txolops Chapter 6 Extremely Outrageous Urban Legends
Chapter 6 Extremely Outrageous Urban Legends
Snapped!
Gu Jin slapped Shen Yuxuan on the back without any mercy.
"Ouch! That really hurts! You hit me way too hard!"
Shen Yuxuan jumped up as if he had been electrocuted, grimacing and frantically rubbing his back.
"I'm fucking speechless!" Gu Jin rolled her eyes.
"But the result was pretty good, wasn't it?" Shen Yuxuan grinned and gave a smug smile.
Although it caused a minor uproar comparable to a family drama, and he was met with extremely harsh glares from Su Hao's parents as if they were looking at a human trafficker, Shen Yuxuan still managed to persuade Su Hao.
In fact, there was no question of persuasion at all.
"How could such a freakishly gifted genius possibly endure twelve years of meaningless, mindless, and idiotic exam-oriented education?!"
That was what Shen Yuxuan thought at the time.
Su Hao probably never considered "further education planning" at first.
Upon hearing about skipping grades and being in a special class for gifted children, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his eyes, even though he had always been uninterested in "going to school."
After thinking for only a second, he quickly nodded and agreed to the plan as a matter of course.
But here's the problem: China's policies on skipping grades and graduating early have always been conservative.
Especially for skipping grades in primary school, the review standards are so strict they're practically inhuman.
Su Hao is certainly qualified to meet these conditions, but he will inevitably waste an enormous amount of unnecessary energy.
"Besides, schools are not just places for learning knowledge."
Su Hao's parents also expressed their thoughts.
Learning basic social skills and developing emotional connections with peers are essential components for children.
Therefore, the final plan was to complete six years of primary school in an orderly manner, and then enter the University of Science and Technology of China's Junior Class.
Although the special program for gifted children has clear age requirements, requiring applicants to be 15 years of age or older.
However, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) retains certain special admission channels for "exceptionally outstanding" younger students.
Shen Yuxuan's tactical arrangements were extremely clear:
In the early grades of elementary school, he swept through major domestic competitions with a "crushing" attitude to make a name for himself, which can be regarded as a warm-up.
When I get to sixth grade, I'll conquer world-class competitions!
The mere thought of personally charting a roadmap for the most terrifyingly gifted child on the planet caused Shen Yuxuan's heart, long worn down by the academic world, to pound uncontrollably, his emotions surging so much that he wanted to burst into song!
......
Four years later. The main auditorium of Huaxia University.
A cold wind was blowing. Although it was only November, the air was already filled with a biting chill.
"Daughter, it's okay, do your best on the exam! Good luck!"
Zhang Man's mother straightened her daughter's collar, her eyes full of expectation.
Zhang Man, standing in the crowd, took a deep breath.
Two years ago, she missed getting into the top-ranked high school in the country, Xiamen University Affiliated High School, by just one point.
In that instant, she felt an immense sense of defeat, as if her entire world had collapsed.
"Where exactly did I go wrong...?"
That was the first time in her otherwise smooth-sailing life that she experienced the failure of being abandoned by fate.
But deep down, Zhang Man harbors a morbid stubbornness; she will never admit defeat!
"Are you kidding me? I've been studying calculus since I was ten, and I read L'Hôpital's rule like a bedtime story!"
During that holiday, she forcefully chewed up the inferiority complex that was about to devour her, swallowed it down along with black coffee, and fermented it in her stomach into a poisonous motivation for learning.
For the next two years, Zhang Man made unforgettable and arduous efforts that are hard for ordinary people to imagine.
He would cram for math problems every night with espresso and participated in the National Mathematics Competition every year.
Finally, the joy of winning my first award arrived.
Although it was only a second prize, she was happier than ever before.
Because behind her in line were a whole bunch of self-important top students from the High School Affiliated to Xiamen University, who were just sitting there waiting to be left behind.
"Haha! As expected, I'm not that bad! You so-called elites are nothing special!"
However, harsh reality did not spare her because of her passion.
In her second year of competition, her performance declined, and she only won a third prize.
"They're here!"
Zhang Man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
A commotion arose at the entrance of the auditorium.
