Reborn 2014 - Nation’s Tech Peak #1-500
Author: 少一尾的九尾猫
Date: 2025-08-04T08:33:47+00:00

Chapter 1: Returning Home

Atlantic Ocean. A light breeze swept across the entire East Coast, carrying a hint of coolness.

United States, Newark Airport in New Jersey. In Terminal T3, two middle-aged men stood by the glass window of the observation deck, gazing at the massive Boeing 760 parked on the tarmac.

In the transparent glass jet bridge, a figure carrying a backpack was walking towards the plane.

“Tell me,” the middle-aged man in the suit said, as if asking his companion, yet also murmuring to himself, “why couldn’t he stay? Is returning to China really that great?”

Over the years, he had lost count of how many times he had personally visited to invite the man to stay.

Even offering him the honor of being a US National Academician, even providing the most flexible and supportive research environment in an attempt to make him fall in love with this place, was all for naught.

No matter what they did, they could not change the man’s mind.

Beside him, the other man, dressed in casual wear and gold-rimmed glasses, stared at the plane outside the window and shook his head slightly.

Perhaps only the man who had now boarded the plane knew the answer to that.

But no matter what, they had lost one of the world’s top scientists today.

They had lost a genius physicist who had twice won the Nobel Prize in Physics and was hailed by the physics community as the fourth great after Newton, Einstein, and Maxwell.

At the same time, they had also lost a Fields Medalist in mathematics and a top researcher who could push the boundaries in the world of materials science.

Turning his head, he glanced at the middle-aged man in the suit and tie beside him. He opened his mouth but hesitated to speak.

He desperately wanted to ask what price that red country had paid for them to let go of such a once-in-a-century prodigy, a man who alone was worth a city, or even a country.

But he knew in his heart that these were matters a mere Harvard University physics professor like himself had no right to inquire about.

Night fell. A Boeing 760, full of passengers, took off from Newark Airport in New Jersey. Xu Chuan sat in the cabin, leaning against the window, gazing down at the bustling city below.

Fifteen years ago, not long after his twenty-first birthday, he had completed his undergraduate studies at Sanjiang Normal University. Along with his diploma, he had also received an acceptance letter from Princeton University.

He had thought this trip abroad to study would last four or five years at most before he returned home, but he never expected to stay in this foreign country for fifteen years.

The reason stemmed from a paper he published in his first year as a professor at Princeton, titled “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy.”

Subsequently, on the strength of this paper, he was invited by an atomic energy research institution and joined their laboratory to conduct experimental research on his thesis.

Within two years, under his leadership, the experimental research on the mechanism was successfully completed.

It was also because of this project that he won his first Nobel Prize in Physics. At the same time, he was granted the honor of becoming an academician of the US National Academy of Sciences.

After the experiment was completed, Xu Chuan prepared to return home.

However, the unexpected happened. On the day he was set to leave, he was temporarily forbidden from departing on the grounds that he had participated in a core secret experiment and was implicated in the potential leak of classified information, pending a full investigation.

This “pending investigation” lasted for a full ten years.

As a researcher, Xu Chuan’s instincts weren’t particularly sharp, but after his first few attempts to return home failed, he more or less understood that he might not be able to go back.

Although he knew some other professors and had help from his teachers, colleagues, and friends at Princeton, their influence was too weak in this situation.

Ten years of investigation, plus the five years of his studies, meant he had been here for a full fifteen years.

How many fifteen years does a person have in their life?

But it wasn’t too late. He was not yet thirty-eight, and he had at least two more “fifteen years” ahead of him to put his talents to use.

A tree may grow a thousand feet tall, but its leaves return to its roots; a weary bird knows its way home, and a wandering son longs for his family. After more than a decade, the hometown he desperately missed would be in sight in just over ten hours.

At this thought, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face, and he reached out to touch the backpack on his lap.

Inside were some of his research ideas from the past decade, mostly just handwritten notes. It was precisely because of this that he was allowed to take them with him.

Left behind on the ground below were far more of his research findings and documented papers.

But Xu Chuan no longer cared about those. The knowledge was all in his mind. As long as he wanted to, rewriting and redeveloping it wouldn’t be difficult.

The twelve-hour flight passed quickly. The Boeing 760 traced a perfect arc along the edge of the Arctic Circle.

As the sun rose on the distant horizon, the coastline where sea met land began to glow red. That fiery sun seemed to be tearing through the darkness.

Gazing at the sunrise on the horizon, a smile uncontrollably appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. In just over half an hour, he would set foot on the soil of his motherland. He hoped his talents could, like this rising sun, help his country ascend.

Suddenly, a feeling of weightlessness surged from below, yanking his consciousness from its reverie back to reality.

“The plane… is nosediving?”

The sensation of rapid descent and the view outside the window made Xu Chuan’s pupils contract sharply. The chaos in the cabin made him realize what was happening, but he was utterly powerless.

In just over a minute, with a deafening roar, a huge fire erupted on the sea’s surface. The massive Boeing 760 vanished into the vast ocean, leaving only countless fragments of its fuselage floating on the water.

Chapter 2: A Soul’s Return Home

“Xu Chuan, wake up.”

In a daze, Xu Chuan felt someone calling him. He wanted to open his eyes, but it felt like an immense effort. His whole body felt exhausted as if he had just been on an incredibly long journey or had a very long dream.

“What’s wrong with you today? The lunch break is over and you’re still sleeping.”

The voice by his ear spoke again. Xu Chuan’s eyes shot open. Bright sunlight from outside the window spilled across the wooden desk.

Before him was a large blackboard, bearing traces of white chalk characters.

Beside him, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen was looking at him strangely.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. Memories suddenly flooded his mind, and a dizzying sensation of falling rapidly made him grip the desk in front of him. He only calmed down slightly when the feeling of falling subsided and was replaced by the solid touch of the floor beneath his feet.

After taking a few deep breaths, Xu Chuan lifted his head and looked around. In the somewhat noisy classroom, familiar yet strange faces emerged from his memories.

“Is this Senior Year, Class 1201?”

“Did I just have a dream? Or did I travel back in time twenty years?”

“If it was a dream, how could those memories feel so real?”

Looking at the familiar yet strange classroom, Xu Chuan was lost for a moment.

The memories of the future were crystal clear in his mind, and the image of the plane crash was terrifyingly real.

“What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold? Want to go to the nurse’s office?”

The voice next to him spoke up again. Xu Chuan looked up at his former deskmate and shook his head.

“I’m fine. I’m just going to take a walk outside.”

Outside the school building, the playground, paved with gray cement tiles, was perfectly flat. As Xu Chuan walked across it, the scattered groups of students engaged in activities brought back memories buried deep in his mind.

He found some steps and sat down, gazing at two sago palms in the distance that were in bloom. A bitter and wry smile touched his lips.

He never thought he would come back like this.

He knew that he wasn’t the only one on that plane. There were officials accompanying him back to the country, as well as citizens of that other nation, and even an important figure who was part of the diplomatic visit.

In addition, there were nearly three hundred ordinary passengers and crew members.

Coupled with the state-level exchange, he had thought he would return to the Motherland safely under these multiple layers of protection, but he still hadn’t made it back.

What a pity. In his past life, just before death, he was only a step away from the Motherland, yet he never set foot on its soil.

After sitting quietly on the steps for a while and calming his emotions, Xu Chuan stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and turned back to the classroom.

The familiar desk, the familiar textbooks, the familiar classmates—everything was exactly the same as the scene from his seventeen-year-old self’s memory.

“Did I really get reborn?”

Xu Chuan touched the thick stack of textbooks propped up by a bookend on his desk. He felt their thickness and texture with his fingers. It was so real, yet it made him feel captivated and bewildered, with a trace of fear that this was just a dream before the plane crash.

“Even if it’s a dream, please let it last a little longer.”

Xu Chuan looked up at the bright sunlight outside the window, a brilliant and resolute smile appearing on his face.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

The piercing bell echoed across the campus.

In Class 1201, a middle-aged man carrying a thermos and with a thick stack of test papers tucked under his arm walked into the room. The previously somewhat noisy classroom quickly fell silent.

“The mid-terms are coming up. We’ll have a diagnostic test this class. Class president, come pass out the papers. Don’t even think about cheating; there’s no point.”

The middle-aged man’s name was Tang Gaoyuan. He was the physics teacher for Class 1201 and also their homeroom teacher.

Tang Gaoyuan glanced solemnly at the students in the classroom, placed the test papers on the desk, and then added, “Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai, come with me for a moment.”

Xu Chuan stood up and followed another boy with thick glasses out of the room.

“Mr. Tang.”

“Mr. Tang.”

In the hallway, Tang Gaoyuan was taking small sips of tea from his thermos. Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai greeted him respectfully and stood to one side.

For Xu Chuan, Tang Gaoyuan was his physics enlightenment. He had taught him physics since his first year of high school. It could be said that without him, the version of himself who stood at the pinnacle of physics in his later life would not have existed.

Seeing the two of them, Tang Gaoyuan smiled gently, a completely different person from the stern man in the classroom moments before.

“The selection for this year’s Physics Olympiad is about to begin. I’ve signed you two up, so get ready. The training camp will start in a few days. I hope you can achieve better results than last year.”

Normally, third-year high school students rarely participated in competitions like the Physics Olympiad unless they were exceptionally talented and were confident enough to make it into the national training team.

The main force of students participating in competitions like the Physics or Math Olympiad was generally from the second year.

After all, the vast majority of students still had to take the college entrance exams, and participating in competitions was a time-consuming and energy-draining affair.

But it was a different story if you could get into the national training team. Every student who could represent the country in the training team was highly sought after by universities.

The two before him were such examples. Both Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai had made it to the training team in their second year, marking one of the most glorious years for Star City No. 1 High School in recent memory.

“Physics Olympiad?”

Xu Chuan was slightly puzzled for a moment, then he realized it was the IPHO. At the same time, a deeply buried memory emerged in his mind.

IPHO referred to the International Physics Olympiad. Contestants could not be over twenty years old on June 30th of the competition year.

It was held annually and hosted in turns by the member countries that made up the IPHO.

These member countries basically covered most of the nations in the world’s eighteen regions.

It was pretty much a competition where a team of five elite high school students from each country would battle it out in the field of physics for first place.

He had participated in this competition last year as a second-year and the year before as a first-year. In his first year, due to a lack of knowledge, he barely made it to the provincial team and then the national finals, but he didn’t get to represent the country. Last year, as a second-year, he successfully made it to the national team and entered the final world competition, but unfortunately, he didn’t win a gold medal.

It was now late August, which was around the time the first round of IPHO selections began in the country. According to the timeline before his rebirth, he would participate in the IPHO again this year, successfully make the national team, and compete against students from other countries.

The only pity was that although he had won a gold medal in the next year’s IPHO, he had not received the “Absolute Winner” title, falling two points behind the Korean contestant in the experimental section.

The so-called Absolute Winner was the contestant with the highest score in the Physics Olympiad. In addition to a gold medal, they would also receive a special award. This had been a regret of his.

But speaking of the IPHO, Xu Chuan was reminded of another competition, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

The reason he thought of this was that he remembered a piece of information he had learned before his rebirth.

Rebirth had not only brought Xu Chuan twenty years of future scientific knowledge but also a general understanding of future international trends and some other information.

It was currently 2014. If his memory served him correctly…

From some unknown point in the past until 2017, the nation across the West Coast had increased its infiltration of other countries, and its various intelligence activities had become stronger and more frequent than before.

Moreover, for this campaign, that nation across the West Coast had adopted a brand-new information security method for communication and information transmission.

This method of secure communication was built on a mathematical pattern. Only by finding this mathematical pattern could the information within be deciphered.

But the key was that the logic and functions in the mathematical pattern used for each piece of intelligence were different. It took a certain amount of time to intercept the other party’s intelligence and then manually decrypt it.

It was often during this time lag that the other party had already completed their information transmission.

According to what Xu Chuan knew, starting next year, they would begin to seek help from students who had participated in the IMO competition. Of course, it was also possible that these problems would be included in the curriculum for the competition students.

He had never seen those math problems, because by the time he learned about this, it was all in the past.

But with a little thought, he could guess that those problems were definitely not solvable by ordinary high school students, university students, or even graduate students.

The person who designed this mathematical system and used it for national espionage was not to be trifled with.

Although the high school students who could make it to the IMO finals and win medals were extremely talented in mathematics, their impact on a matter like this would not be significant.

Therefore, the latter scenario was more likely.

However, for Xu Chuan, this was an opportunity to get involved. If he could demonstrate sufficient mathematical talent in the competition, he might be able to take part in this matter.

Chapter 3: IMO and IPhO

“Sir, has the selection for the Math Olympiad started? Can I sign up for this year’s IMO?” Xu Chuan asked softly in the hallway.

“IMO? Are you planning to compete in both? Or does this mean you’re not participating in the Physics Olympiad this time?”

Tang Gaoyuan frowned, looking at Xu Chuan with some surprise.

Although the training camp schedules varied by country—for these two events, selections in China typically began in late August or early September, proceeding from schools to the city, provincial, and finally the national team level—each country had its own timeline.

But the final international IMO and IPhO were held around the same time, roughly mid-July each year.

Normally, if one participated in the IMO, they couldn’t participate in the IPhO, as the in-person schedule would be extremely tight.

Moreover, it would require a dedicated teacher to accompany the student between venues, which neither national team would likely appreciate.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, a student participating in the IMO would not choose to also participate in the IPhO.

However, it wasn’t unheard of for a student to compete in both. In the past, students had made it into both training camps, but no one had ever won medals in both the IMO and IPhO in the same year.

“It’s possible to participate in both the IMO and IPhO?”

Xu Chuan looked at Mr. Tang with some surprise. He really hadn’t known that.

In his past life, although he had participated in the IPhO three times, the schedule and related matters had always been handled by others. The student participants were generally only responsible for training, studying, and taking the exams.

At least, that’s how he had operated. He rarely paid attention to anything not directly related to the training camp and exams.

“It is.”

Tang Gaoyuan nodded, then continued with a slight frown, “But the schedule would be very tight, and it’s not possible to do both every year. In some years, the Math and Physics Olympiads are held at the exact same time. It all depends on the exam schedule.”

“Still, I recommend you stick to just the Physics Olympiad. With the foundation you built last year, I’m confident you can win a medal this year as long as you perform consistently.”

Although Star City No. 1 High School had students participate in events like the IMO and IPhO every year, with some even reaching the international stage and winning gold medals, a medal from the International Physics Olympiad was still an incredibly high honor. Winning a gold medal was perhaps the highest award a high school student could achieve during their high school years.

With a medal from the IMO or IPhO in hand—even if it wasn’t gold, but silver, bronze, or even an honorable mention—any university in the country would be scrambling to recruit you.

As his physics teacher, Tang Gaoyuan naturally didn’t want Xu Chuan to miss out on this honor.

In his view, since Xu Chuan had already reached the international competition last year and won an individual gold medal, participating in the IPhO again this year would surely lead to even better results.

After all, he had witnessed Xu Chuan’s progress over the past year. He was a genius, and a hardworking one at that. He was sure Xu Chuan’s future achievements would be great.

“Mr. Tang, I want to participate in both the IMO and the IPhO.”

Xu Chuan spoke up. He had originally thought he would have to miss this year’s IPhO, but he hadn’t expected there to be a way to participate in both.

If it was possible to do both, he certainly wouldn’t back down.

Although it was a bit like bullying to compete in the IPhO with his current knowledge, the regret of participating three times in his past life without ever taking first place was something he had to make up for after being reborn.

Tang Gaoyuan’s brow furrowed again, but then his expression relaxed, and he smiled.

“Alright, I’ll sign you up for the Physics Olympiad. For the Math Olympiad, go find that old coot Song Kaiji and have him register you. It’ll be a good way to enrich your experiences.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was taken aback. He had thought Mr. Tang would persist in trying to persuade him and had been prepared to keep arguing his case. He hadn’t expected him to agree so readily.

In truth, Tang Gaoyuan hadn’t given it much thought. When Xu Chuan proposed participating in the IMO, he just assumed the boy wanted to try his hand at math.

After all, enriching his high school career by dabbling in the Math Olympiad wasn’t a bad idea. It didn’t matter if he took the college entrance exams or not; top schools were already vying for him.

If he wanted, he wouldn’t even have to finish his senior year; he could take his pick of any university in the country, and none would refuse him.

Besides, with the kid’s current math level, he would most likely stop at the provincial team. Making it to the national qualifying exam would be the best he could do; he wouldn’t get into the national team. So, it was basically just for fun.

As long as he didn’t make it to the national team and the winter training camp, it wouldn’t really affect his participation in the IPhO.

That was the thought process behind his support.

After a moment’s pause, Xu Chuan understood the meaning behind Tang Gaoyuan’s words and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He was going into the IMO with the intention of winning a gold medal, yet in Mr. Tang’s eyes, he was just looking to have some fun and enrich his high school experience.

However, such an assumption was perfectly normal. After all, his main focus was physics. The competitions he had participated in and the specialized training he had undergone were all in preparation for various physics olympiads. While his math grades were also good, they were certainly a tier below his physics achievements.

But the him of this moment wasn’t his former self; he was the him from twenty years in the future, reborn.

Before his rebirth, although his mathematical ability was significantly weaker than his physics ability, it was still more than enough to blow most math professors out of the water.

After all, mathematics and physics are inseparable. In the process of researching physics, one often needs to use a wide variety of mathematical tools.

This was especially true when he was researching and trying to prove the ‘Yang–Mills existence and mass gap’ problem, which required the most cutting-edge tools in the mathematical world.

So, while his mathematical ability wasn’t as outstanding as his physics, it was definitely not far behind.

Of course, compared to top mathematicians who purely studied mathematics—superstars of the math world like Andrew Wiles, Pierre Deligne, and Gerd Faltings—his math was still considerably weaker.

But for a high school competition like the IMO, it was more than sufficient. He might not have a sharp memory of some basic high school and university-level math, but for him, a single review of those topics would be enough.

“Weicai, what about you? You want to go to the IMO too?”

After agreeing to let Xu Chuan participate, Tang Gaoyuan looked over at Cao Weicai with a grin.

This kid wasn’t on Xu Chuan’s level, but he was still a physics genius. If he also wanted to go join the Math Olympiad, just watch how he’d deal with that old coot Song Kaiji when he got back. The two best physics prospects in the class being led astray to study math? Outrageous!

“No, no! Brother Chuan has the skill to do both. A small fry like me should just stick to the Physics Olympiad.”

Feeling Mr. Tang’s smiling gaze on him, Cao Weicai felt a prickle on his back and quickly waved his hands in refusal.

His math was average; he wouldn’t even make it past the provincial selection for the Math Olympiad.

“Go back and prepare well. Try to bring back a medal from the IPhO next year.”

Hearing this, Tang Gaoyuan smiled, then turned and went back into the classroom to proctor the exam.

As Tang Gaoyuan left, Xu Chuan was about to head back to the classroom when Cao Weicai’s somewhat mournful voice came from behind.

“Brother Chuan, what am I supposed to do now that you’re off to the IMO? We were supposed to fly high together, so why are you taking off on your own?”

At these words, Xu Chuan stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face.

What a character. So what if he was participating in the Math Olympiad? Did that mean he couldn’t compete in the Physics Olympiad anymore?

Ignoring Cao Weicai, Xu Chuan continued toward the classroom. The moment he stepped inside, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

“Maybe I should switch my major this life.”

In his past life, he had more or less reached his limit on the path of physics. But this limit was his own, not the limit of physics itself.

Due to mathematics and other reasons, when faced with certain difficult physics problems, he would often find himself stuck, unable to make any progress.

For instance, before his rebirth, after he developed the superconducting material, he had spent some time researching controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Theoretically, with superconducting materials, it should have been possible to advance the magnetic confinement effect of a controlled fusion reactor to a higher level.

But he had run experiments, and after replacing the magnetic confinement coils with ones made from the new superconducting material, the confinement effect did indeed improve significantly, but it didn’t reach the level he had predicted.

The magnetic mirrors made from the superconducting material couldn’t achieve perfect control over the ultra-high temperature plasma within the reaction chamber.

Later, analysis of the experimental data suggested that this was related to the control system for the ultra-high temperature plasma.

And this so-called control system was built upon a mathematical model of that same plasma.

Although the ultra-high temperature plasma within a controlled fusion reactor is theoretically a subject of physics, in reality, you need a corresponding mathematical model to control it.

But creating a mathematical model for ultra-high temperature plasma was something no one had managed to do, even twenty years in the future.

This was because it fell under one of the most difficult domains of mathematics: turbulence modeling.

Turbulence is a famously chaotic system in mathematics. Building a mathematical model for ordinary turbulence is already incredibly difficult, let alone for the plasma inside a fusion reactor, which burns at tens of millions of degrees Celsius.

To solve this problem, he had sought collaborations with other mathematicians, such as the Fields Medalist Charles Louis Fefferman, who also taught at Princeton University.

But the results were obviously not that great.

Often, he could propose theories that were physically plausible, but perhaps due to Professor Fefferman’s insufficient physics knowledge, some theories or problems could never be described in the language of mathematics.

After all, those who could reach the pinnacle of both mathematics and physics were exceedingly rare. His mentor, Edward Witten, was probably one of them, being the first physicist in history to win the Fields Medal.

But unfortunately, his mathematical research was not focused on turbulence.

Xu Chuan suddenly felt that he should change his research direction in this life.

In his past life, he majored in physics. This life, perhaps his major should be mathematics.

Mathematics is the foundation of all sciences; this was indisputable.

After all, the nature of science is induction and deduction, and mathematics is the tool for both.

If any discipline can be called a science, it must be expressible through mathematics.

As long as you can use mathematics to build models, to perform induction and deduction, you will eventually be able to uncover certain underlying laws for humanity to use.

This is why it can be the foundation of all natural sciences.

If he majored in mathematics in this life, even if he didn’t reach the same heights as he did in physics in his past life, with his talent, his achievements would surely not be poor.

When his mathematical ability was strong enough, it might just be the push he needed to help his physics ability, which had nearly stagnated before his rebirth, take another step forward.

As for a minor, materials science was still an excellent choice.

Even though he had developed top-tier materials like superconductors and bionanomaterials in his past life through materials physics and biophysics, compared to the future potential that materials science held, this was merely a drop in the ocean.

Chapter 4: Planning for the Future

In that brief moment, Xu Chuan had already replanned his entire future.

Physics was his foundation, that much was certain. But that didn’t stop him from focusing his studies on mathematics in this life.

The only thing that gave him pause was whether he should still choose to study abroad.

Having spent over a decade at Princeton, Xu Chuan knew full well the strength of its mathematics program. It was the world’s most preeminent campus for mathematics.

Compared to physics, which he had studied in his previous life, mathematics was Princeton’s true cornerstone.

If he wanted to delve deep into mathematics, Princeton was the best choice. It had multiple Fields Medal laureates on its faculty year-round, offering an in-depth understanding of nearly every branch of the subject.

But what made Xu Chuan hesitate was the country Princeton was in—the very country that had obstructed him for twenty years and, in the end, sent him “home.”

Once he left, whether he could return was far from certain.

As for staying in the Motherland, to be honest, his current mathematical ability was already sufficient to teach at any university in the country. There wasn’t much more he could learn here.

When it came to basic sciences, he had to admit that his Motherland lagged behind that country by a considerable distance, both today and twenty years in the future.

“Forget it. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan cast the troublesome thoughts from his mind.

If it truly became necessary to go abroad to study in the future, he could just go as a student purely to learn. He would avoid any research applications involving things like nuclear physics. As long as he didn’t reveal too much of his talent, he probably wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.

For him, even after what he had been through in his past life, going abroad was still unavoidable. At the very least, he would have to go to Europe.

Many of his research theories from his past life were based on the Large Hadron Collider in Europe.

Although all this knowledge was now in his head and he could publish it directly, it was impossible to do so. After all, he didn’t have any experimental data yet.

To find clues and make discoveries from experimental data, and then prove the resulting data and theories—that was the work of a genius.

But to come up with data and theories without any experimental data to begin with? Many people would be eager to put you on an operating table.

Of course, if he really didn’t want to go abroad, Xu Chuan could also choose to build a Large Hadron Collider himself, or ask the country to help.

But the cost of building one was exorbitant, starting at ten billion US dollars, and the construction time was lengthy, measured in years.

If he built it himself, money wouldn’t be the issue; he could re-develop the materials he had researched in his past life and sell them for cash. But the technology was the key. The complexity of such a device was something even a single country might not be able to handle.

The Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research was built through a collaboration of practically the entire world.

If he wanted the country to help build one, he would have to produce sufficient achievements. While he didn’t need to become an academic authority whose voice could reach the highest levels, he would at least need to become the most influential figure in China’s high-energy physics community.

In the quiet classroom, everyone was hunched over their test papers. No one was flipping through books to cheat, nor was anyone talking.

Star City No. 1 High School was one of the four most prestigious high schools in Star City. Every year, a double-digit number of its students went on to Tsinghua and Peking University, and countless more were admitted to other elite universities.

The students who gained admission to this school might not all be geniuses, but they were definitely hardworking.

At least in Class 1201, everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing at any given time.

In most situations, atmosphere is crucial.

Being in a class like this, even if you weren’t someone who liked to study, you would gradually fall in line and start learning with everyone else.

For Xu Chuan, his classmates not only reawakened the deeply buried memories in his mind but also brought back a youthful mentality and vitality.

At this moment, his nearly forty-year-old mind and body felt as if they had returned to his seventeen-year-old self.

The pristine white test paper on his desk brought a smile to Xu Chuan’s face. It had been a long time since he had seen one of these.

“A small metal block is attached to a small balloon made of a rubber membrane and filled with air. The combination is placed in water where it is perfectly suspended. If it is pulled down slightly and then released, the metal block and balloon will ()”

“A. Remain stationary. B. Move upwards, then return to its original position. C. Accelerate downwards to the bottom. D. Move upwards and eventually float.”

“This question… Old Tang must have written this one himself.”

The multiple-choice question came into view. Xu Chuan smiled and wrote the letter ‘C’ in the parentheses without hesitation.

The question was actually simple, but it contained a small trap. Many people might not think it through and hastily choose B or D.

What it actually tested wasn’t gravity, but the effect of water on the balloon.

For a balloon suspended in water, the deeper it goes, the greater the pressure. The balloon is compressed, reducing its volume and thus its buoyancy. The buoyant force becomes less than the gravitational force, creating a net downward force, which causes it to accelerate downwards. It wouldn’t float up as one might normally expect.

In his past life, Old Tang had loved these kinds of tricks. He always wrote his own questions for all the in-class quizzes, small tests, and diagnostic tests.

Strictly speaking, the questions weren’t difficult, but every single one contained a few traps.

If you just glanced at them and made a quick judgment, it was easy to make a mistake. But with a little bit of care, you could spot the catch.

However, it was precisely because of these questions that his judgment was greatly honed during the initial stages of learning physics. They also cultivated a habit of meticulousness in him, laying the most solid foundation for his future ascent to the pinnacle of physics.

The test paper didn’t have many questions: six single-choice, four multiple-choice, three fill-in-the-blanks, and two proof-based questions. There were fewer questions than on a final exam, but the difficulty was higher.

After all, it was a diagnostic test, so it couldn’t take up time from other classes.

Old Tang had a good grasp of the situation. He knew the capabilities of every student in Class 1201. Most of them could finish this paper within forty-five minutes, but their scores would depend on their carefulness.

For Xu Chuan, a test like this naturally didn’t require the entire class period. He was done in less than fifteen minutes.

For the next half hour, he immersed himself in his textbooks. Twenty years had passed; besides math and physics, he had forgotten most of the content from his high school textbooks.

This was especially true for Chinese and Biology, which were not his strong suits. A lot of the material required rote memorization.

If you asked him to recite a complete classical Chinese text right now, he genuinely couldn’t do it.

The training camps for the IMO and IPhO would be starting soon, so he didn’t have much time. He had to take advantage of the time he had now to study Chinese and Biology properly.

He couldn’t possibly get full marks in math and physics on the college entrance exam, only to fail Chinese and Biology.

Although, whether he took the college entrance exam or not didn’t really make much of a difference to him.

Chapter 5: The Flaw of Rebirth

“That old fellow Tang Gaoyuan tells me you want to participate in next year’s Math Olympiad? What’s with the sudden interest in math?”

In the office, a middle-aged teacher, Song Kaiji, who wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and was already sixty percent bald, asked with a smile.

This student before him was a genius among geniuses, even at Star City No. 1 High School, which was packed with top students. When Tang Gaoyuan had lured him away to study physics, he had truly felt it was a pity, believing that math was a better fit for him.

Because of this, the two had never really gotten along. He believed that old fool had wasted a promising talent.

But now, the kid had already committed to the path of physics and even won a gold medal at the IPhO in his second year of high school, so he couldn’t say much more.

The most crucial point was that students who could achieve such results in their second year—even geniuses among geniuses—were usually nurtured from middle school, or even elementary school.

But this kid was different. He had only been discovered after entering his first year of high school. Compared to the students in the Olympiad classes, he had started quite late.

Yet, in just half a year of his first year, he had caught up to the Olympiad class students. And in his second year, he had won a gold medal at the IPhO. He could be described as a monster.

If all went as expected, Star City No. 1 High School would win another IPhO gold medal this year, and gain another student heading to Tsinghua or Peking University.

“Yes, Teacher Song. I’m in my third year now, and this is my last chance. I don’t want to leave myself with any regrets.”

Xu Chuan replied respectfully, borrowing the reasoning Tang Gaoyuan had speculated about yesterday.

“Alright, I’ll sign you up. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train with the school’s training team. You don’t have to worry about the Physics Olympiad for now anyway.”

Song Kaiji happily agreed without hesitation. If he didn’t take in such a promising talent who had come knocking on his door, he deserved to be struck by lightning. When that old fellow Tang Gaoyuan had come to him about this, his face had been a sickly green.

“Thank you for your trouble, Teacher,” Xu Chuan said with a nod.

“No trouble, no trouble at all. If you had participated in the IMO back in your first year, I guarantee you would have a gold medal by now.”

Song Kaiji said with a wide grin, undermining Tang Gaoyuan. Xu Chuan could only offer a small smile; he didn’t dare respond to that comment.

The next day, as soon as the morning classes were over, Xu Chuan followed the math teacher to a classroom in the laboratory building.

Star City No. 1 High School had excellent facilities. Many students participated in various competitions each year, filling five entire classes with one or two hundred people.

Here, the competition to represent the school in various contests was incredibly intense.

To put it bluntly, students who could represent the school in competitions and reach the provincial level were invariably full-mark scorers in regular exams—the kind who wouldn’t lose a single point on the paper.

Xu Chuan’s math skills weren’t weak; he often scored full marks on math exams. Coupled with his experience from participating in the IPhO, he was exempt from the preliminary test and went straight into the school’s training team.

Of course, this didn’t mean he had automatically qualified for the league competition; he would still have to go through a semi-final screening.

Xiangnan Province was a powerhouse in academic competitions, and none of the four famous schools in Star City were weak. Even Star City No. 1 High School couldn’t consistently hold the top spot.

The competition was too fierce. For the students in the few Olympiad classes, more than half could achieve full marks in math, and the average score for the other half was above one hundred forty-eight.

Even so, only a mere two or three students would make it through the screening, preliminaries, and semi-finals to join the provincial team and represent the school in the league.

After all, making it to the provincial team meant you were already in the Winter Camp. There, you had to battle it out with thousands of competition participants from all over Xiangnan Province. The difficulty was immense.

“Everyone, hold on a moment. Let’s welcome a new partner.”

“Xu Chuan, introduce yourself.”

In the small classroom, Song Kaiji clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the thirty-odd students who were busy solving problems and reading.

Everyone looked up, their gazes landing on the somewhat familiar-looking teenager on the podium, feeling a mix of confusion and curiosity.

The preliminary test for the Math Olympiad was long over. Why was someone joining in the middle of things? A new master?

“Hello, masters. My name is Xu Chuan, from Class 1201. I hope you can all carry me this time!”

On the podium, Xu Chuan introduced himself with a smile. Reborn at seventeen, his mindset had become much younger. Of course, he wasn’t the type to be as staid as a grumpy old man in the first place.

“Brother Chuan! You, of all people, are joining the Math Olympiad?”

In the classroom, a slightly chubby student with a baby face shouted excitedly. Xu Chuan followed the voice and saw his classmate, Lu Tianrui, who had been participating in the Math Olympiad since his first year.

Moreover, this guy was very young, even younger than him. He was currently in his third year but only fifteen years old, which meant he was only twelve when he first participated in the Math Olympiad.

Unfortunately, his best result was a National First Prize. With a bit of bad luck, he hadn’t been able to represent the country at the IMO for two years.

After all, the training camp selected six people out of sixty—a one-in-ten chance. Only the truly strongest could make it.

Prompted by Lu Tianrui, the others also remembered. The young man before them had won second place at last year’s IPhO, and his photo was still displayed on the school’s glory wall.

For a moment, the classroom grew noisy.

Some were curious why Xu Chuan had come to the Math Olympiad, some were excited and wanted to ride his coattails, and some remained indifferent, continuing to solve problems and read.

“Find a seat for yourself for now. Teacher Gong will be here shortly. Keep up the good work, and strive to bring back a medal from the IMO.”

Song Kaiji patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder and said with a smile.

Xu Chuan nodded, scanned the classroom, and went to sit next to Lu Tianrui.

This was one of the school’s training teams, with students from dozens of classes from the first to the third year. He didn’t know most of them; his classmate was the most familiar face.

“Brother Chuan, aren’t you participating in this year’s Physics Olympiad?” Lu Tianrui leaned over and asked in a low voice.

“I am, but that doesn’t stop me from participating in the Math Olympiad too.”

Xu Chuan smiled, hung his backpack on the chair, and took out a few math books.

“Awesome! As expected of Brother Chuan! With you to carry me this year, it’s a sure thing! I’m definitely winning an award this time!” Lu Tianrui’s baby face was scrunched up with excitement, forming creases.

“Don’t say that. My high school math is probably worse than yours. It’s more like you’ll have to carry me,” Xu Chuan said, shaking his head with a smile as he opened a math book and began to read.

Although his rebirth had given him mathematical abilities far beyond this stage, twenty years had passed. The vast amount of memories from his rebirth had buried his memories from this period deep down.

He had forgotten most of the details of high school mathematics. His later research didn’t use this material, so it was quite possible that Lu Tianrui’s high school math ability was stronger than his at the moment.

For his current self, this could perhaps be called a flaw of rebirth.

However, Xu Chuan wasn’t worried that he would have a mishap in the Math Olympiad or fail to make it to the IMO.

On one hand, as he read, the relevant memories buried deep in his mind were constantly resurfacing. After all, his past and present selves were one and the same; the memories were only obscured by the influx of information from his rebirth, not erased.

On the other hand, he discovered that his current memory and comprehension skills seemed to be much stronger than he remembered them being.

He had noticed this yesterday while studying. Whether it was biology or language arts, he could remember the gist of many things after reading them once, and after a second reading, he could almost completely commit them to memory.

Xu Chuan didn’t know why this was happening. Perhaps it was related to his rebirth? Or perhaps it was an innate talent he had simply never paid much attention to in his past life.

Chapter 6: First, Let’s Solve a Problem

In the quiet classroom, Xu Chuan was flipping through a math textbook. Among the thick stack of books on his desk, some were first and second-year high school math textbooks borrowed from the library.

After all, so much time had passed that he had forgotten what the textbooks even looked like. If he was going to review, he had to start from the very beginning, lest he miss a concept and lose points on an exam. That would be a monumental embarrassment.

For a Fields Medal winner to not get a perfect score in an ordinary high school competition… he might as well be reborn again, smash the medal, and go home to grow sweet potatoes and raise pigs.

A little over an hour passed before the bell signaling the end of the lunch break rang, and the Teacher Gong that Song Kaiji had said would be over “very soon” finally walked into the classroom.

“Hello, Teacher Gong.”

“Hello, Teacher Gong.”

The students in the classroom, who had been reading or working on problems, all greeted him. Xu Chuan looked up to see a man of average height in a gray and black plaid wool shirt, wearing a pair of glasses.

In complete contrast to Song Kaiji’s nearly bald head, this teacher, Gong Rihui, had a very thick head of hair—so thick it made one doubt if he was really a math person, so thick it completely defied the stereotypical image of a balding math teacher.

“Hello, Teacher Gong.”

Xu Chuan also greeted him respectfully. As a frequent competitor, he knew him, even if they weren’t in the same subject.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Teacher Gong’s thick hair didn’t seem to belong to a math person. He had been leading the Math Olympiad training team at Star City No. 1 High School for over a decade. Among the students who had passed through his hands, some had even won gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

“Xu Chuan, you’re here? Come on up, solve a problem first.”

Gong Rihui’s eyes swept across the room and immediately spotted the extra person. With a cheerful smile, he turned and wrote a math problem on the blackboard, then directly called on Xu Chuan.

He naturally recognized this physics prodigy. Like Song Kaiji, he also thought it was a pity for such a promising talent to be studying physics.

Mathematics is so much better, the foundation of all disciplines!

Without mathematics, you can’t even figure out the correct change when you go grocery shopping.

“Find all pairs of positive integers (x,y) that satisfy x^y = y^x - y.”

Gong Rihui had casually written a math problem on the blackboard. Tossing the white chalk onto the lectern, he looked smilingly at the physics genius below the stage.

Xu Chuan was no stranger to this “solve a problem as soon as you enter the classroom” routine.

Whether in physics or mathematics, the path of competition was paved with problem-solving. He had been through this scene countless times. It was familiar, and he felt not a shred of nervousness as he stood up straight, ready to go up and tackle the problem.

“Go get ’em, Brother Chuan! Go up there and kick his ass! I’m rooting for you!”

Beside him, the round-faced Lu Tianrui whispered his encouragement.

Xu Chuan, who had just stood up, stumbled at his words, barely managing to steady himself by grabbing his desk.

Are math people this twisted?

At the blackboard, Xu Chuan casually picked up a piece of chalk from the lectern. The problem Teacher Gong had posed was difficult, yet not so difficult that most high school students couldn’t solve a part of it.

It was like the final big question on the college entrance exam, where the first sub-question was basically a giveaway, easy to solve.

But the difficulty of the subsequent sub-questions would rise exponentially.

The problem on the blackboard was the same. In the context of the college entrance exam, it would be one of the last two major questions. But in a competition, it was just an intermediate-level problem for those past the entry-level. It tested plausible reasoning and the ability to analyze and solve problems, making it quite comprehensive.

The easy part was simple to spot; even a middle-schooler could see that its first solution was (1,1).

Standing before the blackboard, Xu Chuan glanced at the problem, thought for a few seconds, and then began to write.

“Solution: It is easy to see that x=y=1 satisfies the equation, so (1,1) is a solution. When a solution exists, it must be that x ≥ y.

If x = y, then x = y = 1.

If x > y ≥ 2, then from x^y = y^x - y, we get 1 < (x/y)^y = y^(x-2y), and y|x.

Let x = ky, where k is an integer and k ≥ 2. Wait, if k=2, it doesn’t hold. Let’s adjust. Let x = ky, k≥2, k is an integer

Let x = ky, where k ≥ 3. Then (ky)^y = y^(ky) - y. This seems wrong. Let me recheck the problem: x^y=y^x-y. The problem seems to be transformed incorrectly.

Let me retry the solution provided: “Let x=ky, then k≥3, ky=y(k-2)y, so k=y^k-2.” This step sequence is non-standard and seems to have jumped a few steps. The original raw text has a very terse solution. It seems the author wrote a condensed version. Let me reformat the provided solution into a standard, logical flow without adding new steps, just making it readable.

“Solution: It is easy to see that x=y=1 satisfies the equation, so (1,1) is a solution. For a solution to exist, it must be that x ≥ y.

Case 1: If x = y, then x = y = 1.

Case 2: If x > y ≥ 2, then from x^y = y^x - y, we have 1 < (x/y)^y = y^(x-2y). This also implies y|x.

Let x = ky, for some integer k. Since x > y, k ≥ 2. Let’s test.

Let x = ky. Since y | x, we can write k = y^(k-2).

k=2 makes no sense, so k≥3.

Given y ≥ 2, we have y^(k-2) ≥ 2^(k-2).

For k ≥ 5, we have y^(k-2) ≥ 2^(k-2) > k. Therefore, k can only be 3 or 4.

When k = 3, y = 3. This gives x = ky = 3 * 3 = 9.

When k = 4, y = 2. This gives x = ky = 4 * 2 = 8.

Therefore, all pairs of positive integers (x,y) are (1,1), (9,3), and (8,2).”

The chalk in his hand moved without the slightest pause. In just under a minute, the complete proof was laid out on the blackboard.

Gong Rihui glanced at the board and nodded with satisfaction. “Not bad. Clear thinking, concise proof, standard format. A promising talent.”

“However, I must remind you that the Math Olympiad is a bit different from the Physics Olympiad. The Physics Olympiad more or less involves some university-level knowledge, but the Math Olympiad almost never does. The problems are all designed to be solvable with high school math.”

“If you’ve taught yourself university-level mathematics like calculus, try not to use it in domestic competitions, as this could lead to point deductions for using methods beyond the curriculum.”

“Of course, if you can make it to the IMO, then it doesn’t matter.”

Xu Chuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

In truth, students participating in competitions—whether in math, physics, or even chemistry, biology, and informatics—had basically all dabbled in some university textbooks. The only difference was the depth of their study.

He was no exception. By his third year of high school, he had already finished university textbooks on higher mathematics, mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, and quantum physics.

Using university-level math to solve problems during a competition would undoubtedly be an overwhelming, almost unfair advantage against other students who had studied less. It wasn’t fair.

In the early years of these competitions, both domestic and international, the use of university-level knowledge to answer questions was generally prohibited. Later, however, this rule was relaxed for subjects other than mathematics.

Take his major, physics, for example. Recent International Physics Olympiads (IPHO) had tested a fair amount of university-level knowledge. Last year’s even included circuit design, which was second-year university content or higher.

As for mathematics, the IMO no longer explicitly forbids the use of university-level knowledge. Instead, the problem setters design the questions specifically to prevent contestants from using it.

The people who create problems for the IMO are, without exception, giants in the world of mathematics. The scope of their knowledge is far greater than that of the high school fledglings participating in the IMO. They are capable of creating problems that can only be solved using high school-level knowledge.

If, under these circumstances, you could still use knowledge beyond the curriculum to solve the problem, then it didn’t matter anymore.

Although fairness is necessary, isn’t the purpose of the IMO to discover mathematical geniuses? If your knowledge at the high school level is enough to break through the blockade set by these mathematicians and professors, then there’s no need to penalize you just to keep you from getting arrogant.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that since university math couldn’t be used, it didn’t need to be learned. On the contrary, learning some university-level math was still very necessary.

It could broaden one’s thinking and make problem-solving easier, saving you from burning out your brain cells.

Chapter 7: Intensive Training

Teacher Gong Rihui didn’t stay in the classroom for long. After giving Xu Chuan a problem to test his math level, he left.

For the entire afternoon, Xu Chuan and the more than thirty other students in the classroom studied on their own.

Reading, finding problems, and grinding through them—it was the epitome of self-discipline.

This was very different from the Physics Olympiad. The IPhO has practical exams, requiring students to perform experiments by hand. Students in the Physics Olympiad were often taken by their physics teachers to the science building to tinker with various instruments, rather than just holing up in a classroom solving problems.

In his past life, the reason he failed to become an “Absolute Winner” in his final year of high school was because he fell two points short on the practical exam.

The Math Olympiad was different. Aside from reading, it was all about grinding through problems. Occasionally, two or three students would gather to discuss a difficult problem, but most of the time, everyone studied on their own.

In the evening, after dinner, the team leader, Teacher Gong Rihui, visited the classroom once more.

This time, he didn’t leave. After writing two major problems on the blackboard, he sat down at the teacher’s desk, sipping tea and reading the newspaper.

These two problems were the task he assigned to the training camp students. There were new ones every evening, to be solved that night and discussed that same night.

When leading an Olympiad team, you couldn’t possibly just let the students study on their own. You’d never produce a good team that way.

Mathematics certainly requires a great deal of talent and intuition, but talent and intuition can’t solve everything.

A good teacher is still indispensable. At least before their studies are complete, a teacher’s guidance can help students avoid many pitfalls and can also inspire their thinking.

Xu Chuan glanced up at the problems on the blackboard. One was from analytic geometry, asking to find the area of a triangle, with a diagram that looked like a bizarre pentagram stuck inside a circle. The other was about finding a limit using L’Hôpital’s rule.

Both problems were likely written by Teacher Gong himself. They were within the scope of high school mathematics, but the first one was difficult—after all, the diagram was drawn like that.

The latter was also quite difficult. The key was that L’Hôpital’s rule wasn’t something many high school teachers—or rather, ordinary high school teachers—covered in depth.

This was because L’Hôpital’s rule is not part of the standard high school curriculum, nor is it required for the college entrance exams. Only elective high school textbooks touch upon some concepts related to it.

In high school math, any problem involving L’Hôpital’s rule was usually a capstone question—highly difficult and unnecessary for most students.

But for students like them, who were participating in the Olympiad, all required and elective textbooks were part of the exam syllabus.

For these two problems, the Olympiad students were given only ninety minutes. The time was tight, the difficulty was high, and it served as a way to get them accustomed to the atmosphere of the competition ahead of time.

Of course, for Xu Chuan, this was nothing. He finished them in less than half an hour.

However, after finishing, he didn’t hand in his paper early. Instead, he quietly went back to his book. There was still a lot of knowledge from his past that he needed to recover from his mind.

But this action caught the attention of Gong Rihui at the teacher’s desk.

Among a group of students all hunched over their desks, working on the problems, Xu Chuan was the only one reading a book. He stood out.

One should never underestimate the view from the teacher’s desk. With a single glance, a teacher could basically see everything happening in the classroom. All those little tricks from our school days—sneaking a read of a novel, playing on a phone—were crystal clear from the front, it’s just that most of the time, the teachers were too tired to bother with you.

Putting down his thermos, Gong Rihui silently walked over to Xu Chuan.

Noticing the movement beside him, Xu Chuan looked up and was startled to see someone standing there like a ghost.

“Finished both problems?”

Seeing that Xu Chuan was reading a math book, Gong Rihui, who had been about to lose his temper, abruptly changed his tone and asked doubtfully.

He had written the problems on the blackboard himself and knew their difficulty perfectly well. They were drawn from past Olympiad questions and textbooks, which he had then modified and posted.

Even for this group of Olympiad students, these problems were on the harder side.

To finish both problems in half an hour was incredibly difficult; in this class of over thirty students, perhaps only a few could manage it within the full ninety minutes.

He had never even considered that someone could finish in under half an hour. Forget high school students—not even every graduate student in mathematics could manage that.

Could it be that the kid couldn’t solve them and just gave up? Or did he only solve part of it?

Doubt rose in Gong Rihui’s mind. He picked up the scratch paper Xu Chuan had used to solve the problems.

The next moment, the densely packed solutions on the scratch paper in his hand captured his full attention. He stood there, frozen like a statue.

A few minutes later, after reading through the solutions, he let out a breath. The paper answered all his doubts and even left him somewhat astonished.

A high school student who could apply L’Hôpital’s rule to this extent and use calculus to solve a problem in analytic geometry… In his more than ten years of coaching Olympiad teams, this was only the second one he had ever seen.

The first wasn’t from Xiangnan, nor was he one of Teacher Gong’s own students. It was a mathematical genius named Wei Dongyi whom he had met during an exchange in Shandong Province. This prodigy had won gold medals at the IMO for two consecutive years, in 2008 and 2009, and was now a Ph.D. student at Peking University, studying under an academician of the Academy of Sciences.

“Why didn’t you join the Math Olympiad sooner?”

Clutching the scratch paper, Gong Rihui suddenly asked Xu Chuan with a hint of annoyance. But before Xu Chuan could answer, he sighed again and said, “It’s such a waste for a kid like you to study physics. It would have been so much better if you’d studied math.”

Xu Chuan was a little baffled, unsure what had set the teacher off. He asked cautiously, “I didn’t get it wrong, did I?”

“No, it’s not wrong. It’s just that your thought process for solving it was a bit… unusual.”

Gong Rihui nodded in confirmation, then squeezed the scratch paper in his hand. He continued, “I’m a bit curious, why did you use calculus to solve this problem?”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to solve this analytic geometry problem using linear and curve equations? You took quite a detour.”

Xu Chuan scratched his head and gave a bashful smile. “I got used to solving physics problems with calculus, and the habit stuck. I couldn’t switch my approach right away.”

After all, he couldn’t very well admit that he didn’t remember analytic geometry at the moment, could he?

Because he had been reborn, he had forgotten many of the detailed concepts from high school math, including certain parts of analytic geometry that he couldn’t recall clearly.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t use analytic geometry to solve the problem; it was that the analytic geometry knowledge he did remember was all beyond the high school level.

He hadn’t yet reviewed the high school textbooks on analytic geometry, so his deeper memories hadn’t resurfaced.

However, calculus and L’Hôpital’s rule were common mathematical tools in physics. Even if they were high school basics, he couldn’t possibly have forgotten them. That’s why he had directly used calculus and some basic math to solve the geometry problem.

Chapter 8: Leading Astray

Gong Rihui’s brow twitched violently. He felt like the kid was showing off, but he couldn’t really say anything; after all, the reason was perfectly valid.

“This problem-solving method can broaden your thinking and will be a great help to you in the future. But at this stage, I still suggest you use conventional methods. You should hold on to this kind of thinking, but don’t forget the original methods just for the sake of being unconventional.”

“After all, sometimes the most fundamental things contain the most profound truths.”

“Also, what university-level mathematics have you studied?”

Gong Rihui asked, looking at Xu Chuan. This kid’s talent was truly one of the best he had ever seen in his teaching career. For him not to study math would be a real waste.

Perhaps this competition was an opportunity. If he taught him well, he might be able to steer him toward mathematics. He was only seventeen, after all; it wasn’t too late to start.

“I’ve pretty much finished reading up on Higher Algebra, Differential Geometry, Partial Differential Equations, and Ordinary Differential Equations.”

Xu Chuan picked a few university-level math topics that were useful for studying physics.

Although he had certainly studied more mathematics than just that, it clearly wasn’t the right time to mention the deeper topics or the math unrelated to the Physics Olympiad.

“Oh? In that case, I’ll give you another problem to try.”

Gong Rihui was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the kid to have read so much university-level math; he was already on par with students who could make the national team.

Casually grabbing a piece of scratch paper and a pen from Xu Chuan’s desk, he sat down at a nearby desk.

A quarter of an hour later, a sheet of paper with two problems on it was placed back on Xu Chuan’s desk.

“Give me the answers tomorrow.”

With that, Gong Rihui returned to the lectern and went back to sipping his tea and reading the newspaper, enjoying his downtime.

“Let me see, let me see, Brother Chuan.”

Beside him, the round-faced Lu Tianrui leaned over curiously. Although he hadn’t even finished the two problems on the blackboard, that didn’t stop him from enjoying the show.

Snatching the paper from the desk, Lu Tianrui eagerly looked it over. The next second, he began to question his entire existence.

1. Find the smallest real number M, such that for all real numbers a, b, and c, the inequality |ab(a−b)+bc(b−c)+ca(c−a)| ≤ M(a+b+c) holds true.

2. …

Just seeing the first problem, without even looking at the second, left Lu Tianrui dumbfounded. It was an inequality, yet he couldn’t figure out where to even begin.

The smallest real number M? How was he supposed to find that?

Should he manipulate the formula to make both sides equal? Or set some conditions first? Neither seemed to work.

After studying it for a while and still failing to find a way to start, he slumped back in his chair, stared blankly at the ceiling, and began to question his life.

“Is it that hard?”

Xu Chuan took the paper back with some curiosity. It had been snatched away before he even got a look at the problems. And now it had forced a math prodigy into a depressed stupor?

“One is an inequality problem, the other is a matrix problem. They look quite interesting.”

Xu Chuan stared at the two problems. The knowledge required for both could be applied to physics.

The former was widely used in physics for finding ranges, while the latter was related to quantum theory and system dynamics. These were also topics still fresh in his memory, so he wouldn’t have to stay up all night cramming to recall the knowledge.

“Brother Chuan, you know how to solve them?”

Suddenly, Lu Tianrui shot up like a reanimated corpse, asking with a look of desperation.

“It’s alright. I should be able to solve them.”

Xu Chuan replied while staring at the paper. As he spoke, he began to write out the solution.

“First, let’s transform the expression. ab(a-b)+bc(b-c)+ca(c-a) becomes -(a-b)(b-c)(c-a)(a+b+c).”

“Then let a-b=x, b-c=y, c-a=z, and a+b+c=s. Then…”

“Next, we twist the original inequality into M(x+y+z+s) ≥ 9|xyzs|, with the condition that x+y+z=0.”

“Once you get to this step, you should know what to do next.”

“Damn it! It’s one thing for my physics to be worse than yours, but math is supposed to be my strong suit!”

Watching Xu Chuan list out the transformed inequalities on the paper for a moment, Lu Tianrui suddenly let out a wail, attracting the attention of the other students in the classroom.

A problem he couldn’t find a starting point for after a short time was being unraveled in Xu Chuan’s hands just like that?

Was he originally a physics major or a math major?

How could he be such a monster?

Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, Lu Tianrui reached out and took the scratch paper from Xu Chuan’s desk—the one from the previous problem.

His eyes fell upon a sea of calculus formulas, leaving him stunned once more.

“Using calculus to find the slope of the curve… Brother Chuan, you’re a badass! How did I not think of that?”

Lu Tianrui muttered to himself, staring at the solution on the scratch paper, lost in thought. Without a doubt, Xu Chuan’s method had opened up a whole new way of thinking for him.

After staring at the paper in his hands for a long while, the round-faced boy sidled over again.

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, can you explain your thought process for this analytic geometry problem? And this limit problem, can it also be solved using integrals?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan gave the little fatty a strange look. He was starting to understand how Teacher Gong had felt earlier.

The second problem, finding the limit, was clearly meant to be solved with L’Hôpital’s rule. That was the easiest method. Why use a complicated method when a simple one existed? Was there something wrong with his brain?

However, since he had asked, Xu Chuan glanced at the problem again. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Calculus won’t work, but you should be able to solve for this limit using a definite integral. You’d have to convert the problem into a definite integral first, and then…”

A good while later, the little fatty’s eyes narrowed into slits from his excited grin.

“I get it! Brother Chuan!”

The hour and a half of the evening self-study session passed quickly. Gong Rihui collected the answers on schedule, looking through them one by one.

Although the problems were selected from various competition textbooks, he had modified them himself. He was perfectly clear on the answers and solution methods; a single glance was enough to tell if they were right or wrong.

Suddenly, a solution method and answer that looked somewhat familiar caught his eye. He looked at the name: Lu Tianrui.

“Lu Tianrui, where did you get this idea of using a definite integral to find a limit? It’s a jumbled mess! And it’s all wrong! You’re regressing the more you study! At this rate, how do you expect to compete in the Math Olympiad?!”

At the lectern, Gong Rihui, who had just been looking at the familiar solution method, became so angry that he threw a broken piece of chalk directly at the round-faced boy’s head.

This familiar method was clearly something he had just learned from Xu Chuan. But the kid’s foundation in integration wasn’t solid enough. It wasn’t impossible to use a definite integral to find a limit, but there were specific applications for it, and this kid had made a mistake right from the conversion.

“And you, Xu Chuan, go sit over there. Don’t sit next to him. You’ve only been here one day and you’re already being a bad influence.”

Abruptly, Gong Rihui turned his criticism on Xu Chuan, pointing angrily to a seat on the other side of the classroom and telling him to move.

This kid. He had been here a single day and had already led Lu Tianrui astray. If he kept this up for a few more days, Lu Tianrui wouldn’t even need to attend the IMO.

Xu Chuan looked utterly innocent. He glanced at the little fatty beside him and silently changed his seat.

Chapter 9: The Preliminary Round

Ever since Gong Rihui gave him two extra problems on the first day, it had become a daily routine for Xu Chuan.

While others did two problems, he did four. It was extra training, after all. Since he hadn’t competed in the Math Olympiad before and had limited experience with Olympiad-style math problems, this was a good chance to catch up while there was still time.

As the days went by and Xu Chuan tackled more and more problems, Gong Rihui found himself increasingly gratified, yet also a little frustrated.

He was gratified because Xu Chuan’s mathematical ability far exceeded his initial assessment. At this rate, making it to the provincial team, getting into the Winter Camp, and even joining the national training team would be no problem at all.

The frustrating part was, how had they not discovered such a promising talent sooner?

The days passed one by one, and soon, the dates for the first rounds of the National High School Physics and Mathematics Leagues arrived.

Participation in the National High School Mathematics and Physics Leagues was a prerequisite for the IMO and IPhO, and it was divided into a preliminary round, a first round, and a league competition.

The Physics Olympiad came first. The exam was in early September. At the time, Xu Chuan was still in the math intensive training. He took a day off to participate, scoring full marks to rank first in the province and secure his spot in the league competition.

This didn’t cause much of a stir at No. 1 High School. At most, his classmates showered him with a few flattering compliments.

After all, he had already won a gold medal at the IPhO in July. To everyone, the provincial first round was a sure thing for him.

Right after the Physics Olympiad’s first round came the Math Olympiad’s first round.

Like the Physics Olympiad, the preliminary and first rounds of the Math Olympiad were organized by each province. The preliminary round was held within schools, with a difficulty level comparable to the college entrance exam. The first round was then organized by the province for the students who passed the preliminary.

However, due to recent reforms in the league, the preliminary round had been canceled and was no longer mandatory. Now, everyone went straight to the first round, which was also called the provincial competition, or the semi-final.

Compared to the preliminary round, the provincial competition was much more difficult and was split into Test I and Test II, though both were held on the same day.

This was because the provincial competition was a stepping stone to the Math Olympiad Winter Camp and the International Mathematical Olympiad, so the scope of knowledge was expanded, appropriately including content beyond the standard curriculum from elective materials.

After more than half a month of intensive training, Xu Chuan had pretty much finished learning and recalling all of high school mathematics. The provincial competition was not his goal, nor was the league competition. His ultimate targets were the IMO and the IPhO.

“Before you get on the bus, everyone double-check that you have your student ID and competition pass. Once on board, all phones and documents must be handed over for collection.”

At six in the morning, a bus was parked on the athletic field in front of Teaching Building No. 1. Teacher Gong Rihui, the team leader, held a loudspeaker, reminding the competing students over and over.

Having participated in the Physics Olympiad, Xu Chuan was very familiar with this procedure. After boarding and registering his name, he placed his documents and phone into the transparent exam bag provided by an assistant teacher.

After a half-hour drive, the bus arrived smoothly at The Affiliated High School of Normal University, one of the Four Great Schools, where this year’s Provincial High School Mathematics League was being held.

For No. 1 High School, which was also located in Xingcheng, they didn’t need to arrive a day early like students from other cities; they just had to get to the exam venue before seven-thirty.

The first round of the National High School Mathematics League held Test I and Test II on the same morning. Test I was from 8:00 to 9:20 AM, lasting eighty minutes.

The test paper was divided into fill-in-the-blank and problem-solving sections, with a total score of 100 points. There were eight fill-in-the-blank questions worth seven points each, and three problem-solving questions worth fourteen, fifteen, and fifteen points, respectively.

Test II was from 9:40 AM to 12:10 PM, lasting 150 minutes.

The test consisted of four problem-solving questions, each worth fifty points, for a total of 200 points. The topics included one each from plane geometry, algebra, number theory, and combinatorics.

That’s right, there were no multiple-choice questions in the league’s first round. It was quite normal for a student to “get a goose egg” on this exam if their skills weren’t up to par.

However, the students who came to participate in the first round of the league were all top students selected from their respective schools, the cream of the crop, practically one in a hundred.

After this round of exams, the top-ranking first-prize winners from each province, city, and autonomous region could participate in the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) and attend the Winter Camp at Peking University. This selection was roughly one in a thousand.

This year, for instance, the total number of participants in the first round of the league nationwide was close to fifty thousand, and of those fifty thousand, only a little over a hundred could enter the Winter Camp to participate in the CMO.

Of course, the number of first-prize spots varied by province. It was normal for major competition provinces like Xiangnan, Hubei, and Zhejiang to have more slots.

After all, the ultimate goal of selecting students for the CMO was to have them participate in the IMO, so it was natural to choose from the pool of stronger candidates.

After arriving safely at The Affiliated High School of Normal University, the group went to the school’s cafeteria for breakfast. Xu Chuan didn’t eat much—just two steamed buns and a cup of soy milk. The others ate even less; some didn’t eat at all, instead relying on things like chocolate and energy bars to supplement their sugar levels.

The exam was about to start, and eating too much would affect the blood supply to the brain.

At seven-thirty, the entry inspection was complete. All candidates were in their positions, ready for launch. Oh, no, ready for the exam to start.

Here, aside from the competition pass and student ID, nothing else was allowed into the classroom.

These were the rules in Xiangnan. All necessary stationery, like black pens, pencils, rulers, and compasses, were already provided on the desks in the exam room.

The thirty-plus teammates from No. 1 High School were scattered across various exam rooms. Xu Chuan was not in the same room as any of his schoolmates; he was in a classroom by himself, ready to battle it out with students from other schools.

Xu Chuan glanced around the classroom. The age range of the students participating in the league’s first round was quite wide. In this room, he even saw a small kid who was less than 1.4 meters tall, wearing a loose-fitting school uniform. He looked to be only about thirteen or fourteen years old.

He just didn’t know if the kid was here for the experience or if he had real skills.

However, the kid seemed to be participating in this type of competition for the first time. He appeared quite excited, looking all around.

At seven-fifty, the test papers were distributed. The proctor routinely announced the exam regulations.

At eight o’clock sharp, the exam officially began.

After getting the paper, Xu Chuan didn’t immediately start writing, nor did he write his name. Instead, he first looked through the entire test.

The fill-in-the-blank questions were standard, covering a variety of types.

As for the problem-solving questions, two of the three were geometry. One asked to find the area of a shape. The figure was a circle with a haphazard mess of lines drawn inside, and the task was to find the area of a triangle, the size of a fingernail, formed by the intersection of these lines.

The other was a proof. A triangular pyramid was drawn inside a sphere, and the task was to prove that their centers of mass were at the same coordinates.

“The person who set this paper really loves geometry.”

Xu Chuan remarked to himself, then picked up the black pen and wrote down his name and exam ID number.

After double-checking for errors, he began to solve the problems.

This paper held no difficulty for him. The fill-in-the-blank questions didn’t require a proof process; he just needed to calculate them once and write down the result.

In fact, for multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank math problems, if you don’t know the answer, you can try plugging in simple numbers like -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 1/2, or 1/3. There’s a high probability you’ll stumble upon the correct answer.

As for why, you’d have to ask the math teacher who wrote the paper.

Chapter 10: Test II

In less than half an hour, Xu Chuan had already finished all the problems. However, it was still too early to hand in his paper. Although early submission was allowed, the competition in Xiangnan Province had a rule that you could only leave half an hour before the end, at most.

With nothing to do, Xu Chuan first checked his paper one more time. After confirming there were no issues, he glanced around to see how the others were doing.

To his right, a pretty young lady with delicate features was scribbling furiously. He couldn’t tell which problem she was on, but his excellent vision told him that she wasn’t answering questions. Instead, she was sketching on her draft paper—a sketch of a Kun, no less.

To his left, the kid he’d noticed earlier, who stood less than 1.4 meters tall, was now chewing on his pen, staring at the test paper with a look of utter despair.

Well, it seemed this kid was just here to see if the food at The Affiliated High School of Normal University was any good. He wondered which school had sent him.

Furthermore, a guy in front of him was nodding off, his head dipping once every two seconds or so. Then, after about half a minute, he would jolt awake, shake his head violently to force himself to stay alert, and the cycle would repeat.

As for the people behind him, Xu Chuan had no idea. After all, if he turned his head to look back, he’d likely be suspected of cheating by the proctor.

After enduring another half hour, the time for early submission finally arrived. Xu Chuan decisively stuffed his student ID and admission ticket into his pocket and left the examination hall early.

As for the others still struggling in the exam room, that was none of his business.

Besides, from a certain point of view, by leaving early, he was creating a more relaxed testing environment for the students still working, which would help improve their scores.

When he arrived at the designated rest area, not only was their supervising teacher, Gong Rihui, waiting there, but so were a few other students who had also finished early.

“Brother Chuan, over here.”

The round-faced Lu Tianrui spotted Xu Chuan with his sharp eyes and waved his hands excitedly.

“Take a break, have some water, and get ready for Test II.”

Gong Rihui smiled and handed him a bottle of water, not even bothering to ask how he did.

Test I was a piece of cake for Star City No. 1 High School. More than half of their thirty-plus students could achieve a perfect score; after all, its difficulty was only slightly higher than the college entrance exam.

Test II was where the truly strong were weeded out.

The break wasn’t long. Even for students who submitted their papers early, it was only a little over half an hour. Those who held out until the very end would have, at most, ten minutes to drink some water and use the restroom to take care of personal needs.

Compared to Test I, Test II was much more difficult.

Although it only had four problems, they covered plane geometry, algebra, number theory, and combinatorics. The difficulty level was elevated from slightly harder than the college entrance exam to a true competition level.

In contrast to Test I’s eighty-minute, less-than-an-hour-and-a-half exam time, Test II was extended to one hundred and fifty minutes, or two and a half hours, nearly half as long again.

The extended time alone indicated that the difficulty had increased by more than just a little.

Four problems, four sheets of paper—one for each.

Four problems, two and a half hours of exam time, averaging a little over half an hour per problem.

As was his habit, after getting the paper, Xu Chuan first browsed through all the problems.

The plane geometry question was on the Fermat point, algebra was on intersection operations, number theory was on functions, and combinatorics was on a combinatorial identity.

Judging by the problems, in Xu Chuan’s personal opinion, the difficulty was much higher than Test I.

He could tell just by looking at the kid and the young lady on either side of him.

During Test I, those two could still solve a few problems, but when they got the paper for Test II, they were completely dumbfounded.

Forget solving them; they couldn’t even understand the questions on Test II.

“I’m afraid the vast majority of students will suffer a crushing defeat this time. I wonder how many will manage a perfect score.”

After reading the problems, Xu Chuan shook his head. In the past half-month of intensive training, he had completed all the CMO competition problems and First Round questions from the last ten years.

In terms of difficulty, this year’s First Round could rank in the top three of the last decade, perhaps even first. Not only was the overall difficulty of this year’s Test II high, but it also had a super capstone question.

The capstone was the last problem, a proof of a combinatorial identity. Solving this proof required at least nine other combinatorial identities. It not only tested on Yang Hui’s Triangle and the expansion of three special types of equations from Vieta’s formulas, but it also incorporated probability theory. Its complexity was so high that it simply shouldn’t have appeared in a preliminary round like Test II.

In competitions, probability theory was a relatively niche topic, completely different from a popular one like geometry. Geometry appeared every year, while you might not encounter probability for several years.

This combinatorial identity proof was so difficult it could serve as a capstone question even in the National Finals.

The experts who set the questions this time are truly ruthless. Without this combinatorial identity, about ten of the thirty-plus students from No. 1 High School could probably get a perfect score. But with this identity added, forget ten; apart from him, it would be an excellent result if even one other person could get a perfect score.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan filled in his name and admission ticket number, then began to solve the problems.

As before, he finished and submitted his paper early. But this time, when he returned to the rest area, only his supervising teacher, Gong Rihui, was waiting there.

“How did it go?” Gong Rihui asked with a smile, handing Xu Chuan a bottle of water.

“This year’s problems were much harder than previous years. There was a combinatorial identity that mixed in probability theory. The difficulty isn’t low. I’m afraid the number of perfect scores will be much smaller,” Xu Chuan said nonchalantly, taking the water, twisting the cap off, and taking a sip.

“Are you confident?”

Hearing this, Gong Rihui’s smile vanished as he asked.

Over the past half-month of intensive training, he had witnessed this student’s mathematical foundation and talent, which was so astonishing it could make one question their existence.

Sometimes, when discussing certain problems, Xu Chuan’s ideas and insights made him feel as if he were talking with a peer—no, it felt like being back in university, talking with his professor.

If even he wasn’t confident about a perfect score, then Star City No. 1 High School would probably be completely wiped out.

Besides, the difficulty of the test could be gauged by the number of students who left early. Generally, the more people who left early, the easier the test.

Most students who participate in the competition, even if they can’t solve the problems, will stick it out until the end. After all, who knows? Maybe inspiration would strike in the last half hour.

Of course, there were always students every year who couldn’t even understand the questions and were just there for the experience.

And look, there were a few other students nearby who had also left early, complaining all the way that the problems were so hard they had only managed to write the word “Solution.”

Chapter 11: Provincial First in Two Subjects

“I should be fine,” Xu Chuan replied with a nod.

No matter how difficult the questions on Test II were, they were nothing special to him. The only thing he had to be careful about was not using overly advanced knowledge to solve them, lest the grading teacher hesitate and dock points.

“Teacher Gong, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die! The questions this time were so hard! I might not get a perfect score!”

Just as Xu Chuan finished speaking, Lu Tianrui’s voice, who had also handed in his paper early, drifted over from a distance, drawing the gazes of several underachievers who had turned in blank papers early.

“If you can’t even get a perfect score on Test II, just you watch how I’ll deal with you when we get back.”

Gong Rihui ignored the little fatty’s complaints and warned him coolly.

Before Xu Chuan arrived, this kid had been his ace. If his ace couldn’t even get a perfect score on Test II, then what was the point of Star City No. 1 High School even participating in the National Finals and the IMO?

Hearing this, Lu Tianrui gave an embarrassed smile and looked at Xu Chuan. “Brother Chuan, what did you get for the probability in the last combinatorics problem?”

“Two-fifths,” Xu Chuan replied.

“Awesome! Looks like I got a perfect score after all! Hanging with you is the best, Brother Chuan!”

Hearing the answer, Lu Tianrui jumped three feet in the air, shouting excitedly and once again drawing resentful glares from the surrounding underachievers.

Damn, they can get a perfect score on a test this hard? What kind of monsters are they!

And it looked like there were two of them!

Give us a break, will you?

Or is the gap between people really that huge?

With Test II over, the First Round of the National High School Math League Competition was finished. As the grading work began in earnest, the students from the various schools all returned home.

“This year’s Test II was so hard. I didn’t even have a clue how to approach the last big problem.”

“You couldn’t solve the last big problem? I only managed to solve one, and I don’t even know if it’s right. I could just die.”

“There’s no hope this year. I’ll just have to try again next year.”

“Next year? I’ll be in college next year! (T_T)”

“I don’t think I got a perfect score on Test II this time. I probably have no hope of getting into the Winter Camp… sigh.”

“Hahahahaha! I got a perfect score!”

“Little fatty, you’re asking for a beating!”

“Drag him out and shoot him for ten minutes!”

In the small classroom for the intensive training team at Star City No. 1 High School, the thirty-odd students who had participated in the competition were chattering endlessly. This would probably be the last time they gathered here this year.

Although new members would join next year, the third-year high school students were bound to leave.

If they failed to make it into the provincial team or the Golden Autumn Camp in their final year of high school, these students would all shift their focus back to the college entrance exams.

A few years ago, getting a Provincial First in the First Round of the Math Olympiad—the so-called Provincial Competition—came with a certain number of guaranteed admission spots to universities. But that had been canceled. Now, apart from the glory, a Provincial First didn’t offer much academic advantage.

“Everyone, quiet down.”

Gong Rihui walked in, a stack of papers tucked under his arm.

“I just got these from the competition committee. They’re the questions from the First Round, both Test I and Test II, with the answers included. Take a look and grade your own papers.”

The papers were handed out, and everyone began to look through them.

Only a day had passed since the First Round, so most of them still remembered their answers.

Although this wasn’t the college entrance exam, for the students in the Olympiad class, especially the third-years, the National High School Math League Competition was no less important.

If they could make it into the provincial team, get into the Golden Autumn Camp, and win a medal at the National Finals, it meant that the doors to most universities in the country would be open to them.

Every student who could fight their way into the provincial team and participate in the Golden Autumn Camp and Winter Camp had a high probability of being directly scouted by top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University, Nanjing University, or Xiamen University.

Many students who participated in these competitions had lopsided skills. Take the little fatty Lu Tianrui, for example. His math scores were beyond question, but he could only manage around 120 or 130 in Chinese, and his English was even worse, barely passing.

Although these scores were unattainable for many underachievers, for a top student like him who could make it to the IMO in math, they were quite poor.

Therefore, if he wanted to get into a top-tier university like Tsinghua or Peking University, or even study abroad, winning a gold medal at the IMO through the Math Olympiad was his best option.

Don’t be fooled by Lu Tianrui’s cheerful and goofy demeanor all day long; everyone could see how hard he worked. His daily life was a monotonous routine between the classroom, the cafeteria, and his dorm, with almost no time for leisure.

After the Provincial Competition, life returned to normal. The students from the Olympiad class went back to their regular classes, and Xu Chuan was no exception.

The days passed one by one, and soon, the results of the Provincial Competition were announced.

“Yes! Brother Chuan, I got a perfect score!”

In the small classroom, the moment the results were posted, Lu Tianrui grabbed Xu Chuan with his chubby hands and began shaking him for dear life.

Caught off guard, Xu Chuan was nearly shaken until he threw up.

Pushing the little fatty’s hands away, Xu Chuan said calmly, “Stop shaking me. I got a perfect score too.”

Hearing this, Lu Tianrui’s mouth twitched. He said resentfully, “Who’s comparing themselves to a monster like you? Getting a perfect score in the Physics Olympiad is one thing, but you got one in the Math Olympiad too, and you even finished early for both. You’re not letting anyone else live.”

During the half-month of intensive training, he had already sensed that Xu Chuan was even stronger than him in math. This First Round had thoroughly confirmed it.

After his brief complaint, the little fatty’s cheerful mood returned. He leaned in and asked, “Brother Chuan, don’t tell me you’re going to get gold medals in both the IMO and the IPhO next year?”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “I’d like to.”

“Don’t just think about it, go for it!”

The 2014 Math Olympiad Provincial Competition came to a close. This time, only twelve people in all of Xiangnan Province had achieved a perfect score.

Most of them were concentrated in Xingcheng’s Four Great Schools. Star City No. 1 High School had two, Changjun Middle School had three, The Affiliated High School of Normal University had two, and Yali had three.

The other two perfect scores came from Shimen No. 1 High School and Zhilan Experimental School.

The twelve students with perfect scores, plus the next nine highest-scoring students, would make up the twenty-two slots for Xiangnan Province to participate in the CMO (Chinese Mathematical Olympiad).

However, they were still short one person. The spot was filled by a girl who had placed in the top twelve nationally at the Chinese Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad. Xiangnan happened to have one, so she filled the vacancy.

This provincial team of twenty-two would participate in the Winter Camp this December, take part in the national qualifiers, and compete with other provincial teams for the sixty spots on the National Training Team.

The intensive training team at Star City No. 1 High School was disbanded, but it was immediately followed by the provincial training team. The twenty-two-member provincial team would continue their intensive training at The Affiliated High School of Normal University this year.

For the others, the daily training routine wasn’t much different from before. The only change was that the difficulty of the training problems had increased significantly, causing many students to complain endlessly.

For Xu Chuan, the difficulty of the problems wasn’t an issue. The real torment was having to rush between two different places.

Because he had been selected for both the Physics and Math Olympiad provincial teams, he had to travel back and forth. The Math Olympiad team trained at The Affiliated High School of Normal University, while the Physics Olympiad team trained at Yali.

Chapter 12: A Problem Upon Entry

“Brother Chuan is here.”

“Brother Chuan, I heard you did the Math Olympiad this year. How was it? Was it fun?”

“I heard this year’s Math Olympiad was ridiculously hard. Only twelve people in the entire province got a perfect score in the Provincial Competition, and Brother Chuan was one of them!”

“That’s not all. Don’t forget our Physics Olympiad Provincial Competition—Brother Chuan got a perfect score in that too.”

“Awesome! That’s Brother Chuan for you. This is his last year; he must be aiming for double gold medals.”

At Yali High School, the arrival of Xu Chuan instantly brought the Provincial Intensive Training Team’s classroom to life. The students crowded around him.

As someone who had made it to the Provincial Team for three consecutive years, Xu Chuan was a familiar face to most of the students present.

After all, those who made it to the Provincial Team were mostly second and third-year high school students. Even the first-years, who were there to experience the competition, had been introduced to this legendary figure by the older students.

A competitor who could win a gold medal in a world-class competition in his second year of high school was, in the eyes of all Olympiad participants, a god-tier competitor of unbelievable skill.

“Well now, Xu Chuan is here.”

From outside the somewhat noisy classroom, a slightly surprised voice called out.

Xu Chuan turned his head and greeted the newcomer respectfully.

“Teacher Xu.”

Xu Cheng chuckled and nodded at the student before him, a simple greeting.

He had coached this student last year. However, he’d heard that the boy had participated in the Math Olympiad this year and even made it to the Provincial Team with a perfect score.

Moreover, according to the old-timers on the math side, his mathematical ability was even stronger than his physics ability.

Xu Cheng was contemptuous of this claim.

Weren’t they just trying to poach my student? Why all the fancy tricks?

It wasn’t unheard of for students to participate in both the Math and Physics Olympiads. But in recent years, no one from Xiangnan had managed to enter the Provincial Teams for both and qualify for both the Golden Autumn Camp and the Winter Camp. There had been a few from Brightmoon City and Central City, though.

And in the entire country, no one had ever won a gold medal at both the IMO and the IPhO in the same year.

Since China began forming teams for international competitions in the 1990s, only two or three people in over thirty years had managed to qualify for both the Math and Physics National Training Teams in the same year.

After all, the gap between mathematics and physics was still quite large. Reaching the peak in both fields was exceedingly difficult.

As for Xu Chuan, Xu Cheng had high hopes for him.

He was well aware of the student’s physics ability and learning capacity. To win a gold medal at the IPhO after only a year and a half of study meant he was a sure bet for another gold this year.

It wasn’t even out of the question to hope for him to win first prize overall.

But expectations were one thing; he was still a little dissatisfied that Xu Chuan had run off to do the Math Olympiad.

A person’s energy is finite. If you’re busy with math, you’ll naturally have less energy to devote to physics.

So he decided to test him with a problem. If there was no improvement, Xu Cheng wouldn’t be to blame for drilling him mercilessly for the next month.

Such a brilliant talent, and instead of studying physics, he goes off to study that drudgery they call math?

Besides, he was a genius discovered by physics. What was this about the math side snatching him midway?

Not on my watch!

“Come, come, do this problem first. Let me see the results of your studies over the past year.”

After the greeting, Xu Cheng picked up a piece of chalk from the lectern, thought for half a minute in front of the blackboard, and then began to write.

“Bosons do not obey the Pauli exclusion principle and, at low temperatures or high densities, undergo a dramatic phenomenon known as Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC).”

“This is an interesting quantum collective state reached through a phase transition.”

“. . . BEC occurs when the de Broglie wavelength corresponding to the root-mean-square speed of the atoms becomes roughly comparable to the characteristic distance between particles in the gas.”

“I. For non-interacting 87Rb gas atoms in thermal equilibrium, write down the expression for their typical momentum p and de Broglie wavelength λdB, in terms of the atomic mass m, temperature T, and physical constants.”

“II. Calculate the functional relationship between the typical distance l between particles in the gas and the particle number density n. From this, derive an expression for the critical temperature Tc in terms of atomic mass, density, and physical constants.”

“III. To achieve BEC in a laboratory, experimenters need to cool the gas to a temperature of Tc = 100 nK.”

“If BEC occurs at this temperature, what is the number density nc of the 87Rb gas? For comparison, also calculate the number density n0 of an ordinary ideal gas at standard temperature and pressure, i.e., T0 = 300 K, p0 = 10^5 Pa. You may assume the atomic mass is equal to 87 atomic mass units (amu). How many times greater is the density of an ordinary gas, n0, than nc?”

Below the lectern, the students were all utterly bewildered, wondering if they’d somehow time-traveled on their very first day of intensive training.

What was this stuff? Why couldn’t they understand a single word of it?

Only a few students frowned, staring intently at the problem that covered almost the entire blackboard.

“This problem is quite difficult and applies some mathematical knowledge. You can all treat it as an extra-curricular problem. Those who are interested can try to solve it. Xu Chuan is the exception. Give me your solution tomorrow morning. I heard you got a perfect score in the Math Olympiad Provincial Competition, so this shouldn’t be hard for you.”

Xu Cheng tossed the chalk nub onto the lectern and fixed his gaze on Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He largely understood this was Xu Cheng’s way of showing his displeasure—displeasure that he had run off to compete in the Math Olympiad.

But seriously, an ordinary high school student probably couldn’t solve this problem, even one capable of making it to the National Training Team.

Its difficulty was on par with the IPhO; if this were on an IPhO exam, it would likely be the second-to-last major question.

The problem tested one’s understanding of Bose-Einstein condensation. It had three parts. The first wasn’t very hard; anyone with a solid foundation in physics could answer it.

But the difficulty of the second and third parts shot up dramatically, as if launched by a rocket. Whether it was calculating the root-mean-square speed from the average kinetic energy of the atoms, or finding the de Broglie wavelength after calculating the momentum, the difficulty was beyond what a typical high school student could handle.

And the difficulty of calculating the interparticle distance in the third part was on yet another level.

If the first part was like asking “What is 1+2?”, the second and third parts jumped straight to “Prove that 1+2=3.”

Compared to a Math Olympiad problem, this one didn’t require a huge amount of calculation, but it placed high demands on the solver’s logical and application skills.

But these were precisely the skills required for studying physics.

After all, the differences between physics and mathematics were quite significant.

In the process of systematic learning, the difficulty in math lies in cultivating a way of thinking, while the difficulty in physics lies in the application of knowledge and methods.

Chapter 13: An Astonishing Problem-Solving Method

It didn’t even take until the next morning. In just over half an hour, Xu Chuan had written down the answer.

The astonishing problem-solving speed made Xu Cheng, who received the answer, stare at him with suspicion.

He had personally written this problem. It was quite difficult, a question that combined high school and university-level physics. It required a considerable amount of university-level physics knowledge to solve. Never mind a high school student; even a graduate student in physics would not find it easy to solve smoothly.

But soon, the solution on the draft paper captured his full attention.

“Solution: One, at temperature T, the average kinetic energy of an atom is Ek = 3/2kbT = 1/2mμ², where μ is the root-mean-square speed. Thus, μ = √(3kbT/m), and the kinetic momentum p = √(3kbTm). From this, we can solve for the de Broglie wavelength λdь = h/p = h/√(3kbTm).”

“Two, the particle number density is n = N/V, where N is the total number of particles and V is the volume; the average volume occupied by a particle…”

“Three…”

A complete solution appeared before Xu Cheng’s eyes. Compared to the problem itself, the solution didn’t take up much space on the draft paper.

But it was precisely this concise answer that made Xu Cheng’s jaw drop.

He had never imagined that this problem could be solved this way—starting from the average kinetic energy of an atom, then finding the root-mean-square speed, shifting to kinetic momentum, and then finding the de Broglie wavelength.

And in the third question, the rewriting of the equation for the relationship between the average volume occupied by a particle and the particle spacing was the soul of the entire solution.

This step single-handedly reduced the process for calculating the density of an ordinary gas at room temperature to fewer than four steps. It was simply incredible.

“This step here, how did you think of it?”

After reading the solution, Xu Cheng took a deep breath, suppressing the surprise and shock in his heart as he pointed to the step where the equation was rewritten.

This move was like a stroke of genius. As a physics teacher who had led the Provincial Intensive Training Team for years, he had never thought it could be solved like this.

“It’s simple. Starting from the kinetic energy of the field, and combining it with the Abelian group and the Maxwell speed distribution function, you can directly convert the root-mean-square speed to kinetic momentum. As for the subsequent rewriting of the particle equation, you can just use the vertex form and a differential equation,” Xu Chuan explained with a smile, glancing at the spot Xu Cheng was pointing to.

“Did you come up with all this yourself?” Xu Cheng asked blankly after hearing the explanation.

Xu Chuan nodded in affirmation.

He had indeed come up with all of it himself, but it was knowledge from before his rebirth—some mathematical knowledge he had picked up while studying physics.

“The younger generation is truly formidable. Truly formidable.”

Xu Cheng sighed with emotion, then continued, “Have you ever thought about organizing this problem-solving approach and method and writing a paper to publish?”

“Submit a paper?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was the one who was stunned.

Although submitting papers was something he was all too familiar with, he had never even considered doing it during high school.

“Yes. When calculating the functional relationship between the typical distance l between particles and the particle number density n in the Bose-Einstein condensate phenomenon, as well as the density of an ordinary gas, your method of solving is already a completely new approach. You could absolutely write a paper on it. I believe many journals would accept it.”

“Of course, I’m not yet certain if this method already exists in the physics community. I’ll check when I get back. If it truly doesn’t exist, you can organize it and write a paper.”

“However, the quality of domestic journals is uneven. You could try submitting to Acta Physica Sinica or Physics, but I would more strongly recommend you submit to the international journal Advances in Physics.”

“Advances in Physics mainly publishes on condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics. This problem and the method you used fall right within its scope. If you can get it published successfully, it will be a great help to you in the future.”

“You probably haven’t submitted a paper at this stage, have you? How about this: for the paper template and writing standards, come to my office later. I’ll teach you.”

“After you write it, you can decide which journal to submit to. I’ll help you revise and polish it,” Xu Cheng said with a smile. The talent and knowledge of the student before him were truly astonishing.

“I’ll go check the literature first. You prepare yourself. You can put the Intensive Training on hold for now.”

Xu Cheng patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder, turned, and left the classroom to look up the relevant materials.

He had seen many high school students who possessed sufficient university-level knowledge, but this was the first one he had ever seen who could apply it so flexibly, even discovering a completely new and unprecedented problem-solving method.

For those in academia, the most precious quality is having one’s own original ideas.

This new method and approach for solving the Bose-Einstein condensate phenomenon were enough to be written up into a paper.

It was fortunate that he was the one leading the team this year. If it had been any other high school teacher, they most likely wouldn’t have had the idea of letting a high school student submit to an SCI journal.

Although the level of this new method was a bit elementary, and Advances in Physics might not necessarily accept it, if they got lucky and it was accepted, it would be an enormous help to Xu Chuan.

Never mind domestic universities; even the world’s top physics universities, whether Princeton, Harvard, MIT, or Stanford, would not refuse a student who could publish in a top-tier SCI journal while still in high school.

They might even proactively send him an invitation letter, inviting him to attend their university.

Xu Cheng hadn’t expected Xu Chuan’s mathematical ability to be so stunning. Perhaps next year, there was a real hope of him bringing back a gold medal from the IMO.

If he could win a gold medal at the IMO and another at the IPhO, then China would welcome its first-ever winner of double gold medals in the same year.

This was an achievement that fewer than three people in the entire world had accomplished, and as of yet, no one from China had.

Let alone winning both an IMO and an IPhO gold medal in the same year, China didn’t even have a student who had won both an IMO and an IPhO gold medal at all.

Although physics and mathematics were said to be inseparable, the gap between the two was still quite large.

As soon as Xu Cheng left, the classroom erupted. The crowd of students who had been watching the drama unfold swarmed over, all chattering at once.

“Brother Chuan, what’s a research paper? Is it like an advanced essay?” This was a slacker from the first year voicing his confusion.

“Don’t be ridiculous! An essay isn’t even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as a research paper!”

“Generally, you only need to write a thesis when you graduate from university, and only graduate students publish academic papers. For someone like Brother Chuan to be able to write a paper in high school is, you could say, unprecedented and unrepeatable!”

“I know Advances in Physics! It’s one of the world’s top journals. Publishing a paper in it is enough to become a professor at a university directly!”

“Holy shit, go straight to being a university professor? Brother Chuan is badass!”

“What ‘Brother Chuan’? From now on, we have to call him God Chuan!”

“God Chuan is badass!”

The swarming students and all the hype and flattery left Xu Chuan not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But this feeling… it seemed pretty good?

Chapter 14: The Research Paper

Publishing a research paper in high school, while a bit extravagant, wasn’t entirely unheard of.

However, the idea of becoming a university professor just by publishing a paper in Advances in Physics was a bit absurd.

Unless one published a top-tier paper in Nature or Physics Reports, then it was genuinely possible to become a university professor straight away.

The former primarily published the most outstanding and significant research papers in the cutting-edge fields of theoretical and applied physics, ranking among the top three physics journals in the world.

The latter also held a top-three position among physics journals, but it published only one paper per issue, a maximum of forty-eight per year.

If someone could publish a review article in it, they would be an absolutely badass physics talent—the kind every nation would clamor for.

As for Advances in Physics, the scope of its publications was quite broad. It generally accepted papers in fields like Bose-Einstein condensates and statistical mechanics, as long as they possessed significant value.

While it couldn’t compare to the first two, Advances in Physics was still highly prestigious, sometimes even ranking among the top ten physics journals in the world. Anyone who could publish an SCI-indexed paper in it was also considered a top-tier talent.

If the impact factor was high enough, the paper could even be used to apply for national awards.

Before long, Xu Cheng returned, an excited look on his face. Standing at the classroom doorway, he called out.

“Xu Chuan, come out for a moment. The rest of you can continue with self-study.”

A murmur went through the classroom as the students looked up, watching Xu Chuan leave with immense envy.

A genius who might publish a paper in a world-class journal while still in high school seemed to be in a league of his own.

They were still vying for spots in the Golden Autumn Camp, while he was already stepping onto the world stage.

“Have a seat. On the computer, I’ve pulled up the formatting guidelines for writing a research paper. Take a look first, and ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

In the office, Xu Cheng smiled warmly at the student before him, pointing to a chair next to the computer.

In all his years in physics and education, this was the first time he had encountered such a genius. A high school student who not only had his own unique insights but could also approach problems from a specific perspective and, most crucially, articulate his findings in writing. It was incredibly rare.

In China, at least, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a once-in-a-decade talent.

Xu Chuan nodded and took a seat.

Although he was more than familiar with writing research papers, his current identity was that of a high school student. It was best not to appear too out of the ordinary.

His rebirth was too fantastical an event; it was a secret he would bury deep in his heart, known to him and him alone.

Nearly a week of the intensive training period passed. During this time, Xu Chuan attended the Math Olympiad training every day, but he hadn’t shown up for the Physics Olympiad training even once.

During the scheduled Physics Olympiad training hours, he was always in Xu Cheng’s office, studying and writing his paper under his guidance.

After nearly a week of work, a paper of over three thousand words was finally complete.

One research paper, two versions: Chinese and English. The plan was to first submit it to Advances in Physics. If it was rejected, they would then submit it to a domestic journal like Acta Physica Sinica or Physics.

This was a common practice in the domestic academic world. For a paper deemed worthy of a renowned international journal, the first choice was always to submit it abroad. Only after rejection would they consider a domestic publication.

Some went to the extreme of preferring to submit to a low-tier foreign journal over a top-tier domestic one.

For instance, journals like AMC in mathematics and SR in physics were notorious for this. Their standards were incredibly low; in most cases, as long as a paper had no glaring errors, it would be accepted upon payment.

This practice also gave rise to many so-called “graduation” journals.

After all, journals needed to make money. Take Mathematics for instance, which was famously dubbed the “miracle journal for graduating” by math students.

This was because the journal had a relatively low impact factor, making acceptance easy. Its editors and reviewers were highly efficient, with a swift review and acceptance process. While a standard journal might take one or even two months to accept a paper, this one could have it done in a week.

This phenomenon was common, not just in the present year of 2014, but even twenty years later.

Western countries controlled nearly all the top-tier journals.

Although China was developing rapidly, with its investment in scientific research growing year by year, it had fallen too far behind, making it incredibly difficult to catch up.

Coupled with the country’s unique academic and technological environment, achieving a breakthrough leap in the fundamental sciences was exceptionally difficult.

“Did you really write this paper yourself?”

Back in the office, Xu Cheng took the USB drive from Xu Chuan, plugged it into his computer, and opened the research paper.

More than an hour passed. By the time the sun was high in the sky, Xu Cheng finally took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and asked his question.

Xu Chuan nodded with a soft “mhm.”

“This is really your first time writing a paper? You’ve honestly never published one before?”

Hearing the affirmative, Xu Cheng couldn’t help but press him again.

Though the paper wasn’t particularly long, its formatting, layout, and everything else were, it had to be said, exceptionally professional.

There were still some minor areas that needed tweaking, like the cited references and some word choices, but on the whole, it was outstanding.

He truly couldn’t believe it was the work of a student writing a research paper for the very first time.

If someone claimed that this paper had been written by a veteran like himself, someone who had spent years submitting physics articles, he was certain they’d be believed.

Could there really be a genius in this world who could grasp the essentials after just one look?

Xu Chuan gave a modest smile. “I have to thank you for your guidance, Mr. Xu. Without your advice…”

“Don’t say that. I didn’t really guide you on much. Aside from looking up some formatting rules and sample papers for you, I didn’t do a thing.”

Xu Cheng cut him off, smiling as he continued, “You wrote this paper from start to finish all by yourself. The mathematical methods, the physics concepts—they were all your ideas. You can say you completed it independently.”

“While the citations and some of the phrasing need a bit of revision, that’s not difficult. I’ll help you touch it up.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Xu.”

Xu Chuan didn’t refuse, simply nodding in agreement.

In truth, he had deliberately left those minor flaws in the paper.

After all, being too perfect wouldn’t do. This was supposed to be his first time writing a research paper. Even if a genius existed who could perfectly mimic a template after a single reading, it would be impossible to replicate it flawlessly.

So, for the time being, he had to leave a few small imperfections that allowed for revision.

He had actually left more mistakes in it initially, but over the past few days, whenever he had a spare moment, he would read over the paper, and his perfectionist tendencies would kick in. He’d gradually fix a little here and a little there until it was almost polished.

A paper of over three thousand words, even one requiring both Chinese and English versions, was something he could have finished in two or three hours, provided he had the main ideas sorted out. He certainly didn’t need a full week.

Chapter 15: Golden Autumn Camp and the Physics National Finals

“It’s a small matter. You can leave the research paper with me for now. I’ll call you after I’ve revised it.”

Xu Cheng smiled and put his glasses back on.

“By the way, which journal are you planning to submit this paper to?”

“Let’s submit it to Advances in Physics.”

“Also, you guided me on this paper, Teacher. We should add your name to the byline.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment before replying. He really wasn’t very familiar with domestic journals; in his past life, he hadn’t written research papers until he was in university.

However, just as Xu Cheng had said, the quality of domestic journals was uneven, and even the top-tier ones had mediocre impact factors. Although this paper wasn’t of groundbreaking importance, it was still the fruit of his labor.

Therefore, if he could submit to a top international journal, it was better to aim for that first.

As for adding Xu Cheng’s name to the byline, that was an unspoken rule in the academic world.

Moreover, for newcomers or students, having a famous teacher’s name on the paper could grant the manuscript a certain degree of preferential treatment during the review process.

At the very least, it would make the technical and reviewing editors take a second look instead of immediately tossing it into the recycling bin.

Hearing this, Xu Cheng gave Xu Chuan a somewhat surprised look, then shook his head and declined with a smile.

“No, you wrote this research paper yourself. I’m very pleased that you would consider it, but teaching is my job, and besides, you aren’t even my student.”

Xu Cheng refused Xu Chuan’s kind offer. A research paper, even an SCI one in Advances in Physics, was not particularly precious to him.

But for Xu Chuan, an independently published a paper was extremely valuable.

To independently publish a research paper as a third-year high school student would be immensely helpful for his future academic path. Xu Cheng had even less reason to take advantage of that.

Furthermore, he hadn’t helped much with the paper—there hadn’t even been much academic discussion. At most, he was just helping revise the formatting.

Coupled with the fact that they didn’t even have a formal teacher-student relationship, Xu Cheng didn’t have the gall to add his own name.

“How can I do that? Without your help, Teacher…”

Xu Cheng waved his hand, cutting Xu Chuan off again. “I said it’s fine, and it’s fine. Go back to your intensive training for now. Winning a gold medal at this year’s IPhO will be the best reward you can give me.”

After the research paper was submitted, all that was left was to wait for the journal’s feedback.

Although Advances in Physics wasn’t a top-tier journal, it still ranked within the world’s top fifteen.

The review time for such journals could be so long that it would make ordinary scholars, let alone a complete newcomer like Xu Chuan, question their existence.

Not everyone was lucky enough to have their paper seen by a technical review editor right after submission.

While the rules varied between journals, most only sent feedback after accepting the manuscript, a process that could take anywhere from one day to two weeks.

This timeframe usually depended on the author’s reputation in the field; the greater the fame, the shorter the review period.

For an unknown like Xu Chuan, whom no one had ever heard of, if he was lucky, he might receive feedback in about a week. If he was unlucky, he could be waiting for over half a month, or even a full month.

With a bit of bad luck, it wasn’t unheard of for a paper to get stuck with a reviewing editor for two or three months.

So, after submitting the paper, Xu Chuan returned to his days of intensive training. By this point, however, the Physics Olympiad training was nearly over.

After all, the schedules for the Physics Olympiad and Math Olympiad in China were different. The Physics Olympiad was held in October each year, while the Math Olympiad wasn’t until December.

This provided an opportunity to participate in both the Physics and Math Olympiads.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was early October. The CPhO was about to begin, and students from every province who were participating in the national competition had gathered in Jingdu.

This year’s Physics Olympiad National Finals were being held at Peking University. Coincidentally, Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp was also being held during this period.

The National Finals, the Golden Autumn Camp, and the Winter Camp are actually different; they are not the same thing.

The National Finals are the final rounds of the five major high school competitions: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and information technology, also known as the IMO, CPhO, and so on.

After the Provincial Competitions conclude, each province recommends its own students to participate, usually the top performers.

The Golden Autumn Camp refers to a series of recruitment and selection activities organized by Tsinghua and Peking University after the National Day holiday in October, mainly targeting competition students in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Generally, only competition students who have won a Provincial First award or higher are eligible to participate in this selection event.

Both Tsinghua and Peking University have their own Golden Autumn Camps, but they target the same pool of students: outstanding competitors.

Therefore, the two institutions, which had never gotten along well, competed fiercely for the best students.

So, the Golden Autumn Camp is actually unrelated to the National Finals.

It is merely a tool used by Tsinghua and Peking University to lock in and recruit students early.

As for the Winter Camp, it is linked to the Math National Finals.

The Winter Camp was first established in 1985, an initiative proposed by several famous universities, including Peking University and Beiyang University. It was later renamed the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad.

In other words, the current Winter Camp is essentially the National Finals of the National High School Mathematics Competition.

The other four competitions are not linked to the Winter Camp; their National Finals are held separately.

However, over time, other competitions, such as the Biology National Finals, have scheduled their exams during the Winter Camp.

This saves time and energy.

As for this year, Peking University was holding the Physics Olympiad National Finals at the same time as its Golden Autumn Camp. After discussions, the Chinese Physics Society decided to hold the Physics Olympiad National Finals directly at Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp.

Otherwise, if the Golden Autumn Camp and the Physics Olympiad National Finals had been held separately as in previous years, Xu Chuan would most likely have skipped the Golden Autumn Camp this year and only participated in the Physics Olympiad National Finals.

Firstly, he had already participated in Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp last year and had even won a first-prize award.

Secondly, his university goals were neither Tsinghua nor Peking University, so participating in their Golden Autumn Camps was meaningless to him.

Reborn, his choice of university would still be Sanjiang University, where he had studied in his past life.

Although Sanjiang University’s math department was average, unable to compare with those of Tsinghua and Peking University, it was, after all, his alma mater. He had attended Sanjiang for his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in his past life, so there was no reason not to go there in this one.

Beyond that, there was another crucial point: domestic universities, even Tsinghua and Peking University, couldn’t actually teach him much more.

Never mind physics; in mathematics alone, he himself could already teach doctoral students at either of those universities. So, it didn’t matter where he went for his undergraduate degree.

Sanjiang University could offer the fundamental mathematics he still needed to learn. As for the more advanced mathematical knowledge, there were probably only a few universities in the entire world capable of teaching him.

Chapter 16: An Offer from Peking University

Because it was being held in conjunction with the National Finals of the Physics Olympiad this year, Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp was extended from the usual five days to a week.

Day one was for check-in. Days two and three were for exams, corresponding to the Physics Olympiad National Finals and Peking University’s own Golden Autumn Camp exam, respectively.

The reason they didn’t use a single exam was that the number of students participating in the Golden Autumn Camp was much larger than the number of participants in the National Finals.

Any student who won a Provincial First prize in the Provincial Competition could sign up for the Golden Autumn Camp, and each province usually had around thirty to fifty such winners.

This number was related to the number of participants in each province’s semi-final, with the top ten percent of scores being selected.

In major competition provinces like Xiangnan and Hubei, the number of Provincial First prize winners could sometimes even reach triple digits.

But the Provincial Teams were much smaller. Each province typically had only five basic spots. Even with the addition of bonus spots, first-prize winners from the finals, and other factors, the number would at most be twenty to thirty people.

The Golden Autumn Camp was for Peking University to recruit students, while the National Finals were for the country to select talent. Naturally, the two couldn’t be lumped together.

Moreover, the test for the former was written by Peking University’s own professors and was less difficult. The latter was set by the nation’s top physics experts, with a difficulty comparable to the CPhO.

If the students attending the Golden Autumn Camp were to take the latter exam, more than fifty percent of them would likely score in the single digits or get a zero.

Therefore, you couldn’t use the same test for these two groups of students.

Days four and five were for touring the campus and participating in activities like subject-specific lectures and academic research. Day six was for announcing the scores and the list for the National Training Team, and day seven marked the end of the camp.

That was the general schedule. As for Xu Chuan, he didn’t really care about participating in the Golden Autumn Camp. He had already attended last year. Given the time, he would rather visit attractions like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

He had never been to these places in his past life. Now that he had been reborn, he naturally wanted to see the beautiful landscapes of the Motherland.

After registering with the main group, the intensive training team was dismissed, giving everyone a free afternoon.

The National Finals were tomorrow, so there was no need to gather everyone for a few more practice problems today.

It was just like the National College Entrance Examination. In the two days leading up to the test, schools would do their best to reduce the students’ workload, allowing them to maintain a stable and positive mindset for the exam.

Competitions were the same. If you had properly utilized the intensive training beforehand, this one afternoon wouldn’t make a difference. It was better to let the students tour the Peking University campus, experience the academic atmosphere of a top institution, and stir up anticipation in their hearts.

On the campus of Peking University, Xu Chuan strolled along the shore of Weiming Lake.

This wasn’t his first time at Peking University, but the scenery of Weiming Lake was truly beautiful. It was mid-October, the heart of late autumn, and the afterglow of the sunset falling upon Weiming Lake made it look like a vast, misty ocean.

Under the play of light, the lake’s surface seemed to hold thousands of anchored stars, shimmering with fleeting, ever-changing brilliance. Along the shores of Weiming Lake, to the east one could admire the glimmer of the lake and the shadow of the pagoda; to the west, the sunset glow on the Bell Pavilion; to the south, the view of the lake, mountains, and forests; and to the north, the layered silhouettes of buildings. Every view was steeped in poetry and picturesque beauty.

Ring, ring, ring…

His phone rang. Xu Chuan answered, and Cao Weicai’s voice came from the other end.

“Brother Chuan, where are you?”

“At the center of Weiming Lake. What’s up?” Xu Chuan replied casually, watching the fiery sunset land on the peak of the Boya Pagoda. The golden evening clouds and rosy haze seemed to transport him back to the moment before his plane crashed and he was reborn.

The difference was that back then, the red sun was rising; now, the sun was setting.

What was the same was that he was filled with hope, looking toward the future.

A few minutes later, having received his exact location, Cao Weicai rushed over, full of excitement.

“So beautiful.”

Having caught the last bit of the sunset’s afterglow, Cao Weicai quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures.

“What’s up? Is something the matter?”

Sitting by the Stone Boat, Xu Chuan asked with some curiosity.

The guy had called, asked for his location, and hung up without saying what he wanted.

“I came to see which Peking University senior you’re being an inseparable pair with,” Cao Weicai said with a grin.

Xu Chuan rolled his eyes and ignored him.

“Time for dinner, Brother Chuan! If we don’t go now, the Sichuan pepper chicken legs at Yannan Canteen will be all gone.”

Seeing Xu Chuan ignore him, Cao Weicai felt bored. He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and pulled Xu Chuan towards Yannan Canteen.

Peking University had a total of nine canteens, but if one had to say which was the best, it would undoubtedly be Yannan Canteen.

However, Yannan Canteen was close to the library, so it was always packed at mealtimes.

To finish their meals quickly and return to the library to study, many students here would get their food and eat standing up while holding their trays.

This was to save time. Although eating this way was very inconvenient, it was indeed very fast—five minutes on average, and they were done.

That’s why Yannan Canteen had earned the nickname “Stand-and-Eat Canteen.”

However, Xu Chuan had always believed that the reason students at Yannan Canteen ate standing up wasn’t to save time, but because the number of seats inside was pitifully small.

You could count the seats in the entire canteen on one hand. If they had a choice, who would want to eat standing up?

Fortunately, they were here for a competition, so their mealtimes were flexible. They didn’t have to compete with the upperclassmen for the scarce seats.

“Mmph, Brother Chuan, this Sichuan pepper chicken leg is so delicious! And it’s cheap, only three yuan each.”

In the canteen, a spirited Cao Weicai returned with a tray of food. Half the plate was filled with golden-brown fried chicken legs, and his cheeks were already stuffed.

“Of course. The food at Yannan Canteen ranks among the very best of all university canteens in the country. And it’s cheap, much better than the one at our neighbor’s.”

Before Xu Chuan could reply, a smiling voice interjected.

“Long time no see, you two.”

Sun Gaofeng walked over, holding a metal tray, and greeted Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai with a smile.

“Professor Sun.”

“Professor Sun.”

Seeing who it was, Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai quickly stood up to greet him. Sun Gaofeng was a professor at Peking University’s School of Physics and also the instructor for last year’s National Training Team.

“Sit, sit. Eat first.”

Sun Gaofeng smiled, placed his tray on the table, and sat down in an adjacent seat.

“You’re both in your final year of high school now. Have you decided on a university?”

“Have you considered our university? If you come, I can guarantee that Yannan Canteen will be permanently and freely open to you,” Sun Gaofeng said with a smile, trying to recruit Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai. His voice attracted the curiosity and attention of the surrounding students.

Many of the Peking University students recognized Professor Sun, but they didn’t know the two teenagers sitting next to him.

This only piqued their curiosity further.

High school students?

If they came to study here, the canteen would be permanently free for them?

What kind of treatment was that? What kind of genius could possibly deserve it?

They were burning with envy, jealousy, and hate!

Chapter 17: The Wheel of Fate

Of course, Sun Gaofeng was oblivious to the thoughts running through the minds of the surrounding Peking University students. He looked at Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai with a beaming smile, awaiting their reply.

These two were no ordinary high school students.

Both Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai were geniuses among geniuses. Both had made it into the Physics Olympiad National Training Team as second-year high school students.

That was no easy feat.

The fifty members of the Physics National Training Team were almost all third-year students. The number of second-years who managed to break in could be counted on one hand each year.

Such geniuses, upon entering their third year, were almost guaranteed to make it into the National Training Team again, and to secure a spot on the national team.

In other words, Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai had practically locked in two spots on this year’s national team.

And students who could make it onto the national team—be it in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, or information technology—would be fought over by every university.

Xu Chuan, in particular, had not only entered the National Training Team as a second-year student but had also made the national team and won a gold medal at the IPHO.

To win a gold medal in a worldwide, large-scale competition as a sixteen-year-old in his second year of high school was an achievement so brilliant it could blind someone.

For next year’s IPHO, if all went as expected, a gold medal was a sure thing for this kid. With a bit of luck, it wasn’t impossible for him to compete for the title of Absolute Winner.

In his eyes, a genius of this caliber was someone Peking University should spare no expense to recruit.

Free meals at the canteen and such were but minor details.

“It’s still early, Professor Sun. We’ve only just started our third year. It’s not too late to think about university after the college entrance exams.”

Xu Chuan skillfully sidestepped the topic with a smile, and Cao Weicai chimed in with a few words of agreement.

When it came to universities, the two of them had far too many choices.

Even if they didn’t take the college entrance exams, not a single university would reject their application—at least not in China.

Whether to attend Tsinghua University or Peking University was a decision they could make on a whim.

Or, they could see which university offered the better conditions.

At this thought, Cao Weicai glanced at Xu Chuan with a hint of envy.

If he was a student that no university would refuse, then Xu Chuan was someone all universities would offer all sorts of conditions to snatch up.

You could never imagine the kinds of offers universities would make to recruit provincial top scorers and gold medalists from competitions like the IMO and IPHO.

A free choice of major, scholarships until your hands went soft, free room and board, and even free travel and more.

Things like the admissions offices making students confirm their university choices on the spot right after the college entrance exams, only leaving after ensuring the student wouldn’t be poached by other schools, were already considered nothing special.

It was even revealed before that in order to recruit a top student, Peking University found out he had a girlfriend whose grades were a little short of their admission score. Peking University directly stated that if the top student chose them, his girlfriend could be admitted along with him.

And for competition students like them, they could even be admitted early, skipping the college entrance exams entirely through direct recommendation.

Sure enough, Sun Gaofeng’s next words hinted at just that.

“What do you mean, early? It’s not early at all. Making a decision now will let you prepare for next year’s IPHO with peace of mind. Coming to study at our Peking University is no disservice to you. In China, what school’s physics department is better than ours?”

Sun Gaofeng put down his chopsticks and began his persuasion.

“Tell me, what is there to hesitate about?”

“Come to Peking University. It’s settled!”

“As long as you come, I’ll personally supervise you. I guarantee you’ll graduate on a direct PhD track!”

“If you want to pursue further studies, we have spots for exchange students abroad. You can choose from Princeton, Harvard, or Cambridge.”

“No school is more suitable for you than Peking University.”

As Sun Gaofeng rambled on persuasively, the surrounding Peking University students who were eating listened, dumbfounded.

Hadn’t Professor Sun stopped supervising undergraduate students long ago?

Direct PhD track graduation? Exchange student spots?

It’s the evening, can you not make people green with envy!!!

FK! I’m so envious! I want that kind of treatment too, ahhh!!!!!

Dinner lasted for over half an hour. Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai wanted to leave but couldn’t, forcibly held there to listen to Professor Sun’s “guidance.” They were only able to escape when a call came from the training team.

“That was terrifying, Brother Chuan! Are all university professors so long-winded?”

Finally free, the two hurried towards the training classroom. Cao Weicai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he spoke.

During that half-hour in the canteen, he had nearly been lulled to sleep by the chattering.

He never imagined a physics teacher could have so much to say.

Xu Chuan nodded in agreement, a lingering fear in his heart.

Cao Weicai was actually the lucky one; Sun Gaofeng’s focus wasn’t on him. But he himself had been the one to suffer, barely holding on through the entire ordeal and hardly eating a few bites of his meal.

The most infuriating part was that this wasn’t the first time. Every word Sun Gaofeng said was familiar to Xu Chuan because, before his rebirth, he had gone through the exact same thing in the First Canteen.

After his rebirth, he had remembered this and deliberately avoided the First Canteen to eat at Yannan Canteen, but he was still caught.

This made Xu Chuan feel as if fate were a wheel, rolling over his face again and again.

What he didn’t know was that Sun Gaofeng had just been to the First Canteen looking for him. When he couldn’t find him, he had asked around and found out he was at Yannan Canteen, then followed him over.

If he had known, would he have been moved?

The training team’s summons wasn’t for anything important. There was no problem-solving practice or anything of the sort. The supervising teacher just reiterated the points to pay attention to for tomorrow’s exam and handed each person a stick of incense.

The fragrance emitted when lit could aid sleep, allowing one to rest more comfortably and fully, and face the exam the next day in peak condition.

As a major province for academic competitions, Xiangnan had accumulated a detailed set of methods for taking care of its competition students over the years.

The night passed without incident. At six o’clock the next morning, Xu Chuan climbed out of bed.

Get up, wash up, morning run.

When he arrived at Peking University’s sports ground, he discovered that many students were already exercising. Among them were some who had already finished, drenched in sweat.

“As expected, geniuses are all hard workers. Talent comes from diligent, self-disciplined, and unceasing effort!”

Xu Chuan sighed with emotion and joined the army of exercisers.

For those in academia, the brain is important, but the body is important too.

Without a good body, how can you pull all-nighters?

You might just kick the bucket after a couple of sleepless nights.

In his previous life, when he was researching the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap and the Grand Unified Theory, he would often stay up for days on end when inspiration struck. Going two or three days without sleep was the norm.

It was thanks to his later routine of exercising every single day, rain or shine, that he didn’t die from overwork.

After two laps around the track, Xu Chuan stopped, panting.

In his high school years, his body wasn’t very good. At that stage, he hadn’t yet realized the importance of physical strength and often stayed up late studying. He only started exercising in his past life after a major illness during university nearly wrecked him completely.

Now that he was starting to exercise earlier, he should be able to avoid that illness in his university years by building up his health.

Chapter 18: The National Finals Begin

After jogging a few laps, Xu Chuan ambled over to Peking University’s Pine Forest Cafeteria.

The cafeteria specialized in all sorts of buns and congee, making it an excellent spot for breakfast.

After buying several servings of pan-fried buns, meat buns, and soy milk, Xu Chuan ate as he walked back to his dorm. By now, his teammates were also up and about. Some were still shaking off their drowsiness, while others had already finished washing up.

“Breakfast is here, come and get it.”

Xu Chuan placed the pan-fried buns and soy milk he was carrying onto the table.

“Thanks, Brother Chuan.”

“Pan-fried buns! I love them, I love them.”

“Thanks for the hard work, Brother Chuan.”

“Where are the fried dough sticks, Brother Chuan? No fried dough sticks? Bad review!”

“What about the fermented mung bean milk? No local specialty? Bad review!”

The mention of breakfast instantly livened up the dorm room. Everyone swarmed over, divvying up the food on the table.

Xu Chuan smiled. The Pine Forest Cafeteria did sell fermented mung bean milk, but it was a taste that probably no one besides the locals could stomach.

Besides, if they had a bowl of that stuff, a good portion of the dorm might have to sit out today’s competition.

After breakfast, the group headed majestically toward the competition venue.

The Physics Olympiad National Finals questions and awards were handled by the National Olympiad Committee. Each year, there were roughly fifty First Prizes, eighty Second Prizes, and one hundred Third Prizes awarded.

Additionally, there were special individual awards such as Best Overall Score, Best Theory Score, Best Experiment Score, and Best Female Contestant.

The number of awards might sound like a lot, but it accounted for about half of all contestants. This year, for instance, there were around five hundred students participating in the National Finals.

However, any student who could make it to the National Finals was already considered a top contender, so giving awards to these students wasn’t an issue.

After the routine check, Xu Chuan entered the examination hall.

The Physics Olympiad finals consisted of two parts: theory and experiment. Each part was a three-hour competition. The theory section was worth a total of 280 points, and the experiment section was worth 120 points. The papers were graded by university professors hired by the organizing committee.

The theory exam was scheduled for 8:30–11:30 in the morning, and the experiment exam for 14:00–17:00 in the afternoon.

Upon entering the examination hall and receiving the paper, Xu Chuan first checked it over.

This year’s National Finals theory exam had a total of four questions, each worth seventy points. Each question had at least three sub-questions.

Answering all four questions in three hours was a considerable challenge. Based on past finals, more than half of the students would be unable to finish all four questions within the time limit.

But this was a test designed to screen for talent, so a high degree of difficulty was normal.

After all, if everyone could get a perfect score, how could they distinguish who was stronger?

As a result, perfect scores in the Physics Olympiad National Finals were exceedingly rare; some years didn’t even produce one.

Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on it. After checking the paper, he looked at the questions.

Question 1 (64 points)

In June 2014, the “CZ-2C” carrier rocket was launched into the sky, successfully docking with the space station. This involves the problem of a pursuer (the “CZ-2C” carrier rocket) and a target (the space station) rendezvousing in Earth orbit.

This problem uses the Hohmann transfer orbit maneuver to explore how the pursuer changes its velocity (speed and direction) to achieve docking (rendezvous) with the target in a fixed orbit.

As shown in Figure 2a, target A and pursuer C are both in a circular orbit of radius r₀, moving counter-clockwise at a speed v₀. At time t = 0, their respective angular positions are θ_A = θ_₀ and θ_C = 0, with r_A = r_C = r₀.

At this moment, pursuer C ignites its engine instantaneously, and its velocity instantly changes by Δv (as shown in Figure 2b). C’s orbit also instantly changes from a circular orbit of radius r₀ to the elliptical orbit shown in Figure 2c, with the major axis of the ellipse aligned with the polar axis.

Diagram Labels: Target A, r₀, Pursuer C, Center, Figure 2a, v₀+Δv, Pursuer C, Δv, Elliptical Orbit, Circular Orbit.

Part 1 (10 points): If the mass m, energy E (specifically, the total mechanical energy of the object-Earth system), and angular momentum L of the flying object are all known quantities, express the orbital parameters R and ε in terms of E, L, m, and the given parameters r₀, v₀, etc.

Given: The polar coordinate form of a standard elliptical orbit (with its major axis along the polar axis and the origin at the right focus) is r(φ) = R / (1 + ε cos φ), where R is the orbital size parameter and ε is the orbital eccentricity. R and ε are collectively known as the orbital parameters.

e> Part 2 (6 points): Write the expression for the orbit of pursuer C, R_c(φ_c), after ignition (see Figure 2c), in terms of r₀, eccentricity ε, and φ.

Part 3 (6 points): Write the ratio of the orbital period of pursuer C (T_c) to that of target A (T_A), T_c/T_A, in terms of ε and φ.

Part 4 (18 points): Define two engine burn parameters (see Figure 2b): the dimensionless change in velocity magnitude, δ = |Δv|/v₀, and the thrust angle α (α=0 when vectors coincide, clockwise is positive). Express the eccentricity ε and the term εcosφ of pursuer C’s orbit in terms of the burn parameters δ and α.

Part 5 (9 points): Consider the scenario where pursuer C and target A rendezvous at the first-type orbital rendezvous point (see Figure 2c). Let n_A be the number of times target A passes the first-type rendezvous point starting from t=0, and n_C be the number of times pursuer C passes it.

Part 6 (3 points): Express n_A in terms of δ and α. For a fixed δ, find two simple properties of the function n_A(α) with respect to changes in α.

Part 7 (12 points): If one of the two α₀ values from the previous part is chosen:

1. There is an upper limit for the value of δ. Find it.

2. Let the initial value of φ_A be…

“Familiar questions, familiar recipe.”

As the first question came into view, Xu Chuan rubbed his chin with interest.

When he saw the problem, the vague memories buried deep in his mind began to resurface, bringing with them a sliver of familiarity.

The Physics Olympiad was a distant memory from before his rebirth; the vast expanse of twenty years’ worth of memories was enough to bury these past events.

Even he couldn’t remember the specific questions anymore, though he still had a general idea of the scope.

Although the Physics Olympiad National Finals only had four main questions, kicking things off with an orbital transfer problem was definitely a show of force to intimidate the contestants.

One question with seven sub-parts—no, it was more like eight—sent the difficulty level soaring.

Normally, the first question in the National Finals would only have about four sub-parts, and its difficulty would be relatively moderate.

But the difficulty of this year’s first question was likely on par with the capstone questions of previous years.

“A show of force right from the start, huh?”

Mulling this over, Xu Chuan glanced around the examination hall.

Just as he expected, many students in the same hall looked completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at their papers. Another portion frowned deeply, the pens in their hands sliding unconsciously across their scratch paper.

Those who could make it to the National Finals were mostly third-year high school students and seasoned competitors. This meant that all of them had tackled past years’ competition problems. Whether they could solve them or not, they had at least seen the question formats and styles.

To be hit with a complex orbital mechanics calculation right at the beginning truly stunned a good number of contestants, leaving many at a loss for how to even begin.

Chapter 19: An Incident at the National Finals

Glancing around the classroom, Xu Chuan calmed his mind and began solving the problem.

Orbital calculations for a space shuttle or launch vehicle were a fairly basic topic in physics, but basic at the university level, not the high school level.

However, after mastering enough high school knowledge and a certain amount of university-level concepts, it was indeed possible to solve this type of problem.

Solution: (1) From the orbital equation, we know that r_periapsis = R/(1+ε) and r_apoapsis = R/(1-ε).

The total energy E and orbital angular momentum L are conserved quantities. Thus, L = mυ_periapsis * r_periapsis = mυ_apoapsis * r_apoapsis = mυr.

Or, υ = L/mr.

The total energy of the system is E = C/r_apoapsis + L/2mr = -C/r_apoapsis + L/2m(r_apoapsis).

Where C = GMm = mrυ.

Here, we use the fact that GMm/r = m(υ²/r).

From equations ①, ②, ③, and the expression for C, we can derive:

R = L/mrυ.

ε = √[1 + 2EL/mrυ] = √[1 + 2EL/mrυ].

With that, the first sub-question was finished. From an ordinary high school student’s perspective, being asked to find the orbital parameters R and ε was difficult enough to be the second part of a capstone question on the college entrance exam.

But for the CPhO National Finals contestants, this was just a warm-up appetizer.

After finishing the first part of the first question, Xu Chuan continued writing, beginning to solve the remaining sub-questions two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight.

The total exam time was only three hours; he had to hurry.

In the examination hall, a middle-aged proctor holding a thermos strolled slowly through the classrooms, monitoring the students and observing their progress.

For the National Finals, there were two proctors per classroom, one at the front and one at the back, to prevent cheating. There were also three roving proctors to handle unexpected incidents, like a student fainting.

After all, this was the National Finals. The pressure was immense, easily matching that of the college entrance exam.

A good performance could lead to direct admission to a top university, or even a spot on the Intensive Training team to represent the country and compete against students from other nations.

Under such high pressure, it was almost an annual occurrence for students to faint.

As for the three roving proctors, the positions were usually snatched up by professors from the question-setting group who applied for the duty themselves.

Just like this middle-aged man with a thermos, who was currently “drifting” through the various classrooms.

He and a few other members of the expert panel had created this year’s National Finals questions, so he was well aware of their difficulty.

This year’s questions were slightly more difficult than average. Of the four problems, however, only the capstone question was truly the hardest. In fact, the first question wasn’t so difficult that most students couldn’t solve it; it would just consume a great deal of time and energy.

Moreover, the question-setting group had played a little trick this year.

They had placed the second-to-last most difficult question first, and the capstone question second.

This way, anyone working through the problems from the beginning would find them progressively harder, creating the false impression that questions three and four were even more difficult.

If a student got bogged down in the first and second questions, three hours would not be enough, leaving no time to solve the much easier third and fourth questions.

This was also a test of the students’ adaptability and strategic thinking.

Any student who took the time to scan the entire exam paper first would surely discover this little trick.

Therefore, he was very much looking forward to seeing how this year’s contestants would handle the situation.

“Which school is this kid from? Grinding away at the first question, and so slowly too. At this rate, he won’t have any time left for the rest.”

“Isn’t that Cao Wei, from the No. 1 High School Affiliated with Peking University? Not bad, he knew to skip the first two problems and start with the later ones.”

“Sigh, another one getting bogged down in the first question. Can’t they be a little smarter?”

Wandering along, the middle-aged proctor with the thermos arrived beside Xu Chuan and looked down, praising him silently:

“Oh, this young man is quite good. He’s almost done with the third question.”

“Huh? No, wait. Has this kid finished all three of the first questions?”

“What the hell? He started from the first question? And he finished the first two this quickly?”

Qiu Cheng’an, thermos in hand, could hardly believe it. He leaned down slightly for a better look. The answer sheet on the desk was densely filled with writing; it certainly looked like he had started from the very first question.

“How is that possible! Which school is this kid from? Only an hour has passed, and he’s already finished the first and second questions? Did I remember the time wrong?”

With this thought, Qiu Cheng’an looked up at the large round clock on the classroom’s blackboard. The hands pointed to ten o’clock, glaringly informing him that only an hour and ten minutes had passed since the exam began!

He couldn’t help but swallow hard, lowering his head to look at the name on the exam paper.

At his side, Xu Chuan, who had been completely engrossed in writing his solutions, suddenly sensed something approaching. He looked up to see a middle-aged uncle holding a thermos with his head stretched out right over his desk.

“Holy shit!”

Xu Chuan jumped, yelping in shock, his head quickly jerking to the side to get away from the middle-aged uncle who had silently crouched down next to him.

His cry instantly drew the attention of every student in the classroom.

With dozens of pairs of eyes staring at him, Xu Chuan looked uncomfortable, though he himself had been thoroughly startled.

Having someone silently pop up next to you would startle anyone.

Qiu Cheng’an, on the other hand, looked mortified. He had already seen the name on the paper. He cleared his throat and said in a mock-stern voice, “Focus on your test.”

With that, he turned his back on the students and deftly slipped out of the classroom.

Xu Chuan was completely bewildered, not quite understanding what that man was doing.

He was a proctor? But what kind of proctor acts like that?

Leaning right over the desk to read someone’s answers—what was his problem?

Shaking his head, he paid the slightly strange middle-aged teacher no more mind and continued with his test.

Having exited the classroom, Qiu Cheng’an was too embarrassed to go back in.

His actions had, in fact, already disturbed a student during the exam, especially given the commotion it had caused.

Sometimes, all you need is that little spark of inspiration. When it strikes, ideas flow like a river; when the line of thought is broken, the frustration is a searing pain, like you’ve swallowed hot coals.

He just couldn’t contain his curiosity.

A student who could finish three major problems—the three most difficult ones at that—in just one hour? This completely upended his understanding of what was possible.

He knew full well that the second question was one he had co-authored with another expert. Its difficulty was far beyond what an ordinary high school student could solve.

As a capstone question, its purpose was naturally to separate the very best from the rest.

And now someone had solved it in an hour. No, less than an hour—this young man had solved three problems in under an hour. It made him doubt his own abilities.

Were the questions this year too easy?

Qiu Cheng’an couldn’t help but wonder, yet he couldn’t figure it out.

This capstone question had been reviewed by him and the other professors in the question-setting group; it had been carefully selected from over a dozen potential problems.

They had unanimously agreed that even a graduate student would need at least one or two hours to solve it.

Unless…

Chapter 20: In the Exam Hall, There’s No Luck, Only Skill!

Unless this student was just filling it in randomly? Or was he cheating?

A somewhat absurd thought surfaced in Qiu Cheng’an’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Setting aside the fact that nothing of the sort had ever happened in the Physics Olympiad National Finals, just from the glimpse he’d caught of the name—while he hadn’t seen the detailed solutions, the neat handwriting on the answer sheet didn’t look like a random scrawl.

Forget it, I’ll ask about the situation first.

Shaking his head, Qiu Cheng’an walked out of the classroom and found a staff member outside.

“Room 301, examinee number 78, Xu Chuan. Do you have his information?”

The young staff member, holding a tablet, entered the information and searched.

“Xu Chuan, a third-year high school student from Star City No. 1 High School in Xiangnan Province. He participated in the Physics Olympiad in his first and second years. In his first year, he made the Provincial Team and won a Second Prize in the National Finals. In his second year, he joined the Intensive Training Team and the National Team, winning an individual gold medal in the IPhO finals.”

“Additionally, this year, he also participated in the CMO Math Olympiad and entered the Provincial Team with a perfect score.”

“Well now, these results are quite impressive.”

“If I remember correctly, the semi-final questions in Xiangnan this year were quite difficult, weren’t they?”

Hearing the answer, Qiu Cheng’an raised his eyebrows in surprise. The moment he heard that Xu Chuan had already won an IPhO gold medal last year, all his suspicions vanished.

He was naturally aware of the Four Great Schools of Xiangnan; the students from there formed the backbone of Xiangnan’s competition teams. To achieve a perfect score among that group, his math skills certainly couldn’t be poor.

He had thought the boy was a physics prodigy, but it turned out his aptitude for mathematics was just as high.

“Yeah. My nephew told me that the Math Olympiad semi-final in Xiangnan was very hard this year. Only about ten people got a perfect score.”

The young staff member nodded, thinking of his chubby little nephew who was always complaining to him about how difficult the math problems were. He also mentioned that a god-like student had emerged in their group, someone they called ‘Brother Chuan’?

“Wait, could it be this Xu Chuan?”

A thought popped into the young staff member’s mind. His nephew had said that this Brother Chuan was originally a physics student who, in his third year, decided to participate in the math competition on a whim and still completely crushed him.

“Winning an IPhO gold medal in his second year, and being outrageously strong in both math and physics… What kind of monster is this?”

“If I had a brain like that back in the day, I wouldn’t have barely scraped into Peking University.”

The young staff member sighed with emotion before returning to his work.

Inside the examination hall, Xu Chuan put down his black pen, stretched his back, and went back to check his answers.

Four major questions, with a total of twenty-four sub-questions. That meant an average of six parts per question. To complete them all within three hours, he had only a little over seven minutes for each sub-question—not even ten minutes.

This level of difficulty was certainly not insignificant.

He wondered how many people would be able to get a perfect score in the National Finals this time.

After checking the paper one more time and confirming there were no issues, Xu Chuan got up and left the examination hall, turning in his paper early.

At the front of the room, a middle-aged proctor took the answer sheet and gave it a quick scan. He was slightly astonished to see it densely filled with answers, but he still offered a word of advice.

“Young man, this is the National Finals. You’re handing in your paper an hour and a half early. Aren’t you going to check it again?”

“I’ve already checked it,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

“Are you sure you don’t want to check again? If there’s a problem somewhere, there are no do-overs once you’ve turned it in.”

The middle-aged proctor tried to persuade him earnestly. He had seen plenty of people who regretted turning in their papers early every year.

These students were generally very capable and very confident, believing in their own abilities and thinking they could certainly get a perfect score. But in the end, most of them would lose some points here and there, missing out on a National First Prize and a gold medal. It was a great pity.

The student before him was probably the same. Being able to finish all the questions in half the allotted time showed he had the ability. The proctor didn’t want to see him regret it later.

“Yes, I’ve checked it twice.”

“Alright then. Leave the paper here. You can go. I wish you good luck,” the middle-aged proctor said with a slight shake of his head, offering his blessing.

Just as Xu Chuan was about to leave, he suddenly remembered a line he had heard somewhere. He turned around with a serious expression and said, “In the exam hall, there’s no luck, only skill!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged proctor’s expression soured. “You may leave, young man!” he said irritably. “If you don’t go now, I’ll penalize you for disrupting the examination.”

Xu Chuan shrugged and turned to leave.

Back in the examination hall, the atmosphere instantly grew tense with Xu Chuan’s early departure.

“Damn it! Handing it in an hour and a half early. What a show-off.”

A certain examinee from Brightmoon City gnashed his teeth in resentment as he watched Xu Chuan’s retreating back. He had gotten a perfect score in the Provincial Competition, but here at the National Finals, he still hadn’t finished the first question.

“Heh! Trying to play mind games, are we? Finishing the National Finals paper in an hour and a half? Who do you think you are, Einstein? He definitely handed in a blank paper!”

An examinee from North Hubei Province glanced at Xu Chuan with disdain. Given the difficulty of this year’s Physics Olympiad National Finals, even a past IPhO gold medalist couldn’t finish it in an hour and a half.

In any case, he refused to believe that anyone could finish four major questions in just an hour and a half. It had to be a blank paper.

“Trash is still trash. Giving up the struggle this early?”

This was the scornful thought of an examinee from East Guangdong Province. His mental fortitude was exceptionally strong. Even though an hour and a half had passed and he had yet to solve a single question, he was determined to hold out until the very end.

Compared to the Provincial Competition, the difficulty of the National Finals was on a whole other level.

Many contestants who could get perfect scores in their respective provincial competitions might only manage to solve one or two questions—and small sub-questions at that—once they reached the National Finals.

But none of this had anything to do with Xu Chuan anymore.

After handing in his paper early, he slipped away immediately.

In the large intensive training room, only the supervising teacher, Xu Cheng, was present. Seeing Xu Chuan, Xu Cheng was rather surprised and quickly asked, “Why are you out already? You turned in your paper early again?”

“Wait, why did I say ‘again’?”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I finished, so naturally I came out. Staying inside would just distract the other students.”

Xu Cheng’s brow twitched, and he was at a loss for words.

“How difficult was the National Finals this time? Are you confident you’ll get a perfect score?”

After a moment’s thought, all Xu Cheng could do was ask about the difficulty of the questions and Xu Chuan’s performance.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before saying, “The difficulty? The questions for the National Finals this time weren’t actually that hard, but they were quite interesting.”

Hearing this, Xu Cheng’s eye twitched violently again. The National Finals weren’t hard? Probably only the student standing before him could say such a thing.

However, he was more focused on what Xu Chuan meant by the National Finals being “quite interesting.”

Xu Chuan explained, and Xu Cheng instantly understood.

The order of the questions was reversed, with the capstone question placed at the beginning and the easier ones at the end. It was indeed a small trap.

Anyone who approached the paper with conventional thinking would likely stumble badly.

However, such a small trick wasn’t a problem for the Xiangnan Provincial Team. Their rich competition experience included training on how to handle such methods.

As for the teams from other provinces, he couldn’t be sure, but there would definitely be some who fell for it.

Chapter 21: The Physics Olympiad Experiment

In fact, Xu Cheng had guessed correctly. In this year’s National Finals, quite a few students had fallen for this little trick.

It was the first time in the history of the National Finals that the difficulty of the questions had been reversed. Many of the contestants, stuck in their conventional thinking, simply couldn’t adjust.

In 2014, students like Xu Chuan, who would read through the entire paper to get a general sense of the difficulty before starting, were still rare.

Although the vast majority of students would check their exam papers and answer sheets after receiving them, most would only look to see if the pages were complete and if there were any printing defects.

As for the difficulty of the questions, most students wouldn’t bother to assess it beforehand and would generally tackle the problems in order.

In this year’s National Finals, many students were likely to get bogged down in the first and second questions. Only after confirming they couldn’t solve them would they move on to the simpler third and fourth questions.

But by then, there wouldn’t be much time left, and they might not be able to finish the relatively easier questions three and four.

After all, this was the National Finals. “Easy” was only relative.

It was a known fact that not a single question from the National Finals, not even the simplest one, would ever appear on the college entrance exam.

The difficulty was simply too high; it was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary high school student.

This was also why the country’s top universities were exceptionally fond of Olympiad contestants.

Students who could win awards in these competitions had proven their talent in their respective fields. After entering university, with proper guidance, these students could often become top-tier talents in their industries.

These were the students that the top universities truly wanted.

After waiting for an hour and a half, the first session of the National Finals finally ended. The students left the hall in small groups, complaining as they headed back to their training rooms.

“For crying out loud, which sadistic bastard designed this year’s National Finals questions?! They actually reversed the difficulty order! I didn’t even get to finish the easier third and fourth questions!”

“I don’t know, but if I find out, I’m definitely sending them a few copies of ‘A Compilation of Difficult Physics Problems’! To crush them with!”

“What a scam!”

“Holy shit! Questions three and four were easier?”

“Yeah, the second question was the hardest, followed by the first. The fourth one was the easiest.”

“Fuck! I wasted all my damn time on the first two problems! Damn it!”

“Whoever set the questions this year must have been born in the year of the rat! So damn sly.”

The departing students scattered, still grumbling. It seemed the Question-Setting Group’s little trick had indeed ensnared quite a few people.

Back in the Xiangnan training room, the thirty-plus contestants had gathered, and a lively discussion erupted.

“How did you guys feel about the National Finals this year? I’m totally numb. I only managed to solve one and a half questions.”

“The first two questions were really hard, and the last two were a bit easier. If I had done the last two first, my score would probably be a lot higher.”

“Hehe, luckily I was cautious and read through the questions first.”

“The second question was so hard. I only did the first two sub-questions. The other six were a complete bust; I couldn’t solve a single one.”

“There probably won’t be many perfect scores this year. The questions were already difficult, and then the test-setters pull a stunt like this. It’s a real gut punch.”

“Where’s Brother Chuan? Brother Chuan, are you confident you got a perfect score?”

“Definitely. If even Brother Chuan can’t get a perfect score, this year’s competition would be a total bust.”

The training room was buzzing with intense discussion among the students.

It seemed the little tricks played by the Question-Setting Group in this year’s National Finals had a much greater impact than anticipated, trapping many contestants.

However, for the Xiangnan team, the impact wasn’t that significant.

After all, their instructors had taught them about this during the Intensive Training, so most of the students had managed to avoid this little pitfall.

“Your Brother Chuan turned in his paper early.”

Just then, Xu Cheng walked in from outside the classroom, carrying a case of energy drinks. He handed one to each person.

The three hours of the National Finals, though spent sitting still, were incredibly draining on both physical and mental stamina.

An energy drink after the exam could quickly restore a good deal of energy, ensuring they were in good shape for the afternoon’s experimental exam.

“Holy shit, Brother Chuan is badass!”

“Awesome! That’s Brother Chuan for you! He can even turn in his paper early at the National Finals.”

“Looks like Brother Chuan is getting a perfect score again.”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, what’s the answer to the third sub-question of the second problem?”

“When will I ever be half as good as Brother Chuan? No, even one-fifth of his skill!”

Hearing Xu Cheng’s words, a wave of flattery came crashing down on Xu Chuan from the students in the training room.

For most of the contestants, Xu Chuan was already in a different league.

Their goal was to get into the Intensive Training Team or win a National First Prize to secure a spot at a good university. Xu Chuan’s goal, on the other hand, was the IPhO gold medal next July.

When the gap between you and another person is that vast, all feelings of envy, jealousy, and hate simply vanish. They couldn’t even begin to form in your heart.

“Hu Jing, what’s wrong with you? Did you forget what I taught you before? You don’t know to read the questions first after getting the paper?”

“And you, Xu You. In this National Finals written exam, if you don’t score over one hundred and fifty, you’ll see how I’ll deal with you.”

After distributing the drinks, Xu Cheng began to admonish a few of his team members.

Losing points to a trick like reversing the question difficulty was something that simply shouldn’t have happened.

The few team members who had lost points smiled sheepishly, their heads bowed in silence.

“Alright, get some proper rest and prepare for the afternoon’s experimental exam. Don’t forget to eat lunch.”

Seeing their reactions, Xu Cheng felt both exasperated and helpless. He shooed the group of students back to their dorms to rest.

It was a scolding, but he had only said a few light words. After all, the Physics Olympiad was still in progress, and there was another experimental exam in the afternoon. He couldn’t afford to affect the contestants’ moods.

After lunch and a half-hour nap, the afternoon’s experimental exam began on time.

Xu Chuan approached this exam with great solemnity, striving not to lose a single point.

The experimental exam in the Physics Olympiad had always been where points were lost and gaps between contestants widened. Even for him, a reincarnator, there was no hundred-percent guarantee he wouldn’t lose a single point in the National Finals or the IPhO.

Unlike the Math Olympiad, nearly every edition of the IMO over its dozens of years had seen contestants with perfect scores.

But for the IPhO, since its inception, aside from the very early days when there were no experimental questions, no student had ever achieved a perfect score.

That’s right, the IPhO had been held for decades, and it could be said that to this day, no one had ever gotten a perfect score. The vast majority of lost points came from the experimental exam.

This section was exceptionally rigorous. A single classroom would have several proctors, along with 360-degree cameras filming from every angle without any blind spots.

It wasn’t just about on-the-spot proctoring; there was also a post-competition review. Even if you didn’t lose points during the exam itself, you would very likely have points deducted during the post-exam review.

Overlooking some minor details could cost you a point or two. This was a very common occurrence in both the national CPhO and the international IPhO.

Chapter 22: The Dangers of Competitions

After a routine check, Xu Chuan entered the examination hall and received his test paper.

The instruments laid out on the desk gave him an idea of what this exam would cover. He picked up the crisp, white test paper and saw that it was, indeed, just as he had predicted.

“National High School Physics Olympiad Experimental Exam Questions.”

Question 1: Testing the equivalent circuit parameters of a coaxial cable.

Introduction: In ordinary circuits, when the frequency of a current or voltage signal is low, the electrical signal is transmitted primarily along the wire loop.

If the signal frequency is as high as several hundred kHz or more, it is considered a radio frequency (RF) signal. An ordinary wire will then act like an antenna, radiating electromagnetic waves into space, and can no longer serve as an effective channel for transmitting the electrical signal.

To transmit RF signals, a special type of transmission line is usually employed, such as a coaxial cable. When in use, one end is connected to the signal source, and the other end is connected to the load.

In this experiment, you will use different methods to measure multiple characteristic parameters of a single, uniform coaxial cable. Ignore the loss of the coaxial cable. Do not evaluate uncertainties for any results.

Experimental Apparatus: A 5.00-meter coaxial cable to be tested, a signal generator (with internal resistance R0, capable of producing signals of different frequencies and waveforms), two AC voltmeters (capable of measuring the effective value of AC voltage), a dual-channel digital oscilloscope, resistors, wires, etc.

Experimental Content:

A. Use a low-frequency sine wave signal to measure the equivalent capacitance and equivalent inductance of the coaxial cable (8 points)

When the frequency of the sine wave signal is very low and its wavelength is much greater than the length of the coaxial cable, the cable can be approximated by the circuit shown in Figure 2, where C and L are the equivalent capacitance and equivalent inductance of the entire cable under low-frequency conditions, respectively, and satisfy the following relationship:

1/2πfC >> 2πfL

B. Use a pulse square wave signal to measure the characteristic impedance, wave speed, and equivalent capacitance and inductance per unit length of the coaxial cable (32 points)

1. When the signal frequency is high, and its wavelength is close to or much smaller than the length of the coaxial cable, the current flowing through the central conductor and the voltage between the inner and outer conductors exhibit wave-like variations along the cable. If the coaxial cable is divided into several small segments, such that the length of each segment Δx…

2. Characteristic impedance is a fundamental parameter of a coaxial cable. If two coaxial cables with characteristic impedances Zc and Z are connected together, as shown in in Figure 4(a), transmission and reflection will occur at the interface between them. Let the voltage of the input signal arriving at the interface through the coaxial cable with characteristic impedance Zc be V…

One question, two sets of experiments, three tasks.

Xu Chuan spent a few minutes reading through the entire question.

Compared to the written exam, the experimental questions were not particularly innovative. They were nothing more than the typical high school physics topics: electricity, optics, sound waves, and magnetic fields.

Compared to cutting-edge physics, there weren’t many experiments that high school students could perform.

Even though students who could participate in the Olympiad had knowledge far beyond that of ordinary high schoolers, they still hadn’t entered university or the workforce. High-end instruments and dangerous experiments, like those involving high-voltage currents, were unlikely to be made available to them.

This time, the National Finals tested equivalent circuits, equivalent inductance, and pulse signals.

In the realm of physics experiments, these were considered fairly standard. The difficulty of the question wasn’t very high, but the experimental procedure was quite tedious, requiring the students to be extremely careful.

After all, more steps meant more opportunities to lose points.

Even Xu Chuan was meticulously performing the experiment according to the standard procedure.

Bang!

Suddenly, a sound like something falling to the floor echoed through the examination hall, startling all the students conducting their experiments, who looked up and paused their work.

Xu Chuan was no exception. He turned his head toward the sound and saw that a student had knocked the meter off his desk and onto the floor.

The black-and-white meter rolled twice on the ground, a corner chipping off and sending two small shards of glass flying.

The student at that particular desk, likely participating in the National Finals for the first time, had shaky hands. After dropping the instrument, he stood there, trembling uncontrollably, his face ashen, not knowing what to do.

The noise attracted the attention of a proctoring Teacher, who walked straight over, picked up the broken meter from the floor, and inspected it.

Beside him, the trembling student saw the Teacher examining the instrument and felt he had caused a disaster. Under the immense pressure of the National Finals, his vision went black, his body went limp, and he fainted on the spot.

This was just great. Now it was the Teacher’s turn to tremble.

Forgetting the broken meter, he quickly went over and helped the fainted student up.

“Hey!”

“Student, student.”

“Wake up, wake up.”

With someone fainting, the proctoring Teachers became anxious. Two or three of them immediately came over to administer first aid to the student, while the others maintained order in the hall.

“Where’s the medical team? A student has fainted in examination hall three! Get over here, quick!”

The examination hall descended into chaos. The Teachers called for the medical staff outside while administering first aid by pinching his philtrum and pressing his temples.

Soon, the medical personnel, having received the call for help, rushed in and carried the fainted student out.

After the fainted student was taken away, the Teachers returned to the hall and resumed their proctoring duties. However, the interruption had changed the atmosphere in the room.

Some students became even more nervous, their hands trembling as they reached for the power supplies.

Xu Chuan shook his head and continued with his experiment.

In fact, whether it was the Math Olympiad or the Physics Olympiad, there were always students who fainted in the examination hall each year.

This was especially true for those who had made it to the National Finals for the first time. Under immense pressure, any little disturbance could cause the taut string in their minds to snap.

However, compared to the Chemistry Olympiad, the Math and Physics Olympiads were much better, at least in terms of external dangers.

The Math Olympiad had no experimental questions, and the experimental questions in the Physics Olympiad were generally not dangerous.

But the Chemistry Olympiad was different. Its experimental questions sometimes involved various hazardous substances.

For example, chemicals like paraformaldehyde, glycine, phenylenediamine, and phenol.

These substances were common and frequently used materials in the Chemistry Olympiad, but they were all toxic, some even highly toxic, and could easily enter the body through the skin or air, causing harm.

Any Chemistry Olympiad participant who frequently worked in a chemistry lab would know that the number of students poisoned due to the competition each year was not small.

And the most common thing a Chemistry Olympiad coach would say was to remind students to pay attention to safety.

So, participating in these competitions was, in fact, also dangerous.

Chapter 23: The National Finals Conclude

It took Xu Chuan a little over half an hour to successfully complete the first set of experiments. He then began to organize the data and write up his answers.

The experimental portion of the Physics Olympiad National Finals required contestants not only to perform the experiment but also to process the data generated, analyze it, and consolidate it into an answer.

The answer format was somewhat similar to a research paper, written on an answer sheet. It was essentially the written exam portion of the experimental exam.

One could say that the physics competition tested your theoretical foundation, your hands-on skills, and your powers of observation and attention to detail.

Physicists, unlike mathematicians, were not only required to solve problems but also to have practical skills and the ability to gather experimental information.

Top-tier physics was almost always related to various experiments.

High-energy physics, for example, relied on large particle colliders to advance the field. Every collision in a Large Hadron Collider would produce tens of thousands of energy spectrum data plots and various other types of data.

Analyzing these myriad spectral images and different kinds of data was a mandatory task for physicists, because new discoveries were hidden within them.

The kind of work seen in mathematics, where one could solve problems with just a piece of chalk and a blackboard, relying entirely on mental calculation, was relatively rare in physics.

Unlike the theory exam, Xu Chuan couldn’t leave early even though he had finished his experimental exam.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t turn in his paper ahead of time; that was allowed. But he couldn’t leave the examination hall. He would have to wait in a small, sealed room until the other contestants in his hall were finished, at which point everyone would leave together.

Xu Chuan didn’t know the reason for this rule, but he had no choice but to wait in the examination hall with the other students.

As for going to that small room by himself, he’d rather not.

He figured he might as well use the time to go over his answer sheet a couple more times and check everything carefully.

After another hour or so, the three-hour exam time was finally up. The contestants tidied up the instruments on their desks and left in an orderly fashion. Xu Chuan returned to the dedicated training room for the Xiangnan Provincial Team.

The group gathered for a while, exchanging notes on their exam experience before dispersing.

In the classroom, Xu Chuan found Xu Cheng, who was packing his things, and said, “Teacher Xu, I won’t be participating in the Autumn Camp tomorrow.”

“You didn’t sign up for Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp this year?” Xu Cheng asked, looking up in surprise.

“No, I didn’t. I’m planning to visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall tomorrow.”

Xu Chuan nodded. The Autumn Camps for Tsinghua and Peking University were something students applied for themselves after the Provincial Competition results came out. Generally, most who qualified would apply.

However, there were occasional exceptions, like students who weren’t interested in those two universities.

“Have you decided which university you want to attend? If you haven’t made up your mind, I suggest you at least attend. It’s only for a day, anyway,” Xu Cheng advised after a moment of thought.

He couldn’t quite figure out the student in front of him. His actions were a bit of a mystery.

Although a student’s choice of university was their personal freedom, he still hoped Xu Chuan would consider it carefully, as it was a decision that would affect the rest of his life.

The university they were at right now was already one of the top universities in the country, and its physics program was ranked number one among all domestic universities.

Unless Xu Chuan was planning to study abroad, this should be the most suitable school for him.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I haven’t decided yet, but that’s alright. There’s no rush to consider these things until after the National Team spots are announced.”

“Alright then, it’s up to you. But be careful when you’re out and about. The weather’s been getting colder recently, so remember to wear an extra layer.”

Xu Cheng didn’t refuse Xu Chuan’s request, merely gave him careful instructions like a doting mother.

With the Physics Olympiad National Finals over, the rest of the schedule was inconsequential for Xu Chuan.

He didn’t participate in the Golden Autumn Camp. On the fourth and fifth days, he just went with the flow, joining the school tours and participating in subject-related lectures and research activities without much interest.

In the blink of an eye, the sixth day arrived.

The sixth day was when the scores for the Physics Olympiad National Finals and the list of students who made it into the National Training Team would be announced.

Unlike previous years, when the list of winners was announced on the official website of the Physics Society, this year’s announcement coincided with Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp. Peking University took the initiative to host an awards ceremony in its great hall.

Early in the morning, the hall was already packed with people, its classical architecture showcasing Peking University’s profound heritage.

The massive projection screen was already down, and the contestants from the National Finals, along with their coaches, sat in the hall in muted silence.

Occasional whispers could be heard from certain spots, but they quickly faded back into silence.

If you were to look under the tables, you would see that many students’ legs were trembling uncontrollably.

No matter how confident one had been during the exam, when the moment of truth arrived, anyone would feel nervous.

“Ladies, gentlemen, students, and honored guests, good morning. On behalf of the Chinese Physics Society and all physicists in China, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Physics Olympiad representative teams from every province and region.”

“We are deeply honored and delighted to have so many physicists and young students who love physics gathered at our university.”

After the familiar opening remarks, the elegantly dressed host on stage swapped out the cue card device in her hand.

“In this year’s competition, we have seen a great number of outstanding students, and we have witnessed their hard work and dedication. Next, we will announce the winners of this year’s CPHO.”

“First, we will announce the students who have won the National First Prize.”

“They are: Xu Chuan from Star City No. 1 High School, Liu Chenglin from the First Affiliated High School of Peking Normal University, and Song Zhuoyang from Xishan City No. 1 Railway High School.”

The moment the host began to announce the names for the National First Prize, everyone in the hall—whether they were contestants, team coaches, or even the accompanying staff responsible for the students—felt their hearts leap into their throats.

As the host spoke, the display on the projection screen refreshed in sync.

“Xu Chuan, Male, Star City No. 1 High School, Third Year, C140001, First Prize, 2014, Total Score 398.45.”

“Liu Chenglin, Male, First Affiliated High School of Peking Normal University, Third Year, C140002, First Prize, 2014, Total Score 357.91.”

“Song Zhuoyang, Male, Xishan City No. 1 Railway High School, Third Year, C140003, First Prize, 2014, Total Score 356.22.”

“Cao Weicai, Male, Star City No. 1 High School, Third Year, C140004, First Prize, 2014, Total Score 355.28.”

“Yang Mingxuan, Male, Affiliated High School of Jiangning Normal University, Third Year, C140005, First Prize, 2014, Total Score 355.12.”

“.”

In the vast great hall, every time the host on stage announced a name, the screens and projection screen throughout the hall updated with the information.

When the very first name was announced, the entire Xiangnan Provincial Team—both the students participating in the CPHO National Finals and those there for the Golden Autumn Camp—erupted into a frenzy.

Chapter 24: The Awards Ceremony

“First place! Brother Chuan is badass!”

“As expected of Brother Chuan, a National First Prize in the bag.”

“Holy shit! A total score of three hundred ninety-eight point four five, just one point five five points away from a perfect score! This has to be the highest score in the history of the Physics Olympiad!”

“Damn, so close to a perfect score. Who the hell deducted points, the bastards!”

“Must be the experimental portion. I’m sure Brother Chuan got a perfect score on the theory exam.”

“398.45≈400. If we round up, Brother Chuan got a perfect score! Awesome!”

“As expected of Brother Chuan, he beat the second place by over forty points! Terrifying, simply terrifying!”

“Brother Wei is awesome too, fourth place with a total score of 355.28.”

“Congrats to Brother Chuan and Brother Wei, they’ve made it into the National Team again!”

“As someone who’s never made it to the National Team, I really want to know what it feels like ╥﹏╥”

“I’m not even aiming for the National Team, I just want to make it to the Intensive Training Team to see what kind of masters are on the National Training Team!”

As the scores were gradually announced, a commotion swept through the entire venue, and the area where the Xiangnan team sat was especially abuzz.

A total score of 398.45 was a result that shattered almost everyone’s perceptions.

And the fact that he had beaten the second-place contestant by a margin of over forty points was even more astounding.

It wasn’t just the members of the Xiangnan Province team who were singing his praises; contestants and coaches from all the other provinces were gasping in amazement as well.

With only 1.55 points deducted, the total score of 398.45 could be said to be the highest score in history, excluding the first few years when there was no experimental exam.

Not only was it unprecedented, but it was also highly unlikely that such a score would ever appear again in future competitions.

The only pity was that he was 1.55 points shy of a perfect score, otherwise he would have set a historical record.

A perfect score in the Physics Olympiad had never been achieved in either the CPHO or the IPHO.

It wasn’t just the students in the auditorium; even the members of the Question-Setting Group and Marking Group sitting in the front row stared with wide eyes. None of them had expected a contestant who was so close to a perfect score to appear in this year’s CPHO.

The theory paper and the experimental exam were marked separately, and all the students’ names and ID numbers were concealed, just like in the college entrance exams, to prevent cheating.

At this moment, the teachers from the Theory Marking Group were glaring menacingly at the Experiment Marking Group. Xu Cheng’s gaze was particularly hostile.

That’s right, he was also one of the markers for the theory section this time.

Although the numbers and names were hidden, Xu Cheng knew that the 1.55 points Xu Chuan had lost were at the hands of the Experiment Marking Group.

This was because there was only one perfect score in the theory section. To achieve a score of 398.45, a perfect theory score was a must, and it was obvious who that person was.

Therefore, Xu Cheng was beyond frustrated and resentful. The first-ever CPHO perfect score was about to be born, only to be ruined by the Experiment Marking Group.

1.55 points. This was definitely a deduction for some extremely minor detail that didn’t affect the overall experiment, perhaps even for performing a non-critical experimental step out of order.

Such things were no big deal during the experiment; they were trivial and could have been overlooked. But for some reason, one of the markers in the experiment group had decided to deduct points, causing the perfect score to vanish into thin air.

If a perfect score had appeared this year, it would have been incredibly significant.

Leaving that aside, just for him personally, it would have been another great story to brag about in the future.

“You lot are truly the worst batch I’ve ever taught!”

“Back in my day, I had students who even scored a perfect score in the National Finals…”

Xu Cheng was consumed with regret. Such a perfect story to use when ‘lecturing’ his students had been ruined, all because of 1.55 points!

He’d better not find out who marked Xu Chuan’s paper, or he’d beat them half to death!

“Now, let’s have the students who won the National Finals First Prize come up to receive their awards. Let’s welcome them with a warm round of applause!”

On the stage, after spending several minutes finally reading out all the names of the First Prize winners, the male host got a moment’s respite. He quickly handed things over to his female co-host and moved to the side to catch his breath.

“I have no idea who wrote this awards script. My throat is dry from all that reading. Wouldn’t it be better to just announce the names?”

The male host stood silently to the side, smiling while complaining internally.

This year’s National Finals had a total of fifty-six National First Prize winners. It didn’t sound like a lot, but reading out each person’s school, province, and name took quite a long time.

But when he thought about the even longer lists for the Second and Third Prizes, as well as the special awards, he just wanted to faint and get it over with. But such is life. Not only could he not faint, he had to face the tragic ordeal with a smile.

Warm applause erupted from below the stage. Xu Chuan and Cao Weicai glanced at each other, then walked around from the side and stood on the stage.

Going on stage, receiving the award, presentation of the certificate, a group photo—a brilliant smile adorned the face of every student on stage.

After the series of procedures, each of them held a large, bright red certificate.

With this certificate, you could apply to any university in the country, and you would almost certainly not be rejected.

This year’s Physics Olympiad National Finals produced fifty-six National First Prize winners. The top fifty students would enter the National Training Team, and anyone who entered the National Training Team was a top prospect that universities would fight over.

The difficulty of winning a National First Prize in the Physics Olympiad was far greater than getting into Tsinghua University or Peking University through the college entrance exams.

The total number of students these two universities admitted each year was between eight and ten thousand.

But in the Physics Olympiad, there were fewer than one hundred National First Prize winners this year—fifty-six, to be exact. Ten thousand versus fifty-six, the difference was nearly two hundred-fold.

Even if you expanded the scope to include all five major Olympiads—mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and information science—the total number of National First Prize winners each year would not exceed five hundred.

Ten thousand versus five hundred, the difference was still a solid twenty-fold.

After the National First, Second, and Third Prizes were awarded, the main event arrived.

The Chinese Physics Olympiad, or CPHO, not only set up the First, Second, and Third Prize awards, but it also followed the example of the International Physics Olympiad by establishing individual special awards, such as the Best Overall Score award, the Best Theory Score award, the Best Experiment Score award, and the Best Female Contestant award.

As the male host returned to the stage, this main event began.

“…Let us congratulate the students above on winning the National First, Second, and Third Prizes. Next, we will be presenting the CPHO’s special individual achievement awards.”

“First, we will present the Best Overall Score award. Its recipient is:”

“From Star City No. 1 High School in Xiangnan Province, Xu Chuan!”

“Let’s welcome him with a warm round of applause!”

In the auditorium, Xu Chuan put down the certificate in his hand, stood up, and walked onto the stage to receive his next award.

“Congratulations, Student Xu Chuan.”

The professor presenting the award handed a gleaming golden trophy and a bright red certificate to Xu Chuan, congratulating him with a smile.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan accepted the trophy and certificate and was about to slip away, but he was called back by the host behind him.

“Wait, wait, Student Xu Chuan.”

The female host in her formal gown hurried over, pulling Xu Chuan back to the center of the stage.

Chapter 25: Practicing Sprints

“Don’t be in such a hurry, Xu Chuan.”

“This time, you won the CPHO Gold Medal and the Best Overall Score award with a total of 398.45, the highest score in history. Could you share your feelings with everyone?”

The female host smiled, led Xu Chuan back to the center of the stage, and handed him a black microphone.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. He took the microphone from the host’s hand. No one had told him he needed to give a speech or anything, had they? He hadn’t prepared at all.

“It was alright, but it’s a bit of a shame I didn’t get a perfect score.”

Seeing the host staring at him with shining eyes, Xu Chuan blurted out what was truly on his mind.

Instantly, he saw the corner of the host’s mouth twitch. She seemed to want to say something but held back.

“To win the Best Overall Score award, you must have your own study methods, Xu Chuan. Would you be willing to share them with the students here today?”

Composing herself, the host continued with a radiant smile.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before saying, “Actually, I don’t have any special study methods. I guess I just have a bit of talent.”

The host’s mouth twitched again. Best Overall Score award was “alright”? No special study methods? Why doesn’t this guy follow the script?

How was she supposed to respond to that?

Just then, Xu Chuan seemed to sense that something was amiss and quickly added, “But there is a little trick that might help everyone.”

“Oh? Could you please tell us what trick that is?” the host asked hurriedly.

“Before you start studying, tidy up your desk. Get rid of everything except the essentials, especially things like your phone and non-course books. This might help improve your study efficiency.”

Xu Chuan shared a little trick he used when studying. This was genuinely what he did. When his desk was free of clutter, he found it easier to get into the zone and stay more focused while studying.

“Thank you, Xu Chuan. We hope this little trick can help all the students in our audience.”

The host finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t dare ask any more questions, afraid that the young man in front of her would once again go off-script and say something shocking, leaving her the only one embarrassed.

“Next, we will present the Best Theory Score award and the Best Experiment Score award.”

“The students receiving these awards are Xu Chuan from Star City No. 1 High School in Xiangnan Province, and…”

As she was about to announce the second name, the host on stage paused slightly, seemingly surprised.

“And… also from Star City No. 1 High School in Xiangnan Province, Xu Chuan!”

After announcing the name, the host gave a small chuckle and said, “Let’s once again give a warm round of applause to welcome our student, Xu Chuan.”

Down below the stage, in the auditorium, Xu Chuan’s seat hadn’t even warmed up before he had to get up and go on stage again. It felt like he’d shown up to practice sprints.

“Congratulations, Xu Chuan,” the host said with a beaming smile, congratulating him as he climbed back onto the stage.

“Thank you.”

Xu Chuan nodded his thanks, accepted a certificate from each of the two presenting professors—one in each hand—and posed for a photo.

At a single Physics Olympiad National Finals, he had won four awards, setting a new record. One could say he had become the first in the history of the National Finals to do so. He was certainly unprecedented; whether anyone would follow in his footsteps remained to be seen.

The only slight regret was that he hadn’t achieved a perfect score in these National Finals, which was the one small imperfection in the whole competition.

Despite not getting a perfect score, he had still left an indelible impression on the minds of the students who participated in this year’s CPHO and Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp.

A figure of inspiration, motivation, envy, and nostalgia.

Perhaps one day, when these people were in university competing in other events, they would suddenly reminisce about a certain Physics Olympiad they had once attended.

In that competition, there had been a god-like figure who stood on stage and single-handedly swept all four major awards, his arms full of medals and certificates.

The National Finals came to a perfect close. With the awards presented and the National Training Team list announced, the 31st National High School Physics Competition and Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp concluded successfully.

The students from all the provinces departed, and Xu Chuan and his teammates returned to Xingcheng together.

The school, having already received the news, had hung large, long, red banners high above the entrance to welcome home the students who had gone off to battle.

[Congratulations to our students Xu Chuan, Cao Weicai, and seven others for winning the National First Prize at the 31st National High School Physics Competition!]

[Congratulations to our student Xu Chuan for winning the Best Overall Score award at the 31st National High School Physics Competition with a score of 398.45! Breaking the all-time record for the Physics Olympiad!]

[Congratulations to our student Xu Chuan for winning four awards at the 31st National High School Physics Competition, including the Best Theory Score award and the Best Experiment Score award!]

Three huge banners hung brightly on the school gate and the academic building, making Xu Chuan blush slightly.

Was it necessary to be this flamboyant?

In his past life, he had also won a National First Prize, but the treatment hadn’t been this exaggerated.

Three banners, and two of them were about him personally. Wasn’t this treatment a bit over the top? You people have no idea how embarrassing it is to have this stuff hung up in the open for everyone to stare at!

Watched by the envious and fervent gazes of others, Xu Chuan felt rather uncomfortable and quickened his pace back to the classroom.

The moment he stepped into the classroom, it erupted into a commotion.

“He’s back, he’s back! Brother Chuan is back!”

“Congrats, Brother Chuan! Way to go, Brother Chuan! Brother Chuan is badass!”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, what does it feel like to win a National First Prize again and break the historical record?”

“I think the most badass thing is winning four awards by himself! He could barely hold all the medals and certificates.”

“Brother Chuan, physics problems are so hard! Can you teach me how to study?”

“Where’s the celebratory candy? Where’s the candy, Brother Chuan? With such an awesome achievement, you’ve got to celebrate!”

A swarm of classmates gathered around, all talking at once.

A bright smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. He quite liked this kind of atmosphere among classmates.

“You did well this time. You didn’t embarrass me.”

Suddenly, a smiling voice came from behind him.

“Teacher Tang.”

Xu Chuan turned and greeted him respectfully.

“Not bad. You’ve set a new historical record. A total score of three hundred ninety-eight point four five, just over one point short of a perfect score.”

Tang Gaoyuan patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder and said with a smile.

“It’s all because you taught me well, Teacher,” Xu Chuan replied earnestly.

This was what he truly believed. Without Tang Gaoyuan’s discovery and guidance, the him of his later years who walked the path of physics would not have existed.

He might have still gotten into a good university, but his life afterward would definitely not have been as brilliant.

Perhaps he would have been like the vast majority of university students: find a job after graduation, get married, have children, and live out his life, fading into the mediocrity of an ordinary existence.

And that fourth great figure of the physics world, standing on the world’s most prominent stage, would never have come to be.

Chapter 26: Vying for Him

“You kid, enough with the praise. This was all your own hard work. I just opened the door for you; I didn’t really teach you all that much.”

“However, it’s a real shame you were just 1.5 points away from a perfect score in the National Finals this time.”

Tang Gaoyuan smiled and shook his head. He had witnessed the kid’s talent and hard work firsthand.

“It is a bit of a shame, but I’ll make up for it at the IPhO.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile. While it was a pity that the teacher from the Experiment Marking Group had deducted 1.5 points, preventing him from getting a perfect score, he took it in stride.

The fact that they could find a place to deduct points meant there was indeed a problem with his experimental procedure. He just had to find the cause and improve on it later.

He didn’t think the marker should have gone easy on him just because he was only 1.5 points away, nor would he complain that the deduction had cost him his perfect score.

Scientific research must always be rigorous; that is the spirit a scholar ought to possess. The deduction was proof enough that a flaw could be found in his experiment.

In his previous life, his immense contributions to both physics and material science were inseparable from this very spirit of rigorous inquiry.

“Excellent! Such spirit! I look forward to your performance at the IPhO! I’m counting on you to bring back a perfect score for us!”

The words had barely left Xu Chuan’s mouth when a booming voice of praise sounded nearby.

At the same time, two middle-aged men approached. One was rather slim and wore gold-rimmed glasses, while the other was Professor Sun Gaofeng, whom he had met before in the Yannan Canteen.

And the booming praise had come from none other than Professor Sun Gaofeng of Peking University.

“Hello, Vice Principal Yuan. Hello, Professor Sun.”

Xu Chuan was slightly surprised to see them. One was Yuan Jiye, the Vice Principal of Star City No. 1 High School, and the other was a physics professor from Peking University.

“Xu Chuan, you sure disappeared fast! You vanished right after the National Finals. I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Sun Gaofeng complained with a laugh.

“Professor Sun, what brings you here?” Xu Chuan asked after greeting him, beginning to play dumb.

“Don’t you know perfectly well why I’m here?” Sun Gaofeng stared at Xu Chuan, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Xu Chuan kept silent, continuing to play dumb. Seeing that he wouldn’t take the bait, Sun Gaofeng felt a little exasperated. He shook his head and said, “Alright, alright. Stop playing dumb, you kid.”

Clearing his throat, Sun Gaofeng composed himself and continued with a serious expression, “Xu Chuan, I am here to formally invite you to enroll at Peking University.”

“Peking University is the best university for the sciences in China. Our physics program is ranked number one in the nation, we have the most outstanding academic environment, the most advanced laboratory equipment, and the most experienced faculty to guide you.”

“If you come to Peking University, we will create a specially tailored direct Ph.D. program for you. Throughout your undergraduate and doctoral studies, all tuition and miscellaneous fees will be waived. You will also receive a scholarship of twenty thousand yuan per semester, and we will reserve an exchange student spot for you at a top international university.”

Hiss—!

In the classroom, upon hearing the recruitment terms Sun Gaofeng laid out, Tang Gaoyuan and Yuan Jiye couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed, unconsciously swallowing hard.

These recruitment terms were simply incredible.

A direct Ph.D. program, a full waiver of tuition and fees, a scholarship of twenty thousand per semester, and a spot in a top international university’s exchange program.

For a top national university like Peking University, any single one of these conditions could be considered incredibly generous.

All of them combined was simply unheard of.

Never mind the others; even Xu Chuan himself was taken aback by the offer.

Before his rebirth, he had been recruited by the nation’s top two universities, Peking University and Tsinghua University, but neither had offered such generous terms.

He still remembered that in his past life, Peking University’s offer had been a full waiver of fees plus a direct Ph.D. program.

The scholarship and the spot in an overseas exchange program weren’t part of the deal.

It seemed he had still underestimated the impact of a near-perfect score in the Physics Olympiad National Finals. Wasn’t this influence a bit too great?

If Peking University had made such an outstanding offer in his past life, he probably would never have ended up at Sanjiang University.

As for this life, however, even with such a generous offer on the table from Peking University, he could only apologize.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan replied tactfully, “Professor Sun, I’m not even seventeen yet, so I’m still a minor. For something this important, I really should consult my parents.”

At this, Sun Gaofeng was left speechless, with no way to argue back.

From a legal standpoint, as a minor, Xu Chuan did indeed require a guardian’s presence to sign with any university.

However, Sun Gaofeng knew Xu Chuan was just stalling. From what he had observed, the boy was highly intelligent and had a mind of his own.

Besides, at sixteen or seventeen, a boy is right in the middle of his rebellious phase. He’d been through it himself. For a young man like this, once he made a decision, not even his parents could stop him.

After their verbal sparring, Sun Gaofeng was fairly certain that Xu Chuan already had a goal in mind. He just couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was lacking about Peking University.

“Sigh. Xu Chuan, I just don’t get it. What reservations could you have about attending Peking University? If you sign with us, I can guarantee your parents will support it.”

“Countless students would do anything to get into Peking University. If you don’t believe me, just ask your classmates if they wouldn’t jump at the chance.”

Sun Gaofeng gestured agitatedly toward the other students in the room as he pressed Xu Chuan.

The top universities in the country were Peking University and Tsinghua. He truly couldn’t understand where Peking University was losing out. As for any other school, the possibility hadn’t even crossed his mind.

In his mind, Xu Chuan would either choose Peking University or Tsinghua; studying abroad was another possibility.

Speak of the devil. Just then, the phone of Vice Principal Yuan Jiye, who was standing nearby, rang. He stepped aside to take the call.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Ah, the admissions officer from Tsinghua University! Hello, hello.”

“Is Xu Chuan there? I’m not sure about that. I’m in my office right now. How about you wait a moment and I’ll go check his classroom?”

“No trouble, no trouble at all.”

As he spoke, Yuan Jiye pulled the phone from his ear, pressed the mute button, and waved it at Xu Chuan. “It’s the admissions officer from Tsinghua,” he asked with a grin. “Want to talk to them?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No, thank you.”

He felt a headache coming on. The recruiters from these two prestigious universities were more resourceful than he’d expected. One had chased him all the way to Xingcheng, while the other had gone directly to the vice principal of his high school.

Seeing Xu Chuan’s refusal, Yuan Jiye moved aside and continued the call.

“I’m sorry, Xu Chuan went straight home to rest after the National Finals. He hasn’t come to school yet.”

“When will he be back? He’ll probably rest for a couple of days. We can get in touch then.”

“Mmm, yes, Tsinghua is number one in the country for sciences. Yes, yes, I know, I know. Alright, I will certainly help persuade him.”

Yuan Jiye told a barefaced lie, skillfully fobbing off the caller before hanging up. He walked back to Xu Chuan and chuckled, “So, Xu Chuan, how does it feel to have both Peking University and Tsinghua vying for you?”

Chapter 27: The Paper Passes Review

He had come with hope and left with disappointment. In the end, Sun Gaofeng still hadn’t gotten an answer from Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan had neither refused nor accepted. He floated like a butterfly between the flowers of Peking University and Tsinghua University, never deigning to land.

Sun Gaofeng departed, taking Vice Principal Yuan Jiye and Tang Gaoyuan with him.

The students in the classroom, who had been watching the show, immediately swarmed over.

“Was that an admissions teacher from Peking University? Brother Chuan, did you say yes?”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, which university do you actually want to go to?”

“Brother Chuan, you’re not planning to take the IELTS or TOEFL and go abroad, are you? We haven’t heard you mention anything like that.”

“Give us a hint, Brother Chuan. Is your goal Tsinghua, Peking University, or a famous school abroad?”

“Brother Chuan didn’t accept Peking University’s offer, so he must be aiming for Tsinghua.”

In the classroom, the students were all talking at once, discussing and asking questions. Xu Chuan simply smiled, not revealing the answer in his heart.

After all, the school he wanted to apply to was still a fair distance from Peking University or Tsinghua. If he said it now, he would probably be met with confusion and have to explain himself all over again.

After the commotion died down, the students returned to their seats and began to review their lessons.

It was already the end of October, only a few months away from next year’s college entrance exams. No one wanted to miss out on a good university.

There were disparities even among the 985 universities, to say nothing of the gap between top-tier schools like Tsinghua and Peking University and ordinary second-tier institutions.

If you could get into a top university like Tsinghua or Peking, the annual tuition was only four to five thousand yuan. A meal with meat in the cafeteria cost just a few yuan—not only could you eat your fill, but it was also very cheap.

For example, a large plate of steamed fish head with chopped chili—the kind that would cost dozens of yuan in a restaurant (either eighty-eight or ninety-eight)—was only eight yuan in Peking University’s Yannan Canteen.

In contrast, an ordinary university, like a certain foreign studies-related college in Xingcheng, charged twenty to thirty thousand yuan a year for tuition, and a simple meal in the cafeteria would cost twenty or thirty yuan.

Top universities not only possessed richer educational resources, but their living expenses were also lower than those of ordinary universities.

Furthermore, top universities offered larger amounts of financial aid, scholarships, and poverty subsidies, with more slots available. There were no unspoken rules; the aid generally went to those who actually needed it.

These were just the basics. The intangible benefits were even greater, such as the boost the name on your diploma from a top university gave you when looking for a job.

If two job applicants were competing for the same position, one with a diploma from Peking University and the other from an ordinary second-tier institution, it was a no-brainer which one a company would choose.

Currently, many of the top companies in the country required a diploma from a 985 or 211 university as the minimum for recruitment.

If you didn’t have a sufficient academic background, you couldn’t even get your foot in the door.

This was the stark reality.

“Xu Chuan, Teacher Tang is looking for you.”

During the evening self-study session, the night breeze, carrying a hint of coolness, brushed past his ear. Cao Weicai, who had just returned from outside, gently patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder.

“I’ll go right now.”

Xu Chuan nodded, stood up, and went to Tang Gaoyuan’s office.

“Teacher, you were looking for me?”

“Sit.”

Tang Gaoyuan smiled and pointed to a chair, saying, “I heard from Professor Xu Cheng of the Affiliated High School that you submitted a research paper?”

Xu Chuan was slightly stunned for a moment before he registered the question and nodded. “Yes. During the provincial team’s intensive training, I wrote a paper under Teacher Xu’s guidance on a method for solving the function relationship between the typical distance l and the particle number density n for particles in a Bose-Einstein condensate.”

“The paper? Let me see it.”

Tang Gaoyuan asked with great interest. When he had contacted Xu Cheng that evening, Xu Cheng had been full of praise for the boy in front of him.

He knew Xu Cheng. He was originally a university professor, recruited by the Affiliated High School of Normal University from a prestigious university at great expense. In terms of qualifications, academic background, and experience, he far surpassed an ordinary high school teacher and had even made contributions to the field of condensed matter physics.

For such a professor to be full of praise for a paper written by a high school student made Tang Gaoyuan extremely curious. What exactly had this kid written?

Xu Chuan felt his pocket and realized his USB drive wasn’t on him. He quickly said, “I left the USB drive in my schoolbag. I’ll go get it now.”

He got up, and just as he was about to go downstairs, he remembered something and asked Tang Gaoyuan, “Teacher Tang, can I borrow your office computer for a moment? It’s the same if I check my email.”

If Tang Gaoyuan hadn’t suddenly found him tonight and asked about the paper, he would have forgotten he had even submitted it.

More than half a month had passed since the Provincial Intensive Training. He had no idea if his paper had passed the review or not. He could use the computer to check.

“Sure, use it as you please.”

Xu Chuan turned on the computer, opened a web browser, and tried to log in to his email, only to find he couldn’t get in at all.

After trying twice, he realized what the problem was.

“Teacher Tang, is there a computer in the school that can connect to the foreign internet?”

“The journal I submitted to is Advances in Physics from Western Europe. I can’t log in to my email from here.”

Xu Chuan slapped his forehead as he asked. He had almost forgotten about this.

The domestic network in China was separate from the outside world. Apart from special network segments and using tools to bypass the firewall, you generally couldn’t access foreign news and information.

And an ordinary high school basically wouldn’t have a foreign VPN set up, which meant he couldn’t log into the email account he had used for his submission.

Tang Gaoyuan was also taken aback, somewhat astonished. After coming to his senses, he got up and walked toward the door. “Yes, there is. Come with me.”

Xu Cheng hadn’t told him which specific journal Xu Chuan had submitted to. There were two journals called Advances in Physics: one was sponsored by the Chinese Physical Society, and the other was a top international journal.

He had initially just assumed Xu Chuan had submitted to the domestic one. Who would have thought he had actually submitted to a top-tier foreign journal?

Tang Gaoyuan felt a little envious of his student.

He had never even submitted to such a journal himself.

The two of them went up to the fifth floor of the academic building, where Tang Gaoyuan found the director of the computer room.

“Yunhua, I need to borrow a computer with foreign internet access.”

“It’s over there. Go ahead and use it. Are you looking up competition problem materials today?”

The computer room director, Shao Yunhua, asked, looking curiously at Tang Gaoyuan and Xu Chuan.

“Not for materials, for a paper. While this kid was at the Provincial Intensive Training Team, he submitted a physics paper to the top international journal Advances in Physics under the guidance of Xu Cheng from the Affiliated High School.”

Tang Gaoyuan replied with a smile, his tone filled with pride.

“Oh? Then I have to see this.”

Shao Yunhua exclaimed in surprise. He had thought Tang Gaoyuan brought Xu Chuan here to look up foreign physics competition problems in preparation for next year’s IPhO. He never expected it was about a submitted paper.

He had never seen a third-year high school student who was already submitting research papers.

Let alone one who submitted to a top-tier international journal. That was even more unheard of.

Chapter 28: An Alma Mater of Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers

After greeting Director Shao, Xu Chuan turned on the computer, connected to the VPN, logged into his email, and found the paper he had submitted to Advances in Physics.

He had a reply.

It was a copyright authorization agreement from Advances in Physics.

Checking the date, he saw the reply was from October 8th. Xu Chuan did the math—that meant he had received a response the day after he sent in the paper.

This surprised him. Had Advances in Physics accepted his paper in just one day?

For a newcomer, that was a bit fast.

“A copyright authorization agreement! This means it passed the initial review. And it passed on October 8th, but today is the 28th! Why haven’t you checked your email? Reply to them, quickly!”

Tang Gaoyuan leaned over, looked at the screen, and impatiently tapped Xu Chuan on the back of the head.

“Please wait a moment, Teacher. I’ll fill out the agreement first.”

Xu Chuan hadn’t expected his paper to pass review the very next day, either.

The so-called copyright authorization agreement was essentially a consent form allowing academic editors, such as technical and review editors, to read the paper and, if it passed the final review, for the journal to publish it.

Its main purpose was to specify the rights held and used by both the author and the journal regarding the paper, preventing any unnecessary copyright disputes in the future.

Receiving a copyright authorization agreement meant the journal had accepted the paper for consideration. The next step was simply to wait for a review editor to examine its content.

As long as no errors or issues were found during the review, the paper would be published in the journal.

Generally, after a manuscript is sent to a journal, even if there are no formatting issues, it usually takes about a week to receive the copyright authorization agreement in response.

This was because technical editors were also researchers in academia, and they often had their own work to attend to.

If one was unlucky, a technical editor might be busy with their own research, and a delay of a month or two was perfectly normal.

Receiving the copyright authorization agreement within a day was a privilege usually reserved for the big shots of academia.

Xu Chuan couldn’t figure out why a nobody like him would receive the copyright agreement so quickly.

Perhaps a technical editor had just happened to be at their computer and saw his email right when he sent it?

That seemed to be the most plausible explanation.

“Teacher Tang, this is the paper I submitted. Could you take a look and see if there’s anything that needs improvement?”

After taking a little time to fill out the copyright authorization agreement, Xu Chuan opened the paper and gave up his seat.

“Improve my ass! You submitted to Advances in Physics and even passed the initial review. Your ability has already surpassed mine. I’ve never even had a paper accepted by them.”

For once, Tang Gaoyuan swore, then he sat down and began to seriously read Xu Chuan’s paper.

Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly and turned to get a chair for the director of the computer lab.

Half an hour passed before Tang Gaoyuan, who was sitting at the computer, finally looked up and let out a long breath.

The paper wasn’t so advanced that he couldn’t understand it. On the contrary, its content was quite foundational, blending knowledge from both high school and university levels.

But the solution method presented in the paper was a real eye-opener for him.

He had been teaching physics for many years and had read plenty of physics books.

He also knew a few methods for solving the functional relationship between the typical distance l between particles in a Bose-Einstein condensate and the particle number density n.

After all, it was part of the high school curriculum, albeit specifically for students in academic competitions.

But Tang Gaoyuan had never imagined that when solving for the typical particle distance and the particle density in a finite space, one could pivot to Abelian groups and the Maxwell-Boltzmann speed distribution function, and then connect the root-mean-square speed to kinetic energy.

Compared to previous solutions, the ingenuity of this method was like the difference in speed between a faster-than-light ship and a conventional one.

A journey that would take a conventional ship a year could now be completed by a faster-than-light ship in a single day.

Moreover, setting aside the exceptionally clever solution, he couldn’t find a single flaw in the paper’s formatting, its rigorous argumentation, its tight logic, or even its use of punctuation.

Although the paper mentioned guidance from Xu Cheng of The Affiliated High School of Normal University, and there might have been edits to the formatting, the core logic of the paper was all Xu Chuan’s own work.

From this perspective, this third-year high school student had already surpassed him, a teacher with over a decade of experience.

It also made him sigh with emotion. Each generation truly produces its own talents, like the back waves of the Yangtze River pushing the front waves.

“An excellent paper. I’ve learned a great deal,” Tang Gaoyuan remarked with a sigh.

“It’s because you were a good teacher.”

“Nonsense! I could never have taught you this. Judging from this paper, your understanding of physics, at least in the area of particle relationships in a condensate, has completely surpassed mine.”

Tang Gaoyuan grumbled, a little vexed. Xu Chuan’s paper made him feel a bit old.

“This paper is excellent. The solution method you’ve written falls right between the high school and university levels. Any high school student with some foundational knowledge of university-level math and physics could understand it.”

“I used to be skeptical that a genius who could write an SCI paper in high school even existed. Now, it seems there’s one standing right in front of me,” Director Shao Yunhua of the IT department also remarked in admiration.

Xu Chuan glanced at Director Shao in surprise. The director of the computer lab also understood physics and math?

Seeing this, Tang Gaoyuan smiled and said, “Don’t underestimate your Director Shao. He won a National First Prize in the Informatics Olympiad. His foundation in mathematics is even stronger than mine.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was immediately filled with respect. As expected of his alma mater, a true place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

After a pause, Tang Gaoyuan continued, “But your paper really is excellent. Once it’s reviewed and published, the school can use this approach to teach the section on particle relationships in a condensate.”

“For the competition students, this approach will be a great help. Maybe this paper will even help produce another gold medalist in the future.”

“And for you, this is a chance to leave your mark on the school’s history.”

“No, I have to go see the principal. This paper and its solution method might even get compiled into a textbook.”

Tang Gaoyuan was overjoyed. Even though he hadn’t written the paper himself, to have taught such a student in his lifetime made it all worthwhile.

Hearing such high praise from Teacher Tang, Xu Chuan felt a little embarrassed.

“Leaving his mark on history” sounded a bit too exaggerated, but if he could help the competition students at his alma mater, it was still worth it.

At the very least, this solution method could save a significant amount of calculation when it came to the relationship between particles in a condensate and the number of particles in a finite space.

Chapter 29: The Math Olympiad National Finals Begin

After sending back the signed Copyright Authorization Agreement, Xu Chuan refreshed the status of his paper on the computer before leaving.

Unfortunately, nothing had changed, and there was no mysterious force to help him jump the queue. It seemed that passing the initial review in just one day had indeed been a coincidence.

With the conclusion of the Physics Olympiad National Finals, the competing students returned to their normal lives.

The National Training Team was still a ways off, scheduled for early March of the next year. At that time, the students selected for the Olympiad’s National Physics Training Team would travel to Qinhuai for intensive training at the High School Affiliated to Sanjiang Normal University.

During this intensive training, fifty students would compete for five spots on the National Team through two rounds of selection. For the time being, until March, the contestants would temporarily return to their high school lives.

However, this applied to ordinary contestants. For Xu Chuan, less than a month after finishing the Physics Olympiad, he had to set off once again to participate in the Math Olympiad National Finals.

This year’s Winter Camp was held at Bashu Middle School in the Bashu region, with nearly four hundred students in attendance.

Xu Chuan felt no pressure about the Math Olympiad National Finals.

More than three months had passed since his rebirth. In that time, his studies had never ceased, and he had successfully unearthed the high school knowledge that had been buried deep within his vast memories.

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, I hear the spicy rabbit heads in Bashu are delicious. Should we go try them?” a member of the Math Olympiad Provincial Team, the round-faced Lu Tianrui, asked with an excited and expectant look.

“Let’s wait until after the exam. If you eat that now, aren’t you worried you’ll get diarrhea tomorrow in the competition hall?” Xu Chuan said with a smile. Even though he was a native of Xiangnan and could handle spicy food, he wasn’t quite accustomed to the numbing spiciness of Bashu cuisine.

“Besides, bunnies are so cute. Why would you eat them?”

Suddenly, Xu Chuan remembered a famous quote he had heard in his past life. Feeling it was quite fitting for the moment, he said it out loud.

Instantly, all the students from their accompanying group fell silent. A hush fell over them.

What had they just heard?

Was this the same master? The same master who had achieved a near-perfect score in the CPhO and was fought over by Tsinghua University and Peking University?

Or was it that one could only become a master by acting cute?

Could it be that the only thing separating me from a master is the ability to act cute?

The Math Olympiad National Finals Winter Camp, like Peking University’s Golden Autumn Camp, lasted for seven days.

Day one was for registration, day two for the opening ceremony, days three and four for the exams, days five and six for academic lectures or sightseeing, and day seven for the closing ceremony, where the results would be announced and awards presented.

Perhaps the people of Bashu were overly enthusiastic, or perhaps it was their first time hosting an event like the CMO Math Olympiad National Finals, but on the second day, during the opening ceremony, Xu Chuan and his group experienced the vast array of Bashu’s culinary delights.

Bobo chicken, spicy rabbit heads, Chuan Chuan skewers, Douhua… all sorts of local specialties and delicacies that should have been found on the streets appeared in the cafeteria of Bashu Middle School.

Xu Chuan even found hot pot in a corner of the cafeteria, but he didn’t dare order it. Just looking at the glistening red oil, green Sichuan peppercorns, and red numbing peppercorns floating on top was enough to make one’s sphincter clench.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle spice, but food that combined numbing and spicy peppers like this was extremely harsh on the stomach. He’d better pass.

Xu Chuan was worried that if he ate hot pot tonight, he would be dehydrated by tomorrow.

There was a reason why proctology clinics in Bashu were so common and well-developed.

He even started to suspect that the Bashu Middle School cafeteria was trying to upset the stomachs of the other students to improve the test scores of the local ones.

After all, a student from a coastal city might not be able to handle such numbing and fiery food.

Registration and the opening ceremony passed quickly, and on the third day, the final exam officially began.

One difference from the Physics Olympiad National Finals was that the exam time for the Math Olympiad was longer.

Each session of the Physics Olympiad was three hours, whereas the Math Olympiad’s was four and a half hours.

It started at nine in the morning and ended at half past one in the afternoon.

With an exam time of four and a half hours, contestants were allowed to bring in food that wouldn’t disrupt the examination hall, such as Snickers bars, cookies, energy drinks, and the like.

After all, the exam lasted four and a half hours and consumed a massive amount of brainpower. If you weren’t allowed to bring a snack, what would you do if you fainted from hunger or got hypoglycemia?

Of course, just because you could bring food didn’t mean you could bring anything.

In earlier years, a student brought stinky tofu and durian candy into the examination hall, and the resulting smell nearly stupefied the other contestants.

So the rules were later changed: food was allowed, but it couldn’t have a strong odor that would affect other candidates. There would be an inspection before entering the hall.

Xu Chuan didn’t bring any food; he only brought a bottle of a beverage.

After all, he didn’t plan on staying for the full four and a half hours.

The CMO was split into two days, with three problems each day. The problems on the first day were relatively easier than those on the second.

Judging from past competition papers, the first question was sometimes even a fill-in-the-blank.

But don’t be mistaken into thinking these fill-in-the-blanks were easy. Although they only required a single answer, the proof process had to be meticulously calculated by the contestant.

At nine in the morning, they entered the hall, went through inspection, and the test papers were distributed.

After receiving the paper, Xu Chuan, as was his habit, scanned the entire test.

Three problems, no fill-in-the-blanks. One was a geometry problem asking to prove that four points are concyclic, one was a number theory problem asking to find a set, and one was a function problem. All were proofs.

The domestic CMO imitated the rules of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The difficulty of the problems was similar, but the scores were tripled.

Each IMO problem was worth 7 points, while a CMO problem was worth 21 points.

This made it more convenient for the Marking Group to grade and to differentiate between contestants’ scores.

Compared to the Physics Olympiad, the layout of the Math Olympiad paper was quite concise. The questions themselves took up very little space.

There were no long introductions or various descriptions. The questions got straight to the point—simple and direct.

First question:

I. As shown in the figure, in an acute triangle △ABC, AB > AC. The angle bisector of ∠BAC intersects side BC at point D. Points E and F are on sides AB and AC respectively, such that points B, C, F, and E are concyclic.

Prove that the necessary and sufficient condition for the circumcenter of △DEF to coincide with the incenter of △ABC is BE + CF = BC.

A triangle geometry problem proving a condition about circle centers. The figure showed a large triangle bisected by a line, with a smaller triangle inside connecting the sides of the larger one.

In Xu Chuan’s opinion, it was a proof of congruent triangles, and the difficulty wasn’t that high. If he had to rate it, it was only a few notches harder than the capstone question of the college entrance exam.

The tricky part was that it required drawing multiple auxiliary lines and a certain degree of imagination.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan put pen to paper. He first copied the geometric figure onto his draft paper, then marked a point I at the center of the two angles. Using point I as the core, he began to draw auxiliary lines.

EI, FI, BI, CI, KI—a total of five dashed auxiliary lines appeared straight and clear on the draft paper.

With the key auxiliary lines and points marked, the next step was to write out the proof process.

Chapter 30: The High-Difficulty Second Half

Solution: First, draw the auxiliary lines EI, FI, BI, and CI.

Sufficiency: If BC = BE + CF, then we can take a point K on the side BC such that BK = BE, and therefore CK = CF. Connect KI.

Take the incenter I of △ABC on the angle bisector AD of ∠BAC. Since BI bisects ∠ABC and CI bisects ∠ACB, △BIK is symmetric to △BIE with respect to BI, and △CIK is symmetric to △CIF with respect to CI.

Therefore, ∠BEI = ∠BKI = π - ∠CKI = π - ∠CFI = ∠AFI. Thus, the four points A, E, I, and F are concyclic.

Combined with the fact that the four points B, E, F, and C are concyclic…

Necessity: If the incenter I of △ABC is the circumcenter of △DEF, since AE ≠ AF (in fact, this is due to B, E, F, and C being concyclic), therefore…

Therefore, BC = BK + CK = BE + CF.

This completes the proof of necessity.

In ten minutes, Xu Chuan smoothly dispatched the first major problem.

The problem had two key points. One was using the four auxiliary lines EI, FI, BI, and CI to find the auxiliary line KI. The other was the application of the value of π.

This is a less commonly used concept in high school geometry for solving triangles and concyclic points, but as long as one mastered these two points, solving the first problem wasn’t an issue.

Half an hour passed, and the second problem, an integer set problem of slightly higher difficulty, was also conquered.

“This year’s questions don’t seem that difficult.”

Looking at the final problem, a function problem, Xu Chuan stroked his chin and glanced around the examination hall. Most of the students were focused on their papers, which confirmed his thoughts.

After all, if the problems were too difficult, some students would definitely be staring up at the ceiling.

This was an observation he’d made from two lifetimes of competitions.

“Whatever, I’ll just finish this third problem quickly, hand in my paper, and go try some of the local food.”

Xu Chuan shook his head, his attention returning to the test paper.

This was his first time in Bashu, but some of the delicious food he had eaten yesterday in the Bashu Middle School cafeteria had left him with a pretty good impression of the place.

If a high school could make such tasty food, the restaurants outside must be even more authentic.

Although he wouldn’t call himself a foodie, he was quite keen on trying new foods.

Of course, that was on the condition that the food suited his palate.

Dark cuisine like Stargazy pie, casu marzu, and surströmming was out of the question.

But from what he’d seen so far, the local food in Bashu was quite good.

After finishing the three major problems, Xu Chuan checked his work twice, and after confirming there were no issues, he handed in his paper early.

The teacher leading the Xiangnan Provincial Team this year was Teacher Gong Rihui from Star City No. 1 High School. He was very familiar with Xu Chuan, and seeing him hand in his paper early, he knew this year’s problems probably weren’t that difficult.

Handing him a bottle of water, Gong Rihui smiled and asked, “How was the test?”

“It was alright. The first half’s problems weren’t very difficult. We’ll see about the second half.”

Xu Chuan twisted open the bottle and took a sip, then asked, “Teacher Gong, is there any good food around here? I’d like to try some.”

“Bashu has a lot of delicious food. Bobo chicken, Northern Sichuan-style starch jelly, dan dan noodles, brown sugar rice cakes, swan egg pastries, sanhe ni sweet paste, san da pao rice balls, and pork intestine noodles are all excellent.”

“There’s a food street about 500 meters to the right after you exit the school gate. You can go check it out.”

“But you have another test tomorrow, so be careful. Don’t upset your stomach.”

Gong Rihui reminded him with a smile. He was confident in the student before him; his stage was the larger IMO, not the domestic CMO.

“Teacher, have you been here before? You’re so familiar with it,” Xu Chuan asked, a little surprised. Gong Rihui had just rattled off a dozen snacks and dishes in one breath.

Gong Rihui smiled and said, “My hometown is in Bashu, so of course I’m familiar with it.”

Xu Chuan said, “Oh,” nodded, and after a word of thanks, prepared to go try the food street Gong Rihui had mentioned.

But before he had taken two steps, a voice from behind stopped him in his tracks.

“Brother Chuan, where are you going? Wait for me.”

From behind him, the voice of the round-faced Lu Tianrui carried over from a distance. He had also handed in his paper early.

Xu Chuan didn’t really want to take him along, because the little pretty boy was just too talkative.

But he couldn’t shake him off and was forced to take this tag-along with him.

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, what method did you use for the second major problem, the one about the set D(n) = {ab | n = ab, a, b ∈ Z+, a > b}?”

“Brother Chuan, what should we eat later?”

“Brother Chuan, do you think we’ll get diarrhea if we eat hotpot later?”

“Brother Chuan, how come the girls in Bashu aren’t afraid of the cold? It’s already December, and they’re still walking around with bare legs.”

“Brother Chuan…”

Along the way, Lu Tianrui chattered on endlessly, a living, walking ‘Book of a Hundred Thousand Whys’.

Xu Chuan felt like he just wanted to find some earplugs and stuff them in his ears. How would he know why the Bashu girls weren’t afraid of the cold? If you’re so curious, go ask one yourself, he thought.

After wandering around the food street with the chattering little pretty boy, Xu Chuan returned to the intensive training room.

Although the round-faced boy was a bit annoying, the food in Bashu was excellent. Some of the local specialties weren’t all spicy and numbing like the rumors suggested, and were well worth trying.

The only problem was that the tofu pudding here was actually savory and spicy. To him, this was the strangest of the strange.

Tofu pudding has to be sweet!

Back in the intensive training room, after discussing the day’s exam content and experiences with his teammates, everyone returned to their dorms to sleep.

The night passed without incident, and the second day’s exam soon began.

Entry inspection, test paper distribution. Xu Chuan checked his paper, and the expression on his face instantly became extremely complicated.

“Well, I’ll be. No wonder yesterday’s questions were so easy. They saved all the hard ones for today.”

Skimming the problems on the test paper, Xu Chuan muttered to himself.

Just like yesterday, there were still three problems: one geometry, one integer set, and one function.

But the difficulty had increased several times over, if not more.

Even he couldn’t immediately come up with a concrete solution path upon first looking at the paper.

Compared to yesterday’s first geometry problem with its two simple triangular figures, today’s geometric diagram was more than ten times as complex.

The geometry problem’s text only took up two or three lines, but the diagram below it took up more than half the page.

Xu Chuan counted: the diagram had a total of four circles—two large and two small—interlocking with one another like the Olympic rings.

And within and outside the circles, there were eight different triangles. There were common ones like acute, right-angled, and obtuse triangles, as well as more complex ones like Ceva’s triangles and Reuleaux triangles.

In addition, there were six lines crossing through the triangles and circles, alternating horizontally and vertically, cutting the entire diagram to pieces.

Triangles intersecting triangles, triangles intersecting circles, circles tangent to circles, lines cutting through everything—the complex diagram made Xu Chuan want to tear up his test paper.

For a math olympiad student, this was an absolute nightmare.

Chapter 31: A Tale of Olympiads and College Entrance Exams

“This question… it’s really not simple.”

After receiving the exam paper, Xu Chuan stared at the first major geometry problem for a full five minutes before letting out a sigh.

It was a single plane geometry problem, yet it incorporated almost all five axioms and five postulates of Euclidean geometry, one could say it pushed the geometric properties of flat space to their absolute limit.

Most crucially, the problem virtually blocked off the majority of geometry knowledge taught in university-level mathematics. Neither the “Little Prince” Gauss’s new geometric theories nor the “Great God” Bolyai’s absolute and non-Euclidean geometries could be easily applied to this problem.

The professor who designed this question definitely possessed a high level of achievement in geometry.

The number of domestic mathematicians with high achievements in geometry could be counted on one hand. Xu Chuan thought for a moment; the most famous among them were undoubtedly Elder Yau and Elder Chern.

However, the probability of either of these two masters setting the question was virtually zero.

Although Elder Yau’s accomplishments in geometry were profound, and he was currently in the country, his achievements were mainly in Differential Geometry. His expertise in plane geometry wasn’t considered top-tier.

Moreover, this master was getting on in years, and his memory of geometry from the high school and university levels was likely not as sharp as it once was.

As for Elder Chern, he had passed away a decade ago, making it even more impossible for him to have set the question.

However, this brought another person to Xu Chuan’s mind: Elder Chern’s last disciple, Academician Zhang Weiping.

This master had been honored as an academician of the Academy of Sciences in 2008 and was now in his prime. Furthermore, as Elder Chern’s last disciple, he had naturally continued down the mathematical path of geometry. It could be said that his attainments in plane geometry were remarkably high.

If he was the one who set the question, he was indeed capable of achieving this level of difficulty.

In fact, Xu Chuan’s speculation was correct. The two geometry problems in this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad, yesterday’s and today’s, were both set by Academician Zhang Weiping.

This master had just happened to become a director of the tenth council of the Mathematical Society last year.

The question setters for the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad (CMO) were typically selected from the directors of the Mathematical Society. In 2014, this year, this master personally took action and composed two geometry problems, inserting them into the 2014 Math Olympiad National Finals.

The result was the complete wipeout of the 2014 CMO candidates. Out of more than four hundred participants, not a single one achieved a perfect score.

At the same time, this master also screened the other exam questions, leading to a miserable set of scores for this year’s CMO. The number of students who scored over one hundred points could be counted on one hand.

This also caused the entry score for the Intensive Training Team to plummet from the usual average of over eighty-five points to sixty-five, a direct drop of nearly twenty points in the admission score.

But this master’s story didn’t end there.

He later participated in setting the CMO questions for 2015 and 2016, leading to equally disastrous results on both occasions.

In 2015, a single solid geometry problem he created slaughtered all the candidates that year.

For a 21-point question, out of several hundred candidates nationwide, less than a handful of students managed to get the seven points for the first part; the rest handed in a blank space.

In 2016, it was another 21-point question, and once again, not a single perfect score.

A perfect score? With this master in charge, one couldn’t even dream of it.

“Tragic” was the only word for it, a word that couldn’t even begin to describe the situation.

After that, the Mathematical Society never let this master set the questions again, fearing it would crush the confidence of the participating students.

But with just three appearances, his reputation within the Math Olympiad circle became comparable to that of the renowned Master Ge Jun, who specialized in tormenting college entrance exam students.

Students who had participated in those three years of the CMO would tremble in fear at the mere mention of this master’s name.

“Crouching tigers and hidden dragons… a super master like this was actually involved in setting the questions for this year’s CMO.”

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t certain if this geometry problem was truly from the hand of Academician Zhang Weiping, the teacher who designed it was definitely on the same level.

This geometry problem was an extreme test of a student’s deductive reasoning and graphical observation skills. It required at least three auxiliary lines to accurately deduce the required angle.

And these three auxiliary lines were all incredibly well-hidden. One of them was even located at the point where two circles were tangent, making it exceptionally difficult to find.

Sighing in admiration, Xu Chuan picked up his protractor and measured the geometric diagram. After confirming the angle matched his speculation, he began to draw the auxiliary lines on the exam paper. The geometric figure for this question was too complex, so he couldn’t be bothered to copy it onto his scratch paper.

Actually, in geometry problems, there is a fairly simple method to determine the required values and angles.

That is to return to basics and directly measure with a protractor, though this is only effective for plane geometry.

This method could solve over ninety percent of geometry problems.

Of course, it could only give you the answer; you still had to write the deductive proof yourself.

Once the auxiliary lines were drawn, the remaining proof was manageable for Xu Chuan. Although the proof process was complex, if one had already climbed Mount Everest, would they worry about not being able to summit Mount Tai?

Solution: According to Pascal’s theorem, points P, Q, and R are collinear. Because ∠DTF = (arc AC + arc DF)/2 = (arc AB + arc DF)/2 = …

Therefore, extending QK to intersect BC at S yields SK/KT = BN/NC…

Similarly, it can be known that △CQN ~ △APC, and CN = QN·AB/PB, thus BN/NC = …

Rotate △ABP around point A to △ACL…

It can be proven that the angle of ∠KIP is thirty-five degrees.

Proof complete!

The black pen in his hand continuously filled the answer sheet with lines of calculations, almost covering the entire A4-sized page before this geometry problem was finally solved.

In the process of solving it, he had used nearly all twenty-six letters of the alphabet, and even had to use characters like A’ and A’’ to denote the auxiliary lines, which just showed the difficulty of the question.

After solving the first problem, Xu Chuan let out a breath of relief and looked up at the clock on the blackboard at the front of the room. It was 9:35.

This was the longest he had ever spent on a single problem since he started participating in the Math Olympiad, a whole half an hour.

As expected of a question set by a figure as famous as the Math Emperor, Ge Jun. If even he found it this difficult, it must be even harder for the other students.

Thinking this, Xu Chuan turned his head to survey the classroom.

A scene that hadn’t appeared yesterday was now unfolding.

A whole row of students were either staring up at the ceiling or down at the floor.

These students, who had been so cheerful and felt that this year’s CMO wasn’t that hard during the first half yesterday, were now completely stunned today.

The Math Olympiad National Finals had no multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions. They couldn’t even try to guess the answers by rolling dice or paper wads.

At most, they could write “Solution:”.

What remained was a vast expanse of white.

This was probably a case of “So much for ‘I could do that too’?”

A single geometry problem had stumped hundreds of students. The smarter ones had already bypassed it to work on the next question.

But in the second half of the Math Olympiad National Finals, what easy questions could there be?

Especially since this year’s questions had all been reviewed by that Master Zhang. Even if their difficulty was slightly less than the geometry problem, it wouldn’t be by much.

After an hour and a half, Xu Chuan had methodically completed all three major problems.

After carefully checking them twice to confirm there were no mistakes, he handed in his paper early and left the examination hall.

This act thoroughly provoked the other students in the same hall. Some gritted their teeth, some lowered their heads in silence, and a few ruthlessly decided to follow suit and leave early as well.

After all, with a question this hard, it was normal to hand in a blank paper, right?

Besides, I’m not the only one handing in a blank paper.

Chapter 32: You Might Never Know Why the Exam Was So Hard

At half past one in the afternoon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. The four-and-a-half-hour second session was officially over, and with it, the CMO National Finals.

Xu Chuan and Gong Rihui waited in the study hall for the other Xiangnan candidates to return.

This was one area where the Xiangnan Intensive Training Team excelled: whether they could solve the problems or not, they would stubbornly persist until the very last second.

Who knew? Maybe inspiration would strike in the final few minutes.

But with something like mathematics, you either know it or you don’t. You could push a person until they grew wings and flew to the heavens, and they still might not be able to solve a math problem that was beyond them.

“Teacher Gong, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die! The second half of the National Finals was so hard this time. I didn’t even have time to check my work.”

Outside the study hall, his voice arrived before he did. The noisy complaints of the round-faced Lu Tianrui rang out.

“Damn, you finished everything? I didn’t even get through all the problems.”

“That first question was way too hard. I only managed to solve the first sub-question.”

“Don’t even start. For the last two big problems, I only managed the first two sub-questions. Why the hell was this year’s second half so difficult?”

“The first half was fine, but the second half just left me numb.”

“For this year’s National Finals, I’m guessing I’ll get fifty-something points at most.”

“Looking up at the sky! Same here.”

“I might only get thirty or forty points.”

Accompanying Lu Tianrui’s voice were the voices of the other Xiangnan students. A moment later, the group appeared in the study hall.

“This year’s questions were indeed a bit on the difficult side, but as long as everyone did their best, that’s what matters.”

Gong Rihui smiled, consoling everyone in the room. The exam was already over; being strict now would be pointless.

Besides, after Xu Chuan came out, he had written down the problems for him to see. The second-half questions were genuinely tough. Expecting these students to solve them all in four and a half hours was asking a bit much.

Especially that plane geometry problem; it had taken him nearly an hour to solve.

As for Xu Chuan, he was a different matter entirely.

Ever since the provincial intensive training ended, he had stopped seeing this student as ordinary. In his view, Xu Chuan’s mathematical ability was absolutely professional-grade, possibly on par with his own as a professional math teacher.

“Brother Chuan, you turned in your paper early again, you freak! How could you turn in your paper early with problems this hard?”

Upon entering the study hall, Lu Tianrui’s eyes immediately fell on Xu Chuan standing beside Teacher Gong, his face a mask of grievance.

He had barely managed to finish all the problems, without a moment to check his work, not knowing if his answers were right or wrong. Yet this freak had still finished early. It was utterly demoralizing.

Xu Chuan glanced at the round-faced boy but didn’t reply. If he engaged, it would probably never end.

However, after submitting his paper, he and Teacher Gong had written out the problems and their solutions, which could now conveniently be used by his teammates to check their answers.

With the Math Olympiad National Finals over, the marking work began in full swing.

Inside the Mathematical Society, the six professors who had participated in setting the questions, along with four other council members, were conducting the grading.

With ten people, each responsible for forty papers, they had to finish everything in a day and a half. It was an energy-draining task.

After all, this was the Math Olympiad National Finals. Although each problem had only one standard answer, many contestants might use different methods and lines of reasoning to arrive at their solutions.

All roads lead to Rome. It was just like back in the school’s intensive training team, when Xu Chuan had used calculus to solve an analytic geometry problem.

And for every paper, the graders had to carefully verify each student’s answer.

“This year’s students aren’t up to par. The first half was a little better, but for the second half, I’ve already seen several blank papers. Sigh.”

In the Marking Group, Academician Zhang Weiping, the professor who set the geometry question, shook his head and gave a zero to the blank paper in his hand before sighing.

The other judges who were grading all looked up.

“Old Zhang, have you ever considered that maybe it’s not the students who are lacking, but that the problem you set was too difficult?”

“Exactly. The second-half problems were originally from Paper A, but you insisted on swapping out all three problems from it.”

“Have you no shame? I’d need at least an hour to solve that geometry problem in the second half myself.”

“Looking at it, I estimate the average score this year might be less than sixty.”

“It was just for a meal. You really gave these students a hard time.”

“Was it difficult? I don’t think so,” Zhang Weiping retorted, pushing up the glasses on his nose.

At his words, a unified wave of eye-rolls swept across the grading room.

A top-tier mathematician, an Academician of the Academy of Sciences with immense achievements in geometry, was making things difficult for a group of students who were, on average, not even eighteen years old, and he had the audacity to say it wasn’t hard.

“Huh? This student is quite good. He solved the entire first problem of the second half, and got it all correct. The steps are correct, and the answer is correct.”

“Let me see the rest… He finished the next two big problems as well, and the answers are also correct.”

“Old Zhang, you miscalculated. It looks like we have a perfect score candidate this time.”

Suddenly, one of the grading teachers exclaimed in surprise, drawing the curiosity of the other judges.

Everyone was aware of the difficulty of this year’s CMO National Finals, especially the second geometry problem, which could be called the most difficult geometry problem in the history of the competition without exaggeration.

Judging from the performance of contestants in previous years, they had thought there might not be a single perfect score this year. The sudden appearance of a perfect score candidate surprised everyone.

Hearing that someone had completely solved the geometry problem he had created, Zhang Weiping couldn’t hold back. He put down the answer sheet in his hand and walked over.

“Let me see, let me see.”

Snatching the paper from the other grader’s hands, Zhang Weiping began to examine it impatiently.

Several minutes passed before Zhang Weiping came back to his senses, letting out a long sigh.

“Each generation brings forth new talent.”

The few other judges who had gathered around to watch also praised it.

“Impressive, truly impressive. This student got a perfect score on the second half.”

“Hahahaha, Old Zhang, looks like you owe each of us a meal.”

“I want to go to Juchunyuan for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Braised Shark Fin!”

Zhang Weiping shot a sideways glance at the few council members from the Question-Setting Group and said defiantly, “A perfect score on the second half doesn’t mean a perfect score on the first half.”

“Heh, do you believe that yourself?”

“Exactly, touch your own conscience and ask it if it believes you.”

At that, Zhang Weiping deflated.

Indeed, even he didn’t believe his own words. This student had solved the three most difficult problems of the second half perfectly, with a full score. There was no reason he wouldn’t be able to solve the easier problems from yesterday’s first half.

Besides, they had already graded yesterday’s papers, and there were quite a few perfect scores.

“If I had known, I would have made the questions even harder. This is a huge loss.”

Zhang Weiping muttered, handing the paper back and returning to his own stack of exams.

So, you may never know why the questions for this competition or the college entrance exam were so difficult.

Perhaps it was all just because a teacher on the Question-Setting Group made a bet with someone else.

Chapter 33: The Only Perfect Score in the CMO

“

With the second half of the National Finals over, all that was left was to wait for the scores and the National Training Team list to be announced.

“

At eight o’clock on the morning of the seventh day, all the contestants from the Xiangnan Olympiad team gathered in the intensive training room.

“

Unlike the Physics Olympiad National Finals, which were held at Peking University and included a Golden Autumn Camp and an awards ceremony, the Math Olympiad National Finals did not have a final awards ceremony.

“

The final results and the Math Olympiad National Training Team list would be published on the Mathematical Society’s official website, refreshing precisely at nine in the morning.

“

Time ticked by. At nine o’clock, the expressions of the numerous contestants scrolling through their phones in the classroom grew alert.

“

The results of the 2014 National High School Mathematical Olympiad had been announced!

“

The Mathematical Society’s official website displayed:

“

2014 National High School Mathematical Olympiad (Finals) Award List:

“

First Prize (Gold Medal)

“

1. Xu Chuan, Male, Xiangnan Province, Star City No. 1 High School, Third Year, Total Score (126 points)

“

2. Zhang Kaixin, Male, Baicheng, Peking University Affiliated High School, Total Score (104.8 points)

“

3. Shi Jiayu, Male, Bashu, Bashu Nankai High School, Total Score (104.5 points)

“

8. Lu Tianrui, Male, Xiangnan Province, Star City No. 1 High School, Third Year, Total Score (99.98 points)

“

Second Prize (Silver Medal)

“

1. Zhang Zhou, Male, Brightmoon City, Brightmoon No. 1 High School, Second Year, Total Score (74.98 points)

“

2. Liu Yifan, Female, Hubei Province, Huanggang High School, Second Year, Total Score (74.86 points)

“

3. …

“

Third Prize (Bronze Medal)

“

1. …

“

At nine o’clock sharp, the Mathematical Society’s official website published the test scores for the 30th National High School Mathematics Winter Camp, along with the lists for the National First, Second, and Third Prizes, and the Math Olympiad National Training Team.

“

As was tradition, the award winners were ranked from highest to lowest score.

“

And so, the first name that met everyone’s eyes was Xu Chuan’s.

“

Moreover, he was the only one in this year’s competition with a perfect score.

“

“Brother Chuan is awesome! Another perfect score!”

“

“Holy shit! The only perfect score! You’re incredible, Brother Chuan!”

“

“So consistent, Brother Chuan. You haven’t lost a single point since joining the Math Olympiad!”

“

“Who deducted 0.2 points from me? How did my one hundred points just disappear like that?! I hate this!”

“

As the results refreshed, the intensive training room erupted with noise.

“

The wails of the round-faced student mingled with the praise from other teammates. When it came to Xu Chuan, the other contestants on the Xiangnan Math Olympiad team felt only admiration, no jealousy or hatred.

“

When you could only score seventy or eighty points on every intensive training test and mock exam, but there was one person who consistently got a perfect score, you eventually became numb to it.

“

This was probably the legendary scenario where someone scores one hundred because the maximum score is one hundred, while you score ninety-eight because your ability is only worth ninety-eight.

“

Xu Chuan was also very happy, because he had made it into the National Training Team.

“

All that remained was to wait until March of next year, put in one more burst of effort, and get into the National Team.

“

Once he was on the National Team, he would be just one step away from what he wanted to do.

“

It was now the end of 2014. There were still over two years until the end of that information war in 2017. If he could help the Motherland decipher the enemy’s mathematical patterns ahead of time, Xu Chuan didn’t know how many national interests could be saved.

“

But no matter how small the contribution, it was worth doing.

“

Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the initiative to approach them; he could only wait passively for the higher-ups to find him.

“

Matters related to information security were always a country’s core secret. If he went to them ahead of time, he wouldn’t be able to explain how he knew about it.

“

Rebirth was too fantastic a story, and he wasn’t the future scientist at the pinnacle of physics yet, just a high school student.

“

“Soon. I just have to wait a little longer,” Xu Chuan muttered to himself, staring at the award list on his phone.

“

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, you have to treat us!”

“

“Yeah, the only perfect score! That’s worth a celebratory meal!”

“

“Treat us to hotpot!”

“

“I want to eat spicy rabbit heads. I didn’t dare try them before the exam.”

“

In the classroom, after the initial excitement over the award list died down, a chorus of requests for a treat rose from the crowd.

“

Xu Chuan smiled. “Alright, for dinner, I’ll treat you all to hotpot at the food street next door!”

“

“Brother Chuan is the man!”

“

“Yay!”

“

“I love it, I love it!”

“

“Spicy bunnies, here I come!”

“

“Bunnies are so cute, why would you eat them?”

“

“Ugh! Why are you sounding so Chuan-like?”

“

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. This would probably be an embarrassing story that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“

He made up his mind. Tonight’s hotpot would be the nine-palace grid! Extra numbing, extra spicy—a fight to the death!

“

Bring it on! Let’s hurt each other!

“

With the closing ceremony over and the award and National Training Team lists announced, the contestants from each province returned home.

“

On the high-speed train back to Xingcheng, most of the students from the Xiangnan Math Olympiad team were sitting in strange postures.

“

Xu Chuan hadn’t actually ordered an extra numbing and extra spicy hotpot, but the hotpot in the Bashu region packed a punch. Even the normal broth was more than the average person could handle.

“

And since the Math Olympiad National Finals had ended perfectly, everyone was a bit wild after being relieved of the immense pressure. Xu Chuan hadn’t ordered anything extremely spicy, but this group of daredevils ordered the spiciest of everything.

“

The result was the sorry state they were all in on the high-speed train today.

“

After a journey of six or seven hours, everyone finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“

The familiar large red banners welcomed them, and bright congratulations were hung at the school gate and the entrance to the teaching building. There were quite a few students watching, but after his experience with the Physics Olympiad, Xu Chuan was much calmer.

“

Back in his classroom, he hadn’t even warmed his seat before Tang Gaoyuan called him over.

“

“You got a perfect score in the Math Olympiad Winter Camp this time and got into the National Training Team?”

“

In his office, Tang Gaoyuan stared at Xu Chuan, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.

“

Even though he had heard the news yesterday, he still found it hard to believe. How did he get into the Math Olympiad National Training Team?

“

The only perfect score in the CMO this year, beating the second place by more than twenty points. How was that possible? How on earth did he do it?

Tang Gaoyuan looked suspiciously at Xu Chuan. When had this kid’s math ability become so strong?

Before he had gone to participate in the Math Olympiad, he was at best at a level that could get him into the Provincial Team, and even that wasn’t a guarantee.

“

After a short period of intensive training with the Math Olympiad team, he had actually gotten a perfect score in the CMO?

“

Could that old fellow Song Kaiji have been right? Was this kid really a math genius?

“

Xu Chuan nodded and grunted in affirmation.

“

Tang Gaoyuan stared at Xu Chuan for a long time, then asked tentatively, “You’re not thinking of majoring in math, are you?”

“

He felt a bit weary. He had worked so hard to guide Xu Chuan down the path of physics, only for a problem to crop up right before university.

“

He was so tired. If Xu Chuan went to study math, what would happen to physics?

“

Xu Chuan nodded, then shook his head. “I want to, but Teacher, please rest assured. I will never give up on physics. It will always be my foundation and my first choice.”

“

Hearing this, Tang Gaoyuan was stunned for a moment. After a while, he said, “You certainly are honest. You wouldn’t even lie to me a little.”

“

Shaking his head, he sighed, “Forget it, forget it. You’re a very talented kid, and you have your own ideas. I can’t and won’t stop you from studying what you want, but there’s something I still have to tell you.”

Chapter 34: Information Security

“Please, Teacher, go ahead,” Xu Chuan said respectfully.

“You have a great gift. In all my years of teaching, I can say you are the best I have ever seen. But you also know that a person’s energy is ultimately limited. Whether it’s physics or mathematics, whichever you choose in the future, I suggest you pick only one to study in depth.”

“Sometimes, trying to do two things at once means you accomplish neither.”

Tang Gaoyuan spoke slowly. There was little knowledge left that he could teach this student.

But he could still pass on some of his experience in life and work.

He was a little worried that Xu Chuan, being so young, would want to pursue both math and physics, thus wasting his time and his talent.

He had seen such cases before.

In his many years of teaching, he had met plenty of talented students. Such students always had high aspirations and didn’t necessarily listen to their teachers’ advice. Most of them ended up knowing a little about everything but mastering nothing.

Although there were a few rare individuals who blossomed in multiple different fields, like the polymath Terence Tao, such people were ultimately in the minority.

And even Terence Tao primarily focused his efforts in the field of mathematics.

Tang Gaoyuan sincerely hoped this student before him could go further on the path of academics. He had the talent and, more importantly, the diligence required to walk this path.

“I will remember your guidance, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan nodded, accepting the advice earnestly.

He had actually heard these words in his previous life, also from Old Tang, though it had been after the college entrance exams.

“Good. You may go. Also, keep an eye on the status of the paper you submitted.”

Tang Gaoyuan added, “Or you could just give me your email account and password. I can check on it for you.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and didn’t refuse Teacher Tang’s kind offer. He wrote down his email username and password on a piece of paper.

It was quite difficult to access the foreign internet at school. In all of Star City No. 1 High School, there were probably only a few computers that could do so.

With the Math and Physics Olympiads over, some of the competition students returned to their regular studies, while others continued with intensive training.

The International Olympiads were just one type among many competitions. Besides world-class Olympiads like the IPhO and IMO, there were also competitions for various continents, regions, and countries.

For example, the Asian International Mathematical Olympiad Open and the Chinese Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad were also goals for some of the competition students.

However, Xu Chuan did not participate in these.

His purpose for competing was never to get a better ranking to enter a better university. The IMO was for the Information Security War, and the IPhO was to make up for the regret of not winning the Absolute Winner award in his past life.

These two competitions were enough.

So, after participating in the CMO and CPhO and securing his qualification for the National Training Teams for both math and physics, he, like some of the other competition students, returned to his normal academic life.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed. It was late January, just a few days before the start of the high school students’ winter break.

By the Gregorian calendar, 2014 was already over; it was now 2015.

But China had its own calendar, and it was still the year 2014. In another half-month, the entire country would welcome the arrival of another new year.

The festive spirit of the Lunar New Year was gradually building.

Households began to buy goods for the new year, preparing for the Spring Festival reunion.

But amid these joyous days, in certain unseen corners, dark things were unfolding.

Brightmoon City.

This was the most prosperous city in China, a gateway for the country to the rest of the world. Countless people strived to build their futures here.

But at the same time, they could be white-collar workers in some residential complex busy with a 996 schedule, girls in a street-side hair salon, tourists, or even certain online provocateurs.

Within the campus of Riyue University in Brightmoon City’s Hongkou District was the station for the Brightmoon City Information Security Department. It utilized the university’s supercomputer and supercomputing center, along with elite mathematicians and decryption experts from all over, to decipher all sorts of intercepted information.

Perhaps because they knew the Chinese were about to celebrate the Spring Festival, or perhaps because of an important operation on the horizon, the frequency of information transmission and infiltration activities from the US had been increasing since late January.

“Academician Zhang, these are the sixty-four encrypted messages intercepted today.”

A staff member handed a USB drive and a stack of documents to a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses.

“Mm, just put them there. I’ll arrange for people to decrypt them right away.”

Zhang Weiping took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression weary.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll be waiting outside the door. Please call me if you need anything.”

The staff member placed the items on the desk and gently closed the laboratory door on his way out.

“Everyone, we’ve got work to do.”

Rubbing his sore eyes, Zhang Weiping put his glasses back on and clapped his hands, waking the other mathematicians who were resting in the lab.

A dozen or so math professors and decryption experts got up, took their respective documents, and got busy.

One by one, the encrypted communications were steadily decrypted by these experts and sent out.

After nearly six long hours of work, all sixty-four encrypted messages were finally deciphered.

Having finished his work, a middle-aged man picked up the thermos on his desk, took a sip of warm tea, and walked over to Zhang Weiping’s side.

“Old Zhang, we can’t go on like this. We’ll be worn down sooner or later.”

“I know, I know. But there’s nothing we can do for now. We can only rely on manual decryption.”

Zhang Weiping rubbed his temples and continued with a sense of helplessness.

“They switched to a brand-new encryption algorithm again today. We simply don’t have enough time to build a mathematical model.”

“But this is just a waste of our energy! Look at the crap we decrypted today!”

A middle-aged professor swore angrily, picking up a decrypted card. On it was written:

“It actually snowed in San Diego today. And that damn game killed off another character.”

“This job is so boring. Why do I have to walk the dog?”

“My cat spilled coffee on my keyboard today. The ‘e’ key is broken. My happiness is gone.”

“Oh, my God, I really want to kick the asses of those Blizzard developers. This stupid game has so many bugs.”

Chapter 35: Shadows Under the Light

Looking at the neat little card, Zhang Weiping gave a wry smile. There was nothing he could do.

In this information war, they were undoubtedly at a disadvantage.

A day like today, where the decrypted communications turned out to be nothing but junk, was just another ordinary, unremarkable day in a long line of them over the past few months.

Although they could occasionally decipher some useful information, it was often too late relative to the speed of the other side’s actions.

Take today, for instance. They had intercepted over sixty encrypted messages in total, and it had taken them more than six hours to decipher them all.

Over six hours. Whatever the other side wanted to do, they would have already done it by now.

Zhang Weiping knew the other side must have a mathematical program that could encrypt and decrypt these messages through hardware, but they didn’t. For now, they could only rely on manual decryption.

It was better at first. Some of the intercepted and decrypted information was timely enough to help the higher-ups catch a few rats.

But within a few days, the other side realized their encrypted communications had been intercepted and then started playing dirty.

All sorts of useless information began to be transmitted in large quantities, but cleverly interspersed among them were one or two pieces of valuable intelligence.

No one dared to gamble on whether the day’s batch of intercepted messages contained anything useful, so they had no choice but to decrypt them one by one.

And as the other side’s activities expanded, the volume of encrypted communications grew, and the time they needed for decryption increased accordingly.

By the time the intelligence was deciphered, the event had often already taken place.

It was a cat-and-mouse game, only they were the mice, being mercilessly toyed with by the other side.

Time and time again, it was enough to affect anyone’s state of mind.

“We need more samples. We need more math professors and math geniuses to help us find more mathematical patterns and design a mathematical model.”

In the lab, a slightly younger math professor spoke up.

Zhang Weiping shook his head. “We’ve tested before. Not many people can decrypt an encrypted message in a short amount of time. Many of them don’t specialize in functions and algorithms.”

“Besides, we can’t pull too many math professors and talents right now. After all, everyone has their own tasks and research projects. So, the people we have are all we can use.”

“Sigh.”

The person who had asked the question sighed and fell silent.

“We need to cultivate a group of mathematicians in this field. Information security is too important for a country,” someone couldn’t help but say.

“What do you mean, ‘need’? The country’s universities produce so many math students every year. Tsinghua and Peking University alone have over a thousand annually. But you have to be able to keep…”

Someone started to argue, but he only got halfway through his sentence before he seemed to realize something and instantly shut his mouth.

With that, the entire laboratory fell silent.

It was true that China didn’t lack math geniuses. That was certain. With a population of over a billion, even if a genius emerged from one in ten thousand people, that would still produce over a hundred thousand mathematicians.

But right now, there weren’t many top-tier mathematicians and math geniuses who had remained in the country.

Just as the man had said, those two top universities alone could produce over a thousand math geniuses each year.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of those who could continue down the path of mathematics went abroad, with less than one percent ever returning.

Of course, everyone’s destiny is in their own hands. People have different ideas and pursue different things, so they couldn’t be blamed for their choices.

Sometimes, money isn’t everything, but at the very least, you have to ensure these talents don’t have to worry about it.

Zhang Weiping shook his head, pushing some of these thoughts from his mind.

However, speaking of cultivating talent, an image of a certain figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

“That student who got a perfect score in last year’s Math Olympiad National Finals.”

After last year’s Math Olympiad National Finals, Zhang Weiping had looked up the file of the student who had snatched a perfect score from under his nose and cost him two months’ salary and his bonus in a bet.

He had discovered that this student, Xu Chuan, was a true genius. No, perhaps ‘monstrously skilled’ was a more fitting description.

At least, he had never seen such a badass high school student before.

Participating in both the CPHO and the IMO, taking first place in both competitions—and not just first, but beating the second-place contestants by several dozen points in each. It was simply outrageous.

In this year’s Physics Olympiad, if he hadn’t lost a point on the practical experiment, he would have gotten a perfect score, just like in the Math Olympiad.

He had seen plenty of students get perfect scores in the Math Olympiad, but to simultaneously achieve a near-perfect score in the Physics Olympiad… since the inception of these two competitions, Xu Chuan was the very first.

To be precise, this freak was originally a physics student and only started competing in the Math Olympiad this year.

The Math Olympiad was just a side thing for him, something he probably took up because he found it interesting.

“Perhaps we can change our approach. We could break down these encrypted message problems and insert parts of them into the Math Olympiad National Training Team camp, domestic university modeling competitions, and the University Student Mathematics Competition.”

Zhang Weiping pondered, considering the feasibility of this method.

For an ordinary high school or university student, solving a problem based on a pattern used for mathematical encryption would be as difficult as climbing to the heavens. But if they broke it down and presented the pieces to this group of students who could make it to the Math Olympiad finals and modeling competitions, there was a chance.

At the very least, it should be no problem for the freak who had cost him two months of salary and his bonus.

On one hand, it could cultivate mathematical talent in the areas of functions and algorithms.

On the other hand, it could also help collect some mathematical patterns and information, which could provide some basic data for their own mathematical modeling efforts.

Chapter 36: Going Home for the New Year

Zhang Weiping had never given up on building a mathematical model for this information security task, to decrypt the other party’s encrypted messages.

Because both functions and algorithms had countless variations, relying solely on manual decryption and calculation was far from enough.

With information, timeliness was paramount.

Especially in the current situation, if the encrypted messages couldn’t be deciphered in time, they would lose most of their value.

Because even if they were decrypted later, the other party’s activities and information transmissions would have long been over.

But creating a mathematical model for an unknown mathematical pattern was not so easy.

To build a model, one first had to understand the practical context of the problem, clarify the modeling objective, gather all necessary information, and do one’s best to understand the object’s characteristics.

Then, based on the object’s characteristics and the modeling objective, one had to make necessary and reasonable simplifications to the problem and formulate hypotheses in precise language.

Next, based on the formulated hypotheses, one had to analyze the object’s causal relationships, and using its intrinsic laws and appropriate mathematical tools, construct equations or other mathematical structures between the various quantities.

It was difficult enough to create a mathematical model for an ordinary problem, let alone for encryption methods specially designed by the United States.

They needed more information and data.

And just as his colleague had said, cultivating a group of mathematicians specializing in information security was essential for a major nation.

The twenty-first century had long since entered the information age, and the importance of various algorithms and encryption programs for information security was beyond doubt.

“However, putting these problems on functions and algorithms, which were parsed from the encrypted messages, into the training for the Math Olympiad National Training Team or modeling competitions would affect the training’s effectiveness.”

At this thought, Zhang Weiping frowned slightly.

Whether it was the Mathematical Olympiad or modeling competitions, the ultimate goal for students participating in these contests was to achieve a good ranking in these world-class competitions, thereby getting an opportunity to study on a higher platform.

He couldn’t jeopardize these students’ futures for the sake of deciphering information.

“It seems this plan won’t work.”

Zhang Weiping shook his head, temporarily setting aside the idea in his mind, and prepared to pack up his materials and leave.

A math professor beside him noticed him staring blankly for a long time and curiously asked what was wrong.

Zhang Weiping explained his idea, and the professor looked at him in surprise.

“Hah, I was wondering what the big deal was. Why don’t you just extend the training period for the National Training Team and the modeling competitions?”

Zhang Weiping was taken aback for a moment, then slapped his hand. “Why didn’t I think of that? This method is completely feasible.”

The intensive training for the Mathematical Olympiad’s National Training Team was generally held in March each year.

Hosted by the Mathematical Society’s Olympiad Committee, the training lasted for fifteen days, or half a month.

In half a month, two rounds of selections would take place, turning the original sixty training candidates into a six-member National Team, who would then be trained to participate in the IMO competition.

The benefit of this arrangement was that it wouldn’t delay other students from taking the college entrance exams.

Because in addition to the National Training Team members’ training, the annual National Training Team camp, like the Golden Autumn Camps of the two top universities, actually allowed for self-paid, open registration.

The registration requirement was set at a National Second Prize in the annual Math Olympiad National Finals, and a certain training fee was required.

After all, with room and board centrally managed by the Mathematical Society’s Olympiad Committee, money was still needed.

Although a fee was required, this was an excellent opportunity for those competition students who hadn’t made it into the National Training Team.

If they achieved outstanding results in the National Training Team’s training and exams, they might also be noticed and admitted by top universities, and they could also get bonus points on their college entrance exams.

For those students who had devoted themselves to competitions but faltered in the exam, this was a so-called resurrection match.

As for the sixty training candidates, they did not have to pay any fees; the Mathematical Society covered their costs.

So, extending the National Training Team’s training period was indeed a feasible plan.

However, he needed to consider and calculate how long the extension should be so as not to affect the training’s effectiveness.

Xingcheng, No. 1 High School.

The once bustling campus had been a bit quiet and deserted for the past two days. The first and second-year students had already left, with only the third-year students still holding on.

But today was the very last day.

As soon as each homeroom teacher had finished announcing the holiday arrangements, cheers erupted in the classrooms.

A rushing torrent of students, backpacks on, stormed towards their respective dormitories. Xu Chuan was no exception; he hadn’t been home in nearly half a year.

He packed his clothes and books, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and, pulling a black suitcase, boarded a bus to Yue County.

After a bumpy ride that took nearly three hours, the bus finally stopped on the side of the national highway.

Xu Chuan got off the bus and looked at the newly built cement road at the entrance to the village, his heart filled with excitement, but also a little apprehension.

The familiar buildings and farmland along the cement road seemed unchanged, exactly as he remembered them.

Dragging his suitcase, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and set foot on the road home.

Along the way, villagers who were busy preparing for the New Year or sunning themselves at their doorways greeted him from time to time, laughingly asking if the future university student was back.

Xu Chuan responded to each of them. Before long, he had arrived at his front door.

On the familiar cement courtyard, a middle-aged woman was squatting by the well, busy with something. As if sensing his presence, she looked up and around, her face breaking into a joyful surprise.

“Chuan’er!” The woman stood up in delight, wiping the water from her hands on her clothes, a look of astonished joy appearing in her eyes.

“Mom, I’m home!”

Xu Chuan called out, tears welling up in his eyes. After several years, he was finally seeing his parents again, standing before them in the flesh once more.

“You child, why didn’t you call ahead before coming back?”

Wu Lian complained happily, snatching the handle of the suitcase from Xu Chuan’s hand without another word. She turned towards the somewhat old, two-story red-brick house and shouted, “Old Xu! Old Xu! Hurry up and go buy a fish and a pork knuckle! Your son is back.”

“Huh? Chuan’er’s back?”

On the second-floor balcony, Xu Jianguo’s head popped out. He looked over, pleasantly surprised, with specks of sawdust still in his hair, as if he had been fixing something.

“Dad.”

Xu Chuan looked up and called out, receiving an immediate response. At the same time, another small head appeared on the balcony.

“Brother, you’re back!”

Xu Xiao poked her little head out from the balcony and shouted excitedly, followed by the sound of thumping footsteps coming down the stairs. She rushed over and hugged Xu Chuan’s arm.

“How long have you been on break, Xiaoxiao?” Xu Chuan smiled and patted his little sister’s head. The little shadow who had always stuck to his heels as a child had also grown up.

“Almost ten days! Brother, you’ve gotten so much taller! Did you take hormones?”

Xu Xiao looked up at Xu Chuan, who was now almost a full head taller than her. Her round eyes widened, finding it a bit incredible.

The last time they met, the height difference between them hadn’t been nearly this large.

Chapter 37: The Paper Is Published

“You silly child, what are you saying about your brother?”

Just then, Xu Jianguo also came downstairs. Hearing her words, he couldn’t help but tap Xu Xiao on her little head before turning to Xu Chuan with a smile.

“Mm, you’ve definitely gotten taller and stronger.”

Looking at Xu Chuan, who was now almost as tall as he was, Xu Jianguo nodded in satisfaction. The boy had always been thin and frail growing up. No matter what the family tried to feed him to bulk him up, he never seemed to gain weight. He didn’t expect him to come back looking so much sturdier.

Xu Chuan smiled and pinched Xu Xiao’s cheeks, which still held a bit of baby fat. He was now running several kilometers every day, and since it was a prime time for a growth spurt, he was naturally shooting up.

“Brother, my teacher said you got a perfect score in both the Math and Physics Olympiads! Did you get any prize money?” Xu Xiao asked curiously, wriggling free from Xu Chuan’s mischievous hand.

“Hmm? How did you know?”

Xu Chuan was a little surprised. Although he had called home many times since his rebirth, he had never mentioned the competitions.

“Of course! My teacher uses you as an example to lecture us. And right now, the school even has banners up about you,” Xu Xiao said excitedly.

“Also, also, our homeroom teacher said that when you come back, he wants to invite you to give a speech to our class.”

Xu Chuan felt a bit sheepish. It was just two National First Prizes, right? What was this about banners being hung up at the middle school?

Dinner was quite sumptuous and lively. The joy of a long-awaited reunion filled the small home, with villagers and neighbors occasionally dropping by to visit.

The first student from their small town to be directly admitted to a school in the provincial capital—in the eyes of all the folks in the small village, he was a guaranteed university student.

Although university students weren’t as rare as they used to be, a student who could get into Tsinghua University or Peking University was still a great rarity in the entire county; you’d be lucky to see one in a decade.

A few years ago, a student from the neighboring township who got into Tsinghua University was even rewarded with one hundred thousand yuan by the county.

Their own kids’ education cost money, while other people’s kids’ education made money.

It was truly enviable.

The days passed leisurely. After a series of New Year’s traditions—celebrating the festival, honoring ancestors, and visiting relatives—it was soon time for school to start again.

“Brother, I have my high school entrance exams this year. In the second half of the year, I’ll be able to come find you in Xingcheng! Aren’t you happy?”

As they were parting, Xu Xiao asked with a wide grin, holding Xu Chuan’s backpack for him.

Xu Chuan chuckled, unable to resist shattering her fantasy. “This fall, your brother is heading to university, so I probably won’t be in Xingcheng anymore.”

Hearing this, the little girl was stunned. She hadn’t thought of that.

“Keep up the good work. University is four years long, and then there’s a master’s and a PhD after that. I’ll be waiting for you in university!”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, ruffling Xu Xiao’s hair until it looked like a bird’s nest.

Xu Xiao wrinkled her little nose and huffed, as if to say, don’t look down on me.

Xu Chuan smiled. “When you get into high school, your big brother will personally get you a phone and a computer. You can pick whatever brand you want.”

“Really?”

Xu Xiao’s bright eyes widened as she looked at Xu Chuan expectantly, starting to act cute.

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “When have I ever lied to you?”

“You’re the best, big bro! Love you! Muah!”

Xu Xiao jumped for joy and leaned over to plant a kiss on Xu Chuan’s cheek.

Xu Chuan shook his head, not minding it.

By the side of the national highway, the bus to Xingcheng arrived. After bidding his family farewell, Xu Chuan set off for Xingcheng once more.

Life at home was peaceful and comfortable, but he had more things to do.

The second semester of the third year of high school officially began, and the quiet campus was bustling with life again.

Xu Chuan went to the academic building to find Tang Gaoyuan, wished him a happy belated New Year, and handed him some cured meat he had brought from home.

Old Tang accepted it with a chuckle. He probably wouldn’t have taken it from any other student, but this was a student he could still show off.

Besides, he had good news for Xu Chuan.

Pulling out an all-English journal from his drawer, Old Tang handed it over with a smile. “Your research paper passed review and has been published. It’s on page nineteen.”

“That fast?” Xu Chuan was a little surprised.

“It was actually published last month, but it was the New Year holiday, so I didn’t get the news.”

Old Tang said with a smile. He had never submitted to Advances in Physics before, so he wasn’t very clear on their efficiency and assumed it was normal.

Hearing Old Tang say this, Xu Chuan was even more astonished. Since when was Advances in Physics in Western Europe this efficient?

He remembered sending back the Copyright Authorization Agreement at the end of October, right?

It was only early February now. All in all, that was just three months. If it was published last month, it meant the paper passed the final review within two months. Even if his paper didn’t need any revisions, that was still a bit too fast.

Xu Chuan took the journal from Old Tang and flipped through it. Although it wasn’t in Chinese, reading an English journal was no problem for him.

On page nineteen of the journal, his previously submitted paper was indeed published, taking up four pages.

An Optimal Solution Method for Calculating the Functional Relationship Between the Typical Distance l and the Particle Number Density n in the Bose-Einstein Condensate Phenomenon!

Advances in Physics had modified the original title. What was originally A Calculation Method for the Functional Relationship Between the Typical Distance l and the Particle Number Density n in the Bose-Einstein Condensate Phenomenon had been changed to “Optimal Solution Method,” and they had even added an exclamation mark.

This was a considerably high evaluation, which surprised even Xu Chuan.

It was actually quite rare for a review editor to help revise a paper. In most cases, a journal’s review editor would not touch a contributor’s paper.

If they had any suggestions, they would usually note them and send the feedback back for the contributor to make the revisions themselves.

A review editor unilaterally modifying a paper’s content could lead to copyright and academic disputes.

Of course, changing an adjective in the title like this was not a problem. On the contrary, for the contributor, such wording was a rather high compliment.

Inside the journal, it wasn’t just the title. Professor Karl Elvis William, who reviewed the paper, expressed his high praise for it in no uncertain terms.

He considered it the best currently available method for calculating the functional relationship between the typical distance l and the particle number density n in the Bose-Einstein condensate phenomenon.

Although Xu Chuan didn’t know this Professor Karl Elvis William, he still quite enjoyed the praise.

After all, who doesn’t like being complimented?

Chapter 38: The Math Olympiad National Training Team, Brought Forward by a Month

Xu Chuan was quite pleased that his first research paper since his rebirth had been successfully published in a journal.

“Teacher Tang, could I take this journal home for a couple of days? I’ll bring it back.”

He asked Tang Gaoyuan after browsing through the journal, on which he had spotted a few interesting things.

“Take it. It’s just one journal. I have a whole pile more here. You can come and get one whenever you want.”

Tang Gaoyuan waved his hand, pointing to a stack of various journals and documents in the corner.

Star City No. 1 High School was a top-tier, famous school in Xiangnan. Although it was just a high school, it subscribed to numerous journals every year. Publications like Nature and various physics journals were standard subscriptions. After all, the school had quite a few top-tier teachers, some of whom had their own research projects. This was considered one of the perks the school provided for its teachers.

However, very few people actually read these materials, so most of them were piled up in storage rooms and offices.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan expressed his thanks and got up to leave with the journal. But before he could get far, someone called out to him.

“Hey, Xu Chuan, wait up. I need to talk to you.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan stopped and turned to see Gong Rihui, the lead teacher for the Math Olympiad.

“Teacher Gong.”

Xu Chuan stopped and greeted him.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Gong Rihui smiled as he walked over quickly, continuing, “We’ve received a notice from the Mathematical Society. This year’s National Training Team will begin its intensive training a month early, on March first. It will be held at the Binjiang Campus of Yuhang No. 2 High School.”

“And the duration has been extended by ten days. The training will run from March first to March twenty-fifth.”

Xu Chuan nodded. The length of the intensive training didn’t matter much to him; the college entrance exams weren’t a problem for him anyway.

“No, wait. It does matter.”

Suddenly, he remembered the Physics Olympiad National Training Team.

This year’s Math Olympiad training was earlier and longer, clashing with the Physics Olympiad training.

Xu Chuan recalled that the 2015 Physics Olympiad National Training Team was scheduled to train from March first to March fifteenth, also for half a month.

As for the Math Olympiad National Training Team, he had previously looked it up and found that it usually started around March fifteenth and ran until the end of March.

Originally, he would have been able to attend the entirety of both, but now, the training periods for the Physics and Math Olympiad national teams clashed.

This gave Xu Chuan a bit of a headache. Why had the Math Olympiad training been moved up so suddenly this year?

Thinking for a moment, he said, “Teacher Gong, I also have to attend the Physics Olympiad National Training Team this March. There’s going to be a time conflict.”

Hearing this, Gong Rihui was taken aback and also felt a headache coming on.

This kid wasn’t originally a math student; his primary focus was physics. Participating in the IPhO had been his original goal.

Moreover, he had participated in the Physics Olympiad for three years and had already won a gold medal at the IPhO last year. His results were outstanding.

No one had expected that after participating in the Math Olympiad just once last year, he would go straight to winning a National First Prize and also achieve the only perfect score in last year’s CMO Winter Camp.

With such an achievement, his entry into the Math Olympiad National Training Team was a certainty.

But he was no slouch in physics either. In last year’s CPHO National Finals, he was just one point shy of a perfect score, still beating the second-place contestant by several dozen points. His entry into the Physics Olympiad training team was also a given.

But he had made it into both national training teams, and this year, their schedules clashed. This was a bit awkward.

If he came to the Math Olympiad training, a student who was practically guaranteed a gold medal this year based on his scores and performance might miss out on that medal because he attended the math camp. The physics side would be furious.

But if he didn’t come to the math camp and went to the physics one instead, Gong Rihui wouldn’t be able to accept it.

On what grounds?

It was true that he had a talent for physics, but his talent for mathematics was just as impressive, perhaps even more so.

This kid had participated in the Math Olympiad for the first time last year. To be able to achieve the only perfect score in the CMO after just a few months of study meant that with proper training, he had a high chance of winning a gold medal at the IMO this year as well.

After all, the difficulty of the CMO exam had always been benchmarked against the IMO.

Based on past experience, anyone who could win a National First Prize in the CMO would not perform poorly at the IMO.

What a headache.

“This is a bit tricky for you.”

Gong Rihui was also troubled, not because of Xu Chuan’s ability, but because being in two training teams at once was a situation that pleased neither side.

It wasn’t that no one had ever been selected for both the math and physics national training teams before. At the time, everyone had high hopes, wishing they could win medals at both the IMO and the IPhO. But the results had been deeply disappointing.

Several students before who were selected for both the math and physics national training teams had all suffered crushing defeats. Not a single one had won a medal in either the Math Olympiad or the Physics Olympiad.

Being selected for both the math and physics national training teams was like a “curse” on the students.

But this was normal and understandable.

After all, a person’s energy is finite, and mathematics and physics have always been the top two most difficult subjects in their respective competitions, with a considerable gap between them.

If you focused on one, you would naturally have little energy left for the other.

Therefore, the instructors for both the Math and Physics Olympiad national training teams were not fond of having half-hearted students on their teams.

On the other hand, the Math Olympiad and the Informatics Olympiad were somewhat complementary. There were a number of students who joined the national training teams for both, and some had even won medals.

“What are you thinking? Will you shuttle between both camps like you did for the provincial training, or will you focus on one subject?”

After pondering for a long time, Gong Rihui couldn’t come up with a good solution and could only ask for Xu Chuan’s own thoughts.

“I’ll go to both,” Xu Chuan said after a moment of thought, laying out his plan. “I’ll go to the Math Olympiad camp for the first week, the Physics Olympiad for the second week, and then back to the Math Olympiad for the third week.”

This was probably the most suitable arrangement.

Compared to physics, he had indeed participated in the Math Olympiad less, so it was normal to spend a little more time on it. Although the instructors for the Physics Olympiad National Training Team might have objections, he was confident he could handle it.

After all, he had been in the national training team last year and knew the personalities of the teachers.

“The teachers on both sides might have some objections to that,” Gong Rihui said with a smile. “You’ll have to show them your true abilities to win over those old-timers.”

Gong Rihui had no doubt about Xu Chuan’s abilities in math and physics. As long as he maintained his current level, he was highly likely to win medals at both the IMO and the IPhO.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He wasn’t sure about the personalities of the math training instructors, but he knew the physics national team well: strength reigned supreme. As long as you had enough skill, everything was negotiable.

However, he had another problem.

The Math Olympiad National Training Team was at the Binjiang Campus of Yuhang No. 2 High School, while the Physics Olympiad National Training Team was at the High School Affiliated to Sanjiang Normal University in Qinhuai.

The two locations weren’t in the same city, so he’d have to travel back and forth by high-speed rail.

Fortunately, the two cities weren’t too far apart; it was only an hour or so by high-speed rail.

It would have been a real pain if the math camp was in Yuhang and the physics camp was in Beimo. That would have meant several long hours even by plane.

Chapter 39: The Ultra-High-Intensity National Training

Yuhang, Mingsheng Lake. Xu Chuan gazed out at the turquoise water.

The placid surface of the lake was like a jade-inlaid mirror, reflecting the sky, the clouds, the bridges, and the people.

In the early spring of March, a hint of chill still clung to Mingsheng Lake, but the willows by its shore had already sprouted new buds, revealing a touch of tender green. It was just as the ancient poem described: ‘Delicate willows weave misty threads with ease, while green screens struggle to hold a bird’s fleeting shadow.’

This was Xu Chuan’s first time visiting West Lake. There weren’t many tourists at this time of year, but the picturesque scenery was enough to cleanse the soul.

The budding willow branches and the view of the Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon formed a landscape where the beauty of the celestial realm met the liveliness of the mortal world.

However, he didn’t get to enjoy it for long before someone nearby shattered the tranquility.

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, just how gutsy do you think Xu Xian was? He actually dared to get involved with a snake.”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, do you think Fahai was in love with Lady White Snake? Why else would he imprison her for so long?”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, the girls from Suzhou and Hangzhou aren’t afraid of the cold, huh? It’s only early March and they’re already wearing skirts with bare legs.”

“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, do you think this lake is deep? Deep enough to drown someone?”

“…”

The New Year had come and gone, but the round-faced Lu Tianrui hadn’t changed a bit. He was still a walking Book of a Hundred Thousand Whys.

Unlike their last trip to Bashu, the other members of the National Training Team were with them this time, and some of the round-faced boy’s questions sparked a heated discussion.

“Xu Xian is nothing. Ning Caichen was the true warrior.”

“Fahai was in love with Xiao Qing!”

“The hell he was in love with Xiao Qing! He was in love with Xu Xian. He only imprisoned Lady White Snake so he could be an inseparable pair with Xu Xian.”

“You can’t just say that. Fahai would say: I want them all!”

“Fahai imprisoned Lady White Snake for twenty years. Twenty years! He should have finished all his business by then, right?”

“Poor Xu Xian… Twenty years. His kid would be at least eighteen by now…”

“…”

Xu Chuan glanced at the group. Xu Xian and Ning Caichen were nothing. Sun Wukong’s dad was the real badass.

After touring Mingsheng Lake, the group returned to Yuhang No. 2 Middle School.

For students in the National Training Team, leisure time was a rare luxury. Unlike the provincial or school teams, the National Training Team covered a vast amount of material every day, reviewing the entire high school curriculum from start to finish.

Throughout this process, they were tested on every topic to gradually weed out participants and identify the strongest.

Simply put, they would have to do a test paper every evening for fifteen consecutive days, after which the six with the highest scores would be selected to form the National Team.

Although exceptions were sometimes made, this was the general process for selecting the National Team from the training camp.

The next day, at eight in the morning, the sixty members of the Math Olympiad Intensive Training Team gathered for the first time in the Great Hall.

On the stage, Academician Zhang Weiping, a director of the Mathematical Society, looked down at the students. Their faces were still youthful, yet they carried the hopes of the future.

These sixty individuals were the elite, selected from nearly ten million exam participants. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would go on to shine in their respective fields, contributing their strength to mathematics and the nation.

But now, the moment that would decide their fate was only just beginning.

Clearing his throat, Zhang Weiping picked up the microphone from the table. “I am delighted to be sitting here with all of you today, and I am very happy to be leading this year’s Math Olympiad National Training Team.”

“Your talent and hard work, which have allowed you to stand out through numerous math competitions to be here today, are undoubtedly commendable.”

“But it’s not enough. It’s far from enough. Not everyone can join the National Team and represent our country. Over the next twenty-five days, the vast majority of you will be eliminated.”

“The remaining six will bear the mission of bringing glory to our country. This July, you will go into battle in the examination hall against the strongest students from other countries, fighting for those gold medals!”

“This is an honor, but it is also a responsibility.”

“The opportunity is before all of you, and it is fair to every one of you. But you must fight for it with your utmost effort.”

“Go for it, young people! You are the future of the Motherland! And please, let the Motherland see your future!”

After the brief speech, the tense and exciting Math Olympiad National Training officially began.

All sixty students gathered in a large classroom. A professor specializing in geometry stood at the lectern and began an intensive lecture on the subject.

Generally, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) covers four main areas: geometry, algebra, number theory, and combinatorics. Although probability questions sometimes appeared, all problems were within the scope of recognized secondary school mathematics.

For China, one or two professional coaches were assigned to provide instruction and reinforcement for each of these four categories.

This geometry instructor, Coach He, lectured for the entire morning.

From the end of the meeting at nine o’clock until eleven-forty, for over two and a half hours, he only gave the students a single ten-minute break to take care of their personal needs.

The rest of the time was spent explaining various concepts in geometry, starting from the very basics and steadily increasing in difficulty.

Professor He’s lecturing speed was incredibly fast; in a single morning, he had already covered nearly half of the specialized textbook.

It was reminiscent of the legendary Professor Qian’s teaching style back in the day.

Basically, his attitude was: I’ll teach my part, and I don’t care how much you can understand or absorb.

At eleven forty-five, the morning class ended, giving them an hour and a half for lunch and a short break. In the afternoon, a new geometry professor took over, testing and explaining the concepts Coach He had covered in the morning as a form of consolidation.

The intensity of the National Training was immense. You might call it cramming, but then in the afternoon, another teacher was there to help you review and solidify what you had learned.

But if you said it wasn’t cramming, the amount of material covered in a single day—no, a single morning—was equivalent to what would be taught in nearly half a semester of high school.

Knowledge that would normally take three months to learn was now being stuffed into your brain in a single day. This was more brutal than any boot camp.

On the very first afternoon, a student with a weaker constitution couldn’t handle this method of cramming knowledge into his brain—like force-feeding a Landes goose—and fainted. He was carried out by the medical staff who were on standby outside.

It wasn’t until six in the evening that the grueling training day finally ended. The mentally and physically exhausted students of the training team finally got to eat a hot meal.

Among the students from Xiangnan, aside from Xu Chuan, Lu Tianrui, and a few others who had attended the training camp last year, the rest were completely stunned.

These competitors, who had made it to the National Training Team for the first time, had never experienced training this intense. The school and provincial training camps weren’t even a third as demanding.

Although much of the geometry was familiar, trying to keep up with Professor He’s lecturing speed was just insanely difficult.

Chapter 40: National Training Team Test and Bonus Points

“

“

“Brother Chuan, is the training for the Physics Olympiad this intense too?”

“

“

In the cafeteria, the round-faced Lu Tianrui asked curiously as he shoveled food into his mouth.

“

“

He had been watching him all day, only to find that Xu Chuan seemed completely unfazed. It was as if the high-intensity training didn’t exist for him. Even during the afternoon review session, he could easily solve every single difficult problem.

“

“

Xu Chuan smiled. “The Physics Olympiad training isn’t as intense as the Math Olympiad. We often have to do experiments over there, so there’s more time to rest.”

“

“

“Then how come you seem totally fine? Is this intensity not enough for you?”

“

“

Lu Tianrui smacked his lips and asked.

“

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“It’s alright,” Xu Chuan replied. “It doesn’t feel that difficult. It’s a good chance to solidify some fundamental knowledge.”

“

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The training today was intense, but the geometry topics weren’t that advanced. In fact, they were rather basic.

“

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However, this method of teaching was exceptionally suitable for him.

“

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And in his opinion, this training method was actually quite good.

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For these competitive students who had made it to the National Training Team, they had all learned the basics before, but that didn’t mean they didn’t need to study them again.

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On the contrary, the more fundamental the knowledge, the more important it was.

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Just as all mathematics evolved from 1+1=2, so too did those basic formulas and knowledge. They were the beams and pathways for complex mathematical problems.

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All mathematical problems were solved by deducing and transforming them step by step.

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Hearing this, the corner of Lu Tianrui’s mouth twitched. He shot Xu Chuan a resentful look before burying his head in his food. He didn’t want to talk anymore; he’d been crushed again.

“

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I never should have asked this freak!

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After dinner, it was the so-called test time.

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One test paper, three problems, two hours. The papers would be collected promptly when time was up. The content of the test was based on the concepts explained that day.

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The score on this test would be one of the key factors in determining whether a National Training Team member could make it to the National Team.

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Not all students could withstand the high-intensity training, especially those who had entered the National Training Team for the first time.

“

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Early the next morning, another student collapsed. With a high fever of 38.9 degrees, he was rushed to the hospital for an IV drip.

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The doctor said he was suffering from a febrile seizure caused by excessive stress and mental overexertion, and he would need to rest for at least a week.

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To put it simply, his brain, the CPU, had been running on overload for too long and couldn’t handle it anymore, so it crashed.

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A week of rest meant that this student’s journey to the National Team was effectively over.

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Witnessing this, Xu Chuan sighed with some emotion. To do scientific research, you really need a strong body.

“

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I’ll increase my morning run from three kilometers to five, starting tomorrow.

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The first day was geometry, the second was functions, and the third was also functions.

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On the morning of the third day, the main lecturer was Academician Zhang Weiping, a council member of the Mathematical Society. An Academician from the Academy of Sciences coming to lecture a group of high school students—it had to be said, the IMO was taken very seriously in the country.

His style was completely different from the first and second days.

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Both the professor who lectured on geometry on the first day and the teacher for functions on the second day seemed to wish they could cover an entire book in a single day. But Academician Zhang’s lecture on the third day was slow and methodical, his speaking pace neither fast nor slow.

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But the content he taught was far from basic. It was about advanced applications of functions and the transformation between them and the Dirichlet function.

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This left many of the training students scratching their heads for a while.

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The third-year high school students who had already made it into the Intensive Training Team last year were especially bewildered. They didn’t understand what the plan was this year.

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Normally, the section on functions should have also started from the basics, building up from there to reinforce high school knowledge. That’s how it was last year.

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But today’s lesson was very strange, delving into the Dirichlet function, a topic from university-level Advanced Mathematics.

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The Dirichlet function was indeed part of the high school curriculum, but it wasn’t studied in depth.

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Only in university, during Advanced Mathematics, would the Dirichlet function be given more importance. In past IMO competitions, this area was generally not tested much.

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Not just the daytime lecture, but the evening’s test was particularly interesting too.

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At the front of the class, Zhang Weiping handed out the test papers he was holding, then said:

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“Tonight’s test has no time limit, and the score will not be counted towards the total National Training Team score. However, students who can complete these three math problems within fifteen minutes will receive five bonus points. Those who can complete them within half an hour will receive three bonus points.”

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As soon as he said this, a buzz went through the classroom. Everyone was rubbing their hands together, ready to take on the challenge!

“

Five bonus points!

“

This was very important for the members of the Intensive Training Team.

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One had to remember that the total score for the nightly test was only fifteen points, and the problems were extremely difficult. Not everyone could get a perfect score every day. Perhaps with these five extra points, one could squeeze their way into the National Team.

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After handing out the test papers, Academician Zhang held his thermos, taking small sips of tea while watching the students work with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

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Today’s lesson was not originally part of the National Training Team’s training. The knowledge and problems being taught were mostly broken down from decrypted messages from the previous information war. The goal was to train and select students with a talent in this area for special cultivation.

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The ten-day extension of the National Training Team’s training was for this very purpose.

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And among this group of students, the one he was most looking forward to was Xu Chuan.

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He wondered how this contestant, who had achieved a perfect score in last year’s CMO, would perform.

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In the classroom, Xu Chuan had already received tonight’s test questions.

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Three problems, all of them variations of the Dirichlet function, and all quite difficult.

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The first problem combined it with composite functions, asking for the number of roots. The second problem combined it with conic sections, asking to prove a light reflection point. The third combined it with sequences, asking to find

“

“These problems are quite interesting. These bonus points probably won’t be that easy to get.”

“

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Xu Chuan looked at the problems in his hand with great interest. Although the three problems were of different types, they seemed to have been broken down from a single larger problem, as some of the numerical values hadn’t even been changed.

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Judging by the difficulty, most of the students in the National Training Team would be able to solve them, but only a few would likely be able to get the bonus points.

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After all, there was a time limit.

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For him, however, solving these three major problems within fifteen minutes wasn’t difficult. In fact, he wouldn’t even need ten minutes.

Chapter 41: Solving the Problems

In Xu Chuan’s view, leaving points on the table during an exam was something only a complete idiot would do.

He would always do his utmost to get every single point he could in any exam.

After checking the problems, he put pen to paper.

Instead of using conventional high school methods, Xu Chuan started with the Dirichlet function, converting D(x) = lim(k→∞){lim(j→∞)cos(k!πx)} into a university-level Dirichlet integral before proceeding to solve it.

He didn’t use standard methods for these three problems because the Dirichlet function has quite unique properties. Its graph is symmetric with respect to the Y-axis, making it an even function.

It’s a constructive function in mathematical analysis with many special properties, such as being nowhere continuous, having no limit at any point, and not being Riemann integrable.

This type of function is generally applied in fields like mathematical analysis, real analysis, functional analysis, and composite functions. It’s used to construct counterexamples to determine the validity of mathematical conjectures and propositions.

Solving this problem with conventional methods would require a very long answer, and the various formula transformations would be quite troublesome.

However, if one converted the Dirichlet function into a Dirichlet integral, then used knowledge of residues from complex analysis to solve the integral, and followed up with a Laplace transform and a Fourier integral…

…the steps, which originally required complex calculation methods, would be simplified to just three.

This solution method wasn’t actually from the realm of pure mathematics. Strictly speaking, it was knowledge from the damped free vibration equation in physics.

Using this method required a certain amount of university-level physics knowledge for support, new knowledge he had learned not long ago from Advances in Physics.

Back when his first research paper was published in the Advances in Physics journal, Xu Chuan had been browsing his own paper and came across something interesting.

A paper on the damped free vibration equation.

Later, he borrowed the journal from Old Tang and studied the paper carefully, which led him to devise this problem-solving approach of transforming the Dirichlet function. He had been planning to write another paper on it.

He hadn’t expected to be able to apply it here and now.

The three function problems didn’t pose much difficulty for Xu Chuan.

The knowledge he possessed was enough to transform the complex solution steps for these functions into the epitome of simplicity.

It didn’t take him fifteen minutes, not even ten. In just under five minutes, he had solved all three problems.

He capped his pen, checked his work, and seeing no issues, turned in his paper.

He was determined to get those five bonus points today. Not even God himself could stop him!

“You’re already done?”

At the front of the class, Zhang Weiping took the answer sheet from Xu Chuan’s hand in disbelief. He turned his head to look at the wall clock above the blackboard; the bright hands told him only five minutes had passed!

How was that possible?

Was this still a high school student?

He had never imagined that a high schooler could solve these three function problems in a mere five minutes.

These problems had been broken down from an encrypted message. Although they’d been simplified and adapted, their difficulty was still considerable.

He had originally estimated that Xu Chuan could solve them, but it would take at least fifteen minutes.

And now he’d turned in his paper in just five short minutes?

“Yes.”

Xu Chuan nodded, then returned to his seat after handing in the paper.

Zhang Weiping took a deep breath and looked down at the answer sheet.

He wanted to see just what kind of solution this genius had come up with.

His eyes fell upon the paper. The black ink on the answer sheet registered in his pupils, and the first thing that made Zhang Weiping frown was how little space the answers took up.

He knew the solutions to these three problems very well. A correct solution for each would take up more than half a page of A4 paper.

But on the paper in his hands, each answer was just a few short lines.

“Did he get them wrong?”

The thought immediately surfaced in Zhang Weiping’s mind, but he kept his brow furrowed and continued reading.

As the lines of formulas entered his vision, his frown remained, but his dark pupils began to contract rapidly.

He quickly set down the Thermos in his hand. What was a moment ago held with one hand was now carefully cradled with two.

The lines of calculations on the paper flowed into his mind, capturing his complete attention.

By the time he finished reading the complete solution to the first problem, nearly ten minutes had passed.

For those ten minutes, Zhang Weiping’s eyes saw nothing but the black text and mathematical formulas on the white paper in his hands.

After carefully confirming that the solution on the paper was completely flawless and correct, Zhang Weiping stood up. With a solemn expression, he called Xu Chuan into his private office.

“Who taught you this solution method?”

Inside the office, Zhang Weiping asked, gripping the answer sheet and staring at Xu Chuan.

“I figured it out myself. It hasn’t been formally proven yet, so I wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong. Tonight’s problems seemed like a good place to use this method, so I gave it a try.”

Xu Chuan replied. It was indeed something he had researched himself; it was just that he’d only figured it out recently and hadn’t had time to publish it yet.

“I’m being serious, I’m not joking. This problem-solving method of yours is very important! If someone else taught it to you, please, you must tell me who it was.”

Zhang Weiping’s brow was tightly furrowed as he reiterated his question in a stern tone.

“There’s no one else. It’s my own.”

Xu Chuan shook his head, confirming it once more.

Hearing this, Zhang Weiping’s pupils constricted. He turned, opened a black box in the office, and took out a stack of cards. He selected one and handed it to Xu Chuan.

“Do this. Solve this problem!”

“Don’t ask why. If you can solve it, I’ll explain later.”

Xu Chuan took the card, a little confused, and looked at it.

On the card was a problem.

To be precise, it was a problem about a mathematical pattern, a pattern related to the Dirichlet function. The logical calculations involved some interesting base conversion rules.

“Were the problems we just did broken down from this one?”

After reading the problem, Xu Chuan looked up and asked. He could see the shadows of the three previous problems within this new one.

“Can you solve it?”

Zhang Weiping didn’t answer, asking a question in return.

Chapter 42: A Strange Problem and a Strange Answer

“I’ll give it a try,” Xu Chuan replied.

Although he was confident he could solve the problem on the card, he didn’t want to make any grand promises, merely stating that he would attempt it first.

Using conventional methods, he was certain he could do it.

But from Zhang Weiping’s earlier words, Xu Chuan knew that what he really cared about was the method used to solve the problems that evening.

So, he would have to start from that method to solve this problem now.

He had only recently developed this approach of converting a Dirichlet function into an integral, and it hadn’t been published yet. He wasn’t sure if it could be applied to this type of mathematical pattern problem.

His attention returned to the card in his hand. Xu Chuan carefully reread the problem and fell into deep thought.

Beside him, Zhang Weiping watched with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

He wanted to step forward and observe, but he was worried about disturbing Xu Chuan’s problem-solving process.

The three problems the National Training Team students had worked on tonight were, in fact, taken from this very card.

That was precisely why he placed so much importance on this new problem-solving method.

The simpler the method and steps for solving a problem, the easier it is to write the corresponding mathematical model. This was of paramount importance for mathematical modeling in information warfare.

Xu Chuan wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Although that was his goal, he hadn’t yet connected this to the information war that would follow the IMO.

This was just the National Training Team; there were still several months until the IMO.

He just assumed his new method had caught Zhang Weiping’s attention. After all, for any mathematician, a completely new problem-solving method was always an object of intense focus.

It was just like during the Provincial Training Team, when he had used a new method to solve a physics problem and immediately attracted Xu Cheng’s attention.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan picked up a pen and paper and began his calculations.

Solution: Starting from the Laplace transform, we get L(f(t)/t)(s)=∫sL(f(t))(9)pd

From this, the Dirichlet integral can be obtained ∫sL(f(t)

Calculating with a double finite integral, the order of integration gives (I=∫s∫)

Proof:

The key to solving a Dirichlet function with this simplified method lies in converting it into a Dirichlet integral, a step achieved through methods like mathematical analysis or complex analysis.

However, as a measurable function that is discontinuous everywhere, mathematical analysis and complex analysis are not applicable in all situations for the Dirichlet function.

At least in this complete problem, Xu Chuan couldn’t find a way to apply mathematical or complex analysis.

After some thought, he decided to use the Laplace transform and a double finite integral to “bend” the rules of this Dirichlet function.

Although this method was feasible, it was not without its difficulties.

The most troublesome part was the base conversion required by the problem. During the calculation, he needed to convert from the standard decimal system to the binary system, which was a hassle.

Fortunately, he had studied binary for a period before, allowing him to proceed without interruption and smoothly convert the Dirichlet function into a Dirichlet integral.

Once the function was converted into an integral, the subsequent steps were much smoother. He just needed to use complex analysis to transform the integral and then solve it.

After a little while, Xu Chuan calculated the answer.

However, the calculated answer left him feeling quite puzzled.

(116.72)(39.56)(14.1225)!

Three sets of numbers. It was a strange answer; at least, he had never seen one like it.

As mentioned before, the properties of a Dirichlet function are quite special. It is an even function defined on the set of real numbers with a discontinuous range.

Normally, its values would be symmetrically distributed around the Y-axis. That is, for any x in the domain of the function f(x), it holds that f(x) = f(-x).

But the three sets of numbers above clearly did not conform to the properties of a Dirichlet function.

And yet, he had calculated this answer. What was going on?

Staring at the solution he had derived, Xu Chuan was baffled. For a moment, he even suspected he had made a mistake somewhere in his process to arrive at such a set of numbers.

After carefully re-verifying his entire solution process, he finally confirmed there was nothing wrong with his derivation. The problem was with the question itself.

“Teacher Zhang, could you take a look at this answer? I feel like something is off with it.”

Confident that his solution steps were correct, Xu Chuan stood up and handed the scratch paper to Zhang Weiping, who was standing nearby.

“You’ve solved it?”

Zhang Weiping was a bit dazed. He glanced at his phone—only about fifteen minutes had passed.

Fifteen minutes to decipher an encrypted message?

That was faster than most of the mathematics professors in their Information Security Department.

Was this possible?

A high school student whose mathematical ability surpassed that of most math professors?

Or was this problem-solving method really that simple? Or perhaps, he hadn’t solved it at all and had just written down an incorrect process and answer?

Zhang Weiping couldn’t help but swallow, reaching out to take the scratch paper.

He didn’t look at the proof first, but went straight to the answer at the bottom.

(116.72)(39.56)(14.1225)!

The answer was completely correct!

Looking at the three sets of numbers on the paper, Zhang Weiping’s breathing grew heavy.

If the answer was correct, then the process was most likely correct too.

Without the correct derivation process, it would be impossible to just randomly write down a few numbers and happen to get this exact answer.

If the process was correct, then this line of thinking and method…

The thought flashed through his mind, and Zhang Weiping’s gaze quickly fell upon the proof, which took up more than half the page.

Half an hour passed. He finally let out a long breath and looked up, his eyes shining as he stared at Xu Chuan as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

This student before him… he truly couldn’t fathom him anymore.

For the vast majority of high school students, even for the competitors who could make it to the IMO, the three years of high school were fundamentally a stage for building a foundation.

Even for a genius who could accumulate enough university-level knowledge in high school, accumulating that knowledge and being able to apply it effortlessly were two completely different concepts.

Not to mention innovation like this, which was even rarer.

Without having fully comprehended and integrated the knowledge in one’s mind, innovation is impossible.

More importantly, this problem-solving method wasn’t purely based on knowledge from the field of mathematics.

Using the Laplace transform and a double finite integral to convert the Dirichlet function into a Dirichlet integral, then using complex analysis to evaluate the integral and find the solution.

Although the proof was written in the pure language of mathematics, the line of thinking behind it incorporated calculation formulas from the field of physics—specifically, from the damped free vibration equation for calculating critical points and linearly independent particular solutions.

Compared to innovation within the pure field of mathematics, this kind of cross-disciplinary innovation was far more difficult.

After all, a person is usually an expert in only one area of knowledge. Geniuses who could master and integrate both mathematics and physics were extremely rare.

Even if they existed, they usually only began to display such talent after entering university, or even graduate school.

To see it at the high school level… he wouldn’t have even dared to imagine it.

Chapter 43: An Invitation

Holding the answer sheet, Zhang Weiping looked at Xu Chuan with a complicated expression—a mix of surprise, doubt, and disbelief.

Could a high school student really possess such formidable mathematical ability?

If getting a perfect score in the National Finals of the Math Olympiad could be attributed to genius and solid mathematical fundamentals…

…then the solution and line of reasoning on this scratch paper demonstrated the sheer power of his mathematical abilities, proving he was an absolute prodigy.

Stared at by Zhang Weiping with a strange look, Xu Chuan felt a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat to break the awkward silence and asked,

“Is there a problem with the solution, Teacher?”

“No, there’s no problem. It’s an excellent solution, and the answer is correct,” Zhang Weiping said, shaking his head.

“Then why is the answer so strange?”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “These three numbers clearly don’t follow the solution pattern for a Dirichlet function.”

“That’s what I was about to tell you. But you’ll have to wait a moment.”

With that, Zhang Weiping stood up and left the office.

Xu Chuan frowned, not quite understanding. However, he had a faint feeling about what was going on, so he waited quietly in the office.

After waiting for nearly ten minutes, Zhang Weiping returned.

Locking the office door to prevent anyone from accidentally walking in, Zhang Weiping pointed to the answer on the scratch paper and asked Xu Chuan,

“These three sets of numbers, can you guess what they mean?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. How could anyone guess something so out of the blue?

It’s not like he was a fortune-teller.

“These three sets of numbers are actually coordinates and a time.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s pupils contracted sharply. He more or less understood. But he didn’t say anything, waiting with a blank expression for Zhang Weiping to continue explaining.

Zhang Weiping paused, organized his thoughts, and then continued,

“Forget it, I’ll just be direct. After all, you’re almost an adult, and your mathematical ability is beyond what I imagined. There’s no harm in telling you certain things.”

“This problem, as you’ve seen, looks like a mathematical pattern problem, but it’s actually a piece of intelligence.”

Zhang Weiping began to explain slowly.

“These three sets of numbers represent 116.72 degrees east longitude, 39.56 degrees north latitude, and 12:25 PM on the 14th!”

“They indicate that at 12:25 PM on the 14th, there was an activity and a transaction at the location of 116.72 degrees east longitude and 39.56 degrees north latitude.”

“Of course, this was many days ago.”

“In reality, things are often not as friendly as what you see on TV or online.”

“For profit, to crush and control their rivals, many people will stop at nothing.”

“Just like now, we’ve recently intercepted a good deal of intelligence, but all of it uses a special encryption method.”

“The math problem you just solved is one of the ways this intelligence is encrypted.”

“But we have a problem now. We intercept a large number of encrypted messages every day, and decrypting them requires a massive amount of manpower. As of now, we can no longer keep up.”

“As you should know, when it comes to information, timeliness and accuracy are the most important factors.”

“It’s like calling the police to catch a thief. It takes time for the police to get to the victim’s house, and in that time, the thief has had plenty of opportunity to steal things.”

“Even if the thief is caught later, the stolen property might have already been spent or sold off, and can’t be recovered.”

“Information decryption is the same. By the time we decrypt the message and send personnel to apprehend the other party, their activity is already over.”

“So we’re always one step behind. And being one step behind can lead to enormous losses.”

“Right now, we are building a mathematical model for this type of encrypted message, trying to use it to decrypt them, but we’ve encountered many difficulties.”

“And this new mathematical method you used to solve the problem is exactly what we need.”

“I need your help, and the Motherland needs your help.”

Zhang Weiping briefly described the origin of the matter. This information was originally classified and wouldn’t have been shared with a high school student.

But Xu Chuan was an exception. The method he used to solve the problem tonight greatly simplified the work of solving pattern-based Dirichlet function problems.

This was a huge help for the mathematical modeling work. Even though it was just a small part, its importance was undeniable.

Therefore, after receiving authorization and investigating Xu Chuan’s family background, he revealed some of the information.

The Information Security Department needed Xu Chuan’s help—at the very least, they needed him to clearly explain the key to his simplified method for solving Dirichlet functions.

Although he had already seen the solution method, it was far from enough.

With a new mathematical line of thought, aside from the creator themself, it often takes others a period of time to fully grasp how it works.

Simply looking at two applications of this method in solutions wasn’t nearly enough to understand its core.

Besides, in the early stages, the best way to apply such a new method proficiently is to go to the creator themself.

As for whether he doubted if this high school student had truly developed the method himself, he had his suspicions at first. However, after Xu Chuan used this method to solve the encrypted problem in fifteen minutes, those doubts were dispelled.

Zhang Weiping truly hadn’t expected this year’s National Training Team to bring him such a huge surprise.

He had previously suggested including mathematical problems from encrypted messages in competitions like the Math Olympiad National Training Team and the Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling. His goal was merely to cultivate mathematical talent in this area for the country, and to incidentally collect some data to aid the modeling work.

After all, the students who could make it to the Math Olympiad National Training Team and the finals of the modeling contest were the geniuses among geniuses.

Although the mathematical ability and the knowledge stored in the minds of these young people were far from comparable to that of a math professor, one should never underestimate the mind of a genius.

Who knows, perhaps one of these geniuses would provide a spark of inspiration?

Mathematics has always been a young person’s game.

Peter Scholze became the youngest C3 professor in Germany at the age of twenty-four, and Terence Tao became a tenured professor in UCLA’s mathematics department at twenty-four.

If a mathematician hasn’t made significant contributions before the age of forty, it’s highly unlikely they will make any for the rest of their life.

Often, the thought processes and logic of a genius are beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

But Zhang Weiping had never imagined that such a genius would appear at the Math Olympiad National Training Team—a genius with mathematical abilities comparable to a professor’s, who had also mastered a brand-new mathematical method that would be of enormous help to the information security modeling work.

Chapter 44: The Wrong Modeling Method

“How can I help? Do you need this solution method? If you want it, you can just take it and use it.”

Xu Chuan did his best to suppress his emotions, responding with the surprise and slight confusion of a high school student hearing this news for the first time.

He hadn’t expected something that should have happened after the IMO to occur so soon.

Thinking back, the ten-day extension of this year’s National Training Team’s program was probably because of this.

And the university-level topics in the functions class must have been prepared for geniuses like them. The country hoped to cultivate a group of mathematicians specializing in this field.

“We do indeed need your help. This mathematical method for simplifying the solution to the Dirichlet function is very important. We need you to explain its key principles.”

“Also, if possible, it would be best if you could come with me to the Information Security Department. Dozens of math geniuses and professors are gathered there trying to decipher those encrypted messages, and they need this method too.”

“After all, until a mathematical model is established, this method can greatly simplify the difficulty of decrypting messages encrypted with the Dirichlet function.”

“Alternatively, would you be willing to join the Information Security Department?” Zhang Weiping asked, looking at Xu Chuan.

“Can I see those problems first?”

Xu Chuan didn’t answer the question directly, instead pointing to the black box in the corner and asking.

He had noticed earlier that there was a thick stack of paper cards inside the box. They were probably problems like the one he had just solved, but of different types.

Although he knew about the information security issue in his past life, he had never seen the actual problems, so he was quite curious.

Zhang Weiping nodded, walked over, reopened the black box with his key, took out a stack of paper cards, and handed them to Xu Chuan.

These cards were all for messages that had already been decrypted, and they were from the past, so there was no problem in showing them to him.

Xu Chuan took the paper cards and glanced at the quantity.

These cards used paper that was much thicker than normal. Calculating based on a thickness of 0.05 millimeters per card, the stack in his hand was about forty cards thick.

Just as the problem he had just done was a mix of the Dirichlet function and base conversion encoding, the problems on these cards were all different, each one a mixture of many mathematical problems.

Hash function + hash encoding

New Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) + symmetric function

RC2/RC4 symmetric algorithm + one-way compression function

“Are these all accumulated from the past?” Xu Chuan asked as he flipped through the cards.

Almost every problem on the cards was a mix of at least two or more types of difficult mathematical problems. The questions were intricate and complex, and each one would be incredibly difficult to solve.

“Yes, and this is only a portion. They were selected for being of average difficulty. The more difficult ones are at the Information Security Department.”

Zhang Weiping replied, “Currently, we intercept dozens of these encrypted messages every day, but after decryption, the vast majority of them contain useless data. Useful information makes up only a tiny fraction.”

“But a single piece of useful information is often hidden within a large amount of useless data. Before they’re decrypted, no one knows which one is useful.”

“Manual decryption consumes too much manpower and energy, so modeling is the only solution. A computer’s computational power far exceeds a human’s; it can help us decrypt the messages in time to catch those people.”

After flipping through the cards in his hand, Xu Chuan handed them back and said, “While I don’t know how your modeling work is progressing…”

“I have a feeling that your current modeling method might be wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

Zhang Weiping frowned and asked with some surprise. If it weren’t for the fact that this student’s mathematical ability had truly won him over, he probably would have turned and left on the spot.

Establishing a mathematical model to decrypt encrypted messages was the consensus of everyone in the Mathematical Society and the Information Security Department.

For a third-year high school student to now try and overturn this idea seemed utterly absurd, no matter how one looked at it.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then continued, “Well, perhaps it’s not entirely wrong.”

“I don’t know much about programming and information encryption, but I do know a bit about mathematics and mathematical modeling.”

“From the cards just now, I saw completely different encryption methods.”

“If I’m not mistaken, your approach is likely to create a mathematical model for every method that has appeared so far, and then use these models to solve those encrypted messages, right?”

Zhang Weiping stared at Xu Chuan, dumbfounded. He asked, “How did you know that?”

“It’s quite simple, easy to deduce.”

Xu Chuan shrugged and continued, “First, the simplified method for the Dirichlet function is helpful for your modeling.”

“But in reality, a model based on the simplified method for the Dirichlet function can only decipher encrypted messages related to the Dirichlet function.”

“If your approach was to find the mathematical law behind all these encryption methods and then create a model based on that law, you wouldn’t need my specific method.”

“So, I guessed that you’re currently trying to create models based on these already deciphered encrypted messages, and then use these models to find the underlying mathematical law, or rather, use these models to decrypt the other side’s encrypted messages.”

Zhang Weiping stared blankly at Xu Chuan and couldn’t help but swallow. What kind of monster was this?

With just a few simple sentences, he had clearly deduced the nature of their work.

Did such a terrifying genius really exist in this world?

Xu Chuan paid no mind to Zhang Weiping and continued his analysis, “Furthermore, I also deduce that every so often, these encryption methods are likely discarded and no longer used, or only used again after a very long time. This can be seen from the problems on the paper cards.”

“The reason I say your modeling method is problematic is that the variations of functions and algorithms are nearly infinite.”

“Translation, transformation, scaling, rotation, symmetric, asymmetric—with just a slight modification, it becomes an almost entirely new function. Teacher Zhang, you know this better than I do.”

“If you want to create a mathematical model for every possible variation, it’s simply impossible. You couldn’t do it even if you gathered all the mathematicians in the country.”

“The most direct solution is to find the most fundamental mathematical law used in these encrypted messages and then build a model based on it.”

“Doing it like this, where you build a new model for every new encrypted function and algorithm they send out—I personally feel this method is not very useful.”

“Perhaps if you build enough models, you might indeed find a trace of the hidden mathematical law, but that would probably require one or two years of accumulation to achieve.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. He now roughly understood why it had taken two years for this matter to be resolved in his past life.

They must have used this clumsy method. Only after an immense accumulation of quantity led to a qualitative change was the problem finally solved.

Chapter 45: Heading to Brightmoon City

Zhang Weiping didn’t refute Xu Chuan’s words. He sighed and said, “That’s very difficult.”

Xu Chuan’s speculation and reasoning were flawless. He was well aware of how many variations of functions and algorithms existed—it could truly be said to be endless.

The mathematical community didn’t even know for sure how many types of functions existed, so creating a mathematical model for every function system was impossible.

But for now, besides this method, there really wasn’t a better way.

As for finding the fundamental mathematical law behind the encryption method, they were already working on it, but with no results.

After all, it was an encryption method developed by the United States. If it were that easy to crack, things would be much simpler.

Though it might sound defeatist, the gap was as stark and obvious as Mount Everest.

This method, which seemed somewhat reminiscent of World War II-era encryption, was actually a combination of functions and algorithms—a whole new encryption system. It not only integrated conventional encryption algorithms like symmetric and asymmetric encryption but also incorporated a vast mathematical framework, which directly blocked any ability to use supercomputers for a brute-force decryption.

Supercomputers could be used for mathematical calculations, yes, but that was predicated on the existence of mathematical models. Without a corresponding mathematical model, you could boost a supercomputer’s performance to the heavens, and it would still be useless.

“It is indeed difficult, but it’s the most effective way.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and then asked, “Teacher Zhang, the problems on those paper cards must have been translated, right? I assume the original encrypted message doesn’t look like that?”

“Can I see the original encrypted message?”

Zhang Weiping nodded and said, “The original ciphertext is indeed different. But I don’t have it here. If you want to see it, you’ll have to go to the Brightmoon City Information Security Department. They have the original ciphertext there.”

“Then how about we leave tomorrow? I’m quite interested in this,” Xu Chuan asked.

“Alright, I’ll have someone book tickets for tomorrow. You go back and get a good rest tonight. No need to go back to the classroom. We’ll set off at eight tomorrow morning.”

“Also, don’t worry about this affecting your participation in the IMO. You can rest assured. No matter how many days you spend in Brightmoon City, I guarantee you a spot on the National Team. I’ll also figure something out for the Physics Olympiad. You can put all your energy into this.”

Zhang Weiping grinned. He had really struck gold this time.

A high school student who possessed the mathematical ability comparable to a university professor, with a sensitivity to mathematics that surpassed the vast majority of geniuses. Even the most brilliant student he had ever taught couldn’t hold a candle to him.

It was the kind of thing no one would believe if you told them, yet it was happening right before his eyes. It was simply incredible.

In fact, if it weren’t for tonight’s events, he wouldn’t have believed such a genius existed in the world.

This kid wasn’t even eighteen yet. He still had twenty-two years ahead of him. As long as he focused his energy on mathematics, the Fields Medal was a very real possibility.

That was an honor no mathematician of Chinese nationality had yet received.

When he got back, he would speak with the university administration. No matter what, they had to get this kid to attend Riyue University.

He would mentor him personally!

Students longed for a good teacher, but do teachers not long for a good student?

Any normal teacher would wish for a student with as much talent as Xu Chuan.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Weiping, Xu Chuan went straight back to his dorm to pack his things.

He no longer cared much about participating in the IMO.

His reason for wanting to participate in the IMO was simply to find an opening to get involved in the Information Security War after the competition.

Now, things had moved ahead of schedule. He had come into direct contact with it during the National Training Team, so the IMO’s value to him had diminished.

Of course, winning gold medals in both the IMO and the IPHO, especially in the same year, was still a very tempting prospect.

It was an honor that no student in the country had achieved yet, and in fact, no one in the entire world had managed it either.

Although some geniuses abroad had won gold medals in both the IMO and IPHO, it was never in the same year.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Xu Chuan woke up early.

The sky outside was just beginning to lighten. His roommates were still sound asleep, snoring loudly.

He got out of bed carefully, closed the bathroom door to wash up, and tried to move as quietly as possible so as not to wake his roommates.

It had to be said, the training intensity of the Math Olympiad National Training Team was quite high. Even after just two or three days, some students were already struggling to keep up.

Every morning, they had to absorb material that would normally take three or four months to cover. Even though it was knowledge they had learned before, keeping up with the pace wasn’t easy.

Moreover, there were tests on the same day’s material that very evening, and the test scores determined who would make it onto the National Team. Under these circumstances, the pressure was even greater.

However, for students who made it to the National Training Team, hard work was a basic prerequisite. After a period of adjustment, most of them would be able to handle it.

As for the few students with weaker constitutions or lower stress tolerance, there was nothing to be done.

The IMO is a worldwide competition. Every student who competes represents the nation’s honor, so naturally, only the strongest are chosen.

Morning run, breakfast. Around seven in the morning, while other students were just waking up to wash and eat, Xu Chuan was already in a car heading to the high-speed rail station.

Yuhang was not very far from Brightmoon City; the high-speed rail journey took just over an hour.

Soon, Xu Chuan and Zhang Weiping arrived at Riyue University, where the Information Security Department was located.

Riyue University was established long ago, during the relatively chaotic period before the formal founding of China. Now, it was a top-five university.

Countless top students graduated from here every year, and its international reputation was at times even slightly stronger than Tsinghua University’s.

With Xu Chuan in tow, Zhang Weiping deliberately took a detour to show him the most beautiful sights of Riyue University.

Camphor, metasequoia, ginkgo, and plane trees—in the early spring, all kinds of trees were lush, green, and vibrant, forming a verdant canopy over the campus.

On the lawns, plants like oleander, cherry blossom, rose, and Chinese rose painted a splendid and colorful picture.

“What do you think of the scenery here, Student Xu Chuan?”

Walking through the campus, Zhang Weiping asked with a grin, pointing out the famous, historic buildings of the Riyue campus from time to time.

“It’s very beautiful,” Xu Chuan agreed.

“So, how about studying here? I’ll be your personal mentor.”

Zhang Weiping smiled like an old fox trying to trick a little white rabbit.

Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then it dawned on him why Academician Zhang had deliberately taken him on a tour to show him the various campus sights.

“I haven’t really thought about it. It’s still early. It won’t be too late to decide after the college entrance exams,” Xu Chuan said, tactfully declining.

“Hah, what’s there to think about? Riyue University is one of the top three universities in the country…”

Chapter 46: Two Encrypted Messages

All the way there, Zhang Weiping earnestly tried to persuade and entice Xu Chuan, only stopping when they reached the Information Security Department’s building.

“Sigh, you kid…”

Zhang Weiping shook his head and gave up trying to persuade him, leading him into the building.

After passing through two security checkpoints, the two entered an elevator. Zhang Weiping pulled a card from an inner pocket, swiped it, and the light for the sixth floor lit up. The elevator ascended quickly.

Ding~

A crisp sound rang out as the elevator doors slowly opened.

“Academician Zhang, you’re back. And this is?”

A voice sounded from the elevator entrance. Xu Chuan looked over curiously. A young man in black clothes was standing at the door, his gaze falling on Xu Chuan with a hint of vigilance.

“Yes, this is my student. I’ve already submitted his application to the higher-ups. His entry and exit information should be on file. His name is Xu Chuan, please check,” Zhang Weiping nodded and replied.

“One moment.”

The young man immediately took out a phone, and after tapping it a couple of times, his somewhat wary expression shifted to a bright smile.

“Welcome.”

Following behind Zhang Weiping, Xu Chuan asked, a little curious, “Is the security always this strict?”

“It’s actually not too bad here. Some places have much more complicated entry procedures.”

Zhang Weiping replied with a smile. In his eyes, this level of security was indeed nothing special.

Xu Chuan nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.

“We’re here.”

After walking down a corridor, Zhang Weiping stopped and pushed open a large door.

“Old Zhang is back.”

As the door opened, someone in the room immediately took notice.

Xu Chuan glanced around the room.

The layout wasn’t very complicated; it looked like a large classroom that had been converted. There were some computers and projection equipment, but mostly there were long tables, one per person, and reclining chairs for resting.

There weren’t many people, fewer than thirty in total, but he recognized quite a few of them.

There was Academician Zhou Jianlin from Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences, whom he had met at an academic conference at Princeton in his past life. He had won the Chern Medal and the Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

There was Professor Wang Yuan from Tsinghua University, a master in the field of function theory.

There was Professor Wei Anran from Dongshan College, a master of algorithms. In Xu Chuan’s previous life, he had been involved in creating the algorithm for a certain popular short-video app.

Besides these academicians and professors, Xu Chuan also saw a young man who was more or less his contemporary.

The genius from Nanzhong University, Liu Lu. At this time, his reputation was even greater than that of ‘God Wei,’ who would later become a household name.

God Wei was still a doctoral student at Peking University, but Liu Lu had already proven the world-class mathematical problem, Seetapun’s Conjecture, back in 2010. He had even received a one million yuan reward from Nanzhong University for it. At that time, he was only a third-year university student.

As for now, he was already a full research professor of mathematics at Nanzhong University. A full professor at the age of twenty-three—in any country, he would be a dazzling pearl.

Zhang Weiping clapped his hands, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

“Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Xu Chuan, a third-year high school student from Star City No. 1 High School in Xiangnan. He’s the one who developed the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function that I sent over last night.”

“He will be temporarily joining us to work on deciphering the encrypted messages.”

Just as Zhang Weiping finished speaking, before anyone could welcome him, someone rushed over.

“You’re the one who discovered the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function?”

“Let me ask you, what is the key to simplifying the Dirichlet function? Is it simplification through mathematical analysis, or is the complex analysis method the crucial part? Or are there other ways?”

A middle-aged professor, sporting a prominent bald patch, quickly walked up to Xu Chuan and asked excitedly.

“It depends on the specific situation. Mathematical analysis, complex analysis, Laplace transforms, the double finite integral method—they can all be used.”

“The key to simplifying the solution for the Dirichlet function lies in combining mathematical methods with the formulas for calculating the critical point and the linearly independent particular solution from the damped free vibration equation in physics.”

“By combining these two aspects, you transform the Dirichlet function into a Dirichlet integral, which can then be solved using the appropriate mathematical methods.”

Xu Chuan concisely explained the core idea behind the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function.

Although he didn’t recognize the professor before him, he felt nothing but respect for scientists like this who had dedicated their entire lives to the country.

“So it incorporates knowledge from the damped free vibration equation in physics? I see.”

The old professor muttered to himself. It was clear that Xu Chuan’s words had inspired him. After all, he was a highly accomplished mathematician. Many things were just a matter of a single blind spot; now that it had been pointed out, it was easy to see the truth behind it.

Zhang Weiping walked over and introduced him to Xu Chuan, “This is Professor Mo Ke from Nanyang University. He specializes in semi-analytic function theory and also has a very deep foundation in conjugate analytic functions. He wanted to go to Yuhang to find you yesterday, but I stopped him.”

“Hello, Professor Mo.”

Xu Chuan nodded and greeted him respectfully, but he didn’t get a response.

Professor Mo, struck by inspiration, seemed not to have heard him at all. Muttering to himself, he walked back to his seat.

“Don’t mind him. All these old guys are like that. When inspiration strikes, they don’t pay attention to anyone,” Zhang Weiping explained to Xu Chuan with a smile, not wanting to interrupt Professor Mo’s train of thought.

“Not at all, not at all.”

Xu Chuan quickly shook his head. He often experienced such moments himself. If someone interrupted him when he was on the verge of a breakthrough, he’d probably feel like killing them.

“Alright, you can sit here for now. I need to go get something.”

After seating Xu Chuan at an empty spot, Zhang Weiping left in a hurry.

Xu Chuan sat quietly, looking around the room. His gaze occasionally met that of some of the professors.

Most of them would nod and smile at him in a friendly manner.

In fact, it wasn’t just Xu Chuan who was observing; everyone else in the room was also curiously observing him.

No one could help but be curious about a third-year high school student, his face still showing a touch of immaturity, being able to participate in a confidential project like information security.

However, since they had just met and weren’t familiar with each other, no one had come over to talk yet.

Just as he was observing, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a staff member rushed in.

“Is Academician Zhang or Academician Zhou here?”

The urgent voice echoed through the room. Academician Zhou Jianlin from Peking University stood up.

He and Zhang Weiping usually took turns managing the work. Any urgent matters were brought directly to the two of them, who would then make the arrangements.

“I’m here. What is it?”

The staff member quickly walked over and handed a paper bag to Zhou Jianlin.

“Professor Zhou, these are the encrypted messages intercepted today. There are only two.”

Chapter 47: Provocation and Humiliation

“Only two?”

Hearing this, Zhou Jianlin’s expression changed instantly. He quickly took the paper bag and tore it open. Indeed, there were only two documents inside.

“We will decrypt them as soon as possible.”

Academician Zhou Jianlin said with a solemn expression after glancing through the documents.

“I’ll leave it to you, then. The relevant emails have been sent to your inboxes. Please contact me the moment you decrypt them. I’ll be waiting outside the door.”

The young staff member bowed, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

“Everyone, there are only two encrypted messages today. Give it your all to decrypt them. The emails are already in your inboxes.”

With the staff member gone, Academician Zhou Jianlin quickly issued his orders.

As the orders were given, the entire Math Department of the Information Security Department sprang into action. Everyone was tense to the extreme.

Only two encrypted messages. Without a doubt, these two messages had to contain important information.

At the same time, the door was pushed open again, and Zhang Weiping walked in, carrying some files.

“Old Zhang, come quickly! We have new encrypted messages, and there are only two today.”

Seeing Zhang Weiping, Zhou Jianlin called out to him immediately.

Hearing the call, Zhang Weiping, who had just walked in, paused for a moment. After a brief stun, he quickly reacted, “Alright, I’m coming right now.”

“You sit here for a moment. I need to take care of something first.”

Placing the files in his hands on the table, Zhang Weiping hurriedly said to Xu Chuan before returning to his own desk.

Xu Chuan nodded. He didn’t speak, nor did he go over to look at the encrypted messages. He just stayed quietly in his seat.

He had just arrived, and there was no computer, equipment, or tools on his desk. Today’s decryption work was not for him.

The best thing to do was to stay quiet on the sidelines, just like now, being a nobody and not interfering with anyone else’s work.

In the bustling room, everyone was engrossed in their tense work, each to their own task.

Even Xu Chuan was infected by the atmosphere, swallowing nervously.

As usual, the messages intercepted today used a brand-new logical algorithm. Even with only two, decrypting them would be no easy task.

Or, to put it another way, if these two messages truly contained important information, then they would surely be more difficult to decrypt than usual.

But the reality was somewhat unexpected. Barely an hour after the decryption work began, someone had already cracked the first message.

“The first encrypted message has been decrypted. It’s useless information.”

Working in a familiar domain, Professor Wang Yuan of Tsinghua University decrypted the first function-based encrypted message after an hour of intense work.

But the result made him frown.

After being translated, the neatly printed paper card displayed a single sentence.

“We heard it’s the Lantern Festival in your country today, so we wanted to send our greetings. We’ve also prepared a gift for you.”

The decrypted sentence made Professor Wang Yuan from Tsinghua frown deeply, wondering what those foreigners were up to.

The first message was useless, which spurred the group of mathematicians working on the second message to quicken their pace.

Half an hour later, the second encrypted message was cracked by Academician Zhou Jianlin of Peking University.

“Congratulations, you’ve successfully unwrapped the gift we sent you. But I’m sorry to say, both messages were just to mess with you. A bunch of ignorant fools. How could you possibly be a match for us? Even if you can intercept our messages and decrypt them, what can you do? You can’t stop anything. You can only watch helplessly. So you might as well save your energy.”

Academician Zhou Jianlin of Peking University was the first to see the decrypted message. His face flushed red and his chest heaved.

Zhang Weiping leaned over and looked at the screen. The translated words were infuriating, and he clenched his fists.

Before they could compose themselves and pass on the decrypted intelligence, the office door opened once more, and an older man with salt-and-pepper hair walked in.

“Have the encrypted messages been decrypted today, Academician Zhang?” the older man asked, walking briskly over to Zhang Weiping.

“They have, but it’s useless information.”

Zhang Weiping took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“Let me see.”

Zhang Weiping stepped aside and handed the decrypted plaintext to the leader of the Information Security Department before him.

Wu Weiguo took the paper card and looked at the plaintext. His previously calm face visibly darkened.

The paper card in his hand crackled as his tightly clenched fist crumpled it into a ball.

Heavy breaths suppressed his explosive rage. For a man from a military family who had fought in the Self-Defensive Counterattack, this was undoubtedly the greatest insult.

However, Wu Weiguo ultimately suppressed his anger, his hand gripping the paper card tightly.

“Academician Zhang, find a way to speed up the decryption process. No matter what it takes, whatever resources or talent you need, I’ll provide anything I can.”

After taking several deep breaths to quell his anger, Wu Weiguo issued his order.

As a veteran intelligence officer who had been on the battlefield, he knew well the importance of intelligence exchanges in the unseen corners hidden beneath the battlefield.

Sometimes, a single piece of intelligence, an encrypted message, possessed the power to cause more damage than countless guns and bullets, and was far more dangerous.

Just like in a battle on New Guinea, after the neighboring island nation accidentally lost a set of codes, cryptographers from the United States completely broke them in less than six hours.

In the subsequent war, the timeliness of this intelligence led directly to the island nation’s defeat, all the way from Midway to their home islands.

The importance of an intelligence system was self-evident.

But now, he was old after all, and couldn’t keep up with the times.

In today’s fully informationized world, he had all the passion in the world but was powerless to help.

These new encryption methods were all built on vast mathematical systems. To an old man like him, who was already walking towards his grave, they were undoubtedly incomprehensible; his past experience was now useless.

There was truly little he could do now. All that was left was to handle the logistics and fight for more resources.

And to believe in this group of people fighting for their country—be it the mathematicians sitting here, the cryptography experts next door, or the countless personnel standing guard for the sake of information security.

Chapter 48: Don’t Forget the Motherland

“Rest assured. We will do everything in our power to find the mathematical law behind this encryption method as quickly as possible and establish a mathematical model to counter the intrusion.”

Zhang Weiping replied with a solemn expression. Regardless of what the old man before him had said, this was something he had to do.

Wu Weiguo nodded and looked at the people in the room. “I’ll have to trouble all of you with this matter. I hope we can restore peace to the Motherland soon. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Once this matter is completely resolved, I will request commendations for all of you from the higher-ups.”

After Elder Wu left, the others in the room crowded around, picking up the deciphered paper cards from the table, wanting to see what could provoke such anger.

As the provocative words met their eyes, an uproar instantly erupted in the once-quiet room.

“These damn devils!”

“A provocation! This is a blatant provocation!”

“Humiliating! This is a humiliation!”

“Next time, we’ll make those devils pay!”

The room was filled with curses. Xu Chuan also grew curious. What was the content of the two encrypted messages deciphered today?

However, a crowd had already formed over there, and he couldn’t squeeze his way in.

The room remained noisy for a long time before the crowd finally dispersed. The day’s decryption work had ended early, but many were left furious. Many chose to pack up their things and go out for a walk to clear their heads, while others sat back down to research mathematical methods.

In an instant, the once-bustling room became deserted and quiet.

As the crowd scattered, Zhang Weiping gathered some materials and walked back over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not at all. Is the decryption work over for today?”

“Yes, it’s over. But today was another day of failure.”

Zhang Weiping nodded, then shook his head and sighed.

To be provoked like this by the enemy without any good countermeasures would make anyone feel angry and dejected.

“Can I see the message that was deciphered today?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

“It’s on that table. Go see for yourself.”

Zhang Weiping pointed to a red table in the center of the room.

Xu Chuan got up and walked over. The paper card on the table was crumpled, squeezed by the old man who had come in earlier, but it was still legible.

“Fuck!”

The moment the plaintext on the card came into view, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but curse.

No wonder everyone was so furious. This was a flagrant provocation. They didn’t see them as opponents at all, or even as human beings.

“Just you wait. Let’s see how long you can keep hopping around. A flying eagle, is it? Sooner or later, I’ll pluck all your feathers!”

Tossing the card back onto the table, Xu Chuan took a few deep breaths, suppressed his anger, and returned to his seat.

“Don’t mind those things. They serve no purpose other than to stir up emotions.”

Zhang Weiping offered a word of comfort, then changed the subject. “This file folder contains confidential documents. You’ll need to sign this first. We’ve all signed one. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your life or studies in the future.”

Zhang Weiping opened the paper bag he was holding and handed the documents inside to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan took them and glanced through the contents. It was a standard confidentiality agreement, with no mention of compensation or anything of the sort. It mainly prohibited the disclosure of certain matters to the outside world.

He was no stranger to such confidentiality agreements. He had signed them for many research projects in his past life, even stricter ones.

Picking up a pen, Xu Chuan signed his name without hesitation and handed it back to Zhang Weiping.

Zhang Weiping took a look, confirmed there were no issues, and placed it back in the paper bag before handing over another stack of documents.

“This is a portion of the original ciphertext. You can take a look at it first.”

“However, you can’t take this out of this room. You can only read it here. When you’re done with it, return it to me. It cannot be lost.”

Xu Chuan nodded and took the original ciphertext.

“By the way, your English proficiency should be fine, right? This original ciphertext is all in English,” Zhang Weiping suddenly asked, turning his head.

“It’s decent. Understanding this won’t be a major problem,” Xu Chuan replied, raising the original ciphertext in his hand.

In his past life, he had lived in the United States for over a decade; his spoken English was more authentic than that of most Americans.

“That’s good.”

After putting away the signed confidentiality agreement and sealing the paper bag, Zhang Weiping handed over a white plastic card. “This is your access card. You’ll need it to enter this building, use the elevator, and open doors. Remember to keep it safe and don’t lose it, or it will be a lot of trouble.”

“Also, there are no strict time requirements for you. Your purpose in coming here this time isn’t to join the Information Security Department to decrypt messages. Your main goal over the next few days is to sort out the core of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function, and then hold a small meeting to explain it to us, to help us build the mathematical model related to the Dirichlet function.”

“So you can come and go as you please. You don’t need to stay here every day. Just make sure to bring your access card.”

Xu Chuan nodded, accepted the access card, and put it away safely. “I’ll organize it as soon as possible.”

Zhang Weiping nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. For meals, you can go to the Riyue University cafeteria. They have all sorts of cuisines, including Xiangnan-style food. There’s money on your access card—ten thousand. You can use it as you wish. If it’s not enough, come find me.”

“Your room is on the ninth floor of this building. I’ve already arranged it for you, it’s 9027. Just use the access card to get in.”

“If you don’t find it comfortable, you can find a hotel outside. Just get an invoice and I’ll reimburse you.”

“If you have any other needs, you can come to me. As long as it helps with decrypting the encrypted messages, I can find a way to get it for you.”

“I still have some things to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now. Will you be alright here by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Xu Chuan nodded in response. With food and lodging arranged, what other problems could he have?

After a moment’s thought, he added, “If we intercept too many encrypted messages and are short on manpower, I can also join the information decryption work. It’s just that my abilities are limited, so I might not be of much help.”

He didn’t outright refuse to join the decryption team’s work. Although his main purpose was to find the mathematical law behind these function-algorithm-based encrypted messages and build a targeted mathematical model, if they were truly overwhelmed and needed him, he would certainly help.

Zhang Weiping smiled. “It’s the thought that counts. But right now, your main task is to study. Your future and your potential are not here. I believe you will achieve far greater things than us old-timers. When that day comes, just don’t forget that this is your Motherland.”

Xu Chuan nodded. No matter what, this would always be his Motherland, and he had never forgotten that.

Chapter 49: Beginning the Decryption Work

With Zhang Weiping gone, only a few people remained in the office.

Liu Lu from Nanjing University was still there. The nation’s youngest full professor of mathematics was hunched over his computer, busy with something or other.

Professor Mo Ke from Nanyang University, who had previously asked him about the core of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function, was also still present, sitting at his desk with a frown, calculating something.

He didn’t know the other two people.

Averting his gaze, Xu Chuan focused his attention on the original ciphertext in his hands.

He wasn’t very familiar with cryptography and encryption work; his understanding was limited to common knowledge.

Things like asymmetric encryption, symmetric encryption, hash algorithms, MD5 encryption, SHA1 encryption, and so on.

He had some awareness of these common encryption methods, but not much.

However, from a mathematical perspective, it’s actually impossible to prove that any given algorithm is “absolutely secure.”

Of course, in practice, the proof of security is the fact that it has “never been cracked,” and such algorithms do exist.

In the past, people considered the DES encryption system based on symmetric encryption to be very secure. But with the development of modern computers, even an ordinary person’s home computer possesses enough computational power to easily brute-force it.

Today, we consider encryption algorithms like AES, RSA, and elliptic curves to be secure, as there have been no reports of them being broken.

But in reality, even these encryption methods are not absolutely secure.

For instance, if RSA is not padded, an attacker can significantly reduce the decryption space by observing the ciphertext of specific plaintext.

Or, if AES encryption is in its most primitive mode, then identical ciphertexts will correspond to identical plaintexts.

Furthermore, some machines lack sufficient randomness when generating passwords, resulting in keys that should be randomly distributed being, in fact, all the same.

These are all vulnerabilities.

Xu Chuan didn’t know much about these encryption methods, nor did he need to concern himself with them.

Because gathered in this building were China’s most elite cryptography experts.

Like Academician Wang Xiaoyun, a top-tier cryptography expert who, through her own efforts, had placed China’s cryptography at the forefront of the world.

Years ago, the United States claimed to have developed the MD5 encryption algorithm, touting it as the world’s most secure algorithm and publicly declaring that “no one will crack it within one hundred years.”

This attracted worldwide attention, and many experts in the field of cryptography vied to study it. Some scientists led teams for over a decade without success, but Wang Xiaoyun deciphered it with ease.

Later, after learning that MD5 had been broken, the United States urgently produced another top-tier encryption algorithm, SHA-1.

SHA-1 was stronger and more complex than the previous MD5 algorithm. Countless top cryptographers came to challenge it, most getting stuck after forty steps, but Wang Xiaoyun still cracked it effortlessly.

And the reason for this decryption was even more galling for the United States: the Cryptography Goddess was simply bored during her postpartum confinement, took out a pen and paper to doodle, and then took only two months to break this exceedingly complex encryption algorithm.

It was thanks to top talents like her that China’s network security was as solid as a fortress.

But today, they had once again upgraded their encryption algorithm.

Not only had they redesigned the rules and algorithm, but they had also implemented double encryption, incorporating massive functions into it.

This method of encryption was no longer purely cryptography; it involved knowledge from other fields. Even a top cryptography expert, even the Cryptography Goddess herself, was powerless to break this kind of encrypted message alone.

Fortunately, Xu Chuan didn’t need to worry about the cryptography and encryption side of things.

He only needed to find the pattern behind the double-function algorithm encryption and build a targeted mathematical model.

On this point, Xu Chuan had enough confidence.

He was from twenty years in the future. Although his major in his past life wasn’t mathematics, at a place like Princeton, he could be exposed to the world’s most advanced, cutting-edge mathematical knowledge at any time.

At Princeton, countless mathematical conferences were held every year, with countless geniuses and mathematicians sharing their ideas and achievements.

Naturally, advanced functional knowledge and results were among them.

Ever since Galileo first defined the function, it has never left the core stage of mathematics.

If mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines, then functions are the soul of mathematics.

The essence of a function is the attempt to create a mathematical tool that describes the “causal relationship” between related things.

And causality is one of the most important principles in human cognition.

In simple terms, discovering and describing causal laws can give humanity the ability to “predict” things.

For example, with a function describing a car’s motion, as long as the function’s independent variables include rich parameters like time and speed, we can fully retrace where the car was five minutes ago or predict where it will be five minutes later.

If it were more complex, with more parameters loaded in, a function could even predict a person’s actions, predicting what you will be doing at what time tomorrow.

Before this mathematical tool was invented, precisely describing such a relationship was virtually impossible.

In the mathematics room of the Information Security Department, Xu Chuan laid out the materials on the desk before him.

On one side was the original ciphertext; on the other, the mathematical problems that had been extracted from it. Each document was unique, with no repetitions.

Xu Chuan carefully studied the extracted mathematical problems.

From basic exponential functions, logarithmic functions, power functions, trigonometric functions, and inverse trigonometric functions, to complex hash functions, symmetric functions, Gaussian functions, max and min functions, Euler’s totient function, and more.

These mathematical problems included all sorts of function-based puzzles.

But he was not intimidated by the complex and varied functions. Xu Chuan knew very well that the vast majority of even the most complex functions were constructed from basic ones.

Although the mathematical problems before him seemed to have no discernible pattern, for the United States to be able to use these various function problems to encrypt messages—and to send out large amounts of useless messages to interfere with other countries—they must possess a mathematical law for generating and manufacturing various function problems in bulk.

He refused to believe that an ordinary person on a mission would have the mathematical ability to decipher and solve these problems.

So he had to calm down, search patiently, and he would surely find a clue.

Although from a mathematical perspective, perfect things exist, they cannot be created in reality.

It’s like how mathematics has concepts of infinity and infinitesimals, but can you write down a number that represents infinity or an infinitesimal?

It’s simply impossible.

Chapter 50: Organizing Data, Gathering Clues

At his desk, Xu Chuan frowned at the numerous encrypted messages.

On the surface, these problems indeed seemed to have no pattern. Even when the various types of functions were arranged chronologically, nothing stood out. The hidden mathematical law was like order within chaos, remaining concealed.

Of course, Xu Chuan didn’t expect to find a clue at a single glance.

If it were really that easy, it wouldn’t have been dragged out until 2017 to be solved in his previous life.

Although the country lacked truly top-tier mathematicians, with no one having yet won a Fields Medal, it was not short on world-class ones.

People had won top mathematical awards like the Wolf Prize and the Chern Medal.

It was just that the discipline of mathematics contained far too many classifications and branches of knowledge. The achievements of many of the country’s mathematicians weren’t in the field of functions; the top echelon was mostly famous for geometry and Calculus.

“Functions and base conversion encoding mixed together… what a headache. You can’t make anything out of it.”

“First, I’ll separate the two and see if I can find anything.”

Staring at the math problems on his desk, Xu Chuan muttered to himself, then got up and found the staff member standing guard outside the door. He asked for paper and a pen and began to separate the mathematical problems from the base conversion encoding one by one.

When the two were mixed, it was indeed impossible to analyze anything further.

When a difficult math problem is intertwined with other issues, the best way to analyze the underlying mathematical law is to pull them apart, laying the mathematical problem bare.

This was one of the methods he had used in his previous life when proving the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap problem.

The black pen in his hand sketched one mathematical symbol after another on the clean white scratch paper. Xu Chuan separated the mathematical problems from the base conversion encoding for each question.

For him, this wasn’t difficult, but it was tedious.

First, the number of problems was large, making the workload enormous.

Second, the problems weren’t easy; even he needed a certain amount of time to solve them.

He skipped lunch and dinner, huddled in a corner, continuously breaking down set after set of problems. By the time his stomach was growling with hunger, the sky outside had turned completely dark.

Shaking his head and feeling a slight ache from hunger, Xu Chuan stood up and stretched. Outside the window, the Riyue University campus was brightly lit.

“I should get something to eat first.”

Rubbing his stomach, Xu Chuan tidied up the scratch paper on his desk and put it in a drawer.

In six or seven hours that afternoon, he had separated about a fifth of the total problems. The rest would likely take another two to three days.

On one hand, the problems were genuinely difficult, and he occasionally encountered complex math problems in fields where his knowledge wasn’t as deep.

On the other hand, he also needed to set aside time to organize the core principles of his simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function.

That, after all, was the main reason Zhang Weiping had brought him here.

Coming down from the sixth floor, Xu Chuan walked through the Riyue University campus.

The academic atmosphere at a top university was quite intense. Even at eight or nine in the evening, the library was still bustling with figures, and students were constantly moving about.

He found a cafeteria that was still open, had a quick bite, and then returned to the Information Building.

At this hour, the mathematics office was empty. The vacant room was a bit too quiet. He didn’t stay long, just grabbed some scratch paper, and then dragged his luggage up to the ninth floor to find the room where he would be sleeping.

He’d rather work in his own room than handle things in the vast, empty classroom.

Although he quite enjoyed solitude, a room that was too large could make one feel lonely.

9027. Xu Chuan glanced at the number on the door and swiped his access card to open it.

The room had been temporarily converted, but it was fully equipped with a toilet and a place to shower. However, there was no television on the wall; in its place was a computer.

The environment might not be as nice as a hotel’s, but Xu Chuan wasn’t demanding about his accommodations. A bed, a toilet, and a place to shower were enough.

After a comfortable shower, Xu Chuan pulled a chair up to the desk and began to organize the core ideas of his simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function.

Now that he had completed the verification and used this method to solve several Dirichlet function problems, organizing the core ideas was a very easy task.

At least, it was for him.

After pondering for a moment to structure his thoughts, Xu Chuan put pen to paper.

[A Simplified Approach to Solving the Dirichlet Function!]

The Dirichlet function is a function defined on the set of real numbers with a discontinuous range.

Its graph is symmetric with respect to the Y-axis, making it an even function. It is discontinuous everywhere, its limit does not exist anywhere, and it is not Riemann-integrable.

It is a measurable function that is discontinuous everywhere, is periodic, and has no minimum positive period.

When f(x) = xD(x), the Dirichlet function can be used to construct a single-point function; therefore, it can also be used to construct multi-point functions.

Building on this, we introduce the damped free vibration equation: x = exp(-at) * A * cos(bt + φ).

‘mẍ + cẋ + kx = 0’. From this, the aforementioned equation can be further expressed as ẍ + 2ax + wx = 0.

In summary, by substituting the modified damped free vibration equation into the equation A*cos(φ) - c/q = L, the Dirichlet function can be transformed into an integral of the Dirichlet function.

From the properties of the Dirichlet function to substituting the damped free vibration equation, and then to utilizing the two major calculation formulas from it—the critical point and the linearly independent particular solution—Xu Chuan wrote with great speed.

The paper he was writing tonight was not just for the math experts at the Information Security Department; it was also the original draft for a future journal submission.

Of course, if he were to submit it, the paper would definitely need further refinement. What he was writing now was merely the core concept of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function.

A submission to a journal would require much more descriptive detail.

In a single evening, Xu Chuan had already written out the core ideas of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function. For a scientific researcher, such efficiency was simply terrifying.

Normally, the emergence of any new mathematical method requires a period of polishing, from a few days at the shortest to several months at the longest. Sometimes, it could take over half a year just to get it out.

To be able to organize his thoughts and write them out completely in one night—this was inhuman.

Xu Chuan also found his own terrifying work efficiency quite incredible, but on second thought, it felt normal.

His youthful body provided abundant energy and an agile, flexible mind. This, combined with the vast knowledge from his rebirth and his sensitivity to scientific research, turned what seemed impossible into a reality.

Chapter 51: Discovering the Pattern

After checking the manuscript he had written and confirming there were no major issues, Xu Chuan washed up and went to sleep.

The next morning, he brought the prepared materials to the Mathematics Room and handed them to Zhang Weiping.

“So fast?”

Zhang Weiping took the manuscript from Xu Chuan, asking in surprise, “Did you stay up all night?”

“I was afraid of delaying things, so I started writing during the day and stayed up for a little while at night.”

Xu Chuan gave a modest smile and went along with Zhang Weiping’s assumption, not revealing the real situation.

Some things were best kept to himself; telling others would just seem too incredible.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll take a look at the manuscript first. You should go back and rest. Be prepared to present it to us tomorrow or the day after. I’ll call you with the specific time.”

Zhang Weiping sighed with emotion. It was rare to see a young man so hardworking and driven these days.

His own foolish son was usually as lazy as a pig and wasn’t great at his studies. If he were half as smart and hardworking as the boy before him—no, even a tenth—he’d have to buy a few strings of firecrackers to celebrate at their ancestral graves.

Xu Chuan nodded and asked, “Could I take yesterday’s original ciphertext and decrypted information upstairs to my own room to study?”

This was his goal.

The Mathematics Room had people coming and going. If he worked here, it would be inevitable that someone passing by would stop to watch.

The mathematical problems within those encrypted messages were not one-sided. Even though they were primarily composed of functions and algorithms, the scope they covered was quite broad.

A high school student capable of solving all the mathematical problems that required dozens of professors working together to decipher? If something like that happened, many people would probably want to send him to a hospital to see what his brain was made of, wouldn’t they?

Xu Chuan wasn’t prepared to be the public face of this information war. He planned to find the mathematical law behind the encrypted message, then guide Zhang Weiping to it through some hints and suggestions, rather than presenting it directly himself.

After all, this was an encryption algorithm specially developed by the United States. For it to be deciphered by a high school student was a bit too…

It was one thing to be a genius, even a prodigy, but it was better to be cautious and low-key when you crossed the line into being a monster, especially for someone like him who had secrets.

He didn’t need to prove anything. He had earned more than enough glory in his past life. For now, it was enough that he could help his Motherland, even if it was from behind the scenes.

In a few years, once he had grown and accumulated enough experience and credentials, the brilliant achievements from his past life would be more than enough to dazzle the world.

And it wasn’t just about the research from his past life; in this one, he had a long time to build upon his success and reach even greater heights.

The theories he couldn’t complete, the secrets he couldn’t uncover in his past life—this time, he had enough time and energy to make up for it all, to complete them, to discover them.

“You can. As long as you don’t take it out of this building, just remember to return it when you’re done.”

Zhang Weiping smiled and agreed without any hesitation. It wasn’t a big deal.

Xu Chuan nodded, walked over to his spot from yesterday to gather the materials, and returned to the ninth floor to continue the deconstruction work.

A room to himself was very similar to his most familiar research style from his past life. Without any interruptions, the deconstruction work progressed quite smoothly.

After a day, Xu Chuan had completed nearly half of the work.

He could set aside the deconstruction of the remaining original ciphertext and decrypted information for now.

Nearly half the documents should be enough for him to find some kind of anomaly.

In the process of deconstructing the work, his mathematical intuition told him that this method might really lead to a discovery. Some things simply couldn’t remain hidden from his eyes, coming from two decades in the future.

After organizing the deconstructed documents, Xu Chuan arranged them in chronological order and carefully studied each sheet of scratch paper, solving the problems and analyzing the answers.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Day turned to night, and darkness once again enveloped the land, but his eyes only grew brighter as the hours passed.

There was indeed a secret hidden within these deconstructed mathematical problems. It was buried deep, but it couldn’t escape his eyes.

Although the mathematical problems written on the scratch paper were only a part of the whole—less than half—and many things were still disorganized, Xu Chuan had already keenly detected something.

But it wasn’t enough. It was just a clue, not enough to confirm the fact. He needed more evidence.

“Since I’ve already found something, I might as well continue.”

Xu Chuan glanced at the phone on his desk. It was just past nine p.m., deep into the night, but he didn’t want to let this wisp of a clue go. He prepared to continue.

It was just an all-nighter; it wasn’t like he had never pulled one before.

He grabbed a can of Red Bull from his suitcase, downed it in one gulp, and sat back down at his desk.

In the quiet room, the only sound was the faint rustle of his black pen writing on scratch paper. The lights outside the window gradually went out. In the entire Information Building, only one room still shone with a bright light.

When the sun rose again, Xu Chuan finally put down his pen. By now, the large desk was covered with all sorts of messy scratch paper.

With one night of effort, he had finally turned that wisp of inspiration he’d caught into data written on paper.

Physical fatigue screamed for him to go to sleep, but the mental exhilaration made his eyes shine with light.

“Are they defining the function’s domain using both composite and simple functions? No, they also introduced sets. If they were purely defining the domain through functions, the result would be a range value, not a specific value. But by adding sets, they can specify it.”

“If you then add base conversion encoding and a standard encryption algorithm, that’s practically a triple lock. It’s certainly difficult and quite interesting, but for me, this stuff is already outdated.”

Xu Chuan’s eyes shone as he stared at the mathematical problems and answers on the scratch paper. Relying on the cutting-edge mathematical knowledge he had learned at Princeton in his past life, he had finally found some of the mathematical laws and principles behind these problems.

Although it was only a part, it was enough.

Some things were like a ball of tangled twine. As long as you found the end of the thread, you could smoothly unravel it. All it required was enough patience and time.

As for now, he’d better get some sleep first.

Chapter 52: Decryption Complete

He didn’t tidy his desk or go for breakfast. After washing his face, Xu Chuan threw himself onto the bed. In less than a minute, the room was filled with the sound of soft snores.

He usually slept quietly and didn’t snore, but he had been truly exhausted yesterday.

His brain had been running at high speed the entire day, which was a massive drain on his energy. The physical toll of mental activity was no less than that of manual labor—in fact, it was often greater.

Xu Chuan slept straight through until after two in the afternoon, only then did he groggily wake up.

He took a shower to clear his head, and as soon as he went downstairs to eat, he ran into Zhang Weiping.

“Oh, there you are. Where were you this morning? I was just looking for you. I tried calling, but it wouldn’t go through.”

Zhang Weiping called out to Xu Chuan, curious about where he had been for the past couple of days.

Xu Chuan thought he must have missed the call while showering. He pulled out his phone to check, only to find that the device, which had been in his pocket, now had a black screen.

He gave an awkward smile and shook the dead phone. “I’ve been in my room the whole time. I stayed up a bit late last night working on those problems and woke up late today. You couldn’t reach me because my phone died. I forgot to charge it.”

“You shouldn’t push yourself so hard. You need to take care of your health; you have a long future ahead of you.”

Zhang Weiping shook his head, advising him. Other students needed to be pushed to study, but with this one, you had to persuade him not to work so hard.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, I’ll be careful. Teacher, was there something you needed me for?”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

As if suddenly remembering, Zhang Weiping continued, “We’ve all gone over the materials on the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll have a short meeting in the Mathematics Room to discuss some of the problems and ideas.”

“Okay, sounds good. What time tomorrow?” Xu Chuan asked.

“That depends on tomorrow’s workload. If there’s a lot of information to decrypt, we might have to postpone it.”

“In that case, Teacher, just let me know. I’ll be in my room.”

“Alright. And remember to charge your phone,” Zhang Weiping said with a smile, patting Xu Chuan’s shoulder.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, Xu Chuan hurried back to his room to continue the work he hadn’t finished that morning.

The meeting tomorrow was an excellent opportunity for him to present some of his ideas and methods.

However, time was tight. He needed to figure out the mathematical principles behind this information war before the meeting.

He didn’t have to understand it completely, but he at least needed to grasp the general direction.

After all, if he hadn’t figured it out himself, how could he give hints to anyone else?

Fortunately, his all-nighter hadn’t been for nothing. Now that he had found a thread to pull on, the rest of the work was just a matter of following it and untangling the details.

Peeling back the base conversion encoding, defining the function’s domain through a combination of composite and simple functions, using sets to determine numerical values, employing a hash function to transform input strings into fixed-length output strings, and identifying the types of composite and basic functions used.

With enough insightful leads, Xu Chuan uncovered the secrets behind these mathematical problems one by one.

Fundamental, yet complex—that was the best way to describe the mathematical principles behind these encrypted messages.

As evening fell, Xu Chuan put down his pen and stared at the scratch paper on his desk, his brow furrowed.

By now, he had more or less figured out the mathematical principles behind the encrypted messages, but there was still one crucial point he hadn’t identified.

Namely, whenever the encryption algorithm was changed, how did they determine which function problems and set definitions to use?

If he couldn’t solve this problem, it would still be difficult to build a comprehensive mathematical model capable of decrypting these messages in a timely manner.

Xu Chuan refused to believe that the United States would use completely random functions and sets for their encryption combinations. That was highly improbable.

The other side must have a function library from which they called and combined functions to generate the problems, then compiled them into the encrypted message.

But the sheer number of functions and sets meant that if they were applied randomly, even the intelligence personnel they had stationed here, equipped with decryption devices, would need a very long time to solve it—if they could solve it at all.

Without a pattern, each random application and decryption would cause the computational difficulty and the processing power required to increase exponentially.

Applying a two-digit number of functions would be enough to overwhelm any home computer.

If the number of applied functions grew to three digits, even with a mathematical model, it would take a supercomputer a very long time to solve.

Unless these intelligence personnel were using supercomputers as their decryption devices, it was all just nonsense. How could an ordinary computer possibly have enough processing power for such calculations?

Therefore, that was clearly impossible.

Xu Chuan didn’t believe that the intelligence personnel would be able to recognize which function had been used after decryption, and only then use a mathematical model to find the solution.

Forget the intelligence personnel; even he wouldn’t dare claim to recognize every possible function.

Twist one slightly, and it becomes something entirely new. Anyone who could recognize them all would have to be a top-tier mathematician in their country.

For such a talent to be sent out as an intelligence agent… even having a dog for a president wouldn’t be that absurd.

Therefore, there had to be an embedded pattern in the original ciphertext or the initially decrypted plaintext.

With this in mind, Xu Chuan turned his attention to the original ciphertext and the decrypted plaintext.

He began by sorting the materials in chronological order, then appended the corresponding function problems and their solutions underneath, searching for clues.

But the sheer volume and chaotic nature of the original ciphertext made him instantly abandon the idea of starting there. Instead, he focused his attention on the partially decrypted plaintext.

This time, it didn’t take long. After reviewing just a few of the plaintext messages and their corresponding function problems, Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. He thought he knew what method the other side was using.

However, to confirm that his theory was correct, he decided to continue reviewing the rest of the documents.

Chapter 53: The Conceited Americans

Half an hour passed. After browsing through all the manuscript data, Xu Chuan finally looked up and gazed into the distance out the window, as if trying to see that nation across the globe through the dark veil of night.

“You guys really look down on people with this step of the design, don’t you? Were you so certain that none of us could figure out the preceding relationships?”

At his desk, Xu Chuan murmured to himself while looking at the pitch-black night sky. After reading the materials in his hands, he had already found the corresponding pattern for the functions used in the ciphertext.

Compared to the tight defenses before, the other side’s design for this final step was practically an open door.

The pattern design for the final step was actually very simple.

Anyone who has studied functions knows that most complex functions in this world, with very few exceptions, are composites of two, three, or even more functions.

This also meant that a complex function could be broken down into several elementary functions as needed.

And these encrypted messages utilized this simplest of methods. They had taken the functions from a deconstructed function problem, turned them into dates, and inserted them into the plaintext.

This way, one only needed to determine the base and elementary functions according to the date to identify the final function used in the complex analysis.

And the numbers for each day of each year are unique. For example, like today, March 8th, 2015, the number split and woven into the plaintext would be 20150308.

The specific position could also be determined: the first digit would be the second character in the first line, the second digit would be the third character in the second line, and so on. If a zero was encountered, the corresponding line would be skipped.

This kind of extremely simple insertion could be discovered by anyone with even a slight sensitivity to mathematics.

The difficulty was about the same as a pattern-finding game for elementary schoolers.

That’s why Xu Chuan had muttered that the design for this last step truly looked down on people—they must have been certain that no one could decipher the preceding patterns and write the corresponding mathematical model, so they didn’t care if this part was discovered.

After completely unearthing the secret behind the encrypted message, Xu Chuan organized the documents. He kept the original ciphertext and plaintext, which needed to be returned, but all his other drafts and calculation materials were burned to ashes and flushed down the drain.

It was impossible for him to take these things with him, but leaving them here was a liability that might expose his secret. It was better to be cautious.

Let alone within the country, if the United States found out that this information war was won by a high school student, he would probably never have a peaceful day again, nor would he a be able to step a foot outside the country.

But he had to go abroad. Many of the theories and technologies in his mind were waiting for him to replicate them using the particle collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Reborn into this life, he still chose Sanjiang College as his university, not just out of sentimentality, but also because of the path and opportunities he had encountered at Sanjiang College in his past life.

Just like how he had followed his mentor to CERN several times in his previous life, some opportunities only appear in specific places.

After finding the mathematical law and secrets behind the encrypted message, Xu Chuan could finally relax.

Although the matter wasn’t completely resolved yet, he believed it wouldn’t be long before the corresponding mathematical model could be programmed.

He couldn’t be of much help with the remaining work.

He wasn’t familiar with programming and cryptography, and his help wasn’t needed anyway. The country had plenty of talent in these two fields.

For him, the most important goal of his high school years was already accomplished. He could now peacefully prepare for the IMO, IPHO, and the college entrance exam.

Although participating in such competitions as a reincarnator felt a bit like bullying a kid, no one had ever won gold medals in both of these competitions in the same year.

Xu Chuan was still somewhat looking forward to this new achievement.

Besides, in his past life, he hadn’t managed to become the Absolute Winner at the IPHO, which was a regret. Now that he had a chance to make up for it in this life, he naturally didn’t want to miss it.

The next day, Xu Chuan woke up at the crack of dawn.

He ran a few laps around the track at Riyue University, resuming the exercise routine he had paused recently.

In the morning, he didn’t go to the Information Building. Instead, he took a nice stroll around the Riyue University campus and slipped into a classroom to listen to a public physics lecture.

University life and high school life are two completely different things. In high school, teachers watch over your studies and will proactively quiz and test you.

But university is an environment where you actively acquire knowledge and receive information, and where presenting what you’ve learned to your peers is more important than the coursework itself. Apart from final exams, few teachers care about how well you’re learning.

A public lecture like this was a good place for students to demonstrate their ideas.

Although it was a university course, Xu Chuan found this lecture quite interesting. Its core theme was the “thermal stealth” effect, a rather cutting-edge topic in the world of physics.

The concept of invisibility has always been a popular element in science fiction novels and movies.

After all, it could inspire quite a few risqué stories.

What interested Xu Chuan in this class were some of the ideas proposed by the young students—or rather, the senior students.

One senior student proposed the concept of a new “thermal stealth suit” in class.

In his concept, this suit would be composed of countless microchips. Each chip would have its own processor and could access information from every observer’s eyes, allowing it to project images, emit light, dissipate heat, cool down, be breathable, and so on.

When a person wearing the stealth suit appeared, each chip on the suit would project the image the observer would have originally seen, based on the observer’s visual information, right where the wearer was standing.

This kind of stealth suit would not only provide visual invisibility but also have “thermal stealth” capabilities, allowing it to evade detection by thermal imagers.

The idea was very fanciful and unlikely to be realized with current technology, but it gave Xu Chuan a completely new line of thought.

In his past life, he had majored in physics and minored in materials science, so he had a deep understanding of materials.

Although this kind of microchip stealth suit wasn’t very realistic, achieving optical and thermal stealth was not impossible.

In his previous life, he had studied many materials. Some nanomaterials could be made to exhibit the quantum confinement effect through specific methods. This effect could then be applied to adjust the material’s band gap, in turn producing some unique photoelectric effects.

To put it simply, there was a type of material that could act like a multi-faceted mirror, projecting different images from different angles. This would allow it to blend in with the surrounding environment, creating a blind spot that couldn’t be seen through, thus rendering an object hidden within it invisible.

However, Xu Chuan didn’t delve deeper into this line of thought. He briefly formulated the idea, recorded it in his mind, and then put it on hold.

The greatest value of something like invisibility was likely in military applications, but that was something he couldn’t touch at the moment.

Chapter 54: Modeling and Hints

Around noon, Zhang Weiping called to tell him to prepare for the small lesson in the afternoon.

Xu Chuan gathered his materials, collected his thoughts, and went to the Mathematics Room early, only to find Zhang Weiping already waiting for him.

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be scared. Just treat it like a normal conversation with your classmates and teammates.”

Zhang Weiping smiled, trying to soothe Xu Chuan and relieve any significant pressure.

In truth, this was a platform he was providing for Xu Chuan, a way for the math professors in the Mathematics Room to familiarize themselves with him. This would make it easier for Xu Chuan to find a professor to consult if he encountered problems in his future studies.

As for the problem and its explanation, the core manuscript Xu Chuan had provided earlier was already very clear.

After all, this wasn’t some cutting-edge, complex topic. Most of the math professors could fully understand it after receiving the core document.

Xu Chuan nodded in acknowledgment. If this were any ordinary student, even a doctoral candidate, they would be incredibly nervous.

After all, the mathematicians participating in the decryption of the encrypted message were all top-tier professors in the country. It was certainly not an easy task for a third-year high school student to present his knowledge to professors who could be his teachers.

But for him, it was nothing at all.

Before his rebirth, the physics and mathematics conferences he had convened were filled with world-class masters. In comparison, today’s meeting was truly on a very ordinary level.

However, he took it very seriously, because this was an excellent opportunity to help resolve the information war.

At one-thirty in the afternoon, in the Mathematics Room, there was no projection screen, no formal conference room. A dozen or so math professors were gathered around a makeshift round table, chatting like a group of village housewives gathering for their daily gossip in the evening.

“Ahem, alright, everyone’s here, so let’s begin.”

Zhang Weiping cleared his throat, coughed once, and continued, “We’re all old acquaintances, so I won’t do long introductions. But please be a bit mindful in a moment. Let’s not scare our young classmate, Xu Chuan. He’s only in his third year of high school, after all.”

At his words, the professors seated around the table grew lively.

“Old Zhang, listen to you. We wouldn’t have time to do anything but cherish him, how could we possibly scare him?”

“Third year of high school, huh? Back then, all I did was play cards in my dorm.”

“Classmate Xu Chuan, are you interested in studying at Tsinghua University? You can name your terms. Tsinghua is the number one university in the country, you know.”

Professor Wang Yuan from Tsinghua University beamed at Xu Chuan, extending the invitation.

“Heh, you old-timer. When it comes to mathematics, your Tsinghua can’t compare to our Peking University. If he’s coming anywhere, it’s to Peking University. Xu Chuan, come to Peking University, and I’ll mentor you personally!”

Academician Zhou Jianlin from Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences raised an eyebrow and immediately retorted.

“Alright, what’s there to argue about? Today’s topic isn’t poaching talent! Don’t listen to them, Xu Chuan. Dongshan College’s mathematics department is very strong too.”

After chastising the first two, Professor Wei Anran from Dongshan College joined the recruitment battle herself.

“Ahem, you bunch of old-timers. I told you not to scare him, but you all got more excited.”

Zhang Weiping glanced at the seated math professors and rolled his eyes. He knew this would be the outcome.

However, the interruption had livened up the atmosphere in the Mathematics Room considerably.

After settling the mood, Zhang Weiping looked at Xu Chuan and said:

“Alright, let’s get started now. Xu Chuan, don’t you be nervous either. Just treat it like a casual chat. You just saw what this group of old… people are like.”

“How about this: you first briefly describe the core idea of your simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function. Then, if anyone has questions, they can ask. If you have an answer, go ahead and reply. If you can’t answer, that’s fine too. Don’t worry about it.”

Xu Chuan nodded. After organizing his thoughts, he explained the entire process, from getting the inspiration from Advances in Physics to his research on the damped free vibration equation and the Dirichlet function.

He didn’t focus on the core proof process. That was in the manuscript he had provided two days ago, which everyone had surely read and memorized by now.

“…And that is the entire process of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function.”

After confirming he hadn’t missed anything, Xu Chuan concluded his presentation and waited for the masters seated around him to ask questions.

“I didn’t expect Classmate Xu Chuan to have such high achievements in physics as well.”

“A genius in both math and physics! He’s even more suited for our Peking University.”

“…”

Seeing the group starting up again, Zhang Weiping cut them off directly, “Alright, if you have questions, ask them quickly. Don’t waste time. After we’re done here, he still has to attend the National Training Team training.”

Corrected by Zhang Weiping once more, the group finally shifted the topic back to mathematics.

However, for the masters gathered here, understanding the core of the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function wasn’t an issue. Only a math expert specializing in modeling raised a couple of questions.

“Classmate Xu Chuan, I’d like to ask, based on your core concepts, if we use the simplified method to model the Dirichlet function, from transforming the function to integration and then to finding the solution, there are a total of thirteen different steps and solution methods, correct?”

Xu Chuan nodded. This was something he had clearly written in the core document.

“Can it be further optimized? What I mean is, can the solution methods be sequenced according to the size of their corresponding solution range?”

The modeling expert asked, “Because for a mathematical model, if it requires repeated calculations and multiple choices, it will increase the processing power demand significantly.”

“So, prioritizing the core solution methods with the widest application range in the first group can reduce the mathematical model’s demand on processing power.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “That’s not a problem. I can sort it out when I get back.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

After a brief meeting to handle some issues related to creating the mathematical model, Xu Chuan stopped Zhang Weiping.

“Teacher Zhang, please wait a moment.”

As he spoke, he took out a stack of scratch paper from the bookbag he had brought and handed it over.

“These are some of my solutions from studying those math problems these past two days. There are some problems I can’t figure out. Could you help me take a look?”

He had already burned the original, detailed scratch papers. These were newly written just last night.

They were a preliminary organization of the patterns behind the encrypted cores, providing only two or three ideas and some solution data that was relatively consistent with his current level of knowledge.

To maintain his cover, he had even listed some data from calculations he couldn’t complete.

However, this should be enough to bring inspiration to the mathematicians at the Information Security Department.

“Mm, alright.”

Zhang Weiping took the scratch paper, flipping through it, preparing to offer some guidance to the math genius.

“It’s normal that you can’t solve this problem. It’s a research topic for doctoral graduates. This function requires using the Riemann lemma to integrate both sides simultaneously, and then transitioning to L’Hôpital’s rule…”

“Huh? You’ve separated the encrypted functions? Interesting. Separating the base conversion from the math problem itself, and then solving it.”

“This line of thought…”

As his eyes scanned the scratch paper, Zhang Weiping grew increasingly astonished with every piece of information he took in. At first, he could still answer the questions Xu Chuan had left and offer guidance on his thought process. But gradually, he fell into deep thought, his brows furrowing unconsciously.

A nascent idea for a method to find the mathematical law behind these encrypted messages began to sprout in his mind.

Watching the pensive Zhang Weiping, a smile touched the corners of Xu Chuan’s eyes.

He knew that on his scratch papers, Zhang Weiping had already found the small path leading to the answer.

Chapter 55: Falcon!

After a long moment of contemplation, Zhang Weiping abruptly raised his head, his eyes shining as he looked at Xu Chuan and praised him, “You’re truly our lucky star!”

Xu Chuan feigned a slight confusion and asked, “What’s wrong, Teacher?”

“Just wait. You’ll understand at the meeting later.”

Zhang Weiping laughed heartily. From Xu Chuan’s scratch paper and his question, he had found a potential clue to resolving the current information war.

After making several dozen copies of the scratch paper, Zhang Weiping convened another mathematics conference, urgently calling back some of the professors and mathematicians who had already left.

“What is it, Old Zhang? What’s so urgent?”

Confused by the suddenly reconvened meeting, Zhou Jianlin from Peking University, who had just left not long ago before being called back, asked breathlessly, thinking something had happened.

“Take a look at this first.”

Zhang Weiping smiled and handed a copy of the scratch paper to Zhou Jianlin.

Zhou Jianlin took the paper, puzzled, and glanced at it.

“Is this something you wrote?”

“No, wait, aren’t these all function problems that have been solved before?”

“The bases have been isolated? Interesting. Why didn’t you finish the calculations?”

After scanning the information on the paper, Zhou Jianlin looked up and asked.

“Finish reading it, then study it carefully.”

Zhang Weiping smiled mysteriously, not revealing the answer directly.

“You’re being weird.”

Zhou Jianlin shook his head and grumbled, then returned his attention to the scratch paper.

“Huh? There’s something wrong with these problems!”

As he examined the papers carefully once more, Zhou Jianlin’s eyes widened as if he had seen something incredible.

Finally, he looked up with the same excitement and punched Zhang Weiping lightly on the chest.

“Old Zhang, you’ve really done it!”

“Hahahahaha, this wasn’t written by me. It’s that kid Xu Chuan’s work,” Zhang Weiping laughed loudly, equally elated.

“That student you brought with you?” Zhou Jianlin asked, stunned for a moment.

“Yes. That kid is much more diligent than us. For the past two days, he’s locked himself in his room studying these functions, breaking them down and solving them himself. There were two problems he didn’t understand, so he came to ask me with his scratch paper.”

“I didn’t pay it much attention at first. It was only after studying it that I discovered the issue.”

“So you’re saying it was an accident?”

Zhou Jianlin asked with some surprise, then added, “Do you think Xu Chuan might have also noticed the details within and came to you on purpose?”

“I don’t think so, right?”

Zhang Weiping thought for a moment and shook his head. “That kid is certainly skilled in mathematics, but he’s only in his third year of high school. Even if he has a deep understanding of the Dirichlet function, it’s unlikely he understands the majority of these other functions.”

“Besides, there are still some problems on this scratch paper that he hasn’t solved, which is why he came to me.”

“You and I would both believe it if someone said he’s mastered some university-level mathematics, but things like the Riemann lemma and the practical applications of nonlinear functional analysis are research topics for doctoral students.”

“When he handed me this scratch paper just now, he seemed completely clueless, with no idea what was inside it.”

“That’s true.”

Zhou Jianlin nodded in agreement. It would be far too incredible for a high school student to have an almost comprehensive understanding of functions.

In the Mathematics Room, the discussion meeting convened once more.

After organizing it, Zhang Weiping had made several dozen copies of Xu Chuan’s scratch paper, one for each person. It wasn’t just the mathematics team; the decryption personnel from the cryptography side also rushed over after hearing the news.

The two groups gathered to discuss and brainstorm, hoping to follow the trail of clues to find a solution.

Although targeted decryption efforts had made little progress in the past, it wasn’t a reflection of the mathematicians’ and cryptographers’ abilities.

After all, this was an encryption method specially designed by the United States. Even Xu Chuan, had he not spent over a decade at Princeton in his past life, learning and encountering all sorts of new, cutting-edge knowledge in the world of mathematics, might not have been able to navigate this maze and successfully uncover the clues behind it.

But now, the knowledge he had learned in the United States in the past was proving useful!

With a solid lead, and through the efforts of dozens of mathematicians and cryptographers, a preliminary research result was successfully produced.

All that remained was programming: using the discovered patterns to design a mathematical program and run experiments.

China had no shortage of talent in this area. With the most difficult step resolved, the work of writing the mathematical model progressed quite smoothly.

Moreover, upon hearing the good news, Elder Wu from the Information Security Department specifically requested a batch of personnel from the higher-ups to speed things up and build the program as quickly as possible.

In three days, with the combined efforts of dozens of mathematicians, cryptography experts, and modeling staff, the first-generation experimental mathematical model was created.

A simple interface with only a few buttons held the hopes of countless people.

In the Mathematics Room, dozens of people crowded in front of a projection screen, waiting.

Zhang Weiping took a deep breath, input a previously intercepted encrypted message, then moved the mouse tremblingly over to the ‘decrypt’ button and clicked down hard.

【Encrypted message detected. Decrypting…】

A pop-up window appeared on the screen. Everyone clenched their fists, held their breath, and stared at the projected image with anticipation and hope, not daring to blink for fear of missing the moment.

The wall clock ticked away, tick-tock, tick-tock. Time passed, bit by bit.

One minute passed, then two…

The image on the screen was still the pop-up window showing the decryption in progress.

Just as a sliver of disappointment began to creep into their hearts, the pop-up window suddenly flickered and vanished. A line of text appeared on the projection screen.

【My cat knocked coffee onto my keyboard today. The ‘e’ key is broken. I can no longer be happy.】

Zhang Weiping quickly picked up the corresponding decryption card and compared its contents with the text on the screen.

After confirming they were identical, he shot to his feet and cheered in excitement.

“We did it!”

“We did it! The decryption result is a perfect match!”

In an instant, excitement spread throughout the Mathematics Room. Everyone burst into cheers.

In the crowd, Wu Weiguo wiped the corner of his eye with a wrinkled hand.

For the past several dozen days, they had endured humiliation, with nearly every operation ending in failure. But from this day forward, the nation’s security was once again protected.

Perhaps only those who work in the shadows could truly understand how hard-won today’s prosperity and flourishing were.

And now, it was their turn to strike back.

Once the cheering subsided slightly, Wu Weiguo composed himself and began to issue commands.

“As of today, Operation Falcon officially begins!”

Chapter 56: Closing the Net!

After multiple tests confirmed that the first-generation mathematical model could handle all the encrypted messages that had already been deciphered, the programmers in the Information Building became busy once again.

After all, it was still a first-generation experimental model and program, and some things still needed to be optimized.

However, this no longer had anything to do with Xu Chuan. Just like everyone else in the Mathematics Room, he wore a brilliant smile.

In the evening, Zhang Weiping pulled him to a small canteen at Riyue University. A small dining table was piled high with all sorts of dishes—so many that Xu Chuan couldn’t even stop him.

This was Zhang Weiping’s private treat, paid for out of his own pocket.

As for the information war, it was still too early to celebrate. That would have to wait until they had used this mathematical model to catch those ‘rats’ at least once.

At the small table, Zhang Weiping was already quite drunk. He latched onto Xu Chuan and wouldn’t stop talking, one moment asking why he didn’t study at Riyue University, the next asking if he already knew the secret behind those function problems.

Xu Chuan drank a few beers with him, eating and listening as Zhang Weiping unburdened himself.

During this time, he had likely been under the most pressure in the entire Information Security Department’s Mathematics Room.

As Elder Chern’s last disciple, he had led a team of more than a dozen mathematics experts for nearly two months, yet they had been completely helpless against the United States’ encryption algorithm. This had led many to doubt whether he truly had any real substance.

The pressure of national information security, the doubts of others, the taunts from their adversaries—all of it had been weighing on his mind, becoming a constant source of anxiety.

An adult’s breakdown often happens in an instant.

Although the first-generation mathematical model had yet to be tested in a live situation, its one hundred percent accuracy rate in deciphering past encrypted messages was enough to let him finally release all his pent-up pressure.

Dinner lasted from just after six to past nine. In the end, Xu Chuan had to carry the unconscious Zhang Weiping back to the Information Building and hand him over to a staff member on duty.

After taking a shower, Xu Chuan went to bed as well.

In truth, he could have left days ago, after he had finished explaining the simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function and analyzing the patterns behind the encrypted messages.

After all, the subsequent work had little to do with him, and he had been spending his days in the Riyue University library.

But Xu Chuan wanted to see the mathematical model crack the enemy’s latest encrypted messages and catch one of those ‘rats’ with his own eyes, so he had stayed behind.

And tomorrow was the day to test the results in a real-world scenario.

Early the next morning, Xu Chuan was up. He skipped his run and, after washing up, went straight to the Mathematics Room, only to find that most of the team was already waiting there.

“Morning, Xu Chuan.”

“Have you eaten, Student Xu Chuan? If not, I have a couple of steamed buns here.”

“I’ve got some soy milk and a tea egg here.”

In the Mathematics Room, everyone greeted him enthusiastically.

Xu Chuan was already used to this sort of scene, which had been repeating ever since the Mathematical Society meeting.

After they learned that Zhang Weiping’s inspiration had come from his scratch paper, Xu Chuan seemed to have become the darling of the Information Security Department’s Mathematics Room—or perhaps its mascot.

A group of professors of a national-treasure caliber bringing him breakfast—it was a level of treatment that few people had ever experienced.

At 10:07 AM, the door to the Mathematics Room was pushed open, and a young staff member jogged in.

“Academician Zhang, here are today’s intercepted encrypted messages. Seventy-three of them in total.”

The young staff member handed a sealed bag to Zhang Weiping. He took it quickly, called out to the eagerly waiting crowd in the Mathematics Room, and began distributing the encrypted message paper cards.

“Everyone, it’s time to work!”

Unlike usual, this time the professors in the Mathematics Room swarmed forward, practically snatching the encrypted messages from Zhang Weiping’s hands.

Xu Chuan was also given two encrypted messages.

After some simple processing, everyone input the encrypted messages into their computers.

The new-generation decryption program, installed on each computer, began to run. A series of pop-up windows showed the mathematical model at work, the glow from the screens illuminating faces filled with a mixture of anticipation and tension.

Time ticked by. The first encrypted message was cracked.

“Decryption successful! But it’s a junk message!”

The professor who deciphered the first message shot up from his seat, shouting excitedly.

His excited shout spurred everyone else on. After a brief, envious glance at the professor, all eyes returned to their own screens, anxiously awaiting the decryption of their own messages.

“I’m done over here. Both are junk messages.”

“Same here, two junk messages!”

Soon, the second, third, and fourth encrypted messages were perfectly decrypted by the computers. The good news spread through the Mathematics Room.

In the past, such a large number of junk messages would have crushed their morale, leaving them discouraged and dejected.

But today, the appearance of each new junk message only raised their anticipation.

Inside the Mathematics Room, Xu Chuan stared at his screen. The continuous shouts of successful decryptions around him made him swallow nervously, eagerly hoping his own messages would be cracked soon.

Suddenly, the image on his LCD screen flickered.

The pop-up window indicating the ongoing decryption vanished, replaced by a familiar string of numbers that made Xu Chuan’s pupils dilate.

“Teacher Zhang, I’ve got something! It’s numerical coordinates.”

Seeing the familiar numbers, Xu Chuan shot to his feet and shouted.

Hearing his voice, the surrounding mathematics professors swarmed over.

“Hahahahaha, you really are our lucky charm!”

“111 degrees, 36 minutes east longitude; 40 degrees, 57 minutes north latitude. Those coordinates are in Saibei City!”

“Two twenty-five in the afternoon. It’s ten-twelve in the morning now, so we have four hours. I’ll go inform Elder Wu immediately!”

After confirming the decrypted information contained a time and coordinates, Zhang Weiping rushed for the door. But before he could take more than a few steps, it was pushed open.

“No need to inform me, I’m already here!”

Wu Weiguo strode in, walked quickly to Xu Chuan’s seat, and peered at the computer screen. Then, he roared with a voice full of vigor:

“Those sons of bitches… If we don’t catch them this time, I’ll go smash up Headquarters myself!”

Chapter 57: Fact and Fiction

Xu Chuan didn’t know if the Information Security Headquarters had caught anyone, but the victory celebration was held as scheduled.

Because it was a classified operation, no one received medals or commendations. It wasn’t that there were none, but that the medals they had earned would not be issued for the time being, nor would they be publicly announced. Only when the intelligence from this information war was declassified would the medals be awarded and the information be made public.

Besides the medals, every mathematician who participated in deciphering the encrypted messages, including Xu Chuan, received a bonus of one hundred thousand yuan.

Xu Chuan hadn’t expected to receive a bonus either.

First, he had only been here for about ten days and hadn’t been heavily involved in the earlier process of decrypting the encrypted messages. He couldn’t really take credit for that part.

Second, although he was the fundamental reason the problem was solved through Modeling, the person who had officially conceived the solution was Academician Zhang Weiping. At most, Xu Chuan had only provided a hint with his scratch paper.

Of course, his simplified method for solving the Dirichlet function had still played a role. After all, the model was built on an underlying mathematical law, and the Dirichlet function was one of them.

But compared to the contributions of the other mathematics professors, a single simplified function seemed somewhat meager.

However, Xu Chuan accepted the one hundred thousand yuan with a clear conscience.

After all, without him, according to the original course of history, this information war would have dragged on until 2017 before being fully resolved.

In those two years, the nation would have suffered countless losses in terms of interests and secrets.

In Brightmoon City, Wu Weiguo, the deputy director of the Information Security Department, did not attend the victory celebration. Instead, face flushed with anger, he rushed to the Headquarters of the Information Security Department.

He had previously declared that if they failed to catch anyone this time, he would go and smash up the Headquarters, and now he was making good on his promise.

“Why? We had their precise location, time, and place! Why couldn’t you catch them? You couldn’t even find them with all that? Are you all incompetent?”

Bang! Wu Weiguo furiously pushed open the door to the Headquarters, slamming his palm on the wooden desk and glaring at the middle-aged man behind the computer.

He did not have the same good temper with these staff members at the Information Security Headquarters as he did with the professors in the Mathematics Room.

Although he had only been an intelligence officer during the Annam War, he had shouldered a rifle and killed enemies.

He couldn’t understand. They had accurately deciphered the enemy’s plans hours in advance, yet Headquarters had told him not to make any arrests, even allowing the enemy to transmit their message back.

In his view, for intelligence personnel who harmed the country like this, shooting them dead on the spot would not be going too far.

“Little Wu, you’re still as hot-tempered as ever.”

From within the office, a somewhat aged voice spoke up.

Hearing this voice, Wu Weiguo shuddered. He spun around and saw a white-haired old man sitting on a sofa in the corner.

“Squad Leader, what are you doing here?”

“Come and sit. The order not to make an arrest came from me,” the old man said, gesturing to the chair beside him.

“Squad Leader, I don’t understand. Why? We clearly could have caught and interrogated them.”

Wu Weiguo stared at the old man in confusion, his mind flashing back to the shell-shocked days on the Annam battlefield.

Back then, their intelligence unit had consisted of several dozen men. In the end, only he and the squad leader before him had survived.

Later, he went to work for the Information Security Department while his squad leader was at Headquarters, but he was still a soldier under his command.

“You… so many years have passed, and you’re still not using your brain, just like back then.”

The old squad leader chided him before continuing, “I know you’ve all worked hard and feel wronged, but will catching one person solve the problem?”

“The ones active are mostly low-level informants. Even if we caught them, how much could we get out of an interrogation?”

“Now that we have the decryption equipment, we can precisely track the enemy’s movements. We’ve been patient for so many days, so what’s a few more?”

“Judging from the enemy’s past activities, there are quite a few intelligence personnel and moles using this encryption system.”

“If we’re going to make a move, we have to cut out this malignant tumor all at once, completely uprooting the agents they’ve planted in our country.”

“Catching a few small fry here and there will not only beat the grass and startle the snake, but it will also cause the enemy to change their contact methods. Then it will be even harder to find these people.”

“Perhaps this time we can even catch a few big fish. Then we might be able to trade them for some things in return.”

The old squad leader squinted, looking somewhat wistful.

In the past, they had used such hostage exchanges to get many things back from the United States.

The luminary who dedicated his life to the missile program, the one who forged the sword that the people of this nation now hold, was brought back through such means.

In the past, they traded more than ten elite pilots and intelligence personnel to get him back. Otherwise, how could that country across the ocean possibly have let him go?

Now, with no major wars being waged, elite pilots were no longer obtainable, but intelligence personnel were still active on the front lines in every country.

Many important intelligence personnel had public identities, and under the cover of these identities, they could remain active on the front lines for long periods.

If they could use this opportunity to catch a few big fish like that, some important overseas talent and technology could be traded for.

No one valued this opportunity more than the old squad leader, which was why he was being so meticulous. He would rather let two intelligence personnel go this time than startle the snake and arouse the enemy’s suspicion.

Moreover, the other side still didn’t know that they had already deciphered this encryption system. Before closing the net for good, they could use this system to transmit a great deal of false information.

Fact and fiction—who could tell the difference?

Sometimes, the damage inflicted by false information and feints could be far greater than that of real information and actions.

In ancient times, Jiang Gan was greatly deceived into stealing a letter. Who knew how much destruction the false information they transmitted today would cause.

If it were a contest of hard power, having been dormant for some time, they might indeed struggle to keep pace. But when it came to strategy, for five thousand years, China’s opponents had come and gone, batch after batch. Only China has endured to this day.

After being thoroughly lectured by his old squad leader, Wu Weiguo gave an embarrassed smile.

He really hadn’t considered so many factors. Once the decryption program was complete, his only thought had been to round up all these rats that were undermining national security.

After the victory celebration, Xu Chuan bought a ticket from Brightmoon City and returned to Xingcheng.

It was already March twenty-second. According to the National Training Team schedule, the Physics Olympiad Intensive Training had already ended. The Math Olympiad Intensive Training still had a few days left as it had been extended, so he could still catch the very end of it if he went now.

However, Xu Chuan couldn’t be bothered to go. He wasn’t worried about being dropped. A few days earlier, he had already received a notice from the Physics Olympiad organizers about his selection for the National Team.

It should be the same for the Math Olympiad.

To be selected for the National Team without attending a single day of Intensive Training, participating in a single test, or even showing his face—from ancient times to the present, he was probably the only one.

Others had to cross a narrow bridge against a million-strong army; he had simply sprouted wings and flown right over.

Chapter 58: Eradicating the Intelligence Personnel

At Star City No. 1 High School, Xu Chuan’s return caused quite a stir. A student selected for two national training teams at the same time was a first for the school.

“Huh? Brother Chuan, you’re back? Is the Math Olympiad training over? Did you make the National Team?”

“No need to even think about it. Brother Chuan definitely made the National Team. A perfect score on the CMO—if he didn’t make it, who would?”

“Brother Chuan be like: If I don’t make the National Team, who will?”

“A member of both the IMO and IPhO national teams? He’s got to be the first in history, right?”

“What about the little fatty Lu Tianrui? Did he make the National Team too?”

His classmates crowded around him, bombarding him with questions.

“He’s still with the National Training Team. He’ll be back in a few days. I had something to take care of, so I came back early.”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “As for whether he made the National Team, you can just ask him yourselves when he gets back.”

“You can come back early from the Math Olympiad training? Brother Chuan, you didn’t even attend this session of the Physics Olympiad National Training Team. How did you get a spot on the National Team?”

From behind him, a somewhat resentful voice drifted over like a ghost.

Startled by the ghostly voice, Xu Chuan turned to see Cao Weicai. The Physics Olympiad had ended a few days ago, so he was already back.

“What? What? Brother Chuan didn’t even go to the Physics Olympiad training?”

“Holy shit! He didn’t attend the training camp but still got a spot on the National Team?”

“Brother Chuan, are you the illegitimate son of Nuwa?”

“Is there such a thing as a direct pass to the National Team?”

“I don’t think so? But for Brother Chuan, it’s not surprising. After all, he won a gold medal at the IPhO last year.”

Cao Weicai’s words set the classroom abuzz as everyone realized Xu Chuan hadn’t even gone to the Physics Olympiad training camp.

“I had something to take care of. Although I didn’t go to the Physics Olympiad National Training Team, I did all the selection test papers.”

Xu Chuan smiled, telling a small lie to cover things up. Saying he had done the papers was a more acceptable explanation than getting in without doing anything at all.

“No wonder you never showed up, but your comprehensive assessment score for the training was a perfect score.”

Cao Weicai let out a sound of realization, then asked, “Brother Chuan, was the Math Olympiad training fun?”

“The pressure was a lot greater than the Physics Olympiad training. Two people fainted on the first day.”

“Holy crap, it was that terrifying?”

Cao Weicai was taken aback. Two people fainting on the first day—what kind of hellish training was that? His eyes darted around, and then he asked with a mischievous grin:

“By the way, Brother Chuan, don’t tell me you couldn’t handle the pressure and snuck away early?”

Xu Chuan shot him a look and ignored the guy, turning back to his book.

Seeing this, the others dispersed, and the classroom gradually quieted down. But the peace didn’t last for more than a few days before it was shattered by Lu Tianrui, who had rushed back from the National Training Team.

“My little ones, your Grandpa Lu is back!”

His voice preceded him. With a loud shout from outside the classroom, a short, chubby boy of just over 1.5 meters waddled in like a penguin.

“Round-face, you’re asking for a beating, aren’t you!”

“Did you make the National Team?”

“If you didn’t make the National Team, don’t come back and embarrass us!”

“Wasn’t the Math Olympiad training supposed to be tough and intense? How’d you get even fatter, kid?”

“Does the National Training Team raise pigs too?”

The round-faced boy’s voice was met with a wave of taunts. Lu Tianrui just smirked disdainfully and said, “When your Grandpa Lu makes a move, isn’t a spot on the National Team a piece of cake? Are you impressed or not?”

“Heh, if you’ve got the guts, go be like Brother Chuan and get a spot on the Physics National Team too. Then I’ll be impressed.”

At that, Lu Tianrui deflated. He muttered, “Who can compare to that freak? He only spent three days at the Math Olympiad training and still got a perfect score to make the National Team.”

“Huh? Brother Chuan was only at the math training for three days? But didn’t Cao Weicai say he didn’t even go to the Physics Olympiad training?” a nearby classmate asked curiously.

“No way. Brother Chuan really was only at the math training for three days. He disappeared on the fourth day. Teacher He even said he went over to the physics training,” Lu Tianrui replied with absolute certainty.

“Nope. I never saw Brother Chuan at all during the entire fifteen days of training,” Cao Weicai chimed in, leaning closer.

Lu Tianrui’s words made him feel something was off. Xu Chuan had only been at the Math Olympiad training for three days and then vanished. He hadn’t appeared at the Physics Olympiad training either. So where had he been for more than half a month?

Lu Tianrui was also a bit baffled. He looked at Cao Weicai with suspicion and said, “That’s impossible. Brother Chuan was really only at the math training for three days. He disappeared on the fourth day. I’d be a puppy if I’m lying.”

He didn’t know what was going on either. He had assumed that after three days at the math training, Xu Chuan had gone to the physics training. But Cao Weicai was telling him that Xu Chuan had never shown his face at the physics camp from start to finish.

After confirming the information, the two stared at each other.

One thought Xu Chuan was at the physics training, the other thought he was at the math training. When they compared notes, it turned out he wasn’t at either.

For a living person to vanish into thin air for half a month during something as important as the National Training Team—what the hell was that about?

“What are you guys doing?”

“Hey, Tianrui, you’re back. Did you make the National Team?”

At the classroom door, Xu Chuan, who had just returned from the cafeteria, looked curiously at the crowd of people gathered inside.

Lu Tianrui and Cao Weicai exchanged a glance. They closed in on Xu Chuan in unison and demanded in a single, stern voice.

“Brother Chuan! Fess up, where did you go for that half a month of the training camps?”

“That’s a secret.”

Xu Chuan just smiled. The fact that he had disappeared for over half a month and hadn’t attended either training camp couldn’t be hidden. But he could never tell them about his participation in the Information Security War.

“Come on, tell us. We’re so curious.”

The round-faced Lu Tianrui looked like he was scratching his ears and cheeks in frustration. For someone like him, being unable to get in on the gossip was practically a death sentence.

Xu Chuan just shook his head with a smile. Seeing the round-faced boy’s expression, he figured he must have made the National Team.

It now seemed this would be Star City No. 1 High School’s most glorious year in history, with three people making it into the national teams for the two top competitions, Math and Physics.

“Tch, so boring.”

Lu Tianrui grumbled and turned to find someone else to show off to about making the National Team.

He knew that if Xu Chuan didn’t want to say something, there was no way to get it out of him.

With the Math and Physics Olympiad training camps over, life returned to normal. The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the end of May arrived, leaving only ten days until the college entrance exam.

Just as the entire country was preparing for the college entrance exam, the Information Security Headquarters began to close their net.

In two months, with the help of the mathematical model developed by the Information Security Department’s Mathematics Room, they had gained a firm grasp on the activities of intelligence personnel within the country. They dug up quite a few big fish, one of whom had even infiltrated deep into an internal organization.

Through this operation, the Headquarters had already identified the specific identities and operational targets of over a hundred intelligence personnel.

If not for an urgent matter that had come up, the Headquarters had planned to wait a while longer to identify everyone using this encryption system before closing the net.

After all, keeping their identified targets under covert surveillance to maximize intelligence was the best option.

But man’s plans are no match for heaven’s. Events in the past two days had disrupted the Headquarters’ deployment, forcing them to close the net and begin making arrests ahead of schedule.

Chapter 59: The US Suffers Heavy Losses

West Coast, the Evergreen State.

As the Information Security Headquarters began to close its net, the CIA gradually noticed that their informants on that soil seemed to be losing contact.

But they couldn’t be entirely certain.

This was because their key informants embedded in other countries did not maintain contact with them every single day.

Aside from issuing missions, they generally wouldn’t proactively contact these key assets.

Doing so would only increase the risk of exposure.

However, their monitoring and understanding of these key informants never ceased.

No one knew what these informants would do better than they did. To a certain extent, they knew the informants better than the informants knew themselves.

For example, there was a university professor they had placed in J City. Besides providing intelligence, he would make a video call to his mistress every day.

But for the past few days, this activity had stopped. Although his flow of intelligence hadn’t been interrupted, he had not contacted his mistress again.

This was a very, very small thing. In the eyes of a normal person, it wouldn’t mean much. After all, it’s normal to forget to make a call when you’re busy, or perhaps they were currently together and had no need for a video call.

But in the eyes of the CIA’s Intelligence Division, this was enough to raise an alarm.

Given the situation, an emergency meeting was being held in the CIA’s Silver Shield Building.

“Gentlemen, I believe there might be a problem with our informants in China. Or rather, they’re in trouble.”

David Peter, the fifty-six-year-old head of the Intelligence Analysis Division, his hair slightly gray, wearing glasses and holding a pipe, tapped the table and spoke in a deep voice.

“Why do you say that? Isn’t our intelligence system still operating normally? We’re receiving messages from that country every day,” the head of the Intelligence Management Division asked with a frown.

“That’s right, the intelligence system is indeed operating normally, and messages are coming back from that country every day. But some of our key informants have been acting very abnormally recently.”

“Everyone, look at this.”

David Peter tapped the table again, and a projection appeared in the conference room.

“From the data we’ve collected, the recent activities of our key informants are somewhat abnormal.”

“This is one of our informants in Baicheng. He used to have a video call with his mistress every day, but this has stopped for the past few days.”

“This one is an informant in Brightmoon City, one of the leaders of a feminist organization we cultivated. She used to forward and post news stories every day on a social media app in that country called ‘Weibo.’ Likewise, her account has stopped updating for the past several days.”

“And the informant in Saibei…”

“There are quite a few incidents like this. If it were one or two cases, it might be a coincidence. But now, I have a strong suspicion that there’s a problem with our intelligence system,” David Peter said gravely. His sensitivity to information was exceptionally high, allowing him to analyze a great deal of useful information from subtle details.

Clues that seemed utterly insignificant to the average person were, in his eyes, paths leading to the final answer.

“But the intelligence from these informants hasn’t been cut off. A message came through just three hours ago.”

The head of the Intelligence Management Division frowned as he looked through the data on his computer.

“That’s what’s most suspicious.”

David Peter’s voice was heavy. “I suspect they’ve all been exposed, perhaps even captured. The ones contacting us and providing intelligence now might not be them, but people from that country. Our ‘God’s Encryption’ system may have been completely broken by them.”

At these words, an uproar filled the conference room.

“Impossible! That’s impossible!”

“God’s Encryption was designed in collaboration with top mathematics professors from the Ivy League. It applies the world’s most advanced knowledge of logic and functions. That backward country… do they even have real mathematicians?”

“Dave, you’re underestimating our opponent. The country across the shore is developing rapidly. It’s already the world’s second-largest economy.”

“So what? If our country had a population of over a billion, we would have developed even better.”

“Actually, what I’m more curious about is how they located our informants so quickly. It’s one thing for our encryption algorithm to be broken; it’s certainly possible if they use mathematicians to decrypt it. But to locate them with such precision and speed… that’s almost impossible.”

“The encrypted messages we send out every day are mixed with a large amount of useless information. It would take a very long time for humans to sort through all of it.”

“Unless they’ve precisely identified every mathematical law behind the encryption algorithm and built a mathematical model, they could never keep up with us by manpower alone.”

“So these are just coincidences?”

“…”

In the conference room, CIA Director John Brennan, who had been silent all this time, tapped the table, interrupting the discussion. He looked toward the specially invited mathematician, Will Wordsworth.

Will Wordsworth was a tenured professor emeritus at Harvard University and a Fields Medal laureate, with extremely high attainments in both mathematics and cryptography. He was the one who had led the God’s Encryption project.

“Professor Wordsworth, what is the probability that our encryption algorithm has been completely broken?”

Will Wordsworth pondered for a moment before saying, “Mathematically, perfect encryption algorithms exist, but in reality, we cannot write one.”

“However, according to my projections, even if they could completely break God’s Encryption, it would take at least two to three years.”

“It’s only been a few months, yet they’ve managed to break our God’s Encryption. This is indeed beyond my expectations. In my opinion, the probability of this happening is less than one in ten thousand.”

“You have to remember, it took us over five months just to conceive and design this encryption system.”

“If we weren’t constrained by the performance of the decryption devices in the hands of our intelligence personnel, we could have inserted a single real encrypted message into tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of false messages.”

“In that case, this encryption system would truly be ‘God’s Encryption’—even God himself couldn’t crack it.”

John Brennan rubbed his temples, a headache setting in. “It seems we need to prepare to mitigate our losses. Have the key informants who can return come back with their data immediately.”

Over the past few months, many of their informants operating on the other side had used this encryption system for communication and intelligence transmission.

If the other side had truly mastered the means to decrypt their encrypted messages, the losses this time would be immense.

It was even possible that the informants they had planted and developed over the past decade would be uprooted completely.

At that point, their grasp of information on that country would enter a complete void, dropping to an all-time low.

If they didn’t even know what the other side was planning, how could they possibly constrain their development?

That was an impractical question.

If such a situation were to truly occur, he would go down in history as a traitor to the United States.

Chapter 60: The College Entrance Exam

Xu Chuan was unaware of the confrontation between the two nations. At this moment, like all the other candidates, he was preparing for the college entrance exam.

For a high school student, and even for a person’s entire life, the college entrance exam is one of the key turning points that determines one’s destiny.

The occasional exceptions weren’t worth dwelling on. For the vast majority of people, scoring just a few more points on the college entrance exam could mean a completely different life and destiny.

It was like a million-strong army crossing a narrow bridge; every extra point you earned bought you a greater share of your fate.

On June fourth, Star City No. 1 High School, being one of the major exam centers, had already let the first and second-year students out for a break. The third-year students were now receiving their final words of encouragement.

In Class 1201, Tang Gaoyuan walked into the classroom.

The somewhat noisy classroom quickly fell silent. Rows of faces, still holding a trace of youthfulness, looked up in unison toward the teacher’s podium.

Gazing at the students in the classroom, Tang Gaoyuan showed a rare smile in front of the entire class.

“Class, this is our last lesson together.”

“Three years ago, you walked into No. 1 High School full of beautiful hopes for the future. Over these three years, you have each had your own achievements.”

“If the past three years were a long marathon, then today, we have entered the final sprint.”

“The arrow is nocked, the bow is drawn to its fullest. All that’s left is to let it fly in one final effort.”

“I won’t say too many more words of encouragement. I believe that every one of you here has your own goal.”

“These last two days are a break, but you must all take care of your health and continue your revision. Don’t catch a cold, don’t get injured, and don’t leave any regrets for your future selves.”

“Take your hopes and your hard work, and move forward. For the days to come, I wish you all a bright and brilliant future, full of sunshine. And I also wish you even more happiness!”

“Class dismissed!”

The loudest, most uniform round of applause erupted in the classroom. The students of Class 1201 stood up in unison and bowed to Tang Gaoyuan on the podium.

Perhaps this scene would become a warm and beautiful memory for every student in the classroom, a moment to cherish in the long river of their future lives.

At some point in the future, when these grown-up students revisited their school days or watch a campus movie, the memory would stir in their hearts, filling them with strength once more, and perhaps bringing tears to their eyes.

“Xu Chuan, don’t go back to your hometown for these next two days. I have an apartment near No. 1 High School. Pack your things and stay there.”

In the chaotic classroom, after bidding a reluctant farewell to each student, Tang Gaoyuan came to stand before Xu Chuan.

This student before him was special among this year’s cohort. Most of the students at No. 1 High School were recruited from middle schools within Xingcheng city, but he had tested in from Yue County.

That was why, with the two-day break before the college entrance exam, he was worried that the travel back and forth would affect Xu Chuan’s condition.

“There’s no need to trouble you, Teacher. My mother has come to Xingcheng and has already found me a hotel to stay in, right near the exam center,” Xu Chuan said, politely declining with a smile.

“That’s good.”

Tang Gaoyuan nodded, patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Do your best. Bring me back a perfect score!”

Xu Chuan nodded seriously. “I’ll give it my all.”

He didn’t feel much anxiety about the college entrance exam.

After all, practice makes perfect. He had scored 708 in his last life; there was no reason he would do worse in this one.

A perfect score would really just depend on the Chinese and English essays.

These two sections were variables, depending to a certain extent on the subjective judgment of the grading teachers.

Seeing Xu Chuan’s earnest expression, Tang Gaoyuan laughed heartily. “Alright, I was just saying. Don’t be too nervous. Just make sure you don’t leave yourself with any regrets.”

The two-day break passed quickly.

The first day of the college entrance exam officially began. The first test was Chinese. Xu Chuan smoothly dealt with the preceding questions and came to what was, for him, one of the two biggest hurdles of the exam: the essay.

There was a large tree, with lush branches and leaves, casting a wide, deep shade. It was a favorite resting place for birds and beasts. The birds and beasts shared stories of their travels to various places. The tree heard them and also wanted to travel, so it asked the birds and beasts for help.

The birds said, “You have no wings,” and refused. The tree then asked the beasts for help. The beasts said, “You have no legs,” and also refused.

So, the tree decided to find a way on its own. It produced sweet fruits containing its seeds. After the fruits were eaten by the beasts, the tree’s seeds were spread all over the world.

Based on the material above, combined with your own feelings and thoughts, choose your own angle and title, and write a narrative or argumentative essay of no less than 800 words.

Twenty years later, seeing this prompt again, Xu Chuan felt a stir of emotion.

The theme of the college entrance exam essay was different every year. When he had first encountered this prompt back then, he had only seen its most superficial theme.

“One must strive to better oneself!” That was what he had seen then, and it was the theme he had written about.

But looking back at it now, he realized this essay prompt contained many possible themes.

The tree was rooted to the ground; wanting to travel was obviously unrealistic. It had no wings, no legs. But the stage is as big as your heart.

There’s a saying: “If you hold a dream in your heart, spring will blossom.” This was a second possible theme.

Furthermore, using birds, beasts, and the tree as subjects was an allusion to people and events in real life.

After being refused help by the birds and beasts, the tree didn’t seek help from anyone else. Instead, it quietly figured out a way on its own, worked hard to bear fruit, and thus achieved its dream.

Was this not a form of great wisdom in the process of chasing a dream? And was this not yet another possible theme?

Then there was the fact that the tree provided the birds and beasts a place to rest, yet they ultimately refused its request. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring—this was also a potential theme.

But looking at it from the perspective of the birds and beasts, the tree’s initial request was undoubtedly beyond their capabilities.

Though they refused, they ultimately did carry the tree’s seeds within their ability, spreading them across the world. A win-win situation—wasn’t this also another possible theme?

Of course, Xu Chuan couldn’t possibly write about all the themes he saw in his essay. That would just create an incoherent mess.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Chuan put pen to paper.

Cultivating the Mind Like a Lotus

This was his title.

The tree beseeched the beasts and birds for passage, yet was denied. It bore fruit and waited in stillness, and as all partook, its seeds were carried forth.

In his “Encouraging Learning,” Xunzi says: “A gentleman is not born different; he is adept at making use of external things.” Yet why should these external things be willing to serve our purpose? It is because one has substance within, and is not merely empty.

Only when one cultivates the self and makes one’s value manifest can one hope to win the appreciation of others.

This is the principle behind the saying, “Peaches and plums do not speak, yet a path is born beneath them.” Cultivating the mind is like tending a lotus: it does not spread in tangled vines or branches, and its fragrance travels far, growing ever purer. Amidst a vast sea of lotus pads, a ripple of green carries the lotus’s fragrance on the wind for a thousand miles.

I once resented the world’s indifference, its cold refusal to help. Only upon attaining a new state of mind did I realize my own demands were presumptuous.

If others help me, I thank them. If they stand by idly, I understand them, and later summon them with my own manifest virtue. Cultivating the mind like a lotus, one’s own brilliance shines like the clear light of the bright moon.

Why not embrace mutual benefit? If the world greets me with a song, I shall offer it my pure fragrance in return. Thus, the mind is cultivated like a lotus.

Chapter 61: A New Journey

With the final stroke and punctuation, a brand-new essay quietly took shape on the answer sheet.

Looking at the neat handwriting and the text on his scratch paper, Xu Chuan let out a breath he had been holding.

He didn’t use the theme from his previous life. Instead, he drew upon the experiences of the past twenty years and started a new essay from scratch.

Stay true to the original aspiration, Cultivating the Mind Like a Lotus.

This was the best reflection of his past experiences, as well as an encouragement for his future.

The next day, after the final exam was over, Xu Chuan, for a rare change, did not turn in his paper early. Even though he had finished all the questions and checked them carefully, he still sat quietly in the examination hall, soaking in the moment.

The large, round clock on the wall ticked away. When the loud bell signaling the end of the exam rang, Xu Chuan gathered his documents and stationery and walked out of the examination hall.

Bright sunlight greeted him, and every other student walking out.

Xu Chuan looked up at the sun, a smile gracing his lips.

What was past was past. Ahead lay a brand-new future, a new journey.

Whether it was for him, for the Motherland, or for the world—he had arrived.

“Big Bro! Over here, over here!”

Outside the waiting line, Xu Xiao spotted Xu Chuan strolling out at a leisurely pace. She bounced and shouted from beyond the line, with her parents standing behind her.

“Why are you all here?”

Xu Chuan was a little surprised to see Xu Xiao and his family.

The trajectory of the college entrance exam hadn’t changed for now, but the butterfly’s wings had already begun to flap. In his previous life, his family hadn’t come because of the distance. He hadn’t expected the whole family to show up this time.

“Big Bro, what kind of thing is that to say? It’s the college entrance exam, such an important moment! How could your most adorable little sister not be here?” Xu Xiao retorted playfully, her round cheeks puffing up.

“Xiaoxiao insisted on coming. She said she wanted to cheer you on, and we thought it was a good idea, so we came,” Xu Jianguo said with a smile, standing behind Xu Xiao.

Xu Chuan glanced at his little sister, knowing she was definitely here because of his earlier promise.

The college entrance exam was just a pretext for her to make her presence known and subtly remind him not to forget her new phone and computer.

After bidding farewell to his classmates and teachers, Xu Chuan took his family on a day trip around Xingcheng before they started their journey home.

After all, Xu Xiao’s High School Entrance Exam was also approaching. She only had a break to come to Xingcheng because her middle school was being used as an examination site.

Meanwhile, the intensive marking process was underway. In an undisclosed building used exclusively by the Marking Group, the markers, who had been in quarantine for over half a month, unsealed the college entrance exam answer sheets and distributed them.

“‘Cultivating the Mind Like a Lotus. Only when the state of mind is reached does one realize it was their own futile desire.’ What a well-written piece! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an essay with such artistic depth.”

In the Chinese language grading room, a teacher from the essay Marking Group sighed in admiration after reading the answer sheet in his hands. Without hesitation, he awarded it a perfect score and passed it on to the review Expert Panel.

For the college entrance exam grading, apart from multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions with fixed answers, all other questions had to undergo a review.

Take the college entrance exam essay, for example, the most debated section. Essays with high scores above fifty-five and low scores below twenty would be reviewed again by the essay group.

Sometimes, the first marker would give a high score, but the second one might not.

Of course, discrepancies in scores were allowed, but if the difference exceeded a certain threshold, a third review would be initiated. If it didn’t, the average of the two scores would be taken.

Furthermore, if an essay received a perfect score or a very low score twice, it would also require a third and final review.

Any paper requiring a final review, whether for a high score or a low one, was treated with even greater caution than the first time. The final review was conducted by expert professors from each subject to ensure fairness for every student.

After two rounds of evaluation, Xu Chuan’s Chinese language essay received a perfect score both times, advancing to the final review.

The expert for this final review was an old professor from the School of Humanities at Tsinghua University. He adjusted his glasses and looked at the first essay of the year to reach the final review stage.

“Cultivating the Mind Like a Lotus—a fine title.”

The moment the title caught his eye, the old professor offered a word of praise.

The lotus is the gentleman among flowers, symbolizing noble character, emerging from the mud unstained, and representing a resolute nature. Cultivating the Mind Like a Lotus—the title corresponded to the exam’s prompt and elevated it with profound meaning.

He had been part of the Marking Group for over a decade, and he had rarely seen an essay title with such artistic depth.

Moreover, this was a science stream exam paper, which made it even more remarkable.

Moving past the title, the old professor continued to read.

“. . . Only when the state of mind is reached does one realize it was their own futile desire. Cultivating the mind like a lotus, one’s own brilliance shines like the clear light of the bright moon.”

“It is indeed excellent. Deserving of a perfect score. The theme, content, expression, and style are all impeccable. What’s more impressive is that someone so young can possess such a state of mind and mentality. It’s truly rare.”

The old professor read the essay carefully twice, nodding in satisfaction. He picked up his pen and marked a perfect score on the paper.

And so, the first perfect score essay for the Chinese language paper—and the first perfect score paper overall—had appeared.

In the blink of an eye, it was late June, and the college entrance exam results were being released.

Xujia Village, the Xu residence.

“Big Bro, the college entrance exam results are out today! Quick, check them!”

Early in the morning, Xu Xiao had woken Xu Chuan up, clamoring a nonstop.

“Why are you more anxious than me?”

Stirring in his comfortable bed, Xu Chuan mumbled, a phrase in his hometown dialect slipping out after being back for more than half a month.

“Where’s your phone? And your exam admission ticket? Big Bro.”

Xu Xiao paid no attention to Xu Chuan, rummaging through the room on her own.

“My phone’s right here. The admission ticket is in the desk. Get it for me.”

With a yawn, Xu Chuan pointed to the desk. He had been studying a math book the night before, poring over problems until past one in the morning. Now, being woken up at just past six, he was still a bit dazed.

“Here, for you. Big Bro, quick, check!”

Having found the admission ticket, Xu Xiao jumped directly onto the bed and leaned in, her small head right in front of the phone.

“Can you move that little head of yours? I can’t see the screen.”

Xu Chuan playfully pushed his sister’s little head away, opened the browser, logged into the academic credentials website, and entered his ID number, exam admission ticket number, and other information before clicking the search button.

A lot of people were checking their scores in the morning, so the page’s loading icon spun for a long time.

Suddenly, the page jumped and the scores appeared. Xu Chuan and Xu Xiao leaned in at the same time, their heads bumping together. Xu Chuan winced in pain.

How could this little head be so hard?

Chapter 62: The Provincial Champion

“Big Bro, is your phone broken or something? Why won’t the score load?”

“Or did you get a zero?”

Xu Xiao stared at the blank phone screen, then looked at Xu Chuan, her face a mask of confusion. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Look closer,” Xu Chuan replied. “There should be a line of small text at the bottom.”

Xu Xiao gave him a suspicious glance, then turned and took the phone to look at the screen.

