Handsome in appearance, dressed in a designer suit, exuding a murderous aura—his style on the chessboard matched his personality, aggressive and fierce. Judging by his looks, he was only a few years older than himself, but Go is a field that requires both talent and hard work; without talent, no amount of effort will help. That’s why there’s a saying: if you haven’t become a national player by twenty, you’ll never have hope in your lifetime. Of course, this hopelessness mostly refers to the impossibility of reaching the very top.

As for who this guy was, Ethan Brooks had no idea. He played Go purely as a hobby, for enjoyment. More often, he was demonstrating what Adam Reed’s master had left behind, hoping to gain some insight from it, so he didn’t know much about this so-called double genius in both martial arts and Go.

Of course, even if he did know who he was, it wouldn’t matter to Ethan Brooks.

Judging by their appearance, they should be competing in a quiet room, and Andrew Carter, who was once ranked among the top ten national players, was now sweating profusely. After all, he was over sixty, and time spares no one. Under the dual pressure of his opponent’s aggressive moves and imposing presence, he made several minor mistakes in succession.

When the gap isn’t large, minor mistakes are the key to victory or defeat. Andrew Carter already knew he had lost. If it were fifteen years ago, he might have had a chance to fight this young man, but now… continuing would only lead to a more miserable loss.

Just as he was about to concede, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind. Someone as experienced as Andrew Carter was shocked, his eyes searching the surroundings in confusion. How could this be? He wasn’t carrying any devices, and there were only two people here. Even stranger, the voice sounded directly in his mind.

William Thompson noticed Andrew Carter suddenly looking around with a strange expression and was quite puzzled. What’s wrong with this old man? William Thompson, national youth Go champion at seventeen, became a national player at nineteen, and now, at only twenty-five, was already a professional 7-dan. He had won multiple domestic and international championships, and his current goal was to dominate the domestic Go scene, with his ultimate aim set on Korea and Japan.

Ethan Brooks watched from outside as Andrew Carter’s expression turned odd on the screen, thinking to himself, “It’d be strange if you could see me.” He immediately told him, “Focus on the game.”

At this moment, Ethan Brooks was using the Eight-Tone Soul-Shocking Flute to communicate with Andrew Carter, treating this super artifact as an internal brain live broadcast phone—only Ethan Brooks would dare to do such a thing.

The Eight-Tone Soul-Shocking Flute, a treasure left behind by Adam Reed’s master, was a top-tier artifact even in the cultivation world, as it was a weapon that could attack the soul. Its appearance in the cultivation world would cause a bloody storm of slaughter and competition. If those cultivators knew Ethan Brooks was using the Eight-Tone Soul-Shocking Flute like this, they’d want nothing more than to kill him on the spot, and those who died fighting for it would be furious enough to come back to life.

After Andrew Carter’s strange expression, he made a move that caught William Thompson off guard, and what surprised William Thompson even more was what happened next. This elderly man, who was clearly exhausted, suddenly played even faster than himself, and his style completely changed—it became nothing like before, so much so that William Thompson didn’t recognize it at all.

William Thompson had studied Andrew Carter’s games thoroughly, but after losing his advantage in the midgame, Andrew Carter actually started playing in a style very similar to ancient Go, fighting back anew. Caught completely off guard, William Thompson was thrown off, and what puzzled him even more was that Andrew Carter, who had seemed unable to hold on, now played with surprising ease.

William Thompson was shocked and lost his rhythm, while the people outside exclaimed in surprise, discussing animatedly. In the end, Andrew Carter narrowly won.

“Impressive. I didn’t expect you to have such a move up your sleeve. I’ll be back in three days to learn from you again.” William Thompson stood up, just as Matthew Hill and the others rushed in. With a stern face, he said, “I didn’t expect Boss Hill’s little Go club to be hiding such talents. Next time, let’s have a decisive match and I’ll learn from your skills again.”

Someone as clever as William Thompson had already guessed most of the truth: the later moves weren’t played by Andrew Carter alone. William Thompson assumed that Matthew Hill had prepared in advance, having someone secretly assist Andrew Carter against him. Andrew Carter’s old face flushed with embarrassment, while Matthew Hill was completely baffled.

Chapter Five: The Buddha Says: Unspeakable!

“Old Carter, what exactly happened just now?” Matthew Hill helped Andrew Carter to a seat, followed by several other resident players of Ethan Chess Club, each of whom was much stronger than Matthew Hill.

Of course, Andrew Carter was the leader among them.

They all started talking at once, finding it hard to understand Andrew Carter’s sudden change in style at the end—it was as if two different people had played. Since it was only half a game, it didn’t prove much, but the level was clear: it was definitely not lower than William Thompson or Andrew Carter.

Andrew Carter sat there, took two sips of tea to steady himself, and smiled bitterly to himself. “You’re asking me, but who should I ask?” In the end, he kept asking in his mind, but the other party only told him, “The Buddha says: Unspeakable!” Now that he had calmed down and thought about everything that had just happened, Andrew Carter couldn’t help but feel a wave of fear.

That voice really did come from inside his mind, and it even knew what he was thinking. Having been born under the red flag and grown up in New China, believing in science all his life, Andrew Carter was completely stunned!!!