A group of students from Xiamen University Affiliated High School, dressed in custom-made dark blue school uniforms, walked into the venue with an air of nonchalance.
They usually disdain wearing school uniforms at school, but when it comes to competitions like this, they all dress up neatly to show off...
As they walked, the surrounding air seemed to change, carrying a unique sense of pressure characteristic of academic high-achievers.
Whispers rippled through the group of ordinary high school students, including Zhang Man.
However, within the ecosystem of this auditorium, the top high school in China, Xiamen University Affiliated High School, is still not at the pinnacle of the predator hierarchy.
"Look...it's someone from the gifted youth program."
Someone in the crowd muttered something under their breath.
That is the ultimate gathering place for the most brilliant minds selected from the vast population of this land.
Zhang Man bit her lower lip, knowing that even if she risked her life for another ten years, even if she worked herself to death, she would never be able to enter that realm that belonged to geniuses.
After a subtle psychological battle of glances between this group of casually dressed, even somewhat unkempt, gifted students and the pretentious group from Xia Da High School...
With an air of nonchalance that "everyone here is trash," he walked to the most central area of the venue and took his seat.
"So...you guys do compare yourselves too."
Seeing the students of Xia Da Affiliated High School looking unhappy yet helpless, Zhang Man suddenly felt a little better and then fell into deep thought.
It's worth noting that this year's national math Olympiad team of six was practically a massacre.
All the high schools in the country combined managed to secure a paltry two spots.
The remaining four spots were all taken by these monsters from the gifted youth program!
Especially after hearing that... this year, a 15-year-old girl from the gifted youth program even managed to surpass a host of other geniuses and be selected for the national team!
Zhang Man held her breath silently, searching through the crowd of students in the gifted youth program for that despairing figure.
Lin Shuwan.
That face she had gazed at countless times in news reports.
He was short and thin, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
She was bare-faced, without any decorations, and her hair was simply tied back with a black hair tie in a very perfunctory manner.
But perhaps it was the aura of academic genius that made this appearance, under the lights of the auditorium, exude a cold and aloof temperament.
"Damn, she's actually quite pretty. God is so unfair."
Zhang Man thought sourly.
What is it like to become a member of the IMO national team, representing the highest intelligence of the entire country, at the age of 15, when one should be ignorant of the world?
There are heavens beyond heavens.
That is a dimension that mortals cannot reach, even if they burn their lives to the fullest.
Zhang Man suddenly felt somewhat relieved.
Driven by a desperate, defiant spirit, one stubbornly crawls forward, but there is always a limit to how far one can go.
Once you witness the existence of such a monster, no matter how unwilling you are, your psychological defenses, which are called "unyielding," will instantly collapse, leaving only a feeling of exhaustion and resignation.
"Forget it, this is probably the last time I'll participate in a math competition."
Next, it's time to face reality and focus on preparing for the college entrance examination.
Although I initially participated in the competition to relieve that damn inferiority complex, after being tortured for so long, I at least won some awards and can get some extra points in the college entrance examination, so it's not a loss.
Just as Zhang Man was staring blankly at Lin Shuwan's profile, making a desolate compromise in her heart.
Lin Shuwan, who was originally as aloof as an iceberg, suddenly turned her head!
Immediately afterward, to Zhang Man's horrified gaze, the delicate features of this fifteen-year-old super genius instantly collapsed, squashing into a mess!
His expression was as if he had seen some extremely terrifying prehistoric beast, his face revealing undisguised, even somewhat neurotic, agitation and...fear?
"Holy crap?! What's going on?"
Zhang Man was completely stunned.
What kind of being could make a monster at the top of the pyramid show such a ghost-like expression?
Zhang Man immediately followed Lin Shuwan's murderous gaze.
Da, da, da.
The sound of crisp footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Appearing in everyone's sight...
He is a boy who looks absolutely, absolutely only in elementary school age!
The slightly outdated shirt hem was tucked into his jeans in an extremely neat manner, making him look like a miniature, adorable nerd who had traveled from the 1980s.
"What grade is this student in? They're quite good-looking."