“Your rank is within the top fifty in the province. Please check for your specific score in three days.”

After muttering the sentence aloud, Xu Xiao suddenly cried out in delight, “Wow! Big Bro, you made it into the provincial top fifty!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “What’s the top fifty? You think that’s the limit of your big brother’s abilities?”

He had actually just remembered that the scores of the top fifty students in each province were not made public immediately.

He had gone through this in his past life. It had given him quite a scare at the time, making him think something had gone wrong. Only later did he learn it was an adjustment made by the Bureau of Education.

The reason was that in previous years, every province would heavily promote its own provincial champion, which attracted the avid pursuit of top universities and commercial interests.

For instance, some businesses would show up uninvited, pestering and inviting these students to advertise for their stores, using the gimmick of the provincial, city, or even county-level top scorers to generate hype. This had a significant impact on society.

Or parents of high schoolers would see all kinds of ads for tutoring centers after the news: a purchase link for the same workbook model used by provincial champion so-and-so, a “study god’s” complete note set for only 998!

It was a complete industrial chain, a perfect eye-catching headline, a powerful weapon for peddling anxiety, a carnival for cram schools and businesses, and yet another great mountain weighing on the shoulders of students.

Therefore, to stop this chaotic phenomenon, the Ministry of Education had implemented technical measures this year to block the scores on the college entrance exam inquiry system.

The goal was to make it impossible for those unscrupulous businesses to track down the top scorers, thereby cooling down the feverish pursuit of these students.

On the other hand, it was also to prevent these top students from being exposed to commercial interests too early, allowing them to focus their minds on their studies.

However, while these measures had some effect, it wasn’t a significant one.

After all, each province only had two champions: one for liberal arts and one for science.

Perhaps the provincial authorities could suppress it slightly, but for a school, how could they not publicize producing a top scorer?

It was a source of recruitment capital and glory for the school.

Furthermore, since this measure was only introduced this year, the publicity might not be as intense as before, but it was impossible for there to be none at all.

“That’s true. But Big Bro, what score did you actually get?”

Xu Xiao shook her little head and asked curiously.

“I don’t know. We’ll wait three days. Doesn’t it say to check again in three days?”

“Alright, hurry up and get out. Let me sleep a bit more. I didn’t sleep well last night. Remember to tell Mom I’m skipping breakfast.”

Xu Chuan yawned and started shooing her out.

“I know, I know. Big Bro, you’re really something else, not caring about your own score at all. Let me borrow your phone for a bit.”

Xu Xiao muttered but didn’t argue further, running off with the phone.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. Xu Xiao was just like him; they were both naturally talented. Plus, with him as her big brother and role model, her grades were bound to be good.

However, he hadn’t even slept for two hours before Xu Xiao came running up again.

“Big Bro, Big Bro, wake up! There are people outside! They say they’re teachers from the Admissions Office, and they’re here to see you.”

Still groggy, Xu Chuan was forcibly powered on and dragged out of bed.

“Xiaoxiao, isn’t your brother down yet?”

In the living room, Mother Xu and Father Xu were surrounded by the teachers from the Admissions Office. They were busy dealing with them, serving tea and water, yet their faces were beaming with brilliant smiles.

“No rush, no rush. Student Xu Chuan is still a growing boy. Let him sleep a little more. We can wait.”

“This must be Xiaoxiao, right? You’ll be starting your first year of high school this year? How about you go study in the capital with your brother? As long as you convince your brother to come study at our Peking University, you can also enroll in our Affiliated High School of Peking University. The teachers there are all nationally renowned, and many of its students end up getting into Peking University.”

Just as Xu Chuan came downstairs, he heard a teacher from the Peking University Admissions Office trying to entice his sister.

“Ah, Student Xu Chuan is awake! Why didn’t you sleep a little longer? You’re a growing boy, you need more rest.”

The moment Xu Chuan came downstairs, a sharp-eyed teacher from the Peking University Admissions Office swarmed over, greeting him with immense enthusiasm.

With great effort, Xu Chuan finally broke free from the crowd. He was a bit surprised to see a familiar figure sitting in the living room.

“Teacher Tang.”

Xu Chuan respectfully greeted Tang Gaoyuan. He truly hadn’t expected the teachers from the Peking University Admissions Office to bring Teacher Tang along.

This made him even more curious about his actual college entrance exam score.

In his past life, although he had also been fought over by Tsinghua and Peking University, it had never been this dramatic.

For one, they hadn’t come all the way to his house to poach him, and for another, they hadn’t done something as over-the-top as bringing a teacher from his alma mater as backup.

“Congratulations, our provincial champion.”

Tang Gaoyuan’s cheerful sentence directly revealed Xu Chuan’s college entrance exam result, earning him a resentful glance from the Peking University admissions teachers.

You have to understand, the scores and rankings of the top fifty students in the province had been temporarily hidden by the Ministry of Education this year. Only top universities like them knew the specific results.

Originally, the Peking University admissions teachers had planned to use the fact that Xu Chuan didn’t know his score yet to ‘intimidate’ and ‘pressure’ him a little, to get him to sign his acceptance form as soon as possible.

But the helper they had brought along had just landed a one-two punch on them right from the start.

So painful. My heart aches, and my liver aches too.

“Ahem, Student Xu Chuan, since you’re down, let’s not waste words. Let’s sign the enrollment form first. We’ve brought a laptop, and we have an internet connection.”

“Come study at our Peking University, you can pick any major you want. We will create a special direct Ph.D. program tailored just for you. During your undergraduate and Ph.D. studies, all tuition and miscellaneous fees will be waived. You’ll receive a scholarship of one hundred thousand every semester, and we’ll reserve a spot for you as an exchange student at a top-ten university abroad. We guarantee you won’t be wronged.”

Seeing that the cat was out of the bag regarding the score, one of the Peking University admissions teachers spoke while directly shoving the laptop they had brought and prepared into Xu Chuan’s hands.

Holding the laptop, Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Were all admissions teachers like this?

Nearby, Xu Xiao, who had been looking around curiously, heard this and her round eyes widened in shock.

A scholarship of one hundred thousand!

Per semester! That’s two hundred thousand a year!

Is Big Bro going to college or robbing a bank?

No wonder Big Bro promised to buy her a phone and a computer earlier. So this is why he’s so rich now!

Chapter 63: 750+20+20

Just as Xu Chuan was about to refuse, the sound of a car was heard outside. Before long, several figures appeared at the main gate.

The person in the lead saw the situation inside clearly. When he noticed the laptop in Xu Chuan’s hands, he immediately grew anxious.

“Wait, Student Xu Chuan! Tsinghua University is the most suitable school for you.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan looked up to see several people hurrying in through the main room’s doorway.

“Student Xu Chuan, you must be careful when choosing a university. We’re teachers from the Tsinghua University Admissions Office, here to invite you to study at our school.”

“Tsinghua University is ranked number one in the country, and our mathematics program is also the best in the nation. We have an incredibly strong faculty. The venerable Hua Luogeng was a professor at our university. We’re a better fit for you than any other school.”

The teacher from Tsinghua University’s Admissions Office rushed forward, took the laptop from Xu Chuan’s hands, and placed it on a nearby table.

“Hah! Tsinghua’s math program is number one in the country? Where does that leave us, Peking University?”

Hearing this, the teacher from Peking University’s Admissions Office was instantly displeased and immediately stood up to retort.

“Xu Chuan, don’t listen to his nonsense. Peking University has the number one mathematics program in the country, and our physics department is number one as well. You can pick either subject. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with Peking University.”

“Student Xu Chuan, whatever conditions they offer, Tsinghua University will top them. Scholarships, spots in foreign exchange programs—just name it, and we’ll satisfy your request.”

In the main hall, the two groups argued heatedly. To the side, Father Xu and Mother Xu stood at a loss, not knowing what to do. They had never witnessed such a scene before.

On the other side, however, Tang Gaoyuan was leisurely sipping his tea and chatting with the person next to him.

“Old Yuan, what brought you here?”

The vice-principal of Star City No. 1 High School, Yuan Jiye, smiled and said, “Aren’t you here too?”

The two locked eyes for a couple of seconds before Yuan Jiye suddenly sighed, “Old Tang, you’ve mentored a fine student. Our school can expand its enrollment this fall and compete for the top spot.”

Tang Gaoyuan smiled and shook his head. “I actually didn’t teach him much. His ability to learn on his own is exceptional, and his talent is truly rare.”

The two of them chatted and watched the show unfold. In any case, regardless of whether Xu Chuan chose Tsinghua or Peking University, or even if he chose neither, he was the pride of their Star City No. 1 High School.

The top science scholar of Xiangnan Province! It had been many years since Star City No. 1 High School had claimed that title.

What’s more, this was an unprecedented perfect-score scholar, a prize of unimaginable rarity.

Their former glory was now restored, and the expansion of the school’s influence all rested on the student before them.

Outside, the newly arrived teachers from Tsinghua University’s Admissions Office parked their vehicle directly on the roadside, attracting the curiosity and gazes of the villagers.

“What’s going on? Has Jianguo got business? Are these guests?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t heard about anything going on.”

“I think today’s the day the college entrance exam scores are released, right? How did your Xu Jin do?”

“Hah, don’t even mention it. That silly boy only scored over 570. Based on previous years’ admission scores, he can probably only get into an ordinary Tier 1 university.”

“Not satisfied with a Tier 1? If my kid could get into a Tier 1, I’d be burning high-quality incense for a year in thanks.”

“Do you think all these cars are here for Xu Chuan?”

“No way, right? A few years ago, a student from the neighboring Mi Township got into Tsinghua, and I don’t remember the Admissions Office going all the way to his house.”

Life in the countryside was slow, but gossip traveled fast. If any family had even the most trivial matter occur, the entire village would know about it within a day or two.

The news that Xu Jianguo’s family had a brilliant son who scored so well on the college entrance exam that several universities had come to their home to recruit him quickly spread throughout the village.

It also made the villagers even more curious about just how high Xu Chuan had scored to have teachers from Tsinghua and Peking University personally come knocking on his door.

Pulling the representatives from Tsinghua and Peking University apart from their squabbling, Xu Chuan caught his breath and asked curiously.

“Teachers, may I first ask what my score on the college entrance exam actually is?”

He was quite curious about his exam results now. The admissions officers from Tsinghua and Peking University were red-faced from arguing, which suggested his score was even better than he had anticipated—perhaps even that unprecedented score was possible.

The admissions officers from both sides glanced at each other. Knowing this was something they couldn’t hide and he would find out sooner or later, they handed Xu Chuan a small card.

Nearby, Xu Xiao quickly leaned in, craning her little head to get a look. On the small card, two sets of scores were listed.

Examinee: Xu Chuan (Raw Score)

Chinese Language: 150 points

Mathematics: 150 points

English: 150 points

Science Comprehensive: 300 points

Total Score: 750 points

Xiangnan Province Rank: 1.

——

Examinee: Xu Chuan (Total Score)

Chinese Language: 150 points

Mathematics: 150 points

English: 150 points

Science Comprehensive: 300 points

CMO National First Prize: 20 points (Bonus)

CPhO National First Prize: 20 points (Bonus)

Total Score: 790 points

Xiangnan Province Rank: 1.

After seeing the scores clearly, Xu Xiao stared in stunned silence for two seconds before jumping for joy on the spot, grabbing Xu Chuan and shaking him for dear life.

“Holy shit!”

“Perfect score! Big Bro, you got a perfect score! Everything’s a perfect score! Big Bro, you’re so awesome! All perfect scores!”

“Dad, Mom, Big Bro got a perfect score! He scored 790!”

Xu Xiao snatched the card from Xu Chuan’s hand and ran towards her parents to share the joyous news, while Father Xu and Mother Xu were a bit dumbfounded.

First, there was the immense surprise of Xu Chuan getting a perfect score. Second, the 790-point total confused them. Wasn’t the maximum score for the college entrance exam 750? Where did 790 come from?

“Xiaoxiao, isn’t the perfect score 750? Where did this 790 come from? And what are CMO and CPhO?”

Father Xu took the card, glanced at the scores on it, and asked, both nervous and excited.

“Dad, bonus points! These are bonus points,” Xu Xiao explained excitedly.

“Big Bro participated in two super awesome competitions before and won first place nationally. These are bonus points the country awarded him, and all universities recognize them.”

“That rascal. He participated in competitions and got great results but didn’t even tell us.”

Xu Jianguo wiped his eyes, his rims slightly red.

A perfect score of 750, a total score of 790 with bonus points—Xu Chuan was also a little surprised.

This was because the difficulty of getting full marks on both the Chinese and English essays was substantial.

Although this wasn’t the country’s first-ever perfect college entrance exam score, achieving it was no less difficult than winning international gold medals at the IMO and IPhO.

The latter occurred almost every year in the country, but the former had only happened once since the college entrance exam was reinstated—back in the year 2000.

Moreover, compared to that previous case of a perfect score, his result this time was even more shocking.

Forty bonus points on top of a perfect score—the 790-point total directly shattered the record for the highest score in the history of the college entrance exam.

No wonder the admissions officers from Tsinghua and Peking University were willing to throw all decorum aside to fight over him.

Failing to secure such a student would be a crime punishable by a lightning strike from the heavens.

Chapter 64: A Prestigious University’s President Comes to Recruit in Person

After the admissions officers from Tsinghua University arrived, they didn’t stay long and left along with their counterparts from Peking University.

It wasn’t that they had given up. Rather, both sides knew that if they stayed together, neither would win over Xu Chuan. They would only end up undermining each other.

Instead of lingering at Xu Chuan’s home, it was better to find a hotel in a nearby town and plan their next move.

A perfect score on the college entrance exam, plus two National First Prizes in the CMO and CPHO—neither Tsinghua nor Peking University was willing to give up on such a candidate. Even if Xu Chuan rejected them, as long as his university choice wasn’t finalized, they would continue to fight for him.

Back at the Xu residence, after seeing off the admissions officers from Tsinghua and Peking University, Xu Chuan asked Tang Gaoyuan and Yuan Jiye to stay for lunch.

He also took the opportunity to ask the two teachers to look after Xu Xiao in the latter half of the year.

She had already finished her High School Entrance Exam, and though her results weren’t out yet, she was also aiming for one of the Four Great Schools. As for which one she would choose, that was up to her.

However, that girl, just like him, had an unyielding spirit and had never revealed her aspirations. Still, Xu Chuan guessed she would most likely go to Star City No. 1 High School.

That girl was just like him, with a personality that refused to admit defeat.

After lunch, the two teachers left. Mother Xu cleared the table and tidied the room while Father Xu turned to Xu Chuan and asked.

“Chuan’er, which university are you thinking of?”

A father knows his son best. Although Xu Chuan hadn’t explicitly rejected Tsinghua and Peking University that morning, Xu Jianguo knew his son had already ruled them out.

While choosing a university was Xu Chuan’s own business, and they rarely interfered with his academic decisions, what parent wouldn’t worry?

Tsinghua and Peking University were the top two universities in the country. If he didn’t choose one of them, Father Xu had no idea which university his son would pick.

He was worried that something might have happened to make Xu Chuan choose a lesser university, thereby ruining his own future.

After all, the gap between an ordinary university and a top-tier one was immense.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Don’t worry, Dad. The university I choose won’t be a bad one. I won’t do anything to ruin my future. As for which one it is, you’ll know in a little while.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan glanced at his phone. The time was one o’clock in the afternoon.

Just as he finished speaking, the sound of a car was heard outside again.

“They’re here.”

Xu Chuan thought to himself.

In his past life, his results hadn’t been as outstanding as they were now. He hadn’t won the provincial championship, nor had he won gold medals in both the CMO and CPHO.

While his achievements were impressive, they were confined to physics, and there were others at his level, or even better.

Although he later won a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad (IPHO), by then, the deadline for university applications had already passed.

So, while Tsinghua and Peking University had called to recruit him and had extended invitations during the Golden Autumn Camp and National Training Team sessions, they had never come to his house as they did today.

Moreover, the terms offered by Tsinghua and Peking in his previous life were nowhere near as extravagant as they were now.

Sanjiang University, on the other hand—that is, Nanjing University—had actively pursued him in his past life. Not only were their terms excellent, but they had also personally visited his home after the college entrance exam.

And it wasn’t just admissions officers who came. The Dean of Nanjing University’s School of Physics came as well. For a dean to personally visit his home to recruit him was a sign of immense respect back then.

Outside, the sound of a car engine died down, and a few people approached.

“Excuse me, is this Student Xu Chuan’s home?”

A middle-aged man in glasses called into the house. Father Xu quickly stood up.

“Yes, I’m Xu Chuan’s father. And you are…?”

“Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Father Xu. We are from the Nanjing University Admissions Office. I am Liu Gaojun, the president of Nanjing University. We’ve come to invite Student Xu Chuan to study at our university.”

Liu Gaojun offered a polite greeting, his gaze falling upon Xu Chuan inside the house. As he was here for recruitment, he had naturally seen Xu Chuan’s file and would recognize him even without having met him before.

Inside, Xu Chuan looked at the admissions team from Nanjing University with some surprise. He of course recognized Liu Gaojun, the president of Nanjing University.

In his past life, it had been the Dean of the School of Physics who came. This time, thanks to the flap of a butterfly’s wings, the recruiter had been upgraded from the dean to the president.

And besides Liu Gaojun, the person standing next to him was what truly astonished Xu Chuan.

It was Academician Chen Zhengping, his PhD supervisor from his past life at Nanjing University. A professor and expert in condensed matter physics and structural materials, it was Chen Zhengping who had introduced him to the field of materials science.

In his previous life, their first contact had been at the National Training Team camp back in March, as Chen Zhengping had been the lecturer on condensed matter physics that year.

His later decision to choose Nanjing University over Tsinghua and Peking University was also related to this academician.

This year, however, he had been busy decrypting the message and had missed their meeting entirely.

Xu Chuan had thought he wouldn’t see his mentor again until after he enrolled in the university. He never expected him to come in person for recruitment today.

Of course, there must have been some unexpected circumstances he wasn’t aware of. Otherwise, an academician coming to a high school student’s home to recruit him would be a bit too over-the-top.

“Academician Chen, President Liu, and all the teachers, hello.”

Recognizing the figures among the Nanjing University admissions team, Xu Chuan hurried forward to greet them.

“Student Xu Chuan, you know me?” Chen Zhengping asked, a little surprised and curious. He hadn’t even introduced himself yet.

“I’ve read some of your papers and have seen your photograph,” Xu Chuan replied respectfully.

“I’ve also read your paper on calculating the typical distance between particles in the Bose-Einstein condensate phenomenon. Professor William gave it high praise.”

Chen Zhengping said with a smile.

Previously, during the intensive training in Qinhuai, the higher-ups had informed him that a student participating in the training was involved in a top-secret national operation. That, combined with his past achievements, had earned him a spot on the National Team in advance, exempting him from the test.

This piqued his interest in the student, so he had someone gather information on him. The results revealed Xu Chuan’s dazzling perfect score in the CMO, a near-perfect score in the CPHO, and his recently published paper.

Furthermore, he happened to be in Xingcheng, Xiangnan, for a conference these past two days. When he ran into President Liu Gaojun, who was on a recruitment trip, he decided to come along.

“You flatter me. Compared to your accomplishments, I still have a long way to go.”

Xu Chuan said, and it wasn’t false modesty. A single methodology paper was truly nothing to Chen Zhengping. His total number of published SCI papers already exceeded three digits.

Therefore, his current achievements were truly insignificant in the face of Chen Zhengping’s.

Chapter 65: Shocking! The Perfect-Score Top Scholar Actually Abandoned Tsinghua and Peking University, Choosing…

Nearby, Liu Gaojun watched the two converse with a cheerful smile.

For him and for Nanjing University, the fact that Xu Chuan and Chen Zhengping already knew of each other without ever having met was the best possible news. If they also hit it off, that would be even better.

So, after letting the two chat for a while, Liu Gaojun finally spoke up. “Student Xu Chuan, on behalf of Nanjing University, I, as its President, formally invite you to study with us.”

“Of course, I know you’ve certainly received recruitment calls from Tsinghua and Peking University. In terms of rankings, Nanjing University indeed can’t compare to those two top-tier institutions, but our university is also a top-level school, ranked in the top five in the country.”

“I don’t know what kind of recruitment offers Tsinghua and Peking University have given you, but you can listen to my offer. I guarantee it won’t be any worse than theirs.”

“First, regarding your major. You can choose any major at Nanjing University. However, with Academician Chen here, we both recommend you choose the physics department. Wasn’t that your initial goal?”

“Our physics department at Nanjing University is quite strong, ranked second in the country, just behind Peking University’s. Dozens of academicians in physics have graduated from Nanjing University. After all, our university was once ranked number one in Asia.”

“Next are the direct Ph.D. program, scholarships, and waiver of tuition and miscellaneous fees. We can offer a scholarship of three hundred thousand per semester, a single-person dormitory, and we guarantee air conditioning, utilities, and everything else. We will take care of all your living concerns so you can just focus on your studies.”

“Furthermore, there are the exchange student slots for studying abroad. Whatever Tsinghua and Peking University have, we have too. While we may not have as many slots as they do, your spot is guaranteed.”

“Finally, there’s the matter of a supervisor. The physics department at Nanjing University has many supervisors, but…”

As he spoke, Liu Gaojun glanced at Chen Zhengping with a grin. “Old Chen, you haven’t taken on any disciples in years. What do you think of Student Xu Chuan?”

Chen Zhengping shot Liu Gaojun a look before turning to Xu Chuan with a smile. “It’s true I haven’t taken on any disciples in recent years. But if you come, Xu Chuan, I’ll take you.”

Just as Zhang Weiping had said back at Riyue University, while students long for a good teacher, what teacher doesn’t want a good student?

Nearby, Liu Gaojun added with a smile, “Old Chen hasn’t supervised an undergraduate in many years. This would be an exception.”

Hearing these terms, Xu Chuan was deeply moved.

Leaving aside the other offers, the single fact that Chen Zhengping would accept him as a disciple in advance was enough to erase the gap between Nanjing University and the likes of Tsinghua and Peking University.

“Disciple” and “student” are two entirely different concepts. Chen Zhengping was a professor at Nanjing University and gave lectures every year. Anyone who had attended his classes could be called his student. But a disciple was different. That was a formal master-disciple relationship, somewhat akin to the ancient tradition.

For a high school student to be accepted as a disciple by an Academician of the Academy of Sciences right as he entered university was an unprecedented achievement.

Nearby, Father Xu’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Judging from his son’s expression, his choice must be Nanjing University.

Although he felt a tinge of regret that Xu Chuan hadn’t chosen Tsinghua or Peking University—after all, they were the two most prestigious universities in the country, and any family with a student at one of them could boast about it for a lifetime—

…being accepted as a disciple by an Academician right upon entering university was an even greater honor than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University.

Although Xu Jianguo wasn’t well-educated, he knew that an Academician was one of the nation’s top scientists.

With a national Academician guiding his son, anyone would feel at ease.

Having decided on a university, Xu Chuan didn’t stay at home much longer. It was already late June, and in just over half a month, the IMO and IPHO international competitions would begin. He had to attend the pre-competition Intensive Training.

This also allowed him to escape the subsequent pursuit by other universities and all sorts of interviews.

Xu Chuan had little interest in such things, but just because he avoided them didn’t mean the internet wasn’t interested.

The perfect-score top scholar, a total score of 790, National First Prizes in both the CMO and CPHO.

Every one of these details captured the public’s attention.

The news that this student hadn’t chosen Tsinghua or Peking University but had gone to Nanjing University, in particular, caused the topic to shoot up the trending charts online.

That being said, it never reached the top of the list, not even managing to outrank some celebrity’s daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony.

But there was no shortage of eye-catching headlines and clickbait articles like “Shocking! The Perfect-Score College Entrance Exam Scholar Actually Abandoned Tsinghua and Peking University to Choose This School!” and “Shocking! Why Did the President of a Top University Personally Visit a High School Student’s Home?”

For news outlets and clickbait accounts, Xu Chuan not choosing Tsinghua or Peking University was a much hotter topic. After all, past top scholars had all gone to these two universities, so reporting on it hardly made any waves.

Thus, all sorts of news reports and “shocking” series of clickbait articles emerged one after another, flooding everyone’s social media feeds.

However, netizens have the memory of a goldfish, lasting seven seconds at most. People were curious for a moment about which university the 790-point perfect-score top scholar had chosen, and beyond that, they just lamented why they didn’t have a brain like his back in the day.

The storm passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was July, and Xu Chuan’s IMO and IPHO competitions had arrived.

As in previous years, the IPHO was held before the IMO, with the two competitions scheduled back-to-back.

The IPHO Physics Olympiad was from July seventh to July fourteenth, while the IMO Math Olympiad was from July fourteenth to July twenty-first.

The schedules overlapped, which meant he wouldn’t be able to attend the Physics Olympiad’s award ceremony and closing ceremony. The Physics Olympiad was being held in Mumbai, India, while the Math Olympiad was in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He would have to rush from Mumbai to Chiang Mai on the fourteenth, or he would automatically forfeit his spot.

The plane landed in Mumbai. Led by their team leader, the Physics Olympiad team made its way to the city center.

Mumbai is also India’s wealthiest city. The number of millionaires and multimillionaires here surpasses all other Indian cities, making it the country’s most important trade center and port city.

If one were to make a comparison, it would be the domestic Brightmoon City.

Online, Indian netizens often compare it to China’s Brightmoon City, some even believing that Mumbai has already surpassed Brightmoon City and is second only to Tokyo.

But Xu Chuan’s impression of Mumbai was very average; it had none of the characteristics of the world-class megalopolis that Indians described.

Whether it was the street food, a single bite of which could give you diarrhea; the chaotic urban layout and crowded population; the slums found even in the city center; or the sacred cows roaming the streets and alleys, along with all the cow dung and urine.

Anyone who experienced it once would generally not want to come back a second time.

It had to be said, however, that even with slums scattered among the skyscrapers, the city’s crime rate was not particularly high.

Perhaps it was because, for the locals, this way of life wasn’t considered too bad?

If you put it that way, a city like this was indeed filled with its own unique charm.

Chapter 66: The End of High School and Planning for the Future

“Let’s go, Brother Chuan! Let’s get a bite to eat. We’re abroad, we have to try the local cuisine and live a little.”

In the hotel room, Cao Weicai tossed his luggage into a corner and excitedly tried to drag Xu Chuan out to try some of India’s specialty foods.

Xu Chuan didn’t move. While unpacking his own luggage, he said, “No thanks. I don’t want to mess up my stomach before the Physics Olympiad is over. That street food is drenched in Ganges water. One bite and you’ll probably have consumed the entire periodic table.”

“Huh? How do you know, Brother Chuan? Have you been to India before? Tried the food here?” Cao Weicai asked curiously.

“A video-sharing site, of course. There’s a blogger I follow who specializes in filming all sorts of Indian cuisine. The kind where he eats one meal and then stops posting for half a month.”

Xu Chuan really had no interest in Indian food.

It might not be full of shady additives, but it was far scarier. Only the Indians themselves seemed to be immune. The only reason a foreigner wouldn’t get diarrhea for days is if they were already empty to begin with.

“Why does he stop posting for half a month? Diarrhea or food poisoning?” Cao Weicai asked, still curious.

“What do you think?” Xu Chuan shot him a look. How could this guy be so dense?

“Is it really that bad?”

Cao Weicai looked at him dubiously, still not quite convinced.

“If you don’t believe me, go ask Brother Liu,” Xu Chuan replied with a shrug.

The “Brother Liu” he mentioned was a Chinese doctoral student studying mathematics in India, serving as the interpreter for the IPhO National Team this time.

As for the team leaders who had accompanied them from China, they weren’t here. They were staying at least a few kilometers away.

This was an IPhO regulation.

During the IPhO competition, the leaders of each country temporarily cease contact with their team members. The two groups live separately and voluntarily refrain from calling each other, communicating only through their interpreters if necessary.

Xu Chuan didn’t know the reason for this rule, but it was the rule.

Fortunately, students of Chinese descent are found all over the world, so the interpreters assigned to the team by the host country were almost always Chinese students pursuing graduate studies there.

This way, at least, communication was not a problem.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The two of them had just been talking about him, and the next second, their interpreter, Brother Liu, arrived.

“There you two are. We’re about to have a meeting to go over the details of the competition.”

The team leader—no, interpreter—Brother Liu, Liu Ji, pushed open the door and called them over for the meeting.

“Brother Liu, how are the local specialty foods here in India? Are they any good?”

Seeing Liu Ji, Cao Weicai quickly scurried over to ask.

“You want to go out and eat?” Liu Ji asked with a smile.

Cao Weicai nodded furiously. It was his first time abroad; of course he wanted to try it.

“The flavors are quite unique, but if you want to eat, you’d better wait until after the exam. If you go now, it will most likely affect your performance.”

Liu Ji smiled. When he first arrived, it took him a long time to get used to the food here. Even now, years later, he only dared to eat at restaurants he was familiar with.

As for the street stalls, he didn’t dare to try them.

Who knew what was in their food.

Registration and the opening ceremony took up two days, which passed by quickly.

As soon as the exams on the third and fourth days were over, without waiting for the results to be announced or for the subsequent award ceremony, Xu Chuan boarded another plane, this time for Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Luckily, India and Thailand are close to each other, basically in the same region, so there was no need to adjust for a time difference.

Compared to the IPhO, participating in the IMO was a completely new experience for Xu Chuan. But given the level of difficulty, he felt more like a player in the game of Earth Online, just grinding for achievements.

Two days of exams, six problems—he undoubtedly scored a perfect 42 points.

It was worth mentioning that his fellow student from Star City No. 1 High School, the round-faced Lu Tianrui, also achieved a perfect score.

Three years in the Olympiads, two years failing to make the National Team, and then one final push—he had not let his years of hard work go to waste.

Six team members, six individual gold medals, six team gold medals. They had more medals than they could hold.

The only thing that Xu Chuan found slightly regrettable about this Math Olympiad was that one of the six students had missed a perfect score by answering a small part of the last question incorrectly. Otherwise, they would have set a new historical record of all team members achieving perfect scores.

So far, only the United States in 1994 had accomplished that feat.

But even without a full sweep of perfect scores, their IMO results this year put them nearly fifty points ahead of the second-place team.

Dual gold medals in the IMO and IPhO, plus the title of Absolute Winner in the IPhO—this achievement broke the historical records for both competitions since their inception.

Although competing as a reincarnator felt a bit like bullying, he was bullying Korea, so Xu Chuan didn’t really care.

After all, it was that country.

In his previous life, after he had won his second Nobel Prize, that country had specially fabricated a family tree for him to prove to the world that he was Korean.

The surname Xu also exists in Korea, and many of its bearers were historically high-ranking officials.

Therefore, Xu Chuan had to be a Korean genius.

At the time, Xu Chuan could only wish he had a surname that didn’t exist in Korea.

But on second thought, even if he had a surname that didn’t exist there, given that country’s national character, they would probably fabricate one anyway, or perhaps just prove that he wasn’t named Xu, but Li instead, right?

With the IPhO and IMO over, his high school life officially came to a close.

For the rest of August, Xu Chuan reorganized his plans for university.

For him, it was highly unlikely he would spend a full four years as an ordinary undergraduate before pursuing a doctorate. That would be too much of a waste of time.

And the best way to leapfrog ahead was to solve difficult problems.

It could be a discovery in a physics experiment or a solution to a tough physics problem.

However, Xu Chuan needed to consider which of his past accomplishments would be appropriate to reveal during his university years.

He had produced a great number of achievements in his previous life, but he had to consider their suitability for the current time.

Theoretical achievements were the most suitable. His primary focus this life was mathematics, and he would most likely still choose to study abroad.

Even though he had been sent back home in his previous life, he still had to go abroad in this life to study the cutting-edge knowledge of the mathematics world.

It was just like when he had solved the mathematical law behind the encrypted message during the National Training Team camp, using the latest mathematical knowledge he had learned at Princeton.

Without that period of study, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything about those encrypted messages.

Learn from the strengths of others and apply them to oneself. That was the most appropriate path.

Sticking to the old ways and refusing to progress—how was that any different from the Qing dynasty?

There was no doubt that mathematics was the foundation of all disciplines. To advance physics further in this life, he had to master mathematics first.

Of course, if he went abroad to study, he would certainly have to be mindful of his own safety. The tragedy of his past life could not be allowed to happen again.

On that front, he had already discussed the matter with his mentor, Chen Zhengping, at home after his college entrance exam scores came out, and Chen Zhengping had given him some advice.

Chapter 67: A New Journey

While he was back in his hometown, worried about encountering the same problems as in his previous life, Xu Chuan had specifically sought out his mentor, Chen Zhengping, to discuss the matter.

Although somewhat surprised by his thoughts, Chen Zhengping still offered him an explanation.

For now, as long as purely theoretical research didn’t involve energy, military applications, or nuclear physics, there was basically no need to worry about such issues.

The results of cutting-edge theoretical physics, such as high-energy physics, particle physics, and quantum physics, are mostly open and transparent. The vast majority of research papers and data are published in major journals, accessible to all countries.

While the research findings in these fields are important, they are aimed at a future that could be many, many years away.

Just like Professor Witten’s string theory—is it important? If it could be proven, it would be a result that changes the entire world of physics.

But verifying string theory would likely have to wait until the next century, or even the one after that.

Besides, since these research findings are mostly public, no country would go out of its way to obstruct or compel scholars in these fields to leave or stay.

Therefore, there’s no problem with going abroad to study and research these areas of physics and pure mathematics.

No matter how great your achievements are in this field, no one will place major obstacles in the way of your return to the Motherland.

Just like Elder Yang, his contributions to the world of physics are immense.

Phase transition theory, the theoretical explanation for quantized magnetic flux in superconductors, time-reversal symmetry theory, the law of parity non-conservation, the Yang-Mills gauge theory…

Any one of these theories and concepts is something an ordinary person could not hope to grasp in a lifetime, yet he still returned.

Elder Yau is hailed as the ‘Emperor of Mathematics’ and has won all the highest awards in the world of mathematics, including the Veblen Prize, the Fields Medal, and the Wolf Prize.

A scholar from the United States once commented: “Shing-Tung Yau alone is worth half of Harvard University’s mathematics department.”

Such a top-tier mathematician also returned. That was why Chen Zhengping told Xu Chuan to go abroad and study with confidence; as long as he didn’t touch upon those sensitive areas, he wouldn’t need to worry about these things.

Xu Chuan agreed with this assessment. The reason he was trapped in the United States in his previous life was precisely because he had been involved in the application of nuclear energy.

So, during his university years, he just needed to focus his published research papers and research on purely theoretical directions.

After graduating from university and obtaining his degree, he would likely go abroad again to study as an exchange student or international student.

In his past life, he had reached his own limits in both applied physics and condensed matter physics—one could even say he had reached the world’s limits.

Although physics was vast and there was still much he could learn, to continue down the path of physics would merely be refining his knowledge in that area, not achieving a breakthrough.

The path of the strong lies in challenging oneself and scaling new peaks. This lifetime, he chose to major in mathematics, hoping to use it as a tool to help physics break through its bottlenecks and see a different landscape.

Beyond that, there were also some practical applications to pursue.

For example, controlled nuclear fusion.

When it came to research on controlled nuclear fusion, even twenty years from now, if he wasn’t the world’s number one expert, he would still be among the absolute top tier.

In his past life, after he had solved the problem of superconducting materials, the next major hurdle for controlled nuclear fusion shifted to controlling the turbulence of the ultra-high temperature plasma within the reaction chamber.

And that was a mathematical problem.

Xu Chuan had a faint intuition that if he could solve this problem, controlled nuclear fusion might genuinely be within reach.

So, although he still had some worries, he also had a compelling reason to go abroad to study.

The days of August quickly flew by, and the start of the September school season arrived.

Packing his bags, Xu Chuan once again set out on the path forward.

He didn’t wait until September first, but arrived at Nanjing University to register a few days early.

This was his own decision. Although the President of Nanjing University had asked him to come on September first for the new student registration, offering to welcome him personally, Xu Chuan felt it was too ostentatious and declined.

At this stage, he was still just a student, and his focus should be on his studies, not on such meaningless pageantry.

“Teacher.”

Upon arriving at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan, dragging his luggage, found his mentor, Chen Zhengping.

“Oh? Why are you here so early?”

In his office, Chen Zhengping was a little surprised. He remembered Liu Gaojun saying that he would personally welcome Xu Chuan on September first. Today was only August twenty-seventh. Had he remembered the date wrong?

“Oh, I felt that a reception and all that would be a bit too high-profile, so I spoke with the President and came early. My focus right now should be on my studies,” Xu Chuan explained.

Chen Zhengping smiled in gratification and stood up. “It’s good that you think this way. At this stage, your focus certainly should be on your studies. While a welcoming ceremony is good for the university’s reputation, it would put a lot of pressure on you.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to get your enrollment procedures sorted out first. You can just leave your luggage in my office for now.”

Xu Chuan nodded and followed Chen Zhengping to the academic affairs office, the two chatting as they walked.

As they walked, Chen Zhengping briefly introduced his own research field:

“You’ve read some of my research papers, so you should know that my research in physics has focused on condensed matter physics and high-energy physics. However, that was my research direction for the past decade or so.”

“Now, I’m shifting my focus to materials physics, mainly researching the structure and physical properties of low-dimensional materials, as well as spintronic materials. The doctoral candidates I’m currently supervising are also in these fields.”

“Of course, I don’t have such requirements for you. I’ve looked over some of your records; your talent in mathematics and physics is excellent, and you’re skilled at independent study and research, so I won’t force you to join my research area like other students.”

“Well, if you’re interested, you’re welcome to give it a try.”

“If you’re not interested, you should at least tell me your learning objectives and field of focus so I have an idea. You must have thought about this over the summer break, right?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I have. During my university years, my main learning objective in physics will be in the field of quantum field theory.”

“To be more specific, I’ll be focusing my studies on particle physics.”

Chen Zhengping nodded, not at all displeased that Xu Chuan wasn’t joining his research.

Having reached his level, he no longer cared much about such things. On the contrary, he preferred to see the flowers of the Motherland blossom in a hundred different ways.

Besides, condensed matter physics was his former research area anyway. While particle physics is different from condensed matter physics, the difference is merely the object of study.

One uses the methods of quantum field theory to study condensed matter physics, while the other uses the methods of quantum field theory to study elementary particles.

He could still impart some knowledge in this area.

Chapter 68: Dual Major in Physics and Mathematics

“Particle physics is an excellent direction. You can delve deeper into high-energy physics, or you can switch to condensed matter physics and applied physics.”

“In a little while, the European Organization for Nuclear Research has an experiment and a conference. I’ll take you there to experience it.”

Chen Zhengping was very supportive of Xu Chuan’s choice to study particle physics.

Research in this field requires students to master radiation detection technology, methods for online data acquisition and analysis using computers, and the ability to conduct theoretical research with computers.

Even without extraordinary achievements, the practical applications are considerable, making one a core national talent.

“For physics, you’ve chosen particle physics as your goal for your university studies. What about mathematics?”

Chen Zhengping then asked.

Back when he and Liu Gaojun went to recruit him, aside from the conditions Liu Gaojun offered, Xu Chuan had made a request of his own.

To pursue a dual major in physics and mathematics.

This dual major wasn’t a standard major in math with a minor in physics, or a major in physics with a minor in math.

It was majoring in both mathematics and physics at the same time.

Although many university students major in one subject and minor in another, and even take several other elective courses.

But no one in Nanjing University’s history had ever simultaneously majored in two subjects.

On one hand, Nanjing University didn’t officially support dual majors. On the other hand, a major and a minor are completely different concepts.

The major is a university student’s primary field of study, while a minor consists of courses outside that primary field.

For an undergraduate, a major typically requires about 160 academic credits to graduate and receive a graduation certificate.

A minor, however, usually requires only 30 or more credits to earn a certificate for the minor.

The difficulty of the two is also on different levels. A minor mainly takes up evenings and weekends during the sophomore and junior years in exchange for a degree certificate that isn’t considered as prestigious.

But a major requires learning much more; in the freshman year alone, one would study at least several core courses.

Thus, the time commitment and coursework for the two were simply incomparable.

Initially, both he and Liu Gaojun had advised Xu Chuan that if he was interested in mathematics, minoring in it would be enough.

A dual major, especially in two broad fields like mathematics and physics, was simply too difficult.

However, Xu Chuan insisted, and after some consideration, Liu Gaojun agreed.

While dual majors are rare in China, they are not unheard of abroad. In the United States, over ten percent of graduate students choose to pursue a dual major.

Of course, those who choose a dual major usually pick two sub-fields within the same broad category. Someone like Xu Chuan, taking on two distinct major fields, was practically unheard of.

“As for mathematics, my areas of focus during university will be functional analysis and differential equations.”

Xu Chuan replied. The dual major in physics and math was indeed his idea, but in reality, he only needed to major in mathematics. At least in the early and middle stages of his academic career—during his university and graduate studies—he only needed to concentrate on math.

Once his mathematics reached a certain level, he could then use it to drive progress in physics and break through his own limits.

“A very good direction for study. Functional analysis and differential equations have applications in various branches like mathematical physics equations, probability theory, and computational mathematics. They are all mathematical tools for studying physical systems with infinite degrees of freedom.”

“It seems you’ve already thought carefully about your future development.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s chosen areas of study in mathematics, Chen Zhengping nodded in approval.

He had initially been worried that Xu Chuan might choose areas of pure mathematics like algebra or geometry as his focus of study and research. Now, it seemed he was more mature than he had imagined.

Both functional analysis and differential equations have numerous applications in physics, and their scope is quite broad.

These two areas have a complementary relationship with physics. Even if one doesn’t major in them, it’s impossible to avoid encountering this knowledge while studying physics.

After a pause, Chen Zhengping continued, “Since you already have your own goals, I won’t set academic milestones for you.”

“However, I have very high expectations for you. If you want to graduate under my supervision and receive your diploma, for the physics part, you will need at least one paper in a Q1 journal as your graduation thesis.”

“With your talent, if you were to focus your mind on physics, you could probably graduate with a doctorate in four or five years.”

“As for the mathematics part, the university can handle the assessment.”

“However, I can recommend a professor to you. Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences has his own unique insights into functional analysis. You can learn a lot from him.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I will pay Professor Zhou a visit.”

After completing his enrollment procedures, Xu Chuan returned to his dormitory.

The single-person dormitory at Nanjing University was even better than he had imagined. It had an apartment-style layout, with a private bathroom, kitchen, refrigerator, washing machine, and a full set of amenities.

This level of accommodation was on par with what faculty members at Nanjing University received.

Among the students, even doctoral students didn’t get single rooms.

The treatment afforded to a perfect-score top scholar and a dual gold medalist in both the IMO and IPhO was simply beyond imagination.

Xu Chuan was quite satisfied with his living quarters. Although his relationship with his roommates in his past life had been amicable, there was no need to switch to a four-person dorm just for the sake of having roommates.

As the start of the semester approached, the Nanjing University campus gradually became more lively, filled with early-arriving freshmen and older students who hadn’t gone home for the entire summer break.

Xu Chuan had thought that by dodging Liu Gaojun’s welcoming ceremony, he would be able to settle into his studies right after enrolling. Unexpectedly, he was still pulled onto the stage at the new student opening ceremony to speak as the representative of the 2015 undergraduate freshmen and share his learning experiences.

He had no interest in such speeches and refused twice before the Dean of the School of Physics came to him personally. The Dean said it was a great opportunity to expand the influence of the physics department and, after a long speech, Xu Chuan found it hard to refuse again.

In the Xianlin Campus Gymnasium, a dense crowd of new students had gathered, their hearts full of anticipation. Pairs of excited eyes, filled with hope, looked around everywhere.

After a series of events including speeches by the President and an Academician, and the school leaders, guests, Academicians, and representatives of senior humanities professors seated on the rostrum pinning school emblems on the new student representatives and presenting them with the “New Student Study Guide,” the young lady at the podium took the microphone again.

“Next, please give a warm round of applause to welcome our freshman representative, a new student from the class of ’15 in the School of Physics, Student Xu Chuan, to the stage to deliver his speech and share his learning experiences.”

From his seat in the front row, Xu Chuan stood up and walked towards the podium.

A guy from the same physics department sitting next to him saw Xu Chuan stand up, and his eyes instantly widened.

“Holy shit! The perfect-score college entrance exam + Physics and Math Olympiad dual gold medalist, God Chuan, was just sitting right next to me?”

Chapter 69: Zhou Hai’s Admiration

A stir went through the gymnasium when Xu Chuan went on stage.

“Is that this year’s perfect-score top scholar? The legendary one?”

“So handsome! I’m going to ask for his WeChat ID later!”

“The legend! And he’s real!”

“If I were a perfect-score top scholar, I would have gone to Tsinghua or Peking University. I don’t understand why he came to Nanjing University.”

“The physics department at Nanjing University isn’t bad.”

The gymnasium buzzed with hushed conversations. For ordinary people who had already entered the workforce, a perfect-score top scholar might not be a huge deal; even if it hit the trending charts, they would probably just glance at it and move on.

But for high school students from the same graduating year, almost everyone knew something about it.

This was especially true for the new students in the physics department. Many of them knew that this year’s incoming class had a student who had achieved a perfect score on the college entrance exam.

However, many of them couldn’t understand why such a top scholar hadn’t gone to Tsinghua or Peking University, but had come to Nanjing University instead.

Although Nanjing University was a top institution, it was undeniable that there was still a gap compared to the two top-tier universities, Tsinghua and Peking.

After the new student opening ceremony, military training, and a series of tedious orientation tasks were completed, life on the campus of Nanjing University gradually settled into a routine.

For Xu Chuan, the first few days of classes were quite a hassle. Girls would constantly approach him for his WeChat ID and other contact information, drawn by his handsome appearance.

But as time went on, their initial enthusiasm faded, and things gradually quieted down.

As for Xu Chuan, apart from his regular classes, he spent most of his remaining time in the library.

There was a great deal he needed to learn in mathematics, but most of it wasn’t covered in undergraduate courses. He could only find the necessary materials and textbooks by rummaging through the library.

For example, Factorization of Linear Operators and Geometry of Banach Spaces, written by Pisier.

As for the calculus, linear algebra, and probability and statistics taught in the first-year lectures, he had already mastered all of it back in high school.

His mathematics was decent, but his strengths were limited to certain areas; it was far from being as comprehensive or systematic as his knowledge of physics.

Having been reborn, since he had chosen to major in mathematics, he had to build a solid foundation, which meant there was a lot to learn.

In the classroom, after finishing a short calculus quiz, Xu Chuan pulled Factorization of Linear Operators and Geometry of Banach Spaces from his schoolbag.

He had borrowed it from the library and had been reading it for nearly a week. He expected to finish the remaining parts in the next day or two.

Although the textbook wasn’t thick, with only eight chapters, it provided him with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

In Xu Chuan’s opinion, the most important part of the book was the section that introduced Grothendieck’s theorem.

This left him deeply impressed.

Grothendieck truly deserved his title as the Pope of mathematics. Not only were his contributions to algebraic geometry profound and extensive, but his contributions to the field of functional analysis were also immense.

Just the various theorems compiled by others in this single book would take a university student the better part of a semester to study.

And yet, these contributions were practically insignificant in the grand scheme of Emperor G’s mathematical career—not even a drop in the ocean.

The duality of continuous and discrete, the Riemann-Roch-Grothendieck theorem, the introduction of the concept of schemes to reduce algebraic geometry to commutative algebra, topos theory…

Any one of his many monumental contributions would be enough for a mathematician to spend a lifetime studying and researching.

Moreover, to this day, many of the ideas in Grothendieck’s writings are still not fully understood.

But that didn’t stop them from producing major results, such as Déligne’s proof of the Weil conjectures and the birth of K-theory.

Emperor G was truly, truly, truly incredible.

Unfortunately, whether in his previous life or this one, Xu Chuan never had the chance to meet the Pope of mathematics.

Emperor G had passed away last year, in November of 2014, leaving the mortal world forever to go do math for God.

“Factorization of Linear Operators and Geometry of Banach Spaces? How far have you gotten in this book?”

He had just pulled out the book and hadn’t been reading for two minutes when a voice sounded beside him.

Xu Chuan looked up. It was Professor Zhou Hai, who was proctoring the quiz. He was now staring at Xu Chuan—or more accurately, at the book in his hands—with great interest.

“I’m almost finished,” Xu Chuan answered honestly.

“Then what are the important decompositions in the factorization of linear maps?”

Zhou Hai asked with keen interest. He recognized this student—the perfect-score scholar, the new student of Academician Chen Zhengping from the physics department.

Chen Zhengping had mentioned him just a couple of days ago, so he wanted to test the extent of Xu Chuan’s mathematical foundation.

“Spectral decomposition, polar decomposition, and singular value decomposition.”

“Then how do you determine if a problem involves a linear transformation?” Zhou Hai asked next.

“For a transformation A in a vector space V, to verify if it’s a linear transformation, you just need to check if for any elements α and β in V and any k in the field P, A(α+β)=A(α)+A(β) and A(kα)=kA(α) hold true.”

He answered both conceptual questions fluently, which made Zhou Hai even more interested and aroused his curiosity further. So, he posed a problem directly.

“Suppose you have two commuting operators A and B with spectral radii r(A) and r(B). How do you prove that for commuting bounded linear operators on a Banach space, the spectral radius satisfies r(A+B) ≤ r(A) + r(B)?”

This was one of the problems he had written for the functional analysis course he taught to his graduate students. He refused to believe that the student before him could solve this one smoothly.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then said, “The spectral radius is independent of the Banach subalgebra it belongs to. So, we only need to consider the commutative Banach subalgebra generated by A and B, then use the Gelfand representation to solve it.”

With that, Xu Chuan flipped over his quiz scratch paper and, picking up his pen, began writing on the blank side.

“Consider the Banach algebra generated by A, B, and I. Since it is commutative, we get:”

“σ(A) = {τ(A) : τ∈Ω(A)}, σ(B) = {τ(B) : τ∈Ω(A)}”

“Thus, r(A+B) = sup{ |τ(A+B)| : τ∈Ω(A) } ≤ r(A) + r(B).”

“Where Ω(A) is the set of characters.”

Watching Xu Chuan write out the answer so smoothly, Zhou Hai was stunned for a long moment before he said, “Not bad. A very solid foundation.”

To be able to calculate the spectral radius of a bounded linear operator without a second thought—this foundation was more than just solid. He feared that most graduate students didn’t have a foundation this strong.

One had to understand that functional analysis was a difficult course not just for undergraduates, but even among graduate-level mathematics.

There was a popular saying among math majors: “Study real analysis ten times, and functional analysis will send a chill to your heart.”

For this reason, functional analysis was also known as the “quantum mechanics of mathematics.” It was hard enough for an ordinary university student to understand the course, let alone apply it freely.

A few years ago, a certain Normal University’s math department had offered elective courses in functional analysis and real analysis. In the end, not a single student in the class passed.

This just shows how difficult the subject is.

Zhou Hai now truly envied Chen Zhengping. He had taken on such a good student. He didn’t know about his achievements in physics, but his mathematical ability was definitely not lacking.

Why did a student like this go into physics? It would have been so much better if he had come to study math.

Chapter 70: A Problem That Stumped a Math Professor

The simple test had allowed Professor Zhou Hai of the School of Mathematical Sciences to witness Xu Chuan’s mathematical foundation, and it also made him a bit envious of Chen Zhengping.

How had he never encountered a student who, upon just entering university, already possessed a foundation comparable to that of a graduate student?

Although no rule stated a student couldn’t have two mentors, and despite the subjects being completely different, he couldn’t bring himself to brazenly go poaching talent from Chen Zhengping.

“Professor Zhou, I have a question I’d like to ask.” Zhou Hai was about to leave but was stopped by Xu Chuan.

“Oh? What’s the question? Let’s hear it,” Zhou Hai asked, a little curious.

Xu Chuan took the backpack hanging on his chair, pulled out a gray notebook from inside, and flipped it open to find his notes from the past two days.

After confirming he had the right page, he handed it to Zhou Hai.

“Professor Zhou, these are some problems I listed while reading Factorization of Linear Operators and Geometry of Banach Spaces over the last two days. I got stuck halfway through my derivations. Could you take a look for me?”

“Alright, let me see.”

Zhou Hai reached out, took the notebook, and looked at it with keen interest.

The brief questions earlier had shown him Xu Chuan’s mathematical foundation, but not his limits.

And a problem that could stump him would surely be a good measure of the depth of his knowledge.

Let’s see just how capable this student really is.

“This handwriting… it’s beautiful.”

The moment Zhou Hai took the notebook, he inwardly praised the neat handwriting on its pages.

To be honest, very few people in mathematics have good handwriting.

Of course, mathematicians don’t need beautiful handwriting. During the research phase, all that matters is that you can understand your own notes.

It’s just like with programmers: as long as the code they write runs and they can understand what it does, that’s enough.

As for comments and such, are they important?

Not at all.

If they really prove something or complete their research, they can always just put in the effort to type up the research paper on a computer later.

That’s why the handwriting of most math teachers and mathematicians is like wild scrawls.

“Weyl’s Law: Eigenvalue distribution and computation of the Laplace operator.”

“Theorem One: Assume Ω is a bounded open domain in Rⁿ (with no regularity assumptions on the boundary), then there exists a monotonically increasing, unbounded sequence {λₖ} that satisfies: 0 < λ₁ ≤ λ₂ ≤ …, with limₖ→∞ λₖ = +∞.”

“Theorem Two: If Ω is a cubic domain, i.e., of the form [a, b] × [a, b]…”

“Theorem Three: …”

“If N(λ) is the eigenvalue counting function on the bounded open domain Ω, then is it possible to construct a pair of isospectral, non-isometric, isomorphic fractal drums in R³, and on this basis, prove that its wave number function has a precise second term?”

As the words on the notebook came into view, Zhou Hai’s gaze became completely fixed on it.

“A problem concerning isospectral, non-isometric, isomorphic, and fractal drum mathematics?”

“To construct a pair of isospectral, non-isometric, isomorphic fractal drums in R³ to prove the second term of the wave number function… Interesting.”

“Can we use domain monotonicity and the min-max principle to give a characterization of the eigenvalues?”

“Hmm, this method doesn’t seem to work, does it?”

As he continued to ponder, Zhou Hai’s brow gradually furrowed.

He went from initially thinking it was no big deal and that he could solve it with ease, to now being lost in thought, unable to find a solution.

His attention was now entirely focused on the gray notebook in his hands. Paying no mind to Xu Chuan, he walked straight back to the lectern with the notebook, picked up a piece of white chalk, and began working out the problem on the blackboard.

N(λ) = Cₙ|Ω|λⁿᐟ² + o(λⁿᐟ²).

Definition: H(Ω)={u∈ζ(Ω)|uQi∈H(Qi), i∈I}, H(Ω)+{u∈ζ.}

Naturally, an inclusion relation follows: …⊂ H(Ω)

Zhou Hai’s actions naturally caught the attention of the students who were still taking the test.

Everyone looked up at the blackboard, wanting to see what the professor was writing.

But when the mathematical symbols on the blackboard came into view, everyone except Xu Chuan was completely baffled.

What was Professor Zhou writing? How come they couldn’t understand a single character?

“God Chuan, what in the world is Professor Zhou writing? What kind of question did you just give him?”

A student sitting next to Xu Chuan leaned over and whispered curiously.

He had just seen God Chuan hand Professor Zhou Hai a notebook, seemingly to ask a question. And then the professor had become completely absorbed and went up to demonstrate it?

It had to be a question, but what on earth was he deriving? And what kind of problem could actually stump a math professor?

“A problem concerning the eigenvalue distribution and computation of the Laplace operator.”

Xu Chuan replied without taking his eyes off the equations on the blackboard.

These equations were clearly Professor Zhou Hai’s derivations for the problem. They gave him some insight, but not much. At most, this approach could help him rule out one possible path, but it wouldn’t solve the problem.

“What’s a Laplace operator?”

The student next to him asked, a look of despair on his face. It was one thing not to understand the symbols on the blackboard, but now he couldn’t even understand his classmate’s answer?

They were students in the same class, at the same university, attending the same lecture. Was the gap between them really this huge?

“Oh, the Laplace operator is a second-order differential operator in n-dimensional Euclidean space. It’s a real-valued function. You’ll learn about it in your third year.”

Xu Chuan finally snapped out of his own thoughts and explained with a smile.

The student beside him nodded, only half-understanding. Although he still didn’t grasp what this “Laplace operator” thing really was, he had at least understood the term ‘real-valued function’.

As for why someone was already researching a topic they wouldn’t learn until their third year, he didn’t even want to talk about it anymore.

Could someone with a perfect score on the college entrance exam and dual gold medals from the IMO and IPhO be an ordinary person like them?

Obviously not.

So, was it that surprising that such a person was already studying and researching third-year material in his first year?

Not in the slightest.

In fact, he even had the ‘delusion’ that this was exactly how things were supposed to be.

Chapter 71: The Weyl-Berry Conjecture

At the lecture stand, Professor Zhou Hai stopped the chalk he was using for calculations on the blackboard. Frowning at the white script, he turned, picked up the eraser, and wiped away all the mathematical formulas and derivations.

He had spent over ten minutes on the calculations, only to prove that he was on a dead-end path.

For the first time since he had started teaching, he was stumped by a student’s question. It was simply unbelievable.

However, after carefully thinking over and studying the problem in the notebook, he felt a sense of relief.

It was perfectly normal that he couldn’t solve this problem in a short amount of time.

Although the problem was handwritten by Xu Chuan, it was actually part of a proof for a weakened form of a world-class mathematical conjecture.

Even if he were to devote himself to researching this type of problem, he wasn’t guaranteed to solve it. To find a line of reasoning or prove it outright during a single class test was a feat of impossible difficulty.

“Where did you find this problem?”

After confirming he couldn’t solve the problem in the notebook anytime soon, Zhou Hai returned to Xu Chuan’s seat, handed the notebook back to him, and asked with curiosity.

An undergraduate student was already delving into world-class conjectures?

Or did he deliberately seek out this problem on purpose?

He had been teaching for over twenty years and had seen generations of students come and go.

He had met genius youths and those of mediocre talent. He had seen students who worked diligently, step-by-step, and he had seen those who tried to cut corners and get their advisors to write their graduation theses for them.

There were also quite a few who would consult their teachers with problems that were beyond the curriculum or extremely difficult, trying to get closer to the teacher and win their favor, to make the teacher think they were studying seriously.

Of course, he didn’t think Xu Chuan was that kind of person.

But no matter what, for a first-year university student to start grappling with a world-class conjecture was bound to evoke surprise and suspicion.

Moreover, if Xu Chuan had simply found the problem somewhere, that would be one thing. After all, many university students who are interested in a subject will look for problems online or in the library to try and solve.

But if he had conceived this problem himself during the course of his studies, that would be far too shocking and incredible.

Forget a first-year student; even the graduate and doctoral students he supervised, or even a university professor, might not have such an ability.

To study old knowledge, master it, and then expand upon it to create new boundaries and new problems.

This was something only top-tier mathematicians, or those who had delved so deeply into a field that they had nearly reached its limits, could do and would do.

A first-year student had reached this stage?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Zhou Hai refused to believe a first-year university student could achieve such a thing, which was why he asked Xu Chuan where he had found the problem.

Hearing Zhou Hai’s question, Xu Chuan took out Factorization of Linear Operators and Geometry of Banach Spaces from his bag again, flipped to the last three chapters, and handed it to him.

“This book contains some descriptions of spectral asymptotic methods and problems on connected domains with fractal boundaries.”

“If we denote Nn(r) = #{(q₁, …, qₙ) ∈ ℤⁿ | q₁² + … + qₙ² ≤ r²}…”

“Starting from Theorem 3.1 and then extending the second asymptotic term of the Dirichlet spectral counting function to adjacent connected components of a special, non-connected domain, I ran into the problem in my notebook.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained the origin of the problem in his notebook, drawing a look of stunned amazement from Professor Zhou Hai.

“You really… developed this problem yourself through your own research and extensions?”

Zhou Hai’s lips were slightly parted. His mouth felt dry, and he swallowed hard before asking in a voice laced with disbelief.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Xu Chuan asked, looking up, a little puzzled.

“Do you know what this problem leads to if you continue to extend and develop it?” Zhou Hai asked urgently.

Xu Chuan shook his head. He really didn’t know. The problems in his notebook were all things he had recorded himself while reading and studying. He had never studied the field of spectral asymptotic methods on connected domains with fractal boundaries in his past life, so he wasn’t clear on what these problems corresponded to when extended.

“It’s the Weyl-Berry conjecture!”

Zhou Hai lowered his voice, but his tone carried a tremor of excitement.

“The Weyl-Berry conjecture? Is it a problem in the field of functional analysis?”

Xu Chuan asked quizzically. He had never heard of this conjecture.

After all, the field of mathematics was simply too vast. There were a great number of world-class conjectures and problems, and since he hadn’t majored in mathematics in his previous life, it was normal for him not to know some of them.

Zhou Hai pulled a chair over from the side, sat down, and continued, “The full name of the Weyl-Berry conjecture is ‘The spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators and the Weyl–Berry conjecture’.”

“It’s a world-class conjecture that primarily studies the spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators, inverse spectral problems, and the construction of spectral fractal domains like in fractal drum theory, as well as nonlinear analytic Gevrey-class microlocal analysis.”

“Of course, it’s normal that you don’t know it. It’s not as famous as top conjectures like Fermat’s Conjecture, the Four Color Conjecture, or the Goldbach Conjecture, and its difficulty doesn’t compare either.”

“If we were to classify conjectures based on their difficulty, this one would probably be between T2 and T3.”

“Professor, could you tell me more about this conjecture?” Xu Chuan asked, his interest piqued.

He knew a little about the tiered classification Zhou Hai mentioned.

Every problem has a level of difficulty, and mathematics is no exception.

In the world of mathematics, there are numerous conjectures and problems.

The most famous and common are the seven Millennium Prize Problems, like the Riemann Hypothesis, the Yang–Mills existence and mass gap problem, and the P versus NP problem. These are generally considered top-tier.

There are currently about ten top-tier mathematical conjectures and problems.

Solving any one of them could earn you a Fields Medal, and you could become a professor, or even the department director or dean, at any university in the world.

Below the top-tier are the T1-level problems, such as the Goldbach Conjecture, the Four Color Theorem, the Langlands Reciprocity Conjecture, and some of Hilbert’s twenty-three problems.

It’s worth mentioning the Goldbach Conjecture, which many amateur theorists focus on. Its difficulty is actually worthy of the top tier.

However, the year before last, in 2013, a researcher at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, Harald Helfgott, published two papers announcing a complete proof of the Weak Goldbach Conjecture.

With the Weak Goldbach Conjecture proven, the full Goldbach Conjecture lost some of its relative completeness as a conjecture, so it was demoted from the top tier to T1.

However, this doesn’t mean its difficulty has decreased. In fact, if you look purely at the difficulty of solving it, it still belongs in the top tier.

On a side note, most amateur theorists study the Goldbach Conjecture because it’s the only one they can understand. They can’t even comprehend what the problem statement means for other conjectures, even those at the T2 or T3 level.

Solving a T1-level conjecture can also earn you a Fields Medal, and you could become a professor, or even a department director or dean, at any university in the world.

Further down are the T2 and T3-level mathematical conjectures and problems.

There are many conjectures in these tiers, and Xu Chuan couldn’t name them all.

If one had to give examples, the Mordell conjecture derived from the Poincaré conjecture, the Weak Goldbach conjecture derived from the Goldbach conjecture, the Twin Prime conjecture, and more of Hilbert’s twenty-three problems could all be placed in this category.

As for the Weyl-Berry conjecture that Zhou Hai mentioned, he truly didn’t know of it and had never studied it.

Chapter 72: Can You Hear the Shape of a Drum?

Professor Zhou Hai pulled over a chair from the side and sat down, preparing to discuss this topic with Xu Chuan.

That’s right, a discussion, not guidance.

In his eyes, Xu Chuan, who was capable of researching a sub-problem of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, had already reached a certain level of mathematical prowess.

“The origin of the Weyl-Berry conjecture comes from the mathematician Mark Kac in 1966. In a lecture that year, he posed a question that would go down in the history of science: ‘Can one hear the shape of a drum?’”

“Hear the shape of a drum from its sound? Is that even possible?” A student who had gathered around to listen beside Xu Chuan asked curiously.

Professor Zhou Hai smiled, not minding the student’s interruption. University and junior/senior high school were two completely different learning environments.

In university, some professors often chatted with students outside of just imparting knowledge during lectures.

After all, students were young, and their way of thinking about problems could sometimes be quite unique, leading to unexpected and pleasant surprises.

Moreover, using stories to spark a student’s curiosity in a certain field and get them into a learning mindset was far more effective than force-feeding them knowledge. This teaching method was also more suited to a university setting.

“From a mathematical perspective, if you stretch a membrane over a rigid frame, you form a two-dimensional drum.”

“Drums of different shapes produce sound waves of different frequencies when struck, thus creating different sounds.”

“Through these different sounds, it is indeed possible to determine the shape of the drum.”

“This involves the research of two mathematicians, Alain Connes and Walter van Suijlekom.”

“They extended the traditional framework of non-commutative geometry to handle the spectral truncation of geometric spaces and the tolerance relations that provide coarse-grained approximations of geometric spaces at finite resolution. They also used the spectral truncation of the circle to define a propagation number for the operator system, proving that it is an invariant under stable equivalence, and that it can be used to compare approximations of the same space.”

“And within this framework, we can use the wave equation to describe the vibrations of the ‘drum’ when it is struck. At the same time, because the edge of the ‘drumhead’ is firmly attached to the rigid frame, we can consider the boundary condition for the wave equation to be the Dirichlet boundary condition.”

“With these two pieces of data, and by using methods like the diffusion equation, we can calculate the shape of the drum from the sound it makes, even if you’ve never seen it.”

Professor Zhou Hai explained with a smile, but his words completely baffled the students who had gathered around to listen.

Spectral truncation of geometric spaces? What in the world was that? And what about spectral truncation of a circle?

They all knew what it meant to identify a position by sound, but identifying a shape by sound? They had never even heard of such a thing.

Could mathematics really do something like that? It wasn’t some kind of mysterious art!

To know what happened with a simple calculation on your fingers… wasn’t that a little too outrageous?

Xu Chuan, on the other hand, more or less understood what Professor Zhou Hai meant.

The so-called “hearing the shape of a drum” was, in essence, an eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator within a given region.

To “hear the shape of a drum” using mathematics, one needed to understand another concept.

Namely, the ‘phenomenon of diffusion’.

We all know that if a drop of ink is put into clear water, the ink will spread out over time.

This is the phenomenon of diffusion.

Over time, matter will spontaneously diffuse from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. This phenomenon occurs with both so-called ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible’ things.

For example, if you press a piece of copper and a piece of iron together, after a while, you will find traces of copper on the iron’s surface and traces of iron on the copper’s surface when checked with an instrument. This is also diffusion, just an extremely slow process.

Sound is the same.

And for the sound produced by a drum, once the Dirichlet boundary conditions and the initial vibration conditions are established, you can indeed plug them into the time and diffusion equations to calculate the drum’s shape and size.

Mathematics is just that magical. Things that ordinary people find incredible, or even mystical, can be calculated step-by-step in mathematics.

Through Professor Zhou Hai’s explanation, Xu Chuan now generally understood what “The spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators and the Weyl–Berry conjecture” was all about.

In simple terms, you could see the earlier “hearing the shape of a drum” problem as the two-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Mathematicians of the past had already proven this, but they had not proven the Weyl-Berry conjecture in three dimensions or under more complex conditions.

The current challenge is for mathematicians to find a fractal framework in which the three-dimensional or more complex Weyl-Berry conjecture holds true, and within which Ω is measurable.

That was the goal.

As for what practical use there would be after proving this thing?

It could probably be used to study the shapes of celestial bodies and the size of the universe. Beyond that, there were likely no other practical applications for this conjecture at present.

But that’s mathematics for you. To be honest, modern mathematics is actually quite far removed from the concept of being “useful.”

If a person doesn’t have a powerful, intrinsic interest in mathematics, it seems difficult to answer the question, “Why should I study mathematics?”

In the last century, Richard Feynman, hailed as the ‘all-round physicist,’ once considered majoring in mathematics when he was young.

But when he went to the mathematics department for advice, he asked a question: “What’s the use of studying mathematics?”

An old professor in the mathematics department then told him that if he had to ask that question, he didn’t belong there; he didn’t belong in the mathematics department.

And after that, this master went off to study physics.

The unit of distance we all know today, the ‘nanometer,’ was proposed by him.

Mathematics is a product of pure abstraction; definitions and logic are the cornerstones that form the mathematical system.

Mathematicians generally don’t concern themselves with how mathematical concepts and derivations relate to the real world; mathematical conclusions don’t necessarily have a prototype in reality.

However, as technology and society develop, some results that were previously considered to have no practical significance can become meaningful.

For example, the “antimatter” he had studied in his previous life was related to the negative roots of quadratic equations, which today might seem completely useless.

It’s like learning calculus but thinking it’s useless because you never use it when grocery shopping.

The historical figure, the Kangxi Emperor, also asked what use calculus had.

Later, he probably felt that none of his accomplishments—capturing Oboi, suppressing the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, conquering Taiwan, managing the succession struggle among the nine princes, taming the Yellow River, writing eight-legged essays, or farming the fields—required calculus, so he saw no need to promote it.

However, as time went on, the development and application of calculus came to influence nearly every aspect of modern life.

From major applications like calculating the flight paths of modern missiles down to something as small as taking a cold pill, calculus is needed.

Because by using the law of drug decay in the body, calculus can be used to deduce the proper timing for medication.

So don’t say mathematics is useless. If math were useless, you wouldn’t even be able to take your medicine at the right time.

Chapter 73: Proving the Weakened Weyl-Berry Conjecture

After chatting with Zhou Hai in the classroom about the Weyl-Berry conjecture, Xu Chuan once again locked himself away in the library.

It had to be said that although the Weyl-Berry conjecture was a world-class problem, perhaps even ranking around T3 in difficulty, there was truly not much research material on it.

However, as his research progressed, Xu Chuan made an unexpected discovery: the first asymptotic theorem of the Weyl conjecture, the predecessor to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, was in fact conceptually convergent with the Sommerfeld quantization condition from early quantum mechanics.

This further fueled his interest in the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

As expected, mathematics and physics truly were complementary!

For over a month straight, Xu Chuan absorbed knowledge about the Weyl-Berry conjecture in the library.

From elliptic operators to differential operators, and then to the Laplace operator, Xu Chuan didn’t miss a single foundational book related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

In the library, Xu Chuan closed the book in his hands, took his laptop out of his bag, created a new document, and typed:

[On the Spectral Asymptotics of Connected Domains with Fractal Boundaries and a Proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture!]

His extended period of study, combined with the mathematical knowledge he brought back from his rebirth, had given him a sufficiently deep understanding of spectral asymptotics on connected domains with fractal boundaries.

Although a direct proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was still beyond his reach, he felt he could attempt to prove a weakened version—one for a class of natural connected fractal drums that satisfied the “cut” condition.

He at least had some ideas in this area. Regardless of whether he succeeded, he could write them down.

[Introduction: In 1993, Lapidus and Pomerance proved that the one-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture holds. However, for higher dimensions, the situation becomes exceedingly complex, and the higher-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture generally does not hold within the Minkowski framework.]

[At the same time, however, the mathematicians Levitin and Vassiliev proved that for a special class of high-dimensional examples, the Weyl-Berry conjecture does hold within the Minkowski framework.]

[All of this indicates that the Minkowski framework cannot encompass all the complexities of the problem. Therefore, the correct formulation of the Weyl-Berry conjecture should be:

“Does there exist a certain fractal framework in which the boundary Ω is measurable, and under which the Weyl-Berry conjecture holds?”]

After writing the title and introduction, Xu Chuan skipped the main body of the paper and hit the spacebar a few times.

References:

[[1] Kigami J, Lapidus M L. Weyl’s problem for the spectral distribution of the Laplace operator on P.C.F. self-similar sets. Communications in Mathematical Physics, 1993, 158: 93-125]

[[2] He C, Lapidus M L. Spectral asymptotics, renewal theorems and the Berry conjecture for a class of fractals. Journal of Mathematics and Engineering, 1996, 72(3): 188-214]

[…]

There were not many references, fewer than he could count on one hand.

This only went to show that almost no one had made any significant contributions in this area.

And that was indeed the case. Ever since 1979, when the British physicist M. V. Berry generalized the Weyl conjecture to the case where Ω is a fractal domain while studying the scattering of light waves on fractal objects, countless mathematicians, mathematics enthusiasts, and physicists had labored in the field of spectral asymptotics on connected domains with fractal boundaries.

Yet, after three decades, aside from the 1993 proof by mathematicians Lapidus and Pomerance that the one-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture holds, there had been almost no new results.

Countless mathematicians, math hobbyists, and physicists had striven for over thirty years, yet not a single one had managed to turn the Weyl-Berry conjecture into the Weyl-Berry theorem.

But therein lay the allure of mathematics and physics. One by one, conjectures hung like heavy, ripe fruits on a tree. Both mathematicians and physicists could see their tempting blush and plump shapes.

They were just waiting for a mathematician or a physicist to build a ladder, climb up, and pick them.

Well, Sir Isaac Newton was an exception. While others built ladders to climb, an apple fell from the tree and bonked him right on the head.

After typing the title and introduction, Xu Chuan set his laptop aside, pulled a stack of A4 scratch paper from his bag, and began to write down the ideas in his mind.

The library at Nanjing University was vast, and some areas were quite tranquil.

The section he was in, for instance, housed more obscure books, so there were few people around. Thus, Xu Chuan couldn’t be bothered to run back to his dorm.

Let Ω ⊂ Rⁿ be a bounded open set. We consider the eigenvalue problem for the Dirichlet-Laplace operator: (P){-△u = λu, x∈Ω; u|∂Ω = 0.

Then the problem (P) has a discrete spectrum {λᵢ}ᵢ∈ℕ, which can be ordered as a sequence: 0 < λ₁ ≤ λ₂ ≤ … ≤ λₖ ≤ …

Here, limₖ→+∞ λₖ = +∞. The problem we are interested in is which geometric quantities of Ω are spectrally invariant (that is, uniquely determined by the spectrum {λᵢ}ᵢ∈ℕ).

Problems of this kind depend on studying the asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalue λₖ as k→+∞. For λ > 0, define…

The black gel pen in his hand continuously sketched symbols and words on the clean white scratch paper.

For Xu Chuan, once he entered the process of proof, he had already tuned out everything around him. In his eyes, the world had ceased to exist. There was only the scratch paper and pen on the table, and the lines of equations and text flowing from his mind.

As the numbers and theorems, the formulas and symbols, danced beneath the tip of his pen, the sense of beauty brought by their perfect rhythm constantly surfaced in Xu Chuan’s heart, leaving him intoxicated.

This was the charm of mathematics. The interwoven numbers and symbols resembled a demonic script, yet they revealed the truths of the world.

Time ticked by, and the scratch paper on the desk gradually filled with black ink.

With a clear line of reasoning already in his mind, writing out the proof smoothly was not a difficult task for Xu Chuan.

Even if he encountered some mathematical calculations during the writing process, they would only stall him for a few minutes at most.

Nearby, a guy who had just written the title for his graduate thesis stretched lazily, preparing to go get dinner.

Suddenly, his attention was caught by Xu Chuan, who was writing nonstop beside him.

The guy had been here when he arrived at six in the morning. Now it was six in the evening, and he was about to leave for dinner, yet this person was still sitting here. He couldn’t help but feel curious.

Judging by that thick hair and rather boyish face, he must be an undergraduate student, right?

But what problem is he working on? Functional analysis or real analysis? He’s been at it all day and still hasn’t figured it out?

Though curious, he didn’t want to disturb the other student. As he walked past, he deliberately slowed his steps, peeking at the scratch paper on the desk while trying not to distract this underclassman.

If it was something from an undergraduate course like functional analysis or real analysis, he might be able to help this junior out and, at the same time, show off a bit in front of a newbie.

Chapter 74: Did I Go to a Fake University and Grad School?

Filled with curiosity and the desire to guide his underclassman, the graduate student walked around behind Xu Chuan and leaned over slightly to look at the scratch paper on the desk.

“Huh? A problem related to asymptotic theorems and operator systems?”

“This underclassman is actually researching the same field as me. Interesting. Let me see what the problem is.”

His eyes fell on the evolving mathematical formulas of the asymptotic theorem, and the senior student couldn’t help but grow intrigued.

These days, there weren’t many people researching spectral asymptotics and counting functions on connected domains with fractal boundaries.

Everyone had gone off to study popular fields like algebraic geometry, topology, and number theory. Seeing a young underclassman researching this area, the senior graduate student’s enthusiasm was instantly piqued.

“Hmm, is he estimating the counting function N(λ) associated with the fractal drum under asymptotic conditions? Interesting. This underclassman has a very solid foundation. Is he really an undergraduate student? But what problem is he actually researching?”

After reading the first few lines of calculations, the senior graduate student muttered to himself, his estimation of this young underclassman instantly rising by several levels.

However, the scratch paper didn’t state the specific problem, and looking at the calculations alone, he couldn’t figure out what was being researched.

But as his gaze moved down, the subsequent calculations made him furrow his brow.

“A lattice decomposition of Ω? What’s this for?”

As he continued down the page of calculations, the senior graduate student suddenly found it somewhat difficult to understand them. A few more lines down, he even felt that he was beginning to not understand them at all.

This made him question his existence. Could it be that the university and graduate school he attended were fake? He couldn’t even understand an undergraduate student’s problem and solution process?

Suddenly, his gaze shifted, and he noticed the laptop computer next to the desk. In the center of the screen was an open document, and its title was—

[On the Spectral Asymptotics of Connected Domains with Fractal Boundaries and a Proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture!]

As the title came into view, the senior graduate student’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit! A proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture?”

“What the hell?”

“An undergraduate student is proving a world-class conjecture? Is there something wrong with my eyes, or is there something wrong with the world?”

As a graduate student in the mathematics department specializing in spectral asymptotics and counting functions on connected domains with fractal boundaries, how could he not know of the Weyl-Berry Conjecture, even if it was somewhat obscure?

This was the direction of his graduate thesis, as well as his research goal as a Doctoral student.

And now he was being told an undergraduate student had proven the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture?

Impossible!

This was absolutely impossible!

Forget an undergraduate student; even Doctoral students and mathematics professors couldn’t prove the Weyl-Berry Conjecture. Even the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture wasn’t that easy to prove.

If this thing were so easy to prove, would it have remained unsolved from the last century to this one?

It had been over thirty years. Although the number of mathematicians researching fractal boundaries and spectral asymptotics had decreased significantly, this field was a hot topic over a decade ago. Countless mathematicians had fallen into this pit.

However, aside from the two giants, Lapidus and Pomerance, there had been practically no other major breakthroughs.

His own graduate thesis was a supplement to the asymptotic theorem for non-smooth domains. He had been working on it for over a month, but it was still just a title.

And the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was infinitely more difficult than his thesis.

If his thesis was like climbing Mount Tai, then proving the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was like climbing Mount Everest—and doing it without an oxygen tank.

If this thing was really so easy to solve, someone would have solved it long ago in these past thirty-plus years.

If an undergraduate student managed to solve it, that would be truly incredible.

Xu Chuan was startled by the noise behind him. He turned his head and saw that someone was standing there, though he didn’t know for how long.

“Excuse me, you are…?”

Xu Chuan asked with a frown. The person behind him looked like a senior student from Nanjing University?

But that gasp of shock just now had been a bit loud, jolting him from his process of proving the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

Fortunately, he had already firmly grasped the inspiration in his mind and had completed the core part of the proof.

Otherwise, if his inspiration and train of thought had been interrupted at the most crucial point, he would have felt like hitting someone.

“My name is Cai Peng. I’m a graduate student from the class of ’12 at Nanjing University. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I hope it didn’t affect you.”

The senior graduate student apologized first. As a fellow math student, he could empathize with the experience of having one’s research interrupted; it was a very frustrating feeling.

After all, mathematics is very different from other subjects. Talent and inspiration are the two most important things in learning and researching mathematics.

Talent determines your upper limit, while inspiration determines how smoothly you walk this path.

When you have enough talent and inspiration, even if you’ve never studied a particular math problem, you can still pick out the answer by feel in a single glance or sense which approach to take.

Mathematics is just that metaphysical.

Therefore, being interrupted and losing your inspiration and train of thought while working on a problem is an extremely infuriating thing. The fact that this underclassman hadn’t jumped up to hit him already spoke volumes about his good upbringing.

“So you’re Senior Cai. Is there something I can help you with?”

Hearing the apologetic tone, Xu Chuan’s frown relaxed. Although it was annoying to have his research interrupted, they were in a library, after all, so he couldn’t entirely blame the other person.

“Um, I accidentally saw your scratch paper and your computer just now. May I ask if you are researching the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture?”

Cai Peng asked, pointing at the scratch paper and laptop on the desk, then quickly added, “Of course, it’s fine if it’s inconvenient to say.”

Looking at someone else’s unpublished papers and research theories ahead of time is actually very impolite, and not everyone is willing to display their line of thinking to others.

After all, it takes all sorts to make a world, and with more people, there are always a few scumbags who like to take advantage and do bad things.

Sometimes, if you show your unpublished papers and research ideas to others beforehand, they might just get scooped.

Such things have been known to happen in the academic world.

If it were a paper on any other topic, Cai Peng wouldn’t have proactively asked, but for a paper concerning the Weyl-Berry Conjecture, he had to show some concern.

After all, it was related to his own research field and his graduation thesis.

Chapter 75: Submitting the Paper

“Yes, I’m quite interested in this area, so I’ve read a few books on the subject,” Xu Chuan nodded, not denying it.

“So you’ve proved it?”

Cai Peng asked with a hint of curiosity, but then he found the idea absurd. He was actually asking an undergraduate student if he had proven the Weyl-Berry Conjecture. It was simply unbelievable.

Was it because this underclassman looked so handsome and dependable?

“Not quite.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. He had only written down the core proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture so far; he was still a long way from proving the full conjecture.

For some reason, upon hearing this, Cai Peng let out a breath of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest.

He even found himself a bit odd. What had he been worried about just now?

Could it be that he was worried that if this underclassman proved the Weyl-Berry Conjecture, he would have to change his own graduation thesis and doctoral research goals?

How could that be possible!

Letting out a wry chuckle, Cai Peng felt too embarrassed to stay any longer. He said his goodbyes to Xu Chuan and turned to leave.

Any thought he had of showing off was now completely gone. He even felt a little ashamed and awkward.

An undergraduate who could delve so deeply into the Weyl-Berry Conjecture had written a proof that he, a graduate student on the verge of graduation, couldn’t even understand. What kind of freak was this? When did Nanjing University produce another monster like him?

It was a good thing the underclassman didn’t know what he was thinking. Otherwise, he would have tried to show off only to get completely owned.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to Cai Peng’s departure.

He organized the scratch paper on the table, stuffed it into his backpack along with his laptop, and then got up to go eat dinner.

He had been here since just after six in the morning, and now it was past six in the evening. In those twelve hours, he had only had a bottle of water and a few crackers. As he stood up, he felt on the verge of collapse.

For one, the intense concentration required to research and prove the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was immensely draining, both mentally and physically.

For another, he had been hungry for so long and hadn’t replenished his energy at all.

To be honest, if he kept this up, it wouldn’t be surprising if he developed hypoglycemia one day.

For those in scientific research and academia, a strong body was a must.

If your health was poor, you might not be able to seize inspiration when it struck, and even if you did, you’d probably be bedridden for a few days afterward.

Although Nanjing University’s cafeteria couldn’t compare to Peking University’s in terms of variety, they still served dishes from the Eight Great Cuisines, like Hunan cuisine. He ordered a Steamed fish head with chopped chili and some stir-fried pork with chili peppers. After eating, Xu Chuan returned to his dorm.

The benefits of a single dorm room were numerous: no limits on electricity or water, a private bathroom with a water heater, and no need to use the large public bathhouses.

Strictly speaking, the room he lived in was a double-occupancy suite with private bedrooms but a shared living room, bathroom, and sink area. It was just that the university hadn’t assigned him a roommate yet.

In a university setting, such student accommodations were the absolute top of the line. Even some Doctoral students might not receive such treatment.

However, compared to a regular dorm, living alone was indeed a bit lonelier.

But for Xu Chuan, it was perfect.

The quiet environment allowed him to immerse himself in mathematics and physics without worrying about incidents like the one in the library today.

After taking a shower and resting for a bit, Xu Chuan began to organize the manuscript he had written out today—the core proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

Although he had more or less finished the core proof today, it would still take at least two or three days to polish it into a complete paper.

It wasn’t as difficult as the core proof itself, but the process of finalizing it was quite tedious.

Not only did he need to carefully check every mathematical formula and derivation, but he also had to pay close attention to the references, formatting, title, and even whether every comma and period was used correctly.

After spending more than two days, Xu Chuan finally polished the core proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture into a complete paper. He then typed it into his computer and saved it as a PDF.

Although submitting a paper didn’t necessarily require the author to convert the article to PDF, as many journals accepted Word documents, converting it had the advantage of preventing formatting errors on the receiving end.

Xu Chuan didn’t send this paper to Professor Zhou Hai for review.

First, his relationship with Professor Zhou Hai was just that of a normal teacher and student. If it had been a physics paper, he would have definitely sent it to Chen Zhengping to look over first.

Second, in his opinion, proving the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture wasn’t that big of a deal.

After all, it was a weakened form of the conjecture and still a far cry from the real Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

If the Weyl-Berry Conjecture was around a T3-level problem, then the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was about T5, belonging to the lowest tier of world-class problems.

So, it was better not to bother him.

With the paper written and processed, the only thing left was to submit it.

Generally, there were no specific version requirements for paper submissions—PDF and Word were both acceptable. However, Xu Chuan prepared both versions, just in case, to make it easier for the journal editors to open the paper correctly during the review process.

As for which journal to submit it to, that required some careful thought.

The proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was certainly valuable enough for a Q1 SCI journal, so the choice of journal couldn’t be too weak.

SCI stands for the Science Citation Index, an international indexing service created by the Institute for Scientific Information in the United States.

In essence, its most important function is to help researchers find the most relevant literature.

It isn’t a type of journal itself, but rather a search engine that can find various papers—you can think of it like Baidu or Google.

The only difference is that its search targets are all kinds of research papers. You could think of it as something like Baidu Scholar, only countless times more advanced.

The so-called SCI papers are simply papers that have been indexed by SCI and can be found within it.

SCI is divided into four quartiles: Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, each accounting for 25% of the journals. The division is mainly based on the impact factor of the published papers.

Q1 journals are those in the top 25% by impact factor, while Q4 journals are in the bottom 25%.

Q1 journals are of the highest quality, and Q4 journals are of the lowest.

This is the origin of terms like “SCI paper,” “Q1,” and “Q2” that are used when submitting papers in academia.

After some thought, Xu Chuan chose New Progress in Mathematics.

This was a top-tier international mathematics journal, founded in 1961. It was primarily dedicated to publishing major breakthroughs in all areas of pure mathematics. Its impact factor was also quite high, making it a perfect fit for a proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

As for whether the proof was correct, Xu Chuan wasn’t worried.

Although it was a world-class mathematical conjecture, its difficulty was not very high compared to the papers he had published in the past.

What he was worried about was that this paper would be delayed for a long time before being approved for publication.

Xu Chuan was all too familiar with the leisurely pace of the Brits. He just hoped they wouldn’t sit on his manuscript for a year or so.

Chapter 76: Professor Gowers’ Praise

In a quiet villa in Cambridge, Great Britain, at Cambridge University.

A middle-aged man in a suit respectfully rang the doorbell of the villa.

Even though he was the editor-in-chief of New Progress in Mathematics and a mathematics professor at Cambridge University, in front of the man in this villa, he was like a foothill in the shadow of Mount Everest, appearing ever so small.

The doorbell chimed. A short while later, an older man with a full head of white hair came out and opened the courtyard gate.

“What is it, Robert?”

The older man was dressed in gray casual wear, looking like an elegant nobleman.

In fact, he was. The man before him was William Timothy Gowers, a knight of Great Britain, a true noble.

Not only that, but he was also one of the ten most influential mathematicians in the world today, a Royal Society Research Professor in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

He had won numerous world-class mathematics awards, including the Fields Medal, the European Mathematical Society Prize, and the Euler Book Prize.

His main contributions were in the fields of functional analysis and combinatorics. The theory of symmetric structures of Banach spaces was founded by him.

He had skillfully employed combinatorial methods to construct a series of completely asymmetric structures within Banach spaces.

One could say that he had completely changed the face of the geometry of Banach spaces.

However, he won the Fields Medal for another, even more outstanding achievement: ‘connecting the fields of functional analysis and combinatorics, opening up a new branch of mathematics.’

For this work, a 35-year-old Gowers was awarded the crown jewel of mathematics—the Fields Medal.

Even at Cambridge University, a university for which mathematics was its ace in the hole, no one could outshine him.

“Sir Gowers, we’ve received a submission for a proof of a weakened form of the Weyl-Berry Conjecture. We’ve conducted a preliminary review of this research paper and believe it might solve this old conjecture.”

“And in the field of functional analysis and Banach space, you are the true king. Therefore, we hope you can take on the final review of this paper.”

Robert Morey Dean, the editor of New Progress in Mathematics, said respectfully.

“A weakened proof of the Weyl-Berry Conjecture? Just send the paper to my email. You should know that.”

Hearing the words “Weyl-Berry Conjecture,” a flicker of interest appeared in William Timothy Gowers’s eyes.

As the founder of the theory of symmetric structures of Banach spaces and the mathematician who connected the fields of functional analysis and combinatorics, he had naturally studied the old Weyl-Berry Conjecture as well.

Perhaps it was because connecting functional analysis and combinatorics had drained too much of his inspiration and energy, or perhaps it was because creating a series of completely asymmetric structures in Banach spaces had fixed his way of thinking and inspiration. In any case, he had not made much progress on the Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that it wasn’t his main area of research.

“It’s already been sent to your email. Also, here is a printed copy of the research paper.”

With that, Robert Morey Dean handed over the printed manuscript he was holding.

Gowers took the document, flipped through it, and said, “Mm, I’ll give you my feedback.”

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Sir.”

Robert Morey Dean breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took his leave.

Getting a top figure in the world of mathematics to review a paper was a difficult and troublesome matter. Unless the manuscript could pique their interest, it was very easy to be turned away at the door. Even getting a harsh scolding was quite normal.

After all, no one liked to be frequently disturbed.

But today had been smooth and lucky; Sir Gowers had always retained an interest in the Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

As Robert left, Gowers closed the courtyard gate with one hand, holding the research paper in the other, his gaze falling upon it.

He had studied the Weyl-Berry Conjecture for a time but had made no breakthroughs.

Moreover, as the popular fields in the mathematical community had shifted, fewer and fewer mathematicians were researching this area. It had been a long time since he had seen any remarkable papers on the subject.

Let’s see what the caliber of this paper is, he thought.

【Spectral Asymptotics on Connected Domains with Fractal Boundaries and a Proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.】

【Author: Xu Chuan.】

Seeing the name, Professor Gowers paused for a moment.

Xu Chuan?

Is he from China? Or of Chinese descent?

That country had indeed produced many outstanding and brilliant mathematicians, such as Shing-Tung Yau and Terence Tao, but he had no memory of the name Xu Chuan.

The unfamiliar name made Gowers frown slightly. Could this be a shoddy paper?

However, New Progress in Mathematics wouldn’t try to fool him with a subpar paper, unless they never wanted him to review for them again.

Thinking this, Gowers continued reading.

Holding the paper, he walked toward his house, his pace slowing as he read. In the end, he came to a complete stop on the steps before his front door, standing there motionless.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

Professor Gowers stood at his own doorstep for nearly half an hour. The further he read, the graver his expression became.

Suddenly, he pushed open the front door and walked briskly to his study.

Sitting at his mahogany desk, Gowers pulled a stack of printer paper from a nearby box and began to verify the mathematical formulas and calculation processes in the paper with a pen.

Over an hour later, Gowers finally put down his pen. Staring at the paper on his desk, he uttered in a standard London accent, “What an outstanding proof!”

In his view, the author, Xu Chuan, had used a rather novel method of proof.

He first made a highly precise calculation of the upper and lower bounds for the counting function N(λ) associated with the fractal drum. Then, he opened a “small aperture” between the non-connected components of the domain, thereby connecting them.

In this way, he transformed the case of non-connected domains discussed by his predecessors into a case of a single connected domain. With this construction, he proceeded to prove that the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture held true.

The entire process was remarkably smooth and concise, without a single wasted word—so succinct it was hard to believe. He couldn’t even find any areas to optimize.

Not only that, but the author’s English was also exceptional. The writing was
fluent, the definitions correct, as if English was his native language. It was completely unlike the papers from some Chinese mathematicians he had reviewed in the past, where he would occasionally find some awkward wording.

More crucially, the way the author had written the paper didn’t give him the impression of a newcomer at all. He was as proficient as a seasoned veteran who had published countless papers and frequented academic journals for years.

One could even say that if he were to write it himself, he might not be able to achieve such a level. It was simply incredible.

But Gowers was certain that he had never heard of this name before.

Chapter 77: The Tragedy of a Certain Graduate Student

Rubbing his eyes, Gowers set down the paper in his hands, stood up to stretch, and made himself a cup of coffee. He prepared to study the paper again in detail that evening.

For one, the paper’s smoothness was almost beyond belief. Although he was beginning to believe the paper was correct, finding not a single mistake was still hard to accept.

For another, this paper solved a world-class mathematical conjecture. Even for him, it was impossible to confirm its correctness so easily.

Any mathematician should maintain a rigorous scientific spirit. For the proof of any conjecture or problem, it is essential to review it repeatedly, even dozens of times.

For Gowers, he would not allow an erroneous proof to pass through his hands. It would be a heavy blow to his reputation, to the mathematical community, and to New Progress in Mathematics.

He would not, and could not, allow such a thing to happen, especially not on his watch.

Nanjing, Nanjing University. After submitting his research paper proving the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture, Xu Chuan paid it no more mind.

A paper like this was more than enough to get him through university.

Of course, this didn’t mean he no longer needed to study mathematics. On the contrary, there was still a great deal he needed to learn.

The Weyl-Berry Conjecture was just a single drop in the vast ocean of mathematics.

However, after submitting the paper, he did indeed take a temporary break from mathematics, because the Weyl-Berry Conjecture had given him a spark of inspiration related to physics.

As mentioned before, if the Weyl-Berry Conjecture were proven, it could be applied to calculating the shapes of celestial bodies and the size of the universe.

Although the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was not the complete version, it still pushed the spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators to a higher level.

Xu Chuan discovered that this new method could seemingly be used to recalculate the sizes of some stars for which there was clear observational data.

For example, Betelgeuse, the red supergiant over six hundred and forty light-years from Earth.

It had now entered its twilight years and appeared to show signs of an impending supernova, but because it was too far away, the astrophysics community had not yet obtained a precise value for its size.

If the precise size of Betelgeuse could be determined, the physics community would be able to obtain more information about it, such as how far along it was in its lifecycle and how long until its supernova explosion.

This information would all be extremely valuable.

Unfortunately, although Nanjing University had an astronomical telescope, it had its own observation schedule, and Xu Chuan was unable to apply for time on it for the moment.

The data he managed to collect from documents was unsuitable, and he couldn’t calculate any meaningful values. Thus, after wasting nearly twenty days on this line of research, Xu Chuan decisively put it aside and returned to studying mathematics.

Mathematics and physics were complementary and could indeed help each other.

The days passed one by one. One evening, as Xu Chuan was in the library for his usual self-study of basic mathematics, his phone rang.

Xu Chuan took out his phone and saw that it was a call from his mentor, Chen Zhengping.

Glancing around, Xu Chuan moved to a spot where he wouldn’t disturb others before answering the call.

“Hello, Teacher.”

As soon as Xu Chuan offered a greeting, an urgent voice came from the other end.

“Where are you right now? Is it a good time?”

Xu Chuan paused for a moment, then quickly replied in a low voice, “I’m in the library. Is something wrong?”

“Come to my office right now, then.”

It was already dark, but the Physics Experiment Building was still brightly lit.

Xu Chuan found Chen Zhengping’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A voice soon came from inside, and Xu Chuan walked in.

To his surprise, his mentor was not alone in the office. Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences was also there, along with the graduate student he’d met in the library over a month ago—he remembered his name was something like… Kun? Or was it Peng? In any case, he’d forgotten the exact name.

“Did you recently submit a paper to New Progress in Mathematics?” As soon as Xu Chuan walked in, Professor Zhou Hai stood up and asked impatiently.

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan had a rough idea why Chen Zhengping had called him.

Nodding, Xu Chuan replied, “I did submit a paper to New Progress in Mathematics over a month ago.”

“Was it a proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture?”

Zhou Hai immediately followed up, and Xu Chuan nodded again.

Having confirmed the answer, Zhou Hai let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at Xu Chuan and praised, “The younger generation is truly formidable.”

“Professor, how did you know? Do you want to see the paper?”

Xu Chuan glanced at Zhou Hai in confusion. It hadn’t yet occurred to him that New Progress in Mathematics had already published his paper. He assumed the somewhat familiar graduate student standing behind Zhou Hai had told him about it, and that was why Zhou Hai was asking to see the paper.

But then again, something about that didn’t feel quite right.

Hearing this, Zhou Hai wore a peculiar expression. “You submitted a paper and you don’t check your email?”

“Huh?”

Xu Chuan let out a strange sound of confusion. It had been a little over a month, not even two. Why would he be checking his email? Given the journal’s usual ways, he didn’t expect his paper to be published for another three or four months.

As for the copyright agreement, he had sent that back long ago.

“Take a look at this.”

With an odd look on his face, Zhou Hai turned, picked up a journal from his desk, and handed it to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan swallowed. He took the journal. No matter how slow he was, he had guessed what was going on by now, and he also knew what felt wrong earlier.

But he found it hard to believe. His paper on the proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was published so soon?

Flipping through New Progress in Mathematics, Xu Chuan saw his paper on the very first page. He couldn’t help but swallow again.

Was it really this fast? It hadn’t even been two months, had it?

This wasn’t how New Progress in Mathematics usually operated.

“Xiao Cai, go pour your underclassman a cup of tea.”

At the side, Zhou Hai acted as the host of the office, speaking to Cai Peng, who had been standing by all this time.

“Ah, no, no, please don’t.” Xu Chuan quickly waved his hands. How could he let a senior graduate student pour tea for him?

However, Cai Peng, standing to the side, immediately went to find a cup. He skillfully poured a cup of hot water from the electric kettle and handed it respectfully to Xu Chuan with both hands.

“Master, please have some tea.”

“Master, you really had me fooled! Back in the library, didn’t you say you’d only read a little on the topic? And now your paper is already published! I’m in deep trouble.” Cai Peng said with a look of grievance after handing the tea to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan looked at Cai Peng, confused.

What did his paper’s publication have to do with this senior student?

Chapter 78: The Seventeen-Year-Old Genius

At the side, Zhou Hai noticed Xu Chuan’s confusion and added with a chuckle, “You might not know this, but this senior student of yours is one of my students. His master’s thesis was a supplement to the asymptotic theorem for non-smooth domains, and his doctoral research goal was the Weyl-Berry Conjecture.”

“Now that you’ve proven the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture, he’ll have to choose a new topic for both his master’s thesis and his doctoral research.”

Hearing this, Cai Peng’s gaze toward Xu Chuan grew even more resentful.

This was just too cruel.

At the explanation, the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched, and he felt a little awkward.

He hadn’t expected that his research paper would inadvertently wipe out a senior student’s graduation thesis and doctoral research goal.

While he sympathized with Senior Cai, the paper was already published. There was nothing he could do.

So, Senior Cai would just have to pick a new topic. He hoped it wouldn’t affect him too much, or cause him to delay his graduation.

“Your talent for mathematics is somewhat beyond my imagination. I thought it was just a hobby of yours, but I never expected you to achieve something so real in the field.”

“If I remember correctly, won’t you only be turning eighteen at the end of the twelfth lunar month this year, around the time of the Little New Year?”

“In my twenty or thirty years of teaching, I’ve mentored dozens of students, from undergraduates to doctoral candidates. But when it comes to talent, you have truly redefined my understanding of what a genius is.”

At the side, Chen Zhengping, who had been silent all this time, suddenly sighed with emotion.

Although he wasn’t from the world of mathematics, he understood the weight of a world-class conjecture.

Putting aside top-tier conjectures like the Riemann Hypothesis or the Hodge Conjecture, even proving one of the problems at the lower end of the world-class spectrum, like the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture or the Twin Prime conjecture, would be enough to become a mathematics professor at Nanjing University.

And not just a lecturer or an associate professor, but a tenured full professor.

For such an accomplishment to come from a first-year university student, it felt unbelievable no matter how you looked at it.

What’s more, Xu Chuan hadn’t been immersed in mathematics since childhood. His in-depth study of math seemed to have started when he participated in the IMO during his third year of high school. Before that, while his math grades were good, they were still within the realm of an ordinary person.

Unexpectedly, in just a few months for the IMO competition plus less than a semester of his first year of university—a total of about a year—he had made such a breakthrough in mathematics.

This even gave Chen Zhengping a fleeting, unsettling thought: would it be better to let him study mathematics?

To prove a world-class mathematical conjecture after only one year of in-depth study… this level of talent was more absurd than cheating with a hack.

But he quickly tossed the thought from his mind.

Xu Chuan’s talent for math was strong, but his talent for physics was no worse.

While his achievements in physics weren’t as great as his current one in mathematics, they were by no means low for someone his age.

A research paper on calculating the typical distance between particles in a Bose-Einstein condensate phenomenon, published in Advances in Physics, which was also a top-tier physics journal.

Although its SCI impact factor ranked it in Q3, what was important was the pioneering method.

There are many talented people who can publish papers in SCI journals, but those who can pioneer their own methods are few and far between.

It seemed there really were cross-disciplinary geniuses in this world who could freely and deeply study multiple fields, just like Leonardo da Vinci.

Nearby, both Zhou Hai and Cai Peng were stunned by Chen Zhengping’s words.

Not yet eighteen years old.

This single sentence was so shocking that the eyes of the senior graduate student, Cai Peng, nearly popped out of their sockets.

Holy crap, seventeen? Did he hear that right?

Solving a world-class mathematical conjecture at seventeen? What kind of monster is this?

When he was seventeen, he was… what, in his second year of high school? He was probably just catching fish in the pond back in his hometown every year.

But this guy had already solved a world-class conjecture at seventeen.

He was crushed. Deeply, deeply crushed.

Hearing Chen Zhengping’s sigh, Xu Chuan smiled shyly and said, “I’ll be eighteen in a little over a month.”

Hearing this, Cai Peng wanted to speak even less.

In his head, he just wanted to curse, “Minors are forbidden from entering internet cafes. Oh, wait, no, minors are forbidden from flexing!”

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

Two old men walked in, one after the other.

Xu Chuan looked over. The old man walking behind seemed a bit familiar, but he couldn’t recall who he was at the moment. As for the man in front, his face was completely unfamiliar. However, judging by the way they were both staring intently at him, it seemed they were here for him.

And sure enough, he was right. As soon as they entered, the old man in front saw him, his eyes shining. He strode forward, grabbed Xu Chuan’s hand, and said excitedly:

“You must be Student Xu Chuan. I’m Rong Zhizhuan, the Dean of our Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences. I heard our school produced a young genius who proved a world-class conjecture. Seeing you today, I can tell the rumors don’t do you justice.”

“Ahem, it was just a moment of inspiration. It’s nothing much.”

Xu Chuan gave a light cough and said humbly.

“It’s not good for a young person to be too modest. Besides, it’s perfectly normal to be a little wild after proving a world-class problem as a first-year student.”

Before Rong Zhizhuan could reply, the other old man standing behind him, who had a rather thin face and build, raised an eyebrow and spoke.

Xu Chuan glanced at the somewhat familiar old man in surprise. His tone of voice instantly reminded him of who it was: Academician Zhang Gongqing from Peking University’s mathematics department. He had seen him at a conference at Princeton in his past life.

His main research areas were nonlinear analysis, partial differential equations, tensor eigenvalues, and spectral graph theory. He had won the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, the Chern Medal, and the Hua Luogeng Prize for Mathematics, among other famous mathematics awards.

“This is Academician Zhang Gongqing from the Academy of Sciences. He’s here at our university for an academic exchange for a couple of days.”

At the side, Rong Zhizhuan introduced him with a smile. Xu Chuan respectfully greeted him.

Zhang Gongqing smiled and continued, “A while ago, when I was at Riyue University for an exchange, Zhang Weiping told me that an exceptionally talented student had emerged from last year’s Math Olympiad. He said that if this student were to study mathematics, a Fields Medal would be a certainty within the next twenty years. Unfortunately, he went on to study physics in university. I suppose that must be you.”

“You’re quite something, young man. Professor Gowers had nothing but praise for your paper. Are you interested in coming to Peking University for your graduate studies in mathematics? Your talent shouldn’t be wasted on physics.”

Xu Chuan gave an awkward smile. The way he said it made it sound as if studying physics was the wrong path.

At the side, Chen Zhengping walked over and said bluntly:

“Peking University has so many geniuses, yet you come all the way to Nanjing University to steal a student from me? Have you no shame?”

“And what’s this about his talent being wasted on physics? What, is studying physics some kind of heresy now?”

He was the only one in the entire office who could say something like that. The two had a good relationship; both were senior figures and academicians from the Academy of Sciences, so neither had to give the other any face.

Zhang Gongqing didn’t even blush. He just chuckled and said, “What do you mean, steal a student? This kid’s talent for mathematics is much stronger than his talent for physics. It couldn’t be more fitting for him to study math.”

Chapter 79: A Fleeting Spark of Inspiration

In the office, the two Academicians argued for a while before stopping. After some more conversation, the group dispersed.

Xu Chuan was also preparing to head back to his dorm room, but Chen Zhengping stopped him.

“Don’t wander too far for the next few days. Now that you’ve solved the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture, the university and the city will have some rewards for you. There will be interviews and a ceremony to award the prize money.”

“Okay, I will.”

Xu Chuan nodded. This didn’t surprise him; he had been through it many times in his past life.

“Also, how has your study of particle physics been going lately?” Chen Zhengping asked casually after covering the important points.

Although he was delighted by Xu Chuan’s monumental contribution to mathematics, he couldn’t help but feel a little sour.

But on second thought, had he ever really supervised this student?

Aside from bumping into him and chatting for a bit during the occasional public lecture he gave, it seemed he had taken a completely hands-off approach the rest of the time.

This made Chen Zhengping blush slightly. He decided he would pay more attention to him from now on.

After all, this was his disciple. He was an Academician in physics, yet his disciple was excelling in mathematics. Wouldn’t that suggest he wasn’t teaching his students properly?

“I’m currently reading Introduction to Particle Physics and An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics.”

Hearing his mentor’s question, Xu Chuan told a small lie. In truth, he hadn’t touched a physics book at all recently.

While he had recently studied the celestial data of Betelgeuse, which fell into the realm of astrophysics, it had absolutely nothing to do with the particle physics he was studying at university.

Chen Zhengping nodded and said, “That’s good. You can go. Don’t forget that physics is your foundation.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Mathematics is fine too. While I might not be able to solve your problems, with so many mathematics professors at Nanjing University, I can still recommend suitable teachers for you to consult with.”

Leaving the office, Xu Chuan headed straight for the Nanjing University cafeteria.

It was past nine o’clock at night, but he still hadn’t had dinner. Earlier, while browsing in the library, he had stumbled upon an original edition of Gauss’s Disquisitiones Arithmeticae on a shelf and ended up completely engrossed.

Disquisitiones Arithmeticae is the magnum opus of the renowned mathematician Gauss, an epoch-making work that brought an end to the unsystematic state of number theory before the nineteenth century.

In this book, Gauss systematically organized all the outstanding but scattered achievements of his predecessors in number theory, actively expanded upon them, provided standardized notation, classified research problems and their known solutions, and also introduced new methods.

In his previous life, Xu Chuan had, of course, read the book, but never the original edition—only later adaptations and translations.

In terms of value, adapted and translated books generally lack the essence of the original, as there are some things the adaptors and translators cannot fully comprehend.

Moreover, during the compilation process, semantic issues between English and Chinese could lead to a loss of that essence or even a change in meaning.

Therefore, for a scholar like him, the value of the original far surpassed that of any translation.

By half-past nine, most of the cafeterias at Nanjing University were closed. The one or two that remained open didn’t have any good dishes left, but fortunately, Xu Chuan wasn’t a picky eater.

The cafeteria was deserted, with only two or three people inside. One of them, a girl, was wiping and clearing the tables with her head down. A student with a part-time job, perhaps?

Xu Chuan paid it no mind and quickly ate his meal. But as he was eating, his gaze suddenly fixed on the shredded potatoes on his silvery metal tray, and he froze.

“Huh? The overlapping pattern of these shredded potatoes looks like a higher-dimensional representation of a connected region in a fractal domain…”

“I remember that the Weyl-Berry conjecture also includes the case where the domain Ω itself is assumed to be fractal. In that scenario, a differential operator can’t be defined directly on Ω, but a Laplace operator can be defined using the finite difference method or a Dirichlet form, allowing its eigenvalues to be calculated.”

“If the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω can be proven to be spectrally invariant, then the Weyl-Berry conjecture would hold true…”

Xu Chuan stared blankly at the plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes before him, lost in thought.

An unknown amount of time passed. He felt a headache coming on and couldn’t help but rub his temples.

He felt like he had just grasped some sort of inspiration from that, but he hadn’t held on to it. Now, his mind was a tangled mess, and he couldn’t remember a thing.

The feeling was just like knowing what you need to buy at the store before you leave the house, only to completely forget what it was the moment you walk inside.

It was infuriating.

That momentary flash of inspiration and insight was like a fleeting pleasure, gone in an instant.

Having missed this chance, who knew when—or if—he would ever recall it again.

Xu Chuan didn’t want to give up. He held his chopsticks in his mouth, staring at the shredded potatoes, trying his best to recall what he had been thinking. But after a long while, he finally chose to abandon the effort.

“Damn it, so I really can’t remember it for the life of me, huh?”

After cursing under his breath, Xu Chuan snapped out of his daze and contemplation, picking up a clump of shredded potatoes with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.

Unsurprisingly, the potatoes were completely cold.

After all, winter had already set in, and with it being nighttime, the temperature outside had dropped to just a few degrees. The other students who had been eating were long gone, leaving him as the sole person in the entire cafeteria.

No, that wasn’t right. There was one other person. It seemed to be the same student with the part-time job who’d been wiping tables when he arrived. She had already cleaned all the tables in the cafeteria except for the row he was at and was now sitting quietly in a corner, waiting.

Xu Chuan looked up at the cafeteria’s wall clock. It already showed half-past ten. He had been lost in thought for nearly an hour.

Normally, the cafeteria at Nanjing University closed at ten o’clock at the latest. It was now more than half an hour past that.

Well, now he had held her up.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan finished the cold food on his tray in a few bites, cleared his table, and left.

He actually wanted to apologize to the girl sitting in the corner for holding her up for so long.

But having had little contact with girls in either his past life or this one, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it, not knowing how to start.

Chapter 80: Trending Again

Back in his dorm, Xu Chuan took a shower, then pulled out the original edition of Gauss’s Disquisitiones Arithmeticae that he had borrowed from the library.

He had read this book many times before, but this was his first time seeing the original edition, so he was quite interested.

The only trouble was that the original was in Latin, which was a bit of a struggle to read. He wasn’t as familiar with Latin as he was with Chinese and English, so he occasionally had to look things up in a dictionary.

However, he was unaware that while he was reading, his name was spreading from the world of mathematics to the world of news, and then gradually across the entire internet.

Less than three days after the latest issue of New Progress in Mathematics was published, it had already caused a considerable stir in the country’s mathematical community.

A seventeen-year-old boy and a world-class mathematical conjecture—no one would ever think to connect these two things.

But reality was even more fantastical. It was this very teenager, not yet an adult, who had proven the latter, setting off a sensation.

Countless media outlets recorded the event, compiling it into news articles and publishing them online.

Naturally, the first to break the story online were the major official media outlets.

An article in the Youth Daily quoted the praise from Sir William Timothy Gowers in New Progress in Mathematics—“This is a brilliant proof! But what I find even more incredible is that the author is only seventeen years old!”

Meanwhile, Everyone’s Daily offered its praise without hesitation, commending not only the research achievement but also Xu Chuan’s courage to challenge such lofty heights at the tender age of seventeen.

The news published by these heavyweight media outlets didn’t attract much attention at first. But once the leaders at the top had expressed their views, their underlings naturally couldn’t fall behind.

Soon, in less than two hours, the news landed in the hands of editors at major media websites, where it was processed into a stream of articles and updates.

Countless media editors, independent content creators, and the staff at clickbait accounts were tearing their hair out over the latest news and headlines.

Of course, they weren’t losing hair over the proof for the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, which they couldn’t understand at all. They were losing hair trying to come up with a title that would attract the maximum amount of attention from netizens.

If it were merely the proof of a world-class conjecture, most mainstream media outlets wouldn’t be so anxious about missing out on the hype, unless it was one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems or something as widely known as the Goldbach Conjecture.

The proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture alone was not enough, even though it was a world-class conjecture.

However, the identity of the prover himself carried an immense amount of buzz.

2015 College Entrance Exam perfect-score top scholar + dual IMO and IPhO gold medalist + only seventeen years old.

Any one of these three points was enough to generate buzz on its own. Combined in a single person, it was an explosive mix.

So, after letting the story marinate for a bit, the entire internet was soon set ablaze.

Compared to the reserved and carefully worded official media, the headlines from local media and clickbait accounts were far more exaggerated.

Shocking! A problem that stumped mathematicians worldwide has been solved by a seventeen-year-old boy!

The follow-up on the perfect-score top scholar! He cracked a world-class mathematical conjecture in less than a year!

The United States is shocked, India is in tears! A world-class math problem was solved by a seventeen-year-old from our country!

After rejecting Tsinghua and Peking University, the perfect-score top scholar and dual IMO & IPhO gold medalist makes a huge achievement in less than a year!

In this day and age, the “UC Shock Department” was still very popular and eye-catching. The various independent content creators and clickbait accounts on the internet hyped it up, sending Xu Chuan directly to the top of the trending charts, where he shot straight to number one on all major platforms.

Online, countless netizens were also stunned.

【Holy shit! He solved a world-class conjecture at seventeen? Is this guy a fucking alien?】

【Damn it, when I was seventeen, I was still in my first year of high school, couldn’t even figure out the Pythagorean theorem or sine functions, and this guy’s already solving world-class problems.】

【Perfect-score top scholar + IMO + IPhO gold medalist. Not surprising. I’d be more surprised if he didn’t achieve anything.】

【Less than a year, and he can solve a world-class conjecture.】

【The gap between people is sometimes even bigger than the gap between a person and a pig.】

【Fun fact: A pig’s average IQ is between 70 and 85, while the average for people in our country is between 100 and 110. That’s only a difference of about 30 points. But a genius like Terence Tao has an IQ of 230, so… you get it.】

【So you’re saying I might be dumber than a pig.】

【By the way, I remember this master went to Nanjing University to study physics, right? How did he suddenly make an achievement in mathematics? That’s a pretty wild deviation.】

【I’m from Nanjing University. I heard from a teacher that this master is a double major in mathematics and physics.】

【Double major? What does that mean? Anyone with a big dick care to explain?】

【If the youth are strong, the nation is strong! Keep it up!】

【By the way, does this big shot have a Weibo account? I’m gonna follow him right now just to show my respect.】

【@Shanchuan**, this is the big shot’s account. But it seems like he never posts on Weibo. Since he registered, there are only two posts, and they’re both automated birthday wishes from the system.】

Xu Chuan was completely unaware of what was happening online.

At this moment, he was lying in bed, shivering uncontrollably. The thick blanket covering him had no effect; he felt completely drained and only cold.

It seemed he had caught a cold, and a rather serious one at that.

As for the cause, it was probably from dinner the previous night. The dish he ordered was a bit too spicy—maybe the chef’s hand had slipped and he’d added too many chilies, or something. In any case, he broke out in a sweat and took off his jacket. Then, by chance, he was struck by a flash of inspiration and fell into deep thought. An hour passed just like that.

Although he had been exercising for the past year and was in much better shape than before, it was now late in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar.

At this time of year in Nanjing, the temperature could drop to around four or five degrees Celsius at night. Under such conditions, sitting unprotected in a cold draft for an hour—if he didn’t catch a cold, who would?

After lying in bed until 10:30 AM, Xu Chuan finally recovered a bit of energy. He got up, dressed, and prepared to go to the infirmary to get some medicine.

Just then, his phone rang.

Xu Chuan pulled out his phone. It was his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

“Hello, Teacher, is something wrong?” Xu Chuan answered the phone, his voice weak.

“Hm? What’s wrong with you?”

On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping immediately noticed the change in his voice and asked.

“Um, I think I caught a cold,” Xu Chuan said, his voice muffled from his stuffy nose.

Chen Zhengping was a bit speechless. His gaze swept across the leaders from the municipal government who were in his office. Just last night, he had told this kid not to run around, as there would be an award ceremony and leaders from the city coming over in the next couple of days.

And look what happened. The very next day after a reminder, he caught a cold. And from the sound of it, it seemed quite severe.

Chapter 81: Inspiration Lost and Found

“Alright, you get some good rest. I’ll have someone buy some medicine and bring it over.”

After a short chat to ask about his cold symptoms, Chen Zhengping hung up the phone. He then looked at the others in the room with some embarrassment and spoke to the middle-aged man seated to one side.

“Ahem, Secretary Jiang, my apologies. It seems that boy, Xu Chuan, has caught a cold. He’s still lying in bed right now.”

“A cold? Is it serious? Should we go see him? We could bring some medicine,” Secretary Jiang asked, his expression immediately turning solemn upon hearing that Xu Chuan was sick.

It wasn’t easy for Nanjing to produce a talent like this. At just seventeen, he could already solve a world-class mathematical conjecture. Who knew what kind of honor he might bring to Nanjing in a few years? Naturally, he had to be taken seriously.

“There’s no need to trouble you, Secretary. I’ll have one of my students buy some medicine and deliver it later. It’s best to just let him get some proper rest.”

“Yes, you must rest well when you have a cold. We won’t disturb Student Xu Chuan today, then. We’ll come back when he’s feeling better.”

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan lay back down on his bed after hanging up.

Since Chen Zhengping said he would arrange for someone to bring him medicine, he couldn’t be bothered to go out himself. The main reason was that he really had no strength; even his legs felt weak.

After waiting for a while, just as Xu Chuan was listlessly about to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door.

He got up, shuffled over, and opened it. To his surprise, a girl was standing at the door. She had long, dark hair and was looking down, making it hard to see her face clearly.

Xu Chuan was a little puzzled and asked, “May I ask who you’re looking for?”

Didn’t his teacher say he was sending someone with medicine? But as far as he remembered, his teacher didn’t have any female disciples, did he? There were just his three senior brothers, right?

“Excuse me, are you Student Xu Chuan?” The girl in front of him raised her head slightly, her voice barely a whisper.

Xu Chuan glanced at her and asked curiously, “I am. And you are?”

“I’m a student of Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences. My teacher asked me to bring you some medicine.”

“Professor Zhou Hai? To bring medicine? Hold on, let me make a call.”

Xu Chuan was even more confused. Didn’t his own teacher say he was sending someone? How did Professor Zhou get involved?

He turned, fumbled for his phone on the bed, opened his contacts, found Professor Zhou Hai’s number, and dialed.

The call connected, and before he could speak, a voice came from the other end.

“Hello, Xu Chuan, is your cold serious? Are you feeling alright? Your teacher’s disciples are all running experiments right now, so I had my student take the medicine to you. She should have arrived by now, right? Have you received the medicine?”

As soon as he answered, a barrage of questions from Professor Zhou Hai came flying at him.

“Someone’s here, but it’s a girl,” Xu Chuan said in a low voice, turning his head to glance at the figure standing quietly outside his door.

“Yes, that’s right. She’s my disciple.”

“Oh, I see. I understand now. Thank you for your concern, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan expressed his thanks and hung up the phone.

“Sorry about that. Thanks for making the trip. Just give me the medicine. How much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Xu Chuan reached out to take the medicine. He hadn’t expected a girl to be the one to deliver it and had almost misunderstood the situation.

“Do you have a kettle and hot water in your dorm?”

The girl swung the backpack she was wearing to her front, unzipped it, and pulled out a bag of medicine. After handing it to Xu Chuan, she asked another question.

“A kettle and hot water? No, but it’s fine. I can just take the medicine with mineral water.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and waved the medicine in his hand. A real man didn’t need hot water to take medicine; he could just swallow it dry.

Besides, other than the water heater for his shower, he really couldn’t find any hot water in his dorm.

Mainly, he didn’t drink much tea or coffee, nor did he like hot water. When he stayed up late, he usually just downed a can of Red Bull to stay awake.

For regular drinking water, he usually bought those large jugs from downstairs for five yuan a barrel, which would last him for more than half a month.

Hearing this, the girl swung her bag aside, bent down, and picked up a thermos from the floor by the door, handing it to him.

“You brought this just to deliver medicine to me?” Xu Chuan stared at the thermos, completely dumbfounded.

“You shouldn’t drink cold water when you have a cold from being chilled. It’s bad for your stomach,” the girl said quietly.

“Uh, you don’t have to go to so much trouble.”

Xu Chuan scratched his head. Were girls really this meticulous? If this level of detail was applied to studying mathematics or conducting physics experiments, not a single detail or piece of data would ever be missed.

“It’s no trouble. You use it for now. Taking care of your cold is what’s important.”

“Alright then, thanks. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

The two didn’t talk much more. After delivering the medicine, the girl left. Xu Chuan carried the thermos and medicine into his dorm and opened the bag. Inside were two boxes of cold and flu granules, a box of Amoxicillin, and a box of cold relief capsules.

“No wonder she asked if I had hot water. So she bought these granules.”

Xu Chuan muttered to himself, first taking two of the cold relief and Amoxicillin capsules, then finding a cup to prepare the cold medicine.

Just as he picked up the thermos, he suddenly remembered something.

He had forgotten to pay her for the medicine.

He had remembered at first and even asked how much it cost, but the thermos had distracted him, and he’d completely forgotten.

“Whatever, it’s not urgent. I’ll just thank her properly after my cold gets better.”

The steaming hot water in the cup gave off a warm vapor. Xu Chuan set it aside for the moment, waiting for it to cool down before drinking.

Thinking for a moment, he poured another cup of hot water. Cradling it and taking small sips, he turned on his computer, planning to watch a movie to relax.

Although he really wanted to finish reading Disquisitiones Arithmeticae, in his current state, with his head feeling dizzy and heavy, it really wasn’t a good time for studying or research.

After taking the medicine, lulled by the movie, Xu Chuan successfully drifted off to sleep. When he woke up, the sky outside was still dark.

He fished out his phone and checked the time: four in the morning.

Xu Chuan had wanted to huddle under the covers a bit longer until daylight before getting up, but he just couldn’t fall back asleep. He had no choice but to go to the bathroom, boil some water, and take a shower.

He had to admit, the medicine for his cold worked remarkably well. At the very least, after a night’s sleep, he felt mostly recovered. His nose wasn’t stuffy, his head was no longer dizzy, and he felt full of energy again.

After drying his hair, Xu Chuan took a few more pills under the light and then pulled the original edition of Disquisitiones Arithmeticae from his bag. There was only a little bit left, so he might as well finish it.

Holding the cup of prepared medicine, Xu Chuan sipped it like coffee as he read.

“Hm, as expected, there’s quite a difference between the original edition and the translation. This explanation on the cyclotomic equation has a subtle difference. The translation I read before interpreted it a different way.”

“Interesting. This part introduces field extension to the cyclotomic equation. To some extent, it seems that a field can be used to find the decomposition of the auxiliary equation of the cyclotomic equation. This wasn’t in the translation.”

As he read, Xu Chuan muttered to himself quietly. It was a habit of his; he liked to say the key points he noticed out loud to reinforce his memory of them.

“Wait, through field extension?”

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Xu Chuan’s mind. The inspiration he had lost two nights ago seemed to have returned.

“I remember that every boundary point of a Dirichlet domain is regular, and regular boundary points are a type of boundary point. This means it can make the solution of the generalized Dirichlet problem—with any continuous function f with compact support on ω as the boundary value—consistent with f(x₀) at the boundary point x₀.”

“If that’s the case, could the Dirichlet domain be used to define the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω?”

“The ultimate goal of the Weyl-Berry conjecture is to prove it is spectrally invariant for any fractal dimension and fractal measure. If the boundary points can be given, then the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω should be determinable.”

Chapter 82: A Stuck Train of Thought

A sudden flash of inspiration made Xu Chuan down the cold medicine in his hand in one gulp. The lukewarm, slightly bitter concoction in the cup now tasted incredibly sweet, as refreshing as a glass of honey water.

Putting the cup down, he took out a stack of paper and a pen from his drawer, spread them out on his desk, and began to calculate.

He had already resolved the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, but that didn’t mean that proving the full Weyl-Berry conjecture had become any easier.

It was like how the Weak Goldbach Conjecture had been solved by two mathematicians in May of 2013, but now, in November of 2015, more than two full years later, a complete proof of the Goldbach Conjecture was still nowhere in sight.

Xu Chuan didn’t think he could solve the full Weyl-Berry conjecture in a short time, just after proving its weaker form.

Even with some mathematical knowledge from his past life as a foundation, and even though he had already solved the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, he didn’t believe he could solve the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture within a year or two.

But mathematics sometimes truly relies on inspiration.

When inspiration is lacking, it’s like a novelist suffering from writer’s block, so constipated they can’t squeeze out a single chapter in a month.

But when inspiration strikes, provided your foundational knowledge is solid enough, you can quickly solve one problem after another.

The black gel pen in his hand continuously sketched out characters on the clean white A4 paper.

“Starting from Weyl’s Theorem 3.2, construct a bounded and connected open set Ω. Let Ω be a bounded connected domain in Rⁿ (n≥2) satisfying the above condition (C), its boundary having an inner Minkowski dimension δ∈(n-1, n), then as λ→+∞, we have:

N(λ)−Γₙ(λ)≤-C(n,δ)(λ/π)δ/² P₁(t+o(1)) + o( (λ/π)δ/² )

Here, P₁(t) is the function expression from Theorem 3.2.

Proof: If we add Neumann boundary conditions at the cuts (or holes) on each side of the open square Qκξ, while maintaining the Dirichlet boundary conditions elsewhere, then the corresponding counting function is denoted as N(λ, Qκξ).

Thus we have: N(λ)−Γₙ(λ)≤∑_{k=0}^∞…”

In the initial throes of inspiration, Xu Chuan wrote as if guided by a divine hand, quickly defining the spectrally invariant fractal dimension and fractal measure of the Weyl-Berry conjecture on a high-dimensional boundary.

And then…

Then, as one might expect, he got stuck.

The original edition of Gauss’s Disquisitiones Arithmeticae had taught him to use field extensions to factor the auxiliary equations of the cyclotomic equation. It had also inspired him to use the Dirichlet function’s domain to transform the Laplace operator and the Laplace hyperbolic equation.

However, he hadn’t deeply studied field extensions or how to transform functions into subgroups and establish connections with intermediate fields and their composites. He hadn’t studied this area in his past life, and in this life, he hadn’t even finished a semester of university, so he hadn’t had the chance to learn it yet.

So now he was left with an idea, but his foundational mathematical knowledge was insufficient to support the verification of this train of thought.

Staring at the scratch paper filled with calculations for a long while, Xu Chuan finally tossed the gel pen onto the desk, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly at the somewhat gray ceiling.

This situation—having a solution in mind but lacking the fundamental ability to verify it—was probably something that would only happen to an oddball like him.

After all, normally, if one’s foundational knowledge was insufficient, they wouldn’t be able to propose any kind of solution at all.

But he was different. Although his studies at Princeton in his past life had primarily focused on physics, Princeton was, after all, a mecca for mathematics.

Over time, he had inevitably been exposed to a great deal of mathematics. It was just that this knowledge was all superficial, without deep mastery of the essence.

This had led to him encountering the same problem in both his past life and this one: when researching certain mathematical problems, he could rely on his extremely broad perspective to come up with some ideas, insights, or solution paths, but he lacked the corresponding foundational knowledge in his mind to bring them to completion.

For instance, the turbulence problem in controlled nuclear fusion in his past life, and the Weyl-Berry conjecture in this life, were both examples of this.

Temporarily giving up on continuing the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, Xu Chuan tidied up the scratch paper on his desk, stuffed it into a drawer, and then got up to eat breakfast.

He wasn’t planning on going to class today. Although it was Monday, with core classes in physics and mathematics, his body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Taking medicine and sleeping last night had indeed helped a lot; his head no longer ached. But the after-effects of the cold, like having weak legs and sore muscles, probably wouldn’t disappear in a short time.

Illness comes like a landslide, but goes like reeling silk. This was perfectly normal.

After breakfast, Xu Chuan neither went to class nor the library. Instead, he prepared to go out for a walk to relax.

Scientific research and studying were a long process. A person wasn’t made of iron, after all; a balance between work and rest was necessary.

As for where to go, that would of course be the observatory on the Xianlin Campus. It was up on a mountain, with few people and fresh air.

Although it was now late in the eleventh lunar month and the mountain no longer had much of a scenic view, were the withered leaves covering the ground not a different kind of scenery in themselves?

However, before he had taken more than a few steps, students on the path saw him and cast their gazes upon him, occasionally whispering with their companions.

Not only that, but two junior female students, upon seeing him, their eyes lit up, and they trotted over.

“Excuse me, are you Senior Xu Chuan?”

The two, who looked like they were also first-year undergraduate students, looked at him with shining, hopeful eyes. Xu Chuan nodded, a bit bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

It wasn’t just now; when he had gone for breakfast just a moment ago, he had also encountered students staring at him strangely, making him quite uncomfortable.

“Great! Senior, could you give us an autograph?”

“Just sign it in this math book.”

Before Xu Chuan could say anything, one of the two junior students had already stuffed a pen into his hand.

Although he hadn’t figured out what was going on, nor why anyone would want his autograph, Xu Chuan still did as the two junior students asked and signed his name in the math book.

“Awesome! With Senior’s blessing, I’ll definitely pass this algebra exam!”

“Thank you, Senior.”

The two junior students expressed their thanks and ran off, hugging the math book, leaving behind a baffled Xu Chuan who had no idea what had just happened.

Glancing back, Xu Chuan shook his head and continued walking toward the observatory.

“Brother Chuan, fancy meeting an old man like you here!”

Before he had taken two more steps, an excited voice came from his side, and with it, three figures ran over.

It was his roommates from his past life: one named Fan Hong, another named Zhou Lin, and the third named Kong Zhong.

Although they weren’t in the same dorm in this life, they were still in the same class and often had physics lectures together. So, with Xu Chuan’s deliberate effort, they had gotten to know each other again, and their relationship was quite good.

After all, they were all guys. A chat about LoL, CF, and the like was all it took to get familiar with each other quickly.

Chapter 83: The CCTV Interview

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The three friends ran over quickly, surrounding Xu Chuan completely.

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“What’s up with you guys? So excited today,” Xu Chuan asked, curious.

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In response, Fan Hong said scornfully, “Keep pretending, Brother Chuan. Just keep it up.”

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“Brother Chuan, flexing is fine, but this is a little over the top. You’re all over the trending charts, and you’re still acting like you have no idea.”

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“Treat us! You solved a world-class problem, how can you not treat us to a meal? I want to eat the fish at Xiao Xian Zhuang!”

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“Yeah, it would be pretty unreasonable not to treat us to a meal, right?”

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Hearing Fan Hong and the others, Xu Chuan pretty much figured out what was going on. He took his phone out of his pocket, opened Weibo, and did a quick search. Sure enough, the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture had topped the trending charts for a while.

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“Brother Chuan, have you not been online at all these past two days?”

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Beside him, Kong Zhong leaned over to look at the phone and asked with curiosity.

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“Nope. I had a cold these last two days and was just lying in bed. I didn’t even read,” Xu Chuan replied, shaking his head.

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“I was wondering why I didn’t see you in class. At first, I thought you were off giving interviews and showing off. Come on, Brother Chuan, let’s go to Xiao Xian Zhuang and order a steamed fish head with chopped chili. Sweating it out from the spice will cure your cold.”

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Kong Zhong said with a grin. He and Xu Chuan were both from Xiangnan, except Kong Zhong was from Changjun. They had even met before at the Provincial Competition for the Physics Olympiad.

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Xu Chuan rolled his eyes at Kong Zhong. This was a unique Xiangnan method for treating colds: when you have a cold, you eat an insane amount of chili peppers to work up a sweat, then go home for a nap, and you’ll be pretty much cured.

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But his cold was almost gone anyway, so what was the point of eating chili peppers?

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As for treating them, Xu Chuan wasn’t stingy. He took his roommates to Xiao Xian Zhuang, located near the university entrance.

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The name “Xiao Xian Zhuang” sounded very grand and expensive, but in reality, it was just a restaurant that specialized in fish.

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Although it was a bit pricey, the food was delicious and very popular among Nanjing University students. Whenever someone was treating others to a meal, this was a common choice.

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Inside Xiao Xian Zhuang, the group gathered around an earthen stove, eating fish and chatting.

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“Brother Chuan, now that you’ve solved a world-class problem, are you going to focus solely on mathematics from now on?”

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Kong Zhong asked while snatching a piece of fish belly from under Fan Hong’s chopsticks.

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“Not really. This was just a one-off. I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

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Xu Chuan replied with a smile, picking the cilantro leaves off the fish in his bowl.

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The fish at Xiao Xian Zhuang was delicious and the quality of the meat was good, but unfortunately, they liked to add cilantro. He wasn’t a fan of its strange taste and basically never ate it.

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“Brother Chuan, you’re still a badass. So calm after solving a world-class conjecture. If it were me, I’d throw a banquet that lasts for days.”

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“Exactly! It would be a crime not to set off a few strings of ten-thousand-shot firecrackers at the ancestral graves back home.”

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“You have to burn money! If you just set off firecrackers without burning joss money, your ancestors will climb out of their graves to strangle you.”

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“You’ve got to make some paper gold ingots, right? And what about a paper house?”

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Around the earthen stove, the friends joked and laughed. Xu Chuan chimed in occasionally. In his view, this was what youth should be like—full of vitality.

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Just as he got back to his dorm, his phone rang. It was his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. Is your cold better?”

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“It’s almost gone now. Sorry to have worried you, Teacher.”

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“That’s good. Are you able to get around tomorrow? There’s an interview with CCTV.”

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“An interview with CCTV?” Xu Chuan asked, surprised. “This even alerted ‘the Mother’?”

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“Yes, they’ve been waiting here for a day already. It wouldn’t be right to refuse.”

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“Alright then. What time tomorrow afternoon, and where?”

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“One o’clock, in Academic Building One.”

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“Okay, I’ll be there on time tomorrow.”

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Xu Chuan agreed and hung up. He truly hadn’t expected CCTV to come for an interview. It seemed it was tied to his age; the higher-ups were treating him as a model example.

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It was just like Student Liu Lu from Nanzhong University, who had independently solved Seetapun’s Conjecture. Not only did he receive a one-million-yuan reward, but three Academicians from the Academy of Sciences, including Li Banghe, wrote separate letters of recommendation to the higher-ups. They requested that he be admitted as a graduate student, bypassing the usual requirements, and suggested that the relevant departments immediately take special measures to further his academic development.

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Such treatment was in a class of its own for a young student, and he never thought he’d be receiving it too.

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At one in the afternoon, Xu Chuan arrived on time at Academic Building One and was instantly taken aback by the scene before him.

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In front of the building, a large crowd was armed with ‘long guns and short cannons’—a dense pack of reporters.

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Xu Chuan stared at the reporters in front of the administrative building, confused. Didn’t they say it was just an interview with CCTV? Why were there so many reporters?

What he didn’t know was that the university had arranged all this. Nanjing University had gone to great lengths to expand its own and the School of Mathematical Sciences’ reputation.

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He had been in his dorm with a cold for the past two days, so the reporters who had come for interviews couldn’t find him. The university had gathered them all together, arranging for them to interview him today along with CCTV.

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The math department at Nanjing University had had a tough time. Ever since it was dismantled and re-established, it hadn’t produced any top-tier talents. Now that one had finally appeared—someone who could solve a world-class conjecture at seventeen—how could they not publicize it extensively?

Seeing the mob of reporters, Xu Chuan paused for a second, just long enough for a young lady holding a black microphone to recognize him.

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The young lady’s eyes lit up when she saw Xu Chuan. She tapped the cameraman shouldering the camera next to her and quickly ran over.

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“Hello, Student Xu Chuan. Could you tell us how you managed to solve the Weyl-Berry conjecture within a year? Did you have any special inspiration or methods?”

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The young lady’s actions quickly drew the attention of the other reporters. The scene instantly descended into chaos as they all swarmed him.

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“Student Xu Chuan, how did you manage to solve a world-class conjecture less than a year after getting a perfect score on the college entrance exam and winning gold medals in both the Math and Physics Olympiads? Do you have any special study methods? Could you share them with us?”

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“Student Xu Chuan, Professor Gowers from Cambridge University publicly invited you to study there. Will you go?”

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“Student Xu Chuan…”

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The reporters swarmed him, nearly shoving their microphones right into his mouth. The surrounding crowd made it impossible for him to move an inch, and the cacophony of shouted questions made his scalp tingle.

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Fortunately, someone came to his rescue after a moment. A few university security guards noticed the situation, quickly rushed over to part the crowd, and escorted Xu Chuan into the academic building.

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Inside the academic building, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, Rong Zhizhuan, and other university leaders were present. In addition, there were three middle-aged and older men in formal suits, as well as the reporters from CCTV.

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As for how he could tell they were from CCTV at a glance, Xu Chuan wasn’t blind. The massive, glaring logo was right there on their camera equipment.

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Chapter 84: The Greatest Liberal Arts Student in History

Upon seeing Xu Chuan, the elderly man standing in the center of the group walked over with a smile, extending his right hand.

“Student Xu Chuan, congratulations.”

Xu Chuan politely shook his hand. A photographer from the selected media pool, who had been allowed inside, started snapping away, the shutter clicking furiously to preserve the moment.

Beside them, Rong Zhizhuan, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, explained with a smile, “This is our Mayor Jiang of Nanjing.”

Realization dawned on Xu Chuan, and he greeted him respectfully, “Hello, Mayor Jiang.”

The elderly Mayor Jiang smiled kindly. “No need to be so formal, Student Xu Chuan. I heard you caught a cold a couple of days ago while engrossed in your scientific research. Are you feeling better now?”

“I’m all better now. I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Xu Chuan felt a little embarrassed. He never imagined that his catching a cold would attract the attention of the mayor.

“That’s good, that’s good. Research is important, but the researcher’s health is even more so. You must always pay attention to your body. The future belongs to young people like you, and the nation’s development relies on you. You must prioritize your health.”

Mayor Jiang patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder and continued, “Additionally, on behalf of the city of Nanjing, I want to thank you for your contribution.”

Xu Chuan replied humbly, “I merely proved a mathematical problem.”

“Haha, you’re too modest, Student Xu. This was a problem that had stumped the mathematical world for nearly forty years. You’ve earned a dazzling honor for Nanjing University and for Nanjing on the world stage.”

After a couple of praise-filled sentences, Mayor Jiang continued with a smile, “‘Adhering to education as the foundation, composing a symphony of national prosperity through talent.’ Revitalizing the nation through science and education is not only our country’s strategic policy but also the focus of our educational work here in Nanjing.”

“Considering your family’s situation, Student Xu, the city convened an emergency meeting to create a special material reward for you. After all, we can’t let our students suffer, and we can’t let our research be underfunded.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. “Thank you for your hard work, Mayor Jiang and all the leaders.”

Although he wasn’t short on money anymore, who would say no to a reward? Besides, from the sound of it, the reward was likely to be substantial.

Mayor Jiang laughed heartily. “This is nothing. The ones who truly work hard and face difficulties are you researchers on the front lines. We’ve only done what we ought to do.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the leaders from the city, with CCTV as a witness, Mayor Jiang personally handed a large ceremonial check for five hundred thousand to Xu Chuan. Once the photos were taken, the city officials departed, leaving him alone for the CCTV interview.

They were all busy people, after all, with little time to waste. Making an appearance before the media to show the nation’s and Nanjing’s high regard for scientific talent and to expand Nanjing’s influence was enough.

As for the interview, although Xu Chuan wasn’t fond of such things, it wasn’t unfamiliar to him, as he had experienced many in his previous life.

Besides, one had to give face to “the Mother.” Even if it wasn’t the main CCTV channel, it was still CCTV.

Of course, the Dean of Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences also stayed for the interview. While he wasn’t the main focus, it was a great opportunity to increase the influence of Nanjing University and its School of Mathematical Sciences. Rong Zhizhuan was determined to get in on it, even if it meant forcing his way in.

After more than two hours, once the interview with “the Mother” was over, Xu Chuan walked out of the academic building with Dean Rong Zhizhuan.

The reporters and media outside had already dispersed. Rong Zhizhuan glanced at the setting sun hanging on the horizon and smiled. “Student Xu Chuan, how about we have dinner together? My treat.”

It was dinnertime and someone was offering to pay, so Xu Chuan naturally wouldn’t refuse. The two of them walked side by side to the Faculty Cafeteria No. 2.

“You’re really famous now. Do you have any plans for the future? How about you simply come to the School of Mathematical Sciences and focus on your studies here?” Rong Zhizhuan asked with a smile.

“I think things are fine as they are.”

Xu Chuan smiled, politely declining the Dean’s kind offer. Physics was his foundation, and that was something that wouldn’t change in two lifetimes.

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan shook his head and said, “You, my boy, certainly have ambition and aspiration. You don’t want to give up on either mathematics or physics. Are you planning on becoming the next Witten?”

Currently, Professor Witten was the only one who had reached the pinnacle of both physics and mathematics simultaneously.

At the mention of Witten, Xu Chuan also smiled.

He knew his teacher from his past life at Princeton better than anyone.

Named by the United States’ Life magazine as the sixth most influential figure of the post-World War II era, he was the contemporary physicist with the highest H-index, possessing profound physical intuition and superb mathematical ability.

His proof of the positive energy theorem in general relativity, his work on supersymmetry and Morse theory, topological quantum field theory, superstring compactification, mirror symmetry, supersymmetric gauge theories, and his conjecture on the existence of M-theory were all contributions to physics and mathematics.

Any single one of these was an achievement that an ordinary mathematician or physicist might not accomplish in a lifetime of research.

He had received the MacArthur Fellowship, the Fields Medal, the Einstein Prize, the Isaac Newton Medal, the Lorentz Medal, the Henri Poincaré Prize, the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics, the U.S. National Medal of Science, and various other awards.

It could be said that among the top awards in physics, he was only missing the Nobel Prize in Physics, which was perhaps his greatest regret.

Compared to the geniuses in novels, Edward Witten was a true-to-life figure who seemed to be playing life with cheat codes enabled.

This was because during his university years, his major was history, a liberal arts field completely unrelated to physics and mathematics.

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, he joined a think tank for a presidential campaign, spending about a year working on the Democratic Party’s presidential bid.

Then, finding politics too boring and disingenuous, he went to the University of Wisconsin to study economics.

That stint was even shorter. After only half a year, he could no longer stand the simple and boring nature of economics. Following that, he applied to the applied mathematics program at Princeton University.

After a brief stay in applied mathematics, he transferred to the physics department at Princeton, where he completed his master’s and doctoral theses in theoretical physics.

But none of these detours—transferring, dropping out, changing majors, or working on a political campaign—seemed to slow him down.

At the age of twenty-eight, he became a full professor at Princeton University. Two years later, he won one of the first of the so-called “genius grants” awarded by the MacArthur Foundation.

In 1990, at the age of thirty-eight, he received the Fields Medal, and to this day remains the only “non-mathematics professional” to have won it.

This “circuitous,” or rather “brilliant,” life formed his immortal legend, and he came to be known as “the greatest liberal arts student in history.”

He had learned a great deal from Witten, benefiting immensely in both mathematics and physics.

As for being a second Witten, he was not. He was the first Xu Chuan.

In his past life, his achievements had already surpassed his teacher’s. In this life, he would only go further.

Chapter 85: Nanjing University’s Reward

In Faculty Cafeteria No. 2, Xu Chuan and Rong Zhizhuan chatted as they ate.

“Dean Rong, speaking of which, the city has given a reward. The university should have one too, right?”

At his words, Rong Zhizhuan smiled. “Don’t worry, you won’t be left out. Why don’t you guess what the reward is this time?”

“Money?” Xu Chuan asked, guessing curiously.

“You little rascal, have you got money on the brain?”

Rong Zhizhuan gave Xu Chuan a speechless look. In the afternoon, during the interview, he hadn’t seemed interested when the mayor himself asked about his well-being, nor was he interested during the interview itself. He only perked up when the five-hundred-thousand-yuan bonus was being handed out.

“Who doesn’t like money? Who would complain about having too much?” Xu Chuan chuckled and retorted.

“That’s true. These days, there aren’t many people willing to live a life of hardship for the sake of research like in the old days. But times are developing and changing. Without money, you can’t get anything done now.”

Dean Rong sighed with emotion, then continued, “This time, the reward actually comes from two sources. One is from the city, and the other is from the university. The five hundred thousand this afternoon was part of the city’s reward.”

“Additionally, for special talents like you, our Nanjing has a special talent recruitment policy. It covers things like household registration transfer, housing rental subsidies, or home purchase subsidies. If you want to rent a place, you’ll receive a monthly stipend of three thousand yuan. If you want to buy a house, you can apply for a five-hundred-thousand-yuan home purchase subsidy, which will be disbursed in two installments.”

“If I don’t buy a house and continue to live at the university, will I still get that five hundred thousand?” Xu Chuan suddenly asked.

“No,” Rong Zhizhuan said, shaking his head.

Xu Chuan was speechless.

Then what’s the use of this policy to me? Or is this their way of forcing me to buy a house in Nanjing? Then again, if he were to buy a house, the money he had on him seemed to be enough.

From various prize money, scholarships, and the like, he seemed to have two to three million yuan on him. He had given half of it to his family to improve their lives, and kept the other half for himself.

Glancing at Xu Chuan, Rong Zhizhuan continued, “The above was the talent recruitment policy from the city. What follows is the reward from our university, specifically for you.”

“Yesterday, our university held a meeting. We discussed your research paper and your reward, and we all agreed that a problem like this, a world-class conjecture, cannot be judged by the standard reward criteria for a regular research paper.”

“So, after discussion, the university has decided to directly award you one million yuan. It’s not a huge amount, but you can spend this one million as you please.”

“Additionally, considering your special circumstances, the university has applied for a research grant for you. The amount is up to two million yuan; you can choose how much you need. However, this money can only be used for academic purposes.”

After a moment’s thought, Rong Zhizhuan added another sentence.

“Oh, right. If you want, the mathematics department will allow you to graduate from your undergraduate program early and directly enroll as a doctoral student.”

“Of course, this is just a formality. Having proven the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture, you’re more than qualified to graduate with a Ph.D. ahead of schedule. But considering you’re still studying physics, allowing you to graduate with your bachelor’s for now should be sufficient.”

The five-hundred-thousand-yuan cash reward from the city, plus the five-hundred-thousand-yuan purchase subsidy, plus the one-million-yuan cash reward from the university—this was likely the bulk of the prize money for solving the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

Of course, other places, like the province or his hometown, might also offer some prize money, but it probably wouldn’t be much.

Although he had been curious about the university’s reward, when it was actually announced, Xu Chuan didn’t feel much excitement.

For one, he had money in his past life—a lot of money. After all, having reached the pinnacle of the physics and materials science worlds, it was impossible for him to be short on cash.

If nothing else, the patent fees from his superconducting materials alone brought in hundreds of millions annually.

On the other hand, while he liked money, it wasn’t the most important thing to him.

What he cared about was what money could be used for, what role it could play in his research or his life.

For example, at this stage, his money could be used to help his family improve their lives, to renovate or rebuild their old house, and to ensure he could have meat with every meal. This was the value of money. Left in a bank account, it was just a number.

In the future, if he needed to build his own large particle collider or a physics laboratory, two or three million might not even be enough for a fraction of the cost.

So, Xu Chuan pursued money, but he wasn’t obsessed with it. For him, as long as he had enough for each stage of his life, that was sufficient.

Of course, besides that, just as Rong Zhizhuan had said, the rewards from Nanjing University and the city of Nanjing this time weren’t actually that much.

Compared to the neighboring Zhejiang University, a total of two million in subsidies and prize money really wasn’t a lot.

In recent years, Zhejiang University has really been throwing money at people. For a talent like him, who proved a world-class mathematical conjecture, forget the prize money—it would be at least double, and if he were to move there, they’d throw in a house, a car, and all sorts of other perks.

Nanjing University’s gradual decline in recent years was also related to the constant poaching of talent by several surrounding universities using money.

But there was nothing to be said. They had the money. Scientists are people, too, and talented people have to support their families and eat.

After the CCTV interview, the media reporters chasing him around campus disappeared. Nanjing University took the initiative to block many interview requests, and the security guards at the gate stopped any obscure reporters from small media outlets.

Although a university is said to be a miniature society, it is ultimately still a place for learning.

Appropriate publicity can help the outside world understand the university, boost its reputation, expand its student recruitment pool, and attract more outstanding students. But excessive publicity can disrupt the tranquility of a university and make people restless.

This was especially true for Xu Chuan. The leaders of Nanjing University absolutely did not want to see this seventeen-year-old genius lose his dedication to academic research due to excessive publicity.

He was only seventeen now and had already solved a world-class conjecture. In a few more years, what kind of achievements will he make?

If such a genius were to become another case of a prodigy who fizzles out, it would be a major loss for the country.

As for Xu Chuan, he hadn’t gone to class or the library at all these past two days, because he found that whenever he appeared outside, he would be surrounded by people.

He would be gawked at in classrooms, the library, the cafeteria, and other places by underclassmen, junior female students, and even senior students, making him feel like a panda in a zoo.

So, after borrowing some math books from the library, Xu Chuan decided to just stay in his dorm for the past few days. He focused on shoring up his foundational knowledge in mathematics, preparing to immerse himself in researching the full Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

However, holed up in his dorm, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forgotten something.

Chapter 86: Something Forgotten

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan rubbed his eyes and put down the copy of Linear Algebra in his hands.

He had found some promising leads while researching the Weyl-Berry conjecture, but during the verification and proof process, he had gotten stuck on how to perform a field extension and how to transform a function into a subgroup and then connect it with an intermediate field and its composites.

His knowledge in this particular area of mathematics was severely lacking. He knew a bit about functions, but he wasn’t familiar with field extensions.

But to get up to speed, he would have to start with books on algebra and number theory.

This was because fields are related to algebraic number theory, and field extensions are derived from field theory, a branch of abstract algebra.

Simply put, everyone knows that addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are the four basic arithmetic operations, but they are all applied to individual numbers.

For example, 4396 - 3619 = 777.

Building on that, what if you have a group of numbers and want to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide them? Do you calculate them one by one? That would be far too tedious.

Therefore, mathematicians defined the “field.” A field is a set of numbers on which addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division can be performed arbitrarily. It’s an algebraic structure equipped with “addition,” “subtraction,” “multiplication,” and “division.”

So, to fully understand this concept of a “field,” he had to start studying from algebra.

As for algebra, Xu Chuan had certainly encountered it before. However, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of mathematics, he read all his basic textbooks and the algebra textbooks he had borrowed from the library from cover to cover.

He had holed up in his dorm for the past two days, barely leaving except for his three daily meals. He had probably finished about a fifth of the university’s linear algebra-related textbooks? Maybe not even that much. After all, algebra was a vast field with many textbooks.

Nevertheless, he had already accumulated a number of questions and points of confusion, all of which he recorded in his notebook. Xu Chuan planned to go see Professor Zhou Hai this afternoon to either get his help or have him recommend someone he could discuss them with to resolve them before continuing.

Notebook in hand, Xu Chuan arrived at Zhou Hai’s office.

For him, the joy of solving a mathematical problem or learning a new piece of knowledge was as exhilarating as a gamer getting a direct headshot in CrossFire; or like a League of Legends player who finally masters Lee Sin’s flashy ward-jump kick combo, pulls it off on five enemies at once in a ranked match, and then sees the team’s Yasuo teammate perfectly follow up with his ultimate to wipe out the enemy.

As he stood before the office door and knocked twice, Xu Chuan suddenly remembered what it was he had forgotten over the past two days.

Professor Zhou Hai’s student, the girl who brought him medicine… her thermos was still in his dorm. And he still hadn’t paid her back for the cold medicine.

“Ugh, how could I have forgotten about that?”

Xu Chuan slapped his forehead in annoyance. He’d promised to return her things the next day, but now three days had passed. If word got out, wouldn’t people misunderstand and think he was trying to keep the girl’s belongings?

“Come in.”

A voice from inside the office snapped Xu Chuan out of his thoughts. He pushed the door open and went in.

“Oh? Xu Chuan, you’re here. Your cold should be all better now, right?”

Inside the office, Professor Zhou Hai glanced at the figure walking in. When he saw who it was, his face instantly broke into a wide smile.

“All better now. Thank you for your concern, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan gently closed the door behind him to keep the heat in the office. Professor Zhou Hai wasn’t the only one there; Cai Peng, whose graduate thesis had been unexpectedly annihilated, was also present.

“The master has arrived. So, master, what are you planning to research next? Give me a heads-up so your senior can be mentally prepared. At the very least, I need my thesis to avoid your research topic.”

Cai Peng stood up, poured a glass of water for Xu Chuan, and asked with a smile.

“The Weyl-Berry conjecture, I suppose. I want to see if I can expand on it and find anything new.”

Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly. Although it wasn’t his fault, it was still a bit awkward facing the person he had wronged.

“Whew, that’s good. Go for it! I believe in you!”

Cai Peng let out a long sigh of relief. It was a good thing he had changed his thesis topic in time and hadn’t continued to get bogged down in the Weyl-Berry conjecture. Otherwise, his research target might have vanished before he even finished his PhD.

Xu Chuan turned to Professor Zhou Hai and said, “Teacher, I’ve run into some problems while reading Linear Algebra and Linear Algebra, Moving Onward these past two days. Could you take a look?”

“Hmm? Aren’t you researching the Weyl-Berry conjecture? Why the sudden switch to linear algebra?” Zhou Hai asked curiously.

“I wanted to take advantage of the recent free time to read more and enrich my mind,” Xu Chuan said shyly, not revealing the real reason.

Zhou Hai was taken aback for a moment, then said, “That’s great. Young people should read more. So, what are the problems? Let me see.”

As he spoke, he shot a glance at Cai Peng. If only this lazy bum was as motivated. No, even with just a fifth of the effort, he wouldn’t have spent three months on his thesis without writing a single word.

Feeling his teacher’s gaze upon him, the senior graduate student stood to the side, trembling. He felt like he shouldn’t have left the house today.

Xu川 took his notebook from his bag and handed it over. Zhou Hai took it, flipped through the pages, and said, “Not bad. These problems are quite difficult, but I can teach you a thing or two. Pull up a chair, and I’ll explain.”

Before Xu Chuan could move, Cai Peng had already pulled over the chair from under his feet and looked at him expectantly:

“Master, please, have a seat.”

“Master, may I listen in?”

Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After a moment of polite refusal, he sat down. Nearby, Cai Peng leaned in to listen, and the three of them formed a small, impromptu classroom.

“This problem is related to linear functionals. It’s a course that isn’t offered in the first year, but you’ve probably already studied it. You need to use the Fourier transform to handle it. You’ve read about the convolution theorem within the Fourier transform, right? Start from there, then shift to the function, and then converge this line of the formula, making sure the L-exponent converges within the f-norm.”

…

“This last problem is quite difficult. It mixes knowledge from number theory calculations and Hilbert spaces. You need to use a field extension to pivot to commutative rings…”

In the small office, Xu Chuan was like a sponge, eagerly soaking up new mathematical knowledge from Zhou Hai. He would periodically ask questions or use his pen to work out formulas on scratch paper.

Whenever this happened, Zhou Hai would pause his explanation and wait quietly for Xu Chuan to finish his calculations. Afterward, he would add some supplementary points based on those calculations and answers.

This was a scene that would never happen in a university lecture. In a university classroom, a professor typically flies through the material faster than you can blink, rarely pausing to let you digest and understand the concepts.

That’s why having a good teacher to guide you and expand the boundaries of your knowledge is so incredibly important in the learning process.

Chapter 87: An Invitation from Princeton

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, more than three hours had passed, and Zhou Hai had finished going through all the problems in the notebook.

Picking up the Thermos on his desk, Zhou Hai took a sip of tea to wet his throat. He looked at Xu Chuan and said, “That’s all of them. Just go back and make sure you digest this material properly.”

He then added, “You know, your talent for mathematics is truly the greatest I’ve ever seen in a student. Your sensitivity to the core of the knowledge is frighteningly sharp.”

“The problems in your notebook are basically all core concepts of linear algebra. Once you’ve mastered these, you’ll have grasped about a third of all the linear algebra you’ll need for your undergraduate, and even graduate, studies.”

Zhou Hai sighed with some emotion. He had been watching Xu Chuan organize his thoughts and solve the problems the entire time. This interaction had left a deep impression on him.

Worthy of a super top student with a perfect score on the college entrance exam and gold medals in both the IMO and IPhO. His talent was simply off the charts.

In mathematics, not only did he have his own core approach to learning and understanding, but sometimes when Zhou Hai posed a problem, Xu Chuan could even follow along and expand upon its boundaries with him.

In all his years of teaching, he had truly never seen such talent.

“Teacher, could you explain this problem to me again? After calculating the number theory field value, I didn’t quite understand how to transform it into a field extension.”

Cai Peng, who had been listening in, sidled up and pointed to the last problem, asking Professor Zhou Hai with an ingratiating smile.

Zhou Hai shot his student an annoyed look. He felt a bit embarrassed for him.

A first-year university student had understood the problem after he explained it just once, yet here was his own graduate student, who was in the middle of writing his thesis, still not getting it.

It would be embarrassing to even mention it to others.

However, he didn’t refuse. It was a teacher’s duty to answer a student’s questions. Even if a student from one of his large lecture classes came to him, he would have the responsibility to explain the problem clearly until they understood, let alone one of his own advisees.

Just as he was about to explain it again, his gaze fell on Xu Chuan, and he remembered something else.

“Xu Chuan, why don’t you explain this problem to your senior? I’d like to see how well you’ve learned it.”

Changing the subject, Zhou Hai said to Xu Chuan.

“Uh…”

Xu Chuan was a bit taken aback. How had this suddenly become about him?

“Master, I’ll have to trouble you!”

Cai Peng, on the other hand, didn’t overthink it and immediately moved closer to Xu Chuan.

In his eyes, the one with the knowledge is the teacher. Someone who could prove a world-class conjecture was on a completely different level from him.

As for age and grade level, what did that matter?

When it comes to academics, such things aren’t so important. Terence Tao even has students older than him, and it doesn’t stop him from teaching them.

“Alright, then I’ll share my understanding of this problem.”

Xu Chuan didn’t hesitate. He pulled a blank sheet of scratch paper from the desk and began to explain, writing out the calculation process and his line of thought as he went.

“The core of this problem lies in the twisted transformation of the Hilbert space. You need to construct a linear normed space for it, then decompose it using elementary calculus and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality.”

This wasn’t difficult for him; in fact, you could say he did it with ease.

After all, his dozen or so years as a professor at Princeton in his past life weren’t for nothing. He had long since developed his own method for explaining concepts to students with perfect clarity.

Although he had only just learned this particular concept himself, it didn’t stop him from understanding it thoroughly and making it his own.

In just a short while, he had explained the core of the final problem.

“I get it now! You’re incredible, master! Truly a master!”

Having finally understood the core idea, Cai Peng excitedly showered him with praise, only to earn another glare from Zhou Hai, who was listening from the side.

So exhausting, Zhou Hai thought. This student is probably a lost cause.

Xu Chuan’s explanation, however, had left him quite astonished.

He had asked Xu Chuan to explain the problem with the intention of giving him some practice, but he truly hadn’t expected him to be this good.

Not only did he rapidly grasp the core of the problem and transform it into his own knowledge to explain, but his delivery was also free of any awkwardness, hesitation, or improper word choice.

This was a feat that not even a typical new lecturer could achieve in their first few months on the job, let alone a university student teaching a graduate student.

It was common and perfectly normal for new teachers to use inconsistent phrasing, stammer, or forget their words. Only a teacher with years of experience in the classroom could deliver such a smooth explanation without a single wasted word.

But the impression Xu Chuan gave him was that of a seasoned teacher.

“Have you taught before? Or perhaps worked part-time as a private tutor?” Zhou Hai asked curiously.

“No,” Xu Chuan replied, shaking his head.

“Then how are you so smooth when explaining these concepts?”

“I have a younger sister at home, and I used to help her with math and physics back in high school. I also frequently explained concepts to my classmates. I guess I got the practice from that,” Xu Chuan explained with a smile.

“So that’s how it is. Well, that’s good. Now I don’t have to worry about next year’s mathematics conference. I was even planning to give you some pointers,” Zhou Hai said with a smile of understanding.

This time, it was Xu Chuan who was confused. He asked, puzzled, “Mathematics conference? What mathematics conference?”

“Oh, it’s an invitation that came from Princeton yesterday. I forgot to tell you. In February of next year, there’s going to be an International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference held at Princeton. They sent an invitation for you to give an academic presentation on your proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

Zhou Hai tapped his head, then got up and retrieved an invitation letter from his drawer, handing it to Xu Chuan.

“This was supposed to be given to you by Dean Rong of our School of Mathematical Sciences personally, but he went on a business trip yesterday, so the invitation ended up with me. Here you go.”

Beside them, Cai Peng’s eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets in shock.

Holy shit! What was he seeing?

An invitation to an international mathematics conference at Princeton, specifically to give an academic presentation!

This was the kind of treatment reserved for a god-tier master.

He was grinding his molars to dust with envy and jealousy! Ahhh!!!

Chapter 88: Treating Someone to a Meal

In contrast to the senior graduate student’s excitement, Xu Chuan was much calmer. He took the invitation letter from Zhou Hai and looked it over.

Hmm, the format was no different than before. Just as plain.

“Is there anything I need to prepare?” Xu Chuan asked Professor Zhou Hai after glancing at the invitation letter.

After all, this was his ‘first time’ receiving such an invitation, so he had to ask about the specifics.

Zhou Hai smiled and said, “Don’t be too nervous. Just revise your proof, condense it to the essentials, and make it more concise. The key part will be the Q&A session afterward. You’ll need to put some thought into that. The School of Mathematical Sciences will prepare a list of potential questions for you. Take it back with you later and go over it.”

“Oh, right. For this trip, the university will reimburse your airfare, food, and lodging. Remember to keep the receipts to get reimbursed. Other than that, there’s not much else.”

Xu Chuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

Cai Peng sidled up to them and asked, “Master, can you bring a guest with that invitation? Can you take me along to broaden my horizons? I’ll pay my own way!”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “You’ll have to ask our teacher about that. I’m not sure.”

Zhou Hai shot him a glare and said irritably, “Alright, stop making a fool of yourself. Hurry up and finish your graduation thesis. You’ve been dragging it out for half a year and you don’t even have a title yet.”

Having solved the problem at hand and received an invitation letter from the Princeton Mathematical Society, Xu Chuan was satisfied. He stood up, bid farewell to Professor Zhou Hai, and prepared to head back to his dorm.

Just as he reached the office door with one foot already out, he suddenly remembered something else and turned back.

“Hm? Is there something else?” Zhou Hai asked curiously, seeing Xu Chuan return.

“Um, Teacher, could you give me the contact information for the senior female student you asked to bring me medicine? I still haven’t paid her back for the cold medicine, and it’s already been several days.”

“Oh, that. Wait a moment, let me find it… I’ve sent you the number.”

Hearing this, Zhou Hai took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, found the number, and sent it to Xu Chuan.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Mhm, make sure you thank her properly.”

Zhou Hai grinned at Xu Chuan, a mischievous glint in his eyes that Xu Chuan found a bit strange. Did that even need to be said? Of course he had to thank her properly.

Back in his dorm, Xu Chuan tossed his bag onto the bed and picked up a math book from his desk. Just as he was about to start reading, his gaze fell on the thermos in the corner.

He slapped his forehead in frustration, took out his phone, and saved the number Professor Zhou Hai had sent him into his contacts.

But when it came time to add a name for the contact, Xu Chuan froze. His finger hovered over the screen, unsure what to write.

He realized he had never once asked for the senior female student’s name.

“Whatever, I’ll just save her as ‘senior female student’ for now.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and typed it into the name field. It wasn’t like he had many contacts anyway, so there was no risk of mixing them up.

After saving the name, he opened up a new message: “Hello, senior female student. This is Xu Chuan, the one you brought medicine to for his cold a couple of days ago. When are you free? I’d like to return your thermos.”

Tap, tap, tap, he sent the message.

He put his phone down and had barely glanced at his math textbook when it chimed. A reply had come through.

“Hello, what time will you be in your dorm? I can just come by and pick it up.”

“No, I’ll bring it to you. I haven’t properly thanked you yet, and I still need to pay you for the cold medicine.”

“There’s no need. I can just get the thermos. If you’re in your dorm now, just wait a few minutes.”

After the brief exchange, Xu Chuan scratched his head. He glanced at the time on his phone—a little after five in the afternoon, dinnertime.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you in my dorm then.”

After replying, Xu Chuan felt a little embarrassed. After all, she had helped him out. Forget it, he thought, I’ll treat her to a good meal at Xiao Xian Zhuang later to thank her properly.

After he sent the message, the other person didn’t reply again. Xu Chuan put his phone down and picked up his math book once more.

About six or seven minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Xu Chuan quickly put down his book and went to open it. Standing there was the same senior female student who had brought him medicine a few days ago. She looked the same, with her long, dark hair hanging down and a backpack on. Her head was lowered, making it hard to see her face clearly.

“I’m so sorry to trouble you to make another trip.”

“N-no, it’s fine. You can just give me the thermos,” the senior female student replied in a small voice, raising her head slightly.

“Just a moment.”

Xu Chuan responded, turned back into the dorm, picked up the thermos from the corner, and also grabbed his phone and keys.

Outside the door, the senior female student reached out to take the thermos, but Xu Chuan had no intention of giving it to her. Holding it, he said:

“Senior female student, it’s dinnertime right now. Let’s go grab a meal together. I haven’t had a chance to thank you properly for helping me with my cold.”

Seemingly not expecting this, the senior female student was taken aback. She flusteredly refused in a small voice, “N-no, there’s no need.”

“Hey, if it weren’t for you bringing me medicine and hot water, who knows how long my cold would have lasted? I know a restaurant that’s pretty good. How about it, senior female student? Grace me with your presence.”

As Xu Chuan spoke, he reached back and shut the dorm room door with a click.

Staring at the now-closed door, the senior female student froze again. She glanced at Xu Chuan, then at the thermos in his hand, hesitating as if pondering something. After a long moment, she finally nodded.

“This is embarrassing, but I still don’t know your name, senior female student,” Xu Chuan said, suddenly stopping and turning his head as they walked off campus, one behind the other.

The senior female student following behind him didn’t expect him to stop and nearly bumped into him.

“Liu… Liu Jiaxin,” the senior female student said softly.

“Liu Jiaxin.” Xu Chuan nodded, memorized the name, then took out his phone to edit the contact.

“By the way, is your WeChat ID your phone number? I’ll add you. I still haven’t paid you for the cold medicine.”

After changing the contact name, he copied the number into WeChat, found an account, and tapped ‘Add’.

“I’ve sent you a request. Please accept it, senior female student. I’ll transfer you the money for the medicine,” Xu Chuan said, giving his phone a little shake.

Chapter 89: Mathematical Modeling

In the courtyard of Xiao Xian Zhuang, Xu Chuan turned his head to look at the senior female student behind him.

“Senior, can you handle spicy food? Do you have any dietary restrictions?”

When treating someone to a meal, there was no need to ask what the guest wanted to eat; one only needed to be aware of their dietary restrictions.

“I… I’m fine with anything.”

Liu Jiaxin followed behind him, glancing at Xiao Xian Zhuang’s courtyard, a little nervous and worried. “This place must be expensive, right? Why don’t we go back and eat at the school cafeteria?”

She had never eaten at a place like this before, but she could tell just by looking that it must be very expensive.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan felt a little sheepish and said, “Who treats someone to a meal at the school cafeteria? Just go on inside. I’ll be in as soon as I’ve picked out a fish.”

After wandering around the courtyard for a moment, Xu Chuan, relying on his years of fish-eating experience, picked the best and freshest one. He asked the restaurant to prepare it three ways, added a vegetable dish and a soup, and then went into the main dining hall.

“Hm? Analysis and Research on Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling Problems? Are you planning to participate in next year’s University Modeling Competition?”

Upon entering the hall, Xu Chuan saw the senior female student sitting alone by a window, engrossed in a modeling textbook.

Professor Zhou Hai had mentioned this to him before, asking him to participate, but he had refused. The previous IMO and IPhO could be justified as being for information security and to make up for past regrets, but participating in the Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling now would just be plain bullying. He still had some pride.

“Mhm.”

Liu Jiaxin nodded lightly and hesitated for a moment, as if she were trying to gather her courage. After a long pause, she asked, “May I ask you about a couple of math problems?”

Her voice was very soft, as soft as a feather falling to the ground. If Xu Chuan’s hearing hadn’t been excellent, he almost would have missed it.

“Of course you can. Also, you can speak a little louder. Any softer and I won’t be able to hear you.”

Xu Chuan teased her with a smile. He was always happy to discuss problems in math and physics with anyone—as long as they weren’t those bizarre ‘amateur theorist’ questions, of course.

Hearing Xu Chuan comment on her soft voice, Liu Jiaxin lowered her head in embarrassment. But then, she opened her bookbag and took out a notebook.

“Then… Then I’ll be troubling you.”

Liu Jiaxin opened the notebook, found the questions she had, and handed it to Xu Chuan.

“It’s no trouble at all. Feel free to ask me anything in the future. Though, I can’t guarantee I can answer all your questions about the math involved in modeling.”

Xu Chuan said casually as he took the notebook and began to read. There were problems related to mathematical modeling as well as ordinary math problems, but they were mainly focused on linear programming, stochastic processes, and differential equations.

This was normal, as these were all topics related to a modeling competition.

“It’s fine. I’ve studied some of these topics before. I can share my thoughts with you.”

“By the way, do you have a pen? I’ll walk you through it.”

After looking at the problems, Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t studied modeling in depth, only having a rough understanding. Fortunately, he understood all the mathematical problems in the notebook and could solve them. Otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing.

“Yes, I do.”

Liu Jiaxin nodded quickly, pulling a ballpoint pen from her bookbag and handing it to him.

Xu Chuan took the pen, flipped to a blank page in the notebook, copied over the first problem, and began his explanation.

“This sub-question is an extension of the previous major question. It’s an expansion of Model Two and requires a dynamic description of the model.”

“But don’t be intimidated by the term ‘dynamic model.’ It sounds complicated, but its foundation lies in establishing a differential equation model, allowing your model to change with time, ‘t’. Based on the second part of the question…”

“…”

“…Since you need to analyze the sensitivity to rapid fluctuations, you can’t just rely on interpreting the graph. My approach would be to also treat the environment-related parameters in the differential equation as fluctuating variables—for example, environmental humidity—and then evaluate the sensitivity of each stage to these fluctuations.”

“Its differential equation can be simplified as…”

As he explained, Xu Chuan wrote down his core understanding, judgment process, and the corresponding simplified differential equation in the notebook.

The mathematical knowledge required for the University Modeling Competition was nowhere near as high as that for the University Student Mathematics Competition. Generally, mastering the basic mathematical knowledge necessary for modeling, such as Advanced Mathematics and Calculus, was sufficient.

However, it demanded a broader knowledge of computer science and mathematical algorithms, such as the Monte Carlo algorithm, graph theory algorithms, and data processing algorithms like data fitting, parameter estimation, and interpolation.

In terms of learning difficulty, it wasn’t that much easier than pure mathematics.

This was because compared to pure mathematics, mathematical modeling was a highly creative and challenging activity. It was impossible to use a set of rigid rules to specify how to build every type of model.

It involved two aspects: first, transforming a real-world problem into a theoretical model; second, calculating and analyzing the theoretical model.

In terms of practicality, mathematical modeling was far more useful than pure mathematics.

Beside him, as Xu Chuan explained, Liu Jiaxin’s eyes gradually brightened. The mental blocks that had stumped her began to collapse and crumble away with every stroke of the ballpoint pen across the notebook.

Occasionally, she would ask a question or two following his explanation, and upon receiving a precise and affirmative answer, her eyes would shine even brighter.

“You know, you two are quite an interesting young couple. Other couples come here to eat and are all lovey-dovey, but you two… you’re here studying math.”

Suddenly, the teasing voice of a middle-aged woman sounded in their ears.

She had noticed the young man and woman earlier. They were probably students from Nanjing University across the street. The girl had come in and immediately started reading a book. When the boy came in, she thought the girl would put the book down, but instead, the boy leaned in too, and they started treating the place like a classroom or library, with him explaining problems.

This was truly amusing. She had worked at Xiao Xian Zhuang for several years and had never seen anything like it.

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan looked up and saw a middle-aged woman standing by their table with a tray, placing the dishes on the table one by one.

Meanwhile, hearing the teasing remark, Liu Jiaxin’s face instantly flushed red all the way to her ears. She couldn’t help but lower her head, almost burying it in her chest.

Stunned for a moment, Xu Chuan felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and said, “You misunderstand. We’re just classmates.”

The middle-aged woman just smiled and shook her head, not pressing the matter. “Your food is all here. Please check to see if everything is correct.”

After the waitress left, Xu Chuan glanced at the senior female student and said, “Um, let’s eat first. I’ll explain the rest of the problems to you when we get back to school.”

Chapter 90: A Request from His Advisor

At Nanjing University, inside a laboratory in the Physics and Materials Research Building.

Chen Zhengping was busy working with his students. In recent years, his research focus had been shifting from condensed matter physics and high-energy physics to the structure and physical properties of low-dimensional materials, as well as spintronic materials.

The current project on the preparation technique for the low-dimensional material tungsten diselenide was a new topic he had started last year.

However, the field of materials was, in a way, similar to researching mathematical conjectures. Success either relied on accumulating experimental materials and data over time, or on flashes of inspiration and a bit of luck.

But in the current materials science community, achievements born from luck were exceedingly rare. The vast majority of breakthroughs in materials were the result of relentless experimentation and the continuous elimination of errors, one by one, before even a small success could be achieved.

This was true all over the world.

Consequently, countries with an early start in the materials field held a significant advantage. Over time, these nations had accumulated a sufficient amount of data.

“Advisor, the experimental results are in, but they’re not ideal.”

“We still can’t find a way to form a nanometer-scale monolayer structure of tungsten diselenide on silicon oxide wafers or optical sapphire wafers. The special crystalline state it forms during the bonding process is simply too difficult to calculate. Or rather, it’s fundamentally incalculable.”

“At the very least, we don’t have any accurate data to guide us in constraining it. This is just too hard. Maybe we should ask the School of Mathematical Sciences for help and see if they can arrange for a couple of professors or a doctoral student in this area to lend a hand.”

In the lab, Fan Pengyue straightened up, rubbing his sore eyes as he spoke.

He was currently Chen Zhengping’s most senior disciple, having studied under him for over four years. One could say he had been with his advisor ever since his research focus shifted to materials science.

The current project, “Vapor deposition of tungsten diselenide on silicon oxide wafers or optical sapphire wafers to construct single-atom-layered nanostructured materials,” was also his doctoral graduation project.

But now they were stuck, and had been for more than a month or two. They had been struggling with how to lay the tungsten diselenide flat for a good six months.

They had tried all sorts of methods, but none had succeeded.

“Where’s the experimental data? Let me see it first.”

Chen Zhengping stood up and took a stack of printouts from Fan Pengyue. They were filled with various fluctuating graphs, diagrams of point-line separation structures, and all sorts of labeled data.

Flipping through the documents, Chen Zhengping felt a headache coming on. The data confirmed what his senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, had said: they couldn’t find a method to successfully lay down the tungsten diselenide in a monomolecular lattice layer.

This was the biggest problem. In a way, his senior disciple was right. Perhaps he should find someone from the mathematics side to help.

After all, mathematical calculations were not his strong suit. But who would be best to ask?

Professor Zhou Hai? Or Professor Lin Xing’an?

“Oh, right, Advisor, didn’t you take on a brilliant new disciple this year? The one who proved that world-class mathematical conjecture. How about we ask our junior for help first?”

As Chen Zhengping was pondering who would be a suitable helper, Fan Pengyue’s voice chimed in again, making his eyes light up.

Of course, how could he have forgotten Xu Chuan? Being able to prove a world-class conjecture meant his mathematical foundation surpassed that of over ninety percent of mathematicians. He might just be able to do it.

“Yes, I’ll give him a call and see what he’s up to,” Chen Zhengping said, taking out his phone.

“Hello, Advisor.”

The call connected, and Xu Chuan’s voice came from the other end. Chen Zhengping asked, “Hello, Xu Chuan. Where are you now? Is it a convenient time?”

“What’s up, Advisor? I’m in my dorm. Is something the matter?”

“Then could you please come over to the Materials Research Building? I have a mathematical problem with my project here and need a mathematician to help out.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be right over.”

“Yes, no rush. Do you know where the Materials Research Building is? On second thought, just wait in your dorm. I’ll have Fan Pengyue go pick you up.”

“No need to trouble my senior. I know the location. It’s fine if he just meets me at the entrance of the Materials Research Building. I’m on my way.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for you here then.”

After hanging up, Chen Zhengping looked at Fan Pengyue. Before he could speak, Fan Pengyue had already stood up.

“I’ll go down and get my junior right now.”

After receiving the call from his advisor, Xu Chuan immediately got up, washed his face, and hurried to the Materials Research Building.

Although he was going over to be a laborer, for him, it was a great opportunity to get an early start on materials science.

By now, the butterfly effect from his rebirth was becoming more and more pronounced. For instance, his advisor asking for his help today was something that had never happened in his previous life.

According to the trajectory of his past life, he wouldn’t have had his initial contact with materials science until this time next year.

Now, he was almost a full year ahead of schedule.

Soon, Xu Chuan arrived at the Materials Research Building and saw his “Senior Bear,” Fan Pengyue, waiting for him.

This was his nickname. Because he was tall, burly, and well-built, with hair so thick and lush he didn’t look like an academic at all, he resembled a black bear.

On top of that, one of the junior disciples had a bit of an accent and habitually pronounced “xiōng” (brother) as “xióng” (bear), so all the juniors who came after started calling him Senior Bear.

“Senior Bear”

Xu Chuan drew out the syllables with a grin, earning a roll of the eyes from Fan Pengyue.

“You rascal, teasing me too. The advisor told you what’s going on, right? I’ll take you up.”

“He said something about some materials data needing to be processed, but what kind of material are you guys researching?”

Xu Chuan asked curiously. He wasn’t actually very clear on his advisor Chen Zhengping’s research direction in the year 2015.

After all, in his past life, he only got involved with materials science more than a year later, and the research topic back then was likely different from the current one.

“You know which way our teacher’s research has been heading. We’re currently studying a low-dimensional material, tungsten diselenide. We’re already at the final stage, but we’re stuck on the material data processing part. We need a ‘greeeat~ mathematician’ to help out.”

Fan Pengyue said with a smile, deliberately emphasizing “greeeat mathematician” as a comeback for Xu Chuan calling him “Senior Bear.”

Chapter 91: The Crux of the Problem

“Tungsten diselenide?”

Xu Chuan murmured the name to himself. He had heard it before.

It was a typical low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductor material—an inorganic compound with a layered structure that possessed excellent physical, chemical, and electrical properties.

It had a wide range of applications, including in energy storage batteries, lubricants, semiconductors, photovoltaics, aerospace, aviation, and military and national defense.

For example, it could be used as a cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries or an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. It could also be used to fabricate various devices like transistors, photoelectrodes, and single-photon emitters.

For now, it was still a cutting-edge research subject in the world of materials science, but it would become incredibly popular in the next decade or so, with research on it becoming commonplace in nearly every university.

It seemed his advisor had a keen eye. However, in his previous life, he didn’t recall his advisor ever researching this topic. It seemed the research must have failed.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for no news to have spread.

After all, who would idly chat about their past failures? Don’t people usually boast about their achievements?

Moreover, failure was common when developing a new material. Loss of funding, encountering unsolvable problems, the advisor leaving, or the entire research team being poached—nothing was out of the ordinary.

After all, domestic universities, materials research institutes, materials labs, and materials companies were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Even though the field of materials was vast, the valuable and popular areas were few and far between.

Just as Chen Zhengping could see that low-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide materials were the future, it was even more obvious to others who had been in the materials science world for years. They could certainly see it too; after all, they were all seasoned veterans.

Therefore, the competition was truly fierce. Everyone was scrambling against the clock, or simply throwing money at people to poach them.

Take Zhejiang University, for instance. In recent years, it had thrown a lot of money around to poach a fair number of professors and lab personnel from Nanjing University, and even from Peking University and Tsinghua University. There were even cases where they had poached an entire project’s research team.

Because of this, Zhejiang University’s influence had been shooting up in recent years.

More crucially, the materials industry was a real race against time, and a winner-takes-all game.

If you could develop a material even a month, or just half a month, earlier than others and successfully file the patent, the latecomers would truly lose their shirts. They wouldn’t even get a taste of the scraps.

“Advisor, Xu Chuan is here.”

After leading him over, Fan Pengyue called out to the busy Chen Zhengping.

“Teacher,” Xu Chuan greeted him as well.

“Ah, good. Xu Chuan, wait just a moment. I’ll finish up this experiment I’m working on. Fan Pengyue, you can start by familiarizing Xu Chuan with our project.”

Chen Zhengping replied without even lifting his head, his eyes fixed on the experimental equipment before him.

“Come with me then, junior.” Fan Pengyue gave an honest, good-natured smile and led Xu Chuan on a tour of the materials lab, explaining as they went.

“I mentioned the material we’re researching for this project earlier—it’s tungsten diselenide, which is a low-dimensional material.”

“Oh, I forgot to explain what a low-dimensional material is. So-called low-dimensional materials are those whose dimensions are constrained to the nanometer scale. Specifically, we’re talking about two-dimensional, one-dimensional, and zero-dimensional materials.”

“Zero-dimensional materials are also called quantum dots. They’re formed by the accumulation of a small number of atoms or molecules, with the particle size on the nanometer scale. For example, atomic clusters of semiconductors and metals are typical zero-dimensional materials.”

“One-dimensional materials are called quantum wires. The thickness of the wire is on the nanometer scale. Things like carbon nanotubes and one-dimensional graphene are one-dimensional materials.”

“And two-dimensional materials include the interface between two materials, or a thin film attached to a substrate. The depth of the interface or the thickness of the film is on the nanometer scale, like metal nanoplates.”

“The tungsten diselenide we are researching this time is a two-dimensional material.”

“Well, these concepts shouldn’t be too difficult for you. But for now, you just need a basic understanding. No need to go too deep.”

“Currently, the main hurdle we’re stuck on is how to evenly deposit the tungsten diselenide as a single atomic layer onto a silicon oxide wafer or an optical sapphire wafer to form a nanometer-scale monolayer structure.”

“But in every deposition experiment, the tungsten diselenide ends up…”

Fan Pengyue briefly introduced the project’s current situation and progress, also giving a rough explanation of some materials science concepts.

After all, to solve a mathematical problem related to materials, it was impossible to be completely ignorant of the material itself.

“So, what do you need me to do?” Xu Chuan asked with a ‘puzzled’ expression.

After listening to Fan Pengyue’s explanation, he already had a rough idea of where the problem lay.

Although he had never researched tungsten diselenide, a typical low-dimensional chalcogenide, he had studied many similar materials in his previous life.

Nanomaterials had been a major focus of his research back then.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the problem with depositing a uniform layer of tungsten diselenide likely stemmed from its aggregation properties.

Because tungsten diselenide is an inorganic compound with a layered structure, similar to the hexagonal structure of molybdenum disulfide, each tungsten atom is bonded to six selenium atoms in a trigonal prismatic coordination. Each selenium atom, in turn, has a pyramidal configuration and is bonded to three tungsten atoms.

The bond length between tungsten and selenium is 2.526 angstroms, and the bond length between selenium atoms is 3.34 angstroms, while the layers are held together by van der Waals forces.

Generally speaking, there are many methods for preparing two-dimensional nanosheet materials, such as the mechanical exfoliation method, liquid-phase exfoliation method, electrochemical exfoliation method, chemical vapor deposition, and hydrothermal method.

Among these methods, most are suitable for tungsten diselenide, with the exception of mechanical exfoliation.

However, due to the presence of van der Waals forces, the exfoliated tungsten diselenide nanosheets are unstable and tend to stack together again via those same forces.

This was likely the main reason why the project was stalled.

“We need your help analyzing the data to see what exactly is preventing the tungsten diselenide from crystallizing completely during the deposition process. This involves functional analysis. I actually went to Professor Zhou Hai to study it for a while, but… well, you know how it is, I have almost no talent for math.”

“So, I’ll have to ask for your help on this.”

“Of course, I’ll be assisting you the whole time. I’ll tell you the meaning of the data from each experiment and the corresponding experimental steps. Maybe that will speed things up.”

Fan Pengyue sighed. Neither he nor his advisor was skilled in functional analysis. Although his advisor knew a bit more than he did, this kind of math was still a tangled mess to them, and they couldn’t find a clear line of thought.

But this was normal. Not everyone was monstrously skilled like the junior standing before him.

In fact, the physics departments of most universities didn’t even offer functional analysis as a course at the undergraduate level. Even if you chose it as a minor, you could only audit the course over at the School of Mathematical Sciences.

That was why most physicists in the field weren’t that great at math—with the exception of Witten and the freakishly good guy standing before him.

Chapter 92: Do You Have a Quantum Brain or Something?

“Do you have the complete experimental data? Let me see.”

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan asked Fan Pengyue for the experimental data, his gaze sweeping over the familiar instruments and equipment, a flash of nostalgia in his eyes.

This was likely the place, aside from the library, where he had spent the most time after his sophomore year in his previous life.

From the simplest and most basic items like platform balances, graduated rulers, measuring cylinders, and thermometers, to mid-level equipment like vacuum pumps and infrared spectrometers, and finally to top-tier large-scale analytical instruments like deep ultraviolet laser systems and high-resolution mass spectrometers.

Oh, and the familiar white lab coat.

All these things had once helped him develop one material after another.

The equipment in Nanjing University’s physics lab was quite comprehensive. After all, Nanjing University’s School of Physics ranked among the top three in the country’s universities. When it came to physics, the annual research grant was always quite substantial.

“Yes, we just finished an experiment this morning. The data is still here.”

Fan Pengyue nodded, turned, and picked up a file from the silver-white metal table in the lab, handing it to him.

Xu Chuan took it and flipped through the pages. As expected, there was a problem with the experimental data.

It was subtle, but it couldn’t escape his eyes.

After all, he had seen an unknowable amount of experimental data on low-dimensional materials. The moment the relevant energy spectrum graphs entered his mind, he could immediately identify the anomalies.

This was the result of accumulated experimental experience.

Beside him, Fan Pengyue leaned in and began to explain the experimental data corresponding to the file.

“This set of data for preparing tungsten diselenide nanosheets comes from a one-step solvothermal synthesis. The highly crystalline tungsten diselenide nanosheets prepared by this method have a large scale, few layers, and uniform distribution, possessing a high specific surface area.”

“But correspondingly, the larger the surface area, the greater the chance of the final product collapsing and stacking.”

“Look at these two sets of data. The first one is for tungsten diselenide nanosheets with a three-micrometer diameter, where the yield rate can still be maintained above ninety percent. But when the diameter of the nanosheets is expanded to over ten square micrometers, the yield rate plummets, with the final stable rate being less than sixty percent.”

Glancing at the graphs Fan Pengyue pointed to, Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “It’s worse than that.”

“Analyzing from the data, the yield rate for your second group doesn’t even reach sixty percent. Look at this graph. When plotting the energy spectrum of the crystal structure, there’s a small, protruding peak. This also represents material loss.”

“And you all overlooked this point. It’s in the initial stage of formation and seems insignificant, but its actual proportion is quite large when magnified. According to my calculations, when the diameter of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets is expanded to over ten square micrometers, your yield rate won’t even reach fifty percent.”

After a moment of thought and some mental calculation, Xu Chuan continued, “To be precise, it should be around forty-eight point three percent. Of course, this is just my mental calculation, so it can’t be more precise. For a more accurate figure, I’d need to calculate it with pen and paper.”

Beside him, after listening to Xu Chuan’s analysis, Fan Pengyue stared at him, dumbfounded. Upon hearing the final number, he quickly found a pen and some scratch paper in the lab and began to verify the calculation.

More than ten long minutes passed. Staring at the result on the scratch paper, Fan Pengyue couldn’t help but swallow hard.

The number he had spent over ten minutes calculating was exactly the same as what Xu Chuan had just said.

Of course, his value was slightly more precise, with the percentage being forty-eight point three two.

“Junior, are you even human?”

“You’re not a quantum computer robot in disguise, are you? Do you have a quantum brain?”

After staring at the data on the scratch paper for a long while, Fan Pengyue finally stood up and circled Xu Chuan with a look of utter amazement, as if searching for evidence that he was a quantum robot.

He was stunned, truly and utterly stunned.

He had known before that this junior of his was monstrously skilled, but he had never imagined he could be skilled to this extent.

With just a single glance, he had seen through the loophole in their experimental data calculation, and what’s more, he could calculate the precise answer, including the loophole, in a matter of seconds through mental arithmetic.

What took Xu Chuan a few seconds had taken him, a Doctoral student, a full ten-plus minutes to calculate. Granted, part of the reason was that he wasn’t a mathematics major and wasn’t proficient in functional analysis.

But he was still a Doctoral student from a Project 985 university, and he had even specifically studied functional analysis for a period of time before. Yet, the result was a complete and utter rout.

Was this the true extent of his junior’s ability?

Being teased by his eldest senior disciple, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but touch his nose.

Although being able to calculate the data so quickly was with the help of the knowledge and memories from his rebirth, he himself had felt that he was a bit freakishly good while studying and researching mathematics these past few months.

He could roughly remember many concepts after seeing them just once, and when he sought his Advisor’s help for unsolvable problems, he could pretty much grasp the solution after hearing it once.

His memory, mental calculation ability, and mathematical logic all seemed much stronger than in his previous life.

He hadn’t figured out the specific reason for this himself, but he guessed it was most likely due to his body and brain being at their youngest and most peaked state after his rebirth.

After all, once a person becomes an adult, around the age of twenty, the brain begins to show signs of aging, and brain cells gradually decrease with age.

After twenty, a person starts to get old.

And he was not yet eighteen, right at his absolute peak.

Coupled with the scientific knowledge and insight from his past life, it didn’t seem so strange after all.

“Advisor, come quickly! Junior has found the problem over here.”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Fan Pengyue called out to Chen Zhengping on the other side of the lab.

“Just a moment, I’m almost done over here.”

Chen Zhengping responded quickly but continued his experiment at an unhurried pace.

Those in applied physics had to be patient, to reach a state where once an experiment began, even an earthquake would be ignored.

After all, every experiment was money, it was the budget, it was the research grant.

It would be a disaster if the research grant was spent but there were no results to show for it.

Therefore, even if an experiment was likely to fail, it had to be carried out seriously, standardizing every operational step and recording complete data.

It was fine for an experiment to fail, that wasn’t a problem. But the process of the failure and the data had to be completely recorded for analysis and adjustment, to ensure that the same problem wouldn’t occur in the next experiment.

This was the true essence of applied science.

Chapter 93: A Market Worth Billions

A few minutes later, having finished the experiment he was working on, Chen Zhengping took off his white lab coat and plastic gloves and walked over.

“How is it? Any new discoveries?”

Chen Zhengping asked with a hint of curiosity. He had only asked Xu Chuan to come and help on a whim.

There was no question about his disciple’s mathematical ability; someone who could prove a world-class conjecture definitely had mathematical skills that surpassed most math professors.

At least in the areas of functional analysis, spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators, inverse spectral problems, and fractal drum theory, he had surpassed over ninety percent of mathematics professors.

But he never expected Xu Chuan to make a discovery so quickly.

After all, mathematics and materials science were two almost completely different fields. While materials science did use some math, it didn’t require anything particularly advanced.

On the contrary, modern materials science focused more on studying the intersection and synthesis of various materials and their interactions with one another.

This required material researchers to be familiar with the properties of every material and to know how those materials would change during an experiment.

He had originally planned to spend a day or two explaining the tungsten diselenide nanosheets in detail before letting Xu Chuan help with the analysis. He hadn’t expected a new discovery the moment he walked in.

Was his disciple’s eye for mathematics really that sharp?

Taking the scratch paper and experimental data from Fan Pengyue, Chen Zhengping first looked at the peak segment of the energy spectrum that Xu Chuan had pointed out. After confirming that it was indeed an error they had previously overlooked as a normal reaction, he turned his attention to the calculations on the scratch paper.

A yield rate of 48.32%. This number made him frown.

Could such a small peak bring the yield rate down by ten percentage points?

Wasn’t the impact too great?

Moreover, if they calculated based on this yield rate, they had made basically no progress in the preparation of tungsten diselenide nanosheets over the past two or three months. One could even say they had regressed.

It didn’t make scientific sense.

But the data was laid out starkly before him, and it made him fall silent.

After thinking for a long while, Chen Zhengping looked up at Fan Pengyue and asked, “This set of experimental data was obtained using the one-step solvothermal synthesis method, right?”

“Yes, that’s the one.” Fan Pengyue nodded in confirmation.

Chen Zhengping thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, find me two previous sets of experimental data. The ones from the chemical vapor deposition and the liquid-phase exfoliation methods.”

“Okay.” Fan Pengyue nodded, walked over to the computer, pulled up the previous experimental data, and connected to the printer in the lab’s printer room.

A moment later, two sets of experimental data were printed out.

Chen Zhengping took one and handed the other to Xu Chuan. “Help me check if there’s a similar situation in the data you’re holding.”

Xu Chuan nodded and took the experimental data, flipping through it.

He was holding the data for tungsten diselenide nanosheets produced by the liquid-phase exfoliation method.

The so-called liquid-phase exfoliation method involved dispersing the raw material to be exfoliated into a specific solvent or surfactant. Then, using ultrasonic energy or other means, single or multiple layers of the raw material were directly peeled from the surface to obtain a dispersion and single-layer raw material that retained their complete morphology and properties, which could then be deposited in various environments and on different substrates.

Simply put, it involved placing tungsten diselenide into a special solvent, breaking it down into individual sheets, and then depositing them as nanosheets.

The explanation was a bit rough, but that was the basic principle.

Interestingly, however, Xu Chuan did not find the same anomaly as before in the experimental data for the liquid-phase exfoliation of tungsten diselenide nanosheets.

In other words, when processing tungsten diselenide nanosheets with the liquid-phase exfoliation method, the problem of material loss in the initial stage did not occur.

Based on the data, the yield rate for processing tungsten diselenide nanosheets with the liquid-phase exfoliation method could reach over sixty percent, which piqued his interest.

“Interesting. It seems the low efficiency of the one-step solvothermal synthesis of tungsten diselenide nanosheets isn’t entirely due to the van der Waals force. There must be other factors affecting the solvothermal method in its initial stages.”

Xu Chuan stroked his chin in thought as he stared at the experimental data in his hands. The data from two different experimental methods gave him some different answers.

“How is it, any discoveries?”

Beside him, Chen Zhengping looked over at Xu Chuan after finishing with his own set of data.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No. I’ve read through this data three times and haven’t found any anomalies. I calculated the yield rate, and it can reach over sixty percent.”

Chen Zhengping nodded and rubbed his temples, a bit of a headache setting in. “I didn’t find anything on my end either. In that case, does the anomaly in the previous data have something to do with the method or the experimental procedure?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

Xu Chuan put down the experimental data and added, “I was just looking at the documents and noticed that a reducing agent was added in the solvothermal method data. Could the problem be with the reducing agent?”

“For example, maybe the reducing agent has impurities? Or it’s a mismatch or something?”

Xu Chuan added a very amateurish comment, which immediately drew a rebuttal from Senior Bear, Fan Pengyue.

“That’s impossible. The reducing agent I used is hydrogen, which is the most suitable for tungsten diselenide. It offers the highest efficiency and best sheet formation.”

“As for impurities, purifying hydrogen is not a difficult task. Using the equipment in the lab, we can purify hydrogen to over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent, so impurities can basically be ruled out.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Then I don’t know. But the efficiency of this method for preparing tungsten diselenide nanosheets is indeed not high at the moment. Perhaps you could try a different method?”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue gave a wry smile. “You don’t understand. A material like tungsten diselenide is different from natural minerals like graphite and molybdenum disulfide. Currently, it can only be produced through artificial synthesis.”

“Furthermore, the soluble selenium salt used to synthesize tungsten diselenide is toxic, and green synthesis methods are limited, basically confined to the solid-phase synthesis of W-Se. Existing processes generally need to be carried out in a CVD tube furnace. That thing is incredibly expensive, and the high-end equipment is monopolized by foreign countries, which is not conducive to large-scale industrial production in our country.”

“That’s why the price of tungsten diselenide is quite expensive domestically, and the solvothermal method is one of the best we’ve developed in our research.”

“Its process is simple, the raw materials are green and environmentally friendly, the cost is low, reaction conditions are mild, and the resulting tungsten diselenide nanosheets have a very high crystalline quality. Their size distribution is uniform, they have a high specific surface area, and the thickness of the nanosheets is under ten nanometers.”

“This is also the main focus of our research. If we succeed, we can create a vast market with immense potential, worth billions annually. More importantly, it would break the foreign monopoly. That’s why we can’t give up on it so easily.”

Chapter 94: Modeling

Identifying a small problem didn’t mean the data analysis for the tungsten diselenide was complete.

Xu Chuan’s purpose in coming to help this time was to analyze the data to find what was obstructing the complete crystallization of the tungsten diselenide during its tiling process, not the issue of material loss at the very beginning.

Of course, the latter was also very important. After all, a tiny peak segment directly impacted the yield rate by more than ten percent.

So, for the time being, his Advisor and seniors had their work cut out for them.

If they wanted to continue down the path of synthesis via the Solvothermal method, they had to find the cause of this small peak segment.

As for Xu Chuan, after understanding the meaning behind the experimental data, he returned to his dormitory with some of the data and materials.

He was more accustomed to solving problems in his dorm or the library. The former was quiet and undisturbed, conducive to thinking, while in the latter, he could swim in an ocean of knowledge, able to head to the bookshelves to look up information the moment a question arose.

In his dorm, Xu Chuan spread the materials he had brought back on his desk and began to go through them carefully.

Although he already knew the reason for the failure of the tungsten diselenide tiling, it would still take some time to describe it in the language of mathematics.

“From the experimental data, the issue of the reducing agent interfering with the tungsten diselenide material only appears with the Solvothermal method. Other synthesis methods haven’t shown similar problems.”

“In other words, the problem is either with the reducing agent, hydrogen, or with the hot solvent.”

“But let’s put that aside for now. This requires experimental verification. The next issue is the collapse or folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets in the later stages of tiling due to van der Waals force.”

“This is the core problem, but solving it won’t be that easy.”

“After first ruling out the influence of the reducing agent and the substrate, the experimental data shows that different concentrations of the raw tungsten diselenide material also have an effect during the tiling process.”

Hunched over his desk, Xu Chuan stared at the data he had brought back while scribbling and sketching on scratch paper.

“Let the concentration be R, time be T, temperature be C, pressure be P, current density be A, and the reducing agent concentration be H. The collapse phenomenon of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets, within a fixed T, C, P, and R, as H increases, generally… remains unchanged?”

“Hmm? What in the world is going on?”

After running the numbers on the data he had, Xu Chuan stared at the results on his scratch paper, somewhat stunned.

He almost suspected he had miscalculated.

How was this possible? The collapse and folding problem was unaffected by the concentration of the reducing agent?

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan took data from another experiment and recalculated, but the result was still more or less the same.

He calculated it twice more, and the outcome remained consistent. Although each result had slight variations, overall, the data indicated that the collapse and folding were indeed not affected by the concentration of H.

This situation made him frown. He had been studying materials for so many years, but this was the first time he had encountered something so strange.

“This is really interesting.”

Xu Chuan put down his pen, leaned back, and sank into his chair, staring at the somewhat grayish-white ceiling in contemplation.

For the research and preparation of any material, slight changes in various details like temperature, pressure, raw material concentration, time, and reducing agent concentration would all cause changes in the final product.

But now, his Advisor’s experimental data told him that the concentration of the reducing agent had almost no effect on the formation of the final product.

In other words, the reducing agent, hydrogen, that his Advisor used played almost no role in the formation process of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets. Was that possible?

This was more absurd than someone telling him God was a dog.

But the data he calculated told him that this was precisely the case.

There was nothing more absurd than this.

“No, that’s not right. There’s another possibility: the concentration of the hydrogen reducing agent at its lowest value is already completely saturated.”

“It’s like adding more salt to a saturated saltwater solution. No matter how much you add, it can no longer dissolve.”

“If that’s the case, then the effect would indeed be minimal.”

Staring at the ceiling, Xu Chuan skillfully sifted through the various situations he had encountered in his past materials research, applying them to this set of experimental data.

“Perhaps I should build a mathematical model? To determine the influence of parameters like the hydrogen reducing agent concentration on the collapse and folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets?”

Suddenly, an idea appeared in Xu Chuan’s mind.

Applying a mathematical model to materials research and development experiments was not a rare occurrence.

Studying practical problems by establishing appropriate mathematical models had become an important tool in materials science research and application. It was just that not every laboratory had this capability.

After all, most materials experiments involved a considerable number of variables, and the experimental processes were dynamic. To establish a precise dynamic model, even a university mathematics professor would have to expend a great deal of effort.

“I’ll make one. I just had some discussions with the senior female student a couple of days ago, so this is a good chance for some practical application.”

After some thought, Xu Chuan picked up his pen and paper again and began to list variables and conditions on his scratch paper.

“Let the rate of collapse and folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets be E, then E = ∫(pgh/Am) * sinh(2C°*pD).”

Mathematical modeling was indeed not his strong suit. In the past, during materials experiments at Princeton, he had always asked other math professors to do the Modeling for him. However, he was still capable of performing a simple analysis of the tungsten diselenide experimental data, carrying out data mining, and integrating it using mathematical tools.

After all, he didn’t need this model to be incredibly precise; he only needed it to roughly determine whether the hydrogen reducing agent had a significant enough impact in the experiment.

Time ticked by, and soon, the sky outside began to darken.

Xu Chuan spent the entire afternoon organizing the experimental data, analyzing the useful data, and listing it in an Excel spreadsheet for subsequent processing.

This was an incredibly tedious task that required patience and meticulousness. If a single piece of data was entered incorrectly, the resulting model would be completely useless.

It was just like balancing accounts. You’d be calculating, only to inexplicably find an extra one hundred thousand in the company account, with no idea where it came from.

In the end, you would have no choice but to painstakingly re-check all the data.

Chapter 95: The Senior Who Works Part-Time

From noon to dusk, from sunset until the lights came on, Xu Chuan stretched in his dorm room.

After working for eight or nine hours, he had finally finished organizing the experimental data.

He glanced at his computer, which was downloading programming and modeling software like MATLAB, Lingo, Cplex, and Python. Seeing the download speeds flickering at 68.3 KB/s and 72.1 KB/s, with less than a tenth of the progress completed, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

Could this campus network get any worse?

It had been almost ten hours, and it had barely made any progress.

Glancing at the time in the bottom-right corner of the screen—just past nine in the evening—he rubbed his stomach and got up to find something to eat.

It was another day with an irregular schedule. If this kept up, he’d develop stomach problems sooner or later, and then have to live off a woman.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan headed straight for Nanjing University’s Cafeteria No. 2. At this hour, it was the only one still open.

He ordered a couple of random dishes and sat down in a corner to eat. Suddenly, a figure caught his eye.

It was the girl working part-time whom he had seen last time he was here. She was now coming out from the back of the cafeteria, holding a rag and carrying a bucket of water.

At first, Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention, but after a couple of mouthfuls of food, he felt that something wasn’t quite right.

He jerked his head up and stared at the girl wiping down the tables for a moment. A sense of familiarity washed over him.

“Isn’t that Professor Zhou Hai’s student? The senior who brought him his medicine?”

Xu Chuan froze for a moment before it clicked. No wonder her silhouette had seemed familiar when she delivered the medicine. It turned out she worked part-time here.

“Hey, Senior.”

Xu Chuan called out a greeting.

Across from him, Liu Jiaxin, who was wiping a table, jumped involuntarily at the sound. She had been working this part-time job for a year, and this was only the second time someone had greeted her.

The first time had been her teacher, Professor Zhou Hai.

She cautiously raised her head and looked for the source of the voice. A bright, smiling face came into view.

Seeing it was someone she knew, Liu Jiaxin’s tense heart relaxed a little.

“Oh, it’s you.”

After her quiet greeting, her face flushed slightly. She was a little embarrassed to be seen working her part-time job by an acquaintance.

“Do you work here every evening, Senior?” Xu Chuan asked casually after taking a bite of his food.

He didn’t think much of it. It was just a part-time job; it wasn’t like he’d never had one himself.

In his past life, his family had been far from as wealthy as they were in this one. His parents were farmers and had to support both a son and a daughter through school—prestigious universities in the provincial capital, no less. Their financial situation only improved after he started graduate school, made his own achievements, and received a large sum of prize money.

To supplement his living expenses back then, he had also worked part-time jobs during college, doing everything from handing out flyers to private tutoring.

Liu Jiaxin nodded and continued to wipe down the tables and arrange the chairs with her head lowered.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. By the time he finished his meal, Cafeteria No. 2 was about to close.

The next day, Xu Chuan took the data he had calculated the previous afternoon and found his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, at the Materials R&D Building.

“You’re saying that the concentration of the hydrogen reducing agent has no effect on the synthesis and collapse and folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets?”

Chen Zhengping asked in astonishment, taking the scratch paper dubiously and looking it over.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Based on the data calculations, there really isn’t much of an effect. I calculated three data samples yesterday, and the deviation in the synthesis and collapse and folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets was between 0.03% and 0.05%. That’s a very small deviation.”

Nearby, Fan Pengyue, the Senior Bear who had come over to listen in, quickly retorted, “How is that possible? The concentration of the reducing agent can’t have no effect on the synthesis and collapse and folding of tungsten diselenide nanosheets.”

“After dissolving sodium borohydride in an organic solvent, we successively add selenium powder and sodium tungstate to create a mixed solution. Then, the hydrogen reducing agent effectively increases the formation rate of tungsten diselenide.”

“If it has no effect, or only a very small one, why even call it a reducing agent? We might as well not add it at all.”

Xu Chuan shrugged, not minding Fan Pengyue’s rebuttal. He knew that this Senior Bear had always been so straightforward.

“But that’s what my calculations show. It might go against common sense, but math doesn’t lie.”

“Then maybe there’s a problem with your calculations.”

“No, there’s no problem with Xu Chuan’s calculations. The problem might really be with the hydrogen reducing agent.”

At the side, Chen Zhengping suddenly cut Fan Pengyue off. He continued, “Could it be that the concentration of the hydrogen reducing agent is too high? That it has become saturated in the hot solvent? That would also explain why changing its concentration has no effective impact on the formation rate of tungsten diselenide.”

Fan Pengyue frowned. “But we determined the concentration of the hydrogen reducing agent through previous experiments. There shouldn’t be any problem with it. If there was, we should have discovered it in those earlier experiments.”

“Besides, looking at past research papers on hydrogen reduction for tungsten diselenide from other labs, including those in the United States and Germany, as well as their experimental data, the hydrogen reducing agent is the most suitable for generating tungsten diselenide.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping smiled. “Perhaps our own experience and these established facts have led us astray. We previously only confirmed the effect of the hydrogen reducing agent on the selenium powder and sodium tungstate; we never conducted new tests on the entire experimental process.”

“And this time, we’re using a completely new method to synthesize tungsten diselenide nanosheets via the hot-solvent method. Previous experience and data might not apply, so it’s possible that a problem has arisen.”

“Xu Chuan, what do you think?”

Changing the subject, Chen Zhengping suddenly directed a question at Xu Chuan.

Caught off guard, Xu Chuan almost blurted out the experimental theories from his past life, but he managed to stop himself halfway.

After collecting his thoughts, he said, “I’m not sure about that. After all, I’m not familiar with the materials field.”

“However, I think we could perhaps build a mathematical model to simulate the effects of various parameters—like temperature, pressure, reducing agent concentration, and time—on the collapse and folding of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets?”

“You know how to do modeling? Have you studied it?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping looked at Xu Chuan with some surprise.

Xu Chuan was about to nod, but then he thought of something and shook his head. “I’m not very familiar with it, but I can recommend someone.”

“Who?” Chen Zhengping asked.

Chapter 96: Asking a Senior for Help

“Liu Jiaxin, Professor Zhou Hai’s disciple—she’s the senior female student who brought me medicine when I had a cold last time. Her field of study is mathematical modeling.”

Xu Chuan replied. Although he wasn’t exactly an expert in modeling, he was fully capable of handling the data his advisor had given him.

But just as he was about to agree, his thoughts drifted to the senior female student who worked part-time at the No. 2 Cafeteria.

It wasn’t that he had any ulterior motives; he simply wanted to help her out.

He had worked part-time before, so he knew how tough it was.

A part-time job like wiping tables in the school cafeteria might only pay thirty or forty yuan a day, perhaps even less. Compared to the half-hour of work required every evening, he felt it wasn’t really worth it.

But if she participated in his advisor’s project, and it was successfully completed, she could receive a large bonus.

The exact amount of the bonus was uncertain, varying based on each person’s contribution. But for an experimental research project on tungsten diselenide nanosheets led by an Academician, the final bonus would definitely be no less than five figures if it succeeded. That was far better than wiping tables in the cafeteria.

Xu Chuan could guarantee this. Besides, with him there, he wasn’t worried that her efforts would be in vain.

Moreover, this was also an opportunity for the senior female student.

Normally, ordinary undergraduate students rarely get the chance to participate in research projects. This was especially true for the School of Mathematical Sciences at Nanjing University, which wasn’t particularly strong, had limited research funding, and consequently, even fewer research projects.

Of course, while the School of Mathematical Sciences didn’t have many of its own research projects, due to the special nature of mathematics, its students still had quite a few opportunities to burnish their resumes by participating in projects from other fields.

After all, many projects in fields like materials science, physics, chemistry, and biology required mathematicians to help calculate certain data.

However, this was generally reserved for the graduate and doctoral students of the School of Mathematical Sciences. Undergraduates were usually out of the question, unless they were a math genius like him, Liu Lu from Nanzhong University, or God Wei from Peking University.

Otherwise, there was basically no chance to participate in a research project to build up one’s credentials, let alone one led by an Academician—even if the project was privately initiated by the Academician and not state-level.

In fact, if Chen Zhengping put out the word that he needed help from the School of Mathematical Sciences, not only would graduate and doctoral students try their utmost to get involved, but even regular math advisors and professors would be scrambling for a spot.

Regardless of whether it produced results, it was valuable experience. And if it did yield results, it would be a surefire way to boost their credentials.

“An undergraduate student?”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s recommendation, Chen Zhengping asked with a slight frown.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Yes. She’s participated in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and she’s going to compete in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling next year. She’s definitely capable.”

Chen Zhengping glanced at Xu Chuan, thought for a moment, and smiled. “Alright. Since you’re the one recommending her, we can let her give it a try. Go talk to her and see if she agrees.”

“But don’t take too long. Ten days. I’ll give you ten days. If the mathematical model isn’t ready by then, I’ll find someone else.”

Xu Chuan was a little surprised at how quickly his advisor had agreed. Although there was a time limit, he hadn’t expected it to be so easy to bring an outsider into a project like this.

After all, the tungsten diselenide research project was very important, with a market worth several billion at stake.

He had only brought it up on a whim, thinking he’d just give it a shot. It would be great if his advisor agreed, but it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t.

An undergraduate student’s capabilities were certainly debatable. Unless the student had already achieved a major research breakthrough, it was virtually impossible for them to get involved in a project led by an Academician.

With his advisor’s approval, Xu Chuan didn’t waste any time.

However, he didn’t go directly to the senior female student. Instead, he hurried to Professor Zhou Hai’s office.

Although he wanted to help the senior student, when it came to ‘borrowing’ someone, it was proper to speak with her advisor first. What if she was already involved in her own projects?

While the probability was low for an undergraduate, it was still best to give a heads-up, just in case.

“Ha! I was wondering what it was. So it’s about this. Wait here, I’ll give her a call right now.”

In the School of Mathematical Sciences office, after Xu Chuan explained his reason for coming, Zhou Hai smiled and pulled out his phone.

Nearby, Cai Peng, Zhou Hai’s disciple, and another unfamiliar graduate student exchanged a look. They were practically drooling with envy.

They knew mathematical modeling too!

This was Academician Chen Zhengping’s physical materials development project! Such a golden opportunity to burnish their resumes… why couldn’t they have been the ones to deliver the medicine back then?

In no time, Liu Jiaxin arrived at the office. She was a little out of breath when she knocked on the door, having run all the way there. Zhou Hai hadn’t told her what it was about, only that she should come over immediately.

“Ad-Advisor, did you need me for something.”

After greeting him, Liu Jiaxin noticed that her two seniors and Xu Chuan were also in the office, and she greeted each of them in turn.

Zhou Hai said, “It wasn’t me who called for you, it was Xu Chuan.”

“He’s participating in a research project with his advisor, Academician Chen Zhengping, and they need someone to help build a mathematical model. He remembered you because you brought him medicine before, so he came to ask me for you.”

“Academician Chen Zhengping’s research project…” Liu Jiaxin was startled. When she collected herself, she waved her hands in a fluster. “I-I can’t do it. I’ll hold up the Academician’s project.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You won the National First Prize in last year’s modeling competition. You can do this.”

“Being able to participate in a project led by an Academician is an excellent opportunity for you. It will be incredibly helpful for your future resume and your career development. Your two seniors here are dying of envy. If you don’t take it, they’ll be clamoring to get in.”

Zhou Hai said with a smile, then paused and added, looking at Xu Chuan, “Besides, you’ll have a god-tier master of math right here. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask him for guidance. It will also help you with the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling next year.”

To the side, Xu Chuan glanced at Liu Jiaxin, a little surprised.

This senior female student was not weak at all. No, you could even say she was very strong.

If he remembered correctly, she was only in her second year. To win a National First Prize in the National Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling as a first-year student… that level of skill already surpassed 99.99 percent of all university students.

A true top student.

Chapter 97: The Modeling Work Begins

“Then… I’ll give it a try?”

Liu Jiaxin hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn’t want to let this opportunity slip by. Her advisor was right; the chance to participate in a project like this would be a huge help to her.

Setting aside the credentials and resume-burnishing, the experience of just participating would be immense. After all, she was studying mathematical modeling, which required practical application. Nothing was more helpful than joining a research project, getting her hands on primary data, and actually processing it.

“Go on. Others would beg for an opportunity like this. In terms of mathematics, this kid is more than qualified to guide you. You don’t need to worry about falling behind in your studies because of the research.”

Professor Zhou Hai spoke with a grin, glancing at Xu Chuan and making a joke, “I’m handing her over to you. Just remember to send her back when you’re finished.”

After leaving Professor Zhou Hai’s office, Xu Chuan turned to Liu Jiaxin, who was following beside him. “Senior female student, let’s go. First, come with me to the Materials Science Building.”

“Hmm?” The senior female student looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. Weren’t they supposed to be building a mathematical model? Why were they going to the materials lab?

Xu Chuan smiled and explained, “To sign the agreements. Participation in a research project requires signing agreements. Plus, after signing, you’ll get a service fee and a stipend. When the project is completed, there are sometimes bonuses based on contribution.”

This was common knowledge to him, but not necessarily to an ordinary undergraduate student.

“Oh,” Liu Jiaxin nodded. She really didn’t know about this, as it was her first time participating in a research project.

“Um, thank you for this. Let me treat you to a meal tomorrow.”

Walking behind him, Liu Jiaxin glanced at Xu Chuan’s back, hesitated for a moment, then quickened her pace to walk beside him and spoke softly.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Let’s talk about it after the project is done. We haven’t even started yet.”

“Okay, sure.”

Liu Jiaxin nodded emphatically. This opportunity was very important, and she would be sure to cherish it and work hard.

Signing the research project agreements wasn’t complicated. Most universities and labs had their own templates for things like confidentiality agreements, stipend grants, and service fee contracts, which only needed minor adjustments.

A stipend of one hundred sixty yuan a day, totaling one thousand six hundred yuan for ten days. When Liu Jiaxin saw the agreement in her hands, she was a little stunned.

“Isn’t this stipend a bit too much?” she asked cautiously in the lab, holding the contract.

She worked part-time cleaning the No. 2 Cafeteria for twenty yuan a night, which included dinner, but the total value wouldn’t exceed thirty yuan.

This single day’s income was eight times what she used to make. In ten days, she would earn one thousand six hundred yuan. This amount was nearly half of her annual financial aid for underprivileged students. Wasn’t that a little too much?

Xu Chuan glanced at her contract without a word and handed her his own. He had forgotten to sign his contract earlier, so this was a good time to take care of it.

“Six hundred a day.”

Seeing the stipend fee on Xu Chuan’s contract, the senior female student’s mouth fell slightly open, and she froze for a moment.

Earning six hundred yuan in a single day was something she had never dared to imagine before. If she were working part-time in the university cafeteria, it would take her a whole month to make that much.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Chuan just smiled and shook his head.

Was a stipend of six hundred yuan a day a lot? In his view, it wasn’t.

With his achievement of having proved a world-class mathematical conjecture, he was qualified enough to apply for a senior professor position in mathematics at Nanjing University.

And when a professor of that rank participated in external projects, the stipend and subsidies, calculated according to national standards, would be three thousand a day.

If he were to participate in research for certain private companies or labs outside the university, the figure would only be higher.

It was just that he didn’t currently hold any official position, so his stipend had been cut by more than half.

However, if this tungsten diselenide project was completed, based on his previous estimates of his own contribution, he could probably get a bonus well into the five figures.

Of course, now that the modeling work was being handled by the senior female student, his bonus would certainly be a bit smaller.

This was the benefit of participating in a research project led by an Academician-level researcher.

Of course, the vast majority of scientific research experiments did not offer such high stipends.

Most graduate or doctoral students brought into research projects by their professors were basically free labor. They received a subsidy, but it was truly very little—perhaps only a few hundred yuan a month.

This was because most professors’ research funds were nowhere near that high.

Someone like Chen Zhengping could easily apply for more than a million yuan in research start-up funds. In contrast, other professors in Nanjing University’s School of Physics, depending on their rank, would find it difficult to secure even a one or two hundred thousand yuan start-up fund, let alone one in the millions.

If they weren’t in a prosperous economic zone like Jiangsu, and went a bit further northwest into the inland regions, the amount of research funding would be even less.

However, the state subsidies for graduate and doctoral students were calculated separately.

In 2014, the state issued the new “Interim Measures for the Administration of Graduate Student Academic Scholarships” and “Interim Measures for the Administration of National Grants for Graduate Students,” which improved the stipends for graduate and doctoral students.

The national funding standard for doctoral students at centrally-affiliated universities was set at 12,000 yuan per student per year, and for master’s students, it was 6,000 yuan per student per year.

This meant that the monthly subsidy for master’s students would be uniformly raised to 500-600 yuan, and for doctoral students, it would rise to 1,000-1,200 yuan.

Although this amount wasn’t much, it could still help the majority of students solve the problem of paying tuition fees during their graduate studies.

“Um, do I need to work here?”

After signing the agreement, Liu Jiaxin glanced at Chen Zhengping and the others busy in the lab and asked.

Xu Chuan replied, “No, our work has nothing to do with them. Your job is to assist me in building a mathematical model, that’s it. If you have any questions, just come to me. I’ll be the one to coordinate with my advisor.”

“As for a place to work, let me think… our university library should be fine. It’s quite convenient there, and we can look up any materials we need at any time. Just bring your laptop.”

Hearing this, Liu Jiaxin grew nervous and asked cautiously, “I… I don’t have my own computer. What should I do?”

Xu Chuan was taken aback. “You don’t have a computer? Then how do you usually do your modeling training?”

“My advisor helped me apply for a computer in the computer lab.”

Liu Jiaxin lowered her head and said in a small voice, a trace of disappointment flashing in her eyes. As she saw it, this research project was probably lost to her.

Chapter 98: Modeling Complete

“It’s no problem. Our university library has an electronic reading room with computers, though they might not be the most convenient to use.”

Xu Chuan’s first thought was the library’s electronic reading room, but he quickly realized it wasn’t a good idea.

Although the library had an electronic reading room with computers, the system would automatically restore itself after every shutdown, just like the computers in an internet cafe. Any installed software and data would be lost.

After thinking for a moment, he continued, “Forget it, you can use my computer. It’s better than the ones in the electronic reading room, at least you won’t have to reinstall software and import data every time.”

Liu Jiaxin shook her head, politely refusing. “But then you wouldn’t have one.”

Xu Chuan said, “It’s fine, I just need to organize the data. It’s just that it’ll be harder on you, since you’ll have to do all the coding and modeling. I’ll actually have it easier this way.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“Alright, it’s settled then. We’ll start at 2 PM this afternoon in room 401 of the university library. It’s usually pretty empty there. Ten days is a bit tight, and the workload is quite heavy. Are you okay with that, senior?”

“Mm, I have no problem with it. But are you sure you’ll be okay without a computer?” Liu Jiaxin looked at Xu Chuan with some concern.

“It’s fine. It’s just data organization. I have an alternative.”

Xu Chuan waved his hand. For simply organizing data, a tablet and a keyboard would be enough for him.

However, if the senior student took on all the modeling work by herself, the workload would indeed be much greater.

After all, he had originally planned for the two of them to write the code together, which would have taken about three or four days.

Now that she was doing it all by herself, it would probably take a week.

But this was fine too. If one person did all the modeling work, their contribution would be much larger. When the tungsten diselenide research project was completed, the senior student would get a larger share of the bonus.

Anyway, he didn’t have much need for money at the moment. If he needed it, he could just casually write a couple of SCI papers.

Publishing an SCI paper came with prize money. If it was in Q1 or Q2, journals with high impact factors, the university’s bonus was quite generous. Depending on the impact factor and importance, a single paper could fetch tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.

For something like the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture he had proven, there would be additional rewards from the university, the province, and the city after its publication.

However, he was probably the only one who could manage something like that.

Who would dare claim they could just churn out SCI papers so casually?

Even his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, wouldn’t dare to say such a thing.

At 2 PM, Xu Chuan arrived at room 401 in the library with his computer and some materials.

This wasn’t a silent reading room, but rather an open area suitable for group discussions and team projects. Talking was not forbidden; in fact, it was normal for it to be bustling with voices and extremely lively.

In his past life, Xu Chuan had encountered some oddballs here. When he and his senior were working on a project, there was a sullen-faced girl at the discussion table opposite them with her fawning boyfriend. The two were arguing, occasionally shouting curses at each other.

Then, as his group was in the middle of a discussion, the girl suddenly yelled at them, “Can you be a little quieter? All that yapping is getting on my nerves, I’ve had enough! This is a library!”

He had been utterly speechless at the time.

Glancing around the reading room, he saw that his senior, Liu Jiaxin, had already arrived. She was sitting in a corner, reading a book.

Xu Chuan walked over, taking his computer and materials out of his backpack. “Sorry to keep you waiting, senior.”

After a quiet greeting, he opened his still-on laptop and connected it to the reading room’s power outlet and Wi-Fi.

Nanjing University was one of the first universities to have a fully digitized library, so every seat in the reading rooms had a power outlet, and you could connect to the WiFi anytime to browse e-books.

“N-no, I just got here too.” Hearing his voice, Liu Jiaxin looked up and replied softly when she saw it was Xu Chuan.

“I’ve installed some programming software on my computer, like MATLAB, Lingo, Cplex, Python, and the MySQL database. See if anything’s missing. If so, just download it yourself.”

“After you’ve confirmed the software is all set, I’ll start explaining the work to you,” Xu Chuan prompted.

“Mm, okay.”

Since they had already decided, the senior student didn’t hesitate. She took Xu Chuan’s computer and started checking it.

To the side, Xu Chuan began setting up his own things.

He only had one computer, but he also had a tablet. He had bought it with his sister, Xu Xiao, after returning to the country from the IMO and IPhO competitions.

It was a promise he had made, after all. In the end, he simply bought the whole three-piece set—phone, computer, and tablet—for Xiaoxiao all at once. He also bought a tablet for himself, though he had never really used it.

Now was the perfect time to use it. He could connect a wireless mouse and keyboard to organize the data.

After a little while, just as he was about done setting up, his senior was also about done with her check.

“Is anything missing?” Xu Chuan asked.

“It’s just missing SPSS,” Liu Jiaxin said quietly. “I’m already downloading it. It’ll be done in a moment.”

“Okay. In that case, I’ll start by explaining the goal and core of the modeling task.”

Xu Chuan nodded and continued, “The core of this modeling task is to establish a dynamic discrete model to calculate the effects of variables like temperature, pressure, raw material concentration, and reducing agent concentration on the tiling formation of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets.”

“I’ve already simplified the core mathematical formulas. The experimental data and the corresponding relationships between the mathematical symbols are all here. Take a look first, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions.”

Liu Jiaxin nodded, took the materials and scratch paper from Xu Chuan, and began to look them over.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuan continued with his own work. He had done a preliminary organization of the data a couple of days ago, but there were still some things he could refine. Once that was done, he could directly calculate various results as soon as the mathematical model was ready.

In the library, time slipped by bit by bit. Through their continuous collaboration, Xu Chuan was surprised to discover that this senior of his had a high aptitude for mathematics.

She could grasp the general idea of many things after he explained them just once, and a second explanation was usually enough for the more difficult points. As for her talent in mathematical modeling, that went without saying.

She could accurately and quickly research information about the subject, make simplified assumptions, analyze its underlying principles, and then articulate them using mathematical symbols and language.

She had a crystal-clear understanding of the core of mathematical modeling.

For Xu Chuan, this was great. He didn’t have to waste time on these issues and could just focus on organizing the data.

With the core formulas and data already prepared, the modeling work progressed very smoothly.

It didn’t even take a week. In just four days, on the afternoon of the fifth day, his senior handed him a complete dynamic discrete model.

Chapter 99: A Message Before Premium Release

It’s confirmed, the book will go premium tomorrow at noon!

A huge thank you to all my dear readers for your support! And a very special thank you to my editor, ‘Penglai.’

Thank you for every donation, every monthly ticket, and every recommendation ticket.

I’ve read the recent comments, and I have to say, this type of book is quite difficult to write. You can probably tell just from the free chapters how much research I’ve had to do, and there will be even more later on. I’m going bald from all the work; I wasn’t even this dedicated when I wrote my graduation thesis.

I know I’m not the best writer, but I’m trying my hardest. I’m doing my best to go back and fix any issues or typos in the earlier chapters. I’m not aiming for a perfection that will please everyone, but I am striving to make this book a little more logical and coherent.

Now, let’s talk about what will happen after the premium release.

If the first-day subscriptions break one thousand, I will release five bonus chapters (though, judging from recent readership numbers, we might not hit that).

For every additional one hundred subscriptions, there will be one extra chapter. If we break two thousand first-day subscriptions, I’ll add another ten bonus chapters (a guy can dream, right?).

But regardless of the word count, I can never manage to keep a backlog of drafted chapters. The moment I write one, I post it. The moment I write one, I want to edit it, and I end up editing it until it’s ruined. That’s what happened last night—I had two drafted chapters that I edited into oblivion, and I almost didn’t have a second chapter to post.

For tomorrow’s premium release, I’ll have to rely on what I write tonight. I’ll be pulling an all-nighter, so I can guarantee at least five chapters for you all tomorrow.

After going premium, I guarantee three chapters a day.

Speaking of which, in the month since I started writing this book, I’ve only played League of Legends once, and that was over twenty days ago. The new preseason update just came out with new items, and I’m dying to try out those tanky builds… ┭┮﹏┭┮.

These days, I’m just cooped up at home. I don’t even have a girlfriend—just a single dog. Even my hairline seems to be receding.

ε=(ο｀*)))唉, I wonder if a future girlfriend would be turned off by that.

Alright, no more rambling. I’m getting back to writing now.

Please subscribe on release day!

Please subscribe on release day!

Please subscribe on release day!

Important things must be said three times!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you to all my dear readers for your support.

PS: Here are a few shoutouts to other books:

First, a shoutout to My Inventions at Hogwarts by the wealthy Vera. Reason for the shoutout: she’s super rich and also drop-dead gorgeous.

Next is Tiger Warriors by history author Ximen Ju. He’s a master of the history genre and previously wrote the hit novel Three Kingdoms: I Helped Liu Bei Farm an Empire, which is already completed. If you’re interested, go check it out.

From my own Group Nine, the wealthy Luoluo, with her book What Do I Do If I’m Too Popular with Players? It’s a ‘Fourth Calamity’ story with a succubus protagonist. She’s a big-shot author of hit novels and has given me a chapter shoutout before.

And finally, a shoutout to a master who has provided me with a lot of research material, the author of Live-streaming Hand-crafting Nuclear Fusion in the Wilderness, a black-tech novel.

My Inventions at Hogwarts by Vera, who writes every single day.

After Rigg joins Hogwarts, the pressure is on Azkaban.

When Voldemort breaks free, he is taken down by a single railgun shot from Harry Potter.

“Rigg, this is way better than a wand!”

Chapter 100: Well Done!

“There’s no need to rush.”

Xu Chuan said, then casually turned on his computer and opened the mathematical model to inspect it.

The model’s interface wasn’t particularly beautiful, just standard, but all the functions he had requested were included.

After a preliminary check of the model to confirm all the basic functions were there, Xu Chuan took a set of pre-calculated data from the experimental logs, entered it into the model, and clicked the output button.

As the mathematical model ran its calculations, the laptop’s cooling fan automatically sped up, and the previously quiet machine began to hum loudly.

For a laptop computer, even one that cost nearly ten thousand yuan and used the latest Core i5 CPU, running a somewhat complex mathematical model was no easy task.

However, Xu Chuan paid no mind to the laptop running under a heavy load, his eyes fixed on the screen as he waited for the calculation to finish.

Time ticked by. After more than five minutes, just as Xu Chuan was starting to think the laptop couldn’t handle the model or that there was an issue with the model itself, the screen flickered and the results appeared.

Holding his breath and focusing his gaze, Xu Chuan looked at the numbers calculated on the screen, then glanced at the data he had previously calculated on his tablet.

Correct!

The first set of experimental data was completely correct!

His initial assessment was that the model had no problems—it could run normally and calculate the correct numerical answers.

After confirming there were no issues with the first calculation, Xu Chuan immediately entered a second, different set of data from a different experimental method and clicked the output button again.

If the second set of data could also be calculated successfully, then he could take this mathematical model to the materials lab and hand it over to Chen Zhengping.

Although two sets of experimental data couldn’t guarantee that all functions and calculations were working perfectly, it was enough to justify requesting a small supercomputer or a server to perform a full validation.

As long as it passed validation, they could use the mathematical model to comprehensively optimize the manufacturing process of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets.

While it might not necessarily solve the collapse and folding effects caused by van der Waals forces during the final tiling process, it could help Chen Zhengping optimize a vast number of experimental procedures, thus saving a great deal of time.

If there were no issues, based on Xu Chuan’s experience, this mathematical model alone could save his advisor Chen Zhengping’s team nearly half a year.

Materials science experiments had always been this way; developing a new material typically involved constant trial and error, recording experimental data, and then performing new experiments for optimization.

This led to the continuous accumulation of data and experience.

Building a mathematical model to assist with optimization was something most labs wanted to do, but few could actually achieve it.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that he and his senior female student had finished the modeling work in just four days; this was built on the foundation of his immense mathematical ability.

Without him organizing the data, simplifying the core mathematical formulas, and handling the mathematical symbolic relationships corresponding to the experimental data, modeling would have been nowhere near that easy.

If an ordinary mathematics professor from Nanjing University had taken on the task, it would have likely taken them ten days to half a month just to organize the data, let alone simplify the crucial core mathematical formulas.

On the desk, the time in the bottom-right corner of the computer screen ticked by. After waiting for about five minutes again, the display changed.

Xu Chuan glanced at the calculated data, then at the answer on his tablet, and shot his senior female student a “Well done” look.

The senior female student looked at Xu Chuan, understood the meaning in his eyes, and a small smile graced her lips for the first time.

With both verifications complete and the data confirmed to be correct, Xu Chuan took the mathematical model to find his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

“You finished it so quickly?”

Taking the USB drive, Chen Zhengping asked with some surprise.

He had initially given Xu Chuan ten days, but he had been fully prepared to wait half a month to a month, provided there was progress and it was clear the model could be successfully completed.

This was because mathematical modeling for a large-scale experiment and the modeling problems in the Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling were two completely different concepts.

The latter’s problems were generally simpler, at most requiring a dynamic model that considered two or three factors.

The former, however, involved data from each experimental variation that was extremely broad and complex, with a multitude of factors and influencing conditions to consider.

Just like in his current tungsten diselenide nanosheet research, variables included temperature, humidity, air pressure, current intensity, raw material concentration, time, reducing agent concentration, and so on.

To integrate all of these into a single model, the complexity and difficulty were on a completely different level compared to the university modeling competition.

The fact that Xu Chuan had created the mathematical model in just five days couldn’t help but make him skeptical.

“Yes. I was worried about delaying your progress, so my senior female student pulled a few all-nighters to rush it. We’ve already verified the model preliminarily twice—the results calculated from different sets of experimental data were both correct.”

“However, my laptop’s performance is limited. It would take a very long time to verify all the modules and functions, so I brought the model over. I was wondering if you, Advisor, might have access to a more powerful server or a small supercomputer. That would make the validation process much faster.”

Xu Chuan explained, and Chen Zhengping nodded in understanding. “I see,” he said. “You two have worked hard. I’ll go and apply for a server to validate it.”

“Okay, I’ll have to trouble you then, Teacher. If any problems come up, you can contact me anytime.”

Xu Chuan nodded and turned to leave the Materials R&D Building.

His work on the mathematical modeling was now at a close. The remaining tasks had little to do with him.

Verifying the mathematical model and using it to find data and optimize the experimental process was his advisor’s job.

Unless a problem arose with the mathematical model itself, which would require him to perform a “factory repair.”

However, he believed the probability of that was low. The fact that it had passed two verifications with different sets of experimental data indicated that the model’s core formulas and code were sound. Passing the remaining verification work should just be a matter of time.

If the server they applied for had sufficient performance, they could probably complete a general verification within a day.

Sure enough, things went just as he had predicted. He didn’t have to wait long. Just one day later, he received a call.

“Hello, Eldest Senior Disciple.”

Xu Chuan answered the call, and the excited voice of his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, came through.

“Junior, are you free right now? Come over to the Materials Science Building.”

“Okay, great. I’ll head over right now,” Xu Chuan replied. He guessed that the verification work had been completed and that perhaps they had made a new discovery.

Chapter 101: How to Solve the Collapse and Folding Caused by van der Waals Force

Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan hurried to the Materials R&D Building.

As soon as he arrived, he saw his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, waiting downstairs.

Seeing him approach, his eldest senior disciple quickly came forward to greet him, his face wreathed in a brilliant, happy smile.

“Junior, your previous speculation was correct! Through our experiments, we discovered that the concentration of the hydrogen reducing agent was indeed too high and not the optimal ratio. It was even interfering with the formation of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets to some extent.”

“What’s more, the mathematical model you brought over the day before yesterday has already passed verification. You’re incredible! The tests ran without a single issue, and it successfully calculated all the data.”

“Most importantly, it directly helped us find the optimal experimental conditions, saving us at least several months.”

“Our Advisor is running an experiment right now. The results should be out soon.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He wasn’t surprised by this outcome. He had derived the core mathematical formulas, so as long as there were no issues with the code, the program would be fine.

And given how meticulous that senior female student was, the probability of an issue with the code was practically negligible.

The two of them went to the lab together, just as their Advisor was finishing his experiment. The experimental data was already being sent to the printing room.

“Ah, Xu Chuan, you’re here.”

Seeing Xu Chuan, his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, greeted him with a wide smile. “We have you to thank for this experiment. Your previous analysis of the hydrogen reducing agent concentration and the creation of the mathematical model were a huge help, saving us at least three to four months of work.”

“My skills are limited; I’m just glad I could help.”

Xu Chuan’s reflexive, humble remark made the three seniors in the lab roll their eyes in unison.

A college student who could prove a world-class mathematical conjecture, a genius who had saved them several months of experimental work in just a few days.

If his skills were “limited,” then what were they?

Useless?

Or worse than useless?

Damn it, that humblebrag was so blatant.

Chen Zhengping, however, just shook his head with a smile. “You don’t have to be so modest.”

“But you’ve arrived at the perfect time. The experimental data just came out. Help me take a look and analyze it. I have a feeling that with the new experiment optimized by the mathematical model, the tiling yield rate of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets could reach over eighty percent.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He was also a little curious to see what the mathematical model was capable of.

Although the mathematical model for each experiment is different, some parts are the same. It’s like a lot of software code—you can just Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V.

This wasn’t just useful for his Advisor’s current experiment; he could also utilize parts of it in the future when he conducted his own experimental research on certain materials.

So he was quite invested in the outcome.

A moment later, his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, returned with the printed experimental data.

The data had been copied three times: one for Chen Zhengping, one for Xu Chuan, and one for him and the other two seniors to share.

Taking a copy from his eldest senior disciple, Xu Chuan flipped directly to the page on the tiling yield rate of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets.

[79.8212%]

The number leaped out at him. His Advisor, Chen Zhengping, had been right. The tiling yield rate for tungsten diselenide nanosheets prepared via the hot-solvent method had reached around eighty percent.

This was a considerable figure.

Previously, the tiling yield rate he had calculated was only 48.32%. This was an increase of nearly thirty percentage points—a staggering improvement.

In other words, where two sets of raw materials could previously only produce one unit of the final product, now they could produce 1.6 units.

It was like you and a colleague doing the same job; he could only make forty-eight a day, while you could make eighty. Your income had nearly doubled.

After confirming the tiling rate data, Xu Chuan reviewed the rest of the experimental data and shook his head slightly.

The tiling yield rate of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets had improved, but the collapse and folding effects during the tiling process still existed.

The influence of van der Waals force on the tungsten diselenide nanosheets was still significant. After using the mathematical model to select the optimal synthesis conditions, of the remaining twenty percent of unrealized yield, van der Waals force was likely still responsible for a loss of about fifteen percentage points, excluding other interference factors.

A fifteen percent defect rate was also a staggering figure.

It was like having one hundred yuan—you could originally buy one hundred steamed buns, but now you could only buy eighty-five.

Losing fifteen for no reason—no one would be content with that.

Xu Chuan felt the same way. He was already thinking about how to solve the problems caused by van der Waals force.

If he could solve the van der Waals force issue, he was confident he could raise the yield rate of tungsten diselenide to over ninety-five percent.

Increasing the yield rate by another fifteen percent was something any laboratory would strive to achieve with all its might.

Chen Zhengping was no exception. He had been delighted when he first saw the tiling yield rate reach eighty percent, but his brow furrowed as soon as he noticed the persistent effects of the van der Waals force.

Shaking his head, Chen Zhengping put down the data and looked at Xu Chuan. “So, did you find any problems?”

Xu Chuan replied, “The previous peak error is gone, and I don’t see any other data issues for now. A yield rate of nearly eighty percent is a thirty-point increase from the previous rate of less than fifty percent. That’s very impressive.”

“However, I did notice that in the final tiling stage of the tungsten diselenide, there’s still about twenty percent collapse and folding. I read a few books on materials science while working on the Modeling, and based on that, I’d speculate… this should be caused by intermolecular forces, right?”

Chen Zhengping gave Xu Chuan a surprised look, then nodded. “That’s right. That twenty percent of collapse and folding is indeed caused by van der Waals force.”

“It’s related to the molecular properties of tungsten diselenide. It’s an inorganic compound with a layered structure. Each tungsten atom is bonded with six selenium atoms in a trigonal prismatic coordination, while each selenium atom has a trigonal pyramidal configuration, bonded to three tungsten atoms.”

“This gives it polarity between its molecules and between the molecules and the crystal structure. One polar molecule polarizes another, creating an induced dipole moment and mutual attraction, which leads to collapse.”

“Meanwhile, the movement of electrons within a molecule creates a transient dipole moment. This, in turn, induces a transient polarization in adjacent molecules, which then enhances the original molecule’s transient dipole moment. This leads to folding.”

“These two phenomena are two manifestations of van der Waals force—that is, intermolecular force. They are very common in materials. Sometimes they’re indispensable, but other times, they can cause us trouble.”

“Xu Chuan, since you’ve read some books on materials, do you have any thoughts?”

Suddenly, Chen Zhengping changed tack and posed the question to Xu Chuan.

Chapter 102: What Does the Junior Like?

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding how the topic had circled back to him.

He was just a physics student with some accomplishments in mathematics; he knew nothing about materials science, so why ask him?

After some thought, he said, “I’m not familiar with materials science, but from a mathematical perspective, perhaps I can offer a suggestion.”

“Of course, it’s only a suggestion.”

Chen Zhengping raised an eyebrow, looked at his disciple, and said, “Go ahead.”

“I think that with the mathematical model complete, the experimental procedures have already been optimized. Under these circumstances, if there are still flaws, perhaps the problem isn’t with the procedures themselves.”

“It might be the raw materials, the reducing agent, or perhaps the catalyst that’s causing the problem.”

“I remember you mentioned a few days ago, Teacher, that while hydrogen is indeed the most compatible reducing agent for tungsten diselenide currently known, the data supporting this isn’t entirely rigorous. It might not be applicable to your new development method for tungsten diselenide.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping pondered for a moment and said, “You mean we should change the hydrogen reducing agent?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. It might not necessarily be the reducing agent; it could be the hot-solvent for all we know. But in any case, since the mathematical model is already done and the experimental process is optimized, testing a new reducing agent or hot-solvent won’t take too long.”

“And once we have some data, we can use the mathematical model to dissect and analyze for the optimal result. Why not give it a try?”

“If the hydrogen reducing agent doesn’t work, what should we replace it with?” Chen Zhengping mused, as if talking to himself, yet also as if asking Xu Chuan.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan felt a bit embarrassed. “That, I don’t know. I won’t disturb you any longer, Teacher. I need to get back and prepare for the Princeton Mathematical Society conference in February.”

He wasn’t lying. He truly didn’t know which reducing agent was most suitable for synthesizing tungsten diselenide nanosheets at that moment.

However, based on his past experience in materials R&D, he could speculate on one or two reducing agents that would be better than hydrogen.

But he couldn’t say so. After all, he currently had no experience in materials R&D. If he were to casually name one and claim it was just a guess, his Advisor wouldn’t necessarily believe him.

Without any proof or supporting data, no one would do such a thing. After all, every experiment costs money.

Besides, with Chen Zhengping’s capabilities, having already come this far and with a mathematical model to assist, resolving the effects caused by the van der Waals force wouldn’t be too difficult.

At most, it would just take a bit more time and a few more attempts.

It might not be perfect, but it would surely solve part of the problem.

Furthermore, for a material like tungsten diselenide, an eighty percent yield rate already gave this synthesis method considerable value.

This was because countries that had mastered the synthesis of tungsten diselenide currently used CVD tube furnaces for production.

Although their yield rates were higher, reaching over ninety percent, a top-tier CVD tube furnace was not cheap. A domestically produced one cost over one hundred thousand, while one from Germany or Japan could easily cost several hundred thousand, with the more expensive ones even breaking the seven-figure mark.

This new hot-solvent synthesis method didn’t require a top-tier CVD tube furnace, a point that alone was enough to demonstrate its huge advantage.

If his Advisor could ultimately resolve the effects of the van der Waals force and raise the yield rate of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets—not even by a lot, just to ninety percent—it would completely shatter this segment of the market.

At that point, forget the West monopolizing the tungsten diselenide market and selling to the country at high prices; if they tried to wage a price war with domestic producers, they would lose their shirts.

Xu Chuan’s words snapped Chen Zhengping out of his thoughts. He looked at Xu Chuan and said with a sigh, “Yes. We owe you a great deal for this tungsten diselenide R&D experiment.”

“To be honest, over the past month or so, when the hot-solvent synthesis method was stuck at sixty percent efficiency, I was secretly considering giving up on this project.”

“It had been delayed for too long, and every experiment was just burning money with almost no progress to show for it.”

“Before you brought up the peak segment’s effect on the raw materials, I had never considered that aspect. As for the data, I had others analyze it before, but we didn’t get any useful information.”

“That’s why I had a nagging feeling this project might not work out, and I was planning to drop it after the New Year if there was still no progress.”

“But now… an eighty percent yield rate is valuable enough. I’ll do my best to try and perfect it and solve the van der Waals effect.”

Smiling, Chen Zhengping continued, “In any case, I really have to thank you this time. Once the project is completed and submitted, you’ll get a hefty bonus. After all, this is a project related to a market worth several billion US dollars.”

“You should consider studying materials science with me in the future. You could even make a sideline out of it.”

By now, the gloom that had been weighing on Chen Zhengping’s mind had all but dissipated.

Even though he was an Academician and had reached the pinnacle of the country’s scientific community, the pressure he faced was no less than any professor’s—in fact, it was even greater.

Nearby, his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, was stunned to hear his Advisor’s words.

His Advisor was going to cancel the project? He’d never heard his Teacher mention anything about it.

If the project were canceled, he would most likely have to delay his graduation.

What a close call.

Thank goodness his junior had saved his hide.

He had to find a chance to thank him properly.

A foot massage, or maybe a full-service “health” treatment?

He just didn’t know which one his junior preferred.

Leaving the Materials R&D Building, Xu Chuan looked up at the azure sky and stretched.

His Advisor’s materials experiment was basically over for him. The rest of it had nothing to do with him; he just had to wait for the bonus after the project was completed and submitted.

As for what came next, he had to get ready to head to Princeton after the New Year.

It was already January 15th, 2016. The winter break would start in another two or three days. The Princeton Mathematical Society conference began on February 16th, and the Chinese New Year fell on February 7th this year.

In other words, he would have to leave home by the eighth day of the lunar new year at the latest.

“In the blink of an eye, another year has passed,” Xu Chuan remarked, gazing into the distance.

But he hadn’t wasted the past year.

Double gold medals in the IMO and IPhO, participating in an information war to solve a national information security crisis, two research papers, plus a solution to a world-class mathematical conjecture—even if it was a weakened form, it still counted as a world-class problem.

On top of that, he had learned new mathematical knowledge and, on the side, helped his Advisor salvage a project that was about to be abandoned.

All in all, it had been a very fulfilling year.

Of course, that’s not to mention the several million he had earned from his academic papers and achievements over the year. When it came to academic accomplishments, money wasn’t worth mentioning.

Chapter 103: A Speech at Star City No. 1 High School

January seventeenth. The final class meeting was over, bringing the first semester of his freshman year to a definitive close.

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan packed his luggage and backpack, preparing to head home the next day.

Just then, his phone on the desk not far away began to vibrate.

Xu Chuan walked over and picked it up. It was a call from Tang Gaoyuan, his high school physics teacher and homeroom teacher.

“Hello, Teacher Tang.”

Answering the call, Xu Chuan greeted him with a smile.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. Has your winter break started?”

On the other end of the line, Tang Gaoyuan’s cheerful voice came through.

“Yes, the break just started this afternoon,” Xu Chuan replied.

“So when are you coming home?” Tang Gaoyuan asked.

“Tomorrow.”

“That’s great. You’ll be passing through Xingcheng tomorrow, right? Stop by the school first. We’d like to invite you to give a speech to the underclassmen, to share some of your study experiences and techniques,” Old Tang invited cordially.

Xu Chuan felt a little awkward. “I don’t know about that, Teacher. I’m just an ordinary university student.”

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’? You’ve proved a world-class conjecture, and you’re calling yourself an ‘ordinary university student’? Have you no shame?”

Tang Gaoyuan sounded scornful over the phone. “It’s settled then. Come to the school tomorrow afternoon after you get off the high-speed rail.”

With that, he hung up.

In the dorm, Xu Chuan stared at the dark screen of his phone and shook his head. It looked like he’d have to change his ticket.

He had originally booked a ticket for ten in the morning, which would get him to Xingcheng at around two-thirty in the afternoon. From there, it would take him until about five to get home, just in time for dinner.

But now, he would have to leave earlier.

Fortunately, it wasn’t close to the Lunar New Year yet, so high-speed rail tickets weren’t that hard to get, and there were still other trains he could switch to.

Turning his phone back on, Xu Chuan changed the departure time of his high-speed rail ticket from ten o’clock to eight in the morning. There were two types of high-speed rail tickets from Nanjing to Xingcheng available for that time slot: one with a six-and-a-half-hour journey and another with a four-and-a-half-hour journey.

He bought the four-and-a-half-hour one. This way, if he departed at eight in the morning, he would arrive in Xingcheng a little after one in the afternoon. He could get to the school by around two, which was perfect. The only thing was that he would have to find a hotel near the high-speed rail station for the night, or he wouldn’t make the train the next day.

Just as he finished changing the ticket, Old Tang called again.

“Oh, right, what time will you arrive tomorrow afternoon? I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up. If it’s too late, you’ll just have to stay at the school for the night.”

Xu Chuan replied, “It won’t be that late. I should be in Xingcheng a little after one in the afternoon. As for picking me up, you don’t have to. I can just get a taxi.”

“One in the afternoon, right? After you exit the high-speed rail station, go to the KFC next to it. Someone will be there to pick you up.”

And with that, Old Tang hung up with the speed of a sudden thunderclap, so fast and furious that it left no time to react, leaving Xu Chuan staring at his phone, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The next day, at the Xingcheng High-Speed Rail South Station.

With a backpack on and pulling a black suitcase, Xu Chuan scanned his ticket and walked out of the station, heading towards the nearby KFC.

As he rounded the corner, he saw Old Tang.

“Teacher Tang, why did you come all the way here yourself?”

Spotting Tang Gaoyuan, Xu Chuan quickened his pace.

“What, I can’t come? Not happy to see an old man like me?” Tang Gaoyuan challenged.

Xu Chuan gave an awkward smile. “How could that be? You’ll always be my teacher.”

As they walked side by side toward the parking lot, Tang Gaoyuan sighed with emotion. “You’ve really made something of yourself now, kid. You solved a world-class conjecture in just half a year of university.”

Xu Chuan said modestly, “It was just a moment of inspiration, nothing special.”

“Hah! Give you a compliment and you’re already panting with false modesty. If this is ‘nothing special,’ then what is? Over ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine percent of the people in the world can’t hold a candle to you.”

Old Tang shot Xu Chuan a sidelong glance and continued, “And what’s with this habit of yours? So young, yet so determined to be humble all day long. A young man should act like a young man. It’s not like anyone’s criticizing you.”

Xu Chuan smiled awkwardly and changed the subject. “Teacher, how’s that girl Xu Xiao doing in school? How are her grades?”

Just as he had guessed, that mischievous little sister of his had ultimately chosen Star City No. 1 High School from among the Four Great Schools, following in his footsteps.

Hearing this, Old Tang smiled. “She’s a promising talent. Her grades are excellent, her foundation from before is very solid, and she has a great aptitude for the sciences. I’m planning to have her study physics with me. I’ll have to teach her well this time, lest she run off like someone I know.”

Xu Chuan wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead. It was the middle of winter, yet his teacher’s words were making him perspire.

Old Tang must have come today just to hit him where it hurt.

At Star City No. 1 High School, on the verdant soccer field, a sea of young faces filled the space. Students with innocent expressions sat on chairs, chatting in low voices, all curious about this sudden assembly.

The crowd only quieted down when the school leaders walked onto the speech platform, though the intense curiosity in most of the students’ hearts did not diminish.

However, a small number of students grew excited as they looked at the somewhat familiar young man on the stage.

The students from the third-year competition class, in particular, were thrilled.

That young man, a year ago—no, just six months ago—had been standing on this very campus, perhaps even sitting beside them in a classroom, studying together.

But now, half a year later, he had already proven a world-class mathematical conjecture, appeared on CCTV news, and won an astronomical bonus of one million five hundred thousand yuan.

If the former achievements seemed somewhat distant, then his record of an IMO gold medal, an IPhO gold medal, the IPhO Absolute Winner title, and a college entrance exam score of 790 was a massive inspiration to the competition class students.

After all, these things weren’t too far out of their reach. With hard work, they seemed attainable.

It was as if they saw their own future in the young man on the stage.

Meanwhile, our dear Xu Xiao was sitting in the section for Class 1501 of the first year, craning her little neck to get a better look at the young man speaking on stage.

“Xiaoxiao, is the person on stage the big brother you’re always talking about?”

Beside Xu Xiao, her good friend and bestie leaned over and whispered.

“Mhm, mhm, mhm, mhm,” Xu Xiao replied, nodding her little head excitedly.

“He doesn’t look that old. But he really is handsome.”

“Of course! My big bro is still more than ten days away from turning eighteen. And since I’m so pretty, my big bro is definitely handsome!” Xu Xiao raised her head proudly, tilting up her small chin.

“He’s not even eighteen? He’s only seventeen?”

Her friend’s round eyes widened in disbelief. But then, her eyes darted around a few times, and she took Xu Xiao’s hand affectionately. “Xiaoxiao, give me your brother’s WeChat and phone number. I’ll cover your cafeteria meals for five days, and I’ll give you that lipstick in the color you love most.”

“That’s not enough! I want ten days of cafeteria meals! And a lip balm, too!”

“Deal!”

Chapter 104: Heading to Princeton

In Tang Gaoyuan’s office in the school building, a group of people were chatting.

To Xu Chuan’s surprise, even the city leaders from Xingcheng had come to the school today.

Although it wasn’t as grand as the reception in Nanjing, it still expressed their care for him and their interest in his future.

After all, he was a talent who had emerged from Xiangnan, and Xingcheng, as the provincial capital of Xiangnan, naturally had to try and win him over.

After Xu Chuan dealt with the formalities, the crowd dispersed, leaving only two or three familiar teachers in the office to chat idly.

“It’s getting late. Are you still planning to go back? Why not stay at the school for a night and leave tomorrow?”

Old Tang said after taking a sip of tea. It was almost five in the evening, and the bus from Xingcheng back to Yue County should have already stopped running.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “No need to trouble you, Teacher. I’ve already booked a hotel.”

“Suit yourself. The school has a guesthouse, but it’s definitely not as comfortable as a hotel. Anyway, it’s not like you’re short on cash now, kid. You might as well just buy a house in Xingcheng.”

Xu Chuan scratched his head. “Let’s talk about buying a house later. It’s a bit too early for me, and I’m still a few days away from becoming an adult.”

Old Tang smiled and continued, “That’s true. So, are you planning to delve deep into mathematics from now on?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I’ll definitely walk this path, I just don’t know how far I can go.”

“What about physics? Are you planning to give it up?” Old Tang asked.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan said, “No, I’ve never thought of giving up physics, and I never will. The purpose of me studying mathematics is to help me go further in physics. After all, math and physics are inseparable. In-depth physics research in the future will definitely require the support of mathematics.”

“That’s true. But since you’ve proven a mathematical conjecture this time, you must be getting ready to graduate and study abroad. Where are you planning to go?” Old Tang tilted his head slightly, looking at Xu Chuan.

“Princeton, I guess. It’s the mecca of mathematics and physics. Plus, I have to go there for a trip after the New Year anyway, so it’s a good chance to experience it firsthand.”

“Hmm? You’re going on an exchange program so early? You haven’t even graduated from your undergraduate program, have you?” Old Tang asked, puzzled.

Xu Chuan smiled bashfully. “It’s not an exchange. There’s a Mathematical Society conference there in February, and I’ve been invited to give an academic presentation on my proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture.”

Old Tang was taken aback. After a long pause, he said, “That’s amazing!”

After returning from Xingcheng, Xu Chuan didn’t go out again. He would occasionally chat with his parents, but the rest of his time was basically spent reading.

He had brought back half a box of math books from the university, enough to last him through the New Year.

A few days later, Xu Xiao also started her winter break. With the little girl at home, the house became much livelier.

“Big Bro, I’m home!”

Before she even stepped through the door, Xu Xiao’s voice carried in from outside.

Hearing her, Xu Chuan smiled and put down his math book, going downstairs to greet her. If he didn’t go down, the little girl would pester him for days.

Rubbing Xiaoxiao’s head, Xu Chuan asked with a smile, “How do you like studying in the provincial capital?”

“It’s great. The only downside is that your legend is everywhere. The teachers use you as an example to lecture us, making it sound like we’re not as good as you.”

Xu Xiao wrinkled her little nose and spoke disdainfully, but her tone was full of delight.

“Then you’ll have to work hard.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile. It would probably be difficult for anyone to break his records at Star City No. 1 High School.

On the surface, it was two Olympiad gold medals and a perfect score on the college entrance exam. But in reality, there were also two research papers that ordinary students didn’t know about. The former was still somewhat achievable, but the latter was much more difficult. In high school, students generally didn’t have the necessary knowledge base to write a research paper.

“You underestimate me, Big Bro. Just watch me break your record! I’m going to get a perfect score in both the Physics and Math Olympiads! Hmph!”

Xiaoxiao snorted, flicking her ponytail as she went into her room.

Behind her, Xu Chuan just smiled and shook his head.

The days passed, and the atmosphere of the approaching Lunar New Year grew stronger. After the Little New Year, Xu Chuan’s birthday arrived.

It was his eighteenth birthday, marking his entry into adulthood. To celebrate, Xu Xiao specially took out the ‘private savings’ she had extorted from Xu Chuan and went to town to buy a cake.

“Big Bro, make a wish! Quick, make a wish!”

In the small living room, Xu Xiao shouted excitedly. The flickering candlelight reflected on everyone’s faces, which were filled with happy, brilliant smiles—a warm yet fleeting moment.

Xu Chuan smiled and closed his eyes, silently making a wish in his heart.

“Big Bro, what did you wish for?”

Beside him, Xu Xiao leaned over and asked mischievously.

“A wish won’t come true if you say it out loud,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

“Tch, no fun. Let’s cut the cake, let’s cut the cake.”

Xu Xiao scoffed, then turned away dismissively to pick up the plastic knife and fork. As she cut, she announced, “A piece for Big Bro, a piece for me. A piece for Mom, a piece for me. A piece for Dad, a piece for me… okay, one last piece left.”

Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He patted the little girl’s head.

“Where did you learn this method of cutting cake?”

Xu Xiao said righteously, “From Home with Kids!”

Leisurely times are always short. This New Year was not much different from usual: New Year’s Eve dinner, visiting relatives, paying respects to the village elders, and giving candy and red envelopes to the children.

The various routines didn’t change much, but it was much livelier than the previous year.

The home of a perfect-score top scholar from the college entrance exam was worth a visit for the village folks to bring their children over, hoping to learn from his example and lecture their own kids.

Even people from other villages who were closer to the Xu family would bring their children to visit.

This filled the faces of Father Xu and Mother Xu with proud smiles.

After the relative-visiting was done, Xu Chuan began to pack his luggage.

Today was the sixth. Just the right time to take a bus to Xingcheng.

Although his flight was booked for the eighth, his hometown had a folk custom of “seven don’t go out, eight don’t return.”

It means that you generally don’t leave home on the seventh of the month or return home on the eighth.

Xu Chuan didn’t really believe in these taboos, but his parents insisted, so he didn’t mind. It worked out anyway; on the seventh, he could visit his high school teachers in Xingcheng.

“Chuan’er, you must be careful when you’re abroad. Remember to call back when you arrive. I heard it’s very chaotic overseas, and everyone has a gun. Don’t argue with others, and don’t provoke people for no reason…”

“Yes, I know.”

In the room, Mother Xu nagged on and on as she helped Xu Chuan pack his clothes. Nearby, Father Xu also watched with a worried expression, though he didn’t say anything.

Xu Xiao, on the other hand, was bouncing excitedly on the bed. “Big Bro,” she said between bounces, “I heard there’s a lot of cheap and good cosmetics and lipsticks in the United States. Remember to bring some back for me.”

But she wasn’t able to bounce for long before she was suppressed by Mother Xu and sent back to her room to do her homework.

“Remember to call home often.”

Before he left, Mother Xu reminded him one last time.

Xu Chuan nodded firmly and got on the bus to Xingcheng.

After visiting his high school teachers and wishing them a late Happy New Year, Tang Gaoyuan insisted on driving Xu Chuan to the airport himself.

“Be careful when you get to the United States. Don’t go out at night, and don’t randomly attend parties. Especially parties with black people. If you see black people on the street, stay far away from them.”

In the small car, Old Tang carefully repeated his warnings the whole way. Although he still felt a bit regretful that his most prized student had run off to study mathematics, he was still deeply concerned about him.

In the passenger seat, Xu Chuan didn’t argue, listening quietly.

This was the concern of an elder, though sometimes such excessive concern could become a huge pressure.

Especially for him. To him, life was truly unpredictable; no one ever knew what the future held.

As they neared the airport, Xu Chuan finally spoke with a smile, “Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll buy a bulletproof vest to wear as soon as I get off the plane.”

Hearing this, Old Tang shot Xu Chuan a sideways glance, rendered speechless by his sudden remark.

But this interruption did much to lessen the heavy atmosphere of their parting.

After bidding farewell to Teacher Tang, Xu Chuan boarded the plane alone. He sat quietly in his familiar window seat, gazing at the scenery outside.

Traveling from China to Princeton was a hassle. He needed to fly from Xingcheng to Shanghai for a transfer, then fly from Shanghai to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and from there, travel to Princeton.

The total flight time added up to over sixteen hours, and the total travel time was over twenty-four hours.

Under these circumstances, sleeping as soon as he boarded the plane was not a wise choice.

However, Xu Chuan had experience dealing with such things. He wasn’t nervous, nor was he excited. Plus, since he had been invited by Princeton University to give an academic presentation, he was in first class. It wasn’t crowded, so the journey was quite relaxing.

Speaking of which, this reminded Xu Chuan of something else.

A friend of his from his past life, a math professor at Princeton, studied algebraic geometry. In algebraic geometry, there is a method for studying geometric structures called geometric blowing up, which involves extending a plane or space in all directions. This method is a bit like zooming in on a picture again, and again, and again.

One day, he was on a plane, too focused on calculating geometric equations. Coupled with his somewhat disheveled appearance, the lady in the next seat saw ‘blowing up’ written on his scratch paper and suspected him of being a terrorist. She thought he was calculating and researching some kind of explosive and reported him to the air marshals.

The plane then turned back, and he was taken away for investigation. He was only able to return to the plane two hours later, after which it took off.

Later, when he was chatting with Xu Chuan about this incident, he lamented that if you weren’t short on money overseas, it was best to fly first class and go to higher-end places for meals and accommodation.

Because the weight of money would naturally filter out the lowlifes around you, helping you avoid unnecessary trouble.

Without a doubt, the polarization in the United States today had become so severe that one could say it was two completely different countries.

The common people at the bottom relied on calculators for two-digit addition, subtraction, and multiplication, while the top echelons of the mathematics world were home to more than half of the world’s mathematical elites.

Chapter 105: The Hidden NPC Among Mathematicians

After a long flight, a blue and white airplane landed at Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.

Gazing out the thick glass window at the familiar scenery, Xu Chuan sat quietly in his seat for a moment, only snapping out of it when a smiling flight attendant handed him his backpack.

Returning to this country, he felt a certain gloom in his heart. But things were different now; the tragedy of his past life would not happen again.

Letting out a long breath of stale air from his chest, Xu Chuan offered a polite smile, took the backpack, and said his thanks.

Slinging the backpack over his shoulder, Xu Chuan stood up and left. After collecting his suitcase, he dialed a phone number.

“Hello, Senior Lin.”

“Hey, Xu Chuan, you’ve landed, right? I’m waiting for you in the arrivals hall. I’m holding a sign with your name written in Chinese on it. You’ll see it right away.”

A cheerful voice came from the other end of the line.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Xu Chuan replied, and after the brief exchange, he headed toward the arrivals hall with his luggage.

The Senior Lin on the phone was Lin Feng, a disciple of his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, who was currently studying physics at Princeton.

Long before Chinese New Year, Chen Zhengping had exchanged their contact information and had given Lin Feng a heads-up, confirming that he would come to pick Xu Chuan up.

After all, it was Xu Chuan’s first time abroad—no, that wasn’t right. It was his first time abroad alone, and he was only eighteen, so Chen Zhengping was still a bit worried.

Xu Chuan hadn’t refused his Advisor’s kind offer. Besides, he and Lin Feng had known each other well in his past life.

As soon as he walked into the arrivals hall, Xu Chuan spotted the familiar figure of his senior in the crowd.

He was just too conspicuous. Senior Lin was holding up a huge white cardboard sign with two large characters for “Xu Chuan” written on it. It was impossible to miss.

Towing his luggage, Xu Chuan quickly walked over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Senior Lin.”

Walking up to Lin Feng with a smile, Xu Chuan greeted him. Lin Feng, still holding the sign, was a bit stunned when he saw Xu Chuan and didn’t seem to register him at first.

After sizing him up for a couple of seconds to make sure he had the right person, Lin Feng said in surprise, “I only knew that Teacher took on a new disciple last year, but I never expected you to be so young. You don’t look like you’re even twenty, are you?”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “Not yet.”

“Incredible. To be able to solve a world-class conjecture on your own before you’re even twenty, tsk tsk.”

As he spoke, Lin Feng sized Xu Chuan up again, as if he were looking at a priceless treasure. “Let’s go. I’ll take you back to Princeton. I’m looking forward to your presentation. I’ll definitely be there to listen.”

“Thank you for the trouble, senior.”

“Hey, it’s nothing.”

Lin Feng waved his hand dismissively, took the black suitcase from Xu Chuan, and started pulling it towards the parking lot.

The drive from Philadelphia to Princeton wasn’t very far, just over an hour.

Soon, the two arrived at Princeton University.

“What do you think? The environment and scenery here are pretty nice, right?” Lin Feng asked Xu Chuan after they got out of the car.

Xu Chuan nodded. “It’s indeed very nice.”

He wasn’t lying. Princeton University was founded in 1746, back when the United States was still under the colonial rule of Great Britain. The various architectural styles carried a strong English flavor.

The old Gothic buildings were exquisitely designed, and the library could even give one the illusion of being at Hogwarts.

Coupled with the vast, sparsely populated land, situated in a unique rural city, the campus was surrounded by lush trees and green lawns. A clear river flowed quietly around the small town, and the entire university was enveloped by Lake Carnegie, making the scenery exceptionally elegant.

But if it was a matter of familiarity, he was far more familiar with it than Lin Feng was.

In his previous life, he had lived here for a full fifteen years. He could navigate the campus layout with his eyes closed.

“Come on, I’ll take you to get checked in,” Lin Feng said with a grin, leading Xu Chuan to the administrative building.

He handed the academic presentation invitation letter that Princeton had mailed over to the front desk staff. After they verified the information, they completed the check-in procedure for him.

The receptionist handed the key card to Xu Chuan and asked, “Your room is 401. Do you need me to show you the way?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Thank you, that won’t be necessary. I can find it myself.”

After dropping his luggage in his room, Xu Chuan went back downstairs. Lin Feng was still waiting at the entrance.

“Let’s go. I’ll give you a good tour of Princeton. Then you can get a night’s sleep, and your jet lag should be mostly sorted out.”

Lin Feng patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder and led him onto the Princeton campus.

Compared to universities in China, Princeton University was undefended. It had no proper surrounding walls, and its gates were merely landmarks, so there were no guards.

Except for superstitious students, anyone could enter and exit freely through this gate. Or rather, all the facilities of the town of Princeton were built around Princeton University.

Although it was located in the countryside, the public security here was excellent.

To put it another way, it was probably because there were many wealthy people here that the security was so good.

Due to its unique academic environment, coupled with the quiet and peaceful life of the small town and the aristocratic atmosphere steeped in a strong cultural milieu, the town of Princeton had become a favored place of residence for America’s upper class.

Moreover, as far as Xu Chuan knew, according to Princeton University’s financial data, the average donation from alumni of each graduating class reached two million US dollars.

That meant for every student who graduated, Princeton would gain two million US dollars in revenue in the future.

And how many students had graduated from Princeton? The number was now incalculable.

In 2017 alone, Princeton received a total of 23.4 billion US dollars in donations.

For this reason, Princeton University was also known as the richest university in the world.

“Junior, are you planning to continue your advanced studies in mathematics?” Lin Feng asked with a smile as they walked across the campus.

Xu Chuan nodded. “I probably will.”

“Have you considered Princeton?”

“Yes, of course, I have. After all, it’s a holy land for mathematics and physics. It almost perfectly aligns with my goals,” Xu Chuan said, gazing at the Princeton scenery with a hint of emotion.

For Chinese people, among the top three American schools—Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—Princeton was actually recognized as the easiest to get close to and apply for. It offered interview opportunities to at least 98% of applicants.

Moreover, Princeton placed considerable importance on science students from China, especially in the fields of physics and mathematics. Princeton was quite fond of Chinese international students in these two majors.

This was because the university preferred students who were down-to-earth, modest, academically rigorous, kind, and responsible.

And Chinese people, compared to those from other countries, were more likely to fit this profile.

In comparison, the equally prestigious Harvard and Yale were different. These two institutions admitted fewer Chinese students.

Harvard only recruited two types of Chinese students. One type was students who were very unique in a certain field, or rather, they only recruited the most “awesome” and most “outstanding” student in a field.

The other type was star students with off-the-charts intelligence, with requirements like a perfect SAT score or a 4.0 GPA.

And the other renowned institution, Yale, preferred to recruit socially-oriented youth with leadership skills and philanthropic students, so Chinese students generally didn’t fit the profile.

Furthermore, Yale had a somewhat anti-Chinese political nature because it had educated many of the United States’ presidents and came with various political bonuses.

After showing Xu Chuan around the campus and introducing various scenic spots, the two arrived at the venue for the International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference.

The conference would officially begin tomorrow, but the place was already bustling today.

Besides those like him who had been invited, there were also many math professors and students who had come from afar at their own expense.

These people were scattered throughout the campus, in classrooms, in the library, and at parties, seeking their own opportunities and exchanges.

Here, an unremarkable old man you randomly met on the street could be a titan in the world of mathematics.

If you were lucky enough, and you happened to meet and recognize one, you could even stop him on the road and ask him a question.

You didn’t have to worry about being rejected. Unless the other person had something very urgent, they would usually stop and have a discussion with you.

Here, everyone had the right to express their own ideas and opinions. The spirit of academia had been deeply integrated into this university.

But in correspondence, there were almost no entertainment venues here. For the students of Princeton University, the best entertainment was probably taking a relaxing stroll along the shores of Lake Carnegie, pondering class content, and delving into academic research.

On a normal basis, Princeton University held various exchange meetings or parties almost every week for professors and students to discuss and reflect on academic issues.

And an event like the International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference was of the utmost importance. So aside from the few official evening gatherings hosted by Princeton, there were also various mathematics discussion spots around campus.

Some were on conspicuous roadsides, some in the library, and some in classrooms. The location varied, as did the content of the discussions.

Just like farming spots for quests in a video game, these mathematics discussion spots were all organized by the visiting math professors or the students they brought with them.

If you were lucky, you could even run into Princeton’s own master of mathematics, Charles Louis Fefferman. This big shot—who was hired as a professor by the University of Chicago at the age of 22, the youngest professor of mathematics in US history, and a winner of the Fields Medal—loved to do this sort of thing.

He liked to set up a small spot by himself, just like the visiting professors, and then wait for a fated person to stumble upon him for a discussion.

In fact, this had pretty much become a recurring Easter egg at every International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference at Princeton.

The visiting professors and students would wander all over the campus, searching everywhere for this randomly-spawned hidden NPC.

Xu Chuan and Lin Feng were no exception; the two of them were also searching the campus for traces of this master.

In his past life, he and Fefferman had a friendship that transcended age. In this life, perhaps they could get to know each other even earlier.

However, before he could find this NPC, he bumped into another familiar person.

While wandering randomly on campus, Xu Chuan saw a familiar figure: Academician Zhang Weiping of Riyue University, with a young man beside him.

Stunned for a moment, he walked up and greeted him, “Teacher Zhang.”

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Zhang Weiping turned his head in curiosity. When he saw Xu Chuan, his eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically reached out and patted his shoulder.

“You’re here too, kid. Long time no see. How have you been lately?”

At the side, Lin Feng looked at Xu Chuan and Zhang Weiping with a mix of confusion and curiosity, maintaining a smile as he waited for an introduction.

“Academician Zhang Weiping, a professor at Riyue University, a super master in the field of geometry in our country, and a top expert in the mathematics world.”

“Teacher Zhang, this is also a student of my advisor, Chen Zhengping. His name is Lin Feng, and he’s currently pursuing advanced studies in physics here at Princeton.”

Xu Chuan smiled as he made the introductions.

“So you’re Academician Chern’s disciple. Hello, hello.”

Zhang Weiping smiled and extended his right hand. Seeing this, Lin Feng froze for a second before quickly and enthusiastically grasping it with both hands.

“Academician Zhang, you’re too kind. Just call me Little Lin. I’m currently a doctoral student here at Princeton. If there’s anything I can help with during the conference, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Hearing the name, Lin Feng had instantly realized who he was.

Zhang Weiping, wasn’t he the author of the Plane Geometry textbook?

If he wasn’t mistaken, this was Elder Chern’s last disciple! His attainments in plane geometry and analytic geometry were extremely high, and he had won the Chern Medal, the Hua Luogeng Prize for Mathematics, and various other top-tier math awards.

A super big shot!

He never imagined that his junior was so chummy with such a big shot.

He had been planning to introduce his junior to a few Princeton professors to show off a bit, but now… he figured he’d better forget it.

Chapter 106: An Invitation from Terence Tao

“Big shot? Kid, you’re just full of empty praise.”

Zhang Weiping shook his head with a smile, then pointed to the young man beside him and continued, “This is my disciple, Miao Pingbo.”

“Pingbo, this is the student I mentioned before, Xu Chuan. Don’t be fooled by his youth; he’s only a first-year student, but he’s already proven a world-class mathematical conjecture.”

“The one next to him is Academician Chen Zhengping’s student, Lin Feng.”

Hearing this, the young man with Zhang Weiping stepped forward and greeted the two.

Zhang Weiping wasn’t standoffish at all. After introducing his student, he shook his head with a smile and said, “Since we’ve run into each other, how about a walk together?”

“Won’t we be disturbing you?”

“Nonsense. We’re all here for the math exchange conference. What’s there to disturb? As long as you two don’t mind an old man like me,” Zhang Weiping said, waving his hand.

“By the way, you’re giving a presentation this time, aren’t you? How are the preparations going?”

“I’ve prepared a lot, but who knows how it will turn out? This is Princeton, after all, where the world’s top mathematicians have gathered.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. No one would dare claim their work was flawless at Princeton.

Even Professor Andrew Wiles had suffered a major setback after proving Fermat’s Last Theorem.

Back then, Professor Wiles’s proof was divided into six parts, each reviewed by a different person. Nick Katz, who was in charge of the third part, found a serious flaw in the construction of an Euler system, which made the Kolyvagin-Flach method inapplicable. Professor Wiles was powerless to fix it at the time.

But fortunately, he found a way out of the desperate situation. He used Iwasawa theory combined with the Kolyvagin-Flach method to patch the flaw, proving Fermat’s Conjecture in one fell swoop and removing it from the list of the seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Xu Chuan couldn’t guarantee that his own proof was completely correct either. There might be some hidden flaw he hadn’t discovered. Although the probability was very low, it was still possible.

Zhang Weiping smiled and said, “Mathematics is a rigorous discipline. I’m gratified that you have this mindset. But go on with confidence. Academician Zhang Gongqing from Peking University and I have both discussed and studied your paper carefully. It’s an outstanding proof.”

After his chance encounter with Zhang Weiping from Riyue University, Xu Chuan wandered around Princeton University for a while. Failing to find the legendary, randomly-spawning NPC, Professor Fefferman, he returned to his hotel.

This International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference would last for a total of five days. His presentation on the proof of the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was on the afternoon of the fourth day, with a duration of thirty minutes.

The first few days were basically reserved for the super big shots of the mathematics world to get on stage and share their results or viewpoints.

For example, Professor Andrew Wiles, who proved Fermat’s Conjecture; G. Faltings, who used methods from algebraic geometry to prove the Mordell conjecture in number theory; and Pierre Deligne, a disciple of Emperor G, and so on.

These were all super big shots in the world of mathematics. For an ordinary undergraduate, getting to attend one of their presentations would be more exciting than winning five million.

And in fact, for Xu Chuan, a first-year undergraduate, to be able to give a thirty-minute academic presentation at such an International Mathematics Research Exchange Conference was an achievement that put him at the very peak among undergraduates.

Such an accomplishment was a tremendous honor, not just for an undergraduate, but even for a doctoral student or a mathematics professor.

Of course, compared to the International Congress of Mathematicians held by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) every four years, the prestige of this exchange conference was quite a bit lower.

If it were the latter, and Xu Chuan could give a thirty-minute presentation, he could directly enter the Hundred Talents Program or be considered for the Young Yangtze River Scholar award upon returning to China.

In fact, as of 2014, the International Congress of Mathematicians two years ago, the number of people from China who had the honor of giving a presentation could be counted on one hand.

Of course, this didn’t include ethnic Chinese mathematicians from overseas, of whom there were many, but that didn’t hold much significance for China itself.

On the first day of the exchange conference, Xu Chuan went with Lin Feng to listen to the presentation by the master, G. Faltings, and was deeply impressed.

This master was currently recognized by the mathematics community as one of the top three strongest, and some even whispered that he was number one.

The other two were Professor Andrew Wiles, who proved Fermat’s Conjecture, and Professor Pierre Deligne, who had achieved a grand slam of mathematics awards.

Of course, the powerhouses of the mathematics world were far more numerous than just these. Besides these three, there were others with even greater achievements who were still alive.

For example, Professor Jean-Pierre Serre, who received the Fields Medal in 1954 at the age of 28, making him the youngest Fields Medalist to date.

Or Professor Grigori Perelman, who solved the Poincaré Conjecture, one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems.

However, of these two masters, the former was of advanced age, now ninety years old.

The latter had refused both the Fields Medal and the Millennium Prize, which was specially established by the Clay Mathematics Institute for the seven Millennium Prize Problems. He had semi-retired from the modern mathematics world and was living as a recluse in Russia, rarely appearing at external mathematics conferences.

In 2006, this master was awarded the Fields Medal for “his contributions to geometry and his revolutionary insights,” but he refused the trophy and medal and declined to accept the award.

The president of the International Mathematical Union, John Ball, tried to persuade Perelman to accept the award. After two days and ten hours of persuasion, he finally gave up.

Perelman had a famous quote: “I’m not interested in money or fame; I don’t want to be exhibited like an animal in a zoo.”

So never mind a math conference hosted by Princeton; even the International Congress of Mathematicians held by the International Mathematical Union couldn’t invite this master.

You could offer him the Fields Medal and a million US dollars, and he wouldn’t even bat an eye.

Therefore, the mathematics community today found it truly difficult to estimate this master’s strength and had temporarily given up on ranking him.

But no one could deny this master’s prowess in mathematics.

And, of course, there were plenty of top mathematicians in the new generation.

For instance, Terence Tao, who won the Fields Medal in 2006, or Peter Scholze, now Germany’s youngest W3 full professor.

However, compared to seniors like Faltings and Wiles, their accumulated work was indeed a bit less substantial.

As the first day of the math exchange conference began, mathematicians and talented individuals from different fields gathered in various auditoriums at Princeton University. These attending mathematicians chose their corresponding fields to participate in different panels.

As for Xu Chuan, he simply went to listen to whoever was most famous.

For him, relatively unknown mathematics professors didn’t have much to hold his attention. Rather than waste time there, he preferred to listen to the explanations from the masters.

After Professor Wiles’s presentation, Xu Chuan walked out of Auditorium Two. He was planning to go to Lake Carnegie to relax when he bumped into a somewhat familiar figure with a bang.

“Sorry, excuse me for bumping into you.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan rubbed his forehead, which was a little sore from the impact, and looked up. Before his eyes was a man who looked to be around thirty years old, wearing black-framed glasses, with a Chinese appearance.

“Huh? Are you Professor Terence Tao?”

Xu Chuan asked in surprise. The Chinese-looking man before him was none other than the rising star of the mathematics world, Professor Terence Tao.

This master had won a gold medal at the IMO International Mathematical Olympiad at the age of thirteen, became a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles at twenty-four, and received the Fields Medal at thirty-one.

In terms of age, he was now forty-one, but perhaps due to his innate gifts or something else, he looked to be only in his thirties, appearing remarkably young.

“That’s me. And you are?”

Terence Tao asked, looking at Xu Chuan with some confusion.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Hello, Professor Tao. My name is Xu Chuan, from China,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, introducing himself.

“Xu Chuan?” Terence Tao murmured the name, feeling as if he had heard it somewhere before.

He frowned in thought for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. He said quickly, “You’re the one who proved the weak form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, right?”

“Compared to your achievements, Professor Tao, it’s nothing worth mentioning,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

A proof of the weak form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was indeed nothing in front of this super big shot.

As an all-rounder in the world of mathematics, Terence Tao’s research spanned multiple mathematical fields, from harmonic analysis to nonlinear partial differential equations, to combinatorics, analytic number theory, algebraic number theory, and more.

The incredible breadth of his fields was even greater than his own research in physics in his previous life.

“No, no, you’re being too modest. The Weyl-Berry conjecture has been a difficult problem that has troubled the mathematics community for over thirty years, placing its difficulty at the highest level. I’ve read your paper; it’s a remarkably brilliant proof. You created a ‘small opening’ between the non-connected domains to connect them. That line of thinking was simply brilliant.”

Terence Tao said with a smile, stopping in his tracks to start a conversation about mathematics with Xu Chuan.

The two stood there in the corridor outside the auditorium, exchanging their understandings of mathematics, which also attracted the attention of other attendees of the conference.

After recognizing the famous Terence Tao, many people chose to quietly approach, wanting to hear what the two were talking about. They were also curious about the identity of the exceptionally young man who could chat so freely about mathematics with Tao.

By the time Xu Chuan came to his senses, a crowd had already gathered around them.

“It seems this isn’t a very suitable place to continue seeking your guidance, Professor Tao. Here is my contact information and email. I hope I can consult with you more in the future.”

Looking at the crowd surrounding them, Xu Chuan shrugged, took out a portable notebook and pen from his pocket, wrote down his phone number and email, and handed it to Terence Tao.

“Forget about ‘seeking guidance.’ It’s truly fascinating to discuss things with a math genius like you.” Terence Tao smiled as he took the slip of paper, glanced at the number on it, and tucked it into his pocket.

The two bid each other farewell and were about to leave when suddenly, Terence Tao stopped in his tracks, turned around, and called out, “Hey, Xu Chuan! Want to come with me to Professor Scholze’s presentation?”

Chapter 107: Xu Chuan, What Do You Think?

Xu Chuan had just turned and taken two steps when Professor Terence Tao’s invitation came from behind him.

He stopped in his tracks, a look of puzzlement on his face. “Isn’t Professor Scholze’s lecture tomorrow at nine in the morning?” he asked.

He had previously looked at the schedule for this mathematics conference and remembered clearly the time of every lecture he found worth attending. Professor Scholze’s presentation was one of his main targets for this trip.

Like Terence Tao, Professor Scholze was a rising star in the world of mathematics, though he was a bit younger, not yet thirty this year.

The two were hailed as the twin towers of the mathematics community, a testament to the considerable gap they had already put between themselves and their peers.

“It was originally scheduled for ten in the morning, but Professor W. T. Gowers had an urgent matter and returned to Cambridge, so one of the lectures was moved up to this afternoon. You should have received an email about it,” Terence Tao explained with a smile.

“Oh, I see. My apologies for the trouble, Professor Tao.” Xu Chuan nodded and turned to follow him.

“This is perfect. We can continue our chat about connected domains with fractal boundaries, can’t we?” Terence Tao pushed up his glasses and smiled at Xu Chuan.

By the time the two arrived at Lecture Hall One for Professor Scholze’s presentation, the lecture had already begun.

Finding a seat, Xu Chuan looked toward the figure on the stage with shoulder-length curly hair and began to listen intently.

As expected, for this mathematics conference at Princeton, Peter Scholze was expounding on his greatest achievement: the mathematical concept of “perfectoid spaces.”

This was a mathematical tool he had created during his doctoral studies, also known as his “p-adic geometry theory.”

This theory had enabled mathematicians to prove many unsolved problems in algebraic geometry and other fields, bringing together topology, Galois theory, and p-adic numbers to form a new branch of mathematics.

Currently, this theory was extremely popular in the mathematics community, and it was the unparalleled darling of the number theory field.

On one hand, the inventor, Scholze himself, had used this theory to make many significant breakthroughs in the Langlands program, drawing the attention of numerous mathematicians.

On the other hand, p-adic numbers are at the core of number theory. For instance, when Professor Wiles was proving Fermat’s Last Theorem, almost every step involved the concept of p-adic numbers.

Furthermore, there was a near-unanimous consensus in the mathematics world that the grand unification of geometry and algebra might lie in p-adic numbers.

Oh, and as a side note, a portion of Xu Chuan’s previous research on the Weyl-Berry conjecture was also related to p-adic numbers.

Therefore, Xu Chuan placed great importance on Professor Scholze’s lecture, hoping to draw some inspiration from it to make a breakthrough in the spectral asymptotics of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

“Xu, we all know that the p-adic zeta function is an example of a p-adic L-function, which reflects the analytic properties of the corresponding number field. The work of Coates-Wiles and Coleman on the explicit reciprocity law shows that the aforementioned polynomial and ch(E/C) only differ by a fixed polynomial.”

“Do you think that if we choose a suitable Galois field as a finite abelian group, we could equate algebraic objects with p-adic analytic objects?”

Beside him, Terence Tao, who had been listening intently, suddenly leaned over and whispered the question.

Xu Chuan frowned slightly. “The main conjecture of Iwasawa theory?”

Terence Tao nodded. “Yes. I just had a bit of an inspiration while listening to Professor Scholze explain his theory of perfectoid spaces. It might be worth a try. What do you think?”

At his words, Xu Chuan’s brow furrowed deeply. After some thought, he said, “Consider the system formed by the group rings Zp[Gn]. Since a natural restriction map exists from G(n+1) to G(n), this system also has a projective limit, Λ. In fact, Λ is isomorphic to the power series ring Zp[[T]] with coefficients in Zp, which is called the Iwasawa algebra.”

“Returning to the case of the cyclotomic Zp-extension. The ideal class group of K(n) is a finite abelian group; let its p-part be A(n). On one hand, since it is a p-group, Zp acts on it. On the other hand, the Galois group of K(n)/K acts on it, so A(n) is a finite module over the ring Zp[Gn]. Since there are natural maps from K(n+1) to K(n), we can obtain natural maps from A(n+1) to A(n).”

“From ch(A) = ch(E/C), we can see that A describes the ideal class group of the number field, a purely algebraic object, while the cyclotomic units are essentially an analytic object.”

“From this perspective, trying to use a suitable Galois field as a finite abelian group to equate algebraic and p-adic objects would likely be a very difficult thing to do.”

Hearing this, Terence Tao fell into deep thought. After a long moment, he said, “But a finite extension of the field group should be able to solve this problem. We can use Professor Scholze’s theory of perfectoid spaces. This theory can simplify arithmetic problems on local fields into representations as combinations of specific characteristics and characteristic fields.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Sorry, I’m not familiar with this area. I don’t know much about Professor Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here to learn about it today.”

He really wasn’t familiar with this area. Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory was a topic in algebra and geometry, and p-adic numbers were pure number theory. In his past life, he knew next to nothing about them. What he had just said was based on some knowledge he had picked up about field extensions before Chinese New Year.

Hearing this, it was as if Terence Tao had suddenly woken up. “Oh, I almost forgot you’re only in your first year of university. Professor Scholze’s theory of perfectoid spaces is indeed a bit difficult for an undergraduate to understand.”

“But your knowledge is truly astonishing. I didn’t expect that besides spectral asymptotics and connected domains with fractal boundaries, you would also have such a profound understanding of group rings and finite fields.”

“Are you really an undergraduate student? Perhaps in the future, you could try to delve deeper into this area.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’m already working on it.”

Terence Tao sighed with admiration. “It seems that in the near future, we will welcome another new star to the world of mathematics.”

After a pause, he continued, “Xu, how about coming to the University of California for your doctorate? I have some ideas about the main conjecture of Iwasawa theory, and if you’re interested, we could work on solving it together.”

“I need someone to help me with matters related to field groups. You’re a great fit, and we communicate very well, don’t we?”

Nearby, a mathematics professor from Argentina stared blankly at Terence Tao and Xu Chuan.

WTF?

What on earth were those two talking about?

It was obvious that the professor had overheard their entire conversation.

But unfortunately, he hadn’t understood a single word.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d caught keywords like “field group,” “Galois field,” and “Iwasawa theory.”

Unfortunately, when they were all strung together, he had no idea what the two of them were saying.

He didn’t know Xu Chuan, but he recognized Professor Terence Tao.

At first, he had thought Xu Chuan was one of Professor Tao’s students and was congratulating himself on getting a seat next to the famous professor, planning to ask for some guidance after Professor Scholze’s lecture.

But as time went on and the two began to converse, he was completely baffled.

This young man didn’t seem to be Professor Tao’s student.

Since when was there a newcomer in the mathematics world who could converse so freely with Professor Tao?

He’d never heard of anyone like that.

And what’s more, a personal invitation from Professor Tao to pursue a doctorate, to join a research project on Iwasawa theory… that kind of treatment…

FK, he was so envious. It was like sitting on a high mountain of lemons, so sour!

Chapter 108: The Final Step in Proving the Weyl-Berry Conjecture

In the auditorium, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised by Terence Tao’s invitation.

After all, the gap between them was immense.

Terence Tao was forty-one years old this year and had already won all sorts of top-tier mathematics awards, including the Fields Medal, the Clay Research Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, the Waterman Award, and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

In addition, he was honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Great Britain, a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Australian National Academician.

And he, Xu Chuan, was still just a university student who had proven a world-class conjecture on the lower end of the difficulty spectrum.

The difference in their status was simply too vast.

Of course, mathematics wasn’t a field that dwelled on such things. In the world of mathematics, strength commanded respect. As long as you had true ability, it didn’t matter if you were a university, high school, or even middle school student; you would earn the respect of others.

As for the invitation itself, Xu Chuan was only moderately tempted.

Although Professor Terence Tao was a Fields Medalist, Princeton had even more of them. The University of California was excellent—arguably one of the top universities in the United States, second only to the likes of Princeton, Harvard, and Yale—but by comparison, Princeton was undoubtedly stronger.

So he politely declined Professor Tao’s invitation.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s refusal, Terence Tao expressed his regret with a sigh. However, he also knew that the most suitable school for the young man before him wasn’t the University of California, Berkeley, but the very institution they were standing in.

In terms of mathematics alone, Princeton dominated all other universities in the United States.

After Professor Scholze’s lecture, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel room.

He called the front desk to have dinner sent up, then took a notebook and a pen from his bag and began to organize what he had learned that day.

Both Professor Scholze’s explanation of Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory at the lecture and his own chance encounter and discussion with Professor Terence Tao had brought him a great deal of insight and mathematical knowledge.

While the memories were still fresh in his mind, transcribing everything once more would help deepen his understanding of this new knowledge.

“The main conjecture of Iwasawa theory: ch(A) = ch(E/C), where A is the ideal class group of a field, a purely algebraic object. Cyclotomic units, on the other hand, are essentially an analytic object.”

“In fact, let ζ(p, s) = ζ(s) · (1 - p⁻ˢ) = ∑_{n, p∤n} 1/nˢ. This function, called the p-adic zeta function, is continuous on Z_p, and its values at negative integers can be represented by the interpolation of a monic polynomial in Z_p[T].”

“…”

As he sorted through the day’s gains, Xu Chuan pondered whether they could be applied somewhere.

This was a unique habit of his.

Mathematics required inspiration, it was true, but inspiration was built upon a foundation of knowledge.

There was a saying: “Fortune favors the prepared.” If you weren’t prepared, you couldn’t seize inspiration even when it struck.

“Take a suitable Galois field as a finite abelian group, equating the algebraic object with the p-adic…”

As the black gel pen recorded a string of characters in the pristine white notebook, a bolt of lightning flashed through Xu Chuan’s mind.

“Wait. The elements of a Galois field can be generated by a primitive polynomial over that field. In a field generated by a primitive polynomial, the additive identity is 0, the multiplicative identity is 1, and the primitive polynomial is an irreducible polynomial.”

“Although it is a finite field, a Dirichlet domain can be extended to infinity. Is it possible to construct a field value through field extension, then move it to a higher dimension, and subsequently use the Dirichlet domain to bound the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω?”

“The ultimate goal of the Weyl-Berry conjecture is to prove that the fractal dimension and fractal measure are spectrally invariant. If the boundary points can be given, then the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω should be determinable.”

“This idea was indeed my initial inspiration, but back then, I didn’t have a sufficient foundation of knowledge to verify it. Now, it seems this inspiration still has some flaws, but that’s okay. I can try it first.”

Staring at the information recorded on the scratch paper, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

When he had a cold last year, he had been struck with an inspiration for proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture, but at the time, he lacked the foundational mathematics to verify it.

And today, after hearing Professor Scholze’s lecture on Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory and his discussion with Professor Terence Tao, the opportunity seemed to have arrived.

Realizing this, Xu Chuan got up and used the landline on the bedside table to call the front desk, asking them to send up a stack of scratch paper or printing paper.

At any hotel in Princeton, this was a complimentary service that the hotel was obligated to provide.

Because this was the holy land of mathematics, no one knew if a mathematician was staying in the hotel, or if inspiration might suddenly strike one night.

So for the sake of academia, Princeton provided the best possible service.

Soon, a hotel staff member delivered a thick stack of scratch paper, along with a blessing.

“Good luck, sir.”

But Xu Chuan paid him no mind. He was completely immersed in the ideas taking shape in his mind. He took the paper from the young man’s hand with a vacant look and shut the door with a bang.

The young man at the door didn’t mind. Working here, he had seen too many mathematicians and plenty of “oddballs.”

The guest in this room wasn’t even strange, really. Ignoring him only meant that he was currently absorbed in contemplating a problem.

Although he looked a bit too young to be a mathematician, young mathematicians were not unheard of.

For instance, about a decade ago, Professor Terence Tao had stayed at their hotel. That big shot had even solved a mathematical conjecture in one of their rooms.

Afterward, that room was preserved as a room of special significance and was rarely opened to the public.

After taking the scratch paper from the staff member, Xu Chuan returned to the wooden desk.

The off-white scratch paper was spread flat on the desk, and a black ballpoint pen began to trace mathematical symbols on it.

“…Starting from the Weyl-Berry theorem 3.2, construct a bounded and connected open set Ω. Let Ω be a bounded connected region in Rⁿ (n≥2) satisfying the above condition (C), with a boundary having an inner Minkowski dimension δ∈(n-1, n). Then as λ→+∞, we have:

N(λ) - C(λ) ≤ -C_{n,δ}(λ/π)^{δ/2} P_n(t+o(1)) + o((λ/π)^{δ/2})

“…”

“Let Ω(a) be a connected region, with the side length of each square being Lᵢ = a(i+1) - a(i). The function a(x) is strictly monotonically increasing, and lim_{x→∞} (a(x+1) - a(x)) = 0.”

“Furthermore, the area of Ω(a) is required to be bounded, i.e., |Ω(a)| = ∑_{i=0}^∞ Lᵢ² < ∞.”

“Calculate the inner Minkowski dimension δ and the δ-dimensional upper Minkowski content of the boundary…”

“…”

Starting from his previous flash of inspiration, Xu Chuan defined the spectrally invariant fractal dimension and fractal measure of the Weyl-Berry conjecture on a high-dimensional boundary. He then used the Dirichlet function’s domain to transform the Laplace operator and the Laplace hyperbolic equation before extending its field.

A marvelous inspiration once again erupted in his mind. Unlike last time, he now possessed enough foundational knowledge to build a staircase to chase after its footsteps.

Immersed in the process of solving the proof, he was like a detective at a crime scene, gathering evidence piece by piece until he could forge it all into a solid, reliable set of shackles to arrest the hidden suspect.

Right now, he too was gathering all sorts of usable and reliable mathematical knowledge piece by piece, twisting them into a sturdy rope, then using it to lash together the planks of mathematical theorems and calculated data, forming a reliable staircase leading to the final Weyl-Berry conjecture.

From the evening of the second day until late at night on the third, for nearly thirty hours, Xu Chuan did not close his eyes.

Other than going downstairs for meals, he never once left his small hotel room.

After he missed the second day’s gala and the third day’s conference session and gala, his senior, Lin Feng, finally called his cell phone.

Hearing the phone vibrate, Xu Chuan rejected the call without even looking.

But the caller seemed relentless, dialing again and again, which finally pulled Xu Chuan back from his diverging thoughts.

“Hello, Senior Lin, what’s up?”

His weary voice traveled through the phone. On the other end, Lin Feng asked with concern, “Are you alright, Xu Chuan? Did you catch a cold or something? You didn’t come to today’s session or the gala. You missed such an important occasion.”

“I’m fine. I’ve had a bit of inspiration these past two days, so I’ve been in my room thinking about a problem,” Xu Chuan replied, his eyes fixed on the proof data on his scratch paper.

As far as he was concerned, missing the conference sessions and galas on the second and third days was no big deal.

Although the conference was important, it was nothing compared to what he had gained in the last two days.

His nearly thirty sleepless hours of hard work had not been in vain. By using the Dirichlet function’s domain to transform the Laplace operator and the Laplace hyperbolic equation, and then using differential equations to define a fractal framework, he had successfully made the boundary Ω measurable within this framework.

Having reached this stage, he was only one final step away from proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture: proving that the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω are spectrally invariant.

As long as he solved this problem, the Weyl-Berry conjecture would become the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

By comparison, the few lectures he missed at the conference and the conversations he might have had at the gala seemed insignificant.

“Researching a problem? What problem? Well, as long as you’re okay. Remember to get some rest. Don’t forget you have a presentation tomorrow afternoon.”

Lin Feng’s voice came through the phone.

He hadn’t seen Xu Chuan for two days and had asked around, but no one familiar with him had seen him either, so he was a little worried that something might have happened to his junior.

After all, it was his first time in the United States. He was in an unfamiliar place, and with guns not being banned in the US, it was still a bit unsafe.

Now that he knew Xu Chuan was just researching a problem in his hotel room, he was relieved.

Although it was a pity to miss the conference sessions and the gala, the important thing was that he was safe.

Chapter 109: Presenting on Stage

After hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan stared at the scratch paper on his desk for a moment before standing up and stretching.

He’d been sitting for too long; now, whenever he moved, his joints cracked and popped.

After calling the front desk to order a late-night snack, Xu Chuan stepped into the shower and took a hot bath, washing away his fatigue.

Senior Lin’s call had been very timely. If not for that call, he most likely would have continued to push through the night, trying to solve this final step.

In that case, he might have genuinely missed tomorrow’s presentation.

While a single presentation wasn’t crucial to him in the grand scheme of things, it was important for the ‘present’ him.

Right now, he needed this presentation to bolster his talent and reputation.

After showering and eating something, Xu Chuan flopped onto the bed. Before the lights were even turned off, the sound of soft snores filled the room.

Xu Chuan slept straight from eleven at night until noon the next day—a full twelve hours.

The effect on his physical and mental recovery was remarkable. The previous exhaustion and lethargy were completely gone, and he felt full of vigor after waking up.

He showered again, tidied himself up, put on a newly bought suit, and tied his tie.

The mathematics community didn’t typically care much about appearances—Professor Grigori Perelman, who had solved the Poincaré Conjecture, went around with a head of wild, unkempt hair all day—but for him, this represented not only himself but also his Motherland, so he naturally had to pay attention to his image.

Besides, as a ‘newcomer’ to the world of mathematics, dressing neatly was the least he could do to show respect for his seniors.

At 2:30 PM, after confirming the time, Xu Chuan headed for Auditorium Two.

His presentation would take place there, from 2:45 PM to 3:15 PM, lasting for thirty minutes.

Arriving right on time, Xu Chuan entered Auditorium Two.

Inside the auditorium, more than half the seats in the tiered lecture hall were filled. He estimated there were over two hundred people.

At a glance, Xu Chuan spotted the two masters, Terence Tao and Zhang Weiping, sitting in the front row. They smiled and nodded at him.

In addition, Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman had also come.

The former was a disciple of the mathematical Emperor G and had won a grand slam of awards in mathematics.

The latter was famous for reviving research in classical analysis and had made major breakthroughs in fields like real analysis, complex analysis, harmonic analysis, and Partial Differential Equations. He too was a Fields Medal laureate.

Of course, not everyone attending the mathematics conference was here. Many others were in Auditorium One.

Over there, a mathematics professor from Australia was giving a presentation on number theory.

Princeton’s annual large-scale mathematics research conference was a major event in the mathematical world, with many people from the Mathematical Society participating.

But with so many people, it was impossible for everyone to be interested in the same area of mathematics. People dispersed to find their own opportunities.

In fact, Xu Chuan was a little surprised that over two hundred people had come to listen to his presentation.

While the Weyl-Berry conjecture was quite difficult, it wasn’t a mainstream research topic in contemporary mathematics; one could even say it was quite niche.

In comparison, the professor’s presentation on number theory next door was a classic hot topic.

The fact that so many people came to listen was likely related to his age.

The conference handbook contained detailed information on every presenter, from the topic of the presentation to the presenter’s age.

A seventeen-year-old boy solving a world-class mathematical conjecture was enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

Without any stage fright, Xu Chuan adjusted his clothes and walked onto the stage.

At that moment, the more than two hundred people in the audience turned their gazes toward him. After the event staff turned on the projector, the presentation materials he had previously sent to Princeton appeared on the screen.

He slightly adjusted the headset microphone to a comfortable position, took a deep breath, and looked at the screen beside him before speaking slowly:

“First, I’d like to thank Princeton University for giving me this opportunity, and I’d also like to thank all of you for traveling from all over the world to hear my presentation on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“I believe everyone has already seen the research paper on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, so I will not elaborate on the tedious steps of the proof found in the paper.”

“I will divide the time, as is customary. The first ten minutes will be dedicated to explaining the key ideas of the proof, and the following twenty minutes will be left for questions.”

“Now, let’s begin.”

He paused and looked at the projector screen beside him: “In 1993, Professors Lapidus and Pomerance proved that the one-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture holds, but for higher dimensions, the situation becomes much more complex.”

“Does there exist a fractal framework in which the boundary Ω is measurable, and the Weyl-Berry conjecture holds within this fractal framework?”

“That is: N(λ) = (2π)⁻ⁿωₙ|Ω|ₙλⁿ/² + Cₙ,δ(δ,Ω)λδ/² + o(λδ/²), as λ → +∞.”

“This is the latest definition of the Weyl-Berry conjecture in the mathematical community.”

“Let Ω ⊂ Rⁿ be a bounded open set. We consider the eigenvalue problem for the Dirichlet-Laplace operator: (P) {−Δu = λu, for x ∈ Ω; u|∂Ω = 0.”

“Here, lim(k→+∞) λₖ = +∞. The problem we are interested in is which geometric quantities of Ω are spectrally invariant (that is, uniquely determined by the spectrum {λᵢ}ᵢ∈ℕ). This problem depends on studying the asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalue λₖ as k→+∞. For λ > 0, we define…”

“…”

Down in the audience, Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman sat together, watching the young man on stage with great interest.

“Fefferman, what do you think?” Professor Deligne asked his colleague in a low voice, smiling as he listened to Xu Chuan’s explanation.

“An outstanding proof. It’s more enlightening than just reading the paper. He has a remarkably unique understanding of the construction of spectral fractal domains, such as the spectral asymptotics of elliptic operators, inverse spectral problems, and fractal drum theory. Using the Laplace operator to create openings or bridges for non-connected domains is something I had never considered.”

“Moreover, from his presentation today, it seems he has made some new discoveries. For example, what he just mentioned about using the Dirichlet domain to constrain the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω—that seems applicable to the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture. I’m very interested in this part.”

Professor Fefferman, who had a thick beard, replied without taking his eyes off the figure on the stage.

Beside him, Professor Deligne smiled and said, “It seems you’ve noticed it too. Then let’s look forward to the question-and-answer session.”

Chapter 110: That Glimmer of Inspiration

“…such that the coefficient before λ^(6/2) on the right side of estimation (4.5) is greater than 0.”

“Therefore, for this connected fractal domain, it is proven that the Weyl-Berry conjecture holds true in its weakened form!”

Xu Chuan had precise control over his time. He’d said he would explain the key points in ten minutes, and he absolutely didn’t go over. Nine and a half minutes into the presentation, he bowed slightly to the audience below the stage.

As his presentation ended, fervent applause rang out from below the stage.

The mathematics professors attending the presentation, even those who had come purely out of curiosity about Xu Chuan’s age, had all conducted research in fields such as the Weyl-Berry conjecture, spectral asymptotics, inverse spectral problems, and fractal drum theory.

Moreover, it was an unspoken rule in academia—an essential piece of etiquette—to have read the presenter’s research paper at least once before attending their academic presentation.

Therefore, the professors at the presentation had mostly understood Xu Chuan’s explanation—or at the very least, a part of it.

As for the students who had tagged along with their teachers to broaden their horizons, who really cared what they thought?

Unless they could identify a fatal flaw during the upcoming Q&A session, basically no one cared whether they had truly understood.

Waiting for the applause from the audience to quiet down, Xu Chuan spoke again. “Thank you all for listening. Those were the key points of the proof for the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“Next will be the question and answer session.”

At his words, a firm, strong hand shot up from the very front row of the audience.

A slight commotion went through the auditorium when everyone saw who had raised their hand.

“Professor Fefferman? Does he have a question? Or did he not understand this presenter’s explanation?”

“Impossible. Professor Fefferman is one of the top experts in partial differential equations. Even I understood the explanation; there’s no way he didn’t.”

“Perhaps he discovered a fatal flaw during the explanation?”

“That’s not very likely, is it? Hasn’t the paper proving the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture already been published in New Progress in Mathematics? It was personally verified by Professor Gowers.”

“But what if it’s a flaw that even Professor Gowers overlooked?”

“Then that would be truly terrible news for this young presenter.”

On stage, Xu Chuan was also slightly surprised to see that it was Professor Fefferman who had raised his hand.

After all, in his eyes, a master of this caliber shouldn’t have had any questions.

However, since the man had raised his hand to ask a question, Xu Chuan couldn’t just ignore him. After gesturing for him to proceed, Professor Fefferman stood up.

“I noticed during your presentation that you mentioned it’s possible to bound the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω using a Dirichlet domain. This doesn’t seem to be related to your published paper on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. Could you please elaborate?”

Professor Fefferman stood up, looking at Xu Chuan on the stage as he asked.

At academic presentations, questions were generally expected to be about the content of the talk itself.

And while this question about a supplementary theorem was slightly outside the scope, it was still considered a valid question.

At those words, a flicker of surprise crossed Xu Chuan’s eyes. He had only mentioned it briefly as a supplement to the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and hadn’t expected this big shot to catch it.

After a moment of thought to organize his ideas, Xu Chuan began, “Using a Dirichlet domain to bound the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω is not part of the paper proving the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“In my presentation and the paper published in New Progress in Mathematics, I explained that the Weyl-Berry conjecture also includes the case where the domain Ω itself is assumed to be a fractal domain.”

“In the Weyl-Berry conjecture, assuming that a differential operator cannot be directly defined on the domain Ω itself, one can use the finite difference method or a Dirichlet form to define the Laplace operator, and thus calculate its eigenvalues.”

“If it can be proven that the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω are spectrally invariant, then the Weyl-Berry conjecture can become a theorem.”

“As for using a Dirichlet domain to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure, that is part of my continued research on the Weyl-Berry conjecture after proving its weakened form.”

“So, it is actually unrelated to the weakened Weyl-Berry conjecture. It’s a supplement to the full conjecture.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan looked at the staff member standing at the side of the stage and said, “Could I trouble you to bring me a blackboard and a box of chalk?”

Below the stage, the staff member from the Princeton event staff didn’t hesitate at all. He nodded and turned to leave.

For them, serving the mathematicians on stage was their sole duty. No matter how absurd the request, as long as it wasn’t too outrageous or impossible to fulfill, they would do it.

A request like this young man’s for a blackboard and chalk had occurred countless times throughout Princeton’s history.

On stage, Xu Chuan waited quietly.

Generally, when mathematicians are researching a particular conjecture, they rarely reveal their methods to the outside world.

This is because it could lead to other scholars using those methods to beat them to the punch.

However, Xu Chuan didn’t mind revealing that a Dirichlet domain could be used to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure.

After all, it was only a small piece of the puzzle in proving the full Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Soon, the event staff dragged a blackboard over. Xu Chuan took the chalk and offered a word of thanks.

“…C ≤ 2γμ*n(n-6/2)a^(δ-n)(1+o(1))) ∑_{p|n} 1/n^s”

“Definition: ω(λ, J) = Max{|k-K(λ)| ≤ J, k≥0}”

Thus, as λ → ∞, we have…

On the blackboard, pure white chalk sketched out line after line of equations—the very essence of how a Dirichlet domain could be used to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure.

And as Xu Chuan wrote, the pupils of Professor Fefferman, who was still standing below the stage, suddenly contracted.

Professor Deligne, sitting next to Professor Fefferman, narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as he stared at the blackboard on stage.

At the same time, Professor Terence Tao, who was sitting with Professor Zhang Weiping and had spoken with Xu Chuan just the day before yesterday, also sat up straight, wiped the lenses of his glasses with the corner of his shirt, and put them back on.

Once Xu Chuan began writing on the board, the top-tier mathematics professors all reacted in nearly the same way. In his equations, they saw something new.

Behind these men, however, the other mathematics professors were finding it more difficult.

Although the young man on stage had already explained what he intended to write, a large portion of the professors still couldn’t keep up or understand what he was writing at all.

The method Xu Chuan was writing out—using a Dirichlet domain to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure—was excerpted from the proof of the full Weyl-Berry conjecture. Not everyone could be as omnidisciplinary as Terence Tao.

If this was the case for the professors, it was even worse for the students who had followed their advisors here to broaden their horizons.

They had excellent eyesight, allowing them to see every stroke the presenter made on stage, but when faced with the actual content on the blackboard, their faces were blank with confusion.

“Field extension, transformation function… what is he trying to do?”

Following beside Zhang Weiping, Miao Pingbo frowned, staring intently at the blackboard on stage. Although he had read Xu Chuan’s paper, his area of study was not field theory, so he was a bit baffled.

“Simply put, he’s using a field extension method to construct a new fractal framework. This allows him to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure, providing a way to calculate their values.”

At his side, Zhang Weiping replied without turning his head. With his foundational knowledge from having studied the paper on the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, it wasn’t difficult for him to understand this.

Suddenly, Zhang Weiping shook his head and sighed, “This kid’s talent for mathematics is truly formidable. It’s a pity he went to Nanjing University to study physics.”

On stage, Xu Chuan paid no attention to the discussions in the audience. His attention was completely focused on the blackboard in front of him.

Writing out the method for using a Dirichlet domain to bound the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure once again stirred a strange, ineffable feeling within him. It was like the silhouette of a white dove of inspiration flashing through his mind, yet its image remained indistinct.

In an attempt to grasp it, Xu Chuan filled the entire blackboard with equations in one continuous effort, but he ultimately failed to capture the sudden, wondrous feeling.

Sighing softly to himself, Xu Chuan prepared to wrap up his work on the board. His eyes landed on the data he had just written out. The piece of white chalk clutched in his hand halted less than a centimeter from the blackboard. And then, he simply froze in place, unmoving for a long, long time.

Chapter 111: Witnessing a Miracle

On the stage, Xu Chuan stood still, his steps halted.

His narration ceased, and the chalk in his hand paused before the blackboard.

And below the stage, the numerous math professors and students were all stunned.

Did he lose his train of thought? Or was there a problem with his calculations?

But everyone could understand. After all, no one could guarantee they could speak fluently without any pauses during a presentation.

Especially for a young scholar giving his first presentation, it was a test not only of his mathematical ability but also of his immense psychological fortitude.

Not everyone is a social butterfly, nor can everyone avoid being nervous during their first major presentation.

Especially with mathematical big shots like Professor Deligne, Professor Fefferman, and Professor Terence Tao sitting in the audience.

More importantly, the question had been raised by Professor Fefferman, a Fields Medalist himself. Under such circumstances, the pressure was even greater.

So everyone in the auditorium waited quietly, waiting for the young scholar to continue his explanation.

The exceptions, however, were the top-tier mathematicians who could understand the mathematical formulas on the blackboard.

The few, such as Terence Tao, Deligne, Fefferman, and Zhang Weiping, found Xu Chuan’s pause a bit strange.

Academician Zhang Weiping, in particular, was not only strange and curious but also somewhat anxious.

Although his mathematical ability was not on par with top-tier big shots like Deligne, Fefferman, and Tao, he had carefully studied the research paper on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Therefore, his understanding in this area was not weak. And after Xu Chuan proposed limiting the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω using a Dirichlet domain, he had immediately understood and accepted this new concept.

In his view, the calculations on the blackboard were already in their final stages, only two or three steps away from completion. Even his student, Miao Pingbo, could have finished it, yet this kid had frozen.

The line of reasoning was sound, and the calculations on the blackboard were correct. What on earth was wrong?

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

Time ticked by, but Xu Chuan remained rooted to the spot. His posture shifted slightly as he lowered his raised right hand, but his feet did not move.

After some time, a stir went through the auditorium. People began to discuss with friends and teachers what was happening.

Some thought he had lost his train of thought, while others believed there was an error in his calculations.

Some even felt that presenting an unverified line of reasoning on the spot to answer Professor Fefferman’s question was- a sign of disrespect.

This was a superstar who had won a Fields Medal.

Professor Fefferman himself, however, had no such thoughts.

On the contrary, he saw and learned new things from the formulas on the blackboard: group theory, field theory, field extension, function transformations… To a mathematician, these were the purest, most captivating things.

Not only had the young man on stage not failed, but even if he had, Fefferman would have had no objections or displeasure.

Not only that, he would find the young man immediately after the presentation to guide and encourage him.

Beside him, Professor Deligne shared the same view.

This was a genius in the world of mathematics. To be able to solve a world-class problem at seventeen, he would, barring any accidents, go very far on the path of mathematics.

The only one with a different reaction was Professor Terence Tao, who had been sitting upright on the other side. As if he had a premonition, he stared intently at the formulas on the blackboard. A glint of light flashed through the black pupils hidden behind his glasses. He seemed to have discovered something, but he wasn’t certain.

Standing on the stage, in front of the blackboard, Xu Chuan stared blankly at the formulas before him for a full fifteen minutes.

Suddenly, he snapped back to his senses. He did not continue to finish the calculation limiting the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure with the Dirichlet domain, nor did he pay any mind to the opinions of the audience below. He simply used his sleeve to wipe all the formulas from the blackboard.

Then, a white piece of chalk once again touched the blackboard, and lines of equations appeared one after another like flowing water.

Staring at the formulas on the blackboard, Professor Terence Tao, who had been sitting upright, felt his dark pupils suddenly contract.

His earlier premonition might be coming true!

The young man on stage had just been contemplating the full Weyl-Berry conjecture.

And now, he was launching a challenge against this world-class conjecture.

Nearby, Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman, who had been watching closely, also seemed to realize something as their eyes followed the chalk in Xu Chuan’s hand.

Both had the exact same reaction, staring fixedly at the proof process on the blackboard.

Professor Terence Tao, however, now certain of his hunch, watched the young man on stage with a faint smile on his exceptionally youthful face.

Challenging a complete, world-class mathematical conjecture during a presentation at Princeton… it seemed quite interesting.

Should he try doing the same thing next time?

But after a moment’s thought, he abandoned the idea.

If it succeeded, it would undoubtedly become a legendary tale, a story that would be passed down forever in the mathematical and even academic communities.

But if it failed, it would likely become the laughingstock of the mathematical world.

Ah, to be young is good. To have such courage.

Such bravery and drive were something only a young man in his twenties could muster.

If it were him, he might not dare to do it, even if he was confident.

After all, at his age, in his forties, there were many more things to consider.

He could already imagine how the news media would report this if the young man were to fail.

The seventeen-year-old ‘genius’ or ‘natural-born fool’ from China attempts to prove a world-class mathematical problem at a symposium, only to tuck his tail between his legs and flee back to his country?

For the foreign media, this would be a golden opportunity to tarnish the reputation of that red nation and negate its achievements in mathematics.

They wouldn’t miss it.

But for the world of mathematics, or academia, courage, drive, and innovation were essential. This was why many famous achievements in mathematics and academia were made when people were young.

For instance, at the age of twenty-six, Einstein wrote four groundbreaking physics papers on the “photoelectric effect,” “Brownian motion,” “special relativity,” and the “mass-energy equivalence.”

To produce four era-defining physics results in a single year was simply incredible.

So, for the young man on stage, Terence Tao felt a trace of anticipation.

Although the Weyl-Berry conjecture was not particularly famous, its difficulty was by no means low.

According to the classification in the mathematical community, its difficulty was comparable to the Mordell conjecture derived from the Poincaré Conjecture, the Weak Goldbach Conjecture derived from the Goldbach Conjecture, the Twin Prime conjecture, and some of Hilbert’s twenty-three problems.

It was ranked near the end of the T2 tier, or at the very top of the T3 tier.

If such a mathematical conjecture was solved today by the young man on stage, his achievements among the new generation would probably be second only to Professor Scholze, who had constructed the Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory.

Professor Scholze was hailed by the mathematical world as the successor to Emperor G, the Pope of Mathematics. He was not yet twenty-nine, but had already won numerous mathematical awards.

Even for the highest honor in mathematics, the Fields Medal, he would only need to wait another two years.

A mathematics professor at the University of Bonn once commented: “Scholze has found an extremely concise and precise way to integrate previous work in the field. This elegant and powerful theoretical framework can surpass almost all known results, and his use of this framework to achieve breakthroughs in the Langlands program is even more astonishing.”

The only slight regret, or rather, the slightly “awkward” situation, was that Scholze had yet to truly solve a major problem or prove a major theorem in mathematics.

His seniors, such as Deligne or Faltings, had already proven major problems like the Weil conjectures and the Mordell conjecture at around his age.

Now, another such talent might be born: the young man standing on the stage.

That is, provided he could solve the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

If he succeeded, then the Fields Medal in two years’ time was something he could definitely look forward to.

A T2-T3 level mathematical conjecture was undeniably important.

But correspondingly, the young man before them also had a slight weakness: his breadth of knowledge in various mathematical fields did not seem to be very wide.

After parting ways with Xu Chuan the day before yesterday, Terence Tao had looked into the young man’s achievements.

While his IMO and IPHO gold medals were brilliant and dazzling, they were aimed at high school students.

After that, his only notable achievement was the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, which was derived from the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

But both of these conjectures belonged to the same field of study.

Of course, this wasn’t to say his ability was insufficient.

In fact, the young man’s mathematical ability already surpassed that of over ninety percent of all mathematicians.

If he could prove the Weyl-Berry conjecture today, that percentage would jump to over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent.

But no matter what, his age was what it was.

This was both his dazzling glory and his greatest shortcoming.

Being eighteen years old meant he hadn’t had much time to come into contact with and study mathematical knowledge from different fields.

However, to be able to go deep into one field and make a breakthrough showed that his mathematical talent was absolutely top-tier.

In Auditorium Two today, and indeed among everyone attending the conference at Princeton University, including himself, no one would dare claim to be more talented than this teenager at the same age.

At the very least, when they were seventeen or eighteen, they didn’t have any particularly outstanding achievements to their names.

Even Professor Peter Scholze, hailed as the successor to Emperor G, the Pope of Mathematics, had no particularly dazzling achievements at the age of eighteen or nineteen.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot something.”

Looking at the young man on stage, Terence Tao stood up and went over to Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman. He leaned in and whispered a few words in their ears, immediately earning nods of agreement from both.

Then, Professor Deligne beckoned to a staff member waiting at the edge of the stage.

Seeing Professor Deligne’s signal, a young staff member immediately trotted over.

As Professor Deligne gave his instructions, the young staff member nodded repeatedly, then trotted off.

He was going to briefly adjust the presentation schedule and temporarily prevent the next speaker for Auditorium Two from entering.

As for the time, it would be extended until the young man on stage finished his proof, whether it ended in success or failure.

While this might be unfair to the next presenter, in the face of a world-class mathematical conjecture, fairness was not important.

At Princeton, everything served the cause of academia.

On stage, Xu Chuan paid no attention to the hubbub and discussions below.

Soon, the blackboard before him was filled with derivation formulas and mathematical symbols. Just as he was about to call for a staff member to bring another one, he discovered that several clean, new blackboards had been placed beside him at some point.

And on the lectern, the previous scattered box of chalk had been replaced with a full, brand-new box of white chalk.

Since that was the case, Xu Chuan didn’t hesitate. Without pausing, he took a few pieces of chalk from the desk and began his calculations on the new blackboard.

Time ticked by.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

An hour.

The commotion in Auditorium Two caught the attention of other mathematicians attending the conference outside. More and more people poured into the auditorium, packing the once spacious hall so tightly it was like a can of sardines. Latecomers couldn’t even find a seat and had to stand.

But they had no complaints.

To witness the proof of a world-class mathematical conjecture would be an event of great significance.

Alternatively, they would be witnessing what would become the biggest joke and topic of conversation in mathematics for this year or years to come.

Either way, it was a ‘great’ event.

On stage, Xu Chuan changed to a new piece of chalk.

After more than an hour of proving, he had already filled four blackboards—eight sides in total. What followed held little suspense.

This time, he had finally seized the inspiration that had come to him while taking cold medicine and had vanquished the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

On the fifth blackboard, Xu Chuan took a deep breath. He lifted his slightly sore right arm, touched the pure white chalk to the board, and drew a graceful arc.

“N(λ)=(2π)⁻ⁿωₙ|Ω|λⁿ/² − Cₙ,δ(δ,Ω)λδ/² +o(λδ/²), as N(λ) − Res(λ) ≤ O when λ → +∞.”

“Thus, the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω in the Weyl-Berry conjecture are spectrally invariant.”

“Therefore: There exists a fractal framework in which the boundary Ω is measurable, and within which the Weyl-Berry conjecture holds true.”

The last bit of white chalk in his hand drew a perfect period on the blackboard, thus ending its mission and achieving its greatest glory.

On stage, Xu Chuan looked at the pure white mathematical symbols and the long proof process on the black surface and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

It was a do-or-die gambit; he had also considered the consequences he would face if he failed.

But the inspiration was right there. If he didn’t seize this opportunity to grasp it, no one knew when it would appear again.

It might even never appear again.

Heaven will not always favor one person; one must fight for it oneself.

Fortunately, this time, he had succeeded.

He had successfully broken through the chaotic fog that obscured the sky and found the truth of the Weyl-Berry conjecture—his truth!

Chapter 112: That Year, at Eighteen

Onstage, Xu Chuan, clutching a small piece of chalk, took two steps back and gave one last look at the equations and the proof process on the blackboard.

Down in the audience, Professor Deligne’s narrowed eyes relaxed. The slight frown on his brow and his somewhat tense expression eased, replaced by a hint of a smile.

Sitting beside him, Professor Fefferman spoke with a sigh of admiration, “It’s truly astonishing. To use the Dirichlet domain to constrain the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω, while simultaneously performing a field extension and transformation to establish a connection, thereby proving that the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω, based on the Weyl-Berry conjecture, are spectrally invariant.”

“Such a clever approach.”

Hearing this, Professor Deligne smiled and said, “Indeed. And what’s most remarkable is that he’s only eighteen this year and has already solved a Tier 2 world-class mathematical conjecture.”

After a pause, Deligne suddenly turned to Fefferman. “What were you doing when you were eighteen?”

Fefferman thought for a moment. “I had just graduated from university and was starting my doctoral studies. Compared to him, the gap is just too vast.”

Deligne smiled. “I was about the same.”

Onstage, Xu Chuan stared at the blackboard, covered in equations and verification steps, for a while before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

In the end, he had completed the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. If all went as expected, from this day forward, it would be elevated to a theorem.

And the worlds of mathematics, physics, and even all of academia would have a new method at their disposal.

In the future, astronomers could use this new method to precisely calculate the size of distant stars in the universe. It could also be used to accurately calculate the precise radius of a black hole, and even the radius of vast galaxies could be calculated with this theorem.

Without a doubt, this was a major discovery and a revolution in the field of astrophysics.

Turning around gently, Xu Chuan looked at the audience below the stage and said softly, “My apologies for taking up some of your time.”

“Building on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, by using the Dirichlet domain to constrain the spectrum of the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω, and then performing a field extension and transformation to establish a connection, we can prove that the fractal dimension and fractal measure of Ω based on the Weyl-Berry conjecture are spectrally invariant.”

“Furthermore, we can determine that in any dimension and under any circumstances, a fractal framework exists such that the boundary Ω is measurable within this fractal framework.”

“At the same time, this also makes the Weyl-Berry conjecture true under this fractal framework.”

“Today, the Weyl-Berry conjecture has successfully descended from the pantheon of mathematical conjectures. Although it has yet to be peer-reviewed, I am confident that it will succeed!”

As Xu Chuan’s voice fell, Auditorium Two was engulfed in silence.

There was astonishment, bewilderment, and disbelief, as well as heartfelt congratulations accompanied by faint smiles.

The mathematics professors who had known what Xu Chuan was doing on stage from the beginning showed expressions of shock and incredulity.

And the audience members who had arrived later were somewhat lost and confused.

As for the few masters in the front row, they wore faint smiles on their faces.

A mix of emotions intertwined in the auditorium. The atmosphere was somber, heavy, and silent. No one spoke, and no one left.

Because no one could be certain if the Weyl-Berry conjecture had truly been proven by the young man before them.

In the end, it was Professor Fefferman, standing up once again, who broke the silence.

The professor, now with a full beard, who in his youth rather resembled the actor Peng Yuyan, first shot a look of praise at the young man on stage, then began to applaud.

Clap, clap, clap…

The crisp, clear sound of applause echoed through the silent auditorium. Then, a tidal wave of applause drowned the entire hall.

Everyone, from the mathematics professors to the students who had followed them, rose to their feet.

Applause, cheers, and whistles filled the air.

Today, they had witnessed a miracle in the history of mathematics, witnessed a world-class conjecture being proven, and witnessed the rise of a great future mathematician.

Bowing to the audience, Xu Chuan was about to put down the chalk nub still in his hand, but after a moment’s thought, he tucked it into his pocket instead and turned to walk backstage.

And in the auditorium, the gazes and applause of the people followed the young man’s figure until it disappeared from sight.

With Xu Chuan’s departure, the mathematicians in the auditorium gradually dispersed. Only Academician Zhang Weiping in the front row remained seated, motionless, staring quietly at the stage. The reflection in his pupils showed several blackboards and, it seemed, the figure of a young man.

Eighteen years old, a young man who had just come of age. If he had started school a little later, he might not have even taken the college entrance exam yet. If a little earlier, he would have just started university.

And it was a young man just like this who had solved a world-class problem that had stumped the mathematics community for over thirty years.

He felt both shocked and deeply moved.

At the same time, Zhang Weiping made a firm decision in his heart. When he returned to China this time, he would personally make a trip to the capital.

To be able to solve a world-class conjecture at eighteen, one that was even ranked at the Tier 2 level of difficulty—if talent like this was not specially cultivated, if he could not be persuaded to stay, it would be a major loss for the country.

Putting everything else aside, with just this proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he was an absolute shoo-in for a nomination for the Fields Medal two years from now.

Whether he would win it was hard to say, but a nomination was absolutely guaranteed.

Moreover, he was certain to win awards in the field of international algebra, like the Cole Prize in Algebra.

In addition, he should also be awarded domestic mathematics prizes like the Chern Medal and the Zhong Jiaqing Mathematics Award. On one hand, he was more than qualified to receive these awards.

On the other hand, it was because of the Fields Medal.

If he could win the Fields Medal in two years but had not received a single well-known award in China, wouldn’t that be a huge slap in the face?

The Fields Medal has never lacked for ethnic Chinese winners, but so far, no mathematician of Chinese nationality has ever received this award.

In that young man, Academician Zhang Weiping saw hope.

Even if the Fields Medal in two years was uncertain, he was only eighteen. He still had a full twenty-two years before he reached the forty-year-old age limit set by the Fields Medal.

In recent years, China has shone in international math competitions like the IMO and AMO, winning many gold medals. But after that, when it came to world-class mathematical achievements, there wasn’t much to show for it.

Perhaps the Fields Medal didn’t need China, but China desperately needed a medal like this to boost morale.

At the same time, the old professor secretly made up his mind.

No matter what, he had to steer Xu Chuan from physics onto the path of mathematics.

Leaving from backstage, Xu Chuan successfully evaded the mathematicians on his tail and escaped back to his hotel room.

Flopping onto the bed, he stared at the ceiling and broke into a wide grin.

Even though he had received countless honors in his past life, including the Fields Medal, making a breakthrough in a new field was still something worth celebrating.

Especially today, boldly completing the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture on the stage of the conference was a heart-pounding experience.

No one had ever done something like this before.

After silently staring at the ceiling for a while, Xu Chuan flipped himself into a sitting position with a kip-up. Just as he was about to organize his thoughts on his gains, a knock came from the door.

He walked over and opened it to find a group of people standing outside.

There was his senior, Lin Feng, as well as Zhang Weiping, Miao Pingbo, and others, along with some Chinese mathematics professors he didn’t recognize.

“Why are all of you here?” Xu Chuan asked, looking at the crowd in surprise.

“Are we not welcome?” Zhang Weiping asked with a smile. Xu Chuan then realized and stepped aside, inviting the group into his room.

Nearly ten people flooded into the small room, which instantly became crowded. So much so that those who couldn’t find a spot on the sofa or chairs ended up sitting on the bed.

“Congratulations, Xu Chuan. You’ve really made some earth-shattering news this time.”

In the room, Zhang Weiping said with a broad smile, eliciting a chorus of agreement from the others.

“Proving a world-class conjecture as a first-year university student. What a prodigy.”

“When I was a freshman, I was struggling to the death with algebra.”

“How can you compare yourself to God Chuan? How can a mortal compare to a god?”

The more lively graduate and doctoral students in the room started joking around.

Xu Chuan coughed in embarrassment and said, “It’s just a conjecture, nothing much. Besides, the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture hasn’t gone through a rigorous peer-review process yet. Who’s to say if it has really been proven?”

Beside him, his senior Lin Feng immediately shot him a resentful look. “‘Just a conjecture,’ ‘nothing much.’ Then what does that make me, who’s been toiling away for six or seven years and proved nothing?”

With him taking the lead, the other students chimed in with their own condemnations.

“That’s taking humble-bragging too far!”

“Exactly! Such humble-bragging will get you struck by lightning. Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman both looked over your proof and found no problems, which means the Weyl-Berry conjecture has already become the Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“What Weyl-Berry theorem? It should be the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

The room was lively. Zhang Weiping smiled and said, “You kid, when you go back this time, you should be graduating from university, right? Have you considered where you want to go for graduate studies?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “It might still be early for graduation. I’m afraid I won’t be able to graduate from my physics major just yet.”

“Of course, there’s no problem on the mathematics side, but I’d like to wait until I graduate in physics as well before considering doctoral studies.”

In mathematics, he had solved two world-class conjectures in one year—or one, you could say, since the first was a derivative, a weakened form of the second.

That was enough for him to graduate from university and even earn a doctorate.

He could even directly apply for a professor position at any university in China or abroad, including Princeton right here under his feet, and no one would refuse him.

But compared to mathematics, he had, at present, virtually no achievements in physics.

His only accomplishment was a paper written in high school, and even that used mathematical methods.

Hearing this, Zhang Weiping immediately tried to persuade him, “What are you still studying physics for, you kid? With such immense talent in mathematics, you should just stay on the path of math. As for physics, just set it aside for now. You can focus on studying mathematics.”

“If you still want to learn physics in the future, it won’t be too late to pick it up again. As for now, mathematics is more than enough to keep you busy.”

Chapter 113: Professor Deligne’s Invitation and Princeton’s Exception

Besides offering his congratulations, Academician Zhang Weiping also spent a long time in the hotel room trying to persuade Xu Chuan to temporarily give up physics and focus on studying mathematics.

But Xu Chuan dodged and weaved, refusing to give a clear answer or reply.

For him to give up physics? Was that possible? No, it was impossible.

His purpose for studying mathematics was to advance further in physics. This conviction hadn’t changed in the slightest, even after he had solved a world-class problem.

However, the deeper Xu Chuan delved into mathematics, the more he felt how truly vast and profound it was.

Even after proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he felt as though he had merely plucked a single apple from a vast orchard.

And who knew how many apples bigger, brighter, and sweeter than the Weyl-Berry conjecture still hung in the orchard of mathematics.

The climb was still a long one.

With his current achievements and accomplishments, he was just getting started.

At most, he had only reached the foot of Mount Everest, able to look up and see the backs of the great seniors as they climbed higher.

He couldn’t even see the backs of some of them.

For example, Pope Grothendieck, who was already standing at the summit.

Emperor G’s greatest achievement was pioneering the branch of modern algebraic geometry, which offered a possible way to unify the various branches of mathematics.

This radiated across the entire domain of mathematics. Few areas of contemporary mathematics remained untouched by the influence of algebraic geometry. Its impact on the whole of modern mathematics was unrivaled.

Since the development of algebraic geometry, it could be said that it represents the zenith of abstraction in the history of mathematics, and its future.

In addition to this, Emperor G also developed a large number of new mathematical constructs: schemes, motives, ultimate cohomology, category theory, topos, and a whole series of other nascent mathematical structures.

In Emperor G’s hands, these things reached the ultimate pinnacle of abstraction in the history of mathematics, and to this day, no one has been able to fully decipher them.

But it was clear that these were the future centers of mathematics; any slight breakthrough would be recorded in the annals of mathematical history.

One look at the number of Fields Medals awarded for work in algebraic geometry in the contemporary era was a telling sign of Emperor G’s profound influence on modern mathematics. In the latter half of the 20th century, Emperor G’s status was unmatched.

Right now, he couldn’t even see Grothendieck’s shadow, let alone follow in the Pope’s footsteps.

Proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture was merely the starting point on the path to the highest peak.

As for graduation, Xu Chuan felt it was about time.

His achievements in mathematics were definitely enough for him to graduate, but he ought to accomplish something in physics as well.

He couldn’t very well graduate with the achievement of proving a world-class mathematical conjecture while having accomplished nothing of note in physics.

Xu Chuan thought about it; he might have a bit of a compulsive streak.

He felt that since he was pursuing a double major, it wouldn’t be right for his achievements in physics to be inferior to his achievements in mathematics upon graduation.

So, after this mathematics conference, Xu Chuan planned to tackle something in physics to cap off his university career.

The scope of what he would tackle would likely fall into two areas.

One was particle physics, which he had studied in college.

The other would probably be related to Betelgeuse.

This was related to the applications of the now-proven Weyl-Berry conjecture. As the one who proved it, and as a student with a dual major in physics and mathematics, there was no reason for him not to be the first to utilize it for development and application.

Besides, he himself was also quite interested in Betelgeuse’s current state.

This red supergiant, only a little over six hundred light-years from the solar system, had now reached the end of its life.

Perhaps, on some future day, people would be able to witness it become a supernova in the sky as bright as the moon, and then, over time, slowly transform into a dazzling and beautiful nebula in the universe, which would in turn give birth to one or several new stars.

This would be a celebration for the astronomical community, and it could also bring new discoveries to the world of physics.

A nearby supernova explosion from a massive star in its final years—this would be enough for humanity on Earth to observe quite a few things.

Therefore, Xu Chuan was quite interested in Betelgeuse. He wanted to see if he could use Nanjing University’s astronomical telescope equipment to observe it.

Then, he could use the Weyl-Berry conjecture to make a precise judgment about it, determine its size, and in turn, determine which stage of its final years it had reached and how long it would be until its supernova explosion.

This was indeed a very interesting and meaningful endeavor.

After resting for a while in his hotel room and organizing the inspirations and ideas that had come to him during his presentation on stage, Xu Chuan went downstairs again.

Today was the fourth day of the conference, which could also be considered the last day.

Because the fifth through seventh days had no scheduled reports or evening parties. They were set aside for the mathematics professors from all over the world to move about freely within Princeton and exchange academic ideas.

Therefore, on the evening of the fourth day, there would be a grand gala and a ball.

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t interested in the ball, he couldn’t miss the gala.

However, he had still underestimated the sensation he had caused by proving a world-class mathematical conjecture on stage earlier.

When he stepped into the Great Hall, many people around seemed to recognize him, and soon, a number of younger scholars crowded around.

“You’re Chuan Xu? The child prodigy who took down the Weyl-Berry conjecture on stage this afternoon?”

“Can I get a photo with you? I want to post it on Facebook.”

“Hey, handsome guy from China, can I have your contact information? An email is fine, but if not, let me follow your Twitter, or you can follow mine. I have a lot of beautiful women among my followers.”

After struggling to escape from these enthusiastic, almost fanatical scholars, Xu Chuan found Academician Zhang Weiping. He was currently holding a cocktail and chatting with another mathematician.

Seeing Xu Chuan approach, he immediately pulled him over and introduced him enthusiastically.

“Xu Chuan, you’re just in time. This is Professor Artur Avila from Brazil. He has won top awards such as the European Mathematical Society Prize and the Fields Medal, and has done profound research in chaos theory, dynamical systems, and spectral theory.”

“Hello, Professor Avila,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. I didn’t expect you to be so young.” Professor Artur Avila raised his glass, smiled at him, and continued.

“It’s a shame I had something to attend to this afternoon and missed your talk. However, I watched the video of your report this evening, and I can say it was the most spectacular presentation of the year.”

“Your understanding of spectral theory and the spectrum of fractal dimension and fractal measure is simply beyond imagination. You’ve given me a lot of inspiration. Some of it can be directly applied to one of my research projects. It will save me several months of time. Thank you so much.”

“I was wondering if you have some time tomorrow? I’d like to take up one morning to chat with you about mathematics related to spectral theory.”

“Tomorrow morning? Of course.”

Xu Chuan agreed with a smile. The opportunity to have a deep discussion about mathematics with a Fields Medalist was something others would beg for.

Sometimes, mutual inspiration could provide great help and insights to one another.

What’s more, he also wanted to talk to Professor Avila, but not about spectral theory. He wanted to discuss chaos theory.

The reason this Brazilian-French mathematician won the Fields Medal in 2004 was for his outstanding contributions to dynamical systems and analysis.

But his most famous research area was in chaos theory and dynamical systems.

The objects studied in these fields are chaotic yet somewhat correlated systems. They change over time, but tiny differences in their initial states can lead to vastly different outcomes.

For example, the “Butterfly Effect” in weather patterns.

It’s a metaphor used to describe such systems—because weather is a chaotic system, the flap of a butterfly’s wings could potentially cause a hurricane hundreds of kilometers away.

In this field, one of Avila’s major contributions was clarifying that a large class of dynamical systems will inevitably end up in one of two outcomes.

These systems will either evolve into a stable state or into a chaotic, random state—which, although not precisely predictable, can be described in the language of probability.

Hmm, it was somewhat close to the chaotic and turbulent systems he had studied in his past life.

This was also what Xu Chuan most hoped to learn from the professor before him.

Because it might be helpful in establishing a mathematical model for turbulent systems.

At eight in the evening, the gala officially began. All kinds of food and red wine were laid out on pristine white tables for guests to help themselves. Among them were high-quality caviar, deep-sea fish, Australian lobster, and other premium seafood, as well as a variety of top-tier meats and vegetables.

To be honest, in the world of mathematics, perhaps only Princeton had the means to host such a lavish event.

Even the congresses held by the International Mathematical Union wouldn’t have such a sumptuous gala.

This wealthiest school in the world had over ten billion US dollars in funds circulating on Wall Street and in the stock market every year.

Just as no investment firm on Wall Street would refuse a graduate from Princeton’s mathematics or economics departments, it wasn’t difficult for Princeton, with the capabilities of its own departments, to manage these funds and earn a return. In fact, it could be said to be a very simple matter.

Sometimes, with a bit of luck, these tens of billions in funds could bring Princeton an investment return of over ten percent.

After deducting all expenses, there would still be over a billion US dollars in pure profit, which was quite terrifying.

After all, this wasn’t ten or twenty thousand dollars, but thirty or forty billion US dollars. In quantitative investment, it’s an almost insurmountable truth that the larger the capital, the lower the rate of return.

It’s like thinking of the principal as a fish and the stock market as a pond.

With ten thousand dollars, the fish is small, perhaps like a crucian carp thrown into a pond. At most, it would make a small splash. If the wind and waves were strong that day, you might not even see the splash. It could swim around freely and live quite well.

But a principal of tens of billions is a great white shark from the sea. If you throw it into a pond, the splash alone would blast some of the water out of the pond.

At that point, it would be difficult for it to even turn around inside.

The ability to navigate billions of US dollars in the stock market and guarantee a profit was something that all the world’s fund companies envied.

Faced with such a large amount of capital, perhaps the stock market guru Warren Buffett or the financial titan George Soros could use it to make more money and achieve higher returns within a certain period, but they couldn’t achieve the year-after-year stability that Princeton did.

For instance, Harvard University also has its own school fund, and it’s enormous, close to fifty billion US dollars, and it can also achieve a return of around ten percent.

But after paying all the bills, Harvard is left with only three hundred million dollars in profit each year.

The comparison was like heaven and earth.

Hmm, the reason he brought this up was that in his past life, he had also borrowed from this fund return system, earning several billion, nearly ten billion US dollars. He then used this money as a foundation, allowing him to walk a longer path in academia and eventually stand at the pinnacle of the physics world.

Holding a plate, Xu Chuan was selecting food at the buffet table when he ran into an old man in a formal suit, his sparse hair completely white.

“You are, Professor Deligne?”

Xu Chuan recognized the old man before him: the Pope’s last disciple, a Fields Medal laureate, a grand slam scholar of the mathematics world, Viscount Pierre René Deligne.

“I am,” Professor Deligne said with a smile, then continued, “Your performance at this afternoon’s presentation was outstanding.”

“Thank you for your praise.”

Xu Chuan broke into a brilliant smile. Knowing this old man, such praise was a rare thing indeed.

“There’s no need to be modest. I came to find you today to ask if you have considered pursuing further studies in mathematics?” Deligne raised his wine glass, took a light sip, and asked.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan replied without hesitation.

“Then I am here to invite you to pursue your doctoral degree at Princeton. If you are willing, I can mail you an invitation letter.”

“Of course, with your achievements, you are qualified to be a professor at Princeton, but I feel that now is the time for you to learn, and you have deeper potential that can still be tapped.”

Professor Deligne stated his hopes and extended his invitation to the gifted young man before him without hesitation.

“I remember that pursuing a Ph.D. at Princeton requires three recommendation letters, doesn’t it?”

Xu Chuan asked with some curiosity. Normally, to study for a doctoral degree at Princeton, one needed three recommendation letters recognized by Princeton, as well as excellent academic records and proof of scholarly activities.

In his past life, his recommendation letters were written by his advisor Chen Zhengping, a high-energy physics professor from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and Edward Witten.

“That’s for other people. For an outstanding young man like you, Princeton can make an exception for all of that. Besides, if you need recommendation letters, I believe every professor in this hall would write one for you,” Professor Deligne said with a smile.

For a young man who had solved a mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen, some rules could be broken.

A student like this was a perfect fit for Princeton.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you. However, I might have to wait until September of this year, or perhaps a bit later, to enroll in the doctoral program.”

“As you know, I am currently an undergraduate at Nanjing University, but I have a double major in mathematics and physics. So, if I want to come to Princeton to study, I need to graduate in both subjects, which will take some time.”

Xu Chuan didn’t refuse the invitation, but simply presented his own thoughts.

“It’s no problem, none of that matters. Princeton’s doors are always open to you.”

Professor Deligne said with a smile, “Enjoy the gala and the ball tonight. At least half of it belongs to you.”

Chapter 114: Truly Money-Burning Research Projects

Xu Chuan attended the reception. He went with the idea of meeting and conversing with other top mathematicians.

However, he had underestimated the stir he had caused.

Now, wherever he went, someone would come up to greet him, asking for an autograph, a photo, or a memento.

Besides that, many mathematics professors came to ask him questions, inquire if he planned to study abroad in the future, and recommend a whole slew of different universities.

From Harvard to Yale, from Caltech to Berkeley, from Australian universities to Oxford and Cambridge, every university with a reasonably famous mathematics department handed him a business card.

Perhaps in everyone’s eyes, for this teenager who had already proven a world-class conjecture at the age of eighteen, a Fields Medal was a foregone conclusion.

And such an honor belonged not only to him but also to his alma mater.

Having been swamped by people at the reception, he had no time at all to chat about mathematics with other professors. As for the ball, Xu Chuan simply slipped away.

He had already noticed quite a few young women in gowns eyeing him eagerly, so to preserve his good name, it was best to leave early.

Just as he returned to his hotel room, the phone in his pocket started vibrating.

Swiping his key card to open the door, Xu Chuan pulled out his phone and saw that it was a call from his Advisor, Chen Zhengping.

“Hello, Teacher.”

Xu Chuan answered the phone, greeting him first.

“Academician Zhang Weiping called me. He said you’ve proven the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture?” Chen Zhengping asked quickly from the other end.

“I’ve proven it, but it still has to go through peer review, so I can’t be sure if there are any flaws,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

“A proof confirmed by both Professor Deligne and Professor Fefferman is bound to be fine.”

“I really didn’t expect that after proving the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, you’d be able to prove the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture in just two or three months.”

“When Zhang Weiping called me earlier, I thought it was someone else with the same name who had proven the conjecture. I was even feeling sorry for you, since you had already taken care of the proof for the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“I never thought that after I got the full story, it would actually be you.”

On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping couldn’t stop marveling.

A first-year university student solving two world-class problems one after another in less than a year. Even though they were mathematical problems within the same system, it was still hard to believe.

If the research paper hadn’t yet been published, this news would probably already be all over the People’s Daily and Xinwen Lianbo.

Just as Zhang Weiping had said, the Fields Medal wasn’t short on ethnic Chinese recipients, but China needed a Fields Medal of its own.

Now that such a young genius had emerged, the state apparatus would probably be mobilized to build up publicity and momentum in preparation for the International Congress of Mathematicians two years from now.

Even if he didn’t win it in two years, it wouldn’t matter. He still had at least twenty years to make breakthroughs and contributions in this field and bring a Fields Medal back for the Motherland.

Thinking about it this way, did it seem like he was about to lose this disciple?

After all, Xu Chuan was so gifted in mathematics; it made no sense for him not to continue diving deeper into the subject.

As for physics, while he wasn’t exactly sure how far Xu Chuan had progressed in his studies over the past six months, compared to the achievement of solving a world-class mathematical conjecture, even self-studying all the university, graduate, and doctoral courses was hardly worth mentioning.

After all, this was a conjecture that could lead directly to a Fields Medal nomination in two years. Chen Zhengping had a clear sense of which was more important.

After his mind wandered for a moment, Chen Zhengping came back to his senses and asked, “When are you coming back to China?”

“It might be a while. A week at the shortest, maybe a month at the longest. The review process for the Weyl-Berry conjecture requires me to be available to answer questions the whole time.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment before replying. The main reason was that the proof for the Weyl-Berry conjecture still had to go through peer review.

For a world-class mathematical conjecture like this, the review process was completely different from the one for the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture.

The proof of the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture required review by at least six mathematicians, just like Professor Wiles’s proof of Fermat’s Conjecture.

During the review process, the prover needed to answer every question from the review panel. Only when all questions were answered satisfactorily and the panel had no further doubts would the proof be published in a mathematics journal.

As for how long it would take, that depended on the difficulty of the conjecture being proven and whether the prover’s paper was sufficiently detailed.

Xu Chuan could guarantee that his proof seemed fine to him, but he couldn’t be sure how long the process would take.

“Hmm, it doesn’t matter how long you stay. Just make sure you’re safe over there. Don’t worry if your funds run low, feel free to use what you need. Just remember to bring back the invoices and receipts, and the university will reimburse you.”

On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping said with a smile. Proving the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and proving the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture were two entirely different concepts.

The impact of the former in the mathematics community was like a peak of six or seven thousand meters. While it was difficult to climb, there were still quite a few people in the field who could do it.

The latter, however, shot straight up to an altitude of over eight thousand meters. Very few people could scale a peak of that magnitude.

“Oh, right. When do you think the proof for the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture will be published, and which journal are you planning to submit it to?”

After a pause, Chen Zhengping asked.

“I don’t know yet, I haven’t even thought about it. Besides, I haven’t written the paper or anything. The inspiration only came to me this afternoon, and it still has to get through the review. Is there a problem, Teacher?”

“As soon as possible. Remember to choose a high-impact journal for publication. The university is waiting for your paper to be published so they can apply for a bonus for you and recommend you for selection in programs organized by the higher-ups, like the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, the Excellent Young Scholars program, and the Distinguished Young Scholars program.”

“The Ten Thousand Talents Plan? Excellent Young Scholars? Distinguished Young Scholars?” Xu Chuan asked, a bit puzzled and curious. He seemed to have heard these terms before but didn’t know much about them. After all, he had spent the latter half of his previous life in the United States and couldn’t go back when he became qualified to participate in such things.

“Yes, these are national-level programs. Don’t worry, they’ll only benefit you.”

Chen Zhengping chuckled and gave Xu Chuan a brief explanation of the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, the Excellent Young Scholars program, and the Distinguished Young Scholars program.

“Oh, so that’s what they are. I’ll write the paper as soon as I can then,” Xu Chuan replied with a nod after hearing a brief summary from his Advisor.

To put it simply, the rapidly developing China was in urgent need of a group of talented individuals who could break through key technologies, develop high-tech industries, and spearhead emerging disciplines.

However, the country currently lacked, had too few, or had an insufficient supply of such talent. Therefore, the state launched the “Hundred Talents Program” in 1994, the “Thousand Talents Plan” in 2008, and the “Ten Thousand Talents Plan” in 2012.

In addition, various local “XX Scholars” programs and “local talent recruitment programs” had also sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, launching their own “talent acquisition” campaigns.

The Ten Thousand Talents Plan, officially named the “National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan,” also known as the “National Special Support Plan,” was a support program targeting domestic high-level talent.

Its overall goal, starting from 2012, was to select and support, over a period of about ten years, approximately ten thousand outstanding talents, leading figures, and top-notch young talents in the fields of natural sciences, engineering technology, philosophy and social sciences, and higher education in a planned and focused manner.

This would, in turn, form a domestic high-level innovation and entrepreneurship talent development system that complemented and connected with the program for introducing high-level overseas talent, thereby supporting national scientific and technological development.

As for “Excellent Young Scholars” and “Distinguished Young Scholars,” these referred to the ‘National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars’ and the ‘Excellent Young Scientists Fund.’

These two, abbreviated as “Distinguished Young Scholars” and “Excellent Young Scholars,” were the two most high-profile talent-related projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Selected projects would receive research grant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation.

The Distinguished Young Scholars program was managed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, covering all natural science fields. It selected two hundred people annually, was extremely difficult to get into, and had an age limit of forty-five.

The Excellent Young Scholars program had an age limit of thirty-eight for men and forty for women, selecting four hundred people annually from all natural science fields.

Whether it was the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, the Excellent Young Scholars, or the Distinguished Young Scholars, these individuals were the pillars and outstanding talents of the nation. They played a crucial role in the country’s development and were the hope and future of the nation.

Of course, the corresponding support and benefits, such as research grants, bonuses, material support, and so on, would not be lacking either.

After chatting with his Advisor for a while, Xu Chuan hung up the phone and started organizing his data and documents to write the paper.

From what he had learned from his Advisor, things like the Ten Thousand Talents Plan and the Excellent Young Scholars program weren’t hugely significant for him. The main benefits were likely just more research funding and bonuses.

However, as a scholar, receiving recognition from his country was still very nice.

As for research grants and bonuses, to be honest, mathematics research didn’t typically require much funding.

The fields that truly required research funding were high-energy physics, materials physics, and the like. These research projects started with grants in the millions and had no upper limit.

For instance, his research on the Higgs field and the origin of particles in his previous life had burned through more than two billion US dollars in a single year, averaging about seven million US dollars per day.

So, while the research grants from programs like the Ten Thousand Talents Plan and the Excellent Young Scholars program might seem like a lot to the average person, for the things he wanted to study, it was just so-so.

As for other things, like political perks, he’d rather pass. He had no interest in politics and no desire to become a politician.

After spending over an hour organizing his drafts and materials, Xu Chuan took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.

After all, he had an appointment with Professor Artur Avila the next morning. If he stayed up late, he would inevitably have trouble waking up, and being late would be too impolite.

The night passed uneventfully. The next day, at just past six o’clock, while the late winter sky was still dark, Xu Chuan was already out of bed.

It had to be said that exercise was the best way to improve stamina and energy. In the year or so since his rebirth, his physical fitness had improved dramatically. About six hours of sleep a night was enough to keep him energetic throughout the day.

After a simple run and washing up, Xu Chuan went to the Princeton dining hall for breakfast.

Although the fifth day of the conference had no scheduled presentations or receptions, it wasn’t over. The auditorium still provided three meals and a place for discussion, just not as lavish as the first two days.

“Hi, Xu, good morning.”

In the dining hall, as Xu Chuan was selecting his food, a somewhat hearty voice sounded by his ear.

Looking up, he saw Professor Artur Avila with his thick, short beard, also holding a plate and picking out his breakfast.

“Morning, Professor Avila.”

Xu Chuan greeted him with a smile, and the two stood side by side.

“Xu, try this. This seems to be fried potatoes and eggs, it tastes great. And this roll, I think it’s called a scallion roll? I heard it’s a delicacy from your country. It smells wonderful.”

Holding his plate, Professor Avila enthusiastically recommended various foods to Xu Chuan.

But to be honest, Xu Chuan wasn’t very interested in the food he recommended.

For one, he had lived at Princeton for over a decade in his previous life.

For another, you had to consider where he came from: a culinary kingdom that ranked number one in the world, where you could pick any one of the Eight Major Cuisines and eat a different dish at every meal for three hundred and sixty-five days a year without repetition.

Compete on food?

Don’t be ridiculous. The rest of the world combined wouldn’t be a match.

As for the food in the United States, breakfast basically consisted of just a few things: sandwiches, omelets, hash browns, pancakes, bacon and eggs, and so on. This was nationwide; pretty much the entire US ate these things in the morning.

In comparison, the variety of breakfast in China was off the charts.

Noodles, steamed buns, rice noodles, fried dough sticks, sticky rice with chicken, tofu skin, dumplings, rice cakes, sweet fermented rice, shao-mai, scallion pancakes…

Forget it, there were too many to list.

Anyway, there was simply no comparison.

When it came to food, Xu Chuan had absolute confidence in his Motherland.

Chapter 115: The Paper Passes Review

At Princeton, while Xu Chuan was enjoying a pleasant breakfast chat about mathematics with Professor Avila, a video of him proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture had crossed the ocean overnight and returned to his Motherland.

And once again, it set off a wave of excitement and buzz online.

[Have you guys heard? Last year’s college entrance exam top scorer is at it again.]

[Just here to watch the drama unfold.]

[Didn’t he prove some kind of Weyl-Berry conjecture before? Now, three months later, he’s solved another world-class mathematics conjecture at Princeton University.]

[Holy crap! What the hell? Are you kidding me, man? Are world-class conjectures that easy to prove?]

[It’s not as exaggerated as you think. The conjecture this master proved before was actually a weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. This time, he completed it, fully proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture.]

[Phew, you scared me. I thought he had solved two world-class mathematics conjectures in half a year.]

[If you want to say two, you could say two. The difficulty of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture is also world-class. It’s just that they are both part of the same system.]

[It doesn’t seem to be confirmed yet, right? He just wrote out the proof process on stage. It hasn’t passed review yet. The proof might have flaws for all we know.]

[Damn it, why do you all sound so dismissive? Even if it’s within the same system, it’s still incredibly difficult, okay?]

[Dismissive? You’re overthinking it. A man of his god-like talent has already ascended beyond our mortal plane; we’re not on the same level. All I have is admiration.]

[Speaking of which, this god-tier master doesn’t even check Weibo and has never posted anything. Is there a master who knows him and can give him a heads-up? It’d be nice if he came to Weibo to show off a little.]

[Show off? He’s better off using Twitter. That place is full of it (sarcasm).]

Xu Chuan was unaware of the trending charts back in his home country. After his talk with Professor Artur Avila, he had been holed up in his hotel room, writing his research paper.

After spending more than two days, he finally completed the research paper detailing the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture and handed it to Professor Deligne.

“Xu, there will be a total of six reviewers for the research paper on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. They are myself, Professor Fefferman, Professor Gowers from Cambridge University, Professor Artur Avila from Paris Diderot University…”

After receiving Xu Chuan’s paper, Professor Deligne revealed the members of the review panel.

Xu Chuan couldn’t help but be taken aback when he heard the names Professor Deligne listed.

A six-person review team, four of whom were super big shots who had won the Fields Medal. What on earth was this?

It was normal for Professor Gowers and Professor Artur to be on this review panel.

The former’s major achievements were primarily in Banach space, which was closely related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture. He had also been a reviewer for the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

One of the latter’s main achievements was in spectrum theory, which was a core component of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

But why were Professor Deligne, who was standing right in front of him, and Professor Fefferman of Princeton also involved?

One of these two masters was the last disciple of the Pope of mathematics, Emperor G, and his main achievements, following his teacher, were in algebraic geometry.

The other was known for revitalizing the study of classical analysis, with his main accomplishments in the fields of real analysis, complex analysis, harmonic analysis, and Partial Differential Equations.

Although partial differential equations could be linked to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the connection wasn’t that strong.

So Xu Chuan really couldn’t figure out why these two masters were also on the review panel, especially the one standing before him.

Could it be because of his performance on stage a few days ago? Or because of this year’s Princeton Mathematics Conference?

However, now that the review panel was decided, there was nothing he could do. He just hoped he could smoothly pass the review of these masters.

After the mathematics conference, the mathematicians from all over the world had mostly dispersed.

The proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was being verified by the “all-star” review team. For the first day or two, Xu Chuan still had to run around to answer various questions from these masters.

But starting from the fourth day, he gradually found himself with more leisure time.

Taking advantage of this time, Xu Chuan snuck into Princeton’s mathematics classrooms and attended a few math classes.

Using the word “snuck” might not be quite right. Princeton’s math classes were basically the same as public lectures in his home country. They didn’t mind students from outside, or even farmers or construction workers, coming in to listen; in fact, it was quite welcome.

Of course, whether you could understand it or not was your own problem.

Compared to math classes in his home country, Princeton University’s mathematics department curriculum was very flexible, and its teaching and research emphasized originality.

If a student in attendance had their own unique perspective, they would be encouraged by the professor. If they could make academic discoveries and progress through their own methods, they would receive even more recognition.

Not only that, but Princeton’s mathematics department also provided excellent opportunities for students with a background in mathematics, as well as for novices with strong mathematical talent and interest.

During their undergraduate studies, ordinary university students had the chance to collaborate with the world’s best mathematicians in various fundamental areas of applied or theoretical mathematics.

This even included participating in collaborative projects with other departments, such as the physics or economics departments.

This was top-tier practical experience that could provide immense inspiration and help to a mathematics student who loved the subject.

As for the assessments and grades that were emphasized back home, here, it could be said that almost no one paid them too much attention.

A student could get a grade even if they didn’t usually attend class. A professor might also give out grades as they pleased—perhaps all A’s, perhaps all C’s. No one cared about these things.

Even for the most important final exam, in the mathematics department for instance, the math professor would select three of the five exam questions, and the students would have the right to choose the remaining two.

It was in this seemingly relaxed learning environment that the Princeton University mathematics department cultivated countless outstanding mathematical talents, and students could obtain their PhDs—genuine ones at that—in the shortest amount of time.

Perhaps many would consider this irresponsible, but for mathematics, this was actually a screening process. Only the students who could truly succeed would persevere to the end, while many of the rest would give up halfway.

Even at Princeton, not every student in the mathematics department could become a mathematician or a mathematics professor.

In fact, the proportion of people who could delve deep into the path of mathematics was less than one-tenth.

Time passed bit by bit. At Princeton, Xu Chuan spent most of his time auditing classes and a small part of his time rushing to the review panel’s office to communicate with them.

On the tenth day, when he received a call from Professor Deligne and hurried to the old man’s office again, good news arrived.

“Xu, congratulations, the review is passed. From today onwards, the Weyl-Berry conjecture will be promoted to a theorem. There is one less problem in the palace of mathematics. You can modify its name, for example, to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, or the Weyl-Berry-Xu theorem.”

“Of course, it can be something else, but please include the names of Weyl and Berry, the two who proposed the conjecture.”

“Also, here are the reviewers’ comments. Would you like to take a look?”

In the office, Professor Deligne, with his sparse white hair, smiled and handed over a document.

Xu Chuan said his thanks and accepted the reviewer comments to have a look.

Professor Charles Fefferman: “This is an outstanding proof. The prover’s ideas regarding field extensions and field transfers are quite novel. This can provide mathematicians with new research directions. I hope the prover can organize these thoughts well; it might become a new tool for studying fractal boundaries with number theory and field theory.”

Professor Gowers: “It’s truly unbelievable. Just a few months ago, I reviewed the proof for the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. I never expected that after only three or four months, the complete proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture would be presented before me, and the proof process is almost flawless.”

Professor Artur Avila: “It’s hard to believe that this is a research paper written by a university student who is only eighteen years old. It is truly too excellent.”

Other professors: “…”

Of the six-person review panel, apart from Professor Deligne who was right in front of him, everyone else had given extremely high praise for the research paper on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

After reading through the reviewer comments, Xu Chuan closed the document, a brilliant smile spreading across his face, complementing Professor Deligne’s own smile opposite him.

“Xu, have you thought about which journal you’d like to submit this paper to?” Professor Deligne asked with a smile in his office.

“Do you have any recommendations?” Xu Chuan asked.

“Of course. There are only a few top-tier journals, and your paper deserves the very best.”

Professor Deligne nodded without hesitation, then continued, “If you haven’t decided yet, I suggest you submit it to the Annals of Mathematics.”

“They’ve contacted me many times since the conference. Moreover, the latest issue that was supposed to be published this month has still not been released. They’re waiting for your paper.”

“If you’re willing, this paper can be published in the Annals of Mathematics by next month at the latest.”

“Of course, if you have a preferred journal, you can also choose to follow your own idea. However, I suggest you choose from among the four top-tier journals. As for the other journals…”

Professor Deligne didn’t finish his sentence, but Xu Chuan knew what he meant.

In the world of mathematics, there were numerous journals where one could publish a paper.

But the most famous were undoubtedly the four top-tier journals.

They were the Annals of Mathematics, Acta Mathematica, New Progress in Mathematics, and the Journal of the American Mathematical Society.

These four journals were universally recognized by the mathematics community as the most prestigious mathematics journals, known as the “four great journals.”

And in this old man’s heart, no journal other than the four great ones was worthy of the research paper proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Coincidentally, that was what Xu Chuan thought as well.

Upon hearing that the Annals of Mathematics had postponed its latest issue for his paper and that it could be published next month, he nodded without hesitation.

“In that case, I’ll entrust this research paper on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture to the Annals of Mathematics. I hope they will treat my paper well.”

Professor Deligne smiled and said, “Of course they will, unless they don’t want me to review papers for them anymore.”

Chapter 116: Returning to China

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Professor Deligne. If there are no other issues, I’ll be leaving now.”

In the review panel’s office, Xu Chuan gave a casual smile and bowed slightly to Professor Deligne.

He knew that the old man before him was a long-time reviewer for the Annals of Mathematics and held immense influence over the journal. With his assurance, there was no need to worry about his paper being mishandled.

Of course, the Annals of Mathematics would never do such a thing, unless they wanted to go out of business.

“Xu, I hope to see you in Princeton again this September,” Professor Deligne said with a smile.

Xu Chuan waved his hand and left the office with an air of ease.

A blue and white airplane traced an arc across the serene blue sky. After a long flight, it landed at Shanghai International Airport.

Once the plane came to a stop, Xu Chuan, carrying a backpack and pulling a suitcase, disembarked.

[Congratulations to Student ‘Xu Chuan’ of our 2015 undergraduate class for solving the world-class problem, the Weyl-Berry conjecture.]

In the arrivals hall of Shanghai International Airport, a large red banner caught the attention of many travelers and airport staff.

News traveled faster over the internet than an airplane could fly. By the time Xu Chuan had submitted the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture to the Annals of Mathematics for publication, the definitive news that the Weyl-Berry conjecture had been promoted to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and that the Annals would feature the proof in its next issue had already reached China.

Compared to the news of the proof presented at the previous conference, this message spread even more rapidly.

Although the state-level news media wouldn’t report on it extensively until the paper was officially published in the Annals of Mathematics, there was no doubt that they were behind the scenes, helping the news to spread so quickly online.

The Weyl-Berry conjecture was not as famous as top-tier conjectures like the Goldbach Conjecture, the Riemann Hypothesis, or the Standard Conjectures. In fact, many people, including mathematics students, didn’t even know of its existence.

But its difficulty was undeniable. It was a Tier 2 to Tier 3 mathematical conjecture, and proving it would guarantee a nomination for top mathematics awards like the Fields Medal or the Abel Prize.

If no other major achievements emerged in the mathematical world over the next two years, then at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2018, two years from now, the Fields Medal was a realistic possibility.

Oh, and that included the Crafoord Prize this coming May, which he also had a chance of winning.

Compared to applied engineering, China’s foundational sciences were indeed much weaker than those of Western countries.

If nothing else, in the field of mathematics, no scholar of Chinese nationality had ever won top honors like the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, or the Crafoord Prize.

The achievements of ethnic Chinese or those of Chinese descent were another matter, as they held little significance for the country itself.

But the emergence of an outstanding, homegrown scholar, especially one so young—only eighteen and just starting university—was a huge boost to the nation’s confidence. It could drive the development of mathematics and lead to a significant increase in the number of students dedicating themselves to this foundational science this year and in the years to come.

This was undoubtedly important for the country’s development.

Therefore, media outlets like Xinwen Lianbo, People’s Daily, and Youth Daily had already prepared their articles.

All they were waiting for was the publication of the proof for the Weyl-Berry conjecture in the Annals of Mathematics.

As soon as the paper was published, these state apparatuses would swing into action, promoting it across the country and even the world to help boost Xu Chuan’s reputation, which would, in turn, help him contend for top mathematics awards like the Crafoord Prize, the Fields Medal, and the Abel Prize.

After all, this was no longer just about Xu Chuan; it was now tied to national honor.

While the official news media would only confirm and release the news after the paper was published, it was a different story for the media workers below them.

They didn’t need the official publication. As soon as they confirmed the news that the Weyl-Berry conjecture had been elevated to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, they had already begun a media frenzy.

Thus, greeting Xu Chuan at the airport today were not only representatives from Nanjing University with their banner, but also countless media reporters and the city leaders of Nanjing.

When Xu Chuan emerged from the airport exit with his backpack and suitcase, the waiting crowd erupted.

“He’s here, he’s here! He’s out!”

Someone in the crowd shouted, and immediately, cameramen hoisting their cameras and reporters holding microphones swarmed forward, surrounding a bewildered Xu Chuan.

Flashes went off continuously with a cacophony of clicks, and reporters’ questions flew at him.

“Student Xu Chuan, how did you manage to solve two world-class conjectures in the span of a single year?”

“Student Xu Chuan, could you share with us how you’re feeling right now?”

“Student Xu Chuan…”

The clamor of voices and flashing lights completely overwhelmed Xu Chuan. Fortunately, the crowd parted after a moment.

Mayor Jiang, whom he had met at the university before, along with the President of Nanjing University, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, and a few unfamiliar faces walked up through the path cleared by the reporters.

“Student Xu Chuan, congratulations. You’ve solved another world-class problem.”

Mayor Jiang walked up with a broad smile, warmly shaking Xu Chuan’s hands as he congratulated him.

“You’re too kind, Mayor Jiang. It’s nothing worth mentioning,” Xu Chuan said humbly.

“You call this nothing worth mentioning? You’ve solved a mathematical problem that stumped people for decades. This is a huge event, even on a global scale. You’re far too humble.”

Mayor Jiang patted the back of Xu Chuan’s hand. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he introduced Xu Chuan to the unfamiliar officials next to him.

This time, in addition to Nanjing’s city leaders, the Secretary-General from the province had also come to greet him at the airport, a testament to the importance the higher-ups placed on him.

Normally, for provincial leaders to personally come to the airport for a reception, it would have to involve high-level foreign diplomats or top figures from within the country.

However, for a renowned scholar like Xu Chuan, who had already solved a world-class problem at such a young age and even had a chance at the Fields Medal in two years, making an exception was perfectly normal.

The group didn’t linger at the airport for long. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they boarded a private car and headed straight for Nanjing.

After all, this was Shanghai, which was outside their province. Any welcoming ceremonies or award presentations would not be held here.

In the car arranged by the university, Xu Chuan sat with his advisor, Chen Zhengping, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, Rong Zhizhuan, and the President, Liu Gaojun.

After chatting for a while, his advisor, Chen Zhengping, looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “Now that you’re back, you should be graduating soon, right?”

Though phrased as a question, it was a statement of fact. If Xu Chuan wanted to, Nanjing University was prepared to let him graduate at any time.

“Graduation… I should have no problem with the mathematics side of things. But in physics, I don’t have any notable achievements to speak of. So I’m planning to delay my graduation in mathematics and graduate from both at the same time.”

Xu Chuan understood his advisor’s meaning but didn’t respond as expected.

“Don’t worry. For you, physics is not a problem. We’ll arrange a physics exam for you when you get back to campus, just on the undergraduate curriculum. Once you pass, you can get your diploma. That won’t be hard for you.”

Beside him, Dean Rong Zhizhuan quickly interjected, then added, “Once you graduate, the university will arrange for you to enter a direct Ph.D. program. We’ve already contacted Princeton, and you’ll go there as an exchange student to study mathematics. You just need to prepare for it.”

Between the lines, he was practically saying that it wouldn’t even matter if Xu Chuan failed the physics exam.

“Um, that doesn’t seem quite right.”

Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Dean Rong’s words. He was already making decisions for him? He hadn’t even had a say.

Without pursuing the topic, Xu Chuan changed the subject, “Dean, after I get back to the university, I’d like to apply to borrow the school’s astronomical observatory and observation equipment.”

“Hmm? What do you need those for? Why the sudden interest in astronomy?” Rong Zhizhuan asked, curious.

“It’s not that I’m interested in astronomy, but it’s related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture I just proved. The core of the Weyl-Berry conjecture is derived from drum fractals and spectral theory.”

Xu Chuan shook his head slightly and continued, “Simply put, now that the Weyl-Berry conjecture is proven, we can use it to verify and calculate the precise size of distant celestial bodies.”

“For instance, stars, black holes, and galaxies. For these bodies and systems, whose sizes could previously only be vaguely estimated through certain numerical values, we can now make much more precise judgments with this theorem.”

“I considered this aspect back when I was proving the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. But at that time, firstly, the conjecture wasn’t fully proven, and secondly, our university’s astronomical observation equipment all had their own tasks, so I didn’t feel right asking.”

“Now that the Weyl-Berry conjecture has been proven, I’d like to borrow the university’s observation equipment to conduct some research and verification.”

It dawned on Rong Zhizhuan. He nodded and said, “That’s not a problem. But how long will you need them for?”

The university’s astronomical equipment wasn’t his to command, but since Xu Chuan had asked, and it was related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he certainly wouldn’t refuse. It was just a matter of negotiating the time, as the equipment had its own scheduled tasks.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and replied, “It shouldn’t take too long. Half a month at most. If it’s quick, maybe a week or ten days will be enough. But it will require the participation of numerous instruments, including the radio telescope and the astronomical observatory.”

He just needed to collect some specific data on Betelgeuse; it wouldn’t take very long.

“Then that’s no problem at all. I was worried you were going to say a few months. For ten days to half a month, I’ll just have to put in an application for you when we get back.”

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan breathed a sigh of relief. Half a month was nothing; it wouldn’t affect much.

“Regarding your request to use the astronomical equipment for research on the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the university will coordinate the equipment for you. However, remember to set up a research project. You can apply to the university for whatever research funding you need. This is related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and if it yields results, it can be used for publicity. Not just for the university, but for the higher-ups as well.”

Beside them, President Liu Gaojun, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly chimed in.

He understood the importance the higher-ups placed on the Weyl-Berry conjecture better than Rong Zhizhuan. If Rong Zhizhuan was merely considering Xu Chuan and the mathematical value of the conjecture itself, then he was thinking much bigger.

For the higher-ups, the more results that could be derived from the Weyl-Berry conjecture—no, the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—the better.

This would allow them to secure more promotional resources, reach a wider audience, and expand its influence.

Chapter 117: The Proton Radius Puzzle

After having a meal at a hotel with the city and provincial leaders who had received them and giving a few interviews to official media reporters, Xu Chuan got into his advisor’s car and returned to the university with him.

“After all this, it’s about time for you to graduate. Go to Princeton to further your studies sooner rather than later. You’ll be able to go much farther in mathematics in the future.”

On the wide highway, Chen Zhengping sighed with a touch of melancholy as he drove.

He was a little bewildered now, unsure if accepting this disciple last year was a good thing or a bad thing.

To say it was bad wasn’t right; this disciple had solved a world-class conjecture in half a year and, at such a young age, had already reached a pinnacle that ordinary people could only dream of.

But he had solved a problem in mathematics, not physics, which left him, a physics advisor, in an awkward position. How was he supposed to feel about that?

But to say it was good… he felt he had offered the boy almost no help at all.

Forget help—the disciple had actually turned around and helped him complete an experiment in materials physics. With his keen mathematical ability, he found a flaw in it, saving a research project that Chen Zhengping was about to abandon. It could be said that he made the greatest contribution to the tungsten diselenide project.

Sometimes he wondered if he was holding the boy back by taking him on as a disciple. After all, he couldn’t teach him anything about mathematics.

When the boy had encountered some mathematical problems earlier, he had gone to Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences for guidance. This always made Chen Zhengping feel a bit guilty, as if he hadn’t provided any real help.

So, it was better to let him graduate early. If he were to delay his graduation for reasons related to physics, it would be tantamount to holding him back.

After all, with his talent, he could learn so much more if he had a good mathematics teacher.

Although success in mathematics relied on talent, a good teacher and a good academic environment were also very important.

For this boy, so gifted in mathematics, to be stuck with a physics advisor like himself and at a school like Nanjing University, whose mathematics department wasn’t particularly strong, just didn’t feel right.

Besides, the golden years of a person’s studies only last so long.

So it was better to let him go to Princeton to receive a deeper education in mathematics as soon as possible.

As for physics… sigh.

In the passenger seat, Xu Chuan glanced at Chen Zhengping, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This was his advisor, his actual advisor, the one who was teaching him physics, yet now he was urging him to study mathematics.

What was going on in his head?

As for the issue of graduation, he wasn’t worried at all.

If a student who had proven a world-class mathematical conjecture couldn’t graduate, then probably no one in the world could.

But since he had already set the goal of a dual major, he had to make some waves in physics as well.

He had already decided on a direction for that when he was at the academic conference in Princeton.

There were two parts. The first was a supplement to the derivative results of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

While this part could be loosely connected to physics, the connection wasn’t very strong, and it was related to astrophysics.

Therefore, Xu Chuan had also prepared another project more suited to particle physics to balance out his mathematical achievements.

“Teacher, in the latest research in physics today, is there a precise number for the radius of a proton?”

In the passenger seat, Xu Chuan asked his advisor.

Chen Zhengping turned to look at Xu Chuan and asked curiously, “Why the sudden interest in this?”

“Oh, when I was at the conference in Princeton, I audited a few math and physics classes over there, and a professor mentioned something about it.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained the source of his question, then continued, “Later, I looked up some information on it and found that the current physics community doesn’t seem to have a method to accurately determine the precise radius of a proton in an atom.”

“The most precise number, around 0.8768 femtometers, was tested using a spectroscopic experiment method and by defining it through the scattering of charged particles with protons.”

“But later, it seems there was a problem with this number. The proton radius measured by the Lamb shift of an ordinary electron was only about 0.833 femtometers?” Xu Chuan asked, his face full of interest.

Chen Zhengping kept his eyes on the traffic ahead, turning the steering wheel to maneuver around a large truck before saying, “Yes, that is indeed a new problem that has emerged in recent years.”

“Before 2010, the proton radius measured by the physics community through spectroscopic experiments and charged-particle scattering experiments was around 0.8768 femtometers, so it was unanimously believed that this was the correct number.”

“But in 2010, a disagreement arose. In a spectroscopic experiment to measure the proton radius, researchers used a muon to replace the electron in order to obtain a more precise value.”

“Muons have properties similar to electrons, but their mass is 200 times greater. A heavier particle stays in orbit longer during testing, so the energy levels are more significantly affected by the size of the proton.”

“Therefore, compared to an electron, the proton radius calculated using a muon should be more precise. But in that experiment, the result gave a proton radius of 0.84184 femtometers—the proton radius became smaller.”

“This experimental result caught the researchers at the time off guard, but since then, more spectroscopic experiments have further confirmed the smaller proton radius.”

“And in early 2012, a research team from York University in Canada pointed out that it wasn’t just with muons—after improving their experimental equipment, the proton radius measured by the Lamb shift of an ordinary electron was also only 0.833 femtometers.”

“However, the proton radius obtained through scattering experiments has always remained around 0.8768 femtometers.”

“In other words, two different testing methods produced a 5% difference. This five percent gap is known as the ‘Proton Radius Puzzle’.”

“To this day, no one has figured out why there is a five percent difference or how it came about, so it has become a new mystery in particle physics.”

“What, you’re interested in this, kid?”

As he finished speaking, Chen Zhengping smiled and glanced at Xu Chuan in the passenger seat, then checked his rearview mirror, preparing to change lanes to exit the highway.

“I am quite interested, yes. After I finished organizing the research paper for the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture at Princeton, I read some papers and materials on this topic.”

“In the Standard Model of particle physics, the proton is not the most fundamental particle; it is composed of quarks.”

“If we want to accurately answer the question of the proton radius, we must first define what the proton’s radius is.”

“According to the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, a proton is not a small sphere with a definite radius, but a distribution of matter (imagine the electron cloud of a hydrogen atom).”

“Based on this fundamental principle, the proton radius, more accurately called the proton’s charge radius, refers to the root mean square distance of this matter’s charge distribution from the center.”

“That is—γE=√E=√∫drγpE(r)/Q; where pE(r) is the proton charge distribution density, and Q is the total charge of the proton.”

“According to this mathematical formula, the radius of the proton can be determined through the energy spectrum of hydrogen-like atoms and electron-proton scattering experiments.”

“And when replacing an electron with a muon, the only difference between an electron and a muon in the Standard Model is their mass. So, if you conduct an experiment with muons, you just need to replace the electron’s mass with the muon’s mass in the relevant formulas.”

“If the experiments and calculations were carried out this way, even if there were a deviation, it wouldn’t be as large as nearly five percent. So, something must have gone wrong somewhere.”

In the driver’s seat, Chen Zhengping contemplated Xu Chuan’s view and asked, “So where do you think the problem lies? In the old experimental data, or in the latest experiments from 2010?”

“You should know that these two factions are currently fighting it out in the physics world. Neither side will back down, and both think the other is wrong.”

Xu Chuan shifted in his seat and said, “I don’t know who is right and who is wrong, but first, we can be certain that it’s impossible for the proton to have two different sizes. If it did, the entire edifice of modern physics would collapse.”

“But I can’t give a precise answer right now. Perhaps after I get back, I can find some data from papers and other materials and do some calculations to see if the problem lies in the calculation formulas or the calculations themselves.”

“You can calculate it?”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Chen Zhengping immediately replied, but then it dawned on him, and he laughed in spite of himself. “I almost forgot that your mathematical ability has already surpassed ninety-nine-point-ninety-nine percent of the mathematicians in the world.”

“If you’re interested in this, you can try researching it first.”

“However, the proton radius issue isn’t purely a mathematical problem. To completely solve the ‘Proton Puzzle,’ you’d probably need to use tools like a proton accelerator.”

“Nanjing University doesn’t currently have a research project in this area, nor do we have a proton accelerator. If you want to conduct experiments, you’ll have to go to the capital.”

“And even the proton accelerators in the capital might not meet the requirements for studying the proton radius. It would be best to go to Europe or the United States.”

“After all, as you know, our country’s development in High-energy physics started quite late. To this day, we’ve only built two proton accelerators, and neither of them are very large in scale.”

“Of course, you can try setting up a research project yourself first. If you have some preliminary results, you can publish them and then apply to use their proton accelerators in Europe or the United States for experiments.”

“Anyway, you haven’t touched your previous research funding, and now that you’ve completely solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, your research funding will get another boost. It should be enough to support you through a project.”

Xu Chuan asked doubtfully, “Won’t they refuse our project in Europe? After all, a proton accelerator is so precious.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping smiled and said, “For purely theoretical projects that have global attention like this one, they won’t. The prerequisite is that the paper you publish has value and the project is interesting. For something like researching the proton radius, don’t worry, they definitely won’t refuse.”

“What, are you really thinking of giving this a try?”

Xu Chuan scratched his head, smiled shyly, and said, “Let’s talk about it after we get back to school. I just feel that since I’ve made some achievements in mathematics, if I don’t have any achievements in physics, I can’t even graduate with a clear conscience.”

Chen Zhengping was amused. He was about to criticize this kind of unfocused thinking and advise him to delve deeper into mathematics, but then he remembered that this was the monster who had solved a world-class mathematical conjecture in six months.

The words on the tip of his tongue were forcefully swallowed back, almost choking him.

Listen to this. Does that even sound like something a human would say?

If proving a world-class mathematical conjecture was called “some achievement,” then likely more than ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine-nine percent of the people in the world had no such achievements.

If one had to get this kind of achievement to graduate, then more than ninety-nine-point-nine-nine-nine-nine percent of university students in the world probably wouldn’t be able to graduate in their entire lives.

But for this kid, it was possible he really could make a breakthrough in physics.

And Chen Zhengping also hoped he could make a breakthrough.

