she saw the little figurine lift its chin and give her a look of pure contempt.

Li Li burst into tears and ran. "Xiaoxiao, Ruan Lan, I'm going back to the dorm! That figurine is too scary!"

"Hey! They're my best friends, don't scare them," Ruan Lan said, annoyed.

"Fine," Beibei replied sullenly. She had to respect Ruan Lan's wishes; Ruan Lan was one of the few 'human pals' she had these days.

After all, they often stayed up late drinking sodas and playing games together. This was far more interesting than meditating in seclusion all night.

Of course, it would be even better if that damn roly-poly thing wasn't in the living room, munching loudly on bamboo.

The tournament proceeded, one game after another. Some winners sighed in relief, while some losers could only manage a bitter smile. The preliminary round consisted of two hundred contestants and one hundred matches, and by the afternoon, nearly all the winners had been decided. Only the matches involving Dongli University, represented by Ruan Lan and Lu An, and a university of science and technology from the southwest remained.

The Xiao sisters both advanced to the next round.

Xiao Yu looked at Ruan Lan and said with a charming laugh, "Try not to lose on your home turf and fail to even qualify for the next round."

"Heh," Ruan Lan sneered, not bothering to reply.

The two referees were both national first-class officials and professional 2-dan players. The matches began quickly. As the perennial runner-up, Dongli University was a formidable opponent that all competing teams watched out for. But today, the play style of both amateur 4-dan Ruan Lan on Board 1 and amateur 6-dan Lu An on Board 9 was exceptionally bizarre…

They weren't following standard openings at all!

Ruan Lan, playing black, placed her first stone on the Heavenly Origin point.

Lu An, playing white, placed his second move on Heavenly Origin.

The two contestants from Dongli University opening with Heavenly Origin on separate boards stunned everyone present. The two referees exchanged intrigued glances.

However, as more stones were placed, not only did the two professional 2-dan referees frown, but even Xiao Ling, a professional 4-dan, knit her brows.

Something's not right. Ruan Lan and Lu An are playing too casually. It looks like they're just placing stones at random!

The two male students from the Southwest University of Science and Technology were secretly delighted. Is our luck finally turning? Are we actually going to beat Dongli University?

"Dongli has lost," many of the other contestants muttered, growing excited. If Dongli gets overturned, can an upset for East Sea University be far behind?

"Sister, what's Dongli's strategy?" Unlike the others, Xiao Yu knew how strong Xu Lai was and suspected her rivals Ruan Lan and Lu An had learned something from him.

"They're just playing randomly," Xiao Ling stated flatly. "Is this Xu Lai's style of Go? It's nothing special."

"But Sis, even Zheng Jiuduan…" Xiao Yu started to say, but she was cut off.

"You're less skilled, so it's normal that you can't understand. Within ten moves, Lu An will lose three stones. Within another ten, he'll lose seven more. Meanwhile, his opponent will only lose a single stone in the exchange," Xiao Ling said coolly. "Lu An has lost."

She then glanced at Ruan Lan's board and shook her head; that game looked even more hopeless. She decided to leave early.

There isn't a single decent opponent this year. How dull.

Xiao Ling's lonely figure receded as she left the indoor gymnasium. Strolling in the evening breeze, she began to wonder what the point of attending such a tedious tournament even was.

Just then, a wave of exclamations erupted from the gymnasium behind her.

Xiao Ling frowned slightly. It's just an amateur Go match. What's there to be so surprised about? Bunch of provincials.

She thought, continuing to stare blankly at the sky. But then she noticed something bizarre: several large clouds that had been drifting above the gymnasium suddenly vanished without a trace.

As she was pondering this, another wave of exclamations erupted from the gymnasium, even louder than before. At the same time, two announcements came over the loudspeakers.

"Board 1: Dongli University, Ruan Lan wins."

"Board 9: Dongli University, Lu An wins."

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