Top Student: Wasteland Technology Invasion

Lecture hall in the East Teaching Building.

As Lin Chuan was exploring new directions for the final question, a slight noise broke the silence of the classroom.

A boy wearing blue casual clothes with slightly curly hair stood up, holding an exam paper, and walked steadily toward the podium.

He then placed the test paper on the table and quietly left the classroom.

I didn't communicate with anyone the whole time.

This act of submitting the paper early quickly triggered a series of reactions.

"Who is this, acting so arrogantly?"

"Dude, don't you know Xie Zhixing? He's a CMO (China Mathematical Olympiad) gold medalist and a member of the national training team. It's a pity he finished eighth and missed the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) finals. Before the start of the semester, this year's math class was filled with top students, but Xie Zhixing was the only one who didn't go."

"I see, this rotation was specifically designed to recruit him."

"I heard Xie Zhixing is learning the basics of Lie algebra; he's practically a prodigy."

As the students buzzed with discussion, teaching assistant Li Zheng looked helplessly at the test paper in his hand.

As Professor Tang's doctoral student, he naturally knew that a genius had arrived at the School of Mathematics this year.

Although Xie Zhixing failed to win an IMO gold medal for various reasons, his eighth-place finish in the national team was already a remarkable achievement for Yueyang University.

On the other hand, if Xie Zhixing really wins the gold medal, even if all the leaders of Yueyang University join forces, they might not be able to stop Yenching University's School of Mathematics from taking him away.

Li Zheng knew even better that the reason this exam paper was so difficult was inseparable from Xie Zhixing.

It was because he happened to meet Professor Tang and suggested that he make the entrance exam questions for the Qiushi Class more difficult, so that everyone could enjoy the exam.

Want to hear it?

Do people say that?

You're completely disregarding the lives of other students in the mathematics department, aren't you?

Li Zheng finally understood that what was as simple as breathing for these true mathematical geniuses would probably feel uncomfortable or even suffocating for other students in the mathematics department.

But this is for the best. It's better not to go to a place like the Qiushi Class unless you have real skills.

……

Ultimately, only one student, like Xie Zhixing, submitted his paper early.

Most students handed in their papers on time, but the papers were mostly blank, or they wrote their names and eight answers.

In other words, Yueyang University, a 985 university, attracts top students from all over the country. If it were any other college entrance examination venue, most students with poor mental resilience would probably be crying by now.

Teaching assistant Li collected the papers in order, and when he came to Lin Chuan, he found him still writing and drawing on the draft paper.

"Student, the exam is over. It's time to hand in your paper."

Knowing that this test was very difficult, Li Zheng naturally had more patience for the student who was trying hard to answer the questions, and did not stop Lin Chuan immediately.

After all, mathematics is a different subject from others; you either know it or you don't.

If you don't understand it, you won't be able to copy it even if you take the book and copy it.

Shaking his head, Li Zheng's gaze inadvertently swept across the table and he saw Lin Chuan's test paper, with its dense and aesthetically pleasing mathematical operator symbols.

at last.

The doctoral student's teaching assistant sensed something was amiss.

It's already full?

So far, Li Zheng has only found that Xie Zhixing has answered all eight questions on his test paper.

Apart from him, the best-performing student only answered four or five questions.

Who exactly is this student in front of me, that he can answer all eight questions?

Li, the teaching assistant, frowned as he glanced at the two words "Lin Chuan" written on the exam paper.

He had never heard of the name before, so it was definitely not a student that Professor Tang had instructed him to pay special attention to.

Soon, Assistant Li discovered something strange again.

If Lin Chuan has filled up the test paper, what is he doing now?

Why are you still writing on the draft paper?

While Li Zheng was filled with doubts, many students who had handed in their papers had already gathered around.

"who is he?"

Lin Chuan, Class 2, Applied Mathematics.

"Are you a high school graduate preparing for the college entrance exam or a student participating in competitions?"

"It seems like I was assigned to our math department through the college entrance exam."

"It seems Lin Chuan really wants to get into the Qiushi Class."

"It's no use trying like this. The entrance test is this difficult. Even if Lin Chuan calculates for a few more minutes, what's the point? I always thought math competitions were nothing special until I actually interacted with these people. I realized that I was just a mayfly seeing the blue sky."

The students looked at Lin Chuan, who was still writing and drawing on the draft paper, and their faces showed complicated expressions.

"Lin Chuan, Lin Chuan," Assistant Teacher Li called out twice more.

Lin Chuan finally snapped out of his burst of inspiration and looked around at the classmates who were all around him, feeling slightly surprised.

Seeing that Assistant Li was staring at his exam paper, Lin Chuan apologized and said, "Assistant Li, I'm handing in my paper."

After handing the test paper to Li Zheng, Lin Chuan tidied up his stationery and draft paper, nodded and said goodbye to his roommates, and hurriedly parted ways with everyone.

Having just finished researching along the last topic, he found an opportunity to write a paper. Now he needs to find a quiet place to organize the remaining content.

At the same time, Teaching Assistant Li picked up Lin Chuan's test paper and muttered, "Very focused, he's a good prospect for studying mathematics."

Li Zheng is no ordinary person to be able to pursue a PhD in mathematics at Yueyang University; he understands how important and rare it is to maintain focus in academic pursuits.

Honestly, if he were sitting here answering questions, he certainly wouldn't be able to do what Lin Chuan did.

We didn't get to see exactly what Lin Chuan was writing or drawing on the draft paper, but just based on this spirit of dedication, Lin Chuan is sure to do well in math.

Of course, getting into the Qiushi Class is still quite difficult.

Thinking this through, Assistant Li glanced at Lin Chuan's exam paper.

The first question is correct!

The second question is correct!

……

All seven questions were answered correctly!

As for the eighth question, even though Assistant Li knew the answer in advance, he couldn't help but take a closer look at it now.

Lin Chuan's proof process was truly unique.

It gives the impression that Lin Chuan, having thoroughly mastered "Higher Algebra" and "Functional Analysis," is solving problems with a commanding and insightful attitude.

This doesn't sound like a college student; it's more like a scholar who has studied mathematics for many years, suppressing his abilities to the undergraduate level after researching all the knowledge in the field, and solving problems in the most accessible language.

Before today, Li Zheng had heard about Xie Zhixing's deeds and thought he was the most promising student to enter the Qiushi Class.

Now, perhaps there will be one more person competing for the Qiushi Class roster.

Lin Chuan!

Thinking of this, Li Zheng subconsciously reached into his pocket. He wanted to call his mentor, Professor Tang, to report the situation on the ground.

After searching for a while and finding nothing, he realized that he had deliberately not brought his phone with him today in order to proctor this test.

"Lin Chuan, classmate..."

Silently memorizing the names, Li Zheng stacked all the test papers together and walked out of the classroom, separating the students.