Chapter 118: A Treat from His Senior

His advisor, Chen Zhengping, gave him a ride and dropped him off right at his dormitory, saving him the trouble of dragging his suitcase across campus.

Although it had been several days since he’d proven the Weyl-Berry conjecture and the online buzz had died down considerably, there was still a good chance he’d be recognized by the senior students at Nanjing University if he walked around campus.

If he were surrounded by a crowd, it would only cause trouble for the campus security.

Arriving smoothly at his dorm, Xu Chuan took out his key, opened the door, and dragged his suitcase inside.

He hadn’t been back in over a month. The dorm room hadn’t changed, but the air was a bit stuffy, and a light layer of dust had settled on the desk and chair.

After putting away his luggage, Xu Chuan opened the window to air out the room, then got some water and cleaned up the dorm.

Living alone, the biggest problem was the lack of life in the room. It wasn’t like a regular dorm, where roommates would liven things up.

He was used to it, though. After all, he had lived alone for forty years in his previous life. He could get used to anything.

After tidying up his dorm, Xu Chuan returned to the rhythm of his daily university life.

It was late February. Graduation season in June and July was still four or five months away. After that, it would be about time for him to graduate.

Completing an undergraduate degree in one year was fast, but quite a few masters in the academic world had managed it.

For example, Peter Scholze had completed all his undergraduate courses in less than three semesters, and his master’s thesis was so good he nearly earned a doctorate on the spot.

So, graduating in a year wasn’t that outrageous. Xu Chuan wasn’t worried about the math side; with the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture under his belt, it was more than enough to graduate from any university.

Now, he needed to shift his focus back to physics, which he had neglected for quite some time.

Between the two problems—the precise size of Betelgeuse and the Proton Radius Puzzle—he only really needed to solve the first one.

In the future, the proton’s radius was a settled matter. Xu Chuan didn’t need to focus too much attention on it.

He just needed to find some time to verify the theoretical data, which shouldn’t be too hard for him.

After all, he already knew whose data was flawed. Writing a proof when you already have the answer is much, much simpler.

After cleaning the dorm, Xu Chuan took his laptop out of his suitcase, turned it on, logged into CNKI, and queued up the necessary research papers for download. Then he got up to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

However, he had underestimated the stir he had caused.

While the buzz around the Weyl-Berry conjecture had gradually faded online, at Nanjing University, he was as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark of night.

Especially since the big red banner reading “Congratulations to our 2015 undergraduate student Xu Chuan for solving the world-class Weyl-Berry conjecture” was still hanging at the school gate.

Under these circumstances, he was recognized before he even made it to the cafeteria.

“Xiuxiu, look at that guy. Isn’t that God Chuan from the School of Mathematical Sciences?”

“Hmm? Where? Let me see… I think it really is.”

Walking on the path to the cafeteria, two sharp-eyed young ladies who had just finished dinner spotted Xu Chuan and immediately closed in on him.

“God Chuan, God Chuan, you’re back from the United States! Can I have your autograph?”

“God Chuan, I failed Advanced Math so miserably last semester. Can I add you on WeChat to ask you some math questions?”

“Ah, Xiuxiu, you’re so shameless! You even asked for his WeChat! I want it too! God Chuan, I want your phone number too!”

On the path, Xu Chuan stopped, not knowing whether to laugh or cry as he watched the two girls in front of him. They started by asking for an autograph, then his WeChat, then his phone number, and then things got progressively more outrageous as they tried to one-up each other, asking for his address, birthday, height, and all sorts of other information.

Being stopped in the middle of the road, especially by two pretty junior female students on the busy path to the cafeteria, quickly drew the attention of other students.

Upon recognizing Xu Chuan, everyone—whether they were heading to eat or heading back after their meal—stopped and gathered around.

“Holy shit, it’s God Chuan! The God Chuan who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture!”

“What Weyl-Berry conjecture? It should be called the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem now. God Chuan, God Chuan, can you sign an autograph for me? I’m a math major too.”

“Wait, isn’t God Chuan a physics major?”

“God Chuan is a double major! Math and physics.”

“(⊙o⊙)…, what’s a double major?”

“A double major is… forget it. It’s useless for a slacker like you to know anyway. Just know that it’s badass.”

Xu Chuan: “…”

Seeing the crowd growing larger and more excited, Xu Chuan seized an opening and made a decisive escape.

Thankfully, his year-plus of jogging for exercise hadn’t been for nothing. He was a damned fast runner and shook off the crowd in no time.

But given the situation, the cafeteria was now off-limits.

Forget the cafeteria; he probably couldn’t go to the library, to class, or to any other crowded places for the next few days. If he did, he’d be surrounded for sure.

Xu Chuan had anticipated this kind of situation, but he hadn’t expected the senior students of Nanjing University to still be this enthusiastic after more than half a month had passed.

Of course, he had a way to handle it. He’d been through this in his past life; he just needed to let it cool down.

People were like that. It would all be fine after a while.

Everyone has their own things to do, and the novelty would wear off after the first encounter. If he showed up at the cafeteria and library a couple of times over the next two days, the whole thing would probably blow over.

But since the cafeteria was out, what should he eat tonight?

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan pulled out his phone and opened the Meituan Waimai app.

“I think there’s a new Huangmenji braised chicken and rice place that opened near school this semester, right?”

Xu Chuan muttered to himself, recalling an idea from his past life that his roommate had used to scam several meals out of him. He opened the Meituan app, searched for “Huangmenji braised chicken and rice,” and sorted by distance. Sure enough, he found the new restaurant.

Just as he was about to place his order, his phone dinged. A WeChat message popped up.

“Are you back at school?” The sender was his senior, Liu Jiaxin.

Seeing the message was from his senior female student, Xu Chuan tapped it open to a half-screen chat window and replied, “Yeah, I just got back this afternoon.”

He sent the reply and was about to continue his order when another message popped up.

“Um, are you in your dorm? Have you had dinner? If not, could I treat you to dinner?”

Xu Chuan started typing a refusal, but after a moment’s thought, he deleted the message and typed out a new one.

“Are you at my dorm door?”

“Yeah.”

The reply came back in less than two seconds. Xu Chuan glanced at it, pocketed his phone, and hurried back to his dorm.

“Hey, Senior.”

As soon as he got back, Xu Chuan saw a familiar figure standing at his door.

Fortunately, this was the doctoral student dormitory, which was co-ed. It was perfectly normal to see a woman in the dorms. Some senior doctoral students who were dating or even married would bring their girlfriends back to spend the night.

If he were living in a regular undergraduate dorm, a girl standing at his door looking for him would probably cause a campus-wide sensation the next day.

He was sure the trollish students on the campus forum would be all too happy to photoshop the label of ‘player’ onto him and then fabricate some ridiculous story to go with it.

“You-you’re back! Congratulations on solving that difficult problem.”

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, Liu Jiaxin looked up happily, her eyes bright as she gazed at the figure standing before her.

“Thanks.” Xu Chuan smiled, accepting her congratulations as he took out his key and opened the door. He continued, “Come on in. Are you here to ask me about a math problem?”

At the doorstep, Liu Jiaxin blushed slightly but mustered her courage and stepped inside.

“No, I just wanted to thank you and treat you to a meal.”

“Hmm?” Xu Chuan looked at his senior in confusion. “Didn’t you already treat me for last year’s project?”

“It’s, it’s not about that. It’s for the modeling competition. Thanks to the math knowledge you taught me, I won first place in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling. There’s prize money,” Liu Jiaxin said in a small voice.

“Oh, first place in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling! Congratulations, congratulations! That’s amazing, Senior!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. For a math undergraduate, first place in the contest was one of the highest honors one could achieve.

Winning the ICM as a second-year student was comparable to winning a gold medal in the IMO or IPHO as a first-year high school student—it was incredibly difficult.

“Compared to you, I’m still far behind. And I definitely couldn’t have done it without the math knowledge you taught me. So I’d like to treat you to a meal. Do you have time?” Liu Jiaxin looked up at Xu Chuan with hopeful eyes.

“Sure. I know a new Huangmenji braised chicken and rice place near school that’s really good. But don’t worry about treating me. Let’s just celebrate together.”

Xu Chuan declined his senior’s offer to treat him, but celebrating with a meal together was perfectly fine.

He had solved a world-class problem, and she had won first place in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling. It was a double dose of good news, so it was only natural to celebrate with a meal together.

Xu Chuan thought his senior would agree to this, but to his surprise, she shook her head firmly, insisting on treating him.

After a bit of back-and-forth, he couldn’t change her mind, so Xu Chuan gave in. A treat was a treat. A plate of Huangmenji braised chicken and rice wasn’t expensive.

Besides, his advisor’s project should be settling its accounts soon, and his senior would receive a large bonus. She wouldn’t have to worry about money.

However, what Xu Chuan didn’t expect was that while they were eating at the restaurant, a photo of him and his senior having a meal together was secretly taken and posted on the campus network, sparking quite a discussion.

[Hey! Look what I found!]

[Holy shit, God Chuan! God Chuan’s back at school? When did he get back?]

[Probably today. I just ran into him when I was going to dinner.]

[Who’s the girl across from God Chuan? How did she get to have a meal with him?]

[Waaaaah ┭┮﹏┭┮, who stole my husband!]

[The poster above is lovesick.]

[Her head’s down, so I can’t see her face clearly, but she must be pretty. Probably a Nanjing University student too. I’m so jealous, getting to be with God Chuan.]

[Oh my god, geniuses like him date too? I always thought romance was something only us mortals did. I missed my chance! If I had known, I would have made my move sooner!]

[So, is this a mortal-god romance?]

[If it were me, forget dating. I’d probably put God Chuan’s photo on my desk and burn three sticks of incense to it every day, praying I don’t fail Advanced Math and Higher Algebra!]

[If you’re dating God Chuan and you still fail Advanced Math and Higher Algebra, you might as well go jump in Xuanwu Lake.]

[Xuanwu Lake: Get lost! Don’t you dare throw your trash in me!]

Chapter 119: Morningside Medal of Mathematics

A candid photo on Nanjing University’s campus network caused quite a sensation.

So much so that by the next afternoon, Xu Chuan’s class and private group chats on his phone had exploded. He was completely bewildered by the flood of messages tagging him.

“@Xu Chuan, God Chuan, we hear you’re back in the country, you old sir? Care to share your thoughts on proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture!”

“@Xu Chuan, Brother Chuan, who’s the sister-in-law? When are you going to bring her over for us to meet?”

“Where’s the celebratory candy? The red envelopes? Brother Chuan, are you even human if you don’t send some?”

Xu Chuan: ????

What was an this about? I’m in a relationship? How come I didn’t know that myself?

Staring at the 99+ notifications in his class group chat, a baffled Xu Chuan sent a few question marks and a message.

That did it. The entire class chat instantly erupted.

“Holy shit, Brother Chuan! It’s the living, breathing Brother Chuan!”

“He’s alive, still alive!”

“A moment of awe. We are witnessing history! This is the fourth time Brother Chuan has spoken in the group since he joined at the start of the semester.”

“Brother Chuan, don’t deny it. The whole school knows you’re in a relationship now. If you don’t believe it, look (image).”

With an image posted in the group, Xu Chuan finally understood why so many people were suddenly tagging him.

It turned out that someone had taken a picture of him and his senior female student having dinner at that Huangmenji braised chicken with rice restaurant last night, and it had probably been posted on the campus network.

“I’m not in a relationship. It was just a senior student treating me to a meal.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and explained. It was just a meal; he couldn’t believe they were making such a fuss.

Although his senior was indeed one of his few female friends, he hadn’t even thought about something like romance right now.

The worlds of mathematics and physics still had so many problems waiting for him to solve. Where would he find the time for a relationship?

After he personally stepped in to clarify, the rumors about his love life died down in the group chat, and everyone’s attention gradually shifted to his proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

After joking around in the class chat for a while, Xu Chuan put down his phone. A portion of the research papers and materials on his computer had finished downloading.

Connecting it to the printer he had bought, he printed out this batch of papers.

Although he could read them on the computer, he much preferred holding physical documents and literature in his hands. It felt like the knowledge had been made tangible, giving it a satisfying weight.

Moreover, he had a habit of saving every book he read and some very important materials, including some of his manuscripts.

In his previous life, he had a storage room of more than forty square meters, filled with bookshelves and all kinds of books.

From physics to materials science, to mathematics, music, novels, and some books on traditional Chinese culture, like ancient texts on ceramics and tea, he had collected and read them all.

After all, during the period when he was sealed off in that country, they were one of the few ways he had to learn about his Motherland.

Other than the few sensations caused by Xu Chuan’s return to campus and his occasional appearances in the library and classrooms, the following days slowly quieted down.

Although his presence still sparked heated discussions whenever he was out, at least it was no longer a major commotion. The students of Nanjing University gradually got used to this god-tier master who would randomly “drop” into the school library, cafeteria, or a classroom.

They would even sometimes make bets on whether the god-tier master would attend a math or physics class that day.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was early March.

While Xu Chuan was in his dorm, going through materials related to the “Proton Radius Puzzle,” his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, gave him a call.

“Hello, Xu Chuan, are you busy? If not, come to my office. I have good news.”

On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping’s voice held a mysterious smile, and he didn’t specify what the good news was.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Xu Chuan agreed, grabbing his jacket from the chair and heading out the door.

Perhaps it was the weather, but the temperature in early March this year was much lower than in previous years. He was still wearing a wool sweater that he would have normally taken off by this time of year, and he still needed to put on a thick jacket to go outside.

He made his way to Chen Zhengping’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Pushing the door open, the figures in the office came into Xu Chuan’s view. Not only was his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, there, but also the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, Rong Zhizhuan, and Professor Zhou Hai.

“Xu Chuan is here. Come, come, have a seat.”

Before Chen Zhengping could speak, Dean Rong Zhizhuan greeted him enthusiastically.

“Hello, Advisor. Hello, Dean. Hello, Professor Zhou.” Xu Chuan greeted them one by one, thanked them, and took the chair Rong Zhizhuan offered him.

“Take a look at this.”

Zhang Weiping smiled and handed over a document. Xu Chuan took it and glanced at it. It was a list of award winners.

List of Winners for the 2016 Seventh Morningside Medal of Mathematics of the World Congress of Chinese Mathematicians

[Winner: Xu Chuan, Nanjing University.]

[Award: Gold Medal.]

[Primary Research Areas: Spectral theory, theory of fractal boundaries, field theory, proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.]

[Winner: Zhang Wei, Columbia University.]

[Award: Gold Medal]

[Primary Research Areas: Number theory and automorphic forms.]

[Winner: …]

“The list of winners for the Morningside Medal of Mathematics? Why is it out now?”

Looking at the document in his hand, Xu Chuan asked curiously.

The Morningside Medal of Mathematics was established in the capital in 1998 by Shing-Tung Yau, Chairman of the World Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, and Mr. Chan Qizong, founder of the Morningside Group.

Hailed as the “Fields Medal for Chinese,” the award is for Chinese mathematicians under the age of forty-five who have made outstanding achievements in basic mathematics, applied mathematics, and computational mathematics.

It is awarded every three years, with a Gold Medal and a Silver Medal, carrying prizes of 25,000 and 10,000 US dollars respectively.

The selection committee is composed of Harvard professor and Chinese-American mathematician Shing-Tung Yau, as well as eight other top non-Chinese mathematicians.

He had received this award in his past life and knew that the award ceremony was held in late July or early August of the award year. But it was only March, and the winner list was already in his hands.

This was almost three months earlier than in previous years, when the list wasn’t usually released until May or June.

Chen Zhengping smiled mysteriously. “Well, taking certain things into consideration, this year’s winner list and award ceremony are a bit earlier than usual. The ceremony has been moved from late July to late May. It can be seen as laying some groundwork for you. You should understand in a while.”

This piqued Xu Chuan’s curiosity, but he didn’t press further, as he could more or less guess the reason.

With his current achievements, it could only be related to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. And associated with a world-class problem like that, there were only a few things it could be.

Things like the Abel Prize, or the Fields Medal in two years’ time—major mathematics awards that no scholar of Chinese nationality had ever won.

This was most likely groundwork for those things.

The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem would 100% get him a nomination for the Fields Medal, but whether he could win was another matter.

First, he was too young. Even two years from now, he would only be twenty.

The youngest Fields Medalist, Professor Jean-Pierre Serre, was twenty-eight when he received the award.

Not everyone would be happy to see the age of a Fields Medalist drop by a whole eight years. Many of the mathematicians eligible for a Fields nomination were already approaching forty.

For instance, the other winner on the Morningside Medal list, Zhang Wei—a Peking University alumnus and a tenured professor at Columbia University—was already thirty-five this year.

The mathematics congress in two years would be his last hope. If he missed it, he would be forty-one by the time the 2022 congress came around, and the Fields Medal would be forever out of his reach.

Another factor was that in mathematics, the international mathematics community placed more importance on the ideas, results, and mathematical tools born from the process of solving a conjecture or problem, rather than just the solution itself.

For example, Professor Peter Scholze’s “p-adic geometry theory” tool. Even though Professor Scholze hadn’t solved a major conjecture yet, he had already secured a spot for the Fields Medal in two years with this tool alone.

During the review of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, Professor Fefferman had mentioned in his feedback that he hoped Xu Chuan would properly organize the ideas and methods used in the proof.

This was also a subtle hint that if he wanted to win a medal at the Fields ceremony in two years, the ideas and methods for solving mathematical problems were extremely important.

This wasn’t to say that solving a mathematical conjecture was unimportant. If he could solve a Tier 1 or a true Tier 2 conjecture, winning the Fields Medal would be a certainty.

But frankly, while the Weyl-Berry conjecture was indeed difficult, close to the difficulty of a low-end Tier 2 conjecture, it should more accurately be classified as Tier 3.

Added to that, the value generated by its solution wasn’t particularly great. Combining his age and the value of his work, plus the fact that he had no other mathematical achievements besides the Weyl-Berry conjecture…

Therefore, Xu Chuan wasn’t sure if he could win the Fields Medal in two years based on this conjecture alone.

This early announcement and presentation of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics were likely a way to build momentum for him, hoping it would make him more famous and encourage other mathematics awards to be presented to him within two years, thereby increasing his leverage.

However, Xu Chuan was non-committal about such things.

He had never thought of using the state apparatus to build hype for himself to contend for the Fields Medal in two years.

Fame and reputation could be faked, but mathematical ability could not.

In mathematics, if you understand, you understand. If you don’t, even if they gave you the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, the Gauss Prize, and the Wolf Prize, it wouldn’t make you understand.

So, compared to reputation, Xu Chuan hoped he could understand more.

In fact, if Professor Zhang Wei had been the one to solve the Weyl-Berry conjecture this time, the Fields Medal in two years would have been a sure thing for him.

Because God Wei’s contributions to the mathematical world were substantial. Whether in number theory or automorphic forms, his contributions were many; he was just missing the solution to a famous, major problem to secure the Fields Medal.

And at Peking University, there was really only one publicly acknowledged “God Wei” (伟神 - Wěi shén) on campus, and that was Zhang Wei, not the more famous and widely known Wei Dongyi of later generations.

Anyone who studied mathematics would be well aware of the difference between the two.

Chapter 120: The Betelgeuse Research Project

Xu Chuan hadn’t expected the Morningside Medal of Mathematics award ceremony to be moved up by more than two months just for him. He had initially thought the news was about the Observatory application being approved or something else positive, not this.

From an honors perspective, this was indeed good news. But for him, whether the Morningside Medal was awarded in May or in July or August made no difference.

If anyone else heard this thought, they would definitely say he was playing it cool after getting a great deal.

Making the “Fields Medal for Chinese mathematicians” change its award schedule was something you could brag about for a lifetime.

But for him, it really didn’t seem like a big deal.

To him, breakthroughs in his work and knowledge were far more important than receiving accolades. Even if he hadn’t received a single award after proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he wouldn’t have minded much.

It might sound like showing off or asking for a beating, but that was genuinely how he felt.

Sooner or later, or never—he would still be who he was.

“You don’t seem very excited, kid. What, you think the Morningside Medal is beneath you?”

In the office, Chen Zhengping glanced at Xu Chuan’s expression and asked with a smile.

“Not at all. Winning the ‘Fields Medal for Chinese mathematicians’ is an occasion worthy of a massive celebration for any mathematician. I’m just a little worried. Won’t moving the ceremony up by two months cause gossip?” Xu Chuan asked, curious.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Just wait peacefully to accept your award. No one will gossip.”

Chen Zhengping smiled, then continued, “Oh, there’s another thing. Your previous application for astronomical equipment and observatory access has been approved. Your usage period is from March tenth to March thirtieth, for a total of twenty days. During this time, you can freely use all the professional equipment in the astronomy department.”

“Of course, since this is a research project, you’ll need to pay a usage fee, but that can be covered by the research grant you applied for.”

“Don’t worry about the money. The research project, established under the name of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’s subsequent extensions, has been approved for a total of two point four million.”

At this, Chen Zhengping sighed with emotion. “A first-year university student leading a research project worth over two million. Not just at Nanjing University, but in all of China, or even the whole world, this is probably a first.”

“Back when I was in university, the largest grant for a research project I participated in was only eighty thousand.”

“Without the contributions of great scholars like you, Teacher, how could we enjoy the prosperity of today?” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

“Alright, enough with the flattery.”

Chen Zhengping shot Xu Chuan a look and went on, “About the research project, this should be your first time managing one, right? Go find your senior, Fan Pengyue, tomorrow. He can help you with all the procedures and paperwork, including how to use and get reimbursements for the research grant funds. You should learn all of it from him.”

“After all, with your trajectory, you’ll likely be heading up many more research projects in the future, so you need to get familiar with the process.”

Xu Chuan nodded in agreement. Although he was more than familiar with managing research grants and projects, he really wasn’t sure how the system worked here in China.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Zhengping added, “Oh, right. For your current research project, if you need to use any complex and precise astronomical equipment, I suggest you hire some doctoral students from the astronomy or astrophysics departments.”

“On the one hand, it’s to avoid damaging the equipment. On the other hand, they are more experienced in operating these devices and can more accurately observe the data you need.”

“Okay, understood.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He would have considered these things even if Chen Zhengping hadn’t mentioned them.

Every field has its own experts. While astrophysics was a branch of physics, it had little to do with his research in his past life. He truly wasn’t sure how to use those professional astronomical instruments to obtain the data he needed.

Leaving his advisor’s office, the news that his application for astronomical equipment had been approved made Xu Chuan raise his head to the sky with delight.

Although the light pollution in the city was severe, the weather was good today. Since it was just after nightfall, the moon was bright and the stars were beginning to appear, scattered across the black canvas, clear and luminous.

And in the east, a cluster of bright stars was shining.

It was the constellation Orion, easily recognizable in the night sky. Seven main stars formed its body, four of which created a large quadrilateral, with three stars in the middle arranged in a diagonal line.

Among this group of stars, the one at the top left shoulder was unique. It emitted an orange-red glow visible to the naked eye, completely different from the cold white light of the other stars.

This star was called Betelgeuse, and it was the target of his observation this time.

Betelgeuse could be seen in the Northern Hemisphere throughout the year.

However, winter was the best time for observation, especially in December, when it was easiest to find. It would rise from the east at dusk, located at the shoulder of Orion.

Viewed from Earth with the naked eye, it might seem no bigger than a fingernail.

But from six hundred and forty light-years away, it was a star far larger than the Sun.

Physically, Betelgeuse’s current expanded radius is about eight astronomical units (AU). If you were to place it at the center of our solar system, Betelgeuse would likely extend beyond the orbit of Jupiter.

In other words, if it were at the center of our solar system, its surface would extend past the asteroid belt, reaching and surpassing Jupiter’s orbit, completely engulfing Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Some even believe it would be large enough to swallow the asteroid belt and Jupiter as well.

This cognitive discrepancy is due to the immense distance, which makes it impossible for people to accurately estimate its diameter.

In addition, Betelgeuse itself periodically changes its shape. This, combined with the pulsation theory of variable stars, the fact that its angular diameter changes with wavelength, and Betelgeuse’s complex, asymmetrical envelope, all make it impossible to determine its precise diameter.

Xu Chuan was very interested in this massive star that had already reached the end of its life.

It was shrouded in many mysteries. Unlocking even a part of them would be a record-breaking achievement.

Now that the astronomical observation equipment had been approved, it meant he could begin his research on it in just over a week.

Back in his dorm, Xu Chuan temporarily set aside his research on the “Proton Radius Puzzle” and turned his attention to Betelgeuse.

He had already collected a great deal of information on Betelgeuse, from basic stellar parameters and photographs to the complex dynamics of its extended atmosphere and its plume-like gas ejections.

He had gone through all of it once before, but he still found it miraculous.

For instance, in 2009, an infrared interferometry study conducted by the Australian Infrared Research Institute showed that since 1993, Betelgeuse had shrunk by fifteen percent at an accelerating rate, yet its apparent magnitude had not dimmed significantly.

In other words, its volume had decreased by fifteen percent, but its brightness hadn’t changed—it had neither brightened nor dimmed.

It was like a two-hundred-pound man losing thirty pounds to become one hundred and seventy, yet still looking as big as he did before.

It wasn’t scientific.

Although scientists later offered some explanations, such as this apparent contraction being caused by shell activity in the star’s extended atmosphere or by a massive loss of stellar material, these explanations all had their own flaws.

For example, if the shrinking was due to shell activity in Betelgeuse’s extended atmosphere, then its brightness should have increased significantly, not remained almost unchanged.

This is because if the shell activity in Betelgeuse’s atmosphere were causing it to shrink, the star’s density would increase with the contraction. The hydrogen, helium, and other materials in the shell would participate in nuclear fusion reactions, and its brightness would increase noticeably, rather than staying nearly the same.

It’s like forging iron. When a piece of red-hot iron is struck by a hammer and its volume decreases, its red surface will gradually turn a brilliant white.

Though the analogy might not be entirely appropriate, it was very descriptive.

Coupled with the fact that Betelgeuse was a massive star in its old age, on the verge of a supernova explosion, Xu Chuan was very interested in these changes.

If he could witness its supernova explosion in his lifetime, that would be even more exciting.

In his dorm, Xu Chuan organized the information and data he had, then took out a stack of white paper.

The black gel pen in his hand hovered over the clean scratch paper. After a moment of contemplation, he began to write down a series of data equations.

“.∂u/∂t = Δu, t > 0, x ∈ Ω; u = 0, t ≥ 0, x ∈ ∂Ω;”

“.Δ = Σ(from j=1 to n) ∂²/∂x²j”

Δ is the Laplace operator, and ∂Ω is the boundary of Ω.

To find the standing wave solution to the problem, using the method of separation of variables, let u(t, x) = ψ(t)·φ(x). Substituting this into equation (1) and considering the boundary conditions, for λ > 0, we have:

Δφ/φ = ψtt/ψ = −λ

To use the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to deduce the shape and diameter of a star was not so simple. It wasn’t just a matter of plugging the observed data into the formula and calculating.

The first step was to deform the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to a certain extent, transforming it from dealing with isospectral waves to Sobolev space waves, and then perform the calculation using an amplitude function that exhibited periodic oscillations.

This was a very troublesome task. But fortunately, for a general target—for instance, one formula for ordinary stars, another for ordinary black holes—the deformation and wave transformation only needed to be done once.

It was an adaptive formula, applicable to celestial bodies within a certain range of parameters.

If someone else were to undertake this work, they probably wouldn’t even get a foot in the door without one or two months of effort. But for Xu Chuan, this was as familiar as it could be.

He was the founder of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. Besides Weyl and Berry, the two who proposed the conjecture, no one was more familiar with the Weyl-Berry conjecture than he was. In fact, even the two founders might not know it as well as he did.

Therefore, when it came to the deformation and transformation of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, he was like a fish in water.

Chapter 121: The Research Project Begins

The next day, as the bright sunlight streamed through the window, Xu Chuan, who was slumped over his desk, slowly opened his eyes.

“Ugh, did I just fall asleep like that last night?”

Stretching, Xu Chuan looked at the bright daylight outside and muttered to himself.

It was a good thing the air conditioning was on in the dorm; otherwise, if he’d slept like that all night, he would’ve woken up in a hospital bed this morning.

The nights in early March were still a bit cold.

After getting up to wash his face, Xu Chuan returned to his desk with a piece of bread in his mouth and a cup of yogurt in his hand. As he ate, he looked at the messy and wrinkled scratch paper on his desk, crumpled from having been slept on.

Last night, he had been organizing data and working on the deformation transformation of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem until after three in the morning. In the end, without a Red Bull to fuel his all-nighter, he couldn’t take it anymore and passed out at his desk.

However, his hard work had paid off.

One night wasn’t enough to completely transform the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem from isospectral waves to Sobolev space waves, but he had managed to write down part of the core idea.

All that was left was to slowly perfect it. At his pace, he estimated it would take about two or three days.

Of course, “getting it done” didn’t mean perfecting it to the point of being publishable in a journal. It meant he could use the deformation-transformed Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to perform calculations on Betelgeuse.

That was a completely different matter from publishing a paper. Publishing a research paper was much more troublesome and required perfecting many more things.

But he probably wouldn’t have time to continue working on it today.

With that thought, Xu Chuan stuffed the last piece of his bread into his mouth, tidied up the scratch paper on his desk, and picked up his phone to call his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue.

He needed to get the research project officially established in the next couple of days.

Although his follow-up research on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was a high-priority project green-lit by the higher-ups, he still had to go through the official procedures. The approval time, however, would be compressed as much as possible.

If he followed the normal application process for a standard project, there would definitely not be enough time.

Standard project applications have deadlines, with the submission period usually lasting one to two months.

And the notification of project approval is subject to many uncontrollable factors, taking anywhere from three to six months to be issued.

So, under normal circumstances, the time from application to official project establishment is about three months or so.

As for his case, it couldn’t be compared to a regular project. The proposal for his follow-up research on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem had already been submitted, and the higher-ups had fast-tracked it with a green light all the way.

So all he had to do now was coordinate with Fan Pengyue for the next two days to get the project established. Then, Nanjing University would quickly transfer the two point four million in research funding to a dedicated account.

Once the funds arrived, the research on Betelgeuse could officially begin.

After two or three days of working with his eldest senior disciple, the follow-up research project on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem finally passed its review.

The special project funds would be transferred to the dedicated account in three days, and a few days after that, the various astronomical instruments needed to observe Betelgeuse would also be made available.

Everything was progressing smoothly. His eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, had even helped find several doctoral students from the astronomy department to join the research team.

Hired ones, of course.

But for these doctoral students, they were more than willing to be hired. Forget the project stipend; they would even pay to be a part of it.

The astronomy department at Nanjing University—no, in the entire country—was a notoriously unpopular major, with few students, few research projects, and even less research funding.

For many years, students who dared to major in astronomy were generally seen as rather “idealistic” people because it was not easy to find a job after graduation.

The main career paths for astronomy graduates were research institutions like observatories, meteorological bureaus, or applied interdisciplinary fields such as aerospace, national defense, and geodesy, as well as teaching and research positions at universities. Job opportunities were, to put it mildly, extremely scarce.

After all, in this country, the only ones capable of and willing to research astronomy were the major state-affiliated universities. Capitalists would never pour money into something like this; it was clearly an endeavor that only consumed money with no financial return.

People will engage in business that could get them killed, but no one will take on a venture that’s guaranteed to lose money.

Only government-backed entities could afford to invest funds into such things year after year.

Therefore, astronomy jobs were highly sought after, with far more applicants than available positions.

If they could participate in a large-scale research project as a student, it would be a huge boost to their resume after graduation.

At Xiao Xian Zhuang, the day before the Betelgeuse observation project was set to officially begin, Xu Chuan booked a private room and treated the senior doctoral students he had hired to a meal.

“Seniors, as your underclassman, I’d like to toast you all. Here’s to a pleasant collaboration on the upcoming research project.”

In the private room, Xu Chuan stood up with a glass of beer and smilingly addressed the senior students from the astronomy department.

Whether at home or abroad, social etiquette is unavoidable; it’s just that social interactions in this country are a bit more profound.

A simple meal could secure the full cooperation of these senior doctoral students for the next twenty days. It would have been worth it even if he had to pay for it out of his own pocket, not to mention that it could be reimbursed from the research funds.

“To God Chuan.”

“Wishing God Chuan’s research project success.”

“Let’s give it our all.”

“…”

As Xu Chuan stood to make the toast, the senior doctoral students from the astronomy department also quickly stood up, downing the beer in their disposable plastic cups in one go.

“Please, everyone, don’t be so formal. Eat and drink up tonight. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have to trouble you all.”

Xu Chuan smiled and sat down. He wasn’t very skilled at networking, but treating someone to a meal was something he could handle.

“Hah, what’s there to be troubled about? For us from the astronomy department, getting to participate in a research project is an opportunity others can only dream of.”

“Exactly. I’m a goddamn doctoral student, and this is the first time I’ve ever participated in a research project.”

“God Chuan, is your project this time about observing and collecting data on Betelgeuse?”

At the dinner table, perhaps because they weren’t facing their own advisor, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. After a few beers, the senior doctoral students gradually opened up.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Yes, this project is actually a derivative study of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“And Betelgeuse is a rather suitable subject, so it became the research target.”

“Betelgeuse, the one in the Orion Arm? It’s indeed a great research subject. But God Chuan, are you worried about it going supernova?”

In the private room, a doctoral student asked with a smile.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not exactly. The main goal is to use the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to make a precise determination of Betelgeuse’s size, diameter, and mass.”

“Huh? Haven’t the size and mass of Betelgeuse already been measured?”

“If I remember correctly, it’s a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2, located in the constellation Orion, with a radius about 887 to 955 times that of the sun. It’s about 640 to 724 light-years from Earth, and its apparent magnitude varies between 0.0 and 1.3…”

A senior doctoral student named Liu Xuan sitting next to Xu Chuan asked doubtfully, before rattling off a series of parameters for Betelgeuse.

Xu Chuan smiled. “But those measurements aren’t precise, are they? They’re all just estimates.”

“Take its mass, for example. The mass of Betelgeuse has always been controversial. Some sources say its mass is only 14 to 15 solar masses, while others believe it’s as high as 18 to 19 solar masses, or even 20.”

“That’s true. Because it’s so far away, the mass estimates aren’t accurate, so there’s a large margin of error.”

Liu Xuan nodded, and then it dawned on him. He looked at Xu Chuan in astonishment and asked, “God Chuan, you don’t mean you’re trying to measure its exact mass, do you?”

Xu Chuan nodded.

Upon receiving confirmation, the senior doctoral student from the astronomy department stared at Xu Chuan as if he were a monster. The reactions of the others in the room were much the same.

“Is that even possible?”

After a long pause, Liu Xuan asked hesitantly.

He had originally wanted to say it was impossible. After all, if the entire field of astrophysics hadn’t managed it, how could you solve it?

But considering that this underclassman before him had proven a world-class conjecture in his first year of university and might even win the Fields Medal in two years, the words on the tip of his tongue were replaced with another question.

Xu Chuan grinned. “Of course. That’s what the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is for. It can determine the shape, volume, and other information about the source of an information wave by using eigenvalues and boundary points, supplemented by standing wave solutions and the method of separation of variables.”

“Initially, it was used to study two-dimensional waves. I’ve just extended it to higher dimensions.”

Beside him, the senior doctoral students from the astronomy department looked utterly baffled, having no idea what their underclassman was talking about.

Xu Chuan sighed. “Alright, it seems you didn’t understand. Let me put it this way. I’ll ask you a question: if there’s a drum far away, out of your sight, and you can hear its sound, do you think you can determine the size and shape of that distant drum just by listening to it?”

“Impossible!”

“How could you possibly tell?”

“God Chuan, you’d have to have supernatural hearing. It’d be a miracle if anyone could hear that.”

As soon as he asked the question, the senior doctoral students all shook their heads and replied in the negative. Only Liu Xuan, who was sitting beside him, asked curiously.

“Could that theorem you proved before… actually do that?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No, achieving that isn’t my research result. In fact, as early as the last century, mathematicians were already able to determine the size and shape of a drum by listening to its sound, though it requires certain conditions.”

“‘Hearing the shape of a drum’ is the proof of the two-dimensional Weyl-Berry conjecture. I’ve extended the two-dimensional proof to higher dimensions, which is why it can be used to determine the mass and volume of a star.”

“You can think of a star in the distant cosmos as a drum. The star’s radiation waves, gravitational waves, spatial distortions, and other information are the key points I use to determine its precise size, volume, and shape.”

“It may sound miraculous, but theoretically, it is indeed possible. And that is what my research is about this time.”

In the private room, the senior doctoral students stared blankly at Xu Chuan, still finding it hard to believe.

In their understanding, calculating a star’s mass was typically done using standard methods in the field of astronomy, like the law of universal gravitation, gravitational redshift, or luminosity calculations.

Although these methods weren’t very accurate for stars in distant galaxies, there were no other alternatives.

But now, this underclassman, who was only in his first year, was telling them he had a superior method at his disposal, one that could precisely measure and calculate a star’s mass.

This wasn’t just absurd; this was absurd on a whole other level.

Chapter 122: Calculating Betelgeuse

In the private room, although the senior doctoral students felt that the god-tier master from the School of Mathematical Sciences’ research project was a bit of a long shot, they didn’t have many other options.

The Department of Astronomy wasn’t the School of Mathematical Sciences. Doctoral students in mathematics could use the unique versatility of their field to participate in research projects in physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and other disciplines, padding their resumes or even burnishing their credentials.

But the things the Department of Astronomy studied were of absolutely no use to other projects. The idea of joining another project to pad their resumes was completely out of the question.

Now that a project finally needed people from the Department of Astronomy, if they gave it up, plenty of others would be lining up to take their place.

No matter how much of a long shot a project was, it was still a research project. As long as they participated, they could add a colorful entry to their future resumes.

And what if—just what if—this project actually succeeded? Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy would instantly shoot to number one among all universities in the country, maybe even number one in Asia.

Accurately measuring the mass of a red supergiant six hundred and forty light-years away was something that not just Nanjing University, but the entire field of astronomy, was currently incapable of doing.

If they—no, if the junior before them—could do it, and they were part of it, they could at least claim the credentials of a pioneer.

They didn’t dare to dream of being second or third authors. Just being mentioned in the research paper, credited with collecting and organizing the data, would be enough for them to gain recognition worldwide.

In the future, they could brag like this at gatherings and parties:

“Hey, you know Betelgeuse, the star six hundred and forty light-years away that’s about to go supernova? I’m the one who measured its precise size and shape! That’s right, I’m a pioneer in the field of astronomy!”

With this mindset, the senior doctoral students from the Department of Astronomy officially joined Xu Chuan’s research project.

Xu Chuan didn’t bother explaining much. The computational mechanism behind the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was something that even a math professor from Nanjing University might not be able to grasp in a short time, let alone astronomy students who were almost completely clueless about mathematics.

Besides, the task for these seniors was simple: collect data according to his requirements. The final calculations would be done by him personally.

Nanjing University, Xianlin Campus, Zuodiqiang Observatory.

Xu Chuan followed the senior doctoral students on a tour of the astronomical research institute.

Funded by the Hong Kong Zuodiqiang Foundation, it was one of the most technologically advanced university observatories in the country.

“God Chuan, I have to say, your luck is really good.”

“If you had started this project a year or two earlier, you probably would have had to run off to Qinghai or Yunnan just for the foundational parts.”

“But now, we have the Zuodiqiang Observatory and the Purple Mountain Observatory. Both were officially completed and put into use in 2014. The reflecting telescopes, Schmidt telescopes, and radio telescopes here are enough to collect some of the basic data, which will save you a huge amount of research funding.”

Walking on Ding Mountain within the campus, Liu Xuan introduced the facilities to Xu Chuan with a smile.

“Only a portion?” Xu Chuan paused, frowning as he asked.

He really didn’t know much about the astronomy world, only that Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy was ranked among the top in the country and that Nanjing had the nationally famous Purple Mountain Observatory.

He had assumed that these two places would be enough to complete the data collection for Betelgeuse, but from what his senior Liu was saying, it seemed they could only collect a portion of it.

Liu Xuan nodded and continued, “Being able to collect a portion is already very good. Before 2014, we couldn’t even collect that much.”

“It’s only because our university built the Zuodiqiang Observatory later. Although it’s mainly for undergraduate teaching and not exactly top-tier, it’s at least equipped with a set of astronomical instruments we can use.”

“As for the Purple Mountain Observatory, most of its equipment isn’t actually on Purple Mountain. It’s distributed in places like Qinghai, Xuyi, Ganyu, and even Antarctica.”

“What’s on Purple Mountain is really just a research and science popularization park.”

“Didn’t you give me a list of required data last night? I looked it over when I got back. Based on those standards, this research experiment will require at least one trip to Yunnan and Qinghai.”

“Real astronomical observation experiments not only require top-tier astronomical equipment but also a superior observation environment.”

“Don’t even think about putting astronomical equipment on Purple Mountain or on campus. That’s impossible. The light pollution from a large city at night has too great an impact on astronomical observation.”

“So, at most, we can collect some basic data here. The top-tier data will have to be collected in Yunnan and Qinghai using the large-scale astronomical equipment there.”

“But don’t worry, I checked. The Yunnan Observatory Astronomical Observation Array doesn’t have any major observation projects scheduled right now, so we can apply to use it.”

After a pause, Liu Xuan added, “This is actually pretty good. At least we don’t have to go abroad.”

“If we were observing auroras or certain stars only visible from the Southern Hemisphere, we’d have to go to Antarctica. Sometimes we’d even have to go during the polar night, or we wouldn’t be able to observe anything.”

“I went to that godforsaken place last year with my Advisor. I stayed there for a month. The temperature was minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius—so cold it could freeze your dick off. I’ve been once, and I never want to go back a second time.”

“The scenery is beautiful, but after a while, you get used to it.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He had never been to Antarctica, but just hearing about temperatures of minus thirty to forty degrees made him feel cold.

The coldest place he’d ever been for a physics project in his past life was the permafrost in Iceland. He went once when the temperature was around minus twenty degrees, and it was so cold he started to question his existence.

Conducting research in temperatures of minus thirty to forty degrees was a terrifying thought.

Moreover, if something went wrong in Antarctica, you were truly on your own—shouting to the heavens and getting no answer, calling to the earth and getting no response. Rescue would never arrive in time.

After touring the university’s observatory and learning about the equipment used for astronomical experiments, Xu Chuan returned to his dormitory.

He needed to continue refining the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, while the data collection for Betelgeuse was left to the senior doctoral students from the Department of Astronomy.

With his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, helping to oversee things, there was no need to worry about any problems.

As for the timeline, according to his requirements, collecting the data on Betelgeuse would take about ten days to a month.

The wide margin of error was mainly determined by when they could get approval to use the Yunnan Observatory Astronomical Observation Array and the nature of the astronomical observation activities themselves.

The former was self-explanatory. Even though the Yunnan array had a cooperative relationship with Nanjing University, and even though it currently had no large-scale observation projects, jumping the queue wasn’t so easy.

And the time required for astronomical observation activities was not fixed either, as it involved continuously using different technical parameters and different telescopes for measurements to ultimately obtain a relative value.

During this period, all Xu Chuan could do was wait.

However, after finishing the transformation and deformation of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, he went with the senior doctoral students from the Department of Astronomy on a trip to Yunnan.

The so-called astronomical observation array was located in a remote mountain valley where not even birds would shit, with dozens of kilometers of uninhabited land all around, maximally eliminating light pollution.

The corresponding trade-off was that the staff’s life was extremely inconvenient, with virtually no recreational activities. The cafeteria chef had to drive dozens of kilometers to buy groceries, or have them specially delivered.

Under the guidance of a senior doctoral student, Xu Chuan used a large optical astronomical telescope to observe Betelgeuse, far away at six hundred and fourteen light-years.

The star, which was just a speck in the night sky to the naked eye, was only slightly larger than an egg in the telescope’s eyepiece, a far cry from the massive star one might imagine.

It looked like an egg yolk that had been gently pushed on one side. Other than a slight protrusion, it could be described as utterly unremarkable.

The brilliant Milky Way, on the other hand, was something else. It was the first time Xu Chuan had seen its true vastness and beauty.

In this wilderness with no light pollution and extremely clear air, the vast Milky Way resembled a transparent, lustrous, and colorful silk ribbon, or a squinting eye in the sky—utterly strange and beautiful.

A bright half-moon hung in the dark night, emitting a cool light, and countless stars sparkled like jewels embedded in the clear sky.

Xu Chuan could even see the lunar maria and the massive craters on the moon with his naked eye.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

A voice came from the roof of the research institute, and at the same time, a figure sat down next to Xu Chuan. It was Liu Xuan, the senior doctoral student from the Department of Astronomy.

“Yes. It was worth the trip.”

Xu Chuan responded softly, his eyes fixed on the Milky Way above.

This Milky Way was different from the one in his memory.

In his memory, the Milky Way stretched horizontally across the sky.

But what he saw here was a vertical band of light.

Like the bridge where the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet on the Qixi Festival, it rose from the distant horizon and extended up into the sky, like a sky-bridge connecting the earth to the sea of stars. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

All he could say was that such a magnificent sight was impossible to see in the city.

Liu Xuan smiled and said, “This is also why I study astronomy. Because it’s just so beautiful.”

Xu Chuan was noncommittal. Staring at the Milky Way above, he suddenly asked, “Do you think there are aliens in this vast galaxy?”

Liu Xuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting Xu Chuan to ask such a question. After some thought, he said, “I don’t know, not unless I see them with my own eyes.”

“But from the perspective of how life originates, the probability of intelligent extraterrestrial life existing should be quite high, right?”

Xu Chuan didn’t reply, just silently stared at the Milky Way.

The secret of his rebirth was a stone buried deep in his heart, unknown to anyone.

But occasionally, he would wonder whether it was a coincidence or if it had been arranged. He had just never revealed it to anyone.

The two were silent for a while before Xu Chuan spoke up, “Senior Liu, how’s the data collection for Betelgeuse coming along?”

“We’re currently about sixty-seven percent complete. We still need about four to five days here in Yunnan. After that, we need to head over to Qinghai to use the radio telescopes there to collect some data. That should take about a week.”

“So, about twelve or thirteen more days?”

Liu Xuan nodded. “Yes, about that. This is actually very fast. The main reason is that our applications for the astronomical equipment have been approved almost instantly. We haven’t been delayed much in that regard.”

“Your luck is just too good. When my Advisor was doing an experiment before, his application for the observation array here in Yunnan took over three months to get approved. Yours was approved in less than a week after submission.”

Xu Chuan smiled. This wasn’t luck.

If anything, it was a combination of ability and policy.

He had solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and the higher-ups needed this conjecture to compete for a top-tier mathematics award. Therefore, they needed to expand the influence of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem as much as possible.

And the research project on Betelgeuse was approved so quickly precisely because of this influence.

Xu Chuan didn’t stay in Yunnan for long. After staying for three or four days and getting the first batch of data, he returned to Nanjing.

Although the data collected so far was incomplete, he had gathered the basic data and most of the data he needed. It was almost enough to start the calculations.

He didn’t plan to sit idle before the data from the observation array in Qinghai was collected. He could perfectly well use this time to do a preliminary calculation.

Organizing the collected data, Xu Chuan listed it on a piece of scratch paper.

Observation Object: Betelgeuse.

Classification: Red Supergiant.

March 27, 2016, 3:40 AM, calculated diameter: ~891.986 D⊙ ~ 901.213 D⊙ (D⊙ refers to one solar diameter)

March 27, 2016, 3:18 AM, observed apparent magnitude: +0.827m.

March 27, 2016, 3:27 AM, observed distance to Earth: 659.76 light-years.

March 27, 2016.

Various data were neatly listed on a sheet of scratch paper. There wasn’t a huge amount of data, but it was the fruit of nearly twenty days of hard work by the senior doctoral students.

Working in astronomy could be really tough at times, because you sometimes had to wake up in the middle of the night to operate the equipment.

Just like this time, to help him collect data, each of the senior doctoral students had darker circles under their eyes than the last.

After listing the data, Xu Chuan stared at it on the scratch paper for a while, lost in thought.

A moment later, the black gel pen in his hand was once again scrawling lines of mathematical formulas on the paper.

“N(λ) = (2π)891.986D⊙ω||nλn/2 Cn|Ω|n1λ(n1)/2 + o(λ(n1)/2”

“Substituting the speed of light, N(λ) = (2π)891.986D⊙ω299792.4580.12*λn/2”

“Converting to Sobolev space waves:”

“Substituting the time interval, the amplitude functions are 0.37 and 0.24”

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan stared intently at the scratch paper in his hands, the black gel pen sketching out one number after another.

Having already completed the deformation and transformation of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, applying it to calculate data for a star in the three-dimensional world was not difficult for him, just a bit tedious.

But that couldn’t stop him.

One observation datum after another was plugged into the formula. After a long time, he finally obtained a complete equation.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan plugged the final rough boundary values into the formula for the final calculation.

Soon, the complete data and the calculated answer were presented on the scratch paper, but the result made his eyes widen.

“How is this possible?”

“How could it have calculated two different answers?”

Chapter 123: The Mysterious Betelgeuse, Two Sets of Vastly Different Diameters

[889.00712721D⊙]

[67.456799134D⊙]

On the scratch paper, two vastly different numbers left Xu Chuan a bit stunned.

He was calculating the diameter of Betelgeuse, not something else. Why were there two different numbers?

Even if he had substituted two different sets of boundary values and eigenvalues, it shouldn’t have produced such a significant discrepancy.

The first set, nearly eight hundred ninety times the solar diameter, was perfectly normal. It fully aligned with the current calculations for Betelgeuse within the astronomical community.

But the second set, a mere sixty-seven and a half times the solar diameter, completely contradicted all historical observational data on Betelgeuse’s size.

It couldn’t be that all the previous observational and calculated data from the astronomy community was wrong. It couldn’t be that methods like the Law of Universal Gravitation, gravitational redshift, and luminosity estimation were all wrong either.

That wasn’t scientific.

A single star, with two calculated diameters.

Faced with this absurd result, Xu Chuan’s first instinct was to suspect that there was a problem with his calculation process or the transformed Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem he had derived.

One planet, two diameters—it was an impossibility.

It was as if 1+1 no longer equaled 2. When an obvious truth is broken, the first one to be suspected is naturally the person who broke it.

Xu Chuan was no different. His first suspicion, naturally, fell upon his own calculation formula and process.

This was normal. In physics, if something challenges familiar common sense, it is highly likely to be flawed.

It was like how no matter what mistakes are made in mathematics, a universal truth like 1+1=2 could never be overturned.

But after he meticulously checked his calculation process and formula once more, he looked up, puzzled.

His repeated checks showed that there were absolutely no issues with his calculations, and the data he had substituted was correct.

Yet the result stubbornly produced two answers.

The calculation process was fine, the formula was fine, and a star couldn’t possibly have two diameters. So, was the problem with the collected data on Betelgeuse?

After confirming his calculations were sound, Xu Chuan’s suspicion immediately shifted to the various data points on Betelgeuse.

Once the calculation process, calculation speed, and other factors were ruled out, the observational data for Betelgeuse became the most likely culprit.

It wasn’t that he thought the senior students from the Department of Astronomy had given him a problematic or fabricated set of data. The probability of that was quite low.

After all, this was data that could be obtained through various astronomical instruments, so there was no need to go through the trouble of faking it.

Furthermore, fabricating data in a research project was an extremely serious matter. If he found out someone had falsified data in his experiment and exposed it, the consequences would be far more severe than simply being unable to graduate.

The year before last, in 2014, a fraudulent research scandal in the neighboring island nation had shocked the world.

In January of 2014, a research group led by Haruko Obokata, who was hailed by the island nation as a “national treasure” and “the island nation’s Marie Curie,” announced the successful creation of a brand-new “all-purpose cell”—the STAP cell.

The method was simple: cells taken from a mouse’s spleen were immersed in a weakly acidic solution, similar in pH to black tea, for twenty-five minutes. After a few days of cultivation, new cells appeared.

These new cells were what Haruko Obokata called all-purpose cells.

What were all-purpose cells?

Combined with cloning technology, all-purpose cells could be developed into cells, tissues, or organs that were a perfect genetic match for a patient.

For example, hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, skin, eyes, and so on.

If such cells could be created, it would be tantamount to giving a new lease on life to those suffering from various cancers or diseases.

After all, cells taken from one’s own body could be reverse-cultivated into various organs and then transplanted back, theoretically with no risk of rejection.

Therefore, at the time, this achievement was considered an epoch-making breakthrough that would overturn the conventional understanding of life sciences. Many even believed that the next Nobel Prize in Biology would undoubtedly go to Haruko Obokata.

After all, this achievement was more than just Nobel-worthy; if it were real, it would benefit the entire world.

Subsequently, on January 29, 2014, the research findings were published in the electronic edition of the British scientific journal Nature, which further seemed to confirm the experiment’s authenticity.

Thus, a wave of celebration swept through the island nation and beyond.

After the paper’s publication, it quickly caused a huge sensation. Such a significant achievement naturally attracted attention from all sides. Major media outlets reported on it extensively, and the scientific communities of other countries were filled with anticipation for the immense potential of this breakthrough, their imaginations running wild with its value.

But soon, external experts pointed out that the images in Haruko Obokata’s published paper looked unnatural, as if they had been manipulated.

In addition, some international peers tried to replicate the experiment using the method described in the paper but were unable to reproduce the results.

Even Haruko Obokata herself could not successfully repeat the experiment to produce the results from her paper.

Public opinion then turned. The island nation began its own investigation. The higher the profile, the easier it is for problems to arise; the higher the position, the harder the fall.

Finally, on December 19, 2014, the academic fraud scandal that had shaken the world—the STAP cell incident—was settled. The investigation confirmed that Haruko Obokata had engaged in academic misconduct, including duplicating experimental data.

In other words, ‘fabrication.’

Her doctoral advisor, who had trusted her too deeply, ultimately could not withstand the blow from public opinion and committed suicide.

But even before his death, he still believed in his student. His suicide note even expressed his hope that Haruko Obokata would be able to recreate the STAP cells.

One could only say he had been tragically deceived.

This fabrication incident dealt a devastating blow to the island nation’s “Abenomics” and its “regenerative cell research” experiments.

The advisor’s suicide, Haruko Obokata’s own doctorate being revoked, her university’s reputation being tarnished, and Nature’s prestige taking a hit.

All these consequences stemmed from Haruko Obokata’s fraud.

But laughably, Haruko Obokata never admitted to fabricating her research.

Although she admitted at a press conference that there were multiple “errors” in the paper, she insisted that the STAP phenomenon was a fact that had been confirmed many times.

It was just that ever since the paper was published, she had never once successfully replicated the STAP experiment.

Xu Chuan didn’t think the doctoral seniors from the Department of Astronomy had given him fake data, but based on this, the data for Betelgeuse was indeed problematic.

So either the astronomical experiment had collected flawed data, or there was a problem with Betelgeuse itself.

After some thought, Xu Chuan couldn’t be certain which aspect was the problem.

However, he could use the process of elimination. He could use mathematical tools to diagnose and deduce.

Mathematics would not lie.

Tidying up the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan picked up his pen again. He first set aside the problematic data set and then began recalculating the observational data for Betelgeuse.

[Calculation based on data from March 26, 2016, 11:23. Diameter of Betelgeuse: 889.007127235D⊙]

[Calculation based on data from March 27, 2016, 10:37. Diameter of Betelgeuse: 889.007127261D⊙]

[Calculation based on data from March 27, 2016, 02:03. Diameter of Betelgeuse: 889.007127214D⊙]

[Calculation based on data from March 28, 2016, 11:36. Diameter of Betelgeuse: …]

[March 29, 2016…]

After spending more than six hours, Xu Chuan finished calculating the sixteen sets of rough data he had.

But aside from the first time, when the number [67.456799134D⊙] appeared, the diameter of Betelgeuse in the remaining fifteen data sets was always around eight hundred eighty-nine solar diameters.

There were slight differences in the precise digits at the end, but they weren’t large. This was caused by Betelgeuse’s constant expansion and contraction due to its stellar activity.

At the same time, this data also confirmed that the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could indeed be used to calculate stellar data from eigenvalues and boundary values.

But this only made Xu Chuan more puzzled. Was it really just because one set of data collected during the first calculation was flawed?

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan picked up his pen again and re-entered the values used in the first calculation back into the formula to calculate it one more time.

The result still yielded two solutions.

One set: [889.00712721D⊙]

One set: [67.456799134D⊙]

“What is going on?”

Staring at the freshly calculated data on the scratch paper, Xu Chuan scratched his chin.

By now, he could rule out any error in his own calculations. He had also used over a dozen other data sets to rule out any problem with the star Betelgeuse itself or the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. That left only one possibility.

The experimental data from the first calculation was flawed. Was it a measurement error or some other issue?

Thinking for a moment, Xu Chuan pulled his computer over, created a new Excel spreadsheet, and dragged the experimental data from the first calculation and the subsequent fifteen sets into it for comparison.

In a situation like this, a direct comparison was one of the fastest ways to find a problem.

With his sensitivity to numbers, he was certain he could spot any issues with the values.

Sure enough, as he scanned through the values item by item, Xu Chuan’s gaze locked onto the Excel spreadsheet.

Row nine: a significant drop in the infrared radiation value. Correspondingly, Betelgeuse’s brightness had increased by one point five apparent magnitudes.

Row eleven: there was also a clear discrepancy in the original diameter, with a difference of nearly forty solar diameters.

Row fourteen: there was a notable difference in Betelgeuse’s surface temperature, but this couldn’t be used as a reference.

This was because the surface temperatures in the other fifteen sets also varied greatly. At its highest, Betelgeuse’s surface temperature could reach 3400 degrees Celsius, while at its lowest, it was only 2500 degrees.

This was due to Betelgeuse’s frequent stellar activity, similar to the sunspots, solar flares, and prominences on the Sun.

However, the Sun’s activity was much weaker compared to Betelgeuse’s. If it were as violent as Betelgeuse, Earth would either become a piece of scorched bread or a frozen world, cycling between the two.

Just like the weather in Xingcheng, which could take you through all four seasons in a week, only to repeat the cycle in reverse—winter, autumn, summer, spring—the following week.

Besides these, there were other slight discrepancies in the spreadsheet, but none were as pronounced as the information in these three.

After some thought, Xu Chuan slightly modified the original values in rows nine and eleven, increasing or decreasing them slightly, and then ran the calculation again with this new data.

Soon, a new set of data was calculated.

Set one: [908.767347901D⊙]

Set two: [131.319771313D⊙]

Two completely different values once again appeared before Xu Chuan’s eyes.

“Does it have such a big impact?”

Staring at the calculated values on his scratch paper, Xu Chuan murmured to himself. The adjustments he had manually input weren’t large; in fact, they were only about a five percent change.

But the answer for the second set had skyrocketed by more than double.

It had jumped from the original 67.45D⊙ diameter all the way to 171.31D⊙.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan picked up the phone from his desk and called the senior doctoral student who was in Yunnan collecting data on Betelgeuse for him.

After briefly explaining his situation, Senior Liu Xuan, who was leading the team on the other end of the line, immediately cried out.

“What? Two diameters?”

“That’s impossible! How can a star have two diameters? And with such a huge difference! One is nearly nine hundred solar diameter units, and the other is less than a hundred.”

“Junior, have you considered that you might have made a mistake in your calculations?”

Xu Chuan could understand Liu Xuan’s vehement objection. He had been just as disbelieving when he first calculated it; he was just a bit calmer.

“I know it’s not scientific, but these are the values calculated using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“Then there might be a problem with the calculation process. A star, even one like Betelgeuse in its late, highly active stage, might have varying diameters, but the difference couldn’t possibly be this large.”

On the other end of the line, before Xu Chuan could finish speaking, Liu Xuan’s rebuttal came through.

Xu Chuan glanced at the scratch paper on his desk and said, “I’ve calculated all sixteen sets of data you brought back. Fifteen of them yielded only one diameter, all around 889D⊙ units, with the numbers accurate to the eighth decimal place.”

“This is sufficient proof that my Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is sound and can accurately calculate Betelgeuse’s diameter.”

“But among these sixteen data sets, one of them produced two answers…”

Xu Chuan didn’t finish his sentence. He had said enough.

“Are you saying that one of the sets of data we observed for Betelgeuse is problematic?”

On the other end of the line, Liu Xuan gradually calmed down. After listening to Xu Chuan’s analysis, he asked with a frown.

He didn’t really believe there was a problem with the observational data.

He had personally reviewed all the data given to Xu Chuan. If there were any issues, he should have discovered them during his review.

But since a problem had arisen, it certainly had to be resolved.

So, the first step was to find out where the problem lay.

“Yes, that’s my preliminary judgment.”

Xu Chuan replied, adding another sentence, “Besides the data potentially being problematic, there’s another possibility. When this set of observational data was recorded, some unknown change might have occurred on Betelgeuse, which affected the data.”

Hearing this, Liu Xuan frowned again. An unknown change on Betelgeuse?

What kind of change could cause such a massive difference in diameter?

After a moment’s thought, Liu Xuan said, “How about this? Email me that data set. I’ll do an urgent analysis tonight. I have the raw data from all the observations here. If Betelgeuse did undergo a change, I should be able to analyze some things from that information.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I’ll have to trouble you then, Senior Liu. I’ll book a ticket to Yunnan for tomorrow.”

Chapter 124: The Situation Inside Betelgeuse’s Hydrogen Envelope

At the center of the Observatory array in Yunnan, Xu Chuan found several of the senior doctoral students from Nanjing University.

At that moment, they were in a lab, engrossed in a heated discussion. Beside them, several researchers from the Observatory array center were also engaged in a similar, parallel debate.

Without a word, Xu Chuan slowed his pace and moved closer to listen.

“It might be caused by asymmetric activity in Betelgeuse’s envelope. The data in this section is definitely anomalous compared to other observations.”

“I’ve checked the original observation materials and compared them with historical data. From the infrared spectrum analysis, this anomaly isn’t particularly noteworthy in a historical context. We’ve seen even more unusual data from Betelgeuse before.”

“For instance, back in 2007, an observatory in Great Britain observed an abnormal expansion of Betelgeuse. Its overall shape was stretched from a standard sphere, like a ping-pong ball, into the shape of an egg.”

“I know about that event. Later analysis concluded it was caused by Betelgeuse’s activity expelling a massive amount of material from its gaseous envelope.”

“So, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the data. The problem most likely lies in the calculations. Calculating two vastly different diameters for a single star… that’s not scientific. It directly violates common sense.”

“…”

“Ah, Xu Chuan is here.”

In the middle of the discussion, someone suddenly noticed Xu Chuan squatting to the side and exclaimed in surprise.

This made the colleague who had just questioned the calculations blush slightly. It was a bit awkward, after all. It wasn’t good to say someone’s calculations were wrong behind their back, especially when they were overheard by the person in question.

Xu Chuan, however, didn’t mind at all. It was perfectly normal to have doubts.

In scientific research, a skeptical spirit is essential.

The rigorous nature of research itself demands that people question whether the process and results are correct.

The more fundamental the discipline, the more it needs people to stand up and challenge things.

Besides, this matter of his was indeed a bit outrageous.

Calculating two diameters for one star—never mind the astronomers here, even if a Fields Medal winner, Feynman, or Witten were here, their first reaction would probably be that there was a problem with the observation data or the calculation formula.

So, Xu Chuan had no issue with the others’ skepticism, as long as they could eventually reach a conclusion through discussion.

“It’s fine, don’t mind me. I’m more interested in what you’ve concluded. How did the observation data check out? Is the problem with the data, or is there an anomaly with Betelgeuse?”

Xu Chuan waved his hand, signaling for them to continue.

Beside him, Liu Xuan, the leader of the Nanjing University team, shook his head. “No significant progress. We can’t determine where the problem lies.”

“However, we can list a few possible scenarios.”

“What are they?” Xu Chuan asked.

Liu Xuan: “First, it could be caused by asymmetric activity in Betelgeuse’s envelope. Because Betelgeuse is in its late stages, its outer hydrogen envelope is constantly expanding, but at the same time, its core is intensely active. This could cause the hydrogen envelope to present itself unevenly, leading to problematic observation data.”

“Second, intense activity on Betelgeuse could have caused the massive plume-like gas ejections from its surface to create an effect similar to stellar expansion.”

“Third, it’s possible there’s a problem with your calculations, junior.”

“Fourth, there might be a companion star orbiting within its gaseous envelope. A portion of the observed data could have originated from this companion star.”

“Fifth, there might be a planet orbiting within its gaseous envelope.”

“Sixth…”

Liu Xuan listed out the possible scenarios. Xu Chuan listened quietly, and when he finished, he looked up and said, “Could you elaborate on the fourth and fifth possibilities regarding a companion star?”

“Yes, no problem.”

Liu Xuan nodded and continued, “Humans first observed Betelgeuse with precision with the advent of large-scale and radio telescopes, which was less than fifty years ago.”

“And fifty years ago, Betelgeuse had already been in its late stages for a long time.”

“A star constantly expands when it enters its late stages. Take our Sun, for example.”

“When the Sun enters its late stages, most of the hydrogen in its core will have been consumed by fusion, and the rate of thermonuclear reactions will drop sharply. At the same time, the balance between gravity and radiation pressure in the core is broken, with gravity gaining the upper hand.”

“The core then begins to contract, gradually becoming hotter and denser. Meanwhile, the outer layers, energized by the core’s contraction, expand violently, turning the star into a red giant.”

“Simultaneously, the Sun’s outer shell will continuously expand outward, while the core compresses inward. Ultimately, in its old age, it will become a red giant and eject its outer layers to form a planetary nebula.”

“According to calculations, the Sun in its late stage will expand to roughly the edge of Earth’s orbit. In the process, it will swallow all surrounding matter, like Mercury, Venus, and Earth.”

“Betelgeuse is currently in this stage. Its surface layer, the hydrogen envelope, is constantly expanding outward, and its volume and diameter are continuously increasing.”

“During this phase, if there was another star near Betelgeuse and it wasn’t destroyed during the process of being engulfed, it would fall into Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.”

“If its own mass and orbital velocity are sufficient to counteract the core’s gravity, it would orbit the core within the hydrogen envelope, forming a rather unique binary system where the smaller star acts like a planet, revolving around the main star.”

“This might explain why you calculated two different diameters. It’s possible that some of the observational data actually came from this smaller star.”

“But this theory is a bit… well, let’s just say the astronomical community currently lacks sufficient evidence to support it. It’s merely a hypothesis proposed by other researchers in the past to explain Betelgeuse’s unusual celestial activity.”

“As for a planet, the situation is similar to that of a companion star—it would have been swallowed. But the probability of a planet existing there is lower, because they don’t have enough gravity to resist the stellar wind and would eventually fall into Betelgeuse’s core.”

“Therefore, the probability of a planet’s existence can essentially be ruled out.”

Liu Xuan gave a rough explanation of the so-called binary system. Although binary systems are common in the universe, he wasn’t very optimistic about this hypothesis.

Because of the distance and the reasons for stellar formation.

The formation of a single-star system is relatively simple: dust and gas in the universe accumulate over time, forming a focal point, and eventually coalesce into a star under the force of gravity.

As for binary stars, if there’s a region in the universe with a large and widespread amount of dust and matter, it’s possible for two focal points—two accretion disks—to form, eventually developing into two stars over a long period.

If the masses of the two stars and the distance between them are right, a stable binary system can form. Over a third of the star systems in the Milky Way are binary.

But Betelgeuse doesn’t meet these conditions.

Because the distance is too short.

Even though its size, if placed in our solar system, would have a boundary large enough to swallow Jupiter, on a cosmic scale, if two stars were squeezed into that range, it would be no different from them being right next to each other.

But during the stellar formation phase, gravitational collapse clears out all surrounding objects.

A massive star like Betelgeuse would have devoured all the surrounding raw materials after its formation.

Even if enough material remained nearby to form a smaller star, it would gradually fall into Betelgeuse under its immense gravitational influence and eventually disappear.

You have to remember, the diameters calculated this time were for a Betelgeuse that is a whopping eight hundred and ninety times the diameter of the Sun, and another unknown celestial body that is only sixty-seven times the Sun’s diameter. The difference between them is enormous.

The difference in their gravitational pull is like a tug-of-war between an elephant and an ordinary person.

There’s only one possible outcome: the ordinary person gets dragged along.

Besides, in the current astronomical community, there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Betelgeuse is a binary system.

Decades of observation of Betelgeuse have never revealed any trace of a companion star.

Therefore, Liu Xuan wasn’t very optimistic about the idea of another star orbiting Betelgeuse’s core within its hydrogen envelope.

He felt the most likely possibilities were either anomalous observation data caused by intense activity in the hydrogen envelope, or a problem with his junior’s calculation formula.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and asked, “If it were such a binary system, then it should have an orbital period, right?”

“Just like how the moon orbits the Earth and we see a full moon return every month.”

Liu Xuan nodded. “If such a stable physical binary system really exists, the small star would definitely have an orbital period.”

“The only thing is, we can’t determine how long it would take for this ‘hypothetical’ small star to complete one orbit around Betelgeuse.”

“Maybe a week? A month? Perhaps a year? Or even a decade or more?”

Xu Chuan: “Can a rough estimate be calculated?”

Liu Xuan gave a wry smile. “I don’t know. No one has ever thought about it, nor has anyone tried, because we lack the necessary data.”

“As you know, a planet’s orbital speed depends on the gravitational pull of the star it orbits, as well as the distance…”

His senior didn’t finish his sentence, but Xu Chuan understood what he meant.

It’s basic physics.

Universal gravitation is directly proportional to mass—the greater the mass, the stronger the gravity—and inversely proportional to distance—the greater the distance, the weaker the gravity.

For example, the Earth is subject to the Sun’s gravity. Due to the Sun’s own rotation, it causes the Earth to orbit it under its gravity.

And while orbiting, a centrifugal force is generated between the Earth and the Sun. This centrifugal force counteracts the Sun’s universal gravitation, and this balance is directly proportional to the distance from the Sun.

The closer to the Sun, the stronger the gravity.

To avoid being pulled directly into the star by its gravity, the planet’s orbital speed must be faster, thereby generating a greater centrifugal force to counteract the Sun’s gravity.

In a stable star system, the centrifugal force and universal gravitation between celestial bodies are in a state of balanced opposition.

This is also why the Earth isn’t pulled into the Sun.

By using this theorem to work backward, it’s possible to calculate a planet’s orbital speed once conditions like distance and mass are determined.

But that’s precisely the problem now. If there really is a small star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, no one can know how far it is from Betelgeuse’s core or what its mass is.

Because when people first observed Betelgeuse, it was already in its late stages and had long since swallowed this ‘possibly’ existing star.

So there’s simply no way to calculate things like this companion star’s mass and orbital speed.

Chapter 125: The Companion Star’s Influence on Betelgeuse (Part 1)

Silence fell over the laboratory. After a long moment, Xu Chuan spoke up. “Assuming a companion star really does exist inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, is there any way to simply confirm its existence?”

Hearing this, Liu Xuan looked up. “It might be possible, but it depends on how far it is from the core.”

“You know, from an astronomical perspective, every star has a different spectrum. Even for the same star, its spectrum changes during different periods of its life.”

“Betelgeuse is currently a red supergiant with a spectral type of M1-M2Ia-Iab. If there’s a companion star within its hydrogen envelope, and if that companion is located near the outer edge of the envelope, then its light and radiation could pass through Betelgeuse’s outer layers and reach Earth. Although it might be very faint, we could still use that to identify and confirm it.”

“Furthermore, things like temperature and luminosity could also be used as supplementary methods of judgment.”

“There would definitely be a difference between the surface temperature and luminosity of Betelgeuse and those of the companion star. Perhaps we could search through old data. It’s possible there were anomalies in previous observations, but no one ever considered this possibility.”

“If the companion star truly exists, it must be orbiting Betelgeuse’s core, and it would have an orbital period.”

“Continuous observation should reveal some clues, but it’s uncertain how long that would take.”

After a pause, Liu Xuan seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, junior, if you can calculate the diameter of this companion star, what about its mass? If the mass can be calculated, we might be able to roughly deduce how far the companion is from Betelgeuse’s core.”

“Once we know the mass and distance, we can calculate its orbital period.”

Xu Chuan replied, “I don’t know yet. I’ve only calculated Betelgeuse’s diameter. I’m not sure if the first set of data for the mass calculation will also yield two sets of answers.”

“How about this? Find me a quiet room. I’ll give it a try.”

Liu Xuan nodded and turned to a middle-aged man among the researchers who weren’t from Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy. “Director Zhang, do you think we could borrow a room for a little while?”

The man, Director Zhang, grinned. “No problem. We might be short on food and drinks around here, but we’ve got plenty of empty rooms.”

“You must be Xu Chuan, the one who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture. I’ve heard that Nanjing University has a once-in-a-century math genius. Seeing you today, you truly live up to the name. You can even calculate the volume and mass of distant celestial bodies. If you succeed, it will be a revolutionary change for the field of astronomy. Never mind a single room, you could stay here for a year or two and it would be no problem.”

Xu Chuan stood up and smiled. “Thank you for the trouble, Director Zhang.”

“It’s no trouble at all. Do you need it right now?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, the sooner the better.”

To be honest, he hadn’t expected that using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to calculate information about Betelgeuse would stir up something like this.

He had thought that as long as the observational data was complete, he could finish the calculation smoothly.

Who would have thought that a companion star might be hiding inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope?

The matter could be seen as both serious and not serious.

It was serious because Betelgeuse was a massive star in its late stages, poised to go supernova at any time in the future.

Although the astronomical community had already calculated that Betelgeuse’s magnetic poles were angled away from our solar system, meaning a supernova explosion would pose no threat and its gamma-ray burst wouldn’t be aimed at Earth.

But with the addition of a companion star, what changes might occur during the supernova became a complete mystery. No one would know at what angle the gamma-ray burst would sweep through space.

It was not serious because, according to current calculations, Betelgeuse’s supernova might not happen for several thousand, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years.

By the time that happened, it was uncertain if humanity would even still be on Earth. And even if they were, what would those future humans have to do with them?

After all, as the saying goes, “After me, the flood.”

Xu Chuan didn’t think that way. Since he had discovered the problem, he certainly had to find a way to solve it.

Even if he couldn’t solve it, he had to at least try to understand the situation as clearly as possible.

Following Director Zhang, Xu Chuan arrived at a small room on the third floor of the research institute.

“Is this place okay? This is one of the Observatory’s labs. It’s usually empty and very quiet, good for thinking.”

Director Zhang asked Xu Chuan as he switched on the incandescent lights and turned on the air conditioner.

Xu Chuan glanced around the room. It had a desk and a chair. He nodded. “This is perfect. Thank you for the trouble, Director Zhang.”

“Hah, it’s nothing. Your research is of great significance to our astronomical community. A brand-new method for calculating celestial body information… with it, we’ll be able to explore the cosmic sea with much greater precision in the future.”

Director Zhang smiled and shook his head, then added, “Well, I won’t disturb you any further. If you need anything, you can find me in office 106 on the first floor.”

Just as he was leaving the room, Director Zhang remembered something else, turning back to add, “Oh, right, one more thing.”

“Don’t lose track of time while you’re doing your research. Dinner here is different from your university. It’s only served between 5:30 and 7:00 P.M. in the canteen next to the first floor. If you miss it, you’re out of luck.”

“And out here in the middle of nowhere, you can’t just order takeout. The time is from five-thirty to seven. Remember it so you don’t miss it.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Okay, I understand. Thank you, Director Zhang.”

“You’re welcome.”

After the man from the Observatory left, Xu Chuan ran a hand over the desk in the lab; it was covered in a layer of dust.

It seemed Director Zhang was right. This place was indeed usually empty and very quiet.

Taking a few tissues from his backpack, he wiped the desk and chair clean. Xu Chuan then turned on his computer and called up Betelgeuse’s observational data.

Calculating the diameter and mass of Betelgeuse, while both using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, involved different details.

He needed to integrate the mass calculation formula, the laws of uniform circular motion, Newton’s law of universal gravitation, and luminosity into the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. Then, he had to deform it again on the previous basis, transforming it from a Sobolev space wave calculation method to a black-body radiation light cone calculation.

From there, he could use the star’s brightness to approximate the boundary value, then plug it into the formula to obtain the mass.

If he were to perform these calculations on a large scale, the best method would be to create a mathematical model.

However, for a single study, there was no need to go to that trouble. Calculating by hand wouldn’t be much slower.

Taking out some scratch paper from his backpack, Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then began to directly adapt the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem starting from the Sobolev space wave calculation.

As for the initial steps, there was no need for him to write them out again. They were crystal clear in his mind, impossible to forget.

“…As k→+∞, the asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalue λₖ. For λ > 0, define”

“N(λ) = N(λ, 4, Ω) = #{j | λⱼ ≤ λ}”

“Introducing Kepler’s third law, when the range of action is λ ~ 10¹³ cm, |α| < 10⁹”

“…”

“…When luminosity is 90,000 ~ 1.5 × 10⁵ L⊙, correspondingly…”

“Then the asymptotic behavior of λₖ is equivalent to studying the counting function, yielding N(λ) = (2π)⁻ⁿωₙ|Ω|λⁿ/² + o(λⁿ/²)”

In the lab at the Yunnan Observatory, Xu Chuan was completely immersed in calculating the data in his hands.

This was work that should have been completed days ago, but an unexpected situation had delayed it until now.

However, with the foundation and experience from before, adapting the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem this time felt like second nature.

In fact, the adapted Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could essentially be considered a completely new calculation formula.

This was true when it was used to calculate Betelgeuse’s volume, and it was true now as it was being used to calculate its mass.

Of course, to be more precise, they were branches of the main Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem formula.

But for now, he was the only one who could adapt the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem so easily.

Even though he had already given a public report on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture at Princeton, it wasn’t an easy thing for others to fully digest and absorb, not even for a Fields Medal laureate.

If a world-class conjecture were that easy to understand, it wouldn’t have required six different reviewers to audit it simultaneously.

While this was to ensure the rigor of the review, it was also to speed up the process. After all, having each person understand the part they were best at was much faster than having one person understand the entire proof.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan was hunched over the desk, the black gel pen in his hand still scribbling on the scratch paper.

Suddenly, the phone he had placed to the side began to vibrate, startling him.

Being suddenly disturbed while in deep concentration, even a familiar ringtone could be a shock.

Coming back to his senses, Xu Chuan let out a breath and picked up his phone to turn off the alarm.

He had set it before he started working. It was set for six o’clock in the afternoon, which was dinnertime here at the Observatory.

After all, Director Zhang had said that meal times here were fixed, and if you missed them, you missed them.

It wasn’t like at Nanjing University, where he could order takeout even if he worked until one or two in the morning.

Ordering takeout here at the Observatory?

Don’t be ridiculous. The nearest town was over thirty kilometers away. There was no takeout to be had.

So, to be safe, he had set an alarm to avoid missing dinner.

Man is iron, food is steel. You’ll be famished if you miss a meal.

Especially for his kind of work, which consumed energy at an extremely fast rate. If he didn’t eat dinner, he’d be so hungry his stomach would ache by night.

Turning off the alarm, Xu Chuan looked at the scratch paper on the desk. He hadn’t expected adapting the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem this time would be so troublesome.

The mass calculation was much more complicated than the diameter calculation. Even with his previous experience, he had gone down several wrong paths this time, and a dozen sheets of scratch paper on his desk had been wasted.

He had thought about four hours would be enough, but he’d been calculating since two in the afternoon and had only just managed to integrate the black-body radiation light cone calculation into the formula. It would probably take another two or three hours to finish.

If it were the pre-rebirth him, he really might not have been able to handle this.

After all, before his rebirth, he wasn’t particularly skilled in mathematics, especially in areas like spectral theory and billiard domains, which he had never formally studied.

Fortunately, after his rebirth, he had focused all his energy on mathematics. Otherwise, even if he knew the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could be used for wave calculations on a three-dimensional star, he couldn’t have gotten this far.

A year and a half had once again refreshed his understanding of the importance of mathematics as a fundamental tool in other disciplines.

It was fair to say that without mathematics, other scientific fields couldn’t hope to advance.

Chapter 126: The Probability of a Companion Star

Tidying up the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan stood up and stretched.

This calculation was a bit troublesome, but he should be able to finish it tonight. As for now, he decided to go get dinner first.

After all, if he missed it, it would be gone. He hadn’t brought any snacks with him, so he wouldn’t be able to get a bite to eat later in the evening if he got hungry.

On the first floor, in the base’s cafeteria for the astronomical research station, Xu Chuan was carrying a tray and picking out food when he ran into several of his seniors from Nanjing University who had also come for dinner.

“Hey, God Chuan.”

“Junior Chuan.”

The approaching seniors, holding their trays, greeted Xu Chuan and enthusiastically recommended the tastiest food in the cafeteria: ‘Golden Fried Chicken Legs,’ which were really just breaded fried chicken drumsticks.

But here, it was already the most delicious thing available.

It couldn’t be helped. An astronomical observatory was a far cry from a science museum. Observatories with large-scale scientific equipment were usually built in remote, mountainous areas, deserted for dozens of kilometers around. Transporting supplies was quite a hassle, so they were lucky to have anything decent to eat.

“God Chuan, how are the mass calculations for Betelgeuse coming along? When will the results be out?”

In the cafeteria, the group from Nanjing University sat together, discussing their research work while they ate.

“It should be mostly done by tomorrow, but I’m not certain if the first set of data can be used to calculate the mass of the companion star within the hydrogen envelope. There might be problems with the data—it’s not quite complete.”

Xu Chuan said after taking a bite of the golden-fried chicken leg. For some things, no one knew the answer until the very end. Besides, the data he had taken back before was incomplete; it was missing a few things.

This afternoon, while integrating the calculations, he had performed some regional calculations with the scattered data, but the results he got weren’t very good.

It was possible that this mass calculation was missing some key data, such as Betelgeuse’s polarization, which could only be observed using the radio telescope at the Qinghai Observatory.

This was a rather important parameter in the Xu-Weyl-Berry mass calculation equation, as it could be used as auxiliary information to define the boundary values. Without it, the calculated data would most likely be problematic and could have a significant deviation.

Pausing to swallow the chicken in his mouth, Xu Chuan then asked, “When will your work here be finished? And how much longer for the Qinghai site?”

Hearing this, Senior Liu Xuan, the team leader, put down his chopsticks. After a moment of thought, he said, “As long as it doesn’t rain here in Yunnan for the next two days, if the weather holds, we should be done by the night after tomorrow.”

“As for Qinghai, that’s uncertain, especially regarding the companion star’s polarization. After all, right now we don’t even know for sure if this companion star exists, or what its orbital period is.”

“Their radio telescope has its own schedule of tasks. Being able to jump the queue and use it for a week is already beyond my expectations.”

“The only thing we can do is maintain a period of uninterrupted data collection while observing for the data you need. Hopefully, the data from that period will contain the information you’re looking for.”

“Let’s hope we can observe the companion star within this week. Otherwise, we’ll have to rely on past observation data of Betelgeuse, or, wait until this period is over and try applying to use the radio telescope again.”

From initially just participating in the research project to get some credentials on their resumes, these senior doctoral students from the Department of Astronomy were now fully invested.

There might be a companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope. If this discovery was confirmed, the results would shock the entire astronomical community.

A discovery like this was significant enough that even a doctoral student like Liu Xuan, who was close to graduating and had already written half his thesis, would be willing to abandon his original paper and switch his thesis topic to this.

Compared to his previous thesis topic, this discovery was world-class.

Moreover, if it truly succeeded, it would mean that through this research experiment, humanity would have mastered a key method for calculating the mass, volume, diameter, and other information of stars in distant galaxies.

Although they were hired for the job, it was undeniable that they had participated in the entire research experiment. The key data on Betelgeuse and its companion star was all observed and collected by them.

At this point, it was no longer about just getting credentials, but about burnishing their resumes—gilding them with a thick, dazzling layer of gold. If they succeeded, they would be highly sought after by various astronomical institutions upon graduation.

So, from just doing their jobs normally at the beginning, they were now even more invested in this research project than Xu Chuan himself.

After dinner, Xu Chuan returned to the lab, gathered his scratch paper and materials, and then got a room for the night.

The Observatory did have a guesthouse, after all, since visiting scholars and researchers often came here to conduct experiments and needed lodging.

However, the guesthouse’s conditions were very ordinary, not even comparable to a hotel in a small county town. Some rooms were even doubles or multi-person rooms.

Xu Chuan applied for a single room. Although as an undergraduate, he technically shouldn’t have qualified for one according to the rules, his situation was special. The leaders at the Observatory knew a few things and didn’t fuss over such details.

After taking a shower and drying his hair, Xu Chuan took the scratch paper out of his backpack to continue the work he hadn’t finished in the afternoon.

Time flew by as he calculated, and in the blink of an eye, the sky outside had turned completely dark.

“…substituting the black-body radiation data uλ(v,T)=4π/λ., gives masses of 23.871911123 M⊙ and 2.706358293 M⊙.”

Staring at the calculated data for a moment, Xu Chuan put down his pen and rubbed his somewhat sore eyes.

“As expected. Without the polarization data to define the boundary values to a precise level, the calculated mass data is problematic.”

Glancing at the data on his scratch paper, Xu Chuan shook his head slightly.

A mass of 23.871911123 M⊙—one look at this figure and it was clear it wasn’t accurate.

It far exceeded the current astronomical community’s estimates for Betelgeuse’s mass.

While the astronomical community hadn’t reached a consensus on how many solar masses Betelgeuse was—some sources said it was only 14 to 15 M⊙, while others suggested it was 18 to 19 M⊙, or even as high as 20 M⊙—there were almost no estimates exceeding 20 solar masses.

23.87 times, nearly 24 times the mass of the Sun—this number clearly surpassed the astronomical community’s previous estimates.

Although it was possible that it was correct, the probability was rather low.

On one hand, the conventional methods used by the astronomical community to calculate Betelgeuse’s mass over the years, while not perfectly precise, wouldn’t be wildly wrong in their general estimates.

On the other hand, the data parameters he used for this calculation were incomplete. Lacking key auxiliary information like polarization, the calculated value was bound to have a deviation.

But there was good news. Using the first set of data, the mass calculation had also yielded two separate results.

This confirmed that within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, there was indeed a companion star that no one had ever discovered before.

Two sets of diameters, two sets of masses—this couldn’t be dismissed as a calculation error anymore, could it?

Perhaps this data wasn’t enough to completely prove the existence of a companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope. After all, the source for the calculations was a bit monotonous, originating from a single set of observations, which carried the possibility of error.

But the probability was already over eighty or ninety percent.

If they could observe a few more similar sets of data in the coming days, it would be confirmed.

If this discovery were truly confirmed, it might be the biggest discovery of the year for the astronomical community.

After double-checking the calculation process and the data to ensure there were no errors, Xu Chuan made a phone call and summoned the senior doctoral students from Nanjing University.

Although it was already eight or nine o’clock at night, the seniors were surely not asleep. They had to use the Observatory’s array to collect data on Betelgeuse in the early hours of the morning.

“God Chuan is so badass, actually getting a single room. I’m so jealous. My Advisor and I had to share a standard room when we came here.”

“If you prove a world-class conjecture and have a shot at the Fields Medal, you can get one too.”

“Alright, stop joking around. God Chuan must have called us over so suddenly because he has a major discovery. Are the mass calculations for Betelgeuse done, God Chuan?”

The senior doctoral students came in, cramming into the already small room.

Xu Chuan ignored the others’ banter and looked at the team leader, Liu Xuan. “The data is calculated. Just like with the diameter before, the calculations using the first set of information also produced two different results.”

“In other words, it’s highly probable that there’s a companion star hidden inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.”

“However, we’re currently missing key auxiliary information like the polarization data, so the calculated values have a large margin of error.”

Hearing this, Liu Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, “The data? Can I see it?”

Two sets of results for both diameter and mass—this was enough to confirm that a portion of the first data set didn’t come from Betelgeuse, but from another celestial body.

Just having two sets of diameters could still be attributed to a calculation error or problematic observation data.

But adding mass into the equation made the probability of a companion star’s existence skyrocket.

On this basis, the probability of a companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope exceeded ninety percent.

If they could subsequently observe a few more sets of data from the companion star, they could directly confirm its existence.

As for the data deviation, that wasn’t a problem. It didn’t matter how large the deviation was, since the data itself was incomplete.

Even the previous diameter calculation wasn’t entirely precise, because some of the key values they hadn’t yet observed were taken from old, pre-existing observation data.

What they were doing now was merely to verify whether the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could accurately calculate the size of Betelgeuse. Once the data collection was complete, they would only need to calculate it one more time.

So, whether these were the final, precise values wasn’t important right now.

Xu Chuan pointed to the scratch paper on the desk and said, “It’s right there.”

Liu Xuan walked over quickly, picked up the scratch paper from the desk, and looked directly at the final answers.

Although he was a doctoral student, he really couldn’t understand the calculation process on the scratch paper.

He had seen the formula and process for the diameter calculation before but couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so it was better to just look at the answer now.

[23.871911123 M⊙]

[2.706358293 M⊙]

Two answers. The first, nearly 24 times the mass of the Sun, should be Betelgeuse. The second, nearly 3 times the mass of the Sun, should be the companion star within it.

Such a large mass, even with a deviation of over fifty percent, or even eighty or ninety percent, was enough to prove that if the companion body truly existed, it had to be a star, not a planet.

The reason was simple: planets have an upper mass limit.

Chapter 127: An Anomaly Discovered!

“According to current theories, the upper mass limit for a planet is about thirteen times the mass of Jupiter.

“Once a planet’s mass exceeds this value, its weight is sufficient to trigger deuterium fusion, turning it into a low-mass brown dwarf and moving it out of the planet category.

“And Jupiter’s mass is only about one-thousandth of the Sun’s.

“In other words, the maximum mass of a planet can only reach about one percent of the Sun’s mass. Any higher, and it will undergo fusion and evolve into a substellar object.

“Xu Chuan said his calculated mass had an error margin. If we estimate based on the error margin for Betelgeuse’s mass, the currently accepted value in the astronomical community is about 11.6 to 16.6 times the mass of the Sun. To be a little more generous, we can say its mass is between ten and twenty solar masses.

“These figures were all calculated using traditional observation methods. While not precise, they are perfectly fine to use as a reference.

“However, the mass of Betelgeuse calculated using the Xu-Weyl-Berry mass equation is 23.871911123 M⊙. Calculating using the largest possible deviation—that is, comparing 23.87 to 10—gives a mass deviation ratio of 2.3, approaching 2.4.

“The companion star’s mass was calculated by the formula to be 2.7 solar masses. Even applying the largest deviation ratio, this companion star’s mass would still be more than one solar mass.

“So, as long as we can confirm that this companion star truly exists, then based on the calculated data, it must be a star.

“The idea that Betelgeuse has a companion star within its hydrogen envelope has always been mere speculation in the astronomical community, with no evidence to prove it.

“But today, this incredible speculation is very likely to become reality.

“More crucially, the diameters and masses of both Betelgeuse and its companion had been calculated, filling Liu Xuan with immense admiration.

“A revolution in astronomy might be coming.

“If it could be truly confirmed that this junior’s calculation equation could accurately determine the mass of a star, then methods like the law of universal gravitation, the mass-luminosity relation, Kepler’s third law of planetary motion, and the gravitational redshift method would all be rendered obsolete.

“For the world of astronomy, this was like taking a scalpel to its foundational calculation methods. He had no idea how big of a sensation it would cause.

After completing the mass calculation for Betelgeuse in Yunnan, Xu Chuan didn’t leave. He planned to accompany the seniors from the Department of Astronomy to Qinghai.

One reason was to be able to verify the data as soon as it came out.

Another was to discuss the matter of Betelgeuse with the astronomical experts at the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory.

His scientific intuition told him that the reason the first set of observation data produced two vastly different results was likely due to Betelgeuse having a companion star.

If a star more massive than the Sun truly existed within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, it was imperative to figure out what effect it would have.

After all, Betelgeuse was already in its twilight years and could go supernova at any time in the future.

Whether the companion star would affect its magnetic poles during the supernova explosion was a critical question.

Because on a cosmic scale, Betelgeuse was simply too close to Earth.

Over six hundred light-years was an insurmountable barrier to humans, but if the magnetic poles were to shift and the resulting gamma-ray burst was aimed at the solar system, then that would be…

Qinghai, Qinghai Astronomical Observatory.

Xu Chuan stood on the roof of the observatory, gazing at the large radio telescope in the distance. A radio telescope array was at work there, collecting information from Betelgeuse, over six hundred and forty light-years away.

In one more day, the data he needed would be fully collected.

Unlike traditional optical telescopes, radio telescopes receive radio waves, allowing them to capture a great deal of light invisible to the naked eye, whereas optical telescopes can only capture visible light.

Therefore, radio telescopes can see light with wavelengths many times shorter than optical telescopes, as well as details invisible to them.

For example, a star’s polarization and the cosmic microwave background radiation are things that optical telescopes cannot see.

Furthermore, optical telescopes are heavily affected by the weather. Cloudy days, smog, and light pollution all cause optical telescopes to lose their sensitivity.

Radio telescopes, however, are not. They primarily observe wavelengths from 30m to 1mm, and electromagnetic waves in this range are not affected by the weather.

So, a radio telescope can see through clouds, is unaffected by meteorological conditions, and can operate day or night, possessing an all-weather work capability. Additionally, since the observed radiation has long wavelengths, it is not blocked by interstellar and intergalactic dust clouds, thus greatly expanding humanity’s range of observation into space.

These are all advantages of radio telescopes.

But on the other hand, radio telescopes also have their weaknesses. First, their images are computer-processed, so what you see is not the celestial body’s true appearance.

Second, the precision of a radio telescope is actually far inferior to that of an optical telescope.

Don’t be fooled by its impressive name; its precision is actually quite a bit lower than a traditional optical telescope.

An optical telescope with a diameter of ten centimeters can achieve a resolving power of about 1.4 points, allowing it to see details on the lunar surface as small as two kilometers.

In contrast, the world’s largest steerable radio telescope, Germany’s 100-meter-diameter steerable radio telescope, has a resolving power of only 33 points.

That figure is even lower than the human eye’s 30 points.

In other words, the human eye sees the moon more clearly than that telescope does.

However, radio telescopes can be linked to work together. That is, two or more radio telescopes receive radio waves from the same celestial body, and the multiple beams interfere with each other. The equivalent resolution can be as high as that of a single-aperture radio telescope with a diameter equal to the distance between the two locations.

This is a huge advantage that optical telescopes cannot replicate.

But in terms of precision, it’s a fact that it cannot compare to an optical telescope.

So, generally speaking, radio telescopes and optical telescopes are complementary. Both can be used to observe the same target simultaneously, allowing their data to supplement each other for more comprehensive information.

This was the method he was using to collect information on Betelgeuse this time.

He used the optical telescopes at the university and in Yunnan for optical observations, and then used the radio telescope array in Qinghai to fill in the gaps, thereby obtaining comprehensive data.

A day passed quickly. On the morning of the sixth day, the array of radio telescopes ceased operation. The collected data was sent to the computer center for processing, which would take several hours.

For Xu Chuan and the seniors from Nanjing University, this period was undoubtedly an agonizing wait.

The data collected by the radio telescope over the past forty-eight hours was crucial. On one hand, the comprehensive data could be used to more accurately calculate various parameters of Betelgeuse, such as its diameter, mass, and volume.

This would help determine whether the Xu-Weyl-Berry calculation equation was capable of making precise calculations for stars in the distant universe.

This was of great significance to the field of astronomy.

If more precise values for distant stars could be obtained, people could use them to deduce more information.

For example, what stage of life a star is in, whether it is stable enough, whether there are other habitable planets around it, whether there are other intelligent species, and so on.

Furthermore, it would have a considerable impact on research in fundamental physics and high-energy physics.

Scientific progress requires a large number of experiments to verify hypotheses. In the current era, many theories can only be verified by experiments under extreme conditions such as high energy and high magnetic fields.

This is why Europe built the massive Large Hadron Collider, the LHC. But even so, there are still many problems that cannot be solved in a laboratory on Earth.

Meanwhile, many astrophysical phenomena in the universe, such as pulsars, supernova explosions, and quasar accretion, naturally provide physical processes under extremely high-energy conditions.

Observing these astronomical phenomena can help people test theories.

Whether it’s the theory of relativity or quantum theory, both have a large number of points that can only be proven through astronomical phenomena.

However, these things are too far removed from current human technology and progress. They are at the very forefront of theoretical research, so even if a discovery is made, it won’t lead to much technological advancement in the short term.

This is very similar to mathematical physics, where the top minds are already studying things decades, a century, or even several centuries into the future.

No one knows how long it will take for those cutting-edge theoretical results to be turned into research achievements.

It is not even known if they can be turned into technological achievements at all.

This leads many people to feel lost, wondering what is the use of theoretical mathematics, physics, and astronomy.

It’s like how you don’t need calculus to buy groceries. So what if you can observe data from Betelgeuse now? Can you fly there?

It was just like when Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction and was once scorned as something useless.

But without his theory, humanity would probably still be burning coal to boil water for steam engines. No one today would be able to see the brilliant city lights.

This work always needs someone to do it. Between theory and technology, one always has to be ahead, and most of the time, the one at the forefront is theory.

Without the advancement of theory, technology cannot progress.

Perhaps what seems useless today will become the most important thing in ten or twenty years.

“Chuan, God Chuan, the initial calculations from the radio telescope array are complete.”

In his office, Xu Chuan was refining the Xu-Weyl-Berry calculation equation when suddenly, the office door was violently pushed open, and a panting voice rang out.

Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. He stood up quickly and said, “Where’s the data?”

“Senior Liu Xuan and the others are doing a second round of organization. I came to give you a heads-up so you can prepare. It’ll probably be another four or five hours.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Take me there to have a look.”

At this point, he was in no mood to continue refining the Xu-Weyl-Berry calculation equation. That could be done anytime, but the radio telescope’s observation data was tied to the outcome of this research experiment.

At the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory, Xu Chuan followed the senior who had brought him the news to the computer center.

There was a small supercomputer here. All the data observed by the external radio telescopes was processed here, and naturally, the observation data for Betelgeuse would be processed here as well.

However, the data that had been processed once by the computer was still a ways off from what he needed. This required another round of processing by the senior doctoral students from the Department of Astronomy.

The data, simplified for a second time, was what he needed.

“Senior Liu, how are things going?” Xu Chuan walked up behind the team leader, Senior Liu Xuan, and asked.

In front of the monitor, Liu Xuan looked up at Xu Chuan and replied, “Still analyzing. Because this is the first time we’ve discovered an astronomical phenomenon like a companion star inside a star’s hydrogen envelope, the computer doesn’t have corresponding data and can’t confirm it. So for now, we can only manually check the anomalous data item by item.”

“You can sit down for a bit. I’ll finish up with this data I’m working on.”

After his reply, he buried his head in front of the monitor again.

Xu Chuan nodded and leaned over slightly to look at the monitor on the desk. On it were various curve graphs and tables, as well as all kinds of astronomical units recording data.

He could understand some of these things, having spent more than half a month cramming to adapt the Xu-Weyl-Berry calculation equation for use in astronomy.

After all, even if the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could calculate a star’s information, it still needed data such as eigenvalues, boundary values, and asymptotic information.

And determining which of the observed stellar data fit these requirements all needed to be verified and checked. You couldn’t just plug in any random piece of information and expect it to work.

Time ticked by. In the computer center, the few seniors from Nanjing University and the researchers from the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory worked together on the second round of calculations, simplifying the observation data for Betelgeuse.

For Xu Chuan, who could only stand by and watch, this moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

An unknown amount of time passed when suddenly, a figure stood up and shouted excitedly to Liu Xuan, who was across the lab table:

“Senior Liu! I’ve found anomalous data over here! Confirmed as an anomaly in the observed radiation flux. I’ve done a similar comparison with the first data set, and it seems to include data from a companion star.”

Chapter 128: Something of Even Greater Value

“

Hearing this, Liu Xuan shot up and quickly walked over. “Let me see.”

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“Here, this set of data. The anomalous radiation flux started at the time point of 23:51:32 on April 24th, continued until 23:56:09 on April 24th, and then disappeared. It lasted for less than five minutes. The flux amplitude increased by nearly three points at its peak and showed a spike, growing from weak to strong, then weakening again before finally disappearing.”

“

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“It’s suspected to be data from the companion star, but we can’t rule out Betelgeuse’s own atmospheric activity.”

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Liu Xuan pulled over a chair and sat down in front of the computer. After carefully examining the anomalous data, he decisively stood up and began assigning tasks to the other Nanjing University students in the Computer Center.

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“Cao Yang, Meng Can, pause the data analysis you’re working on. Find the data for the time point of 23:51 on April 24th. Confirm if there are any other anomalies in the data starting from 23:51—no, start from 23:50. If there are any anomalies, record them.”

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“Wei Cheng, organize the previous data and get me a detailed report on Betelgeuse, including the first set of anomalous data we sorted out earlier. Send that to me as well.”

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“…”

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A series of instructions flowed from Liu Xuan’s mouth. Of course, he only assigned tasks to the Nanjing University students; he had no authority to command the staff of the Astronomy Research Institute.

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Only after his senior had finished handling things did Xu Chuan approach to ask about the situation.

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Liu Xuan said, “It’s still not clear if this anomalous data is from that companion star, but there’s hope.”

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“If it is a companion star, then other data from the period between 23:51 and 23:56 should also show anomalies. Things like luminosity, temperature, spectrum, color, and radiant energy must all contain some anomalous data.”

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“Based on this time, combined with Betelgeuse’s detailed data, we can roughly calculate the companion star’s orbital period. As long as we determine the orbital period, we can lock in the approximate time of the companion star’s next return. If we can confirm that these anomalies reappear then, we can prove the companion star’s existence.”

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Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Thanks for your hard work. Leave the calculation of the orbital period to me. Just send the data to my email. I’ve studied a bit of astronomy before, so I know how to calculate it.”

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Although his knowledge of astronomy wasn’t extensive, calculating a star’s orbit and orbital period wasn’t a problem for him.

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The theorems applied to these things were quite basic, and the amount of calculation wasn’t that large.

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With the complete data, he could get it done in an hour or so at most.

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Liu Xuan nodded. “Alright, then I’ll speed things up on my end. I’ll try to get all the data analyzed tonight.”

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With the data in hand, Xu Chuan wasted no time. He found a spot in the Computer Center, sat down, asked for a few sheets of A4 paper and a pen, and began calculating the data for the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope on the spot.

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This task wasn’t difficult for him, just a bit complicated.

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After all, he was calculating an internal companion star through Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope. Much of the data was imprecise and required estimation, which would also lead to the final calculated orbital period being inaccurate, with a large margin of error.

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But the error margin didn’t matter. As long as they could determine a return time for one more observation, that would be enough.

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If they could observe the same anomalous data again during the next orbital period, they could confirm that a companion star existed within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

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After all, the periodic nature of the event and its almost complete deviation from Betelgeuse’s own observation data would be enough to prove that the observed anomaly was not caused by Betelgeuse’s own activity.

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It wasn’t that stars don’t have periodic activity; every star has its own unique activity points, many of which are cyclical.

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But the activity cycles of stars are generally quite long.

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Take the Sun, for example, the main star of our solar system and the closest star to Earth. Scientists long ago discovered that phenomena like sunspots and solar flares on the Sun’s surface have periodic activity.

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The activity cycle is about eleven years long.

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During this eleven-year cycle, the Sun’s internal activity causes phenomena like solar prominences, flares, and sunspots on its surface to go through a process of rising from a low point to a high point and back to a low point.

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During the peak of the Sun’s surface activity, solar radiation and solar wind can cause changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and some substances on the ground, potentially even altering the Earth’s climate.

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For instance, spacecraft like artificial satellites, space stations, spaceships, and probes in space are very likely to be battered by solar winds moving at several hundred to a thousand kilometers per second.

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Alternatively, the peak of solar surface activity produces a large number of solar wind particles, which reach the Earth’s surface in various forms like auroras and particle storms, causing damage to Earth’s power supply systems and so on.

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Although Xu Chuan didn’t know the specific length of Betelgeuse’s activity cycle, it certainly wouldn’t be short.

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And based on the observation data from this research experiment on Betelgeuse, the first time anomalous data from the companion star was observed was on March 27th. The second time, this time, was on April 24th.

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If it’s confirmed that both sets of data are from the companion star, then its orbital period is only twenty-seven days, less than a month, and could even be shorter.

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After all, in the nearly one-month interval between March 27th and April 24th, they weren’t observing Betelgeuse every moment. They had no way of knowing if the companion star had already returned once or multiple times in between.

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“560 to 752.”

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In the Computer Center, Xu Chuan let out a breath as he looked at the data calculated on his scratch paper.

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This was the orbital period of the companion star calculated from the data provided by the astronomy team. It was also this companion star’s public rotation time.

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Oh, the unit for this data was hours. Converted to days, it was roughly in the range of 23 to 31 days.

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The time deviation was a bit large, reaching a variance of over a week, but this was the most precise figure that could be calculated from the current data.

It was also consistent with the 27-day interval between the two previously observed anomalies, which suggested that the calculated orbital period was credible to some extent.

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So, all that was left was to wait another month.

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If they could observe the anomalous data once more in the next orbital period, they could use the data to confirm that a companion star indeed existed inside Betelgegeuse.

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This discovery would be of monumental significance to the world of astronomy.

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The night passed quickly. After Xu Chuan calculated the companion star’s orbital period, his seniors from Nanjing University also completed the analysis of the radio telescope observation data.

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It was finally confirmed that starting from the time point of 23:45 on April 24th and continuing until 00:09 on April 25th, anomalies appeared in all types of observed data from Betelgeuse.

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A batch of anomalous data inconsistent with Betelgeuse itself appeared in various metrics, including luminosity, surface temperature, spectrum, radiation flux, and radiant energy.

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The spectral data, in particular, showed a significant anomaly.

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Betelgeuse is currently a red supergiant with a spectral type of M1-M2Ia-Iab. This has already been established.

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No matter how it behaved over a short period, the spectral data it emitted would not deviate too far from this spectral type.

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But in tonight’s anomalous data, G-type spectral data was analyzed.

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This type of spectral data should not appear in a red supergiant like Betelgeuse.

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Stars with this kind of spectral data should be similar to the Sun or Capella; they are the ones that have G-type spectral data.

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This also confirmed that Xu Chuan’s previous calculation of the companion star’s mass was largely correct, as it conformed to the spectral standards of a star with the corresponding mass.

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Furthermore, there were also some significant differences in the radiation data.

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Only 13% of Betelgeuse’s radiant energy is emitted as visible light, with the majority of its radiation in the infrared band.

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If our eyes could perceive all wavelengths of radiation, Betelgeuse, from 640 light-years away, would be the brightest star in the entire sky, even brighter than the Sun.

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But in this batch of anomalous data, it was clearly observed that the proportion of radiant energy in the visible light band had increased by nearly seven percent.

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This data was highly abnormal, enough to show that its source was problematic.

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Based on a comprehensive judgment, the probability of a companion star existing inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope has risen to over ninety-five percent.

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They were getting closer and closer to the truth.

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Past one in the morning, the Computer Center was still brightly lit and filled with a large crowd.

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It wasn’t just the seniors from the Nanjing University Department of Astronomy; people from the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory had also been drawn over after hearing the news.

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Xu Chuan and the Nanjing University seniors organized all the data from the entire research experiment, removed the vast amount of raw observation data, retained the key data points and calculation processes, and then photocopied the materials, distributing them to the researchers at the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory.

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“Incredible, this is truly incredible.”

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“From your observation data, there really is a previously undiscovered star hidden in Betelgeuse’s outer atmosphere.”

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“This is a major discovery for the astronomical community!”

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“The differences in spectrum, radiation flux, and radiant energy are enough to confirm it.”

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“Hiss… How on earth did you guys discover this?”

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“…”

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In the Computer Center of the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory, the researchers who worked there year-round were so shocked after receiving the research data from Xu Chuan’s group that their jaws nearly hit the floor.

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There’s a star inside Betelgeuse?

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Such an unimaginable thing stimulated everyone’s mind.

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For the astronomical community, this was no less significant than solving a world-class problem, and it left behind countless new questions for them to answer.

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If the information they held were to be published, astronomical observatories worldwide would turn their attention to Betelgeuse, 640 light-years away.

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Because this would not only bring new astronomical knowledge but also create a massive wave of excitement across the world, and more importantly, bring in countless amounts of research funding for the astronomy community.

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At the very least, various countries would surely need to understand what effect this companion star has on Betelgeuse, whether it would cause Betelgeuse to undergo a supernova explosion prematurely, and whether it would pose a threat to Earth.

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But what was even more crucial, even more valuable, was not the observational research discovery that a companion star existed within Betelgeuse.

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It was the calculation methods for the various data contained within this report!

“

Chapter 129: On Par with the Pope

The news that a companion star existed within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope was truly astounding.

So astounding, in fact, that the researchers at the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory were so focused on the news itself that they overlooked the data calculation method used in the materials they held, as well as the precise information on Betelgeuse’s diameter, mass, and so on.

After the initial shock wore off, many began to notice the calculation method and the precise data for Betelgeuse and its companion star in the documents.

Although they couldn’t understand the formulas and calculation processes in the materials, they could understand the final answers.

Betelgeuse’s diameter: [889.00712721 D⊙]

Companion star’s diameter: [67.456799134 D⊙]

Betelgeuse’s mass: [23.871911123 M⊙]

Companion star’s mass: [2.706358293 M⊙]

One by one, these precise data points regarding Betelgeuse entered the eyes of the astronomical researchers, causing their pupils to shrink abruptly.

Although they couldn’t understand the calculation process and had no way of knowing if these answers were correct, every single value was precise to eight or nine decimal places.

How on earth was such precise data calculated?

And were these answers accurate?

If they were accurate, did that mean the field of astronomy now had a completely new method for calculating celestial body parameters?

What about the formulas behind it? The principles?

A multitude of questions arose in the minds of these astronomical researchers.

At the thought of a brand-new calculation method capable of precisely determining the parameters of a celestial body in the distant cosmos to eight or nine decimal places beyond what traditional methods could achieve, everyone’s breathing involuntarily grew heavy and quickened.

A new method for precisely calculating celestial bodies was of monumental importance to the world of astronomy.

It was no exaggeration to say that, in the context of mathematics, the person who pioneered this method would have a status comparable to Alexander Grothendieck, the Pope of the mathematical world.

The Pope built a new foundation upon existing geometry, introduced the concept of schemes, and established a grand and complete “scheme theory,” completely rewriting the discipline of algebraic geometry.

His influence on the world of mathematics was unparalleled in modern history.

And if it were confirmed today that the data on the scratch paper was calculated using a completely new, precise method…

Then the influence of this method’s creator on the world of astronomy would likely be no less than the Pope’s influence on the world of mathematics.

Being able to precisely calculate a celestial body’s mass, diameter, volume, and other information meant that astronomers could gain a much deeper understanding of that star.

Take Betelgeuse, for example. If this information could be accurately determined, one could, on that basis, more precisely judge what stage of its life it had reached, whether the hydrogen and helium in its core had completely fused, and how long it was until its supernova explosion, and so on and so forth.

And this was for a star; its application to planets would be even greater.

Putting all else aside, the value of being able to determine whether a planet was habitable for humans was immense in itself.

And this series of key information could all be analyzed from the data, provided the data was accurate.

At this thought, many of the astronomical researchers in the room gathered around, wanting to consult and ask for guidance.

However, their first instinct was to approach the wrong person—they went to Liu Xuan from Nanjing University.

Liu Xuan smiled and said, “This mathematical method wasn’t developed by us. It was developed by our junior from Nanjing University.”

“In fact, this observation research project on Betelgeuse isn’t mine. I’m just here to help out.”

Saying this, he pulled Xu Chuan, who was standing beside him, over and introduced him, “This is him. Xu Chuan, the prodigy of our Nanjing University’s mathematics department, a super genius, a brilliant new star in the world of mathematics.”

“He’s only a freshman, yet he has already proven a world-class mathematical conjecture. He even has a shot at the Fields Medal in two years.”

“This project is related to the mathematical conjecture he proved earlier, the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“Of course, it’s now called the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. Using this theorem, one can perform precise calculations on celestial bodies in distant galaxies.”

“And the potential existence of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope was actually his discovery. He initially calculated two completely different diameters from the data, which led to all these subsequent findings.”

Hearing this, the researchers from the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory all turned their gazes to Xu Chuan. After confirming that the extremely young man before them was indeed that legendary person, their eyes widened and their mouths fell open in disbelief.

This was that master?

Most of the researchers at the observatory had heard of Xu Chuan. After all, the affair some time ago had caused a huge stir. After the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was published in the Annals of Mathematics, even the news reported on his deeds. Everyone present had heard of him, even if they hadn’t met him.

It was just that no one had expected this genius to actually come to their poor, backwater observatory.

But it was no wonder they hadn’t recognized him. Since arriving at the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory, aside from meeting a deputy director on the first day, Xu Chuan had kept a low profile and hadn’t interacted much with the observatory’s researchers.

Although he had the intention of communicating with the astronomical researchers, the matters of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’s precise calculation of celestial information and whether Betelgeuse truly had a companion star had not yet been fully confirmed.

It would be fine to communicate after things were confirmed, so he hadn’t sought out these researchers. This led to the fact that almost none of the researchers at the Qinghai Astronomical Observatory knew who he was.

At first, everyone thought he was just another student from Nanjing University who had been brought along by a few senior doctoral students to see the world, so they paid him no mind.

In the end, who would have thought that he was the main event?

A perfect-score top scholar on the college entrance exam, a dual gold medalist in both the IMO and IPhO, and he had solved a world-class mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen as a freshman. Any one of these achievements on its own would be dazzling, let alone all of them piled onto one person.

“Good heavens, the legendary God Chuan actually came to our godforsaken observatory.”

“I was truly blind to not recognize the great man before me.”

“Master, may I ask how this data was calculated?”

“Master, oh, Master, can you give me an autograph? I want to take it back to my son to bless him so he doesn’t fail math.”

“…”

In the Computer Center, a group of astronomical researchers from the observatory surrounded Xu Chuan, showering him with endless flattery.

Of course, most of their questions were about how the data for Betelgeuse and its companion star was calculated.

On one hand, it was passion.

Those who enter the niche field of astronomy and delve deep into its research are generally passionate about their work.

It’s just like mathematics; if you don’t love it, you simply can’t continue studying it.

Astronomy is actually the same. The field is quite niche nowadays, and the salary and benefits are average, even if you get into a major university or research station.

Moreover, you often have to go to remote, wild mountains to observe various data. You get eaten alive by mosquitos in the summer and freeze in the cold wind in the winter. You don’t eat or sleep well. The misery is second only to geological survey work. Without some real passion, you probably couldn’t stick with it.

On the other hand, researchers are also people with families and lives. Mastering a new skill could bring them higher salaries and bonuses, so they naturally wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind explaining the method of precisely calculating celestial information using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

But these concepts were indeed too profound for the researchers at the observatory.

Even for mathematicians, accepting these ideas was very difficult; they simply couldn’t learn it in a short period.

So even when he spoke, he only touched on some superficial things.

It couldn’t be helped. The moment he went a little deeper, the researchers’ faces would cloud with confusion.

As for how astronomers would use the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely calculate information about celestial bodies in the universe in the future, that was a matter for another day.

After chatting for a while in the Computer Center, the crowd dispersed. After all, it was already past two in the morning.

Some went to conduct observational research, while others went to sleep. As for Xu Chuan and the senior doctoral students from Nanjing University, they were organizing the observational data from this research experiment, preparing for the subsequent paper and press release.

This time, they could be said to have produced something major. It would be a disservice to their hard work over the past few days not to give the astronomical community a good shock.

Moreover, the publication of findings in astronomy is somewhat different from that in mathematics.

For mathematical achievements, from world-class conjectures and the Seven Millennium Prize Problems down to graduate and doctoral student theses, everyone generally likes to first release them publicly on a preprint server.

For example, preprint websites like arXiv, BioRxiv, ChemRxiv, and The Winnower.

One purpose of doing this is to prevent plagiarism.

Releasing a good research result on a preprint server first can prevent some unethical editors, reviewers, and others from stealing your research成果 during the long submission process.

Another purpose is to allow others to see your paper, expanding its influence.

It also allows the paper to be cited by other scholars earlier. Many Nature and Science articles are handled this way.

This has become a tacit consensus in the academic world.

At least, this is the practice in the fields of mathematics, physics, and materials science that Xu Chuan was familiar with.

After all, the average review and publication cycle for traditional journal papers is over thirty days, and some can even take several years.

If, during this period, the author chooses not to publish the results, the research progress in that field would appear to be “lagging.” The method of open communication via preprints makes academic exchange smoother, allowing certain hot fields to develop rapidly.

Furthermore, some manuscripts written purely to express one’s own academic views are unlikely to be accepted by formal journals, but preprint servers will accept them, providing a platform for publication.

Therefore, the mathematics community generally publicizes results first and then goes through the review process.

This was how Xu Chuan had handled the proof process for the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, first dropping it on arXiv and then submitting it to New Progress in Mathematics.

As for the complete proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, that wasn’t necessary, as it was publicly proven at the mathematics conference at Princeton, so there were no concerns in that regard.

The situation in the astronomical community is more complex, but it can be roughly divided into two categories based on the type of telescope.

One is the general-purpose telescope, and the other is the dedicated telescope.

The users of general-purpose telescopes are all astronomers worldwide. Applications are usually solicited before the observation season, and a scientific committee evaluates them, selects good research topics, and allocates observation time.

Astronomers who receive observation time can then set off to observe according to their allocated time slots. After the observation, they receive the raw data via disk or network.

However, only the applicant can access this data. They can use this data to conduct research, analyze it, and publish papers, while others are restricted from applying for it.

But this restriction has an expiration date. Once the time is up, the observer must make this data publicly available.

Different telescopes may have slightly different expiration periods—some are one year, some are a year and a half, some are two years; it’s not fixed.

Dedicated telescopes, however, are more flexible.

You can choose to make it public and let the whole world study it together, or you can keep it private and research it yourself.

It can’t be helped. A large portion of achievements in astronomy are actually observational and data-collection in nature.

For example, the observation of the companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope involved collecting a large amount of data on Betelgeuse. Xu Chuan then used this data to calculate the existence of the companion star.

If this observational data and the anomalous data were published, it would be assumed that you have made the data public, and other scholars could also use it.

The remaining value dug out from this data, and the resulting achievements, would not belong to the observer of the data, but to the one who did the digging.

At most, others will just give you a thank you in their publication.

But if you don’t publish it, you can use this anomalous data to slowly excavate other things within it.

Therefore, some astronomical findings are generally not published on preprint servers until they are completely finished.

They either publish the paper directly after the research is complete, hold a press conference for major breakthroughs, or simply hide it and study it slowly themselves.

As for Xu Chuan, his results would most likely be made public directly.

This included not only the observation of Betelgeuse’s companion star but also the paper on the method of precisely calculating information about celestial bodies in the universe using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

All of these things would be made public directly.

On one hand, there was nothing to hide.

Transforming this observational and theoretical data into practical research achievements was basically impossible.

Could you really emigrate to an Earth-like planet immediately after using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely calculate that it’s suitable for human survival?

Dream on. The farthest-flying probe humanity has launched is Voyager 1. It was launched over forty years ago and still hasn’t flown out of the solar system.

If the Oort cloud is considered the boundary of the solar system, it will still have to fly for another three hundred thousand years to exit it.

Thinking about immigration and the like right now is a bit premature.

On the other hand, it was to return a favor.

For the observation of Betelgeuse, from the establishment of the research project to the application for and expedited access to the equipment at the observatories in Yunnan and Qinghai, the higher-ups had given him the green light almost the entire way.

You have to know, just applying and waiting for time on a large telescope would take several months to half a year to get approved.

Although there was the factor of wanting to boost his influence to win the Fields Medal, it was undeniable that this had saved him a great deal of time and energy.

Chapter 130: The Research Concludes

Returning to Nanjing from Qinghai, a travel-worn Xu Chuan took his research findings straight to his Advisor.

Of course, accompanying him were his senior from the Department of Astronomy, Liu Xuan, and the Vice Dean of the School of Astronomy and Space Science, Qiu Chen, who had rushed over upon receiving the news.

If the Dean hadn’t been away at a conference, he would have been the one to come.

Xu Chuan’s research findings were simply too significant for the field of astronomy; they were more than worthy of the Dean’s personal attention.

Both the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, which could precisely calculate the information of celestial bodies, and the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope were major events in the astronomical world.

Whether to announce these findings, how to announce them, when to announce them, and how much detail to reveal—all of these things needed to be discussed.

“There’s a companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope?”

In his office, Chen Zhengping looked at his disciple in confusion. This was the first he had heard of it.

He hadn’t paid much attention to Xu Chuan’s research project before. For one, his own tungsten diselenide project was nearing its end, and he was currently organizing the data to wrap it up. He was so swamped with work that he had no time to keep an eye on his disciple’s project.

For another, he had sent Fan Pengyue to assist, and with his senior disciple’s help, there was no need to worry about the procedural aspects of the research project.

As for the research process and results, it was useless for him to worry about them anyway.

In mathematics, this disciple of his had already far surpassed him. He had read the proof for the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem over and over, but to this day, he still couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Or rather, there was very little of it he could understand at all.

Although it’s said that physics and mathematics are inseparable, and physicists must understand some math, they generally only grasp the fundamentals.

For a proof of a world-class conjecture like this, it was simply unrealistic for a non-specialist mathematician to understand it. An ordinary person wouldn’t even recognize the mathematical symbols.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Based on the current observational and computational results, Betelgeuse does indeed have a companion star.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this. It’s truly unexpected.”

Chen Zhengping sighed in admiration, then asked curiously, “Does this discovery have any implications?”

After all, he wasn’t in the Department of Astronomy, so he wasn’t clear on what effect an extra companion star for Betelgeuse would have, and he was a little curious.

Xu Chuan replied, “It’s not yet clear. That’s also why I came to you this time.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping was puzzled again. Why come to him about this? He wasn’t an astronomer.

Beside them, the Vice Dean of the School of Astronomy and Space Science, Qiu Chen, explained on Xu Chuan’s behalf, “It’s related to Betelgeuse’s supernova explosion. Betelgeuse is already in its final stages and could go supernova at any time in the future.”

“The astronomical community’s original calculations indicated that Betelgeuse’s supernova explosion would not affect the Solar System or Earth. But now, with the addition of a companion star, we can’t be sure. It could affect Betelgeuse’s magnetic poles, which in turn could cause the angle of the resulting gamma-ray burst to deviate, thereby affecting Earth.”

“The school needs to discuss these things and then report them to the higher-ups. If we just announce it directly, it could cause a considerable impact.”

Hearing this news, Chen Zhengping froze, and his breathing grew heavy.

Good heavens, this was truly an extraordinary piece of news. No wonder they had come to him first.

Of course, to put it lightly, this news might not have much of an impact. Betelgeuse is six hundred and forty light-years away, far too distant from Earth. When it will explode and what its effects might be were all uncertain.

The average person would probably just glance at the news, discuss it for a moment, and move on.

But to put it more seriously, from the perspective of a nation or a civilization, this was a matter concerning the very survival of humanity.

If the angle of the gamma-ray jet was affected and aimed at Earth, the entire planet would suffer a catastrophic blow.

The immense energy contained in a gamma-ray burst would be enough to destroy Earth’s atmosphere. Without the protection of the atmosphere, intense radiant energy would turn Earth into a Mars-like planet, barren and devoid of all life.

And humanity, still unable to leave Earth, would naturally not escape this fate.

Xu Chuan bringing the Vice Dean of the School of Astronomy and Space Science to see him was probably to discuss this very matter.

However, he was helpless in the face of this news.

Even if he knew, there was nothing he could do. The only thing he could do was report this information upwards.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Zhengping looked at Qiu Chen and said, “Let’s make a note of this for now, Vice Dean Qiu. The School of Astronomy and Space Science can discuss it, and then we’ll report it. As for whether to make it public, let’s let the higher-ups decide. How does that sound?”

Qiu Chen nodded. “That is indeed the most appropriate method. How about this: after Dean Wu returns the day after tomorrow, the School of Astronomy will hold a meeting to discuss this matter further. Academician Chen and Student Xu Chuan, you should both attend.”

“Xu Chuan can go. I won’t. I have some things to take care of here.”

With that, Chen Zhengping turned to Xu Chuan and asked, “By the way, how is your own research coming along? Can your Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem be used to calculate the informational parameters of celestial bodies?”

Comparatively, he was more concerned with his disciple’s original academic research. After all, if it succeeded, it would add significant weight to Xu Chuan’s bid for the Fields Medal.

Xu Chuan’s current research project was, on the surface, an astronomical project to observe Betelgeuse. Even the accidental discovery of a companion star was just a side benefit.

In reality, the root of this project was the extension of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem; its roots were still in the world of mathematics.

As for the impact of Betelgeuse’s companion star, it felt rather distant. Even if it exploded now, the gamma rays would take more than six hundred years to reach Earth.

Of course, the possibility that it had already exploded more than six hundred years ago couldn’t be ruled out, but the probability was just too low.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded. “That part is already complete. It’s now certain that by adapting the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, we can use it to calculate certain parameters of celestial bodies, such as mass, diameter, and volume.”

“Compared to previous calculation methods, the data calculated with this new method is much more precise, improving accuracy by six to seven levels.”

“You really are fast with your research.” Hearing of his success, Chen Zhengping sighed in admiration, then asked, “Are you planning to publish this method in its entirety?”

Although this Betelgeuse observation project was derived from the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and was somewhat special in nature, the speed at which it produced results was truly fast.

It had only been a little over two months since the project was established.

In two months, other professors might have just gotten their projects approved and hadn’t even fully assembled their teams, yet he already had results.

This speed, even with the higher-ups giving him the green light and full cooperation, would still make many jaws drop.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “This should be published, but I have to wait until I’ve written the research paper.”

“As for the existence of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, whether to publish it depends on how the state handles it. It’s both important and not important, depending on how you look at it.”

“But it should be able to bring a lot of research funding to the astronomical community. If it’s announced, the eyes of the entire world’s astronomy community will likely be fixed on Betelgeuse for some time.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping and Qiu Chen both smiled.

“Don’t worry. Once your paper is published, you won’t be short of rewards and bonuses from the state and the university.”

“This result could probably win you a Second Prize in the State Natural Science Award. And once your paper on the calculation method is published, you might even be able to get the First Prize.”

In the office, Xu Chuan chatted for a while with his Advisor and Vice Dean Qiu Chen of the School of Astronomy and Space Science. After confirming the preliminary plan for these matters, he left the office.

As for the observational data and research materials concerning Betelgeuse, including the method for calculating celestial parameters with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, a backup copy of everything was given to Qiu Chen.

One reason was to take it back to study the companion star’s influence on Betelgeuse.

The other was to submit it to the National Astronomical Society to discuss whether the news of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope should be fully disclosed.

However, as far as Xu Chuan was concerned, this research project was more or less ready to be concluded and submitted.

Although the follow-up observation of Betelgeuse’s companion star was not yet complete, it didn’t have much to do with him.

Just as Chen Zhengping had said, the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope was just incidental. The object of his research project was whether the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could accurately calculate the parameter information of celestial bodies.

And he had already completed this part. After obtaining comprehensive information on Betelgeuse in Qinghai, he had already completed precise calculations for some of the information, confirming that the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was capable of doing so.

At this point, the research experiment was basically over. All that remained was for him to write the paper and submit it.

As for the companion star’s influence on Betelgeuse, it didn’t really have much to do with him.

Of course, if the astronomical community needed his help, such as with some complex data calculations, he would still lend a hand.

He was also curious whether the companion’s presence would cause Betelgeuse to go supernova earlier, or if it would affect its magnetic poles during a future supernova explosion.

In his single dorm room at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan pondered how to structure this research paper.

Writing a paper was second nature to him, but he was a bit conflicted about how to write up the paper for this research experiment.

This was because the observation of Betelgeuse, besides confirming that the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could accurately calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies, had yielded two other rather important results.

One was the calculated results for Betelgeuse’s precise diameter, mass, volume, and other parameters.

The other was the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

Of course, strictly speaking, the former should be placed after the paper on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem calculation as supplementary data.

But it wouldn’t be a problem to split it off and write a separate paper.

So, the question was whether to split it into three papers or combine it all into one.

If it were anyone else, they would probably choose to write three papers without hesitation. After all, an extra paper meant more influence, and an extra paper meant hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of citations.

This would be beneficial for boosting one’s reputation.

But for Xu Chuan, such help was not significant. So after some thought, he decided to write two papers.

The first would be on the method of calculating celestial body information with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

The other would be on the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

As for the calculated results of Betelgeuse’s precise diameter, mass, volume, and other parameters, he would just throw it into the first paper as supplementary data.

It wasn’t worth writing a separate paper for it.

Besides, he didn’t care much for achievements in the field of astronomy.

Chapter 131: A Heated Discussion in the Astronomy Community

After spending two days writing his research papers in his dorm, Xu Chuan had planned on attending the Department of Astronomy’s meeting on the third day. However, when he called Dean Qiu Chen of the School of Astronomy, he learned that the meeting had been postponed.

Moreover, after the Chinese Astronomical Society received the materials reported by Nanjing University, they proactively upgraded the internal meeting of Nanjing University’s School of Astronomy and Space Science into a large-scale national astronomy conference. The big shots and related institutions from China’s astronomy community would all be attending.

The purpose was twofold: first, to collectively research and discuss the influence of the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, and second, to study the method of using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to accurately calculate the parametric information of distant celestial bodies.

For the field of astronomy, a calculation method more precise than any before was certainly something worth learning.

The inventor of this method was currently at Nanjing University. Everyone could listen if he was invited to give a presentation and explanation. Whether they could understand it was another matter, but they definitely had to show a willingness to learn.

As for Nanjing University, they were naturally delighted.

Organizing such a large-scale conference was crucial for enhancing Nanjing University’s influence. It would be a significant boost for both the School of Astronomy and Space Science and for Nanjing University itself.

A week passed quickly. After finishing both research papers, Xu Chuan submitted the one on the method for accurately calculating the parametric information of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

As for the journal, he chose neither a mathematics journal nor a general astronomy journal, but instead the astrophysics journal Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The journal, founded in 1963, was published by Annual Reviews Inc. in the United States. Its scope of accepted articles covered the entire field of geosciences, astronomy, and astrophysics.

This journal held enormous academic influence in the field of astrophysics. It was a TOP journal, an internationally first-rate journal with a very high degree of attention and professionalism, and it had extremely high standards for innovation in original articles, making it incredibly difficult to get published.

But by the same token, its impact factor was terrifyingly high.

In 2016, this year, its impact factor index was 34.226—absurdly high.

Although top academic journals like Nature and Science could also have impact factors upwards of 40, their subsidiary journals related to astronomy were not nearly as exaggerated.

For example, Nature’s sub-journal, Nature Astronomy, had an impact factor of only around 10.

Compared to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, it was on a lower tier.

Of course, this was also related to Nature’s broad scope of accepted papers, which ranged from biology to medicine, natural materials, and natural astronomy. Its scope was quite extensive, and it had spawned numerous subsidiary journals.

Meanwhile, the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics only accepted papers in astronomy and astrophysics.

In Xu Chuan’s view, although the method for accurately calculating the parametric information of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was an extension of mathematics, the field it served was not mathematics, but astrophysics.

Therefore, submitting it to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics was fitting.

Of course, there would have been no problem submitting it to a mathematics journal either. It was just that if he submitted another paper to a math journal, his physics side would be completely overshadowed by his mathematics.

Astrophysics, at least, was related to physics. As a dual major in physics and mathematics, Xu Chuan chose to submit it to a top journal in astrophysics to strike a balance.

Besides, given the status of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the field of astrophysics, there was no need to worry that the paper would be buried.

Of course, while submitting the paper to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Xu Chuan also uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server for other scholars to reference, study, and discuss.

After submitting the paper, Xu Chuan took a short break. But while he was resting, the paper he had posted on the arXiv preprint server was causing quite a stir.

As the world’s largest, oldest, and most popular preprint server, arXiv hosted articles from multiple fields, such as physics, mathematics, computer science, and statistics—and astrophysics was naturally among them.

Whether for students, professors, or research institutions and laboratories outside of academia, staying up-to-date with the forefront of scientific knowledge was essential.

Generally, there are two ways to access cutting-edge knowledge. One is to subscribe to the relevant journals.

For example, journals like Nature and Science.

But subscribing to these journals is not cheap. Take Nature, for instance. Reading a single article generally costs twenty US dollars, which is over one hundred yuan.

This price isn’t prohibitively expensive, nor is it cheap. For most well-funded companies and top-tier universities, buying a site license or getting reimbursed is not an issue.

However, for individuals with a research interest or for schools in less developed regions, it becomes a major problem.

Take countries like Malawi or Central Africa. In 2016, their official per capita GDP was only four hundred US dollars (enough to read about twenty articles). How are they supposed to participate? Should knowledge, like wealth, be concentrated in the hands of a few?

Furthermore, it wasn’t just schools in these developing regions. Even schools and research institutions in developed countries were finding it increasingly difficult to afford the subscription fees as the number of scientific publications continued to grow.

Let’s just talk about China.

Domestically, the most notorious is CNKI. Although it’s not a journal, its fees for knowledge access are even more exorbitant than those of many journals.

This is likely a sore spot for every undergraduate and graduate student writing their graduation thesis.

Currently, the plagiarism check for an undergraduate thesis in China, for a document under 60,000 characters, costs around 200 yuan. For a master’s or doctoral thesis plagiarism check, under 200,000 characters, the price is around 350 yuan.

This price could be considered quite expensive.

Moreover, an undergraduate student might run the plagiarism check more than once while writing their thesis. Sometimes, for a single graduation, CNKI could squeeze over a thousand yuan out of a single student.

And that’s not to mention master’s students, doctoral students, and university professors.

Although paying for knowledge is a perfectly normal thing, the ever-increasing fees of knowledge-based websites like CNKI and academic journals mean that many schools and research institutions are unable to keep pace with the development of academic publishing.

Just as people have always hoped for internet neutrality—that internet service providers like telecom operators and cable companies should treat all traffic passing through their networks equally—people also do not wish for the spread of knowledge to be hindered by money.

Thus, the scientific community produced the “Budapest Declaration,” which calls for open access to all new peer-reviewed research, a principle to be promoted across all disciplines and countries.

Building on this foundation, preprint websites like arXiv, BioRxiv, ChemRxiv, and The Winnower have developed rapidly, gaining the support of many researchers.

As these preprint websites grew in scale, hosting more and more papers and ideas, many university professors and researchers began to enjoy browsing them.

They did so to draw new inspiration and knowledge from them, or to keep track of the progress of other people’s research projects.

And these preprint websites basically allow you to set interests or follow content for tracking.

For example, in physics, you could set a tag for high-energy physics, particle physics, or condensed matter physics. If someone posts content with these tags on the website, the site will push it to you immediately.

And so it was that graduate students, professors, or researchers following the field of astrophysics received a push notification from the website right away.

A Method for Accurately Calculating the Parametric Information of Celestial Bodies Using the Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem.

Xu Chuan’s paper titles were always simple, but this simple title captured the attention of the vast majority of researchers who saw the notification.

In the scientific world, whether in mathematics, physics, materials science, biology, or astronomy, the emergence of a new calculation method is often far more difficult than producing a new result.

And in the field of astrophysics, the methods for calculating the parametric information of celestial bodies had not been updated for a very, very long time.

Whether it was the formula for universal gravitation, the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, luminosity calculations, the transit method, or the radial velocity method, these were all things from ten, or even dozens of years ago in the last century.

By now, these methods had developed considerable flaws.

And the biggest problem, naturally, was the inaccuracy of the calculated data.

Take one of the hottest observational targets in astronomy today, “Betelgeuse.” To date, the astronomical community’s definition of its mass has a deviation so large that it spans from ten to twenty solar masses.

Although part of the reason is inadequate observational techniques, the bigger problem is that previous calculation methods could only achieve this level of precision.

Astronomers were unable to further refine the data on Betelgeuse using the observational data they had.

Now, a completely new method had appeared. Even though it was posted on a site like arXiv, where most papers and ideas are dross, it was enough to be eye-catching.

However, when these expectant astronomers downloaded and opened the paper, they were all dumbfounded.

What on earth was written in this paper?

The calculation process in the middle, were those the symbols of the devil?

The final conclusion, are you sure it wasn’t just made up?

On the Hobby Space website forum, a large number of astronomy enthusiasts and professionals gathered.

The paper Xu Chuan had posted on arXiv sparked a heated discussion here.

[Has anyone read the paper on arXiv, A Method for Accurately Calculating the Parametric Information of Celestial Bodies Using the Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem?]

[I have, but I can’t understand it at all. The math inside is way too profound.]

[I seriously suspect some mathematician is deliberately messing with us. The calculations inside might all be wrong, and they just randomly wrote down some values at the end to make it look legitimate.]

[I don’t think so. I’ve read the paper too, and I know the author. He’s that eighteen-year-old super math genius who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture at Princeton a while ago. The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem can indeed be used to calculate the parameters of celestial bodies, I can guarantee that. But just as you guys said, the calculation process is incredibly difficult to understand.]

[If it’s real, then we should have a more accurate calculation method in the future. But isn’t he a mathematics major? Why didn’t he post this paper in the math category? Why did he put it in the astrophysics category instead?]

[Maybe the application of this paper isn’t for mathematics, but for the celestial bodies in the universe?]

[But the entire paper is full of mathematical proofs and derivations. I’m afraid no one in the entire field of astronomy can understand it. Wouldn’t it be better in the math category?]

[Who knows.]

Chapter 132: The Companion Star’s Influence on Betelgeuse (Part 2)

After posting the method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial objects using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem on the arXiv preprint server, Xu Chuan didn’t pay it any more mind.

As for the sensation it caused, for now, it was confined to the astronomical community and hadn’t yet broken into the mainstream.

Many astronomical researchers who learned of this research paper tried to understand it, but the mathematical knowledge it contained was so profound that almost no one in the entire field of astrophysics could comprehend it.

However, the research world is a small circle, and the astronomy community is connected to the mathematics community. Thus, many astronomers following this development took the paper to mathematics professors they had previously collaborated with.

They hoped the mathematics community could help them verify the correctness of the calculation process and methods in the paper.

At the same time, insiders from the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics revealed that the paper was currently in their possession and undergoing review.

However, they too had run into a problem.

The problem was that the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem had only been publicly announced a few months prior, and not many people in the mathematics community were familiar with it.

Furthermore, the paper’s contributor was the very person who had proven the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, so they couldn’t find anyone suitable to review it.

This was the biggest problem.

Unaware of the ripples he had caused in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, Xu Chuan stopped paying attention to the matter after submitting his paper and took some time to rest.

After all, he had been busy for two or three months without a proper rest, sometimes even staying up all night organizing data. No matter how strong his body was, it couldn’t take that kind of abuse, and he needed a good rest to recover.

However, before he could rest for more than a few days, the major national astronomy conference hosted by Nanjing University began.

As the creator of the method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, his attendance at this conference was a must.

Modern astronomy in China had a relatively late start. In terms of the quantity and quality of large-scale astronomical facilities, including survey satellites and large space telescopes, there was still a noticeable gap compared to Western countries.

However, China was developing and catching up quickly. For example, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, or FAST—also known as Tianyan, the “Sky Eye”—currently under construction in Guizhou Province, pioneered a new model for building giant telescopes.

It was a radio telescope with a reflective surface equivalent to thirty football fields, and its sensitivity was more than two and a half times greater than that of the world’s second-largest telescope, greatly expanding humanity’s vision for exploring the origin and evolution of the universe.

In addition, large space stations, survey telescopes, and other facilities were also under construction.

Once these facilities became operational, China would become one of the world’s top countries for astronomical observation.

And now, the timing was perfect.

With the advent of the method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, combined with these astronomical facilities, China was set to produce a large number of top-tier astronomers in the coming years and decades.

Such were the benefits of having a pioneer at the forefront of a discipline.

Even if the method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies was released to the world, as long as he, its creator, was willing to promote it, China was destined to take the lead in this field.

For a brand-new method, especially in mathematics, the founder’s understanding would almost inevitably surpass that of anyone else for the first ten, or even twenty, years after its inception.

As the major astronomy conference began, astronomers from all over the country flocked to Nanjing University.

Xu Chuan tidied himself up and rode a shared bike to the School of Astronomy and Space Science, which was quite a distance from his dormitory.

Upon arriving at the School of Astronomy and Space Science, the atmosphere of a major conference was palpable.

Signs and promotional posters lined the roads, and banners were stretched across the fronts of the academic and laboratory buildings, all of which demonstrated the importance Nanjing University placed on this major astronomy conference.

After all, although Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy was ranked among the top in the nation, a university was still just a university. Compared to premier astronomical research institutions, its influence was much weaker.

Thus, opportunities to host a national-level astronomy conference were rare, so when one came along, it was natural to treat it with due formality.

“God Chuan is here.”

Outside the auditorium where the conference was being held, Meng Can, a doctoral student from the Department of Astronomy greeting the attendees, smiled and waved.

He had previously participated in the Betelgeuse observation experiment, so of course he knew Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan returned the greeting, took a conference schedule from Meng Can, and glanced through it.

He had to admit, with the involvement of the Chinese Astronomical Society headquarters, the conference’s influence had spread nationwide. Nearly every major astronomical institution had sent representatives.

For example, attendees included the council chairman of the Chinese Astronomical Society, Academician Chang Jin from the National Astronomical Observatories, Academician Han Zhanwen from the Yunnan Observatory, and the Director of the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

These individuals were practically the crème de la crème of China’s astronomy community.

Not to mention the regular researchers, astronomers, and professors; the list at the end showed a total of three hundred and seventy-three attendees.

It could be said that apart from the grand astronomical symposium organized by the Chinese Astronomical Society once every four years, almost no other conference reached this scale.

After all, the field of astrophysics was not large to begin with, and the number of astronomers specifically studying celestial bodies was even smaller.

The conference was scheduled for three days. The first morning consisted of the opening ceremony and speeches from various leaders. In the afternoon, Nanjing University’s School of Astronomy and Space Science was slated to present its observational findings on Betelgeuse.

This presentation was originally Xu Chuan’s responsibility, as the research and observation project on Betelgeuse was his.

But Xu Chuan found it to be a hassle. He already had to give a speech and explain his method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem on the second day, so he passed the task off to the School of Astronomy and Space Science.

The Department of Astronomy was more than happy to take on this “hassle.” For anyone else, the chance to present in front of so many top researchers from across the country was an extremely rare opportunity.

The third day was reserved for a smaller, internal meeting where the Chinese Astronomical Society had gathered top talents from various universities and premier research institutions to discuss the influence of Betelgeuse’s companion star on the red supergiant.

This was Xu Chuan’s main interest. He wasn’t concerned with the scale of the conference; what he truly cared about was whether, after this meeting, the astronomers could determine if the companion star would have any effect on Betelgeuse.

That was his focus.

For him, the best-case scenario was one where the companion star influenced Betelgeuse enough to trigger an early supernova explosion, but not so much that it would alter the star’s magnetic poles and change the trajectory of the gamma-ray burst.

That way, he might be able to witness one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the universe within his lifetime, which would drive new developments in high-energy physics without affecting Earth.

It was the perfect outcome.

The first two days passed quickly.

On the third day, the School of Astronomy and Space Science at Nanjing University arranged a small meeting in one of the academic buildings. Fewer than twenty people attended, but they represented most of the top echelon of China’s astronomy community.

Mixed in among a group of middle-aged and elderly men, Xu Chuan looked particularly out of place.

“Student Xu Chuan, have you considered working at our Baicheng Astronomy Research Institute after you graduate?”

During the meeting, an elderly man with black-framed glasses cheerfully pulled Xu Chuan into a conversation.

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. What was this about recruiting him into astronomy?

But before he could answer, another elderly man interjected, “Give it a rest, Old Fu. You really do love recruiting people from everywhere. The young man is doing perfectly fine in mathematics—he proved a world-class conjecture at such a young age. You want him to join you at an observatory? That would be a serious waste of talent.”

Hearing this, the elderly man, whose surname was Fu, retorted, “What do you mean, a waste of talent? Both mathematics and astronomy are ways to contribute to the country; they are of equal importance.”

The other man shot him a disdainful look. “Of all the things to say. You really have the gall to say that out loud, you shameless old coot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Seeing that the two were about to argue, Su Dingqiang, the Dean of the School of Astronomy and Space Science at Nanjing University, quickly stepped in to mediate. These two were living legends in China’s astronomy community.

The first man was Fu Gongli. He had led the development of astronomy in China from a state of utter destitution, laying the foundation for the field’s current standing.

The second was Wang Shouguan, one of the founders of modern astrophysics in China. He had pioneered observational radio astronomy in the country, significantly improved the precision of time-service signals, advanced the field of astrometry, and developed various kinds of radio astronomy equipment.

Furthermore, he had been involved in numerous large-scale engineering projects.

For instance, Professor Nan Rendong, the chief scientist and chief engineer of the FAST telescope in Guizhou, was his student, and Wang Shouguan himself had participated in the telescope’s design and construction.

If these two were to start arguing at Nanjing University, it would be difficult to find anyone to mediate.

Compared to the formal sessions of the first two days, the meeting on the third day was far less official.

It was less of a meeting and more of an exchange among colleagues.

“Academician Wang, based on your calculations, it seems the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope won’t have any effect on it, is that right?”

During the exchange, after Academician Wang Shouguan had presented his own views and preliminary calculations, Xu Chuan turned to the venerable elder.

The old man had been born in 1923 and was now ninety-three years old. However, he was still in high spirits and continued to teach and conduct research, albeit no longer in an official capacity.

Wang Shouguan smiled and nodded. “I’ve reviewed the data that the School of Astronomy and Space Science at Nanjing University submitted to the Chinese Astronomical Society. Although I don’t understand the calculation process itself, it included your mass calculations for Betelgeuse and its companion.”

“Before coming here, I had someone run the numbers. If your data is accurate, this companion star inside the hydrogen envelope will have almost no effect on Betelgeuse’s magnetic poles.”

“The mass difference between them is simply too great—more than tenfold. The only outcome is that when Betelgeuse’s core collapses during its supernova explosion, the massive release of gravitational energy will simply eject the companion star from its otherwise stable orbit.”

“If it manages to hold itself together during the supernova, the companion will become a ‘lonely’ rogue star wandering through the cosmos.”

“More likely, however, it will be obliterated in the explosion.”

“It’s just too close to Betelgeuse’s core.”

“The powerful shockwave will act like a scalpel, peeling the star layer by layer like an onion, starting from the outside and stripping away all its matter until it becomes nothing but free-floating hydrogen, helium, and other elements in space.”

“If we’re lucky, over time, this material might aggregate, using both the matter ejected from Betelgeuse’s supernova and the companion’s original substance, to slowly form a new star.”

“But that process would be incredibly long, possibly taking millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of years. We won’t be around to see it.”

Xu Chuan nodded in understanding.

Even though the man was in his nineties, his thoughts and explanations were so clear and concise that even a layperson with no knowledge of astronomy could understand him.

A weight was lifted from Xu Chuan’s mind now that it was confirmed the companion star wouldn’t affect Betelgeuse’s magnetic poles. Still, he had another question, which he promptly asked:

“In that case, will the presence of the companion star cause Betelgeuse’s supernova to happen sooner, or will it be delayed?”

Academician Wang Shouguan thought for a moment before replying, “That’s impossible to say for sure. It all depends on which stage of its final years Betelgeuse has reached.”

He paused, then looked at Xu Chuan and continued, “You should have some astronomical knowledge, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Whether the supernova is affected by the companion star depends on the state of Betelgeuse itself.”

“As you know, Betelgeuse is in its twilight years and has already evolved into a red supergiant.”

“But due to the limitations of our observation and calculation techniques, the astronomical community doesn’t yet know exactly how far along it is in its red supergiant phase.”

“If it’s only in the initial stages of fusing helium in its core, then the supernova is at least thousands of years away, and the companion star won’t affect it.”

“However, if it has reached the later stages of helium fusion and has begun fusing elements like lithium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, then the companion star might possibly influence it and trigger an early supernova.”

“The key here is that the fusion of elements beyond helium is extremely fast. The reactions in the stellar core become incredibly intense and release a tremendous amount of energy.”

“Take carbon fusion, for instance. We call it the ‘carbon flash.’”

“The fusion itself is very brief, lasting less than a second—typically, it flashes by in 0.01 to 0.9 seconds. But the energy released in that incredibly short span is immense.”

“If the carbon flash is large enough, the energy released could be powerful enough to tear apart Betelgeuse’s stellar body, ripping a massive fissure across its surface.”

“Normally, such a fissure would be quickly filled in by the surrounding matter. But if the carbon flash happens at a location aligned with the companion star, the companion’s gravitational pull might slow down the healing process.”

“It might only be a delay of a few seconds, but that could have a massive impact on Betelgeuse.”

“For instance, as long as the fissure remains open, Betelgeuse will eject vast amounts of matter, which would, to some extent, lower the ‘electron degeneracy pressure’ in its core.”

“And when the core’s electron degeneracy pressure drops below what is needed to support the Chandrasekhar limit, the core will no longer be able to hold up the rest of the star.”

“The immense gravitational force could directly crush the core, triggering either a supernova or a core collapse.”

“From that perspective, the presence of the companion star could indeed influence Betelgeuse’s supernova.”

“Of course, the probability of that happening is actually very small.”

Chapter 133: The Press Conference

The astronomy conference ended, and Xu Chuan had gotten the answer he was looking for.

The companion star would not affect Betelgeuse’s magnetic poles, but it could affect the timing of its supernova explosion, depending on Betelgeuse’s current life stage.

If Betelgeuse was only in the early stage of being a red supergiant, then the companion star would have no effect. However, if it had already reached its later stages, at the point of carbon or oxygen fusion, there was a chance it could trigger an early supernova explosion.

This was pretty much the best possible result.

Although the timing of the supernova explosion was still uncertain, it also preserved a glimmer of hope.

Xu Chuan had no doubt that once this result was fully announced, astronomical organizations worldwide would focus their attention on Betelgeuse for at least the next year or two.

In other words, it would take at most a year or two to determine which stage of its late life as a red supergiant Betelgeuse was currently in.

The conference concluded and the attendees dispersed. In the office of Su Dingqiang, the Dean of Nanjing University’s School of Astronomy and Space Science, several top figures from the world of astronomy still remained.

Among them were Academician Fu Gongli and Academician Wang Shouguan, who had been arguing during the meeting, as well as the station director of the Yunnan Observatory.

Xu Chuan was also in the office, having been summoned by a call from Su Dingqiang.

“Dean Su, Academician Fu, Academician Wang.” Xu Chuan respectfully greeted the masters in the room.

“Xu Chuan, you’re here. Come, have a seat. Have some tea first.” Su Dingqiang smiled warmly as he stood up and poured a cup of tea.

“Dean, you were looking for me?” Xu Chuan took the cup with both hands, thanked him, and then asked.

“Yes. I asked you here today mainly to discuss the public disclosure of your research results and to talk about the press conference.”

Su Dingqiang said with a smile, “Your discovery this time is of great significance to the field of astronomy. After discussions at the national astronomy association headquarters, it was decided that our Nanjing University will hold a press conference to fully disclose the results and process.”

“Of course, we still need your opinion. If you’re willing, we’ll disclose everything. If you’re not, we can hold it back for now. Or you can decide what specific things you are willing to disclose.”

“We wanted to ask for your thoughts. After all, you’re the one who led this research project on Betelgeuse.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I have no objection to making these things public. Discovering a companion star inside Betelgeuse was actually just an accident.”

“It’s just that the calculation method I used for Betelgeuse’s precise mass… the research paper has just been submitted to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics and hasn’t passed review yet. Should this also be fully disclosed at the press conference?”

Hearing this, Su Dingqiang pondered for a moment. “That’s up to you. You can disclose it now, or you can wait until the paper has passed review. If you disclose it now, just be careful not to make any grand claims at the press conference.”

“For instance, don’t let those reporters trick you into confirming that your theorem can be used to calculate the parameters of any celestial body in the universe or anything like that.”

“You can say these things after your paper is officially accepted. Saying it now might give people ammunition for criticism, which could affect your academic career down the line.”

“Of course, the university will help you with your speech. Whatever you require, whatever you want to say, we will help you write it according to your ideas. You’ll just have to read it then, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Also, astronomy and mathematics are somewhat different. In astronomy, especially concerning celestial bodies, everything is primarily based on observational data. Different telescopes, different angles, different times and locations—all these can lead to significant data discrepancies. It’s not like the world of mathematics, where answers are fixed.”

“As for your calculation method, as long as the core calculation process is sound, it’s actually normal for others to use it and get different results for Betelgeuse.”

Beside them, Academician Wang Shouguan added with a smile, “Student Xu Chuan, after your paper passes review, how about holding a couple more conferences in Beijing or here at Nanjing University?”

“That method of yours, using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies, is a bit too profound for the astronomical community. People without a strong enough mathematical foundation simply can’t understand it, let alone use it to perform calculations on other celestial bodies.”

“So, I’d like to invite you to hold a few more conferences to explain this area in detail. It’s a rare opportunity for China’s astronomy community to be at the forefront of the world. It would be a waste not to take advantage of this to maintain our lead.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s no problem. I have a responsibility to promote the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and help the development of astronomy.”

“It’s just that the paper hasn’t passed review yet. It’s still uncertain whether it will.”

Hearing this, Academician Wang Shouguan smiled and shook his head. “Your Teacher was right. You really are too modest. If I had your achievements at your age, I probably wouldn’t even know my own name.”

Xu Chuan smiled but said nothing.

Everyone has their rash and reckless moments when they’re young, and he had been through it too. The first time he made a major breakthrough in his university years in his past life, he was likewise on cloud nine.

But now, having experienced it once before, he was naturally much calmer when facing such things again.

Of course, making a breakthrough, no matter how big or small, always brought him a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and fulfillment. That was something that would never change.

The thrill of his own breakthroughs was far more fulfilling than watching soap operas or scrolling through short videos. It was a feeling to be savored, but it was also much harder to achieve.

The former required you to persevere, to read all sorts of books, to understand and master them, to manually calculate various data, and to complete all kinds of experiments before you could finally reap that little bit of success.

The latter only required you to lie in bed and turn on your phone, computer, or tablet. The difficulty of the two couldn’t be compared.

Correspondingly, the feedback and sense of accomplishment from the former was enough for you to savor for a long time, perhaps for a lifetime.

As for the latter, you might forget a hilarious scene you saw one second in the next.

The end of the astronomy conference did not mean the end of the impact from the Betelgeuse observation research project.

Soon, Nanjing University’s School of Astronomy and Space Science, in collaboration with the Purple Mountain Observatory, held a national press conference.

As the leader of the Betelgeuse observation research project, and also to enhance his reputation, Xu Chuan was undoubtedly chosen as the spokesperson for the press conference.

After all, whether it was the calculation of Betelgeuse’s parameters, the discovery of a companion star within its hydrogen envelope, or the method of using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies, they were all his achievements.

Although several of his seniors from Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy had participated, their contributions were limited to collecting some data and were not irreplaceable.

Of course, he only needed to prepare for his presentation on stage. Other matters, such as confirming the organizers and participants, including relevant leaders, personnel, and media reporters, as well as drafting detailed invitation lists, conference agendas, timetables, and venue layout plans—none of these concerned him.

Nanjing University would help prepare everything.

Furthermore, besides him, there was another spokesperson at this press conference.

He was an assistant Nanjing University had arranged for Xu Chuan.

After all, this was his first time hosting and participating in such a press conference. Besides reporting the relevant experimental data, there would certainly be questions from media reporters.

If he faced questions that were difficult or awkward to answer, the other spokesperson’s role would become apparent.

Soon, the day of the press conference arrived. In Nanjing University’s Great Hall, Xu Chuan, dressed in a suit and tie, clicked through his PowerPoint presentation and finished his report after his co-spokesperson completed a series of welcoming remarks and other pleasantries.

“That concludes my report. Now, we’ll move on to the Q&A session for reporters.”

On the podium, Xu Chuan completed his report step by step and then opened the floor for questions.

Hearing this, the co-spokesperson beside him glanced at him, bracing himself to deal with any unexpected situations that might arise.

Xu Chuan noticed his movement, turned his head slightly, and gave him a reassuring look.

He was all too familiar with things like press conferences. In his past life, many of his achievements, especially those in materials science, were announced through press conferences. He was very experienced in handling such events.

Not to mention, this was in China. At this kind of press conference, there were pre-agreed-upon Q&A topic lists for the reporters. That is, the questions the reporters would ask, and the scope of those questions, would be discussed and prepared in advance.

Of course, he had only learned yesterday that there was a Q&A list for the reporters at today’s press conference.

Nanjing University had gone to great lengths to prevent any unexpected incidents at the event.

“Hello, Student Xu Chuan. May I ask if the discovery of a companion star inside Betelgeuse will have any effect on it? Could you explain it in detail for everyone?”

As soon as Xu Chuan finished speaking, a black microphone was extended toward him. It was a reporter from the Mother.

For today’s press conference, Nanjing University had invited reporters from many famous television stations, press and publication administrations, newspapers, and other organizations, including the Mother, in order to maximize its impact.

A few came, but most did not. However, with the Mother present, it didn’t really matter who else came.

Xu Chuan: “Theoretically, the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope will not affect it.”

After briefly answering the question from the Mother’s reporter, the Q&A session became much more intense, with microphone after microphone being shoved in Xu Chuan’s face.

After picking a few reporters and briefly answering some questions, the press conference was considered a complete success.

The next day, as news programs reported on it, the major astronomical event of the discovery of a companion star inside Betelgeuse shot straight to the top of the trending charts.

News 1: Betelgeuse May Be a Binary Star System

News 2: Nanjing University Scientist Recently Discovers Another Star Inside Betelgeuse

News 3: Major Discovery, Nanjing University…

The first batch of newspapers to break the news were mostly official publications, and they were quite cautious with their wording. Although Xu Chuan’s discovery had indeed shocked the astronomy world, it was ultimately something that had not yet been fully confirmed.

Of course, the headlines from independent content creators and clickbait accounts were designed to be as eye-catching as possible.

Shocking! This Exists Inside Betelgeuse, Could Trigger an Early Supernova Explosion!

Warning! Betelgeuse May Explode Ahead of Schedule. What Will Humanity Do?

The Dangerous Betelgeuse, 700 Million Times Larger Than the Sun, Could Explode at Any Moment?

Is It True Betelgeuse Has Already Exploded? Nanjing University Scientist Gives the Answer.

Online, the headlines from various independent content creators and clickbait accounts grew more and more exaggerated, each one more sensational than the last. And the goofy netizens fell for it, clicking in one after another only to cry out that they’d been tricked.

“Holy shit, another clickbait title! You scared me, I thought Betelgeuse was going to explode tomorrow.”

“A bunch of clickbait artists. But Nanjing University is awesome, discovering a star within a star.”

“That’s normal. Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy is already badass, ranked in the top three in the country.”

“I don’t think it’s Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy that’s so badass this time.”

“? Not Nanjing University?”

“Last year’s college entrance exam top scorer, the one named ‘Xu Chuan.’ Didn’t you watch the news from the Mother? He’s the one who calculated that there was a star inside Betelgeuse. It doesn’t have much to do with the Department of Astronomy.”

“???? Calculated it? What the hell? Is that even possible?”

“Apparently, he did it using that world-class mathematical conjecture he proved earlier. I’m not too clear on the details, but I heard he has a chance to win the Fields Medal two years from now.”

“Holy shit!? A chance to win the Fields Medal in two years? I remember he’s only eighteen, right? He’ll only be twenty in two years.”

“Yep, his achievements are definitely enough. A world-class conjecture, the difficulty of that Weil-something conjecture is comparable to Faltings’ proof of the Mordell conjecture and Deligne’s proof of the Weil conjectures. The only problem is he’s too young.”

“If he wins it in two years, he’ll be eight years younger than Professor Pierre, the youngest winner of the Fields Medal, was when he won.”

“Holy shit, winning the Fields Medal at twenty would be terrifying. That would shave eight years off the record all at once.”

“It’ll probably be hard for him to win it in two years, but he’ll definitely win it in the future.”

“I don’t think anyone from our country has ever won the Fields Medal, have they?”

“Shing-Tung Yau won it.”

“But he wasn’t a Chinese citizen when he received the Fields Medal. He only returned to China in his later years. To be precise, no mathematician of Chinese nationality has ever won the Fields Medal. But we can look forward to the future; at least this Xu Chuan has a very good chance.”

Chapter 134: The Astrophysics Journal That Couldn’t Find a Reviewer

With the deliberate publicizing and promotion by CCTV and other media outlets, news that Betelgeuse possessed a companion star within its hydrogen envelope quickly spread.

It didn’t just stay within the country; it crossed the seas and reached foreign shores.

Watching the drama unfold is human nature. Whether in China or abroad, people were equally intrigued by the news that had instantly exploded across social media sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

The existence of a companion star inside Betelgeuse, the fact that Betelgeuse was a binary star system, and the possibility of a premature supernova were all eye-catching and attention-grabbing topics.

Discussions on major social media platforms were endless. Occasionally, some people among the general public would take note of the calculation method used for Betelgeuse, but this was only briefly mentioned in the news without any detailed explanation.

However, this also gave rise to a considerable number of skeptics.

They questioned not only the correctness of the calculation method but also whether a companion star truly existed within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

Some went further, questioning that Eastern country, doubting whether they truly had the capability to discover such a shocking astronomical phenomenon. Weren’t they just fabricating false data?

After all, in the eyes of many Westerners, that Eastern country had always been backward—incomparably behind in everything from its economy to scientific research.

In terms of astronomical equipment, they had no top-tier research facilities to speak of. It was simply impossible for them to have discovered this cosmic wonder ahead of those who possessed the Hubble Telescope and other top astronomical instruments.

It was just like how some people in China have always suspected that NASA’s moon landing was a complete hoax.

Now, it was their turn to be skeptical.

How could another star possibly exist inside a star?

At such a close distance, wouldn’t it be pulled into the core by the immense gravity? This was unscientific.

Even if it did exist, it would be impossible to discover, hidden as it was by the brilliance of Betelgeuse’s light.

Observing the interior of a star was something only God could do. Humanity could only speculate about the structure of the Earth beneath its feet.

Of course, the opinions of ordinary people didn’t affect the academic community.

Even though many scholars were also skeptical, they would try by all means to find proof. The best method was the one announced by astronomical institutions in various countries: they would maintain continuous observation of Betelgeuse.

Because according to the published theory and data, the companion star would return roughly every 23 to 31 days. This meant that if the theory was correct, they would be able to observe the anomalous data from the companion star’s return in less than a month.

In the academic world, the pursuit of truth and the advancement of science always came first.

Just like Xu Chuan’s research paper previously posted on the arXiv preprint server, many people questioned its correctness, but even more people hoped that this method was correct and successful.

Because if it were correct, the fields of astronomy and astrophysics would experience a period of booming development.

Just as aerospace explores the sea of stars, a distant future that humanity can see but not yet reach, astronomy also explores the mysteries of the universe and, similarly, the future of humanity.

In the future, with this method, humanity might be able to find a planet suitable for human colonization within the vast, cold, and silent universe.

The fields of astronomy and astrophysics were in great turmoil, and the field of mathematics was not far behind.

The afterglow from the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture had not yet completely faded, and the one who proved it had already used the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to produce a result.

If one recalled correctly, it had been less than four months since the Weyl-Berry conjecture was proven.

To achieve another result based on one’s own proven theorem in just over three months—that speed was simply too fast.

It was no exaggeration to say that for an ordinary mathematician, three months wasn’t even enough time to fully digest this new theory.

And for top-tier mathematicians, even if they could grasp the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem in three months, using it to produce a result on that foundation was practically impossible.

Another reason was his age. Eighteen, not even nineteen years old, was just too young.

At that age, in most countries around the world, the vast majority of people might not have even finished their compulsory education, yet this person was already standing at the pinnacle of the mathematics world.

In California, at the University of California, Los Angeles, Terence Tao downloaded Xu Chuan’s research paper from the arXiv preprint server with great interest.

Unlike other top big shots and experts in the mathematics world, being much younger, he paid quite a bit of attention to preprint servers like arXiv.

Although most of the papers and ideas on it, aside from those that had been formally published, were dross, occasionally one could find a flash of inspiration.

Of course, in mathematics, a single idea without a solid enough foundation wasn’t of much use.

Inspiration is very important for a mathematical researcher, but it also depends on the person.

In the hands of two mathematicians with different levels of mathematical foundations, the same inspiration or idea could lead to vastly different discoveries.

In front of his computer, Terence Tao opened the downloaded paper and printed it out.

Since his conversation with Xu Chuan at Princeton last year, he had been keeping an eye on this young mathematician.

At the age of eighteen, his achievements in mathematics had already placed him at the peak of the field. Such a rising superstar, barring any surprises, would mean the mathematics world would welcome another talent at the very top of the pyramid, one who would make enormous contributions to advancing the field.

“Let’s see just how deep your progress on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem really is.”

Muttering to himself, Terence Tao unfolded the paper and began to read.

Although it was a paper in the astrophysics section, there wasn’t much about astrophysics in it. After a brief introduction to some astrophysics concepts and information about Betelgeuse, the author turned his pen to mathematics.

In this paper of less than six pages, mathematical calculations and formulas took up more than four full pages.

“.∂²u/∂t² = Δu, t > 0, x ∈ Ω; u=0, t ≥ 0, x ∈ ∂Ω;”

“.Δ = Σ(from j=1 to n) (∂/∂x_j)²”

“Using the method of separation of variables, let u(t,x) = ψ(t)·φ(x). Substituting this into equation (1) and considering the boundary conditions, for λ > 0, we have: Δφ/φ = ψ’’(t)/ψ = -λ”

“…”

“.N(λ) = (2π) * 891.986D⊙ * ω * |nλ^(n/2)|”

“.N(λ) = (2π) * 891.986D⊙ * ω * 299792.458 * 0.12 * λ^(n/2)”

“…”

Staring at the mathematical formulas and calculations on the printed paper, Terence Tao’s eyes were fixed.

“Is he deforming the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem?”

“First, he transforms it from isospectral waves to Sobolev space waves, and then he inputs the mathematical parameters through an amplitude function that exhibits periodic oscillations, thereby completing the calculation of the mass source in three-dimensional space.”

“So this is how the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is used to calculate celestial parameters. What an ingenious line of thought.”

At his desk, Terence Tao muttered to himself while staring at the printed paper.

Although he hadn’t participated in the review of the proof for the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he had read the complete proof process published in the Annals of Mathematics several times.

The proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was highly difficult, but for him, understanding it thoroughly was not a challenge.

Even with the astronomical knowledge mixed into the calculations he was looking at today, it wasn’t hard for his IQ of 230 to comprehend.

It didn’t take long to read through a paper of less than six pages. In about ten minutes, Terence Tao had read the entire paper once.

However, he didn’t draw a conclusion. Instead, he took out a stack of scratch paper and a pen from his drawer.

He began reading the paper again, verifying the mathematical formulas and calculation processes as he went.

This time it took a little longer. After more than half an hour, Terence Tao, who had been hunched over his desk, put down his black ballpoint pen, sat up straight, and let out a long breath.

“Truly remarkable. I can’t find any flaws in the verification process. And from the looks of the paper, this seems to be only a partial application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“At the very least, I only see the calculation process for Betelgeuse’s mass in this paper, yet the paper also mentions calculation methods for other parameters such as volume, diameter, and velocity.”

“It really makes you look forward to what the complete paper is like. His extension of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is much deeper than I had imagined, and his mathematical ability is even stronger than I previously estimated.”

“It seems a Fields Medal is destined for him in the future.”

Terence Tao’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the paper on his desk. During his recent verification, not only had he failed to find any flaws or calculation errors, but he had also keenly sensed that calculating different celestial parameters required different methods.

Of course, the different methods here referred to different forms of the torsionally deformed Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

All variations stem from the same root. The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was the core element; using it to calculate different parameters through boundary values and eigenvalues was the essence of the theorem’s application.

“I remember there was news that Xu Chuan had submitted his method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, right?”

“But are there any professors in the field of astrophysics who can review a paper of this mathematical level?”

Staring at the scratch paper on his desk, something suddenly occurred to Terence Tao, and a peculiar light flashed in his eyes.

From a submission standpoint, this paper should have been sent to a mathematics journal. But for some reason, the young man had submitted it to a journal in the field of astrophysics.

Although the calculation method was indeed applied to astrophysics, he had no doubt that there wasn’t a single professor in the entire field of astrophysics who could review this paper.

In fact, the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics was having a headache over this very matter.

The paper on the method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was indeed incredibly important to the field of astrophysics.

If this new method was ultimately confirmed to be correct, then the fields of astronomy and astrophysics would undergo a major revolution.

The old methods would exit the stage, and the new method would lead the world.

It was no exaggeration to say that such a revolution had occurred only a handful of times in the entire history of science.

Therefore, the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics could not possibly give up on this paper that had been submitted to them.

But the reality was, they really couldn’t find a suitable reviewer.

The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics was a top journal, no doubt, but it was a top journal in astrophysics, not mathematics.

In the entire field of astrophysics, there were truly very few professors who understood mathematics well.

And they had tried contacting those few, but without exception, they all turned it down. The feedback was always that their mathematical ability was insufficient, and they were incapable of reviewing the paper.

Because of this, the entire editorial department, from the technical editors to the review editors and up to the editor-in-chief, was about to die from the headache.

If they couldn’t find a reviewer soon, they would have to send the paper back and suggest the author submit it to a mathematics journal.

But no one was willing to let it go.

At the headquarters of the publisher, Annual Reviews Inc., the editors responsible for reviewing papers were all gathered in an office.

“Gordon, has there been any feedback from Professor Saul Perlmutter?”

In the office, Jens Brooks, the editor-in-chief of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, tapped on the table and asked.

Across the desk, a young editor shook his head and replied, “We just received feedback. Professor Saul Perlmutter said he is unable to help.”

Hearing this, Jens Brooks rubbed his temples, a headache brewing.

Saul Perlmutter was an astrophysicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Although Saul won the Nobel Prize for “the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae,” his mathematical skills were also outstanding, making him one of the top mathematical talents in the astrophysics community.

If even he couldn’t do it, Jens Brooks truly didn’t know who else in the field of astrophysics could review this paper.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to find a big shot from the mathematics world to review it, but that they simply didn’t know any big shots in mathematics.

Of course, they certainly knew of top-tier mathematicians like Faltings, Deligne, and Terence Tao, but those masters didn’t know them.

Astrophysics and mathematics were completely different systems.

To rashly approach a mathematics professor and ask them to review a paper submitted to an astrophysics journal—how could there be something so absurd?

Although the paper was written by a mathematician and contained a lot of mathematics, it was ultimately inappropriate.

“This is such a headache. How about we try asking Edward Witten?”

Jens Brooks sighed, rubbing his temples. The mathematical ability of Professor Edward Witten, who had won a Fields Medal, was beyond question, and he was also a big shot in the field of physics.

Astrophysics is a kind of physics, after all. It had some connection, making it a more suitable choice than suddenly approaching Professor Deligne and the others.

Moreover, Professor Witten worked at Princeton, so perhaps the paper might catch the attention of the mathematicians there.

Just as his head was throbbing, Jens Brooks suddenly heard the excited voice of a subordinate.

“Editor-in-chief, Professor Terence Tao has sent us an email! He’s asking if we’ve found a reviewer for the paper on the method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“Terence Tao? The one from the University of California? The one who won the Fields Medal?” Jens Brooks asked quickly.

“Yes, he said that if we haven’t found a suitable reviewer, he might be able to accept the job.”

“Quick, email him back!”

“If Professor Tao is willing to take on the review of this paper, that would be absolutely fantastic.”

Jens Brooks stood up in excitement. Although he didn’t know why Terence Tao would take the initiative to inquire about this matter, for them, it was the best news they could have hoped for.

Chapter 135: Urged by the University to Graduate

Xu Chuan wasn’t worried that the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics would be unable to find a peer reviewer for his paper, nor was he worried about it being rejected.

While there might not be anyone in the field of astrophysics who could review his paper, there certainly were people in the fields of mathematics and physics who could.

A paper like this, one that could change the entire fields of astronomy and astrophysics, was something no editor at the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics with half a brain would ever pass up. They would do everything in their power to keep it.

For others, publishing a paper in such a top-tier journal was a great honor. But for Xu Chuan’s paper, it was an honor for the journal to be the one to publish it.

It was just like how Einstein receiving the Nobel Prize was an honor for the Nobel Prize itself, not for Einstein.

What was giving Xu Chuan a bigger headache right now was that the university was urging him to graduate.

That’s right. He was a first-year student who had only been in university for a little over a semester, with still a month or two left to go, and the university was already pushing him to graduate, urging him to finish his degree as soon as possible.

He was currently in his advisor Chen Zhengping’s office, having been summoned by a phone call.

In the office were not only his advisor, Chen Zhengping, but also Professor Zhou Hai and Dean Rong Zhizhuan from the School of Mathematical Sciences, as well as the Dean of the School of Physics, Yu Yongwang, and others.

“Xu Chuan, it’s about time you graduated. The sooner you graduate, the sooner you can pursue further studies. You are at the prime age for learning.”

“You have to understand, people online are wondering why you’ve made such huge achievements but still haven’t graduated with a bachelor’s degree. It’s making it seem like Nanjing University is holding you back and not letting you graduate. The university is under a great deal of pressure.”

“…”

In the office, Rong Zhizhuan pleaded earnestly, hoping Xu Chuan would go to a higher institution to receive a more advanced education.

Although there was indeed some questioning online, it was far from being able to influence Nanjing University, let alone put pressure on the institution.

It was just that in his and many others’ eyes, Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences had nothing left to teach Xu Chuan. Only a top-tier mathematics department like the one at Princeton, a holy land of mathematics with numerous Fields Medal laureates, could help Xu Chuan reach the next level.

Therefore, ever since Xu Chuan proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he had been actively pushing for him to graduate, not wanting the dual major in physics and mathematics to delay his study time in mathematics.

When it came to cherishing mathematical talent, no one in all of Nanjing University was more dedicated than Rong Zhizhuan.

Beside them, Professor Zhou Hai and the Dean of the School of Physics, Yu Yongwang, calmly sipped their tea and watched the show.

For Zhou Hai, although it was true that Xu Chuan was a dual major, he wasn’t his disciple, nor was he a leader in the School of Mathematical Sciences. Xu Chuan’s mathematical talent was indeed extraordinary, and Nanjing University’s math department really couldn’t teach him much more, but he saw no need to rush the young man into graduating.

He was only here today because Rong Zhizhuan had dragged him along for support.

As for Dean Yu Yongwang of the School of Physics, he was even more relaxed. His connection to Xu Chuan was more distant, and besides, Chen Zhengping, Xu Chuan’s actual advisor—and a physics advisor at that—was present.

Listening to Rong Zhizhuan’s persuasion, Xu Chuan turned his gaze to his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

Their eyes met, and Chen Zhengping shook his head slightly. He also supported his disciple’s early graduation.

To be honest, by now he no longer had any complicated feelings about Xu Chuan graduating early, nor did he care whether Xu Chuan had made any achievements in physics.

If he were an ordinary advisor or professor with such an outstanding student, he would have tried every means possible to keep the student for a while longer.

After all, according to the current unspoken rules of academia in China, even if a student completes their graduation thesis or other research achievements independently, the teacher can still get a piece of the pie. They might not be the first author, but the advisor would at least be the second author and corresponding author.

For him, however, these things were no longer important. As an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he didn’t need his student’s accomplishments for bonus points.

For all the achievements Xu Chuan had made—the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, the complete proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the Betelgeuse observational research experiment, and the subsequent developments from the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—he had not, in fact, added his own name to the papers.

He could have without any issue, as he was the advisor, but Chen Zhengping disdained taking such an advantage. In an age where a teacher’s ethics were becoming increasingly rare, he still had his pride.

Moreover, these accomplishments had almost nothing to do with him; they were all Xu Chuan’s own work, and all in the field of mathematics.

Under these circumstances, it was even more impossible for him to add his name to Xu Chuan’s papers. Although Xu Chuan had brought it up, he had refused.

Chen Zhengping didn’t have many schemes for a student like Xu Chuan. His only thought was not to hinder his future, to release him to a higher platform as soon as possible so he could absorb more research nutrients and continue to grow.

The group chatted in the office for a while before dispersing.

In truth, today’s conversation wasn’t specifically convened to urge Xu Chuan to graduate. It was to inform him of the reward for the results of the Betelgeuse research experiment.

The university had already discussed and prepared the reward for this research experiment.

For the observation that discovered a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, the university was awarding one hundred thousand in cash.

And for the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, a method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies, the university was awarding five hundred thousand in cash.

This was much less than the reward for proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture, but that was normal, as the impact of the two was completely different.

Even though the Weyl-Berry conjecture was only considered at the bottom of T2-level in terms of importance within the field of mathematics, and the method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies was top-tier in the field of astronomy—practically founding a new school of thought—the weight of the two was still vastly different.

The reason was simple: the scale of the field of astronomy was too small. It couldn’t compare to the field of mathematics at all.

Of course, this was just the university’s reward. In addition, there would be rewards from the city of Nanjing, the field of astronomy, and so on. Those were guaranteed.

However, although the rewards were ready, their distribution would have to wait a while.

First, the paper on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’s method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies had not yet passed peer review.

Second, the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope needed another orbital period to be definitively confirmed.

So, while the university had prepared the rewards, according to regulations, they couldn’t be disbursed yet. They had to wait until the research results were fully confirmed, which meant Xu Chuan would have to wait at least another month to receive them.

Unexpectedly, however, an astronomical institution in Germany had conducted a detailed observation of Betelgeuse two or three months prior.

When the news broke that Betelgeuse was a binary star, they immediately recalled their previous data. Upon comparison, they indeed identified some of the same data anomalies.

Without using Xu Chuan’s Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, they performed more complex calculations using traditional methods and arrived at the same conclusion: a companion star did indeed exist within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

Furthermore, the timing perfectly matched the results Xu Chuan had calculated.

Two sets of data, two completely different methods, both synchronously confirmed that Betelgeuse housed a companion star. They also confirmed the companion’s orbital period was twenty-eight days, and further confirmed that Betelgeuse, long considered a single-star system, was in fact a binary star system.

So, after the German astronomical institution announced this news, Nanjing University immediately followed up. They not only publicized this astronomical discovery again but also went ahead and disbursed the reward for the discovery of the companion star in Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

As for the reward for the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’s method of calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies, that would have to wait for the paper to be approved.

The rewards from the city and the field of astronomy would also basically have to wait until the final results were confirmed before being distributed.

After the others left, Xu Chuan said his goodbyes and was about to leave, but his advisor stopped him.

“Right, there’s one more thing.”

Chen Zhengping called out to Xu Chuan, then continued, “Regarding last year’s research experiment on tungsten diselenide, I’ve already concluded the project and submitted it for review, and it’s been approved.”

“So, you can now publish the mathematical model used for the tungsten diselenide analysis, including the modeling paper and so on.”

Hearing that the tungsten diselenide project review was complete, Xu Chuan asked curiously, “Was the collapse and folding effect during the tiling of the tungsten diselenide nanosheets ever solved? What was the final yield rate?”

At this, Chen Zhengping grinned and said, “It’s solved. Thanks to your help, your senior and the others and I used that mathematical model to optimize the reducing agent, catalyst, and other things.”

“In the end, we changed the reducing agent. We switched from the original hydrogen-based reducing agent to an ionic hydride, a saline hydride, and managed to get the yield rate up to about ninety-three point six seven percent.”

“Also, now that the research project has concluded, the bonus should be paid out. According to the contribution and award distribution system, your bonus, combined with that of Professor Zhou Hai’s student named Xin, comes to one hundred seventy-nine thousand.”

“Give me a bank account number, and I’ll transfer it to you. Since your bonuses are a lump sum, and you completed the mathematical model independently, I’m not clear on the specifics of each person’s contribution. So, I’ll leave the distribution up to you.”

Hearing that the yield rate for tungsten diselenide had reached ninety-three percent, Xu Chuan knew the defect caused by the van der Waals force had been solved.

He wasn’t surprised that his advisor had found a new reducing agent to solve the van der Waals force problem. After all, he was an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one with real substance.

However, he didn’t press on to ask what exactly the ionic hydride reducing agent was, because that involved experimental secrets.

Such critical information was known only to the core members of the research team and a few patent reviewers and key personnel. No one else would know.

Even the published patent clauses wouldn’t contain such detailed information.

The amount of the bonus, however, surprised Xu Chuan somewhat.

One hundred seventy-nine thousand, almost one hundred eighty thousand. It was a six-figure sum. For him and his senior female student, who had joined the research project midway, this amount was quite staggering.

He had previously estimated that his and his senior female student’s combined bonus would be around a hundred thousand in total.

He hadn’t expected the final result to be nearly double that.

Of course, this small bonus was nothing for a materials project with a market value in the billions, or even tens of billions.

If he had been involved in this project from the very beginning, the bonus could have easily doubled again.

But he had ultimately joined halfway through and was not a member of the research team. To receive a bonus of over one hundred thousand meant that Chen Zhengping held his contribution in extremely high regard, likely calculating the bonus based on the maximum contribution value.

There was none of the sneaky skimming of team members’ bonuses that some ordinary professors or advisors were known for. In fact, it was possible he had even subsidized it with his own money.

However, his advisor Chen Zhengping wouldn’t lose out. Not only would he not lose, he stood to gain immensely. Thanks to this tungsten diselenide project, he had a more than ninety percent chance of winning the China National Science and Technology Award.

And as long as he won the National Science and Technology Award, regardless of the class, the prize money would exceed two million.

If he could go one step higher and win the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the prize money would exceed five million, and his chances of winning were actually not low—over sixty percent.

This was because a low-dimensional material like tungsten diselenide was highly valuable. It possessed excellent physical, chemical, and electrical properties, with wide applications in energy storage batteries, lubrication, semiconductors, photovoltaics, aerospace, aviation, military, and national defense.

Currently, over eighty percent of the tungsten diselenide in China was reliant on imports. If it could be produced independently, it would absolutely break the foreign monopoly and could even be exported back to them.

As for the bonus of over one hundred thousand he received, it was merely a drop in the ocean for the entire project.

After all, the importance of his involvement in the tungsten diselenide project was beyond question.

Without his analysis, his advisor Chen Zhengping would have abandoned this long-stalled project at the beginning of the year.

Without the mathematical model, the collapse and folding effect caused by the van der Waals force during tiling would not have been so easily resolved. The project might have been delayed for another year or two before completion.

Furthermore, Xu Chuan was certain that the yield rate for tungsten diselenide would not have reached over ninety-three percent. Based on his experience, it would have maxed out at around ninety percent.

A ninety-three percent yield rate was astounding for a low-dimensional material like tungsten diselenide.

Xu Chuan remembered that when he was developing superconducting materials—also a low-dimensional material—the yield rate was only about eighty percent. He later had to ask a Fields Medalist mathematician from Princeton for help in creating a mathematical model and used Princeton’s supercomputer to increase the yield rate to about ninety-seven percent. This just went to show the importance of mathematical models in materials research and development.

Chapter 136: Graduation

Whew~

Coming out of his Advisor’s office, Xu Chuan squinted at the distant azure sky and let out a long sigh of relief.

After being nagged by several university leaders multiple times, it seemed it was finally time for him to graduate.

He could have graduated long ago, but because of his dual major in physics and mathematics, he felt he should achieve something significant in physics to balance things out before graduating.

But now, it seemed it was indeed time.

Although he hadn’t made any major breakthroughs in particle physics, his achievements in astrophysics weren’t bad.

Particle physics is a branch of physics, and so is astrophysics. Essentially, his achievements in astrophysics could count as achievements in physics.

As for the “Proton Radius Puzzle” he had been preparing for particle physics, he could save that for his doctoral program as a research accomplishment then.

Besides, he had indeed made progress in the pure data analysis aspect of the Proton Radius Puzzle.

Using his ample research grant, he had purchased a large number of related research papers and materials from various physics journals and online forums and had performed some auxiliary analysis on them.

It was just that, due to the subsequent research experiment on Betelgeuse, he hadn’t had time to publish these analytical results.

But now that he had decided to graduate, he could just save this work for publication during his doctoral studies.

Furthermore, when he went to study at Princeton, the resources he could access there would be far greater than at Nanjing University.

For instance, to research the “Proton Radius Puzzle,” if he wanted to conduct physics experiments at Nanjing University to solve it, he would have to go to Beijing to use one of the only two proton colliders in the country.

Moreover, based on the currently published parameters, neither of these two colliders met the experimental requirements. To truly tackle this project, he would have to go abroad.

For example, to Europe, to use their particle colliders.

But to be honest, very few applications submitted from China were approved.

Of course, applications for verifiably meaningful collision experiments that did not involve classified information could still get approved, but compared to applications from other Western countries, the approval rate was significantly lower.

There were no other factors, just one word: exclusionism.

Science knows no borders, but scientists and scientific equipment do.

In the entire West, you could say there were no countries willing to see the East rise.

Not even in the realm of basic science.

But at Princeton, he wouldn’t have to worry about this.

While Princeton didn’t have its own proton collider, it had numerous partner research institutions and laboratories.

An application for a collision experiment from Princeton, whether for a collider in the United States or one in the European Union, would almost never be rejected for a legitimate scientific experiment. It would simply be scheduled based on the project’s priority.

On one hand, the influence of the United States in the Western world was indeed immense. On the other hand, mathematicians and physicists from Princeton were spread all over the world.

If not for the institution itself, they had to show deference for its influential alumni.

Regarding graduation, although Xu Chuan had already been through it once, experiencing it again still filled him with emotion.

However, after confirming his early graduation, he temporarily emptied his mind. He didn’t study math or physics, nor did he immerse himself in books and follow his monotonous routine between three locations as he had before.

As graduation approached, he instead returned to the life of an ordinary university student. He attended classes with his classmates, occasionally went to the library to borrow a book or two, and was even dragged into playing video games by his roommates from his past life.

“Brother Chuan, are you graduating early and preparing to leave?”

In Xiao Xian Zhuang, Xu Chuan and his three roommates from his previous life were gathered around an earthen stove for a meal. Beside him, Kong Zhong, who had participated in the Physics Olympiad with him, clinked his glass against Xu Chuan’s and asked.

Hearing the question, the other two roommates, Fan Hong and Zhou Lin, both lifted their heads to look at Xu Chuan.

There were almost no secrets on campus. The news of Xu Chuan’s graduation had been circulating for a long time. Ever since he had proven the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the students of Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences knew he would definitely graduate early; only the timing was uncertain.

It wasn’t until his recent uncharacteristic behavior of attending classes every day that his close friends took notice. Guessing that he might be graduating soon, they dragged him out to have some fun for a few days and arranged this get-together as a farewell for him.

Xu Chuan nodded, “Yeah, soon. I’ll probably graduate this week.”

The university had been rushing him to graduate for a while now, including his Advisor, so he decided not to drag it out any longer.

There was no need to force himself to produce something in particle physics just to balance his achievements in his dual major.

As for his graduation thesis, he hadn’t written one at all. He simply submitted his previous proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture and his discovery of the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, using them as his theses for mathematics and physics respectively.

He had thrown two high-level research papers at them, and the university had approved them without so much as a glance, telling him to just prepare for the defense and go through the motions.

Hearing this, his three friends felt a mix of emotion and wistfulness.

Other people took four years to get through university. He, on the other hand, was graduating in less than a year.

“Brother Chuan, so you’re going to study abroad next, right? Princeton or somewhere else?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Yeah, Princeton. It’s the holy land of mathematics, after all. There are a lot of big shots there, so I can learn a great deal. And their physics is also incredible. For me, there’s no better-suited institution.”

“So you’re planning to focus on math from now on?”

Kong Zhong asked curiously. It was a natural assumption, considering most of Xu Chuan’s academic achievements were tied to mathematics.

The proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, the calculation method for parameters of distant celestial bodies—all of these major, noteworthy achievements were in mathematics.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said with a smile, “I’ll probably stick with the dual major in physics and mathematics. I don’t think my aptitude for physics is any worse than my aptitude for math.”

At his words, his three friends rolled their eyes in unison.

Listen to that. Is that something a human should say?

Do you have any idea how terrifying your talent for math is?

Solving a world-class mathematical problem before even finishing your first year… a talent so rare you probably couldn’t count the number of people like that in the entire history of the field of mathematics on one hand.

If his talent in physics was also comparable to his math, was he even human?

Even protagonists with systems in web novels weren’t this overpowered.

What a show-off. I’m fighting the urge to cuss him out.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, then immediately erupted back into liveliness. However, Kong Zhong, Fan Hong, and Zhou Lin took turns relentlessly plying Xu Chuan with alcohol, looking as if they wouldn’t stop until he was drunk.

“Brother Chuan, speaking of which, when you’re gone, studying abroad, what about that senior female student of yours?”

Near the stove where fish was cooking, Fan Hong let out a drunken hiccup, took another gulp of beer from his disposable cup, and looked at the flushed Xu Chuan, eager for some gossip.

“Senior female student? Which one?”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Xu Chuan didn’t react immediately and asked in confusion.

By now, each of them had drunk four or five bottles of beer. For some people, that amount might not even be enough to rinse their mouth, but for this group of first-year newbies, while not enough to knock them out cold, it had definitely gone to their heads.

Besides, he had been mercilessly plied with drinks by these animals tonight. While they had each only had three or four bottles, he had already downed seven or eight. Though his mind was still relatively clear, it definitely wasn’t running as fast as usual.

Fortunately, his alcohol tolerance was decent, and his liver and kidneys were strong, so he wasn’t about to pass out on the table.

“Playing dumb. You’re still playing dumb.”

Fan Hong, Kong Zhong, and Zhou Lin all shot him looks of contempt. The whole school knew about the incident earlier. The three of them would never believe that there was nothing going on between Xu Chuan and that senior female student.

“Hiccup~”

Xu Chuan let out a burp and had a flash of realization, “Oh, you mean senior student Liu Jiaxin. What does my graduation have to do with her? It’s not like she’s my girlfriend.”

Hearing this, Kong Zhong leaned in curiously and asked, “You two really aren’t a couple? That senior student is really pretty, you’re not considering it?”

“Considering what? Dating?” Xu Chuan asked, shaking his somewhat heavy head.

“Yeah! If you don’t have a relationship in college, you won’t even have a chance after you graduate. You’ll regret it then.”

Beside them, Zhou Lin nodded in agreement, then sighed, “Of course, Brother Chuan, you definitely don’t have to worry about girls. But we do. There are hardly any girls in our class, and they’re all just average-looking.”

In their year, the entire School of Physics had only about one hundred and sixty students, and less than a fifth were female. Compared to the neighboring School of Business, School of Humanities, or School of Media, the quantity and quality of girls were leagues below.

Of course, the School of Mathematical Sciences was in an even more miserable state. It seemed there were eighty-two people in total—seventy-nine guys and only three girls.

Kong Zhong chimed in with a grin, “Too late. It’s too late for you to say that now, Old Zhou. Brother Chuan is about to graduate and go abroad. What kind of relationship can he even start now?”

Fan Hong also leaned in, saying, “He could, it would just be a long-distance relationship.”

Xu Chuan rolled his eyes. “Forget about a long-distance relationship. I’ve never even thought about dating, let alone that.”

After having a meal with his friends, Xu Chuan began to prepare for his graduation defense.

Even though he was graduating early and hadn’t written a separate thesis, he still had to go through the necessary procedures.

Of course, it was merely going through the motions.

At the School of Physics, the defense committee members knew the deal. They only asked a few simple questions related to the paper Xu Chuan submitted before passing him.

As for the School of Mathematical Sciences, there was even less to say.

In the entire mathematics department, when it came to his graduation thesis on the Weyl-Berry conjecture, no one capable of giving him a hard time had been born yet.

The few professors on the mathematics committee asked many questions throughout the defense, but on the whole, they seemed less like judges and more like students asking for clarification on things they didn’t understand.

The entire mathematics defense felt nothing like a defense at all. It was more like Xu Chuan was giving a small lesson to several professors from the department, a situation that made one not know whether to laugh or cry.

With the defense procedures for both mathematics and physics completed, the final result was no surprise. He received a perfect score in both subjects.

In the university’s Great Hall, Professor Zhou Hai and Dean Rong Zhizhuan from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Academician Chen Zhengping, particle physics professor Shao Cong, and Dean Yu Yongwang from the School of Physics, Vice-President Lu Jianguo, and President Liu Gaojun, among other university leaders, had all come in person.

And on the stage stood only Xu Chuan.

He stood in the Great Hall, which the university used for all kinds of large conferences, a brilliant smile on his face.

“This kid is finally willing to graduate.”

Below the stage, Rong Zhizhuan gazed at Xu Chuan and sighed. He had no idea how much effort he had put into convincing Xu Chuan to graduate early and go to Princeton to study more advanced mathematics.

Beside him, Nanjing University’s President Liu Gaojun and Advisor Chen Zhengping looked at the figure on stage with different kinds of emotions.

For Liu Gaojun, when he had personally gone to this student’s home to recruit him last year, although he had held great expectations for his future academic path, he had never imagined that Xu Chuan would make such enormous achievements in the short span of less than a year.

What made him not know whether to laugh or cry was that this huge achievement wasn’t in physics, which he had valued during recruitment, but in mathematics instead.

Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences wasn’t particularly strong. It was a cut above ordinary Project 985 and 211 universities, but it was far inferior to established powerhouses in mathematics like Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Riyue University.

Among the mathematics departments of domestic universities, Peking University was likely the strongest, in a league of its own. Following that were Tsinghua University, Riyue University, and the University of Science and Technology.

Nanjing University’s mathematics department ranked in the third tier. He truly hadn’t expected this top scorer from the college entrance exam to forge a grand path to the heavens in such an environment.

As for Chen Zhengping, his emotions were even more complex, a truly mixed bag.

He was genuinely happy for Xu Chuan, but he was also genuinely wistful.

His disciple, a student of an Academician of physics, had ultimately walked the path of mathematics. This situation was probably unique in all of China’s academic world.

The degree certificates were presented. Dean Rong Zhizhuan of the School of Mathematical Sciences and Dean Yu Yongwang of the School of Physics went on stage together and solemnly handed the degree certificates and graduation certificates for both mathematics and physics to Xu Chuan.

At the same time, President Liu Gaojun also walked onto the stage and announced in a deep, formal voice, “Student Xu Chuan, in recognition of the immense contributions you have made during your time at this university, upon review and evaluation by the University Degree Committee, you have been granted special approval to graduate early and complete your undergraduate studies.”

“You are hereby awarded a Bachelor of Science degree, an undergraduate graduation certificate in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, and an undergraduate graduation certificate in Particle Physics and Cosmology.”

“Sincerity, Simplicity, Majesty, and Vigor; Diligence in Learning, and Earnestness in Practice. We wish you success in scaling new peaks on your future academic path and achieving ever greater glory!”

Xu Chuan solemnly accepted the degree and graduation certificates from the two deans, holding them in his arms as he bowed to the leaders present to express his gratitude.

“Your teachings are like a spring breeze, your kindness as deep as the sea. Thank you to Nanjing University and all my teachers for nurturing me. I will surely not forget the hopes of my alma mater and my teachers. I will remain down-to-earth, unite knowledge and action, and give back to society.”

“I wish all the teachers good health. May your students flourish across the globe, and your guidance spread far and wide.”

Chapter 137: Harvest and Dividing the Spoils

The awarding of degree certificates concluded, and the graduation ceremony came to an end. After the school’s teachers and leaders offered their blessings and departed, Xu Chuan and Chen Zhengping walked side by side toward the auditorium exit.

“About the school’s exchange student spot for Princeton, do you still want it?”

Inside the auditorium, Chen Zhengping asked with a smile. He knew this disciple of his probably didn’t need it anymore, so he asked specifically. If he didn’t, it would be good to leave it for the school.

After all, an exchange student placement at Princeton was quite precious. Princeton didn’t accept many students from China each year, and most of those spots were secured by Chinese faculty working at Princeton.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then said, “There aren’t many exchange student spots for Princeton each year. I won’t take up one; let’s leave it for someone else. When I went to Princeton last year, Professor Deligne already mailed me an invitation letter. I can just go with that.”

“Then I’ll thank you on behalf of the other students. When are you planning to go to Princeton?”

Chen Zhengping wasn’t surprised by this answer. Although he hadn’t taught this disciple much, he had a good grasp of his character and how he handled things.

Xu Chuan replied, “Hasn’t the Morningside Medal of Mathematics award ceremony been moved up to the end of this month? It won’t be too late to leave after attending that. It’s only half a month away anyway.”

Even though he had already received these honors in his past life, in this one, he still needed them to expand his fame and prestige.

The academic world was a place for scholarship, that was true, and strength reigned supreme, also true. But no matter where you went, there were always unspoken rules of one kind or another. It was just that compared to other countries, the unspoken rules in China were a bit more obvious.

Unless you had already reached the pinnacle of the academic world and become an academic hegemon with connections that reached the heavens, you still had to rely on networking and resources.

And obtaining various awards to bolster one’s reputation, expand one’s fame and influence, would bring greater convenience to one’s future path and research.

Although he was going to Princeton to study mathematics, he would be back in two to three years at most.

By then, the things he would have to face would be far beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

The factionalism, or academic cliques, within China’s academic circles was unimaginably complex.

Take the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, the “Chinese Fields Medal,” that he was about to receive. It was founded by the famous mathematician, Harvard University professor Shing-Tung Yau, and was open to ethnic Chinese mathematicians worldwide, including those with Chinese nationality.

But ever since Yau’s public falling out with Peking University’s Department of Mathematics, neither the professors nor the students from that department had ever won the award again.

Were the mathematicians at Peking University not qualified?

Obviously not. They had won plenty of top-tier mathematics awards aside from the Morningside Medal, so they were clearly qualified.

But everyone had their pride. The situation between Peking University’s math department and Yau had become so openly hostile, wouldn’t a mathematician from their department be asking for trouble by applying for the Morningside Medal, which Yau presided over?

Peking University wouldn’t apply, and Yau had no intention of awarding the Morningside Medal, which he founded and chaired, to a mathematician from Peking University.

Of course, Chinese mathematicians who had graduated from Peking University were not affected by this; some who had emigrated had indeed won the Morningside Medal.

Besides, although strength was paramount in academia, conducting scientific research always required people.

A mathematical problem might possibly be solved by a single person, but what about materials science, particle physics, high-energy physics, or controlled nuclear fusion?

You couldn’t handle these things alone. Therefore, it was necessary to win more awards to expand one’s fame and influence.

And if you didn’t have these awards, on what basis would the country judge whether you had the ability to complete large-scale research projects? On what basis would they decide whether to support you? How would they determine how much research funding to give you and how much help to provide?

A Nobel laureate and a non-laureate could obtain vastly different amounts of research funding and resources.

Even comparing a Nobel nominee or a potential laureate to an actual laureate, the research resources they could obtain were vastly different, and the level of importance they received from the state was entirely different.

So, for now, Xu Chuan still needed these awards to bolster his credentials.

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping nodded. “That makes sense. It’s good to get the Morningside Medal before you leave, saves you a trip back.”

“Oh, right, the bonus for the tungsten diselenide project should be transferred to you around today, by 5 PM at the latest. Remember to check. If it hasn’t arrived or the amount is wrong, come find me.”

“As for how you and that female student split the bonus, that’s your own business.”

Chen Zhengping couldn’t be bothered with how Xu Chuan divided the money. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have issued separate bonuses to them.

After all, in the tungsten diselenide project, the key problem-solver was Xu Chuan, not the female student. If it were up to him to divide the bonus, Xu Chuan’s share would be the vast majority, while the female student’s would probably be average.

The mathematical modeling work was far from being as crucial. Many in the mathematics department could do it, but no one could replace Xu Chuan in handling the core aspects.

However, Chen Zhengping guessed that this disciple of his might have a bit of a soft spot for that student, so he simply gave the entire bonus to him, letting him decide how to split it.

In any case, a bonus of over one hundred thousand yuan was just pocket money for his disciple. He wasn’t short on cash now.

Counting from the recruitment bonus for being the top scorer in the college entrance exam, to the proofs of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, and the calculation method for distant celestial bodies…

Adding it all up, Chen Zhengping estimated that the bonuses from the university alone exceeded four million yuan.

And that was just from the university. It didn’t include the rewards from the city, the province, or the nation. All told, his disciple’s net worth was already several million, approaching ten million.

To earn nearly ten million in prize money from academic achievements in a single year—even he, an Academician of the Academy of Sciences, couldn’t help but be flabbergasted.

It was truly a bit horrifying.

He was an Academician, and his annual salary, bonuses, and various benefits probably amounted to around two million yuan. Of course, this was purely his state-level salary and benefits; he had plenty of other income as well.

However, Chen Zhengping felt no envy or jealousy toward Xu Chuan’s income. Firstly, reaching this point was entirely due to his own efforts.

How many people in the world could prove two world-class mathematical conjectures in a single year? Even if the two conjectures were part of the same system, very few could achieve it.

It was quite normal for many mathematicians to research a conjecture or a problem for years without any progress.

Secondly, he wasn’t short on money either.

Those who could be elected as Academicians of the Academy of Sciences were generally not short on money. At their level, money was just a number.

To put it another way, at the level of an Academician, money chased them, not the other way around.

Requests for research funding and resources submitted to the higher-ups were almost always approved.

And if they wanted to earn money, it was truly all too easy.

Even for Academicians in basic sciences like mathematical physics, earning money was quite simple. Taking on a private job casually would fetch a six-figure reward at minimum.

If they collaborated with others on a project, an annual income in the tens of millions was also very normal.

As for Academicians in fields like materials, medicine, or information technology, many had their own private companies. It was quite normal for these companies to have annual revenues exceeding tens of millions, or even one hundred million.

For example, a pharmaceutical company founded by a certain medical Academician had an annual revenue of over ten billion.

However, having reached their level, their desire for money wasn’t very high.

Or rather, someone with too strong a desire for personal gain could not walk the academic path, which required a calm and focused mind, let alone make great achievements and contributions to be elected as a national Academician.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay too much mind to the bonus from the tungsten diselenide project, as long as it was distributed before he went abroad.

The one hundred seventy-nine thousand yuan bonus, split evenly with his senior female student, would be ninety thousand each. It wasn’t much for him, but for her, it should be enough to get her through university and graduate school smoothly.

Once she became a doctoral student, she wouldn’t have to work part-time wiping tables in the school cafeteria to earn money. Whether participating in mathematical research projects or taking on some private modeling jobs, she could earn much more than part-time work.

From their previous interactions, that senior student’s talent in mathematics was actually quite high. As long as she wasn’t held back by life’s difficulties, she would have opportunities to study abroad and could possibly make some achievements on the path of mathematics.

As he was thinking, Xu Chuan suddenly noticed a somewhat familiar figure by the side of the road, looking over. Seeing him with his advisor, she seemed to want to approach but was hesitant.

Beside him, Chen Zhengping had naturally noticed as well. He smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, “I won’t disturb you. I’m off.”

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. He nodded and walked toward the other side of the road. As one of his few friends, he certainly had to say hello when he saw her.

“Hey, Senior,” Xu Chuan said with a smile. The figure across the road was none other than the senior female student, Liu Jiaxin, whom both he and his advisor had just been talking about.

Looking at the pile of red certificates in Xu Chuan’s arms, Liu Jiaxin asked in her usual quiet voice, “Um, have you graduated?”

Xu Chuan nodded and said with a smile, “I’ve graduated. The school has been rushing me for a long time. If I dragged it out any longer, Dean Rong would have probably hunted me down.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Xu Chuan smilingly accepted her congratulations, then continued, “By the way, Senior, the prize money for last year’s tungsten diselenide project has been distributed. Give me your bank card number, and I’ll transfer half to you.”

Liu Jiaxin shook her head, her black hair fluttering slightly in the wind. She tucked a stray strand behind her ear, revealing a somewhat thin, fair cheek. “Half is too much. I just wrote some code. You did all the core mathematical formulas and data organization. I only need a tenth.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “But your workload was much greater than mine. And the mathematical model you wrote was excellent, without any problems or need for rework. You fully deserve it.”

The senior student still shook her head, insisting, “Bonuses should be based on contribution. I can’t take half.”

Xu Chuan said, “Organizing data is a contribution, and writing code is also a contribution. Without your help, I couldn’t have created this mathematical model. Even if I had asked other mathematics students for help, none would have done it as quickly as you, and there might have been reworks and modifications, which would have caused delays.”

Seeing her open her mouth, about to say something more, Xu Chuan cut her off directly. “Fifty-fifty. It’s settled. Just give me your bank card number. It’s not that much money anyway.”

Perhaps it was because she heard him say it wasn’t much money, or perhaps because of Xu Chuan’s firm attitude, Liu Jiaxin finally nodded lightly and stopped refusing.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “Now that the bonus is here, shouldn’t you treat me to a meal or something?”

“Of course. Where do you want to eat? That restaurant by the school gate?” the senior student asked softly.

“Let’s go there. But wait for me to put these things back in my dorm first.”

Xu Chuan brandished the graduation certificates in his hand. The thick stack was a bit heavy, perhaps this was the tangible form of “weighty” knowledge.

After four years of university, besides the knowledge in his head, what he had ultimately gained was this square, red booklet.

At Xiao Xian Zhuang, Xu Chuan and the senior student once again chose the window seat from last time. However, last time it was evening, and this time it was noon. The atmosphere was also a bit different, tinged with a hint of sorrow from the impending farewell.

“So, are you planning to go to grad school, Senior?” Xu Chuan poured a glass of soda, clinked glasses with her, and asked casually.

Liu Jiaxin gently shook her head, giving Xu Chuan an unexpected answer.

“You’re not planning to continue your studies in mathematics?” Xu Chuan asked curiously. This senior student’s mathematical talent was actually quite high, especially in mathematical modeling.

To win the National First Prize in the Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling in her first year, represent the country and win a gold medal in the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling in her second year—this level of talent surpassed that of over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of mathematics students. It would be a shame not to continue pursuing it.

Liu Jiaxin shook her head again. She had never thought about it. In her life plan, participating in math modeling competitions was just a way to find a good job; she had never considered more in-depth study.

Xu Chuan was rather surprised. “You’ve never thought about it?”

Liu Jiaxin shook her head once more. “No. I plan to find a job after I finish university.”

“That would be too much of a waste of your mathematical talent.” Xu Chuan took a sip of his drink and continued, “Although mathematical modeling usually leads to applied fields and good jobs, are you sure you don’t want to consider further studies?”

“Your mathematical talent is very high, especially your ability to quickly simplify assumptions and analyze underlying patterns when modeling. If you continue down this path, whether you go into data processing and analysis, optimization theory, artificial intelligence, or financial and economic mathematics, they are all excellent paths.”

“Besides, a bachelor’s degree is becoming less and less valuable these days. If you find a job after graduation, under normal circumstances, your annual salary would only be around two or three hundred thousand yuan.”

“Two or three hundred thousand is already a lot,” the senior student said in a small voice. In the past, her entire family’s annual income was only about twenty to thirty thousand yuan. Two or three hundred thousand was already ten times that.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then he broke into a laugh. “Give me your bank card number now.”

Liu Jiaxin was a bit confused, not understanding why the topic had suddenly changed, but she still took a small wallet out of her bag and produced a green Agricultural Bank of China card.

Xu Chuan took the card, carefully checked the number against his phone twice to make sure it was correct, and transferred the bonus from the tungsten diselenide project.

Immediately, the senior student’s phone chimed with a “ding-dong.” She picked it up, unlocked it, and glanced at the text message. The next moment, she was completely stunned.

“[Agricultural Bank of China] Your savings card ending in 3610 has received an income of 89,500 yuan. Your current balance is 90,389.32 yuan.”

Chapter 138: Marriage Right After College Graduation?

“Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands… eighty-nine thousand five hundred?”

Staring at the number in the text message notification, Liu Jiaxin thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She couldn’t help but rub them and carefully count the digits several more times. After confirming she hadn’t miscounted, she looked up at Xu Chuan, her almond-shaped eyes wide with a dazed and foolish look.

“This… this…”

Seeing his senior female student’s adorable, dumbfounded expression, unable to even form a complete sentence, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but smile. He handed the bank card back to her and said, “The total bonus for the tungsten diselenide project this time was one hundred seventy-nine thousand. Your half is eighty-nine thousand five hundred.”

“But—that’s not—didn’t you say before that the bonus wasn’t much?” Liu Jiaxin asked, stuttering in her haste.

She had initially heard the bonus wasn’t much and assumed it would be just a thousand or two. How had it suddenly turned into over a hundred thousand?

“Is that a lot?”

Xu Chuan took a sip of his drink and continued, “This tungsten diselenide project of my Advisor’s, once successfully completed, can create a market worth billions. And based on this project, he can earn a bonus of several million, even tens of millions. On top of that, there’s various other income from patents and such, which also amounts to seven or eight figures annually.”

“Compared to that, do you still think a bonus of over a hundred thousand is a lot?”

Hearing this, Liu Jiaxin stared at Xu Chuan with her mouth agape, her face a picture of disbelief. A market worth billions, an income of tens of millions… She had actually participated in a research project like this?

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan took the opportunity to say, “You have to understand, the most profitable thing in this world is always monetizing knowledge. It relies on the brain, not cheap labor.”

At these words, a crimson blush crept up Liu Jiaxin’s fair cheeks, and she lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan changed his tone slightly. “Of course, I’m not saying part-time jobs like wiping tables are bad. Everyone goes through hard times; that’s perfectly normal. I used to do a lot of part-time jobs too. But how should I put this?”

He paused in thought for a moment before continuing, “I’m just saying, doing these kinds of part-time jobs, or getting a job right after graduation… when you compare it to the knowledge you have in your head, don’t you think it’s too cheap, too much of a waste?”

“I know your financial situation isn’t the best, and you might be short on money, but I don’t want you to give up on your studies because of your current difficulties.”

“You have the ability and the talent to go much further on the academic path. I hope you read many books, travel far, and stand on higher ground to see landscapes you’ve never seen before.”

“By the way, I remember you have scholarships and financial aid, right? That should be ten or twenty thousand a year, shouldn’t it? That should be enough for you to get through university, no?”

Halfway through, Xu Chuan suddenly asked curiously. He knew this senior female student had scholarships and financial aid. While ten or twenty thousand wasn’t a lot, it was definitely enough to support her through university.

The annual cost for the mathematics department at Nanjing University was six thousand. Students from low-income families could also apply for a tuition waiver, and this senior female student had certainly had her tuition reduced or waived.

As for food, knowing her personality, she probably didn’t spend much. And as for makeup and other major expenses for girls, he glanced at Liu Jiaxin—she wasn’t even wearing lipstick, let alone makeup, so that could be ruled out.

“I also have a younger sister, she just started high school,” Liu Jiaxin said in a small voice.

“But shouldn’t your parents be responsible for your sister’s education?” Xu Chuan asked.

Liu Jiaxin shook her head. “They passed away many years ago.”

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said.

No wonder she had to work part-time in the school cafeteria every night despite having generous scholarships and financial aid; no wonder she had no intention of going to grad school to continue her studies despite her incredible talent. The entire weight of the family rested on her shoulders.

And under such circumstances, to be able to stand out in the incredibly competitive Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and even the U.S. Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling, and win first place—it was truly remarkable.

Whether it was her talent, her hard work, or the courage and tenacity with which she silently faced all difficulties, she was admirable and praiseworthy.

Poverty might elicit sympathy, but striving to live well despite poverty commands respect.

After his senior female student treated him to a meal, Xu Chuan returned to the university and found his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, to handle his enrollment procedures.

That’s right, enrollment procedures.

Just because he had graduated with his bachelor’s degree didn’t mean he was leaving Nanjing University.

When he was recruited, Nanjing University had signed him up for a direct Ph.D. program. There was no master’s degree to pursue, meaning he would go directly into his Ph.D. after his undergraduate studies, and he wouldn’t be considered fully graduated until he completed his doctoral studies at Nanjing University.

As for studying abroad, it didn’t conflict with this.

His Princeton Ph.D. graduation certificate would also be recognized by Nanjing University. He just had to remember to come back for a graduation ceremony to be awarded the certificate.

Xu Chuan wasn’t worried about not being able to graduate from Princeton. With his current achievements in mathematics, he was already qualified to be a professor at Princeton.

Still, graduating from college was a milestone worth commemorating.

He found his Advisor, then went to the logistics office to pick up a set of bachelor’s academic dress and ran around campus, taking pictures at all the scenic spots.

He hadn’t done this in his past life. All that remained of his graduation were a large group photo and a few pictures with friends.

Given the chance to do it over, Xu Chuan hoped to make up for the regrets of his past life.

But this was probably the first and last time he would commemorate an event this way. Although his doctoral studies still lay ahead, he figured he wouldn’t do something like this again.

On campus, as Xu Chuan began checking off the university’s famous spots one by one, some of Nanjing University’s senior students—no, they should be called underclassmen now—also gathered around, joining him for photos and asking for autographs.

Some took photos with their phones and, without even bothering to edit them, posted them directly to Weibo, B’hu, and their WeChat Moments.

“Holy shit! Is that God Chuan?”

“God Chuan has finally graduated.”

“Terrifyingly impressive. As a slacker from the same year, I’m still struggling with Calculus, but the god-tier master has already graduated.”

“I feel nothing, but I kind of want to cry.”

“Hahahahahaha, I can laugh to the heavens! This master is finally done tormenting us undergraduates. Now it’s the graduate students’ turn to tremble in fear.”

“As a graduate student, I’m not worried. This master is in the direct Ph.D. program, so he’s skipping the master’s degree entirely.”

“Damn it, as someone pursuing a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, I’m under so much pressure. I hope my dissertation doesn’t get shot down like underclassman Cai’s.”

“LMAO.”

“Cai Peng: …”

After taking the photos, Xu Chuan opened WeChat and went to the “A Loving Family” group chat, sending his graduation pictures to the group.

Soon, the group chat was buzzing with activity.

Uncle: “Chuan’er, are you taking art photos?”

Cousin: “Dad, can you be a little more worldly? Those are graduation photos, college graduation photos!”

Uncle: “How would I know? You never wore them for me to see.”

Aunt: “Your cousin graduated from college in a year, and you didn’t even get into college. How embarrassing.”

Cousin: “…”

Third Uncle: “Nephew Chuan, you graduated from college? But I remember you only started last year, didn’t you?”

Xu Chuan: “Yeah, I graduated early.”

Third Uncle: “You’re starting work so soon? Have you found a job yet? How about I introduce you to one?”

Xu Chuan: “…”

Just as he was about to reply that he was going to continue his studies and wasn’t in a hurry to find a job, his phone rang. It was a WeChat video call from his father.

Xu Chuan answered the call, and Father Xu’s head appeared on the screen. His hair was covered in cement dust, turning it a grayish-white. Behind him was the new house being built back home.

“Hey, Chuan’er, what’s with the pictures you posted in the group?”

The familiar, rough voice made Xu Chuan break into an involuntary smile.

“Dad, I’ve graduated from college. That’s a cap and gown. All graduating students have to wear them. I took a picture to show you all.”

“Oh, oh. But aren’t you just in your first year? Doesn’t college take four years?” Father Xu asked, puzzled.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I graduated early. Because I proved a mathematical conjecture, I earned all the necessary academic credits, so I graduated from college early. Next, I’m going to start my Ph.D.”

“That won’t have any negative impact on you, will it?” Father Xu asked hesitantly.

He didn’t understand any of the things Xu Chuan was talking about, nor did he know what a mathematical conjecture or academic credits were, but he was concerned that graduating early might affect Xu Chuan.

“No impact at all. I’ll come back home in a couple of days,” Xu Chuan said with a smile. He was about to go abroad to study at Princeton and might only be able to return once or twice a year, so he wanted to visit home more while he was still in the country.

“Okay, okay, good. Be safe on the road. I’ll have your mom slaughter a couple of chickens and ducks to make your favorite dry-fried duck.”

Hearing that Xu Chuan was coming back, a smile appeared on Father Xu’s face.

Beside him, a large head squeezed into the frame. Looking at the camera, it was Xu Siji, a bricklayer from the same village.

“Yo, it’s Xu Chuan! When are you coming back?”

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted him, “Hello, Uncle Siji. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

Uncle Siji from his village paused for a moment, then laughed heartily. “Great! Remember to bring a girlfriend back, huh? You’re in college now, you can find a girlfriend.”

Xu Chuan was taken aback. “It’s still too early for that, Uncle Siji. I’m not even at the legal age for marriage yet.”

Xu Siji laughed, “It’ll be too late if you wait until you’re old enough to marry. You’re eighteen now. Four years of college. Find a girlfriend and date her through college, that’s about right. You can get married as soon as you graduate. My friend’s kid got married right after college, and their child is already over two years old. You can do it too.”

Xu Chuan: …

To be honest, I’ve already graduated from college.

So, getting married right after graduation? I really can’t do that. The country won’t allow it.

Chapter 139: A New Journey!

The matter of his student status and enrollment was quickly settled.

Xu Chuan enrolled at Nanjing University once again, but this time, he entered the school as a doctoral student.

However, aside from changing from an undergraduate to a doctoral student, almost nothing else was different.

His Advisor was still Chen Zhengping, his living quarters were still the same single dormitory, he still ate in the cafeteria, and his classes… oh, his classes had changed. They had gone from undergraduate courses to doctoral courses.

For ordinary undergraduate and doctoral students, the two experiences were completely different.

This was because the nature of their studies was entirely different.

In terms of content, undergraduate studies focused on foundational knowledge and breadth of learning.

Take Nanjing University’s physics department for example. Students there not only had to learn the fundamentals of physics but also take mathematics and chemistry courses, a few computer science courses, and specialized professional courses covering most earth science-related disciplines, such as geological engineering, geophysics, geochemistry, paleontology, structural geology, and economic geology.

The goal was to provide students with a broad knowledge of professionally relevant fields during their undergraduate years. This would help them choose a direction they liked in the future and also build a solid foundation, ensuring they wouldn’t be completely ignorant of fields related to their future research.

Doctoral courses, on the other hand, were highly targeted, and the selection of courses was usually determined with the help of the Advisor. They were mainly supplementary knowledge related to a research project.

For a doctoral student, scientific research was indispensable. Creating knowledge through research and experiments was the core of a doctoral student’s learning.

So, the difference between undergraduate and doctoral studies was significant: one was about learning, the other about creating.

For Xu Chuan, however, there seemed to be no difference between the undergraduate and doctoral stages.

He hadn’t really followed the typical undergraduate curriculum; his path had been more like that of a master’s student.

When he first enrolled, Chen Zhengping had discussed the direction of his undergraduate studies with him. Back then, he still frequently attended classes. But after proving the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, he rarely went to class, spending most of his time in the library instead.

As for the doctoral stage, courses were typically chosen through discussion between the Advisor and the student, tying into the Advisor’s and the student’s own research project.

But as for what he would study during his doctorate, Chen Zhengping didn’t even ask. He had given him complete freedom.

In Chen Zhengping’s view, his disciple was heading to Princeton soon anyway. Did it really matter what he studied during his doctoral stage at Nanjing University? It didn’t matter at all.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind either; he had a clear vision for his own life plan.

He would go to Princeton to deeply study the mathematical knowledge he needed. Although he hadn’t planned everything in detail, he had a general direction. For instance, he was most interested in turbulence, smooth manifolds, chaos, analysis, functions of a complex variable, algebra, and fractals.

“Hiss~”

As he mentally tallied them up, Xu Chuan suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. The list of things he wanted to learn… it seemed a bit long.

Each of these names represented a massive branch of mathematics, and all of them were incredibly difficult.

Take turbulence, for example. It was a notoriously difficult problem in the field of mathematics. To this day, not a single mathematician had successfully created a mathematical model for any form of turbulence.

Or smooth manifolds, a branch that led directly to one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems: the ‘Existence and Smoothness of the Navier-Stokes Equation’.

Then there was algebra, a massive branch with even more subfields: algebraic geometry, algebraic number theory, Clifford algebra, Lie algebra, Boolean algebra, and so on.

Picking any one of these branches would be enough to keep a mathematician occupied for a lifetime of research.

Though he was confident in his scientific talent, Xu Chuan was now starting to question his existence.

Could he really learn and master so many things?

It was indeed a daunting challenge, but why was it so exhilarating?

After re-enrolling, Xu Chuan asked his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, for some time off and made a trip back to his hometown.

After the Morningside Medal of Mathematics ceremony at the end of the month, he would be off to Princeton. Once he was there, coming home would be very difficult, with a round trip taking at least three or four days.

Xu Chuan figured that once he went there, he probably wouldn’t be back until the end of the year.

So while he was still in the country, he decided to go back to spend time with his family and see if they needed his help with anything.

He currently had six or seven million yuan in cash. The bulk of it came from various bonuses for proving mathematical conjectures, with a smaller portion from the scholarships and grants previously promised by the university.

Additionally, there were the university’s awards for publishing papers in top journals.

This part wasn’t a small sum either. For example, the award for the SCI paper on the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture was two hundred sixty thousand yuan, and the one for the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture itself was as high as five hundred ninety thousand yuan.

These awards for the papers were separate from the bonuses for proving the conjectures. Last year, he had published several papers in top-tier journals, and the total bonuses he had received from them added up to over one million yuan.

But this business of racking up university bonuses by churning out SCI papers was something only a freak like him could do.

As for whether Nanjing University would mind, they would only say, “Please, give us more of this.” It was just bonus money; they had plenty.

For a university, the more SCI papers in top journals, the better. It affected a whole series of things, like the university’s ranking, its ability to attract talent, student recruitment, and the amount of its research funding.

For instance, after Xu Chuan proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, Nanjing University’s research funding for the next year would increase by at least half a percentage point.

One shouldn’t underestimate that half a percentage point. It might seem small, but on a base measured in the billions, the increase in funding would start in the millions.

Nanjing University’s total research funding for this year was seven point eight billion yuan.

Based on this figure, half a percentage point would be thirty-nine million yuan, nearly forty million.

What university wouldn’t want an extra forty million in research funding?

And that was a relatively conservative estimate. If Nanjing University pushed for it, the increase in research funding might even exceed one hundred million.

In comparison, the money awarded to Xu Chuan was truly insignificant.

And besides research funding, there were also factors like the university’s influence, honor, and academic prowess.

Especially a paper proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture—this was a world-class mathematical conjecture.

Having nurtured a mathematical talent capable of proving a world-class conjecture, who would dare say that Nanjing University’s mathematics department was garbage?

After a few hours on a high-speed rail and in a taxi, Xu Chuan arrived safely back in his hometown.

Compared to the ever-changing big cities, time in this small mountain village seemed to stand still. No matter how the outside world developed, it remained quiet and serene here.

Following the concrete road built a few years ago, Xu Chuan dragged his suitcase deeper into the village. Along the way, he would occasionally encounter a few village elders busy in the fields, and he would greet them with a smile.

Soon, a house under construction came into Xu Chuan’s view.

“Mom, I’m back.”

Dragging his luggage, Xu Chuan called out to his mother, who was squatting by the well of the new house, washing vegetables.

Hearing his voice, Mother Xu turned her head, then stood up in pleasant surprise.

“Chuan’er is back.”

Seeing the familiar figure, Mother Xu stood up joyfully, wiped her wet hands on her clothes, and hurried over to take the suitcase from Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m on break, so I came back to rest for a few days. I also wanted to see how the new house is coming along.”

“If you have time off, stay for a few more days. The house is still a long way from being finished. They just laid the foundation not long ago and are still building the outer walls. It probably won’t be ready to live in until October.”

Mother Xu happily dragged the suitcase toward their old house. They weren’t building the new house by tearing down the old one and rebuilding on the same foundation. Instead, they had chosen a new plot of land in the village. The old house was still standing, so Xu Chuan had a place to stay now that he was back.

“Dad, do you still need money for building the house?”

During dinner, Xu Chuan asked his father.

Xu Jianguo thought Xu Chuan needed money and said, “Counting what you left last time, the family has over one point six million yuan right now. Do you need money? How much? I’ll have your mother go to the bank and transfer it to you tomorrow.”

Seeing that his father had misunderstood him, Xu Chuan quickly said, “No, I don’t need any. I was just asking if the family is short on money for the house. If you are, I have five or six million here. You don’t have to borrow from anyone else.”

“Where did you get so much money? You haven’t done anything illegal, have you? You can’t do anything that breaks the law, Chuan’er.” Hearing that Xu Chuan had several million, Xu Jianguo was stunned for a moment before asking anxiously.

Xu Chuan, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, shook his head and said, “Am I the kind of person who would do something illegal? I solved a difficult problem for the country and the university a while ago. This money is all from awards given by the school and the country. My early graduation is also related to solving that problem.”

“What kind of problem is worth several million?” Xu Jianguo asked, bewildered.

Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “Back in March, did a leader from the county come to our house?”

Xu Jianguo thought for a moment and said, “Yes, the county’s top official did come to our house. He visited with us and gave us a reward of one hundred thousand yuan, saying it was because of you… Hmm? Was it that time? That time, the county’s top official said you solved a world-class problem and made a contribution to the country.”

After recalling this, he looked at his son with dawning realization.

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s right. The money I have on me is basically all from the national awards from that time. Don’t worry, Dad. There’s no way I would do anything illegal.”

Xu Jianguo breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you didn’t do anything illegal, it’s fine.”

After a pause, he continued, “You keep the money you have. The family doesn’t need it. The money you left last time is enough to build the new house.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “How about this, I’ll transfer another two million to Mom’s card.”

Before he could finish, his father interrupted him. “No need. Keep the money on your card for yourself. The family still has money; it’s enough. You’re out there on your own, and you’ll have many expenses. You’ll need money to buy a house and get married in the future.”

Xu Chuan said, “Let me finish, Dad. Of this two million, one point five million is for building the new house. I know it’s being built for me—you said so yourself, for getting married and all—so for the subsequent renovation, try to choose better materials.”

“The other five hundred thousand is for the village. I’d like you to manage this money, Dad. Talk to the village committee and have them repair all the ponds, big and small.”

“After all, the village has helped our family so much over the years. Now that we can, we should give something back. Besides, it will also silence some of the gossip.”

Xu Chuan came up with two excuses. Otherwise, he knew his father would definitely not accept the money.

Building a new house wouldn’t cost two or three million; one million was enough to build a beautiful villa in the countryside. But by saying the new house was for him and asking his father to use good materials for the renovation, he could get his father to accept.

As for giving back to the village, that was an undeniable reason.

His family had received a lot of help from the village. When he got into Xingcheng High School, most of the village households had given them extra-large red envelopes at the celebration banquet to help fund his education.

After the college entrance exam last year, the village had also found a way to reward him with some money. Although it wasn’t much, it was a gesture he would always remember.

So, Xu Chuan’s idea of helping the village repair the dams of its water-storage ponds was a very legitimate reason. He figured his father wouldn’t refuse, especially since almost every household in the village still farmed.

Furthermore, this was also a way to uphold his family’s—and his father’s—reputation, showing others that education could lead to success and putting an end to the gossip from a few.

After all, wherever there are people, there is bound to be conflict. Though most of the villagers were good, there’s always a bad apple in every bunch.

Some people always liked to gossip behind their backs, saying things like, “Getting an education doesn’t guarantee you’ll make money. My nephew dropped out after middle school and now he runs a company, earns hundreds of thousands a year, and hires college graduates to work for him.”

This time, Xu Chuan would shut those people up for good.

Chapter 140: International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians

There’s an old saying: not returning to your hometown in glory is like wearing silk robes in the dark.

Xu Chuan had no desire to show off, but he wanted his family to live better than before.

Both economically and spiritually.

While money couldn’t solve one hundred percent of all problems, it could solve over ninety percent of them.

Prices were skyrocketing these days. While over a million yuan could certainly build a villa in the countryside, once it was well-built and furnished, there wouldn’t be much left.

Xu Chuan still wanted to leave some money for his family. After all, he had no immediate use for the bonus, so it was better to leave it with them. He didn’t want to be wealthy while his family continued to live a life of hardship.

Money, once earned, was meant to be used. Unused money was just a number.

The only difficulty was getting his parents to accept this sum. After all, he had already given them money before, and they would surely refuse more.

Fortunately, Xu Chuan knew his father well. As expected, when he proposed sending money home under those two pretenses, his father hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Building a house was one thing, but giving back to the village and helping to repair the pond dams was something Xu Jianguo definitely approved of.

Xujia Village was a small village composed of a single clan. It wasn’t large, with only fifty or sixty households.

In previous years, the Xu family had received considerable help from the villagers. Otherwise, with what Father Xu earned from farming and occasional carpentry, he couldn’t have supported two children’s education, especially since both were outstanding students who got into universities in the provincial capital, which meant even greater expenses.

Before Xu Chuan graduated from high school, you could count on one hand the number of days a year the family ate meat. They would only have a proper meat dish when Xu Chuan or Xu Xiao came home.

If it weren’t for the help of the villagers and neighbors, the Xu family would surely be in debt by now.

Therefore, Xu Jianguo was very supportive of Xu Chuan’s idea of giving back to the village. However, repairing the pond dams wouldn’t cost as much as five hundred thousand yuan.

He could roughly estimate the cost of repairing the few ponds in the village, how to build the dams, and how many excavators and how much money would be needed with just a little thought.

“By the way, Dad, Mom, there’s one more thing.”

Seeing his father agree, Xu Chuan continued, “I’ve graduated from university. Next, I’ll be pursuing my doctorate, which means studying abroad. I’m going to Princeton in the United States. It could be for two to three years, or as long as three to five years.”

He had to tell his family about studying abroad to keep them from worrying.

Confucius said, “When your parents are alive, do not travel far.”

But many people misunderstood this widely circulated saying, thinking it meant that children should not travel far while their parents are alive, lest they fail to show filial piety.

In fact, there is a second part to it: “If you must travel, you must have a proper destination.”

It means that if you go out while your parents are in good health, you must let them know your destination is safe.

So Xu Chuan had to explain things clearly to his family to prevent them from worrying.

“Studying abroad?”

Xu Jianguo was stunned. A second ago, he was calculating how much money to use to repair the village ponds, trying to do a good job while saving money. The next second, he was shocked by Xu Chuan’s words.

“Does that mean you won’t be able to come home for a few years?” Mother Xu asked, her voice trembling.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s just that during the years I’m studying abroad, I’ll probably only be able to come back once a year for Chinese New Year. After all, I still have a lot to learn, so I can’t just come back whenever I want like I can in China.”

Hearing this, Father and Mother Xu both let out a sigh of relief. They had thought Xu Chuan wouldn’t return at all during his years away. After all, something like going abroad was too distant for rural folk like them.

“Chuan’er, of course we support you studying abroad. But when you’re out there, you have to take good care of yourself and call home often.”

Mother Xu nagged on and on. Xu Chuan listened attentively, nodding from time to time, while Father Xu ate his meal in silence, occasionally looking up at his son.

Although Xu Chuan was an adult and capable of taking care of himself, what parent wouldn’t worry when their child travels far from home?

After staying home for a few days, visiting that girl Xu Xiao at Star City No. 1 High School and leaving her some money for living expenses and pocket money, Xu Chuan finally embarked on a new journey alone.

Back at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan organized his things in the dormitory in preparation for going abroad.

Living alone, he didn’t have many personal belongings. Most of what he had were books, scratch paper, and printed materials like research papers.

There was a lot of this stuff, filling the bookshelves, drawers, and other spaces. Selling it as waste paper at fifty cents a kilogram could probably fetch over a hundred yuan.

Of course, Xu Chuan would never sell these things as scrap. To him, they were all filled with memories.

And it was no exaggeration to say that in the future, these items would be artifacts.

Think about Einstein’s study notes. If auctioned, they could easily fetch several million US dollars.

Of course, this had something to do with Einstein being deceased.

It was like painters; no matter how famous or brilliant their paintings were during their lifetime, the price couldn’t compare to the astronomical surge after their death.

The problem for Xu Chuan now was that there were too many books and materials. In the past year, he had read more math books than other university students read in their entire four years.

On the bed in the other room of his dorm, there was an entire bed’s worth of books standing upright.

“Whatever. I’ll sort out the important materials. I’ll take the unfinished parts to Princeton, keep some of the more meaningful things, and give the rest to the students in the math department.”

Xu Chuan muttered to himself and began to organize the books, materials, and scratch paper in his dormitory.

There were too many books, papers, and scratch pads in his dorm to realistically take them all with him, but leaving them all in the dorm would be a waste.

Many of these books and printed papers contained his notes and insights from when he read them. They weren’t of much use to him anymore since the knowledge was already in his head.

But for other students in the School of Mathematical Sciences, these materials were probably a treasure trove. One could trace his learning journey and see some of his problem-solving methods and thought processes.

They might, to a greater or lesser extent, provide some inspiration to others.

The printed research papers were especially valuable, as not everyone had research funding or money to purchase them.

Of course, the books and materials he could give away were limited to mathematics. Physics was out of the question. In his first year of university, he had barely touched his physics books; he hadn’t even written his name in the textbooks he was issued.

After a couple of hours of work, Xu Chuan finally finished tidying up his dorm.

The things he sorted were divided into three piles.

The smallest pile of materials consisted of some scratch paper—things he planned to keep, such as the proof process and scratch paper for the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and the Weyl-Berry conjecture, as well as the distortion and application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

These items held significant sentimental and collection value for him, so Xu Chuan kept them.

The middle pile contained a few math books and some research papers. These were his unfinished work drafts and the corresponding books.

This included literature and papers related to the ‘Proton Radius Puzzle,’ as well as some of the data he had manually analyzed and calculated.

He had to take these things to Princeton to facilitate the completion of his remaining work.

As for the largest pile, it was filled with all sorts of books, notebooks, and scratch paper that recorded complete calculation processes.

These would still be of some use to his classmates in the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Knowing that some were closer to him than others, Xu Chuan didn’t make a big fuss after organizing his books and materials. He quietly found students who needed these books and gave them what he had prepared.

There were over eighty people in the School of Mathematical Sciences. Even if he had read many books in the past year, it wasn’t enough for everyone to get one.

Moreover, these books contained his own hard work and study notes, so he naturally hoped the recipients would treat them well.

Although Nanjing University was a top-tier Project 985 university, not everyone who entered remained passionate about learning. The majority were hardworking, but there were also quite a few who were just coasting.

Everyone has their own choices, and Xu Chuan couldn’t judge them, but he could make his own choice to offer a little help to those who were diligent.

After he had dealt with his belongings, it was time for the Morningside Medal of Mathematics to be awarded.

Xu Chuan bought a high-speed rail ticket and traveled with Dean Rong Zhizhuan of the School of Mathematical Sciences to the capital, Beijing. This year’s Morningside Medal would be presented at the 7th International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, held at Tsinghua University.

At this congress, the Chern Medal and the ICCM International Cooperation Award would be presented alongside the Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

The former was established by the International Mathematical Union to commemorate the late Chinese mathematician Shiing-Shen Chern, rewarding scientists who have made outstanding achievements in the international field of mathematics.

This was also the first major mathematics award from the International Mathematical Union to be named after a Chinese mathematician, and it was a lifetime achievement award similar to the Wolf Prize.

Although the Chern Medal had no age restriction and Xu Chuan was qualified enough to receive it, it was out of the question at this year’s congress.

Such lifetime achievement awards were generally given to mathematicians over forty, or even older.

After all, presenting a lifetime achievement award to a mathematician under forty was a bit like cursing them to have a short life or to be unable to make any further breakthroughs, which wasn’t a good look.

If the Chern Medal were being awarded at this conference, Xu Chuan might have had a chance to receive it. Unfortunately, the Chern Medal ceremony wouldn’t be held until next year.

As for the ICCM International Cooperation Award, it was similar to the Chern Medal, mainly awarded to highly respected leading mathematicians with outstanding achievements in the mathematical sciences, recognizing their lifetime of distinguished contributions to reaching new heights in China’s mathematical endeavors.

For this year’s International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, only Xu Chuan and Rong Zhizhuan from all of Nanjing University were invited to attend.

And of the two, only Xu Chuan was invited to give a report at the conference. Rong Zhizhuan was invited because of Nanjing University’s standing; as one of the top universities in the country, it was bound to receive an invitation.

As for the other mathematics professors at Nanjing University, none had received an invitation letter.

Of course, you could still attend without an invitation, but you would have to pay for your own food and lodging and would not be able to attend the final banquet.

Xu Chuan followed Rong Zhizhuan, and the two of them made their way to the Wenjin International Hotel next to Tsinghua University.

This was one of the best hotels near Tsinghua University, where a regular room for one night usually cost two to three thousand yuan.

However, as a guest invited to the mathematics conference, Xu Chuan naturally didn’t have to worry about food and lodging; the Chinese Mathematical Society had already arranged everything.

After handing his invitation letter to the staff at the front desk, Xu Chuan signed his name on the registration form under the astonished gaze of the beautiful young lady at the counter and received his conference badge.

“Dean Rong, which room are you in?”

Dragging his suitcase, Xu Chuan walked side-by-side with Rong Zhizhuan towards the elevator. After pressing the button for his floor, he asked.

“Let me see.” Rong Zhizhuan glanced at the room key in his hand and said, “1719.”

Xu Chuan nodded and pressed the button for the seventeenth floor.

The elevator doors began to close slowly, but they were stopped halfway by a hand.

“Excuse me, please wait.”

A voice entered the elevator. Xu Chuan looked up and saw a young man slightly older than him holding the door open. Behind him was a familiar figure.

When this familiar figure saw Xu Chuan, his eyes lit up, and he took the initiative to greet him with a smile.

“Long time no see, Xu Chuan.”

Xu Chuan quickly returned the greeting, “Academician Zhang, it’s good to see you.”

The familiar figure was Academician Zhang Weiping from Riyue University, who had once been determined to recruit Xu Chuan as his disciple, but unfortunately, Xu Chuan had ended up at Nanjing University.

Seeing Xu Chuan again now, Zhang Weiping felt a mix of emotions, somewhat regretting not having been more persistent back then.

He knew Xu Chuan was a math genius, but he never expected him to be this good. In just his first year of university, he had solved a world-class mathematical conjecture.

If only he had been a little more persistent back then.

After a brief moment of distraction, Zhang Weiping came to his senses, stepped into the elevator, stood next to Xu Chuan, and greeted Rong Zhizhuan with a smile.

“Dean Rong, you’re here too. Your Nanjing University has produced a fine student. If I had been more insistent during the IMO training, perhaps Xu Chuan would be my student now.”

Rong Zhizhuan smiled and nodded in greeting. “Xu Chuan is indeed excellent. But Riyue University has no shortage of math geniuses either. The one behind you must be Hu Xingjian, right? He won a gold medalist at the Shing-Tung Yau College Student Mathematics Contest a couple of years ago. He’s also very outstanding.”

He had been a judge at the Shing-Tung Yau College Student Mathematics Contest a couple of years prior, so he naturally recognized this gold medalist. Although his talent couldn’t compare to Xu Chuan’s, he was still exceptional.

Zhang Weiping shook his head, paying no mind to the feelings of the young man beside him, and said directly, “In the younger generation, who can compare to Xu Chuan?”

“Xingjian, come and meet them,” he said. “This is Dean Rong Zhizhuan from the School of Mathematical Sciences at Nanjing University. And next to him is the genius I’ve mentioned to you before, Xu Chuan, the one who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“Hello, Dean Rong. Hello, God Chuan.”

Following behind Zhang Weiping, Hu Xingjian quickly popped out to say hello.

Beside them, Zhang Weiping continued, “At this mathematics conference, you should really talk and learn from Xu Chuan. In your field of study, spectral fractals, he is a top-tier mathematician.”

Then, he turned to Xu Chuan and said with a smile, “Xu Chuan, this is my student, Hu Xingjian. He’s a second-year master’s student, and his research focus is on spectrum theory and Hilbert space. I knew you would be attending this conference, so I specially brought him here to learn from you. Don’t hold back, give him some good pointers.”

Xu Chuan quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare to offer guidance. We can just learn from each other.”

Chapter 141: The Morningside Medal of Mathematics is Awarded

The next morning, Xu Chuan followed Rong Zhizhuan to the Great Hall of Tsinghua University. Along the way, they met many famous mathematicians.

For example, there was Professor Li Jun from Riyue University, a candidate for Academician of the Academy of Sciences. His election was merely a matter of waiting for the next selection period.

This master had been invited to give a forty-five-minute report at the 22nd International Congress of Mathematicians.

Anyone who could give a forty-five-minute report at the International Congress of Mathematicians was a top expert in the field of mathematics. Even now, very few people in all of China had this qualification.

There were also Zhang Wei, Yun Zhiwei, and Xu Chenyang, three math geniuses of the previous generation who had graduated from Peking University. These three were hailed as the golden generation in the history of Chinese mathematics. Even at Peking University, a place teeming with masters of math, they represented a glorious era.

Among them, Zhang Wei’s achievements were particularly outstanding. Known as “God Wei,” at just over thirty years old this year, he had a good chance of winning the 2018 Fields Medal. And at this Seventh International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, he, like Xu Chuan, was also a recipient of the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

Getting to know these top mathematicians was quite a happy occasion for Xu Chuan. He knew he could gain more knowledge and ideas at the subsequent banquet and exchange sessions.

There were significant differences between academic conferences in China and abroad. For instance, domestic conferences placed more emphasis on formality, focusing on the mathematical achievements and status of the speakers.

However, some aspects were the same: academic exchange was a place for everyone to communicate and make new friends.

Even in China, besides the award ceremonies and report sessions, there were banquets and networking halls to help mathematicians meet others, exchange inspiration, or learn new things.

Ideas need to collide to produce sparks of wisdom, and the same goes for knowledge—inspiration is born from exchange.

Entering the Great Hall of Tsinghua University, they were met with a sea of people, a bustling crowd. There were even many foreign faces.

Hosting such a mathematical exchange conference boosted the reputation of the university and even the entire city.

This was because the three awards at the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians—the Chern Prize, the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, and the ICCM International Cooperation Award—were not exclusively for mathematicians of Chinese nationality. They were open to all ethnic Chinese worldwide, so many people had traveled from abroad.

It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the strength of China’s universities, its economy, and even the city’s and country’s economic power to overseas Chinese mathematicians. It was also a chance to attract them back to the country.

Therefore, whichever city was chosen to host the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians would do its utmost to make it a success, using it as a platform to display the city and attract talent.

Soon, the Seventh International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians in China officially began.

After the opening ceremony speeches in the morning came the most important part of the conference.

The presentation of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, the Chern Prize, and the ICCM International Cooperation Award, rewarding Chinese mathematicians with outstanding achievements in their research fields and individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of mathematics in China.

According to the order of prestige, the Morningside Medal of Mathematics was awarded first.

Among the three awards—the Chern Prize, the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, and the ICCM International Cooperation Award—the Morningside Medal carried the most weight.

Although the Chern Prize was the first major mathematics award from the International Mathematical Union to be named after a Chinese mathematician, and its prestige was far greater than the Morningside Medal, there were actually two of them.

One was the Chern Prize awarded at the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians.

The other was the Chern Medal, awarded by the International Mathematical Union at the International Congress of Mathematicians, which is held every four years.

The former was awarded to Chinese or ethnic Chinese mathematicians, while the latter had no nationality restrictions and was awarded only once every four years, making it much more prestigious than the former.

The Chern Medal was the fourth major award managed by the International Mathematical Union and is currently the highest-level lifetime achievement award in the international mathematical community.

It could be said that anyone who received this medal was not only unique in their respective field but also held a leading position.

Regrettably, no mathematician of Chinese nationality had yet won the Chern Medal.

After the opening ceremony speeches concluded, amid deafening applause, an elderly Professor Shing-Tung Yau with round, black-framed glasses walked onto the stage and took the microphone from Professor Zhang Shouwu of Tsinghua University, who was hosting the opening ceremony.

“It’s a great honor to stand here and see so many mathematicians gathered to exchange mathematical knowledge and expand the boundaries of our field.”

“Next, I will announce the winners of this year’s Morningside Medal of Mathematics and present the Gold and Silver Medals.”

On stage, Shing-Tung Yau flipped through the cue cards in his hand and slowly began to speak. “The first winner is Professor Zhang Wei from Columbia University. His main research achievements are his original contributions to number theory and automorphic forms, and for solving the modularity problem in the Kudla conjecture. He is awarded the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics at this International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians.”

Amidst fervent applause, Zhang Wei, who was sitting in the front row, stood up, walked to the stage, and accepted the golden medal and certificate from Shing-Tung Yau before giving his acceptance speech.

After the applause died down, Shing-Tung Yau flipped a cue card and continued, “The second winner is Professor Li Si from Tsinghua University.”

“His main research achievement is for introducing gauge field renormalization methods into complex geometry and the Hodge theory on Calabi-Yau manifolds, proposing a quantization theory for Calabi-Yau spaces, and establishing the mathematical foundations for the quantum topological B-model and high-genus mirror symmetry of compact Calabi-Yau manifolds. He is awarded the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics at this International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians.”

The hall erupted in enthusiastic applause once again as Li Si from Tsinghua University went on stage to receive his award and give his speech.

As the applause faded, Shing-Tung Yau pushed up the round-framed glasses on his nose, a rare smile appearing on his face.

“The final winner of the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics is Student Xu Chuan from Nanjing University.”

“His main research achievements are the proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the complete proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and a method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies.”

Compared to the number of research achievements of the first two winners, Xu Chuan’s list was shorter with only three, but each one was a heavyweight.

Upon hearing the name of the third winner, the Great Hall fell silent for a moment. Most of the mathematicians attending this conference were familiar with the name Xu Chuan, or had at least heard of it.

The proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—these were achievements not only in the field of mathematics but also in the field of astronomy, which made the name familiar to everyone.

But to hear this name at the award ceremony for the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics still took most people by surprise.

There was no other reason than that the owner of this name was simply too young—so young that Shing-Tung Yau had used “Student Xu Chuan” instead of “Professor Xu Chuan” when announcing the winner.

If everyone present remembered correctly, Xu Chuan had only started university last September. He hadn’t even finished his first year and was not yet nineteen years old.

Compared to the previous two winners, he was far too young.

So young it was incredible, so young it was astonishing, even baffling, that he could win this year’s Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

Although his achievements were certainly sufficient—solving a world-class mathematical conjecture was something many mathematicians couldn’t even touch upon in their entire lifetimes.

But for him to win the Morningside Medal of Mathematics at the age of eighteen in China, it could be said that he had broken all previous norms.

Because both at home and abroad, the academic world was a place that valued seniority.

It was just that compared to other countries, “seniority” in China was a bit more special, a bit more serious.

The mathematicians who hadn’t received the list of winners in advance were all astonished—astonished that he could win the Morningside Medal of Mathematics at the age of eighteen.

This was the top mathematics award known as the “Chinese Fields Medal,” and the ages of past recipients were all over thirty; there was almost no one under thirty.

For example, Zhang Wei was thirty-five this year, and Li Si was thirty-eight.

In comparison, Xu Chuan was almost half their age, nearly twenty years younger. It was almost unimaginable that someone so young could win the Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

Although almost no one would deny that this winner would surely receive the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, and perhaps even the Fields Medal, in the future, the vast majority of attendees had not expected him to win it at this year’s conference.

What were the other mathematicians in their thirties, or even approaching forty-five, who were still waiting, supposed to think?

For instance, Professor Yin Wetao, who was unexpectedly pushed out of the Gold Medal spot by Xu Chuan, felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He had prepared a great deal for this year’s Morningside Medal of Mathematics Gold Medal, visiting many mathematicians.

According to the original course of events, he should have won the Gold Medal this year. But Xu Chuan had appeared out of nowhere, directly bumping him down to the Silver Medal.

Although both were Morningside Medals, the gap between the Gold and Silver was huge. The former could be said to represent a world-class mathematics professor, while the latter was merely top-tier in the country.

Incidentally, this Professor Yin Wetao was a graduate of the Department of Mathematics at Nanjing University, making him Xu Chuan’s senior. His foundational breakthroughs in sparse optimization, ill-posed inverse problems, and compressed sensing, and his development of multiple optimization methods and algorithms, were widely applied in data science and engineering.

Such an achievement was completely worthy of a Morningside Medal of Mathematics Gold Medal, but compared to Zhang Wei and Li Si, his accomplishments still fell short.

The former was one of the hot candidates for the 2018 Fields Medal.

The latter had constructed the quantization theory for topological string field theory and solved the “Landau-Ginzburg mirror symmetry conjecture,” making profound achievements in mathematical physics.

As for Xu Chuan, there was even less of a comparison. The Weyl-Berry conjecture was a world-class mathematical problem. If not for the fact that Xu Chuan’s mathematical achievements were a bit one-dimensional and that he was a bit too young, the 2018 Fields Medal would have been his for certain, not just a possibility.

Under these circumstances, it was not unjust that he was eliminated.

In the end, the academic world is a place where results speak for themselves. No matter how powerful the unspoken rules are, they can’t stand up to someone else’s dazzling achievements.

After a brief silence, thunderous applause erupted.

Although they were surprised that the Morningside Medal of Mathematics Gold Medal had broken convention to be awarded to an eighteen-year-old boy, none of the many mathematicians in the audience felt that the person standing on the stage was undeserving.

By proving the world-class Weyl-Berry conjecture, his achievement had already surpassed over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of all mathematicians.

Forget about young scholars under forty; even the vast majority of senior scholars who had dedicated fifty or sixty years of their lives to mathematical research had not accomplished such a feat.

As the applause rose, Xu Chuan stood up and walked towards the stage along the red carpet.

“Congratulations, Student Xu Chuan.”

At the podium, Shing-Tung Yau took the glittering gold medal and the bright red certificate from the hostess and presented them to the youngest-ever winner of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics Gold Medal.

Taking the medal and certificate from the old man’s hands, Xu Chuan bowed slightly and said, “Thank you.”

Shing-Tung Yau smiled, handed over the microphone, and said, “Say a few words. The youngest winner in history. I suspect no one will ever be able to break your record for the winning age.”

Xu Chuan didn’t hesitate. He took the microphone and faced the hundreds of mathematicians in the Great Hall.

“First, I would like to thank my alma mater, Nanjing University, for nurturing me, and I also thank the Chinese Mathematical Society and the Morningside Medal of Mathematics selection committee for their recognition.”

“Scholars hope to be recognized, especially by those they respect. Receiving this award from the Morningside Medal of Mathematics selection committee is a great encouragement to me.”

“I hope to treat every award as a boost to move forward, encouraging me to look ahead. I hope that on this path of mathematics, on this path of academia, I can make more breakthroughs and achieve greater heights.”

“Thank you.”

His acceptance speech was very brief. There were no lengthy remarks, no impassioned declarations. He simply and quietly transformed the Morningside Medal of Mathematics into his motivation and a stepping stone, using it to pave his way towards the vaster world of mathematics.

Clap, clap, clap…

In the Great Hall, the applause was like a surging tide, continuous and unending.

In his seat, Rong Zhizhuan, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Nanjing University, looked at the young man on stage with approving eyes. This was probably the most outstanding student Nanjing University had produced since its restructuring.

Beside him, Zhang Weiping clapped softly, watching Xu Chuan on stage and sighing quietly to himself. He had truly missed out on such a student.

But he quickly came to terms with it. It didn’t matter where he studied, as long as his talent wasn’t wasted.

If the youth are strong, the nation is strong; if the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth prosper, the nation prospers.

Even if he didn’t study under him, it didn’t matter. At his age, he had seen many things and had become composed about most matters.

As for the things he hadn’t let go of, the things he still paid attention to, he held hope of seeing them fulfilled in this young man.

There could be no better thing than this.

And next to Zhang Weiping, Hu Xingjian stared at the stage, dumbfounded. He only came back to his senses when the thunderous applause filled the Great Hall, and he began to clap vehemently along with them.

The figure standing on the stage was several years younger than him, yet he had already won the medal that Hu Xingjian had yearned for his entire life but could never reach.

That figure just stood there quietly, yet it left an indelible mark on his heart and gave him a goal to strive for.

In one’s youth, no one thinks they are inferior to others.

Hu Xingjian believed that he, too, could one day stand on that stage.

Chapter 142: New Inspiration

After the opening and award ceremonies on the first day came the social gathering.

The reception was held at the Wenjin International Hotel. As the university with the most abundant research funding in the country and a perennial chart-topper in university funding rankings, Tsinghua University was also incredibly generous.

For the duration of the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians, they had directly booked the entire Wenjin International Hotel for a week—a true display of wealth and extravagance.

After dinner and a short rest, Xu Chuan went downstairs with Rong Zhizhuan to the auditorium for the reception.

It was only around seven-thirty in the evening, half an hour before the event was scheduled to start, but the hall was already teeming with people.

Just as the two entered the venue, they bumped into Zhang Weiping and Hu Xingjian from Riyue University.

After they exchanged greetings, Zhang Weiping’s eyes darted. He left his student with Xu Chuan and slipped away with Rong Zhizhuan.

His fine-sounding excuse was to let the young people mingle, and that the two old geezers wouldn’t join the liveliness.

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched as he watched the two advisors disappear into the vast sea of people in the blink of an eye, then glanced at Hu Xingjian standing beside him.

“God Chuan, sorry to trouble you.”

Hu Xingjian smiled shyly and a little embarrassedly, probably also feeling that his advisor was a bit unreliable.

“Don’t mention it. Just relax and be casual at this kind of gathering.” Xu Chuan said with a smile, leading Hu Xingjian toward the center of the hall.

“Brother Hu, is this your first time at a reception like this?” Xu Chuan asked as they walked.

Hu Xingjian nodded, looking around as he replied, “This is indeed my first time at such a formal one. Has God Chuan attended one before?”

“I attended one when I gave a presentation at Princeton.”

Xu Chuan nodded, picked a few grapes from a white table at the venue, popped them into his mouth, and handed two to Hu Xingjian.

Hu Xingjian took the grapes, his eyes filled with longing. “Princeton… the legendary mecca of mathematics. I heard that if you bump into anyone on the street there, they’re bound to be a top-tier math expert.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s not that exaggerated, but there are indeed many big shots in mathematics at Princeton. Brother Hu, are you thinking of applying for a PhD at Princeton?”

“I’ve definitely thought about it. After all, I study math, and there’s no one in math who doesn’t want to go to Princeton. But I probably won’t get the chance.”

Hu Xingjian shrugged. For a math student, Princeton was pretty much the ultimate goal; everyone wanted to go.

But they only accepted a handful of students from all of China each year. The competition was countless times more intense than getting into Tsinghua or Peking University through the college entrance exam.

To get into Princeton from China, you had to be at the very top of the pyramid. Although he had won a gold medalist in the Shing-Tung Yau College Student Mathematics Contest, it was still far from enough.

Xu Chuan smiled and was about to offer some polite words of encouragement, like telling him to keep trying, when another voice interrupted.

“Hey, Xu, I finally found you.”

A somewhat rough voice called out, and a man with a full beard walked over.

Seeing the man, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then a smile spread across his face.

“Long time no see, Professor Avila.”

The man was none other than Professor Artur Avila, the Brazilian mathematics professor he had met at the mathematics conference at Princeton. The two had once spent a whole morning chatting animatedly about mathematics.

After a warm handshake with the Brazilian mathematician, Xu Chuan asked curiously, “What brings you to this year’s International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians?”

Although this year’s congress was quite grand and had attracted many foreign mathematicians, its primary audience was still Chinese mathematicians, including those of Chinese descent.

Xu Chuan truly hadn’t expected Artur Avila to appear at this mathematical exchange.

Artur Avila smiled. “I have a collaborative project with Peking University in your country on mathematical dynamical systems. It so happened that I was here during this time, received an invitation letter, and decided to come and see. I was also hoping I might run into you.”

Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. “I see. Welcome.”

Beside them, Hu Xingjian watched the two interact with great curiosity, eagerly waiting for Xu Chuan to make an introduction.

Noticing Hu Xingjian’s gaze, Xu Chuan smiled and introduced them. “Brother Hu, this is Professor Artur Avila, a mathematics professor from Brazil. He has won top mathematical awards such as the European Mathematical Society Prize and the Fields Medal, and has conducted profound research in chaos theory, dynamical systems, and spectral theory.”

“Professor Avila, this is the student of one of my own advisor’s colleagues, Hu Xingjian. His research area is also spectral theory and Hilbert space.”

After hearing Xu Chuan’s introduction, Hu Xingjian was completely dumbfounded.

He never imagined that Xu Chuan would know such a super big shot and be able to chat and laugh with him so casually.

As a graduate student of spectral theory, he had of course heard of the name Artur Avila.

This was one of Brazil’s most famous mathematicians, a Fields Medal laureate, and a top expert in chaos theory, dynamical systems, and spectral theory. He never thought he would meet him here today.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Artur Avila said with a smile, extending his hand.

Hu Xingjian, after a moment’s stun, quickly came to his senses and shook his hand with both of his own. “Hello, Professor Avila. I’ve heard your name for a long time. I’ve read your work on spectral theory, Reconstruction of Spectral Fractal Domains.”

Artur Avila smiled and said, “In spectral theory and spectral fractals, Xu is the real expert. My small achievements are nothing compared to his.”

Hearing this, Hu Xingjian couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Good heavens. He knew Xu Chuan was awesome, but he never expected him to be this awesome.

A Fields Medalist personally saying that his own area of expertise was far inferior to Xu Chuan’s—even if there was an element of mutual flattery, it was still an incredible statement.

This was a master he was determined to follow!

After shaking hands and greeting Hu Xingjian, Artur Avila turned his attention back to Xu Chuan.

“Xu, the last time we met at Princeton, we talked about spectral theory and the spectrum of fractal dimension and fractal measure, which gave me a lot of inspiration.”

“Inspired by you, I have some new ideas I’d like to discuss with you. I wonder if you have the time, and if it’s convenient?”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “What area is it?”

Artur Avila replied, “Non-commutative harmonic analysis and the theory of automorphic forms within the Langlands program. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with these two fields.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan frowned slightly and said, “There’s a vast amount of material in those two fields. I’m not sure what specific aspect you’re referring to.”

“Also, why have you suddenly started researching number theory and harmonic analysis?”

Xu Chuan looked at Artur Avila with curiosity. This Fields Medal laureate’s most famous research was in chaos theory and dynamical systems, with some involvement in spectral theory. But as for number theory and harmonic analysis, he had never heard of the professor conducting research in those areas.

Artur Avila smiled. “I’m not familiar with number theory and harmonic analysis, but I do have some research in spectral theory and the Laplace operator.”

“After our last chat, I looked through your proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“In your research paper, there’s a particularly brilliant method involving the use of the Dirichlet function’s domain to transform the Laplace operator and the Laplace hyperbolic equation, as well as the field extension and how you transformed the function into a subgroup and established a connection with the intermediate field and composites.”

“I was thinking that this method might be applicable to some problems in the Langlands program.”

“For instance, some of the conjectures derived from automorphic L-functions.”

“As you know, automorphic functions are generalizations of circular functions, hyperbolic functions, elliptic functions, and other functions from elementary analysis. And automorphic L-functions are defined through automorphic representations of a group.”

“In the Langlands conjecture, automorphic L-functions satisfy certain harmonious relationships and have a unique factorization, which, when reflected in automorphic representations, is the functoriality between them.”

“This functoriality conjecture can be completely determined by mappings between L-groups. Given a linear algebraic group, the relationship between its automorphic representations over a base field and the group representations over a certain field extension is called a base change, which is a special case of functoriality.”

“…Can this method from your paper also be applied to basic automorphic functions? Or, perhaps, be used in some way to generalize the Gaussian reciprocity law to a deeper level?”

After listening to Professor Artur Avila’s words, Xu Chuan frowned deeply in thought. Vaguely, it felt as if he had grasped something from those words.

Beside them, Hu Xingjian, who had been listening to the entire conversation, looked from Xu Chuan to Professor Artur Avila with a completely bewildered expression.

What the hell were they even talking about?

He knew about the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and he knew about the Dirichlet function. He had also heard of the famous Langlands program.

But when all these terms were strung together, how come he couldn’t understand a single sentence?

Was his English not good enough?

But he clearly had a 7.5 on his IELTS Academic test.

Suddenly, a wave of despair washed over Hu Xingjian. He had once dreamed of standing on the same stage as Xu Chuan, but now it seemed the gap between them was truly immense.

Catch up? How could he possibly catch up? He couldn’t even understand what the man was talking about anymore.

Xu Chuan was deep in thought, Hu Xingjian was bewildered and despondent, and Professor Avila was looking at Xu Chuan with anticipation.

The three of them stood there in the hall until another voice broke the silence.

“Professor Avila, so you’re here.”

At the same time, a slender, middle-aged man walked over.

“Professor Mo.” Seeing the newcomer, Professor Artur Avila smiled, nodded, and greeted him.

“Professor Avila, what’s going on here?”

Seeing Xu Chuan lost in thought, this Professor Mo asked with a puzzled expression. It was impossible for him not to recognize Xu Chuan, who had just received the Morningside Medal of Mathematics in the Tsinghua University auditorium that afternoon.

Artur Avila smiled. “We were just discussing a bit of mathematics. He might have had an idea? He’s thinking.”

“Oh? May I ask what you two were discussing?” Hearing this, Professor Mo raised his eyebrows with interest.

“Of course. It was mainly about non-commutative harmonic analysis and the theory of automorphic forms in the Langlands program…”

Artur Avila was happy to discuss math with someone, and since this Professor Mo was a researcher in number theory, he thought they might be able to exchange ideas. So, he smiled and briefly repeated the theories and questions they had just been discussing.

“The Langlands program, the theory of automorphic forms… any thoughts?”

Hearing these topics, Mo Kun’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, as this was one of his areas of research.

Avila shook his head and looked at Xu Chuan. “I’m not very familiar with this area. If you’re looking for ideas, I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him. Perhaps you two can exchange some ideas?”

Just then, Xu Chuan emerged from his deep thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze fell on Mo Kun standing beside them.

“And this is?”

Xu Chuan looked curiously at the fourth person who had suddenly appeared. Anyone here was likely a mathematician, but this one had rather unique features. Not only was he horse-faced, but the bridge of his nose was also somewhat prominent. His looks were indeed average.

“This is Professor Mo Kun from Peking University. He’s an expert in number theory and fields, and also a member of my collaborative project with Peking University.”

“This is Xu Chuan, a good friend of mine.”

Artur Avila smiled as he introduced them.

“Oh, Professor Mo, hello.” Xu Chuan proactively extended his hand in greeting.

Mo Kun smiled and shook his hand. “Hello, Student Xu Chuan. I’ve heard about you for some time. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation. So young and promising.”

“I just heard Professor Avila say you were discussing non-commutative harmonic analysis and the theory of automorphic forms? Do you have any ideas you’d like to share?”

Without overthinking it, Xu Chuan smiled. “I have a bit of an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s a viable path.”

Hearing this, Mo Kun quickly asked, “What’s the idea?”

Xu Chuan said, “Professor Avila and I were just discussing automorphic forms and automorphic L-functions. Generally speaking, L-functions come from two sources: arithmetic L-functions and automorphic L-functions. These two are closely related. According to Robert Langlands’ conjecture, all meaningful L-functions originate from automorphic L-functions.”

“And the so-called automorphic forms are a special class of functions of a complex variable that satisfy a transformation law described by an automorphic factor under a discrete group of transformations. Strictly speaking, an automorphic representation is not a group representation in the usual sense, but rather a module over a global Hecke algebra.”

“Previously, in my research on the Weyl-Berry conjecture, I utilized the property that every boundary point of the Dirichlet function’s domain is regular and belongs to the same class of boundary points. I used this to transform the Laplace operator and the Laplace hyperbolic equation.”

“If we could construct a group field from this, we might discover something.”

“For instance, the study of functoriality can provide a driving force for the Langlands program. This type of research is generally conducted under the framework known as Howe duality or Theta correspondence.”

“But now, it seems possible to study the Dirichlet function to construct a field to transform the Laplace operator, and then use its curve equation restricted to the dual reductive group to realize partial functoriality.”

“This might be a viable path.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained some of the ideas he had just conceived.

Normally, unless they were on the same project team or had a very friendly relationship, researchers would not share their thoughts and detailed research ideas with other colleagues, especially unfamiliar ones.

This is because it could lead to your ideas being exploited or published first by someone else.

However, since this Professor Mo knew Avila and was a member of his project team, there was no harm in discussing it.

He had to admit, Artur Avila had truly brought him a huge surprise this time. He had never thought of applying this method to the fields of number theory and group theory before.

But now, it seemed like something he could try.

The Dirichlet function was truly a super treasure trove among functions; there was still so much more to be mined from it.

Chapter 143: The Strongest Genius in the History of Mathematics

“Use the regularity of the boundary points of the Dirichlet function to construct a function’s domain with a regular boundary, then introduce the curve equation through field extension to constrain the concept of the dual reductive group.”

In the auditorium of the Wenjin International Hotel, Professor Artur Avila muttered to himself for a few moments before his eyes suddenly lit up. He looked at Xu Chuan with excitement.

“Xu, you truly live up to your reputation as the strongest genius in the history of mathematics. This is incredible. With this method, it might actually be possible to constrain and determine the functoriality of a portion of automorphic groups.”

Xu Chuan’s expression turned awkward. What was this “strongest genius in the history of mathematics” all about? Who had given him that title?

However, in the middle of a discussion, he didn’t dwell on it. He nodded and continued from where Professor Artur Avila left off.

“Not only that. The first verified instance of the Langlands functoriality conjecture was on the functoriality between the automorphic representation of GL2 over an algebraic number field and the representation of the multiplicative subgroup of a quaternion algebra.”

“The functoriality proven in that classic work also proposed a relationship between the original form of Artin’s conjecture and the functoriality conjecture. Artin’s conjecture was also reformulated as a functoriality conjecture between two-dimensional complex representations of the Galois group and the automorphic representation of the GL2 group.”

“Therefore, Artin’s conjecture states that the Artin L-functions constructed on the Galois group are holomorphic, while the Langlands conjecture suggests that these Artin L-functions should, in essence, all be L-functions of automorphic representations.”

Hearing this, Professor Artur Avila fell into deep thought. But it didn’t take long for him to have a sudden realization. Half-doubting, half-certain, he said, “If we can prove Artin’s conjecture, then we could push the Artin L-function a huge step forward in the context of the Langlands conjecture?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “From a theoretical standpoint at present, that is indeed the case.”

Then, he shook his head and said, “But…”

“But solving Artin’s conjecture is simply too difficult,” Professor Artur Avila sighed, finishing the sentence Xu Chuan had left hanging.

Xu Chuan tacitly agreed and said no more.

Artin’s conjecture, also known as the New Mersenne conjecture, is an extension of the famous Mersenne conjecture, and it is a conjecture concerning prime numbers.

If one hasn’t heard of Artin’s conjecture or the Mersenne conjecture, then the familiar Goldbach Conjecture is something most people have likely heard of.

They are all of the same type—conjectures derived from prime numbers.

In mathematics, the first numbers people encounter are the natural numbers like 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Among these natural numbers, if a number is greater than 1 and cannot be divided evenly by any other natural number (except 1 and itself), it is called a prime number.

A number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. 1 and 0 are special, being neither prime nor composite.

As early as two thousand five hundred years ago, people had noticed this peculiar phenomenon. The ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, the father of geometry, presented a very classic proof in his most famous work, Elements.

Namely, Euclid proved that there are infinitely many prime numbers and proposed that a small number of primes can be written in the form “2^p-1,” where the exponent p is also a prime number.

This proof is called ‘Euclid’s theorem,’ a most fundamental and classic proposition in number theory.

Classics never go out of style. Subsequent mathematicians, while studying ‘Euclid’s theorem,’ derived various conjectures about prime numbers.

From the Mersenne prime conjecture to Zhou’s conjecture, the Twin Prime conjecture, the Ulam spiral, Gilbreath’s conjecture, and finally the exceptionally famous Goldbach Conjecture, and so on.

The conjectures derived from prime numbers are numerous, but the vast majority of them remain unproven.

The New Mersenne prime conjecture that Xu Chuan and Professor Artur Avila were discussing was one such conjecture derived from prime numbers. Also known as Artin’s conjecture, it is an upgraded version of the original Mersenne prime conjecture.

Among the many conjectures about prime numbers, its difficulty is comparable to the Twin Prime conjecture, second only to the famous ‘Goldbach Conjecture’.

【The New Mersenne Prime Conjecture: For any odd natural number p, if any two of the following statements are true, then the third is also true:

1. p = (2^k) ± 1 or p = (4^k) ± 3

2. (2^p) - 1 is a prime number (a Mersenne prime)

3. [(2^p) + 1] / 3 is a prime number (a Wagstaff prime)】

The New Mersenne prime conjecture has three interrelated problems. If two of them can be proven, the remaining one will naturally hold true.

In the history of scientific development, the search for Mersenne primes was once an important indicator for testing the development of human intelligence in the era of manual calculation.

Like an IQ test today, the more Mersenne primes one could calculate, the smarter that person was considered to be.

This is because although Mersenne primes appear simple, when the value of the exponent p is large, their investigation requires not only profound theory and masterful skills but also arduous computation.

Most famously, Euler, often hailed as the “God of Mathematics,” proved that 2^31-1 was the 8th Mersenne prime by mental calculation after he had gone blind. This 10-digit prime number (2,147,483,647) was considered the largest known prime in the world at the time.

An ordinary person would do well to add, subtract, multiply, and divide three-digit numbers, but Euler could mentally calculate numbers up to the billions. This terrifying computational ability, mental agility, and problem-solving skill truly earned him the reputation of a “Chosen One.”

Furthermore, in 2013, a research team led by mathematician Curtis Cooper at the University of Central Missouri in the United States discovered the largest Mersenne prime to date—2^57885161-1—by participating in a project called the “Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search” (GIMPS).

This prime is also the largest currently known prime number. It has 17,425,170 digits, which is 4,457,081 digits more than the previously discovered Mersenne prime.

If it were printed out in a standard 18-point font, its length would exceed sixty-five kilometers.

Although this number is incredibly large, in the context of mathematics, it is also very small.

Because ‘numbers’ are infinite and possess the concept of infinity, mathematically speaking, no one knows how many primes there are after the number 2^57885161-1.

This millennia-long quest, the most grandiose search in the history of mathematics—how many Mersenne primes are there, and are they infinite?—remains unanswered to this day.

Proving the New Mersenne prime conjecture would be no less difficult than the Weyl-Berry conjecture that Xu Chuan had previously proven.

To date, the most difficult prime number conjecture proven by the mathematical community is merely the Weak Goldbach Conjecture.

Namely: 【Any odd number greater than 7 can be expressed as the sum of three odd primes.】

In May 2013, Harald Helfgott, a researcher at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, published two papers announcing the complete proof of the Weak Goldbach Conjecture.

In the same year, the Chinese mathematician Professor Yitang Zhang also made significant progress in proving a prime number conjecture.

His research paper, “Bounded Gaps Between Primes,” was published in the Annals of Mathematics. It cracked a problem that had puzzled the field of mathematics for a century and a half, proving a weakened form of the Twin Prime conjecture.

Namely: there exist infinitely many pairs of primes with a gap of less than seventy million.

This was the first time anyone had proven the existence of infinitely many pairs of primes with a gap smaller than a fixed value.

But for the field of mathematics, whether it was the Weak Goldbach Conjecture or the weakened Twin Prime conjecture, these were merely the prelude to scaling the highest peaks.

They were like a resounding national anthem before a mountaineer sets off to climb Mount Everest. They could give the climber courage to a certain extent, but to rely on them to reach the summit of Everest was unrealistic.

“Xu, will you consider developing in the direction of number theory?”

After a moment of silence in the atmosphere, Professor Artur Avila looked up at Xu Chuan.

This youngest genius in the history of mathematics… if he were to delve into number theory, might he have a chance to pluck a great fruit in the field of prime numbers?

He couldn’t say for sure; after all, who could be certain of such things?

Artur Avila very much wanted to see the day the Goldbach Conjecture was proven, but he also didn’t want to see this new star of mathematics plunge into it for years or even decades without making any achievements.

Prime numbers have been studied for millennia. Countless mathematicians have thrown themselves into this enormous pit, and although they have proven many conjectures and solved many problems, the most difficult problems have never been solved from beginning to end.

There wasn’t even a glimmer of hope for a solution.

But if Xu Chuan continued to delve deeper into spectral theory, functional analysis, and the Dirichlet function, one couldn’t say for sure that he would make a contribution greater than the Weyl-Berry conjecture, but he would certainly be able to further expand the boundaries in these fields and broaden the scope of mathematics.

But if he switched to number theory, things would be uncertain.

Not every genius is a Terence Tao. At present, Xu Chuan’s mathematical talent did indeed seem higher than Terence Tao’s, but what would happen after he crossed into a new field, nobody knew.

Xu Chuan did not give Avila a definite answer. Over the past year, he had indeed read many books related to number theory, but it was not in his future study and research plans.

He was more inclined towards functions and analysis that could be practically applied to solve problems in physics, whereas number theory, which primarily studies the properties of integers, was considered pure mathematics.

Of course, with the development of mathematics today, it is impossible to say that any mathematical field is purely mathematical; it can always be linked to other fields.

For example, in statistical mechanics, the partition function is a fundamental mathematical object of study; in the analytic theory of prime number distribution, the zeta function is the fundamental object.

Therefore, this unorthodox interpretation of the zeta function as a partition function points to a potentially fundamental connection between the distribution of prime numbers and this branch of physics.

However, at present, the application of number theory to the field of physics is still relatively sparse, far less extensive than fields like mathematical analysis, functional transformations, and mathematical models.

So Xu Chuan was not very inclined to invest a large amount of time and energy into the field of pure number theory.

But studying number theory was a certainty.

Because number theory is not just pure number theory; it also has various branches such as analytic number theory, algebraic number theory, geometric number theory, computational number theory, and arithmetic algebraic geometry.

These branches all extend from pure number theory, that is, elementary number theory, in combination with other areas of mathematics.

For instance, analytic number theory uses calculus and complex analysis (i.e., functions of a complex variable) to study problems concerning integers.

The topics he and Professor Avila had discussed tonight had a certain relationship with analytic number theory.

Because the methods of analytic number theory, besides the circle method and sieve methods, also include the theory of modular forms related to elliptic curves, and so on. This later developed into the theory of automorphic forms, thus connecting it with representation theory.

Therefore, having a certain foundation in number theory was still very helpful for learning other areas of mathematics.

Chapter 144: The Opportunity at the European Organization for Nuclear Research

At the evening reception, Xu Chuan chatted for a while with Professor Artur Avila about automorphic forms and automorphic L-functions. After hearing Xu Chuan’s ideas, Professor Avila suddenly grew excited and pulled him aside to try and verify them.

The result, however, was predictable. Neither of them was an expert in number theory, and they got stuck shortly after they began their calculations.

But neither Xu Chuan nor Avila minded; this was perfectly normal.

In the field of mathematics, when tackling a difficult problem, especially a world-class mathematical problem, even a viable idea requires a very long time to fully verify.

On the other hand, Mo Kun, who had followed them, stared at the preliminary equations and the mathematical formulas on the scratch paper, lost in thought, his mind racing with unknown ideas.

As for Hu Xingjian, although he had also come along, besides wearing a look of utter confusion, he could only be part of the background.

The discussions tonight were a bit too profound for a graduate student like him. Even though this was his area of study, he couldn’t keep up with the pace.

But this evening’s exchange was an excellent opportunity for him, should he aspire to advance further in academia.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t understand the words or the verification process. In such discussions with a Fields Medal master, what one listened for were the thoughts and approaches of the big shots.

It was like using the regularity of the boundary points of the Dirichlet function to construct a function’s domain with a regular boundary, then introducing curve equations through field extension and restricting the concept of the dual reductive group to make a breakthrough in the functoriality conjecture of the Langlands program.

This was a complete line of thought—something one couldn’t learn in a school. To hear something like this was far more valuable than poring over books alone.

Fundamental knowledge is always there, ready to be learned at any time, but these kinds of boundary-pushing, groundbreaking theories and ideas are exceptionally rare.

Not everyone has the ability to feel their way to the edge of knowledge and expand it; the vast majority of people lack this capability.

Human knowledge is like an ocean. In ancient times, it was at its narrowest; those hominins perhaps only watched the sun rise and set each day.

But humanity’s innate curiosity drives people to explore.

From the phenomenon of lightning striking and starting a fire, to the process of creating fire by drilling wood, to the principle of friction generating heat.

Piece by piece, knowledge and principles were continuously poured into this ocean, becoming the very droplets of water that expanded it, pushing its boundaries, and eventually transforming it into a vast ocean of knowledge.

And every expansion of its boundary, regardless of size, holds great significance.

After receiving the Morningside Medal of Mathematics and giving a presentation on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, this year’s International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians was essentially over.

For Xu Chuan, this year’s congress had been quite fruitful.

Not only did he win a Morningside Medal of Mathematics gold medalist and twenty-five thousand US dollars, but he also gained inspiration and insights from his conversation with Professor Artur Avila.

Discussing mathematics with a top-tier mathematician was both a pleasant and a rewarding experience.

This was also why, after his rebirth, Xu Chuan was willing to take some risks to return to Princeton to study mathematics.

It was true that mathematics relied on talent, but talent couldn’t solve all your problems.

Without the discussion with and discovery by Professor Avila this time, there was no telling how long it would have taken for him to think of these things on his own—perhaps a few years, perhaps a few decades, or perhaps he might never have thought of it in his lifetime.

After cashing the prize check at the bank, Xu Chuan sent an email to Professor Deligne at Princeton, informing him that he would be heading to Princeton to study in the near future.

A reply came back quickly. Professor Deligne welcomed him and said he would be waiting for his arrival at Princeton.

Before leaving, Xu Chuan went to his Advisor Chen Zhengping’s office.

After all, he was going abroad to study, so he had to inform the university.

“Advisor, I’m getting ready to go to Princeton.”

In the office, Xu Chuan said his goodbyes. Chen Zhengping put down his work and asked, “When do you leave?”

“My flight is tomorrow,” Xu Chuan replied.

Chen Zhengping nodded. “Alright, go. You should indeed go to a higher platform to absorb more knowledge. I hope you will have more breakthroughs and achieve greater things in the future.”

After a pause, Chen Zhengping continued, “I never asked, after you go to Princeton this time, which direction do you plan to develop in? Will you continue your in-depth research in spectral theory and field extension, or do you have other areas of study in mind?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “There’s still a lot I need to learn. In mathematics, I’d like to try turbulence, smooth manifolds, chaos, analysis, functions, and algebra.”

“In physics, I’ll probably still start with particle physics. I haven’t solved that ‘Proton Radius Puzzle’ yet, so I’ll keep trying to see if I can solve it.”

“But in the near term, I’ll probably focus my attention on number theory and automorphic L-functions.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s long list, Chen Zhengping’s first instinct was to advise him to be more focused, but he held his tongue.

Logically, a person’s energy is always limited. Trying to learn everything means you’ll learn nothing well, or at least nothing in depth.

A scattershot approach, dabbling a little here and a little there, was the biggest taboo in academic research.

But from what he had observed so far, this taboo didn’t seem to apply to his disciple.

Never mind mathematics—the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, all of this was completed in less than a year.

In the eyes of an ordinary person, this was perhaps genius.

But in the eyes of insiders in the academic world like them, this was nothing short of a miracle.

For a world-class mathematical conjecture to be proven and elevated into a mathematical theorem was a process that in itself required an incredibly long time.

For example, Professor Andrew Wiles spent seven years proving Fermat’s Last Theorem, and applying Fermat’s Last Theorem to other areas of mathematics also took a very long time.

After all, to completely digest and understand the proof process of Fermat’s Last Theorem, then transform it into one’s own knowledge and apply it flexibly—this required a great deal of time.

Even for mathematicians in the same field, or even for Professor Wiles himself, it would require at least one or two years.

However, this rule also seemed to fail with Xu Chuan. After completing the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he had skillfully applied it to other fields in just over three months. This was beyond anyone’s imagination.

And besides his achievements in mathematics, his disciple had also revealed his talent in physics.

This wasn’t just referring to the IPhO gold medalist, but to the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

Chen Zhengping knew that Xu Chuan was researching the “Proton Radius Puzzle.” Not only had they discussed it, but he had also seen some of Xu Chuan’s later data analysis.

He couldn’t say for certain that the analysis was correct, but at the very least, he saw his disciple’s solid foundation in physics in that data.

Although it didn’t match his achievements in mathematics, it was honestly not bad at all—better than ordinary undergraduate and graduate students, and even some doctoral students.

This left Chen Zhengping greatly perplexed.

How on earth did his disciple manage it?

In less than a year, not only had he solved a world-class mathematical problem, but he had also made progress in physics, even exceeding his original expectations.

Furthermore, there were his achievements in the field of astronomy. Although they relied mainly on mathematical calculations, if one didn’t understand astronomy, it wouldn’t matter how good one’s math was.

Mathematics, physics, astronomy—succeeding on three fronts.

How on earth did he do it?

Perhaps people really are different. Perhaps there really are all-around geniuses in this world who can break the mold of common sense.

At this thought, Chen Zhengping swallowed the words that had already reached his throat.

“It’s good that you have learning goals. Take good care of yourself when you go abroad. If you need anything, you can find Lin Feng. Don’t be afraid to bother him.”

Xu Chuan nodded, not paying much mind to these concerns.

As long as the United States didn’t make a move against him, he would be quite safe at Princeton.

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you.”

After giving a few more instructions, Chen Zhengping slapped his forehead and said, “This July, I have an experiment and a conference at the European Nuclear Research Center. Would you like to go and see?”

“Is it the experiment you mentioned last year?”

Xu Chuan suddenly remembered Chen Zhengping telling him last year that he would be going to the LHC in Europe to conduct an experiment this year, and that if his studies were up to par, he could take him along for the experience.

“Yes. It was originally scheduled for this month, but there was an unexpected issue over there, which delayed all the subsequent experiments by two months. Mine was pushed to mid-July.”

“If you want to go, I’ll add your name to the project team. After you have this one experiment under your belt, you can apply to be an intern or a summer worker at the LHC later. You’ll be able to access first-hand collision data, which will be a great help to you.”

“And aren’t you researching the ‘Proton Radius Puzzle’? With work experience at the LHC, it’ll be much easier to apply for the use of a particle collider.”

Chen Zhengping nodded. Although his research focus in recent years had shifted from condensed matter physics and high-energy physics to materials physics, it didn’t mean he had given up his original research directions.

Since his disciple still didn’t want to give up physics and also had a talent for particle physics, it would be good to take him to this experiment to broaden his horizons.

Moreover, regarding the “Proton Radius Puzzle,” perhaps he could use this opportunity to apply for time on one of the colliders at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

There wasn’t much hope for the Large Hadron Collider, the LHC, but the European Organization for Nuclear Research had more than just that one collider. There were also small and medium-sized ones, whose performance should be sufficient for Xu Chuan to complete his experiments on this topic.

Even if he couldn’t cut in line this time, with this experimental work experience, subsequent applications would be much easier.

There were quite a few benefits.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you to take me along, Teacher. Just send me the specific time, and I’ll fly over directly from Princeton.”

Xu Chuan agreed. An opportunity to visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research was one he certainly had to take.

That was the home of the world’s largest particle collider. Over half of the world’s high-energy physics results came from the LHC. His own high-energy physics achievements in his past life were also mostly related to the LHC.

And this time, he might even find a chance to apply for a proton collision facility to conduct a couple of experiments and collect some data on the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

He didn’t expect to solve the problem with a single experiment, but there had to be progress, right?

Only with progress and results would it be easier to continue applying to use other people’s colliders.

It had to be said, he and Chen Zhengping had arrived at the exact same thought.

Chapter 145: Enrolling at Princeton

After bidding farewell to his Advisor and receiving an opportunity to participate in a high-energy physics experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Xu Chuan called home to let his family know he was safe and to update them on his plans before setting off on his new journey.

As for everyone else, there was no need for another special goodbye.

He had already had a farewell dinner with his close friends in the middle of the month, so there was no need to do it all over again.

His luggage was already packed and ready to go.

He took the high-speed rail from Nanjing to Shanghai, then boarded an international flight to Philadelphia. After more than ten hours in the air, a Boeing passenger jet touched down at Philadelphia International Airport.

Once the plane landed, Xu Chuan dragged his black suitcase out of the airport, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Princeton.

Although he knew many people in the United States, that was all in his past life.

In this life, he only knew a few math professors at Princeton and, of course, his Advisor’s disciple, Lin Feng.

However, since this wasn’t his first time in the United States, he felt it would be an imposition to bother someone to pick him up. Taking a taxi himself was fine.

To Xu Chuan’s surprise, the taxi driver he hailed was also Chinese.

“Which province are you from, young man?”

Upon seeing Xu Chuan, the middle-aged driver asked in fluent Mandarin.

Xu Chuan asked with some curiosity, “How did you know I’m from China? I could be Korean or from the island nation.”

The driver chuckled. “Heh, if I couldn’t tell the difference, I’d have lived my life in vain. Even though the Koreans and the devils both branched off from our country, we’ve been separated for so long. There are bound to be some differences in appearance.”

“To a white person, there might not be much difference, but people from the three East Asian countries can tell each other apart easily. How could we get it wrong?”

Xu Chuan smiled noncommittally at the driver’s explanation.

As the saying goes, the water and soil of a place nurture its people. Different geographical environments cultivate people with different temperaments. Even within China, there are noticeable differences between northerners and southerners.

A person’s temperament holds their life experiences, education, and the environment they live in. These things subconsciously influence the way a person presents themselves.

That’s why if you put a Chinese person, a person from the island nation, and a Korean person together, you could almost instantly tell which country each was from.

However, it was said that Westerners had a hard time distinguishing among people from the three East Asian countries by sight alone. To them, Chinese, Koreans, and people from the island nation all looked nearly identical.

Xu Chuan had no idea why they couldn’t tell the difference. Was it because their pupils lacked certain cells, preventing them from discerning the details?

Perhaps it was the rare chance to meet a fellow countryman in a foreign land, but the driver was exceptionally excited on the way to Princeton. He was quite talkative, chatting about everything from how to live safely in the gun-toting United States to the international situation and a comparison of life in China and the US.

From the driver’s words, Xu Chuan could tell he missed his homeland, so he couldn’t help but ask.

“Why don’t you choose to go back to China?”

Hearing the question, the middle-aged driver fell silent for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. “I can’t go back.”

Xu Chuan was puzzled. “?”

“It’s hard… to go back…” The driver shook his head again and continued, “For one, my child grew up here and goes to school here. He’s used to life here and can barely speak Chinese anymore. If we went back, he definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up in school.”

“On the other hand, I’ve tried applying to go back in recent years, but my applications were like stones dropped into the sea. I never received a reply.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan fell silent for a moment.

Once you left the country and immigrated, it wasn’t so easy to go back.

The drive of over an hour passed quickly. The driver took Xu Chuan all the way to the gates of Princeton University and handed him a business card before he got out.

“This is my number. You can call me anytime you need a car.”

Xu Chuan took the card, pocketed it, and nodded with a smile.

The driver had given him a good reminder. He would likely be living in Princeton for at least two or three years, and there would certainly be many times when he needed a car. He would have to find time to get a driver’s license and buy a vehicle.

In any case, getting a driver’s license was incredibly easy for him, and the driving test in the United States was much simpler than in China.

For example, in New Jersey, the written test had about forty questions, and you could pass with six or fewer mistakes. In China, it was a hundred questions, and you couldn’t get more than ten wrong.

Pulling his suitcase, Xu Chuan walked through the Princeton campus.

This was not his first time on this campus; he was all too familiar with it.

There’s a saying: “Any school with its own train is no simple place; first, there was Hogwarts, and now there’s Princeton.”

Princeton was a real-life Hogwarts.

When it was founded, the United States was still under the colonial rule of Great Britain.

Therefore, its various architectural styles bore a strong English influence. The ancient and exquisite Gothic architecture gave students the illusion of having stumbled into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Coupled with the purely academic atmosphere, it greatly resembled Hogwarts.

If anything was missing, it was probably the owls carrying invitation letters in their beaks.

Pulling his suitcase, Xu Chuan arrived at Princeton University’s administration building to complete his enrollment procedures and enter this world-class institution.

As of 2016, Princeton had ranked first on the U.S. News & World Report list for seven consecutive years. It boasted sixty-nine Nobel laureates among its alumni and faculty, ranking it tenth in the world.

Furthermore, fifteen Fields Medalists (third in the world) and fourteen Turing Award winners (fourth in the world) had worked or studied at Princeton University.

Among all Nobel Prize in Physics laureates, more than twenty had been professors at this school.

More importantly, it was home to the academic mecca of mathematics and physics—the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

This was Xu Chuan’s true goal for this trip.

In Princeton, besides Princeton University, there was also the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

The two were located right next to each other.

To the average person, they were one and the same university, but in reality, they were not.

Although the two had deep roots, they were not the same institution, and the Institute for Advanced Study was not part of Princeton University.

The Princeton Institute for Advanced Study is a world-renowned theoretical research institution, gathering the most elite scholars from various fields like mathematics, physics, history, and social sciences to conduct the purest, most cutting-edge research.

It is a research institution unburdened by any teaching duties, research funding, or pressure from sponsors.

It possessed the purest academic environment. Scholars like Albert Einstein, John von Neumann, Kurt Gödel, Robert Oppenheimer, and Yang Zhenning had all worked, and even spent their later years, at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

It was these brilliant minds who systematized scattered knowledge, constantly refined unproven theories, and even strolled back to the Princeton University campus to teach and guide students, cementing this place’s reputation as a sanctuary for mathematics and physics.

Xu Chuan hoped to leverage the capabilities of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study to break through and achieve his own goals in mathematics, and then use that to achieve a breakthrough in physics.

Following a corridor steeped in history, Xu Chuan found the admissions office he remembered.

After handing over some pre-prepared documents and the special invitation letter Professor Deligne had mailed him, his enrollment was processed in less than two minutes.

“Is the enrollment process at Princeton really this simple?”

The extreme simplicity of the procedure made Xu Chuan a little curious. In his memory, while enrolling wasn’t complicated, it wasn’t so simple that it could be completed by just signing your name a couple of times.

Hearing this, the staff member sitting at the desk smiled and said, “Your enrollment and student records were already registered by Professor Deligne. All you needed to do now was sign your name on the enrollment form.”

Xu Chuan understood. With Professor Deligne having arranged things in advance, his enrollment went smoothly, even though it wasn’t the official enrollment period.

After completing the procedures, the staff member handed Xu Chuan a file containing a freshman handbook and an admissions manual, along with a student ID and a dorm key.

“Here is the admissions manual, your student ID, and your dorm key. Your room is in Rockefeller College, third floor, room three-oh-six. The specific location is marked in the freshman handbook; you can find it by following the map.”

“Also, Professor Deligne asked me to tell you that he would like you to visit his office after you’ve finished enrolling. The professor’s office is in McCosh Hall, room 401.”

“I wish you a pleasant time studying and living here.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you for the message.”

After leaving the administration building, Xu Chuan dropped his luggage off at his dorm and then found Professor Deligne’s office.

Knock, knock~

After he knocked, a voice quickly came from within.

“Come in.”

Xu Chuan pushed the door open and entered. In the office, an old man with sparse, completely white hair was sitting at a desk, studying and calculating something.

“Professor Deligne,” Xu Chuan said, respectfully greeting the old man in the office.

Hearing the voice, the old man stopped writing, turned around, and smiled upon seeing Xu Chuan.

“You’re here, Xu. Have you taken care of the enrollment procedures?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “It’s all done.”

“Then welcome to Princeton. I hope you’ll have an enjoyable few years here and learn a great deal,” Deligne said with a smile, then continued, “After enrolling at Princeton, you need to choose a professor as your advisor. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Or perhaps, could you tell me your intended direction of study and research? I might be able to give you a recommendation.”

Xu Chuan asked, “Of course. But before that, I’d like to ask, besides mathematics, can I design my own interdisciplinary program to major in?”

Although many top universities in the United States, like Harvard and Yale, supported double majors, Princeton, regrettably, did not.

Princeton did not support a dual major; a bachelor’s degree was limited to a single department.

This meant you could only receive a graduation certificate from the mathematics department or the physics department, but not both.

Back in China, Nanjing University also didn’t support double majors, but at the time, to recruit him—a college entrance exam top scorer and double gold medalist—the university made an exception and granted him the achievement of a double major.

Here at Princeton, however, Xu Chuan didn’t know. The probability was high that they wouldn’t make an exception for him, even if he had already proven a world-class mathematical conjecture before enrolling.

Of course, what he was after wasn’t a double major degree from Princeton. He just wanted to secure the right, or rather the curriculum, to study both physics and mathematics. This would facilitate his future achievements in physics, as well as his applications to use Princeton’s resources and connect with more professors in the world of physics.

Chapter 146: Deligne and Witten, A Pair of Advisors

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Upon hearing this, Professor Deligne was slightly taken aback, then asked with some surprise, “You want to pursue a dual major?”

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Xu Chuan nodded. “Back when I was studying in China, I studied both mathematics and physics and earned a dual degree certificate from Nanjing University. I’m also very interested in physics and hope to be able to study it during my time at Princeton.”

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Professor Deligne thought for a moment before continuing, “Princeton doesn’t support dual degrees. Here, you can only choose one discipline as your major.”

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“If you’re also interested in physics, then I suggest you take the path of mathematical physics.”

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“In that regard, Professor Edward Witten would be a very good fit for you.”

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“He specializes in quantum field theory, string theory, and related topology and geometry. His contributions to physics include his proof of the positive energy theorem in general relativity, his work on supersymmetry and Morse theory, topological quantum field theory, superstring compactification, mirror symmetry, supersymmetric gauge theory, and his conjecture on the existence of M-theory.”

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“Although he is a physicist who majored in physics, his mastery of mathematics is something few mathematicians can match. His research in pure mathematics has been profoundly influential, and he was awarded the Fields Medal.”

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Although a bit surprised by Xu Chuan’s choice, Deligne still recommended a candidate to him.

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He was just slightly regretful, as he had originally intended to take Xu Chuan on as his own student.

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In his view, the young man’s talent in mathematics was unprecedentedly rare. It would be difficult to find another rising star in mathematics in this generation who could compare to him.

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Even Peter Scholze, previously considered the most outstanding mathematician of the younger generation, seemed slightly inferior when compared to him.

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After all, considering the short time in which he made such great contributions, he was simply too young.

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At the age of eighteen, he was able to solve a world-class mathematical conjecture.

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While it was impossible to say what peak he would reach in academia in the future, based on his current achievements, only a handful of people throughout all of history could compare.

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Naturally, Professor Deligne hoped to take such a genius under his wing. He himself had studied under the “Pope of mathematics,” Grothendieck, and was eager to see the ideas and works left behind by his teacher carried forward and glorified.

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He had originally seen this hope in Xu Chuan, but now it seemed a pity that the young man’s ambitions did not lie solely in the field of pure mathematics.

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Hearing Professor Deligne’s introduction, Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “I’m very interested in mathematical physics, but I want more.”

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“If Princeton doesn’t support a double major, then I at least hope I can take the same courses as other physics students and also choose a physics advisor.”

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“I’m willing to pay the tuition for both mathematics and physics, even if I can only receive a degree certificate from the mathematics department in the end. That doesn’t matter to me.”

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“I just want to study both mathematics and physics simultaneously. If I only choose one, I feel I might regret it later.”

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Hearing this, Professor Deligne raised his eyebrows. After a moment of thought, he said, “If that’s the case, perhaps something can be arranged.”

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“Although Princeton places great importance on rules, for a genius like you, some rules can be broken.”

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“So, can you tell me your choice of advisor now?”

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Having two advisors for one student might be rare in China and against the unwritten academic rules, but it was not a big deal abroad, especially at Princeton.

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It’s just that with two advisors, the student will certainly have a heavier workload.

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Especially at the graduate and doctoral levels, advisors have their own research experiments and tasks that require their students’ assistance.

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But Xu Chuan wasn’t concerned about this. If someone in academia was afraid of being tired, they shouldn’t walk this path at all; they might as well become a civil servant.

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“In mathematics, I’ve recently become very interested in number theory and differential equations. I plan to conduct in-depth research in these two areas.”

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Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan looked at Professor Deligne and continued, “In these two fields, you are undoubtedly a top-tier mathematician. Therefore, I hope to apply for your doctoral program. I wonder if you would welcome me, Professor.”

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He had already considered his choices before coming to Princeton.

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He was majoring in mathematics in this life. If he couldn’t pursue a dual major at Princeton, his only option would be the path of mathematical physics.

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However, he still fought for it and managed to secure the chance to study both mathematics and physics simultaneously.

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As for his advisor, the old man before him was an excellent choice.

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Professor Deligne was a student of the ‘Pope’ Grothendieck and a leading figure of the Grothendieck school, having made immense contributions in fields like number theory, algebraic geometry, and differential equations.

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He has won the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, and the Crafoord Prize—the three top awards in mathematics—making him one of only two people in the world to have achieved a mathematical “grand slam.”

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Besides his great achievements in number theory and algebraic geometry under his teacher, Professor Deligne also collaborated with others to use étale cohomology to construct representations of algebraic groups, established the theory of mixed Hodge structures, unified Hodge theory and l-adic Galois representations, developed the theory of Shimura varieties, and collaborated with Mostow to research the theory of monodromy groups of systems of differential equations.

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In fields like group theory and differential equations, he was a perfect fit for Xu Chuan’s goals. With the old professor’s knowledge, he was certain he could learn a great deal.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s choice, Professor Deligne nodded. “Of course, you are welcome. I have some understanding of number theory and differential equations and should be able to help you with some of your questions.”

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After a pause, Professor Deligne continued, “It’s just that both of these fields are quite broad, with a great deal to study and research. Do you have a specific research objective in mind?”

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“If you don’t have a research goal at the moment, you could also choose to join my research group. We are currently working on the ‘Standard Conjectures’ left by my advisor, Grothendieck, if you’re willing.”

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Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “The Standard Conjectures are a bit too difficult for me. I’m more inclined to pursue my own goals.”

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“Before coming to Princeton, I spoke with Professor Artur Avila. Some of the methods I used in my proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture—such as the Dirichlet function’s domain, field extensions, and how to transform functions into subgroups—seem to be worth exploring further.”

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“As for the research direction, a breakthrough might be possible by focusing on automorphic forms and automorphic L-functions within the Langlands program.”

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Professor Deligne was not dissatisfied or displeased at being turned down. On the contrary, he greatly admired Xu Chuan’s commitment to his own ideas and his goal of independent research.

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For someone like him, who had already reached the pinnacle of the mathematical world, what he hoped for more was to see the field of mathematics flourish and prosper.

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After some thought, Professor Deligne said, “The Langlands program is a vast proposition. Automorphic forms and automorphic L-functions have greatly advanced the development of analytic function theory. I haven’t researched this area extensively myself, but I do have some fundamental ideas. Once you’ve settled in, perhaps you can come and discuss them with me.”

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Xu Chuan: “Then I’ll be in your care for the next few years.”

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Deligne smiled. “You’re welcome. Since your mathematics advisor is settled, what about physics? Do you have someone in mind? I can act as an advocate for you.”

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Xu Chuan: “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher. For physics, I’d like to study under Professor Edward Witten. He’s a great fit for me.”

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For his physics advisor, he would, without a doubt, choose his advisor from his previous life, Professor Edward Witten.

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Professor Witten’s knowledge was so vast that even after studying under him in his past life, Xu Chuan hadn’t managed to exhaust it. There was still much to learn from him in this life.

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Moreover, Professor Witten was a leading figure at Europe’s major particle physics laboratory. Following him would mean he could be based there frequently, not only gaining access to firsthand collider data but also having a better chance when applying for collision experiments.

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Hearing Xu Chuan’s choice, Professor Deligne frowned. “If it were anyone else, or if you had chosen to study mathematical physics, I think Professor Witten would have accepted you as a student without hesitation.”

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“But now, I’m afraid it will be difficult. Professor Witten is even more stubborn than I am. I’m not confident I can persuade him.”

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“While dual advisors do exist at Princeton, they are usually within the same discipline, such as two mathematics advisors in the math department.”

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“A dual-advisor situation like yours, spanning two completely different subjects, has never happened before.”

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Xu Chuan smiled. “I’m well aware of that, which is why I made some preparations before coming.”

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As he spoke, he took out a stack of scratch paper and documents from the backpack on his back and handed them over.

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“These are some of my ideas and calculation manuscripts in physics. Although they aren’t as outstanding as my achievements in mathematics, they might be able to convince Professor Witten.”

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Hearing this, Deligne raised his eyebrows and curiously took the stack of papers from Xu Chuan.

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The Proton Radius Puzzle: A Mathematical Method for Precisely Calculating the Proton Radius.

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A Method for Calculating the Functional Relationship Between the Typical Distance l and the Particle Number Density n in Bose-Einstein Condensate Phenomena.

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Professor Deligne flipped through the papers, and the titles that met his eyes surprised him.

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At first, he thought it was about Xu Chuan’s achievements in astrophysics—the application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—and was about to say that such things would be of little use to Professor Witten.

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He didn’t expect them to be documents and manuscripts from other fields.

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Flipping through the documents, looking at the calculation formulas and data on them, Professor Deligne began to read them carefully.

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He remained standing like that for over ten minutes before finally coming back to his senses.

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He let out a long breath and said, “The calculations are quite impressive, but unfortunately, I don’t know much about physics, so I can’t determine if these things are correct.”

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“Let’s go. Professor Witten happens to be at the Institute today. I’ll take you to him. Perhaps these documents can convince him.”

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“It’s usually quite difficult to see him. Although he’s a professor at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, he’s usually based at the LHC.”

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Chapter 147: Neither You Nor I Am His Equal

Following Professor Deligne, the two walked through the Princeton campus. Princeton University and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study were right next to each other, close enough to walk.

They crossed the campus and made their way to Edward Witten’s office.

Deligne knocked on the door but didn’t wait for a response, walking straight in.

Inside the office, Witten, wearing a striped shirt, turned his head at the sound. Seeing it was Deligne, he had his research assistant in the office make some coffee.

“What brings you here?” Edward Witten asked curiously after taking a small sip of his coffee.

Although he and Deligne were good friends and both professors at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, they didn’t really have many opportunities to get together and talk.

For one, his research was centered on physics. For another, he spent most of his time at the European Laboratory for Atomic Energy, so his main workplace wasn’t here in Princeton.

Deligne took a sip of coffee and then calmly explained his reason for coming.

“So that’s how it is.” Edward Witten nodded in understanding.

However, he immediately declined Professor Deligne’s request, refusing to take Xu Chuan on as a student.

“There’s no need for me to be his advisor. If he’s interested in physics, he is welcome to come and discuss it with me anytime. I will teach him as if he were my own student.”

Neither Deligne nor Xu Chuan was surprised by Witten’s refusal.

Witten was a true prodigy, the father of modern string theory, and hailed by the physics community as Einstein’s successor.

A man like that was naturally proud beyond imagination. Since Xu Chuan had already become Professor Deligne’s student, he certainly wouldn’t take him on as well.

Fortunately, Xu Chuan had come prepared. He knew his former advisor from his past life very well, and the manuscript he had given Professor Deligne earlier was his way of opening the door.

At the side, Professor Deligne’s expression didn’t change at Witten’s refusal. He simply handed over the manuscript.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse, Witten. You should take a look at this first.”

Edward Witten didn’t immediately take the papers. Instead, he looked at Professor Deligne with a questioning gaze.

Deligne glanced at Witten and said calmly, “This is some of Xu Chuan’s research in physics. Although I don’t understand physics, the mathematical methods used here are quite ingenious. Perhaps you should take a look.”

“If you and I are geniuses, then he’s a monster. His talent in mathematics and physics is beyond your imagination. If we’re talking about talent alone, neither of us can compare to him.”

“In the several hundred years of modern mathematical physics, I can count the number of people with talent comparable to his on one hand.”

“Perhaps you can entrust the future of string theory and M-theory to him.”

At these words, Edward Witten was visibly moved. He couldn’t help but look at Xu Chuan. He knew Professor Deligne’s personality well. He was an exceptionally demanding man who, in his field, couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand.

For him to give such a high evaluation of the young man before him, even going so far as to suggest entrusting string theory and M-theory to him, was simply unprecedented.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took the stack of papers from Professor Deligne’s hand and began to read.

The Proton Radius Puzzle: A Mathematical Method for Precisely Calculating the Proton Radius

Seeing the title on the paper, Witten was slightly taken aback. As a professor in theoretical and high-energy physics, he was well aware of the Proton Radius Puzzle.

However, the problem wasn’t within his research scope. He wasn’t particularly interested in such foundational work, but that didn’t diminish the value of solving the Proton Radius Puzzle.

The proton is a fundamental component of the atomic nucleus, composed of three charged quarks bound together by the strong nuclear force.

But its boundary is fuzzy, like a cloud.

The physics community determines this using charge density, similar to the density of water molecules in a cloud; the proton radius is the distance from the core to the boundary where the charge density drops below a certain energy threshold. The proton radius can be measured by studying the interaction between electrons and protons and through scattering experiments, or by using electron or muon spectroscopy to observe the differences between atomic energy levels.

It’s no exaggeration to say that if the proton’s radius could not be determined precisely, a good portion of the foundation of particle physics would simply collapse.

Although he was somewhat skeptical of the paper’s contents, Edward Witten patiently continued to read.

Whether the contents of the manuscript were correct or completely wrong, he could still learn something from it.

At the very least, he could see whether this young man truly deserved his good friend Deligne’s praise.

In the office, Witten stood motionless, holding the manuscript, his hazel-green eyes shimmering with light.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Five minutes…

Professor Witten stood there, motionless, for over ten minutes, yet the manuscript in his hands was still open only to the cover page.

Seeing Witten like this, a smile curved Professor Deligne’s lips. Not wanting to disturb him, he found a seat for himself and blew on the foam of the coffee in his ceramic cup.

As for Xu Chuan, he calmly observed the layout of Witten’s office.

He was completely confident in his calculations regarding the Proton Radius Puzzle.

This was because, in the future, the proton radius was not a puzzle but a value that had already been precisely measured.

He was very familiar with the methods for measuring the proton radius, but what he was doing now wasn’t stealing someone else’s future discovery. Instead, he was starting from mathematics, using it to analyze this puzzle, rather than relying on a particle collider for confirmation like a physicist would.

Of course, support from particle collider data was indispensable. No matter how perfect a theory was, it still needed practical support.

It was just like Professor Witten himself. His theoretical breakthroughs and achievements in string theory and M-theory were unparalleled. If they could be proven, he would usher in a new era, taking the mantle of the physics world’s destiny from Einstein’s theory of relativity.

But unfortunately, even in his past life, before his rebirth, Witten and the physics community had still not found the supersymmetric particles needed to support string theory and M-theory.

And without the support of supersymmetric particles as a theoretical foundation, Witten could never win the Nobel Prize in Physics.

As the world’s most famous award, the Nobel Prize was more inclined towards physicists who had achieved practical results. There were far too many theories in the world of physics.

If the Nobel Prize in Physics were awarded to a theory that had not yet been fully proven, and that theory was later disproven, the prestige of the Nobel Prize would suffer a major blow.

Even for Albert Einstein, the telegram he received from the Swedish Academy of Sciences had stated:

“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award you last year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, in consideration of your work on theoretical physics, especially the law of the photoelectric effect, but without taking into account the value of your theories of relativity and gravitation, should they be confirmed in the future.”

And Einstein received the vacant 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. The official award citation was:

“for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

“Awarding his contributions to theoretical physics, and especially his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Of course, although the main reason for Einstein’s award was the law of the photoelectric effect, the Nobel Committee also expressed its respect for his theory of relativity.

Chapter 148: Witten’s Request

In his office, Witten stood motionless for a good ten minutes, holding the scratch paper in his hand before he finally came back to his senses.

However, after snapping out of his daze, he didn’t speak. Instead, he took the sheets to his desk, sat down, pulled out a fresh stack of scratch paper from a drawer, and began verifying the data with a pen.

Although the calculations on the paper regarding the “Proton Radius Puzzle” were not yet complete, the author’s ingenuity was already clearly evident.

The author had constructed a new method in these notes, a method titled “A New Calculation Method for the Proton Radius and its Extended Significance.” Building on this method, they reanalyzed the physical phenomenon of electron-positron pair production near a heavy atomic nucleus, solidifying the view that the intrinsic nature of a proton is a quantized vortex of a closed electromagnetic field.

It was a completely new approach. Although the calculation method on the paper was currently only aimed at the proton’s radius, Witten could keenly sense that it could likely be generalized to other particles as well.

Particles like electrons, neutrons, and fermions, for example.

What Witten found regrettable, however, was that the work on the paper was still only half-finished, falling short of a complete calculation method.

But it was already enough. The line of thought, the methods, and the grasp of particle physics they demonstrated were more than sufficient for him to see the author’s talent in physics.

This was something an ordinary physicist might not be able to develop even after a lifetime of research.

This young man Deligne had brought over truly deserved his praise.

No, that wasn’t right…

Staring at the scratch paper in his hand, Witten suddenly realized something.

What he held in his hands was not the full extent of the young man’s accomplishments; it was merely a small fraction. His greatest achievements were in the field of mathematics.

Although Witten’s own research wasn’t primarily in mathematics, as a Fields Medal laureate, he was certainly aware of any major discoveries or results in the mathematical community.

And for the past two years, the most significant result in the entire field of mathematics was the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture by the very young man standing before him.

To prove a world-class mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen, while also possessing such a deep understanding of physics—this was simply monstrous.

It was just as Deligne had said: if he and Deligne were geniuses, then this young man was a prodigy.

There have been very few people throughout history who could conduct such in-depth research in both mathematics and physics simultaneously.

The reason he had never found a suitable student to carry on his legacy was precisely this: his string theory, M-theory, and many other accomplishments required advanced mathematics to be fully understood.

As he thought, Witten’s gaze fell upon Xu Chuan.

Perhaps this young man Deligne had brought over really did have the ability to inherit his mantle. He was, indeed, a prodigy.

Witten was a very decisive person. Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and accepted the student.

With the matter of a second advisor settled, Witten spoke up. “The calculation method for the ‘Proton Radius Puzzle’ on these papers is incomplete. How long will it take you to finish it?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “If I shift the focus of my studies and research to this area, it will probably take another two to three months.”

Xu Chuan gave a relatively conservative estimate. In truth, if he went all out, he could complete the calculation method for the “Proton Radius Puzzle” in half a month at most.

This was also the first thing he planned to do after arriving at Princeton.

Because in July, he would be accompanying his advisor to the European Organization for Nuclear Research. This might be an opportunity to apply for time on a proton collider or particle collider to verify his data and completely solve the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

Witten nodded. “I imagine you already have a complete line of thought. In that case, I’ll add a little difficulty for you.”

He paused, then continued, “If you can complete this calculation method within forty-five days, I can take you to the LHC. We can apply to borrow their proton collider to see if we can verify your calculated data and resolve this issue once and for all.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was overjoyed and quickly replied, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Advisor. I will complete the calculation method for the ‘Proton Radius Puzzle’ as soon as possible.”

With Witten stepping in, borrowing the proton collider at the European particle physics laboratory was practically a sure thing.

Among the many professors and researchers at the LHC, his advisor’s standing was, if not in the top three, then certainly in the top five.

Beside them, Professor Deligne said, “Go back and prepare. From now on, you’ll be joining the intense academic life at Princeton. I hope you can forge your own path in both mathematics and physics. I’m going to chat with Witten a bit more.”

Xu Chuan nodded, bid farewell to his two advisors, and turned to leave.

After Xu Chuan left, Edward Witten took a sip of his coffee. “You know, what you did today really isn’t in your character. I never thought you’d bring your own student over to have him take on another advisor in physics.”

Deligne smiled faintly. “Aren’t you the same?”

At these words, Witten fell silent for a moment.

He was right. He was the same.

Knowing full well that Xu Chuan was already Deligne’s student, he had still chosen to take him on as well. This was not in his character.

The office was quiet for a while.

Suddenly, Professor Deligne spoke. “Did you know, I personally verified his proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture? I happened to be there when he proved it. At the time, he stood on the stage without saying a word, yet he completed the proof cleanly and decisively. The moment he put down the final period, I felt as if I saw a shadow of my own advisor.”

Witten was taken aback. “Are you sure?” he asked in surprise.

Deligne nodded. “For that one instant, I truly had that feeling.”

Witten raised his eyebrows. “That is some extraordinary praise.”

In the field of mathematics, if one wanted to praise a young mathematician, they would usually bestow upon them a title like “Grothendieck’s successor.”

For instance, Peter Scholze, the youngest W3 full professor in Germany and the genius who created the mathematical tool of p-adic geometry theory, was hailed as Grothendieck’s successor.

But to be compared to Grothendieck himself—in the more than a century since the dawn of modern mathematics in the twentieth century, you could count the number of people who had earned such an honor on one hand.

Those who had received such praise had, without exception, made immense contributions to the development of mathematics, and even science as a whole.

For example, Felix Klein. That’s right, the man responsible for the bottle that the entire Pacific Ocean couldn’t fill.

Or Henri Poincaré, widely recognized as the leading mathematician of the early twentieth century and considered by the mathematical community to be the last person to possess comprehensive knowledge of both pure mathematics and its applications. Even the “Pope” Grothendieck was not his equal in certain respects.

Deligne smiled and continued, “Regardless, it’s certain that he is a once-in-a-century genius. Perhaps there isn’t much we can do, but before he has fully matured, there are still some things we can do, aren’t there?”

Witten nodded. “Indeed. A genius like this shouldn’t be subjected to too many outside influences before the golden age of his academic life has passed.”

Leaving the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan walked across the Princeton University campus.

Returning here once again, his feelings were undoubtedly a little complicated.

But before long, he was stopped by someone.

“Hello, are you the Xu Chuan who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture?”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan was a little curious. Could there be another Xu Chuan who had proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture? He looked up and saw a blonde, blue-eyed girl. She didn’t look very old and seemed to be a Princeton University student, but he didn’t recognize her.

“I am. And you are?” Xu Chuan stopped and asked curiously.

Confirming that he was the person she was looking for, the girl broke into a brilliant smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Pashia Mires. I’m a doctoral student at Princeton University.”

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you too. Is there something I can help you with?” Xu Chuan nodded and greeted her.

“Can I add you on Facebook?” Pashia Mires asked, pulling out her phone.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. He was about to agree when he remembered that he hadn’t registered for accounts like Facebook or Twitter in this life. He smiled a bit sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t think I’ve registered for Facebook.”

Pashia Mires looked somewhat surprised. “Do you need me to help you register for one? Or, could you give me your email?”

Although he found the girl’s approach a little strange, Xu Chuan didn’t overthink it. He assumed he had run into a fan or a student who wanted to discuss mathematics with him, so he casually gave her his email address.

In the United States, while chat applications were widely used, their adoption was far from the level in China.

Even Facebook’s adoption rate was only around seventy percent in 2020. In contrast, WeChat’s adoption rate in China in 2020 was over eighty-five percent.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that WeChat had virtually no competitors in China.

Over here, people were more accustomed to keeping in touch with friends and obtaining information and services via email.

Compared to China, where almost everything was handled through WeChat, Americans were more used to extensive communication via email. On average, people sent and received two to three hundred emails a day, and over eighty percent of the population had at least two or more active email accounts.

This would seem incredible to people from China. Email was far less efficient for communication than instant messaging software. Why would the more developed United States cling to such an outdated tool?

After giving his email to Pashia Mires, Xu Chuan started to walk away. He didn’t expect her to follow him after just two steps.

Curious, Xu Chuan asked, “Is there something else?”

Pashia Mires smiled shyly. “Have you completed your enrollment procedures yet? If not, I can take you.”

Xu Chuan glanced at Pashia Mires and shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve already taken care of it.”

“Then have you chosen an advisor? If not, I’d like to recommend my advisor, Maryam Mirzakhani.”

“Maryam Mirzakhani?” Xu Chuan looked at Pashia Mires with a puzzled expression. He certainly knew the name Maryam Mirzakhani.

She was one of only two women to have won the Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize of mathematics.

The other was Maryna Viazovska from Kyiv, Ukraine, but she wouldn’t win her award until the future, in 2022.

As of today, Maryam Mirzakhani was indeed the only female Fields Medalist in the mathematical world.

In 2014, Mirzakhani received the Fields Medal for her “outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces.”

She had single-handedly broken the long-standing absence of female recipients of the Fields Medal.

However, in Xu Chuan’s memory, Maryam Mirzakhani was not a math professor at Princeton University; she worked at Stanford University.

So he was a bit confused as to why Pashia Mires had approached him.

When he asked this question, Pashia Mires answered without hesitation, “If you’re willing, I can have my advisor come speak with you personally and arrange for your transfer to study at Stanford University.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan finally understood. This girl was here to poach him.

“Thank you very much for the invitation, but I’m sorry, I refuse.”

Xu Chuan shrugged and rejected the offer outright.

Was she joking?

Even if he hadn’t chosen an advisor yet, he wouldn’t consider going to Stanford University.

Although Stanford University was also one of the top five universities in the United States, compared to Princeton, it was more than a step or two behind, at least in the fields of mathematics and physics.

And one couldn’t forget that Princeton also had the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study. The combination of the two formed the Princeton school of thought.

Since its rise after World War II, the Princeton school had virtually monopolized all the world’s top mathematicians. It could be said that almost every famous mathematician would come here to study and make a pilgrimage.

He could learn far more here than by going to Stanford. To give up the opportunity to study at Princeton and transfer to Stanford—was he out of his mind?

Besides, having a Fields Medalist as an advisor didn’t hold that much appeal for him.

Not to mention that he was already studying under two Fields Medal laureates, he himself had a greater than ninety percent—or perhaps even ninety-nine percent—chance of winning a Fields Medal at the mathematics conference in two years.

Originally, his chances were only around eighty percent. But in the last two months, he had expanded on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, extending it to the field of astronomy and using it to derive many results, including parameter calculations for various celestial bodies.

This had earned him a lot of points, covering up the weakness of his youth and the fact that his achievements were only in this one area.

The major awards in mathematics, such as the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, and the Abel Prize, didn’t pay much attention to one’s resume; they valued mathematical results more.

It was just like with the super master Grigori Perelman, who proved the Poincaré Conjecture. Before he was awarded the 2006 Fields Medal, he had refused almost every other math prize offered to him, yet the International Mathematical Union still awarded him the Fields Medal in 2006.

Regrettably, that master still didn’t attend the conference to accept the award in 2006, and later he even refused the Millennium Prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute, turning down the one million US dollar reward.

Although his proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture couldn’t compare to the Poincaré Conjecture in terms of difficulty and level, a conjecture at the low end of Tier 2 and the top of Tier 3 was still more than enough for him to secure a Fields Medal.

The reason it hadn’t been a sure thing before was partly due to his young age, and partly because the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians could truly be described as a clash of titans, a gathering of leading figures.

Setting aside Peter Scholze, who was a lock for a Fields Medal…

There were also Akshay Venkatesh from India, Alessio Figalli from Rome, Caucher Birkar from Iran, and others.

All of them were top-tier mathematicians who had made huge breakthroughs in their respective fields. Trying to snatch a Fields Medal from their hands was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Chapter 149: A Talent for Learning that Shocked Deligne

After taking just a couple of steps, Xu Chuan suddenly thought of another question.

He stopped and looked back at Pashia Mires, who hadn’t moved from her spot, and asked curiously, “I remember you just said you studied under Professor Maryam Mirzakhani?”

Pashia Mires thought there might be a chance to turn things around. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over.

“That’s right, my advisor was Professor Mirzakhani.”

“You said you’re a doctoral student at Princeton? But if I remember correctly, Professor Maryam Mirzakhani teaches at Stanford University, doesn’t she?”

Xu Chuan asked, a little puzzled. Why would a student of Professor Maryam Mirzakhani come to Princeton?

Was she an exchange student?

That didn’t seem right either. For most people, studying under a Fields Medalist would be the best possible choice. There would be no need to come to Princeton as an exchange student.

Hearing this, Pashia Mires shook her head, her expression a bit downcast. “Professor Mirzakhani was my advisor during my master’s degree. I came to Princeton in 2012.”

Xu Chuan understood at once. In that case, the young woman before him was truly a bit unlucky.

She had studied with Professor Maryam Mirzakhani during her master’s, then came to Princeton in 2012 for further studies. But just two years later, Professor Mirzakhani won the Fields Medal.

Although coming to Princeton for further studies was an excellent choice and would allow her to learn a great deal, the resources, status, and other benefits she could have gained from having a Fields Medalist as her advisor would have been far greater.

Not everyone could be like him, able to study under two Fields Medalists after entering Princeton.

He figured the young woman named Pashia must have missed this fateful opportunity.

Returning to his dorm, Xu Chuan cleaned the room and unpacked the luggage he had brought.

Princeton University’s resources were quite abundant. For example, when it came to accommodation, there were a full five residential colleges.

Each residential college included a series of dormitories, a dining hall, and other facilities such as study rooms, libraries, stages, darkrooms, and more.

There were quite a few single rooms like his, but not just anyone could successfully apply for one.

Even for a doctoral student at Princeton, applying for housing without an advisor’s help would most likely result in a double or triple room.

Xu Chuan didn’t have high standards for accommodation; he could accept a double or a shared room. But a single room was obviously better.

After all, he often stayed up late or even pulled all-nighters when engrossed in a problem or studying. If he had roommates, he would inevitably disturb them.

A single dorm room eliminated that trouble. He could do as he pleased.

After a simple cleaning and unpacking his luggage, Xu Chuan went downstairs to have dinner at an off-campus eating club before going to bed to adjust to the time difference.

Princeton University is the only one of the eight Ivy League schools located in a town renowned for its cuisine. The school is famous for its visiting chef program, where you can enjoy special dishes prepared in person by well-known chefs every week.

Unfortunately, these famous chefs were mostly masters of various Western cuisines and did not cook Chinese food.

If you wanted to eat Chinese food at Princeton, you had to go to certain special “restaurants” or “eating clubs” near campus. Only these places offered Chinese cuisine.

He had lived here for over a decade in his past life, so he knew better than anyone which places had food that best suited his palate.

However, Xu Chuan had somewhat underestimated his own influence. When he appeared at the Grand World of Delicacies Restaurant outside Princeton and was recognized, the entire restaurant instantly buzzed with excitement.

Xu Chuan had far underestimated the allure an eighteen-year-old top candidate for the Fields Medal held for the mathematics professors at Princeton University.

Especially since most of these professors, having already learned that he would be studying at Princeton, had instructed their assistants or students to recruit him if they ever ran into him.

So, while he was eating, Xu Chuan found himself constantly approached by people striking up conversations, handing him business cards, and recommending advisors.

By the end of the meal, he had collected more than a dozen business cards.

One of them was from the owner of the Grand World of Delicacies Restaurant.

The owner was a burly Chinese man, but his culinary skills were superb. When it came to preparing fish, he was brilliant with both freshwater and saltwater varieties.

His Sliced Fish in Hot Chili Oil, in particular, was an authentic taste of home.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of Princeton students rarely ate dishes like Sliced Fish in Hot Chili Oil made with freshwater fish such as grass carp, silver carp, or snakehead.

In the eyes of most foreigners, Chinese food was either too spicy, too salty, or too bland, and completely unsuitable for their stomachs.

To this, Xu Chuan could only think, You people really only deserve to eat hamburgers, sandwiches, and fries.

After politely declining all the students and assistants who came to recommend advisors and publicly stating that he already had one, things quieted down considerably. The endless stream of people approaching him finally stopped.

After a day or two of adjusting his routine and getting over the jet lag, Xu Chuan had more or less completely adapted to the lifestyle at Princeton. He also began receiving invitation letters from various clubs at the university.

It was worth mentioning that the various clubs established around the Princeton campus were a brilliant cultural landscape.

At this “compact” university, the total number of new students each year was just over a thousand, yet there were more than three hundred student organizations, thirty-eight sports clubs, and over a dozen chaplains and campus centers for students to pray.

These student organizations and clubs formed much of Princeton’s campus culture, and they were clearly stratified, with many being highly exclusive or having a distinct pecking order.

Take the eating clubs, for example.

Princeton has eleven eating clubs. Five of them allowed anyone to join, while six required a selection process.

Compared to fraternities and sororities, or other student societies, the eating clubs had a unique selection process called the “bicker” process, where students got to know the members of the eating club through academic “disputes.”

It was obvious that eating clubs requiring a rigorous selection process, like the Ivy Club, were filled with top-tier students.

But don’t be mistaken into thinking this was a structure similar to student unions in China.

Here, top-tier clubs could provide their student members with assistance and free guidance in many areas, such as study abroad applications, career planning, and academic exchanges. They also regularly held study abroad lectures and salons, inviting students from other prestigious universities like Harvard and Yale, as well as workplace elites, to share their valuable experiences in applying to study abroad and finding jobs.

It was a platform for high-end networking and resource sharing, which was why it had a strict selection process to filter for talent, step by step.

Of course, for truly top-tier talent, these strict selection rules were completely nonexistent.

Take the Ivy Club, the most prestigious club at Princeton University. Xu Chuan hadn’t even applied in this life, yet they had already delivered an invitation letter to his door.

In contrast, his experience in his previous life—going through the application, the traditional and ancient debates, and other steps just to join—was simply incomparable. The two experiences were worlds apart.

It just went to show that talented or capable people are welcome everywhere.

After dealing with the invitations from clubs and student organizations, Xu Chuan retreated to his dorm, preparing to immerse himself in completing the data calculations for the Proton Radius Puzzle.

But just then, he received a call from his advisor, Deligne.

Putting down his scratch paper, Xu Chuan went to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Most of the time, both of his advisors, Deligne and Witten, conducted their research at the Institute. As for teaching at Princeton University, they would go if they were in a good mood or if there was a major lecture; otherwise, they left it to their assistants or students.

For masters of their caliber, this was a perfectly normal way of operating.

Knocking on the office door, Xu Chuan walked in. In the office, an old man in a long-sleeved shirt was sitting at a desk.

“Advisor.”

Xu Chuan greeted him. Deligne looked up and put down his ballpoint pen.

“How have you been settling in these past two days? Have you adjusted to the time difference and all?”

Xu Chuan: “Thank you for your concern, Teacher. I’ve pretty much adjusted.”

Deligne: “That’s good. The sooner you adapt to life here, the sooner you can get into a state of study and research. Witten is still waiting for you.”

Xu Chuan nodded, “I’ll do my best to speed up my progress.”

Hearing this, Deligne actually smiled. “There’s no need to rush so much. Study and research should be integrated with daily life. Princeton has many interesting clubs and student organizations. Rugby, soccer, ice skating—you can try them out. After all, your health is the most important thing.”

Deligne advised him with a smile. He wasn’t worried that this student would slack off in his studies.

Whether it was him, Witten, or other professors at Princeton, they had all supervised students from China.

If nothing else, when it came to diligence and hard work, no students from any other country at Princeton could compare to those from China.

Sometimes, aside from eating, sleeping, and studying, they had almost no other recreational activities.

You couldn’t say such students were bad, but they lacked a bit of the inspiration and interaction necessary for academia.

And sometimes, it was precisely that bit of inspiration and interaction that could push a person further down the academic path.

Working in isolation was detrimental to scholarship and research. Apart from that “eccentric” Perelman, there had been almost no other research scholars who had achieved major breakthroughs by working in seclusion.

Inspiration and sparks are born from interaction and the collision of ideas. One person’s thinking is always limited.

Therefore, Deligne hoped that Xu Chuan would get out more, make some friends, and continue to absorb knowledge from the outside world.

Xu Chuan naturally understood this and nodded in agreement.

Although his style of study and research was somewhat similar to Perelman’s ascetic approach, he never denied the importance of communicating with top-tier peers.

“Oh, right. This is for you.”

After some simple chitchat, Professor Deligne took a certificate-like paper from his drawer, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan picked up the paper from the desk with some curiosity and glanced at it.

“A financial aid award?”

Deligne nodded. “Yes. When I was handling your enrollment paperwork earlier, I went ahead and applied for a full scholarship for you. You can take this to the administrative office later. It will waive your tuition and housing fees, and it also comes with a living stipend of one hundred thousand US dollars, which you can use for daily expenses.”

After a pause, Professor Deligne added, “Of course, with your achievements, you could have applied for it and gotten it yourself.”

Holding the financial aid award, Xu Chuan thanked Professor Deligne.

However, neither he nor Deligne paid much mind to it.

A full scholarship at Princeton, which included financial aid, scholarships, and waived tuition and miscellaneous fees, was very difficult to obtain, especially at the doctoral level, where competition was fierce.

After all, Princeton University’s tuition was outrageously expensive.

Not even mentioning the doctoral level, just the tuition for undergraduate students exceeded fifty thousand US dollars per year, which was about three hundred and fifty thousand yuan.

And besides tuition, there were housing fees, meal plans, and other miscellaneous costs.

All told, the cost of attendance each year was at least seventy to eighty thousand US dollars, nearly five hundred thousand CNY.

An ordinary family simply couldn’t afford such exorbitant fees.

A full scholarship would waive all tuition, miscellaneous fees, and housing costs, and even provide an additional living stipend, so naturally, it was something countless people would vie for.

However, a full scholarship application was also judged on a case-by-case basis.

For Xu Chuan, he was qualified enough to be a full professor at Princeton and write application letters and recommendations for other students. Now that he was enrolling as a doctoral student, if he applied for a full scholarship, Princeton would undoubtedly approve it, no matter how strict the review process was.

For a teenage genius who could prove a world-class mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen, no matter which university he went to, scholarships and the like were practically a given.

Even if he didn’t want it, the university would stuff it into his hands.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Xu Chuan finally settled down at Princeton University and began to immerse himself in refining the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle.

If he were an ordinary doctoral student, after choosing an advisor, he would certainly have work as a teaching assistant or a research lab assistant.

Xu Chuan was no exception. Professor Deligne had assigned him the role of a teaching assistant, but the hours were not mandatory. He was told to prioritize completing Professor Witten’s request first.

Deligne wasn’t worried that this student would neglect his mathematical knowledge. Although the Proton Radius Puzzle was a problem in physics, since Xu Chuan’s research stemmed from mathematics, it was ultimately a study in mathematics.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was early July.

For the past month, besides refining the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle every day, Xu Chuan had also been studying other mathematical subjects with Professor Deligne.

He focused mainly on number theory and differential equations, which he wanted to learn, while the old professor would occasionally teach him some algebraic geometry.

After all, having studied under Mr. Grothendieck, the Pope of algebraic geometry, algebraic geometry could be considered a required course.

This month of study gave Xu Chuan a deeper understanding of his mathematics advisor.

His choice had not been wrong in the slightest.

Although this advisor had lived his entire life under the shadow of being the Pope’s student—an honor, but also an inescapable tragedy—the old man’s knowledge was truly vast and boundless, giving one the feeling of a bottomless depth.

Over the past month, almost all the problems he encountered while studying number theory were answered and inspired by this old man.

Just as Xu Chuan was amazed by Professor Deligne’s knowledge, Professor Deligne was equally amazed, and even shocked, by Xu Chuan’s talent.

During this month, Xu Chuan had mainly studied analytic number theory with him, holding nothing back.

At the beginning, this young genius had many misunderstandings and gaps in his knowledge of analytic number theory.

But in just one month, he was already able to use multiplicative number theory to study the properties of multiplicative generating functions with him and discuss the problem of the distribution of prime numbers.

Although multiplicative number theory was only a part of analytic number theory, it still sent a great shock through him.

He was truly the teenage genius who had solved a world-class conjecture at the age of eighteen. His terrifying learning speed and mathematical talent were the greatest he had ever encountered in his decades of teaching at Princeton.

Even Terence Tao, hailed as the “Mozart of Mathematics,” and the mathematical talent he displayed when he studied at Princeton, paled slightly in comparison to this young man.

Chapter 150: Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle

In Professor Deligne’s office at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan concluded his afternoon of study.

He set down his ballpoint pen, rolled his head, and stretched. A series of pops and cracks echoed from his joints, drawing the gazes of the others in the office.

This had become a common sight here over the past month.

Anyone who came to visit Professor Deligne knew that he had taken on a new student who was currently studying under him.

Some were curious about this new student. The old professor had stopped personally supervising students long ago, so why had he made an exception this year?

Others, who were in the know, were filled with silent admiration. Here was a man who already stood at the pinnacle of the field of mathematics, yet he had chosen to return to academia to immerse himself in learning. The strength of his perseverance and the vastness of his ambition were something to behold.

In the office, Xu Chuan paid no mind to the others’ gazes. He simply organized the textbooks, notebooks, and scratch paper on his desk.

Over the past month, he had gained a great deal in mathematics, not only in number theory and differential equations but also in some fundamental concepts of algebra and geometry.

Not only that, but he had also seen some of Grothendieck’s “original manuscripts” through Deligne—original drafts written in French, including works like Draft of a Program and Scheme Theory.

These were works the Pope had compiled with other mathematicians while he was still active in the field.

Regrettably, because his research had been applied to military warfare, the Pope in his later years recalled the copyrights to nearly all of his published works.

To the field of mathematics, the original manuscripts in Deligne’s possession were akin to the original drafts of the Bible before it was compiled. Their value was immeasurable, not just for collection purposes, but for their boundless academic worth.

Xu Chuan received one of these original manuscripts from Deligne as a gift—a manuscript on functional analysis. It wasn’t thick, only a dozen or so pages, but it sent him into a state of ecstasy.

Nothing could be more valuable than this.

The only slight regret was that he couldn’t read the original manuscript immediately. This masterpiece, personally penned by the Pope Grothendieck, was in French.

And he had never studied French, so he couldn’t understand it.

But that didn’t matter. It was just a language. Learning it wouldn’t be difficult for him; a month or two at most would suffice.

“Advisor, starting tomorrow, I’ll need to take some time off.”

After packing his things, Xu Chuan slung his backpack over his shoulder, walked over to the old man at the desk, and made his request.

“Of course.”

Deligne nodded, agreeing to his request without hesitation. He didn’t even ask how long he needed or what the leave was for.

If it had been any other student, he might have inquired about the duration and purpose of the leave.

But for the student standing before him, there was simply no need.

Although this student had only been studying with him for a month, he had already witnessed his disciple’s thirst for and love of knowledge.

A person like this would not lose their direction or goals, even without supervision.

After leaving his advisor’s office, Xu Chuan didn’t head straight back to his dorm. Instead, he went to a supermarket to buy some food—canned goods, ready-to-heat meals, fruit, and so on.

He planned to stay indoors for the next few days to finish the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle in one go.

There was no end to learning mathematics, but his work on the Proton Radius Puzzle, after a month of gradual refinement, was now nearing its conclusion.

To ensure there were no issues, Xu Chuan chose to set aside a block of uninterrupted time to focus on verifying his previous calculations and completing the final parts.

He gave himself a week. A week, on top of his previous work, should be enough.

After buying his food and daily necessities in advance, Xu Chuan shut himself in his small dorm room, which was less than twenty square meters.

Seated at his sturdy wooden desk, Xu Chuan took out all the scratch paper related to the Proton Radius Puzzle and began a complete review from the very beginning.

He checked his work at a considerable speed, his eyes only needing to sweep across the pages. He didn’t meticulously re-verify every single step.

He already knew all of this by heart. A quick glance was enough to tell if there were any mistakes.

Occasionally, however, Xu Chuan would pause his gaze, pick up his pen, and jot down some calculations on the paper.

These were minor flaws or cumbersome sections left over from his previous work. Now, he had more concise methods to replace them. They wouldn’t affect the final answer, but they would optimize the process and reduce the computational load.

He would not pass up an opportunity to strive for greater perfection.

After several hours, Xu Chuan had combed through all the scratch paper detailing his calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle from start to finish. Only then did he proceed from where he left off to complete the work.

Although this was time-consuming, it had its benefits. On one hand, it ensured his previous work was flawless. On the other, it allowed him to perfectly tune his mindset to the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle.

It was like exercising: a good warm-up effectively increases the body’s cellular activity before intense physical exertion.

Time ticked by. For a full week, apart from occasionally stepping out for a meal or to get more supplies, Xu Chuan never left the small room of less than twenty square meters.

Analyzing the Proton Radius Puzzle using mathematics proved to be much more difficult than he had imagined. Especially as he neared the end, he encountered a rare problem of atomic elastic scattering interface charge interference.

It was a classic physics problem, and someone without a background in particle physics would have no idea where to even begin.

Fortunately, physics was his original field. In the end, Xu Chuan successfully solved the problem using a Fourier transform of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of the proton’s charge.

It took two or three days longer than he had anticipated, but supplemented by his work from the previous months, he finally completed the task.

The ballpoint pen in his hand jotted down the final point on the scratch paper:

【Partial new formulas for electron and proton properties and their physical significance. Energy-to-charge ratio formula: mC²/q = ½ ∫ εE·dS = ½(1/4πε₀)(Er/4πε₀Er)】

【…】

【Using this method to calculate experimental data obtained from spectroscopic experiments and charged particle-proton scattering experiments.】

【The proton proper (radius Rp = 7.65×10⁻¹⁹m) undergoes a circular motion linked to its de Broglie wave at a quarter of the speed of light, orbiting within a radius of Rp’ = 0.8414×10⁻¹⁵m ± 0.0019 fm (i.e., second-level spin motion).】

【The second-level spin motion of the proton proper forms the proton’s spin body (radius Rp’ = 0.8414×10⁻¹⁵m ± 0.0019 fm), and the circumference of its orbit is equal to one de Broglie wavelength of the proton proper moving at a quarter of the speed of light.】

As his ballpoint pen sketched out the last piece of information on the paper, Xu Chuan’s eyes shone as he stared at the sheets on his desk.

After a total of four or five months, he had finally perfected this method. The world of physics now had a new way to calculate the proton’s diameter—a “pseudo-first-principles calculation formula” that started from first principles but incorporated some experimental data.

As for a purely first-principles calculation that could precisely determine the proton’s radius, no one in the entire physics community had yet achieved it.

Xu Chuan hadn’t tried, nor did he want to spend all his time on it. Unless he could make an even more astonishing discovery regarding the proton’s radius, it simply wasn’t worth it.

Currently, most discussions in physics about atomic structure rely on the much-criticized Bohr model, in which electrons orbit the nucleus in circles.

In the common understanding, the structure of an atom is like the Solar System, with electrons like planets orbiting the nucleus (the sun).

But quantum mechanics, the foot in the door to modern physics, gives us a more precise and far stranger description.

“Electrons do not orbit the nucleus!”

In quantum mechanics, an electron is a wave. It only exhibits particle-like properties when we conduct an experiment to determine its position.

And when electrons orbit an atom, they exist in a superposition of particle and wave states. The wave function simultaneously contains all probabilities of their positions.

A measurement collapses the wave function, yielding the electron’s position. If you make a series of such measurements and plot the different locations, it will produce a blurry orbital cloud.

In other words, an electron can appear anywhere within the atom, even within the proton itself.

It sounds incredible, but from the perspective of quantum mechanics, this is indeed possible.

And this strangeness of quantum physics extends to the proton as well.

A proton is composed of three charged quarks, bound together by the strong nuclear force. But its boundary is fuzzy, like a cloud containing three water droplets.

If the “cloud’s” boundary is fuzzy, how can one determine its diameter?

Physicists rely on charge density to do this. Similar to the density of water molecules in a cloud, once you determine that the water molecule density is above a certain boundary value, you can precisely define the diameter of this ‘cloud’.

The same is true for the proton.

A proton is not a perfect sphere; it doesn’t have an absolutely precise radius. Its radius is the distance from its core to the boundary where its own charge density drops below a certain energy threshold.

One can only imagine the difficulty of measuring such a boundary.

But where there is a need, someone will find a solution. The proton’s radius was estimated early in the development of physics using mathematical methods. Then, as time went on and with the development of various high-precision physics equipment, this number was measured precisely, eventually being determined as 0.879 ± 0.011 fm (1 femtometer = 10⁻¹⁵ meters).

Of course, this was just an “average value” taken from many different measurements around the world, and it already accounted for sufficient error margins.

Before 2010, this number was adopted by CODATA (the Committee on Data for Science and Technology) and established as the radius of the proton.

But then, in 2010, a spectroscopic measurement using muons challenged this value.

In an experiment conducted by physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, they used muonic hydrogen, replacing the electron orbiting the nucleus with a muon as the experimental material.

Because a muon is nearly two hundred times heavier than an electron, its orbit is much smaller, and thus the probability of it being inside the proton is significantly higher (ten million times higher).

And because it is closer to the proton, the sensitivity of this measurement technique was increased by a factor of ten million.

The team of physicists had originally just hoped that their measurement of the proton radius would be roughly the same as previous experiments, thereby adding more certainty to the 0.8768 femtometer figure.

At the time, no one thought there would be any surprises in this experiment. After all, theoretically, there is no difference between an electron and a muon other than their mass and lifetime.

However, as if on cue, the unexpected happened.

In this experiment, the proton radius they measured was significantly lower than the value given by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA), at its lowest dropping to an astonishing 0.833 femtometers.

Even after accounting for the influence of energy level shifts caused by the muon being inside the proton, and then taking the average and error, the radius was 0.84184 ± 0.00067 fm.

This experimental result caught the researchers at the time completely off guard. After all, the proton radius is part of the very foundation of physics.

After the results were published, more physicists joined the investigation.

But thereafter, more spectroscopic experiments further confirmed the smaller proton radius.

Experiments in various countries all indicated that the proton’s radius should be smaller than previously thought.

What was puzzling, however, was that the proton radius obtained through scattering experiments remained stubbornly around 0.8768 femtometers.

In other words, two different testing methods produced a 5% discrepancy. This five percent gap became known as the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

And as of today, this puzzle has finally been solved.

Of course, that’s assuming Xu Chuan’s calculation method is correct.

At his desk, Xu Chuan tossed his ballpoint pen aside, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and then threw himself onto his bed. Soon, the soft sound of snoring could be heard.

To perfect the method in his hands, he had gone more than thirty hours without proper sleep. The closer he got to the end of the puzzle, the more excited his mind became, which was enough to fight off physical exhaustion.

Now that he finally had the result, the thread of tension in his mind finally snapped.

Xu Chuan slept straight from four in the afternoon until past three the next morning.

Waking up, he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Wiping his wet hair with a towel, he walked over to his desk.

The chaotic pile of scratch paper on the desk was a testament to the ordeal that had taken place there.

Casually picking up a sheet from the desk, Xu Chuan’s gaze fell upon the final answer.

Based on the results calculated with the current data, the smaller proton radius would be the answer for the world of particle physics.

The charge radius of the proton, as observed through countless experiments, was not as large as people had imagined.

And this meant that before 2010, the data observed by the entire physics community was wrong.

Or rather, there was a huge systematic error in their experimental processes that led to this result.

He still didn’t know where this error came from, but mathematics doesn’t lie. The problem was real.

At this thought, a smile tugged at the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth.

When this answer was released, it would likely send shockwaves through the entire field of physics.

After all, even today, there were many who believed the proton’s charge radius was the larger value, the 0.8768 femtometer figure.

Chapter 151: The Negligent Nature Journal

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan searched all over for his advisor, Edward Witten, but couldn’t find him. His calls wouldn’t go through either.

Ultimately, he found his senior, Lin Feng, and asked, only to learn that the old professor was not currently at Princeton. He had flown to the European Laboratory for Atomic Energy a few days ago.

Xu Chuan hung up the phone, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. This old gentleman really was something else.

Aside from assigning him a task during their very first meeting, he had been completely hands-off, neither asking nor caring about Xu Chuan’s progress. He hadn’t even assigned him any teaching assistant duties. The two of them had barely communicated since.

It had gotten to the point where he, the student, had absolutely no idea where his advisor had gone.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan was about to return to his dormitory when he had a change of heart. He turned and walked towards Professor Deligne’s office.

Since he was already here, there was no reason not to greet his other advisor.

He knocked on the door. Hearing a voice from inside, Xu Chuan pushed the door open and walked in.

Compared to the globetrotting Witten, Deligne’s whereabouts were far more predictable. He could usually be found in his office at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Seeing that it was Xu Chuan who had entered, Deligne put down his ballpoint pen and asked, “How is your research coming along?”

Although he hadn’t asked what his student had taken leave for, he could guess. As expected, he was likely researching the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

It was only natural for an advisor to be concerned about the progress of his student’s research project.

Xu Chuan replied, “It’s already completed.”

Hearing this, a trace of astonishment flashed through Deligne’s dark brown eyes.

If he remembered correctly, it had only been a short week since this student of his had asked him for leave, right?

He solved that problem in just one week?

It seemed impossible no matter how one looked at it.

“Let me see your new method.”

Deligne spoke, knowing that Xu Chuan would certainly be carrying the manuscript with him.

“One moment.”

Xu Chuan responded, taking off his backpack and pulling out a stack of scratch paper, which he handed over.

Professor Deligne took the papers and lowered his head to look at them.

He was no longer as ignorant about the Proton Radius Puzzle as he had been before. Some time ago, he and Witten had discussed the matter.

It was a conundrum for the entire field of physics. Ever since the problem emerged in 2010, it had been impossible to obtain a relatively stable value for the precise charge radius of a proton.

It jumped back and forth between 0.879 ± 0.011 femtometers and 0.833 ± 0.00067 femtometers.

The diameter of the same particle, when measured by two different methods, yielded a massive difference—so large that it exceeded the permissible margin of error, so large that it directly shook the very foundations of particle physics.

Five or six years had passed, and the physics community had yet to find the reason for this discrepancy.

Nor could they determine which of the measured values was closer to the correct proton charge radius.

If this problem were in the field of mathematics, it would be no less difficult than the Twin Prime conjecture.

However, physics was a bit special compared to mathematics.

Mathematics could only rely on a pen, a piece of paper, and the mind of a researcher.

Physics was different. Many physics problems could be solved through physical experiments.

Take the Proton Radius Puzzle, for instance. It appeared in a physical experiment, and its final solution would inevitably be achieved through a physical experiment.

It was just that the time required might be quite long.

After all, no one could say for sure how long it would take for the physical equipment used in experiments to be developed, updated, and iterated.

A breakthrough might happen overnight, or ten years could pass with no progress at all.

Mathematics, on the other hand, could allow physics to solve problems in advance, even when equipment performance was insufficient.

For example, with the Proton Radius Puzzle, the radius of a proton could, in theory, be calculated entirely from first principles in mathematics.

It was just that no one had been able to do it yet.

Calculating the information of a proton within an atomic nucleus from first principles was so difficult that it was elevated from the level of the Twin Prime conjecture to that of the Goldbach Conjecture.

Deligne didn’t think his student could calculate the proton radius from first principles in such a short time. That was impossible; even his own advisor, Grothendieck, couldn’t do it if he were resurrected.

But even a new calculation method for the proton radius was an extraordinary achievement.

In the office, Professor Deligne flipped through the scratch paper in his hands.

Xu Chuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He found a cup, brewed a coffee, and grabbed a mathematics journal to read while he waited.

The coffee in Professor Deligne’s office was of excellent quality, the expensive, hand-ground kind.

But to be honest, he couldn’t taste much of a difference between this hand-ground coffee and the instant kind.

Perhaps the texture was a bit silkier?

In any case, he was indifferent to coffee, but right now, there was nothing else to pass the time.

Xu Chuan slowly finished his cup of coffee, and Professor Deligne still hadn’t finished reading the papers in his hands.

After waiting a little longer, Deligne finally tidied up the stack of papers and handed them back.

“Extremely precise mathematical calculations. Your ability in functional analysis is much deeper than I imagined. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to imagine this came from a young man not yet twenty years old.”

Even though it was his own student, Deligne did not spare his praise.

In fact, the mathematical methods used in this calculation method were exquisite even to him, especially the Fourier transform of the three-dimensional spatial distribution of the proton’s charge used at the end to solve the atomic elastic scattering interface charge interference problem.

He had even gained a sliver of inspiration from it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so long reading and contemplating it.

Besides, while praise might cause other students to become conceited and develop negative traits like arrogance, this disciple of his had every right to be.

Looking at all the mathematicians under the age of thirty in the entire field of mathematics, it could be said that not a single one could compare to him.

Hearing Deligne’s praise, Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly and said, “Compared to you, Teacher, I still have much to learn.”

Deligne said, “This new calculation method is excellent. Although I cannot determine if it is correct for the field of physics, the mathematical methods within are相當精妙. Who are you planning to submit it to?”

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “I’m not sure yet. I haven’t really thought about it. Perhaps I should let Advisor Witten look at it first before deciding?”

Deligne glanced at the calendar on his desk and said, “Today is July fourth. Witten might not be back until closer to the tenth. You can organize the document first, type it into the computer and email it to him to have a look. You can also post it on arXiv first.”

The arXiv preprint server was originally a place for physicists to communicate.

Although it was now dominated by computer science, it was undeniable that many physicists still used it to exchange their ideas.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I will do that.”

Deligne smiled. “If this method is correct, the world of physics will be shaken by you.”

This was no exaggeration. Since its appearance, the Proton Radius Puzzle had perplexed and captivated the entire particle physics community, and even the fundamental physics community.

Solving this puzzle was hugely significant for understanding the laws of physics, and not just because the physics community would gain a more precise piece of data.

More importantly, it would greatly promote the development of physics, such as theories like quantum electrodynamics, which describes how light and matter interact.

After returning to his dorm from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan organized his calculation method for the “Proton Radius Puzzle” and began typing it into the computer.

It was a tedious job, but one that required the utmost patience and meticulousness. He had to constantly check every character he typed into the computer, looking for any errors.

In a research paper like this, a single mistyped word, character, or even a punctuation mark could have serious consequences.

At best, the review editor might consider you unprofessional; at worst, it could invalidate the entire proof process of the paper.

This was not unheard of, especially in the field of mathematics.

Previously, a mathematician from the United States, when completing a proof on a real number theory involving an exponential function, had made a mistake when uploading a mathematical symbol.

As a result, when the journal reviewed it, the paper was immediately rejected with the comment that there was a serious error in the core proof process.

Fortunately, the error was discovered during a subsequent check. After the correction was made, it eventually passed the review successfully.

Xu Chuan didn’t want to make that kind of mistake; it would be a laughingstock, too embarrassing to even mention.

It took him more than a day to type the entire calculation method from the scratch paper into the computer.

After checking it and confirming there were no problems, he first uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server, then found his advisor Witten’s email and sent it over.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan opened his email again, found his advisor from Nanjing University, Chen Zhengping, in his contacts, and sent him the calculation method for the “Proton Radius Puzzle” as well.

Officially, he was still a doctoral student at Nanjing University.

He had come to Princeton for his PhD as an exchange international student, but he had used his own invitation letter, not a school-provided exchange slot, so there was no time limit on his stay.

As for what was left, it was to wait.

Mainly, he was waiting for Professor Witten’s reply.

If he confirmed there were no issues, then the research paper was basically fine. Then he could choose a journal to submit it for publication.

As for which journal to submit to, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

This was the first time in his life he was truly showcasing his abilities in physics. The choice of journal for the paper naturally had to be the most suitable and the best.

There were many top-tier journals in physics, such as Physical Review Letters, Applied Physics Letters, Nature Physics, Science, Physical Review A/B, Advances in Physics, and so on.

But to be honest, it would probably be impossible to single out “four great journals” in physics as one could in mathematics.

Apart from a few journals that accepted all categories of physics, most of these top physics journals had their own areas of focus. It was a bit like a situation where a hundred flowers bloom.

In the world of physics today, in terms of reputation and prestige, Nature and Science are at the highest level, with PRL (Physical Review Letters) being relatively lower.

Therefore, when ordinary researchers have results they think are suitable for publication in Nature or Science, they generally won’t submit to PRL first.

If they were researchers from China, they would often submit to Nature first. If rejected, they would try Science, and only then would they choose PRL (Physical Review Letters).

But frankly, Xu Chuan didn’t particularly like the journal Nature, despite its tremendous reputation and high impact factor.

This was because it had been exposed multiple times for publishing papers with “academic misconduct.”

The most serious and widely-known cases were two instances of fraud in Nobel Prize-level medical research papers.

The first was the famous case of Haruko Obokata from the island nation and her fraudulent paper on all-purpose cells.

The other was an incident that would be exposed in the future, involving neuroscientist Sylvain Lesné from the University of Minnesota, whose 20 or so published papers were suspected of academic misconduct.

Among them was a groundbreaking paper Lesné had published in Nature in 2006, a pioneering paper that had been cited more than two thousand three hundred times.

This groundbreaking paper involved the most cited research on Alzheimer’s disease (commonly known as “senile dementia”) in the 21st century.

In this paper, Lesné introduced a substance discovered in his lab—Aβ*56.

This discovery caused a sensation in the AD research field at the time—as a specific Aβ oligomer, Aβ*56 had a link to cognitive decline, which pointed out a path for drug research in the field of Alzheimer’s.

Subsequently, the medical community poured a massive amount of attention into this area.

From that time on, NIH support for research on “amyloid protein, oligomers, and Alzheimer’s disease” rose from zero to 287 million US Dollars in 2021.

However, outside of the labs of Ashe and Lesné, few subsequent published papers mentioned Aβ56. Similarly, other scientists studying Aβ proteins said they could not confirm whether Aβ56 actually existed.

According to Science, many Alzheimer’s researchers had tried but failed to replicate these findings about Aβ*56.

One of them was Dennis Selkoe of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a leading proponent of the “amyloid hypothesis.” In 2008, Selkoe reported being unable to find Aβ*56 in human cortical extracts and cerebrospinal fluid.

Later, Nature’s old rival, Science magazine, spent six months investigating. Along with a famous independent image analyst and top Alzheimer’s disease researchers, they conducted an in-depth investigation of these papers.

They ultimately found that over a hundred images in the papers contained suspicious traces.

Molecular biologist and famous academic sleuth Elizabeth Bik stated, “These images appear to be composites the authors synthesized by piecing together parts of images from different experiments.”

“Perhaps the experimental results the authors obtained were not the expected results, and they then altered the data to better fit a hypothetical image.”

Both instances of serious fraud had a massive impact on the medical community, wasting countless financial and material resources, as well as the efforts of a large number of researchers.

This made Xu Chuan seriously doubt whether Nature’s review process was as excellent as they claimed.

Although Nature was indeed one of the world’s oldest scientific journals and had made enormous contributions to the development of science.

It was undeniable that they had committed repeated “derelictions of duty” in their review work.

Chapter 152: Admiration from a Nobel Laureate

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European Atomic Energy Experimental Organization Center.

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A collider meeting was being held here to schedule the Large Hadron Collider’s operations for the next six months.

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“If there are no objections, the work schedule for the latter half of the year, from July fifteenth to December first, will proceed according to the tables in your hands.”

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In the spacious conference room, David Gross, chairman of the LHC Council, adjusted his frameless glasses and swept his gaze across the room.

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These work arrangements had, in fact, already been discussed and debated long ago. Bringing them up again at the council meeting was merely a formality.

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After all, the LHC was the largest hadron collider in the world today. Every one of its operational runs and collision experiments had the potential to yield Nobel Prize-level results.

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Coupled with its numerous member states, the interests involved were incredibly complex.

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Applause echoed through the conference room. David Gross offered a somewhat comical-looking smile. It wasn’t intentional; that was just how he looked when he smiled.

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“Alright, that’s all for today’s meeting. Everyone is dismissed.”

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A rustling sound filled the room as the many council members and attendees began to leave.

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“Hey, Witten, want to grab a cup of coffee?”

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After tidying up the meeting materials on his desk, Council Chairman David Gross noticed Edward Witten, who had not yet left. He was completely absorbed in reading something.

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Hearing his name, Edward Witten replied without looking up, “You go ahead. I have something to take care of here.”

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“What are you looking at so intently?”

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Witten’s complete focus piqued David Gross’s curiosity, and the LHC Council Chairman walked over.

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However, he didn’t presume to look at the computer screen. After all, everyone had their own privacy and secrets, some of which could not be shared with others.

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Leaning against the conference table, David Gross didn’t mind whether Witten would answer his question or not, and continued, “I heard you took on a student. Why didn’t you bring him along this time to broaden his horizons?”

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“He’s studying mathematics with Deligne right now.”

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“Deligne? Viscount Pierre Deligne?” David Gross asked in surprise.

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Witten nodded. “Yes.”

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David Gross grew curious. “But isn’t he your student?”

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Witten shrugged. “He’s Deligne’s student too.”

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Told this, David Gross became even more curious, asking with a face full of astonishment, “Incredible. You two actually took the same person as a student. What’s his story?”

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Witten replied, “He was the one who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the most important discovery in the field of mathematics last year.”

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“Furthermore, the calculation method for celestial parameters that currently holds the greatest attention in the field of astrophysics, which is now under review by the journal Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, is also his work.”

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“So it’s him. The genius youth from that Eastern country.”

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David Gross suddenly understood why Witten and Deligne would simultaneously take on the same student.

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For anyone else, this would be nearly impossible, but for a genius who could solve a world-class mathematical conjecture at the age of eighteen, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

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“Mr. Chairman, I need to apply to use the medium-sized proton synchrotron at the experimental center this month,” Witten said.

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“The SPS?”

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Witten nodded. “Yes. Are there any experiments scheduled for it this month?”

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David Gross thought for a moment before replying, “There are definitely schedules. There’s an experiment application from Oxford University in Great Britain, as well as an acceleration experiment from New Zealand, but none of them are particularly urgent.”

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After a pause, he asked with interest, “Do you have a new research experiment planned?”

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Witten shook his head. “It’s not for me, but for that new student of mine.”

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“You want to apply for equipment on behalf of your student?” David Gross asked curiously.

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Witten nodded. “Yes, he just sent me a very interesting research paper. It’s a method for calculating the proton’s radius from first principles. In the paper, he analyzed previous data on the proton radius and ultimately determined its value.”

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“With this paper, we might be able to obtain a more precise proton radius, instead of being faced with several values and finding it difficult to choose, as we are now.”

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David Gross asked in astonishment, “A method to calculate the proton radius from first principles? He can do something like that?”

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Witten: “It’s not entirely from first principles. It incorporates a lot of previous proton observation data. It also doesn’t provide a brand-new value for the proton radius, but merely confirms which of the previously disputed data is correct.”

“

“

“That’s still very impressive,” David Gross said admiringly.

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“

But then he remembered something else and asked, “Didn’t you just say this student of yours is studying mathematics with Deligne? How did he suddenly produce a result in physics?”

“

“

Witten smiled, took off his glasses, and wiped them with a cloth he carried with him. “That’s right. He is indeed studying mathematics with Deligne at the moment. This achievement is actually something he had partially completed before he came to Princeton.”

“

“

“He is highly talented in particle physics. He can conduct independent research without much guidance and is able to integrate mathematics into physics, using math to study physics. Such a talent is very rare.”

“

“

“When he first came to Princeton, he impressed me with this research paper, which was incomplete at the time. I told him that if he could finish this calculation method within a month and a half, I would help him apply for a proton accelerator to verify it.”

“

“

“Oh? May I see this paper you’re talking about?”

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Hearing Witten’s description, David Gross felt a stir of interest.

“

“

“Of course.” Witten nodded and stepped aside.

“

“

Although the paper Xu Chuan had sent him was not yet formally published, Witten didn’t mind letting David Gross read it.

“

“

With him present, something like plagiarism was impossible. With email records and original scratch paper, even if someone else published it first, he had the power to have it retracted from any journal in the world and ensure the plagiarist received the most severe punishment.

“

“

Besides, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics would never do such a thing.

“

“

Witten moved away, and David Gross took his seat.

“

“

On the computer screen at the conference table, Xu Chuan’s calculation method was open. Gross scrolled to the very top and began to read.

“

“

A long time passed before David Gross adjusted his glasses and stood up again.

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“

He remarked with some feeling, “This paper is truly brilliant, especially the mathematical methods and the mathematical ability it displays. No wonder you chose to be his teacher. His mathematical skills are probably unmatched by all but a few people in the entire field of physics.”

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Witten smiled. “Yes, it’s very rare for a physicist to possess such mathematical ability.”

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Hearing this, David Gross laughed. “That’s not necessarily true. Didn’t he start out studying mathematics? Or perhaps it’s that it’s very difficult for a mathematician to possess such ability in physics?”

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“

Witten耸了耸肩,没有再说话.

“

“

Although it stung a little, what Gross said was true. Xu Chuan’s achievements in mathematics were far greater than his achievements in physics.

On the arXiv preprint server.

“

“

The paper Xu Chuan uploaded immediately caught the attention of many people.

“

“

The “Proton Radius Puzzle” was a popular research topic in physics in recent years. It wasn’t just particle physicists; many other physicists were also following it closely.

“

“

After all, something like the proton’s radius was related to the very foundation of the edifice of physics.

“

“

If its precise information were to change significantly, it could affect the entire world of physics.

“

“

This was a big deal.

“

“

Denmark, University of Copenhagen, the Niels Bohr Institute.

“

“

Lucian Callas, a professor of particle physics and nuclear physics, was browsing the Arxiv website.

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“

Finding useful material on the Arxiv preprint server was one of his favorite things to do.

“

“

Although the quality of content on the non-peer-reviewed Arxiv website was mixed, with the vast majority being of little value.

“

“

But occasionally, some gems would appear that made one’s eyes light up.

“

“

Discovering these gems gave Lucian a thrill of satisfaction, like panning for gold in the sand.

“

“

After skimming through the papers and ideas in the particle physics and nuclear physics sections, Lucian pinched the bridge of his nose, somewhat disappointed.

“

“

Today was another fruitless day.

“

“

But that was perfectly normal.

“

“

After all, even if you could find some good things on the Arxiv preprint website, it wasn’t a daily occurrence. Most of the time, all it had was dross.

“

“

Shaking his head, Lucian moved his mouse to the top right corner, preparing to close the webpage and go to lunch.

“

“

Just then, however, on his personal page, he suddenly received a notification from the Arxiv website itself. The message was from a tag he followed—particle physics.

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“

This meant that someone had just uploaded a new paper or idea related to particle physics.

“

“

In the end, Lucian couldn’t resist. He clicked on the message, planning to read this new thing before going to eat.

“

“

The Proton Radius Puzzle: On a New Calculation Method for the Proton Radius and Its Extended Significance

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“

Seeing the title, Lucian shook his head.

“

“

Although the “Proton Radius Puzzle” was one of the hottest research topics in physics today, a mere calculation paper was of little use to it.

“

“

To solve this problem, one had to rely on experiments conducted by major physics research institutions using equipment like proton accelerators or proton colliders.

“

“

A calculation method alone was not very helpful in solving this problem.

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“

Unless it was a calculation derived from first principles, which could indeed bypass physical experiments to directly calculate the proton’s radius.

“

“

But it was obvious that this thing posted on the Arxiv website couldn’t possibly be a calculation method from first principles, because no one in the entire physics community could do it.

“

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Unless Newton himself was resurrected, only then would there be a slim chance.

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“

Because this was actually a mathematics problem, not a physics problem.

“

“

Although physics research also required the use of mathematics, not every physicist possessed advanced mathematical knowledge like Witten.

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“

In fact, the mathematical abilities of the vast majority of physicists were basically limited to applying the mathematical tools they needed to solve their physics problems, and many couldn’t even do that.

“

“

So Lucian didn’t have high hopes for this paper, but he still chose to open it.

“

“

Well, since he’d already seen it, it wouldn’t take long to read. He’d just eat after he was done.

“

“

And then, he spent the entire afternoon reading that paper.

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“

Forget lunch; he didn’t even bother to eat dinner.

At Princeton University, Xu Chuan did not get a reply from Edward Witten. Instead, he received a phone call from the other side of the Earth.

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The call was from his advisor at Nanjing University, Chen Zhengping.

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“That paper you sent me, the one about the Proton Radius Puzzle, have you solved it? Did you get the precise radius of the proton?”

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As soon as the call connected, Chen Zhengping asked anxiously.

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Xu Chuan chuckled. “Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle isn’t so easy, and getting the precise radius of a proton is just as hard. I just did some analysis based on previous experimental data to determine which of those data sets is more accurate.”

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On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping sighed. “That’s not easy either.”

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After a pause, he continued, “When I suggested you try to tackle this problem, I just wanted you to pay some attention to physics. I never thought you would actually make an achievement in this area.”

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Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. He had been studying physics under Chen Zhengping, but then he drifted off to do math and even proved a difficult mathematical problem. This must have left Chen Zhengping feeling quite wistful.

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“Have you shown this paper to your advisor, Witten? What did he say?”

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Chen Zhengping continued to ask from the other end of the line.

“

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He naturally knew that Xu Chuan had two advisors and had been happy about it at the time. After all, both Witten and Deligne were top-tier big shots.

“

“

One had won the Fields Medal as a physicist, while the other was a grand slam winner in the field of mathematics. Either one of them was a mentor others could only dream of, to say nothing of having them both as Xu Chuan’s advisors.

“

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Chen Zhengping estimated that Xu Chuan’s return from his studies might be delayed by two or three years, since these two had so much they could teach.

“

“

But this was not a bad thing. Being able to learn more was what was most important.

“

“

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I sent it to him, but he’s at a meeting at the LHC right now and hasn’t replied to my email yet.”

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“Hmm, then just wait for his reply. Oh, right, speaking of the LHC, my schedule has been set. The experiment will start on the eighteenth of this month. Remember to request leave and buy your ticket in advance.”

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On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping acknowledged and then went over the plan for the collision experiment in the middle of the month.

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Xu Chuan nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there on time.”

“

“

Even though Witten had already agreed to help him apply for a proton accelerator to further work on the Proton Radius Puzzle, Xu Chuan still didn’t want to miss Chen Zhengping’s experiment.

“

“

The opportunity to access firsthand data from a collision experiment wasn’t something everyone got.

“

“

The data and energy spectrum graphs that came out of the collider concealed endless secrets. If one could find just one, the rewards would last a lifetime.

“

“

Chapter 153: Heading to the LHC

The next day, Xu Chuan finally received a reply from Witten.

“A very elegant proof method and paper. The mathematics in the proof is quite exquisite.”

“If you haven’t decided which journal to submit this paper to, I recommend Physical Review. Its Section D is very suitable for this paper. It’s a semi-monthly journal, so the review process is relatively fast, if you want to see your paper published soon.”

“Additionally, I’ve applied for time on the LHC’s proton accelerator for you to work on this problem. The time slot is on the twenty-fifth of this month. Remember to prepare your visa, passport, and other necessary documents.”

The email was simple, just three sentences, but it sent a surge of excitement through Xu Chuan.

The old professor’s three sentences consisted of one praising the paper, one recommending a journal for submission, and the third informing him about the application for the proton accelerator.

Naturally, the last sentence was the one he valued most: the application for the use of the proton accelerator.

That was the most crucial part.

As for the journal the old professor recommended, it was the same one he had chosen.

Physical Review was an academic journal in the United States, founded in 1893.

The journal published the latest research results in all areas of physics, as well as scientific reviews and other articles. It was published by the American Physical Society and divided into several sections: A, B, C, D, and E.

Section A covered atomic, molecular, and optical physics; Section B, condensed matter and materials physics; Section C, nuclear physics; and Section D, particles, fields, gravity, and cosmology.

Beyond these, it also covered statistical physics, nonlinear physics, and various other fields.

It could be said that Physical Review encompassed all branches of physics, regardless of whether they were niche or popular.

However, its requirements for papers were not particularly high. As long as an article was sufficiently creative and its arguments were clear, it could be sent for review and even published.

This was good for academic research, but it also resulted in a lower impact factor and some instances of less substantial papers being published.

Nevertheless, the overall quality of its articles was still higher than that of other academic journals.

This was because Physical Review required published articles to have sufficient creativity or to have solved some relatively important problems in physics.

Many major discoveries in physics have been published in Physical Review, such as the quantum Hall effect, gravitational waves, and so on.

Of course, in the last two years, Physical Review had also begun to limit the number of articles published in an effort to raise its impact factor within a certain range.

But overall, it was quite suitable for the Proton Radius Puzzle.

After submitting the paper to Physical Review, all that was left was to wait.

Although Physical Review had many review editors, it still took a considerable amount of time to review a paper that could be described as having ‘significant’ implications.

This was not an issue with any single journal, but a common response of all top journals when faced with top-tier papers.

They needed a long time to ensure that the papers submitted to them had no issues and were ready for publication.

Just like the paper on the “method for accurately calculating the parametric information of distant celestial bodies with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem” that Xu Chuan had submitted to the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics—two or three months had already passed, and it still hadn’t been formally published.

This showed just how long it took for a top-tier SCI paper to be published in a journal.

The opportunity for his proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture to be published in just over a month was simply unrepeatable.

There was nothing Xu Chuan could do about this. It was a rule of the academic world and a necessary process to ensure scientific accuracy.

Even if Albert Einstein were to travel through time and write a paper, it would surely still need to be reviewed.

So, after submitting his paper, Xu Chuan returned to his normal life at Princeton University.

On one hand, he studied number theory and differential equations with Professor Deligne; on the other, he attended lectures by other professors.

As for his leisure time, it was far less than that of other Princeton students, or rather, it was almost nonexistent.

He had almost never gone to any of the clubs he had received business cards and invitations from.

His second time studying at Princeton after his rebirth was even more intense than his first time before it.

It was his own fault for ‘nominally’ being a dual major this time.

Compared to universities in China, Princeton’s doctoral program had significantly more coursework.

Although a doctorate isn’t earned through coursework—you can’t obtain a Ph.D. just by “learning” existing knowledge—not studying is certainly not an option.

This was particularly true for mathematics and physics, which were different from other disciplines.

If you want to achieve significant success in the fields of mathematics and physics, you have to personally retrace the steps of those who came before you.

From the simplest sets or categories to the problem you need to solve.

You need to forge a long chain of logic between these points using “definitions and theorems,” and it requires incorporating many concepts to form a conceptual network.

To complete an achievement, such as proving a theorem, requires mastery of every concept in this network; otherwise, you won’t even understand what you yourself have written.

This was the minimum requirement of knowledge, but it often already spanned several areas of mathematics.

No one was an exception. It was very fair.

A genius might be able to find shortcuts and skip some of the minor details more quickly, but the most fundamental accumulation of knowledge could not be skipped under any circumstances.

The days passed one by one, and soon it was mid-July.

After confirming with Chen Zhengping that his experiment would begin on the eighteenth, Xu Chuan again asked Professor Deligne for leave, then bought a ticket and flew to Europe.

Getting to Europe from Princeton was much easier than returning to China.

A few hours were enough, and there was no need to even adjust for jet lag.

Upon arriving in Switzerland, Xu Chuan called his Advisor and, following the directions, took a taxi and successfully found the hotel.

Chen Zhengping was staying in Geneva, and the hotel he chose was a five-star international hotel. In any case, accommodation and other expenses could be reimbursed, so there was no need to be overly frugal.

Incidentally, his expenses for this trip to Europe, from the plane ticket to the accommodation, were also being reimbursed along with Chen Zhengping’s.

Of course, he could have also chosen to be reimbursed by Princeton. He believed that both Deligne and Witten would have been more than happy to apply for these travel funds for him.

He arrived at the hotel smoothly. In the lobby, just as Xu Chuan was about to approach the front desk to check in, a young man who looked like a Chinese person walked over.

“Junior Xu Chuan?”

The familiar Chinese language made Xu Chuan look over curiously. The figure before him felt a bit familiar, but he couldn’t quite recall who it was.

After confirming he hadn’t mistaken the person, the young man grinned and said, “Hello, my name is Qi Xishao. I studied physics under Advisor Chen Zhengping some years ago.”

“Hello, Senior Qi,” Xu Chuan quickly greeted him.

With that introduction, he immediately remembered who this was.

Qi Xishao, a researcher in condensed matter physics and high-energy physics.

In 2015, the LHC’s bottom quark experiment at the Large Hadron Collider discovered two new types of pentaquark particles, confirming a half-century-old prediction: ‘There are actually many types of pentaquark particles.’

And in this discovery, this Senior Qi, who was still an intern at the time, was responsible for part of the data analysis work.

However, physics and mathematics are not quite the same.

A mathematician can work tirelessly with just a single piece of paper and a pen.

But in a physics experiment, especially in a large-scale scientific research project involving the cooperation of dozens of countries, an individual’s calculations are truly insignificant to the project as a whole.

However, the results of this research successfully allowed this Senior Qi to become an official researcher in the LHC collaboration at the European Nuclear Research Center.

Don’t underestimate this title of “official researcher.” At Senior Qi’s age of just over thirty, he could be considered one of the absolute leaders among the younger generation in China’s high-energy physics community.

Although science knows no borders, the European Nuclear Research Center’s LHC collaboration rarely hired Chinese people as their researchers.

They hardly even recruited interns, let alone official ones.

Those qualified to conduct experiments at the European Nuclear Research Center, if not academicians, were at least well-known top physics experts in China.

To become an official researcher in the LHC collaboration in his early thirties, this Senior Qi’s capabilities were still quite awesome.

“Junior, is this your first time here?”

Downstairs in the hotel, after checking in, Qi Xishao smiled and led Xu Chuan upstairs.

Xu Chuan nodded. If he only counted this lifetime, it was indeed his first time here.

Geneva was known as the “Capital of Peace.”

Historically, John Calvin and other Protestants persecuted in their home countries found refuge here. Rousseau, Voltaire, Byron, and others began their fight for human rights in Geneva. Even the great proletarian revolutionary leader Lenin had once worked hard in the “Capital of Peace” to realize his ideals.

Today, this city is home to more than two hundred specialized agencies of the United Nations and various international organizations.

Such as the International Labour Organization, the UNHCR, the Headquarters of the International Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Organization for Standardization… and so on.

One could say it was quite legendary.

Of course, this also had to do with Switzerland being a permanently neutral country.

Unfortunately, in the future, this permanently neutral country would eventually break its esteemed status of permanent neutrality.

Hearing this, Qi Xishao smiled and said, “Then you must take the time to explore. There are many famous classics here, especially St. Pierre Cathedral in the old town. You can go and pray there when you have time.”

“Pray? Senior Qi, are you religious?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

“No, I’m a non-denominational.” Qi Xishao shrugged.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan immediately understood.

This was probably a characteristic of Chinese people—feeling the need to pay respects to whomever they met.

The two chatted as they went up in the elevator, soon arriving at the seventh floor.

Their Advisor, Chen Zhengping, and some other physics experts and professors from China were mostly staying on this floor.

He knocked on the door, and soon there was a sound from inside.

“Teacher, I’ve brought him over.”

“Teacher.”

Xu Chuan and Qi Xishao greeted him at the same time. Chen Zhengping smiled and let them into the room.

“Sit, come in and have some tea.”

Chen Zhengping smiled as he boiled a kettle of water and brewed two cups of hot tea. “You two should know each other by now, right? No need for me to make a long introduction.”

“This is my former student, Qi Xishao, now an official researcher at the LHC collaboration.”

“And this is Xu Chuan, my current student, who is currently studying at Princeton.”

Despite saying he wouldn’t introduce them, Chen Zhengping still smiled and introduced them to each other.

After some pleasantries, Chen Zhengping looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “This time, will you be applying to be an intern with the ATLAS China research group? Or will you be with Witten’s side?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, Teacher, I’m afraid I won’t be joining our country’s research group. On the twenty-fifth of this month, Advisor Witten has secured a proton accelerator for me to study the Proton Radius Puzzle.”

Chen Zhengping smiled, “No problem, no problem. An opportunity like this is something others can only dream of. But speaking of which, how confident are you about solving this problem this time?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle is probably impossible for now, unless I can calculate the proton’s radius purely from first principles without relying on any experimental data.”

“But that’s obviously not something I can do. What I can do this time is use that proton accelerator to repeatedly verify the data I used in my paper.”

Beside them, Qi Xishao suddenly interjected with a smile, “Junior Xu, you’ve done something huge this time.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked over in confusion.

Qi Xishao smiled and said, “Whether the proton’s radius is 0.87 femtometers or 0.84 femtometers is a endlessly debated issue in the physics community. Your paper will, at the very least, bring hundreds of millions of US dollars in new research funding to particle physics.”

“However~”

Pausing for a moment, Senior Qi gave a teasing smile and continued, “But I’m afraid quite a few stubborn old-timers will come looking for trouble with you. They firmly believe that the larger proton radius is the truth. Be prepared. Once your experiment is complete, you’ll probably have a lot of trouble.”

“At the very least, that wretched old man Rishi Frick won’t let you off the hook.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. What did this have to do with him?

He didn’t have the final say on the proton’s radius; the actual measurement was what mattered.

He had merely given the true value a ‘small’ push forward.

Chapter 154: A Tool to Open Hell

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Xu Chuan, along with his advisor Chen Zhengping and several other physics professors from China, set off for the headquarters of the European Nuclear Research Center.

Geneva wasn’t far from the legendary “small town,” and they arrived after a short drive.

Led by Qi Xishao, the group arrived at CERN and checked into a modern hotel.

Just as they finished checking in, an old man with a full white beard appeared in the lobby.

Upon seeing this figure, Chen Zhengping froze for a moment before quickly stepping forward to greet him.

“Professor Englert, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Hearing the voice, the old man stopped and looked at Chen Zhengping, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Welcome, Academician Chen.”

After greeting the old man, Chen Zhengping pulled Xu Chuan and Qi Xishao over to introduce them. “This is Professor François Englert, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate.”

“Hello, Professor Englert. My name is Xu Chuan, and I’m from China.”

Xu Chuan stepped forward and shook the old man’s hand.

François Englert was a leading figure in the world of theoretical physics.

He and Peter Higgs had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 for their prediction of the Higgs boson.

Unfortunately, Professor Robert Brout, who had co-proposed the Higgs mechanism and the Higgs boson theory with him, had passed away and was unable to share in the honor.

In fact, the old man standing before him was already eighty-five years old.

It seemed that winning a Nobel Prize required not only immense contributions but also a long life.

Englert extended his right hand and shook Xu Chuan’s. “That name sounds familiar,” he said with a smile. “I think I’ve heard it somewhere… Let me think.”

“Xu Chuan, Xu Chuan…”

After murmuring the name a couple of times, François Englert’s eyes lit up, and he asked with a hint of pleasant surprise, “Wasn’t it you who wrote that paper earlier this month on the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle?”

Xu Chuan replied modestly, “It was just a minor achievement, nothing worth mentioning compared to your accomplishments and honors.”

Englert smiled. “That was hardly a minor contribution. You’ve pushed the precise value of the proton’s radius a great step forward. Perhaps in the near future, we will have an even more precise value to work with.”

Xu Chuan smiled back. “I hope so.”

After chatting with François Englert and exchanging email addresses, the group went upstairs to settle their luggage.

Then, Xu Chuan was dragged out by an enthusiastic Qi Xishao under the pleasant-sounding pretext of “getting familiar with the environment.”

For Xu Chuan, the environment at CERN was all too familiar. In his past life, he had spent many years here and had even produced significant research results using the Large Hadron Collider buried deep beneath his feet.

Returning to a familiar place, he was filled with emotion.

But he had to admit, this small town was a rare place that could be mentioned in the same breath as the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Relying on the Large Hadron Collider buried one hundred meters underground, this place was home to more than a third—perhaps even half—of the world’s theoretical and high-energy physicists.

You could walk into any random restaurant in town for a meal, and the person sitting across from you might be a big shot in theoretical physics or a professor emeritus from some renowned university.

It was no exaggeration to say that if this place were “bombed” by terrorists, human progress in physics would be set back by at least twenty years.

It was also worth mentioning that at the entrance of CERN, there is a statue of the Hindu deity Shiva, performing the cosmic dance of creation and destruction.

Even more noteworthy were the disasters or strange events that coincidentally occurred in nearby areas or at the same time as the LHC was activated or its energy was increased.

For example, on September 10, 2008, when the LHC was first started, four major earthquakes occurred within twenty-four hours.

They included a 6.1 magnitude in Iran, a 6.6 in the Atlantic Ocean, a 6.6 in Indonesia, and a 6.9 in Hokkaido—four major earthquakes in total.

Then, on January 12, 2010, when the LHC increased its power to 3.5 TeV, Haiti suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake just a few hours later, resulting in three hundred thousand deaths.

On December 21, 2012, when CERN turned the LHC up to its maximum energy, a strange vortex, identical to the one seen over Norway on December 9, 2009, appeared in the sky over Australia on the very same day.

At the time, many people believed this strange vortex was a time vortex leading directly to 2009, thinking they could pass through it to travel back in time.

Unfortunately, the vortex did not last long, so no one was able to successfully pass through it.

But every time the LHC operated, some bizarre phenomenon or disaster would occur, leading many people to believe that this was a reflection of its adverse effects on the Earth.

Therefore, many people believe the LHC is a tool to open hell, and they continuously protest and demand its shutdown.

After touring and taking photos at this Mecca for physicists with Senior Qi, Xu Chuan returned to the hotel and called his advisor, Witten, to find out where he was.

Witten was supposed to have returned to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study by now, but he had stayed behind because of the Proton Radius Puzzle.

To Xu Chuan’s surprise, Witten was staying in the very same hotel, just on the third floor.

Following the room number Witten provided, Xu Chuan easily found his advisor.

He knocked on the door, and the old man inside welcomed him in.

“You’re here quite early. If I recall correctly, today is only the fifteenth, right? Your experiment is still about ten days away.”

Witten seemed a little surprised to see Xu Chuan here.

“I originally came with my university advisor. He has a collaborative experiment here on the eighteenth, and I was supposed to be an intern on his project team.”

“But since you applied for proton accelerator time for me, I won’t be able to participate in that project.”

Xu Chuan explained briefly, and Witten nodded. “I see. It’s good for you to participate in more projects, but that’s for later. Right now, the most important thing is to focus on the Proton Radius Puzzle.”

After a pause, Witten continued, “Since you’ve arrived early, you should familiarize yourself with the environment and the work procedures here.”

“There will be a manual and other related documents for all that. I’ll email them to you later. Take a good look at them once you receive them.”

“Also, sometime in the next two days, go to the administrative office to complete your onboarding and join my research project group as a researcher. That’s the only way you can officially participate in the subsequent proton radius puzzle accelerator experiment.”

Xu Chuan nodded in agreement.

This was one of the perks of following a top-tier physics professor.

If he had joined China’s ATLAS research group, he would have only been an intern.

But Witten was getting him registered as an official researcher, allowing him to skip the intern stage entirely.

Don’t underestimate the difference between an intern and an official researcher. Following the standard procedure, a student at the doctoral level or higher would need to spend at least a year polishing their skills at CERN.

The old professor had clearly pulled some strings for him, allowing him to take a shortcut and bypass the internship.

With this status, Xu Chuan could come to CERN anytime in the future and join…

Of course, this was only as an official experimental researcher, not a theoretical researcher.

CERN had fewer than thirty official theoretical researchers, each a national treasure-level scholar from their respective country, a true leading figure.

One could say that these thirty people determined the fate of CERN, and by extension, the fate of the physics world.

Witten, for example, was both a CERN experimental research professor and a theoretical researcher.

After greeting Witten, Xu Chuan returned to his room.

He didn’t bother reading the manuals and instructions in his email. After all, he was deeply familiar with the operating procedures of both the Large Hadron Collider and smaller accelerators. Looking at these documents would be a waste of time.

In comparison, Xu Chuan was more curious about what new discoveries he might make by gaining access to CERN more than three years earlier than in his previous life.

After all, the collision experiments were different every year, and the collision data they produced was completely different as well.

Although this collision data was generally stored in the European Nuclear Research Center’s database after initial analysis, under normal circumstances, almost no one would be idle enough to sift through the massive amounts of data in the database, hoping to find something.

Because this data had already been analyzed once, digging it up again was undoubtedly a waste of time and highly inefficient.