Zhang Man was stunned for a moment, thinking:
If I had such an adorable little brother, it would be so much fun to dress him up every day...
For Su Hao, these were clothes his parents had specially bought for him at the town's largest shopping mall, choosing what they considered to be the best-looking clothes, all for his trip to the big city.
But that's not the point at all!
The key point is that Lin Shuwan's eyes were filled with such anger and resentment that she was about to burst into flames on the spot!
"ah!"
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Zhang Man, and she remembered.
At the beginning of this year, an extremely outrageous urban legend circulated in the math Olympiad community:
It is said that a freak who was still in elementary school suddenly appeared out of nowhere and swept the top prizes in major competitions as if cutting melons and vegetables, leaving a group of high school students with nothing.
His name seems to be... Su Hao?
Seeing Lin Shuwan's utterly defeated and almost clenched-teeth-to-shatter appearance, Zhang Man felt a chill run down her spine...
This wasn't just a rumor after all!
However, the little kid who was the center of attention had an innocent-looking face and didn't care at all about the stares of those around him who looked like they wanted to devour him alive.
He casually pulled a crumpled exam admission ticket from his pocket, glanced at the seat number indifferently, and walked straight to his seat.
Zhang Man's gaze was fixed on Su Hao.
He settled into his seat, slowly opened a pencil case with an Ultraman design, and took out a pencil—a children's pencil with a large, bright yellow cartoon doll hanging from the end.
"...Is that...a little yellow duck?"
Zhang Man felt like she couldn't breathe.
Watching the cute, bright yellow duckling swaying in mid-air with Su Hao's movements, her composure completely crumbled at that moment.
"Ah! I see!"
Looking at Lin Shuwan's distraught appearance, Zhang Man felt a surge of absurd sorrow.
"On the battlefield symbolizing the limits of human intelligence, if those self-proclaimed prodigies were to ultimately lose to a child wielding such a pen, it would be a miracle if they didn't have a mental breakdown!"
Amidst the chaotic breathing of dozens of people around him, all driven by extreme tension, Su Hao listlessly rested his chin on his hand, calmly gazing at the bare tree branches outside the window.
Over the past four years, Su Hao's mathematical abilities have undergone a leap forward that defies common sense, like a wild dog running free.
Shen Yuxuan was like a fanatical believer, sending him a stack of books as thick as bricks every one or two months.
The theories contained in those books were so profound and fascinating that Su Hao always eagerly awaited the arrival of the new books.
It was a vast and magnificent universe, completely different from a rigid encyclopedia.
The complex topological networks in graph theory, the tensor world with its distorted curvature in non-Euclidean geometry, the non-trivial zeros of the Riemann Zeta function scattered like stars on the critical line, and biographical works that tell the story of how great mathematicians have risked their lives to touch the truth in this field over thousands of years.
The deeper Su Hao delved into his studies, the more engrossed he became, and the more terrifying his vision became.
Ultimately, he transcended the simplistic pleasure of "solving problems" and clearly realized:
Mathematics is not a tool at all!
It is the grand language that the Creator uses to analyze, deduce, and reconstruct this three-dimensional physical world!
However, this awakening of a higher-dimensional perspective also brings a few "minor" side effects.
"Why did you have to solve this problem that way?!"
Shen Yuxuan gripped a thick stack of draft paper tightly, the veins on his temples throbbing visibly.
Normally, as long as Su Hao's problem-solving approach isn't so outlandish as to fly out of the solar system, he usually doesn't want to interfere with the genius's freedom.
But today, faced with this proof problem that could be perfectly solved by simply using a little common sense and the Five Elements formula, Su Hao insisted on writing more than ten pages of a derivation process full of gibberish, as if he were writing a long novel!
This was so unbearable for him that he was so angry he almost had a stroke.
If you show off your skills like that in the exam room, you definitely won't have enough time!
However, young Su Hao only sighed, glanced at Shen Yuxuan with his clear eyes, and said something casual, but it was like a steel knife that precisely pierced Shen Yuxuan's pride as an academic elite.
"Teacher, that method of proof... is too vulgar, it lacks elegance."
Mediocre...vulgar?!
