I was a top student in America.

Benjamin, sitting in the middle seat in the front row, listened to the discussions around him, his face looking rather grim.

These past few days he's been pondering: everyone else got full marks in the assessment, so why does Professor Jensen treat Li Ao differently?

Is it just because that guy handed in his paper an hour and a half early?

Seeing that Li Aolian could choose between problem-solving classes and discussion groups, he couldn't help but ask the teaching assistant David why he didn't have the same treatment.

David then told him that Li Ao's absence from class was personally approved by Professor Jensen.

As a veteran camper who had won an IMO gold medal, Benjamin originally thought he was in a class of his own in the black belt group. Unexpectedly, he stumbled against a newcomer and experienced a sense of defeat he had never felt before.

"In the next phase of testing, I'm definitely going to leave you far behind."

He stared at Li Ao, who had just entered the classroom, and silently gritted his teeth.

……

Li Ao was unaware that he had become someone else's imagined enemy. He and Kevin and the others entered, chatting and laughing, and found empty seats in the back row.

Today was the first group presentation, which carries a high weight in the grade. Everyone arrived at the classroom early and took advantage of the break to look through the workbooks that had been distributed a few days ago.

Li Ao opened his backpack, took out the thick book "Principles of Mathematical Analysis," and spread it on the table, which seemed somewhat out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

Not long after, Professor Jensen walked onto the podium with a paper cup of coffee.

After briefly explaining the rules for group presentations, he tapped the blackboard as a reminder:

"Our black belt group is progressing very quickly, and the first phase test is just a few days away, so everyone needs to hurry. In addition, this group presentation is not only for participation points, but also to teach you to cooperate with each other, learn from each other's strengths and make up for your weaknesses, so that you can perform better in the upcoming exam."

Benjamin was exceptionally active from the very beginning of the group presentation session.

He not only personally represented his group on stage to explain the exercises, but also frequently commented on the solutions of other groups, pointing out areas for improvement and even proposing simpler approaches.

It was as if they were deliberately trying to make their presence known to Professor Jensen.

Kevin, sitting in the back, looked on in bewilderment and muttered in a low voice:

"I remember 'God Zhang' used to be quite low-key, why is he being so attention-seeking this time? Did he suffer some kind of shock?"

As Li Ao was flipping through the book, thinking about what happened after the analysis seminar that day, he casually added, "Maybe it's because he works in Professor Jensen's research group and admires Professor Jensen a lot, so he wanted to show off a bit more."

"I see." Kevin nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Li Ao had previously informed Professor Jensen that he was reading Rudin's books and studying linear algebra. The professor not only didn't object, but also encouraged him.

So at this moment, he brazenly skipped class, and the professor on the podium pretended not to notice.

This time, he didn't go on stage to present the topic on behalf of the group. Instead, he gave the opportunity to Kevin, who was eager to show off, while he himself kept his head down and continued to work on the last few chapters.

The pages turned one by one under his fingertips, and the example problems were broken down and digested.

[Under intense study conditions... Intelligence +0.1]

Only after the bell rang did Li Ao rub his neck, close the book in front of him, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally finished this book. Now I can start studying ordinary differential equations and real analysis while doing practice problems."

In the university mathematics system, mathematical analysis is at best an introductory course.

What truly torments undergraduates to the point of questioning their existence are the tough courses like real analysis, complex analysis, and differential equations, especially measure theory and extremely abstract concepts like Lebesgue integration.

Li Ao believed he had thoroughly mastered AP Calculus and had now completed "Principles of Mathematical Analysis," so he should be qualified to tackle ordinary differential equations and real analysis.

Given the difficulty of this course, once he truly masters it, his intellectual attributes will undoubtedly improve significantly.

By then, you won't be far from reaching the 120-point intelligence level.

At noon, Li Ao and his three companions went to the Illini Alliance Restaurant for lunch.

After all, they had just finished their first group presentation as black belts, and the group was still in a state of excitement when they sat down with their trays.

"Today was really scary. It was my first time presenting a problem on stage, and I was incredibly nervous. Writing on the blackboard in front of so many people and answering questions is completely different from communicating with them privately."

Kevin took a bite of rice and sighed with some relief, "Luckily, no one asked any tricky questions. I really have to thank the three of you for helping me rehearse last night, otherwise today definitely wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

After a few words of praise, Ethan, sitting opposite Kevin, swallowed the food in his mouth and steered the conversation back to business:

"By the way, the first stage exams are coming up soon. What are your plans for exam preparation?"

"What else can we do but latch onto a big group?" Taylor chimed in quickly. "There are probably a bunch of people in the public discussion rooms and mailing lists forming temporary groups lately. But I think it would be better if a few of us in the dorm formed our own study group."

"Yes, we should start preparing today," Kevin nodded in agreement.

Forming discussion groups has always been a tradition of summer camp.

With lectures, problem-solving sessions, and special topic discussions being rolled out in full swing, and given that everyone has different areas of expertise, it's easy to miss important points if you just focus on doing practice problems all by yourself.

When a few people get together to compare notes and discuss problems, the efficiency is naturally much higher.

After discussing it, Kevin looked up at Li Ao and tentatively asked:

"Leo, do you want to join?"

Kevin really wanted to bring Li Ao in, but he also knew that given Li Ao's current progress, teaming up with veteran students like Benjamin and Natalia would be the most efficient option.

"Of course, count me in." Li Ao put down his fork and readily agreed.

He had actually planned this out long ago.

I'll definitely have to skip some practice classes to write papers in the future, so I can borrow my roommate's notes to copy them and fill in any gaps in my knowledge.

Either way, you need to find people to team up with. Instead of looking for students you don't know, it's better to team up with a few familiar people in your dorm. It will save you a lot of trouble.

With his roommate helping him take notes, Li Ao naturally skipped the afternoon's problem-solving class, took his laptop to the library, and continued to polish the final details of his paper.

I worked until bedtime, and finally all the formulas and references for the entire short article were typeset and uploaded to the database.

Li Ao plans to go through the draft several more times in the next couple of days to check for any omissions or errors. Once he finishes the upcoming stage exam, he will take the first draft to Professor Jensen for review.

On Wednesday, the first phase test took place as scheduled.

Because Li Ao has been frequently absent from class lately, many people privately speculate that his grades might drop this time.

When the exam results were released, he not only handed in his paper early again, but also got a perfect score.

Now, those who were waiting to see the joke were speechless.

One can only marvel: truly exceptional people are exceptional.

After the exam in the morning, Professor Philip's Mathematical Analysis Workshop will follow immediately.

Li Ao, carrying a notebook and laptop, had just entered the lecture hall, found a seat, and was suddenly greeted by a system notification:

You have already secured a spot on the US IMO national team.

[Milestone reached, system upgrade in progress...]

……