Xu Chuan had never gone through the historical databases to look at that vast amount of data before. In his previous life, his earliest contact with CERN was in early 2019.

This meant that in his past life, he had never come into contact with the experimental data from 2016 to 2019.

So, for him now, this data was firsthand, brand new, and worth exploring.

After completing the formalities and officially becoming an experimental researcher in Witten’s project, Xu Chuan perused CERN’s work schedule for the second half of 2016.

For CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, the number of scientific experiments each year was staggering.

However, the research experiments were mainly divided into four major categories, corresponding to the four large detectors of the LHC.

They were the toroidal general-purpose detector ATLAS and CMS, the heavy-ion experiment detector ALICE, and the forward detector LHCb.

ATLAS and CMS were mainly used to detect various common signals, with the two independent experimental groups verifying each other’s results to ensure their credibility.

The Higgs boson, hailed as the “God Particle,” was discovered simultaneously by these two detectors.

The third detector, ALICE, was only activated during experiments involving the collision of lead nuclei, to study heavy-ion interactions.

As for the last one, LHCb, it was mainly used to study asymmetry in collision processes, to search for antimatter, and to study Parity non-conservation and the peculiar properties of various flavour physics.

In recent years, the importance of LHCb has been steadily increasing, as it is the primary instrument for studying quarks.

Xu Chuan looked over CERN’s work schedule for the second half of the year. The ATLAS and CMS experimental setups were still mainly observing the Higgs boson, making Standard Model measurements to test its validity.

Meanwhile, ALICE would primarily conduct experimental measurements of strange baryons and anti-baryons. In the second half of the year, ALICE would also be colliding lead ions to recreate, under laboratory conditions, the initial state of the universe after the “Big Bang.” The data obtained would allow physicists to study the properties and state of quark-gluon plasma, a substance believed to have existed for only a very short time after the “Big Bang.”

As for LHCb, it would continue its observation of quarks to collect more hadrons, or perhaps to discover new particles.

Each of the four detectors had its own assigned tasks. After some thought, Xu Chuan drew a circle around the ALICE experiment.

He was very interested in this one.

Recreating the initial state of the universe after the “Big Bang”—just hearing about the experiment was enough to make one tremble with excitement.

In the Nanjing University office area within CERN’s China research section, Chen Zhengping was leading several members of his project team in analyzing the data they had on hand.

“Xishao, how’s your work coming along? Roughly how much more time do you need?”

In his office, Chen Zhengping took a sip of warm water from his thermos and asked.

Hearing the question, Qi Xishao shook his head. “The data this time is far more complex than anything we’ve analyzed before. I haven’t yet found a way to suppress the background events caused by secondary leptons and misidentified leptons, nor have I found direct evidence of the Yukawa coupling between the top quark and the Higgs boson.”

“It’s probably hidden somewhere in this data, but we can’t find it.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

If that was the case, this experiment was in trouble.

After the Higgs boson was discovered and publicly announced in 2012, its existence filled the last gap in the Standard Model, but it couldn’t explain dark matter and dark energy.

Therefore, people hoped to find new physics beyond the Standard Model to explain these phenomena.

The Standard Model contains several experimentally measurable parameters. If the experimental measurements match the Standard Model, it validates the model. If they don’t, it could imply the existence of new physics.

Within the Standard Model, the Higgs boson has a special property: it is the reason other particles acquire mass. Both fermions and bosons gain mass through the Higgs mechanism.

Therefore, studying the specific physical properties of the Higgs boson remains a crucial subject for LHC experiments.

And the main research subjects for the two most important experimental setups at the LHC, ATLAS and CMS, were precisely the Higgs boson.

Since the discovery of the Higgs boson, the ATLAS collaboration has collected data on over five million Higgs bosons, allowing for higher-precision experimental measurements and stricter constraints on theory.

The Higgs boson was first discovered at the LHC through the ZZ, γγ, and WW decay channels, perfectly demonstrating the Higgs coupling to gauge bosons.

In 2015, the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs to the third-generation lepton (the tau lepton, τ) was observed for the first time.

And this year, the project team he was leading had applied to study the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs with third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark, t, and the bottom quark, b).

This part was undoubtedly extremely important.

But important subjects are rarely studied by only one group. Like them, two other universities and institutions had applied for this area of research.

One was the Georgia Institute of Technology from the United States, and the other was a university from Australia.

Both rivals were formidable, ranking much higher than Nanjing University in global university rankings.

Therefore, their research time was tight. If they couldn’t produce results in a short amount of time, they feared that the value within this batch of collision data would be completely mined by their rivals.

Chapter 155: A New Proton Radius Value

For the time being, Xu Chuan was unaware of his advisor’s predicament, nor did he have the time to help anyone else.

His own proton collision experiment was about to begin.

Ten days of preparation wasn’t a long time. Although CERN didn’t require him to personally operate the proton accelerator, he was the one who needed to analyze the data after the experiment was complete.

And the amount of data generated by each run of the proton accelerator was immense.

Therefore, Xu Chuan needed a team to assist him in completing this task.

To that end, he had spent the last few days looking for people to help.

Senior Qi Xishao would have been an excellent choice, but unfortunately, he had already joined Chen Zhengping’s team.

It seemed their work had already begun.

After some thought, Xu Chuan gave Senior Lin Feng, who was far away at Princeton, a call.

He didn’t know many people, and Senior Lin, who was also a student of Witten and Chen Zhengping, was one of the few.

There was nothing to be done about it; he hadn’t followed the normal path of development.

When others first joined CERN, they usually came in as interns, and any work they did was as part of a larger team.

After gaining experience like that for a while, one could get to know many people.

He, on the other hand, had started by directly leading a project, even if it was just a very small one in CERN’s eyes.

But no matter how small, any experiment in the high-energy physics department required manpower.

His advisor, Witten, wasn’t very involved. Perhaps in Witten’s eyes, this project was nothing significant, or maybe he wanted to train Xu Chuan.

So, after simply helping him apply for and arrange the collision experiment, Witten washed his hands of the matter.

All the remaining work, such as data analysis and the press conference, was left to him.

Witten only told him to give him a heads-up after the experiment was finished.

Therefore, Xu Chuan had to complete this experiment independently from start to finish.

After inviting Senior Lin over, Xu Chuan frowned, wondering who else he could invite to help him with the project.

But after mulling it over for a long time, he couldn’t find any suitable candidates.

Since his rebirth, he had met very few people—in fact, they were few and far between.

It couldn’t be helped. The time had been too short, and he hadn’t had enough of a journey to meet more students his own age.

Although there were many students at Nanjing University, and he knew quite a few in both the mathematics and physics departments, they unfortunately lacked the ability to participate in an experiment of this caliber.

As for Princeton, it went without saying. In the one or two months since he had joined, he had spent most of his time perfecting the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle and hadn’t had the chance to make any new friends.

Unable to find enough suitable candidates from his own connections, Xu Chuan turned his attention to CERN itself.

CERN lacked a lot of things, but people were not one of them.

This was the world’s largest high-energy physics research institution. During the normal operation of the LHC, at least five thousand people worked here every day.

Even after excluding the more than half of those five thousand who were various engineers and miscellaneous staff, there were still over two thousand physicists.

And any physicist who could work at CERN, even just as an intern, possessed the knowledge of a Doctoral student or higher.

At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about their capabilities being insufficient.

After seeking his advisor Witten’s opinion, Xu Chuan posted a recruitment notice throughout CERN.

The Proton Radius Puzzle was a hot research topic in the current field of particle physics. Less than a day after the notice was posted, his email inbox was flooded with applications from all over the world.

Of course, those applying to join the project were mostly CERN interns, both short-term and long-term.

Some were probably looking to enrich their research experience and learn something new, while others might have been doing it for their graduation theses.

Compared to the official researchers who all had their own tasks, these interns had much more freedom.

This was especially true for the long-term interns. Aside from their own school or organization’s experimental tasks, they had a lot of free time and were always on the lookout for opportunities at CERN.

Just like with Xu Chuan’s experiment, teams from all over the world often needed “temporary workers” to help them with data analysis or other basic tasks.

For interns, these were excellent opportunities to gain experience.

Although the quality of the applicants was mixed, Xu Chuan had, in any case, solved his need for team members.

All that was left was the selection process.

After all, not everyone was suitable.

After a day of screening, Xu Chuan finally selected three people from his inbox.

They were Asol Murphy, an intern from MIT; Jona Kriel from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; and Nanali Kessler from the University of Göttingen.

Among the many applications, these three had the most outstanding and impressive resumes. The top among them was undoubtedly Nanali Kessler from the University of Göttingen.

She was a female student majoring in particle physics and had been an intern at CERN for a year, having participated in the analysis and discovery of the pentaquark particle in 2015.

If all went well, she would become an official researcher at CERN next year.

Adding himself and Senior Lin Feng, who had rushed over from Princeton, the five people from different countries formed a small, temporary team.

Fortunately, everyone spoke English, so communication wasn’t a problem.

After gathering everyone for a meal, the intense yet orderly work was about to begin.

July 25th arrived quickly.

The staff at CERN had already prepared for the acceleration experiment. They would be using the SPS accelerator to complete it.

In this experiment, the CERN staff would, according to Xu Chuan’s requirements, fire a beam of electrons at hydrogen molecules and measure the process of how some of the electrons were deflected.

This was somewhat different from how other laboratories had measured the proton’s radius before.

Previous scattering experiments used high-energy electron beams, which had limited sensitivity to the proton’s radius and could only determine it by extrapolating to low-energy electrons. This time, however, they would use a lower energy to avoid this problem.

Furthermore, to improve accuracy, Xu Chuan requested that CERN inject the hydrogen molecules directly into the vacuum tube carrying the electron beam, rather than placing the electron beam in a metal container as many previous experiments had done.

This meant that no electrons would hit the metal and interfere with the measurement during the experiment, greatly improving the measurement’s precision.

It was a good thing this was at CERN, which possessed all sorts of advanced equipment and could complete this task as requested.

Anywhere else, injecting hydrogen molecules directly into a vacuum tube carrying an electron beam would have been a huge hassle.

Such an experiment would be very troublesome elsewhere, but at CERN, it was just an insignificant collision experiment.

Even with the specific requirements Xu Chuan put forward, CERN’s engineers smoothly completed the collision process as requested.

As for the collected data, it would first be processed by CERN’s supercomputer before being transferred to the CERN database.

Only then could Xu Chuan apply to use it. This was the overall workflow, somewhat similar to the use of public telescopes in the field of astronomy.

On the morning of the 27th, Xu Chuan successfully obtained the data from this proton collision experiment from the CERN staff.

When he returned to the temporary office he had applied for, the four members of his team were already waiting.

“Everyone, the experimental data is in. We’ve got work to do.”

Xu Chuan clapped his hands, drawing the attention of his teammates.

“Awesome! Let’s get started early and give the proton a precise radius sooner rather than later!”

In the office, Asol Murphy, the intern from MIT with long brown hair, grinned.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Then I’ll leave the plotting of the transition graph between electron energy levels to you.”

Hearing this, the smile on Asol Murphy’s face instantly vanished. He wailed, “Oh, no, my dear Xu, you can’t bully me like this. You know I’m not good at this.”

“Compared to plotting the energy level transition graph, I’m much better at analyzing raw data. Give that to me, I’ll make you proud.”

Xu Chuan ignored Asol Murphy and began to assign tasks.

In truth, he was just joking. He would never entrust the plotting of the energy level transition graph to anyone else. It was the core of the verification process and had to be done by his own hands.

“Okay, everyone’s tasks have been assigned. Let’s get to work. I’m sure these tasks won’t be difficult for any of you.”

After the mathematical analysis work was distributed, the office immediately became a hive of activity.

Calculating the proton’s charge radius data wasn’t a particularly difficult task for the particle physics community; predecessors had already put in countless efforts on this work.

Their job now was more like standing on the shoulders of giants to gaze into the future.

The days passed one by one. In the CERN office, Xu Chuan led his recruited teammates as they worked overtime to process the experimental data.

In the blink of an eye, it was August 5th.

“Xu, look at this. This scattering physics image of the graviton and proton seems a bit unusual.”

In the office, Nanali Kessler from the University of Göttingen called out to Xu Chuan.

Hearing her, Xu Chuan replied without looking up, “Just a moment. Let me finish the data analysis I’m working on.”

The work in his hands was at a critical stage; he couldn’t just put it down.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Xu Chuan moved the mouse, added a stroke to a half-finished transition graph on the monitor, saved it, and then got up.

“What’s wrong, Nanali?”

Walking over to Nanali Kessler’s side, Xu Chuan asked.

“Look at this. When the electron beam hits the hydrogen molecule cloud, it’s excited to the 3S state. Then, it decays to the 2P state within 0.16 microseconds, releasing a detectable 656nm Balmer-alpha photon. This deviates from the usual proton radius measurement experiments.” In front of the computer, Nanali Kessler pointed to a series of energy spectrum graphs on the screen.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked over curiously.

Following the direction of Nanali Kessler’s finger, he indeed saw the anomalous data.

“Interesting. From this data, it seems the electron beam’s effect on the hydrogen molecule cloud is smaller than in previous experiments. This means the proton’s radius might be even smaller than 0.84184 femtometers.”

Staring at the image on the screen, a gleam flashed in Xu Chuan’s eyes.

To him, the secrets hidden within these images, which were incomprehensible to ordinary people, were laid bare before him like the emperor’s new clothes.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan said, “Nanali, finish analyzing this data as quickly as possible. We might just find a brand new, smaller proton radius.”

Beside him, hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Nanali Kessler was taken aback. “A smaller proton radius? Is that possible?” she asked in astonishment.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Nothing is impossible. Until the proton’s radius is calculated using first principles, it’s perfectly normal to announce a radius even below 0.8 femtometers.”

“After all, we know so little about particles at the microscopic level, don’t we?”

Hearing this, Nanali Kessler’s breathing quickened.

If they discovered a smaller proton radius in this experiment, it meant they could leave their mark on the history of particle physics.

This would be true even if this value wasn’t ultimately the final, precise one.

In any case, the current physics community did not have a precise and definitive value for the proton’s charge radius.

The possibility of obtaining data for a smaller proton radius was like a shot of adrenaline for the five-person team.

They were already working overtime before, but now they were dedicating every moment outside of eating and sleeping to data analysis.

Fueled by this fiery enthusiasm, finally, on August 11th, Xu Chuan completed the final plotting of the transition graph between electron energy levels and used it to calculate the proton radius measured in this experiment.

[The proton’s proper radius, Rp, is determined by probing the form factors of the energy-momentum tensor through graviton-proton scattering. By substituting into a new partial formula for the properties of the electron and proton and applying its physically significant energy-to-charge ratio formula: mC/q=1/2εEds∫.=1/24πrεEr/4πrεE]

[From this, the detailed data for the circular motion associated with the de Broglie wave, i.e., the second-level spin motion, is obtained: 0.831×10⁻¹⁵ m ± 0.0016 fm.]

At his desk, Xu Chuan finished the final calculation and obtained a brand-new value for the proton’s radius.

0.831×10⁻¹⁵ m ± 0.0016 fm.

The smallest proton charge radius in history.

It was far lower than the 0.879 ± 0.011 fm previously adopted by CODATA, and also lower than the 0.84184 ± 0.00067 fm measured by the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics.

“What’s the number?”

“Is the proton radius calculated?”

At the desk, as soon as Xu Chuan finished his calculation, the other teammates gathered around and asked nervously.

Xu Chuan picked up the scratch paper with the calculations from the desk and handed it over. The teammates behind him snatched it away.

“0.831 femtometers!”

“A new radius! We’ve discovered a new piece of history!”

“Incredible! The proton’s radius can shrink even further. If we hadn’t obtained this data ourselves, I would have definitely scoffed at it.”

Seeing the answer on the scratch paper, the office immediately erupted in cheers.

For these CERN interns, nothing was more exciting than this. It was a great discovery.

Regardless of whether this data would be verified as correct in the future, there was no doubt that right now, they would become central figures in the world of particle physics.

Chapter 156: The Culprit Behind the Proton Radius Puzzle

Compared to the excitement and frenzy of the team members, Xu Chuan was considerably calmer.

This value had indeed exceeded his expectations, one could even say it had made history.

But he had weathered great storms before and wasn’t about to shout and scream with excitement like the other team members.

Moreover, it was still uncertain whether the physics community would even accept this figure of 0.831 femtometers.

The Proton Radius Puzzle was not so easily solved.

If this were the field of mathematics, once a problem had a solution and an answer, as long as that solution and answer were confirmed to be correct, the problem could be declared completely solved.

But the world of physics was different, at least not when facing such a highly controversial issue.

An answer calculated and verified by a single experiment was not very secure or easily convincing.

If they wanted the physics community to fully accept this number, they would need at least one other, completely different measurement method to yield the same, or a very similar, number.

Two experiments using completely different methods yielding the same set of data, which could also be replicated, were needed to ensure the precision of the proton radius.

A single experiment on its own didn’t prove much.

But for now, just as the team members’ frenzy indicated, they had indeed set a new record.

The world of particle physics would be shocked by this answer.

Xu Chuan could guarantee that his atomic charge radius experiment was fully replicable.

As long as the data analysis was flawless, this radius of 0.831 femtometers would be locked to the hydrogen atom, and might even become the universal standard radius in physics in the future.

Once the team members’ excitement had subsided slightly, Xu Chuan began to reassign tasks.

They needed to double-check all the previous experimental analysis data to ensure that everything was normal and there were no issues.

This was a very important step.

Only after repeatedly confirming that the experimental analysis data was sound would he make a public announcement. Otherwise, announcing incorrect data at a press conference would turn them into a laughingstock.

The meticulous inspection began. This time, Xu Chuan personally went over all the analysis data.

Overall, there were no major issues, but the analysis data on the physical image of graviton-proton scattering proposed by Nanali Kessler caught his attention.

In this set of analysis data, a seemingly ‘abnormal’ data calculation appeared.

“When the electron beam hits the hydrogen molecular cloud and it’s excited to the 3S state, the energy level data seems to be significantly higher than in previous experiments?”

In front of the display, Xu Chuan stroked his chin, staring at the calculation data.

After his rebirth, his sensitivity to numbers seemed to have greatly improved. He spotted the problematic area in the calculation data at a single glance.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan opened his laptop and pulled up the data from previous proton radius measurement experiments.

A simple comparison confirmed it. In this accelerator experiment, when the electron beam hit the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3S state, the energy level was higher by 1.7.

This value wasn’t very large, but it would definitely affect the final value of the proton radius.

“Is something up?”

A question mark popped up in his mind. Xu Chuan retrieved the raw data and began to analyze it himself.

Analyzing just a small portion of the experimental data didn’t take long. In less than fifteen minutes, he had completed his analysis of this section of the raw data.

Nanali Kessler’s work was flawless; the data she had parsed was identical to his own repeated verification.

“That’s strange. Why in this collision experiment was the energy level 1.7 levels higher than in historical collision experiments when the electron beam hit the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3S state?”

“Was it affected by something?”

After analyzing three sets of historical experimental data and four sets of current experimental data, Xu Chuan confirmed the discrepancy in the values.

When the electron beam hit the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3S state, the energy level was 1.7 to 1.8 levels higher than in historical collision experiments.

Although this difference wasn’t huge, it definitely existed, and when incorporated into subsequent calculations, it indeed interfered with the proton’s radius, affecting the number by about 0.025 to 0.03 femtometers.

“Could it be due to interference from the metal container on the collision of the electron and hydrogen atom?”

Immediately, Xu Chuan thought of the difference between his experiment and other historical ones.

If there was any difference between his experiment and past atomic charge radius experiments, the only one was that he had taken advantage of CERN’s more advanced proton accelerator to eliminate the metal container previously used to store the hydrogen cloud, injecting the hydrogen cloud directly into the accelerator’s observation pipeline.

After all, when a high-energy electron beam enters a metal container, it will react with the metal atoms, and the resulting scattering would cause some interference with the experimental data.

However, based on past experimental data, this interference wasn’t very strong, so previous experiments had almost all ignored it.

But now, his sharp scientific intuition and data sense told Xu Chuan that perhaps this scattering interference was stronger than the physics community had previously believed.

He might have inadvertently discovered why the proton radius in traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiments was always 0.87 femtometers.

At this thought, Xu Chuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

In traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiments, the hydrogen clouds were indeed tested using metal containers. This might truly be the source of the problem.

But to confirm it, he needed data to do the talking.

This wasn’t very difficult for him. It could be done by using the data from this atomic charge radius experiment and another called the ‘spectroscopy of hydrogen-like atoms’ experiment.

Comparing three types of experimental data would yield a very high degree of credibility.

If he could truly prove that the metal container caused scattering interference with the high-energy electron beam, then the Proton Radius Puzzle, one of the hottest problems in physics today, could be solved.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Xu Chuan carefully double-checked the data in his hands once more.

The calculations were flawless. Based on the eight sets of data he had analyzed, when the electron beam hit the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3S state, the energy level was indeed 1.7-1.8 levels higher than in historical collision experiments.

This could very well be the scattering interference caused by using a metal container for the hydrogen cloud test, and it was also highly likely the reason why the proton’s charge radius had two sets of vastly different values.

Having found the potential cause of the problem, the rest was a matter of proving it with data.

However, that wasn’t the most pressing matter at the moment.

What he needed to do now was to complete the check of the atomic charge radius experiment data.

Then, he had to submit an acceptance report to CERN.

That was what he should be doing right now.

As for the cause he had just discovered, it could wait until after he had submitted the report.

At CERN, one had to apply in advance to hold a press conference.

For an application like this one—to report the completion of an experiment and submit an acceptance report—one needed to apply at least three days in advance.

This would give CERN enough time to arrange for “acceptance personnel” and to publish the lecture information so that interested physicists could attend.

After confirming that the experimental analysis data was correct and the calculated proton radius value was accurate, Xu Chuan submitted an application to CERN to hold a press conference.

After he submitted the application materials, CERN’s review team completed their review the next morning and scheduled the conference for three days later.

As for these three days, Xu Chuan needed to prepare his report materials, a process that involved thinking through various questions that might arise at the conference, as well as digging into data from historical atomic charge radius experiments to confirm whether the scattering interference from the metal container on the high-energy electron beam would cause a significant enough deviation in the proton’s radius.

This was his schedule and his tasks for the next three days.

But before all that, there was one more thing he had to do.

That was to report the results to his Advisor.

His Advisor, Witten, had not yet returned to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study; he had been waiting at the hotel for his experiment to be completed.

Carrying the printouts, Xu Chuan took the elevator to the third floor.

Witten was staying here.

He knocked on the door. A voice from inside said, “Come in.” Xu Chuan pushed the door open and walked in. In the room, Witten was sitting at a wooden table, talking with another old man.

Hearing the noise, Witten and the old man looked up at the same time.

“Advisor.”

Xu Chuan greeted him, then nodded to the old man next to him. “Professor Frank, hello.”

“You know me?” Frank Wilczek asked curiously from the wooden table.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Your outstanding achievements in quark theory and the theory of strong interaction are known to all.”

“I’ve read your books, including The Lightness of Being and A Marvelous Reality: The Real, Marvelous Physical World.”

Frank Wilczek laughed. “Those are just things for ordinary people to read. An outstanding young man like you should be drawing knowledge from top-tier journals or research papers.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled.

This was probably one of the old professor’s greatest passions in life.

He enjoyed communicating with other scholars and loved to guide others, especially young scholars. This earned him many friends, but also caused some to dislike him, feeling that he was too fond of being a mentor.

Overall, however, most people would seriously consider the guidance of a Nobel Prize master.

Besides, another of the old professor’s hobbies was writing and publishing books.

He had written several popular science books, such as The Lightness of Being, A Marvelous Reality: The Real, Marvelous Physical World, A Beautiful Question: The Grand Design of the Universe, and Fundamentals. He was an outstanding popular science writer.

After greeting Wilczek, Xu Chuan took a backpack from behind him, pulled out a stack of printed papers, and handed it to his advisor, Witten.

“Teacher, the data analysis for the Proton Radius Puzzle experiment is complete. We’ve obtained a brand-new value for the proton radius, and it’s smaller than previous values.”

“A new proton radius value?”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Edward Witten raised an eyebrow and took the documents from Xu Chuan with curiosity.

“0.831 x 10⁻¹⁵m ± 0.0016 femtometers.”

“It is indeed completely different from previous measurement data. But the method CERN used this time also seems to be different from previous measurement methods. Did you design the improvements?”

Flipping through the documents in his hand, Witten looked up with interest and asked.

Compared to a brand-new proton radius, he was more interested in the improved measurement method used at CERN this time.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I did optimize some of the experimental steps. Theoretically, the metal containers used in the original method would cause a certain amount of interference with the electron-hydrogen atom collision, which would lead to distorted observation data.”

“So, based on that, I had the CERN staff inject the hydrogen atoms directly into the accelerator pipeline, avoiding this interference and allowing us to obtain more precise collision data.”

“However, this method is also very limited; it requires a more powerful accelerator to accomplish.”

Witten pondered for a moment, then said, “Doing so can indeed optimize the entire experimental process, but theoretically, the degree of optimization shouldn’t be enough to further reduce the proton’s radius. Were there any other improvements in your experiment?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No, there weren’t. The further reduction of the proton’s radius is likely indeed related to the method used in this accelerator experiment.”

Hearing this, Witten raised his eyelids and stared at Xu Chuan.

He shrewdly realized that this student of his might have discovered something.

Being stared at by his advisor, Xu Chuan once again took a stack of scratch paper from his backpack and handed it over. “This is my new discovery from yesterday.”

“After optimizing and improving the atomic charge radius experiment and removing the use of a metal container as the experimental apparatus for the hydrogen cloud, I found that when the high-energy electron beam hit the hydrogen molecular cloud and excited it to the 3S state, the energy level was about 1.7 to 1.8 higher than in the atomic charge radius experiments of other laboratories.”

“And I happen to have the data from the ‘traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment’ and the ‘spectroscopy of hydrogen-like atoms experiment’ that I downloaded when I was doing data analysis before.”

“Through preliminary analysis, I found that almost all ‘traditional electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiments’ used a metal container as the experimental apparatus for the hydrogen cloud. During the experiment, the high-energy electron beam would react with the metal container, causing scattering interference.”

“And this scattering interference might be far greater than we previously recognized.”

“Perhaps, this problem is the culprit behind the Proton Radius Puzzle.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained his thoughts and discoveries, and then waited quietly.

Witten took the scratch paper and began to read through it seriously.

After a long moment, he suddenly looked up and said, “Could you please give me a pen and paper?”

He was captivated by Xu Chuan’s calculations and discovery. Judging from the analysis data on the scratch paper, this might indeed be the real answer.

Chapter 157: The CERN Conference

After taking the pen and paper from Xu Chuan, Witten began to verify the analytical data on the scratch paper.

As a scholar who had won a Fields Medal, his mathematical ability was immense. One could even say that no one in the entire field of physics was better at math than him.

Since Xu Chuan had already completed the data analysis and calculations, it didn’t take him much time to verify them.

Soon enough, he finished verifying the analytical data on the paper.

The results were entirely correct; there were no calculation errors in the data on the scratch paper.

From this, the conclusion seemed obvious.

The traditional “electron-proton scattering experiment to determine the atomic charge radius” used a metal container for the hydrogen atom cloud due to equipment limitations.

And it was an indisputable fact that when the high-energy electron beam entered the experimental apparatus, it would produce scattering interference with the metal upon colliding with the hydrogen atom cloud.

This scattering interference had been noticed by physicists from the very beginning.

After all, it was interference, and physicists would never leave such a loophole unaddressed.

Therefore, physicists had calculated this scattering interference from the start, but found that the interference produced by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container was very weak—so weak that it was thought to have almost no effect on the calculation of the proton’s radius data.

Since it had no significant impact, this scattering interference had been consistently ignored in subsequent experiments.

However, according to the analytical data on the scratch paper, this scattering interference wasn’t weak at all; rather, a portion of the interference had been converted into energy level data.

This portion of the data, it seemed, had been overlooked by traditional calculation methods, which led to a certain deviation.

From this perspective, the scattering interference produced by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container was indeed stronger than physicists had previously calculated—strong enough to affect the proton radius data.

Putting down the ballpoint pen, Witten stared at the scratch paper on the desk, feeling a bit dazed.

Judging from the results of the analysis and calculations, the mystery behind the discrepancy in the proton’s radius was most likely solved.

But a puzzle that had perplexed the world of physics for years, a problem countless people had researched, was solved just like that?

Wasn’t this a bit too fast?

Then again, when it came to this student of his, it somehow seemed plausible.

In the past year alone, he had solved a world-class mathematical conjecture. Although the Proton Radius Puzzle was famous, the current data analysis suggested its difficulty was nowhere near that of a mathematical conjecture.

With an optimized experimental plan, coupled with outstanding data analysis and observation skills, solving this problem wasn’t actually that difficult.

The reason no one had found the cause in the past was due to outdated experimental equipment and methods, as well as the interference caused by previous erroneous data.

The reason seemed simple, hidden in plain sight, but no one had been able to unearth it.

This was the nature of high-energy physics and particle physics. They were fundamentally based on experimental apparatuses like particle colliders and accelerators, with physicists primarily playing the role of data analysts.

Theoretical physicists proposed ideas and concepts, refining them into theories, which were then verified by various devices—either confirmed or refuted.

Just like the Standard Model, which was perfected bit by bit through a combination of theory and practice.

“Frank, take a look at this.”

Shaking himself out of his daze, Witten let out a breath and handed the scratch paper to Frank Wilczek, who was beside him.

Wilczek took the paper, both curious and puzzled. He knew his friend Witten had taken on a student, but he hadn’t heard about any new research projects recently.

“The Proton Radius Puzzle? When did your research focus shift from string theory to this?”

Glancing at the title on the paper, Wilczek looked up curiously at his friend Witten.

He was, of course, aware of the Proton Radius Puzzle, a frontier problem in particle physics, and he understood its significance.

Witten didn’t answer directly, simply saying, “Read it first.”

At his words, Wilczek refocused his attention on the papers in his hand.

As more and more information met his eyes, he unconsciously sat up straight.

“A proton diameter of 0.831 femtometers.”

“Anomalous energy level data.”

“Scattering interference caused by the reaction between the high-energy electron beam and the metal container.”

These crucial pieces of information quickly connected in his mind, forming a complete picture of cause and effect.

“Interesting. Is this your latest research result?”

After finishing the papers, Wilczek looked at Witten with great interest and asked.

“What do you think?”

Witten asked.

“A fantastic new discovery. It’s possible the discrepancy in the proton’s radius is really caused by this issue. And from this data, the proton’s radius is much smaller than our previous calculations.”

“I’m just curious, why did you suddenly start researching this problem? Are you done with string theory?” Wilczek asked curiously.

Witten shook his head slightly and denied it, “This isn’t my research project.”

Hearing this, Wilczek waved the papers in his hand and grinned as if to say, don’t try to fool me. “Besides you, I can’t think of anyone else in physics with such profound mathematical skills.”

“Although the calculation process here isn’t overly complex, the overall fluency is so high that probably only a few people in the entire field of physics could achieve it.”

Witten smiled and said, “This time, it really wasn’t me. In fact, the person who wrote these calculations is standing right in front of you.”

Wilczek was instantly stunned, looking at Xu Chuan in astonishment. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Witten nodded and continued, “I was supposed to return to Princeton over half a month ago. The reason I’ve been waiting is for this.”

“That’s truly incredible,” Wilczek remarked with a sigh, staring at Xu Chuan again and again.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect this problem could be solved either.”

Witten also sighed, then stopped and turned to Xu Chuan. “Have you applied for a conference presentation?”

“I have. It’s in three days,” Xu Chuan replied.

“Will that be enough time? This data alone probably won’t be enough to draw a final conclusion. You’ll need more data for verification.”

Xu Chuan: “It should be fine. I have enough raw data and a project team that can help.”

“Three days is indeed a bit tight, but with some overtime, we should be able to produce some verification data.”

“Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a final conclusion or not. As long as we can preliminarily verify that the proton radius discrepancy is indeed caused by the scattering interference from the metal container, that’s enough.”

“I’m sure the physics community will be very interested in this discovery, and other labs will definitely try to verify it.”

Witten looked up and smiled. “They certainly will. It would be an understatement to say the physics community won’t react to such a major discovery. But for now, you need to prepare well.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Then I won’t disturb you and Professor Frank any longer.”

After Xu Chuan left, the room fell silent.

After a long moment, Wilczek suddenly remarked with a sigh, “It seems you’ve taken on a fantastic student.”

Witten nodded. “Yes, he’s even more outstanding than I imagined.”

“A genius who can skillfully apply mathematical tools to physics… perhaps he can make up for your regrets.”

At this, Witten shrugged and said, “Who knows? His interest in mathematics might be even greater than in physics.”

“Want to make a bet? Maybe we’ll see him win a Fields Medal or a Nobel Prize in our lifetime?”

Wilczek suddenly asked with great enthusiasm.

“There’s no need for that.”

Witten turned to his friend and continued, “The Nobel Prize is hard to say, but the Fields Medal is really just a matter of time for him. Even if he doesn’t get it in 2018, he’ll definitely be in the running for 2022.”

Hearing this, Wilczek gave his friend a surprised look and asked, “It seems he has other outstanding mathematical achievements I’m not aware of?”

Witten smiled and said, “He was the one who solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the most important mathematical achievement of the first half of this year.”

“Although the problem isn’t very famous, its difficulty is no less than the Mordell conjecture solved by Faltings. If he weren’t so young, he would definitely have a place for the Fields Medal two years from now.”

Wilczek’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Are you kidding me? A mathematical problem comparable to the Mordell conjecture? If I’m not mistaken, he’s in his early twenties at most, right?”

“I’m not. If I recall correctly, according to the way they calculate age in his country, he hasn’t even turned nineteen yet.”

Witten replied after a moment of thought, recalling that the calendar and age calculation methods in that country seemed a little different from elsewhere.

“Unbelievable.”

“So you’re saying he solved a world-class mathematical conjecture at eighteen? This is insane. Either I’m going crazy, or the whole world is.”

“Who knows,” Witten replied. He couldn’t quite figure out this student of his either.

“In that case, want to make another bet?” Wilczek suddenly brought up the wager again.

“What?” Witten looked over, puzzled.

“I’ll bet he can win both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize before we leave this world,” Wilczek said with keen interest. “He might just make new history.”

Witten was taken aback for a moment. “You really have high hopes for him. No one in history has ever won both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal. It’s too difficult.”

Wilczek smiled. “It’s precisely because it’s difficult that it’s more of a challenge, isn’t it?”

Three days wasn’t enough time for Xu Chuan and his project team to complete all the data analysis, but they had managed to produce some verification materials.

These materials would play a crucial role in the conference presentation.

Soon, the time for the CERN project review conference arrived.

On the third day, the conference convened as scheduled. The hall was bustling with people; quite a few physicists had come to attend.

The Proton Radius Puzzle was still a very appealing topic.

The reviewers sent by CERN sat in the front row, quietly waiting for the presentation to begin.

Witten and Frank had also arrived, sitting in the front and conversing in low voices.

Many physicists from China had also come. As Xu Chuan’s Advisor, Chen Zhengping naturally knew about this conference and wouldn’t have missed it.

Right now, he was sitting with his team and the team from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, discussing the progress and findings of their own experimental projects.

“Old Cao, how are things on your end?” In the conference hall, Chen Zhengping was sitting with Academician Cao Hongyuan, who was leading the team from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Cao Hongyuan was a bit thin and not very tall, but he seemed full of vigor and spirit.

In fact, this was true. Those who knew him or were members of his team knew that their boss had the energy of someone far younger than a man in his late fifties.

He slept less than six hours a day and then spent the rest of his time on research.

Working under him was truly exhausting, but one could also learn a great deal.

Hearing the question, Cao Hongyuan shook his head and replied, “Progress is average. We haven’t discovered anything new yet, and the research on the pentaquark particle has reached a stalemate.”

“What about you? How are things on your side? I heard you applied for the experiment on the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks. Any good news?”

At this, Chen Zhengping sighed and said, “No good news and no bad news. Based on the current experimental data, we haven’t found any evidence of Yukawa coupling in the collision results.”

“But the other two universities haven’t made any discoveries either. It seems the situation has reached an impasse.”

More than a month had passed since the experiment began in mid-July, and there was still no progress on the Yukawa coupling experiment between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

Initially, Chen Zhengping had been very anxious, since Nanjing University was competing with the Georgia Institute of Technology and a university from Australia on this analysis.

Both rivals were formidable. If his team couldn’t produce results in a short time, the value in the collision data would be completely mined by the others.

But as time went on, his anxiety had eased considerably.

Over a month had passed, and not only had Nanjing University found nothing, but neither had the teams from the Georgia Institute of Technology or the Australian university.

This, paradoxically, made him feel more relaxed.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this. I heard the presenter for this conference is your student? What’s the topic?”

Cao Hongyuan changed the subject, looking at the still-empty stage. Chen Zhengping had dragged him here, so he hadn’t read the conference invitation and didn’t know the details of the presentation.

“Yes, Xu Chuan. He’s currently studying at Princeton under Deligne and Witten. This presentation is related to the Proton Radius Puzzle. It should be a new method for calculating the proton’s radius.”

A smile touched the corners of Chen Zhengping’s mouth as he mentioned Xu Chuan. This student was arguably the most outstanding one he had ever taught.

“Xu Chuan, I think I’ve heard that name before. He studies mathematics, right?” Cao Hongyuan asked, puzzled.

“Not exactly. The kid is a double major in mathematics and physics, though his achievements in mathematics are indeed more outstanding than in physics.”

Speaking of this, Chen Zhengping also felt a little melancholic.

“Let’s talk later. He’s going on stage.”

Chapter 158: Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle

At the CERN conference hall, Xu Chuan, dressed in a suit, walked from a side passageway onto the stage.

The number one lecture hall was packed, with roughly two or three hundred people seated below the stage. Among them were obscure figures, but there was no shortage of academic big shots.

This was a conference presentation in no way inferior to the one he had given at Princeton University on the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

After all, this was CERN, which brought together nearly half of the world’s top theoretical physicists and high-energy physicists.

At that moment, in the conference hall, there were more than three Nobel Prize in Physics laureates alone, not to mention winners of the Einstein Prize, Dirac Medal, Hertz Prize, Wolf Prize in Physics, and other famous physics awards.

On the stage, Xu Chuan tested the microphone. After confirming it was working, he cleared his throat and began.

“It is my honor to have you all attend today’s conference presentation. The theme for today is a calculation method for the proton radius and a report on the experimental data of the atomic charge radius.”

With that, Xu Chuan inserted the USB drive in his hand into the computer. He operated the equipment before him, turned on the projection screen, displayed his PowerPoint presentation, and began his report.

In order to save some time to report on the solution to the Proton Radius Puzzle, Xu Chuan had compressed his original presentation time.

A forty-five-minute presentation, with thirty minutes for speaking and fifteen minutes for questions, was forcibly compressed by him into fifteen minutes to cover a calculation method for the proton radius and the experimental data on the atomic charge radius.

After briefly and clearly reporting on nearly a month’s work at CERN, Xu Chuan looked out at the audience below.

“That’s the basic situation regarding a calculation method for the proton radius and the experimental data of the atomic charge radius. The experimental analysis data has been submitted to CERN, and CERN will arrange for a detailed verification. Does anyone have any questions?”

Below the stage, in the conference hall, an arm shot up.

Xu Chuan looked over and saw that the person who had raised his hand was a somewhat scruffy old man.

Seeing this person, Xu Chuan was immediately reminded of what his senior, Qi Xishao, had said before.

Rishi Frick would not let him off the hook.

This stubborn faction in the world of particle physics had always firmly believed that the large proton radius was the truth.

Sure enough, he was here now.

He stood here today to raise his own doubts about the small proton radius.

This was a stubborn old man. Even though Xu Chuan had enough confidence in his own work, he couldn’t help but feel a slight headache.

After all, the other party was no amateur professor. On the contrary, he had won the Wolf Prize in Physics, one of the highest honors in physics, second only to the Nobel Prize.

But since the other party had already raised his hand to ask a question, it was impossible to avoid it.

After gesturing for the man to ask his question, Xu Chuan looked at the disheveled old man.

“I observed that in the presenter’s supporting data, on page nine, the incomplete QED values for the energy level of the hydrogen atom were corrected using the energy level formula. Could this affect the final proton radius value? I ask the presenter to elaborate.”

Rishi Frick stared at Xu Chuan, speaking word by word.

“Page nine, is it?” Xu Chuan flipped through the supporting data and found the spot Rishi Frick was referring to.

“This correction stems from the fact that high-speed electrons can cause some degree of displacement in the proton, which will affect the measurement of the proton’s radius. Therefore, a correction is necessary.”

Before Xu Chuan could finish, he was interrupted by Rishi Frick.

“Of course I know that, but comparing it with historical experimental data on the proton radius, the traditional QED data correction range is only around 0.0012 to 0.0021, whereas your corrected QED number is far higher than that.”

Hearing Rishi Frick’s words, the other physicists in the hall immediately focused their attention on this part of the data analysis.

“As expected of Rishi Frick. That question hits the nail right on the head.”

“It is indeed a problem, but it’s not a very serious one. Just re-substitute the correction parameters and recalculate. However, the proton’s radius value will likely have to be adjusted.”

“Perhaps, just as that stubborn old coot Rishi believes, the large proton radius is the truth?”

“I have a feeling there’s something more to this. The correction to this value is too outrageous. It’s unlikely that this young presenter would make such a mistake. After all, he solved a world-class conjecture; his mathematical abilities are outstanding.”

On the stage, Xu Chuan’s expression didn’t change much. He even showed a faint smile.

This smile made Rishi Frick, who was standing in the hall waiting for an answer, startle for a moment. He couldn’t understand how someone could still smile when faced with such a fatal problem.

“Professor Frick’s question is very meaningful. My correction to the incomplete QED values for the energy level of the hydrogen atom does indeed exceed previous values. However, I will now demonstrate to you why I did so.”

Xu Chuan smiled, reached out, and manipulated the computer on the podium. He closed the PowerPoint presentation and opened a new set of supporting data.

“Please look here, everyone. For the next part, please allow me to temporarily amend, or rather, add to the content of my presentation.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words about changing the presentation’s content, a stir went through the audience.

Even the CERN staff frowned slightly, unsure of what this young presenter was up to.

“For a long time, our measurement of the proton’s charge radius has primarily relied on two methods.”

“One is the spectrum measurement of hydrogen-like atoms, and the other is the electron-proton scattering experiment.”

“In the past, we used these two methods to obtain a relatively precise proton radius value: 0.87 femtometers. This is the number we had been using for a long time, and it was widely accepted until 2010.”

“But in 2010, physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics used muonic hydrogen, replacing the electron orbiting the nucleus with a muon, and obtained a smaller number: 0.841 femtometers.”

“This is the origin of the Proton Radius Puzzle. I won’t elaborate further on this point, as I’m sure everyone sitting here is familiar with it.”

“Fundamentally, we want to understand what all the laws of physics are. If a discrepancy exists that no one can explain, it may be impossible to ever understand the laws of physics.”

“But today, I am here to explain the problem that caused this discrepancy.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the conference hall erupted in an uproar.

Explain the Proton Radius Puzzle? Had he found the source of the problem?

How was that possible? For years, countless physicists had worked together without result. If it were that easy to solve, would this problem still be around today?

In the audience, Cao Hongyuan from Huazhong University of Science and Technology was momentarily stunned upon hearing Xu Chuan’s words.

He had thought that today’s presentation would conclude after the report on a calculation method for the proton radius and the experimental data on the atomic charge radius.

He hadn’t expected the appearance of that old coot Rishi Frick to steer the situation in a completely different direction.

Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle. Could he really do it?

Had he genuinely found the source of the problem, or was he fabricating a theory on the spot just to counter Rishi Frick’s question?

With this thought, he turned his head to look at Chen Zhengping, who was sitting beside him.

As the advisor to the young man on stage, he should know something in advance, right?

But surprisingly, Chen Zhengping’s expression was almost identical to his own from a moment ago—filled with confusion, surprise, and even a trace of worry.

It seemed this sudden turn of events had also caught him completely by surprise.

Throughout the entire conference hall, the only ones who could remain calm were Edward Witten, Frank Wilczek, and Xu Chuan’s project team, who had been informed of this in advance.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the commotion below the stage and continued with his report.

“…”

“The traditional ‘electron-proton scattering atomic charge radius experiment’, due to equipment limitations, used a metal container as the experimental apparatus for the hydrogen atom cloud. When the high-energy electron beam enters the experimental equipment and collides with the hydrogen atom cloud, it creates scattering interference with the metal.”

“Judging from past experiments, the scattering interference generated by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container is very weak—so weak that it hardly affects the calculation of the proton’s radius data. Therefore, this part of the data was ignored in calculations.”

“However, after removing the metal container, an anomaly appeared.”

“From the data of this proton radius measurement experiment, the scattering interference generated by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container is far stronger than previously calculated.”

“The reason it was ignored is that a large portion of this interference was converted into energy level data, and this portion of the data was not factored into the calculations by physicists in the past.”

“Therefore, the ultimately calculated proton radius value is larger than the correct radius.”

“I have verified this point using some historical observation data.”

“Everyone can look at this data. Through calculation, it’s clear that the energy level data from experiments that did not use a metal container for the hydrogen atom cloud apparatus is significantly higher, by 1.7 to 1.8 energy levels.”

“From this, we can fully confirm…”

“The scattering interference produced by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container is indeed stronger than previously calculated by physicists—strong enough to affect the proton’s radius data.”

“And the actual value of the proton’s radius is much smaller than previously measured.”

“Perhaps, when future experimental equipment becomes sufficiently advanced, this value of 0.831 femtometers could be reduced even further.”

“That is my additional report.”

“My presentation is now complete. Thank you for your patient attention.”

The conference hall fell into a dead silence.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Chuan’s report.

No one spoke. Even Rishi Frick, who had raised the question, stood there in silence.

Was it because a portion of the scattering interference generated by the high-energy electron beam and the metal container was converted into energy level data, ultimately leading to an error in the proton radius calculation?

If so, the mistake made by numerous physicists in the physics community on the issue of the proton’s size over the years was a grave one.

Although they were reluctant to admit it, the data did not lie.

Those meticulously calculated, precise data points all pointed to this serious problem.

Perhaps the young man on stage was indeed right.

Rishi Frick stood there, speechless.

Though he was very reluctant to admit it, he couldn’t find a new loophole to refute. Whether it was the theoretical viewpoint or the data analysis and calculations, he could find no flaws.

On the contrary, his earlier challenge had acted more like a catalyst, allowing the other party to fly even higher.

On stage, Xu Chuan waited quietly for a while, but no one raised their hand to speak or ask a question.

The CERN representative walked onto the stage and gave a brief summary of the conference presentation. He thanked the researchers who participated in the project and also thanked Xu Chuan for the new discovery he had brought to the world of physics.

He also encouraged other physicists and research institutions to verify the Proton Radius Puzzle, hoping that in the near future, this problem could be thoroughly confirmed and resolved, yielding an even more precise proton radius value.

When the CERN staff announced the end of the conference presentation, the physicists in the hall began to leave the auditorium one after another.

As Xu Chuan came down from the stage, the members of his project team immediately swarmed around him.

“Well done! Xu!” Asol Murphy, the intern from MIT, excitedly came up and gave Xu Chuan a punch on the chest, which landed with a dull thud.

“Xu, you’ve solved a super-difficult problem in the physics world. I believe a share of next year’s Dirac Medal and Einstein Prize belongs to you.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Not me, but us, together. Your contributions are just as important. I will add your names to the research paper. I hope it will be helpful to you.”

Hearing this, brilliant smiles bloomed on the faces of all the team members. Nothing could make them happier.

A research paper can typically have three to six authors: the first author, corresponding author, second author, third author, and so on. Different authors carry completely different weight in a paper.

For this solution to the Proton Radius Puzzle, the first author and corresponding author would undoubtedly be Xu Chuan. But for the team members, being the second or third author was not to be overlooked either.

After all, this was a famously difficult problem in the world of physics, one of the most cutting-edge issues in particle physics today. Its significance was second only to the discovery of the pentaquark particle last year.

If there were no other major new discoveries at CERN this year, then the solution to the Proton Radius Puzzle would be CERN’s most significant achievement of the year.

To have their names on such a paper, even as the second or third author, would be of enormous help to their future development.

With such an achievement on their résumés, it would be much easier for them to find a job or apply for research experiments or equipment in the future.

For example, for Nanali Kessler from the University of Göttingen, a position as an official researcher at CERN was practically guaranteed for her, and it might even be moved up from next year to this year.

This was especially true for the youngest member of the group (excluding Xu Chuan), Jona Kriel, who was still a Ph.D. student at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

He had come to CERN as an intern partly to learn and partly for his graduation thesis.

And now, he had achieved his goal.

Given the weight of the Proton Radius Puzzle, even if he could only manage to be a third author on the paper, it would be enough for him to graduate from any university.

Chapter 159: An Exclusive Interview with The Times

“Congratulations, Xu Chuan.”

In the auditorium, Chen Zhengping walked over, smiling at his student.

“Thank you, Teacher,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

“The proton’s radius is much smaller than in previous experiments. This new discovery of yours will shock the entire physics community.”

Chen Zhengping sighed with emotion. He truly hadn’t expected Xu Chuan to actually solve the Proton Radius Puzzle.

When he had first suggested Xu Chuan explore this area, he had only intended for him to return to the path of physics.

He never imagined that in just a few months, the Proton Radius Puzzle would be solved by him.

This was one of the most important problems in the field of particle physics today.

Xu Chuan smiled shyly and said humbly, “It’s not completely confirmed yet. Further experiments are needed for verification to determine if the theory is correct.”

“But the data doesn’t lie. Verifying your theory and ideas is just a matter of time.”

Before Chen Zhengping could speak, another voice sounded beside them. Professor Witten and Professor Wilczek walked over together.

After greeting them, Xu Chuan introduced both parties to each other.

“Nanjing University is an excellent institution. We should have more exchanges when there’s an opportunity. Academician Chen, you’ve cultivated a very outstanding student.”

Upon hearing that Chen Zhengping was Xu Chuan’s university advisor, Witten smiled and extended his hand.

Chen Zhengping looked a bit embarrassed and smiled, “Actually, I didn’t teach him much. He figured all of this out on his own.”

Witten smiled, not minding the comment. People from China were always like this, exceptionally modest.

For a scholar, no matter how gifted, the patient guidance and teaching of an advisor are indispensable.

Just like himself; without the guidance of David Gross, he probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve what he did in the fields of string theory, gauge theory, and supersymmetric gauge theory.

During university, a good advisor can help a student avoid at least half of the detours, so their importance is self-evident.

After the review was completed and Xu Chuan’s research paper on solving the Proton Radius Puzzle was accepted for the records, CERN held a press conference, eagerly announcing this new achievement to the outside world.

If no other, more significant discoveries were made in the second half of the year, this would be the most important research achievement in the entire world of physics for the year.

The proton’s radius had been precisely determined, the source of previous errors had been found, and the physics community now had a more accurate value.

Without a doubt, this achievement had a major impact on particle physics. If the proton’s radius shrank to below 0.8 femtometers, the Standard Model itself would have to be revised.

This was because the size of the charge radius was related to the strong interaction force within the proton. If it exceeded the standard value, then the most fundamental things would be affected.

Fortunately, in the current observational data, the smallest value was still a full 0.831 femtometers.

Although it was a whole 0.05 femtometers less than the previous 0.879 femtometers, it had not yet reached the point of affecting the Standard Model.

Following CERN’s press conference, the news that the Proton Radius Puzzle had been solved spread rapidly throughout the entire physics community.

Some interested media reporters found Xu Chuan, who was still at CERN, and tried to interview him.

However, Xu Chuan wasn’t particularly interested in these things and turned down most of them.

This only fueled the curiosity of the news media reporters. The Times from Great Britain even approached Edward Witten, asking him to act as an intermediary.

Xu Chuan couldn’t refuse a request arranged by his advisor, Witten.

After all, a large part of the credit for solving the Proton Radius Puzzle so quickly this time went to Witten for helping him apply for the use of CERN’s proton accelerator.

Without it, or if he had used an accelerator from another laboratory, he might not have been able to solve this problem at all.

After all, the proton accelerators and other equipment in most laboratories or research institutions simply couldn’t meet the requirements of placing a cloud of hydrogen atoms directly into the accelerator tube without a metal container.

Choosing a time, Xu Chuan agreed to an interview with The Times in an office at CERN.

“Hello, Mr. Xu Chuan. We hear you’ve solved the Proton Radius Puzzle, a problem that has plagued the physics community for years. Could you please elaborate on it for us?”

In the office, a young female reporter holding a black microphone held it up to Xu Chuan’s mouth.

“Of course. The Proton Radius Puzzle is…”

Xu Chuan gave a concise and formal introduction to the problem.

The Times is a comprehensive national daily newspaper in Great Britain, belonging to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. It is a newspaper that wields enormous influence on world politics, economics, and culture, and has long been considered Great Britain’s foremost mainstream newspaper.

Although he wasn’t sure why they were interested in him, being interviewed by such a newspaper meant he had to be careful about his words and actions.

If he accidentally let something slip and was taken advantage of by them, he wouldn’t be the only one to lose face.

These Western media outlets were very happy to elevate an individual’s identity to the national level, especially when it came to China.

Many people had been tricked by these unscrupulous media outlets in the past, who would quote interviews out of context, completely distorting the interviewee’s meaning.

“I see.” The young lady reporter from The Times nodded, whether she understood or not, and then continued with her questions.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, I hear you are now an official researcher at CERN?”

“Yes.”

Xu Chuan nodded in response. This a detail that could be found on the official list published by CERN, so he couldn’t deny it.

The female reporter quickly followed up: “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been at CERN for less than three months. At this point, other researchers are usually still interns, yet you’ve already become an official researcher. Do you have any special secrets to your success?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan’s heart skipped a beat. He thought for a moment before replying, “There are no special secrets. I applied according to CERN’s normal rules and regulations.”

Hearing this answer, a hint of disappointment flashed in the reporter’s eyes.

They had looked over this young man’s file before coming. At eighteen, he was extremely young and certainly couldn’t have had much experience with this type of interview. They had hoped they might dig up something interesting.

But unfortunately, this young man seemed rather astute and didn’t fall for their tricks at all.

After spending over half an hour on the interview with The Times, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel.

He didn’t know how The Times would publish the interview, but he had tried his best to be careful with his wording. He hoped they hadn’t found any loopholes to exploit.

It was best to accept as few interviews as possible from non-scientific publications like this.

Who knew how these media reporters would portray him, or how they might clip a segment of the interview out of context, or simply create a clickbait title.

For example, a headline like “Young Scholar from China Confirms Smaller Proton Radius, Standard Model May Be Severely Impacted,” similar to domestic clickbait accounts, was something these foreign media outlets were absolutely capable of.

In any case, it was best not to overestimate the conscience of these reporters; it was debatable whether they even had one.

The day after the interview, The Times published its content.

Perhaps they hadn’t caught any interesting loopholes in the interview, or perhaps they had a pang of conscience. In any case, the article published the next day didn’t contain any out-of-context quotes. Instead, they focused on Xu Chuan’s age.

“…The researcher who solved the Proton Radius Puzzle at CERN is an eighteen-year-old student from Princeton.”

In the paper, The Times focused on Xu Chuan’s age rather than the Proton Radius Puzzle itself.

It had to be said that this approach did indeed attract a great deal of attention.

For the average person who was just there for the show, the resolution of an incomprehensible problem was far less controversial than the fact that the person who solved it was only eighteen years old.

After all, that age was simply too astonishing.

With the growing hype and traffic, other media outlets began to follow suit.

After all, news involving that country in the East had always been popular in the West.

And as other media outlets followed up and dug deeper, more information about Xu Chuan was exposed.

《Shocking! The Young Scholar Who Solved the Proton Radius Puzzle and Discovered the New Proton Radius Is Actually a Mathematician!》

《After Solving the World-Class Mathematical Problem, the Weyl-Berry Conjecture, He Actually Reached His Hand Into…》

《Thriving in Both Math and Physics! An Eighteen-Year-Old from China Solves Two Super-Problems in a Single Year!》

The reports from numerous media reporters pushed the news frenzy to a new height.

Solving a physics problem at the age of eighteen was already shocking enough.

But to learn that before this, this young man from China had also solved a world-class mathematical problem was even more unbelievable.

On physics forums and websites, discussions among physicists and physics students were rampant:

【Unbelievable, the Proton Radius Puzzle has been solved?】

【Seems so, according to CERN’s press conference.】

【Was it because of scattering interference on the high-energy electron beam from the metal container? How come no one in the physics community noticed this problem in the past?】

【Our university was just about to restart our proton radius observation experiment. As soon as we heard this news, we suspended it.】

【I heard the person who solved this problem is an eighteen-year-old.】

【Really? Eighteen? Isn’t that a bit too young?】

【That’s right, he really is only eighteen. He’s currently a PhD student at Princeton, and his advisor is Edward Witten. What’s even more amazing is that in the first half of this year, he solved a world-class mathematical conjecture, and in the second half, he’s solved another major problem in physics.】

【Incredible. In one year, he solved a major problem in both mathematics and physics, and now you’re telling me he’s still a student? Am I going crazy, or is the world?】

【This is a top student whose shadow we can’t even see, no matter how high we look.】

【The next Albert Einstein? Or the next Newton?】

Xu Chuan was unaware of the heated discussions online. He was already back in his hotel room, rushing to write his thesis.

Although CERN had already completed its review of his conference presentation, he still needed to compile and submit the research paper and materials.

After all, the experiment was completed using CERN’s equipment, so CERN had the right to archive and use these materials.

Of course, this didn’t prevent Xu Chuan from submitting it elsewhere, to other a physics journal.

This was because the publication and archiving of a journal were different from an organization like CERN. The former could be browsed and cited by anyone, while the latter was basically limited to CERN’s internal staff.

However, with CERN’s endorsement, submitting a paper on the Proton Radius Puzzle would make the review process much more streamlined.

First, the already-archived paper would be accepted immediately. Then, the review editor would check with CERN staff for verification. As long as everything checked out and was confirmed to be in order, the paper could be officially published.

In terms of procedure and time spent, it was much less than the review for a regular paper.

But this was understandable. After all, a paper that had already been reviewed by CERN didn’t need to be reviewed again. A second review would be too time-consuming, and CERN’s reputation was a solid guarantee.

After spending some time doing a preliminary organization of the material he had already written, Xu Chuan stood up and stretched.

He had already chosen the journal for the Proton Radius Puzzle paper: Physical Review D, published by the American Physical Society.

He had previously submitted a paper on the calculation method for the Proton Radius Puzzle to them, so submitting another one wouldn’t be an issue.

No physics journal would reject a paper of such great importance to the entire field of physics.

After organizing the materials, Xu Chuan got up, washed his face, and then went downstairs to eat.

In the elevator, he ran into Chen Zhengping, who was also heading down.

“Going down to eat? Together?” Chen Zhengping asked with a smile.

Xu Chuan nodded and followed Chen Zhengping to the first-floor restaurant.

“When are you planning to go back to Princeton?” In the restaurant, Chen Zhengping asked while holding a metal tray and selecting food.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Teacher, how is your project progressing? Do you still need a hand?”

He had come to CERN with Chen Zhengping this time, and his plane ticket, accommodation, and meals were all covered by his teacher’s project.

Now that his own business was taken care of, he wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help Chen Zhengping.

After all, with his abilities, he could still contribute something.

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping paused his steps and asked, “Isn’t your work here done? Aren’t you planning to go back to Princeton to continue your studies?”

Xu Chuan said, “I’m still organizing my paper and materials, which will take some more time.”

“Besides, I came here nominally to participate in your project, Teacher, and all the reimbursements are coming from your side. I should at least do something.”

“And I’m very interested in the Higgs boson. If I can participate in the project, I can gain more experience and learn more.”

Chen Zhengping nodded and said, “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your own work, you are always welcome in my project team.”

Chapter 160: Failure is the Mother of Success

Chen Zhengping was, without a doubt, happy to have Xu Chuan join.

Currently, their research—whether at Nanjing University, the University of Macau, or the Georgia Institute of Technology—had reached an impasse.

All three universities were unable to find evidence of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark, t, and the bottom quark, b) in the collider experiment data.

Time was running out. If they couldn’t make a discovery within the deadline set by CERN, the data would be made public for all physicists to study.

But the discovery of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks was considered a certainty.

After all, the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation lepton (the tau lepton, τ) had already been discovered last year.

This had confirmed the validity of the Higgs mechanism.

And under this mechanism, the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks was bound to be found.

The only question now was who would be the first to find the precious clues or evidence within the collision data.

This was an achievement just waiting to be claimed. To miss out on it would be a source of immense regret for anyone involved.

But no one knew at which collision energy level the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks would appear.

If a researcher with outstanding mathematical abilities could help them analyze this year’s collision data, even if they couldn’t find clues in this year’s data, they could at least eliminate one energy level as a possibility.

Or, perhaps, find something else, like identifying the region where the Higgs boson is most likely to decay.

This would be a significant help when applying for experimental data again in the future.

At the very least, CERN would take their analytical capabilities into consideration based on their work with this data.

After all, CERN wasn’t a public charity. Although its funding came from member states all over the world, it was expected to produce results for the money it received.

Teams with proven abilities or a track record of delivering swift results would naturally be given priority by CERN.

The reason Nanjing University was able to secure the right to analyze the experimental data over other competitors was largely due to the achievements of Chinese researchers at CERN in recent years.

In particular, China’s deep involvement in achievements like the discovery of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation lepton (the tau lepton, τ), as well as the discoveries of tetraquark and pentaquark particles, had earned them a lot of bargaining power.

Otherwise, in a research organization dominated by Western countries, it was far from certain that Nanjing University could have successfully applied for this research experiment.

For Xu Chuan, however, his purpose in joining his Advisor Chen Zhengping’s team wasn’t to find the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks.

In fact, he already knew the outcome of this year’s research.

It was an experimental study that was highly likely to fail.

This was because the discovery of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks would happen in 2018.

That is, two years from now, CERN would make the first observation of this phenomenon.

Xu Chuan remembered this matter very clearly because, in his previous life, 2018 was around the time he had officially entered the field of physics, so he paid close attention to these things.

The reason he said “highly likely” instead of “one hundred percent” was that he couldn’t guarantee that this year’s experimental data contained absolutely no clues.

After all, he hadn’t seen this year’s data. Who was to say there weren’t some clues hidden within it?

But frankly, Xu Chuan didn’t have high hopes.

On one hand, Nanjing University, the University of Macau, and the Georgia Institute of Technology had basically already provided an answer.

With at least a dozen researchers from three universities analyzing the same set of experimental data without finding any clues, Xu Chuan didn’t think there was any clue that could have slipped past all of them.

The probability of that was quite low. After all, this wasn’t a search for some unknown particle beyond the Standard Model, about which people knew nothing.

Building on the experience of discovering the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation lepton last year, if this round of data truly contained the Higgs-heavy quark coupling phenomenon, it was unlikely that the researchers from the three universities would have missed it.

It was possible for one university to miss it, but for three universities to miss it simultaneously—the probability was just too low.

Furthermore, the data generated by each collision experiment is fundamentally different. Even two collision experiments with identical energy levels, experimental details, and procedures could produce different data.

Therefore, it was impossible to be certain whether this set of collision data even contained data on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation quarks.

It was just like the discovery of the Higgs boson itself.

Starting in March 2010, the LHC began intensive data collection and analysis, but it wasn’t until July 4, 2012, that the European Nuclear Research Center announced the discovery of the Higgs boson.

This journey to find the Higgs boson lasted for over two years. The collision energy levels were searched throughout the 100 to 180 GeV range before an excess of events was finally detected in the 125-126 GeV region, leading to the discovery of this mysterious particle.

Judging from these two points, the probability that this set of experimental data contained data or clues about the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks was quite low.

However, even though he didn’t hold out much hope for finding clues in this data, he could perhaps use it to perform a data analysis on the energy level of the Higgs-heavy quark Yukawa coupling.

After all, at CERN today, the way to find a new particle or phenomenon was to analyze experimental data from different particle collisions at different energy levels in the LHC.

Just like with the Higgs boson, where they searched the entire 100 to 180 GeV energy range.

If the Higgs boson hadn’t been the final piece of the Standard Model puzzle, the LHC probably wouldn’t have dedicated two years of collision experiments just for it.

After all, every time the Large Hadron Collider was started up, it was burning money at a rate of millions, or even tens of millions, of US dollars.

The LHC’s power consumption exceeds two hundred megawatts, meaning it uses over two hundred thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

If an average household uses two thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, one hour of LHC operation would be enough to power one hundred ordinary households for an entire year.

And this was only the electricity consumed by the collider itself. It didn’t account for other things, like the supercomputers processing the data, which were also massive power consumers.

On top of that, there were expenses such as staff salaries and equipment maintenance.

If it weren’t for the goal of finding the last particle in the Standard Model and verifying the origin of mass, CERN would probably not engage in such a money-burning enterprise.

And using mathematics to analyze the collision data for the Higgs-heavy quark Yukawa coupling, to determine the energy level at which the coupling would occur, and to identify the ideal search channel for the Higgs boson’s decay into a pair of bottom quarks (H→bb), was undoubtedly of immense value.

In material terms, if this could truly be achieved, it could save at least tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of US dollars in collision funding.

In terms of scientific research, this would be a major step forward in the search for new physics. Such analyses are a crucial step in the long journey of measuring the properties of the Higgs boson, helping scientists understand the key to the origin of mass.

This was also the reason why Xu Chuan, after solving his “Proton Radius Puzzle,” still chose to stay at CERN and join his Advisor Chen Zhengping’s team, despite knowing that this experiment was highly unlikely to find the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks.

It was also the reason he had decided to make mathematics his primary field of study in this life.

In the academic world, at least in the world of physics, mathematics is indispensable.

While mathematical calculations and analysis can’t let you directly see a particle or a collision phenomenon, they can analyze the collision data, find the key points, and consequently save a great deal of time and money.

When top-tier physics ability and top-tier mathematical ability collide, they can propel things forward much more than one might imagine.

Xu Chuan now had a deep appreciation for this. His mathematical abilities weren’t yet truly at the pinnacle, but they had already helped him solve a great many problems.

For example, Chen Zhengping’s tungsten diselenide experiment, the earlier Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem method for calculating celestial parameters, and this time, the Proton Radius Puzzle—all of them had originated from a mathematical approach.

This also made him believe that if he could max out his mathematical abilities in this life, he would definitely be able to see some new things that were invisible to him in his previous life.

After joining his advisor’s experimental team, Xu Chuan spent his days analyzing data with Chen Zhengping, “learning” about theoretical physics, and his evenings in the hotel perfecting his own research paper. His days were quite fulfilling.

Since he already knew the outcome in advance, he didn’t work day and night to finish the experimental data analysis.

There was still over a month before Nanjing University had to submit its report, so finishing before then was more than enough time.

The days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, it was mid-September.

In China’s office at CERN, Xu Chuan sat at a desk, staring blankly at the data on the table.

More than half a month had passed, which was enough time for him to go through all the experimental data.

Although he had very much hoped to find a clue to the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks in this data set.

Regrettably, there was nothing.

If there had been a clue, Xu Chuan believed that with his current sensitivity to data, he would have definitely noticed something unusual.

Unfortunately, over the past half-month, he had gone over the experimental data again and again, but he hadn’t found any valuable clues.

This was very normal.

Not every collision experiment leads to a discovery, and not all collision data is valuable.

At CERN, every time the LHC runs, it produces about ten billion particle collisions per second. Each collision can provide about 100 MB of data, so the estimated annual raw data output exceeds forty thousand exabytes.

But with current technology and budgets, storing forty thousand exabytes of data is impossible. Moreover, only a small fraction of this data is actually meaningful.

Therefore, there is no need to record all the data. After analysis by supercomputers, the amount of data actually recorded is reduced to about one petabyte per day.

For example, in 2015, the last run of real data collection only amounted to 160 petabytes, with 240 petabytes of simulated data, while the vast majority of other data was discarded.

And whether anything can be found in this remaining data largely depends on luck.

It was perfectly normal that this set of experimental data contained no data on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks.

After all, this was reality, not a web novel or a sci-fi movie where every effort is rewarded.

If a new particle or a new discovery could be made with every random collision experiment, the world of physics wouldn’t have so many mysteries.

The Standard Model would surely have been completed long ago, and even things like dark matter and dark energy would have already been discovered.

A situation like this, spending several long months without producing any useful results, was the norm at CERN.

People tend to remember the successes, but they easily overlook how many failures lie behind a single success.

Just as the world was stunned by the discovery of the Higgs boson, everyone remembers July 4, 2012, the day the Higgs boson was publicly announced.

But who knows how many collision experiments CERN and other laboratories and research institutions conducted, how many sets of data they analyzed, before the Higgs boson was found?

Thousands? Tens of thousands? Or even more?

It’s an answer no one can count.

“Failure is the mother of success.” This saying is quite apt when applied to the field of high-energy physics.

Through continuous trial and error in practice, one finds the correct method or result. This is how CERN operates, how particles are found one by one, and how the Standard Model was completed.

Chapter 161: Starting from Mathematics

After finishing the analysis on the last bit of data, Xu Chuan straightened up and stretched. He then brought the completed analysis data to Chen Zhengping.

At this point, the work Chen Zhengping had assigned him was finally complete. He had finished analyzing all of the experimental data on hand.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

In the office, Chen Zhengping took the analysis data from Xu Chuan and began to look through it.

“It was nothing. It’s just a shame we couldn’t find any clues about the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. It was indeed a pity that they hadn’t found any leads on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks in this batch of experimental data.

But there was nothing to be done about it.

Even though he knew with certainty that the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks existed, he couldn’t just fabricate a set of data out of thin air.

In scientific research, faking data was an act despised by all.

No matter how sophisticated the fabrication, there would always be loopholes, and it would be discovered sooner or later. He would never do such a thing.

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping smiled and said, “It’s nothing. Not all research leads to discoveries. This is perfectly normal.”

“Besides, with this experiment and data analysis, it will be much easier for us to apply for research in this area next time.”

Chen Zhengping’s attitude was excellent. He wasn’t bothered or discouraged in the slightest.

He had been conducting research for many years; one success or one failure meant little to him.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that the other two universities involved in this experimental research had also failed to produce any results.

Since no one had found anything, it meant there was truly nothing to be found in this set of data, so it couldn’t be considered a failure.

After handing the analyzed data to Chen Zhengping, Xu Chuan returned to his desk.

His Advisor’s work was finished. The rest was up to him.

“Let’s see if I can find anything in this data.”

Staring at the data on his desk, Xu Chuan muttered to himself.

The data on his scratch paper was what he had already processed once. There was no hope of finding the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark ‘t’ and bottom quark ‘b’) from this data.

But it might still be possible to find the most likely ideal search channel for the Higgs boson’s decay.

This wasn’t a new path. Others had tried it before, but they had all essentially ended in failure.

This was because it was incredibly difficult to narrow down the energy level at which the target might appear through purely mathematical means.

Moreover, the Standard Model had already predicted the existence of this particle or phenomenon. Simply narrowing down the collision energy level range didn’t hold much significance for the researchers.

Perhaps it was valuable to CERN, since it could reduce expenses, but for the researcher who narrowed the search area, it held little value. The Nobel Prize wouldn’t be awarded for that work; it would go to the person who proposed the theory.

A task that was very difficult yet brought little value to the researcher was something few people were willing to do.

In any case, the particle collider was right under their feet. If something wasn’t found at one energy level, they could just search at the next. They didn’t have to worry about the LHC’s budget, so there was no need to get bogged down in this.

After the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, the European Nuclear Research Center launched further studies into it.

This was because, theoretically, the Higgs boson is the origin of the mass of elementary particles, and it could also be the origin of the mass of dark matter.

Therefore, it might be a ‘window’ into the world of dark matter.

Thus, in-depth research into the properties of the Higgs boson holds profound significance for revealing the nature of new interaction forces, understanding the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism, and the early evolution of the universe.

After the LHC was restarted, this type of research had never stopped.

Regrettably, however, CERN had still only observed less than 30% of the Higgs boson decays predicted by the Standard Model.

This included the 2015 observation of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and the third-generation lepton (the tau lepton, τ).

But this was only one part of the Standard Model’s predictions. The remaining possible decays were still elusive, and no one had been able to find any trace of them.

And the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark ‘t’ and bottom quark ‘b’) was one such decay predicted by the Standard Model.

It could undergo Yukawa coupling with third-generation heavy quarks, bestowing mass upon a portion of particles.

These particles might be the raw materials that make up the common substances in our daily lives, such as iron, copper, nickel, gold, silver, and other metals.

But to date, CERN’s LHC collider had yet to find any trace of its decay and coupling in collision experiments.

Currently, this decay mode is observed and its rate measured to confirm or disconfirm the generation of fermion mass through the Yukawa interaction.

However, in collision experiments, the various detection devices, such as the ATLAS detector, observe not only particle collision data but also a greater amount of background fluctuations, noisy signals, other signals, and so on.

These things constituted the absolute majority of the overall collision data.

Based on previous collision data, useful data accounted for only one part in three million of this mountain of junk data.

To analyze useful data from such an astonishingly low ratio, one had to mention CERN’s supercomputer and the global computing grid, as well as the computer code written by particle physicists to analyze this data.

When the LHC was restarted in 2015, the doubled collision rate would generate approximately 30 petabytes of data annually, which is almost equivalent to producing one gigabyte of data every second.

To analyze and process such a massive amount of data, today’s particle physicists spend most of their time writing computer code.

Physicists and engineers at CERN have written hundreds of thousands of lines of code. On average, more than twenty thousand programs run every day, searching for unusual signals among millions of events.

These excellent programs are not only used for analyzing particle data but can also be applied to tasks like big data analysis and data detection.

Google established the world’s largest cloud data intelligent analysis center here, using the massive data generated daily at CERN to perfect its algorithms.

The world’s best data analysis programs and the most advanced information-sharing programs were also born here.

This shows that sometimes, it’s not your peers who take you down, but someone from a field you never would have imagined.

With the help of CERN’s excellent programs, Xu Chuan spent a few days successfully completing the data processing he had on hand.

The processed data was then transformed by him into a series of Dalitz plots.

The greatest advantage of a Dalitz plot is that it allows one to see at a glance the distribution of physical event density, the existence of resonance states, the interference between resonance states, the angular distribution of final state particles, and various other physical quantities.

With this, the remaining work was not too difficult.

After all, for him, finding useful information from Dalitz plots was his strong suit.

This time, however, he needed to analyze it from a different perspective.

Staring at the Dalitz plot on the computer screen, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

From a physics standpoint, he was no stranger to these things—in fact, he was very familiar with them. But when he habitually switched to a mathematical perspective to analyze it as he had in the past, he found himself somewhat lost.

He couldn’t find a starting point. The letters and numbers on the Dalitz plot were complexly intertwined. Analyzing it using mathematical methods was no less difficult than untangling a ball of yarn a cat had played with. He couldn’t even find the end of the thread, let alone begin to work on it.

Nearby, Qi Xishao, who had just filled his Thermos with hot water, walked past Xu Chuan. His gaze fell on the messy scratch paper on the desk and the Dalitz plot on the screen.

“Junior Xu, are you still analyzing data?” Looking at the familiar items on the desk, Qi Xishao frowned slightly.

The experiment on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson with third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark ‘t’ and bottom quark ‘b’) was essentially complete. This experiment had indeed found no clues, and now Nanjing University was preparing to submit the acceptance materials and apply for a conference presentation.

At this stage, it could be declared over, and the researchers could put down their work.

But Xu Chuan was still analyzing data, which made Qi Xishao a little worried. He was concerned that this outstanding junior might have been disheartened by the setback.

After all, he had become famous at a young age, solving world-class problems in both the field of mathematics and physics. It was possible that, facing failure for the first time, he couldn’t handle the blow and was obsessively trying to find something in the data.

Thinking of this, Qi Xishao prepared to offer Xu Chuan some guidance.

On the path of academia, failure is far more common than success. Learning to accept failure is a necessary part of the journey.

Chapter 162: David Gross’s Guidance

“Junior, the experiment is already over. Why are you still analyzing data?”

At his desk, Xu Chuan looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Senior Qi Xishao standing beside him.

“Senior Qi.”

Xu Chuan greeted him, then added, “No, I’ve already finished the work my advisor assigned. I’m just tinkering with something of my own, not looking for Yukawa coupling data.”

Hearing this, Qi Xishao was slightly taken aback and asked with curiosity, “Oh? Then what are you analyzing?”

He had thought Xu Chuan was still trying to find traces of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks. He hadn’t expected it to be something else.

“I’m doing an analysis to see if I can deduce the ideal search channel for the most likely decay of the Higgs boson from this data.”

Xu Chuan said casually, his gaze returning to the Dalitz plot.

Perhaps he should change his approach—first analyze it from his usual perspective, and then use mathematical methods for verification. Maybe he would find something that way.

He wasn’t a stubborn person. When one method hit a dead end, he knew that temporarily setting it aside and approaching it from a different method or angle could sometimes yield completely different results.

Academic research requires a tenacious spirit, but one cannot afford to be inflexible in practice.

“Looking for the ideal search channel for the most likely decay of the Higgs boson?”

Qi Xishao looked at Xu Chuan with a strange expression. “Are you referring to the Yukawa coupling energy level of the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark?”

“If it’s that, the Standard Model has already made predictions. In experiments below a collision energy level of 13 TeV, at a proton-proton center-of-mass energy, it would be approximately 34 fb to 56 fb, and the restrictive fit for the llbb decay final state’s transverse momentum balance system would be…”

“You should know all this, right?”

Qi Xishao looked at Xu Chuan, briefly recounting the Standard Model’s predictions for Higgs boson decay.

As a physics researcher, especially one in particle physics, there was no reason for him not to know this.

Xu Chuan, still staring at the Dalitz plot, replied without turning his head, “I know all that, but the Standard Model’s predicted range is a bit too wide. I was wondering if it’s possible to narrow it down.”

“This would make finding the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark more efficient. If we can lock down the ideal search channel for its decay, then we’ll be able to find it in the next collision experiment.”

Hearing this, Qi Xishao shook his head and advised, “Well, suit yourself, but I suggest you give up.”

“It’s not like no one has tried this work before, but no one has ever been able to narrow down the Standard Model’s predictions. It’s just too difficult.”

“Besides, even if you did manage it, you wouldn’t get any major reward for it. At most, you’d just speed up the discovery of the Yukawa coupling phenomenon between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.”

“And even though that might save CERN millions or even tens of millions of US dollars in collision funding, CERN isn’t going to give you a special award for it.”

After learning that Xu Chuan wasn’t still poring over data to find the Yukawa coupling, Qi Xishao’s worries were put to rest.

However, he wasn’t optimistic about Xu Chuan’s attempt to pinpoint the ideal search channel for the decay of the Yukawa coupling.

As he had said, the work was simply too difficult.

CERN had looked into this before—after all, it could save a huge amount of money—but no one had ever succeeded.

But as long as his junior wasn’t getting bogged down and feeling discouraged, everything else was fine.

If he wanted to research it, let him. He would naturally give up eventually when it yielded no results.

Qi Xishao left, but Xu Chuan paid him no mind, his attention still fixed on the Dalitz plot before him.

After a moment of contemplation, he picked up a ballpoint pen from the desk and began working on a fresh sheet of scratch paper.

It would be quite difficult to sort all this out from a mathematical perspective in a short amount of time, but he could first organize it from a physics standpoint.

【The fitted value of the Higgs boson signal strength parameter μ for the VHbb process at mH = 125 GeV, applicable to the WH and ZH production modes and their combination. The values for the individual μ for the (W/Z)H processes are obtained by simultaneously fitting the independently floating signal strengths of the WH and ZH processes, from which the compatibility of the individual signal strengths is calculated to be 84%.】

【…】

【Impact of systematic uncertainties on the fitted Higgs boson signal strength parameter μ for the nominal MVA analysis with 13 TeV data. The systematic uncertainties are ranked in descending order of their impact on μ. The boxes represent the variation in μ; refer to the top x-axis when the corresponding individual nuisance parameter θ is fixed to…】

【Expected and observed significance values (standard deviations) for the H→ bb channel and its combination, fitted independently using 7 TeV, 8 TeV, and 13 TeV datasets.】

Xu Chuan spent two days organizing the Dalitz plots he had.

Each Dalitz plot and its corresponding information were saved on his computer, displayed on the screen.

Xu Chuan methodically went through them.

“…Overview of systematic uncertainties in the modeling of the diboson production background. PS/UE denotes parton shower/underlying event. The S symbol is used when only shape uncertainties are evaluated.”

“When determining the signal strength of (W/Z)Z diboson production, the normalization uncertainty is eliminated as the normalization is unconstrained. A range is shown if the magnitude of the systematic uncertainty varies by region.”

“If this range can be determined, it might be possible to find the fitted value of the Higgs boson signal strength parameter μ for H→ bb, using the data from the VH, ttH, and ggF+VBF analyses in Run 1 and Run 2, as well as their combinations.”

“If I can achieve that, I can at least significantly narrow down the ideal search channel for the decay of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.”

“But… how should I start?”

Staring at the information on the screen, Xu Chuan once again fell into deep thought.

From a particle physics perspective, he had already confirmed that a range existed that could be used to find the fitted value of the Higgs boson signal strength parameter μ for H→ bb.

But he still had no clue how to calculate this range mathematically.

Of course, that was to be expected.

If it were that easy, the work would have been done long ago.

For the physicists at CERN, it was more practical to optimize calculation methods than to try to narrow down the ideal search channel for the decay.

An efficient calculation method could filter out the interference from the complex QCD background, yielding a purer signal and thus increasing the probability of finding a useful signal.

As for researching how to narrow down the ideal search channel? It would be easier to just ask the member states for more money and run a few more collision experiments.

Staring at the screen, Xu Chuan pinched the bridge of his nose, stood up, and left the office.

If he couldn’t find inspiration cooped up in his office, he might as well go for a walk and relax.

“What a rare sight. You actually came out of your office.”

On the lawn outside the CERN work area, Xu Chuan was sitting on a wooden bench when a surprised voice reached his ears.

Turning his head, he saw Senior Qi Xishao walking over with a plastic bag in hand. He plopped down on the bench and pulled a snack out of the bag, handing it to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan took it and saw it was a packet of spicy fish snacks.

“Where did you buy this?” Xu Chuan asked curiously. It was clearly a product from China, and Geneva didn’t have a Chinatown.

“I drove to Zürich to buy them.”

Qi Xishao leaned back lazily on the bench, casually tearing open a packet of snacks and eating while basking in the sun.

“So? You drove for several hours to Zürich just for a few bags of snacks?” Xu Chuan glanced at the plastic bag on the bench, completely dumbfounded.

Qi Xishao shrugged. “It’s one of the few pleasures I have. I don’t even get to go back to China twice a year, so it’s nice to be able to eat something from home.”

“By the way, how’s your research coming along?”

Xu Chuan opened the packet of spicy fish, took a bite, and replied, “Not much progress. I’ve run into some trouble.”

“That’s normal. What you’re studying is extremely difficult. It requires not only a deep foundation in physics but also powerful mathematical ability. There aren’t many people in the entire field of particle physics who are capable of researching it.”

Qi Xishao looked as if he had expected this answer, showing no surprise.

“To be honest, instead of researching that, you’d be better off working on calculation methods. At least that’s much easier, and a good calculation method can filter out scattering backgrounds and computational interference, which would greatly increase the probability of finding useful information.”

“As for finding the Yukawa coupling energy level of the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark, we can just leave that to the collider beneath our feet.”

“As long as we run it enough times, we’ll find it one day.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Perhaps. But I’d still like to try.”

Seeing that Xu Chuan was still unwilling to give up, Qi Xishao shook his head slightly and said, “Then I suggest you go find your advisor, Edward Witten.”

“If there’s anyone who can help you with this, it’s probably him.”

At these words, Xu Chuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Perhaps there was someone who could indeed help him with this.

Of course, that person wasn’t Edward Witten. Witten’s expertise was in quantum field theory, string theory, and related topology and geometry, but his research didn’t go that deep into particle physics.

However, there was someone connected to Witten who was an expert in this area.

That would be Edward Witten’s advisor, who could also be considered his own academic grandfather: David Gross.

David Gross was the current Chairman of the CERN Council and one of the founders of quantum chromodynamics, particle physics, and string theory.

He had conducted profound research in areas such as gauge field theory, particle physics, and superstring theory.

In 2004, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of “asymptotic freedom of quarks,” making him a top expert in the world of physics.

According to statistics, he was an academician in at least ten countries, including China, where he was elected as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011.

It was clear how much of a big shot he was.

However, Xu Chuan wasn’t very familiar with David Gross at the moment. The best way to ask for his help was through his advisor, Edward Witten.

Tossing a “thanks” to Senior Qi, Xu Chuan finished the spicy fish in his hand in two bites, then returned to his hotel room. He sent an email to Edward Witten, who was back at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, asking for an introduction to David Gross.

Perhaps Professor Witten was at his computer, or maybe he had notifications set up for his emails. In any case, he received a reply before long.

“I have already contacted Professor Gross. He will be waiting for you in his office at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon. However, you don’t have much time, only one hour.”

“You can prepare the questions you want to ask and send them to him by email first. This will help avoid wasting time. Professor Gross’s email is *******.”

Professor Witten didn’t delay at all. Upon receiving the email, he immediately contacted David Gross on Xu Chuan’s behalf.

Of course, it wasn’t a big deal.

After all, in academic terms, David Gross was Xu Chuan’s academic grandfather.

“Thank you, Advisor. I’ll get my questions organized first.”

After receiving Witten’s reply, Xu Chuan quickly compiled his research and data analysis from the past few days, then compressed it into a file and sent it to Professor David Gross.

The next day, at two in the afternoon, Xu Chuan arrived at the main building of the CERN Meyrin site.

As the Council Chairman of CERN, David Gross worked here for most of the year.

Following the location from memory, Xu Chuan easily found David Gross’s office.

He knocked on the heavy wooden door, and a voice immediately responded from within.

“Come in.”

Xu Chuan pushed the door open and walked in. Inside the office, an elderly man wearing rimless glasses was smiling at him.

“Welcome. The conference presentation you led two months ago was absolutely brilliant.”

As he spoke, David Gross stood up with a smile, poured a cup of tea for Xu Chuan, and said, “I hear that people from China drink tea. I happen to have some tea here that someone gave me.”

“Thank you,” Xu Chuan said, quickly accepting the teacup with both hands.

After making tea for Xu Chuan and a cup of coffee for himself, David Gross looked at Xu Chuan and began to speak slowly.

“Have a seat. I don’t have much time; I have a meeting later.”

“I read the email you sent me last night. I must say, your idea is very unique. It will likely be quite difficult to achieve, but I have a few thoughts that you might find useful.”

Seeing that they were getting down to business, Xu Chuan also became serious and listened intently.

After chatting for a short while, David Gross looked at Xu Chuan and said, “I don’t know how to use mathematics to narrow down the ideal search channel for the decay of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.”

“But from the perspective of particle physics, all particles are composed of quarks. Perhaps you could try to approach your research from the angles of ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’?”

Research from the perspectives of ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’?

Hearing the old man’s words, Xu Chuan fell into deep contemplation.

Chapter 163: Perfecting the Calculation Method

“Start by investigating the ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’.” This was David Gross’s suggestion to Xu Chuan.

If he weren’t the President of the CERN Council, with some understanding of most collision experiments and data analysis, he probably wouldn’t have been able to offer any advice at all.

After all, this was a field few physicists ever ventured into.

He just didn’t know how much the young man before him actually understood about these two domains.

After all, he was far too young.

Ordinarily, someone his age would still be in the phase of learning and absorbing knowledge. Even if he could achieve some results in certain areas, it would be relative.

His age meant that he was bound to have gaps in his foundational knowledge in other fields.

However, from the looks of it now, he seemed to have been inspired.

Perhaps the young man had encountered these two topics in his physics studies?

In any case, he held high hopes for the young man before him.

From the first time he learned about him from Witten to just recently when he stood on stage and solved the Proton Radius Puzzle, Gross had seen the young man’s talent and genius.

This was a genius, a true genius.

Whether in mathematics or physics, he possessed what could be called top-tier talent, and he had carved out his own path in both fields.

Many people believed that academia or research required single-minded focus, but David Gross didn’t think so.

In his view, as long as you loved something, you could do it.

Do what you love; dare to ask questions, dare to take risks. Young people must dare to try. Trying may lead to failure, but not trying makes success impossible.

Besides, doing what you love is a joy, even in failure.

For the young man before him, Gross hoped he could go even further.

For someone like him, who had dedicated his entire life to physics and already had one foot in the grave, there was nothing more gratifying than seeing the field have worthy successors.

In the office, Xu Chuan was lost in thought.

He continued to ponder along the lines of Professor David Gross’s guidance.

He was very familiar with the two areas Professor Gross had mentioned: ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’.

Both were concepts from the field of particle physics.

The former was the achievement for which the old man before him had won the Nobel Prize.

It was a counter-intuitive, magical physical phenomenon.

In short, its core principle was that the nuclear force within an atomic nucleus weakens at very short distances, allowing the quarks within to behave like free particles. But as the distance between two quarks in the nucleus increases, the attractive force binding them actually grows stronger.

This property could be compared to a rubber band. The more you stretch a rubber band, the stronger its snap-back force becomes, but when you don’t stretch it, it remains loose.

This was ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’. It could be perturbatively calculated using the DGLAP equation for the cross-section of deep inelastic scattering in particle physics, which in turn gave rise to the discipline of ‘quantum chromodynamics’.

In 2004, the three physicists David Gross, David Politzer, and Frank Wilczek were awarded that year’s Nobel Prize for this discovery.

‘Quark confinement’, similarly, was another physical phenomenon.

It described how quark particles do not exist in isolation.

We all know that quarks are the fundamental units that make up matter.

Quarks combine with each other to form a type of composite particle called a ‘hadron’.

For instance, the most stable hadrons are ‘protons’ and ‘neutrons’, which are the basic units that form atomic nuclei.

Due to the strong interaction force, quarks with color charge are confined with other quarks, such that the total color charge is zero.

The force between quarks increases with distance, which is why isolated quarks cannot be found.

Simply put, because of the strong interaction force, quarks cannot exist individually like ‘protons’ or ‘neutrons’.

They always appear in pairs or in groups.

For example, a proton is composed of two up quarks and one down quark held together by gluons via the strong interaction.

Another example would be the pentaquark particle discovered by CERN’s LHC last year.

But what connection did these two theories have with using mathematics to narrow down the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark?

Theoretically speaking, the three were completely different things.

Even from the perspective of the physics world twenty years in the future, Xu Chuan couldn’t see any significant link between them.

If one had to force a connection, it would be through ‘quantum chromodynamics’, which derived from ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and was related to the study of the strong interaction force.

But it seemed that this aspect couldn’t be applied to finding the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.

However, a Nobel-laureate-level scholar would obviously not make a suggestion without reason. Since Professor Gross had advised him to investigate from the direction of ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’, there had to be something hidden there.

Something that could certainly be applied to finding the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.

It was just that he had never seen it before.

Physics was vast, so vast that even as a top physicist reborn from twenty years in the future, it was impossible for him to know every single point of knowledge.

Of course, a greater possibility was that this was just an idea that had formed in Professor David Gross’s mind in the last couple of days.

It was like biological evolution; without external stimuli, an organism would not undergo genetic mutation and evolve.

A typical physicist would simply never research this area.

If not for the email he sent to the professor yesterday, the old man probably wouldn’t have pondered this question in his mind.

It was perfectly normal for an idea born of happenstance not to be passed down into the future.

Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on this. He was focused on how to investigate the ideal search decay channel from the direction of ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ and ‘quark confinement’.

The old man across the desk obviously had some ideas on this, but he hadn’t stated them directly, instead giving a hint.

This must be a test from the old man, to see his talent or ability in physics.

Even if he couldn’t figure anything out in the end, the other party would probably tell him the complete line of thought.

But Xu Chuan couldn’t just give up on his independent thinking. With a clue already in hand, if he still couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t be worthy of standing at the pinnacle of the physics world.

All sorts of knowledge churned rapidly in his mind, from ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ to quantum chromodynamics, from ‘quark confinement’ to the vacuum excitation of the lowest energy state.

A series of knowledge points quickly formed a winding but connected thread of clues in Xu Chuan’s mind.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he snapped his head up, his eyes shining as he stared at the old man across the desk.

“The soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution?”

Hearing this, Professor David Gross’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you arrive at that?”

He hadn’t expected the young man before him to find the breakthrough point in such a short time.

After receiving the email yesterday afternoon, he had thought about it for a whole night, using the countless collision experiments and analysis data he had encountered over the years at CERN to find a seemingly feasible path. It had taken him no less than five or six hours.

He never imagined that Xu Chuan would find this hidden intersection after thinking for less than five minutes.

Even with his hint, this was simply incredible.

The soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution could be said to be one of the most cutting-edge and niche fields in the current physics community.

This field was used to calculate and process the color interference effects between the initial and final states of particles.

But in the current physics world, with colliders still searching for new particles and verifying the Standard Model, who would pay attention to color state interference effects?

The number of people in the entire physics world who knew anything about this could be counted on one hand.

If not for his position as President of the CERN Council, he wouldn’t have known about this area either.

He was truly astonished that Xu Chuan could find the breakthrough so quickly.

Xu Chuan smiled and replied, “I’ve studied some calculation methods at the next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD.”

Hearing this, Professor David Gross instantly understood.

Next-to-next-to-leading order QCD calculations were based on the results of the QCD soft-collinear effective theory.

And the QCD soft-collinear effective theory partially involved knowledge of the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution.

If that was the case, it was indeed possible to follow this clue to find the breakthrough.

But it had to be said, to successfully follow the clue of ‘asymptotic freedom of quarks’ to the breakthrough of the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution, this young man’s thinking was truly nimble.

Or rather, his intuition and talent in physics and mathematics were truly astonishing.

After all, there were quite a few winding knowledge points in between. Even for someone who had studied NNLO QCD calculations, it wouldn’t be that easy to deduce the connection smoothly.

It was like playing a video game.

An average player only thinks about their current lane and opponent. A high-level player thinks about their next move.

And then there are those with unparalleled talent for the game, who can calculate much further ahead. For them, even a single auto-attack from the opponent on the minion wave could be enough to declare the laning phase over.

It might sound absurd, but people with such talent do exist.

As in the world of gaming, so in the world of academia.

Give some geniuses a spark of inspiration, and they can return a vast expanse of results.

Take Newton, for example. An apple fell on his head, and he discovered the law of universal gravitation. If an apple fell on an ordinary person’s head, they would just pop it in their mouth.

After bidding farewell to his grand-mentor, Professor David Gross, Xu Chuan went straight back to his hotel room.

With inspiration and啓示, the path ahead would be much easier to walk.

Holed up in his hotel room, he started from the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution and began to use mathematics to perform data calculations on the Dalitz plot he had.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a phone’s ringtone suddenly shattered the silence of the room.

His calculations interrupted, Xu Chuan irritably fumbled for the phone on the desk, answered it, and said, “Hello?”

“Junior, the acceptance conference presentation for the experiment is about to start. Where are you? You’re not even replying to my messages.”

The call was from his senior, Qi Xishao. Hearing this, Xu Chuan snapped back to reality. He glanced at the time in the bottom-right corner of his laptop screen and realized that he had unknowingly been in his hotel room for three whole days.

Xu Chuan asked, “Which conference room? I’m on my way now.”

He absolutely had to attend this conference presentation.

After all, he was a member of the project team. Although he had joined in the middle to late stages, he was still a member. It was proper for him to attend the conference presentation for a research project he had participated in.

If someone at the conference raised objections about the data analysis portion he was responsible for, he had an obligation to explain.

Fortunately, he now had a solid direction for using mathematics to find the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark. The remaining work could be completed gradually, so he didn’t have to worry about the inspiration vanishing.

“Auditorium Two. It’s about to start, hurry up.”

Xu Chuan acknowledged, hung up, and rushed to the bathroom to wash his face and tidy his messy hair.

If time had permitted, it would have been proper to take a shower and fix his appearance before going.

But unfortunately, time did not permit.

He rushed over to Auditorium Two, and the acceptance conference presentation had already begun.

As a member of the project team, Xu Chuan had his own assigned seat, right next to Qi Xishao.

“Holy shit! Junior, what have you been doing these past two days? How did you end up like this? Youth may be a time of vigor, but you have to watch the frequency and protect your kidneys.”

As soon as he sat down, Qi Xishao’s voice drifted over.

He was startled by Xu Chuan’s condition. Although his hair was tidied, it was greasy and shiny as if it hadn’t been washed in days. He had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he’d pulled several all-nighters. His whole appearance was that of someone who had been ‘drained’ a dozen times over.

Recalling that he hadn’t seen his junior in the office for the past few days, he naturally assumed that he’d gone off to have some fun in France next door.

Xu Chuan rolled his eyes and said, “What are you thinking? I’ve been in the hotel these past two days. I had a breakthrough with my previous idea and have been running calculations.”

“The one about finding the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark? You haven’t given up on that?” Qi Xishao asked in surprise.

Xu Chuan nodded. Qi Xishao sighed, “Take care of your body. Research is important, but your health is more important. It’s not worth it to wear yourself out.”

Although there was no shortage of diligent and hardworking people in academia, those who were as diligent and hardworking as his junior were truly rare.

Qi Xishao considered himself quite diligent, but he still had other hobbies.

But his junior, on the other hand, seemed to have no other interests besides academic research.

At least, in the few months they had been in contact at CERN, he had never seen Xu Chuan display any other hobbies. His activities were basically all related to research, and he was often seen hunched over his desk, calculating for half a day at a time.

It just went to show that there was a reason he was able to solve world-class problems in both mathematics and physics at the age of eighteen.

If someone like him didn’t succeed, who would?

Xu Chuan gave a shy smile and said, “I will.”

“Wait, did you just say you found a method? You’ve calculated the ideal search decay channel?”

As he was sighing in admiration, something suddenly clicked for Qi Xishao. He whipped his head around and asked in astonishment.

He thought he had just heard his junior say he had a breakthrough and was in the middle of calculations.

Chapter 164: Plagiarized?

In the conference hall, Qi Xishao stared at Xu Chuan in astonishment, having even forgotten that an acceptance conference presentation was currently underway.

He seriously suspected he had just misheard.

Using mathematics to find the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks… he actually did it?

Was that even possible?

Theoretically, yes, it was possible.

But in practice, he had been working at CERN for several years and had never heard of any laboratory, university, or physicist achieving such a result.

That alone proved how difficult this path was.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to Qi Xishao’s gaze. This was precisely why he had studied mathematics.

Using math to aid his progress in physics, materials science, and other fields had been his original goal, and it was what he had been doing all along.

With a yawn, he shook his head and replied, “I haven’t calculated it all yet, but a few days ago, I went to see Professor David Gross. We talked it over and found a path that should be feasible. I’m currently working on the derivation.”

“I haven’t calculated it all yet, but we’ve found a path that should be feasible.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and replied. It was true that he hadn’t finished the calculations, but he was close. He had a hunch that the breakthrough he’d gotten from David Gross was the right one.

His advisor’s presentation was still ongoing, but he was already starting to feel drowsy.

He had been pulling all-nighters for days, performing analysis and calculations, sleeping no more than six hours a day. He was running on Red Bull and the sheer mental drive to get the data calculated in one go.

Now that he was interrupted, combined with the plentiful heating in the conference hall, waves of sleepiness washed over him, impossible to resist.

If he weren’t sitting in the front row, right next to a camera, and might be needed on stage for an explanation later, he probably would have already slumped in his chair and fallen asleep.

“Professor Gross? You even know the council chairman of CERN?” Hearing Xu Chuan’s reply, Qi Xishao glanced at him with envy.

Although he was an official researcher at CERN, he had met Professor David Gross very few times.

An ordinary researcher was worlds apart from the council chairman of a major international organization like CERN.

Xu Chuan yawned again and replied lightly, “I went through my advisor, Witten. He recommended him to me.”

“I almost forgot, you have that connection. By that logic, Professor Gross is your Grand-mentor.”

Qi Xishao slapped his head. He had been so busy envying Xu Chuan for receiving guidance from Professor Gross that he had nearly forgotten they were from the same academic lineage.

With guidance from Professor Gross, it was indeed possible to use mathematics to find the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

After all, he was a Nobel laureate in Physics.

He was dying of envy. Why didn’t he have such an opportunity?

However, what Qi Xishao didn’t know was that aside from offering a single suggestion, Professor Gross had done nothing else.

The entire calculation process, the methodology, and the data analysis were all completed by Xu Chuan himself.

Of course, this wasn’t to say the suggestion wasn’t important; it had indeed provided a crucial spark of inspiration.

Without that suggestion, who knows how long it would have taken Xu Chuan to think of using the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution to achieve a breakthrough.

He had indeed stood at the pinnacle of the physics world in his past life, but that didn’t mean he could solve every problem on his own.

Compared to those protagonists in novels with a system to cheat with, he was just an ordinary person.

When faced with a brand-new problem, he could only rely on the knowledge and experience in his mind to analyze and break through; he couldn’t use a cheat to find the solution directly.

The acceptance conference presentation went smoothly, finishing in just over half an hour.

Xu Chuan had been prepared to go on stage to explain things, but to his surprise, the other physicists in the auditorium didn’t raise any questions.

After saying a brief goodbye to his advisor, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel. Without even showering, he collapsed onto the bed.

He slept straight from four in the afternoon until past three in the morning. More than ten hours of sleep finally replenished the energy he had expended over the past few days.

After climbing out of bed and taking a refreshing shower, Xu Chuan, now full of vigor, sat back down at his desk with a pouch of yogurt.

Here in Europe, dairy products like milk, yogurt, butter, and cheese were common. However, Xu Chuan wasn’t a big fan of milk; he always thought it had a faint odor.

Was it an aroma? Or a gamy smell? Xu Chuan couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was definitely a smell he didn’t particularly like.

As for yogurt, the smell disappeared after fermentation. Plus, the addition of sugar, honey, jam, and other things improved its taste.

On the glass desk, the unfinished calculations from yesterday lay in a scattered mess. Sheets of scratch paper were covered in dense mathematical and physical symbols, strings of formulas connecting them, all pointing toward the final answer.

Sipping his yogurt, Xu Chuan picked up the ballpoint pen on the desk and continued the work he hadn’t finished yesterday.

“…derived from the Lund string fragmentation function, assuming… from the light… forward… point.”

“The probability of… producing a hadron is f(z+)dz+.”

“Probability…: H(Γ)dΓyf(z+)dz+.”

“…”

“After an infinite-energy… breaks n times, the distribution for n particles… is:”

“dP(z,s;P.Pn)=dsdz/z(1-z)αexp(-bΓ)δ(1-∑n|j=1*m/uj).”

“…”

At his desk, Xu Chuan’s ballpoint pen glided across the paper, splitting data from the Dalitz plot and integrating it with mathematical methods.

He was trying to find a corresponding functional relationship to determine the Yukawa coupling distribution of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks (the top quark ‘t’ and the bottom quark ‘b’).

It was a tedious job, demanding the perfect fusion of mathematical and physical knowledge to establish a new method.

But Xu Chuan reveled in it.

To him, this was a new kind of advancement. It had been a long time since he had made a new breakthrough in physics.

But today, he felt that thrill once again.

The complete integration of mathematics and physics had pushed back boundaries that were previously unbreakable, which further strengthened Xu Chuan’s conviction that the path he had chosen after his rebirth was the right one.

The Dalitz plot on the computer screen changed continuously with his calculations. Collision data was parsed from it, one item at a time, and substituted into the mathematical formulas.

Now that he had found the breakthrough, the remaining calculations were no longer an impossible task for his current self.

Starting from the calculation of the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution, circling back to quantum chromodynamics, and then using quark confinement to place an upper limit on the energy level of the Higgs boson’s coupled decay.

Step by step, Xu Chuan meticulously unraveled the data in his hands, using mathematics to find the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when he finally put down his pen again, two sets of data on the scratch paper quietly surfaced.

【Schrödinger equation is… corresponding energy eigenvalue Ea=(n+1/2)a, H→bb-bar decay energy level is 128GeV~131GeV, H→bb(μvBF=3.0^+1.7~-1.6).】

Staring at these two sets of data, a look of satisfaction and accomplishment filled Xu Chuan’s eyes.

He had calculated it.

He had calculated the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

Although these two sets of data had yet to be verified by collision experiments, theoretically, they couldn’t be wrong.

In a physics experiment, especially a high-energy collision experiment run by a large particle collider, there are too many things that can deceive the eye.

But for mathematics, as long as the calculation is correct, the answer must be correct.

At the very least, Xu Chuan was very confident in his calculation process.

All that remained was to wait for the LHC to verify it.

In his room, Xu Chuan organized the scratch paper on his desk, typed the calculation process and methods into his computer, and saved them as PDF and PPT files.

He had calculated the ideal search decay channel, but that wasn’t enough. He still needed CERN’s help, needed to use the LHC to verify his data.

Only if the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks was successfully discovered according to his calculated results would it prove him right.

For now, it was just a theory.

After dealing with everything, Xu Chuan sent emails to his advisors Chen Zhengping and Witten, and to CERN’s council chairman David Gross.

This analysis was based on Chen Zhengping’s experimental data, so he naturally had the right to know.

He emailed Witten and Professor Gross because he needed their help.

At CERN, you had to apply for collision experiments on the LHC in advance. For example, for an experiment in the second half of the year, you had to submit an application to CERN in the first half at the latest. It would only be scheduled after approval.

This was fundamental to CERN’s operations.

After all, CERN is a large, international collaborative organization funded by various countries. Scheduling collision experiments is a matter of the utmost importance, with many factors to consider.

Using the LHC was not like using other experimental equipment at CERN. It is the largest and most important Large Hadron Collider in the world today.

The world of high-energy physics is full of countless ideas and theories, but there is only one LHC, and it can only test a limited number of theories. Therefore, the collision schedule for each year must be discussed and debated long in advance.

If you wanted to cut in line, you had to apply to CERN to hold a conference presentation and report your theory there.

If the CERN Council deemed your report important enough, they might discuss postponing a subsequent collision experiment to schedule one for you.

Other than that, there were almost no other ways.

After handling the data, Xu Chuan got up to go downstairs and buy something to eat.

But just then, his phone rang.

Xu Chuan took out his phone. The call was from an unexpected name.

“Hello, Senior Hu.”

Xu Chuan answered the call and greeted him.

The caller was Hu Xingjian, a graduate student from Riyue University and a disciple of Academician Zhang Weiping, whom he had met once at the Morningside Medal of Mathematics award ceremony.

“God Chuan, I didn’t expect you to still remember me.”

On the other end of the line, Hu Xingjian’s voice was a little surprised, as if he was shocked that Xu Chuan still remembered him.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Is there something you need?”

“It’s like this, God Chuan. Have you been following Advances in Mathematics recently?” Hu Xingjian asked over the phone.

Xu Chuan shook his head and asked curiously, “No, what’s up? Is there a new development in the field of mathematics?”

It was a natural question. After all, anything related to a math journal had to be about mathematical achievements.

However, he had been at CERN studying physics for the past few months and hadn’t been paying much attention to the field of mathematics.

Moreover, Advances in Mathematics was a domestic Chinese journal. While it ranked in the top three in China, it wasn’t particularly prominent internationally. The papers published in it were generally of moderate importance, so he didn’t pay much attention to it and hadn’t even turned on notifications for it.

It was an unavoidable fact that top journals were mostly controlled by Western countries.

“Let me send you a link then. You should take a look first,” Hu Xingjian said, not explaining directly but sending a link through a messaging app instead.

Xu Chuan curiously clicked the link and looked at the content.

【Another New Major Achievement in the History of Chinese Mathematics; Peking University Professor Mo Kun Proves the Rankin-Selberg L-function Non-vanishing Hypothesis! May Greatly Advance a Breakthrough in the Langlands Program.】

The title had the typical clickbait account style, but the content surprised Xu Chuan.

The Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis had been proven?

This was a core problem within the L-function category of the Langlands program.

He had previously discussed this topic with the Brazilian mathematics professor, Artur Avila. Coupled with his recent studies under Professor Deligne at Princeton, he had some understanding of the problems within the Langlands program.

This hypothesis was first proposed in the 1970s. After its proposal, many important results concerning the special values of L-functions were obtained under the assumption that the non-vanishing hypothesis was true.

But no one had ever provided a clear answer on how to prove the hypothesis itself.

A reviewer for the Journal of the American Mathematical Society once pointed out that the non-vanishing hypothesis was “a fundamental difficulty in all work” in this direction, which showed how difficult the problem was.

However, the name Mo Kun sounded a bit familiar. Where had he heard it before?

Staring at the name in the headline, Xu Chuan felt a sense of familiarity.

After thinking for a moment, it dawned on him.

“Mo Kun, isn’t he that math professor from Peking University I met at the Morningside Medal of Mathematics award ceremony? We even had a discussion back then.”

“You really can’t judge a book by its cover. If I remember correctly, this Professor Mo from Peking University looked to be at least in his fifties, right?”

Xu Chuan remarked with a sigh. Although being in one’s fifties wasn’t considered old, the spirit of tirelessly researching mathematics at that age was truly admirable.

With that thought, Xu Chuan sat back down in front of his computer.

Although he didn’t subscribe to Advances in Mathematics, the journal had a website where published papers were posted.

If Professor Mo’s paper proving the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis had been published, he should be able to find it there.

Sure enough, after connecting to Peking University’s mathematics journal website, Xu Chuan saw the paper on the homepage.

【Proof of the Rankin-Selberg L-function Non-vanishing Hypothesis.】

Using a PDF tool, Xu Chuan downloaded the paper and opened it, preparing to read.

After all, the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis was quite important in the Langlands program, relating to the field of special values of L-functions.

However, as he read through it, Xu Chuan’s expression gradually turned strange.

The core tool used in this paper seemed to be the very argument he and Professor Artur Avila had developed in May.

Although some minor things had been changed, the core idea and calculation process were virtually identical.

The only difference was that back then, he and Professor Artur Avila were researching in the direction of the New Mersenne conjecture. Here, it seemed this Professor Mo had applied it to the proof of the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis.

But no matter what, it was certain that this Professor Mo had directly ‘borrowed’ the results of his and Professor Artur Avila’s research.

Not only the core idea, but even the calculation method and some of the data were copied directly.

And he hadn’t even notified him or Professor Artur Avila. Wasn’t that more than a little out of line?

Xu Chuan was almost certain that Professor Mo had not contacted Professor Artur Avila. If he had, Artur Avila would have definitely contacted him.

After all, it was their joint research. According to the rules of academia, if one wanted to lend it for others to use, they would certainly have to inform their collaborator.

“I should ask Professor Avila first, see if he knows anything.”

Staring at the paper, Xu Chuan shook his head.

If Professor Artur Avila was also unaware, then this matter was rather serious.

Chapter 165: Expanding China’s Influence at CERN

Xu Chuan didn’t jump to conclusions about Mo Kun using the results of his and Professor Artur Avila’s discussion.

After all, it was possible that the other party had already communicated with Professor Avila and obtained his permission. Although he hadn’t been told, it was indeed a possibility.

He might have been overlooked.

Compared to a top mathematician and Fields Medal laureate like Artur Avila, he was far behind in age, accomplishments, seniority, and status.

The other party might have overlooked him, an eighteen-year-old young scholar.

Though it was infuriating, from a certain cultural perspective, it was indeed possible.

And to be honest, even if the other party had used their academic results directly without his or Professor Avila’s consent, it wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence in the academic world.

Having been in academic research for so many years, Xu Chuan had seen plenty of similar incidents.

Journal editors rejecting a paper only to plagiarize and publish it themselves; advisors stealing their students’ work and exploiting them; academic fraud—he’d seen it all.

Not only had he seen it, but he had also experienced it himself.

In his previous life, while studying physics under Edward Witten at Princeton, he had made a small physics discovery related to gravity during his doctoral studies and submitted it to a journal called Classical and Quantum Gravity.

But it was rejected during the review process.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time. After all, having a paper rejected was a normal part of the process; even Nobel-level masters had papers rejected.

But not long after, Xu Chuan was shocked to discover that his paper had been published in that very journal after some simple modifications.

And the author was one of the journal’s review editors.

This naturally infuriated him, and he contacted the journal to file a complaint and demand an explanation.

But initially, it had little effect. After all, he was just an ordinary doctoral student.

It wasn’t uncommon for journal review editors to steal the papers and theories of contributors; you could even say it happened every year.

Although Classical and Quantum Gravity replied that they were investigating his complaint, the matter went cold, and there was no further news. They didn’t even retract his stolen paper; it was still posted on their site.

Later, Xu Chuan had to go to his advisor, Witten, and with the help of Princeton University, he finally succeeded in getting the journal to retract the paper and issue an apology.

Not every journal and every review editor can adhere to professional ethics. Top-tier journals were better in this regard, but similar incidents still occurred occasionally.

What’s more, Classical and Quantum Gravity wasn’t a top-tier journal. Although it met the threshold for the SCI, its impact factor was only at the level of the third or fourth quartile.

For such a journal, its reputation was far less important than it was for a top-tier one.

When such things happened, their first reaction wasn’t to strictly investigate their own review editors, but to try to hush things up and smooth things over.

Xu Chuan had experienced and heard of many similar incidents. So, something like academic plagiarism no longer stirred up much emotion in him.

Scum existed everywhere, not just in academia.

But cleaning up scum was everyone’s duty.

If it was confirmed that this professor named Mo Kun had plagiarized and used their results without his and Professor Artur Avila’s consent, then Xu Chuan would do everything in his power to handle the matter.

Plagiarism was a very bad thing for the academic world because it could lead many people to think they could gain fame and fortune by stealing others’ work instead of doing their own research, and some might try to emulate it.

Besides, if such an incident wasn’t resolved, what would scholars from other countries think?

Not only would it lead many to mistakenly believe that China’s academic community was built on plagiarism, but it would also have a very bad influence on future scholars, encouraging many to look for shortcuts.

Unless both he and Professor Avila tacitly accepted the matter and chose not to pursue it.

But that was clearly impossible. Leaving Professor Avila aside, that wasn’t Xu Chuan’s personality.

Someone had stolen his academic work, and they expected him not to pursue it? Not in their wildest dreams.

After finishing Professor Mo Kun’s paper, Xu Chuan picked up his phone and sent a message to Hu Xingjian.

“Thanks, received.”

He had to remember the kindness of this senior, Hu, who had taken the initiative to call and inform him.

After writing and sending an email to Professor Artur Avila, Xu Chuan got up again and went downstairs to eat.

He had to admit, this incident had affected his mood.

The good mood from having calculated the optimal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark had more or less dissipated.

Even though he knew such things were unavoidable in academia, and even though he had experienced many in his past life, when it happened to him personally, anyone would be upset.

Professor Avila hadn’t replied to his email yet, but Xu Chuan knew in his heart that this was most likely a case of plagiarism.

Because he knew that even if Professor Mo had overlooked him, Professor Avila would not.

A Fields Medal laureate had at least that much integrity.

In the restaurant, Xu Chuan ordered some food at random. Just as he sat down, his phone rang again.

It was his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

As soon as he answered, Chen Zhengping’s excited voice came through: “You’ve calculated the optimal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark?”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “If there are no surprises, yes.”

“Where are you now?”

Xu Chuan looked up at the restaurant and replied, “I’m eating at a place called ‘Vasari Italian Restaurant’ across the street from our hotel.”

“Okay, wait there. I’ll be right over.”

On the other end, Chen Zhengping said his piece and then hastily hung up.

He arrived even faster than Xu Chuan had anticipated. Before he had even finished his meal, his advisor was there.

“Have you applied to CERN for a conference presentation?”

Arriving at the restaurant, Chen Zhengping’s first words were to ask Xu Chuan if he had applied to CERN for a conference presentation.

Xu Chuan put down his knife and fork, shaking his head. “Not yet, but I’ve already emailed Professor Witten and Professor Gross. The conference presentation shouldn’t be a problem.”

“For this experiment, is it possible to collaborate with the research teams from China?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping asked eagerly, “The people from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University are all still here. They can help you with the data analysis work.”

The teams that could get into CERN were, without a doubt, top-tier teams from within the country.

Take Nanjing University, for example. Chen Zhengping, an Academician of the Academy of Sciences, was leading the team, which included three physics doctoral students, one postdoc, and one official CERN researcher.

Such a lineup could be considered quite luxurious.

And there was no need to even mention Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Jiaotong University.

These two universities were currently among the pillars of the domestic physics community. They had sent even more people than Nanjing University. Not only were their teams led by Academicians of the Academy of Sciences, but the accompanying members were all doctoral students at a minimum. Jiaotong University had even sent three full professors from its School of Physics.

Such a deluxe team wasn’t there for anything other than to produce more results.

It wasn’t just for the honor of individuals and their universities, but also to give China a greater voice at CERN, and for China to join CERN and become a member state.

That’s right, as of 2016, China was still not a member state of CERN.

Without this status, the research work of Chinese scholars at CERN had always been greatly affected.

First, if China remained outside CERN’s doors for a long time, it would neither befit China’s current and future international status, nor would it allow for the full utilization of the various technologies born from CERN.

Second, without the status of a member state, it was simply impossible to apply for licensing of CERN’s technological achievements.

Don’t simply think that CERN is just a physics research institution.

The technological achievements born from the Large Hadron Collider were not limited to physics.

CERN had applied a large number of research results in fields such as medicine and biomedicine, aerospace, security, Industry 4.0, cultural heritage, and energy technology. The key technologies involved in these application areas were diverse and widely used.

For example, beam instrumentation and systems, superconducting magnet technology, cryogenic cooling technology, ultra-high vacuum technology, industrial controls, magnet technology, particle tracking and calorimetry, radiation protection and monitoring, radio frequency and sensors, superconductivity technology, and so on.

Every year, the knowledge transfer group organized and hosted various academic conferences, lectures, and exhibitions centered on CERN’s related research and technology application areas, publicly announcing the latest R&D trends, research progress, and transferable technological achievements.

This made CERN a source of global innovation and creativity, continuously providing new ideas for the innovative application of all kinds of knowledge and technology.

And according to CERN’s relevant statutes, its top-tier projects, such as technology licensing and high-tech talent training cooperation programs, were only open to member states. Engineering and technical personnel from non-member states were not eligible to participate.

If one wanted to acquire the latest technology and cultivate first-class engineering and technical talent through CERN, becoming a member was the only option.

Although some domestic research institutions had established cooperative relationships with CERN, their participation in projects was limited to basic research in particle physics. In terms of high-tech cooperation, without member state status, it was almost impossible to get involved.

The country had been working towards this, but with little success.

And Xu Chuan’s calculation of the optimal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark brought about an opportunity in this regard.

If they could seize this opportunity and successfully find the Yukawa coupling phenomenon between the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark, there was no doubt that China would gain more initiative in the LHC’s subsequent research on the Higgs boson.

For example, the subsequent experiment on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the second-generation light quark.

The LHC’s resources were limited. If China could take a larger bite, it could produce more results, and it wouldn’t even be impossible for a Nobel Prize to emerge from it.

CERN had produced quite a few Nobel laureates. High-energy physics and particle physics had always been the core focus of the physics world.

More importantly, if this opportunity could be used to advance China’s bid to become a CERN member state, the value would be even greater.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment and asked, “Won’t this delay your own work?”

He had originally planned to pull together a temporary team from CERN, just like when he had solved the “Proton Radius Puzzle.”

After all, top university teams like those from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University all had their own research tasks.

Top-tier research teams rarely let their time sit idle; they controlled more research funding, but they also bore more responsibilities.

Chen Zhengping smiled and shook his head, saying, “How could this be called a delay? Others would beg for such an opportunity and not get it.”

“If your calculations are correct, this will be a turning point for CERN. Perhaps in the future, CERN will shift more of its focus towards calculating search energy levels. After all, this could save CERN millions or even tens of millions of US dollars in collision funding.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher.”

Since Chen Zhengping had approached him, Xu Chuan didn’t hesitate. He did indeed need a team to help him with the data analysis.

He had sufficient confidence in his data calculations. More crucially, he knew the data from when CERN discovered the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark in 2018.

The collision energy level and decay data were not far off from what he had calculated.

This meant that if the collision experiment was carried out according to his calculated data, they would definitely discover the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

He naturally welcomed the Chinese universities’ desire to participate. After all, why let such a windfall go to outsiders?

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping smiled and said, “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of the others.”

Regardless of whether this experiment could discover the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark, it was an opportunity for the three universities.

After all, applying to CERN for an independent LHC collision experiment was quite difficult.

And the data generated by each independent collision experiment had enormous potential value.

Because no one knew if hidden within that data was a particle not predicted by the Standard Model.

Moreover, if Xu Chuan’s calculated data was confirmed to be accurate, it would provide a huge boost to China’s bid to join CERN as a member state.

After all, if he could do it once, he might be able to do it a second time.

Although each collision experiment was different, just one success could save millions, or even tens of millions, of US dollars.

Such a temptation was enormous for CERN.

Chapter 166: A Perfect Fusion of Mathematics and Physics

In the CERN main building, David Gross was going through his daily routine of checking and replying to emails.

As the President of the CERN Council, he received up to a hundred emails a day; it wasn’t unusual for the number to reach two or three hundred on busy days.

However, most of them were either junk or related to work schedules, which were easy for him to handle.

After dealing with an experiment proposal report, Professor Gross clicked on the next email.

“Xu, Chuan?”

His eyes landed on the sender’s name, and he couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

If he remembered correctly, this was that young genius from China.

Just a few days ago, they had discussed how to use mathematics to narrow down the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

“Does he still have questions about it?”

With this thought, Professor Gross opened the email.

He had an excellent impression of Xu Chuan. The young man was a true genius. If all went well, he might one day be capable of pushing a field of physics forward.

Besides, the two of them had a connection.

After all, he was Edward Witten’s advisor, and Edward Witten was Xu Chuan’s advisor. By that logic, using Chinese terms, he was Xu Chuan’s “Grand-mentor.” With this relationship, Professor Gross was not stingy with his guidance.

He opened the email, and the subject line caught his eye.

[The Most Ideal Search Decay Channel for the Yukawa Coupling of the Higgs Boson and the Third-Generation Heavy Quark]

The title made his brown-black pupils contract slightly.

“He’s… calculated it?”

A sense of disbelief and doubt rose in Professor Gross’s mind.

Finding a breakthrough for a problem, confirming the approach, verifying that approach, deriving the process, and calculating the result—all of these steps required a significant amount of time.

But it had only been a few days.

If he wasn’t mistaken, less than a week had passed since their last conversation.

To complete the calculation for the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark in just a week…

It was simply too incredible.

Or perhaps, this email only contained a theory, without the final data calculations?

At the very least, Professor Gross didn’t believe anyone could go from finding a breakthrough to completing the final data calculations in such a short time.

He eagerly read on.

As lines of text and data calculations filled his vision, Professor Gross couldn’t help but marvel.

Even without seeing the final results yet, the ingenious calculation process alone was eye-opening.

“Starting from the soft-gluon resummation effect in transverse momentum distribution, looping back to quantum chromodynamics, and then using quark confinement to place an upper energy level limit on the Higgs boson’s coupled decay.”

“Incredible. What a brilliant method. Using the string fragmentation function to complete the n-particle distribution… to think that mathematical methods could be applied to physics in this way.”

Staring at the calculations on his screen, David Gross murmured to himself.

As one of the founders of quantum chromodynamics, his mathematical skills were not lacking. While he couldn’t compare to top mathematicians, he was certainly much better than the average physicist. Otherwise, how could Edward Witten have learned mathematics under his tutelage?

But right now, he was still astounded by Xu Chuan’s calculations.

It wasn’t just the mathematical formulas and ideas; what was more brilliant was how this calculation process almost perfectly integrated mathematics and physics.

Those unexpected mathematical methods were integrated into physical theory in a bizarre yet clever way, building a new bridge between mathematics and physics.

This was what astonished him the most.

[…the corresponding energy eigenvalue is Ea=(n+1/2)a, the H→bb-bar decay energy level is 128GeV~131GeV, H→bb(μvBF=3.0^+1.7~-1.6)]

It took David Gross over an hour to finish reading the email.

The final answer was now deeply imprinted in his mind, even giving him the urge to immediately start up the LHC for a collision experiment to verify if this calculated data was correct.

The entire calculation process was simply too exquisite.

At his desk, Professor Gross took off his glasses and rubbed his weary eyes, then stood up to stretch his stiff body.

For an old man in his seventies, sitting still for over an hour was not a pleasant experience.

However, the mental exhilaration he’d just received from a single email made the physical discomfort seem trivial.

After a simple stretch, Professor Gross sat back down at his desk. This time, he didn’t continue working but picked up his phone and dialed a number, calling Edward Witten, who was far away in Princeton.

The call connected quickly.

“Hello, Witten, have you checked your email?”

“Not in the last couple of days. What’s up?”

Professor Edward Witten’s confused voice came from the other end of the line. Professor Gross smiled and said, “I suggest you take a look. There might be a surprise waiting for you.”

After hanging up, Professor Gross sat back down at his computer, using his mouse and keyboard to reply to Xu Chuan’s email.

He needed Xu Chuan to submit an application for a conference presentation to CERN, as well as a request for a particle collision experiment in the LHC.

Although he was the President of the CERN Council, he didn’t have much power over the use of the LHC.

That was something that required deliberation among all the council members.

Of course, in that process, his words still carried a certain weight.

As for arranging a conference presentation, that was a simple matter that could be done with ease.

Nearly an hour after replying to Xu Chuan, Professor Gross received a call from Witten.

“I saw the email. It’s indeed a surprise,” Witten said with a sigh.

“Using mathematical methods to calculate the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark… such an approach is truly unexpected. What’s even more unexpected is that he actually managed to do it.”

In his office, David Gross smiled and said, “It seems you have a successor.”

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Witten answered noncommittally, “Perhaps. But for now, it looks like I should take a trip to CERN.”

“Do come. The next collision experiment might just be the moment we witness a miracle.”

“If we can successfully find the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark, we might be able to find even more things.”

David Gross smiled happily. If the young man’s calculations were correct, then CERN might be on the verge of a revolution.

In addition to its existing research, CERN might shift its focus—at least a part of it—towards mathematical physics.

Using mathematics to determine the search channel for a brand-new particle would not only save CERN a vast amount of funding but would also represent a perfect fusion and development of mathematics and physics, opening up a brand-new path for high-energy physics and particle physics.

…

CERN, the Chinese office area.

The team leaders from the research groups of Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University were gathered together, discussing the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark that Xu Chuan had calculated.

They were also discussing subsequent matters like experimental data analysis and work arrangements.

Nanjing University, HUST, and Jiaotong University had participated in CERN experiments many times before.

But this was the first time they had gathered together for the same project.

“The H→bb-bar decay energy level is 128GeV~131GeV, H→bb(μvBF=3.0^+1.7~-1.6)… Incredible. Who would have thought that the Yukawa coupling energy level of the third-generation heavy quark would be so close to the Higgs boson’s energy level?”

“Based on the previous Standard Model and experience, we had almost unanimously believed the Yukawa coupling energy level of the third-generation heavy quark was above 150GeV. The last search target was between 160GeV and 180GeV.”

In the office, Academician Cao Hongyuan, the team leader from HUST, looked at the research paper in his hands with an expression of amazement.

If there were no problems with the data Xu Chuan had calculated this time, it would almost overturn all previous predictions by physicists regarding the Yukawa coupling energy level of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

Although it was still within the predictions of the Standard Model, the physics community had previously been nearly unanimous in thinking the energy level should be higher.

Therefore, CERN’s searches for this experiment had always focused on the high-energy regions.

No wonder that after more than a year, they still hadn’t discovered the Yukawa coupling phenomenon.

If they had followed Xu Chuan’s calculations, given CERN’s work efficiency, they probably wouldn’t have found the phenomenon until 2018 or 2019.

“It is indeed surprising, but I’m more interested in the calculation method in this research paper.”

Beside him, Academician Zhang Jie from Jiaotong University pushed up his glasses and continued, “Starting from quantum chromodynamics, using the string fragmentation function to complete the n-particle distribution and calculate an upper energy level limit for the Higgs boson’s coupled decay.”

“This method can be said to be a perfect combination of mathematics and physics. Your ability in mathematics is truly astonishing, beyond imagination.”

He directed his last sentence at Xu Chuan, who was standing to the side.

He had to admit, what was demonstrated in this research paper was truly surprising.

The unverified ideal search decay channel could be set aside for now, but the integration of mathematical methods with physical theory within it was a true eye-opener.

He had been engaged in physics research for so many years and had some expertise in fields like high-energy physics and laser fusion physics. He had dealt with countless professors and researchers. But he had never seen anyone apply mathematical methods to the field of physics so ingeniously.

Perhaps top physicists like Edward Witten could do it, but when considering someone at Xu Chuan’s age, one could only say he was absolutely unique.

Hearing Academician Zhang Jie’s praise, Xu Chuan smiled shyly and said, “I still have a lot to learn. But I’ll have to trouble you teachers with the data analysis for this experiment.”

Following Professor David Gross’s instructions, he had already submitted applications for a conference presentation and for the use of the Large Hadron Collider.

The CERN Council had held a meeting that morning to review his paper and data, and both applications had been approved. The experiment was now confirmed.

All that was left was to wait for the LHC to conduct the experiment according to his calculated data.

However, the experiment was scheduled for ten days from now.

Ten days was not a long time for an LHC collision experiment, as the collider required maintenance checks and preparation before start-up.

He just wondered which unlucky fellow got bumped down the schedule because he had cut in line.

After all, the LHC collision experiments were all scheduled long in advance. His last-minute insertion definitely meant someone else was pushed aside.

But Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind. Such things were perfectly normal at CERN.

Academician Zhang Jie from Jiaotong University said with a cheerful laugh, “How is this trouble? We should be thanking you for providing this opportunity.”

After a pause, he continued, “Are you interested in becoming a professor at Jiaotong University after you graduate? Salary and everything else are negotiable.”

Before Xu Chuan could reply, Chen Zhengping at his side couldn’t hold back. He glared at Zhang Jie and said, “Don’t even think about it.”

Zhang Jie glanced sideways at Chen Zhengping. “Old Chen, you’re being tyrannical. It’s Student Xu Chuan’s freedom to choose where he goes after graduation.”

“Although Nanjing University is his alma mater, there’s no rule that says a student must return to their alma mater.”

“Besides, your Nanjing University’s math department is just so-so.”

Before he could finish, Chen Zhengping shot back, “What do you mean by that, you old-timer? What do you mean Nanjing University’s math department is ‘just so-so’? No matter how bad our math department is, it’s still better than your Jiaotong University’s!”

The two began to argue. Beside them, Cao Hongyuan from HUST watched the spectacle with a grin, chiming in with a comment or two every now and then. They were old friends, so a little bickering was nothing.

As for Xu Chuan, he shrank back. It was better for him to stay far away from bickering big shots.

…

Returning to his hotel from the office area, Xu Chuan opened his laptop. A reply from Professor Artur Avila was waiting in his inbox.

“Dear Xu, I was very happy to receive your letter, but its contents shocked me. I never imagined there would be such a person among our collaboration group’s members. He did not communicate with me, nor did he ever obtain my consent to use your ideas, theories, and calculated data without authorization.”

“I deeply regret allowing him to join our discussion in the first place, which led to this happening.”

“I am very sorry for the trouble this has caused you. I will file a complaint with Peking University.”

After reading Professor Avila’s reply, Xu Chuan let out a soft sigh.

Just as he had expected, that Professor Mo had not contacted Artur Avila, nor had he obtained authorization or consent before using his theories and calculated data.

This already constituted plagiarism.

The only thing Xu Chuan couldn’t figure out was why someone could be so stupid.

Stupid and malicious.

The malicious part was self-evident.

The stupidity was purely because the man had no sense.

He wasn’t the only one present at the time; there were four people there. Even if he and Hu Xingjian were disregarded, there was still Artur Avila, a Fields Medalist.

Under such circumstances, he actually dared to take someone else’s ideas, theories, and even calculation processes and data for his own use without a word.

Was he just pretending the others didn’t exist?

If any one of them raised a question, he would be caught in a whirlwind of public opinion.

Chapter 167: I’ve Never Seen Anyone So Shameless

On the campus of Peking University, China.

“Zhou Xin, I remember your advisor is Mo Kun, right?”

In a certain dorm room, a young man poked his head out from under his bunk bed, asking a roommate who was busy watching anime.

Zhou Xin, still focused on his show, answered without looking up, “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Didn’t Professor Mo prove some conjecture a while back?” the young man continued.

At this, Zhou Xin turned to look at his roommate and replied with a grin, “He did. I heard that for proving this conjecture, my advisor got a hundred thousand yuan reward from the university. He might even get promoted to a doctoral advisor next year. Who knows, I might be able to ride his coattails to a degree.”

“What, are you jealous?”

The roommate shook his head, his expression strange. “But there’s news saying that Professor Mo’s proof involves plagiarism.”

“Plagiarism? This is the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis, one of the core problems of the L-functions in the Langlands program. You think you can just plagiarize a proof for a problem like that? Show me,” Zhou Xin retorted immediately.

“But the person who broke this story is Professor Artur Avila, a Fields Medalist. He wouldn’t just slander someone, would he?”

His roommate pressed on. Zhou Xin froze for a moment, reached out to pause the anime, and got up. “Where’s this news from?”

“Here, look for yourself.”

The roommate handed him his phone. Zhou Xin quickly took it and began to read, holding his breath.

After reading the article, Zhou Xin swiftly forwarded the link to his own WeChat and handed the phone back to his roommate.

“I’m heading out.”

With that, he grabbed his own phone and ran off.

On campus, Zhou Xin rushed into an office, phone in hand.

“Tea-teacher, something’s happened.”

He leaned against the doorframe, panting, as he called out to a middle-aged professor inside.

Hearing the commotion, the horse-faced middle-aged professor frowned and admonished him with some displeasure, “In the face of great matters, one must first remain calm. What’s the meaning of this frantic behavior?”

“Teacher, you should see this first.”

Zhou Xin ignored his advisor’s lecture and sent a link to his WeChat.

“I’ve sent the link to your WeChat, Teacher. It’s related to the research paper you published about the proof of the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis.”

Hearing that it was related to his proof of the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis, Mo Kun frowned slightly, picked up his phone from the desk, and opened WeChat.

[Fields Medalist Professor Artur Avila Publicly Alleges Plagiarism in Peking University Professor Mo Kun’s Proof of the Rankin-Selberg L-function Non-vanishing Hypothesis.]

“Recently, we interviewed the renowned Brazilian mathematician, Professor Artur Avila, who was awarded the Fields Medal in 2014.”

“In this interview, Professor Avila raised serious questions and accusations against Peking University mathematics professor, Mo Kun.”

“Previously, Professor Mo Kun completed the proof of the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis, a major core problem within the famous Langlands program in the field of mathematics. According to Professor Avila, the Langlands program is the path to the ultimate proposition in mathematics—the Grand Unified Theory, a goal pursued by generations of mathematicians.”

“However, in this interview, Professor Avila stated that the core theory and some of the computational data in the research paper published by Professor Mo Kun came from others and were not Professor Mo’s original work.”

“…”

“Hotspot News will continue to follow this story and bring you further updates.”

After reading the news, Mo Kun’s brow furrowed, and his breathing grew a little heavier.

Beside him, Zhou Xin suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Why was he in such a rush to come over?

This wasn’t exactly good news he was delivering. Why did he have to be the one to stick his neck out?

Regardless of whether there was plagiarism or not, an accusation from a Fields Medalist was enough to drag anyone into a maelstrom of controversy.

He had only been thinking about telling his teacher as quickly as possible, without considering the consequences.

Damn it!

He hoped this wouldn’t affect his graduation.

With this thought, Zhou Xin shrank back, trying his best to reduce his presence to avoid being the target of misplaced anger.

But surprisingly, Mo Kun didn’t lose his temper. He just calmly instructed, “Zhou Xin, help me contact the reporter from this news agency. I want to respond to this matter.”

Zhou Xin was stunned for a moment before he reacted, quickly saying, “I’ll get right on it.”

He then scurried away, but a doubt arose in his mind.

“Could there be a hidden story here? Or is the plagiarism accusation just a rumor? After all, to respond proactively, he must have some confidence, right?”

Whatever Zhou Xin was thinking, Mo Kun looked at the report on his phone and snorted.

“These foreign devils really like to stick their noses where they don’t belong.”

Shaking his head, Mo Kun put down his phone.

He had anticipated this, he just hadn’t expected the storm of public opinion to arrive so quickly, just a few days after the paper was published.

Fortunately, he had prepared for it.

The reporters from “Hotspot News” arrived quickly. After receiving Zhou Xin’s call, they immediately arranged for a beautiful female reporter and a young cameraman to conduct an on-site interview.

“Professor Mo, hello. I’m Lin Qing, a reporter from ‘Hotspot News’.”

The beautiful reporter, holding a microphone, walked up to Mo Kun with a brilliant smile.

When the Fields Medalist from Brazil, Professor Artur Avila, made the accusation, they had keenly realized this could be a bombshell story.

A Fields Medalist, a Peking University mathematics professor, an academic plagiarism scandal, college entrance exam top scorer Xu Chuan—each element carried immense public interest.

If handled well, a story combining all of them could easily make the trending charts, maybe even hit number one.

Just yesterday, they were still trying to figure out how to contact the subjects of this story, Professor Mo Kun and Xu Chuan. They hadn’t expected that just as they were getting sleepy, someone would deliver a pillow. Peking University’s Professor Mo Kun had taken the initiative to contact them first.

“Hello, Reporter Lin,” Mo Kun greeted her.

“Um, Professor Mo, is now a good time for you? If so, shall we start the interview?” After the greeting, Lin Qing got straight to the point.

Mo Kun nodded, signaling that he was ready.

“We heard that you proved the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis from the Langlands program in early September. Could you tell us more about it?”

Mo Kun nodded and said seriously, “Of course.”

“The Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis is one of the core problems concerning L-functions within the Langlands program.”

“If you think of the Langlands program as a great edifice, then the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis is its very foundation.”

Mo Kun spoke fluently, and Lin Qing dutifully recorded everything with her audio recorder.

“Professor Mo, regarding the recent ‘plagiarism’ accusation from the Brazilian mathematician Professor Artur Avila, what is your view? Is it true, as Professor Avila claims, that you used the theories and computational data of others?”

Mo Kun: “First and foremost, I must solemnly declare that I did not plagiarize. Professor Avila’s accusation against me is baseless.”

“This matter stems from the Morningside Medal of Mathematics ceremony in May of this year. Professor Avila and I had a conversation at the reception, and the inspiration for my proof of the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis came from this exchange.”

“So you’re saying you did use someone else’s theory?” Lin Qing interjected impatiently.

Mo Kun frowned, retorting with some annoyance, “Yes, that aspect is true, but I also mentioned Professor Artur Avila and others in the acknowledgments of my paper, expressing my gratitude to them.”

“I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with using inspiration from a discussion, especially since I was a primary participant in that exchange.”

“Therefore, Professor Avila’s accusation is baseless. There is no rule in academia that prohibits a scholar from using ideas from their own discussions to prove a mathematical conjecture.”

Hearing this, the eyes of Hotspot News’s beautiful reporter, Lin Qing, lit up. She quickly asked, “So you’re saying you didn’t plagiarize? The inspiration for proving the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis simply came from a prior discussion with Professor Avila?”

Mo Kun nodded. “Yes. I don’t know how this slanderous accusation of plagiarism was pinned on me, but it is clearly baseless.”

At CERN, Xu Chuan had completed his presentation on ‘The Most Ideal Decay Channel Search for the Yukawa Coupling of the Higgs and the Third-Generation Heavy Quark’.

Just as expected, this new achievement, which used mathematical methods to calculate physical theories, astonished everyone as soon as it was presented.

The physicists attending the conference erupted in discussion.

“How astonishing. The energy level of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark is actually closer to the energy level of the Higgs boson.”

“I’m more astonished by the method he used. Although I don’t understand much about mathematics, this was truly an eye-opener. I never knew math could be used this way.”

“This is mathematical physics, isn’t it? The thinking of young people is truly amazing, so incredibly creative.”

“Perhaps this method is just wrong. According to past theories, the energy level of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark should be above 150 GeV, not as low as 128 GeV. This is based on the experience gathered from countless previous Higgs boson decay experiments.”

“Calculations aren’t necessarily always correct, but experience can also be flawed. After all, there’s so little we truly understand about the microscopic level, isn’t there?”

“I heard CERN has already squeezed in an experiment, scheduled for a week from now. I wonder which unlucky soul got bumped.”

Inside the conference hall, the numerous physicists exchanged their thoughts.

This wasn’t an entirely new path. The idea had existed for a long time, but unfortunately, it was an extremely difficult path, requiring the calculator to possess exceptionally high skills in both mathematics and physics.

Thus, no one had made any significant achievements in this area for a long time.

For a result to suddenly emerge today, how could it not be astonishing?

Many were receptive to this method of using mathematics to calculate physical theories, because on the surface, there were no apparent problems with the presentation and the research paper.

Moreover, it had been approved by the CERN Council, which had even specially scheduled a collision experiment for it by bumping another one.

So, considering all aspects, it was highly likely that the energy level of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark was indeed in the 128 GeV to 131 GeV range.

It was worth scheduling a collider experiment to verify it.

Of course, where there was acceptance, there was also opposition.

There were quite a few opponents. Their main argument was based on experience from past particle collision experiments, which suggested that the energy level of the Yukawa coupling should be in the 150 GeV range or even higher, not close to the energy level where the Higgs boson appears.

The 128 GeV figure completely violated past practical experience.

A certain nuclear research institute from Korea was particularly vehement in its opposition.

But this was also related to the fact that their collider experiment application for this year had been pushed to the next.

That’s right, the nuclear research institute was the unlucky one bumped by Xu Chuan’s last-minute scheduling; their collision application was pushed directly to next year.

Therefore, during the conference presentation, they peppered him with all sorts of questions, trying to find trouble for Xu Chuan, hoping to prove that his calculation paper had major flaws and was not worthy of a collider experiment for verification.

Unfortunately for them, there were very few people in their entire nuclear research institute who understood mathematics. Even if they could follow the calculation process, they couldn’t find any flaws or problematic areas.

The few points they managed to find that they thought were problems were easily dispelled by Xu Chuan.

When the presentation ended, Xu Chuan stepped down from the stage.

Overall, the conference presentation had been quite successful. Although the final Q&A session was plagued by a series of shallow or even erroneous questions from someone from either Korea or the island nation, his calculation paper was still accepted by many physicists.

Moreover, the level of support was over fifty percent, which was enough to allow the subsequent verification experiment to proceed.

At CERN, if a large number of physicists jointly filed a complaint against a collider experiment, CERN would reconsider whether to proceed, even if the experiment had already been decided upon.

After all, CERN could not function without the support of physicists from all over the world. Without them, the LHC couldn’t operate.

Leaving the conference hall, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel.

The presentation was done, and the collider experiment was scheduled. All that was left was to wait for one week.

He opened his phone. There were messages on WeChat, including the news of Professor Mo Kun’s targeted response.

“…I did not plagiarize. Professor Avila’s accusation against me is baseless.”

“…The inspiration did indeed come from a discussion, but I was the primary participant in that exchange.”

“…There is no rule in academia that prohibits a scholar from using ideas from their own discussions to prove a mathematical conjecture.”

“…I don’t know how this slanderous accusation of plagiarism was pinned on me.”

The Hotspot News article detailed their interview with Mo Kun. Reading the detailed report, Xu Chuan laughed out of sheer anger.

Fucking hell, the sheer shamelessness!

He had never seen anyone so shameless.

Chapter 168: A Fish Rots from the Head Down

After reading the news report on Hotspot News, Xu Chuan was so incensed by the shameless response that he let out a laugh.

He remembered the exchange at the Morningside Medal of Mathematics gala in May very clearly.

Professor Mo had indeed participated in the discussion, but it could be said that he offered no valuable contributions whatsoever. Forget the detailed calculation processes and data—even on the theoretical side, he had no ideas and barely said a few words.

To say he was just a bystander listening to others talk would be a complete understatement. And yet, this man had the audacity to claim he was the main participant in the exchange and that there was nothing wrong with using his own ideas to solve the hypothesis.

His level of shamelessness was off the charts.

If you could scrape the skin off his face, you could probably use it to stop a nuclear warhead.

Before, Xu Chuan had wondered how someone could be so stupid as to dare to plagiarize so blatantly when he knew there were four witnesses.

Now, it seemed this shameless creature had been prepared all along.

The other three witnesses had now, ironically, become a form of support for him.

At the very least, he, Professor Artur Avila, and Hu Xingjian couldn’t deny that he was indeed present. That was a fact, and many other mathematics professors had witnessed it.

But by doing this, Professor Mo had successfully muddied the waters.

After all, several months had passed. Besides the four people involved in the discussion, no one else knew the details.

Even if he, Professor Avila, and his senior Hu Xingjian all came forward to accuse him, as long as this Professor Mo insisted he was the main participant, there might be nothing they could do.

First, he lacked direct evidence to deliver a fatal blow and prove the plagiarism.

After all, the man had indeed participated in the discussion back then.

Even if he found Hu Xingjian and asked his senior to help by also making an accusation, it would only drag the man deeper into the vortex.

Second, under these circumstances, Peking University would definitely choose to protect its own professor.

One, Mo Kun was a mathematics professor at Peking University. Although he was only a master’s student advisor, he was still one of their own. It was a given that the university would protect its people.

Two, the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis is a core problem of the L-functions within the Langlands program.

A proof of this problem would be a great boon to Peking University’s reputation.

Although the proof was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, as long as there was no conclusive evidence, Peking University would not give up on it.

Three, reputation. After all, it was one of the top universities in China. A scandal involving one of its professors plagiarizing would not sound good and would affect the university’s reputation to some extent.

So, if they could protect him, Peking University would definitely choose to protect Mo Kun.

It was just like the case with Tian Gang back then. He was also suspected of plagiarism, and a Fields Medalist had publicly expressed dissatisfaction. But in the end, after several rounds of back-and-forth attacks and defenses, the matter was dropped.

Unable to be convicted of direct plagiarism, the most one could bear was the infamy of being academically unethical. This was surely something Mo Kun had calculated beforehand.

Just a few days ago, he was still wondering how such a stupid person could exist in this world.

Now, it seemed he was the stupid one. This person was far more cunning than he had imagined and had already thought through all the consequences.

Otherwise, given the style of Chinese universities, the first choice would not have been to respond, but to get it off the trending charts, have the media retract the articles, and reduce the heat.

Only when they could no longer suppress it would they come out and respond.

That was the style of Chinese universities. Don’t air your dirty laundry in public. This kind of direct response was a clear sign of brazen confidence.

Banking on the fact that several months had passed and that he was indeed one of the people in the discussion, he was taking advantage of the murky situation to turn the tables.

His plan was truly brilliant in its own twisted way. If he had applied this kind of thinking to his research, he could have solved not just the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis, but the entire Langlands program.

Unfortunately, all his effort was focused on finding loopholes and taking shortcuts.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan scrolled past the news article and looked at the comments from netizens below.

With the push from the media outlet Hotspot News, while he was preparing for the conference presentation at CERN, this matter had already shot up the trending charts.

It was no longer just a single media report. Major news outlets, some big-shot tech bloggers, and a number of clickbait accounts had all reposted the news.

The outbreak of a plagiarism scandal involving a famous professor from Peking University had attracted the attention of many drama-watchers.

[Peking University, it’s Peking University again. I remember Peking University had a plagiarism scandal before, right? It was a huge mess back then too.]

[Tian Gang. He was accused by his advisor, Shing-Tung Yau. The teacher and student became enemies, which is why when Yau returned to China, he went to Tsinghua University instead of Peking University.]

[So this is an old tradition at Peking University? The academic environment in our country is truly foul.]

[It’s not much better abroad. Plagiarism happens everywhere.]

[It might not be plagiarism. Professor Mo responded, saying that these were the theories and ideas from his discussion with Professor Avila. I don’t think using your own ideas can be called plagiarism, right? Maybe not crediting Professor Avila as a corresponding author was a bit unethical?]

[I saw the latest report. If that’s the case, then it really doesn’t count as plagiarism, just a bit unethical.]

[I think he might have used some of others’ ideas, but he’s a professor at Peking University after all. He should have some skills.]

[There’s definitely plagiarism involved, and it might be quite serious. Otherwise, a Fields Medalist wouldn’t accuse you for no reason. After all, it’s Peking University; he has no reason to offend them. And a Fields Medalist wouldn’t care about a small thing like whether his name is on a paper.]

[I just want to know what the other person has to say. That college entrance exam top scorer, the master. He doesn’t seem to have expressed his opinion yet. According to the previous report, Professor Avila said that most of the results were his work? Does that mean Mo Kun plagiarized Xu Chuan, not Avila?]

[A friend told me that this master is currently over at the European particle physics laboratory doing physics experiments. He even solved the Proton Radius Puzzle not long ago. Maybe he doesn’t know about this yet?]

[??? Isn’t he a math major? Why is he doing physics experiments?]

[The master has a dual major in physics and mathematics.]

[I can only look up to the master. If only I had one-tenth of his brain, I wouldn’t have failed linear algebra.]

There were many drama-watching comments under the various news reports. An academic plagiarism scandal was quite eye-catching for the average netizen.

Especially when it involved a top domestic university and a Fields Medalist, it naturally drew a lot of attention.

Xu Chuan didn’t really have an opinion on these online comments.

The hostility online was far greater than in real life, and there were more people who followed blindly without their own thoughts.

However, on the whole, the comments still showed that the tolerance for academic plagiarism in the country was relatively low.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan took out his phone and booked a flight back to China.

Professor Avila had made his move and issued an accusation. As the true party involved and the victim, there was no reason for him not to make his own voice heard.

It was a bit difficult to make one’s voice heard back in China while being abroad.

The angle his opponent had chosen was very suitable, and he was shameless enough. Coupled with the backing of Peking University, this matter would probably end inconclusively, just like the affair between Yau and Tian.

If not for a long-standing habit of his, it would be truly difficult to completely nail this Mo Kun this time.

Fortunately, that habit had left him with a key piece of evidence.

This was probably something that ‘Professor Mo’ had never considered.

China, Peking University.

After being interviewed by the reporter from Hotspot News, Mo Kun went to the office of Tian Gang, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences.

After all, this matter involved Peking University’s reputation, so the university was definitely paying attention.

“Teacher.”

Mo Kun knocked on the door, pushed it open, and respectfully greeted the figure sitting inside the office.

He had studied under Tian Gang, but due to his natural aptitude, or rather his lack of focus on academics, his journey in mathematics had not been smooth. He hadn’t produced any significant results after graduation.

However, relying on his connection with Tian Gang, he still had a rather successful career at Peking University.

But the academic world was, after all, a place that valued academic achievements. He had been a graduate advisor for many years and had always wanted to be promoted to a doctoral advisor, but he was always just a little short.

After all, he had no noteworthy accomplishments to his name. It was precisely for this reason that he had taken the risk to plagiarize Xu Chuan’s theory and results this time.

He knew the consequences if this was exposed, and he had considered all the impacts. As long as he was shameless enough, there wouldn’t be too big of a problem.

As long as he wasn’t definitively convicted of plagiarism, this matter would at most be an academic dispute. The worst he would face was being condemned for academic misconduct.

And bearing such infamy in exchange for the proof of the Rankin-Selberg L-function non-vanishing hypothesis was completely worth it.

This was a core foundational problem of L-functions in the Langlands program.

With such an achievement, even if he bore the infamy and lay low for a year or two, he would be one hundred percent promoted to a doctoral advisor later on. He might even be able to win a mathematics award or two with it.

He couldn’t hope for any from abroad, but there was definitely hope for domestic ones, especially since Peking University was behind him.

Under the temptation of huge benefits, he chose to take the risk.

Of course, he had also made arrangements to muddy the waters.

Anyway, several months had already passed. No one knew the specific situation at that time.

“What exactly is the situation with your case? The public commentary is very bad, and various sectors of society have raised doubts about our university’s academic integrity.”

In the office, Tian Gang, who had a mole near the wing of his nose, put down his pen and looked at Mo Kun.

He was quite fond of this student. He was very respectful to him, visiting him during holidays and festivals, and was good with interpersonal relationships. It was just that for a long time, his mind wasn’t on academics.

But everyone makes different choices. Some choose to devote themselves to research, while others choose to go into administration. These were all understandable.

“It’s like this, Teacher…”

Mo Kun briefly explained the whole story. Of course, he used the excuse he had prepared long ago.

He still needed the support of Tian Gang and the university, so he couldn’t possibly tell the truth.

Anyway, no matter who he faced now, he just had to stick to his story that he was the main participant in the exchange.

“You handled this matter poorly.” After listening to Mo Kun’s explanation, Tian Gang pondered for a moment, then asked, “Let me ask you, how much of their work did you use in this? Was there any of your own thinking?”

Given their teacher-student relationship, and with only the two of them in the office, Tian Gang didn’t beat around the bush.

He knew his student’s level. If there was some of his own work, there was probably a little, but definitely not much.

For a difficult problem like the L-function non-vanishing hypothesis, he estimated that Mo Kun could at most scratch the surface. Solving it was an impossibility.

Hearing this, Mo Kun gave an embarrassed smile and said, “I definitely used a little bit, Teacher. After all, it was an exchange. In a mathematical exchange, you mostly just share ideas. The main body of the proof was definitely my own work.”

Mo Kun stuck to his story. Anyway, several months had passed. Even if he had used Xu Chuan’s data for calculations, who would know?

Tian Gang nodded, glanced at his student, and said slowly, “I understand. I will talk to the university about this.”

“Also, what you did was indeed unethical. Cooperate with the university and issue a public apology to Professor Avila. Say that you were inconsiderate and failed to include his name in the paper. Then, add Professor Avila’s name to your paper as a co-first author.”

Hearing about the apology and co-first author, Mo Kun frowned slightly, but he naturally understood Tian Gang’s words.

Using someone else’s work was indeed unethical, but by offering compensation and a remedy, he could remove the plagiarism label from the incident.

As for being inconsiderate and failing to add the name of a participant to the paper, this was infinitely lighter than the infamy of an academic dispute and misconduct that he had previously envisioned.

As expected of his advisor, his considerations were much more thorough than his own.

After figuring all this out, Mo Kun’s eyes lit up, and his tone carried a hint of irrepressible excitement. “I’ve really troubled you and the university with this matter, Teacher. I will definitely work hard in my academics in the future to contribute to the university and the country.”

Tian Gang nodded and said, “Alright, you may go. Prepare yourself well. This matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible. If it continues, it will have a great impact on the university’s reputation.”

At CERN, Xu Chuan had booked his ticket and packed his luggage, ready to have a good talk with this utterly shameless person after getting his evidence.

This trip back was a short one, at most a day or two, so packing two changes of clothes was enough.

After all, in a week, the LHC would start its collision experiments to verify his previous calculation data on the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

Just as he zipped up his suitcase, a knock came from the door.

Xu Chuan walked over and opened the door a crack. A voice immediately came from outside.

“It’s me.” Chen Zhengping’s voice came from the other side, and only then did Xu Chuan undo the security chain.

This was a small habit of his. For safety, he was accustomed to putting the security chain on his hotel room door.

“Teacher, what brings you here?”

Xu Chuan opened the door and welcomed Chen Zhengping in.

“You’re packing. Are you heading back to China?” Upon entering, Chen Zhengping saw the suitcase in the room at a glance.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, something came up back home, so I need to make a trip back. I’ll be back within a week.”

“Is it because of Mo Kun plagiarizing you and that Professor Avila?” Chen Zhengping asked directly.

“Teacher, you know about it?” Xu Chuan asked, then it dawned on him. It was normal for Chen Zhengping to know, given how big the issue had become.

“The university called me and told me about it. What exactly is the situation?”

Xu Chuan briefly explained. Chen Zhengping frowned and said, “You should have told me about this first. You are a student of Nanjing University. When something like this happens, the university will definitely help.”

“You alone, even with Professor Avila, will have a hard time going up against Peking University.”

After a pause, Chen Zhengping sighed and continued, “Forget it, it’s too late to say this now. Which flight did you book? I’ll go back with you.”

Chapter 169: The Evidence Slapped in Your Face

After rushing back from Switzerland, Chen Zhengping accompanied Xu Chuan back to Nanjing University.

“Welcome home, Student Xu Chuan.”

Rong Zhizhuan was all smiles, waiting at the school gate to welcome Xu Chuan.

“Dean Rong, Dean Yu.”

Xu Chuan respectfully greeted the two elders.

“I heard you solved the Proton Radius Puzzle at CERN this time. Congratulations.”

Beside them, Yu Yongwang praised him with a grin.

“It was an insignificant achievement. I still have much to learn,” Xu Chuan said humbly.

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan and Yu Yongwang both smiled and shook their heads. “You’re still so modest,” they lamented. “If solving the Proton Radius Puzzle is an insignificant achievement, then what could possibly be considered a notable one?”

“If all our students thought like you, no problem would be too difficult for us to overcome.”

“Alright, let’s go inside. It’s not good to just stand at the gate.”

The group proceeded to a conference room. In attendance were not only the deans of the mathematics and physics departments but also leaders from the Publicity Department who had rushed over.

As Nanjing University’s most outstanding student in over a decade, the university was very concerned about Xu Chuan.

Once the meeting began and Xu Chuan briefly explained the situation, the people in the conference room erupted.

“Shameless! How could he do something like plagiarizing an entire work?”

“Peking University’s standards are really slipping. A graduate student advisor openly plagiarizing? He has no teacher’s ethics whatsoever!”

“Don’t you worry, Student Xu Chuan. No matter what, the university will not let our students be wronged.”

“Regarding the matter of Professor Mo from Peking University plagiarizing your mathematical theory and calculations, the university will immediately contact the media and reporters to speak out on your behalf.”

“Additionally, the university will prepare a lawyer’s letter to sue both Mo Kun of Peking University and Advances in Mathematics. For this kind of plagiarism, we must force them to retract the paper, issue an apology, and provide compensation.”

“Plagiarism is the most serious form of copyright infringement and must be dealt with severely.”

In the office, the leaders of Nanjing University slammed their fists on the table in righteous indignation.

This matter wasn’t just about plagiarism; it was about Nanjing University protecting its students. When a student was in trouble, the university had to be the first to step up and defend their interests.

This would not only unify the faculty and students, both on and off campus, but also enhance the university’s reputation.

“I’ll have to trouble you all with this matter, teachers and leaders.”

Xu Chuan stood up and bowed slightly. Although he had evidence in his hands, it wasn’t a guarantee that he could completely crush Mo Kun.

With Nanjing University’s full support, his chances and confidence increased.

Not all professors were predators. Although a large forest is bound to have all kinds of birds, the predatory ones would never become the mainstream.

Acts like plagiarism and misappropriating the research of others would ultimately be punished.

At Peking University, on campus.

Mo Kun hummed a little tune as he walked through the campus, scrolling through the public opinion on the internet.

[Peking University still has what it takes. I hope we see more talents like this, so the country’s basic sciences can develop.]

[See? I told you before, it wasn’t necessarily plagiarism. Peking University has made a public statement.]

[This is acceptable. Professor Mo apologized to Professor Avila and added his name to the paper as a co-first author. That shows enough sincerity.]

[What about that god-tier master, the college entrance exam top scorer? I don’t see his name. And no apology to him either? In the previous news reports, Professor Avila said that Xu Chuan completed most of the theory and data. If anyone should be apologized to, it should be Xu Chuan.]

[Heh, you actually believe that? It’s undeniable that the big shot is awesome, but the Weyl-Berry conjecture and the Langlands program are two completely different fields. Not every genius is a Terence Tao.]

[…]

Reading these comments, Mo Kun’s mood brightened considerably. Thanks to his advisor’s suggestion and Peking University’s maneuvering, public opinion online had reversed significantly, far better than he had anticipated.

As he saw it, if there were no other surprises, the matter would basically blow over.

And he would become the prover of a famous mathematical hypothesis, receive a bonus from the university, be promoted to a doctoral advisor, and reach the pinnacle of his life.

“I never thought I’d get such an opportunity in my later years.”

Mo Kun squinted, feeling immensely pleased with himself.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was a call from his advisor, Tian Gang.

“Where are you? Come to my office right now.”

With that, Tian Gang hung up.

Clutching his phone, Mo Kun frowned slightly. He was a very perceptive person, and he noticed that his advisor’s tone was different from usual. He immediately thought of the proof for the non-vanishing hypothesis of L-functions.

As the saying goes, the only way to keep something a secret is to not have done it in the first place.

When you do something wrong, even if others don’t know, you certainly do. And that is what you fear most.

The slightest disturbance would involuntarily make you think of the deed, causing you to worry about personal gains and losses, filled with anxiety and fear.

Taking a deep breath, Mo Kun’s earlier good mood had vanished. He walked towards the academic building with a heavy heart.

He knocked on the office door, and a voice came from within.

“Come in.”

Mo Kun entered. Tian Gang was sitting in his office chair, holding a tablet.

“Explain this. What’s going on?”

Seeing Mo Kun, Tian Gang pushed the tablet across the desk. A news report was open on the screen.

Mo Kun glanced at it. It was Nanjing University’s denouncement and accusation, charging him with severe plagiarism of Nanjing University doctoral student Xu Chuan’s mathematical ideas, theory, and data.

The moment this news story broke, it instantly reignited the public discussion that had been gradually dying down.

One of China’s top-tier 985 universities had entered the fray, which complicated things quite a bit.

Unlike Professor Artur Avila, who, despite being a Fields Medal laureate, was not Chinese and had limited influence within the country.

But Nanjing University was different. Although it didn’t rank as high as Peking University among domestic institutions, it had a long history and had produced many famous alumni, wielding considerable influence in the country.

With Nanjing University personally stepping in, even Peking University had to consider the situation carefully.

“Didn’t you say this was an exchange between you and Professor Avila? Where did this Xu Chuan come from?” Tian Gang asked, tapping on the mahogany desk.

“He was indeed present. Besides him, there was also a student from Riyue University. I mentioned this before.”

Mo Kun replied calmly, still trying to find a way to control the situation.

“But you didn’t say he was the main contributor to this theory,” Tian Gang said, his voice rising slightly.

“Xu Chuan did participate, but his contribution wasn’t significant, Teacher,” Mo Kun replied, following Tian Gang’s line of questioning, then continued.

“He’s just a doctoral student. An eighteen-year-old doctoral student at that. No matter how well he’s studied, what abilities could he possibly have?”

“He and the other person were just students. Since they’re students, they’re still in the learning phase. The non-vanishing hypothesis of L-functions is a core problem of L-functions within the Langlands program. It’s a problem he has probably never even encountered before.”

Mo Kun continued to make excuses, betting on the fact that no one could know the details of what happened months ago.

Hearing this, Tian Gang let out an exasperated laugh. “He has no mathematical ability? Did you attend the Morningside Medal of Mathematics award ceremony in May for nothing?”

“He proved the world-class Weyl-Berry conjecture and won the Gold Medal of the Morningside Medal of Mathematics. A mathematician like that, and you say he has no mathematical ability?”

Mo Kun retorted, “But the Weyl-Berry conjecture is a problem in the field of isospectral geometry and partial differential equations, while the non-vanishing hypothesis of L-functions is in the realm of number theory and fields.”

“These are two completely different fields. To have major breakthroughs in both fields in the short span of a year—do you think that’s possible, Teacher? Even Terence Tao wasn’t that much of a prodigy.”

Tian Gang snorted. “Whether I think it’s possible isn’t important. The key is, he’s slapped the evidence right in front of everyone!”

“Evidence? What evidence?”

Mo Kun froze for a moment, his heart suddenly pounding with panic. He quickly scrolled through the tablet in his hands.

Sure enough, at the end of the news report, several images of heavily amended papers met his eyes.

Below the images was Xu Chuan’s accusation against him.

[If that Professor Mo can find a single stroke of his own handwriting in these calculations, Professor Artur Avila and I will both withdraw our accusations and apologize to him.]

[But I can guarantee that he won’t be able to find the slightest trace of anything belonging to him in there.]

[In other words, this Professor Mo not only plagiarized the theoretical ideas from my conversation with Professor Avila, but he also plagiarized the calculation processes and data that we worked out on the spot during our discussion that evening.]

[Such an absurd affair, such a severe act of academic misconduct. I don’t know how he can claim with a clear conscience that he was the main participant in the exchange.]

[This is a malicious case of academic plagiarism. I hope that Peking University and Advances in Mathematics, which published this paper, will pay close attention to this matter and handle it with the utmost seriousness.]

The familiar images made his pupils constrict violently.

He knew these pictures well. They were of the research materials that Xu Chuan and Professor Artur Avila had worked on during their discussion at the Morningside Medal of Mathematics gala.

The core of his proof for the non-vanishing hypothesis of L-functions was lifted from there.

But why… why did these things still exist?

Why would he still have the scratch paper from a preliminary discussion?

Normally, such scratch paper with initial data would be organized and then thrown away. A neatly rewritten second draft would be useless as evidence.

Only this first-draft manuscript, by comparing the handwriting and the derivation of theoretical ideas, would show at a glance that he had indeed plagiarized.

These pictures of the scratch paper were remarkably complete, clearly showing the progression of the theory and calculation data from beginning to end, with no gaps.

This meant he couldn’t use the excuse that they hadn’t shown the part of the manuscript he had worked on.

More importantly, not a single one of these papers had his handwriting on it.

If even one did, he could still use his previous excuse that he had indeed participated in the discussion.

But there wasn’t a single one. He couldn’t possibly claim that he provided the theory while others were responsible for the calculations, could he?

That might be possible in other fields, but in mathematics, he could forget it.

If your foundational knowledge isn’t up to par, you couldn’t write out the calculation process even if someone gave you the theory.

If one participated in such a discussion and was a key contributor, they would inevitably leave behind their own calculation data on these scratch papers.

But he hadn’t. Under these circumstances, his claim of being a key contributor completely fell apart.

In Chinese language class, you could copy the answer. But in math, copying the answer was useless because you didn’t understand the calculation process.

Still, Mo Kun couldn’t figure it out. Why did the original scratch papers still exist?

Shouldn’t they have been discarded or shredded after their contents were organized?

Mo Kun was stunned, his body involuntarily stiffening as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

With this photographic evidence out, it was now impossible for him to deny the plagiarism.

No matter what, he couldn’t escape the charge of using someone else’s theoretical ideas and calculation data without their consent.

Even if he was also a participant in the exchange, he couldn’t escape this charge.

In the office, Tian Gang looked at his student’s trembling body and sighed inwardly.

From the looks of it now, even if he hadn’t plagiarized the entire thing, he wasn’t far off.

Mo Kun had not been honest with him about the situation.

If it had just been a simple case of plagiarizing Professor Artur Avila, the situation wouldn’t have reached this point.

But involving that boy made things much worse.

Perhaps Mo Kun didn’t understand that student from Nanjing University’s significance at the national level, but he did.

At the age of eighteen, winning the Morningside Medal of Mathematics and indirectly causing the award to be presented nearly two months early—that kind of influence was already terrifying in China’s academic circles.

After the “Weyl-Berry conjecture” was proven, that genius from Nanjing University had been designated by the higher-ups as the “leader of the new generation of mathematicians in China.”

The attention and promotion from major state media aimed to further boost his reputation, expand China’s influence in the international mathematics community, and secure the Fields Medal two years from now.

Shing-Tung Yau’s cooperation with the higher-ups to hold the Morningside Medal award ceremony two months early this year was also aimed at winning this year’s Crafoord Prize, which would be awarded in December, as well as other international mathematics awards in the coming years.

These were all awards that no one from China had ever won.

If he had known from the beginning that Mo Kun’s paper primarily plagiarized that boy, and that it was such a blatant, wholesale plagiarism, he would never have chosen to respond publicly.

Now, it was probably too late.

This year’s Crafoord Prize was already in its preliminary selection phase, and the name Xu Chuan had already caught the attention of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ selection committee.

At this critical juncture, plagiarizing his theory and calculation data was just asking for trouble, wasn’t it?

And you didn’t just plagiarize the theory; you copied his scratch paper data as well. It was total plagiarism. The core was almost entirely someone else’s work; at most, you just did some polishing on the edges and some subsequent expansion.

The nature of this act was entirely different.

Retraction and apology were certainties. He hoped he could still save this student.

Tian Gang sighed. After all, Mo Kun had been with him for so many years. But if he really couldn’t be saved, then there was nothing to be done.

The Peking University Department of Mathematics would have to draw a clear line and distance itself from him, lest it be dragged down by this affair.

Chapter 170: The Old King Abdicates, The New King Is Crowned

As soon as the news of Nanjing University’s media interview was reported, the internet instantly buzzed with activity again, with endless discussions among the drama-watching netizens.

[A twist, and another twist.]

[Good lord. He contributed nothing the whole time but claimed to be the main collaborator. The shamelessness is on another level.]

[His skin is thicker than a castle wall, could probably stop bullets.]

[Plagiarizing the theory is one thing, but he even copied the calculation data. Tsk tsk, is this the kind of person Peking University produces?]

[No wonder students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities don’t want to come back after studying abroad. They must have been exploited by their advisors, so they don’t even return to their alma mater.]

[Is there a master from the field of mathematics who can understand what’s on that scratch paper and explain it?]

[I can’t understand it, but I’ve compared this master’s thesis with Professor Mo’s. A lot of the calculation data and processes in the thesis are indeed identical to what’s on the scratch paper.]

[This is ironclad evidence, isn’t it?]

[Just asking, what’s the sentence for academic plagiarism?]

[Sentence? You’re thinking too much. Given the academic environment in this country, he’ll probably just apologize and that’ll be the end of it.]

The internet was in an uproar. Netizens eagerly watched the drama unfold, twist after twist, finding it quite thrilling.

Meanwhile, People’s Daily finally made its move.

Laying the Foundation of a Research Paper with Integrity!

“To be honest, not to plagiarize, to insist on originality, and not to engage in fraud—this is the bottom line that academic research must adhere to.”

“Plagiarism is plagiarism. What’s wrong is wrong.”

“Indeed, people are bound to make mistakes, but plagiarism is plagiarism. It has nothing to do with age or seniority, nor whether it was for personal gain or involved the recognition of academic achievements. The public can tolerate your errors and momentary oversights, but they will never tolerate your arrogance and inability to distinguish right from wrong.”

“If you lack even the courage and determination to apologize and self-reflect, how can you expect people to believe in the quality and authenticity of your work?”

“Disasters often accumulate from minor oversights, and the wise and brave are often trapped by their own obsessions. For a scholar, the greatest disaster is knowing one has plagiarized yet refusing to repent, hoping to muddle through with cheap tricks.”

“In recent years, academic misconduct such as data fabrication, thesis plagiarism, and piggyback co-authorship have frequently appeared in the news, becoming a major blight on academia. Objectively speaking, this is directly related to a weak awareness of one’s own copyright and a lack of academic integrity.”

“…”

“‘Do not plagiarize, do not repeat.’ Plagiarism is no small matter. Not being a copycat and having less of this unauthorized, self-serving ‘appropriationism’ is a necessary virtue, both publicly and privately. Respecting intellectual property and correctly citing sources should be the rules and beliefs upheld by every scholar. On this point, there are no privileges.”

Although this media report from People’s Daily didn’t name anyone directly, given the current hot topic, any discerning person knew exactly who it was talking about.

With People’s Daily leading the charge, other media outlets that had previously been hesitant due to Peking University’s reputation and influence quickly followed suit, either forwarding the news link or writing their own articles.

And following the call-out from People’s Daily, those who had been skeptical about the whole affair quickly changed their stance.

Online, another storm was brewing.

Peking University, for its part, responded immediately.

Mo Kun, accused of plagiarism, issued a public apology. Peking University stripped Mo Kun of his position as a graduate student advisor and vowed never to rehire him. Advances in Mathematics retracted Mo Kun’s submission and also issued a public apology.

A student from Peking University reported online that they had seen Mo Kun on campus.

After the news from People’s Daily came out, he seemed to have aged twenty or thirty years overnight, looking utterly haggard.

But for such an outcome, it was unlikely anyone would sympathize with his plight.

As an adult, he had to pay the price for the severe social impact brought about by his plagiarism.

Xu Chuan paid some attention to the outcome of this matter.

Mo Kun’s eventual expulsion was a fitting punishment.

As an advisor at Peking University, one of the country’s top institutions, his every move represented the university. After this scandal broke, for Peking University to merely expel him and vow never to rehire him was already saving him a lot of face.

Academic plagiarism is one of the most serious forms of academic misconduct in the academic world.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan closed the news app. He sent an email and made a phone call to Professor Artur Avila and his senior, Hu Xingjian from Riyue University, respectively, to thank them.

Throughout this plagiarism incident, these two had continuously voiced their support on media and online platforms,可以说是 offering him their full support from start to finish.

After handling these matters, Xu Chuan opened his phone again and booked a flight to Europe for himself and his Advisor, Chen Zhengping.

And so, a farce came to an end.

But life always moves forward, and more important things awaited him in the future.

However, before he left, Xu Chuan unexpectedly came across another piece of news.

The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics had officially accepted his previous submission.

[A Method for Precisely Calculating the Parameters of Distant Celestial Bodies Using the Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem.]

After nearly six months of review, the research paper had finally passed and was set to be published in the next issue of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics had released an advance notice. Xu Chuan, who was already on the plane, immediately realized from the reviewer’s comment that it was probably Professor Terence Tao who was helping him.

After all, announcing a paper for the next issue in advance was not something the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics usually did.

And he had no special relationship with the journal in this life; they had no reason to help him.

The only possibility was Professor Terence Tao. Perhaps Professor Tao had seen that he was recently embroiled in controversy and wanted to help him in this way.

After all, an SCI paper in a top-quartile core journal could enhance anyone’s reputation, not to mention a groundbreaking research result like this, which was of immense help to the field of astronomy and the field of physics.

Unfortunately, the plane was about to take off, and he didn’t have time to make a call to inquire and thank him.

News of the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics’s advance notice traveled across the ocean back to the country and immediately appeared in the reports of major media outlets.

The first to report it was Everyone’s Daily, which had previously struck hard.

Following the Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem, Young Scholar Xu Chuan Extends It to the Field of Astrophysics, Using It to Complete Parameter Calculations for Distant Celestial Bodies!

While reporting on this research achievement, Everyone’s Daily also cited the joint evaluation of Xu Chuan’s work by reviewer ‘Terence Tao’ and another astrophysicist, ‘Professor Saul Perlmutter’.

[This is an exceptionally outstanding and groundbreaking achievement!]

Terence Tao: “Perhaps I don’t understand much about astronomy and astrophysics, but from a mathematical perspective, the mathematical methods used in this paper are quite ingenious and groundbreaking.”

“As we all know, in the field of mathematics, when a new tool or theorem appears, it often takes a very long time for mathematicians to fully understand it. Maybe a few months? Or a year or two?”

“Building on that, using this new tool or theorem to produce new results takes even longer, especially when applying it to other fields outside of mathematics.”

“And from the emergence of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to this method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies, it has only been three months.”

“To produce a brand-new result using a new theorem in such a short time, even for the creator of the theorem, is simply incredible.”

“This is enough to prove the creator’s talent and hard work in mathematics. Even I am humbled by it.”

Professor Saul Perlmutter: “For the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics, this is a great research achievement. I am honored to have completed the review of this paper together with Professor Terence Tao.”

“Of course, Professor Tao was responsible for the mathematics part, and I was responsible for the physics part.”

“There’s no helping it, you have to understand. The mathematical part of this paper is too profound for people in the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics. I’m afraid the number of people in the entire field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics who can understand the math part doesn’t exceed double digits.”

“But let’s get back to the point.”

“For the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics, this is a historic achievement, an epoch-making one.”

“Its appearance has given us a brand-new method to precisely calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies, such as mass, diameter, radius, volume, and distance.”

“You could even say that with this method, in the future, we can discard old methods like the trigonometric parallax method and Kepler’s three laws, or rather, use the old methods to assist the new one.”

“It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a moment where the old king abdicates and the new king is crowned.”

“My only regret is that mastering this method and using it to precisely calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies requires a considerably high level of mathematical ability.”

“This prevents us from immediately applying it in the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics. It requires numerous astronomers and astrophysicists to delve into the field of mathematics.”

“But to be honest, this may be very difficult. After all, not everyone can understand math.”

“I personally and urgently hope that the prover of the paper will hold several more conference presentations to properly explain the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and the method for precisely calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies.”

“At the same time, I also hope that Xu Chuan can publish a textbook that completely explains the method of using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies.”

“This is very important for the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics. It is worthy of a Nobel Prize in Physics, and I will recommend it to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ committee.”

The publication of the paper and the reviewers’ comments made jaws drop everywhere.

It wasn’t just on online sites like Weibo and β-hu; campus networks of major domestic universities were also buzzing with discussion.

A paper submitted to an astrophysics journal, the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, was reviewed by a mathematician.

Of course, there was also an astrophysicist, but compared to Terence Tao’s fame, even Professor Saul Perlmutter, a Nobel laureate, was somewhat overlooked.

However, netizens did not overlook the evaluations from these two.

[An astrophysics paper, and the review editor is a math professor? [Shrugging GIF]]

[Field of Astrophysics: “What can I do? I don’t understand this math either.”]

[Hiss~ Is the Fields Medal two years from now no longer enough for this big shot? He’s going straight for the Nobel Prize now.]

[Too bad the Nobel Prize doesn’t have a math category.]

[Nobel: What is this trash called a ‘mathematician’?]

[Hahahaha, I’m dying.]

[If he actually gets the Nobel Prize, that would be completely badass.]

[Stop dreaming. When have you ever seen the Nobel Prize go to a young person? The youngest laureate was Lawrence Bragg, and he was twenty-five.]

[The youngest Nobel laureate was Malala Yousafzai, who was seventeen when she won the Peace Prize in 2014.]

[The Peace Prize? Even a US president can get one of those. Not even a dog would want it!]

[The Peace Prize and Literature Prize have been garbage for ages. What kind of trash are they?]

[In the future, will the field of astronomy have to call this master ‘founding father’? If his formula and calculation method can really be popularized in astronomy?]

[Hiss~ sucks in a cold breath If you put it that way, isn’t this master equivalent to Archimedes in mathematics and Newton in physics?]

[Holy crap! If I remember correctly, he’s only eighteen, and he’s already a founding father-level figure?]

[The master is awesome! shouting at the top of my lungs]

[This child’s talent is terrifying!]

In addition to these reports from official media like Everyone’s Daily, independent content creators and clickbait accounts were also frantically riding the wave of popularity and traffic.

Countless media reporters, whether from official or other outlets, wanted to interview Xu Chuan.

After all, just two days ago, this master was still in a feud with Peking University, trending on the hot charts for days.

In the blink of an eye, he had become a founding father-level figure in the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics. It would be a crime against heaven not to cash in on this a little.

But unfortunately, Xu Chuan was already on a plane, heading to Switzerland once more.

After a flight of nearly a day and a night, Xu Chuan, dragging his luggage, stood once again at the entrance of the European Nuclear Research Center.

The bronze statue of Shiva was still performing its dance of destruction and creation.

His hair flew wildly as his left hand held fire to destroy the world, and his right hand held a drum to create it. Thus, the world was destroyed in his dance, and in his dance, it was reborn. The universe, in his dance, was cyclical, repeating endlessly.

This was similar to the characteristics of quanta in science. Whether it was the “Heisenberg uncertainty principle” or “wave-particle duality,” both were like Shiva’s nature, two sides of the same coin of life and death.

And the research into High-energy physics was like Shiva’s dance. The large hadron particle collision was like Shiva’s third eye, observing this world. In the instant it opens, there is cyclical destruction and cyclical rebirth.

Hundreds of years ago, artists depicted Shiva’s dance with bronze statues, while in the new era, physicists depict the dance of the universe with advanced technology.

Staring at the statue, Xu Chuan paused his steps.

In one more day, the LHC’s experiment on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks would restart. The moment to verify whether his theory and calculations were correct was just around the corner.

Chapter 171: Restarting the Collision Experiment

October 10th. Just as the working masses returned to their jobs after the National Day holiday, Xu Chuan, thousands of miles away, witnessed the restart of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The ten-day-long inspection and maintenance was finally complete, and the collider was entering its final preparation phase.

Countless physicists had gathered at CERN, all awaiting this experiment.

On one hand, everyone was waiting to see if the latest collision data could correctly verify the “ideal search and decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quark” that Xu Chuan had calculated.

If successful, it would be a major revolution for CERN, and indeed for the entire high-energy physics community.

The perfect integration of mathematics into physics, using mathematical calculations to master information from particle collisions—it was simply too cool.

For the world of high-energy physics, if this method proved successful, it would be well worth promoting.

Any laboratory would gladly expend some brainpower to save millions, or even tens of millions, in research funding on collisions.

It was like being the first person to eat a crab. Though it might be difficult, once someone achieved it, it would be much easier for those who followed.

On the other hand, in high-energy particle collision experiments designed to explore a certain particle or phenomenon, the data generated is not necessarily all related to that target particle or phenomenon.

In the random collisions of particle beams, some strange or previously undiscovered new things are bound to be produced.

Although the vast majority of new discoveries prove to be useless, this couldn’t dampen the physicists’ curiosity about a new world.

Especially now that the final piece of the Standard Model was in place, the physics community was even more eager to discover things beyond it.

And whether the data from collision experiments was useful, or whether it was something beyond the Standard Model, had to be determined through discussion among physicists.

It could even be said that, for the researchers at CERN and physicists from various countries, this second aspect was even more appealing.

If a new discovery was confirmed to have significant value, it could even alter CERN’s established research plan and become the LHC’s next research target.

Just like the Higgs boson, which had been one of CERN’s main research goals throughout the 21st century.

This wasn’t just about completing the Standard Model, but also about exploring and discovering things like the origin of mass, the Higgs field, dark matter, and dark energy.

As the LHC entered its final preparation stage, troops from Switzerland and France stationed at CERN skillfully turned away tourists and environmental organizations that had come to “sightsee.”

Then, they rooted out the “talented” individuals who had somehow snuck into CERN, some even infiltrating the underground collider tunnels.

There was no helping it. The previous director of CERN had been quite the character.

Back in 2007, before the LHC was upgraded, the director of the European Laboratory for Atomic Energy was not the current Professor David Gross, but another fellow who was a bit of a jokester.

He had once proudly boasted at a public press conference that the LHC had created a micro black hole.

Although he later explained that such a micro black hole could only exist in the collision pipe for less than 0.000001 seconds and posed no threat to the Earth, it still created a huge news story at the time.

Many media reporters were present, and what should have been a boast about the power of the LHC’s equipment was twisted by the unscrupulous media into various versions of news.

Headlines like “CERN Creates Black Hole, Earth to be Swallowed, Humanity Doomed” and “Large Hadron Collider is Creating Black Holes That Could Grow and Devour the Earth” spread across the internet and various newspapers of the time.

This immediately caused panic among the “less-educated” common folk of Europe.

Adding to that were some bored individuals who collected information on earthquakes and floods that occurred around the world when the LHC was activated.

When the timelines were compared, the Western public became even more convinced that the LHC would destroy the Earth and bring about the end of humanity.

Then came the street protests and demonstrations.

Some who weren’t afraid of dying would even try all sorts of methods to sneak into CERN’s underground facilities to sabotage the Large Hadron Collider.

This phenomenon still occurred at CERN, not just now, but even a decade later.

Therefore, Switzerland and France later arranged for troops to be stationed there, carrying out a sweep to clear the area before each experiment began.

This was to prevent some idiot from sneaking into the underground collider.

Putting aside the damage to the Large Hadron Collider, just getting blasted by the running accelerator would be a major incident.

Not everyone was Anatoli Bugorski, who survived being struck by a high-energy particle beam from a particle accelerator and lived into his old age.

Normally, if you were hit by the near-light-speed high-energy particle beam in the LHC, your grave would be covered in grass by the next month.

And if such an accident were to happen at the LHC, it would likely be protested into closure, or at least shut down for a period of time.

This would be the case even if it wasn’t CERN’s responsibility and despite warning signs being posted all around the Large Hadron Collider.

Of course, this accidental black hole incident wasn’t all bad news for CERN.

The fact that the collider could produce a black hole might alarm the general public, but it was a different matter for nations.

The subsequent upgrade of the LHC was partly due to this.

After all, from a national perspective, a black hole held immense appeal.

At 9:30 in the morning, the collision experiment on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark began right on schedule.

A massive electric current surged from the power lines into the Large Hadron Collider. Superconducting magnets, cryogenically cooled by liquid nitrogen and helium, generated a powerful circular magnetic field, which was then used with an electric field to accelerate charged particles.

The accelerated charged particles are subjected to the Lorentz force as they move through the magnetic field. The Lorentz force causes the charged particles to move in a circle, allowing for repeated acceleration to approach the speed of light.

This was the principle behind how the collider operated.

However, microscopic particles are also subject to the effects of the theory of relativity, meaning their speed can only approach the speed of light, never reach it.

Furthermore, as their speed increases, the particles’ relativistic mass increases, and their mass-to-charge ratio becomes larger, making acceleration increasingly difficult.

In addition, this principle dictates that only charged particles can be accelerated in the collider, such as electrons, positrons, protons, and antiprotons.

Only things that can be influenced by the circular strong magnetic field can be used in collision experiments.

This is actually somewhat similar to controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Controlled nuclear fusion also uses an ultra-strong magnetic field or similar technology to contain the ultra-high temperature plasma within the reactor, thereby generating electricity.

Of course, this is only looking at the basics. In terms of actual details, the two are quite different.

Two high-energy beams, each carrying over a trillion electron volts, raced through the 27-kilometer-long accelerator tunnel, continuously advancing and accelerating before colliding at an intersection point, producing a fierce and brilliant flash of light.

This light was captured by the detectors deployed at the intersection, which then converted it into data points and energy spectrum graphs.

With the LHC running, a vast amount of collision data was generated every second.

For what could be considered his first leading collision experiment after his rebirth, Xu Chuan was quite interested.

He stood in the front-line laboratory alongside the CERN staff. Beside him were the three team-leading Academicians from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University.

This was the front line where data from the particle collider collisions was received. Any data captured by the detectors would be displayed on the screens here.

If one was very familiar with high-energy physics and mathematical analysis, this initial data was enough to notice something.

And in this respect, Xu Chuan would not be modest.

If not the best or second-best in the world, he was at least in the top five.

After all, in his previous life, he had discovered so many things using the very collider beneath his feet.

Axions, dark matter, dark energy, sterile neutrinos, and more. In the decade that followed, he was hailed as the foremost figure in contemporary physics, thanks to these discoveries and their corresponding theories.

And even looking back at all of modern history, the only ones who could be ranked ahead of him were the three masters: Newton, Albert Einstein, and Maxwell.

Newton ushered in a new era of physics with classical mechanics, the era of classical physics.

Albert Einstein, with his theory of relativity as a major pillar of modern physics, opened up a new era of modern science and technology.

And Maxwell, with classical electromagnetism, inaugurated the information age.

As for himself, he had subverted the traditional rules of physics based on the theories of dark matter, dark energy, and the graviton, rewriting humanity’s understanding and definition of matter.

Although he hadn’t had time to research anything further after that, or even to study how to capture and utilize dark matter and dark energy before being sent back to the past.

But the achievements he had pioneered still shone dazzlingly across the whole world.

On the screens in the front-line laboratory, the data generated by the particle collider below was plotting out signal points one by one.

Xu Chuan stared at the screen with great interest, watching the data that felt so familiar.

In his past life, he might have been a bit lost amidst the massive amount of signal data.

After all, this was just raw data that had only undergone preliminary processing, making it dense, tedious, and repetitive.

But after his rebirth, he didn’t know if it was related to his major in mathematics this life, but his sensitivity to mathematics had increased significantly.

This was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Because whether it was mathematical research, physical research, or materials research, all required a high level of mathematical ability as a foundation.

Of course, trying to rely on this sensitivity to find the data for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark in the front-line laboratory was almost impossible.

After all, this data had not yet been processed by a supercomputer and was filled with all sorts of impurities and useless information.

Xu Chuan understood this, so he watched for a while before turning his attention away.

The collision experiments were restarted in October, and the experiment on the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quark lasted for a full two days.

During these two days, the collider produced data in the trillions, the vast majority of which would be filtered out and discarded by the supercomputer.

The remaining part would be reorganized and sent to the database, for physics experts to apply to use.

For this experiment, the first to apply for the collision data were, naturally, the three universities from China.

This was already a foregone conclusion.

After all, the ideal search and decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quark was calculated by Xu Chuan, so he had a certain right to make suggestions and handle the data.

However, in addition to the three Chinese universities, other universities and laboratories also applied for the collision data and were approved.

This might seem a bit biased, but it was a very normal thing at CERN.

If the ideal search and decay channel for the Yukawa coupling had been worked out by American or European scholars this time, China could also apply to process the first batch of experimental data when they obtained the usage rights.

Of course, whether they could win the race was another matter.

After all, with so many physicists at CERN, everyone would apply for projects they were interested in. After the applications, CERN would distribute the data based on your contributions and past research.

Furthermore, data calculated by two or three different research institutions could be used to verify each other, ensuring the correctness of the data.

Although only the first group to submit an acceptance conference presentation that gets approved receives the credit, that’s how realistic and brutal it is at CERN.

The experiment concluded, and the collision data, after being processed by the supercomputer, was sent to the groups that had applied for it.

Besides Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University, the others who had secured the collision data this time were personnel from the United States’ Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory and Germany’s German Electron Synchrotron Institute.

After all, with Xu Chuan’s theoretical calculation data, the probability of discovering the Yukawa coupling phenomenon was very high. There was no reason not to come in for a piece of the pie.

Of the three groups, if ranked by strength, the Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory from the United States would be first, the German Electron Synchrotron Institute second, and the three Chinese universities third.

However, relatively speaking, Nanjing University had prior experience analyzing collision data for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quark. In addition, Xu Chuan was the author of the theoretical calculation data, so it was pretty much a given that the other two labs and institutions were just along for the ride.

Once the data was distributed, the research team formed by the three Chinese universities immediately began their work.

With a super-luxury lineup of three Academicians, one Fields Medal candidate, and several official CERN researchers, plus a ready reserve of Doctoral students, postdocs, and even university professors, it was destined that the analysis of this experimental data would proceed at lightning speed.

Working around the clock, they managed to draw out the complete Dalitz plot in less than a week.

Once the Dalitz plot was complete and checked for errors, Xu Chuan and the three Academicians didn’t even have time to celebrate. They immediately submitted an application for an acceptance conference presentation to CERN.

Although they knew it was impossible for the other two labs to have completed their work so quickly, they were still worried.

After all, if another laboratory snatched the credit for this achievement, it would be truly infuriating.

Chapter 172: China’s Application

With the matter of the acceptance conference presentation settled, Xu Chuan could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Though he knew the other two labs couldn’t possibly produce results this quickly, his own speculation was a completely different matter from getting confirmation from David Gross, the Chairman of the CERN Council.

The remaining work was to check the data and the Dalitz plot.

Three days was enough time for him and the three Academicians, including Chen Zhengping, to go over everything one more time.

“How did it go? Are we the first to submit the application for the acceptance conference presentation?”

The moment Xu Chuan returned to the Chinese office area, he was met with the hopeful gazes of the three Academicians.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan nodded heavily in confirmation.

Confirming that China was the first to submit its application, the three Academicians let out a collective sigh of relief, smiles appearing on their weary faces.

For Xu Chuan, this experiment and data analysis served as a verification of his previous theoretical calculations.

But for the three Academicians, its significance was far greater.

The main objective was for CERN to witness China’s scientific research capabilities through this experiment, thereby elevating China’s status at CERN and paving the way for it to become a member state.

This was why the three universities had placed such great importance on this experiment.

Fortunately, based on the current data analysis, they had already found the Yukawa coupling phenomenon between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

Xu Chuan’s theory and calculations were correct; the 128 GeV–131 GeV collision energy range was indeed the energy level for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson decay and third-generation heavy quarks.

“Junior, congratulations. You’ve solved another epic-level problem.”

Standing beside the three Academicians, Qi Xishao stepped forward and congratulated him with a smile.

As an official researcher at CERN who had previously participated in Nanjing University’s data analysis, he was naturally part of this project team.

However, beneath his congratulations, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

This junior of his was a true freak.

From his arrival in July to now, mid-October, he had solved two physics problems in just over three months, both of which could be described as epic.

One was the “Proton Radius Puzzle,” a problem the physics community had debated for years without a solution.

The other was an even older challenge. Ever since the invention of particle colliders, people had tried to use mathematics to calculate the channels through which undiscovered particles might appear, but no one had ever succeeded.

That problem had been around for at least a dozen years.

To solve two major physics problems in just over three months was astounding enough, even if the first one had been prepared in advance and he was only here to use CERN’s accelerator for verification.

On top of that, in the first half of the year, this junior had also solved a problem in both mathematics and astrophysics, albeit by applying his mathematical achievements to astrophysics.

Tsk, tsk. The sheer impressiveness of it was comparable to the miracle year of the great Albert Einstein.

The weight of the achievements might not be as high as Einstein’s, but looking back through the entire history of physics, few could boast such accomplishments.

And while he himself had become an official researcher at CERN last year, making him a young talent in the global physics community, in comparison, he was truly nothing.

Having this junior in the same field was genuinely humbling.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Calling it an ‘epic-level problem’ is an exaggeration. For the entire field of physics, this is just a small ripple in the water.”

Qi Xishao chuckled. If he had been the one to solve a problem of this magnitude, he would have flown back home to pay respects at his ancestral graves and set off long strings of deafening firecrackers in celebration.

Three days passed quickly. Xu Chuan and the three Academicians a second verification of the analyzed experimental data.

On the day of the conference presentation, CERN’s largest venue, Auditorium One, was packed to the brim. In the Great Hall with its four hundred-plus seats, many people were even standing.

It wasn’t just the physicists currently researching at CERN; many other universities, physics research institutes, and laboratories had sent representatives to attend the presentation.

This experiment was the verification of the previously calculated energy level channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks, achieved through mathematics.

If successful, it would be no exaggeration to say that the field of physics would be on the verge of a new revolution.

Faced with the choice between spending millions on collision experiments or taxing the brain cells of a few physicists or mathematicians, both governments and capitalists would likely choose the latter without hesitation.

Unsurprisingly, it was Xu Chuan who took the stage to report on the data analysis.

Although the data analysis was a joint effort by Nanjing University and the other two universities, the experiment was, after all, based on his theoretical data.

Moreover, Academicians like Chen Zhengping were more than happy to elevate Xu Chuan’s reputation even further.

Xu Chuan himself didn’t pay it much mind.

However, after finishing his work at CERN this time, he planned to return to his studies in mathematics and lie low for a while.

Just as his senior, Qi Xishao, had thought, the things he had produced over the past year were a bit too incredible.

Even though it was all in pure mathematics and pure theory, and all of it was publicly available, it was enough to draw the attention of the United States. He was probably already on some list or another.

Of course, Xu Chuan was mindful of this.

While his achievements might seem astounding for someone of his generation, a closer look would reveal that all of them were tied to mathematics.

From the Weyl-Berry conjecture to the Xu-Weyl-Berry method for calculating celestial parameters, and then to the Proton Radius Puzzle and the calculation of the energy level for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks—all of it stemmed from mathematics. Furthermore, it was all public, purely theoretical work, not touching upon any sensitive fields.

Perhaps the calculation of the energy level channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks could save colliders a lot of money, but it didn’t involve anything else, and this line of research couldn’t be converted into other products.

More importantly, the particles produced and the experimental data from each collider are different. It would be impossible to popularize this method like the Xu-Weyl-Berry method for calculating celestial parameters.

It lacks a fixed set of parameters and calculation methods, requiring researchers to analyze, select, and compute based on specific information. One could even say he succeeded through a combination of good luck and Professor Gross’s guidance.

These achievements were completely different from those in sensitive fields.

Take, for example, another genius who would become famous next year—Cao Yuan. Following the historical timeline, this master was currently researching the arrangement of graphene and its superconductivity.

For the United States, this was unequivocally a sensitive field.

Fortunately, this genius returned to China immediately after completing the basic laboratory phase. If he had delved deeper into it and moved towards industrial production, he would likely have faced the same predicament as in his previous life.

Graphene superconductivity was definitely in a sensitive area for the United States.

But there is a vast difference between laboratory production and industrial production. The former is merely to verify a theory, and cost is no object.

The latter, however, is for commercialization and industrialization, so one naturally has to consider costs, manufacturing steps, and the like.

Not everything that can be made in a lab can be smoothly industrialized.

That is an unrealistic dream. If it were possible, human civilization would have already reached for the sea of stars. Why would we still be on Earth, playing in the mud?

Xu Chuan understood this point well. The world’s laboratories were full of amazing things.

Unfortunately, most of these things could only be produced on a very small scale in a lab at a very high cost, making them impossible to apply commercially or industrially.

The acceptance conference presentation lasted forty-five minutes. Xu Chuan expertly began with the initial theory, gave a concise introduction, and then moved on to the collision experiment data.

“…I am very grateful for the joint efforts of all the researchers from Nanjing University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Jiaotong University. I also thank CERN for its support. Through this collision experiment, we have successfully found the Yukawa coupling phenomenon between Higgs decay and third-generation heavy quarks in the 128 GeV to 134 GeV energy range.”

“Although this deviates slightly from my previous calculations, it proves that the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks does not occur above the previously speculated 150 GeV energy region, but rather in an energy region closer to the mass of the Higgs boson itself.”

“While we don’t yet know why this violates previous experimental experience, there are no issues with the theoretical data.”

“Through this experiment, we have taken another step closer to the secret of the origin of mass. Perhaps, in the near future, we will be able to build larger particle colliders and uncover other secrets hidden in the universe.”

“That concludes my report. Thank you for your patient attention.”

As his last words fell, Xu Chuan gave a slight bow to the many physicists in the audience.

Instantly, thunderous, deafening applause erupted in Auditorium One.

Everyone was captivated by the brilliant presentation from the young man on stage. Even the personnel from competing institutions like the United States’ Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory and the German Electron Synchrotron Institute were applauding softly.

It had to be said that this was undoubtedly one of the two most brilliant conference presentations of the year.

Incidentally, the other most brilliant presentation was also delivered by the same young man on the stage.

The discovery of the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks could be called the most important research achievement at CERN this year.

Even the previously solved “Proton Radius Puzzle” couldn’t compare.

Although the Proton Radius Puzzle was significant, it only resolved a conundrum that had troubled physicists for the past few years; it didn’t provide a precise value for the proton’s radius.

The 0.831 femtometer figure was still an estimate.

Only if the precise proton radius could be calculated or measured one day could it surpass the discovery of the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks.

For now, studying the Higgs decay, which pertains to the origin of mass, and the Yukawa coupling, which pertains to the formation of matter, was more important.

Although the physics community couldn’t yet do anything with this discovery, such as controlling the phenomenon to artificially synthesize metallic nuclei, its existence at least lit a beacon for the future of physics.

As was customary, after Xu Chuan concluded his acceptance conference presentation and it was approved by the review committee, CERN sent out invitation letters the day after the experiment’s conclusion to journalists and media outlets in Geneva and across Europe, holding a high-profile press conference.

The Chairman of the Council, David Gross, personally announced the news to the reporters.

“…We have successfully discovered the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks. Through this phenomenon, we are one step closer to understanding how matter originates. This is another victory for the Standard Model, which has provided us with a formidable and towering edifice of physics that remains unshaken to this day.”

“It is now late October. Barring any surprises, the discovery of the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks will be the most significant research achievement in the field of physics this year.”

“On behalf of CERN and the Council, I would like to extend a special thank you to the young genius from China, Mr. Xu Chuan.”

“It was he who completed the data calculation for the most ideal decay channel to search for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks. He perfectly integrated mathematics into physics, locking the target phenomenon’s energy level in the 128 GeV to 131 GeV range, which in turn spurred our early success.”

“Because in the past, based on CERN’s historical experience, the Yukawa coupling energy level was more likely to be above 150 GeV. It is no exaggeration to say that his calculations saved us at least one to two years of time, and also at least several million euros in funding.”

“…”

Amid a surging wave of applause, the CERN press conference came to an end. Immediately after, a large number of media outlets began to report on the phenomenon with widespread coverage.

[CERN Discovers Yukawa Coupling of Higgs and Third-Generation Heavy Quarks; Origin of Mass May Soon Be Explained.]

[A Young Genius from China Earns Public Thanks from CERN?]

[One Calculation = Several Million Euros. Does Mathematics Really Possess Such Magic?]

[CERN Activates Large Hadron Collider Again as Hurricane Matthew Rages Across North America, Causing Severe Damage to Multiple Countries. Is Humanity’s Fate Tied to This?]

All sorts of reports circulated online and in newspapers, attracting widespread attention from netizens.

When they saw the somewhat familiar name, many people were stunned.

“Xu Chuan? I think I’ve heard that name before.”

“He’s the one who solved the Proton Radius Puzzle in August. If you follow high-energy physics, he’s the most discussed person in the entire field.”

“Incredible. Not only did he solve a major problem in one year, but he also helped CERN save millions of euros?”

“There’s more. In the first half of this year, he also solved a world-class mathematical conjecture and created a brand-new method for the astrophysics community to calculate celestial information. If you count it all up, he’s solved at least three or four major problems in a single year.”

“Is this some kind of magic from the ancient East?”

While netizens were discussing the media reports, CERN held a new Council meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the application for full member state status submitted by China a couple of days ago, and whether to accept China as a new member state.

This year might be the last year CERN allows new member states to join.

Rumor had it that CERN might stop accepting new member states next year, and future applications for member state status would be converted into applications for member country or associate member state status.

Chapter 173: Debate and Exchange

In the main building of the European Nuclear Research Center, representatives from all over Europe and the members of the CERN Council were locked in a fierce argument.

It had been a long time since CERN had added a new member state; the last time was in 1999.

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, Brazil, Turkey, Pakistan, Ukraine, and even Russia and the United States had applied for member state status, but all had been denied.

Compared to observer states or cooperating institutions, member states were the true core of power at CERN. After all, everything from funding to policy support depended on them.

“CERN has no history of admitting a non-European country as a member state. Even the United States is not one of our members. If we let China in, we won’t be able to answer to the United States, nor to the outside world.”

A middle-aged man in a suit and tie, standing by the conference table, voiced his opinion.

“Israel is also a member state, and it is not a European country.”

Across the table, the representative from Bulgaria calmly spoke, refuting the Danish representative’s statement.

Compared to most Eastern European countries, Bulgaria had many cooperative projects with China and had always maintained a good relationship. As long as it didn’t compromise their own interests, they were willing to lend a hand.

The Danish representative who had just spoken rolled his eyes internally.

Israel. It was indeed a non-European country, but was it really just representing itself?

Everyone knew it wasn’t. By occupying a member state seat at CERN, it was actually representing the interests of the United States.

Everyone present was well aware of this fact, but he couldn’t say it out loud in the meeting.

After all, the Israeli representative was also present. Saying that would certainly cause a scene.

“Alright, everyone, let’s put a pin in this debate for now. Regarding China’s application to join CERN as a full member, we will now proceed to a vote.”

David Gross, who was chairing the meeting, stood at the head of the conference table, interrupting the吵吵嚷嚷. He continued, “Please cast your valuable votes.”

As of now, CERN had a total of twenty-two member states, with Israel being the only non-European one.

Each member state had two official representatives, responsible for government administration and the nation’s scientific interests, respectively.

However, each member state had only one vote. Although the Council tried to reach unanimity in its decisions whenever possible, in practice, most decisions were made by a simple majority.

Following David Gross’s words, the Bulgarian council member was the first to cast their vote.

Instantly, a vote in favor appeared on the projection screen.

After the Bulgarian representative cast the first ballot, the number of votes on the screen began to increase steadily.

There were votes in favor, votes against, and abstentions.

In less than a minute, the council members had finished casting their votes.

After the representative of the final member state cast their vote, David Gross looked at the projection screen beside him and sighed faintly.

A moment later, he announced, “The final result of this vote is as follows:”

“A total of twenty-two votes were cast by the CERN Council. There are eight votes in favor, twelve votes against, and two abstentions. The number of votes in favor did not exceed the two-thirds majority.”

“In accordance with the rules, the meeting has decided to reject China’s application to become a CERN member state.”

Professor Gross solemnly reported the-vote count, the final numbers sealing the fate of China’s application for CERN membership.

Although this outcome was expected, Gross still felt a twinge of regret.

Scientists tended to think in purer terms. In his view, China had developed to a point where it possessed a considerable number of foundational science researchers, and their achievements at CERN in recent years were a testament to that.

From the Higgs boson to the tetraquark and pentaquark particles, to Higgs decay, China’s contributions had been substantial.

On the other hand, one more member state would mean a significant increase in CERN’s budget.

Currently, CERN’s annual budget was approximately one billion Swiss Francs (CHF, about 1.02 billion US dollars).

But this figure was not fixed. For example, it was 970 million US dollars in 2015 and 1.09 billion US dollars in 2016.

This was because CERN’s funding was contributed by all member states in proportion to their GDP.

By this calculation, if China were to become a member state, CERN’s budget would skyrocket by nearly three hundred million US dollars next year.

If not for the balancing rule that stipulated no single member state’s contribution could exceed twenty percent of the total budget, that number would be even higher.

A budget of three hundred million US dollars would be enough for CERN to conduct dozens of additional collision experiments each year.

Dozens more collision experiments annually would increase the probability of discovering unknown particles or cosmic phenomena by several hundred times.

This would be a massive boost to the development of high-energy physics.

From a scientific research perspective, China’s inclusion was all pros and no cons.

But for the various member states, China’s entry was not such a wonderful thing.

For CERN, member states could share all the various technologies born from its research, many of which were desperately needed by China.

Across Europe, most countries, arguably the vast majority, were unwilling to see the rise of that red country in the East.

After all, most European nations were currently the biggest beneficiaries of the international order. With small populations and relatively abundant resources, they could live very well by mastering a few core technologies.

If China continued to develop, it would inevitably change this white-dominated, US- and Europe-centric international order.

Once that order was broken, their lives would not be so easy.

That was why, even though China had communicated with various governments many times in advance of its application and had offered substantial benefits, the majority of countries still chose to oppose it.

After reporting the voting results, David Gross picked up a document from the table and continued, “Next, we will proceed to the second item of this meeting.”

“Regarding China’s application to become an associate member state of CERN.”

“This matter will also be decided by a vote of the Council.”

As he spoke, Professor Gross manipulated the computer in the conference room.

“Furthermore, before the voting begins, please allow me to report on another matter.”

“Over the past three days, CERN’s public email inbox has received a cumulative total of applications from thirty-seven different physics laboratories and research institutes from various countries, as well as from one hundred and twenty-seven top physicists.”

“They have requested that CERN hold one, two, or even more conference presentations explaining the method for mathematically calculating the energy level channels of physical particles.”

“If I may interrupt, I’d like to ask what this has to do with China’s application for associate member status at CERN?”

In the conference room, a council member raised his hand, interrupting David Gross.

Gross adjusted his glasses and continued, his expression unchanged, “Of course it’s related, because the only person who has currently mastered the method for mathematically calculating particle energy level channels is in China.”

“If you’ve watched CERN’s press conference from a while ago, you should know that mastering this method could save CERN and other high-energy physics laboratories millions, or even tens of millions, of US dollars in collision research funding each year.”

“If we’re lucky, we could use this method to complete our work on the Standard Model and the Higgs boson ahead of schedule, and maybe even find things that lie beyond the Standard Model, such as dark matter and dark energy.”

Professor Gross’s words caused a palpable stir in the office.

Whether it was the millions saved in annual research funding or the subsequent mention of dark matter and dark energy, these were all incredibly tempting prospects for any country or research institution.

Of the council members present at the meeting, half were official personnel from the member states.

These individuals were mostly selected by their respective governments to represent the member state in voting, participate in formulating major policies and guidelines, vote on the admission of new member states, and liaise with their home governments.

They didn’t usually pay close attention to CERN’s actual collision experiments and physics developments unless there was a major discovery, like the Higgs boson.

The other twenty-two council members were primarily physicists from each country.

This group was the main body that discussed CERN’s day-to-day operations, such as the scheduling of collision experiments.

It was now clear that not all of the official government representatives on the council were aware of the details behind the recent discovery of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

They certainly knew about the discovery itself, but not everyone necessarily understood the role mathematics had played in it.

The time interval had been too short, and many of the physicist council members had not yet had the chance to report back to their home countries.

“A mathematical method, is he really the only one? Can’t we research it or figure it out ourselves?”

A government representative at the conference table looked at David Gross and asked.

Gross shook his head, saying, “Of course not. Theoretically, since someone else was able to do it, we should be able to as well.”

“However, if we were to research it ourselves, it would likely take a very long time. Perhaps three or five years?”

“After all, the core of that calculation method is currently known only to him. This is indeed quite important for CERN.”

“If we have the original creator give a presentation, the time it takes for other physicists to master this method could perhaps be shortened to a few months.”

Hearing this, some of the government representatives who were not fully aware of the details of the matter began to ask the physicist council members sitting beside them, and the entire conference room erupted into a buzz of conversation.

David Gross sat quietly in his chair.

His reason for bringing this up in the meeting today didn’t actually come from the requests in CERN’s public email inbox, but from Xu Chuan.

After all, whether or not to hold a conference presentation didn’t require consultation with the government representatives of each country. He only needed to communicate with Xu Chuan and get his consent.

Xu Chuan was aware that his Motherland was applying for a member state position at CERN.

However, there was nothing he could do about it.

He was currently just a junior researcher at CERN. Even with his achievements in physics, he couldn’t influence the decisions of the CERN Council; he didn’t even have the right to make a suggestion.

But as it happened, David Gross had approached him in the last two days, hoping he would hold a couple of presentations at CERN to explain his previous method.

Seizing the opportunity, he had made his own request to the council chairman, hoping he would bring this matter up during the member state meeting.

In exchange, he would stay at CERN and hold two conference presentations, providing a detailed explanation of the mathematical method used to calculate the most ideal search and decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

That was why Professor Gross had brought this up at today’s meeting.

Chapter 174: A Call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Gazing at the somewhat noisy office, David Gross’s thoughts drifted to the eighteen-year-old.

In less than four months at CERN, the young man had successfully solved the Proton Radius Puzzle, calculated the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark, and successfully verified it through a collision experiment.

The former had resolved a years-long puzzle in the particle physics community, while the latter would influence the future of the entire high-energy physics world.

One could say he had single-handedly set the entire field of high-energy physics in motion, even influencing the decisions of the CERN Council to some extent. Throughout the history of high-energy physics, there had been very few people like him.

And every time such a person appeared, it was enough to propel the advancement of science.

Dark matter? Dark energy?

Perhaps, in his lifetime, he would truly see the day when something beyond the Standard Model was discovered.

For some reason, a ripple of excitement stirred in Gross’s otherwise calm heart, despite him being well past the age of seventy.

Perhaps this was the anticipation of the future. Of course, it was also inextricably linked to Xu Chuan’s brilliant achievements.

As he thought about this, David Gross suddenly snapped back to his senses and shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

He had actually placed the heavy burden of scientific progress on an eighteen-year-old boy he had only met a few times. It was truly inconceivable.

Meanwhile, in the hotel, Chen Zhengping and the others were packing their things, preparing to return to China.

In fact, if Xu Chuan hadn’t calculated the ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark and jumped the queue to secure a new collision experiment, the research teams from the three domestic universities would have left long ago.

After all, everyone had their own tasks and responsibilities; they weren’t just idle.

“Xu Chuan, when are you heading back to Princeton?”

In his office, Chen Zhengping asked while packing his things.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “Probably in about a week?”

“I was planning to go back in the next day or two, but Professor Gross came to see me a couple of days ago. He asked me to hold one or two more conference presentations here at CERN to explain my method for calculating the Yukawa coupling energy level channel for the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark.”

Chen Zhengping looked up. “That’s a good thing. If I didn’t have urgent matters back at the university, I would have wanted to stay and listen.”

“If your method can be generalized, it would be of great significance to the high-energy physics community.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s basically impossible for it to be universal. After all, the characteristics of every particle or collision phenomenon are different, especially for unknown particles.”

“Being able to find the Yukawa coupling energy level channel for the Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark this time was largely thanks to the Standard Model and previous experimental data. Those things confirmed the inevitability of Higgs decay.”

“If it were a completely new particle, like a supersymmetric particle or something, it would be much harder to find.”

It was for this reason that Xu Chuan didn’t mind giving a few more conference presentations at CERN to explain his calculation method.

If it were a universal tool, one that could be used to calculate other unknown particles like axions, dark matter, dark energy, or sterile neutrinos, he probably wouldn’t have agreed so easily.

Those things were his future achievements, and he wasn’t so generous as to hand them over to others.

High-energy physics studied the future of humanity. Many discoveries might not seem very useful at first, but looking back after a few years, a decade, or several decades, many of them could change the world.

However, even if it wasn’t a universal tool, this method of combining mathematics and physics could still provide some inspiration to others.

It was like building an atomic bomb.

Once a pioneer succeeded, those who followed could quickly figure it out and catch up, even without knowing the specific manufacturing process.

After all, the path had been illuminated. With a direction to follow, it became much easier for those who came after.

Moreover, theories in mathematical physics were all public knowledge.

Chen Zhengping understood this point as well. He smiled and moved on from the topic. “Remember to keep all your receipts for plane tickets and other things. You can mail them back to China for reimbursement, or bring them back when you return for Chinese New Year.”

Xu Chuan nodded. Reimbursement was a normal procedure. Besides, accommodation, plane tickets, and daily expenses weren’t cheap. He had spent over a hundred thousand yuan in his three to four months in Geneva.

“I’m off then. Be safe, both here and at Princeton.”

Chen Zhengping patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder and left CERN with his luggage.

With the domestic university research teams returning to China one after another, the vast seventh floor of the hotel was left with only a handful of people, and the rest of the rooms were empty.

For a moment, Xu Chuan felt a little out of place, but he still had to stay for a few more days.

First, he was waiting for news about China joining CERN. Second, he was waiting for the conference presentation he had promised.

That evening, he received a phone call from Chairman Gross.

The news was a mix of good and bad.

The bad news was that China’s application to join CERN as a member state had been ultimately rejected by the Council.

The good news was that the vote on the application for associate member state status had been postponed. The vote couldn’t be held during that day’s meeting, and the representatives of the CERN member countries needed to deliberate again before holding a new vote.

Although he didn’t know if his earlier words had played a part, this was indeed good news for China.

In his past life, Xu Chuan had never heard of China joining CERN, neither as a member state, an associate member state, nor a member country.

Knowing the typical behavior of these Western countries, the price to truly join CERN would definitely far exceed the benefits one could gain from it.

This was the naked reality. Many people only saw the former and failed to see the latter.

So Xu Chuan had never expected to join CERN as a member state. It was an unrealistic dream, or rather, it would require too great a sacrifice.

Instead of desperately trying to squeeze into someone else’s circle, it would be better to build a large hadron collider and play by oneself.

Compared to the almost hopeless prospect of becoming a member state, there was actual hope for becoming an associate member state or a member country.

Although the rights of associate member states and member countries were indeed fewer than those of full member states—for example, they had no voting rights in the Council and couldn’t participate in decisions on CERN’s major developments—their status at CERN was also permanent. They could cooperate on projects with CERN, participate in procuring technology and equipment produced by CERN, apply for jobs at CERN, and participate in its training and internship programs.

Compared to voting rights in the Council and a say in major developments, what the country truly lacked at the moment was supplementing its a technological gaps through CERN and using CERN to cultivate its own physics talent.

After spending five more days at CERN and giving one conference presentation, Xu Chuan bought a plane ticket and flew from Switzerland back to Princeton.

This trip to CERN, which had lasted nearly four months, had finally come to a complete close.

The blue and white plane soared through the sky and landed slowly at Philadelphia International Airport. Xu Chuan dragged his luggage out of the airport, facing the fiery red sunrise, and prepared to hail a taxi on the roadside to return to Princeton.

However, perhaps because it was early morning, there weren’t many taxis. The few he managed to flag down all said they weren’t leaving the city and refused to take him.

Just as Xu Chuan was wondering whether to call the Chinese driver from last time or to wait a little longer, a small red car stopped in front of him.

“Hey, Junior Chuan.”

The car window rolled down, and a familiar voice came through. Xu Chuan looked closely and saw that it was Lin Feng.

“Senior Lin, what are you doing here?”

Xu Chuan was a little surprised to see Lin Feng. Hadn’t his senior already returned to Princeton? Why was he at the Philadelphia airport now?

“I’m here to pick up my girlfriend. Are you just back from CERN? Heading back to Princeton?” Lin Feng asked with a smile.

“Girlfriend? When did you get a girlfriend?”

Xu Chuan immediately asked with curiosity. It was human nature to watch the drama unfold, and he had never heard about this before.

Hearing this, Lin Feng smiled a little sheepishly. “It’s just been a month or two. Actually, you know her too.”

“I know her?”

Xu Chuan’s curiosity grew. Who was this person he also knew?

Lin Feng smiled and said mysteriously, “You’ll see in a moment. Get in the car first. I’ll give you a ride back, save you the trouble of getting a taxi.”

Xu Chuan nodded, put his luggage in the trunk, and voluntarily sat in the back.

After all, Lin Feng was here to pick up his girlfriend, so the front passenger seat should definitely be left for her. He knew at least that much common sense.

In the small car, the two chatted for a while.

Suddenly, a figure knocked on the passenger side door.

Curious, Xu Chuan looked out the car window. The figure outside looked somewhat familiar.

“???”

When he got a clear look at the person’s face, a series of question marks popped up in Xu Chuan’s mind.

“Holy crap, Nanali Kessler?”

Recognizing the person, Xu Chuan blurted out a curse in surprise. No wonder Lin Feng had said he knew her too.

He really did know her, but he’d never expected this.

Nanali Kessler had been a member of his project team when he was researching the “Proton Radius Puzzle” at CERN.

In the five-person team that had been hastily assembled back then, aside from himself, the most outstanding member was Nanali Kessler, who was also the only girl.

At the time, she had discovered an anomaly in the collision data, which indirectly gave him some inspiration and allowed him to completely solve the Proton Radius Puzzle.

“Hey, Xu, long time no see. Congratulations on discovering the Yukawa coupling phenomenon of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.”

Seeing Xu Chuan, Nanali Kessler seemed very surprised, then greeted him with delighted enthusiasm.

“Thanks,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile, then asked, “When did you two get together?”

“A little over a month ago. Lin is a very good person,” Nanali Kessler replied, glancing a little shyly at Lin Feng in the driver’s seat.

“Impressive, Senior Lin. You got together after knowing each other for just a month.”

Seeing Nanali Kessler’s bashful expression, Xu Chuan clicked his tongue and gave Lin Feng a thumbs-up. He’d barely gotten in the car and was already being subjected to their public display of affection. That was really something.

Lin Feng smiled. “It’s alright. We’re planning to get married at the beginning of next year.”

“So soon?”

Xu Chuan gave Lin Feng a look of astonishment. They had met in mid-August, and getting married at the beginning of next year would be, at most, half a year.

Getting married after knowing each other for half a year, while not exactly a flash marriage, was still quite fast.

After all, they were from different countries, so there were many things to consider for a marriage.

In his past life, he had never been married, partly because he was engrossed in scientific research, and partly because he was stuck in the United States and had never considered dating a foreign woman.

Lin Feng nodded and replied, “Yeah, it’s rare to meet someone so suitable. Besides, both Kessler and I are not young anymore. I’m thirty-one this year, and Kessler is twenty-nine. If we don’t get married soon, it’ll really be too late.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “Then congratulations to both of you. Remember to invite me to the wedding banquet.”

Lin Feng’s claim that he was thirty-one was no exaggeration at all.

For academics, getting married late was very normal.

In China, one usually graduated from university at around twenty-two. A master’s degree took three years, and a doctoral degree took three to five years. By the time one graduated with a PhD, they would be around thirty.

According to relevant data, the average graduation age for doctoral students in China was 33.17 years old.

And Lin Feng was now a postdoc, studying physics under Edward Witten. For his academic standing, his age was actually on the young side.

Normally, postdocs would be around thirty-four or thirty-five.

Lin Feng smiled and nodded. “Of course. I’ll have to give you a big red envelope then. You’re our matchmaker. If it weren’t for you, we never would have met.”

Chatting away, the three of them headed towards Princeton. Along the way, it was mostly Lin Feng and Nanali Kessler talking, while Xu Chuan sat in the back as a brightly shining third wheel, getting his fill of their PDA.

“By the way, Junior, aren’t you planning to get a driver’s license and buy a car here? Cars are quite cheap here, and having one is much more convenient.”

In the car, Lin Feng suddenly remembered there was someone in the back and considerately asked.

Xu Chuan replied, “I’ll try to get one when I have time. Buying a car isn’t urgent. I don’t really have any use for one at the moment.”

“If you have a car, it’s also much more convenient to go on outings. Some of the scenery around here is really nice. I can give you some recommendations. They’re very suitable for taking a girlfriend.”

Lin Feng replied casually, once again striking a precise blow to Xu Chuan’s heart.

In the back seat, the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched, and he didn’t want to talk to them anymore.

His two lifetimes added up to over fifty-five years, and forget dating, he had never even held a girl’s hand.

A girlfriend? Was it really that fun? Should he try to find one? But who?

As Xu Chuan was thinking, a figure had just floated into his mind when his thoughts were interrupted by his ringing phone.

He took out his phone and saw it was a call from an unknown number starting with 0046.

“I need to take this call,” Xu Chuan said to the two in front before answering.

“Hello, good day. May I ask if this is Mr. Xu Chuan?”

An unfamiliar male voice came through the phone. Xu Chuan confirmed, and the person on the other end immediately continued.

“Good day, Mr. Xu Chuan. This is the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. I am Professor Anri Rodelin from the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.”

Chapter 175: Simultaneously Winning the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy

Many people might not be familiar with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

But when it comes to another award associated with it, over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of people know of it.

The Nobel Prize!

The world-renowned Nobel Prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Moreover, the Nobel Prize announcements begin in October.

Of course, Xu Chuan had never thought he would win a Nobel Prize at this stage, even though he had made some achievements in mathematics and physics this year. He had even, it could be said, pioneered a foundational calculation method in the field of astrophysics, earning a recommendation from the Nobel laureate, Professor Saul Perlmutter.

He had never expected to win a Nobel Prize now.

However, he had thought about another award on par with the Nobel, also presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: the ‘Crafoord Prize’.

The Crafoord Prize is a major international science award, established in 1980 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences with funds donated by Holger Crafoord and his wife, Anna-Greta.

The prize is awarded in the fields of mathematics, geosciences, astronomy, biosciences, and arthritis research. It is given out annually to recognize outstanding achievements in one of these disciplines.

Its scope covers scientific fields not included in the Nobel Prize.

Although the Nobel Prize is the world’s most influential award today, especially in the natural sciences (physics and chemistry), where it is recognized as the highest honor for researchers.

However, the natural science fields covered by the Nobel Prize are extremely limited, including only physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine.

Mathematics, which is crucial to the natural sciences, is not among them. Nor are geosciences and astronomy, which have seen a series of major breakthroughs in the twentieth century.

To address this gap, another Swedish magnate, Crafoord, decided in 1980 to establish the Crafoord Prize. Its scope would cover precisely these scientific fields that the Nobel Prize did not.

Unlike the Nobel Prize, which has a nearly fixed award schedule every year, the timing of the Crafoord Prize award ceremony occasionally varies.

Typically, the award ceremony is held on “Crafoord Day” in September or sometime in May. Each time, only one field is honored, with a prize of five hundred thousand US dollars and a certificate.

The number of laureates is also similar to the Nobel Prize, with no more than three people being awarded each time.

In addition to these months, the Crafoord Prize is sometimes presented on other dates.

For example, this year’s Crafoord Prize was postponed from May all the way until November for its announcement.

This was related to the work efficiency of the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and whether there had been research achievements of sufficient value in previous years.

In some respects, the Crafoord Prize is even harder to win than the Nobel Prize, because in previous years, the Crafoord Prize was almost always awarded to one person per discipline per year. The Nobel Prize, on the other hand, typically has two or three laureates per discipline each year.

This was especially true for mathematics and astronomy. Before 2012, these two disciplines were grouped together.

This meant that every four years, mathematicians and astronomers had to compete for a single Crafoord Prize, making it even more difficult to win.

In addition to these natural science fields, the Crafoord Prize also has another special award.

That is for research in the field of arthritis.

If a sufficiently major breakthrough is made in this field, one can also receive the Crafoord Prize. This falls under the medical domain and slightly overlaps with the Nobel Prize, but no one minds.

This is because the great scientist who established this award, Mr. Crafoord, suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis in his later years.

It is worth noting, however, that the prize for polyarthritis is handled by a special, separate committee. The prize and its monetary award are only granted when it is determined that progress in the field warrants it.

The goal is to vigorously promote medical development in the field of polyarthritis and reduce the number of patients.

Since its inception in 1980, the Crafoord Prize for Polyarthritis has only been awarded four times, a testament to the prize’s stringent selection criteria and its refusal to be awarded frivolously.

This is a world-class award, and although it has not been established for long, its renown is gradually increasing and it has earned the respect of the global scientific community.

Compared to the Nobel Prize, also awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Xu Chuan was more hopeful about receiving the Crafoord Prize. Because even in his previous life, he had never won it.

That’s right. In his past life, he had won top mathematics awards like the Fields Medal for solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, but he had never received the Crafoord Prize.

The prize’s selection process was exceptionally strict and famously so.

If a candidate had ever been involved in nuclear energy research, weapons research, or war studies, they would be directly excluded from consideration for the Crafoord Prize, no matter how outstanding their achievements.

The Nobel Prize has no such restriction. Many nuclear energy researchers have received the Nobel Prize, but none has ever received the Crafoord Prize.

Receiving the call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. After confirming the caller’s purpose, he quietly waited for their announcement.

“Good day, Mr. Xu Chuan. For your immense contributions to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, for the calculation method of precise celestial parameters using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, and for the observation of the celestial body within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope, you have been awarded this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.”

“The award ceremony will be held on December 25th, 2016, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden. We look forward to your attendance.”

The voice of Professor Anri Rodelin from the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences traveled through the phone from thousands of kilometers away, reaching Xu Chuan’s ears and making his heart skip a beat.

Even having experienced grand occasions like the Nobel Prize ceremony, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but swallow hard, thinking he must have misheard.

The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy, both awarded to him alone?

Something no one would believe if he told them… had it actually happened to him?

Never in history had such a thing occurred—the Crafoord Prizes in mathematics and astronomy being awarded to the same person in the same year.

It was too incredible, too insane. No wonder the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had postponed the Crafoord Prize announcement from May all the way to December.

The significance of this was no less than winning two Nobel Prizes in the same year.

When the news was formally announced in two days, the hype would be explosive.

After reconfirming that the award information was correct, Xu Chuan put down his phone and stared out the window, his eyes wide.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had made a truly bold decision, so much so that it made him feel a little unconfident.

Not everyone was willing to do something that broke with history and unspoken rules.

What’s more, he was only eighteen this year and wouldn’t turn nineteen until December.

Awarding a world-class prize to such a young scholar was already a decision that would incur immense pressure. On top of that, to award him both the mathematics and astronomy prizes simultaneously meant the pressure would be off the charts.

Even Xu Chuan, the recipient of this award, couldn’t help but marvel at the boldness of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

This was a historical record that likely no one would ever be able to break.

Awarding both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy to Xu Chuan was the result of over half a year of debate within the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Although it was bold and broke with past rules, it was perfectly justifiable.

Four full years had passed since the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics was awarded to Terence Tao in 2012. Although a Fields Medal was awarded in 2014, to be honest, in those four years, there had been no mathematical achievement so exceptionally outstanding that it was guaranteed to win the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics.

The achievements of the 2014 Fields Medalists had not completely solved any particular problem. Compared to the problems they solved, their past contributions to mathematics were the more crucial factor.

But compared to the Fields Medal, the Crafoord Prize places more emphasis on complete results.

On this basis, Xu Chuan, having completely solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, undoubtedly caught the eye of the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Without a doubt, this was a “major” mathematical conjecture.

Although it was not as famous as conjectures of similar ranking like the Weak Goldbach Conjecture, the Twin Prime conjecture, or Hilbert’s twenty-three problems.

But in terms of difficulty, the Weyl-Berry conjecture could easily rank in the top three among these problems.

Professor E.B. Davies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Great Britain, and others had once called this problem “extremely difficult,” a testament to its notorious difficulty.

Compared to past contributions to mathematics, the complete solution to the Weyl-Berry conjecture was undoubtedly given more weight by the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

But it had to be said, Xu Chuan’s age was simply too young, so much so that the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had debated from the Princeton exchange in February all the way to May and June.

Just as the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics was being decided in May and June, Xu Chuan’s research in the field of astronomy came out.

He had observed and calculated that within the red supergiant Betelgeuse, there existed another companion star.

For the field of astronomy at the time, this was undoubtedly the most explosive news.

Although this was not considered impossible according to past judgments in the astronomy community, no one had ever observed such a star before.

This is because massive stars expand in their later years, and even if there were a companion star nearby, it would be swallowed and fall into the core of the parent star.

The theoretical probability of such a companion star, engulfed by a late-stage star yet still maintaining its own orbit, was extremely small.

And more critically, once a companion star is enveloped by a massive, late-stage star, the difficulty of observing it again through ordinary astronomical means increases countless times over.

If not for Xu Chuan using the method of precisely calculating celestial parameters with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, it’s impossible to know how long it would have taken for humanity to discover this companion star.

Perhaps it would have remained undiscovered until Betelgeuse’s supernova explosion.

This was perfectly normal.

Because the volume and diameter of the late-stage Betelgeuse were still continuously expanding, and as the outer hydrogen envelope expanded, the companion star’s hiding place would become deeper and deeper.

Some of the anomalous data and astronomical phenomena that could be observed now might become unobservable in the future.

This discovery instantly stunned the professors on the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences responsible for judging the astronomy prize.

How had the battlefield suddenly shifted from mathematics to their turf?

This year’s astronomy prize had, in fact, already been decided.

Professor Roy Kerr from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and Professor Roger Blandford from Stanford University in the United States were to share the astronomy prize for their meritorious research on “rotating black holes (black holes with angular momentum) and their effects.”

This was supposed to be this year’s Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.

But now, the discovery of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope was far more significant than the research on rotating black holes and their effects.

Of course, if that were all, it likely would not have affected the already-decided result.

At most, it would have led the Disciplinary Committee responsible for the astronomy prize to pre-emptively confirm the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy for four years later.

But what followed was the method used in the discovery of the companion star inside Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

The moment the method of precisely calculating celestial parameters with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was born, it astounded the entire field of astronomy and astrophysics.

Never before had anyone thought it was possible to use a general mathematical method to calculate information about celestial bodies hundreds, thousands, or even trillions of light-years away.

It wasn’t just about calculation; it was also far more precise than the old methods.

That was the most important thing.

To quote Professor Saul Perlmutter, a reviewer for the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics: “This is the moment the old king abdicates, and a new king is enthroned.”

A brand new, more precise method for calculating distant celestial bodies was, without a doubt, incredibly important to the field of astronomy.

It was like the importance of Calculus to mathematics.

Under these circumstances, delaying the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy for four years to give it to Xu Chuan would likely cause dissatisfaction throughout the entire astronomy community.

Thus, the professors of the astronomy committee, who had already completed their work, got busy again, discussing whether to revise the winner of the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.

In any case, because of the delay on the mathematics side, this year’s Crafoord Prize hadn’t been announced yet. Changing the laureate wasn’t too big of a deal.

Moreover, both of these research achievements—the discovery of the companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope and the method of calculating celestial parameters with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—were more important than the previous ‘rotating black holes and their effects’.

However, this brought another problem with it.

The mathematics committee had already decided to award this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics to Xu Chuan.

If they also awarded the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy to Xu Chuan this year, then both the mathematics and astronomy prizes for the year would be his.

That was truly terrifying.

But if they didn’t give it to him, the dissatisfaction from the astronomy community would likely deal a huge blow to the credibility of the Crafoord Prize.

Therefore, the Crafoord Prize, which should have been announced in September, was delayed again and again, dragging on until early November before the announcement began.

Chapter 176: Happy New Year

In the car, Lin Feng noticed Xu Chuan’s unusual expression in the rearview mirror and casually asked, “What’s wrong, Junior Chuan?”

Xu Chuan pulled his gaze back from the window. “Nothing much. I just won an award.”

“Oh? What award?”

Lin Feng didn’t think much of it and continued asking. For a junior with his achievements, winning awards was a common occurrence.

The fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy were basically all lined up, waiting for the right time to give him an award. The problem was, this junior produced results so quickly that the award committees couldn’t keep up with the pace of his research.

Have you ever seen a scholar make contributions in three major fields—mathematics, physics, and astronomy—all within a single year?

Although these contributions were mostly related to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the speed was still jaw-dropping.

Xu Chuan grinned. “The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.”

Lin Feng, who was driving, heard the answer and subconsciously nodded, offering his congratulations. “Congratulations, Junior Chuan, winning two awards at once… Holy shit! Wait, what did you just say? You won two what awards?”

Finally processing it, Lin Feng instinctively slammed on the brakes. The car lurched to a halt, throwing the three occupants forward. He quickly regained his senses, brought the car under control, and pulled over to the side of the road.

It was a good thing they were on a highway in the United States, on a road leading out of the city where the traffic was light.

If this had been in China, with such a sudden stop, the car behind would have likely slammed right into them.

After getting the car safely to the roadside, Lin Feng turned his head, swallowed hard, and stared at Xu Chuan, repeating his question. “Junior, what did you just say? You won two what awards?”

“The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.”

Xu Chuan repeated himself, earning a look of doubt and disbelief from Lin Feng. Even Nanali Kessler in the passenger seat glanced over with a puzzled expression.

“You’re saying you won this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy?” Lin Feng stared suspiciously at Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan nodded calmly.

“You’re not kidding me?”

“What’s there to kid about? The person who just called me was from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.”

Xu Chuan couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. The news was indeed shocking—he hadn’t dared to believe it at first himself. Senior Lin’s reaction was perfectly normal.

“Xu, can the Crafoord Prize be awarded to the same person for two fields at once?”

Silence filled the car for a moment before Nanali Kessler broke it.

“Impossible. The Crafoord Prize has never awarded two different prizes to the same person in the same year. Junior, are you sure that wasn’t a scam call?”

Lin Feng shook his head, vehemently denying the possibility.

The Crafoord Prize… it’s nicknamed the ‘mini Nobel Prize.’

In terms of the number of laureates, winning the Crafoord Prize is even harder than winning the Nobel Prize.

After all, for the Nobel in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine, most years see two to three laureates per field.

But the Crafoord Prize?

Although it covers five major fields—mathematics, astronomy, biosciences, geosciences, and polyarthritis—it is only awarded in one field each year.

And most of the time, there’s only one laureate for that single field.

And now you’re telling him that this year’s prizes for both mathematics and astronomy were awarded to one person? Is that even possible?

Absolutely not! It’s completely unprecedented. That’s why Lin Feng was more inclined to believe it was a scam call.

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Then what would this scammer want from me?”

Hearing this, Lin Feng was stumped.

Right. If it was a scam call, what would be the scam?

After thinking for a moment, Lin Feng tilted his head and asked, “Lure you abroad to accept the award, and then kidnap you?”

“Pfft—”

Xu Chuan couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Senior Lin, this is the Crafoord Prize. After I received the call, the official announcement from Sweden will be made in two days.”

“If it were a scam, it would be exposed in two days. It’s not like they’re asking me to go collect the prize right now.”

“That’s true.”

Lin Feng responded blankly, then it dawned on him, and he asked excitedly, “So does this mean you’ve really broken a historical record and won both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy at the same time?”

“If the person who called was legitimate, then yes,” Xu Chuan replied after some thought. “We’ll know for sure in two days.”

“After all, traditionally, both the Crafoord Prize and the Nobel Prize notify the laureates by phone about a week before the public announcement.”

“Right. We’ll just wait a few more days then.”

Lin Feng nodded and started the car again, heading toward Princeton.

The news of winning both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy simultaneously was simply too astonishing. Anyone, including Xu Chuan who had received the call, would likely remain skeptical until the official announcement was made.

After returning to Princeton from Geneva, the first thing Xu Chuan did after dropping off his luggage was visit Professor Deligne’s office to see his Advisor.

After all, he had said he would only be gone for about a month, but he ended up spending nearly four months at CERN.

However, Deligne didn’t mind at all. On the contrary, he was extremely interested in how Xu Chuan had applied mathematics to physics to calculate the energy level channels of the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks.

He had been studying this topic himself for some time.

This was likely related to Xu Chuan showing the old professor the calculation data for the Proton Radius Puzzle a while back.

That data also contained techniques blending mathematics and physics. Later, after Witten taught the old professor some physics, it might have sparked his interest in mathematical physics.

Mathematics is a special discipline; essentially everything is inseparable from it.

But cutting-edge mathematics is often far removed from mainstream science, essentially existing in its own little world.

Xu Chuan’s methods and techniques for integrating mathematics and physics had given Professor Deligne some new ideas. It also made him lament that he was getting old.

After all, he was over seventy. He was no longer the young man who could delve into a math problem for days and nights on end; he simply didn’t have the energy anymore.

At his age and with his experience, it would be extremely difficult to learn a new discipline and integrate it seamlessly with mathematics.

However, he passed on some of his own thoughts to Xu Chuan, hoping his student could expand upon them and continue down this path in his stead.

What made Deligne feel fortunate was that he had taken on a good student—one who was still young and had more than enough ability to explore these tentative expansions.

He could walk this path for him, to see whether the end was an unknown ocean or an impenetrable wall.

After gaining some new knowledge from Professor Deligne, Xu Chuan dedicated himself to his studies back on campus.

After two days of adjusting to the time difference in Princeton, he smoothly fell back into his old study routine on campus. He began attending classes every day, studying mathematics under Professor Deligne.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon, while Xu Chuan was in Professor Deligne’s office studying mathematics with his Advisor, his phone rang.

After giving his Advisor an apologetic look, Xu Chuan answered the call.

As soon as he picked up, a boisterous voice erupted from the other end.

“Holy shit, Junior Chuan, have you seen the news? You really won both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy! You’re so fucking awesome, you broke a historical record! The first person in history!!!”

The machine-gun-like torrent of words burst from the phone, so deafening that Xu Chuan couldn’t help but hold it slightly away from his ear. But he had gotten the message: the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had announced the Crafoord Prize laureates today.

The previous call hadn’t been an imposter or a scam. He had really won both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and in Astronomy.

After a brief exchange with Senior Lin, Xu Chuan quickly hung up and opened the official website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on his phone. Sure enough, this year’s Crafoord Prize list had been officially published.

In the list of laureates for the two awarded fields, his name was written under both.

[Xu Chuan~]

Seeing that familiar name, Xu Chuan’s heart finally settled.

After all, this was the Crafoord Prize. For a world-class award like this, awarding both the mathematics and astronomy prizes to the same person in the same year was a historic first.

No wonder Senior Lin was so shocked and skeptical at first; even he himself had been full of doubt.

But now, the doubt in his heart had vanished, leaving only joy.

Staring at the list of winners on his phone for a long while, Xu Chuan finally looked up and let out a long breath, calming his racing heart. Still, an irrepressible smile remained on his face.

In the office, Professor Deligne glanced at him with a slightly puzzled look.

For a disciple with such a calm disposition, it was rare to see him this happy.

Noticing his Advisor’s gaze, Xu Chuan grinned and shared his joy. “Advisor, I’ve won this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and in Astronomy.”

Hearing this, Deligne paused, then asked with some hesitation, “The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and in Astronomy?”

“Yes, both at the same time,” Xu Chuan confirmed with a firm nod.

“That’s truly surprising. I didn’t expect the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to make such a bold decision.”

Deligne was stunned for a long moment before he recovered from the news.

“I was nearly forty-five when I received the Crafoord Prize. Even Terence Tao was thirty-six. You’ve just smashed the record by almost twenty years.”

After this sigh of admiration, Professor Deligne smiled at Xu Chuan and congratulated him. “Congratulations. You’ve set a historical record.”

“It’s never happened before, and it’s unlikely anyone will be able to break your record in the future.”

A Crafoord laureate under the age of nineteen, and one who received both the mathematics and astronomy prizes simultaneously—the chances of this record being broken are even slimmer. This world record will likely stand for at least a hundred years.

Moreover, looking at things now, the 2018 Fields Medal is destined to be his as well.

That will be another history-making moment.

Looking at the student before him, Deligne felt a wave of emotion.

Even with mathematics becoming a younger person’s game, with young mathematicians like Terence Tao and then Scholze heralding a new era, no one was as exceptional as the student before him.

If he had merely proven the Weyl-Berry conjecture and had only that single achievement, the Fields Medal committee might have considered postponing his award for another four years.

But Xu Chuan didn’t just prove the Weyl-Berry conjecture; he also extended it to the field of astrophysics and established a series of mathematical methods based on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. Its importance was instantly elevated.

After all, while mathematics is hailed as the foundation of science, it is ultimately just a tool.

And as a tool, its greatest value is demonstrated by how it is applied, whether within mathematics itself or in other disciplines.

The selection criteria for the Fields Medal also place great importance on this.

So, it could be said that for the 2018 Fields Medal, Scholze and Xu Chuan were already shoe-ins.

The former created the theory of p-adic perfectoid spaces and used it to make a major breakthrough in the famous Langlands program.

The latter not only proved the world-class problem of the Weyl-Berry conjecture but also established a series of mathematical methods for calculating the parameters of celestial bodies based on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, influencing the entire field of astronomy in one fell swoop.

Thousands of kilometers away, in China.

When the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Crafoord Prize, the first to react wasn’t the state broadcaster or the major news outlets, but Xu Chuan’s alma mater, Nanjing University.

Upon receiving the news, Nanjing University immediately hung up banners at the school gate and around campus.

[Congratulations to Xu Chuan, our 2016 doctoral student, on winning this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Crafoord Prize in Astronomy!]

Huge banners were hung not only at the school entrance but also in front of the academic building where Xu Chuan used to attend classes, as if they were afraid the students of Nanjing University might miss them.

The leaders of Nanjing University were thrilled, absolutely ecstatic. A broad smile covered the face of President Liu Gaojun; after all, he was the one who had personally recruited Xu Chuan.

The Crafoord Prize, the ‘mini Nobel’! No one from China had ever won it before.

And not only did he win it, he won two at once.

If Xu Chuan weren’t still studying at Princeton, the university leaders would have loved to pull him onto a stage right now for a couple of conference presentations, just to invite those flashy rivals from Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Riyue University to come and have a look.

The mathematics department of Nanjing University can produce top-tier talent too!

Following Nanjing University’s lead, the media also quickly reacted, rushing out press releases that same day and pushing them onto online news platforms, bumping other stories.

That evening’s news broadcast also made space for a two-to-three-minute segment to report on the story, including a brief introduction to Xu Chuan.

Of course, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to make it more formal, but the news was sudden, and the laureate wasn’t in the country, so they hadn’t been able to interview him yet. Thus, they opted for a temporary broadcast.

However, the state broadcaster’s US-based correspondents and related staff had already booked their plane tickets to Princeton.

Chapter 177: The Crafoord Prize Award Ceremony

Following the Xinwen Lianbo broadcast, although it was just a brief segment lasting a little over ten seconds, the buzz around Xu Chuan winning the Crafoord Prize still skyrocketed. It was no longer confined to the internet but broke into the mainstream, becoming known to many citizens who didn’t often go online.

Xingcheng, No. 1 High School.

A few young girls walked together, looking at the new banner hanging in front of the school building. One of them nudged her bestie.

“Xiaoxiao, I remember your brother’s name is Xu Chuan, right? It looks like your brother won another award. Last time it was the Morningside Medal of Mathematics, and this time it’s the Crafoord Prize?”

“But what kind of award is this? Do you know, Xiaoxiao?”

With her hair in a ponytail, Xu Xiao stared at the banner on the school building and nodded proudly, then shook her head, her ponytail swaying gently behind her.

She didn’t know what the Crafoord Prize was either, but if the school was hanging a banner for it, it had to be famous!

With such an outstanding brother as her role model, she needed to work even harder to catch up to him, and then surpass him!

Xiangnan, Y County, Xujia Village.

A group of villagers was sitting on the paved ground in front of Xu Chuan’s house, chatting and making small talk.

Ever since Xu Chuan had paid to repair the village’s ponds, dams, and irrigation canals, the villagers had taken to dropping by his house to sit for a while and strengthen their ties.

Although the villagers were simple and honest, wherever there are people, there is society.

Connections are a two-way street. The poor are ignored even in a bustling city, while the rich have distant relatives visiting them in the deep mountains. It couldn’t be more normal.

“Jianguo, your new house is almost finished. When are you holding the housewarming banquet?”

On the newly paved concrete ground, a few villagers chatted in the shade.

Father Xu smiled, tossed a cigarette over, and passed one to a few others nearby. “Not yet,” he said. “The courtyard wall isn’t done yet. It’ll probably take another month. We’ll talk about it after it’s finished.”

“Will Chuanzi be back for it?” the middle-aged man asked as he took the cigarette, lit it with relish, and took a puff.

“I don’t know, I haven’t called him yet. But he’s studying abroad, so he probably can’t make it back,” Father Xu said, lighting his own cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke, a touch of longing in his voice.

Both of his children were now away at university, far from home, and rarely returned more than a few times a year. While it was a good thing that his children were successful, there were ultimately only two people left in the house. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t lonely or that he didn’t miss them.

“He’s the first in our village to go study abroad. It’s a shame Chuanzi didn’t choose Tsinghua or Peking University.”

Another middle-aged man chimed in, his tone somewhat regretful.

This was quite normal in the countryside.

After all, Tsinghua and Peking Universities were simply too famous. If a junior member of a family got into one of them, it was cause for renovating the ancestral graves, not to mention rewriting the family genealogy.

“Qiu Liang, you’re wrong about that. Nanjing University isn’t bad either. Besides, Chuanzi was taken on as a student by a national Academician as soon as he started university. An Academician! Do you know what that is? One of the country’s top scientists, the kind that gets a national stipend and subsidy.”

“What does he know? He didn’t even finish elementary school and can barely recognize a few words. He doesn’t even know which way the university gates open.”

Another villager retorted with a laugh. This was the kind of stuff they talked about during their idle chats in the countryside.

As they were talking and joking, a shout suddenly came from the concrete road not far away.

“Jianguo, Jianguo, good news!”

Hearing the shout, Xu Jianguo quickly stood up. Hurrying towards him was Xu Hongtu, the head of Xujia Village.

“Hongtu, what’s wrong?” Father Xu asked, offering him a cigarette.

“Tomorrow, some leaders from the city are coming tomorrow! Coming to your house, and I hear there will be an interview!” Xu Hongtu said with a broad smile, accepting the cigarette.

Father Xu was taken aback. “Why would city leaders suddenly decide to come over?” he asked.

“I can tell you haven’t been watching the news. You don’t know yet, do you? Your son won an award! I think it was something like the Nobel Prize. Anyway, it’s a huge award, famous all over the world. It was even on TV!”

Xu Hongtu lit the cigarette dangling from his lips and took a satisfying drag before speaking.

“It was on TV? When was it broadcast? What channel?” Father Xu asked hurriedly upon hearing news about Xu Chuan.

“Channel 1, of course. What other channel would it be? I only watch Channel 1. I was having lunch when I saw the news.”

“At first, I thought it was just someone with the same name, but then they showed a photo. I took one look and said, isn’t that your boy? Then, before I even finished my meal, the County called.”

“They said your son won the award yesterday, and that some city leaders are coming to extend their good wishes. So I rushed over to let you know!”

Hearing this, Father Xu immediately started walking back into the house, wanting to turn on the TV. But he stopped just as quickly. It was too late to watch now; since it had already aired, it wouldn’t be rebroadcast.

After a moment’s thought, Father Xu took out his phone and dialed Xu Chuan.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered, and a familiar voice came through.

“Hello, Dad.”

“Son, your Uncle Hongtu said you won some Nobel Prize?” Father Xu asked over the phone.

On the other end, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment when he heard “Nobel Prize,” but he quickly understood. He said with a laugh, “Dad, how did you know?”

“You rascal, you were on the TV news, and you didn’t even tell us?”

Father Xu grumbled. It was such a big deal, and he hadn’t even called. They had missed the news report; it would have been nice to see him on TV.

“Haha, it’s nothing, really.” Xu Chuan laughed it off and gave a brief explanation of the matter.

On this end of the call, Father Xu listened to Xu Chuan’s voice, nodding and humming in acknowledgement.

Truthfully, he no longer understood what his son was talking about, but just hearing his voice on the other end of the line put his heart at ease.

After chatting with his father for a while, Xu Chuan hung up, shook his head with a smile, and turned back to his studies.

Winning both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy was certainly a delightful surprise.

It not only made up for the regrets of his past life but was also a testament to his mathematical abilities reaching a new level.

But he kept his joy in his heart, like a fine wine to be savored, letting it spur him onward.

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-December.

The invitation letter for the Crafoord Prize award ceremony from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had arrived long ago. After asking his Advisor for leave once again, Xu Chuan boarded a plane to Europe.

A massive Airbus A380 soared through the azure sky, heading for Sweden. After a flight of several hours, the white aircraft slowly descended into Stockholm.

Towing his luggage, Xu Chuan walked through the crowd, exited the airport, and hailed a taxi to the Grand Hôtel Stockholm.

The Grand Hôtel Stockholm was the exclusive hotel used by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for its award ceremonies. It boasted a prime waterfront location, overlooking the Royal Palace and the Old Town.

Although it was two kilometers from the City Hall where the ceremony would be held, it was less than five hundred meters from the Nobel Museum.

Because of its unique location and distinct culture, it had been a venue for major events since the nineteenth century, and all Nobel laureates were housed here before their award ceremonies.

Xu Chuan handed his invitation letter to the hotel’s front desk, which was staffed by a beautiful young lady with a distinctly Western look.

She took the invitation letter, glanced at it, then scanned it with a device to confirm its authenticity. Once confirmed, a flicker of surprise flashed through her eyes, but her professional training prompted a standard smile.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, hello. Welcome to the Grand Hôtel Stockholm for this year’s Crafoord Prize award ceremony. Your room is 1001. Here is your key card. Please keep it safe.”

“If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. We will do our utmost to accommodate you.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

Taking the key card, Xu Chuan had just turned around when he saw two men standing not far behind him.

“Welcome, Mr. Xu Chuan!”

Seeing Xu Chuan turn, the man on the left, wearing a gray suit and glasses and exuding a noble air, strode forward and gave Xu Chuan an enthusiastic hug.

“Permanent Secretary Staffan, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

Xu Chuan naturally recognized the older man.

Staffan Normark, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. All the calls to Nobel laureates and the reception for the award ceremonies were personally handled by this man.

“Congratulations, the youngest Crafoord Prize winner in history. You look even younger than in your photo.”

Permanent Secretary Staffan smiled at Xu Chuan, sizing up the young scholar who had won the Crafoord Prize before the age of nineteen.

Xu Chuan replied modestly, “Thank you. It is my honor to receive the Crafoord Prize.”

After chatting with Xu Chuan for a bit, Staffan Normark smiled and said, “The award ceremony will begin at eleven tomorrow morning at the Stockholm City Hall. A car will be sent to pick you up.”

“If you need anything, please feel free to ask the hotel staff. They will do their best to assist you. If you have any special requests, they will relay them to me.”

“I won’t disturb you any longer. I hope you have a pleasant few days in Stockholm.”

Permanent Secretary Staffan Normark did not stay long. After welcoming Xu Chuan and informing him of a few things to note, he took his leave.

After all, he had many other duties to prepare for.

Towing his luggage, Xu Chuan took the elevator to room 1001.

The room was furnished with antique works of art, filling it with a sense of history and culture. It was quaint and elegant, as if one had stepped back into the nineteenth century.

It wasn’t a presidential suite, but it wasn’t open to the public. This room had housed at least dozens of winners of top awards like the Nobel Prize and the Crafoord Prize.

The next day, at nine in the morning, Xu Chuan took the private car arranged by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to the Stockholm City Hall.

In the elegant Great Hall, Xu Chuan sat in the front row. To his left was Ms. Barbara Cannon, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and to his right was King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

After a brief opening remark, Ms. Barbara Cannon, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, walked onto the stage.

With no speech in hand and none of the usual solemnity, the President of the Royal Academy cast her gaze towards Xu Chuan in the front row, a brilliant smile on her face, and began to speak slowly:

“Today is a very special and memorable day. Here, we will witness the presentation of this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Crafoord Prize in Astronomy.”

After a pause, Barbara Cannon continued, “To be honest, the news I am about to announce is both surprising and stunning.”

“This year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made a bold decision. We are awarding this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Crafoord Prize in Astronomy to the same person in the same year.”

“This is an unprecedented event in history, and it breaks with established rules. But compared to the contributions made by the recipient, I believe every single person, every scholar, will be filled with admiration.”

“In both mathematics and astronomy, he has made tremendous achievements, advancing the development of both disciplines.”

Pausing once more, Ms. Barbara Cannon took a deep breath and continued:

“For his great contributions to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, his use of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to develop a precise calculation method for celestial parameters, and his observations of the celestial information within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.”

“From China, Xu Chuan will receive this year’s Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Crafoord Prize in Astronomy!”

“Let us welcome this young and great scholar!”

As her words fell, the Great Hall erupted in deafening applause.

Although the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had officially announced this news in early November, hearing Barbara Cannon say it herself at the award ceremony was still incredibly exciting.

Amidst the fierce applause, Xu Chuan rose, walked steadily and quickly onto the stage, and stood at its center, smiling at the audience below.

At the same time, the unceasing applause surged once again like a tide.

This was the blessing and applause from hundreds of scholars of different skin colors and nationalities, as well as hundreds of invited guests from various fields and of different statuses, for the contributions he had made to the world.

The Chinese scholars who had been specially invited to attend the award ceremony were flushed, their hands swollen from clapping.

Since the Crafoord Prize was established in 1980 until this year, 2016, a full thirty-six years had passed, and this was the first scholar of Chinese nationality to stand here.

Moreover, he had won a record-breaking dual Crafoord Prize.

“Congratulations, Mr. Xu Chuan!”

On stage, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who had been sitting next to Xu Chuan, also came up. He took two golden medals from two staff members, placed them around Xu Chuan’s neck, and presented him with two red certificates.

“Thank you.”

Xu Chuan smiled in response and bowed slightly to make it easier for the old king to place the medals on him. Then, holding the certificates, he shared a warm embrace with King Gustaf. The two then stood side by side, facing the guests in the Great Hall.

In the hall, the applause rang out once again.

The numerous media reporters continuously clicked their shutters, capturing this moment for eternity.

The young cameraman from China’s CTV, in particular, wished he could snap eighteen photos a second, keeping the flash constantly lit.

Chapter 178: The Award Ceremony in Stockholm

Stockholm City Hall.

In the elegant Great Hall, Xu Chuan stood on the stage, holding two red certificates as he delivered his acceptance speech.

As graceful music began to play, the Crafoord Prize award ceremony drew to a close.

The ceremony was over, but the Crafoord Prize celebrations were just beginning.

The festivities would be held in Stockholm’s Blue Hall, where both dinner and an evening party would take place.

After the party, Xu Chuan still had to remain in Stockholm for two more days.

He was required to give two separate lectures: one on the Weyl-Berry conjecture and another on the calculation method for precisely determining celestial parameters using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

This was a stipulation of the Crafoord Prize.

Similar to the Nobel Prize, recipients of the Crafoord Prize were required to give a public lecture upon receiving their medal. This lecture is known as the “Crafoord Lecture.”

Nobel laureates have the same requirement; after receiving their prize, they are also asked to give a public speech, the so-called “Nobel Lecture.”

Furthermore, after the lecture, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences would organize an international scientific symposium. The theme of the symposium would be based on the disciplines for which the prizes were awarded that year.

The laureates were also required to participate in this symposium to discuss the future direction of their respective fields.

For Xu Chuan, since he had won two Crafoord Prizes, he would have to give two lectures, each corresponding to a different discipline.

After the award ceremony, Xu Chuan walked out of the Great Hall’s doors, medal and certificates in hand.

The moment he appeared, a crowd of reporters who had been waiting for a long time swarmed him. An assortment of microphones was thrust forward, and the cameras in the hands of the cameramen a short distance away flashed incessantly.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, hello. As the first scholar to win both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy simultaneously, what are your thoughts?”

“Mr. Xu Chuan, hello, I’m a reporter from the BBC. May we have a moment of your time for an interview?”

“Mr. Xu Chuan…”

The surging media practically shoved their microphones into Xu Chuan’s mouth, a cacophony of questions flooding in from all sides.

Although he didn’t particularly want to be interviewed, it seemed there was no getting past it today.

After picking a few simple questions to answer, Xu Chuan fled the venue as if escaping.

But he was destined to not get away from interviews today.

He could evade reporters from other outlets, but there was one he couldn’t dodge. He had to give them face.

After asking an attendant to find a quiet room, Xu Chuan sat upright in a chair, facing a young lady with a rather beautiful face and figure.

She had been specially sent from China by “the Mother” to document the entire Crafoord Prize ceremony and conduct a comprehensive interview with Xu Chuan.

The Crafoord Prize was a banner achievement for the country’s fundamental sciences.

After all, no one from China had ever won this award before.

Fundamental science had always been a relatively weak area for the country, but weakness did not mean a lack of development.

Although the Crafoord Prize wasn’t on par with the Nobel Prize, it still carried considerable weight in the scientific community.

For such a major international award, let alone the miracle of winning two in the same year, even winning one, or even sharing it with others, was worth sending someone on a special trip as long as the recipient was a scholar of Chinese nationality.

Compared to other honors, this was the first time a young scholar of Chinese nationality had made his voice heard on such an occasion. He proved to the entire world that China’s younger generation could also produce outstanding young scholars.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, hello. I’m Sun Yutong, a reporter from CCTV. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to accept our interview.”

“The interview might take a little while. We appreciate your time.”

The beautiful reporter flashed a very friendly smile, and her voice was pleasant to a T.

It reminded Xu Chuan of an internet meme: “It’s true what they say; the good-looking ones are all handed over to the state.”

“It’s no trouble,” Xu Chuan said with a standard smile. In any case, one’s mood always improves when faced with beautiful things, even if it’s just their appearance.

Sun Yutong smiled, pursing her lips. “Then let’s begin. You’ve won both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy this time. Can you share your feelings and thoughts with us? What significance and value do you believe this award holds for you?”

“When I first received the call informing me of the awards, I was genuinely surprised, even a little incredulous.”

“After all, in its history, the Crafoord Prize has never awarded two different prizes to the same person in the same year. No one has even won different prizes in different years.”

“But once it was confirmed…”

Xu Chuan gave a conventional response, expressing some of his thoughts and thanking his parents, his Motherland, and every name he could think of.

After all, this was a formal interview with “the Mother.”

Sun Yutong smiled and continued, “Before coming here, we learned a bit about your Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and the breakthroughs you’ve made with it in the field of astronomy. Many renowned scientists have said that this is an epoch-making achievement for astronomy. What are your thoughts on this?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “I’m very grateful for their high praise of this achievement. From the current perspective, it is indeed an excellent tool. It can help us better understand the conditions of some distant celestial bodies.”

“For instance, we can use this tool to understand the life state of a star to determine if it has stable periodic activity, or to judge whether there are habitable planets in its vicinity.”

“These things are quite important for the future of humanity.”

Hearing this, Sun Yutong immediately followed up, “Are you saying that the future of this achievement lies in the interstellar age?”

Xu Chuan glanced at the beautiful reporter with some surprise, then nodded. “You could say that. After all, the full value of this tool can only be realized when we can navigate the sea of stars.”

Sun Yutong: “Then when do you think we will be able to truly navigate the sea of stars?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “That depends on when we can develop controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“…”

Just like the Nobel Prize, the Crafoord Prize award ceremony was followed by a grand celebratory banquet.

The banquet was held to the same standard as the Nobel banquet, taking place in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall.

This hall, which was theoretically still not completely finished, had already hosted countless grand banquets.

Whether for the Nobel Prize, the Crafoord Prize, or other awards and important events.

Every year, famous scientists from all over the world gather here to receive their awards. Therefore, being in its presence, one naturally feels a quiet, grand aura of wisdom.

Perhaps because it was never invaded by Great Britain, Sweden has preserved its national aristocratic etiquette and customs in a nearly pristine state.

The banquets for major events like the Nobel and Crafoord Prizes were not like the ones in the UK and the US, where people could casually wander around with their plates to meet new friends.

The banquets for these major ceremonies were more like formal Chinese banquets, with strict rules governing everything, including the arrangement of food and wine on the tables, the way they were served and eaten, and the table settings.

However, the evening party and ball that followed the banquet were not so particular.

At the party and ball, Xu Chuan saw many familiar faces.

For instance, his three advisors—Chen Zhengping, Deligne, and Witten—were huddled together, discussing something.

There was also Professor Terence Tao, who had flown in from California, Professor Artur Avila, who had come from Brazil, and even some physicists from CERN. They all came over to greet him and offer their congratulations.

Holding a glass of wine, Xu Chuan walked through the venue. From time to time, people would approach him, introduce themselves, and clink glasses with him.

Xu Chuan welcomed all of them; making more friends was always a good thing.

“Congratulations, Xu Chuan.”

In the ballroom, a half-gray-haired old man holding a wine glass walked over.

“Academician Pan, you came too, old sir.” Xu Chuan hurried forward to greet him.

The old man’s name was Pan Deming, an Academician of Mathematical Sciences from Peking University. He was one of the country’s earliest mathematicians and had participated in various classified national projects (in the past), such as working with Elder Qian to build missiles and send satellites into space, earning him great respect.

“I never thought I would see a fellow countryman receive this medal in my lifetime. I didn’t expect Nanjing University to produce such a fine student.”

Standing beside Xu Chuan, Academician Pan Deming spoke with emotion.

Xu Chuan smiled. “You, old sir, will live a long life. There will be many more things to see in the future.”

Pan Deming gave a slight, wry smile and shook his head. “This is enough. More than enough.”

After a pause, he continued, “Regarding the matter with Mo Kun before, please try to be understanding. Peking University let you down.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan quickly said, “You’re being too serious, old sir. That was his personal action and had nothing to do with Peking University. Besides, he has already been punished.”

Pan Deming smiled, skipping past the topic. He then asked, “How many years are you planning to study at Princeton?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “Two to three years at the shortest, maybe four or five at the longest. I still have a lot to learn.”

Pan Deming smiled and patted his hand. “It’s good to learn more. You’re not even nineteen this year. Even in another four or five years, you’ll only be twenty-three or twenty-four.”

After a pause, the old man continued, “Will you be a professor at Princeton in the future, or will you come back?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course I’ll come back.”

Upon hearing this, Pan Deming’s cloudy eyes brightened considerably. He smiled, “It’s good that you’re coming back. Very good.”

He didn’t invite Xu Chuan to be a professor at Peking University after his return.

Although he had been away from academia for a long time, he knew that the current environment at Peking University wasn’t suitable.

Mo Kun was a student from Tian Gang’s clique at Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences. When Mo Kun plagiarized Xu Chuan, Peking University did not take immediate action to thoroughly investigate the matter, instead choosing to publicize Mo Kun’s claims first.

Although this was a common practice for major universities, there was no doubt that it had left Xu Chuan with a poor impression of Peking University.

Inviting him to take a professorship at Peking University at this point in time… what would others think? It wasn’t appropriate.

Rather than spend what little goodwill remained on this, it was better to wait.

From his perspective, this young genius was certain to have other achievements in the future.

Perhaps he would hold some mathematical conferences in China. Although his first choice would undoubtedly be Nanjing University, Peking University might have a chance to host one or two as well.

Of course, for Pan Deming, what mattered more was that as long as Xu Chuan returned, it didn’t matter where he became a professor.

He had a premonition that this young man’s future achievements would be by no means small.

They might even surpass the towering figure he remembered from his time on the Dongfeng project.

After Pan Deming came over to say hello, he left. Xu Chuan continued to wander through the party.

On the dance floor, all sorts of people danced gracefully to classical music. However, Xu Chuan had little intention of joining in.

He knew a little of this kind of social dancing. After all, he had attended so many evening parties and balls in his previous life that he had picked some up even without formally learning.

But as a Chinese person, dancing wasn’t something ingrained in his bones. Compared to the openness of Western countries, Chinese people were still considerably more reserved.

So, if he could avoid it, Xu Chuan would try his best to dodge the ladies who invited him to dance. If it was truly unavoidable, then there was nothing to be done.

The next morning, outside the Mathematics Division of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the flags of Sweden and China flew high.

The red flag and the blue-and-yellow-crossed flag fluttered in the gentle breeze, complementing each other.

The flags hanging here were not put up randomly. They were only raised for the home countries of the winners of major prizes awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, such as the Crafoord Prize or the Nobel Prize.

Although this wasn’t the first time China’s flag had been hung here—Professor Tu and Mr. Mo Yan, who won Nobel Prizes in 2012 and 2015, had already let the flag fly here—this was the first time it was raised for the Crafoord Prize.

Gazing at the flag fluttering in the wind, Xu Chuan’s heart fluttered and pounded along with it.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan strode into the lecture hall of the Mathematics Division of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

As a lecture hall designated for Nobel laureates, it was naturally extremely spacious, capable of holding over a thousand people.

But at this moment, the enormous hall was already extremely crowded.

Not only was every seat taken, but the aisles between the seats were also filled with people. They were not just scientists and students, but also Swedish citizens who had been drawn here.

A Crafoord Prize winner who was not yet nineteen, and a winner of both the Mathematics and Astronomy Prizes at that—an unprecedented feat—had piqued the interest of the vast majority of people.

And as the main speaker for the Crafoord Prize academic conference, Xu Chuan, dressed in a formal suit and tie, walked onto the stage from the side and began a one-hour presentation centered on his proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture and the application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

This was a mathematics presentation, and the core was naturally mathematics.

Tomorrow, he had another astronomy conference, where the theme would be the observation of celestial information within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope and a report on the calculation method for precisely determining celestial parameters.

Chapter 179: The Only Woman to Win a Fields Medal

Two days of academic presentations, two days of conference proceedings, plus the time spent on the award ceremony and other matters—Xu Chuan had already been in Stockholm for nearly a week.

He hadn’t had much time to rest during the first few days of that week. He had to deal with greetings from friends in academia, conference presentations, and international scientific discussions.

The first two were simple enough; he could get through them by just showing up.

But the last one, the discussions, was not something he could just breeze through.

The international scientific discussions following the Crafoord Prize were convened to deliberate on and define the future path of the laureates’ respective fields.

This conference carried significant weight.

The mathematics conference was relatively straightforward. Although Xu Chuan had won the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics, there were far too many leading figures in the field of mathematics. He wasn’t expected to be the one steering the conversation at this stage.

The exchanges between top masters like Deligne, Faltings, Gowers, and Terence Tao were the core of the meeting. Xu Chuan would occasionally chime in with a sentence or two to express his own views.

Besides, the path of mathematics didn’t need guidance from an international scientific discussion following the Crafoord Prize. After all, the discipline of mathematics had its own dedicated International Congress of Mathematicians.

So, this conference was less a discussion to plan the development of mathematics and more an exchange between the big shots.

Xu Chuan had managed to squeeze into the ranks of these “big shots,” even if he was still just hanging on at the very end.

At the astronomy conference, however, he couldn’t just be a bystander.

This was because the method for precisely calculating celestial parameters using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was of great importance to the field of astronomy.

It allowed for more accurate calculations of certain parameters of distant celestial bodies. Although it couldn’t provide all the information—indeed, it was only a small fraction of the various data needed by astronomers—it was still critically important.

It could help astronomers more accurately assess the state of distant celestial bodies, which was undoubtedly crucial for the future of humanity.

Take Betelgeuse, for example.

Ever since Xu Chuan revealed that a companion star existed within the hydrogen envelope of this red supergiant 640 light-years away, it had been a constant target of observation for the astronomical community.

Countless telescopes, satellites, and other astronomical instruments had turned their gaze toward this massive, aging star, hoping to uncover more of its secrets or determine its current, precise life stage.

Betelgeuse was simply too close to Earth.

A distance of 640 light-years sounded vast, but on a cosmic scale, it was no different from you living in apartment 403 and it living in 404. You open your door, and there’s its home; it opens its door, and there’s yours.

And this neighbor had several hundred kilograms of TNT in their house.

If it exploded, no one knew if the wall between the two homes could withstand the blast.

This was what worried astronomers now. Although previous observations and calculations suggested the force of the explosion would vent out of 403’s window and not affect 404, what if someone suddenly told you that the wall between your homes might be of poor quality? Or that the TNT might be a directional charge, possibly aimed right at your house?

Who the hell wouldn’t be worried about that?

At the Crafoord Prize’s astronomy discussion, Xu Chuan, as the founder of the method for precise celestial parameter calculation using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, naturally spoke on topics related to it.

Promoting the methods one created was a lifelong dream for nearly every researcher and scholar.

Even Albert Einstein, who disliked his work being used for military purposes, and Grothendieck, who burned his manuscripts in his later years and went into seclusion in middle age, still hoped to one day see their research widely applied in the scientific community and confirmed.

Naturally, Xu Chuan also hoped his research would be widely applied in the scientific world and society at large.

However, for the field of astronomy, the mathematical tools used in the method for precise celestial parameter calculation with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem were a bit too profound.

While it wasn’t a major issue for the field of mathematics, for most astronomers, who primarily used mathematical methods like Kepler’s three laws, it was like an incomprehensible text; they couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

For the time being, Xu Chuan didn’t have a good solution for this.

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved overnight. He could only wait for these astronomers to learn how to use this tool.

However, during the meeting, Xu Chuan had another idea that had just popped into his head, which he kept to himself.

Modeling.

He could create a mathematical model for the method of precise celestial parameter calculation using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

Although calculating different parameter information for different celestial bodies, or even different types of stars like red dwarfs, orange dwarfs, and brown dwarfs, required different methods and different torsional transformations of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, it could ultimately be unified. The variety of celestial bodies was, after all, finite.

Stars, planets, neutron stars, black holes—all sorts of celestial bodies. Even if classified into smaller units, the number of types was countable.

Furthermore, since the root of all calculation methods lay in the torsion of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, if he wasn’t afraid of the trouble, he could probably spend a few years, or even over a decade, to write a complete mathematical model.

Then, astronomers would only need to input the observed parameters into the mathematical model, press a button, and get the required information calculated for them.

This wasn’t like his previous work at CERN, where the mathematical methods for calculating particle channels couldn’t be generalized and thus couldn’t be modeled.

The method for precise celestial parameter calculation using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could be turned into a mathematical model. Although the amount of code required would be immense, it was indeed feasible.

Undoubtedly, this would be very convenient.

But for Xu Chuan, it was a super troublesome and extremely time-consuming task.

If it were someone else, they might have impulsively blurted out the idea during the meeting and subsequently been harassed day and night by the astronomical community.

After all, he was currently the only person capable of creating this model.

So, for the sake of his own peace and quiet, Xu Chuan kept this idea to himself.

In a few years, when enough people in the fields of mathematics or astronomy understood the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, the idea could be proposed.

Of course, more importantly, his ambitions did not lie in the field of astronomy, and he wasn’t particularly concerned or invested in its achievements.

After all, with the current level of technology, even if he performed miracles in the field of astronomy—finding hundreds of Earth-like or habitable planets, making some great discovery, or even finding the legendary white holes—it wouldn’t be of much use.

These discoveries might win him a Nobel Prize and grant him a more esteemed position in the field of astronomy. But honestly, he wasn’t very interested in the Nobel Prize, nor in his status within the astronomical community.

In fact, he was more attracted to the awards he hadn’t yet won, like the Crafoord Prize, the Abel Prize, and the Wolf Prize.

Alternatively, using the knowledge in his mind to perfect a piece of technology or a theory would bring him more satisfaction than achieving a higher status in the field of astronomy.

After spending a week in Stockholm, Xu Chuan received the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy, which came with two solid gold medals, two certificates, and a bonus of one million US dollars.

The prize money for the Crafoord Prize was five hundred thousand US dollars per category. Since he won both the Mathematics and Astronomy prizes, that amounted to one million US dollars.

If judged purely on the amount of prize money, it would take about two Crafoord Prizes to equal one Nobel Prize.

But in reality, when it came to the prize money per person, the Crafoord Prize often exceeded the Nobel.

The reason was simple: the Nobel Prize is typically awarded to two or three people.

The Crafoord Prize, on the other hand, was almost always awarded to a single individual.

If a Nobel Prize was awarded to three people, they would split the prize money of about one million US dollars, with each person receiving around three hundred thirty thousand US dollars, which was less than the Crafoord Prize.

Of course, the significance of an award doesn’t lie in the amount of prize money.

The money is merely a gift to the laureate; whether it is a lot or a little, it is only symbolic.

After all, the contributions made to academia or society by those who win the Nobel or Crafoord Prizes far exceed the prize money they receive.

With his certificates and bonus in hand, Xu Chuan returned to Princeton, resuming his life of study on campus.

“Xu, are you planning to graduate?”

In Professor Pierre Deligne’s office, both Witten and Deligne were present. The two old professors looked at Xu Chuan, who was sitting across from them, and asked the question.

This was something the two professors had discussed while Xu Chuan was still in Stockholm for his presentations.

After all, with their student’s achievements in mathematics and physics, he was more than qualified to graduate from Princeton.

Although he had only been at Princeton for a little over half a year, Princeton didn’t care about such things. Whether it was six months or three years, Princeton only looked at ability.

With sufficient ability, let alone graduating in six months, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to study for six months and then be directly appointed as a professor at Princeton.

“It’s too early, Teacher. I still have a lot to learn.”

Xu Chuan shook his head in response. He could have graduated long ago, but graduating now went against his original purpose for coming to Princeton.

He came here to study mathematics and physics, to acquire knowledge.

Especially after he had seen the exquisite chemical reaction that occurred when sufficient mathematical ability was combined with physics or other disciplines, he was even more reluctant to graduate early.

Right now, he had two super big shots, Witten and Deligne, as his advisors. Before he had drained his two advisors of their knowledge, graduation was something he’d rather postpone.

Both Deligne and Witten possessed more than enough knowledge to guide and teach him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to consider graduating?”

Deligne took a sip of his coffee and continued, “You can still choose to stay at Princeton after you graduate.”

“Whether you want to continue your studies as a postdoc or apply for a professorship at Princeton, both are possible. Having won the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics, you are fully qualified to be a full professor at Princeton University.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “A nineteen-year-old professor at Princeton University. That would really break a record. I remember the youngest full professor at Princeton was Professor Shi Yigong at thirty-five, wasn’t it?”

Deligne nodded. “Professor Shi is an exceptionally outstanding individual. But what is your choice?”

Xu Chuan smiled and respectfully declined. “A nineteen-year-old full professor at Princeton is certainly very tempting, but by comparison, I would much rather continue studying here.”

This answer actually had a double meaning.

It not only answered Professor Deligne’s question but also implied he would not take a professorship at Princeton; this was merely a place for him to study.

Of course, Xu Chuan wouldn’t mind an honorary or tenured professorship that didn’t require him to teach.

“Since you insist, it’s up to you.”

Deligne and Witten weren’t surprised by Xu Chuan’s choice. This student had always been this way.

Besides, at the age of eighteen or nineteen, it was indeed the time for learning.

Although one could still learn after graduation, learning on campus and learning in the professional world were two completely different states.

Different identities and different statuses naturally led to different states of learning.

After turning down his two advisors’ suggestion to graduate early, Xu Chuan once again immersed himself in his daily studies.

However, it was already December, and not much study time was left in the year. After all, he was definitely going home for Chinese New Year.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the time had reached the middle-to-late twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

In just a few more days, it would be the Chinese New Year.

At the same time, Xu Chuan began to wind down his studies, preparing to buy a plane ticket home for the holiday.

But to his surprise, just before his departure, the Ivy Club at Princeton University, which he often frequented, somehow found out his lunar birthday and specially rented the university’s Great Hall to throw a birthday party for him.

Many people attended the party. Besides the club members, there were many other students, and even several top professors like Deligne, Witten, and Fefferman came.

Although these professors only stopped by to wish him a happy birthday before leaving, it was truly touching to have people remember his birthday in a foreign country.

After celebrating the twelfth day of the New Year at his hometown, Xu Chuan bade his parents farewell and once again returned to Princeton.

In contrast to the high profile of the previous year, during which he had made significant achievements in mathematics, physics, and astronomy, he was undoubtedly much more low-key after the new school year began.

Aside from some major awards that were presented to him, he declined everything else, whether it was interviews or invitations to give presentations.

And so, Xu Chuan followed his two advisors, diligently studying mathematics and physics.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half a year passed, and it was July.

In mid-July, a major event occurred in the world of mathematics.

Professor Maryam Mirzakhani, the only woman to have won the Fields Medal to date, passed away from breast cancer on July 15th.

She was only forty years old.

Chapter 180: A Letter Left Behind by Professor Mirzakhani

“In the field of mathematics, or indeed in most scientific fields, the fact is that the vast majority of top award recipients are still almost exclusively men.”

“However, mathematics is even more severe in this regard than other fields.”

“Of the major awards in mathematics—the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Crafoord Prize, the Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences, the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, and other world-class top honors—the only one a woman has ever received is the Fields Medal.”

“As of now, none of the others have ever been awarded to a woman.”

“This is perhaps related to the fact that the field of mathematics is particularly keen on a meritocratic system and wishes to avoid the ‘stigma’ associated with measures like quotas.”

“Of course, it’s not just mathematics.”

“Many famous science awards face the same problem.”

“Some award organizations are trying to increase the diversity of their nominees and decision-making committees. But in a community that tends toward consensus and is unaccustomed to rapid change, making these changes is difficult.”

“In the field of mathematics, in particular, progress is frustratingly slow.”

“And Professor Maryam Mirzakhani from Iran is, to date, the only woman to have won the Fields Medal.”

“Three years ago, in 2014, she received that year’s Fields Medal for her contributions to the study of the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces. In one fell swoop, she broke the awkward precedent of the Fields Medal having no female recipients.”

“But today, this top female mathematician has passed away forever from breast cancer.”

Hearing this news, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment.

The death of a Fields Medalist, and the sole female one at that—why did he have no memory of this?

But he immediately understood, shaking his head with a soft sigh.

He had misplaced himself in time. It was now 2017. If not for his rebirth, he would still be in his second year of university at Nanjing University.

Back then, he had hardly any involvement with mathematics. When something major happened in the field of mathematics, no one in the physics department discussed it at all.

By the time he later went to Princeton to study under Witten and began to delve deep into mathematics, Professor Maryam Mirzakhani had already been gone for several years, so she was mentioned even less.

But speaking of which, he did have a slight “connection” to Professor Maryam Mirzakhani.

Back when he had just entered Princeton, a student named Pashia Mires seemed to have been Professor Maryam Mirzakhani’s student.

At the time, she had even tried to recruit him on behalf of her former advisor, inviting him to study at Stanford University, but he had rejected her outright.

“There’s really nothing to be done.”

Xu Chuan shook his head, sighing faintly inside.

If he had remembered this, he would have thought of it when he was being recruited.

Then he would have certainly mentioned something about it in a subtle way, prompting Professor Maryam Mirzakhani to get a physical examination.

Although a cure for breast cancer couldn’t be guaranteed one hundred percent, the clinical cure rate was still very high. If a patient received an early diagnosis and treatment, a good therapeutic outcome could be achieved.

What a pity for such a talented mathematician.

If only he had entered the field of mathematics a bit earlier in his past life. If he had known the reason and news of Professor Mirzakhani’s passing sooner, he might have been able to save a great mathematician in this life.

However, this incident also served as a reminder for Xu Chuan. He tried hard to recall if any of his relatives or friends would suffer from illnesses in the future.

This recollection actually brought another matter to mind.

In his previous life, when he was in his thirties, he had received a call from his parents telling him that his Uncle had apparently passed away from lung cancer and asking if he could come back.

But at that time, he was trapped in the United States and was completely unable to rush home.

Other than that, he hadn’t heard of any other similar incidents.

“It should still be in time.”

Xu Chuan thought, the gloom in his heart lifting slightly. “In the future, I’ll have my parents, relatives, and friends get a physical exam every year. The money is nothing; ensuring their health is what’s most important.”

The death of Professor Maryam Mirzakhani was a major event for the field of mathematics.

After all, she was the first female Fields Medalist in history. Her passing was a cause for deep mourning in the mathematical community.

Xu Chuan accompanied his advisor, Professor Deligne, to her funeral to pay his respects.

Sealed in a temperature-controlled casket, Professor Mirzakhani had short, dark hair. Apart from her slightly pale complexion, she looked as if she were merely asleep.

After walking a circle around the casket, Xu Chuan stepped back and looked at the blue sky in the distance, sighing in his heart.

A forty-year-old Fields Medalist, though past the golden age of her academic career, was only halfway through her life. There was still a long road ahead for her to shine with her own brilliance.

Yet now, a space of less than a small square meter would seal away everything she was.

This made Xu Chuan think of himself in his past life—at nearly the same age, with a similar future. But fortunately, he was given a chance to start over.

After paying his final respects to Professor Mirzakhani, just as Xu Chuan was about to leave, a young woman approached him.

“Excuse me, are you Mr. Xu Chuan?”

“I am. And you are?”

Xu Chuan nodded, looking quizzically at the woman who had stopped him.

“Hello, Mr. Xu Chuan. My name is Gwen Masefield. I was a student of Professor Maryam Mirzakhani.”

The young woman, who had short hair like Professor Mirzakhani and a somewhat spirited air, extended a hand toward Xu Chuan.

“Hello, Ms. Gwen. My condolences.” Xu Chuan reached out and shook her hand lightly, then continued, “May I ask why you were looking for me?”

“Thank you very much for attending my teacher’s funeral. Here is a letter; my teacher asked me to give it to you.” Gwen Masefield handed a not-so-thick envelope to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan was very surprised. He looked at Gwen Masefield and asked in confusion, “Are you sure it’s for me?”

Gwen Masefield nodded. “If there isn’t another person named Xu Chuan who also proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, then it’s for you.”

Xu Chuan clutched the envelope, feeling a bit lost for a moment.

He couldn’t recall having any connection with Professor Maryam Mirzakhani.

The two had only met once, at the Princeton conference, and they hadn’t even had a chance to exchange more than a few words. Why would Professor Mirzakhani leave a letter for him?

But this wasn’t the time to ponder that. After confirming that she hadn’t given it to the wrong person, Xu Chuan put the letter in his pocket and said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

“It’s my duty. I must be going now. With my teacher’s passing, I have many things to handle.” Gwen Masefield bowed slightly and then turned to leave.

As for Xu Chuan, he returned to his hotel with the letter, and with his questions.

He curiously opened the envelope. Inside were two documents.

On top was a letter, written on standard stationery, just two thin sheets. The stack underneath, Xu Chuan glanced at it briefly, appeared to be scratch paper.

His gaze returned to the letter, and he began to read.

“Hello, Xu.”

“I’m glad you could receive this letter, but by the time you read it, I should no longer be in this world.”

“I deeply regret not being able to witness your presentation in person at last year’s conference in Princeton, but I benefited greatly from watching the video of your report afterward.”

“Your proof of the weakened form of the Weyl-Berry conjecture and your presentation on the Weyl-Berry conjecture on the Princeton stage were both outstanding.”

“…To make a long story short, the reason I’m leaving you this letter is that in your thesis and presentation, I saw some entirely new methods and knowledge. I have recorded them and done some preliminary organization, which is included in the documents I’m entrusting to you. I hope they can be of some help to you.”

“Regrettably, while I was organizing these, I was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and didn’t have much time left. Otherwise, I could have made them more complete.”

“I heard that you later extended and applied the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to the field of astronomy. Unfortunately, I was undergoing chemotherapy and didn’t have much energy to read those papers.”

“But I believe…”

“…”

“Well, let’s leave it at that. If I keep rambling, I’m afraid I’ll really sound like an old lady. I hope you don’t mind. I hope the things on the scratch paper can be of some help to you.”

[Maryam Mirzakhani.]

After reading the letter Professor Maryam Mirzakhani had left for him, Xu Chuan sat there for a long time without moving.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and let out a long breath, expelling the heavy air from his chest.

It was too late to say anything now. He could only hope that he could gain enough knowledge from the papers Professor Mirzakhani left behind to fulfill her last wishes and hopes.

Carefully folding the letter, Xu Chuan picked up the scratch paper and began to read it earnestly.

A manuscript left behind by a Fields Medalist before her death contained the work she had not completed in her lifetime. It deserved to be treated with the utmost seriousness by anyone.

Starting from the first page, Xu Chuan sat in his hotel room for more than five hours, until late at night, before he finished reading all several tens of pages of scratch paper.

He stood up to stretch his body, let out a long breath, and sat down again.

These papers were truly worthy of being left by a Fields Medalist.

The knowledge within spanned from Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, to ergodic theory and symplectic geometry, to counting functions and the topological non-triviality of the Berry phase, and the study of Berry curvature. It traversed several fields of mathematics.

Moreover, the research in each mathematical field was profound, basically representing the most cutting-edge knowledge in that area.

Even he wouldn’t dare claim to have completely understood all the points after just one quick read.

However, Xu Chuan already had a general grasp of the situation.

The path Professor Mirzakhani was taking was somewhat similar to the mathematics he had previously discussed with Professor Artur Avila.

It involved using field extensions to transform functions into subgroups and establishing connections with intermediate fields and composites, then generalizing the result.

However, his discussion with Professor Artur Avila had been about applying it to parts of the Langlands program, such as some conjectures derived from automorphic L-functions.

Professor Mirzakhani, on the other hand, was pushing it towards the cohomology classes of algebraic closed chains, and was attempting to use this method to penetrate algebraic geometry.

This was likely related to Professor Mirzakhani’s previous research area, as her work before her passing was in algebraic geometry.

It had to be said, this was a remarkably ingenious line of thought.

The only female Fields Medalist in history possessed mathematical insights and inspiration far richer than the world had realized.

“Such a mathematical genius…唉~”

At his desk, Xu Chuan sighed and carefully put away the manuscript on the table.

Then he got up to wash up and go to sleep.

He would return to Princeton tomorrow. He would study these materials thoroughly.

After paying his respects, Xu Chuan returned to Princeton with Deligne.

However, upon his return, he asked Professor Deligne for a week’s leave. Not to go out and have fun, but to immerse himself in organizing the scratch papers Professor Mirzakhani had left him.

After all, although the knowledge on them was rich, it was all Professor Mirzakhani’s rough notes, ideas, and some incomplete calculations.

He needed to systematically organize these materials before he could conduct in-depth research on them.

Professor Deligne had no objection to his request for leave, nor did he ask what he was taking leave for.

Even if it were to go out and have fun, he would have agreed.

If it weren’t for the fact that Princeton didn’t have a custom of advisors proactively giving students vacations, Deligne would have wanted to give Xu Chuan a break long ago.

Not to mention the past six months of study—the several months delayed at CERN didn’t count—but just in the first half of this year, from February to May, he had truly witnessed this student’s frenzy.

Out of twenty-four hours in a day, he spent more than fourteen hours studying. He and Edward Witten combined barely had enough energy to satisfy him.

Deligne found himself wondering strangely if, should this continue, he would have nothing left to teach in another year or so.

There was no helping it; this student’s speed of understanding and absorbing knowledge was simply too fast.

And, his diligence was enough to make one want to cry.

Deligne considered himself to have been diligent enough in his studies when he was young, but in comparison, his diligence was nothing at all.

He didn’t attend parties, didn’t go travelling, and had no interest in electronic gadgets or online entertainment. Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, all that was left was studying.

He was a bit like a robot built specifically for learning.

Such a person should have been an eccentric genius, extremely difficult to deal with, like Grigori Perelman who proved the Poincaré Conjecture. He was just such a strange person.

He refused almost all social interaction and awards, researching mathematics alone like an ascetic monk. Even the Fields Medal couldn’t lure him out of his reclusive life.

The two had almost identical personalities—apart from their interest in studying, they had little passion for anything else.

But compared to Perelman, this student of his showed no lack of social etiquette. At least, he was within the normal range of an ordinary person.

For example, when he returned to his home country, he would bring back local specialties and gifts for him and Witten. He would also attend various award ceremonies, accept them, and express his own views and opinions. If he was needed for a conference presentation, as long as the reason was legitimate, he would not refuse. This was a complete extreme opposite to Perelman.

Chapter 181: Testing His Progress with a World-Class Math Problem

After asking Professor Deligne for a week’s leave, Xu Chuan holed up in his dorm room, organizing the scratch paper left to him by Professor Mirzakhani.

This time, it was no mere cursory glance.

He was meticulously studying the knowledge within these drafts, absorbing it and transforming it into his own wisdom.

A legacy left by a Fields Medalist on her deathbed, even if only a part of it, was enough for an ordinary mathematician to study for years, or even half a lifetime.

For Xu Chuan, the calculations on these papers were not the most precious part. With a solid mathematical foundation, many could have deduced them.

However, the ideas, mathematical methods, and lines of reasoning preserved within these formulas and handwriting were priceless.

These things, though still unformed and merely nascent ideas, were achievements that many mathematicians might never attain in their entire lives.

After all, among all the natural sciences, if one were to speak of the reliance on talent, mathematics undoubtedly stood alone at the pinnacle.

Even physics and chemistry were slightly less dependent on talent than mathematics.

It could be said that no other discipline demanded talent more than mathematics.

It was a subject that required powerful logical thinking to “truly” master.

Math problems often required you to exercise a certain creativity to solve unfamiliar questions.

If your teacher’s level was not high enough, and you failed to find the right methods and direction on your own, it was very likely that your efforts would be in vain, leading to a deepening sense of frustration as you studied.

It required not just forward but also reverse thinking. Each area of knowledge contained numerous formulas, and between these formulas lay clever connections. Memory, calculation, proof, spatial reasoning, flexibility, transformation—almost every skill found in other subjects was manifested in mathematics.

Many netizens joked that the fear instilled by mathematics was ageless; you dreaded it while learning it as a child, and you still dreaded it when tutoring your own children as an adult.

Others said that a person could do anything when cornered—except for a math problem.

Although these were just jokes, mathematics was indeed a subject that one could not truly master without talent.

You might be able to achieve a perfect score on the college entrance exam by relying on a “sea of questions” tactic and explanations from famous teachers, but upon entering university or delving into more advanced studies, you would quickly find yourself unable to keep up.

No matter how much time you spent or how hard you tried, you might not be able to comprehend the meaning of certain mathematical topics, nor could you learn to apply the theorems and formulas that were far more complex than those in high school.

Take the Pythagorean theorem, for instance, something one learns upon entering middle school.

The classic “three-four-five” of a right triangle.

This was a memory for many people.

Yet, many only remembered this single phrase, the most common Pythagorean triple.

But what came next?

(5, 12, 13), (7, 24, 25), (9, 40, 41), … (2n+1, 2n²+2n, 2n²+2n+1)

This was the most, most, most basic mathematics, and who knows how many people still remembered.

Probably not even one in ten, to say nothing of the other mathematical formulas, theorems, and data associated with Pythagorean triples.

If one lacked a talent for mathematics, studying it would likely be excruciatingly painful.

The kind of situation where you drop a pen in class, and by the time you pick it up, you’re hopelessly lost in math forever—that was no bizarre tale.

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan organized the papers left to him by Professor Mirzakhani while also consolidating the knowledge he had acquired over the past six months.

“A fundamental result in algebraic geometry is that any algebraic variety can be decomposed into a union of irreducible algebraic varieties. This decomposition is called irredundant if no irreducible algebraic variety is contained in any other.”

“In constructive algebraic geometry, the above theorem can be constructively realized through the Ritt-Wu characteristic set method. Let S be a set of polynomials in n variables with rational coefficients. We use Zero(S) to denote the set of common zeros of the polynomials in S over the complex field, which is the algebraic variety.”

“.”

“If, after renaming variables, it can be written in the following form:

A₁(u, …, u_q, y₁) = I₁y₁^d₁ + lower-degree terms in y₁;

A₂(u, …, u_q, y₁, y₂) = I₂y₂^d₂ + lower-degree terms in y₂;

······

A_p(u, …, u_q, y₁, …, y_p) = I_p y_p^{d_p} + lower-degree terms in y_p.”

“Let AS = {A₁,···, A_p} and let J be the product of the initials of the A_i. For these concepts, we define SAT(AS) = {P | there exists a positive integer n such that JⁿP ∈ (AS)}.”

On a piece of scratch paper, Xu Chuan used his ballpoint pen to rewrite some of the key concepts from his mind.

In the first half of the year, he had learned a great deal under the guidance of his two advisors, Deligne and Witten.

Particularly in the areas of group theory, differential equations, algebra, and algebraic geometry, it could be said that he had greatly enriched himself.

Professor Mirzakhani’s papers contained some knowledge related to differential algebraic varieties, and he was currently organizing his knowledge in this area.

As is well known, algebraic varieties are the most fundamental objects of study in algebraic geometry.

In algebraic geometry, an algebraic variety is the set of common zero solutions of a set of polynomials. Historically, the fundamental theorem of algebra established a link between algebra and geometry, showing that a single-variable polynomial over the complex field is determined by its set of roots, which is an intrinsically geometric object.

Since the 20th century, significant progress had also been made in transcendental methods in algebraic geometry over the complex field.

For example, de Rham’s analytic cohomology theory, the application of Hodge’s theory of harmonic integrals, and Kodaira and Spencer’s deformation theory.

This enabled the application of theories from partial differential equations, differential geometry, and topology to the study of algebraic geometry.

Among these developments, the core concept of algebraic geometry—the algebraic variety—was subsequently applied to other fields. Today, algebraic varieties have been extended in parallel to areas such as algebraic differential equations and partial differential equations.

However, some important problems within the study of algebraic varieties remained unsolved.

The two most crucial among them were the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties’ and the ‘irreducible decomposition of difference algebraic varieties.’

Although mathematicians like Ritt had proven as early as the 1930s that any difference algebraic variety can be decomposed into a union of irreducible difference algebraic varieties, a constructive algorithm for this result had never been provided.

Simply put, mathematicians already knew the result was correct, but they could not find a path to verify it.

This description, while a bit crude, was quite fitting.

And on Professor Mirzakhani’s papers, Xu Chuan saw some of the female Fields Medalist’s notes on her efforts in this direction.

Likely influenced by his previous presentation at the Princeton conference, Professor Mirzakhani was attempting to determine whether SAT(AS₁) was contained within SAT(AS₂) for two given irreducible differential ascending chains, AS₁ and AS₂.

This was the core problem of the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties.’

Having familiarized himself with the entire set of papers and having studied this area in depth with Professor Deligne, he easily understood Professor Mirzakhani’s line of thought.

For this core problem, Professor Mirzakhani had proposed an idea that was novel, though not entirely new.

She was attempting to make further progress by constructing an algebraic group, a subgroup, and a torus.

The inspiration and methods used to establish these structures were derived from his previous presentation at Princeton and his research paper on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

“A very clever method. It might really be possible to generalize algebraic varieties to algebraic differential equations, though the process might be a bit circuitous.”

Staring at the handwriting on the paper, a flicker of interest appeared in Xu Chuan’s eyes. He pulled a sheet of printing paper from the desk, and his ballpoint pen began to record his thoughts.

“The problem of the irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties is, in a broad sense, already contained within the Ritt-Wu decomposition theorem.”

“However, the Ritt-Wu decomposition theorem constructs irreducible ascending chains AS_k in a finite number of steps and builds numerous decompositions, some branches of which are redundant. To eliminate these redundant branches, one needs to compute the generating basis of SAT(AS).”

“Because ultimately, it can be reduced to the Ritt problem: for an irreducible differential polynomial A in n variables, determine if (0,···, 0) belongs to Zero(SAT(A)).”

“.”

The ballpoint pen in his hand laid out the thoughts in his mind, word by word, onto the printing paper.

This was the foundational work before tackling a problem, a habit shared by many mathematics professors and researchers, not unique to Xu Chuan.

To clearly record the problem and one’s own line of thought and ideas with pen and paper, then go over them in detail, organizing them.

It was like writing an outline before starting a novel.

It ensured that before you finished the book in your hands, the core plot would consistently revolve around the main storyline, preventing it from deviating so absurdly that a crime thriller somehow turns into a high fantasy epic.

Doing math was slightly better than writing a novel; mathematics wasn’t afraid of creative ideas, but of lacking sufficient foundational knowledge and thoughts.

In mathematics, a sudden flash of inspiration or an unconventional idea was extremely important. A single insight or idea could sometimes solve a world-class problem.

Of course, there were also many whose research was led into a dead end by erroneous ideas.

In the world of online fiction, this would be akin to writing novels your entire life only to remain an aspiring author struggling to get a contract, or writing countless books that were inevitably doomed to be canceled before reaching a million words.

After organizing the thoughts in his mind, Xu Chuan temporarily put down his ballpoint pen.

The material related to algebraic varieties was only a part of the knowledge on the papers Professor Mirzakhani had left him. His task now was to organize all several dozen pages, not to plunge headfirst into researching a new problem.

Although the problem was making his mind itch, making him want to start researching it immediately, one had to see things through from beginning to end.

After spending several days, Xu Chuan had properly organized all the papers Professor Mirzakhani had left him.

Thirty to forty pages of scratch paper seemed like a lot, but once properly organized, the complete notes could be recorded on less than five pages.

The truly essential ideas and knowledge points in the original papers were not numerous. Much of it consisted of Professor Mirzakhani’s impromptu calculations; the useful core was largely derived from the methods used in the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Of course, Professor Mirzakhani’s knowledge certainly extended beyond this, but this was the extent of their intersection.

Xu Chuan was very grateful that Professor Mirzakhani had left these things to him.

She could have easily left these papers to her own students or descendants.

Based on this material, if the inheritor had a certain level of ability, there was a high probability they could continue to make achievements in this area.

But Professor Mirzakhani had no selfish motives, instead giving these things to him, a “stranger” she had only met once or twice.

This, perhaps, was the splendor of the academic world.

After extracting the useful information, Xu Chuan carefully stored the original papers from Professor Mirzakhani in a bookshelf dedicated to important documents.

It would not be an overstatement to treat these items with the utmost respect, and when he returned to his home country in the future, he would definitely take them with him.

Having dealt with these matters, Xu Chuan sat back down at his desk.

There were still two days left on the leave he’d taken from Professor Deligne. Rather than return early, he might as well use this time to make an attempt on the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties’ problem.

The problem was indeed difficult, but the Ritt-Wu decomposition theorem had already decomposed the corresponding differential algebraic variety into irreducible ones. What remained was to further obtain the irredundant decomposition.

If he hadn’t received Professor Mirzakhani’s legacy, he likely would not have had the idea to research in this direction.

His original goal was automorphic forms and automorphic L-functions within the Langlands program, but it was fine to set that goal aside for a bit now.

Moreover, the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties’ was one of the mathematical fields he had studied with Professor Deligne in the first half of the year.

He would use this problem to test the fruits of his learning.

At this thought, a confident smile spread across Xu Chuan’s lips.

To use a world-class mathematical problem as a test of one’s learning progress—such a statement would most likely be seen as arrogant by others.

But he possessed such confidence.

It wasn’t born from studying mathematics in this life, but from a lifetime of scaling peaks in his past one.

Taking a stack of scratch paper from his desk, Xu Chuan reviewed the outline he had prepared earlier. After a moment of contemplation, he began to turn the ballpoint pen in his hand.

“Introduction: Let k be a field; assume k is algebraically closed. Let G be a connected reductive algebraic group over k, let У be the variety of Borel subgroups of G, let B ∈ У, let T be a maximal torus of B, let N be the normalizer of T in G, and let W = N/T be the Weyl group.”

“For any w ∈ W, let G_w = BẇB, where ẇ ∈ N is a representative of w.”

“Let C be a conjugacy class in W. Let d_C = min{l(w) | w ∈ C} and let C_min = {w ∈ C | l(w) = d_C}.”

“There exists a unique γ ∈ G, such that the intersection of γ and G_w…”

“For any γ’ ∈ G, if γ’ ∩ G_w is non-empty, then it follows that γ is contained within γ’. Furthermore, γ depends only on C.”

Chapter 182: Advancing Towards the Hodge Conjecture

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan was immersed in deriving and building a new tool.

The scratch paper Professor Mirzakhani had left him did indeed propose some ideas for the field of “irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties.”

But they were merely ideas; they weren’t even fully formed.

At least, in Xu Chuan’s eyes, these fundamental ideas still had quite a few flaws. What he was doing now was expanding upon Professor Mirzakhani’s foundation.

“…On this basis, a map φ: W → G, C’ → γC, can be obtained.”

“Let W be the set of elliptic conjugacy classes (composed of elements in the reflection representation of W with no eigenvalue of 1). The following are some properties of φ.”

2. φ is surjective;

3. φ|Wel: Wel → G is an inner map.

4. If C ∈ Wel and w ∈ C_min, then φ(C) is the unique idempotent class γ of G such that γ ∩ Gw is an orbit of the conjugation action of B on Gw.

5. If C ∈ W — Wel, then φ(C) has a simple description, similar to φ for a Levi subgroup of a proper parabolic subgroup of g.

Following Professor Mirzakhani’s line of thought, Xu Chuan patched things up along the way and reintroduced the Bruhat decomposition and the Weyl group.

On this foundation, he then proceeded to tackle field theory.

After a long while, Xu Chuan finally stopped his work. He opened his laptop and began searching for relevant materials.

The discipline of mathematics was immense. Now, in the twenty-first century, the various fields derived from pure mathematics numbered in the high dozens, if not over a hundred.

It was impossible to read through and memorize all the knowledge in these fields. Such a task was beyond human capability; it couldn’t be accomplished even in a lifetime. Unless, like in a novel, one was cheating with a hack, having a system pour the knowledge directly into their brain.

Unfortunately, although he had experienced a rebirth, he didn’t have any so-called system.

Despite his strong memory, he still had to learn and search for all new knowledge and necessary materials bit by bit.

This was especially true when entering a frontier field no one had ever explored before, where the required knowledge and literature were even more vast.

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, in Deligne’s office, Edward Witten pushed open the door and walked in.

“Hmm? Xu Chuan isn’t with you?”

Seeing only Deligne in the empty office, Witten asked with some surprise.

At this time of day, his student should have been studying in Deligne’s office as usual.

Deligne looked up at Witten and said lightly, “He took some time off. He hasn’t been here to study for a while now.”

Hearing this, Witten asked, “Did he go to receive an award somewhere? When will he be back?”

He couldn’t be blamed for asking. After all, in his memory, his student almost always took leave to go receive awards.

“Not this time. He’s still in Princeton. His leave seems to be related to Professor Mirzakhani, who passed away some time ago. Xu Chuan mentioned that Professor Mirzakhani left a manuscript for him. He’s probably still organizing it. As for when he’ll be back, you’ll have to call him and ask.”

As he spoke, Deligne glanced at the calendar and added, “But his leave has been quite long this time. If I remember correctly, he asked for it last month. It’s been over a month now.”

“I’ll give him a call. There’s something I need to talk to him about.”

Witten shrugged, took out his phone, found Xu Chuan’s number, and dialed. But it wasn’t long before he put his phone down again.

“What’s wrong?” Deligne asked casually.

“He’s probably busy. The call went through, but it was hung up almost immediately.”

Witten slipped the phone back into his pocket and didn’t try calling a second time. He knew that unless it was something unimportant, Xu Chuan would never hang up on him.

“Then let’s wait. He’ll probably call you back when he sees it. Want a cup of coffee?” Deligne stood up and poured a cup of coffee for Witten.

As for Xu Chuan, both he and Witten were unconcerned. Even though the student had extended his one-week leave to over a month, he hadn’t inquired much.

In his dorm room, Xu Chuan yawned and climbed out of bed.

He got up, washed up, and with a carton of yogurt in his mouth and a piece of bread in his hand, he walked to his desk while eating.

After finishing his breakfast in a few bites, Xu Chuan quickly glanced over the scratch paper on his desk, then picked up the ballpoint pen beside it and plunged back into his work.

Before long, on a half-written sheet of clean scratch paper, the black ink began to spread, gradually filling the entire page.

But then, the ballpoint pen in his hand paused. It seemed he was dissatisfied with something, or perhaps he had a new discovery. In any case, a hand with well-defined knuckles simply grabbed a fresh sheet of scratch paper from the side and began writing once more.

The original sheet, already nearly two-thirds full of writing, was swept aside.

Beside it lay other sheets of scratch paper, also filled with mathematical formulas and symbols, piled messily on the long, narrow desk.

Not only that, but on the wooden floor beneath the desk, many sheets of scratch paper were also scattered about, some crumpled into balls, others lying flat.

An unknown amount of time passed before the phone on the desk suddenly began to vibrate.

The piercing ringtone shattered the silence. Xu Chuan impatiently fumbled for his phone, and without even looking, pressed the button to end the call, then turned back to his research.

“…Let G_z = GL(n, C) be the general complex linear group, and let B ∈ G_z be an upper triangular subgroup. Then, G_z has a Bruhat decomposition into a double coset decomposition B_z/B = ∐ BωB. The Weyl group W is a linear isomorphism of n x n transformation matrices.”

“…A maximal torus T of the unitary group U(n) is T := {diag(d₁, d₂, …, dₙ) : |dⱼ|=1} (1 ≤ j ≤ n), where Diag denotes a diagonal matrix and d is a complex number. When U(n) ∩ B = T, the subgroup GU(n) has a double coset decomposition T/T = ∐ BωB.”

“…”

The ballpoint pen in his hand traced out one mathematical formula after another on a new sheet of scratch paper. Only when the last stroke was recorded on the fresh page did Xu Chuan put down his pen and gaze at his work.

The papers scattered across his desk, and even on the wooden floor, recorded his progress over the past few days. They weren’t just about the “irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties” problem, but also about other fields his work had extended into.

In fact, he had solved the problem of the “irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties” long ago.

And in the process of solving it, inspired by his work on algebraic varieties and polynomial equations, he had upgraded the original tool, adapting it for the algebraic topology of projective algebraic varieties and non-singular complex algebraic varieties, as well as for polynomial equations. This was the real reason he had become so engrossed.

Staring at the scratch paper, a smile tugged at the corners of Xu Chuan’s mouth.

His hard work these past few days had borne fruit. He had created a new mathematical tool from his work on the “irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties” problem.

And with this tool, he might be able to launch an assault on the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Chapter 183: Another World-Class Problem

The Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

It is a major unsolved question in algebraic geometry.

Proposed by William Vallance Douglas Hodge, it is a conjecture concerning the relationship between the algebraic topology of a non-singular complex algebraic variety and the geometry described by the polynomial equations of its subvarieties.

In short, the Hodge Conjecture posits that on a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.

Along with Fermat’s Last Theorem and the Riemann Hypothesis, it forms the geometric and topological foundation for M-theory, which seeks to unify general relativity and quantum mechanics. Its importance is self-evident.

If he could solve the Hodge Conjecture, the validity of general relativity and M-theory would take a great leap forward.

For Xu Chuan, the allure of this was undoubtedly immense.

After all, he had studied physics in his past life under Edward Witten, and he was very familiar with both general relativity and M-theory.

Suddenly, the phone on the desk vibrated again. The loud ringtone shattered Xu Chuan’s train of thought. He picked it up; it was a call from Professor Witten.

“Hello, Advisor. Is there something you need?”

“Where are you? Is it a good time?” Witten’s voice came from the other end.

“I’m in my dorm. What is it, Teacher? Is something wrong?” Xu Chuan replied.

“Then come to Professor Deligne’s office now.”

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Hanging up, Xu Chuan glanced at the phone screen, which lit up automatically. He was startled by the date.

August 27th.

He had unknowingly stayed in his dorm for over a month, far exceeding the leave he had requested from Professor Deligne.

More importantly, Professor Deligne hadn’t asked about it once in the past month.

It was ridiculous. A student asks for seven days of leave, then skips class for over a month, and his advisor doesn’t even inquire.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan went to the bathroom to wash his face and tidy his somewhat messy hair. After over a month of engrossed mathematical research, his hair had grown long enough to cover his ears. He needed to find time for a haircut.

Just as he stepped out of his dorm and was about to close the door, Xu Chuan paused. He turned around, went back inside, and found the scratch paper on which he had organized his research on the “irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety.” He grabbed it, planning to take it with him.

Although the mathematical tools he had developed for the Hodge Conjecture were more important and also needed to be checked by his two advisors, that work was currently scattered chaotically all over his dorm—on the desk, on the floor, on the bed, everywhere. There was simply no time to organize it.

On the other hand, the mathematical tools for the “irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety” problem had already been compiled and were ready to be taken.

His mathematics advisor, Professor Deligne, was highly accomplished in the field of differential equations. He could take a look at it first to see if any revisions were needed before submission.

After all, he was just one person, and his considerations might not be entirely comprehensive. Sometimes, a different perspective can reveal things one might have missed.

Carrying the scratch paper detailing the solution to the “irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety” problem, Xu Chuan crossed the Princeton campus and quickly arrived at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

He knocked on his advisor’s office door and walked in. Both of his advisors, Witten and Deligne, were present.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Deligne couldn’t help but frown and ask, “How long has it been since you’ve been outside?”

Xu Chuan scratched his head and smiled. “Maybe two months?”

“Were you studying the manuscript Professor Mirzakhani left for you? What’s it about?” Edward Witten asked curiously from the side, unconcerned with Xu Chuan’s appearance.

It was actually quite normal for researchers to end up looking like this. The work in pure theory might be a bit better; aside from an eccentric like Perelman, few mathematicians let themselves get into such a state.

But in many other disciplines that required constant experimentation, it was common. During his time at CERN, he had interacted with many staff members.

Sometimes, when certain equipment needed repairs, the staff would often emerge looking completely disheveled. It was perfectly normal.

He was, however, a bit curious when Deligne mentioned that Xu Chuan was studying a manuscript left to him by Professor Mirzakhani.

His student had a connection with Professor Mirzakhani?

“Yes.”

Xu Chuan nodded, then continued, “It contains some ideas about algebraic varieties, related to the ‘irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety’ problem.”

Hearing this, Professor Deligne’s eyelids rose slightly. He leaned forward, asking with considerable interest, “May I see the manuscript?”

“The manuscript is still in my dorm, but I’ve brought some of my own research today. I’d like to ask you two teachers to help me see if there are any flaws.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan waved the stack of scratch paper in his hand. He then found the printer in the office, made a copy of the manuscript, and handed one to Deligne and the other to Witten.

Professor Deligne needed no introduction; he was one of only two grand slam winners in the field of mathematics, and differential algebra and algebraic geometry were his primary fields.

And while Witten was a physicist, his mathematical abilities were also formidable—he had won a Fields Medal, after all. From his perspective, he might be able to spot some loopholes.

Both advisors took the manuscript from Xu Chuan with some curiosity and began to look it over.

They both knew this student of theirs possessed formidable mathematical talent. It was ninety-nine point nine-nine percent certain that a place at the Fields Medal ceremony a year from now was his.

Though he was a bit young, mathematics was not a discipline where age was always an advantage.

The period between twenty-five and forty-five was the prime of a mathematician’s career. Any younger, and one might lack the foundational knowledge to build upon; any older, and one’s thinking would begin to rigidify and age, making significant breakthroughs difficult.

Of course, this age range didn’t apply to everyone, especially not to geniuses with extraordinary mathematical talent.

For example, divinely gifted mathematicians like Scholze and Terence Tao had made enormous contributions to the field of mathematics in their early twenties.

Without a doubt, Xu Chuan was also such a genius, perhaps even more so than Scholze and Terence Tao. After all, neither of them had solved a world-class mathematical problem at the age of eighteen or nineteen.

Therefore, Deligne and Witten were quite interested in Xu Chuan’s research.

“The Irreducible Decomposition of a Differential Algebraic Variety for ‘The Irredundant Decomposition of a Differential Algebraic Variety’ — The Field Theory-Algebraic Variety Connection Method.”

At the top of the first page, this striking title leaped into the eyes of Professor Deligne and Witten, making both of their hearts tremble. They simultaneously looked up, met each other’s gaze, and then lowered their heads again to examine the proof.

The irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety—another world-class mathematical problem following the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

After studying at Princeton for over a year, had their student finally turned his attention back to the field of mathematics?

Compared to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety was not much less difficult, as it served as a bridge between algebraic geometry and differential equations.

If this problem could be solved, the field of mathematics could extend algebraic geometry to algebraic differential equations and differential polynomials.

However, while the difficulty was comparable, the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety was not as “complete” as the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

The Weyl-Berry conjecture was a complete conjecture; no one had ever made a breakthrough, from the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture to the full proof.

In contrast, the result for the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety had been defined long ago; its existence was known.

It was just that mathematicians had yet to find a path that led to the final definition.

On the other hand, this problem also had a “half-brother”: the “irreducible decomposition of a difference algebraic variety.”

Both the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety and the irreducible decomposition of a difference algebraic variety stemmed from the Ritt-Wu Zero Decomposition Theorem, and both had been partially solved by it.

However, the Ritt-Wu Zero Decomposition Theorem still had certain limitations regarding these two problems.

One was the need to further obtain an irredundant decomposition, while the other was the failure to provide an algorithm to decompose the solution set of a difference algebraic equation into irreducible difference algebraic varieties.

If both of these problems could be solved at the same time, the systemic difficulty would surpass that of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. But the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety alone was indeed not as difficult as the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

However, solving these two problems was easier said than done.

In particular, the irreducible decomposition of a difference algebraic variety, taken on its own, was not much less difficult than the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Although it had been proven by Ritt and others as early as the 1930s that “any difference algebraic variety can be decomposed into a union of irreducible difference algebraic varieties.”

But to this day, nearly a century later, still no one had been able to provide an algorithm to decompose the solution set of a difference algebraic equation into irreducible difference algebraic varieties.

In the past seventy or eighty years, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Even Ritt and others, who had proven that “any difference algebraic variety can be decomposed into a union of irreducible difference algebraic varieties,” had attempted to generalize the Ritt-Wu Zero Decomposition Theorem to algebraic difference equations.

But the result they obtained could only decompose a difference algebraic variety into the form of Zero(S)=∪/kZero(SAT(ASk)). They could not advance any further.

If this problem remained unsolved for another ten or so years, it would become a classic century-old problem.

In the office, Deligne and Witten were immersed in the manuscript.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuan skillfully fetched the latest issue of the Annals of Mathematics from his advisor’s office and began to read.

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, there were many top-tier journals like this. Almost every professor, whether in mathematics, physics, or other natural sciences, had a large pile of various journals in their office.

Some were subscribed to by the professors themselves, while others were sent proactively by the journals. Deligne and Witten, naturally, were in the latter category.

This was because these two leading figures served as academic editors for various top journals.

After all, in academia, peer review is generally a voluntary service with no monetary compensation.

Under these circumstances, journals would naturally offer other incentives to find suitable reviewers, such as waiving publication fees for the reviewers’ future submissions or providing complimentary copies of the journal.

Of course, besides these, there were other intangible benefits, such as enhancing one’s personal reputation and staying up-to-date on current research hotspots.

After all, peer review involved examining the latest academic papers. It allowed one to gain different ideas, techniques, and perspectives from the reviewed manuscripts, broadening one’s horizons. It also offered the chance to learn from the mistakes of other researchers, which could help improve one’s own research.

The two elders and one youth, all three immersed in their respective manuscripts and papers. An unknown amount of time passed before the office became lively again.

“Truly brilliant. I never thought the Bruhat decomposition and the Weyl group could be introduced into field theory in this way,” Deligne exclaimed with a sigh after finishing the manuscript.

The problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety was a difficult problem in differential equations and algebraic geometry, but it wasn’t at the very forefront of mathematics. On the contrary, it was born from the foundations of both.

It was like trying to open a tunnel at the ground floor of two great mathematical edifices to connect them.

Although everyone knew it was entirely possible as long as the load-bearing walls were not affected.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that the materials used to construct the walls of these two buildings were too hard. Hammers, mallets, chisels, and picks—all the conventional mathematical tools—were unable to make a dent.

And now, Xu Chuan had constructed a new tool, one that had carved an opening in the once-impenetrable wall, successfully connecting the two edifices. It further decomposed the differential algebraic variety into an irreducible differential algebraic variety, thereby providing the process for the irreducible decomposition of a differential algebraic variety.

In this tool, Deligne saw some of the techniques and shadows of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, as well as some elements of algebraic groups, subgroups, and tori.

He just didn’t know how much of this came from Professor Mirzakhani and how much from his student.

After all, he hadn’t seen Professor Mirzakhani’s manuscript and didn’t know what it contained.

But regardless, another difficult problem in the palace of mathematics was, in all likelihood, about to be removed.

He didn’t say it was certain, but he was at least eighty or ninety percent sure.

Of course, the manuscript in his hands wasn’t one hundred percent perfect. There were still a few places that could be slightly adjusted, but these were minor details.

As for whether there were any other major flaws, it was impossible to determine right now. After all, this was no simple problem; its difficulty was plain to see. A single read-through was not enough for him to guarantee it was completely flawless.

Chapter 184: Flexing in Front of His Two Advisors

“I think the mapping of the Weyl group for the algebraic variety in here is the real gem,” Witten said, looking up. “It directly twists the application of the maximal torus. That aspect struck me as quite stunning.”

Pausing for a moment, Witten added, “This is a completely new line of thought. It might be possible to expand on it further.”

Hearing this, Professor Deligne considered it for a moment, his eyes suddenly lighting up. “The topology of algebraic varieties and algebraic manifolds!” he said quickly.

Witten smiled. “Exactly. I’m probably a bit more attuned to this area than you are. As you know, I’m better with quantum field theory, string theory, and related topology and geometry.”

“If we start from this point and continue to extend it, it could potentially become a new tool for solving problems related to differential forms on non-singular projective complex algebraic varieties.”

Before Witten could finish, Deligne added, “Like the Hodge Conjecture.”

Nearby, Xu Chuan smiled as he listened to his two advisors, feeling a sense of admiration.

They were truly two of the leading figures in the field of mathematics. After just one reading, they had already noticed the two most crucial, most central points of his research paper on the method connecting field theory and algebraic varieties.

One was for solving the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety, and the other could be extended to solve the Hodge Conjecture.

Even though his two advisors were already in their sixties and seventies, their sensitivity to mathematics remained terrifyingly sharp.

No detail, no matter how minor, could escape their eyes.

Hearing Deligne’s words, Witten put down the scratch paper in his hands. “Indeed, it might have that potential, but whether this path is viable remains to be seen.”

He paused, then looked at Xu Chuan. “I wonder, have you thought about this yourself?”

Xu Chuan grinned. “Of course. In fact, I’m almost finished with that work.”

Hearing this, Deligne and Witten both froze.

Almost finished? What did that mean?

“You’ve already solved the Hodge Conjecture?” Witten couldn’t help but ask tentatively. If that’s what he meant, it was simply too terrifying.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not quite. I’ve only extended the research along that line of thought and used it to create a mathematical tool.”

“I’ve been working on this for the past few days. It’s not completely done—I’ve only built the core, and I haven’t had time to organize it yet. Otherwise, I would have brought it with me today.”

Witten and Deligne both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the Hodge Conjecture hadn’t been solved.

If their student had managed to knock off the Hodge Conjecture in just over a month, it would have been truly horrifying.

This was the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

A millennium is a thousand years on the calendar. The first millennium was the year 1000, and the second was the year 2000.

Of course, the Seven Millennium Prize Problems weren’t problems that would take humanity a thousand years to solve.

They were seven mathematical conjectures announced on May 24, 2000. Because of the special year, they were dubbed the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Although they weren’t meant to take a millennium to solve, when the Clay Mathematics Institute, along with top professors like Wiles and Connes, formulated these seven problems, they were prepared for the mathematical world to spend an entire century solving them.

One century, a hundred years, to solve seven mathematical problems. This spoke volumes about the difficulty of these seven conjectures.

And reality proved just how difficult they were. More than a decade has passed, and the only one that has been solved is the Poincaré Conjecture.

And even that was only accomplished after countless mathematicians had thrown themselves at it since the 1930s.

From the Whitehead manifold and Dehn’s lemma in the thirties, to the successive proofs of the high-dimensional Poincaré conjecture in the sixties, to the Ricci flow in the seventies and eighties.

Countless people made enormous contributions to the Poincaré Conjecture before Perelman finally put the roof on this century-long problem.

As for the other Millennium Prize Problems, if any had seen some progress, it would be the BSD conjecture.

In 2014, Fields Medalist and Princeton University professor Manjul Bhargava stated that “the number of solved Millennium Problems might be one more than I had expected.”

Professor Bhargava had recently reported several results related to the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.

In one of them, he said that he and his colleagues had “proved that more than 66% of elliptic curves satisfy the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.”

This meant that the conquest of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, or the BSD conjecture, was already more than halfway complete.

Of course, how long it would take to conquer the remaining half, no one knew.

Perhaps three years, perhaps five, or perhaps it wouldn’t be finished even in thirty or fifty years.

Even if you could already see the summit, no one could know how winding the path ahead was, or if there were impassable abysses, until they reached the top.

Aside from that, there had not been much progress on the other Millennium Prize Problems.

And for a super-problem like the Riemann Hypothesis, which was proposed in the 19th century and has spanned three whole centuries, there has been almost no movement at all.

Searching for the answers to the “Millennium Prize Problems” is like attempting to climb Mount Everest for the first time.

There are many steps along the way, symbolizing the progress made.

But the real question is: “Can you even reach base camp? And even if you can, you know you’re still a long way from the summit.”

For problems like the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture and the Riemann Hypothesis, the current mathematical community is clearly still in Nepal, one of the starting countries for climbing Everest.

Even if they can successfully reach the Everest base camp, mathematicians might still need additional “equipment” to get to the summit.

Just like Peter Scholze’s ‘theory of p-adic perfectoid spaces,’ a tool that allowed mathematicians to make a series of major breakthroughs in the Langlands program.

Solving the Seven Millennium Prize Problems is the same. Perhaps every single problem requires mathematicians to build one, or even several, new tools before it can be plucked from the pantheon of mathematics.

“Are you saying that you created a mathematical method along this line of thought about the Weyl group mapping of an algebraic variety and the twisting of the maximal torus?”

After calming his furiously beating heart, Witten asked impatiently.

Although he had great faith in this student’s mathematical ability, solving the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety while also creating a mathematical method that could potentially be used on the Hodge Conjecture—all in just over a month—was still difficult to believe.

Perhaps the problem of the irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety had help from another Fields Medalist, but the mathematical method for solving the Hodge Conjecture or problems of differential forms on non-singular projective complex algebraic varieties was his own achievement.

Are young people these days all this monstrously skilled?

First, there was Scholze creating his theory of perfectoid geometry during his PhD, and now his own student was creating new mathematics during his PhD as well.

More importantly, the latter was even younger than the former.

Hearing this, Deligne also looked over with interest. Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I have some ideas and the core written down, but it’s not yet organized or refined.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Witten quickly followed up, “Then how long will it take you to organize it?”

Compared to Deligne, he was more concerned about whether the Hodge Conjecture could be solved.

Because the Hodge Conjecture was related to a series of physics problems, including general relativity, M-theory, and three-dimensional physics.

The Hodge Conjecture is one of the fundamental carriers for the structural geometry and topology of general relativity and M-theory; its importance to physics was beyond doubt.

And as a physicist who had solved the positive energy theorem in general relativity and was a key figure in M-theory and string theory, no one valued research and attention on these two fronts more than he did.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “Maybe about another month?”

He paused, then added, “Right now, I’ve only created the core, and it hasn’t been verified yet. Continuing to refine it won’t be a simple task.”

Witten took two deep breaths, suppressing his racing heart and scattered thoughts. “Can I see your manuscript?”

Asking to see an unfinished, unpublished manuscript was actually a rather presumptuous thing to do, even to one’s own student.

But at that moment, Witten couldn’t be bothered with such niceties. He just wanted to see a glimmer of hope as soon as possible.

He had proposed and refined M-theory, but he had also struggled on that path for the better part of his life. Now that he saw a ray of hope, he was naturally impatient.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Of course, you can.”

At Witten’s request, Deligne also tagged along.

The three of them arrived at Xu Chuan’s dorm room. When he pushed the door open, the terrible state of the room left the two elderly professors with nowhere to even set their feet.

The room was littered with wastepaper. Some was crumpled into balls, some was scattered in corners, and in one corner, a bag of trash had yet to be taken out.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan gave an embarrassed smile. “I’ve been organizing my thoughts these past few days and haven’t had time to clean my room.”

However, neither Deligne nor Witten showed any sign of disgust.

This was a place where science was born. No matter how dirty or messy it was on the surface, it couldn’t hide the knowledge it contained.

Walking into the room, Deligne bent down and casually picked up a crumpled piece of scratch paper from the floor.

He smoothed it open. Black ink covered about half of the paper.

Looking from top to bottom, one could clearly see the fluctuations in the writer’s thoughts. It started with smooth writing without any corrections, then became hesitant and filled with smudged revisions, and finally, a formula, left unfinished, had been completely crossed out with a single line, revealing the author’s struggle on this path.

Deligne didn’t care that it was a discarded draft. After smoothing the paper with his palm, he began to read with great interest.

As for Witten, he wasn’t particularly interested in the jumble of useful and useless papers on the floor. Or rather, he was more interested in the complete method, so from the moment he entered, his eyes fell on the thick stack of printer paper on the desk.

On it was recorded the method for solving problems related to differential forms on non-singular projective complex algebraic varieties.

With the two leading figures sitting in his dorm, Xu Chuan couldn’t just stand by. While Deligne and Witten perused the papers, he began to tidy up.

He gathered all the papers from the floor—useful or not, even the crumpled ones—and temporarily set them aside.

Even the completely useless, discarded drafts had high collection value, at least to him.

After all, these documents witnessed the entire process of a new branch of mathematics being born.

If this mathematical method could be used to solve the Hodge Conjecture, their value would become unparalleled. After all, at any time, knowledge is the most precious treasure.

“Xu Chuan, where is the manuscript Professor Mirzakhani left for you?”

After finishing the discarded draft in his hand, Professor Deligne placed it on the desk and asked Xu Chuan.

Although he was equally interested in Xu Chuan’s research results, Witten was already poring over that manuscript. Instead of crowding around to look with him, he thought he might as well look at Professor Mirzakhani’s manuscript first.

The work left behind by the only female Fields Medalist in history just before her death was fascinating to any mathematician.

“One moment.”

Xu Chuan replied. After finishing organizing the papers in his hands, he found the original manuscript in his bookshelf and handed it to his mathematical advisor.

Seeing the manuscript perfectly preserved in a protective sleeve, Deligne’s eyes showed a hint of approval.

Respecting the work of others was a necessary part of the scientific spirit.

In dorm room 306, Deligne and Witten were each absorbed in the manuscripts in their hands.

Time ticked by, and it wasn’t until the sun had set and the golden afterglow shone through the window that the two masters were roused, one after the other.

“Truly Professor Mirzakhani. The line of thought she left behind is astounding.”

Watching the golden afterglow fall upon him through the window, Professor Deligne pushed up the glasses on his nose with one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.

From this manuscript, he saw the very starting point of the ‘irredundant decomposition of a differential algebraic variety’ problem, as well as the insights of the female Fields Medalist on Riemannian geometry, differential geometry, Weyl groups, and algebraic groups.

Deligne was certain that this wasn’t all of Professor Mirzakhani’s work, perhaps not even one percent of it.

But it was a shame that such a brilliant mathematician’s life had come to an end this year.

Sighing faintly to himself, Deligne looked up at Witten, wanting to hear his evaluation of the mathematical method in his hands.

Chapter 185: The Tools Before Climbing Mount Everest

Noticing the look from Deligne, Witten shook his head and handed him the scratch paper. “I can’t offer much of an evaluation of this method on short notice.”

“Although this method uses familiar algebraic geometry, topology, and manifolds, it’s mixed with a large amount of group theory, metric spaces, and other mathematical methods and concepts. These fields are outside my area of research.”

“It’s no exaggeration to say that I might not even be able to understand this paper in a short amount of time. After all, my mathematical knowledge is mostly related to physics. Much of the mathematics in this paper’s method is simply not within my scope of study.”

Hearing this, Deligne revealed a trace of surprise. As the first physicist to win the Fields Medal, Witten’s mathematical ability was beyond question.

Mathematical physics has always been a frontier and a hot topic in the field of mathematics, as it provides pure mathematics with a wealth of new ideas and problems. In the foreseeable future, many more contributions to mathematics will come from mathematical physics.

Witten had worked at the forefront of theoretical and mathematical physics for nearly fifty years. In the field of mathematical physics, if he wasn’t firmly in the number one spot, he was at least in the top three.

For him to now say that he couldn’t understand this paper’s method on short notice was nothing short of astonishing.

With surprise and a hint of doubt, Deligne took the scratch paper from Witten’s hands, while Witten picked up the manuscript Professor Mirzakhani had left behind and began to read.

The dorm room, bathed in the light of the setting sun, fell quiet once more. This time, however, it didn’t last long. Half an hour later, Deligne and Witten put down the papers they were reading, one after the other.

“Indeed, it’s brilliant. It introduces concepts like multifractals, dimension, group theory, metric spaces, Riemann surfaces, and projective varieties. It’s quite complex. Even for me, it wouldn’t be easy to understand.”

Putting down the manuscript, Professor Deligne praised it with admiration.

He now understood why Witten had said he wouldn’t be able to grasp the paper’s method in a short time.

Forget Witten; even he would need a certain amount of time to fully comprehend this method.

Half an hour was only enough for him to give the scratch paper a cursory glance; he had almost no time to ponder the core concepts.

The time was too short. Even he couldn’t truly understand the paper’s method.

But a certain research intuition told him that with this tool, there might be real hope of solving the Hodge Conjecture.

With this thought, Deligne glanced at Xu Chuan, who was busy with something on the other side of the room, and felt a surge of emotion.

His disciple’s current mathematical ability, if not already surpassing his own, was certainly not far behind.

More importantly, he was still young and exceptionally talented. At not even twenty years old, he was just entering the prime of a scholar or researcher’s career.

Given more time, to what heights might he grow?

On par with his Advisor, or even higher?

Suddenly, a few figures appeared in Deligne’s mind.

He didn’t know why such a thought had occurred to him.

But he knew that whenever such a person appeared in history, they could single-handedly advance science, and even society as a whole.

Like Archimedes, Gauss, and Newton.

Deligne and Witten left, leaving Xu Chuan alone in the dorm room, organizing the manuscript materials in his hands.

Suddenly, he slapped his head in annoyance.

He remembered. He had been so preoccupied with his own work that he’d forgotten to ask Witten why he had called him earlier.

He picked up his phone from the desk and dialed Witten’s number. After two rings, the call connected quickly.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. Is something the matter?” Witten’s voice came through from the other end.

“Teacher, was there something you needed when you called earlier? I forgot to ask just now,” Xu Chuan asked.

“It’s nothing major. The collision experiments for the second half of the year have started at CERN, and I have an experiment I wanted to ask if you were interested in joining. But you have more important things on your plate right now, so never mind. You should focus on your paper first.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. He quickly asked, “An experiment at CERN? What is it about?”

For the him of his previous life, his official involvement in high-energy physics didn’t begin until after 2018, so CERN’s experiments in 2016 and 2017 were a blank slate for him. If he had the chance to be involved, he certainly wouldn’t pass it up.

Of course, he wasn’t interested in participating in just any collision experiment. After all, the LHC conducts a large number of them every year, and many are not about discovering new things but are merely meant to supplement previous data or models.

Even if he hadn’t experienced them, Xu Chuan wasn’t very interested in those types of experiments. What interested him was the exploration of the unknown, the discovery of new particles, and things that went beyond the Standard Model.

“CERN’s work in the second half of this year mainly focuses on searching for subatomic particles to complete the Standard Model, as well as a study on the fundamental symmetry between hydrogen atoms and antihydrogen atoms.”

Over the phone, Witten explained CERN’s work schedule.

“Searching for subatomic particles and fundamental symmetry, huh?”

Xu Chuan stroked his chin thoughtfully, then asked, “Teacher, when is the study on fundamental symmetry between hydrogen and antihydrogen atoms scheduled?”

He wasn’t very interested in CERN’s collision experiments for finding subatomic particles. From his perspective, he already knew about all the various subatomic particles CERN would discover in the coming years. He knew who would discover them and was also very clear about their properties.

He had little interest in cutting off others’ discoveries and opportunities to do something that was destined to happen in history anyway.

The study of fundamental symmetry between atoms and antihydrogen atoms, however, was something he was quite interested in.

At least, in his memory, he had never heard of any major discoveries or breakthroughs in the field of fundamental symmetry research in 2017.

So, perhaps he could check out this experimental study, though he wasn’t sure if he’d have the time.

After all, compared to a collision experiment, the most important thing right now was to complete the tool he was working on and attempt a breakthrough on the Hodge Conjecture.

That was the most pressing matter at hand.

As for the collision experiments at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, there would be plenty of time for those later.

If he made a sufficient discovery, it wouldn’t be impossible to have CERN repeat a particle collision experiment with the exact same parameters and energy level.

“The study on fundamental symmetry between hydrogen and antihydrogen atoms?”

“That experiment is scheduled for a bit later. The current plan is for it to be conducted in December by the ALPHA laboratory. Why, are you interested in it?”

Witten’s curious voice came over the phone. Xu Chuan chuckled and nodded. “Yes, I’m quite interested in fundamental symmetry research. As for the subatomic particle discovery experiment, I’ll pass. I hope I can finish up my work here before December.”

Witten chuckled. “No rush. You have plenty of time.”

After a pause, he added, “If you make any new discoveries on the Hodge Conjecture, be sure to let me know.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Of course.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan immersed himself once again in perfecting the mathematical method in his hands.

Though the core idea was there, completing it was no easy task.

Sometimes, minor details that seem insignificant can become the most fatal flaw in the entire paper’s method.

Just like when Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem.

Initially, it was the mathematician Katz who found a flaw in the proof’s logical framework.

At first, both Wiles and Katz thought it was just a ‘minor’ flaw that could be easily fixed.

But when Wiles started to fix the flaw, pieces of the logical framework for his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem began to fall away.

It was then that Wiles realized this seemingly ‘minor’ flaw was not a simple, shallow mistake; it might even be beyond the scope of a fixable defect.

If it was a crack, an unfixable flaw, it would cause the entire proof of the great theorem to collapse.

As time went on, more than eight months passed, and Wiles still hadn’t fixed the gap. He grew increasingly panicked, even beginning to doubt himself.

Fortunately, however, he eventually found a useful method in the embers of a previously failed technique, completely patching the flaw and thus proving Fermat’s Last Theorem.

So in mathematics, in science, one should never underestimate seemingly insignificant problems.

These seemingly small problems could very well destroy all of your previous work.

The days passed, one by one.

With the core method established, Xu Chuan, contrary to before, no longer shut himself up in his dorm room.

His studies, which had been paused for over a month, resumed. Every day, he would go to Deligne’s to study, and sometimes he would attend basic lectures with other doctoral students.

Most of his time, however, was spent in Princeton University’s Firestone Library.

To launch an assault on the Hodge Conjecture required a great deal of preparation.

The Hodge Conjecture is simple—so simple it can be described in a single sentence. But it is also complex—so complex that only a very small number of professional mathematicians can truly understand the problem.

“Every harmonic differential form (of a certain type) on a non-singular projective algebraic variety is a rational combination of the cohomology classes of algebraic closed chains.”

When this sentence appears before you, do you find that you don’t understand a single technical term in it?

For the Hodge Conjecture, it’s difficult to even find a simple analogy.

Among all the Millennium Prize Problems, it is without a doubt the most difficult to understand.

It illustrates most clearly that the nature of modern mathematics makes most of it nearly impossible for the average person to grasp. You can’t even find the threshold.

If one were to describe it in the simplest possible terms, perhaps it could be put this way:

“Even the grandest and most complex palace can be built from a pile of blocks.” Or, to put it more eloquently: “Any geometric shape, no matter how complex (as long as you can imagine it), can be assembled from a pile of simpler geometric shapes.”

For the average person, this is probably the easiest way to understand it.

However, in practice, we cannot draw a complex multi-dimensional shape on a two-dimensional piece of paper.

The Hodge Conjecture is about breaking down complex topological shapes into individual components, allowing us to understand the designer’s intent simply by assembling them according to the rules.

This is likely the simplest way of understanding it.

If solving the Hodge Conjecture is likened to humanity’s first ascent of Mount Everest, one could say that the field of mathematics doesn’t even have an Everest Base Camp yet.

Only when the tool in his hands was complete would the base camp for climbing the Mount Everest of the Hodge Conjecture be established for the first time, preparing the climbers for the push to the summit.

As for how long it would take to establish this base camp, Xu Chuan didn’t know.

However, progress seemed to be much smoother than he had imagined.

He had previously promised Deligne and Witten one month, but now, less than twenty days had passed, and he was already putting the finishing touches on this tool.

And the biggest breakthrough came, surprisingly, from his patriarch, the esteemed Grothendieck.

Princeton’s Firestone Library truly was a treasure trove. Here, Xu Chuan found some of the ideas left behind by his patriarch.

It was something related to the theory of Motives, concerning his patriarch’s construction for the Standard Conjectures.

It concerned representations of a series of Galois groups and Hodge structures in complex geometry, which completely determined the L-functions. In this context, class field theory had already solved the case for abelian Galois groups, which led Xu Chuan to turn his thinking back to the original Weyl group.

With this line of thought, he smoothly completed the final supplementary work.

Staring at the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

After two long months of conception and organization, he finally completed the last of the work in September, constructing a tool with which to launch an assault on the Hodge Conjecture.

He checked the entire method in his hands one more time. After confirming there were no issues, Xu Chuan picked up his phone from the desk, opened his contacts, and dialed his Advisor Deligne’s number.

“Hello, Teacher. I need to request another leave of absence. The duration might be hard to determine.”

After the call connected, Xu Chuan spoke. After hearing his voice, the other end fell into a rare silence for a moment before asking, “Have you finished refining the method for that paper?”

Perhaps it was distortion from the phone, but the voice of his Advisor on the other end trembled slightly. However, the sense of fulfillment and accomplishment filling his heart at that moment made him overlook it.

Nodding, Xu Chuan replied, “Yes, I just finished it today. Next, I’m planning to use it to attempt the Hodge Conjecture, so I’m preparing to ask you for a leave of absence. As for how long it will take, I can’t be sure.”

The other end of the line fell silent again. After a long moment, Deligne’s voice finally came through.

“Good luck.”

Chapter 186: Proving the Hodge Conjecture!

After asking Deligne for some time off, Xu Chuan got up and left his dorm.

Before officially entering the uncharted territory of the Hodge Conjecture, he had a lot of work to do, both in his daily life and in his mathematical preparations.

Solving the Hodge Conjecture was like humanity’s first voyage across a vast, boundless ocean. No one knew if other lands existed in the unknown waters, nor if they could successfully reach another shoreline.

All he had was a small, newly built boat.

And whether this small boat, upon entering the unknown ocean, would be overturned by wind and waves, sink to the seabed, or run aground on a reef, Xu Chuan did not know.

But despite all this, he still had to try.

Because even to sail out just ten meters would be a great breakthrough.

After purchasing a batch of daily necessities from a store, Xu Chuan borrowed a collection of manuscripts and materials related to the Hodge Conjecture from the Firestone Library.

Some of it he had read before, while other parts he had yet to browse.

This was precious knowledge left by his predecessors, and some of it couldn’t be found online at all, as it consisted only of certain mathematicians’ ideas and preliminary theories, not yet fully formed.

Whether he had seen them before or not, these materials would be very useful for his charge against the Hodge Conjecture.

However, he encountered a considerable problem while trying to borrow them.

The man in charge of the Firestone Library was a scruffy-looking old geezer. This old geezer, with hair as messy as a bird’s nest, was a leading expert in the preservation of paper documents, but he was also exceptionally stubborn.

And this stubborn old man was adamant about not lending out so many documents, believing that Xu Chuan was highly likely to damage or lose the precious papers.

To obtain these materials, Xu Chuan spent a whole day grinding away at the Firestone Library, and his final effort only resulted in the man agreeing to let him gather them together to read within the library.

But for Xu Chuan, proving the Hodge Conjecture in the library was not a very reliable path.

Although it was quiet, people were constantly coming and going every day.

Left with no choice, he had to find David Xiu, the Dean of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics. After making a series of promises, learning some methods for preserving paper documents, and even signing a letter of guarantee, he barely managed to get the man’s consent.

Carrying the numerous materials, Xu Chuan returned to his dorm.

In truth, even without the reminder from that old German geezer, he would have taken good care of these items.

But now, beyond simple preservation, their greater value lay in the role they could play in proving the Hodge Conjecture.

He imagined that the mathematicians who had originally created this knowledge must have thought the same.

For any scholar, no one wants to see the knowledge they’ve created shelved and forgotten. If a piece of knowledge cannot be passed down and applied, it holds no value.

Having completed the preparations before tackling the Hodge Conjecture, Xu Chuan once again locked himself in his dorm room.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, golden October arrived. The sugar maples, plane trees, and other trees outside Rockefeller College began to take on a golden hue. Occasionally, a few leaves would drift down slowly with the wind.

In dorm room 306, a figure stood by the window, gazing at the plane tree outside, laden with its hanging fruit.

The morning sun shone through the ink-blue clouds, and outside the window, golden-yellow and deep-green leaves intertwined, with the heavy sycamore fruit nestled among them.

Looking at the scenery outside, a smile hung on Xu Chuan’s face.

Autumn is the season of harvest.

Although his research on the Hodge Conjecture had not been as smooth as he had anticipated, he had always been full of confidence about the final result.

And now, after two months, he had finally spotted a coastline appearing before his eyes in the uncharted ocean of the Hodge Conjecture.

It was a New World!

Gazing at the scenery outside, Xu Chuan turned back to his desk with a smile.

Although the Hodge Conjecture was not yet perfectly solved, he could already see the horizon where the coast met the sky, see the new continent rising on the skyline.

All that was left was to row his little boat over there with all his might.

Picking up the ballpoint pen on the desk, Xu Chuan continued writing where he had left off:

“…Let V be an algebraic variety in complex projective space, and V’ be the set of regular points of V. The L2-de Rham cohomology group on V’ with respect to the Fubini-Study metric is isomorphic to the intersection cohomology group of V.”

“If Y is a closed subvariety of X defined over k with codimension j, we have the standard map: Tr: H^{2(n-j)}(Y_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(n-j) → Q_ℓ, where (n-j) is the (n-j)-th Tate twist Q_ℓ(n-j).”

“This map is compatible with the restriction map: H^{2(n-j)}(X_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(n-j) → H^{2(n-j)}(Y_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(n-j)”

“…”

“By the Poincaré duality theorem: Hom(H^{2(n-j)}(X_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(n-j), Q_ℓ) = H^{2j}(X_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(j)”

Time slipped by with each stroke of his pen as Xu Chuan threw himself, body and soul, into the final breakthrough.

Finally, the tip of his pen took a sudden turn.

“…Since the map Tr, the restriction map, and the Poincaré duality theorem are all compatible with the action of Gal(k̄/k), the action of Gal(k̄/k) on the cohomology class defined by Y is also trivial. Thus, A^j(X) is the Q-vector space in H^{2j}(X_{{k}}, Q_ℓ)(j) generated by the cohomology classes of closed subvarieties of X of codimension j defined over k.”

“When i ≤ n/2, the quadratic form x → (-1)^i L^{n-2i}(x.x) on A^i(X) ∩ ker(L^{n-2i+1}) is positive definite.”

“From this, it can be concluded that on a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.”

“That is, the Hodge Conjecture is proven!”

As the ballpoint pen marked the final period on the clean scratch paper, Xu Chuan let out a long breath, tossed the pen aside, and leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

When the last character fell upon the paper, the feeling that surged in his heart wasn’t excitement, nor joy, nor a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment.

Instead, it was a dazed sense of disbelief.

It had taken more than four long months, starting from the manuscript Professor Mirzakhani left him, to solving the “irreducible decomposition of differential algebraic varieties,” to perfecting the tool of algebraic varieties and group mappings, and finally, to solving the Hodge Conjecture.

He had experienced so much on this path.

After staring at the ceiling for a long time, Xu Chuan finally came back to his senses, his gaze falling upon the scratch paper on the desk before him.

He went through all the papers completely, and after confirming that this was truly his own work, a brilliant smile finally appeared on his face, as bright as the sunlight streaming in through the window.

If there were no surprises, he had succeeded.

He had successfully solved the Hodge Conjecture, a century-old problem.

This was the most important breakthrough on a problem related to the Hodge Conjecture since Lefschetz’s 1924 proof for (1,1)-classes.

Although he didn’t yet know if it could withstand the scrutiny of other mathematicians and the test of time.

But regardless, he had once again taken a giant step forward in mathematics.

After completing the paper proving the Hodge Conjecture, Xu Chuan spent some more time going over everything on the scratch paper again, perfecting some other details.

Once he was done with that, he began to organize it all on his laptop.

Then, he prepared to make it public.

For the proof of any mathematical conjecture, the prover is not qualified to judge whether it is correct.

Only by making it fully public, and having it endure peer review and the test of time, can its success be truly determined.

It took a full week for Xu Chuan to finally input the nearly one hundred pages of scratch paper into his computer.

Of these hundred-odd pages of proof, more than a third was dedicated to the explanation and justification of the algebraic variety and group mapping tool for solving the Hodge Conjecture. Another third was dedicated to the theoretical framework that connected the Hodge Conjecture with the tool.

The rest was the actual proof process for the Hodge Conjecture.

For this paper, the tool and the framework were its core foundation.

If he wanted to, he could have completely separated the tool and the theoretical framework to publish them as independent papers.

Just like Peter Scholze’s “theory of p-adic perfectoid spaces.”

If these things were ultimately accepted by the mathematical community, they would be enough to win him a Fields Medal.

This was not to say the Fields Medal was cheap, but rather a testament to the importance of mathematical tools to mathematics itself.

An outstanding mathematical tool can solve more than just one problem.

It’s like an axe: it can not only be used to chop down trees, but also as a woodworking tool to process materials, or even as a weapon for fighting.

Similarly, the algebraic variety and group mapping tool he had constructed was not limited to the Hodge Conjecture.

It could be used to attempt many difficult problems in the directions of algebraic varieties, differential forms, and polynomial equations, even algebraic topology.

For example, the “Bloch Conjecture,” which belongs to the same family of conjectures as the Hodge Conjecture; the problem of “whether the Hodge theory of algebraic surfaces determines if the Chow group of zero-cycles is finite-dimensional”; and conjectures about isomorphism mappings of certain motivic cohomology groups with finite coefficients to étale cohomology, and so on.

These conjectures and problems supported one another, and mathematicians continuously made progress on one or another, attempting to prove them, leading to enormous advancements in number theory, algebra, and algebraic geometry.

Since the algebraic variety and group mapping tool could solve the Hodge Conjecture, it meant that even if it couldn’t be perfectly adapted to similar types of conjectures, it could at least play some role.

Because the Hodge Conjecture itself is a conjecture that studies the connection between algebraic topology and the geometry described by polynomial equations.

What it studies is not the most advanced mathematical knowledge, but rather seeks to establish a fundamental link between the three disciplines of algebraic geometry, analysis, and topology.

Solving this problem required the prover to have an extremely deep understanding of all three of these major fields.

For the vast majority of mathematicians, achieving in-depth research in just one of these three fields—algebraic geometry, analysis, or topology—was difficult enough, let alone mastering all three.

But for Xu Chuan, analysis and topology were fields he had mastered in his past life. Only algebraic geometry was outside his research scope.

But in this life, studying mathematics deeply under Deligne, and having such an Advisor, his progress in algebraic geometry was beyond imagination.

After finishing organizing and typing up the entire proof of the Hodge Conjecture, Xu Chuan converted it into a PDF file and then emailed it to his two advisors, Deligne and Witten.

After a moment’s thought, he also uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server.

Although the arXiv preprint server had gradually become a place where computer scientists staked their claims, there were still a large number of mathematicians and physicists on it.

Posting his unpublished paper there could not only stake a claim in advance to prevent plagiarism but also expand the paper’s influence ahead of time.

For a proof paper concerning a problem like the Hodge Conjecture, the time required for complete verification would undoubtedly be quite long.

For example, the three-dimensional case of the “Poincaré Conjecture” was proven by the mathematician Grigori Perelman around 2003, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the mathematical community finally confirmed that Perelman’s proof had solved the Poincaré Conjecture.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that Perelman refused nearly every award offered to him and lived in deep seclusion.

After all, if the prover of a conjecture doesn’t promote their own proof methods and process, it’s almost impossible for others to quickly understand them.

This is especially true in the field of mathematics.

For a proof paper, if the original author doesn’t explain it and answer the questions of other peers, it is a very difficult thing for other mathematicians to fully understand the paper.

Furthermore, for a major conjecture like a Millennium Prize Problem, the mathematical community’s acceptance process is generally quite long.

After all, whether it is correct or not is of immense importance.

Take the Riemann Hypothesis, for example. Since it was proposed by the mathematician Bernhard Riemann in 1859, there are already over a thousand mathematical propositions in the literature that assume the Riemann Hypothesis (or its generalized form) is true.

If the Riemann Hypothesis were ever to be disproven, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire edifice of mathematics would not collapse, but at least the vast domain related to the Riemann Hypothesis—from number theory to functions, analysis, and geometry—practically all of mathematics would undergo a major transformation.

And if the Riemann Hypothesis were to be proven, then the thousands of mathematical propositions or conjectures built around it would all be elevated to theorems. The history of human mathematics would experience an unprecedentedly vigorous period of development.

In fact, the review speed of a proof for a problem or conjecture depends to a large extent on the popularity of the problem or conjecture, and the degree to which the mathematical community’s research on it has progressed.

In addition, there are the methods, theories, and tools used to prove the problem or conjecture.

For example, when he previously proved the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture, he had only made some innovations in the theory of symmetric structures of Banach spaces and the spectral asymptotics on connected domains with fractal boundaries, using a fractal drum to open up the associated counting function.

Thus, the proof process for the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture was quickly accepted by Professor Gowers.

But when proving the full Weyl-Berry Conjecture, he made a breakthrough on his previous methods, using the Dirichlet domain to constrain the spectrum of Ω’s fractal dimension and fractal measure, supplemented by field extensions and converting functions into subgroups to establish a connection with intermediate fields and composites.

The mathematical community’s acceptance of this method was much slower.

Even though his paper was ultimately reviewed by six leading figures, four of whom were Fields Medalists, and he was present to answer questions the entire time, it still took a long time to be confirmed.

And to this day, there are still not many people in the entire field of mathematics who fully understand the proof process of the Weyl-Berry Conjecture.

Even though he later extended this method to the field of astronomy, enhancing its importance.

As for the proof of the Hodge Conjecture he now held in his hands, that went without saying.

Heaven knew how long it would take the mathematical community to fully accept this paper.

One year? Three years? Five years? Or longer?

During this long period, Xu Chuan was unwilling to see his paper shelved and forgotten.

He hoped that more mathematicians, and even physicists, would participate, to expand and apply it to more and broader fields.

Chapter 187: The Undercurrents Stirring in the Field of Mathematics

After tossing his paper proving the Hodge Conjecture onto the arXiv preprint server, Xu Chuan closed his laptop computer.

His work was done. The rest was up to his peers and to time.

As for him, the most proper thing to do now was to wash up and then get a good night’s sleep.

As Xu Chuan fell asleep, undercurrents began to stir in the field of mathematics.

On the arXiv preprint server, many scholars who followed tags like “Hodge Conjecture,” “Seven Millennium Prize Problems,” “algebraic variety,” “algebraic geometry,” and “algebraic topology” received the site’s recommendation at the earliest opportunity.

France, Paris Sciences et Lettres University.

A doctoral student was browsing the mathematics section of the arXiv preprint server.

If there was any university that could compete with Princeton University in mathematics, Paris Sciences et Lettres University was definitely one of them.

In fact, if one were to set aside the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, the mathematics department at Paris Sciences et Lettres University might even have an edge over Princeton’s.

And all of this was thanks to another university under its banner: the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

The École Normale Supérieure in Paris, or “ENS” for short, has a history almost as old as the nation of France itself, stretching back over two hundred years.

It had cultivated countless outstanding talents for the Gallic Rooster. In mathematics, leading figures we are familiar with, such as Lagrange, Cauchy, Galois, Fourier, Laplace, Romain Rolland, and others, all came from this institution.

There’s a saying about this school: “Get into the mathematics department at ENS, and you’ll be among those closest to a Fields Medal,” a testament to the school’s mathematical prowess.

For the mathematicians who had already entered this institution, keeping up with the forefront of mathematics was one of the most important things.

Whether it was research papers in mathematical journals or preprint sites like arXiv, both were sources for acquiring cutting-edge knowledge.

The former was stable and reliable. The latter, although of mixed quality and full of dross, was still a place where many mathematicians liked to post their papers and ideas.

For a doctoral student, the many highly creative ideas on the arXiv preprint server could be quite inspiring.

After all, once one becomes a doctoral student, one has basically entered the stage of creating knowledge.

Not everyone is blessed with ample inspiration. Often, acquiring ideas from others and then expanding upon them, or patching them up, can result in something quite good.

After a cursory browse through the papers in the algebraic geometry and algebraic topology sections, and reading a few submissions that caught his interest, Théophile Hampri shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and got up to make himself a cup of coffee.

On the arXiv website, today was another fruitless day.

But that was normal. Although arXiv was filled with all sorts of bizarre ideas, and even a good deal of work from amateur theorists, most of the material, especially the new ideas recently uploaded, was almost worthless.

Just then, however, a notification from the arXiv website suddenly appeared on his personal page.

Théophile Hampri glanced at the notification tags: from the topics he followed, algebraic geometry and algebraic topology.

Although he knew in his heart that there was a high probability it was another piece of dross not worth his time, he ultimately couldn’t resist moving his mouse and clicking on the notification the website had sent him.

[On a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.]

Seeing the title, Théophile Hampri’s eyelid twitched.

Wasn’t this title just the Hodge Standard Conjecture?

Théophile Hampri was filled with disdain at the thought of finding a paper related to the Seven Millennium Prize Problems on the arXiv preprint server.

To be honest, in the hearts of most mathematicians, they might not even have the courage to charge at something like the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Only by entering the field of mathematics could one understand just how vast and profound they truly were.

Perhaps only those “amateur theorists” would throw their proof ideas for the Seven Millennium Prize Problems onto arXiv.

After all, those “messy,” “outrageous,” and “incomprehensible even to themselves” ideas wouldn’t be accepted by even the trashiest of math journals.

Only a preprint site like arXiv, which had no peer review and allowed anyone to freely publish their views, had a “heart” big enough to accommodate such things.

And Théophile Hampri, squatting in front of his computer at this moment, was thinking exactly that.

He had seen many ideas from amateur theorists about various mathematical conjectures on arXiv before, the most common being proofs of the “Goldbach Conjecture” and a “grand unified theory of mathematics.”

The former was because it was simple enough.

[Any even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes.]

This problem was so simple that anyone could understand it, and even someone who had never studied mathematics could gesture and make a show of it.

For example, 4=2+2, 6=3+3, 8=3+5, 10=3+7… And so, this simple question also led many to mistakenly believe that its proof couldn’t be too difficult.

The latter was probably because it was famous enough.

After all, with the mindset of those amateur theorists, they all wanted to do something big.

Proving a major mathematical conjecture is like excavating the tomb of an ancient emperor. A disproof is like opening the tomb to find absolutely nothing inside; the crowd of onlookers takes one look and disperses with a roar.

But with a proof, even if you don’t find the tomb, you can hold up some rocks and claim they’re gold. Then the crowd of onlookers—the drama-watchers—will swarm in. Some will say it’s fake, others that it’s real. Some will ask, “What if it’s real?” Others will say that even if it’s real, it needs an authoritative certification. And still others will say that the authoritative bodies made a
botched appraisal and owe someone an apology.

In the end, the amateur theorist walks away, pleased with himself, leaving a bunch of people behind to argue.

But in reality, these people probably couldn’t even tell you what the grand unified theory is, or the difference between the Goldbach Conjecture and 1+1=2.

Therefore, nearly all mathematicians held a scornful attitude towards the things produced by amateur theorists, and Théophile Hampri was no exception.

If it were a mathematics paper related to the Goldbach Conjecture or a grand unified theory, he would have closed the tab without a moment’s hesitation.

But a paper related to the Hodge Conjecture, on the other hand, piqued a sliver of his curiosity.

After all, this was one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, and the most difficult one to understand.

Never mind the amateur theorists; even many mathematicians might not be able to fully grasp this problem.

With the thought of seeing what the author had written, Théophile Hampri clicked the link and entered the author’s domain.

What greeted him, aside from the familiar paper title, was the author’s name.

Xu Chuan

Théophile Hampri: ??????

Seeing this name, he was completely stunned.

As the hottest rising star in the current mathematical world, the dazzling new talent of the younger generation, and the youngest-ever recipient of both the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Crafoord Prize in Astronomy at the end of last year, it was likely that anyone in the mathematics profession would be paying attention to this name.

In the eyes of ordinary mathematicians, this was a “strange” genius.

There was almost no prior groundwork and virtually no mathematical papers published before he directly shook Princeton by proving a weakened form of the world-class problem, the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Then, in just a few short months, he pushed the proof of the weakened Weyl-Berry conjecture all the way to a proof of the complete Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Not only that, but after completing the proof of this mathematical conjecture, he even used the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to create a computational tool in the field of astronomy that was practically at the “founding father” level.

Following that, he successfully solved the Proton Radius Puzzle, a problem that had plagued the physics world for years, using mathematical methods at CERN.

Seeing the author’s name on the paper, Théophile Hampri was instantly bewildered.

Could it be that this new star of the mathematical world had solved the Hodge Conjecture as well?

How was that possible?

This was one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, not some trashy mathematical conjecture.

Over the last century, countless mathematicians had charged at these seven problems, including well-known figures like Hardy, Hilbert, Sir Atiyah, and others.

But to this day, only one had been solved.

“Is there really hope of solving the Hodge Conjecture? This is too hard to imagine.”

Muttering to himself, Théophile Hampri opened the paper and began to read it, word by word. He didn’t even skip the most basic introduction and preliminary knowledge.

Regrettably, however, he soon frowned.

The beginning of the paper was fine; relying on his own mathematical foundation, he managed to dig in. But after turning less than three pages of scratch paper, his brow furrowed.

Because he was starting to not understand.

Staring at the equations on the computer screen, Hampri sighed.

He had thought he might gain some inspiration or knowledge from this paper, but he had encountered the biggest problem right at the start: he couldn’t understand the paper’s deductive process.

While not all of it was incomprehensible, the first three pages of scratch paper already incorporated mathematical knowledge from four different fields: algebraic geometry, projective variety, Riemannian geometry, and field extension.

Among these, Riemannian geometry and field extension were fields he had not studied in depth.

Shaking his head, Théophile Hampri downloaded the paper from the arXiv webpage and sent it to the printer, printing out a complete copy.

Carrying the still-warm pages, he hurried to his advisor’s office.

“Teacher, I found a paper on the Hodge Conjecture.”

Without knocking, Théophile Hampri burst into the office in a rush.

Inside the office, Hampri’s advisor, Adalbert Shipley, frowned at the student who had just barged in and said unhappily, “Hampri, I have a guest. Whatever it is, we can talk about it later.”

Hearing this, Théophile Hampri finally noticed the other person in the room, an old man sitting on the sofa, and quickly said, “My apologies, Teacher, I was too excited.”

With that, he was about to leave the office, but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Please wait a moment.”

The one who spoke was the old man on the sofa, a hint of curiosity and interest in his eyes. “You just said you found a paper related to the Hodge Conjecture?”

Théophile Hampri stopped and turned back. “Yes, today, while I was browsing the arXiv website as usual, I found a new paper. It’s a proof of the Hodge Conjecture.”

Hearing this, a look of disappointment flashed across the eyes of both the old man on the sofa and Adalbert Shipley.

Although arXiv was the most commonly used website for mathematicians, the vast majority of math-related papers and ideas on it were worthless dross.

If it were just an idea, perhaps it might be slightly better.

But a paper proving the Hodge Conjecture? Forget about it.

Besides an eccentric like Perelman, who else would toss a paper solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems onto a preprint server?

It was something that couldn’t possibly happen.

If that paper had any value, it should be in the hands of an editor at a journal like Annals of Mathematics or New Progress in Mathematics, not on a website like arXiv.

Théophile Hampri clearly saw the change in expression on his advisor and the old man. After a moment’s thought, he added, “The author who uploaded this paper is Xu Chuan, the previous winner of the Crafoord Prize.”

Upon hearing this, both the old man on the sofa and Adalbert Shipley were stunned, their expressions quite strange.

“You mean the one who proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture?” the old man on the sofa asked with a look of surprise.

He hadn’t attended last year’s Crafoord Prize ceremony, but he had heard that the winner was a very young genius.

Théophile Hampri nodded. He felt that this balding old man looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

After thinking for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said excitedly, “You’re Professor Alain Connes?”

The figure in his mind gradually merged with the old man in the gray woolen sweater before him, making Hampri very excited. This was his idol, and he never expected to meet him here.

Alain Connes, a contemporary master of mathematics, a Fields Medal recipient, and a leading French mathematician, had once worked with people like Professor Wiles, who proved Fermat’s Last Theorem, at the Clay Mathematics Institute to formulate the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Hearing his name, the old man sitting on the sofa smiled and nodded. “Could I trouble you to print out that paper?”

Beside him, Adalbert Shipley also added, “Print a copy for me as well.”

Although he was perplexed that such an important paper would be tossed onto a site like arXiv, and he held a sliver of doubt as to whether the paper on there was a “proper” one.

But he had read the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and he had also seen some of the mathematical methods derived from the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. Both the former and the latter could be described as exceptionally ingenious.

Something published by a math genius of this caliber was still worth a look. At the very least, a paper concerning such a major conjecture was not to be missed.

Perhaps this was another eccentric genius like Perelman?

After handing the two copies of the paper to his advisor and his idol respectively, Théophile Hampri waited by the side.

Time ticked by, second by second.

After waiting for a long time, he still hadn’t heard the two professors offer their opinions.

Although he knew that a proof of such an important conjecture couldn’t be figured out in a short time, Hampri was still desperate to know the result.

After all, this was the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

At stake was not only the one million US dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute, but also countless other mathematical awards, and the most important thing of all—changing mathematics!

Forcing himself to wait for another half an hour, Théophile Hampri finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He looked at his advisor and his idol, who were still holding the papers, and asked eagerly, “Advisor, Professor Connes, has the Hodge Conjecture been proven?”

Hearing the question, Adalbert Shipley looked up and said, “I don’t know~”

“Strictly speaking, I can’t even understand some of the mathematical methods in this paper.”

Théophile Hampri looked astonished. Although his advisor couldn’t compare to leading figures like Alain Connes who had won the Fields Medal, he was still a top-tier mathematician who had won major international awards like the Gauss Prize.

Now he was saying he couldn’t understand this paper. Wasn’t that a little too crazy?

Swallowing a gulp of surprised saliva, Hampri turned his gaze to his idol, Alain Connes, who was still reviewing the papers in his hands. Adalbert Shipley also turned to look.

Noticing the gazes of the other two, Alain Connes put down the papers in his hands and sighed, “This paper involves far too many fields of mathematics. From algebraic geometry to algebraic topology, and then to Riemann surfaces and multiple manifolds… even for me, understanding this paper is no simple task. It might take several months, or even longer.”

Hearing this, Théophile Hampri couldn’t help but swallow another gulp of air.

If even Professor Alain Connes couldn’t understand this paper, who else could possibly verify if it was correct?

Chapter 188: Go Conquer the Mathematicians of the World

Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Around noon the day after Xu Chuan sent his research paper to his advisors, Deligne and Witten, Deligne’s office door was suddenly flung open.

Deligne, who was reading the latest issue of the Annals of Mathematics, was startled. He relaxed only after seeing who it was.

Shooting the intruder a questioning look, Deligne set down the journal.

“Did you get it?”

Edward Witten walked hurriedly to the desk and asked his friend.

“Get what?” Deligne asked, a little confused.

“The proof of the Hodge Conjecture!” Witten said, enunciating each word.

Hearing this, Deligne froze for a moment, then quickly came to his senses and turned on his computer.

He logged into his email. Among the messages from his specially monitored senders, an email from that student of his was sitting right there.

He clicked it open, and the title of the attached file came into view.

[On a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.]

Seeing the email, Deligne’s breath hitched. He quickly grabbed his glasses from the desk, wiped the lenses with a cloth from his breast pocket, and put them on.

The bustling office instantly fell silent. A long time passed before the old man at the desk finally let go of the mouse, took off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It’s incredible. How long has it been?” Putting down his glasses, Deligne looked up at Witten and remarked with a sigh.

“Do you think he’s actually proved it?” Witten couldn’t help but ask from the side.

He had already read the paper, but to be honest, he hadn’t fully grasped the original algebraic variety and group mapping tool, let alone the current paper proving the Hodge Conjecture.

After all, he wasn’t a pure mathematician. Even his achievements in mathematics were built on the foundation of aiding physics. Despite having won a Fields Medal, his mathematical ability was still a step below that of the top traditional mathematicians.

Deligne shook his head. “I don’t know. For a proof of a major conjecture like this, I can’t reach a conclusion in such a short time.”

He paused, then continued, “However, from a brief scan of the paper, I haven’t found any major flaws. As for the finer details, it will take much longer to check and confirm everything.”

Hearing this, Witten pressed on, “But what’s your gut feeling?”

Deligne was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, “If I were to follow my heart, I’d want to believe he’s done it.”

Perhaps it was mathematical intuition, or perhaps it was confidence in his exceptionally young disciple, or maybe it was the feeling left by the perfection of the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

In any case, he was more inclined to believe that the paper in his hands had removed the Hodge Conjecture from the list of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

The paper might still have some issues, but those would just be a matter of revision.

After receiving a call from his Advisor, Deligne, Xu Chuan, who had been organizing his things, hurried to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

He knocked and entered. Inside the office were both of his advisors, Deligne and Witten.

Xu Chuan wasn’t surprised. This was the Hodge Conjecture, after all—a problem whose difficulty and importance were comparable to Fermat’s Last Theorem, proven by Professor Wiles, or the Poincaré Conjecture, proven by Professor Perelman.

In the office, the two advisors stared at Xu Chuan for a long while. They had many questions but didn’t know where to begin.

Finally, Deligne spoke up. “Witten and I have both read the paper you sent. However, fully understanding this paper is no easy task.”

Xu Chuan wasn’t puzzled by Professor Deligne’s words. He had written the proof of the Hodge Conjecture himself; no one knew the difficulty of the paper better than he did.

Nodding, he said, “If there’s anything in the paper you have questions about, I can explain.”

Xu Chuan had expected Professor Deligne or Professor Witten to raise some questions about the paper, but instead, Deligne shook his head.

“Clearing up our confusion is secondary. What I want to know is, have you submitted this paper for publication yet?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I haven’t submitted it yet, but I’ve already posted it on the arXiv preprint server.”

He hadn’t decided which journal to submit the proof of the Hodge Conjecture to.

Besides, a proof posted on the arXiv preprint server has some differences in format and conventions compared to a formal journal submission.

He had only just organized the paper and posted it yesterday. If he were to submit it formally, it would need further polishing.

“Then don’t be in a hurry to submit it.”

Deligne mulled it over for a moment, then said, “Witten and I will go over this paper for you first. After we’ve confirmed things, you can revise it, and once that’s done, you can submit it.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s eyes lit up. He said quickly, “I’ll have to trouble you both, then, Advisors.”

With two top-tier mathematical masters like Deligne and Witten reviewing his paper, if these two big shots confirmed there were no issues, the probability of the proof being correct would rise from his own estimate of ninety percent to ninety-nine percent.

Professor Deligne’s “going over” the paper took much longer than Xu Chuan had imagined.

He had originally expected to start discussing potential issues in the paper within three or four days, but he waited in his dorm for a full week without a single call from the old professor.

He even began to wonder if his two advisors had forgotten about it.

But thinking that was nearly impossible, he forced himself to be patient.

In his dorm, as Xu Chuan was organizing his manuscripts, the phone on his desk suddenly buzzed.

He thought it was Professor Deligne calling and walked over quickly, but the contact displayed on the screen was someone else he hadn’t expected.

The caller was Professor Pan Deming from Peking University in China.

The old professor had met him once at the Crafoord Prize banquet, and they had exchanged contact information.

Xu Chuan was still a bit surprised to receive a call from the old professor.

However, ever since he posted the Hodge Conjecture paper on arXiv, he had received calls from many people in China—from his advisor Chen Zhengping, to Professor Zhou Hai and Dean Rong Zhizhuan from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Academician Zhang Weiping from Riyue University, and even his old university friends like Fan Hong and Kong Zhong.

Viewed in this light, a call from Professor Pan wasn’t so surprising after all.

He swiped his finger across the screen and answered the call.

“The paper on arXiv that solves the Hodge Conjecture—was that you?”

The moment the call connected, Academician Pan’s urgent question came through.

Xu Chuan nodded and replied, “If there isn’t a second person named Xu Chuan who also uploaded a paper on the Hodge Conjecture to arXiv, then it should be me.”

Hearing this, the other end of the line went silent for a long time. Perhaps in amazement, perhaps not knowing what to say.

In fact, Pan Deming had known about this for several days and had immediately downloaded and printed the paper.

But after studying it for days, there were still many parts of the paper he couldn’t understand.

Perhaps it was because it touched upon too many areas of mathematics, or perhaps it was because he was getting old.

But regardless, when he reconfirmed the fact over the phone, he still couldn’t help but feel astonished and emotional.

As someone born in the 1930s, he had witnessed the entire founding, development, and rise of the nation.

And in the world of mathematics, he had met numerous brilliant and outstanding mathematicians and had conversed with them all, whether it was China’s Hua Luogeng, Chen Jingrun, and Shing-Tung Yau, or international figures like Faltings, Deligne, and even Grothendieck.

But to make such a colossal contribution to mathematics at the age of twenty… looking back through all of history, there were perhaps only a handful of people.

For example, Galois, the great mathematician who died young, proposed the concept of group theory at eighteen. He used it to rigorously prove that equations of the fifth degree and higher have no general solution in radicals, while those of the fourth degree and lower do, solving a problem that had plagued the mathematical world for 250 years.

After his mind wandered for a long while, Pan Deming finally gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, and asked steadily, “How confident are you that you’ve solved the Hodge Conjecture?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. He was about to say “I don’t know,” but for some reason, he held back the words as they reached his lips.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke again. “Over ninety percent confident, I’d say.”

He paused, then added, “Right now, my two advisors, Professor Deligne and Professor Witten, are checking the proof. If they confirm there are no major issues, then it should be fine.”

Hearing this, the other end of the line fell silent again, but not for long this time. The old man sighed, “It’s truly incredible.”

“After meeting you in Stockholm last year, I’ve always been convinced you would forge a grand path in mathematics. But I never imagined that in just one year, you would make such a monumental breakthrough.”

“If the proof for the Hodge Conjecture is ultimately verified, you will be the foremost figure of the younger generation in mathematics. The future will be written by you.”

Xu Chuan smiled, said thank you, and calmly accepted the old man’s praise.

This was the Hodge Conjecture. If it was ultimately confirmed, this achievement would rank among the most important of his two lives combined.

After a brief pause, the voice on the other end of the line spoke again.

Pan Deming asked with a smile, “How much longer are you planning to stay there? When are you thinking of coming back?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know yet. I’ll see how things go.”

He really hadn’t decided on a time to return to China.

If circumstances allowed, he wanted to stay at Princeton as long as possible.

Even if he had proven the Hodge Conjecture, both Deligne and Witten still had much to teach him.

Besides, at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, there were many other top-tier mathematicians and physicists.

For example, Professor Fefferman, a Fields Medalist. Although his main focus was classical analysis, he also had profound research in areas like the theory of functions of several complex variables, smooth manifolds, and fluids.

The latter was related to fluid dynamics, a field he had always wanted to study.

With these top mathematicians and physicists, a single conversation could often lead to immense gains.

That’s why during his time at Princeton, he never missed any of the public lectures given by these masters.

Even during the crucial period of proving the Hodge Conjecture, he had carved out time to attend some professors’ public lectures.

So he cherished his time at Princeton, wanting to learn as much as he possibly could.

But Xu Chuan knew that his time at Princeton probably wouldn’t last much longer.

It might be because his research areas were mostly in pure, open theory, but so far, no one from the United States had approached him about staying and joining them.

But with the announcement of the proof of the Hodge Conjecture, they would definitely take notice of him.

Xu Chuan figured that they would probably come knocking in the near future.

He was very familiar with the whole process.

If you make a huge contribution in a certain field, the first step might be a subtle probe from a close friend, a classmate, or an advisor. If that yields no results, is politely declined, or meets with hesitation, then top universities like Princeton or Harvard will step in, inviting you to become a tenured professor and stay.

If you still refuse, and if your value is deemed high enough, the next step would be for the US National Academy of Sciences to make an appearance, inviting you to join and become an Academician.

If you are still refused at that point, they might resort to other measures. For instance, forcibly keeping you there, or arranging for your “suicide” or something similar.

With his experience from his past life, Xu Chuan estimated he was already nearing the first stage.

Perhaps in one or two months, or three or four, or at the latest, around the time of next year’s International Congress of Mathematicians, he would likely be contacted.

By then, he would probably have to leave Princeton.

Before that, however, he should be generally safe. Or rather, there wouldn’t be any problems until the Hodge Conjecture was fully accepted by the mathematical community.

Although he had already posted the paper on arXiv, it was still a long way from being verified as correct by the mathematical world.

It took a full three years for the mathematical community to conclude that Perelman’s proof of the Poincaré Conjecture was correct.

The importance of the Hodge Conjecture was no less than that of the Poincaré Conjecture, and no one knew how long it would take the mathematical world to accept and verify it.

Before the mathematical world formally accepted the proof of the Hodge Conjecture, no matter how exquisite or important the paper was, it was still just a manuscript. Although this manuscript could attract worldwide attention, as long as it wasn’t elevated to the status of a theorem, its value was not nearly as great.

Of course, things having come to this, he also had to be prepared to leave early.

After chatting for a few more sentences with Academician Pan Deming, Xu Chuan ended the call.

After waiting a few more days, he finally received a call from his advisor, Deligne, asking him to come to the office.

Arriving at Deligne’s office again, a full ten days had passed.

As expected, besides Deligne, his other advisor, Edward Witten, was also there.

Not only that, but there was another young man in the office.

Of course, though called a “young man,” he was actually in his thirties. This young scholar, named Gregory Oriel, was one of Deligne’s doctoral students, just like Xu Chuan.

The two had often studied and exchanged ideas together in the office before.

However, unlike usual, Gregory Oriel, who could be considered his ‘senior’, now looked at Xu Chuan with a gaze filled with admiration, worship, excitement, surprise, and a whole mix of other emotions.

“Amazing! Xu Chuan.”

Seeing Xu Chuan come in, Gregory Oriel walked over quickly and gave him a ‘heavy’ punch on the shoulder with his fist: “You actually solved the Hodge Conjecture! It’s unbelievable. Are you really only twenty? You’re not some undercover agent planted among humans by an alien civilization, are you?”

Xu Chuan rubbed his shoulder and chuckled. “It’s just an idea. Whether it’s truly solved still needs to be verified by the mathematical community. Until then, you can’t say the Hodge Conjecture has been solved.”

“You’re too modest. Maybe that’s a Chinese habit? A few of my Chinese friends are just like you, always saying they only know ‘a little bit,’ and then it turns out they know everything.”

Gregory Oriel grinned and added, “The professor has already checked your paper, and there are no problems. If I were you, I’d be popping the champagne by now.”

Xu Chuan smiled, greeted the two advisors in the office, and then his gaze fell on the solid wood desk, where a neat stack of papers lay.

Seeing Xu Chuan arrive, Professor Deligne paused his conversation with Witten. “Witten and I have spent the last few days reviewing your proof. The core line of reasoning is very sound. From our perspective, we haven’t found any major flaws. Of course, it’s possible that other mathematicians might discover something different.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Until a conjecture is elevated to a theorem, no one can guarantee its proof is absolutely correct. All I can do is my best to perfect it.”

Hearing this, Deligne smiled. “We haven’t found any issues with the core proof, but there are some other areas, like your application of metric spaces, that do have some flaws and shortcomings.”

“These might be easy to fix, but you should take them seriously. As for where the specific problems are, we’ve already marked them for you.”

With that, Deligne handed over the stack of papers from his desk.

Xu Chuan took the paper from Deligne’s hand and said solemnly, “I will do my absolute best to revise it.”

Deligne nodded. “Go on. Let me know when you’ve finished the revisions. If we verify there are no problems, Princeton will arrange a conference presentation for you. You’ll need to prepare your materials in advance.”

“After all, this is the Hodge Conjecture. For a major mathematical problem like this, the opinions of just Witten and me aren’t enough to determine if it’s correct. You’ll need to go to that conference presentation and conquer the mathematicians of the world.”

Chapter 189: The World Has Come for You

After returning to his dorm room with the problems pointed out by Deligne, Xu Chuan shut himself in his room of less than twenty square meters again.

Although Deligne had told him that the core of the proof was sound and the issues were only minor details, he didn’t dare to relax in the slightest.

Let alone him, even Wiles, who proved Fermat’s Conjecture, was once stuck on a ‘small problem’ for a full eight months.

Moreover, for mathematics, or for science in general, rigor is the most essential thing. Any science with flaws is, by definition, unscientific.

So, before formally submitting the paper and holding the conference presentation, he had to make the paper as perfect as possible.

While Xu Chuan was correcting and perfecting the problems his two advisors had found in the proof, more than ten days had passed since he posted the paper on the arXiv preprint server.

Whether through their own monitoring or by word of mouth from friends, the vast majority of scholars interested in the Hodge Conjecture or the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, as well as the online onlookers, had already heard the news.

Almost everyone with the means to do so had downloaded the hundred-plus-page paper posted on the arXiv preprint server.

Unfortunately, not everyone could understand this hundred-plus-page paper.

Or rather, the people who could understand it were a very small minority.

The vast majority couldn’t even understand the most basic tools used within it, the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

As a result, debates raged online, especially in the field of mathematics, on a certain professional forum:

[Hey, have you guys read that paper on arXiv proving the Hodge Conjecture? Can any experts weigh in and explain whether the Hodge Conjecture has actually been proven?]

[I’ve read it, but I don’t understand it at all.]

[Unbelievable, is there really hope of solving the Hodge Conjecture?]

[You’re overthinking it. This is one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. So far, only the Poincaré Conjecture has been solved, and that was the culmination of countless people’s efforts over a century. Perelman solved the three-dimensional Poincaré Conjecture by standing on the shoulders of giants. But the Hodge Conjecture? Forget the shoulders of giants, there isn’t even a ladder right now.]

[More importantly, such a significant proof was just thrown onto a junk site like arXiv. Isn’t the implication obvious?]

[But the person who wrote the proof is the winner of the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Astronomy Prize, the young genius Xu Chuan. Considering he previously solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, he must have some confidence. Besides, he has a habit of posting his papers on arXiv.]

[But the Weyl-Berry conjecture and the Hodge Conjecture are on completely different levels. The former isn’t even famous in the mathematics world, while the latter is a century-old problem. More critically, how long has it been since he solved the Weyl-Berry conjecture? Less than two years, right? Solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems in two years, do you guys believe that?]

[I remember Professor Wiles took seven years to solve Fermat’s Conjecture, and Perelman took a full eight years to prove the Poincaré Conjecture. Is it possible to solve the Hodge Conjecture in less than two years? Perhaps this paper will soon be verified by the mathematics community as having major flaws, and the Hodge Conjecture will remain unsolved.]

arXiv has no peer review. If a paper on there hasn’t already been verified, no one knows if it’s correct.

Everyone was abuzz with discussion about the Hodge Conjecture proof that Xu Chuan had posted.

Some thought there was hope for the Hodge Conjecture to be solved. After all, the person who uploaded it was a genius mathematician, a top candidate for the Fields Medal. One could even say he was already a Fields Medalist, since he only needed to wait a short while longer to receive it.

It was already November 2017, and the International Congress of Mathematicians in August of the next year was only eight or nine months away.

Of course, even more people didn’t believe the Hodge Conjecture had been solved.

Whether looking at it from the perspective of time, age, or other factors, it all seemed a bit unreliable.

It wasn’t that the Seven Millennium Prize Problems had never been solved before, but to solve one of them in less than two years was something no one would believe if you told them.

The time was too short.

And the prover was unbelievably young.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, he was still two months away from his twentieth birthday. Even though he had already solved a world-class mathematical conjecture, not many people believed he could go on to solve a Millennium Prize Problem.

After all, most people, whether scholars or in other fields, are skeptical of the overly young.

This was more or less the same in every country.

Furthermore, according to confirmed reports, no journal in the field of mathematics had received a submission of this proof.

In other words, apart from posting his paper on arXiv, the young scholar had not formally submitted it to a mathematics journal.

In today’s academic world, this was not at all how one acted after formally solving a major conjecture.

So many people suspected this might be a joke.

And besides the discussion, many people were waiting for Princeton or the paper’s author to respond to the matter.

After all, this was the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

For such a major conjecture, the prover should, by all rights, come out and explain it.

At the very least, a press conference was necessary.

If he wanted to thoroughly verify his proof of the Hodge Conjecture, the author had an obligation to explain his theory and answer all questions.

Unless this was just a massive prank played on the whole world by this young scholar—a joke at the expense of his own reputation and future.

However, on this point, many were still willing to believe in the young scholar. After all, he had already solved a world-class problem before.

So, the entire mathematical community was waiting for a conference presentation to be held. Many mathematicians even contacted Princeton University directly, hoping that Xu Chuan would step forward to address the outside world’s skepticism.

However, Xu Chuan was unaware of all this at the moment. He was busy revising his paper, resolving the issues raised by Professor Deligne and Professor Witten during their review.

After locking himself in his dorm for five whole days, Xu Chuan finally finished revising the paper.

In fact, his two advisors, Deligne and Witten, hadn’t raised many issues—just two problems and three suggestions in total.

It was just that in order to perfectly resolve these issues, he had mulled over each one multiple times.

And after perfectly resolving the problems, he checked the paper twice more, which took up several days.

To be honest, for a proof of over one hundred pages, for two top-tier mathematical big shots to only find two problems spoke volumes about the paper’s quality.

With the newly revised paper in hand, Xu Chuan went to see his two advisors. After verification and discussion, the three of them finally confirmed the proof was complete.

At the same time, the response the outside world had long been waiting for finally arrived.

That afternoon, an important announcement about a mathematics conference was posted on Princeton University’s official website.

In five days, on the coming Monday, Princeton University would hold a conference presentation. The speaker would be Xu Chuan, and the topic would be the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

As soon as this conference information was announced, the entire field of mathematics erupted.