Shen Yuxuan almost spat a mouthful of blood onto the exam paper!
He suddenly looked down and glanced at the question.
This is a proof regarding the generation of the general formula for Pythagorean triples.
"Vulgar?! You call this vulgar?!"
Shen Yuxuan was so anxious he was jumping up and down, drool flying everywhere.
"This is the most classic parameterization process of the Pythagorean theorem!"
We can directly apply Euclid's proof method: the Five Elements!
"The Five Elements formula can handle it! You're telling me it's vulgar?!"
"That's like a soulless craftsman, blindly following formulas. Where's the beauty in that?"
Su Hao curled his lip, as if commenting on a bad fast food meal.
"If we want to demonstrate why this triangle presents this structure in space..."
Swish swish.
Su Hao picked up a pencil and drew a huge right triangle on the paper with flowing strokes, then drew a square inside it.
"You see, the beauty of this solution lies in the fact that it can directly derive the conclusion without any algebraic brute force, simply by rotating the square on the manifold and using the group action of the similarity of the triangles."
Algebra can be deceiving, but geometry can most intuitively explain everything through dimensionality reduction.
In Shen Yuxuan's increasingly wide pupils, Su Hao began to perform a geometric transformation on the paper that could be described as art.
He rotated the square 90 degrees clockwise and rearranged the right triangles based on the newly generated hypotenuse!
In this process that severely tests spatial imagination, two squares and a quadrilateral of equal area are combined and generate an extremely complex yet perfectly fitting fission!
Shen Yuxuan's breathing stopped completely at that moment.
The auxiliary lines meshed together before his eyes like precise clock gears.
"Holy shit! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!!"
Shen Yuxuan's inner thoughts were completely flooded with comments, and roars echoed in his mind.
"This kid... actually managed to deduce the integer condition directly by using this similarity ratio..."
He transformed a basic algebra problem into a work of art through geometric reconstruction?!
This world has gone mad!
Is this the kind of brain circuit a normal person could come up with?!
Shen Yuxuan's legs went weak, and he slumped into a chair, finally realizing the reality.
His mathematical intuition, which he had built up over the past thirty years and was so proud of, was shattered into dust by the child in front of him with just a few lightly drawn pencil lines!
Su Hao's mathematical self-awareness is expanding at an astonishing rate, akin to a catastrophic explosion!
I can't teach him anymore; I'm completely unable to teach this child.
If I keep teaching like this, I'll have to register at a mental hospital first!
"...You can go and participate in the competition now."
Shen Yuxuan took a deep breath, his eyes filled with complex emotions, which eventually turned into a long sigh.
Go. Tear them apart.
In the end, the only ones who will have a headache are those self-important judges in the examination room.
I'll open my eyes wide and see if you old pedants will actually award the top prize to this kind of absurdly difficult answer sheet that completely rips off the standard response!
At that moment, an almost perverse curiosity arose uncontrollably in Shen Yuxuan's heart.
I want to see how those high and mighty old scholars will react when faced with an answer sheet that tramples the standard answer underfoot and takes a different approach, destroying everything with violent aesthetics.
Even if they are blind and ignorant, anyone who considers themselves to be a mathematician will have no choice but to surrender their knees in the face of such overwhelming talent!
"Okay!" Su Hao didn't really understand the competition; he just thought of it as doing problems in a different place.
"Remember, only fight in major, heavyweight matches!"
Shen Yuxuan took a deep breath, his tone tinged with pity.
"So that those ordinary kids competing against you... they're too damn pitiful!"
He didn't want to see those promising young talents crushed into dust by this ruthless bulldozer, leaving them questioning their lives and with indelible psychological scars.
Of course, as long as Su Hao steps onto the field, there will definitely be victims.
But Shen Yuxuan knew that before long, they would treat Su Hao as an inescapable natural disaster, and then silently accept the reality of being ruled with tears in their eyes.
There is still a year and a half until I graduate from elementary school.
As for the selection of the national math Olympiad team, it's still not too late for this kid to prepare even if he waits until next year.
Before that... let's drop a nuclear bomb on this stagnant academic world.
Let's give those high-and-mighty old fogies a little shock!