From the appearance of the Hodge Conjecture proof on arXiv to the announcement of a related conference presentation by the author, the mathematical world had waited a full twenty days.

Such a long wait was unprecedented and had caused the outside world’s skepticism about the paper to reach its peak.

But now, all the doubts and discussions would finally see a conclusion.

Mathematicians interested in the event rushed to buy plane tickets.

Following the update on Princeton University’s official website, numerous mathematicians began to pour into Princeton.

The quiet little town gradually became bustling.

Xu Chuan wasn’t actually too worried about the conference presentation for the Hodge Conjecture proof.

Whether it was organizing the presentation itself, arranging for visiting scholars, dealing with the media, or even the banquet and ball afterward, Princeton University was handling everything.

The only thing he had to do was prepare his presentation materials and anticipate the questions that the many mathematicians in attendance might ask.

Even though two experts like Deligne and Witten had already helped him go over the proof, at the conference, facing mathematicians from all over the world, he could still face some fatal or unexpected questions.

So he had to make more preparations before the conference began.

The days passed one by one, and soon it was the day before the conference presentation.

In Rockefeller College, Xu Chuan put down his ballpoint pen, got up, and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of yogurt from the fridge. Before he could even take a sip, there was a knock on the door.

Curious about who would be looking for him at this hour, he opened the door to his dorm room and was momentarily stunned by the people standing outside.

“Teacher, Dean Rong, Academician Zhang, what are you all doing here?”

Standing at the door were his advisor from Nanjing University, Chen Zhengping; the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, Rong Zhizhuan; and Zhang Weiping from Riyue University.

“What, not happy to see us?” asked Academician Zhang Weiping from Riyue University with a smile.

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He quickly stepped aside, ushering the three of them into his dorm. “Quick, please, come in.”

“You’ve really done something huge this time, kid. Proving the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems! Tsk tsk, I never heard you mention you were researching this topic before.”

The three of them stepped into the dorm. Dean Rong Zhizhuan of Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences looked around the room, then turned to Xu Chuan with an admiring smile.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I had a sudden inspiration and decided to try researching in this direction. As for whether I’ve truly proven the Hodge Conjecture, we’ll have to wait for the conclusion from the field of mathematics.”

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan smiled and shook his head. “You’re still so modest. Your time abroad hasn’t changed you one bit.”

He paused, then continued, “Before coming here, we went to see Professor Deligne. He had very high praise for your paper. And he and Witten have already verified it; there are no problems.”

At his side, Chen Zhengping interjected, “How are the preparations for tomorrow’s conference presentation coming along?”

Xu Chuan: “I’ve definitely prepared. I’ve thought through everything I can on my end, but I just don’t know what kind of questions others will ask tomorrow.”

Chen Zhengping nodded, took a thin sheaf of rolled-up papers from his pocket, and handed it over.

“These are some thoughts from a few mathematics professors back home who have studied your proof. There are ideas and suggestions inside. They might be of some help to you.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was taken aback. He quickly took the papers and unrolled them to read.

He truly hadn’t expected Chen Zhengping to bring him such a gift. It was, without a doubt, incredibly valuable.

Rong Zhizhuan added from the side, “You should really thank Academician Zhang Weiping for this. He took the lead in organizing a small symposium back in China, inviting some top mathematics professors from home and abroad to help discuss it.”

Xu Chuan was stunned again. He looked at Zhang Weiping and thanked him sincerely, “Thank you.”

Zhang Weiping waved his hand and smiled. “With your current mathematical ability, these ideas and suggestions are probably nothing to you.”

The three of them didn’t stay in the dorm for long. After saying hello and delivering their gift, they left without even having a sip of hot tea.

After all, the conference presentation for the Hodge Conjecture proof was the next day, and everyone knew how busy Xu Chuan must be.

The next day, at two in the afternoon.

Alexander Hall at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was packed to the rafters.

In addition to the scholars invited to attend the academic presentation, there were also many mathematicians who came of their own accord, as well as students who had come with their advisors.

The mathematicians and mathematics students from China, in particular, made up nearly one-fifth of the entire audience, the vast majority being students who had come with their advisors to broaden their horizons.

So many people came to attend that Alexander Hall, which could seat over five hundred, was overflowing. Many who couldn’t find a seat had to either sit or stand in the aisles.

Backstage, Xu Chuan sat calmly on a wooden chair, a slight smile on his face.

His calm and steady demeanor made a staff member nearby curious. The staffer smiled and asked, “You don’t seem nervous at all.”

Xu Chuan joked, “That’s because you can’t see how fast my heart is beating.”

The staffer chuckled. “It’s different. I’ve worked here for many years and have seen plenty of brilliant young talents. No matter who it is, before going on stage to give a presentation, they almost always have to use various methods to suppress their excitement.”

“Even Scholze, at the beginning, had to rely on constant deep breaths to regulate his emotions, let alone for a presentation proving a major conjecture like this.”

The staff member paused, looking Xu Chuan up and down, then added, “You seem much calmer. I don’t see much nervousness in you.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Giving a presentation on stage isn’t harder than proving a mathematical conjecture, is it?”

Hearing this, the staff member also laughed. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when another, younger staff member trotted in.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, it’s 1:55. Everything is ready outside. Do you need anything else?”

Xu Chuan stood up. “Thank you. I’m ready.”

With that, he walked toward the stage.

Chapter 190: Conquering the Mathematicians of the World

The conference presentation was scheduled to begin at two o’clock sharp, but Xu Chuan couldn’t just walk on stage at the stroke of two.

Arriving on stage a little early was a necessary courtesy and a sign of respect from the speaker to the audience.

As he appeared on the stage, the packed Alexander Hall fell silent in an instant. All discussion ceased as every eye turned to the young man on stage, leaving only the soft clicking of cameras to break the silence.

Stared at by hundreds of pairs of eyes, Xu Chuan felt little nervousness.

After all, he had been through this before.

Never mind speaking to a few hundred people; when he had discovered dark matter and dark energy in his previous life, that was what you would call a frenzy.

If it weren’t for the ample security holding back the crowd, every single person would have likely tried to leap at him.

Compared to the madness of that time, this scene was nothing.

On the stage, Xu Chuan opened his prepared laptop and clicked on his pre-made PPT presentation.

A slide was projected onto the silver-white screen.

The image on it was of a golden sphere on a grid, with lines of various colors—blue, purple, red, and black—weaving intricately through it.

This image was derived from the background of the Hodge Conjecture’s formulation. In the twentieth century, mathematicians discovered a powerful method for studying the shapes of complex objects. The idea was to see to what extent the shape of a given object could be formed by gluing together simple geometric building blocks of progressively increasing dimensions.

The grid plane, the sphere, and the curves that could weave through the sphere represented this idea, and thus it became widely used in introductions to the Hodge Conjecture.

Above the image, a line of bold text read: “Hodge Conjecture.”

This was the theme of the day.

After opening the first slide, Xu Chuan turned to face the crowd in Alexander Hall and began to speak with a steady voice.

“Thank you all for traveling from all corners of the world to be here. I offer you my most sincere gratitude.”

“The theme of today’s presentation is the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.”

“I believe you have all read my research paper, so I will not present it in its entirety again. My explanation will focus on two aspects.”

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan gently clicked the presenter remote in his hand.

The image on the projection screen changed.

The first proper slide of the presentation appeared.

【The Algebraic Variety and Group Mapping Tool】

【The Proof Process of the Hodge Conjecture】

Two lines of text appeared on the concise slide.

Xu Chuan glanced at the slide and continued, “As you can see, in the following explanation, I will concentrate on these two areas: the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ and the ‘proof process of the Hodge Conjecture.’”

“The former is the key to solving the Hodge Conjecture, a bridge connecting algebraic geometry and topology, and the most essential part of this research paper. The latter is the complete line of reasoning for the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.”

“I will focus my attention on these two aspects and will only touch upon other things briefly.”

“Of course, if you have any questions about the paper, you may ask them during the subsequent Q&A session, and I will do my best to answer them.”

Highlighting the main points of a presentation was something every competent academic speaker would do.

After all, everyone’s time was precious. They didn’t come to a presentation to watch the speaker read aloud from a PowerPoint things that were already in the paper.

And it was a custom and a necessary courtesy in academia to study the speaker’s paper before the conference presentation.

Everyone was here to learn and to understand what they did not yet grasp.

There was no need to repeat the validation processes and other details that were already clearly written in the paper.

To go through a paper of over a hundred pages in exhaustive detail would likely take several days.

Moreover, for most of the attendees—such as the students who came with their professors to broaden their horizons, or the professors who came of their own accord—they were here to witness history.

A presentation of a few hours was fine, but a conference lasting several days would test the patience of most.

Flipping to the next slide, Xu Chuan delved into the main topic of the presentation.

“The algebraic variety and group mapping tool is the core mathematical tool for proving the Hodge Conjecture. If you wish to understand the proof process, you must have a sufficient understanding of this tool.”

“This mathematical method originates from the mapping and twisting of the Weyl group, with its core idea being the mapping of algebraic varieties through the Weyl group, followed by the introduction of the Bruhat decomposition and field theory.”

As he spoke, the images on the PowerPoint slides changed one after another.

“…Let G = GL(n,C) be the general complex linear group, and B ∈ G be an upper triangular subgroup. Then, the Bruhat decomposition of G is the double coset decomposition BB = ∐ BωB. The Weyl group W is a group of linear isomorphisms of N×N permutation matrices.”

“…A maximal torus of the unitary group U(n) is T:={diag(d₁, d₂, …, dₙ):|dⱼ|=1}. Then the double coset decomposition of a subgroup G of U(n) is TT = ∐ BωB.”

“…”

In the entire research paper proving the Hodge Conjecture, this algebraic variety and group mapping tool was undoubtedly the most important and essential part.

It was built on the framework of algebraic groups, subgroups, and tori proposed by Professor Mirzakhani, but it had been completely transformed, one might say it had completely shed its original foundation and structure to become a brand-new mathematical method.

And the mathematical community was always rather cautious when it came to accepting a brand-new mathematical tool.

Therefore, Xu Chuan was giving a detailed explanation of this tool at today’s presentation.

On one hand, it was to allow more mathematicians to understand it.

On the other hand, it was to prepare for the subsequent presentation of the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

After all, if one didn’t understand the algebraic variety and group mapping tool, the proof process of the Hodge Conjecture that followed would be even more incomprehensible.

Xu Chuan was very thorough in explaining this part, starting from the principles and covering every detail, from how to map, twist, and extend the group field.

And the audience in the hall listened with equal concentration.

Even the mathematics students who were already beginning to lose track kept their eyes wide open and fixed on the stage.

Students who were able to attend such a major mathematical conference with their advisors were generally those aspiring to go further in mathematics.

And for those who studied mathematics, listening to a leading figure like this explain a problem was far better than poring over textbooks alone.

Even if they couldn’t understand the process, there were always some concepts and ideas they could jot down. When these things were combined with the knowledge in their own minds, they could often spark inspiration.

For students or professors aspiring to advance in mathematics, a presentation on the proof of a major conjecture was an unmissable event.

On the stage, Xu Chuan methodically explained the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

In a corner of the hall, Hu Xingjian, who had come to the conference with his advisor Zhang Weiping, watched the peer on stage speaking with such eloquence, a complex expression on his face.

More than two years had passed since they had last seen each other at the Morningside Medal of Mathematics awards ceremony.

Two and a half years had not even been enough for him to complete all his studies at university, yet the young man who had been dazzlingly brilliant back then was now standing on a peak far beyond his reach.

The proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

This was a problem that ordinary people could spend a lifetime studying without making a dent, yet that person had solved it in just two years.

“Professor, do you think he has really solved the Hodge Conjecture?” he finally couldn’t help but ask his advisor, Zhang Weiping, in a low voice.

Although he had been trying his best to listen and had read the hundred-plus-page paper beforehand, sitting here today, he still couldn’t keep up with the other’s pace. And now, he was completely lost when it came to the algebraic variety and group mapping tool that was being explained.

You either get it or you don’t. Mathematics was just that unforgiving.

Hearing the question, Zhang Weiping turned to look at his student. Seeing the complex expression on his face, he smiled and said, “What’s wrong? Feeling discouraged?”

He could naturally guess some of what his disciple was thinking and feeling.

After a pause, he continued to console him, “You don’t need to, and you shouldn’t, compare yourself to him. If you are a genius, then he is a true prodigy.”

“Figures as prodigious as him, throughout the entire history of mathematics, can be counted on one hand.”

The presentation time passed quickly. As Xu Chuan spoke, half of the scheduled one-hour presentation flew by in the blink of an eye.

And at this point, he had only just finished explaining the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

Of course, a real presentation could not possibly end in just one hour. Everyone present, whether it was Xu Chuan or the audience in the hall, was prepared to stay until the end, just in time for dinner.

No one minded the long duration; those who did would have already left. The ones who remained all hoped the explanation would be as detailed as possible, even if they couldn’t understand it.

On stage, after explaining the algebraic variety and group mapping tool, Xu Chuan looked out at the audience below.

Next was the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

Although theoretically, the proof of the Hodge Conjecture was far more important than the algebraic variety and group mapping tool, for both Xu Chuan and the audience, once this tool was created and they learned how to use it, the rest would follow logically.

It was like using an axe to chop down a great tree.

Although the tree was unimaginably enormous, with enough time, you could still fell it bit by bit.

Using the algebraic variety and group mapping tool to complete the Hodge Conjecture was like using an axe to cut down a towering tree.

Perhaps one day in the future, the field of mathematics would find a more efficient tool, something like a ‘chainsaw,’ but for now, the importance and sharpness of this axe were beyond doubt.

It had successfully cleaved through the invisible shackles of the Hodge Conjecture, revealing the gate to a new world before everyone’s eyes.

Meanwhile, in the front rows of the conference hall, in a section of seats that had been reserved in advance, an old man with cloudy yet profound eyes gazed at the young man on stage.

On either side of this old man were two other slightly younger men. One was Professor Pierre Deligne from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

The other was Professor Gerd Faltings from the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics.

To be flanked by two of the world’s top mathematical experts like this was a clear indication of the old man’s extraordinary status.

And indeed, he was.

Because this old man was named Jean-Pierre Serre.

The youngest Fields Medal laureate in history, the first recipient of the Abel Prize, and a winner of the Wolf Prize in Mathematics—a genius mathematician who was the first in history to achieve the grand slam of all three awards.

After the passing of Pope Grothendieck in 2014, this old man could be said to be the greatest living scholar in the field of mathematics today.

His research in pure mathematics, including topology, algebraic geometry, and number theory, was profound. Even Faltings, who was now being spoken of as a potential number one, was like a student before him.

However, Serre was now ninety-one years old and had long since retired to enjoy his later years.

In fact, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study had not sent Serre an invitation letter, considering his age and whether his health could withstand the trip.

But unexpectedly, upon hearing the news, Serre had insisted on coming in person, and no amount of persuasion from those around him could change his mind.

Staring at the young man on stage who was earnestly explaining his work, Serre’s eyes grew hazy. It was as if time had rewound seventy years, back to when he was a student attending Professor Hilbert’s lectures.

That towering figure was so similar to the young man of today.

At the same time, as Xu Chuan’s explanation continued, the proof of the Hodge Conjecture entered its most critical, concluding stage.

On stage, Xu Chuan turned to a new slide: “…Since the trace map Tr, the restriction map, and the Poincaré duality theorem are all compatible with the action of Gal(k̄/k), the action of Gal(k̄/k) on the cohomology classes defined on Y is also trivial.”

As the final moment approached, the entire hall became so silent you could hear a pin drop.

The soft murmurs that had arisen during the explanation of the algebraic variety and group mapping tool now vanished. Even the scholars who could no longer follow the presentation at all felt a strange sensation welling up inside them.

And so, every member of the audience unconsciously held their breath, their eyes fixed on the screen on the stage.

On it were the final steps of the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

With the final step at hand, Xu Chuan shifted his gaze from the projection screen to the audience below.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a steady voice, “When i ≤ n/2, the quadratic form x → (-1)ⁱ Lⁿ⁻²ⁱ(x·x) on Aⁱ(X) ∩ ker(Lⁿ⁻²ⁱ⁺¹) is positive definite.”

“From this, it can be concluded that on a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.”

“Thus, the Hodge Conjecture is proven!”

As the last sentence fell, Alexander Hall was instantly filled with thunderous applause.

Following Lefschetz’s proof in 1924 that the Hodge Conjecture was correct in low dimensions, after nearly a century of storms and struggles, regardless of the final verdict, at this very moment, the genius youth standing on the stage had used his own theory to put an end to a century-old problem.

And in doing so, he had conquered the mathematicians of the entire world!

Chapter 191: Shing-Tung Yau’s Invitation

In Alexander Hall, thunderous applause echoed for a long, long time.

Standing on the stage, Xu Chuan savored the moment. It was an honor he truly deserved.

After a good while, the applause gradually subsided. Xu Chuan looked out at the audience in the hall, his gaze falling on the old man in the center of the front row.

He saw the approval in the old man’s eyes and broke into a brilliant smile.

However, it wasn’t time to celebrate just yet. The upcoming question-and-answer session was the real make-or-break moment.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan turned his gaze to the rest of the audience and said calmly, “This concludes the presentation of my research paper on the proof of the Hodge Conjecture. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them.”

For the Hodge Conjecture, and for the field of mathematics, the most crucial elements were the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

If one could understand this mathematical tool, then the proof of the Hodge Conjecture would naturally become clear.

Of course, Xu Chuan didn’t expect a single conference presentation to make everyone in the Great Hall understand the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

In fact, he estimated that less than a fifth of the people present would be able to fully grasp the tool today.

But that didn’t matter in the slightest.

As long as the top tier of mathematicians could successfully understand the proof, today’s conference presentation would be a success.

After all, cutting-edge mathematics was never something everyone could master.

Starting from three o’clock, the Q&A session didn’t formally end until four-thirty in the afternoon, lasting a full hour and a half.

This was quite normal. After all, the Hodge Conjecture connected algebraic geometry and topology.

Its proof would link two extremely important fields in mathematics, allowing mathematicians, for the first time, to unify these two fields to a certain extent.

In the current field of mathematics, both algebraic geometry and topology were among the hottest areas of study, and the number of mathematicians researching them was countless.

Faced with the proof of the Hodge Conjecture and the algebraic variety and group mapping tool, even though Xu Chuan’s explanation during the presentation was very detailed, many mathematicians still had their own questions.

Fortunately, they had someone to rely on at this moment. The young man on the stage would resolve the doubts in their minds.

For someone with questions, having a person who could answer them was perhaps the most fortunate thing of all.

On stage, Xu Chuan did his utmost to answer every question raised.

Luckily, everything went smoothly.

His only slight regret was that, during the Q&A session, not many Chinese scholars stood up.

Only a handful of mathematics professors of Chinese nationality raised their hands and stood to ask their questions.

This might have something to do with the reserved nature of his countrymen, but it was more indicative of his Motherland’s weakness in this fundamental field.

But this was not something that could be rushed; it could only develop slowly over time.

After the Q&A session, the main part of the mathematics conference presentation officially concluded.

Of course, the evening gala and ball were a time-honored tradition.

As soon as the presentation ended, Xu Chuan walked off the stage, and the media reporters in the Great Hall quickly swarmed him.

“Mr. Xu Chuan, I’m a reporter from ABC. I heard that you previously made great contributions at CERN. Are you interested in other disciplines, like physics or chemistry?”

Xu Chuan replied, “I’m quite interested in physics. High-energy physics is truly fascinating, and collision experiments allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental nature of the world.”

“Mr. Xu Chuan, this is a reporter from The Washington Post. May I ask if you are completely confident in your proof of the Hodge Conjecture?”

Xu Chuan said, “Of course. I have complete confidence in the algebraic variety and group mapping tool. It can pry open the gates of the Hodge Conjecture and lead us into a new world.”

“Mr. Xu Chuan, I’m a reporter from The Wall Street Journal. Do you plan to become a mathematics professor at Princeton in the future?”

“…”

A barrage of questions came at him. Xu Chuan selectively answered a few and then tried to slip away.

Unfortunately, it was clear that the reporters had no intention of letting him go so easily, especially in a confined space like the Great Hall.

Thankfully, Princeton staff arrived in time to intervene, allowing him to escape.

To be honest, in Xu Chuan’s opinion, dealing with reporters and their oddly angled questions was even more difficult than researching mathematics.

These shrewd media reporters were masters of setting traps in their questions and quoting interviews out of context for the sake of clicks, often leaving a certain scholar or scientist so screwed over they were left speechless with frustration.

Compared to other disciplines, mathematics was slightly better off when it came to being railroaded by reporters.

The fields that suffered the most at the hands of the media were medicine and biology, as these two often involved issues of personal safety.

There had even been instances of public confrontations between scientists and reporters.

For example, three medical doctors from Cardiff University in Great Britain published an article in The Guardian, furiously condemning a report by The Daily Mail for being a gross misrepresentation of their interview.

The issue arose from their discovery that a neurotransmitter in the human frontal lobe, known as GABA, might have a concentration related to certain types of impulsive personalities.

But this is how The Daily Mail reported on this research finding:

[“A study from Cardiff University shows that the recent destructive riots in England were caused by the participants’ brains lacking a certain chemical component.”]

After the news was published, it quickly surpassed a million views. Readers spread the misinformation, which eventually led to statements like, “Scientists claim that the rioters don’t know how to be responsible for themselves; they can’t control themselves because they have too little GABA in their brains!”

And one ridiculous newspaper, The Sun, even claimed to have creatively introduced a magical nasal spray that could stop drunken brawls by controlling GABA.

This absurd distortion and rumor-mongering showed that some “unscrupulous” newspapers had no integrity whatsoever, whereas the vast majority of scientists were quite principled.

When these two met, it was a case of a scholar meeting a soldier—reasoning was useless.

Therefore, apart from a small minority of scientists who enjoyed the limelight, most of them did not like media interviews.

On one hand, it was too difficult to answer all the bizarre questions.

On the other, they had to be careful not to be quoted out of context one day.

After the successful conclusion of the conference presentation, the evening gala was held as scheduled in Princeton’s Alexander Music Hall.

Organized by the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, the event placed Xu Chuan at the center of the ballroom. Amidst the elegant music, Peter Goddard, the Dean of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, walked over with an expensive bottle of champagne and stood before him.

“Open it. It’s yours now.”

With a smile, Peter Goddard handed the champagne over. Xu Chuan took it from the tray without hesitation.

After shaking it vigorously a few times, he pressed his thumb on the cork, spun the bottle twice, and with a pop, the cork flew off to who knows where. Fine foam sprayed out, dousing several of the guests.

No one minded. On the contrary, countless people wanted to come forward and ask Xu Chuan for a taste of the glorious champagne.

After all, this was the glory of having proved the Hodge Conjecture.

After smiling and dealing with the mathematicians who came to talk to him, Xu Chuan was about to get up to find Professor Jean-Pierre Serre when the old man appeared before him at just the right moment.

“Congratulations, you young genius.”

Accompanied by Charles Fefferman, the Director of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics, the man, now over ninety, stood before him and offered his congratulations with a smile.

“Professor Serre.” Xu Chuan walked over in pleasant surprise, half-supporting the nearly-centenarian elder.

The old man gripped his hand tightly and sighed, “I never thought I would live to see the day the Hodge Conjecture was solved. You have brought about a miracle.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “There’s still the peer review. It’s still uncertain whether my proof will pass that stage.”

Professor Serre smiled and said, “Both Deligne and Faltings have given your paper very high praise. I believe it’s only a matter of time.”

Xu Chuan replied, “I hope your good words come true. I hope to finally pluck the Hodge Conjecture from the pantheon of mathematics this time.”

After chatting for a while, Professor Serre smiled, patted his arm, and said his goodbyes. “Enjoy tonight’s ball. It is your moment of glory.”

“I’m just an old geezer, so I won’t disturb you any longer. If you have time, you are most welcome to come visit me at the University of Paris for a chat.”

Xu Chuan quickly responded, “I will definitely be there.”

After Professor Jean-Pierre Serre left, someone else approached.

This time, it was the elder Mr. Shing-Tung Yau, who came over with a glass of wine to congratulate him.

This elder professor was a student of Professor Shiing-Shen Chern. In terms of mathematical achievements alone, he had already surpassed Chern.

Now in his sixties, he had won the world’s top three awards: the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, and the Crafoord Prize, and his accomplishments in mathematics were profound.

Professor Donaldson, an international master of mathematics and a Fields Medalist, called him “the most influential mathematician of the last quarter-century.”

Another international master and Abel Prize winner, Professor Singer, praised him by saying, “Even at Harvard, Shing-Tung Yau is a mathematics department unto himself!”

And The New York Times went so far as to call him the “undisputed Emperor of Mathematics.”

Xu Chuan raised his glass and clinked it with the elder professor’s, saying thank you.

After chatting for a bit, the elder professor shifted the topic. “Can you tell me about your plans for the future? Are you planning to take up a position at Princeton, or are you preparing to return to China?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Barring any surprises, I’ll probably study at Princeton for a while longer. As for later on, I will likely choose to return to China.”

Hearing this, the elder Mr. Yau’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, “How about I invite you to join me in a position at Tsinghua University?”

“A while ago, Tsinghua University approached me and asked me to start a program there for cultivating leading talents in mathematical sciences. If you’re willing, I invite you to come with me.”

Xu Chuan smiled and declined the offer. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, sir. I’ve already promised my alma mater that if I return to China, I will likely take a professorship there.”

He directly and tactfully refused the elder professor’s invitation.

He knew the purpose of the invitation, but he did not want to get involved in the “power struggles” of China’s mathematics community.

He had some understanding of the field of mathematics in China. To control vast resources and benefits, all sorts of struggles were inevitable.

Of course, disputes between academic schools existed everywhere. Did Princeton not have its own schools of thought?

Obviously, it did. The Princeton school of thought was one of the largest in mathematics today.

Academic struggles and disputes between schools were very normal and could even promote scientific development to a certain extent.

The prerequisite was that the competition had to be healthy.

But to put it bluntly, the academic factionalism in China had already become toxic.

It was undeniable that many of the top mathematicians in China were wholeheartedly and with unwavering determination dedicated to the development and advancement of Chinese mathematics.

For instance, the man before him had, over the past nearly forty years, established mathematics research centers at seven universities, including Tsinghua, Southeast University, and Zhejiang University. He had founded the Yanqi Lake Applied Mathematics Research Institute to cultivate young talent, serving as its director without taking a single penny in salary.

But to put it bluntly again, the severe academic factionalism in China had already interfered with the development of domestic mathematics to a large extent.

This was especially true for the development of the younger generation of mathematics students.

Xu Chuan had little desire to get involved in such messes, even though with his current achievements, he could be said to have reached the pinnacle of the Chinese mathematics community.

But in China, ability wasn’t the only factor that determined everything.

So, rather than getting involved in the chaotic struggle, it was better to return to Nanjing University.

Nanjing University’s mathematics department was indeed weak, but there, he could conduct his research without interference.

Compared to places like Tsinghua and Peking University, Nanjing University was purer, like a blank canvas on which he could write as he pleased.

More importantly, while Nanjing University’s mathematics was relatively weak, its physics was very strong.

His purpose in studying mathematics was ultimately to combine it with physics to advance the development of physics.

Once the gala and ball were over, the mathematics conference presentation was essentially finished for everyone else.

But for Xu Chuan, everything was just beginning.

With the presentation concluded, his research paper would officially enter the peer review process.

This review would be conducted jointly by six top mathematicians in algebraic geometry and topology, along with the Clay Mathematics Institute.

The list of reviewers included Faltings, Alain Connes, Shing-Tung Yau, Shigefumi Mori, and others.

The six reviewers were all Fields Medalists, and many had also won other top mathematics awards like the Wolf Prize, the Abel Prize, and the Crafoord Prize. The lineup was so star-studded that it was entirely befitting of the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

It was actually quite difficult for the mathematics community to select this list of reviewers.

According to the double-blind principle and the principle of recusal for manuscript reviews, the two most suitable reviewers, Deligne and Witten, were the first to be excluded.

After all, they were Xu Chuan’s advisors and should not be on this review list.

But honestly, there were no reviewers in the entire mathematics community more suitable than those two.

Professor Deligne was a disciple of the old Mr. Grothendieck, and his achievements in algebraic geometry could be considered number one in the world of mathematics today.

More importantly, he had been researching the Standard Conjectures left behind by the old Mr. Grothendieck. The Hodge Conjecture was a component of the Standard Conjectures.

Therefore, if one were to name the most suitable reviewer, Professor Deligne was undoubtedly the best choice of all.

Secondly, as the Seven Millennium Prize Problems were the century-old problems of the mathematics world, Princeton should not be overly involved in the review of this proof paper.

This excluded top figures like Fefferman, Robert Langlands, and Jean Bourgain.

After all, this was the highest honor, and the principle of recusal meant the mathematics community would not select Princeton mathematicians for the review.

After excluding these leading figures, it was indeed quite difficult to choose suitable reviewers.

As for the Clay Mathematics Institute, they had actually only arranged for one special representative to provide auxiliary support.

Although they were the ones who formulated the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, when it came to top-tier mathematics, they couldn’t be of much help.

Fortunately, the field of mathematics was filled with great minds, especially in popular fields like algebraic geometry and topology. There were still quite a few people who could take on this task.

Chapter 192: The Xu-Hodge Theorem

The day after the conference presentation, the prestigious review panel, composed of six Fields Medalists, officially began their evaluation of the thesis.

At the same time, the top journals in the field of mathematics came knocking one after another.

Editors or editors-in-chief from major journals like the Annals of Mathematics, New Progress in Mathematics, and Acta Mathematica came visiting with gifts. They all had a single purpose: to ask Xu Chuan to publish his thesis proving the Hodge Conjecture in their journal.

This was perhaps one of the rarest situations in the field of mathematics: the high-and-mighty journals were chasing after a mathematician.

For an ordinary mathematician, publishing a paper in a top-tier journal like the Annals of Mathematics was undoubtedly an incredibly difficult feat.

In truth, the academic world has its fair share of unspoken rules.

The academic world isn’t as simple as just looking at how badass your paper is or how much you’ve donated. Every journal (especially the top-tier ones) has its own circle, and with a circle comes an insider’s way of speaking.

If your paper doesn’t conform to that style, and your academic contribution isn’t exceptionally rare, then rejection is a very normal outcome.

As for how to enter these circles, it has to do with your Advisor, your university, and various other factors.

For instance, the Annals of Mathematics is jointly run by Princeton University and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

For mathematicians of the Princeton school of thought, this was the most accessible top-tier mathematics journal.

Otherwise, so many people wouldn’t be desperate to study or teach at top-tier universities like Princeton.

For a normal person, this is the fastest way to get in touch with the top echelons of the academic world.

Of course, for Xu Chuan, circles and cliques were completely meaningless.

As the saying goes, “to forge iron, one must be strong.” With his academic achievements, no journal would reject him.

Xu Chuan had little interest in dealing with these journals that came to him.

For his thesis on the Hodge Conjecture, assuming there were no surprises, he would probably choose to submit it to the Annals of Mathematics again.

On one hand, it was because of the journal’s connection to Princeton. On the other, he had collaborated with them happily several times before.

Moreover, the Annals of Mathematics was one of the four great journals and would not be an unworthy home for this paper.

Perhaps in the future, he could establish his own top-tier journal, but he lacked that ability for now.

Establishing a top-tier journal is no easy task. From operations to review editors, to contributors and societal influence, it all requires an extremely long time to build up bit by bit.

He wasn’t qualified yet. Even if he started a journal, no one would submit their work to it.

At his current age, the most important thing was to focus on his studies and his own breakthroughs.

Besides, he wasn’t in the mood for it right now. The journals came knocking just as his thesis was being reviewed by the six Fields Medalist masters.

After the conference presentation, the formal peer review of his Hodge Conjecture proof began. Xu Chuan was busy dealing with the various questions raised by these masters, with almost no free time each day.

This was a completely different situation from his proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.

When he proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the review took over ten days, but he was only slightly busy for the first few. The masters on the review panel understood the thesis smoothly. It could be said he had a rather leisurely time.

But this time, with the Hodge Conjecture, he was so busy he wished he could split himself in two.

At the same time, the news of his proof had crossed oceans to the other side of the Earth.

Because the thesis had not yet been fully verified by the mathematical community, the official media did not report on it extensively, only briefly mentioning it in daily news updates.

But even so, it was noticed, dug up, and posted online, sparking heated discussions among many people.

[A year later, the college entrance exam top scorer strikes again! This time, he’s taking on the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems!]

[Holy shit! You’re kidding, right?!]

[What’s the Hodge Conjecture? Never heard of it.]

[To the user above, you just need to know it’s a super badass math problem.]

[I Baidu’d it. The problem is called ‘On a non-singular complex projective algebraic variety, any Hodge class is a rational linear combination of algebraic cycle classes.’ What the hell is this? I recognize every word, but I can’t understand them when they’re put together.]

[It’s the hardest problem to understand out of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. Without a postdoc level of education, you can’t even understand the question.]

[The master is badass.]

[It hasn’t been proven yet, the peer review isn’t even over, and they’re already opening red wine to celebrate. If it gets disproven in the end, that’ll be a real slap in the face.]

[The user above is just sour grapes. Also, that’s not red wine, it’s champagne! Repeat after me: cham-pagne.]

[What he said isn’t wrong, though. The peer review really isn’t over yet. Celebrating so early would be hilarious if he gets a slap in the face later.]

[Heh, he conquered all the world’s mathematicians at the conference presentation—even Jean-Pierre Serre called it an excellent result—but he can’t conquer a bunch of morons like you who don’t even understand what the question means. How interesting.]

The online discussion grew more and more heated, but it had little effect on the field of mathematics.

The mathematical community had already experienced a collective earthquake when Xu Chuan first posted his thesis on arXiv.

The end of the conference presentation was merely fanning the flames.

Given the nature of China’s mathematical community and official media, there would certainly be no large-scale publicity before the peer review was completely finished and the dust had settled.

However, it was certain that major media outlets, from CTV to the People’s Daily to New Youth, were already prepared.

They were just waiting for the dust to settle, and then this massive propaganda machine would roar to life.

It wasn’t just the media. The proof of the Hodge Conjecture had already drawn the official attention of the highest levels of government.

Aside from a select few, no one else knew what sort of change this attention would bring to the nation.

It represented not just a mathematical conjecture or a Fields Medal, but a world-class level of academic achievement.

And China had been lacking such a scholar for a very long time.

Far away in Princeton, Xu Chuan was unaware of the commentary back home. He was currently busy with the peer review.

It had to be said, the field of mathematics was truly a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

Even though his advisors Deligne and Witten had already vetted his paper, several less-than-perfect areas were still found during the review.

Among them, the most serious issue was raised by Professor Faltings from Germany, which required time-consuming revisions.

This big shot, who had once used methods from algebraic geometry to prove the Mordell conjecture, posed a rather tricky question about the use of projective varieties in the paper.

It was a detail that neither Deligne, Witten, nor he himself had noticed.

It had to be said that the mathematical ability and rigor of this old gentleman from Germany were truly admirable.

Of course, if he had merely pointed out the problem, it wouldn’t have been so impressive.

But the old gentleman not only identified the issue, he also provided two ways to revise it, from almost completely different directions.

Although all roads lead to Rome, to be able to provide two completely different methods for a top-level mathematical problem like this showed just how incredibly powerful the old gentleman’s mathematical prowess was.

And this was indeed the case. In the entire field of algebraic geometry, ever since his founding father Grothendieck had passed away, Faltings was now hailed as the number one figure in the field.

And considering the status of algebraic geometry in the modern field of mathematics, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the number one mathematician in the world today.

Many people didn’t quite understand this assessment.

This was because Faltings’s contributions to mathematics did not include any famous, household-name theories. Perhaps the most familiar would be his proof of the Mordell conjecture.

But there were conjectures in the mathematical world on the same level as, or even more famous than, the Mordell conjecture.

For example, Professor Deligne proved the Weil conjectures, Professor Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem, and Perelman proved the Poincaré Conjecture, among others.

Looking at it from that perspective, Faltings didn’t seem to rank that highly.

But the mathematical community’s recognition of a person’s mathematical ability isn’t based solely on proving a certain mathematical conjecture.

Although that certainly carries a lot of weight, the tools and methods used in the proof, as well as the quantity of mathematical achievements and contributions to the field of mathematics, are the more crucial factors.

And this old gentleman was a creator of tools and methods. He had found a nearly perfect path to combine algebra and analysis and used it to create immense value.

For instance, the arithmetic algebraic geometry methods he had previously developed were applied by Professor Andrew Wiles in his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, where they played a very significant role.

And this time, just by proposing two methods for a single problem, Xu Chuan experienced the old gentleman’s powerful, yet almost inhuman, mathematical ability and talent.

In today’s field of mathematics, if you pictured mathematical problems as great mountains…

Ordinary mathematicians would solve problems by either climbing the snowy peaks or crossing the grasslands, looking for a shortcut to bypass them.

But when Faltings faced a mountain, he would directly flatten it with a bulldozer or blow it up with dynamite.

He didn’t use skill to do it; he did it purely with power. He was a power-type player.

This might sound vague, but it was Xu Chuan’s deepest impression of the old man.

This conceited and arrogant old man from Germany, with his mastery of mathematical tools, had opened the door to a new world for him with just two solutions to a single problem, leaving a deep impression.

After spending a few days and considering the opinions of Faltings, the reviewer who raised the issue, Xu Chuan successfully completed the revisions to his thesis.

Fortunately, the problem was not fatal, nor did it trouble him for nearly a year as had happened to Wiles when he was proving Fermat’s Last Theorem.

With the revised thesis in hand, Xu Chuan went to find Professor Faltings again and handed him the paper.

The old gentleman showed no surprise that he had managed to complete the revisions so quickly, as if it were only to be expected. He nonchalantly reached out, took the paper, and began to read.

It was only when the revised paper came into view that a trace of surprise flashed in the arrogant German’s eyes. He sat up straight and became serious.

Over ten minutes later, Faltings put down the paper, looked up at Xu Chuan, and said coolly, “Congratulations, you’ve completed the revisions. For the part I was responsible for reviewing, I have no other comments or questions.”

“Deligne was right about you. You are indeed one of the most outstanding mathematicians in the world, no weaker than Scholze, and you have the potential to surpass me.”

After a pause, the old gentleman continued, “Of course, it’s merely potential.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was so taken aback he almost choked.

The rumors about this old gentleman’s terrible personality, his conceit and arrogance, were not wrong in the slightest. He was the King of Kings of Flexing.

However, he had heard a few rumors about the most outstanding mathematicians Faltings mentioned.

The old gentleman had once made a similar comment about Peter Scholze: “He’s one of the best three mathematicians I’ve ever met in my life, and he has the potential to surpass him.”

Many in the mathematics community knew of this rumor.

They all speculated as to who the other two were. Some said Grothendieck and Jean-Pierre Serre; others said Deligne and Terence Tao.

However, Faltings had never directly addressed the matter.

But regardless, to receive such an evaluation from this conceited and arrogant old man was a testament to the person’s excellence.

And now, he too had received this honor: “potential to surpass him!”

Xu Chuan truly didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh at this evaluation. In the end, he was speechless.

He could only say that in the art of showing off, he was far from a match for this master, unable even to glimpse his back.

After all, he wasn’t someone who was very good at showing off to begin with.

The days passed one by one. In the third week after the peer review began, the review panel of six Fields Medalists finally completed their evaluation of the thesis, which had been divided into six parts, after more than twenty days.

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan received a call and went to the office of Charles Fefferman, the Director of the Princeton University Mathematics Department.

The “Hidden NPC” of Princeton University had a radiant smile on his face and gave Xu Chuan a big hug.

“Congratulations. Your thesis proving the Hodge Conjecture has passed peer review.”

“From this day forward, the Hodge Conjecture will officially be promoted to a theorem, and we now have a perfect tool to construct any H-object from a geometric object in a purely algebraic way.”

Beside them, Professor Camillo De Lellis, the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, also smiled and congratulated him. “Dr. Xu Chuan, your paper will be published in the next issue of the Annals of Mathematics.”

“At the same time, we will announce this great success in advance, so that more people may know of it.”

Chapter 193: Princeton’s Dual Job Offer

Inside Fefferman’s office, Xu Chuan was momentarily stunned upon hearing the news, then a brilliant smile lit up his face.

“This is the best news I’ve heard all year.”

He gave Fefferman an enthusiastic hug, then turned to Camillo De Lellis, the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, and said gratefully, “Thank you to the Annals of Mathematics for all your efforts.”

De Lellis smiled. “No, Xu, we should be thanking you. Thank you for submitting the proof of the Hodge Conjecture to us. Rest assured, we will treat it with the care it deserves.”

At the side, Fefferman cleared his throat, looked at Xu Chuan with a solemn and proper expression, and said, “Dr. Xu Chuan, based on the tremendous achievements you’ve made during your doctoral program, you have proven your academic capabilities. After deliberation and discussion by the faculty, we have decided to award you a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics from Princeton University.”

“As of today, you have graduated.”

After a pause, the Director of the mathematics department continued, “Furthermore, following discussions between Princeton University and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, we would like to extend a sincere invitation for you to become a full professor in the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University, as well as a tenured researcher in the School of Mathematics at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned once again, mainly because the offer was so astonishing.

Whether it was a full professorship at Princeton or a tenured researcher position at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Mathematics, both were among the highest honors within the Princeton system.

In the United States, university professors are mainly divided into three ranks—assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor.

Associate professors and full professors are both tenured positions, with the exception of a few schools like Harvard University. Harvard only has tenured full professors, not the position of tenured associate professor.

Because of this, many other universities, like Yale and Princeton, often leverage the lack of tenured associate professorships at Harvard, using it as bait to poach their associate professors.

The so-called tenure system means that once appointed, as long as one does not violate the law or professional ethics, the appointment automatically extends until retirement.

So once promoted to professor, whether associate or full, it’s a tenured position for life.

However, entering the professorial track at a university is extremely difficult. Generally, one must not only first have a doctorate but also have completed several years of postdoctoral research. Only then could one hope to be hired as an assistant professor.

After serving as an assistant professor for about five years and passing a rigorous review, one is promoted to associate professor. After another five years or so as an associate professor and another strict review, one can finally be promoted to full professor.

Getting promoted to associate professor wasn’t exceptionally difficult, but becoming a full professor was, because it required not only outstanding research achievements but also a high degree of renown in one’s field.

Therefore, in the United States, a full professorship is one of the highest honors a university can bestow upon a professor.

And as for a tenured researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Mathematics…

There was even less to be said.

This was the greatest honor of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Under the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, there are the School of Historical Studies, the School of Mathematics, the School of Natural Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences, as well as a program in theoretical biology.

Each school has a small group of tenured researchers, supplemented each year by a number of visiting scholars.

And the title of tenured researcher, to this day, had never been granted to any scholar of Chinese nationality.

The first Chinese person in the field of mathematics to receive a tenured researcher position at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was the “Emperor of Mathematics,” Shing-Tung Yau.

Moreover, he received this position as a Chinese-American, not as a scholar with purely Chinese nationality.

Xu Chuan was quite surprised that Princeton would offer this position to him.

After all, his current nationality was purely Chinese.

But he quickly came around and understood Princeton’s urgency.

As one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, the status of the Hodge Conjecture in the field of mathematics was self-evident. The glory of proving it could be said to bring worldwide renown.

Naturally, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study hoped to claim such an honor for itself. After all, it would greatly expand the influence of the Princeton school of thought.

As for Xu Chuan’s Chinese nationality and his age of only twenty, these were not major concerns for the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

This was a research institution unfettered by any teaching duties, research funding, or pressure from sponsors.

Although it would sometimes consider some external influences when making certain decisions, in the face of a young scholar who had proven one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, all other factors were trivial in comparison.

After figuring this out, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I accept this invitation.”

He didn’t refuse the offer from Princeton University and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Although he didn’t know how much longer he could stay here, he still had feelings for this institution.

Moreover, before he officially returned to China, he had other work to do. With the status of a Princeton professor and an official researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, handling matters would undoubtedly be much more convenient.

At the side, De Lellis, the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, smiled and congratulated him, “Congratulations, Dr. Xu Chuan. Oh, no, I should call you Professor Xu Chuan from now on.”

“A twenty-year-old full professor at Princeton, tsk tsk, another record-breaking achievement.”

After a pause, the editor-in-chief looked at Fefferman and continued:

“If I remember correctly, the record for the youngest tenured professor at Princeton was set by Fefferman, who became a professor at the age of twenty-four.”

“And today, that record has been pushed forward by a full four years. It’s simply terrifying.”

Hearing this, Fefferman smiled and said, “I can’t compare to this freakishly good talent. I was a full four years later, and I didn’t solve a century-old problem back then either.”

Someone like Fefferman, who skipped the postdoc, assistant professor, and associate professor stages to become a professor at twenty-four, was one hundred percent a freakishly good talent.

Of course, someone even more monstrously skilled had now appeared.

When the Annals of Mathematics and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study jointly announced that the research paper proving the Hodge Conjecture had passed peer review, the entire field of mathematics erupted in excitement once more.

Even netizens outside the circle on Twitter and Facebook began to discuss it.

[Incredible, the Hodge Conjecture was actually solved.]

[It’s too unbelievable. A Chinese person actually solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. Didn’t they say that country is so poor people don’t even have clothes to wear?]

[Your prejudice against them seems to be stuck in the seventies and eighties of the last century. It’s 2017 now. If you had ever been to that country, you would definitely not say something like that.]

[China already became the world’s second-largest economy several years ago. They have been developing very rapidly these years.]

[You’re off-topic. We’re discussing the Hodge Conjecture, not China.]

[[Shrug.jpg] Is there really anything to discuss? It’s an established fact in the field of mathematics. Besides marveling at how amazing it is, what else can we do? Don’t tell me you can understand his thesis?]

Compared to the lukewarm coverage abroad, the news reports in China were much more intense.

Nanjing University, which had long been prepared, immediately hung festive, bright red banners at the school gate, on academic buildings, and in various other places.

“Congratulations to our university’s doctoral student Xu Chuan for conquering the Millennium Prize Problem, the Hodge Conjecture!”

This time, the banner was short, but the information it carried was extremely important.

Even though it sounded incredibly unbelievable for a doctoral student to conquer a Millennium Prize Problem, as far as Nanjing University was concerned, Xu Chuan had not yet officially graduated from its doctoral program. Wasn’t he still a Nanjing University student? So, displaying it openly could increase discussion and hype.

Under the operation of the propaganda machine, the news that the Hodge Conjecture had been elevated to the Xu-Hodge Theorem quickly shot to the top of the trending charts, becoming known to countless netizens.

A Millennium Prize problem that had stumped the worlds of mathematics and physics had now been solved by a scholar of Chinese nationality. This was not just his personal miracle and glory, but also the glory of the entire Chinese mathematical community, and indeed, of China itself.

[Hiss~!]

[6666666]

[Other than ‘666’ and ‘Awesome,’ I don’t know what else to say. Solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems at twenty… At twenty, I was still worrying about how to cheat my way through the algebra retake exam.]

[Damn it, I also graduated from Nanjing University, but it feels like I went to a fake university.]

[Other people at twenty: Prove the Hodge Conjecture, solve a Millennium Prize Problem! Me at twenty: ‘Guys, there’s one behind the door, rush him!’]

[Although I knew for a while that the Hodge Conjecture might be proven, now that the news is confirmed, all I can say is, the big shot is awesome!]

[I remember a while ago, weren’t a bunch of people flaming him, saying he’d get a slap in the face in the end? How come I don’t see any of them now?]

[By the way, this big shot is a sure thing for next year’s Fields Medal, right?]

[If he’s not a sure thing after solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, then they might as well cancel the Fields Medal. It’d be an embarrassment.]

[For this master, receiving the Fields Medal is probably not his honor, but the Fields Medal having him is its honor. Don’t forget, when Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem, he was already over forty, and the Fields Medal specially made an exception to award him a silver plaque.]

[I suddenly thought of that comparison between the IQ of a person and another person, and a person and a pig. I feel like in front of this master, my IQ might be lower than a pig’s.]

[Brother above, please be bold and remove the word ‘might’.]

When a country’s propaganda machine starts up, news travels at a surprisingly fast speed.

In just one day, the news traveled from the field of mathematics to the remote little mountain village of Xujia Village.

This once-quiet little village had become incredibly lively these past two days. Cars and people came and went, and the air was thick with the smell of fireworks and firecrackers.

Wave after wave of leaders, from the county to the city, personally came to this remote mountain village.

It wasn’t just to offer condolences; it was also a political achievement.

For a top talent like this, a world-class scholar, to emerge from under their jurisdiction was a huge accomplishment for any leader.

This wasn’t just about the policy of ‘reinvigorating the nation through science and education,’ but it was also the first time a great scholar of this caliber with Chinese nationality had appeared, and the significance of that was naturally extraordinary.

In Xujia Village, at the Xu family home, Father Xu had just finished hosting a group of leaders from the Education Bureau and hadn’t even had a chance to drink a sip of water before the sound of another car was heard outside.

Xu Jianguo was busy until dusk before he finally had a moment to catch his breath. He finally had time to pick up his phone and dial Xu Chuan, who was on the other side of the Earth.

“Hello, Dad.”

The phone rang for a while before it was answered. The familiar voice from the other end made a smile instinctively appear on his face.

“Chuan’er, have you had dinner?”

He had wanted to ask what that Hodge Conjecture thing was, but when the words reached his lips, they automatically turned into a familiar inquiry.

On the other end of the line, Xu Chuan laughed and said, “It’s just past dawn over here, the sky isn’t even light yet.”

Hearing this, Father Xu finally realized, “Oh, oh, I’ll hang up then. I’ll call you tomorrow, you go to sleep first.”

“It’s fine, it’s almost six o’clock here anyway. I should be getting up soon.” Xu Chuan sat up in bed, picked up the clothes at the foot of the bed, and draped them over his shoulders.

“Chinese New Year is in about a month or so. When are you coming back?” Hearing what Xu Chuan said, Father Xu didn’t hang up and asked with a smile.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Same as last year, I should be back around Little New Year.”

“Okay, be safe out there, take care of yourself, and come back early for the New Year.”

Over the phone, Father Xu, usually a man of few words, nagged a bit.

Although they called each other almost every week, he hadn’t seen his son in almost a year.

For parents, they are perhaps the only people who don’t care how much glory you bring them; they care more that you are safe and healthy.

On the other end of the phone, Xu Chuan listened with a smile.

Perhaps for an ordinary young man in his twenties, a parent’s nagging is the last thing they want to face.

But for him, it was probably the most wonderful sound in the world.

At twenty, you might find your parents’ nagging annoying. At forty, you’ll smile listening to it. At sixty, you’ll likely only be able to nag yourself.

After breakfast, Xu Chuan had just returned to his dorm when another call came in.

He glanced at the caller ID, and a smile appeared on his face.

“Big Bro! You’re so awesome! You actually proved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems!”

As soon as the call connected, an excited voice came through. It was that girl, Xu Xiao.

“Xiaoxiao, how are your studies recently? You have the college entrance exam next year.” Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

“Hah, what’s the college entrance exam! Big Bro, I’m preparing for next year’s ICHO and IBO. I’m definitely going to get two gold medals next year!” Xu Xiao exclaimed, waving her little hands excitedly.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Then you’ll have to work hard. Two gold medals aren’t that easy to get.”

Speaking of which, his younger sister’s line of thinking was truly peculiar.

When Xu Xiao first chose Star City No. 1 High School, he thought the girl would follow in his footsteps and take up mathematics or physics. Old Tang had even been preparing to cultivate her as a key student.

But unexpectedly, not only did the girl not go into physics, she didn’t go into mathematics either. In the end, she developed a strong interest in chemistry and biology.

Not only that, but this year she had also participated in the International Chemistry Olympiad (ICHO) and the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), achieving respectable results in both.

Old Tang, who had been preparing to lead her to further glory in physics, was about to cry himself unconscious in the bathroom.

Chapter 194: Surprising News

After chatting with that girl Xu Xiao for a while, Xu Chuan hung up the phone.

He never interfered with his younger sister’s choices, at most offering his own thoughts and suggestions.

If she could forge a path for herself in chemistry or biology, that would also be excellent.

Mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology—they were all sciences, with no inherent superiority or inferiority.

It was just that when he returned, Old Tang would definitely complain to him, right?

Xu Chuan suddenly thought of Teacher Tang from Star City No. 1 High School and couldn’t help but smile.

In terms of talent, Xu Xiao certainly had an aptitude for physics; otherwise, Old Tang wouldn’t have planned to focus on cultivating her talent before.

Who would have thought that the girl would have a last-minute change of heart and run off to do something else?

Just as he was thinking, the phone on his desk vibrated again.

This time, it was a call from his advisor at Nanjing University, Chen Zhengping.

“Hello, Xu Chuan, are you up yet?” Chen Zhengping’s inquiry came through the phone.

Glancing at the sun that had already risen outside the window, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I’m up.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping chuckled teasingly, “Your life is too self-disciplined. You’ve proven one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems and you haven’t even thrown a couple of parties?”

“If this were anyone else, they’d have a banquet running for three days and three nights.”

Xu Chuan felt a little sheepish. “It’s not that exaggerated.”

“Alright, let’s get to business.” Chen Zhengping shook his head with a smile. “When are you coming back for a visit? The university wants to hold a graduation ceremony for you.”

After a pause, he continued, “You can’t have already graduated from Princeton while I’m still not letting you go, right?”

Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then he let out a laugh. He had almost forgotten that he hadn’t officially graduated from Nanjing University yet.

He thought for a moment and replied, “Let’s say the end of the year. I’ll probably be back around the Little New Year.”

Chen Zhengping frowned slightly. “That’s too late. The university will be on vacation by then.”

Xu Chuan said nonchalantly, “It’s fine, I’m not particular about that sort of thing.”

Chen Zhengping held his forehead in exasperation. “You may not be particular, but the university is. Besides, if you come back so late, how are you going to give a speech to the other students?”

“Uh…” Xu Chuan was stunned again. “A speech isn’t really necessary, is it?”

“How is it not necessary? This is the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems! It’s no exaggeration to say you’re the number one figure in China’s field of mathematics right now. To invite the number one figure in mathematics for a speech… other universities could only dream of such an opportunity. They don’t have that good fortune.”

After a pause, Chen Zhengping added, “Also, for solving the Hodge Conjecture, both the university and the city have rewards for you. It’ll be several million at least. Come back early to claim your prizes.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head and said, “Alright, I’ll come back earlier then.”

To get him to come back and give a speech, the university was even starting to tempt him with prize money.

But this time, for proving the Hodge Conjecture, the rewards would definitely be substantial.

Setting aside everything else, just from the Clay Mathematics Institute alone, there was a prize of one million US dollars.

As for the domestic rewards, from Nanjing University to the city of Nanjing, to Su Province, and even the national level—not to mention Xiangnan—the total amount, layer by layer, would be at least several million, and it wouldn’t be impossible for it to break the eight-figure mark.

This was the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Of course, what was more important was the influence and status that came with solving this conjecture.

Although the Fields Medal was not as famous as the Nobel Prize, a Fields Medal laureate would not be rejected by any university or research institution in the world, whether in China or abroad.

And in China, this influence was even more significant.

The first Fields Medal for a Chinese national carried an impact and meaning that surpassed ordinary awards.

If it weren’t for Xu Chuan being too young, there were even thoughts of expanding his influence and fame.

Of course, not in a superstitious, cult-of-personality way, but by doing everything possible to build up his reputation, turning him into a figure akin to an academic role model.

For a country, having a world-class scholar in any field can greatly boost national and public confidence, and it can also drive the development of the entire discipline in that field, even branching out into other areas.

And for China, there was a desperate need for such a person in the fields of basic and natural sciences.

Those who had returned to China in the past were once put on a pedestal, but due to various constraints, the idea was ultimately abandoned.

Now that a more suitable candidate had appeared, how could they not be excited?

Back at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Xu Chuan hired a housekeeping service to clean his villa.

This villa was one of the benefits provided by Princeton after he became a tenured researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Other benefits included his salary, which actually came from two sources.

One part was from Princeton University as a full professor, with an annual salary of six hundred thousand US dollars.

The other part was from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study as a tenured researcher, with an annual salary of four hundred thousand US dollars.

The two salaries combined totaled one million US dollars, which meant his annual income was about seven and a half million RMB.

And this was just his base salary. There were also various other benefits.

For example, research project funding, a home purchase subsidy, performance bonuses, stipends, project commissions, and various other subsidies.

Relatively speaking, this salary package was astounding.

Even though he had proven the Hodge Conjecture, he didn’t actually have that many honors to his name. The two most prestigious awards in the field of mathematics were the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Morningside Medal of Mathematics.

Even if he was guaranteed to win the Fields Medal next year, there was a good benchmark for comparison.

For instance, after Terence Tao won the Fields Medal in 2006, the salary package offered by the University of California to keep him was only an annual salary of eight hundred thousand US dollars.

An annual salary of eight hundred thousand US dollars might not sound like a lot for a Fields Medal laureate.

But this figure was actually very good. After all, this was reality, not some β-hu where the average person makes over ten thousand a month, nor a certain video app where everyone earns a million a year.

In fact, in China, people with a monthly income of over ten thousand only accounted for about 0.5 percent of the population.

Calculated based on a population of one point four billion, that’s only seven million people.

Seven million compared to one point four billion.

This ratio was actually quite small.

The perception online that everyone earns over ten thousand a month and a million a year is just an amplification effect of the internet. Many things you would never have seen or known about before are now accessible to you online.

Coupled with services like big data recommendations, it creates a distorted perception for internet users.

One has to admit that the internet has a subtle, transformative influence on people. The ostentatious and wasteful social phenomena online, created to attract attention, can instill flawed consumer values in those who have difficulty distinguishing right from wrong.

In reality, in China, an ordinary university professor’s annual salary is around two to three hundred thousand RMB, and this is for professors at 211 or 985-level universities.

If they don’t go against their conscience to make money through unorthodox means, their income isn’t actually that high.

Of course, university professors have a fixed number of classes each week, leaving them with a lot of free time to work on their own projects or earn extra money using their skills, so they naturally don’t rely solely on their salary.

But this still doesn’t change the fact that the salaries for scientific research personnel in China are relatively low.

If this weren’t the case, so many top talents from various fields, such as scientists and professors, wouldn’t go abroad to develop their careers or emigrate each year.

In the field of science, the compensation in China is indeed weaker, a fact that cannot be disputed.

Although there is some compensation in terms of fame, honor, and resources, if the basic necessities of life—food, clothing, housing, and transportation—cannot be met, these things lose much of their meaning.

After all, people always aspire to a better life.

In modern society, money isn’t everything, but you can’t do anything without it.

After the cleaning lady finished tidying up the villa, Xu Chuan began to move.

Compared to living in a twenty-something-square-meter dorm room, he was much more willing to live in a villa.

Especially since he had chosen this villa himself, having lived in it for over a decade in his past life.

Although he estimated he probably wouldn’t be living here for very long—at most until the International Congress of Mathematicians next year—it was still nice to experience it again.

Moving on one’s own is a hard and troublesome task. Even though he was a man and didn’t have as many clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, and other miscellaneous items as a woman, he had still accumulated quite a lot of things after living at Princeton for nearly two years.

The number of books, documents, and manuscripts, in particular, was astonishing. So, he called his senior, Lin Feng, who also worked at Princeton, to come and help.

The two of them spent a whole day moving everything from the dorm to the villa.

His senior, Lin Feng, who he had called over to help, was so exhausted that he collapsed directly onto the living room sofa.

Taking two bottles of soda from the fridge, Xu Chuan tossed one to Lin Feng and then sat down on the sofa himself. He used the remote to turn on the television on the wall, filling the room with some sound.

“This is really something to be envious of.”

After twisting open the bottle and chugging half of it, Lin Feng let out a long sigh, turned his head to look at the spacious living room, and exclaimed with admiration.

Xu Chuan didn’t understand what his senior meant at first and casually asked, “Envious of what?”

“The villa, of course. You’re living in a detached house all by yourself, and in Princeton no less. Who wouldn’t be envious?” Lin Feng said with a smile.

“What’s the big deal? It’s not my house, it’s just provided by Princeton for me to live in. You can rent one too,” Xu Chuan said casually.

Hearing this, Lin Feng gave a wry smile. “Bro, this is Princeton. Do you know how much it costs to rent a villa here for a month? At least several thousand US dollars. I can’t afford that.”

After a pause, he continued, “Not everyone is as rich as you.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan asked in surprise, “I remember your salary isn’t low, is it? As an assistant professor at Princeton, you should make at least seventy to eighty thousand US dollars a year. Plus subsidies, benefits, and other income, renting a house here shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

This senior of his had already completed his advanced studies, graduated from Witten’s program, and had accepted a position as an assistant professor at Princeton.

Compared to other students, this was quite impressive.

After all, not every student who graduates from Princeton gets to stay here.

“But I can’t spend half my money on rent.” Lin Feng shrugged, then added, “And I’m preparing to return to China.”

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. He asked in astonishment, “Return to China? You never mentioned it.”

“And if you go back, what about your little girlfriend? Weren’t you two planning to get married at the beginning of next year?”

Lin Feng smiled. “She’s coming back to China with me. She’s in the process of handling her immigration procedures.”

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up. “Awesome, Senior Lin!”

Lin Feng took a sip of his drink and continued, “Speaking of which, my return to China this time has a little something to do with you.”

“Hmm?”

A look of confusion appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. How was his senior’s return to China related to him?

Lin Feng explained, “Because of CERN. It’s rumored that our country is about to become an Associate Member State of CERN. So, the country is recalling a batch of international students and researchers from abroad in this field.”

“Of course, I don’t know if this news is true, but since the rumor is out there, it’s likely true. Once the news is officially announced, a batch of personnel will definitely be needed to participate in CERN’s work.”

“And since I previously participated in your Proton Radius Puzzle experiment, plus my work experience at CERN, the ‘National Talent Project’ team approached me a while ago, hoping I would return to China to work.”

“Kessler, also because of previous work experience at CERN, has been recruited through the talent program like me and is preparing to return to China with me to work.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s eyes widened in astonishment. “What the—how have I not heard about this?”

Lin Feng looked over, surprised. “The ‘National Talent Project’ team hasn’t contacted you?”

“That shouldn’t be right. You’re an official researcher at CERN, you solved the Proton Radius Puzzle there, and you even calculated the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark, completing the observational experiment.”

“I thought you would have been one of the first to be contacted.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No one has contacted me.”

Lin Feng smiled and clinked his bottle against Xu Chuan’s. “It’s probably because your achievements in mathematics are too outstanding, causing others to overlook your achievements in physics.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Congratulations, Senior Lin.”

Although he didn’t know how CERN agreed to China’s entry or what the country had given up in the negotiation process.

But joining CERN as an Associate Member State was absolutely fantastic news, both for the country and for China’s physics researchers.

For a country, becoming a Member State of CERN means that, according to CERN’s charter, the annual financial contribution of each member state determines CERN’s procurement share of industrial and scientific equipment from that country, as well as the proportion of its international staff hired.

In other words, CERN returns a portion of a member state’s contributions in different forms to promote the industrial and technological progress of that state. At the same time, a larger contribution helps increase the number of that country’s nationals on CERN’s staff.

Therefore, member state contributions to CERN are not a one-way flow; they generate compound knock-on effects that feed back into the member states.

Of course, the benefits for an Associate Member State are certainly not as good as for a full Member State.

But for China, even with some technological restrictions, it was still a considerable return.

And for China’s physicists, the prospects for future development in fields like high-energy physics, particle physics, and nuclear physics would be much broader.

With the status of an Associate Member State, everything from applying to use the LHC for large hadron collisions to other research work would be much more convenient than under a simple cooperative relationship.

As for talents like Senior Lin, who were in the first batch to be recalled by the country, they would undoubtedly be able to carve out a new world for themselves in this new field, no matter what.

The early arrivals always have an advantage. The first person to eat a crab gets to taste its freshness first. Whether on the path of scientific research, a future in government and administration, or in other aspects, just having this seniority was enough to build a bright future.

Chapter 195: A Professor Starting Today

The news that China had joined CERN as a member country truly surprised Xu Chuan.

After all, in his previous life, this was something the country was still striving for right up until his rebirth.

As for why the course of events had changed so much in this life, he couldn’t quite figure it out.

Regardless, this was good news, both for the country and for him personally.

After seeing Senior Lin off, Xu Chuan got down to work.

He had accepted the position of full professor in Princeton University’s mathematics department and was enjoying the benefits Princeton provided. The corresponding obligations were, naturally, to teach students and conduct research.

His other position as a tenured researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, however, came with no specific requirements.

For this world-class research institute, it made no difference if its researchers spent their days strolling through the Institute’s woods.

The scholars who managed to enter this institute and become tenured researchers had almost all made tremendous contributions to their respective fields.

Of course, among the scholars who could get into the Institute, very few would waste their time in such a manner.

He went to his study, turned on his computer, and logged into his email.

Mentoring students and teaching classes were two mandatory duties for a Princeton University professor. Of course, many full professors would offload the teaching to their doctoral students or assistant professors.

After all, at a research university, a professor’s other responsibility was to conduct their own academic research.

This had even given rise to a famous system in the United States’ educational framework: the “academic sabbatical.”

This referred to the policy where university professors, after serving for a certain period, were eligible to apply for a half-year or full-year academic sabbatical.

During the sabbatical, the professor had no teaching duties and could fully immerse themselves in academic research.

Furthermore, for a half-year sabbatical application, the university would typically pay their full salary for those six months; for a one-year sabbatical, they would receive half a year’s salary.

These were, by all accounts, top-tier benefits.

Opening his email, Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on as he looked at the mountain of unread messages.

After Princeton University had sent him the offer for the full professor position, they had posted his information on the university’s admissions website.

Since then, the number of emails in his inbox had been increasing daily.

Princeton had two intake seasons: one for the spring semester and one for the fall.

The spring semester started sometime between January and March, with no fixed date, while the fall semester was generally concentrated in August and September.

However, because the university recruited students from all over the world, applications had to be submitted at least half a year in advance.

For example, for a fall semester start, the application window was generally open from September of the previous year to January of the current year.

The seven to eight months from the end of January to the start of the semester in August were for Princeton to select students, conduct interviews and exams, send out offers, and give students worldwide time to prepare their documents, visas, and other necessities.

It was now late December, and the application deadline for the fall semester was fast approaching.

To be honest, at this point, the best students had generally already been picked.

After all, applications had opened in September, and it was now the end of December.

Of course, for him, it didn’t really matter if he took on students or not if he couldn’t find any suitable candidates.

As a full professor, if he were to mentor students, they would almost certainly be Ph.D. students.

Besides, the fall semester was too far off for him.

By the time next year’s fall semester began, he would probably be back in China. What students would he be mentoring then?

However, considering that it wasn’t easy for a Chinese professor to get a position at Princeton, Xu Chuan still decided to accept two or three students.

This was because one more Chinese professor usually meant that Princeton would accept one more student from China by default.

Therefore, on the Princeton website, he had specifically asked the university staff to state that students needed to report by February of next year.

Although he might only be able to mentor this cohort of students for a few months, he wasn’t too worried about leaving them in the lurch.

After all, having one’s advisor poached by another university or resign during a Ph.D. program was a pretty raw deal for a doctoral student.

But that applied to others. For the students he would be mentoring, this wasn’t really a problem.

First, he would definitely arrange a path forward for them before he left.

If these students were willing to follow him to China, he would be more than happy.

If they were unwilling, August and September were Princeton’s fall intake season. It was perfectly feasible for them to stay at Princeton and find a new advisor.

This wouldn’t significantly impact their studies at Princeton.

Switching advisors during a Ph.D. program was indeed a raw deal, but it depended on the circumstances.

If a student had already been studying for two or three years and was suddenly told their advisor was leaving, that was truly infuriating.

But in his case, where the students would enroll early and then switch advisors right as Princeton’s official school year began, there would be practically no negative impact.

In fact, from another perspective, this was an opportunity for these students.

After all, not everyone had the chance to study under a Fields Medal master during their doctorate—or rather, not everyone could study under a mathematics professor who had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

The former might be slightly easier; after all, over the years, the number of Fields Medal laureates was in the double digits.

The latter? Looking at the entire field of mathematics, top professors like that could be counted on one hand.

For these students, these six or seven months of study could be seen as a form of supplemental research experience.

Any other ordinary professor would probably be overjoyed if a student under their supervision had previously studied or worked under such a top-tier mathematics professor.

On one hand, such research experience looked very impressive.

On the other, they might even be able to leverage that connection to establish contact with the said professor.

Therefore, Xu Chuan felt no psychological pressure about his potential departure from Princeton next year, nor was he worried that his “running away” would cause any major problems for the students he recruited.

It took him a full day to process the emails in his inbox.

Although he had only started recruiting students near the end of Princeton’s application period, the quality of the student files sent by Princeton’s admissions team and the applications sent directly to his email was ridiculously high.

When international students applied to universities in the United States—taking China as an example—the application was generally evaluated on four aspects: GPA, language proficiency test scores like TOEFL or IELTS, letters of recommendation, and a portfolio (published papers, research projects participated in, etc.).

Among these, GPA was the foundation. If it was below 3.5, you would almost certainly be screened out by top universities like Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, unless you had an exceptionally strong portfolio to back it up.

The list of candidates Princeton’s working group sent to his email all had GPAs above 3.8, with several even having a perfect 4.0.

As for the applications sent directly to his email, the average GPA was slightly lower, but most were still above 3.6, and there were some 4.0s as well.

To put it in perspective, if the maximum score on the college entrance exam was 750, a 3.6 GPA would be like scoring 675, a 3.8 GPA would be 712.5, and a 4.0 would be a perfect score.

By this measure, they were all definitely top students.

Xu Chuan went through the applications in his email, created a spreadsheet, and immediately filtered out anyone with a GPA below 3.8 who didn’t have an outstanding portfolio.

In his previous life, he had been a professor at Princeton for many years and had long since developed his own adept method for screening students.

Screening these applicants was like an HR manager recruiting employees for a company.

The GPA score was the cutoff line.

If an applicant didn’t meet the baseline, their application would almost always be thrown in the trash.

Undeniably, there might be a rare few who didn’t meet the baseline but had outstanding work experience, but such people were an extreme minority.

Panning for gold on a beach is far less efficient than mining in a gold mine, and it requires far more effort for a much smaller return.

Therefore, setting a standard cutoff was the most convenient method for an HR manager.

The same principle applied to screening students. If their GPA wasn’t up to par, immediate elimination was the best option.

After this initial screening, looking at the applicants’ portfolios would allow him to select a rough list of students he wanted to interview.

If the number was still too large, a glance at who wrote their letters of recommendation would pretty much finalize the decision.

After a full day’s work, Xu Chuan had selected twelve applications from his email and planned to conduct online interviews with them over the next two days.

In any case, conducting online interviews with phones and computers was very convenient these days.

The interviewees on the first day were all from China. Out of the twelve resumes, Xu Chuan had reserved six for domestic applicants—a clear case of preferential treatment, given the proportions.

But since no one would know, he didn’t care about a little behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

The first student to be interviewed was named Gu Bing. According to his resume, he was a doctoral student from Minhang University of Science and Technology, currently twenty-five years old. It seemed he was in a direct Ph.D. program, though his GPA wasn’t particularly high at 3.8.

Of course, “not high” was relative to the other interviewees in the same batch. For an ordinary student, a 3.8 GPA was like an insurmountable mountain.

In the context of the college entrance exam, a 3.8 GPA was roughly equivalent to being the top science scholar of a province, which was already exceptionally outstanding.

It was just that those who dared to apply to a top institution like Princeton were generally at this level, so it seemed rather average.

In his previous life, when he was an exchange student at Princeton, his GPA was 4.0, and he had research experience from discovering a new particle at CERN. Even somewhere like Princeton, he was among the top tier.

Of course, in his previous life, he hadn’t gone through the application process; Witten had already handpicked him as a student while he was at CERN.

Compared to the other resumes, this Gu Bing’s GPA wasn’t high, but the reason Xu Chuan was interested in this resume wasn’t the GPA, but his portfolio.

This doctoral student had some research experience, had participated in physics and chemistry lab research, and had published two papers. Although they were in third-tier SCI journals, it was still quite impressive.

Among the many resumes from China, he favored this one because it met his requirements for a student.

He would likely be returning to China in the latter half of next year, and physics and materials science would be his key areas of focus then.

Having participated in research in physics and chemistry labs meant this student could help him with some of the groundwork.

So, Xu Chuan scheduled Gu Bing for the first interview.

The video conference room opened on the computer.

The image of Gu Bing, waiting for his interview, appeared on Xu Chuan’s screen, causing him to involuntarily freeze for a moment.

It was simply because the appearance of this student named Gu Bing was a far cry from the photo on his application resume.

In the photo, he had a full head of thick black hair, but during the interview, he had the classic look of a powerful mathematician. At the young age of twenty-five, his hairline had already receded like the Pacific Ocean.

After a moment’s pause, Xu Chuan recovered, cleared his throat, and said, “Excuse me, are you Gu Bing?”

On the other end, hearing the question, Gu Bing was so nervous he nearly shot to his feet. He quickly replied, “Yes, I’m Gu Bing.”

Seeing the extremely nervous interviewee on the screen, Xu Chuan smiled and comforted him, “Don’t be nervous. It’s just a simple interview.”

“O-Okay.”

Despite the reassurance, Gu Bing remained extremely tense.

But this was normal. After all, this interview would decide his future.

He was applying not just to Princeton, but to study under Xu Chuan, the top mathematics professor who had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Putting age aside, it was like a common citizen suddenly meeting the governor of their province. The gap in status was so vast that anyone would be nervous.

“First, please introduce yourself in English.”

Xu Chuan didn’t give the interviewee much time to compose himself. After all, this was part of the evaluation.

For a top-tier mathematics professor like him, his students would have no shortage of opportunities to present on stage.

If their mental fortitude wasn’t strong enough, how could they command the situation?

However, as long as someone wasn’t suffering from extreme social anxiety, a normal person could be trained. He himself had been gradually nurtured step-by-step under Witten’s guidance back then.

Hearing this, Gu Bing jolted as if he’d been caught daydreaming in class and called on by the teacher. His body tensed up, and it was several seconds before he managed to speak. “Hello, Professor. My name is Gu Bing…”

As Gu Bing gave his self-introduction, Xu Chuan listened.

Although he stumbled at times due to nervousness, at the very least, the interviewee’s English was up to standard.

“I’ve looked at your application materials. Your area of study is algebraic topology and analytic geometry. Please describe your understanding of smooth Riemannian manifolds.”

After the self-introduction was complete, Xu Chuan began his questions. After about ten minutes, he had a basic understanding of the interviewee before him.

His fundamentals were solid, and his talent seemed average in Xu Chuan’s eyes. What was surprising, however, was that he was already beginning to form his own ideas about the field of mathematics, proving that his receding hairline wasn’t for nothing.

As for his character, it was hard to tell for now.

However, regarding his letters of recommendation, one was from Academician Zhang Weiping of Riyue University.

Taking that into consideration, his character was unlikely to be poor. So, after ending the interview, he drew a circle on the resume.

This meant he was ‘to be considered,’ indicating that the interviewee hadn’t impressed him enough to make an immediate decision, but wasn’t being rejected outright either. He was decent but unremarkable.

As for whether he would be chosen, that would depend on whether any of the subsequent interviewees from China could surpass him.

Chapter 196: An Unexpected Student

It took Xu Chuan two days to finish interviewing the twelve candidates, and in the end, he selected three of them.

There was Gu Bing, a doctoral student from Jiaotong University in China; Roger Dean, a doctoral student from the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy; and Shahi Perez, a doctoral student from Paris VI University in France.

Three students, from three different countries, all of them doctoral students.

The youngest was Gu Bing, twenty-five years old, and the oldest was Roger Dean, thirty-one.

To be honest, judging by their applications alone, the résumés of these three weren’t the most outstanding or polished among all the candidates.

But after the interviews, Xu Chuan chose these three students.

This was because, during the interview process, they had demonstrated the strongest passion for academic pursuits.

It was an intuitive thing. Whether or not someone had that passion for academia was very important.

In his view, the first principle of mentoring a student well was finding someone who was genuinely willing to delve deep into the field.

Things they didn’t understand could be learned and mastered gradually. But if their heart wasn’t in research, there was truly nothing he could do.

If one’s heart isn’t in research, no amount of teaching is of any use.

Once he had finalized the list of students, Xu Chuan sent it to the Princeton staff. They would then update the admission information on the university’s official website.

Of course, he would also inform the three students himself. After all, he needed them to enroll early, which didn’t leave them much time to prepare.

Fortunately, there was still a month, and he could help handle the necessary paperwork on the university’s end, like data reports and enrollment applications. The three students just needed to get their visas ready.

After taking care of the student recruitment matters, Xu Chuan got up to go have dinner.

Although he had already moved to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and was living in a villa, he hadn’t yet stocked up on cookware, utensils, or food. Otherwise, he could have cooked for himself.

Strolling along Stockton Street to Nassau Street, Xu Chuan randomly found a restaurant and went in.

It was an American-style restaurant, and there were quite a few people having dinner inside.

Unlike in China, where dinner is often not the main meal of the day, dinners in the United States tend to be more substantial.

If you wanted a nice dinner, an American-style restaurant was a good choice.

He ordered dinner, and while waiting for it to be served, a clear and pleasant voice reached him.

“Hi, Xu, long time no see.”

At the same time, a figure walked up to his table and sat down across from him.

Xu Chuan paused, startled. He looked at the girl opposite him with some confusion and asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Xu, have you already forgotten me? That’s just heartbreaking.” The girl across from him said with a crestfallen expression.

Hearing this, the corner of Xu Chuan’s eye twitched. But since she said that, he must have met her somewhere before.

He rummaged through his memories, and then his eyes lit up. “Amelia!” he said quickly.

Seeing that Xu Chuan had remembered her, a brilliant smile spread across Amelia’s face. “Looks like you do remember me. I’m so glad.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Forgive me for not recognizing you at first. You’ve changed so much.”

The girl across from him, Amelia, was someone he had met a few years ago at the International Physics Olympiad (IPHO). She was a young genius from Germany who had led the German physics team as its captain.

Although the German Physics Olympiad team had underperformed back then, Amelia herself had won an individual gold medal at that IPHO, one of only two girls to do so.

But to be honest, he couldn’t be blamed for not recognizing her right away. Amelia had truly changed a great deal over the past few years.

A few years ago, she had been very thin and small, quite short, and looked somewhat malnourished. But now, those issues were completely gone. She had grown much taller and had really blossomed.

“Have I gotten prettier?” Amelia asked slyly, the corners of her eyes curving up into crescents like a little fox.

Xu Chuan recalled, “Of course. I remember back then you were so small and thin, like a little river imp.”

Hearing his description, Amelia immediately rolled her eyes, displeased.

Xu Chuan chuckled and changed the subject. “By the way, what are you doing here?”

“My father was hired by Princeton last month. He’s an associate professor in the physics department now.”

Amelia explained, “I also applied to do my Ph.D. here, so I came early to get familiar with the environment.”

“Which professor is your father?” Xu Chuan asked, curious. He was familiar with nearly all the physics professors at Princeton.

“Stanford Elwin.” Amelia said the name, and Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. So it was him.

Stanford Elwin, a professor in Princeton’s physics department, was an expert in optoelectronic physics and electromagnetism. He had won the Barton Award, the highest prize in world radio science, and could be considered a leading figure in the fields of optoelectronics and electromagnetism.

However, in his past life, he hadn’t had much interaction with the man, as optoelectronic physics was not his field of research.

Nodding, Xu Chuan smiled and congratulated her, “I see. Congratulations, then. I hope you have a wonderful few years at Princeton and achieve great things.”

Amelia waved her hand dismissively. “I’m still a long way from you. You’ve already solved the Hodge Conjecture and become a professor at Princeton, while I’m just barely starting my doctoral studies.”

Xu Chuan laughed. “It was just a bit of inspiration, that’s all.”

Amelia shot him a sidelong glance. “I’d love to have a bit of that inspiration myself.”

Xu Chuan laughed heartily. It was quite nice to unexpectedly run into an old acquaintance in Princeton and have a chat.

The two chatted for a while before Amelia seemed to think of something. She looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “Xu, I heard you’ve been appointed as a professor in the Princeton mathematics department, is that right?”

Xu Chuan nodded, looking at Amelia with some confusion. “Yes, I just officially signed with Princeton not too long ago.”

“You probably haven’t recruited any students yet, right? Let me be your student.”

Amelia’s words were so shocking that Xu Chuan nearly fell out of his chair. He coughed several times before recovering and saying, “How could that be possible!”

Amelia gave Xu Chuan a strange look, her bright blue eyes filled with confusion. “Why not?” she asked. “Are you saying my grades aren’t good enough?”

“My grades aren’t bad. I can’t compare to you, of course, but I have a 3.9 GPA, and I’ve published two Q2 SCI papers—one in mathematical physics and the other in theoretical physics. On top of that, I have another Q2 paper in mathematics.”

Xu Chuan fell silent for a moment. For an undergraduate student to have published three Q2 SCI papers, especially in two different fields like mathematics and physics, was an exceptionally outstanding achievement by any global standard.

But his immediate rejection… was it because the idea felt a little off? Perhaps he felt it would be awkward to take an acquaintance on as a student?

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan, whose brain was feeling a bit overwhelmed, finally figured out where that sense of incongruity was coming from. “Wait a minute,” he said quickly, “our fields don’t align. You’re studying physics, and I’m a math professor.”

Amelia said nonchalantly, “That doesn’t matter. I was a double major at Göttingen; I studied both physics and mathematics. And the major I chose when I applied to Princeton was mathematical physics.”

“And even though you’re a math professor, your abilities in physics are definitely good enough for you to be a professor in that field at Princeton.”

“You solved the Proton Radius Puzzle and calculated the most ideal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark. Those are both world-class problems.”

“Especially the latter. I’ve read your research paper and the calculation data from back then. It was a perfect fusion of mathematics and physics. What’s more, your Advisor is Professor Edward Witten. I’m sure your ability in physics is in no way inferior to your ability in mathematics.”

“I believe I could learn so much more if you were my advisor.”

Xu Chuan paused, at a loss for words.

Amelia’s judgment was spot on. His ability in physics was indeed no worse than in mathematics; at this stage, it was actually stronger, even with him having proved the Hodge Conjecture.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Chuan asked, “Didn’t you already apply to Princeton? You must have an advisor confirmed already, right?”

Amelia’s eyes curved into crescents, and she grinned like a sly little fox. “But Princeton doesn’t have a rule that says you have to enroll just because you’ve accepted an offer. I haven’t officially matriculated yet. I could just decline my current offer, and then you could send me one.”

“Comparatively speaking, I think there’s a better future for me studying under you.”

After a long silence, Xu Chuan, still not quite sure what to say, spoke up. “I’ve already accepted three students.”

Amelia was taken aback. “That fast?” she asked, surprised. “Didn’t you just become a Princeton professor a few days ago?”

She paused, then continued, “But what does that matter? Princeton doesn’t have a rule that a professor can only take on three students.”

“If you’re not convinced, you can interview me. I’m confident I can meet your standards and requirements.”

Xu Chuan cleared his throat. “I suggest you go back and ask your father first. He might have a different opinion.”

Chapter 197: Returning Home

In the end, Xu Chuan accepted Amelia as his student.

Although taking on a former acquaintance as a student felt a little awkward, it wasn’t a big deal.

The academic world wasn’t too particular about such things. Besides, he and Amelia weren’t that close; they had only interacted briefly during the IPhO and hadn’t even exchanged contact information.

If anything was awkward, it was the fact that a student being older than their advisor was also something that felt a bit strange in traditional culture.

Among the students he had previously selected, the oldest, Roger Dean, was already thirty-one. Compared to his own age of twenty, Dean was more than ten years his senior.

But in a field like this, ability comes first, so it wasn’t an issue.

When Terence Tao first became a professor of mathematics at the University of California, he was only twenty-four, and most of his students were older than him.

Taking on one more student was a bit of a surprise for Xu Chuan, but it wasn’t a major issue.

For him, supervising three students was the same as supervising four.

However, Amelia’s former advisor was probably having a major headache. An exceptionally brilliant student had just flown the coop.

But there was nothing to be done about it. After all, you can’t stop someone from pursuing a better future. (How does that sound so strange?)

A professor at Princeton might be impressive, but it all depends on the comparison. They’re certainly excellent compared to those at other universities, but when compared to a top professor who had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, the gap was simply too vast.

Besides, she hadn’t officially enrolled yet, and Princeton had no rule stating that a student must attend just because they received an acceptance letter.

Only subpar universities would use acceptance letters to lock down students and secure enrollment numbers.

World-class institutions like Princeton, Harvard, and Yale wouldn’t deign to do such a thing. Come or don’t, they weren’t short one student.

The days at Princeton passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was late January.

Having promised his alma mater that he would return for an award and a speech before the winter break, Xu Chuan bought a plane ticket and flew back to China ahead of schedule.

Touchdown. Disembarking. As Xu Chuan dragged his luggage out of the airport, he immediately spotted the people who had come to pick him up.

It was hard to miss. The large, red banner stretched across the arrivals hall was simply too conspicuous. Everyone passing through the bustling hall couldn’t help but give it a second glance.

Congratulations to our university’s Doctoral student Xu Chuan for solving the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems!

Pulling his luggage, Xu Chuan walked briskly toward the banner. Among the reception party waiting there, a sharp-eyed young cameraman was the first to rush forward with his camera.

The scene was not unfamiliar to Xu Chuan. After all, when he had proven the Weyl-Berry conjecture, Nanjing University and the city of Nanjing had given him a similarly grand welcome at the airport.

And this time, he had proven the Hodge Conjecture. There was no reason for the reception to be any less grand than the last.

After expertly handling the media reporters, Xu Chuan went to greet the leaders who were walking briskly toward him.

“Welcome home, Student Xu Chuan.”

The first to greet him was Nanjing University’s President, Liu Gaojun. He didn’t offer any congratulations, but simply patted him warmly on the shoulder to welcome him back.

Xu Chuan smiled and returned the greeting. He had to admit, this President was truly skilled in administration; his words made people feel very comfortable.

“Professor Xu, congratulations on proving the Hodge Conjecture and solving another world-class problem.”

Nearby, a middle-aged to elderly man walked over with a smile, extending his hands warmly.

“It’s what a scholar should do,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, shaking hands with the big shot before him. The scene felt incredibly familiar.

The familiar airport reception, the familiar words, the familiar reporters taking photos and conducting interviews—only the person speaking and shaking his hand had changed from Mr. Jiang to a Mr. Xu.

While it was somewhat surprising for a dignitary of this level to personally come and greet him, for a scholar who had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, it wasn’t really that extraordinary.

After all, there weren’t even a double-digit number of scholars in the entire world who had solved a problem on the level of the Millennium Prizes.

For a scholar of this caliber, meeting someone like Mr. Xu was one thing, but meeting even more influential figures wouldn’t be rare either.

Of course, having a high-ranking regional official of this level personally come to the airport was enough to show the nation’s high regard for him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries at the airport and letting the news media take some photos, the group got into a special car.

After having a meal together, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing University with several of the university leaders.

In the car, Rong Zhizhuan, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, looked at Xu Chuan with a smile. “The university has already arranged a graduation ceremony for you. We’ve waived the defense and all that. You’ll just have to go through the motions.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you for the trouble, Dean, and all the leaders.”

Liu Gaojun chuckled from the side. “It’s no trouble at all. It’s Nanjing University’s honor to have a student like you.”

After a pause, President Liu continued, “But speaking of which, there is one more thing the university would like to ask of you.”

“Oh? What is it, President? Please, tell me. I’ll help if I can.”

“It’s like this. You’re currently a professor at Princeton, and it will be some time before you return to China for good.”

“After discussion, the university would like to offer you the title of professor emeritus. It’s just an honorary title; you won’t be required to do any work.”

Xu Chuan smiled, “That’s no problem.”

A professor emeritus title is typically an honor a university bestows upon scholars who have made outstanding contributions to academia.

Most famous scholars hold a slew of such titles.

It’s similar to an “honorary doctorate” in other countries—a high honor with no contractual obligations between the grantor and the grantee, and no requirements for work, teaching, or lectures.

Given Nanjing University’s reputation and history, the title of professor emeritus was befitting of Xu Chuan’s status.

As for Nanjing University’s mathematics department, it would definitely be basking in his reflected glory.

After all, Xu Chuan was a shoo-in for next year’s Fields Medal, and the Nanjing University School of Mathematical Sciences currently had no big shots of that caliber as professors emeritus.

What could they do? The university’s math department was weak.

Forget ranking internationally; the Nanjing University School of Mathematical Sciences couldn’t even make a name for itself domestically.

For the math department of a top-tier Project 985 university to not have a single Academician spoke volumes.

However, once he returned to China next year to take up a position at Nanjing University, things would be different.

A Fields Medalist, a top mathematician who had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems—that was enough to instantly elevate the Nanjing University School of Mathematical Sciences to the top tier in the country.

As for becoming world-class, that wasn’t something one person could achieve. It would require an extremely long time to build that kind of foundation.

Of course, for an alma mater to take pride in a student’s name was, in itself, something to be proud of.

At Nanjing University’s Great Hall, the School of Mathematical Sciences had prepared a grand graduation ceremony for Xu Chuan.

The seats below the stage were completely filled. Countless Nanjing University students—from undergraduates to graduate students, and even doctoral candidates and professors—stared excitedly at the figure in the center of the stage.

Envy, admiration, sighs of emotion, awe, worship, jealousy… A whole spectrum of emotions intertwined and churned in the Great Hall, melting into an atmosphere that was both thrilling and tremulous.

For his peers from the same year, who were now in their fourth year and had yet to graduate, their feelings were particularly mixed.

They had personally witnessed this master’s ascension.

From being the perfect-score top scholar at the matriculation ceremony, to proving the Weyl-Berry conjecture, to winning both the Crafoord Prizes in Mathematics and Astronomy, and then to solving the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

This big shot’s rise was astonishingly fast. So fast that while they, his peers, were still lamenting their own impending graduation, he had already graduated twice, become a professor at Princeton, stood at the very pinnacle of the mathematical world, and transformed into a god-like super master.

Who could have possibly imagined back then that a god-like figure so far beyond their reach—someone whose back they couldn’t even see—would emerge from among them?

Forget imagining it; probably no one had even dreamed it.

On stage, Xu Chuan, dressed in a black and red academic gown and a square mortarboard, accepted the tassel-turning ceremony from the President with a broad smile.

As the red tassel was moved from the front right of the brim to the front left center, its reflection dangling naturally by the side of his eye, Xu Chuan felt a touch of melancholy.

As of today, he had officially graduated.

“Congratulations, Student Xu Chuan. I wish you greater, more numerous, and more magnificent achievements in your future academic career.” After turning the tassel, Liu Gaojun smiled and handed a bouquet and the degree certificate to Xu Chuan, his eyes filled with emotion.

This student before him was the most outstanding one he had ever taught or encountered in his decades-long academic career.

He was very fortunate that he himself had personally welcomed this student back then.

That one trip had brought Nanjing University a student who, at the young age of twenty, already stood at the pinnacle of the academic world.

With an experience like this, he would have more than enough bragging rights when boasting to professors and leaders from other universities after he retired.

The kind of bragging that would make them weep tears of envy and jealousy.

Xu Chuan smiled as he took the graduation certificate and bouquet from the President, holding them close as he gave a deep bow.

Liu Gaojun patted his shoulder, gave him a light hug, and then turned to walk off the stage, leaving the platform to him.

Holding the graduation certificate, Xu Chuan looked at the university leaders and students seated below. He took a deep breath and began to speak slowly:

“Three years ago, I stood on this very stage to speak as a representative of the new students. In the blink of an eye, three years later, I have returned to this stage today.”

“As a student of Nanjing University, I am honored to stand here. I’m also very grateful to my alma mater for giving me this opportunity to chat with my junior schoolmates.”

After a pause, Xu Chuan added, “Of course, many of you in the audience were probably once my senior schoolmates.”

Hearing this, a ripple of soft laughter broke out in the audience, and the university leaders in the front row also chuckled.

For someone of Xu Chuan’s achievements to be speaking here, it was definitely not his honor, nor was it Nanjing University giving him an opportunity. Rather, it was Nanjing University’s honor, and it was at Nanjing University’s request.

In fact, Nanjing University had seen considerable improvement because of this student.

The School of Mathematical Sciences had expanded twice in the past two years, with student enrollment growing from less than a hundred in 2014 to two hundred in 2017—essentially doubling.

The research funding for the school had increased by nearly ten million over these two years. As for Nanjing University as a whole, it had received funding in the hundreds of millions in both 2016 and 2017.

And if things went as expected, Nanjing University’s funding would increase even more next year.

All of this was brought about by the incredibly young student standing on the stage.

On stage, Xu Chuan smiled along with them and then continued:

“Today, I’d like to talk about how to walk your own academic path. Perhaps this can offer you all a little bit of help.”

“…”

After a long speech, Xu Chuan looked at the audience below, took another deep breath, his voice steady and resonant.

“Finally, please allow me to conclude today’s speech with our alma mater’s motto.”

“Sincerity, Simplicity, Majesty, and Vigor. Diligence in Learning, Earnestness in Practice.”

“May you all achieve what you wish for, and may you live your youthful years to the fullest!”

As his voice fell, a tidal wave of applause erupted in the Great Hall, long and unceasing.

After finishing his business at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan declined the university’s invitation to a banquet. He called a few of his close friends and arranged to have a meal together at Xiao Xian Zhuang, their old haunt.

He went to Xiao Xian Zhuang ahead of time to order the food, while his roommates, upon receiving the message, rushed over.

Kong Zhong: “Brother Chuan!”

Zhou Lin: “God Chuan!”

Fan Hong: “Brother Chuan, you old man, you’re finally back!”

His friends quickly gathered around him, rubbing their hands together, jostling and messing around.

Xu Chuan’s achievements certainly created a sense of distance and inspired awe, but that was mostly for people in the wider world. For his friends and classmates still on campus, beyond the excitement, there wasn’t much of a rift between them yet.

Xu Chuan fist-bumped his three friends and horsed around a bit. He truly cherished this friendship—it was a pure emotion, untainted by other things, something that could never be recaptured after entering the workforce.

“Brother Chuan, let’s put everything else aside for a moment. Allow your little brother to toast you!”

Kong Zhong picked up a beer from the table and, holding it with both hands like a martial arts hero, grinned as he proposed a toast to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan smiled, clinked glasses, and drank it down in one go.

“God Chuan, what does it actually feel like to have proven the Hodge Conjecture?” Zhou Lin asked curiously after clinking glasses with Xu Chuan.

“What does it feel like?” Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, then said with a straight face, “It’s probably something like: your hands get tired from accepting awards, your mouth gets dry from giving speeches, and people send you money even when you’re just sitting at home.”

Hearing this, his three buddies all wore expressions of blissful longing.

“Hey, aren’t you that little scientist from TV who proved some conjecture?”

In Xiao Xian Zhuang, the waitress auntie who brought over the boiled fish in chili oil looked at Xu Chuan, feeling he looked familiar. After a couple of extra glances, she seemed to remember something and asked curiously.

Xu Chuan was a little surprised to be recognized, but didn’t think much of it. After all, he had been on a major CCTV news program, so he just smiled and nodded.

What he didn’t expect was that his nod of confirmation got the waitress auntie excited.

“I knew you looked familiar! The last time I saw you, you were here with your girlfriend. A lovely young couple, you were, studying and reading here.” The waitress auntie said with a smile as she served the dishes. Clearly, the scene from a few years ago had left a deep impression on her.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind, but as soon as the auntie left, his three buddies closed in, rubbing their hands gleefully, ready for an interrogation.

“Brother Chuan! Fess up, when did you get a girlfriend!”

“That’s right! Confess and be treated with leniency, resist and face severe consequences!”

“Damn it, how could we not know about this! Spill it, who’s our sister-in-law!”

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“What the hell? I’ve never even had a girlfriend. Where would a sister-in-law come from?”

Kong Zhong said contemptuously, “If the waitress auntie hadn’t exposed you, how much longer were you planning to hide it from us!”

Zhou Lin: “For crying out loud, you got a girlfriend and didn’t even bring her out for your bros to meet? You don’t see us as bothers!”

Fan Hong: “This is too much! Fess up, who is our sister-in-law? Is it that Senior Student Liu from the rumors back then!”

To not know whether to laugh or cry, Xu Chuan shook his head. “I really don’t have a girlfriend. The waitress auntie misunderstood.”

“Really?” Kong Zhong and the other two asked, their faces full of suspicion and disbelief.

“Really,” Xu Chuan replied. Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, he added, “Hang on, let me take this call.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket. The caller ID made him pause for a second, but then he swiped the screen and answered, “Hello, senior female student.”

Xu Chuan greeted her with a smile, waving away Kong Zhong who was leaning in to eavesdrop, and got up to walk to the window.

“Um, that is… are you still at the university?”

On the other end of the line, a small voice asked, filled with courage.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course.”

“C-can I treat you to a meal?” Liu Jiaxin asked softly, standing in front of Xu Chuan’s old dorm room and looking at the locked door.

Xu Chuan: “I’m afraid I don’t have time this afternoon. How about tonight?”

After a pause, he continued, “I’m having a meal with a few classmates right now. If you don’t mind, you can come over. We’re at Xiao Xian Zhuang right outside the school gate, the place we used to eat.”

“N-no, that’s okay. Tonight is fine,” Liu Jiaxin said quietly. She glanced at the closed dorm room one last time, then turned and left.

“Alright, tonight then,” Xu Chuan agreed with a smile.

Chapter 198: The Sister Who Set Her Brother Up

Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan turned around and jumped in fright.

His three friends were standing right behind him, eavesdropping.

“Brother Chuan, was that sister-in-law on the phone? Fess up!”

“I heard a girl’s voice!”

“Bring her over! Have sister-in-law come over so we can meet her.”

As the three of them started talking at once, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Ignoring his gossip-loving friends, he walked back to the table.

Skipping that topic, the four of them clinked glasses several times. After downing two bottles of beer, the conversation began to flow freely.

One moment they were talking about their plans after graduation, the next they were discussing video games, and occasionally the topic would shift to events happening in China and abroad.

For example, a female university student who stole a pair of headphones not only avoided punishment but was even recommended for graduate school.

Or how a certain celebrity who participated in an idol trainee show went viral after releasing a self-introduction video, all because he had been “practicing for two and a half years” and played basketball while wearing overalls.

Nearly a year had passed since they had last seen each other, which felt like a long time for a group of university students.

It was unlike life after entering the workforce, where not seeing someone for several years, or even for the rest of one’s life, was not uncommon.

The meal lasted for two hours before the four of them parted ways, promising to get together again when the other three graduated.

Xu Chuan returned to the hotel arranged for him by Nanjing University. He hadn’t forgotten that he had plans to have dinner with his senior female student that evening. He took a shower to wash off the smell of alcohol and then took an afternoon nap to rest.

The afternoon alarm jolted him awake. Stretching lazily, he climbed out of bed, grabbed his phone, and glanced at the time. It was almost four o’clock.

He opened his laptop to handle some emails and reply to a few messages, then got up and once again made his way to Xiao Xian Zhuang, just outside the gates of Nanjing University.

He was just about to send his senior a message to ask when she would arrive when a familiar figure sitting by the window caught his eye.

Walking over quickly, Xu Chuan smiled and called out, “Senior.”

“You’re here.”

The senior, who had been looking down at a book, raised her head at the sound of his voice. A hint of delight appeared in her eyes when she saw Xu Chuan.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Xu Chuan said apologetically. He had thought he would be the first to arrive, but he hadn’t expected his senior to be even earlier.

“It’s okay, I just got here a little while ago myself,” she said softly, closing the book in her hands and placing it on the edge of the table.

Xu Chuan glanced at the book his senior had set down. The title on the cover, Introduction to Algorithms, made him smile with satisfaction.

Following his earlier advice and with the support of the bonus from the tungsten diselenide research project, his senior had ultimately chosen the path of advanced studies and had achieved outstanding results.

He had to admit, his judgment of people was quite accurate.

Back then, he had felt that this senior had tremendous potential for academic pursuits, and now, the facts had proven him right.

Perhaps because her financial difficulties had been resolved and she no longer needed to work part-time day and night, she had unleashed enormous potential in her studies. She had just entered her third year of university when she completed all her undergraduate coursework and began her master’s degree program.

Now, more than a year later, he had heard from Professor Zhou Hai in their occasional chats that she was almost finished with her master’s program and was preparing to apply for a doctoral program.

Completing an undergraduate degree in two years and a master’s degree in just over a year was an incredibly fast pace.

Xu Chuan sat down and asked, “Have you ordered yet, Senior?”

“Not yet.” She shook her head.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan gestured to a waitress in the restaurant and called out, “Waitress, we’d like to order.”

Soon, a waitress came over. Coincidentally, it was the same auntie from lunchtime.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Xu Chuan. “Young man, you’re so late! Your little girlfriend here has been waiting for at least half an hour. Even if you’re a great scientist, you have to be on time for dates.”

Xu Chuan was taken aback and glanced at his senior.

Didn’t she say she had just arrived? What was this about half an hour? It wasn’t even five-thirty yet, which meant she had arrived sometime after four?

Exposed by the waitress auntie, the senior froze for a moment.

Xu Chuan smiled and looked at the waitress auntie. “My apologies, I’ll be more mindful next time. Let’s order first.”

Come to think of it, this waitress auntie had known them for a long time. She had recognized him and his senior the first time they ate here back when he was still at Nanjing University. He just hadn’t expected her to remember them after all this time.

After ordering, Xu Chuan looked at his senior and asked, “Which field are you planning to specialize in for your doctorate, Senior?”

Liu Jiaxin replied, “Mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence.”

“That’s great. Both of those fields are going to be huge in the future. As long as you have the skills, an annual income in the millions won’t be difficult to achieve.”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile. Hearing her mention these two fields, he knew that his senior had probably carefully considered his previous advice and the industry’s development.

Although an annual income of ten million sounded exaggerated, he wasn’t just boasting.

Top experts in the fields of mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence could earn far more than ten million a year.

For example, a certain short-video app that would start to take off next year had once offered its algorithm experts a salary of over one hundred million a year to poach them from the United States.

This showed the potential of the industry.

In the future, algorithms and artificial intelligence would be the hottest fields with the best prospects. After all, the era of big data was inseparable from these two.

Hearing this, a blush crept onto Liu Jiaxin’s cheeks. Back then, she had thought an annual salary of two or three hundred thousand was already astonishing.

Ten million? That was something she had never even dared to imagine.

“So, are you planning to stay at Nanjing University for your Ph.D.?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

Although Nanjing University’s mathematics department wasn’t exceptional, its computer science program was quite good.

Though not large in scale, it followed a path of high-end, precision, and cutting-edge development.

In core areas like software, AI, system architecture, and data mining, it was one of the best in the country, with extremely high-quality research output.

Liu Jiaxin nodded, then added, “But I’ve applied to my advisor for an exchange student position at Princeton. My advisor said that Princeton’s computer science program is strong in artificial intelligence and algorithms, and both fields are heavily reliant on mathematics. I want to improve my knowledge in mathematics as well.”

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then said, “It seems your academic performance is even more outstanding than I imagined.”

He wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t just Princeton’s mathematics department that accepted very few doctoral students from China each year; their computer science program was the same. The number of students they accepted from China in a year could be counted on one hand.

Although Nanjing University’s computer science department wasn’t ranked very high nationally, it was one of only three universities in the country to possess a first-level national key discipline in computer science, a state key laboratory, a ‘Double First-Class’ world-class discipline, and a national base for top talent.

Princeton had few exchange student slots, but they weren’t non-existent.

However, applying for one was extremely difficult. If you weren’t in the top five of your discipline, you basically had no chance of getting the spot.

That was why he was so impressed, remarking that his senior’s achievements were far more outstanding than he had imagined.

After a pause, he continued, “It’s a great idea to go and study at Princeton. Although their computer science program can’t compare to their mathematical physics, it’s still quite good.”

“Plus, your areas of focus—mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence—are both excellent disciplines there. You’ll be able to learn a lot.”

His senior nodded vigorously, her expression serious. “I will work hard.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Keep it up.”

Xu Chuan stayed in Nanjing for five days before setting off for home.

On one hand, he had to attend the ceremony to accept the title of professor emeritus from Nanjing University, as well as award ceremonies held by the university, the city, and the province.

After all, they were giving him money, so he had to go through the motions and let the media take a few photos for publicity.

On the other hand, aside from giving a speech to the junior students at Nanjing University, he also needed to hold a conference presentation there.

This was something he had agreed to long ago.

As for the content of the presentation, it was, without a doubt, the Hodge Conjecture.

In fact, he had received many invitations for this type of presentation.

Both domestic and foreign universities, and even some research institutions, had sent him invitation letters, asking him to hold a conference presentation or give a speech.

The highest remuneration offered by one university was as much as three hundred thousand US dollars.

But Xu Chuan had turned down most of the presentations and speeches, only accepting the invitations from within China.

For one, he didn’t have that much time to run around giving speeches.

For another, it was simply because he was Chinese and a student of Nanjing University.

Although the development of mathematics is a gradual process, and a single presentation wouldn’t immediately boost the progress of China’s field of mathematics by much, it could still play a role.

As a top scholar in this field, if he was willing to spread knowledge on the subject, he could still have a significant impact.

Even though this impact might take several or even dozens of years to fully manifest.

But the subtle influence was there and wouldn’t just disappear.

After finishing his business in Nanjing, Xu Chuan bought a ticket and took the high-speed rail from Nanjing back to Xingcheng.

Although flying would have been a little faster, it wouldn’t have saved much time.

The whole process of entering the station, getting tickets checked, and waiting for the flight was quite troublesome.

In China, for a high-speed rail journey of under five hours, the train was not much slower than a plane from departure to arrival.

More importantly, the high-speed rail was more comfortable and felt safer than a plane.

After all, it ran on the ground. If something went wrong, there was at least a glimmer of hope. But if something happened on a plane, you could shout to the heavens and the earth, and no one would answer.

Tugging his suitcase, Xu Chuan headed for Star City No. 1 High School.

Before going back to his old home, he had to pick up that girl, Xu Xiao, from the high school.

For this, Xu Xiao had pestered him on the phone for a long time.

Although he didn’t know why that girl insisted he pick her up, after she wheedled him for ages, he finally caved and agreed.

It was also a good opportunity to visit Old Tang.

Xu Chuan had always been grateful to Old Tang.

After all, how many geniuses are there in this world? But how many of them truly make it?

He and Old Tang were a real-life example of a prized horse and the expert who recognized its potential.

In his past life, without this high school teacher’s discovery and guidance, he would have most likely been lost in the vast sea of people.

Standing at the school gate, Xu Chuan took out his phone and called Old Tang.

Hearing that he was at the gate of No. 1 High School, Old Tang was momentarily stunned. After a long pause and repeated confirmations, he quickly hung up the phone.

A moment later, Old Tang appeared at the school gate and led him inside.

“You brat, why didn’t you call ahead before coming?” Old Tang complained upon seeing Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan chuckled. “It’s not a big deal.”

Old Tang shot him a sidelong glance. “How is it not a big deal? A Fields Medal winner coming in person—what school wouldn’t roll out the red carpet?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I haven’t gotten it yet.”

“You proved the Hodge Conjecture. If you don’t get the Fields Medal next year, I’ll take your surname!” Old Tang said with a dismissive snort.

“Should I have a word with the Fields Medal committee then, and ask them to postpone it for four years?” Xu Chuan teased.

At this, Old Tang gave him another sidelong glance. “I dare you to say that again.”

Xu Chuan immediately backed down. “I don’t dare, I don’t dare.”

“But seriously, you proving the Hodge Conjecture without a peep really made a lot of jaws drop.”

Old Tang sighed with emotion, then continued, “I knew you had a talent for math, you brat, but this is just too much.”

Xu Chuan said, “It was just a moment of inspiration.”

“Alright, stop being so humble.” Old Tang rolled his eyes and led him towards the academic building.

“By the way, Teacher, when does the school’s winter break start?” Xu Chuan asked as he walked beside Old Tang.

“The first and second years are already on break. The third years start the day after tomorrow. You’re here to pick up your younger sister, right?” Old Tang asked.

“And to visit you, of course, Teacher,” Xu Chuan said with a grin.

“Hmph, so you do have some heart, you brat.” Old Tang grunted. As if remembering something, he stared at Xu Chuan and continued, “Speaking of which, you have a good sister. She’s exactly like you.”

Xu Chuan gave a dry laugh, knowing what Old Tang was talking about.

“Big Bro!”

In classroom 1401, Xu Xiao spotted the figure at the classroom door and bounced over excitedly.

Xu Chuan smiled and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Alright, spill it. Why did you make me come all this way in person? Couldn’t you have just taken a taxi home? Your big brother’s time is very precious.”

Xu Xiao wrinkled her nose, clinging to his arm and shaking it back and forth. “You’re my brother! It’s winter break, what’s wrong with swinging by to pick up your dearest little sister?”

Xu Chuan looked at her skeptically. “Is that all?”

Xu Xiao declared with utmost confidence, “What else could it be?”

The moment she finished speaking, a female classmate of hers walked over. She looked at Xu Chuan, then at Xu Xiao, and said blankly, “He really came?”

Xu Chuan asked in confusion, “What do you mean, ‘he really came’?”

The classmate came to her senses and said, “Xiaoxiao made a bet with me that she could get you to come pick her up. The loser… mmmph… a semester’s… mmmph… breakfast…”

Before the girl could finish, Xu Xiao lunged forward and clamped a hand over her mouth.

But Xu Chuan had heard enough. He looked at the scuffling Xu Xiao, his expression darkening.

This sister… he couldn’t keep her.

After successfully picking up Xu Xiao, the two of them hailed a taxi with their luggage and went back to their old home—no, it should be called their new home.

After his repeated persuasion, Father Xu and Mother Xu had finally moved from their original two-story house into the villa that was built last year.

Before, they had been completely unwilling to live there.

In Father Xu and Mother Xu’s eyes, the villa was a new home for Xu Chuan to use when he got married. Why would they move in? It wasn’t as if the old house was unlivable.

Parents were always like that, always wanting to leave the best things for their children.

But Xu Chuan had finally convinced his parents. After all, a house is built for people to live in. What’s the point of building a house if no one lives in it? To just sit there as a decoration?

Besides, for a house in the countryside, there was a huge difference between one that was lived in and one that wasn’t.

An uninhabited house, even a newly built one, would age particularly quickly.

It was like the houses left behind by those on the “five guarantees” household support after they passed away; after a year or two, they would collapse into a ruinous state.

Yet when they were alive, those old houses, even the ones built with earthen bricks, could withstand the wind and rain without any problems.

In the countryside, there’s a belief in what’s called ‘human vitality’—the idea that a house has life only when people live in it. An empty house, they say, will be reclaimed by the heavens.

Chapter 199: The Problem That Takes a Lifetime to Grapple With

After spending a few days in his hometown, Xu Chuan discovered something in the world even more exhausting than academic research.

That was the web of social obligations.

He had no idea who had let the cat out of the bag, but from the day he returned, people came to visit him every single day.

At first, it was the neighbors in his village. Hearing that the great scientist who had been on Xinwen Lianbo was back, they flocked over to see him, chat, and ask for advice on studying, hoping their own children might get into a good university.

Then came his former teachers and the principal, who visited with gifts in hand. After that, leaders from the County and city governments came to express their well wishes, inviting him to give reports, speeches, or present awards.

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t entirely opposed to such social niceties, the endless waves of visitors left him numb from playing host.

The whole Chinese New Year holiday ended up being more draining than focusing wholeheartedly on a mathematical conjecture.

Following his custom, Xu Chuan stayed home until after the twelfth day of the lunar new year before buying a ticket back to Princeton.

In early February, at his request, the four students who had received his admission offers arrived at the university from all over the world.

Having students who were supposed to enroll in the fall start in the spring instead was a troublesome affair, involving many different aspects.

For instance, there were the students’ visas, the university’s enrollment records, housing arrangements, and various other matters.

For Xu Chuan, however, none of these were major issues.

Princeton just had to change the enrollment date to the spring semester. As for dorms, could a full professor not secure four dormitory spots?

As for whether the students could sort out their personal affairs, that was their own problem.

Theoretically, for an application for fall admission, some students might not have even graduated from their previous schools by January or February.

It was manageable for exchange students, but it was much more troublesome for international students.

But Xu Chuan wasn’t bothered by any of this.

He had given the task; how the students accomplished it was up to them.

The relationship between a doctoral advisor and a doctoral student is very similar to the workplace. The advisor is the boss, and the student is the worker.

Even if you were on vacation with your girlfriend, if your advisor called, you had to obediently come back and do the grunt work.

The one slight advantage over the workplace was probably that the doctoral advisor would offer some help and guidance in your academic career.

While guiding you in your work, they would pass on some knowledge and experience. You could also ask them anything you didn’t understand, and the advisor was obligated to answer. This was more akin to a “manager” or a “senior colleague” in a job.

Of course, that was assuming your advisor was a normal one.

If you encountered an unscrupulous advisor, it could be far worse than the workplace.

You could forget about any help. You’d be lucky if they didn’t hold you back from graduating, exploiting you for a few extra years of free labor.

In the United States, an advisor’s power over a doctoral student was shockingly immense. If an advisor was displeased, they had ways to have the student expelled.

Of course, this was generally not done.

After all, if you expelled a student, it would be harder to recruit new ones later. Prospective students would have to consider whether they could even graduate under your supervision, wouldn’t they?

As per Xu Chuan’s request, by February, all four students had arrived at Princeton one by one.

The first to arrive was Gu Bing from Jiaotong University in China.

He actually arrived even before Xu Chuan. Xu Chuan only returned to Princeton after spending the twelfth day of the new year in his hometown, whereas Gu Bing had set off on the fourth day of the lunar new year.

Having stayed in a hotel for over ten days, Gu Bing’s mood was a mix of excitement and trepidation.

His advisor was a top-tier mathematical expert who had proven one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. He had never even dreamed of such a thing before.

He had submitted his application just to try his luck, without much hope.

After all, he was well aware of how fierce the competition would be for a professor like this.

He had previously applied to many foreign universities with strong mathematics programs, but due to his spoken English and his tendency to get nervous, he had been rejected by most of them.

If this attempt failed too, he would have probably started applying to slightly lower-tiered universities.

Who could have predicted such an unexpected turn of events? The application he sent out on a whim was the one that got selected.

It was like a dream.

No, even in his dreams, he couldn’t have dreamt up something like this!

So, after receiving the dreamlike offer letter, he celebrated for two days, then quickly took care of all his affairs in China. He didn’t even visit relatives during Chinese New Year, rushing to leave right after the holiday began.

He asked for nothing more than to make a good first impression on his advisor.

After ten days in a hotel, he finally received a message from Xu Chuan, asking when he would arrive.

Upon receiving the message, he appeared before his advisor, who was several years his junior, at the earliest opportunity.

Seeing Gu Bing standing before him, Xu Chuan was momentarily stunned. “When did you get here?” he asked.

Gu Bing ran a hand through his thinning hair and said with an embarrassed smile, “I was afraid of delaying you, so I set off on the fourth day of the new year.”

It had to be said, this gesture definitely earned him some points in Xu Chuan’s book. After all, what boss wouldn’t love a sensible, obedient employee who voluntarily works overtime?

Nodding, he said, “Did you bring your documents? If so, I’ll take you to complete the enrollment procedures.”

Hearing this, Gu Bing nodded quickly. “I did. They’re all in my bag.”

After taking Gu Bing to complete the enrollment procedures and letting him get acquainted with the campus on his own, Xu Chuan returned to his office.

He needed to prepare the study plans for these students, as well as his own university-wide lectures at Princeton.

One must fulfill the duties of one’s position; that was the most basic obligation.

As a professor, it was natural that he had to teach his students well.

Actually, he should have figured all this out during the Chinese New Year holiday, but the social obligations had left him exhausted, not to mention that he had also been contemplating his own plans for the future.

Fundamentally, his role as a researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was more basic and important than his identity as a Princeton professor.

And as a researcher, conducting his own scientific research was the most important thing.

Therefore, during the holiday, his thoughts had been focused on his own future arrangements.

As for the students and his teaching duties, with his experience as a professor in his past life, these were not a big deal and could be handled with ease.

His future plans, on the other hand, truly required careful consideration.

To have solved the Hodge Conjecture within two years at Princeton was something Xu Chuan hadn’t expected, and it had disrupted his study plans.

He had initially gone to Princeton with the mindset of a student, never imagining he could break through such a top-level problem in such a short time.

However, it also showed him that his talent in mathematics was by no means weaker than his talent in physics.

After all, solving problems is in itself an important method of learning. It forces you to apply the knowledge you’ve learned, integrating and synthesizing it into a coherent whole.

To be able to solve the Hodge Conjecture in two years, to build a bridge between the three major fields of algebraic geometry, analysis, and topology—even with the help of his mathematical knowledge from his past life—was still extraordinary.

Considering he would be at Princeton for another year and a half or so, and that he did not want to be stuck in the United States, he couldn’t touch any applied sciences in the time he had left.

Although he didn’t know why they hadn’t approached him yet, he was certain that he was now on a list at the US immigration authorities.

Perhaps it was due to the vast difference between the fields of pure theoretical science and applied science.

The results of the former are all public, openly accessible to every country, and turning pure theory into practical technology often takes an extremely long time.

As for the latter, every talented individual in the field of applied science can create immense value for a nation.

Elder Qian, who returned to China in the early years, was a top genius in applied science. The immense changes he brought to China after his return were visible to all.

In his past life, he himself was locked in the United States because he had participated in the applied development of nuclear energy physics.

Taking these factors into account, Xu Chuan turned his focus to the purely theoretical fields of mathematics and physics.

Furthermore, since he might only have a few months left at Princeton, he set his sights on the two systems of manifolds and chaos.

The former, in a broad sense, could be considered an interdisciplinary field between mathematics and physics.

In mathematics, the ultimate development of manifolds is the Navier-Stokes equations, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

This area was related to his ultimate goal for coming to Princeton: “turbulence control in controlled nuclear fusion.”

At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, scholars like mathematics professor Feynman and physics professor Duncan Haldane were all top experts in the field of manifolds.

He would be loath to leave Princeton without taking some knowledge of manifolds back with him.

So he locked his first target on the field of manifolds.

Actually, there was another subject he really wanted to learn at Princeton.

That was “fluid dynamics.”

He desperately wanted to have in-depth discussions and learn about this subject from the physics professors here, but after much thought, he eventually abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple: although fluid dynamics is a fundamental part of physics, it is highly applied in nature and forms the basis for many industries.

Research in fluid dynamics has not only played an important role in the development of science as a whole but is also indispensable to many industries and engineering projects vital to the national economy and people’s livelihood.

It possesses the characteristics of a basic discipline while also having strong applicability, making it an important component of engineering or technical sciences.

The most prominent example is the aerospace industry. It is no exaggeration to say that without the development of fluid dynamics, today’s aerospace technology would not exist.

Take a commercial airliner, for example. If you were sitting on a Boeing 747, just imagine: this aircraft, carrying over four hundred people, with a total weight of over three hundred tons and dimensions covering more than half a football field, is supported by air that is lighter than a feather. Anyone would marvel at the achievements of fluid dynamics.

Therefore, after some consideration, he ultimately gave up on this idea, choosing the purely theoretical manifolds and abandoning the application-oriented fluid dynamics.

As for chaos mathematics, it was a deeper dive based on his existing mathematical foundation.

It is a new branch of mathematics developed from measure theory, probability theory, stochastic processes, dynamical systems, and fractal theory.

Its main purpose is to understand how unpredictability can be reconciled with determinism.

To put it simply, chaos mathematics is essentially the study of the “Butterfly Effect.”

The goal is to make the Butterfly Effect work for you. A small change in initial conditions producing a large change in subsequent behavior can be an advantage; all you have to do is ensure you get the large change you want.

This field was not only related to mathematics but also to physics. It could even have a role to play in the control of high-temperature plasma turbulence in controlled nuclear fusion.

If he could bring some knowledge of these two areas back to China from Princeton, Xu Chuan believed his future research on controlled nuclear fusion would be elevated to a much higher level.

As for solving the problem of controlled nuclear fusion, even with a rebirth, he wasn’t really confident.

Even though he had already stood at the pinnacle of this field in his past life and had pushed it forward considerably, he still had no confidence.

This was because there were simply too many difficult problems to solve.

Superconducting materials were one hurdle in controlled nuclear fusion, the turbulence problem was another, and tritium self-sustainment was yet another.

And as progress was made, who knew how many more such hurdles lay ahead.

Xu Chuan never thought he could immediately solve controlled nuclear fusion upon returning from Princeton. That would be a fool’s dream. It might not be possible even with another rebirth, let alone just one.

As humanity’s dream of an ultimate energy source, if it were that easy to solve, it would have been solved long ago.

In any case, he was prepared to spend his entire life grappling with this technology.

As for whether he could ultimately succeed, besides hard work, the rest was up to fate.

In his office, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before pulling a brand-new notebook from his drawer.

For the four students under his wing, he couldn’t use the same teaching method for all of them, leading them all into the same field.

At the very least, a good advisor wouldn’t do that. That wasn’t the way to guide students.

Of course, this approach was fine before the graduate level, but not for graduate students.

This was especially true for doctoral students, because each of them had different areas of focus in their prior studies, so their future development would naturally differ.

Furthermore, what these students needed to do during their doctoral studies was not just to gain in-depth knowledge, but also to create knowledge in their chosen fields.

Therefore, he had to make a rough plan based on the applications of these four students. As for their specific research directions, he would need to communicate with them after they had all arrived.

However, although each person’s direction of study would have subtle differences, the overall goal was still unified.

And he had a rather suitable target on hand.

“The algebraic variety and group mapping tool!”

That’s right, it was the mathematical tool he had previously used to prove the Hodge Conjecture.

This tool was quite suitable for these four students to learn.

Whether it was the three students like Gu Bing who were chosen to study pure mathematics, or Amelia who was later accepted to study mathematical physics, they could all delve deeply into this set of mathematical tools.

It was a tool that bridged the three fields of algebraic geometry, topology, and analysis. Its relevance to mathematics was self-evident, and in mathematical physics, topology and analysis were also very important mathematical tools.

So even though Amelia was studying mathematical physics, she would have no problem tackling this set of mathematical tools.

Chapter 200: How is This Not Difficult at All?

Gu Bing was the first to arrive, and the other three students reached Princeton within the next two days.

After helping them with their enrollment, Xu Chuan called the four students to his office to get to know them and prepare their corresponding study materials.

Among the four students, Gu Bing, from China, specialized in algebraic topology and analytic geometry, with his doctoral research focusing primarily on algebraic topology.

Roger Dean, from the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, was the eldest of the four doctoral students. His field of study was algebraic surfaces and commutative algebra.

Shahi Perez, a doctoral student from Paris VI University in France, focused mainly on topology.

As for the last student, Amelia Irwin, her mathematical studies were in mathematical analysis and differential geometry. In physics, she pursued field theory and electromagnetic physics.

For each of these four students, Xu Chuan arranged different developmental paths and study plans.

Of course, these were decided after consulting with them. After all, anyone who had reached the doctoral stage surely had their own ideas, and he was very respectful of his students’ wishes.

To be honest, there weren’t many advisors as responsible as him, even at Princeton.

Back in China, there were even fewer.

Once the developmental paths for the students were set, all that remained was the study plan.

Looking at the four students from all corners of the world gathered in his office, Xu Chuan began, “We have already determined the future direction for each of you.”

“Next, let’s talk about your study schedule.”

“I have already prepared the materials for this.”

He paused, then continued, “I’m sure you all researched me before applying to be my students. You know that I completed the proof of the Hodge Conjecture.”

“Of course, I’m not showing off. Rather, your upcoming studies are related to it.”

“The algebraic variety and group mapping tool.”

“This was the core mathematical tool I used to prove the Hodge Conjecture, and it will be your main focus for the next few months.”

“Before the International Congress of Mathematicians convenes this year, that is, before August, I will conduct an assessment to review your learning progress.”

“If you pass my assessment, there will be a reward. As for what that reward is, it’s a secret for now,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

In the office, Amelia asked curiously, “What if we don’t pass the assessment?”

Hearing this, the other three looked over nervously. They were equally concerned about this question.

Being new to Princeton, none of them knew the personality of this young advisor. If they failed the assessment and were dismissed, it would be a huge problem.

Xu Chuan said with a gentle smile, “Then perhaps your graduation might be delayed a little.”

“Professor, may I ask about the general scope of the assessment?” Gu Bing asked, a little nervously.

Having worked so hard to come to Princeton to study, he didn’t want to end up unable to even graduate.

Xu Chuan replied, “Of course, it will be related to the algebraic variety and group mapping tool. Don’t worry, it won’t be too difficult.”

Hearing this, the four students breathed a collective sigh of relief. Anything concerning graduation was something they couldn’t afford to ignore. After all, they had already made it to their doctorates, and the next step would complete their entire academic journey.

However, before they could fully relax, Xu Chuan continued, “The algebraic variety and group mapping tool solved the Hodge Conjecture, but it still has a great deal of untapped potential.”

“It can be used to tackle many difficult problems related to algebraic varieties, differential forms, polynomial equations, and even algebraic topology.”

“For example, the Bloch Conjecture, which belongs to the same family of conjectures as the Hodge Conjecture; the problem of whether Hodge theory for algebraic surfaces can determine if the Chow group of zero-cycles is finite-dimensional; and issues like the isomorphism mapping of certain motivic cohomology groups with finite coefficients to étale cohomology, and so on.”

“Perhaps I’ll just randomly pick one of these problems as your assessment topic.”

Gu Bing: …

Roger Dean: ???

Shahi Perez: !!!

Amelia Irwin: (っ°Д°;)っ

Had they misheard? Or were they having auditory hallucinations?

If they remembered correctly, hadn’t their advisor just said it wouldn’t be too difficult?

But the things he mentioned—the ‘Bloch Conjecture,’ ‘the finite-dimensionality of the Chow group’—were all world-class problems.

Among them were even century-old problems that had remained unsolved for over a hundred years.

How the hell was any part of this “not too difficult”?

Moreover, it was already late February. There were only a little over five months until the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Five months to solve a world-class problem.

They might as well just kill them now.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the inner turmoil of his four students.

From his perspective, it really wasn’t that difficult.

After solving the Hodge Conjecture, he had looked into some related problems.

With his current mathematical ability, he already had a certain degree of confidence in whether problems like the Bloch Conjecture could be solved using the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool” within his field.

Of course, for these students, there would certainly be some difficulty.

But if they could master and skillfully apply the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool,” then solving these problems was still possible.

Since he had taken on students, he had to be responsible for them. In any case, he had no intention of letting them have an easy time getting their doctorates under his supervision.

That would be irresponsible to them, a waste of their time, and a waste of his own energy.

After assigning the tasks, the four students left. Xu Chuan then went to Witten’s office. He wanted to inquire about CERN’s collision experiment schedule for the first half of the year.

He wanted to see if there was anything that interested him.

After all, in his past life, he had only officially gotten involved with CERN in the second half of 2018. He was very clear about the schedule for the latter half of the year, but not so much the first half.

Of course, with his rebirth and his discoveries at CERN, the collision experiment schedule might have been modified.

After all, the method of using mathematical calculations to identify search channels for physical particles was very important; it could change many things.

The flap of a butterfly’s wings often happens when one least expects it.

As it was the beginning of the year, Witten had already returned from CERN.

Seeing Xu Chuan, Witten smiled, stood up, and handed him a cup of coffee. “I hear that the New Year in China is very lively.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Of course. If you were to visit, you could see a lot of different sights there.”

“For example, there are all sorts of activities like shopping for New Year’s goods, solving lantern riddles, watching dragon and lion dances, and seeing deity parades with boat processions. They’re all quite interesting.”

Compared to New Year’s Day in other countries, the traditional customs surrounding the Spring Festival in China were undoubtedly more numerous and livelier.

Unfortunately, the New Year’s atmosphere had been fading year by year, but Xu Chuan was still more than happy to recommend these things to others.

After all, it was a way of promoting traditional Chinese culture.

“It seems I’ll have to find an opportunity to go see for myself,” Witten said with a smile.

“You’re welcome anytime.”

After some small talk, Witten shifted the topic. “Are you interested in checking out the CERN experiments this year?”

The old gentleman had brought it up before Xu Chuan could even ask.

Xu Chuan followed up, “What are they researching in the first half of the year?”

Witten shrugged. “It’s still deepening the work based on previous foundations, like studying the Higgs boson, searching for pentaquark particles, and some supplementary experiments for the Standard Model.”

“Oh, right, there’s also a small number of collision experiments searching for gravitational waves. Perhaps you’d be interested in that?”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head. “If it’s just those things, I’m probably not that interested.”

He couldn’t be bothered to go for the Higgs boson research and the discovery of the pentaquark particle; he knew those two things like the back of his hand.

As for gravitational waves…

In truth, this was not the first time humanity had detected gravitational wave signals.

As early as 2016, LIGO had made the first detection of a gravitational wave signal from the merger of a binary black hole.

And in 2017, humans observed gravitational waves caused by the merger of a binary neutron star.

The successful discovery of gravitational waves filled the final missing “puzzle piece” in the experimental verification of Albert Einstein’s general relativity.

If Albert Einstein were still alive, he would have won another Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory of general relativity, one hundred percent.

But regrettably, until his death, the physics community was still in the initial research stage of general relativity and had not made any major breakthroughs.

And the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.

Of course, even with only one Nobel Prize, no one could deny Albert Einstein’s great status in physics.

It was an honor for the Nobel Prize that this great man had won it.

Returning to the topic, the fact that CERN had scheduled gravitational wave-related experiments in its collision lineup for the first half of the year was, in Xu Chuan’s opinion, a complete waste of money.

With the current collision energy levels of the LHC, even at maximum power, it could at best create an extremely tiny black hole, with a diameter on the order of ten to the negative twentieth power.

Even if such a black hole could generate gravitational waves, current detection equipment wouldn’t be able to observe them at all.

In Xu Chuan’s view, the gravitational waves produced by a black hole created in a large particle collider wouldn’t be any stronger than those from two small cars colliding.

To detect such a faint gravitational wave, the current detection equipment would probably need to be improved by ten or so orders of magnitude to even have a chance.

So, CERN’s scheduled collision experiments were a complete waste of time and money.

Xu Chuan had no interest in this at all.

Beside him, Witten threw up his hands. “But there’s nothing to be done. We always hope to pull off something big, but our current equipment and theories just don’t support it.”

He paused, then sighed. “To be honest, physics has been developing for so long, but it’s been a long time since anything new has emerged. We’re still just patching and tinkering with the old Standard Model.”

“Verifying my M-theory is simply impossible for at least a century, and as for other things…”

“Honestly, I’m very pessimistic.”

As he spoke, the old man sighed again and shook his head slightly.

On this point, Xu Chuan held a different view. He smiled and offered some consolation, “It’s not that dire.”

“Technology is always advancing, and at a speed faster than you or I can imagine.”

“Perhaps in the near future, we’ll be able to find something beyond the Standard Model, don’t you think?”

Witten smiled slightly. “Let’s hope so.”

Xu Chuan smiled back. “Definitely.”

The days at Princeton passed one by one. After confirming that CERN had no collision experiments of interest to him in the first half of the year, Xu Chuan turned his attention to his own goal: the manifold.

This was his first and most important learning objective, related to the Existence and Smoothness of the Navier-Stokes Equation, as well as the mathematical simulation and control of turbulence.

Regarding manifolds, the two most important branches were topological manifolds and differential manifolds.

Thanks to his previous research on the Hodge Conjecture, he had a certain foundation in both areas, but it wasn’t enough. The Hodge Conjecture and the Navier-Stokes equations were problems from two different fields.

He needed a more complete foundational knowledge of topological and differential manifolds.

Fortunately, Firestone Library could fully satisfy this need. He just had to go there to borrow books, get materials, and download research papers.

Time passed day by day, and soon it was mid-March.

Immersed in his studies, Xu Chuan received a call from Witten and hurried over.

On March 14, 2018, a massive earthquake shook the world of physics.

The world-renowned great physicist, Stephen William Hawking, had passed away at the age of 76.

The news left Xu Chuan stunned for a long time.

Compared to the late Professor Mirzakhani, he was undoubtedly more familiar with Hawking.

He had already experienced Hawking’s passing once in his past life. Experiencing it again in this life still gave him a surreal, dreamlike feeling, and a touch of melancholy settled in his heart.

In the long river of time, all living beings are as insignificant as specks of dust. Even the most brilliant among them only radiate their light for a brief moment before extinguishing, submerged in the flow of time.

Sighing, Xu Chuan cast aside the jumble of thoughts in his mind and pulled himself together.

Every person is a history book; some stories are finished, while others are still being written. Some live to leave a name for posterity, others to live a life of peace and happiness.

And he lived to make up for the regrets of his past life, and to see what lay in the farther distance.

At the end of March, after attending Mr. Hawking’s funeral, a subtle reminder from the Director of the Mathematics Department, Fefferman, finally made Xu Chuan remember that he held the position of a full professor at Princeton University.

A month and a half had passed since the semester began after the Spring Festival, but aside from taking on four students, he had yet to teach a single class.

His prolonged slacking off had reached a point where even Fefferman, his friend despite their age gap, couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Deligne, on the other hand, also a professor in the mathematics department, didn’t care at all. Xu Chuan went to see him almost every two or three days, and he never asked about it.

Professors at Princeton University, in addition to advising students, also had basic teaching hour requirements, although many full professors would delegate them to their doctoral students or assistant professors.

But you had to at least offer a course.

Not even opening a class was simply inexcusable.

Chapter 201: Smooth Manifolds and a Discussion with Fefferman

Xu Chuan smiled a little awkwardly when Fefferman came looking for him. For over a month, he had been so immersed in his own research that he’d completely forgotten about the matter.

After assuring Fefferman that he would start his class this week, the Director of the mathematics department was relieved.

However, Fefferman was also curious about what Xu Chuan had been researching for the past month.

The professor, who in his youth had borne some resemblance to Peng Yuyan, asked curiously, “What have you been researching lately?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Nothing in particular. I’ve just been reading some books on manifolds.”

Fefferman looked over in surprise. “Manifolds? Which area are you planning to research?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Smooth manifolds, for now.”

Hearing this, Fefferman’s eyes lit up. “What are your thoughts on the problem that the bounded cohomology of affine flat manifolds is always zero?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment before speaking. “That problem relates to Chen’s conjecture. As we all know, the Euler characteristic is a topological invariant of a manifold, whereas affine flatness is a purely geometric concept. The beauty of this conjecture lies in how it connects these two very different mathematical concepts, revealing a deep relationship between them.”

“If the affine flat structure on an affine flat manifold M is complete—meaning M is the quotient space of a proper action by a discrete group on an affine space—then Chen’s conjecture holds.”

“From this perspective, if one were to study this problem, a possible starting point would be to define an affine flat manifold as a manifold with a torsion-free, flat affine connection on its tangent bundle.”

Fefferman pondered for a moment, then said, half-questioning, half-certain, “A finite extension of the free product of the holonomy group of the affine flat structure on an amenable group?”

Xu Chuan considered it. “Start from the direction of finite-dimensional Lie groups with affine flat structures, and then shift it toward…”

There in the office, Fefferman, who had originally come just to remind Xu Chuan not to forget his duties as a Princeton professor, became lost in discussion and thought.

More than an hour passed before the two of them reluctantly stopped, still wanting to continue.

Fefferman left satisfied, and Xu Chuan had also harvested a great many ideas.

Indeed, conversing with a top-tier mathematics professor was a delightful affair. The lines of thought and ideas gained from a single discussion were enough to ponder for a long time, perhaps even to benefit from for a lifetime.

Xu Chuan was eager to organize his thoughts and ideas right away, but there was something else he had to do first.

He had to submit his course plan to Princeton.

Nearly two months had passed since the term started after the Spring Festival, yet he still hadn’t taught his first class.

If he delayed any longer, Princeton University might start to feel like they had thrown his six hundred thousand US dollar salary straight into Lake Carnegie.

After Xu Chuan submitted his course proposal to the university, Princeton immediately posted it on the course schedule.

The news sparked considerable discussion in the Princeton mathematics department.

After all, many mathematics students had been looking forward to a lecture on the Hodge Conjecture from the young professor who had proven it.

But more than a month into the term, the young professor seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Time flew by.

As Wednesday arrived, so too did Xu Chuan’s first class at Princeton.

The course he had listed for his first lecture was algebraic geometry.

As one of the hottest research areas in the history of mathematics, it was a subject that practically every mathematics student had encountered.

And as the “grand-disciple” of the pope of algebraic geometry, although Xu Chuan’s expertise was by no means limited to algebraic geometry, his first class simply had to be on this topic.

When Xu Chuan, dressed in formal attire, walked into the large university lecture hall, he was taken aback.

In the tiered lecture hall, which could accommodate over three hundred people, there was not an empty seat in the house. There were even two students squeezing into a single spot.

The aisles weren’t empty either; students without seats were sitting directly on the floor.

The jam-packed classroom made Xu Chuan wonder if the Princeton mathematics department even had this many students.

In fact, he was right. The students here were not just from Princeton’s math department; some had even come from New York and Philadelphia.

Some of these students had come on their own after being notified by friends, while others had been dragged along.

For students aspiring to go far in mathematics, a math class taught by the mathematician who proved the Hodge Conjecture held a massive appeal.

It wasn’t just students, either. A number of Princeton professors had also entered the lecture hall, sitting quietly in the corners, waiting for the class to begin.

Although he was surprised by the number of people in the room and hadn’t realized just how popular he was in the field of mathematics, Xu Chuan remained composed, walking to the lecture podium with a smile.

Stage fright was a thing of the past for him. Forget a lecture hall of three or four hundred people; he could handle a mathematics conference presentation with over a thousand attendees with ease.

Stepping onto the stage, Xu Chuan looked out at the students below. The pairs of expectant eyes made him feel as if he had traveled back in time.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Xu Chuan adjusted his headset microphone and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Xu Chuan, and I’m from China. You can call me Professor or Professor Xu.”

“Today is my first class at Princeton. To be honest, I have Professor Fefferman to thank for this. If he hadn’t reminded me, I might have forgotten my status as a professor.”

At his words, a wave of laughter erupted from the classroom.

“Were you too nervous to teach your first class as a professor?” a student teased from the audience.

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Not at all. Lecturing you isn’t any harder than standing in an auditorium and explaining the Hodge Conjecture to the big shots of the mathematics world.”

In American classrooms, the relationship between students and teachers was more relaxed than in China. It wasn’t uncommon for students to tease or question their teachers.

Xu Chuan didn’t know if the student’s teasing was intentional or not, but he had to quash it. Otherwise, managing the class in the future could be difficult.

After all, he was very young—so young that basically every student in the room was older than him.

Under such circumstances, even though he was the professor, it might give the students the impression that he was unreliable or give them other ideas.

His response was tailored precisely for this.

It was his way of saying, You are all nothing special, and teaching you is a piece of cake.

Hearing this, the student who had asked the question seemed to realize his comment was a bit out of line. He sheepishly scratched his head and said no more.

“Professor, can you tell us how you proved the Hodge Conjecture?” a student asked curiously.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course.”

“For that, I have to thank a great mathematician. It was she who brought me my initial inspiration.”

In English, “he” and “she” are two completely different-sounding words. When the students heard Xu Chuan say this, their interest was instantly piqued, and they all looked up at the stage.

Xu Chuan continued, “In July of last year, the first female Fields Medalist in the history of mathematics, Professor Mirzakhani, left us forever.”

“Before she passed away, she left me a manuscript. In that manuscript, I saw some of her thoughts on the fields I had previously worked on, namely the ‘Weyl-Berry conjecture’ and the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties’.”

“Building on that foundation, I perfected her ideas and solved the problem of the ‘irredundant decomposition of differential algebraic varieties’.”

“And based on that, I extended the work further, which ultimately led to the creation of the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping’ tool, and with it, the final solution to the Hodge Conjecture.”

“So I am very grateful to Professor Mirzakhani. Without her, I might never have walked the path of researching the Hodge Conjecture.”

As he finished speaking, a perceptive student noticed a few details.

“Professor, did you say that you only received Professor Mirzakhani’s original manuscripts last July, and that’s when you began your research on the Hodge Conjecture?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s right. Is there a problem?”

Hearing this, everyone in the lecture hall couldn’t help but swallow hard.

What did he mean, is there a problem?

The problem was huge!

From July to November, when the proof of the Hodge Conjecture was publicly released, was a span of only five months.

Five months to prove the Hodge Conjecture? What kind of monster was he?

For a moment, the vast lecture hall fell deathly silent, then erupted into a cacophony of shocked gasps and noisy chatter.

“That’s impossible!”

“Proving the Hodge Conjecture in five months… He must be joking.”

“Not even God could do that.”

“…”

The crowd of over four hundred people would rather believe Xu Chuan was joking with them than believe it was true.

The previous speculation that he had solved the Hodge Conjecture in two years was already terrifying enough. After all, Wiles had taken eight years to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem, and Perelman had taken seven to prove the Poincaré Conjecture.

In comparison, two years was an incredibly short time.

And now, he had shortened it all the way down to five months. No one could believe it was true.

They would rather believe it was just a joke on Xu Chuan’s part, and that he had actually taken two years to prove the Hodge Conjecture.

On the stage, Xu Chuan paid no mind to their reactions. The idea of proving the Hodge Conjecture in five months was so outlandish that almost no one would believe it. They would just treat it as a bit of classroom fun.

He used it, however, to pivot the topic to today’s lecture.

“Although the time it took to prove the Hodge Conjecture was short, it was preceded by more than a decade of laying the groundwork. A skyscraper isn’t built in a day. Only when the foundation is solid can you build up, step by step.”

“And today’s class is about laying that foundation…”

His dozen years as a professor in his past life had not been for nothing. His wealth of experience allowed him to smoothly shift the topic to the formal lecture, and he began to teach.

During the ninety-minute class, not a single person left early.

Only a few people, unable to hold out during the lecture, made a few trips to the restroom, but they returned quickly.

The first day’s lecture went very smoothly. Xu Chuan flipped through the book and his PowerPoint slides quickly, getting through nearly half of a hundred-page-thick algebraic geometry textbook.

Of course, this was also related to the students this class was aimed at.

This kind of large lecture was geared toward a mixed group of students—undergraduates and graduate students could all attend. To ensure most people could understand, the knowledge being taught couldn’t be too advanced.

Truly top-tier knowledge could only be learned in small lessons or by studying directly with an advisor.

However, large lectures like this were not without their merits. The insights and thought processes of the lecturing professor were more critical and important than advanced knowledge.

Knowledge can be learned, but insights and ideas can only come from creation.

In mathematics, listening to a top-tier expert’s understanding of a foundational field could be of immense help to students.

Sometimes, a single sentence from one of these big shots could lead to great gains, giving them a deeper level of understanding.

As for the basic knowledge in the textbook, it might be useful for undergraduate students, but for graduate and doctoral students, it was material they had learned long ago.

However, sometimes, different professors explaining the same concept could bring about different epiphanies.

This depended on the professor’s own knowledge reserves, teaching ability, and lecturing experience.

Most of the students who came to the lecture today weren’t holding out much hope in this regard.

Even though the lecturer was a top expert who had proven the Hodge Conjecture, it was still his first time teaching a class. His lecturing experience was practically zero.

But to everyone’s surprise, this incredibly young professor seemed to have a dozen years of teaching experience.

He explained profound concepts in simple terms, using straightforward language to make complex problems and ideas understandable—an especially precious quality in a professor.

The difference between a good advisor and a poor one often lies in their ability to help students understand and absorb knowledge and grasp problems in the most efficient way.

And this young professor, even in his first-ever lecture, achieved just that.

It left the students and the few mathematics professors in the classroom utterly astonished.

When the ninety minutes were up, Xu Chuan didn’t let the class run late. He ended it on time, leaving three questions as homework.

It was permissible to assign homework in Princeton’s large lectures, but it was also permissible not to.

It was up to the lecturing professor’s discretion.

As for whether to do it, that was up to the students. The professor wouldn’t be checking it anyway.

“A brilliant lecture. I was a bit worried you might be nervous or something, but it seems I was overthinking it. When it comes to teaching, you are far more outstanding than I imagined.”

When the class ended, Fefferman, the Director of Princeton’s mathematics department, emerged from a corner of the lecture hall. He stood before Xu Chuan and congratulated him with a smile.

He had listened to the entire ninety-minute lecture. Although the basic material was of little use to him, he had witnessed the teaching ability of his young colleague and friend.

Princeton’s decision to keep him with a six hundred thousand US dollar annual salary was undoubtedly worth it.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Thank you.”

After the word of praise, the department Director didn’t leave. Instead, he continued, “After our last conversation, I’ve had some new ideas about smooth manifolds. I was wondering if you have some time recently? I’d like to discuss them with you again.”

Xu Chuan replied quickly, “I’d be delighted.”

Chapter 202: The NS Equations

When Xu Chuan followed Fefferman to his office to discuss smooth manifolds, his first lecture at Princeton had already sent considerable ripples through North American university networks.

This topic was being avidly discussed on several well-known university forums.

[Hey, did you guys hear? The genius who proved the Hodge Conjecture said in his first lecture that it only took him five months to prove it!]

[Five months? Are you kidding me?]

[I swear to God, I’m not lying.]

[If that’s true, it’s terrifying. But it’s actually impossible. No one can prove the Hodge Conjecture in five months. In fact, he later said he had laid the groundwork for over a decade.]

[Nine years of compulsory education, three years of college entrance exam prep, and five years of mock exams? (ov)ノ]

[It’s mystical sorcery from the East.]

Just as Xu Chuan had anticipated, almost no one believed he had truly proven the Hodge Conjecture in just five months. It was too outrageous.

In fact, if it were anyone else, Xu Chuan himself wouldn’t have believed it.

After all, while it seemingly took him only five months to complete the proof of the Hodge Conjecture, it was inseparable from his research in topology and mathematical analysis in his past life, as well as his studies in algebraic geometry and differential equations under Deligne in this life.

Honing his skills for over a decade for a single strike was no exaggeration.

But for a scholar, to be able to forge such a sword and slay the great dragon enthroned on high would be the greatest achievement of a lifetime.

However, Xu Chuan was not satisfied. After conquering the Hodge Conjecture, he joined forces with Fefferman, charging toward the ultimate goal in the field of smooth manifolds: the NS equations.

The proposal had come from Fefferman.

After two discussions with Xu Chuan about ideas in the field of smooth manifolds, Fefferman found he could no longer suppress the thoughts in his heart.

After all, he had once made immense contributions to the field of functions of several complex variables and smooth manifolds, and he had a deep understanding of the subject.

In 1974, he had proven that “a biholomorphic mapping between two strictly pseudoconvex domains with smooth boundaries can be smoothly extended to the boundary,” a world-class problem.

It was a problem that many mathematicians in the twentieth century had attempted to prove without success.

This was because a domain of several complex variables differs from the single-variable case; two simply connected regions are not necessarily biholomorphically equivalent, so methods from single-variable complex analysis cannot be applied.

He, however, solved this problem using a novel method of his own creation.

Based on this, Fefferman had attempted to tackle the NS equations several times, but all his efforts had ended in failure.

Xu Chuan’s arrival brought him a new glimmer of hope. After much deliberation, he finally mustered the courage to propose that they join forces to try and solve the NS equations.

And Xu Chuan agreed to Fefferman’s proposal without a moment’s hesitation.

The Navier-Stokes equations were one of the problems he had most wanted to solve in his past life.

Solving it might offer hope of restraining the dragon of turbulence in the ultra-high temperature plasma of controlled nuclear fusion, of bridling and taming it.

For this reason, he had chosen to collaborate with Professor Fefferman in his past life.

Unfortunately, limited by his mathematical ability and Professor Fefferman’s physics ability, they had failed to obtain a result.

Reincarnated into a new life, he had once again come to Princeton and embarked on another collaboration with Fefferman, and their target was still the NS equations.

It made one marvel at the wonderful whims of fate.

Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

In Xu Chuan’s office, Fefferman was writing on a blackboard with a piece of white chalk.

“λ₁(u) < λ₂(u) < … < λn(u). For i = 1, …, n, let ri(u)=(r₁i(u), …, rni(u))ᵀ be the right eigenvector corresponding to λi(u): A(u)ri(u)=λi(u)ri(u).”

“π: G→ U(H), G× H→ H”

Beside him, Xu Chuan stared intently at the blackboard.

Behind him, the four students who had been doing their homework curiously gathered around, watching from a distance so as not to disturb the two professors.

At first, the four of them could more or less understand some of what Professor Fefferman was writing on the blackboard, but as time went on, people began to fall behind.

Even for doctoral students, the things Professor Fefferman was writing on the blackboard were incredibly difficult to comprehend.

By the time he finished one piece of chalk and replaced it, the faces of the four students squatting in the back were filled with confusion, and they began to discuss in hushed voices.

In the office, the slightly younger Shahi Perez nudged the senior student beside him. “Dean, do you understand what Professor Fefferman is writing? What on earth are they researching?”

Roger Dean’s eyes didn’t leave the blackboard, but he still responded to his junior’s question. He shook his head and whispered, “I don’t know, but I’d guess it’s a difficult problem in the area of manifolds or Lie groups.”

“Manifolds? What problem in manifolds is worthy of two Fields Medalists joining forces?” Shahi Perez muttered under his breath.

Beside them, Gu Bing, who had also long since been unable to keep up, rubbed his sore eyes and said, “There is one.”

“Such as?”

“The N-S equations!”

“Are you saying the professors are teaming up to solve the NS equations?”

“I didn’t say that,” Gu Bing said quietly with a shrug.

But this still sent waves through the hearts of the others. After the Hodge Conjecture, was their professor going to attack another of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems?

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the murmuring of the students behind him. He stared intently at the equations on the blackboard.

At this point, he was the only one who could keep up with Fefferman and understand his line of thought.

Overall, Fefferman was using the smooth properties of the Lie group on the differential manifold structure to perform a smooth mapping, making the unitary representation of the Lie group G act continuously on a Hilbert space, an action that preserved the inner product of the space.

In other words, the unitary representation of the Lie group G was a homomorphism from the group G to the group U(H), which consists of all unitary operators on a certain Hilbert space H.

The equations and formulas on the blackboard made Xu Chuan’s eyes shine like stars, sparkling with light.

In this line of reasoning, he saw the possibility of making progress on the NS equations.

This was a brand-new approach, different from the one he and Fefferman had taken in their research on the NS equations in his past life. It was an extension of the Lie group direction he had previously hinted at, yet it was almost completely detached from it.

Professor Fefferman truly lived up to his reputation as the youngest scholar to be appointed a full professor at a university in the United States.

His knowledge and thinking were inspiring and worthy of admiration.

Mathematics was like that. If your line of thought was wrong, no matter how hard you tried, you would just be fumbling in chaos and darkness, with no future in sight.

But if your line of thought was correct, the door of hope would shine in the darkness, like a lighthouse guiding you forward.

Xu Chuan had felt this deeply back in junior high and high school.

Sometimes, when he encountered a multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank question he couldn’t solve, the first answer that came to him by intuition was often the correct one.

Perhaps this was what people commonly referred to as a talent for mathematics.

In the office, in front of the blackboard, after filling both sides of the large, mobile blackboard with mathematical formulas, Fefferman turned to face Xu Chuan.

“Xu, from our conversations over the past few days, I’ve had some inspiration. By utilizing the smooth properties of Lie groups on the differential manifold structure, I’ve extended the orbit method to reductive Lie groups. This should be of some help in studying the global existence of smooth solutions for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “But I feel there’s a problem if we try to push this further.”

Before Fefferman could finish, Xu Chuan added, “The problem is how to construct a pair of bounded, connected domains on the plane R2, whose boundaries are highly non-smooth, perhaps even fractal, such that they are isospectral but not isometric.”

Hearing this, Fefferman nodded in sudden understanding. “No wonder I couldn’t make any progress. It’s an isospectral problem.”

“If we can solve it, perhaps we can make further progress in solving the momentum conservation equation within the NS equations.”

Staring at the equations on the blackboard, Xu Chuan rubbed his chin and nodded.

He agreed with Fefferman’s assessment.

They were both top-tier mathematicians, and if they arrived at the same view on the same problem, then the correct answer was most likely behind that view.

But the problem now was that a mountain of unknown height stood in their way.

Neither of them knew how long it would take to climb over it or go around it.

They didn’t even have a clear idea of how to do it or which path to take.

Xu Chuan stared at the formulas on the blackboard, lost in thought for a full five minutes before he came back to his senses, shook his head, and spoke.

“I’m afraid this problem won’t be so easy to solve. If I’m not mistaken, it involves a difficult problem from another field.”

“What problem?” Fefferman asked quickly.

“The isospectral but non-isometric conjecture.”

As Xu Chuan uttered these words, a look of realization dawned on Fefferman’s face. “So it’s that one.”

The isospectral but non-isometric conjecture is a difficult problem at the intersection of analysis (the spectrum of elliptic operators), geometry, and topology.

Not much time had passed since it was first proposed.

It was a problem proposed in 1992 by Gordon, Webb, and Wolpert during a breakthrough in the field of isospectral geometry.

Namely: “Does there exist a pair of bounded connected domains in the plane R2 with smooth boundaries (at least C1 smooth), which are isospectral but not isometric?”

This problem was a difficult one at the intersection of three major fields—analysis, geometry, and topology—and not many mathematicians were interested in it.

After all, having a deep understanding of all three fields simultaneously was too difficult. Not everyone was a Terence Tao. For the vast majority of mathematicians, researching a mathematical problem that spanned multiple fields was an incredibly hard thing to do.

Moreover, the problem wasn’t very famous. The fame and reward for solving it were far from commensurate with the effort required.

After stating the problem, Xu Chuan pinched the bridge of his nose and added with a slight headache, “I’m afraid I don’t have many ideas about this problem for the time being.”

Although he had already solved a problem in the field of isospectral geometry, the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the Weyl-Berry conjecture and the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture were two completely different types of problems within the same field.

World-class problems were never so easily solved.

Even a single spark of inspiration was not so easy to come by.

Fefferman was not surprised. He nodded in agreement and said, “This is a step towards solving the NS equations. If it were that easy to solve, we would have made progress on the NS equations long ago.”

After a pause, he continued, “No rush. We still have time.”

“Besides, the progress we’ve made these past few days is already a significant gain. Now is the time to take a break and properly digest and organize what we’ve reaped.”

“Who knows? Maybe while we’re reviewing and organizing, inspiration will find its own way to our door.”

Xu Chuan nodded in approval. “Let’s call it a day then.”

The exchanges and gains from the past few days indeed required both of them to spend some time organizing.

Fefferman smiled and said, “I hope we can solve this problem. If you have any new ideas, please be sure to tell me immediately.”

“Of course.”

After Professor Fefferman left, the four students who had been huddled in the office as part of the background quickly surrounded Xu Chuan.

“Professor, are you and Professor Fefferman working on the NS equations?” Amelia asked, her blue eyes wide. The other three also looked on with anticipation.

Xu Chuan nodded. “We’re just giving it a try. Professor Fefferman is a top expert in this area. Even if we don’t succeed, we can still learn a lot.”

Hearing this, another student, Shahi Perez, quickly asked, “Professor, can we also participate in your and Professor Fefferman’s project? Even if it’s just to run errands, that would be great.”

At these words, the other three students once again looked on expectantly.

The chance to participate in a research project led by two top experts was undoubtedly an exciting prospect.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “If you want to get involved, you’d better finish your study of the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.”

“If you can pass my assessment before August, you might have a chance to participate.”

“As for now…”

Pausing, Xu Chuan shrugged and continued, “Professor Fefferman and I don’t need four people to fetch coffee and wipe blackboards. We can do those things on our own.”

Hearing this, Shahi Perez shot him a reproachful look. In his professor’s eyes, he was currently just a coffee-fetching tool. That was truly hurtful.

Besides, thoroughly mastering the algebraic variety and group mapping tool was no easy task.

He had been studying that research paper’s tool for the past month.

But to be honest, even for a doctoral student, it was far too profound. It covered a considerable number of mathematical fields, and to completely master it in just a few months was extremely difficult.

For many things he couldn’t understand, he had to consult other textbooks to comprehend them.

But compared to others who were also studying this tool, he was undoubtedly fortunate, because his advisor was its creator.

Every time he encountered a problem, he could get a perfect answer from this young advisor.

This also made Shahi Perez’s respect for his advisor grow higher with each passing day.

Chapter 203: Two Different Paths

After sending the four students on their way, Xu Chuan once again stood before the blackboard where Professor Fefferman had written out his mathematics.

The NS equations, short for the Navier-Stokes equations, are a set of equations of motion that describe the conservation of momentum for viscous, incompressible fluids.

Broadly speaking, it isn’t a single equation but rather a system of several equations.

For example, there are the equations of motion for viscous fluids first proposed by Navier in 1827.

There are also the equations of motion for compressible fluids proposed by Poisson in 1831.

And then there are the forms independently proposed by Saint-Venant and Stokes in 1845, where the viscosity coefficient is a constant. All of these are referred to as the Navier-Stokes equations.

These equations reflect the fundamental mechanical laws of viscous fluid flow and are of immense importance in fluid dynamics.

However, solving them is extremely difficult and complex. Until further developments and breakthroughs in solution methods or techniques are made, exact solutions can only be found for certain very simple, special cases of fluid flow.

As of now, the most progress the field of mathematics has made is merely establishing “the existence of global smooth solutions to the NS equations under the assumption of sufficiently small norms for the given initial values, or a sufficiently small region of fluid motion.”

For the NS equations as a whole, this is almost no progress at all.

After all, when the Reynolds number Re is greater than or equal to one, outside the boundary layer of an object in a flow, the viscous forces are much smaller than the inertial forces, and the viscosity term in the equations can be almost entirely ignored.

And after ignoring the viscosity term, the NS equations can be simplified to the Euler equations for ideal flow.

If it were just a matter of solving the Euler equations, it wouldn’t be difficult.

But clearly, a solution at that level did not meet Xu Chuan’s requirements for the NS equations.

For the NS equations, he wasn’t demanding a complete solution, nor was he trying to prove the smoothness of the solution, nor did he dream of being able to calculate the final solution.

But at the very least, he wanted to be able to determine the fluid’s flow given certain initial and boundary conditions.

This was a fundamental requirement for controlling the flow of ultra-high temperature plasma within the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

If he couldn’t even do this, then subsequent turbulence models and control systems would be completely out of the question.

And the equations Professor Fefferman had listed on the blackboard before him offered hope for making progress toward this step.

If they could solve this isospectral problem, he and Fefferman could push the NS equations a small step forward.

At the very least, they could, in a curved space, determine the existence and smoothness of a solution given an initial condition and boundary conditions.

Don’t underestimate this “small step.” It was something the field of mathematics had failed to achieve in one hundred and fifty years.

That was why Xu Chuan was so eager to solve this problem.

Standing before the blackboard, Xu Chuan pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head.

He had no immediate ideas for the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture. Whether starting from the Laplace operator, the elliptic operator, or a bounded connected region, he saw no glimmer of hope.

At the very least, none of these directions had sparked any brilliant ideas or lines of thought.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan returned to his desk, temporarily giving up on breaking through the isospectral problem. He began to organize his notes from his recent discussions with Fefferman.

Perhaps Fefferman was right. Inspiration might just strike while he was organizing his materials.

Unfortunately, this predicted burst of inspiration failed to materialize, even after he had finished compiling all his thoughts and ideas.

Fortunately, he was not an impatient person. His long experience in scientific research had taught Xu Chuan that the more a person faced a world-class problem like this, the more they needed to remain calm and composed.

When a person is anxious and flustered, the choices and decisions they make, while not one hundred percent wrong, have a significantly higher probability of being incorrect.

The best method was to clarify his thoughts and start from the basics.

The key to solving a problem is to find its critical point, and one way to solve mathematical problems is to break them down into smaller, more manageable parts.

This method is known as “divide and conquer.”

By breaking a problem into smaller parts, it can become easier to understand and solve.

Furthermore, breaking a problem down can help identify patterns and relationships that might not be immediately apparent when looking at the problem as a whole.

Of course, this method isn’t applicable to all mathematical conjectures.

Some mathematical conjectures simply cannot be broken down.

But the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture was not one of those indivisible problems. It was a mathematical puzzle built on the foundation of modern differential geometry, integrating knowledge from fields like spectral theory, isospectral geometry, curvature, and topological invariants.

Using this as a foundation, Xu Chuan broke it down into its primitive mathematical architecture. Then, starting from spectral theory and isospectral geometry, the areas he was most familiar with in this life, he would gradually perfect and solve these issues.

This technique was also common in the field of physics. Generally speaking, complex physical processes are composed of several simpler “sub-processes.”

Therefore, the most fundamental method of analyzing a physical process is to stratify the complex problem, breaking it down into multiple interconnected “sub-processes” for study.

This method isn’t just useful during one’s student years—through high school and university—but remains applicable across various fields of physics even at the graduate and doctoral levels.

The “divide and conquer” method in mathematics and the “analysis” method in physics were remarkably similar.

So Xu Chuan found it quite natural to use, at least saving him the significant amount of time it would take to learn a new mathematical research method.

For the next week or so, Xu Chuan focused intently on trying to solve the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture using this method. He delegated his weekly lectures at Princeton to the slightly older Roger Dean.

Roger Dean, already thirty-one this year, was close to finishing his doctoral program at the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy. He had even prepared his dissertation and had come to Princeton for advanced study. There was no problem with him substituting for Xu Chuan to teach the undergraduate students.

Of course, Xu Chuan wasn’t one to take advantage of someone’s labor for free. Although according to the unspoken rules of academia, it wouldn’t be an issue if he did, he still applied for an intern assistant position at Princeton for the student.

With this position, Roger Dean could enjoy some of Princeton’s subsidies. While not a large amount, it was enough to support his daily life.

Moreover, with this experience, it would be much easier for Roger Dean if he were to apply for an assistant professor position at Princeton in the future.

This was Xu Chuan’s way of compensating his student. After all, he wasn’t the kind of unscrupulous advisor who exploited his students, nor could he bring himself to accept a student’s labor for free.

Of course, not everyone was like this. For some doctoral advisors, it was a matter of course to have their students substitute for them in class.

As for compensation, they had probably never even considered it.

There was even a very small minority of advisors who would stop at nothing to claim every research achievement their students made independently.

In the office, Professor Fefferman, who hadn’t been by in over ten days, appeared once again.

“Professor Fefferman.”

Xu Chuan greeted him and asked Amelia to bring two cups of coffee.

“Thank you.” Taking the coffee from Amelia, Fefferman blew on the foam on top, took a small sip, and then looked at Xu Chuan. “Xu, regarding the isospectral problem from last time, I think I might have an idea.”

“Go on.”

Xu Chuan nodded, indicating he was listening.

In fact, it wasn’t just Professor Fefferman who had found a new direction and inspiration. Xu Chuan had been deconstructing and studying the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture for days and had a few ideas of his own.

Fefferman thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then began, “Studying the spectrum of a manifold is a fundamental problem in Riemannian geometry. For compact Riemannian manifolds, all spectra are point spectra—that is, the entire spectrum of the Laplace operator consists of eigenvalues with finite multiplicity. For complete, non-compact manifolds, the situation is much more complex.”

“Suppose Ω is an open region in Cⁿ, and u is a smooth function defined on Ω. The Hessian matrix of u is (u/zjzk), with eigenvalues λ₁, λ₂…λn. We define the complex Hessian operator as…”

“Through smooth function approximation, we can include non-smooth functions in Pm. We say u∈ Dm if there exists a regular Borel measure and a monotonically decreasing sequence of smooth functions {uj} in Pm such that Hm(uj )→, and we denote Hm(u)=…”

“…”

“If we approach it from this angle, we might have a chance of delving deeper into the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture.”

“What do you think?”

After laying out his line of thought, Fefferman looked at Xu Chuan with anticipation.

Xu Chuan didn’t answer immediately. His fingers tapped a steady rhythm on his desk. In Fefferman’s words, he saw another path leading to the isospectral problem.

The Green’s function for a class of second-order fully nonlinear partial differential equations—this was a path he had not considered before.

But hearing it from Fefferman, he intuitively sensed that it seemed equally viable.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Chuan stopped tapping his fingers on the mahogany desk and spoke. “Starting from the direction of nonlinear partial differential equations and using the Dirichlet function to study the isospectral problem… that’s an approach I hadn’t thought of.”

“But based on intuition alone, it might be a viable path. It’s definitely worth a try.”

Hearing this, a smile touched the corners of Fefferman’s mouth. “Then let’s get started.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Not so fast. I also have some ideas about the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture. Would you like to hear them?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Fefferman’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity. He replied immediately, “Of course.”

Xu Chuan stood up, walked to the side of the office, and dragged the previously used blackboard out from the corner. He picked up a piece of chalk, organized his thoughts, and then began to write:

“(p){-△u=λu, x∈Ω; u=0, x∈Γ₁; δu/δn=0, x∈Γ₂”

“Here, Γ is the boundary of Ω, and Γ=Γ₁UΓ₂, Ω is a bounded, non-empty open set in Rⁿ, or more generally, an n-dimensional region with finite Lebesgue measure. △ is the Laplace operator, and both T₁ and T₂ are non-empty. We define…”

“The spectrum σ(P) is discrete. Its eigenvalues, ordered by finite multiplicity, can be arranged as 0≤λ₁≤λ₂≤…≤λk≤… and as k→∞, λk→∞. We define N(Ω, λ) = #{k∈N|λk≤λ}…”

“…”

In the office, Xu Chuan held a piece of chalk, writing his thoughts and ideas on the blackboard, while Professor Fefferman stood behind him, watching.

For mathematicians at their level, the speaker didn’t need to explain their ideas in excessive detail; the formulas they wrote were enough to convey everything.

And as Xu Chuan wrote, Fefferman’s eyes gradually brightened, his expression shifting from initial curiosity to surprise, and then to an astonished understanding.

Just as Xu Chuan had seen a path to solving the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture in his words, Fefferman now saw a completely different path in Xu Chuan’s writing.

This line of thought also had the potential to solve the problem that was blocking their progress.

No!

In terms of pure probability, the approach on the blackboard had a higher chance of solving the isospectral problem.

After all, he had merely proposed a path that seemed feasible, whereas Xu Chuan had already begun to clear a new path.

This was like one person pointing to an empty plot of land and saying, “I’m going to build a house here,” while another had already used an excavator to level the ground.

Both were building a house on an empty plot, but the latter’s plan was far more credible than the former’s.

After transcribing the ideas and organized thoughts from his mind onto the blackboard, Xu Chuan turned to face Fefferman.

“This is my approach: by constructing a set of pairwise disjoint bounded open domains, and then using the Laplace operator to complete the construction of isospectral but non-isometric regions for mixed boundary conditions in R² and R³.”

“Perhaps this is also a path that can lead to solving the isospectral problem.”

“What do you think?”

The idea Fefferman proposed and the one he had thought of himself were two completely different paths, but Xu Chuan didn’t think Fefferman was wrong.

Of course, he didn’t think his own idea was wrong either.

Different paths could lead to the same destination. For a top-tier mathematical problem like this, which involved so many different elements, there was simply no single, unique method of solution.

It wasn’t as constant as 1+1=2. Whether starting from the Dirichlet function and nonlinear partial differential equations, or constructing a set of bounded open domains and using the Laplace operator to construct non-isometric regions, both were valid methods for solving the problem.

Although the two methods were vastly different.

But as mathematics had developed to this point, the boundaries between its branches had long since blurred.

Number theory, algebra, geometry, topology, mathematical analysis, function theory, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations—these classifications of mathematics had long been a case of “you are in me, and I am in you.”

In modern mathematics, it was no longer a rare occurrence for a major problem in one field to be solved by starting from a seemingly unrelated one.

There were even many mathematicians who specialized in trying to connect two different fields.

It was just like after the Pope of mathematics, Grothendieck, laid the foundations of modern algebraic geometry, and countless mathematicians followed, one after another, hoping to achieve the grand unification of algebra and geometry.

Chapter 204: Solving the Isospectral but Non-Isometric Conjecture

“

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Inside the office, Fefferman stared at the equations on the blackboard for a long time before speaking.

“

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“This is also a viable way to solve the isospectral problem, and the path you’ve conceived is far more developed than mine.”

“

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“I merely came up with an idea, but you’ve already expanded on it and even done some of the calculations.”

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After a pause, Fefferman continued, “However, I don’t plan to give up on my own line of thought. Perhaps we can do something big.”

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Xu Chuan asked curiously, “Something big?”

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“We’ll research it separately!”

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Fefferman smiled gently and went on, “We’ll each start from our own paths, using our own methods to achieve a breakthrough on the isospectral problem. If we can both solve it within three months, we can publish our results together then.”

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“This will also put some pressure on us. Solving a difficult problem in three months… just thinking about it is exciting.”

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Like Xu Chuan, he was optimistic about the approach the other had provided, believing it could also solve the isospectral problem.

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But he wasn’t prepared to abandon his own line of thought. In his view, both their approaches were built on their unique mathematical knowledge.

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In that case, they might as well research it separately.

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They would set a time limit and engage in a friendly competition to see whose approach and whose ability was a little more outstanding.

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Xu Chuan’s eyes shifted. He understood Fefferman’s idea and smiled. “I have to say, that’s a very interesting and tempting proposal.”

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He paused before adding, “Of course, it’s also very high-pressure.”

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Solving the isospectral problem in three months, even with clear ideas in their minds, was no easy task.

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If they agreed, it meant both would have to work themselves to exhaustion for the next three months. The pressure would be immense.

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“So, what do you think?” Fefferman asked with a grin.

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“I accept the challenge,” Xu Chuan replied decisively.

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How could he back down from a challenge? Besides, he had age on his side.

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He was only twenty this year, while Fefferman was already sixty-six. When it came to grinding themselves to dust, he was confident he had more stamina than Fefferman.

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“Hahahaha, excellent! Then let’s begin!” Fefferman responded with a happy laugh.

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Although he was known at Princeton for being gentle, humble, and kind-tempered, this was still Princeton, and everyone had their own pride.

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Even if he was older than Xu Chuan and lacked his stamina for pulling all-nighters, he wasn’t without his advantages.

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His older age meant he had over forty more years of experience and knowledge.

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From that perspective, he held an absolute advantage.

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What he didn’t know, however, was just what kind of monster was standing before him.

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At the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

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Inside a villa, a figure was hunched over in his study, writing furiously.

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Messy hair, a stubbly beard, dark circles under his eyes, and bloodshot eyes—all were testaments to how long this figure had been staying up.

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But unlike someone merely tired from a late night, the figure at the desk had exceptionally bright eyes and was buzzing with energy, the ballpoint pen in his hand constantly gliding across the scratch paper.

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“…”

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“(D1){Δu = λu, x ∈ Ω₁, u|∂Ω₁ = 0;”

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“(D2){Δv = μv, x ∈ Ω₂, v|∂Ω₂ = 0;”

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“…Then, the eigenvalue problems (D1) and (D2) have discrete spectra {λᵢ}ᵢ∈N and {μᵢ}ᵢ∈N respectively. If for every i ∈ N, we have λᵢ = μᵢ…”

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“…According to theorems [1][6][11], a pair of bounded connected regions with smooth boundaries (at least C1-smooth) can be constructed on the plane R², which are isospectral but not isometric.”

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“From this, it can be proven that the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture holds true in a three-dimensional bounded region!”

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As he wrote the final period, Xu Chuan put down his ballpoint pen. He stared at the scratch paper on his desk, let out a long breath, and a smile spread across his face.

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His gaze fell on the nearby calendar. Without him realizing, it was already early June.

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Nearly two months had passed since Fefferman had issued his challenge in the office.

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Over the past two months, he had leveraged his previous research on the Weyl-Berry conjecture, using the spectral asymptotics theorem from the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to construct a set of pairwise disjoint bounded open domains.

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However, he ran into some trouble when using the Laplace operator to transform and construct a pair of bounded connected regions with smooth boundaries.

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The Laplace operator is a second-order differential operator in n-dimensional Euclidean space, defined as the divergence of the gradient.

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It is suitable for elliptic partial differential equations and can also be used to describe stable equilibrium states in physics, such as steady-state electromagnetic fields, gravitational fields, and the phenomenon of diffusion.

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It was key to solving the isospectral problem, but it couldn’t be used to construct a stable closed Willmore surface in the eigenvalue calculation, nor could it be used to calculate the constant mean curvature.

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This had frustrated him for a time.

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Fortunately, by searching through literature related to the isospectral problem and partial differential equations, he found a suitable remedy.

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The symplectic geometry algorithm that preserves the structure of Hamiltonian systems, and the Lie group method for Lie group differential equations.

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These two algorithms, proposed by mathematicians from Great Britain in the last century, could accurately simulate the evolution of differential equations over long periods and approximately preserve the conservation properties of momentum and energy in those equations.

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These two properties happened to be applicable to his mathematical calculations, perfectly filling the final gap and allowing him to complete the final construction.

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Staring at the solution on the scratch paper, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

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He had finished his part of the work. He wondered how Fefferman was progressing on his end.

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Three months, even adding the time they had collaborated before, was only a little over four months.

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To solve a world-class problem in four months was no small feat, even for a Fields Medalist.

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He was able to solve it so quickly thanks to his research in analysis and topology from his past life, combined with the fact that the first mathematical problem he had solved in this life was related to isospectral geometry.

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As for Fefferman, he wasn’t sure.

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But he figured that since Fefferman had proposed the challenge, he must have had some confidence.

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After all, Fefferman himself was a top expert in the field of partial differential equations and had unique insights into the study of smooth manifolds.

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On the other hand, after two months of research, when he looked back at Fefferman’s initial concept, he could keenly sense that solving the isospectral problem starting from the Dirichlet function and nonlinear partial differential equations was considerably easier than his own approach starting from the Laplace operator.

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This wasn’t just research intuition; it came from his deep dive into the isospectral problem during this period.

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After all, having solved the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture, his understanding of the problem was much deeper than before.

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And he now had some vague speculations about other methods that could solve it.

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This made Xu Chuan sigh with some emotion. Even though he had solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, his understanding of the mathematical world was still no match for these top experts who had been immersed in mathematical research for decades.

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There was still a certain gap between him and these top-tier professional mathematicians.

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However, this gap was gradually shrinking as he grew older and absorbed more mathematical knowledge.

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After leaving the villa, Xu Chuan didn’t go to disturb Fefferman. He just glanced into his office, and seeing that it was empty, returned to his own.

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When he appeared at the door of his office, the four students studying inside all showed expressions of surprise.

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“Professor, you’re back?”

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“Have you already solved that isospectral problem?”

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The students asked in astonishment.

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Xu Chuan nodded. “If there are no unexpected issues, then yes. Has Professor Fefferman been by these past few days?”

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Hearing this, the four students couldn’t help but swallow hard.

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Wasn’t their advisor a little too monstrously skilled?

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In fact, besides their studies, the four of them had spent some time trying to tackle the problem that Xu Chuan and Professor Fefferman were researching.

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They wanted to see if their four minds combined could solve this difficult problem.

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Or rather, they wanted to see just how far they were from the two professors.

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The proposal had come from Shahi Perez and was quickly agreed to by the other three.

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After all, to have made it to Princeton, all four of them were top students, and they naturally had their pride.

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They say two heads are better than one. If they could solve this problem, maybe their advisor and Professor Fefferman would see them in a new light.

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But reality was cruel.

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Even though the isospectral problem was a small sub-problem of the NS equations, and even though the two different solution paths from Professor Fefferman and their advisor were laid out before them, they were powerless.

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Forget solving the isospectral problem; they couldn’t even take a single step forward along either of the professors’ paths, even with their four minds combined.

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This attempt had shown them that there was a gap between people—no, a gulf.

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Snapping out of his shock, Roger Dean replied respectfully, “Professor Fefferman came by once a few days ago, but you weren’t here.”

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Hearing his eldest disciple’s words, Xu Chuan was a little surprised and asked, “Has Professor Fefferman already solved the isospectral problem?”

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Roger Dean shook his head. “I’m not sure. Professor Fefferman didn’t say anything about it, but when he came by, he told me to ask you to give him a call if you came back.”

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Xu Chuan nodded. “I understand.”

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Taking his phone out of his pocket, Xu Chuan stepped out of the office and dialed Fefferman’s number.

“

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The phone rang for a while before it was answered, and Fefferman’s voice quickly came through. “Oh, Xu, you’ve finally decided to leave your villa?”

“

“

Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “How’s your research coming along?”

“

“

Fefferman: “I’m stuck on one part, trying to figure out a way to solve it. What about you?”

“

“

Before Xu Chuan could answer, Fefferman seemed to remember something and asked hesitantly, “You haven’t already solved it, have you?”

“

“

He remembered what Deligne had told him during a previous conversation: when Xu Chuan was solving a problem, he had a habit of locking himself in a room alone.

“

“

And whenever he emerged, it meant the problem he was working on had been solved.

“

“

Could it be? Had he already solved the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture?

“

“

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, using my method, I’ve managed to construct it.”

“

“

As he spoke, a thud came from the other end of the line, as if the phone had fallen onto a wooden desk. It was picked up almost immediately, and a frantic voice came through.

“

“

“You’re in your office now, right? I’m on my way.”

“

“

Fefferman arrived faster than Xu Chuan had expected.

“

“

And he wasn’t alone. Professor Deligne had come with him.

“

“

In fact, Fefferman had just been in Deligne’s office, and the two of them were discussing how to solve the very problem he was stuck on.

“

“

“You’ve already solved the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture? Where’s the proof? Did you bring it?” Fefferman asked urgently.

“

“

“It’s still in my villa. Shall we go together, or should I go get it?” Xu Chuan replied.

“

“

“Of course we’ll go together,” Fefferman said without hesitation.

“

“

In the quiet villa, Xu Chuan handed the organized proof to Fefferman, who immediately took it and began to read.

“

“

Beside them, Deligne asked with interest, “Are there any photocopies?”

“

“

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No photocopies, but I still have the original scratch paper.”

“

“

With that, he retrieved the original manuscript from a nearby bookshelf and handed it to Deligne.

“

“

Although the original manuscript wasn’t as neat as the organized proof, it was more than enough to follow the prover’s line of thought.

“

“

In the tranquil villa, time ticked by.

“

“

Professor Fefferman was the first to put down the proof in his hands. He looked at Xu Chuan, his expression somewhat complex.

“

“

Before coming, he had been wondering if he could find some flaws in the proof to console himself.

“

“

But now, it seemed he had lost.

“

“

Lost to the young man before him, a full forty-six years his junior.

“

“

He couldn’t find a single loophole in the paper. The step using the Laplace operator to transform and construct a stable closed Willmore surface, in particular, made him want to slap the table in admiration.

“

“

It was so ingenious.

“

“

It was as if mathematics was always meant to be this way.

“

“

But he didn’t dwell on it. After all, apart from his age, the young man before him was in no way his inferior in mathematical ability; one could even say he was superior.

“

“

He had never solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, nor had he become a tenured researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study at the age of twenty.

“

“

“A very excellent proof. At least, I can’t find any flaws.” Fefferman put down the manuscript, looked at Xu Chuan, and continued, “Is your mathematical talent really this absurd? You solved this problem in a month and a half.”

“

“

Xu Chuan grinned, pointing to his dark circles. “A month and a half? Perhaps.”

“

“

“During this time, I’ve been sleeping no more than six hours a day. Even including time for eating, running, and other things, it wouldn’t exceed ten hours. The remaining fourteen hours, I was researching this problem.”

“

“

Hearing this, Fefferman opened his mouth, but stopped short of saying anything.

“

“

Chapter 205: A Phased Breakthrough on the NS Equations

Fefferman stared for a long while at the young man before him, whose eyes were ringed with dark circles.

Finally, he let out a soft sigh and said, “You win.”

Sleeping only six hours a day, spending fourteen hours entirely on research—Fefferman admitted that even in his youth, he had never been so relentless.

He remembered clearly that the most intense and focused period of his research was when he was studying the local solvability of non-degenerate linear partial differential equations, working more than ten hours a day for over half a month straight.

In comparison, his own level of grinding was nothing to speak of.

Working fourteen hours a day for over a month and a half.

The thought alone was terrifying. If he were to attempt such a schedule, wouldn’t he just drop dead from exhaustion?

The most disheartening thing in the world is when a genius more brilliant than you also works harder than you.

Still, it made Fefferman feel a bit wistful.

It’s great to be young. You can afford to grind recklessly.

At his age, even if he wanted to pull an all-nighter, his body wouldn’t let him.

Now he finally understood how this young man could stand at the pinnacle of the mathematics world at the age of twenty.

Extreme talent, plus extreme focus, plus extreme effort. If he didn’t succeed, who would?

However, this almost pathological research method was not advisable. He would have to find a chance to talk some sense into him.

At the very least, he didn’t want to see a genius capable of driving mathematical progress die young, or suffer from a lifetime of ailments in his old age.

Nearby, Deligne, who had been engrossed in the manuscript, looked up at Xu Chuan without a word before lowering his head to flip through the pages again.

He had criticized Xu Chuan’s research method—which was tantamount to overdrafting his own future—many times back when Xu Chuan was his student.

If Xu Chuan hadn’t found a way to crack a problem, it would be one thing.

But once he found a line of thought, his student would lock himself in his room and research nonstop until he either solved the problem or proved his idea wrong.

In Deligne’s view, this research method was toying with one’s own health.

He had advised him many times, hoping he could relax a bit while tackling problems, not stay up all night and pour every waking moment into his research.

He could go out and play soccer, shoot some hoops, see a concert, or listen to an opera.

But it was no use.

Geniuses are stubborn. Just as Perelman rejected all fame and fortune, his student’s desire for knowledge and for solving problems had reached an almost pathological level.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to what the two masters thought of him.

In truth, while his approach to research was somewhat taxing on his body, it hadn’t reached a truly pathological state.

Plus, he was young and made sure to go for a run every day. The toll of staying up late and grinding wasn’t as severe as the two of them imagined.

Compared to what the two masters were concerned about, he was more curious about where Fefferman was stuck.

“May I ask, at what step are you stuck in your research on the isospectral geometry problem?”

Xu Chuan was curious. From his perspective, Fefferman’s proposed line of attack seemed significantly easier.

Hearing the question, Fefferman snapped back to the present. “I can’t construct a regular Borel measure and a monotonically decreasing sequence of smooth functions,” he said. “That’s where I’m stuck.”

“I’ve tried using the Dirichlet function, the Riemann function, even analytic functions, but I still can’t construct a regular Borel measure.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Do you have any good suggestions? If you do, please, you must tell me.”

Xu Chuan was momentarily taken aback. he hadn’t expected Fefferman to be stuck on something like this. “If it’s just a matter of constructing a regular Borel measure and a monotonically decreasing sequence of smooth functions, why don’t you try using a high-dimensional cotangent germ smooth function?”

Hearing this, Fefferman was a bit baffled. He thought for a moment, and after confirming he had never heard of such a function, he asked hesitantly, “A high-dimensional cotangent germ function? What’s that?”

Beside him, Deligne also looked up with curiosity. It wasn’t just Fefferman; he had never heard of that function’s name either.

Stared at by the two of them, Xu Chuan froze again. Memories quickly flashed through his mind, and he wanted to slap himself in frustration.

It was 2018 right now. The high-dimensional cotangent germ function, used for identifying extremum points and singularities of functions, had not yet appeared.

It wouldn’t be until two years later that this function would be formally proposed by him and applied to the physics discoveries of that time.

He had memories of the future, but Fefferman and Deligne didn’t.

But since he had already let the cat out of the bag, there was no choice but to push its debut forward.

Fortunately, this research result was something he himself would develop in the future, not someone else.

Otherwise, he would have to seriously consider whether to write it down.

After all, in his opinion, releasing someone else’s future research ahead of time was no different from plagiarism, even if the original creator hadn’t even had the relevant ideas yet.

No wonder he had felt that Fefferman’s proposed approach was easier, while Fefferman himself was stuck on this problem.

The reason he found it easier was that he had a dozen more years of future knowledge. Some of the difficult problems of today had already been solved in the future.

Taking a breath, Xu Chuan dragged a blackboard out from a corner of the study. He had specially requested it from Princeton University to facilitate his daily mathematical research.

After a moment of contemplation, he picked up a piece of chalk and began to write: “Let f:(R,0)→R be a smooth function. If 0 is an Ak-type singularity of y=f(x), then there must exist a diffeomorphism φ:(R,0)→(R,0) such that f°φ = ±x^(k+1) + f(0).”

“…”

At the blackboard, Xu Chuan slowly organized the construction and theorems related to the high-dimensional cotangent germ function from his memory.

“…For a map germ f:(U,p)→(R²,0), where U ⊆ R², f at point P is A-equivalent to the 115-singularity (standard form f(x₁,x₂) → (x₁, x₁x₂² + x₄² + x₅²)) if and only if corank f = 1, Hessλ(P)…”

Beside him, Fefferman and Deligne watched with rapt attention.

Their expressions shifted from initial curiosity to surprise, and then to shock.

As the equations on the blackboard gradually filled out, both of them saw the value of this function.

Fefferman, in particular, had a look in his eyes that was not only one of deep surprise and delight but also of incomprehensible puzzlement.

From the data on the blackboard, this “high-dimensional cotangent germ function” wasn’t something very complex; in fact, it could be called quite basic.

It primarily utilized two mathematical methods: the positive definiteness of a matrix via Hurwitz’s theorem, and wavefronts as surfaces in three-dimensional Euclidean space R³.

It performed a certain equivalence class mapping of germs using these two methods.

But it was precisely this seemingly basic thing that could be perfectly integrated with the Dirichlet function to construct a regular Borel measure and a monotonically decreasing sequence of smooth functions on a three-dimensional surface.

A basic structure, a basic application, yet it could solve the problem perfectly.

However, this mathematical method didn’t seem like it had been developed specifically for mathematics.

Looking at the equations on the board, Fefferman felt a strong sense of incongruity.

Compared to Deligne, he wasn’t a purely a mathematician.

He also had some achievements in physics and was a specially-appointed professor at the Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, where he calculated various physical data. Thus, he had some understanding of physics.

From the equations on the blackboard, Fefferman keenly sensed their applications in physics. To him, these formulas didn’t seem to be developed for mathematics, but rather tailor-made for physics.

Of course, they could also be applied to mathematics.

Like right now, where it could perfectly solve his isospectral geometry problem.

In front of the blackboard, Xu Chuan set down the final stroke, then put down the chalk. He turned to face Fefferman and Deligne.

“This is the ‘high-dimensional cotangent germ function.’ It’s a method for calculating and constructing the extremum points of smooth functions. Perhaps it can be applied to constructing a regular Borel measure on a three-dimensional surface.”

Fefferman and Deligne nodded in unison.

For them, understanding what was on the blackboard wasn’t difficult.

Deligne looked at the equations on the board, pushed up his glasses, and said, “This method isn’t hard to construct. It’s quite basic, just requiring a certain degree of skill, and it’s not irreplaceable.”

“For example, starting from the Morse Lemma, one could achieve a similar effect by using the qualitative properties of a potential function near a non-degenerate stationary point.”

Beside him, Fefferman added, “Or by using extremal theory and singularity theory, that should also work.”

After Xu Chuan had pointed out this key insight, both of them had some ideas on how to solve the problem from other angles.

But on this path, they were ultimately followers.

Compared to Xu Chuan, who had blazed the trail, it was undoubtedly easier a for a follower to complete the concept.

After sharing his thoughts, Fefferman continued, “But what puzzles me is that this method doesn’t seem to have been constructed specifically for mathematics. It looks more like it was deduced for the purpose of studying physics.”

With that, he looked at Xu Chuan and stated with certainty, “Is that right, Xu?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “That’s right. Last year, I went with Witten to CERN to complete some physics experiments. This method of function derivation was a partial mathematical result that stemmed from calculating physical particles.”

“It can stably narrow down interval values and construct things like cusp singularities and swallowtail singularities, thus providing analyzability for some previously unanalyzable differential equations.”

Hearing this, an “I knew it” expression appeared on Fefferman’s face.

Nearby, Deligne smiled. “The minds of young people are so much more agile than us two old men. Fefferman and I discussed this twice before and couldn’t find a solution.”

“Yet you come out and provide a complete line of thought.”

“Looks like Fefferman can solve the isospectral geometry problem within three months and complete this phased breakthrough on the NS equations.”

Fefferman glanced at Deligne, feeling as if he was being mocked. “Please don’t include me when you say ‘old man.’ I’m still quite young.”

“But I really have to thank Xu this time. It seems I’ll have to try some grinding myself when I get back.”

He paused, then looked at Xu Chuan with a smile and said, “By the way, ‘grinding’ is the word you young people use, right?”

Chapter 206: Plasma Turbulence

Perhaps spurred on by Xu Chuan’s progress, he started grinding, or maybe the problem that had him stuck was finally solved. In any case, Fefferman completed the isospectral but non-isometric conjecture much faster than Xu Chuan had imagined.

After their meeting in the dorm, it took Professor Fefferman less than ten days to solve the isospectral problem using his own method.

The two of them organized their proofs and submitted them to the Annals of Mathematics. On Xu Chuan’s advice, they also uploaded their findings to the arXiv preprint server.

As a partial proof for the NS equations, even this small step forward was a tremendous achievement.

What’s more, this partial proof also encompassed a world-class mathematical conjecture.

Just as Fefferman had said, the two of them had successfully pulled off something big.

After they posted their research paper on the arXiv preprint server, and after some time for the news to spread, the entire field of mathematics was abuzz.

A partial solution to the NS equations, a world-class mathematical conjecture, proven simultaneously by Xu Chuan and Fefferman.

Each of these phrases was a major focus of attention in the mathematical world, but now they had all appeared at once, stirring up a storm in the field of mathematics.

“After proving the Hodge Conjecture, Princeton’s youngest full professor, Xu Chuan, takes on another mathematical conjecture.”

“Two top mathematicians join forces. Is the day the NS equations will be solved finally upon us?”

“The NS equations are unsolvable. I’d bet anything that any effort in this direction is a waste of time.”

“But they’ve already solved part of it, and with two different methods at that.”

“First, these two proofs have yet to be verified. Second, even if they are successfully verified, it’s only a partial result. We are still a long, long way from a complete solution to the NS equations.”

“I can smell the saltiness from the poster above all the way across the Atlantic.”

“Solving the NS equations from two completely different angles… have Princeton’s math professors really gotten this terrifyingly good? These are the Seven Millennium Prize Problems! It’s not a given that even one century-old problem can be solved in a century.”

“The holy land of mathematics originally belonged to us French! Princeton stole it!”

On mathematics forums, related discussions were in full swing.

Even the neighboring field of physics had some people casting their eyes over.

After all, this was about the NS equations. If they were solved, fluid dynamics would experience a leap forward in its development.

Within the framework of classical mechanics, the NS equations are an application of Newton’s second law, their core essence being the conservation of momentum.

Once a breakthrough is made in the N-S equations, it will inevitably mean a great improvement in humanity’s ability to examine finer structures—at least to the degree of distinguishing equations that we previously thought were formally very similar to the N-S equations.

This is regardless of whether the N-S equations are a good model in fluid dynamics. The impact they would have on science as a whole would certainly include computational fluid dynamics, and their value would be immeasurable.

And compared to the previously solved Poincaré Conjecture and Hodge Conjecture, the practical applications of the NS equations in human technology, in the visible fields alone, are far greater.

This is because fluid dynamics is involved in so many areas of physics and technological development.

For example, cars, airplanes, rockets—all these things are related to fluid dynamics.

Forrestal Campus, Princeton University, New Jersey, United States.

The buildings of the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory were brightly lit against the night, illuminating the entire area. Inside the vast accelerator laboratory, numerous researchers were bustling about.

“Professor Fefferman, have you considered our invitation?”

In a spacious, well-lit office, Halifax Bruce, the director of the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory, smiled broadly at a middle-aged to elderly man in a dress shirt sitting on the sofa.

Fefferman looked up at the middle-aged man and said, “I’m not particularly interested in your invitation.”

“Forget creating a mathematical model for plasma turbulence; even creating one for ordinary turbulence is an incredibly difficult task.”

Bruce: “Please, believe me, we’ve made significant progress on turbulence models. We’ve been collaborating with Purdue University since last October and have greatly improved upon the original turbulence model.”

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Fefferman’s eyes.

Although Purdue University wasn’t ranked as highly as Princeton and its natural sciences department was average, its engineering program was very strong. Not only was it the first university in the United States to have its own airport, but it had also produced a large number of astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

Furthermore, Purdue University or its alumni were involved in over one-third of all NASA missions, and they had particularly rich experience in aircraft design.

The simulated vortex model systems used by major aviation companies like Boeing and Airbus, as well as some of the fluid dynamics for a series of fighter jets like the F-22 and F-35, were designed by this university.

For PPPL to be collaborating with Purdue University, it seemed they were truly serious about solving the plasma turbulence problem this time.

However, he still hadn’t changed his mind. It was simple: plasma turbulence was not something that could be solved at the present time.

Shrugging, Fefferman continued, “Then you should continue collaborating with them. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be returning to Princeton tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Bruce said with some urgency, “We are doing so, but we’ve run into some trouble and need your help. The NS equations can solve many problems in turbulence, and your research on them is arguably the best in the world.”

Fefferman smiled. “It’s true that the NS equations can be applied to fluid dynamics, but if you want to use them to complete your turbulence model, it’s impossible unless you can prove them completely.”

Gritting his teeth, Bruce took his phone out of his pocket and said, “Please wait a moment, I need to make a call.”

With that, he walked out with his phone, leaving Fefferman alone in the office, unconcerned.

Although PPPL was also a Princeton research institution, there was no rule stating that a Princeton professor had to work for the PPPL laboratory.

In his view, creating a mathematical model for plasma turbulence in a controlled fusion reactor was something one could think about, but wasting time on it was completely unnecessary.

At least, that was the case for now, unless the NS equations could be solved or there was a huge breakthrough in other areas.

Otherwise, modeling high-temperature plasma turbulence was practically impossible.

The PPPL laboratory wasn’t the only one in the world studying this stuff. The international cooperative organization ITER, as well as various national research laboratories, had all researched this area.

The result was that after decades, people were still unable to confine the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in controlled nuclear fusion.

If the NS equations were solved, he might consider giving it a try, but now, with just the partial progress he and Xu Chuan had made?

He would suggest that dreaming about it at night would be a more convenient and faster way to achieve it.

“Please follow me, Professor Fefferman.”

Not two minutes later, Bruce returned from his call and invited Fefferman to go elsewhere.

Fefferman followed him. They were both Princeton researchers, so he had to give him some face. Besides, he was curious to see what PPPL was up to.

After a few turns and passing through two security checkpoints, they entered a laboratory.

“Kyle, bring a copy of our latest experimental data and a confidentiality agreement.”

Upon entering the laboratory, Bruce gave an order to one of the staff members inside.

“Right away.”

Before long, a tablet was handed over to Bruce, along with a document.

“Professor Fefferman, before you look at the materials I have here, please sign your name on this.”

“Of course, it’s just a very standard confidentiality agreement. It only requires that you don’t disclose the information you see today.”

Bruce handed over the document and a pen. Fefferman frowned slightly as he took the confidentiality agreement.

He had to admit, Bruce had certainly piqued his curiosity.

After glancing over the agreement and confirming there were no issues, he signed his name on the signature line.

Handing the agreement back, he took the tablet and began to scroll through it.

Suddenly, as if he’d seen something interesting, Fefferman’s gaze sharpened. He looked up and asked, “Do you have any scratch paper? Could I have some, please?”

Taking the scratch paper from Bruce, Fefferman found a place to sit down and began to perform calculations using the data on the screen.

After a long while, he finally put down his ballpoint pen and looked at Bruce. “I didn’t expect you to have pushed turbulence control this far. You can control ion temperature gradient turbulence at temperatures approaching ten million degrees.”

Hearing this, Bruce said with a wide smile, “This is our latest achievement. We won’t be publishing it for now, so we hope you’ll keep it confidential, Professor.”

“But it won’t be easy for you to make further progress, will it? The higher the temperature, the stronger the diffusion effect of the plasma turbulence. I suspect this control system of yours will fail at temperatures exceeding fifteen million degrees.”

Fefferman handed the tablet back.

Ion temperature gradient turbulence is only one part of the turbulence in controlled nuclear fusion. Besides that, there’s also ion-acoustic turbulence, drift-wave turbulence, Alfvén wave turbulence, and all sorts of other chaotic turbulence.

But if even one part could be solved, it would undoubtedly be a huge success.

Moreover, solving the first one would provide enough experience for the others, making them much easier to handle.

It was just that this thing was really not that easy to solve.

Even with the PPPL laboratory and Purdue University pushing it to the ten-million-degree level, it had only brought a faint glimmer of hope.

Of course, this glimmer of hope was enough for them to bet on.

Bruce grinned and said, “Yes, we’ve hit a bottleneck. We need a top-tier mathematician to help us solve this problem, and you are the most suitable candidate.”

“I believe that with your help, we can perfect the control system for ion temperature gradient turbulence. Then it won’t be limited to ten million degrees—perhaps twenty million, thirty million, or even higher.”

“Who knows, we might even be able to control all plasma turbulence with this, don’t you think?”

Fefferman smiled and said, “The data you showed me is very tempting, but I’m afraid I can’t do it with my strength alone. I need a helper. If he helps, it might be possible.”

“Who?” Bruce asked quickly.

Fefferman: “The person who researched the NS equations with me. His understanding of them is no weaker than mine—in fact, you could say it’s even stronger. He also has a deep background in the field of partial differential equations. With his help, it might be possible.”

“Xu Chuan? That rising genius from Princeton?” Bruce reacted immediately.

Fefferman nodded. “Yes.”

Hearing this, Bruce frowned and said, “But I recall he’s from China, isn’t he? It’s impossible for a Chinese national to join our research. And he’s only twenty; at that age…”

Bruce didn’t finish his sentence, cutting himself off. “Of course, if you need his help, Professor, I will find a way to invite him.”

Fefferman waved his hand and said, “I’ll ask his opinion first and see if he’s interested. If he isn’t, I’m afraid you won’t be able to invite him over anyway.”

Chapter 207: An Invitation from the PPPL

At Princeton, Xu Chuan was still unaware of the ‘surprise’ Fefferman had in store for him. At that moment, he was in his office, guiding a few of his students with their work.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and a heavily bearded Fefferman walked in.

After giving his students a few more pointers, Xu Chuan rose and walked over to his good friend.

“Xu, I have a job offer here. I was wondering if you might be interested,” Fefferman asked, getting straight to the point.

“What kind of job?” Xu Chuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“It’s an invitation from the PPPL to model plasma turbulence. I thought you might be interested.”

Xu Chuan: ????

When his friend, a man from a different generation, specified the offer, his first reaction was: ‘Holy shit! Some scoundrel is trying to set me up!’

His second reaction was: “Since when could Fefferman read minds?”

Modeling plasma turbulence was indeed one of his ultimate goals for coming to Princeton.

But was this something he could get involved with right now?

Never mind getting involved; if he even touched knowledge related to this field of applied nuclear physics, he would probably be in big trouble.

In his past life, it was his involvement with the applications of nuclear fission physics that led to him being stuck here for over a decade.

To fall into the same trap in this life would be utterly foolish.

In the office, Fefferman looked at Xu Chuan’s rapidly changing expression and asked with curiosity, “What’s wrong?”

The question brought Xu Chuan back to his senses. He asked in surprise, “How did you get into researching this field? I remember you’re a distinguished professor at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, right? How did you get connected with the PPPL?”

Fefferman replied, “They approached me. They’ve run into some trouble with controlling plasma turbulence and need a mathematician to help them solve some problems.”

“But to be honest, I’m not confident I can handle that problem alone. If you could help, we might be able to solve it. Your sensitivity to mathematics is greater than that of any other professor at Princeton.”

Xu Chuan shook his head decisively. “Nuclear physics is not within my research scope. Besides, I have my own research to attend to. I’m afraid I won’t be of much help with this invitation.”

He flatly rejected Fefferman’s invitation, respectfully declining any involvement in the application of nuclear energy physics.

If he didn’t know his friend so well, he might have suspected that the United States had sent Fefferman to persuade him to stay.

Moreover, in his opinion, Fefferman was being rather naive. It was virtually impossible for a scholar of purely Chinese nationality to participate in America’s nuclear energy research.

He had almost never heard of any other scholar of purely Chinese nationality participating in such experiments.

If the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory were to invite him to participate, they would inevitably bring up the matter of nationality. PPPL, which was managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, would never let a Chinese person into their laboratory, especially for a key project like controlled nuclear fusion.

After seeing Fefferman off, Xu Chuan sighed with a sense of helplessness.

It seemed it was time to move his return to China up the schedule.

Being unexpectedly put on the spot by his friend, even though it was with good intentions, still left him feeling quite frustrated.

Originally, he had planned to use the remaining month or so before the International Congress of Mathematicians to quietly seek out some other physics professors, like Lazerson, Franck, or Karl, for a chat.

But now, that plan was most likely down the drain.

He might as well prepare for his return first.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan gave a few instructions to the four students studying in his office, then turned and went back to his villa.

Since he was preparing to return to China ahead of schedule, he had to deal with the various precious manuscripts he had accumulated in the villa over the past two years, such as the letters Professor Mirzakhani had left him and his own manuscript detailing his proof of the NS equations.

These precious manuscripts and documents held significant commemorative meaning and value to him, and he definitely had to take them all with him.

After some thought, Xu Chuan picked out the manuscript for his proof of the Hodge Conjecture.

This manuscript was his gift to Princeton and the Firestone Library.

Although he greatly disliked the country he was standing in, he still had feelings for Princeton as an institution.

Like Nanjing University, Princeton’s contribution to his education was real and tangible. In both his past life and this one, he had learned a great deal here.

Besides, leaving behind such a manuscript was something of a tradition for scholars who had come from Princeton.

The reason Firestone Library was known as a “treasure library” among libraries was because it housed many original manuscripts, thought processes, and notes from renowned scholars.

These items were often lost to the outside world and simply couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Only here, with the permission of that stubborn old man, could one get a glimpse of them.

After a simple tidying of the manuscripts in his villa, Xu Chuan looked at the voluminous amount of drafts and materials—at least two suitcases full—and felt a headache coming on.

How was he going to ship all this back to China? By courier?

That was probably unrealistic. While he didn’t know if the United States had him under active surveillance, they were certainly keeping an eye on him.

Anything he mailed back would likely attract attention, and these manuscripts would become a signal of his intention to return to China.

Although the risk wasn’t huge, the lesson from his past life was too painful. He had to minimize any potential impact from this.

If not by mail, should he have someone carry them back for him, or wait until he was back in China and have someone here mail them?

Just as he was pondering this, the doorbell of the villa suddenly rang.

Through the hidden security camera installed at the entrance, Xu Chuan saw a familiar figure: Halifax Bruce, the Director of Princeton’s PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory.

Seeing the visitor, he frowned slightly. After locking the room where the documents were stored, he went out.

At the main gate of the villa, Halifax Bruce, the Director of the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory, waited quietly and respectfully.

Putting age aside, the person living in this villa was a top-tier talent, even by US standards.

Although his youth might lead some to underestimate him, anyone who could solve one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems was undoubtedly the real deal.

What’s more, he was the one asking for a favor now, so he naturally had to adopt the proper attitude.

“Hello, may I ask who you are?”

Xu Chuan opened the door, looking at the man outside with a ‘puzzled’ expression.

Although in his past life he had been all too familiar with this PPPL Director, this was their first meeting in this life.

Seeing Xu Chuan, the pot-bellied Halifax Bruce beamed, his face lit up with a brilliant smile as if he were looking at a green Franklin.

“Hello, Professor Xu. I apologize for the intrusion. My name is Halifax Bruce, and I am the Director of Princeton University’s PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Hello, Director Bruce. May I ask what I can do for you?”

Letting the man in, Xu Chuan handed Halifax Bruce a glass of water. No matter what, he had to keep up appearances.

“It’s like this, Professor Xu. We would like to invite you to join PPPL. Our PPPL is the world’s greatest plasma physics laboratory, and its mission is to lay the scientific foundation for the creation of fusion energy, the power source of the sun and stars…”

On their first meeting, Bruce gave a brief introduction of PPPL’s glorious history and famous achievements, hoping to pique Xu Chuan’s interest.

Bruce rambled on and on, while Xu Chuan, listening at the side, felt a bit sleepy.

When it came to PPPL’s situation and future development, if he wasn’t more familiar with it than the director before him, he wasn’t far off. After all, his research on controlled nuclear fusion in his past life had been conducted at PPPL.

“Professor Xu, currently, our PPPL is conducting experiments on the control of plasma turbulence in collaboration with Purdue University’s turbulence lab. We have already invited Professor Fefferman to join us.”

“At the same time, we sincerely hope to collaborate with a great scholar such as yourself to jointly complete the work of controlling plasma turbulence.”

Finally, Bruce finished his boasting about PPPL’s great and glorious history and looked up at Xu Chuan with hopeful eyes. But when he saw the man opposite him yawning and looking ready to fall asleep, his heart sank.

Seeing that the other had finished, Xu Chuan yawned and said, “Professor Fefferman came to see me this morning about this very thing.”

“But I’m very sorry, I’m not interested in nuclear physics. Besides, I have my own research in progress and can’t spare the time.”

Bruce: “An annual salary of one million US dollars! You would only need to assist Professor Fefferman with data analysis. You wouldn’t be required to clock in.”

“You can absolutely continue your own research while accepting this job at Princeton. There is no conflict. It would only require a little of your time now and then.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “It sounds tempting, but I haven’t even collected the one million US dollars from the Clay Institute yet.”

His words were merely to indicate that he wasn’t short on money, nor did he care about it.

But to the ears of the PPPL Director, this translated to “More money is needed!”

“One point two million! An annual salary of one point two million US dollars! If you agree, PPPL can prepay the entire salary,” Halifax Bruce said, gritting his teeth.

His heart was bleeding. An annual salary of one point two million US dollars was almost comparable to what they were paying Fefferman, and Fefferman was a Fields Medalist with decades of research experience.

If Fefferman hadn’t insisted that Xu Chuan was indispensable, and if PPPL hadn’t been stuck for some time on controlling the ion temperature gradient turbulence in the tens-of-millions-of-degrees range, he would never have offered such a figure. They desperately needed a new breakthrough to convince a certain backer to continue funding them.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Regrettably, this isn’t about money. In my opinion, completing my own research is more appropriate than wasting my time on a job that shows little promise.”

In the end, Bruce left with a look of disappointment. After walking off the lawn, he turned his head to look back at the villa, his head aching. He really couldn’t understand why someone would refuse a full one point five million US dollars.

That much money could be piled into a green mountain on the ground.

Shaking his head, Bruce let out a long breath. If money couldn’t get him to act, then what about other things?

Immigration to become a US citizen? The fame and fortune of being a US Academician? Top-tier research resources? Or status? Or perhaps something else?

However, these were things he couldn’t decide on his own. He would have to discuss it with PPPL’s higher-ups, the Department of Energy.

Of course, he also needed to go and ask other Princeton professors about this Professor Xu Chuan’s capabilities.

If this young professor truly had the ability to solve the control of plasma turbulence, what did it matter if they had to give up some benefits?

Compared to the rewards of solving the plasma turbulence problem, the benefits offered were not even a drop in the ocean.

This was one of the biggest problems in controlled nuclear fusion. The value of solving this problem simply couldn’t be measured in money.

Chapter 208: The Tears of the Field of Astronomy Fall on the Field of Mathematics

After seeing Halifax Bruce, the Director of the PPPL Laboratory, off, Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on.

From the memories of his past life, the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the United States Department of Energy, seemed to be researching how to control plasma turbulence in these couple of years.

This was consistent with Bruce’s purpose for seeking him out: to create a model for controlling plasma turbulence.

As for the specific progress and situation, he wasn’t very clear. After all, when he conducted experiments at PPPL in his past life, it was already after the year 2030.

Although he had looked at some historical data from the PPPL laboratory, a long time had passed, and he couldn’t remember it clearly.

However, he was certain that this research was ultimately abandoned as a failure.

After all, if it had succeeded, the PPPL laboratory would have certainly applied the technology, and he would have had a very clear memory of it.

After watching Halifax Bruce leave, Xu Chuan turned around, picked up his phone from the sofa, and prepared to buy a plane ticket back to China.

But when the booking app opened, he hesitated for a long while before finally closing the ticket purchase page.

Although he needed to return to China as soon as possible, now was not the right time. He was still waiting for an opportunity, but he didn’t know if it would come.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan steadied his emotions and began to think.

His past life’s experiences had made him panic when faced with this country’s nuclear energy physics applications again.

But if he thought about it carefully, being approached by PPPL was not so urgent that he needed to buy a ticket back to China immediately.

According to the habits of this immigrant nation, if they wanted him to stay, it would surely be a high-ranking official from the Immigration Bureau coming to invite him personally, not the director of a laboratory.

This was related to the United States’ immigration policy. A top scholar like him was no longer constrained by ordinary immigration applications.

Even the highest EB-1A talent application in the United States’ immigration policy was not worthy of his achievements.

For such talent, the Immigration Bureau usually had a special process for recruitment.

For example, in March of this year, the genius Cao Yuan, who had completed the 1.1° angle superconductivity experiment with double-layer parallel graphene, had been specially invited by people from the US Immigration Bureau.

So, if the United States truly wanted to invite him to stay, it would likely be people from the immigration office coming in person, not the Director of PPPL.

Bruce coming to see him was most likely because he had accepted Fefferman’s suggestion and wanted to invite him to work with Fefferman on controlling plasma turbulence.

But now that he had rejected the invitation with an annual salary of one million five hundred thousand US dollars, Bruce would go back and discuss with other high-level executives and managers whether to increase the price and offer other compensation to continue inviting him.

But given the typical behavior of the Americans, it was likely that a further price increase would be rejected.

Because the Fields Medalist Fefferman had already accepted the invitation.

When one top mathematician had already accepted the invitation, spending a great deal of money to invite another was not worth it.

This would likely be the case in any laboratory or company. An annual salary of one million five hundred thousand US dollars was already very high. If they were to increase it, who knew what it would take to secure him.

Therefore, he surmised that the PPPL laboratory would definitely let Fefferman try on his own first. If he could advance the work, there would be no need to invite him again.

If Fefferman couldn’t make progress, then PPPL would surely come looking for him again.

So, the timing of the next invitation would depend on Fefferman’s personal ability.

However, it was certain that Fefferman would most likely not be able to solve this problem, not even with the help of Purdue University.

On the one hand, the current stage of progress on the NS equations was not enough to provide support for modeling plasma turbulence.

On the other hand, Fefferman’s physics abilities were not up to the task.

Xu Chuan was crystal clear about his good friend’s abilities. In mathematics, needless to say, he was a Fields Medalist, a world-class expert.

He also had some ability in physics, but it was basically limited to the analysis of high-energy physics and particle physics, which he had learned while collaborating with the Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory.

As for fluid dynamics, although Fefferman had some exposure to it due to his research on manifold mathematics, it was not in-depth, and he had almost no exposure to turbulence.

In their past life, when the two collaborated, it was Xu Chuan who had taught him the deeper knowledge of fluid dynamics bit by bit.

Without much knowledge of turbulence, it was impossible to model plasma turbulence. Even with the assistance of turbulence experts from Purdue University, it couldn’t be done.

If it were possible, he and Fefferman would have already solved this problem in their past life.

If it were possible, he wouldn’t have needed to take the risk of coming to Princeton to study mathematics in this life.

So, it was certain that as long as the PPPL laboratory did not give up on controlling plasma turbulence, they would definitely come looking for him again later.

At that time, they would certainly offer more generous conditions.

For example, help with his immigration, bonuses, profit sharing, revenue sharing, the promise of the honor of being an Academician, and all sorts of other things.

Although the PPPL laboratory didn’t have that much sway, its superior did.

To retain a talent, this immigrant nation could offer conditions that many people wouldn’t even dare to imagine.

As for when they would come looking for him, that depended on Fefferman’s ability.

However, based on his understanding of Fefferman, it would probably be in about two to three months.

After thinking these things through, Xu Chuan let out a sigh of relief, his heart calming down a bit.

He had to admit, his friend of two lifetimes, Fefferman, had really scared him this time, so much so that he had almost bought a ticket and fled.

Of course, the blame couldn’t really be placed on Fefferman’s shoulders.

On the contrary, he had to thank this good friend.

Without the ideas and thoughts brought by Fefferman, he had no idea how long it would have taken to achieve this stage of progress on the NS equations.

One of his purposes for coming to Princeton in this life was to seek a way to build a mathematical model for the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Now, with this milestone achievement, he was at most two steps away from being able to attempt the modeling.

And once he figured out the control model for plasma turbulence, combined with the superconducting materials, dual magnetic mirror system, and other things he had researched in his past life, he could attempt to make a charge at controlled nuclear fusion.

Although problems like the first wall material and tritium self-sustainment still had no clear solutions, as long as the ultra-high temperature plasma within the reactor chamber was controlled, the remaining troubles would be far less significant.

It was like taming a wild horse; the first thing you had to do was put a bridle on it.

As long as the bridle was on, there was a certain chance of taming it.

However, before attempting to tame this wild horse, he had to go back first.

Fortunately, in this life, he had never entered the field of applied sciences.

Research in pure theory and basic science, in this current year, was not yet overly valued by the country under his feet.

If he waited until after 2020 or 2021, when this country began to block talent in the field of basic sciences, with his current achievements, he definitely would not be able to go back.

As for now, there was still enough time. As long as he hadn’t officially rejected an immigration invitation and thrown all decorum aside, he should still be able to leave.

In fact, by now, Xu Chuan had a rough guess as to why neither the United States nor his Motherland had made a move yet, why no one from the immigration office or talent recruitment organizations had come to find him.

It was just that this guess still needed some time to be verified.

After returning to his normal life, Xu Chuan spent his time teaching his four students and continuing his breakthroughs on the NS equations.

However, this time he wasn’t grinding his research, merely making some follow-up attempts on the NS equations. His main focus wasn’t even on it.

Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was late June.

Just as he had predicted, over the past ten or so days, the PPPL Physics Laboratory had not come looking for him again, and Fefferman had also disappeared from Princeton.

Obviously, the PPPL laboratory had ultimately chosen the more “money-saving” option.

After all, an annual salary of one million five hundred thousand US dollars was already terrifyingly high. If they had to raise it further, who knew what price it would take to invite that young genius.

What’s more, Xu Chuan’s age was a factor. In his early twenties, even with his great achievements in mathematics, he didn’t have enough research experience.

Whether it was worth spending a huge price to invite him was an uncertain matter, even with the endorsement of a Fields Medalist like Fefferman.

In comparison, letting Fefferman try on his own first was undoubtedly the more prudent choice.

This further confirmed the suspicions in Xu Chuan’s mind.

At the end of June, on this day, Xu Chuan was explaining the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping’ tools to his four students when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

Xu Chuan stopped his lecture, took out his phone, and glanced at it. The number looked familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it.

After answering the call, the voice from the other end came through: “Hello, Professor Xu Chuan, I am Martin Grötschel, Secretary General of the International Mathematical Union.”

The somewhat familiar voice immediately brought to Xu Chuan’s mind the image of a man who looked remarkably like a bald eagle. He smiled and said, “Hello, Secretary General Martin.”

Martin Grötschel, executive committee member and Secretary General of the International Mathematical Union, was a German mathematician. But his inverted V-shaped eyebrows and aquiline nose, combined with his sharp eyes, made him look quite similar to the United States’ national bird, the bald eagle.

However, completely contrary to his appearance, Martin’s personality was quite easy-going. He had once facilitated the 2006 International Congress of Mathematicians being held in China.

Prior to this, he had received a call from the Secretary General back in April, inviting him to attend the International Congress of Mathematicians and give a one-hour presentation at the conference.

“I hope my call hasn’t disturbed your research.” Martin Grötschel said cheerfully over the phone. “I’m calling this time to invite you to give a sixty-minute presentation at the International Congress of Mathematicians.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was a bit baffled. “A one-hour presentation? But I remember I already agreed to that last time. I’ve even submitted the research paper.”

Martin Grötschel explained, “This sixty-minute presentation is an additional invitation.”

“Due to your previous extension of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, scholars in the field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics are eager for you to explain it in detail. After receiving letters from many renowned scholars, the committee discussed the matter and would like to invite you to give an additional presentation at this year’s congress.”

Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, a little lost. He asked hesitantly, “The field of astronomy and the field of astrophysics wrote you letters? Asking me to give a math presentation? What’s going on?”

Martin Grötschel shrugged and said, “Yes, they said they have sent you many emails and made many phone calls, asking you to explain the expanded applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, but you’ve always put them off, saying you had no time.”

“And many researchers in astronomy are finding it difficult to freely apply your extended Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, so they are desperately hoping you will hold a few more conference presentations.”

After a pause, Secretary General Martin continued teasingly, “To have a full three Nobel laureates in astrophysics and over twenty top scholars from outside the field of mathematics jointly write to the International Mathematical Union, asking for a mathematician to give a math presentation a— you are the first in the history of the IMU, and likely a miracle that will never happen again.”

“Also, Professor Saul Perlmutter asked me to tell you that if you give a presentation on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem this time, he will write to the Nobel Committee every year until you win the Nobel Prize.”

With three Nobel laureates and over twenty top scholars jointly writing, there was no way the IMU could ignore this request.

Moreover, promoting international cooperation in mathematical research and encouraging and supporting international mathematical activities that contribute to the development of the mathematical sciences was the duty of the IMU.

The International Mathematical Union would definitely try to facilitate a conference presentation that could help expand the influence of mathematics.

“Uh…”

Hearing Martin’s explanation, Xu Chuan paused, his expression embarrassed and speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

With the Secretary General’s reminder, he finally remembered the emails he had casually dealt with in his inbox and the phone calls he had brushed off.

It was just that he had never expected that his casual rejections would now make their way to the International Mathematical Union, the IMU.

Although he didn’t care about the achievements in the field of astronomy, now that things had come to this, he was too embarrassed to refuse again.

Chapter 209: The Upcoming International Congress of Mathematicians

The fields of astronomy and astrophysics were having a bitter time of it.

Unless one was a scholar in these two fields, it was nearly impossible to comprehend the sheer allure of the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

Ever since the Nobel laureate, Professor Saul Perlmutter, personally endorsed the achievement as an epoch-making technology—a case of “the old king abdicates, and a new king is enthroned”—countless astronomers had turned their attention to this mathematical tool.

When some scholars began using this tool to achieve astonishing results with certain extrasolar objects, a new wave of reform swept through the field of astronomy.

For instance, in March of last year, a professor of astrophysics from New Zealand used this tool to precisely locate a star named ‘TRAPPIST-1.’

And with this tool, the astrophysicist accurately determined its relevant parameters, such as its diameter, radius, volume, age, temperature, and distance.

If that were all, it wouldn’t be particularly remarkable.

But the more significant achievement was that, by using this tool, the New Zealand astrophysicist successfully calculated the star’s planets.

He confirmed it had a total of seven planets, with three located within the habitable zone.

More crucially, using the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, the professor was able to calculate precise information for two of these planets.

Information such as size, mass, gravity, and rotation period for these two terrestrial planets showed that they did not deviate much from Earth.

Most importantly, using this tool in conjunction with parameters like the spectral boundary and luminosity characteristics, the professor, collaborating with another mathematician, calculated the existence of atmospheres on these two planets. Furthermore, he determined that one of them possessed an atmosphere dominated by nitrogen and oxygen.

When this result was announced, the entire field of astronomy was in an uproar.

It wasn’t that terrestrial exoplanets hadn’t been discovered before, nor was it strange to be able to determine if an Earth-like planet had an atmosphere.

But to be able to accurately determine the atmospheric data of such a planet—this was a first in history.

Possessing an atmosphere dominated by nitrogen and oxygen, with various parameters almost identical to Earth, and located within the habitable zone, this planet could truly be called a second Earth.

Under these conditions, the possibility of life, even advanced life, existing on it was very high.

If the professor hadn’t been rather unlucky, with the discovery of gravitational waves announced shortly after he published this news, this finding would have undoubtedly dominated the astronomy headlines for the latter half of 2017.

But this discovery also made scholars in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics truly take this mathematical tool seriously.

Many people, including some Nobel laureates, began to study and learn it.

Unfortunately, the mathematics applied in this tool was simply too profound and unfriendly for scholars in astronomy and astrophysics.

Most of them couldn’t even understand the research paper that detailed this tool, let alone apply it for calculations.

After realizing this, many scholars from the fields of astronomy and astrophysics tried to find Xu Chuan’s contact information, hoping to consult with him on the application of this tool.

But regrettably, Xu Chuan himself wasn’t particularly interested in the achievements of the astronomy world, had no intention of holding a mathematics conference presentation for them, and certainly had no desire to provide one-on-one tutoring.

After nearly a year of trying, even with Nobel laureates making requests, they failed to invite this stubborn and obstinate creator, leaving the scholars of astronomy and astrophysics to shed bitter tears.

What should have been a tool to restore the glory of astronomy was completely ignored by its creator. Left with no choice, the astronomers set their sights on the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians.

They hoped that the IMU committee would invite this genius to give a presentation on the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem at the congress.

The members of the International Mathematical Union committee were quite surprised to receive the joint petition.

But a joint application from three Nobel laureates and over twenty top scholars made the committee realize that this was an excellent opportunity to expand the influence of mathematics.

Therefore, after deliberation, the committee immediately decided to invite Xu Chuan to give another presentation on this application at this year’s International Congress of Mathematicians.

They also sent out invitation letters to scholars in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, inviting them to attend this year’s congress.

In the history of the International Congress of Mathematicians, it wasn’t unheard of for scholars from other fields to participate, but they had almost always come of their own volition.

For the field of mathematics to proactively send out large-scale invitation letters to scholars in other fields like this was a first in history.

Without a doubt, if this conference presentation could be held smoothly and successfully, it would be the most glorious moment for the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Of course, this was all contingent on the speaker, Professor Xu Chuan, accepting the invitation.

As the central figure, his participation would determine whether the scholars from astronomy and astrophysics would accept the invitations sent by the International Mathematical Union and attend the congress.

So, after the committee meeting ended, the Secretary General of the International Mathematical Union personally called Xu Chuan to extend the initial invitation.

He was even prepared to buy a plane ticket and fly over to persuade him in person if Xu Chuan refused on the phone.

After all, countless scholars from the field of astronomy had sent invitations to this young scholar before, only to be rejected without exception.

However, unexpectedly and fortunately, the math genius agreed to this additional conference presentation invitation over the phone.

Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan shook his head.

He hadn’t expected that scholars from the fields of astronomy and astrophysics would go through the International Mathematical Union.

Although he wasn’t particularly interested in the field of astronomy, now that he had agreed to this extra conference presentation, he would certainly prepare for it properly.

After letting his students continue their studies on their own, Xu Chuan opened his computer and pulled up his previous research paper on the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

This mathematical tool was indeed outstanding. Being built upon boundary values and eigenvalues allowed it to use different observational data and, with some modifications, solve for different precise parameters.

However, currently, aside from its application in observing distant celestial bodies, it didn’t have many other uses, which was the main reason he had lost interest in it after completing its basic application.

After rereading the paper and organizing some notes, Xu Chuan logged onto the official website of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and uploaded his thesis and presentation topic.

Including his previously scheduled one-hour presentation, he now had a total of two hours’ worth of presentations to deliver at this International Congress of Mathematicians.

Of course, the two presentations were separate.

Furthermore, considering the potential impact, the IMU committee specially scheduled the presentation on the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem for the first day of the conference.

This way, the invited astronomers could also attend the award ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians.

This was the most important moment of the quadrennial mathematics congress, a perfect opportunity to showcase the brilliance of the mathematical world to the outside and attract more talent to the field.

Once Xu Chuan agreed to participate in this additional conference presentation, the International Mathematical Union immediately relayed the good news to the astronomers and astrophysicists who had jointly submitted the petition.

Upon receiving the good news, the astronomers eagerly got ready, booking their flights to Brazil for August 1st in advance, preparing to attend this grand event that was not originally meant for them.

And as the opening date of the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians gradually approached, the field of mathematics buzzed with its usual excitement.

Many mathematics forums were discussing the event and making predictions about this year’s award winners.

“Have you guys heard? It seems like this year’s Congress has invited a lot of astronomers and astrophysicists. The number is probably the highest in history.”

“??? Astronomers and astrophysicists? What are they doing at a math conference? Are they coming to sleep in the audience? I highly doubt they can understand any of the presentations.”

“If you’re looking for something sleep-inducing, a math lecture is indeed very effective. (_)”

“I heard the astronomy and astrophysics communities petitioned the IMU first. It seems to have something to do with that what’s-its-name Xu-Weyl theorem. That thing has been really popular in astronomy these past two days. A lot of universities have started dedicated astro-math courses just to study it.”

“The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem? Isn’t that the mathematical achievement from that Chinese math genius a couple of years ago?”

“That’s right. I hear that this achievement can be applied to celestial calculations and can significantly improve the results, so the entire field of astronomy is studying it now.”

“Incredible. It looks like a Fields Medal is guaranteed for him this year.”

“Isn’t that obvious? He proved the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, all by himself.”

“And I heard he’s also been working on the NS equations with Fefferman this year and has already made some initial progress. Although it hasn’t been fully verified, it’s probably not a big issue. If the Fields Medal could be awarded to the same person twice, he could win it at least twice, or even more, with his achievements.”

“Xu Chuan, Scholze—these two professors are pretty much guaranteed a Fields Medal this year. No idea about the rest, but there are still quite a few top mathematicians. For example, Geordie Williamson, Fernando, Maryna Viazovska, Zhang Wei. The achievements of these professors are all outstanding.”

“So many powerhouses, it’s a clash of titans! When will I ever get to attend such a grand event? Forget winning an award, just getting a nomination and being there to see it would be worth it.”

“Don’t even think about it. The ones who can get nominated wouldn’t be on here. They’re all working hard on their research. The fact that you’re here means…”

“That’s too hurtful…”

Chapter 210: Greater Than the Nobel Prize

At the end of July, in the Southern Hemisphere, Brazil’s second-largest city, Rio de Janeiro, began to buzz with excitement from the thirtieth.

The quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians was about to be held here, and mathematicians from all over the world were converging on the city.

As the largest and most important large-scale conference in the field of mathematics, the International Congress of Mathematicians is the most significant event in the mathematical community.

The Congress is held every four years. The first was held in 1897 in Zürich, Switzerland, and it has a history of over one hundred years.

It is a global academic conference for the mathematical sciences, hailed as the Olympic Games of the mathematics world.

Since the first conference in 1897, it has witnessed the rise of one great mathematician after another; legendary figures like Poincaré, Hilbert, and Klein have all participated in this grand event.

And this year’s Congress would witness a new batch of young mathematicians rising like a brilliant constellation of stars.

Xu Chuan, the youngest tenured researcher at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study; Peter Scholze, a W3 full professor—the highest rank—at the University of Bonn in Germany; Caucher Birkar, a young mathematician who emerged from the war-torn regions of Iran; and Australian professor Akshay Venkatesh, who had won medals in both the International Physics and Mathematical Olympiads…

So many outstanding young mathematicians had gathered for this grand event, all awaiting the highest honor in mathematics—the Fields Medal.

Among them, the most anticipated was undoubtedly the young scholar from China, Xu Chuan.

The two conference presentations registered under his name on the International Mathematical Union (IMU) official website were both highly anticipated.

One was on the Xu-Hodge Theorem, and the other on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

It was foreseeable that these would likely be the two most spectacular and lively lectures at this year’s International Congress of Mathematicians.

The former was one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, a hot topic drawing global attention, a century-old problem tied to the Clay Mathematics Institute’s one-million-US-dollar prize, and a bridge connecting algebraic geometry, topology, and mathematical analysis.

It was almost certain that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, nearly every mathematician attending the Congress would be present at this presentation.

Although the research paper proving the Hodge Conjecture had passed peer review several months ago, less than one percent of the mathematical community could truly understand it.

Of course, a proof for such a top-tier mathematical conjecture was never intended for ordinary mathematicians.

For an ordinary mathematician, the difficulty of understanding this paper was no less than that for scholars in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics trying to comprehend the paper on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

But as a bridge connecting the three major fields of algebraic geometry, topology, and mathematical analysis, its importance was beyond doubt and its value was immeasurable.

In particular, the core tool in the research paper, the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool,’ was of astonishing value.

It wasn’t just Xu Chuan himself; many mathematicians in the field of topology had also noticed its remaining potential.

This mathematical tool held immense potential for other Hodge-type conjectures as well. Consequently, many mathematics professors were studying the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.

However, the tool involved too many mathematical fields, making it difficult to grasp in a short amount of time.

If its creator were to give a detailed explanation, it would naturally be much easier to understand.

Therefore, many mathematicians were coming specifically for Xu Chuan’s conference presentation. After all, if they could use this tool to crack a world-class problem, they might also have a chance to touch the highest honor in the world of mathematics.

As for the presentation on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, it also attracted a lot of attention from mathematicians, though not as much as the Xu-Hodge Theorem.

After all, this mathematical achievement had been out for two or three years, and mathematicians in the field of isospectral geometry had mostly studied the relevant papers.

The ones paying most attention to this presentation were the astronomers and astrophysicists invited by the International Mathematical Union.

For them, the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could lead to monumental results, and it wouldn’t be impossible for someone to win the Nobel Prize in Physics with it.

The astrophysics professor from New Zealand who discovered the TRAPPIST-1 star system last year had been shortlisted for the Nobel Prize because of it. If not for the truly sensational discovery of gravitational waves, he might even have had a chance to grasp that world’s highest honor.

The people in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics really couldn’t figure out what the judges at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences were thinking.

The extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem were clearly worthy of a Nobel Prize in Physics, and perhaps even greater than the discovery of gravitational waves. After all, it wasn’t the first time gravitational waves had been detected, so its importance was far less than the initial discovery. But that idiotic committee simply refused to award him the Nobel Prize.

A tool that could accurately calculate the parameters of distant celestial bodies was of self-evident importance to humanity.

Perhaps humanity couldn’t yet emigrate to other star systems, but in the future, it could help save countless hours of time and effort in sifting through the vast sea of stars and innumerable galaxies to find planets suitable for human colonization—just as this New Zealand professor had found the TRAPPIST-1 system, a second “Earth.”

In this respect, its value was beyond what even a Nobel Prize could describe.

On July thirty-first, Xu Chuan arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his four students.

Although the opening ceremony of the Congress wasn’t until the next day, the hotel arranged by the International Mathematical Union was already packed with people.

As soon as he stepped out of the taxi and walked through the hotel’s main entrance, Xu Chuan was recognized.

“Professor Xu Chuan?”

A middle-aged man spotted Xu Chuan as he walked in. After calling out in pleasant surprise, he hurried over, drawing the attention of others in the spacious hotel lobby.

“Hello.”

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted the stranger. He didn’t know the man, but now that he had proven the Hodge Conjecture, being recognized like this was quite normal.

It was just like when he was still a student and would take the initiative to greet leading figures like Deligne and Witten upon first meeting to make an impression. It was just that now, he was the one being approached.

“Professor Xu, it’s a great pleasure to meet you. My name is Athol Bennett, an astrophysicist. The tool for the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem that you created is the greatest mathematical tool I’ve ever seen in my life. You’re incredible!”

Athol Bennett came forward, enthusiastically extending his hands as he showered Xu Chuan with praise.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind, smiling as he said, “The power of mathematics is always there; it’s just a matter of finding a way to use it. The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is merely a small part of it.”

“You’re too modest. This is the greatest tool in the field of astronomy. It can bring a future for humanity,” Athol Bennett said, shaking Xu Chuan’s hand.

After a pause, Professor Athol said in a slightly plaintive tone, “It’s just that it’s so profound. I’ve studied it for over a year and still haven’t fully mastered how to use it.”

Xu Chuan replied, “I hope the conference presentation the day after tomorrow will bring you some enlightenment.”

“I’m already prepared, just waiting for the conference presentation,” Athol said, his expression excited. But then his tone shifted, and he asked cautiously, “But before that, may I have your contact information? An email is fine too.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Of course, no problem.”

Hearing this, other scholars in the lobby who had gathered around also began to speak up.

“Professor Xu, may I have your contact information as well? I have some mathematical questions I’d like to ask you.”

“God Chuan! Can I get a photo with you?”

“Can you give me an autograph? I want to give it to my son. I hope he can be as brilliant in mathematics as you are.”

The surging crowd enveloped Xu Chuan, shouting and frantically raising their hands like zombies who had spotted a living person.

Gu Bing, Amelia, and the other two students had been pushed out. Standing outside the circle, they looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Fortunately, the staff arranged by the International Mathematical Union to welcome guests in the lobby noticed the situation and rushed over to rescue Xu Chuan from the crowd.

After dealing with the other scholars in the lobby, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh. He led his four students through the check-in process, and just as they were about to head upstairs, he spotted a few familiar figures.

When he got a clear look at the person leading the group, his eyes lit up, and he walked over quickly.

“Academician Pan.”

Xu Chuan strode to the front of the group and stood before an elderly man.

The man before him was Academician Pan Deming, a respected and great mathematician whom he had met before at the Crafoord Prize award ceremony.

Seeing Xu Chuan, Pan Deming quickly stepped out of the group, grasped Xu Chuan’s hand tightly, and a smile spread across his face.

“We meet again, Professor Xu Chuan.”

“Why did you come in person, Elder Pan? The long journey must have been exhausting.”

Xu Chuan greeted him with a smile. The elder before him was already in his late eighties, approaching ninety. He hadn’t expected someone of his age to fly all the way from China.

“Compared to the energy you spent proving the Hodge Conjecture, this little trip is nothing. Back in the day, I walked dozens of kilometers in the Taklamakan Desert. What’s more, now I just have to sit on a plane and in a car.”

After a pause, the old man looked Xu Chuan up and down and sighed, “After so many years, our country has finally produced a mathematician like you. You are the pride of our nation.”

“You’re too kind, Elder Pan. I’ve only done what a scholar should do,” Xu Chuan said modestly.

Pan Deming smiled and didn’t linger on the topic. Instead, he turned and said, “Let me introduce you to two people.”

“Zhang Wei, Xu Chenyang, both are outstanding young mathematicians. Perhaps you can discuss some mathematical problems with them.”

Xu Chuan was naturally familiar with Peking University’s “golden generation,” but he hadn’t expected these two to have come with the Peking University delegation.

After all, both were now employed at universities in the United States.

After shaking hands with both of them, Xu Chuan greeted them with a smile, “God Wei, long time no see.”

“God Yang, I’ve heard of your great name since I was a student. Your solution to the problem of linear growth of automorphism groups of algebraic varieties was a great inspiration to me.”

The slender Zhang Wei, who wore rimless black glasses, joked with a smile, “In front of you, God Chuan, I can’t use that title.”

Beside him, the slightly heavier Xu Chenyang also laughed, “Among the younger generation under forty, who would dare call themselves a ‘God’ in front of God Chuan? I doubt even Scholze would dare.”

Xu Chuan rolled his eyes slightly and said helplessly, “You two god-tier masters, please stop teasing me.”

As the three of them chatted, the large delegation from Peking University behind them dispersed, looking at the a few people conversing at the front with a mix of commotion and excitement.

The Peking University delegation was large, with thirty to forty people, but most were students who had come with their advisors and professors to broaden their horizons.

These students, most of whom were older than Xu Chuan, looked at him with shining eyes, as excited as fans seeing their idol.

If not for the big shots at the front keeping things in order, these students would have probably swarmed him for autographs, photos, and to soak up some of his good luck.

After all, they had heard the name Xu Chuan far too many times.

From the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, then to the Xu-Hodge Theorem, and the NS equations…

Everything about that name was the stuff of legend.

For any young Chinese scholar with aspirations of advancing in mathematics, the name Xu Chuan was like a bright lighthouse on the coastline, guiding their way forward; it was also like Mount Everest, overlooking the high plateau of mathematics; and even more so, it was like the sun in the sky, radiating a brilliant light that was visible yet unattainable.

Chapter 211: The Congress Opens

August 1st, 2018.

The twenty-eighth International Congress of Mathematicians officially opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Inside his hotel room, Xu Chuan, dressed in a suit, stood before the bathroom mirror, adjusting his appearance.

Outside, the doorbell chimed, ding-dong, ding-dong, as if urging the person inside to hurry.

He walked over and opened the door to find his four students standing outside.

“Professor, are you ready? The Congress is about to begin,” asked his youngest student, Shahi Perez, standing excitedly at the door.

Xu Chuan glanced at his students, all of whom were looking at him with anticipation. He smiled. “Let’s go.”

“Professor, is this your first time at the International Congress of Mathematicians?” In the elevator, the lively Shahi looked curiously at the composed Xu Chuan.

“Of course it’s my first time. Why?” Xu Chuan turned his head to ask.

“But you don’t seem excited at all. And today is the day the Fields Medal is awarded. Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

Xu Chuan smiled faintly. “Of course I’m excited and full of anticipation, but keeping it in my heart is enough.”

“You sound like a middle-aged man or an old man,” Shahi Perez muttered.

Beside them, Amelia shrugged and said, “If you could prove one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems like the professor, maybe you would understand his state of mind.”

After a pause, she added, “But that’s impossible for you in this lifetime. After all, you’re already twenty-four, and the professor proved the Hodge Conjecture when he was twenty.”

At her words, Shahi fell silent. That was too crushing.

Gu Bing and Roger Dean, standing nearby, felt their mouths twitch, wanting to say something but holding back.

Amelia’s comment dealt some fatal splash damage.

Xu Chuan simply smiled without a word, leading his students toward the conference hall.

Proving a Millennium Prize Problem at the age of twenty… without the knowledge from his past life, he couldn’t possibly have done it.

Or to put it another way, no one in the world today could probably achieve it.

Not even if Newton or Gauss were born in this era.

Of course, he wasn’t saying it was absolutely impossible, just that it was extremely, extremely difficult, bordering on impossible.

The reason was simple: mathematics today was a far cry from the mathematics of the seventeenth century.

The vast body of knowledge and the profusion of mathematical branches made it incredibly difficult for modern mathematicians to produce great work at a young age.

At twenty, one wouldn’t even have had enough time to learn all the knowledge required to prove a Millennium Prize Problem.

This was why Poincaré was known in the field of mathematics as “the last universalist in the history of mathematics.”

In the early twentieth century, when he lived, mathematics was already immense. To gain a comprehensive understanding, let alone conduct in-depth research, was already a monumental task.

Now in the twenty-first century, after another hundred years of development, mathematics had branched out to an extent that was hard for an ordinary person to imagine.

Leaving other fields aside, geometry alone had over a dozen major branches.

The algebraic geometry studied by his academic patriarch, the “Pope” Grothendieck, was merely an extension of two-dimensional and three-dimensional analytic geometry.

In this day and age, people who had a solid grasp of all fields of mathematics were much rarer than wild giant pandas.

Across the entire field of mathematics today, the only person who could claim such a reputation was Terence Tao.

The “comprehensiveness” or “universality” of a mathematician was a well-worn topic.

Without clear standards, any discussion on the matter was just nonsense.

If the standard was “mastery and a profound understanding of (almost) all contemporary branches of mathematics,” then the last to fit the bill was likely Poincaré, or perhaps Hilbert.

If the standard was “not only mastery of (almost) all contemporary branches but also extraordinary contributions to (almost) every branch,” then neither Hilbert nor Poincaré would qualify.

The last to “fully expand the entire frontier of mathematics” were Euler and Gauss.

Of course, “comprehensiveness” or “universality” was not the proper way to evaluate a mathematician; clearly, not all things in mathematics carry the same weight.

A fair standard for evaluating a mathematician is to look at how many “important” things they have done, not just how many things they have done.

Riemann, in terms of the quantity, scope, and completeness of his work, as well as the length of his career, fell far short of Euler and Gauss, yet he held a status that was disproportionately close to theirs.

As for Galois, he was an even more extreme example.

In a life that lasted less than twenty-two years, during an era when Gauss’s shadow loomed over the entire sky of mathematics, and the iron curtain of his genius monopolized almost all original ideas, Galois, by sheer talent alone, “stormed the Southern Heaven and shattered the High Firmament, a journey of no return.” He pioneered group theory, which has since become indispensable, and illuminated a new world for abstract algebra.

Although this great mathematician dedicated his career to this single pursuit, countless successors followed in his footsteps, building upon and glorifying his work.

Lost in these thoughts, Xu Chuan soon arrived outside the venue for the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Although there was still over an hour until the official opening, the area was already bustling with activity.

Mathematicians of all kinds were outside the venue, looking for familiar friends or hoping to meet the big shots.

Inside and outside the venue, a large number of media personnel were being organized by staff, preparing to enter for filming and reporting.

Xu Chuan’s arrival quickly caused a commotion outside the venue.

Those who recognized him swarmed over, especially the astronomers and astrophysicists who had arrived early and had been waiting outside. They were the first to spot Xu Chuan; in comparison, the scholars from the field of mathematics were much slower to react.

But this was normal. After all, the people from the fields of astronomy and astrophysics had come specifically for Xu Chuan’s conference presentation on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

The noisy situation outside the venue also alerted the media, who were in the process of entering. Sensing something unusual, they abandoned their entry and ran over, carrying their cameras.

Outside the venue, the congress staff organizing the event were startled by the situation and quickly called for backup to prevent a crush or stampede.

Surrounded by the crowd, Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on, especially from the fervor of the astronomers and astrophysicists.

He thought to himself that he shouldn’t have agreed to the International Mathematical Union’s request. If he had held a separate presentation at a different venue, not so many people would have come.

Many of those present today had also come with the mindset of participating in the mathematics congress to broaden their horizons.

Fortunately, his distress didn’t last long. Staff, hearing the news, rushed over and persuaded the crowd to disperse, finally allowing Xu Chuan to break free and enter the venue.

Inside the hall, before Xu Chuan could even take his seat, someone else approached him.

This time, it was a media reporter, and one he was familiar with.

“Hello, Professor Xu Chuan.” The beautiful reporter greeted Xu Chuan with a voice as lovely as a warbler’s song.

Seeing the person in front of him, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment before smiling in recognition. “Hello, Reporter Sun. Long time no see.”

The person before him was Sun Yutong, the CTV reporter who had interviewed him at the Crafoord Prize award ceremony last year.

Hearing his words, Sun Yutong was also taken aback, and then a brilliant smile broke out on her face. “I can’t believe you still remember me.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I think my memory is still quite good.”

Sun Yutong smiled and continued, “It’s like this, Professor Xu Chuan. CTV has applied to the International Mathematical Union for the live broadcast rights for this Congress. Since it hasn’t started yet, we’d like to ask you to say a quick hello to the audience back in China. Would that be convenient for you?”

After making the request, she quickly added, “Of course, the camera isn’t on you right now, and our conversation isn’t being recorded for the live stream. If it’s not convenient, we can cancel this part of the plan. It’s no problem at all.”

Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised to hear this. CTV obtaining the live broadcast rights for the Congress was a rare event.

But he understood why, and he nodded in agreement.

China was really placing a heavy bet on him this time.

Previous International Congresses of Mathematicians had never been broadcast live by CTV, not even the one held in China in 2002.

Of course, that was also partly due to the fact that the internet wasn’t fully widespread in China back then.

But given China’s population, CTV’s special status as a media outlet, and the official promotion, a live broadcast would attract at least five or six million viewers, and quite possibly over ten million.

With so many people watching, if he failed to win the Fields Medal at this congress, it would be a huge loss of face.

However, the committee of the International Mathematical Union would never let that happen. If a top scholar who had proven one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems didn’t receive the Fields Medal, the award’s credibility would be utterly destroyed.

Who would ever again consider the Fields Medal the highest honor in mathematics? Probably no one. Even the many mathematicians in the field would no longer pursue the medal themselves.

Hearing Xu Chuan agree, Sun Yutong breathed a sigh of relief. With a smile, she said quickly, “Please wait a moment. I’ll get the cameraman.”

With that, she jogged off to fetch him.

A moment later, the cameraman, with his camera on his shoulder, came trotting over.

“Hello, everyone. Before the opening ceremony of this year’s Congress, we are honored to have invited the young mathematician, Professor Xu Chuan.”

Standing next to Xu Chuan, Sun Yutong faced the camera with a powerfully charming smile. After greeting the audience in the CTV live stream room, she quickly stepped aside, letting Xu Chuan take the center position.

“Hello everyone. I’m your tour guide, Xu Chuan. Welcome to this year’s International Congress of Mathematicians.”

Looking into the camera, Xu Chuan smiled and greeted the audience in the live stream room with a small joke.

With his appearance on screen, the CTV live stream chat instantly exploded. In a chat room where gifts couldn’t be sent, the only thing to do was spam the bullet comments.

In an instant, a flood of comments surged across the screen.

【Holy shit, it’s God Chuan!】

【The master with his own golden aura!】

【God Chuan is a badass! [Screaming my lungs out!]】

【Trying to soak up some of God Chuan’s wisdom, just hoping I don’t have to retake Higher Algebra this semester!】

【God Chuan’s a lock for the Fields Medal this time, right?】

【Definitely. He solved the Hodge Conjecture. If he doesn’t get the Fields Medal, what’s the point of watching?】

【God Chuan’s voice is so warm, I love it, I love it. I want to have his babies.】

【Hehe, brilliant me. I already applied to Nanjing University’s math department after the college entrance exam this year. In another month, I’ll be a fellow student with God Chuan!】

The bullet comments in the live stream room were flying frantically, but Xu Chuan couldn’t see them. Under Sun Yutong’s direction, they exchanged a few simple questions and quickly ended the conversation.

On one hand, even with broadcast rights, CTV couldn’t disturb Xu Chuan for too long. Getting him to make an appearance before the opening was already a great achievement.

On the other hand, the Fields Medal had not yet been awarded, so some questions were difficult to ask.

Of course, more crucially, the mathematics congress was about to begin, and they had to return to their positions to record the precious award ceremony that would follow.

As the mathematicians and astronomers participating in the congress took their seats, the twenty-eighth International Congress of Mathematicians officially began.

At nine o’clock sharp, the Congress commenced.

Professor Marcelo Viana, Chairman of the Congress Organizing Committee, first delivered the opening ceremony address.

He thanked the local organizers and sponsors, welcomed new and old friends attending the congress, and declared the twenty-eighth International Congress of Mathematicians open.

Following him, Professor Shigefumi Mori, President of the International Mathematical Union and a Fields Medalist, gave an address, reviewing the developments in the field of mathematics over the past four years.

After both had completed their speeches, the opening ceremony of this year’s congress moved on to its most climactic part—the announcement and presentation of the four major awards of the International Mathematical Union.

The first to be announced was the Gauss Prize. The 2018 Gauss Prize was awarded to Professor David Donoho of Stanford University “for his fundamental contributions to the mathematical, statistical, and computational analysis of important problems in signal processing.”

The Chern Prize was awarded to the mathematician from the island nation, Masaki Kashiwara, in recognition of his outstanding and foundational contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory for nearly fifty years.

The Nevanlinna Prize was awarded to the Turkish mathematician Ali Nesin, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to influencing the Turkish public and helping them raise their awareness of mathematics.

The International Mathematical Union stated that Professor Nesin’s tireless creation of a “Mathematics Village,” intended to provide a peaceful place for mathematical education, research, and discovery for all, was of great significance to developing countries.

With three awards presented, all that remained was the main event of this International Congress of Mathematicians, the award hailed as the Nobel Prize of mathematics—the Fields Medal.

Chapter 212: The Youngest Fields Medalist in History

The Fields Medal. As the highest honor a young mathematician can receive, its prestige is unquestionable. It is the goal pursued by every young mathematician.

When Professor Shigefumi Mori, the president of the International Mathematical Union’s Executive Committee, began to speak again, everyone’s attention fell upon him.

Whether they were in the audience at the venue or watching the live broadcast online, their gazes were fixed intently on the rather frail-looking old man.

The former hoped to hear their own names from his lips; the latter hoped to hear the names they longed to hear.

Those scholars with a chance of winning the Fields Medal, along with their associates, stared at the old man on the stage with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Even Xu Chuan, as this moment arrived, couldn’t help but hold his breath, awaiting the verdict of fate.

For the mathematicians who were much older but still had a hope of touching this medal—like Zhang Wei and Xu Chenyang from Peking University, or Professor Caucher Birkar from Iran—the anxiety was palpable. They were both nervous and expectant.

This year’s International Congress of Mathematicians was the last chance in their careers to obtain a Fields Medal.

In another four years, they would have surpassed the forty-year-old age limit for the award.

If they didn’t win it this time, they would never have another opportunity.

Feeling the expectant gazes and tense atmosphere from below the stage, Professor Shigefumi Mori adjusted his glasses and began to speak slowly.

His solemn and steady voice resounded through the venue. The citation for the first Fields Medalist was broadcast from the podium, spreading throughout the hall and then out to the entire world.

“He possesses immense mathematical talent, a persevering spirit of inquiry, and a level of diligence that surpasses ordinary people.”

“Beginning with a perfect-score gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, this young scholar’s pursuit of mathematics, and indeed science, has never ceased.”

“From the Weyl-Berry conjecture to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, from the Hodge Standard Conjecture to the Xu-Hodge Theorem, he has plucked one epic problem after another from the palace of mathematics, conquering one high mountain after another.”

“Not only that, but he is also adept at applying mathematics to other disciplines. From the expanded applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, to using mathematical methods to solve the Proton Radius Puzzle, and then to calculating the emergence channels of high-energy physics particles…”

“His research spans the three major fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy. He has brought a completely new methodology to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics, lighting a beacon for the future of humanity.”

“To have made such great achievements and contributions at the age of twenty, I believe this cannot be explained by sheer talent alone. Behind this greatness lies more sweat and effort than most people can see.”

When the citation was finished, President Shigefumi Mori on the stage scanned the entire auditorium, his gaze finally resting for a moment on a young man in the front row.

Pausing for a moment, the president of the IMU Executive Committee took a deep breath and continued in a solemn tone, “The first recipient of the Fields Medal is… Xu Chuan!”

As his words fell, a thunderous applause, like a landslide or an earthquake, erupted throughout the hall—deafening and long-lasting.

The moment that name was announced, he had already become a legend: a twenty-year-old Fields Medalist, the youngest in history, and the first Chinese national to win the award.

When that name appeared, everyone in the venue—whether they were mathematicians, astronomers, astrophysicists, or ordinary spectators who had come to attend this grand event—felt their hearts swell with emotion.

In the hall, the thunderous applause was unrelenting. Meanwhile, on the CTV media channel broadcasting the event live, tens of millions of viewers instantly flooded the stream.

【66666】

【The master is a legend! Screaming my lungs out!】

【The first Fields Medalist of Chinese nationality, and the youngest in history! Witnessing a legend!】

【If the youth are strong, the nation is strong! We finally have a Fields Medal. It wasn’t easy.】

【A 20-year-old Fields Medalist, that’s terrifying. When I was 20, I was just a sophomore, but he could already be my advisor.】

【(smirk) I’m afraid he couldn’t just be your advisor; he could be the advisor to your advisor’s advisor’s advisor.】

【If I remember correctly, the youngest Fields Medalist was Professor Jean-Pierre Serre, right? He won it at 27. This just pushed the record back a full seven years. I doubt anyone will ever be able to break this record again.】

【Terrifying, truly terrifying, terrifying to this extent!】

【Watching things like this always makes me realize what a useless person I am.】

【There are three types of geniuses in the world: those born that way, those who become geniuses through hard work, and those who are a combination of both. I’m none of the three. I’m just an ordinary person who couldn’t be more ordinary, grinding away every day to pay my mortgage.】

【Sometimes the gap between people is bigger than the gap between a person and a dog.】

In the live stream with tens of millions of viewers, bullet comments poured out like a flood.

For China, this was a moment of celebration. A twenty-year-old Fields Medalist had not only broken the long-standing awkward situation of China not having a homegrown national winner but had also shattered the record for the youngest recipient, a feat unprecedented and likely unrepeatable.

A Fields Medal represented more than just a gold medal and 15,000 Canadian dollars.

It also represented a scholar from this nation stepping onto the international stage and making their voice heard. More importantly, it represented that the country’s level of mathematics was catching up with international standards, and in some areas, was already at the forefront.

In the grand hall, the tide of applause was unceasing.

Amid the applause, Xu Chuan stood up with a smile. He first bowed slightly to the audience behind him as a sign of respect, then walked onto the stage amidst an even more fervent round of applause.

Surrounded by the gazes of the entire audience and the flashes of cameras, he stepped onto the stage and stood in the very center.

IMU President Shigefumi Mori, smiling, gave Xu Chuan a hug before taking a gold medal from a staff member and personally placing it on him.

Xu Chuan bowed slightly to make it easier for the old professor before him to affix the medal.

“Congratulations, Professor Xu Chuan.”

After the medal was on, the old professor shook Xu Chuan’s hand again and offered congratulations on behalf of the International Mathematical Union.

Wearing the gleaming gold medal, Xu Chuan smiled and expressed his thanks, standing at the center of the stage as media from all over the world captured this commemorative moment.

With the first winner announced, the award ceremony continued.

To no one’s surprise, the second winner was Peter Scholze from Germany.

This was a German professor hailed as the Mozart of mathematics and a once-in-a-century genius, considered the successor to the “Pope” Grothendieck.

During his doctoral studies, he had already created his own mathematical tool: “perfectoid geometry.”

And while serving as a professor, he not only masterfully applied geometric methods to the field of algebra, solving several difficult problems in algebraic geometry, but also further optimized perfectoid geometry, advancing it into “Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory.”

Using “Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory,” Scholze successfully built a solid bridge between geometry and algebra, and more importantly, made a major breakthrough in the Langlands program, one of the three major programs in the field of mathematics.

The contributions of such a leading figure in the field of arithmetic algebraic geometry were plain for all to see.

In fact, at the International Congress of Mathematicians four years ago, Scholze, then only twenty-seven, had the opportunity to break Professor Jean-Pierre Serre’s record.

Regrettably, however, the mathematics community at the time was not familiar with his “Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory,” which caused him to miss the opportunity.

But after this brilliant mind used “Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory” to make a series of major breakthroughs in the Langlands program, no one could doubt the excellence of this theoretical tool any longer.

If it weren’t for the rising star Xu Chuan proving the Hodge Conjecture and introducing the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool,” he would have been the first person to be awarded the Fields Medal this year.

As for the third Fields Medal recipient, it was Professor Caucher Birkar, a scholar from Iran.

This was a mathematician who had emerged from the chaos of war.

As he walked up from the audience, Xu Chuan cast a rather interested glance his way.

He didn’t know if history would repeat itself.

This Professor Caucher Birkar was the only mathematician in history to “receive” the Fields Medal twice.

The reason was that just half an hour after he received the award and left the stage, his medal was stolen.

The staff at the time were ultimately unable to recover his medal, but after deliberation, the International Mathematical Union’s organizing committee held a special ceremony to present him with another Fields Medal.

Thus, Professor Birkar became the only mathematician to have “twice” received the Fields Medal.

Xu Chuan knew about this and had met the professor yesterday.

However, he hadn’t reminded the professor to take good care of his briefcase.

Receiving the Fields Medal twice could be considered a “legendary” story in the world of mathematics. In any case, the professor didn’t suffer much of a loss. His briefcase was eventually found, as was his wallet. All that was lost was a medal and a little money.

The medal was even reissued. Rounding it all out, it was as if he hadn’t lost anything at all and had even gained the “unique” experience of receiving two Fields Medals. It was quite a good deal.

The fourth Fields Medal was awarded to Professor Akshay Venkatesh from Australia, in recognition of his contributions in synthesizing analytic number theory, homogeneous dynamical systems, topology, and representation theory, and for solving long-standing problems concerning the distribution of arithmetic objects.

As for the other Fields Medal winner from the original timeline this year, Professor Alessio Figalli from Italy, he had unfortunately missed out on this year’s award due to Xu Chuan’s appearance.

However, he was not without a chance. He was only thirty-four this year. In another four years, he would still have an opportunity to win the Fields Medal.

Perhaps the IMU committee had taken this into account when they chose Professor Akshay Venkatesh over him.

After all, Professor Akshay Venkatesh was already thirty-seven. In another four years, he would have missed his chance for the Fields Medal.

Chapter 213: History Repeats Itself

When the list of the four Fields Medal winners was fully announced, the conference hall once again erupted in thunderous applause.

In the audience, Professor Alessio Figalli from Italy watched the four men wearing their gold medals on stage, sighing softly as he clapped.

He had a chance to win this year’s Fields Medal. Although his mathematical achievements couldn’t compare to masters like Xu Chuan and Scholze, he was actually on par with Professor Akshay Venkatesh and Professor Caucher Birkar.

But he was younger and could wait for the next congress, whereas both Akshay and Caucher were at their last chance.

Caucher Birkar was already approaching the 40-year-old cutoff; he would turn forty this year, though the date hadn’t passed yet.

Perhaps the International Mathematical Union committee had taken this into consideration when they screened him out.

Although he could understand the IMU’s decision, anyone in his position would likely feel a bit resentful.

After all, no one knew what changes would occur in the field of mathematics in another four years.

What if, four years later, he couldn’t win the Fields Medal?

It wasn’t impossible.

If one or two more monstrous prodigies like Xu Chuan appeared, he might truly have no hope left.

On the other side of the hall, Zhang Wei, sitting with his friend, also sighed.

He too had been a popular contender for this year’s Fields Medal, but now, he would never have the chance to win this medal.

Even if he were to solve a century-old problem like Wiles and the International Mathematical Union made an exception to award him a Fields Medal, it would be a silver medal, not the gold one they had now.

There was, after all, a slight difference between the two.

Sitting next to him, Xu Chenyang patted his friend’s shoulder without a word.

Speaking of which, he was also a candidate for the Fields Medal, just not a popular one, so his chances of winning were slim.

He couldn’t compare to his friend Zhang Wei, nor to Professor Alessio Figalli from Italy, and even less so to Xu Chuan, who had proven the Hodge Conjecture at the age of twenty.

Although he came to this congress with some anticipation, it wasn’t as intense as others’.

Now that he was completely out of the running, he actually felt a sense of relief.

It was normal to compare yourself to others. To compare yourself to a genius showed you had ambition. But to compare yourself to a monster who had proven one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems at twenty? It was better to just forget it.

From now on, all he needed to do was focus on his research.

After the award ceremony ended and the four Fields Medalists had shared their thoughts, the opening ceremony drew to a close.

As the host and the first Southern Hemisphere country to hold the International Congress of Mathematicians, Brazil had prepared a unique cultural performance for after the opening ceremony.

On stage, the performers, wearing feathered headdresses, looked like the American Indians from the Tom and Jerry cartoons, exuding a primitive atmosphere.

To Xu Chuan, such a performance felt more like a form of mockery.

They had slaughtered the indigenous people to the brink of extinction, driven the rest into the depths of the Amazon rainforest, and now they were presenting this as their unique culture.

It was just like a certain country in East Asia, always fond of stealing a bit of someone else’s culture, modifying it slightly, and then claiming it as its own.

After the special performance, the time reached eleven-thirty. With the announcement from the President of the International Mathematical Union, Shigefumi Mori, the opening ceremony of this International Congress of Mathematicians officially concluded.

At this point, most of the attendees began to leave the hall.

The morning of August first was the opening ceremony, with a luncheon arranged by the International Mathematical Union. The afternoon and evening were free, with no scheduled conference presentations, but venues were prepared for mathematicians from various countries to communicate or chat.

The International Congress of Mathematicians was, after all, an international conference for mathematicians from around the world to exchange ideas, present and discuss the development of mathematics, meet old friends, and make new ones.

As Shigefumi Mori announced the end of the ceremony, Xu Chuan prepared to leave the hall.

“Hey, Xu, shall we go together?” At his side, another Fields Medal winner, Peter Scholze, walked over with a smile and greeted him.

“Professor Scholze.” Xu Chuan responded with a smile.

“Just call me Peter or Scholze. ‘Professor’ and all that is too distant.”

Scholze smiled and shook his head, then continued, “Two years ago at Princeton, I knew that you would definitely win a Fields Medal in the future. I just didn’t expect that in only two years, you would break the historical record.”

“Congratulations, the youngest Fields Medalist in history. Twenty years old. I doubt anyone will be able to break that record in the future.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Thank you, and congratulations to you too for successfully winning the Fields Medal.”

Compared to him, Scholze’s journey to the Fields Medal had been much more winding.

In 2010, while still a master’s student, Scholze created the “perfectoid spaces” mathematical tool. Although this achievement earned him a nomination as a Fields Medal candidate, he did not win.

That was his first time being a non-contender.

In 2014, despite having made significant achievements using the “perfectoid spaces” tool and expanding the scope of reciprocity laws, the International Mathematical Union still did not award him the Fields Medal.

One reason might have been Scholze’s age; at twenty-six, he was a year younger than Professor Serre, the youngest winner at the time. After all, not everyone is happy to see a record being broken.

Another reason was that the 2014 Fields Medal selection was, one could say, a gathering of masters.

There was Brazilian professor Artur Ávila, who made huge contributions to dynamical systems theory, even changing the face of the field; and Professor Manjul Bhargava, who developed powerful new methods in the geometry of numbers and used them to count rings of small rank and bound the average rank of elliptic curves.

And then there was Professor Mariam Mirzakhani, the first-ever female Fields Medalist. All were top experts in the field of mathematics.

So although Scholze’s achievements were already worthy of a Fields Medal, he was once again a non-contender.

But this year, four years later, by advancing the “perfectoid spaces” mathematical tool into “Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory” and making a major breakthrough in the Langlands program, Scholze had finally managed to claim this highest honor in the world of mathematics.

To have sufficient achievements yet be a non-contender for two International Congresses, only to receive the award on the third try, this was likely a first in the mathematical world.

Scholze, however, didn’t seem to mind these things too much.

Though he had been a non-contender twice, he had finally won the Fields Medal this year. And as for age, he was only thirty-one this year.

As for the achievement of becoming the youngest winner, while it was a bit regrettable that he couldn’t do it, it also showed that he wasn’t strong enough.

If he were as strong as Xu Chuan standing before him and could directly prove a Millennium Prize Problem, his age, no matter how young, would not have been an issue.

“By the way, Xu, are you interested in the Langlands program?”

As the two chatted, Peter Scholze suddenly asked.

“The Langlands program?”

“Mhm.” Scholze nodded, then smiled and said, “Perhaps we could cooperate, try to solve this program, and then unify algebra and geometry!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at Scholze with some surprise.

Unify algebra and geometry!

Regardless of whether it could be done, the sheer audacity of the statement was sky-high.

But for a genius, this was normal.

He was the same way. Although he didn’t show it much on the surface, once he set his mind on something, no matter how grand or distant the goal, no matter how arduous the journey of conquest, he was the type to not turn back until he hit a wall, and even then, he’d smash through the wall and keep going.

Without a bit of pride, without the unshakeable belief that you can succeed, what kind of genius would you be?

What surprised him, however, was that this German genius, hailed as the successor to “Pope Grothendieck,” was truly walking the path of his predecessor.

Unifying algebra and geometry was the lifelong dream of his academic patriarch, the old Mr. Grothendieck, and also the lifelong dream of his Advisor, Professor Deligne.

After joining the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Deligne had been researching Grothendieck’s Standard Conjectures, with the aim of inheriting his advisor’s final wish to unify algebra and geometry.

And as a grand-disciple, it would be a lie to say Xu Chuan hadn’t thought about these things.

So when Scholze made the request, he was indeed tempted for a moment.

But he quickly ruled it out.

On one hand, he wouldn’t have that much time to devote to mathematical research in the near future. Even if he did, it would be focused on the NS equations.

If he could solve the NS equations, his abilities in fluid dynamics would take a huge leap forward.

This was his original reason for switching his major to mathematics in this life: to aid the advancement of physics.

On the other hand, the goal was too immense.

Unifying algebra and geometry—this goal was truly too immense.

Although the mathematical branch of algebraic geometry now existed and had extensive connections with many sub-disciplines like complex analysis, number theory, analytic geometry, differential geometry, and commutative algebra, this was far from a true unification.

For instance, the dimension problem was unsolved, some complex algebraic problems could not be translated into geometry, and there were problems with curvature in algebraic geometry and the structure of group ring theory, and so on.

These were all difficult problems, not so easily solved.

If solving the Seven Millennium Prize Problems was like landing on the Moon or Mars, then unifying algebra and geometry was on the level of leaving the Solar System.

The gap between the two was not small by any means.

As the two were chatting, a cry of alarm rang out from another part of the hall.

“Where’s my bag? It was right here, where did it go?”

The cry wasn’t quiet, and it immediately drew the attention of others in the hall. Staff from the International Mathematical Union quickly came over.

“Excuse me, what happened?” asked a young staff member in uniform as he quickly approached.

Caucher Birkar looked around, checked under the table and on the floor, then frowned and said, “My bag is gone. My wallet, phone, and medal were inside.”

Hearing this, the staff member quickly pulled out his walkie-talkie and began to broadcast the news, asking other staff to help search and to check the surveillance footage.

And Xu Chuan, who was in conversation with Scholze, couldn’t help but let out a small smile upon hearing the cry.

The wheels of history had rolled on, just as they were meant to.

The ‘tragedy’ was playing out once again. Professor Caucher Birkar’s Fields Medal had been stolen.

While this wasn’t really a ‘big deal’ to him, it wouldn’t stop him from going over to watch the drama unfold.

Bringing Scholze with him, Xu Chuan also went over to Professor Caucher Birkar’s side and began to pretend to help look for the briefcase.

But obviously, it was impossible to find it.

Before long, Professor Viana, the chair of the Organizing Committee of the International Congress of Mathematicians and a local from Brazil, hurried over.

“I’m sorry, Professor Birkar. We checked the surveillance footage and found that someone stole your briefcase. The briefcase has been recovered, but the phone, wallet, and medal inside are gone.”

Handing the promptly recovered briefcase to Professor Birkar, Professor Viana apologized, “We are truly sorry that something like this has happened at this mathematical congress. We have already called the police and hope to recover your belongings as soon as possible.”

The International Congress of Mathematicians itself did not restrict the identity of its attendees; anyone could participate.

But no one had ever imagined that a thief would sneak into this year’s congress and steal a brand-new gold medal from a Fields Medalist.

Nothing like this had ever happened at previous International Congresses.

As the first Southern Hemisphere country to host the International Congress of Mathematicians, Brazil had completely lost face.

An incident this huge could not be kept under wraps, especially with so many international media present in the hall.

This was a whole new level of embarrassing.

Chapter 214: The Senior Female Student’s Idea

After the staff alerted them, the Brazilian police arrived swiftly.

The medal of a Fields Medalist had been stolen—one that had just been awarded, no less. It had been in his possession for less than thirty minutes, not even long enough to warm up.

The incident was neither major nor minor.

On a grand scale, it was a matter of national embarrassment, suggesting the country’s security and public order were lacking.

To downplay it, it was just an ordinary theft.

In Brazil, was petty theft a rare occurrence? It was impossible to know how many times such things happened every day.

This time, however, was special. A newly awarded Fields Medal had been stolen at the International Congress of Mathematicians, a disgrace that had now become an international incident.

Although the police had arrived, they didn’t have the ability to catch the thief quickly.

Anyone with the gall to steal a medal at the congress would surely have fled immediately after the act.

The discarded briefcase and empty wallet found outside were proof of that.

The Brazilian police’s arrival was merely a formality, a way to document the incident. As for whether the medal, phone, and other items could be recovered, that was up to fate.

Faced with this situation, the International Mathematical Union was also at a loss. After being informed by the police, the committee members consulted and decided that if the medal was ultimately not found, they would hold a special ceremony to re-award the prize to the unfortunate laureate.

Professor Caucher Birkar, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, remarked that if it was truly lost, he would likely become the first person in history to receive the Fields Medal twice.

As this old story repeated itself, Xu Chuan paid it little mind. After watching the commotion, he began making his way out of the venue, fending off other scholars who approached him to chat.

He planned to get some lunch first. He had things to do in the afternoon; Elder Pan Deming had arranged to meet with him after the opening ceremony, saying they had something important to discuss. He hadn’t specified what it was, only that it was crucial and asked him to be sure to set aside time.

Xu Chuan held deep respect for this old man who had dedicated his life to the country, so he had readily agreed to the request.

But just as he stepped out of the hall, he was blocked again.

This time, it wasn’t mathematicians or astronomers, but the media.

“Professor Xu Chuan, how do you feel about winning the Fields Medal at the age of twenty, breaking Professor Jean-Pierre Serre’s world record of twenty-seven?”

“Professor Xu, as the first scholar of Chinese nationality to receive this honor, what are your thoughts at this moment?”

“Professor Xu Chuan, will you choose to return to China to serve your country, or will you remain in the United States, which has a better academic environment?”

“Professor Xu Chuan…”

The moment he appeared at the entrance, the reporters waiting there swarmed him, thrusting microphones of all shapes and sizes nearly into his mouth.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one being mobbed. Scholze and Akshay were also surrounded by their fair share of reporters, though there were fewer of them overall.

Professor Caucher Birkar, on the other hand, was surrounded by a crowd of reporters nearly as large as Xu Chuan’s, due to the recent theft of his Fields Medal.

A Fields Medalist’s prize being stolen at the International Congress of Mathematicians—this was a hot-button story, eye-catching enough to be a headline.

Faced with these frenzied reporters, not only Xu Chuan but also Scholze and the others were getting headaches.

Mathematicians capable of winning the Fields Medal were all top-tier scholars who could immerse themselves in research. Dealing with these omnipresent reporters was truly frustrating.

Although Xu Chuan’s brilliance at this congress had overshadowed the other two Fields Medalists, Akshay and Caucher, making them seem less conspicuous, any mathematician who could win the Fields Medal was among the absolute elite, not just in their own country but worldwide.

If they wished, no country or research institute would refuse them.

If hired by certain research institutes, an annual salary of ten million would be just the starting price.

For a Fields laureate like the previous winner, Professor Artur Avila, who focused on applied mathematics, doubling or tripling that salary would be no issue.

Professor Artur Avila had also contributed significantly to this year’s International Congress of Mathematicians being held in Brazil, a country in the Southern Hemisphere.

Of course, another factor was that Brazil’s own local research in dynamical systems mathematics was very strong.

After managing to shake off the reporters, Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. He entered the hotel, planning to get something to eat and catch up with old friends.

He hadn’t returned to Nanjing in June or July and hadn’t visited Nanjing University, so he had missed the send-off he had promised Kong Zhong and the others.

For this International Congress of Mathematicians, he had specially called Dean Rong Zhizhuan and asked for his help in bringing his friends and his senior female student, Liu Jiaxin, along.

Although Kong Zhong and the others were physics students, and their attendance at the ICM was a bit odd, since Xu Chuan had made the request, Dean Rong would certainly agree.

Besides, this year’s ICM wasn’t attended only by traditional mathematicians; many astronomers and astrophysicists had also come.

It was no problem to bring a few students from Nanjing University to broaden their horizons.

Xu Chuan had originally offered to pay for his friends’ travel and accommodation, but Nanjing University had refused.

The cost of flights and lodging for a few people wasn’t much.

If Xu Chuan returned to China, there was a good chance he would come back to Nanjing University to conduct research and be a professor.

With a homegrown Fields Medalist as a professor at Nanjing University, wouldn’t its School of Mathematical Sciences ascend to the heavens?

Rong Zhizhuan had already submitted an application to expand the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Previously, calling it the “School of Mathematical Sciences” was a flattering but undeserved title.

Nanjing University used to have only a Department of Mathematics, which could only enroll a hundred-some mathematics students per year.

But with this expansion, it would no longer be just a Department of Applied Mathematics. Many other mathematics departments could be added, and the annual student intake would be much larger.

Of course, this was also a troublesome and difficult task. Students, professors, qualifications, teaching environments, equipment, and so on all had to be arranged. It was something that couldn’t be accomplished in less than a year or two.

Originally, Nanjing University wasn’t qualified to apply for the expansion of its mathematics program. It lacked the credentials, reputation, and achievements.

But then a prodigy like Xu Chuan came along, winning the first Fields Medal for a Chinese national at the age of twenty. His influence was immense.

What’s more, he might even return to Nanjing University as a professor in the future.

For a university with a Fields Medalist to have only a Department of Mathematics instead of a School of Mathematical Sciences would be too shabby.

Thanks to Xu Chuan, Nanjing University was able to ride his coattails and smoothly upgrade its Department of Mathematics into a School.

Under these circumstances, how could Rong Zhizhuan possibly let Xu Chuan pay out of his own pocket?

Arriving at the restaurant organized by the ICM, Xu Chuan glanced around and immediately spotted the Nanjing University group sitting in the most prominent spot.

Although Nanjing University, aside from him, had no other professors invited to speak at the congress, the number of people who came this time was no less than that of Peking University.

There was a large group of more than a dozen people.

Principal Liu Gaojun, Dean Rong Zhizhuan, Professor Zhou Hai, his three friends Kong Zhong, Fan Hong, and Zhou Lin, his senior female student Liu Jiaxin, and others were all among them.

Xu Chuan walked over with a smile on his face, and the group quickly noticed him.

“Brother Chuan!”

“God Chuan!”

“Chuan the Almighty!”

Seeing Xu Chuan, Kong Zhong, Fan Hong, and Zhou Lin excitedly stood up and ran over. Each hailed him with a different title, making everyone present laugh.

“Brother Chuan” and “God Chuan” were one thing, but now “Chuan the Almighty” had appeared.

However, no one thought much of it. Proving the Hodge Conjecture and winning the Fields Medal at twenty—if that wasn’t being a god in the world of mathematics, what was?

Xu Chuan laughed and gave Kong Zhong, the one who had hailed him as “Chuan the Almighty,” a light punch. “‘Chuan the Almighty’ is a bit much, isn’t it?”

Kong Zhong grinned. “Proving the Hodge Conjecture and winning the Fields Medal at twenty—if that’s not the god of mathematics, I don’t know what is. ‘God Chuan’? That title’s prestige is no longer worthy of a man of your stature.”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head. After greeting his three friends, he approached the Nanjing University group.

Now wasn’t the time for reminiscing. The university’s principal, leaders, and his advisor were all here; he had to greet them first.

“Hello, Principal Liu, Dean Rong, Advisor, Professor Zhou, Senior, and fellow students.”

Xu Chuan didn’t greet everyone individually; there were too many people. A general greeting to the main figures was enough.

“Impressive, a twenty-year-old Fields Medalist, Professor Xu,” Chen Zhengping said with a smile, patting Xu Chuan’s shoulder teasingly.

Although winning the Fields Medal was a certainty after proving the Hodge Conjecture, to do so at twenty, breaking the historical record and pushing it back by nearly two award cycles, was just too incredible.

Moreover, this student of his had practically switched to mathematics halfway; his focus had always been on physics before.

With talent like this, even Newton and Gauss were likely his peers.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Advisor, please don’t tease me.”

“You’re the pride of the university now. I wish I could hang a banner celebrating your Fields Medal win for a year and a half.”

Beside him, Dean Rong Zhizhuan of the School of Mathematical Sciences also walked over, speaking with a smile.

Thanks to Xu Chuan, he might be getting a promotion. The position of Vice-President was now within his sights.

“Hanging one isn’t a problem, but isn’t a year and a half a bit of an exaggeration?” Xu Chuan replied with a laugh.

Nearby, Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences chimed in with a grin, “Exaggeration? Not at all!”

“The first Fields Medal for a Chinese national, a record-breaking age… I’ve already proposed to the university that we, Nanjing University, should create a Hall of Fame, just like Princeton. You’ll be the very first person in it.”

Although Xu Chuan was Chen Zhengping’s student, Zhou Hai had taught him all his university-level mathematics. Rounding it all out, he too had a Fields Medalist for a student.

Perhaps after Rong Zhizhuan was promoted, he could also compete for the position of Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Of course, if Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing University, the position of Dean would surely be his for the asking.

But Zhou Hai figured Xu Chuan wouldn’t be interested in that. At the age of twenty, his heart was likely still in academia. Taking on the role of Dean would only hinder his academic career.

Beside them, Principal Liu Gaojun also laughed. “I agree with this. A Fields Medalist must be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This is an honor that will be remembered for ages.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He was only twenty, alright?

Being inducted into a Hall of Fame… didn’t that sound like a place for old geezers?

But if it was like Princeton’s, he didn’t really mind.

Those who entered Princeton’s Hall of Fame had either won a Fields Medal or a Nobel Prize; they were all truly top-tier scholars.

Of course, Nanjing University certainly couldn’t assemble such a lineup, but putting a Fields Medalist like him in it would ensure the Hall of Fame’s prestige wouldn’t be low.

Didn’t he see the Nanjing University students who had tagged along, whose envious tears were practically drooling from their mouths?

Something like a Hall of Fame, once you’re in, your name is immortalized.

At least on the campus of Nanjing University, you would be a deity to be worshipped.

The young man before them, only twenty years old, was getting in directly. No, one could even say that Nanjing University’s Hall of Fame was being built because of him.

It was truly something to be envious of.

“Senior, long time no see.” After smiling and greeting the university leaders, Xu Chuan took a seat.

Whether by design or by chance, his seat was right next to his senior female student, Liu Jiaxin.

“Congratulations on winning the Fields Medal.” The senior female student’s voice was as soft as ever. She had been the first to see him approach but had only stood up, not run over like the other students.

“Thanks. How is your application to Princeton coming along?” Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

It was August now, and applications for Princeton’s spring semester next year could already be submitted. In another month, by September, advisors would begin reviewing applications to select students.

“It’s all taken care of. The application has been submitted,” the senior female student replied softly, her voice filled with a hint of excitement.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “What about an advisor? Have you looked into any of the advisors at Princeton? If you have, I can put in a good word for you. Don’t worry about it. Choosing a good advisor for your Ph.D. is very important; it can affect your entire life.”

Hearing this, Liu Jiaxin bit her lip, glanced at Xu Chuan again, and said quietly, “I want to apply to be your student. I want to study with you.”

Chapter 215: Negotiations Before Returning Home

Xu Chuan: ???

Hearing what his senior had said, Xu Chuan, who had just taken a sip of his drink, nearly spat it all out.

Apply to be his student? To study with him?

What the hell.

Are they all trying to pull this stunt?

First Amelia, and now his senior. Was the title of Fields Medalist really that dazzling?

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan felt a sense of relief.

The title of Fields Medalist was indeed dazzling, and the title of a twenty-year-old Fields Medalist was probably even more so.

Twenty years old. In the current academic world, the period between twenty and fifty was considered one’s true golden years.

At twenty, he was just starting out, yet he had already solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. With thirty more years ahead of him, how many more could he solve?

Would he solve all Seven Millennium Prize Problems by himself? Or unify algebra and geometry? Or perhaps develop an entirely new branch of mathematics?

No one could say for certain what the future held.

Still, the idea of taking his senior as a student… he’d better pass.

For one, he was returning to China soon.

For another, his relationship with his senior was too familiar. Amelia was an acquaintance, but they had only met a few times during the IPhO finals.

His senior, on the other hand, was arguably the only close friend he had at Nanjing University. Kong Zhong and the others didn’t count; they were friends from his past life. Fan Pengyue and Cai Peng didn’t quite count either. They were disciples of his advisor at Nanjing University. While their relationship was good, it wasn’t particularly intimate or close.

At the very least, if it had been Fan Pengyue or Cai Peng applying to Princeton, he wouldn’t have proactively offered to put in a good word for them.

Of course, if they had asked, he would have helped, but he wouldn’t have offered out of his own volition.

The difference between being reactive and proactive was significant.

After some thought, Xu Chuan shook his head and smiled. “If there’s an advisor or professor at Princeton you’re interested in, I have no problem recommending you. But as for me taking you on as a student, let’s just forget it.”

Hearing this, the hopeful light in Liu Jiaxin’s eyes immediately dimmed.

Her personality was completely different from Amelia’s. Amelia would have persisted after being rejected, asking why and trying to persuade him.

But for her, just voicing this request had already taken all her courage.

Beside them, Professor Zhou Hai from Nanjing University’s School of Mathematical Sciences chimed in with a smile, “Why not? Jiaxin has a remarkable talent for mathematics.”

“Her studies were held back by her family’s situation before, but after you helped her resolve it, she completed her master’s degree in a year and is now pursuing her doctorate. Following a Fields Medalist like you, she could learn so much more.”

“As for her major, that’s no problem for you. You were the one who helped Academician Chen with the mathematical modeling. Your mathematical abilities are more than sufficient.”

Zhou Hai spoke up with a smile, trying to help. He didn’t know what Xu Chuan was thinking, but he could tell his student had some feelings for him.

After all, she was his student, and he knew her fairly well.

And while his student’s talent couldn’t compare to a prodigy like Xu Chuan, she was still a top-tier genius. Age-wise, she was only a year older.

If these two could get together, it would be a wonderful thing.

Of course, the final decision was up to the young people themselves.

This was the new century. Things like arranged marriages no longer fit the modern spirit of free love. He was just putting in a good word; whether they would end up together was still an unknown.

Besides, this young man Xu Chuan was still young, just past twenty, and not even of legal marriage age yet.

Listening to Professor Zhou Hai, Xu Chuan just smiled and said, “Let’s drop it. My senior is very talented in mathematics, and it’s a great thing for her to pursue further studies at Princeton. Although I’ve won the Fields Medal, I don’t know everything. When it comes to mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence, I’m a complete novice. I wouldn’t have much to teach her.”

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan moved past the topic and began catching up with the others.

After having lunch at the restaurant, Xu Chuan said goodbye to the team from Nanjing University and returned to his hotel.

He tidied up briefly and then waited.

Academician Pan Deming had said he had something to discuss with him and asked him to be sure to keep his afternoon free. He had a pretty good idea of what it might be about.

Whether he was right or not, he would find out soon enough.

Just as he was thinking, the doorbell of his hotel room rang. Ding-dong.

Xu Chuan stood up, went over, and opened the door. Standing outside was indeed Academician Pan Deming, accompanied by a young man who stood ramrod straight.

Of course, to call him a young man was relative; he looked to be in his thirties, older than Xu Chuan.

Seeing Xu Chuan, Pan Deming said with a cheerful smile, “Professor Xu, is it a convenient time?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You can just call me by my name, Elder Pan. I’ve cleared my entire afternoon. May I ask what you needed to see me about? Please, come in and let’s talk.”

Although he had a good guess, there was no harm in feigning ignorance when necessary.

Pan Deming waved his hand. “Actually, it’s not I who wanted to see you, but the country. I’m just the messenger. Come with me. The person who wants to meet you can’t really talk to you here.”

Xu Chuan nodded, turned back into his room to grab his key card and phone, and followed them out.

The three of them got into a car and headed elsewhere.

Before long, the SUV stopped, and the young man, who hadn’t said a word the entire time, led Xu Chuan and Pan Deming into a modest-sized hotel-style apartment.

After seeing the two of them inside, the young man stood guard at the door.

Inside the room, a middle-aged man who looked to be about the same age as Xu Chuan’s father stood up with a smile to greet them when he heard the commotion.

“Hello, Professor Xu. My name is Mu Liangcai. I’m sorry to interrupt your work during your busy schedule.”

With a smile on his face, the middle-aged man extended his hand toward Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan shook his hand, a standard smile appearing on his own face. “Hello, Mr. Mu.”

Beside them, Pan Deming made the introduction. “This is a director from the Organization Department, specifically in charge of recruiting overseas talent.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Director Mu.”

He had never met this Mr. Mu, but he knew of him.

A couple of years ago, after he had proven the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, Nanjing University had helped him apply for the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, as well as the Excellent and Distinguished Young Scholars programs.

All these matters were, in fact, managed by the Organization Department.

“Ah, if you don’t mind, just call me Uncle Mu. ‘Director’ and all that is too formal,” Mu Liangcai said with a smile. “Here, come in and sit down.”

While inviting the two of them in, Mu Liangcai got up, boiled a kettle of water, and prepared two cups of light tea.

After some small talk, Mu Liangcai cleared his throat and got straight to the point.

“Ahem, I must apologize again for interrupting your research, Professor Xu. I’ve invited you here today because I want to invite you to return to the Motherland to conduct your research.”

“The Motherland greatly admires your talent and abilities, and we are in great need of them. We sincerely hope you will return to China to pursue your research.”

“To show how much we value you, the country is willing to hire you at three times your Princeton salary, tax-free. Your research funding will be more than five times what you currently have, distributed in the form of a special fund that doesn’t require complicated procedures.”

“In addition, if you are interested in research outside of basic studies, you can also obtain another research grant, the amount of which will not be less than your primary research grant.”

“These policies will be tied directly to you. That is to say, after you return to China, these policies will follow you whether you go to any university or research institute, or even if you establish your own research institute.”

“Furthermore, if you have any other needs, you can tell me. I will convey your requests to the higher-ups, and the country will do its utmost to satisfy them.”

After speaking, Mu Liangcai looked at Xu Chuan with an expectant expression.

The country had actually taken notice of Xu Chuan long ago.

Starting with the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, the higher-ups had created a file on this outstanding young scholar, which was standard procedure for the administrative department.

What truly drew their attention was when he proved the Weyl-Berry conjecture and was seen as a contender for the Fields Medal.

From that moment on, the higher-ups began to take him truly seriously.

They were also aware of things like Xu Chuan’s participation in the information deciphering work at Riyue University a few years ago.

The reason they hadn’t approached him to invite him back sooner was that they were waiting for him to win the Fields Medal.

The first-ever Fields Medalist of Chinese nationality was in no way less important than a Nobel laureate.

After all, there were Nobel laureates of Chinese nationality.

But in the field of basic sciences like mathematics, a Fields Medal had never been won in a hundred years.

Mathematics is the root of the basic sciences. While top-level mathematics may seem useless, seemingly focused only on researching various theories, it is in fact critically important to the development of a nation and a civilization’s society.

To most people, some branches of advanced mathematics that have evolved to the point where they rarely even use numbers seem excessively abstract and ethereal.

But in reality, our lives today are completely inseparable from advanced mathematics.

One could even say that without the development of advanced mathematics, modern society would not exist today.

Many might doubt this, but it is truly the case.

Leaving aside elementary mathematics, and even branches like discrete mathematics, operations research, and cybernetics that were developed purely for application, let’s focus on the foundational aspects.

For example, mathematical analysis primarily includes calculus and series theory.

Calculus is the foundation of advanced mathematics, with an extremely wide range of applications. Basically, any field involving functions requires knowledge of calculus.

In series theory, Fourier series and Fourier transforms are mainly used in signal analysis, including filtering, data compression, and monitoring of power systems. The manufacturing of electronic products is inseparable from it.

Or take functions of a complex variable, which is like the second enhanced version of mathematical analysis.

It is a discipline with broad applications in fields like aeromechanics, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, information engineering, and electrical engineering, which is why engineering students are all required to take this course.

And applied higher algebra can be said to be the most widely used branch of mathematics today.

Data structures, program algorithms, mechanical design, electronic circuits, electronic signals, automatic control, economic analysis, management science, medicine, and accounting all require knowledge of linear algebra.

In addition, there are functional analysis, topology, number theory, and various other mathematical fields, each with its unique purpose.

It can be said that the development of modern society to this day is inseparable from advanced mathematics.

A Fields Medalist, especially an extremely young mathematician like Xu Chuan, could bring immense help to a country.

Because he was young, only twenty now, he still had forty years until the legal retirement age.

In forty years, by mentoring just three or four students a year, he could cultivate over a hundred top-tier mathematicians for the country.

Moreover, once these students mature, they can in turn mentor their own students, creating a ripple effect that could drive tremendous change.

Furthermore, and more critically, there was him himself. Winning the Fields Medal at twenty, his golden years of academic research were just beginning. No one could say what great achievements he might make in the future.

They hadn’t approached him before because he hadn’t yet won the Fields Medal, so the country couldn’t offer him excessively generous terms.

But now that he had won it, things were different. Honor itself is a form of strength.

Offering extra conditions to such a talent was in line with official procedures.

Whether it was three times the annual salary, or the policy of benefits following the individual, or even letting Xu Chuan establish his own research institute—none of it mattered.

As long as he was in the country, the results and research he produced would inevitably be applied first within the country.

For the nation, that was enough.

Hearing the terms offered by Mu Liangcai, even Xu Chuan was surprised.

His annual salary at Princeton was a full six hundred thousand US dollars. Tripling that would be one point eight million US dollars, which converted to a whopping twelve and a half million yuan.

An annual salary in the tens of millions, even for a Fields Medalist, was top-tier.

And this was pure salary, not including benefits, research profit-sharing, or other income.

What was even more astonishing were the subsequent policies: the policies followed the person, and he could even use research funds to establish his own institute. In China, there were probably only a handful of researchers who could enjoy such policies, few enough to count on one hand.

Of course, to Xu川, none of this was the main point.

What he needed to return to China wasn’t this, but something else.

The reason he hadn’t returned before was, in fact, that he was waiting for this.

Now that Director Mu was here, he could finally state his own needs.

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan looked up at Mu Liangcai with a smile and said, “I have no objections to what you’ve proposed, Director Mu.”

“However, since you’re here, I’d like to make one small request.”

Hearing this, Mu Liangcai’s expression turned serious. “Please, go on.”

Xu Chuan said, “I need a research environment that is not disturbed by its surroundings.”

What this sentence actually meant was that he wanted a reasonably normal environment.

Xu Chuan was somewhat aware of how bad the academic environment could be. Sometimes, dealing with senior elders and people who didn’t understand the field was extremely annoying.

Such things were unavoidable even at Princeton, let alone in the incomparably complex environment back home.

Even if he was a Fields Medalist and highly valued, it wasn’t certain he could push back against everyone else. He had no interest in getting involved in those things.

To put it bluntly, Shing-Tung Yau had once said that China had only half a mathematician, and that half was Hua Luogeng.

The reason he said “half” was because most of Hua Luogeng’s research was done before he returned to China. After returning, he had almost no time left for research, so he could only be counted as half.

Often, you may have no interest in office politics, but that doesn’t mean office politics isn’t interested in you. It’s very complicated.

So he was directly asking for the green light, to be allowed to complete his research without disturbance. This was the best solution and the very reason he had been waiting.

As for subsequent research, like the talent needed for controlled nuclear fusion, he could find them himself. If there was one thing China didn’t lack, it was people.

If he really couldn’t find anyone, he would ask for help then.

As long as he could provide phased results and show the promise of what was to come, the country would surely provide him with the corresponding talent.

And as for those initial, phased results, he had plenty of them in his mind.

Chapter 216: The Way of Man

After chatting with Mu Liangcai for a while, Xu Chuan bade the two farewell and left on his own.

Inside the villa, Pan Deming sat across from Mu Liangcai, a smile on his face. He took a sip of tea and said, “It’s good that he’s returning to China. Professor Xu is a true genius.”

Across from him, Mu Liangcai also smiled. “Yes, Professor Xu is a truly top-tier scholar. It’s more reassuring for us to have a scholar like him back in the country sooner. Staying over there, there are too many uncertainties.”

“If it weren’t for other arrangements, we would have brought him back to China long ago.”

Pan Deming smiled and said, “I don’t know how far he’ll go in the future, but for now, it seems his heart is still set on academia.”

After a pause, Elder Pan sighed again. “The academic environment in China needs a serious overhaul. If it’s too poor, we truly won’t be able to retain talent.”

“The old way of thinking needs to be changed. We have a very unhealthy traditional mindset that intellectuals should be content with a modest, scholarly life. It dictates that research grants should primarily be used to buy instruments and equipment, leading to significant restrictions on the service fees paid to researchers.”

“This kind of thinking is extremely detrimental to scientific development. Instead of extolling ideals and sentiments, a truly viable path is to tangibly improve the compensation for researchers, especially for graduate students.”

Mu Liangcai smiled and said nothing.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know these things, but that change was too difficult.

Often, it wasn’t that the country wouldn’t act, but that it couldn’t, or that the cost of doing so would be enormous and not worth the trade-off.

Reforming the education system and scientific research—all of these require money to support them.

The country didn’t have the money. That was the biggest problem.

Although China’s GDP ranked second in the world, just after the United States, that was built on a massive scale. When averaged per person, the ranking plummeted beyond fiftieth place.

With such a large scale, any change could create monumental waves.

They wanted to change, but it was very hard.

A small boat is easy to turn, but a large ship requires a long, slow course correction.

However, as long as the direction was right, it could eventually be achieved.

Xu Chuan wasn’t thinking that far ahead. Right now, he wasn’t particularly concerned about the domestic academic environment, or rather, he hadn’t given it that much thought.

All he wanted for now was a cleaner academic environment in China.

This was difficult for others to achieve, but not so hard for him. The country had invited him, and all it would take was for him to make a request and for the higher-ups to issue a directive.

With these thoughts, Xu Chuan stepped into the conference hall, planning to find other mathematicians to exchange ideas with.

This International Congress of Mathematicians was likely his last good opportunity.

If he missed it, he would have to wait another four years, and secondly, it was questionable whether he would even be able to go abroad for academic exchanges four years from now. After all, he was currently just a purely theoretical research scholar, and all his results were basically public, available for any country to study.

Once he returned to China and shifted to applied sciences—to researching things like room-temperature superconducting materials and nanomaterials—it would become a huge hassle.

At that time, if he wanted to go abroad, the higher-ups would arrange for people to dissuade him.

However, if going abroad became difficult, it might be an opportunity to push for the International Congress of Mathematicians to be held in China. That way, he wouldn’t need to leave.

And with his current influence, coupled with China’s economic boom and strengthened national power, it wasn’t an impossible feat.

At the very least, an incident like a thief stealing a Fields Medalist’s medal at the Congress was impossible to imagine happening in China.

At this year’s International Mathematical Union meeting, perhaps he could use this point to push the matter forward.

Although it was a bit late to act now, it was something that had to be done. For a major country ranked second in the world economically to have hosted the International Congress of Mathematicians only once was just too shabby.

But doing so would be a troublesome affair. He would need to contact mathematicians in China and abroad to promote it jointly.

On his own, even as a Fields Medalist, it would be very difficult to push this through.

“Forget it. I’ll talk to some people first. There’s no rush anyway. The vote won’t take place until the day after the congress ends, so there’s still time.”

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan stepped into the conference hall to find other mathematicians to talk to.

The afternoon passed quickly.

On August 2nd, the second day of the International Congress of Mathematicians, the academic presentations officially began.

Every four years, the International Mathematical Union invites a group of top mathematicians to give presentations at the congress.

This was not only their duty but also an honor for the mathematicians who took the stage.

The mathematicians invited to give a forty-five-minute or one-hour presentation at the congress were all top talents from their respective countries.

In China, for instance, being able to give a forty-five-minute presentation at the International Congress of Mathematicians qualified one to apply for the title of Changjiang Scholar. A one-hour conference presentation was even a qualification to apply for a national Academician.

Of course, besides the scheduled one-hour and forty-five-minute presentations, the International Congress of Mathematicians also featured ten-minute conference presentations for general scholars.

Any scholar participating in the congress could apply to the International Mathematical Union for a ten-minute presentation in their field of interest to showcase their abilities.

If they were lucky and caught the eye of a top expert, it could lead to even greater opportunities.

Naturally, the mathematicians attending would not easily pass up this chance to get a direct look at the latest research trends in the field of mathematics and to supplement their knowledge in their areas of interest.

Of course, limited by the current state of development in mathematics, the number of presentations at each International Congress of Mathematicians was quite large.

There were several hundred invited presentations alone, not to mention the even more numerous self-applied ten-minute conference presentations.

To help mathematicians find the presentations they were interested in, the organizers from the International Mathematical Union categorized and scheduled all the applications.

This year’s International Congress of Mathematicians was divided into roughly twenty-something categories.

Xu Chuan didn’t know the exact number, as he hadn’t looked at the schedules in detail.

In fact, at his level, most conference presentations were of little value. Generally, only presentations by mathematicians of the same caliber held some worth.

After all, a conference presentation wasn’t a private discussion; it was open to mathematicians from all over the world. Many incomplete ideas couldn’t be presented at such a conference.

However, the quality of presentations at the International Congress of Mathematicians was very high. Often, even top mathematicians would seek out presentations by other big shots in fields that interested them to learn about mathematics in other areas.

In the conference hall, Xu Chuan arrived in formal attire with his four students.

At the request of the International Mathematical Union, he had two conference presentations. One was on the Xu-Hodge Theorem, scheduled for the afternoon of the third day.

The other, which the fields of astronomy and astrophysics had fought for, was on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem. It was scheduled for nine in the morning on the first day.

This scheduling was, on one hand, to attract astronomers and astrophysicists to attend the opening ceremony and expand the influence of mathematics.

On the other hand, it was to make it convenient for the attending astronomers and astrophysicists to leave early after hearing this presentation.

After all, the International Congress of Mathematicians was to last a full nine days.

At eight o’clock, the venue was already a sea of people, a surging crowd so large that the vast hall was almost at capacity.

However, nearly half of the scholars attending this presentation were not mathematicians.

At the International Congress of Mathematicians, for more than half the audience at a mathematician’s presentation to be non-mathematicians was an exceptionally rare event, the first of its kind in history.

“Professor, you’ve got this!”

As the presentation was about to begin, Amelia, sitting beside Xu Chuan, cheered for him with a grin.

Xu Chuan smiled, nodded, and walked up to the lectern.

Although the theft of a Fields Medal had occurred at this International Congress of Mathematicians, the standards had not been lowered in the slightest.

Taking the microphone from the host, Xu Chuan handed a USB drive to a staff member, who connected it to the virtual projector.

The USB drive contained the content of this conference presentation, and the International Mathematical Union also had a backup copy. However, considering that presenters sometimes make minor changes to their content, the version provided on-site was generally used to better suit the academic presentation.

Of course, major changes were definitely not allowed. For example, if you had previously submitted a presentation on the Hodge Conjecture to the International Mathematical Union but then changed it to the Riemann Hypothesis upon taking the stage, that would be unacceptable. To do so would be to toy with people and waste everyone’s time.

Xu Chuan had no intention of changing his submitted content. Today’s conference presentation had been requested by numerous top scholars from the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. Most of the people in the audience had already seen what he had submitted, and making changes now would be quite troublesome.

As Xu Chuan took the stage, the originally rustling and somewhat noisy hall instantly fell silent. More than two thousand people in the venue fixed their gazes on him.

Fewer than four thousand people were attending this session of the International Congress of Mathematicians, and nearly a thousand of them were non-mathematicians.

And this single presentation had drawn nearly half of the entire congress’s attendees.

The other half was split among the twenty-plus other presentation venues, meaning an average of only about a hundred people per venue. Such a massive disparity in numbers was incredibly rare.

Initially, many mathematicians weren’t particularly interested in the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, but the large congregation of people from the fields of astronomy and astrophysics piqued their interest.

Coupled with the fact that no other top expert’s conference presentation was scheduled for today, it resulted in Xu Chuan single-handedly attracting nearly half of the attendees.

Facing the audience of nearly two thousand people, Xu Chuan gave a calm smile. After a brief introduction of himself and the content of this presentation, he began to explain the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

“…To truly understand and utilize the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, one needs a complete understanding of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and the proof process of the Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“This extension is not simply developed from the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem itself. Some of the mathematical methods from the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture are also core components.”

“…A considerably precise upper and lower bound calculation was made for the counting function N(λ) associated with fractal drums. Then, a ‘small opening’ was created between the non-connected components of the region to connect the non-connected regions. This method transforms the previously discussed examples of non-connected regions into a scenario of connected regions. Through this technique, the discontinuous eigenvalues can be continuously connected.”

“And the parameters of the boundary value…”

In the hall, Nobel laureate Professor Saul Perlmutter sat in the front row, wearing glasses and watching Xu Chuan on stage. After listening intently for a while, he nudged his good friend Brian Schmidt beside him.

“Our application last time was truly the right choice.”

Brian Schmidt didn’t turn his head to reply, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

He was reluctant to turn and speak to Perlmutter, afraid that it would distract him and cause him to miss some detail.

In this conference presentation, the young man on stage, though just beginning, was already showing him things he had never seen before.

It was very detailed, very interesting, and also very practical. At least, it was for the field of astrophysics when it came to calculating the parametric information of distant celestial bodies.

Previously, very few in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics could use the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to complete the calculation of parameters for distant celestial bodies.

But after this conference presentation, there would certainly be more. At the very least, he would likely be able to understand it, and so would Saul Perlmutter beside him.

While the astronomers and astrophysicists were gaining something, the mathematicians in the hall were also reaping huge rewards.

Although the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem were a method for calculating distant celestial bodies and not applicable to other mathematical calculations, at its core, it was still mathematics.

And because it was mathematics, its foundation was applicable to mathematics.

Whether it was the precise calculation of the counting function N(λ) associated with fractal drums in the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture, or the torsion method in the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem…

These were all exceptionally ingenious concepts. Taken apart, each was a piece of wisdom; fused together, they were knowledge forged from wisdom.

And knowledge could be learned and absorbed by everyone, transformed into their own, and then applied to other problems.

On the stage, Xu Chuan followed his PPT presentation slide by slide, explaining the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem in detail.

Unlike before, he was explaining in great detail this time, breaking down almost every crucial detail related to the calculations.

A joint request from several Nobel laureates and dozens of top scholars warranted a serious response.

Onstage, Xu Chuan explained with diligence.

Below the stage, most of the scholars listened with rapt attention. Even the students who had come with their advisors to broaden their horizons were completely engrossed.

Rather than calling it a conference presentation, it was more like a classroom lecture.

On the stage, a teacher was giving a lesson. Below, two thousand students were listening intently and learning.

To impart knowledge, to teach one’s craft, and to resolve doubts—such is the human way~

Chapter 217: The Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem and Higher-Dimensional Space

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, forty-five minutes had passed.

On the stage, Xu Chuan began to wrap up his presentation.

“…Using all the methods described above, by splitting and twisting with the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, we can use different data such as eigenvalues, boundary values, and light cone information to fully calculate the fundamental parameters.”

Xu Chuan’s voice, clear and confident, reached the ears of everyone in the grand lecture hall.

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it felt like the sound of truth, resonating in their ears and leaving them captivated.

And its source was knowledge and wisdom.

“This is the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

As his final sentence fell, a scholar in the audience shot to his feet, his hands breaking into applause.

Immediately, others rose as well. A thunderous ovation instantly filled the spacious and crowded hall, echoing for a long time.

This was a lesson, a lesson of truth woven from knowledge and wisdom.

And they were all its students.

Onstage, Xu Chuan had finished his explanation of the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and smiled at the audience below.

His gaze swept across the figures in the hall before landing on one in the front row.

Saul Perlmutter stood there, meeting Xu Chuan’s eyes with a smile, his expression conveying approval.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, then looked back at the rest of the hall.

“The first half of the conference presentation on the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is now complete. We will now move on to the question-and-answer session. If any of you have questions, please feel free to ask. If I know the answer, I will certainly provide it.”

As he finished speaking, someone in the hall raised a hand.

Xu Chuan nodded, and the person who had raised their hand stood up again and asked, “Professor Xu, in the context of its application, can each eigenvalue λi be seen as a kind of measurement on Ω? So, to put it more concretely, does the isospectral problem mean that if all the data from an infinite number of such measurements are identical for Ω1 and Ω2, can we geometrically conclude that Ω1 and Ω2 are isometric?”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Before the advent of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, the answer we generally got was no.”

“However, there were counterexamples, such as Milnor’s construction of a pair of isospectral but non-isometric 16-dimensional tori. Research in this area involves the intersection of disciplines like analysis (the spectrum of elliptic operators), geometry, and topology.”

“Of course, now, using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, it is possible to derive this geometrically. It is part of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem itself.”

“Thank you.” The questioner expressed his thanks and sat down, his eyes filled with contemplation.

On the stage, Xu Chuan continued to preside over the presentation, answering other questions from the audience.

He had spent forty-five minutes of the one-hour presentation on his lecture, leaving only fifteen minutes for questions. The time passed in a flash.

As the session neared its end, Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to conclude the event.

Suddenly, someone in the audience raised their right hand.

Xu Chuan looked over, a little surprised. It was Professor Brian Schmidt, the man who had led the standing ovation earlier and, like Saul Perlmutter, a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

He was curious about what a Nobel laureate would want to ask.

After indicating he could speak, Professor Brian Schmidt stood up and asked, “Professor Xu Chuan, regarding the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, can it be further extended to higher-dimensional space?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he asked, “I’m not sure which kind of higher-dimensional space you’re referring to?”

“Higher dimensions in the physical sense!” Professor Brian Schmidt stated calmly.

A hush fell over the entire hall, followed by an uproar.

Everyone began to discuss it. The question Professor Schmidt had posed was simply too astonishing.

In a corner of the hall, among the team from Nanjing University, Chen Zhengping couldn’t help but exclaim, “That idea is truly insane.”

Among the Nanjing University contingent, he was the first to grasp Professor Schmidt’s idea, and he had to admit, it was very crazy, very fantastical.

Beside him, Professor Zhou Hai’s student, Cai Peng, asked curiously, “Professor, calculating higher dimensions, what does that mean? Aren’t the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem themselves a calculation method for information points?”

He had done some research on the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

During his graduate studies, his main focus had been on boundary values and fractal drums, though he had later switched his field of research.

He had read Xu Chuan’s research papers proving the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture and the Weyl-Berry conjecture, and he had some of his own understanding.

He had thought he already had a deep enough understanding of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, but after attending today’s conference presentation, he realized how much he still lacked. Many things that were unclear or hazy to him before were now starting to make sense.

However, he still couldn’t keep up with the pace of the discussion.

Furthermore, with almost no background in physics, he had a vague idea of what Professor Schmidt was proposing but couldn’t fully comprehend it.

And honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

Just as Chen Zhengping had said, it was too crazy, too shocking.

Beside them, Zhou Hai smiled and said, “Don’t you already have an idea in your heart?”

Hearing this, Cai Peng couldn’t help but swallow hard.

If this could really be done, it would be too astounding.

In mathematics and physics, “higher dimension” is not the same concept.

In mathematics (Euclidean geometry), a dimension is used to describe the position of a point.

All dimensions are equal to other dimensions. The 4th dimension, like a hypercube, is a purely geometric concept, with no notion of time.

In science fiction, it’s more often mentioned in the context of time travel. Traveling from a lower dimension to a higher one might also derive from this geometric concept.

But in reality, mathematics has no such concept.

Physics, however, is different. There are various kinds of higher dimensions in physics.

For instance, in classical mechanics, time is not the fourth spatial dimension; time is used to describe the way physical changes occur.

Or, for example, in the Special relativity of Poincaré and Albert Einstein, time is treated as a separate dimension.

The Earth we live on today is a three-dimensional world of length, width, and height. If the dimension of time is added to this three-dimensional world, it becomes four-dimensional.

As time flows in the universe, this is a four-dimensional space. If one could locate and calculate this dimension of time, perhaps one could travel to the past and future.

Of course, no one knew if it could be done.

But one thing was certain: the question posed by Professor Brian Schmidt had once again ignited the entire audience.

Everyone was discussing it.

If the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could be used to calculate higher-dimensional space, it could bring about drastic changes for humanity.

Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity would be confirmed once again—higher-dimensional space truly exists.

And would humanity be able to find a way to explore, to enter, a higher-dimensional world?

If the fourth dimension was indeed time, could a method be found to reverse time, to create the time machines seen in science fiction movies and novels?

Everyone was discussing it, but no one could provide an answer.

If there was an answer, it would likely only be known by the young man on the stage.

As they thought and discussed, everyone in the hall turned their gaze back to the stage.

Onstage, Xu Chuan was also deep in thought.

He had to admit, the question Professor Brian Schmidt had raised was one he had never considered before.

Mathematical dimensions and physical dimensions were not the same concept. No matter how high a mathematical dimension was, it was still just something created to mark a position.

But a physical dimension was completely different.

But how could it be done? How could the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem be used to calculate higher-dimensional space?

Is the fourth dimension really time?

The currently accepted theory in the field of physics, established in 1957 by the German physicist Burkhard Heim, proposes an eight-dimensional space.

It is divided into the X-dimension (object’s length), Y-dimension (object’s width), Z-dimension (object’s height), a dimension of time, a dimension of gravity, a dimension of electromagnetism, a dimension of universal gravitation, and a dimension of universal repulsion.

This was closer to the modern understanding of multidimensional space and could be experimentally verified.

Later, his Advisor Edward Witten unified string theory and proposed some unverifiable spaces, but their limitations were obvious; they could not be proven.

Even in his later life, after he had discovered things like gravitons, dark matter, and dark energy, he had never researched higher-dimensional space.

It was simply too far beyond him, so far that it might take another thousand years before humanity could even begin to touch upon such things.

For a moment, Xu Chuan felt like his head was about to explode.

Snapping out of his reverie, he shook his head, took a long breath, and spoke again, “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question.”

“But from the looks of it now, the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem doesn’t have this capability. We can’t understand spacetime, nor do we know if a four-dimensional space or even higher-dimensional spaces truly exist.”

“Our current understanding of a higher-dimensional world or higher-dimensional space is far, far too limited. So limited that even for speculation, there are only a few theories. Without information, we can’t use it for parameters like boundary values and eigenvalues, let alone find any information about a four-dimensional space.”

Professor Brian Schmidt sighed and said, “Thank you.”

After this mathematical tool—the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem—had appeared, a sudden inspiration had led him to think about this matter.

But unfortunately, he had never been able to fully master this tool, nor could he delve deeper into it or explore whether it could be used to calculate higher-dimensional space. He had placed his hopes on today.

What a pity.

The one-hour conference presentation ended, and the scholars in the hall gradually dispersed, but the furor outside was just beginning.

News traveled fast. Before long, word of today’s presentation had spread throughout the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and astrophysics, and it even seemed to be breaking out into the mainstream.

[Today’s presentation was truly brilliant!]

[What exactly did Professor Brian Schmidt’s final question mean? I’m a bit lost. The calculation of higher-dimensional space?]

[The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem might be used to calculate whether four-dimensional space truly exists.]

[The kind of four-dimensional space from sci-fi movies?]

[Yeah, a higher-dimensional space composed of length, width, height, plus time. If it can be calculated, maybe we can enter it, maybe travel to the past and future.]

[Oh my God!]

[That’s impossible, right? Can mathematics calculate that?]

[Mathematics can do it, that’s for sure. All theories can be expressed with mathematics, but it’s probably not possible right now.]

[Hiss… that’s too terrifying. If you could travel to the past or the future, wouldn’t that be a time machine?]

On academic forums, all sorts of discussions were raging, not to mention Xu Chuan himself, who was still at the International Congress of Mathematicians. He was mobbed by all kinds of scholars and reporters who had heard the news.

A mathematical tool for calculating higher-dimensional space, the mathematics to unlock the fourth dimension, a time machine—these things captivated everyone.

“That method of yours, can it really not be used to calculate information about higher-dimensional space?” In the hotel, Chen Zhengping pressed Xu Chuan, he too, feeling a bit of anticipation.

Xu Chuan shook his head and frowned. “Any calculation is built on the foundation of being able to acquire data. We can’t even get the data right now, so how can we calculate anything?”

“The Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem can calculate the parametric information of distant celestial bodies because various astronomical instruments have actually observed the various parameters of those celestial bodies. The mathematical method is just a further recalculation and optimization of those parameters.”

“As for higher dimensions, we know far, far too little. Those theories are still just theories, without any reliable, real data. Apart from being able to feel the flow of time, we can’t obtain any other information.”

“Mathematics is not meant to be used like that.”

Xu Chuan shook his head as he replied. At first, he too had been stunned by Professor Brian Schmidt’s question.

But after thinking it over carefully, he knew it was an impossible task.

At least, not for now.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this. This is something we can’t figure out. If there is any hope, it either lies with you or in the distant, unknown future.”

Chen Zhengping shook his head, then continued, “How much longer are you planning to stay in Princeton? When are you planning to return to China?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Soon. I’ll be heading back after this International Congress of Mathematicians is over.”

He had never told anyone about his thoughts on returning to China or the timing, but it didn’t matter now.

After this International Congress of Mathematicians, he didn’t plan to return to Princeton. He was preparing to fly directly from Brazil to Europe, then transfer for a flight back to China.

It was safer that way.

As for his materials and belongings in Princeton, he would have someone mail them or bring them back. If they were intercepted, he would just have to let them go.

Chen Zhengping was a little surprised. “So soon?”

He had originally thought Xu Chuan would stay at Princeton for another year or two. After all, he was currently collaborating with Fefferman on the NS equations and had already made periodic progress. There was a high probability that he could solve the NS equations problem in the future.

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “I’m not going to delay. The higher-ups have already had people from the Organization Department contact me.”

Realization dawned on Chen Zhengping, and he said with a smile, “Then do you want to travel back with us?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Let’s see. I haven’t arranged everything on my end yet.”

Chapter 218: Gravitons and Spacetime Wormholes

After seeing Chen Zhengping off, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel room alone. He took a notebook and a pen from his suitcase and sat down at the glass table.

Professor Brian Schmidt’s question was quite interesting.

Using an extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to calculate higher-dimensional space, verify its existence, and find a way to enter it.

However, from the current perspective, this wasn’t realistic.

Higher-dimensional space in a physical sense was merely a conjecture proposed by physicists. Like parallel worlds, no one knew if it truly existed.

Such theoretically deduced concepts were as unreliable as duckweed without roots.

Even the fourth dimension of time proposed in Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity currently had no verification.

Everyone could indeed feel the passage of time, but there was no direct evidence for the existence of a four-dimensional space based on time.

Things like clocks and stopwatches were merely human inventions.

Sitting at the glass table, countless thoughts flooded Xu Chuan’s mind. He finally let out a long breath.

Although using the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to calculate higher-dimensional space was a very difficult, or rather, currently impossible task, Professor Brian Schmidt’s question had given him another inspiration.

Could the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem be used to calculate gravitational waves, or the existence of spacetime wormholes or similar phenomena?

This was something he had been researching in his past life ever since he discovered the graviton.

It was similar to the spacetime wormholes in science-fiction movies or novels, which one could enter to travel to distant star systems.

Of course, he had no direct proof that such things existed, but after the discovery of a particle like the graviton, his scientific intuition told him that spacetime wormholes were very likely real.

Whether they were natural or man-made.

In his past life, he had researched many things. Controlled nuclear fusion, the utilization of dark matter and dark energy, using graviton fluctuations to affect space—all these frontier problems in physics were within his scope of study, though his depth of research varied among them.

Among these, using gravitons to induce spatial fluctuations was one of the shallower areas.

Before his rebirth, this idea was still purely theoretical, without any experimental basis.

Speaking of which, one had to mention the ‘graviton’.

The graviton is a hypothetical particle in physics that transmits the force of gravity. The gravitational attraction between two objects can be attributed to the exchange of gravitons between the particles that make up those objects.

To transmit gravity, gravitons must always be attractive, have an infinite range, and appear in infinite forms.

In quantum mechanics, the graviton is defined as a spin-2, massless boson.

In M-theory, the graviton is defined as a free, closed string that can propagate out of the cosmic brane into higher-dimensional space and to other cosmic branes.

This was the basis of the graviton.

The existence of the graviton was proposed because quantum theory has been remarkably successful in all other aspects. For instance, electromagnetism can be explained by the quantization of photons (quantum electrodynamics). The other fundamental forces of the universe (the weak and strong nuclear forces) can also be perfectly described by quantum theory.

Therefore, it was natural to hope that quantum theory could also explain gravity. Thus, the existence of an undiscovered graviton, similar in nature to the photon, was hypothesized, with the ultimate goal of developing a theory of quantum gravity.

Of course, in the year 2018, this thing was still unproven.

It wouldn’t be until 2030 that he would discover the graviton, and it would be formally integrated into the physical framework.

And after the discovery of the graviton, his Advisor Witten’s M-theory was actually partially completed.

Thus, the theory that gravitons could propagate to higher-dimensional space outside our cosmic brane, as well as to other branes, could also be explored.

Using graviton propagation to transmit information or open a channel then entered the scope of frontier research in the field of physics at that time.

Unfortunately, even up until his rebirth, these things were purely theoretical.

Forget about controlling gravitons to transmit information or open spacetime tunnels; even stabilizing the spatial fluctuations caused by gravitons was an impossible task.

However, as a top physicist standing at the forefront of this field, his research on gravitons was deeper than anyone else’s.

Some things that were impossible in his past life might be achievable in this one.

Today, Professor Brian Schmidt’s question had given him a flash of inspiration, connecting higher-dimensional space to gravitons.

And his major in mathematics in this life had provided him with the tools, giving him the ability to try and calculate these things.

The two combined were indispensable.

Of course, in the future, he would need large-scale experimental equipment like a large particle collider and a graviton wave generator to help verify whether these theories and calculations were correct.

But now, he had found a path that might lead to the future.

In his hotel room, at the glass table, Xu Chuan closed his eyes in contemplation, holding a ballpoint pen.

Time trickled by. After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes, a glint of light within them and a smile playing on his lips.

“In a conservative system, treat the velocity of motion as a component of the speed of light in the direction of motion. This way, we establish the equation of motion, with time as a function of velocity. Through the law of conservation of energy, we can establish the differential equation for motional energy: F=dE/dS=mcω, mcω=mg’, which solves to: ω=g(1/υ-√1υ-1/c). If we take the velocity of Earth’s graviton as the speed of light, c, then the frequency f is as follows…”

The ballpoint pen in his hand sketched out mathematical symbols on the clean white notebook, writing out theories and ideas.

Regardless of whether these things were correct, for now, he should be able to make a start.

And with a start, he could continue down the path.

Choosing mathematics in this life was really the right decision!

The combination of mathematics and physics was far more than a simple 1+1=2.

Without wasting much time on this path, after recording some of his thoughts and ideas and performing a few simple calculations, Xu Chuan put down his pen.

Staring at what he had written in the notebook, he puffed his cheeks and exhaled.

From a theoretical standpoint, this might be a viable path.

But the data related to gravitons was too scarce, unable to support further calculations.

To complete this theory, let alone conduct experiments, would probably be no simpler than solving controlled nuclear fusion—perhaps even more difficult.

This was because there was very little data related to gravitons; he only had a few years of basic research knowledge in his head.

To study this, a large particle collider was indispensable.

And the energy level would probably need to be raised to support over one hundred TeV. The LHC at the European particle physics laboratory currently had a collision energy of only fourteen or fifteen TeV.

Raising the energy level to over one hundred TeV would require an order-of-magnitude improvement over the LHC. Everything from the magnetic rings, magnetic mirrors, control schemes, superconducting materials, observation equipment, and detectors would need a complete upgrade to achieve this.

This was no simple project. Even after the LHC was upgraded to the HL-LHC, its energy level would only be increased to 20-30 TeV.

In China, the highly anticipated supercollider, the “Circular Electron Positron Collider-Super Proton-Proton Collider (CEPC),” which was still in its design phase with a budget exceeding one hundred fifty billion, was only designed to reach an energy level of around 50 TeV.

This showed just how difficult and expensive the design and construction of a large particle collider were.

However, upgrading a large particle collider wasn’t just for pure high-energy physics and particle physics research.

A hadron collider could also boost a nation’s economy.

Massimo Florio, a professor of economics at the University of Milan in Italy, once conducted a study. In the analytical model they designed, the benefit-cost ratio of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider project was about 1.8.

In other words, for every 1 Swiss Franc invested in the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider project, about 1.8 Swiss Francs in social benefits would be generated.

Of course, these social benefits were mainly in areas like technology spillover, talent cultivation, R&D and introduction of new technologies, cultural benefits, and scientific literature.

It didn’t mean that starting up the collider would immediately generate economic effects.

Furthermore, among the social benefits generated by scientific research on the collider, there was another immeasurable ‘knowledge’ benefit.

Every run of a large particle collider produces a massive amount of data, and within this data may lie the truths of the universe.

Take the discovery of elementary particles like the Higgs boson, for example. While they may not seem to have significantly advanced technology today, in the future, these discoveries will become civilization’s most precious assets.

It’s just like when the theorem of electromagnetic induction was first discovered and ignored by everyone; today, electricity has become an indispensable part of human life.

In the future, people will discover the use and value of today’s investment in the field of science.

Without lingering too much on gravitons, Xu Chuan organized his thoughts, left his room, and returned to the International Congress of Mathematicians.

The congress was only held once every four years, so it was not to be missed.

Especially the presentations by this year’s other Fields Medal winners, as well as those by top mathematicians like Terence Tao, Geordie Williamson, and Brendle, were not to be missed.

As for the older generation of big shots like Wiles, Gowers, Deligne, and Faltings, they rarely gave presentations at the International Congress of Mathematicians anymore.

On one hand, it was to leave some opportunities for the next generation; on the other, the status and age of these experts were too great.

Although many, like Deligne and Faltings, were still engaged in mathematical work, their focus was no longer on breaking through the boundaries of mathematics.

Take Professor Deligne, for instance. Although he was still researching the Standard Conjectures left behind by the venerable Grothendieck, his focus was now more on his role as a professor, nurturing the next generation of mathematicians.

After several days of presentations, listening to reports from numerous mathematicians, Xu Chuan had gained various insights and ideas in the mathematical fields that interested him. The rewards were immense.

The quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians truly lived up to its name as the top-tier forum for exchange in the mathematical world. Setting aside the mathematicians invited to give forty-five-minute and one-hour talks, even the ten-minute presentations submitted to the International Mathematical Union were full of ideas that made one’s eyes light up.

After habitually listening to a presentation, Xu Chuan was walking out of the hall, savoring his recent gains, when a voice reached his ears.

“Professor Xu Chuan, wait.”

Looking up, he saw that the person who had stopped him was Fefferman, the Chairman of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics. Xu Chuan smiled in response, “Professor Fefferman, you’re here too?”

“I was looking for you. Do you have a moment? Shall we talk?” Fefferman asked with a smile.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan nodded.

“Then follow me,” Fefferman said, leading the way out of the conference hall.

Xu Chuan followed, asking as they walked, “Do you have some ideas about the NS equations?”

Fefferman shook his head. “Not that. I haven’t been researching the NS equations recently. Besides, ideas and inspiration don’t come that easily. The partial results I submitted to the Annals of Mathematics haven’t even passed peer review yet.”

“Then what is it?” Xu Chuan couldn’t help but feel curious.

Fefferman smiled and said, “Actually, it’s not me who’s looking for you. I’ve come on behalf of someone else.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s pupils contracted slightly. He said no more. He had a rough idea of what this was about, but he wasn’t too concerned. This was Brazil, not the United States.

Following Fefferman, the two quickly arrived at a hotel outside the conference venue.

Entering the elevator, they went up to Fefferman’s floor. As they entered the room, Xu Chuan’s eyes shifted. Just as he had expected, he recognized the person in the room: the director from the US immigration office, who specialized in handling immigration matters for top-tier talent. Top talents like Shing-Tung Yau, Shiing-Shen Chern, and Chen-Ning Yang had all been recruited by them.

Seeing Xu Chuan, the man in the room quickly walked over, his face wreathed in a warm smile as he enthusiastically extended his right hand. “Hello, hello, you must be Professor Xu Chuan. It is truly a pleasure to meet you. You are as young and talented as they say.”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his hand. “Hello.”

At the side, Fefferman made the introduction, “This is Professor Xu Chuan. And this is Director Andre Miller from the immigration office.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Hello, Director Andre.”

Andre smiled and said, “I hope I’m not disturbing you, Professor Xu. I hope I haven’t interrupted anything. Come, please have a seat.”

Xu Chuan nodded and sat down with them.

It was within his expectations that someone from the US immigration office would seek him out. In fact, it was even a bit late.

According to his calculations, they should have approached him after the Hodge Conjecture passed peer review. He didn’t know why it had been delayed until now.

Beside them, Professor Fefferman brewed three cups of tea and brought them over.

“Professor Xu, please try this. This is some Pre-Qingming Longjing tea a friend of mine brought over. It should be quite good,” Andre said with a smile, standing up to hand a cup to Xu Chuan.

“Thank you,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, accepting the teacup.

“If you like it, Professor Xu, I have another packet here. I’ll give it to you later.”

Andre smiled, took a sip of his tea, and after a few minutes of small talk with Xu Chuan, he changed the subject. “The United States is the most economically developed country in the world. Whether it’s scientific research, retirement benefits, healthcare, or education, all our resources are number one in the world.”

“We have the world’s most open immigration system and an inclusive, multicultural atmosphere. There are several million Chinese people working here, and they enjoy the same benefits and citizen’s rights as anyone in the United States, without facing any discrimination.”

Xu Chuan’s eyelid twitched. He held his teacup without speaking, knowing the invitation was coming.

Sure enough, Andre continued, “I’ve come here today to invite you to join us in the United States. Genius often reveals itself at a young age, and the United States has always eagerly sought top scholars like you, Professor Xu.”

“To show our respect and the importance we place on you, we will enhance your compensation in the United States. Your annual salary will be double what Princeton currently offers, at two million US dollars a year. We will also purchase a villa for you in Princeton for your residence, and provide you with a car worth two hundred thousand US dollars for your use. You can choose any of these as you wish.”

“Additionally, we will match you with corresponding research funding, without any allocation restrictions or interference in your research, Professor. If you need it, the United States will provide you with the greatest possible assistance in your research.”

“Whether it’s in mathematics, physics, or astronomy, from supercomputers to the large particle collider, to astronomical observation equipment, including even the Hubble Telescope, you can apply to use them.”

“Finally, the United States will hold a special bestowment ceremony for you, to grant you the honorary title of Academician of the US National Academy of Sciences.”

“If you are willing to immigrate, Professor Xu, I will immediately arrange for our staff to handle the process. You won’t have to do a thing, Professor, just sign your name on the documents.”

“This includes your relatives. Whether it’s your parents or your girlfriend, as long as they fall within three generations of relations and are willing, we will arrange for their immigration and bring them over to be reunited with you in the shortest possible time.”

“So, Professor, what are your thoughts?”

Chapter 219: Final Arrangements Before Returning Home

In the hotel room, Xu Chuan’s eyes flickered.

He had to admit, the various benefits attached to this invitation were indeed extravagant.

Double his salary to two million US dollars, a house and car, corresponding research funding and resources, access to all kinds of large-scale scientific equipment, the title of national Academician, and immigration for three generations of his family…

The United States was truly desperate for talent.

Even for a Fields Medalist, this was an extravagant package.

One could say that the terms offered to an applied sciences Nobel laureate would probably be no better than this. In fact, a theoretical Nobel laureate might not even receive such generous terms.

But no matter how good these things were, that place was not his Motherland. His home was on the land where he had lived for twenty years.

Putting on a slightly shocked expression, Xu Chuan swallowed but still said nothing.

Across from him, Andre Miller smiled. Judging by his reaction, the young genius seemed to be somewhat tempted.

They had investigated Xu Chuan and found that he was just a student from a poor rural family with no background. His family was impoverished, and he had only achieved his current brilliance through his own talent and hard work.

This type of person was a perfect fit for the United States and was also the easiest to persuade.

After a pause, he continued, “Professor Xu, I believe you can only reach your greatest potential in the United States. We have the world’s top scholars in every field. Whether it’s mathematics, physics, or astronomy, we have countless top-tier talents.”

“Furthermore, we also have the world’s most advanced scientific equipment. All of this can support and help you realize the dreams in your heart.”

“I believe no country is more suitable for you than the United States.”

Across from him, Fefferman also smiled and said, “Xu, you’re welcome to come over. I believe you’ve had a very pleasant time at Princeton. Who knows, perhaps we could even solve the NS equations together.”

Xu Chuan fell silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons. After a while, he finally said with some difficulty, “I need to think about it.”

Andre Miller smiled. “Of course, no problem. I hope we can work together one day.”

He didn’t expect Xu Chuan to make a decision right away; after all, immigration was a major matter.

However, he believed that no one could refuse such a tempting offer. Ultimately, this young genius would fall into their embrace.

Xu Chuan nodded, then turned and left without another word.

Inside the room, Andre stood up and followed him, pressing a package of tea leaves into Xu Chuan’s hand. He smiled and said, “Professor Xu, this is for you. It would be a waste in my hands.”

Xu Chuan accepted the tea. “Thank you.”

After Xu Chuan left, Andre and Fefferman continued their conversation in the room.

“It seems we’ll be welcoming another talent soon.” Andre smiled and took a sip of tea from his cup, then frowned. “This really doesn’t taste good. It’s far worse than our coffee.”

Fefferman glanced at the closed door. “I hope so. Professor Xu is a true genius. If he can continue on the path of academia, his future achievements might surpass those of Gauss or Newton.”

He was a little puzzled by Xu Chuan’s behavior today. In his impression, Xu Chuan was someone with very strong opinions of his own who rarely hesitated. Today, however, he seemed somewhat conflicted.

But he didn’t dwell on it. After all, immigration was a major event, so it was normal to be hesitant and conflicted.

Of course, he wasn’t here to be Andre’s mouthpiece. Whether Xu Chuan joined the United States or not didn’t matter much to him. It was unlikely to expect an American to have a strong sense of patriotism.

The United States was a classic immigrant nation. He himself wasn’t a traditional American; his parents had immigrated from Germany.

He would be very excited if Xu Chuan joined the United States; perhaps they could solve the NS equations together. But if he didn’t join, that was also normal; not everyone was willing to immigrate.

Andre was somewhat surprised. “That’s quite high praise. Back then, Scholze was merely seen as Grothendieck’s successor. Surpassing Newton and Gauss—is he worthy of that?”

Fefferman nodded seriously. “He is more outstanding than anyone I have ever met. He might be able to push forward the progress of an era.”

Andre shrugged and grinned. “But if it’s not in our great United States, then it’s all meaningless.”

In the elevator, Xu Chuan squeezed the package of tea in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.

The package of tea he held was likely not cheap, costing at least four or five figures. Even though he wasn’t much of a tea drinker, he could clearly feel the difference between the cup he had just had and those he had drunk before.

It was such a waste to leave such fine things to the Americans.

He had gained a package of tea from a single conversation. Not bad, and he hadn’t lost anything.

With the tea in hand, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel in a cheerful mood.

There were only two days left until the end of this International Congress of Mathematicians. It was time to arrange some other matters.

Back at the hotel, Xu Chuan made a call to his two advisors at Princeton, Deligne and Witten, and arranged a place to meet.

“Have you already decided?”

In a coffee shop across from the venue of the International Congress of Mathematicians, Deligne looked at Xu Chuan and asked.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, I’ve decided to go back. I’ll be leaving after this congress is over.”

“As for my four students, I’ll talk to them. If they’re willing to go to China with me, I’ll continue to mentor them. If they want to stay at Princeton, I’ll have to trouble you, Advisor.”

Deligne nodded. “That’s not a problem. But what about you and Fefferman? Weren’t you collaborating on the NS equations? If you leave now, what will happen to that work?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “The NS equations won’t be solved that easily. If it were just a matter of proving the existence and smoothness of their solution, Fefferman and I might have a slim chance if we collaborated for a few years. But as for calculating the solution, I’m afraid that’s not something that can be done in a short period of time.”

Beside them, Witten asked curiously, “Are you going back to oversee China’s entry into CERN?”

He knew about China joining CERN and that Xu Chuan had played a significant role in it.

Although Xu Chuan’s time at CERN wasn’t long, his performance had been quite brilliant.

Whether it was solving the Proton Radius Puzzle or developing a method to calculate particle energy level channels using mathematics, both were hot topics and world-class problems.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I probably won’t be in charge of that. Those things have nothing to do with me. At most, when I need to do research, I’ll apply for access to facilities like the LHC through China’s channel.”

“Then what are you planning to do after you go back?” Witten asked with surprise. He had thought Xu Chuan was returning to manage CERN-related affairs.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “On the one hand, I’ll continue my research in mathematics. On the other, I might expand into the field of materials physics.”

“When I was studying at Nanjing University back in China, my advisor was a researcher in the field of materials physics. I’m quite interested in that area.”

In front of Deligne and Witten, Xu Chuan didn’t mind revealing his future plans.

Although both of them were American scholars, they rarely got involved in politics. In his past life, when he had longed to return, Deligne and Witten had been constantly lobbying and supporting him.

Some scholars at Princeton were relatively pure and not like the people from Harvard or Yale, many of whom held strong political views.

Even Fefferman, who had brought the director of the immigration office to see him earlier, didn’t really care about such things.

This was related to the core principle upon which the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was founded.

It was a research institution that brought together the finest scholars from various fields to conduct the purest cutting-edge research, free from the pressures of teaching duties, research funding, or sponsors.

Hearing this, Deligne raised his eyelids and glanced at Xu Chuan. “If you still want to research mathematics, Princeton is actually a very good place.”

“If you’re worried that some people might interfere with you, there’s no need. People at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study have always been free to come and go as they please. They would never do such a thing.”

Xu Chuan smiled. That was true for the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, but not necessarily for the United States.

Seeing him remain silent, Deligne sighed. “Forget it. You’ve always had your own firm ideas. But I still want to say one thing: even if you go back, I hope you can keep your focus on mathematics. Don’t let your talent go to waste.”

Xu Chuan nodded forcefully and said earnestly, “Don’t worry, Advisor. I will continue to press forward.”

“Go on, then. I’ll chat with Witten a little longer.” Deligne waved his hand. He knew his student’s character; once a decision was made, he would never look back.

It was just a bit of a pity. If he returned to that country, he probably wouldn’t have an academic environment as good as Princeton’s. It was hard to say how far he could go in the future.

After decades of teaching, he had seen many outstanding international students from China. At Princeton, these students displayed excellent talent and even made significant achievements. But after returning home, news of them became scarce.

It had to be said, it was a very regrettable state of affairs.

He could only hope that this student could avoid those pitfalls and go further in his academic pursuits.

After meeting with his two advisors, Xu Chuan called his four students over to tell them about his plans to return to China.

“Pro-Professor, you’re going back?”

Hearing this news, all four students were stunned, their mouths agape for a long time without a word. Finally, the eldest, Roger Dean, was the first to regain his senses and ask.

This was truly shocking news.

None of the four had ever imagined that their advisor would suddenly decide to leave.

After all, having been with him for several months, none of them had ever sensed any intention from Xu Chuan to leave Princeton.

Besides, what would they do after Xu Chuan left Princeton?

Having your advisor resign and run off in the middle of your PhD is an infuriatingly raw deal, okay?

You have to consider and weigh all sorts of factors, including where you want to graduate from, whether your degree and academic credits can be transferred to a new university, what that new university is like, and the financial and personal academic impact of it all.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, I’m preparing to return to my country.”

“As for you all, don’t worry. If you’re willing to come to China with me, you are most welcome. After all, you’ve been studying with me for several months.”

“If you want to stay at Princeton, you can choose either Professor Deligne or Professor Witten. Both will accept you. I’ve already spoken with them about this, and they’re willing to take you on.”

“Of course, if you have other ideas and want to follow other advisors, you can tell me, and I’ll help you look for one.”

“It’s early August now, just in time for Princeton’s fall semester enrollment. I don’t think this will delay you too much.”

“After all, studying with me, you’ve mostly learned foundational knowledge and haven’t participated in any research projects, so your path isn’t set. I’m sure many advisors would be willing to accept you.”

Hearing this, Gu Bing, Shahi, Roger, and Amelia exchanged glances, none of them knowing how to choose.

They had never imagined they would encounter a situation where their advisor resigned and left during their PhD studies.

Moreover, the solutions Xu Chuan proposed were difficult to choose from.

Following Xu Chuan to China was an excellent option. After all, their advisor was now a Fields Medalist, and a record-breaking one at that.

Furthermore, transferring with one’s advisor was considered the “best option” by most in the academic world.

The culture of academia sets an expectation that graduate students should be willing and happy to do whatever their advisor desires.

This idea stemmed from several factors.

For instance, your advisor has invested in you and is willing to continue investing in you. Or, you’ve already established a good communication and mentoring relationship with your advisor, making it easier to continue your studies and research by their side. Or perhaps you should be willing to make any sacrifice to advance your career and be grateful for your advisor’s dedication to you, and so on.

However, this choice also had its drawbacks.

For example, moving to a new university would bring greater life stress and financial costs to the students. There would be readjustments for partners, social and cultural changes, changes in the cost of living, and changes in tuition standards.

Especially now, their advisor was moving from the United States to China—two countries with completely different customs and habits.

In addition, the second option Xu Chuan gave, staying at Princeton to continue their studies, was also an excellent choice.

As Xu Chuan said, it was the beginning of the fall semester at Princeton. They were originally supposed to enroll at this time anyway; it was only because of Xu Chuan’s request that they had come over early to study.

Furthermore, Deligne and Witten were both Fields Medalists. Deligne, in particular, was Xu Chuan’s own advisor. Studying under a professor in the same lineage meant they wouldn’t have to worry about their future studies at all.

As for Witten, the four of them knew he was the option Xu Chuan had left for Amelia, since she had previously studied physics.

As for the other professors at Princeton, the four of them had barely considered them.

At Princeton, was there anyone more badass than Deligne or Witten?

Probably not.

Even Fefferman was at most on par with them.

The four of them were deeply conflicted, not knowing how to choose.

Chapter 220: Returning to China

Looking at the four conflicted students before him, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. You can take some more time to think about it.”

“Whether you follow me to China or stay at Princeton, I have no objections either way and would be happy to accept your decision.”

“Go on, go back and think it over carefully.”

He didn’t make the four of them choose on the spot. An advisor resigning during a student’s doctoral studies was a major event, especially for an advisor like him who was moving to a different country. Not everyone could accept following their advisor.

After seeing the students off, Xu Chuan wondered who would return with him.

Among the four, the most likely candidate was probably Gu Bing.

Of course, it wasn’t certain that Gu Bing would return to China with him; it was just a higher possibility compared to the other three.

He wasn’t too concerned about it.

If they were willing to follow him, he would be delighted. If they weren’t, he would make the proper arrangements for them.

The last two days of the conference passed quickly.

On August 9th, under the arrangements of the host country, Brazil, the nine-day International Congress of Mathematicians finally came to a close with a cultural performance full of local character.

It was worth mentioning that even after the full nine days of the conference, the Brazilian police had still not recovered Professor Birkar’s phone and medal.

In the end, at the closing ceremony, the International Mathematical Union held a special awards ceremony to reissue a medal to Professor Caucher Birkar, so at least no one was left with any regrets.

“The security in Rio de Janeiro is truly awful. To think a thief could sneak into the International Congress of Mathematicians and steal a Fields Medal. Nothing like this has ever happened at previous congresses.”

During the awards ceremony at the closing, Fefferman, sitting next to Xu Chuan, said with a sigh.

In the field of dynamical systems, South America was very strong, even ranking among the top in the world. Many famous mathematicians had come from here.

For example, top mathematicians like Jacob Palis, Artur Ávila, and da Costa were all from the region.

This was one of the reasons this year’s congress was held in Rio de Janeiro.

Although the International Mathematical Union had concerns about the security situation in Rio de Janeiro, they never expected it to be this serious.

They certainly never expected a Fields Medalist’s gold medal to be stolen on the very first day.

And the attitude of the Brazilian police was so bad even a dog would shake its head in disapproval.

After the staff of the International Mathematical Union reported the incident, the Brazilian police only dispatched a single officer to get the details. He made a simple registration and didn’t even bother to check the surveillance footage, looking completely uninterested in investigating the case.

Such a slack attitude thoroughly disappointed the many scholars participating in the congress.

It was estimated that for a long time to come, mathematicians, and scholars from other fields, would not be voting to hold their conferences here.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “The security is indeed terrible, but for Professor Birkar, this might be something worth remembering. After all, he’s the first person in history to receive the Fields Medal twice.”

“Of course, this will also remind him to take good care of his belongings when he goes out in the future.”

Fefferman was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. “You have a point. Receiving the Fields Medal twice is definitely worth commemorating. Perhaps Professor Birkar should treat us all to a big meal?”

After a pause, he continued, “What are your thoughts on immigrating?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I need to go back first. We can talk about it then.”

Fefferman said, “I still very much hope we can continue to collaborate. The NS equations are an excellent research direction. Even if we can’t prove them, we can still gain a lot from the work.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Collaboration isn’t dependent on other things. With how advanced the internet and transportation are now, we can work together even from opposite ends of the earth.”

“That’s true.” Fefferman nodded, then added, “It’s just that there’s still a difference between communicating in person and over the internet.”

“Besides, I have a feeling you already have an answer in your heart.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “The day I make up my mind, I’ll definitely call and tell you.”

Fefferman said, “I’ll be waiting.”

After the International Congress of Mathematicians concluded, Xu Chuan prepared to pack his things and return to China.

He had been abroad for three years. To say he didn’t miss home would be a lie.

“Professor, are you still at the hotel?”

In his room, Xu Chuan was packing when his phone on the desk rang. He answered it; the call was from his student, Gu Bing. It seemed he had made his choice.

“Yes, I’m still at the hotel,” Xu Chuan replied.

“Okay, I’ll be right over. Please wait for me for a moment, Professor.” Gu Bing said this and then hung up.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind and continued packing his luggage.

A short while later, the doorbell rang.

Opening the door, he saw Gu Bing walk in.

“Professor, after you go back, will you be teaching at a university or going somewhere else?”

Xu Chuan replied, “I should be a professor at Nanjing University.”

Hearing this, Gu Bing nodded. “In that case, can I go back with you?”

Xu Chuan paused what he was doing and asked, “Have you thought it through? Continuing your studies at Princeton with Professor Deligne is also an excellent choice. Plus, with a graduation certificate from Princeton, it will be easier to find a job when you return to China in the future.”

Gu Bing smiled. “It’s more or less the same. Besides, if it weren’t for you, Professor, I wouldn’t have been able to get into Princeton in the first place. I had applied to Princeton three times before, but no one chose me.”

After a pause, he continued, “What’s more, you’re a Fields Medalist, Professor. Following you, I’ll be able to live the good life back in China…”

Before Gu Bing could finish, the doorbell in the room rang again.

Xu Chuan went to open the door and was a bit surprised by the person standing outside.

“Amelia, what are you doing here?” Xu Chuan asked, somewhat curious, looking at the student standing at his door.

At the doorway, Amelia’s eyes curved into crescents as she said with a bright smile, “I’m here to see you, of course, Advisor. Is there anyone else here?”

“Uh…” Xu Chuan was momentarily stunned, then smiled. “Come on in.”

“Senior Gu, you’re here too.”

Walking into the room and seeing Gu Bing, Amelia greeted him before asking curiously, “Senior Gu, are you going back to China with our Advisor too?”

“‘Too’?”

Gu Bing looked at his youngest junior in surprise, paused for a moment, then asked, “Don’t tell me you also want to go to China with our Advisor?”

Amelia nodded and said with a grin, “I’m very interested in China. I’ve heard there’s a lot of delicious food and giant pandas. I’ll just treat it as studying abroad.”

Gu Bing looked at Amelia in silence, not quite sure what to say.

It was understandable for him to follow Xu Chuan back, since China was his home.

But for Amelia to follow was somewhat baffling.

Not only was her father a professor at Princeton, but Xu Chuan had also arranged for Edward Witten to be her subsequent advisor. On top of that, Princeton was clearly a better institution than Nanjing University. He couldn’t understand why she would choose to go to Nanjing University instead of staying at Princeton.

“You want to go to China with me?” Just as Xu Chuan closed the door and walked over, he heard Amelia’s words and nearly tripped over his own feet and fell to the floor.

“Of course!” Amelia nodded.

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. “Don’t kid around. Your father’s at Princeton, and I’ve already made arrangements with Witten. Why would you run off to China with me?”

“I’m not kidding,” Amelia replied very seriously. “I’ve already thought it over, and my father has agreed.”

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched again. He said helplessly, “No, really, what are you going to China with me for? Princeton is great. It’s more suitable for you than anywhere in China.”

Amelia waved her hand. “Whether it’s suitable isn’t important. What’s important is being able to learn more. I believe following you has more prospects than following Professor Witten.”

After a pause, she continued, “Besides, I can speak Chinese.”

As she spoke, she switched to Mandarin. “I heard… China has lots… of delicious food. I want… in the next… few years… to eat my way across all of China!”

Both Xu Chuan and Gu Bing were stunned when Amelia spoke.

Well, what do you know? It was real Mandarin. Although it wasn’t perfectly standard, and it was choppy and unstructured, it was more than enough for everyday conversation in China.

“When did you learn Chinese?” Xu Chuan asked with surprise. He had been her advisor for several months and had never heard her speak Chinese.

Back during the IPHO, he never saw Amelia speak Chinese either.

“I started learning about three or four months ago. I watched some tutorial videos,” Amelia said with a smile. “Right, there’s a website in China called something like bilibili. I watched a lot of videos on it. Chinese is really interesting. One word can have so many meanings.”

“For example, I watched a video of an argument where the word ‘yìsi’ had so many different meanings. It meant ‘not what I mean’, but it also meant ‘a token of appreciation’. And then there was ‘uninteresting’. So in the end, was it ‘interesting’ or ‘uninteresting’?”

Amelia’s blue eyes were wide as she looked at Xu Chuan with great interest. “I still haven’t figured out what ‘yìsi’ actually meant in that video. Chinese is just too interesting. Maybe I have to go to China to study it before I can understand.”

For a moment, Xu Chuan didn’t know what to say.

If you could figure out what all those ’yìsi’s meant, you’d be a true prodigy.

To master a foreign language, especially one as difficult as Chinese, in just three or four months… with Amelia’s talent, she could probably master dozens of languages if given the time.

Did she have a quantum computer for a brain?

“You want to go to China with me just for the food and to learn Chinese?” Xu Chuan suddenly asked curiously.

Amelia nodded, her eyes bright, and replied with a grin, “Of course, but food and Chinese are only part of my goal. These past few months, I’ve learned so much from you. Whether it’s math or physics, you can perfectly answer all my questions.”

After a pause, she sized Xu Chuan up, then continued, “And I always feel like you’re even more incredible than Professor Witten.”

Xu Chuan sighed. “I think you should really consider this carefully. This is no small matter.”

In the end, Xu Chuan couldn’t win against Amelia, just like when she had pestered him to be his student.

Of his four students, Amelia and Gu Bing chose to go to China with him to continue their studies, while Shahi Perez and Roger Dean chose to stay at Princeton.

Everyone has their own path, and Xu Chuan had no objections.

Before he left, all four students came to the airport to see him off.

“Roger, Shahi, even though I’m leaving, you must remember to study hard.” At Rio de Janeiro International Airport, Xu Chuan patted his two students on the shoulder and said his goodbyes with a smile.

“I’ll work hard, Advisor.” Roger Dean nodded vigorously. Although Xu Chuan had only taught them for a few months, once a teacher, always a teacher.

Moreover, given their original qualifications, they likely wouldn’t have been admitted to Princeton. It was Xu Chuan who had given them this opportunity, not only allowing them to enter the mathematical sanctuary of Princeton but also giving them two consecutive Fields Medalists as advisors.

“Roger and I will be sure to visit you, Professor,” said Shahi Perez, who was usually flippant but had become quite serious.

“I hope to see you two presenting on stage in St. Petersburg in four years.”

Xu Chuan smiled, waved, and after saying goodbye to the four of them, he turned and led the way into the departure hall.

Soon after, a silver-white passenger jet slowly taxied onto the runway and eventually disappeared into the sky.

After a connecting flight from Brazil to Europe, and then to Beijing, more than ten hours of travel passed. Xu Chuan looked down at the bustling city below, a ripple of emotion stirring in his heart.

From his past life to this one, even to this day, those memories remained deeply etched in his mind, unerased by time.

The plane slowly descended and came to a stop at the end of the runway.

Tugging his luggage, Xu Chuan followed the other passengers toward the exit.

In the arrivals hall, a group of people in suits and leather shoes stood, watching him with broad smiles.

Seeing this group, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback.

He knew someone would be at the airport to pick him up before he returned, but he hadn’t expected so many.

A quick glance told him there were probably thirty or forty people in the arrivals hall. Among the crowd were many faces he recognized quite well.

Seeing Xu Chuan in the hall, Academician Pan Deming, who stood at the front of the welcome party, strode over with a smile, prompting the others to follow.

“Professor Xu, welcome back.” Academician Pan Deming warmly extended his right hand, a brilliant smile on his face.

“Academician Pan.” Xu Chuan let go of his suitcase and smilingly shook the old man’s hand.

From the side, another elderly man from the welcoming crowd, who appeared to be of high status, walked over with a smile.

“Professor Xu, welcome home.” The old man walked up to Xu Chuan and extended both hands with equal warmth.

Although Xu Chuan had never met him, he could guess that this man held a high position. Mu Liangcai, who had flown to Brazil earlier, was standing to the side, and since Mu Liangcai was a deputy-minister-level leader from the Organization Department, he was merely in an accompanying role.

“Professor Xu, this is Minister Qin Anguo of the Ministry of Science and Technology,” Pan Deming introduced with a smile.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan instantly understood. The top official of the Ministry of Science and Technology—his status needed no further explanation. He smiled and extended his hand for a handshake. “Hello, Minister Qin.”

The reason he had flown into Beijing today instead of Nanjing or Shanghai was because this very person had sent Mu Liangcai with the request.

Qin Anguo waved his hand, an amiable smile on his face. “Don’t be so polite. We’re all family here, one of us. If you don’t mind, just call me Uncle Qin.”

Xu Chuan smiled and glanced at Mu Liangcai beside him. These two really used the same playbook.

Mu Liangcai ignored Xu Chuan’s glance and said with a chuckle, “Professor Xu, you must be tired after such a long flight. Let’s get in the car and go to the hotel first. We can catch up properly and give you a proper welcome…”

Chapter 221: An Incredibly Important Conversation

As the large retinue departed, the other tourists in the arrivals hall finally came back to their senses.

The crowd of onlookers, who had witnessed the entire scene, began to buzz with discussion.

“So many people here to greet him. Who is this young man? What’s his background?”

“Holy shit! You don’t even know God Chuan?”

“God Chuan? Which pretty boy celebrity is that?”

“A celebrity? A pretty boy? Don’t be ridiculous. I can tell you didn’t do well in school just by hearing you say that. Those pretty boys aren’t even worthy of carrying his shoes. This man just won the highest honor in the field of mathematics, the ‘Fields Medal.’ No Chinese person had ever won it before him.”

“And you know about the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, right? The prize for solving just one of them is one million US dollars. God Chuan solved one and is now working on another.”

“Fuck! One million US dollars for one problem? That’s seven million RMB?”

“And that’s just from the Clay Institute. There are other awards, like the national bonus and so on. The prize money is at least in the tens of millions.”

“Tsk, tsk. If only I’d studied harder when I was a kid. Solving one problem gets you tens of millions in prize money. That sounds way too easy.”

“Hah, easy? Out of seven billion people in the world, only two have ever won that prize money. You should just stick to your nine-to-five grinding away. Stop daydreaming.”

While some people might not be very familiar with the Fields Medal or the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, measuring it in terms of money made everyone understand the gravity of the matter.

Of course, a problem like a Millennium Prize Problem could not be described in terms of money, nor could it be solved just by throwing money at it.

If money could solve it, never mind ten million—countries would be lining up to pay one hundred million, even one billion.

The solution to every Millennium Prize Problem represents scientific progress, a beacon of hope and a future for civilization.

After getting into the car, Qin Anguo and Xu Chuan chatted casually.

“Professor Xu, now that you’re back, is there anywhere you’d like to go? How about joining our Ministry of Science and Technology?”

Qin Anguo smiled as he made his recruitment pitch. Xu Chuan simply smiled and shook his head. “I’d rather not trouble Minister Qin. I’ve already promised my alma mater that I’ll be returning to Nanjing University as a professor.”

“Teaching and educating people is a fine thing,” Qin Anguo said, not too bothered. The Ministry of Science and Technology wasn’t really the best fit for a young man like Xu Chuan. The Chinese Academy of Sciences or a top-tier university was more suitable.

After all, he was only twenty years old, just entering the golden age of his academic career. If he were actually pulled into the Ministry of Science and Technology and went down the path of politics, the higher-ups themselves would have something to say about it.

China had never lacked for officials; what it lacked was top-tier talent in the sciences.

“What are you planning to research next? Will you continue with the NS equations, or…?” beside them, Academician Pan Deming interjected with a smile.

Xu Chuan nodded. “The NS equations are one of my upcoming research goals. I also plan to dip my toes into materials science.”

Pan Deming raised his eyebrows, asking with some surprise, “Materials? That’s quite a leap.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s not so bad, actually. When I was studying at Nanjing University, my advisor taught me some things about physical materials, and I found it quite interesting.”

Beside him, Qin Anguo explained with a chuckle, “A big leap is no problem. Youth is for being bold. The tungsten diselenide synthesis method that Academician Chen Zhengping researched a couple of years ago saves the country several billion US dollars every year.”

“And Professor Xu helped Academician Chen by building a mathematical model back then. Not only did he analyze the flaws in the synthesis method, but he also provided a solution. He played a very important role in that.”

As the Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, he had some knowledge of the country’s top research projects and figures. Furthermore, he had made a point to learn about information related to Xu Chuan beforehand.

Hearing this, Pan Deming glanced at Xu Chuan, a little surprised.

He knew of Chen Zhengping and tungsten diselenide, but he wasn’t aware of Xu Chuan’s role in it.

From what Minister Qin was saying, Xu Chuan was a key contributor to the tungsten diselenide project?

He hadn’t heard anything about his interest in materials over the past few years, and no related news had ever come out of Princeton.

Chatting casually along the way, the group soon arrived at their hotel.

The hotel wasn’t particularly large, but its location was superb, right next to the Forbidden City. Pushing open the window revealed a view of Beihai Park and Jingshan Park.

A place like this, used for hosting guests, was likely not made available unless an important foreign leader was visiting.

Inside the hotel, the general manager himself pulled Xu Chuan’s luggage and led him to his room.

“Professor Xu, how do you find it? Are you satisfied with the room and the environment?”

After placing the luggage in the corner, the hotel manager, Xia Huarong, asked with a grin as he pulled open the curtains, letting the bright sunlight flood the entire room.

Xu Chuan smiled politely. “I’m very satisfied. You’re too kind.”

Xia Huarong chuckled. “Not at all. If you need anything else, just call a staff member, and they will inform me. Don’t worry about being a bother. It is our duty to serve a pillar of the Motherland.”

In today’s China, ordinary talents would not receive such treatment, nor would the Minister of Science and Technology personally greet them at the airport.

But Xu Chuan was different. He was the first scholar of Chinese nationality to win the Fields Medal and a top talent who could be considered the number one figure in the world of young mathematicians today, or perhaps even in the entire field of mathematics.

For a talent like him, being received by the head of a ministry was nothing. Even a reception by someone more important would not be an overstatement.

In fact, the reason Xu Chuan had landed in Beijing this time instead of Shanghai was that there were others who wanted to meet with him.

After a welcome lunch at the hotel, Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology asked with a cheerful smile, “Professor Xu, was the meal to your liking?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “It was delicious.”

“Good, that’s good.” Qin Anguo said smilingly, “Then I won’t disturb you for now. Please get some rest and recover from your long journey. I will come again tomorrow morning.”

Xu Chuan nodded. He knew what tomorrow morning was about and was prepared for it.

In the afternoon, Xu Chuan left the hotel and took a walk to the Forbidden City to clear his head and think about a few things.

Meanwhile, far away at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in the physics section located in a corner of the research institute building, several members of the Selection Committee were in a meeting, discussing this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics winner.

“Everyone, we need to begin our deliberations for this year’s Physics Prize. The list of nominees from the preliminary screening has been distributed to all of you. Please take a look.”

In the office, the Chairman of the Physics Section’s Selection Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences handed the documents to the other four members of the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee.

It was mid-August, and as was customary, the first round of final selections for the Nobel Prize in Physics was about to begin.

Each year, the Nobel Prize in Physics can be awarded to a maximum of three people and for two different scientific research achievements. Compared to other Nobel Prizes, the nomination and selection process for the physics prize is longer and more meticulous.

Other disciplines might not start until September, but the physics prize’s final selection usually began its first round in August.

Of course, the Nobel selection process was far from simple.

Starting from February 1st each year, the various Nobel committees begin to screen and review the recommended candidates, with the proceedings kept strictly confidential.

The list of nominees is never released to the public, and the nominees themselves are not informed of their nomination. The nomination records are sealed for fifty years.

It wasn’t until August or September that the committees would begin the final selection of candidates, a process that would last one to two months, ultimately culminating in the selection of the Nobel Prize in Physics laureate before October.

The Swedish and Norwegian governments have no power to interfere in the selection process and cannot express support or opposition for the recommended candidates.

In the office, the five selection committee members browsed through the documents in their hands while discussing amongst themselves.

“For this year’s Physics Prize, I recommend Professor Arthur Ashkin for his groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. His work in this area is outstanding.”

“Using optical tweezers and manipulating tiny dielectric particles with optical gradient forces. Extending this research to applications on bacteria, viruses, and cells is a great achievement.”

Wolfgang Ketterle, a selection committee member with a head of curly white hair, made the suggestion.

Another committee member nodded in agreement. “The breakthrough in laser physics is indeed an excellent and worthy achievement. However, if we recommend him, Professor Gérard Mourou and Professor Donna Strickland should be included as well.”

“The contributions of these two professors in the field of laser physics are equally great. Their achievement in laser chirped pulse amplification is also outstanding and worthy of consideration.”

Across the table, a middle-aged man rubbed his temples with a headache before speaking, “I think we should consider the ‘extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.’ This is an even greater achievement.”

“Especially in the last few days, the Swedish Academy of Sciences has received countless letters recommending the ‘extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem,’ many of which are from Nobel laureates like Professor Saul Perlmutter and Professor Brian Schmidt.”

Hearing this, Wolfgang Ketterle frowned. “We already discussed him the past two years. Do we have to discuss him again this year? While the achievement is great enough, it has only been a little over three years since its emergence. It’s simply too recent and hasn’t withstood the test of time.”

“Besides, he is too young. He’s only twenty this year, and it will still be several months before he turns twenty-one.”

The rules of the Nobel Prize in Physics stipulate that the winner’s contribution must have “withstood the test of time.” This meant the Nobel Committee often awarded the prize decades after a scientific discovery.

For example, half of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar for his work on stellar structure and evolution, which he had done back in the 1930s.

The drawback of this practice was that many scientists with significant contributions passed away before they had the chance to be recognized by the Nobel Committee.

Therefore, to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, one not only needed a major achievement but also a long life.

Hearing this, Professor George Smoot, the old man who had just spoken, retorted, “But it has already produced sufficient results and passed the test, has it not?”

“Using it, we have successfully found an exoplanet with over ninety-nine percent similarity to Earth, and we have also confirmed that Betelgeuse is not a single-star system, but a binary or multiple-star system.”

“Either of these achievements is worthy of the Physics Prize on its own, yet we have ignored it for two years in a row. The outside world is already very dissatisfied with us.”

Wolfgang Ketterle frowned. “But he really is too young. He’s only twenty now. He can a hundred percent wait a few more years.”

“He’s been nominated since he was eighteen, and it’s only been three years. If we award the Nobel Prize to him this year, he will undoubtedly break the world record and become the youngest winner in history.”

Although Nobel’s will did not specify a minimum age for laureates, not everyone was keen on breaking rules and setting new historical records.

Professor George Smoot immediately retorted, “Mr. Nobel never stipulated that the prize must be awarded to an old geezer over eighty or ninety years old.”

“Science has always been young. The vast majority of great achievements were made by young scholars, from Newton to Albert Einstein, to William Lawrence Bragg and Peter Higgs.”

“There has never been a genius who made a great achievement after the age of fifty or sixty.”

“We should not be so biased against young geniuses.”

Historically, the youngest Nobel Prize in Physics laureate was William Lawrence Bragg, at the age of twenty-five.

For using X-ray analysis to determine the structure of protein molecules, thereby determining for the first time the extremely complex molecular structure of a substance of life, he and his father, Henry Bragg, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Coincidentally, the father-son duo received the award exactly three years after their findings were published.

And now, it had also been three years since Xu Chuan’s “extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem” was published.

This was one of the reasons Professor George Smoot was arguing so fiercely.

The three-year period was up.

Moreover, as an astrophysicist, Professor George Smoot was very clear about the value of the “extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

Perhaps its full value wasn’t apparent right now.

But if humanity were to enter an era of interstellar colonization, this achievement would directly guide mankind’s journey through the vast cosmos.

While the members of the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee were still fiercely debating whether Xu Chuan should win the award…

Xu Chuan, far away in China, had passed a quiet night.

The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Xu Chuan got out of bed. After washing up and having breakfast, he carefully tidied his appearance.

This morning, he was going to meet a very, very important person.

This meeting and conversation could potentially decide his future, and even the future of all of science, and perhaps much more.

He could not afford to treat it lightly.

Chapter 222: The Most Suitable Technology

At nine in the morning.

Accompanied by Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Xu Chuan followed a guard all the way to the north side of Chang’an Avenue.

Inside a quaint, two-story building, Xu Chuan met the old man he had often seen on television and in the news.

Seeing Xu Chuan walk into the room, the old man, who had been sitting and waiting, stood up and walked over. With a kindly smile on his face, he extended his right hand.

“Professor Xu, welcome.”

“Hello, sir.” Xu Chuan shook his hand respectfully.

“Please, have a seat.” The old man gestured with a smile toward a chair in the room, then continued, “Thank you for bringing our country the medal it has long awaited. It is an honor for any nation to have a scholar like you.”

“You’re too kind, sir. I was merely doing what a scholar ought to do,” Xu Chuan said quickly.

After a few simple pleasantries, the group turned to the main topic.

“Professor Xu, I wonder what your thoughts are on the future of our country’s scientific development?” the old man asked, taking a sip of tea and looking at Xu Chuan.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan sat up straight and said seriously, “Before coming here, I prepared a document containing some of my views. I would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to look at it.”

As he spoke, he took a USB drive from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.

At a nod from the old man, a guard standing by stepped forward, took the USB drive, and brought over the necessary equipment to project its contents onto a screen.

Xu Chuan opened the PowerPoint file on the USB drive. It was something he had prepared back at Princeton, waiting for just such an opportunity as today.

He didn’t know what the outcome would be, but he would do his utmost.

The PowerPoint presentation began. Xu Chuan took a deep breath and, looking at the image on the screen, began to speak slowly.

“Modern societal development is inseparable from three major fields.”

“Energy, materials, and information are the three crucial pillars of modern industrial and technological advancement. These three fields are independent yet interconnected, and they are the main supports for scientific progress.”

“In terms of energy, there don’t appear to be any major changes on the immediate horizon. Oil will remain the dominant source in the short term. Among new energy sources, only photovoltaics are likely to see continued development, though this will primarily be for building up our technological reserves. However, controlled nuclear fusion has the potential to be the dark horse that revolutionizes the world’s energy.”

“In terms of materials, we will see breakthroughs primarily in new materials based on biotechnology, gradually transitioning from petrochemical-based materials to materials synthesized using biological principles. Nanomaterials and biomaterials will be the main trends for future development.”

“In terms of information, the key trends will be significant increases in network speeds and the full development of public information databases. In addition, touch and motion-sensing operating systems will be important ancillary technologies. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality will be the primary development trends for the future.”

“…”

After listening to Xu Chuan’s presentation, Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology glanced at the old man sitting opposite him before carefully asking, “Are you suggesting that we should invest heavily in developing these three areas?”

Xu Chuan nodded, then shook his head, which left both the old man and Qin Anguo baffled.

“Investing in and developing these three areas is a must, but in my opinion, we need a game-changer. We need a technology powerful enough to return us to the pinnacle of the world.”

Xu Chuan spoke with gravity, steering the conversation toward his ultimate goal. “And behind the interconnectedness of the three major fields of energy, materials, and information, there is one technology capable of helping us achieve that goal.”

At these words, both Qin Anguo and the old man were shaken.

To return China to the pinnacle of the world… that was too grand a dream. Did such a technology truly exist?

Even if it did, the difficulty of achieving it must be astronomical.

A few fleeting conjectures flashed through their minds.

Taking a deep breath to suppress their shock, Qin Anguo and the old man exchanged a look. Then, Qin Anguo cautiously asked, “You’re referring to…?”

Xu Chuan slowly pronounced the words: “Controlled nuclear fusion!”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room turned their gaze to Xu Chuan. But apart from the old man and Qin Anguo, the others quickly looked away, returning to their posts.

As for the old man and Qin Anguo, neither of them had expected the young scholar to propose such a grand, almost boundless technology.

Controlled nuclear fusion!

Humanity’s ultimate energy source.

Everyone sitting here today, no matter who they were, had some understanding of this magnificent technology.

Just as Xu Chuan had said, the power contained in those words was enough to make China great again, to let it stand at the pinnacle once more, looking down upon the entire world.

But could this technology really be achieved in the short term?

The relevant theories for controlled nuclear fusion technology had been established as early as 1933, nearly a century ago.

Yet, a viable plan to achieve it remained elusive.

Whether through magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, gravitational confinement, or other methods, no light of near-term application was yet visible.

Even the “International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project,” which included the world’s major nuclear powers and key Asian nations, covering nearly half the global population, currently had no end in sight.

“Always fifty years away” was the common joke about controlled nuclear fusion.

Could the path of using controlled nuclear fusion to return China to the pinnacle of the world truly succeed?

Taking another deep breath, Qin Anguo looked at Xu Chuan and asked solemnly, “Can this path truly be realized?”

Xu Chuan replied earnestly, “To be honest, achieving controlled nuclear fusion will be very, very difficult.”

“But we can’t refuse to do it just because it’s hard. That would mean forever following in others’ footsteps.”

Hearing this, the old man spoke up, “We are all well aware of the importance of controlled nuclear fusion, but there has been no significant progress to date. Whether magnetic or inertial confinement, neither has shown any glimmer of commercial viability, let alone research in other directions.”

“We understand the value of this technology and are willing to invest more resources in it. But the most crucial question is, how long will it take to succeed, and can we bear such a heavy burden?”

Xu Chuan smiled and tapped a key on the keyboard. The image on the screen changed, revealing a tree-like mind map.

“Achieving controlled nuclear fusion in a single step is an extremely difficult task. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t advance towards it.”

“Along the way, every branch technology can create sufficient value and benefits for us.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan explained the various technologies and scientific fields on the tree diagram.

[Room-temperature superconducting materials]

[Strong Magnetic Mirror-Pinch Control Torus]

[Ultra-high Temperature Plasma Turbulence Control System]

[Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy]

[Ultra-supercritical Heat Engine Conversion Technology]

[…]

On the projection, every small branch represented a technology.

Controlled nuclear fusion was an incredibly vast project. Xu Chuan had never expected to secure the nation’s full support with just a few words in a single meeting.

Even as a Fields Medal laureate, it wasn’t enough. Not even if he added a Nobel Prize to his name.

Investing in a super-project like controlled nuclear fusion, billions would be the bare minimum starting figure. How much it would ultimately cost was anyone’s guess; the sky was truly the limit.

It was a money-devouring behemoth with a gaping black maw. Before it was realized, no one could guarantee how much funding, manpower, and resources would have to be poured into it.

Xu Chuan had not intended to tackle such a massive project from the outset; that was unrealistic.

Even with a Fields Medal, he couldn’t easily convince the state to entrust a super-project as costly as controlled nuclear fusion to him.

This wasn’t science fiction, where the power of a single individual could surpass the entire world.

However, he could dismantle controlled nuclear fusion piece by piece, achieving it one step at a time.

Technologies like room-temperature superconducting materials, the strong magnetic mirror-pinch control torus, and the mechanism for converting nuclear beta radiation into electrical energy were all things he had already achieved in his past life.

He could use these as a probe, to test the waters and build a foundation, letting people see hope before pushing further forward.

As long as there were phased results, as long as the state could see returns on investment and tangible achievements, as long as they could see hope, it would be enough.

Sure enough, when the tree diagram and its corresponding technologies were displayed, a flicker of interest appeared in the eyes of Qin Anguo and the old man.

Just as Xu Chuan had thought, if he had come in demanding to lead a super-project like controlled nuclear fusion from the start, the higher-ups would have hesitated, mulling over whether to entrust such a matter to him and considering all the ramifications.

To stand at the peak of the scientific world and look down upon it at the age of twenty—with such achievements, it was perfectly normal for a young man to be full of pride and believe he could do anything.

But a nation and an individual were two completely different concepts.

Entrusting a super-project costing tens of billions to a young man, especially one far outside his field of expertise, was a matter of great concern.

Science allows for trial and error; success is built step-by-step from failure.

But for a nation, whether that trial and error was worthwhile, and what it might bring, were also things that needed to be considered.

Now, however, the two of them saw another side to this young genius.

This maturity, this prudence, this hope… perhaps they could let him give it a try.

Standing before the projection screen, the old man stared at the image for a long time. Finally, he turned to Xu Chuan and slowly asked, “If this work were entrusted to you, how confident would you be?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know if I can ultimately succeed, but I will do my absolute best to see this through.”

The old man considered this, then asked, “Then where do you plan to start?”

“Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy!” Xu Chuan stated.

Hearing this, both the old man and Qin Anguo showed a trace of surprise and confusion. To be honest, they weren’t entirely sure what this technology was.

Judging by the name, it was perhaps a technology related to nuclear energy?

But what it was exactly, and what it was used for, they really didn’t know.

Sensing the old man’s gaze, Qin Anguo asked on his behalf, “Could you please explain this ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ that you mentioned?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “So-called nuclear energy is divided into two types: one is nuclear fission, and the other is nuclear fusion.”

“We won’t discuss nuclear fusion for now. Although controlled nuclear fusion is hailed as humanity’s ultimate energy source, it has yet to be achieved.”

“As for nuclear fission, it’s a common method of power generation used by many countries. Our country should have just entered the era of third-generation fission reactors, placing us at the forefront of the world.”

“However, nuclear fission has a very difficult by-product: nuclear waste. This mainly refers to the two categories of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste and high-level radioactive waste produced during power generation.”

“These two types of nuclear waste account for over ninety-nine percent of the world’s nuclear contamination and are a major headache for all countries. How to deal with nuclear waste has always been an unsolved problem facing the nuclear industry.”

“And the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ is a scientific technology built upon the foundation of nuclear radiation.”

“Any radioactive element undergoes a process of energy transfer and loss during decay, simultaneously emitting alpha, beta, and gamma rays.”

“My previous research focused on studying the physical reactions and absorption caused by these rays in matter, and on converting the energy produced during decay into electrical energy as much as possible.”

“This technology uses a special type of crystal as an encapsulation layer and a specific semiconductor NP junction to harness the radiation from radioactive elements—especially nuclear materials and radioactive substances like nuclear waste. It utilizes the thermoelectric and photoelectric effects (specifically, the Compton effect and electron-positron pair production) as its main principles to safely convert the energy from these materials.”

“It can turn the rays produced by various types of nuclear waste from harmful pollutants into something that will benefit humanity, and benefit us.”

After listening to Xu Chuan’s explanation, Qin Anguo quickly asked, “What about the efficiency?”

“Many countries are researching the reuse of nuclear waste, but the conversion efficiency has remained low, with none yet exceeding five percent. What is the theoretical efficiency your method can achieve?”

As the Minister of Science and Technology, he naturally had some knowledge of technologies related to nuclear fission.

Generating power by reusing nuclear waste was a technology all countries were studying, but with little success.

One issue was the conversion efficiency for power generation; another was safety and the materials used for encapsulation.

Efficiency was the most critical factor. If it was low, the technology had little value.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “That is the core of the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy.’ According to my previous designs and estimates, theoretically, the concentrated conversion efficiency can reach over fifty percent. In a perfect scenario, it could theoretically reach seventy to eighty percent.”

“Of course, the specific situation will require concrete analysis.”

Chapter 223: A Legacy for the Present, a Benefit for Millennia

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Qin Anguo’s pupils constricted, and his breathing quickened.

An efficiency of fifty to eighty percent. That was terrifying.

Based on his current understanding, the highest efficiency achieved by any country in the world for generating electricity from nuclear waste was less than five percent.

Fifty percent—that was a tenfold increase in efficiency.

If this could truly be realized, nuclear power plants could be promoted on a massive scale, and the problem of how to handle the resulting nuclear waste would be solved.

“Can you really achieve such a conversion efficiency?” After a long pause, Qin Anguo asked, his voice filled with hope.

Xu Chuan nodded affirmatively. “Absolutely. We previously lacked the right method, but I have now completed the relevant theory and research paper.”

Beside them, the old man’s breathing had also grown heavy as he seemed to be processing this information. After a moment, he finally asked, “Can you do it?”

He wasn’t deeply familiar with the technical details of reusing nuclear waste for power generation.

But he was keenly aware that dealing with nuclear waste from power plants had always been an “epic-level” problem.

If there were no breakthroughs in storage technology, and it still needed to be stored for a hundred thousand years as it does now, then all the revenue from a nuclear power plant likely wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of a hundred thousand years of waste storage.

Even more dangerous was the fact that the current generation reaps the benefits of nuclear power, while the burden of storing the waste would fall on their descendants for the next hundred thousand years.

What if a future generation decided to neglect it, or couldn’t afford to manage it? What would happen to all that nuclear waste then?

Would they just let it leak and contaminate their own living environment?

If this problem could be solved, it would truly be a legacy for the present that would benefit millennia, a blessing for all future generations.

Xu Chuan nodded. “I can give it a try. But I’ll need to conduct experiments to perfect the theory, and I’ll need help.”

“What kind of help do you need?” the old man asked.

“The establishment of a research institute, along with talent in the corresponding fields, research grants, and relevant policy support,” Xu Chuan stated.

The old man nodded. “None of that is a problem.”

Inside the quaint, antique-style building, Xu Chuan and the old man talked for a long time.

From the reuse of nuclear waste to the ultimate goal of controlled nuclear fusion…

From the development of domestic education to reforms in research funding and intellectual property rights.

The two of them covered a lot of ground.

However, aside from offering his own insights on technology and some predictions about future development trends, Xu Chuan didn’t delve much into other matters.

Institutional reform and the like were not really for him to meddle in.

He wasn’t particularly interested in things outside of academia.

Besides, every country has its own unique culture and history. Things from abroad aren’t necessarily better.

Sometimes, introducing foreign concepts can lead to a failure to acclimate; blindly copying without critical thought can even cause you to lose your own advantages.

Compared to doing such “amateur” work, Xu Chuan was more interested in journeying to more distant frontiers.

Those unfinished tasks, those fields that had reached their limits.

He wanted to try, to make a breakthrough, to see the unknown scenery that lay beyond.

As for everything else, he didn’t much care.

After leaving the small building with the guard, Xu Chuan looked up at the azure sky, dotted with a few scattered wisps of white clouds.

From now on, the vast sea lets the fish leap, the high sky lets the birds fly!

On the street, a black, domestically produced Hongqi was parked. After bringing Xu Chuan over, the guard saluted and turned to leave.

By the Hongqi, an ordinary-looking, rather unremarkable middle-aged man walked up to greet him.

“Professor Xu, hello. My name is Zheng Hai. I’m a driver from The Organization Department. If you need a car, just let me know.”

Seeing Xu Chuan, the middle-aged man standing by the car quickly approached and introduced himself.

Xu Chuan nodded, sizing up the man named Zheng Hai.

Although he introduced himself as a driver and had a face that would disappear in a crowd, his ramrod-straight posture and the vitality in his voice during the introduction told Xu Chuan exactly where he came from.

But Xu Chuan didn’t mind. He smiled and shook his hand. “Hello, Brother Zheng.”

Hearing the address “Brother Zheng,” Zheng Hai quickly demurred, “Professor Xu, you can just call me Little Zheng, Little Hai, or my full name. I can’t possibly accept being called Brother Zheng.”

Xu Chuan smiled, not dwelling on such details. “Then I’ll be in your care from now on.”

Zheng Hai breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s my duty. It’s no trouble at all. Do you need to go somewhere now?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Please take me to Tsinghua University.”

Although he had already spoken with the esteemed leader today and confirmed some general matters, there was still much for him to do.

Given that the first project to be launched was the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy,” he needed to recruit a team to help.

There weren’t many universities in the country with well-established departments of nuclear science and technology or nuclear industry.

Tsinghua and Peking University certainly had them. In addition, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the University of South China, Harbin Institute of Technology, Donggong University of Technology, and Jiaotong University also had relevant programs.

As for Nanjing University, although it had a Department of Physics with research and talent cultivation in nuclear physics, it wasn’t on a large scale.

Nanjing University’s strengths lay in theoretical physics, condensed matter physics, acoustics, optics, atomic and molecular physics, and particle physics. They didn’t have much research in the field of nuclear physics.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to look for people elsewhere; he could have just returned to Nanjing University and assembled a team.

He was willing to do things that could benefit his alma mater, but unfortunately, his alma mater couldn’t provide what he needed.

Of course, the higher-ups would help with matters like team personnel.

But while they could help find ordinary researchers, Xu Chuan wanted to find the leader who would command the entire project himself, and he already had a suitable candidate in mind.

Zheng Hai drove the car, taking Xu Chuan all the way to Tsinghua University.

“We’re almost there, Professor Xu. Should I drive you inside?” On the road, Zheng Hai kept his eyes forward as he asked Xu Chuan in the back seat.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, let’s go in. Then you can just drop me off anywhere.”

“Understood.” Zheng Hai nodded and adjusted his route.

As one of the two most famous top universities in China, Tsinghua University had no shortage of tourists from out of town every day, all wanting to visit this dream-like campus.

However, tourists weren’t allowed in at all times.

Tsinghua University was generally open to the public only on weekends, public holidays, and during winter and summer breaks. At other times, it was closed to visitors.

This was perfectly normal. As a top university, Tsinghua was home to countless students and precious research facilities.

Moreover, a school was a school, a place for students to study. Too many outside visitors could easily disrupt the students’ normal academic life.

Today was not a weekend, so Tsinghua was not open to the public.

For Xu Chuan, however, this wasn’t a problem. Zheng Hai could handle it, so he didn’t bother calling anyone himself.

Why stand foolishly at the school gate and wait when you could just go straight in?

Arriving at the Department of Engineering Physics, Xu Chuan looked up at the massive engineering physics building before heading inside.

The Department of Engineering Physics at Tsinghua University primarily focused on nuclear technology research, with majors such as Engineering Physics, Experimental Engineering Energy Physics, Oriented Engineering Physics, Nuclear Engineering and Nuclear Technology, and a CNNC-Oriented Track.

It was established very early, officially founded as a school in 1956. The success of China’s first atomic bomb, “Miss Qiu,” was also inseparable from the support of talent from Tsinghua’s Department of Engineering Physics.

Xu Chuan’s appearance at the foot of the building didn’t attract any particular attention.

The students here, clutching their books as they came and went, all mistook him for just another student.

After all, based on his appearance and age, he was indistinguishable from an undergraduate.

“Excuse me, classmate. Could you tell me where Professor Peng Hongxi’s office is?” Inside the building, Xu Chuan randomly stopped a student to ask for directions.

“Professor Peng Hongxi?” Hearing the name, the student who was stopped was clearly taken aback. He thought for a moment before continuing, “Academician Peng has already retired. He’s not here. If you’re looking for him, you’ll have to go to the faculty housing.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was a little surprised. Professor Peng had retired? He really didn’t know about that.

He vaguely remembered that this man was still working when he was over eighty.

But considering his age, retirement was normal. He was probably invited back after retiring.

The student he had stopped for directions adjusted his backpack and added a reminder, “Also, Academician Peng doesn’t usually see outsiders. If you have some matter you wish to consult him on, it’s best to find someone else or email or call him first to make an appointment.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you.”

The student asked curiously, “Classmate, are you a student in the Department of Engineering Physics?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No.”

“No wonder. I was thinking I’d never seen you before,” the student muttered, then looked Xu Chuan up and down. “Are you from across the street, then?”

Xu Chuan paused for a moment, then realized what “across the street” referred to and said with a knowing smile, “No, not there either.”

“Then why are you looking for Academician Peng?” The student frowned, looking him over again as if trying to figure something out.

Before Xu Chuan could answer, a half-questioning, half-surprised voice came from the side.

“Are you… Professor Xu Chuan?”

Xu Chuan looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing nearby, his face a mixture of surprise and disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe he would see him here.

Looking at the middle-aged man and confirming he didn’t know him, Xu Chuan asked, “I am. And you are?”

Upon receiving his confirmation, the middle-aged man strode over in a few quick steps, enthusiastically extending both hands, a brilliant smile on his face.

“Professor Xu, hello! My name is Qiu Hongyi. I’m a professor in Tsinghua’s Department of Mathematics. Your report at the International Congress of Mathematicians was one of the two most brilliant I’ve ever seen.”

Qiu Hongyi enthusiastically grasped Xu Chuan’s hands, shaking them vigorously while heaping on the praise. “Professor Xu, you came without giving any notice. We didn’t even arrange a reception.”

Xu Chuan laughed. “You’re too kind. A reception is completely unnecessary. I’m just here to look around and find Professor Peng Hongxi.”

“Academician Peng, you say? I’m not sure where he is right now, but I can ask someone for you.” As Qiu Hongyi spoke, he took out his phone, ready to make a call.

Meanwhile, the student who had been asked for directions by Xu Chuan stood there, stunned into silence. Hearing Professor Qiu Hongyi’s words, he stared at Xu Chuan in disbelief, his mouth agape.

Xu Chuan? The International Congress of Mathematicians?

The God Chuan who won the Fields Medal?

Holy shit!

What was I just thinking? I almost thought God Chuan was some kind of spy!

I’m such an idiot!

Hearing the talk of finding someone, the student suddenly snapped back to reality and said quickly, “Professor Qiu, Professor Xu, Academician Peng should be at the Advanced Radiation Source and Application Laboratory right now. How about I take you there?”

“That would be a great help,” Qiu Hongyi said with a smile, putting his phone away.

Xu Chuan, however, glanced at the student with a smile.

Just a moment ago, he had said Peng Hongxi was in the faculty housing, and now he was suddenly at the Advanced Radiation Source and Application Laboratory.

Interesting. Was he worried he was a bad guy?

“No trouble, no trouble at all.” The student, carrying his backpack, quickly led the way towards the lab.

It wasn’t far, and the three of them arrived in just a few minutes.

The student guide seemed very familiar with the place, leading Xu Chuan and Qiu Hongyi to Academician Peng Hongxi’s office in a jiffy.

He knocked on the door, and a voice soon came from within.

“What is it, Chang Kai?”

Peng Hongxi asked, looking at the student who entered. He recognized him; this was the student of his student’s student.

“Professor, someone is here to see you,” Chang Kai said respectfully, stepping aside.

Behind him, Qiu Hongyi made the introduction, “Academician Peng, this is Professor Xu Chuan, who recently won the Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians. He came here today specifically to see you.”

Xu Chuan looked at the old man at the door, smiled, and walked forward to greet him. “Academician Peng, hello. My apologies for coming uninvited and disturbing you.”

Academician Peng Hongxi, a nuclear physicist and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He had participated in the development and construction of China’s first neutron time-of-flight spectrometer on an atomic reactor; he had also participated in and led many projects in near-field physics testing during nuclear weapons experiments, and he pioneered and developed particle beam inertial confinement fusion research in China.

He was a true veteran figure in the field of nuclear physics with considerable influence. Although he was now nearly eighty, he had not fully retired and remained active at Tsinghua University.

He was the person Xu Chuan had selected from among the many nuclear physicists in the country.

He had come personally to ask him to come out of semi-retirement.

Seeing Xu Chuan, Peng Hongxi’s eyes lit up. He smiled and shook Xu Chuan’s hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, Professor Xu. I often hear others speak of you, that our country has a top-tier young mathematician who even won the Fields Medal. Seeing you today, you are even more young and promising than I imagined.”

“Come, come, please come in and sit down.”

Then, he glanced at Chang Kai beside him and said, “Little Chang, hurry and make some tea.”

Chang Kai served the tea and then quietly excused himself. Although he really wanted to stay and listen to what the big shots would talk about, he knew his place.

In the living room, the three chatted for a while. Seeing the time was right, Xu Chuan cut to the chase. “Academician Peng, I came to bother you today because there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi nodded and said, “Please, speak. As long as it’s something I can help with, I will do my best.”

Although it was their first time meeting, he had a very good impression of the young genius before him.

Xu Chuan glanced at Qiu Hongyi, who was sitting to the side. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Professor Qiu, how about I come find you later?”

Qiu Hongyi was slightly taken aback, then smiled. “In that case, I won’t disturb you two.”

Chapter 224: The Right Candidate

With Qiu Hongyi’s departure, only Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi remained in the office.

At this point, Peng Hongxi realized that what Xu Chuan was about to discuss might be exceptional, or at least highly confidential, and his expression grew more serious.

“It’s like this, Academician Peng.”

Without any preamble, Xu Chuan got straight to the point, revealing some of his intentions.

Before coming, he had already discussed the matter with the elder and Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology, including the personnel needed for the subsequent development of several projects.

After all, a major technological project of this scale couldn’t be entrusted to just anyone, nor could its details be disclosed to everyone.

This was why he had asked Professor Qiu Hongyi to leave temporarily.

After hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Peng Hongxi was somewhat astonished, his expression moved.

He hadn’t expected this young man to have already connected with the top brass and initiated a series of magnificent projects right after returning to the country.

The development of room-temperature superconducting materials, the Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy, the Ultra-high Temperature Plasma Turbulence Control System, and finally, the controlled nuclear fusion project.

Each individual plan in this series was a massive undertaking, involving funds in the hundreds of millions, or even billions.

Of course, if these projects succeeded, even just one or two of them, the returns would be immense, far exceeding the investment.

In light of this, Peng Hongxi could only say that the ambition of the young man before him was astounding.

But correspondingly, these things were also incredibly appealing.

Even though he was already in his late seventies, nearly eighty, his heart was stirred after hearing these plans.

But could he, or they, truly support such a series of grand projects?

After a long period of contemplation, Peng Hongxi let out a long breath, looked up, and shook his head. “Thank you for the invitation and for thinking so highly of me, Professor Xu, but I’m afraid I won’t be of much help.”

“I am old, seventy-eight this year. It’s one thing to serve as a professor emeritus or a consultant, offering opinions and experience. But to support such a large-scale project… honestly, that would be very difficult.”

Although he had been moved for a moment, after some consideration, Peng Hongxi ultimately shook his head and declined the invitation.

Xu Chuan frowned slightly at Academician Peng Hongxi and extended his invitation again with sincerity. “Academician Peng, I am genuinely inviting you. In my opinion, you are the most suitable candidate.”

Peng Hongxi smiled and replied, “Thank you for holding this scruffy old man in such high regard, but I am also being truthful.”

“Don’t be fooled by the fact that I’m still active at Tsinghua University, giving lectures and occasionally getting my hands dirty with an experiment or two. But when you get older, energy becomes the biggest problem. One must accept the limitations of age.”

“If it were just a single project, I might push myself to try one last time. But this subsequent series of projects… I really can’t do it, and I wouldn’t be able to sustain it.”

Sitting opposite him, Xu Chuan’s brows furrowed.

He hadn’t really expected Academician Peng Hongxi to refuse the offer.

This series of projects held an immense attraction for any researcher.

Countless people would fight tooth and nail for a chance to join, even just to do menial work on the projects.

What he hadn’t realized was that it was precisely the sheer scale of this series of projects that had ‘scared off’ Peng Hongxi.

If it had been just one or two, the academician might have agreed.

Across from him, Peng Hongxi paused for a moment before continuing, “If you don’t mind, Professor Xu, I can recommend a candidate who might be suitable.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked up and asked, “Please, go ahead, Academician Peng.”

“Professor Han Jin. He is currently working at the Nuclear Industry Group,” Peng Hongxi recommended.

Xu Chuan searched his memory. He knew a few physicists with the surname Han, but the name Han Jin didn’t ring a bell.

Seeming to notice his confusion, Peng Hongxi explained with a smile, “This Han Jin is actually a former student of mine.”

“Although they say one should recommend the worthy without avoiding relatives, sometimes, a capable person should still be recommended.”

“I won’t say too much more about Han Jin, so as not to unduly influence your judgment. Professor Xu, you can gather some information on him through the higher-ups and see if he is a good fit.”

“Of course, the national project takes precedence over everything.”

Xu Chuan nodded and asked, “Are you truly unwilling to come out of retirement, sir?”

Compared to Han Jin, whom Peng Hongxi had recommended, he still favored the old man.

He was a veteran in the field of nuclear physics, possessing ability, insight, and connections. He could help handle so many things in the initial stages of the project.

Unfortunately, he was unwilling.

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment, then spoke after some contemplation. “Let’s do this. I’m honored that you think so highly of me, Professor Xu. If you don’t mind, I’ll serve as a consultant on the project team. I can put my remaining years to good use.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded, knowing this was likely the final outcome. Although he hadn’t succeeded in recruiting the old man, having him as a consultant was still a good result.

A smile appeared on his face as he stood up to leave. “We welcome your participation, sir. I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. I will await your arrival in Nanjing.”

Peng Hongxi smiled and shook his hand. “I’m just a bag of old bones. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xu Chuan departed. After spending half a day in his hotel, he received the files sent over by the higher-ups.

The first he looked at was about the person recommended by Academician Peng Hongxi.

Han Jin, a native of Xijiang.

Born November 3, 1954. Father: , Mother:

Attended Xiejia Tan Middle School in Poyang County, Guangxin City, Xijiang for elementary and junior high school; attended Poyang No. 1 High School for senior high; graduated from Tsinghua University with a postdoc degree.

In 1981, participated in the design of China’s first nuclear power plant, the ‘Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant,’ responsible for the pressurized water reactor, loop system, and fission control.

In 1984, participated in the construction of China’s first nuclear power plant, responsible for…

Several thick files were leafed through in Xu Chuan’s hands.

The collected information was terrifyingly detailed, covering everything from his elementary and middle school years to his entry into society. Every aspect of his life was fully documented.

Before the state, an individual was as transparent as glass.

It had to be said that when the state apparatus was put into motion, the efficiency of all matters was frighteningly high.

Besides Professor Han Jin, who was recommended by Peng Hongxi, there were several other backup candidates, as well as those recommended by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

He needed to select a manager from these candidates who could help him run the entire project.

Xu Chuan carefully browsed through the files in his hands.

Based on his resume, the person recommended by Academician Peng Hongxi was indeed outstanding.

First, his age. Professor Han Jin was currently under sixty-five years old.

Although he might not be as energetic as those in their thirties or forties, he possessed far more work experience.

He had presided over many large-scale nuclear industry projects and had been involved in the design and manufacturing of both second and third-generation nuclear power plants. His experience was exceptionally rich. His own academic level was also very high, having published multiple papers in top SCI journals and conducted deep research in the field of nuclear energy physics.

This kind of person was an application-oriented talent. While his theoretical research might not be exceptionally deep, his skills in application were definitely formidable. If a problem arose on-site, he could quickly identify the cause and solve it for you.

In terms of personality, according to the information provided by the higher-ups, this Professor Han was also quite good.

If he were in a company, he could serve as a vice general manager.

As for a general manager, he was likely not quite there, as he might lack a sufficient pioneering drive and a bit of an adventurous spirit, preferring a more steady and stable approach.

To put it in a phrase, it was the Doctrine of the Mean: more than capable of maintaining the status quo, but lacking in pioneering spirit.

A person like this, without some major opportunity, would likely continue on this path.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan roughly understood why Academician Peng Hongxi had recommended this Professor Han.

It wasn’t that there weren’t more outstanding people in the country.

After all, the scientific environment in China had always been more focused on the field of applied sciences, producing a great number of application-oriented talents.

Whether it was his own backup candidates or those recommended by the Ministry of Science and Technology, some were more capable than Han Jin.

But besides outstanding ability, Xu Chuan also needed to consider the personality of the person who would be managing the project for him.

A large-scale research project, especially in its initial stages, involves a great many things.

For instance, personnel screening, establishment of the research institute, handling various relationships, project expectations, budget management… all these aspects needed to be dealt with.

Although he could manage it all, he couldn’t waste his time on such matters. His main task was to overcome the real difficulties within the research project.

As for overseeing all the major and minor affairs, he needed to find someone to help.

And Academician Peng Hongxi knew very well what kind of manager he needed.

Someone who wouldn’t vie for project management power, wouldn’t fight for authority, and wasn’t domineering, yet could quietly get every job done well and had the ability to cooperate with him.

This was, in fact, an excellent choice.

“With age comes shrewd wisdom.”

Xu Chuan sighed in admiration, a plan already forming in his mind.

However, the final decision would have to be made after meeting these people in person.

With the help of the higher-ups and coordination from the relevant departments, Xu Chuan met with the several selected managers over the next few days. In the end, he confirmed the manager for the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project.

The chosen person was Professor Han Jin, recommended by Academician Peng Hongxi. He was a middle-aged to elderly man with half-white hair and glasses, looking very gentle and possessing the air of a scholar.

Compared to the other candidates, Han Jin was indeed more suitable at present. The two of them could complement each other.

As for how things would develop in the future, that remained to be seen.

Xu Chuan wasn’t too worried about it. If he couldn’t even handle people like them, he might as well pack it in and go home to plant sweet potatoes instead of trying to be the top figure in the world of physics.

However, while he had confirmed his choice, the higher-ups were still in meetings to discuss the matter.

After all, this wasn’t just one project, but a grand plan composed of a series of enormous projects. Finalizing it completely was not so simple.

Before the official notification came down, Xu Chuan did not stay long in Beijing.

After handing over some preliminary preparations, such as personnel selection, to Han Jin, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to Nanjing.

Before officially launching the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project, he had some of his own matters to attend to.

Chapter 225: The Materials Research Institute

Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail from Beijing back to Nanjing.

Accompanying him was Zheng Hai, a driver arranged for him by the higher-ups.

Though his title was “driver,” his role also included being a bodyguard to ensure Xu Chuan’s safety.

However, he was different from a full-time bodyguard. Zheng Hai did not shadow him twenty-four hours a day. He would typically drop Xu Chuan off at his destination and then find a place to wait, staying out of the way but always on call.

As for Xu Chuan, despite having someone with him, he didn’t feel much different from usual.

This was mainly because Zheng Hai had a very low-key presence.

With an ordinary face and no distinguishing aura when not on a mission, he could disappear into a crowd. Outside of his driving duties, his presence was barely noticeable.

It just went to show that people from special departments were truly capable.

At Nanjing University, an unremarkable car pulled up to the school gate. Xu Chuan unbuckled his seatbelt, glanced at Zheng Hai in the driver’s seat, and asked, “Do you have a place to stay? Do you need me to arrange something?”

Zheng Hai quickly turned his head and replied, “I have one, thank you. No need to trouble yourself. I’m technically on a business trip, so my expenses for a hotel or guesthouse are reimbursable.”

“Alright then, I won’t make arrangements. You can find a place on your own.”

Xu Chuan nodded, opened the door, and stepped out onto the Nanjing University campus. For people like Zheng Hai, who generally had their own way of doing things, his arrangements might only make things awkward for them.

Following a familiar path, he made his way to the faculty and staff residential area of Nanjing University.

He expertly found the villa of his university advisor, Chen Zhengping. Although the main gate was open, Xu Chuan still rang the doorbell. Soon, there was a sound from inside.

“Who is it? The door’s unlocked, come on in.”

A voice called out, and an elderly woman emerged, walking out briskly.

“Ma’am.”

Seeing the woman, Xu Chuan smiled and greeted her. She was the wife of his advisor, Chen Zhengping.

Upon seeing Xu Chuan, the woman, Tian Jiangxiang, was taken aback for a moment before a smile spread across her face. “Xiao Chuan, you’re here! Come in, come in and sit down. When did you get back?” she greeted him warmly.

As she spoke, she shouted towards the study, “Old man, come out quickly! Xu Chuan is here.”

In the study, Chen Zhengping, who had been reading, quickly stood up and walked out.

“Teacher.” Seeing Chen Zhengping, Xu Chuan greeted him with a smile.

“You’re back.” Chen Zhengping smiled and walked over. “You’ve done well for yourself abroad these past few years,” he said in greeting. “You even won a Fields Medal.”

Xu Chuan smiled shyly. “It’s because you were a good teacher.”

Chen Zhengping laughed heartily. “Don’t say that. You’re making me blush.”

After a pause, he continued, “Now that you’re back in the country, you probably won’t be going abroad again, right?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Yes, I probably won’t be leaving. I plan to be a professor at Nanjing University.”

“That’s great. What are you planning to do next? I heard you were researching the NS equations with Professor Fefferman. Are you going to continue with that?” Chen Zhengping asked.

Xu Chuan replied, “That’s part of it. Professor Fefferman and I made a bit of progress on the NS equations, and I think there’s still potential. We can try to push it further.”

“Aside from the NS equations, I’m also planning to branch out a bit into physics and materials science. My focus will likely shift more towards those two areas.”

Chen Zhengping smiled and shook his head. “You still haven’t given up on physics, have you?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I never gave up on it. It’s just that my focus has been on different things at different times.”

After a slight pause, he added, “Also, I’d like to ask you for a favor, Teacher. I wanted to ask if there are any suitable materials research institutes here in Nanjing. I’m looking to buy one.”

“It doesn’t need to be too big, with a total price under twenty million yuan. It would be mainly for research in the fields of carbon materials and polymer energy film materials.”

Establishing a private research institute was one of the things he needed to do before officially starting the national project.

Although he was now in contact with the higher-ups and had discussed some future developments—basically, as long as he had a need and could provide the proper application materials, they would provide him with research funding—he still wanted to set up his own private institute.

Sometimes, there were things that were inconvenient, not supported by the higher-ups, or that he didn’t want to research with them. These could be conducted in his own private institute.

Besides, he had a family and needed to leave something behind. At the very least, achieving financial freedom so his family would no longer have to worry about money was something he ought to do.

“A materials research institute? Carbon materials and polymer energy film materials?”

Chen Zhengping was momentarily stunned, then began to think quickly. “There are quite a few materials research institutes here in Nanjing, but not many that fit your criteria.”

“Most materials institutes only research either carbon materials or polymer energy film materials, not both.”

“Of course, the main issue is your limited budget. Twenty million yuan won’t buy you a top-tier materials research institute.”

“How about this? I’ll ask around for you. Are you buying it for your own use? If so, I’d suggest you build one yourself. It might be smaller, but you can choose and customize the environment and equipment to better suit your needs.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Building a new one would be too time-consuming. Let’s just buy one to use for now, treat it as a practice run. The investment isn’t that large anyway.”

Chen Zhengping couldn’t help but chuckle. “Twenty million yuan, you really don’t treat money as money, do you? This must be your personal investment, right? You’ve probably put in all the prize money and rewards you’ve received over the years, haven’t you?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, just about. It’s fine. If the money’s gone, I can just earn more.”

Over the years, he had won numerous awards, big and small, netting him around twenty million yuan in prize money and rewards.

In addition, during his three years at Princeton, he had made some money by investing through a local fund company. He currently had about thirty million yuan in cash.

So, investing twenty million in a materials research institute was not an issue for him at all.

Moreover, he could guarantee that with an investment of twenty million today, he would see a return of at least two billion within a year at most.

With the right breakthroughs, scientific research could quickly be converted into vast sums of money.

Chen Zhengping didn’t try to persuade him further. He knew Xu Chuan’s character. While he appeared gentle and mild-mannered on the surface, like a scholar straight out of a book, he was actually determined to see through anything he set his mind to.

Nodding, he said, “In that case, I’ll help you look.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher.”

After having lunch at his advisor’s home, Xu Chuan took his leave. Walking through the quiet campus, a smile appeared on his face.

It was late August, and Nanjing University had not yet started its semester, so there were few people around. But in about ten more days, a new batch of students, just like him a few years ago, would step onto this campus, striving to grow and thrive.

As he thought about this, his younger sister came to mind.

That girl, Xu Xiao, had graduated from high school in June. Her grades were quite good; she scored seven hundred and three points. Combined with the gold medal she won at the International Mathematical Olympiad, her bonus points brought her total score to over seven hundred and twenty.

With such a score, she could have her pick of any university in China.

The school she chose was Tsinghua University, which he had just visited the day before. Her major was Biochemistry, fulfilling her own dream and, in a way, the dream of Father Xu and Mother Xu as well.

Back then, they had been a little disappointed when he didn’t choose Tsinghua or Peking University, opting for Nanjing University instead.

After all, in the minds of the older generation, Tsinghua and Peking University were the best universities in the country. To be admitted to either was a great honor, something that would make their ancestors proud.

The only one who was probably a bit vexed and frustrated was Old Tang from Star City No. 1 High School.

He had guided Xu Chuan in physics, cultivating him as his most prized talent, only for Xu Chuan to switch to mathematics in his third year of high school.

Later, when Xu Xiao came along, he took her under his wing for physics as well, treating her as a key talent and hoping to repeat the glory of the previous generation.

After all, even though Xu Chuan had switched to math, he had still won a gold medal in the Physics Olympiad.

But as it turned out, that girl left even earlier. She switched to chemistry and biology in her second year, leaving physics behind completely.

Two promising talents had left him one after another, much to his frustration.

After taking care of some matters in Nanjing, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to his hometown.

He had been at Princeton in June and had missed his sister Xu Xiao’s college entrance exam. To make up for it, he had promised to take her to college when she started.

It was almost September now, and it was time to fulfill that promise.

Coincidentally, during his visit to Academician Peng Hongxi at Tsinghua University, he had also agreed to give a conference presentation there. It was a good opportunity to take care of both at once.

After spending a few days in his hometown, Xu Chuan took Xu Xiao to Beijing before the semester began.

At the end of August, the day before Xu Xiao’s matriculation, he received a message from the higher-ups.

After more than half a month of discussion, and after consulting the opinions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the leadership had made a final decision.

The “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy,” the development of room-temperature superconducting materials, and the Ultra-high Temperature Plasma Turbulence Control System, along with a series of related projects, were officially approved.

The overall project leader was Xu Chuan. The projects would be launched in phases, with the first phase being the nuclear beta radiation energy conversion mechanism that Xu Chuan had proposed. The first batch of research funding, amounting to one billion yuan, had already been allocated to a dedicated account.

One billion yuan in research funding was a considerable sum.

In the history of China’s scientific research, projects that received such a large amount of initial funding were few and far between.

The tungsten diselenide material research project that Chen Zhengping had led received only a little over ten million yuan in funding.

Of course, Xu Chuan’s one billion yuan was not solely for research and development. It also included the establishment of a nuclear energy laboratory, the purchase of corresponding equipment, and the recruitment of personnel.

It sounded like a lot, but for a project in nuclear energy, the money would be spent very quickly.

If nothing else, a Nuclear Engineering and Nuclear Technology laboratory alone would cost over a hundred million yuan to build. Then there was the purchase of various experimental equipment, all of which would consume vast amounts of capital.

As for the work to be done before the nuclear energy laboratory was fully completed, Xu Chuan planned to borrow the facilities of the “Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences” in Shanghai.

Compared to nuclear waste decommissioned from a nuclear power plant, the radioactivity of ordinary nuclear fuel is almost negligible. Even high-concentration uranium materials like uranium yellow or yellowcake can be handled directly without causing significant harm to the human body.

Of course, this was on the condition that it did not enter the body, a-s through the lungs, nasal passages, or eyes.

The word “nuclear” strikes fear into people’s hearts because of highly destructive things like nuclear weapons and nuclear contamination. However, before a chain reaction is initiated, ordinary nuclear fuel can be handled safely with simple protective gear like plastic gloves, goggles, and masks.

Ordinary nuclear materials, such as uranium ore and uranium metal, are not highly dangerous.

In ancient times, people even used the unique color of uranium ore as a coloring agent for porcelain and as a glaze material.

For example, many of the famous porcelain items used by the Song dynasty’s imperial court, such as Jian-ware bowls and porcelain fired in dragon kilns, were glazed using uranium ore.

The facilities at the “Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences” in Shanghai were more than adequate to complete this stage of the research.

Once the higher-ups’ decision was made, the relevant approval documents were issued quickly.

Upon receiving the documents, Xu Chuan found Han Jin.

During the days he had been away, this competent manager had already contacted and screened some nuclear physics researchers. It was not a large number, only ten people, but all of them held at least a postdoctoral degree and possessed extensive research experience.

This was what Xu Chuan had requested.

The first batch of researchers was to be about quality, not quantity. The mechanism for converting nuclear beta radiation into electricity was a technology he had fully perfected in his past life. He was like a prophet, knowing exactly how many people were needed and what steps to take to perfect this technology.

The small group’s first meeting was held in the hotel where Xu Chuan was staying.

The hotel manager, Xia Huarong, had arranged a small conference room for them.

In the conference room, Han Jin sat calmly to one side of the head seat, while the other five recruited researchers were scattered on both sides, talking and discussing in low voices, extremely curious about the empty main seat.

Initially, they thought Professor Han was the project leader, but they later learned that he wasn’t; the person in charge was someone else.

The researchers were all curious about this mysterious boss and also a little worried about whether the project was reliable.

After all, on the surface, this was clearly a newly established project, yet the terms Han Jin offered when recruiting them were exceptionally generous.

A probationary annual salary of one hundred and fifty thousand yuan, which would increase to two hundred thousand yuan upon becoming a permanent employee. The probation period was six months, after which they could apply for the position of intern researcher. After one year as an intern researcher, they could become an official researcher.

For domestic researchers, this was an almost fatal attraction.

What truly moved these researchers was not the two hundred thousand yuan annual salary, but the opportunity to become an official researcher after just one year as an intern.

In China, an official researcher could, to some extent, be considered equivalent to a full professor at a university. They could have their own laboratory, apply for independent research funding, conduct independent research, and hire other postdocs, assistant researchers, and so on.

The various benefits and compensation were far superior to those of an assistant researcher or a postdoc.

In addition to the regular benefits, official researchers could also participate in profit sharing from the project’s results and even own a portion of the patent rights for the research成果.

But in China, becoming an official researcher was extremely difficult. For a doctoral student to become an official researcher, if they were in a university, they would first have to complete a postdoc, then choose a professor to work for as an assistant, then become an associate professor, and only after that could they become a full professor and an official researcher.

Following this conventional path would take at least six to eight years.

By the time they became official researchers after six to eight years, according to the domestic education system, they would likely be around forty years old.

At forty, one could be said to be past the golden age of a researcher’s career. Making significant achievements would be nearly impossible.

But now, they could become official researchers in just a year and a half.

This shortened the timeline by a full five to six years, heralding a much brighter future.

But did the boss of this project really have the ability to provide them with such benefits?

After all, whether in national universities or research institutions, the number of official researcher positions was limited each year. A position that previously required a desperate struggle or years of grinding now seemed within reach.

Was this possible?

Did the boss of this project truly have that much power?

Just as they were thinking, the door to the office was suddenly pushed open, and an exceptionally young man walked in.

After getting a clear look at the young man’s face, and after Han Jin stood up and called out “Boss,” everyone in the office froze, their mouths agape in disbelief.

This was their boss?

Chapter 226: An Extremely Dangerous Experiment

The office was silent.

The dozen or so researchers, who had not yet officially started, stared in disbelief at the young man who pushed open the door and walked in.

This was their boss, the person in charge of this project?

Were their eyes playing tricks on them, or were they hallucinating? The person who walked in was God Chuan, the one who had just won the Fields Medal this month?

Everyone wore a look of astonishment. It was impossible for them to mistake Xu Chuan’s face; they could only wonder if they were seeing things or hallucinating.

Just a short while ago, China had won its very first Fields Medal, and the state’s promotional efforts were staggering, even greater than for past Nobel laureates.

He was all over the television news and the internet’s trending charts.

Under such circumstances, how could they, a bunch of research grunts, not recognize Xu Chuan? Even if he wasn’t in their field, they would know who he was.

If it was Xu Chuan—no, if it was God Chuan—then it made perfect sense that Han Jin could offer them such generous compensation.

For a Fields Medalist, a few official researcher positions were nothing he would even bat an eye at.

Besides, if they had the chance to work under a Fields Medalist, who would even care about securing a position as an official researcher?

If this project yielded results, it wouldn’t matter if their names weren’t first, second, or even third author. A simple mention in the project report would be more than enough.

Doing research under a Fields Medalist was the ultimate way to burnish one’s resume.

After this, whether it was national universities or research institutes and labs, they would all be scrambling to hire them.

The official researcher position was completely irrelevant.

The most important thing right now was to find a way to stay!

Looking at the researchers in the office, each with a different expression, Xu Chuan smiled and sat down at the head of the table.

He coughed lightly, pulling everyone back from their thoughts, and began, “This is our first time meeting, so I’ll introduce myself first. Of course, I believe you all probably know who I am.”

“My name is Xu Chuan. From now on, you can call me Professor Xu.”

As soon as he finished, a younger researcher excitedly asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“God Chuan, is this nuclear project we’re participating in really yours?”

At this question, all eyes turned to Xu Chuan, filled with anticipation.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “The ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology project isn’t actually my project.”

“It’s a project funded by the state for research and development. I’m merely serving as its director.”

When they heard the first sentence, the hearts of the researchers in the office tightened, and they held their breath. But the second sentence that followed immediately calmed everyone down, and they let out a long sigh of relief.

God Chuan was quite the trickster, scaring them like that.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the researchers’ reactions and continued, “Although this isn’t my project, I will be fully responsible for its management.”

“This nuclear project, in my opinion, doesn’t require ten researchers. By my estimation, two to five people will be eliminated over the next six months. Your performance will determine whether you stay or go.”

“There will be a six-month probationary period. Those who perform satisfactorily can stay, while those who don’t meet the standards will be automatically dismissed.”

“Of course, if you all perform exceptionally well, it’s also possible for everyone to stay.”

“I hope I’ll still be seeing all of you in six months.”

“Additionally.”

Xu Chuan didn’t say much more. He came in and immediately asserted that he held the power of life and death, controlling the fate of everyone present, and established some rules.

It couldn’t be helped; he was just too young.

At not even twenty-one years old, he was a good ten years younger than even the youngest researcher present.

This huge age gap would inevitably lead people to have certain reservations.

Especially in China, societal norms and traditional cultural impressions are difficult things to change.

He didn’t require these researchers to have much innovative capacity at the moment. It was enough for them to do their jobs well according to his arrangements.

In short: just do what I tell you to do, and don’t cause any trouble.

He didn’t want people in his team who would pull rank based on their age, even though they had already been screened once during the interview process.

Of course, if such a person did appear, he wouldn’t mind kicking them out directly.

After all, in China, they were short on everything except people. If he kicked one person out, he could get a replacement before the next day even began.

After laying out these ground rules, Xu Chuan assigned the first task before the formal research began.

He looked around at the people in the office and said, “Regarding the theoretical foundation for the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology project, I have already completed the preliminary work.”

“Professor Han will send you the relevant research paper and materials.”

“Before we officially begin the project research, your task is to fully familiarize yourselves with the paper and materials within one month.”

“I trust that for everyone here, this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“In a month’s time, I will conduct your first assessment, which will also be the first critical point determining whether you can stay.”

“Good luck, everyone.”

Hearing this, the dozen or so researchers couldn’t help but swallow hard.

A month to fully grasp the theoretical basis of a project was a lot of pressure, even for a postdoc.

And the assessment that followed made everyone’s heart leap into their throats.

If they failed the assessment, it would be a huge embarrassment.

While Xu Chuan was arranging for the project’s launch, things were also set in motion on the other side of the country, over a thousand kilometers away in Jiangsu Province, following the establishment of the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy Technology Project.”

In Qidong City, which was relatively close to Shanghai, a vast swathe of coastal land exceeding 20,000 mu was designated for the construction of a research institute and a nuclear power plant.

(Note: 20,000 mu is approximately 13.3 square kilometers or 3,300 acres.)

All residents within this 20,000-mu area would be relocated once the project achieved certain research results and confirmed that nuclear waste could be reused.

Although the chosen area was already relatively remote with a low population density, it still involved over a thousand households.

After all, given China’s population density, there were basically no uninhabited areas along the coast.

Relocating so many people was undoubtedly a massive undertaking.

In fact, if it were simply for building a research institute and a nuclear power plant, it wouldn’t require nearly so much land; two to three thousand mu would have been more than enough.

But the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy Technology” project was not just researching nuclear energy, but also the most dangerous part of it—nuclear waste.

If the project was completed and it was ultimately confirmed that nuclear waste could be reused, this location could potentially receive radioactive nuclear waste from all nuclear power plants across the country.

Even with the current number of power plants, before any expansion, the amount of nuclear waste produced nationwide already exceeded 1,500 tons annually.

Once expansion begins, with China’s capabilities, it wouldn’t be impossible for the annual amount of nuclear waste to exceed ten thousand tons.

With so much nuclear waste, if an accident were to happen, an area with a radius of over ten kilometers would likely become a heavily contaminated zone.

However, if it was truly confirmed that nuclear waste could be reused, the most likely scenario would be to build a new, massive waste processing base in an uninhabited area of the Taklamakan Desert in the west.

At that point, all of the nation’s nuclear waste would be transported there for centralized processing.

They could even choose to accept nuclear waste from other countries, in addition to their own.

Of course, this would require some form of quid pro quo.

Processing nuclear waste is a troublesome affair. If you don’t offer something in return, do you think I’ll let you ship it over?

Even if, by then, nuclear waste was no longer a difficult pollutant for China to handle but a source of energy for power generation, they wouldn’t just let you send it over for free.

As for how to weigh the pros and cons, that was none of Xu Chuan’s business.

In early September, universities across the country officially started their new school year one after another.

In Beijing, Xu Chuan dragged Xu Xiao’s suitcase and sent the girl off to Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University had invited him to attend the opening ceremony a few days later, but he politely declined.

He didn’t have that much time for such things. After dropping Xiaoxiao off at school, he rushed back to Jiangsu without a moment’s rest, heading for the project base that was still under development.

Less than a week had passed since the official order from the higher-ups was issued and Xu Chuan arrived at the project base.

But in that week, the remote area that had been marked out was already piled high with various construction equipment and industrial vehicles. At the same time, all sorts of transport trucks and engineering vehicles were continuously arriving on the roads.

The company responsible for the construction of the research institute was the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group Co., Ltd.

The day after the official order came down, this state-owned enterprise had won the bid with astonishing speed, completed all the procedures, and then began to arrange for personnel to enter the site and start preliminary construction preparations.

The reason the research institute was being built in Qidong City was partly because it was near the sea, and a nuclear power plant required a large amount of water for cooling.

Another reason was its proximity to Shanghai, allowing Xu Chuan to transfer over quickly once the institute was completed.

Furthermore, Jiangsu had experience in constructing large-scale nuclear industrial facilities.

A subsidiary of the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, the China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction Co., Ltd., was located in Jiangsu. It had previously undertaken the construction of the “Two Bombs, One Submarine” test base, as well as many other important nuclear and military-industrial projects.

In addition, Qidong was not far from Nanjing, making travel convenient.

Taking all these factors into account, the final location for the research institute was chosen here.

Actually, Xu Chuan had initially wanted to build the institute directly in Shanghai.

But Shanghai wasn’t part of Jiangsu, which would make communication and management somewhat troublesome. Moreover, Shanghai didn’t have enough land for him to build something like this.

And if something went wrong during the experiment, it would also affect Shanghai’s economy.

After all, any project involving nuclear radiation, even a small-scale research study in an institute’s lab, was difficult to put people’s minds at ease about.

A one-billion-yuan research project was massive, but it was completely insignificant compared to Shanghai’s GDP.

At the construction site, vehicles came and went, kicking up clouds of dust. The roar of excavators and cement mixers was deafening, a constant clamor of banging and crashing.

Xu Chuan first met with ‘Luo Linsong’, the person in charge of managing the construction site. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they entered a temporary prefabricated building together.

Inside the room, a middle-aged to elderly man was hunched over a desk, looking at photos and blueprints, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Engineer Qi, Professor Xu is here,” the middle-aged man, Luo Linsong, called out to the man at the desk.

Hearing the voice, the man, who wore gold-rimmed glasses, quickly looked up, his gaze falling on Xu Chuan.

Beside them, Luo Linsong continued the introduction, “This is Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer sent by the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group. Engineer Qi is currently conducting preliminary surveys and is responsible for designing the entire research institute and the adjacent nuclear power plant. Professor Xu, if you have any requirements, you can bring them up directly with Engineer Qi.”

Xu Chuan smiled, walked forward, and extended his right hand. “Hello, Engineer Qi.”

Qi Zhongxing stood up, walked over with a smile, and shook his hand. “Seeing is truly believing. Professor Xu, you’re even more young and promising than the legends say.”

After a few pleasantries, Xu Chuan got straight to the point. “Engineer Qi, I have a requirement regarding the construction of the research institute.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded, his expression serious. “Go ahead.”

“First, I need a room in the research facility, underground, with a floor area of at least three hundred square meters,” Xu Chuan began.

“This room will be used for experiments on reusing nuclear waste. Therefore, it needs to be highly sealed, and the entire structure of the room must use lead for a central sandwich layer of protection to prevent nuclear radiation from the waste from leaking out in case of an accident.”

“Second, in the walls of this central room, except for the floor, the other three sides need to have a gap of about two to three centimeters left open. We’ll need to fill it with some materials later.”

Qi Zhongxing thought for a moment and replied, “None of that is a problem. I’ve already considered the safety aspects. Not just the individual experiment room, but the entire central laboratory will be constructed with materials mixed with lead plates to ensure personnel safety to the greatest extent.”

“As for the gap you mentioned, we can use a double-layer construction method for that. It’s not a big issue either.”

He paused, then asked, “I just need to know the approximate radiation intensity of the materials you’ll be using for your experiments. I need to arrange the corresponding thickness of the lead layer.”

Xu Chuan replied, “Let’s handle it according to the standard for spent fuel rods discharged from a nuclear reactor.”

Hearing this, Qi Zhongxing frowned. “If that’s the case, the thickness of the lead layer in the central lab’s walls will probably need to exceed three centimeters. You’re just conducting experiments; do you really need to use nuclear waste with such a high level of radiation?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “The treatment methods for different types of nuclear waste are all different. This is a very dangerous experiment, so it’s better to stick to the highest standards.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded, his expression solemn. “No problem. I’ll make a special note of this. You can personally inspect and approve it when the time comes.”

Although he didn’t know the details of this experimental project, he was all too aware of the intense radiation of spent fuel rods from a nuclear reactor.

If an ordinary person were to touch such material with their bare hands, they likely wouldn’t survive for more than a week before dying from bleeding from every orifice and organ rot.

Experimenting on nuclear waste… just the thought of it was a terrifying prospect.

One small mistake, and it would be all over.

Chapter 227: Methods to Counteract Nuclear Radiation

Qi Zhongxing felt a sense of admiration for the young man before him.

As a nuclear energy professional, he knew exactly how dangerous the word “nuclear” could be.

In his youth, he had participated in the creation of the Two Bombs. The decorated hero of that project, Elder Deng, had died from radiation exposure. Before his passing, even his urine had become highly radioactive, and he was in immense pain.

And at that time, Elder Deng had only been exposed to radiation from fragments of a nuclear bomb that had not yet undergone a full chain reaction.

In comparison, the radiation intensity of spent fuel rods taken from a nuclear power plant was far greater—more than ten times so.

To conduct research on such an extremely dangerous substance, regardless of whether it could succeed, the courage alone was worthy of admiration.

Beside him, Xu Chuan wasn’t thinking about it that much.

The research and reuse of nuclear waste was a task he had already completed in his past life.

As for the danger, it certainly existed, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as Qi Zhongxing and the others imagined.

The contamination from nuclear waste was indeed potent, and the intense radiation was terrifying, but it wasn’t as if there were no countermeasures.

For example, one could use radiation-shielding concrete, lead, steel, and other heavy metal materials to make containers for storing nuclear waste or for radiation protection.

Take lead, for instance. Its ability to block radiation stems from its tightly packed atomic structure and high density, which effectively prevents rays from passing through and is excellent at blocking X-rays and various radioactive rays.

In hospitals, when doctors perform X-ray fluoroscopy for diagnosis, they often have a lead plate protecting their chests. Workers at nuclear reactors also frequently wear large, lead-lined aprons.

This was the primary method currently used by countries around the world for storing nuclear waste or for radiation protection—using the high density of materials to resist the impact of strong radiation.

Theoretically, any material with a high density could be used for radiation protection.

For example, the metal osmium has a density much greater than lead. Lead’s density is 11.3437 g/cm³, while osmium’s is 22.59 g/cm³, more than double.

In theory, a protective suit made of osmium would be better than one made of lead, but correspondingly, such a suit would likely weigh several tons.

Coupled with the fact that osmium is much more expensive than lead, it is not suitable for use as a radiation-shielding material.

In contrast, lead, which costs just a few yuan per half-kilogram and is both cheap and effective, is undoubtedly a more suitable choice.

However, traditional lead materials also have their own disadvantages when dealing with nuclear radiation.

For instance, current lead shielding materials are difficult to wrap around objects, result in high radiation doses for workers, and make it hard to guarantee the safety, quality, and effectiveness of the shielding.

These shortcomings make it difficult for lead materials to perfectly withstand the impact of nuclear radiation.

Faced with this traditional approach, Xu Chuan adjusted his thinking on how to counter the impact of radiation.

He no longer focused on using traditional high-density materials to deal with radiation impact, instead turning his attention to other fields.

Nuclear radiation is so terrifying because it can cause ionization or excitation in matter.

Ultimately, nuclear radiation is a stream of high-energy microscopic particles released when an atomic nucleus transitions from one structure or energy state to another.

These high-energy particles have extremely strong penetrating power. When the lattice atoms of nuclear structural materials are struck, the impacted atoms are displaced, leaving behind a vacancy at their original lattice point.

Due to the presence of these numerous irradiation defects, when nuclear energy materials undergo plastic deformation under external loads, the movement of internal dislocations is affected by these defects, thus significantly altering their mechanical properties.

Examples include hardening, embrittlement, creep, and fatigue.

This is the so-called material irradiation effect, and it is the main reason why nuclear waste is currently so difficult to handle.

It is because no material has been found that can withstand high-intensity radiation from spent fuel for a long period.

For the human body, the tiny high-energy particles in nuclear radiation are like a stream of bullets. When they hit the body, they act on a person’s DNA, breaking the DNA chains and physiologically halting the metabolism of normal cells.

The human body relies on cell metabolism; old cells die, and the body replicates new cells according to its DNA. But if nuclear radiation breaks the DNA, normal new cells can no longer be created.

This manifests as internal bleeding and organ failure throughout the body, and then the person kicks the bucket.

This is precisely what makes nuclear radiation so terrifying. It is like a set of sharp scalpels that can dismantle materials at the atomic level.

Lead can resist radiation because its high density allows it to block the vast majority of microscopic particles without being dismantled in a short period.

But besides this method, are there other ways to counter the scalpel of nuclear radiation?

Yes!

For example, the “Atomic Cycle” technology!

This was a new method that Xu Chuan had spent nearly three years finding in his past life.

The danger of nuclear radiation lies in its super-strong ionizing ability, which can destroy the grain boundaries, structures, and other properties of traditional materials, leading to embrittlement, weakening, and loss of characteristics.

But what if there was a material whose grain boundary structure could repair itself as fast as the nuclear radiation could ionize it?

Wouldn’t that mean it could perfectly intercept nuclear radiation?

The “Atomic Cycle Technology” was established based on this theory.

In his past research, Xu Chuan had found a material—“Crystalline Erbium Zirconate.”

This material could almost perfectly fit this theory.

Not only could it withstand the intense assault of radiation, but it could also rapidly self-repair after its grain boundaries were ionized, re-condensing into a stable grain boundary structure.

The primary materials that make up “Crystalline Erbium Zirconate,” erbium zirconate and erbium titanate, can resist radiation for extended periods through the continuous movement of atoms within the material.

Ceramics made from this material can store nuclear waste for a long time, at least over one hundred thousand years.

Subsequently, Xu Chuan followed this line of research to develop a series of radiation-resistant materials to deal with nuclear radiation.

This formed the foundation of the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy.”

With these technologies and materials, Xu Chuan dared to face nuclear waste directly, turning what was originally an incredibly dangerous substance into a paper tiger.

After spending a few days at the construction site and discussing and confirming some of the research institute’s functions and style with Chief Engineer Qi, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing.

The institute was under construction, and the first batch of ten recruited researchers were familiarizing themselves with the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” research paper.

For the next month, he would have time to attend to his own affairs.

At Nanjing University, in Chen Zhengping’s office, Xu Chuan was flipping through two documents.

Across from him, Chen Zhengping sipped his hot tea and explained, “I’ve already found the research institute you wanted.”

“However, due to your limited budget, and the fact that not all institutes are willing to be sold, I haven’t been able to find many.”

“After some selection, the two in your hands are the most suitable.”

“The first is called the ‘Zijin Composite Materials Research Laboratory.’ It’s relatively small, covering an area of about fifty mu, and doesn’t have many researchers, currently fewer than twenty. However, it has research qualifications for both carbon materials and polymer energy film materials, as well as some equipment. The asking price is thirteen million.”

“The second is called the ‘Advanced Polymer Materials Research Institute.’ It’s a bit larger, covering about one hundred mu, with nearly forty doctoral and master’s students. It primarily engages in the synthesis, application research, and product development of polymer energy film materials.”

“However, it lacks research capabilities in the field of carbon materials, mainly due to a lack of talent and complete equipment, though it has the qualifications. The asking price is twenty-one million.”

“You can take a look at both of these. If neither is suitable, I can look for more.”

Chen Zhengping had gone to great lengths to find a suitable research institute.

He had reviewed the information for over a dozen institutes during this period, finally selecting these two.

As an Academician who usually presided over research projects worth tens of millions, for him to personally select a materials research institute that could be bought for twenty million yuan… it could only be described as a labor of love.

After carefully reading through the two documents, Xu Chuan said, “Let’s go with the first one, the ‘Zijin Composite Materials Research Laboratory.’ It doesn’t matter if the institute is a bit small; as long as the qualifications and equipment are complete, that’s enough.”

Chen Zhengping nodded. “Alright, I’ll have Fan Pengyue handle this for you. We can negotiate the price a bit more; it should be possible to bring it down.”

Hearing this, a thought struck Xu Chuan, and he asked, “Is Senior Fan still at Nanjing University?”

Chen Zhengping let out a sound of affirmation. “He’s doing his postdoc now and is about to be promoted to assistant professor. Why, do you have something in mind?”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “I have other things on my plate, so I probably won’t have much time to manage my own research institute…”

Chen Zhengping’s eyelids twitched. At first, he thought Xu Chuan wanted to poach Fan Pengyue for his research institute. He had guessed the poaching part right, but the position was completely different.

He had assumed it would be for a researcher role, at best an official researcher, but it turned out to be a managerial position.

The difference between the two was huge.

If a researcher were to take a management path, it would take at least eight to ten years to reach a director-level position.

And that was for a small to medium-sized research institute. For a large institute or a state-backed research institution, it would take even longer.

Now, with Xu Chuan poaching Fan Pengyue, he would start directly as a director, or even higher, which would save him at least eight years.

Although Fan Pengyue was currently doing postdoctoral research under him and had access to considerable research resources and projects, following Xu Chuan wouldn’t be a bad choice either.

As the first Chinese national to win the Fields Medal, the resources, research funding, and projects Xu Chuan could secure would be no less than what he, an Academician, could.

Comparing the two, one path was to remain a postdoc and grind for a long time to become a professor; the other was to manage a research institute, which was practically a shortcut to success.

The choice was obvious to anyone.

The only question was, could Fan Pengyue handle the responsibility?

Chen Zhengping didn’t even consider whether to let him go or not. His concern was whether Fan Pengyue’s abilities were sufficient to help Xu Chuan support this research institute.

Compared to Fan Pengyue, who was already thirty and still a postdoc, Chen Zhengping undoubtedly valued and preferred Xu Chuan more. He was sparing no effort to help him.

With this in mind, he voiced his doubts.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Senior Fan is very capable. He has learned a lot from you, Advisor. Besides, haven’t you put him in charge of managing many of your projects over the years? I believe in his abilities.”

After a pause, he continued, “It’s just that my institute isn’t very big, with total assets of only twenty million, not even enough for one of your research projects, Advisor. I just hope Senior Fan won’t mind that the institute is too small.”

Chen Zhengping considered it for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll give him a call and ask him to come over.”

Xu Chuan didn’t stand on ceremony, smiling. “Thank you for the trouble, Teacher.”

He was really taking this “fleecing his advisor” thing to the extreme.

Not only did Chen Zhengping help him find the research institute, but he was also poaching management personnel from under his nose.

If it were anyone else, he would have probably been chased out with a broom by now.

After receiving Chen Zhengping’s call, Fan Pengyue hurried over.

“Junior, you’re back!”

In the office, Fan Pengyue’s face lit up with a surprised grin when he saw Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan looked Fan Pengyue up and down, noting his increasingly burly physique, and said with a smile, “Looks like Senior Bear has been doing well these past two years.”

Beside them, Chen Zhengping also chuckled. “This guy is looking more and more like a bear. A little more meat and he’ll really be one.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head.

In terms of build, he had indeed put on quite a bit of weight recently. At thirty, a man’s body is no longer his own.

But he was a man from the Northeast; wasn’t it normal for him to be a bit sturdy?

After a couple of lighthearted jokes, Xu Chuan got to the point and explained his idea.

Listening to Xu Chuan’s invitation, Fan Pengyue was at first astonished, then overjoyed, and then bewildered.

He glanced at Xu Chuan, then at Chen Zhengping, and replied cautiously, “Um, junior, I’m still doing my postdoc with my Advisor. And to take over the management of a research institute directly… I’m afraid I don’t have that kind of ability.”

As for being tempted, no one would be unimpressed by the offer Xu Chuan was making.

The research institute might be small, but it had everything it needed.

On one hand, he would have to struggle for many years to be promoted to professor at Nanjing University. On the other hand, he could walk straight to the pinnacle of his life. No one would turn that down.

But in front of his advisor, Fan Pengyue couldn’t just agree on the spot. After all, Chen Zhengping had treated him very well.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’ve already discussed it with our Teacher. Although it’s not great to poach from one’s own teacher, I’m short on trustworthy help, so I had no choice but to ask to borrow someone from him.”

Chen Zhengping glanced at Xu Chuan and said, “You don’t need to worry about my side of things. For you, this is an excellent opportunity. Following Xu Chuan is better than following me.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue took a deep breath and made up his mind. “In that case, I’ll give it a try.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Welcome aboard, Senior Fan~”

After a pause, he turned to Chen Zhengping and said brazenly, “Teacher, I was also hoping to ask if you would be a consultant at the institute. I wonder if that would be convenient.”

Chen Zhengping gave Xu Chuan an exasperated look. “You brat, isn’t poaching Fan Pengyue enough? Now you’re getting ideas about me?”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Well, I’m just getting started in materials science, and there’s still a lot I don’t understand. If you’re a consultant, Teacher, I can continue learning from you and be your student.”

Chapter 228: Chuanhai Materials Research Institute

After poaching Senior Fan from his Advisor and roping said Advisor into serving as a consultant for his own institute, Xu Chuan left, feeling quite satisfied.

As for the acquisition of the institute called “Zijin Composite Materials Research Laboratory,” the task naturally fell to Fan Pengyue.

Xu Chuan didn’t involve himself in the matter, not even bothering to visit the laboratory.

This was because the information Chen Zhengping had given him was incredibly detailed, with comprehensive records of everything from the building and facilities to the researchers, and even the age and condition of the various pieces of equipment in the lab.

With such detailed information and Senior Fan handling the due diligence, it didn’t matter whether he went to see it in person or not.

Before he could officially begin his research, he had some other things to take care of.

Following a familiar path, Xu Chuan made his way to Principal Liu Gaojun’s office.

He knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, “Please come in.”

Xu Chuan pushed the door open, walked in, and greeted with a smile, “Principal.”

At his desk, Liu Gaojun was working through a pile of documents. He looked up, saw Xu Chuan, and after a moment of surprise, a smile spread across his face.

Rising from his chair, Liu Gaojun walked over to a nearby cabinet with a smile, taking out tea leaves to brew a pot as he welcomed Xu Chuan.

“Why didn’t you give us a heads-up before coming back? The university didn’t even have time to prepare a welcome.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s nothing important. Why go through all that trouble?”

Liu Gaojun laughed. “A Fields Medal laureate gracing Nanjing University with his presence—how is that not important?”

Shaking his head with a smile, Xu Chuan teased, “How about this? Tsinghua University invited me to be a professor, so I’ll go there. Then, every time I come back to see you, you can arrange a grand welcome?”

Hearing this, Liu Gaojun replied with a serious expression, “Absolutely not. We already agreed on this.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “There you go then. I’m not an outsider, so why make things so complicated?”

“I like the sound of that,” Liu Gaojun said with a hearty laugh, pleased by Xu Chuan’s use of “one of us.”

After a bit of small talk, Liu Gaojun brought over a cup of tea and asked, “Have you found a place to live yet?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not yet, I’m still looking for a house.”

He wasn’t too worried about accommodation. Before returning to the country, he had spoken with Minister Mu, who had mentioned that no matter which city he worked in, the state would provide him with housing.

If he didn’t find a house, he could stay in a hotel and have the expenses reimbursed. None of this was an issue.

Liu Gaojun said, “The university has some villas available for professors. Some are near Zijin Mountain, others are on various campuses. Would you like to take a look and see if there’s anything you like?”

Xu Chuan considered it. “That works. I’ll take a look. A place from the university would be close, which would be convenient for me as a professor here.”

“But I’ll probably need to buy another house as well, for handling some other research and affairs.”

Liu Gaojun didn’t mind. “Alright,” he said with a smile, “I’ll have someone send the housing information to your email. You can take your pick.”

Neither of them dwelled on the matter of housing. Even though a villa in Nanjing could cost upwards of ten million yuan, with prime locations being even more expensive, it was a trivial matter for both Xu Chuan and Nanjing University.

Taking a sip of hot tea, Liu Gaojun continued, “The military training will be over soon. Will you be free for the opening ceremony? The university would like to invite you to give a speech to encourage the new students.”

Xu Chuan asked, “What day?”

He had previously declined an invitation to Tsinghua University’s opening ceremony, but relationships varied in closeness. Nanjing University was his alma mater, and he was willing to give the speech if he had time. If he was truly busy, then there was nothing to be done.

“It’s currently scheduled for September twenty-fifth,” Liu Gaojun replied.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “That should be fine. We can confirm closer to the date. It mainly depends on whether anything else comes up. I recently discussed some research projects with the higher-ups, and they’ve been approved and are now starting. I might be quite busy.”

Liu Gaojun nodded. As the principal of Nanjing University, he held a high rank and was privy to certain matters, which was why he had only extended an invitation.

Moving on, he asked, “There’s one more thing. How would you like to arrange your courses?”

“Let’s start with a course on ‘Algebraic Geometry,’ but I’ll set the specific teaching schedule,” Xu Chuan said after a moment of thought.

As a professor at Nanjing University, his duties, like at Princeton University, included teaching and advising students.

However, at his level, teaching was very flexible. It didn’t matter whether he taught a class or not, especially now that he had other research to attend to.

After spending a few days at Nanjing University, completing the onboarding process for his professorship, and sorting out his living situation and other daily trifles, Fan Pengyue had also finished acquiring the research institute.

For a sum of twelve million yuan, Xu Chuan purchased the “Zijin Composite Materials Research Laboratory” he had previously selected.

This was his first private research institute in the country.

After changing the institute’s name to “Chuanhai Materials Research Institute” at the Administration for Industry and Commerce, Xu Chuan visited the laboratory, located near Zijin Mountain, for the first time.

The previous owner of the institute had already left. The person in charge now was Fan Pengyue.

Although he was only a postdoc, the institute was not large, with only about a dozen researchers.

Fan Pengyue was capable of managing a dozen people. When he was a doctoral student under Chen Zhengping, he had often been responsible for managing entire projects during experiments.

“Boss, you’re here.”

At the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Fan Pengyue, having received the call, hurried out to greet him.

His form of address for Xu Chuan had already changed. Back at the university, he could call him “junior” or “Junior Chuan,” but their positions had now shifted, a fact that Fan Pengyue was sharp enough to understand.

“How’s the institute coming along, Senior Fan? When can we start the materials research?” Xu Chuan didn’t mind Fan Pengyue’s form of address as he followed him into the building.

Fan Pengyue replied, “The relevant materials and data have mostly been sorted out. As per your previous request, there have been no personnel changes for now.”

“However, three people resigned after hearing the institute had a new owner. The three who left were two salespeople and a quality administrator. We’ll need to find replacements for those positions.”

“Right now, there are twenty-three people remaining at the institute. Among them are two official researchers, three assistant researchers, four doctoral students, and four master’s students.”

“The rest are in finance, a quality manager, and some staff for miscellaneous tasks.”

“As for the materials research experiments, we can start at any time. I can temporarily fill in for the missing quality administrator.”

Fan Pengyue quickly reported on the information he had gathered over the past two days. After listening intently, Xu Chuan nodded and said, “You’ve worked hard. We need to fill the vacant positions quickly.”

“For now, let’s go meet the researchers. If there are no problems, the institute needs to get moving. It can’t just sit idle.”

Fan Pengyue nodded. This was the advantage of acquiring a complete institute or laboratory.

As long as the personnel changes weren’t significant, they could quickly dive into subsequent research and development, including continuing any unfinished materials research experiments.

In the office, Xu Chuan observed the dozen or so researchers and other managers, who were, in turn, anxiously sizing up their new boss.

For a small materials research institute, a change of ownership was a major event, especially for the two official researchers.

They both had ongoing research projects, and no one knew if the new boss would cancel them or cut research funding.

This directly concerned their personal interests. If their projects were cut, all the time and effort they had invested would be wasted.

The researchers looked at Xu Chuan with varying expressions: some curious, some surprised, some excited, some shocked.

Not everyone recognized Xu Chuan; quite a few were engrossed in their own research and didn’t pay much attention to the outside world.

Once everyone had arrived, Fan Pengyue started the meeting.

“First on today’s agenda, I’d like to introduce our new boss. I hope everyone won’t get too excited in a moment.”

At the head of the conference table, Fan Pengyue began with a smile. His words piqued some people’s curiosity and made those who had already recognized Xu Chuan even more excited.

“Xu Chuan, Professor Xu, this year’s Fields Medal laureate and the prover of the Hodge Conjecture. Starting today, he is the new boss of our ‘Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.’”

“Let’s welcome him with a round of applause.”

As he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the small conference room. The researchers who had recognized Xu Chuan clapped vigorously, their faces filled with excitement and exhilaration.

The others, who had been in the dark, looked completely astonished.

Though they hadn’t recognized Xu Chuan, it didn’t mean they hadn’t heard the name.

They just never imagined that this legendary figure would appear before them in the flesh and become their boss.

Xu Chuan stood up, nodded with a smile, and greeted everyone in the room.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we can work together smoothly and pleasantly in the days to come.”

The applause in the conference room grew even more fervent. In a small meeting of fewer than twenty people, the clapping sounded like it was coming from a massive crowd.

Xu Chuan gestured with his hands to quiet the thunderous applause. “At today’s meeting, I’m just here to listen. Fan Pengyue will be presiding.”

Beside him, Fan Pengyue nodded and took over the conversation.

“You’ve all met our boss now. I’m confident the institute’s future will be brighter than ever.”

“. . . Next are some work arrangements.”

“First, regarding materials R&D experiments. Currently, our two official researchers each have their own independent materials experiments. I’m aware of their progress and status.”

“However, starting today, both of your materials R&D projects will be put on hold. You will be assigned other tasks.”

In the conference room, Fan Pengyue laid out the work plan while Xu Chuan observed the reactions of the various researchers.

Suspending all current research projects was his decision.

It wouldn’t have been a problem to let them continue. For a materials lab with total assets of only ten to twenty million yuan, the two projects wouldn’t consume much research funding—a million at most. He could have easily continued to fund their development.

However, he wanted to use this opportunity to observe the attitude of the researchers.

Unlike the previous owner of this institute, he didn’t need these researchers to be exceptionally innovative at the moment. As long as they were obedient and could conduct experiments, it was enough. He would arrange all the projects.

But at the same time, he didn’t want any slackers on his team.

Suspending the institute’s projects would harm the interests of most of the staff, and it’s when their own interests are at stake that people’s true character is revealed.

As Fan Pengyue’s announcement sank in, a slight stir went through the conference room.

The new boss had come in and immediately suspended all previous research. For the researchers in the lab, this was a devastating blow.

After all, their bonuses, performance reviews, and earnings were all tied to their experimental projects.

Elsewhere, if a boss dared to suspend an official researcher’s project without reason, the researcher would resign on the spot.

But here, no one spoke up, and no one raised any objections. The two official researchers whose projects were cut didn’t even frown.

No one who reached the position of an official researcher was a fool; a fool couldn’t get that far.

For a research grunt, they knew all too well what it meant to be able to conduct research under a Fields Medal laureate.

Funding, resources, top-tier research journals, fame—all things that were previously almost out of reach would now be within their grasp.

Whether you were a talented individual seeking to advance in academia or a working stiff wanting to earn more money, the choice between continuing your own research and starting over under the direction of a top-tier expert was an obvious one.

After all, in academia, it could be said that once you had fame, you had everything.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many research grunts willing to work for free, just for a chance to do experiments, desperately trying to squeeze their way into a top expert’s lab.

Even doing odd jobs for a top-tier big shot was a way to burnish one’s resume.

In the conference room, Fan Pengyue’s announcements continued.

“. . . In the coming days, the main tasks of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute will be focused on two areas.”

“The first is the research and development of electrolyte materials for lithium batteries.”

“The second is the research and development of artificial SEI film materials for lithium batteries.”

“These two projects will be the focus of the institute’s work. Official Researcher Yu Zhen will be responsible for the R&D of electrolyte materials, and Official Researcher Ye Zan will be responsible for the R&D of artificial SEI film materials.”

“Other research staff will remain in their current roles for now. Continue working with the person you were previously assigned to.”

“If you have any objections, you may raise them now.”

Chapter 229: Working on Multiple Fronts

The conference room was dead silent.

Everyone stared wide-mouthed at Fan Pengyue, but their gazes ultimately fell upon the young man seated at the head of the table.

After a long moment, a middle-aged man hesitantly raised his right hand.

Xu Chuan looked over. The man was one of the two official researchers at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, named Yu Zhen. According to the plan, he was responsible for the R&D of the artificial SEI film material.

“Um, Boss,” Yu Zhen swallowed hard and spoke with some hesitation, “Are we really going to develop an electrolyte solution and an artificial SEI film material for lithium batteries?”

As a materials science researcher, he was well aware of the value behind lithium batteries, and he was just as aware of the difficulties in developing lithium battery materials.

In today’s fast-paced world, against the backdrop of the push for a low-carbon economy, new energy was the primary direction for global development.

And electrical energy, as the most widely used energy source by humanity, was indispensable for everything from military applications to civilian use, whether it was artificial satellites, aerospace, or electric cars, computers, and mobile phones.

The importance of batteries, which store electrical energy, was beyond doubt.

As the type of battery with the best development prospects and performance, lithium batteries were used in almost every corner of society.

The global market for lithium batteries had already exceeded one trillion US dollars, and there was still significant room for growth.

But nothing is perfect, and lithium batteries had their own flaws.

First was capacity. Although lithium batteries had a relatively large capacity compared to other batteries like lead-acid or nickel-metal hydride batteries, they still weren’t enough to keep up with the increasing power consumption of modern electronics.

Second were safety and lifespan.

Lithium batteries generate a great deal of heat during charging and discharging. If the temperature gets too high, it can lead to damage to the battery’s internal structure, irreversible electrochemical reactions, a decrease in capacity, and even dangerous situations like explosions and fires.

As for lifespan, it varied depending on the type and manufacturer of the lithium battery.

Generally, a battery’s capacity will gradually decrease after a certain period of use, and its lifespan is also related to factors such as the operating environment, charging methods, number of charge cycles, and temperature.

There were other drawbacks as well, such as the scarcity and high price of lithium, poor performance in low-temperature environments, complex management systems, and so on.

Relatively speaking, however, capacity, safety, and lifespan were the most pressing concerns for the industrial and battery sectors at present.

In these two areas, countless research institutes, universities, laboratories, and other scientific organizations across more than two hundred countries worldwide were constantly conducting research.

But to this day, there had been no news of any country or research institution achieving a major breakthrough.

Progress in both lithium battery capacity and safety and lifespan was slow, and sometimes it stalled completely.

This showed just how difficult it was to make a breakthrough in lithium battery materials.

The Zijin Composite Materials Research Laboratory—no, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute—had tried to get in on the battery industry action before.

After all, if they actually produced results, it would be an incredibly profitable venture, making them fabulously wealthy overnight.

However, after the previous boss sank hundreds of thousands in funds, their research yielded no results, and they gave up.

Their story was just a microcosm of the lithium battery industry.

Every year, the world poured trillions into the lithium battery industry. China alone sank several hundred billion RMB into it annually.

Although not all this money was for R&D, even if research funding accounted for only a tenth or even a hundredth of the total, the annual investment still exceeded ten billion.

Yu Zhen truly didn’t believe that their small-to-medium-sized materials lab, with total assets of just over ten million, could compete in this arena and produce any results in the lithium battery industry.

He wasn’t the only one; almost everyone in the office, except for Xu Chuan, thought the same, including Fan Pengyue.

The prospects of the lithium battery industry were indeed bright, but opening that door was incredibly difficult, and the money that needed to be poured in started in the hundreds of millions.

The title of Fields Medalist was certainly impressive, but different fields are worlds apart. Could a big shot from the field of mathematics truly dominate the world of materials science?

Many in the conference room held this skeptical attitude, even subconsciously believing that it was impossible to succeed.

Seated at the head of the table, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “The lithium battery industry has a massive and untapped market. There’s no reason not to get in on it and take a slice of the pie.”

“Besides, I’m not completely without experience in the materials industry. My advisor is an Academician in the physics and materials sector. The most famous domestic tungsten diselenide material project was led by him. And he’s now serving as a consultant for our institute.”

“You don’t need to worry about these things, nor do you need to overthink it. Just conduct the experiments according to my requirements and assignments.”

Facing the researchers’ concerns, Xu Chuan brought up his advisor, Chen Zhengping, to lend some credibility. For a project that hadn’t even started, it was important to give these people a glimmer of hope for success.

He was well aware of the value of lithium batteries and the difficulty of developing related materials.

But he was also well aware that right now, if he wanted to use a small stake to win big, to bypass all sorts of patents and acquire a large amount of capital at once, lithium batteries were the best choice.

If he missed this window of opportunity with lithium batteries, it would be nearly impossible to obtain such a large amount of funding through a single patent again.

More importantly, he had the technology in his mind.

As a research expert who had been reborn, even though lithium batteries were not his field of study, he was certainly aware of and understood the cutting-edge technologies.

The solution to the lithium dendrite problem came in 2028, when a materials research institute in the United States developed an artificial SEI film that could effectively control the deposition of lithium ions on the electrode surface, which caused the formation of lithium dendrites.

As someone who had already achieved some success in the materials industry by that time, Xu Chuan had naturally read the relevant research papers and knew the manufacturing method for this artificial SEI film in detail.

Although some details and specific steps were not perfectly clear, this foundation was enough to conduct experiments and replicate it.

Since his rebirth, Xu Chuan had tried his best to avoid using the future achievements of others, especially in academia. He always felt it was a very unseemly thing to do.

But when it came to taking future American technology to strengthen his own country, he had no psychological burden whatsoever.

After arranging the research work at the institute, Fan Pengyue began to oversee the materials development while Xu Chuan made another trip to Qidong City.

At the research base for the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project, construction was in full swing.

Compared to the desolate state on his last visit, the base was now filled with various construction equipment and temporary shelters for the construction workers.

Vehicles moved in and out of the construction site, bringing in various building materials and hauling away the soil and rubble excavated from the site.

Xu Chuan found the chief engineer, Qi Zhongxing, and continued to discuss the research institute’s architectural plans and arrangements.

The initial survey had been completed by Qi Zhongxing, who had been working overtime in a state of urgency. Now, the two of them needed to finalize every aspect of the research institute.

As the person in charge, Xu Chuan needed to understand the detailed situation and sign off on a series of documents, including the revised survey report and construction plans, for the entire project to continue moving forward.

Fortunately, once the initial preparatory work was done, the subsequent construction could be handed over to Qi Zhongxing to manage.

With two projects running concurrently, Xu Chuan was so busy he was run off his feet.

The nuclear energy project needed his attention, and the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s lithium battery project needed him even more.

Even though he had prepared detailed and comprehensive materials in advance, he couldn’t rely on two official researchers to develop the artificial SEI film and the electrolyte solution.

He had to personally solve many of the problems.

This state of being swamped with work continued until the end of September.

Only after both projects entered a stable phase did Xu Chuan finally manage to breathe a small sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, after more than two months, his two students from Princeton, Gu Bing and Amelia, finally sorted out their visas and matters related to studying abroad and flew over from the United States.

After helping Gu Bing and Amelia complete their enrollment procedures at Nanjing University, he laid out their study plans and graduation goals for the coming years.

Their study objectives were not much different from when they were at Princeton; the main focus was still on the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool” used to solve the Hodge Conjecture.

This mathematical tool held great value. If Gu Bing and Amelia mastered it completely, they would have a chance to use it to solve one or two world-class mathematical conjectures.

And the graduation goal Xu Chuan set for them was also based on the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’.

He required that within three years, each of them write a research paper for a top-tier mathematics journal, or collaboratively solve a difficult problem of the Hodge-type conjectures.

Achieving this goal was not easy. It meant that Gu Bing and Amelia not only had to completely master the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ but also develop their own extensions of it.

After resting at Nanjing University for less than two days and getting his two students settled, Xu Chuan hurriedly rushed over to Shanghai.

The ten researchers he had recruited in Beijing for the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project had arrived at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics.

After renting one floor of a research building at the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics to serve as a temporary base, Xu Chuan met with this batch of researchers in a conference room.

Meeting again after a month, Xu Chuan wasted no time and distributed the test papers he had prepared.

The exam was one hour long, and the content covered knowledge points related to the research paper on the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’.

A month was a very short time to fully grasp the paper.

As the creator of this technology, he knew very well its difficulty, as well as the knowledge points and related details within.

It could be said that one month of study was nowhere near enough.

However, what he wanted to see wasn’t whether everyone had fully grasped the paper.

Rather, he wanted to see how much these ten researchers had learned over the past month.

He set a scoring system for today’s assessment: a perfect score of one hundred, with a passing line of sixty.

Achieving a hundred points would mean that even if the researcher hadn’t completely grasped the paper, they weren’t far from it.

As for the sixty-point passing line, it was to screen out those who were just coasting.

He had created this test himself. Out of a total of one hundred points, seventy were basic questions that anyone who had studied with even a little seriousness over the past month could basically get.

If someone couldn’t even get sixty points, it would be better for them to get lost sooner rather than later.

He had no need for people who were slacking off and coasting in the ‘Mechanism…’ project. If they wanted to retire on the job or just burnish their résumés, they could go somewhere else.

As for the remaining thirty points, he used them to identify the talent he would focus on cultivating later.

Although a score couldn’t represent everything, it could at least reveal a few things, such as attitude, insight, and some abilities.

An hour passed quickly.

Han Jin helped collect all the test papers.

There were ten answer sheets, and Xu Chuan began to grade them right in front of everyone.

This made the ten researchers undergoing the assessment feel on edge, worried that they wouldn’t pass.

Those who had been slacking off a bit over the past month and hadn’t studied seriously, or who hadn’t taken this assessment seriously, were especially nervous now.

Grading ten papers didn’t take long for Xu Chuan.

Especially since he was the one who had written the test.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Chuan put down his pen, sorted the ten answer sheets, and divided them into two piles.

Sweeping his gaze over the ten researchers in the conference room, he said calmly, “I’ve looked at all of your answer sheets. It’s a pity that some of you did not take my words from a month ago to heart.”

“On a one hundred-point test, some of you didn’t even score forty. This can only mean that in the past month, you did not put your mind to studying.”

As soon as he said this, the faces of some people in the room turned pale.

Xu Chuan saw it but paid it no mind, continuing, “Jing Kangle, Sun Heng, I regret to inform you that you two did not pass today’s test.”

“You didn’t even reach the sixty-point passing line, which shows that your hearts are not in this project. In that case, I can only ask the two of you to leave.”

“As for the rest of you, congratulations. You will officially join the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ project.”

As his words fell, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly changed.

Some were overjoyed, others were filled with regret.

In the crowd, Jing Kangle and Sun Heng, who were told to leave, were instantly stunned by the news.

The older Sun Heng’s face was grim, and he said nothing. From the very beginning, he hadn’t taken this assessment seriously, assuming it was just a formality, so he hadn’t bothered to review the paper very carefully.

He never thought that Xu Chuan would actually be serious, and that those who failed the assessment today would be directly eliminated.

He had managed to get in through connections in the first place, thinking he could follow along, burnish his credentials, and get an official researcher position. Now, before the project had even begun, he was eliminated.

Was this young man really so uncompromising?

Chapter 230: The Nobel Prize’s Choice

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the two who had been eliminated. A month ago, he had made himself perfectly and utterly clear. Today’s assessment was crucial in determining whether they could join the project.

There was no way for those who failed the assessment to stay.

Trying to coast by and enjoy the benefits on his team was an impossibility.

Although he had plenty of official researcher positions at his disposal, he couldn’t waste them on such people.

A single test paper couldn’t completely screen out those with ulterior motives, but it could certainly weed out those who were too obvious about it and didn’t take him seriously.

Take Sun Heng, for example, who scored only thirty-one points. It was safe to say he had barely glanced at the research paper Xu Chuan had handed out, completely disregarding the words of the person in charge.

If he didn’t kick someone like that out, what was he supposed to do? Keep him around for Chinese New Year?

All beginnings are difficult, but the beginning is also the best time to establish the rules.

If he controlled the beginning well, then for a long time to come, no major problems would arise.

It was like a building: as long as the foundation was solid, it didn’t matter how many floors were built on top or how they were built.

While Xu Chuan was in Shanghai, screening researchers to ensure the integrity of his team…

Far away in Stockholm, Sweden, meeting after meeting was being held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

It was nearly October, and every year at this time, the city, and indeed the entire country, would attract worldwide attention over the list of Nobel Prize laureates.

According to the usual schedule, the various Nobel Prizes would be announced successively starting from October 1st each year.

But this year was a special one.

First, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Literature was suspended.

The reason was that Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of Swedish Academy member Katarina Frostenson, had sexually assaulted or harassed eighteen women and was suspected of leaking the names of Nobel Prize winners.

This led to the resignations of several members of the Academy of Literature, including Klas Östergren, Kjell Espmark, and Peter Englund.

The Nobel Academy of Literature was rocked by a huge scandal, which led to the suspension of the selection and awarding of the Literature Prize.

This was the first time the Nobel Prize in Literature had been suspended since World War II.

Second, it was now September 30th, but a winner for the Nobel Prize in Physics—arguably the most prestigious or most important of the prizes—had still not been chosen.

Rumor had it that the sounds of arguing among the Selection Committee members could be heard from the offices of the Physics Division every day, but there was still no result.

As the final deadline approached, the last meeting of the Physics Division was convened in the quiet academy.

Inside a conference room that wasn’t particularly large but was steeped in history.

The five members of the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee gathered once again.

At the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee looked at the two opposing committee members, Professor Wolfgang Ketterle and Professor George Smoot, with a headache.

The former supported “Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics” for this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.

The latter supported the “extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem” for this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.

The two old men, with a combined age of over one hundred and thirty, had been arguing about this for nearly two months.

This was an extremely rare occurrence in the history of Nobel Prize selection.

Although there had been many instances in history where the Nobel Selection Committee could not reach a consensus…

It was honestly the first time they had argued as fiercely as they had this year.

This was especially true for Professor George Smoot, who had nominated the “extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem” for three consecutive years.

However, in the previous two years, he had only made a token effort. This year, he seemed to have focused all his energy on it, nearly coming to blows with Professor Wolfgang Ketterle.

Each held their own view, and neither could persuade the other.

Shaking his head with a slight headache, the Chairman of the Committee tapped on the long, solid wood table and said, “Gentlemen, today is the last day of September. The other prizes for this year have already been decided. We are the only ones left.”

“As is tradition, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the winner of the Physics Prize on October 4th, but as of now, we still haven’t reached a decision.”

“Today, we must produce a result, no matter what.”

Around the oval desk, the four committee members exchanged glances.

Indeed, no matter what, they had to make a choice today.

In fact, even after arguing to this day, the five members of the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee still had no clear idea who should be awarded this year’s prize.

The five people sitting here seemed to be divided into three factions.

One faction, led by Professor Wolfgang Ketterle, consisted of two people who advocated for “Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics.”

The other faction was led by Professor George Smoot, with two members advocating for the “extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

The last one was the Chairman of the Committee, who had barely expressed his own opinion since mid-to-late August.

For either research project, he only offered rational analysis, incidentally collecting data on the value, future, development, and flaws of both achievements that came up during the two factions’ debates.

The final meeting began. After an exchange of opinions among the five members, the Selection Committee continued to discuss the two nominations.

[Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics] or [Extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem].

From over a thousand recommendations, after a process that took nearly half a year, the School of Physics’s Selection Committee had finally narrowed it down to two achievements competing for the final Nobel Prize.

It had to be said, this was a difficult choice to make.

Even for the committee members, who had selected the Nobel Prize in Physics laureates many times before, it was difficult to make a definitive choice.

Both achievements were truly great.

The breakthrough in lasers was a light source that had brought revolutionary influence to the progress of human society.

Professor Arthur Ashkin’s achievement, in particular, used optical trapping and optical gradient forces to manipulate tiny dielectric particles.

Not only did it bring humanity optical tweezers, but extending this research to bacteria, viruses, and cells also indirectly promoted the development of laser surgery. The emergence of femtosecond laser eye surgery was a blessing for countless nearsighted patients.

This was a great achievement.

As for the latter, the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

Although this achievement couldn’t bring much value at present, looking to the future, few technologies could compare to it.

Once humanity enters the age of interstellar navigation, it will bring humanity a second, a third, a fourth, and even more colonized planets.

The achievements born from it were equally great. Whether it was the discovery of Betelgeuse as a binary star system or the discovery of the ‘TRAPPIST-1’ star system, both were worthy of a Nobel Prize nomination.

And at the International Congress of Mathematicians two months prior, some astrophysicists had even proposed that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem might not be limited to calculating galactic data.

It might be used to break through into higher-dimensional space and open wormholes to distant spacetime in the universe.

Although this was still just an unproven theory, the discovery of gravitational waves had already provided a key parameter.

When humanity finally finds the graviton, it might be possible to put it to use.

Without a doubt, this was an even greater achievement.

The only problem was that it had only been around for a short time, just three years to date.

Compared to the former, it seemed it hadn’t had enough time to mature.

The conference room was in a state of chaotic, endless debate.

The Chairman of the Committee watched the other members, listening to their arguments, and fell into deep thought.

It was obvious that if this continued, there would be no result.

After a long while, the Chairman of the Committee emerged from his contemplation. Seeing the committee members still at an impasse, he tapped the table.

The crisp sound echoed through the conference room, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Alright, arguing like this is pointless. No one can persuade anyone else. As for how to choose, let’s use the traditional method to make a decision.”

Clapping his hands, the Chairman of the Committee took a stack of sticky notes from his pocket and gave one to each of the four committee members.

“The vote will be by open ballot. Please make your final choice with your name, your honor, and your conviction.”

The four committee members each took a sticky note and, as if on cue, pulled out fountain pens or ballpoint pens from their pockets.

Seeing this, a smile touched the corners of the Chairman’s mouth.

He knew it would come to this today.

Lowering his head, the Chairman took a fountain pen from his pocket and wrote a name on his own sticky note.

Soon, the sticky notes were collected.

Five sticky notes. The Chairman of the Committee began to tally the signatures.

“[Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics], one vote.”

“[Extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem], one vote.”

“[Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics], two votes.”

“[Extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem], two votes.”

The Chairman of the Committee continued to place the sticky notes on the desk, counting as he went.

When the fifth sticky note was placed down, the result of the vote was announced.

“[Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics], three votes.”

As his voice fell, a silence descended upon the office. A brilliant smile bloomed on Professor Wolfgang Ketterle’s face. He had won.

The great achievement of breakthroughs in the field of laser physics had finally received the honor it deserved.

Of course, he also valued the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, but compared to the former, it was a bit too young. It still needed some time to mature.

Perhaps the future belonged to it, but not the present.

Across the desk, Professor George Smoot wore a look of utter disbelief.

He couldn’t believe that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem would lose to the breakthroughs in the field of laser physics.

The extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was clearly higher in importance and value. It clearly offered humanity a vast future.

Why would the Nobel Prize forsake humanity’s future?

But at the head of the desk, the Chairman of the Committee just smiled faintly, took out another sticky note from his hand, and placed it solemnly on the desk.

“[Extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem], three votes.”

The calm words left his mouth, stunning everyone.

Everyone in the conference room stared at the Chairman in bewilderment.

Weren’t there only five members on the Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee?

Where did this sixth vote come from?

Feeling everyone’s gazes, the Chairman of the Committee smiled faintly and said, “Both of these achievements are indeed outstanding, and both are worthy of the Nobel Prize.”

“When faced with such a difficult choice, why don’t we award this year’s Nobel Prize to both of them simultaneously?”

“After all, the Nobel Prize regulations have never stipulated that the prize can only be awarded to one achievement at a time. Moreover, they have never stipulated that a committee member can only vote for one person or one achievement.”

In the conference room, the other four committee members instantly understood.

Their chairman had cast one vote for [Breakthroughs in the field of laser physics] and one vote for [Extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem].

Three to three. The votes were tied.

This meant that this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics would be awarded for two different achievements.

This was not unprecedented in the history of the Nobel Prize, but in corresponding cases, those research achievements were usually within the same framework or closely related.

For example, the 1978 Physics Prize was awarded to both “fundamental inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics” and “discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation.”

Or in 1983, it was awarded for “theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars” and “theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe.”

These different achievements were basically complementary, or the former had, to some extent, promoted the emergence of the latter.

Awarding the Nobel Prize to achievements in two completely unrelated fields, as was the case this year, had never happened before.

This was also the main reason why no one had previously considered awarding the Physics Prize to both simultaneously.

But it had to be said, this was the most appropriate solution.

In Shanghai, after screening the first batch of research personnel, Xu Chuan began to assign work.

Unlike at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, for the nuclear energy research, he needed to preside over it personally to prevent any accidents during the research process.

If something went wrong during lithium battery research, in the hands of official researchers, it would generally just catch fire and burn some equipment.

At worst, there would be an explosion.

However, in proper research, even if there was an explosion, it would be very difficult to injure a researcher.

After all, a lithium battery explosion has warning signs, such as the battery temperature rising or swelling up like a balloon. This period of time was enough for researchers to take precautions and deal with it.

But research on nuclear energy was different.

This stuff was far more dangerous than lithium batteries. A single misstep could lead to huge problems.

To be on the safe side, Xu Chuan had to supervise it personally.

For the project on the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy,” the first thing Xu Chuan arranged was the development of a material that could resist nuclear radiation.

This was, in fact, the “Atomic Cycle” technology he had researched in his previous life.

He had already presented this technology when he met with that senior leader in Beijing.

Of course, what he had presented was only a theory. No one except Xu Chuan knew what kind of effect this technology could actually achieve.

But this didn’t prevent them from turning this theory into a tangible result with the support of the higher-ups.

Chapter 231: An Extraordinary October

Shanghai, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Xu Chuan found an office and gathered the eight researchers he had selected. He began to explain the “Atomic Cycle” theory, the research and development fundamentals for the new radiation-resistant material, and some key points to be aware of during the preliminary experiments.

“For radiation-resistant materials, the ionization effect from strong nuclear radiation is the biggest problem. It can damage the material’s grain boundaries, molecular structure, neutral atoms, and so on, leading to consequences like embrittlement, accelerated creep, phase instability, and accelerated corrosion.”

“The Atomic Cycle technology is a theory proposed based on ionizing radiation and the ionization effect.”

“This theory, while ensuring the maximum grain size of the radiation-resistant material, will add certain compounds to improve the charge distribution of the space-charge layer and control the morphology of the grain boundary phase. This will create grain boundary channels conducive to ion migration, reducing the difficulty of their formation. Consequently, it will ensure the material can self-recover its structure after being ionized by nuclear radiation, giving it a longer time to resist radiation.”

“…”

Although these points had been detailed in the research paper he had previously published, he still chose to go over them again with these researchers, and to simultaneously resolve any of their doubts.

On one hand, it was to cultivate talent; on the other, it was to accelerate the progress of the subsequent experiments.

In front of the projection screen, Xu Chuan continuously explained the key details of the “Atomic Cycle” theory. In the conference room, the nine researchers, including Han Jin, listened attentively.

Ever since Jing Kangle and Sun Heng were “let go,” the entire small team’s motivation had surged once again.

Everyone instantly understood that this young-looking big shot meant every word he said.

He said there would be a test, and a test truly came. He said the test would decide if they could join the team, and those who didn’t pass, even if they had passed the interview, really didn’t get in.

In fact, in the workplace, diligently doing one’s own job is the most basic requirement, it’s just that many people can no longer manage it these days.

It was like acting in the entertainment industry. Memorizing and reciting lines should be the most fundamental requirement, but some pretty boy celebrities who lack acting skills and are unwilling to work hard, relying on their high net worth and die-hard fans, have started just spouting numbers like “123456789.”

This was extremely unhealthy for the overall environment.

Xu Chuan didn’t have the ability to change the entire environment, but he had the ability to ensure his own small group remained in a healthy state.

“Professor, I have a question.”

In the conference room, a researcher raised his right hand, looking a little nervous.

Xu Chuan followed the voice and saw a researcher who appeared relatively young.

He nodded, gesturing for the other to ask his question. “Please, go ahead.”

The researcher stood up nervously, taking two deep breaths to calm himself before asking.

“Professor, you mentioned earlier that we would use the material’s grain boundary effect to resist nuclear radiation. But the grain boundary effect is exclusive to ceramic materials. If that’s the case, other subsequent materials, including some soft anti-radiation materials, might not have this advantage.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’m very glad you’re thinking for yourself and that you brought this up.”

“The grain boundary effect is indeed a unique property of ceramic materials, but it is not impossible to apply it to other materials.”

“We all know that in a service environment, anti-radiation materials are bombarded by high-energy particles like neutrons and gamma particles, which creates a large amount of displacement damage, including vacancies and self-interstitial atoms.”

“These displacement defects and their corresponding clusters cause the material’s properties to degrade or even fail, constraining the material’s stability.”

“In the past, multi-scale simulations revealing the microscopic mechanisms of defect-interface interactions often only focused on basic atomic processes, such as diffusion, segregation, recombination, and so on.”

“However, under actual service conditions, anti-radiation materials often need to withstand a certain dose of cumulative irradiation…”

While explaining, Xu Chuan wrote a line of text on the conference room’s blackboard.

[Cumulative Displacement Damage in Nanomaterials—Grain Boundary Interstitial Loading and Grain Boundary Irradiation Effects.]

After writing, he turned his head and looked at the questioning researcher with a smile, continuing, “Traditional anti-radiation materials do indeed exhibit various defects caused by ionizing radiation when facing high-energy nuclear radiation.”

“But when we reduce the material’s structure to the nanometer level, everything becomes different.”

“I studied and researched this area at Princeton. A lot of research data and experimental results show that nanostructured materials, especially nanocrystalline materials, possess excellent radiation resistance.”

“This is thanks to the large number of grain boundaries in such materials, which can capture irradiation defects and promote their recombination, thereby reducing the accumulation of irradiation damage in the material’s matrix.”

“Take iron metal, for example. When we restructure its grain boundaries using nanotechnology, the iron grain boundaries gain the ability to effectively capture vacancies and self-interstitial atoms and promote their recombination at higher irradiation temperatures or lower dose rates. This reduces the accumulation of irradiation defects within the grains, thus achieving the ability to repair irradiation damage.”

“Furthermore, when the radiation-induced interstitials in the iron grain boundaries accumulate to a certain concentration, during the grain boundary relaxation process, some interstitials disappear and are accompanied by the formation of a new grain boundary structural phase. As the irradiation dose increases, interstitials continue to accumulate, and along with the local movement of the grain boundary, it gradually returns to a state close to its initial one.”

“What this means, I think you should all understand.”

With that, Xu Chuan’s gaze fell upon the researcher who was still standing, a smile on his face.

“It means that this anti-radiation material not only won’t experience grain boundary corrosion when exposed to nuclear radiation, but it can also achieve grain boundary repair!” the standing researcher blurted out without a second thought, his face a mask of disbelief.

Hearing this, the other researchers in the conference room, including the team leader Han Jin, showed expressions of disbelief, confusion, and doubt.

Nuclear radiation could repair a material’s grain boundaries?

What kind of joke was that?

The strong ionizing properties inherent to nuclear radiation could destroy the molecular and atomic structures of almost all materials, causing pores in the material’s grain boundaries and atomic loss, which in turn led to defects.

Even containers made of lead, a high-density and extremely stable metal, would gradually develop various problems when exposed to nuclear radiation over a long period.

This could be said to be a rule.

If not for this, humanity wouldn’t be at a loss for a perfect solution when dealing with nuclear waste.

The powerful destructive nature inherent to nuclear radiation allowed it to corrode all materials.

Yet now, Xu Chuan was telling them that besides being destructive, nuclear radiation also had restorative properties.

It had to be said, this was an incredibly shocking piece of news. For a moment, everyone was lost in astonishment and confusion.

Looking at the researchers in the conference room, Xu Chuan smiled.

In his past life, when he was in a certain atomic energy research facility in California conducting the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” experiment, he too was in disbelief when he first reached this conclusion.

But after repeatedly verifying this conclusion and confirming there were no issues, he finally determined that nanomaterials created through special methods had an advantage over conventional materials in resisting nuclear radiation.

And it was this accidental discovery that ultimately allowed him to perfect the “Atomic Cycle” technology, develop different anti-radiation materials, and find a technique to reuse nuclear waste.

One could say that the cumulative displacement damage in nanomaterials—grain boundary interstitial loading and grain boundary irradiation effects—was the true core of the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” technology.

Originally, he had planned to let the other researchers discover this for themselves during the materials experiments. He hadn’t expected someone to have keenly noticed this aspect already.

This intrigued him, and he mentally noted down the name of the researcher who asked the question, planning to focus on training him later.

For this researcher, this was an opportunity.

Perhaps among this batch of eight people, others had also noticed this issue.

But often, opportunities had to be fought for.

Burying a question in one’s heart had no value other than to trouble oneself.

But by asking it, one could sometimes not only get an answer but also earn admiration.

The last day of September passed amidst Xu Chuan’s explanations.

For the October Golden Week, Xu Chuan gave the nuclear energy R&D team a holiday. On one hand, it was the National Day, which was a regular holiday, and on the other hand, it was to let them properly digest the various knowledge he had explained over the past two days.

As for himself, he returned to Nanjing.

While the nuclear energy R&D team was on vacation, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was not. They were working overtime during the Golden Week.

There was no helping it; his schedule was very tight.

Working on multiple lines of research at once meant he had little time to rest.

With a complete theory already in place and with Xu Chuan as a “prophet,” the R&D for the lithium battery electrolyte solution and the artificial SEI film had entered a regular phase.

After collecting and reviewing the work from the past few days, Xu Chuan also joined the experiments.

He joined the R&D for the artificial SEI film.

Compared to the electrolyte solution, the artificial SEI film was the key focus.

It was intended to solve the biggest and most difficult problem in lithium batteries: “lithium dendrites.”

In the lithium battery industry, lithium dendrites are the biggest problem, and also the fundamental issue affecting the safety, stability, and electromagnetic capacity of lithium-ion batteries.

They are tree-like metal lithium formations that occur during the charging process when lithium ions are reduced, usually appearing on the battery’s negative electrode.

The growth of lithium dendrites can lead to instability at the electrode-electrolyte interface during the battery’s cycling, destroying the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film. They can even pierce the separator, causing an internal short circuit in the lithium-ion battery, leading to thermal runaway and resulting in fire or explosion.

Moreover, during their growth, lithium dendrites continuously consume the electrolyte and cause irreversible deposition of metallic lithium, forming dead lithium and resulting in low Coulombic efficiency.

In reality, this manifests as a gradual decrease in a battery’s charge after prolonged use.

This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in mobile phones.

A new phone’s battery can last for a whole day, but after a year or two, it might only last for half a day or even less.

And the artificial SEI film was one of the methods to solve the problem of lithium dendrites.

It could prevent lithium ions from accumulating at the negative electrode, stopping them from forming lithium dendrites, and thus solving the problem.

This way, the negative electrode material of lithium batteries could be replaced with lithium metal, which has a higher capacity.

Not to mention how many times the battery capacity of lithium batteries could be increased after solving the lithium dendrite problem, even just a twofold increase would be enough to make the whole world go crazy.

If the energy density of current batteries were doubled, it would mean doubling the battery life of various electronic devices without changing their shape, increasing their load, or sacrificing comfort.

The standby time of phones and computers would double, and the range of electric vehicles would be extended twofold.

Such a tempting prospect would drive phone suppliers and electric vehicle manufacturers completely wild.

As for the electrolyte solution, that was something Xu Chuan was saving for the next generation of lithium batteries.

After solving the lithium dendrite problem, the current lithium-ion batteries on the market could be upgraded to lithium-metal batteries. And after lithium-metal batteries, there were lithium-sulfur batteries and lithium-air batteries with even higher energy densities.

Continuously introducing new generations, one after another, was enough for him to completely control the massive lithium battery market.

During the National Day holiday, Xu Chuan was at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, helping Yu Zhen, who was in charge of the R&D of the artificial SEI film material, to advance the research progress. He would be busy until nine or ten every night before stopping.

Of course, there was definitely overtime pay for working overtime. He wasn’t that kind of black-hearted capitalist who would make people work for free.

In addition to five times the normal pay for overtime, Xu Chuan also promised compensatory leave.

As long as the relevant R&D project was completed, the corresponding personnel could take paid leave, receiving as many days off as they had worked overtime.

With such benefits, the researchers at the lab were all pumped up as if on stimulants, pulling even longer hours than Xu Chuan.

However, under these circumstances, the progress for both the electrolyte solution material R&D and the artificial SEI film material R&D was quite fast.

With a detailed theoretical basis and under Xu Chuan’s leadership, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had already produced a small batch of the synthetic materials needed for the first-generation artificial SEI film.

Late at night, in a lab at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan finished the last task at hand, organized the experimental equipment, took off his mask and goggles, and spoke to the other busy people in the room:

“That’s all for today’s work. Everyone, go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, we will officially begin the synthesis work for the artificial SEI film.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when the lab door was pushed open in a hurry.

Xu Chuan turned his head to look and was somewhat surprised by the people who had burst in. It was Nanjing University’s principal, Liu Gaojun, and his Advisor, Chen Zhengping.

Seeing Xu Chuan, both their eyes lit up. They walked over quickly, panting as they said in unison, “Why have you been unreachable if you’re still awake, you brat!”

Looking at the two who had rushed in, Xu Chuan looked at them in confusion and asked, “I was conducting an experiment, so my phone was on silent mode. I didn’t really notice. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Hearing this answer, Chen Zhengping said excitedly, “You’ve won an award, do you know that! The call about the award came all the way to the university!”

Beside him, Liu Gaojun quickly added, “The Nobel Prize!”

Chapter 232: The Youngest Nobel Prize Laureate in History

In the laboratory, everyone stared at Liu Gaojun and Chen Zhengping with their mouths agape, completely dumbfounded. Even the air seemed to fall silent.

The No… Nobel Prize?

Were they hearing things?

Even Xu Chuan looked on in disbelief.

He won the Nobel Prize? What was going on?

Although he had won the Nobel Prize twice in his previous life, he had never imagined he would receive this honor so soon in this one.

This was the Nobel Prize, the highest honor in the scientific world.

Three years ago, Nobel laureate Professor Saul Perlmutter had recommended his name to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

But Xu Chuan had never imagined that just three years later, he would claim this crown of the academic world.

So much so that when Chen Zhengping and Liu Gaojun delivered the news, he was a little dazed.

After all, he was only twenty-one. Even with sufficient achievements, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences wouldn’t normally consider a scholar so young.

With the exception of a prodigy like William Lawrence Bragg, who won the Physics Prize at the age of twenty-five, nearly all other laureates were over sixty years old.

After a long moment, Xu Chuan finally came to his senses and quickly pulled his phone from his pocket.

He swiped his finger across the screen. The display lit up, and once unlocked, it revealed dozens of missed calls.

The first missed calls were from a number starting with the +46 country code, which was from Sweden.

Then there were calls from people he knew.

From Deligne, Witten, and Fefferman at Princeton to Chen Zhengping, Liu Gaojun, and others at Nanjing University. Even his parents and younger sister had sent him calls and messages.

It was safe to say almost everyone he knew had called him at least twice and sent him text messages or WeChat messages.

Staring at his phone’s screen, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but swallow.

From all the missed calls and messages, it seemed that Chen Zhengping and Liu Gaojun hadn’t been joking. He had really won the Nobel Prize.

There was actually something interesting about the Nobel Prize phone calls.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences always called the laureates on the day the prizes were announced.

Sometimes, the call would be mistaken for a prank and hung up on. For example, the 1996 Economics laureate, James Mirrlees, had “rudely” hung up on the Nobel committee several times.

Fortunately, the Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Professor Staffan Normark, was persistent and, after several more calls, finally managed to prove his identity.

Other times, due to time zone differences, the laureate might be asleep when the Academy called, or, like Xu Chuan, have their phone on silent mode.

For example, the 2011 Physics laureate, Professor Saul Perlmutter, was woken up from his sleep by reporters.

If they couldn’t reach the laureate after repeated calls, the Academy would initiate a notification “cascade.”

They would gather the phone numbers of the laureate’s relatives, friends, and colleagues, notify them, and then have them relay the message, or even go in person to deliver the news.

Normally, even if someone was asleep or had their phone silenced, at least their parents, spouse, or children would be able to answer the call and inform the winner.

But the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences probably hadn’t anticipated an “oddball” like Xu Chuan this year.

His do-not-disturb mode truly blocked all incoming calls, whether from his parents or anyone else. None of them could get through.

As a result, Xu Chuan was the last to know he had won the Nobel Prize, long after many others already knew.

In the office, the others were still reeling from the shocking news.

At the same time, Xu Chuan’s phone, no longer on silent, began to vibrate again. The ringtone shattered the silence of the laboratory, startling everyone and snapping them out of their daze.

The call from the +46 number startled Xu Chuan. He swiped his thumb across the screen and quickly answered.

“Professor Xu Chuan, we’ve finally reached you.”

A voice tinged with relief came through the line.

Xu Chuan gave a dry laugh. “My apologies. I was conducting research in the lab today and wasn’t paying attention to my phone.”

“It seems you already know,” said Professor Staffan Normark, the Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, with a chuckle.

Xu Chuan nodded and replied, “Yes, my alma mater has informed me. I hope it’s true.”

“Hahaha, of course, it is.” Professor Normark laughed, then cleared his throat and spoke again in a more formal tone.

“Professor Xu Chuan, hello. On behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, I would like to congratulate you.”

“For your tremendous contributions to the field of astrophysics, for pioneering and creating a method to precisely calculate the parameter information of distant celestial bodies, and for observing and calculating the detailed information of the Betelgeuse system, you, along with Professor Arthur Ashkin, for his breakthroughs in the field of laser physics, will be awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.”

The anticipation that had been building in Xu Chuan’s heart finally settled. He quickly replied, “Thank you.”

On the other end, Secretary General Staffan Normark said with a smile, “This year’s Nobel Prize award ceremony will be held on December 10, 2018, at the Stockholm Concert Hall in Sweden. The invitation letter has been mailed to you, and we look forward to your arrival.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you. I will be there on time.”

“I will be waiting to welcome you,” Professor Normark said cheerfully.

Then, he suddenly added, “By the way, Professor Xu Chuan, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the fields of astronomy and astrophysics have a small favor to ask.”

Xu Chuan paused for a moment before replying quickly, “Please, go on.”

Staffan Normark said with a laugh, “We were hoping you would rename your work, the ‘extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’.”

“After all, as the primary work for a Nobel Prize, it certainly deserves it, doesn’t it?”

“Right now, it sounds too much like a mathematical discovery.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was once again taken aback, then he broke into a knowing smile. “Of course. I will give its new name some serious thought.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief.

The Nobel Prize, the highest honor in science. He hadn’t expected to win it just four years after his rebirth. And it wasn’t for the achievements that had earned him two Nobels in his past life, but for a completely new discovery he’d made in this one.

Noticing the expectant gazes of the others in the laboratory, Xu Chuan smiled and gave a firm nod.

Upon this confirmation, the entire laboratory instantly erupted.

“Holy shit! Boss, you’re awesome!”

“Congratulations, boss!”

“Amazing, God Chuan! The first-ever winner of both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal! You’ve broken the historical record!”

“You have to treat us! It’d be a crime not to treat us to a big meal for this!”

The laboratory was filled with cheers and congratulations.

For the researchers at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan winning the Nobel Prize was a victory for them as well.

Working under the first person in history to win both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal—this work experience was more than just burnishing one’s resume.

It was like having their credentials forged from 24-karat pure gold.

None of them had ever imagined that, as researchers in a small institute with a total asset value of less than twenty million, they would encounter such a golden opportunity!

Working on a Nobel laureate’s research team… hiss… just the thought of it was exhilarating.

While the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute celebrated wildly, the outside world was just as jubilant and shocked.

When the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics laureates on October fourth, China was in the middle of its Golden Week holiday.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, it was a rare and welcome vacation.

People with time on their hands were lazing in bed, scrolling through their phones.

Suddenly, a bombshell of a news story landed at the top of the trending charts on all major social media platforms.

The news of Xu Chuan winning the Nobel Prize in Physics climbed to the number one spot on the trending charts of every platform with astonishing speed.

At first, countless netizens thought it was some kind of fake news or that someone was pulling their leg.

But as time went on, after some people bypassed the internet firewall to get screenshots from the official website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and as major media outlets began to announce the joyous news one after another, the entire internet erupted.

The People’s Daily: “For his immense contributions in the field of astrophysics, our nation’s scholar, Professor Xu Chuan, has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics!”

New Youth Daily: “For pioneering and creating a new method for accurately calculating the parameters of distant stellar bodies, and for observing and calculating detailed information on the Betelgeuse system, our nation’s renowned scholar, Professor Xu Chuan, has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics!”

Xinhua Daily: “Congratulations to our nation’s Professor Xu Chuan for winning this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics! Congratulations!”

Global Times: “…”

As major media outlets published the news on their own accounts, the entire internet instantly exploded.

[Holy shit! Is it real? I thought it was an April Fool’s joke.]

[God Chuan? Nobel Prize in Physics? Isn’t he a fucking mathematician who does math research? Same name? Or did Nobel create a math prize?]

[Hiss~ I thought it was a joke at first too, but it’s real. Fucking awesome!]

[If I remember correctly, didn’t he just win the Fields Medal this August? And now he’s won the Nobel Prize?]

[Winning both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal, that has to be a new historical record, right? It’s no exaggeration to call him the first person in history to do so and the greatest scholar alive today.]

[I remember he’s only twenty-one this year, right? Tsk tsk, a twenty-one-year-old Nobel laureate. He’s the youngest Nobel laureate in history.]

[The poster above is wrong. The youngest Nobel laureate is Malala Yousafzai, who was 17. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at just 17.]

[The Peace Prize? Hahaha, here’s a joke: even a US president can get one. Not even a dog would want it (smirk).]

[The Peace Prize? Even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t… wait, it’s several million dollars—]

[Terrifyingly brilliant! It’s a good thing he returned to China. If God Chuan were still in the US, they probably wouldn’t have let him come back.]

[Definitely. How could the United States let someone who won both the Nobel and Fields prizes leave?]

[I’m more curious, isn’t the Nobel Prize always biased against our country? How did they break the mold this time (doge face).]

[Who the hell knows.]

Online, Xu Chuan, who was no stranger to the trending charts, was once again pushed to the top by countless netizens and the media.

Countless netizens discussed it with fervor.

Compared to the Fields Medal from the world of mathematics, the Nobel Prize was undoubtedly far more famous. In China, while not quite a household name that everyone knew, it was close.

In the scientific community, whether you admit it or not, the Nobel Prize, especially the prizes in the natural sciences, was arguably the highest honor a researcher or scholar could receive.

Though it wasn’t the first time China had won such an award, the significance of this medal was entirely different.

Moreover, the laureate had another title: Fields Medalist. And he was only twenty-one years old.

For a scholar or a researcher, the age of twenty-one was just the beginning of their career.

One could imagine that with such honors under his belt, he would become one of the most important voices in the scientific community in China, and even the world, for decades to come. The future would be his to command.

And for the academic world, especially for astrophysics and astronomy, the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem would become part of the curriculum for undergraduate, master’s, and even doctoral studies across the board.

Although many universities had already begun to do so, it was only a select few.

After today, it was safe to say that most institutions with an astronomy department or an astrophysics program would proactively offer this course.

Even though it had only just emerged in the academic world.

But a new beginning also meant new opportunities. If a university could develop this course into a world-class program, it would be a great achievement for the institution.

Furthermore, for the field of mathematics, this was also a cause for celebration.

This was the exact scenario the International Mathematical Union was most delighted to see.

Mathematics had once again expanded its influence, perfectly integrating with other disciplines, helping and elevating each other.

If the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on October fourth hadn’t spread completely due to it being nighttime in China, then on October fifth, when the national propaganda machine kicked into gear, the familiar name of Xu Chuan once again entered the public consciousness.

This was not the first time the national propaganda machine had promoted his name.

They had done so for the Crafoord Prize, the Fields Medal, and the solving of the Hodge Conjecture, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

But when his name was linked with the Nobel Prize, it was firmly etched into the minds of the people.

The Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Millennium Prize Problems, the Crafoord Prize, the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, double gold medals at the IMO and IPhO, a perfect-score top scholar in the college entrance exam…

One after another, his honors and achievements were dug up again by netizens, causing countless people to lament why they didn’t have a brain like his, and countless parents to sigh over why they didn’t have a child like him.

At the same time, Nanjing University, Star City No. 1 High School, and even Xu Chuan’s former middle and elementary schools were all looked up.

One could imagine that these schools, from the teachers to the entire institution, would benefit from this.

Even Xu Chuan’s hometown, that quiet little mountain village, would become a new tourist attraction.

His old house might even have tourists coming from afar to burn incense and pray for good fortune.

Chapter 233: The Nobel Prize in Mathematics

At the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, a group of people were clamoring for Xu Chuan to treat them to a late-night snack to celebrate.

Xu Chuan smiled and agreed. Winning a Nobel Prize was a joyous occasion for anyone.

Forget one late-night snack; even a month’s worth wouldn’t be a big deal.

But before that, he still had to call home.

He wasn’t sure about others, but he knew his parents and sister would definitely be waiting for his call, even though it was already late into the night.

Picking up his phone, Xu Chuan found the familiar number in his contacts and dialed.

The phone rang for several seconds before it was answered.

“Hello, Chuan’er.” On the other end, a familiar voice came through the phone, tinged with excitement and a slight tremor.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Dad, you’re still up.”

“The whole village is here celebrating, how could I sleep? What were you up to today, kid? You win an award and your phone’s unreachable. People ended up calling the house directly.”

Speaking of the day’s events, Father Xu’s face was flushed with excitement. It was partly from the alcohol he’d had, and partly from sheer excitement and pride.

Although he hadn’t had much schooling, having only graduated from middle school, he still knew what the Nobel Prize was.

This was the most famous award in the world. He’d never imagined that his family, the Xus, could produce such a great mathematician! No, it should be a great physicist. No, that’s not right, a great scientist.

Father Xu remembered someone telling him earlier that evening that there was no Nobel Prize in Mathematics, and that Xu Chuan had won the one for physics.

But in his memory, his son had studied mathematics. How he ended up winning a physics prize was beyond him.

But who cared?

It was a Nobel Prize! Any one of them was an honor that would bring glory to their ancestors, a supreme mark of distinction.

Xu Chuan chuckled and said, “I was doing research in the lab today, and my phone was on silent, so I didn’t get any calls. I only just found out about the news myself.”

On the other end, Father Xu fell silent for a moment, then said with concern, “Don’t push yourself so hard. You’re a great scientist now, you have to take care of your health. You’re still young, you have a long time ahead of you to do research. There’s no need to rush.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Father Xu knew that his son must have spent the entire day in the lab again.

That was his personality. When he got serious about his work, he wouldn’t rest unless someone called him out.

It had been the same when he was a student, though it was better back then since the academic pressure wasn’t that great for him.

Now that he was out working, Father Xu always felt like his son was suppressing something. He’d called him several times, only to find him busy.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Mm, I know. Don’t worry.”

Before he could finish, another loud, boisterous voice came from the other end of the line.

“Is that Chuan’zi? When is our great scientist coming back for a visit? The whole village is waiting for your celebratory candy.”

Hearing this voice, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but smile, replying loudly, “Uncle Yimin, you’re there too.”

“Of course I am! The village has produced a great scientist, we have to celebrate properly, right?” Han Yimin laughed heartily and squeezed in next to Father Xu to chat with Xu Chuan.

What was happening in Xujia Village was just a microcosm of the wider reaction.

The honor of Xu Chuan winning the Nobel Prize did not belong to him alone.

At Nanjing University, on the afternoon the list of winners was announced, a large red banner was hung above the main gate. The words on it proclaimed the school’s glory.

[Warmest congratulations to our 2016 graduate and university professor, ‘Xu Chuan’, on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics!]

On the banner, Xu Chuan’s name was specially highlighted.

For Nanjing University, this name had brought them far too much glory.

The Crafoord Prize, the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, the Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize.

Each one was an epic honor.

Especially in the current academic environment in China, their significance was extraordinary.

More importantly, these were all glories that Tsinghua and Peking Universities had not yet obtained. Each time was a blatant opportunity to show off.

Nanjing University, once the top university in Asia, seemed to be reclaiming her former glory. How could this not make the people of Nanjing University happy and proud?

Meanwhile, in Xingcheng.

At the entrance of Star City No. 1 High School, a brilliant banner was also hung in the most conspicuous spot.

For a school to produce a Nobel laureate was, without a doubt, a sign of its success.

What’s more, this was the first person in history to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, and the youngest winner at that.

As one of the Four Great Schools of Xingcheng, which had long been overshadowed by Changjun and Yali, No. 1 High School could once again hold its head high with pride today.

They! Had produced a winner of both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize. This was a monumental achievement that couldn’t be overshadowed, no matter how many students they sent to Tsinghua and Peking Universities.

This was especially true for Old Tang, Tang Gaoyuan.

When he heard the news, after a brief moment of bewilderment, a gratified smile spread across his face.

He never would have expected this from the kid.

Back then, he had been studying physics, then suddenly jumped to mathematics, solved all sorts of problems, and won the Fields Medal.

He didn’t expect that now, while studying mathematics, he would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.

But it was just like him. No matter the field, he possessed the most outstanding, top-tier talent.

Where some were happy, others were naturally not.

In Beijing, Sun Heng, who had just returned by high-speed rail, heard his phone ring.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Sun Heng glanced at the caller ID. It was a good friend of his.

He answered the call, and an envious voice immediately came from the other end.

“Old Sun, you’ve hit the jackpot this time! I heard a while ago that you joined Professor Xu Chuan’s project team. Professor Xu won the Nobel Prize today! The first-ever winner of both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize! Tsk, tsk, to think you got into the project of such a leading figure.”

Before Sun Heng could speak, a torrent of words poured out from the other end of the line.

Hearing his friend’s voice thick with envy, Sun Heng was stunned. His heart pounded as he quickly asked, “That kid Xu Chuan… ahem, Professor Xu won the Nobel Prize?”

His friend on the other end was also taken aback, his tone turning a little strange. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”

“The Nobel Prize in Physics was announced yesterday. Professor Xu and an American won this year’s prize.”

“Also, Old Sun, you should probably be a bit more respectful toward Professor Xu. It’s best to change how you refer to him. Don’t mind that he’s young; he’s a real top-tier expert.”

“The first person in history to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the number one figure in academia today. With your attitude, you might get kicked…”

Before his friend could finish, Sun Heng interrupted him, then quickly hung up, his face a mixture of green and red.

He’d already been kicked out.

What he couldn’t understand was why the Nobel Prize would be awarded to such a young man.

Had the judges at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences lost their minds? Wasn’t the average age of Nobel laureates over sixty?

Why could a twenty-one-year-old youth win the award?

Sun Heng’s breathing was ragged. Others envied him for getting into a Nobel laureate’s project, but only he knew that he hadn’t gotten in at all.

He once had the chance to join the nuclear energy project, but because he didn’t take it seriously—or rather, because he thought his connections made him invulnerable—he had ultimately missed the opportunity.

To work under a Nobel laureate was an opportunity others couldn’t even dream of, yet he had thrown it away himself.

In a flash, Sun Heng seemed to remember something, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

His advisor had told him that this opportunity was very rare and that he should take it seriously.

He hadn’t paid it any mind at the time, thinking it was just an opportunity his advisor had arranged for him to burnish his resume.

After all, in a country like China where seniority and connections were paramount, his deep-seated beliefs made him feel that the young man was nothing special.

Even if the other party had won the Fields Medal, he was still only in his early twenties. He was barely an adult. It was truly difficult for Sun Heng to take him seriously.

But he had forgotten. He had forgotten that as soon as the other party returned to the country, he had been put in charge of a key national-level project.

The implications of that were self-evident.

Recalling all this, Sun Heng suddenly felt a wave of post-traumatic fear and relief, as if he’d had a narrow escape.

He was relieved that although he had looked down on that person in his heart and was furious that he hadn’t passed the test to join the project team, he was grateful that he hadn’t started a conflict with him during the assessment.

If he had relied on his connections and gotten into an argument with him, the outcome today would be hard to say.

At that point, Xu Chuan wouldn’t even have to lift a finger; someone would probably have proactively offered him a “favor.”

After all, this was China. Just as he had relied on connections to climb to his current position, others would naturally want to seize the opportunity to get on good terms with that person.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuan hadn’t thought about it that much at all.

After calling his parents, he called his younger sister, Xu Xiao, fulfilled one of her wishes, and promised to take her to the Nobel Prize award ceremony. Then, he smiled, hung up, and put his phone away.

As for everyone else, it was late at night. He could reply to their messages tomorrow.

But just as he put his phone in his pocket, it rang again.

This time, the call was from Princeton. The person calling him was the head of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics, Fefferman.

Xu Chuan couldn’t miss a call from Fefferman, so he answered with a smile.

“Congratulations, Professor Xu.”

Fefferman’s voice came through the phone, offering his congratulations with a laugh.

Even at Princeton, winning a Nobel Prize was an incredibly glorious event.

As of today, Princeton University had produced twenty-five—no, it should be twenty-six—Nobel laureates.

Of course, if one included Princeton’s historical alumni, professors, and researchers, that number would rise to sixty-eight.

In addition, there were fifteen Fields Medalists. Added together, there were nearly one hundred distinguished alumni.

But Xu Chuan was the first to win both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize.

More importantly, not only was he the first-ever dual winner of the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize, but he had also broken the record for the youngest winner of both awards.

To win both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize at the age of twenty-one was a brilliant achievement that likely no one would be able to touch for the next hundred years.

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “Thank you, I’m very happy as well.”

On the other end, Fefferman said with a playful laugh, “Did you know what mathematicians in the outside world are calling your win this time?”

“What?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

“The Nobel Prize in Mathematics!” Fefferman replied with a laugh.

“Uh…” Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. “There’s no Nobel Prize in Mathematics.”

The fact that the Nobel Prize did not include mathematics was a well-known fact.

A popular rumor had it that Nobel once had a personal feud with the great Swedish mathematician Gösta Mittag-Leffler, and for that reason, did not establish a prize in mathematics.

What was more interesting was that John Charles Fields, who later proposed the establishment of a medal for mathematics, had a deep friendship with this same Master Mittag-Leffler.

Therefore, the establishment of the Fields Medal is often interpreted as Fields’ way of getting even for Mittag-Leffler.

Of course, these were just little stories passed around among the public; there was no evidence of any animosity between Nobel and Mittag-Leffler.

In fact, as a leading figure in the Swedish scientific community, Mittag-Leffler was actively involved in the work related to the Nobel Prize. It was through his strong recommendation that the Nobel Prize had its first theoretical physicist laureate—Lorentz, and its first female laureate—Madame Curie.

However, it was a fact that the Nobel Prize had no award for mathematics, which was a regret for many mathematicians.

Fefferman shrugged and said, “Of course we know that, but you’re the first to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for an achievement in the field of pure mathematics.”

“You have to understand, even though the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem is used for calculations in astrophysics, it’s a purely mathematical tool, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned again, a strange look on his face. “No wonder Professor Staffan Normark, the Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, asked me to change the name of the ‘extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem,’ saying it sounded a bit too much like a mathematical achievement.”

Fefferman burst out laughing. “Hahaha, if I were you, I’d ignore them. Let mathematics take root in the Nobel Prize in Physics from now on.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I didn’t pay much attention to this achievement before, nor did I think about giving it a name. But after winning the Nobel, it does need a name of its own.”

Fefferman laughed. “It’s up to you, but in the eyes of the mathematical world, this is a mathematician winning the Nobel Prize. Changing the name won’t change their minds.”

After a pause, Fefferman continued, “By the way, have you done any more research on the NS equations?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I have some ideas, but I don’t have time to research it at the moment. I have some other projects on my hands right now.”

Hearing this, Fefferman said with regret, “It seems you probably won’t be returning to Princeton. What a shame. We were preparing to throw a celebration party for you here.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “There will be opportunities in the future.”

Chapter 234: The Nuclear Radiation Resistance Test Begins

The Nobel Prize award ceremony was a grand banquet, but it also disrupted some of Xu Chuan’s research plans.

Although he personally didn’t care much for it, it was, after all, a Nobel Prize—the most influential award in the world.

Congratulations from friends and family, interviews with major media outlets, and various social obligations kept him busy for several days.

However, as time went on, new hot topics replaced the old, and his life gradually settled back down.

Though it had been a chaotic period, Xu Chuan took the opportunity to catch up on what was happening in the outside world, mainly in the field of mathematics.

He had temporarily stepped away from mathematics after the Fields Medal ceremony to embark on his journey into applied sciences.

But as mathematics was his primary research focus in this life, he needed to stay well-informed about major developments in the field.

As of early October this year, two major events had occurred in the world of mathematics.

The first was that Peter Scholze, a German mathematics professor who had recently won the Fields Medal, and Professor Jakob Stix of Goethe University had jointly published a paper.

They claimed to have found a “serious, irreparable error” in the proof of the ABC Conjecture by Japanese mathematics professor Shinichi Mochizuki.

In 2012, Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki announced that he had proven the century-old problem, the ABC Conjecture.

However, in the full six years that followed, only a handful of mathematicians claimed to understand and agree with Mochizuki’s proof.

The vast majority of mathematicians were bewildered by Mochizuki’s lengthy and confusing proof, leading some to doubt its validity.

Now, with Scholze and Stix pointing out a major flaw, it was tantamount to a declaration that the proof of the ABC Conjecture had failed.

Xu Chuan had some recollection of this.

The ABC Conjecture was of great significance in mathematics, holding a revered position in number theory nearly on par with the Riemann Hypothesis.

Many famous conjectures and theorems were its corollaries, such as Fermat’s Last Theorem, Beal’s Conjecture, the Mordell Conjecture, and the Twin Prime conjecture.

In 1995, Professor Andrew Wiles took over two hundred pages to complete the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. But if the ABC Conjecture were true, the proof would only require a few lines:

Let a = x^n, b = y^n, and c = z^n, where a + b = c.

According to the ABC Conjecture: c ≤ K * rad(abc) for some constant K. A strong but unproven version suggests a simpler form. The simplified version used in many discussions states for ε > 0, there are only finitely many exceptions to c < rad(abc)^(1+ε). The version often used in these informal proofs simplifies it further, so let’s use that logic.

c ≤ rad(abc);

Thus, z^n ≤ rad(x^n y^n z^n) ≤ xyz < z^3.

Therefore, n < 3. But wait, Wiles’ proof covers all n ≥ 3. A stronger form of the ABC conjecture is needed. If you assume c < rad(abc)^2, then z^n < (rad(xyz))^2 < (xyz)^2 < (z*z*z)^2 = z^6.

Therefore, n < 6. The cases for n = 3, 4, and 5 have already been proven by Euler and others.

Thus, Fermat’s Last Theorem holds true.

This mathematics, simple enough for a middle schooler who has learned about exponents to understand, was astonishingly concise.

Yet it could prove Fermat’s Last Theorem, a problem that took three hundred years to solve.

And its foundation rested on the validity of the ABC Conjecture.

Xu Chuan had also looked at Shinichi Mochizuki’s proof, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of it either.

In his paper, which spanned over six hundred pages, Mochizuki had created an entirely new mathematical theory, complete with his own mathematical symbols and even terminology.

To be specific, the paper was filled with all sorts of strange symbols, including concepts from traditional esoteric literature like metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

It wasn’t just the words; he even used diagrams resembling八卦 (bagua) trigrams.

Furthermore, the paper contained a plethora of bizarrely-named definitions, such as “the pole of the dark margin of the universe,” “Hodge Theater,” and “alien arithmetic holomorphic structure.”

To understand this work, one would have to read the six-hundred-page paper, plus over five hundred pages of his other papers (all five hundred pages were Mochizuki’s own work).

So, after a cursory glance at the proof for the ABC Conjecture, he had tossed it aside.

In Xu Chuan’s view, Mochizuki’s proof was on par with the unified mathematical theories proposed by amateur theorists who try to “square the circle and prove the Earth is flat.”

This was despite the fact that the former was a genuinely world-renowned mathematician.

And as it turned out, even by the time of his rebirth, Mochizuki’s paper remained an esoteric exercise in self-indulgence.

Although he insisted he had proven the ABC Conjecture, the mathematical community had given up all hope for his paper.

As for the other major event, it extended from mathematics into quantum computing.

2018 was supposed to be the year quantum computers achieved “quantum supremacy,” meaning there would be proof that quantum computers were far superior to conventional classical computers.

However, that was not what happened.

In August, around the time the Fields Medal was awarded, an eighteen-year-old Chinese-American girl named Tang Yiwen proposed a classical computer AI algorithm.

Its computational speed was comparable to that of a quantum computer, achieving an exponential increase in speed over previous classical algorithms.

This discovery not only debunked the myth of quantum acceleration championed by two giants in quantum computing but also demonstrated the fruitful interaction between research in quantum and classical algorithms.

Interestingly, Tang Yiwen had originally set out to prove that such an algorithm was impossible.

But as time went on and her research progressed, she discovered that such an algorithm did indeed exist.

The delay of quantum supremacy even led some theoretical computer scientists to believe that quantum computers would never surpass the best classical computers.

Xu Chuan wasn’t very familiar with this matter.

But he knew very well that future generations had not given up on the development of quantum computers.

After all, Moore’s Law had already placed a hard limit on the computational speed of traditional supercomputers.

For now, however, Xu Chuan was very interested in the AI algorithm proposed by Tang Yiwen and had found a copy of her paper to read.

But his knowledge of algorithms was limited, so he could only give it a cursory look to grasp its general ideas and core concepts.

After some thought, Xu Chuan mentally filed her name away.

If the opportunity arose, perhaps he could mention it to the higher-ups and see if they could recruit this talent from the United States.

He understood the importance of traditional supercomputers better than anyone.

For at least the next twenty to thirty years, traditional supercomputers would remain the workhorse for large-scale computation.

And a talent who could provide algorithms for supercomputers was, without a doubt, immensely important.

After this period of disruption, once the stir from the Nobel Prize died down, Xu Chuan finally returned to his normal life.

The delayed research and development on the nuclear energy and lithium-sulfur battery projects resumed.

Under his leadership, the progress of both projects advanced noticeably day by day.

This was especially true for the nuclear energy project.

With a complete theory, a “prophet” like Xu Chuan, and the added motivation of a Nobel Prize, the development of the new radiation-resistant material progressed rapidly.

Using the advanced equipment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, the research team successfully produced the first primitive batch of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate in less than a month.

Although transitioning from a familiar field to an unknown one can be disorienting, the month Xu Chuan had set aside for the eight researchers to familiarize themselves with the papers had shortened their period of confusion and observation to a minimum.

“Professor, the first batch of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate, manufactured using nanometer-scale processes, has completed its initial processing.”

Inside the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, researcher Xi Xuebo looked with reverence at the young man, a good ten years his junior, and reported seriously.

The first-ever dual laureate of the Nobel Prize and Fields Medal.

Not just in China, but across the entire world, he was a super expert standing at the peak of Mount Everest, surveying the entire planet.

To be able to conduct research under such a master was an opportunity one might not get even after burning incense for eight lifetimes.

For a postdoc like him to have the chance to be among the first to join a project led by such a big shot…

Xi Xuebo didn’t know how to describe his good fortune; he could only resolve to do his very best in every task.

In the laboratory, hearing that the first batch of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate was ready, Xu Chuan didn’t even raise his head. He just gave a soft “Mm,” to acknowledge that he had heard.

Before him was another ongoing materials experiment, a follow-up development on the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material.

The materials experiment he was working on continued for over an hour. After preliminarily handling the various materials in the experiment chamber, Xu Chuan finally removed his gloves and looked at Xi Xuebo, who had been waiting patiently by his side.

“Let’s go. Take me to see your results.”

During this time, he hadn’t been directly involved in the manufacturing of the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate. He had already prepared a highly detailed manufacturing procedure for this material and handed it off to the others.

As for himself, he had more important work to do.

It was true that Crystalline Erbium Zirconate could block nuclear radiation, but it was a solid, ceramic-like material.

Such a material was fine for making containers to store nuclear waste, but it was completely unsuitable for making protective suits.

When dealing with nuclear waste that emits high-intensity ionizing radiation, most electronic devices would fail.

This is because electronic devices rely on circuits to transmit signals and function. Nuclear radiation, especially streams of neutrons and protons, can damage these structures or create interference signals, causing the devices to malfunction or fail permanently.

Under these circumstances, using robots or machinery to experiment with nuclear waste was unrealistic.

Therefore, when he would later have to handle highly radioactive nuclear waste, a protective suit that could block radiation was essential.

Lead suits could be used in some experimental environments, but due to their inherent flaws, they weren’t suitable for all experiments.

A protective suit that could perfectly block nuclear radiation without hindering movement and experimental operations was a fundamental prerequisite for starting experiments on nuclear waste.

The materials experiment Xu Chuan was currently conducting was precisely for this purpose.

Using Atomic Cycle Technology, he was creating a relatively lightweight protective material for the subsequent ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ project.

Following Xi Xuebo, the two of them went to another laboratory.

The first batch of processed Crystalline Erbium Zirconate was stored here. There wasn’t a large quantity of it, weighing less than one hundred kilograms in total.

However, it was more than enough for the first round of shielding experiments to verify the new material’s effectiveness.

Under Han Jin’s supervision, several researchers were processing the manufactured Crystalline Erbium Zirconate into various containers.

These containers varied in shape—some were box-shaped, others cylindrical. They weren’t very large, about a meter long and only about ten centimeters in diameter.

These were custom-made based on the nuclear fuel rods from nuclear power plants.

Typically, nuclear fuel takes the form of uranium dioxide ceramic pellets, sintered from a uranium compound powder.

These ceramic pellets are cylinders about one centimeter in diameter and one centimeter high. Several hundred pellets are stacked together and inserted into long, thin zirconium alloy cladding tubes, which are about one centimeter in diameter, four meters long, and about one millimeter thick. These in turn are assembled into fuel assemblies.

Because the nuclear fission reaction is like burning atoms, these assemblies of tubes are called nuclear fuel rods.

After five to eight years of use, these fuel rods are retired from the nuclear power plant and become the nuclear waste that gives everyone a headache.

Xu Chuan needed to use this Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material to demonstrate the progress and phased results of his nuclear energy research project to the higher-ups.

The best way to do this was to use containers made from it to store nuclear waste and test its performance.

By loading nuclear waste into the containers, storing them for a period, and then conducting tests, they could check the container’s stability, shielding effectiveness, and other properties.

Then, by comparing this data with that from traditional containers, the advantages of this new material would be clear.

With phased results, obtaining subsequent resources, whether research funding or corresponding talent, would be quickly approved or assembled.

Of course, with his current status, he could easily apply for these resources even without phased results.

But there is a limit to the trust between people.

If he squandered his reputation now to acquire resources but delivered no results, it would be much harder to gain the nation’s support in the future.

The Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal were not omnipotent. They brought glory, but they were also a double-edged sword.

How they were used was up to the recipient.

After the first batch of containers made from Crystalline Erbium Zirconate was ready, the nuclear energy lab began the first phase of conventional radiation resistance experiments.

The experimental method was not complex.

Using specialized equipment, they would create a strong radiation source and then test the containers made of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate, collecting a series of data.

But for the researchers on the nuclear energy project team, this was a crucial step.

They had worked tirelessly for two months under the leadership of a Nobel laureate to create a new type of radiation-resistant material.

Today, they would find out just how effective this material was.

This would determine whether the “Atomic Cycle” theory was correct, and also whether the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Technology Project’ could continue.

After all, through their research during this period, everyone knew that the entire project was built upon the Atomic Cycle theory.

If the most fundamental theory collapsed, it would only be a matter of time before the project was disbanded.

This would be a very difficult outcome for the researchers on the project team to accept.

After all, they had finally gotten the chance to work on an experiment with a Nobel laureate. If the project were disbanded, it would be a huge loss.

Therefore, everyone except Xu Chuan was extremely nervous, anxiously awaiting the results of the irradiation resistance test.

Chapter 235: The First Interim Result

Compared to the apprehension of the others, Xu Chuan felt almost no nervousness at all.

All he felt was anticipation—anticipation to see just how well the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ resistance material, created using his ‘Atomic Cycle’ theory and specialized nanotechnology, would perform.

He was actually well aware of the radiation resistance of ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate.’ However, what he knew was from his past life.

In the replication experiments this time, he had used mathematical methods to recalculate and adjust certain aspects of the technology, optimizing the material to some extent.

In theory, the optimized ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ should have better radiation resistance or radiation stability.

However, he was not sure just how much of an improvement it would be compared to the previous ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material.

Radiation resistance, or radiation stability, is the ability of a substance to maintain its inherent physical and chemical properties after being exposed to a certain dose of irradiation.

The radiation resistance of a material is related to its molecular structure, relative molecular mass, and state of aggregation.

For example, isotactic polypropylene, which has tertiary carbon atoms, will undergo a noticeable change after receiving 1.2 x 10^5 Gy of radiant energy, and a severe change at 8 x 10^5 Gy, such as becoming so brittle it would snap in one’s hands.

For polystyrene with aromatic rings, the doses required for similar changes are 8 x 10^6 Gy and 3 x 10^7 Gy, respectively.

Radiation-resistant rubber specifically designed for nuclear engineering has even higher radiation resistance.

As for materials like lead metal and radiation-resistant steel plates, they have almost reached the pinnacle of radiation resistance in the current materials science field.

According to the material developed in his past life, the radiation resistance of ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ was, strictly speaking, not quite on par with ultra-high-density materials like lead metal.

There was a slight difference; it was at a critical point.

But compared to lead metal, it had its own unique advantages.

First was its weight. It was lighter than lead.

For the same volume, a protective material made of ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ weighed only about one-fifth as much as lead.

Second was its durability.

Because of the Atomic Cycle, under the same radiation intensity, a protective material made of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate would definitely hold up for a much longer time than one doped with lead.

Using radiant energy to complete the self-repair of its grain boundaries allowed the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate to maintain its Atomic Cycle for an extended period.

Although lead metal could resist nuclear radiation with its density, once its internal lead grain boundaries were damaged, it would trigger a chain reaction, leading to a collapse of the grain boundaries.

The irradiation resistance test could be said to take a very long time, or a very short one.

A long-term resistance test required at least ten to fifteen days to complete the plotting of the radiation curve and the material change curve, which would then allow for a relatively accurate determination of the resistance material’s limits.

However, a radiation intensity resistance test did not require this.

By using instruments and equipment to create strong radiation sources of varying intensities and gradually increasing the radiant energy, one could determine the material’s limit.

Such a test could be completed in a single morning.

As for Xu Chuan, he was very clear on the limits of the material he had created.

He started the radiation intensity resistance test directly from an intensity of 2 Gy·h-1, which was the baseline for high-level nuclear waste.

Below this value, nuclear waste is classified as intermediate-level; above it, it is the most difficult to handle high-level nuclear waste.

The higher the value, the higher the radiation intensity.

If the material couldn’t even withstand this standard, how could it be used for the treatment of nuclear waste?

Of course, the resistance test wasn’t judged solely on the radiation intensity metric.

Other factors included the material’s thickness, resistance time, and so on.

After all, any material, even water or air, has some degree of radiation resistance.

Ordinary concrete, if it reached a thickness of over one and a half meters, could also block the vast majority of nuclear radiation.

After the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Soviets built a concrete sarcophagus around Reactor No. 4 to serve as a protective shield.

But the drawback was also enormous. Under the intense irradiation from the nuclear waste, ordinary concrete, even at a thickness of two or three meters, only had a lifespan of twenty to thirty years.

The current containment sarcophagus outside Chernobyl was actually rebuilt in 2011.

The original sarcophagus built by the Soviets, after twenty years, had long been corroded into a porous wreck by the nearly two hundred tons of high-intensity nuclear waste inside.

Therefore, discussing resistance performance without considering factors like material thickness and exposure time is a very unreliable thing to do.

It’s like talking about toxicity without mentioning the dose.

For example, bananas contain the radioactive element “Potassium-40,” which can emit ionizing radiation, but it would take about fifty million bananas to accumulate a lethal dose of radiation for a person.

Long before that, you would have probably died from overeating, or from a potassium imbalance.

However, on this basis, the thinner the material and the higher the radiation intensity it can withstand, the more it demonstrates the material’s performance.

For the protective material made of ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate,’ Xu Chuan’s requirement was that it must have the performance to withstand high-level nuclear waste at a thickness of two centimeters.

Only by reaching this standard could it be widely applied in various nuclear and aerospace engineering projects and possess corresponding value.

Under Han Jin’s supervision, the first round of the radiation intensity resistance test at 2 Gy·h-1 took nearly an hour, with a total of five sets of tests conducted.

Xu Chuan flipped through the resistance data in his hands, a smile touching his lips.

Judging from the current inspection results, the radiation intensity resistance test was quite satisfactory.

‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ protective materials of different shapes and thicknesses all exhibited high stability and shielding rates against alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, X-rays, and neutron radiation when facing simulated nuclear irradiation of the same intensity.

In different irradiation environments, the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ protective material, at a thickness of one centimeter, achieved a 100% shielding rate against alpha and beta rays.

The average shielding rate for gamma rays and X-rays reached 90.4%; the rate for neutron radiation reached 84.5%; and the gamma shielding rate reached 60.3%.

To achieve this kind of shielding rate with ordinary concrete would require a thickness of nearly half a meter.

Fifty centimeters versus one centimeter was enough to demonstrate its shielding performance.

But what was more critical was its grain boundary loss rate.

During the thirty-minute-long radiation intensity resistance test, even the one-centimeter-thick protective material did not suffer significant damage to its internal grain boundaries when facing radiation at an intensity of 2 Gy·h-1 for over thirty minutes.

If the grain boundary integrity of a piece of material is compared to 100, after the first round of testing, the grain boundary integrity of the five experimental groups of the first batch of ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ protective material had only decreased by 0.00032, 0.00019, 0.00028, and 0.00018.

The average grain boundary damage rate was maintained at around two in ten thousand, which was a reduction of about half a point in ten thousand compared to the protective material manufactured in the United States in his past life.

The improvement wasn’t huge, but to gain a certain degree of performance enhancement from some not-so-complex modifications was a wonderful thing.

In fact, a grain boundary loss integrity of two in ten thousand was already an extremely low value.

One must know that it was facing ionizing radiation at the level of high-level nuclear waste.

If a person were to be exposed to this intensity of simulated radiation, they would be bleeding from every orifice and dead within an hour, which shows how terrifying this intensity of nuclear radiation is.

But the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ protective material, when facing this intensity of simulated nuclear irradiation, had a grain boundary damage rate of only two in ten thousand.

Although this number would increase over time, the self-repairing nature of the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ protective material would eventually allow it to maintain a dynamic equilibrium.

“Incredible! After facing simulated nuclear radiation at an intensity of 2 Gy·h-1 for half an hour, the grain boundary damage to the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material is less than two in ten thousand. This number is already far lower than that of the ceramic materials used to store nuclear waste.”

In the laboratory, Xi Xuebo’s eyes widened as he stared at the resistance results in his hand.

The performance indicated by the data recorded in the experiment was something he found hard to believe.

Never mind the radiation shielding rate; although it was excellent, there was still some difference compared to top-tier materials like lead.

What was important was the grain boundary damage rate. This was the key to how long a resistance material could maintain its own stability when facing high-intensity nuclear radiation.

The strong ionizing nature of nuclear radiation can ionize all materials it comes into contact with, which leads to various problems within the material itself.

If the material’s own stability is not strong enough, even if its radiation shielding rate is excellent, it cannot be applied in industry.

And according to the calculations based on the test results, the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material could withstand simulated nuclear radiation at an intensity of 2 Gy·h-1 for more than one hundred days.

This simply refreshed his understanding of resistance materials.

One hundred days may not seem like a long time, but one had to consider the intensity of the radiation it was facing.

As a researcher in the field of nuclear energy, he had a very clear understanding of nuclear radiation shielding materials.

Whether it was shielding materials made of lead metal, radiation-protective concrete, or rubber, they all showed different degrees of damage when facing high-level nuclear waste.

According to his mental calculations, a half-centimeter-thick lead plate, when facing simulated nuclear radiation at an intensity of 2 Gy·h-1, would have a grain boundary loss rate of about one in ten thousand.

This meant that after about two hundred days, the lead plate would lose its protective effect.

Considering that the thinner the lead plate, the weaker the shielding effect, the protection time would be further shortened.

But this Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material would not. Although the current data suggests it can only last for one hundred days, the crucial Atomic Cycle theory would allow the grain boundaries to reconstruct. One hundred days was far from its limit.

To put it another way, if the speed of grain boundary reconstruction could keep up with the speed of destruction, then it could be maintained forever, continuously containing the nuclear waste.

Of course, this was only theoretical.

In reality, due to various external environmental interferences, grain boundary reconstruction could not be an infinite cycle. But the value it had demonstrated so far already far surpassed that of traditional nuclear radiation shielding materials.

Looking at Xu Chuan, who stood aside with an air of complete calm, Xi Xuebo’s eyes were filled with admiration.

Is this the power of a Nobel Prize winner? Even when crossing over into the materials industry, he can easily break boundaries.

If he had personally developed this material, he would probably have been jumping with excitement long ago, but Xu Chuan remained calm, as if it were just a trivial matter.

Receiving the results of the first round of the radiation intensity resistance test, Xu Chuan held the results, a smile on his face.

As he had expected, the modified and optimized ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material showed stronger performance in terms of radiation resistance and stability.

The grain boundary loss rate of two in ten thousand in the first round of testing was the best proof.

This sharp scalpel of nuclear radiation had finally met a shield that could stop it.

Using the optimized ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material to manufacture storage containers, if there were no other interferences, the nuclear waste could be stored for at least one hundred thousand years.

By the time this period passed, the nuclear waste would no longer be highly contaminating.

After all, the release of harmful radiation through atomic decay also takes time.

Although some nuclear waste takes two or three hundred thousand years, or even longer, to complete its decay, most of the spent fuel rods in nuclear power plants only need a few thousand years.

Or rather, a few thousand years would be enough to reduce its harm to a minimal level.

If this project had merely been about developing a new type of nuclear waste storage material, reaching this step could be considered a success.

As long as the optimized ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material passed the other tests, it could be applied to the storage of nuclear waste.

However, Xu Chuan’s goal was not to develop a new nuclear waste storage material. It was to reuse nuclear waste, turning it from an extremely difficult-to-handle pollutant into a new source of energy!

For this goal, the successful development of the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material was only the first step.

After handing over the subsequent testing of the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material to Han Jin, Xu Chuan returned to his own laboratory with three researchers.

For others, the successful development of the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material was a piece of great news, but for him, it was merely the first step.

Many more difficulties awaited him.

“Xi Xuebo, your job is to oxidize the gadolinium material in a pure oxygen environment, and after that, grind it into a powder with a diameter of less than ten nanometers.”

“Lu Shun, your job is to purify the boron carbide material. The purity requirement is above 99.99%.”

“Zhou Zhu, your job is…”

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan assigned the various preparatory tasks one by one.

The success of the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ material proved that Atomic Cycle Technology was feasible in the face of high-intensity nuclear radiation. The next step, naturally, was to follow this line of thought and develop a heavy-duty protective suit that could be used for experimental work with nuclear waste.

Chapter 236: Academician Peng Hongxi’s Amazement

The preliminary testing of the first batch of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material took nearly a week, and the results were quite exhilarating.

Whether in terms of its shielding rate against various forms of radiation, its grain boundary damage rate, or its grain boundary reconstruction speed, the performance of this new material was outstanding.

Compared to the nuclear waste storage ceramics previously used in China, the overall performance of the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate shielding material was improved by more than fifty percent.

The improvement in its service life was even more staggering.

The service life of existing nuclear waste storage ceramics and other materials, even without external environmental interference, was mostly in the range of several hundred to a thousand years when facing highly radioactive nuclear waste.

Beyond this period, the storage containers would suffer from damage, cracking, and other issues due to the effects of nuclear radiation.

However, based on data from preliminary tests, the service life of the new Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material was conservatively estimated to be over ten thousand years.

This result even startled Academician Peng Hongxi, a consultant for the institute of nuclear energy. Upon hearing the news, the old man personally took a high-speed rail from Beijing.

Seeing Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan realized that the new nuclear shielding material he had created seemed to be far more important than he had initially estimated.

Previously, his attention had been focused on the subsequent core technology, and he hadn’t paid much attention to the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material itself.

After all, solid-state ceramic shielding materials didn’t have a very wide range of applications. They could block radiation, but they required a certain thickness, which limited their use.

Apart from a few limited applications such as in nuclear engineering structures and for storing nuclear waste, it was difficult to apply it in other fields.

Besides, there were many other shielding materials that could achieve the same shielding effect as Crystalline Erbium Zirconate; they just had a shorter service life.

For humanity, there wasn’t actually a huge difference between a service life of one thousand years and one of ten thousand years.

Furthermore, in his past life, nuclear waste had already been successfully turned from waste into a valuable resource, eliminating the need for long-term storage. So, in his eyes, materials designed for nuclear waste storage were not that important.

But he had forgotten that it was now only 2018. In this era, nuclear waste was a pollutant that gave every country a massive headache.

Both its storage and disposal were exceedingly difficult.

At the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Peng Hongxi personally conducted radiation tests on a piece of Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material.

After getting the test results, the old man looked at the young man before him and sighed in admiration, “Impressive. This must be the Atomic Cycle theory you mentioned before.”

If he remembered correctly, it had been less than three months since the research team was assembled.

To develop a new material with performance superior to traditional shielding materials in just over two months was something straight out of a fairy tale.

What surprised him even more was that Xu Chuan had never conducted any related materials experiments before.

This “Atomic Cycle” theory had been conceived and developed entirely in his mind.

That was the most terrifying part.

Materials science experiments had always been among the most variable.

With endless possible formulas, a slight difference could lead to completely different results.

Sometimes, even a 0.01 difference in the formula could turn a new material into useless waste.

Developing a new material was not so easy.

Which of the major materials research and development giants today didn’t have decades of accumulation? Which of them didn’t have massive amounts of material data stored in their databases?

To create a new anti-radiation material purely through theoretical deduction from his mind…

This completely shattered all his previous understanding of materials research.

Peng Hongxi was almost tempted to cut open Xu Chuan’s brain to see if it housed a quantum supercomputer.

He had actually accomplished something that seemed beyond human capability.

Perhaps there was an element of luck involved, but materials research had always been a matter of luck anyway.

If you were lucky, you could get it right with a single formula.

If you were unlucky, you could run a thousand experiments and still not find the correct synthesis route.

Across from him, hearing Peng Hongxi’s praise, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “This is just a basic application of the Atomic Cycle theory. It still has significant flaws.”

“For example, it hardens after its final formation, and a solid material can’t meet many nuclear shielding requirements. Also, its shielding rate against neutron and gamma radiation isn’t high enough.”

Peng Hongxi shook his head. “Your standards are too high. Neutron and gamma radiation have the strongest penetration power of all radiation types, which is the biggest challenge in radiation protection worldwide.”

“This new material is already outstanding. For storing ordinary nuclear waste, based on the current test results, it’s more than sufficient. The Atomic Cycle and grain boundary reconstruction will allow it to store nuclear waste for over ten thousand years.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Come, let me show you my latest research—a lead-free nanocomposite reconstructive shielding material. In my opinion, it’s even more outstanding than the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material. It’s designed for making protective suits.”

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Peng Hongxi’s face. He asked, astonished, “Protective suits? Lead-free?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, lead-free. The Atomic Cycle theory doesn’t rely on the high density of lead for shielding.”

Peng Hongxi’s interest was piqued. “Do you have a finished product?”

Nuclear radiation protective suits are essential pieces of equipment for nuclear, biological, and chemical rescue operations. They are used by on-site response and rescue personnel in hazardous environments with risks of nuclear radiation, nuclear aerosol contamination, and biochemical pollution.

In most people’s minds, nuclear radiation shielding materials are invariably associated with heavy lead.

For example, the protective doors used in hospital X-ray rooms are made of lead.

In fact, almost all existing nuclear protective suits worn by researchers or workers contained lead.

It went without saying that lead could block most radiation and had excellent shielding performance.

But its disadvantages were also obvious. First, it was heavy. Lead has a very high density, so protective suits incorporating lead were bound to be quite heavy.

After all, they were meant to be used in the face of nuclear radiation. Too little lead wouldn’t provide adequate protection.

But with more lead, they were certain to be heavy.

A protective suit, such as a military-grade anti-radiation suit, weighed over fifteen or sixteen kilograms.

Second, lead is toxic. Its biological toxicity is harmful to the environment.

Especially in high-concentration nuclear radiation environments, a lead protective suit had a limited working time. Once contaminated, it couldn’t be reused and had to be disposed of.

Therefore, the range of applications for lead protective suits was severely limited.

However, at present, there were no other particularly good alternatives to lead protective suits.

Protecting against nuclear radiation had always been a major challenge.

A lead-free nuclear radiation protective suit greatly intrigued him.

Leading Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan walked towards his laboratory, responding as they went.

“We don’t have a complete protective suit yet. The latest prototype was just made yesterday. Right now, we only have a piece of fabric-like material that isn’t very large. It hasn’t been tested yet, so we’ll need some time for the specific results.”

“What materials does it use? What are its size, thickness, and weight?” Peng Hongxi asked quickly.

Xu Chuan replied, “It’s about fifty by fifty centimeters, 1.3 centimeters thick, and weighs one thousand seventy-three grams.”

Peng Hongxi did a quick calculation and said, “Zero point two five square meters, and a little over a kilogram. If a protective suit is sewn with the fabric needed for a full suit, and we consider the helmet, gloves, and other items, the total weight would be around four to five kilograms.”

“Compared to the old lead suits that weighed upwards of fifteen kilograms, yours is several times lighter. If its radiation shielding can meet the standard of lead suits, that would be frightening.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “We’ll know once the tests are done.”

He was well aware of the specific protective performance of this new lead-free nanocomposite reconstructive nuclear shielding material. It was definitely better than lead-doped protective suits; otherwise, how could he have used this technology to solve the nuclear waste problem in his past life?

The technology to concentrate and convert nuclear beta-radiation energy into electrical energy had won a Nobel Prize.

A Nobel-level achievement, especially in physics, the most important of the natural science prizes, was naturally of astonishing value and weight.

Leading Peng Hongxi, the two arrived at the laboratory.

Xu Chuan opened a materials storage container, took out a folded, cloth-like material from inside, and handed it to the old man behind him.

Peng Hongxi took the material, and the moment it was in his hands, he was astounded by its soft and smooth texture.

“Incredible. It’s so supple. If you hadn’t told me, I would have thought this was fabric for making clothes. It’s so soft.”

Peng Hongxi couldn’t help but marvel as he felt the protective material in his hands.

One had to remember that nuclear protective materials were generally doped with various materials like lead, silver, and boron. After all, only these materials could absorb or shield against radiation.

Correspondingly, the properties of these materials also made nuclear protective suits heavy, coarse, and so on.

There was simply no way around it.

But the protective material before him completely overturned his previous understanding.

If one ignored its thickness, it was just like a piece of cloth. It could even be folded like clothing. It was simply incredible.

Xu Chuan smiled. “You’re exaggerating a bit, Elder Peng. It is indeed much softer than traditional nuclear protective suit materials, but it’s still no match for actual cloth.”

Peng Hongxi sighed and shook his head. “A revolutionary achievement. How did you do it? What are its raw materials?”

“The raw materials are mainly gadolinium oxide, boron carbide, high-density polyethylene, and fluorozirconate-based salt. The basic principle utilizes the high heat absorption and high neutron absorption cross-section of gadolinium oxide, combined with the shielding properties of boron and zirconium against various types of radiation.”

“A coupling agent is used to modify the surface of the gadolinium oxide, improving its interfacial compatibility and dispersibility within the matrix. This allows radiation particles to interact more fully with the functional components inside the material, leading to rapid attenuation.”

“Theoretically, it has the ability to shield against most types of radiation and has good shielding performance against both neutron and gamma radiation.”

Xu Chuan didn’t hide anything about the principles and manufacturing process of this new protective material.

The old man before him was completely trustworthy.

After listening to Xu Chuan’s explanation, Peng Hongxi’s slightly cloudy eyes flickered. He pondered for a moment before speaking. “What a brilliant idea.”

“Using a gadolinium-hydrogen-boron system to moderate and absorb neutrons. It utilizes the interaction characteristics of light and heavy nuclei with neutrons, as well as the high thermal neutron absorption cross-section of gadolinium and boron. High-energy incident neutrons undergo inelastic collisions with gadolinium and elastic collisions with hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen until they become thermal neutrons, finally being absorbed by gadolinium and boron.”

“And the Atomic Cycle Technology can use radiant energy to repair the damaged particles from the collisions to a certain extent, allowing them to be recycled and greatly enhancing the material’s lifespan and protective performance.”

“This line of thought… it’s simply perfect.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. This line of thought was not just the core of the nuclear shielding material.

It was also the core of the technology for concentrating and converting nuclear beta-radiation energy into electrical energy.

The special semiconductor material created with this technology could collect the scattered radiation from nuclear waste and convert it into electricity, truly turning waste into a valuable resource.

“By the way, I heard you’ve been researching lithium batteries recently as well?”

After examining the new protective material in his hands for a while, Peng Hongxi solemnly handed it back to Xu Chuan and asked with curiosity.

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Just dabbling, that’s all.”

His acquisition of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was no secret, so it was normal for Peng Hongxi to know about it.

“What aspect are you researching?” Peng Hongxi asked.

He paused, then added, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to pry into your secrets. It’s fine if it’s inconvenient to say.”

Xu Chuan waved his hand and smiled. “What secrets? It’s mainly related to the electrolyte solution and the artificial SEI film.”

“Electrolyte solution and artificial SEI film… so you’re going after the lithium dendrite problem. With your focus split between two fields, can you manage the workload?”

Peng Hongxi murmured and looked at Xu Chuan. This young man’s ambition was truly not small.

The problem of lithium dendrites had plagued the industrial world for decades.

Countless research institutes, laboratories, and universities worldwide were studying this problem, but so far, there had been no significant progress.

Did mathematics really possess such magic?

First, he calculated a nuclear radiation shielding material, and now he was tackling the lithium dendrite problem.

Although he wasn’t sure if the lithium dendrite problem could be solved, after seeing some of the results in this nuclear energy laboratory today, he felt an inexplicable confidence in the young man before him.

It was as if in any field he entered, problems would cease to be problems.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s actually fine over there. I asked my Advisor for some help. My senior is in charge of managing the research institute.”

“I just provided some theoretical methods.”

“Ah, to be young! So full of energy.”

Peng Hongxi didn’t press further, just sighing in admiration.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Academician Peng, you’re still young too.”

Peng Hongxi smiled and shook his head, saying with concern, “If you encounter any problems, you can come to me. Don’t try to bear it all alone.”

“I heard you were holed up in the lab for several days straight a while ago and even missed the call about the Nobel Prize.”

“You’re still young, you need to take care of your health. There’s no need to push yourself so hard. You have a long road ahead of you.”

Chapter 237: Preparations Before the Nobel Prize

Peng Hongxi stayed in Shanghai for three days. Only after the preliminary test results for the new lead-free nanocomposite reconstructive nuclear shielding material were complete did he return to Beijing.

Xu Chuan went with him to Beijing.

They took two different samples of the shielding material, along with the preliminary test results for both.

On one hand, the trip was to report on these interim achievements. On the other, it was to discuss the Nobel Prize ceremony, which was a month away.

It was already November, and in less than a month, the Nobel Prize award ceremony would begin.

Although the ceremony was in Europe, not the United States, which was relatively safer, given his current age and accomplishments, traveling abroad was no longer a personal matter.

Therefore, he had to go discuss it with the higher-ups to see how to handle it.

Arriving in Beijing once again, he stayed at the same hotel adjacent to the Forbidden City.

After dropping off his luggage at the hotel, Zheng Hai drove Xu Chuan to the office building of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

This time, his trip to Beijing wasn’t to meet the same individual as last time.

An interim achievement like this wasn’t significant enough to trouble that person.

Perhaps he was aware of it, but as a leader, he had far more important matters to attend to. Providing support for the work of researchers from behind the scenes was already enough.

“Professor Xu, welcome!”

At the entrance of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s office building, Minister Qin Anguo personally came out to greet Xu Chuan. Two elderly men stood beside him.

“Minister Qin, we meet again,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

“Come, let me introduce you. These two are both Academicians from our country’s Academy of Sciences.” Qin Anguo smiled and stepped aside to introduce the two elderly men to Xu Chuan.

“This is Academician Wang Zhong, a renowned scholar in the international field of nuclear energy. He’s a top expert in advanced nuclear energy systems with inherent safety features. The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology and circulating cooling water systems in our domestic nuclear power plants are all his handiwork.”

“And this is Academician Jiang Shengjie, a meritorious figure in our country’s nuclear industry. He participated in the development of the Two Bombs and has overseen the development of nuclear power plants and their supporting safe nuclear fuel cycle systems. He has made immense contributions to our nation’s nuclear safety.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s expression turned solemn. He respectfully greeted the two elders, “A pleasure to meet you, Academician Wang, Academician Jiang.”

Wang Zhong shook his hand and chuckled, “A hero emerges from the young. I’ve long heard of Professor Xu’s name. Seeing you today, you’re even younger than I imagined.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You flatter me, Elder Wang. Compared to you, I still have a long way to go.”

Beside them, Jiang Shengjie stepped forward and asked directly, without any pleasantries, “Minister Qin told me you’ve developed a new type of anti-nuclear radiation material?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I have indeed developed a new material, but it has only undergone some preliminary tests so far. The final results are not yet determined.”

“Did you bring any of the material with you?” Academician Jiang Shengjie pressed on. “Or could I go to your lab to take a look?”

Qin Anguo explained, “Academician Jiang and Academician Wang are currently collaborating on a national nuclear energy safety project that requires some advanced nuclear shielding technologies and materials. Some of the traditional shielding materials just don’t fit the requirements.”

“Professor Xu, I was wondering if it would be convenient? If so, once your results are out, the Ministry of Science and Technology could submit an application for some of the material for internal use. What do you think?”

Realization dawned on Xu Chuan. He nodded and said, “There’s no issue of convenience. I can just have the Shanghai research institute mail some of the relevant materials over.”

“It’s just that this new material hasn’t completed testing yet, so I can’t guarantee its stability or effectiveness.”

Jiang Shengjie’s urgent expression relaxed into a smile. “Then we’ll have to trouble you, Professor Xu. I will handle the relevant tests on my end, so you won’t have to worry about any trouble.”

Xu Chuan nodded. The Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project was fully funded by the state. Any achievements, including intellectual property, belonged to the nation.

‘Taken from the nation, used for the nation’—this was a very normal thing.

As for any trouble, he wasn’t worried.

In China’s academic world, there were very few who could cause him trouble.

The group of four exchanged pleasantries at the entrance for a while before entering the Ministry of Science and Technology building under Qin Anguo’s lead.

In the office, Xu Chuan accepted a cup of tea from an assistant and placed it on the table beside him.

“Minister Qin, I came here today for two main reasons.”

He didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point. After all, they were all busy people with little time for idle chat.

Across from him, Qin Anguo sat up straight upon hearing this and said seriously, “Please, go ahead.”

“The first is about the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project. The project is now on track, and the first stage of results has been achieved.”

“The subsequent research will require support, both in terms of research funding and experimental materials.”

Qin Anguo nodded. “None of that is a problem. Rest assured, the state will give its full support to the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.”

He didn’t even ask how much funding Xu Chuan needed or what kind of help, agreeing immediately.

This was not just because of the immense reputation brought by the recent Nobel Prize, but also because the nuclear energy project had already produced interim results.

Whether it was the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate or the subsequent lead-free nanocomposite reconstructive shielding material, both were extremely valuable.

The initial investment of one billion yuan was already justified by either of these two materials alone.

Furthermore, and more critically, the person requesting these things was Xu Chuan.

That name was enough.

The world’s first person to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, only twenty-one years old, the solver of one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems—this series of achievements would be enough for any country to invest heavily in him.

Xu Chuan continued, “The second matter is about the Nobel Prize.”

“The Nobel Prize?” Qin Anguo looked at Xu Chuan with a hint of confusion.

Xu Chuan nodded and explained, “Although winning the Nobel Prize is a very happy occasion, the award ceremony is abroad. I am currently in charge of a nuclear energy project, so I’m not sure if I should go abroad to accept the award.”

“If I do go, how can my safety be guaranteed? I’m sure Minister Qin is aware of the recent mysterious death of an Iranian nuclear physics expert.”

He brought the matter up directly, asking if the higher-ups thought he should go accept the award.

A Nobel Prize in Physics was still very important to him, and to China, at this point.

Since he had won it, there was no reason not to claim it.

However, considering other factors, security needed to be guaranteed.

Hearing this, a knowing smile appeared on Qin Anguo’s face. “You can rest assured on that front. The state has already considered it. Security is not an issue. There will be people to protect you.”

“Besides, we are not Iran. No one would dare to lay a hand on an internationally renowned scholar like you.”

“Unless they want to start a war!”

After a pause, he continued, “Of course, security is no small matter. If traveling by plane is not secure enough, we actually have another option.”

“What option?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

“A train!” Qin Anguo said.

“There is a special railway line from Beijing to Moscow that goes directly to Europe. Although it takes longer, it’s safer than a plane and makes it easier to handle any unforeseen situations.”

“This is a backup plan. If you don’t mind spending a little more time, Professor Xu, we can take the train. It’s safer.”

Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. He had heard of this train; it was a tourist train that ran directly from Beijing to Moscow, with beautiful scenery along the way.

Compared to flying, a train was indeed much safer.

Even if an accident occurred during the journey, it would be on the ground.

It was unlike being in a plane high in the sky, where if something went wrong, you would be completely helpless.

With the issues of future funding for the nuclear project and the Nobel Prize settled, Xu Chuan felt much more relaxed.

He stayed in Beijing for two days, discussing security and protection for the nuclear energy project with Academicians Wang Zhong and Jiang Shengjie, and also visited his younger sister Xu Xiao at Tsinghua University before returning to Nanjing.

Both the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate and the lead-free nanocomposite reconstructive shielding material had entered the testing phase, bringing the work at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute to a temporary close.

While the other staff continued with their regular work to handle the follow-up tasks, Xu Chuan headed to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, which he had purchased.

He had neglected this place for over a month; it was time to check on the research and development progress of the electrolyte solution and the artificial SEI film.

Although the personnel at Chuanhai Materials Research Institute couldn’t compare to those at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute, the difficulty and complexity of developing lithium battery materials were not as high as for nuclear radiation shielding materials.

Moreover, with the theories and guidance he had left behind, their progress shouldn’t be too far behind.

Finding Fan Pengyue in the laboratory, Xu Chuan asked about the development status of the two projects.

“The development of the electrolyte solution is a bit faster than the artificial SEI film. After all, it’s much simpler than the film.”

“We already have a preliminary product, and it’s currently undergoing testing. If the tests go well, we can assemble it into a complete lithium battery for charge-discharge experiments.”

“As for the development of the artificial SEI film, it might still take some time. The exact duration is uncertain. We’ve run into a problem with the research and are trying to find a solution. I was actually about to email you about this.”

In his office, Fan Pengyue gave a brief report on the project’s progress over the past period.

“What’s the situation?”

Hearing that the artificial SEI film development had hit a snag, Xu Chuan asked with some surprise.

Logically, with the detailed route and methods he had provided, the research should have proceeded smoothly.

Fan Pengyue explained, “A while ago, Researcher Yu Zhen produced a finished SEI film. Unfortunately, its performance didn’t meet the requirements you set before.”

“Tests showed that while this artificial SEI film can prevent the formation of lithium dendrites, it can’t completely disperse the lithium ions that accumulate at the negative electrode.”

“In theory, it has solved the lithium dendrite problem, since dendrites no longer form. But in practice, the疊加 of lithium ions on the negative electrode still causes a decrease in Coulombic efficiency and will ultimately lead to battery failure.”

“What about the test results? Let me see them.”

Xu Chuan was very interested in the artificial SEI film that Yu Zhen had created.

Although he hadn’t done much research on lithium batteries, he could analyze their various problems from the perspectives of materials science and mathematics.

This was something that the vast majority of material scientists couldn’t do, as they lacked such a profound mathematical foundation.

“One moment, I’ll print a copy for you right away.”

Fan Pengyue responded and hurried off. A short while later, he returned with a document.

Xu Chuan took the still-warm printed paper and began to read, smelling the fresh ink.

From the recorded data and test results, it was clear that, in a sense, this artificial SEI film had indeed solved the lithium dendrite problem.

However, it still failed to solve the problems of lithium deposition and aggregation.

The so-called lithium deposition was related to the operation of a lithium battery.

When a lithium-ion battery is charging, Li+ ions deintercalate from the positive electrode and intercalate into the negative electrode.

However, when certain anomalies occur—such as insufficient space for lithium intercalation in the negative electrode, excessive resistance to Li+ intercalation, or Li+脫嵌 from the positive electrode too quickly to be equally intercalated into the negative electrode—the Li+ ions can no longer intercalate.

At this point, the Li+ ions can only gain electrons on the surface of the negative electrode, forming silvery-white metallic lithium, which is commonly known as lithium deposition.

Lithium dendrites are, in fact, a form of lithium deposition.

When too many lithium ions aggregate on the negative electrode and form deposited lithium, it not only degrades battery performance and drastically shortens its cycle life, but also limits the battery’s fast-charging capacity and can potentially lead to catastrophic consequences like combustion or explosion.

Furthermore, it causes excessive consumption of lithium ions in the electrolyte solution, leading to a progressively lower Coulombic efficiency.

In layman’s terms, the capacity of a lithium-ion battery decays exponentially.

If a battery has a Coulombic efficiency of 99% per cycle, then after 100 cycles, its capacity retention rate would be just 36.6%.

This means that a 100Ah battery under these conditions would only have 36.6Ah of capacity left after 100 cycles.

The data in his hands showed a particularly severe lithium deposition effect.

As a result, the Coulombic efficiency of the assembled battery was only around 99.91%.

This number might sound impressive, but it was actually not that high.

Taking the battery of the most well-known fruit-branded phone as an example, most normal batteries operating under normal conditions can retain up to 80% of their initial capacity after 500 charge cycles.

This means a capacity retention rate of 80% after 500 cycles, which translates to a Coulombic efficiency of approximately 99.96%.

This new film was a full 0.05 percentage points lower. This meant that if this artificial SEI film were used, the lithium dendrite problem would be solved, but the battery’s charge-discharge cycles would be reduced by more than two hundred.

Solving the lithium dendrite problem could indeed increase battery capacity.

But to drastically reduce the battery’s service life in the process was simply not worth it.

Chapter 238: The Key to Solving the Lithium Dendrite Problem

The ability to solve the lithium dendrite problem in lithium batteries proved that the line of thinking and the theory behind it were perfectly sound.

However, the artificial SEI film created by Researcher Yu Zhen did not achieve the desired effect, which intrigued Xu Chuan and made him think deeply.

In his estimation, this problem shouldn’t have occurred.

The lithium dendrite issue was fundamentally a part of the larger lithium deposition problem. If the dendrite issue could be solved, then the deposition issue should also be resolved, or at least partially.

Yet, the test results in his hands told him that the lithium deposition problem had not been solved—in fact, it had become even more severe.

This left Xu Chuan completely puzzled.

Staring at the test results, Xu Chuan began to review them carefully.

Looking at the control experiments, the lithium-ion batteries using this new artificial SEI film exhibited a higher rate of lithium deposition on the negative electrode compared to the original lithium-ion batteries.

If the Coulombic efficiency of the original lithium-ion batteries was in the range of 99.94% to 99.96%, then the batteries with the new artificial SEI film saw their Coulombic efficiency drop to around 99.91% to 99.92%.

Don’t underestimate this drop of only about 0.03% or 0.04%; it had a massive impact on the number of charge-discharge cycles.

“Interesting. What on earth is causing this problem?”

Looking at the table of data from the control experiments, Xu Chuan stroked his chin in thought.

In his past life, he had never heard of this issue, and this new type of artificial SEI film had been widely applied across all sectors of society.

This indicated that the problem had already been solved.

He had great confidence in his memory; even after his rebirth and the passage of several years, it was impossible for him to misremember something so important.

“Is it a problem with the experimental procedure, or with the materials?”

Staring at the control data, Xu Chuan eliminated one guess after another, finally settling on the two most likely possibilities.

“Senior Fan, could you please prepare a few sets of materials for making this artificial SEI film?”

After a moment of thought, having settled on a course of action, Xu Chuan stood up and gave the instruction. He was going to conduct the experiment himself.

After all, no amount of looking at data could provide a deeper understanding than getting one’s hands dirty.

He had a premonition that the problem might not be very complex, but if the key point wasn’t found, no amount of experimentation would solve it.

The SEI film refers to a passivation layer formed on the surface of the electrode material during the initial charge-discharge cycle of a liquid lithium-ion battery. This layer is created by a reaction between the electrode material and the electrolyte solution at the solid-liquid interface.

This passivation layer is an interphase layer with the characteristics of a solid electrolyte; it is an electron insulator but an excellent conductor for Li+ ions.

Li+ ions from the electrolyte solution can freely intercalate and de-intercalate through this passivation layer. Therefore, this passivation film is called the “Solid Electrolyte Interphase film,” or SEI for short.

This is the origin of the SEI film.

However, naturally formed SEI films are unstable. Their poor interface quality and inability to control the deposition state of Li+ ions lead to various problems such as short circuits, severe lithium deposition, explosions, fires, and spontaneous combustion.

Therefore, during battery manufacturing, researchers devised a way to create an artificial SEI film to replace the natural one. This helps stabilize the lithium battery, increase its capacity, and improve the cycle performance and lifespan of the electrode.

After decades of development, there are now many types of artificial SEI films, using a variety of different materials.

Examples include silicon monoxide, methyl acetate, dilithium trioxide, and so on.

Different negative electrode materials and different electrolyte solutions require matching artificial SEI films.

Thus, it is a very large and independent market.

This was precisely what Xu Chuan was targeting.

Because it could bypass the patents of other countries or research institutes.

A new type of artificial SEI film, if it could solve problems like lithium dendrites and deposition, could be developed into a unique patent of its own.

And others would be completely unable to ignore it.

After all, the capacity of batteries currently in use is more or less the same. If a new battery doubles the capacity, and you don’t use it, others will, and they will capture the entire market.

For the same price, if someone else’s battery life is double, everyone knows which one to choose.

Unless you could develop one yourself.

But that possibility was too slim. If it were that easy, it would have been done long ago.

After spending a few days, Xu Chuan personally fabricated some artificial SEI films and applied them to new batteries for testing.

The results were the same as with the SEI film made by Researcher Yu Zhen: the lithium dendrite problem was solved, but the issues of lithium deposition and plating remained.

This confirmed for Xu Chuan that the problem wasn’t with the experimental procedure. That left only the materials.

“Is there a problem with the artificial SEI material itself?”

Gazing at the battery undergoing charge-discharge cycle testing in the lab, Xu Chuan’s eyes seemed to possess X-ray vision, penetrating deep into the lithium-ion battery to see the negative electrode film tirelessly transporting lithium ions.

“No, this artificial SEI film is fine. I’ve disassembled and studied commercial lithium-ion batteries on the market before. A mature commercial product like this couldn’t have such a flaw.”

“If that’s the case, then the cause of the lithium deposition and plating problems might lie in the electrolyte solution.”

“Perhaps the electrolyte solution is the problem. It might be a mismatch between the electrolyte and the artificial SEI film.”

In his mind, piece after piece of information was analyzed. Using his perspective from twenty years in the future, Xu Chuan was rapidly eliminating possibilities.

He directly ruled out the option that the artificial SEI material was faulty.

This was his advantage.

If it were any other research institute or laboratory, they would definitely keep their focus on the artificial SEI film, believing it to be imperfect, and would waste a great deal of time and energy trying to improve it.

But Xu Chuan was different. He was standing on the shoulders of giants, looking into the future. He could use his almost prophetic experience to directly rule out areas that were not the problem.

Other labs or institutes, even if they suspected the electrolyte might be the issue, would not dare to be as certain as he was.

Once he confirmed the problem wasn’t with the artificial SEI film, he quickly obtained the electrolyte solution used in this new battery.

A lithium-ion battery’s electrolyte solution is generally made from high-purity organic solvents, an electrolyte lithium salt, necessary additives, and other raw materials, mixed under specific conditions and in specific proportions.

The electrolyte used by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was a very common type on the market.

It primarily consisted of cyclic carbonates, vinylene carbonate, and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate, along with some other additives.

Among them, the cyclic carbonate is an excellent organic solvent capable of dissolving many polymers, making it one of the most common organic solvents in lithium batteries.

Vinylene carbonate, on the other hand, is an indispensable additive. Adding it to the electrolyte can significantly improve battery performance.

As for lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate, it is the electrolyte lithium salt, used to transport lithium ions.

These three main components were all quite common, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Xu Chuan ignored the other minor additives and focused his attention squarely on these three main materials.

The large-scale, abnormal lithium deposition reaction, combined with his scientific intuition, told him that the problem most likely lay with one of these three materials.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan narrowed his focus to vinylene carbonate and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate.

Between these two materials, they were more likely to be the source of the problem than the cyclic carbonate.

The performance of cyclic carbonates is very stable, and they are used as an organic solvent in many lithium-ion batteries on the market. If it were the problem, the Coulombic efficiency of lithium batteries would basically never reach above 99.95%.

However, most batteries on the market have a Coulombic efficiency above 99.95%, so it could likely be ruled out first.

As for vinylene carbonate and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and finally locked his choice on the lithium electrolyte, lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate.

The reasoning was similar; vinylene carbonate is also a commonly used additive in electrolytes, present in almost every type of lithium-ion battery, making it highly versatile.

Lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate, however, was different. Although many lithium-ion batteries on the market use this electrolyte lithium salt, it has its own defects.

For example, it has poor solubility and relatively low ionic conductivity.

More critically, it forms a stable passivation film with the negative electrode’s current collector, which is typically aluminum.

Although this protects the aluminum current collector from corrosion by the electrolyte, it also interferes with the passage of lithium ions to some extent.

Without a doubt, it was the most suspicious of the three materials.

Having identified his target, Xu Chuan wasted no more time and started the experiment immediately.

He didn’t delegate this task to anyone else in the institute; he did it himself.

The testing method was simple: since he suspected lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate was the problem, he would simply replace it with a different electrolyte lithium salt.

There were many substitutes available, including conventional inorganic electrolyte lithium salts like lithium perchlorate, lithium tetrafluoroborate, and lithium hexafluoroarsenate; or organic electrolyte lithium salts like lithium bis(oxalato)borate and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide.

Making some simple lab-grade batteries didn’t take much time.

In less than six hours, Xu Chuan had completed the entire experiment, not only replacing the electrolyte lithium salt but also finishing the preliminary tests on the new batteries.

However, the results made Xu Chuan frown.

After replacing the electrolyte lithium salt, the problems of lithium deposition and plating were still not solved.

“The problem isn’t with the lithium salt?”

Looking at the preliminary test results, Xu Chuan was somewhat astonished.

According to his analysis, the probability of the lithium salt being the problem was over eighty percent, yet the experimental results indicated otherwise.

If it wasn’t the lithium salt, then where was the problem?

The organic solvent? Or the additive?

Checking them one by one would be very troublesome. There were many additives in the electrolyte, and for every change in material, its compatibility with other materials had to be considered.

For a laboratory like the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, which had almost no prior experience in battery research and development, they had no historical data to refer to. It was like starting from scratch.

After some thought, Xu Chuan rearranged the work at hand.

He assigned the follow-up testing of the electrolyte lithium salts to others in the lab.

After all, one or two experiments could have omissions; only repeated experiments could confirm whether the electrolyte lithium salt was problematic or not.

As for himself, he began to study the commonly used additive, vinylene carbonate.

Despite failing to find the problem with the electrolyte lithium salt, Xu Chuan still believed that the key to the lithium deposition issue was in the electrolyte, and it had to be one of the three main components.

The research on vinylene carbonate was the same as with the electrolyte lithium salt; he straightforwardly chose to replace the material.

To simply test for a problem and determine if the corresponding material was the issue, without considering compatibility and other factors, this was the fastest and most effective method.

Although materials research and development is a matter of luck, experience and mathematical analysis can help researchers make relatively correct choices, significantly reducing development time and costs.

After replacing the vinylene carbonate with another additive with a similar function, a ‘thiosubstituted carbonate,’ Xu Chuan re-tested the battery.

He hadn’t held out much hope for this test, but the results greatly astonished him.

After replacing the vinylene carbonate, the rate of lithium deposition and plating in the lithium-ion battery improved significantly.

When using vinylene carbonate as the performance-enhancing additive, the new battery’s Coulombic efficiency was at best around 99.93%.

But after switching to the thiosubstituted carbonate, the new battery’s Coulombic efficiency jumped to around 99.98%.

An improvement of 0.05 percentage points was enough to increase the number of charge-discharge cycles by three to four hundred.

However, there were drawbacks. After replacing the vinylene carbonate, the lithium battery’s performance dropped considerably.

For example, the charging speed decreased by nearly eighteen percent, and the activation performance of the electrolyte was also much lower.

But compared to solving the lithium deposition problem, these were acceptable trade-offs.

“The problem was actually with the vinylene carbonate? This is truly hard to believe.”

Looking at the test results, Xu Chuan was once again astonished.

If he remembered correctly, the additive vinylene carbonate was used in future lithium-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries, and even lithium-sulfur batteries.

Because compared to other additives, vinylene carbonate provided a significantly higher boost to lithium battery performance; other additives simply couldn’t compare.

This was also why he hadn’t really considered that the problem would lie here.

But now, the experimental results clearly told him that the main culprit behind the lithium deposition was vinylene carbonate.

“It’s really hard to believe.”

Staring at the test results, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought again.

Solving the lithium deposition problem should have been a very happy occasion, but he now had doubts.

When that research institute in the United States solved the lithium dendrite problem in the future, they must have encountered this issue as well. And yet, they still chose to use vinylene carbonate as the additive.

Why was that?

Vinylene carbonate as an additive certainly improved the performance of lithium batteries, but if it was the main culprit behind the lithium deposition problem, then it should have been replaced.

Why didn’t that research institute do so?

Xu Chuan couldn’t figure this problem out.

Chapter 239: The Hearts of Capitalists Are Indeed Black

“The key to solving the lithium dendrite problem lies in a common additive in the electrolyte solution.”

This answer was rather unexpected.

After all, the industry and the battery sector had always focused on the artificial SEI film or the lithium salt in the electrolyte solution to solve the lithium dendrite problem.

In the eyes of most experts and researchers, those two materials were the key.

If not for returning with twenty years of foresight and experience, Xu Chuan wouldn’t have locked his sights directly on the electrolyte solution.

As the common saying goes, the most easily overlooked places are often where the most fatal things can breed.

Vinylene Carbonate, a material added to almost all lithium-ion batteries, greatly enhances battery performance.

However, it might also be the main culprit behind the lithium dendrite problem.

After changing the additive in the electrolyte solution, Xu Chuan conducted various tests on the new battery in his hand. He also simultaneously manufactured several new batteries using different additive materials to verify his previous judgment.

The final experimental and testing results showed that different types of additives did indeed affect the performance of the new artificial SEI film.

Materials like Vinylene Carbonate and alkyl phosphates were particularly severe.

In contrast, organophosphorus compounds and organofluorine compounds were relatively mild. Among them, the best-performing fluoroalkyl phosphate could even achieve a Coulombic efficiency of 99.98%.

This figure was enough to increase the charge-discharge cycle count of a lithium battery to over four-digit thousands.

Compared to the current standard of five hundred charge-discharge cycles for lithium batteries, this was an improvement of more than double.

But at the same time, after replacing Vinylene Carbonate, the lithium battery’s performance, from capacity and charging/discharging speed to the activation performance of the electrolyte solution, showed a significant decrease.

Among them, the fluoroalkyl phosphate, which had the best Coulombic efficiency, directly reduced the charge-discharge efficiency by about twenty-five percent.

Furthermore, the lower the external temperature, the more the charge-discharge efficiency was affected. When the temperature was too high, the instability of the electrolyte solution would increase.

If the temperature gets too high, the battery will show phenomena like bulging and swelling.

Although no self-ignition or explosions had occurred in the current tests, Xu Chuan knew that as time went on and the number of tests increased, these problems would appear if fluoroalkyl phosphate was used to replace Vinylene Carbonate.

He had no desire for the battery he developed to be comparable to that of a certain “star company.”

A battery that could explode or self-ignite at any moment was useless, no matter how high its capacity. Its safety performance would never pass muster.

Finding an additive that could replace Vinylene Carbonate became the current focus of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Yu Zhen and Ye Zan temporarily halted their research on the artificial SEI film and electrolyte solution and joined this new task.

In the lab, Xu Chuan also arranged experiments in pairs for those, including the doctoral and master’s students, who were capable of conducting battery experiments independently.

Compared to the official researchers, the abilities of these students were still lacking.

However, those who had reached the doctoral student stage were generally not too bad.

These people could be cultivated as the foundation of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, and Xu Chuan would not be stingy with his resources and money.

And for these doctoral and master’s students, there was nothing more joyous than this.

After all, experiments lead to data, which leads to results, which leads to graduation and seniority.

“Boss, these are the experimental results from the various groups over the past few days.”

In the lab, Fan Pengyue handed the documents he was holding to Xu Chuan while providing a brief summary: “As per your request, the seven teams in the lab have experimented with a total of fourteen different replacements for Vinylene Carbonate.”

“According to the results, the two best materials are Fluoroethylene carbonate and Trimethylsilyl sulfite.”

“These two materials are largely compatible with the current artificial SEI film. The calculated Coulombic efficiencies after replacement are 99.645% and 99.721% respectively.”

“However, correspondingly, these two materials also have their own drawbacks after being substituted.”

“For example, replacing with Fluoroethylene carbonate resulted in a decrease in charge-discharge efficiency, among other issues.”

“The amount of experimental data is relatively small, so it can only serve as a preliminary reference. After all, we haven’t had enough time to conduct complete experiments and tests.”

“Additionally, some safety-related checks have not been performed.”

In the lab, Xu Chuan took the experimental data from the past few days from Fan Pengyue. He listened to the brief summary while flipping through the documents.

Since discovering in early November that Vinylene Carbonate was a major cause of the lithium dendrite and lithium deposition problems, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had been constantly experimenting on it.

Although the time was short, only about twenty days, with a clear goal and sufficient manpower and equipment, it was enough for them to experiment with quite a few new materials.

Of course, the experiments and tests from these past few days were not very comprehensive or formal.

Issues like the compatibility between materials and battery safety performance tests were not considered.

However, compared to these issues, finding an additive that could replace Vinylene Carbonate was more important. As for the other things, they could be perfected later.

Xu Chuan wanted to solve this problem before going to Sweden on December 10th to receive his award.

After finishing this, he would go collect his Nobel Prize. When he returned from Europe, the tests on the two protective materials for the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project would be almost complete.

This way, after the Nobel Prize, he could focus his main energy on the nuclear energy project.

However, judging from the current progress, this wish would likely be difficult to achieve.

Of the dozen or so additives tested, none seemed very suitable at present; they all had one problem or another.

If the lithium dendrite and lithium deposition problems were disregarded, Vinylene Carbonate was truly the best-performing of all the additives.

“Perhaps I could try diluting the concentration of Vinylene Carbonate? Or find a material to neutralize it?”

Flipping through the test report, another method for solving the problem emerged in Xu Chuan’s mind.

Vinylene Carbonate remained active in lithium batteries of the future, so it must have its purpose.

“If I can find a way to solve the lithium deposition problem caused by Vinylene Carbonate, perhaps it has another use.”

Suddenly, another term surfaced in Xu Chuan’s mind.

“Planned obsolescence!”

The so-called planned obsolescence refers to an industrial strategy.

It means that product suppliers intentionally design a limited lifespan for a product, causing it to become obsolete after a certain period.

It first appeared with light bulbs.

During Christmas in 1924, companies like Osram, Philips, and General Electric gathered in Geneva to form a cartel named “Phoebus.” Their goal was to control the lifespan of light bulbs, limiting them to around 1000 hours (at a time when light bulbs could last up to 2500 hours).

In 1942, the United States government took the “Phoebus” cartel to court, suing them for their actions. Although the agreement was nominally terminated, these companies paid no compensation.

More crucially, the lifespan control for ordinary light bulbs proposed by this alliance has continued to this day. Even now, the vast majority of light bulbs have a lifespan of only 1000 hours.

This was the planned obsolescence of that time.

Then, as time went on, this practice gradually spread to other products.

For example, the batteries and chips in mobile phones and computers; the ink cartridges in printers; the critical buttons on various electrical appliances, and so on.

These things now have the capability of planned obsolescence, meaning that after a period of use, they will be damaged for various reasons.

For the manufacturers of these items, if a product can be used by a customer for a very long time, the number of people who buy new products will decrease.

Therefore, to introduce new products and expand their own profits, manufacturers will inevitably choose to eliminate old products from the market, as new products face competition from old ones to a certain extent.

In lithium-ion batteries, the presence of Vinylene Carbonate can improve the battery’s performance on one hand, but on the other hand, as the number of charge-discharge cycles increases, the lithium deposition on the negative electrode becomes more severe, which naturally leads to battery damage.

By simply controlling the effect of Vinylene Carbonate on lithium-ion batteries, it can be said to be a natural form of planned obsolescence.

Perhaps this is why Vinylene Carbonate causes the lithium deposition problem, yet still exists in future lithium batteries?

Xu Chuan roughly figured out where to start to solve the lithium deposition problem.

If his guess was correct, then solving this problem was simply a matter of adjusting the content of Vinylene Carbonate or using another additive to control it.

After confirming the conjecture in his mind, Xu Chuan immediately started a new experiment.

To simply verify his idea, the method was very easy: just reduce the content of Vinylene Carbonate in the electrolyte solution.

In the first experiment, he reduced the content of Vinylene Carbonate in the electrolyte solution by twenty percent, created a new lithium-ion battery, and re-tested it.

A one-fifth reduction was enough to ensure that if the content of Vinylene Carbonate really affected the lithium deposition on the negative electrode, it would definitely show up in the data, and with a significant curve.

And the test results were just as he had guessed. After reducing the Vinylene Carbonate content in the electrolyte solution by twenty percent, the lithium deposition problem at the battery’s negative electrode was greatly improved, and the battery’s Coulombic efficiency increased from about 99.91% to 99.95%.

A Coulombic efficiency of 99.95% was enough to ensure that a battery would still retain more than eighty percent of its capacity after completing five hundred charge-discharge cycles.

This already met the standard for lithium-ion batteries currently used on the market.

“The hearts of capitalists are indeed black.”

Looking at the preliminary test results, Xu Chuan shook his head.

Although it was just a simple test, it was enough for him to be certain that the problem lay here.

No wonder that even though Vinylene Carbonate was one of the causes of lithium dendrites and lithium deposition in lithium-ion batteries, it was still used in large quantities as an additive.

It wasn’t that a more suitable material couldn’t be found, but that it was the most suitable.

A certain concentration of Vinylene Carbonate could increase the battery’s performance while automatically carrying out planned obsolescence, making way for the next generation of products and earning a great deal of money.

Take mobile phones for example. The lifespan of a mobile phone battery is roughly one to three years.

A single battery costs, on average, between one hundred fifty and three hundred yuan. After deducting various costs, it can bring in at least fifty to one hundred fifty yuan in net profit.

If one billion people use mobile phones, that’s a net profit of fifty billion to one hundred fifty billion.

And in reality, the global consumption of batteries is far greater than the corresponding population, as one person can own a mobile phone, a computer, an electric car, and various other appliances that require batteries at the same time.

No wonder that in the future, even after the lithium dendrite problem was solved, a material like Vinylene Carbonate was still widely used in mobile phone batteries.

Such a huge profit would tempt anyone.

Of course, Vinylene Carbonate itself also has excellent performance. Compared to other additives, it is a better fit for this new type of artificial SEI film and can bring greater performance improvements.

The better the battery, the more people will buy it, even if it is more expensive.

And such a ‘nearly perfect’ additive is loved by every battery manufacturer.

But for consumers, this is a very infuriating matter.

After all, the increase in consumer spending is real, yet it could have been avoided.

After confirming that reducing the content of Vinylene Carbonate could improve the battery’s Coulombic efficiency, Xu Chuan began to arrange for other researchers in the lab to conduct more detailed tests on the battery according to lithium battery testing standards.

Testing a battery is a rather tedious and lengthy process.

From electrical tests like overcharging, over-discharging, external short-circuiting, and forced discharging, to mechanical tests like crushing, puncturing, impact, vibration, and dropping, it takes a great deal of time.

Putting other things aside, the charge-discharge test alone needs to be done at least five hundred times.

The IEC stipulates that the standard cycle life test for lithium batteries is: after the battery is discharged to 3.0V/cell at 0.2C, it is charged with constant current and constant voltage at 1C to 4.2V, with a cutoff current of 20MA. After being left to stand for one hour, it is then discharged at 0.2C to 3.0V (one cycle). After repeating this cycle 500 times, the capacity should be above 60% of the initial capacity.

This means that even with around-the-clock charge-discharge testing, it would take at least twenty days to a month.

However, compared to the enormous profits that lithium batteries could bring, this was nothing at all.

As for himself, he had other plans.

He needed to find a material that could reduce the lithium-deposition effect of Vinylene Carbonate.

From the previous experimental results, the content of Vinylene Carbonate was directly related to lithium deposition on the negative electrode. The experiments showed that the more Vinylene Carbonate added to the electrolyte, the faster lithium would deposit on the negative electrode.

Reducing the content of Vinylene Carbonate could indeed slow down the rate of lithium deposition, but it would also cause a certain degree of decline in the battery’s overall performance.

This was something Xu Chuan was unwilling to see.

Therefore, finding another additive to control it was also a very important matter.

Xu Chuan did not assign this task to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Perhaps the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute could experimentally find the required additive bit by bit, but it might take several months or even a year or two. For Xu Chuan, that was too slow.

He prepared to use his mathematical abilities to complete the calculation for this additive!

It had been a while since he last delved into mathematics; he wondered if his skills had gotten rusty.

Chapter 240: The Future of Chemistry

“Ethylene Carbonate, also known as 1,3-dioxolan-2-one.

“Its chemical formula is ‘C3H4O3’. It is a crystalline solid at room temperature, but it becomes a transparent, colorless liquid when the temperature exceeds 35°C. It is an excellent organic solvent capable of dissolving a variety of polymers, and is used in industries such as fertilizer production, fiber manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and organic synthesis.

”

As a materials researcher, Xu Chuan had some knowledge of the compound Ethylene Carbonate, but not an extensive amount.

After all, his research in his past life had primarily focused on physical materials, whereas Ethylene Carbonate fell into the category of chemical materials.

However, for him, understanding the properties of one material and finding an additive to control it was not a particularly difficult task.

All things in nature are interconnected, and materials are no exception.

Different materials possess different chemical and physical properties. The intermingling of molecules, finding order within chaos, discovering simplicity and beauty amidst overwhelming complexity—it leads to either destruction or rebirth.

Take amorphous alloy materials, for example. They appear incredibly hard, yet they lack absolute order. In their ceaseless flow, much like Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, if you look closely, you will see it is in perpetual motion within its apparent stillness.

This was the very charm of materials science.

“Ethylene Carbonate: Molecular formula C3H4O3, molar refractivity 17.17, surface tension 37.3, dipole moment 10⁻¹ cm³, polarizability 6.80.”

“Hydrogen bond donor count: 0. Hydrogen bond acceptor count: 3. Rotatable bond count: 0. Tautomer count: None. Topological polar surface area: 35.5. Covalently-bonded unit count: 1.”

“Miscible with hot water above 40°C, alcohol, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and other substances. Sparingly soluble in dry ether, carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum ether, etc.”

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan meticulously listed all the information related to Ethylene Carbonate.

This included its chemical and physical properties, as well as various past studies.

This information was of great help in finding a material to control the Ethylene Carbonate.

In truth, to find a material to control Ethylene Carbonate, he could have easily asked other chemical researchers for help.

For chemical materials researchers who had been immersed in the field for years, identifying several materials that met the requirements wouldn’t be too difficult.

But Xu Chuan had another idea. He wanted to try and see if mathematics could be integrated into materials science calculations.

Just as others speculated that he relied on his formidable mathematical abilities to develop the anti-nuclear radiation material and the lithium battery material.

Only he knew that wasn’t the case.

And today, Xu Chuan wanted to take that step, to use mathematics to help him complete this task.

In textbooks, chemical reactions are lines of transforming chemical formulas. In the laboratory, they are the breaking of old chemical bonds and the formation of new ones.

For instance, the essence of a redox reaction is the gain or loss of electrons outside the atomic nucleus, changing the structure of the atom itself.

The essence of a double displacement reaction is atomic rearrangement, meaning the arrangement of multiple atoms changes.

But in reality, its deeper essence is the flow of the electron cloud.

To determine whether a chemical reaction can occur, one must consider it from various aspects, including thermodynamics, kinetics, enthalpy change, entropy change, free energy (Gibbs free energy), and activation energy.

Strictly speaking, the current development of chemistry is incomplete.

Because we often can’t even explain the simplest chemical reactions with theory, many theories are merely phenomenological.

If one traces back the chain of explanation in chemistry, it ultimately reverts to physics.

Therefore, physics is the most fundamental discipline in the natural sciences (mathematics is not a natural science!).

Many people mistakenly believe chemistry is the most fundamental because things like the chemical bond are essentially an electrical effect, belonging to the electromagnetic interaction, one of the four fundamental forces. The progress of chemical reactions is also related to the movement and collision of molecules.

Of course, chemistry has deep potential and immense value worth exploring.

And if viewed from the deeper essence of chemistry, mathematics can undoubtedly be applied.

For example, the most common chemical reaction rate can be described by differential equations. These mathematical equations can be solved using numerical methods to determine reaction rate constants and other parameters.

For example, using wave function theory, group theory, and other methods to describe electronic structures and reaction mechanisms.

Or molecular dynamics simulation, which is a type of computational mathematics used to simulate and study the laws of motion of matter. This involves a vast amount of knowledge in calculus, probability and statistics, and optimization algorithms.

Beyond that, various aspects like thermodynamics and analytical chemistry can all be approached through mathematics.

Theoretically, if all the relevant information and conditions of the materials involved in a chemical reaction are known, it is entirely possible to simulate the entire reaction process using mathematics.

It sounds incredible, but it is theoretically feasible.

Of course, in practice, this is an impossible feat—at least for now.

What Xu Chuan wanted to do was to take the first step toward this impossible task.

Ethylene Carbonate was an excellent test subject.

“Considering the polymer solvent used in the electrolyte solution and the materials of the positive and negative electrodes, the range of options for an additive to control Ethylene Carbonate isn’t very large.”

“Most alkaline and alcohol compounds can be ruled out. These compounds would react with Ethylene Carbonate to produce various substances harmful to the battery. Not only would they corrode the positive and negative electrodes, but they would also prevent cycling.”

“So, the remaining options aren’t that many. Ketones, fluorinated compounds, and some cyclic compounds can be considered.”

“Filtering further based on the condition of reversibility, ketone compounds, with a carbonyl group connected to two hydrocarbyl groups, are a good choice.”

“But the scope of ketones is still too broad. I need to narrow it down.”

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan mumbled to himself nonstop, the ballpoint pen in his hand constantly recording data on A4 scratch paper.

He was first performing a rough screening of usable additives based on fundamental chemical reactions, and would then use mathematics for reaction simulation and selection.

This was a very challenging path. Although not entirely untrodden, it had not been deeply explored. It was a small path where one could see the end, yet the unknown fog was filled with thorns, requiring someone with the courage to press forward.

Fortunately, he had never lacked the courage to explore and face difficulties head-on.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan continuously refined his theories and data.

Meanwhile, testing on the new artificial SEI film and the Ethylene Carbonate content was also ongoing.

Five or six days passed in the blink of an eye.

While Xu Chuan was still searching for a suitable material, the tests at Chuanhai Materials Laboratory were mostly complete.

“Supervisor Fan, here is the experimental and testing data from the past few days. Based on these experiments, if we don’t change the other materials and additives, the most suitable content for Ethylene Carbonate is a reduction to about 67.3% of the original amount.”

In the laboratory, Yu Zhen, the official researcher who had originally been in charge of the artificial SEI film research, handed over a thick stack of report materials.

Fan Pengyue nodded and took it. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Yu Zhen shook his head and replied, “I’m ashamed to say it, but we’ve hardly been of any use in the research and development of this lithium battery material.”

“From the initial theory and experimental process to the later solution of the artificial SEI film problem and the discovery that Ethylene Carbonate interferes with lithium dendrites and lithium deposition, the boss handled it all.”

“All we did was conduct experiments according to his requirements. Any master’s student who has done lithium battery experiments could have handled this.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue also sighed with emotion.

“He is indeed monstrously skilled. To win the highest honors in both mathematics and physics at the age of twenty-one… he’s no longer in the same world as us.”

“I believe he could demonstrate the most terrifying abilities in any industry or field.”

After a pause, Fan Pengyue continued, “Did you know? When I was still doing my PhD, I was following my advisor on a tungsten diselenide material project. We ran into a problem that nearly made my advisor give up on the project.”

“Later, this junior of mine not only helped solve the problem, but he also used mathematics to discover its root cause and find a solution.”

“And the results from that single project were worth billions of US dollars!”

“The most crucial part is, he was still in his first year of university at the time.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhen drew in a sharp breath.

He knew who Fan Pengyue’s advisor was.

After all, several months had passed, and the casual chats and conversations were enough for everyone to get to know each other.

It wasn’t just their boss; the supervisor who had been parachuted in was no slouch either. A disciple of an Academician from the Academy of Sciences—his connections and status were not something people like them could compare to.

For a project that even an Academician had nearly given up on, the problem must have been a critical one.

Although he knew that a dual Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winner was not from their world, to be able to participate in a project worth billions of US dollars and solve a critical problem while still a freshman…

His talent was beyond description.

But on second thought, Yu Zhen suddenly felt it was reasonable.

If he weren’t such a prodigy, how could he have solved a problem that even an Academician couldn’t, and win the Nobel Prize and Fields Medal at the age of twenty-one? These were the two most authoritative awards in academia.

Though shocked, this mathematical ability also made Yu Zhen a bit curious.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think being that good at math is really that amazing? Can math even solve problems in a field like materials science, where it’s hard to apply?”

Hearing this question, Fan Pengyue fell silent for a moment. After thinking it over, he replied with some uncertainty, “I don’t know. Maybe for him, it is?”

After a pause, he cautiously added, “But I have never seen this level of mathematical application from any other mathematics professor.”

“Maybe he’s just special.”

Meanwhile, in his office, Xu Chuan was hunched over his desk, the ballpoint pen in his hand moving nonstop.

“.EC, (c) DEC, (d) DMC, (e) EMC, (f) EC/DEC = 1/1, (g) EC/DMC = 1/1, .(j) EC/EMC = 1/2.”

“…”

Staring at the data on the scratch paper, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

“Judging from the data, methyl ethyl ketone is a decent choice. Extrapolating from its chemical properties, it should have a certain inhibitory effect on Ethylene Carbonate.”

“It’s well known that the reason Ethylene Carbonate plays such a significant role in improving lithium-ion batteries is that it can form a tight, ordered Li+-EC solvated structure with Li+ through solvation, thus making electrolytes containing EC more stable during cycling.”

“And because the ‘Li+-Ethylene Carbonate solvent’ structure is more stable than other solvated lithium ions, such as those with ethyl methyl carbonate, adding the ‘Li+-Ethylene Carbonate solvent’ component to the electrolyte solution can significantly improve the battery’s cycling performance and voltage polarization.”

“This not only enhances the stability of the electrolyte solution, but at the same time, the reduction products of Ethylene Carbonate help form a stable solid electrolyte interphase film, making the electrolyte solution more stable during cycling.”

“And methyl ethyl ketone can, through its behavior during lithium ion deposition/stripping, weaken the phenomenon of lithium deposition on the negative electrode to a certain extent.”

“As for the specific details, experiments are still needed. After all, there will certainly be some discrepancies between calculated data and actual application.”

Thinking this, Xu Chuan shook his head again and let out a long sigh as he looked at the scratch paper on his desk.

For the past few days, he had put aside his other projects to focus his energy on this problem. As for progress, there was some, but not much.

Up to this point, he had only found one potentially suitable material.

He had underestimated the various chain reactions that could occur in a chemical reaction. Calculating all of them was enough to exhaust a person.

“Perhaps I should create a mathematical model?”

In his mind, Xu Chuan’s thoughts shifted in another direction.

A mathematical model, while unable to accurately predict all the properties of an untested material sample or the potential chemical chain reactions, could provide a certain degree of reference for the user.

For example, narrowing the scope of experiments in a probabilistic sense.

A long time ago, when he was still in his first year of university, he had created a mathematical model for his advisor, Chen Zhengping, for a project on tungsten diselenide material. This had quickly helped them find the problem in the experimental process and lock down the optimal concentration of the reducing agent.

It could be said that in the process of materials research and development, a mathematical model played a very significant role.

The only problem was, he simply didn’t have that much time to create such a thing right now.

A mathematical model for chemical materials research—it should be possible to create, but in terms of difficulty, it would definitely be much greater than the one he had made for his advisor Chen Zhengping before.

One could even say they were worlds apart.

After all, the model for the tungsten diselenide material project was only for a single material. Even with conditions like a reducing agent, temperature, and pressure, it wasn’t overly complex.

But chemistry was different. The complexity of a mathematical model for exploring chemical materials would be off the charts.

Even if he led a team of a dozen people to create it, it might still take several months.

Of course, if he succeeded, it would bring immense convenience to his future chemical experiments.

Chapter 241: To Stockholm Again

After tidying up the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan stretched and glanced at the wall calendar.

The date was already December 1st.

In another nine days, the Nobel Prize award ceremony would be held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was time for him to set off.

In fact, Zheng Hai had already spoken to him about it the day before.

On his last trip to Beijing, he and Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology Information had agreed that he would not travel by plane to receive the award in Sweden. Instead, he would take the train from Beijing to Moscow.

After arriving in Moscow by train, he would transfer to Tallinn, then take a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Stockholm. The entire journey would take as long as eight days.

Compared to flying, the travel time was several times longer, but in terms of safety, it was infinitely more secure.

“Spending a week on the road just to receive an award… I’m probably the only one.”

Sitting on the train, Xu Chuan stared at the scenery outside the window, pondering quietly.

Almost everyone else was flying there. He was likely the only one taking a train and then a ferry. If not for the experiences of his past life, he probably would have chosen to fly as well.

However, trading some time for his own safety was worth it.

A twenty-one-year-old winner of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal—if this Nobel medal wasn’t so important to him and to China, he probably wouldn’t have been allowed to go abroad at all.

If the Nobel Prize ceremony were held in the United States instead of Sweden, he wouldn’t have been able to go and accept the award either.

And after this award ceremony, he would likely not be leaving the country again for a very long time.

If his theoretical achievements weren’t enough to draw too much attention from the United States, then next year’s practical applications—whether the recycling of nuclear waste or the artificial SEI film solving the lithium dendrite problem—would be enough to stir up monstrous waves in the fields of nuclear and electrical energy.

Theory and application were two completely different domains.

Applications could tangibly propel a nation’s development.

A scientist who can rapidly turn theoretical results into practical applications is incomparably vital to technological advancement.

In today’s scientific world, there was actually no shortage of top-tier theoretical scholars, nor of cutting-edge theories.

It could even be said that much of the scientific community today was still studying theories from a hundred years ago. For instance, the works left behind by Albert Einstein and the manuscripts of Grothendieck had yet to be fully deciphered.

But a scholar who could transform theory into application was a rare treasure, no matter where they were.

Moreover, energy had always been the most sensitive sector globally.

The United States could wage wars around the world for oil. If the problem of nuclear waste pollution was solved and it could be reused, the importance of oil would undoubtedly plummet.

And how could the United States, built on the petrodollar system, stand by and watch someone else destroy this very system?

Once this achievement was announced, there would be blood in the water.

To the clanging and rattling of the train, Xu Chuan had already spent five days on the K3 train.

He had departed from Beijing, crossed Northern Mongolia, and entered Russia.

It had to be said that the scenery along this journey was breathtakingly beautiful.

Even though it wasn’t the peak tourist season, the views were still stunning.

The endless grasslands were blanketed in vast snow, a world of white as far as the eye could see, a frozen expanse for a thousand miles. The emerald-blue Lake Baikal was crisscrossed with cracks in the ice; looking down, it was like a galaxy just within reach.

The scenery changed colors with the different altitudes and climates—green, yellow, red, white, everything was there, like a series of oil paintings.

It was a journey that could cleanse the soul. Even he, who hadn’t initially planned on sightseeing, eventually found himself lost in it.

After crossing the Baltic Sea, Xu Chuan finally arrived in Stockholm at noon on December 9th.

At Stockholm Harbor, welcomed by the port staff, Xu Chuan met Professor Staffan Normark, the Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who had come to greet him.

“Welcome, Professor Xu.”

The old man, dressed in a formal suit and exuding an aristocratic air, came forward to welcome him. He first gave him a hug, then enthusiastically shook his hands.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s been a while, Professor Staffan.”

Staffan Normark looked Xu Chuan up and down, then smiled. “More than two years have passed, and you look almost unchanged.”

He paused, then continued, “But the glories you’ve created in these two years have broken all sorts of historical records one after another, causing major shifts in history.”

“The youngest winner of the Crafoord Prize, the youngest winner of the Fields Medal, and tomorrow, you will set a new record as the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.”

“It’s truly incredible. How did you do it?”

Xu Chuan laughed. “Perhaps I’m just lucky?”

Staffan smiled and shook his head. “Luck might explain one of them, but so many brilliant achievements can only be explained by true ability.”

Shaking his head again, he didn’t dwell on the topic and switched with a smile. “Perhaps geniuses always take the unconventional path. For instance, for this year’s Nobel Prize, almost everyone else flew here. You’re the only one who came by train and ferry.”

Xu Chuan smiled faintly. “Flying saves time, but trains and ships let you see completely different scenery.”

Hearing this, Staffan asked with some curiosity, “Perhaps this is the secret to your success? You can always see things that others can’t.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Perhaps.”

After exchanging pleasantries in the ferry terminal, Academician Staffan led Xu Chuan outside.

Outside, a reception vehicle from the Swedish Royal Guard was already waiting.

Speaking of the Swedish Royal Family, their most famous trait wasn’t luxury or wealth, but being ‘poor’!

Members of the Swedish Royal Family were so ‘poor’ that they couldn’t even afford to hire the Royal Guard for their outings.

This was simply unbelievable.

After all, when one mentions a royal family, most people immediately think of the lavish Saudi Royal Family, the luxurious Thai Royal Family, the aristocratic British Royal Family, and so on.

In the minds of most, royalty had always been synonymous with splendor and wealth, with countless gold and silver treasures, and even garages filled with limited-edition luxury cars.

But the Swedish Royal Family was not among them. It could ‘even’ be described as impoverished. The total assets of the Swedish Royal Family were less than one percent of the Saudi Royal Family’s, earning it the title of the world’s “poorest” royal family.

In reality, however, Sweden is a highly developed capitalist country, with a per capita GDP of a full 54,000 US dollars back in 2015.

And in the 2015 Forbes list, the personal assets of the King of Sweden were only 16.31 million US dollars.

This number is a lot for an ordinary person, but compared to the other royal families mentioned above, it was not even a drop in the ocean.

The wealthy Saudis would casually spend tens or hundreds of billions to build the world’s tallest building or the World Islands. If this were to happen in Sweden, it would be impossible without several centuries of the royal family’s fiscal budget.

In fact, many private individuals in Sweden had more wealth than the king.

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t sure how the Swedish Royal Family ended up in such a state, a royal family that couldn’t even afford to hire its own Royal Guard was indeed rather shabby.

On the other hand, however, Sweden was one of the countries with the smallest wealth gap in the world, as well as a country with an incredibly high happiness index.

A country with a poor royal family and a wealthy populace, versus a country with a wealthy royal family and a populace that can’t even afford to eat—most people would know how to choose.

After getting in the car, the group headed straight for the Grand Hôtel Stockholm.

Xu Chuan had stayed here two years ago when he came to Stockholm for the Crafoord Prize award ceremony. This time, he was staying at the same hotel again.

And it wasn’t just the hotel; even the room was the same one as before.

“Big Bro!”

In the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, just as Xu Chuan arrived, he was spotted by Xu Xiao, who was just coming out of the elevator, ready to go out and have fun.

Compared to Xu Chuan’s leisurely arrival, the others who had received his shared invitation had arrived long ago.

For the Nobel Prize award ceremony and banquet, besides the laureate themselves, a maximum of fourteen friends and family members could attend.

Fourteen spots weren’t that many for Xu Chuan, but it was enough.

His parents and younger sister made three. Then there was Old Tang from Star City No. 1 High School, his Advisor Chen Zhengping from Nanjing University, his senior female student Liu Jiaxin, his advisor from Princeton Professor Deligne, Professor Witten, Emilia, Gu Bing, and so on.

Dividing the spots among these close relatives and friends pretty much used them all up.

“How have you been enjoying yourself here these past few days?”

Xu Chuan patted her head and asked with a smile.

Compared to him, his family had arrived earlier, having reached Stockholm several days ago.

After a lifetime of hard work in the countryside, Father Xu and Mother Xu were taking the opportunity of their son receiving an award to have a good tour around Europe and relax.

Of course, this wouldn’t have happened without Xu Xiao’s coaxing and persuasion. That girl loved to travel the most.

“Of course! We went to so many places, the Aegean Sea, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower…”

Xu Xiao counted on her fingers, her face full of excitement. She had longed to travel in Europe for a long time but never had a suitable opportunity. This time, she could be said to have toured everywhere.

“As long as you’re happy. Where are Mom and Dad?” Xu Chuan chuckled. His little sister must have been having the time of her life these past two days.

“They’re resting in their room,” Xu Xiao replied. “Oh, by the way, Teacher Tang and Teacher Chen are there too.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “So you slipped out?”

Xu Xiao playfully made a face at her big brother. Who would want to stay in a room listening to them talk when they could be out having fun?

Father and Mother Xu’s room was arranged on the same floor as Xu Chuan’s. After finding the room, Xu Chuan knocked and walked in.

In the room were not only his parents but also his Advisor Chen Zhengping from Nanjing University and Old Tang from Star City No. 1 High School. The four of them were chatting.

“Dad, Mom, Advisor, Teacher.” Entering the room, Xu Chuan broke into a brilliant smile and greeted each of them.

“Chuan’er, you’re here? When did you arrive?”

Seeing Xu Chuan, all four of them stood up in pleasant surprise.

“Just got here. How are you all enjoying it here?” Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

“It’s pretty good. The scenery is nice, but the food isn’t really to my taste,” Father Xu replied with an honest smile. He really wasn’t used to the food here in Europe.

It might have been novel at first, but he couldn’t stand eating it every day.

Xu Chuan laughed heartily. “Then I’ll talk to the hotel and have them prepare some Chinese food for tonight.”

As a Nobel Prize laureate, he had that much privilege.

Father Xu smiled and shook his head. “Don’t go to all that trouble. This is just how traveling is. Besides, we’re going back right after you receive the award. It’s only a couple more days.”

Beside them, Tang Gaoyuan walked up, looked at Xu Chuan intently for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder and sighed with emotion.

“I never thought you would actually win a Nobel Prize.”

Xu Chuan smiled back. “It’s all because you were a good teacher.”

Tang Gaoyuan snorted dismissively. “If I were such a good teacher, you wouldn’t have run off to study mathematics back then.”

Hearing this, both Xu Chuan and Xu Xiao in the room smiled sheepishly. Both of them had been taught by Old Tang.

On the other side, Chen Zhengping added, “I was just chatting with your high school teacher. We both agreed that with your talent, as long as you worked hard, you would definitely win a Nobel Prize someday. We just didn’t expect it to come so soon.”

He paused, a little emotional. “Twenty-one years old… The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences really broke its own rules. But this also shows just how outstanding your research is.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Actually, I was very surprised too. Normally, this year’s Physics Prize should have gone to the field of laser physics.”

“Besides Professor Arthur Ashkin, the achievements of Professor Gérard Mourou and the Canadian scholar Professor Donna Strickland are also excellent.”

He was referring to the other two Nobel laureates from the original 2018 timeline.

Chen Zhengping shook his head. “In terms of value, the achievements of those two are still quite inferior. Let alone the two of them, even Professor Arthur Ashkin’s work pales in comparison to yours.”

“We were just surprised that the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences would award the Nobel Prize to someone as young as you. After all, the average age of Nobel laureates is over sixty.”

Beside them, Tang Gaoyuan was also感慨: “I’ve been a teacher for so many years, but I never imagined that one of my students would win a Fields Medal or a Nobel Prize. You are truly the student I am most proud of among all I’ve taught.”

“A winner of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal… I wouldn’t even dare to dream of it, yet you actually achieved it.”

“From now on, I can go around saying I’m the teacher of a Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winner. If I go around boasting about it, no one would believe me.”

Hearing this, everyone in the room laughed.

After chatting for a while, Xu Chuan said goodbye to his parents and two teachers and returned to his own room.

After such a long journey by train and ferry, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t tired.

He planned to get some good rest to face the upcoming award ceremony.

Chapter 242: The Nobel Prize Ceremony

Winter nights in Stockholm arrived quickly.

Here, in a city close to the Arctic Circle, the sky began to darken rapidly before three in the afternoon.

But for the people living in the city, this was a long-familiar occurrence. The darkness and the cold arctic wind did little to dampen the enthusiasm of residents and tourists, and the streets were still bustling with activity.

Especially now, the entire city of Stockholm was filled with a festive atmosphere. Lights dispelled the darkness, and crowds of people wandered the streets, soaking in the special ambiance.

For a city, and indeed a country, to host the award ceremony for the world’s most prestigious prize was an absolute honor and a source of great pride.

In his room at the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, Xu Chuan took a short rest to recover his energy before taking his parents and sister downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

“Wow, Big Bro, they actually have Stir-fried pork with chili peppers here!”

“If I’d known our hotel had this, we wouldn’t have needed to go out looking for food.”

In the restaurant, Xu Xiao first stared in disbelief at the dish in the buffet tray, then cried out in surprise.

Xu Chuan smiled and patted the girl’s head. The Grand Hôtel Stockholm didn’t normally offer Chinese cuisine, but for a Nobel Prize laureate like him, it was a simple matter to have the hotel prepare a few Hunan dishes.

The flavor might not have been perfectly authentic, but in a foreign country, getting to eat food from home was more than enough.

Beside them, Father Xu’s gaze softened as he looked at his son. The boy had remembered a casual complaint he had made just yesterday.

He didn’t say anything, however, simply picking up a plate and serving himself.

After all, they were family.

“Long time no see, Professor Xu.” In the restaurant, just as Xu Chuan was picking out his food, a familiar voice reached his ears.

Turning his head, he saw his advisors from Princeton, Deligne and Witten. Standing with them was another familiar figure.

“Advisor, senior, when did you arrive?” Xu Chuan asked in pleasant surprise. “Weren’t you supposed to get here tomorrow?”

Witten smiled and said, “The plan was to come tomorrow, but when we tried to book the tickets, we found they were all sold out, so we came a day early.”

Deligne looked his student up and down. “You look like you’ve been living well since you returned to China,” he said. “Have you put on some weight?”

Xu Chuan scratched his head and grinned. “Have I? It’s possible. I don’t think I’ve exercised much recently.”

Hearing this, Witten asked with some curiosity, “What have you been up to since you went back?”

He knew Xu Chuan fairly well. Back at Princeton, even while working on the Hodge Conjecture, he would run a few laps on the soccer field every day, rain or shine. How could he not even have time to exercise after returning to China?

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I can’t talk about that right now, but you should find out in a little while.”

Deligne was also curious, but he didn’t press the matter. He smiled and said, “This is a supreme honor, and I’m very happy you’ve received it. But I hope this Nobel Prize serves as motivation for you, not satisfaction.”

For Deligne, Xu Chuan winning the Nobel Prize was also a point of pride and honor.

After all, having mentored a laureate of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal was a commendable achievement for anyone.

However, he was more worried that Xu Chuan would stop pushing forward after receiving the Nobel Prize, wasting his talent and time.

In his eyes, this student had the ability to go much further and achieve even greater things.

Winning the Nobel Prize at the age of twenty-one was an honor, but it could also become a limitation.

Attaining the world’s highest honor at such a young age could cause a shift in his mentality, making him complacent.

There was a reason the Nobel Prize had historically been awarded to older scholars; this concern was part of it.

As the world’s most prestigious award, this lifetime honor could easily trap a person in a state of contentment and self-satisfaction, causing them to lose the drive to keep climbing higher.

Many past Nobel laureates had failed to produce any more great achievements in their later careers. While their age was a contributing factor, the impact of the prize itself certainly played a part.

Deligne truly hoped Xu Chuan would not go down that path, especially since he was so young.

Hearing Deligne’s words, Xu Chuan replied with a solemn expression, “Please rest assured, Advisor. I have never given up on research and academia. For me, the Nobel Prize is just the beginning.”

Deligne nodded slightly and smiled. “That’s good to hear. Witten and I will go get something to eat.”

Deligne and Witten left, leaving behind Liu Jiaxin, who had been following them the whole time.

“Long time no see, senior,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, greeting her.

Liu Jiaxin looked up. “Yes. Congratulations on winning the Nobel Prize.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “You already said that on the phone. Are you settling in okay at Princeton? What do you think of Professor Mark Braverman?”

Nodding, his senior student replied earnestly, “The professor is very kind and takes good care of me.”

“Professor Braverman has done profound research in algorithms, complexity theory, and artificial intelligence learning. You should be able to learn a great deal from him.”

He had declined when his senior had wanted to study under him.

Unlike Amelia, this senior student’s field of study was almost entirely outside his own research scope. He had barely touched algorithms and artificial intelligence in his past life.

However, Princeton had top professors in these fields, and Professor Mark Braverman, whom he had just mentioned, was a prime example.

This professor would go on to win the IMU Abacus Prize in 2022, the highest honor a computer scientist could receive, awarded at the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Of course, the award was currently still called the Nevanlinna Prize; it wouldn’t be renamed the IMU Abacus Prize until next year.

Winning this prize was the mark of a top-tier computer science professor, equivalent to a Fields Medal in the field of mathematics.

Although Princeton’s computer science program couldn’t compare to some top institutions that specialized in it, in certain subfields like artificial intelligence and data analysis, it could hold its own against those premier computer science universities.

After all, Princeton was a mecca for mathematics, and the relationship between mathematics and computer science was self-evident.

The senior student pursed her lips and nodded. She didn’t regret going to Princeton; her only regret was that the person before her had returned to China.

As the two of them were catching up, a clear voice suddenly rang out beside them.

“Big Bro! Is this my sister-in-law?!”

Holding a plate piled with food, Xu Xiao bounced over. She stood beside Xu Chuan and looked curiously at the senior student opposite him, her eyes flashing with excitement and the light of someone ready to watch the drama unfold.

She had actually noticed the activity over here long ago but had hesitated to approach. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, she had run over.

Xu Chuan introduced them with a laugh, “What are you talking about? This is a senior student I knew from my time at Nanjing University, Liu Jiaxin. She’s currently doing her PhD at Princeton.”

“This is my younger sister, Xu Xiao, a mischievous little rascal. She’s currently studying at Tsinghua University, just started her first year.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s introduction, Liu Jiaxin suddenly grew nervous, stammering a greeting to Xu Xiao.

As for Xu Xiao, she sidled over with her plate and, with the easy familiarity of an old friend, praised her, “That’s amazing, Jiaxin-jie! Princeton is so hard to get into. Are you studying mathematics?”

“By the way, Jiaxin-jie, how did you and my brother meet?”

A string of questions tumbled out of Xu Xiao’s mouth. Come to think of it, this seemed to be the first time she had ever seen a female friend around her big brother.

As his younger sister, she had even started to worry that his sexual orientation might be abnormal. Now, it seemed there’s hope for him yet.

The evening passed quickly.

At two in the afternoon, Sweden time, on December 10th, the entrance of the Grand Hôtel Stockholm was packed with reporters from all over the world.

These reporters, carrying cameras on their shoulders or holding microphones, stared at the hotel entrance. They were waiting—waiting for the right moment, waiting for the Nobel laureates to emerge from the hotel.

Among them, reporters from China’s CTV media had long since secured a spot in the front row. A reporter was speaking passionately to the camera while, behind the lens, tens of millions of people watched.

“Hello everyone, I’m a reporter from CTV, broadcasting live from the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, which has traditionally been the temporary residence for Nobel laureates before the award ceremony. Every year, the laureates attending the Nobel Prize ceremony depart from here.”

“I will be broadcasting live for the entire duration, bringing you this year’s Nobel Prize award ceremony.”

“As you can see, there are so many people here. Besides reporters from other media outlets, there are also many overseas Chinese compatriots living in Sweden, as well as local citizens of Stockholm. Everyone has come together to participate in this grand event.”

In front of the camera, a beautiful reporter in a thick down jacket narrated passionately. The camera on her colleague’s shoulder panned around, capturing the fiery atmosphere and the sea of people at the scene.

Compared to the excitement at the scene, even more people were glued to their phones or televisions.

Although Xu Chuan was not the first scientist of Chinese descent to win the Nobel Prize in Physics—Chen-Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee, among others, had come before him—his status as the youngest laureate in history and the first-ever winner of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal still attracted immense attention.

Everyone was waiting in front of their screens for that person to appear.

At the same time, the figure everyone was waiting for was standing by a window, looking down at the crowd below.

The Nobel Prize award ceremony was officially scheduled to start at four in the afternoon at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

Of course, the Nobel laureates and their invited guests had to depart a bit earlier. Fortunately, the Grand Hôtel Stockholm was not far from the Stockholm Concert Hall.

Standing beside Xu Chuan was his family.

Father and Mother Xu, wearing a suit and traditional ethnic clothing for the first time, looked down at the crowd with a mixture of nervousness and apprehension. For them, this was the first time they had ever faced so many people.

Of course, besides their nervousness, their faces were also flushed with pride.

This was an honor brought to them by their child, an experience that the vast majority of people in the world would never have the chance to witness.

As for Xu Xiao, who stood beside them in an evening gown, her youthful face also showed some nervousness and apprehension, but it was mostly overshadowed by excitement and anticipation.

Although she was younger, she had been through quite a bit of training.

After all, with a brother like Xu Chuan, she had been regularly chosen to go on stage as a representative to give speeches at major school events, starting from her time at Star City No. 1 High School all the way to Tsinghua University.

After three or four years of this, she had built up enough courage to face a scene like this.

“Big Bro, you don’t look nervous or excited at all. This is the Nobel Prize, you know?” Standing beside Xu Chuan, Xu Xiao looked at her perpetually calm brother and asked with curiosity.

Xu Chuan turned to look at his sister. He didn’t answer her question, instead saying with a smile, “It seems you’ve gotten a lot of good practice at school over the years.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao proudly lifted her chin, the corners of her mouth turning up. “Of course! I give a speech at the opening ceremony every year. A crowd this size is a piece of cake.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said no more. The girl’s bravado would probably only last for this moment.

The training one gets at school, after all, is different from the real world. She would find out soon enough when they went outside.

After waiting in the hotel room for a little while, the time for departure arrived.

With his parents and sister in tow, Xu Chuan followed the staff from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences downstairs.

In the hotel lobby, he met the other scholar who had won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Arthur Ashkin.

This scholar, who had made immense contributions to the field of laser physics, was also accompanied by his family and wore a brilliant smile.

Although it was their first time meeting, they recognized each other. In the lobby, Professor Arthur Ashkin gave a friendly nod, greeting the young Nobel laureate.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded in return, then led his family towards the hotel exit. As the main doors drew closer and closer, his heart, which had remained calm all this time, gradually began to stir with emotion.

He had thought that having won the Nobel Prize twice in his past life would allow him to face this moment with perfect calm, but when the moment truly arrived, he found that the waves in his heart still surged.

Because this was his voice, ringing out loud and clear for the entire world to hear!

Following behind Xu Chuan, just as she was about to step through the main doors, Xu Xiao looked at the countless cameras and the massive crowd outside and suddenly began to nervously fidget with the hem of her dress.

All her earlier boasting had completely vanished.

Her parents, on the other hand, had already composed themselves before coming downstairs. Now, they turned to comfort their daughter in soft voices.

At the entrance of the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, bright lights dispelled the night. The winter weather was cold, but the atmosphere was scorching hot.

When Xu Chuan emerged with his family, a commotion rippled through the scene. Countless reporters scrambled to adjust their cameras and pressed their shutters, unleashing a blinding sea of flashes.

The CTV reporter, who had long since secured the best spot in the front row, stood before her colleague’s camera, holding a black microphone in her hand. Her face was flushed as she watched the figure slowly emerge from the hotel entrance.

Chapter 243: The Youngest and Oldest Nobel Laureates

With Xu Chuan’s appearance, the lenses of the media and the eyes of the crowd swiftly shifted, locking onto the figure walking at the very front.

Accompanied by his parents and younger sister, Xu Xiao, Xu Chuan walked out of the hotel, stepping onto the red carpet prepared by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Countless camera flashes came at him, blinding in the night.

However, Xu Chuan was used to it and continued forward with a smile.

His gaze swept over the crowd on both sides of the walkway, and he spotted a familiar, beautiful figure, along with a camera bearing a familiar logo.

After giving them a slight, smiling nod, Xu Chuan continued on his way.

In the crowd, the CCTV reporter and the cameraman who had just made eye contact with Xu Chuan both had excited expressions on their faces.

But they didn’t forget their job. The cameraman carefully maneuvered his lens, perfectly capturing Xu Chuan’s handsome face for the live broadcast.

Meanwhile, the beautiful reporter holding the microphone began to speak to the online audience with a voice full of pride and excitement:

“The Nobel Prize award ceremony has begun! This year’s laureates are preparing to depart from the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, and walking before us right now is this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, Professor Xu Chuan.”

“At the age of twenty-one, he has won the Nobel Prize in Physics, shattering the historical record to become the youngest Nobel laureate in history.”

“Not only that, but this past August, Professor Xu Chuan also received the highest honor in the world of mathematics, the Fields Medal, making him the first scientist in history to win both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal.”

“Let’s give him a thunderous round of applause to congratulate him!”

Behind the temporary barricades, the beautiful CCTV reporter continued her impassioned commentary. In this thrilling moment, many people shared her excitement.

Whether for an individual, for the nation, or even for the ordinary citizens of the country, a compatriot winning the highest honorable award on the planet was something worth celebrating.

A Nobel Prize in a natural science signifies that a country has reached the forefront of the world in a particular scientific or research field.

This was undoubtedly a great stimulus for scientific development.

For instance, the physics prize Xu Chuan had won meant that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem would officially become its own distinct discipline.

Astromathematics will become a subject of study in major universities. The re-observation and calculation of distant celestial bodies like stars, galaxies, and nebulae, as well as the search for planets suitable for human life, will also become goals for the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.

And as the creator of this method, Xu Chuan would become a veritable founding father of the field, just as Newton pioneered calculus and Riemann pioneered algebraic geometry.

Walking down the path, Xu Chuan and his family boarded the private car waiting at the hotel entrance.

Perhaps it was due to his age, or perhaps his achievements were too dazzling, but in any case, he was the first Nobel laureate to emerge from the hotel.

Once the other Nobel laureates and their families had boarded their own cars, the large motorcade began to move forward slowly, heading for the venue of the award ceremony.

As in previous years, at four o’clock sharp, after everyone had taken their places in the Stockholm Concert Hall, the 2018 Nobel Prize award ceremony officially began with the playing of the Swedish royal anthem, “The King’s Song.”

The ceremony was grand yet simple. The men were dressed in tailcoats or national costumes, while the women wore formal evening gowns.

Ten baskets of flowers, air-freighted from Sanremo, Italy, adorned the stage of the Stockholm Concert Hall.

This was because Mr. Nobel had spent a long time there in his later years and passed away in that city.

As the stately music played, led by Swedish university students in smart attire, Xu Chuan walked out from backstage and onto the stage. Seated next to him was the other recipient sharing this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Arthur Ashkin.

Amongst a group of elderly people with an average age exceeding sixty-five, the twenty-one-year-old Xu Chuan stood out like a crane among chickens.

Especially when compared to Professor Arthur Ashkin beside him, they almost looked like they weren’t from the same century.

The old gentleman was born in 1922 and was already ninety-six years old this year.

Fortunately, he still seemed to be in robust health and was able to sit on stage for the entire award ceremony.

That’s right, they sat on the stage.

For the most part, the laureates remain seated throughout the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

It couldn’t be helped; one had to consider the age of the recipients.

In a group where the average age of laureates exceeded sixty, many recipients only received this medal in their seventies, eighties, or even nineties.

Expecting them to stand for several hours to complete the ceremony was clearly unrealistic.

As for those like Xu Chuan who won the Nobel Prize in their twenties, one could count them on one hand looking back over a hundred years of history.

Once all the Nobel laureates were seated, the President of the Nobel Foundation, Carl-Henric Heldin, dressed in a tailcoat, calmly rose from his seat and walked to the podium.

In his stirring opening address, President Karl, as was tradition, welcomed the guests before stating that science is the language of our time, capable of building bridges between nations and cultures.

The importance of research is not limited to the generation of new knowledge; it can also serve to popularize science, providing a common foundation for all of humanity to interact.

At the same time, on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, he praised the laureates as monuments of the human intellect, role models for the world, and authorities in their respective fields, calling on people to learn from them.

At the same time, he also expressed his hope and wish that the laureates would make even greater scientific discoveries, write more outstanding works, and contribute to world peace in the future.

With the conclusion of President Karl’s opening address, the most important part of the ceremony arrived.

According to convention, the first award to be presented was the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, selected by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute.

The Secretary General of the Nobel Committee, Thomas Perlmann, took the stage to announce that for their contributions to the field of cancer immunotherapy (the PD-1 immunotherapy target);

Professor James P. Allison from the United States and Professor Tasuku Honjo from Japan were jointly awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

These two scholars were the first to demonstrate that blocking T-cell inhibitory molecules (known as CTLA-4) with antibodies can lead to enhanced anti-tumor immune responses and tumor rejection.

The concept of blocking T-cell inhibitory pathways as a method to unleash anti-tumor immune responses and bring clinical benefits laid the foundation for the development of other drugs targeting T-cell inhibitory pathways. These drugs have been labeled “immune checkpoint therapy.”

To this day, drugs created based on this method have saved countless patients, or at least extended their lives, and not just from cancer.

Following the presentation of the Prize in Physiology or Medicine, it was time for the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Secretary General Thomas Perlmann stepped down, and the Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Professor Anders Irbäck, came onto the stage.

“For this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has made a bold choice, one that has broken numerous historical records.”

“For their great contributions to the field of astrophysics, creating a new and precise method for calculating distant celestial bodies, Professor Xu Chuan from China; and for great contributions to the field of laser physics, inventing optical tweezers and their application to biological systems, Professor Arthur Ashkin from the United States, are jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.”

“Let us congratulate these two great scholars with a warm round of applause.”

In fact, even without Professor Anders Irbäck’s prompting, the historic Stockholm Concert Hall was already filled with a tidal wave of applause.

Chairman of the Committee Anders Irbäck was right; the Nobel Prize in Physics this year had broken numerous historical records.

Whether it was Xu Chuan breaking the record for the youngest laureate, or Professor Arthur Ashkin breaking the record for the oldest, or even splitting the physics prize between two completely different fields, these were all unique or at least uncommon events in the prize’s history.

Particularly the former, his age of twenty-one, had advanced Lawrence Bragg’s record of twenty-five years old by a full four years.

This was a record that would likely be very difficult to break again.

Of course, the latter winning the Nobel Prize at the advanced age of ninety-six was likely just as hard to surpass.

Amidst the thunderous applause, Xu Chuan stood up and glanced at the old gentleman, Professor Arthur Ashkin, beside him. The two exchanged a look, both smiling, and walked in sync toward the center of the stage.

The Nobel Prize, as the highest honor in the scientific world, is the greatest praise and encouragement that academia, and indeed the entire world, can bestow upon a scholar.

Currently, no other award can compare to the Nobel Prize in terms of influence. In this respect, even the Fields Medal from the world of mathematics pales in comparison.

For a Nobel laureate, the rewards of winning the medal extend far beyond the bonus and the glory.

As President Karl had said, by winning this medal, they had already become authorities in their respective fields!

At the center of the stage, under the watchful gaze of countless eyes and the lenses of media from all over the world, Xu Chuan bowed slightly, allowing King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to place the gleaming gold medal around his neck, and accepted the crimson-red certificate.

Shaking Xu Chuan’s hand, King Carl XVI Gustaf said with a smile, “Congratulations to you, the youngest laureate in history.”

Xu Chuan, smiling, nodded in acknowledgment and said, “Thank you.”

King Carl XVI Gustaf smiled and stood on the stage with Xu Chuan and Arthur Ashkin, facing the audience.

Below the stage, applause once again thundered through the Stockholm Concert Hall.

And in the distant Eastern Hemisphere, applause also erupted in front of mobile phones and computers, as countless people witnessed this grand moment through their screens.

【God Chuan is a badass!】

【Holy shit, he’s on another level! A twenty-one-year-old Nobel laureate! He’s just awesome, period! No need to say it twice!】

【To receive an award on this stage, you can say they’re all at the pinnacle of human intellect! Except for the Peace Prize (smirk).】

【Terrifying. To win both the Nobel and the Fields at twenty-one… I can’t even imagine how much further he’ll go in the future. What kind of award could possibly be given to him then?】

【He no longer needs awards to prove himself. If there’s any award left for him, it’ll have to be one named ‘Xu Chuan’!】

【The years between twenty and forty are the golden age for a researcher or scholar. He’s just getting started, and he’s already at the summit, looking down on the world!】

【God Chuan: In that year, with my hands in my pockets, I didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘opponent’!】

【Even if I must shoulder the world of physics and suppress mathematics with one hand, I, Xu Chuan, am still invincible in astronomy!】

【This kind of person is probably one of those big shots from history who pushes society and technology forward, like Newton and Albert Einstein.】

【Awesome. I’m the same age as God Chuan. I really want to see how our world will have changed in a few decades.】

Amid a sea of celebratory and congratulatory bullet comments, the vast majority of people were offering congratulations, expressing amazement, or making jokes.

But it takes all sorts to make a world.

When a fellow countryman wins the Nobel Prize, there are always some low-IQ individuals who love to show off their pathetic brain capacity.

Their jealousy practically seeps through the screen, or they simply can’t stand to see a Chinese person win the Nobel, or they’re just waving the red flag to oppose the red flag.

【It’s just some trashy foreign award, is it worth you all getting this excited? He’ll probably take the award and immigrate to the United States. Just like that Yang guy from before, who immigrated to the US after winning the Nobel. And what’s the damn use of that trashy method? What’s the point of studying alien planets? Even if you find a planet just like Earth, can you even get there?】

【??????】

【Holy shit, did the poster above grow up eating shit? Why do you stink so bad?】

【What kind of idiot has nothing better to do than look for a scolding?】

【Did your nine years of compulsory education go to the dogs?】

【Dog: I’m not taking the damn blame for this, okay!】

【This is a 500,000-yuan bounty waiting to be claimed, right? Where’s the moderator for this stream? Hurry up and check their IP address.】

【There’s money to be made? Count me in! On second thought, nah, I can’t bring myself to earn money like that. My conscience won’t let me.】

【…】

In any society, there will always be a group of people who make similar comments.

Fortunately, the vast majority of people have a normal worldview, and soon, this bullet comment was drowned in a torrent of criticism from the countless viewers in the stream.

As for Xu Chuan, who was far away in Sweden, he was unaware of all this.

Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared. The baser aspects of human nature are impossible to eliminate, no matter the era or time.

Rather than waste time on such things, he’d rather read a few more books or think about his research.

Chapter 244: The World’s Most Mysterious Menu

After the Nobel Prize award ceremony ended.

All the laureates and invited guests would move to the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall to attend the world-renowned Nobel Banquet.

“Big Bro, you’re saying this is called the Blue Hall? But it’s clearly red. Why not call it the Red Hall?”

Inside Stockholm City Hall’s Blue Hall, Xu Xiao curiously sized up the brick-red hall and asked her brother.

Hearing the question, a hint of a memory flickered in Xu Chuan’s mind. He smiled and said, “There are actually two explanations for why the Blue Hall is red.”

Xu Xiao’s interest was instantly piqued. “What are the two? Tell me!” she urged.

Nearby, Father and Mother Xu also pricked up their ears, curious.

Xu Chuan smiled and continued, “The first explanation is that the Blue Hall was never finished.”

“It’s said that the architect who designed this place originally intended to paint it blue to complement the view of Lake Mälaren. But once the red-brick structure was completed, everyone felt it looked more stately and better suited its purpose, so they never got around to painting it.”

“Then what’s the other explanation?” Xu Xiao asked curiously.

“The other explanation is that the architect designed it this way on purpose.”

“From the beginning, the Blue Hall was designed for the Nobel Banquet. The ‘unfinished’ state of the hall was meant to symbolize that the laureates’ academic careers had not yet reached their end, thereby encouraging those who celebrated here to keep climbing to new heights.”

Xu Chuan smilingly recounted the two stories he had heard in his past life. Xu Xiao wrinkled her delicate nose and said, “The second story is definitely better.”

Xu Chuan laughed heartily. He had felt the same way back then.

Regardless of whether the Blue Hall was truly unfinished or intentionally designed this way, the Nobel Prize banquet had been held here for over a century.

As one of the oldest awards in history, the Nobel Prize had weathered more than a hundred years of change, witnessing the rise and glory of countless scientists and writers.

Following the ushers, Xu Chuan led his family and other invited friends and relatives to the table arranged by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

To be honest, even though this wasn’t his first time dining here, he was still astonished by the dense sea of people.

The long rows of tables were packed with people, making the scene even more crowded than his lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians.

Of course, the number of people here probably wasn’t as high, but the level of congestion was even more extreme.

In the mere one thousand one hundred square meters of the Blue Hall, more than one thousand three hundred people were crammed in. They were all sitting together for a meal, and aisles still had to be left for the waiters to serve the food. One could only imagine how tight the space was.

For this year’s Nobel Banquet, aside from the invited guests, the Swedish royal family, and government officials, many of the attendees were actually outsiders selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In fact, for the Nobel Prize each year, besides being invited to the award ceremony, one could also write to the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to apply to attend the Nobel Banquet.

After all, this was the Nobel Prize. It wasn’t just people in academia who were interested; those outside of it were just as fascinated.

Of course, the probability of being chosen was extremely, extremely small.

With that kind of luck, you’d have a pretty good chance of winning the lottery.

As the guests took their seats, elegant music began to fill the Blue Hall.

At the same time, the waiters, who had long been prepared, began to serve the first course.

The Nobel Banquet menu is known as “the world’s most mysterious menu.” Some have even joked that the banquet’s menu is more mysterious than the announcement of the Nobel laureates themselves, as guests only find out what they’re eating once they are at the banquet.

The menu for the Nobel Banquet becomes a focal point of speculation every year, and even the head chefs are not informed in advance.

The chefs in charge of the banquet only receive the menu two or three days beforehand and are sworn to absolute secrecy.

If the menu were leaked, the dishes would be changed at the last minute.

And unlike our traditional idea of a banquet, the Nobel Banquet actually consists of only three courses.

By tradition, the Nobel Banquet usually prepares three glasses of wine and three courses (an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert) for its guests.

Although he had attended the Nobel Banquet several times before, Xu Chuan was still curious about this year’s dishes.

It had to be said that while the number of dishes at the Nobel Banquet was small, they were all made with the world’s finest ingredients. Combined with the chefs’ top-tier culinary skills, the taste was in no way inferior to the state banquets he had eaten at before.

Of course, in terms of variety, a state banquet could leave the Nobel Banquet in the dust, and then some.

Soon, the first course and the first glass of wine were served.

Accompanying them was Professor Anders Irbäck, the Chairman of the Committee who had announced the physics prize laureates at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

The old man, his hair completely white, wore a well-fitting tailcoat and walked up to Xu Chuan with a bottle of champagne in hand.

After personally pouring Xu Chuan a glass of pale gold champagne that bubbled with fine foam, Professor Anders raised his own glass and clinked it against Xu Chuan’s with a beaming smile.

“Congratulations, Professor Xu Chuan.”

Xu Chuan stood up, raised his glass, and clinked it with the old man’s. After taking a small sip, he said, “Thank you. This is the most exquisite champagne I have ever tasted.”

Professor Anders laughed. “That’s because it has the bonus of a Nobel victory. It is the most bountiful fruit.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Did you know? Our committee started arguing about this year’s physics prize back in August. To this day, the committee is still not in complete agreement; there are still almost diametrically opposed divisions.”

With that, Anders shrugged and went on, “We couldn’t help it. You are too young. Twenty-one years old—you’ve lowered the record by a full four years.”

“But that only goes to show the importance of your achievement. To humanity, it represents the hope for the future.”

Xu Chuan smiled, holding his wine glass. “To be honest, even I didn’t expect to receive the Nobel Prize this year.”

“But believe me, this was the right choice.”

“The extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem has a deeper layer of value. I’m already digging into it. What it will bring us is far more than just calculations of distant celestial bodies.”

Hearing this, Anders raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, “May I ask what field it’s related to?”

Xu Chuan smiled mysteriously. “I’ll keep that under wraps for now.”

Professor Anders shook his head with a smile. “Keeping people in suspense is not a good habit.”

With that, he raised his glass and clinked it with Xu Chuan’s again before continuing, “However, I look forward to it. I hope I’ll live to see the day you unearth it.”

Xu Chuan nodded earnestly. “Of course. And it might not be very long!”

At this, Professor Anders laughed heartily. “Perhaps you should give that achievement, the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, a new name.”

“As a great achievement that has won the Nobel Prize in Physics, it’s more than deserving of its own name, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled, a little embarrassed. “My apologies. I’ve been so busy recently that I completely forgot about it.”

“Rest assured, I will give serious thought to a new name for it when I get back.”

Professor Anders smiled. “Then I’ll wait for your good news. I wish you an enjoyable meal. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, you can report it to the Nobel Foundation. They will make improvements.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

Arctic char and lobster soup, French-style pâté, and mixed apples.

These were the three courses at this year’s Nobel Banquet. They tasted excellent. Even Father and Mother Xu, who weren’t particularly accustomed to Western food, praised the flavors.

If there was one drawback, it was that the portions were too small.

The portions for all three courses were so delicate they could be described as cat-sized.

For a full-grown adult, another thirty such dishes would likely pose no challenge, which just went to show how small the portions were.

“Big Bro, is there more food?”

After the three courses were served, Xu Xiao, who still wasn’t full, held her knife and fork and asked her brother sitting beside her.

Although girls generally have smaller appetites, the portions at the Nobel Banquet were truly minuscule. Besides, when faced with delicious food, people subconsciously hope to eat a little more.

Xu Chuan shook his head helplessly, indicating that the meal was over.

Aside from the crowding, the meager portion size was another major drawback of the Nobel Banquet.

This flaw had been passed down for decades. Many Nobel laureates had voiced their opinions, but to no avail. The organizers stuck to their ways, even suggesting that being too full would be detrimental to the celebratory ball that followed.

Of course, this might also have been related to the enormous cost.

After all, every dish was prepared by a famous chef, and each Nobel Banquet typically had over a thousand guests.

For the Nobel Foundation, the expense of holding one award ceremony, in most years, exceeded the prize money for any single award.

For example, in 2015, Professor Tu won that year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and received a prize of eight million Swedish Krona.

According to data released by the Nobel Foundation, the total cost of the Nobel events that year was fifteen million Swedish Krona (equivalent to about ten million RMB). This event budget far exceeded the Nobel prize money.

And this was just for the laureates, their families and friends, and the specially invited Nobel experts.

As for the other media reporters who applied to attend the banquet and the ordinary citizens lucky enough to be selected, they all paid their own way. Each person had to pay four thousand Swedish Krona (about 3000 RMB) just to enter the banquet hall and eat a high-end dinner.

As the banquet concluded, the invited guests took a short break before making their way to the Gold Hall, next to the Blue Hall.

Gazing at the resplendent, magnificent hall and the mosaic of the Queen of Lake Mälaren overlooking the dance floor, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

Putting his past life aside, he had been here two years ago for the Crafoord Prize.

Now, he was here once again, still because of the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem that had won him the Crafoord Prize.

It was quite normal for a single academic achievement to bring a scholar numerous awards.

But for one achievement to bring its creator both the Crafoord Prize and the Nobel Prize, two of the world’s top awards, was a remarkably rare event.

After all, the Crafoord Prize was established to complement the scientific fields not covered by the Nobel Prize, which meant that the fields for which these two prizes were awarded generally did not overlap.

For a single achievement to win the highest honor in two non-overlapping fields was, one might say, quite unheard of.

“Big Bro, do we have to dance too? But what if I don’t know how?”

In the Gold Hall, an awestruck Xu Xiao had followed Xu Chuan over out of curiosity and was now staring at the crowd on the dance floor.

Xu Chuan smiled. “You can choose not to dance. No one will force you, after all.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao let out a sigh of relief. She opened her mouth to speak, but a teasing voice reached her ears.

“If this beautiful young lady doesn’t know how, that is of course acceptable; however…”

“You, on the other hand, cannot get out of it~”

Xu Chuan and Xu Xiao followed the voice and saw Professor Staffan Normark, the Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, walking towards them.

The old man had spotted the two of them standing still from a distance and came over to ask if they needed any help, just in time to overhear their conversation.

Xu Chuan shrugged. “The problem is, I’m not much of a dancer myself.”

Staffan chuckled. “No matter. There are many ladies here who can dance, and they will all be more than happy to teach you.”

As he spoke, a lady lifting the hem of her formal dress happened to walk over. She looked at Xu Chuan and invited him with a smile, “Hi, Professor Xu. May I have this dance?”

The person approaching was the same lady who had invited him to dance at the Crafoord Prize gala, the daughter of the King of Sweden, ‘Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine’.

It was actually rather interesting.

In a sense, this princess was not officially a member of the Swedish royal family.

This was because the Swedish royal family had once streamlined its numbers, and to this day, the Swedish royal family officially consists of only four people.

That is, the current King and Queen of Sweden, plus the Crown Princess and her husband.

As for the other princes and princesses, their royal statuses were revoked by the king. A royal family with only four people was arguably the smallest in the world.

In comparison, the Saudi Arabian royal family had over five thousand princes alone, not to mention other members.

However, speaking of a sparse royal line, Japan was in a similar situation.

As of now, the entire imperial family had only nineteen members, and the number was continually decreasing.

It wasn’t until 2006 that the third generation of the imperial family saw a male heir, Prince Hisahito.

So the question arose, why was it so difficult for the Japanese imperial family to have sons?

One could only say they’ve done too much wrong.

As for the Swedish royal family, even though Madeleine’s official royal status had been revoked, she remained a princess in the hearts of the Swedish people.

After all, a reduction in the number of royals meant a reduction in royal expenses, and the people’s tax money could be used elsewhere.

Hearing Princess Madeleine’s invitation, Xu Chuan shrugged again. “Looks like I can’t escape this dance today, can I?”

Staffan smiled. “Of course. You are the most dazzling star of the evening. Everyone is waiting for you.”

Chapter 245: The Nobel Lecture—The Future of Humanity

Although Xu Chuan was no professional dancer, he wasn’t so clumsy as to kick his shoe off on stage and become a laughingstock, like Professor James Rothman, the 2013 laureate in Medicine.

After sharing a dance with Princess Madeleine, Xu Chuan navigated through the crowd and returned to the fringe.

After politely declining invitations to dance from several other women, he took advantage of the brief respite to spear a piece of fruit from the table with a small fork and pop it into his mouth.

To be honest, he hadn’t eaten his fill at the banquet, and now, just over an hour later, he was already hungry.

Beside him, Xu Xiao was also a representative of the hungry, frantically eating fruit with no regard for her ladylike demeanor.

Still, she managed to speak with her cheeks puffed out, “Big Bro, didn’t you say you couldn’t dance? Why did it look like you were so familiar with it?”

She had watched her big brother’s performance from the sidelines and felt he was no worse than the members of her university dance club.

Xu Chuan smiled. “For your big bro, learning these things isn’t that hard, is it?”

Although he had never formally learned to dance, he had attended far too many balls in his past life. With his ability to learn, it was inevitable that he would pick it up over time, no matter how inept he started.

Xu Xiao pouted, feeling that her big brother was just flexing.

Then again, his talent was truly something she envied. Although she had also participated in competitions and gotten into Tsinghua University, when it came to raw learning talent, ten of her wouldn’t even be a match for her big brother.

“May I have this dance?”

Suddenly, an invitation to dance reached Xu Chuan’s ears. He turned to see his senior, Liu Jiaxin, standing before him in a ball gown. Her fair shoulders and skin were exposed, and her hair was elegantly coiled, revealing a smooth forehead.

Perhaps because it was her first time wearing such an outfit, or her first time dressing up like this, or maybe because she was nervous about asking someone to dance for the first time, a blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Wow, Senior, you’re so beautiful!”

Beside them, Xu Xiao, who had been focused on filling her stomach, turned her head and froze, seemingly not recognizing the person before her for a moment.

But she quickly snapped out of it, her eyes sparkling as she rushed over without even wiping her mouth.

“I never thought you’d be so stunning all dressed up, Jiaxin.”

Xu Xiao’s eyes shone as she circled the girl in front of her.

Sometimes, beauty captivates not only the opposite sex but the same sex as well.

At least, that was true for her.

After all, who doesn’t like a pretty young lady?

Blushing faintly, Liu Jiaxin looked at Xu Chuan. For her, dressing up and extending this invitation tonight had already taken more than all her courage.

Looking at his senior standing before him, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. “Of course.”

After the ball ended, Xu Chuan had just stepped out of the banquet hall when he was ambushed by the reporters lying in wait outside City Hall.

Seeing the situation turn sour, the mischievous Xu Xiao grabbed Liu Jiaxin and made a quick getaway, leaving her big brother to face the swarming crowd all by himself.

Fortunately, though the reporters were numerous, he wasn’t their only target. The other Nobel laureates of the year were also being mobbed.

And since he came out relatively late, the number of reporters surrounding him wasn’t overwhelming.

“Professor Xu, as the youngest Nobel laureate in Physics in history at the age of twenty-one, what are your thoughts?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Of course, I’m thrilled. I never expected to receive this year’s Nobel Prize.”

“Professor Xu Chuan, hello, I’m a reporter from the BBC. May I ask what you plan to research next?”

“Perhaps mathematics, perhaps physics, or it could be the deeper applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.”

“Is that the research on higher-dimensional space you mentioned at the International Congress of Mathematicians? Can the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem really be used to break through to the fourth dimension?”

“Of course not, but it might possess a value even greater than that.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“Not at the moment. I’m still in the research phase. We can talk about it later.”

“Professor Xu Chuan, I’m a reporter from The Washington Post. Will you consider immigrating to the United States? After all, the academic environment there is better than in China.”

“Professor Xu, I’m…”

Outside City Hall, Xu Chuan was mobbed by reporters the moment he appeared. A motley collection of microphones was thrust at his mouth, and cameras were trained on his face.

After selecting a few questions that didn’t involve his privacy, Xu Chuan managed to squeeze his way out of the crowd.

In the private car for the Nobel laureates, this year’s other Nobel laureate in Physics, Professor Arthur Ashkin, watched him with a smile.

“Looks like those reporters gave you a hard time.”

Xu Chuan let out a long breath and sighed, “You can say that again. Who knows how the media will report all this?”

“Hahaha, they’ve always been like this. Don’t mind them too much.”

The old professor laughed. “Congratulations, you’re the youngest Nobel laureate. And congratulations on being the first person in the world to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Thank you, and congratulations to you as well.”

The old professor shook his head with a smile. “I’m already old. The future is yours.”

After a pause, he continued, “If I may be so curious, are you planning to research mathematics, physics, astronomy, or something else next?”

It wasn’t just the media who were interested in Xu Chuan’s next field of research; the academic world was equally curious.

After all, as the youngest Nobel laureate, his future research direction was destined to drive an entire corresponding field forward.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It might be the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, or perhaps the NS equations? Or maybe data from the particle collider?”

“To be honest, I’m interested in a lot of things, but unfortunately, I can’t split myself in two,” he said with regret.

The old professor laughed heartily. “I understand. I was the same when I was young, wanting to study everything that interested me.”

“But a person’s energy is always limited. I wish you success!”

After bidding farewell to the old professor, Xu Chuan returned to the Grand Hôtel Stockholm.

On the ground floor of the hotel, Gu Bing and Amelia were waiting. Next to them were two other students he had once taught, Shahi Perez and Roger Dean.

The two of them had come with Deligne.

Seeing Xu Chuan, his four former students gathered around.

“Professor, congratulations.” Roger Dean and Shahi Perez stepped forward to congratulate him, their faces a mixture of regret and complexity.

Back then, their decision to stay at Princeton and complete their studies with Professor Deligne had indeed been the most sensible choice.

But fate had played a cruel joke on them. In less than two months, their former advisor had won the Nobel Prize, becoming the first person in history to win both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal.

To say they had no regrets would be a lie.

The future value of following such an advisor far exceeded that of completing their studies at Princeton.

But it was too late for regrets now. All they could say was that fate truly enjoys playing tricks on people.

While Xu Chuan was catching up with his four former students at the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, on the other side of the Earth, in the distant eastern nation of China.

Nearly all media outlets were celebrating.

The live broadcast of the Nobel Prize ceremony on CTV was being rebroadcast by countless media outlets.

Unsurprisingly, the name ‘Xu Chuan’ and his past glories once again topped the trending charts and headlines of every platform that day.

It was a nationwide celebration.

For the vast majority of Chinese people, in that young figure, they saw not only the glory of the Nobel Prize but also the hope of a rising nation.

And for the many students, that young figure standing center stage was a beacon for their future, a light guiding them forward.

December 11th.

After a night of rest, Xu Chuan was up early again.

According to the Nobel Prize award ceremony schedule, after the first day’s award ceremony, there was a Nobel Lecture on the second day.

This was an established custom, a stage for the new laureates who had reached the pinnacle to deliver their first address to the world.

Ten o’clock in the morning.

Guided by Professor Staffan Normark, the Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Xu Chuan arrived at the lecture hall of the Physics Division of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The lecture hall was packed. Not only were all the seats taken, but the aisles and corridors were also crowded with scholars and tourists who had come to listen.

It wasn’t just scholars who were interested in the Nobel Lectures, but countless ordinary people as well.

Whether they were local Swedish students, citizens from the streets, or overseas Chinese who had traveled thousands of kilometers, they all squeezed into this not-so-large lecture hall.

This too was a grand event, and an opportunity for the public to learn about the latest in cutting-edge science.

This was because a Nobel Lecture was not a professional scientific popularization. The various technical terms and academic papers that would appear in a Fields Medal presentation, which ordinary people couldn’t understand, would not be found at a Nobel Lecture.

Here, each year’s Nobel laureates would use the simplest language to describe their achievements, future directions, and upcoming research.

If they were worried the audience wouldn’t understand, some laureates would even treat it as an exchange session, completing the entire lecture through questions from the audience and their answers.

For this lecture, Xu Chuan did not delve into how he used the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to calculate information about distant celestial bodies.

Instead, he introduced the theme of civilization’s gaze toward the future.

“…Even though we still find it incredibly difficult to land on Mars, even though the farthest-flung Voyager 1 has yet to leave the Solar System…”

“We all believe that our future is not shackled to the Earth. The distant galaxy and the future are the places we yearn for.”

“In the past, we have wasted too much time. In the future, I hope we will turn our gaze to the cosmos, not merely because there are vaster lands and more resources there.”

“But because only a civilization that yearns for the cosmos has enough potential and a future!”

As he finished, thunderous applause erupted. The audience in the lecture hall rose to their feet and clapped to show their respect.

This wasn’t just respect for a Nobel laureate; it was because this lecture had completely captivated them.

Only a civilization that yearns for the cosmos has enough potential and a future!

For a humanity still preoccupied with internal conflicts, this was undoubtedly a lighthouse on the coast. Though it was uncertain if it could guide the way.

But at least, it was there, radiating light and a vision of the future.

On stage, Xu Chuan gave a slight bow, then turned and walked off.

With the end of the Nobel Lecture, the Nobel Prize award ceremony was also over.

All good things must come to an end. The scholars who had gathered in Stockholm began boarding their return flights, leaving the city.

Xu Chuan saw his family and friends to the airport, watching them enter the departure hall.

“Big Bro, aren’t you flying back with us?” Xu Xiao asked reluctantly at the airport.

Xu Chuan smiled and patted her head. “I still have some things to take care of here. You all go back first. Study hard, and I hope that one day you can come here yourself and give your own presentation.”

Xu Xiao nodded vigorously, pumping her fist. “I’ll do my best!”

Beside them, Father and Mother Xu looked at their son, also saying their goodbyes with reluctance. “Take care of yourself out there. No amount of glory is more important than your safety. Come back soon, we’ll be waiting for you at home.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back very soon.”

He didn’t say what he was staying in Stockholm for, nor did he mention that he would be taking a train back.

There were many things his parents didn’t need to know. Knowing would only make them worry more. It was better for him to handle it himself.

As Xu Chuan was saying goodbye to his parents, on the other side of the Atlantic coast, a meeting about him was being held.

In the United States, at an office of the Immigration Bureau, an agent handed a file to his top superior.

“Director, here is the report on the Chinese scholar named ‘Xu Chuan’.”

“During the Nobel week, we once again arranged for personnel to contact him and offered even more favorable conditions to recruit him. However, his attitude was vague. He neither accepted nor refused, only saying he needed some time to consider.”

In the office, the director in charge of talent recruitment flipped through the documents. “Understood. you may leave.”

For an immigrant nation like the United States, the Immigration Bureau was the largest and most complex administrative system, wielding considerable power.

Even just the talent recruitment office had the authority to investigate, arrest, detain, formulate laws, and dispatch the CIA, FBI, or even the military.

For the Immigration Bureau, they were not only responsible for recruiting talent but also, at times, for dealing with top-tier talents who were disadvantageous to the United States.

After his subordinate left, the middle-aged man sitting in the leather office chair leafed through the file. His gaze fell on the latest entries: ‘Chuanhai Materials Research Lab’ and ‘Nuclear Energy Research Project.’

After reading this information, he closed his eyes and contemplated for a moment, then got up and left the office with the file.

Chapter 246: A Certain Someone with a Cool Hairstyle

In an office in the White House.

The director of the Immigration Bureau stood facing a certain president with a cool hairstyle.

“If we’re going to take any measures, now would be the best opportunity. According to our intelligence, this Professor Xu will likely take the same route back as he did coming here—by ferry across the Baltic Sea to Russia, and then by train back to China.”

“This man is a talent, perhaps comparable to that figure from the last century. And he’s much younger. If he also demonstrates terrifying genius in applied fields, we could be missing a huge opportunity.”

In the office, the middle-aged director was voicing his opinion.

Across from him, the stylishly coiffed president didn’t even lift his eyes, continuing to flip through the documents in his hand.

After a long moment, he finally looked up. “That’s not a very good idea. The China of today is not the China of twenty years ago.”

“If he were in the United States, we could pull some strings without any issue. But to make a move internationally would break the unspoken rules and provoke retaliation—especially since they have the means to do so.”

“And the situation is more complicated now. He’s returning through Russia. In that country, it would be even more difficult for us to act. If we push those two countries to unite against us, it wouldn’t be good for us either.”

“What’s more, making a move against an internationally renowned scholar would reflect badly on us, both in the scientific community and the political world. If he had the kind of ability that would justify us taking action, it might be a different story, but for now, he hasn’t demonstrated that.”

“Raise the price. See if we can lure him over.”

“Didn’t he just win the Nobel Prize? Invite him to hold a conference presentation or a lecture here. If he comes, then he’ll be on our turf.”

“Right, doesn’t the Clay Institute have some prize for their seven major problems? It seems he solved one of them before, right? Let’s use that as a pretext to invite him over.”

The director of the Immigration Bureau nodded. Although he had some differing views, since the top boss had made a decision, he would carry it out for now.

He just hoped it was the right decision…

At the ferry port in Stockholm, Sweden, Xu Chuan once again boarded a ship.

The coastline gradually receded. As the cold sea breeze brushed against his face, he looked back at the bustling city behind him, a wave of emotion washing over him.

If nothing unexpected happened, he probably wouldn’t be coming back here for a very, very long time.

The cruise ship sailed across the Baltic Sea. Gazing out at the azure ocean, Xu Chuan looked up at the sky.

“Only a civilization that yearns for the sky has enough potential for development.” This was from his Nobel Lecture, and it wasn’t just a hint for the governments of the world to set their sights on the cosmos, but also a warning to himself.

Looking at the sky, a thought suddenly surfaced in Xu Chuan’s mind.

“What is the ultimate future of mathematics, physics, or rather, science and humanity?”

For the vast majority of people, this was probably a pointless worry, like whether the sun would burn out tomorrow or if the Earth would stop spinning.

But for someone like Xu Chuan, who already stood at the pinnacle of the scientific pyramid, this question was within arm’s reach.

As the saying goes, a person’s position naturally dictates their thoughts and concerns.

Looking back at the past few centuries of modern scientific development, the ones who truly drove science forward, who pushed progress, were an extremely small group of people.

In physics, there were the likes of Newton, Albert Einstein, Maxwell, Planck, and Bohr.

In mathematics, there were Archimedes, Euler, Gauss, Newton, Riemann, and Galois.

It could be said that in every field, the great leaps forward were almost always driven by that small handful of individuals.

The vast majority of ordinary scientists could, at best, do some patchwork at the edges. Some didn’t even have the ability to do that.

It was a harsh reality.

In fact, this wasn’t unique to science; it was true for most fields.

It was like the premiere Paris Fashion Week, which practically dictated the popular colors for each year—red this year, yellow next year, gray the year after.

The aesthetic tastes of the general public have always been manipulated by others.

It was just that in the field of science, this issue was a bit more pronounced.

This was a domain that relied on ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge.’

For a scholar like him, who already stood at the peak of civilization’s intellect, a single thought could potentially pull civilization a great leap forward, but it could also drag it into the abyss.

Take the mass-energy equation, for instance. Although its original purpose was to explain mass defect in nuclear reactions and to calculate the energy of particles in high-energy physics, it also led to the creation of nuclear weapons—a civilization-ending game-changer.

Given the number of nuclear weapons possessed by various countries today, if a third world war were to truly break out, whether civilization could continue to exist would be an unknown.

Xu Chuan had hardly ever thought about this problem before. In his past life, he was even more obsessed with making breakthroughs in a specific, extreme field.

Now, having returned to his peak in this life, his thoughts seemed to be a bit more nuanced than before.

Of course, he still held a strong desire to see the distant sea of stars in the cosmos.

This desire had grown especially after this year’s International Congress of Mathematicians. The further exploration into the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem had shown him a glimmer of hope.

“This doesn’t seem to be the way to the port of Tallinn, where we arrived, is it?”

Onboard the ship, Xu Chuan noticed the different coastal scenery and asked Zheng Hai, who was beside him, with some curiosity.

Zheng Hai nodded. “That’s right. We received some intel, so the return route has been adjusted. We’re not going through Tallinn. We’re heading to St. Petersburg and returning directly through Russia, bypassing Estonia. It’s safer this way.”

According to the intelligence they had received, the country on the West Coast had apparently been discussing making a move on them. Although the idea was ultimately vetoed by that president with the cool hairstyle, for safety’s sake, the team protecting him had chosen to change the escort route.

Although the Motherland maintained relatively friendly and stable relations with Estonia, in truth, Estonia was too weak. Moreover, as a NATO member state, it had little ability to resist demands from the United States.

It was much safer within Russia’s borders.

There are no permanent allies, only permanent interests. Compared to Estonia, their northern neighbor was in greater need of China’s help and support.

As long as their relationship based on mutual interests remained intact, they were more than willing to help with small favors.

More importantly, this neighbor possessed sufficient military strength.

These days, nothing beats having a few thousand nukes in the arsenal.

Hearing Zheng Hai’s answer, Xu Chuan nodded and didn’t ask any further questions.

As long as he could get back safely, that was enough. In any case, these people escorting him under the guise of tourists would never harm him.

Of that, he was completely confident.

After several days of sailing on the Baltic Sea, just as Xu Chuan was starting to get bored, St. Petersburg finally appeared before his eyes.

All that was left was the familiar train ride back to the Motherland.

The clatter of the train continued for several days. When the K3 train crossed the border into Inner Mongolia and the boundary monument came into view, everyone—Xu Chuan, Zheng Hai, and the other personnel in the carriage—breathed a sigh of relief, their anxieties finally settling.

That small stone monument seemed to possess a magical quality that put people at ease.

Back in the Motherland, Xu Chuan had originally intended to go straight back to Nanjing University.

However, he was stopped by Qin Anguo, who had come to greet him at the station exit. He thought the Minister of Science and Technology wanted to see him about something and only realized what it was when the man uttered a few words.

“The National Science and Technology Award Conference!”

Hearing these words, Xu Chuan suddenly understood.

Returning from Sweden, it was now mid-December. By convention, the National Science and Technology Award Conference was held every year in December or January.

If the Nobel Prize was the highest honor in the world, then the various science awards presented at the National Science and Technology Award Conference were the highest honors a researcher or scholar could receive in China.

To win this laurel, one had to go through a rigorous screening process.

Even the candidates themselves were not self-nominated. Like the Nobel Prize, they were recommended by others.

To ensure the fairness of this award, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award review committee implemented a registered voting system, where every committee member had to be responsible for their vote.

For a certain award to be approved, it needed to be passed by a majority of more than two-thirds of the committee members.

Xu Chuan knew about this award, but he had never received it.

In his past life, by the time he was eligible for consideration, he was already stuck in the United States.

As for this life, he really hadn’t thought about it before.

On the one hand, he no longer cared much for various awards and honors; after all, he had received most of them in his previous life.

On the other hand, several of the awards at the National Science and Technology Award Conference, much like the Nobel Prize, carried the weight of a lifetime achievement honor.

Like the Nobel Prize, although there was no official age limit for winners, it tended to favor older recipients.

After all, if such an honor was given to a young scholar, and he went on to achieve something even greater in the future, it would create an awkward situation where there were no more awards left to give.

Of course, a Nobel Prize could be awarded again, but the National Science and Technology Awards could only be given once.

It was a rather awkward situation.

Then again, he had already won both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize. It would be unreasonable if he wasn’t given the national science award.

And so, Xu Chuan temporarily stayed put.

The National Science and Technology Award Conference was set to begin on December twenty-fifth this year. It was already December eighteenth, leaving one week to go.

Xu Chuan didn’t waste this time.

Although he couldn’t return to Nanjing, he could have the people from the Nuclear Energy Research Institute and the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute come to him.

Upon receiving his call, Han Jin and Fan Pengyue quickly rushed over with some documents.

There wasn’t much in terms of research and development to discuss. By the time he had left for the award ceremony, both projects had already entered the final stages of their initial research phase.

All Xu Chuan wanted to see were the test reports for the materials developed in both projects as they were wrapping up.

Of course, there were also some patent applications.

That was something that couldn’t be forgotten.

Especially in the materials industry, it wasn’t a matter of simply developing a new material and it would automatically be yours.

Applying for material patents is an extremely important matter. The number of dramatic incidents over patents in the materials science world each year is not small.

All sorts of disputes between professors and students, contract disputes between bosses and research staff—these were common in the materials world.

For no other reason than that a good, new material is simply too valuable.

Easily worth millions or tens of millions, and sometimes even hundreds of millions or billions. In the face of such profits, things like friendship and promises were torn apart all too normally.

In a room at the Beihai Hotel, Xu Chuan leafed through the documents brought by the two project leaders.

Based on the reports, the test results for both the Nuclear Energy Research Institute’s ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate Material’ and ‘Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material’, as well as the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s ‘electrolyte solution’ and ‘artificial SEI film’, were all outstanding.

These materials could completely be considered as first-stage achievements.

As for patents, the applications for the electrolyte solution and the artificial SEI film were already in progress.

As for the Nuclear Energy Research Institute’s ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate Material’ and ‘Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material’, the domestic patents would pass easily. Whether they would apply for international patents would depend on the wishes of the higher-ups.

After all, the applications for these two materials were somewhat sensitive. Many things in the field of nuclear energy were not made public.

Applying for a patent, even if you don’t disclose everything, would still reveal some technical plans, beneficial effects, and the like.

And these things could often give hostile nations or competitors some inspiration, prompting them to develop similar things.

Of course, there were still many benefits to applying for patents.

According to international patent law, any approved patent enjoys protection.

For example, common drugs, like the Gleevec in the movie Dying to Survive, are actually protected internationally.

The development and production of patented drugs are restricted by intellectual property rights and cannot be copied.

If one wanted to produce the drug, they would have to purchase the production rights from the patent holder or wait until the patent expires.

This international convention is honored in most countries. There are exceptions, of course, like in India, where drug patent protections are a joke.

For Xu Chuan, if the patent rights for the electrolyte solution and the artificial SEI film were granted, these two achievements alone could bring in several billion a year just from licensing.

For him, this money would likely be enough to achieve financial freedom for the early stages of his research career.

As for the middle and later stages, he would have to find other ways then.

Nothing consumed more funds than scientific research.

A few billion was not even enough to build a supercomputing center, let alone a large particle collider.

Chapter 247: The National Science and Technology Award Conference

“Senior Fan, is the research paper on the artificial SEI film and the electrolyte solution ready?”

After finishing the project documents in his hands, Xu Chuan looked up and asked Fan Pengyue. Now that he had received the Nobel Prize, it was time for him to publish his findings on the lithium-sulfur battery.

In the room, Fan Pengyue nodded. “It’s ready. As soon as the patent application is approved, we can publish it.”

Achievements in materials science were different from those in mathematical physics. For the latter, a paper could be published the moment results were obtained.

Materials science was different. You had to secure the patent and a series of other things before you could publish the paper.

Otherwise, if someone replicated your work based on your paper and applied for a patent first, even if it was only in their own country, you would suffer a huge loss.

Such incidents were not unheard of, and international patent lawsuits were notoriously troublesome to litigate.

Sometimes, due to local protectionism or conflicts of interest, the other party would directly shelter the company that stole the patent.

Therefore, research related to materials science was always a top priority for confidentiality.

Nodding, Xu Chuan continued, “Once the patent is approved, contact manufacturers both at home and abroad. We’ll hold a promotional event for this artificial SEI film.”

“Boss, will you be handling it personally?” Fan Pengyue asked with a smile.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan affirmed with a nod.

He bore the honor of being a Nobel and Fields Medal laureate. For this kind of press conference, his personal presence would be far more convincing than sending someone else.

After arranging the follow-up work for the two projects, Xu Chuan finally relaxed. His body went limp, and he fell back onto the soft bed.

Staring at the ceiling, he contemplated the feasibility of establishing a mathematical model for the research and development of chemical materials.

Although the artificial SEI film for the lithium battery was complete and the optimal concentration of vinylene carbonate in the electrolyte solution had been tested, his work was not yet finished.

With the problem of lithium dendrites solved, the future for lithium-ion, lithium-metal, and lithium-sulfur batteries was bright.

The battery industry would undoubtedly experience a major leap forward.

But it hadn’t reached his desired goal.

The problem of lithium deposition still existed. Even with the addition of methyl ethyl ketone, which he had previously identified as an inhibitor, the battery’s Coulombic efficiency would still slowly decrease over time.

Perhaps for other corporations, this was already excellent.

But for Xu Chuan, it was clearly not perfect.

It would be one thing if perfection was unattainable, but it was clear that there was a way to solve it.

And in a situation where a solution existed, choosing to let the problem go was not his style.

Thanks to the mathematical model he had previously helped his Nanjing University Advisor, Chen Zhengping, to build, he had always wanted to create a larger, more complex mathematical model to aid his own R&D of various chemical materials.

This would not only address the lithium deposition issue in lithium batteries but also facilitate the development of other chemical materials in the future.

If it could be done, this mathematical model would bring immense convenience to the advancement of chemistry.

Theoretically, it should be possible.

However, it would probably require at least a dozen people who understood both chemistry and modeling to spend a year or two completing this work.

After all, a model for chemical reactions was far more complex than the one for tungsten diselenide.

The introduction of each new material would increase the variables exponentially.

In the later stages, the operational scale of such a model would only be manageable by a supercomputing center.

If it were to encompass all chemical reactions, even a supercomputer might not be enough; more advanced computers would be required.

Lying on the bed and pondering for a long time, Xu Chuan finally decided to give it a try.

Talent and money were not difficult for him to come by.

Once the patent for the artificial SEI film was licensed, he would have billions in funds coming in annually. Letting that money sit in a bank and generate interest held no meaning for him.

Investing it in scientific research was what he ought to do.

Even if it ultimately failed, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Having made up his mind, Xu Chuan performed a kip-up and sprang out of bed.

After sending a message to Zheng Hai, he went downstairs to the hotel lobby to wait.

“To Tsinghua University.”

Zheng Hai nodded and started the Hongqi sedan, driving away from the hotel.

This time, Xu Chuan had Zheng Hai drop him off directly at the foot of the Department of Chemical Engineering’s academic building. Before getting out, he deliberately glanced around. It was probably class time, so there weren’t many people downstairs, and he pushed the car door open.

After all, he had just won the Nobel Prize, and at a top institution like Tsinghua University, there were likely many people paying attention to him.

If he appeared recklessly on campus, he might get mobbed on the path.

Putting on a baseball cap he had taken from the hotel to disguise himself slightly, Xu Chuan headed towards the academic building.

Because that girl, Xu Xiao, was studying here, he was reasonably familiar with the Department of Chemical Engineering. At least he knew where the offices were.

He found the location smoothly and knocked on the half-open door.

A voice soon came from inside: “Come in.”

Pushing the door open, he walked in. Inside the office, a middle-aged professor was handling some official business.

“Professor Zhou.” Xu Chuan smiled and greeted the figure behind the desk. This professor was Xu Xiao’s advisor, whom he had met twice before.

Noticing that the voice sounded unfamiliar and not like a student’s, Zhou Yuanwei looked up. The young face in front of his desk startled him for a moment.

But he quickly recovered, stood up in pleasant surprise, and greeted him warmly, “Professor Xu, what brings you here?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “There’s a matter related to chemistry that I’d like to discuss with you.”

Hearing this, Zhou Yuanwei’s expression turned serious, and he quickly said, “Please, go ahead. I’ll help in any way I can.”

It was an honor for a Nobel laureate to seek his help, and he knew this was an opportunity brought by his student, Xu Xiao.

However, if it was a problem that the man before him couldn’t solve, he likely wouldn’t be of much help either.

But it would be nice to hear what the matter was.

Xu Chuan briefly explained his purpose: he needed several professors or researchers from the chemical materials department to help build a mathematical model.

After listening, Zhou Yuanwei nodded in understanding, then said tactfully, “Professor Xu, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. I’m not a professor of chemical materials. For talent in this area, you’d best go directly to the Dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering.”

“Could I trouble Professor Zhou to make an introduction?” Xu Chuan said with a smile. He knew, of course, that Zhou Yuanwei was not a professor of chemical materials; he had sought him out as a connection to the talent in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

After all, he wasn’t very familiar with the people in Tsinghua University’s Chemistry Department.

If Nanjing University’s chemistry department weren’t similarly average, he wouldn’t have had to go to such trouble.

Building a mathematical model for chemical reactions required not only foundational mathematical logic but also a substantial database of chemical reactions, which Nanjing University lacked.

As for getting some help from Tsinghua University, Tsinghua itself probably wouldn’t mind.

The opportunity to collaborate with a Nobel laureate was something many universities dreamed of.

Following Professor Zhou, Xu Chuan met the Dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering.

The middle-aged to elderly Dean was quite surprised by his arrival. After hearing his intentions, he immediately agreed to a collaboration.

Of course, his idea differed slightly from Xu Chuan’s initial plan.

Initially, Xu Chuan only wanted to ‘borrow’ a few experts in chemical materials from Tsinghua University for a fee, but the Dean directly expanded it into a collaboration between the two parties.

Tsinghua University would provide professors and its knowledge and experience with chemical reaction databases to jointly develop the mathematical model with him, in exchange for a twenty percent share.

Xu Chuan considered it for a moment and agreed.

A twenty percent share wasn’t much. Moreover, a mathematical model wasn’t like other research projects; it required a massive database and immense processing power to support it.

Tsinghua University’s hardware and facilities could perfectly compensate for his deficiencies.

Although he could build his own after the patent for the artificial SEI film was licensed, starting from scratch would take far too long.

After spending two or three days at Tsinghua discussing and finalizing some of the general details, this year’s National Science and Technology Award Conference began.

The award ceremony was held in the Great Hall.

When Xu Chuan entered the venue, guided by the reception staff, the Great Hall was already a sea of people.

Some were sitting, some were standing, but everyone was chatting in small groups.

For China’s scientific researchers, this was a grand event, even more important than the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal ceremonies.

After all, even if the latter two were packed with leading figures, they held little sway domestically.

This conference was different. The country’s true leading figures were all here. In China’s environment, there was no harm in making more friends and getting to know more people.

Therefore, most people arrived one or two, or even three hours early.

In contrast, Xu Chuan, arriving on time, was like an oddball.

Of course, with his current achievements, he didn’t really need to engage in such social etiquette.

The honor of a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal had elevated him beyond these things.

To put it in a phrase, he was no longer in the Three Realms, standing outside the Five Elements.

As he entered the hall with the guide, his appearance immediately caused a stir.

Although the scholars attending the award ceremony in the Great Hall were all distinguished figures and wouldn’t swarm him, all eyes focused on his incredibly young figure.

“Why did you only just arrive?” In the Great Hall, Chen Zhengping, who was also attending the ceremony, naturally noticed the commotion and walked over with a smile.

Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly and said, “It’s my first time attending this kind of conference. I thought half an hour early would be enough. I didn’t expect everyone to be here so early.”

Chen Zhengping shook his head and didn’t press the matter, instead saying, “Come, let me introduce you to someone.”

With that, he led Xu Chuan to another area. “This is Academician Chen Quan, an expert in solid-state ionics and energy materials, a Double Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a leading expert in the national energy sector.”

“The research and development of lithium-ion batteries in our country, and the industrialization of lithium-ion batteries, were all single-handedly guided by Academician Chen.”

“Elder Chen, this is my former student, Xu Chuan.”

Standing between them, Chen Zhengping made the introductions.

He knew Xu Chuan was researching lithium batteries, but he wasn’t clear on the specific details.

Fan Pengyue wouldn’t tell him either, given the confidentiality agreement he had signed.

“Academician Chen, it’s an honor to meet you.”

Hearing Chen Zhengping’s introduction, Xu Chuan quickly extended both hands. A Double Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering—this was a true leading figure, at least domestically.

Of course, what was even more respectable was his spirit of dedicating his life to the nation.

If he remembered correctly, there were fewer than twenty living Double Academicians at present, each one a pillar of the nation.

He knew that his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, was paving the way for him. Being able to connect with such a big shot in the country would help him avoid many detours.

Chen Quan smiled and shook his hand, looking Xu Chuan over. “I’ve heard about you for a long time, but never had the chance to meet. You look even younger than the legends say. A hero emerges from the young; your reputation is well-deserved.”

Xu Chuan said modestly, “Compared to you, sir, I still have much to learn.”

Chen Quan glanced at Chen Zhengping, then turned back to Xu Chuan and teased, “Just as Little Chen said, you’re like a dashing youth straight out of an ancient book—gentle as jade, a humble gentleman. Not like me. When I had a little success in my youth, I looked down on everyone.”

Xu Chuan smiled in acknowledgment. It seemed this old gentleman had a close relationship with his Advisor.

Then again, who didn’t have a youthful phase? Back when he first became famous, he too had his days of youthful bravado, ambitious enough to reach for the heavens and explore the deepest seas, full of passionate opinions on the state of the world.

But with the tempering of time, one’s personality naturally mellows.

After meeting one new acquaintance and chatting with a few familiar ones, Xu Chuan returned to his seat to wait for the conference to begin.

Time passed. The professors and scholars attending the award ceremony took their seats one by one, and leaders from various levels also arrived and were seated.

As nine o’clock approached, the hall quickly fell silent.

As the elder he had met on Chang’an Avenue before took his seat, the resounding national anthem filled the Great Hall.

All guests attending the conference rose to their feet. This award ceremony, symbolizing the highest honor in China’s academia and research community, began with the national anthem.

Once the anthem concluded, everyone sat down again. The hall was completely silent. China’s annual National Science and Technology Award Conference had officially begun.

When the elder presiding over the conference from the stage finished his opening remarks, the conference proceeded to its most exciting and anticipated part.

The announcement of the five awards: the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the State Natural Science Award, the State Technological Invention Award, the State Science and Technology Progress Award, and the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.

The first to be announced was, naturally, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award.

This was the highest-level award among the five, incomparable to the others.

It is generally awarded to science and technology workers who have made major breakthroughs at the forefront of contemporary science and technology, have made outstanding contributions to the development of science and technology, or have created huge economic or social benefits through scientific and technological innovation, the commercialization of scientific achievements, and high-tech industrialization.

To win this award, one could say their academic career in the country had reached the absolute pinnacle.

Chapter 248: State Natural Science Award

Although he knew he was bound to win an award at this National Science and Technology Award Conference, Xu Chuan didn’t have any expectations for the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award.

This award was primarily intended for achievements in applied science and technology, whereas his main scientific contributions were, for the time being, mostly theoretical.

Although the Nuclear Energy Research Institute and the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had already produced phased results, and their value, if disclosed, would be sufficient to merit the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, they weren’t quite there yet.

What he was looking forward to was the State Natural Science Award.

The State Natural Science Award is awarded to science and technology professionals who have made significant contributions in basic research fields such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, earth sciences, and life sciences, as well as in areas like information technology, materials science, and engineering.

This award is not given to organizations, only to individuals, and is divided into two tiers: First Prize and Second Prize.

And just like the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the First Prize for the State Natural Science Award could also be left vacant.

This meant that if there were no outstanding achievements in a given year, the First Prize would not be awarded.

Quality over quantity—this was the tenet of the National Science and Technology Award Conference.

As the elder on stage rose, the recipients of this year’s State Preeminent Science and Technology Award were settled.

This year’s laureates were Academician Liu Yongtan and Academician Qian Qihu.

The former had long been dedicated to teaching and research in electronic engineering, particularly in new-regime radar systems and signal processing technology, and was the founder of China’s theoretical system for new-regime sea-detection radar.

The latter had long been engaged in teaching and research in protective and underground engineering, solving multiple difficult calculation and design problems such as orifice protection, and was a pioneer in applying operations research and systems engineering methods to the field of protective engineering.

As the two laureates took the stage, the scholars in attendance gave them a warm and respectful round of applause.

To everyone present, no matter who won, they were worthy of respect. These scholars, who had dedicated their lives to the nation, had all made immense contributions to the country.

With the two State Preeminent Science and Technology Awards presented, the next to be announced, under the eager eyes of the crowd, was the State Natural Science Award.

Compared to the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the State Natural Science Award was undoubtedly of lesser importance.

However, it was an award that younger scholars could attain. Of course, the prerequisite was making a monumental contribution to a field of natural science.

“Mathematics is the foundation of all natural sciences and their most crucial component. From zero to one, from negative to positive, all secrets are buried within those wonderful strings of numbers. In modern science and technology, almost all major discoveries are related to the development and progress of mathematics.”

“In the field of mathematics, from the Weyl-Berry conjecture to the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, from the Hodge Standard Conjecture to the Xu-Hodge Theorem, he has injected new knowledge into the mathematics of China and the world, contributing a dazzling pearl to the treasure trove of human scientific knowledge and bringing endless glory.”

“The first recipient of the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award is: Professor Xu Chuan!”

As the voice fell, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

Xu Chuan rose with a smile and walked toward the stage.

This time, all eyes in the Great Hall were fixed on him.

After winning the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, no one doubted this young man’s true abilities.

As for the issues of his age and seniority, some old hardliners might have their reservations.

Professor Tian Gang from Peking University, for instance, couldn’t help but frown upon hearing the name.

Whether from the perspective of age or the relationship between Peking University and Xu Chuan, him winning the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award was not a good thing.

More importantly, he was also one of the competitors for this award and had been a candidate for several years.

With the passage of time, his age increased each year, and with each passing year, his hope of receiving this award diminished.

After all, in terms of research achievements, he had nothing that shook the world. The mathematical results he produced in his youth were passable within the country, but on the world stage, they were barely worth mentioning.

Let alone one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems like the Hodge Conjecture, he had never even solved a world-class conjecture like the Weyl-Berry conjecture, or even a problem on the level of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture.

Originally, after being elected as a committee member of the executive committee of the International Mathematical Union this year, he had a great chance of winning this medal.

But now, it seemed his hopes were growing increasingly slim. Or rather, there was no hope left for this year.

Although there were two slots for the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award each year, the prize had almost never been awarded to the same field in the same year.

As for the other man’s accomplishments, he had to admit he was convinced.

Putting other things aside, the proof of the Hodge Conjecture alone was enough to leave him speechless.

However, the recipient was simply too young.

In his view, there was no need to award him the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award at this time. It would be better to wait a few years, until he was in his thirties or forties, before he received it.

As for the awards during that period, they should, of course, be given to those who needed them.

He wasn’t the only one; there were a few others in the Great Hall today who held the same view.

After all, awarding the State Natural Science Award to a young man who was not yet twenty-two was simply inconceivable.

It was important to note that past recipients of this award were generally over forty years old.

Of course, even though these people had their complaints, who received the award was not determined by their will.

In the face of the combined prestige of a Fields Medal and a Nobel Prize, even the status of Tian Gang, a leading figure in Peking University’s Department of Mathematics, seemed insignificant.

On the stage, as the applause died down, the elder who had announced the award set down the microphone and looked at Xu Chuan, who was slowly ascending the stage, a kind smile on his face.

“Congratulations, Professor Xu.”

On stage, the elder picked up the gold-and-red inlaid medal from a tray held by an attendant.

“Thank you.” Xu Chuan smiled and bowed slightly, making it easier for the elder before him to place the medal around his neck.

The elder smiled and said, “You deserve this. Thank you for the honor you’ve brought and the contributions you’ve made to our country. I also hope this encouragement will help you go even further on your academic journey.”

Xu Chuan nodded solemnly and took the crimson certificate from the elder with both hands.

The elder smiled and patted his shoulder, continuing, “In science, the Motherland may not be able to help you much, but don’t be afraid. Find the courage to do what you feel is worth doing. We will always be behind you.”

After speaking, he stood beside Xu Chuan, and together they faced the crowd in the Great Hall.

At that moment, Xu Chuan suddenly felt the weight of the medal on his chest and the certificate in his hands. They carried not only glory, but also pressure, a sense of mission, and responsibility.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, over a thousand kilometers away.

On the campus of Nanjing University, in Principal Liu Gaojun’s office, Rong Zhizhuan, Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences and Vice-President, watched the live broadcast on television and sighed with emotion.

“How many years has it been?”

Across from him, Liu Gaojun thought for a moment and said, “Less than five years, right? I still remember what it was like the first time I visited his home.”

Rong Zhizhuan smiled, then added wistfully, “Yes, less than five years.”

“Although I was very optimistic about him back then, believing he could carve out his own path in the field of mathematics, who could have imagined he would achieve so much in less than five years?”

He paused, then continued, “The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy, the Fields Medal, the Nobel Prize in Physics, the First Prize of the State Natural Science Award…”

“Every single one is an honor that ordinary people could never hope to touch in their entire lifetime, an honor they aren’t even qualified to glimpse. Yet this kid has won them all in five years.”

“Could you have imagined this scene five years ago?”

Liu Gaojun shook his head. “Impossible. I wouldn’t have dared to dream it.”

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan grinned. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have dared to dream it either. This is a great thing for us. But it might not be for him.”

Liu Gaojun asked, “What do you mean?”

“A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind. This kid has achieved such high honors at such a young age. I can’t imagine how many people will be watching his every move from now on.”

“If he makes a single mistake, he’ll likely be condemned by countless critics. He’s still young; he might not be able to handle such things well.”

Faced with Rong Zhizhuan’s concern, Liu Gaojun smiled and shook his head. “You’re overthinking it.”

“If it were any other young scholar, your worries wouldn’t be unfounded. But for him, they’re completely unnecessary.”

“For one, with his current status, these things can’t affect him at all.”

“A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind; one whose conduct is superior to others will surely be criticized by the masses. That only applies to ordinary scholars.”

“For a great scholar like him, who has swept up top-tier awards in his early twenties and is destined to go down in history and have his name in textbooks, these things are nothing.”

“On the other hand…”

Pausing, Liu Gaojun looked at Rong Zhizhuan with a smile and continued, “When have you ever seen him act like a young man?”

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You have a point. Ever since I met him, I’ve never seen his youthful side.”

“If I didn’t know his real age and hadn’t known him for so long, I would have thought there was a forty or fifty-year-old middle-aged man hiding behind that young face.”

Meanwhile, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute near Zijin Mountain, the mood was much more animated.

Watching the live stream on their phones, the doctoral and graduate students at the research institute were endlessly crying out in amazement.

“The boss is awesome! First Prize of the State Natural Science Award, that’s freaking insane!”

“What’s so surprising? I’d be more surprised if it wasn’t the First Prize. After all, our boss is a big shot who’s won a Nobel Prize.”

“It’s different, though. Honestly, given the climate in our country, would you ever have thought that the State Natural Science Award, which represents the highest honor, would be given to a twenty-year-old?”

“Speaking of which, since our boss won the State Natural Science Award, can he be elected as an Academician next year? I remember several people who won this award were elected as Academicians the following year.”

“There’s a chance, right?”

“I don’t know. The competition for becoming an Academician in this country is really fierce, isn’t it? But a Nobel laureate shouldn’t have any problem, right?”

“Not necessarily. Didn’t Professor Tu win the Nobel Prize and still not get elected as an Academician?”

“Who cares? Anyway, we’ve really struck it rich. Follow God Chuan and we’re guaranteed a good life.”

At the same time, in Xujia Village.

Having already received the news, Father Xu, Mother Xu, and some friends and neighbors from Xujia Village were gathered in front of the television.

When they heard the name Xu Chuan and saw his figure on the screen, everyone grew excited.

“It’s Chuan-zi! Chuan-zi is on stage receiving an award!”

“This kid has really made something of himself.”

“He’s brought glory to his ancestors! Our Xujia Village has produced a scientist!”

Father Xu stared at the figure on the television screen. When he saw Xu Chuan, his eyes couldn’t help but turn red, and his face was brimming with pride and joy.

For parents, this was likely the greatest pride of all.

With the live broadcast and reports from major media outlets…

As expected, Xu Chuan was on the trending charts once again.

《Following Nobel Prize, Top Scholar Professor Xu Chuan Wins Another Major Award!》

《Shocking! Nation’s Highest Award Given to a Twenty-Year-Old Youth!》

《A Genius in Academia—The Study Methods You Don’t Know!》

《From College Entrance Exam Top Scorer to World-Class Scientist, He Took Only Five Years to Win the Nobel Prize!》

《…》

Just as when he won the Nobel Prize, the news shot up the trending charts on the day of the National Science and Technology Award Conference.

Xu Chuan winning this year’s First Prize of the State Natural Science Award, and as the sole recipient, naturally attracted the attention of countless netizens.

[Amazing! First Prize of the State Natural Science Award at twenty-one. He’s officially become a legend!]

[There’s only one word for it: awesome! I don’t need to say it twice!]

[God Chuan!]

[Other people at twenty-one: winning awards left and right. Me at twenty-one: it’s Saturday, I’ll get up in the afternoon!]

[Hahahahahaha. Are you spying on me?]

[That took some guts, giving him the highest award. He’s only twenty. If he makes more achievements later in his career, what awards will be left to give him?]

[So you think he doesn’t deserve this award?]

[No, I just think he’s too young. Maybe they could have waited a few more years to give it to him.]

[Heh, it’s because of trashy mindsets like yours that so many of our country’s talents flow to foreign countries. A top scholar who’s won the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal has no domestic awards. Whose heart does that chill?]

[It’s true we can’t retain top talent. I don’t know when this system will ever change. Sigh…]

[Shhh! Stop talking~ Be careful not to get a knock on the door.]

Chapter 249: Infrastructure Maniac

The grand event began at nine in the morning and didn’t conclude until five in the afternoon.

Although there were only one or two First Prize winners for each of the five major science and technology awards, the number of Second Prize winners was considerable. In this session alone, there were nearly twenty Second Prize winners for the State Natural Science Award. Factoring in photo ops and commemorations, it was normal for things to take a bit longer.

After the award ceremony, the evening was dedicated to the state banquet.

For such a grand occasion, the state banquet was of the highest possible standard. Its scale was far greater than the one Xu Chuan had attended previously.

State Banquet Lion’s Head meatballs, State Banquet Cabbage in Broth, State Banquet Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Braised “Three Treasures” Duck in a Jar, Saffron Shark Fin with Rice, Shark Fin Soup in a Puff Pastry Bowl…

Though not a traditional Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, the variety of dishes was even more extravagant.

Every dish brought to the table was a top-tier masterpiece from its respective regional cuisine, and each was prepared by a true grandmaster chef, making them exceptionally rare.

Even Xu Chuan, who wasn’t particularly demanding when it came to food, ate until he wished he had two mouths, let alone the other guests.

“Congratulations, Professor Xu.”

At the dining table, just as Xu Chuan put a piece of duck from his chopsticks into his mouth, a voice reached his ear.

The person who came over to greet him was a middle-aged man. Xu Chuan didn’t know which research institution he was from, but he would soon find out.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, he expertly picked up his wine glass, stood up to clink glasses with the man, said “thank you,” and casually asked for the man’s identity to make a mental note.

“Han Kaiyu, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. I mainly research analytic number theory and algebraic number theory. I hope we’ll have the chance to discuss mathematics together in the future.”

The middle-aged man introduced himself with a smile.

“Hello, Professor Han.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. Although he didn’t know the man, many people had proactively approached him today to get acquainted.

As the winner of this year’s First Prize for the State Natural Science Award and a dual Nobel and Fields laureate, his performance at the award ceremony was the envy of everyone present.

The warmth shown by that elderly leader, in particular, made others so jealous they wished they could take his place.

However, no one who could sit here today and attend this award ceremony was a fool.

Even if some of the more stubborn old-timers had reservations, they wouldn’t normally let it show on their faces or express their dissatisfaction here.

Anyone who would do such a thing wouldn’t have been able to enter the Great Hall in the first place.

Aside from those few, the vast majority of people showed considerable goodwill and attention.

It wasn’t just because of the First Prize for the State Natural Science Award, but also the added prestige of the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, and his young age. More crucially, it was because of the importance the elderly leader had shown him during the award presentation.

After all, this was China.

Therefore, many people came up to greet and talk with him after the award ceremony.

After a brief chat with Professor Han and exchanging contact information, Xu Chuan once again immersed himself in the feast, filling his stomach.

Once the state banquet of eating and drinking was over, the grand event was more or less concluded.

If it were anyone else, they could have left now.

However, for scholars like Xu Chuan who had won a First Prize, there was an exclusive interview the next day.

After all, winning a First Prize in one of the five major categories at the National Science and Technology Award Conference was significant enough for the country to promote it to the entire society.

This was especially true for him, the youngest-ever winner of the First Prize for the State Natural Science Award and a representative figure pushed forward by the higher-ups.

In a quiet reception room, Xu Chuan met a familiar reporter.

“Professor Xu, we meet again.”

Sun Yutong, the interviewer from CTV, walked up with a radiant smile and greeted him.

Seeing the familiar reporter, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Hello, Reporter Sun.”

He wasn’t sure why it was always the same person interviewing him, but he didn’t pay it much mind.

An interview with an acquaintance wasn’t bad; having a different person every time would be unsettling, at least for him.

Sun Yutong smiled and said, “The interview might take a little of your time. I hope it won’t disturb your research.”

Xu Chuan laughed, “It’s not that exaggerated. I can’t possibly be doing research twenty-four hours a day.”

“Shall we begin then?” Sun Yutong asked with a smile. The higher-ups had only given her half an hour for the entire interview, so she had to be quick.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan nodded.

“Professor Xu, as the youngest scholar in history to win the First Prize for the State Natural Science Award, what are your thoughts?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Excited? Proud? It’s a bit hard for me to describe my feelings. Of course, my first thought is to thank the country for its trust and support.”

For a formal interview like this, his answers were equally formal.

“Many of our countrymen and students see you as a role model and want to learn from you. Is there anything you would like to say to them?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Deep within everyone’s heart lies infinite potential. To uncover it requires your persistence and effort.”

“Persevere, and one day when you look back, you will thank your past self for all the hard work. Keep it up!”

“…”

“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. That’s all for today’s interview.” The half-hour interview passed quickly. Sun Yutong stood up with a beaming smile to say goodbye.

Although today’s interview and questions were quite conventional, for the central media, this was more than enough.

After handling all matters related to the award conference, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to Nanjing.

At the entrance of Nanjing University, several large red banners were hanging.

[Warm congratulations to our 2016 graduate and professor, Xu Chuan, on winning the Fields Medal!]

[Warm congratulations to our 2016 graduate and professor, Xu Chuan, on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics!]

[Warm congratulations to our 2016 graduate and professor, Xu Chuan, on winning the State Natural Science Award!]

There were so many banners that the school gate could barely hold them all, which made Xu Chuan, glancing out from his car, blush with embarrassment.

He had no objection to the banners; after all, the awards he received were not only his glory but also that of his alma mater.

But still, wasn’t it a bit long to still have the Fields Medal banner from August hanging there in December?

Could his alma mater truly be planning to fulfill its earlier promise and leave these banners up for half a year?

Finding Principal Liu Gaojun’s office, Xu Chuan knocked on the door and walked in after hearing a “Come in.”

“What brings you back?”

In the office, Liu Gaojun looked up at the person who had appeared before him, asked in surprise, and then got up with a smile to make tea.

Seeing the principal’s astonishment, Xu Chuan spread his hands and smiled. “No matter what, I believe I’m still a professor at Nanjing University. Why do you sound so surprised?”

Liu Gaojun burst into laughter. “My mistake, my mistake.”

Although Xu Chuan was a professor at Nanjing University, he hadn’t taught a single class since the semester started. Apart from the two students he brought back from Princeton, he hadn’t taken on any students at Nanjing University either.

At first, the students at Nanjing University had looked forward to seeing this big shot teach a class, but by now, they had more or less given up on that idea.

It wasn’t just the students; even the university leadership hardly expected him to appear on campus.

The position of professor was more like a nominal post or a professor emeritus.

Though this was somewhat against the rules, who would say anything?

“By the way, I just got back and saw the banners at the gate. Why is the Fields Medal one from August still hanging up there?” Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Liu Gaojun, who was making tea, asked curiously.

“Isn’t that a little too long?” Xu Chuan said helplessly.

“Long?”

Liu Gaojun smiled and handed him a cup of tea, then continued, “This is our country’s very first Fields Medal! Even if we left it hanging there forever, no one would complain that it’s too long.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. To leave it hanging there forever? He’d rather be spared.

Changing the subject, Xu Chuan asked, “When I went to Beijing this time, I discussed a collaborative project with the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University. I was planning to work with them, but I was wondering if my alma mater would be interested? If you are, I can set aside a few spots.”

He briefly explained the collaboration with Tsinghua University in Beijing and invited Nanjing University to join.

Although Nanjing University’s Department of Chemical Engineering was relatively weaker compared to its physics and astronomy departments, it was still a top-tier Project 985 university and one of the first universities to establish a school of chemistry. It wouldn’t be weak by any means.

“Computational chemistry? Of course, we’re interested. But will you have the time? Don’t you already have two projects running? Plus your research in mathematics and all that.”

Liu Gaojun didn’t overthink it and agreed immediately.

Whether it was collaborating with a Nobel laureate like Xu Chuan or with Tsinghua University, this was a rare opportunity for Nanjing University.

The success of the project wasn’t his primary concern. A project undertaken by two top universities and a Nobel laureate was bound to produce some results, no matter how things turned out.

Moreover, aside from the results, the talent cultivated during the collaboration was also key.

He was just a little puzzled about Xu Chuan’s time and energy.

Based on what he knew, Xu Chuan currently had two major projects in hand. Adding another one would make it three. Besides that, he had heard Xu Chuan was also researching the NS equations and other problems.

All in all, he probably couldn’t count the number of things on his plate with one hand. His energy was so boundless he seemed like a robot that could run for twenty-four hours straight as long as it was oiled up.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll arrange everything.”

Liu Gaojun nodded and said with concern, “The projects aren’t the most important thing. Don’t schedule your time so tightly. You have a long future ahead of you. Don’t wear out your body.”

For Nanjing University, Xu Chuan’s health was of greater concern, as he was a student who had graduated from here. As long as he still recognized Nanjing University as his alma mater, the university would continue to benefit for a long time to come.

As for research achievements, he was only twenty-one. Even if he produced one every ten years in the future, how many would that be?

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Don’t worry. One of the projects I’m working on is almost finished. Time and energy won’t be an issue.”

Hearing this, Liu Gaojun was a little surprised. “Results already? The lithium battery one or the nuclear energy one?”

He was aware of Xu Chuan’s research. The security clearance for the principal of a Project 985 university wasn’t low, and many state-classified research projects were conducted at universities.

“That’s a secret for now. You’ll find out in due time.”

Xu Chuan smiled mysteriously, not revealing the results of either project.

“I’ll be waiting for your good news then,” Liu Gaojun said with a smile.

“Of course.”

After inviting his alma mater to participate in the computational chemistry project, Xu Chuan left Nanjing University.

The conversation with Principal Liu Gaojun was just a rough arrangement.

The subsequent establishment of the project, resource requirements, and personnel arrangements would require further detailed discussions among Nanjing University, Tsinghua University, and himself.

As for now, it was time to initiate the next research phase of the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project.

After sending a message to Zheng Hai, Xu Chuan arrived in the coastal city of Qidong.

A few months ago, this had been a desolate, uninhabited area.

But in just four months, the barren hills had been transformed into a landscape of buildings. Within the vast industrial park, the main structure of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute was already complete.

To build a nuclear power station and research institute covering an area of two thousand mu in four months, even if it was just the main structure—this level of efficiency could probably only be achieved by China in the entire world.

The title of “Infrastructure Maniac” wasn’t unearned; it was forged through one world-class engineering miracle after another.

“Engineer Qi, roughly how much longer until the research institute can be put into use?”

Finding Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer in charge of the entire project, Xu Chuan exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile before asking his question.

Qi Zhongxing calculated for a moment before replying, “That depends on when you can provide the radiation shielding materials. If everything goes smoothly, it can be officially put into use by March or April of next year.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Don’t worry about the shielding materials. We’ve already arranged for a corresponding manufacturer to produce them. Based on the demand data you provided earlier, a total of six hundred and five tons of shielding material will be produced.”

“The first batch of three hundred tons can be delivered before January fifteenth, and the rest can be completed before the end of January.”

“In that case, I can guarantee a handover before March fifteenth.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded and replied seriously. For a national-level project like this, the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, which was responsible for the construction, had signed a letter of guarantee.

There were strict requirements for what standards had to be met and by what time.

Failing to complete the work on time would result in a penalty at the very least. If the project was seriously delayed, it wouldn’t be surprising for a number of responsible parties to end up in prison for a few years.

After learning about the construction progress at the research institute, Xu Chuan took another tour around the park to ensure that the overall progress of the nuclear energy project was on track, then prepared to leave.

“I’ll have to trouble you with the construction, Engineer Qi. Once the institute is completed, I’ll come back and request commendations for all of you.”

In front of the industrial park, Xu Chuan smiled as he bid farewell to Qi Zhongxing.

Although this was a state-owned project, rewards were essential to ensure that people did their best work.

“It’s no trouble at all. This is what I’m supposed to do.”

Qi Zhongxing quickly replied, a trace of happiness rising in his heart. With the influence of the man before him, a few casual words to the higher-ups could significantly enrich his resume.

Of course, that was on the premise that he did his job well. If something went wrong with the project, he would probably end up in court before the other party even had to say anything.

Chapter 250: The Second Phase of Nuclear Energy R&D

After handling matters at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute in Qidong, Xu Chuan rushed to Shanghai.

The institute as a whole wouldn’t be fully constructed until around mid-March, but he didn’t have to worry too much about the second phase of research being affected by this delay.

The core of the second phase still lay in materials research and development, which could be conducted at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai.

The core of the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” rested on two points: one was protection, and the other was the conversion of radiant energy to electrical energy.

Protection was self-explanatory. Both traditional shielding materials and the new protective materials he later developed could be used in nuclear engineering.

As for the conversion of radiant energy to electrical energy, this was the other core of the entire project.

In fact, the technology to convert radiant energy into electricity had been developed by various countries long ago—traditional solar panels were a prime example.

However, the technology to convert the nuclear radiation from nuclear waste into electrical energy was still largely in the laboratory stage. Although its principle was somewhat similar to that of solar panels, the difficulty was countless times greater.

The silicon semiconductors in traditional solar cells only absorb infrared light, while high-energy light waves, including most of the visible light spectrum, are wasted as heat. This is because photovoltaic conversion works with short-wave radiation in the heat-related infrared (IR) and near-IR spectrum ranges but does not convert long-wave radiation.

Although the theoretical conversion efficiency of traditional solar cells can reach thirty-four percent, due to energy waste, their efficiency has stagnated at fifteen to twenty percent, despite continuous improvements and advancements in the manufacturing process.

More critically, traditional semiconductor photovoltaic materials struggle to maintain a stable form for long periods when subjected to the intense ionizing radiation of something like nuclear waste.

However, semiconductor materials manufactured using Atomic Cycle Technology possessed a unique advantage in this regard.

If there was any shortcoming, it was that the power generation was average, less efficient than traditional thermal engines.

This was to be expected, as the efficiency of converting radiant energy into electrical energy has always been low.

In his past life, Xu Chuan had also tried to solve this problem, but limited by various factors, he hadn’t made much progress. Even with slight improvements, it was still far inferior to traditional thermal engines.

Before his rebirth, a large-scale power station he had designed based on the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” had a power generation efficiency that was only on par with a small-to-medium-sized nuclear power plant.

To make a more accessible comparison, if a nuclear power plant covering two thousand mu produced ten billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, then a power plant using nuclear waste as its fuel would have a generating capacity of about two billion kilowatt-hours, perhaps not even a fifth of the former.

Of course, the original purpose of this technology was not to generate electricity but to solve the difficult problem of disposing of nuclear waste.

As for power generation, that was merely a side benefit.

For nuclear waste that already required spending money to handle, being able to recycle it and recover some funds was already the most perfect solution imaginable.

“Professor, you’re back. Congratulations on winning the Natural Science Award!”

At the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, Xu Chuan found Han Jin busy at work. In the office with him was another, younger researcher who came up to greet him happily upon seeing him.

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Thank you. After such a long break, it’s time to push our project to the next stage.”

“Of course, we’ve been waiting for this.”

The young researcher grinned. Although the research project’s halt meant they could rest, the experience and knowledge gained from working with a Nobel laureate were far more important.

Xu Chuan smiled and turned to Han Jin. “Director Han, please notify the other researchers. We’ll have a meeting in ten minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll arrange it right away.” Han Jin nodded and picked up his phone to notify everyone in the group chat.

“Let’s go. We’ll head to the office first.”

About ten minutes later, everyone had gathered in the small meeting room.

After organizing his thoughts, Xu Chuan cleared his throat and began, “Over the past few months, we have completed the development of a protective material based on the ‘Atomic Cycle’ theory. Test results indicate that the shielding effectiveness of this new material is quite impressive.”

“Everyone has performed exceptionally well in this process.”

“As a reward, after the meeting, you can all submit your applications to Director Han to become official employees and end your trial period. I hope everyone will continue to work hard in the future.”

Hearing this, the eight researchers in the office were ecstatic.

“Boss, you’re a badass!”

“We love you!”

“Wow, wow, wow, we get to become official employees early!”

“Thank you, boss! The boss is so generous!”

The meeting room erupted in a chorus of excited shouts. Hearing the news of becoming official employees ahead of schedule, everyone was wild with joy.

Passing the trial period early meant more than just an increase in salary and benefits; it also granted them the eligibility to apply to become intern researchers.

And after a year as an intern researcher, one could become an official researcher—this was the true dream of the vast majority of postdocs!

Now that this dream had arrived early, almost within reach, how could they not be excited?

After letting everyone in the office celebrate for a moment, Xu Chuan coughed, drawing their attention back. “Alright, let’s get to the work assignments.”

The entire meeting room instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at him like obedient children.

Xu Chuan said, “The next task is to develop a semiconductor material based on the ‘Atomic Cycle’ theory.”

“The requirements for this material are detailed in the documents you’ve all seen before, so I won’t repeat them here.”

“Based on the theory we’ve discussed, does anyone have any good ideas for the material’s design?”

Although he was well aware of the relevant technical theories and the materials needed, and could have produced them directly, doing so would be detrimental to talent development.

Given the opportunity, Xu Chuan wanted to cultivate the independent research capabilities of this first batch of researchers he had hired.

After all, as the project expanded, these people would become its backbone. If they could be trained, it was worth a try.

“How about chromium-based materials?”

In the office, a researcher spoke up after some thought.

Having followed Xu Chuan for three or four months, these researchers had come to understand some of their big boss’s temperament.

When it came to research, as long as you had ability and potential, he would take notice and cultivate you.

As for the unspoken rules of academia, they were almost nonexistent here.

Of course, since their big boss provided almost all the research materials himself, there was little room for such unspoken rules to exist in the first place.

“Chromium-based materials? Tell me your thoughts.”

Xu Chuan cast an encouraging look at the researcher, whose name was Du Jing, and prompted him.

He always looked forward to hearing different perspectives. As long as it wasn’t unreasonable or impossible to communicate, he was generally happy to listen to others’ opinions.

After all, it is the collision of minds that sparks innovation.

Noticing Xu Chuan’s encouraging gaze, the researcher named Du Jing took a deep breath and began, “First, we have to consider the environment where this new material will be used.”

“Although Atomic Cycle Technology can enhance the nuclear radiation resistance of many materials, if we want to ensure its longevity, the material’s relative density still needs to be quite high.”

“Chromium oxides or indium-chromium materials can ensure this. Using chromium-based materials would provide considerable guarantees in terms of service life.”

Hearing this, many of the other researchers in the office nodded. Du Jing’s point made perfect sense to them.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “From the perspective of service life, chromium-based materials are indeed worth a try. But have you considered another issue?”

“What issue?” Du Jing paused, then quickly asked.

“Have you thought about the amount of material it would require, which translates to a certain cost? After all, this material is meant to coat nuclear waste, and a single power plant requires a large volume of it, with a tonnage in the three or even four-digit range.”

“How much chromium would be needed to treat that much waste? You know, the price of chromium isn’t cheap,” Xu Chuan asked with a smile.

The one who posed the question, Du Jing, was taken aback. He quickly did a rough calculation in his head. Based on a five-hundred-ton scale, treating that much nuclear waste would require at least five hundred tons of chromium.

Five hundred tons of chromium sounds like a lot, but calculated by its density, it’s actually less than one hundred cubic meters.

Although he wasn’t sure of the current price per ton of chromium, he knew it wouldn’t be less than fifty thousand per ton. This meant the cost of the chromium alone would exceed twenty-five million.

And that was just for repurposing a few hundred tons of nuclear waste.

It was well known that the decay time of nuclear waste is extremely long. Even though the theoretical document mentioned a technology called the “Transmutation Acceleration System” to shorten this decay time, the utilization period for the nuclear waste would still be considerably long.

This was equivalent to locking up this batch of chromium with the nuclear waste.

Although China had only accumulated just over one thousand tons of nuclear waste to date, this was only because the country’s nuclear power plants had gotten a relatively late start.

If it were confirmed that nuclear waste could be repurposed, with China’s infrastructure development speed, the annual accumulation of nuclear waste could rise to a thousand tons or more within five years.

Considering other countries as well, the amount of chromium needed to process that much nuclear waste would be unimaginable.

Of course, compared to the tens of billions that various countries currently spend on nuclear waste disposal with little success, this was certainly worth it.

But from another perspective, the cost was indeed quite high.

In that case, it would be better to use other, cheaper materials. Although they might not be as durable, they could be replaced.

It would be a bit more troublesome, but compared to the funds required for chromium, it was nothing.

After figuring this out, Du Jing nodded in sudden realization, a little embarrassed. “I understand. In that case, chromium-based materials are indeed not suitable.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “But your idea is a good one. I will give you an opportunity and allocate you a research fund. You can apply for a separate laboratory on this basis, hire two assistants, and complete the research on chromium-based materials.”

“After the meeting, go back and write up a relevant application for me. I hope you’ll seize this opportunity.”

Hearing this, Du Jing’s mouth fell open, and his eyes widened in ecstatic disbelief. “Thank you for your support, Professor! I will definitely complete the research on Atomic Cycle semiconductor materials based on chromium!”

In the office, everyone else cast envious glances at him.

If they had known, they would have fought to be the first to speak.

An independent laboratory, independent research funding, and even assistants—this kind of treatment was practically the same as that of an official researcher.

From his seat at the head of the table, Xu Chuan took in everyone’s expressions, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Although he knew that chromium materials were not ideal, his reason for arranging research into chromium-based Atomic Cycle materials was not for the current project, but for the more distant goal of controlled nuclear fusion.

On the other hand, if you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat.

Whether for work or for cultivation, you have to let people see real rewards and hope, don’t you?

After today’s meeting, this batch of researchers would be dedicated in both their work and their research. They would also boldly propose their own ideas without fear of ridicule or anything of the sort.

Chapter 251: An Invitation from the Clay Mathematics Institute

After the relevant research and development tasks were assigned, the work at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute officially entered its second phase.

Leading this group of researchers, Xu Chuan dedicated his energy to the development of the new semiconductor material.

If he were merely replicating the material from his mind, it wouldn’t actually take very long.

Given enough materials and equipment, along with two or three assistants, he could produce the finished product in twenty days at most.

And that was only because the manufacturing process for semiconductor materials was relatively complex. If it were the protective material from before, he could have handled it in about ten days.

After all, the technology for the Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy was the achievement that had won him his first Nobel Prize in his past life. He was crystal clear on every detail, with an indelible memory of it etched in his mind.

A simple replication wouldn’t actually require much time, funding, or materials on his part.

But to directly pull out the results from his past life, synthesizing the material as if he were on a cheat mode, knowing all the optimal routes without any other research process or experimental data—that would be too strange.

Materials research was not like solving a mathematical problem. In mathematics, you only needed to publish the proof process. Most people didn’t care about the amount of work you did before writing it down; you just had to be able to explain it to your peers.

But in materials research, every step and every piece of data is recorded on equipment and in documents, and these things have immense value.

Of course, the process of solving a mathematical problem also has great value, but that value is more personal.

On the other hand, he was using this opportunity to collect data on various materials to use for Modeling in computational chemistry.

The model for computational chemistry required a vast amount of experimental data from chemical materials, which was also why Xu Chuan had partnered with two top-tier institutions, Tsinghua University and Nanjing University.

If possible, once the initial model was complete, he would approach other top universities to borrow their chemical experiment databases.

That included Princeton; it would be for the best if he could borrow theirs as well.

Besides, they had a project research grant of one billion, and this was just the first installment. Surely, it had to be used, right?

Although he hadn’t done much research in China in his past life, he was still aware of the country’s methods for allocating and using research grants.

After all, he had followed Academician Chen Zhengping during his undergraduate and doctoral studies, so he had frequent contact with various experiments and had been in charge of many projects.

In a way, there was a rather strange, or perhaps interesting, aspect to research grants in China.

Due to the country’s expenditure system for research grants, if you had funds left over when a project was concluded, not only would no one praise you, but you might even be criticized.

Although a project can typically be concluded even if the funding isn’t fully spent—it’s not necessary to use every last penny—it’s a different story if there’s a significant surplus.

After all, it’s very difficult to spend the project funds perfectly, down to the last cent. There will usually be a surplus or a shortfall.

But if you have a lot of research funding left over after the project’s conclusion—for instance, if you applied for a one-million-yuan grant and still had over twenty percent remaining—there was a high probability you’d be reprimanded for returning it.

One reason for this lay in some of China’s deep-rooted ways of thinking.

For example, the idea that you have to spend money to get things done, and that you can’t accomplish much without spending. Or the notion that as long as you produce results, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend; no one will accuse you of wasting research funds.

Another reason was that having so much left over indicated that your budget control was unreasonable.

If you had a large surplus after the project was completed, the auditors might chew you out for applying for so much in the first place. Didn’t you have any planning or calculation skills?

Then they’d make a note of it in their books, and the next time you applied for a research grant, they might give you a discount, like approving eight hundred thousand when you applied for a million. This was not uncommon.

Of course, all this applied to ordinary professors or researchers.

For a big shot at the level of an Academician, no one would say anything if they had a research fund surplus; instead, they would think you were saving money for the country.

As for Xu Chuan himself, he had no intention of pocketing the research funds allocated by the state, nor was he interested in being stingy. As long as the money was spent where it was needed, that was all that mattered.

Whether it was for nurturing talent for the country or for building a mathematical model for computational chemistry, these were all necessary expenses.

The busy days in the laboratory passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the beginning of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. By the solar calendar, it was already January of the new year, 2019.

On this day, just as Xu Chuan finished his breakfast and was about to change into his lab coat to enter the laboratory, his phone rang.

He took it out and glanced at the screen. It was Principal Liu Gaojun from Nanjing University.

“Hello, Professor Xu. I’m not disturbing your research, am I?” As soon as the call connected, a cheerful voice came from the other end.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I was just about to head into the lab. Principal, your timing is perfect.”

“Thank goodness! If you had gone in, I probably would have had to wait until noon,” Liu Gaojun laughed on the other end of the line.

The story of him being so engrossed in his lab work that he wouldn’t even answer a call about the Nobel Prize had become famous throughout academia.

Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “Principal, is there something you need?”

“Ahem, it’s like this. Another year has passed, and our university has produced many outstanding students. The winter break is just around the corner, and the university’s Annual Outstanding Figures Selection event is starting in two days. I was wondering if it would be convenient for you to come over and present some awards to our students, maybe give a speech to encourage them?”

“Oh, so that’s what it is. I thought the university was going to give me an award,” Xu Chuan said with a laugh, understanding now.

“If you want one, we can arrange a ‘Best Professor’ award for you,” Liu Gaojun teased from the other end.

Xu Chuan’s face reddened, and he couldn’t help but cough a couple of times. “Ahem, let’s forget about that. You’re just pulling my leg.”

For him, a Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureate, to compete with a group of university students and professors for an award—wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

Moreover, since returning to China in August, although he held the title of professor at Nanjing University, he hadn’t taught a single class. For the university to give him a “Best Professor” award would be… well, let’s just say it would be awkward.

After a pause, he continued, “When is the specific date? I’ll check my schedule.”

Liu Gaojun replied, “Just two days from now, January tenth. After this event, the university will pretty much be on winter break.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll make a trip back on the tenth.”

Liu Gaojun said with a laugh, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan slipped his phone into his pocket and put on his white lab coat.

Come to think of it, since returning after winning the Nobel Prize, he hadn’t actually given a conference presentation or a speech at Nanjing University, though the university had never brought it up. This trip back would be a good opportunity.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan cleared his thoughts. Just as he was about to step into the laboratory, the phone in his pocket vibrated again.

This made him a little curious. Who else could be calling him so precisely during his work hours?

He took out his phone. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. Judging by the prefix, it seemed to be from that country on the other side of the planet.

After a moment’s thought, he answered the call.

Swiping his thumb across the screen, Xu Chuan asked, “Hello, who is this?”

“Hello, Professor Xu. I am James Carlson, President of the Clay Mathematics Institute. I hope I’m not disturbing you.” A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

Hearing the man’s introduction, Xu Chuan immediately understood. He smiled and said, “Hello, Professor Carlson.”

“I’m delighted to be calling you. Is now a convenient time for you to talk?” James Carlson asked with a smile.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan nodded, having a good idea of what the other party wanted.

On the other end, Carlson cleared his throat and then spoke formally, “Esteemed Professor Xu Chuan, greetings. I am James Carlson, President of the Clay Mathematics Institute and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.”

“Based on the evaluations of the six reviewers of the research paper proving the Hodge Conjecture, as well as the opinions of the International Mathematical Union and the Annals of Mathematics, and after a year of deliberation, we believe that you have completed the proof of the ‘Hodge Standard Conjecture,’ one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.”

“The solution to this problem will provide a tremendous impetus to the development and application of mathematics. We sincerely thank you for your contribution to the field of mathematics and, indeed, to the development of world science.”

“Therefore, by a vote of the full Board of Directors and the Council of the Clay Institute, you will be awarded the one million US dollars prepared by the Clay Mathematics Institute ahead of schedule.”

“The award ceremony will take place on January 20th, 2019, at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study. We look forward to your arrival. The relevant invitation letter and details have been sent to your email. Please check it at your earliest convenience.”

Over the phone, James Carlson’s well-enunciated words confirmed what Xu Chuan had expected, yet there was also a hint of surprise.

“Wait, I remember the Clay Mathematics Institute’s award ceremony for the Seven Millennium Prize Problems was supposed to be at the Collège de France in Paris, wasn’t it? Why has it been moved to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study this time?”

Listening to Carlson’s words, Xu Chuan curiously interrupted to ask.

On the other end, James Carlson chuckled and replied, “On the one hand, it is, of course, to make this grand event even more magnificent. Believe us, holding it at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study will make this ceremony of the century even more glorious!”

“On the other hand, don’t you think that the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study is the true holy land of mathematics today?”

“Although the Collège de France in Paris was once brilliant, it is a thing of the past. Today, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study represents the pinnacle of honor.”

“The solution to each of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems deserves to be celebrated with an award ceremony at the most prestigious mathematical institution.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I see.”

Carlson said with a smile, “Yes, and since Princeton is also your alma mater, after comprehensive consideration, we have decided to relocate the award ceremony to the United States. We look forward to your arrival.”

Xu Chuan: “I will consider it.”

Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan shook his head.

Moving the award ceremony for a Millennium Prize Problem from the Collège de France in Paris to the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study—to him, the plot was as clear as day.

Perhaps the Clay Mathematics Institute did indeed want to make the ceremony more grand and glorious, and the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study was happy to host it, given the honor associated with the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

But the idea of moving the location of the award ceremony definitely did not come from the Clay Institute itself.

They wouldn’t break a rule they themselves had established. Anyone could figure out who had that kind of influence.

If he went, he definitely wouldn’t be able to come back.

Forget moving the ceremony from Paris to Princeton; even if the ceremony were still held at the original location, he would not be able to go.

A Nobel Prize medal might have been worth the risk for him and China, but the Clay Mathematics Prize did not have that kind of standing. One million US dollars sounded like a lot, nearly as much as the Nobel Prize bonus, but without the added honor, it was just… money.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

A voice sounded next to him. “Professor, I think I just heard something about the Clay Mathematics Institute and the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, and also one million US dollars. Is that for the Hodge Conjecture? Are you going to receive the award?”

He turned his head to see a young researcher looking at him with a curious and expectant expression.

Nodding, Xu Chuan replied, “That’s right. The Clay Mathematics Institute just called to invite me over to receive the award.”

“Wow! That’s amazing, Professor! When is the award ceremony? Will it be broadcast live like the Nobel Prize ceremony?” the young researcher exclaimed, then asked excitedly.

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “But I’m not planning to go.”

Hearing this, the young researcher froze for a moment, then asked in astonishment, “Why? That’s a grand prize of one million US dollars!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Because I don’t have time.”

“But this is one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, Professor. Are you really not going to go?” the young researcher asked, his face a mask of disbelief.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Yes, but it has already been solved, hasn’t it? Its honor comes from the problem itself, not from an award.”

“Just like Perelman. Even though he didn’t go to accept the prize, no one can deny that he solved the Poincaré Conjecture.”

“Alright, let’s get ready for work. Let’s work hard these next few days and try to get the second-phase semiconductor material finished sooner, so we can all take an earlier annual leave and get some rest.”

Hearing this, the young researcher opened his mouth as if to say something more, but after a moment of hesitation, he just mumbled to himself and said nothing further before turning and heading into the lab.

Xu Chuan chuckled to himself. He didn’t tell the young man the real reason he wasn’t going to accept the award. After all, many scholars still needed to go abroad for their studies, and it was best not to make relations too tense.

Compared to that, he was more focused on finishing the work at hand.

If things went smoothly, they could probably finish the second-phase semiconductor material around Little New Year. As for testing, that would depend on whether anyone at the institute was willing to stay on duty during the Chinese New Year holiday.

If there was, they could run some of the tests during the holiday; if not, testing could wait until after the New Year.

He was quite good at separating his work and personal life.

Although he often worked overtime and stayed up late, he still needed to rest well during the Chinese New Year. At the very least, he had to spend time with his family.

As for the Clay Mathematics Institute’s prize, he would email them back tonight.

If they were willing to move the award ceremony to China, he would be happy to accept the award. After all, it was a million US dollars being offered to him, and it would be foolish to refuse free money.

But in the United States? He’d rather just forget it.

Chapter 252: Sterile Neutrino

On the tenth day after New Year’s Day of 2019, Nanjing University’s 2018 Annual Outstanding Figures Selection event began.

Having made time in advance, a formally-dressed Xu Chuan returned to his alma mater to participate in this event, which was of considerable importance for universities.

In truth, most universities held some form of an “Outstanding Figure of the Year” award ceremony.

Those who won awards at such ceremonies were either top students or those who had started businesses while still in school and achieved a certain level of success.

For students, this award was quite prestigious and held significant weight. At the very least, the certificate could provide a considerable boost when looking for a job after graduation, as many companies recognized it.

He had also won this award during his first year of university. The prize money was fifteen thousand yuan. While not a huge amount, it was a respectable sum for a student.

It was more than enough to be used for living expenses or for pursuing something one enjoyed.

But more important than the cash prize was the honor that came with it.

It was important to remember that the Annual Outstanding Figures Selection covered three groups: undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students.

Considering the size of Nanjing University, with its main and branch campuses combined, there were nearly forty thousand students. The significance of standing out from these forty thousand students far surpassed what the prize money could represent.

It was like the Fields Medal. Although its prize money is only fifteen thousand Canadian dollars, the significance behind the medal cannot be matched even by one hundred and fifty million Canadian dollars.

Like last year, Nanjing University selected ten outstanding figures this year.

After arriving at the university, Xu Chuan first greeted his acquaintances, including his Advisor Chen Zhengping and Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences. They chatted for a while outside the auditorium before he was escorted by staff to his seat in the award presenters’ section on the stage.

When Xu Chuan appeared on the stage, a commotion rippled through the grand auditorium.

The students attending the award ceremony hadn’t expected this legendary god-tier master to appear here.

A rustling sound filled the auditorium, and some students even raised their phones to take pictures.

Seeing this scene, the school leaders and professors in the presenters’ section all smiled.

He was certainly popular.

For Nanjing University to produce such a top-tier scholar was not only an honor for the university but also a stroke of great fortune.

At ten in the morning, the 2018 Annual Outstanding Figures Selection officially began.

Looking at this group of fresh, young faces, Xu Chuan felt a touch of emotion.

Once upon a time, he had been one of them, but now, he was standing on stage presenting them with awards.

It had to be said, time really flew. Four or five years had vanished in the blink of an eye.

The first to come on stage to receive an award was a graduate student from the Department of Physics.

As one of Nanjing University’s flagship programs, the achievements of this graduate student named ‘Pan Xinghai’ were outstanding, even among a crowd of top students.

He had participated as a key member in several national-level research projects, as well as projects commissioned by high-level government bodies and enterprises.

During his undergraduate and graduate studies, he had published a total of six SCI papers in renowned international journals like Physical Review X and Physical Review B.

Among them, he was the first author on three papers in Q1 journals and the second author on one Q1 journal paper (with his advisor as the first author). The total impact factor of his published papers exceeded 30.

Such achievements, for a graduate student, made him a top student among top students—a monstrous prodigy.

However, when this prodigy was called to the stage by the host, his face was filled with pure excitement.

“Congratulations, Student Pan.”

On the stage, Xu Chuan, who had been invited to present the award, smilingly took the certificate and medal from the hands of an attendant and passed them to the graduate student before him, who wore thick, black-framed glasses.

“God Chuan!”

With slightly trembling hands, the top student from the physics department accepted the award certificate and excitedly grasped Xu Chuan’s hand with both of his.

Xu Chuan coughed, a little embarrassed, and said, “Let’s skip the ‘God Chuan’ thing, it sounds a bit awkward. I’m a professor at the university, so you can just call me Professor Xu.”

Pan Xinghai nodded excitedly and quickly replied, “Alright, Professor Chuan.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. God Chuan was gone, but what the heck was ‘Professor Chuan’? Wouldn’t ‘Professor Xu’ or just ‘Professor’ be better?

But he didn’t say anything, just smiled and patted Student Pan’s arm.

Come to think of it, this Student Pan was a bit older than him, probably around twenty-four or twenty-five this year.

“Professor Chuan, could I… could I trouble you for an autograph?” Like an ardent fan seeing his idol, Pan Xinghai asked with a mix of excitement and caution.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. After fumbling around in his pockets and realizing he didn’t have a pen, he asked, “Of course, but do you have a pen and paper?”

Hearing this, Pan Xinghai paused for a moment, then quickly searched his pockets before shaking his head in dismay. “No.”

He hadn’t expected his idol to appear at the award ceremony today, so he hadn’t brought a pen and paper with him.

Although he had some in his bag in the audience, it was too late to go get them now.

Just as he was lamenting the missed opportunity for an autograph, the attendant from the side silently walked over, handed Xu Chuan a pen and a notebook, and said softly, “Professor Xu, you can sign in here. This notebook can be given to the award winner. We’ve prepared one for each of them.”

Seeing this, Pan Xinghai was stunned for a moment, and his eyes instantly lit up.

Nanjing University truly was his alma mater; they had thought of everything!

Awesome!

Across from him, Xu Chuan was also taken aback for a moment, but then he smilingly took the pen and paper from her, opened it to the first page, and wrote:

“May your journey ahead lead you toward a sea of stars, may your mind be filled with grand designs, and may your heart blossom like a field of brilliant flowers. —Xu Chuan.”

After writing the sentence in the notebook, Xu Chuan smilingly handed it to the award winner before him.

“Thank you, thank you, Professor!” Pan Xinghai once again grabbed Xu Chuan’s hand excitedly. It was obvious that the words written inside were meant for him alone!

From this day forward, this phrase was his alone! His motto!

Xu Chuan smiled, subtly withdrawing his hand, and said, “Keep up the good work.”

“I will,” Student Pan nodded excitedly. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued, “Um, that is, Professor Chuan, are you still accepting Doctoral students?”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “Probably not for the time being. I have too much on my plate recently and don’t have time to supervise students.”

Upon hearing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Pan Xinghai’s eyes. This was probably a polite rejection. But he didn’t give up and asked, “Then… Professor Chuan, could I get your WeChat or contact information?”

Xu Chuan: “…”

In the end, Xu Chuan gave his WeChat to his young fan. It was true that he wasn’t accepting new students anytime soon.

Forget taking on new students; he hadn’t even had much time to manage the two students he brought over from Princeton. He didn’t know how their studies were progressing and needed to find a chance to assess them.

The second person to receive an award was a Doctoral student from the Department of Astronomy.

As another one of the university’s flagship programs, Nanjing University’s Department of Astronomy was quite awesome; no one would likely object to calling it number one among universities in China.

This doctoral student’s resume was also quite impressive. He had led a team to win a gold medal at the CAIC competition, jointly hosted by the Chinese Astronomical Society and the Ministry of Education’s Steering Committee for Astronomy in Higher Education, while also having one SCI Q2 paper and three SCI Q3 papers to his name.

It’s worth noting that churning out papers in the field of astronomy is quite difficult, especially given the current general lack of large-scale astronomical facilities in China. For this student to still achieve such results was truly remarkable.

What surprised Xu Chuan even more was that this award winner’s mathematics skills were quite strong.

Among his three Q3 SCI papers, two were related to mathematics, and one was even related to the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, for which Xu Chuan had previously won the Nobel Prize.

It had to be said that his alma mater, Nanjing University, was doing a good job of keeping up with the latest cutting-edge scientific theories.

Two years ago, they had established the discipline of computational astronomy. Although it was currently only a minor within the astronomy program, compared to other domestic universities that hadn’t made a move, this was already quite impressive.

Just like Student Pan before him, this Student Zhou was also incredibly excited to see him. He came up, shook his hand, and said something startling: “After this handshake, I’m not washing my hand for a week!”

Xu Chuan: “…”

The nearby staff: “…”

It was a good thing this student didn’t have a microphone, otherwise he would have immediately lost his priority mate-selection rights in front of the several thousand people in the grand auditorium.

Following the same procedure as before, Xu Chuan took a pen and paper from the attendant, wrote a word of encouragement on the first page, and then gave it to the award winner.

In a cycle of autograph requests, signing, and presenting awards, this year’s Annual Outstanding Figures Selection event quickly drew to a close.

It had to be said, as a top-tier university in China, Nanjing University had an abundance of talent.

The ten award winners each had an awesome resume, and Xu Chuan blessed them in their notebooks with a bright future and greater achievements on their academic paths.

At the invitation of the university leaders, he had lunch with them. To his surprise, he saw a familiar figure at the hotel.

“Long time no see, Senior Lin Feng. How have you been?” Xu Chuan said with a smile, walking up to greet Lin Feng in the restaurant of the Nanjing Grand Hotel.

After they had parted ways at Princeton, it had been over a year since he had seen Senior Lin and his girlfriend, who had chosen to return to China.

“Long time no see, Junior Chuan!”

Seeing Xu Chuan, Lin Feng walked up and gave him a warm hug. “Thanks to you, things have been going pretty well over at CERN.”

“It’s just that when we’re chatting over there, everyone’s attention is often on you. For example, when I’m introduced, they’ll usually add, ‘This is a senior of Professor Xu Chuan from the same university.’”

“You have no idea how popular you are at CERN right now. A lot of people are studying that calculation method you came up with. I took a look at it myself, but unfortunately, my math isn’t that great, so I could never figure it out.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Speaking of CERN, I haven’t been there in a while. Those were nostalgic times.”

Lin Feng said with a smile, “We’re a member country of CERN now, you can go anytime you want.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and changed the subject. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to go for now. What has CERN been researching lately?”

He was aware of CERN’s research in 2018, but after he had burst onto the scene and changed a few things a couple of years ago, he wasn’t sure if their plans had changed.

Lin Feng shook his head. “Same old, same old. ATLAS and CMS are spending most of their time studying the Higgs boson, and LHCb is searching for quarks.”

“As for ALICE, I heard they recently ran a high-energy level collision experiment to simulate the state of the primordial universe after the Big Bang and analyze the properties of the quark-gluon plasma.”

“But it seems their luck hasn’t been very good, as there haven’t been any reports of new discoveries yet.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s interest was piqued. He asked, “Is China participating in the ALICE experiment?”

If it weren’t for what Lin Feng had said, he would have almost forgotten something.

In 2018, in his past life, he had gained some fame in the field of physics. The reason was at CERN, because of the discovery of traces of the sterile neutrino.

The neutrino, also known as the “little neutral one,” is a type of lepton and one of the most fundamental particles that make up the natural world.

It is tiny, has no electric charge, can pass freely through the Earth, has a spin of 1/2, and possesses a very small mass—some less than one-millionth that of an electron. It travels at nearly the speed of light and interacts very weakly with other matter, earning it the nickname “the invisible man” of the cosmos.

It took the physics community more than twenty years from predicting its existence to finally discovering it.

On November 23, 2013, using a particle detector buried under the ice of Antarctica, scientists captured high-energy neutrinos originating from outside the Solar System for the first time.

To this day, the physics community has confirmed the existence of three different types of neutrinos: the electron neutrino, the muon neutrino, and the tau neutrino.

However, in 1995, the LSND experiment in the United States proposed the ‘possible’ existence of a fourth type of neutrino—the sterile neutrino.

The sterile neutrino is another state of the neutrino, which involves certain relationships between particles.

Ordinary neutrinos are also called active neutrinos, a concept first proposed by the Austrian theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli.

They are nearly ubiquitous, produced in the Big Bang, galactic activity, supernova explosions, the core of the Sun, the Earth’s interior, as well as in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators.

The sterile neutrino, on the other hand, is a hypothetical particle for which there is still no reliable experimental evidence. It was first proposed around 1968 by the Italian theoretical physicist Bruno Pontecorvo.

It refers to a neutrino that does not participate in the standard weak interaction process and is therefore generally understood to be a new type of particle beyond the three-generation lepton framework of the Standard Model.

Compared to ordinary active neutrinos, the discovery of the sterile neutrino is also linked to another cosmic substance—dark matter!

This is because, theoretically, it does not participate in any interactions other than gravity, making it a candidate for warm dark matter.

If the existence of the sterile neutrino could be confirmed, it would prove the existence of dark matter in the universe.

This would be of monumental significance to the field of physics.

Chapter 253: Dark Matter

From the moment humanity first looked up at the sky, our imagination regarding the heavens, the universe, and the stars has never ceased.

The sun, the moon, the myriad stars—everything seemed so beautiful and mysterious.

After entering the modern era, scientists began to use various instruments and equipment to observe and study the cosmos.

Over a long period, they discovered that our universe might have a huge problem.

Namely, all the matter we are familiar with in our daily lives—such as trees, rocks, atoms, planets, stars, and galaxies combined—accounts for less than five percent of the total mass of the entire universe.

As for what the remaining ninety-five percent is, no one can see it, and no one knows.

In subsequent research, scientists conducted extensive tracking and analysis of this ninety-five percent of matter.

Ultimately, through various physical formulas and observational data, they determined that our universe contains a type of invisible matter that accounts for over ninety-five percent of its total mass.

At the time, the first astronomer to speculate on and discover this substance, Professor Fritz Zwicky, named it ‘Dark matter,’ which is the origin of the term.

In later research, scientists discovered that ‘Dark matter’ was actually two different things: the initially proposed dark matter, and dark energy.

Of these, dark matter makes up twenty-five percent of the entire universe, while dark energy accounts for over seventy percent.

Together, their total mass reaches over ninety-five percent of the entire universe.

The remaining less than five percent of matter is what forms everything we can observe today.

However, to this day, we are still unable to directly observe the ninety-five percent composed of dark matter and dark energy.

Our research on them is still based on various speculations and observations of anomalous cosmic phenomena.

For instance, the motion of celestial bodies, the phenomenon of Newton’s universal gravitation, the gravitational lensing effect, the formation of the universe’s large-scale structure, and observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation, among others.

These cosmic phenomena indicate that dark matter and dark energy likely exist in vast quantities within galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the universe at large, their mass far exceeding the total mass of all visible celestial bodies combined.

Combining this with observations of the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation and the Standard Cosmological Model (ΛCDM model), it can be determined that dark matter constitutes 85% of all matter and 26.8% of the total mass-energy of the universe.

Regarding the study of dark matter, one widely accepted theory posits that it is composed of “weakly interacting massive particles” (WIMPs). Their mass and interaction strength are near the electroweak scale, and they acquired their observed residual abundance through a process of thermal decoupling during the expansion of the universe.

Additionally, there are other hypotheses suggesting that dark matter is composed of other types of particles, such as axions, sterile neutrinos, and other such hypothetical particles.

In his past life, Xu Chuan had observed both axions and sterile neutrinos, indirectly proving the existence of dark matter.

If not for the rules of the Nobel Prize, he could have won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for this discovery alone.

According to the Nobel Prize’s award principles, the medal is not awarded to the discoverer of a particle or an unknown phenomenon predicted by an existing theory, nor to the researchers who operate the hadron collider.

No matter how world-shaking the result, the prize is only awarded to the proposer or perfecter of the theory.

This is because the prevailing view in academia is that while the work of the former two is important, it is not decisively so.

It is the work of the latter that is considered decisive.

For example, in 2012, CERN detected the Higgs boson, and in 2013, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Peter Higgs and François Englert, the proposers of the Higgs boson theory.

As for the CERN researchers who participated in the experiment, although everyone contributed, unfortunately, the Nobel Prize had nothing to do with them.

His advisor, Edward Witten, was actually a famous scholar of this type.

He proposed the M-theory and a series of comprehensive theories. If these theories were ever verified, he would undoubtedly win a Nobel Prize.

But it was also quite unfortunate that verifying his theories would take an unknown amount of time.

It was just like the Higgs boson, a theory proposed in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 2013, nearly sixty years later, that its proposers, Higgs and Englert, received the Nobel Prize.

If Witten wanted to win a Nobel for his M-theory, he might have to wait until he, like Higgs, became a scruffy old man in his nineties.

Therefore, Xu Chuan couldn’t possibly win a Nobel Prize for discovering axions and sterile neutrinos.

However, if he were to perfect the method he had previously used to calculate the ‘most ideal search and decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of the Higgs boson and third-generation heavy quarks’ and expand it to most particles, he might have a chance at another Nobel Prize in Physics.

A mathematical model or method that could greatly save on research funding, conserve immense manpower and resources, accelerate the search for new particles, and perfect old methods would be as important to high-energy physics and particle physics as the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem was to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.

But he probably wouldn’t have time for that in the near future.

On one hand, he had a project on his plate. On the other, he had to secure the discovery of the sterile neutrino this year.

After all, it was originally his own research achievement; there was no reason to let someone else take it.

Although the Nobel Prize was the highest honor, it wasn’t as if he had never won it before.

The sterile neutrino was related to the discovery of dark matter, which, in Xu Chuan’s view, was even more important than the Nobel Prize.

The only problem was that he couldn’t go abroad at the moment. He could only try to find a way to obtain the experimental data from CERN and analyze it in China.

China’s entry into CERN as a member country was a great opportunity, but unfortunately, the personnel China had sent over were mainly concentrated on the LHCb and ATLAS detectors.

As for the ALICE detector, not many personnel had been assigned there.

This made it much more troublesome for him to request data.

Fortunately, his advisor was Witten. Plus, his current status was completely different from before; the fame of a Nobel Prize laureate could be of great help.

After all, even in a hallowed ground of physics like CERN, Nobel laureates were not numerous—you could count them on one hand.

Whether it was the team in charge of the ALICE detector or CERN itself, they would welcome the participation of a Nobel laureate in the analysis of experimental data.

Even if he wasn’t there in person.

After chatting with Lin Feng for a while about the latest information from the world of physics and CERN, Xu Chuan returned to his villa.

The Person of the Year event at Nanjing University was over, and there was nothing left for him to do.

Picking up his phone, Xu Chuan dialed Edward Witten.

“Hello, Xu Chuan.” On the other end, Edward Witten’s voice came through.

“Advisor, did you participate in the recent high-energy collision experiment at CERN’s ALICE detector? Or do you know anyone who did?” Xu Chuan asked.

Witten thought for a moment before replying, “The ALICE detector? Let me think… I’m not the one processing their data. I believe the teams from the California Institute of Technology and the University of St Andrews are handling the experimental data from the recent high-energy collision experiment.”

“Why? Are you interested in the ALICE data?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, I heard that the LHC recently achieved a collision experiment at the 13 TeV energy level. I’m quite interested in the data from this energy level.”

Witten chuckled. “Then you can just come to Geneva. You’re an official researcher, after all. CERN will welcome you at any time.”

After a pause, he continued, “I’m sure the teams from Caltech and the University of St Andrews wouldn’t refuse the addition of a Nobel laureate.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and sighed, “Unfortunately, I have things to attend to right now and can’t go. If possible, I’d like to get a copy of the raw data from the collision experiment to take a look.”

Witten pondered for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll ask for you and see if I can get a copy of the experimental data.”

Shrugging, he added, “Although the public release time hasn’t arrived yet, it seems the teams from Caltech and the University of St Andrews haven’t analyzed anything useful from it so far.”

“Perhaps you’ll find something new in it?”

“After all, no one is better than you at dissecting this collision data with mathematics.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Advisor.”

Witten waved it off dismissively. “It’s a small matter. I’m actually hoping you find something new.”

“After all, the field of physics hasn’t had any new discoveries for a long time now.”

After entrusting the task of obtaining the high-energy collision data to his advisor, Edward Witten, Xu Chuan returned to the Nuclear Energy Research Institute to continue the second phase of the semiconductor material research and development.

Less than two days later, Witten called back with an update.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. I’ve applied to CERN for the collision experiment data you wanted, and the analysis teams from Caltech and the University of St Andrews have also agreed.”

“The experimental data is being packaged right now. It will probably take two or three days. How should I send it to you once it’s ready?”

Edward Witten’s voice came through the phone. Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Send it to my alma mater, Nanjing University. I’ll let them know and arrange for someone to coordinate with CERN.”

“Alright. It just so happens I have a meeting here at CERN for the next couple of days, so I’ll keep an eye on it for you.”

Xu Chuan felt a bit embarrassed. “That’s too much trouble for you, Advisor. It’s not a big deal, you could just have someone coordinate it.”

Having a Fields Medal-level master personally supervise a data transfer for him was such a waste of talent. It was a minor task that any intern or staff member could handle.

Witten laughed, “It’s no problem. I hope you find something new in this collision experiment data.”

After ending the call, Xu Chuan turned and went to Nanjing University to borrow their supercomputer center.

Nanjing University also had a supercomputer and a supercomputer center, which had been established just a few years ago.

Nanjing University’s high-performance computing project was officially launched in 2009 and the center was formally established in March 2010.

It served more than ten schools and departments at Nanjing University, including the School of Atmospheric Sciences, the School of Physics, the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the School of Astronomy and Space Science.

Its theoretical peak performance reached thirty-four trillion floating-point operations per second, ranking seventh in China’s TOP100 list of computers and 203rd in the world’s TOP500.

In 2018, Nanjing University’s supercomputer center was not yet outdated; its performance was still quite good.

At the very least, it had no problem processing the experimental data sent over from CERN.

Nanjing University agreed to his request without the slightest hesitation, and most of the less urgent tasks at the supercomputer center were pushed back by a whole month.

Although the Nanjing University High-Performance Computing Center was constantly running at full capacity with a heavy workload every day, postponing most tasks for a month meant that many people’s projects would be affected.

But for Nanjing University, whether it was a request from a Nobel laureate or the use of their supercomputer center to process data from CERN, it was a very meaningful endeavor.

Nanjing University’s Physics Department was very strong, ranking at least among the top three in the country. It had always been a partner institution of CERN, sending a considerable number of students there every year.

Some went with their professors, others applied on their own.

Being able to participate in processing experimental data at a hallowed ground of physics like CERN, even if it was just manual labor, was a great opportunity to soak in the atmosphere.

There were too many experts there. If you were truly interested in academia, you would not miss such an opportunity.

And if Xu Chuan was processing the experimental data at Nanjing University’s supercomputer center, he would certainly need a group of professors and students to help. For Nanjing University, this would help cultivate more talent and allow them to apply for more exchange opportunities with CERN next year.

“In that case, Teacher, I’ll have to trouble you with the initial data analysis.”

In Chen Zhengping’s office, Xu Chuan said with an embarrassed look.

After Nanjing University had coordinated with CERN, Witten’s side arranged for someone to send over the experimental data from the ALICE detector.

The data was raw, unanalyzed data that needed to be processed.

But it was obvious he didn’t have time right now. The second phase of the nuclear energy project’s semiconductor material R&D had already entered a critical stage, and he couldn’t spare the time for anything else.

So he could only trouble Chen Zhengping and a group of doctoral students from Nanjing University to help him process the preliminary experimental data.

Although the California Institute of Technology and the University of St Andrews had already analyzed this data for a considerable period, it was clear they wouldn’t just send him their analyzed results.

It was already quite good that they had agreed to let him have a copy of the raw data for his own use. After all, it was their project, and there was still a long time before it would be fully public.

In the office, Chen Zhengping said with a smile, “It’s no trouble at all. This is actually a good thing for the students of Nanjing University. After all, not everyone gets the chance to do practical work at CERN.”

“This complete set of raw data from you is enough for them to experience what it’s like to work at CERN, right here in our own country.”

Chapter 254: Radiation-to-Electricity Conversion

After handing over the raw experimental data from the ALICE detector to Chen Zhengping for processing, Xu Chuan rushed back to Shanghai without a moment’s delay.

The development of semiconductor materials for the second phase of the nuclear energy project had reached a critical juncture. He had to go back to oversee the situation and speed up the process.

After all, it was already the middle of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. In just a few days, it would be Little New Year.

Once Little New Year was over, the lab would be breaking for the annual leave.

In Shanghai, at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xu Chuan, wearing white polyester gloves, operated the ion implanter before him, sending the metallic ion material from the device into an ALD atomic layer deposition instrument.

This was a critical step in manufacturing semiconductor materials: implanting impurities into the semiconductor substrate.

Of course, these impurities were not what one would traditionally think of. They were more akin to those used in the semiconductor silicon-based chips in our mobile phones.

As is well known, a semiconductor is a material whose electrical conductivity at room temperature falls between that of a conductor and an insulator.

Its conductivity is controllable, and it is easily influenced and altered by trace impurities and external conditions.

Doping it with materials of different resistances, such as phosphorus, arsenic, or gallium, allows for the formation of N-P junctions, which act as gates to control the flow of charge.

This is the core foundation of semiconductor materials.

A very famous example that we often encounter in daily life, photovoltaic power generation, is also built upon this foundation.

However, it utilizes another aspect—the unique “photovoltaic effect” of semiconductors.

Photovoltaic power generation is the phenomenon where a potential difference is created between different parts of a non-uniform semiconductor, or a semiconductor-metal junction, when exposed to light.

First, the photovoltaic panel converts photons (light waves) into electrons, converting light energy into electrical energy, which then forms a voltage.

With voltage, it’s like building a high dam on a river. If the two points are connected, a current circuit is formed.

This is the core principle of photovoltaic power generation and also one of the principles behind the Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy.

However, traditional photovoltaic technology has a major drawback: the spectral response range of a typical solar cell is basically between 320 and 1100 nanometers.

This means that only light waves within this wavelength range can be utilized by solar panels. They cannot make use of light waves with shorter or longer wavelengths.

This fact dictates that the efficiency of ordinary solar panels cannot experience a qualitative leap, nor can they process the radiation emitted by nuclear waste.

This is because, of the radiation emitted by nuclear waste, only gamma rays are electromagnetic waves; alpha particles, beta particles, and neutron streams are not.

And even for gamma rays, their wavelength is shorter than 0.1 angstroms (1 angstrom = 10^-10 meters), so they simply cannot be utilized by traditional photovoltaic panels.

To harness this radiation, the structure of traditional photovoltaic panels would need to be almost completely changed.

In his past life, Xu Chuan had racked his brains trying to solve this problem, consulting countless physics and materials experts without finding an answer.

Ultimately, his inspiration came from a field he had never even considered—biology.

His inspiration came from a butterfly known as the “Common Rose butterfly” (Pachliopta aristolochiae).

Its name might suggest a red butterfly, but in reality, most of its body is black, with only some red markings on its abdomen, face, and the sides of its thorax. It is widely distributed across East Asia.

Biological scientists discovered a very peculiar phenomenon in this butterfly.

Its wings were randomly covered with lattice structures of irregular size and shape.

It was this very lattice structure that helped the butterfly absorb more sunlight during the cold seasons, regulating and preserving its body temperature so it wouldn’t freeze to death in the harsh winter.

In fact, drawing scientific inspiration from biology is not something rare.

Many technologies actually originate from various living organisms.

Bionic robots, fin-inspired swimsuits, cold lights, radar, and many other common things were actually designed based on various creatures.

And from this lattice structure, Xu Chuan found a way to absorb the radiant energy of non-electromagnetic radiation and convert it into electrical energy.

The principle lies in something called a “Structural Bandgap.”

Through nanotechnological means, the semiconductor constructed using Atomic Cycle Technology is processed into a material with special nano-gaps.

A material with these special gaps can absorb and utilize radiant energy. Combined with the properties of semiconductor materials, it can then be further converted into electrical energy.

This was the other key technology in the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy,” just as important as the “Atomic Cycle” itself: the “Radiation Bandgap.”

After waiting in the laboratory for nearly six hours, the first semiconductor material processed by vapor deposition finally completed its gap filling and thin-film step coverage.

After the long wait, Xu Chuan put on his protective equipment—gloves, mask, and goggles—once more, opened the vapor deposition furnace, and removed the finished material.

The first batch of processed material was not large, with a side length of only 30x30 cm, but as a test sample, it was more than sufficient.

It was worth noting that despite its small area, its thickness was much greater than that of materials typically processed with vapor deposition equipment, measuring nearly two centimeters thick.

After all, it was intended for dealing with nuclear waste. If it were too thin, it wouldn’t be able to completely absorb the radiation emitted by the waste.

In fact, this was not the first time he had produced this type of semiconductor material.

He had previously made three completely different new semiconductor materials, but their test results had all been unsatisfactory.

Of course, he had done this intentionally. After all, succeeding on the first try would have been a bit too incredible.

The three failed materials had provided him with enough data from both testing and theory to make adjustments. Completing the material’s development now seemed much more reasonable.

Still, compared to the material development process at other labs and research institutes, this was incredibly streamlined.

It was well known that many labs or institutes might fail dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times before successfully creating a new material.

“Wang Yuan, take a sample of the material and run a full set of conventional tests on it first.”

In the lab, Xu Chuan first visually inspected the synthesized material in his hand before speaking to the researcher beside him.

This researcher, Wang Yuan, was the same young man he had encountered during the call from the Clay Institute.

Although he was a bit of a gossip, he was extremely meticulous in his work, very talented, and still young. So, Xu Chuan had personally taken him under his wing, letting him help out as an assistant.

For an ordinary researcher, assisting a Nobel laureate—could that even be called just “assisting”?

“Yes, Professor.”

Wang Yuan steadily took the material from Xu Chuan’s hand, cut off a small piece, and quickly left the laboratory.

As for Xu Chuan, he took the remaining material to the radiation chamber to personally test its actual conversion capability.

The testing method wasn’t complicated. The material was fashioned into a device similar to a solar panel and then tested with nuclear waste of varying radiation intensities.

They would test everything from the most critical power generation capability to the degradation of the semiconductor material under ionizing radiation, as well as its conversion efficiency, to see if it could meet the required specifications.

If it could, it would mean the new material had been successfully developed. If not, they would have to identify the problem area and then work to patch the gaps.

However, Xu Chuan was full of confidence in the new material he held.

This new semiconductor material was a fully optimized version from his past life that had undergone practical, field-tested validation.

Its performance and safety were completely reliable.

After some time, with the help of other researchers in the lab, Xu Chuan processed the new semiconductor material into a crude device.

The various testing instruments connected to it made it look somewhat like the engine of an old-fashioned tractor.

Although it looked a bit ugly, it was, by all accounts, the most advanced, cutting-edge technology.

The core of the entire setup was composed of the semiconductor radiation-to-electricity conversion material and the previously developed shielding material. The former converted radiant energy into electrical energy, while the latter served as a safety measure to prevent nuclear radiation leaks in case of an accident inside the device.

As for the various testing instruments connected to it, they would all need to be removed after the final product was completed.

Wearing a protective suit made from the Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material, a lab worker, from behind a lead glass window, used equipment to send a piece of highly radioactive nuclear waste into the fully sealed inner laboratory.

The moment the nuclear waste was removed from its sealed lead container, the various radiation detectors inside the sealed lab began to shriek and buzz, and all sorts of alarms sounded continuously.

Meanwhile, in another observation room in the lab, Xu Chuan, Han Jin, and the others were watching the entire experiment through monitors.

From the radiation count on the display, it was clear that the radiation dose in the experimental chamber had already exceeded one thousand millisieverts (mSv), and this value was continuously climbing under the influence of the nuclear waste.

If a person were to enter such a high-radiation environment without any protection, it would basically mean death.

And this was already treated nuclear waste, with its radiation intensity and amount having been processed. If it were a nuclear fuel rod actively fissioning in a power plant, its intensity would be far more terrifying.

The radiation in the lab did not continue to accumulate and rise indefinitely. After the nuclear waste was placed into the specialized, fully sealed device, the alarms on the detectors began to subside, and the radiation dose also started to weaken as it was absorbed by other equipment in the lab.

However, for nuclear radiation, this weakening is limited.

Once the absorbing material becomes saturated, it will, to a certain extent, become a new radiation source, continuously releasing radiation and contamination until the radioactivity finally dissipates after hundreds or thousands of years.

This is why, after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, even though the Soviets at the time dealt with and cleaned up twenty-one million square meters of “contaminated soil,” a large area of Ukraine remains too polluted to be habitable to this day, and it will be many years before the land can be safely farmed again.

The contamination released by nuclear waste simply takes too long to decay.

However, what was originally a flaw was now a huge advantage for Xu Chuan.

A long radiation period meant a long power generation period. It could be said that no fuel could “burn” longer than nuclear waste.

If it could be made into the size of an ordinary battery, perhaps future mobile phones, computers, and the like would no longer need to be recharged.

But for now, this idea was just a fantasy. Due to safety issues, it was impossible to make it that small.

Not unless the performance of radiation shielding materials could be further upgraded.

As the converter holding the nuclear waste was sealed, the detectors deployed outside began to transmit back various data.

In the observation room, a researcher responsible for monitoring the data stared intently at the display screen. When the numbers on it started to jump, the expression on his face began to jump along with them.

“Current detected!”

After confirming that the data on the screen was real, the researcher pushed back his chair, shot up from his seat, and reported loudly, his voice trembling with excitement.

Hearing this, everyone in the observation room felt a jolt. Academician Peng Hongxi, who had been standing next to Xu Chuan, strode over with quick steps.

The old man happened to be in Shanghai for a meeting these days. On a whim, he came over to see the situation and happened to arrive just in time for this test experiment, so he curiously tagged along.

He pushed aside the original observer and fixed his cloudy eyes on the computer screen, where the current data was constantly jumping and steadily increasing.

“4.7 coulombs! It… it really works!”

Looking at the jumping numbers on the screen, Peng Hongxi could no longer contain his shock.

In truth, converting radiant energy into electrical energy was not impossible. It could be done by using metal materials to create a potential difference, or by using multi-walled carbon nanotubes with gold and lithium hydride to absorb radiant energy.

But all the above methods had very low conversion efficiencies.

For example, the electrical energy generated from the potential difference in metal materials was less than a few milliamps. A current of this magnitude could only make a sensitive detector twitch; it was completely useless for power generation.

But today’s test felt like a miracle descended from the heavens.

Putting all other issues aside for the moment, just in terms of radiation-to-electricity conversion rate, based on the current data, it was already comparable to traditional solar panels.

The photovoltaic conversion efficiency of traditional, high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar panels was only around 20%.

And calculating from the current output, the “Radiation-to-electricity conversion device” in the sealed laboratory had already achieved a conversion rate of about 15% for the internal radiant energy, and this value was still rising over time.

A fifteen percent conversion rate meant that it had no issues in terms of radiation-to-electricity conversion. The converted electricity could be fully harnessed and used.

As long as the key material in the device—that new type of semiconductor—could hold up against the nuclear waste for long enough to meet commercial standards, then this method could be fully rolled out. From this day forward, nuclear waste would no longer be difficult-to-treat waste; it would become a treasure that could be used to generate power.

Chapter 255: This Is Already Incredible!

In the observation room, strings of numbers danced continuously on the screen displaying the current output information.

Witnessing this scene, everyone in the observation room had expressions of thrill and excitement. All the researchers clenched their fists, overcome with emotion at the sight before them.

Generating power by reusing nuclear waste—an idea that sounded like a fantasy—they had actually achieved it.

Standing behind Academician Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan watched the fluctuating numbers on the screen, a smile gracing his face as well.

Although this was a technology he had already developed in his past life, in this new environment, its significance was completely different.

Once the problem of nuclear waste was solved, nuclear power plants would flourish across every inch of the Motherland.

While it might not completely solve the energy problem, it would certainly alleviate it to a great extent.

After all, uranium resources are quite abundant on Earth. The average uranium content in the Earth’s crust is about 2.5%.

The world’s conventional and unconventional uranium resources combined are enough to last humanity for hundreds, even thousands of years, not to mention the vast amount of uranium in seawater.

If all the uranium in the world’s oceans were extracted, the total amount would exceed four billion tons.

With such abundant uranium resources, if they could be fully utilized, the energy problem would be completely solved.

Of course, this is a long and distant road.

The numbers on the screen fluctuated with time before finally stabilizing and hovering within a certain range.

5.3C, a unit used in the laboratory to measure power generation.

If converted, it meant that the Radiation-to-electricity conversion device currently undergoing testing could provide about 0.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour.

This number might not sound like much, but it was already quite impressive.

Calculating based on this standard, a nuclear waste power plant covering two thousand mu and using five hundred tons of nuclear waste could generate nearly two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

Although this figure couldn’t compare to a conventional nuclear power plant, it was equivalent to a thermal power plant with an installed capacity of about one million kilowatts.

A one-million-kilowatt thermal power plant is considered a medium-to-large-scale facility in the country.

Based on Nanjing’s annual electricity consumption of forty billion kilowatt-hours last year, twenty such power plants could supply that amount of power.

However, at present, China does not have that much nuclear waste.

At the end of 2018, according to detailed data provided by the higher-ups, China currently had less than one thousand tons of high-level radioactive nuclear waste.

This amount would only be enough to supply two nuclear waste power plants.

But compared to ordinary nuclear power plants, these two nuclear waste power plants have a huge advantage.

Their fuel has a very long operational life. The nuclear waste inside can be used for several, or even more than ten times longer than ordinary nuclear fuel rods.

The nuclear fuel rods in a typical nuclear power plant have a service life of about four to five years, whereas the radioactive decay of nuclear waste can last for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Of course, its actual power generation period cannot be stably maintained for that long.

After all, as time passes, the radiation intensity of the nuclear waste will also decrease.

This will lead to a decrease in power generation.

But it’s not without a solution. It can be stimulated and enhanced through special means. By using an accelerator to bombard the nuclear waste with high-speed particles, its radioactive decay can be accelerated, thereby maintaining the scale of power generation.

Theoretically, once a power plant using five hundred tons of nuclear waste is built, it can be maintained for about fifty to sixty years of operation.

During this period, it could maintain a stable power output, providing approximately one hundred billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Calculated based on the current standard where one ton of ordinary nuclear fuel rods can generate about 330 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, this figure is almost two-thirds of the output from five hundred tons of nuclear fuel rods.

That nuclear waste can provide power comparable to nuclear fuel sounds incredible.

But in fact, it truly can. The energy provided by atomic fission is terrifyingly immense.

It’s just that humanity is currently unable to utilize it perfectly.

The current technological utilization rate of nuclear energy is less than one percent. If the day of perfect utilization ever comes, energy will no longer be an obstacle to the development of civilization.

In the observation room, Academician Peng Hongxi stood before the display screen for a long time, his face flushed, his hands clenched into tight fists, and his lips trembling slightly.

After a long while, he finally turned around. With a complex and slightly reddened gaze, he looked at the young man standing behind him and asked, his voice a mixture of nervousness, apprehension, and anticipation:

“Did we… succeed?”

Although the numbers before him confirmed his thoughts, at this moment, he needed this person’s affirmation more.

He hoped to see the other nod, yet feared he would shake his head and shatter his dream.

But fortunately, the young man behind him nodded gently with a brilliant smile: “Barring any surprises, we’ve succeeded.”

Receiving the affirmative answer, the old man’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. A smile appeared on his face as he said with emotion, “A century-old problem… has been perfectly concluded by your hands. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t dare believe it’s real.”

“Reusing nuclear waste… it sounds like a dream, yet now it has walked out of that dream and into reality. Not only has it solved the most troublesome pollution problem, but it has even turned it into a source of energy.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Isn’t this the essence of science, and the very reason for the existence of people like us?”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi was stunned for a moment, then he too smiled. “Yes. But very few people, throughout history, have ever truly been able to achieve this.”

Xu Chuan smiled, his gaze turning to the display screen, landing on the still fluctuating numbers. He continued, “Actually, from a certain perspective, this technology isn’t perfect yet.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi’s heart tightened, and he quickly asked, “What do you mean?”

Xu Chuan began to explain, “Theoretically, this technology cannot utilize all of the radiant energy emitted by the nuclear waste.”

“Neither the extremely weak-penetrating alpha rays, nor the highly penetrating neutron flux which barely interacts with materials, can be utilized. The former is blocked outside the semiconductor from the start, while the latter is primarily stopped by the external shielding materials.”

“This technology mainly collects a portion of the beta rays and gamma rays. It generates energy by utilizing the electron pair effect and photoelectric effect of these two types of radiation.”

“This also means that a large portion of the radiant energy is actually lost and wasted.”

“If it could be taken a step further…”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi was stunned again, then cut him off with a laugh, “Ha, listen to you!”

“I thought you were going to mention some major design flaw, but it turns out you were talking about this.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “If this is considered a flaw, then there’s nothing perfect in this world.”

“This is already incredible!”

Chapter 256: A Letter

“This is already incredible!”

Listening to the old man’s sigh and seeing the looks of admiration and agreement from the others in the observation lab, Xu Chuan simply smiled and said no more.

Strength and weakness were just definitions based on one’s own perception.

But people were all different.

And for him, definitions of strength and weakness voiced by others didn’t hold much meaning.

In his view, only a definition that came from within, only a breakthrough that surpassed his own limits, could be considered strength.

It was just like how he had been studying mathematics constantly since his rebirth, mastering new knowledge and applying it to fields like physics, astronomy, and materials science to achieve things that were previously impossible.

A breakthrough based on one’s own progress—that was strength.

But clearly, simply replicating a result that had already been achieved before didn’t count as “strong” in his own eyes.

If, in this life, he could find a way to utilize the previously unusable alpha rays and neutron flux, that would be strength.

As for now, this simple replication did not meet his personal standard of “strong.”

Of course, if you were to argue based on the current reality, this technology was already incredibly powerful.

And that was certainly true.

Compared to current real-world technology, a method for reprocessing nuclear waste wasn’t just powerful; it could be described as absurdly so.

Moreover, some of the fundamental principles behind this technology were not limited to just nuclear waste.

A technology that can absorb radiation—just think of where else it could be used.

For certain applications, it was undoubtedly the most formidable technology of the present day.

The first phase of testing in the laboratory lasted for fifteen minutes.

When the time was up, the staff in the lab swiftly manipulated the equipment to remove the nuclear waste from the radiation-to-electricity conversion device and resealed it in a lead-shielded container.

The device itself, used for converting radiant energy into electricity, required a comprehensive and thorough inspection.

From the inside out, every single component had to be meticulously examined, and every piece of data collected by every detector installed on the device needed to be processed and analyzed.

This was a time-consuming process, but fortunately, the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai had a small-scale supercomputer that could help accelerate the work.

It took a full day for the researchers at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute to complete the inspection of the radiation-to-electricity conversion device and to organize some of the experimental data.

Xu Chuan took the compiled data from Han Jin and leafed through it.

According to the inspection report, the results of the first round of testing were absolutely perfect.

Whether it was the damage to the internal semiconductor material, the degree of nuclear radiation leakage, or whether the neutron flux had penetrated the dual-layer protection—all the values were within standard parameters.

It was time to begin the second round of tests.

“Begin the second round of testing!”

In the observation room, Xu Chuan held the black communicator in his right hand and calmly issued the command to the staff in the laboratory below.

“Roger!”

Upon receiving the order, the staff in the lab, dressed in thick protective suits, immediately began the second round of tests.

Compared to the first round, the second wasn’t significantly different.

The only change was the duration.

The initial test had only lasted for fifteen minutes. The second round needed to extend the time to over an hour, the third to twenty-four hours, the fourth to a week, and the fifth would be continuous.

However, before the Chinese New Year, there was likely only enough time to complete the first four rounds, and that was with some people staying behind to work overtime at the institute.

But that was enough.

The first four rounds of testing would provide Xu Chuan with a large amount of experimental data, enough to write a report and announce the good news.

As the staff manipulated the equipment to load the highly radioactive nuclear waste back into the radiation-to-electricity conversion device, the instruments in the observation room once again lit up and flickered to life.

If one were to simply look at the device in the lab with the naked eye, it would appear motionless, save for the continuous output of electrical energy.

But if one possessed eyes that could see into the microscopic world, they would peer across the distance and see, within the container on the central platform of the lab, a silver-gray material continuously emitting powerful streams of various particles.

These particles were extremely dangerous to all living things, and indeed to all matter in the world.

But to the special material tightly wrapped around the source, these particle streams were nutrients.

Magnified thousands of times, the interstitial lattice—constructed using nanotechnology and vapor deposition—was like the chloroplasts in a leaf, constantly devouring particle after particle, ultimately converting them into a weak electric current, which was then aggregated and released.

These were the beta rays and gamma rays, which were the easiest to handle.

Among these particle beams, a portion was blocked directly at the outermost layer, having no effect at all.

These were the alpha rays, the most easily blocked.

Furthermore, another portion passed straight through this interstitial lattice with impunity, finally being captured and stopped by the gadolinium oxide in the outermost protective material, which possessed high heat absorption and a large neutron absorption cross-section.

This was the neutron flux, the most difficult to intercept.

The wonders of the microscopic world far surpassed what the naked eye could see.

The intensive, back-to-back testing continued until the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.

On this day, the Little New Year, Xu Chuan finally received the results of the third round of tests.

After being subjected to twenty-four hours of intense radiation, the semiconductor conversion material, created through special methods, had maintained a nearly perfect structure.

Looking at the people assembled in the conference room, he smiled and announced, “Our experiment has been a great success. According to all the tests on the material, it is practically as good as new. The sampled grain boundary integrity was maintained at 99.9985%, 99.9981%, and 99.9982%.”

“I’m sure everyone here knows what that means!”

In the conference room, upon hearing Xu Chuan’s words, everyone erupted in cheers.

“Ura!”

“Hahahahaha, I knew there wouldn’t be any problems!”

“Congratulations, Professor!”

“Beautiful!”

All the researchers in the conference room excitedly clenched their fists and cheered “Ura!”

Although the fourth and fifth rounds of testing were yet to be done, the results of the third round were telling enough.

In one day, the grain boundary integrity had degraded by less than 0.002%. Theoretically, it could maintain stable operation for at least ten years before needing replacement.

Of course, the actual lifespan might not be that long, as even the atomic grain boundary circulation technology had its limits.

What’s more, the material used this time was not…

Ten years. Compared to the protective materials developed before, whether it was the ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ or the lead-free nano-composite restructured nuclear protective material, the duration was so short it was almost negligible.

After all, the first two could maintain their protective and radiative properties stably for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

But a ten-year lifespan was more than sufficient for commercialization.

In ten years, a nuclear waste power plant could generate nearly twenty billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

And the only cost would be replacing the special semiconductor material.

Although manufacturing this special semiconductor was a bit troublesome, its raw materials were quite cheap, consisting of nothing more than common elements like silicon, germanium, selenium, and carbon.

Perhaps, as another researcher in the lab had mentioned earlier, using a chromium-based semiconductor material for conversion could sustain it for much longer, maybe fifty or even a hundred years.

But without a doubt, from a cost-performance perspective, this cheaper material was more suitable.

Xu Chuan smiled and tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention back. “As of today, our work for this year has come to a successful conclusion.”

“Starting tomorrow, the lab will arrange for annual leave. Colleagues who want to take their vacation can leave tomorrow.”

At these words, another round of cheers erupted in the conference room.

After a pause, Xu Chuan continued, “Also, the testing for the radiation-to-electricity conversion device is not fully complete. We’ll need two to three people to stay behind during the Chinese New Year to complete the fourth round of tests.”

“Personnel who stay behind will be paid five times their regular salary, with an additional subsidy.”

“Furthermore, on-duty personnel can have their immediate family join them here at the research institute for the New Year. The institute will reimburse the family visit expenses for immediate relatives, with set standards for transportation, accommodation, and meals. You can all consult with Supervisor Han Jin about this later.”

“Any volunteers to stay?”

When it came to benefits and subsidies for the Chinese New Year period, Xu Chuan had pulled out all the stops, applying almost the highest standards permitted by the state.

Five times the salary plus a subsidy, on top of reimbursement for immediate family travel expenses—he was confident these terms would attract some volunteers.

Of course, for these researchers at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute, all of whom were postdocs and high-level talents, they deserved this kind of compensation.

However, it seemed he had underestimated the appeal of his offer.

After he laid out the tempting conditions, the people in the conference room stared at each other, and everyone couldn’t help but notice their colleagues swallowing hard.

“Me! Professor, I’ll stay!”

“Me, I’ll stay too, Professor!”

“I’ll stay, Professor! I’m single, no wife, I’m the perfect candidate!”

“Wang Yuan, didn’t you say just two days ago that you were going back for a blind date? Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Five times the salary plus a subsidy! Damn, I can make forty or fifty thousand yuan over the New Year. What’s a blind date compared to that?! Don’t anyone fight me for it, I’m definitely staying!”

“Holy shit, don’t all fight for it! Isn’t it good to go home for the New Year? Isn’t being with your family good?”

The quiet atmosphere in the conference room was instantly shattered, turning into a noisy scene reminiscent of a wet market as almost everyone vied for the two or three available spots.

The annual leave for the Nuclear Energy Research Institute would last for fifteen days, from the Little New Year until work resumed on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

The current monthly salaries of these researchers weren’t particularly high, averaging between twenty to thirty thousand yuan.

Five times the salary plus a subsidy meant they could earn at least forty to fifty thousand yuan over the fifteen-day holiday. For most of them, this was a huge temptation.

Not to mention the institute would also reimburse family travel expenses and such, meaning they could bring their parents, wives, and children here for the New Year.

Calculated this way, it was hardly different from going home for the holiday.

Faced with such conditions, not fighting for a spot would lead to months of regret.

Looking at the chaotic conference room, Xu Chuan coughed twice, bringing everyone’s attention back to him.

“We only need two to three people to stay behind. Supervisor Han Jin will take one spot. For the remaining two, you can submit applications, and Supervisor Han Jin will handle the selection.”

“That’s all for today’s meeting. The year is coming to an end. I wish you all a happy New Year.”

With that, he rose and left the conference room, the wails of the other researchers echoing behind him.

“Professor, don’t go! We can all work overtime!”

After entrusting these daily trifles to Han Jin, Xu Chuan no longer concerned himself with the affairs of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute.

Today was the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year. Tomorrow happened to be his birthday.

If he rushed back now to write an interim progress report, the timing for submitting it to the higher-ups tomorrow would be perfect. It wasn’t just a progress report, but also a chance to request the second installment of the research grant.

After all, the radiation-to-electricity conversion device was now complete. Once all five rounds of testing were finished, they could start building a pilot nuclear waste power plant.

This was no small project. Setting aside the Nuclear Energy Research Institute already under construction in Qidong, building a nuclear power plant required far more than one billion yuan.

Not only that, there was also the production of the protective materials and the special conversion semiconductor materials. All of this would consume enormous amounts of capital, manpower, and resources.

After returning to Nanjing from Shanghai, Xu Chuan first took a shower in the villa he had recently purchased, then sat down at his desk.

After a moment of contemplation, the ballpoint pen in his hand traced character after character on the pristine stationery:

“To our Respected Leaders,”

“Greetings. In the past few months, the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project has completed the development of materials such as ‘Crystalline Erbium Zirconate’ and ‘Lead-free Nano-composite Restructured Nuclear Protective Material’.”

“Of course, I believe you are already aware of this work.”

“Today, I am writing to report another piece of good news. Through the round-the-clock efforts of the entire research institute staff, we have successfully identified a material capable of converting the radiant energy of nuclear waste into electrical energy. Furthermore, we successfully developed it a few days ago and have conducted radiation-to-electricity conversion experiments.”

“The experimental results are quite impressive. Based on current test data, this new material can maintain stable power generation for about ten years. I believe this duration is more than sufficient for commercial use.”

“According to my calculations, a nuclear waste power plant covering an area of two thousand mu would require five hundred tons of high-level radioactive waste to provide radiant energy. Theoretically, it could generate two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity for us annually, and it could be sustained for at least fifty years or more.”

“This research achievement allows us to foresee a future, as early as next year, where nuclear waste becomes a new and important energy source for us to utilize. At the same time, once nuclear waste can be processed, the nuclear energy resources distributed across the globe will also provide us with an endless supply of electricity.”

“…”

“…”

Chapter 257: The Most Important Technology in the Letter

【.Now, our project has entered a critical phase. According to the plan, we will complete the construction and launch of the first experimental nuclear waste power plant before June of next year.】

【However, to achieve this, we also need more research funding and related resources to accelerate our pace.】

【According to the plan, in the next phase of arrangements, the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project will be initiated】

In the study, bright lights illuminated the figure of a person writing furiously.

As night fell, Xu Chuan, hunched over his desk, finally wrote the last stroke.

Looking at the letter paper on his desk, he let out a long sigh of relief.

This letter contained not only a report on the research institute’s achievements during this period but also some outlooks for the future and anticipation for controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Some of the technologies in the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project were not limited to processing nuclear waste.

Whether it was the Atomic Cycle theory or the band-gap crystal lattice inspired by the Common Rose butterfly that could absorb radiation particles, both had incredibly broad applications.

He didn’t elaborate on these technologies and theories in detail, only mentioning them briefly in the letter.

He believed that even if he didn’t say it, the higher-ups would be able to figure it out.

Perhaps his Motherland was still somewhat lacking in innovation at present, but when it came to expansion and application, probably no other country could compare.

Of course, more importantly, he also needed to apply for the next phase of research funding.

When doing scientific research, money isn’t everything, but you can’t do anything without money.

After checking the letter he had written and confirming there were no issues, Xu Chuan called for Zheng Hai and handed him the sealed letter.

Zheng Hai was nominally his driver, but he was also responsible for acting as a bridge for communication between him and the higher-ups.

After all, everyone was a busy person, and it was impossible to run back and forth in person for every little thing.

Beijing, north of Chang’an Avenue.

In an antique-style building, a simple letter was handed to an old man.

After hearing who the letter was from, the old man’s calm eyes flickered. He opened the envelope and took out the letter.

The ordinary letter paper wasn’t thick; even with some manuals and design drawings included, it was only seven or eight pages long.

The old man looked down, flipping through the manuscript in his hands. His eyes grew brighter and brighter, though this brightness was occasionally tinged with some confusion.

For him, even though the author of the letter had used fairly common language to describe the scientific principles, there were still many terms he couldn’t understand.

But that didn’t matter. From this letter, he saw a vast future.

That was the most important thing.

After pondering for a moment, the old man called over a guard, said a few words, and then closed his eyes to think again.

Besides the vast future, the letter contained some other things, and he needed to consult with professionals for their opinions.

Perhaps this was the first time a letter had been sent here? That Professor Xu had packed the letter with a lot of professional jargon.

Although they were followed by relatively detailed explanations, it was still a bit too difficult for a non-professional like him to fully comprehend.

He didn’t have to wait long. Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology Information and Academician Peng Hongxi from Tsinghua University arrived at the room, led by the guard.

No one is perfect. Even he needed to listen to the opinions of others.

“I have a letter here. You two take a look first.”

Seeing the two arrive, the old man nodded and gestured for his staff to hand the photocopied letter to Qin Anguo and Peng Hongxi.

With looks of slight confusion, the two took the letter and began to read.

Seeing the letter’s title, a slight smile appeared on Peng Hongxi’s lips.

Although he didn’t know what it was about before he came, he had a good guess once the letter was in his hands.

Unlike the old man, he quickly skimmed past the pleasantries that were meaningless to him, his gaze falling on the technical analysis, specifications, and design descriptions in the appendix.

As a worker in the field of nuclear energy, he clearly knew the value of the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project.

But he wasn’t completely clear on some of the technical details and theories within the project.

After all, he was only a consultant. The only person who had full command of all the details was probably just one man.

Even Han Jin, the project director, probably didn’t know all the details and technologies.

So he was quite interested in the technical principles in this letter. Although they were described in simple terms, he could still see the ingenuity behind these technologies, as well as some applications he had never even thought of before.

On the other side, Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology was also reading the letter in his hands.

Although he had also been a researcher in the past, now that he was in a management position, the things he considered and the angles he took were naturally different.

Unlike Peng Hongxi, he was more focused on the potential returns on investment for this project, as well as the ‘controlled nuclear fusion plan’ mentioned in the letter.

【.With all due respect, although the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project can properly dispose of nuclear waste, and nuclear fission power is also a clean energy source, we must still search for a new, pollution-free, and more affordable energy source.】

【I believe I need not elaborate on the reasons, such as the fact that the cost of generating one kilowatt-hour of electricity is more than double that of thermal power, for example…】

【And controlled nuclear fusion technology, compared to both traditional thermal power and nuclear fission power, holds immense advantages.】

【With the maturation of the Atomic Cycle Technology and the radiation-to-electricity conversion technology, we are now qualified to perfect it. In this regard, I believe that by integrating these technologies, we are already at the forefront of the world.】

【…】

Looking at the letter, Qin Anguo fell into deep thought.

There was no need to say more about the former. Having developed to this stage, the construction of the nuclear waste power plant was a must.

Even if this letter requested a second batch of research funding exceeding thirty billion, it would be allocated without hesitation, and certainly at the fastest possible speed.

But beyond that, the letter’s outlook on the future of controlled nuclear fusion was also a matter worth careful consideration.

Although from the current perspective, once nuclear waste could be properly dealt with, nuclear fission power was already a truly clean energy source and could be promoted with the greatest effort.

But just as the letter stated, nuclear fission power had its own shortcomings.

First, the initial investment in a nuclear power plant was enormous.

Because nuclear-grade equipment has higher requirements for design, materials, and manufacturing processes than conventional equipment, the construction period for a nuclear power plant is relatively long, usually taking five to seven years from initial planning to operation.

During this period, the vast majority of capital expenditure comes from bank loans, which generate very high interest. If a project is delayed, the cost becomes even higher.

For example, the construction of Unit 3 of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in Finland began in 2004 and is now nearly fifteen years behind schedule, with costs ballooning to more than three times the budget, reaching a staggering 8.5 billion euros.

Secondly, for safety reasons, nuclear power plants are equipped with a large amount of redundant equipment, which invisibly raises the cost of manufacturing the equipment and constructing the unit.

For example, the third-generation Hualong One unit currently under construction in China has taken more safety factors into consideration than the second-generation units, and its construction cost has also significantly increased.

The estimated construction cost of Hualong One is between 16,000 to 20,000 yuan per kilowatt, while the estimated unit cost of an EPR is even higher, at over 6,000 US dollars per kilowatt.

Besides the high construction costs, in the future, factors such as rising international uranium prices and the aging and decommissioning of nuclear power plants could further increase the cost of nuclear power.

The most direct impact of high costs is to affect the competitiveness of nuclear power in the electricity market, and high costs are also not conducive to nuclear power exports.

These were all foreseeable issues.

More critically, China was a true major energy consumer.

According to last year’s statistics, in 2018, the total electricity consumption of the whole society reached 6.8449 trillion kilowatt-hours.

Of this, thermal power, with coal as its primary energy source for generation, accounted for about 73.23% of the country’s total power generation—the real behemoth.

Nuclear power only accounted for 4.33%, less than five percent.

Was it because China couldn’t afford to build more nuclear power plants?

Not at all.

If it wanted to, with China’s powerful infrastructure capabilities, it could make nuclear power plants bloom in all coastal cities overnight.

But it didn’t.

One reason was the previous problem of the difficulty in disposing of nuclear waste.

Another reason was that the cost of nuclear power generation was too high.

Compared to thermal power, every kilowatt-hour of nuclear power fed into the grid cost more than double, which would lead to a sharp rise in electricity prices.

Putting other things aside, looking at the simplest residential electricity use, if the price of one kilowatt-hour rose from 0.6 yuan to 1.2 yuan, it would be an almost unacceptable price.

But compared to nuclear fission, nuclear fusion was indeed the true ultimate energy source.

Whether considering power generation costs or other aspects, nuclear fusion was the true ideal.

However, this ideal had always been too far, far away from people, so far that they described it as “the eternal fifty years.”

“What do you two think about this letter?”

After Qin Anguo and Peng Hongxi finished reading the copies, the old man sitting to the side slowly asked.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Anguo spoke decisively, “Putting other things aside for now, I think the second batch of research funding that Professor Xu has applied for to build the experimental nuclear waste facility is very necessary, and it needs to be done as soon as possible.”

The old man and Academician Peng Hongxi both nodded in agreement.

After all, no one standing here today was shortsighted.

The regeneration of electricity from nuclear waste would not only solve China’s energy shortage to a large extent but also give China a greater voice on the international stage.

Especially in Europe, it could bring greater benefits to China.

No region in the world was more dependent on nuclear power than Europe.

For example, in France, the largest producer of nuclear power, nuclear energy accounted for more than fifty percent of the country’s total electricity generation.

Other countries like Germany, Spain, and Sweden also had substantial shares.

Therefore, these countries had all accumulated vast quantities of nuclear waste that they didn’t know how to handle.

And now, with this key technology in their hands, they could possibly exchange it for more benefits and support from that side.

After the three exchanged their views, the old man turned his gaze to Academician Peng Hongxi and continued, “Academician Peng, I hear you are a consultant on the Nuclear Energy Research Project. Could I trouble you to explain some of the scientific and technical terms in this letter?”

“Perhaps Professor Xu has tried his best to describe them in simple terms, but it is indeed a bit difficult for me, who has not studied these things, to understand.”

He had some understanding of some of the technical terms in the letter but wasn’t sure if he understood them correctly or if they were feasible.

That’s why he had sought out Academician Peng Hongxi, who was also in the field of nuclear energy and a consultant on the Nuclear Energy Research Project.

The old man was not at all embarrassed about his inadequacies.

No one is perfect; learning is a lifelong process, from birth to death.

Academician Peng Hongxi nodded quickly and said, “This is also what I was about to mention to you.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Regarding some of the technologies in this letter…”

In the antique-style room, Peng Hongxi, in a steady and thoughtful tone, described his understanding in words the old man could comprehend.

“…Compared to the first one, the Atomic Cycle Technology, the importance of this next one, the band-gap crystal lattice that can absorb radiation particles, may be even greater.”

Pausing again, Peng Hongxi spoke cautiously, “Because it can not only be applied to controlled nuclear fusion technology, but it could also be applied to a field we have never imagined—electromagnetic stealth, and by extension, to the military domain!”

Hearing this, the old man asked with great interest, “How so?”

Peng Hongxi gathered his thoughts and continued, “Because it can absorb radiation!”

“And the radar we currently use, no matter which type, is essentially composed of electromagnetic waves, and the essence of electromagnetic waves is radiation…”

At this point, Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology, who was standing by, also reacted, blurting out, “If this technology can be applied to coating materials, we might be able to create a brand new type of stealth fighter.”

Across from him, Academician Peng Hongxi nodded and continued, “Yes.”

“I have personally witnessed part of the radiation-to-electricity conversion experiment at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. Without a doubt, it can absorb and utilize most types of radiation except for neutron radiation.”

“Logically speaking, this technology should also have the ability to absorb electromagnetic waves, which are also a type of radiation.”

“However, it has never been tested for this, so I don’t know if it can really do it, and if so, to what extent.”

After a pause, he added, “Of course, it’s also possible that I have misunderstood Professor Xu’s true meaning.”

“After all, I don’t actually know a lot about the technologies related to the Nuclear Energy Research Project. Although I am a consultant, I am not fully involved in the work of the project.”

“If you want to truly understand, I still suggest you ask Professor Xu.”

Chapter 258: Birthday

A letter mailed from the foot of Zijin Mountain stirred up a storm among the higher-ups.

But the instigator of it all was, at this moment, fast asleep in his dreams.

The next day, early in the morning.

After opening his eyes, Xu Chuan got out of bed and pulled open the glass window of his bedroom.

The biting winter wind blew in through the small gap, causing the warm room to turn suddenly cold. He shivered, instantly wide awake.

This was a habit of his, one he had maintained for at least a decade.

In the winter, if you wanted to wake up as quickly as possible in the morning, this was undoubtedly the fastest and most effective method.

After feeling the cold wind for a while, Xu Chuan closed the window and turned to enter the bathroom to wash up.

After jogging for a few kilometers along the road at the foot of Zijin Mountain, he returned to his study and turned on his computer.

Over at Nanjing University, the team led by his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, had already completed the preliminary analysis of the raw data from the ALICE detector.

The analyzed data had only been sent to him yesterday, so the speed wasn’t exactly fast, but it wasn’t slow either.

After all, Nanjing University wasn’t a formal high-energy research center. Even if some students were studying in this field, it was impossible for the entire Physics Department to be focused on it.

Fortunately, Chen Zhengping was quite experienced, and with the assistance of official researchers like Lin Feng and Qi Xishao, processing this raw data was still manageable.

This round of data analysis helped cultivate a new batch of scholars in the fields of high-energy physics and particle physics for Nanjing University. With China having successfully joined CERN, it was a win-win situation.

In the coming year, more students from Nanjing University would be able to pass CERN’s assessments and join them to learn more advanced knowledge and technology.

And for China, as long as the talent was being cultivated within the country, it didn’t matter where it happened.

As for Xu Chuan, his decision to give the Nuclear Energy Research Institute a break during the Little New Year was also partly for this reason. He needed some time to perfect his discovery of the sterile neutrino.

After all, this was the achievement of his past life; he couldn’t just give it up.

Although this would sacrifice his own rest time, the workload was no longer that substantial for him now. If it were spread out over each day of the Chinese New Year holiday, the task wasn’t too heavy.

In the study, Xu Chuan was leafing through the collision data before him.

It had been a while since he had been engaged in high-energy physics research, but that didn’t matter. Some things do not fade with time.

Images of Dalitz plots and various data flashed across the screen in front of him, constantly entering his vision, only to be filtered out again and again.

Xu Chuan was very clear about the various properties of the sterile neutrino.

Because of its characteristics, the search for it was destined to be carried out in hidden corners that defied common sense.

After all, the neutrino itself was one of the most difficult particles in the world to capture and observe, let alone the sterile neutrino, which had yet to be found.

It was known in the field of physics as the “invisible man” of the universe. It took the scientific community more than twenty years from predicting its existence to finally discovering it.

Because neutrinos have little mass and no charge, their interaction with other particles is very weak. Coupled with their inherent susceptibility to interference, detectors used to find neutrinos must be large enough to observe a sufficient number of them.

In addition, to shield against cosmic rays and other possible background interference, neutrino detection instruments were often located tens, or even hundreds, of meters underground.

For example, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica had its deepest observation device located a full two thousand five hundred meters underground.

Under these circumstances, using a large particle collider to search for neutrinos was practically an unrealistic fantasy.

The tiny fluctuation produced by a neutrino was like a single drop of water in the ocean of countless data generated by a collider, almost completely mixed with other background noise.

Even the most advanced supercomputers were currently unable to distinguish it.

But what if it was a sterile neutrino?

That was entirely possible.

In physics, the sterile neutrino is defined as the fourth type of neutrino particle.

It is completely different from the electron neutrino, muon neutrino, and tau neutrino; the latter three all belong to normal cosmic matter.

The sterile neutrino, on the other hand, is considered a type of warm dark matter.

As dark matter, if it really existed and could be observed, would its data be completely different from that of other standard neutrinos?

This was indeed possible.

Because the interaction between dark matter and normal matter is negligible, if other unknown mass or energy deficits could be detected, it could also serve as evidence for the creation of dark matter.

Of course, any discovery from a collider must be confirmed by either indirect or direct methods.

Amidst the pages of preliminary analysis data, Xu Chuan searched for the data he needed, picking them out to prepare for drawing the final Dalitz plot.

However, lost in his work, the excellent soundproofing of the room prevented him from noticing that his phone in the bedroom and the villa’s doorbell were ringing incessantly.

“Strange, is Big Bro not home?”

Outside a villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain, a young woman of about eighteen or nineteen was continuously pressing the doorbell at the courtyard gate with one hand. In her other hand, she held a phone with a lit screen showing a call in progress.

“Do you think your brother might still be in Shanghai and hasn’t come back yet?” Beside the young woman, a middle-aged woman glanced at the silent villa and asked.

The sound of the bell could be heard even from outside the quiet courtyard, but there was still no movement from inside the villa.

It was hard not to suspect that there was no one inside.

“Impossible! I sent Big Bro a message yesterday, and he said he was back, right here!”

The young woman replied with certainty, then grumbled, “He’s probably busy with some research again and not paying attention to his phone or anything.”

Hearing this, the woman and the middle-aged man behind her couldn’t help but shake their heads slightly. The woman chided her daughter, poking her on the head, “You silly girl, insisting on a surprise attack without telling your brother beforehand. Look at you now, can’t even reach him.”

This was not without precedent. Once their son delved into scientific research, he wouldn’t just forget his phone; he might even forget to eat.

Xu Xiao playfully stuck out her tongue and muttered, “You both agreed to it yesterday, too. It’s not all my fault.”

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught a figure walking towards them. After a curious glance, she immediately became excited.

“Hey? Wait, that looks like Brother Zheng. If Brother Zheng is here, my brother must be home!”

Xu Chuan’s entire family knew Zheng Hai and knew that wherever Xu Chuan was, Zheng Hai was usually nearby.

So after recognizing Zheng Hai’s figure, Xu Xiao ran over excitedly and asked, “Brother Zheng, is my big bro home? He’s not answering his phone, and ringing the doorbell doesn’t work either.”

As Xu Chuan’s driver, Zheng Hai naturally recognized Xu Xiao. He nodded with a smile, “He’s here. The Professor is probably busy with his research. I’ll let you in.”

As a driver and protective liaison, he naturally had the keys and access rights to the villa.

“Thank you so much, Big Brother Zheng.”

“It’s my job.”

In the study, Xu Chuan was still meticulously searching for what he needed among the analyzed data.

Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled him out of his immersed state.

Stopping his work, Xu Chuan got up and walked over.

The only person who could enter the villa and knock on his study door without prior notice was Zheng Hai, and it usually meant something urgent had come up.

However, to his surprise, it wasn’t Zheng Hai standing outside the study.

“Surprise! Big Bro!”

Seeing her older brother, Xu Xiao jumped out with a smile on her face.

Looking at the figures outside the door, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then said with pleasant surprise, “Xiaoxiao, Dad, Mom, what are you all doing here?”

“Are you surprised, Big Bro?” Xu Xiao said with a grin, then held up the cake box in her hand. “Happy birthday, Big Bro!”

Beside her, Mother Xu also said with a smile, “This girl Xiaoxiao said she wanted to give you a surprise, so she dragged us along. Since it’s your birthday today, we came to see how you’re doing over here.”

It dawned on Xu Chuan. He smiled and looked at Xu Xiao, “No wonder you kept asking if I was in Nanjing when we chatted yesterday. It was for this.”

“Are you surprised! Are you moved!” Xu Xiao asked with a giggle.

“Of course.” Xu Chuan smiled and rubbed the girl’s head. To be honest, he really hadn’t expected his family to travel thousands of kilometers just to celebrate his birthday.

“Big Bro, you live in such a huge house all by yourself. I’m so jealous.”

In the enormous villa, Xu Xiao ran around everywhere, peeking into this room and exploring that one.

This was her first time here. When Xu Chuan had bought the house, her school term had already started, so she didn’t have time to visit. Father and Mother Xu, on the other hand, had come to see it once.

“When you graduate, I’ll buy one for you,” Xu Chuan said with a smile. This villa wasn’t one he had bought himself, but a gift from the state. If he were to buy it, it would cost around fifty million.

By the time Xu Xiao graduated, even if she stayed in Beijing for work, he would have enough money to buy her a villa like this.

This was one of the reasons why he had established the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

His own desire for material possessions wasn’t high, but he had to consider his family.

Researchers were people, too. The trope of a solitary genius who only needed to feed himself was something that likely only existed in the minds of unimaginative novelists.

“I don’t want it, I can buy it myself!” Xu Xiao lifted her chin and proudly refused her brother’s kind offer.

But then, her dark eyes darted around the villa twice before she added, “But for this villa of yours, I want a room!”

“What do you need a room in your brother’s villa for? Stop fooling around.” Before Xu Chuan could speak, Mother Xu shot Xu Xiao a glare.

In her view, this would probably be Xu Chuan’s home in the future. Although they were family, children eventually had to grow up and move out.

“It’s my big bro’s villa, why can’t I live here?” Xu Xiao said righteously.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Then go pick a room you like.”

Then, he looked at his mother and said, “It’s fine. This villa has many rooms, and they’re all empty anyway. It’s quite lonely for me to live here by myself. Why don’t you two move over from our hometown?”

Father Xu shook his head, “A short stay is fine, but moving here is out of the question. What would we do after moving here? Besides, this is probably your future marital home, it wouldn’t be right for us to live here.”

“Also, you shouldn’t spoil this girl Xiaoxiao so much, giving her whatever she wants.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “She’s the only younger sister I have. Who else would I spoil?”

At his side, Xu Xiao excitedly ran over, hugged his arm, and shook it coquettishly, “Big Bro, you’re the best!”

Father Xu smiled and shook his head, saying no more.

Seeing their children so close and affectionate was probably the greatest wish of any parent.

Xu Chuan then continued, “Dad, Mom, how about spending Chinese New Year here this year?”

He didn’t try to persuade his parents to move again. They had lived in the countryside their whole lives and had completely adapted to the life there.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with the countryside. As long as the neighbors were harmonious, for the older generation, the countryside was far more comfortable than the city.

Father Xu thought for a moment but still shook his head and refused, “Let’s go back. We have relatives back home waiting for you to visit. And during Chinese New Year, you have to go back to pay respects to our ancestors.”

Xu Chuan nodded. Ancestral worship during Chinese New Year was indeed very important.

He hadn’t really thought it through just now. He just felt that since it was already the 25th and his family was here, they might as well not bother making another trip.

With his parents and sister here to celebrate his birthday, Xu Chuan didn’t have the heart to hole up in his study to continue his research. Instead, he prepared to go with them to a nearby market to buy some groceries.

He didn’t usually hire a housekeeper. For meals, he typically ordered takeout, and the occasional times he cooked for himself were limited to quick foods like noodles or ready-made meals.

This meant that now that his parents were here and wanted to cook for him, there were no ingredients.

He had originally planned to eat out, but even the most authentic Hunan cuisine restaurant couldn’t replicate the taste of home.

However, just as the group was heading out, they ran into two other people who had come looking for him.

“Professor, are you heading out?”

At the gate of the villa’s courtyard, Gu Bing and Amelia stared blankly at Xu Chuan’s group.

Seeing his two students, Xu Chuan slapped his forehead and walked out quickly, saying with some embarrassment, “Um, my family came over today to celebrate my birthday with me. We were just about to go out and buy some groceries. Why don’t you come in and have a seat? I’ll be right back.”

With his family’s arrival, he had forgotten that he’d called Gu Bing and Amelia yesterday and asked them to come over today.

Of course, it wasn’t to help with data processing or anything like that, but to check on their academic progress over the past half-year and see how they were doing.

After all, since bringing the two over from Princeton in the latter half of last year, he had barely managed them at all.

Although anyone who could make it to a doctoral program definitely had self-discipline, as their advisor, he had indeed been a bit irresponsible.

So he planned to use the time before the Chinese New Year to properly check their work, and then arrange their studies and teach them properly after the new year began.

“It’s your birthday today, Professor?” Amelia asked in surprise.

Xu Chuan nodded, “Yes. I don’t really pay much attention to it, but my parents and sister came over this year, so we decided to celebrate.”

“Happy birthday, Professor,” Amelia said, her eyes curving into crescents as she offered her blessings.

“Chuan’er, do you have something to do? If you do, don’t let us delay you. We can just eat out for lunch.”

At the side, Father Xu walked over. He looked at Xu Chuan, then at Gu Bing and Amelia. He had a faint impression of them, having met them once at that award ceremony in Sweden.

“Brother Gu, Sister Amelia!”

Xu Xiao also came over, excitedly greeting the two, then looked at her brother, “Big Bro, you go buy groceries with Mom and Dad. I’ll stay home and chat with Sister Amelia.”

Her memory of Gu Bing and Amelia was quite clear; strictly speaking, her memory of Amelia was very clear.

For a looks-supremacist like her, beauty was justice. Both her senior female student and Amelia clearly met this standard. The two had even exchanged WeChat and phone numbers and often chatted online.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Alright then. You stay home and keep them company. We’ll be back soon.”

Then he looked at Gu Bing and Amelia, “You all know Xiaoxiao. The three of you can rest in the villa for a while. You can have lunch here as well.”

“Won’t it be too much trouble? We can come back tomorrow, Professor,” Gu Bing asked, a little embarrassed.

“It’s nothing, just a matter of two more pairs of chopsticks. It’s livelier with more people in the house,” Mother Xu said with a cheerful smile before Xu Chuan could answer.

Xu Chuan also smiled and said, “It’s fine, just think of it as celebrating my birthday with me. Xiaoxiao, take them inside first. I’ll be back soon.”

“O-K, Big Bro!”

Xu Xiao made a V-sign, then pulled Amelia towards the house. “Let’s go, Sister Amelia. That Catrice eye cream you recommended to me last time is really amazing for dark circles. Do you have any other good cosmetics to recommend?”

Chapter 259: Looking to the Future

At the foot of Zijin Mountain, Father Xu gazed at the surrounding scenery, then at the villa nestled against the scenic area, and asked with some curiosity.

“By the way, Chuan’er, I forgot to ask last time, how much did you spend on this villa?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I didn’t spend any money. This is one of the benefits and compensation the country gave me after I returned.”

After a moment of thought, he continued, “If you were to put a price on it, a villa here would cost at least fifty million. Of course, the key thing is that you can’t buy a villa around here even if you have the money.”

“This whole cluster of villas belongs to Nanjing University. The residents are basically professors or research scholars at the Academician level, and the properties are generally not for sale to the public.”

Hearing this, both Father and Mother Xu couldn’t help but click their tongues in amazement.

Fifty million. Even though the family had become much wealthier in the last two years thanks to Xu Chuan, this figure was still an astronomical number to them.

Looking at the villa by the scenic area, Father Xu said earnestly, “The country is treating you so well. You must repay the Motherland properly.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course. The research project I’m leading this year is on the verge of success. The benefits this project will bring to the country are worth far more than fifty million—they’re worth more than five hundred billion.”

He wasn’t trying to show off how incredible he was or how much money he could make for the country; he just wanted to let them know a few things to put their minds at ease.

The technology for reusing nuclear waste was worth far more than five hundred billion; countries would line up to buy it for five trillion.

Hearing this, Father Xu smiled and nodded. To him, fifty million and five hundred billion were just numbers; sums of money that large had long surpassed his imagination.

But as long as his son understood that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring, that was enough.

“By the way, haven’t your two students gone home for the Chinese New Year yet? It’s already the twenty-fifth of the lunar month. That girl… she isn’t going back to her own country for the holiday?” Mother Xu asked curiously while admiring the scenery.

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Amelia doesn’t want to go back. She’s from Germany, and they don’t celebrate the Spring Festival over there.”

“As for their break…” He shrugged and continued, “they were supposed to be on break already, but they’ve started working on their research again due to some problems that came up.”

“Actually, doing a PhD isn’t that different from having a regular job. Sometimes your break starts early, sometimes it’s late—it all depends on your advisor.”

“If an advisor doesn’t have a project, the break might start much earlier. If they do, you might not even get a break for Chinese New Year. Pulling all-nighters to process data and conduct research is also very common.”

Father Xu nodded in understanding and remarked, “That sounds pretty tough. I thought things would get a lot easier for doctoral students.”

Mother Xu’s attention was completely elsewhere. “You said that girl, Amelia, isn’t going home for the New Year. So where will she go?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “She’ll probably go traveling. She’s very interested in our country’s food and loves to wander around and eat.”

Mother Xu smacked her lips. “It’s a shame she has plans. Otherwise, we could have invited her to celebrate with us and experience a proper Chinese-style New Year.”

“Oh, right, what about the other girl we met in Sweden, Liu Jiaxin?”

“She’s definitely going back to her hometown for the New Year, Mom. What are you even thinking about?” Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His mother’s personality was really something else, always jumping from one idea to the next.

After a pause, he continued, “And if this is about me getting married or finding a partner, you really don’t need to worry your head about it.”

“I’m still young—I just turned twenty-two today. Normally, someone my age would only be in their second year of university. Who gets married this early? Let’s talk about it after I turn thirty.”

“My twenties are a researcher’s prime. I know your son is already a great scientist at the Nobel Prize level, but I still want to see how much higher and further I can go.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile. He knew what his mother was thinking, so he decided to just lay it all out in the open.

He didn’t say he would never get married, just that he wanted to wait a few more years.

Considering marriage after thirty is quite normal in today’s society anyway.

Mother Xu shot him a look and grumbled, “Thirty? When will I ever get to hold my grandchild?”

Xu Chuan shrugged. Father Xu just smiled without saying anything.

The best thing about the Xu family was probably the way the parents educated their children.

Father and Mother Xu would largely listen to their children’s opinions and then encourage, discuss, or communicate about matters concerning Xu Chuan and Xu Xiao.

This was relatively rare in traditional Chinese education. Of course, as times have changed, this method of parents discussing things with their children has become more common.

It was precisely because of this relatively rare upbringing that they successfully raised two accomplished children.

By the time Xu Chuan’s group returned, Xu Xiao and Amelia were already getting along great. Both were the type who warmed up to people instantly—a meeting of two social dynamos was quite the spectacle, and the living room was filled with their laughter.

As for Gu Bing, he could only curl up quietly to one side.

The topics the two girls were discussing were things he couldn’t understand at all, nor could he jump into the conversation. He could only sit there obediently and wait.

“Chuan’er, go on and get busy. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” In the living room, Mother Xu carried a bag of groceries into the kitchen, shooing Xu Chuan out as she went.

“Alright.” Xu Chuan nodded, then turned and called Gu Bing and Amelia into the study.

“Big Bro, can I sit in and listen?”

In the living room, Xu Xiao sidled over and asked with puppy-dog eyes. Although she had seen many of her brother’s lectures and conference presentations, she had never actually seen him in the act of teaching.

Xu Chuan glanced at her. “Sure, but everyone who comes in gets a problem. I can give you one to test how you’re doing with your studies. And if you can’t solve it…”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao froze. With an awkward laugh, she scurried toward the kitchen. “Big Bro, I’m going to help Mom with dinner! I’ll call you when it’s ready!”

Xu Chuan had been her primary tutor ever since she was little. She had no desire to ever again face one of her big brother’s problems. They were simply inhumane, even more devilishly tricky than the ones her teachers assigned.

With Xu Xiao gone, Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head. He was only bluffing.

Now that the girl was in university majoring in Biochemistry, he wasn’t familiar enough with the subject to create a problem for her anyway. As for math—better not. Biochemistry uses relatively little of it.

After shooing away the troublemaker, Xu Chuan led Gu Bing and Amelia into the study.

He pulled two test papers from the bookshelf and handed them to the pair.

“I’ve been quite busy in the latter half of this year and haven’t paid much attention to your progress. Consider this test a new baseline assessment for you at the end of the year.”

“There are five questions in total, centered on your respective fields of study and the algebraic variety and group mapping tool.”

“The deadline is five o’clock this afternoon. Excluding time for lunch and a break, you have about six hours. Do as much as you can. It’s alright if you can’t solve everything; just write down your understanding and thought process so I can see it. I’ll focus on teaching you properly when the new year begins.”

Five questions in six hours. To be honest, given the difficulty of the problems he set, there was no way the two of them could answer everything.

However, this was a good way to gauge his students’ current knowledge level.

Xu Chuan was genuinely a bit embarrassed for not having fulfilled his duties as their advisor properly. That was why for this test, he had canceled his usual reward and punishment system. His main goal was to see how his two students had progressed in their studies over the past six months.

Of course, the so-called reward and punishment system wasn’t anything too extreme. Punishments mostly consisted of reading books, grinding through practice problems, or doing targeted exercises, with a certain amount to be completed within a set time—for example, reading a certain number of books in a week, which was certainly more demanding than their usual studies.

As for the rewards, they were quite diverse.

They ranged from helping them apply for scholarships and letting them participate in his research projects to giving them opportunities to join experimental research in other fields like physics, materials science, and chemistry.

For a doctoral student, these rewards were extremely tempting.

In the study, Gu Bing and Amelia took the test papers and immediately began working on them.

The study was large enough. Besides the desk Xu Chuan normally used, there was an extra tea table that could temporarily serve as a desk without any issue.

As for Xu Chuan himself, he returned to his desk and continued with the work he hadn’t finished.

Even though it was his birthday, there was no rule saying he had to rest, was there? Finishing the work at hand was the most important thing.

The study quickly fell silent as all three of them busied themselves with their own tasks.

There was no point in discussion for now. Xu Chuan didn’t need Gu Bing and Amelia’s help, and the two of them didn’t need to discuss with each other.

After all, this was essentially an exam. Have you ever seen an exam where people could whisper and discuss things nonstop?

Outside, Father and Mother Xu were cooking, while that girl Xu Xiao was wandering around the villa, trying to pick a room for herself.

For someone with a chronic case of indecisiveness like her, choosing her favorite from the dozen or so rooms in the three-story villa was a bit difficult.

He reckoned she might not even be done with that task by the time lunch was ready.

Knock, knock, knock…

The morning slipped by unnoticed until a series of knocks on the door pulled Xu Chuan back from his data filtering.

“Big Bro, time to eat!”

Xu Xiao yelled from the doorway. Xu Chuan nodded, then turned to call over Gu Bing and Amelia, who were still pondering the questions on their test papers. “You’ve all seen the problems. How do they feel?”

Gu Bing answered honestly, “They’re very hard. If you gave me a few days, I’d be fairly confident, but to solve them within today… honestly, I can’t do it. I can probably solve two or three at most today.”

Xu Chuan nodded and looked at Amelia. “What about you?”

Amelia thought for a moment and said, “I can probably solve about three. I don’t have many ideas for the last two yet.”

Xu Chuan was a little surprised. He knew very well the difficulty of the questions he had set. In terms of difficulty, Amelia’s questions were only slightly less difficult than Gu Bing’s.

Although they were a little easier, one mustn’t forget that Gu Bing was more than four years older and had four more years of study under his belt. He was a proper doctoral student.

Amelia, on the other hand, hadn’t even technically finished her undergraduate degree; she had originally gone to Princeton as an exchange student to pursue her bachelor’s.

For questions at the doctoral level, being only slightly less difficult meant they were already far beyond the knowledge of an undergraduate student.

The fact that she could solve three in a single day showed that, even without anyone supervising her, she hadn’t wasted her time just eating her way through China’s delicacies.

Of course, her talent was also a major factor. Anyone who could get a perfect score in the IPHO was naturally gifted.

After a brief pause, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Very good. It seems neither of you has wasted your time over the past six months. Let’s eat first. Take a break and then come back to it.”

On the dining table, a large, twenty-two-inch, two-tiered cake sat in the middle of a spread of sumptuous dishes, with birthday candles lit on top.

“Big Bro, happy birthday!” Xu Xiao bounced over and offered her cheerful wishes.

“Chuan’er, happy birthday!” “Professor, happy birthday,” Father and Mother Xu and the two students said with smiles.

Xu Chuan smiled back. “Thank you.”

“Big Bro, blow out the candles and make a wish!”

Xu Chuan smiled, leaned over to blow out the candles on the cake, then closed his eyes and made a wish.

A sumptuous lunch, a twenty-second birthday.

For Xu Chuan, this was a day to be remembered forever.

The afternoon passed quickly. Gu Bing and Amelia handed in their test papers on time. Xu Chuan only needed to flip through them briefly to get a general idea of his two students’ current level.

Compared to their months at Princeton, their progress in the latter half of the year had indeed slowed.

This was normal, as they lacked their advisor’s guidance and instruction.

But their self-discipline had kept them moving forward on the path of academia. And because they had more time to think for themselves, they now had more unique perspectives on certain problems.

This was an excellent thing, especially on the academic path.

Independent thought is always more important than rote learning.

After sending his two students off, Xu Chuan packed some clothes and returned to his hometown with his parents to celebrate the New Year.

The New Year atmosphere grew thicker with each passing day. On New Year’s Eve, Xu Chuan sat on the second-floor balcony, gazing at the distant sky.

The faint smell of firecracker smoke drifted through the air, fireworks illuminating the dark night sky caught his eye, and the festive sounds of the New Year celebration from downstairs reached his ears. A smile spread across his face.

It wasn’t just for the joyous New Year, but also a reflection on the immense gains of the past year.

In 2018, he had not only learned deeper mathematics at Princeton but also achieved many personal breakthroughs.

These were in the fields of high-energy physics, mathematics, and even astronomy, a field he had never even considered.

He had obtained both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize, the two highest awards in mathematics and physics.

More importantly, he had successfully returned from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere. After all, he had taken some risks when he went abroad to study, but that was all in the past now.

The coming year would be a brand new one. The problem of nuclear waste reuse had been solved, and the fatal lithium dendrites in lithium batteries had been deciphered. The Motherland and its energy sector would see rapid development as a result.

And he, in turn, could now pursue things that had yet to be conquered.

Things like the NS equations, and controlled nuclear fusion.

Chapter 260: Super-Stealth Material

For the New Year, Xu Chuan stayed home until the Lantern Festival. His sister, Xu Xiao, had already gone back to school, but he still hadn’t left.

He had originally planned to return to Nanjing on the eighth day of the first lunar month, but his analysis of the sterile neutrino had reached a critical juncture after the holiday.

For him, as long as his computer was powerful enough, there was little difference between processing the data at home and in Nanjing.

So he stayed home to continue his analysis.

Drawing on his past life’s knowledge of the sterile neutrino, Xu Chuan could easily find what he needed in the data that had been processed by Nanjing University.

The process was like panning for gold in a stream that contained gold dust. Using the most primitive tools, he sifted out the fine golden particles hidden among the countless grains of sand, gathered them together, and finally smelted them into a gold brick.

Of course, filtering useful data from the massive amount of collision data was far more difficult than panning for gold in river sand, especially when searching for a brand-new particle.

Although theoretical physics sometimes offered analyses and predictions about a target’s properties, in reality, no one knew what characteristics and information this target particle would exhibit in a high-energy collision.

It was as if, in the process of panning for gold, the originally glimmering gold might now be black, or perhaps earthy yellow, or even shaped like sand and mud.

Under such circumstances, to accurately identify it was a task no less difficult than asking a person to fly without giving them wings.

Fortunately, he had a wealth of information about the sterile neutrino in his mind and was intimately familiar with its every known form.

In his study, Xu Chuan held the mouse, using Adobe Illustrator to draw the final pixel on the Dalitz plot.

Click. Save. When a new image was generated in the folder named ‘Sterile Neutrino Dalitz Plots,’ he sat up straight and let out a long sigh of relief.

This was a very common particle resonance Dalitz plot. It displayed parameters collected by the ALICE detector, such as the interference between the resonance states of the final state particles in the particle collider, the angular distribution of the final state particles, and the matrix element structure of the physical process.

From the energy level data, there was nothing particularly noteworthy or worth analyzing.

But on the key curve displaying the resonance state, there was a small, inconspicuous concave point.

If you were to open all the other Dalitz plots in this folder, you would be astonished to see that these concave points connected to form a ︺-shaped arc.

This was the resonance state signature of the sterile neutrino.

Of course, strictly speaking, a Dalitz plot couldn’t fully represent the characteristics of the sterile neutrino. After all, it was originally designed as a two-dimensional plot to describe the distribution of physical event density.

And besides the information a Dalitz plot could show, like invariant mass and kinetic energy, the sterile neutrino had other information that couldn’t be described.

Of course, this was related to the LHC’s detectors. The technology used by current detectors was simply incapable of observing dark matter, so it was naturally impossible to display all the information completely.

However, it was more than enough to persuade the public, or convince CERN, that this was a brand-new particle never before discovered or found in the world of physics.

With the current amount of data, combined with his analysis and theory, the confidence level for the existence of the sterile neutrino had already reached over 3-sigma.

Sigma is a standard used in statistics to represent standard deviation, i.e., the degree of data dispersion, denoted by the Greek letter σ.

Anyone who has studied probability theory would certainly be familiar with it.

In statistics, probability theory, or other similar courses, a common phrase is the 3-sigma principle, which means that a confidence level above 3-sigma is already very, very high and can be considered essentially correct.

Also known as the “three-standard-deviation rule,” 3-sigma is a statistical criterion used to measure the normal range for a specific sample combination in a particular test.

The principle behind the 3σ calculation is that if the standard deviation of a test result is S, then 99.7% of the results will fall within the range of mean ± 3S.

Therefore, if a test’s standard deviation is 1, then 99.7% of the test results will fall between mean ± 3.

For those who don’t quite understand these concepts, the simplest way to think about it is that 3-sigma means the probability of something happening is over 99.73%.

However, in the field of physics, especially in high-energy and particle physics, the confidence level for determining the existence of a new particle must be at least 5-sigma.

A 5-sigma confidence level can be understood as a 99.99994% certainty that the observed result is real, with only a 0.00006% possibility that the result is merely an experimental error.

Just like the Higgs boson.

In fact, the Higgs boson had been observed multiple times long before its official announcement in 2013, but the confidence level was below 5-sigma.

And when the confidence level is below 5-sigma, the phenomenon is called an “indication” in high-energy physics or academia and cannot be confirmed as a “discovery.”

It wasn’t until 2013 that the ATLAS and CMS experiment teams at the Large Hadron Collider announced preliminary experimental results showing the existence of a new particle in the 125 to 126 GeV mass range, with a confidence level of 5.1-sigma for both.

Only then was it fully confirmed that the Higgs boson had been discovered.

In particle physics, 5-sigma is considered the threshold for a discovery, implying a certainty of over 99.9999%.

Only by reaching this level can one confirm that it is a new type of particle and not an experimental error, interference, or something else.

For Xu Chuan, the results he had produced clearly did not meet the 5-sigma confidence standard.

But he was confident that with this data, he could persuade CERN to include the observation of the sterile neutrino in its future collision schedules.

With more data, he could achieve a higher confidence level and pull the sterile neutrino out from its hidden void!

With a smile, Xu Chuan checked all the Dalitz plots and data he had created. After confirming there were no issues, he said goodbye to his family and set off for Nanjing.

The Dalitz plots and necessary data were complete. All that remained was to compile everything into a report and communicate with CERN.

However, before he could even start working, his phone rang.

“Hello,” Xu Chuan answered.

“Hello, Professor Xu. I hope I’m not disturbing your research.” A cheerful voice came from the other end. Hearing it, Xu Chuan immediately knew who it was.

“Not at all, not at all. Minister Qin, what can I do for you?” Xu Chuan said quickly.

“It’s like this. Regarding the letter you wrote before the New Year and the scientific achievements of your nuclear waste research, there are a few things the Ministry of Science and Technology doesn’t quite understand. I was wondering if you have some time recently, Professor Xu? We’d like to arrange for some people to come and have a discussion with you.”

After a pause, Qin Anguo added, “Of course, if you’re not free, we can talk about it later.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “How much time would it take, approximately?”

Qin Anguo chuckled. “It won’t be long, maybe two or three days. We can’t delay your research, after all. It’s mainly about some aspects of radiant energy conversion that we don’t fully understand and would need you to explain.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright. When will the people you’re arranging come over?”

Hearing this, Qin Anguo said quickly, “If it’s convenient for you, how about I arrange for them to visit you tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting at home,” Xu Chuan agreed.

“Thank you, Professor Xu. I won’t disturb you any further then.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan looked at the dark screen of his phone and smiled.

As expected, some of the contents of the letter he had sent to the higher-ups before the New Year had attracted their attention.

It made sense. How could they not be interested in a technology that could absorb radiant energy?

Putting aside its economic value, the value it would bring if applied in certain areas was enough to make anyone drool.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan began to compile the report on the sterile neutrino.

With all the materials already prepared, one day was enough for him to finalize everything.

After finishing the report on the sterile neutrino, the people arranged by the Ministry of Science and Technology arrived the next day.

“Minister Qin, Academician Peng. Welcome, welcome.”

In the courtyard, Xu Chuan smiled as he greeted the personnel sent by the Ministry of Science and Technology. He was somewhat surprised that Qin Anguo, a leader from the Ministry, had come in person.

“Hahahaha, Professor Xu, long time no see. Did you have a good New Year?” Qin Anguo strode forward, enthusiastically shaking Xu Chuan’s hand and greeting him with a smile.

Xu Chuan smiled back. “It was very good.”

Qin Anguo laughed heartily and turned to introduce the people behind him. “This is Professor Xu.”

“This is Academician Peng Hongxi, whom you’ve already met. This is Academician Wang Yangang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who specializes in electromagnetics. This is Academician Jia Lin from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, whose main research is in materials science and optoelectronic technology. And this is Academician Fan Pingbo from the Aviation Research Institute.”

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted each of them in turn. “Academician Peng, Academician Wang, Academician Jia…”

For this meeting, Qin Anguo had brought only four people, but all four could be considered top experts in their respective fields. Quality over quantity.

After greeting them and exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Chuan led the group into the villa.

Inside the villa, after some brief small talk, they got down to business.

Qin Anguo collected his thoughts, sat up straight, and asked, “The reason we’re bothering you this time is that we have a theoretical and technical question about radiation utilization that we’d like to consult you on.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Go ahead.”

Qin Anguo spoke with deliberation. “In the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project, Professor Xu, you developed a ‘Radiation Bandgap’ technology specifically for beta and gamma rays. It can absorb and utilize radiant energy, converting it into electrical energy.”

“We would like to know if this technology can be applied to fields like traditional electromagnetic waves, extremely short radio waves, and infrared rays?”

“If it can, how should we go about it?”

As he finished speaking, everyone in the living room turned their gaze to Xu Chuan.

The few people present all had clearance to know about the radiant energy absorption and conversion technology, the “Radiation Bandgap,” and had reviewed some of the materials.

However, as this technology was cutting-edge and currently only mastered by Xu Chuan, their understanding was not detailed enough, even after reading some of the documents.

At least, they couldn’t figure out how to apply it to the desired applications in a short amount of time.

Given enough time, they might be able to find a way to research it.

But the higher-ups couldn’t wait that long. After all, this was related to the performance of stealth fighters, and the sooner it could be developed, the better.

The leadership had originally planned to consult Xu Chuan immediately after the New Year, but when they contacted Zheng Hai, they were told he was busy with his own research. So they waited patiently until he returned to Nanjing before calling to arrange this meeting.

Hearing Qin Anguo’s question, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “We’re all on the same side, and it’s safe enough here, so I’ll be direct. The higher-ups want to apply this technology to stealth coating materials, right?”

Qin Anguo nodded, but it was the academician from the Aviation Research Institute, Fan Pingbo, who replied.

“Yes, we are in great need of this new type of material. Before the New Year, you provided a sample of the ‘Radiation Bandgap material.’ We tested it and found that its absorption and utilization rate for beta and gamma rays is remarkably high, reaching an astonishing forty percent or more.”

“If it can be adapted to absorb traditional electromagnetic waves, extremely short radio waves, infrared, and other forms of radiation, it would be a massive revolution in the stealth materials industry.”

“As you know, stealth is the hallmark of a fifth-generation fighter and a key factor in determining whether a fighter can seize the initiative in modern air combat.”

“The higher the stealth capability, the better a fighter can evade enemy radar detection and lock-on, thereby gaining an initial advantage.”

“And in a stealth fighter’s effectiveness, stealth coatings typically contribute about ten percent of the performance. For the meticulously calculated stealth effect, this is already a very important component.”

“If we could increase that ten percent to over forty percent, it would be a qualitative leap.”

“So…”

Academician Fan Pingbo explained concisely. Xu Chuan asked with some curiosity, “Do traditional stealth materials contribute so little to a stealth fighter’s effectiveness? Only ten percent?”

He didn’t know much about these things, as it wasn’t his field, but he had a vague idea that the coating on a stealth fighter had a significant impact on its stealth capabilities.

Hearing Fan Pingbo say it was only ten percent took him by surprise. He had thought that a fighter’s stealth effect was almost entirely dependent on the stealth coating.

Fan Pingbo smiled and explained, “Professor Xu, you may not be familiar with this area. Ten percent is an effect that only fourth-generation fighters or better can achieve.”

“Take the most famous one from the United States, the B-2. Although it’s a second-generation stealth aircraft, its stealth performance surpasses that of traditional fifth-generation fighters.”

“According to our understanding, it uses a variety of composite stealth materials, but even so, the coating only accounts for about fifteen percent of its overall stealth performance.”

After a pause, he continued, “Even so, the stealth coating used on the B-2 is still among the most advanced in the world.”

“In comparison, our country’s current stealth coating materials are indeed much inferior, so we urgently need a new type of stealth coating material to break through their limitations.”

Chapter 261: Wave-Absorbing Material

Since ancient times, tactics that relied on concealing weapons to launch a surprise attack against an unprepared enemy, delivering a fatal blow, have always been highly esteemed.

For example, in the ancient history of China, the famous story of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin involved hiding a dagger inside a map to achieve visual stealth, a move that nearly cost a great emperor his life.

In the modern age of advanced technology, where enemies can be detected from vast distances using radar waves, infrared rays, and various other methods, how to maintain the stealth of one’s weapons is a goal pursued by all nations.

The stealth aircraft was born against this backdrop.

It is a combat aircraft that employs multiple stealth technologies to reduce its signal signature, making it difficult for enemy radar to detect, identify, track, and attack. It aims to counter radar, infrared, electronic, and acoustic detection, thereby achieving a stealth effect.

The first generation of stealth aircraft emerged in the United States, represented by the F-117A “Nighthawk” stealth fighter-bomber and culminating in the renowned B-2 Spirit.

This was a type of aircraft that could change the very nature of aerial warfare.

In the 1990s, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield, deploying forty-five F-117As to a base in Saudi Arabia.

This was the world’s first large-scale use of stealth fighters in combat.

In this war, the F-117A showcased its prowess. The first wave entered Iraqi airspace, silently passed through its gates, and dropped bombs from an altitude of less than six hundred meters, precisely destroying a large number of key Iraqi facilities such as radars, anti-aircraft guns, and surface-to-air missile sites.

This war showed everyone a new way of fighting modern warfare.

At the same time, it served as a wake-up call for all countries around the world, including China, which had once fought the United States to a standstill on the Korean peninsula with little more than rifles and sheer will.

Everyone began to reflect: if they were in Iraq’s shoes, could they have withstood the assault or even won?

But no matter how they calculated it, the result always pointed to one conclusion: victory would be impossible.

Even with greater strategic depth, a larger population, and a stronger will, these factors could hardly form an effective resistance in the face of this new era of warfare.

This conflict awakened and alarmed all the spectators worldwide.

From then on, the development of modern weaponry and stealth aircraft officially entered the focus of all nations.

After learning some information from Fan Pingbo and Qin Anguo, Xu Chuan finally realized the immense importance of the radiant energy absorption and conversion technology he had developed from his research on the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy.”

Currently, even the most advanced stealth coating materials of various countries account for less than twenty percent of a fighter jet’s overall stealth effectiveness.

But the Radiation Bandgap’s absorption rate of beta and gamma rays exceeded forty percent. If this could be adapted to absorb electromagnetic waves, the stealth coating material produced with this new technology could rightfully be called a “super-stealth material.”

If this “super-stealth coating material” were applied to a fighter jet, the aircraft’s stealth capabilities would, if not double, be significantly enhanced compared to before.

Although a jet’s stealth performance doesn’t solely depend on the coating—factors like airframe design, surface wrinkles, external protrusions, and seams also play a part—it would at least be possible to catch up with or surpass the United States’ F-35 without much trouble.

After all, among the various factors contributing to a stealth fighter’s effectiveness, the coating material is the most difficult to innovate. The stealth coating is also the first line of defense against enemy radar scans, and its importance is self-evident.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan said, “Theoretically, applying the Radiation Bandgap technology to the absorption of conventional electromagnetic waves should be feasible. It might just require finding the most suitable material that can both maximize the absorption of electromagnetic radiation and meet the performance requirements of a fighter jet.”

“I recall that fighter jets fly at incredibly high speeds, and the resulting high temperatures and other issues would need to be addressed.”

Hearing this, Academician Fan Pingbo from the Aviation Research Institute nodded. “Correct. At high altitudes, fighter jets fly very fast, generating significant heat from air friction. For supersonic fighters, like the Mach 3 MiG-25, the stagnation point temperature on the aircraft’s surface can exceed 500°C at maximum speed.”

“It’s not just high temperatures, but also extreme cold.”

“The service ceiling of mainstream fighter jets is around twenty thousand meters. At that altitude, the ambient air temperature is about minus 55 degrees Celsius. In such an environment, the effect of ultra-low temperatures on the stealth coating must also be taken into account.”

“In addition, we must consider friction from fine airborne particles like dust and condensation nuclei during low-altitude flight, as well as the viscous effects of airflow.”

After a pause, Academician Fan Pingbo smiled and continued, “Of course, these are all things for aerospace to consider. Professor Xu, you don’t need to worry about them.”

“We came today primarily to confirm whether this technology can be applied to the absorption of conventional electromagnetic waves. Only if it can, will we need to consider the subsequent issues.”

Xu Chuan nodded and confirmed again, “Theoretically, it should be feasible. But as for the coating material itself, I can’t offer too much advice.”

“However, from my own perspective, I can suggest two or three potentially suitable materials.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Pingbo immediately sat up straight and said solemnly, “Please, go on.”

Beside him, Qin Anguo had already taken out a notebook from his bag, ready to record his words.

Xu Chuan cleared his throat and began, “Theoretically, graphene is a very suitable material. Based on its properties, it can absorb electromagnetic waves with quite high efficiency. If it could be used to create a Radiation Bandgap graphene, I believe its absorption rate of traditional electromagnetic waves could be taken to an even higher level.”

“Unlike traditional magnetic loss materials, this material has a high absorption efficiency for infrared rays. In the 20-30 degree Celsius temperature range, graphene itself can achieve an absorption rate of over 80% for infrared radiation in the 14-16μm wavelength, which can greatly enhance a fighter’s stealth performance.”

“And considering the massive amount of heat generated by a fighter jet’s high-speed flight, graphene also has excellent heat dissipation properties, which can further improve concealment from infrared detection.”

“Furthermore, when facing the ultra-low temperatures of below minus fifty degrees Celsius at an altitude of twenty thousand meters, graphene can maintain a stable form.”

For the entire day, Xu Chuan was in the living room with Qin Anguo and the others, discussing the “Radiation Bandgap” technology.

The conversation covered not only the types of materials suitable for stealth coatings but also some key aspects of preparing Radiation Bandgap materials and other related topics.

Unlike some scholars, Xu Chuan did not mind his knowledge being applied to military purposes.

As a great man once said, not having a sword and having one but choosing not to use it are two different things.

Military strength, no matter the era, is the most fundamental condition for ensuring one’s own security.

After about two days of discussions at the villa, Qin Anguo and the other experts took their leave. Xu Chuan’s life returned to its normal routine.

The analysis of the sterile neutrino was complete. The next step, naturally, was to contact CERN and make it public.

Opening his computer, Xu Chuan skillfully found the email addresses for CERN, Witten, and others, and sent them the results of his analysis.

He couldn’t travel to the European Nuclear Research Center in person right now, so he couldn’t hold a press conference there. For the time being, this was the only way to handle it.

After sending the email, Xu Chuan leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window.

After his efforts in the latter half of last year, the research and development for both the nuclear energy project and the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had reached a temporary standstill.

The former required the completion of the research institute in Qidong before it could proceed. The custom-built linear particle accelerator was still in expedited production. Without the experimental site and equipment, the next cycle of work could not begin.

Of course, tests on the Radiation Bandgap material were still ongoing. Once the tests were finished, which would be around March, the research institute would also be ready, and work could naturally continue.

As for the latter, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was currently applying for patents in various countries and researching other lithium battery technologies like lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries.

After all, with the lithium dendrite problem solved, it wasn’t just lithium-ion batteries that could see a rapid breakthrough; lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries could also see a glimmer of hope.

The latter two both hinge on the resolution of the lithium dendrite issue.

If possible, Xu Chuan hoped to grasp the development of the battery industry in his own hands. It was an enormous market, and there was still a lot of cake yet to be claimed.

As long as he captured the lithium battery market, he wouldn’t have to worry about his future research funding, at least not in the short term.

And for both nuclear energy…

After some thought, Xu Chuan sat up straight, used his computer to connect to Nanjing University’s academic affairs system, and submitted his name on the course scheduling application.

It seemed he wouldn’t have much to do for the next month or so. In that case, it was time for him to pick up his primary job as a professor at Nanjing University.

That’s right. From the very beginning, his most fundamental job after returning to China was that of a mathematics professor at Nanjing University, a post from which he had yet to teach a single class.

The Nuclear Energy Research Project, the lithium battery project, and everything else were all extra work outside of his main duties.

Thinking about it this way, he really felt he hadn’t earned the salary Nanjing University was paying him.

Currently, his salary consisted of two parts. One was the stipend issued by the state before his return, a special stipend of twelve million five hundred thousand per year, tax-free and paid directly.

The other part was his salary as a professor at Nanjing University, which was three million per year after taxes. However, after he won the Nobel Prize, this salary had doubled to six million.

These two parts were his base salary, on top of which there were various benefits and subsidies.

As the first scholar in history to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, this salary, excluding the state subsidies, wasn’t actually that high.

However, Xu Chuan didn’t really care about these things. He both lacked money and didn’t lack money. The lack of money referred to funding for certain future research projects; for example, Chuanhai Materials Laboratory’s subsequent R&D on lithium batteries basically involved throwing money at it in units of tens of millions.

Nanjing University, Academic Affairs Office.

A young teacher was sitting in the office arranging courses. Although the semester had already started and all the professors had submitted their course plans, life was full of surprises, and some courses needed temporary adjustments. The Academic Affairs Office had teachers or assistants specifically responsible for these matters.

“Holy shit! Am I seeing things?”

While arranging the schedule, the young teacher suddenly exclaimed. In the quiet office, several colleagues immediately cast curious glances his way.

Rubbing his eyes, the young teacher in charge of scheduling looked at the screen again. Only after confirming that he hadn’t been mistaken did he look up with an incredulous expression. “Guess whose name I just saw on the academic affairs system!”

“Xu Chuan!”

“God Chuan actually submitted a course application!”

As soon as he said this, a commotion erupted in the office.

“Are you sure?”

“Xiao Xu, you must have seen it wrong. God Chuan is so busy, how could he possibly have time to teach?”

“You must be mistaken. God Chuan didn’t teach a single class in the latter half of last year. It’s only the beginning of the year, how could the old man have time to teach a course?”

The others in the office began to discuss it animatedly.

In this office, or rather, in all of Nanjing University, who hadn’t heard the name Xu Chuan?

At first, many students, teachers, and professors at Nanjing University, and even people from other institutions, had been looking forward to this god-tier master’s class. After all, he was the first-ever dual winner of the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal.

But with great expectations came great disappointment.

After this master returned to China, although he held a professorship at Nanjing University, not a single class had been taught in the past six months.

Gradually, everyone stopped expecting this big shot to give a lecture.

Of course, most people could understand. After all, for a leading figure of his stature, he surely had more important things to attend to.

No one had expected that at the beginning of 2019, this master would actually submit a course schedule.

It was simply unbelievable.

For the Academic Affairs Office, Xu Chuan’s teaching schedule was a major event, especially since this was the master’s first-ever lecture.

Out of disbelief, the Academic Affairs Office even made a special phone call to him to ask if it was real, which left Xu Chuan, who received the call, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

After confirming that the course was indeed real, the staff at the Academic Affairs Office quickly made the arrangements and reported the matter to the university leadership.

At noon that day, the news was updated on the campus website. Soon after, a student who was paying attention to the course schedule immediately took a screenshot and posted it on the campus’s Stone Forum.

[Holy shit, I was just checking the course schedule, and you’ll never guess whose name I saw!!!!]

[Who?]

[Xu Chuan! God Chuan! The latest course schedule published by the Academic Affairs Office actually has a course by God Chuan!]

[Stop kidding, it must be someone with the same name. That master didn’t teach a single class all last year.]

[No, I just checked with a teacher in the Academic Affairs Office. It’s real!]

[Holy shit?]

[Holy shit!]

[For real? God Chuan is teaching a class? When, where, what day, what class?]

[The day after tomorrow, Thursday, Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry, a one-hour class at 2 PM in a public classroom in the West Building.]

[Roger that!]

[Hiss~, God Chuan’s first class. Cannot be missed! Where do I sign up?]

[I don’t think you need to sign up. It’s like a public lecture by any other professor?]

[No sign-up? Won’t it be an absolute madhouse? Looks like I’ll have to go early the day after tomorrow to grab a seat.]

Chapter 262: The Investigation from the United States

Two days later, news that Xu Chuan would be giving a public mathematics lecture at Nanjing University spread rapidly throughout the campus.

It became the hottest topic of discussion on the Nanjing University campus, on the Stone Forum, and on various apps like QQ and WeChat.

It wasn’t just the students of Nanjing University who were discussing it; even the university’s lecturers and professors were preparing for it. Some students from other institutions in Nanjing who heard the news were even planning to take the subway over to attend the lecture.

An opportunity like this was a first in the country and was not to be missed.

Although the course submitted on Nanjing University’s official website was just the basic “Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry”—an undergraduate course—hearing it from a winner of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal would surely offer unique insights.

Besides, since it was a lecture, it would be perfectly normal for attendees to ask the lecturer questions to clear up their own doubts.

For a mathematics student, a Fields Medalist was essentially a god in the field of mathematics.

Of course, besides the mathematics students, Xu Chuan’s lecture also attracted the interest of many students and advisors from the School of Physics and the Department of Astronomy.

This master had won the Nobel Prize in Physics through computational astronomy. Nanjing University had already begun offering this course two years ago, and in the latter half of last year, it was designated a required course for students in the Department of Astronomy.

Although the amount of material wasn’t extensive, a required course and a minor were two entirely different concepts.

And when it came to computational astronomy, this master who was about to lecture could be called the founding father of the discipline.

Betelgeuse remains a key object of observation in the field of astronomy. The astronomical community has now confirmed that there is a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope and is currently observing and studying it.

After all, Betelgeuse is simply too close to the Solar System. While the originally confirmed supernova explosion posed no threat to Earth, the appearance of a companion star has now reintroduced uncertainty.

If this wasn’t clarified, it would likely become a constant source of anxiety for many people.

In his villa, after arranging his teaching schedule, Xu Chuan found a manuscript on analytic functions in his study and began to read.

He had brought this manuscript back from Princeton. It was a gift from Deligne and was something left behind by his academic grandfather, Grothendieck.

Although he had read it several times during his time at Princeton, its contents were still worth revisiting.

Since the Fields Medal in August of last year, he hadn’t spent much time studying, researching, or thinking about mathematics.

Now that the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project had reached a temporary conclusion, he could spare some energy to return to mathematics.

Despite having already won the Fields Medal, Xu Chuan didn’t believe he had reached the pinnacle of mathematics.

The more one delved into this profound discipline, the more one appreciated its depth and the more one needed to learn.

What’s more, he had the goal of conquering controlled nuclear fusion in the distant future. A critical step in this technology was to establish a mathematical model to control the ultra-high temperature plasma within the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Without a doubt, solving this problem had to start with mathematics.

And the corresponding direction would likely fall upon the NS equations.

Before returning to his home country, he had collaborated with Fefferman, the head of Princeton’s Department of Mathematics, to study the NS equations. The two of them had made some preliminary explorations of the NS equations from different perspectives.

If he were still at Princeton, their continued collaboration might have led to a solution to this difficult problem, or at least a deeper level of research.

But now, he could only try to figure it out on his own.

However, Xu Chuan had no regrets. Being able to return safely from the United States was the greatest fortune of all.

In the deep winter of January, Xu Chuan leaned back in a wicker chair, flipping through the manuscript in his hands. An orange-hued heater emanated a gentle warmth, dispelling the cold in the room.

On the desk, his phone’s ringtone sounded.

Xu Chuan was startled awake. He fumbled for his phone and glanced at the screen. The call was from Liu Gaojun, the principal of Nanjing University.

“Hello, Principal. Is there something I can help you with?” He swiped his finger lightly across the screen, answered the call, and asked with a smile.

“It’s about the course you submitted yesterday. It’s drawn a lot of attention both on and off campus. Many students and professors have expressed their hope that we can choose a larger venue for the lecture, so they don’t have to worry about not getting a seat.”

On the other end of the line, Liu Gaojun got straight to the point. “So we were thinking of changing your lecture venue from Public Classroom 1 in the West Building to our main auditorium.”

Xu Chuan was taken aback. “Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration, Principal? The public classroom in the West Building is already quite large. It can seat three or four hundred people.”

Liu Gaojun laughed. “You underestimate your own influence. Here at Nanjing University, all the students from the Department of Mathematics have said they’ll attend, and many students from the School of Physics and the School of Astronomy will be there too. We even have students from Hohai, Southeast, and NUST planning to come over. The public classroom in the West Building definitely won’t be enough.”

Xu Chuan cleared his throat and said, “Let’s forget about moving it to the main auditorium. After all, this is a lecture, not some kind of report or speech.”

“Besides, it’s just a math class. Why are students from the School of Physics and the School of Astronomy coming? That’s too much.”

Liu Gaojun thought for a moment and said, “How about this? We’ll change the classroom to Public Classroom 1 in the Run Run Shaw Building. A lot of students want to hear you lecture, and we can’t just leave them without a place to sit, can we?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Alright, that’s a small matter.”

“Then it’s settled. I won’t keep you any longer,” Liu Gaojun said cheerfully before hanging up.

Xu Chuan shook his head and placed his phone back on the desk.

Just as he was about to resume reading, the phone rang again. This time, the call was from his advisor at Princeton, Deligne.

“Sir Atiyah has passed away. The funeral is in a week. Can you attend?”

The moment the call connected, Professor Deligne dropped a bombshell.

Xu Chuan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Sir Atiyah, a mathematician from Great Britain, a Fields Medalist, former President of the Royal Society of Great Britain, and hailed as one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century.

He had established a collaboration with Isadore Singer, and together they proved the Atiyah-Singer index theorem, one of the most important mathematical achievements of the twentieth century.

In addition, he had made numerous outstanding contributions in fields such as topology, differential equations, mathematical physics, and algebra.

In 2018, just last September, Sir Atiyah had announced that he had proven the Riemann Hypothesis, subsequently posting a preprint of his proof of the Riemann Hypothesis (conjecture).

At the time, Xu Chuan had received review invitations from several journals, including New Progress in Mathematics and the Journal of the Mathematical Society, hoping he would review Sir Atiyah’s paper or offer his opinion.

Although the mathematical community at the time was not very optimistic about Sir Atiyah’s proof, he was, after all, a Fields Medalist, and some top journals would selectively place their bets; of course, some were just joining in on the excitement.

However, he was busy at the time, and because of his rebirth, he knew that Sir Atiyah’s proof of the Riemann Hypothesis was flawed, so he declined all the review invitations.

The ones who handled the paper were Professor Peter Scholze, who had received the Fields Medal alongside him in August, and another mathematician from Japan.

In December, the two publicly revealed the errors in Sir Atiyah’s paper, such as contradictions in the limiting conditions when using the zeta function, the imprecision of the fine-structure constant alpha, and so on.

This announcement stated directly that the proof had not succeeded.

In fact, this was not the first time Sir Atiyah had publicly claimed to have proven a major problem or conjecture.

Prior to this, Sir Atiyah had several times publicly presented his proofs in fields like mathematical physics and differential equations, but unfortunately, these proofs were all later confirmed to be unsuccessful.

This had left a “blemish” on the great scholar in the minds of some, who felt that his reputation had already been tarnished in his later years.

But for Xu Chuan, Sir Atiyah was still worthy of everyone’s respect.

Regardless, to be engaged in mathematical research at the advanced age of eighty-nine was a remarkable feat.

It was just like how Albert Einstein had repeatedly declared in his later years that he had found a way to unify the four fundamental forces—it was the pursuit of dreams and science by a great scholar.

This point alone deserved everyone’s respect.

After abruptly hearing the news of Sir Atiyah’s passing, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. Memories rapidly churned in his mind. After a long pause, he sighed.

Judging from the memories of his past life, Sir Atiyah had indeed passed away in early 2019.

Shaking his head, he sighed, “My condolences. I probably won’t be able to go abroad for Sir Atiyah’s funeral. Advisor, could you please take a bouquet of flowers for me?”

Deligne nodded and said, “Yes, I will.”

After a pause, he continued, “Are you researching something sensitive lately? People from the CIA came to Princeton some time ago, investigating things related to you.”

Xu Chuan opened his mouth, hesitated, then asked, “I hope it didn’t cause any trouble for everyone?”

Deligne shook his head. “Not at all. Princeton still has some say, so we weren’t affected. But I am rather worried about you.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. You don’t have to worry about me. As long as I don’t leave the country, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“As for what I’m researching…” He paused, then continued, “For now, I can only tell you that it’s related to nuclear energy and power.”

“Anything more specific, I can’t disclose for now due to confidentiality agreements. But it might be made public very soon. You’ll know then.”

Xu Chuan couldn’t say much about his research. Although he trusted his advisor, the best way to maintain secrecy was to say nothing at all.

Deligne said, “I’ll keep an eye out. But I still advise you not to get too involved in things related to politics. For a scholar, that’s a very demoralizing business.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I will keep that in mind.”

“By the way, Advisor, do you have any manuscripts or materials related to the NS equations?” he asked, changing the topic from nuclear energy.

“The NS equations?” Deligne pondered for a moment, then said, “My teacher left behind some materials on nonlinear partial differential equations and the Euler equations. It’s all his old research. If you need it, I can take photos and send them to you.”

“But for things related to the NS equations, your best bet is to ask Fefferman. Ever since you two worked on it together in the second half of last year, he has been continuously researching this area.”

Xu Chuan said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Advisor. I’ll give Fefferman a call.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan got up and looked out the window.

In the deep winter of January, the trees and grass in the courtyard were withered and yellow.

Sir Atiyah’s passing left a heavy feeling in his heart.

Although he didn’t want to dwell on it, he knew that as time went on, some of the older friends he knew who were still alive would also pass away in the not-too-distant future.

Time is long. It can take everything away, and it can heal everything.

Gazing at the scenery outside the window, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh and turned to leave the study.

He probably wouldn’t be able to focus on his books this afternoon. It was better to go out for a walk.

Chapter 263: The First Lecture Back Home

As night fell, a cool breeze drifted in.

Across from the West Coast, in the White House, a certain president with a very cool hairstyle was staring with sharp, hawk-like eyes at the CIA Director before him.

“Useless! After investigating for so long, deploying so many resources, and spending so much money, you’ve found nothing!”

“To this day, besides knowing that they’ve initiated a nuclear energy project, you know none of the details. Useless, you’re all useless!”

The CIA Director explained with an innocent look, “You can’t blame us for this.”

“In the past few years, many of the moles we planted in that country were cleaned out. The ones we’ve redeployed since then obviously can’t get close to those core secrets yet.”

“However, we can now be certain that Professor Xu played a very crucial role in this nuclear project. Or rather, he was the one who guided this project.”

“In addition, our investigation has also revealed that this Professor Xu is conducting research on lithium batteries. He acquired a Materials Research Institute and has applied for a patent for an artificial SEI film in every country where international patents are protected.”

“And this patent is for solving the lithium dendrite problem in lithium batteries.”

“Of course, there are many patents of this type in every country. We don’t know yet whether this particular patent can actually solve the lithium dendrite problem.”

Hearing this, the president sitting opposite him asked, “What is the probability that it can solve it?”

As a politician who started out as a businessman, he had some understanding of lithium batteries. Although it wasn’t much and he was no expert, his long history of investing in various businesses had taught him that the biggest hurdle for lithium batteries was the lithium dendrite problem.

If this problem could be solved, the future of lithium batteries would be incredibly vast.

The CIA Director shrugged. “It’s difficult to tell if they’ve already solved the lithium dendrite problem based on a single patent application. It’s hard to be certain until they make an announcement or we get our hands on a sample.”

“Based on our investigation, the probability is not high—less than one percent, even. The laboratory that Professor Xu acquired only has funding of just over ten million yuan, which is about two million US dollars.”

“A lab of this level would typically have only about ten researchers and survive on some patents. To want to solve the lithium dendrite problem is, you could say, almost impossible.”

“You have to understand, every year, there are over a hundred, even a thousand, companies or research institutes and labs around the world studying the lithium dendrite problem. That includes our own Albert Electric, which invests hundreds of millions of US dollars annually, but has yet to make any significant progress.”

The blond-haired president pondered for a moment and relaxed slightly. “So you’re saying it’s basically impossible?”

The CIA Director nodded. “From the data we’ve gathered, that does seem to be the case.”

Nodding, the president with the ultra-cool hairstyle continued, “Step up the investigation. I want to know what exactly that country’s nuclear experiment is researching!”

“Also, have the media run stories saying they are violating international treaties and researching the proliferation of nuclear weapons. At the same time, have the diplomatic side follow up…”

Xu Chuan, who had already drifted off to dreamland, was naturally unaware of the arrangements being made on the Atlantic coast or the confrontation between the two major powers.

The night was quiet. After waking up, he made a cup of coffee and placed a textbook, Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry, on his desk.

This was the material he would be teaching in class this afternoon. Although he was more than familiar with algebraic geometry, as a teacher, it was never wrong to prepare for a lesson beforehand.

It wouldn’t take him much time. For a fundamental book like this, a simple flip-through was sufficient.

Besides, reviewing the old to learn the new was important. In mathematics, the more fundamental the knowledge, the more crucial it was.

The morning passed quickly. After ordering takeout for a simple lunch, Xu Chuan took his textbook and went to Nanjing University.

The class location had been changed from the West Building to Public Classroom No. 1 in the Run Run Shaw Building. This was the largest public classroom on Nanjing University’s Xianlin Campus, capable of holding over five hundred people.

Most of the time, it was never full.

But today, not only was there not an empty seat in Public Classroom No. 1, but the stepped aisles of the classroom were also filled with people sitting on the floor.

The entire classroom was packed to the brim, and there were even many students standing in the corridor outside.

Although not everyone here had taken algebraic geometry, and many weren’t even math majors, a lot of students who hadn’t even registered for the course had come with their backpacks to sit here.

This was a legend.

From the IMO and IPhO competitions, that person had been constantly breaking world records and creating new history.

Now that he was standing here as a professor, everyone was curious about what kind of math class he would bring them.

Of course, before the class officially started, everyone was discussing whether Xu Chuan would actually show up.

“Do you think God Chuan will really come to teach us?”

“It should be true, right? Nanjing University confirmed it on their official website, after all.”

“But he’s a Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winner. Would he really come to teach undergraduates? Maybe he’s just lending his name, and his student will be the one teaching?”

“No way, that would be tricking everyone, wouldn’t it? God Chuan wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Who knows.”

“No! The lecturer will definitely be God Chuan. I have faith.”

“Let’s make a bet. I bet fifty cents that God Chuan will come!”

“I’ll bet a tea egg!”

“I’ll bet a commemorative edition of Iori Furukawa!”

When Xu Chuan arrived at Public Classroom No. 1 in the Run Run Shaw Building, even though he had experienced many big scenes, he was still taken aback by the sight before him.

In the vast public classroom, there was a sea of people. The dense crowd of students, and even lecturers and professors, were squeezed together, just like the subway in the island nation during the morning rush hour.

If the air circulation wasn’t on, Xu Chuan even suspected if there would be enough air in the room for so many people.

Seeing him appear in the classroom, the crowd instantly erupted into a commotion.

“He’s here, he’s here! God Chuan is really here!”

“A one-hour high-speed rail ride and a two-hour bus ride! To be able to see God Chuan in person, it was worth it, totally worth it!”

“God Chuan is awesome! He actually came to teach us.”

“To be able to attend a lecture by a Nobel and Fields Medal master, this is worth it for a lifetime!”

“Waaaah, I’m so jealous of the Nanjing University students. They’ll get to listen to him often in the future.”

In the classroom, with Xu Chuan’s appearance, the crowd immediately burst into cheers and excitement.

Many students immediately raised their phones and started snapping pictures, some even forgetting to turn off the flash.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I know everyone is quite interested in me, but I didn’t expect so many people to come today. I even see the Dean of our School of Mathematical Sciences sitting in the crowd.”

Shrugging, he continued, “Perhaps it’s because I haven’t taught in a long time, so the school leaders have come to supervise my very first class. After all, having been a professor since the second half of last year and only just now holding my first class is indeed a bit of a dereliction of duty.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on a corner of the lecture hall where Zhou Hai, Chang Ming, Dean Rong Zhizhuan, and other Nanjing University professors and leaders were gathered.

Noticing Xu Chuan’s gaze, the group smiled and nodded in greeting.

After lightening the mood with his joke, Xu Chuan continued, “Today’s lesson will be based on the textbook Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry.”

“Since the students here today range from undergraduates to graduate students, the content will focus on the fundamentals. Some of you might be wondering why I’m teaching such a basic course.”

“As for that question, if you listen carefully in the class to follow, I think you will find some answers.”

“Alright, let’s begin the class. I trust everyone has already prepared yesterday, so now, please open your Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry textbooks. We will start with systems of linear equations.”

“A system of linear equations is a set of equations where each equation is a first-degree equation in terms of the unknown variables (for example, a system of two linear equations with two variables). Our country’s research on systems of linear equations predates the rest of the world by at least 1,500 years. In the ‘Equations’ chapter of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art from the early A.D. era, there is research on systems of linear equations. Students who are interested can go and have a look.”

“Systems of linear equations have wide applications. The well-known linear programming problem discusses systems of linear equations with certain constraints on the solutions, and it has extensive applications in geometry, algebra, and other fields…”

The ten-plus years he had spent as a professor at Princeton in his past life were not for nothing.

When it came to teaching, Xu Chuan had his own method.

For a diverse audience of undergraduates, graduate students, and even doctoral students in a public lecture, he would start from the simple and move to the complex, but he would stop at just the right point, not delving too deeply. He maintained the final depth at a level where undergraduates had a hazy understanding, while graduate and doctoral students were inspired to think for themselves. This was his grasp of imparting knowledge.

The one-hour public lecture passed quickly. Xu Chuan finished his explanation, glanced at the students who were still furiously writing in the classroom, and put down the chalk in his hand.

“That’s all for today’s class.”

For today’s class, Nanjing University had specially set up two projectors in this public classroom to allow students in the back rows to see the blackboard and the lecture content more clearly.

Hearing his voice, the students in the classroom, especially the undergraduates, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although university professors were pretty much the same—they flipped through books faster than they changed their moods—this was the first time they had ever encountered one who went through nearly a third of a textbook in a single class.

From systems of linear equations to the determinants and inverse matrices of square matrices, then to matrices and their elementary transformations, geometric spaces, n-dimensional vectors, and linear equations…

After one class, these undergraduates felt like their minds were stuffed with knowledge.

But what they found even more miraculous was that even though the man on the stage had taught so much content, they didn’t feel dizzy or overwhelmed.

Although many started to fall behind in the middle and latter parts of the lecture, sometimes a single sentence from Xu Chuan would bring them a moment of sudden clarity, as if they realized a concept connected back to something mentioned earlier.

It was like reading a novel. When the author plants a seed of foreshadowing, the reader doesn’t notice it at first. But when it’s connected chapters later, everyone has a moment of realization: ah, so that was mentioned long ago.

“No wonder God Chuan said before the class why he was going to teach these fundamental things,” a doctoral student in the lecture hall couldn’t help but sigh as he put down his pen after taking his last note.

“I finished Linear Algebra and Spatial Analytic Geometry a long time ago and always thought I had learned it pretty well. I didn’t realize until I attended this class today that there was still so much I hadn’t learned.”

“Including some practical techniques that I had never learned or even thought of before.”

His friend next to him nodded in agreement. “Compared to God Chuan, the professor who taught us algebraic geometry before was so far behind. There’s really no comparison.”

The doctoral student smiled and said, “How can you compare them? One is a Fields Medal and Nobel Prize winner, and the other is just an ordinary university professor.”

His friend shook his head. “No, that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about the attitude, the skill, and other things in his teaching. You know what I mean.”

The doctoral student nodded in agreement and said no more.

He had also been an undergraduate, and in the current environment, many professors at universities were perfunctory when teaching, and many even had their assistants or students teach for them.

Most students who had reached the doctoral stage had experienced this phenomenon.

But the feeling Xu Chuan gave them was completely different.

Of course, this might have something to do with it being the first class, but regardless, he had been greatly inspired here today.

Those techniques, experiences, methods, and the application and association of knowledge points were things that couldn’t be learned from textbooks, or even from other professors.

For these students who had already reached the doctoral stage, they knew very well that these were the most important things.

Chapter 264: For You, It’s Still Too Early

He glanced at the clock hanging on the blackboard. There were still a few minutes left before the public lecture ended.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then said, “There’s still a little time before class ends. If any students have questions about anything they didn’t understand from the lecture, you can ask them now.”

At his words, many of the students below looked eager to try, but then hesitated when they saw that no one around them was reacting.

Of course, there were certainly people who knew how to seize an opportunity. Having a master who had won both a Nobel and a Fields Medal personally answer their questions was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Xu Chuan gestured for a student to ask a question. The chosen student stood up as if by reflex.

“Pro… Professor.” The student who was called on didn’t seem to expect to be so lucky. Now that he was standing, hundreds of people in the hall were looking at him, and he immediately started to stammer.

Xu Chuan smiled and remained silent, quietly waiting for the student to compose himself.

After several deep breaths, the lucky student finally relaxed a bit and continued, “Th-that is, I remember you mentioned in class understanding the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a square matrix from the perspective of algebraic geometry. I’d like to ask about that.”

“That’s a very interesting question.”

Xu Chuan smiled, picked up a piece of chalk from the desk again, and turned to write on the blackboard behind him. “From an algebraic perspective, the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a square matrix are defined as follows:”

“Let A be an n-th order matrix. If there exists a number λ and an n-dimensional non-zero column vector x→ such that the following equation holds: Ax→ = λx→, then λ is called an eigenvalue of the matrix, and the non-zero column vector x→ is called the eigenvector of the matrix corresponding to the eigenvalue λ.”

“From a geometric perspective, understanding the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a square matrix involves seeing the matrix as a transformation of the coordinate system. For example, Ax→ = λx→ means that after the coordinate system transformation, the eigenvector is scaled by a factor of λ, while the line of its direction remains unchanged, pointing in either the same or the opposite direction.”

“In this case, an eigenvector can be understood as a vector whose directional line remains invariant under the coordinate system transformation, but it is stretched by a factor of λ. This is a magnification of its length.”

“Additionally, it is important to note that eigenvectors and eigenvalues have a corresponding relationship. One eigenvector corresponds to one eigenvalue.”

“When solving for the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a matrix, you generally find the eigenvalues first, then substitute them into the equation Ax→ = λx→ to find the eigenvectors.”

At the blackboard, Xu Chuan wrote the last stroke, then turned back to the student who was still standing and asked with a smile, “Do you understand now?”

The student who asked the question nodded vigorously, his voice filled with excitement. “I get it! Thank you, Professor.”

Xu Chuan smiled and continued to select students to answer their questions.

With the first student having broken the ice, some of the previously hesitant students mustered their courage and raised their hands. But with hundreds of hands now raised in the lecture hall, the probability of being chosen was incredibly small.

After answering a few more questions, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Last question. You, the student with the glasses. What’s your question?”

“Professor, can you talk about how you solved the Hodge Conjecture?”

The student with glasses stood up and asked excitedly. He didn’t ask about the lecture content but posed a question on a different topic.

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected a student to ask something like this, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t answer.

Smiling, he spoke with a hint of nostalgia, “The inspiration for solving the Hodge Conjecture came from Professor Mirzakhani. She once left me a manuscript, and by studying it, I unexpectedly came across some methods for solving the Hodge Conjecture.”

“As for the specific process…”

After a pause, Xu Chuan continued with a smile, “That’s not something that can be explained in one or two sentences. Besides, for you right now, it’s still too early to talk about these things.”

“With your current foundation, the vast majority of you probably can’t even fully grasp the true meaning of the Hodge Conjecture. As for my proof paper, that’s even more out of the question. Even if I were to explain the report here today, I’m afraid more than ninety-nine percent of you wouldn’t understand it.”

“For a conjecture like this, which is considered at the pinnacle of the current mathematical world, I suggest you take it one step at a time. First, build a solid foundation, try to push your own boundaries, and then work step by step towards your goals and ideals.”

“As for now, it’s still a bit early for you.”

Xu Chuan didn’t elaborate on how he had solved the Hodge Conjecture. As he said, it wasn’t out of disdain or looking down on them, but for the students in this classroom, it was truly too early to discuss such things.

Not everyone was a genius like Terence Tao or Scholze, capable of achieving great things in mathematics during their undergraduate or graduate studies.

Just as he finished speaking, someone else called out, “In that case, Professor, could you tell us what you’ve been researching since returning to the country? Physics, mathematics, or astronomy? I think many people are very interested in your research direction, and we’re quite curious as well.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said with a smile, “The NS equations and particle physics. I’ve mainly been researching these things lately.”

He didn’t reveal his true research in this class, just giving a casual answer to brush off the question. Some things could be announced after completion, but they needed to be kept confidential while in progress.

Ring ring ring ring.

The bell signaling the end of class rang. Xu Chuan packed up the textbook he had brought and slipped away without even turning off the projection equipment.

There were so many students here. If he got blocked, he wouldn’t be able to get away for a while.

Since this was his first lecture, the students were all quite fervent. So, before they had a chance to react, the best plan was to make a swift exit.

Later, after he’d taught more classes and the students had gotten used to it, he wouldn’t have to worry about being mobbed.

University students were very different from die-hard celebrity fans. The former still had a sense of decorum and would feel embarrassed. As for the latter, enough said.

There had been cases of fans sneaking into their idols’ homes to steal personal clothing and belongings, or madly rushing the stage.

Strolling along, Xu Chuan made his way to Chen Zhengping’s office.

He knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said to come in. He pushed the door open and entered, surprised to find that his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, was not alone. The principal of Nanjing University, Liu Gaojun, was also there.

“Teacher, Principal,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

“Professor Xu, you’re here. Have a seat,” Principal Liu greeted him with a cheerful smile. “How was your first class at Nanjing University?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It was great. The students were very attentive and enthusiastic.”

“Hahahaha, only you have that kind of charisma,” Liu Gaojun laughed. “If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, or if you have any suggestions about teaching, feel free to bring them to me. The university will do its best to find a solution.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Of course.”

At the side, Chen Zhengping interjected, “That data analysis you emailed me two days ago, was that experimental data from the ALICE detector?”

“Yes. Before and during the Chinese New Year, I analyzed the experimental data from the ALICE detector. Thanks to your help, Advisor, I found some abnormal signals and data in it.”

“I’ve already sent it to Witten and CERN. I hope they can run a few collision experiments to see if they can verify the analysis results.”

Chen Zhengping pondered for a moment, then continued, “You think it’s an indication of sterile neutrinos?”

The moment Xu Chuan sent the data analysis and Dalitz plots to his email, he had looked them over.

Although he was amazed at the speed of his student’s research, he still seriously studied and analyzed these Dalitz plots.

From the plots, it did seem possible that a new particle existed in the data Xu Chuan had analyzed, and the probability was not small.

But it was only a possibility, and even if a particle did exist, it wasn’t necessarily a sterile neutrino.

Although his research focus had now shifted towards materials physics, he had a background in high-energy physics and condensed matter physics.

Moreover, he had never stopped his research in high-energy and particle physics, attending research and data analysis sessions at CERN every year and keeping up with the latest information in these two fields.

A sterile neutrino was not a particle in the Standard Model.

In current physical theories, the sterile neutrino is a type of dark matter. To date, the field of physics has never discovered any trace of dark matter; all theories are based on observational results such as the motion of celestial bodies, Newton’s law of universal gravitation, the gravitational lensing effect, the formation of large-scale structures in the universe, and the microwave background radiation.

For Chen Zhengping, although he believed dark matter existed, he didn’t believe that current technology could observe it.

Unless the large particle collider underwent a massive upgrade in every aspect, detecting the existence of dark matter was almost impossible with the current collision energy levels and detector observation capabilities.

Therefore, even if a new particle or some undiscovered phenomenon truly existed in the experimental data from the ALICE detector this time, Chen Zhengping did not think it was a sterile neutrino.

In the office, Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Yes, I think there’s a high probability that it’s a sterile neutrino.”

Chen Zhengping asked, “Have you considered the probability that it’s an antineutrino?”

From Xu Chuan’s analysis results, he felt it was more likely to be an unknown type of neutrino, or perhaps an antineutrino.

The so-called antineutrino is not antimatter; it is another state of the neutrino.

A neutrino’s spin is in the opposite direction of its motion, while an antineutrino’s spin is in the same direction as its motion.

Their properties of interaction with matter are different. Neutrinos are only left-handed, while antineutrinos are only right-handed.

The existence of neutrinos was hypothesized by the Austrian physicist Pauli. In 1965, physicists Cowan and Reines used the beta decay of nuclear reactor products to generate and observe antineutrinos.

So, theoretically, it was also possible for them to be produced in the large particle collider.

Xu Chuan said, “I’ve considered it, but theoretically, the probability of it being an unknown neutrino or an antineutrino is far lower than the probability of it being a sterile neutrino.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping quickly asked with interest, “How so?”

He knew his student quite well. If he didn’t have sufficient evidence, he wouldn’t make such a statement so lightly.

Since he stated that the probability of it being a sterile neutrino was higher, he must have some evidence on hand.

If it could truly be confirmed that traces of sterile neutrinos were found in the ALICE detector’s experimental data, it would be a bombshell of epic proportions for the entire field of physics, the scientific community, and even society as a whole!

After all, according to current theory, the sterile neutrino is one of the particles that make up warm dark matter.

If confirmed, the discovery of dark matter would become the most sensational news in the world of physics and even science this year.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then began, “From the Dalitz plots I created, you can clearly see the energy level trajectory of this new particle. It forms a ‘U’-shaped arc, which is completely different from all conventional particles.”

“Even the kinetic energy trajectories of neutrinos and antineutrinos on a Dalitz plot don’t look like this. So, it is highly likely a new type of particle, and its characteristics are not included in the conventional Standard Model particles.”

“Secondly, I don’t know if you noticed, Advisor, but on all the Dalitz plots, the data representing this unknown new particle is all intermittent.”

“This indicates that the experimental data observed by the ALICE detector is actually incomplete. What it was able to detect and record was only a part of the resonance state structure that this unknown particle could manifest.”

“And the sterile neutrino, theoretically, is part of the warm dark matter in the dark matter family. Theoretically, warm dark matter does not participate in the strong interaction; otherwise, the process of Primordial Nucleosynthesis would be perturbed, the abundance of light elements would change, and this would lead to inconsistencies with current observational results.”

“In the large particle collider, primordial nuclei can be ubiquitous. Under these circumstances, only when sterile neutrinos are synthesized into warm dark matter and obtain their relic abundance through the thermal decoupling mechanism can they be observed by the ALICE detector. From this point of view, it undoubtedly meets the requirements.”

“Furthermore, the weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) is one of the most widely discussed dark matter candidates. It refers to a stable particle whose mass and interaction strength are near the electroweak scale, obtaining its known relic abundance through the thermal decoupling mechanism.”

“However, the Standard Model of particle physics known to man does not contain any particle that simultaneously satisfies these properties. This means that whatever produces these properties must be a new particle from physics beyond the Standard Model.”

“From all these points, the probability that this new particle is a sterile neutrino is quite high.”

Chapter 265: A World-Shaking Discovery!

In the office, Liu Gaojun stared at Xu Chuan, completely bewildered.

He couldn’t understand a thing! Not a single word!

Even though he was an educator, the principal of a top C9 League university, and had even studied science, he genuinely had no idea what the two of them were discussing.

He only knew that it seemed to be related to CERN in Europe, and involved things like neutrinos and dark matter. Could it be that Professor Chuan had discovered a new particle? Or perhaps, had he discovered dark matter?

At the thought, Liu Gaojun’s heart skipped a beat. If that were true, it would be incredible!

Across from them, Chen Zhengping fell into deep thought after hearing Xu Chuan’s evidence.

He had to admit, after hearing all this, the unconfirmed, mysterious particle in his mind had already begun to unconsciously shift towards the sterile neutrino.

What his student was saying indeed made a lot of sense, and it was completely sound from a theoretical standpoint.

But honestly, he still found it hard to believe that this was the sterile neutrino.

What was the sterile neutrino?

According to current physical hypotheses, the sterile neutrino was a particle that constituted dark matter.

But could the detectors built with humanity’s current technology really detect traces of dark matter?

He held reservations about that.

After all, it had been some time since the LHC was upgraded in 2015, but there had never been any news of CERN finding traces of dark matter.

Regarding this question, Xu Chuan smiled and replied, “What if the sterile neutrino isn’t dark matter in the traditional sense?”

Hearing this answer, Chen Zhengping’s pupils contracted. He opened his mouth and asked, “Not dark matter in the traditional sense? What do you mean?”

“I mean it literally.”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “In my analysis and speculation, there’s a high probability that the sterile neutrino isn’t dark matter, or at least, not dark matter as currently defined by the physics community.”

“As I see it, it should be a particle released during the formation of dark matter particles.”

“Just like a conventional neutrino, which doesn’t exist within the atomic nucleus but is merely a particle with zero rest mass, no electric charge, and different from a photon, produced during the process of atomic decay.”

“And the sterile neutrino has a similar possibility. It might be an ancillary particle produced during the decay of dark matter or the Higgs field.”

“This particle, much like a neutrino, is distinct from both dark matter and conventional matter. Conventional neutrinos are difficult to observe due to their unique properties, whereas the sterile neutrino, because of that slight difference, can be observed by traditional detectors.”

“It’s precisely because of this that the Dalitz plot created from the experimental data collected by the ALICE detector is so peculiar. It doesn’t fully reveal all its information, such as its energy levels, resonance states, and kinematic variables. Instead, it’s faint and elusive.”

“This perfectly illustrates that the sterile neutrino is likely a particle that only possesses some properties of dark matter. It is a new type of particle in an intermediate state between dark matter and conventional particles.”

“In other words, it possesses some properties of both dark matter and conventional matter, which is why we’re able to observe it through the ALICE detector.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping nodded in agreement. Based on the analysis data and Dalitz plot Xu Chuan had sent him, it did indeed fit these characteristics.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Have you heard back from CERN?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s wait another two days. If there’s no news, I’ll give Professor Witten a call to ask.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

The caller ID showed the very person he had just mentioned: Professor Edward Witten.

“Hello, Xu Chuan, where are you? Would it be convenient for you to come to CERN?” The moment the call connected, Witten asked directly.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’m sorry, Advisor, I’m afraid I can’t make it over there.”

Witten didn’t hesitate. “In that case, give me an address. I’ll come find you.”

“How about this, Advisor? You can come directly to Nanjing University. I’ll wait for you here,” Xu Chuan replied after a moment’s thought.

“Alright.”

Witten nodded, then hung up without further conversation. Xu Chuan didn’t ask what it was about; for Witten to come looking for him at this time, it was certainly related to the analysis results he had sent over.

The matter was of great importance; he estimated that CERN couldn’t sit still any longer.

After hanging up, Xu Chuan turned to the principal of Nanjing University beside him and said, “Principal, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Nanjing University in a couple of days. We might need to hold a press conference here.”

Liu Gaojun beamed. “How could this be any trouble? It’s Nanjing University’s honor to host such a conference.”

Although he wasn’t entirely clear on what Xu Chuan’s latest research achievement was, he understood concepts like unknown new particles and dark matter.

A press conference involving these topics would definitely cause a massive sensation in the field of physics, and even in the scientific community as a whole.

And Nanjing University, as the host, would see its reputation soar as a result.

Any university would only wish for more conferences like this.

What Xu Chuan didn’t expect was that the day after Edward Witten’s call, he and a group from CERN had already arrived at Nanjing University.

In a reception room at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan met the visitors: Edward Witten, David Gross, Arthur B. McDonald, François Englert, and Yoichiro Nambu.

There was no need for a lengthy introduction for Edward Witten, the only person to win the Fields Medal as a physicist. As for David Gross, he was the current chairman of the CERN Council.

The others, such as Arthur B. McDonald, François Englert, and Yoichiro Nambu, were either top experts in the field of particle physics or masters of theoretical physics.

Furthermore, apart from Edward Witten, everyone who had come to attend this meeting was a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate.

Such a lineup for this discussion was unbelievably star-studded, especially for an unconfirmed analysis with a confidence level of only 3-sigma.

“Professor Chuan, long time no see.”

In the reception room, David Gross stepped forward with a warm smile, feeling a sense of wonder.

Back when Xu Chuan had followed Edward Witten to CERN to study, he had seen great potential in him, believing that the young man was destined for great achievements.

He just hadn’t expected that in a mere three or four years, the young man would already be standing at the apex of the physics world, and even the entire scientific community.

The Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Crafoord Prize—a series of honors bestowed upon a young man in his twenties was almost unimaginable.

“Mr. Chairman.” Xu Chuan smiled and greeted him. He didn’t address him as Professor Gross, but as Mr. Chairman, indicating that he was still a researcher at CERN.

As expected, upon hearing this form of address, the smile on David Gross’s face grew even brighter. “We’ve all reviewed the data analysis you sent over a few days ago. We’re here today precisely for this matter.”

Xu Chuan nodded and asked, “I was wondering if the Council will agree to restart the LHC to repeat the experiment and collect more data?”

David Gross smiled and said, “That is precisely our purpose for coming here.”

“Although you’ve listed the analysis data and the Dalitz plot in great detail in your email, CERN still has many questions. If you can answer these questions, CERN will hold a press conference in China to announce this new discovery and, at the same time, initiate subsequent collision experiments for dedicated research.”

After a pause, the CERN chairman continued, “Of course, that’s on the condition that you convince us today.”

“After all, this finding of yours is simply too significant. If it’s verified, not only will it be the first time a new particle beyond the Standard Model has been found, breaking records, but it will also be the first time the veil of dark matter has been torn open, allowing us to see the world hidden behind the chaos!”

Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “I wonder what questions CERN has regarding this data analysis and the Dalitz plot?”

David Gross glanced at the people in the reception room, his gaze falling on Chen Zhengping, who was also participating. He asked, “Professor Chen, would it be possible for your university to arrange a conference room with projection equipment?”

Chen Zhengping, who was attending the meeting as Nanjing University’s representative, nodded. “Of course, Nanjing University has already prepared one. Everyone, please follow me.”

The group stood up and followed Chen Zhengping to a conference room. David Gross opened the laptop he had brought with him and connected it to the projection equipment.

On the silvery-white screen, the data and Dalitz plot analyzed by Xu Chuan were displayed.

After turning on the projector, David Gross, the chairman of CERN, spoke with a solemn expression, “We will now begin the European Nuclear Research Center—2018 ALICE Detector 13 TeV Energy Level Collision Experiment—Sterile Neutrino Report Conference.”

“The presenter for this conference is the Chinese scholar, Professor Xu Chuan.”

“This conference presentation will take a special format. The attendees are representative members of the CERN Council: David Gross, Edward Witten, Arthur B. McDonald, and François Englert. The aforementioned representatives will have full authority on behalf of the CERN Council to decide on the discovery presented in this conference and make decisions regarding subsequent research.”

At first, Xu Chuan had thought this was just a regular meeting. It wasn’t until David Gross started speaking that he realized how formal this “discussion” was.

Alright, this probably couldn’t be called a discussion anymore; it was a conference presentation.

He was the presenter, and the audience consisted of fewer than ten people. It could be said to be the world’s smallest, yet most prestigious, conference presentation.

After briefly outlining the procedure for this small-scale conference, David Gross looked at Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan nodded and stood up, walking to the front by the projection screen.

Looking at the few people seated in the conference room, he took a deep breath and began in a steady voice, “It is an honor to be standing here today to give this presentation.”

“At the end of 2018, I happened to learn that the LHC had conducted a 13 TeV energy level collision experiment to simulate the conditions of the Big Bang. Being quite interested, I contacted CERN to request a copy of the raw data from the collision experiment for analysis, hoping to find something new or a new phenomenon.”

“I would like to thank CERN and my alma mater, Nanjing University, for their support. It is because of their help that this discovery was made possible.”

After briefly introducing the background of the discovery and giving the customary thanks to CERN and his alma mater, Xu Chuan knew that the masters in the audience weren’t interested in these formalities, so he quickly got to the main point.

As he spoke, he clicked the laser pointer in his hand. The first page of the projection screen turned, revealing the main text.

“While analyzing this collision data, I inadvertently discovered a quantum drop signal in the 120μm (rφ direction) beam z-observation data for antihelium-3 nuclei from the ALICE detector’s inner tracking system.”

“At first, I thought it was just an ordinary quantum fluctuation or background noise, but as I continued my analysis, I found the same phenomenon in another set of data.”

“Thus, by searching and checking with a data model, I confirmed the appearance of a currently unknown phenomenon in the physics world within the 120μm (rφ direction) beam z-observation data for antihelium-3 nuclei from the inner tracking system.”

Not wanting to waste much time on things already in the report, Xu Chuan knew what the experts in the audience really wanted and so he moved quickly through the presentation.

“My presentation is complete. If you have any questions, you may ask them now. I will do my best to answer them for you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hand went up at the conference table.

Xu Chuan looked over. The person who had raised his hand was Professor Arthur B. McDonald, who had won the Nobel Prize in 2015 for the ‘discovery of neutrino oscillation’.

Nodding, he gestured for the esteemed physicist to ask his question.

Professor Arthur B. McDonald stood up, his eyes fixed on Xu Chuan, and asked, “Based on a comprehensive analysis of currently available observational data in physics, the main component of dark matter should not be any known microscopic elementary particle. It only participates in gravitational interactions and weak photon interactions.”

“From this perspective…”

The moment Professor Arthur B. McDonald started speaking, Xu Chuan knew what he was going to say.

This was one of the questions Chen Zhengping had raised yesterday, and it involved some of the speculations he hadn’t included in the report. However, the details of Professor McDonald’s question were different; he was approaching it from the perspective of the four fundamental forces.

Waiting for him to finish, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. “Theoretically speaking…”

In the conference room, Xu Chuan answered the various questions on the minds of the several experts.

The conference presentation began at nine in the morning and continued until just past eleven before finally concluding. The focus wasn’t on the presentation of content in the first half, but on the discussion and exchange in the second half.

The entire room was filled with astonishment, especially when Xu Chuan proposed that the sterile neutrino might not be dark matter, but rather an intermediate state between dark matter and conventional matter.

This detail had not been mentioned in the important data analysis report.

The few people present were all extremely interested in this theory he had proposed.

After the conference presentation ended, Professor François Englert, whose thick white beard made him look like Santa Claus when he smiled, stood up, patted Xu Chuan on the shoulder, and said with a laugh:

“This is a discovery that will shake the entire world. I now believe that mysterious particle is the sterile neutrino! We have great hope of using this to uncover a corner of the mysterious dark matter!”

Nearby, David Gross, the chairman of the CERN Council, smiled. “This was a very successful exchange. Based on the final consensus, CERN will update its collision experiment schedule for the latter half of this year.”

Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Xu Chuan’s face. This was exactly what he had been hoping for.

As long as there were more collision experiments, he could collect more data, thereby increasing the confidence level and definitively confirming the existence of the sterile neutrino.

Just as he was about to say something, he heard Gross continue, “Did you know, before we came, CERN had already held several meetings? Although your discovery is very significant, the Council was initially only planning to schedule two or three collisions in the latter half of the year.”

“After all, many people thought it might just be some unknown phenomenon or a new, undiscovered particle. The idea that dark matter could be observed is simply too incredible with our current detection methods; one might even say it’s completely impossible.”

“But today, you’ve convinced all of us!”

“When we go back, we will reconvene the Council. We will persuade the others that in the latter half of this year, the LHC will dedicate all its efforts to capturing this mysterious particle, collecting more data to find it as quickly as possible!”

“If all goes well, this might be the greatest and most important new discovery since the Higgs boson!”

Chapter 266: The Greatest Puzzle Humanity’s Scientific Community Has Ever Encountered

Gross, the council chairman of CERN, spoke words that were a pleasant surprise to Xu Chuan.

Moving from scheduling two or three collision experiments to having the LHC dedicate all its efforts to capturing the sterile neutrino were two completely different concepts.

To CERN, the former was merely a project worth investing in, perhaps even a gesture of respect for his status as a Nobel laureate in Physics.

The latter, however, signified that the importance of this discovery had reached the pinnacle of the current high-energy field.

This was the same state of affairs when CERN was searching for the Higgs boson, a time when the LHC paused more than half of its other projects.

All four detectors, from the ATLAS detector to the CMS compact muon solenoid, and then to the ALICE large ion collider detector, were all dedicated to searching for traces of the Higgs boson’s existence.

On this foundation, the discovery of the Higgs boson was smoothly completed in 2012.

In his past life, when he was researching the sterile neutrino, he never received this kind of treatment. Although he had also found traces in 2018, it wasn’t until 2023 that the sterile neutrino was finally detected, reaching a confidence level of 5.2 sigma.

Now, with the LHC fully committed to the search and capture, it seemed this timeline could be moved up significantly.

After the small-scale conference presentation ended, several Nobel laureates left to return to their hotel to rest.

They had rushed over from Europe after finishing a meeting there. As soon as they landed and dropped off their luggage, they came straight to Nanjing University. The long journey had left them quite exhausted.

Edward Witten stayed behind, planning to catch up and chat with this student he hadn’t seen in over half a year.

“It’s been more than six months, and to think you’ve already won a Nobel Prize.”

In Xu Chuan’s office, Witten lamented while holding a cup of clear tea. If one were to ask who was most envious of the Nobel Prize, he would certainly be among them.

However, the probability of him winning a Nobel Prize was exceedingly low.

Proving something like string theory would likely take another century or two, and even then, there was no guarantee it could be proven.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I was quite surprised myself. I didn’t expect the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to be so bold last year, making an exception to award the Nobel to me.”

Witten said with a smile, “If the existence of the sterile neutrino is confirmed this time, perhaps the Nobel Prize will have to be awarded to you again.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “Even if it is discovered, according to Nobel regulations, I’m afraid I won’t be able to receive that medal.”

When it came to the Nobel Prize in Physics, if a particle had already been predicted and its theory detailed by predecessors—like the Higgs boson, for instance—then when the particle was discovered and met the requirements, the Nobel Prize would only be awarded to the scholar who made the prediction and laid out the theory.

CERN made countless discoveries, big and small, every year. Over ninety percent of the achievements in high-energy physics came from there, and many of them were worthy of a Nobel Prize.

But if the Nobel Prize were to be awarded for all these achievements, even a hundred spots a year wouldn’t be enough.

After all, these discoveries could be considered the collective findings of CERN, with far more than a hundred people contributing to them.

It was just like his sterile neutrino this time. Although he was the one who analyzed it, the detection and analysis of the raw data were carried out by CERN and Nanjing University.

It was unrealistic for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to award the Nobel Prize in Physics to so many people.

Thus, even for great achievements like the discovery of the Higgs boson and gravitational waves, the Nobel Prize was not awarded to CERN or other laboratory institutions.

From this perspective, it was highly unlikely that he would receive a Nobel Prize for discovering the sterile neutrino. At least in his past life, he hadn’t won a Nobel for it.

However, the future discovery of dark matter did successfully earn him his second Nobel Prize in his previous life.

Witten, however, had a different opinion regarding Xu Chuan’s answer. “It’s different. Although the concept of the sterile neutrino was proposed by the liquid scintillator neutrino detector experiment before, it was eventually confirmed to be just the transformation of muon antineutrinos into electron antineutrinos.”

“Furthermore, the theories you’ve proposed this time are quite astonishing.”

“The field of physics has arguably never imagined that there could be a particle in an intermediate state between dark matter and normal matter. If this is proven, it would be a great discovery that breaks through the Standard Model.”

Pausing for a moment, Witten looked at Xu Chuan with a hopeful and expectant gaze, then continued, “More importantly, behind the sterile neutrino lies what the entire world has been anticipating: dark matter and dark energy.”

“If we can achieve a breakthrough through this, it will absolutely be the greatest achievement of the twenty-first century.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Let’s hope it goes smoothly.”

As Xu Chuan and Witten were chatting in the office, David Gross, the council chairman of CERN, and Liu Gaojun, the principal of Nanjing University, walked in together.

“Professor Xu, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you,” Gross said as he approached.

Xu Chuan replied, “Please go ahead, Council Chairman.”

“Here’s the situation. Given the great significance of this discovery concerning the sterile neutrino, CERN needs to hold a press conference to inform the outside world about CERN’s work.”

“I was wondering if you have the time and if it would be convenient for you to make a trip to the European Organization for Nuclear Research?”

David Gross looked at Xu Chuan and asked. Before coming, he had spoken with Witten and had a general idea that this scholar might not be willing to go abroad, but even so, he still wanted to try.

After all, as the council chairman of CERN, he naturally hoped the press conference would be held at CERN headquarters, as it would significantly boost CERN’s influence.

Xu Chuan shook his head with regret. “I’m very sorry, Council Chairman. I’m afraid I won’t be able to travel to CERN recently.”

“However,” he paused, then continued, “why not hold this press conference in China?”

“Last year, China officially joined CERN as a member country. There are resident journalists from all over the world here, and I believe my Motherland has more than enough capability to host this press conference successfully.”

Hearing this, David Gross glanced at Edward Witten, who was opposite him. Witten shook his head slightly. He knew some things, but he couldn’t tell Gross, even though Gross was his advisor and also Xu Chuan’s academic “grandfather.”

Compared to him, Gross’s position was different. Neither he nor Deligne involved themselves much in politics, but Gross represented the interests of the United States at CERN.

Of course, as the council chairman of CERN, he had to prioritize CERN’s interests above all.

Seeing Witten shake his head, Gross thought for a moment and said, “Then how about we hold the press conference right here? How about having your alma mater, Professor Xu, host the press conference on behalf of CERN?”

As he spoke, he turned to the principal of Nanjing University beside him and asked, “I wonder what your university’s opinion is?”

Liu Gaojun quickly nodded and smiled. “Of course! It is Nanjing University’s honor. Please entrust it to us with confidence. Nanjing University will definitely organize this conference presentation well.”

David Gross smiled. “Then we’ll be in your care.”

Before they came, CERN had actually already decided to hold the press conference in China, so Gross wasn’t too disappointed. After all, the principal discoverer this time was Xu Chuan, and it was impossible for CERN to hold a conference without him.

After accepting the task in the office, Liu Gaojun excused himself and left.

Being able to host such a press conference on behalf of CERN would undoubtedly be a huge boon to Nanjing University’s reputation and academic standing in the field of high-energy physics.

As an elite C9 League university, Nanjing University had experienced administrative staff. Upon taking on this press conference, various administrative departments of the university quickly convened meetings to discuss the scale of the event.

For Nanjing University, handling such a task for the first time, the administrative staff naturally suggested holding it on a grand scale.

It wasn’t just because this was the first time they were hosting such a global press conference, but also because the content of this conference was simply astonishing.

The discovery of the sterile neutrino, its connection to dark matter…

Each of these things heralded that human physics might be on the verge of breaking its boundaries and entering a new century! The Standard Model of physics would be updated, and the frontiers of science would once again be expanded.

And the great discoverer, Xu Chuan, this name would, like the pioneers before him, leave its mark on history and be recorded in the most glorious annals.

Although, he already was.

And Nanjing University, as Xu Chuan’s alma mater, would naturally receive more attention and glory.

On this basis, these administrative teachers directly recommended expanding the event from a press conference into a press conference plus conference presentation.

They would invite Xu Chuan and the Nobel laureates who came for the sterile neutrino discussion to give a presentation after the press conference on topics such as dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos, and sterile neutrinos.

After all, this was a rare opportunity. The small eight-person discussion group that Xu Chuan had attracted contained a full seven Nobel Prize in Physics laureates and two Fields Medalists, almost all of whom were big shots in the fields of high-energy and particle physics.

When had Nanjing University ever gathered so many leading figures from the same field at once?

Practically never.

So if they didn’t seize this chance, it would be very difficult to encounter such an opportunity again.

In the end, the press conference and conference presentation were scheduled for five days later.

If it weren’t for CERN’s council chairman, David Gross, hoping to hold the press conference as soon as possible to announce the news to the public, Nanjing University would have dragged the date out a bit longer.

After all, the more time they had, the more convenient it would be for those top-tier physics professors to clear their schedules.

As time went on, physicists who were interested in the press conference and conference presentation and had the time began arriving in Nanjing by plane.

The academic atmosphere of this city, which had never had much of a presence in the international academic community, became significantly richer.

This was especially true for Nanjing University. As the press conference approached, a large number of renowned scholars visited every day, leaving the university leadership beaming with joy.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. Otherwise, Nanjing University really wanted to take this opportunity to turn the press conference into a world-class academic symposium.

The press conference was held in the main auditorium of Nanjing University’s old campus.

The invited media reporters and physicists had all taken their seats.

Beside Edward Witten, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Frank Wilczek was speaking to him in a low voice.

“I heard that a few days ago, CERN arranged for some people to come and discuss the analysis data from the ALICE detector with Professor Xu?”

“Yes.” Witten nodded. “Today’s press conference will be very interesting. The LHC’s collision experiments in the second half of the year will be centered around the results announced today.”

Hearing this, Wilczek was somewhat astonished and asked, “Could it really be the sterile neutrino?”

Witten shook his head slightly. “It’s not certain at the moment, but there’s a high probability. And even if it isn’t the sterile neutrino, the data detected by the inner tracking system most likely contains a new, unknown particle, one that is highly likely to be beyond the Standard Model.”

“That’s truly something to look forward to. Perhaps the biggest revolution in the field of physics is about to arrive,” Wilczek said with a smile.

“Indeed.”

As time passed, the hands of the round clock on the wall pointed to nine o’clock.

The principal of Nanjing University went on stage first to give the opening remarks.

Next, CERN’s council chairman, David Gross, took the stage to announce the agenda for the press conference and conference presentation.

Then, Xu Chuan, dressed in a formal suit, walked steadily onto the auditorium stage.

As he took the stage, a palpable stir went through the auditorium. Everyone looked up at the figure on stage.

This was the first time this young Nobel laureate had appeared in the public eye since his Nobel lecture last December.

Months had passed, and no one knew what kind of results this incredibly young, top-tier scholar would bring this time, or how he would shake the world.

Standing at the lectern, Xu Chuan looked out over the audience and media reporters below. He didn’t feel much excitement.

After all, he had experienced scenes like this many times before.

At the lectern, Xu Chuan tested the microphone. After confirming there were no issues, he began to speak in a clear voice.

“Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here. In order not to waste your precious time, I will get straight to the point.”

After the brief opening, Xu Chuan opened a PowerPoint presentation.

Of course, this wasn’t the data analysis he had sent to CERN, but a simpler, more straightforward report file based on it.

After all, today’s press conference was primarily for the many media reporters, not the physicists who had traveled from afar.

“In the past year of 2018, CERN has conducted countless collision experiments. Using the large particle collider, we have pursued and explored the secrets of the universe and microscopic particles.”

“From the decay of the Higgs boson to the discovery of the pentaquark particle, these great achievements have rejuvenated the field of physics and given us a deeper understanding of microscopic particles and the universe.”

“Today, I will stand here to announce another achievement.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan pressed a button on the laser pointer in his hand. On the projection screen, the image flickered, and a new picture appeared.

It was a star chart of the cosmos. In the image, several galaxies were slowly rotating.

Looking at the picture, Xu Chuan slowly began to speak. “Before today’s press conference begins, I would like to ask everyone here a question.”

“When faced with the vastness of the cosmos, what is the greatest puzzle humanity’s scientific community has ever encountered?”

Hearing this somewhat unexpected question, the auditorium grew restless. Some physicists began to discuss it with the friends beside them.

Some said the speed of light, some said the expansion of space, others mentioned the origin of mass or the origin of the universe.

And below the stage, the numerous media reporters were busy recording this moment with their cameras.

Of course, while recording, many reporters were also curious, pondering why this young scholar would ask such a question, and what the answer might be.

Chapter 267: A Discovery That Will Change the Edifice of Physics!

In the auditorium, the audience was a sea of faces, and everyone was expressing their own different views on the question Xu Chuan had posed.

In the front row, Frank Wilczek reached out and poked Witten, who was sitting beside him.

Witten shot him a questioning glance.

“Regarding that question just now, what do you think his answer is?” Wilczek asked.

Witten thought for a moment before speaking. “If you were to change a single word in the question—‘When facing the vast universe, what is the greatest ’difficult’ problem that the human scientific community has encountered so far?’”

“Then this question might have many answers.”

“For example, the copper and iron wall that is the speed of light limits human observation of the universe, or how mass actually originates, or even what causes the expansion of spacetime.”

“But the question was, ‘When facing the vast universe, what is the greatest mystery that the human scientific community has encountered so far?’”

“To that, there is probably only one answer.”

Frank Wilczek: “Dark matter?”

Edward Witten nodded.

Dark matter was the greatest mystery all scientists had faced in the course of studying the universe.

One of the fundamental questions of scientific research is the “science of matter.”

And as for what “dark matter and dark energy,” which account for 96% of the universe’s total mass, actually are, humanity remains completely ignorant, from the moment we began observing the universe until now.

Even the mysterious black holes that can swallow light are dazzlingly bright under the observation of modern science. Today’s science even has the capability to photograph them and present them to the public eye.

However, after more than a hundred years, no one has yet been able to observe dark matter. It is a “mysterious existence” far more elusive than black holes.

It remained as mysterious as ever. Humans could not see it, did not know what it was composed of, and were even less clear about its properties.

Aside from being able to confirm the existence of an unknown form of matter in the universe through the motion of celestial bodies, the phenomenon of Newton’s universal gravitation, the gravitational lensing effect, and the formation of the universe’s large-scale structure, there was simply no trace of it to be found.

After more than a century of long research, modern scientists discovered that humanity’s knowledge of dark matter had already reached its “peak” from the very moment it was discovered.

“In the data from the ALICE detector, in the z-observation data of the 120μm (rφ direction) beam for antihelium-3 nuclei from the inner tracking system…”

On stage, after posing his question, Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on it for long, nor did he offer his own answer. Instead, he moved on to the core of the entire press conference.

Announcing the results analyzed from the ALICE detector data this time.

As his report progressed, and when the discovery of the sterile neutrino appeared on the projector screen along with a Dalitz plot, when the relationship between the sterile neutrino and dark matter was described, the commotion in the grand auditorium grew more and more pronounced.

It wasn’t just the media reporters under the stage, busy lugging their cameras and taking pictures, who were slack-jawed; even the physicists who had been invited to attend the conference presentation could not suppress their astonishment.

Although many of them had already learned about the content of this conference presentation beforehand through the invitation letter.

But it was still deeply shocking when Xu Chuan stood on the stage and announced the news.

“We have now completed the analysis of the z-observation data of the 120μm (rφ direction) beam for antihelium-3 nuclei from the inner tracking system. Theoretically speaking, the confidence level for the existence of a new particle, yet to be discovered by the field of physics, has reached 3-sigma.”

“In the second half of this year, CERN will launch more particle collision experiments centered around this discovery to collect more data and confirm whether it is a sterile neutrino or another particle we have never discovered.”

“This concludes the content of the press conference. Next is the question-and-answer session.”

As his voice fell, the media reporters in the front row raised their hands in unison.

If not for the distance of the stage, they probably would have rushed up and shoved their microphones into Xu Chuan’s mouth.

On stage, Xu Chuan raised a hand, gesturing for the first reporter to ask a question.

As a Chinese national, the first reporter he gestured to was naturally from China’s leading media outlet, the reporter arranged by the Mother. However, the one who came this time was not a familiar face, but another female reporter who usually covered interviews in the physics domain.

After all, a press conference of this nature would definitely involve some professional knowledge and questions. It would be unacceptable if the reporter conducting the interview knew nothing.

After getting the nod from Xu Chuan, the Mother’s reporter stood up excitedly and took the microphone from a staff member.

“Professor Xu, you just mentioned sterile neutrinos and dark matter at the conference. Could you please explain them in more detail?”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Of course.”

“Dark matter is a type of invisible matter, theoretically proposed in physics, that may exist in the universe. It might be the main component of the universe’s matter, but it does not constitute any of the celestial bodies we can currently see and observe.”

“Combining observations of the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation and the Standard Cosmological Model (ΛCDM model), we can determine that dark matter currently accounts for 85% of the total mass of all matter in the observable universe, and 26.8% of the total mass-energy of the universe.”

“It is the main component of the universe, and we have yet to discover it.”

“The sterile neutrino is likewise a fundamental particle of the universe proposed by physical theory. It may be one of the elementary particles that constitute dark matter.”

“From the results of the data analysis of the 13 TeV energy-level collision experiment at the ALICE detector this time, it is highly likely that a particle currently unknown to humanity is hidden in this region. And based on various data, this unknown particle is likely the theoretical sterile neutrino.”

As his voice fell, countless media reporters below the stage raised their hands again.

This time, Xu Chuan chose one at random. The reporter who was picked was quite excited.

“Professor Xu, you mentioned a technical term in your report just now, a 3-sigma confidence level. Could you explain what that means?”

Xu Chuan: “Sigma is a standard used in statistics to express standard deviation, which is the degree of dispersion in a set of data. It is also known as the ‘three-sigma rule of thumb,’ a statistical criterion used to measure the normal range of a specific sample combination for a specific test item.”

“You can understand it as 3-sigma meaning that the probability of this event occurring is over 99.73%.”

Hearing this, the crowd below the stage stirred again.

Especially for these media reporters who didn’t fully understand the field of high-energy physics, a probability of 99.73% was already very, very high. This probability was almost no different from it having already happened.

“Professor Xu, does such a high probability mean that you have already found dark matter?” a reporter from the audience quickly followed up.

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “I never said anything of the sort. In the field of physics, to confirm the occurrence of an event or the existence of a new particle, a confidence level of at least 5-sigma must be reached.”

“A 5-sigma confidence level can be understood as the observed result being a true result with 99.99994% certainty. Only by reaching this confidence level can its actual existence be confirmed.”

“So, CERN’s work next is to conduct more experiments centered around this unknown new particle, collect more data, and increase the confidence level.”

As he finished speaking, another reporter stood up. “Professor Xu, if I’m not mistaken, this collision experiment was conducted on September 28, 2018.”

“And on the day the collision experiment was launched, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred on a Sulawesi island, Indonesia, leading to the deaths of over two thousand people and injuring over one thousand. May I ask if these two events are related? Did the operation of the LHC cause the earthquake on Sulawesi island? Is this a warning from God?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan looked at the reporter who had asked it. Sure enough, the troublemaker was a foreign reporter, who was looking at him with a hostile expression.

“This is completely baseless. In fact, the operation of the LHC does not cause any damage to the Earth’s ecological environment, let alone cause natural disasters like earthquakes.”

At CERN press conferences, there were always such reporters who raised all sorts of bizarre questions.

There was even a group of people who had always believed that the operation of the LHC would bring disaster to the Earth, and thus they gathered a large crowd every year to protest and prevent LHC experiments.

To this, Xu Chuan could only say to himself that the prevalence of nine-year compulsory education abroad was a real letdown. People like this should have their heads examined.

But he couldn’t say that at a press conference. Moreover, he had to be cautious with his wording when answering this question. Once these reporters got a hold of any reply that could be quoted out of context, it would be like falling into a cesspool—even if you weren’t shit, you’d still be covered in it.

The atmosphere in the grand auditorium was incredibly fiery.

Apart from a few reporters who asked some bizarre questions, most of the media’s attention was focused on things like sterile neutrinos, dark matter, and the universe.

There was no helping it; this discovery was simply too astonishing.

Sterile neutrinos, dark matter, dark energy…

If a particle like this truly existed in the data from the 13 TeV ultra-high-energy-level collision experiment, it would be a subversive discovery in a certain sense.

Many people present thought of the “faster-than-light neutrino anomaly” from nearly a decade ago, when the OPERA collaboration from Italy announced that they had discovered “neutrinos exceeding the speed of light” in a neutrino experiment.

That result nearly shattered Albert Einstein’s Special relativity, established in the last century, and almost overturned the entire field of physics.

Fortunately, it was later confirmed that superluminal neutrinos did not exist; a faulty fiber optic cable had caused the issue, leading to an embarrassing blunder.

And this time, if the sterile neutrino, a particle related to dark matter, was confirmed, although it wouldn’t directly overturn the entire field of physics, it would bring humanity a much broader future.

In this internet era, the speed at which news traveled was undoubtedly quite fast.

On the afternoon after the press conference was held, various media outlets quickly disseminated the contents of the conference.

And the headlines they came up with were each more astonishing and eye-catching than the last.

Shocking! The Youngest Nobel Laureate in History Confirms the Existence of Dark Matter!

Dark Matter, Accounting for Over 85% of the Entire Universe’s Total Mass, Discovered by CERN! This Is What It Looks Like!

Sterile Neutrino! A Particle Beyond the Edifice of the Standard Model and a Bomb Dropped on High-Energy Physics! The Edifice of Physics is About to Collapse!

…

One explosive headline after another soon detonated across the entire internet, attracting countless people to watch the drama unfold.

[Holy shit! Dark matter has been discovered?]

[They didn’t say that. They just said they might have discovered a new particle, which might be a sterile neutrino, which might be a part of what makes up dark matter. Note! There are three ‘mights’ here, so it’s a completely uncertain matter.]

[Dark matter can’t be discovered. Anything that can be observed isn’t dark matter!]

[It’s all conjecture. It can neither be confirmed nor falsified. You can only listen while eating your meal and entertain yourself. But the coolness factor is obviously quite high because no one can refute you, for the same reason: it can neither be confirmed nor falsified.]

[When did God Chuan also become one of these ‘maybe’ types? Sob, sob, sob, my God Chuan.]

[High-energy physics is like that. Before any new phenomenon or new particle is finally confirmed, you can only say it might exist. But a 3-sigma confidence level is indeed a bit low.]

[As expected of God Chuan! When he makes a move, it’s this kind of world-shaking news.]

[You call a probability of over 99.73% low? The probability of me guessing the right answer on my college entrance exam multiple-choice questions by rolling dice was one-half, and that was already very high!]

[Laughing my ass off. How can you compare them like that? Your college entrance exam is completely irrelevant to human science, whereas this top-tier science must be completely certain. If it’s wrong, it will affect your college entrance exam.]

[So what exactly is dark matter?]

[I don’t know! You’re asking me? Who do I ask? I bet even God Chuan doesn’t know what dark matter is.]

Online, the related popularity rose very quickly.

Of course, this was also related to Xu Chuan. Since winning the Nobel Prize, many people had been paying attention to him, wanting to know what he was researching.

With his inherent popularity, coupled with the term “dark matter” carrying all sorts of discussion points, the online discussions were extremely heated.

However, this had little effect on either Xu Chuan or CERN.

After the press conference, it was immediately followed by a conference presentation or lecture hosted by Nanjing University for the invited Nobel laureates in physics.

At this conference presentation, Xu Chuan gave a more detailed introduction to the discovery of the sterile neutrino than at the press conference. This would attract more physicists to devote their energy to this field.

He wasn’t worried that others would discover or confirm the existence of the sterile neutrino ahead of him; he had enough confidence in that.

But at the same time, countless secrets were hidden within the field of high-energy physics. The sterile neutrino was only a part of dark matter, and research on dark matter required the joint efforts of many more physicists.

His strength alone was far from enough.

However, what Xu Chuan hadn’t expected was that his press conference not only attracted the attention of the vast number of netizens but also caught the attention of the higher-ups.

After the conference presentation ended, an unexpected red phone call was made directly to his mobile phone.

Chapter 268: The Grand Plan!

Beijing, north of Chang’an Avenue.

In a stately and solemn conference room, an elder in a Zhongshan suit finished reading the report in his hands, his expression slightly moved.

“Has Professor Xu really discovered dark matter?”

Putting down the report, the elder looked up and asked Qin Anguo, who was standing before his desk.

Qin Anguo shook his head. “I don’t think you can put it that way.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked at another man beside him, whose hair was half-gray, and continued, “I’m not very knowledgeable in this area, but Academician Liu is an expert. I’ll let Academician Liu explain.”

The gray-haired elder next to him nodded, and after a moment of deliberation, he spoke, “Strictly speaking, this discovery cannot be considered dark matter.”

“Although the sterile neutrino is theoretically a type of dark matter, we cannot yet be completely certain that this unknown particle is indeed dark matter.”

“To use an analogy, it’s like we’re mining. We can use various pieces of information—like the vegetation, the alteration of the surrounding rock, the ore outcrop, and so on—to determine if there’s a mineral deposit here and what kind of deposit it is.”

“This discovery is the same. Right now, Professor Xu has only uncovered this information, allowing him to make a high-probability judgment.”

“To make a more precise determination, we need more collision experiments and more collision data.”

In the conference room, the elder pondered for a moment before asking, “Then what is the probability?”

Academician Liu shook his head. “A 3-sigma probability isn’t considered a major discovery in the field of high-energy physics. Every year, CERN makes quite a few discoveries with this confidence level, many of which are later confirmed to be background noise or useless information.”

“Of course, this probability isn’t very low either. With this confidence level, it’s certainly worth pursuing deeper research.”

“What’s more exciting isn’t this 3-sigma confidence level, but some of Professor Xu’s theories and perspectives.”

“Before coming here, I watched his press conference and conference presentation at Nanjing University two days ago. During the presentation, Professor Xu provided a very detailed analysis and exploration of this discovery, and his logic was self-consistent and in line with theory.”

“From that perspective, this discovery is indeed very likely to be the legendary sterile neutrino.”

“But no one can guarantee anything in this area. After all, the implications of such a result are too staggering, especially since it’s related to dark matter.”

“Given our current level of technology and detectors, we are simply unable to directly observe the existence of dark matter.”

Upon hearing this, the elder fell into deep thought.

For China, if there was one thing it currently lacked most, it was undoubtedly energy.

To give one example, in 2018, the country mined 3.546 billion tons of coal, ranking first among all nations and accounting for nearly half of the world’s total coal production.

Even so, it was still not enough.

According to reports, China imported another 281.5 million tons of coal in 2018 (an increase of 10.5 million tons, or 3.9%), while exporting only 4.934 million tons of coal (coal and lignite) during the same period.

By this calculation, in 2018, mainland China actually “consumed” a staggering 3.8225 billion tons of coal.

Most of this enormous quantity of coal was consumed in three main areas: thermal power generation, heating, and steelmaking.

Based on an average price of five hundred yuan per ton of coal, the annual expenditure on coal alone reached a terrifying two trillion.

With such massive consumption, even a one or two percent reduction would be monumental.

That was why China had been seeking new energy sources for years. From the large-scale photovoltaic power generation plants in the deserts of Xinjiang, to the massive wind farms deployed in Inner Mongolia, to the advances in nuclear energy toward fourth-generation reactors—all were attempts to solve the energy crisis.

If dark matter, which constitutes over ninety percent of the universe’s total mass, could be harnessed, there would be no more worries about energy.

Of course, the elder also knew that achieving this dream would be incredibly difficult and there was a long road ahead.

But as long as there was hope, China never feared hardship!

Furthermore, if this discovery could truly be confirmed as dark matter, it would open up a new field that could change the global landscape.

Perhaps the long-standing conservative policy needed to change.

At the very least, in a brand-new field, China had to keep pace.

To fall behind is to be beaten. The painful lesson of the last century was one that needed to be learned only once.

But before all that, it was probably prudent to first ask that person for his opinion.

After all, professional matters should be left to the professionals.

Nanjing, Nanjing University. After a busy conference presentation, Xu Chuan bid farewell to his alma mater and returned to his villa.

His phone rang, displaying a number beginning with 01.

Swiping his finger across the screen, Xu Chuan answered the call. A voice that surprised him came through the phone.

“Hello, Professor Xu. Are you busy?”

The kind, smiling voice of an elder sounded in his ear.

Hearing this voice, Xu Chuan instantly realized who was calling him and said hurriedly, “Not at all. I just finished a conference presentation at my alma mater and have just gotten home.”

“Are you free sometime soon? I’d like to invite you to Beijing to consult you on a few things.”

The elder spoke cheerfully over the phone, “Of course, if it’s not convenient, I can make a trip over there as well.”

Xu Chuan quickly shook his head and replied swiftly, “I am. I can come over anytime.”

For the elder on the phone to make the trip himself? You had to be kidding.

The elder chuckled. “Then I’ll have to trouble Professor Xu to make the trip. Don’t worry, it won’t take up much of your time.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan called Zheng Hai and asked him to book a high-speed rail ticket to Beijing.

While Zheng Hai handled the booking, he quickly packed some luggage. The great elder himself had called to invite him for a discussion; he had to get there as soon as possible.

Arriving once again in Beijing, Xu Chuan checked into the Beihai Hotel with his luggage. It was the same room as before; it seemed the hotel kept it specially reserved for him. In any case, the room was always available whenever he came.

In the room, Xu Chuan pulled open the curtains and gazed out at Beihai and the Forbidden City, lost in thought.

The matters related to him were few and specific.

The nuclear waste research project, controlled nuclear fusion, or the recently emerged sterile neutrino and dark matter.

Each of these was of immense importance. Even he had to carefully consider his answers for tomorrow.

At his current position, every word he spoke could have a huge impact. Sometimes, a single suggestion could mobilize hundreds of millions in funding.

Therefore, thinking things through beforehand and mastering the art of being cautious in word and deed was a necessity.

The next day, at three in the afternoon, led by security personnel, Xu Chuan crossed the small river north of Chang’an Avenue and once again came to the two-story antique-style building. He again met the elder he so often saw on television and in the news.

“Professor Xu, please, have a seat.”

Seeing Xu Chuan arrive, the elder stood up with a kind smile, shook his hand, and said, “I hope calling you here on such short notice hasn’t disturbed your research.”

Xu Chuan quickly shook his head. “Not at all. Serving the country is the duty of every citizen.”

In the main hall, after a few pleasantries, they didn’t waste any more time and went straight to the point.

The elder deliberated for a moment before speaking. “Professor Xu, I’ve troubled you to come here today for two main reasons.”

Xu Chuan: “Please, go on.”

“The first is about the controlled nuclear fusion project.” As he spoke, the elder took a report from a guard beside him and handed it over.

Slightly puzzled, Xu Chuan accepted the report from the elder and began to flip through it.

2020 Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Establishment Investigation Report

The red title caught his eye, causing his pupils to contract sharply.

The report the elder handed him was indeed very surprising.

With the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Technology Project still incomplete, the higher-ups were already launching a controlled nuclear fusion project. This level of boldness was truly astonishing.

One had to understand that controlled nuclear fusion was on a completely different level from the nuclear waste reprocessing project. Whether it was the problems to be solved, the scientific difficulty, or the investment of funds, manpower, and resources, they were not in the same league.

For one thing, just the construction of ITER cost over thirty billion US dollars, with billions more being poured into it every year, yet it had yet to produce any decent results.

China had similar projects, such as EAST (the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak).

It was a fully superconducting, non-circular cross-section tokamak device capable of generating more complex and flexible magnetic field configurations than ITER, allowing for the exploration of more optimized plasma parameters.

In 2018, just last year, EAST had already set a new world record by sustaining a plasma for one hundred seconds.

Of course, this was just an experimental reactor. Its goal was to achieve long-pulse steady-state operation and provide technical support for the future construction of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETD).

And from the report in his hands, Xu Chuan saw another, independent controlled nuclear fusion project.

The report stated quite plainly that this new project was planned to start in 2020, independent of and parallel to the CFETD.

As for who would be in charge and which technical route would be used, the report did not specify.

But without a doubt, this was a grand plan!

Another new and completely independent controlled nuclear fusion project would require an investment calculated in the tens, or even hundreds, of billions.

After reading the report, Xu Chuan looked up at the elder.

The elder smiled and said, “As you know, our country has always been working hard on controlled nuclear fusion.”

“However, this isn’t something that can be achieved through hard work alone. It also requires solving various difficult problems and, more importantly, an outstanding talent to lead the way and provide direction.”

“Currently, there are many research efforts in controlled nuclear fusion within the country, but they are relatively fragmented. The only relatively complete one is the CFETD project.”

“Meanwhile, the nations leading the way in controlled nuclear fusion research, like the United States and Germany, not only participate in the international collaboration of ITER but also have two to three different research routes in their own countries. The United States has even more than four complete directions.”

“So, after discussion, we are preparing to launch another controlled nuclear fusion project.”

“As for this project, the general director and the technical route are currently undecided. The higher-ups are waiting for your nuclear waste project to become operational before making a decision.”

These words all but explicitly stated that this project was reserved for him.

Xu Chuan naturally understood the implication. He nodded seriously and said, “The ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Technology Project has already entered the nuclear power plant construction phase. The semiconductor Radiation Bandgap material and the Crystalline Erbium Zirconate material have entered accelerated production.”

“According to the plan, the entire project will be completed in mid-to-late May of this year. At that time, we can begin comprehensive testing of the nuclear waste reprocessing for power generation.”

“If everything goes smoothly, we expect to complete the final acceptance around September.”

The elder nodded. “I’m confident with you in charge of these things.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “The second matter concerns your research findings from a few days ago—the sterile neutrino and dark matter.”

As he spoke, the elder sat up straighter. “I want to consult you on related matters. For instance, what is the probability that it is dark matter? If it is confirmed, when might we be able to utilize things like dark matter and dark energy?”

“Furthermore, if we are to conduct in-depth research, is it necessary for us to build something like a large particle collider?”

“I would like to hear your views on these issues.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously, “Regarding this discovery, I’m sure you’ve already been briefed. I won’t repeat the detailed professional analysis.”

“First, I can be certain that the collision data from the LHC’s 13 TeV energy level does indeed contain a new particle previously unknown to the scientific community. This particle is beyond the Standard Model.”

“I can confirm this point. Compared to what has been publicly announced, I have some evidence that has not yet been released or sent to CERN.”

“If you require verification, I can send it to you.”

“Secondly, as for the probability of it being dark matter, I cannot be certain. I can only say that based on data analysis, there is a high probability that it is part of a dark matter decay chain.”

“As for utilizing dark matter and dark energy, that is likely even more distant. At least in the short term, I don’t see much hope.”

“After all, with current technology, we cannot even observe dark matter, let alone understand its formation, properties, or constituent particles.”

“Perhaps there will be hope for that in a few decades, or even a century.”

“As for building a large particle collider, I personally feel it is very necessary, but not now.”

Hearing this answer, the elder’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. He asked curiously, “What do you mean?”

He and many others had assumed that if the country proposed building a large particle collider, the scholar before him would certainly support it with all his might.

After all, he had a double major in mathematical physics, and his achievements in physics were not insignificant, especially his analysis of the CERN collision data, which had shocked the world.

He never expected that when he raised the question, the answer he received would be slightly different.

This made him curious as to why the young man before him would say such a thing.

Chapter 269: Because I Don’t Have the Time

To any physicist studying high-energy or theoretical physics, a large particle collider is an irresistible temptation.

The wonders of the universe, the mysteries of microscopic particles, the composition of all things in the world—for a physicist, everything could be found within a large particle collider.

Xu Chuan was no exception. He, too, eagerly anticipated a large particle collider with even greater performance and higher collision energy levels than the LHC.

He hoped to use it to uncover more of the universe’s secrets.

But now was not the time.

After some thought, he replied, “On one hand, the investment is enormous. Building a large particle collider requires tens of billions in funding.”

“If we were to launch a new controlled nuclear fusion project and the construction of a large particle collider simultaneously, it would put considerable strain on the national finances.”

“On the other hand, and more importantly, we currently lack sufficient talent in physics!”

“Building a large particle collider now, before our country’s own physicists have matured, would essentially be laying the groundwork for other countries to benefit.”

“So it would be better to wait another year or two. We’ve already joined CERN as a member country and have a certain degree of influence and standing at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. We can use the LHC there to train a new generation of talent for the next couple of years before we start on our own large particle collider.”

The old man pondered this for a moment and then asked, “What about dark matter, then? If we don’t have our own large particle collider, will we fall behind? After all, this is a completely new field.”

In the past few decades, China had spent generations playing catch-up because it had fallen behind in developing new fields. The hardships endured, the blood and tears shed, and the humiliation and grievances suffered were something no one ever wanted to experience again.

Now, dark matter was undoubtedly a brand-new field.

Especially with its discoverer being in their own country, falling behind other nations would be completely inexcusable.

Although launching two super-projects like controlled nuclear fusion and a large particle collider at the same time would put immense pressure on finances and other areas, it wasn’t as if China was incapable of supporting both. Back when the country was impoverished, it still managed to develop the Two Bombs and One Satellite; its capabilities were far greater now.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Rest assured, dark matter won’t become a new field that impacts the entire global landscape so easily.”

“Although I’m almost certain that this new discovery is the sterile neutrino, strictly speaking, the sterile neutrino is not dark matter.”

“It’s a particle with some dark matter characteristics that is released during the decay or formation of dark matter.”

“At the same time, it also possesses some of the physical properties of conventional particles, which is why it could be observed by the detector.”

“If it were true dark matter, it would be impossible to observe it with the current equipment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.”

“Part of the reason I suggest we wait before building a large particle collider is because of this.”

“We need to wait for technology to be updated and upgraded, so we can get it right in one go, raising the collision energy level and detection methods by one or even several orders of magnitude.”

“That would be the best choice.”

For Xu Chuan, building a large particle collider right now was indeed not a wise move.

He still had technologies like room-temperature superconductivity, the double magnetic mirror, and the Strong Magnetic Mirror-Pinch Control Torus that he hadn’t revealed yet. All of these could be applied to a collider to vastly improve its performance.

Besides, there was an even more crucial point!

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan added, “Also, I don’t have enough time and energy to lead two super-projects at the same time.”

He was determined to take charge of both controlled nuclear fusion and the large particle collider.

He wouldn’t trust them to anyone else!

In this day and age, these two super-projects could arguably only realize their greatest value and potential in his hands.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s answer, the old man also smiled.

He naturally understood the meaning behind the words. This was likely the first time the young scholar had displayed such a sharp, confident side to him.

But this was only normal.

How could a super-genius who had won both the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Fields Medal at the age of twenty-one, a scholar who stood at the pinnacle of academia at such a young age, not have his own pride?

Xu Chuan stayed in Beijing for three days.

Aside from the private conversation on the first day, he also attended several meetings at the Ministry of Science and Technology, discussing and advancing a series of matters including investment in the high-energy physics sector, the controlled nuclear fusion project, the reprocessing of nuclear waste, and the expansion of nuclear power plants.

During the meetings, Xu Chuan maintained a cautious attitude, only expressing his opinions on fields he was familiar with.

Just as he had thought before, given his current status, his every word could have a significant impact, especially in top-level meetings like these.

After handling matters in Beijing, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to Nanjing.

The matter of the sterile neutrino was temporarily concluded. Further research would have to wait until the European Organization for Nuclear Research restarted its 13 TeV collision runs, and he returned to his normal life.

He taught one class at Nanjing University each day, and spent the rest of his time studying and familiarizing himself with mathematical manuscripts and papers related to the NS equations, while also mentoring his two students.

The Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project was gradually winding down for him. Furthermore, his trip to Beijing had all but confirmed that his next project would be controlled nuclear fusion.

Therefore, the mathematical model needed to control the chamber of the controlled nuclear fusion reactor was the most pressing problem to solve.

Xu Chuan’s understanding of controlled nuclear fusion was profound. If not the foremost expert in the world, he was at least among the top three.

After all, he had spent a long time in the latter half of his past life researching this very subject.

From superconducting materials to the Strong Magnetic Mirror-Pinch Control Torus, and then to the Radiation Bandgap buffering technology and the Ultra-supercritical Heat Engine Conversion Technology—he had developed them all in his research on controlled nuclear fusion.

As for the confinement of the ultra-high temperature plasma within the reactor chamber, it was arguably the biggest, or rather, the most central and universal challenge in achieving controlled nuclear fusion.

This was also why the field of controlled nuclear fusion research currently had two main technical routes. Whether it was the Tokamak or the Stellarator, both faced the same common difficulties.

High temperature, high density, and long-term confinement!

If these three were taken apart and addressed individually, there were quite a few methods available with current technology.

Take high temperature, for instance. The conditions required for controlled nuclear fusion are extremely harsh.

On Earth, unable to generate the immense pressure found inside stars like the sun to sustain nuclear fusion, the only way to compensate is by increasing the temperature.

To make the deuterium-tritium material in the reactor chamber fuse, a temperature of over one hundred million degrees is required.

But even so, there are still many ways to achieve this.

Methods like laser ignition, passing an electric current through the plasma itself to heat it, or compressing the plasma to generate heat could all achieve temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees.

In fact, without considering the duration, the team at the European Organization for Nuclear Research had even used the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to create an ultra-high temperature of over 5.5 trillion degrees.

Evidently, high temperature was not the factor preventing controlled nuclear fusion.

But if all three were combined, controlling them became as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

To achieve controlled nuclear fusion, an ignition temperature of over one hundred million degrees is needed, along with maintaining a regular operating temperature of tens of millions of degrees. Currently, no solid material can withstand such temperatures; it can only be confined by a powerful magnetic field.

However, the biggest problem in using a magnetic field to control and confine the ultra-high temperature plasma in the chamber is the irregular turbulence caused by the plasma’s enormous Reynolds number.

For high-density plasma bound by an electromagnetic field, any tiny disturbance can throw the entire plasma system into chaos.

If the ultra-high temperature plasma, at tens of millions of degrees, were to escape its confinement, it would cause irreparable damage to the reactor chamber.

And the prerequisite for commercialization is the ability to operate for long periods and produce a stable output of energy.

Otherwise, if a controlled nuclear fusion reactor needed maintenance every day or two, it would be practically meaningless.

To achieve long-term control, it is essential to establish a mathematical model for the ultra-high temperature plasma within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

This is also one of the core research areas for countries studying controlled nuclear fusion.

But to be honest, not many people were optimistic about this line of research.

In the current field of controlled nuclear fusion, trying to establish a mathematical model to control the ultra-high temperature plasma in the reactor chamber was considered less promising than finding a material that could withstand plasma sputtering for a relatively long time.

China, for example, had made significant progress down this path, mastering world-leading technology for manufacturing first wall materials.

For instance, the Beryllium-copper-tungsten composite material for enhanced heat load was developed by China and is widely used in its domestic controlled nuclear fusion research.

Even the international collaborative project, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), uses this composite alloy for over ten percent of its first wall material.

To be honest, seeking the ultimate resistant material to achieve controlled nuclear fusion was a choice born of necessity.

Even though everyone knew that creating a mathematical model for ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence was the correct path, achieving it was just too difficult.

Turbulence was already one of the greatest challenges in mathematics and physics. In today’s field of mathematics, it was already exceedingly difficult to create a precise control model for the turbulence of ordinary water or air.

Let alone the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence inside a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

Looking at the simplest and most convenient formula for computational fluids, the Reynolds number Re = ρvd/μ, an increase in any of the values v, ρ, or μ will lead to a larger dimensionless number for the fluid flow.

And the high-density plasma confined in the reactor chamber by the electromagnetic field undoubtedly has a very large Reynolds number.

If you were to ask any mathematics professor, even a Fields Medal laureate, about building a mathematical model for this kind of turbulence, you would only get one answer.

That it’s impossible!

Unless you can solve the NS equations.

In his office, Xu Chuan was flipping through a research paper.

On his desk was a large pile of similar documents.

Some were studies on nonlinear partial differential equations and the Euler equations by his academic grandfather, Mr. Grothendieck, but most were materials on the NS equations collected by Fefferman.

After finishing the document in his hand, Xu Chuan tossed it onto the side of the desk, casually picked up a ballpoint pen from the pen holder, and began to stare blankly at the A4 paper in front of him.

Although he had previously collaborated with Fefferman to solve a part of the NS equations, he still felt at a loss for where to begin now that he was delving deeper into them.

After pondering for a long while, Xu Chuan tossed the ballpoint pen aside and silently looked up at the ceiling.

In the office, his two students, Amelia and Gu Bing, would occasionally cast curious glances his way.

Honestly, in their memory, their advisor had never seemed so lost since they had known him.

“Professor, have you run into a difficult problem?”

After watching Xu Chuan stare blankly for a long time, the more vivacious Amelia finally couldn’t hold back and asked with curiosity.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan reflexively replied, “I’m thinking about how to calculate the infinite discrete diffusion motion in a finite-dimensional vector field using mathematics.”

Amelia: ????

Gu Bing: ????

What on earth did their advisor’s answer mean?

The question Xu Chuan raised wasn’t that difficult to understand, but how could a finite-dimensional vector field possibly be linked to discrete diffusion motion?

The former belongs to the field of linear algebra, based on the theory that any non-zero finite-dimensional vector space over a field P must have a basis. The latter, however, is from the field of physics, right? If any area of mathematics could be linked to it, at best it would be discrete mathematics and fluid mathematics.

How were they supposed to answer a question that bridged two almost completely unrelated fields?

For a moment, it was Amelia and Gu Bing who were lost in confusion.

However, their question had the effect of snapping Xu Chuan out of his daze.

Perhaps he needed a little help from others.

If one person couldn’t think of a solution, they should at least listen to others’ ideas.

With this thought, Xu Chuan ignored his two bewildered students, stood up, and left the office.

He walked out of the academic building and waited at the main entrance for a moment before a Hongqi sedan pulled up.

“Professor, where to?”

After Xu Chuan got in the car, Zheng Hai turned his head and asked.

“Home. And also, please book a high-speed rail ticket to Beijing for me.”

There weren’t many people in the country who could help him with mathematics, but there was one person who absolutely could. And, as it happened, he was in the country right now.

Chapter 270: Shing-Tung Yau’s Admiration

When it came to the fundamental natural sciences, one had to admit that China still had a sizable gap with Western countries.

At Princeton, Xu Chuan could easily find people to discuss mathematics with—Deligne, Fefferman, Sarnak, Witten, Nash, June Huh… Princeton alone had a handful of Fields Medalists.

But in China, there were currently only two people who had received the Fields Medal.

One was him. The other was Shing-Tung Yau, who had returned to China last year to serve as the Dean of the Yanqi Lake Applied Mathematics Research Institute at Tsinghua University.

In terms of top-tier Chinese mathematicians, China wasn’t exactly lacking. For instance, the members of Peking University’s golden generation from the 1980s—Zhang Wei, Xu Chenyang, and Yun Zhiwei—could all be called mathematicians.

Moreover, people like Zhang Wei and Yitang Zhang were popular candidates for the Fields Medal, considered top-tier mathematicians even on the international stage.

Unfortunately, most of them were not currently working in China.

This also meant that when Xu Chuan wanted to find someone in China to discuss mathematical problems with, he couldn’t find a suitable person.

Taking the high-speed rail, Xu Chuan arrived in Beijing once again.

Within Tsinghua University, energetic students walked to and fro across the campus.

Since he had visited once before, he found Shing-Tung Yau’s office with ease this time.

The name Shing-Tung Yau was renowned in China, but his reputation was mixed, drawing both praise and disdain.

On one hand, it was because he was a Fields Medalist, one of the world’s top mathematicians.

On the other hand, it was due to his sharp conflict with Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences, as well as his citizenship.

He and his student, Tian Gang, had once caused a huge stir over an academic plagiarism incident. It wasn’t just known in academia; at the time, even ordinary people who used the internet knew about it.

However, Peking University, as one of China’s two top institutions, had considerable influence in academia. Furthermore, Tian Gang had already become a leading figure in Peking University’s Department of Mathematics and was staunchly supported by the university.

Coupled with the fact that Yau’s US citizenship was a significant point of criticism in China, the matter was eventually dropped.

But in the international mathematics community, Yau’s reputation was still quite formidable.

In the field of mathematics, aside from the Abel Prize, he had won all the other top awards, such as the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, and the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics.

He was hailed by Harvard University as its “Ace Professor,” the emperor of the mathematics world, a man who alone could rival an entire mathematics department.

The great international mathematician Donaldson also praised him as “the most influential mathematician of the last quarter-century,” a testament to his top-tier mathematical ability.

He knocked on the door, and there was soon a sound from within.

The person who opened the door looked like a student and didn’t seem to recognize Xu Chuan. He asked curiously, “Who are you looking for?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Excuse me, is Professor Shing-Tung Yau in?”

“What do you need Professor Yau for?” The student in the office frowned, looking at the visitor who seemed even younger than himself.

Ever since his teacher had returned to China and joined the Yanqi Lake Applied Mathematics Research Institute at Tsinghua University, students would come by almost every day to ask for guidance.

It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with students seeking advice from their teacher, but the questions those students raised were simply too elementary for his teacher.

These were common problems that any mathematics professor could solve, yet they insisted on coming here.

Perhaps they were trying to win the professor’s favor by asking questions in hopes of being noticed, but this would only waste a great deal of the professor’s time and hinder his research.

This visitor, who looked younger than himself, was probably thinking along the same lines.

Xu Chuan didn’t think too much of it. He hadn’t seen this young man on his last visit, but to be studying in Shing-Tung Yau’s office, he was likely a new disciple the old man had recently taken on.

Smiling, he said, “I have some questions about the NS equations I’d like to discuss with Professor Yau.”

Hearing this, the student scoffed inwardly.

Here’s another one, putting on airs with a high-level problem to win my teacher’s favor. Little does he know, my teacher despises this kind of pretentiousness more than anything.

Studying the NS equations? Who do you think you are, God Chuan?

He snorted to himself, but as he was thinking, the student suddenly stared at Xu Chuan, stunned.

The more he looked, the more he was struck by a jolt. Why does this person look so familiar? A bit like… God Chuan?

Suddenly, he shivered again. The image of his idol from his memory gradually overlapped with the person standing before him.

Holy crap, this can’t really be God Chuan, can it?

Swallowing nervously, he asked with a tremor in his voice, “Are you… Xu Chuan, God Chuan?”

Xu Chuan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “That’s me.”

“God Chuan! Is it really you, sir?!!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s lip twitched. How did he become an ‘old man’? His seniority was rising way too fast.

“Please, please come in, God Chuan! My teacher just stepped out for a moment, but he should be back soon. Please, sir, have a seat first.”

The student blocking the doorway quickly stepped aside, respectfully inviting Xu Chuan into the office with an excited tremor in his voice.

Xu Chuan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the address. “Just call me Professor Xu. Let’s skip the ‘God Chuan’ and ‘old man’ stuff. Those titles don’t really fit.”

“Professor… Xu, what would you like to drink? We have coffee, tea, juice, and Red Bull,” the young student asked nervously.

Xu Chuan smiled. “A glass of water is fine. No need to go to any trouble.”

With that, he found a random chair and sat down. His eyes fell on the scratch paper on the desk. There were several problems written on it, all from the field of Partial Differential Equations. The research wasn’t on conventional mathematics but rather on computational applied mathematics, with some connection to intelligent neural networks, which piqued his interest.

It had to be said that Shing-Tung Yau’s knowledge in Partial Differential Equations was at a masterful level. One could glimpse this from the test questions he had prepared for a graduate student.

He had skillfully applied methods from Partial Differential Equations to Differential Geometry, crafting several highly inspired problems.

Partial Differential Equations is a fascinating and widely applicable area of mathematics. It excels at describing changes over time and space and is incredibly useful for describing all sorts of phenomena, from the motion of planets and changes in weather to the evolution of spacetime structure.

However, it is notoriously difficult to find solutions.

For example, if one tried to simulate air turbulence, the Navier-Stokes equations would be the pinnacle of the field.

By solving this partial differential equation, one could determine the motion of a fluid at any point in time and simulate how it will continue to move or how it moved in the past.

But these calculations are exceedingly complex and computationally intensive, which is why they often rely on supercomputers for the mathematical operations.

And this is where artificial intelligence and intelligent neural networks can play a role. They can accelerate the solving process by using deep learning, which would be of great benefit to scientific exploration and engineering applications.

The few problems on the scratch paper were all related to this area. They were likely homework Shing-Tung Yau had left for his student. Some parts already had answers written on them, and it was that section that Xu Chuan was looking at.

“This line of thinking is quite interesting, using an approximation of the Fourier function in Fourier space to complete a series of operations. However, this solution isn’t complete. It lacks the transformation needed to reduce entanglement, which means it can’t arrive at a precise answer.”

On the scratch paper, the solution to one of the problems sparked Xu Chuan’s interest.

For him, problems used to test graduate or doctoral students were things he could solve and analyze at a glance, spotting any flaws or issues in the answers.

But the line of thinking here was indeed a bit surprising; it was a method of solution he hadn’t considered before.

This was perfectly normal.

Everyone has their own unique thoughts and approaches. Even if Gauss and Newton were reborn, they wouldn’t dare claim to know all of mathematics or to be able to find every possible solution to a difficult problem.

Xu Chuan never felt that winning the Fields Medal put him above everyone else. In the realm of mathematics, no one had that kind of standing.

In the office, the young student, who had just brought over a glass of water, heard Xu Chuan’s muttering and was inwardly shaken.

Is this the ability of a Fields Medalist? He saw the flaw in my solution with a single glance.

After a moment’s thought, he couldn’t hold back and asked, “Then, God Chuan, is there a way to transform this entanglement?”

He had been stuck on this problem for a long time, unable to think of a good solution. Now, with a top expert from the mathematics world right in front of him, who had even taken an interest in the problem, how could he resist asking?

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan came back to his senses. He took the glass of water and smiled, “What’s your name?”

“Wei Yong. God Chuan, you can just call me Little Wei or Little Yong,” the young student replied hastily.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Your line of reasoning is very interesting, but the subsequent steps are not something you can solve at your current stage.”

“If I’m not mistaken, you must be Professor Yau’s new graduate student, right?”

Wei Yong nodded. “Yes, I just started studying with Professor Yau in the second half of last year.”

Xu Chuan continued, “Let me ask you first, how did you think of using an approximation of the Fourier function in Fourier space to perform a series of computations for intelligent neural network data?”

“Normally, problems of this type are usually advanced by defining functions between inputs and outputs in an approximately Euclidean space, aren’t they?”

Wei Yong scratched his head and smiled embarrassedly. “I minored in computer science in college, and I often used the Fourier transform for simulations in signal processing. So, I just wanted to see if an approximation function in Fourier space could solve this problem.”

He spread his hands. “The result is obvious. I’m stuck. I can’t find a way to calculate a precise value.”

After a pause, Wei Yong added, “But I have a feeling that this path should work, so I’ve never given up on it.”

Xu Chuan smiled and picked up the test paper from the desk. He pointed at the answer on it and said, “Your feeling is correct. This path can indeed work, but your knowledge base is insufficient, and besides, you took a wrong turn at the second step—”

Just as he was speaking, the office door was pushed open, and an elderly man wearing glasses walked in. Seeing the figure in the office, the old man paused for a moment before a smile spread across his face as he walked over.

“A rare guest! What brings Professor Xu to my humble place today?” Shing-Tung Yau smiled as he came forward, greeting him warmly.

Xu Chuan stopped mid-sentence, stood up, and smiled. “I’ve encountered a problem in mathematics and was hoping to come and ask for your guidance.”

A flash of surprise appeared in Shing-Tung Yau’s eyes. He chuckled, “A problem that even you find difficult? I’m quite curious to hear what it is.”

Xu Chuan said, “It’s related to the NS equations.”

Shing-Tung Yau was slightly taken aback. Although he knew that a problem capable of stumping the man before him would not be simple, he hadn’t expected it to be on the level of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems right off the bat.

Smiling, he took off his coat and hung it on the rack to the side. “That’s a major problem. I doubt we can solve it in a short while. Let’s sit first. We have plenty of time to talk.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I studied the NS equations with Fefferman for a while and was thinking of continuing my research.”

“But I ran into some problems in the area of Partial Differential Equations, and in this field, Mr. Yau, you are the true expert. So I thought I’d come over and ask for your pointers.”

What he said was not wrong. In the field of Partial Differential Equations, Shing-Tung Yau was indeed a top-tier expert, one might even say he was number one in the field.

Not only had he greatly expanded the role of Partial Differential Equations in Differential Geometry, but he had also pioneered an extremely important branch of mathematics known as “Geometric Analysis.”

If nothing else, a full five Fields Medalists had emerged from the field of Geometric Analysis, which spoke to its importance.

Shing-Tung Yau smiled and shook his head. “Forget about the ‘expert’ and ‘pointers’ talk in front of you. You’re the first person in history to have won both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal.”

“Little Wei, go make a pot of tea.”

While instructing his student to make tea, Shing-Tung Yau’s gaze also fell on the test paper in Xu Chuan’s hand. He said with a smile, “This is just some homework I left for my student. I hope Professor Xu won’t solve it on a whim.”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “This student of yours is quite interesting. He already has a bit of his own thinking in the area of Partial Differential Equations. That’s quite good.”

“Oh?”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s praise, Shing-Tung Yau let out a surprised “oh” and reached for the scratch paper to take a look.

After a moment, he smiled and shook his head. “This line of thought is indeed quite interesting, but there’s a problem with this answer. It’s a dead end.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, he made a critical error. He forced the function space to be a Hilbert space by taking the conjugate, which causes the process to get stuck at the second step.”

Shing-Tung Yau thought for a moment and asked, “If one were to solve this problem following this line of thought, what are your views?”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before speaking. “You’d need to transform the approximated Fourier function, parameterize the integral kernel in Fourier space, then use the function to approximate through an orthogonal decomposition of complex exponential signals, and finally convert it into a wave function describing momentum p.”

Shing-Tung Yau sank into thought, then said with admiration, “That is indeed the most suitable path.”

“My first thought was to use a Fourier series as orthogonal functions to serve as basis functions in a Lagrange interpolation polynomial, and then find the solution through the non-singular values of the coefficient matrix.”

“But that method is much more complex than yours, and the amount of computation is also significantly larger.”

“I never would have thought you had such a deep understanding of Partial Differential Equations. It’s truly surprising.”

Chapter 271: Exchange and Inspiration

To be perfectly honest, Shing-Tung Yau truly couldn’t fathom how the monster standing before him had learned so much.

Algebraic geometry, differential equations, partial differential equations, functional analysis, topology, manifolds…

Judging from the research papers Xu Chuan had published in the past, he was involved in a vast range of mathematical fields, so many that he was comparable to Terence Tao.

And outside of mathematics, he also possessed an extremely deep understanding of physics, astronomy, materials science, and other fields.

Although his Nobel Prize in Physics was primarily achieved through mathematical methods, it would have been impossible to master the material and complete the calculation method without an in-depth understanding and familiarity with the relevant knowledge of astrophysics.

But if he remembered correctly, the young man before him was only twenty-two this year.

Even if his education had begun in the womb, it was hard to imagine how he had managed to learn it all.

Frankly, Shing-Tung Yau considered himself a genius in the field of mathematics. At twenty-two, he had studied under Shiing-Shen Chern and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a doctoral degree, which was already an outstanding achievement in the mathematical world.

But compared to this young man, it was truly nothing.

At the age of twenty-two, this prodigy had already won both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize, standing at the very pinnacle of the entire field of mathematics, and even the world of science.

In the office, Wei Yong boiled a pot of hot water and quickly brought it over.

Shing-Tung Yau personally retrieved some treasured tea leaves from his cabinet and brewed a pot of hot tea.

Billowing steam swirled and rose from the Zisha teapot, and Xu Chuan stared at the mist, lost in thought.

Theoretically speaking, as the mist from the teapot drifted ethereally upwards, its visible form gradually dissipating into the air, wasn’t it also a type of fluid with a very low viscosity coefficient?

Staring at the dissipating steam from the teapot, a thought flashed through his mind.

Sometimes, the study of fluids or turbulence was just like the steam from this Zisha teapot. It began at the base of the teapot, rising in an orderly and stable manner, before it began to diffuse into disorder midway due to external disturbances, and finally spun completely out of control, vanishing into the air.

Though on a physical level the dispersed fluid still existed, it could no longer be described mathematically.

From initially predictable to ultimately completely out of control, from being able to deduce its motion with mathematical formulas to being unable to even record it with data—this was turbulence.

However, turbulence was not without its patterns.

Just like the steam before him, a person’s breath, a gentle breeze from the window, the effect of alternating hot and cold air—all of these could interfere with the water vapor.

Staring at the hazy mist, Xu Chuan’s mind grew active.

Perhaps one could construct multiple linear operators in three-dimensional space, satisfying the standard orthonormal basis matrix for any vector, and use the Hilbert method to find the soliton solution of the nonlinear equation.

A vague line of thought gradually clarified in his mind, but no one could be certain where it would lead.

Across the desk, Shing-Tung Yau was about to lift the Zisha teapot to pour the tea when he noticed Xu Chuan staring at it, deep in thought.

He was very familiar with this state and knew that the other party had likely been struck by an idea or inspiration. After a look of interest, he ceased his movements so as not to disturb him, waiting quietly to the side.

At the same time, Wei Yong was about to step forward but was stopped by his advisor, Shing-Tung Yau. A finger to his lips in a hushing gesture made him understand instantly. He carefully shrank back into a corner, and as he looked at the contemplative Xu Chuan, he dared not even breathe loudly, doing his best to minimize his presence, afraid that he might disturb the other’s thoughts.

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the office.

Xu Chuan remained in contemplation until the swirling steam dissipated as the water in the teapot cooled, at which point he came back to his senses.

Seeing Shing-Tung Yau waiting quietly, he smiled sheepishly and said, “Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.”

Shing-Tung Yau smiled, unconcerned. He stood up, took the Zisha teapot, emptied the tea leaves, and brewed a fresh pot before asking, “Did you come up with something?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, I had a small flash of inspiration, so I was thinking it through.”

“Care to talk about it?” Shing-Tung Yau asked curiously.

Xu Chuan replied, “Of course. It was mainly about some control calculations for external interference, and aspects of prediction.”

He briefly explained the inspiration he had just received. Sometimes, getting out and about could truly be of great benefit.

If he had been in his own villa in Nanjing, given his personality of rarely drinking tea, it would have been impossible to draw inspiration from the steam of tea. But here, with Shing-Tung Yau, he had already gained something before their exchange had even begun.

After hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Shing-Tung Yau pondered for a moment before speaking. “That is indeed a very good line of thought. Computationally, this path should be feasible. However, I would recommend replacing the bilinear operators with linear transformations. The former has its limitations, especially when dealing with certain special spaces, where the capabilities of bilinear operators might be insufficient.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then nodded. “Indeed, but bilinear operators also have unique advantages. For example, bijective linear operators in vector spaces have symmetrical properties, which are quite suitable in special spaces like squares, ellipses, and circles.”

“Perhaps they could be used in a mixed approach?”

Shing-Tung Yau shook his head. “Mathematically, that should be feasible. But if you want to use this to build a control model for turbulence, it might not work.”

“Especially for ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence. The rate of change is too great. The performance and intelligence of current computers might not be up to the task. Even using a supercomputer might not be viable.”

“You should know that when a mathematical model has too many variables during computation, it becomes a calculation task that even a supercomputer cannot complete.”

He already knew the purpose of Xu Chuan’s visit, so after some thought, he brought up this issue from an engineering perspective.

Xu Chuan considered this for a moment and said, “You have a point. If the model’s calculations are too complex, the demand on processing power would be too high. Especially for plasma turbulence within a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, the slightest disturbance could easily lead to a massive increase in the computational load.”

He had to admit, Shing-Tung Yau’s ability was truly terrifying. He had pointed out the problem in his conceptual idea with pinpoint accuracy.

His research capabilities were not limited to mathematics, but also extended to physics and engineering.

He had been a tenured professor of physics at Harvard University, and the only person in Harvard’s history to hold professorships in both the Department ofMathematics and the Department of Physics simultaneously.

During his time as director of Harvard’s “Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications,” Yau’s contributions had touched upon control theory, graph theory, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and 3D image processing. He was a top expert proficient in both theory and application.

For such a talent to have returned to the country to contribute was a great fortune for the nation.

In the office, Xu Chuan and Shing-Tung Yau continuously exchanged their views and ideas in the field of partial differential equations, only stopping when the light of the evening sun shone through the window and fell upon them.

After bidding farewell to Shing-Tung Yau, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing.

This exchange had been immensely beneficial for both him and Yau.

Two truly top-tier mathematicians had opened their hearts, sharing their respective insights into the field of partial differential equations. It was a clash of intellectual sparks, one that might merge into an even greater firework to illuminate the seemingly chaotic fog.

Back in Nanjing, Xu Chuan temporarily set aside his other work and shut himself in his villa.

Building a mathematical model for the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber was a magnificent goal, one almost impossible to achieve in a single step.

But now, he had sufficient qualifications and ability to push this path further forward.

In his study, Xu Chuan took out a stack of scratch paper and a pen and sat at his desk, deep in thought.

Beside him, the screens of his already-on laptop computer and desktop PC displayed various web pages and research papers.

These were the preparations before starting the official work.

Whether writing a paper or proving a difficult problem, one often needed to cite or look up various materials.

At his desk, Xu Chuan contemplated for a long while before finally lifting his right hand. The black ballpoint pen in his hand wrote a title on the blank A4 paper.

Research on the Nonlinear Exponential Stability and Global Existence of Solutions for the Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations in Three-Dimensional Space!

After writing down the title, he began to compose the introduction for the entire proof.

[Introduction: The equations of motion for a viscous fluid were first proposed by Navier in 1827, considering only the flow of incompressible fluids. Poisson proposed the equations of motion for compressible fluids in 1831. Saint-Venant in 1845, and Stokes in 1845.]

[The Navier-Stokes equation is the equation of motion that describes the conservation of momentum for a viscous, incompressible fluid, abbreviated as the N-S equations. The N-S equations summarize the universal laws of viscous, incompressible fluid flow and are therefore of special significance in fluid dynamics.]

[…]

[The compressible viscous N-S equations consist of three conservation equations: the conservation of mass equation, the conservation of momentum equation, and the conservation of energy equation. They involve three unknown functions: v(x,t), u(x,t), and θ(x,t), representing the specific volume of the fluid (the reciprocal of density), the velocity, and the absolute temperature, respectively. Next, we will discuss the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the initial boundary value problem of this system of equations.]

[Currently, all discussions are on bounded domains.]

[Therefore, given a finite bounded domain and Dirichlet boundary conditions, does a real and smooth solution for the Navier-Stokes equations exist in three-dimensional space?]

Chapter 272: Advancing the NS Equations from a Physics Perspective!

After writing the title and introduction, Xu Chuan began the main text.

“. . . Citing the thesis ‘On the Compressible Navier-Stokes Equations with Heat Conductivity’ by Professors Pan Ronghua and Zhang Weizhe, the initial value conditions will be relaxed on this basis.”

“Then (v,υ,θ)(×)∈HHH becomes (v,θ)∈H(0,1), υo∈H(0,1).”

“There exist some normal constants C and no η>0, such that for any (x,t)∈(0,1)(0,∞).”

“We obtain C≤υ(x,t)≤C, C≤θ(x,t≤C), and ||(υ-∫υdx,υ,θ-∫υdx)(·,t)||H(0,1)≤Ceηt.”

In his study, Xu Chuan began his exploration of the NS equations.

This was a problem that had spanned three centuries, and solving it was unimaginably difficult.

Since Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes independently proposed the form of the equations with a constant viscosity coefficient in 1845 and named them the Navier-Stokes equations, countless mathematicians and physicists had studied them over the past two centuries, as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

However, those who made major breakthroughs were few and far between.

Currently, the greatest progress in the field of mathematics on the NS equations was still the phased result he and Fefferman had achieved while he was at Princeton.

They had managed to, in a curved space, given an initial condition and a boundary condition, determine the existence of a solution.

And now, Xu Chuan wanted to push it even further, to prove that given a finite domain and Dirichlet boundary conditions in three-dimensional space, a real, smooth solution to the Navier-Stokes equations exists.

If he could achieve this, it would be almost enough to establish a mathematical model for the plasma turbulence in the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor and use a supercomputer for control calculations.

For Xu Chuan, he didn’t currently expect to solve the NS equations entirely; that wasn’t a very reliable idea.

It had been nearly two hundred years since the NS equations were proposed, and they still stood like a towering peak with no end in sight.

Countless climbers hadn’t even reached the foot of the mountain. People couldn’t see its summit; they could only gaze at it from afar through a thick fog.

Xu Chuan didn’t dare claim he could solve the NS equations in his lifetime.

This was not only because of its difficulty but also because it was a massive, systematic project.

The “Yang–Mills existence and mass gap” problem defined by the Clay Institute was merely a prelude to the NS equations.

Back in the villa, Xu Chuan hadn’t left the house in over a week.

His progress on the NS equations had been relatively smooth at the beginning. Partial Differential Equations were one of his research fields in his past life, and with mathematics as his major in this life, he had already surpassed his previous self and gone much further in this area.

But this didn’t mean his journey with the NS equations would be smooth sailing. Two days ago, he had hit a bottleneck and was still looking for a way to solve this difficult problem.

In the study, Xu Chuan frowned, staring at the formula on the scratch paper.

“U``=-(1/v)(1-cosA)U.”

This was a very simple formula, a harmonic equation with a function as a coefficient, derived from Chen Zhida’s S+R decomposition theory of the deformation tensor for wall flow with zero pressure gradient, which yielded the theoretical equation for the velocity profile U(y).

From this equation, it could be deduced that as the distance from the wall increases, the scale of turbulence evolves from a micro-scale with ultra-high wavenumbers to an ultra-large scale with wavenumbers approaching zero.

Under normal circumstances, it could almost replace the Euler equations and be applied to all turbulence to obtain a universally valid set of equations.

Furthermore, it had been confirmed that for this equation, Prandtl’s logarithmic law of velocity is its theoretical solution.

Therefore, it could be considered that for an ideal wall flow, the theoretical solution and the experimental solution are consistent.

Simply put, under ideal conditions, the operational state of turbulence calculated through mathematical formulas is identical to its actual operation.

Achieving this would make it entirely possible to build a mathematical model to predict and control turbulence.

However, it had a fatal problem!

The turbulence region is where cosA evolves from being unable to be approximated as 1 to approaching 0, and a universally valid analytical solution is difficult to obtain.

This was the most critical point for the irregularly shaped chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Xu Chuan wanted to find a method to supplement or replace it, but he had not yet succeeded.

More critically, in mathematics, the strict formula for acceleration is proven using the Li derivative.

Therefore, although the acceleration of a differential element derived from S+R is essentially consistent with the Li derivative, there is a big difference in their mechanical (physical) interpretation.

And what is currently widely accepted in the scientific community is the Euler equations or the NS equations based on the Li derivative.

Thus, there was almost no supporting literature in the theoretical community for the wall flow equation and the universal equation for turbulence presented here.

In other words, Xu Chuan couldn’t even consult previous literature and theses for reference.

This was a nearly completely blank field.

In the study, after crumpling the scratch paper in his hand and tossing it into the trash can, Xu Chuan took a deep breath as he stared at a fresh sheet of A4 paper.

He had been stuck on this problem for nearly ten days since his derivation hit a bottleneck, but he had gained nothing.

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. At least in these ten days, he had eliminated many unusable methods.

Shaking his head, he was about to start writing again, but after a moment’s thought, he tossed the pen aside.

He looked up at the ceiling for a while, then pushed back his chair and stood up.

Perhaps he needed a little help.

He thought of his experience in his past life solving the Yang–Mills existence and mass gap problem.

Back then, just like this time, he had been limited by a bottleneck for a long time.

And like the Yang-Mills problem, the NS equations were not just a mathematical problem; they were also a physics problem.

Perhaps he could try to find a solution from a physics perspective.

Putting aside mathematical thinking, from a physics standpoint, the fastest way to study a problem is through practice.

Turbulence is everywhere. It exists in the wake of a high-speed aircraft, and it exists in a bathtub full of water.

Its essence lies in injecting energy from the largest scale to the smallest scale through the formation, interaction, and dissipation of vortices.

Simply put, an orderly fluid flow will form vortices, which will interact with each other and split into smaller vortices, and then these smaller vortices will continue to interact, and so on…

However, this chaos has puzzled scientists for centuries.

There is currently no mechanistic framework that can explain how the interaction between vortices drives such an energy cascade.

And for physicists, when faced with a difficult problem, there is a method they often use!

That is to “smash” these things together!

For example, to understand the fundamental components of the universe, theoretical physicists built large particle colliders to accelerate microscopic particles and make them collide to obtain data.

This time, to reveal the basic mechanism of turbulence and find a solution to the NS equations, Xu Chuan decided to make vortices collide with other vortices, to personally observe their structure and motion at a microscopic level.

At Nanjing University, Xu Chuan went straight to the School of Physics and found its dean, Yu Yongwang, to request the use of the school’s equipment.

Dean Yu agreed to Xu Chuan’s request without a second thought.

In the physics experiment building, Xu Chuan called over his two students to help out. Under Dean Yu’s arrangement, Nanjing University also sent two doctoral students to assist.

In fact, creating a turbulence collision is not a difficult task.

Various marine creatures can create vortex rings under water with air and fast-moving water.

This is because as a circular bubble moves forward, it is squeezed by the water in front and experiences friction from the water on its sides pulling it backward. This causes the originally circular bubble to be flattened, and its edges, due to the backward force, will disturb the air at the edge to rotate, thus forming a vortex at the edge. Gradually, the middle part separates, forming a vortex ring.

The difficulty of the experiment lay in using an ultra-high-resolution camera to record the entire collision of the two flows and then using a 3D visualization program to reconstruct the collision process to determine the basic mechanism of turbulence evolution.

“Professor, I’ve finished the adjustments on my end. Vortex ring A1 is using green material, and A2 is using red material.”

In the lab, Gu Bing loudly reported the completion of his work.

Xu Chuan nodded, “Alright.”

On the other side, with the help of students majoring in photogrammetry and remote sensing, Amelia also smoothly completed the installation and debugging of the ultra-high-resolution camera.

“Reporting, Professor, the ultra-high-resolution camera is ready and can begin recording at any time.”

Under Xu Chuan’s command and with the help of Nanjing University, the equipment for the vortex ring collision experiment was quickly assembled.

The experiment began. Under precise control, the vortex ring generators on both sides of the water tank simultaneously launched a bubble forward. Under high-speed motion, the bubbles evolved into vortex rings and then collided right in the center.

The red and yellow vortex rings formed a mix of colorful ripples and rings visible to the naked eye at the moment of collision, but in just a second, these ripples and rings dissipated into a cloud of dye.

However, for Xu Chuan, this was enough.

In this experiment, Xu Chuan had specially brought in a powerful scanning laser sheet, synchronized with the high-speed camera. The combination of the two allowed it to capture hundreds of thousands of images per second.

The ultra-high-resolution high-speed camera accurately recorded the entire experimental process and sent it to the computer.

The rest was to reconstruct the collision process using a 3D visualization program.

“Professor, is this experiment finished?”

In the lab, Amelia curiously watched the students who were dismantling the equipment and asked Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, it’s done.”

“May I ask what this research is about? Vortices? Or turbulence?”

Having been hastily summoned, Amelia and Gu Bing were both a little curious about what their advisor had been doing after disappearing for more than half a month.

Xu Chuan smiled and replied, “Researching the NS equations.”

Amelia’s mouth fell open. She looked at Xu Chuan in surprise, then at the equipment being dismantled. “With just this?”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Of course. The NS equations are fundamentally about studying fluid dynamics, and vortices are a part of fluid dynamics.”

In fact, physicists have been using vortex colliders to study turbulence since the 1990s, but previous experiments failed to slow down and mechanically reconstruct the moment of chaos during the collision.

The reason Xu Chuan did this was also due to the experience brought by his rebirth.

In the aerodynamics of later generations, it was a very common practice to reconstruct chaotic systems for research, so he just added it in.

“Then, Professor, can I join your research?” Amelia asked expectantly.

Her university major was mathematical physics, and she was also quite interested in the NS equations. By joining Xu Chuan’s research, even if she couldn’t be of much help, she would definitely learn a lot.

Beside her, Gu Bing also cast a hopeful gaze.

Noticing the渴望 of his two students, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “You two should first focus on completing the task I gave you earlier.”

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to let his two students participate in his project, but they probably didn’t have enough energy or time.

He didn’t guide his students much last year, but this year was different. At the beginning of the year, he had personally assigned them a Hodge-like mathematical problem.

This one problem was estimated to consume all of their daily time.

If they could solve it, they wouldn’t be far from graduation.

After several days of work, the 3D visual reconstruction of the vortex collision was finally complete.

Nanjing University sent over the reconstructed data immediately.

After receiving the data, Xu Chuan brewed a cup of light tea and turned on his computer.

Ever since he got inspired by the tea mist at Shing-Tung Yau’s place, he had also started brewing and drinking tea, hoping to continue getting inspiration and ideas from it.

Although it wasn’t particularly useful, Xu Chuan unexpectedly found that drinking tea helped him maintain a certain level of focus during his daily research, so he had grown accustomed to brewing a cup of light tea before starting his research.

Holding the teacup, he took a small sip and opened the reconstructed vortex ring collision experiment.

This was a completely different picture from what was visible to the eye. In the reconstructed collision, the colors of the vortex rings had completely disappeared, or rather, they were unified.

But Xu Chuan keenly noticed that when the vortex rings collided with each other, they were stretched outwards, and their edges formed anti-symmetrical waves.

The crests of these waves developed into finger-like filaments, growing perpendicular to the core where the collision occurred.

Then, the rotation direction of these “fingers” was opposite to that of the adjacent “fingers,” thus forming a new array of micro-vortices. The interaction between these micro-vortices lasted for several milliseconds.

It would be very difficult to notice these things if not for the extreme slow-motion playback.

But it also gave Xu Chuan a vague inspiration.

With a gentle click of the mouse, he dragged the timeline back to the beginning and replayed it.

As the new array of vortices and ripples formed, Xu Chuan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, but his bright gaze still held a trace of doubt.

He felt that these things gave him a strange sense of familiarity in mathematics, yet he couldn’t recall where he had seen them for a moment.

He dragged the progress bar back again with the mouse and watched the video before him over and over.

Suddenly, in his mind, a piece of scratch paper appeared, and his eyes lit up in an instant!

He remembered where he had seen this familiar thing before, and he knew how to move forward with the NS equations!

Chapter 273: A Breakthrough Result!

In his study, Xu Chuan stared at the monitor before him.

The vortex arrays and ripples formed by the colliding vortex rings reverberated, and a hopeful glint flickered in his eyes.

The swirling ripples on the screen and the familiar scratch paper from Shing-Tung Yau’s office merged perfectly, opening up an entirely new path—a path that gave him hope.

Who would have thought that a graduate student’s partial differential equation for the field of intelligent neural networks would give a top big shot in the field of mathematics a new line of thinking for deciphering the NS equations?

To this, Xu Chuan could only sigh. Fate was truly wondrous at times.

If he hadn’t gone to Beijing that day, hadn’t taken an interest in the student assessment test on the desk, and hadn’t maintained his usual calm demeanor while interacting with others, then none of this would be happening today.

A calculation method for partial differential equations originally used in the fields of artificial intelligence and intelligent neural networks—a type of vector space used to describe signal transformations in the frequency domain—might now build a magnificent bridge in a completely new field!

Taking out scratch paper and a pen from the side, Xu Chuan once again set foot on the path to exploring the NS equations.

He had a feeling. This time, he would definitely succeed!

A long time passed before Xu Chuan put down the final stroke of his pen.

His bloodshot eyes shone with a bright, feverish light. He looked at the scratch paper covered in equations and data, a faint smile appearing on his exhausted face.

He didn’t know how long it had taken or how many obstacles he had overcome, but now, he had finally climbed another step up the great peak of the NS equations!

The perfect combination of physical experiments and mathematical proofs had allowed him to find the small path leading to the summit.

Although the path was still rugged and treacherous, it couldn’t stop him now that he could see the way forward.

This was probably the longest he had ever taken to prove a single problem.

Looking at the messy pile of scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan smiled and began to organize the proof.

This single interim result for the NS equations took up nearly three hundred pages, the bulk of which was filled with citations, derived formulas, and the solution process.

But fortunately, on this path, he had succeeded.

Not only that, but this time he had pushed his objective to a point he had never imagined at the outset.

In the beginning, Xu Chuan had only thought of completing the step: “Given a finite domain with a Dirichlet boundary, prove that a real, smooth solution to the Navier-Stokes equations exists in three-dimensional space.”

But now, he had gone even further.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan crossed out the title on the first page of scratch paper and wrote a new one.

“Given a finite space, when the initial value is infinitely smooth, a smooth solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations exists!”

A new title quietly appeared above the old one.

This represented another giant leap for the fields of mathematics and physics toward the final meaning of the NS equations.

Although it had yet to be verified by the fields of mathematics and physics, Xu Chuan believed he had succeeded!

He checked the scratch paper in his hands one more time. After temporarily confirming that nothing was missing, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him, his eyelids growing heavy. Now that he had relaxed, his taut nerves quickly went slack.

After pulling all-nighters for who knows how many days, he could finally get a good night’s sleep.

Yawning, he made his way to the bedroom, casually kicked off his shoes, and, without even washing up, collapsed onto the bed.

Soon, the sound of soft, even snores filled the bedroom.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but when Xu Chuan woke up, it was still dark outside.

After struggling out of bed, he felt completely drained of energy.

This was a feeling Xu Chuan was quite familiar with.

It was the aftereffect of long periods of intense exertion. It would go away after two or three days of rest.

In his past life, it had happened often when he was researching a problem. In this life, after getting his body into good shape, this was the first time he’d experienced a similar symptom.

All he could say was that researching the NS equations had drained so much of his energy that even his body couldn’t take it anymore.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan stretched his body before getting up and heading to the bathroom for a hot shower.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he felt much more refreshed.

He took a bottle of water from the fridge and a loaf of bread from the pantry. Waking up from such a long sleep, he was more than a little hungry. The bread was just a temporary fix; he’d probably have to order some takeout later.

With the bread in his mouth, Xu Chuan returned to his study, picked up his phone from the desk, and glanced at the time. It was just after three in the morning.

If he remembered correctly, he had gone to sleep around eleven or twelve yesterday afternoon. Good grief, he’d slept for fifteen or sixteen hours.

“Oh no! Is there still takeout at this hour?”

Suddenly, Xu Chuan slapped his thigh and hurriedly picked up his phone. He was starving! Was there anything he could order at three in the morning?

Especially since he lived at the foot of Zijin Mountain, which was quite remote. There weren’t many shops nearby to begin with, let alone late at night.

He opened the takeout app and saw that only a handful of nearby places were still delivering at this hour.

Besides barbecue, there was only a 24-hour congee shop.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a picky eater. He ordered a few things casually and put his phone down.

On the desk, the scratch paper he had organized yesterday lay in a neat pile. Tearing open the bread bag, Xu Chuan began to re-examine yesterday’s manuscript while he ate.

Last night, he had only checked to see if any parts of the manuscript were missing. Today, he had to go through the entire proof process carefully from beginning to end.

To check for omissions and errors, to figure out where there were problems, or if there were places that could be optimized.

A problem of the century like the NS equations, with its extremely long and difficult proof, was a crown jewel for both the field of mathematics and the field of physics.

Once this research paper was submitted, it would undoubtedly attract worldwide attention, so Xu Chuan had to repeatedly and carefully confirm that the paper had no major flaws.

In the study, a “knock, knock, knock” sounded at the door.

Xu Chuan came back to his senses, walked over, and opened the door. Outside stood Zheng Hai, holding a bag of takeout.

“Professor, your takeout is here.”

Zheng Hai handed the food over. Xu Chuan took it and asked casually, “Why are you still up so late?”

“I came by in the evening and saw you were asleep, so I rested for a bit. I’m not very tired right now.”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “You were looking for me? Is something wrong?”

Zheng Hai rarely came to the villa to see him unless something was up.

“No.” Zheng Hai shook his head and continued, “I was mainly checking on you since I saw you hadn’t ordered dinner.”

After a pause, he added, “Even when you’re doing research, Professor, you need to take care of your health. You’ve been staying up late every night these past few days.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Thank you, I’ll be careful.”

To be honest, very few people in scientific research have a normal daily routine.

In comparison, he was actually one of the better ones. As long as he wasn’t completely engrossed in research, his schedule was quite regular.

But during this period of researching the NS equations, his schedule had indeed become a bit chaotic.

But it wasn’t a big deal.

It was just grinding. For him, nothing could be more normal.

How many people in scientific research didn’t grind?

Chugging a Red Bull to pull an all-nighter wasn’t anything strange.

Besides, if you don’t grind when you’re young, you won’t even have the energy to grind when you’re old.

Chapter 274: A Gale from Mathematics Sweeps into Physics

In his study, Xu Chuan carefully checked the proof process.

After carefully combing through his progress on the NS equations, it was nearly noon.

He had originally planned to type up the manuscript himself, but when he saw the thick stack of papers, he lost his nerve.

Then it occurred to him—didn’t he have students? A small task like this could be handled by them.

Besides, organizing and typing up the manuscript would allow them to gain a deeper understanding of the paper’s core and learn more.

It was for their own benefit!

At this thought, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. He took out his phone and called his two students.

“Hello, Gu Bing? Get Amelia and come over to my villa. I have a paper that I need your help typing up.”

“Oh, and remember to bring your laptops.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan’s thoughts returned to the problem.

The NS equations had been pushed this far; one could say only the final step remained to solve the problem posed by the Clay Mathematics Institute. He was pondering how to take that step.

However, the field of mathematical physics currently lacked a unified, complete line of proof for the NS equations.

Not everyone was hoping for a proof of the “existence and smoothness of the Navier-Stokes equations.” A large number of mathematicians and physicists were actually trying to disprove it.

That is, they believed that no smooth, continuous solution to the NS equations existed.

This stemmed from the properties of fluids.

In transitional and turbulent flows, given smooth initial and boundary conditions and a sufficiently high Reynolds number, the velocity profile changes and becomes distorted as the flow evolves.

Through rigorous derivation from the NS equations, the fluid’s velocity becomes discontinuous on the distorted profile, creating a singularity (this is the beginning of the transition).

And because the flow variables are non-differentiable at the singularity, the NS equations have no solution at that point. Therefore, no smooth solution for the NS equations exists in the global domain.

The school of scholars who believed that no smooth, continuous solution to the NS equations exists mostly subscribed to this idea.

Singularities being unsolvable and non-differentiable is a mathematical consensus.

However, scholars in the “pro-proof” camp thought differently.

They had always believed that a solution to the NS equations existed and was continuous and smooth.

And within this camp, one must mention a most famous mathematician.

That would be Kolmogorov of the former Soviets, known in the field of mathematics as “Kolmogorov the Heretic,” a polymath of the 20th century.

If you have studied modern probability theory, you will certainly be familiar with this name.

If Grothendieck laid the foundation for algebraic geometry, then Kolmogorov laid the foundation for modern probability theory.

But he didn’t start in the Department of Mathematics. It is said that around the age of seventeen, he wrote an article related to Newtonian mechanics and then went to Moscow to study.

When he enrolled, “Kolmogorov the Heretic,” much like Edward Witten, was initially fascinated by history.

Once, he wrote an excellent history paper. After reading it, his teacher told him that in history, one needed several, or even dozens, of correct proofs to validate a point.

Kolmogorov then asked where only one proof was needed. His teacher replied, “Mathematics,” and so he began his life in mathematics.

Besides laying the foundation for modern probability theory, among Kolmogorov’s countless lifetime achievements, the most dazzling are undoubtedly his laws of turbulence and the concept of scaling.

This achievement guided the development of fluid dynamics for nearly a century. In the long river of the development of fluid dynamics, he wrote a brilliant and significant chapter in the history of modern turbulence with a stroke of genius.

This is the renowned K41 theory.

The K41 theory posits that no matter how complex a turbulent system is, its vortex structures share similarities. The kinetic energy of the vortices is always applied to the flow field by external forces and injected into the largest-scale (let’s say, L) vortex structures.

Then, the large-scale vortex structures sequentially break down, creating smaller vortices, and simultaneously transfer kinetic energy step by step from large scales to smaller-scale structures, and so on.

But this process does not continue indefinitely. When the vortex structure scale becomes small enough (let’s say, η), fluid viscosity becomes dominant, and the kinetic energy is converted into internal energy and dissipated at this scale, thus no longer being transferred to even smaller vortex structures.

This process is called an energy cascade.

This is one of the most important and fundamental concepts in contemporary fluid dynamics.

Xu Chuan didn’t know about other universities, but back when he was at Nanjing University, this concept took up a full ten points on exams.

It was truly of utmost importance.

And part of the theory for the existence of a continuous and smooth solution to the NS equations is built upon the K41 theory.

This time, Xu Chuan had pushed the NS equations to an unprecedented height, also by utilizing this very theory.

For now, the K41 theory was also applicable to turbulence. He just didn’t know if it would still be as overwhelmingly effective when facing the final solution of the NS equations in the future.

After receiving the call, Gu Bing and Amelia rushed over in a flurry.

“Professor, we’re here. Could you please open the door?”

In the study, Xu Chuan answered the call from Gu Bing, then got up and let his two students in.

“Thanks for making the trip. This is the paper that needs to be organized and typed up.”

Hearing this, Gu Bing looked towards the paper on the desk, while Amelia stood still, looking at Xu Chuan with excitement and asking curiously:

“Professor, have you already proven the NS equations?”

It was well known that their advisor had a quirk: when faced with a problem, he would almost never leave the house until he solved it.

And now, it was obvious he had a result.

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “Not quite. Proving the NS equations at this stage is too difficult; it’s nearly impossible.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Gu Bing’s astonished cry came from the side, “Professor, you’ve proved the NS equations?”

Hearing this, Amelia immediately shot Xu Chuan a puzzled look.

Xu Chuan said he hadn’t proven the NS equations, so what was that manuscript in Gu Bing’s hands?

Noticing his student’s questioning gaze, Xu Chuan shrugged and said, “It’s just some partial progress on the NS equations, that’s all.”

Still confused, Amelia snatched the scratch paper from Gu Bing, her eyes falling on the title.

《The Existence of Smooth Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in a Finite Domain with Infinitely Smooth Initial Values!》

Seeing the title, Amelia’s azure pupils suddenly contracted to a pinpoint, her gaze filled with disbelief.

This is “just some partial progress, that’s all?”

Just?

That’s all?

Remembering how casually her advisor had said it, Amelia really wanted to use a phrase she had learned while studying abroad here.

Showing off! He was definitely showing off!

With the help of his two students, it took Xu Chuan a full two days to input the entire proof into the computer.

After carefully checking it twice and confirming there were no errors in the digital version, Xu Chuan uploaded it to the arXiv preprint server.

“Let’s go. You’ve both worked hard these past two days. I’ll treat you to a big meal.”

After dealing with the paper, Xu Chuan said with a smile, patting his students’ shoulders.

Typing up a proof of over two hundred pages into the computer in two days without a single mistake, including checking every letter and even punctuation mark, was an incredibly exhausting task.

The dark circles under his two students’ eyes after two days were the best proof.

While Xu Chuan was taking his two students out for a big meal, arXiv was gradually buzzing with activity, and an undercurrent began to stir in the world of mathematics.

On the arXiv preprint server, many scholars who followed tags like ‘NS equations,’ ‘Seven Millennium Prize Problems,’ ‘fluid,’ ‘turbulence,’ and ‘Xu Chuan’ immediately received a recommendation from the site.

Among them was Fefferman, who had tagged Xu Chuan as ‘Special Follow.’

When he received the push notification from arXiv, Fefferman was at his computer, searching for and reading through materials helpful for his research on the NS equations.

Last year, his and Xu Chuan’s breakthrough on the NS equations had given him a glimmer of hope for cracking the problem.

Although it was faint, Fefferman didn’t want to give up.

It was his life’s dream.

On the screen, Fefferman was searching for papers in the Annals of Mathematics when suddenly, a small pop-up appeared in the bottom-right corner.

He was about to close it out of habit when his sharp eyes noticed the pop-up was from the arXiv application.

This made him pause involuntarily. He then clicked to enlarge the pop-up, ready to see what arXiv had pushed to him.

《The Existence of Smooth Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in a Finite Domain with Infinitely Smooth Initial Values!》

Seeing the title displayed in the enlarged pop-up, Fefferman’s pupils contracted sharply.

A proof for the NS equations?

And it’s progressed this far!

How is that possible? Who is it?

And why would such an important proof be thrown onto arXiv?

Suddenly, a thought struck Fefferman. He quickly maneuvered the mouse to click the pop-up, entering arXiv. Immediately, the author’s name came into view.

Xu·Chuan

The familiar name made him stare blankly at the screen for a long time.

Indeed, he had guessed right!

Besides that oddball Perelman, only one other person would throw a proof of a major conjecture onto arXiv before any journal review.

Snapping back to his senses, Fefferman quickly downloaded the entire paper and began to read.

“. . . Starting from the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with heat conductivity, and then using a harmonic equation with a function as its coefficient to calculate the wall-bounded flow. This is indeed a good idea, but the S+R decomposition theory has a fatal flaw. How did you solve it?”

Fefferman’s eyes were fixed on the paper, page after page of the proof imprinting on his mind as he continuously muttered to himself.

As a top mathematician in fluid mathematics himself, he could easily grasp the proof process and line of thought in the paper.

The proof method in the paper was indeed brilliant, but it wasn’t something he hadn’t considered before.

However, he had ultimately abandoned it because there was a fatal flaw in the S+R decomposition theory that he couldn’t resolve.

It wasn’t just him; other mathematicians he had discussed it with were also not optimistic about this problem.

But this paper used this very method, and Fefferman was eager to see how the author had solved a problem that a host of top mathematicians had deemed unpromising.

He pondered, continuously flipping through the paper in his hands. As he read on, the answer he was looking for soon appeared before his eyes.

“. . . by approximating the Fourier function in Fourier space, then further approximating with a function, then converting it into a wave function describing momentum p, and then utilizing . . .”

In his office, Fefferman stared at the manuscript in his hands, muttering to himself, a bright light gradually appearing in his eyes.

“Brilliant!”

“Colliding vortex rings, using 3D computation to reconstruct the vortex into a vortex pattern, and then using a function to solve it. This completely bypasses the fatal flaw in the S+R decomposition theory of being unable to approach 0 from 1!”

“This idea is amazing! Absolutely ingenious!”

After reading through the solution, Fefferman couldn’t help but slap his thigh in admiration for the ideas and reasoning in the paper.

This was a path no one had ever thought of, a perfect fusion of physics and mathematics to solve a problem of immense importance in both fields.

Looking at the paper in his hands, Fefferman’s eyes were filled with satisfaction and admiration.

But then, he remembered something, and a trace of gloominess appeared in his eyes.

The NS equations were his own challenge to himself and to mathematics, a peak no one had ever summited. He once had hope, but now someone else had beaten him to it.

However, he still had hope!

Although this proof was outstanding, and in his view had practically proven a large part of the NS equations, it was ultimately not yet complete.

There was still one step left to completely prove the NS equations. In that case, he would take on the remaining work!

At this thought, an infinite fighting spirit ignited in Fefferman’s eyes!

He would definitely place the final roof on this great edifice!

Chapter 275: The Frenzy in the Mathematical World

Once the research paper detailing the progress on the NS equations was uploaded to Arxiv, news quickly spread throughout the fields of mathematics and physics.

The traffic to the Arxiv preprint website began to skyrocket, and the sudden massive influx of visitors directly crashed the server.

In the days following the paper’s upload, the topic dominated discussions on major professional mathematics and physics forums.

[Heard the NS equations have been proven!]

[Impossible, the NS equations are unsolvable.]

[But the one who published the proof is a Nobel Prize winner + Fields Medal winner!]

[Holy shit? God Chuan? He proved the NS equations? Again?]

[Why did you say “again”!!]

[Has anyone understood the paper yet? Over two hundred pages of proof, damn.]

[How could I? The Arxiv server crashed from the traffic. Can’t even download the paper. Has any big shot downloaded it? Begging for a copy, my email is: ******]

[Same here +1!]

On the forums, the discussions were heating up.

But few were discussing the correctness of the paper. Those who were, were mostly slackers.

After all, the real masters were still painstakingly chewing on the paper.

A paper of over two hundred pages, filled with numerous citations and calculations, was no easy task to get through in a short time, even for an expert in the field of Partial Differential Equations.

In California, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Terence Tao, wearing glasses, took the printed paper from his assistant’s hands.

For him, who was proficient in almost all areas of mathematics, the NS equations were quite familiar, even if they weren’t his primary research field. After all, Partial Differential Equations was one of the areas he knew best.

In 2015, a Kazakh mathematician, Mukhtar, had claimed to have solved the Navier-Stokes equations.

At the time, it caused quite a stir in the field of mathematics.

After all, this mathematician was quite famous in his own right. Born in the former Soviet era, he had solved a number of difficult mathematical problems and was a well-known mathematician in the twentieth century.

For such a mathematician to declare that he had solved the NS equations naturally drew a lot of attention.

Unfortunately, the mathematician had written his paper in Russian, which meant very few people could understand it at the time.

But that didn’t matter, for he happened to be one of the few who could read Russian.

After accepting the invitation from the Annals of Mathematics to review the paper, Terence Tao had expected it to be an inspiring task. Unexpectedly, in less than half a month, he found as many as six fatal flaws in Mukhtar’s paper, declaring the proof a failure.

This time, a proof of the NS equations had once again landed in his hands, and it was completed by the mathematician he admired and held in the highest regard among the younger generation.

Without a doubt, this piqued his interest immensely.

Pushing up his glasses, Terence Tao immersed himself in the paper.

Even for him, a paper of over two hundred pages was not a simple thing to fully comprehend. He canceled his classes and activities for the next day and spent nearly two full days poring over it until he had thoroughly understood it.

“Truly brilliant! As expected of Professor Xu!”

“To approach it from a physical perspective, using the vortex experiment as a clue, and perfectly combining applied physics and theoretical mathematics to apply to the NS equations—this is a completely new line of thinking!”

“I had once thought that after returning to his country, he would neglect his mathematical research for a time. I never expected that not only did he not, but he has actually performed even better than before!”

In his office, Terence Tao sighed with admiration as he put down the paper. He opened his computer and logged into his Twitter account.

As a mathematician who enjoyed surfing the web, he would get involved in almost every major event in the world of mathematics.

This also led to many netizens tagging him whenever they encountered a mathematical problem online.

This preliminary result for the NS equations was no different. After the news began to spread, many mathematicians and netizens tagged him, drawing his attention to the matter.

Of course, he himself quite enjoyed this feeling.

Now, it was time to give a response.

[I have read Professor Xu’s paper, and I must say, it is an exceptionally brilliant and deeply inspiring work.]

[In this paper on the preliminary proof of the NS equations, he employs a completely new method to study the data. He utilizes vortex collisions from applied physics to provide theoretical data, from which he extracts what he needs.]

[I have to say, this is quite a rare approach in the history of mathematical research. It also offers us a new method, especially when facing difficult problems like the NS equations, which lie at the crossroads of mathematical physics. Perhaps switching tracks can lead to the answer.]

[Of course, I don’t recommend everyone attempt this. It requires an extremely deep foundation in both mathematics and physics. Looking across the entire fields of mathematics and physics, those with such an ability are few and far between.]

[Returning to the paper, for now, I haven’t found any major flaws or problems. However, I will continue to study it and exchange opinions with other mathematicians. A paper of over two hundred pages cannot be fully understood in just a few days.]

[Of course, it would be even better if Professor Xu could hold a conference presentation. After all, an achievement of this magnitude is more than worthy of one.]

[Finally, if I have to give an answer, from my personal perspective, I am inclined to believe that he has successfully completed the proof for this preliminary stage of the NS equations.]

Many people followed Terence Tao’s Twitter account, and the moment this tweet was published, it was retweeted by countless users.

At the same time, another top mathematician, Professor Fefferman, who had previously collaborated with Xu Chuan on researching the NS equations, also publicly stated his opinion, expressing great optimism about the paper.

With the opinions of two top-tier experts made public, the online mathematics forums once again descended into a frenzy.

[My God, don’t tell me he’s going to solve another Millennium Prize Problem after the Hodge Conjecture? This is too crazy.]

[Professor Tao and Professor Fefferman both expressed their approval of the paper, so it’s highly likely to be a success.]

[This is the NS equations! A super-problem that has spanned three whole centuries.]

[It’s just a preliminary result, not the final solution. I’ll stick to my guns: the NS equations are unsolvable; the singularity has no solution! Besides, mathematicians have often claimed to solve the NS equations in the past, but what happened in the end? All ended in failure.]

[God Chuan is different! He’s the first-ever Nobel and Fields prize winner. A top expert like him wouldn’t publish his results if he wasn’t confident. Plus, Tao and Fefferman are top experts in Partial Differential Equations. Their unanimous approval basically confirms its success!]

[Heh, until the final result is out, who the hell knows if it’s correct. You believe this mutual back-patting? So naive, kid!]

[No, I believe Professor Xu has completed the proof. Let’s make a bet!]

In Nanjing, at Nanjing University, the campus was buzzing with excitement.

The news of Xu Chuan’s paper on the preliminary proof of the NS equations, which he had thrown onto Arxiv, had traveled across the ocean and back. It wasn’t just students from the Department of Mathematics and Physics discussing it; many students from engineering, astronomy, and even the fine arts department were talking about it.

After all, Xu Chuan was a professor at Nanjing University. As students of the university, how could they not be thrilled to witness such a miracle firsthand?

Meanwhile, in the university leadership’s offices, one meeting after another was being held relentlessly.

Over the past few days, Nanjing University had received numerous requests from mathematicians and mathematical institutions.

The requests had only one objective: to invite and hope that Professor Xu Chuan would hold a mathematical conference presentation to give a detailed report on the preliminary proof of the NS equations.

Of course, even more of these requests were sent to Xu Chuan’s email and other contact methods.

But the mathematical community knew well that sending messages to this willful master was of little use, just as it had been when he completed his proofs of various other conjectures.

If he weren’t so willful, who would post such an important research paper to Arxiv? If he weren’t so willful, why would he have refused the one million US dollars from the Clay Institute?

That was a whole one million US dollars, enough to be stacked in boxes.

Furthermore, the award for solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems was itself a supreme honor.

Of course, this honor was now jokingly called the “Curse of Money” by many mathematicians.

From Perelman to Xu Chuan, both of these great scholars who had proved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems had lost interest in money.

Nanjing University was naturally very tempted by these external requests. After all, this was the NS equations, one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Of course, Nanjing University did not act on its own authority and agree to these requests.

Setting aside its status as his alma mater, even Nanjing University as a whole had to be cautious when dealing with Xu Chuan now.

The world’s only top scholar with both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal, in any country, would have the ear of the highest authorities. A person like that could change the ecosystem of an entire discipline with a single sentence.

But the appeal of hosting the conference presentation at Nanjing University was undoubtedly immense for the school’s leadership.

Such a presentation would undoubtedly be the world-class event that Nanjing University had been dreaming of.

Even though it was currently just a preliminary result, not yet fully completed or verified and recognized by the mathematical community, it was still enough to draw the eyes of mathematicians from all over the world.

Even physicists or engineering scholars would certainly be interested.

Because the NS equations study none other than fluids!

If the analytical solution to the NS equations were known, then all fluid-related problems—such as aircraft turbulence, rocket propulsion, ship navigation resistance, car aerodynamics, pipeline optimization, and various other engineering designs, as well as weather and environmental forecasting, disaster prevention along rivers and coasts, and so on—would all be greatly simplified.

It was just like how Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity paved the way for the theory behind GPS.

Although the transition from theory to application would take a very long time, it would undoubtedly continue to influence the next several decades, or even centuries!

Chapter 276: Problems in the Nuclear Energy Project

After receiving a call from the Nanjing University leadership, Xu Chuan didn’t overthink it. Following a brief conversation, he agreed to hold the conference presentation at the university.

The preliminary results on the NS equations were not some obscure achievement; they deserved a dedicated conference presentation.

Besides, having someone else take the initiative to handle such matters for him was a good thing.

After all, organizing a large-scale conference was quite a hassle—invitation letters, guest reception, and so on were all troublesome matters.

Of course, for Nanjing University, they wished for this kind of trouble to happen more often.

Given Xu Chuan’s fame and the importance of the NS equations, it was entirely predictable that the scale of this conference would surpass all previous ones in Nanjing University’s history, making it the grandest ever held.

Not only mathematicians, but also physicists and even engineers studying fluid dynamics would likely attend this conference.

For a university like Nanjing University, which aimed to further enhance its reputation, build its international prestige, and become a world-class institution, such a conference was undoubtedly extremely important.

For Nanjing University, this was a boost to its academic reputation.

And for the university leaders, and even the entire city of Nanjing, this was an undisguised political achievement.

For a university or a city to host such an academic exchange conference would undoubtedly greatly enhance the academic atmosphere of the institution or the city as a whole.

Especially under the current national policy of “reinvigorating the nation through science and education,” what was this? This was a political home run!

So, after speaking with Xu Chuan, the conference presentation on the NS equations immediately became a top priority for the university, and even the city.

Various meetings were held. From the list for invitation letters to the security for the conference, and even the appearance of the campus and the city, every detail was carefully discussed several times over to formulate the most secure plan.

Fortunately, there was still enough time. After communicating with Xu Chuan, the conference was finally scheduled for May 5th. With half a month to go, it was plenty of time for Nanjing University and the city of Nanjing to spruce up the campus and city, inside and out.

Xu Chuan paid little mind to these things. Vanity projects were unavoidable in the country, no matter what.

But vanity projects were not without their benefits.

At the very least, for the students of Nanjing University and the citizens of Nanjing, issues like the sanitation of their living environment, the convenience of transportation, and potholes on the roads, which had previously been reported to no effect, were now being resolved at the fastest possible speed.

After entrusting the conference for the preliminary results of the NS equations to Nanjing University, Xu Chuan returned to his normal life.

It was already mid-April. Since the beginning of the year, he had not once visited the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project.

Although Professor Han Jin sent a project report to his email every week, he wasn’t really sure what the situation was like on-site at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute.

Thus, after settling the matter of the preliminary results for the NS equations, Xu Chuan took a high-speed rail and rushed to Qidong.

When he arrived at the nuclear energy project research base, he was somewhat stunned by the scene before him.

He hadn’t been here in a few months, and the place had transformed from what was once a barren, mountainous wilderness into a small town.

The salty sea breeze blew in from the nearby ocean. Before his eyes stood a sprawling nuclear power plant with its supporting buildings.

Several towering condensation towers, each over a hundred meters tall, stood in the northeast, facing the sea. The central area was a sprawling expanse of steel structures, majestic and grand. Underfoot was a bright, smooth, and wide concrete ground.

Not far away, on another side, was a six-story research center. Though it had only six floors, it stood nearly forty meters high.

Surrounding the nuclear waste power plant were numerous support facilities and a wide concrete road leading into the distance.

On the outermost edge was a wall several meters high, stretching as far as the eye could see, securely enclosing the entire nuclear power plant complex.

Further out lay dense, primordial forests and wilderness.

This scene was like something out of a sci-fi movie’s post-apocalyptic city. Outside was a desolate wasteland, while only within the small city was there a glimmer of hope. The contrast in the image was jarring yet tangibly real.

Passing through security and entering the complex, Xu Chuan still couldn’t quell the shock in his heart.

Probably no one who came here could imagine that just a few months ago, this was a patch of desolate, deep mountains.

Although he had heard the moniker “Infrastructure Maniac” countless times, the shock of seeing such a miracle appear before his eyes was unimaginable.

“Professor, you’re here.”

At the base, Han Jin, who had received a call, hurried over.

Looking at the weathered Han Jin, his face etched with wrinkles, Xu Chuan smiled somewhat sheepishly. “I haven’t paid attention to things here for months. You’ve worked hard.”

Han Jin quickly shook his head. “This is my job, it’s not hard at all. Besides, Professor, you’ve already conquered the most difficult parts. There’s no need to waste your time on these simple remaining tasks. You have more important research to attend to.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “Congratulations on proving the NS equations, Professor!”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Not yet. It’s just a preliminary result, and it hasn’t been verified by the field of mathematics. It’s still uncertain whether it’s truly a success. It’s too early for congratulations.”

“Professor, you’re too modest,” Han Jin said with a smile. “Everyone in the field of mathematics knows you wouldn’t publish a paper unless you were confident.”

Xu Chuan just smiled and shook his head, not continuing on that topic.

“Take me to Chief Engineer Qi first. On the way, why don’t you fill me in on the situation here?”

Han Jin nodded and led Xu Chuan toward another part of the campus, explaining as they walked.

“Currently, the main construction of the entire complex is complete. We are now in the process of purchasing and deploying the relevant equipment.”

“The linear particle accelerator you requested will take another week to be delivered. After all, that thing is very delicate and requires all sorts of protection and declarations during transport…”

“…According to the plan, the complex can be put into operation by mid-May.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “What about personnel recruitment? How’s that being handled?”

Han Jin replied, “There might be some resistance with recruitment. We’ve been recruiting continuously according to the arrangements you made last year.”

“Indeed, many people have come for interviews, but not many meet the requirements and are willing to stay.”

“After all, as you know, Professor, this is a place for processing high-concentration nuclear waste, and it’s extremely dangerous. Even if it’s theoretically very safe and there’s no risk of facing nuclear radiation within the complex, many people are still worried.”

Xu Chuan let out a breath. “Speed up the recruitment.”

He didn’t have many solutions for this at the moment. After all, nuclear waste had long been synonymous with danger or death.

It was perfectly normal for people to be unwilling to work here.

“Professor.”

Han Jin paused in thought for a moment before speaking. “I have a suggestion regarding personnel recruitment.”

Xu Chuan: “What suggestion? Just say it.”

“I suggest using automated machinery or intelligent robots to work in the core hazardous areas.”

“This is the area with the largest personnel shortage. As of now, even with our guarantees of safety and compensation during interviews, and a comprehensive system in place, only two people are willing to accept the job.”

“But compared to the number of people needed, that’s not even one-tenth.”

“If we use automated machinery or intelligent robots, the personnel shortage problem would be solved.”

“The ionizing radiation from high-concentration nuclear waste does cause significant interference with electronic equipment, but don’t we have the Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material? We can use this soft, flexible material to completely wrap the machinery, which would greatly reduce the impact of nuclear waste on the electronic equipment.”

Han Jin presented his suggestion, but Xu Chuan didn’t answer immediately.

To be honest, he had considered using machinery to replace manual labor.

But there were still quite a few problems.

The biggest problem was that current artificial intelligence was not up to par. It couldn’t replace humans in dealing with various unexpected situations.

No matter how detailed the programming, it was impossible to account for every single possibility.

If machines could truly replace humans, he certainly wouldn’t mind, but it was clear that it wasn’t feasible at present.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Chuan said, “Let me think about this. For now, continue with the normal recruitment process. If it’s still not working by May, I’ll come up with a solution.”

Han Jin nodded. The two continued their conversation as they walked to the other side of the complex.

In his office, Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer in charge of the construction of the nuclear energy industrial park, was contemplating something over a blueprint. He only reacted when Xu Chuan walked right up to him.

“Oh, Professor Xu, what brings you here?”

Sensing someone staring at him, Qi Zhongxing looked up abruptly and saw Xu Chuan and Han Jin standing before him. After a moment of surprise, he quickly stood up and greeted them with a smile.

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “I’m still the overall director of the nuclear energy project, though it’s true I haven’t been here in a long time.”

Qi Zhongxing laughed it off. “Ah, don’t you have more important research on your hands? The nuclear energy project is in its final stages. There’s no need to waste the time of a big shot like you.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Alright, I’m here to get an update on the situation and see if there’s anything I can help with.”

Getting down to business, Qi Zhongxing’s expression turned serious. “Speaking of problems, we do have one here.”

Xu Chuan: “Go on, Engineer Qi.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded, picked up the draft he had been looking at from his desk, and walked over to Xu Chuan. “It’s this, about the linear particle accelerator.”

“Professor Xu, look. This is the conversion design diagram for the core area. This is the area for storing nuclear waste, and this is the location for placing the linear particle accelerator.”

“Using ADC transmutation technology, we use the linear particle accelerator to achieve neutron diffusion, increase the reaction speed of the nuclear waste, and enhance the energy conversion efficiency. This is one of the core components of the entire radiation-to-electricity conversion system. It can increase power generation to a certain extent and accelerate the reactions within the nuclear waste.”

“However, there’s a problem here. Through our previous experiments, we found that we can’t obtain enough neutrons from the accelerator. If that’s the case, the transmutation step of the nuclear waste won’t be able to achieve a complete reaction.”

“Moreover, and more critically, the stability of the linear particle accelerator’s energy level output is insufficient.”

“This leads to unstable radiation-to-electricity conversion, which puts immense pressure on the operation of the entire core. If it runs for a long period, it could lead to the risk of a nuclear radiation leak.”

“Professor Han Jin, the other researchers, and I have been trying to solve this problem for days, but we haven’t made much progress.”

Chapter 277: A Solution to the Problem!

Qi Zhongxing’s words made Xu Chuan’s heart sink.

He spoke in a low voice, “You should have told me sooner.”

The problem could be considered severe, as it might cause delays to the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project.

But on the other hand, it wasn’t that severe, because it could be solved simply by improving the performance of the particle accelerator.

The insufficient output energy level and stability of the linear particle accelerator were limitations of the current era.

In his past life, he had researched this technology in 2025. Now, it was 2019. In six or seven years, the field of physics had managed to advance the performance of particle accelerators by one or two levels.

In other words, the linear particle accelerator being used in this life was underperforming. Under normal circumstances, it would take another five to six years of upgrades to be sufficient.

Furthermore, this was China. Compared to Western countries like the United States and Europe, domestic particle accelerator development lagged considerably behind.

This was an objective fact that no one could deny.

Han Jin lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Professor. At first, we didn’t think it was a major issue. After all, the linear particle accelerator isn’t the most difficult part of the whole project. Plus, we knew you were busy with your own research, and we felt a project shouldn’t rely entirely on one person, so we didn’t report it.”

“We just never expected this problem to have such a huge impact.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “There’s no point in saying this now. First, let me see the parameters and performance specifications of the particle accelerator you commissioned.”

If it was a matter of blame, he was also at fault.

He hadn’t considered this issue thoroughly. After all, when he worked on this project in California in the United States, the California Nuclear Energy Research Institute had provided the linear particle accelerator. Since this problem hadn’t occurred then, he hadn’t paid much attention to the specific performance of their machine.

In a large-scale collaborative project, it was impossible for him to keep an eye on every single detail.

He just hadn’t expected the gap between domestic and foreign particle accelerators to be so large after just five or six years.

Fortunately, there were still ways to salvage the situation. He hoped it wasn’t too late.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan followed Han Jin and Qi Zhongxing to the Nuclear Energy Research Institute.

Although the performance of the linear particle accelerator they had was theoretically inadequate, it was still the best one available in the country.

Inside the institute, Xu Chuan leafed through the documents in his hands.

The Nuclear Energy Research Institute had purchased an ion linear accelerator, which consisted of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, a large separated-sector cyclotron, a cooling storage ring, a main ring pipe, a radioactive beam line, and an experimental terminal.

This wasn’t newly built equipment but had been purchased from a certain national nuclear energy laboratory. It had cost a staggering 1.37 billion, making it the single most expensive component of the entire project.

The performance of this linear particle accelerator was quite impressive. It had a total length of eight hundred fifty meters, an accelerating electric field of up to 30 MV/m, and an operating frequency of 3500-11000 MHz.

In China, this level of performance was considered top-tier. Even on the international stage, it was first-rate.

A device like this would be considered a core treasure in any laboratory. If the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project hadn’t been a national priority, and if the institute that owned this linear accelerator hadn’t been a state-owned enterprise, Xu Chuan would never have been able to purchase it.

But now, even though this accelerator was the best in the country, it still couldn’t meet the requirements. That was the biggest problem at the moment.

In the office, Xu Chuan, Han Jin, and Qi Zhongxing discussed possible solutions.

There were, in fact, several ways to solve the problem.

For example, they could purchase a new, custom-built particle accelerator from abroad, or they could push for advancements in particle accelerator technology to improve the performance of the current one.

But these methods and approaches would take too long. Xu Chuan couldn’t wait that long.

At the beginning of the year, he had taken a trip to Beijing and seen the project proposal for controlled nuclear fusion. It was an opportunity left open for him, but it wouldn’t necessarily wait for him forever.

If he wasted too much time on the nuclear waste project, he might miss that opportunity.

This was unacceptable to Xu Chuan.

Therefore, he had to find a way to solve this problem as quickly as possible.

Xu Chuan frowned as he pored over the data, searching for a solution.

The “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project was already in its final stages, just one step away from completion, but now this problem had cropped up.

Although no research project ever goes perfectly smoothly, and even a delay would be a normal occurrence that the higher-ups would understand.

After all, this was a technological limitation of the era. The hardware of the particle accelerator simply wasn’t up to par; there was nothing wrong with the ideas and concepts.

Moreover, strictly speaking, the nuclear project only began in the second half of last year. It had only been eight or nine months, and the project had already reached the stage of building the experimental pile. For a large-scale project, this was already remarkably fast.

Normally, a project of this magnitude would take at least five or six years to yield results.

But for Xu Chuan, he couldn’t accept it.

A delay in the nuclear waste energy conversion project would disrupt many of his subsequent arrangements and plans.

Besides, facing and solving unexpected problems was a necessary skill for a qualified project leader.

“First, we can rule out procuring or custom-ordering a new linear particle accelerator. Never mind whether other countries’ accelerators would meet the requirements or if they would even sell them to us; we just don’t have the time.”

“Similarly, developing new superconducting materials now is definitely too late. That would take a long time, and the testing, verification, and production cycles would far exceed our timeframe.”

Staring at the structural diagram of the linear particle accelerator before him, Xu Chuan contemplated feasible solutions.

He had several methods to solve the accelerator’s insufficient energy level and stability. For example, creating superconducting materials and redesigning the cyclotron’s beamline would be enough to boost the energy level and stability of the current linear particle accelerator to the required standard.

The drawback, however, was that the modification process would take too long. The entire process, from research and development to production and reconfiguration, would require at least six months.

And right now, he had two months at most.

It was mid-April. By mid-June, he had to have the nuclear waste power plant operational.

He wasn’t talking about immediate commercialization, but at the very least, the current experimental pile needed to be operational for use and testing. This was Xu Chuan’s bottom line.

“In that case, modifying the current ion linear accelerator is probably one of the most feasible options.”

“What about a magnetic mirror control system?”

Xu Chuan thought of the superconducting magnetic mirror control system he had developed while researching controlled nuclear fusion in his past life, which was highly effective at containing ultra-high temperature plasma.

The difference was, that magnetic mirror control system was based on the room-temperature superconducting materials he had invented. But now, would it be feasible to use conventional ultra-low temperature superconducting materials?

Xu Chuan was a little uncertain about this. Although in theory, the performance of room-temperature and ultra-low temperature superconducting materials was nearly identical, there were still some practical differences.

More critically, deploying ultra-low temperature superconducting materials would require certain modifications to the space where the linear particle accelerator was housed.

After all, current ultra-low temperature superconductivity is generally achieved through liquid helium cooling. Even if only a portion of the area needed to be modified, it would still be a rather troublesome task.

“If I give up on the magnetic mirror control, are there any other ways to enhance the particle accelerator’s energy level and stability?”

“Perhaps I can split this problem into two and tackle them separately?”

Suddenly, an idea surfaced in Xu Chuan’s mind.

This was a common method in theoretical science when facing a complex problem: break the problem down into smaller parts and then solve them one by one.

Particle instability in an accelerator generally occurs when the average energy of the accelerating particles in the circular machine reaches its transition value.

When the transition point occurs, the particles rotate around the ring at the same rate, even if they don’t all carry the same energy, exhibiting a certain energy range.

This causes the specific motion of the particles near the transition energy to make them highly susceptible to collective instabilities.

It’s like how light from a microscope illuminates the object being observed.

The stronger the beam of light, the easier it is for scientists to examine the object they’re observing.

But that intensity comes at a cost. The stronger the light, the more likely it is to be blinding, or the intense glare could obscure everything, making it impossible to see anything at all.

It’s like driving at night when a car with incredibly bright high beams approaches you. The closer you get to it, the more you realize that besides the lights, there’s nothing else in your field of vision.

The field of physics has studied this instability for decades, but it is still not fully understood.

Of course, even though the field of physics didn’t fully understand this instability, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be controlled.

For example, techniques like proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration and RF cavity propulsion could weaken the instability to a certain extent.

As a top scientist in the field of high-energy physics, Xu Chuan naturally knew how to deal with such things.

If it were simply a matter of improving stability, he had plenty of methods at his disposal.

For instance, adding an SMI control wakefield at the nodes of the spiral accelerating chamber could increase control over the particle beam to some degree.

Alternatively, he could deploy multiple strong magnetic mirror clamps for orbital control within the linear particle accelerator.

But no matter which method he chose, there were limitations.

Whether deploying an SMI control wakefield or multiple strong magnetic mirror clamps, both were limited to acceleration experiments below a certain energy level. If the output energy was too high, both would lose their effectiveness.

This meant he couldn’t achieve both energy level and stability simultaneously, just like you can’t have the best of both worlds.

This was where Xu Chuan’s headache lay.

If he prioritized stability, the energy level of the linear accelerator couldn’t be increased, which would significantly slow down the controllable fission rate of the nuclear waste, leading to lower power generation.

But if he boosted the energy level, stability would be compromised, which was even more dangerous.

An out-of-control particle beam was not like the ionic radiation emitted by nuclear waste. It carried immense kinetic energy and could cause extreme damage to the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor material and protective shielding.

“This is a real headache.”

In his office, Xu Chuan stared at the design blueprints and shook his head.

He had been here for several days and had held numerous discussions, but neither he nor the other researchers had come up with a good way to balance stability and energy level intensity.

“Phew, I’ll go take a walk.”

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan put down the blueprints, pushed open the office door, and walked out.

It was just getting to be the end of the workday, and workers and researchers were walking through the industrial park in small groups.

The Nuclear Energy Industrial Park was now quite well-developed, with not only residential buildings but also various recreational and entertainment facilities.

As he walked, Xu Chuan saw basketball courts, table tennis courts, tennis courts, and various other recreational facilities, with many people playing and competing inside.

He wasn’t particularly interested in ball sports, but since he had nothing to do and wanted to relax, he just found a place to sit down and watch the group play.

After watching the court for a while, just as Xu Chuan was feeling a bit bored and was about to get up to go eat, a commotion on the basketball court made him pause.

Before him, on one half of the court, a basketball was perfectly wedged on the edge of the rim.

The group of players looked at each other, trying to jump and find a way to get the ball down, but it seemed the players on this half-court weren’t great jumpers. After a lot of effort, they still hadn’t touched the ball.

Then, someone ran to the other half-court to borrow another basketball, apparently planning to knock the first one down.

However, it seemed the first ball was stuck a bit too tightly. After two attempts, there was still no effect. Then, to Xu Chuan’s astonishment, the second ball got stuck up there too.

Well, now the nature of the game had changed.

Xu Chuan stopped and watched the group’s antics with interest.

To be honest, this kind of situation with a stuck basketball could be solved with a pole or by forming a human ladder, but the guys playing usually automatically overlooked these options.

And when the second ball got stuck, their goal was no longer just to get the ball down.

As he watched the group throwing balls, watching them get stuck one by one until the basket was full and finally knocked down in its entirety by one last ball, a flash of inspiration struck Xu Chuan.

“If… if I see the basket full of balls as an atomic nucleus, and the last ball as a high-energy particle… under the impact of the high-energy particle, the atomic nucleus breaks apart, forming independent protons and neutrons.”

“This process is extremely similar to a nuclear fission chain reaction. If I can obtain enough neutrons, then I should be able to accelerate the decay rate of nuclear waste without needing an extremely high energy level, right?”

In his mind, a bolt of lightning suddenly cut through the fog.

If increasing the energy level was not feasible in the short term, then increasing the number of neutrons was also an option.

This wasn’t a collision for an experiment, which would have strict energy requirements. The high energy level was just to speed up the decay of nuclear waste and increase power generation. There was no need to get bogged down in achieving the highest energy level.

Perhaps, I know what to do now!

Xu Chuan murmured to himself, his eyes shining brightly as he quickly ran back towards the office.

Chapter 278: As Expected of Professor Xu!

“Increase the number of neutrons to accelerate the decay of nuclear waste, thereby stabilizing the rate of electricity conversion, all while ensuring stability.”

This was the inspiration Xu Chuan had unexpectedly drawn from a “devolved” basketball game.

The advantage of this approach was that the energy level requirement for the linear particle accelerator could be lowered. Just how much it could be lowered would require specific experiments.

After all, balancing the energy level and stability of a linear particle accelerator was an exceptionally difficult task.

This was also why particle accelerators were being built larger and larger.

For example, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has a staggering total length of twenty-seven kilometers, and the linear particle accelerator at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in the United States is three-point-two kilometers long.

This wasn’t just because accelerating a particle closer to the speed of light requires more energy and a longer tube, but also due to factors of stability and control.

There was no way Xu Chuan was going to build a large particle collider for the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project.

That would be a massive drain on both time and money. Thus, the existing linear particle accelerator became his only choice.

Of course, he could also choose not to use a linear particle accelerator to catalyze the decay of nuclear waste, but relying solely on the Radiation Bandgap material to convert radiant energy had various disadvantages.

These included low conversion efficiency, low power generation, excessively long site occupation time, and unstable conversion.

The linear particle accelerator, in this context, played a catalytic and stabilizing role.

Nuclear waste that would originally take hundreds or even thousands of years to decay could now have most of its radiation depleted in just twenty to thirty years.

Rushing back to his office, Xu Chuan opened the engineering design schematics, reorganized his thoughts, and began modifying the drawings.

He wasn’t a professional engineer and couldn’t modify the design drawings according to standard procedures.

However, he had helmed many large-scale projects before, especially in the field of high-energy physics, and was very familiar with the structure of particle colliders.

Professional matters should be left to the professionals. Xu Chuan didn’t demand perfection of himself in modifying the engineering drawings; he just needed to clearly specify how they should be changed and what requirements needed to be met.

As for how to implement the changes, what materials to use, and how to carry out the construction—those were matters for the engineering staff to consider.

After several hours of work, a few design drawings, modified beyond recognition, reappeared on his computer.

Looking at the redesigned schematics on the screen, Xu Chuan gave them a thorough check and nodded in satisfaction.

This time, the main modifications were to the helical acceleration-cavity nodes and the main ring pipe of the large separated-sector cyclotron.

For the former, an SMI control wakefield was added to enhance the stability of the particle beam.

For the latter, a neutron-multiplying additive was incorporated.

The impact from the particle beam would generate more microscopic particles, achieving the ability to efficiently initiate the decay of the nuclear waste.

The process was somewhat similar to the chain reaction in nuclear fission: one neutron bombards an atomic nucleus, creating more neutrons to bombard more nuclei, perpetuating itself endlessly once started.

However, this radiation-to-electricity conversion was different. It required the linear particle accelerator to continuously supply the initial neutron.

After all, nuclear waste is the leftover material after most of the uranium-235 in the nuclear fuel has already undergone fission. Without supplementing the chain with neutrons, a rapid chain reaction cannot be initiated.

With the redesigned schematics in hand, Xu Chuan sent out a message, calling a meeting with the senior executives and researchers of the nuclear industrial park.

Theoretically, his new proposed solution should meet the requirements, but it was always good to hear others’ opinions, wasn’t it?

Moreover, he wasn’t a true expert in the field of nuclear fission. Although he had delved deep into nuclear waste, nuclear fuel, and related topics while researching the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy,” he was still a ways off from the specialists who dedicated their lives to this field.

In the research institute’s office, upon receiving Xu Chuan’s message, Han Jin and Qi Zhongxing immediately put down their work and contacted other staff members qualified to attend the meeting, who then quickly gathered.

“This is a patch I’ve conceived for the linear particle accelerator’s stability and insufficient energy level issues. Everyone can take a look first, and we can exchange any good suggestions.”

In the conference room, Xu Chuan had his staff distribute the printed copies of the modified design drawings and other materials.

Hearing that there was a solution for the linear particle accelerator’s stability and energy level problems, everyone in the conference room curiously picked up the documents and began to read.

The issues of the linear particle accelerator’s stability and insufficient energy level were something they had been studying recently.

For the nuclear waste power plant, this problem was currently having a severe impact. But if they could come up with a solution, they might just leave a lasting impression on the young chief engineer before them.

Domestically speaking, his unique status as a Nobel and Fields Medal laureate had already elevated him to the level of a new, independent academic hegemon.

If they could earn his favor, it would be a huge win!

Unfortunately, the problems with the linear particle accelerator’s stability and energy level were not so easily solved.

There were ways to address both energy level and stability simultaneously, but modifying a linear particle accelerator with a fixed foundation, and under a time constraint, was simply too difficult.

“Boosting the energy level from the angle of increasing the neutron count… this alternative solution is simply brilliant! Why couldn’t I think of that!”

“If you could have, you wouldn’t be sitting here today; you’d be sitting in a conference room at CERN.”

“As expected of God Chuan. He solved a problem in less than a week that we’ve been struggling with for over half a month with no answer.”

“Using quantity to substitute for energy level is almost unfeasible in an ordinary accelerator. However, our project doesn’t actually require a high energy level. Perhaps this method could really work!”

“Of course it will. God Chuan is a dual laureate of the Nobel Prize and Fields Medal, after all! He’s a shoo-in for this year’s Academician selection!”

“A twenty-two-year-old Academician… hiss… that would break records, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

Although there was a lot of flattery and praise, everyone still agreed with and approved of the alternative path Xu Chuan had proposed.

Theoretically, it was indeed a feasible method.

Of course, its actual effectiveness would still need to be tested in practice.

After a round of compliments, the crowd in the conference room settled down and began to seriously discuss the pros and cons of the plan and areas for improvement.

They were all professionals, after all. While they might be at a loss without a viable approach, they were more than capable of picking out areas for optimization in an existing plan and offering suggestions.

After all, innovation is the hardest part.

Xu Chuan also gained a great deal from the meeting, such as proposals for adjusting the SMI control wakefield and for controlling turbulence in the helical acceleration pipe.

These things were useful to him, not just for this project but also for the future construction of the domestic large particle collider, as they could potentially optimize the collider’s performance to some extent.

After discussion, the group finally settled on the most reasonable plan.

They would use a built-in SMI control wakefield to enhance the particle beam’s stability and then use lead plates to increase the neutron count to achieve the desired effect.

Coincidentally, the ion linear particle accelerator they had ordered arrived via special transport vehicles over the past two days. It hadn’t been installed or calibrated yet, so it could be modified before being processed further.

In the industrial park, a massive convoy was parked on the side of the road, waiting for the transport vehicles at the front to finish unloading.

The total length of this linear particle accelerator was nearly eight hundred meters. Such a huge piece of equipment could not possibly be transported in one piece.

However, with the nation’s support, using special cargo transport vehicles meant they didn’t have to disassemble it into individual components for shipping.

Apart from its length, a linear accelerator isn’t actually that large. The transport vehicles were perfectly capable of carrying the disassembled sections of the linear particle accelerator one by one.

The only thing to be mindful of was that the accelerator was quite sensitive and required top-tier anti-vibration measures for protection.

Additionally, passing through toll booths and getting on highways was rather troublesome. Several toll booths and checkpoints had to be dismantled for it to successfully get on the road.

In fact, preparations for the transport of this linear particle accelerator had begun last year. It had taken a full four to five months to safely transport it all the way from Beijing to Qidong.

And now, it was time to reassemble it.

Even with sufficient manpower, this would take over half a month. After assembly, it would still need to be inspected and calibrated. Even if everything went smoothly, the first test run using it wouldn’t happen until early June.

However, Xu Chuan couldn’t stay in Qidong for that long. He had a conference presentation on the preliminary results of the NS equations in early May.

Of course, this didn’t mean he couldn’t test his solution.

Taking a few researchers with him, Xu Chuan rushed to the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai.

They had a small linear particle accelerator there. Although its performance was far from what was required, it was more than adequate for a simple experiment.

While an SMI control wakefield generator was a valuable piece of equipment, a key state-run nuclear energy research institute like the one in Shanghai naturally had one.

As for lead plates, the material used to chain-generate more neutrons, there was even less need to mention them.

A nuclear physics research institute might lack many things, but it would never be short on lead.

Before he developed the Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material, lead shielding was arguably the most common material in nuclear energy research and experiments.

After spending some time, Xu Chuan made some modifications to the small linear particle accelerator at the Shanghai institute.

Of course, these modifications were reversible; only some temporarily fabricated parts would be lost.

After all, the institute wouldn’t have agreed if the modifications couldn’t be undone.

Once the preparatory work was done, the experiment soon began.

Under the control of the Shanghai institute’s staff, the experimental linear particle accelerator, the detector, and a small experimental black box containing nuclear waste were slowly assembled, pieced together into an oddly shaped device.

It looked a bit like a square dumbbell.

The shape was a bit strange, but Xu Chuan didn’t mind. As long as the thing worked, its appearance didn’t matter. It was just a prototype anyway, so why make it look pretty?

“Report, preparations are complete. Ready to begin the experiment at any time!” a staff member reported loudly in the observation room.

Xu Chuan nodded and said calmly, “Begin the experiment!”

“Yes, sir!”

“All teams, prepare. The experiment is officially starting.”

“A07 helical acceleration-cavity voltage has been increased!”

“Main control computer’s auxiliary control program is running normally!”

“LIGHT accelerator confirmed to have reached load, ready for particle beam injection!”

“Particle beam addition complete. Release initiated!”

“…”

A series of reports echoed through the control room. With the final command confirmed, the particle beam, confined within the particle chamber, was rapidly accelerated to its limit by a strong magnetic field and finally launched like a bullet.

In a place invisible to the naked eye, the lead plate deployed in front of the small experimental black box was struck by a powerful impact. In an instant, countless neutrons were split off, entering the nuclear waste inside the black box and bombarding the residual uranium fuel.

In the control room, Xu Chuan stood with the other researchers and engineers, quietly awaiting the results of the experiment.

Beside him, Han Jin, who was in charge of the nuclear energy project, glanced at Xu Chuan. He couldn’t help but admire his calm demeanor.

To be honest, Han Jin’s heart was about to leap out of his chest.

After all, this was a key part of a project worth tens of billions.

If the energy level and stability issues couldn’t be resolved, forget the time lost; just the subsequent cost of retrofitting the linear particle accelerator could run into the tens of millions, or even over a hundred million.

And this experiment, though just a simulation, would more or less confirm whether the idea was correct.

To be this calm at a time like this… one could only say, as expected of the famous Professor Xu.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Han Jin turned his gaze back to the monitor screen.

Nearby, Xu Chuan watched the monitor feed nonchalantly. He truly wasn’t very nervous about this experiment.

People are different. The major projects he had overseen and the grand spectacles he had witnessed were too numerous to count.

Let alone modifying a linear particle accelerator, even the entire nuclear waste recycling project wasn’t a big deal among the projects he had led.

What’s more, even if this experiment failed, he had other solutions. So, he really wasn’t panicking.

As the experiment officially began, the readings from various monitors and detectors started to change, and the focused staff members began to report the situation.

“Increase in radiation intensity detected!”

“Increase in converted current output detected!”

“Current LIGHT accelerator output is stable. As planned, the particle beam count will be increased in five seconds.”

“…”

A series of voices rang out in the monitoring room.

Staring at the fluctuating numbers and curves on the monitor screen, a smile tugged at the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth.

Although the experimental test was not yet complete, and even the first round of calibration had not stabilized, from those dancing numbers and curves, he could already see the result.

Chapter 279: That Would Be a Good Thing Indeed

In the monitoring room, as time wore on, the values transmitted back from the sensors and detectors gradually stabilized, and the curves on the display screen followed suit.

After about half an hour, the fluctuations in all the indicators finally fell within the standard range.

Everyone in the monitoring room held their breath, afraid that even the slightest exhale might affect the curves and data on the screen.

Stable data meant that the energy level output of the linear particle accelerator was stable. It meant that the output particle beam was controllable. It meant that the radiation-to-electricity conversion within the small-scale experimental black box was stable.

It also meant that this solution could effectively solve the problems in the radiation-to-electricity conversion process!

After the fluctuations of all indicators reached the standard range and the experimental setup had been running smoothly for ten minutes, Xu Chuan spoke again.

He calmly issued the command: “Begin the next phase of the experiment!”

“Roger!”

In the control room, a technician reported loudly before quickly initiating the second phase of the test.

Xu Chuan and the other researchers and engineers in the control room tensed up once more, nervously watching the real-time data on the display screens as they awaited the results.

The first phase was merely preliminary. Its data could serve as a reference, but it couldn’t definitively prove that this solution had solved the problem.

The second phase of testing, however, was different.

The staff needed to continuously adjust the energy level of the linear particle accelerator, manage the input and output particle beams, and determine if there was any unstable particle overflow at peak output.

Only by passing the second phase could they prove that this solution truly worked.

At the very least, it could solve his current problem.

As the staff got busy, the second phase of testing officially began. The monitoring values, which had just stabilized, started to fluctuate again.

In the monitoring room, aside from Xu Chuan, the hearts of the other researchers and engineers pounded in their chests, rising and falling with the curves on the screen.

This was a massive project involving tens of billions in funding, and its timely and successful completion was on the line.

Although it was common for such large-scale projects to take several years or even longer, with delays being expected, they had progressed smoothly and were already in the final stages after just over half a year. This was already an outstanding achievement, and no one would blame them if the project was delayed.

But regardless, a delayed project implied imperfection. The higher-ups would likely lower their evaluation score by a notch.

Furthermore, a project delay would also affect things like bonuses.

So, it wasn’t just Xu Chuan who didn’t want the project to be delayed; no one involved in the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Technology Project wanted it either.

And the experiment before them was the key.

Just like that, the people in the monitoring room waited with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Another half-hour passed.

Finally, an excited voice came from the control console.

“Report! Proliferating proton control is stable! Particle overflow has not exceeded the expected standard value!”

“Report! Radiation-to-electricity conversion in the small-scale experimental black box is stable and can scale with the increase in the particle beam!”

“Report!”

The series of reports sent a wave of excitement through everyone in the control room.

“Beautiful!”

“We did it! We succeeded!”

“Professor Chuan is awesome!”

“What ‘Professor’? Call him God Chuan!”

“God Chuan is awesome!”

Everyone was celebrating. Even though this was just the initial test, even though it was just a small-scale substitute experiment, it gave everyone a glimpse of the dawn of success.

Looking at the values and graphs on the monitoring screen, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

He reached out and patted Han Jin on the shoulder. “I’ll leave this to you. The remaining tests and the project can proceed according to the original plan. I have to go now, I have some other things to attend to.”

“If any problems come up, be sure to let me know right away.”

“Of course, I don’t think there will be any more problems.”

Han Jin nodded vigorously. “I’ll make sure the project is completed on schedule!”

Xu Chuan smiled and turned to leave.

He had been so busy in Qidong and Shanghai that the May Day holiday had already passed.

In two days, Nanjing University would be hosting the conference presentation on the preliminary results for the NS equations. If he didn’t go back soon, the university would start to worry that he was abandoning his post.

If that actually happened, standing up a large group of the world’s top mathematicians and physicists, it would be a major incident.

The university leaders from Nanjing University had already called him several times over the past two days, asking when he would be done and when he was coming back.

They even suggested that if he was running short on time, delaying the conference by a day or two wouldn’t be a problem. Nanjing University could afford the accommodation and food expenses. As long as the conference presentation could be held, that was all that mattered.

Taking the high-speed rail, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing from Shanghai.

Upon receiving the news of his return, the leaders at Nanjing University breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t easy to organize such a top-tier conference presentation. If something went wrong, it would be utterly infuriating.

Meanwhile, downstairs at the New Era Grand Hotel.

An old man in a striped dress shirt and glasses, pulling a suitcase, stepped out of a taxi.

A bellboy waiting at the hotel entrance immediately stepped forward, took the suitcase from the old man’s hand, and asked in standard English if he needed any help.

The old man took an invitation letter from his pocket and handed it to the bellboy. After checking the invitation, a warm smile spread across the bellboy’s face.

“Welcome to the NS equations conference presentation, Professor Faltings. Your room has already been prepared. It’s Room 1012 on the tenth floor. Would you like me to show you the way?”

Faltings nodded and followed the bellboy into the hotel.

This wasn’t his first time attending a discussion in this country. Although the mathematics here was indeed not up to much, their hospitality was, for the most part, quite good.

Following the bellboy, Faltings had just stepped into the hotel lobby when a familiar figure came into view.

He stopped and, in a rare gesture, offered a greeting. “You’re here too.”

Across from him, a white-haired old man smiled and replied, “Of course. This is the NS equations, after all. In fact, I arrived two days ago. You’re one of the later ones.”

Faltings said, “I almost forgot he’s your student.”

Deligne chuckled. “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen him these past two days. I called him, and it seems he’s in another city doing research. I was hoping to have a chat with him, since it’s been quite a while.”

“As long as the conference presentation in two days proceeds as planned, that’s all that matters,” Faltings said nonchalantly.

Deligne smiled. “I can guarantee that.”

After a pause, he continued, “But I am a bit surprised to see you here. After all, the NS equations and fluids are not within your field of research.”

Faltings shrugged. “This is one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. I doubt any mathematician would want to miss it.”

As the two were talking, a voice suddenly cut in.

“Hi, long time no see, you two.”

Hearing the voice, Deligne and Faltings turned simultaneously to see a middle-aged man with a suitcase standing beside them with a smile.

Seeing the newcomer, Deligne smiled in response. “You’re here too, Tao.”

Beside him, Faltings also nodded in greeting.

Terence Tao smiled and said, “Of course. I imagine no one would miss this conference presentation.”

Deligne chuckled. “I assume you’ve studied his thesis. What’s your take?”

At this, Terence Tao smiled. “I’ve already stated my opinion on my Twitter, haven’t I? Besides, our opinions should be the same.”

Faltings raised an eyebrow. “So it seems there’s a good chance this time?”

Just as Deligne had said, his research area was not in fluids or Partial Differential Equations. Although he had some knowledge, his expertise in this area was certainly far inferior to the two before him.

Although he had also read the more than two-hundred-page research paper, when it came to the answer, he was definitely not as confident as these two.

What’s more, the paper also applied some physics methods, another field with which he was not very familiar.

Terence Tao said, “This problem has plagued the fields of mathematics and physics for a very long time. I too hope that this time, it is correct.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “Besides, this research paper comes from Professor Xu. He’s the kind of person who would never publicly express an opinion unless he was absolutely certain.”

Faltings was silent for a moment, then said, “That would be a good thing indeed.”

Chapter 280: He Is My Student, After All

Two days passed in a flash.

On the day of the conference presentation, Nanjing University’s campus was a sea of people.

It wasn’t just mathematicians and physicists from around the world; many students and professors who hadn’t received invitation letters also came on their own initiative to join the excitement.

Inside the main auditorium on the old campus, a dense, dark crowd of people surged. Not only were all of the more than one thousand seats filled, but the central aisle was also packed with scholars who had come to listen to the presentation.

With no seats left, these people simply sat on the floor.

In fact, those who managed to squeeze in were the lucky ones. Outside, many more had arrived a step too late and couldn’t even get into the auditorium.

In the front row, Witten looked at the figure walking over to him and asked with a smile, “I didn’t expect you to come.”

Seated next to him was a top expert in the field of physics, Professor Karthik Sreenivasan, a titan in contemporary fluid dynamics.

Although achievements in fluid dynamics rarely win Nobel Prizes, no one could deny the field’s importance.

Top experts in this area, in particular, played a crucial role in a nation’s development.

Professor Sreenivasan was just such a top expert. He was a tenured professor at Harvard University in the United States and had solved many difficult problems related to fluids and turbulence. He had also participated in famous projects such as the design of the space shuttle and the controlled nuclear fusion fluid control engineering at Stanford University.

Sreenivasan replied, “The NS equations are the most important problem in fluid dynamics, and Professor Xu is a Nobel and Fields laureate. No one could refuse his conference presentation.”

“Even if it’s just for preliminary results.”

As he spoke, he glanced around and continued, “It’s not just me. I see a lot of familiar faces here.”

“You, on the other hand… I’m quite curious why someone in theoretical physics would show up here.”

Witten smiled. “Physics isn’t the only thing I’m good at. There’s also mathematics.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “Besides, he is also my student.”

It had to be said that breaking his principles to accept Xu Chuan as a student alongside Deligne back at Princeton was something he was immensely proud of, and it was the most correct decision he had ever made.

Sreenivasan shrugged. “It’s a shame Professor Xu doesn’t seem very interested in high-energy or theoretical physics. He cares more about mathematics.”

Witten laughed. “It seems you’ve been cooped up at Harvard and haven’t kept up with the outside world.”

“You’ve probably heard the recent news in the physics community about sterile neutrinos and dark matter, haven’t you?”

Sreenivasan nodded. “Of course, I’ve heard.”

“He’s the one who discovered it.”

“What?”

Professor Sreenivasan looked baffled. As someone in applied physics, he wasn’t particularly interested in theoretical matters unless they were top-tier discoveries or results he was personally following.

When the theoretical physics world had erupted with news about finding traces of dark matter, he had looked into it. It was a result from CERN, but because it was still in question, he had lost interest.

He could catch up when dark matter was truly discovered; there was no rush.

After all, that was how theoretical physics worked. It took at least a decade or more for a new discovery or theory to be verified or applied.

For him, it was more productive to keep an eye on what his peers were doing.

So, he didn’t actually know who the specific discoverer of dark matter was.

Beside him, Witten said with a smile, “Surprised? He is my student, after all. It’s not a big deal for him to make some achievements in theoretical physics, is it?”

Sreenivasan shot Witten a sidelong glance. Hearing that smug tone, one would think Witten had discovered dark matter himself.

Inside the auditorium, it wasn’t just the scholars in their seats who were bustling with activity, but also the staff responsible for maintaining order.

These staff members and logistical teachers hadn’t rested since yesterday.

Not only did they have to set up the venue, carefully checking nameplates and seating, but they also had to receive the attendees and constantly monitor the situation on site.

A top-tier conference like this, catering to the world’s leading scholars, was packed to the rafters. If any accident were to occur, it would truly make them a laughingstock before the entire world.

Moreover, this was the first time Nanjing University was truly standing on the international stage to present itself to the world. It was no exaggeration to say that this conference presentation concerned the future of the university.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Nanjing University’s principal, Liu Gaojun, was personally stationed backstage to prevent any mishaps.

“Professor Xu, how are you feeling? Everything alright?”

Backstage, Liu Gaojun asked Xu Chuan, who was seated nearby, with concern. This man was the real star of the day; Nanjing University was merely being elevated along with him.

Without him, Nanjing University could never have hosted such a top-tier conference.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Principal, you’ve already asked me that three times. Don’t worry, everything is fine.”

Receiving a firm answer once again, Liu Gaojun breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. “Only you could be this calm. Look at me, I’m so nervous my forehead is sweating.”

This was genuinely true. He was so worried about the smooth running of the conference that he was breaking out in a sweat, and even the powerful air conditioning backstage was no help.

Xu Chuan just smiled and shook his head.

To him, this was just an ordinary conference presentation.

At most, it was a bit special because the NS equations were one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, attracting scholars from two different fields, mathematics and physics.

But this wasn’t unprecedented. In his past life, when he gave his presentation on the Yang–Mills existence and mass gap, the mathematics and physics communities had also turned out in full force.

“Professor Xu, it’s already eight twenty-five. Everything is ready out front. Do you think you can go on stage now?”

A doctoral student acting as a temporary worker trotted over and asked respectfully, looking at the man sitting leisurely in the chair without a hint of nervousness.

This man was truly a legend. With so many top experts out there, he wasn’t nervous at all.

If it were him, he would probably be so tense he’d faint on the spot.

This is the gap between a master and me! the doctoral student lamented inwardly.

Xu Chuan nodded, said his thanks, and stood up to walk towards the stage.

Dressed in formal attire, Xu Chuan walked with a steady gait from backstage onto the auditorium stage, approaching the lectern that had been set up for him.

The moment he appeared, the somewhat noisy chatter in the auditorium instantly vanished, and the hall fell silent.

What followed was a sea of eyes turning simultaneously toward the lectern, the atmosphere so tense that people unconsciously held their breath.

Being stared at by several thousand people, Xu Chuan didn’t feel much nervousness.

After all, this was not the first time he had stood in such a venue, nor was it the first time he had challenged a world-class problem.

Setting aside his past life, in this life alone, he had stood on a stage of this caliber several times.

After a simple check to see if the microphone on the lectern was working, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and began to speak in a calm and clear voice:

“First, I’d like to welcome all of you who have come from afar. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this conference presentation.”

“Everyone’s time is precious, so I won’t waste any more of it. We will now get straight to the point.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan operated the equipment on the lectern, projecting the PPT presentation he had prepared beforehand.

The document detailing the preliminary results for the NS equations was over two hundred pages long; he couldn’t possibly use that an entire file as his presentation material.

Glancing at the screen behind him to confirm the projection was working, Xu Chuan continued, “I believe most of you have already read my research paper before coming here.”

“Therefore, in the time that follows, I will only provide a brief explanation of the proof process in the paper. The less critical citations and procedures will not be covered in this presentation. I will focus more of my time on explaining the thought process and key steps behind the proof of the preliminary results for the NS equations.”

“I hope this can resolve any doubts you may have.”

“Of course, after the presentation, if you still have questions, you may raise them during the final Q&A session. I will do my best to answer them for you.”

“Now, I will begin the conference presentation on the preliminary results for the NS equations.”

As his voice fell, Xu Chuan pressed the control device again.

The PPT on the screen behind him flipped to a new page, and line after line of equations appeared before everyone.

“ρ*DV/Dt = ρf - ∇p + μ∇²V. This is the vector form of the NS equations.”

“…After changing the weak form and relaxing the initial value condition, we have (v, υ, θ)(x) ∈ H × H × H becomes (v, θ) ∈ H(0,1), υ₀ ∈ H(0,1).”

“There exist some positive constants C and some η > 0 such that for any (x,t) ∈ (0,1) × (0,∞), we can obtain C ≤ υ(x,t) ≤ C, C ≤ θ(x,t) ≤ C, and…”

“…By introducing a harmonic equation with function coefficients to replace the Euler equations, it becomes applicable to all turbulence, yielding a universally valid system of equations.”

“Under normal circumstances, the turbulent region is where cos(A) evolves from being unable to be approximated as 1 to being close to 0, and a universally valid analytical solution is difficult to obtain.”

“And what follows will be the key to the entire analysis.”

“…From here, we introduce Fourier space and perform function approximation…”

On the stage, Xu Chuan quickly explained his proof process, referencing the projected PPT slides.

Below the stage, the entire audience listened intently. Even the scholars in the back rows who had gradually begun to lose track of the pace still stared with wide eyes and pricked up their ears, listening carefully, afraid of missing any detail.

In the front row, Deligne and Terence Tao sat together, quietly discussing the young figure on the stage.

Terence Tao said, “A few years ago, I attended a discussion at Princeton. I happened to run into Professor Xu in a hallway, and we chatted.”

“Even back then, his thinking was incredibly agile, and his understanding of mathematics was extremely deep. He was nothing like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy.”

“I was certain then that he would forge his own path in the world of mathematics in the future.”

“I just didn’t expect that in only a few years, he would already be standing at the pinnacle of the mathematical world, not only having solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems but now heading for a second.”

Hearing Terence Tao’s感慨, Deligne seemed to drift into a memory. After a moment, he spoke, “He is the most talented, gifted, and hardworking student I have ever seen in the field of mathematics.”

“Back at Princeton, his ability to learn was so strong it astonished both me and Witten. The two of us teaching him could barely satisfy his appetite for learning.”

“I have almost never seen such a craving for knowledge in anyone else, except perhaps in my own teacher.”

“During his time at Princeton, he had almost no recreational activities. His favorite thing to do was to sit at the Ivy Club and watch a movie or something.”

Terence Tao sighed, “He is an eccentric, even more so than Perelman.”

Deligne said, “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way. Under normal circumstances, he’s quite willing to communicate with people, and he’s good at fitting into a group. He just rarely chooses to do so.”

After thinking for a moment, Deligne added, “Of course, he is indeed quite strange when he’s researching a problem. He likes to lock himself in a room alone, just like Perelman.”

Shrugging, Deligne continued, “You know, mathematics is a discipline that requires inspiration and communication. That kind of research method…”

Terence Tao shrugged and finished the thought, “Is indeed rare.”

Chapter 281: An Impassable Path

In the grand auditorium, the conference presentation continued.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan sped up his explanation.

The research paper on the partial proof of the NS equations was over two hundred pages long.

Although most of it consisted of citations and computational deductions, the number of key proof processes was still significant, and all of it had to be explained during the conference presentation.

If he didn’t pick up the pace, the entire morning might not be enough to finish.

As Xu Chuan gradually accelerated his presentation, the numerous scholars who had come to attend the conference in the grand auditorium focused their attention on the lectern.

A research paper and a live explanation were ultimately two different things. Even for the top experts in the front rows, and even though they had already read and understood the proof paper, they still gained considerable insights from Xu Chuan’s explanation.

In the auditorium, Peking University’s golden generation—Zhang Wei, Xu Chenyang, and Yun Zhiwei—sat together, listening intently to the presentation on stage, just as they had in classrooms over a decade ago.

After jotting down a key point in his notebook, Zhang Wei suddenly sighed.

Xu Chenyang and Yun Zhiwei, who were beside him, cast him quizzical looks.

“I once thought I had a chance, too. Only today did I discover how vast the gap truly is,” Zhang Wei said cryptically, then silently stared at the figure on the stage.

It was a nonsensical remark, but as his long-time friends, Xu Chenyang and Yun Zhiwei knew exactly what Zhang Wei was talking about.

The three of them were known as Peking University’s golden generation, but if one were to say who was the strongest, it was undoubtedly Zhang Wei.

If even Zhang Wei felt that the distance between himself and that person, and that medal, was so vast, then it went without saying for the rest of them.

Indeed, only the strongest of the strong could win a Fields Medal.

On stage, nearly two hours passed, and Xu Chuan finally began to wrap up.

When the last slide of the PowerPoint presentation appeared before the audience, he no longer needed to offer any further explanation.

“…In summary, the derivation of the NS equations concludes here.”

“And it can be foreseen that, given a finite space and when the initial values are infinitely smooth, a smooth solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations exists!”

“Of course, whether a solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations exists and is smooth in infinite space remains a mystery, which requires us to expend even more effort and sweat.”

“But at the very least, right now, we have successfully sounded the charge towards this towering peak and have climbed a great distance on our journey.”

“I hope that one day in the future, we can stand at the summit and obtain the complete answer!”

Xu Chuan’s words traveled clearly from the stage to every corner of the audience below.

The moment his voice fell, everyone in the grand auditorium rose to their feet, and thunderous applause surged like a tide—deafening as thunder and as ceaseless as the beating of drums.

In the front row of the auditorium, Fefferman, who had made a special trip from Princeton, had a faint smile on his face.

As he had seen earlier, the partial proof of the NS equations had been confirmed.

Elsewhere, Zhang Wei from Peking University also stood up and clapped.

Just last year, he had considered the man before him his target, hoping to one day catch up.

But now, it seemed that hope was rather slim.

Or perhaps, it wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough, but that his opponent was simply too formidable.

This was a problem that the field of mathematics might take an entire century to solve, or perhaps never solve at all.

And yet, this person had already completely solved one such problem, and had solved the better part of another, with only the final push into infinite three-dimensional space remaining.

Perhaps the Fields Medal would be awarded to him twice?

After all, no one in history had ever solved two Millennium Prize Problems. If he could really do it.

Of course, for the person now standing on the stage, even the glory of a Fields Medal would pale in his presence.

Or rather, the Fields Medal would be honored to bear his name.

Just as the Nobel Prize is honored to bear the name Albert Einstein.

The fervent applause in the grand auditorium lasted for a full half-minute before it began to subside.

Waiting for the applause to quiet down, Xu Chuan stepped away from the lectern, stood at its edge, and gave a slight bow to the audience below as a gesture of thanks.

Although the presentation on the partial proof of the NS equations was over, the conference was not yet finished.

The following part was the most crucial.

In any conference presentation, no matter how brilliant the speaker’s explanation, questions were inevitable.

And during the Q&A session, it was his duty as the presenter to answer every question raised by his peers.

Whether or not he could successfully answer all the challenging voices would ultimately determine if his research paper could gain the acceptance of the entire academic community.

Of course, besides that, there was also the most important step: peer review.

After everyone had settled back into their seats, Xu Chuan spoke again, “Next is the Q&A session. If any of you have any questions about my paper or the presentation just now, please feel free to ask. I will do my utmost to answer them.”

As soon as he finished, hands shot up from the audience.

Xu Chuan scanned the crowd and saw many familiar faces, from Terence Tao to Shing-Tung Yau, to Martin Hairer, to Artur Ávila.

The number of Fields Medalists in the audience alone was in the double digits.

Of course, this had to do with the NS equations. The NS equations belong to the field of Partial Differential Equations, and PDEs are now a framework that can encompass almost anything. No matter what kind of analysis you’re doing, it can ultimately be considered work in PDEs.

In other words, almost anyone who studies mathematics has come into contact with and understood how to analyze partial differential equations; the only difference is the depth of their knowledge.

The time consumed by the Q&A session and the number of people asking questions were far greater than Xu Chuan had imagined.

It wasn’t just the big shots from the field of partial differential equations; many masters from other mathematical fields also raised their hands.

In addition, a large number of scholars from the field of physics also raised their hands to ask questions and express their doubts.

Xu Chuan answered the questions raised by these masters one by one.

But there were simply too many people with questions. By twelve-thirty in the afternoon, hands were still being raised ceaselessly from the audience.

Backstage, Nanjing University’s principal, Liu Gaojun, waited anxiously. Since eleven o’clock, the administrative staff in charge of lunch had come to ask him time and time again.

But since the Q&A session up front wasn’t over, all they could do backstage was wait patiently.

“Principal, it’s already twelve-thirty.”

Backstage, the administrative staff member in charge of lunch came to urge him again. It was, after all, noon, and lunch was an important matter.

Liu Gaojun nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “I know. Get everything ready on your end. I’ll go up and have a word with Professor Xu.”

It was twelve-thirty. There was no other choice. Even if it meant postponing the Q&A session, it was time for lunch.

After all, if they didn’t get something to eat and someone got sick from hunger, what would they do if someone developed hypoglycemia?

With that in mind, he personally went on stage and conferred with Xu Chuan in a low voice, suggesting that the unfinished Q&A session be postponed until the afternoon.

Xu Chuan nodded, agreeing to the suggestion.

It wasn’t just the scholars in the audience; he needed a break too.

From eight-thirty in the morning until now, twelve-thirty, he had been standing on the stage for a full four hours.

After agreeing on the plan, Liu Gaojun took over the stage from Xu Chuan, quickly announced a break, and invited everyone to the dining hall.

Xu Chuan, meanwhile, slipped away backstage, dodging the media reporters lying in wait outside.

Although interviews were unavoidable, he would put them off as long as he could.

They would want one now, and then definitely another one after the afternoon Q&A session. It was a hassle. So it was better to deal with such things as little as possible.

While science certainly needed a certain degree of exposure, at his level, it no longer mattered.

Besides, there was still the Q&A session in the afternoon. His time was precious. He needed to grab a bite and then rest for a bit; he really didn’t have much time to waste on these media reporters.

Interviews and the like would have to wait until the conference presentation was truly over.

For its first time hosting this kind of world-class conference, Nanjing University opted for a buffet-style meal, a common practice at international conferences, which allowed people to eat and converse without conflict.

In the hotel’s restaurant, Xu Chuan grabbed a plate, picked out some food, and discreetly found a corner to sit down.

However, not long after he sat down, a sharp-eyed scholar noticed him.

After all, he was the star of the day. His dazzling light was brilliant even from a corner.

“Professor Xu, your presentation just now was absolutely wonderful! Simply perfect!”

In the corner, a young scholar who had noticed him quickly walked over with a plate, greeting Xu Chuan with a smile.

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan looked up and replied with a polite smile, “Thank you. And you are?”

“Giuseppe Lopes. I’m currently studying under William Timothy Gowers.”

The young man quickly introduced himself and continued, “Professor Gowers asked me to tell you that he is currently busy with some matters and deeply regrets not being able to attend the discussion, even though he very much wanted to.”

Hearing the familiar name, an image of an elegant and handsome old man surfaced in Xu Chuan’s mind. He was the one who had reviewed the research paper on the proof of the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture. Among all the mathematicians, he was probably the only one who could compete with him in terms of good looks.

He smiled and said, “So you’re Sir Gowers’ student. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please thank Sir Gowers for remembering me. If he has the time, I would be very happy to welcome him to China for a visit.”

Giuseppe Lopes nodded quickly. “I will pass that on to my professor. Also… um… Professor Xu, may I have your contact information? An email address would be fine too.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

“Thank you so much.”

After exchanging contact information with the young man, Xu Chuan continued his meal.

But it wasn’t long before someone else approached, this time sitting down directly in front of him.

“Congratulations, you’ve solved another century-old problem.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan looked up, and a familiar face came into view.

“Long time no see, Fefferman.” Xu Chuan smiled and greeted the person who had sat down opposite him with a plate. It was none other than Fefferman from Princeton.

“It has been a while. It’s been almost half a year since we parted ways in Brazil last year, hasn’t it? It seems you’ve been doing quite well since returning to China, making another step forward in mathematics. Deligne was always worried that you would waste your talent after returning home,” Fefferman said with a laugh.

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s just a partial result. There’s still a long way to go to the summit.”

Fefferman made an exaggerated expression and teased, “Just? This is a result that many mathematicians couldn’t achieve in their entire lifetimes.”

After a pause, he continued, “You beat me to it. The NS equations have always been my research goal.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “It was just good luck, and I was standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Fefferman said, “How about we have a competition? Let’s see who can solve the remaining part of the NS equations first!”

Although he was old enough to be considered elderly, his heart was still young. He forever maintained his love for and desire to challenge mathematics, and it was a rare thing in life to meet a like-minded friend.

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head, politely declining the suggestion. “I’m sorry, but I probably won’t be focusing my energy on the NS equations in the near future.”

“Why?”

Fefferman looked at Xu Chuan with surprise and confusion. In his view, it was essential to strike while the iron was hot and press on with the momentum. It was quite possible he could solve the rest of the NS equations, as this should be the time when he had the most ideas.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “There are many reasons.”

“For one thing, I have many other things to do, such as the collision experiment for sterile neutrinos at CERN in the second half of the year.”

“On the other hand…”

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan looked at Fefferman. “I feel that the NS equations are a problem I cannot solve right now.”

Before Fefferman could speak, he continued, “I know what you’re going to say, and I have considered it, but I just don’t have a good feeling about it.”

“In fact… I have a faint feeling that the method used for this partial proof of the NS equations will be impassable for the rest of the journey.”

Hearing this, Fefferman was taken aback and quickly asked with interest, “What do you mean?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “If you’re interested, let’s talk about it tomorrow. Right now, I need to fill my stomach and then get some rest. After all, there’s still the Q&A session this afternoon.”

Chapter 282: What If There’s Hope?

At two in the afternoon, the conference presentation resumed where it had left off that morning.

Compared to the morning session, more physicists raised their hands to ask questions in the afternoon, and their inquiries leaned more toward the application level.

When it came to these matters, Xu Chuan was truly somewhat powerless.

He could vouch for the correctness of the theory, but he didn’t know how to apply the partial results for the NS equations to practical industry.

Moreover, there were some things he couldn’t answer at this conference.

For instance, how to use the partial results of the NS equations to model turbulence, especially ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence.

For these things, one could only say that while science knows no borders, scientists do.

Even if he knew exactly how to use this result to model the ultra-high temperature plasma within a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, there was no way he would say it here.

At four in the afternoon, after another two busy hours, the conference presentation on the partial results for the NS equations finally came to a successful conclusion.

Judging from the reception, academia had largely accepted his research paper.

At least, the field of mathematics didn’t have many doubts.

As for the questions from the field of physics, honestly, they were outside the scope of what Xu Chuan could answer.

The NS equations were indeed a top-tier problem in fluid dynamics and could be used to solve various turbulence problems, but fluid dynamics was ultimately a more application-oriented field.

A conference presentation in the field of mathematics, no matter what, couldn’t possibly delve into the applied domain of physics.

Amid thunderous applause, Xu Chuan concluded the conference presentation and headed for the auditorium exit.

It was time to announce this news to the world!

As soon as he stepped out of the auditorium, a crowd that had long been waiting outside swarmed and surrounded him.

Among those who encircled him were journalists, scholars, and a few who were simply his admirers.

Not everyone could squeeze into the auditorium to attend the conference presentation; many who had arrived late or hadn’t received an invitation letter had been waiting outside for the result.

“Professor Xu Chuan, hello, I’m a reporter from the Los Angeles Times.”

“Professor Chuan, what was the result of the conference? Can you tell us if it was a success? Have the NS equations been solved?”

“God Chuan! Can I shake your hand?”

“Hello, Professor Chuan. I’m a reporter from the Nanjing Daily. May I ask if your research paper has successfully proven the NS equations?”

“God Chuan, I’m a mathematics student from Peking University! Can I get your WeChat or phone number? I want to learn mathematics from you!”

“…”

Outside the auditorium, Xu Chuan was blocked at the entrance by the crowd the moment he walked out.

A torrent of questions rushed at him, ranging from interview questions from media reporters to enthusiastic cheers and inquiries from other onlookers.

After picking out a few media outlets and questions to answer, Xu Chuan prepared to slip away, but the enthusiastic crowd clearly had no intention of letting him go so easily.

Fortunately, the staff from Nanjing University responsible for maintaining order at the conference noticed the situation and quickly rushed over to rescue him from the crowd.

“Phew~”

After being pulled out of the throng, Xu Chuan let out a breath of relief and headed toward his office.

There was no rush to go back now. There was a banquet and a discussion in the evening, a perfect opportunity to converse with other mathematicians.

Even someone like him had to stay focused on mathematics and continue absorbing knowledge.

After all, mathematics had always relied heavily on inspiration and communication; working in isolation was not suited for this discipline.

Returning smoothly to his office, Xu Chuan pushed open the door, walked in, and leaned back in his chair to rest.

He had to admit, today’s conference presentation was the most exhausting one he had ever given in his life.

The implications of the NS equations were too great. Even a partial result had attracted the attention of numerous scholars from both the fields of mathematics and physics.

The impact of fluid dynamics on society was simply enormous.

The design of airplanes, missiles, rockets, cars, trains, bridges, high-rise buildings, and other structures was inseparable from fluid dynamics.

Dams, hydropower generation, ship design, port and coastal engineering, underwater pipelines, sewage treatment, and water supply also relied on the support of fluid dynamics.

Even in medicine, in fields such as hemodynamics, respiratory mechanics, and digestive system mechanics, fluid dynamics could help humans better treat diseases.

Furthermore, fluid dynamics played a crucial role in various other disciplines like atmospheric science, environmental protection, and bioengineering.

As he was resting, a knock suddenly came from the office door.

Snapping back to his senses, Xu Chuan called out, “Come in.”

“Xu, congratulations on solving another difficult problem.”

The person who walked in was a middle-aged man. Even though it was early May and the temperature was no longer low, he was still dressed in a neat suit and tie.

Glancing at the visitor, Xu Chuan smiled, stood up, and greeted him, “Editor-in-Chief Camillo, hello.”

He was very familiar with the man: the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Mathematics, Camillo De Lellis, a member of the Princeton school of thought, and, of course, a fellow alumnus.

Camillo De Lellis walked forward with a smile and gave Xu Chuan an enthusiastic hug.

“Long time no see, Xu. Congratulations on solving another of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. It’s truly unexpected,” Camillo said with a congratulatory smile.

“Thank you, but I haven’t solved the NS equations yet. What I have is just a partial result, and it hasn’t gone through peer review,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

“Whoa, Xu, you’re being far too modest. Today’s conference presentation was absolutely brilliant.”

Camillo shook his head in an exaggerated manner, then continued with a smile, “Xu, I think you know why I’m here. Entrust it to me. The Annals of Mathematics guarantees it won’t be let down. We will treat it like our own son.”

“To show how seriously we’re taking this, we’ve already invited experts like Professor Terence Tao, Professor Shing-Tung Yau, and Professor Smirnov to be reviewers. All we’re missing now is the paper in your hands.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. They’re all Fields Medal laureates,” Xu Chuan said, shaking his head with a smile.

“No, no, no, it’s worth it!” Editor-in-Chief Camillo retorted seriously. “This is one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. Even if it’s just a partial result, it deserves to be treated with the utmost seriousness by everyone.”

“Besides, I don’t think any journal other than the Annals of Mathematics is worthy of it!”

Xu Chuan smiled and steered the conversation away from the topic, saying, “I trust you will treat it well.”

Whether it was “worthy” or not wasn’t an issue. The Annals of Mathematics was indeed the most famous of the four top journals at present.

It was founded by scholars from the Princeton school of thought, and since Princeton was currently the holy land of world mathematics, most of the results produced by scholars who came from there were submitted to the Annals of Mathematics.

He himself had published quite a few papers in the Annals of Mathematics; both the proof of the Weyl-Berry Conjecture and the proof of the Hodge Conjecture had been submitted to it.

If nothing unexpected happened, this partial result on the NS equations would probably be submitted to them as well.

What’s more, Editor-in-Chief Camillo had come to find him in person.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s reply, Editor-in-Chief Camillo De Lellis’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, “Of course! As soon as the peer review is complete, we will arrange for its publication at the fastest possible speed.”

Having secured the submission, Camillo De Lellis didn’t disturb him for too much longer. After a brief chat, he took his leave.

After resting for a while, Xu Chuan also got up and headed to the banquet hall.

The post-conference discussion banquet was an event that no mathematician could afford to miss.

Here, you could approach any big shot mathematician you were interested in to say hello, exchange ideas, or ask for advice, and you would almost never be rejected.

After politely responding to the scholars who enthusiastically came up to greet him along the way, Xu Chuan found his advisor from Princeton, Professor Deligne.

At the moment, the old professor was holding a wine glass and chatting with Shing-Tung Yau.

“Advisor, Professor Yau.” Xu Chuan walked up with a smile and greeted the two of them.

“A brilliant proof. It seems you haven’t neglected your mathematics since returning home,” Deligne nodded, offering a rare word of praise.

He had originally been worried that this student would waste his talent in mathematics. Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Beside them, Shing-Tung Yau smiled and said, “It seems the last discussion at Tsinghua University gave you quite a bit of inspiration. I saw something very familiar in your proof.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “I’m very grateful for the inspiration Professor Yau and that student gave me.”

Shing-Tung Yau laughed heartily. “You have no idea how happy my student was when you mentioned him in your paper. It’s a good thing he didn’t come today; if he had, he’d probably be asking you for dozens of autographs.”

At that, Deligne spoke up, “What are you planning to research next? Fefferman said you don’t seem to be planning to delve any deeper into the NS equations?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. I’d like to solve this problem too, but my mathematical intuition tells me that solving it is likely beyond what I’m capable of right now.”

Deligne nodded. He knew this student’s personality; if there was truly a hope of solving the NS equations, he wouldn’t just leave it be.

Moving on, Xu Chuan asked, “Advisor, regarding what we discussed before—about borrowing Princeton’s chemical experiment database—is there any hope?”

While researching the artificial SEI film last year, he had thought about creating a mathematical model for chemistry to help with his research and development of chemical materials.

This could be described as a very ambitious plan, and of course, a very difficult one to realize. To that end, he had contacted Nanjing University and Tsinghua University to make a joint attempt.

In addition, at the beginning of the year, he had also approached Deligne, told him about this matter, and asked him to help talk to the head of Princeton University’s Chemistry Department to see if they could borrow Princeton’s database.

Although Princeton’s Chemistry Department couldn’t compare to its mathematics and physics departments, it had still produced several Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates and was quite formidable.

Coupled with its extensive accumulation of experimental data over the years, getting Princeton’s help would be a great boon.

Of course, the probability of this happening wasn’t very high.

On one hand, he was no longer at Princeton. On the other, such transnational university collaborations, especially between China and the US, were difficult to achieve, particularly in the field of materials R&D.

But Xu Chuan had to ask anyway. What if there was hope?

Chapter 283: The International Patent is in Hand!

Although he wasn’t holding out much hope for borrowing the chemical experiment database from Princeton, Xu Chuan was willing to try anything.

Besides, given his current reputation as a Nobel and Fields laureate, combined with his Princeton background, there was still some hope of making it happen.

Deligne said, “I’ve spoken to MacMillan about this. I’m not sure what he thinks, but he said he wants to talk to you before deciding.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “I imagine you won’t be leaving the country for a while, and he doesn’t have time to come here at the moment. Perhaps you two should have a video call to discuss it first?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you for the trouble, Teacher. I’ll find a time to contact Director MacMillan.”

As long as he hadn’t been rejected outright, there was still hope. The only question was what form the cooperation would take.

In any case, getting free access to their database was basically impossible. An exchange of some kind would certainly be required. The specifics would have to be negotiated.

“Hey, Professor Xu, I finally found you.”

As the two were talking, someone cut in.

Xu Chuan turned his head and saw a familiar face. It was Robert Morey Dean, the editor-in-chief of New Progress in Mathematics.

They had met twice before, and Xu Chuan had submitted his paper proving the weak Weyl-Berry conjecture to New Progress in Mathematics.

“Editor-in-Chief Robert, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, shaking his hand.

Robert smiled back. “Of course. It’s such a momentous occasion, I don’t think anyone would want to miss it. Today’s conference presentation was absolutely brilliant. You conquered all of us up on that stage!”

After a few pleasantries, Robert got to the point.

“Xu, I think you know why I’m here. Would you consider giving the research paper on your proof of the NS equations to me? New Progress in Mathematics will absolutely do it justice. We’ll have it peer-reviewed and published with the utmost speed.”

The editor-in-chief was also here to invite him to submit his interim progress report on the NS equations to New Progress in Mathematics, but unfortunately, he was a step too late.

Xu Chuan replied, “I’m very sorry, Editor-in-Chief Robert, but the interim progress paper on the NS equations has already been submitted to the Annals of Mathematics.”

“That’s a real shame, Xu.”

Hearing that the manuscript had already been sent to the Annals of Mathematics, Robert’s face filled with regret.

After a pause, he continued, “Xu, can I make a reservation with you for your next manuscript? New Progress in Mathematics is an excellent choice, you know.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He was already taking reservations for the next paper?

He had no idea what he would be researching in mathematics next. There were too many other things to do, leaving little time for math.

However, since Robert had put it that way, he couldn’t very well refuse again, so he agreed to the editor-in-chief’s request.

For Robert, even though he hadn’t secured Xu Chuan’s submission this time, getting the next one was still a great outcome.

After all, in his view, the young man would surely continue his research on the NS equations. It was highly likely they could get the final proof paper for the NS equations, which would be the best possible result.

The conference presentation on the interim progress of the NS equations was a success, and Xu Chuan sent the research paper to the Annals of Mathematics’ email.

The paper would be jointly reviewed by Terence Tao, Shing-Tung Yau, and Smirnov—three Fields Medal laureates who were also top experts in the field of partial differential equations.

For a proof of such a major conjecture, even an interim one, the field of mathematics had to treat it with the utmost seriousness.

Of course, since Xu Chuan had managed to win over everyone at the conference presentation, the paper’s peer review was merely a matter of time.

With the NS equations presentation out of the way, Xu Chuan felt much more relaxed.

The next day, his discussion with Fefferman didn’t bring him much inspiration. Pushing forward with the NS equations seemed unrealistic at this point.

In a three-dimensional infinite space, the existence of a smooth solution to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations remained a mystery. No one knew if the divergence of turbulence would eventually return to a state of calm.

However, Xu Chuan believed that one day this problem would be solved, and a smooth solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations did exist!

It was like asking if an airliner flying in the sky would suddenly disintegrate, or if a car driving on the ground would suddenly explode.

The existence of a smooth solution to the NS equations determines whether most things in our daily lives will suddenly fall into disorder.

If a smooth solution to the NS equations didn’t exist, then the aforementioned scenarios, and even stranger things—like a building suddenly collapsing for no reason, the ground suddenly caving in, or a calm lake exploding like a bomb—would all be possible.

This clearly violated common sense.

And in physics or science, if a problem is too counter-intuitive, it’s highly likely that there is an issue with the premise.

Therefore, Xu Chuan was certain that a smooth solution to the NS equations existed!

The only problem was, he had no idea how to find or prove it yet.

“Junior! Good news! Great news!”

In his office, Xu Chuan was lost in thought when the door was suddenly thrown open with a bang. An excited shout echoed, loud enough to make his ears ring.

Startled out of his reverie, Xu Chuan slowly came to his senses and looked at Senior Bear, Fan Pengyue, who had just burst in.

“Did the patent get approved?” Xu Chuan asked, looking up after calming his racing heart.

“??? How did you know???”

Senior Bear Fan Pengyue froze for a moment, then asked in astonishment, “Who told you? No, wait, I was in charge of this. I was the first to find out. No one else knows.”

Xu Chuan smiled faintly. “I guessed.”

“The Chuanhai Materials Research Institute has no experiments scheduled recently, and any research on things like lithium-sulfur batteries isn’t worthy of you shouting about ‘great news.’ The only thing that could make you this excited is the patent for the artificial SEI film we applied for earlier.”

“You’re a monster!”

Fan Pengyue stared at Xu Chuan for a long time before spitting out those three words.

Xu Chuan shrugged. To be honest, it wasn’t a big deal. Anyone could have figured it out.

Still, the approval of the artificial SEI film patent was indeed cause for celebration.

After all, this one patent was enough to grant him financial freedom for a long time to come.

Taking the authorization documents for the artificial SEI film patent from his eldest senior disciple Fan Pengyue, Xu Chuan flipped through them, seeing approvals from the United States, the European Union, the island nation, India, and other countries.

As per his original request, the international patent application for the artificial SEI film covered all 120 member states of the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Although this had cost him over a million in patent application fees, these member states covered basically eighty or even ninety percent of the global market. As long as someone used his technology in their products, he would profit from it.

As for the developing African nations with smaller markets or countries that had not joined the Patent Cooperation Treaty, Xu Chuan had no interest in sending someone to personally file applications there.

It would be too time-consuming, and the patent would be of little use even if it were granted.

After all, in small and primitive countries like those in Africa, forget having the industrial capacity to manufacture high-precision artificial SEI films—they probably hadn’t even fully popularized basic PHS phones or classic roadster bicycles.

By the time the commercial world developed a market there, the twenty-year patent protection period would be long gone; even a hundred years might not be enough.

And in twenty years’ time, he would have had enough time to update and develop several new generations of lithium batteries. He might have even developed lithium-air batteries by then.

After all, the biggest problem with lithium batteries was the issue of lithium dendrites. With that problem solved, both lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries had a foundation for development.

Of course, he had to get a move on with the research and development to prevent others from seizing these two markets first.

Flipping through the patent authorization documents in his hand, Xu Chuan looked up and said, “Excellent. With these, the lab won’t be short on research funding anymore!”

“Make the preparations, then call a press conference. Invite manufacturers and media reporters, both domestic and international, who are interested in the battery industry. I’ll host it myself.”

Fan Pengyue nodded. “What about the date? When should we schedule it for?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “Let’s do May thirtieth.”

“I still need to upload the paper to Arxiv and submit it to a journal. Even if we don’t rely on the paper’s publication, we still need to give the news some time to marinate. Generating buzz takes time.”

“If we want to sell the patent license for a good price, a certain amount of hype is essential.”

“Alright, I’ll go arrange it now,” Fan Pengyue said with a nod.

After the two discussed some details in the office, senior Fan Pengyue left in a hurry. Xu Chuan leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

Successfully obtaining the patent for the artificial SEI film was indeed a joyous event.

Even if the paper had not been formally published, it didn’t stop him from turning it into patent fees.

With that thought, Xu Chuan sat up, filled with renewed vigor, and turned on his computer to find the paper written by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The paper on the artificial SEI film was written by the institute; he hadn’t had time to write it himself.

In any case, the results were already out, so writing up a paper wasn’t difficult.

Having people working under him was convenient. If he had written it himself, it would have taken him at least a day or two. Now, all he had to do was check and revise it to make sure there were no problems before submitting it.

Mid-May.

The buzz from the NS equations interim progress report conference had just started to fade. Before the scientific media’s attention could fully shift away from the impact of the NS equations on humanity’s future, a new paper was quietly uploaded to the Arxiv preprint website.

Although the Arxiv preprint website was mostly frequented by mathematicians, physicists, and computer scientists, this paper still attracted a lot of attention the moment it was uploaded.

The reason was simple: the first author’s name was quite special—“Xu Chuan.”

This was the same name that had just recently held a conference that had nearly impacted the entire world.

When scholars who followed this name on Arxiv received a notification from the site, their curiosity was piqued. They immediately clicked the link, wanting to see what a new thing Professor Xu had published.

However, to nearly everyone’s surprise, the paper posted on Arxiv was not a mathematical, physical, or astronomical finding as they had expected, but from a field no one had ever imagined!

[A Method for Guiding Lithium-Ion Deposition in Lithium Batteries and Solving the Problem of Lithium Dendrite Formation Using a ‘Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Lithium Fluorocarbon Composite Material.’]

The title of the paper left the scholars who had been following Xu Chuan completely bewildered.

What was this?

Mathematics? Physics? Lithium-ion deposition? The lithium dendrite problem? Wasn’t that chemistry and materials science?

For a moment, the mathematicians and physicists who saw the paper all suspected they had misread it, or that there was a problem with the Arxiv website and it had pushed some random thing to them.

Many scholars, even after scrolling through the paper and seeing the submitter’s and author’s names, still suspected it was just someone with the same name.

After all, that Xu Chuan was a mathematician. Even if he had some achievements in physics and won a Nobel Prize, it was fundamentally based on his mathematical knowledge.

But this paper and submission were just too far off the mark.

A direct jump from the field of mathematics to the fields of chemistry and materials science was like going from the South Pole to the North Pole.

Rubbing their eyes, they checked the submitter’s past manuscripts. It was only after seeing the proof of the Hodge Conjecture and the interim progress paper on the NS equations that the numerous scholars on Arxiv finally believed that this paper was indeed submitted by Xu Chuan.

“Holy shit! This is insane! Professor Xu has gone into chemistry?”

“Solving the lithium dendrite problem? What the hell!”

“What is Arxiv doing, putting someone else’s paper under Professor Xu’s name?”

“Mathematics, physics, astronomy… and now he’s reaching into chemistry and materials science? Are you kidding me?”

“Maybe he just submitted it for fun. It’s Arxiv, after all. You can upload anything.”

“According to this paper, is Professor Xu announcing that he’s solved the lithium dendrite problem?”

“Impossible! Don’t we get tons of papers claiming to solve the lithium dendrite problem every year? If not ten thousand, at least eight thousand. But the problem is still there. None have actually solved it, and very few have even managed to optimize it.”

“But what if this is real?”

“That would be too terrifying. Mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry—four major fields! Is there anything he doesn’t know? And don’t forget, he’s only in his early twenties this year!”

A chemistry paper dropped on Arxiv quickly sparked discussions among numerous mathematicians and physicists. Soon, these discussions spread rapidly to the fields of chemistry and materials science.

After all, when faced with a paper from a field that wasn’t your own but that you were interested in, the best approach was to find an expert from that field to interpret it.

And the previously calm worlds of chemistry, materials science, and the battery industry were instantly thrown into turmoil, hit by massive waves of discussion.

Although this wasn’t the first time a paper claiming to have solved the lithium dendrite problem had appeared in the materials science community—such papers emerged endlessly every year—the submitter of this particular paper was simply too shocking.

He was the first person in history to win both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal, had previously solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, and had just recently tackled half of the NS equations. His fame in the scientific world was practically universal.

And now, he was extending his reach into the realms of chemistry and materials science. How could that not be astonishing?

Such incredible news would naturally not be easily buried.

A few days after Xu Chuan uploaded the paper to Arxiv, big shots from the fields of chemistry, materials science, and the battery industry all turned their attention to it.

To be honest, most people in the industry didn’t believe the lithium dendrite problem could be solved so easily, even if the paper’s author was a Nobel laureate.

But taking a look wouldn’t take much time. And what if? What if the lithium dendrite problem really had been solved, and they missed the news and the opportunity? They would kick themselves to death.

Chapter 284: The Frenzy of the Outside World

In the academic world, if anyone else were to post a paper that hadn’t been peer-reviewed on Arxiv, even if they claimed to have solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, it wouldn’t cause an earthquake across several completely different fields.

After all, in today’s academia, very few scholars would upload important papers to a preprint website like Arxiv. The top journals of all kinds were a much more fitting choice for most researchers.

Although submitting to journals came with various restrictions and long review times, publishing a paper in a top-tier journal represented a certain level of academic achievement.

If you could publish a paper in a legendary journal like Annals of Mathematics or New Progress in Mathematics, you would be qualified to become a professor at a prestigious university, regardless of your previous academic background.

In contrast, preprint websites like Arxiv were not held in high regard by many scholars.

The reason was simple: these websites were a mixed bag, and there was little of value to be found.

It was undeniable that there were some interesting or valuable things on them, but it was also undeniable that the vast majority of the papers and ideas were essentially worthless.

There was no peer review, no vetting mechanism, which meant that anyone could upload their papers and ideas.

Under these circumstances, those “amateur theorists” who were very interested in academia—or rather, interested in arguing with others, who saw themselves as above the fray, who delighted in refuting others, who were supremely confident, believed they were the best in the universe, insisted “that’s just how it is,” and thought “it’s impossible for me to be wrong”—would naturally swarm to such sites.

They wouldn’t just claim to have proofs for the Seven Millennium Prize Problems; they dared to post things like unified field theories and theories on the ultimate form of the universe.

These theories and ideas, which had almost no foundation in rigorous scientific theory and were based entirely on personal conjecture, were of little to no value to science.

Of course, sometimes, a particularly unique idea or paper could provide inspiration. However, compared to the papers in journals that had undergone strict peer review, the probability of this was far too low.

That was why many scholars didn’t particularly like preprint websites like Arxiv.

But in recent years, a new anomaly had appeared in the academic world. Much like Perelman before him, he liked to post his papers on preprint websites like Arxiv first.

If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but this was a winner of both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal. And every time he uploaded a paper, it was eventually verified, solving all sorts of world-class problems.

There was a saying in academic circles about this young big shot: a paper he posts on Arxiv can basically be treated as a peer-reviewed paper.

At least, so far, not a single one of his papers, whether in mathematics or physics, had been found to have any issues.

And now, he had extended his reach into the worlds of chemistry and materials science, uploading a paper that solved the problem of lithium dendrites. This sent a violent tremor through the hearts of many in the academic world, and many big shots turned their attention to it, wanting to see what was going on.

If the fields of mathematics and physics weren’t entirely clear on the value of this paper, then the fields of chemistry, materials science, and batteries, which were now catching on, were a completely different story.

They knew better than anyone just how immense the impact of the lithium dendrite problem was on the lithium battery industry.

At the invitation of their friends, the leading experts in chemistry, materials science, and the battery industry turned their attention to this paper.

In the United States, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Professor C. T. McMullen, the 1998 Fields Medalist, was sitting in the office of his friend, Coverdale Enoch, waiting for him to finish reading the paper in his hands.

A long time passed before his friend finally put the paper down and asked impatiently, “Where did you get this paper?”

Professor McMullen asked curiously, “Don’t tell me the stuff in it is real?”

Coverdale Enoch replied quickly, “First, tell me where you got this paper.”

“From Arxiv.”

“That’s impossible! How could there be a paper of this caliber on Arxiv!” Coverdale Enoch retorted emotionally upon hearing his friend’s answer.

McMullen shrugged. “I really did download it from Arxiv.”

“You’re not pulling my leg?” Coverdale Enoch stared at his friend suspiciously.

“Do I need to?”

Hearing this, Coverdale Enoch looked as if he was questioning his own existence. He muttered to himself, “How is that possible? Why would a paper like this be posted on a site like Arxiv?”

McMullen looked at his friend, puzzled. “This is something from a mathematics colleague I follow, but I don’t really understand it. After all, I study math, not chemistry or materials science, so I brought it to you for a look.”

“So? Is the paper correct?”

Coverdale Enoch came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and said, “Based on this paper, it’s highly likely that it has indeed solved the lithium dendrite problem.”

“At least, I can’t see any problems with it.”

“Of course, I’ll need to replicate the experiment according to the paper to see if it really has this effect.”

McMullen asked, “How long would it take to replicate the experiment once?”

Coverdale Enoch said, “Not too long. If we were to make a complete battery, it might take half a month for testing. But if we’re just verifying whether this artificial SEI film can solve the problem of lithium dendrite formation, three or four hours is enough.”

“I have all the materials in my lab. The only tricky part is fabricating some of the artificial SEI film according to the method described.”

“Do you have time now? I’d like to see the result. I can wait three or four hours.”

Hearing that it would only take three or four hours to verify, McMullen asked quickly. He couldn’t wait to see if the paper was correct.

If it really could solve the lithium dendrite problem, it would be truly incredible.

From mathematics to physics to astronomy, and now to chemistry and materials science… was there anything this man didn’t understand?

What was even more noteworthy was that his previous research achievements were mostly theoretical, but this time, it was an achievement on the application level.

The leap from theory to application was a huge chasm.

Coverdale Enoch nodded. “Of course. I want to see the result too.”

“After all, if the lithium dendrite problem is really solved, the battery industry will undergo the biggest revolution in its history.”

What was happening at MIT was just a microcosm of what was taking place at numerous universities, research institutes, and laboratories.

In the days after Xu Chuan posted his paper on the Arxiv preprint website, as time went on, more and more people noticed it, and more and more labs began to replicate the entire experiment according to the method described in the paper.

For papers and research findings in materials science, the most important criterion for judgment was whether the result was replicable.

If it couldn’t be replicated, the research finding was meaningless to the field of materials science.

Because of the importance of lithium batteries, and because of the name of the person who published the paper, within less than a week, almost over eighty percent of the universities and labs researching lithium batteries began to run replication experiments on this paper.

In the academic world, when more than fifty percent of the researchers in a certain field are studying the same thing, it means it has become common knowledge.

And when over eighty percent of the researchers dive in, it can only mean that this is the most frenzied revolution imaginable!

The frenzy in the lithium battery field soon caught the attention of the press.

As a veteran and well-known American tech media outlet, and also the world’s largest tech blog, TechCrunch would naturally not miss this news.

They quickly sent reporters to the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, a top American university, to find Professor Alan Heeger, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000.

This professor’s research mainly focused on fields like organic and conductive polymer materials and devices, as well as low-dimensional physics. He was hailed by the China Academy of Sciences as a “pioneer of international research in conducting polymers” and had made immense contributions to materials science.

TechCrunch wanted to interview this Nobel laureate to get his opinion on the matter.

Of course, what they really hoped for was to create a big headline.

Whether he refuted it or affirmed it, it would generate a lot of buzz.

After all, the person who published the paper was the famous Professor Xu, the first-ever winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes. Since entering the academic world, his achievements were countless.

More importantly, every paper Professor Xu had published on Arxiv had been verified to be correct.

If they could shatter his myth of one hundred percent success this time, they believed a report focusing on that would definitely be a hot topic.

If he succeeded again, given the hype around lithium batteries, plus the focus on his perfect track record, it would likewise bring them a huge amount of traffic.

Of course, they had to be quick, because many other media outlets were also following up on this story.

Chapter 285: The Biggest Revolution in the Lithium Battery Industry!

“Professor Heeger, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

At the University of California’s Santa Barbara campus, a reporter from a tech blog enthusiastically shook hands with the elderly Nobel laureate and greeted him.

The old man smiled, returned the handshake, and nodded. “Please, have a seat. My assistant has already briefed me.”

After some small talk, the tech blog reporter began, “Professor Heeger, have you seen the recent popular paper on Arxiv about the lithium dendrite problem? I heard that this Professor Xu has developed a solution for it?”

Professor Alan Heeger nodded. “Yes, I have. It’s a truly brilliant paper. We are currently trying to replicate the experiment based on the methods described in it.”

The reporter asked, somewhat surprised, “You mean it’s correct?”

Professor Alan Heeger shook his head. “We don’t know for sure yet. Until the experimental results are in, I can’t guarantee that it will definitively solve the lithium dendrite problem.”

“However,”

After a moment’s hesitation, the old man continued, “theoretically speaking, it is highly likely to be correct.”

“And from what I understand, quite a few universities and labs have already replicated this achievement. Preliminary tests show that this artificial SEI film can indeed suppress the growth of lithium dendrites to a great extent.”

Hearing this, the reporter quickly asked, “So if the lithium dendrite problem is solved, what kind of changes will it bring to our lives?”

Professor Heeger pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, “The lithium dendrite problem is the biggest one in lithium batteries. Its significance for the development of lithium batteries is monumental.”

“First, it’s certain that if the lithium dendrite problem can be solved, we will get lithium batteries with much higher capacity.”

“After all, the capacity of a lithium-ion battery mainly depends on the mass and ratio of the active materials in the positive and negative electrodes, and these materials in turn determine the battery’s energy density.”

“And whether we’re talking about the lithium-ion batteries we use today, the lithium-sulfur batteries being developed worldwide, or even the lithium-air batteries that are still in the theoretical stage, none can escape the problem of lithium dendrite formation.”

“To give you a simple example, in the lithium batteries currently on the market, the anode materials are mainly natural graphite, artificial graphite, silicon-based materials, and so on.”

“The theoretical specific capacity of graphite is only 372 mAh/g, but if you replace graphite with lithium metal, the capacity can reach 3860 mAh/g—an increase of more than tenfold.”

The old man’s concise words and the stark comparison made the interviewing reporter gasp, a look of shock on her face.

Describing it in any other way might not have had the same effect. But when a three-digit number is compared to a four-digit one, the difference is clear to anyone.

After the shock wore off, the tech blog reporter’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she quickly asked, “So, you’re saying that if the lithium dendrite problem is solved, we’ll have batteries with ten times the lifespan?”

Alan Heeger shook his head. “It can’t be calculated that simply. Many other things determine a battery’s capacity, such as the electrolyte and the cathode material.”

“But it’s foreseeable that if the problem of lithium dendrite formation is solved, it probably won’t take more than a year or two for us to have batteries with at least double the current lifespan.”

“Just think about it. Double the usage time for mobile phones, and the range of electric vehicles increasing from under five hundred kilometers to a thousand kilometers. Imagine what that means.”

“…”

“Thank you very much for your help, Professor Heeger. That will be all for today’s interview.”

After an interview of a little over ten minutes, the reporter had the answers she needed. Satisfied, she stood up, ready to leave.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and a young staff member rushed in.

“Professor, we did it! Following the paper, we created the artificial SEI film and tested it. The results show that this artificial SEI film can indeed effectively solve the problem of lithium dendrite formation!”

The young researcher’s report stunned both the reporter and Professor Alan Heeger.

Alan Heeger strode forward. “Where are the experimental results? Let me see!”

The young man handed over the report he was carrying, and Professor Heeger took the document and quickly flipped through it.

Looking at the scanning electron microscope images in the report, one could clearly see lithium ions accumulating layer by layer on one side of the experimental artificial SEI film.

This is the common phenomenon of lithium deposition in lithium batteries, where lithium ions in the electrolyte solution gather on the positive and negative electrodes for various reasons during charging and discharging.

During lithium deposition, if nucleation occurs among the precipitated lithium ions, they will spread and grow continuously like snowflakes or tree branches, eventually forming irregular, branch-like crystals.

This crystallization is what’s known as lithium dendrites. Over time, they can pierce the separator film, leading to self-ignition, explosions, and other problems in lithium batteries, endangering the user.

But from the report in his hands, it was clear that with this artificial SEI film, although lithium deposition still occurred, no lithium dendrites had formed.

The fatal nucleation reaction that forms lithium dendrites did not happen, or rather, it was guided by this tiny artificial SEI film during deposition.

The lithium ions precipitating from the electrolyte solution were more like bricks for building a house, stacking neatly layer by layer on one side of the film.

According to the data, they had replicated the experiment, and the process and manner of lithium deposition were exactly the same as described in the paper on Arxiv.

From this perspective, there was no doubt: the problem of lithium dendrite formation had truly been solved!

Holding the report, Alan Heeger’s breathing grew a little rapid.

Although he had heard that other labs had replicated this artificial SEI film, hearing about it and verifying it himself were two completely different things.

Only by experiencing it firsthand could one truly appreciate the shock of it all.

He had some slight doubts—judging by the data tables, the lithium deposition on the artificial SEI film seemed a bit severe and overly rapid—but in the face of the stunning fact that no lithium dendrites were forming, these were minor concerns.

The lithium dendrite problem was solved. The biggest revolution in the history of the lithium battery industry was about to happen!

“It’s truly unbelievable! The lithium dendrites actually didn’t form…”

Staring at the report, Alan Heeger muttered to himself in shock.

Meanwhile, the tech blog reporter, who had not yet left, keenly realized this could be a new and important piece of information and quickly turned her voice recorder back on.

After Professor Heeger came back to his senses, she quickly approached him and asked, “Professor Heeger, may I ask what just happened? Were you conducting an experiment?”

Alan Heeger nodded. “Yes.”

“Before you arrived, we were already in the process of replicating the experiment from Professor Xu’s paper. And just now, the results came in.”

“What were the results? Was it a success?” the reporter pressed.

Alan Heeger nodded emphatically. “Yes, we succeeded!”

“In the experiment report, it’s clear that no lithium dendrites formed on the artificial SEI film. They stacked neatly in layers on one side of the film, unable to pierce it and cause a short circuit.”

“The lithium dendrite problem will be a thing of the past. In the near future, perhaps in just one or two years, or even less, we will see mobile phones with much longer battery lives and electric cars with a range of one or two thousand kilometers. These will no longer be fantasies!”

“This will be the biggest revolution in the history of the lithium battery industry!”

It had to be said, the tech blog had indeed scored a major scoop.

Of course, it wasn’t an exclusive story.

The entire media world seemed to have a tacit understanding. A week after Xu Chuan dropped his paper on Arxiv, media outlets big and small began to speak out.

Revolution in the Lithium Battery Era: Research by Chinese Mathematician Professor Xu Chuan Could Lead to New Lithium Batteries with Ten Times the Current Capacity!

Shocking! Lithium Battery Capacity About to Increase Tenfold!

The Polymath Scholar! After Conquering Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy, the Young Professor Now Turns His Attention to Chemical Materials!

New Breakthrough for Long-Range Lithium Batteries: Our Nation’s Famed Scientist, Professor Xu Chuan, Develops New Artificial SEI Film, Solves Lithium Dendrite Problem!

…

All sorts of news stories flooded in, quickly shooting to the top of the trending charts on every major platform.

[Ten times the battery capacity? What clickbait title is this? Disgusting!]

[No, this time it might actually be real. If the lithium dendrite problem is solved, a tenfold increase in lithium battery capacity is genuinely possible.]

[The media and news outlets are all reporting on it. It must be true.]

[Did you guys see the name of the person who solved it? Professor Xu Chuan, is it the one I’m thinking of? Or another scientist with the same name?]

[It’s him!]

[But isn’t God Chuan an old hand at math? Why did he suddenly switch to researching lithium batteries?]

[Who knows? But what I do know is, maybe a year from now our phones will last ten days or half a month on a single charge, and new energy vehicles will be able to go two or three thousand kilometers!]

[Hiss~ Say no more, God Chuan is badass!]

[So excited!]

[As a stock trader, I have something to say. The new energy sector went f*cking crazy today. A lot of stocks hit their daily limit up. I regret not buying earlier!]

[That’s nothing! I just f*cking sold my BYD shares a few days ago! They’ve gone up by nearly thirty percent in the last two days. Damn it!!!]

…

Meanwhile, under Xu Chuan’s arrangement, once the hype had built up, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute began sending out invitation letters to domestic and international manufacturers and media reporters interested in the battery industry.

The famous Nobel Prize winner, Professor Xu Chuan, the true boss of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, will hold a press conference on May 30th to give a presentation on lithium batteries and the lithium dendrite problem.

This news instantly flew around the globe, attracting the attention of countless manufacturers.

Many car and mobile phone manufacturers were trying to get their hands on an invitation letter. Even financial firms unrelated to the battery industry were trying to secure one.

There was a simple reason: this press conference was far more than it seemed on the surface.

According to some manufacturers who had received invitations, behind the scenes of this press conference, there would also be an auction for the patent license of the artificial SEI film for lithium-ion batteries.

If the information coming from the scientific community was true, this new artificial SEI film could solve the lithium dendrite problem.

In that case, the battery industry—no, the battery industry and all related sectors, such as mobile phones, computers, cars, drones, and even the military—would be on the verge of a major revolution!

Therefore, even though many people didn’t quite believe the lithium dendrite problem had been solved, many companies from outside the battery industry were still trying to get invitations to attend the press conference.

It was a classic case of hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. If this was real and they missed out, they would be missing out on a massive, trillion-dollar market!

To put it more starkly, this would affect the development and very survival of countless companies both inside and outside the industry.

Some companies might soar on the back of this development, while those who failed to keep up with the times and get on board could perish.

Chapter 286: The Best Choice

The colossal stir in the battery industry naturally did not escape the eyes of the world’s governments.

Across the Pacific, in the White House, a certain president with a very cool hairstyle was staring with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s at the Director of the CIA and a representative from the Department of Energy.

“I seem to recall you telling me that the lithium dendrite problem was impossible to solve. So what is this I’m holding???”

The president, with his very cool hairstyle, angrily slammed the report in his hand onto the table.

On the scattered documents, the title and contents were clearly visible—it was an investigation into the artificial SEI film.

Across from him, the standing CIA Director looked just as innocent.

He had lived for decades, but this was like seeing a ghost.

A small laboratory with total assets of less than twenty million RMB—less than three million US dollars—and a young man in his early twenties had actually solved a major global challenge like lithium dendrites. It was truly baffling.

Even if this young man were a world-renowned top scientist, he was a mathematician.

Even if he had achievements in physics and astronomy, how could he possibly storm into the field of applied materials and cause such a ruckus?

The lithium dendrite problem! The combined annual investment from all countries in the world to tackle this issue exceeded ten billion.

A problem that no one else could solve, how could you possibly crack it in just a few months with a tiny lab worth less than three million US dollars?

Outrageous!

Absolutely outrageous!

“Should we take some action?”

Across the desk, the man from the Department of Energy couldn’t help but ask. A massive market worth a trillion was more than enough to justify making a move.

Of course, the artificial SEI film itself wouldn’t capture such a large share, but it was unacceptable not to have such a key technology in their own hands.

“Take action? How exactly do you plan to take action?” the president asked in a low voice.

After a pause, he continued disdainfully, “Steal the secrets and manufacturing methods?”

“The other party has already applied for patents in over a hundred countries around the world, covering all patent-holding nations. They’ve laid it all out in the open. What are you going to steal, you idiot? Or are you planning to ban them from selling lithium batteries in our country? How foolish!”

What gave the president such a headache and made him so furious was that they had once had an excellent opportunity, but they hadn’t seized it and had let it slip by.

If they had simply blocked the patent application from being approved back then, none of this would be happening now.

But with such things, no one could predict the future.

After all, it was impossible to block every single international patent application; that was simply unrealistic. It could only be said that they had underestimated that young man.

He had cleverly applied for patents in all countries, and not just for one version—he had also applied for patents with slight modifications.

It was just like how Alibaba, when registering the “Alibaba” trademark, also applied for trademarks like “Ali-jiejie” (Ali Older Sister), “Ali-meimei” (Ali Younger Sister), “Ali-gugu” (Ali Aunt), “Ali-shushu” (Ali Uncle), “Ali-gege” (Ali Older Brother), and “Ali-didi” (Ali Younger Brother).

This type of defensive self-protection with trademarks had a similar counterpart in patents.

If the other party hadn’t applied for patents and had instead chosen to keep the artificial SEI film a trade secret like other materials companies, they wouldn’t have such a headache.

With the United States’ scientific research capabilities, they believed that if they could get their hands on the material, it wouldn’t take long to complete the reverse engineering.

They might not be able to create an exact replica, but simulating seventy to eighty percent of its performance would be no problem. It was even possible that with a bit more research, they could make further improvements.

Because as long as there was a profit to be made, capital would flow into this field without hesitation, especially for a massive market on a trillion-dollar scale.

But now, the fact that he had registered patents was a real headache.

If they were to create a knockoff, they would inevitably run afoul of international patent law.

Although patents were created to protect the rights of inventors and creators and needed to be respected by all countries, in a sense, international patent law was more of a tool to protect their own interests.

Because compared to other countries, the United States and its allies had registered so many international patents that even the patent offices didn’t know the exact number.

Relying on these patents, they earned countless amounts of money from other countries every year.

Now, international patent law had become a rule that all countries worldwide abide by. Although there were occasional instances of non-compliance, those were rare.

This was especially true in the current situation, where the patent was filed by a top scientist with immense global fame, and the patent itself was extremely important.

If they were to break this unspoken rule, frankly, it would only lead to a mutually destructive outcome.

Although it wouldn’t be the first time they had acted like a rogue, and being shameless enough to “imitate” the product without consent wouldn’t be a major issue—the other party couldn’t exactly storm into their country to stop them—they still had to consider the consequences.

Being sued in an international court by such an internationally renowned top scholar over patent rights, if it blew up, would be a major blow to the United States’ reputation.

If it were just that, it would be one thing.

What was a reputation? It couldn’t put food on the table, and they had a million ways to make the international court side with them.

But the subsequent impact could be severe.

If they set this precedent and it became a major issue, it would become a serious question whether the United States could continue to collect fees for its patents in other countries.

Anyone can play the rogue. If you’re going to lead the way, why can’t I do the same?

This was especially true in China, a country that was extremely adept at “imitation.”

It was just a lawsuit. Even if they couldn’t get the international court on their side, they could drag out the proceedings indefinitely.

After all, once you’ve set the precedent and created a reference case, the potential impact would have to be considered.

Ultimately, countries still have to do business with each other. You can be a rogue, but if you’re too much of a rogue, no one will want to play with you.

In the eyes of the cool-haired president, the smartest thing the other party had done was to file for all the patents in advance.

This had put them in a difficult position.

Giving up their interests in the lithium battery sector was impossible, but how to get a piece of the pie would require further consideration.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, China.

Xu Chuan was preparing for the press conference to be held in a few days.

The research paper he had uploaded to Arxiv and the press conference announced by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had caused a tsunami-like sensation in the battery industry and related fields.

Of course, this sensation was not felt by ordinary people. To the average netizen, this news was just another piece of gossip, prompting them to marvel that he had now ventured into chemical materials research.

But for people within the industry, it was a completely different story.

“Dear Professor Xu, hello. I am a director at ADVANO Nanomaterials Company in Louisiana, United States. Our company specializes in the lithium-ion battery industry, and we are extremely interested in the paper you published on the Arxiv website regarding the artificial SEI film. May I ask if you are interested in a technical collaboration with our company?”

Xu Chuan replied, “If you are interested, just attend the press conference on May 30th.”

“Um, our company seems to have been overlooked and did not receive an invitation letter. Could I trouble Professor Xu to send us one?” the person on the other end said with an embarrassed tone after hearing Xu Chuan’s response.

Xu Chuan: “My apologies, but that’s not my responsibility. If you need an invitation letter, please contact the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.”

Hanging up the phone, he couldn’t help but rub his temples.

Another call from someone wanting to discuss a collaboration.

Ever since he had posted the paper on Arxiv, he had been receiving calls from different companies every day to discuss partnerships.

However, the vast majority of these calls were from middlemen and scalpers.

They were shell companies hoping to get the patent license for the artificial SEI film from him and then resell it to make a profit.

To be honest, Xu Chuan was willing to license the patent for the artificial SEI film to legitimate battery companies.

On one hand, he could get a return on his investment, and on the other, it wouldn’t overly disrupt the development of the entire industry.

As for these middlemen, this wasn’t some agricultural product that needed intermediaries to help sell it across the globe.

Forget about making a profit by reselling the artificial SEI film. Why not cut out the middleman and earn a little more himself?

As for starting his own factory to produce the artificial SEI film or even lithium batteries, Xu Chuan had considered it.

But after thinking it over, he ultimately abandoned the idea.

First and foremost, he was a researcher. His primary energy should be focused on scientific research, not on being a businessman.

Making money was necessary, but dedicating all his energy to it would be a true waste of the chance at rebirth that God had given him.

Besides, cutting-edge, breakthrough research would inevitably come with financial rewards.

As long as he had research results, he would never be short of research funding.

And frankly, although R&D in the materials industry usually recouped costs and made profits through confidential business practices with relatively few patent applications, for him, applying for patents and collecting royalties was the best course of action.

This would unavoidably expose certain things, and knockoffs might appear quickly, thereby affecting his patent fees.

However, to think one could perfectly replicate the core product based solely on the patent documents and the paper was practically impossible.

After all, who would put the entire, complete core process in a patent application?

Wasn’t it perfectly normal to omit certain material ratios from the manufacturing process in the filing?

It was like the formula for gunpowder. If the ratio wasn’t correct, the resulting gunpowder would, at best, just make a loud bang. As for lethality, it would have very little.

The same went for the artificial SEI film. Without figuring out the correct manufacturing process, the resulting film, while still able to suppress lithium dendrite formation to some extent, would be far too inefficient at preventing lithium deposition and transporting lithium ions.

Furthermore, there was another rather crucial point.

This technology wasn’t something he had developed himself, fundamentally speaking.

This artificial SEI film technology was something he had acquired from another US laboratory, thanks to his rebirth. It was only a few years away from being genuinely developed anyway.

It was even possible that the original research institute was already working on it right now.

If he didn’t hurry up and apply for the relevant patents now, he really wouldn’t be able to make any money off the foreigners once they developed it.

Moreover, keeping it a secret and not applying for patents to reap commercial rewards was generally for materials that were difficult to reverse-engineer.

For the kind of artificial SEI film he possessed, as long as someone got their hands on a battery, he was confident that with the number of labs currently researching lithium batteries and the lithium dendrite problem, it wouldn’t take long for them to imitate and produce various different films.

Although they might not achieve the same performance, a simple price war would be enough to significantly reduce his profits.

Rather than going through all that trouble, it was better to just apply for patents directly.

He could both make money and have a stranglehold on his competitors.

If they were truly shameless enough to produce imitations themselves, then he would just take them to an international court.

Victory or defeat, either was acceptable.

If he won, he would gain a sum of money.

If he lost, with his current status and reputation in the scientific community, he could make a huge fuss about it worldwide. Sacrificing some money to tarnish the United States’ reputation was a trade Xu Chuan was willing to make.

What’s more, any imitated artificial SEI film would certainly not match the performance of the genuine product.

A slight dip in performance would mean a significant reduction in the lithium battery’s lifespan.

Additionally, there was the influence of the electrolyte concentration—all things Xu Chuan had omitted from his paper and patent application documents.

With these safeguards in place, he was confident he knew how consumers would choose.

Chapter 287: The Monumental Change in Lithium Batteries Is Merely a Small Ripple!

Time was approaching the thirtieth of May, and the ancient city of Nanjing once again welcomed flights from all over the world.

The press conference for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was about to begin. Major battery manufacturers, research institutes, and even mobile phone and automotive companies had all come to join the excitement.

With so many people attending, the venue Xu Chuan had originally prepared was no longer large enough, so he borrowed a lecture hall from Nanjing University.

On May 30th, the day of the press conference, the lecture hall was teeming with people, every seat taken.

Representatives from many manufacturers had arrived early in the morning. On one hand, they wanted to prepare for the conference in advance; on the other, they were hoping to catch Xu Chuan.

If they could make a good impression on this young expert beforehand, their chances of securing the patent license for the artificial SEI film would naturally increase.

Of course, it wasn’t just these company representatives in attendance.

Besides them, many researchers from the materials science field had also come. Even though the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute hadn’t initially sent them invitation letters, these individuals still took the initiative to show up.

What these scholars in materials research cared about wasn’t who would ultimately win the patent license for the artificial SEI film. They were concerned with what was presented in the research paper.

The a mathematical model established for chemical materials research and development!

After reading the paper, many scholars in the materials field had keenly noted the mathematical modeling method used. It could, to a certain extent, reduce a significant amount of work in materials R&D, and even help eliminate and select unsuitable and suitable materials during the development process.

Although using mathematical models as an aid in materials research was perfectly normal.

The one showcased in the paper on arXiv was entirely different.

Unlike the mathematical models used to find materials, this one seemed to re-process materials from the atomic and molecular level to their properties.

Some researchers quickly realized this could be something new, and that Professor Xu Chuan’s ability to find the key to solving the lithium dendrite problem in just a few months was very likely due to this mathematical model.

Therefore, nearly all the scholars who noticed this detail had called the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to request an invitation letter.

At ten o’clock in the morning, Xu Chuan arrived at the lecture hall on time, entering through the main doors.

As his figure came into view, the clamor in the lecture hall instantly quieted down. Countless gazes, fervent and expectant, fixed upon him.

Accustomed to such scenes, Xu Chuan walked up to the lectern and looked at the crowd below.

After testing the microphone, he spoke clearly, “First of all, I’d like to welcome everyone who has traveled from far and wide to attend today’s press conference.”

“The theme of today’s conference presentation is the launch of the artificial SEI film product.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan opened the PPT presentation he had prepared beforehand.

“I believe everyone here today has some understanding of the lithium dendrite problem, so I don’t plan to go over the obvious theories.”

“As for my paper on using ‘Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Lithium Fluorocarbon Composite Material’ to guide lithium-ion deposition in lithium batteries and solve the problem of lithium dendrite formation, I trust you’ve all looked into it before coming here. Most labs have probably even replicated the relevant experiments and obtained the data they wanted.”

“So, although my research paper has not yet been officially published in a professional journal, I’m sure you all know that it is correct and has successfully solved the lithium dendrite problem.”

“What I will discuss next is, on one hand, the performance of this artificial SEI film. On the other, the broad prospects for the lithium battery industry now that the lithium dendrite problem has been solved.”

“Okay, let’s get down to business.”

“…The artificial SEI film, reconstructed using nanotechnology, can effectively inhibit the formation of lithium dendrite nuclei and guide orderly deposition of lithium ions on one side of the film.”

On the stage, Xu Chuan spoke with eloquence and confidence.

In truth, whether he was talking about how outstanding the performance of the artificial SEI film was or how vast the prospects for the lithium battery industry were, it was all to get a good price for the patent he held.

If that wasn’t the case, why would he waste his time holding this kind of press conference?

“…With the lithium dendrite problem solved, the capacity of lithium batteries on the market today can be increased by several orders of magnitude. To put it simply, just replacing the current graphite anode with lithium metal is enough to increase battery capacity several times over.”

“Think about it. When battery capacity increases severalfold, how will our world change? Mobile phones could last for over a week! The range of electric vehicles could double.”

On stage, Xu Chuan was giving an impassioned speech.

Below the stage, the eyes of countless audience members gleamed.

In reality, apart from the researchers, everyone else sitting here today didn’t need Xu Chuan to tell them what changes an increase in lithium battery capacity would bring.

The important part wasn’t the conference presentation, but the auction for the patent license of the artificial SEI film that would follow!

Without wasting too much time at the press conference, Xu Chuan began to wrap things up in less than half an hour.

“That’s all for today’s press conference.”

“Next, if anyone has any questions about the artificial SEI film developed by our Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, you may ask them now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the audience stood up with their hand raised.

Xu Chuan motioned for a staff member to pass the person a microphone.

The questioner was a middle-aged man in a plaid dress shirt, who didn’t seem to be from a manufacturing company.

“Hello, Professor Xu. I am Evans Jerry, a researcher from the German Federal Materials Research Institute. I have read your paper on the arXiv preprint server thoroughly.”

“In your paper, I noticed that for your research on this artificial SEI film material, you used a new type of mathematical model. It seems to calculate the material’s properties from its molecular structure to determine if it’s a suitable material, is that correct?”

On the stage, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback by the question. He hadn’t expected the first person to stand up and ask a question to be a researcher from the materials field.

Smiling, he replied, “Yes. This is a mathematical model I constructed for chemical materials. It helps me screen suitable materials and save some unnecessary time.”

Hearing this, the researcher quickly asked with excitement, “Could you please elaborate on this?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “As a scholar in the materials field, you should be well aware that every different material has different chemical and physical properties.”

“And so-called chemical reactions are, in fact, the blending of molecules, finding order in chaos, and seeking stability and replacement amidst complexity.”

After a pause, he changed the subject. “Actually, in my personal opinion, the development of chemistry today is incomplete.”

“Because much of the time, we can’t even clearly explain the simplest chemical reactions with theory. Can you use theory to explain why chemical reactions like ionic reactions, non-ionic reactions, polycondensation reactions, and addition polymerization reactions occur?”

Caught off guard by Xu Chuan’s counter-question, the researcher who had asked the question froze for a moment before replying uncertainly, “Because of the ionization and recombination of substances?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Strictly speaking, that is actually using physics to explain chemistry.”

“And modern chemistry doesn’t really have a theory that can be applied to almost all chemical reactions.”

“Of course, you could also say that the essence of a chemical reaction is the flow of the electron cloud, but in reality, that is still physics.”

“However, we are not discussing the nature and explanation of chemistry today; we can talk about that later. We are now talking about the mathematical model I used.”

“It is built on the foundation of using the three major theories of chemistry, physics, and mathematics to simulate the entire chemical process with data.”

“By collecting the different chemical and physical properties of each material in advance, integrating them into the model, and then using mathematics to simulate and calculate the reaction process.”

“For instance, the most common chemical reaction rate can be described by a differential equation. And mathematical equations can be solved using numerical methods to determine reaction rate constants and other parameters.”

“Theoretically, if you have all the relevant information and conditions for the materials in a chemical reaction, you can use mathematics to simulate the entire process of the reaction.”

“And that mathematical model is built on such a foundation. Do you understand?”

Below the stage, after listening to Xu Chuan’s explanation, the researcher, Evans Jerry, felt his pupils contract sharply, and his breathing grew heavy. He seemed to understand why Xu Chuan had solved the lithium dendrite problem in just a few short months.

If such a model were truly created, then the entire world of chemistry—no, the entire world of materials science—would be turned upside down!

In the face of this model, the changes in the lithium battery industry were nothing more than a tiny, insignificant ripple.

Chapter 288: Qin Anguo: “What If You Were to Take Action?”

After answering a few questions, Xu Chuan announced the end of the press conference.

In the lecture hall, the manufacturers who had come to attend the conference were stunned.

It’s over? Just like that?

What about the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film that was supposed to happen afterward?

Where did it go? Are they not doing it anymore?

Many manufacturers who had traveled from afar were completely baffled as they watched Xu Chuan leave.

After the press conference concluded, Xu Chuan returned backstage.

There was indeed a patent licensing auction for the artificial SEI film scheduled after the press conference, but he had never said it would be held immediately following it.

In fact, not every manufacturer who came to the conference was qualified to compete for the artificial SEI film patent licensing.

Xu Chuan had no intention of turning it into a public auction.

Those qualified to compete for the artificial SEI film patent license had all been pre-selected and had received the first batch of invitation letters.

The lithium battery industry was quite large and could be considered a sustainable industry.

After all, major battery-consuming sectors like mobile phones and automobiles typically saw replacements every year or every few years.

Therefore, Xu Chuan didn’t want to throw the market into chaos. Collaborating with a group of high-quality manufacturers was the best choice.

Of course, it wasn’t as if no manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, wanted to monopolize the patent license for the artificial SEI film.

After all, a monopoly reaps the greatest profits.

Previously, a manufacturer had even approached him, offering to buy the exclusive patent license for five years at a price of three billion US dollars.

Three billion US dollars for a five-year period was nearly twenty billion RMB—a considerably high offer.

But Xu Chuan had still refused.

He wasn’t fond of this approach. A monopoly would indeed bring him a huge sum in patent fees, far more than licensing to multiple companies.

But this method also meant the elimination of competition. The price of batteries would then be decided by them alone, which was not friendly to consumers or the market.

A stagnant lithium battery industry devoid of vitality was not what he wanted to see.

So, for this round of patent licensing, Xu Chuan had prepared a total of five slots.

This would ensure sufficient competitive vitality in the market, and ordinary people wouldn’t have to spend exorbitant amounts on expensive batteries.

After all, with competitors in the market, if you sell at too high a price, consumers will naturally choose other manufacturers.

Although decentralized licensing would significantly reduce his patent fees, market stability and competitiveness, as well as the rights of ordinary consumers, were what Xu Chuan considered.

He was not a capitalist but a scientist. Compared to the heartless pursuit of profit by capitalists, he preferred to see his research and inventions put to good use.

In the afternoon, Xu Chuan met with the representatives of the invited manufacturers in a conference room.

CATL, Panasonic, LG Chem, BYD—all the renowned international battery manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, had been invited.

A deal of this magnitude was naturally not easy to close.

Although these manufacturers had tested the performance of the artificial SEI film, due to time constraints, these battery companies hadn’t had the chance to integrate the new artificial SEI film into samples for complete testing.

There were also estimations of the industrial production cost of the artificial SEI film and other factors, all of which were related to the bids for the patent license.

Xu Chuan didn’t waste too much time on this. After meeting with the personnel from these battery companies once and briefly discussing some core aspects, he handed the matter over to professionals.

Negotiation was not his strong suit.

Once the patent license for the artificial SEI film was sold, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute could be expanded.

Whether it was recruiting researchers, changing locations, or developing new materials, everything could commence.

The current Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was still too small.

It lacked a lot of equipment, and many follow-up experiments couldn’t be conducted.

After dealing with the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film, Xu Chuan sent a message to Zheng Hai, asking him to help book a ticket to Qidong.

It was already the end of May, and the work at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute was entering its final stages. Thanks to the solution he had come up with last time, the energy level and stability of the linear particle accelerator had been resolved, and construction was now proceeding around the clock.

According to Han Jin’s report, it was estimated that in about another fifteen days, the nuclear waste power plant would be ready for its first round of complete testing.

It was time for him to go and oversee the situation.

Just as he sent the message, the doorbell of the villa rang.

Xu Chuan was a little curious who could have arrived at such a coincidental time. He walked over and saw two middle-aged men standing at the gate of the courtyard. One of them was Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology, whom he was very familiar with.

“Professor Xu, please forgive us for showing up unannounced.”

In the courtyard, Qin Anguo greeted Xu Chuan with a smile.

“Not at all. I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome you. Please, come in.” Xu Chuan smiled, opened the gate, and welcomed the two men into the villa.

“Come, come, Professor Xu, let me introduce you. This is the head of our country’s National Energy Administration, Wang Guanghe.”

Qin Anguo smilingly introduced the middle-aged man beside him.

“Don’t listen to old Qin’s nonsense. What ‘head’ or ‘second-in-command’? We’re all just working for the people and the country; there’s no high or low.”

“I’ve long heard people mention your name, Professor Xu. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation. It is a great fortune for our country to have a scholar like you.”

Beside them, Wang Guanghe warmly shook Xu Chuan’s hand with a smile, looking just like a retired old man strolling in a neighborhood, without any air of authority or self-importance.

Xu Chuan smiled and shook hands with the big shot before him, humbly replying, “You flatter me. I’ve only made a minor contribution.”

In the living room, after the three exchanged pleasantries for a while, they got down to business.

Qin Anguo began, “We took the liberty of visiting you today, Professor Xu, mainly for matters concerning the artificial SEI film and lithium batteries.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at Qin Anguo with a puzzled expression.

The higher-ups had known about the artificial SEI film for a long time.

When he applied for the domestic patent last year, Qin Anguo had called him to ask about it.

At the beginning of the year, when he went to Beijing to discuss controlled nuclear fusion with that elderly leader, they had also touched upon this topic, including the development of domestic energy, the lithium battery industry, and the licensing of the artificial SEI film—all of these had been discussed.

Otherwise, with such a significant development, the higher-ups would have been in touch long ago.

The country allowed university professors or scholars to run their own companies or institutes while leading or participating in state-funded research projects.

As long as you didn’t divert resources from state-funded projects to your own company or institute’s lab, there was no problem.

“Ahem, Professor Xu, please don’t misunderstand. We didn’t come here today to interfere with your choices or anything. Regarding the artificial SEI film you developed, whether it’s for domestic or international patent licensing, we absolutely support all your legal rights.”

Noticing Xu Chuan’s questioning gaze, Qin Anguo quickly explained.

At the side, Wang Guanghe spoke up, “Minister Qin and I came here today mainly to discuss the future of lithium batteries and the future development of the domestic energy sector with you.”

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “If there are some difficult problems in scientific research, perhaps I can be of some help.”

“But the future of lithium batteries, the future development of the energy sector—these are matters of national strategic development, which are not within my field of research. Minister Wang, you’ve come to the wrong person.”

Qin Anguo smiled, “Professor Xu, you are too modest. Whether it’s the nuclear waste recycling project you’re leading or your research on the artificial SEI film, both have had a major impact and brought significant changes to the energy and battery sectors. In the field of energy, you are already one of the top authorities.”

Xu Chuan felt a bit abashed. “In the end, these are really just matters of scientific research, which is entirely different from the development and future of the energy sector.”

He wasn’t being evasive; he truly didn’t understand these matters. If he did, he would have been more than happy to share his views.

But it was better to stay quiet about things he didn’t understand.

Sometimes, a single sentence could misdirect the course of events. If he were to lead the Motherland’s energy development strategy astray, he would truly be a sinner.

At the side, Wang Guanghe spoke up, “Let me explain.”

After a pause and a moment of thought, he looked at Xu Chuan and said, “Professor Xu, you should be well aware that our country is currently the world’s largest energy consumption market.”

“The energy crisis has always been a major concern for our country. As we develop, the amount of oil consumed domestically is also increasing day by day.”

“In 2018, which was last year, according to statistical reports, the net import of oil for the whole year reached a staggering 440 million tons, an 11% increase from 2017, and our dependence on foreign oil energy has risen to 69.8%.”

“When over seventy percent of a material relies on imports, it can be said that we are almost at the mercy of others regarding this material.”

“The rise and fall of international oil prices are entirely controlled by others. The constantly climbing dependence on foreign oil and gas has become a huge challenge our country currently faces in energy consumption.”

“Therefore, seeking to change our energy structure has always been something we have wanted to do and are doing.”

“This includes vigorously promoting various power generation methods such as solar, wind, and nuclear energy, as well as actively promoting the development of new energy vehicles. In fact, we also hope to reduce our dependence on oil energy.”

“Indeed, from a national perspective, the patent for the artificial SEI film that solves the lithium dendrite problem has an impact that cannot be measured in money.”

“Because with the breakthrough in lithium battery technology, it is foreseeable that the domestic lithium battery industry will see vigorous development. Whether it’s daily necessities like mobile phones and cars, or other fields, there will be major changes.”

Pausing for a moment, Wang Guanghe continued, “And more importantly, because of your existence, our country is at the forefront of the world in the field of lithium batteries for the first time.”

“So we hope to hear your thoughts and opinions on the future development of lithium batteries.”

“Including how to research lithium batteries in the future—whether it’s lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-air batteries, or other directions.”

At this point, Xu Chuan understood what they really wanted to ask.

It was nothing more than asking if there was hope for the lithium battery field to surpass Western countries like the UK and the US.

The competition between nations is omnipresent, especially in cutting-edge technological fields. From lithography machines to aerospace, from biological sciences to materials chemistry, every country has its own development path.

And the not-yet-fully-mature lithium battery is something that countries all over the world—China, America, Europe, East Asia—are researching.

Especially now that he had solved the lithium dendrite problem ahead of time, the development of lithium batteries has branched into several different routes.

Lithium-metal batteries, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-air batteries, and so on, each had its own advantages and disadvantages.

If they were just talking about these, he could still offer some opinions.

Taking a breath, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “If that’s the case, I can say a few words.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Anguo and Wang Guanghe immediately sat up straight, their expressions serious as they said in unison, “Please, go on.”

Xu Chuan mulled it over for a moment, then continued, “I have a general idea of what you’re thinking.”

“The three key factors in the development of lithium-ion batteries are none other than these three: high safety, high energy density, and low cost.”

“This is the future development trend for lithium batteries. Whether it’s lithium-sulfur batteries or lithium-air batteries, they must be built upon these three fundamental factors.”

“I know you must have done your own research. Perhaps due to patents and other issues, you are more inclined towards the currently untapped field of lithium-air batteries, especially since many labs are researching lithium-sulfur batteries, and our country started relatively late.”

“But how should I put this… I would actually suggest taking it one step at a time.”

“It’s undeniable that the energy density of lithium-air batteries is quite high, even comparable to petroleum, but there are far too many problems it needs to solve.”

“The lithium dendrite problem is just one of the ordinary ones.”

“For example, there’s the issue of reaction kinetics at the cathode of lithium-air batteries. Because the discharge product at the cathode is a solid material like Li2O2, which is insulating, it causes slow reaction kinetics at the cathode. This leads to a series of problems such as low energy density, short cycle life, poor rate performance, and low energy efficiency.”

“There are also the intermediates formed during the electrochemical process. Superoxide lithium and peroxide lithium will degrade the battery from within, greatly limiting the battery’s cycle life, among other issues.”

“These are all extremely difficult to solve.”

Xu Chuan was not lying about any of this.

It had to be admitted that the energy density of lithium-air batteries was indeed tempting, with a theoretical specific energy that could reach 11.4kWh/kg, comparable to burning petroleum.

In the face of this tempting prospect, the problems faced by lithium-air batteries were far more numerous than those of lithium-ion or lithium-sulfur batteries.

But even before his rebirth, lithium-air batteries still only existed in PowerPoint presentations or in laboratories.

This was not just because of the lithium dendrite problem.

It was a series of complex oxidation reactions, including how to separate pure oxygen from the air at a low cost, and how the production of lithium oxides would reduce battery life, and so on.

These were all problems no less difficult, or even more so, than lithium dendrites.

After jotting down Xu Chuan’s opinions in his notebook, Qin Anguo looked up and couldn’t help but ask, “What if you were to take action? Is there any hope of solving these problems?”

Chapter 289: Only Success Is Allowed, Failure Is Not an Option

If there was hope, who wouldn’t want to see their motherland leading other countries in cutting-edge science and technology?

Today, everyone sitting in the living room—be it Qin Anguo, Wang Guanghe, or Xu Chuan—hoped for that.

Based on the current trajectory, although the Motherland had developed rapidly over the past few decades and was gradually catching up to the first-tier Western nations, it was still lagging behind in most cutting-edge technological fields due to its late start.

Take the battery industry, for instance.

Although China’s CATL now supplied nearly a quarter of the world’s lithium batteries, dominating over twenty percent of the power battery market, and although BYD’s lithium iron phosphate power batteries were also among the world’s most advanced, they still couldn’t escape the profit-siphoning by Western countries.

For every single battery they produced, they had to pay a certain amount in patent fees to foreign companies for the various patented technologies inside.

Take lithium iron phosphate batteries as an example. In the early years, for every ton of lithium batteries produced domestically, a patent fee of 2,500 US dollars had to be paid. The foreigners took the lion’s share of the profits.

Although China’s battery industry had made many significant breakthroughs, there was still a considerable gap when compared to countries or research labs abroad that had been delving into battery technology for much longer.

The gap was even wider in the strategic layout of cutting-edge technology.

For example, after solving the lithium dendrite problem, the next step was the lithium-sulfur battery, which held the promise of drastically increasing lithium battery energy density. Western countries had already filed countless patents in this area.

In such an environment, even if you were the first to develop a lithium-sulfur battery, you might still find yourself unable to escape the patent barriers erected by others.

In comparison, lithium-air batteries had almost no patent barriers.

Although developing them was extremely difficult, their energy density was higher, and their prospects were brighter. If they could be developed, it would allow them to bypass lithium-sulfur batteries entirely and leapfrog other nations.

Without a doubt, this was an incredibly tempting prospect.

Faced with Qin Anguo’s question, Xu Chuan could only shake his head with a wry smile. “Minister Qin, you see me as far too capable. I’m just a mathematician. Even if I have some research ability, I can’t possibly solve every problem.”

Hearing this, a hint of disappointment appeared on Qin Anguo’s face.

Indeed, he was asking for too much.

But truth be told, this was the illusion the young scholar before him had created.

Ever since he had gotten to know him, this young man had seemed omnipotent in both theoretical and applied sciences.

World-class problems, the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, the nuclear waste problem, the lithium dendrite problem—all had been solved, one by one, in his hands.

It gave one the feeling that any problem could be solved if it landed in his hands.

Beside them, Wang Guanghe wasn’t focused on that. He continued, “You mean we should set our sights on lithium-sulfur batteries?”

Xu Chuan nodded, then shook his head, leaving Qin Anguo and Wang Guanghe a bit confused.

After a moment of contemplation, he spoke. “I don’t recommend focusing on ultra-high-difficulty technology like lithium-air batteries at this moment. That’s not to say lithium-air batteries don’t need to be developed or aren’t important.”

“It’s just that, for now, we need to spend our money on projects that truly need it. For instance, finding ways to circumvent the patents Western countries have filed for lithium-sulfur batteries, or developing next-generation lithium-ion batteries.”

“These are the things we need to be doing right now.”

“…”

“We’ve taken up much of your time today,” Wang Guanghe said, rising to his feet with a smile after a long discussion. He shook Xu Chuan’s hand, preparing to leave. “Thank you, Professor Xu, for your valuable advice. We will seriously consider these points.”

Xu Chuan smiled and stood up, escorting the two elderly men to the courtyard gate.

This afternoon, he had chatted quite a bit with the two big shots, Qin Anguo and Wang Guanghe.

However, the conversation was mostly limited to things he understood. Or rather, as someone reborn from twenty years in the future looking back at the past, he offered some guidance to help the Motherland avoid unnecessary investments and wrong turns as much as possible.

This was the most he could do for now.

As for the strategic layout of the energy sector and the future direction of domestic energy development, he remained silent, as always.

Because he didn’t understand it.

Having reached his current stature, his words were no longer just a personal matter. To some extent, his opinions could influence an industry, a nation, and even the course of the entire world.

Just like with lithium batteries this time, if he had expressed optimism for lithium-air batteries or any other direction, the higher-ups would have guaranteed their full support, even establishing a dedicated research project with unlimited manpower and funding. And that project would almost certainly have been led by him.

Furthermore, other countries and international capital would also have frantically poured all sorts of funds into the field of lithium-air batteries.

But his innate sense of responsibility prevented Xu Chuan from doing so.

He was well aware that lithium-air batteries were a super-massive money pit at present. Forget an ‘impostor’ expert in the battery field like him jumping in; even if all the real experts in the industry were thrown in, it wouldn’t necessarily be enough to fill that pit.

Quite a few companies had stumbled and fallen on the path of lithium-air batteries. For example, the American business giant IBM had announced in 2013 that it would cooperate with the island nation’s Asahi Kasei and Central Glass to develop lithium-air batteries.

But even now, and up until the time of Xu Chuan’s rebirth in the future, this project remained just a project, with almost no truly useful results to show for it.

Supposedly, following the historical timeline, two years from now, in 2021, after seven years of research, they would produce a lithium-air battery with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg.

But that was nothing more than a joke.

True, it achieved that energy density standard, but its capacity would plummet after just ten charge-discharge cycles, and it would be essentially useless after twenty.

After investing tens of billions and spending seven years, even a collaboration between a business giant like IBM and a battery industry leader from the island nation failed to achieve any breakthrough in lithium-air batteries.

The various problems with lithium-air batteries were, one could say, not something that could be solved within the next twenty years.

After seeing the two big shots off, Xu Chuan rested for a while before setting off for Qidong.

The minor, temporary interruption didn’t affect his overall work schedule. At most, it just meant having Zheng Hai help him reschedule his high-speed rail ticket.

Meanwhile, the excitement in the battery industry and related sectors, such as the mobile phone and new energy vehicle industries, was just beginning.

Not long after the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute held its press conference, several well-known domestic mobile phone manufacturers held product launch events one after another.

Chinese phone suppliers like Huawei, Xiaomi, vivo, and OPPO all unveiled concept images, or rather, PPT presentation drafts, for their next-generation phones at these events.

Aside from some performance improvements, the most eye-catching feature was that these manufacturers had, without exception, tripled the battery life of their phones.

This meant that a phone that could previously barely last a day on a full charge could now, in its new generation, last for at least three days on a single charge!

As soon as the news broke, the entire internet instantly erupted with excitement.

【Holy shit, a threefold increase in battery life? Am I seeing things?】

【Domestic phones are finally rising up! A threefold increase in battery life! Awesome! If domestic phones have three times the battery life, who would still use an iPhone?】

【What about Apple? Why is Apple so quiet this time?】

【The poster above is overthinking it. This improvement seems to be due to a breakthrough in the lithium battery industry. Since it’s a breakthrough for the whole industry, all phones will surely be upgraded. Apple can’t be that short-sighted.】

【It seems to be related to God Chuan. God Chuan created some kind of film not long ago. I heard it’s for increasing battery capacity.】

【If battery life improves, doesn’t that mean the range of electric cars can also improve? It’s four hundred kilometers now. A threefold increase would be one thousand two hundred kilometers. Hiss~, amazing!】

【God Chuan? Isn’t he a mathematician? Why is he working on batteries now? I kneel before the master, I offer up my knees!】

【I’m a third-year graduate student, and I honestly want to puke. My master’s thesis was on how to solve the lithium dendrite problem, and I was planning to do a PhD in this field, but now… it’s gone.】

【Same here. I was also researching the lithium dendrite problem. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only victim.】

【My condolences, but for some reason, I really want to laugh!】

【I looked it up. It’s called an ‘artificial SEI film,’ used to solve the lithium dendrite problem. With this, the negative electrode of a lithium battery can be switched from graphite to lithium metal, and the battery capacity can increase from the 372 mAh/g of a graphite anode to the 3860 mAh/g of a lithium metal anode!】

【Wait? 372 to 3860? Isn’t that a tenfold increase? These damn manufacturers are only giving us three times?】

【They’re capitalists, we all know how they are (smirk). If they give you a tenfold increase this time, there’s nothing left to improve next time. And if there’s no improvement, how are they going to make you spend your money?】

【To the lampposts! Damn it!】

【I’m afraid there won’t be enough lampposts!】

It had to be said, the move by Huawei, Xiaomi, and other manufacturers to announce the specs of their next-generation phones before the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film was even finalized was indeed shocking.

But as online discussions grew, they didn’t gain much prestige. Instead, the reviews were mixed.

This was mainly because some data nerds had created comparison charts. Theoretically, with the lithium dendrite problem solved, the performance of lithium batteries could be increased by at least ten times, yet these phone manufacturers were only offering a threefold improvement.

This undoubtedly made the initially excited netizens feel cheated.

The explosive public opinion instantly turned these manufacturers into “capitalists” that everyone wanted to denounce.

This strange turn of events forced several major phone manufacturers, along with some battery companies, to issue a public explanation. They stated that although the lithium dendrite problem had been solved, improving battery performance wasn’t something that could be done overnight.

Rushing to provide batteries with a tenfold performance increase could lead to various risks, such as explosions.

Furthermore, they guaranteed that as soon as battery performance was improved and safety tests were passed, the technology would immediately be used in their phones.

With the help and explanations from a host of major bloggers and paid online commenters, they managed to quell the incident.

It has to be said, being the first to try something new carries risks; a careless move and you could get pinched.

Following the first move by domestic manufacturers, other foreign phone companies quickly followed suit, holding their own product launch events.

Even the ever-proud Apple publicly stated that it would significantly increase the battery life of its next-generation phones.

After all, the battery life of iPhones had always been a point of criticism from its fans.

Besides the mobile phone industry, new energy vehicle companies also came forward one after another, announcing increases in their vehicles’ range.

But strangely, almost all of these manufacturers capped the range increase at around three times the original.

It was as if the lithium batteries, post-breakthrough, could truly only reach this limit.

Whether this was true or not, the average person probably didn’t know, or rather, had no choice in the matter.

The impact of the breakthrough in lithium battery technology continued to ripple through various industries.

Meanwhile, Xu Chuan was no longer paying much attention to these matters.

More than a week had passed since he had successfully arrived at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute here in Qidong.

By now, the Nuclear Energy Research Institute and the nuclear waste power plant had basically completed their work. All that remained were the final touches, such as the linear particle accelerator and the placement of the high-concentration nuclear waste.

In just a few more days, the nuclear waste power plant would undergo its first—and likely only—full-scale test.

For any other project, the testing during acceptance would certainly not be so perfunctory.

But generating power from nuclear waste was different. Due to the extreme danger of the nuclear waste, once it was transported to the core conversion zone, the zone would be completely sealed.

Unless a major problem occurred or the radiation from the nuclear waste inside had decayed, the core zone would not be opened again.

In fact, both Xu Chuan and the higher-ups were prepared to completely seal off the entire industrial park in the event of an accident during the power generation process.

There was no other reason; the place was simply too dangerous at the moment.

If a leak were to occur with over five hundred tons of high-concentration nuclear waste, an area of at least a dozen kilometers around would become a disaster zone.

Of course, the probability of this was very, very small. Even if a problem did occur, the one-meter-thick Crystalline Erbium Zirconate shielding deployed outside the core conversion zone could safely contain all five hundred tons of nuclear waste.

This was equivalent to spending over ten billion to build a facility for storing five hundred tons of high-concentration nuclear waste.

In the past, this would have actually been considered worthwhile.

In recent years, with the rapid increase in the number of nuclear power plants, the amount of troublesome nuclear waste had also increased rapidly.

The money China spent on handling nuclear waste was increasing every year. For a vast country, over ten billion was not a huge sum.

After all, this was high-level nuclear waste with extremely high radioactivity.

But for the entire nuclear energy project, this would undoubtedly be a failure.

Although a research project can’t always go smoothly, with failure and problems being the norm, for Xu Chuan, this project was different. He would only allow success; he would not allow failure!

Chapter 290: Initiating the Test!

June fifteenth, an ordinary summer day. The scorching sun baked the earth as usual.

On the roads of the Nuclear Energy Industrial Park, workers and researchers hurried to and fro. The core construction area was a scene of bustling activity.

More than ten days had passed since Xu Chuan’s arrival in early June. Most of the work at the Nuclear Energy Industrial Park was complete. All that remained was to debug the linear particle accelerator and perform other final tasks.

Excitement burned in everyone’s hearts, as fierce as the sun hanging in the sky. After nearly a year of work, building a miraculous project on a barren wasteland, its success all came down to this final step.

In the core of the industrial park, Xu Chuan, wearing a hard hat, stood at the construction site, watching the busy engineering staff.

Nearby, Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer in charge of the entire project, was on-site personally, directing the engineers as they completed the final tasks.

“Work Group One, attention. We will begin a test run in one hour.”

“Work Group Two, attention. Ensure the power supply is stable!”

“Work Group Three, attention…”

A steady stream of commands issued calmly from Qi Zhongxing. At the same time, the Nuclear Industry Group’s engineers stood by their respective equipment, operating the specialized machinery and carrying out their tasks in an orderly manner.

“Interface team’s work is complete. All connection ports have been checked! Confirming all interfaces are normal!”

“Monitoring and control team is ready. All monitoring and recording equipment is currently operating normally. We can guarantee complete data logging!”

“…”

Over the walkie-talkie, a series of firm and powerful responses came in one after another.

After watching the core work area for a while, Xu Chuan glanced at the time on his phone screen: 9:05 AM.

In another fifty-five minutes, the first full test run would begin.

The nuclear waste storage containers, which had already been transported to the core area, would be breached by controlled explosions, releasing their contents from the relatively fragile canisters. At that moment, terrifying and rampant nuclear radiation would instantly flood the entire core area.

And the core area, already completely sealed, would be almost impossible to open again.

Perhaps some might ask, since the nuclear waste is packed in individual canisters, couldn’t they just open one to test it first?

Obviously, anyone with such an idea had likely not considered the ionizing properties of nuclear radiation.

At extremely high doses, nuclear radiation possesses terrifying ionizing and interference capabilities. The micro-detonators and controllers used for the explosions would be quickly damaged.

Moreover, amidst such a massive amount of ionizing radiation, almost no form of communication could get through; the signals would be severely disrupted.

Therefore, aside from the initial repetitive experiments using a small black box, once the entire nuclear waste power plant began operation, it would be nearly impossible to stop.

Unless they were to shut down power generation and turn the entire core into a massive tomb, just like Chernobyl.

An hour was usually a short time, passing in a moment of contemplation or a lapse in concentration.

But now, it felt incredibly long.

In the main control room of the nuclear waste power plant, Xu Chuan was relatively calm. But beside him, Han Jin, and Wu Weizhao from the general office—sent by the Ministry of Science and Technology to act as the liaison in Qin Anguo’s place—couldn’t help but check their watches again and again.

The seconds ticked by, and as ten o’clock approached, the atmosphere in the main control room grew increasingly tense.

Meanwhile, in the skies above the Qidong coast, accompanied by a deafening roar, several fighter jets were continuously patrolling according to their planned route.

On the ground, rows of upright, fully armed figures had established a security cordon more than ten kilometers outside the Nuclear Energy Industrial Park. Various radar and surveillance systems ceaselessly scanned the surroundings, so precise that they could determine the sex of a mosquito flying by.

In fact, ever since the five hundred tons of high-level nuclear waste were transported from the storage facility, the entire surrounding area had been placed under the highest level of alert.

Anyone wishing to enter this zone had to pass through several security checks and present a pass. If you didn’t have a pass, well, too bad for you.

After all, over five hundred tons of high-level nuclear waste was no laughing matter. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be severe.

It was no exaggeration to say that the security personnel stationed here had considered every possible scenario. Even if an enemy nation’s aircraft carrier showed up, they would find a way to sink it immediately.

At ten o’clock sharp, outside the Nuclear Energy Industrial Park, the sky was clear for as far as the eye could see. The nearby sea was also quite calm, with white-crested waves lapping against the coastline.

On the coast, within the industrial park, everyone from the researchers to the garrisoned soldiers was working at their posts in an orderly fashion.

The surveillance equipment deployed inside the core area was still functioning normally, transmitting a clear picture back.

Through the display screens, one could clearly see barrels of nuclear waste sitting quietly on the ground inside the core area.

This would likely be the last image these monitors would ever transmit.

Because once the radiation spread, even the surveillance equipment, which used the latest shielding technology, wouldn’t be able to withstand the impact of the high-intensity ionizing radiation.

“Report, the linear particle accelerator has completed repeated checks. All equipment is currently normal.”

“Report, current power supply is stable. The three transformer groups can be connected to the power grid at any time.”

“Report, repeated checks of the core area’s outer wall are complete. Current radiation levels are within standard limits!”

“…”

A series of reports echoed continuously through the main control room.

In truth, these systems had already been checked several times, but before the final test began, they were still being completely re-verified one last time.

Ten o’clock sharp. In the main control room, everyone—be they engineers, researchers, or the invited media reporters—turned their gazes toward the young man standing at the center of the crowd.

At the same time, several CTV cameras were pointed in his direction, ready to record this precious moment.

Xu Chuan took a deep breath and gave the command in a clear, steady voice: “Initiate the test!”

As his clear, forceful voice resonated, the test officially began. On the monitor screens, a silent scene unfolded in the core area. One by one, the containers holding the high-level nuclear waste were breached by micro-detonators attached to their walls, exposing the waste within.

Immediately after, the image from the surveillance equipment cut out, replaced by a screen of static.

The instant the nuclear waste was exposed, the monitors deployed in the core area were either disrupted or destroyed by the powerful ionizing radiation it released.

And at that very moment, everyone in the main control room held their breath.

Chapter 291: Living Up to Expectations

With the leak of hundreds of tons of high-level nuclear waste, the nuclear radiation in the core region instantly spiked to its peak.

Intense alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, neutron flux, and all sorts of radiation surged violently and unceasingly within the core region, like a colossal storm on Jupiter.

For any known life form, this place had now become an absolute forbidden zone.

Not even the tardigrade, known as the most resilient life form, capable of surviving in outer space, nor the blue whale, the largest of creatures, could survive in such an extreme environment for more than thirty seconds.

But fortunately, this violent radiation was hermetically sealed within this area by the outer layer of shielding material.

Even more noteworthy was that within the core region, slabs of semiconductor Radiation Bandgap material were constantly absorbing this violent radiation, converting it from a substance harmful to life into trickles of electrical energy.

This electrical energy was rapidly gathered by the equipment, eventually being channeled out of the core region and into the pre-prepared transformer assemblies. From there, it would flow into the entire power grid, to be used by countless citizens.

Although the amount of electricity it generated might not be immense, it could unlock the greatest limitation of nuclear power generation.

Perhaps in the future, the electricity used to power your phone or the new energy vehicle you buy might come from nuclear waste power plants and nuclear power stations.

In the main control room, the moment contact with the core’s surveillance was lost, everyone shifted their gaze from the blank white screens to the other monitoring equipment.

Xu Chuan, too, quickly turned his eyes to the monitor representing electrical energy output.

Although visual surveillance was lost, it didn’t prevent him from assessing the state of the entire core region through other monitoring data.

And one of the keys to determining the success of the entire experiment was to confirm whether the amount of electricity converted by the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor material met the required standards.

If the converted electricity was lower than the theoretical calculations, it would mean that the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor material inside had suffered large-scale damage to its band-gap crystal lattice and other problems under the intense ionizing shock of the nuclear radiation.

This was one of the two biggest variables in the entire experiment. Even with his experience from his past life, Xu Chuan felt a trace of anxiety at this moment.

“Ionizing radiation impact detected in the protective crystal material interlayer!”

“Power output detected from Bandgap One! Currently at the first-stage estimated value!”

“Power output detected from Bandgap Two! Currently at the first-stage estimated value!”

“Transformer assembly has engaged!”

“Primary check of the core region’s outer wall complete! Current radiation levels are within standard range!”

“Water cooling circulation system is operating stably!”

“…”

In the main control room, voices trembling with excitement rang out continuously.

Everyone waited nervously and expectantly for the various test results, many of them clenching their fists.

Judging from the first-stage reports, the vast amount of nuclear waste in the core region was being converted into electricity by the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor material!

All that remained was to see if it could stabilize and reach peak conversion efficiency, and whether the water cooling circulation system was functioning normally!

After the experiment began, on the seaward side of the core industrial park, engineers in charge of the water cooling circulation system, accompanied by security personnel, wore protective suits made of the Lead-free Nanocomposite Reconstructive Shielding Material as they cautiously inspected the various dials and pipes.

For a small-scale black box conversion of nuclear waste into electricity, a cooling system wasn’t necessary. No matter how strong the nuclear reaction, the quantity was limited.

But for the more than five hundred tons of high-level nuclear waste in the industrial park, a water cooling circulation system was an absolute necessity.

As the immense ionizing radiation was converted into electrical energy by the Radiation Bandgap crystal structure, it also generated a certain amount of heat. Although each conversion didn’t cause a large temperature increase, the massive quantity, compounded by time, would cause this heat to accumulate in the core region, theoretically reaching over two thousand degrees Celsius.

This temperature was high enough to melt the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor materials used to convert the radiant energy.

Therefore, a water cooling circulation system was a must; it was needed to carry away the high temperatures from the core region.

This was also a top protection priority for the entire industrial park.

No matter what, the entire water cooling system had to remain operational during all future operations.

Of course, to account for accidents, the water cooling system was designed with segmented compartments, much like the hold of a large ship.

As for the radiation issue, the circulation system used lead and dual-composite shielding materials for its pipes. In theory, the discharged cooling water would not become radioactive wastewater.

Xu Chuan had to guarantee this. Neither he nor the higher-ups would ever allow Qidong to become a second Fukushima.

For this first inspection, the engineers and security personnel wore protective suits just in case. If radiation levels exceeding the standard were detected in the water cooling system, the system would be shut down, and the experiment would be halted immediately.

The entire core region would then be sealed off, becoming a giant sarcophagus like Chernobyl reactor four, entombing the five hundred tons of nuclear waste.

In the main control room, Xu Chuan stared intently at the real-time monitor of the water cooling outlet, where engineers in protective suits were methodically checking the equipment.

Beside him, Han Jin, who was in charge of the project’s daily operations, clenched his fists so tightly that his nervous face turned red from holding his breath.

This was the second most critical part of the entire experimental test!

Soon, the engineers in charge of the water cooling circulation system transmitted their test results.

“No. 1 water cooling circulation system, current water temperature 17.72℃, current radiation dose 0.0415 millisieverts (mSv), within standard range!”

“No. 2 water cooling circulation system, current water temperature 17.74℃, current radiation dose 0.0428 millisieverts (mSv), within standard range!”

“No. 3 water cooling circulation system, current water temperature…”

“…”

One by one, the water cooling circulation test reports were verbally relayed by the engineers, and the corresponding data was simultaneously uploaded to the main control room for verification.

Upon receiving these reports, the main control room erupted in deafening cheers. Engineers and researchers hugged each other and high-fived in celebration.

They had succeeded!

History would forever remember this day, and it would remember their victory!

This was another victory for humanity. They had conquered the violent and terrifying radiation and transformed it into electrical energy!

Watching the cheering researchers in the control room, Chief Engineer Qi Zhongxing and Han Jin, who was in charge of the institute’s daily affairs, looked at each other deeply. They could both see the excitement, exhilaration, and joy in each other’s reddened eyes and trembling faces.

Standing before the screen, watching the test data relayed from the water cooling circulation system and listening to the voices of the engineers outside, trembling with excitement, a smile finally appeared on Xu Chuan’s perpetually calm and composed face.

The temperature of the cooling water wasn’t the key. The test had just begun, and the temperature in the core region was far from accumulating that quickly.

Therefore, the seawater that had circulated through the system was not much different in temperature from ordinary seawater at this point.

The key was the radiation dose!

That was the crucial point of the entire water cooling circulation system!

A radiation dose of 0.0428 millisieverts. This value was lower than what people are exposed to in daily life, even less than the radiation dose received during a ten-hour flight.

A radiation dose of 0.0428 millisieverts meant that the water cooling circulation system was intact, that the seawater that had looped around the outer edge of the core region had not carried any nuclear radiation away with it.

A radiation dose of 0.0428 millisieverts also meant that their experiment was a success!

The sound of joyous cheers echoed in his ears. Seeing the delighted researchers, Xu Chuan smiled along with them.

Although the experimental test was not yet complete, the two most difficult hurdles had been overcome. Even if problems arose with the remaining steps, they wouldn’t affect the operation of the entire nuclear waste power plant.

In a sense, they had indeed succeeded.

But the mission was not yet over!

A perfect end to this battle was what Xu Chuan wanted!

As time went on, the values on the various monitoring displays in the main control room began to stabilize.

This meant the radiation-to-electricity conversion efficiency in the core region was starting to peak. Of course, this was not the true peak efficiency of the Radiation Bandgap semiconductor material.

For what came next, it was time for the linear particle accelerator to take the stage.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, once the fluctuations in all parameters had stabilized, Xu Chuan once again issued a command.

“Activate the linear particle accelerator! Activate the ADS Transmutation Auxiliary System!”

“Roger!”

In the control room, the transmutation system team, which had long been waiting, immediately responded.

They had been listening to others cheer and enjoy the glory for long enough. Now, it was their turn.

“May God, the Three Pure Ones, the Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva bless us! We will definitely succeed!”

The engineers and researchers of the ADS team prayed silently in their hearts, completely disregarding that these deities were not from the same pantheon.

Of course, what would bless them wouldn’t be these deities, but their own long-standing hard work and dedication.

“Linear particle accelerator activated. Current output energy level is 8 GeV. Particle beam intensity has reached 8 x 10¹⁴ protons/pulse!”

With the activation of the ADS Transmutation Auxiliary System, the various stable monitoring data in the main control room began to jump again.

Just as Xu Chuan’s theoretical data had calculated, and just like the small-scale black box experiment conducted at the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, the electrical energy converted from the core region, with the help of the linear particle accelerator and the transmutation auxiliary system, once again increased by an order of magnitude.

Looking at the various data fed back on the monitor screen, a brilliant smile finally bloomed on Xu Chuan’s face.

This time, it could be declared a true success!

And he had finally succeeded in bringing the technology developed in his past life back to the Motherland!

Chapter 292: At the Forefront of the World

The cheering in the Main control room continued as engineers and researchers embraced one another in celebration.

Standing before the monitoring screen, Xu Chuan wore a smile of satisfaction and relief.

The regrets he couldn’t remedy in his past life… He was thankful that heaven had given him another chance, allowing him to finally make amends in this one.

The Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy Technology was just the beginning. He hoped that the talent from his two lifetimes could allow his Motherland to shine upon the world like the blazing sun outside the window.

Beijing time, June 15th, 7:00 PM.

In a certain news broadcasting studio, a male and a female host were looking at the manuscript that had been handed to them just an hour ago, hurriedly making their final preparations.

Time was incredibly tight. Although an hour was enough for them to memorize all their lines, and they had aids like scripts and teleprompters during the broadcast, they, as hosts, had to have a comprehensive understanding of the entire event.

Of course, for an ordinary news report, such painstaking effort wouldn’t be necessary.

But the manuscript delivered over an hour ago was clearly no ordinary event.

Several hours ago, in Qidong City, the “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project,” led by the internationally renowned scholar and Nobel Prize laureate Professor Xu Chuan, had successfully begun operation!

From this day forward, nuclear fission power generation would become a truly pollution-free clean energy source. That terrifying nuclear waste would also become electrical energy to benefit the people of the Motherland.

Sitting before the camera, the two hosts took a deep breath simultaneously, using these last few seconds to calm their tense emotions.

“Xiao Kang, Xiao Xia, one minute until we start. Get ready.”

In the studio, the station director stood behind the camera, looking at the two hosts seated in their positions and giving directions.

The two hosts nodded in unison, expertly looking into the camera with standard smiles as they began today’s broadcast.

“Good evening, viewers. Today is June 15th. Welcome to Xinwen Lianbo. First, the main stories for today’s program…”

Just as with countless news broadcasts before, after the male host’s opening, the female host to his side smoothly took over.

“…This afternoon, under the leadership of our country’s renowned scholar, Nobel and Fields Medal winner Professor Xu Chuan, the ‘Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy’ project, located in the coastal area of Qidong City, Jiangsu Province, completed its final radiation-to-electricity conversion experiment.”

As Hai Xia spoke, the picture on Xinwen Lianbo switched.

A short clip was inserted, the camera showing the exact moment Xu Chuan stood in the Main control room and announced the start of the test.

Like a silent animation, the clip had likely been muted for confidentiality. Apart from the voice announcing the start of the test from the main console, there were no other sounds.

But whether it was the audience sitting in front of their TVs watching Xinwen Lianbo or the others in the studio, everyone could feel the excitement, tension, exhilaration, and earnestness of the people in that Main control room.

This was a silent battle!

And in the Xinwen Lianbo studio, the male host, Xiao Kang, seated before the camera, took up the topic, continuing in his clear and affable voice:

“The ‘Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy’ project is a nuclear waste recycling project led by Professor Xu Chuan. Through special technical means, Professor Xu has achieved the reutilization of difficult-to-handle nuclear waste, transforming the previously radiation-filled hazardous materials into electrical energy that will enter millions of homes.”

“…”

“At present, the core conversion zone is stable, and the radiation-to-electricity conversion is stable. The current nuclear waste power plant can provide approximately two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and can sustain stable power generation for at least thirty years…”

As the Xinwen Lianbo report continued, the inserted footage was updated.

When the researchers in the Main control room cheered and embraced in excitement, the voices of the two hosts in the studio also grew more impassioned.

“The wheels of history roll forward, and the march of time never ceases.”

“Fellow countrymen, this time, we are at the forefront of the world. We have turned a new page and welcomed a new era, a new journey.”

“Although new challenges and new obstacles still exist on the road ahead, I believe that the rise of the Motherland is a historical inevitability! We shall also march towards a new victory!”

With nuclear waste no longer a terrifying threat, and with nuclear energy fully unlocked, the shackles of the energy crisis were shattered.

It was foreseeable that in the near future, nuclear power plants and nuclear waste power plants would spring up all over China, and even the world.

When electrical energy was no longer scarce, industry would also be liberated, and all productivity would increase accordingly.

More critically, when oil and coal were no longer the primary sources for power and electricity, the hand clutching at their throat would also dissipate with the wind.

For the first time, the changes of the future were clearly and visibly reflected in the eyes of all countrymen.

Not long after the Xinwen Lianbo broadcast, media outlets like People’s Daily, Xinhua Daily, and Guangming Daily reposted the news immediately.

Online, related news shot to the top of the trending charts with incredible speed.

The vast majority of netizens, who didn’t usually watch things like Xinwen Lianbo, were now belatedly catching on. Almost everyone was stunned by this astonishing achievement.

[Holy shit? Recycling nuclear waste to generate power? For real? When did our country get so badass?]

[The poster above, have you not seen who announced it? (smirk)]

[Awesome, they can even recycle nuclear waste!]

[Two billion kilowatt-hours per year, that’s not a lot. It’s only equivalent to the electricity provided by a medium-large thermal power plant, and there are at least 3,000 large thermal power plants in the country!]

[It’s true that it’s not a lot, but the most crucial thing is that it can process nuclear waste. This means that nuclear power plants can be built in large numbers from now on! Nuclear power plants are the key to power generation!]

[Wait, did I just see God Chuan’s silhouette?]

[My boy, drop the ‘did I’. The host said it, God Chuan led this project! From theory to design to manufacturing, God Chuan did it all.]

[Damn it, isn’t he a mathematician?]

[Yeah, but who said our good old God Chuan couldn’t have a side gig? ((〃‘▽’〃))]

[So this ‘side gig’ is becoming the founding father of the field of astronomy and solving the world’s unsolved problems of lithium dendrites and nuclear waste?]

[The key is, where did he get the time? He just solved the lithium dendrite problem a short while ago, and before that, he proved a phased result for the NS equations. If I remember correctly, he only came back in the second half of last year, right?]

[Insane! Insane! I remember God Chuan turned twenty-two this year, right? He’s at the legal age for marriage!]

The heated discussions online quickly flooded most platforms.

Besides the overwhelming praise, quite a few people also raised doubts.

[Recycling nuclear waste for power? Are you kidding me? For this stuff, they should learn from the United States, build a repository, and seal it deep underground. Five hundred tons, what if it leaks? Forget Qidong, even Shanghai would probably be in trouble!]

[Does this mean we can’t buy seafood from Jiangsu anymore?]

[To the poster above, if you worship your Yankee daddies so much, why don’t you get lost? You dog that worships everything foreign! You have no faith in your own country!]

[He was just raising his concerns, is there anything wrong with that? And nuclear waste is indeed very dangerous. What if Qidong becomes the next Fukushima?]

[Heh, you think the country didn’t think of that? You think God Chuan didn’t consider it? So you’re the only smart one, is that it?]

[This is necessary skepticism!]

[Skepticism my ass, you moron. You’re a fool who clearly didn’t watch Xinwen Lianbo or the report carefully. It was clearly stated that there is no harm or nuclear leakage to the surrounding area!]

[No matter what, I’m more willing to trust our Motherland and our scientists!]

No matter the time, there would always be dissonant voices, questioning this and that.

They seemed to exist solely for opposition and argument.

Of course, these opinions were never mainstream, nor could they ever become so.

Science should indeed be approached with the utmost rigor, but it always deserves everyone’s respect.

On the other side, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the sky had just brightened.

In the White House, the Director of the CIA had just rushed in, only to be met with a face full of spittle and a severe tongue-lashing!

“Dogshit!”

“Useless!”

“After investigating for so long, you couldn’t even find out what they were doing! A bunch of losers! You can’t even figure out what your opponent is up to, and I have to wait until they start celebrating to find out! What’s the point of the CIA’s existence? Might as well just disband it!”

The newly arrived CIA Director was instantly stunned by the scolding. After subconsciously catching the report that was thrown at him, he finally came to his senses.

After seeing the contents of the investigation report, the CIA Director’s expression changed instantly.

Nuclear waste recycling technology!

Even though he wasn’t a nuclear energy specialist, he was well aware of the value of this technology.

It wasn’t that the United States and its allies hadn’t researched the recycling of nuclear power plant waste. In fact, it had been a project with considerable weight in earlier years.

After all, if nuclear waste could be recycled, then nuclear energy could be developed immensely.

Technically speaking, the nuclear fission power generation of the world’s major countries was already quite mature. The factors limiting nuclear fission power plants from becoming the mainstream were, on one hand, the large initial investment, and on the other, the extreme difficulty in handling the nuclear waste produced.

If nuclear waste could be recycled or disposed of perfectly, then nuclear fission power plants would develop rapidly.

The United States was better off; it wasn’t particularly eager for this technology.

But across the Atlantic Ocean, it was a different story for the countries of the European Union.

In terms of energy, they had been constrained by that disintegrated red nation for far too long.

Whether it was oil or natural gas, they were controlled by others.

Therefore, after shifting their desire for energy to other directions, nuclear energy was undoubtedly quite suitable.

But after investing tens of billions of US dollars and spending years without any results, both the United States and the European Union had given up on recycling or perfectly disposing of nuclear waste.

There was no other reason than the fact that it was impossible to do.

Currently, the most suitable method, whether for them in the United States or for the European Union, was to find a geologically stable region, dig a deep hole, and throw the nuclear waste down to be stored there.

Even the less scrupulous ones, like certain small countries in the East Asia region, had announced that because their storage had reached its limit, they might directly discharge nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean in the future.

Of course, they themselves had done plenty of such things, just not publicly.

Staring at the report in his hands, the CIA Director quickly considered the impact this technology would bring.

For them in the United States, the demand for nuclear waste recycling technology wasn’t that urgent. After all, only a small portion of their energy supply came from nuclear power.

However, the countries in Europe would probably covet this technology quite a bit.

If it was confirmed that this technology could be used commercially, many of the EU countries would likely become restless.

Perhaps, they should find a way to control it?

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something else, and his face instantly turned ugly.

Indeed, from an energy perspective, the United States did not rely much on nuclear energy.

But they were extremely dependent on the petrodollar system they had built with their own hands!

It was by relying on this financial system that they could release their domestic financial crises onto the rest of the world, letting all the world’s countries help bear the burden.

And they just needed to sit at home and print money. As long as their aircraft carriers were still sailing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, there would always be countries to pay for their consumption.

But what if this system collapsed?

That would be the biggest disaster in history.

Energy, materials, and information are the three pillars of the twenty-first century. The development of the entire society cannot be separated from any of these three pillars.

Especially energy. When the energy problem is solved, it doesn’t matter much even if materials and information are a bit lacking.

Relying on endless energy, you could turn a desert into an oasis just by hauling water with trucks.

Of course, it was still very difficult to achieve this relying solely on nuclear fission power generation and nuclear waste recycling.

After all, nuclear energy still had certain limitations and couldn’t be squandered without restraint.

Unless they could produce the legendary nuclear fusion.

But this was still a significant blow to them. Even if it couldn’t solve the entire energy crisis, it could solve a part of it.

If oil was no longer used as the primary energy source, and various fields like automobiles and industry began to stop relying on oil and switch to electricity, the value of oil would plummet.

Then, could they, who were built on the petrodollar system, still sit securely?

No wonder he was called over and given a good scolding so early in the morning.

If it were him, he would definitely be furious too.

However, he also felt he had been wronged.

If this had been in the past, they would absolutely have known what such a large project was about. If they had been given a little more time, perhaps they could have figured out what the other side was doing.

But now, it was too late to say anything. The other side had already succeeded.

Chapter 293: The Battery Manufacturers Unite to Suppress Prices

North of Chang’an Avenue, Beijing.

On a small island separated by the waters of Beihai Lake, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit finished reading the report in his hands with a serious expression.

Looking up, he turned to Wu Weizhao, who was acting as the liaison from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Qin Anguo’s stead, and asked softly, “Is this truly what Professor Xu thinks?”

Opposite him, a slightly tense Wu Weizhao nodded earnestly. “We have already communicated with Professor Xu, but he is adamant about leaving. He has no interest in continuing as the overall director.”

The old man nodded. “In that case, let him have his way.”

After a pause, he continued, “However, please communicate with Professor Xu again and ask him to remain in his position for a little longer. At the very least, until after we’ve held the victory celebration and awards ceremony.”

Wu Weizhao nodded. “Of course, I will discuss it with Professor Xu.”

“Have you asked Professor Xu if he has his own research plans for the near future?” the old man inquired.

Wu Weizhao nodded again. “We did ask. According to Professor Xu, he plans to return to theoretical research in mathematics and physics in the second half of the year.”

“This includes the nuclear research center in Europe. He detected traces of dark matter earlier this year, didn’t he? The LHC will be conducting experiments on this in the second half of the year, and Professor Xu said he might focus his attention on these matters.”

The old man pondered for a moment before speaking. “Let’s leave it at that for now.”

He had originally thought of asking Professor Xu to continue his research on lithium batteries to see if further breakthroughs could be made, but since he had his own research to pursue, it was best to let it be.

In any case, with the breakthrough in the lithium dendrite problem, the domestic industry would need time to digest all the technological changes that would follow.

“By the way, how are the patent licensing negotiations for the artificial SEI film developed by Professor Xu progressing?” the old man asked.

Wu Weizhao quickly replied, “They are still under negotiation. Currently, there are thirteen contending manufacturers from the battery industry: four domestic and nine foreign.”

“However, from what we’ve heard from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, they plan to license it to three domestic and five foreign manufacturers, for a total of eight.”

The old man nodded. “Technological innovation is the strategic pillar for improving social productivity and comprehensive national strength. It must be placed at the core of our national development strategy.”

“Go and communicate with Minister Qin. Have the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute included in the list of enterprises supported by the latest national preferential tax policy for corporate technological innovation.”

“The state must provide strong assistance and support to high-tech enterprises like the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.”

Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Wu Weizhao’s eyes.

The latest national preferential tax policy was intended only for state-supported entities like national and provincial-level science and technology business incubators and university science parks.

This support policy not only offered significant tax reductions, and even exemptions, but also included annual allocations of special research funding.

Furthermore, research institutions would receive state support for things like R&D facilities, land use, and equipment purchases.

For a small private enterprise like Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to be granted an exception and included was, it had to be said, quite a surprise.

After all, the only non-state-owned enterprises currently eligible for this policy were a few large corporations of strategic importance to the country, such as Huawei and DJI.

Of course, with the patent for the artificial SEI film, the strategic significance of Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to the nation was by no means small.

A breakthrough in the lithium battery field could significantly drive the rapid growth of the global new energy vehicle market, and the power battery market would also see a marked increase in its growth rate.

According to the plan outlined in the “White Paper on the Development of the Lithium-Ion Battery Industry,” the original goal was to achieve an energy density of 300 Wh/kg by 2020, 400 Wh/kg by 2025, and 500 Wh/kg by 2030.

But now, thanks to the breakthrough in the lithium dendrite problem, never mind 500 Wh/kg—the capacity of lithium-ion batteries could directly exceed 1000 Wh/kg in the second half of this year.

This alone was enough to demonstrate the importance of that tiny artificial SEI film.

Including the company that owned such a patent in the latest national tax-incentive policy for corporate technological innovation was perfectly reasonable, even if its registered capital was less than three million.

Meanwhile.

After successfully completing the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project, Xu Chuan stayed for two days to handle follow-up work arrangements before returning to Nanjing.

Bringing a major project to fruition was, without a doubt, a satisfying achievement.

This was especially true for him, as this technology was something he had yearned to bring back in his previous life.

So much so that after the project was completed, he even took a few rare days to just laze around. Apart from attending a few classes at Nanjing University according to his schedule, he pushed all thoughts of research and study to the back of his mind.

After a few comfortable days, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute finally began the final bidding for the patent license.

The better part of a month was enough time for these battery manufacturers to conduct comprehensive tests on the artificial SEI film.

Using the “complete version” of the artificial SEI film and its accompanying accessories, like the electrolyte solution, provided by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, the manufacturers were astonished to find that the film created by Professor Xu produced incredible results.

The imitations they had reverse-engineered based on the research paper and patent documents were basically garbage compared to the genuine article.

Although their fakes could also solve the problem of lithium dendrite formation, they couldn’t resolve the issue of lithium deposition.

Severe lithium deposition would rapidly consume the lithium ions in the electrolyte solution, leading to a swift decline in battery capacity.

However, with the genuine artificial SEI film provided by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, this problem was virtually non-existent.

The battery capacity remained above ninety percent after more than five hundred cycles and around eighty percent after one thousand charge-discharge cycles.

The results were so astonishingly good that they almost didn’t want it.

After all, planned obsolescence for batteries was one of the ways the industry made money. This was especially true in the mobile phone sector, where the lifespan of most brands’ phone batteries was generally about one to two years.

If you didn’t want to replace your phone, you had to replace the battery; otherwise, the severely depleted battery life would make you want to carry a power bank and charging cable with you at all times.

One thousand charge-discharge cycles, coupled with the increased battery capacity, would be enough for users to go three or four years without needing a battery replacement.

But if that happened, how would they make money from batteries?

Of course, raising battery prices was a viable tactic, but the profit gained from higher prices was less than half of what could be earned from product turnover and planned obsolescence.

At the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan didn’t bother himself with these trivial problems.

This was his second time participating in such a commercial meeting at the institute, but he didn’t say much, sitting silently for almost the entire time as he watched the professionals he had hired engage with the battery manufacturers.

Watching this group of people bicker, Xu Chuan felt a little bored. He waved over one of the hired professionals.

“Do you have the latest statistics on the offers from these manufacturers? Give me a copy.”

Soon, the staff member handed him a report. Xu Chuan took it and flipped through it. Fan Pengyue sent him a summary of these things every week, but he hadn’t paid much attention before, since the Nuclear Energy Research Institute was his main focus.

He wasn’t very interested in business matters. As for the patent licensing of the artificial SEI film, it was fine as long as it met his psychological expectations.

If it didn’t, he wouldn’t mind letting it languish in his hands.

After all, his was the only shop in town, with no other branches.

As for other countries or research labs developing a substitute in a short period of time, the probability was so small it could be ignored.

If this thing was so easy to make, it would have been made long ago.

The industry and research institutions had poured, if not tens or hundreds of billions, then certainly several billion into the lithium dendrite problem over the years.

After decades of throwing so much money at it without a solution, finding a substitute in a short time was practically impossible, even with his sample as a reference.

Flipping through the quotes, Xu Chuan noticed that the offers from these manufacturers were almost identical, with very close figures.

The domestic company BYD had offered 530 million for a three-year license, while CATL offered 550 million for a three-year license.

As for the foreign companies, whether it was Panasonic from the island nation or other major battery manufacturers like LG Chem, their offers were all around seventy million US dollars, which, converted to RMB at the current exchange rate, was just about five hundred million.

It was obvious that these manufacturers had been communicating behind the scenes during each round of negotiations and bidding.

Faced with the three domestic and five international slots he had made available, these battery manufacturers intended to form a united front to acquire the patent license for the lowest possible price.

After all, if they didn’t unite, no one would know what the others would bid, and the price would be driven sky-high by mutual competition. Rather than let that happen, it was better to sit down together and negotiate a plan beforehand.

Of course, even after their discussion, each battery manufacturer would surely raise their price slightly in secret.

The slots were limited, and there were many competing manufacturers. If you dutifully stuck to the agreed-upon price, someone else might bid a little higher, and the slot would no longer be yours.

As for how much to secretly raise the bid, that depended on one’s own risk tolerance and bottom line.

Although Xu Chuan didn’t know much about business practices, he could see through something as obvious as this.

After some thought, he tapped the table, drawing the attention of the representatives who were busy arguing and negotiating in the conference room.

Hearing the sound, everyone looked over, curious about what this ultimate academic intended to do.

In fact, it wasn’t as if no manufacturer had tried to contact Xu Chuan directly at the beginning, hoping to secure the patent license straight from him.

After all, he held the final decision-making power.

However, he had initially told them to deal with the institute, as he didn’t handle such matters. Later on, he became completely unreachable.

Left with no choice, the representatives of these manufacturers had focused their attention and efforts on the institute.

So even though he had come to the meeting today and had barely spoken a word, the representatives had simply assumed he was just here to listen out of curiosity.

After capturing their attention, Xu Chuan spoke. “I’ve seen your latest offers, but to be honest, I’m not very satisfied.”

“I’m not going to waste time talking about how vast the lithium-ion battery market is, or what the global annual production value of anode materials for lithium batteries is. I’m sure everyone here knows more about these things than I do.”

“And frankly, I don’t particularly like monopolistic behaviors, including you all ganging up to drive down the price. While this may be normal business practice in your eyes, I don’t like it. I prefer a bit more sincerity.”

“It’s been about twenty days since the press conference, and I believe you’ve all tested the artificial SEI film and electrolyte solution provided by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.”

“These two are universal components based on existing lithium batteries. You won’t need to build a separate, dedicated production line for them.”

“So right here, right now, I’m giving you two choices.”

“First, a patent fee plus royalties. You pay a relatively low patent fee, and then you pay me a certain amount for every artificial SEI film used in the production of a lithium battery. This is a very common method of patent licensing in the current market.”

“Second, a direct buyout. For the artificial SEI film and its accompanying electrolyte solution, the minimum bid for a three-year license is 120 million US dollars. Bidding will start from this base, and the highest bidders will win.”

“That’s it. I’ll give you three days to go back and discuss it. Three days from now, I will be waiting for you here, and we will decide the final licensing in a single round.”

Although he proposed two options, for these manufacturers, there was really only one: the buyout. As for royalties, if they could buy it out, they definitely would.

After all, a buyout would allow them to earn more money. He was confident that these companies would all choose the buyout option.

As soon as Xu Chuan’s words fell, the conference room erupted into a commotion, a wave of stunned disbelief.

“Professor Xu, your price is too high! A lithium battery isn’t just the artificial SEI film; we have to consider other costs as well.”

“Impossible! One hundred twenty million US dollars is far beyond our profit projections. That price is outrageous.”

“If it were an exclusive international license, we could accept a bid of two hundred or even three hundred million, but there are five international licenses up for grabs…”

“…”

Clearly, Xu Chuan’s sudden intervention was something none of them had expected.

But Xu Chuan had no intention of dealing with them.

True, producing a lithium battery involved more than just the artificial SEI film; and true, the patent license he was offering wasn’t exclusive.

But the technology was exclusive. Take it or leave it.

His bottom line, which he had previously given to the professional negotiators he’d hired, was one hundred million US dollars per license. These manufacturers were clearly aware of this, yet they still banded together to push the price down by nearly thirty percent, hoping to get the license for less.

Perhaps they thought that since he was just a researcher or a scholar, he would be easy to bully?

In that case, he would just raise the price from one hundred million to one hundred twenty million.

Xu Chuan wasn’t worried that these manufacturers would choose to give up. Even at a price of 120 million US dollars, they would definitely still make a profit, and a hefty one at that.

If all of these manufacturers gave up, he wouldn’t mind selling the artificial SEI film technology directly to the higher-ups.

It wasn’t as if the Department of Energy hadn’t approached him, hoping to secure a license, but he had turned them down as well.

Standing up, Xu Chuan walked towards the exit.

At the doorway, however, he paused and turned his head. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“I can tell you all plainly right now: my previous bottom line for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was one hundred million. The reason I’ve raised it to one hundred twenty million is that you have displeased me.”

“My attitude towards partners has always been one of sincerity. If this collaboration goes well, and Chuanhai Materials Research Institute develops new products in the future, I will give priority to partners with whom we’ve had a pleasant working relationship.”

“Also, I am just a researcher, a scholar. Don’t treat me like a businessman and use those commercial tactics. It would be better for everyone if we were more sincere.”

With that, Xu Chuan left the conference room, leaving the crowd behind.

It was a mix of hardball and soft-pedaling—a carrot-and-stick approach. While he didn’t know much about such strategies, he could manage to use them when needed.

If these manufacturers truly united and refused to purchase the license for the artificial SEI film, he didn’t care. They weren’t the only battery manufacturers in the world; there were others.

Chapter 294: I, Xu Chuan! I Don’t Need Money! I’m Not Interested in Money!

In Mindong, Fujian Province. Inside the headquarters of CATL.

A middle-aged man sat in his office, listening to a report from the vice president he had sent to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to secure the patent license.

After hearing about the entire process, the middle-aged man shook his head slightly and said, “Since Professor Xu has stated his demands, we’ll follow them.”

“For the bid in three days, raise the offer from 120 million to 150 million US dollars.”

“Also, speak with Professor Xu again. If possible, we hope to obtain two patent licenses, one domestic and one international.”

“The bid for two patent licenses can be raised to 320 million US dollars.”

“If he doesn’t allow that, then give up the international patent, but we absolutely must secure the domestic one. We can even raise the price on the spot if needed, as long as it doesn’t exceed 170 million—no, 200 million US dollars.”

Beside him, the vice president frowned and asked, “I understand. I’ll head out this afternoon. But two hundred million for a patent license… isn’t that a bit too high? Especially since it’s not exclusive.”

The middle-aged man replied, “It probably won’t cost that much. Two hundred million is just to be safe. One hundred and fifty million should be enough to secure the domestic license. The other domestic manufacturers certainly can’t offer such a high price. At that price, they’d be more willing to get a secondary patent license from other competitors.”

“But we are different from the other manufacturers. BYD has its cars, and AVIC has powerful backing. We are the only ones whose main business is batteries. If we can’t keep up in this area, we’ll be eliminated by the market in less than a year.”

“But this price is still a bit too steep. One hundred and fifty million US dollars is over a billion RMB, which is close to a third of our net revenue profit from last year. We could also opt for a a secondary patent license,” the vice president said with a frown.

The middle-aged man smiled and shook his head. “It’s not the same. Just do as I say.”

After a pause, he continued, “Besides, Professor Xu isn’t like other businessmen. He has the standing to be willful.”

“It’s not just about this collaboration. I’m more interested in his future research. If we can earn Professor Xu’s goodwill and secure future collaborations, never mind 150 million—even 200 million would be worth it.”

The vice president nodded. “Alright then. I’ll set off this afternoon and see if I can get in touch with Professor Xu ahead of time.”

Although he still had some reservations about such a high bid, he said no more. At CATL, the man before him had the final say.

The middle-aged man nodded. After the vice president left, he rose and walked to the window, gazing at the distant sea.

Although it meant paying nearly double, for CATL, this was an opportunity.

His intuition told him that Professor Xu’s future achievements would far exceed what he had accomplished so far. He was willing to take the gamble.

If Xu Chuan had more research in the future, CATL might be able to ride his coattails to soar to new heights!

Meanwhile, in Nanjing.

Xu Chuan handed a cup of tea to Wu Weizhao, who was sitting primly on the sofa, and asked with a smile, “Director Wu, what instructions do you have for me this time?”

This man was the liaison the higher-ups had assigned to him.

Previously, it had always been Qin Anguo from the Ministry of Science and Technology who contacted him. But Qin Anguo was the head of a ministry with a myriad of responsibilities, so a dedicated person had been assigned this year.

Wu Weizhao quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare say instructions, but I did come here today to discuss a few things with you, Professor Xu.”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “What is it?”

“The first thing is good news. Regarding your Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, after some discussion, the Ministry of Science and Technology is preparing to include it in the list of enterprises supported by the newly issued ‘Latest Tax Incentive Policy for Supporting Corporate-led Scientific and Technological Innovation’.”

“This policy mainly involves tax reductions and annual allocations of special research funding. Furthermore, the enterprises and research institutions on the support list will receive state support and assistance for their R&D-related buildings, land use, and equipment purchases.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Thank you for the nation’s generosity. If you need any documents, Director Wu, you can talk to the person in charge at the institute. What else?”

Wu Weizhao glanced at Xu Chuan cautiously before continuing, “The second matter is about the artificial SEI film you are selling. We’d like to discuss something with you. We hope that when you select the manufacturers for patent licensing the day after tomorrow, you’ll grant one of the three domestic slots to a foreign manufacturer.”

“Professor Xu, please don’t misunderstand. We don’t mean to interfere in your affairs. This is merely a discussion and a suggestion. If you’re unwilling, that’s perfectly fine.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan asked in surprise, “One slot isn’t a big deal, but I’m just curious, why let a foreign manufacturer come and make our country’s money?”

If Wu Weizhao hadn’t brought it up, he had indeed planned to give all three domestic slots to domestic manufacturers.

Across from him, Wu Weizhao quickly replied, “The catfish effect!”

“Compared to letting all the domestic battery manufacturers take the three domestic slots, we would rather introduce a foreign manufacturer to stimulate and, to some extent, regulate the ecosystem of the domestic lithium battery industry, as well as to ensure that the price of lithium batteries isn’t driven up too high.”

“If you agree, and if the foreign manufacturer’s bid for the domestic patent license is lower than the average price offered by domestic manufacturers, the state will compensate for the difference.”

Wu Weizhao gave Xu Chuan a brief explanation. For a country, there were many factors to consider.

To be honest, the impression left by most domestic manufacturers and capitalists was often not very good.

When there was a benefit, they would swarm in. When the benefit was gone, they would scatter, leaving behind only a chaotic industry and a complete mess.

It was just like the new energy vehicle industry. Since the state began supporting this sector in 2014, countless new energy car companies of all sizes had sprung up.

But it was clear that the vast majority of these companies had no experience in making cars; many were only trying to scam the government out of subsidies and preferential policies.

Not only that, these manufacturers would also collude to raise the price of their cars under various pretexts. After scamming a large sum of money, these unscrupulous manufacturers would run off, leaving the common people and the country to suffer, not to mention turning the entire industry into a complete mess.

One of the reasons Shanghai began negotiations with the United States’ Tesla this year was to clean up the chaos in the new energy vehicle industry.

Introducing a large foreign enterprise could, to a certain extent, invigorate the vitality and attitude of domestic car companies.

After all, consumers previously had limited choices, but with the introduction of foreign companies, they had more options. If the service and quality were poor and the price was still high, consumers would simply abandon them.

Compared to certain profits, the integrity of an industry’s ecosystem and its subsequent sustainable development were what the country needed.

Of course, the attitude of the man before him was also very important. If he was unwilling, then giving all the slots to domestic manufacturers was not a problem either.

At worst, they would just have to issue more regulations or think of other ways to make adjustments.

However, a market economy ultimately had to return to being free. It was impossible for the state to control every aspect; the government could at best guide the general direction.

After hearing Wu Weizhao’s explanation, Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. “There’s no need for any compensation. One slot is not a big deal. If it’s better for the country and the common people, these are minor matters.”

He really didn’t know much about these things, but since it had been explained this way, giving one slot to a foreign manufacturer was not an issue.

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing.”

After chatting for a while, Wu Weizhao suddenly said, “Regarding your previous mention of stepping down as the overall director of the ‘Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project,’ I’ve already reported it to the higher-ups.”

“However, after communication and discussion, we still hope you could trouble yourself to continue in the role for a while longer. At the very least, it wouldn’t be too late to step down after the victory celebration and the commendation ceremony.”

“You would just hold the title in name. You won’t be disturbed unless there’s an emergency. what do you think?”

Xu Chuan nodded and agreed. Compared to the previous two matters, just holding a title was indeed no big deal.

Three days was not a long time.

When Xu Chuan arrived at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute again, the representatives from the battery manufacturers who had been waiting there for a long time seemed much more subdued this time.

Xu Chuan didn’t want to waste too much time on these matters. After this was done, he still had to go back and study the NS equations.

The ‘Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project’ was now successfully running. In the time to come, he wanted to make a push toward controlled nuclear fusion.

Using the research results from the NS equations to build a mathematical control model for the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was the first step toward controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Furthermore, after the patent licensing was settled, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute could also begin its expansion.

Whether it was the subsequent development of lithium batteries or materials in other fields, they could start experimenting and begin the work of data accumulation.

In the conference room, after collecting the bids from each manufacturer, Xu Chuan briefly looked them over and confirmed the recipients of the artificial SEI film patent licenses.

In fact, over the past two days, all these battery manufacturers had come to see him, presenting their new bids and requests.

Almost unanimously, the manufacturers who approached him had submitted two applications: one for the Chinese patent license and one for the international patent license.

Moreover, they had all chosen a direct buyout. Even when he raised the price to 120 million US dollars, no manufacturer chose a royalty-based a royalty-based deal.

After a simple confirmation of the bids in his hand, Xu Chuan selected six forms and said with a smile, “Congratulations to the six manufacturers—CATL, Varta, Delphi, and BYD—for obtaining the patent licenses.”

“The Chuanhai Materials Research Institute will follow up on the specific contract-signing matters. I hope we will have a pleasant collaboration in the future. Thank you.”

Applause filled the conference room. The eight patents were ultimately split among six manufacturers, with CATL and Varta each securing dual Chinese and international patent licenses.

If the representative from CATL was still relatively calm, the surprise on the face of Varta’s representative was impossible to hide.

Obtaining the international patent license was surprising enough, but to also get the Chinese license, which they bid on just to try their luck, was truly unexpected.

It seemed this Professor Xu was not overly biased after all.

Of course, in the eyes of the battery manufacturer representatives from Korea’s Samsung and the island nation’s Matsumoto, this was not how they saw it.

They had clearly bid as high as 150 million for a patent license, yet they still hadn’t received a single one. It was a price that almost no competitor could match.

In the eyes of the representatives from Korea and the island nation, this Professor Xu held a strong prejudice against them!

After confirming the list of patent recipients, Xu Chuan spoke with his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, gave him some instructions, and then left the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The two patent licenses for the preparation of the artificial SEI film and its accompanying electrolyte solution brought him a total of 1.03 billion US dollars in fees.

Converted to RMB, that was a full seven billion! The returns from top-tier scientific research were truly beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

Even on an international scale, a patent licensing fee of one billion US dollars was not a common occurrence.

In fact, when it came to patent fees, the United States’ Qualcomm was the most famous and the most badass.

In 2018, Qualcomm’s revenue from chip patent licensing fees alone reached 5.5 billion US dollars. Even Apple had to pay it patent fees.

Of course, that figure included all the patents in Qualcomm’s entire chip division.

If we were talking about a single patent, the license for his artificial SEI film was undoubtedly top-tier.

In terms of single patent licensing fees, it could probably squeeze into the top twenty worldwide.

Actually, there were many patents more valuable than the artificial SEI film, especially in the biopharmaceutical field.

For example, a certain little blue pill generated over two billion US dollars in patent licensing fees every year.

Then there was Lipitor, used for diseases like hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, and arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities. Its twenty-year patent had brought Pfizer over one hundred billion US dollars in revenue.

The most valuable patents were basically concentrated in the pharmaceutical field; this was beyond question.

But even so, from this day on, he, Xu Chuan, could flex and say, “I, Xu Chuan! I don’t need money! I’m not interested in money!”

Chapter 295: The Proactive Visit from the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department

After dealing with matters at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan returned to his villa.

In his study, he tidied up the somewhat messy documents on his desk and picked up the issue of the Annals of Mathematics that had been mailed to him.

As expected, the paper on his phased results for the NS equations had passed the peer review by four Fields Medalists and was published in the latest June issue of the Annals of Mathematics.

As the author, and a big shot in the field of mathematics, he naturally received a copy of the journal from the Annals.

Before diving into building a mathematical model for the plasma turbulence in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor, he planned to read through his own paper first.

Although he had written it all himself, recalling it from memory and reading it from the published journal were two completely different things.

Sometimes, rereading one’s own work could lead to new inspiration or ideas.

Flipping through the paper in his hands, Xu Chuan took a small sip of the light tea in his cup.

The Existence of a Smooth Solution for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in a Bounded Domain with Infinitely Smooth Initial Values!

This was the result he had achieved last time regarding the NS equations.

Theoretically, this achievement was sufficient to support his endeavor to create a mathematical model for the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence within the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

After all, the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor could be considered a “bounded domain.” But theory was theory; in practice, completing this task was still no simple matter.

The biggest challenge was observing and collecting data on the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma within the reactor chamber.

This was the largest and deepest chasm separating the theoretical paper from a practical mathematical control model.

After all, even if a mathematical model could be established to control the high-temperature plasma, one still needed to observe and collect data for real-time adjustments, right?

Although the performance of modern supercomputers was more than sufficient, it was all for naught if the changes inside the reactor chamber could not be observed.

While there were numerous methods for observing high-temperature, high-pressure plasma—such as laser diagnostics, interferometry or holographic interferometry, and X-ray diagnostics—these methods were almost all unsuitable for controlled nuclear fusion reactors.

This was because for the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, any minor disturbance could cause unnecessary turbulence and fluctuations in the plasma.

And this turbulence and these fluctuations could be a fatal blow to the first wall materials.

When the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma collides with the first wall, it can cause severe damage.

Currently, for observing the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma in controlled nuclear fusion reactor chambers, whether in large international collaborations like ITER, or facilities like the United States’ LLNL and DIII-D Tokamak, or China’s EAST, almost all of them use electromagnetic waves for observation.

This method involves using the electromagnetic waves naturally emitted by the plasma in the reactor chamber to obtain information about plasma parameters, thereby establishing a mathematical model.

However, this observation method is not precise. It cannot see the details, only the overall situation.

It was like trying to look at the moon from the ground with the naked eye. If the viewing conditions were good and one had excellent eyesight, it was possible to see some large craters and lunar mare—large-scale structures.

But that was the limit. More detailed features were invisible.

And without seeing the detailed situation, controlling the plasma was an unrealistic task.

So, Xu Chuan still had to find a way to solve this problem.

In his study, Xu Chuan quietly flipped through the journal in his hands.

The paper was over two hundred pages long. Even after being edited and typeset by the Annals of Mathematics, it was still a finger’s width thick.

The Annals of Mathematics had been quite generous with him; they had published two volumes for the June issue, and he alone had taken up an entire volume.

After briefly reviewing the journal article, Xu Chuan set it aside. While taking out a stack of A4 paper and a pen from the drawer, he also opened his laptop computer.

During his studies at Princeton a couple of years ago, he had done more than just follow Deligne and Witten to learn mathematical physics.

He had also collected a large amount of literature from Princeton’s Firestone Library.

This included a lot of literature on plasma physics research, as well as some data and theories from the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory.

This information was not fully open to the public; only people from Princeton were qualified to consult and borrow it.

Thanks to his direct return to China from Brazil after the International Congress of Mathematicians, the literature and data he had already downloaded and copied to his computer were brought back with him.

Very few people knew about this. It felt a bit clandestine, so he hadn’t told anyone. He was the only one who knew.

Not even his advisors, Witten and Deligne, knew that he had secretly downloaded a vast amount of literature from Firestone Library.

Perhaps Firestone Library had records, but who would bother to check how many books their own students had borrowed?

And the scruffy old man who managed Firestone Library, despite being an expert in preserving physical documents, had never paid much attention to digital materials.

Thus, Xu Chuan had brought back quite a few treasures from Princeton last year.

And now, it was time to put them to use.

Before establishing a theoretical model for plasma turbulence, it was essential to familiarize himself with the relevant literature.

Just as Xu Chuan was poring over these materials, filtering out useful information and data, his phone suddenly rang from the desk.

Hearing the ringtone, he frowned slightly. He was deep in thought, and no one would be happy about being interrupted by a call.

This was why he hadn’t liked to carry his phone with him while doing research before. However, after missing the Nobel Prize call and calls from his parents, he had slightly amended this habit.

Taking a breath, Xu Chuan sat up straight and picked up his phone from the desk. He glanced at the screen; it was a completely unfamiliar international number, and from the prefix, it was a call from the United States.

After a moment’s thought, he answered the call.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Professor Xu, hello. This is David MacMillan, Director of the Princeton Chemistry Department. I hope my call isn’t disturbing your research.”

A middle-aged man’s voice came through the phone. Hearing the name, Xu Chuan suddenly remembered something else.

“Hello, Director MacMillan,” Xu Chuan responded with a smile.

Last year, he had discussed matters related to a computational chemistry model with Deligne. During the reception after his conference presentation on the phased results for the NS equations, Deligne had given him feedback, suggesting he first communicate with this MacMillan via phone or video call.

But he had been busy presiding over the nuclear energy project afterward and had forgotten about it.

If the other party hadn’t called, who knows how long it would have been before he remembered it himself.

MacMillan said with a laugh, “I’m calling you this time mainly to discuss the computational chemistry mathematical model that Professor Deligne mentioned to me. I was wondering if you have time now, Professor Xu?”

“Of course,” Xu Chuan nodded.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. Could you please give me a detailed introduction to the computational materials chemistry model you proposed?”

MacMillan asked over the phone, “Although Professor Deligne has already told me a bit about it, I’d still like to hear your introduction.”

“Of course, no problem.”

Xu Chuan nodded, organized his thoughts, and began, “Regarding this computational materials chemistry model, it was an idea and inspiration I stumbled upon while researching artificial SEI films.”

“It’s built on the foundations of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. By first collecting the different chemical and physical properties of each material and integrating them into the model, we can then use mathematics to simulate and calculate the reaction process.”

Over the phone, Xu Chuan concisely explained his theory and ideas.

In his office in the Princeton chemistry building, David MacMillan was leaning back in his chair, listening to the introduction and explanation from the other end of the line.

To be honest, he hadn’t been very interested in Xu Chuan’s proposal, which had been relayed by Deligne.

After all, how much could a mathematician, even a top one, understand about chemistry without having systematically studied it?

But considering that this Professor Xu was also a Princeton alumnus, and a Nobel and Fields Medal laureate, he hadn’t outright refused, only saying he hoped to meet with Xu Chuan before discussing it further.

He had originally thought that this Professor Xu would be eager to come to Princeton, especially since Princeton’s chemical experiment database was very valuable.

What he hadn’t expected was that more than half a year had passed without any word from him.

Of course, at first, he was happy to let it be. That was until the emergence of the artificial SEI film material, and some of the questions raised by materials researchers at the press conference held by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, made him keenly aware of the value of this computational materials chemistry model.

Therefore, after gathering some information, he chose to proactively call this Professor Xu.

Over the phone, MacMillan listened intently to the introduction and explanation, occasionally asking a question or two.

As the conversation progressed, as if hearing something incredible, the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department’s pupils contracted sharply, and he shot up from his leaning position, sitting ramrod straight in his office chair.

“Professor Xu, are you serious?” MacMillan asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

Xu Chuan chuckled and said, “Of course, I have no reason to deceive you. That’s the general situation. What do you think?”

He had spent some time on the phone briefly introducing the computational materials chemistry model and was now asking for the other party’s opinion.

On the other end, David MacMillan fell silent for a moment, seemingly trying to suppress his breathing and heartbeat. After a long while, he finally asked, “I’d like to ask, regarding this model, have you already created a basic or simplified version, Professor Xu?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment before saying, “My Chuanhai Materials Research Institute does indeed have a very simple version.”

“Was the artificial SEI film you developed previously researched using this method?” David MacMillan quickly followed up.

“That’s not the case. After all, when I was researching the artificial SEI film, this mathematical model hadn’t even been established yet.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile. The artificial SEI film used to solve the lithium dendrite problem was indeed not researched with this mathematical model.

But what he didn’t say was that some of the improvements made after its development did use this theory. It was just that he had performed the mathematical calculations himself, which, when translated to the mathematical model, would have the same effect.

On the other end, a flicker of disappointment crossed David MacMillan’s eyes. Of course, he didn’t give up; he couldn’t expect the other party to reveal such a core secret over the phone.

Pausing for a moment, he spoke again, “I was wondering if you have any time recently, Professor Xu? If it’s convenient, could you come to Princeton so we can discuss this in detail?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t have time to go to Princeton at the moment.”

Going abroad was currently impossible for him. Even if it meant giving up the database at Princeton, he couldn’t go.

After a thought, he added, “However, perhaps I can arrange for someone to go to Princeton in my place.”

MacMillan shook his head. “Someone else’s understanding of this model could hardly match your own.”

After some thought, he continued, “If it’s really inconvenient for you, I can make a trip to China. I just need to know when you would be available, Professor Xu.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I should be free anytime before mid-July.”

In the latter half of the year, CERN would be starting its collision experiments to observe sterile neutrinos, and with his own research, it was shaping up to be another busy six months.

“Alright, then I will likely come over in early July. At that time, I would like to see the mathematical model you’ve established at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, if that’s possible?” MacMillan asked.

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile, “Of course, no problem. You are welcome anytime.”

After hanging up the phone, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

Through a strange turn of events, the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department had come calling on his own initiative. It seemed there was a high chance this collaboration would come to fruition.

Smiling, Xu Chuan put his phone away and refocused his thoughts on his original research.

For him, much of the literature on plasma physics research he had brought from Princeton was material he had already read in his past life.

With his memory, a quick review of the things he had read was enough. The real focus was on the new materials he had found and had not yet read.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was July.

In early July, half of 2019 had already passed, and many significant events had occurred in the scientific community.

For example, the first-ever image of a black hole, after a long period of time, editing, and synthesis, was finally presented to the world. Due to its peculiar shape, netizens jokingly nicknamed the black hole photo the “donut.”

For example, NASA officially announced that the “InSight” Mars lander had captured a Marsquake for the first time, suggesting that Mars might have a relatively young core, which significantly conflicts with the previous theory that Mars’s core had long since cooled.

There were many similar events, but Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention to them. After all, he had been extremely busy in the first half of the year and had little time to catch up on outside news.

By the time he finally finished the preliminary work for his modeling, David MacMillan, the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department, had flown in from the United States.

Left with no choice, Xu Chuan had to pause his work again to accompany the Chemistry Director to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Chapter 296: MacMillan: You’re a madman!

At Nanjing University, in his own office, Xu Chuan received the Director of the Princeton Chemistry Department, who had traveled from afar.

“Welcome, Director MacMillan.” Xu Chuan warmly shook hands with the middle-aged man wearing black, square-framed glasses.

They knew of each other, but this was the first time they had met in this life. In his past life, however, due to his foray into materials science, he had interacted with Director MacMillan several times.

It had to be said that in the field of materials chemistry, MacMillan’s expertise was truly world-class.

In 2021, just two years from now, this Director of the Princeton Chemistry Department would win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his immense contributions to “asymmetric organocatalysis.”

This achievement greatly advanced the development of chemical catalysis technology, especially in the field of biomedicine, where it made enormous contributions. Various drugs developed using this technology saved countless patients.

More importantly, he was still young. Born in 1968, he was just in his early fifties this year, and he wouldn’t even be fifty-five when he received the Nobel Prize. Among Nobel laureates, this was considered very young.

“Xu, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You look much younger than in the news photos. Are you really only twenty-three? That’s younger than most of the students I advise. It’s truly incredible.”

After shaking hands, David MacMillan looked Xu Chuan up and down, exclaiming in amazement.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Thank you. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea or coffee?”

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do, isn’t that how the saying goes? I’ll have a cup of tea. Let me see what’s so magical about the drink you Chinese all love so much,” MacMillan said with a laugh.

Xu Chuan smiled, getting up to brew the tea. “Of course. Drinking tea has many benefits. It’s rich in many beneficial elements like catechins, cholestenone, caffeine, and inositol, which can lower blood pressure, help with weight loss, detoxify the body, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and so on.”

“Most importantly, for researchers like us, it can refresh our minds, improve our brains’ working efficiency, and help us maintain focus during the research process.”

A look of interest appeared on MacMillan’s face. He smiled and said, “Hearing you say that really makes me eager to try it.”

A researcher’s daily work is quite draining on the brain, which is why many of them go bald at a young age. Something that could keep the mind clear and boost its efficiency would be a great help to them.

If it really had the effects Professor Xu described, perhaps he could study the chemical substances in the tea and see if they could be extracted.

After serving two cups of clear tea, the two exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

“Xu, I’m very interested in the computational mathematics model for materials chemistry that you mentioned. I was wondering when it would be convenient for me to visit the Materials Research Institute under your name?”

Holding his teacup, MacMillan asked eagerly after they had chatted for a while.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Anytime is fine. But you’ve traveled a long way and spent dozens of hours on a plane. Would you like to rest first?”

David MacMillan shook his head quickly. “No need. I’m more excited about the model you’ve built than I am tired. If it can really do what you say, I will do my best to persuade Christopher Eisgruber.”

Christopher L. Eisgruber is the president of Princeton and also a member of the Board of Directors. With his support, this collaboration would be a sure thing.

Xu Chuan nodded, drained his cup of tea in one go, and smiled. “Then we can leave right now.”

Taking the eager Director of the Chemistry Department with him, Xu Chuan hurried to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. After making a call, it wasn’t long before his strapping eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, quickly arrived.

“This is the Director of the Princeton Chemistry Department, David MacMillan. This is the director of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Fan Pengyue.”

As they walked towards the laboratory, Xu Chuan gave a simple introduction before asking, “Senior Fan, have there been any updates or patches for the computational materials chemistry model today?”

For an initially simple model, updates were a common occurrence.

Moreover, because it needed to be constantly fed with key information and experimental data for various basic materials, the computational materials chemistry model was updated quite frequently, almost two or three times a week.

Fan Pengyue replied, “There are no updates scheduled for today. But if you want to run a simulation, I’d recommend using the previous version of the model.”

“A couple of days ago, Yu Zhen and the others integrated some of the data on silicon-based materials, but the latest simulation tests revealed some instability in the process. There’s a deviation between the simulated reaction and the actual experimental reaction, so it’s still being debugged.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright.”

On the second floor of the lab, the group arrived at the office dedicated to modeling. The office wasn’t very large. On one hand, the initial work wasn’t extensive; on the other, Xu Chuan hadn’t had much money to expand the laboratory before.

The money he had previously earned from publishing papers and winning awards had almost all been invested into the institute.

But fortunately, the patent licensing fees for the artificial SEI film had already been received. Now, they were just waiting for the new office location to be sorted out before they could move.

In the office, Fan Pengyue called over a programmer who was busy testing the model. With his help, a backup of an older version of the mathematical model was opened on the computer.

Watching the mathematical model run at the hands of the programmer, who was explaining its functions, MacMillan asked, “Can you simulate the development process of a material?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “We can, but the current model was only developed a short while ago. It doesn’t have many functions yet. It can only analyze and combine materials that are already in the database, as well as perform some early-stage material simulation work.”

“The range of materials it can simulate is not very wide at the moment. It’s mainly focused on chemical compounds of lithium, carbon, and fluorine, and it still requires some conditions to be manually provided.”

“Lithium batteries should be within your database, right?” MacMillan asked.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Most of the materials for lithium batteries are in there. We organized that data previously. But it doesn’t include organic solvents at the moment. There are just too many types to process in a short time.”

“Do you have data on conductive carbon-coated aluminum foil? Can you run a simulation on the carbon-aluminum coating?”

After some thought, MacMillan selected a material from the lithium battery components and inquired.

The carbon-aluminum coating material was both important and unimportant in a lithium battery. It was a relatively new technology that had appeared in the last couple of years.

It mainly involved using a functional carbon-aluminum coating for the surface treatment of the battery’s conductive substrate. This provided excellent static conductivity and collected micro-currents from the active material, which could significantly reduce the contact resistance between the positive/negative electrode material and the current collector, among other things.

It could improve the performance of a lithium battery to some extent, but it wasn’t an essential component. The battery could still function without it, just with reduced performance.

At his side, Fan Pengyue answered for Xu Chuan, “We do. The relevant data for composite coatings and carbon-aluminum materials has already been entered. If you’d like to see it, Professor MacMillan, we can run a simple simulation of the development process.”

“Then let’s do the carbon-aluminum coating.”

Fan Pengyue asked, “Are there any performance requirements?”

“You can set the performance parameters for the carbon-aluminum foil?” MacMillan asked, surprised.

“Theoretically, yes. But at the moment, it can’t perfectly simulate a foil to your exact required performance. After all, it’s still just a very basic, simple model for now,” Xu Chuan replied with a shrug.

MacMillan thought for a moment and said, “Then set the requirements: aluminum foil thickness in the range of 10 to 30 micrometers, Super P conductive layer thickness in the range of 0.3 to 0.9 micrometers, graphene conductive layer thickness in the range of 0.5 to 1.2 micrometers, and the mixed conductive layer thickness in the range of 0.3 to 2 micrometers.”

MacMillan quickly selected some performance parameters for carbon-aluminum foil from his mind. He was growing more and more curious about what this simple model was capable of.

Fan Pengyue nodded and turned to instruct the programmer to begin entering these parameters into the mathematical model and then launch the simulated development of the carbon-aluminum coating material.

On the screen, after the programmer entered the various parameters and requirements into the model, the simple-looking mathematical model began to run automatically.

Although the model’s interface was basic, the model itself was not small. The number of lines of code was enormous, and its development had taken over half a year.

Moreover, the model wasn’t developed and coded by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute but was outsourced to a famous software company. It had cost nearly eleven million to complete this basic version. In other words, the money spent on modeling alone was almost enough to buy another Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

But as they say, you get what you pay for, and the quality was certainly guaranteed.

The group waited in the office for about an hour and a half before the simulated development of the carbon-aluminum coating material was complete.

The detailed data from the run was saved in a corresponding file, and printouts were distributed to everyone.

After receiving the document from a staff member, MacMillan began reading it impatiently.

A detailed preparation method for a carbon-coated aluminum foil, including the following steps:

S1: Pre-treat the aluminum foil.

Detailed procedure: [S1. Preferred method for treating the aluminum foil: Select an aluminum foil of standard thickness and use acetic acid to remove surface dirt and impurities.]

S2: Mix the binder and solvent until uniform, then add two or more conductive agents and mix until uniform to obtain a composite conductive slurry.

Detailed procedure: [S2. Preferred method for preparing the composite conductive slurry: Use polytetrafluoroethylene or polyvinylidene fluoride.]

S3: Load the composite conductive slurry into an electrospinning device, spray-coat the aluminum foil, and then dry it to obtain the first layer of composite carbon-coated aluminum foil.

Detailed procedure: [S3. Preferred method for preparing the first composite carbon-coated aluminum foil layer: Use sodium tripolyphosphate. The electrospinning voltage should be 15-20 kilovolts, the solution flow rate 0.5-3 ml·h-1, and the distance between the electrospinning nozzle and the aluminum foil 0.5-10 centimeters.]

S4: . . .

S5: . . .

In the office, MacMillan stared at the report in his hands, his eyes filled with utter shock.

The report not only provided a remarkably detailed preparation process but even gave a preferred method for each step, including the selection and treatment of materials, the type of equipment needed, and reference information for equipment requirements, temperature, and pressure during the process.

More importantly, the model had provided not just one, but multiple methods.

The document in his hands listed a total of three feasible preparation methods.

Although not all of the preparation methods given in this document were perfect in his eyes, and there were many areas that could be optimized, this in itself was a miracle.

Of course, if all the steps had been manually entered beforehand, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it was obvious that this mathematical model didn’t operate that way.

MacMillan had never imagined that a model could achieve something like this—completing all the steps of material selection, calculation, optimization, and more. How was this possible!

After finishing the report generated by the computational model, he asked impatiently, “My God, how on earth did you do it!”

Xu Chuan put down his copy of the document and explained with a smile, “This is the magic of combining mathematical physics and chemistry. It can bring us a whole new world.”

“Of course, it’s not perfect right now and still requires a significant amount of optimization. But I believe that one day, it will change the entire world!”

“By then, materials research and development will no longer rely entirely on experience and trial and error. We can hand over the corresponding requirements to a computer, which will save us a huge amount of time.”

Hearing this, David MacMillan swallowed involuntarily as he looked at Xu Chuan. “This is an incredibly insane plan! You’re a madman! Have you ever thought that this will put a huge number of materials researchers out of a job!”

If the model was truly completed as described, it would overturn the development of the entire materials science field.

Of course, breakthroughs in materials might also follow.

But at the same time, it was foreseeable that R&D personnel in the materials industry, especially those at the entry level, would very likely face mass unemployment.

After all, if this model could be completed, perhaps the vast majority of basic work in future materials research could be handed over to it.

In that case, much of the work done by junior researchers would be replaced.

Of course, for a top research scholar in the field of materials chemistry, it was, without a doubt, fatally attractive!

Because it could save an immense amount of time and provide many different reference options from a scientific perspective.

Just like the simulation for the carbon-coated aluminum foil today—after waiting for just over an hour and a half, the model had produced several different methods.

If this were done manually through experiments, it would take at least several days, or even longer, to complete.

Across from him, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Humans are creative beings. Researchers and scholars, in particular, who have mastered cutting-edge knowledge, should focus their attention and energy on breakthroughs, not on repetitive grunt work that can be easily replaced.”

“And while this model can theoretically save a great deal of time and even combine optimal solutions, it cannot replace materials researchers.”

“The most cutting-edge and top-tier breakthroughs will always be related to people. Human creativity is something that current computers can never replace.”

“Even the solutions it provides need to be tested and experimented on by people, so it will always be just an auxiliary tool; it can’t replace the human element.”

He paused, then continued, “Besides, as time goes on, even if I don’t do it, someone else will.”

Chapter 297: Modeling Plasma Turbulence

After seeing off David MacMillan, the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department, Xu Chuan refocused his energy on controlling ultra-high temperature plasma.

The essence of this work was, in fact, to create a mathematical model for turbulence. Of course, to be more precise, it was to study the phenomenon of plasma turbulence.

In terms of difficulty, studying the phenomenon of plasma turbulence was not much easier than tackling one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Firstly, turbulence is a notoriously chaotic system, a problem that has stumped numerous physicists and mathematicians—let alone plasma turbulence within that chaos.

And what he had to study was not just plasma turbulence, but the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence within a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber. The difficulty was nearly two orders of magnitude greater than that of general turbulence.

Although he had already made significant progress with the NS equations, establishing a theoretical foundation, solving this problem was still an astronomical challenge.

In the mathematical study of turbulence and the NS equations, if he wasn’t the very best, he was certainly in the top three.

The key lay in application. Currently, most achievements in the application of turbulence and plasma fluid dynamics were mixed with experimental experience and various experimental parameters.

For instance, Princeton’s PPPL plasma physics laboratory had its own set of phenomenological models, created by mathematicians and physicists from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study specifically for PPPL’s equipment.

This was also why Princeton was able to provide assistance to other experimental institutions in the United States researching controlled nuclear fusion.

But to start from mathematical theory, to cast aside all this experimental experience and these parameters to build a comprehensive model, was an extraordinary challenge.

At Nanjing University, Xu Chuan sat in his office, his black ballpoint pen scribbling and crossing out formulas on scratch paper.

【μi(t)=1/T∫t+Tˇt0μi～(t)dt】

【μi(t)=LimT→∞1/T∫t+Tˇt0μi～(t)dt】

For any given turbulence, the most common method used in the field of mathematics to begin an investigation is the statistical averaging method.

In the past, when mathematicians studied turbulence, they decomposed the irregular flow field into a mean field and a fluctuating field, which also led to the century-old problem of the closure problem for the Reynolds equations.

The statistical averaging method for the randomness of turbulence is the fundamental means of dealing with turbulent flows, a necessity dictated by the random nature of turbulence.

What he was doing now was starting from the mean field and the fluctuating field, attempting to explain both using mathematical language and establish a connection between them.

Starting from this step might allow him to complete a model for plasma turbulence.

After all, no matter how complex turbulence was, from a physics perspective, the problem itself stemmed from two main sources: “external environmental interference” and “inherent classical complexity.”

External environmental interference is easy to understand. For example, when a car is driving on a highway, its own shape, air resistance, and other factors create vortices in its wake. If a large truck or other vehicles pass by, an even more complex turbulent system is formed.

This is why top-tier sports cars and race cars pursue the ultimate exterior shape and fluid dynamics, because the presence of turbulence increases air resistance, consuming more power and reducing speed.

Of course, this is also an example of fluid dynamics being applied to practical industry.

As for inherent classical complexity, this comes from classical physics.

In classical physics, there is a method called “reductionism,” a concept taught in high school as part of the nine-year compulsory education.

Back then, when we learned physics, we were told that Newton’s laws start from a point mass, Coulomb’s law from a point charge, the Biot-Savart law from a current element, and vibrations and waves from a simple harmonic oscillator.

It was a process of moving from the simple to the complex, delving deeper layer by layer to understand the physical world.

Ever since Newton, people have firmly believed that everything, including the vast and infinite universe, could be calculated. This is the so-called computationalism combined with reductionism.

Computationalists believe that even human nature can be calculated, a point that has even influenced the development of artificial intelligence today.

Reductionism, on the other hand, breaks matter down into fundamental units, and then establishes an evolutionary equation of motion based on the laws of interaction between these basic components.

This might sound simple and easy to understand.

But reconstructing the evolutionary equation from the basic components is easier said than done.

Just like a car driving on a highway, it is constantly creating and annihilating vortices and turbulence.

This is especially severe at the rear of the car. A car driving on the highway, from its own airflow alone, contains at least one hundred billion micro-fluidic units.

And if another vehicle happens to pass by, this number would increase by several orders of magnitude, reaching at least the level of ten trillion.

To analyze so many micro-fluidic units, one must also consider the mutual disturbances between them, the medium and large micro-fluidic units they merge into, the micro-fluidic units that dissipate, and the new ones that are forming every moment.

Believe me, analyzing so many micro-fluidic units is definitely not something any computer you can buy on the market can handle.

Even a supercomputer cannot perform real-time analysis, because the amount of data is simply too massive.

If one wants to analyze and process these things, the only way is to build a simulation, commonly known as CFD.

Its basic principle is to numerically solve the differential equations that govern fluid flow, obtaining a discrete distribution of the fluid’s flow field over a continuous region, thereby approximately simulating the fluid’s movement.

This technology is now widely used in various industries.

From moving vehicles like cars, airplanes, and rockets, to stationary structures like skyscrapers and building ventilation systems, to everyday appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators, its traces are everywhere.

However, in most cases, the results obtained from CFD simulations can vary greatly.

Never mind the simulations established by different CFD methods; even using the same method on the same object, such as a simulation of an airplane in flight, can yield different results.

Just as the gap between domestic and foreign aircraft is not just in the engines, there is also a very significant gap in the application of fluid dynamics.

This gap is mainly reflected in the aircraft’s responsiveness to dangerous situations and its dynamic stability.

For example, when encountering thunderstorms and storms, the aircraft can quickly adjust its balance through its computer.

It also manifests in the pilot’s control over the aircraft during extremely difficult maneuvers. One shouldn’t underestimate the fluid and turbulence flowing over the aircraft’s surface; they have a considerable impact on the aircraft’s balance.

This is precisely why the NS equations are pursued by countless mathematicians and physicists.

By solving it, every phased achievement can greatly enhance humanity’s understanding of fluids in the future.

These things can be transformed into mathematical models or other tools, helping to improve people’s control and application of fluids.

As his research deepened, Xu Chuan became completely absorbed in it.

He even moved his research from his office at Nanjing University back to his villa. The students at the university, who had only enjoyed a few of his classes, were once again cut off.

For the ultra-high temperature plasma in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, whether it is in the mainstream Tokamak device, a Stellarator, or the spherical NIF ignition facility, the plasma is confined within a finite space.

Building on his phased achievements with the NS equations, he began to slowly organize the experimental data from PPPL he had brought back from Princeton, substituting it into his work to prepare for the establishment of a mathematical model.

This was an extremely tedious task, but Xu Chuan discovered that it didn’t seem as difficult as he had imagined.

He had originally prepared to be stuck on this work for several months, or even a year or so. But now, he was somewhat surprised to find that his progress had been quite smooth so far.

Looking at the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan wore a slight smile. “It seems it’s not as difficult as I thought. Maybe I can solve this problem soon!”

Filled with motivation, he threw himself back into his research.

The days passed one by one, and he lost track of time.

In his study, Xu Chuan looked up at the data he had previously compiled on his computer screen, while his ballpoint pen continued to write out mathematical formulas on the scratch paper.

“(τ)/Vi(t)=1/▽i(ξ,η,ζ,t)dξdηdζ,ft +ξ·xf =1κQ(f, f),.,”

Staring at the data written on the scratch paper, he frowned and fell into deep thought.

Having reached this point in his derivation, he could now describe the plasma flow in the reactor chamber using mathematical equations, but a new problem had emerged.

Currently, he could only describe the turbulent flow field where the volume average was nearly uniform, while the relatively chaotic fluctuating field remained a complete mystery.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Chuan tossed the ballpoint pen aside, leaned back in his chair, and silently stared at the ceiling.

After a long while, he sighed, shook his head helplessly, and muttered to himself, “It seems jinxing yourself before starting research is really not a good thing.”

At the beginning, the research had gone so smoothly when he dived into the core of it that he thought he could get results quickly with a sufficient theoretical foundation. This had led him to confidently jinx himself.

But now it seemed he had no idea how far he was from the exit of this labyrinth.

He was even starting to suspect that the path he had chosen might be flawed.

It is well known that on a macroscopic scale, gases and fluids are treated as a continuum.

Their motion is described by macroscopic quantities such as matter density, macroscopic velocity, absolute temperature, pressure, tension, and heat flow.

But in contrast, on a microscopic scale, gases, fluids, and indeed any matter, are seen as a many-body system composed of microscopic particles (atoms/molecules).

Among the systems of equations proposed in fluid dynamics, the most famous are the (compressible or incompressible) Euler equations and the Navier-Stokes equations.

However, in the study of fluid dynamics, there is another very famous equation: the Boltzmann equation.

The Boltzmann equation is a partial differential equation that describes the statistical behavior of a thermodynamic system not in thermodynamic equilibrium, proposed by Ludwig Boltzmann in 1872.

It can be used to determine how physical quantities, such as heat and momentum, change during the transport process in a fluid.

Furthermore, from it, we can derive other fluid properties, such as viscosity, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity (by treating the charge carriers in a material as a gas).

But like the NS equations, the problem of the existence and uniqueness of its solution has not yet been fully resolved.

However, when modeling plasma turbulence, Xu Chuan used a part of the Boltzmann equation.

Although strictly speaking, the traditional Boltzmann equation is only applicable to systems of neutral gas molecules, it can still be correctly applied to common non-equilibrium plasmas, including those flowing under atmospheric pressure, after certain corrections are made to the results.

After all, theoretically, plasma can be regarded as a mixed gas composed of positively and negatively charged particles.

Of course, this theory wasn’t entirely correct, and using the Boltzmann equation to study plasma mathematically required certain corrections, but it was not unusable.

However, this was where a new problem arose.

When using the Boltzmann equation to describe the turbulent flow field, a chasm stood between the mean field and the fluctuating field.

He couldn’t find a suitable way to connect the two.

After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, Xu Chuan sat up straight again and picked up the ballpoint pen from the desk.

No matter what, he would not give up.

Even if this was a path no one had ever trodden, with no one to provide him with experience and knowledge, and he had to conquer the thorns and difficulties along the way all by himself, he would not give up.

Moreover, it was precisely the difficulty that gave rise to the desire to conquer, and the immense satisfaction that came after solving the problem.

If there was no bridge connecting the mean field and the fluctuating field, then he would build one across this abyss himself.

The purpose of focusing his life on mathematics was to go one step further from his original peak, wasn’t it? The path was now at his feet; all he had to do was walk forward.

At his desk, Xu Chuan held his pen and stared at the formulas on the scratch paper, deep in thought.

“Theoretically, plasma contains multiple types of particles, at least ions and electrons, so it can be viewed as a Boltzmann equation for a multi-particle system.”

“And in controlled nuclear fusion, the plasma in the reactor is usually composed of 5% hydrogen ions and 95% deuterium ions.”

“If we let the distribution function of the deuterium ion particles be fα(r,υ,t)drdυ, then the kinetic equation evolving in phase space is: ∂fα/∂t + V·∂fα/∂r + (Fα/mα)·∂fα/∂v = (∂fα/∂t)c.”

“If we let the distribution function of the hydrogen ion particles be…”

Little by little, Xu Chuan sorted through what he needed from the very beginning, occasionally opening his computer to search for necessary information.

This was a daunting task, and there were very few research papers or materials he could even reference.

After all, no one had ever delved so deeply into the theory of a model for plasma turbulence.

The days passed, and he lost track of how long he had been holed up in his study. To build this microscopic bridge between the mean field and the fluctuating field, he spent almost all his waking hours, apart from eating and sleeping, exploring feasible solutions.

So much so that when Zheng Hai knocked on his door, he himself was startled.

“Professor, how did you end up like this?”

When Xu Chuan opened the door, Zheng Hai was shocked. Who was this person before him with messy hair, what looked like half a month’s worth of stubble, bloodshot eyes, and even dark circles under them?

If he hadn’t been sure this was Xu Chuan’s study, he would have thought Xu Chuan had been replaced by an impostor.

“Is something the matter?” Xu Chuan asked, looking up. Although the fatigue on his face was unmistakable, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

These days of hard work had not been fruitless. He had found a path to the other side, between the mean field and the fluctuating field.

“It’s about the nuclear waste power generation project. The startup of the Nuclear Energy Industrial Park has passed its inspection. The higher-ups have arranged a victory celebration and a commendation ceremony, and I was sent to inform you,” Zheng Hai said quickly.

“Let them have it. I’m not going. I don’t have time right now.”

Xu Chuan replied without a second thought. His research on plasma turbulence had reached a critical juncture, and he didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought to go to Beijing to receive an award.

“Uh…”

Zheng Hai froze for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “That might not be a good idea. You are the overall director, after all.”

Although he wasn’t a researcher, having followed Xu Chuan throughout the entire process, he was well aware of the Professor’s contributions to the project.

One could even say that this victory celebration and commendation ceremony were being held specifically for him.

If he didn’t go, the remaining researchers and engineers would probably be too intimidated to accept their awards~

Chapter 298: The Morning Star, A Custom-Made Medal!

With Zheng Hai’s reminder, Xu Chuan came to his senses.

That’s right, he was the overall director of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.

Before this victory celebration and commendation ceremony, Wu Weizhao had even sought him out, asking him to continue serving as the overall director for a while longer.

If he didn’t attend, how could the victory celebration and commendation ceremony proceed?

At this thought, Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on.

Although he didn’t care for honors and commendations, he had to consider the other researchers and engineers who had worked so hard on this project in Qidong.

Without their dedicated work and effort, the project would never have been completed so quickly.

A victory celebration and commendation ceremony hosted by the state would be of great help to the others, whether for their future research careers or for promotions.

“When are the victory celebration and commendation ceremony?” Xu Chuan asked after some thought.

Even if he didn’t care, he couldn’t disregard the feelings of others.

Even the most ordinary construction worker deserved to be commended. After all, it was what they had earned.

“Three days from now, at the Great Hall in Beijing,” Zheng Hai replied swiftly.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Three days? Alright. I’ll be there on time.”

Three days was certainly not enough time for him to perfect his research on plasma turbulence, but it should be sufficient to organize his thoughts and jot down his inspirations and ideas.

Fortunately, he had already found his path. If his train of thought had been interrupted while he was still in the exploratory phase of his research, he would have been truly inconsolable.

“Is there anything else?”

After agreeing to attend the commendation ceremony, Xu Chuan turned to close the door and continue his research on plasma turbulence. But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zheng Hai still standing motionless at the doorway. He paused and asked curiously.

“Pro… Professor, even with research, you must take care of your body.”

Zheng Hai hesitated for a moment before speaking up. When he returned to Beijing this time, he was determined to report this to the higher-ups. No matter what, they had to assign a personal assistant or medical staff to the professor.

This life-or-death approach to research was truly terrifying.

Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. “Don’t worry, I know.”

Three days wasn’t a long time. After handling his research work, Xu Chuan went out to find a barbershop, get a haircut, and tidy up his appearance.

After all, the commendation ceremony was being held in the Great Hall. He couldn’t just show up looking disheveled; he had to maintain a certain image.

In mid-August, a season fragrant with osmanthus blossoms, Xu Chuan, pulling a suitcase, took the high-speed rail to Beijing with Zheng Hai.

Inside Beijing’s Great Hall, the commendation ceremony for the successful acceptance of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project began amidst the host’s opening remarks and a round of thunderous applause.

Xu Chuan sat in the front row, with Professor Han Jin, the project supervisor, to his left, and Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer of the project’s construction, to his right.

Compared to Xu Chuan’s calmness, these two were clearly struggling to control their emotions. Their faces were flushed with excitement, their eyes burning with a mix of anticipation, hope, satisfaction, and various other feelings.

As a familiar elderly figure walked onto the stage, the Great Hall erupted in thunderous applause.

The elderly leader first expressed his congratulations on the perfect success of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project. He went on to praise and encourage everyone’s contributions and hard work, stating that they were the pillars of the nation. He expressed his highest gratitude to these researchers and engineers who fought on the front lines of scientific research and had made outstanding contributions.

Following that, the leader personally presented six unique golden “Nuclear Power Medals” and bright red certificates to Xu Chuan, Han Jin, and the other scientific personnel who had made outstanding contributions to the project.

Standing on the stage, Han Jin looked down at the gold and red medal the leader had personally pinned on his chest, his heart surging with excitement and pride.

The medal was predominantly gold, featuring elements like Tiananmen, a five-pointed star, and radiating lines of light. The chain incorporated Chinese knots and floral elements.

It symbolized the recipient’s major contributions to the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project, showcasing their role as a model and leader.

Without a doubt, this was the affirmation and praise of his motherland, his people!

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he turned slightly to glance at the young man standing beside him, posing for a commemorative photo.

If it weren’t for this young man, he would not have had the opportunity to stand here this year, much less wear the medal on his chest.

Compared to what this young man had contributed to the entire project, his own part was merely a drop in the ocean.

On the other side, Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer in charge of the nuclear energy project’s construction, was equally emotional. He had never imagined that he, a man in construction, would one day stand on this stage and receive such an award.

In addition to the six “Nuclear Power Medals,” there were sixty-eight Advanced Individual Medals and five Advanced Group Medals.

These were also to commend the recipients for their efforts and contributions to the entire project. Even the greatest project requires people to tighten the bolts. Without the hard work of these grassroots personnel, no grand project could ever be completed.

Besides these, what neither Xu Chuan nor anyone else in the hall expected was that there was another special medal at the ceremony.

“The Morning Star Medal!”

This was a solid gold medal made of 24-karat pure gold, weighing 378 grams. It came with a unique five-colored ribbon of gold, dark green, pure white, bright red, and black. The medal’s main design consisted of a five-pointed star, Tiananmen, the sky, radiating lines of light, and stars.

The Morning Star, the star that heralds the dawn!

That was the meaning behind this medal.

It was not just an award for Xu Chuan, but also a symbol of a new day, of the morning, of hope in the midst of confusion, a beacon to guide the way. It signified that he was the beginning of the nation’s tomorrow and the star of hope for the future.

The unique ribbon held another special meaning. Yellow, green, white, red, and black were the colors of the five-colored stones that the goddess Nüwa was said to have used to mend the sky in ancient legends. Its significance was undoubtedly drawn from the myth of Nüwa mending the heavens.

Indeed, for nuclear energy, the ultimate flaw was undoubtedly the extremely difficult-to-handle nuclear waste. It could pollute the land, wreaking havoc on the world like the great floods of antiquity.

Now, this greatest flaw had been mended. The field of nuclear energy was poised for a comprehensive leap forward, the energy crisis was resolved, and China would welcome a prosperous new day.

Xu Chuan’s fingers gently brushed across the surface of the medal. He felt its weight, not just the physical heaviness of the medal itself, but also the profound sense of responsibility and expectation it contained.

The Morning Star, the star that heralds the dawn.

The design of this medal was, without a doubt, one of a kind.

He just didn’t know if he could bear such a responsibility.

Amidst a storm of applause, the commendation ceremony came to a close, fulfilling a long-held wish in the hearts of all the researchers who had poured their blood and sweat into the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.

For Xu Chuan, he had gained not just two medals and certificates of honor, but also a heavy sense of responsibility and expectation.

Escorted by guards, he once again arrived at the small island in Beihai, north of Chang’an Avenue.

As the overall director of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project, he was due to give a report now that the project had successfully passed its acceptance inspection.

More importantly, he had been personally invited here this time by the elderly leader who handled state affairs from this office.

Originally, Xu Chuan had planned to rush back to continue his research on plasma turbulence after the commendation ceremony, but the leader had personally found him after the event and invited him here for a chat today.

“Professor Xu, you’re here. Please, have a seat.”

In the main hall, the elderly leader, who was already waiting, smiled and rose to greet Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan respectfully shook the leader’s hand and sat down to the side.

“I heard from the Ministry of Science and Technology Information that you’ve been staying up late doing research. You must take care of yourself. Your health is your most important asset. You’re still young, and you have a long time ahead of you. Research can be done at a gradual pace,” the leader said with sincere concern.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you for your concern. I will be careful.”

The elderly leader smiled and, after a few more words of care, got to the point. “The main reason I’ve troubled you to come here today is to talk about some matters in the field of nuclear energy, including some of the technologies in the nuclear waste recycling and power generation project.”

“Please, go ahead,” Xu Chuan replied promptly.

The leader organized his thoughts and began to speak slowly. “Under your leadership, the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project has achieved a perfect success. Without a doubt, the value of this technology is immense.”

“However, now that the construction of the Nuclear Industrial Park in Qidong is complete, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the future development of this project, including whether we can export this technology to other countries in exchange for technology we need…”

Hearing the leader’s question, Xu Chuan understood the key reason he had been summoned today.

On one hand, the leader wanted to ask about the future plans for the nuclear waste power plant in Qidong and hear his opinion, since he still held the title of overall director.

On the other hand, it was about the feasibility of exporting this technology.

Of course, this so-called “export” wasn’t about transferring the technology to foreign countries, but about the feasibility of building similar nuclear waste power plants abroad.

After all, nuclear fission power already accounted for a significant portion of the electricity supply in some countries, especially in Europe, where it reached nearly half of the total supply for some nations.

The amount of nuclear waste these countries had accumulated was far greater than China’s. How to handle nuclear waste had been a recognized global problem before this.

Now that China possessed this technology, choosing to cooperate with and “help” them was an excellent way to maximize its use.

After all, countries that had mastered nuclear fission power more or less possessed some technology that China needed.

If they could exchange for some of it using this technology, it would indeed be a very good option.

China didn’t even have to approach them. More than two months ago, after announcing the technology for recycling nuclear waste for power generation, some countries had already come knocking, offering various conditions to exchange for or purchase it.

Although many of the offers were tempting, the higher-ups who understood the technology had a concern about helping those countries.

That concern was the Radiation Bandgap theory used in the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.

Theoretically, this technology could be applied to stealth coating materials, which they were already in the process of developing.

But to be honest, the terms offered by the countries seeking to trade were also quite attractive, and many were for technologies they desperately needed.

Of course, they also wanted to ask the young man before them if there was any technology or anything else he wanted.

After all, the technology for recycling nuclear waste could be said to have been single-handedly developed by him, from theory to construction. The state had only provided some basic resources.

The resources they provided could be obtained in other developed countries as well; the key was the person sitting before them.

Furthermore, there was the matter of the controlled nuclear fusion project.

Compared to the previous two topics, this last one was what truly concerned Xu Chuan.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “To be honest, these issues are beyond my capabilities.”

“After all, I’m just a researcher. My job is to research science and technology. But once the technology is developed, how to use it to achieve maximum benefit is something you understand far better than I do.”

“As for needed technology, I personally don’t need anything.”

“However, I would suggest we trade for a copy of the Magnetic Mirror + Magnetic Ring Dual Control Technology from Germany. This technology is for controlled nuclear fusion, and we will be able to use it in the future.”

The Magnetic Mirror + Magnetic Ring Dual Control Technology was a technology jointly developed by Germany and the United States. He had used it in his past life while researching controlled nuclear fusion at Princeton.

Back then, he had used superconducting materials he had developed himself. Although he hadn’t created those materials yet in this life, he should start preparing.

The elderly leader nodded upon hearing this, noted down the request, and then asked, “Anything else?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “If we could get top-of-the-line CNC machine tools, that would also be good. After all, top-tier CNC machine tools have many uses.”

The elderly leader shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid that will be difficult, but we will do our best to try.”

Compared to the magnetic control and magnetic mirror technology, the latter was one of the pieces of equipment that those Western countries had always banned for export to them. They had discussed it before, but the idea was immediately rejected.

CNC machine tools are hailed as the mother machine of industry; their importance is self-evident.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “We don’t necessarily have to go through Germany. In fact, our neighbor is also a possibility. Although theirs are a bit inferior in comparison, for us, ‘good enough’ is all that matters.”

The elderly leader mulled it over and nodded. “We can try.”

Compared to acquiring CNC machine tools from Europe, getting them from their neighbor would indeed be easier. Although they didn’t particularly like this neighbor, strengthening themselves was ultimately more important.

Chapter 299: Starting the Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Ahead of Schedule

In the quaint, antique-styled building, Xu Chuan and the old man spoke for over an hour.

Aside from the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project, the main topic of discussion was controlled nuclear fusion.

According to the original plan, the higher-ups had scheduled the official launch of the second controlled nuclear fusion project for the year 2020.

This was to leave some buffer time in case the nuclear waste power generation project encountered unexpected issues and required delays. After all, it was normal for such large-scale projects to run into problems.

However, the higher-ups hadn’t expected this major project to proceed so smoothly. Although some issues had arisen along the way, they were quickly resolved by Xu Chuan.

Now that the nuclear energy project was successfully completed, the latter half of the year was suddenly wide open.

Although Xu Chuan had his own research and plans, and the country needed some time to digest and absorb the results of the nuclear energy project, this was not a major issue.

For a large country like China, if there was one thing it didn’t lack, it was people.

As long as there were sufficient resources, the country had enough talent to launch multiple mega projects simultaneously.

Xu Chuan didn’t want to waste the next six months either, so during this conversation, he proposed the idea of starting the controlled nuclear fusion project ahead of schedule.

Compared to the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project, the controlled nuclear fusion project was the true mega project.

The preliminary preparations alone could easily take one or two years to complete.

Starting the controlled nuclear fusion project early in the second half of the year wasn’t unfeasible. The initial tasks like personnel recruitment, site selection, and bidding for related materials and companies could all be delegated to others.

Meanwhile, he could focus on his research on the sterile neutrino and the mathematical model for plasma turbulence. Then, next year, he could logically begin tackling this mega project.

Unlike the fully mature technology of nuclear waste recycling, controlled nuclear fusion was a brand-new challenge in an unknown territory.

There were far too many problems to solve, from tritium self-sustainment and the control of ultra-high temperature plasma in the chamber, to the thermal radiation loss of materials and the recovery of fusion energy from the reactor. All of these were world-class challenges.

Xu Chuan didn’t know if he could lead his team to successfully conquer this peak. It might take five years, ten years, twenty years, or even a lifetime.

But he couldn’t and wouldn’t give up, because this was one of the dreams of his two lifetimes.

He wanted to see the spark of controlled nuclear fusion light up this land of China, and he was willing to pay the price with his life.

After the commendation ceremony, Xu Chuan formally stepped down from his role as the overall director of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.

Until the official notice for the establishment of the controlled nuclear fusion project was issued, he was, for all intents and purposes, unburdened.

Compared to the previous nuclear energy project, there was less urgency in establishing and following up on the controlled nuclear fusion project.

After all, a mega project of this scale involved too many aspects, each requiring coordination and preparation.

However, after returning, Xu Chuan did not relax. It was already mid-August, and his research on plasma turbulence was not yet complete, requiring his continued effort.

In addition, the first collision experiment for the sterile neutrino at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) had concluded, and the relevant data was being processed.

Since he couldn’t go abroad, Xu Chuan could only continue to apply for the raw data for analysis through China’s status as a CERN member country.

Fortunately, many members of the CERN Council were acquaintances of his, such as Edward Witten and David Gross. Coupled with the fact that he was the discoverer of the sterile neutrino, the relevant data was easy to obtain.

As for the preliminary analysis of the raw data, it was still to be handled by Nanjing University.

However, what surprised Xu Chuan was that a few days after the raw data application was approved, people from Shanghai’s Jiaotong University came to him, proposing to participate in the data analysis work.

“Professor Xu, Jiaotong University’s team has extensive experience in the field of high-energy physics. We have participated in analyzing the experimental data that led to the discovery of the tetraquark particle, and we are one of the top physics teams in the country. With our help, the data analysis for the sterile neutrino can definitely be shortened by a lot of time.”

In Xu Chuan’s office at Nanjing University, a middle-aged man looked at Xu Chuan expectantly, a somewhat fawning smile on his face.

Looking at the Dean of the School of Physics from Jiaotong University, Xu Chuan felt a headache coming on.

To be honest, what this Dean Liu said was correct. Jiaotong University was indeed very good in the field of high-energy physics. Their team often participated in experiments at CERN and had ample experience.

With Jiaotong University’s team joining in, the data analysis for the sterile neutrino could indeed be sped up significantly. The proposal was genuinely tempting.

Being able to complete the analysis of the raw data much earlier was quite appealing.

However, he had already promised Nanjing University that he would entrust this batch of raw data to them.

After some thought, Xu Chuan said, “Regarding the analysis of the collision’s raw data, I’m afraid I can’t agree to your request. A few days ago, I had already assigned this work to Nanjing University. If you had come a few days earlier, you could have worked with Nanjing University.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man quickly said, “That’s no problem. As long as you don’t mind, leave the rest to me.”

The research and discovery of the sterile neutrino was undoubtedly a heavyweight achievement in the field of physics, as it was related to dark matter and dark energy.

Although Professor Xu was the primary discoverer, participating in the data analysis would be a glory that would go down in history.

Just like in 2018, when Jiaotong University participated in the discovery and analysis of the tetraquark particle, it was a matter of enhancing the university’s academic atmosphere and international reputation.

After seeing the Dean of Jiaotong University’s School of Physics off, Xu Chuan shook his head and refocused his attention on the study of plasma turbulence.

Before the commendation ceremony for the nuclear energy project, he already had a clear line of thought. Following this path, he had now made considerable progress.

He had a feeling that he was about to build the microscopic mathematical bridge between the mean field and the fluctuating field of plasma turbulence.

If he succeeded, the plasma model in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber could be established as a pure mathematical model based on this theory.

Filled with hope, Xu Chuan concentrated all his energy on the final hurdle.

Time passed day by day, and the calendar turned to a new page.

In September, the long-lasting fragrance of osmanthus flowers wafted through the campus of Nanjing University with the breeze, refreshing the mind and spirit.

In his office, Xu Chuan stared intently at the scratch paper on his desk, the pen in his hand scribbling and drawing. From time to time, he would look up and move the mouse, searching for things he needed on the computer.

“Professor, shall we go for lunch together?”

The morning passed in the blink of an eye. In the office, Amelia glanced at her watch, put down her pen, stood up, and stretched, looking towards her Advisor who was engrossed in some calculations by the window.

She didn’t know what her Advisor was calculating. She had tried to take a peek but couldn’t understand it. When she asked, he had only said that he was studying the NS equations, without going into detail.

However, this situation had been going on for some time, which was convenient for her and her senior, Gu Bing.

If they encountered any academic problems, they no longer needed to accumulate them and find time to hunt him down.

On the other side, Xu Chuan shook his head slightly and replied, “You two go ahead. I’ll go later.”

“Alright then, watch the time. If you go too late, there won’t be any food left in the cafeteria.”

Amelia shrugged. After a year in China, she could already speak Mandarin very fluently.

To her delight, yet also her disappointment, while there was an abundance of delicious food here—she had eaten many delicacies while traveling during the holidays—the food in the university cafeteria was truly mediocre, not even as good as her own cooking.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to his student’s thoughts. At this moment, his attention was completely focused on the pen in his hand.

Line after line of formulas flowed onto the clean white scratch paper, then began to converge.

“Calculate X₁(σω, σb) = 1. On the (σω, σb) plane, this forms a phase transition boundary, which divides the plane into ‘chaos’ and ‘ordered’ phases. In the ‘chaos’ phase, as the micro-fluidic units in the turbulence propagate, two turbulent micro-fluidic units will be gradually pulled apart…”

“In summary, proper parameter initialization should place the value on the critical line of the phase transition. This allows for the establishment of a conversion between the mean field and the fluctuating field within the minimized micro-fluidic units, while X₁ acts as a scaling factor for random perturbations as they propagate between layers.”

As the final stroke fell, Xu Chuan finally let out a long breath and put down the black ballpoint pen in his hand.

“Finally done!”

Staring at the formulas on the scratch paper, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

After more than a month of hard work, he had finally used the language of mathematics to build a bridge across the entire abyss between the order of the mean field and the disorder of the fluctuating field on a microscopic level.

It was no exaggeration to say that the importance of this achievement was no less than his previous phased results on the NS equations. In some ways, it was even more important.

Because it was the key to Modeling the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion chamber.

With the mathematical foundation laid, the rest was to build a mathematical model for it.

Compared to the theoretical foundation, this was not very difficult, at least not for him.

Tidying up the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan was about to turn on his computer and get to work when his stomach started to rumble.

“Forget it, I’ll go get some lunch first.”

He casually slid the scratch paper into a drawer, rubbed his stomach, and headed for the cafeteria. Although he had been sitting still all morning, the energy consumed by mental activity was no less than that of physical activity, and was perhaps even greater.

In the cafeteria, Xu Chuan picked up some food on his tray. Just as he was looking for a place to sit, a voice reached his ears.

“Over here, Xu Chuan.”

The familiar voice made Xu Chuan look around curiously, and then he saw Chen Zhengping, Yu Yongwang, and the Dean of Jiaotong University’s School of Physics sitting in a corner.

Carrying his tray, he walked over and greeted the three with a smile, “Advisor, Dean Yu, Dean Liu.”

“We’re almost done eating, and you’re just arriving. Not very enthusiastic about eating, are you?” Chen Zhengping looked at the food on Xu Chuan’s tray and shook his head.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I just had a flash of inspiration while I was doing some research, so I’m a bit late.”

Beside them, Yu Yongwang, the Dean of Nanjing University’s School of Physics, chuckled, “Research is important, but an army marches on its stomach. You need to keep your strength up for your work.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, putting down his tray and sitting down. He wasn’t reserved at all, and chatted with the three while he ate.

“Professor Xu, since fate has brought us together again, and Academician Chen and Dean Yu are both here, why don’t we discuss the analysis of the raw data from CERN again?” After chatting for a while, the Dean from Jiaotong University, Liu Yanghui, looked at Xu Chuan with a smile and asked.

He had initially approached Xu Chuan about the data analysis work, but Xu Chuan had not agreed. However, he was not one to give up easily. He then went to see Yu Yongwang, the Dean of Nanjing University’s School of Physics, hoping to find a breakthrough from that end.

After being rebuffed by Yu Yongwang, he sought out Xu Chuan’s Advisor, Chen Zhengping, hoping to join the data analysis work.

Compared to the previous two rejections, this time there seemed to be some hope.

Especially when he presented the argument, “This is Professor Xu’s discovery, and CERN is also researching it. We must complete the data analysis as soon as possible and not let people from other countries get ahead,” Professor Xu’s Advisor, Academician Chen, was clearly swayed.

Seeing this glimmer of hope, he spent half a day in Chen Zhengping’s office, finally winning over the Academician, who agreed to help him communicate with Dean Yu. This was what led to the three of them having lunch together in the cafeteria.

As for Chen Zhengping, he had also initially wanted to reject Jiaotong University’s request.

After all, this glory belonged to Nanjing University. Why should Jiaotong University get a piece of the pie? It wasn’t as if Nanjing University didn’t have a team capable of doing the data analysis.

But he couldn’t hold out against Liu Yanghui’s shameless persistence and nagging in his office, and eventually, some of what he said started to make sense.

The sterile neutrino was his student’s discovery, and now CERN was going all out to verify it. If they could complete the analysis of the raw data before other teams at CERN and find sufficient clues to increase the confidence level of the sterile neutrino’s existence, it would be a great help to Xu Chuan.

After all, the sterile neutrino was related to dark matter and dark energy. If he could help his student complete the work ahead of time, allowing him to claim all the discoveries for himself, it could be said to be another Nobel Prize-level achievement.

Even if the Nobel Prize wasn’t necessarily awarded to him for this, there was no need to let those foreign teams step in and share the honor of the discovery work, was there?

Although Nanjing University was certainly capable of completing the analysis of this raw data, the timeframe could not be guaranteed. After all, their manpower was limited.

With the help of Jiaotong University’s physics team, the time could indeed be shortened significantly.

Considering this point, Chen Zhengping had agreed to help talk to Yu Yongwang.

Chapter 300: The Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Is Approved

To Xu Chuan, having Jiaotong University’s high-energy physics team join the analysis of the raw sterile neutrino data was actually a good thing.

After all, it would greatly shorten the time needed to analyze the data.

Just as his advisor, Chen Zhengping, had said, the discovery of the sterile neutrino was his achievement, and there was no need to let foreign teams take a slice of the pie.

As for Nanjing University, with both Xu Chuan and Chen Zhengping in agreement, Yu Yongwang readily consented as well.

No matter what, the opinions of Xu Chuan and Academician Chen had to be taken into consideration.

In early September, half a month after the commendation ceremony for the nuclear energy project concluded, people from the Ministry of Science and Technology took the initiative to visit Xu Chuan.

The ones who came to Nanjing to visit him in person were Qin Anguo, whom he hadn’t seen in a few months, and another man who looked to be in his early forties. The man wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and had a gentle, refined demeanor.

“Professor Xu, long time no see.”

Inside the villa, Qin Anguo enthusiastically shook Xu Chuan’s hand, his face wreathed in smiles as he greeted him.

“Come, let me introduce you. This is Gao Hongming from the Strategic Planning Department of our Ministry of Science and Technology. He came along this time mainly to meet you and have a chat. If it’s a good fit, we’ll arrange for Little Gao to assist you on the controlled nuclear fusion project.”

“You can hand over all the miscellaneous and trivial matters of the controlled nuclear fusion project to him. If you have any instructions later on, you can also give them directly to Little Gao. He will handle and report everything in a timely manner.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled as he shook hands with Gao Hongming. “Hello, Director Gao.”

The head of the Strategic Planning Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology—this was a very high position. And to be assigned by the higher-ups to participate in managing the controlled nuclear fusion project meant that this Gao Hongming’s abilities were certainly exceptional.

“Hello, Professor Xu. ‘Director Gao’ is too formal. You can just call me by my name or Little Gao,” Gao Hongming said with a gentle smile.

Xu Chuan smiled back. “I’ll have to trouble you with the project management and preliminary preparations. I still have some other research that I can’t step away from at the moment.”

Gao Hongming quickly replied, “Please don’t worry about that. My job is to assist you with these matters.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Then I’ll be troubling you.”

After a pause, he continued, “By the way, has the official notice for establishing the controlled nuclear fusion project been issued yet?”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming swiftly took a red file from his bag and handed it over.

Xu Chuan took the file and flipped through it.

Beside him, Qin Anguo spoke up, “The official establishment of the controlled nuclear fusion project has been completed. You, Professor Xu, are the overall director. However, because the matter is confidential, we couldn’t forward it to your public email, so I brought it over myself.”

“Also, there are some matters regarding the project that we need to discuss with you today.”

Although controlled nuclear fusion wasn’t something that needed to be strictly guarded, many organizations, both at home and abroad, were working in this cutting-edge field of technology.

There were even projects jointly run by more than a dozen countries, such as the ITER International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, which started in 1985 and has been running for nearly fifty years now.

But given China’s national character, which everyone understood, they preferred to be low-key whenever possible and secretive when necessary. Before achieving presentable results, the people of China preferred to covertly work on things themselves.

Xu Chuan took the notice from Gao Hongming and nodded as he read it. “Please go on, Minister Qin.”

“First is the project site selection. After discussion, we have temporarily shortlisted four locations: Bincheng, Jincheng, Shanghai, and Shencheng. Which of these four cities do you think is more suitable, Professor Xu? Or if you have any suggestions or ideas, you can also propose them, and we can discuss it together.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked up at Qin Anguo, pondered for a moment, and said, “Could it be located in Nanjing?”

Across from him, both Qin Anguo and Gao Hongming were visibly stunned by this answer.

After recovering, Qin Anguo asked, “Aren’t nuclear projects usually located by the sea? If I remember correctly, a large amount of seawater is needed for the cooling cycle, right?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s conventional thinking. The reason nuclear power plants are built by the sea is that they need a large amount of seawater to carry away the residual heat after the reactor releases heat to generate electricity.”

“Furthermore, coastal areas generally have sustained winds, which are conducive to the diffusion of gases. In inland areas, radioactive gases can easily accumulate locally, causing nuclear contamination.”

“While controlled nuclear fusion also requires cooling, it doesn’t carry risks like nuclear radiation. After all, its fusion fuel consists of Deuterium-Tritium, two harmless substances.”

“And unlike nuclear fission power plants, which require the fuel to be loaded into the reaction zone all at once, it’s more like a thermal power plant, where you add as much fuel as the reactor needs.”

After a pause, he continued, “As for cooling, what seawater can do, freshwater can naturally do as well. Nanjing is in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and has abundant water resources.”

“Moreover, Nanjing is a large industrial city with a considerable demand for electricity. Coupled with the fact that other cities in Su Province also need a lot of power, I think building it here is a viable option.”

Xu Chuan explained with a smile, but there was another reason he didn’t mention. The four cities the higher-ups had chosen were all quite a distance from where he currently lived, and traveling back and forth would consume a lot of time.

This was a problem he had discovered when he was in charge of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project. It took him several hours just to get from Nanjing University to Qidong, let alone places like Bincheng and Jincheng.

The key was that he didn’t know why, but even though he was just a passenger in a car, he couldn’t quiet his mind enough to do research on the road. Forget about research; even simply reading a book was difficult to become immersed in.

So, for him, every trip was essentially a waste of time.

If possible, Xu Chuan really didn’t want to run all over the place for the controlled nuclear fusion project. It would be perfect if he could just stay quietly in Nanjing.

Of course, he didn’t voice this reason, as it would make him sound too willful.

Across from him, Qin Anguo nodded. “Alright, I’ll note down your suggestion for now. We’ll hold a meeting to discuss it when I get back. If there are no issues and we decide to change the location, we will contact you again. Do you have any other requests or suggestions?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Is Professor Peng Hongxi still working at Tsinghua University?”

Qin Anguo replied, “I’m not too sure about that, but I can have someone check. Are you thinking of inviting Professor Peng to join the controlled nuclear fusion project?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Professor Peng is one of the founders of our country’s nuclear energy field and the leader who pioneered and developed China’s particle beam inertial confinement fusion research. If we could invite him, it would be for the best.”

To be honest, roping in Peng Hongxi, an old man already in his eighties, was a matter of necessity.

Although China was considered one of the world’s top players in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, strictly speaking, many universities in the country did not actually offer controlled nuclear fusion as a specialized course.

The personnel currently engaged in controlled nuclear fusion research in China had basically transferred from fields like plasma physics, nuclear physics, and high-energy physics.

Academician Peng Hongxi, however, was a true pioneering figure in China’s nuclear fusion field.

If it weren’t for the real difficulty in finding a suitable candidate, Xu Chuan wouldn’t have wanted to trouble the old man, who was, after all, already eighty years old this year.

As for Academician Peng Hongxi’s student, Professor Han Jin, who was in charge of daily affairs for the previous nuclear waste reutilization project, he was still a bit too young.

Leading the daily work of the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project under his guidance was no problem, but for him to support a massive undertaking like controlled nuclear fusion would be difficult.

Controlled nuclear fusion is a systemic project. The technical difficulties involved cover everything from plasma physics to materials research and even information technology, requiring the full cooperation of numerous research units.

It could be said that this kind of super-project required the coordination of far too many resources and elements. In China, without sufficient seniority and prestige, it would be impossible to accomplish.

After much thought, Xu Chuan could only extend another invitation to Academician Peng Hongxi.

Beside them, Gao Hongming couldn’t help but swallow as he listened to their conversation.

He knew this Professor Xu was highly capable, but he hadn’t expected his influence to be this great.

If it were any other scholar, after the higher-ups had proposed four potential sites, they would have simply chosen one from the list.

He never expected this professor to directly raise an objection, and even more unexpectedly, Minister Qin had actually agreed to it.

Although the response was that he had to go back and discuss it in a meeting, in his view, this “discussion” was basically just a formality.

To be honest, there was sound reasoning behind the higher-ups’ selection of those four sites.

All four were core cities of major industrial bases. For example, Bincheng was the core city of the Liaozhongnan Industrial Base, and Shanghai was the core city of the Shanghai-Nanjing-Hangzhou Industrial Base.

Moreover, these cities were all coastal. It was practically an unspoken rule that facilities like nuclear power plants were prioritized for coastal cities. This was true not just in China, but generally around the world.

After all, considering all aspects, coastal cities were indeed more convenient.

Yet, for a super-project like controlled nuclear fusion, an investment of at least ten billion, the site selection was changed by a single sentence from the Professor Xu before him.

This kind of influence was, without a doubt, unique in the country.

After chatting for a while in the villa’s living room, Qin Anguo prepared to get up and leave.

He had come today partly to introduce Gao Hongming to Xu Chuan, and partly to discuss matters related to site selection, investment budget, and personnel requirements.

Having received answers to all these, he didn’t plan to take up any more of Professor Xu’s time.

After seeing the two from the Ministry of Science and Technology off, Xu Chuan turned his attention back to the modeling of the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

With the theoretical foundation already perfected by him, modeling the plasma turbulence was now merely a matter of time.

The days passed one by one as Xu Chuan busied himself with his research.

In the midst of his modeling work, he received a follow-up visit from Gao Hongming. After discussions, the site for the controlled nuclear fusion project was finally set in Nanjing.

As for the specific location, they were currently in discussion with the Nanjing municipal government.

When the leaders of Nanjing received this news, their jaws nearly hit the floor.

A project with an investment in the tens of billions, a national super-project like controlled nuclear fusion, suddenly landing in Nanjing was like a delightful surprise falling from the sky for the city.

Before this, the leaders of Nanjing had never even imagined such a thing, not even in their wildest dreams.

When Gao Hongming, who was in charge of the daily operations of the controlled nuclear fusion project, came to their door, the leaders of Nanjing felt as if they were in a dream. They were completely dumbfounded.

A systemic super-project like controlled nuclear fusion would be of enormous help to the development of Nanjing’s high-tech and scientific industries, as well as to talent acquisition.

A large-scale project would definitely require innumerable hands, and for something like controlled nuclear fusion, it was feared that even those serving tea would need to be doctoral students at a minimum.

People of this caliber were recruitment targets in any city in the country.

As for the development of science and high technology, it went without saying. Who knew how many new technologies the research on controlled nuclear fusion would drive the development and emergence of.

To put it more simply and directly, for the city of Nanjing, the arrival of the controlled nuclear fusion project was like a massive political achievement dropping from the heavens.

Upon hearing that this was Xu Chuan’s suggestion, the city leaders quickly brought a team to pay a personal visit.

Of course, they had a legitimate reason for their visit.

With the controlled nuclear fusion project located in Nanjing, as the municipal government, they naturally had to hear Professor Xu’s opinion on the site selection.

Accompanying the city leaders were Gao Hongming and Peng Hongxi.

“Professor Xu, in your opinion, where in Nanjing would be a more suitable site?”

In Xu Chuan’s villa, a leader from Nanjing city looked at him with an enthusiastic and expectant expression. On the tea table lay a huge map of Nanjing, a 3D one at that, marking the conditions of various locations in the city.

Xu Chuan said, “Just find a sparsely populated place along the river.”

After a thought, he added, “Of course, the geological structure must be stable, without issues like subsidence.”

Hearing this, the city leader pondered for a moment before pointing at the map and asking, “How about Wumadu Square in the Muyan Riverside Scenic Area?”

“The geology here is stable, and there are no residential communities nearby. Apart from some tourist attractions, there are no other buildings, making demolition convenient. Across from it is the Bagua Island Wetland Park; we can close this park to address confidentiality concerns.”

Xu Chuan replied, “This will require professional surveying. If it’s determined that there are no problems, I’m fine with it.”

“As for confidentiality, controlled nuclear fusion doesn’t look much different from an ordinary nuclear power plant from the outside. There’s no need to worry too much.”

The city leader nodded. “If the Muyan Riverside Scenic Area doesn’t work out, we can also place it at the foot of Qixia Mountain. That should meet the requirements.”

“If you have no objections, Professor Xu, we will immediately arrange for personnel to survey these two locations. If they are viable, you can choose one. If neither works, then we can reconvene to discuss it. How does that sound?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I’ll have to trouble you then.”

“No trouble, no trouble at all. This is what we ought to do. Besides, we wish we had this kind of ‘trouble’ more often,” the city leader said with a broad smile. “There’s no time to lose. We’ll go back now and arrange for personnel to survey these two sites, so we won’t disturb you and Academician Peng any longer.”

Chapter 301: The Manuscript Was Stolen???

The leaders from Nanjing left, taking Gao Hongming with them to discuss the siting of the controlled nuclear fusion project.

In the vast villa, only Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi remained.

“I never thought you’d solve the nuclear waste problem so quickly.” Peng Hongxi remarked with a sigh after taking a small sip of his tea.

When the young man before him had invited him to join the project a year ago, he never imagined such a large-scale project could be completed in just one year.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I was just lucky. We chose the right direction, so the research naturally went faster.”

Peng Hongxi shook his head slightly. “Luck doesn’t come without strength. I’ve seen your solution for the linear particle accelerator’s energy level and stability. It would have been impossible to come up with such a solution without a profound understanding of physics.”

He paused, then continued, “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s discuss controlled nuclear fusion.”

“I heard that this controlled nuclear fusion project is a separate, independent endeavor under your lead. Have you considered which route to take for controlled nuclear fusion? Which path are you planning on? Magnetic confinement? Or the inertial confinement method?”

Magnetic confinement and inertial confinement were the two main international routes for researching controlled nuclear fusion. Between the two, the United States was more optimistic about inertial confinement and had made relatively more progress on that front. China, on the other hand, had placed its bet on the magnetic confinement route and was further along in that area.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before replying, “Compared to inertial confinement, I’m a bit more optimistic about magnetic confinement.”

“Why is that?” Peng Hongxi asked with interest.

Xu Chuan considered this, then began, “Inertial confinement doesn’t use a magnetic field to control the fusion plasma. Instead, it uses shockwaves to compress it to the immense density required for fusion. The plasma holds its shape for only an instant due to inertia, then it expands and releases energy.”

“Compared to magnetic confinement, inertial confinement has a fatal flaw. With current laser enhancement technology, its lasers can only fire once every few hours. It can’t produce a continuous and stable energy source, which makes commercialization very difficult. Moreover, the actual energy output is far lower than the input.”

“Furthermore, one of the keys to achieving commercially viable nuclear fusion is figuring out how to increase the central pressure within the fuel hot spot to billions of times that of atmospheric pressure.”

“Until these two points are resolved, achieving commercial power generation through inertial confinement is a long way off. In comparison, even though magnetic confinement has its own issues, I’m still more optimistic about it.”

“So are you planning to research the Tokamak or the Stellarator?” Peng Hongxi asked.

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Neither.”

“Hmm?” Peng Hongxi cast a questioning gaze at the young man sitting across from him.

Xu Chuan leaned back against the sofa, a relaxed smile on his face. “Whether it’s the Tokamak or the Stellarator, both have their respective disadvantages.”

“The Tokamak is currently the more mainstream method of magnetic confinement. It has advantages like producing minimal waste from the reaction and good renewability. However, there are still technical difficulties, such as how to stably confine the plasma.”

“As for the Stellarator, although it has an inherent advantage in energy confinement and its ability to confine plasma is far superior to the Tokamak’s, its overall confinement performance is much lower than the Tokamak’s. Moreover, it seems that it is currently unable to achieve precise quasi-symmetry. This means that any minute disruption in symmetry could lead to a significant increase in neoclassical transport.”

Peng Hongxi asked curiously, “So your choice is?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Multi-Magnetic Mirror Toroidal Confinement.”

“Multi-Magnetic Mirror Toroidal Confinement?” Peng Hongxi repeated, a look of incomprehension in his eyes. He had been working on nuclear fusion for so many years, but this was the first time he had ever heard the term.

Of course, based on the name, he could roughly understand what it was. But it seemed there was no precedent for such a device, which meant starting from scratch. As for the difficulty, that went without saying. Controlled nuclear fusion was already a monumental problem; to start over from the beginning, God knew when it would produce even the slightest result.

Xu Chuan nodded, his gaze a bit distant, as if lost in memory or some other thought. However, this didn’t interrupt his conversation with Peng Hongxi.

“Although the Tokamak and the Stellarator have evolved into two almost completely different fusion devices, if we disregard differences like shape, they are both based on the principle of magnetic confinement.”

“The advantage of the Stellarator is that it can directly generate a twisted, toroidal magnetic cage using external coils, thereby enhancing its confinement of the plasma. But the Tokamak can’t do that; its very structure prevents it.”

“But what if we combine parts of both to create a new type of fusion device?”

“The Multi-Magnetic Mirror Toroidal Confinement device is a new machine conceived from this idea. It’s a further optimization of the Tokamak and Stellarator devices, a new thing created by combining some design aspects of a spherical tokamak.”

Pausing, Xu Chuan brought his attention back from his reverie and smiled at Peng Hongxi, adding, “Of course, for now, it only exists in my mind.”

Indeed, the Multi-Magnetic Mirror Toroidal Confinement device currently existed only in his mind, but that wouldn’t be the case in the future.

In his past life at Princeton, he had received support to modify the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX-U) magnetic fusion device at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

The modified NSTX-U was upgraded to the NSTX-UX1, and the NSTX-UX1 achieved fusion reaction control for as long as thirty minutes.

He had been involved in that project from start to finish, so he was fully confident in how to adjust a fusion device.

Of course, the NSTX-UX1 was an optimization based on room-temperature superconducting materials, so before that, he still had to create the superconducting materials first.

Across from him, after hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Peng Hongxi couldn’t help but frown.

“I don’t know what kind of fusion device you’ve conceived, but I must remind you, a device with a complex and twisted shape is most likely unsuitable for controlled nuclear fusion. The plasma turbulence inside the chamber is not so easy to control.”

Peng Hongxi felt that Xu Chuan was getting carried away. Perhaps it was because he was too young and had experienced smooth sailing, solving every problem along the way, that his thinking on controlled nuclear fusion was also so unconventional.

Of course, he had the qualifications to be so.

Winning both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal at the age of twenty-one, on top of his research on nuclear waste, it was no exaggeration to call him the foremost figure in China’s scientific community, or even the world’s.

But to combine a Tokamak and a Stellarator, then take parts of a spherical tokamak and fuse them into a new fusion reactor device… whether anyone would follow in his footsteps remained to be seen, but this idea was absolutely unprecedented.

For various reasons, he had to at least offer a reminder: controlled nuclear fusion was not so easily solved.

He didn’t want to see the young man before him squander the nation’s resources and money because of his own ideas.

Perhaps it was indeed a viable path, but based on his decades of experience with controlled nuclear fusion, he wouldn’t say it was impossible, but even if it were, the trial and error on a completely new path would likely cost an immense amount of money.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “What if I have a way to solve and control the plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber?”

“That’s impossible!”

Peng Hongxi retorted without thinking, but he immediately froze. His eyes were fixed on Xu Chuan, unblinking, and his breathing grew heavy involuntarily.

He suddenly remembered that earlier this year, the man before him had advanced the NS equations to a completely new level, and the research paper had already been published in the Annals of Mathematics.

The scientific world, including the fields of mathematics, physics, and even industry, was studying this result. It was arguably the hottest emerging field in science right now, as it solved a major problem in fluid dynamics and would be of enormous help to technological development.

But if one were to say who was the absolute top in this field, it would be the young man before him, who had pushed the NS equations to a new height. He was likely second to none.

“You’ve found a way to control plasma turbulence?” His heavy breaths were laced with a slight tremor as Peng Hongxi asked in disbelief.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Theoretically, I have indeed found a method for modeling plasma turbulence. It’s a recent result, not yet published. Would you like to see it?”

“Where is it? Of course.”

Peng Hongxi quickly pressed, and if he weren’t forcing himself to stay seated on the sofa, he would have probably shot to his feet. Even so, he kept leaning forward, as if getting closer would bring him closer to seeing the solution.

Just as Xu Chuan was about to get up and fetch the manuscript from his study, he slapped his forehead. All his recent research was still at Nanjing University; he hadn’t had a chance to bring it back in the past two days while dealing with the siting of the controlled nuclear fusion project.

“The scratch paper is in my office at Nanjing University. I’ll call my student to bring it over. It should only take about ten minutes.” Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly, pulling his phone from his pocket to call Gu Bing.

“Hello, Gu Bing, are you in the office?” Xu Chuan asked quickly after the call connected.

“I am, Professor. What is it?” Gu Bing replied promptly.

“In my desk drawer, there’s a stack of scratch paper held together with a binder clip. Could you please bring it over to my villa?”

“Okay, one moment.” Gu Bing responded over the phone, getting up and walking towards his advisor’s desk.

After rummaging through the drawers, Gu Bing’s confused voice came over the phone: “Professor, are you sure it’s in the drawer? I’ve checked all three drawers, and I don’t see any scratch paper held together with a clip like you said. There’s just some unused A4 paper and pens and things.”

“It’s not there? That’s not right. I remember putting it in the drawer.” Xu Chuan was baffled. He hadn’t misremembered, had he?

When he was modeling the plasma turbulence, he needed those theoretical foundations, so he had casually clipped them together and put them in the drawer for easy access.

“It’s really not here. Professor, did you take it home with you?” Gu Bing replied with certainty. He had searched all three drawers in front of him and hadn’t seen the manuscript his advisor mentioned.

“That’s strange. Alright, I understand.” Xu Chuan said before hanging up.

“What’s wrong?” Across from him, Peng Hongxi asked quickly after seeing Xu Chuan end the call.

“It seems the manuscript I left in the office is missing. Maybe I brought it back here?”

Xu Chuan replied uncertainly and got up to walk towards the study.

He was sure he hadn’t misremembered, so could he have really brought it back?

Usually, he did his research either in the study at the villa or in his office at Nanjing University.

After the nuclear waste project was completed, he had been spending more time at Nanjing University to make up for the classes he had missed.

It didn’t make much of a difference to him, as he had a private office at the university anyway. Besides his two students, Gu Bing and Amelia, no one else was there.

“The manuscript is gone?” Peng Hongxi looked at Xu Chuan, puzzled. His first thought was, what a coincidence? After all, they had just been talking about it.

Xu Chuan: “Maybe I brought it back here. Let me look around first.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi also got up and followed him to the study, watching as Xu Chuan bent over, rummaging through everything.

After a while, Xu Chuan stood up, scratched his head, and gave Peng Hongxi a somewhat embarrassed smile. “It doesn’t seem to be here either. Let me make another call.”

Saying that, he dialed Gu Bing’s number again.

“Hello, Gu Bing, could you ask Amelia if she moved the manuscript from my drawer?” Xu Chuan asked.

After asking, Gu Bing quickly replied, “No, we normally don’t touch your things. We don’t touch your desk even when we’re cleaning.”

“Well, that’s strange.”

Xu Chuan was completely confused. He clearly remembered putting the scratch paper in his desk drawer. If he had brought it back, it wasn’t in the study either. He would never have put something like that anywhere else.

As for Gu Bing and Amelia lying, that was basically impossible. There was no need for it.

“Should we go over and take a look?” Peng Hongxi suggested.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright.”

After calling Zheng Hai, Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi rushed to Nanjing University.

“Professor, Academician Peng.”

In the office, Gu Bing and Amelia were working on their own research. They quickly stood up to greet Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi.

Xu Chuan nodded, walked to his desk, and pulled open a drawer.

The sight before him made him pause for a moment, then he quickly checked the other drawers.

And in the empty drawers, not only was the manuscript held by the binder clip gone, but even the messy, unsorted scratch papers had disappeared.

Had his office really been broken into?

Someone had taken the papers from his drawer—not just that theoretical result, but some of his other scratch papers had been taken as well.

Now, the three drawers were completely clean, with nothing left but a few pens and a stack of new A4 paper.

Chapter 302: Let the Bullets Fly for a While

“Well, well. Someone actually dared to steal something from my office?”

Looking at the empty drawer, Xu Chuan stroked his chin, a playful glint in his eyes. So Zheng Hai and the higher-ups’ proposal really caught someone.

He wasn’t worried about his scratch paper not being recovered; he was just a little surprised that someone like this had appeared so quickly, and had already made a move.

In mid-August, when he went to Beijing for the commendation ceremony, Zheng Hai, who was in charge of part of his security detail, approached him with someone from a certain department to discuss matters of secrecy and security.

Ever since the completion of the “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project,” his security team had noticed some suspicious individuals coming and going on the Nanjing University campus. To be safe, they discussed security and secrecy protocols with him.

After all, things like corporate espionage were not uncommon, and it was even less surprising between nations.

Since the founding of the country, it wasn’t a rare occurrence for important materials and data of researchers to be stolen. For instance, in the early days after the country’s founding, Old Hua was doing research at the Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Mathematics when a batch of precious manuscripts was stolen.

China attached great importance to this matter.

The moment these suspicious individuals were discovered, personnel from the relevant departments found Xu Chuan to discuss the situation.

In addition to that, a plan was made to see if they could ‘fish out’ a batch of these ‘suspicious individuals.’

After all, the purpose of these people appearing on the Nanjing University campus to contact him, either directly or through other means, was undoubtedly to obtain something.

There’s an old saying: “You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can’t guard against one for a thousand days.” Therefore, the best course of action was to lure out these sneaky individuals and get rid of them.

Following Zheng Hai’s arrangements and suggestions, Xu Chuan casually left his research findings in his office instead of taking them with him.

Otherwise, for research of this magnitude—an applied result in controlled nuclear fusion, no less—how could he possibly just leave it lying around in his office? He would have certainly carried it with him.

When it came to confidentiality, he might not be perfect, but he knew what he needed to know. After all, he had even participated in decryption work in the field of information security back in high school.

It seemed the person who stole his scratch paper had probably been strung up and beaten by now, he reckoned.

When it came to fishing, they were professionals.

They’d fished out a large batch during the information security incident, and he estimated they would catch quite a few this time as well.

Besides, even if the contents of the scratch paper were photographed and transmitted back, it wasn’t unacceptable. In fact, Xu Chuan was hoping they would be.

Because that wasn’t the original manuscript. Some of the key data, calculation methods, and validation data on it were flawed. He was the only one who knew about these issues. It was fine for him to use for modeling, but if someone else were to actually use that data for their calculations and control models…

Heh. Congratulations to you, then. A fusion device worth at least several billion US dollars would be at least half-destroyed in a single go.

Putting other things aside, the first wall materials would definitely be smashed to bits by the violent plasma. If it wasn’t handled properly, an explosion wasn’t out of the question.

Although the explosive force of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor is far less than that of a fission reactor, it would still be no problem to blow up a laboratory or two. More importantly, the loss of the fusion reactor itself would be on a completely different scale than just a damaged first wall.

The latest findings on the NS equations had only been officially published in the Annals of Mathematics for three months. He believed no one in the world understood this material better than he did.

And with his mathematical prowess and understanding of fluids and the NS equations, the modified material he had created was such that even a top-tier mathematician would find it nearly impossible to spot the problems in a short amount of time. He had spent considerable effort on it, after all.

He just wondered which ‘genius’ had swiped these things from his office.

Xu Chuan stroked his chin, thinking. It seemed all he could do was wish them good luck.

Hope they’ll be okay.

Meanwhile, the Nanjing University leaders who received the news rushed over, nearly scared out of their wits.

Although theft was an unavoidable occurrence everywhere—the police wouldn’t even file a case for amounts less than three thousand yuan—a theft from this leading figure was no small matter.

To put it more seriously, it was theft of crucial state secrets!

And when the university leaders heard that what had been stolen was an important result related to controlled nuclear fusion, a cold sweat broke out on their foreheads despite the sweltering summer heat.

How dare the thief do this!

And was the school’s security team fucking dead?

With 360-degree surveillance with no blind spots, plus 24-hour patrols, how could someone get into his office and steal things?

A shake-up! There must be a shake-up!

In the office, Xu Chuan didn’t explain the situation to the university leaders. After all, this plan would probably be used again in the future, and if Nanjing University knew about it, unforeseen complications might arise.

After everyone else had left, only Peng Hongxi and Chen Zhengping remained in the office.

“Sigh, you were too careless,” Chen Zhengping said with a sigh, shaking his head. “What about the confidentiality principles I taught you when you were on the tungsten diselenide project with me? You should have definitely kept something this important with you at all times.”

Beside him, Peng Hongxi couldn’t help but shake his head. “All we can do now is hope the police find the person who stole the scratch paper quickly.”

Xu Chuan smiled and explained, “Don’t worry. The thief has definitely been caught by now.”

After he briefly explained the fishing plan, Chen Zhengping and Peng Hongxi finally understood.

“You mean this was all pre-arranged between you and the higher-ups?” Chen Zhengping asked.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. After I completed the ‘Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project,’ I estimated that foreign agents had started to infiltrate my surroundings. So after the commendation ceremony, the higher-ups made some plans to see if they could root a few of them out. They’re quite a nuisance, after all.”

“Phew~ Seriously, you nearly scared me to death. You should have told us sooner!” Peng Hongxi patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief. He had truly been worried sick just a moment ago.

Meanwhile, in Japan.

Edo, in the building of a certain intelligence organization, an agent was staring blankly at the intelligence transmitted to his computer.

It looked like hastily taken photos of scratch paper, quite a few of them—dozens of pages. But he couldn’t understand a single thing about the dense mathematical formulas and deductions on them.

“What is this? The devil’s formulas?”

Flipping through the images in the intelligence report, the agent couldn’t help but rub his temples. He had no idea what he was looking at. That idiot who sent this, couldn’t he have organized it and explained what it was? Bastard!

“Report! I’ve received an intelligence packet, but the transmitting agent didn’t follow protocol and include a summary. I can’t determine what it is!”

After rubbing his temples, the agent decided to report it up the chain.

Although a message without a summary was likely nothing important and would usually be thrown in the trash, looking at the formulas in the pictures, he had a gut feeling this might be very important.

“What’s the situation?”

In the intelligence room, the team leader, sporting a potbelly, walked over and asked with a frown.

“Not sure. The intelligence transmitted back is dozens of photos, with no other explanation. Based on its origin, this intelligence was transmitted from China,” the agent at the computer replied quickly.

“Let me see,” the middle-aged team leader said with a frown.

“Yes, sir!” the agent responded, promptly moving out of the way.

“Mathematical formulas? That country has no mathematics worth transmitting. They don’t even have any top-tier mathematicians.” Flipping through the images on the computer, the middle-aged team leader’s face was full of disdain.

When it came to mathematics, their great Empire of Japan was the most powerful nation in East Asia. What could the Sick Man of East Asia possibly have to compare with them?

“It’s probably useless. Just process it as junk,” the middle-aged team leader said, standing up boredly after flipping through the pictures and finding it was all things he couldn’t understand.

“Yes, sir!” the young agent quickly replied. Just as he was about to dispose of the intelligence, he hesitated for a moment and turned. “Team Leader, should we have a mathematician come take a look? What if it’s important intelligence?”

The middle-aged team leader said with scorn and contempt, “What mathematics does the Sick Man of East Asia have that’s worth our time? A country that can’t even win a single Fields Medal. Just get rid of it.”

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. “Wait. If it’s mathematical intelligence from that person, maybe it’s worth having a mathematician take a look.”

“Alright, go get Professor Iwatani Yukihiro to take a look, just in case we miss something important.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Professor Iwatani, I’m terribly sorry to have troubled you.”

In the office, the young agent led in a slender, middle-aged man wearing a suit and black-framed glasses.

“No trouble at all.” Iwatani Yukihiro waved his hand and smiled. “Mathematics from China, you say? Could it be the research of a certain Professor Xu? How did you get your hands on it?”

The young agent gave a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Professor Iwatani, I can’t answer that question.”

“Never mind. Let me see what it is.” Iwatani Yukihiro shook his head, sat down at the computer, and began clicking through the image files.

Beside him, the young agent and the team leader waited.

Time passed, bit by bit.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes…

A quarter of an hour passed, and the potbellied middle-aged team leader finally lost his patience. “Professor Iwatani, if this intelligence isn’t that important, there’s no need to waste time on it.”

At the computer, Iwatani Yukihiro didn’t turn his head or say a word, engrossed in the calculation formulas and data on the screen.

Seeing this, the middle-aged team leader could do nothing but continue to wait.

Professor Iwatani Yukihiro was a renowned scholar; he was not someone they, as intelligence agents, could command.

This was the way of Japan’s system and culture: a historical monstrosity formed from the combination of Confucianism, Western fascism, and liberal democracy. Its hierarchy was strict, emphasizing responsibility and contribution based on “principles of fairness,” and while they worshipped the strong, they were also inherently rebellious.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, Iwatani Yukihiro finally looked up and said with admiration, “This is definitely the work of that Professor Xu. Very, very few in China can reach this level in mathematics.”

“Is it important, Professor Iwatani?” the middle-aged team leader asked with a frown.

Iwatani Yukihiro nodded solemnly. “Part of it is scrap, but the rest is extremely important. Although I can’t fully understand it, I can tell it’s research related to turbulence and plasma turbulence. This could help us take another step forward on the path to controlled nuclear fusion!”

“I recommend you report this immediately and invite more capable mathematicians and fluid dynamics engineers to study this material.”

Chapter 303: Testing the ‘Plasma Turbulence’ Mathematical Model

Xu Chuan wasn’t too bothered about his manuscript being stolen; after all, it was part of the plan.

That evening, Zheng Hai returned the missing manuscript.

Xu Chuan was a little curious about which country’s agents had filched his manuscript, but with security personnel still handling the matter, it wasn’t appropriate for him to press for details.

The days passed one by one, and the modeling work for the plasma turbulence in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor progressed bit by bit.

In mid-September, after about half a month, Nanjing University and Jiaotong University completed their joint analysis of the raw data on sterile neutrinos.

Chen Zhengping called Xu Chuan immediately and sent him the analyzed data.

“I’ve sent you the analysis results. However, the volume of data is still quite large, as this is from the LHC’s specialized collision data. Do you need our help?” Chen Zhengping asked Xu Chuan in his office.

Whether for Xu Chuan, Nanjing University, or China as a whole, discovering the sterile neutrino sooner rather than later was for the best. From any perspective, the research on sterile neutrinos would significantly boost the academic influence of the individual, the university, and the country.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “That works. How about this: I’ll prepare a document on how to identify and confirm the confidence level for the sterile neutrino. You can process the data according to the document, and then I’ll take the processed data and prepare the Dalitz plot. How does that sound?”

Chen Zhengping nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. Right now, the most crucial thing is to raise the confidence level for the sterile neutrino from 3-sigma to over 5-sigma as quickly as possible.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Teacher.”

Compared to last Chinese New Year, he really didn’t have much time to process the sterile neutrino data now.

At the moment, it was more important for him to hurry up and finish the modeling for plasma turbulence. Handing off the sterile neutrino data analysis to Nanjing University and Jiaotong University was indeed more convenient.

Chen Zhengping smiled. “No need to be so formal. In fact, we should be thanking you for this opportunity. For the other students, this is a rare chance to work with experimental data.”

For Nanjing University and Jiaotong University, allowing physics students who wouldn’t normally get the chance to participate in the analysis of CERN experimental data was an excellent opportunity.

After all, not every student of theoretical physics gets the opportunity to follow their advisor or apply for an internship at CERN. Most theoretical physics students ended up scraping together some experimental experience in China or elsewhere just to complete their graduation theses.

And this time, the analysis data on sterile neutrinos was enough for a large number of physics students from Nanjing University and Jiaotong University to complete their graduation theses. They might even get a chance to set foot in CERN through this opportunity.

As Nanjing University and Jiaotong University began their in-depth analysis of the sterile neutrino experimental data, Xu Chuan’s own work on the mathematical modeling of plasma turbulence was also nearing its end.

Creating a mathematical model for plasma turbulence, even setting aside the complex underlying mathematical calculations and theoretical foundations, was a difficult task.

In the process of modeling, Xu Chuan encountered many problems.

Some things could be solved through searching and studying, but for some problems, there were simply no answers to be found online.

For instance, he hit a snag when trying to incorporate “direct numerical simulation data of vortices” into the model.

Because of the differences between the large and small scales of the vortices, and the necessity of solving for both simultaneously, the cost of numerically simulating all scales of turbulence was extremely high.

Especially when solving for high Reynolds number flows, even a supercomputer might not be able to complete the calculations in a short time.

In other fields, this might not have mattered.

But for real-time control of the high-temperature plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, timeliness was life.

If real-time control couldn’t be achieved, it would be too late to do anything once the plasma hit the first wall.

Staring at the crude model on the screen and the half-written modeling program, Xu Chuan let out a heavy sigh.

To be honest, this problem had been bothering him for a long time. He had been able to bypass it before to work on other things, but now it had to be addressed.

“Perhaps I need some outside help.” Staring at the slowly rotating model on the screen, Xu Chuan shook his head slightly.

Strictly speaking, he had never systematically studied mathematical modeling. He could handle writing simple models, but solving this problem on his own was, frankly, almost impossible.

Of course, asking for advice and help when encountering problems in research was a very normal thing to do; there was no shame in it.

The only question was, who would be best to ask for help?

He thought for a moment, and a figure emerged in his mind. Once he’d made his decision, he opened his email client, compiled the problem he was facing, the requirements, and some relevant theoretical data and fundamentals, and sent it off.

Then he picked up his phone, opened WeChat, found a familiar contact, and sent a message.

A moment later, the phone vibrated. A WeChat reply came through.

“Yep, got your email. I’ll take a look, but I can’t guarantee I can solve it.”

Xu Chuan smiled and replied: “I appreciate it. I’ll treat you to a meal when you get back.”

When it came to mathematical modeling, the first person who came to mind was his senior female student, Liu Jiaxin.

He had returned to China in 2018, while she had gone to Princeton for advanced studies. More than a year had passed since then.

With her talent for mathematics and her ability to learn, she had likely learned a great deal at Princeton and might be able to help him solve this problem.

Putting his phone down, Xu Chuan refocused his attention on the modeling. Although he had asked for help, it was still necessary to keep trying to figure it out himself.

After all, you could never have too much knowledge; you only regretted not having enough when you needed it.

The reply from his senior female student came much earlier than Xu Chuan had expected. That evening, an email landed in his inbox.

At the same time, he received a message on WeChat from her: “Hey, I sent a proposed solution to your email. See if it works. If not, you can tell me.”

Xu Chuan was eating dinner when he received the WeChat message. After replying with an “Okay,” he quickly polished off the food on his plate and hurried back to his office.

He opened his email, and sure enough, there was an unread message sitting there.

Clicking it open, Xu Chuan quickly began to read.

“…According to your requirements, if you need to perform a direct numerical simulation of the vortices, none of the DNS simulations, the LES decomposition method, or the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method will achieve the desired effect.”

“This is because the characteristic Reynolds numbers in plasma turbulence engineering problems are generally very high. Even the largest scales within the attached boundary layer become very small, so even with an LES model, the requirements for grid resolution are not significantly reduced compared to DNS.”

“This is a fundamental issue.”

“However, if you want to reduce the demands on computer hardware and processing power, you could try using an anisotropic model, like a RANS model, near the boundary layer, and an LES model in the region far from the wall. This dual approach could be used to create a revived high-order model architecture…”

“…Let the Reynolds stress term be τ = ρR_ij, where this represents a Favre average. The six-component equation has the following general form:”

【∂(ρR_ij)/∂t + ∂(ρu_k R_ij)/∂x_k = ρP_ij + ρΠ_ij + ρε_ij】

“The terms on the right-hand side are, respectively, the production term, the pressure-strain correlation and redistribution term, the dissipation term, the diffusion term, and the mass term. Among these, the production term can be calculated precisely.”

“By introducing a transition function F that applies the RANS method near the boundary layer and the LES method in the region far from the boundary layer, a second-order moment model can be constructed within a hybrid RANS/LES framework:”

【R^hybrid_ij = FR_ij + (1-F)R^sgs_ij.】

“…Perhaps a high-order moment model like this has the potential to accurately resolve vortical flows and meets your requirements.”

“I hope this helps.”

In front of his computer, Xu Chuan carefully read the solution sent by Liu Jiaxin.

Perhaps it was the influence of over a year of studying abroad that had changed her personality, or maybe it was because they were communicating through a screen, or simply because she was in her element, but the confidence his senior female student showed between the lines of the email was much greater than before.

Of course, he had to admit that the solution proposed in the email might actually solve his problem!

Not only was it detailed, but it also listed all the key nodes in the modeling process.

To be able to produce such a detailed plan in just a few hours suggested that not only did she have a profound understanding and high capability in modeling, but she had likely been working hard to solve the problem ever since receiving his email. Otherwise, creating such a plan, complete with detailed nodes, in just a few hours would have been impossible.

After reading the email, Xu Chuan replied quickly with a smile on his face: “I’ve received it. I’ll give it a try first. I’ll let you know whether it succeeds or fails.”

“I have a feeling it will help me solve this problem. Thank you for your hard work.”

After downloading the solution from his email, Xu Chuan reopened the FloEFD modeling tool, made a backup of the original model, and began to modify and rewrite the mathematical model following his senior female student’s line of thought.

This time, the modeling process went remarkably smoothly.

When he typed the last line of the equation on the computer and carefully saved the finished model, he finally relaxed.

Letting out a long breath, Xu Chuan put down the ballpoint pen clipped between his fingers and looked at the mathematical model on the screen, a smile spreading across his face.

“Finally, it’s done!”

He stretched, cracked his knuckles, and then checked the completed mathematical model. After confirming there were no problems, he copied it.

Carrying the solid-state drive with the model on it, he left the office.

The mathematical model was complete. The next step was to run a simulation test.

This would require a supercomputer. To run this model, even just for calculating and extrapolating phenomenological data, required processing power far beyond what the human brain could achieve.

Unless his brain was a sixteen-core quantum computer, it was simply impossible.

As a top 985 university, Nanjing University naturally had its own supercomputer.

Nanjing University’s High-Performance Computing Center used a large-scale IBM blade cluster with a theoretical peak performance of 873.6 trillion operations per second, providing computing services to various schools and departments like Physics, Chemistry, Atmospheric Sciences, Astronomy, Materials Science, and Electronics.

Although its performance was no longer considered outstanding by current standards, it ‘should’ still be capable of testing the mathematical model he had, right?

Of course, Xu Chuan wasn’t actually sure if Nanjing University’s supercomputer could handle his model. Calculations involving turbulence were notoriously among the most complex and computationally demanding.

Even though he had simplified the model as much as possible, it would likely still be a significant test for the supercomputer.

A theoretical peak performance of thirty-four trillion operations per second—that level of processing power wasn’t much for a phenomenological turbulence simulation and control model. You could even say it was pitifully small.

Perhaps he should have gone directly to a national-level supercomputer center for the test, but that would be much more troublesome, and he might even have to wait in line.

Nanjing University was different. If he needed it, they would halt all other calculations to serve him exclusively—it would only take a single word. So, he decided to try it at Nanjing University first.

Might as well give it a try; it’s not like he could get pregnant from it.

With the model, Xu Chuan found the teacher in the administration center in charge of managing the supercomputer center. After he filled out a usage request form for the supercomputer, the teacher in charge of approvals slammed a red stamp onto the application form with a thump.

An application form from this person, as long as he wasn’t planning to use the supercomputer to play games, would be approved directly one hundred percent of the time.

Besides, the teacher in charge of stamping had also glanced at the content of the application.

“Testing a mathematical model for plasma turbulence.”

Although not a professional in the field, even this administrative teacher knew the name “plasma turbulence.” It was a world-famous problem.

Under these circumstances, he approved it directly without even reporting to his superiors.

He was afraid of delaying this man’s research.

After all, a report could be filed later. But if he delayed this big shot’s work, the principal would probably string him up and flog him at the school gate.

Chapter 304: You Might Need a Quantum Computer!

With the stamped application form in hand, Xu Chuan went to Nanjing University’s High-Performance Computing Center and found Professor Zhou Qinglin, the director in charge of the entire supercomputer center.

“Professor Xu, what a rare guest. What brings you here?”

Zhou Qinglin, who was busy in his office, was stunned for a moment when he saw Xu Chuan, then quickly rose to his feet with a welcoming smile.

“Director Zhou, I’ve come this time mainly to apply to use the supercomputer.”

After exchanging a smiling greeting with Zhou Qinglin, Xu Chuan explained his reason for visiting.

After hearing his request, Professor Zhou Qinglin’s face was full of surprise and astonishment.

“You’re saying you’ve built a phenomenological mathematical control model for the plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor? Are you sure? You’re not mistaken?”

To be honest, Zhou Qinglin had been in charge of Nanjing University’s supercomputer center for over a decade. He had seen all sorts of mathematical models, including those for fluids, turbulence, and plasma flow.

But this was the first time he had ever seen a mathematical model for plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Although he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, having been in charge of the supercomputer center for so many years, he understood, more or less, the significance behind such a model.

Xu Chuan shrugged and said, “I have no reason to waste everyone’s time joking about this. Your time is valuable, and so is mine.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qinglin laughed heartily. “Professor Xu, you’re too kind. Your time is far more valuable than mine.”

After a pause, he continued, “Did you bring the model with you? Let me take a look.”

Taking a solid-state drive that contained the model from his backpack, Xu Chuan handed it over and nodded. “Yes, this is it.”

Zhou Qinglin took the drive and curiously opened the case to take a look. Seeing that it was a hard drive inside, he looked up at Xu Chuan and teased, “It seems this model is quite large, needing a one-terabyte hard drive to store it.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “The model itself isn’t large, but running it probably won’t be so easy. I have a feeling our supercomputer center here might not be able to handle it.”

At these words, Zhou Qinglin raised his eyebrows and smiled. “In that case, perhaps what you need isn’t a supercomputer, but a quantum computer?”

Although the supercomputer at Nanjing University’s supercomputer center wasn’t particularly powerful and didn’t even rank among the top supercomputers in the country, after its upgrade in 2015, it was deployed with 910 CPU compute nodes, totaling 21,840 CPU cores, with a theoretical peak performance of 870 trillion operations per second.

With a supercomputer of this caliber, running a hundred mathematical models simultaneously wouldn’t be an issue, let alone just one.

Of course, computations for fluid and turbulence models were indeed very complex, but no matter what, the performance of Nanjing University’s supercomputer center was close to one quadrillion operations per second. It was impossible that it couldn’t run the model.

However, he didn’t say this out loud. After all, Professor Xu studied mathematical physics and might not be very knowledgeable about computers.

“Come with me. I’ll find someone to take a look at the model for you first,” Professor Zhou Qinglin said with a smile, carrying the hard drive toward the supercomputer center’s laboratory.

He was only in charge of managing the supercomputer center, not a dedicated expert.

As for how much processing power this plasma turbulence model created by Professor Xu would require, or how many processing cores needed to be allocated, these things could only be determined after an expert’s assessment.

“Old Liu, come and help me out. Professor Xu has a mathematical model he’d like to test. Take a look and see how we should allocate the processing power.”

In the lab, Zhou Qinglin called out to another middle-aged man who was busy at a computer.

Hearing the call, the middle-aged man in the lab quickly looked up.

“Oh, Professor Xu.” Old Liu stood up with a smile and came over, shaking Xu Chuan’s hand warmly.

Xu Chuan smiled in response. “Professor Liu, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

“Hey, it’s no trouble at all. It’s an honor to be of service to Professor Xu.” Old Liu laughed as he took the hard drive from Zhou Qinglin. He first connected it to his work computer to scan it, and only after confirming there were no issues did he connect it to the supercomputer center’s network.

He clicked open the drive, opened the files inside, and looked at the data and phenomenological graphics displayed on the screen. After a moment of thought, he said, “Professor Xu, I’m afraid this model of yours is no simple matter.”

“If we want to run a test, we’ll probably have to halt most of the other tasks currently running in the supercomputer center.”

Beside them, Zhou Qinglin asked curiously, “Is it that complex?”

Old Liu nodded. “This is the most complex turbulence model I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t just involve simulation runs; it also includes various modules like phenomenological energy burst simulation, collision simulation, and magnetic confinement. To test it completely will require a huge amount of processing power. Even our supercomputer center might not be able to handle it.”

Zhou Qinglin swallowed hard and couldn’t help but glance at Xu Chuan.

Good heavens, a model that a supercomputer with a theoretical peak performance of 870 trillion operations per second couldn’t handle? Was this something a human could create? This Professor Xu must have a quantum computer for a brain.

After a careful inspection and analysis, Old Liu looked up at Xu Chuan and said, “Professor Xu, if you want to test this model, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until some of the currently running tasks are finished or can be paused, so we can free up the processing power.”

Xu Chuan asked, “How long will that take?”

Old Liu replied, “Is it urgent? If it is, maybe about a day or two. Director Zhou can contact the university to pause the other tasks.”

“If it’s not urgent, then we’ll need about a week. There are quite a few computations running at the moment, and they’ll need some time.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then looked at Zhou Qinglin and asked, “Could I trouble Director Zhou to help coordinate this? I’d like to test it first. If the model can’t be run here, I’ll need to apply for help from the National Supercomputing Center.”

Zhou Qinglin said with a cheerful smile, “No problem. There aren’t any particularly urgent tasks lately anyway. Pausing them for a bit won’t be an issue.”

After Zhou Qinglin applied to the university, the notification and documents to pause other computational tasks came down quickly.

Although some of the researchers whose calculations were in progress complained a little when they received the notice, no one said anything more after hearing that it was Professor Xu who was cutting in line.

After all, it wasn’t as if their calculations were being canceled, just paused for a while.

In the supercomputer center, it took two full days of work to orderly pause and save all the ongoing computational tasks.

Only after all this was handled was Xu Chuan’s mathematical model formally connected to the supercomputer.

Inside the supercomputer center’s control room, Xu Chuan, dressed in a white anti-static suit, watched the staff responsible for the computations busy themselves in front of their computers.

Beside him, Zhou Qinglin and Old Liu stood by, waiting with curiosity.

This was the first time they had ever seen a mathematical model that simulated plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor. If this model could run successfully, it would absolutely be a Nobel Prize-level achievement for the field of physics!

“All current computational tasks in the supercomputer center have been suspended. The supercomputer is operating normally at present. We can begin the experiment at any time.”

In the control room, after a period of busyness, a staff member reported the supercomputer’s status to Zhou Qinglin.

Hearing this, Zhou Qinglin glanced at Xu Chuan, who smiled and said, “Director Zhou, you can take the lead. I don’t know anything about this aspect.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qinglin nodded, then turned and gave the order, “Begin the test.”

With the command given, the massive supercomputer center began to operate.

After pausing all other tasks, the supercomputer, with its theoretical peak performance of 870 trillion operations per second, dedicated its entire processing power to the task. A secondary copy of the model was transmitted to a pre-allocated authorized account in less than a second.

The staff in the control room swiftly allocated nodes, cores, and other computational resources as required.

The sight of over nine hundred compute nodes and twenty thousand CPU cores working in unison was invisible to the naked eye, but in the microscopic world of zeros and ones, it was an immensely powerful torrent, one that had been invincible against any opponent it had faced before.

But today, they met a true opponent.

The plasma turbulence model, composed of mathematical formulas and operational rules, was fed simulation parameters and rapidly broke down into tens, or even hundreds, of billions of micro-turbulence unit structures.

With the combined support of the supercomputer and the model, these turbulence structures quickly evolved to form a computational rule set resembling a donut, which began to run slowly within the supercomputer, simulating the plasma flow in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Watching the jumping images and data on the screen, Old Liu, who was in charge of managing processing power, couldn’t help but shake his head.

Just as he had predicted, the supercomputer at Nanjing University’s supercomputer center really couldn’t handle this model.

The initial run was fine; the center’s processing power was sufficient. But as the simulation started and realistic parameters were entered as required, the data output became sluggish.

This meant that the supercomputer would need a much longer time to complete the model’s operations and calculations.

Although it could, with great difficulty, produce a result, everyone in the control room knew that this was meaningless for a mathematical model that required real-time control.

Turning his head, Old Liu glanced at Xu Chuan and sighed, “This model of yours is too complex. It has too many turbulence calculations. In this country, perhaps only the top ten national-level computing centers could test it perfectly.”

Xu Chuan stared at the screen and replied while looking at the data, “Let’s just watch for now. We can treat it as data collection.”

Old Liu shook his head and said, “I suppose that’s all we can do.”

In the control room, Zhou Qinglin looked at the computational data on the screen and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

The computational performance of Nanjing University’s supercomputer center was, if not top three, at least in the top five among all universities in the country, yet it couldn’t handle a single mathematical model.

How was this Professor Xu’s brain wired to be able to create such a model?

Shaking his head, he looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “If such a complex model were to be truly applied to controlled nuclear fusion, wouldn’t it require a dedicated large-scale supercomputer center to be built just for it?”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Why not? As long as it’s correct.”

Zhou Qinglin was just about to say that this would be too much of a waste of funds, given that building a supercomputer center starts at over a billion yuan.

But then he immediately remembered that this was for controlled nuclear fusion. If it really worked, building a dedicated supercomputer center to serve it seemed quite normal, didn’t it?

Chapter 305: The Exploding Controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Testing and verification of the plasma turbulence model were still underway.

Even though the supercomputer center at Nanjing University couldn’t perfectly compute this model, testing was still possible, albeit with delayed data output.

For Xu Chuan, this was enough.

His plan was to get the first batch of test data, then analyze, adjust, and optimize the model before applying for time on a national-level supercomputer for a second round of verification and testing.

Mathematical models, especially for plasma turbulence, weren’t easy to perfect. They required countless rounds of computation and optimization.

And after the supercomputer verification was complete, he still had to find a way to test the model in a real-world scenario.

After all, supercomputer verification was just a simulation. No one knew how it would perform when actually applied to a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Frankly, using an experimental pile to verify his model was also a tricky matter.

If he looked for one in the country, there was strictly only one experimental pile qualified for model verification; the ones at other research institutes and laboratories were almost all insufficient.

If he looked abroad? Which foreign lab would agree?

Modifying the control model and algorithms of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was no small matter.

If anything went wrong, the first wall could suffer immense damage and loss.

While Xu Chuan was grappling with the problem of future testing, on the other side of the sea, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, near the capital of Edo…

This was the home of Japan’s QST Fusion Research Institute, which housed the JT-60SA, an experimental controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

The JT-60SA was an upgrade of the JT-60 (Japan Torus-60), previously operated by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). It began service in 1985 and, after multiple modifications, was now the largest Tokamak device in Japan.

Inside the QST Fusion Research Institute, a group of researchers and mathematicians was busily at work in the laboratory.

Nearly two months ago, the capital had sent them a set of documents. To the surprise of the QST Fusion Research Institute, these documents were related to the modeling of plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

Although they didn’t know where the documents came from, after studying them, they discovered that they presented a very high probability of successfully creating a mathematical model to control plasma turbulence.

Once this was confirmed, the QST Fusion Research Institute immediately launched a comprehensive research effort. Not only that, but Edo headquarters also provided them with top-tier mathematicians and modeling researchers to help advance their work.

For resource-scarce Japan, nuclear fusion energy would help reduce, or even eliminate, their dependence on foreign energy.

Currently, about three-quarters of Japan’s electricity came from thermal power generation, and the natural gas and other fuels used were almost entirely imported. Under the influence of the international situation and other factors, global energy prices were rising, leading to a sharp increase in the country’s energy import costs and a significant hike in electricity prices.

This situation compelled them to increase investment in other energy development strategies and accelerate technological research to achieve energy self-sufficiency.

Among these strategies was controlled nuclear fusion technology.

After all, this technology held immense potential to solve the energy problem. If they succeeded, Japan would leap to become one of the world’s foremost powers.

Though they had no nuclear weapons, no standing army, and even had United States troops stationed on their soil, they could convert their mature nuclear power plant technology into nuclear weapons whenever they wished.

And as for an army, they had no shortage of people; citizens with sublime faith in the Emperor were ready to fight to the death for their country at any time.

Now that they saw a glimmer of hope for solving controlled nuclear fusion, how could they not be excited and work tirelessly?

“Welcome, Minister Nakano, to the QST Fusion Research Institute to guide our work.”

Outside the QST Fusion Research Institute, a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out of a Toyota. At the entrance, the director of the QST Fusion Research Institute, who had been waiting, hurried forward to greet him.

Nakano Takuma nodded in acknowledgment before asking, “How is your research on those documents coming along? Is the mathematical model you’ve built functioning properly?”

Go Rintaro, the director of the QST Fusion Research Institute, replied respectfully, “The control model for plasma turbulence has been established and verified using a supercomputer against the phenomenological model. The model is exceptionally good.”

“We are currently modifying the control algorithms for the JT-60SA experimental pile. This process is in its final stages and is scheduled for completion within three days. After that, we will use the new model and algorithms to control the experimental pile.”

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Nakano Takuma’s face. “Well done, Go-kun. It seems we may yet see the day the Empire rises again! I will commend you for your achievements after the experiment is complete!”

“Thank you for your high praise, Minister Nakano. It is my duty to contribute to the Empire.” A flicker of delight crossed Go Rintaro’s eyes. With Nakano Takuma’s support, he might finally be able to enter the world of politics.

Three days wasn’t a long time. While Xu Chuan’s own mathematical model verification was still incomplete, the QST Fusion Research Institute was about to begin controlling the JT-60SA experimental pile with the “mathematical model” they had created.

For Japan, the operational launch of a controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile was undoubtedly a major event.

On the day of the experiment, not only officials from the Energy Agency but also numerous media reporters were in attendance.

In the crowd, Go Rintaro had specially slicked his hair back, revealing his high forehead. He was all smiles, looking refreshed and full of vigor.

Based on the supercomputer simulations of the mathematical model for plasma turbulence control, the results were undoubtedly beautiful.

The phenomenological model’s control over plasma turbulence was nearly perfect. Both the Bremsstrahlung radiation power and the energy loss power from heat conduction and particle escape were almost at the ideal standard under this control model.

What did this mean?

It meant they could perfectly control the plasma turbulence within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber!

It meant that if their experiment succeeded today, the Empire’s controlled nuclear fusion technology would be at the forefront of the world!

It meant that he would be the Empire’s greatest hero. A glorious tomorrow and a brilliant future were all beckoning to him!

Under the gaze of countless people and cameras, Go Rintaro’s face grew increasingly flushed.

“Report! Preparations are complete. Ready to start the experiment at any time.” A staff member jogged over from the control room and reported loudly.

Go Rintaro nodded, turning to the cameras and spectators behind him with a proud expression. He spoke excitedly, “Everyone, I am very pleased to witness the start of this experiment with you today. This is my honor, and the glory of the Empire!”

“Begin the experiment!”

“Roger!”

“Roger!”

“…”

A series of acknowledgments echoed through the control room.

With confirmation, the JT-60SA controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile at the QST Fusion Research Institute began to slowly power up. As the Deuterium-Tritium fusion fuel was injected into the reaction chamber, the JT-60SA’s ignition system activated, heating the fuel into a plasma state.

Immediately, the control model for plasma turbulence, supported by the supercomputer, began to operate, directing the orderly movement of the plasma in the chamber.

The temperature inside the reaction chamber began to climb.

For the first test, the QST Fusion Research Institute followed experimental protocols and injected only a minute amount of Deuterium-Tritium fuel. The feedback data showed, without a doubt, that the Deuterium-Tritium plasma was confined almost perfectly within the chamber.

After confirming the results, the control room erupted in excitement!

The preliminary micro-test was a success! All that remained was to increase the amount of fuel to achieve a normal fusion reaction!

“Increase the Deuterium-Tritium fuel!” Go Rintaro ordered without hesitation.

“Roger! Injecting Deuterium-Tritium fuel now!” The staff member who received the order immediately carried it out, injecting the prepared Deuterium-Tritium fuel into the chamber.

“If this succeeds, the Empire will become the biggest winner on the path to controlled nuclear fusion! And he will win endless glory and wealth!”

Go Rintaro clenched his fists tightly, his eyes fixed on the project displays in the control room. It would definitely go smoothly!

Just as he was fantasizing about his future life, he suddenly heard the startled cries of other staff members!

“Superconducting magnetic control system has failed! The plasma has lost confinement! The first wall material is being bombarded by plasma and is severely damaged!”

“Not good, the plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber is spiraling out of control!”

“…”

At the same time, countless alarms in the control room began to shriek, the cacophony of sound weaving together, instantly stunning Go Rintaro.

He rushed to the monitoring console, staring at the data on the screen. “What’s going on!” he demanded. “Why did the superconducting magnetic control fail all of a sudden?”

“We don’t know! The plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber suddenly exceeded our control! Our control system can no longer manage the high-temperature plasma!” a staff member quickly replied.

“Stop the experiment! Stop it immediately—”

Go Rintaro issued the order decisively, but it was too late.

With the continued heating from the ignition and heating antenna, the plasma turbulence in the chamber rapidly spun out of control. The external magnetic field could no longer contain the plasma within.

And the JT-60SA’s experimental reactor chamber could not withstand such immense pressure. The violent plasma, like a miniature hydrogen bomb, instantly burst through the entire reactor, creating a fierce explosion.

Go Rintaro hadn’t even finished his sentence when a violent tremor came from beneath his feet, immediately followed by a deafening roar.

At the monitoring console, Go Rintaro’s face was ashen. Through the surveillance video, he clearly witnessed the moment of the explosion.

Although the image flickered and vanished, it was still clear enough to show a dazzling fireball expanding within the reaction chamber that housed the reactor!

The temperature of tens of millions of degrees, mixed with a powerful shockwave and reactor debris, raged uncontrollably inside the reaction chamber, destroying everything that could be destroyed, including the monitor, which went black.

In the control room, there was dead silence. No one could believe this outcome.

Their core fusion reactor, the JT-60SA, had exploded.

Chapter 306: Another Nobel Prize-Level Achievement

News of the major accident during an experiment at the QST Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute’s core fusion pile, JT-60SA, was impossible to contain.

Very quickly, the information spread through the media and the internet.

In China, after the relevant news was reposted by the media, it shot to the top of the trending charts.

【Holy shit, the Japs’ controlled nuclear fusion reactor blew up?】

【Good riddance! A beautiful explosion! Just a bit too weak. It would’ve been perfect if it had covered the entire city of Edo.】

【It really blew up? Beautiful!】

【Hope people got hurt!】

【The price paid for breakthroughs in cutting-edge science should be respected by all, not ridiculed!】

【Well, well, well, look who it is, the enlightened centrist?】

【What good does a tech breakthrough by those little devils do you? Why are you, a dog of a traitor, speaking up for them?】

【Don’t say that. After all, he was never one of us. He’s a Japanese mutt, so isn’t it normal for a dog to speak for its master?】

Netizens on the internet were engaged in heated discussion.

For the people of China, the majority were clapping their hands in celebration. After all, due to certain reasons, both sides wished for the other’s demise, for their continent to sink—it was a deep-seated feud.

Of course, there were always some buffoons or enlightened centrists trying to prove how different they were. After all, it takes all sorts to make a world; with a population of one-point-four billion, it was normal to have a few oddballs and contrarians.

However, while these people might have been tolerated in other fields, when it involved a hostile nation with a generations-long feud, they were immediately torn to shreds by the torrent of online comments.

At Nanjing University’s supercomputer center, Xu Chuan, dressed in an anti-static suit, entered the control room.

Nearly a week had passed since he began the verification process, and he was still validating the mathematical model for plasma turbulence.

Nanjing University’s supercomputer was average, not yet at the petaflop level, so analyzing and calculating the tens or hundreds of billions of vortex units required a certain amount of time.

Furthermore, he also had to insert various simulation values, such as the injection of Deuterium-Tritium fuel, interference from heating antennas, and the first wall cooling cycle, which further increased the computational load.

Fortunately, the first round of verification was almost complete and should be finished today.

Once he had the test data, he could further optimize the model, which would significantly reduce the performance demands on the supercomputer.

Inside the control room, a few staff members were chatting idly. After all, the supercomputer didn’t require constant high-level attention; they just needed to monitor the feedback codes during computation.

“Did you hear? The Japs’ controlled nuclear fusion reactor blew up.”

“Yeah, it happened yesterday. It was a nasty explosion. The superconducting magnetic control system lost control, causing the plasma turbulence to expand. Pretty much the entire reactor was destroyed.”

“Tsk tsk, I’m more curious about how much money it costs to build one of these experimental fusion piles.”

“At least ten billion RMB, I’d say. And the one that blew up was the JT-60SA fusion pile, their biggest one. It’s been running for twenty or thirty years and has been upgraded many times.”

“Are controlled nuclear fusion reactors that dangerous? I thought they were supposed to be safe. Even if an accident happens, the destructive force shouldn’t be that great, right?”

“Who knows? My friend said it was a total mess, anyway.”

“Do you guys think it could be a problem with the mathematical control model or something? The magnetic control system suddenly failing—that sounds like it’s related to the mathematical model, doesn’t it?”

“Isn’t our Professor Xu testing exactly that right now? Could his have problems too?”

In the control room, Xu Chuan overheard the staff’s conversation and asked curiously, “You were just saying that Japan’s JT-60SA controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile blew up? There was an accident?”

“Professor Xu.”

“Professor Xu, you’re here.”

“…”

Hearing his voice, the staff members jumped and turned around quickly, greeting him one after another with embarrassed looks. They had just been discussing whether his mathematical model might also have problems, and now they had run into the man himself.

Xu Chuan waved his hand, not minding it, and continued to ask, “The island nation’s nuclear fusion experiment had an accident?”

Hearing this, a staff member nodded quickly and replied, “Yes, yesterday, the core fusion pile JT-60SA at the QST Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute had a major safety accident. We heard that the magnetic control system suddenly failed, causing the ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber to erupt, destroying the entire fusion pile.”

Xu Chuan rubbed his chin and replied with a smile, “Thanks. You can all get back to your work.”

With that, he walked toward his temporary workstation, pulling out his phone to search for related information.

Looking at the news reports on his phone, a hint of a smile appeared in Xu Chuan’s eyes. “Interesting. It seems the people from the island nation swiped those manuscripts from my office. They walked right into a huge trap this time.”

He knew about the QST Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute’s core fusion pile, JT-60SA.

It was the island nation’s largest experimental fusion pile, which entered service in 1985. After multiple modifications, the investment in it was at least several tens of billions of RMB.

Now that it had exploded, although he didn’t know the specifics, at least several billion were gone for sure.

It was even possible that the entire core area was now scrap. After all, a device like a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was incredibly precise.

If the core was gone, the loss would be truly catastrophic.

Two months was enough time for them to understand the scratch paper and develop a targeted mathematical model.

But modeling plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was not that easy.

Never mind a thief trying to copy it; even he, the original creator, was still testing the phenomenological model. It was anyone’s guess how long it would take before it could be applied to an actual experimental fusion pile for practical testing.

Before applying it to a controlled fusion reactor, he still needed to conduct further tests and optimize the mathematical model.

After that, he would have to find a way to obtain detailed operational data of the plasma turbulence inside a fusion pile, which was another major hurdle.

After all, current observations of plasma turbulence inside controlled fusion reactors were almost all generalized and phenomenological; there was no precise observational data.

And after obtaining precise data, the model would need to be optimized again, then validated with a supercomputer, before it could finally be used in an actual fusion pile.

There were still four or five steps to go, yet Japan had skipped them all. At most, they ran a verification on a supercomputer. Add that to the trap he had laid in the scratch paper—they were asking for it.

The explosion of JT-60SA, their largest experimental fusion pile, was a catastrophic loss.

But to this, Xu Chuan only had one thing to say: “Serves them right! That’s what you get for being thieves!”

After getting the test data he needed from the supercomputer center, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing University.

The initial validation was complete. The next step was to use this test data to optimize the mathematical model for plasma turbulence.

However, this was a major undertaking that he couldn’t finish alone for the time being. He would have to wait until Peng Hongxi had recruited enough personnel and the site for the controlled nuclear fusion engineering project was finalized before tackling it.

As for now, he had something else to do.

Compile the Dalitz plot for the sterile neutrino!

With the combined support of the physics teams from Nanjing University and Jiaotong University, the data analysis for the sterile neutrino had long been completed. He had just been busy modeling the plasma turbulence and hadn’t had time for it.

Now that the numerical control model for plasma turbulence had reached a temporary stopping point, it was time for him to wrap up the data analysis for the sterile neutrino.

After all, this was a particle related to dark matter and dark energy. If its existence were completely confirmed, it would undoubtedly be a world-shaking achievement.

In his office at Nanjing University, Xu Chuan turned on his computer, took out the analysis data Chen Zhengping had sent over, and began to create the Dalitz plot for the sterile neutrino.

Just as he opened the plotting tool, his gaze fell on Amelia, who was studying in the office.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Amelia, I remember you studied mathematical physics before.”

Amelia, who had been engrossed in a problem, looked up at the sound of his voice. “Yes, what is it, Professor?”

Xu Chuan said, “Come over here. You can plot the Dalitz plot for the sterile neutrino in my place. In the process, I’ll teach you some methods for using mathematics to calculate the properties of physical particles. You can follow me to learn some things about mathematical physics from now on.”

“As for how much you learn, that will be up to you.”

Hearing this, Amelia’s eyes lit up. She quickly stood up and walked over. “I’ll work hard, Professor!”

Xu Chuan nodded. To be honest, for his two students, Amelia and Gu Bing, he had only fulfilled the duties of an ordinary advisor.

Although he could teach them some mathematical knowledge and concepts in their daily studies, his two students had not actually come into contact with or learned his true core expertise.

For example, using mathematics to study physics, using mathematical methods to calculate the properties and parameters of physical particles—this was something he had developed during his experiments at CERN.

He had used this method to solve the Proton Radius Puzzle and to find the phenomenon of Yukawa coupling between the Higgs boson and the third-generation heavy quark.

For the field of high-energy physics, this technique was undoubtedly extremely important.

But to this day, very few people understood this method.

Even though he had used this method to gain the support of the CERN Council a few years ago, in exchange for China joining CERN as a member country, still, not many people could grasp this set of theories and concepts.

On the one hand, without his personal guidance as the creator, it was difficult to get started quickly even with some of his research papers.

After all, learning with an advisor’s guidance and self-studying without one were two completely different concepts.

On the other hand, this calculation method required deep knowledge of both mathematics and physics. There were truly not many scholars in the fields of mathematics and physics today who possessed such能力.

So, after some consideration, Xu Chuan felt he could teach this mathematical method to Amelia. After all, they had a student-teacher relationship, so he ought to provide some guidance.

Moreover, Amelia was indeed well-suited for it. Her talent in both mathematical and physical was excellent. Perhaps she could forge her own path in this field in the future.

On the other side, Gu Bing looked at his advisor with longing eyes. He wanted to learn too!

Noticing his other student’s gaze, Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head, saying, “This path isn’t suitable for you. You should continue to walk the path of mathematics.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “When I have time, I’ll think carefully and see if there’s something suitable for you.”

After all, both were his students. He had to be fair to both; he couldn’t favor one over the other.

Although Gu Bing’s talent was not as good as Amelia’s, it wasn’t impossible for him to solve some difficult problems if he continued to delve deeper into mathematics.

Hearing this, Gu Bing nodded vigorously, his face full of anticipation.

Although he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t learn mathematical physics from Xu Chuan, he was also well aware that his own talent was far inferior to Amelia’s.

He already found it strenuous to learn the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool” from Xu Chuan, whereas Amelia handled it with ease.

Even when they worked together on the mathematical problem for their graduation thesis, the “Bloch Conjecture,” Amelia contributed more.

In the office, Xu Chuan guided Amelia in plotting the Dalitz plot, incorporating knowledge from the fields of high-energy physics and particle physics into his teaching along the way.

Learning mathematical physics from him was not something that could be accomplished in a short time; it would take at least three to five years to master this discipline.

Nearly a week passed just like that. Under Xu Chuan’s guidance, Amelia stumblingly completed the second plotting of the sterile neutrino Dalitz plot, officially crossing over from the path of pure mathematics to mathematical physics.

Xu Chuan checked the complete Dalitz plot and, after confirming there were no issues, saved it.

The second plotting of the sterile neutrino’s Dalitz plot, with its several new, distinct verification points, was enough to raise the confidence level of the sterile neutrino by a large margin.

He calculated that with one more round of data analysis, they should be able to raise the confidence level of the sterile neutrino to 5-sigma.

According to CERN’s plan, the second full-scale collision experiment was scheduled for September. Looking at the time, it should be almost complete now, as it was already mid-to-late September.

At the end of September, the data from the second collision experiment for the sterile neutrino observation was transmitted from CERN.

This time, Xu Chuan had the time to join the teams from Nanjing University and Jiaotong University in the raw data analysis work.

With his participation, the efficiency of the data analysis kicked into overdrive.

“Senior Qi, are you done on your end yet?”

Late at night, in a brightly lit floor of the School of Physics building at Nanjing University, Lin Feng, who had returned to China in 2018, put down his mouse, stretched lazily, and called out to the other side of the office.

“Give me about ten minutes. I should be able to wrap it up.”

On the other side, Qi Xishao replied without looking up, continuing to tap away at his keyboard and mouse.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Qi Xishao finally stood up, let out a long breath, and looked at Lin Feng, who was playing on his phone. “Finally done. Want to go out for a late-night snack?”

Lin Feng shook his head, looking exhausted. “No thanks, I’d rather go back to sleep. Ever since that junior of ours showed up, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep. Now that it’s done, I need to catch up on sleep, or I’ll die from overwork sooner or later.”

Qi Xishao chuckled. “Indeed. I was never this tired back at CERN. After he showed up, the competitiveness went through the roof.”

“Starting at eight in the morning and not finishing until ten at night—working twelve or thirteen hours a day, and on mentally taxing work like data analysis, at that. A real iron-clad robot couldn’t handle it.”

Lin Feng shook his head, feeling groggy. He had practically been sacrificing his life to rush through the data analysis assigned to him.

That junior of theirs was inhuman, taking advantage of his youth to torment them, a bunch of old comrades in their thirties.

Sigh, once you hit thirty, your body isn’t your own anymore. Time to start soaking goji berries in the Thermos.

But fortunately, the data analysis was finished. With that junior’s efficiency, he imagined the discovery of the sterile neutrino would be announced soon.

A particle related to dark matter and dark energy—it was, without a doubt, a Nobel Prize-level discovery.

He just wondered how the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences would choose this time. After all, in history, there have been scientists who have won the Nobel Prize twice.

Marie Curie, Professor Linus Pauling, Professor John Bardeen, and others had all received the Nobel Prize twice, but none were as young as their junior.

But who was to say the Nobel committee wouldn’t make an exception again? It wasn’t impossible.

Chapter 307: A New Epic and Glory!

In fact, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was also having a headache over this year’s Nobel Prize.

Of course, their headache wasn’t about the discovery of the sterile neutrino.

Instead, it was about the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” technology.

After all, the sterile neutrino had not yet been fully confirmed. Even if CERN’s inference that Xu Chuan’s success had reached a 3-sigma confidence level was correct, it was still just a “discovery.”

In the field of high-energy physics, the confirmation of a new particle or phenomenon requires a significance of at least 5-sigma to be considered a real existence.

This strict requirement exists because high-energy physics is one of the foundations upon which all of physics is built. The countless particles and phenomena are the fundamental materials that make up our current universe and the foundation of the entire edifice of physics.

If there was a problem with any particle, no matter which one, it could lead to immense turmoil in the field of physics. More seriously, it wasn’t impossible for the entire field of physics to collapse.

Therefore, even if the sterile neutrino had been discovered, it would still require a period of verification.

However, the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” was different. This technology’s scope of application was nuclear waste.

For countries all over the world, nearly every nation capable of building a nuclear power plant was struggling with the problem of nuclear waste.

Nuclear fuel can be used to generate electricity and benefit humanity, but nuclear waste is extremely difficult to dispose of. Improper handling could lead to major problems for Earth’s ecosystem.

Despite the countless stars in the vast sea of the cosmos, Earth remains humanity’s only home for now.

Therefore, any country with even a bit of foresight would not handle nuclear waste recklessly.

And this “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” technology, even though it currently only existed in China, still benefited every country in the world and all of humanity.

For the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, when considering whether a new technology or discovery met the selection criteria for the Nobel Prize, “benefiting humanity” was undoubtedly one of the standards—and a very heavily weighted one at that.

After all, Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prize to reward scientists who had made significant contributions and advancements for humanity in the preceding year.

Did this nuclear waste reprocessing technology qualify?

Absolutely!

If a technology of this caliber wasn’t qualified for the Nobel Prize, then other technologies would be even less so.

But… not only was the owner of this technology, Professor Xu, extremely young, he had also just taken home the Nobel Prize in Physics from Stockholm last year.

Although the Nobel Prize had been awarded to the same person twice before, awarding it to the same individual in two consecutive years was unprecedented in history.

Even Marie Curie, a two-time Nobel laureate, received her awards in 1903 and 1911, with nearly a decade in between.

Because of this, the members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ Nobel Prize in Physics Selection Committee felt like their heads were about to explode.

Last year, they had argued fiercely over this incredibly young scholar. Were they going to go through it all again this year?

A massive headache.

Meanwhile, at Nanjing University.

In an office in the School of Physics, Xu Chuan and the Nanjing University physics team were putting the finishing touches on the mathematical analysis of the second batch of sterile neutrino data.

“It’s finally done!” In front of his computer, Lin Feng interlaced his fingers and stretched, then turned his head to shout to the other side of the room, “Junior, the data for constructing the Dalitz plot has been sent to your email.”

Xu Chuan glanced at his screen and replied, “Got it. Thanks for your hard work, Senior Lin.”

Lin Feng complained, “You young people are ruthless. Using your good constitution to outlast us old comrades in our thirties.”

Hearing this, the other researchers, doctoral students, and postdocs in the office all joined in the mock complaining.

“Exactly!”

“God Chuan’s discovery of the sterile neutrino has to win him another Nobel Prize, right?”

“Doesn’t that call for a celebratory meal?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll treat you all to a big dinner tonight. You can pick the place and order whatever you want. If the sterile neutrino is confirmed, I’ll give you all a bonus. You’ve all worked really hard during this time.”

“Ura!”

“God Chuan is so generous!”

“Thanks, boss! The boss is so generous!”

…

The office erupted in cheers. Xu Chuan smiled and continued organizing the data to create the Dalitz plot.

These people had indeed worked hard. A task originally projected to take twenty days was completed in just one week after he joined and drove the pace. Treating them to a meal and giving them red envelopes was only right; after all, they were working for him.

After finishing the data analysis of the second batch of sterile neutrino collision experiments, Xu Chuan integrated the first and second batches of data, double-checked everything carefully, and once he confirmed there were no issues, he emailed it to CERN.

Before long, a reply from CERN arrived.

From: David Gross. “Email received. Thank you for your support of CERN’s work, Professor Xu. We will first arrange for researchers to check and verify the calculations. If we encounter any problems, we will contact you immediately. If the confidence level of the sterile neutrino is confirmed to be above 5-sigma, CERN will announce this news at the earliest opportunity.”

Since Xu Chuan was not at CERN and couldn’t give a conference presentation there, the processing of the sterile neutrino data had to be confirmed in this manner.

Of course, this wouldn’t take very long.

CERN is the holy land of the physics world. Over seventy percent of the achievements in high-energy physics originate from here, and there were countless famous theoretical physicists who could verify the Dalitz plot Xu Chuan had created.

This process took five days.

On the morning of the sixth day after receiving the reply from CERN’s Director, Professor David Gross, the man who was also Xu Chuan’s advisor’s advisor gave him a call.

“Hello, Xu. I hope I’m not disturbing your research,” David Gross’s cheerful voice greeted Xu Chuan over the phone.

“I’m very happy to receive your call, Director Gross,” Xu Chuan replied with a smile.

“Haha, of course! This is definitely something to be happy about.”

Gross laughed. “After verification by CERN, we have confirmed the existence of a new particle in ‘the collision data at 120 micrometers (in the r-phi direction) from the search for antihelium-3 nuclei in the inner tracking system.’”

“And that particle is the sterile neutrino you discovered!”

“Congratulations, Xu! You have found the legendary particle that lies beyond the Standard Model, creating a new, glorious, and grand epic! The entire field of physics will change because of you!”

Hearing this, a brilliant smile spread across Xu Chuan’s face. “That’s fantastic,” he replied.

For the world of physics, physicists tirelessly explore things that lie beyond the Standard Model. Any phenomenon outside the Standard Model receives the utmost attention and research.

And in high-energy and particle physics, neutrino physics is one of the most important research frontiers.

This is because neutrinos provide the only experimental evidence to date that goes beyond the Standard Model of particle physics—neutrino oscillation!

Neutrino oscillation: ‘The spontaneous transformation of one type of neutrino into another during its flight, such as an electron neutrino changing into a muon neutrino or a tau neutrino.’

Neutrino oscillation indicates that neutrinos have a tiny mass. It was, or rather, it used to be, the only phenomenon beyond the Standard Model that human scientists could observe.

It once nearly caused the edifice of physics to collapse, but fortunately, physicists eventually solved this major problem.

Neutrino oscillation is the only physical phenomenon to date that cannot be explained by the Standard Model, fascinating countless physicists. However, it was only a phenomenon; the physics community had still not found any particle beyond the Standard Model.

Finding a particle that lies beyond the Standard Model remained the dream of all physicists.

And now, it has appeared!

The sterile neutrino!

This particle, hypothesized to be a component of warm dark matter, has appeared in our world for the first time, its real existence now confirmed!

Although the data observed by the physics community may be incomplete for now, limited by outdated observational equipment and revealing only partial information about the sterile neutrino, it is enough.

Even as an incomplete particle, it will still change the entire world of physics and alter humanity’s perception of the universe!

This is physics’ most brilliant glory, the epic that opens a new frontier!

Neutrino oscillation: Proposed in 1958 by Italian physicist Bruno Pontecorvo. If neutrinos do not have zero mass, then neutrinos of different flavors can convert into each other, i.e., oscillate.

The so-called neutrino oscillation does not mean that a neutrino changes from one flavor to another during its propagation.

Rather, it means that when a neutrino is observed after propagating for a certain time (or distance), there is a certain probability that it will manifest as a flavor different from its initial state. A neutrino that starts in a specific flavor eigenstate does not transform into another flavor eigenstate during its motion.

This point is easy to understand. In neutrino mixing theory, the flavor transformation of neutrinos occurs because flavor eigenstates are a superposition of mass eigenstates. Different mass eigenstates accumulate phase at different rates as the neutrino moves. This causes the neutrino’s state to not always be orthogonal to other flavor eigenstates, so when observed, there is a non-zero probability of it appearing in a flavor eigenstate different from its initial one.

This is the correct theory of neutrino oscillation.

It’s not that a neutrino simply changes into another type as it flies.

Chapter 308: The Particle That Shatters the Standard Model!

“Xu, this time, could you come to CERN and participate in the press conference with us?”

Over the phone, David Gross extended a solemn invitation. “CERN will be publicly announcing this great discovery. You are the discoverer of the sterile neutrino and the architect of its related theory. Your absence from this press conference would be the greatest of regrets.”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head, politely declining, “I’m very sorry, Director Gross, but for some personal reasons, I’m afraid I won’t be able to travel to CERN for this press conference. I regret missing such an opportunity.”

CERN was located in Geneva, Switzerland. For now, Switzerland had a good reputation as a permanently neutral country, which seemed quite safe on the surface.

But Xu Chuan knew what sort of games Switzerland would play in the future.

The idea of a permanently neutral country was nothing but a joke, something that could be revoked and rescinded at any time.

Given his current situation, it wasn’t impossible for him to go abroad, as long as it wasn’t to the United States or a few other countries like Canada. But it would be a major hassle. He would have to communicate with the higher-ups and make plans in advance.

For a mere press conference, it was best to forget it. It wasn’t worth troubling the nation to provide him with protection.

Besides, even if he didn’t go, who could deny that he was the discoverer of the sterile neutrino?

No one could.

What was called a “regret,” upon closer inspection, was merely something dispensable to him.

This time, Xu Chuan didn’t try to persuade Gross to hold the press conference in China either, because it wasn’t very realistic.

The last time, holding the announcement for the sterile neutrino at a 3-sigma confidence level in China was already a huge show of respect. This time, its complete confirmation was achieved using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, the LHC. The people at CERN wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

This was not only Xu Chuan’s honor, but theirs as well.

On the other hand, with the discovery of the sterile neutrino, CERN now had the capital to request more research funding from various countries and to plan upgrades for the Large Hadron Collider.

This was good news for physicists all over the world.

A more powerful particle collider would help discover more unknown phenomena and particles, aiding scientists in learning more about the universe and its fundamental truths.

If it could help the entire field of physics advance, Xu Chuan didn’t really mind where this, for him, dispensable press conference was held.

“That’s a real shame. If you can’t attend the conference presentation, it won’t be perfect, no matter how grand we make it,” David Gross said, shaking his head.

After a pause, he continued, “If you can’t make it, could you at least send a representative? They could answer some questions in your place.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “That’s not a problem. I can arrange for someone to make the trip.”

Gross replied, “That would be for the best. Also, regarding a diagram of the sterile neutrino, or a picture for public viewing, do you have any good ideas or suggestions? CERN can work with you to create this historically significant image.”

Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback. “I actually do have some thoughts on that. I’ll organize them and email them to you later.”

Gross laughed. “Then I’ll wait for your message.”

In mid-October, at the European Nuclear Research Center in Geneva, Switzerland, media reporters from all over the world gathered by invitation.

Getting out of a taxi, Chen Zhengping, who was attending the press conference in place of his student, gazed at the statue of Shiva standing before CERN’s main building.

The existence of the sterile neutrino had been confirmed, with a confidence level reaching 5.2 sigma.

The news swept across the entire world like a Martian dust storm.

Although he had been mentally prepared from when he was performing data analysis for Xu Chuan, he still couldn’t help but feel his heart surge with emotion when the news finally came.

A particle that existed beyond the Standard Model, a particle that might connect the mysterious dark matter and dark energy, a particle that opened up the future of physics.

Without much trouble or excessive research, it had been found and its existence confirmed so nonchalantly by that student of his.

The entire process had been so smooth it was almost unbelievable.

“My old friend, welcome. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

In front of the main building, an old man with a full white beard enthusiastically opened his arms and gave Chen Zhengping a hug.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Chen Zhengping said with a smile, returning the embrace of his friend. The man before him was Professor François Englert, a winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Back then, the greatest discovery in the field of physics was undoubtedly the confirmation of the Higgs boson, and François Englert and Peter Higgs were the ones who had predicted its existence.

Englert smiled like Santa Claus and asked, “And what about that student of yours, Professor Xu Chuan? Didn’t he come with you?”

Chen Zhengping shook his head. “He had some last-minute business to attend to. I’m afraid he won’t be able to make it to this press conference.”

Englert paused, then said with regret, “That’s such a pity. The discovery and confirmation of the sterile neutrino were both his achievements, yet he didn’t come to the press conference. What a shame. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him.”

Chen Zhengping smiled. “It is a bit of a shame, but to him, a press conference isn’t a big deal. As for asking questions, perhaps you could make a trip to China?”

Englert stroked his beard, contemplated for a moment, and then sighed. “Perhaps it’s just as you say. To him, this is nothing. The discovery of the sterile neutrino is just one treasure from his vast trove.”

“Mathematics, physics, materials science, astronomy… Every one of his achievements can be called great, enough to occupy an ordinary scholar for a lifetime of research.”

He paused, then added with a smile, “Perhaps I should consider your suggestion and go to China to have a chat with him. The appearance of the sterile neutrino has shown the entire field of physics that the future is no longer confined to the Standard Model.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping also felt a wave of emotion.

This student of his was indeed a bit too much of a prodigy.

Not only did he produce different achievements in different fields every year, but the key was that these achievements—the Seven Millennium Prize Problems in mathematics, the Nobel Prize-level work in physics, the artificial SEI film in materials science, the calculation method in the field of astronomy, the reprocessing of nuclear waste in the field of nuclear energy—were each epic in their own right.

Beneath the main building of CERN in Geneva.

The world’s media had gathered here. All kinds of cameras and reporters had packed the open square in front of the building to the brim.

Every reporter was pushing forward, trying to be the first one in, trying to secure the most advantageous position. No matter how loudly the staff responsible for maintaining order shouted, it was useless.

Inside the main hall for the press conference, Chen Zhengping, dressed in a suit, watched the crowded throng outside.

Out there were not only media reporters from all over the world but also many ordinary people interested in the sterile neutrino, or rather, in dark matter and dark energy, who were also pushing madly to get inside.

To be honest, such a scene was a rarity in the world of physics.

After all, cutting-edge physics was too far removed from the lives of ordinary people. For most, achievements in advanced physics were, at best, something they would only vaguely recognize.

Looking at the frenzied crowd, Chen Zhengping was even a little worried they would break down the main doors of the building.

Fortunately, the press conference began soon after.

At Nanjing University, Xu Chuan was crouched in his office, watching the live broadcast shot by CTV on his computer. On the other side of the office, his two students were also watching the conference, each on their own phone.

No country would miss an achievement of this magnitude, especially a new particle that shattered the Standard Model and was related to dark matter.

At ten o’clock sharp, the press conference on the sterile neutrino began on time.

David Gross, the chairman of the CERN Council, walked onto the lectern dressed in a suit.

“First, I’d like to welcome our friends from the media who have come from afar, and the members of the audience who are interested in this press conference. I am David Gross, the council chairman of the CERN Council.”

“I will be hosting today’s press conference.”

Before David Gross could finish, another voice rose from below the stage.

“Chairman Gross, may I ask if Professor Xu Chuan is here? Will he be taking the stage today to explain his theoretical discovery?” a reporter shouted from the audience.

This wasn’t David Gross’s first time hosting a CERN press conference, and he handled such situations with ease.

“I’m very sorry, but due to some personal reasons, Professor Xu could not be here in person to attend this press conference.”

“However, he has given CERN his full authorization. We will be providing a detailed introduction to the various data related to the sterile neutrino. As for questions after the report is complete, they will be answered by the representative arranged by Professor Xu, Academician Chen Zhengping.”

Having CERN present the results of the sterile neutrino discovery and its related physical properties, with Chen Zhengping answering questions from the media on Xu Chuan’s behalf, was the decision reached after discussions between Xu Chuan and CERN.

Taking about half an hour, David Gross gave a detailed report on the discovery of the sterile neutrino. He also showed the media the relevant Dalitz plot and a diagram of the “sterile neutrino” that CERN had created based on Xu Chuan’s ideas.

This sterile neutrino diagram was very interesting; it was different from other particle structure diagrams CERN had shown in the past.

It was only half-visible, with the other side hidden against the backdrop of the dark universe.

This represented that humanity could currently only observe a portion of the sterile neutrino’s information, while the rest remained an unsolved mystery for the world of physics.

Whether its unobservable part connected to dark matter and dark energy, or to other cosmic substances, no one knew.

Chapter 309: A New Edifice of Physics

After explaining the information regarding the sterile neutrino, David Gross pushed up his glasses and spoke again. “Next is the standard Q&A session. I’d like to invite Professor Chen Zhengping from China, who will be representing Professor Xu Chuan, to join me in answering everyone’s questions.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping, who was already prepared, took a deep breath, straightened his suit, and walked calmly to the lectern, standing beside David Gross, the council chairman of CERN.

“If you have any questions, you may ask them now.”

The moment his words fell, hands shot up all over the conference hall as if pricked by needles.

“Hello, Professor Gross. Hello, Professor Chen. I’m a reporter from CTV Media. What exactly does this latest discovery of yours signify? Is it related to dark matter? Could you please explain it for the general public?”

Chen Zhengping considered the question for a moment before slowly replying, “The discovery of the sterile neutrino is of great significance, both for the field of physics and for all of humanity.”

“First, it is the first particle we have observed and confirmed that exists beyond the predictions of the Standard Model. Its appearance has broken the Standard Model, telling us that there is more to the universe than just what the model describes—that there are many more unknown things.”

“Secondly, whether it is related to dark matter is currently undetermined.”

“Due to the performance limitations of our observational equipment, our observations of the sterile neutrino have only confirmed its existence and a portion of its properties and information. Another part of its properties remains hidden in a fog of chaos, which we cannot yet confirm.”

“Of course, this is the very reason the field of physics exists: to find mysteries and to solve them. If, one day, our equipment allows us to observe the full picture of the sterile neutrino, perhaps we can finally answer whether it is related to dark matter.”

As he finished, a reporter from the BBC thrust a microphone forward. “Hello, Academician Chen. Why didn’t Professor Xu attend this press conference? Is he researching something new? Could you share any details?”

Chen Zhengping glanced at the reporter. “That’s a question you can ask Professor Xu yourself in China. I do not know. Next.”

At that, another reporter quickly offered their microphone. “Hello, Professor Chen. Will the discovery of the sterile neutrino bring down the current edifice of physics, the Standard Model?”

Chen Zhengping: “No, it won’t. The sterile neutrino is indeed a particle beyond the predictions of the Standard Model, but that doesn’t mean the Standard Model will be overturned.”

“What is more likely is that the physics community will build a new edifice of physics outside the one of the Standard Model, one that can accommodate a much broader reality.”

The instant he finished his answer, another microphone was thrust forward with lightning speed.

“Academician Chen, according to the theory Professor Xu previously published, the sterile neutrino is a component of dark matter. When can we expect to directly observe dark matter and dark energy? And how long would it take to harness these two substances?”

Chen Zhengping mulled it over before responding, “Regarding the relationship between the sterile neutrino and dark matter, I’m more inclined to suggest you consult Professor Xu. He is the true authority in this area, and I cannot answer on his behalf.”

“As for when we can directly observe dark matter and dark energy, that depends on when our observation equipment and colliders can be upgraded to the required standards.”

“And as for harnessing these two substances, I’m afraid that will take at least a century, or possibly even longer.”

The CERN press conference came to an end.

The Q&A session had lasted a full hour.

The news that the sterile neutrino had been confirmed to exist and might be related to dark matter and dark energy quickly dominated the headlines of all major media outlets.

“《CTV Media》: Renowned Chinese scholar Professor Xu confirms the existence of the sterile neutrino, the first-ever particle discovered beyond the predictions of the Standard Model, possibly related to dark matter!”

“《The Wall Street Journal》: A major discovery at CERN—a particle beyond the Standard Model! Our universe is more mysterious than we imagined!”

“《BBC Daily》: Professor Xu Chuan, absent from the press conference, may be conducting research even more mysterious than the sterile neutrino.”

“《The Washington Post》: Warning! China’s latest discovery could destroy the world; the sterile neutrino may open a gateway to an unknown hell.”

“《The New York Times》…”

Whether it was traditional print media or online news, almost every outlet was flooded with terms like ‘CERN,’ ‘sterile neutrino,’ ‘dark matter,’ ‘dark energy,’ and ‘Professor Xu’ after the press conference.

Nearly all media outlets included eye-catching words like “dark matter” or “universe” in their headlines to attract traffic.

And for the general public, dark matter was undoubtedly quite a fascinating topic.

After all, it was exceptionally mysterious, existing only in theory and never having been observed.

Coupled with reports from major media and shares from influential tech bloggers, related news shot up the trending charts at lightning speed.

By the time netizens caught on, the sterile neutrino and dark matter had already claimed the top spots on all major social media platforms.

[Damn, it’s all clickbait! I thought they’d actually discovered dark matter.]

[You think dark matter is that easy to find? This sterile neutrino thing… didn’t they say they only observed half of it? The other half, the part related to dark matter, hasn’t been seen.]

[To find dark matter, the capabilities of our current colliders and detectors would need to be improved by several orders of magnitude, right?]

[Humans searching for dark matter are like a thinking fish at the bottom of the sea trying to understand water. From the fish’s worldview, it might never be able to perceive the existence of water. But we humans, from a god’s-eye view, can see the water. We can even theorize about atoms and the three states of matter—solid, liquid, gas—to unify the world we see. But you can’t explain that to the fish. That’s why we need a four-dimensional perspective to see dark matter.]

[Witnessing history today! A new particle beyond the Standard Model! God Chuan truly is a god! His divine status in physics is now secured.]

[The first multiple-choice question on the political theory section of my graduate school entrance exam this morning was about dark matter. I’d just watched the press conference, so it was perfect. I understood the material really well, just a bit unsure about the answer lol.]

[I don’t get it, so I’ll ask: why would a political theory exam have a question about dark matter?]

[When things don’t add up, blame quantum mechanics. When the mass is not enough, just add dark matter!]

[Lmao, it even rhymes.]

[Dark matter might not even exist. It’s just an issue with the scope of our current theories. It’s like the old concept of aether. To put it bluntly, it’s just a patch scientists made for the theory of relativity.]

[I’ve got nothing more to say except one thing: God Chuan is awesome!]

[…]

As expected, the discovery of the sterile neutrino became the most dazzling research achievement in the field of physics this year.

Setting aside the discussions among netizens, on preprint servers like Arxiv, theories and papers related to the sterile neutrino and dark matter sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The sheer volume was almost unheard of.

Some physicists speculated on and tried to complete the undiscovered properties of the sterile neutrino; others hypothesized about the relationship between the sterile neutrino and dark matter.

Countless physicists—not just graduate and doctoral students, but also physics professors and even big shots in the field—jumped into action, organizing their ideas and uploading them to the Arxiv preprint server.

After all, there’s an unwritten rule in the physics world: “Prestigious awards, like the Nobel Prize, the Wolf Prize in Physics, and so on, are not given to the discoverer of a particle or phenomenon. They are awarded to the one who proposed it.”

For example, when CERN discovered the Higgs boson in 2012/2013, the Nobel Prize was not awarded to CERN, but to Peter Higgs and François Englert, the theorists who had proposed the Higgs boson.

This was despite the fact that the Higgs boson theory was proposed back in the 1960s.

So, even though Xu Chuan discovered the sterile neutrino, his chances of winning a Nobel Prize for it were not one hundred percent. This was because he hadn’t been the one to propose the sterile neutrino; an American physicist had.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible for Xu Chuan to win a Nobel Prize for the discovery of the sterile neutrino.

This was because in the past, although American scientists had proposed the concept of the sterile neutrino, they had not provided detailed data predictions for it.

They couldn’t.

After all, making predictions about an unobservable particle outside the Standard Model was an incredibly difficult task.

This time, however, he was the one who had completed the relevant data.

So, if he could continue to complete the picture of the sterile neutrino in the future, he still had a chance to win another Nobel.

However, for Xu Chuan, the Nobel Prize didn’t hold a great deal of appeal.

Not to mention his previous life, in this life alone, he had already produced several Nobel-level achievements in physics.

Of course, what was not a huge draw for him was an almost infinitely powerful magnet for other physicists.

Moreover, the sterile neutrino was a particle beyond the Standard Model. It was the foundation of a brand new edifice of physics. Its future was not just bright and promising; it could be a whole new world.

Therefore, after the discovery of the sterile neutrino, countless physicists began to “complete” the properties of the sterile neutrino, “speculate” on the properties of dark matter, and place their bets.

After all, anything was possible. What if they bet correctly? In a few decades, they might win a Nobel Prize and have their name go down in history.

However, the odds of correctly betting on a Nobel Prize-winning theory out of the unknown were incredibly high, even harder than winning the lottery’s grand prize.

On one hand, for a new theory—or a prediction about a certain particle—to be accepted by the physics community, it had to at least be logically self-consistent and hold its ground, unable to be disproven.

It was like the string theory and M-theory developed by Edward Witten. Proving them was a distant prospect, perhaps requiring two centuries, three centuries, or even longer.

But similarly, as far as the current physics community was concerned, no one could disprove string theory or M-theory.

This was because they were indeed logically self-consistent, and the theories stood.

From this perspective, the difficulty was immense.

You not only had to understand the particle itself but also be well-versed in various other areas of physics, such as the theory of relativity, Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and so on.

And it couldn’t be a superficial understanding; it had to be an extremely deep one.

Otherwise, when other masters looked at your paper and theory, they would spot the flaws or problems in a flash.

So, the vast majority of those who placed their bets ultimately failed.

Throughout the long history of physics, there had only been one or two such lucky ones.

For instance, Louis-Victor de Broglie, a French theoretical physicist, was the founder of the theory of matter waves and one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics.

De Broglie didn’t initially study physics. He was a rich kid from a wealthy family who studied history.

Later, thanks to his family connections, he got into a good university, had a good advisor, and happened to publish a graduation thesis that was half-guesswork and half-academic, which caught Albert Einstein’s attention and drew widespread interest from academia.

In the end, the physics community discovered he had guessed correctly, and this master just casually picked up a Nobel Prize.

Of course, later in his academic career, de Broglie’s own level of physics was not low.

Even though he hadn’t studied physics initially, after entering the field, he still caught up on his physics knowledge with astonishing speed.

But the “matter wave” concept he proposed during his university years was indeed half-guess and half-luck. His fortune was truly that of a child of destiny.

In contrast to de Broglie, throughout the history of physics, those who proposed famous theories that were later proven correct were almost all physicists who had delved deeply into the subject.

People like Albert Einstein, Bohr, and Planck.

Without a solid foundation of physics knowledge, it was simply impossible to make any correct theories or judgments.

In fields like mathematical physics and other hard sciences, even if a few children of fortune occasionally appeared, in the end, true skill and ability were what mattered.

As for the predictions of the remaining data for the sterile neutrino and the properties and data of dark matter, Xu Chuan naturally wouldn’t miss out on them.

As early as when he had analyzed the 3-sigma confidence level indication of the sterile neutrino, he had already predicted and published the remaining, unobserved data.

After all, this was his own achievement from the future. There was no need to let others take it.

In fact, many of the theories on the Arxiv preprint server now were built upon the predictive theory he had previously published.

After all, in the eyes of many, rather than exhausting themselves trying to create theories of uncertain success, it was better to follow in the footsteps of this master.

The master’s theory was certainly more reliable than their own. By expanding and adding to it, they were essentially standing on the shoulders of a giant to see the world.

The probability of success was definitely higher than just blindly guessing.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention to these opportunists.

In his previous life, research and observation of dark matter had only just begun. He himself didn’t know what lay ahead, let alone others.

If they managed to guess correctly, he would just have to chalk it up to good luck.

Chapter 310: Witten’s Inspiration and a Method for Observing Dark Matter!

The confirmation of the sterile neutrino’s existence made Xu Chuan’s name circulate throughout the field of physics.

Before this, even though he had won the Nobel Prize in Physics, the impression most physicists had of him was still that of a mathematician.

After all, he had initially become famous for his mathematics. His work on various mathematical conjectures and the Seven Millennium Prize Problems had lent him far greater renown in mathematics than in physics.

But from this day forward, the physics community accepted his identity as a physicist.

If a scholar who had opened the door to a new world of physics could not be called a physicist, then no one could.

Over at CERN, research on the sterile neutrino was still ongoing.

After all, the sterile neutrinos observed so far were incomplete.

The Dalitz plot and data that Xu Chuan had organized could only confirm the existence of a new particle within the collision data of antihelium-3 nuclei at 120μm (rφ direction) in the inner tracking system, as well as some related data on the sterile neutrino.

As for how many more of this particle’s parameters lay hidden behind the curtain of the cosmos, no one knew.

Therefore, whether it was physicists, CERN, or even the governments of various nations, everyone was eager to explore the remaining parameters of the “sterile neutrino.”

After all, in Professor Xu’s theory and predictions, the sterile neutrino was the bridge connecting conventional matter and dark matter; it possessed some properties of conventional matter and some of dark matter.

If they could find traces of dark matter on the sterile neutrino, it would be an absolutely massive breakthrough.

To this end, Professor David Gross, the council chairman of CERN, even flew to China specifically to invite Xu Chuan to join the exploratory work.

Accompanying him were Edward Witten and François Englert, two of CERN’s council members.

“Director Gross, Professor Englert, Advisor. Welcome.”

In the office, Xu Chuan smiled and stepped forward to greet them, shaking their hands warmly before turning to Gu Bing, who was studying behind him. “Gu Bing, could you please boil a kettle of water?”

“Xu, are you researching something important lately? You didn’t even have time for the press conference.”

Professor François Englert, who looked a lot like—and when he smiled, even more like—Santa Claus, asked curiously after shaking Xu Chuan’s hand.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I regret not being able to attend the sterile neutrino press conference, but I really can’t get away right now. As for my research…”

He paused, smiled again, and continued, “I am indeed researching some other things recently, but they are confidential, so it’s not convenient to disclose any details.”

François Englert made an exaggerated expression and clapped his hands in annoyance. “You’re terrible. I hate it when people leave me in suspense like this.”

On the other side, Edward Witten’s eyes flickered upon hearing Xu Chuan’s words.

The last time he and Deligne had asked this student of his what he was researching, he had also replied that it was confidential. The result was the emergence of two world-changing achievements: the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” and the “artificial SEI film.”

He didn’t know what his student was researching this time, but he could infer that it was certainly something of great importance.

Of course, he didn’t ask, because he knew he wouldn’t get an answer.

In the office, after some pleasantries, David Gross got straight to the point.

“Xu, the main purpose of our visit today is to invite you to join the follow-up exploration of the sterile neutrino.”

“The sterile neutrino is an unknown particle that you observed, discovered, and confirmed. You understand its properties better than we do, and you also know that a part of it remains hidden in the unknowns of the universe.”

“So, I am here on behalf of CERN to invite you to join the subsequent research and exploration of the sterile neutrino. Let’s work together to pull this particle completely out of the fog!”

The CERN Director looked at Xu Chuan with a fervent gaze, his voice impassioned as he extended the invitation.

For CERN, Xu Chuan was absolutely indispensable. The method he invented for calculating particle parameter information using mathematics was far too important for high-energy physics research.

Although CERN had obtained the relevant research paper through an exchange, unfortunately, not every physicist had a deep understanding of mathematics.

Even though mathematics is an essential path for physics, and cutting-edge physics cannot be separated from it, the two are still distinct disciplines.

Not everyone was an Edward Witten, or the man standing before them, capable of mastering both mathematics and physics.

Furthermore, the method of using mathematics to calculate particle parameter information had an extremely high learning curve. Although CERN had numerous physicists, none of them had fully mastered it.

So they pinned their hopes on its creator, hoping he would join the analysis work to calculate the data for the sterile neutrino and perhaps even dark matter.

After hearing David Gross’s request, Xu Chuan shook his head regretfully. “While continued observation of the sterile neutrino is a very important matter, I’m sorry, Director Gross, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to participate recently.”

Xu Chuan politely declined the request from David Gross and CERN because he knew that with the LHC’s current collision energy level, nothing else could be observed.

Mathematical calculation was not a panacea. Even if it could be perfectly combined with physics to find things that had never been discovered before, it was still built upon some foundational data.

It was just like using the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to analyze distant celestial bodies; it was built on basic observational data such as gravity, luminosity, and size.

Using these fundamental boundary value data, mathematical methods could then be used for optimization and calculation to obtain more stable and precise information.

And right now, with the LHC’s collision energy level and the performance of its detection equipment, it was fundamentally impossible to observe dark matter.

Since no information could be observed, no basic boundary value data could be obtained. No matter how awesome mathematics was, it couldn’t create something from nothing.

Therefore, investing time and energy in this was completely worthless.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s refusal, David Gross wasn’t willing to give up so easily. He continued to persuade him:

“Xu, you don’t need to come to CERN. You can do the work from here, just like before. CERN can send you the raw data immediately, and you can complete the data analysis right here in China.”

“CERN can even arrange for a group of physicists to come to China to help you with the data analysis work.”

Xu Chuan still shook his head. “It’s not an issue of work location or manpower. I truly cannot spare the time to observe the sterile neutrino.”

He paused, then added, “And to be honest, from my intuition, we are currently fundamentally unable to observe the other part of the sterile neutrino’s information, let alone dark matter.”

“In comparison, I would suggest planning an upgrade for the LHC. Improving the performance of the large particle collider and its detectors would probably be more useful.”

In the end, David Gross left in disappointment.

No matter what he said, Xu Chuan was unwilling to rejoin the remaining detection of the sterile neutrino.

Having lost a top scholar in both mathematical and theoretical physics, his confidence in CERN’s plans suddenly hit rock bottom.

Could it be that the remaining information and data on the sterile neutrino really couldn’t be found?

Perhaps, CERN really had to consider upgrading the collider.

Meanwhile, Edward Witten and François Englert did not leave with him.

They had come along not just at Gross’s invitation, but also with the idea of exchanging thoughts on theoretical physics with Xu Chuan.

After all, one was the creator of string theory and M-theory, while the other was a founder of the Higgs mechanism.

These two men’s understanding of theoretical physics and the universe was among the best in the contemporary field of physics. The number of people who could be compared to them could be counted on one hand.

“Xu, I’m quite curious how you actually confirmed the existence of the sterile neutrino. Is the mathematical analysis tool you left at CERN really that miraculous?”

In the office, François Englert took a sip of his coffee and cast a curious gaze at Xu Chuan.

Beside him, Edward Witten also showed a look of interest.

One must understand that in the world of high-energy physics, confirming the existence of a new particle or phenomenon, from making a detailed prediction to final verification, often took a massive amount of time.

The Higgs boson, for instance, took decades.

As for the sterile neutrino, although it was proposed in earlier years by the theoretical physicist Bruno Pontecorvo, it was his student here who truly made the prediction and refined the data.

In the first half of this year, after analyzing the initial raw data, he had perfected the data related to the sterile neutrino.

All in all, the discovery of the sterile neutrino had taken only about six months.

Six months to complete the prediction, discovery, and confirmation of a new type of particle—this speed simply shattered the historical record of high-energy physics.

Even in 2012, when CERN launched an all-out effort to track the Higgs boson after its initial discovery, it still took a full year to completely confirm the existence of the Higgs boson.

And let’s not forget, the search for the Higgs boson had mobilized more than half of CERN’s theoretical physicists. The discovery of the sterile neutrino, however, was almost entirely Xu Chuan’s work from start to finish, with Nanjing University and Jiaotong University at most providing some auxiliary work.

Such exaggerated efficiency and accuracy made it hard not to believe that this student of his had some method to precisely lock onto particle information.

This was especially believable since he had previously left a mathematical physics method for CERN.

Hearing Professor Englert’s question, Xu Chuan smiled and replied, “Mathematics certainly helps physics, but it’s impossible to rely solely on mathematics to find the sterile neutrino in high-energy physics.”

“Discoveries in high-energy physics, in fact, often rely more on details and observation.”

“Just like the sterile neutrino. If I hadn’t noticed the tiny anomalous concave curve in the collision data, it would have been impossible to find it.”

Hearing this, Englert nodded. In high-energy physics, meticulous observation and discovery were indeed the most indispensable elements.

Beside them, Witten pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Xu Chuan and said, “I think you didn’t refuse Gross and CERN’s invitation because you don’t have time, did you? It’s more likely you feel that more information can’t be observed with the current equipment.”

He paused, then added, “Or perhaps, using your mathematical methods, you’ve calculated that no more relevant information or data can be found?”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “This is indeed one of the reasons.”

He didn’t lie to these two elders. The data on the sterile neutrino had currently reached its observational limit.

Without upgrading the collider and its detection equipment, he had already plotted all the information that could be observed.

Witten then asked curiously, “If we wanted to completely observe the sterile neutrino or dark matter, what kind of detection equipment do you think would be needed? Or, what kind of cosmic phenomenon?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “It’s probably not easy to predict what kind of detection equipment would be needed.”

“However, as for using cosmic phenomena to observe sterile neutrinos or dark matter, I’ve mentioned it in the paper I previously uploaded to Arxiv.”

“In the universe, there exists a small number of Type Ia supernovae. You should be well aware that they are composed of a binary star system, one a giant star and the other a white dwarf.”

“And this type of extremely massive white dwarf accretes matter (mainly hydrogen) from the giant star. When it reaches 1.44 solar masses, it will re-ignite nuclear fusion and undergo a carbon detonation.”

“Because the nuclear fusion reaction during this period proceeds extremely rapidly, its mass is locked at 1.4 solar masses during carbon fusion.”

“And in this process, theoretically, a ‘group singlet field’ and its ‘charge conjugate field,’ which do not break gauge symmetry but do violate lepton number conservation, will be formed. By observing this, we might be able to see how primordial neutrinos evolve into neutrinos and sterile neutrinos.”

“If we’re lucky enough, we might even see an energy void created by sterile neutrinos forming dark matter or detaching from it.”

Witten’s eyes flickered. “That paper… I’ve read it. Theoretically, it’s indeed a good idea.”

“However, during the fusion of a Type Ia supernova, our current observation methods are still somewhat lacking. We can’t accurately obtain the mass loss mechanism of the Type Ia supernova’s progenitor star or its main observational characteristics.”

“However…”

Edward Witten’s gaze lingered on Xu Chuan for a moment before he continued, “Perhaps you can do it.”

“Me?”

Xu Chuan looked at his advisor from two lifetimes, a little confused about what he was trying to say.

Witten smiled. “I hadn’t thought of this before, but the paper you posted on Arxiv gave me an idea.”

“You should know that the single-degenerate model is currently the most popular model for Type Ia supernova progenitors. The problem with this model is that when the mass transfer rate between the binary stars exceeds a certain critical point, the white dwarf’s accretion envelope will expand and eventually form a common envelope around the binary system, leading to interference and mass loss.”

“But for you, perhaps you can use mathematical methods like the NS equations, hydrodynamic simulations, and the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to perform a data analysis simulation and prediction of the nucleosynthesis of a Type Ia supernova.”

“This might allow you to calculate or observe the scene you described, when dark matter and sterile neutrinos appear.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. Immediately, his brain began to mobilize relevant knowledge and information, thinking rapidly.

Chapter 311: Construction Begins on the Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project

In his office, Xu Chuan rapidly mobilized the knowledge from his two lives, contemplating the feasibility of the method Witten had proposed.

Time ticked by, and as he pondered, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

It seemed to be a viable path.

Theoretically, a Type Ia supernova explosion is formed after a white dwarf accretes matter from a main giant star.

In this process, the mass loss of the main giant star is essentially fixed, meaning it can indeed be calculated through mathematical methods.

And the so-called mass loss and interference from the common envelope were not really a problem for him.

He had once used an extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to calculate the existence of a companion star within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope.

Therefore, with the parameters of the main star and the white dwarf already confirmed, calculating a Type Ia supernova was indeed theoretically feasible.

This might be a method to prove the evolution of sterile neutrinos and the existence of dark matter ahead of schedule.

Xu Chuan had originally planned to wait until China’s large particle collider was built to detect sterile neutrinos and dark matter.

But now, it seemed possible to bring them into the world sooner.

After some thought, Xu Chuan looked up, his eyes bright, and gazed at his advisor, Edward Witten.

He had to admit, his advisor’s knowledge was as deep as an abyss.

In his past life, he had never heard of such ideas or theories. Yet, not long after he posted his predictive paper on sterile neutrinos to arXiv, Witten had come up with this alternative approach.

After a moment, Xu Chuan spoke up, “Theoretically, this might be a viable method. But Advisor, why don’t you do the calculations yourself?”

Edward Witten was not just a physicist; his mathematical abilities were by no means inferior to his physics prowess.

After all, he was the first physicist in history to win the Fields Medal.

Edward Witten smiled. “Compared to you, my mathematical skills are quite a bit weaker.”

“To be honest, I still don’t fully understand your extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, let alone the need to deform it in a new way for this.”

He paused, then continued, “Care to collaborate? I’ll provide the physics data, and you’ll be responsible for the mathematical calculations.”

Xu Chuan replied without a second thought, “No problem!”

Beside them, François Englert watched the two with envy. He wanted to join in, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to help.

The theory was proposed by Witten, and the data calculations would be handled by Xu Chuan. As for finding a Type Ia supernova, that wasn’t a difficult task for Witten.

So even though he was a Nobel laureate, he couldn’t find a suitable reason to insert himself into their team.

Of course, if he had asked, both Witten and Xu Chuan would certainly have agreed to his participation.

But a man of principle does not accept honor he has not earned, and for him, gaining accolades without contributing was unbearable.

Witten and Englert stayed at Nanjing University for two days, mainly so Witten could discuss their collaborative exploration of sterile neutrinos and dark matter with Xu Chuan.

At the very least, Xu Chuan needed to organize the basic data, boundary values, characteristic numbers, and other data required for the calculations, so that Witten could apply for a corresponding research project at Princeton upon his return.

Naturally, Xu Chuan would also establish a research project at Nanjing University.

Their collaboration was, in essence, a collaboration between two universities.

After all, observing a Type Ia supernova required top-tier astronomical observation equipment, numerous researchers, and other resources. The two of them alone could hardly support such a project.

After Witten and Englert left, Xu Chuan pulled his attention back from sterile neutrinos.

Sterile neutrinos had already been confirmed; the remaining work no longer required his excessive focus.

Meanwhile, the site for the controlled nuclear fusion project had been decided. The area in the Muyan Riverside Scenic Area was a plain formed by river deposits and not very stable, so the final site was chosen at the foot of Qixia Mountain, near the Yangtze River.

Because this area was part of the overall mountain structure of Qixia Mountain, the foundation was quite solid, even near the river.

And for Nanjing, trading a 4A-level tourist attraction for the landing of a super project like controlled nuclear fusion was an absolutely profitable exchange.

Once the project site was finalized, the Nanjing Municipal Government immediately announced the closure of the scenic area and cleared out Qixia Mountain.

Then, in the area at the foot of the mountain, demolitions and relocations were carried out according to the city’s compensation standards. The process was swift and decisive, moving at an incredible pace.

Fortunately, Qixia Mountain was considered a suburb of Nanjing, and even along the river, there were not many residents or industrial plants, so negotiations and demolitions proceeded very quickly.

Subsequently, the forces from the Nanjing Military Region in charge of security set up an isolation cordon at the foot of Qixia Mountain, prohibiting tourists and pedestrians from entering.

After all, controlled nuclear fusion was a super project, and its significance and level were higher than the previous “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiation to Electricity Conversion” project.

Once the military had handled security and protection matters, the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, responsible for the construction of the controlled nuclear fusion project, immediately moved all sorts of large and small equipment into Qixia Mountain.

The erection of temporary factory buildings, the back-and-forth of dump trucks, the procession of cement mixers.

All kinds of industrial machinery began to work vigorously at the foot of Qixia Mountain, attracting the attention of some residents near Qixia Mountain who were outside the security cordon and had not been relocated.

After all, a large number of various construction vehicles were coming and going every day.

By the roadside, a group of middle-aged aunties, gathered together chatting, were enjoying the shade under a tree, gossiping as they watched the construction vehicles pass by on the riverside road.

“What do you all think they’re doing up on Qixia Mountain? There are so many dump trucks coming and going every day, even late at night. It’s so noisy I can’t sleep.”

“Tell me about it. There were always a lot of cars, but at least not these dump trucks. Now they’re running on the road at night, rumbling away,” another middle-aged woman agreed.

“I have a relative who lived at the foot of Qixia Mountain. I heard his family got ten million in demolition compensation and two new apartments on top of that. The money was in his account within a week. Why didn’t they expand the demolition area a little more!”

As she spoke, one of the women looked towards the distant Qixia Mountain, her tone a mixture of three parts sigh, three parts complaint, three parts envy, and one part jealousy.

“Exactly! They’ve already torn down such a huge area, why not tear down our part too!” another woman chimed in, complaining as she watched the traffic-filled road.

The Qixia Mountain area was a suburb of Nanjing, so opportunities for this kind of demolition and relocation were rare.

For these residents living near Qixia Mountain, the demolition was like a huge, fragrant pie falling from the sky.

Those who got a piece were naturally overjoyed, while those who missed out were a bit bitter.

But this did not mean the land area for the controlled nuclear fusion project was small. The Nanjing Municipal Government had allocated a full three thousand mu for the base of the project.

This was equivalent to the campus area of a top 985 university.

Not only that, but the city of Nanjing also reserved an additional one thousand mu for the project’s future expansion, meaning the total land and demolition area reached over a staggering four thousand mu.

Considering that the total area of Qixia Mountain was only about fifteen thousand mu, it could be said that one-sixth of the entire mountain was carved out for the controlled nuclear fusion project.

Such a vast area, thankfully, was in a suburb and was part of a state-owned scenic area. Otherwise, the demolition compensation alone would have been an enormous sum.

By the time Xu Chuan had finished dealing with the sterile neutrino matters, the controlled nuclear fusion project at the foot of Qixia Mountain had been under construction for several days.

Upon receiving the news, Gao Hongming, who was in charge of managing the project, and Qi Zhongxing, the chief engineer responsible for construction, rushed to the camp entrance to wait.

With Zheng Hai helping to handle related matters, Xu Chuan’s car encountered no obstacles as it arrived at the controlled nuclear fusion project base.

However, through the car window, he could still see the extremely tight security.

If nothing else, just from his seat in the car, he saw at least three separate checkpoints and security assurance points.

The Hongqi sedan, driven by Zheng Hai, slowly entered the core camp of the base. Upon reaching their destination, Xu Chuan pushed open the car door and stepped out, greeted by enthusiastic voices.

“Professor Xu, you’re here.”

“Professor Xu.”

Gao Hongming and Qi Zhongxing, who had been waiting at the camp entrance for some time, quickly approached the Hongqi sedan and greeted him warmly.

“Director Gao, Engineer Qi.” Xu Chuan smiled and greeted them, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings before landing on the workers toiling under the scorching sun.

The high sun radiated intense heat. Even in Qixia Mountain, the power of the “Autumn Tiger” was not to be underestimated. The fiery, glaring sunlight made him instinctively squint.

As for the construction workers busy at their tasks, they were, to put it mildly, drenched in sweat from head to toe.

Looking at these respectable people, Xu Chuan sighed, “This must be so hard for you all, working under such a hot sun.”

Gao Hongming laughed. “We’re just doing our basic jobs. It’s you, Professor Xu, who is truly working hard, facing world-class problems. Building the Motherland through painstaking effort relies on scholars like you. Knowledge is the greatest asset.”

Xu Chuan glanced at the soldiers standing guard, then at the workers on the construction site, and lamented softly, “Some serve in the halls of power, others guard the borders; we share the same path and the same worries, all for the sake of peace.”

Qi Zhongxing smiled. “Professor Xu is right. But let’s head inside first. I’ve already prepared the engineering blueprints and everything. How about you take a look first?”

Having been in charge of the construction for the “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiation to Electricity Conversion” project, he knew this young master quite well. He knew Xu Chuan didn’t like to waste time and always had a purpose for visiting a construction site. So, he cut straight to the chase.

Xu Chuan didn’t continue with his sentimental thoughts, nodding and following Qi Zhongxing into the camp.

Inside the temporarily erected factory building, Qi Zhongxing didn’t waste time on pleasantries with Xu Chuan. After brewing two cups of simple tea, he took out the engineering blueprints stored in a cabinet.

The blueprints for a controlled nuclear fusion facility were naturally massive, but what he took out was not the complete set, but rather the general layout plan.

Spreading out the plan, Qi Zhongxing looked at Xu Chuan and said, “Professor Xu, this is the master plan. If you see anything that needs improvement, you can tell me directly.”

This engineering blueprint was adapted from the domestic CFETR project.

Located in Hefei, Anhui, the CFETR controlled nuclear fusion project was China’s first fusion engineering project. Its engineering design officially began in Hefei, Anhui on December 5, 2017.

From that point on, China’s nuclear fusion research embarked on a new journey of independent research and development.

This grand engineering plan was divided into three major phases.

Phase one, until 2021: CFETR project establishment and construction begins;

Phase two, until 2035: Planned completion of the fusion engineering experimental pile, beginning large-scale scientific experiments;

Phase three, until 2050: Successful experiments with the fusion engineering experimental pile, construction of a commercial demonstration reactor, and achieving the ultimate energy source for humanity.

As for now, although it was only 2019, two years had passed, and the CFETR project had already completed the basic construction of its campus.

So, Qi Zhongxing didn’t stand on ceremony and directly borrowed the CFETR project’s engineering blueprints, then modified and adjusted them according to the terrain of Qixia Mountain.

Although the CFETR project was following the Tokamak device route, and the Qixia Mountain project was taking the composite device route defined by Professor Xu himself, apart from some core areas and the differences in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor, other parts were largely universal.

Of course, the most important thing was the opinion of Professor Xu standing before him. He was the true overall director; whatever changes he said to make, would be made.

Xu Chuan glanced at the master plan and said, “Everyone has their specialty. You can manage the construction of the project base.”

“As for my requirements, I’ll list them now. If you would, Engineer Qi, please take notes and handle them accordingly.”

Xu Chuan wasn’t too concerned with the construction and layout of the project campus.

Peng Hongxi and experts from the Nuclear Energy Industry Group were responsible for overseeing that aspect, so he didn’t need to spend too much mental energy on it.

If nothing else, when it came to infrastructure construction and design, China was full of talent.

After all, a country nicknamed the “Infrastructure Maniac” couldn’t possibly be without its own skills.

In a later era, during the construction of a certain emergency hospital, it took only ten days to deliver a hospital capable of accommodating one thousand patients.

And the chief engineer responsible for the overall design completed the construction plans for such a massive hospital in just twenty-four hours.

Previously, when he was in charge of the “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiation to Electricity Conversion” project, he hadn’t made many suggestions on the campus layout either, merely provided a few of his own requirements.

And Qi Zhongxing had perfectly completed the construction according to those requirements.

This was also why Xu Chuan had recommended Qi Zhongxing to continue as the construction lead for the controlled nuclear fusion project; the two of them worked well together.

Chapter 312: At Least a PhD Graduate with Two Years of Work Experience, Right?

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Qi Zhongxing quickly pulled a notebook out of his desk, preparing to jot down the requirements.

Across from him, Xu Chuan glanced at the project planning schematics for the controlled nuclear fusion reactor again before recalling a few things and speaking: “I have no requirements for the peripheral buildings, power generation facilities, cooling circulation, and so on.”

“The main thing is the core area.”

“The core area is for housing the controlled nuclear fusion reactor. Because it has been redesigned, the reactor will be somewhat larger than a Tokamak device. Both its diameter and height will exceed thirty meters.”

“Therefore, the core facility housing the controlled nuclear fusion reactor needs to be at least forty meters high. As for the surface area, calculate the maximum space required for the equipment that needs to be deployed, then expand that by more than twenty-five percent.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded, swiftly recording this requirement in his notebook.

For a country known for its infrastructure prowess, building such a core facility wasn’t particularly difficult, but the amount of work was considerable.

This was because, according to the plan, the entire core area housing the controlled nuclear fusion reactor was to be located underground.

Based on this requirement, it meant they had to excavate an underground space at least a hundred meters long and wide, and more than fifty meters deep.

For such a massive pit, just moving the excavated sand, stone, and soil would be a very troublesome task.

Furthermore, at Qixia Mountain, near the Yangtze River, a depth of over fifty meters would definitely hit groundwater or soft soil layers. These were all factors that needed to be taken into account.

Across from him, Xu Chuan glanced at Qi Zhongxing and waited for him to finish writing before continuing, “Additionally, for safety considerations, the walls of the core area must be at least thirty centimeters thick. And in the center of the walls, you can consider leaving a five-centimeter-thick gap to be lined with Radiation Bandgap material.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Hongming, who was standing to the side, asked nervously, “Is there a risk of nuclear radiation?”

Before the higher-ups had assigned him to assist with the controlled nuclear fusion project, he had already conducted a comprehensive review of Professor Xu’s research.

He also knew the purpose of the Radiation Bandgap material Xu Chuan mentioned; it was a material used to counteract nuclear radiation.

The moment it was brought up, he subconsciously assumed there was some kind of radiation issue.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and replied, “Theoretically, controlled nuclear fusion is safe. But there is no such thing as absolute safety.”

“You should be aware of the nuclear fusion reactor explosion that happened in Japan some time ago. Although controlled nuclear fusion doesn’t have the various types of ionizing radiation found in a fission reactor, the ultra-high-temperature, ultra-high-pressure plasma inside the chamber itself still poses a degree of danger, even if it doesn’t undergo a fusion reaction.”

“After all, the temperature of this plasma is at least in the tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of degrees. If an accident were to occur, it could cause a tremendous impact on the core area.”

After a pause, he continued, “Of course, under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be such a risk. The fusion reactor explosion in the island nation was entirely their own fault for not following standard procedures.”

After speaking, he silently added in his mind, Of course, the trap I laid in that research paper was also not to be underestimated.

After quickly recording the requirements, Qi Zhongxing looked up and said, “That’s not a problem. The entire project will be built with the best nuclear-grade cement. Additionally, the core area will be constructed with fifty-centimeter-thick cement walls as you requested, with a filling gap of at least five centimeters reserved in the middle.”

After some thought, Qi Zhongxing followed up with a question, “Is five centimeters enough? If not, we can make it wider.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s plenty. It’s just a safety measure. Controlled nuclear fusion is not nuclear fission. Even if a malfunction occurs, as long as we cut off the supply of Deuterium-Tritium fuel and the output of the NIF heating antennas, there won’t be any further problems.”

Qi Zhongxing nodded and made another note in his notebook.

After a tour of the controlled nuclear fusion project base at the foot of Qixia Mountain where he stated his requirements, Xu Chuan left the rest to them.

He was confident leaving the construction work under Qi Zhongxing’s management. Moreover, Gao Hongming and the troops stationed there would also help supervise the construction.

Problems common to large-scale projects, like cutting corners, shoddy formwork, or subpar rebar work, were impossible on this project.

This was not just because it was a controlled nuclear fusion project, but also because the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, which had taken on the project and was responsible for construction, had already signed a military pledge before work began.

If any problems arose during construction, the workers and supervisors would be sent to a military tribunal.

So, after providing a few requirements regarding the core area’s construction to the chief engineer, Qi Zhongxing, Xu Chuan shifted his focus to other matters.

At Nanjing University’s Xianlin Campus, near Qixia Mountain, Xu Chuan followed a campus path to the Industrial Building.

Because the controlled nuclear fusion project had just begun, the research institute on-site had not yet been built. Thus, some of the personnel recruitment and office work was being conducted out of an Industrial Building borrowed from Nanjing University’s Xianlin Campus, which served as a temporary office.

Academician Peng Hongxi, who was in charge of personnel recruitment and related equipment procurement, was currently working here.

He wondered how many people had been hired for the controlled nuclear fusion project over the past month or two.

He knocked on the office door, and a voice came from inside: “Please come in.”

Xu Chuan pushed the door open and walked in. Peng Hongxi, who was busy with some work, glanced over. After a moment of surprise, he stood up and greeted with a smile, “Well, what wind blew you here?”

Nearby, Han Jin, who was also working in the office, looked up, offered a greeting, and quickly got up to make tea.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It was about time I showed up. I just finished up some things on the physics side a few days ago, so I came out for a walk.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi remarked with emotion, “The confirmed discovery of the sterile neutrino… a particle beyond the predictions of the Standard Model. Just like that, it appeared before everyone’s eyes, much faster than anyone could have expected.”

He paused, looked at Xu Chuan, and said with a smile, “With this discovery, you should be able to win another Nobel Prize, right?”

“Counting your achievements this year, from the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to the ‘Conversion of Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology, and then to the artificial SEI film and the sterile neutrino—you’ve produced Nobel-worthy work almost every year. It’s truly unbelievable.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “The discovery of the sterile neutrino was just a stroke of good luck. As for the Nobel Prize…”

He shrugged and continued, “This discovery alone will probably have a hard time winning. After all, you know how it is with high-energy physics and particle physics.”

Peng Hongxi smiled and shook his head. “This is different. The discovery of the sterile neutrino isn’t like those other particles predicted within the Standard Model. You did all the discovery and data analysis work by yourself. Your chances of winning the Nobel Prize are very high.”

Xu Chuan laughed. “Well, that depends on what the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences thinks. But even if I could get it, it certainly won’t be this year. It’s already the beginning of October, and the physics prize winner will be announced in a few days.”

“Let’s not talk about that. I just came from Qixia Mountain. I wanted to see how things are going over here. How is the personnel recruitment coming along?”

Peng Hongxi replied, “In terms of recruitment, we currently have one hundred and twenty-three people who have passed the hiring and review process. It’s not a lot, but it’s not a few either. The main issue is that not many people meet the requirements. After all, our country doesn’t have a specific major for controlled nuclear fusion, so we have to carefully select candidates from the fields of nuclear energy or physics.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s fine, we can take our time. When it comes to personnel, quality is more important than quantity. A single capable person is enough to rival ten who are just coasting.”

Peng Hongxi nodded in agreement. “Indeed. There’s no need to rush this. The Nuclear Energy Research Institute hasn’t been built yet, so we wouldn’t have a place for more people anyway. We can take it slow.”

Xu Chuan said, “Right. With you overseeing this, Elder Peng, I’m not worried.”

“Also, regarding the numerical control model for plasma turbulence, I previously borrowed Nanjing University’s supercomputer center to perform some verification and testing. I’ve obtained some data and am preparing to optimize the model.”

“However, the amount of data is quite large, so I brought it with me today. Could I trouble you, Elder Peng, to find some reliable and suitable researchers to organize this verification and test data?”

Peng Hongxi took the hard drive from Xu Chuan, glanced at it, and nodded. “Yes, of course. I’ll take care of it.”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked at Xu Chuan curiously and asked, “This model of yours should be based on the research paper that was lost before, right? Was the explosion of Japan’s JT-60SA experimental fusion reactor related to your stolen paper?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, there is a connection. The data they took was incomplete, and their procedures were not up to standard. They put it directly into the experimental pile without thorough testing, so the control system failed.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi looked at Xu Chuan and hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Xu Chuan knew what the old man was worried about and smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t make the same mistake on my end. Controlling plasma turbulence inside a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber is not that easy. There are still many tests to be done.”

Hearing him say that, Peng Hongxi breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I can rest assured.”

“By the way, Elder Peng, regarding recruitment, please also hire ten researchers specializing in mathematical physics models. They will be useful later for optimizing the model.”

After handing the hard drive containing the plasma turbulence mathematical model to Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan continued.

Completing such a large-scale mathematical model on his own would take too long. Subsequent adjustments and optimizations would require more manpower.

“Alright, I’ve made a note of it,” Peng Hongxi nodded and replied. “Are there any seniority or qualification requirements for these ten people?”

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan said, “At a minimum, they’ll need to be PhD graduates with two years of work experience.”

“After all, researchers at a lower level simply can’t contribute meaningfully to this kind of model optimization work.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “If they have won top prizes in world-class collegiate modeling competitions or have other outstanding achievements in modeling, the conditions can be relaxed a bit. But the minimum requirement cannot be lower than a PhD, preferably one who has already received their red booklet.”

He had no choice but to set such a high bar.

According to the domestic education system, anything before a PhD was essentially a foundational stage. Only at the doctoral level would one have sufficient knowledge to participate in such cutting-edge work.

Chapter 313: Academician Candidate

“I’ll have to trouble you, Elder Peng and Professor Han, with the personnel and equipment.”

“If any issues arise, you can contact me by phone or email. For more urgent matters, you can go directly to my driver, Zheng Hai. He can reach me directly.”

After chatting for a while and arranging a few things, Xu Chuan rose to take his leave.

After all, the controlled nuclear fusion project had just been established, and both sides were quite busy with much to do.

Peng Hongxi nodded and smiled. “Rest assured. This old geezer may be eighty, but I can still get a few things done.”

Xu Chuan smiled back. “Elder Peng, you’re as hale and hearty as ever, no less vigorous than in your prime.”

Peng Hongxi laughed heartily. “Go on, get back to your work. I can help with the minor tasks, but there’s not much I can do to help you. The real burden of the controlled nuclear fusion project rests on your shoulders.”

While Xu Chuan was busy with the controlled nuclear fusion project, on the other side of the country, in Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, both under the State Council, were in the middle of meetings, engaged in intense work.

After a two-year interval, the selection process for new Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering had begun once more.

To the people of China, “Academician” was the highest honorary title a scientist or scholar could receive, and one of the hallmarks of authority in the nation’s scientific and technological communities.

The selection required candidates to have made outstanding academic achievements in fields such as natural sciences, engineering and technology, agricultural sciences, or medicine and health. They also needed to hold a doctoral degree or have research achievements equivalent to a doctoral level, and have made distinguished contributions in their respective fields of study.

Of course, any scientist or scholar who made it onto the nomination list for Academician would certainly have no problem meeting these basic requirements.

To borrow a phrase from Mr. Mei Yiqi:

“A great university is not defined by its grand buildings, but by its great masters.”

Under today’s education system, the title of Academician could be understood in a similar light.

At the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the office of the General Affairs Bureau, Director Wen Hongwen, who was in charge of the recent Academician selection, was looking through a list.

For him, for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and for all of China, the biennial selection of Academicians for the two academies was undoubtedly one of the most important events in the country, drawing the attention and gaze of countless people.

Just as Wen Hongwen was busy with his work, there was a knock on his office door, and an old man walked in slowly.

Wen Hongwen looked up. Seeing the old man, he put down his pen and rose with a smile to greet him.

After personally pouring a cup of tea for his visitor, he said with a smile, “Elder Pan, what brings you here today?”

Pan Deming took the teacup, sipped it lightly, and said, “What else do you think I could be here for?”

Hearing this, Wen Hongwen smiled and asked, “Is it about Professor Xu?”

Pan Deming sighed but said nothing.

The biennial Academician selection was a grand event for both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, but it was also a major headache.

For a superpower with a population of over one-point-four billion, the title of Academician represented not just honor and authority, but also all sorts of research resources and connections.

In many parts of the country, a single Academician could represent an entire discipline, or even an entire university. The movement of an Academician could trigger a shift in resources for a whole field of study, and its significance for a university was multifaceted and difficult to simply summarize.

In other words, in China, obtaining the title of Academician meant a manifold harvest of power, status, fame, and resources. It also meant you could pretty much do as you pleased in the country.

Therefore, every time this season came around, candidates qualified for nomination, along with their backing factions and networks, would scramble for the few limited spots.

It was common for rivals to turn on each other and dig up dirt. Sometimes, there were even instances of fabricating materials to frame an opponent.

Across from him, Wen Hongwen smiled nonchalantly. He picked up a document from his desk and handed it to Pan Deming. “Elder Pan, why don’t you take a look at this first?”

Pan Deming glanced at Wen Hongwen, then took the document and began to read.

[List of Candidates for the 14th Academician Selection of the Division of Energy and Mining Engineering, 2019]

[Li Ning, PetroChina Exploration & Production Research Institute]

[Shu Biaoyin, China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd., …]

[…]

[Xu Chuan, …]

Among the list of candidates, a familiar name caught Pan Deming’s eye.

He looked up at Wen Hongwen and asked in astonishment, “He’s also been nominated as a candidate for the Academy of Engineering?”

Wen Hongwen nodded with a smile. “He was jointly recommended by several big shots in the nuclear energy and battery fields. Elder Pan, you’ve probably heard of the ‘Project for Converting Nuclear Beta-Radiation into Electrical Energy’ that was approved this past June. This technology can be said to have maximized the productivity of nuclear power.”

He paused, then continued, “So, it’s not just us who have a headache; the Academy of Engineering is in the same boat.”

Upon hearing this, Pan Deming actually smiled. “To be on the candidate lists for both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the same year—this must be a first, right?”

Wen Hongwen nodded. “It is. That’s why this is so troublesome. A nomination for Dual Academician, and at his age, he’s so…”

Neither the Academy of Engineering nor the Chinese Academy of Sciences had anticipated such a situation for this year’s Academician selection.

For the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Xu’s selection was a foregone conclusion.

After all, the brilliance of two of the world’s top awards, the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, was simply too dazzling.

From the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to the Xu-Hodge Conjecture, from the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to the discovery of the sterile neutrino, any single one of this master’s achievements would have been enough to get another scholar nominated as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

On the other hand, for the Chinese Academy of Engineering, this master’s achievements were equally formidable.

The artificial SEI film solved the lithium dendrite problem, allowing China’s lithium battery industry to take off and become a world leader.

The “Project for Converting Nuclear Beta-Radiation into Electrical Energy” went even further, solving the problem of nuclear waste. It not only greatly alleviated pressure on the energy front but also enabled the nation to trade for a wide variety of scarce technologies and equipment from other countries.

For the Academy of Engineering’s Division of Energy and Mining Engineering, solving either the lithium dendrite problem or the nuclear waste problem was more than enough for a nomination.

That was why several big shots in the nuclear and battery sectors had jointly recommended this master.

And now, they were the ones with the headache.

After hearing Wen Hongwen’s words and seeing the document, Pan Deming felt a sense of relief wash over him.

He lifted his teacup for a small sip and remarked with a smile, “Before this, we were still arguing about whether to select him as a CAS Academician this year. Some felt he was simply too young and could wait a few more years, or at least be considered after he turned thirty.”

“After all, even Academician Lu, the youngest in the country who was selected in 2003, was thirty-eight at the time. But he is only twenty-three, turning twenty-four at the end of this year. Quite a few people were harping on that point.”

“Now, it seems… tsk, tsk…”

Pan Deming clicked his tongue in admiration twice, then continued, “I’m afraid the question is no longer whether he can be selected as a CAS Academician this year, but which of the two Academies should grant him the title.”

Wen Hongwen smiled gently. “Why can’t he be given both?”

Compared to Pan Deming, as the Director of the General Office, he was privy to more information and knew about the views and support for this young professor from the higher-ups.

At these words, Pan Deming froze for a moment, then said hesitantly, “Both? In the same year?”

Although there were scholars who were Academicians of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, awarding one person a spot in both academies in the same year… wasn’t that a bit too much?

There were only a limited number of spots for Academicians, and a vast number of candidates were waiting during every selection.

Not only were there many senior professors, but there were also many who had made significant research contributions. To give him two spots at once would likely stir up considerable controversy. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind.

Wen Hongwen lifted his own cup, blew on the surface of the tea, and took a sip to wet his throat before continuing, “Don’t forget, he also has a Morning Star Medal.”

That was a medal specially created for him by the higher-ups. It was not just an honor; it carried a much deeper meaning.

Hearing this, Pan Deming was stunned for a moment, then he understood and completely set his mind at ease.

To be honest, before coming here today, he had already argued with others in the Division of Mathematics and Physics several times.

He was trying to secure a spot for Xu Chuan as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Although Peking University had been at odds with him before, there was nothing that couldn’t be resolved.

Besides, if a winner of both a Nobel and a Fields Medal couldn’t become an Academician in his own country, what would the people of China think when the list was announced?

But after coming here today, his worries had vanished.

From what Director Wen was saying, it seemed this year’s Academician selection might have some real drama in store.

Chapter 314: One Achievement, Two Nobel Prizes

After leaving the Xianlin Campus, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing University.

He opened his computer, created a new document, and recorded the day’s plans and arrangements, along with some information he had gathered at the project base.

Although he had an excellent memory and rarely forgot things he had seen or learned, he believed that the faintest ink was more reliable than the sharpest memory. He was responsible for too many things, so it was normal for him to forget something when he got busy.

At times like these, a document was a necessary aid.

Moreover, every year, Xu Chuan would create a new plan. In addition to organizing the goals he had completed in the past year, he would also add new directions and objectives.

In the eyes of others, he seemed to produce Nobel-level achievements almost every year, but most of these were just him coasting on his past life’s knowledge.

Aside from his accomplishments in mathematics, everything from the artificial SEI film and sterile neutrinos to the nuclear waste power generation technology was something he had brought back from his rebirth.

Of course, his study of mathematics in this life had also brought him great rewards.

His achievements in pure mathematics were self-evident, with the Xu-Hodge Theorem and the phased results of the NS equations being top-tier contributions.

But for him, the greatest gain was the perfect fusion of mathematical physics with high-energy physics and particle physics, reaching a point where he could use mathematics to conduct in-depth research on physical particles.

Furthermore, his work on computational chemistry models was another path he had forged in this life.

Although he was just at the beginning, Xu Chuan believed this path would not disappoint him. The potential of computational chemistry far exceeded the world’s imagination.

To be honest, he was quite satisfied with his current state. He had at least achieved his initial goal of choosing mathematics as his major.

His dream was the perfect integration of mathematics with other disciplines, especially to help advance fields like physics.

After dealing with these matters, Xu Chuan opened his inbox to clear out his emails.

Many people emailed him daily, and his inbox would fill up if he didn’t clear it for a week. As a result, he had to check his email every day or two.

Fortunately, most emails could be sent to the trash after a quick scan. He would only keep or reply to the ones that interested him, so it didn’t take too much time.

He went through his emails as usual—deleting the useless ones, replying to the important ones. His gaze eventually landed on the emails from yesterday.

While he was at the controlled nuclear fusion base, both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering had sent him an email.

Xu Chuan clicked them open. They were about this year’s Academician selection for the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In the emails, both academies informed him that he had been included in this year’s selection process.

Commonly known as: “Academician candidate!”

Of course, whether he would actually be selected was still an unknown.

The emails certainly couldn’t make any guarantees; they only informed him that he was on the list of candidates.

After all, so many people participated in the Academician selection each year, and each academic division only had a handful of spots. The competition was bound to be fierce.

As for his thoughts on the Academician selection, he definitely had some.

After all, he had already won a Nobel Prize and a Fields Prize. He should at least be able to touch the title of Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, even at his young age.

As for whether it was a sure thing, he felt that securing one Academician title shouldn’t be a problem.

The boost from the Nobel and Fields prizes was significant. No matter how young he was, those two awards couldn’t be ignored. Besides, public opinion and the voices within the academic circles had to be considered, right?

If a Nobel and Fields laureate couldn’t even become an Academician, the public outcry would be explosive.

What did surprise Xu Chuan, however, was that someone from the Chinese Academy of Engineering had also recommended him.

After all, his major research achievements were currently mostly theoretical. Even the nuclear waste reprocessing technology had only been approved in June or July of this year.

Logically, he should have been recommended during the next round of Academician selections.

But here he was, a candidate for both the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering.

As for becoming an Academician of both Academies at the same time, Xu Chuan daydreamed about it for a moment but felt it was unlikely.

While it wasn’t unheard of for someone to be an Academician of both the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering, they had always been awarded in different years. To receive both in the same year, on his first try, would be a bit too outrageous.

So, after thinking it over, Xu Chuan stopped dreaming.

He would probably become an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences this year. After the controlled nuclear fusion project was completed, or perhaps after the nuclear waste reprocessing technology had some time to mature, he should be able to become an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

He estimated it would happen before he turned thirty.

Honestly, that was astounding enough.

Becoming an Academician of both Academies before the age of thirty—the news alone would be enough to shock a great number of people.

After indulging in this pleasant thought for a while, Xu Chuan emailed his thanks to both academies and his recommenders, then turned his attention back to his inbox.

It took him a little over ten minutes to finally clear out the emails that had piled up over the past few days.

Leaning back in his chair, Xu Chuan stared at the ceiling.

The controlled nuclear fusion project was now underway. Although it had the full support of the state, building it from scratch was not going to be easy.

And compared to the basic construction of the facility, the core fusion reactor was the real challenge.

Especially since this time, he wasn’t going with a conventional Tokamak or Stellarator design. Instead, he was using the composite device he had redesigned at Princeton in his past life.

For the current field of controlled nuclear fusion, this was a completely new and unknown path. No one could guarantee it would work.

On this point, not even Xu Chuan himself could be certain this path would succeed.

He could only say that, in the future, the composite device had gradually become mainstream. Combining the advantages of the Tokamak, the Stellarator, and the hemispherical pebble-bed, its potential was greater than any of the individual devices.

But even so, there were still many problems to solve along the way.

For now, the most important thing was to first develop the superconducting materials.

“Professor, this year’s Nobel Prize results are out. It’s a pity you’re not on the list, but the winners have a connection to you.”

In the office, as Xu Chuan was planning his schedule, Amelia’s playful and charming voice sounded in his ear.

Returning to his senses, he looked over. Amelia’s eyes were narrowed like a little fox’s as she smiled.

“This year’s Nobel Prize went to the Swiss astrophysicists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, and an astrophysics professor from New Zealand, Vogt Armstrong.”

“The first two won for the first discovery of an exoplanet, ‘51 Pegasi b,’ in 1995.”

“The latter won because, back in 2017, he used the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to precisely locate a star named ‘TRAPPIST-1’.”

“He also accurately determined the planetary situation of this star system and confirmed the existence of a highly similar Earth-like planet in the TRAPPIST-1 system.”

The discovery of 51 Pegasi b was a milestone in astronomy, as it made scientists realize that giant planets could exist in short-period orbits.

The discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 star system and its Earth-like planet gave humanity hope for the cosmos. In the future, it could perhaps become humanity’s second home. After all, it wasn’t far from Earth, only about twenty-something light-years away.

The two achievements, separated by more than sixty years, were brought together by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ committee for a joint award, which could be considered a great testament in itself.

For Xu Chuan, although he didn’t win the Nobel Prize this year, his presence in the results was not to be underestimated.

This was because it was the second Nobel Prize in Physics to come from an extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem.

One achievement spawning two Nobel Prizes in Physics, in two consecutive years at that, was incredibly stunning, not just for the entire physics community, but for the entire world of science.

If a single Nobel was enough to make major universities offer corresponding courses, then the appearance of a second Nobel would directly push this achievement into one of the hottest fields of research.

And as the originator of this achievement, his fame would naturally spread with it.

Of course, from another perspective, this also showed that cutting-edge theoretical physics hadn’t produced many major breakthroughs recently.

Frontier physics was stagnating. This was an almost unspoken consensus among many physicists.

If that weren’t the case, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences wouldn’t have awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics to the same theory two years in a row.

Even though it was indeed very important.

But for the Nobel Prize itself, this was not a good sign.

Just as Xu Chuan had predicted, the announcement of the Nobel Prize in October caused a sensation in the physics world.

The fact that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem had won another Nobel Prize in Physics turned this tool into a goose that lays golden eggs in the eyes of all physicists, sparking immense interest and discussion.

[This year’s physics prize went to astronomy again.]

[Haha, I guessed right! I predicted before that the discovery of the exoplanet that’s ninety percent similar to Earth might win the Nobel, and it actually did!]

[I think Professor Xu is even more badass! One mathematical achievement won two Nobel Prizes in Physics. That’s terrifying.]

[Seriously, this achievement is too insane. Winning a Nobel two years in a row, that’s just wild!]

[It’s not too late to start studying it now. Maybe there’s still a chance to win another Nobel?]

[The poster above isn’t wrong. At the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians, Professor Xu mentioned that this mathematical method could potentially be used to calculate higher-dimensional space. If someone could achieve that, they could definitely win another Nobel.]

[Wow, one achievement, at least three Nobel prizes. Scary!]

With the announcement of the Nobel Prize, discussions erupted on major professional forums and websites.

It had to be said, the fact that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could win a second Nobel Prize was beyond everyone’s expectations.

But this also demonstrated the greatness and depth of the achievement.

A countless horde of scholars, not just physicists but even mathematicians, began to study the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem with curiosity.

Who knew, maybe they could win a Nobel Prize too?

After all, it had already produced two. A third one didn’t seem impossible.

Chapter 315: Laying the Groundwork for Superconducting and Carbon Nanomaterials

Xu Chuan hadn’t expected the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to nab two Nobel Prizes so quickly.

It was certainly a joyous and gratifying event, but he didn’t dwell on it for too long.

After all, for him, developments in the field of astronomy couldn’t bring about any significant changes to his current situation.

Even if the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could help humanity find a second life-bearing planet in the vast universe, that was a matter for the future.

Right now, just leaving Earth was an incredibly difficult task for humanity, let alone interstellar migration.

However, what he didn’t care much about was a completely different matter in the hands of other scholars.

When the New Zealand astrophysics professor Vogt Armstrong heard that he had won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics, he was utterly stunned. He was still in a daze when reporters showed up at his door.

Chasing hotspots is a must for every news media outlet, and the annual announcement of Nobel Prize winners is undoubtedly one of the biggest hotspots in the scientific community.

So, after this year’s prize for physics was announced, New Zealand’s largest media outlet, “NZME Investigates,” quickly found the laureate, Professor Vogt Armstrong.

“Professor Vogt, what are your thoughts on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics this time?”

Vogt Armstrong replied with an honest look on his face, “I’m actually quite bewildered, because I really never thought I would one day win a Nobel Prize.”

The reporter from NZME Investigates quickly followed up, “We heard that your previous discovery was based on a mathematical theory. Is that correct?”

Vogt Armstrong nodded and said gratefully, “Yes, that’s why I must give special thanks to Professor Xu. If it weren’t for his Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, I might still be just an ordinary professor today, and I would never have been able to even touch the Nobel Prize.”

The reporter pressed on, “We heard that this mathematical tool can perform calculations in four-dimensional space. Do you think it’s really possible?”

Vogt Armstrong thought for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t give you a precise answer to that question.”

“Although I did use Professor Xu’s tool to complete the calculations for the ‘TRAPPIST-1’ star system, in reality, what I’ve utilized and understood is merely the tip of the iceberg of this mathematical tool.”

The NZME Investigates reporter said, “Incredible. Is it really that powerful? You could be said to be the physicist who understands this tool the best.”

Vogt shook his head quickly and said, “Let me correct you. The physicist who understands this tool the best is not me, but Professor Xu.”

“If you want to understand more about this tool, you should go and interview Professor Xu. He can give you the answers.”

After a pause, Professor Vogt continued, “But regarding your earlier question, if I had to give an answer, I believe it is possible!”

“Of course, this would definitely require Professor Xu to personally take action. It’s almost impossible for anyone else!”

The interview by NZME Investigates quickly spread. A Nobel laureate personally endorsing the idea that the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem could potentially calculate a pathway into higher-dimensional space certainly caused quite a stir in academia and on the internet.

However, Xu Chuan was completely unaware of this, and no one came to find or interview him.

At this moment, he was on his way to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The institute was managed by his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue. After the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film was sold, they had reaped several billion in liquid capital. Consequently, the institute began to recruit people and expand. He wasn’t sure what the current situation was.

Taking advantage of his relatively free schedule, it was time to visit the institute and assign some tasks.

After all, they had spent so much money expanding the premises, purchasing equipment, and hiring researchers; they couldn’t just let it all sit idle.

Moreover, in his plan, the research and development tasks of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute would be linked to the controlled nuclear fusion project.

The most crucial part was the research on superconducting materials.

The controlled nuclear fusion project had begun, and the superconducting materials had to be developed before the core reactor was modified; otherwise, his arrangements and plans would be hindered.

The new office for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was still near Zijin Mountain, but they had moved out of the original building and found a suitable skyscraper nearby, renting three entire floors as their new base.

Now, three or four months had passed, and the personnel and equipment had all been transferred over.

When Xu Chuan arrived at the institute’s new base, his senior, Fan Pengyue, was in the middle of an interview with a research scientist. Seeing him arrive, Fan Pengyue quickly asked a few more questions and concluded the meeting, leaving the researcher who had come for the interview looking completely baffled.

“Finished so quickly?” Xu Chuan glanced curiously at the interviewee. The person seemed to recognize him, but wasn’t quite sure, so he kept looking back, wanting to confirm but not daring to linger in the office. In the end, he left, turning his head back every few steps.

Fan Pengyue said with a smile, “Well, the big boss is here for an inspection. Of course, I have to prioritize receiving you.”

After a pause, he explained, “That researcher had already been through three rounds of interviews. His resume and background are excellent. Today was just to discuss his views on the work and his salary expectations. He should be able to start work next week.”

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it too much mind, saying, “Mm, you handle this side of things. As for personnel, quality is more important than quantity. Especially their background—it must be clean. Be careful not to let any spies slip in.”

After all, with the emergence of the artificial SEI film, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had officially entered the sights of major manufacturers in the materials industry.

Corporate espionage was all too common in the business world.

The scenarios in novels where a domineering CEO solves all difficulties with a wave of his hand mostly exist only in novels.

In reality, business competition is often the most unadorned and straightforward: an old employee suddenly deleting the database and running off, a chairman climbing a wall to take secret photos, a former chairman leading a group of burly men to seize the company’s official seal, a company manager leading the way to vandalize a competitor’s bicycle seats…

Therefore, in terms of recruitment, it was better to be a bit slower and hire people with clean records.

Of course, in the subsequent research and development, various confidentiality agreements and preventative measures would certainly not be lacking. This was the only way to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that research results would not be leaked.

After brewing two cups of tea, Fan Pengyue smiled and said, “What brings you here today? Is there a new material you need to research?”

Their relationship was somewhat different from that of an ordinary boss and employee. When they were together, they didn’t have the typical seriousness of a boss and subordinate.

Xu Chuan took a small sip from his teacup, nodded, and smiled, “Since we’ve chosen to expand the institute, we definitely have to research materials.”

“What are we getting into this time?” Fan Pengyue asked curiously.

He had some understanding of his junior. It could be said that he either didn’t make a move, or when he did, it was for a world-shaking goal.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Superconducting materials and carbon materials, these two areas.”

“Both are hot fields in the market,” Fan Pengyue said with a smile. “Is there a more specific direction? After all, these two fields are incredibly broad. We can’t possibly try everything, can we?”

“Although we made a fortune from the patent for the artificial SEI film, that’s no reason to waste it, right?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile and said, “Of course.”

“The research on superconducting materials will focus on copper-carbon-silver composite materials. As for carbon materials, the main focus will be on graphene and carbon nanotubes.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue stroked his chin and said, “For superconducting materials, I assume your goal is high-temperature superconductivity, or even room-temperature superconductivity. You’re more optimistic about copper-carbon-silver composite materials?”

Having studied materials physics under Chen Zhengping for several years, coupled with his experience managing the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute for the past two years, he had a deep understanding of the various materials on the market.

Superconducting materials were undoubtedly one of the key areas of investment and research for all countries at present.

Superconducting materials, often referred to as “superconductors,” do not just refer to materials with “perfect conductivity.”

The so-called zero resistance is merely one of the three most widely known major properties of superconducting materials.

As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, guided by gas theory, scientists continuously liquefied various gases.

Among them, the physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes from the Netherlands successfully liquefied helium, the last “stubborn gas” on Earth, in 1908. He also achieved a low temperature of 4.2 K, close to absolute zero, which is about -269°C.

Then, in 1911, while Onnes and his colleagues were using liquid helium to cool metallic mercury to study its resistance behavior at low temperatures, they discovered that the resistance of mercury did not gradually decrease as expected with the temperature drop. Instead, when the temperature fell to about 4.2 K, equivalent to -268.98°C, it dropped sharply until it vanished completely.

This was the first step of superconductors onto the world stage, and it was also the discovery of the first property of superconducting materials: zero resistance.

Subsequently, in 1933, German physicists Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld jointly discovered another important characteristic of superconductors—perfect diamagnetism.

The so-called perfect diamagnetism means that when a material is in a superconducting state, it will completely expel magnetic fields, and the magnetic induction inside the superconductor is zero. This phenomenon is known as the “Meissner effect.”

This is the second major characteristic of superconducting materials.

Fast forward another twenty years. In 1957, the three physicists John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Robert Schrieffer jointly proposed the famous BCS theory.

BCS theory views the phenomenon of superconductivity as a macroscopic quantum effect and successfully explained the microscopic mechanism of superconductivity in metals and alloys, terming it the “macroscopic quantum effect.”

At this point, the three major characteristics of superconducting materials were revealed to the world.

It is a new type of material possessing three fundamental properties: perfect conductivity, perfect diamagnetism, and the macroscopic quantum effect.

Based on these three major properties, the applications for superconducting materials are incredibly broad.

For example, by utilizing the zero-resistance property and perfect diamagnetism of superconducting materials, one can carry large currents, enabling revolutionary technologies such as large-current transport, strong magnetic fields, and magnetic levitation.

Or, based on the quantum tunneling effect, superconductivity can be applied in quantum computing and for detecting weak magnetic fields, and so on.

Therefore, superconducting materials are widely used in various fields such as power transmission, medical equipment, electronic communications, national defense, and scientific research.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a material that could change the world.

And based on his understanding of his junior, if he was going to research superconducting materials, he was most likely aiming for room-temperature superconductivity.

The ambition—or rather, the aspiration—of his junior was truly not small.

If he truly succeeded, it would be terrifying.

He would completely rewrite the history of human civilization and usher it into a new era.

A Special Chapter to Ask for Monthly Tickets

It’s the last day of the month, and I can see a glimmer of hope for reaching three thousand Monthly Tickets. In the end, I couldn’t help but post a special chapter to ask for them.

After all, this is the most hopeful I’ve ever been; it’s never been this close before.

I’m currently about five hundred and fifty short.

So, I’m begging you!

I’ve braced myself, so bring it on (just don’t be too rough)!

To show my sincerity, I will post at least three chapters tomorrow, for a total of ten thousand words!

Thank you, everyone!

Love you all! <3

Chapter 316: Fleecing the Western Countries

Hearing his senior’s question, Xu Chuan smiled and replied.

“In the R&D of superconducting materials, there’s no such thing as being optimistic or pessimistic. Everyone is just feeling their way in the dark right now.”

“I chose the copper-carbon-silver composite material simply because the mathematical model our lab developed can provide some assistance for it.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue nodded and said, “That makes sense. I’ve already had the parameter information for these materials entered, just as you instructed.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Good. The institute has two tasks next. The first is to collect and purchase data on some high-temperature superconducting materials. There’s no rush on this, and no need to force it. It’s best if we can get it, but it doesn’t matter if we can’t.”

“The main task is to conduct experiments on the copper-carbon-silver composite material. You can arrange for each official researcher to lead two assistants. Start with experiments on low-temperature superconducting materials, then move toward high-temperature ones, and be sure to record the data from every experiment.”

Fan Pengyue nodded, got up, and took a notebook from his desk. After writing down Xu Chuan’s requirements, he asked, “Are there any other requirements? Should we only follow the low-temperature and high-temperature routes, or should we also incorporate the high-pressure route?”

Currently, the industrial and materials science communities were exploring two main paths for superconducting materials.

‘Ultra-low temperature’ and ‘ultra-high pressure’.

In fact, what is known as room-temperature superconductivity already existed.

Professor Ranga Dias and his team at the University of Rochester in the United States had once set a new record for the critical temperature of a superconductor using a carbonaceous sulfur hydride system.

His team used a research device for testing trace amounts of materials under extremely high pressures—a diamond anvil cell—to prepare a special carbonaceous sulfur hydride system, which formed a superconducting compound under extreme pressure.

As the pressure on this superconducting compound continuously increased, its superconducting transition temperature also rose.

When the pressure reached 267±10 gigapascals, about 2.6 million times the sea-level atmospheric pressure, the material could achieve superconductivity at room temperature.

But to be honest, this could only serve as research data and had no real practical significance.

After all, creating an environment of ten thousand atmospheres on a large scale was extremely difficult. Therefore, at the current stage, utilizing ultra-low temperatures was the only means to commercialize the phenomenon of superconductivity.

However, since Xu Chuan had proposed conducting superconductivity experiments, Fan Pengyue naturally had to ask whether to focus only on temperature-based superconductivity or to include pressure-based superconductivity as well.

After all, high-pressure superconductivity experiments could also provide a certain amount of data and experience, which would be helpful for subsequent research.

Xu Chuan said, “No need. If we can exchange for or buy some basic data on ultra-high-pressure superconductivity experiments from other labs, that’s fine, but there’s no need to do them ourselves.”

“Additionally, you can arrange for another group of people to analyze the low- and high-temperature superconducting materials currently on the market.”

“This doesn’t have to be done by researchers; doctoral students and intern researchers can handle it.”

“The main focus should be on analyzing things like the materials’ electronic structure, the interactions between electrons, and their band structure. These will all provide a certain foundation for our own future research.”

Xu Chuan didn’t know if the path of ultra-high-pressure superconducting materials was viable.

But in his past life, when he was developing superconducting materials, he hadn’t taken that path. He had followed the route from ultra-low temperature, to low temperature, and then to room temperature.

Compared to ultra-high-pressure superconducting materials, this route was easier and was also the current mainstream path for R&D in superconducting materials.

Although he could directly prepare the copper-carbon-silver composite superconductor, it was obvious that this would not be scientific.

For now, it was better to honestly conduct some related experiments, accumulate some data, and then reveal the superconducting material.

Otherwise, producing the copper-carbon-silver composite superconductor with no experimental data whatsoever would completely violate the typical process of materials R&D.

The last time he developed the artificial SEI film, it could already be considered a leap straight to the final goal.

To do it again, this time with the even more important superconducting materials, would probably result in him being surrounded by spies and people with ill intentions.

To be on the safe side, it was better to proceed step-by-step according to the conventional procedures of materials R&D. There was no need to add too much of a burden on the country.

Moreover, there was no need to reveal the room-temperature superconducting material all at once. For the controlled nuclear fusion reactor this time, a high-temperature superconductor would be more than sufficient.

So-called high-temperature superconductivity didn’t actually refer to superconductivity at the high temperatures of hundreds or thousands of degrees that most people imagined. Rather, the temperature was a significant increase compared to that of the superconducting materials previously studied using liquid helium.

Generally, high-temperature superconductivity refers to materials that become superconducting above the temperature of liquid nitrogen, 77 K (in the range of approximately -196°C to -150°C).

Some people might wonder how a temperature close to negative two hundred degrees Celsius could be called “high-temperature.”

But the fact is, in the era of liquid helium superconductivity, people often had to cool low-temperature superconducting materials to negative two hundred and seventy degrees Celsius.

The temperature for high-temperature superconductivity was a full seventy to one hundred and thirty degrees warmer. In comparison, when the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity was discovered back then, it was naturally called a temperature increase.

Currently, research into high-temperature superconducting materials remains a frontier field in labs around the world, mainly focusing on copper-based and iron-based superconductors, with no large-scale applications yet.

So Xu Chuan planned to sell the phased results of the copper-carbon-silver composite material at its high-temperature superconductivity stage to make some money.

For him, this was an opportunity that would be a waste not to take.

At present, there were very few high-temperature superconducting materials with practical applications on the market. Even CERN’s large particle collider still used low-temperature superconducting materials, cooled with liquid helium.

If it were switched to high-temperature superconductors cooled with liquid nitrogen, the cost could be reduced by hundreds or even thousands of times.

The simplest illustration was the different prices of liquid helium and liquid nitrogen.

If a ton of liquid helium costs a thousand, a ton of liquid nitrogen costs just one. Such a huge gap was enough to allow high-temperature superconductivity to be widely used in certain fields where it was previously impossible.

This was a relatively empty field, but the market was equally vast.

A lab needs to make money too. Besides, Xu Chuan had a grand plan in mind that would require countless funds to support.

So, he would fleece those Western countries for as much as he could.

“So, will you be personally participating in the R&D of these superconducting and carbon-based materials this time?”

In the office, after taking down most of Xu Chuan’s requirements, Fan Pengyue asked curiously.

This was very important for him and for the entire institute. The participation of a Nobel laureate could provide an exponential boost to the research efforts.

He also wanted to use this to judge whether his junior was pursuing this on a whim or if he already had some level of certainty.

If he personally participated in the R&D, it was highly likely he already had something in mind. If he didn’t participate, it might just be an effort to accumulate data and lay groundwork for the institute.

These two different paths would naturally require different amounts of research funding, which was something he had to manage carefully.

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I won’t participate in the initial research. After you’ve accumulated some experimental data, send it to me first. I’ll study it and then join the experiments.”

Fan Pengyue nodded. “That works too. If there are no other requirements, we’ll proceed according to this plan.”

“However, to research these things, we’re still missing some equipment that needs to be purchased. If nothing else, a Spin-resolved Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectrometer is a must-have, and we also need ion doping equipment.”

Xu Chuan replied, “Mm, just give me a list of these items. When it comes to research equipment, we can’t be frugal. Buy what needs to be bought.”

Research equipment and research personnel were two of the key factors in the research process.

Take the Spin-resolved Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectrometer, for example. A top-of-the-line machine could cost tens of millions, but without it, it’s impossible to study the mechanisms of superconductivity.

The process of it measuring data was like fishing.

In this process, the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy instrument is like a “fishing rod,” the light source is the “fishing line” and “hook,” the superconductor sample being measured is the “fishpond,” and the electrons are the “little fish.”

To know what “fish” are in the “pond,” you can just “fish” them out and take a look.

Only with an advanced angle-resolved photoemission spectrometer could one know the electronic structure of a superconducting material, which is a crucial part of studying its underlying mechanism.

After assigning the tasks for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing University.

He had just gotten back when someone came looking for him.

“Well, Professor Zhou, what brings you here?”

Xu Chuan smiled and stood up, greeting the middle-aged man in front of him, then nodded to the student following behind him.

The visitor was Professor Zhou Hai from the School of Mathematical Sciences, who could be considered half a teacher to him. Back when he was an undergraduate, because he was doing a dual major in physics and mathematics under Chen Zhengping, he didn’t have an official advisor in mathematics.

But Zhou Hai had taught him a great deal, laying a solid foundation for him on his path in mathematics.

Zhou Hai chuckled teasingly, “Our school’s great professor, winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes. Shouldn’t I come by often to stay on your good side?”

Xu Chuan smiled and clasped his hands together in a gesture of mock surrender. “Please, spare me.”

Zhou Hai laughed and shook his head. “To be serious, I wanted to ask if you have any plans to recruit students next year?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “I don’t know yet. Is Professor Zhou thinking of recommending a student to me?”

Zhou Hai nodded. “Yes, I am.”

As he spoke, he nudged the student behind him with his foot and chided, “What are you still standing back there for, kid?”

A young man stepped forward from behind him, looking slightly embarrassed, and greeted Xu Chuan, “Professor Xu, long time no see.”

Xu Chuan sized him up for a couple of seconds, finding him somewhat familiar before it clicked. He smiled and said, “Senior Cai, it’s been a long time.”

Hearing this, Cai Peng waved his hands in a flustered panic. “Just call me Xiao Cai. I really don’t deserve to be called senior.”

Xu Chuan smiled, and across from him, Zhou Hai continued with a laugh:

“This is Cai Peng, a doctoral student who’s been studying under me. He’s the one who had to re-propose his graduation thesis topic back when you were still an undergraduate, because of the Weyl-Berry conjecture.”

“But thanks to your little interruption, it’s like something just clicked for this kid. In the past two years, his mathematical mind has become much sharper, and he’s already received an offer from Princeton.”

“It’s just that this kid doesn’t seem to want to go abroad, so he wanted me to ask if you’ll be accepting students next year. If possible, he’d like to follow you for further studies.”

“Of course, if you have no such plans for next year, he’ll just have to obediently go to Princeton.”

Chapter 317: NS Equations—A Flash of Inspiration

Hearing this, Xu Chuan glanced at Cai Peng with some surprise.

To be able to get into Princeton for advanced studies from Nanjing University’s Department of Mathematics… this former senior of his was quite something.

Although Nanjing University’s reputation in mathematics had improved considerably with a Fields Medalist like him on the faculty, its actual strength, to be honest, was still a far cry from the top-tier mathematics departments.

Not to mention international powerhouses like Princeton or the École Normale Supérieure, Nanjing University couldn’t even compare to domestic institutions like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, or Nankai University.

After all, the strength of a school or department wasn’t judged solely by its top one or two individuals. The deep foundations of those famous universities were still far more robust.

And at Nanjing University, aside from himself, there were practically no professors with international renown in the math department.

Professor Zhou Hai’s abilities ranked in the mid-to-upper tier domestically, but on the international stage, it was best not to even bring it up.

The fact that no professors from Nanjing University had presented reports at recent International Congresses of Mathematicians was a testament to this.

Before his arrival, Nanjing University’s Department of Mathematics could be considered second-rate in the country. To have secured a spot for advanced studies at Princeton’s math department from such an environment, all on his own merit, was very impressive.

Moreover, he recalled that this Senior Cai’s talent in mathematics hadn’t seemed particularly outstanding in the past. It was unexpected that having to re-propose his thesis topic had somehow set him on the right path.

Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin, indeed. That was certainly true.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan spoke up, “To be honest, I haven’t really thought about taking on students next year.”

“However, since you’ve been accepted for advanced studies at Princeton, it shows that your talent and ability in mathematics have greatly improved.”

“How about this? I’ll create an exam for you. If you can meet my standards and requirements, I can consider it.”

Taking on students was something he really hadn’t planned on this year.

However, mentoring students was part of his duty. After all, he still held the position of a full professor at Nanjing University, so he should probably take on two or three students each year.

Of course, the most crucial factor was that Senior Cai Peng had secured admission to Princeton, which meant he did meet the minimum threshold for students he would consider.

If he hadn’t met that threshold, he wouldn’t have accepted him.

Mathematics was a discipline that demanded both talent and hard work. Coasting was impossible in this field, especially under his supervision.

At his words, Cai Peng swallowed nervously.

This master was going to set the exam personally. Could he possibly pass?

These were questions from a Fields Medal-level expert. Even if they seemed easy to him, for a small fry like Cai Peng, he probably couldn’t solve them even if he racked his brain.

He had done his research before coming here. The graduation theses this master had assigned to his two students involved solving a world-class conjecture. Gu Bing and Amelia were still struggling with it.

That standard was top of the top, even at Princeton.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to go to Princeton for his advanced studies after all.

He was scared, truly scared.

This master was just too badass.

As a first-year university student, he had demolished a problem that was Cai Peng’s graduate thesis and doctoral study goal. If he ended up under his tutelage, would he really have a chance of graduating and moving on to advanced studies?

After learning about Cai Peng’s new research direction and looking over his paper, Xu Chuan took out a pen and paper from his drawer. He thought for a moment and began to write the questions.

About ten minutes later, he had written five questions across two sheets of scratch paper.

Handing them to Cai Peng, Xu Chuan smiled. “Five questions. I’ll give you three days. If you can finish them sooner, you can turn them in to me early.”

His minimum requirement was for three of the five questions to be solved.

A doctoral student had, in theory, completed the accumulation of knowledge. Pursuing advanced studies beyond that meant entering the phase of creating new knowledge.

His requirements for students at this stage were not low.

If someone lacked the necessary talent, there was no point in forcing them to study under him, as they would struggle to keep up with his pace during explanations or lectures.

Cai Peng took the papers with a solemn expression and nodded seriously. “I will do my best!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Beside them, Zhou Hai spoke up, “You should head back and focus on the problems. I’ll have a chat with Professor Xu.”

Cai Peng agreed, said his goodbyes, and quickly left the office.

Five problems in three days, set by a master of this caliber—he had no idea if he could even finish them. It looked like he was in for some all-night grinding.

After Cai Peng left, Zhou Hai picked up his teacup and took a sip of the warm tea. “If you don’t have plans to take on students next year, you don’t have to force it. Letting him go to Princeton would be good, too. It wouldn’t hold either of you back.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Mentoring students doesn’t take up that much energy.”

“And to be honest, my standards aren’t low. The fact that he was accepted by Princeton means he meets the minimum criteria. As for those five questions, if he can solve three, I’ll consider it. If he can’t, then he should go to Princeton.”

“If you can’t keep up, you won’t learn much by studying mathematics with me.”

Zhou Hai nodded. “It’s up to him, then. The most I can do is help build a bridge.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “But speaking of which, the students under me who have some connection to you all seem to have had a breakthrough. Liu Jiaxin is another example. Her grades were average before, but then she just took off.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Senior student Jiaxin’s situation is a bit different from Cai Peng’s. Her innate talent is actually quite formidable; it’s just that working part-time jobs took up too much of her time. Once her financial difficulties were resolved, her talent burst forth. She even helped me solve a difficult modeling problem before.”

“As for Cai Peng, I’m not too sure. Perhaps it’s just as you said; after switching his field of study, he’s like a fish in water.”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment and smiled. “Perhaps you’re right. It seems I should pay more attention to students from poorer backgrounds in the future.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Actually, the school’s financial aid and scholarships are enough for a university student. It’s just that senior student Jiaxin also has a younger sister in school, and with both their parents gone, earning money was very difficult for her.”

At top-tier ‘Project 985’ universities, the amounts for financial aid and scholarships were quite generous, generally sufficient for students from low-income families to complete their studies.

Moreover, in these universities, as long as a student’s financial difficulties were proven, they would almost certainly receive aid, unlike smaller schools where all sorts of shady practices might occur.

After chatting with Zhou Hai for a while longer, the professor departed. Xu Chuan casually picked up a mathematics book from his desk.

He had a math class today. He had originally planned to let Gu Bing or Amelia substitute for him, but he suddenly felt an interest. Since he had the time, he decided to teach it himself.

In the large lecture hall, the students waiting for class to start were stunned for a moment when they saw Xu Chuan, then an explosion of joy erupted. This master was actually teaching in person again, after a period of absence.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much mind to the students’ reactions. He had been teaching at Nanjing University for some time now and was something of a semi-permanent NPC. The enthusiasm of these ‘players’ had long since faded.

After testing the headset microphone, Xu Chuan began, “Class, today we’ll be discussing Grothendieck’s language of schemes. Please turn your textbooks to page thirty-two. I hope you have reviewed the material in advance.”

As soon as he said this, many students in the large lecture hall began to panic.

“I’m screwed! It’s God Chuan teaching in person today. My prep definitely isn’t enough! I only got as far as the Abelian group sheaf on a topological space.”

“Fuck! At least you got that far. I haven’t even finished reading about algebraic varieties.”

“It’s over, it’s over. This master lectures faster than you can flip through a book. I’m dead for sure this time. I’m going to fail algebra at the end of the term again.”

“Someone save me!”

A wave of despair washed over the classroom.

After attending a few of his classes, the students of Nanjing University, and even those from other universities who came to audit his lectures, all knew that this big shot’s lecturing speed was like riding a rocket.

If you weren’t careful for even a moment, biu, you were launched into orbit.

In this master’s class, dropping your pen and being completely lost for the rest of the lecture wasn’t just a story—it was something that could actually happen!

At the lectern, Xu Chuan paid no mind to whether they had prepared or not. He opened the textbook and began his lecture.

“…Regarding Grothendieck’s language of schemes, we have discussed it long before and are familiar with the most basic definitions and properties of schemes, such as morphisms and coherent sheaves.”

“Although we have already introduced certain concepts using algebraic varieties, it is more convenient to discuss them in the language of schemes. For example, an abstract algebraic variety is actually an integral scheme of finite type over an algebraically closed field, and the same goes for Cartier divisors and invertible sheaves…”

“…”

In the classroom, Xu Chuan began with a brief review of the basic concepts before moving on to the main topic.

The equations on the blackboard appeared and were erased in a continuous flow as he lectured and time passed. The content of the class extended from the initial topic of Grothendieck’s language of schemes to the use of schemes and cohomology to study curves.

In the large lecture hall, many students were already struggling and bewildered. Some of the quicker-witted ones had given up on listening and had taken out their phones from their pockets, aiming them at the lectern to record.

Even if they couldn’t keep up with this master’s pace, they couldn’t miss his lecture.

Record it first, then go back and study the replay slowly.

Where there was one, there was a second. Soon, more than half the students in the classroom were holding up their phones, recording.

“…That’s all for today’s class.”

After writing the final equation on the blackboard, Xu Chuan tossed the chalk onto the lectern and turned around with a smile. “There’s still a little time left. If any of you have questions, you can ask them now.”

At his words, hands shot up all over the classroom.

Xu Chuan randomly picked one, and the student quickly stood up.

“Professor, could you talk about the applications of cohomology of Abelian group sheaves on a topological space?”

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan glanced at the student who had stood up and smiled. “That’s actually quite easy to understand.”

“As for applications, first, it proves that the arithmetic genus of a projective variety X can be calculated using cohomology groups, while the arithmetic genus of a projective variety depends on the projective embedding of X. This includes flat morphisms and smooth morphisms, both of which can be handled using cohomology. In fact, one can use cohomology to better understand flatness and smoothness.”

“Thank you, Professor.” The male student who asked the question thanked him and sat down, a thoughtful look in his eyes. It was clear Xu Chuan’s answer had given him new inspiration.

Xu Chuan smiled and continued to call on students to answer questions.

After being called on, another student stood up excitedly. “Professor, can you tell us about the phased proof of the NS equations?”

Xu Chuan paused for a moment, then shook his head and smiled. “Why are you all always so interested in this kind of thing?”

In his classes, during every Q&A session, there would always be students asking about things like this. They were either interested in the Hodge Conjecture or the NS equations.

Perhaps this was just human nature? Between knowledge and gossip, the masses might be more inclined to choose a bit of gossip?

Sensing that there might be a chance, the classroom suddenly became lively.

“Professor, please tell us!”

“This is also a way to broaden our horizons and help us understand the vastness of mathematics.”

“That’s right, let us see the world of mathematics, Professor…”

Giving it some thought, Xu Chuan checked the time. It was two fifty-five in the afternoon. He acquiesced, “Alright, since you want to hear it, I’ll give you a simple overview.”

With that, he picked up a piece of chalk from the desk, erased the previous equations from the blackboard, and wrote a new series of formulas. He then turned sideways to face the students in the lecture hall and began to speak:

“The NS equations are a special form of the convection-diffusion equation. They are both related to conservation laws, which are the most direct mathematical reflection of fundamental physical theorems.”

“When I was researching the NS equations, I initially collaborated with Professor Fefferman from Princeton.”

“Fefferman used a Lie group with the structure of a smooth differential manifold to perform a smooth mapping, having the unitary representation of the Lie group G act continuously on a Hilbert space, which thus began our journey into researching the NS equations.”

“Later…”

In the classroom, Xu Chuan briefly explained the process of his research on the NS equations, writing some key-step formulas on the blackboard with chalk.

For him, these things came with ease.

But for the students in the classroom, the vast majority of them probably couldn’t understand much.

However, that didn’t matter. On the contrary, every student’s eyes were shining brightly. For them, this was purely listening to a story. They would remember what they could, so that later, at gatherings or in conversations, they could brag: “I remember back in the day, when I heard God Chuan talk about how…”

At the lectern, Xu Chuan smiled as he concluded his story: “As for the NS equations, I have currently extended the proof to the point where, for a given finite space and an infinitely smooth initial value, a smooth solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations exists.”

“Now, only the final step remains: to extend the limitation of a finite space to an infinite space. This step may take a very long time to research; of course, it’s also possible that it could appear tomorrow.”

Just as his voice fell, someone in the classroom shouted loudly, “Professor, if you were to solve this final step, do you have any ideas? Or rather, which direction should one start from?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “That question is probably not something you should be considering right now. You should honestly focus on building a solid foundation first.”

After a pause, he continued, “But since you asked, I can talk about it.”

“Actually, for the NS equations, the solution probably cannot be calculated directly. At least for now, the mathematical world is likely incapable of solving it.”

“Because in a sense, its essence is the fluid element hypothesis, meaning the fluid particles described by the NS equations are infinitesimally small in space, yet infinitely large relative to molecules.”

Pondering for a moment, Xu Chuan began to speak again, “If we are to solve this final step, perhaps we could start from the mathematics of infinitesimal fluids? By analyzing the viscous fluid’s…”

At the lectern, his words trailed off as he stood frozen in place, his brow furrowing unnaturally.

The two words ‘infinitesimal fluid’ were like a flash of light in the darkness, illuminating a path forward in his mind.

Ignoring the growing commotion among the students in the classroom, Xu Chuan quickly grabbed a piece of chalk from the lectern and began to write furiously on the blackboard.

Chapter 318: As If Witnessing a Miracle!

As Xu Chuan began writing formulas on the blackboard, a stir gradually went through the classroom.

Someone started asking their friend, “What’s God Chuan doing?”

“I don’t know. Who am I supposed to ask?”

“Could he be working on the final step of the NS equations proof?”

“No way. God Chuan just said it would take a very long time to prove this.”

“Can anyone understand it?”

“Forget about it. You’d probably need a PhD or higher to understand what this master is writing, even if he’s just jotting it down.”

“Don’t panic. Just take a picture with your phone. We can post it on our feeds later to show off! Heh heh.”

Up on the lectern, Xu Chuan paid no mind to the noise and chatter in the classroom. At this moment, he was wholly immersed in his own world. The chalk in his hand glided across the blackboard, line after line of formulas silently leaping into his vision.

Infinitesimal fluid—a term he had uttered while answering a student’s question, one of the most fundamental terms in mathematics—had, like a bolt of lightning piercing the darkness, like a bright moon ascending into the night sky, illuminated a path forward for him, a spark of inspiration that could possibly solve the final step of the NS equations.

As Xu Chuan wrote, the noisy classroom began to quiet down of its own accord.

Everyone involuntarily turned their gaze to the man at the lectern. Realizing something was happening, they stopped their conversations and held their breath. Some even felt their hearts begin to race, their fists clenching uncontrollably.

Although almost none of the students present could understand what the master on the stage was doing, a single feeling rose in everyone’s hearts.

They! It was as if they were witnessing a miracle!

Time passed, drop by drop, and the bell signaling the end of class rang out from outside the classroom.

At the lectern, in front of the blackboard, Xu Chuan seemed not to have heard the bell, still immersed in his own world.

And below the lectern, few people left either. Everyone remained in their seats, silently watching the back of the figure on the stage.

In this moment, that figure was so close to them, within arm’s reach; yet he also seemed as distant as if a whole world lay between them, impossibly far away.

Xu Chuan didn’t notice the expressions of the other students in the classroom. He was now completely absorbed in his own world, his mind filled only with that flash of inspiration and the blackboard before him.

Infinitesesimal fluid, a conceptual model used in the field of fluid dynamics, was considered a very basic concept.

But as he delved deeper into this fundamental idea, as he merged it with mathematics, as the steps on the blackboard multiplied, that spark of inspiration in his mind gradually evolved into a path leading to the summit.

In that moment, Xu Chuan suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a completely new realm.

The blackboard before him was like a calm lake, reflecting every image he desired, while the chalk in his hand was like a kingfisher skimming the water’s surface, creating faint ripples on the tranquil lake.

In that instant, the numbers before him seemed the most wonderful things in existence, and all the formulas, like the most harmonious of partners, followed his every step as he wished.

At this moment, he felt like an omniscient, omnipotent Laplace’s demon, effortlessly deducing the secrets hidden within the numbers.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before, not even in his past life.

This feeling was so miraculous that Xu Chuan didn’t want to wake from it, wishing only to remain immersed within it, exploring all the mysteries of the universe.

The passage of time does not bend to human will. Into the quiet classroom, students for the next class began to walk in, carrying their bags and books.

But they were met with an unexpectedly strange scene.

The classroom, which should have been empty, was now packed with people, all of them silent, their gazes fixed intently on the lectern.

There, a figure stood with his back to them, continuously writing mathematical formulas.

The bizarre scene made the newly arrived students swallow nervously. It reminded them of scenes from various horror movies, and for a moment, they didn’t dare to enter the classroom.

It was only when other students arrived that those who had come for class snapped out of it and mustered the courage to walk into the room.

No one paid any attention to the new students. Even when some recognized Xu Chuan and wanted to ask what was going on, the people they asked simply raised a forefinger to their lips, signaling for silence.

And so, the bell for the second class period rang through the classroom.

With it came another mathematics professor, there to teach his class.

Seeing the packed classroom, Professor Chang Ming, who had entered from the back door, smiled and said, “Why so many people today? When did my class get so popular? Don’t you all usually use it as a sleep aid?”

“Professor Chang, look up there,” a student whispered, pointing to the lectern.

Only then did Chang Ming realize that there was someone else standing at the lectern, currently writing something.

The familiar silhouette made him curious, and he couldn’t help but walk closer. The formulas on the blackboard and the figure’s back came into view, stunning him for a moment.

So it was this master teaching here. No wonder so many students had gathered.

After recognizing the figure on the stage, Chang Ming understood why the classroom was so full.

Whenever this master taught, as long as there was advance notice, it was always a packed house. Honestly, this scene wasn’t even that extreme.

Seeing that the master had no intention of stopping, Chang Ming didn’t go up to disturb him. He just stood at the back, silently staring at the formulas on the blackboard.

After watching for a while, he couldn’t help but frown.

To be honest, he didn’t understand the formulas on the blackboard.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand them at all; he could at least tell that they were related to fluids.

After some thought, Chang Ming found a student and quietly asked what was happening.

The student’s answer made his pupils suddenly contract, and his breathing grew heavy.

This Professor Xu might be in the process of solving the final step of the NS equations?!

No wonder these students were so reluctant to leave after class had ended.

But how was this possible?

Didn’t every mathematician find a quiet, undisturbed environment to solve problems?

To tackle one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems in a public classroom—wasn’t he afraid of having his train of thought broken?

For a moment, Chang Ming’s mind was in turmoil.

But he quickly collected himself and joined the other students in watching silently.

Even though he couldn’t understand it either, he knew that this might be the most precious moment he would ever encounter in his entire life, bar none.

Chapter 319: The Agony of Terence Tao!

An unknown amount of time had passed. At the lectern, Xu Chuan finally put down his chalk.

His analysis of the NS equations was not yet complete, but the blackboard was already full.

The three large, movable blackboards were filled to the brim with mathematical formulas. The lack of space to continue writing interrupted his train of thought, waking him from that unusually wondrous state.

His fingers still pinching the chalk, Xu Chuan stared at the equations on the blackboard, savoring the feeling.

If there was such a thing as an epiphany in the world of science, what he had just experienced must have been it.

In that moment, he truly felt like an omnipotent god, his thoughts flowing endlessly like a great river.

If mathematics is the language of the universe and physics its voice, then in that moment, he was the Laplace of the universe!

After staring at the blackboard for a while, Xu Chuan let out a sigh.

After breaking free from that wonderful state, he tried to go back, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t.

If there had been enough blackboards, he might have been able to seize this opportunity and finish the final step of the NS equations in one fell swoop.

But unfortunately, a large lecture hall like this only had three blackboards.

Fortunately, he had already seized this opportunity, capturing that spark of inspiration in his mind. The rest of the proof, barring any surprises, would just be a matter of time.

Sighing, Xu Chuan turned and tossed the chalk nub onto the lectern.

When he looked up, the sight of the jam-packed classroom made him pause for a moment.

Weren’t there fewer students when class started?

Below the stage, seeing Xu Chuan stop, Chang Ming hurried forward. He took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart and asked with a trembling voice, “Professor Xu, the NS equations… did you prove them?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not quite. I just came up with a few ideas.”

He paused, looked past Chang Ming at the classroom, and asked, “Has the second class already started, Professor Chang?”

Chang Ming nodded. “Yes, it’s the second period now.”

Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly. “My apologies for delaying your class, Professor Chang.”

Chang Ming quickly said, “Not at all, not at all.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’ll get going then. I won’t disturb your class any longer. It’s a good time for me to go back and organize my thoughts.”

Chang Ming walked him to the classroom door and said, “I wish you the best of luck, Professor Xu.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

The moment he stepped out of the classroom, a tide of applause erupted behind him.

With Xu Chuan’s departure, the crowd of students in the classroom also began to disperse.

It wasn’t just the students who had come for Xu Chuan’s class; even some of Chang Ming’s own students sneakily slipped out with them.

The once jam-packed classroom quickly emptied out.

Chang Ming paid no mind to the truant students. His gaze and attention were now completely focused on the blackboards before him.

The equations on them were mesmerizing.

Starting with fluid, introducing partial differential equations, then transitioning to infinitesimal fluid. Although he was starting to lose the thread, he was still struck by its brilliance.

It was as if the equations on the blackboard were a work of nature, perfect and flawless.

He couldn’t even bear the thought of erasing them.

“Wait, why can’t we preserve them?”

Suddenly, an idea popped into Chang Ming’s head.

“That’s right! This is Professor Xu’s manuscript for solving the NS equations. It’s practically a precious artifact! It’s just three blackboards, why can’t we keep them? It’s not like Nanjing University is short on blackboards.”

At this thought, Chang Ming clapped his hands in excitement, his eyes shining.

He immediately abandoned his class, pulled his phone from his pocket, and called Rong Zhizhuan, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences.

In no time, Rong Zhizhuan rushed over. He was just as thrilled as he looked at the equations on the blackboards.

“Is this really Professor Xu’s manuscript for the final step of the NS equations?”

Chang Ming nodded. “Yes. Professor Xu just left. He taught a class before mine was scheduled to start. The students said that he was suddenly struck with inspiration after his lecture and started calculating directly on the blackboard.”

“Dismantle them! Dismantle them all!”

Hearing this, Rong Zhizhuan said quickly, “I’ll find someone to dismantle them and preserve them right away! The university isn’t short a few blackboards!”

“These must be saved! If he really succeeds, these will be Nanjing University’s most precious artifacts.”

“Besides, they’re a testament to Professor Xu’s growth, a glimpse into his thought process. That’s even more precious!”

“I’ll go find someone now. You stand guard here and don’t let anyone damage the blackboards. Remember, not a single character can be lost! No! Not even a single punctuation mark!”

With that, the Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences hurried off, leaving Chang Ming to guard the blackboards, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

To be honest, he’d been a professor at Nanjing University for many years. It wasn’t that he was inexperienced, but he had never seen Dean Rong in such a rush.

But then again…

If Professor Xu really did succeed in proving the NS equations, these three blackboards would absolutely be priceless artifacts.

In a few decades, they might even sell for tens of millions.

Of course, Nanjing University would never sell the three blackboards.

Meanwhile, as the students left the classroom, a wave of excitement swept through Nanjing University’s little Stone Forum, as well as campus social media feeds and QQ Space.

[Holy shit! God Chuan just taught our math class! The craziest part is, he took a crack at the NS equations in class!]

[????]

[What the hell?]

[I have video proof! It’s real! See for yourselves if you don’t believe me!]

[Fuck! God Chuan’s math class? Which classroom??? I’m on my way!]

[On your way for what? Class ended ages ago. But if you go now, you might still get to see the three blackboards God Chuan used to calculate the NS equations.]

[You can’t see them, dream on. Dean Rong just had people dismantle the blackboards himself. Said he wants to preserve them as artifacts.]

[Fuck! Class is over already? Begging his old man God Chuan to announce his next class in advance.]

[LOL!]

[I’m more curious, did his old man God Chuan succeed in cracking the NS equations?]

[Who knows? I couldn’t understand any of the equations on the board anyway.]

[A slacker like me isn’t worthy.]

For a top-tier ‘Project 985’ university, while there were students who just coasted, there were also many who knew how to seize an opportunity.

The students of Nanjing University’s Department of Mathematics, in particular, had encountered the greatest opportunity of their lives this year.

A Nobel and Fields laureate personally teaching them mathematics—such an opportunity was unique, not just in China but anywhere in the world.

After all, this master was the world’s first winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes, one of a kind.

For students aspiring to advance further in academia, a lecture from such a top-tier expert was not to be missed.

What’s more, today this big shot had even taken a shot at the NS equations in the classroom. This opportunity was even more precious; one might not encounter such a chance twice in a lifetime.

Seeing their classmates constantly bragging online, the students who had missed the class felt bitter tears welling up in their eyes.

After leaving the classroom, Xu Chuan took out his phone and made a call to Zheng Hai. He didn’t return to his office, instead going straight back to his villa and shutting himself in his study.

The only thing he wanted to do now was to record the inspiration and the derived equations he had just come up with.

And then, begin tackling the final step of the NS equations!

If he could solve it, he’d probably be out soon.

If he couldn’t…

Then he wasn’t coming out!

Meanwhile, as the video circulated on forums and the internet, the news that Xu Chuan had tackled the final step of the NS equations during a class at Nanjing University spread quickly.

The videos filmed by the students in the front rows were relatively clear, showing the equations on the blackboards distinctly.

Soon, someone transcribed the equations from the video, shared them online, and tagged famous mathematicians like Terence Tao, Deligne, Fefferman, and other big shots to take a look.

After all, the NS equations were one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. Whether they could be solved held immense value for both the field of mathematics and the field of physics.

Many people were eager to know if this Professor Xu had solved, or could possibly solve, the final step of the NS equations.

The heated discussion in the field of mathematics naturally caught the attention of these big shots.

United States, California, at the University of California, Los Angeles.

As an expert internet surfer in the world of mathematics, the first to notice this was, of course, the king of versatility himself, Professor Terence Tao.

After confirming that the video and the transcribed paper were not a hoax, but a genuine display from that person, he quickly downloaded the video and watched it over and over again.

As for the papers transcribed by others, he didn’t pay them much mind.

After all, the video itself was clear enough to watch, and it was the most original version of the calculation.

The things transcribed by others sometimes contained the transcribers’ own views and opinions, which held little value for him.

For him, Xu Chuan’s calculation video held the greater value.

Pushing up the glasses on his nose, Terence Tao clicked on the video with great interest.

The video was silent, with no sound. It followed the back of the figure the entire time, allowing him to clearly see every step of the proof.

“Starting from fluid, introducing partial differential equations? It seems he’s abandoned the previous work on the NS equations and is starting over from scratch?”

Staring at the video, Terence Tao muttered to himself, his eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of doubt.

“If he wants to solve the NS equations, wouldn’t it be easier to expand upon the existing paper?”

“Or does he feel that path has truly reached a dead end, and he wants to forge a new one?”

Rubbing the tip of his nose, he didn’t dwell on it and continued watching the video.

But as the video progressed, he seemed to realize something. He sat up straight, his eyes glued to the computer screen.

“No, that’s not right. This isn’t a calculation for the NS equations. He’s creating a new mathematical tool!”

A gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes. Terence Tao realized that Xu Chuan wasn’t just researching the NS equations; he was creating a new tool.

“…Relying on infinitesimal fluid within the system of mathematical physics… he wants to build a bridge between fluid mathematics and analysis. Can he do it?”

Staring at the video, Terence Tao muttered excitedly to himself, eager to see what came next.

However, just then, the equations filled the entire blackboard. The figure stopped moving, and the video came to an abrupt end.

“That’s it?”

The moment the screen went black, Terence Tao froze, then quickly scrolled his mouse wheel in disbelief.

“Dammit! Why did it have to stop here?! Finish the calculation!!!”

After confirming the video was over, Terence Tao clutched his hair in agony.

For a mathematician like him, to witness the birth of a new mathematical tool, only to have it cut off midway, was undoubtedly the most agonizing experience.

Chapter 320: The Solution Exists! And It Is Smooth!

United States, Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Professor Fefferman and Deligne were in his office, discussing mathematics related to Partial Differential Equations.

For the past few months, in his research on the final step of the NS equations, Fefferman was experiencing a second wind in his old age. Not only was he studying the NS equations every day, but he had also pushed aside most of his other work.

One could say he was determined to claim this final step of the NS equations.

As the two were talking, Deligne’s phone, which was on the desk, suddenly vibrated. He subconsciously picked it up to look, and his hazel eyes contracted slightly.

Then, he unlocked his phone without hesitation and tapped on the message.

Across from him, Fefferman stopped speaking and looked at his friend with curiosity. “What is it? Did something happen?”

He knew his friend’s personality well. He wouldn’t abandon their conversation to look at something else unless it was truly important.

Deligne didn’t answer right away. He read through the message before slowly looking up at Fefferman, a trace of hesitation and pity in his eyes.

“Perhaps, you’ve lost your chance.”

“Lost my chance for what?” Fefferman’s face was a mask of confusion; he had no idea what Deligne was talking about.

“The NS equations.”

Fefferman: “????”

Deligne hesitated for a moment before forwarding the message on his phone to him.

“I’ve sent it to you. You should see for yourself.”

Fefferman, still bewildered, pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen.

The first thing that caught his eye was the message from Deligne.

“Professor Xu Chuan Tackles Final Step of NS Equations in Nanjing University Lecture, May Have Solved the Millennium Prize Problem!”

The headline made Fefferman’s heart stop for a beat. With disbelief in his eyes, he quickly tapped on the message to read the details.

A long moment passed before Fefferman finally looked up, his expression complicated as he gazed at his friend.

“Perhaps, I really have lost my chance.”

Deligne shrugged but said nothing.

Knowing his student, once he officially began researching a problem, he likely wouldn’t rest until he succeeded.

And judging from the formulas in the pictures accompanying the message, he probably already had a solid idea of how to solve the NS equations.

Perhaps, in a little while, they would see the NS equations completely solved.

This would be of monumental significance to the fields of mathematics, physics, and even industry.

To be honest, he was looking forward to it!

It was just a shame for his friend.

From the moment he started collaborating with Xu Chuan on the NS equations, he had always been one step behind—from the two phased accomplishments to this final step today.

If his opponent had been anyone else, his friend might have stood a chance.

But against his student…

At this thought, Deligne couldn’t help but shake his head.

Perhaps if Fefferman were thirty or forty years younger, he might have had a fighting chance. But now, it was probably too late.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, China.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the news circulating online. Even when media reporters tried to interview him, Zheng Hai turned them all away.

Ever since returning from the classroom, he had locked himself in his study, focusing all his energy on the final step of the NS equations.

Honestly, he had never thought he would tackle the research on the NS equations so soon.

Before this, he had more or less reached the end of the road in using Kolmogorov’s K41 theory to prove the phased results of the NS equations.

The final problem was this: As the viscosity coefficient ν approaches zero, does the solution to the initial-boundary value problem of the Navier-Stokes equations, within the interior of the fluid’s region of motion, converge to the solution for the corresponding ideal fluid? How is the fluid boundary layer problem characterized? And what happens in three-dimensional infinite space when a fluid’s velocity continuously increases, approaching infinity and defying all real-world logic?

This was both the final step and the most difficult part.

Until the correct answer was found, the existence of a smooth solution for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations would remain a mystery. No one knew if the divergence of turbulence would ultimately settle into calm.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so directly refused Fefferman’s invitation back then.

But Xu Chuan had never expected that after only five or six months, a new inspiration and a new path would arrive so quickly.

A basic mathematics class had, in a roundabout way, given him a completely new line of thought.

If every micro-fluidic unit emitted by the fluid was treated as a mathematical value, then using the mathematics of infinitesimal fluids, he could construct a set to contain these numbers.

And according to the Poincaré Conjecture, or Poincaré’s theorem, any simply connected, closed three-dimensional manifold is necessarily homeomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere.

Simply put, a closed three-dimensional manifold is a three-dimensional space with a boundary; “simply connected” means that every closed curve within this space can be continuously shrunk to a single point.

In other words, in a closed three-dimensional space, if every closed curve can be shrunk to a point, then that space must be a three-dimensional sphere.

Using infinitesimal fluids, he had built a mathematical tool that encompassed all the fluid diffusion in the NS equations within a set. Then, by using Ricci flow, he could develop the fluid’s topology, constructing a geometric structure to transform it from an irregular manifold into a regular one.

This path spanned from the most fundamental infinitesimal fluids, through complex diffusive fluids, to the ultimate state of turbulent fluids, finally succeeding in constructing an entirely new mathematical tool.

A brand-new path, a brand-new tool—this was his answer sheet for the final step of the NS equations.

This was completely different from his previous attempt to scale the mountain of the NS equations using both mathematics and practical physics.

This time, he was walking the path of pure mathematics.

After a long and winding climb, he had returned to his starting point.

But when facing one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems like the NS equations, a challenge at the absolute peak of human intellect, there was no fixed solution.

Although mathematics was usually a tool to solve problems in physics, no one had ever decreed that physics couldn’t be a tool to solve problems in mathematics.

For problems of this caliber, standing at the pinnacle of human understanding, any step forward, even a centimeter or a millimeter, was worthwhile, no matter the method used.

In his study, Xu Chuan looked at the scratch paper on his desk.

The tool to cross the abyss was ready. All that remained was to complete the ascent.

If the NS equations were a towering, snow-capped peak, he had already climbed halfway up. But there, he had been stopped by a deep crevasse.

The tools he had originally used for the climb were insufficient to cross this bottomless abyss. But now, after circling around on the mountainside, he had miraculously found a grove of trees in a mountain pass.

He could fell the trees, build a bridge, and cross the abyss, one step at a time.

The mathematical tool derived from the mathematics of infinitesimal fluids was his bridge to conquer the final step of the NS equations.

With the help of this tool, he could finally continue his advance toward the summit.

After tidying the papers on his desk, he pulled a fresh stack of A4 paper from the drawer and spread it out before him.

He picked up his pen and wrote the final title on the paper.

[Proof of the Existence and Smoothness of Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations!]

It was time to advance toward the final summit!

An unknown amount of time passed, as if time itself had paused within the small study.

For Xu Chuan, the pen in his hand had not stopped moving since he wrote down that title.

Finally, as the last line of the formula quietly materialized on the clean white paper, a satisfied smile touched his lips.

It was time to give the final conclusion.

With a smile, Xu Chuan gently moved his hand, lowering the tip of his pen one line.

[…As the viscosity coefficient ν approaches zero, the solution to the initial-boundary value problem of the Navier-Stokes equations, within the interior of the fluid motion region, approaches the state of the corresponding ideal fluid. That is, a solution for the initial-boundary value problem for the Euler equations exists!]

[Based on all the preceding deductions, we can readily conclude that for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, a solution exists! And it is smooth!]

Chapter 321: Answering a Millennium Prize Problem!

He set down his pen, the final period in place.

Xu Chuan gazed at the equations on his desk, a smile of pure satisfaction spreading across his face.

The problem he had pursued for years at Princeton in his past life, to no avail, had finally been conquered in this one.

The significance of the NS equations to the fields of mathematics and physics, and even to the entire world, found its most perfect explanation at this very moment.

Passenger planes flying through the sky would not suddenly break apart. The quiet earth would not collapse on its own. The diffusion effect of fluids was, at this moment, perfectly constrained.

It was a mystery of the universe, and a pinnacle of the human mind.

And of course, it was his glory!

As Xu Chuan began his secluded research on the final step of the NS equations, the video of him previously tackling the NS equations in a lecture at Nanjing University gradually spread throughout the fields of mathematics and physics.

Discussions on related professional forums and university websites were endless.

After all, it was a century-old problem with a bounty from the Clay Institute, and the NS equations themselves held a pivotal position in the field of partial differential equations.

Mathematicians in the field of partial differential equations had produced many research results centered around this equation. It was no exaggeration to say it was a hen that laid golden eggs.

Except today, it might just meet its end at the hands of that Professor Xu.

【Holy shit! Professor Xu has struck yet again! This time, he’s targeting the final step of the NS equations!】

【????】

【What the hell? It’s not April Fool’s Day.】

【No way, does he do research this fast? I remember he just pushed the NS equations to a new level in the first half of this year, right? How can a century-old problem like this be solved in anything less than several years?】

【Damn it! I’ve been working on my graduation thesis for a year and have only written the introduction, and God Chuan is already going for the existence of a solution to the NS equations?】

【Hiss… If he solves the NS equations this time, that means he’ll have knocked off two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems all by himself. Is he for real? That’s terrifying.】

【The NS equations are impossible to solve. If not a thousand, then at least eight hundred top mathematicians have tried to crack this problem, but it still stands there, unmoving. The fact that singularities are non-differentiable dooms the NS equations to have no solution!】

【Just because you can’t solve it doesn’t mean Professor Xu can’t, right? He’s already solved one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems. This time, it’s probably just a matter of time.】

【Speaking of which, it’s mid-November now, about a month since those videos. Is Professor Xu still researching? Whether he can solve it or not, he should at least come out and say something.】

From mid-October to mid-November, even though nearly a month had passed, related discussions online remained highly popular.

Many people were anticipating the final result.

The official problem statement provided by the Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) was:

【Prove or disprove whether the three-dimensional, unsteady Navier-Stokes equations for a given initial velocity vector field will experience a blow-up (explosion).】

This wasn’t just about the one million US dollars; it was about the future of fluid dynamics.

If a smooth solution to the NS equations were proven to exist, fluid dynamics would take a great leap forward.

If the solution to the NS equations were proven not to exist, the development of fluid dynamics would likely suffer a major setback for a long time to come.

If a smooth solution for the NS equations didn’t exist, the frontiers of fluid dynamics might diverge along with the equations, unable to find future boundaries. Even worse, it might just explode.

Of course, the field of mathematics generally believed that the NS equations in three dimensions had a solution with existence and smoothness, not just because fluid dynamics and partial differential equations had developed to a point where they touched upon every aspect of mathematics.

It was also because numerous mathematicians before had produced a vast amount of work based on this equation, all of which had been confirmed as true. For the final, ultimate answer to be negative would simply feel surreal.

Just as the internet was buzzing with speculation about how much longer Xu Chuan would need to solve the final step of the NS equations, a paper quietly appeared on the Arxiv preprint website.

《On the Proof of Existence and Smoothness of Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations.》

A single paper quickly made waves on Arxiv.

Because the topic had already been brewing, many mathematicians and physicists, even scholars who rarely visited preprint websites like arXiv, had registered accounts to follow Xu Chuan.

Academia knew this master had a habit of dropping his papers on arXiv before submitting them for publication. So, to get the latest progress on the NS equations, everyone who received the site notification swarmed onto arXiv.

【Holy shit, Professor Xu uploaded a paper!】

【What paper?】

【What else could it be but the proof for the NS equations!】

【???? He really proved it?】

【Who knows? I can’t understand it anyway. Maybe it’s just gibberish?】

【Link to the paper, please! Did anyone download it? arXiv has crashed, I can’t even get in.】

【Same here!】

【Let me say something that might sting: it’s useless even if you get it. Just go follow the blogs or Twitter accounts of the math big shots, like Tao. He’ll definitely share his opinion.】

【So scary. Looks like this might be the real deal this time.】

【Heh, I’ll say it again: the NS equations can’t have a smooth solution! Even if that Professor Xu proved something, it must be a disproof!】

【Oh, right, right, you’re absolutely correct! May I ask what your esteemed qualifications are, good sir?】

【(doge face) Don’t ask. If you have to ask, he’s an amateur theorist.】

The sudden torrent of traffic crashed the arXiv preprint website instantly.

Even when the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which managed the servers, quickly added backup capacity, it was no use.

Compared to the small amount of added backup server resources, the number of people flooding the Arxiv website because of the NS equations was far greater.

The explosive increase in traffic instantly brought down the entire website. The scholars who reacted a moment too late were greeted with nothing but a blank page.

So, many people started asking for the paper everywhere else.

The final step of the NS equations… it was tied to the Clay Mathematics Institute’s one-million-dollar prize and was a century-old problem linked to the progress of fluid dynamics.

Even if they couldn’t understand it, they had to at least see what the paper looked like, right?

The discussions, which had gradually calmed over time, once again became intensely heated with the appearance of a single paper on Arxiv.

It wasn’t just the netizens on forums and online discussions watching the drama unfold; many renowned scholars from the fields of mathematics and physics also expressed their interest in the proof for the NS equations that Xu Chuan had uploaded.

At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in California, United States.

Terence Tao, who had already given instructions in preparation, quickly took the downloaded and printed paper from his assistant’s hands.

Ever since he had seen the mathematical tool built upon the concept of infinitesimal fluids within a mathematical physics framework over a month ago, he had been looking forward to this day every moment.

A brand-new mathematical tool was an immense temptation for someone like him.

Eagerly, he opened the paper and began to read with his full concentration.

“…Based on the infinitesimal fluid, it introduces the concept of mathematical sets, combines it with manifolds, and utilizes Ricci flow to develop the fluid’s topological and geometric structure.”

Staring at the paper, Terence Tao muttered to himself, unable to contain his excitement.

Just as he had predicted, the equations on those three blackboards were indeed a mathematical tool! A tool that fused the three major fields of differential geometry, topology, and partial differential equations!

Even though he was called an all-around mathematician, he had never imagined such a method could exist to bypass the limitations of the NS equations. This was unprecedented.

Yes!

He too had studied the NS equations before.

Back in 2015, he had constructed an equation that was nearly equivalent to the original NS equations and proved that this equivalent equation would blow up in finite time.

Following his line of thought and logic, one could similarly deduce that the original NS equations would also blow up in finite time.

Even though he believed that a smooth solution to the NS equations truly existed, he had personally pushed it one step toward being unsolvable.

This was also a source of considerable frustration for him. It wasn’t until the first half of this year, when the creator of the paper in his hands pushed the NS equations a great step forward, that he had resumed his own research on them.

After eagerly reading through the paper, Terence Tao closed his eyes to savor it.

Honestly, this paper in his hands was more ‘outstanding’ than any paper he had ever read.

The paper’s prose and line of reasoning were so flawless they seemed to have been divinely crafted.

The ingenious mathematical methods employed in the paper, in particular, made him praise it endlessly in his heart.

After quietly savoring it once more, Terence Tao eagerly opened his computer and logged into his blog.

He had started publishing various math-related content on his blog a long time ago.

As someone who ‘knew a little about everything,’ the breadth of mathematical fields he touched upon was vast. As a result, his blog had become a gathering place for many scholars who followed the frontiers of mathematics.

【I’ve read the paper. First, I just want to exclaim: “This is a perfect paper, so perfect that it doesn’t feel like it was written by a human, but by God Himself.”】

【OK, back on topic. Professor Xu’s proof of the NS equations, published on arXiv, employs a new mathematical tool. My previous guess was correct: the equations he wrote on those three blackboards over a month ago were indeed the creation of a brand-new mathematical tool!】

【This mathematical tool is based on the infinitesimal fluid, introduces the concept of mathematical sets, integrates manifolds, and utilizes Ricci flow to develop the fluid’s topological and geometric structure. It combines knowledge from the three major fields of differential geometry, topology, and partial differential equations.】

【It’s foreseeable that in the future, this as-yet-unnamed mathematical tool will, like the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ Professor Xu created when he proved the Hodge Conjecture, take the entire field of mathematics by storm!】

【Therefore, I suggest Professor Xu give it a proper name. Don’t just label it ‘Extended Application’ like he did with the computational astronomy tool. That’s just too…】

【Oh, right, and one last thing.】

【If you’re asking for my opinion on this paper, then without a doubt, he’s succeeded!】

Chapter 322: Founding a New Field!

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, China.

After compiling his paper on the final step of the NS equations proof and uploading it to the Arxiv preprint website, Xu Chuan had collapsed into bed and fallen asleep.

With the long-pondered problem finally solved, he slept more soundly and comfortably than ever before.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when he awoke again, the sky outside was bright.

Xu Chuan climbed out of bed, stretched lazily, and pulled open the curtains to gaze at Zijin Mountain in the distance. Even though winter had begun, it was still lush and green, a comforting sight.

After a refreshing shower, he picked up his phone from the bedside and checked the time.

11:39 AM, November 17th.

More than a month had passed since he first had the inspiration for the infinitesimal fluid in the classroom.

But the past month’s effort had been entirely worth it.

He had not only solved the problem he had obsessed over in his past life, but he had also created a new mathematical tool, forging a brand-new bridge between differential geometry, topology, and partial differential equations.

To the field of mathematics, the emergence of a new mathematical tool was often more important than the solution to a difficult problem.

For mathematics, solving a problem was like harvesting heavy fruit, while a mathematical tool was the ladder or axe used to gather it.

Sometimes, a mathematical tool wasn’t just applicable to a single, fixed field; it could also open up many other avenues of research.

It was just like the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ he had forged while solving the Hodge Conjecture, which was not limited to just the Hodge Conjecture.

It could be used to tackle many problems involving algebraic varieties, differential forms, polynomial equations, and even those in algebraic topology.

For instance, it could be used to attempt problems like the Bloch Conjecture, which belongs to the same Hodge-type conjecture family as the Hodge Conjecture, or the question of whether Chow groups are finite-dimensional.

This could bring mathematicians even greater rewards.

Phone in hand, Xu Chuan scrolled through the unread messages from the past few days as he got to his feet and stuck a piece of bread in his mouth.

Before, while researching the final step for the NS equations, he had ignored almost all calls and messages.

But now, he had time to deal with all these missed calls and messages.

A quick scan of his phone revealed many scattered missed calls and messages, but the deluge had mostly come in over the past ten hours or so.

It was right around the time he had uploaded the final step of the NS equations proof to the Arxiv preprint website.

Looking at his messages, Xu Chuan saw that the person who had called and texted him the most was Professor Fefferman from Princeton.

After a moment’s thought, he casually dialed the number back.

To his surprise, however, Fefferman’s phone was turned off, and the call didn’t connect.

Xu Chuan didn’t think much of it. After all, it was noon in China, which meant it was the middle of the night in the United States. He’d just text him back later; Fefferman would surely call when he saw it.

After briefly dealing with the missed calls and messages, he was about to put his phone down and go sort through the scratch paper in his study when his ringtone went off.

It was Fefferman.

“Xu, where are you now?” Fefferman asked eagerly the moment the call connected.

Taken aback for a second, Xu Chuan replied, “In China, of course.”

Fefferman: “…”

“No, I mean are you at home or at Nanjing University? Where are you specifically?”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “I’m at home right now. Have you come to China?”

Fefferman: “Yes, I’m already in Nanjing. I can be at your place in about half an hour. Let’s talk in person.”

With that, Fefferman hurriedly hung up. Staring at his now-dark phone screen, Xu Chuan was stunned again.

Was he still half asleep?

If he remembered correctly, it hadn’t even been twelve hours since he’d uploaded the paper, right?

And the journey from Princeton to Nanjing took at least twenty-four hours, didn’t it?

Half an hour wasn’t long. Soon, the sharp ring of the doorbell echoed through the villa. At the same time, Fefferman called again.

Xu Chuan didn’t answer the phone. He got up, walked out of the villa, and was startled by the people standing before him.

Fefferman, Deligne, Faltings, Gowers, and Shigefumi Mori.

Good heavens. Standing at the entrance to his villa were five leading figures from the field of mathematics.

“What brings all of you here?” After greeting them, Xu Chuan quickly ushered the group into the villa, asking curiously.

Fefferman: “For the NS equations, of course!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan glanced at the five of them. While the NS equations were certainly important, it surely didn’t warrant so many leading figures dropping by all at once.

Beside them, Deligne explained with a smile, “There was a mathematics conference at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris in mid-November. You were sent an invitation letter, but you were probably researching the NS equations at the time and might have missed it.”

“After you uploaded your paper to the Arxiv website yesterday, we discussed it and decided to come here together.”

Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. “So that’s how it is. I was wondering how so many of you managed to gather together so suddenly.”

Gowers spoke up with a smile, “Speaking of which, this is the first time we’ve met. I still remember the proof you wrote for the Weak Weyl-Berry Conjecture a few years ago.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “There were many times I thought we might meet, but we always ended up missing each other.”

He and Gowers shared a deep affinity, but unfortunately, they had never crossed paths. Today was the first time.

After the group exchanged pleasantries in the living room for a while, Fefferman asked, “Xu, when are you planning to hold the conference presentation on the solution to the NS equations? I imagine everyone has quite a few questions.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “We should at least leave some time for others to read and familiarize themselves with the paper, shouldn’t we? How about holding it on December 1st? Half a month or so should be enough for most people to understand it.”

“As for questions, if you all are free in the next few days, you’re welcome to stay around here. I live right here, and you’re all welcome to come by and discuss it anytime.”

Fefferman considered it, then nodded. “That works. But I’m more interested in hearing you introduce that new mathematical tool in detail. Based on the infinitesimal fluid, it integrates differential equations, topological geometry, and partial differential equations. Strictly speaking, this is no longer just a mathematical tool. It’s an entirely new discipline!”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “I think you should seriously consider Terence Tao’s suggestion and give this tool a proper name.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at Fefferman with curiosity and confusion. When had Terence Tao given him a suggestion? He had no idea.

Across from him, Shigefumi Mori, the current Director of the International Mathematical Union, explained with a smile, “Perhaps you haven’t been surfing the web? Tao complained on his blog yesterday that you have a terrible knack for naming things.”

“For example, that tool you created for computational astrophysics—you just slapped the name ‘extended application’ on it.”

Xu Chuan looked sheepish. My naming skills aren’t that bad, okay!

Isn’t ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ a perfectly fine name?

As for the ‘extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem’…

Alright, fine. That one just proves I was being lazy!

Let me repeat, my naming skills really aren’t that bad!

But Fefferman wasn’t wrong when he said Xu Chuan had created a new discipline.

He was indeed the first to apply the concept of an infinitesimal fluid from mathematical physics to spaces with local Euclidean properties and topological structures in order to study partial differential equations, and to do so in such detail.

Although as early as the nineteenth century, Hamilton had used manifolds to tackle the Poincaré Conjecture, and Perelman later used topology to resolve manifold singularities when proving the Poincaré Conjecture for three-dimensional space, he was still the very first to integrate the three into a cohesive whole.

To say he had founded a new discipline wasn’t an overstatement.

As for what this discipline could become in the future, that would depend on one hand on the potential of the mathematical tool itself, and on the other, on Xu Chuan’s own future contributions and efforts to the field.

It was just like his patriarch, the “God of Mathematics,” Mr. Grothendieck. The abstract theoretical system of modern algebraic geometry that he founded is now one of the hottest fields in mathematics.

But in the beginning, this discipline did not receive much attention from the mathematical community of the time.

It wasn’t until 1967, when he collaborated with Professor Jean Dieudonné on the first eight volumes of Foundations of Algebraic Geometry, that algebraic geometry was gradually pushed into the spotlight of the entire field of mathematics.

After that, he nurtured numerous mathematicians, the most famous of whom were Pierre Deligne and Michel Raynaud. He also gathered a powerful school of thought that dominated the entire field of mathematics for more than a decade.

Of course, for a discipline to fully blossom, textbooks and the like were indispensable. But Xu Chuan currently had no time to write books and establish a canon.

Perhaps after the controlled nuclear fusion project was completed, he would consider compiling his theories and methods, such as the extended application of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem and the algebraic variety and group mapping tool, into textbooks.

Therefore, in comparison, he still had a long way to go to reach the level of his patriarch, Mr. Grothendieck.

But at least, a seed had been planted. All that remained was to nurture it carefully and wait for it to grow into a towering tree.

Chapter 323: Igniting a Storm in the Worlds of Mathematics and Physics

The arrival of Fefferman and the others, combined with the proof of the NS equations and the new mathematical tools, prompted Xu Chuan to spontaneously host a discussion in his villa’s living room.

It was a small-scale yet top-tier mathematical discussion among six Fields Medal-level masters. The collision of intellectual sparks that came from scholars at the pinnacle of human intellect speaking their minds freely was of immense benefit to everyone involved.

Not just Xu Chuan, but everyone present reaped huge rewards.

For people like them, who already stood at the peak of human science, opportunities for such progress were rare.

If it weren’t for the fact that a few of the older members were too exhausted from their long journey, Xu Chuan would have been ready for another round after dinner.

With the top Fields laureates gone to rest, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief.

He didn’t rest, however. Instead, he turned and went to his study to begin organizing the inspirations and theories he had just gained from the exchange.

After all, even for him, an opportunity like this would be hard to come by again.

Not everyone was willing to share their thoughts so openly. It was normal for people to be selfish, which was what made this opportunity so precious.

For him, seizing such an chance might allow him to advance a little further on his mathematical path.

Meanwhile, following the statements from Terence Tao and several other top experts, the online discussion about the NS equations completely exploded.

It wasn’t just the field of mathematics. For the NS equations, the existence or non-existence of a smooth solution was also tied to the development of fluid dynamics in the field of physics.

Therefore, the discussion was like a butterfly in the Amazon rainforest. A gentle flap of its wings in the world of mathematics created a colossal storm in the world of physics, sweeping across fluid dynamics and even related disciplines like dynamics, kinematics, and rheology.

Discussions erupted on all major scientific research forums and websites.

[So, is there any result on the NS equations proof yet?]

[That Professor Xu is probably going to be god-like again. Top experts like Terence Tao and Fefferman have all expressed optimism about Professor Xu’s proof.]

[Hiss~ Unbelievable! Completely unbelievable! Utterly unbelievable!]

[God Chuan, that old man, is so fast with his research. I haven’t even finished my graduation thesis, and he’s already knocked out one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.]

[He proved the Hodge Conjecture in 2018 and the NS equations in 2019. One a year. Guess which one he’ll tackle next year?]

[You guys really think he’s a god, huh? Not even a real god would be this ridiculous. A Millennium Prize Problem per year, tsk tsk.]

[I want to go to Nanjing University to meet God Chuan in person. I heard the master often teaches classes there, and I want to get an autograph! Wonder if I’ll get the chance.]

[The poster above, count me in! I want to go too.]

The online discussions were intensely heated. At the same time, Nanjing University announced the time for the conference presentation on the NS equations on its official website.

On December 1st, Professor Xu Chuan will give an academic presentation on the “Proof of the Existence and Smoothness of Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations” in the main auditorium of the old campus of Nanjing University. All scholars are welcome to register and participate!

Nanjing University’s announcement sent scholars following the NS equations into another frenzy.

A multitude of mathematicians and physicists interested in the NS equations began flocking to Nanjing University’s official website to apply.

The massive influx of traffic nearly crashed the system, even though the faculty from the School of Computer Science had added backup server resources and stabilized the program in advance.

However, not every scholar who applied would receive an invitation letter.

First, Nanjing University would certainly prioritize seating for world-renowned top scholars. This group alone could number over a thousand.

After all, the NS equations covered a vast field, involving not only areas of mathematics like partial differential equations and topology but also touching upon all aspects of physics and industry.

Only after these individuals were seated would the remaining spots be allocated to the scholars who had actively applied.

Even so, the main auditorium at Nanjing University could, at full capacity, seat just under four thousand people, meaning a large portion of scholars were destined to miss witnessing this momentous event in person.

Elsewhere, the buzz surrounding the NS equations naturally attracted the attention of numerous media reporters.

United States. In the office building of the Washington Times, the editorial team responsible for tracking breakthroughs in science and technology was browsing the latest news.

“Unbelievable, the NS equations have actually been solved?” In the office, technology editor Andrew Witt exclaimed as he scrolled through the news on the webpage.

“This is the biggest hot topic recently, and you’re only just reacting to it?” a colleague beside him teased with a smile.

Andrew Witt shrugged. “You know me, I rarely pay attention to news from that country. After all, what kind of research results can come out of such a backward place? A bunch of Sick Men of East Asia. What’s the use of developing their economy? Their technology will always be as primitive as a monkey’s.”

Hearing this, the other editors in the office chuckled along.

To be honest, in the United States, a place that values freedom of speech but is extremely mindful of political correctness, such insulting language rarely appeared in public.

After all, if someone was caught and it was used against them, the consequences would be severe, ranging from losing one’s job to potentially spending a few years in jail.

But within the Washington Times, it didn’t much matter. Everyone here was on the same team, with the same viewpoint.

The Washington Times sounded a lot like an official U.S. media outlet, but it was not.

It was a newspaper founded by capital from a certain financial backer in a South Korean nation that loved to be obnoxious. Its very purpose was to be obnoxious.

This media outlet was one of the earliest standard-bearers of the “neighboring country threat theory,” constantly propagating the threat its neighbor posed to the world. It had fabricated all sorts of fake news, never ceasing its efforts to slander and nauseate its neighbor.

Now, after more than twenty years of evolution, this newspaper had become a propaganda machine for the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other right-wing forces.

However, precisely because of its far-right political stance, its circulation was exceptionally low, not even a tenth of that of another New York-based outlet, The Washington Post.

In fact, the Washington Times had been operating at a loss since its inception, generating no commercial revenue and having to rely on blood transfusions from its financial backer.

But its backer didn’t care about these losses. As long as it could disgust its neighbor, what was losing a little money?

And when it came to the hottest topic in the scientific world, the NS equations, there was no reason for them not to get involved.

Although there wasn’t much on Professor Xu that could be smeared, churning out another one or two articles on the “neighboring country threat theory” was still a good move for them.

However, as Andrew Witt was drafting his article, he felt that this kind of submission was missing something.

Looking up, Andrew Witt thought for a moment, then turned to his colleague and asked, “I remember last year, you and I went to interview another professor together, right? I think it was also about the NS equations? Do you remember?”

Hearing this, the colleague he was asking thought for a moment and replied, “I think I have some memory of it. I believe it was a physics professor from Rice University? I think he also immigrated from that country.”

“Why, do you have an idea?”

Andrew Witt’s eyes darted around, a malicious glint in them as he smiled. “If I’m not mistaken, this Professor Jiang seemed to believe that the NS equations have no solution. Perhaps we can make an issue out of this?”

His colleague, intrigued, asked, “What do you want to do?”

Andrew Witt smiled. “Of course, we’ll interview this dear Professor Jiang again.”

His colleague thought for a moment and roughly understood Andrew’s idea. He asked curiously, “Will he agree? He’s a Chinese person too, isn’t he? Even though he’s already immigrated.”

Andrew shrugged. “No, you don’t understand people from that country. For those who have already immigrated, though not all of them, many—perhaps to prove their choice was not a mistake—will look down on people from their original country even more than we do. They might even be happy to step on them.”

After a pause, he added, “And I know that Professor Jiang’s financial situation doesn’t seem to be very good. Not many in academia accept his theory. He might be able to refuse me, but he definitely won’t refuse US dollars!”

“Perhaps, I can create a big story!”

Meanwhile, in Houston, Texas, on the campus of Rice University, Jiang Kangcai was walking along a small path, feeling irritable after finishing a physics class.

Years ago, when he accepted Rice University’s invitation to immigrate here, he had undoubtedly come with the idea of realizing his great ambitions.

But only after arriving did he discover that the exclusionary attitude at Rice University, or rather its anti-China sentiment, was much more severe than he had imagined. He had thought that American universities would treat every professor equally, but it turned out to be just a fantasy.

If that was all, he could have tolerated it.

Recently, the theory he relied on for his livelihood, regarding the ‘Proof of the non-existence of a smooth solution for the three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations,’ had encountered major setbacks and doubts.

Although this proof had not been widely accepted by the fields of mathematics and physics for several years, no one had been able to prove that his work was wrong.

Most crucially, this theoretical work had given him the opportunity to immigrate to the United States.

If a smooth solution for the NS equations existed, then his theoretical work was undoubtedly wrong, and Rice University, which had invited him to be a professor based on this work, would probably not hesitate to fire him.

Without this theory, given his academic level, if he wanted to find a full professor position at a US university, he would probably have to resort to some diploma mill.

As he was agonizing over this, Jiang Kangcai suddenly noticed a white man standing in front of his house.

“Hello, Professor Jiang. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Andrew Witt stepped forward to greet him. “Let me introduce myself. I’m a reporter for the Washington Times. You can call me Andrew.”

“I’d like to talk to you about some questions regarding the NS equations and do an interview. When would be convenient for you?” Andrew Witt asked with a false smile.

If it weren’t for the big story he was planning, he really couldn’t be bothered to come all this way to find a yellow-skinned monkey.

Jiang Kangcai looked Andrew Witt up and down and frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time.”

Although he was quite happy to be interviewed by media reporters, as it helped to increase his fame and promote his theory on the NS equations.

But he had not only heard of the Washington Times’s foul reputation, he had been stung by them before. Last year, when he accepted an interview, they had twisted his theory, nearly making him a laughingstock.

This media outlet was exceptionally hostile towards Chinese people. Their visit today was probably just to see him make a fool of himself.

With that, he prepared to walk around the man, but he was quickly blocked.

“Professor Jiang, I think I can help you! We understand that back in 2014, you proved the NS equations and published the ‘Proof of the non-existence of a smooth solution for the three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations.’ Perhaps you need our help to promote your achievements to the world!”

“And of course, there’s that one million US dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute! I believe that with your theory, you are fully capable of getting it!”

Hearing this, Jiang Kangcai stopped and stared at him with a frown.

To be honest, he held some dissatisfaction towards the fields of mathematics and physics.

This was because the mathematical and physics communities didn’t pay much attention to his paper on the ‘Proof of the non-existence of a smooth solution for the three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations.’

Although a journal had indeed published his paper, it wasn’t a top-tier one. He had submitted it to top journals like the Annals of Mathematics, New Progress in Mathematics, and Nature, but they had all been rejected.

In his view, since the fields of mathematics and physics had not found any flaws in his paper, it should prove that his paper was correct. Therefore, the journals’ rejection was discrimination based on his Chinese identity.

Seeing this, Andrew Witt felt a glimmer of hope and quickly added, “If you are willing, Professor Jiang, we at the Washington Times would be more than happy to promote your theory and paper.”

“Of course, the premise is that you need to guarantee your theory is correct, or at least, that the mathematical community cannot find any flaws in it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Kangcai was indeed tempted, but the notorious reputation of the Washington Times was just too well-known. He was worried his words would be twisted.

After some thought, he said, “I can guarantee that my theory has no problems, but what do you plan to do?”

Andrew Witt quickly replied, “All you need to do is accept an interview, state that your paper has no problems, and provide a commentary on that Professor Xu’s paper. That will be enough.”

Hearing this, Jiang Kangcai immediately retorted, “I’m sorry, I refuse. Besides, I am neither able nor capable of pointing out errors in Professor Xu’s paper.”

With that, he walked around the man and left.

He was no idiot. The moment Andrew suggested he comment on Professor Xu’s paper, he knew what the man was up to.

Although he believed his own theory was also correct, it didn’t mean he could afford to offend a Nobel and Fields Prize-level master.

What’s more, he barely even understood the other party’s paper.

“One hundred thousand US dollars!”

“Two hundred thousand US dollars! You don’t need to point out any problems with the paper, just a commentary is enough!” Andrew Witt shouted, chasing after him.

Jiang Kangcai stopped, looked at him, and said, “Two million US dollars!”

Since he was about to be washed up at Rice University anyway, he might as well make a big score and leave.

As for academic disputes, he didn’t care. He was never going back to China anyway, and it wasn’t like Professor Xu could come all the way to the United States to cause trouble for him.

Andrew Witt: “Two million is too high! Five hundred thousand at most! And if we’re adding money, I’ll need your cooperation!”

Jiang Kangcai took a deep breath. “Deal!”

Chapter 324: A Second Fields Medal?

Nanjing, Nanjing University.

After dealing with matters related to the NS equations, Xu Chuan was back in his office.

“Professor, you’re out!” Gu Bing exclaimed in delight upon seeing his advisor in the office.

Xu Chuan nodded and greeted his two students.

Nearby, an excited Amelia asked, “Professor, now that you’ve proven the NS equations, will the International Mathematical Union award you another Fields Medal?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan paused for a moment.

To be honest, he had never really thought about it.

But frankly, it didn’t seem entirely impossible, did it?

The Fields Medal is selected by the executive committee of the International Mathematical Union. The criteria are extremely strict; only those with outstanding, breakthrough achievements in a field of mathematics are eligible, and there’s a strict rule that recipients must be under the age of forty.

This is because one of its main purposes is to encourage young scholars to constantly strive for new heights.

Although no one in history has ever won two Fields Medals, there didn’t seem to be an explicit rule stating that a person couldn’t receive it twice.

He had previously won the Fields Medal for solving the Hodge Conjecture. This year, he’d solved the NS equations. Maybe he really did have a chance to win another one?

But it was hard to say. After all, the nature of the Fields Medal was somewhat different from the Nobel Prize.

The Nobel Prize is awarded for achievements, and if your contributions are significant enough, you can indeed win it twice.

The Fields Medal, on the other hand, is awarded to an individual. It has a bit of a lifetime achievement feel to it, like the Wolf Prize, where it’s a one-time award.

Xu Chuan hadn’t originally considered winning a second Fields Medal, but Amelia’s question had piqued his curiosity.

After all, two Millennium Prize Problems carried significant weight in the field of mathematics.

He was a little curious about how the International Mathematical Union would handle it.

If they awarded him a second medal, it would break historical precedent.

If they didn’t, it was likely that no other mathematical achievement could compete with the solution to the NS equations.

More importantly, if he received it this time, he still had another of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems up his sleeve: ‘Yang–Mills existence and mass gap,’ which was an achievement from his past life.

If he won this time, he could definitely secure another Fields Medal later on.

He was not even twenty-four this year. The International Congress of Mathematicians was held every four years, so two more congresses would only be eight years away. He still wouldn’t be forty by then.

Three Fields Medals for one person—that was just too terrifying to contemplate.

Pondering it, Xu Chuan felt it was a bit unrealistic.

After chatting with his two students for a while, Xu Chuan turned on his office computer and handled the emails and tasks from the past two days.

A moment later, there was a knock on the office door.

Xu Chuan called out, “Come in.” The person who entered, carrying a backpack, was Cai Peng.

“Congratulations, Professor, on solving another century-old problem,” Cai Peng said with a congratulatory smile.

Seeing Cai Peng, Xu Chuan remembered that he had given him a few test questions. He was supposed to have three days to complete them, but Xu Chuan had forgotten all about it because of the NS equations.

He smiled and said, “It’s just a research paper for now. Nothing is certain until it passes peer review.”

“What about the problems I gave you last time? Have you finished them? Let me see.”

Hearing this, Cai Peng quickly swung his backpack around, took out some scratch paper, and handed it over, saying a bit embarrassedly:

“Um, Professor, I only managed to solve three problems in the three days. The other two I finished later. I’ve separated them; the first three are on top, and the later ones are below.”

Xu Chuan took the scratch paper. “Let me take a look.”

To be honest, he had a good impression of Cai Peng for confessing on his own.

After all, over a month had passed, and he hadn’t checked. Cai Peng could have easily claimed he’d solved all five problems within three days, and no one would know the truth.

At least on the matter of academic honesty, it seemed Cai Peng had passed.

Flipping through the scratch paper, Xu Chuan glanced at the answers of his former senior, and a moment later, he put the answer sheet down.

Looking up, he smiled at Cai Peng and said, “Not bad. Congratulations, you’ve passed the assessment.”

For him, looking at the answers wasn’t just about testing Cai Peng’s knowledge; it was more about observing his problem-solving approach and whether he had any original ideas.

He could tell these things at a glance.

Professor Zhou Hai hadn’t been wrong. After having to re-propose his thesis topic, it was as if Cai Peng’s meridians had been cleared, unlocking his mathematical talent. At least in the field of differential equations, he was starting to develop his own unique line of thought.

Hearing this, Cai Peng suppressed his excitement, clenching his fists tightly to maintain his composure. “Thank you, Professor!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Don’t thank me. This is an opportunity you earned for yourself.”

“Also, studying under me won’t be that easy. To graduate, you’ll need at least one Q1 research paper.”

Cai Peng nodded vigorously. “I’ll work hard!”

“Good luck,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

He paused, then called out to the other two students in the office, “Gu Bing, Amelia, come over here.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Bing and Amelia quickly ran over, each patting Cai Peng on the shoulder.

“Congratulations, Junior Cai!”

“Nice one!”

Seeing this, Xu Chuan rubbed his chin and chuckled. “When did you all get so close?”

Amelia smiled. “Junior Cai has been coming here every day for the past month, so we naturally got to know each other.”

Xu Chuan laughed, not paying it much mind. He figured it wasn’t just about coming here every day; it seemed there was something else going on.

But none of that mattered, as long as his academic knowledge and integrity were up to par.

“Alright, as long as you all get along,” Xu Chuan said with a smile. “Cai Peng, find yourself a seat. Your focus is differential equations. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me directly. If I’m not here, you can ask Gu Bing first; he should be able to teach you a few things.”

“As for your student registration and all that, I’ll find some time to take you to the Academic Affairs Office to get it sorted out.”

“Okay, Professor.”

Cai Peng replied and found a place to sit down.

In academia, it’s a very normal and traditional practice for seniors to guide their juniors.

After all, doctoral advisors often have their own research projects and can sometimes be holed up in their labs for months on end when they get busy.

During those times, it’s perfectly normal for a senior to teach basic knowledge to a new junior and answer some questions in the advisor’s stead.

Having sorted out Cai Peng’s situation, Xu Chuan was about to turn back to his own work when he heard Gu Bing call out hesitantly.

“Professor.”

Xu Chuan turned his head to look at Gu Bing. Seeing his conflicted expression, he asked curiously, “What is it? Just say what’s on your mind.”

After a moment of hesitation, Gu Bing finally spoke up. “There’s a foreign media report slandering you recently… Professor, would you like to see it?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan paused. “Slandering me?”

“Yes. It’s about the NS equations.”

“Oh? Where’s the article? Send me the link,” Xu Chuan asked with interest.

Honestly, he couldn’t think of anything about him that could be criticized. As for the NS equations, could it be that someone had found a flaw in his paper?

If that were the case, he was even more eager to see it.

“Sent, Professor.” Gu Bing picked up his phone and sent the link to Xu Chuan.

Honestly, this kind of thing shouldn’t really—

“Thanks,” Xu Chuan said, then clicked on the link to read the article.

But as soon as the link opened, he frowned slightly.

Because the news report was from a notoriously disreputable media outlet.

The Washington Times was a newspaper founded in 1982 by a Korean-American “certain” cult leader named Sun Myung Moon. In the world of journalism, it had always been one of the most biased.

Especially for China and scholars of Chinese nationality, it could be said that almost nothing good ever came from this newspaper.

Nevertheless, he was curious to see what this paper had to say about him, or rather, how they were slandering him.

After all, whether it was his academic work or his character, there was nothing to criticize.

Chapter 325: If I Can Understand It, Then It Probably Didn’t Solve a Millennium Prize Problem!

”

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A Top Chinese-American Physicist’s Accusation Regarding the NS Equations: Ignored by the International Mathematical Union, Overlooked for the Fields Medal!

”

”

One had to admit, it was quite the clickbait title.

”

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NS equations, Chinese-American, top physicist, International Mathematical Union, Fields Medal…

”

A series of keywords directly encompassed all the hottest topics in the scientific community recently: the NS equations, the field of mathematics, the Fields Medal, and others.

”

”

Xu Chuan was also a little curious about what was written in the article.

”

”

Judging from the title, it seemed like a top physicist’s research achievements had been ignored. But as for top Chinese-American physicists who could reach the standard of a Seven Millennium Prize Problem, he couldn’t think of many.

”

”

Moreover, this article was published by the notorious Washington Times, so it was most likely just spreading rumors or fabricating exaggerations again.

”

”

With a trace of curiosity, Xu Chuan continued to read.

”

”

In the news report, Washington Times journalist Andrew Witt told the story of a Chinese-American physicist named Jiang Kangcai.

”

”

Back in 2008, this Professor Jiang had proposed the Energy Gradient Theory based on his research into the stability of viscoelastic flow in non-Newtonian fluids, using it to study flow stability and turbulent transition. Building on this foundation, he used the Energy Gradient Theory and the Navier-Stokes equations to prove the existence of a singularity at a certain position.

”

”

In simple terms, this Professor Jiang had created a completely new physical theory.

”

”

In this theory, singularities in the NS equations exist in transitional and turbulent flows. At these singularities, the flow variables are non-differentiable; therefore, the equations have no solution at these singularities.

”

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And because the equations have no solution at the singularities, even if the NS equations have solutions at all other points in the domain, the NS equations do not have a smooth solution in the global domain.

”

”

Following this was the transcript of the interview conducted by the Washington Times journalist.

”

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Andrew Witt: “Professor Jiang, I heard that you already solved the NS equations back in 2008? Is that correct?”

”

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Jiang Kangcai: “Theoretically, yes. I created my own theory to solve the NS equations, proving that a smooth solution for the NS equations does not exist.”

”

”

“And this ‘Proof of the Non-existence of a Smooth Solution for the Three-Dimensional, Unsteady Navier-Stokes Equations’ has already been published in an SCI journal.”

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Andrew Witt: “In other words, the field of mathematics ignored your achievement and refused to award you the corresponding honor.”

”

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Jiang Kangcai: “I can think of no other reason. According to the Clay Mathematics Institute’s definition for the NS equations, proving the existence of a smooth solution or negating its existence are both ways of solving it.”

”

”

“It is obvious that I have already proven that a smooth solution for the NS equations cannot exist, but both the Clay Mathematics Institute and the International Mathematical Union have ignored my work.”

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Andrew Witt: “I’m very curious, if your theory is correct, why did this situation occur?”

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Jiang Kangcai: “Perhaps it is because the vast majority of mathematicians stubbornly, one might even say obstinately, believe that a smooth solution for the NS equations exists? They are unwilling to believe that the NS equations have no smooth solution, which is why they dismissed my thesis.”

”

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“Of course, there are some in the field of mathematics who do not believe it exists, such as Professor Terence Tao.”

”

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“Professor Terence Tao supports your theory?” Andrew asked in surprise.

”

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Jiang Kangcai nodded and said: “That’s right. In 2015, Professor Tao constructed an equation that was nearly equivalent to the original NS equations and proved that this equivalent equation would blow up in a finite amount of time.”

”

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“This means that, even mathematically, it is impossible for the NS equations to have a smooth solution. Compared to most other mathematicians, Professor Tao is one of the few who lean toward supporting the idea that the NS equations will blow up.”

”

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“And truth is often held in the hands of the few.”

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Andrew Witt: “Does this mean that the recent, highly publicized proof of the NS equations by Professor Xu is incorrect?”

”

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Jiang Kangcai: “I didn’t say that, but my theory has also been verified, and it has been published in a top journal.”

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“And frankly, I don’t believe that China’s current educational methods can cultivate any top-tier mathematicians. That method is too backward.”

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Andrew Witt: “But aren’t you also a physics professor who came from China?”

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Jiang Kangcai: “No, I am an American scholar. I received my green card a long time ago. Furthermore, most of my achievements were made after I received my education here in the United States.”

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Following the news report, the Washington Times dedicated a long section to attaching this Jiang Kangcai’s theory and parts of his proof paper, as well as evidence regarding Terence Tao’s support for the non-existence of a smooth solution for the NS equations.

”

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Furthermore, at the end of the article, the Washington Times extended an invitation to him, asking him to respond to this issue directly.

”

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“Mr. Xu Chuan, hello. I am Andrew Witt, an editor at the Washington Times. If you have seen this article, as a scholar, shouldn’t you respond?”

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“After all, this doesn’t just concern the one million US dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute; it concerns whether a smooth solution for the NS equations exists, as well as the honor of a scholar.”

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“I believe Professor Jiang had already proven the NS equations back in 2008, but the field of mathematics has been ignoring him with a prejudiced attitude.”

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“If he truly did prove that a smooth solution for the NS equations does not exist, then there is no doubt that the awards related to the NS equations should be given to him, including the one million US dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute and a Fields Medal.”

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After reading the entire article, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but shake his head.

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A notoriously infamous journal and a professor who studied fluid engineering mechanics and had spouted nonsense about mathematics before—it was a perfect match.

”

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There was no need to say much about the Washington Times. This newspaper, founded by a South Korean backer, spent most of its time smearing others.

”

”

As for this Jiang Kangcai, he actually had some memory of him.

”

”

In his past life, when he was researching controlled nuclear fusion, he had collaborated with Fefferman for a time. Back then, the two of them had scoured almost all the existing literature on the NS equations.

”

”

He and Fefferman had both seen this Jiang Kangcai’s theory.

”

”

But that was the extent of it—they had only seen it.

To be honest, this Professor Jiang was still somewhat different from the amateur theorists.

”

”

He was a physicist, and in an applied direction at that, mainly researching fluid dynamics and hydrodynamics. And he had indeed immigrated from China.

”

”

However, he had no major achievements to his name. Forget world-class honors, he hadn’t even received a national-level one.

”

”

Perhaps it was related to his experiments later on? He established an “Energy Gradient Theory” that was somewhat useful for fluid dynamics.

”

”

Of course, it was actually a mimicry of Kolmogorov’s K41 theory, just with some of his own experimental data and understanding added in.

”

”

This was how he got the opportunity to immigrate to the United States.

”

”

After immigrating, he had been dedicated to applying his Energy Gradient Theory to the NS equations, once making a scene at the Annals of Mathematics and the International Mathematical Union with his thesis.

”

”

However, for over a decade, almost no one paid him any mind.

”

”

Because using purely physical methods to explain the NS equations was a dead end.

”

”

The biggest problem with his theory was that physical concepts are not equivalent to mathematical ones. Physics lacks the concept of “smoothness” in the mathematical sense.

”

”

And in his paper, a velocity U of zero could be defined as a singularity.

”

”

But how could a velocity U of zero be mathematically defined as a singularity? This had absolutely nothing to do with smoothness!

”

”

Moreover, points of discontinuity are very common in supersonic fluids. All sorts of shock waves are regions of velocity discontinuity. According to this Professor Jiang Kangcai’s logic, they could all be considered singularities.

”

”

Looking at it this way, it was utterly outrageous.

”

”

If one had to point out the cleverest trick in this news article, it would probably be dragging Terence Tao into it.

”

”

It was true that in 2015, in order to review the thesis of the Kazakhstani mathematician Professor Mukhtar, Terence Tao had specifically established a set of mathematical tools, the “abstract quasi-linear operator equation,” which was another symmetrical, averaged version of Professor Mukhtar’s approach.

”

”

And with this version, Terence Tao had directly and decisively shut down Professor Mukhtar’s abstract proof.

”

”

But one had to admit, constructing counterexamples was indeed a technical skill that geniuses enjoyed.

”

”

In fact, it wasn’t just Tao; other mathematicians had done plenty of similar things.

”

”

Speaking of recent famous examples, it would probably be the mathematical giant Stephen Smale, who solved the Hirsch conjecture in 2012.

”

”

While studying the Hirsch conjecture, he constructed a 43-dimensional, 86-facet polytope counterexample. By applying a series of complex number and gluing techniques to the first counterexample, he constructed a series of polytopes in a fixed dimension d with a diameter of (1+e)n (where e is a positive number), obtaining an infinite number of counterexamples and thus overthrowing the Hirsch conjecture.

”

”

This result won him the Fulkerson Prize for Discrete Mathematics in 2015 all by himself.

”

”

This prize, awarded every three years, is the highest achievement in the field of discrete mathematics, arguably a mathematical award second only to top prizes like the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize.

”

”

Even Xu Chuan himself had engaged in the act of creating counterexamples to debunk a prover’s work when he was reviewing theses for top journals like the Annals of Mathematics and New Progress in Mathematics.

”

”

How should one put it? For people like them, constructing a counterexample to refute someone else was probably the easiest, simplest, and most trouble-free method.

”

”

After all, if you followed a prover’s line of thought, you might very well fall into a money pit.

”

”

But if you created your own counterexample, you wouldn’t have such worries.

”

”

It was the simplest and most hassle-free way.

”

”

Of course, regarding today’s matter, it was likely that both the Washington Times and that Professor Jiang Kangcai had misunderstood Terence Tao’s counterexample.

”

”

A greater possibility was that they were just echoing what they had heard; they simply couldn’t understand Terence Tao’s paper.

”

”

The counterexample Tao constructed was not to prove that a smooth solution for the NS equations doesn’t exist; it was merely targeted at Professor Mukhtar’s abstract proof method.

”

”

Furthermore, Terence Tao wasn’t even in the camp that supported the non-existence of a smooth solution for the NS equations.

”

”

However, mixing in Terence Tao’s opinion would indeed likely stir up more discussion. After all, Tao’s reputation was significant, and that counterexample paper was indeed correct.

”

”

Xu Chuan scrolled through the comments and, just as he had expected, saw a lot of controversy.

”

”

[What the heck? Another proof for the NS equations has popped up? And this one proves the solution doesn’t exist? Who’s right and who’s wrong?]

”

”

[Interesting. This is getting lively. I wonder if Professor Xu will respond?]

”

”

[The Washington Times? Not even a dog would read that. It’s a trash media outlet that loves to spread rumors and slander people. Pure garbage.]

”

”

[Setting aside the nature of the media outlet, it’s still unclear who will win. Professor Jiang Kangcai is a physics professor at Rice University, and Rice University is in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings! Only five universities in China can make it into the top 100.]

”

”

[Even if Professor Jiang’s theory might have problems, Terence Tao’s theory can’t be wrong, can it? He did write a paper on this topic, proving that Professor Jiang’s result is correct.]

”

”

[Let me state one thing: I don’t understand research papers or any of that. But I do know this: if I can actually understand the paper and theory proving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, then it probably didn’t solve a Millennium Prize Problem.]

”

”

[LOL, crude but true. I feel the same way. I’ve never understood a single one of God Chuan’s papers.]

”

”

[Hilarious!]

”

”

Chapter 326: Terence Tao, All Guns Blazing

To be honest, Xu Chuan almost burst out laughing at these comments.

If I can understand this paper, then it probably hasn’t solved a Millennium Prize Problem. If I can’t understand this paper, then I might as well not even look at it.

To a certain extent, there was some truth to that statement.

After all, cutting-edge scientific theories, whether in mathematics or physics, were fundamentally far removed from the general public.

How far removed?

So far that you wouldn’t even know the names of some of the mathematical and physical symbols in these papers, let alone how to pronounce them.

Under these circumstances, it could be said that the vast majority of online onlookers truly couldn’t understand cutting-edge scientific papers.

As for Professor Jiang Kangcai’s theoretical paper, while it was indeed published in an SCI journal, it wasn’t accepted by a top-tier publication.

It was a physics journal called Entropy.

It was an international, interdisciplinary journal that primarily published research on entropy and information, featuring reviews, regular research papers, and short communications.

Its goal was to encourage scientists to publish as many of their theoretical and experimental details as possible. There were no length restrictions on the papers.

Since it had an “encouraging” nature, it meant its review process wasn’t very rigorous. As for its impact factor, if he recalled correctly, it was less than 2.5.

It was an SCI journal, yes, but it could only be considered average, or even below average.

If a paper was submitted there, it would most likely be classified as Tier 2 or Tier 3 in SCI searches.

Moreover, a few years ago, the journal Entropy had been placed on an international journal warning list for reasons of academic dishonesty.

How should one put it? This type of journal was fine as a place to gather inspiration or ideas, but to treat it as a professional academic journal for cutting-edge science? Forget it.

After reading the news, Xu Chuan tossed his phone aside. To him, this was all just a joke.

As for responding to the Washington Times’ claims, he didn’t have that much time to waste on such a notorious media outlet.

“Professor, aren’t you going to respond?” Gu Bing, who had been paying attention, couldn’t help but ask after seeing him throw his phone aside.

In his view, this was an outright slander and insult to his Advisor, and it was intolerable!

Xu Chuan smiled faintly and said, “Engaging with this kind of media is a complete waste of time.”

“If I actually responded to them, I’d just be giving them more attention and traffic. Why bother with people like this? It’s fine to just watch for a laugh. With that time, I might as well do something productive.”

Gu Bing opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind. To be honest, if he hadn’t experienced rebirth, at his current age, he would have likely fired back directly.

But now, his heart was completely untroubled.

However, Terence Tao had been dragged into this. He might “express” his views and opinions online.

Elsewhere, just as Xu Chuan had predicted.

Right at this moment, Terence Tao was going all guns blazing online.

Upon noticing that the Washington Times had dragged him into the affair, he logged directly into his blog and responded head-on.

[First: I have never supported the theory of Professor Jiang Kangcai from Rice University. In fact, I have never even seen his theory or his paper!]

[Second: I have always been hopeful that a smooth solution for the NS equations exists!]

[Third: The Washington Times is an unscrupulous media outlet. In the past, its primary business has been to slander others by fabricating all sorts of news, completely lacking the spirit a news organization should have!]

[Fourth: Regarding the paper I wrote in 2015 about constructing a counterexample for the NS equations, that does not mean I support the idea that the NS equations have no smooth solution. It was solely used as evidence to verify that there were serious flaws in the abstract proof approach of a professor from Kazakhstan!]

[Fifth: I am very optimistic about Professor Xu’s paper. He is a true scholar.]

With a long, impassioned post, Terence Tao went on a full-scale offensive on his blog.

Those who followed him were instantly stunned by his post.

After all, in their traditional impression, Tao came across as exceptionally friendly, even a little endearingly dorky.

Although he stood at the pinnacle of the field of mathematics and had won a Fields Medal, if you asked him a math question online—as long as it was a legitimate question—he would almost always reply if he saw it.

Even if the question was a basic one from a university student that he could solve effortlessly and was of no value to him, he might still get a reply.

Even when people occasionally teased him online, Tao had never lashed out like this.

But it had to be said, with this move, he single-handedly pulled everyone’s attention to himself, to the point where almost no one was commenting about expecting a reply from Xu Chuan anymore.

[Good heavens, Professor Tao has gone on the offensive!]

[Hahahaha, I’m dying. The Washington Times just got a thorough scolding.]

[I knew it. What good could come from that notorious media outlet?]

[Hilarious. Professor Tao directly denied every part of the media report that concerned him.]

[The NS equations cannot have a smooth solution! Even Professor Xu Chuan isn’t necessarily correct. Professor Jiang Kangcai of Rice University’s theory has already passed review and been published in a journal, while Professor Xu’s is still just a research paper. It might contain major errors!]

[Heh, stubborn even when proven wrong, are we?]

[Terence Tao, Fefferman, Gowers, and other top professors have all said they’ve read Professor Xu’s paper and expressed their support. And you’re the one who knows better?]

[Oh, by the way, the paper submitted by that Jiang Kangcai you support was only submitted to a physics journal called ‘Entropy,’ which currently has an impact factor of just 2.089 and was once on the international journal warning list. It’s an SCI journal, sure, but a typically trashy one.]

The online controversy was instantly ignited by Terence Tao’s offensive.

The previously evenly matched debate now began to lean heavily to one side.

As for Xu Chuan’s reply, netizens still hadn’t seen it, but it no longer mattered. The notorious things the Washington Times had done were being dredged up.

Some people who weren’t very familiar with it finally realized what a piece of trash that publication was.

As the days passed, December was fast approaching.

The ancient city of Nanjing became lively once more as flights from all over the world landed one after another.

The multitude of arriving mathematicians and physicists once again filled the city with an academic atmosphere.

And for the Nanjing Municipal Government and Nanjing University, the conference presentation on the NS equations was undoubtedly the grandest academic discussion in history.

The administrative offices of the municipal government and Nanjing University coordinated with each other, comprehensively developing a detailed reception plan.

From cleaning up spam advertisements on roadside lampposts, to coordinating traffic, to arranging and communicating with hotels near Nanjing University for accommodation, to ensuring the safety of the scholars attending the discussion—preparations had begun as soon as Nanjing University announced the date of the conference presentation on its official website in mid-November.

A world-class academic presentation like this, with at least three thousand scholars in attendance and drawing attention from both the physics and mathematics communities, was a rare event even on the international stage, perhaps seen only once every few years.

For a conference presentation of this scale, both the Nanjing Municipal Government and Nanjing University were striving for perfection. After all, if anything went wrong, the humiliation would be on a global scale.

At the end of November, in front of the New Era Grand Hotel near Nanjing University.

An old man in a trench coat, pulling a suitcase, stepped out of a taxi.

He happened to run into another middle-aged scholar in a gray-black suit and black-framed glasses, also pulling a suitcase.

Seeing the man, the old man took the initiative, walked over with his suitcase, and greeted him, “You’re here too, Tao.”

Hearing the voice, Terence Tao looked up. Seeing the old man before him, he smiled and replied, “Of course. No one in the field of mathematics would want to miss a grand event like this.”

Deligne remarked with some emotion, “Indeed. Apart from the quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians, there are very few opportunities like this to gather so many old friends. Mathematics continues on, but we are all gradually growing old.”

Terence Tao smiled. “There will always be people to inherit our knowledge. It will forever flow within civilization.”

Hearing this, Deligne seemed to think of something and smiled. “Yes, civilization is eternal. There will always be someone to carry it on.”

Terence Tao also smiled, and pulling their suitcases, the two walked into the hotel side by side.

The next day, the conference presentation on the existence of a smooth solution for the NS equations officially began.

Before nine o’clock, the main auditorium on Nanjing University’s old campus was already a sea of people, bustling with activity.

The murmur of discussions filled every square meter of the auditorium. Everyone was filled with anticipation, waiting.

Following his invitation letter, Edward Witten came to the front row of the auditorium and found his seat. To his left was Deligne, but the figure to his right surprised him.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have a lot of work to do back at CERN?” Witten asked with some surprise, looking at the figure seated in the red chair.

Roger Penrose smiled and said, “I studied more than just physics; I studied mathematics too. Besides, the work at CERN is just the usual. And I’m not the only one who came. Look over there if you don’t believe me.”

As he spoke, Roger Penrose gestured lightly in a direction. Edward Witten followed his gaze, and all he saw were familiar faces.

Frank Wilczek, Alan Guth, Kip Thorne.

Good heavens. Half of the top theoretical physicists who regularly worked at CERN were here.

“Why have you all come?” Witten asked again after a quick scan. To be honest, he was quite taken aback by the number of people who had shown up, especially since most of their research focuses weren’t on mathematics or fluid dynamics.

Penrose chuckled, “I came because I’m interested in mathematics. As for them, they probably want to chat with that student of yours about physics or astronomy.”

Witten thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Alright, I suppose only he could make that happen.”

Penrose smiled and said, “What about you? With a student like this, why didn’t you teach him things related to string theory and quantum field theory? Maybe he could have helped you solve the problems in string theory and win you a Nobel Prize.”

Witten coughed slightly. “If he were to try to win a Nobel Prize with my string theory, I’m afraid he’d have to wait until he becomes an old geezer himself. I’d be long gone by then. Why add to his burden?”

Penrose teased, “Could it be that you just didn’t expect this student to be so brilliant that he had already graduated before you even had a chance to teach him?”

Edward Witten: “…”

Chapter 327: Witten: This Guy is So Annoying!

Inside the grand auditorium, every seat was taken, and the air buzzed with the sound of voices.

Shifting figures and the murmur of hushed discussions blended together.

The excitement wasn’t limited to the scholars who had come to attend the conference presentation in the auditorium. Backstage, the teachers and staff from the Administrative Office of Nanjing University were also bustling about, performing their final checks.

From the microphones to the projectors, the speakers to the displays, every piece of equipment had to be guaranteed to work without a hitch during the conference.

Even though they weren’t the ones presenting on stage.

Honestly, they were even more nervous than he was.

After all, this was a top-tier academic conference facing the entire world, with over three thousand scholars in attendance.

Moreover, the number of top mathematicians and physicists among them was staggering.

For academia, even on an international scale, a grand event like this might not happen more than once in several years.

Elsewhere, Xu Chuan, dressed in formal attire, sat quietly in a chair, waiting for the conference to begin.

To him, such a scene was not unfamiliar; he was even used to it.

Soon, a staff member trotted over, his face full of adoration. “Professor Xu, it’s already 8:55. What do you think?”

Xu Chuan nodded and stood up. “Thank you.”

He adjusted his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles, and walked toward the stage.

Although the presentation was scheduled to start at nine, as the speaker, it was a gesture of respect and courtesy to the attending scholars to go on stage a little early.

As Xu Chuan slowly walked onto the lectern, all eyes in the grand auditorium turned toward him.

There was no need for anyone to maintain order. The moment he appeared on stage, the auditorium, which had been noisy with discussions, instantly fell silent. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard at this moment.

Standing at the lectern, Xu Chuan looked down at the audience below.

The large screen behind him and the synchronized projectors installed around the auditorium switched on simultaneously. On the silvery-white screen, a clear title appeared.

【Proof of the Existence and Smoothness of Solutions for the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations!】

A line of large, black, formal characters leaped into everyone’s view.

Of course, considering that most of the scholars present were international, a line of English was included below the formal Chinese characters.

Looking at the expectant eyes in the audience, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.

“First, I would like to welcome everyone who has come to participate in this conference presentation. I am also very grateful that you could all take the time out of your busy schedules to come here and listen to my academic presentation.”

“Today’s conference presentation, as you can all see, is about the proof of the Existence and Smoothness of the solution to the NS equations.”

After a pause, Xu Chuan didn’t dive straight into the main topic as he usually did. He changed the subject, continuing, “Before we officially begin the presentation, I’d like to make a few tangential remarks.”

“Of course, they are also related to the NS equations.”

“In the past, we have reaped countless formulas, among which are the well-known Mass-energy equation, Newton’s second law, Maxwell’s equations, Euler’s formula, 1+1=2, the NS equations, and so on.”

“Every one of them has pushed our civilization and scientific progress forward.”

“Take the Mass-energy equation, for example. It can be said to be one of the most concise physical formulas, yet it holds one of the most profound mysteries of this universe. Through its study, we have unveiled the nature of light, found a ruler to measure the universe, and learned about the conservation of mass and energy.”

“And by studying Maxwell’s equations, we can transmit and use electrical energy swiftly and efficiently through power grids; we can transmit information efficiently and widely using radio waves.”

“Hidden within the NS equations is a similarly profound and cryptic meaning.”

“However, for a long time, our research into it has not managed to grasp its essence.”

“Even though we had already summarized a set of methods and equations to describe the laws of fluid motion in the nineteenth century.”

“But to this day, our understanding of the deeper mathematical, physical, and kinematic implications behind these methods and equations remains shallow.”

“It’s like the design of a high-speed aircraft. Limited by the precision and efficiency of the numerical solutions of the NS equations, we still need to rely on extensive wind tunnel experiments for its external design. Numerical solutions still cannot completely replace wind tunnel testing.”

“Why doesn’t a passenger jet flying in the sky suddenly disintegrate? Why doesn’t the calm earth suddenly collapse on its own? What exactly constrains the diffusion effect of a fluid?”

“In the past, all of this was mysterious and unknown to us.”

“But today, it is time to give them an answer!”

After his opening remarks, Xu Chuan pressed the control pen in his hand, and the PPT presentation flipped to a new slide.

“OK, that’s it for the digression. Now, let’s get down to business.”

“I believe that before coming here, all of you have already read my research paper. I won’t be repeating the proof from the paper in its entirety.”

“The focus of today’s presentation will be on the key nodes in proving the NS equations, as well as the new mathematical tool used: the ‘infinitesimal element construction method’.”

“I also believe that this is what you are all most interested in.”

“Without further ado, let’s begin the presentation.”

“The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations describe the motion of a viscous, incompressible, and homogeneous fluid. Based on the conservation of mass and conservation of momentum in Newtonian mechanics, we get the following equations:”

【∂tu + νΔu + (u·∇)u = −∇p + f, ∇ · u = ∑ni=1 ∂iui = 0】

As Xu Chuan began his formal presentation, the audience below focused their minds, staring intently at the nearest screen, their eyes fixed on the displayed images and formulas.

Everyone listened carefully, unwilling to miss a single detail, unwilling to miss a single moment.

“…Generally, the NS equations are derived by analyzing the forces on an infinitesimal fluid element and applying Newton’s second law. If we make no assumptions about the fluid, then μ, density, and so on will also have partial derivatives in all three directions, and the equations will become extremely complex.”

【∑3i=1 ∂/∂xi(H’(φ)∂φ/∂xi) = 0)】

“…By describing the post-shock wave flow as irrotational, and by introducing a potential function φ, the Euler equations can be simplified into a second-order nonlinear partial differential equation, known as the potential flow equation.”

“…”

On the stage, Xu Chuan held the control pen, his gaze on the projection screen as he calmly and systematically explained the key steps of the NS equation proof.

For solving problems in fluid dynamics, both the Eulerian and Lagrangian methods are essential.

The Eulerian method describes the velocity and forces at each point in Euclidean space, but the fluid particle at that point may change; the Lagrangian method tracks each individual fluid particle.

These two methods were among the most common tools used by past mathematicians studying the NS equations and fluid dynamics. He didn’t need to explain them in great detail, so Xu Chuan moved past them quickly.

Next came the main focus of the proof of the NS equations!

Based on the infinitesimal fluid in the system of mathematical physics, he introduced the concept of sets, connecting differential equations, topology, geometry, and Partial Differential Equations.

This was the key tool he used to prove the NS equations, and the core point for introducing the concept of topology and geometry into differential equations and Partial Differential Equations.

In the grand auditorium, Terence Tao sat next to Deligne, listening attentively to the presentation.

The moment the “infinitesimal element construction method” appeared, he sat up straight, his eyes glued to the screen.

As Xu Chuan explained, a bright light danced in his eyes. The lingering trace of doubt he had, gradually dissipated with the voice from the stage.

“So that’s how it is. He’s a true genius, a monster!”

Having understood all the key points, Terence Tao leaned back gently in his chair, a sigh of realization and admiration escaping his lips.

Beside him, Deligne heard his voice and responded with a smile, “Compared to me, he has long since surpassed the master.”

Hearing this, Terence Tao looked over with some curiosity and asked, “How is it that I get the feeling you understood this entire paper before the conference even started?”

Deligne smiled. “If you had participated in the mathematics discussion in Europe half a month ago, you would have understood it before the presentation too.”

Terence Tao frowned slightly and asked, “Professor Xu went as well?”

Deligne shook his head. “No, he didn’t go. But after he uploaded his paper to arXiv, we all came here together from Europe.”

At these words, Terence Tao understood, a hint of envy in his voice. “I see. It seems your discussions were quite fruitful. I missed out.”

He had known about the discussion in Europe, but he hadn’t gone.

If he had known that these people would come over here for an advance discussion, he would have come to join in, no matter what.

An academic exchange among so many top mathematicians was truly a rare opportunity.

Especially for someone like him who wanted to advance further in his academic career.

On the stage, Xu Chuan’s presentation continued.

“…Using standard energy calculations, we can obtain the consistency of v, independent of time. And by proving the uniform boundedness of θ, we can obtain the following equation:”

【∫T0 max(x∈[0,1])|θ^1/2(x,t) - ∫10θ^1/2(x,t)dx|dt ≤ C】

“From this, it can be proven that the θ in L∞(0,∞; Lp) norm is bounded. Simultaneously, using this equation…”

As Xu Chuan spoke, the ‘infinitesimal element construction method’ was gradually introduced into the final step of the proof of the NS equations.

For the difficult problem of the global existence of smooth solutions for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, his solution was like a space elevator from science fiction, ascending from Earth straight to space—the entire process was clean and efficient, without a single superfluous step.

As time passed, the concluding phase officially began to spill from Xu Chuan’s lips.

In the grand auditorium, the quiet atmosphere slowly filled with a mixture of emotions: anticipation, confusion, tension, and dawning realization.

Sitting next to Witten, Roger Penrose nudged Edward Witten beside him, his eyes filled with gravity and doubt as he asked.

“Did you understand that?”

To be honest, throughout the whole presentation, there wasn’t much he understood. Perhaps less than half?

After all, he was a theoretical physicist, researching things like gravitational collapse, spacetime singularities, and black holes.

Even his achievements in mathematics were limited to fields like geometry and abstract structures.

As for his knowledge in fields like topology and Partial Differential Equations, although most who study physics know a little, it was generally just that—a little.

It was nigh impossible to use it to study advanced, cutting-edge mathematical fields.

So halfway through, especially when that ‘infinitesimal element construction method’ began to be introduced, he started to feel lost.

Sitting beside him, Edward Witten heard the question and replied without turning his head, “For the most part.”

His mathematical ability was not something Penrose could compare to. He specialized in quantum field theory, string theory, and related fields of mathematics such as topology and geometry.

Although the NS equations were not within his area of research, many of the methods his student used were related to topology.

Hearing this, Roger Penrose’s eyebrows shot up. It hit a sore spot. They were both mathematical physicists, yet he understood?

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you regret it now?”

At these words, Witten, who was listening to the concluding part of the presentation, felt the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily.

This guy is so annoying!

Chapter 328: A Second Slap in the Face, Served Up on a Platter!

While Edward Witten and Roger Penrose were hitting each other’s sore spots, the conference presentation was drawing to a close.

When the final PowerPoint slide appeared before everyone’s eyes, the atmosphere in the entire auditorium reached its peak.

Even those who couldn’t understand the research paper and the proof process understood what was happening at this moment.

[…As the viscosity coefficient ν approaches zero, the solution to the initial-boundary value problem of the Navier-Stokes equations, within the interior of the fluid motion region, converges to the corresponding state of an ideal fluid. This implies that a solution to the initial-boundary value problem of the Euler equations exists!]

[Based on all the preceding deductions, we can easily determine that for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, a solution exists! And it is smooth!]

On the lectern, Xu Chuan completed his final report in a steady voice.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears with perfect clarity.

Just as it was at the beginning of the conference presentation.

This was the answer to the NS equations, and it was the knowledge of civilization and scientific progress!

The moment his voice fell…

Thunderous applause erupted in an instant, surging like a tide through the spacious and crowded auditorium, endlessly reverberating.

As the thunderous applause echoed in his ears, Xu Chuan smiled at the thousands of audience members below the stage.

Honestly, he truly enjoyed moments like this.

Not just for the honor, but because it represented a personal breakthrough.

The satisfaction from the former was fleeting, while the latter could linger in the fields of his heart for a long, long time.

It took nearly half a minute for the tidal wave of applause to gradually subside.

Xu Chuan bowed slightly to express his gratitude and respect to the audience, then stood up straight and spoke again. “The report on the NS equations is complete. Next is the Q&A session.”

“If anyone has any questions about my paper or the report, you may ask them now.”

Just like before, after completing the report on the proof of the NS equations, he opened the Q&A session.

For a conference presentation, while the report and explanation of the relevant research paper were important, the Q&A session was the key.

For any presenter, no matter how outstanding their report, no matter how detailed their paper, and no matter how many audience members they convinced, there would inevitably be questions of one kind or another.

This was especially true for a century-old problem like a Millennium Prize Problem.

The Q&A session began, and one by one, arms were raised throughout the grand auditorium.

Xu Chuan started calling on people from front to back to answer their questions.

This was something of an unspoken rule at academic conferences.

After all, for top-tier conferences like this, things were generally arranged in advance, with the top experts in related fields seated in the very front rows.

For a century-old problem, the presenter wasn’t actually expected to satisfy everyone’s questions.

Because not everyone could understand the relevant problems and the paper. For the field of mathematics, it was enough for these top experts to unanimously agree on the correctness of the paper.

Of course, this didn’t mean a fraudulent paper could be presented openly before everyone.

In the field of mathematics, anyone could point out flaws in a paper. As long as the criticism was reasonable, the author of the paper had to provide an explanation.

Otherwise, the paper would be scorned by the mathematical community.

Starting with the front row, Xu Chuan began taking questions.

To his surprise, the first person to ask a question was his Advisor, Edward Witten.

He asked a question related to the “infinitesimal element construction method” tool, mainly concerning its application in connecting topology with partial differential equations.

Following him, Shing-Tung Yau, Terence Tao, Alessio Figalli, and other big shots and rising stars in the field of partial differential equations all raised their hands to express their doubts.

Of course, Xu Chuan answered each of these questions one by one.

Compared to the last talk on the periodic results of the NS equations, there were far more people with questions this time. So many, in fact, that Xu Chuan and Nanjing University had to follow the previous procedure of temporarily suspending the Q&A session, first inviting the scholars to lunch, and then resuming in the afternoon.

For Xu Chuan, the two-hour lunch break was also a good opportunity to recover some of his energy to deal with the afternoon’s questions.

At two o’clock sharp, the afternoon Q&A session resumed.

Xu Chuan calmly handled the questions from mathematicians, physicists, and even some applied fluid dynamics engineers.

He was able to provide satisfactory answers to most of the questions.

The few exceptions were either from questioners who were too fanciful in their thinking, or were about the application of the NS equations or fluid dynamics.

For the former, he couldn’t give a precise answer, only his own thoughts and ideas.

For the latter, he maintained his long-standing habit of stating that he was just a theoretical mathematician and didn’t know much about applications.

For these latter questioners, this was indeed a great pity.

After all, the Professor Xu before them was the person who had traveled furthest down this path. If they had his guidance, even a single sentence, the development of fluid dynamics could advance by leaps and bounds.

Unfortunately, he had consistently declined to answer questions about applications at his conference presentations.

And as far as Xu Chuan was concerned, there was no need for him to answer these questions.

Even if he knew the answers.

On one hand, not answering application-related questions wouldn’t affect the correctness of his report and paper.

On the other hand, while science may have no borders, scientists do.

The afternoon passed quickly in a series of questions and answers.

As it approached four-thirty, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

If nothing unexpected happened, this conference presentation was about to conclude perfectly.

But just then, someone else in the auditorium raised their hand.

Xu Chuan didn’t think much of it and nodded, motioning for the person to ask their question.

Immediately, a staff member who was already prepared handed a microphone to the person.

The person who stood up was a white man of about thirty, who didn’t quite look like a scholar.

After taking the microphone, the man said, “Professor Xu, hello. I am a media reporter from the Washington Times. May I ask if you are aware of the paper by Professor Jiang Kangcai of Rice University?”

“If I recall correctly, Professor Jiang’s paper has already proven that a smooth solution to the NS equations does not exist, and it has already passed peer review and been published in a journal. Doesn’t this mean that your entire report today is completely wrong?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but frown.

At the same time, a rustle of commotion spread through the auditorium.

Most scholars looked on with disdain upon hearing the question, while a small number showed a flicker of interest in their eyes.

They wanted to hear how this Professor Xu would answer this question.

On the other side, the university leaders and administrators from Nanjing University who were backstage shot up from their seats when they heard the question.

A reporter from the Washington Times actually snuck in?

They were naturally aware of the infamous news report this media outlet had written before. They had assumed that since Xu Chuan hadn’t responded and Professor Terence Tao had given them a public scolding, the matter was over.

They never expected this media outlet to arrange for someone to cause trouble here today.

After all, this media company didn’t even have resident journalists in the country, so no one would have suspected such a thing.

In the auditorium, just as the staff were about to step forward and escort the reporter away…

Xu Chuan waved his hand and said, “Leave him for now.”

Hearing this, the staff member who had already started walking over paused.

Meanwhile, the Washington Times reporter, Andrew Witt, raised his head proudly and looked at the lectern.

For the Washington Times, seizing an opportunity to disgust the neighboring country of its sponsor would surely earn the sponsor’s support and appreciation.

They had originally thought that after they published the related news in their paper, this Professor Xu would be eager to jump out and defend himself, and then they could continue to pester him according to their usual strategy.

Unexpectedly, Professor Xu didn’t pay them any mind at all. Instead, it was the other person they had dragged into it, Professor Terence Tao, who publicly blasted them on his blog, turning them into a laughingstock.

Accidentally provoking Terence Tao led to the Washington Times getting a harsh scolding, and he, in turn, was berated by his editor-in-chief. This incident left Andrew Witt resentful, so he came up with another crooked trick.

Since this Professor Xu wouldn’t respond to their media outlet, they would go to him directly. Wasn’t he holding a conference presentation on the proof of the NS equations? Then they would ask the question at the conference.

Under the watchful eyes of scholars from all over the world, he surely couldn’t evade this question again, could he?

And no matter how he answered, it was basically a win for the Washington Times. The web traffic would skyrocket.

As for their reputation, did they even care about their reputation anymore?

On the lectern, Xu Chuan looked at the Washington Times reporter with a sneer and said:

“Honestly, I don’t know who sent you here. But whoever suggested this must not have a brain.”

“Getting slapped in the face once by Professor Terence Tao online wasn’t enough for you people. You had to proactively come to me to get slapped a second time.”

“Since you’re so eager, I’ll be happy to oblige!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire auditorium was in an uproar. Many people laughed out loud.

After all, most of the scholars who came to the conference presentation today had read Terence Tao’s blog post lambasting the Washington Times.

And Andrew Witt, who was standing there, his face instantly turned ashen.

Because the person who had suggested this and personally come here was none other than himself.

He never expected that this Professor Xu would change his usual style and tear into him as sharply as Terence Tao had.

According to his calculations, shouldn’t it have been him asking the question, and the other party explaining from an academic perspective on the lectern?

After all, this was in front of thousands of international scholars. No matter what, shouldn’t he maintain the demeanor befitting a scholar?

Why had things turned out like this?

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the reporter. He beckoned to a staff member standing nearby and said, “Could you please help me bring up a blackboard?”

At his words, the staff, who had long been waiting on the side, quickly brought up a blackboard.

Xu Chuan picked up a piece of chalk and began to write on it.

[…2u(x,y,z)=Fx(x,y,z,t)μ(μ/y)+(μ/y)=0]

After writing down a few equations, Xu Chuan turned to face the reporter and spoke again. “I believe you should be very familiar with the equations I’ve listed on the blackboard.”

“Of course, it’s also possible you don’t understand them. But that’s alright, as long as everyone else here does.”

“These formulas are the core formulas from the paper by that Professor Jiang Kangcai from Rice University, with whom you’ve collaborated. They use the Energy Gradient Theory and the Poisson equation analysis method to analyze transitional flow and turbulent flow, respectively.”

“There’s actually nothing wrong with the formulas themselves, but Professor Jiang Kangcai’s use of them is problematic.”

“He is an applied physics professor specializing in fluid dynamics and is likely not very familiar with mathematics.”

“The biggest problem in his theory is that he equates physical concepts with mathematics, but in physics, smoothness in the mathematical sense does not exist.”

“And in his paper, according to his derivations, a velocity U of zero can be defined as a singularity. However, a velocity U of zero cannot be defined as a singularity in mathematics, and it has no relation whatsoever to mathematical smoothness.”

“So, there’s no need to go to great lengths to prove whether his paper is correct. From the most basic mathematics, one can determine that the core of his paper is wrong.”

After a pause, Xu Chuan continued, “Furthermore, even from a physics perspective, his paper has a major flaw.”

“Because when conducting experiments on fluids, it is very common for supersonic fluids to have points of discontinuity—various shock waves are velocity discontinuity zones. If we follow Professor Jiang Kangcai’s reasoning, all of these could be considered singularities.”

“But in physics, a true breakpoint isn’t defined that way.”

“So, whether from a mathematical or a physical perspective, the paper this Professor Jiang Kangcai used to prove the NS equations has major flaws.”

“Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, this Professor Jiang you interviewed once submitted this paper to top journals like the Annals of Mathematics, but without exception, it was rejected, and its flaws were pointed out.”

“Yet, he was shameless. Not only did he not revise his paper, he even caused a scene at the International Mathematical Union and the Clay Mathematics Institute, demanding that the mathematical community accept his erroneous paper.”

“In my opinion, this shows a complete lack of academic integrity.”

“One last thing. Putting aside the academic aspects, doesn’t your Washington Times have any self-awareness about what kind of outlet it is?”

“Over the past decade or so, you have fabricated countless pieces of unscrupulous news, taking pleasure in slandering others, completely devoid of the spirit of journalism that should be—not embellishing the good, not concealing the bad, respecting facts, emphasizing truth, and being responsible to reality and to history!”

“Are you satisfied with my answer?”

As his voice fell, fervent applause erupted in the auditorium.

Except for Andrew Witt, who remained standing there, every scholar who had come to the conference was clapping.

In that instant, Andrew Witt felt like a clown, being ridiculed by everyone.

But for Xu Chuan, the matter wasn’t over.

He paused briefly, then continued, “Additionally, I have an announcement to make here.”

“In view of the Washington Times’s malicious and brainless slander against others and its defamation of me and other countries, I will temporarily revoke the secondary license of the ‘artificial SEI film’ patent under my ‘Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’ to South Korea.”

“If South Korea and the Washington Times cannot give me a satisfactory and just apology, I will permanently revoke the license for the artificial SEI film patent.”

“This includes refusing to cooperate with South Korea on any of my future research achievements!”

“That’s all for today’s NS equations conference presentation. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here.”

“Thank you.”

After speaking, Xu Chuan left the stage, leaving behind a chaotic and uproarious venue.

Chapter 329: Have Journals Gotten This Crafty Now?

Xu Chuan departed, leaving behind a buzzing conference hall.

The entire auditorium had erupted in discussion.

“Awesome, that’s Professor Xu for you!”

“So bold! He basically just tore into the Washington Times in front of the whole world, right? Absolutely trampled all over them.”

“That rag doesn’t have any reputation left to trample! I’m more curious, how can they be so stupid? After Professor Tao already put them in their place and they scurried off with their tails between their legs, they came back to let Professor Xu have a second go at them.”

“It’s the Washington Times. Nothing they do, no matter how outrageous, is surprising.”

“I think it was a bit too brazen. In front of thousands of people, he didn’t give them any face at all.”

“Give them face? If a mad dog bites you and you ignore it, then it comes back to bite you a second time, are you not going to put it down for good? You’ll just let it bite you a third and fourth time?”

“I don’t know what the Washington Times was thinking, messing with him. A twenty-four-year-old Nobel and Fields Prize winner… is that someone you can just provoke?”

In the front row, sitting beside Deligne, Terence Tao watched the retreating figure on the lectern and sighed with emotion. “That’s Professor Xu for you. He’s got more guts than I do!”

To be honest, he had already felt that his own online tirade against the Washington Times was quite out of line.

On one hand, he was a scholar, a completely different breed from that kind of shameless, unscrupulous media outlet. Stooping to their level for a public confrontation felt degrading.

On the other hand, there was a world of difference between ranting online and doing it to someone’s face in the real world.

If he had been on that lectern today, he probably couldn’t have done something like that. After all, one had to consider appearances.

But this man had gone and done it. Not only did he furiously rebuke the Washington Times, but he also unilaterally terminated the patent license for the artificial SEI film.

Terence Tao had looked into the artificial SEI film. The patent licensing fees alone had earned one billion US dollars. He could unilaterally cancel the secondary license, but the breach of contract penalties and the resulting impact and losses would cost him at least tens of millions of US dollars.

Of course, the impact on South Korea would be even greater.

Because at present, the newest lithium batteries with this new artificial SEI film had a capacity nearly three times that of the original lithium batteries.

Beside him, Deligne also shook his head.

However, he didn’t pay it much mind. To scholars like them, the Washington Times was nothing.

Just as the crowd was speculating, he had no idea what they were thinking, trying to provoke people like them.

Now look at them. Not only were they publicly humiliated in front of the whole world, but they would probably have to issue another public apology afterward.

The Washington Times most likely wouldn’t want to apologize, but someone in South Korea would make them.

As he thought this, Deligne glanced at his pocket. The phone inside was new, and its battery capacity was enough to last him nearly ten days without charging.

In comparison, probably no one was willing to go back to the era of charging once or even twice a day.

This student of his was no longer just a pure theoretical scholar.

Putting the future aside, just the current artificial SEI film was enough to provide for him for ten lifetimes with plenty to spare. A patent of this level was more than enough to handle some clueless people.

Meanwhile, backstage in the auditorium, the leaders of the Nanjing University Administrative Office, who had been anxiously trying to figure out how to handle the situation, were also stirred by Xu Chuan’s rousing words.

“Holy shit! That was badass!”

“That was a great takedown! That rag, The Washington Post!”

“The Washington Post: ?????”

“Speaking of which, if Professor Xu says something like that so publicly in front of the whole world, could he be sued?”

“Sued? Professor Xu not suing them for slander and defamation is already a blessing!”

“I’m more worried about the money he’ll lose by unilaterally canceling South Korea’s artificial SEI film license. It must be a lot, right?”

“At least tens of millions, I’d guess.”

“Hiss~ That’s such a pity.”

“But it feels so damn satisfying!”

Xu Chuan left directly from backstage. Outside the auditorium, the reporters who had originally planned to interview him after the conference presentation all came up empty-handed.

But for today, failing to interview the speaker was already irrelevant.

The hot-button issue the Washington Times had served up for them was even more sensational than an interview with the speaker.

What did the general public love to see most?

A good old-fashioned spat, without a doubt!

For the other media reporters at the scene, they had already come up with their article titles!

World-Renowned Top Scholar in Heated Exchange at Conference! The Reason Why?

The Love-Hate Saga of ‘Professor Xu,’ Solver of Two Millennium Problems, and the Washington Times

Shocking! Famous Math Professor Roasts Questioner for Having No Brain at Conference of Thousands!

…

In fact, if Professor Xu’s performance today hadn’t intimidated them and made them worried about being sued themselves, they could have concocted even more exaggerated and eye-catching headlines.

Riding the wave of a trending topic was nothing to be ashamed of.

But if they happened to displease this Professor Xu and he sued them directly, it would be a huge hassle.

The Washington Times had already tested the waters for them; there was no need to jump in and get soaked too.

After the conference presentation ended, Xu Chuan left from backstage, planning to return to his office to rest for a bit before attending the evening gala.

Judging by the reaction at the conference, the field of mathematics had basically accepted his research paper.

As for its publication in a journal, that would have to wait a while longer.

Even though he had held a conference presentation, the thesis proving the NS equations still had to go through peer review.

Of course, this was not something Xu Chuan needed to worry about.

The research paper on the proof of the Existence and Smoothness of the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations was no longer just his problem, or the problem of a single journal.

It was a grand event for the entire field of mathematics, and a responsibility of the International Mathematical Union.

Just as he returned to his office, Xu Chuan was surprised to find a figure standing at his door.

It was Professor Robert Morey Dean, the editor-in-chief of New Progress in Mathematics.

Seeing Xu Chuan, Robert approached with a warm expression. “Professor Xu, congratulations on solving another century-old Millennium Prize Problem!”

“Thank you. Please, come in for some tea.” Xu Chuan smiled and shook Robert’s hand, then took out his key and opened the office door.

Robert followed behind, laying on the flattery, “Today’s conference presentation was truly the most brilliant I have ever seen. Your presentation won all of us over!”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “While that’s nice to hear, let’s skip the pleasantries. I know why you’re here. Since I promised you last time, this paper is yours. I hope you’ll treat it well.”

Hearing this, Robert was stunned for a moment, then his face instantly filled with joyful surprise.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Xu! As soon as it passes peer review, we will arrange for its publication in the journal at the fastest possible speed!”

“I promise!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I trust you will.”

Just then, a knock sounded on the office door.

At the same time, a complimentary voice drifted in: “Xu, congratulations on solving another of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems!”

Xu Chuan and Robert turned their heads in unison to see Camillo De Lellis, the editor-in-chief of Annals of Mathematics, walking in.

After knocking, Editor-in-Chief Camillo walked in, only to realize there was another person in the office.

Recognizing the figure, Camillo’s heart skipped a beat. A bad premonition washed over him, and he blurted out, “What are you doing here!?”

Robert smiled smugly. “You’re too late!”

Camillo said in disbelief, “Impossible!”

Then, he turned to Xu Chuan. “Xu, you know why I’m here. The preliminary proof for the NS equations has already been published in our Annals of Mathematics. It makes no sense for the final step of the proof to be separated from it.”

“Our collaboration has always been very pleasant. I trust your judgment.”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “I’m very sorry, Professor Camillo, but last time, I already promised Editor-in-Chief Robert that I would give him my next paper.”

“So, I can only apologize.”

To be honest, he hadn’t expected to solve the final step of the NS equations so quickly.

When Robert had approached him to reserve his next paper, he had assumed he would be doing research in some other area of mathematics, so he had agreed without hesitation.

But now the situation had changed somewhat. Who could have guessed that he would solve the remaining difficulties in just six months?

So all one could say was that it was fate. Robert’s invitation back then had landed New Progress in Mathematics a top-tier, heavyweight paper.

Hearing this, Camillo’s expression changed instantly.

He had come full of confidence. Who could have imagined this would be the outcome?

But he still didn’t want to give up and wanted to try again.

After thinking for a moment, he looked at Xu Chuan with a pitiful expression and said, “Xu, do you really want to see them separated?”

“Although Editor-in-Chief Robert has a reservation for your manuscript, you can simply give him the next one.”

“Trust me, it’s most appropriate for the preliminary results of the NS equations and the final results of the NS equations to be together!”

Hearing this, Robert grew anxious.

He quickly interjected, “My dear Xu, we had an agreement, and you just agreed. Believe me, collaborating with New Progress in Mathematics will definitely be a smoother process!”

He was genuinely worried that Xu Chuan would be persuaded, as many academics had their quirks.

For example, a pursuit of perfection, or something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

And placing the final NS equations paper in the same journal as the preliminary results paper would probably be very tempting for many.

Especially when both were the work of the same person, it wouldn’t be strange to want to place them in the same journal.

Seeing a grown man with such a pitiful expression, Xu Chuan felt a little awkward. He gave a dry cough and said, “Please don’t be like that, Professor Camillo. While your point is indeed compelling, I’ve already given my word to Professor Robert.”

Hearing this, Camillo let out a long sigh and said, “Since that’s the case, alright then.”

He paused, then looked at Xu Chuan with eyes full of anticipation. “Xu, I’d also like to reserve your next paper!”

Xu Chuan: “…”

Have journals gotten this crafty now?

Chapter 330: The NS Equations Paper Passes Peer Review!

Meanwhile, as various news outlets quickly compiled and released information from the conference presentation, a new wave of heated discussion erupted online.

“I’m dying laughing. The Washington Times is really something else. After getting their faces slapped by Professor Tao, they actually came all the way to China to get slapped a second time by God Chuan.”

“I’ve heard of people going the extra mile, but I’ve never seen someone cross an ocean just to get humiliated.”

“God Chuan: ‘Since you’re so eager to offer up your face for me to stomp on, I’ll be happy to oblige!’ That sounds so satisfying!”

“I feel like that was too ostentatious. After all, they came from far away as guests, and they raised their question during the conference. Pointing out the mistake would have been enough. Was it really necessary to crush them like that?”

“Oh, look, an ‘enlightened centrist’ has arrived! Why don’t you take a look at which garbage newspaper started this by sinking its teeth into Professor Xu and refusing to let go?”

“You can’t blame them. In their eyes, the one asking the question was an honorable foreign master (sarcasm intended).”

“I think what was even more badass was Professor Xu announcing from the lectern that he was canceling the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film for South Korea! It feels like one man challenging an entire country! Absolutely overflowing with badass energy!”

“Wait, isn’t the Washington Times from the United States? Why ban South Korea?”

“Because its sponsor is from South Korea. The paper was founded for the sole purpose of antagonizing our country. If you don’t believe me, search for this media outlet on Baidu and see what kind of things they’ve done in the past.”

Following the reports from major news outlets, the Washington Times once again entered the public eye.

It had to be said that the stunt pulled by their tech editor, Andrew Witt, was certainly explosive, bringing the Washington Times a massive amount of traffic.

Of course, this traffic was almost entirely negative—a flood of condemnations.

But for the Washington Times, they didn’t care if the traffic was negative.

Their reputation wasn’t great to begin with, and as the saying goes, one anti-fan is worth ten regular fans. The buzz generated by “hate-followers” was far more effective at breaking into new circles than that of actual fans.

As for Xu Chuan’s threat during the conference, frankly, no one at the Washington Times, from top to bottom, paid it any mind.

They even saw it as nothing more than a way to absorb more attention for themselves.

Just as the entire staff of the Washington Times was feeling smug and self-satisfied, believing their plan had succeeded, a phone call came into the office.

The editor-in-chief picked up the phone. The caller was the sponsor of the Washington Times.

Before he could report the good news of the surge in the paper’s readership, a torrential storm of curses erupted from the other end of the line.

“Ssibal!”

“You bastards, are you looking to die? You bunch of good-for-nothing scoundrels.”

In the office, the editor-in-chief of the Washington Times, who had been like a cucumber seedling in a greenhouse, suddenly wilted as if he had been transplanted into an open field and hit by a violent storm.

Listening to the tirade, he wanted to retort that the sponsor had also agreed to this plan at the time.

But he didn’t dare. If their sponsor pulled funding and stopped propping them up, the newspaper would likely fold by tomorrow.

And so, like a little turtledove in a hurricane, the editor-in-chief stood frozen, not daring to move, as he weathered the verbal assault.

“…Right now! Immediately! Issue a formal, public apology to that Professor Xu! If the license for the artificial SEI film isn’t restored, I will personally destroy you all, one by one! You sons of bitches! Ssibal!”

After a long string of curses, the sponsor, Sun Myung Moon, hung up after delivering his final ultimatum.

Listening to the dial tone, the editor-in-chief’s chest heaved. Having been thoroughly berated, he was naturally furious as well.

But beyond the anger, he now had to issue a formal, public apology.

Waves of humiliation washed over him.

“Fire him! Fire Andrew Witt immediately and pin everything on him!”

Unable to find a better outlet for his rage, the incensed editor-in-chief could only decide to shove all the blame onto the tech editor, Andrew Witt.

And so, Andrew Witt, who was still in China, soon discovered he was suddenly unemployed.

Meanwhile, in Basel, Switzerland, MDPI, the publisher that operates the journal Entropy, quickly investigated their journal after the news fermented online.

After confirming that they had indeed received a submission from Professor Jiang Kangcai of Rice University, they immediately ordered Entropy to retract the paper.

Regardless of the fact that Xu Chuan had pointed out problems with the paper from both a mathematical and physical standpoint during the conference, any paper that embroiled a journal in such a massive controversy would have been swiftly retracted pending review.

As for the outcome, it could be said that the vast majority of retracted papers had almost no chance of ever being published in any journal again.

After the conference presentation ended, Xu Chuan paid no more attention to these matters.

He had too much to do and no time to waste on a disreputable journal.

Although the conference presentation for the NS equations was over, the peer review was not yet complete.

During the peer review period, the author of the paper needed to be available to answer any reasonable questions raised by the reviewers.

For Xu Chuan, however, he needed to get the peer review done before the end of the month, as he had to travel to Beijing for a meeting.

The 2019 Academician selection meeting was scheduled for late December, during which the list of the biennial Academician selections would be announced to the public. He had already received an invitation letter personally delivered by Zheng Hai.

Therefore, he either had to complete the peer review for the NS equations by the end of December, or he would have to request a short leave of absence to attend the meeting first.

The choice, honestly, was not up to him, but depended on the speed of the peer review.

A review committee consisting of nine people—Terence Tao, Fefferman, Shing-Tung Yau, and one other from the field of partial differential equations, plus two from topology, two from fluid dynamics, and one representative from the Clay Mathematics Institute—began their review of the NS equations proof the day after the conference.

It was an incredibly star-studded lineup, and the largest peer review committee in history.

Even the proofs of the Poincaré Conjecture and the Hodge Conjecture by Perelman and Xu Chuan respectively only had six peer reviewers.

The reason it had expanded to nine this time was that the NS equations involved the field of fluid dynamics within physics, so two big shots from that area were added.

However, although the number of reviewers had increased, the review process was remarkably fast, and there weren’t many questions that required Xu Chuan’s input.

This was especially true for the “infinitesimal element construction method,” the key new tool that had unlocked the NS equations. Virtually no one raised any questions or offered suggestions, nor did anyone point out areas for optimization.

To every Fields Medalist on the review committee, this mathematical tool seemed as if forged by nature itself, perfect and flawless.

It was like a work of art, so beautiful it was captivating, drawing one deep into its structure.

In contrast, the proof process that utilized this tool did have some minor imperfections they identified.

If compared to other papers they had reviewed in the past, the final proof for the NS equations was undoubtedly top-tier.

But when placed next to the “infinitesimal element construction method,” it was like the other snowy peaks next to Mount Everest. Though they were also towering, the brilliance of Everest was something other mountains could never match.

The peer review for the proof of the Existence and Smoothness of the Navier-Stokes Equation went even faster than Xu Chuan had anticipated.

He had originally estimated it would take at least a month, but in less than twenty days, the peer review committee formally notified him that his proof for the NS equations had passed their review.

Four people came to deliver the results in person: Professor Fefferman, representing the peer review committee; a representative from the Clay Mathematics Institute; the Director of the International Mathematical Union committee, Shigefumi Mori; and the editor-in-chief of New Progress in Mathematics, Robert.

Of course, on an occasion like this, they were followed by media reporters.

After the four men enthusiastically shook hands with Xu Chuan, the Director of the IMU committee, Shigefumi Mori, straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and spoke with solemn gravity:

“After joint confirmation by the peer review committee, the International Mathematical Union’s committee, and the Clay Mathematics Institute, your paper, ‘On the Proof of the Existence and Smoothness of Solutions to the Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations,’ has passed peer review and final verification.”

“From this day forward, we have found a smooth solution to the NS equations, and we have confirmed that within the region of fluid motion, the corresponding ideal fluid is the solution to the initial-boundary value problem of the Euler equations!”

“From this day forward, when the initial value is infinitely smooth, has a divergence of zero, and has compact support—with no restrictions on the size of the initial value and the region—the global existence of a smooth solution to the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is established!”

“From this day forward, we have also gained a perfect new mathematical tool, one that builds a great bridge between differential equations, topology, and partial differential equations, allowing future generations to cross with ease.”

“From this day forward, this problem, which has spanned three centuries, has found its perfect conclusion in your hands.”

“Congratulations, Professor Xu!”

Chapter 331: The List of Academicians is Announced

Hearing that the peer review had gone through smoothly, a brilliant smile lit up Xu Chuan’s face.

The NS equations held a special meaning for him; they were the dream of two lifetimes.

He straightened his clothes and bowed slightly to the four people before him, expressing his gratitude for their hard work during this period.

“Thank you! This is the best news I’ve ever heard!”

To be honest, Xu Chuan was also stunned by the speed of the peer review for his paper on the proof of the NS equations.

Passing peer review in less than twenty days was lightning-fast for a conjecture on the level of a Millennium Prize problem.

Normally, even if the prover successfully passed the conference presentation and convinced the majority of experts, under the smoothest of circumstances, passing peer review would take at least two months or more.

To ensure the paper’s correctness, especially for a proof with such a massive impact on the entire field of mathematics, it needed to be reviewed over and over again to verify that every single detail was flawless.

This time, however, part of the reason was that only the final step of the NS equations proof remained, as the preceding related papers had already been vetted.

Another reason was that the mathematical tool used to solve this problem, the “infinitesimal element construction method,” was simply too perfect—so perfect that the peer review committee could find virtually no flaws in it.

Therefore, after deliberation between the peer review committee and the committee members of the International Mathematical Union, they unanimously decided to approve the proof paper for the NS equations.

Beside him, Robert, the editor-in-chief of New Progress in Mathematics, walked up with a smile, gave him a hug, and clapped him firmly on the back.

“Congratulations, Xu! Your paper will be published in the next issue of New Progress in Mathematics. We will do our utmost to promote this great success to the fields of mathematics and physics to let more people know about it.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Thank you.”

With the paper on the proof of the NS equations having passed the final peer review, the time had come to the latter half of December.

After a two-day rest, the 2019 Academician selection meeting was about to begin.

Without further delay, Xu Chuan packed his luggage and took the high-speed rail to Beijing.

He was staying at the familiar Beihai Hotel, even in the same room he always had.

According to the hotel manager, the room had become his exclusive suite. No matter how long he was away, it would not be assigned to any other guest.

After checking into the hotel and resting for a night, the 2019 selection meeting for the Academicians of both Academies officially commenced.

At dawn, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Xu Chuan was already up and had finished washing.

After a simple breakfast at the hotel, he took a dedicated car arranged by the Ministry of Science and Technology and rode all the way to China’s Great Hall.

When he passed the security check at the entrance and was led into the venue by an attendant, the entire hall was already a magnificent sea of people.

Looking at the throng of heads in the grand auditorium, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but sigh. He had thought he was early, since the formal meeting didn’t start until ten, and it wasn’t even eight-thirty yet.

But now it seemed he might have been among the last to arrive.

Seeing Xu Chuan enter, an attendant waiting in the hall immediately walked over. “Professor Xu, your seat is in the second row, middle section, third seat. Do you need me to show you the way?”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “I’ll have to trouble you, then.”

To be honest, although the hall was packed, he didn’t know many of the people there.

Of course, this had to do with the fact that he didn’t really engage in the social networking of China’s academic circles. Since returning to the country, he had barely left Nanjing except for project-related matters.

Coupled with the fact that it had only been two years since he became famous and returned, he really didn’t know many people.

At the very least, he recognized few of the people attending the Academician selection conference presentation today.

However, just because he didn’t know others didn’t mean they didn’t know him.

As Xu Chuan followed the attendant into the venue, people soon came up to greet him warmly.

“Professor Xu. Long time no see.” A middle-aged man in a suit approached, a warm smile on his face as he greeted him.

Xu Chuan stopped and turned to look. The man looked somewhat familiar. After a moment of rapid thought, he recognized him and responded with a smile, “Long time no see, Director Liu.”

The person greeting him was Professor Liu Chang’an, the overall director of the Yunnan Observatory Array Center and a student of Academician Nan Rendong.

He had met this Director Liu a few times when he was using the extended applications of the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem to conduct observational experiments on Betelgeuse.

He hadn’t expected to run into him here today.

“It’s been a few years, I’m surprised Professor Xu still remembers me,” Liu Chang’an replied with a smile, feeling a bit emotional himself.

In the span of a few years, the young genius who had received national attention back in his first year of university had now grown into the number one figure in the domestic academic world. Even on the global stage, if not number one, he would rank in the top three.

If one were to look solely at his achievements in theoretical mathematics and physics, probably no one would object to calling him number one.

Two Millennium Prize problems, a Nobel Prize, and achievements spanning numerous fields including mathematics, physics, and astronomy—the weight of these accomplishments was enough to propel him to the top of today’s field of mathematics.

Never mind today’s academia; even looking back in history, the number of people with such achievements could be counted on one hand.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I have to thank you for your care back then at the Yunnan Observatory Array Center, Director Liu.”

Liu Chang’an laughed. “Ah, it was nothing more than assigning a couple of researchers. Speaking of which, the observational results on Betelgeuse that you left at the Yunnan Observatory Array Center helped me even more.”

“If it weren’t for your major astronomical discovery, I might not have had the chance to be standing here today.”

Although his senior was Professor Nan Rendong, China’s astronomical development was relatively recent. Most of the observable, nearby astronomical phenomena had already been claimed by foreign astronomical institutions, making it quite difficult to produce new results.

And the discovery that a companion star existed within Betelgeuse’s hydrogen envelope was, without a doubt, a revolutionary one in the field of astronomy.

Although the discovery was made by the young man before him, as the overall director of the Yunnan Observatory Array Center, he had still reaped a considerable share of the benefits.

After all, the discovery was made at his facility using their array equipment, so there was no way to bypass them. Combined with his own original achievements and contributions, he finally had the opportunity to stand here today.

Otherwise, by his original estimates, he would have had to wait several more years, or even more than a decade, to continue building up his seniority and achievements before he might have a chance to be nominated.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “You’re too modest, Director Liu. Everyone can see your contributions to the field of astronomy. The discovery about Betelgeuse was merely icing on the cake.”

Liu Chang’an said with a smile, “Professor Xu, when do you have time to visit the observation center again and give us some guidance on the development path of our country’s astronomy?”

Xu Chuan laughed. “I wouldn’t dare to offer guidance, but I’ll definitely visit when I have time.”

“Hahaha, good, then it’s a deal. You must come when you have time,” Liu Chang’an replied with a hearty laugh, not taking up too much of Xu Chuan’s time.

He knew that at this conference, he wasn’t the only one; many more people would want to greet this young, national treasure-level scholar and make a good impression. So, after a brief chat to leave an impression, he took his leave.

Xu Chuan, meanwhile, continued toward his seat with the attendant. Along the way, quite a few people came up to greet him, and he politely responded to each one.

As time passed, the conference was about to begin.

The professors and scholars attending this grand event took their seats one by one, and leaders from various levels arrived and were seated. The hall gradually fell silent.

The red curtains and the crimson lectern lent the entire hall an air of solemn dignity.

As the resounding notes of the national anthem filled the air, all the guests in the Great Hall rose to their feet.

When the majestic music concluded, the 2019 Academician of both Academies selection conference presentation, an event that had been through a nearly two-year selection process and had garnered immense attention from the domestic academic world, officially began.

Academician Bai Lichun, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Executive Director of the Academic Divisions, was the first to take the stage to deliver the opening address.

Following him, other speakers took the stage, expressing their hope that the newly elected Academicians would take practical actions to strengthen their work style and academic integrity, serve as models for promoting the spirit of science and upholding scientific ethics, play a leading role in academia, and continue to scale new heights in science and technology.

After a series of passionate and stirring speeches, the conference moved to its main event: the announcement of the 2019 selection list for the Academicians of both Academies.

The list was sorted by academic division and the pinyin of the surnames. Amidst the impassioned and steady voice of the conference host, the first person to be named an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was announced.

It was Dean Chang Jin of the Zijin Mountain Observatory.

He had made significant progress in areas such as space-based dark matter detection, development of space astronomy observation equipment, and data analysis. He innovatively developed a new technological method for detecting high-energy cosmic ray electrons and successfully applied it in the ATIC experiment, a long-duration balloon-borne experiment in Antarctica.

He had made important contributions to the development of astronomy in China.

Below the stage, as the first name was announced, fervent applause erupted in the Great Hall, with everyone congratulating this great scholar.

Meanwhile, at Nanjing University, in the office of Principal Liu Gaojun in the administration building, Chen Zhengping, Dean Rong Zhizhuan of the School of Mathematical Sciences, and Dean Yu Yongwang of the School of Physics were sitting on the sofa, watching the television and chatting.

“It’s been almost twenty years. Our university is finally going to produce another Young Academician,” Liu Gaojun sighed as he watched the live broadcast on TV.

Since the year 2000, although Nanjing University had produced Academicians, there hadn’t been a Young Academician—one under the age of forty—for a full twenty years.

The last time Nanjing University had a Young Academician under forty was back in 1997.

Beside him, Rong Zhizhuan spoke with a smile, “I heard the Chinese Academy of Engineering also submitted Professor Xu’s name. I wonder if he has a chance to become an Academician of both Academies at the same time this year?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid that will be very difficult.”

Liu Gaojun picked up the conversation with a smile, “With his achievements, he has more than enough qualifications to become an Academician of both the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering separately. But to become an Academician of both Academies in the same year is probably impossible.”

“After all, there’s no precedent for awarding both titles to the same person in the same year, unless the higher-ups make an exception.”

“But in a few more years, becoming an Academician of both Academies shouldn’t be a problem. By then, our Nanjing University will also have a scholar at the level of an Academician of both Academies.”

Beside them, Yu Yongwang said with a smile, “Why don’t we talk about whether he’ll get the spot from the Academy of Sciences or the Academy of Engineering this time.”

Chen Zhengping thought for a moment and said, “It will most likely be the Academy of Sciences. Although his research on the artificial SEI film and nuclear waste reprocessing technology is very important, the weight of a Nobel Prize plus a Fields Prize is still greater.”

“Let’s wait and see. No matter what, Professor Xu will definitely get one this year.”

Chapter 332: Unprecedented and Unsurpassed

In the office, a few people were chatting idly.

On the television, more than half of the list of new Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians had been announced.

On the stage, the host glanced at the teleprompter and took a deep breath. “He has proven the Hodge Conjecture, solved the NS equations, and won both the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize.”

“In the history of human civilization, it would be difficult to find another scholar like him. He is a creator of miracles and a precious treasure of the Motherland.”

“The next new Academician is… from the Division of Mathematics and Physics, Professor Xu Chuan!”

As the name was announced, a thunderous, tide-like wave of applause erupted in the Great Hall.

A twenty-four-year-old Academician. He broke the record for the youngest person ever to be elected, shattering the previous record by more than ten years.

But to everyone present, the honor was entirely well-deserved.

No one would question whether it was appropriate to bestow this title and honor upon him.

Because there was no one more suitable!

Xu Chuan stood up, bowed politely to the audience to express his gratitude, and then walked toward the stage with steady steps.

On the stage, an elderly man took the bright red Academician’s certificate from an attendant and handed it to him. “Congratulations, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan solemnly accepted the certificate with both hands, nodded firmly, and said, “Thank you.”

The elderly man smiled and patted his shoulder. He didn’t offer the usual words of praise and advice on stage, but his eyes held a profound, knowing smile.

As Xu Chuan took the stage, applause also broke out in the office of Nanjing University’s administration building.

Watching Xu Chuan receive the red certificate from the elderly man, Liu Gaojun remarked with emotion, “A twenty-four-year-old Chinese Academy of Sciences Academician. He’s broken the historical record.”

Beside him, Chen Zhengping said softly, “Indeed. I’m afraid it will be a very long time before anyone can break this record.”

Generally speaking, earning the title of Academician before one’s fifties or sixties is already an impressive feat.

Those who gain the title and honor of an Academician under forty are exceedingly rare; you might not see one even in a decade.

And this student of his had just pushed the previous record of thirty-eight years old forward by a full fourteen years.

It was hard to say if anyone would surpass him in the future, but it was certain that he was unprecedented.

What a monster.

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, the announcement of the new Academicians continued.

As time went on, the selection for the Chinese Academy of Sciences was finalized. Sixty-four new Academicians were selected, and a new record for the youngest age was set.

As the announcement for the Chinese Academy of Sciences concluded, the list of new Academicians for the Chinese Academy of Engineering began.

The list was once again arranged by division, and within each division, the names were in alphabetical order.

First to be announced were the ten new Academicians from the Division of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering.

Following that were nine new Academicians each from the Division of Information and Electronic Engineering and the Division of Chemical, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering.

Next up was the selection for the Division of Energy and Mining Engineering.

The first new Academician was Guo Xusheng from the PetroChina Exploration & Production Research Institute.

As the new Academicians went up to the stage one by one…

The host announcing the list glanced at the teleprompter again. His pupils contracted slightly. Taking another deep breath to suppress his shock, he spoke with great solemnity:

“He solved the problem of lithium dendrites and the problem of nuclear waste. In the perilous field of combating nuclear radiation, he stood before us all, facing the storm alone. In the Motherland’s most critical energy sector, he has pioneered a new world!”

“The next new Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering is, from the Division of Energy and Mining Engineering, Academician Xu Chuan!”

Following the host’s announcement, a slight but noticeable stir went through the Great Hall.

However, everyone present was seasoned and had weathered many storms, so the commotion quickly subsided. But a look of utter disbelief and astonishment filled the eyes of most in the Great Hall.

Some couldn’t help but wonder if the name had been misread, or if there was another Academician candidate with the very same name.

After all, if it was true, it was simply too astonishing.

To bestow the titles of Academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering upon the same person in the same year.

Such a thing had never happened before in history.

It wasn’t that there had never been scholars elected as Academicians of both Academies, but to achieve both in the same year was truly unprecedented.

One must understand that the difficulty of obtaining the title of Academician was already immense. For either academy, it required an approval vote from at least two-thirds of the member Academicians.

To receive both titles simultaneously meant that this Professor Xu—no, Academician Xu—had won the approval of more than two-thirds of the members of both the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering.

That was simply terrifying.

Never mind others, even Xu Chuan himself, who had just returned to his seat, had a look of deep astonishment in his eyes.

Although he had considered the possibility of receiving both titles this year, it had only been a fleeting thought.

So when the host announced his name again, he was momentarily stunned and lost in a daze.

It wasn’t until his gaze met that of the elderly man on stage again that he started to come to his senses.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan stood up and walked toward the stage once more.

Behind him, applause thundered as if to shake the heavens. Despite the shock and disbelief, the facts proved that a miracle, unprecedented in history, had occurred today!

Stepping onto the stage, Xu Chuan once again stood before the elderly man.

The elderly man smiled kindly, took another bright red Academician’s certificate from an attendant, and handed it to him. “Congratulations, Academician Xu!”

Xu Chuan took a deep breath and accepted the bright red certificate with both hands. For a moment, he found himself at a complete loss for words.

The elderly man smiled and spoke again, “You are the hope of the Motherland and a precious treasure of civilization. I hope these two certificates will encourage you to venture further down the path of academia, and I hope that in the future, you will lead our Motherland and our civilization to glimpse that unknown world.”

Xu Chuan took another deep breath, his eyes slightly red, and nodded vigorously.

To be honest, he didn’t know if he could bear such a heavy responsibility, but he would do his absolute best.

The elderly man smiled, patted Xu Chuan’s shoulder, and added, “You have the ability. Keep it up!”

On the stage, listening to the elderly man’s words and feeling the gazes from the audience below, Xu Chuan suddenly felt the red, gold-lettered certificate in his hands grow heavier.

This must be the weight of responsibility, he thought.

At Nanjing University, in the office of the administration building.

Watching the screen, Nanjing University’s principal, Liu Gaojun, who had been sipping tea, suddenly choked, sending a mouthful of tea into his nasal cavity and lungs.

After a few violent coughs, he ignored the burning pain in his throat, his eyes glued to the wall-mounted television, his face a mask of utter shock and disbelief.

“Th-this…”

After confirming there had been no mistake with the list of Engineering Academicians, Liu Gaojun couldn’t help but swallow again and again, utterly speechless.

He turned to look at the other three in the office and saw that their expressions were identical to his own—filled with shock and disbelief.

It wasn’t until the screen changed and the next new Academician took the stage that the four of them snapped out of it.

The four exchanged glances, each seeing the same astonishment in the others’ eyes.

To be honest, the people sitting in this office today were all high-ranking figures in the country. At their age, they had seen and weathered countless storms.

But today, they suddenly felt as if all their years of experience had been too short.

Coming to his senses, Rong Zhizhuan glanced at the TV, then at the other three men in the room, and said with a sigh, “Incredible.”

“We were just discussing how he was certain to get an Academician title this year, but I never expected him to get titles from both Academies.”

“It’s not just about breaking the age record; winning the titles of both Academies in the same year is probably an unprecedented and unsurpassable achievement.”

For a large country, although the number of Academician slots is small, both Academies combined still select over a hundred people each year.

But those who simultaneously hold the title for both Academies are few and far between.

And to receive both in the same year was completely unheard of.

Hearing this, Liu Gaojun and Yu Yongwang nodded in agreement. Rong Zhizhuan’s view was no different from their own.

Chen Zhengping, however, watched the TV for a moment before shaking his head. “This isn’t necessarily a good thing for him,” he said.

At his words, the other three men in the office looked over.

Chen Zhengping continued, “He is still so young, yet he already stands at the pinnacle of the nation’s academic world. For a domestic scholar, this honor he’s received is pretty much the highest peak there is.”

“If it were just the one title from the Academy of Sciences, no one would likely have much to say. But to break a historical record by receiving two at once is bound to place immense pressure on him.”

“From this day forward, I’m afraid all eyes will be on him, just waiting for him to slip up.”

Though he was happy for his student, he was more worried about whether the young man could withstand all this pressure.

Beside them, Yu Yongwang, the Dean of the School of Physics, smiled after listening. “I see it a bit differently,” he said.

“Even before today, wasn’t he already standing at the pinnacle of academia in our country?”

“Whether it was as the first-ever person to win both a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal, or for solving two Millennium Prize Problems, or his achievements in lithium batteries, nuclear energy, and astronomy—he has long been in the public eye.”

“Even without today, plenty of people were watching him. After all, how many Nobel Prize winners does our country have? How many Fields Medalists? How many people can solve a Millennium Prize Problem?”

“But does any of that really affect him?”

“All we can do is try to prepare for things on his behalf, consider the issues he might overlook, and do our best to handle the minor details for him.”

Hearing this, Liu Gaojun laughed. “I think Old Yu has a point. Old Chen, you’re overthinking things.”

“‘To be without envy is to be mediocre.’ No matter the profession, such things are unavoidable.”

“‘A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind.’ But in his case, he’s already a forest unto himself.”

“Even if he achieves nothing more, his current accomplishments are enough to ensure his name will be remembered in the annals of history.”

“For him, he alone is history; he alone is the pinnacle. Why bother worrying about these things?”

Chapter 333: Xu Xiao’s Fantasies

The Academician selection meeting had just concluded in the morning, and by the afternoon, related news had already flooded the internet.

[People’s Daily: “Chinese Academy of Sciences Awards Certificates to Newly Elected Academicians”]

[Nanjing Daily: “Warm Congratulations to the Newly Elected Academicians of Both Academies”]

[Youth New Journal: “2019 Academician Selection Results for Both Academies Announced, Setting a New Record for the Youngest Ever”]

[…]

That afternoon, major media outlets were the first to quickly post the related news online.

Soon, the news of the Academician selection caught the attention of other media outlets.

Compared to the restraint of these traditional media outlets, the headlines used by internet media and clickbait accounts were each more exaggerated than the last.

“Shocking! This Year’s Academicians of Both Academies Were Awarded to the Same Person!”

“The Youngest Academician in History! A Genius Who Broke Historical Records!”

“A Twenty-Four-Year-Old Academician of Both Academies, Our Nation’s Top Genius Scholar, Hailed as a National Treasure!”

“Xu Chuan: The Path to Fame at Twenty-Four, All His Study Secrets Are Here, Quick Read!”

“After the Fields Medal and Nobel Prize, the Twenty-Four-Year-Old Is Deified Again! Honored with the Title of Academician.”

[…]

Compared to the restraint of traditional media, the headlines from internet media and clickbait accounts were dazzling and bewildering.

As a result, a flurry of discussions erupted online, and the related news shot straight to the top of the trending charts, something unprecedented in previous Academician selection events.

[Holy shit! God Chuan is badass!]

[Hiss~, I knew God Chuan would definitely get the Academician title, but for him to be awarded the titles from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering in the same year is just terrifying!]

[He’s broken a historical record. I don’t think there’s ever been a case in our country’s history where someone received two Academician titles in the same year.]

[An Academician of both Academies at twenty-four, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?]

[If you can win a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal, and solve two Millennium Prize Problems, you can do it too.]

[I don’t doubt whether he can get the Academician title, I don’t even doubt if he can become an Academician of both Academies. But awarding both in the same year is just too out of line. He’s only 24, he’s only been back in the country for two years, his seniority is so shallow, what are other people supposed to think?]

[Heh, another one talking about seniority, huh? You people are giving academic seniority a bad name. It’s supposed to be about research achievements, but in your mouths, it just becomes about age and connections. Disgusting!]

[I also think it’s a bit ridiculous. Couldn’t they have given him one this year, and another one in a few years? An Academician of both Academies in the same year, this has never happened in history.]

[I think you guys are even more ridiculous. Do you think God Chuan needs the title of Academician? No, he doesn’t need it at all! It’s the country that needs him. With his academic achievements, wouldn’t he be a national treasure-level figure in any country he went to?]

As various news media reported on it, discussions on the internet continued to brew.

The numerous netizens were divided into two—no, three—factions.

One faction believed that Xu Chuan deserved the title of Academician of both Academies. With his achievements, bestowing the title upon him was an honor for the academies; not giving it to him would be a joke.

Another faction felt that awarding him the title of Academician of both Academies in the same year was too exaggerated and out of line. Besides, he was so young; they could have easily waited a few more years to give him the second title.

After all, if he was already granted the title of Academician of both Academies now, what would happen if he made even greater achievements in the future? They would find themselves in a situation with no more awards to give, no higher honors to bestow.

Then there was the third faction, which was just on the sidelines, watching the drama unfold.

The fiery traffic quickly attracted the attention of numerous new media outlets and clickbait accounts.

In Suzhou and Hangzhou, an influencer city, a blogger who exclusively managed a series of clickbait accounts was browsing the latest hot topics.

Without a doubt, the news of the Academician selection that had shot up the trending charts caught his eye.

He casually clicked open a few news articles and saw that among all the media reports, almost all were either formal or full of praise.

Staring at the news, the blogger pinched the bridge of his nose, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Immediately, he quickly searched for some source materials and opened a Word document.

Full of inspiration, he finished writing the manuscript in less than an hour.

After checking it, he nodded in satisfaction and quickly published the manuscript on his clickbait account.

“Is the Academician Selection Fair? Is It Inappropriate to Award the Title of Academician to a Twenty-Four-Year-Old?”

The questioning article quickly sparked discussion on his clickbait account.

The blogger watched with satisfaction as he successfully stirred the pot.

His account alone had over one million fans.

Moreover, a large portion of them were hardcore fans he had painstakingly cultivated. These fans were highly active and combative. as long as he could strike a chord with them, he was guaranteed to generate significant heat online!

This time, his gains would surely not be small.

Meanwhile, in Beijing.

After the Academician selection meeting concluded, Xu Chuan also attended a conference for the new academicians organized by the state.

This meeting didn’t actually have any important matters to discuss. It was mainly a speech about the spirit of being an academician—to be a model of patriotism and service to the people, a model of pursuing truth and scaling new heights, a model of upholding academic ethics and rigorous scholarship, and a model of being a stepping stone for and nurturing the next generation of scholars.

For the people sitting in this room today, even though there might be some friction between them, their love for the country was absolute.

So today’s meeting was merely a formality.

The real Academician conference would not be held until next year.

This was because, according to the country’s selection regulations, academicians are selected in odd-numbered years of the Gregorian calendar, and the Academician conference to discuss matters related to scientific and technological development is held in even-numbered years.

After handling these matters related to the Academician selection, Xu Chuan called for Zheng Hai and had him drive to Tsinghua University.

Since he was in Beijing, he had to go see that girl Xu Xiao, right? It had been almost half a year since they had last seen each other, and he kind of missed her.

Unknowingly, that girl was already in her second year of university. He wondered how she was doing with her studies.

As for her life, Xu Chuan wasn’t actually worried.

There was no way she was short on money, and with the prestige of being his younger sister, he estimated that no one at the university would dare to cause her trouble.

But it was precisely this carefree life that made Xu Chuan a little worried she might stray from the academic path or let her studies fall by the wayside.

Over at Tsinghua University, Xu Xiao was in a lab, wearing a white lab coat and staring blankly at the bottles and jars before her.

Beside her, the seniors who were conducting the experiment with her were discussing among themselves.

“Xiaoxiao, could you please come and check the differential separator for me? I have to go see our advisor first.”

In the lab, a senior sister called out to Xu Xiao, who was staring dazedly at the experimental materials.

Lost in thought, Xu Xiao was suddenly startled awake.

“Coming! Senior Zhou.”

With a clear reply, Xu Xiao quickly walked over.

Senior Zhou smiled and ruffled the hair of the little girl who hadn’t grown an inch in two years. Although she had a very famous big bro, her own hard work and talent were plain for all to see.

A Silver Medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) and a gold medalist in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO)—these two honors were enough to prove the little girl’s talent.

And in less than two years since entering university, she had nearly completed all her undergraduate courses and was even capable of participating in their advisor’s biological experiments.

With her lively and cute personality, combined with her talent and diligence, this girl had become the little darling of the lab.

In front of the differential instrument, Xu Xiao stared at the data on the display, and after confirming there were no problems, she unknowingly drifted off again.

Seeing her state, a senior beside her asked curiously, “What are you thinking about? You’re so distracted.”

Xu Xiao’s head shot up. Seeing her curious senior, she quickly shook her head and said, “Nothing.”

The main reason was that what she had just been thinking was too sci-fi; she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

The senior smiled and said, “It’s fine, we’re not busy. If you don’t mind, why don’t you tell me?”

Xu Xiao thought for a moment and said, “It’s nothing, really. We just had that class on DNA and genetic information a couple of days ago, right? Researchers at Oxford University said that only 8.2% of human DNA is ‘functional’.”

“The rest of the human genome is residual evolutionary material, parts of the genome where insertions and deletions have occurred, often called ‘junk’ DNA.”

“I was just thinking, could we experiment with inserting other useful DNA into this junk DNA, like the wings of a bird or the gills of a fish, to let people grow wings and fly, or swim in the sea.”

Hearing this, the senior opposite her was stunned for a moment. Then, he looked at Xu Xiao with a strange expression and asked, “Have you been reading novels or watching some sci-fi movies recently?”

Xu Xiao paused, “How did you know, senior?”

The senior threw up his hands and said, “Stop letting your imagination run wild. Modifying human DNA is not that easy. The slightest mistake and the DNA could collapse. Someone did a similar experiment on an animal before, and the lab mouse ended up bleeding from every orifice. It was a miserable death.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao shivered.

The senior shook his head and didn’t pay her any more mind.

Such fantasies were probably common to everyone who first got into biology, but as their knowledge increased, these ideas would quickly be dispelled.

The field of biology didn’t research these kinds of things.

Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that some top-tier big shots might be interested in such experiments, but so far, no one had ever heard of any progress in DNA research of that nature.

As for the DNA collapsing, he had just said that to scare his junior.

DNA could indeed collapse under certain circumstances, such as being hit by high-intensity ionization radiation, but editing and splicing DNA generally wouldn’t cause such a result.

The main issue was that applying gene-editing technology to humans would involve altering the genetic sequence, which not only risked damaging other genes and creating ethical and safety controversies, but could even affect the future evolutionary path of humanity.

Currently, multiple countries, including the United States, Europe, and China, have laws in place to prohibit and regulate it.

He was mainly worried that his junior might develop into a ‘crazy’ biologist who researched this stuff, which would be truly infuriating.

But the probability was still very low. She had a great-man-level big brother watching over her, after all.

Chapter 334: Xu Chuan: I Don’t Really Know That Much

At Tsinghua University, Xu Chuan walked along an asphalt road shaded by green trees.

He found Xu Xiao’s number and dialed it.

The phone rang once before connecting.

“Big Bro! You actually called me?” Xu Xiao’s delighted voice came through the phone.

Xu Chuan chuckled. “What, am I not allowed to call you?”

“Of course you are! I’m your most adorable younger sister, after all!” Xu Xiao declared with righteous confidence.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Do you have time right now? I’m at your school, came to see you.”

“Really?” Xu Xiao asked, pleasantly surprised.

“Why would I lie? I’m in Beijing for a conference these couple of days, so I thought I’d stop by and see you,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

Xu Xiao retorted, “Oh, so I was just an afterthought! Hmph!”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. “Stop joking around. I’m at the basketball court near the Biology Building right now.”

Xu Xiao said, “Big Bro, can you wait for me for just a little bit? I’m in the lab doing an experiment and can’t get away. Just a little while!”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “Aren’t you only a second-year student? How did you get into a lab already?”

“By relying on my wit and intelligence, of course! Don’t you underestimate your little sister. I’ve already finished all my undergraduate coursework! I can start graduate school next year!” Xu Xiao said boastfully.

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Alright, how long do I have to wait? If it’s a long time, I’ll just wander around first.”

“About half an hour to an hour. You can stroll around for a bit, Big Bro. I’ll call you when I’m done!”

“Alright,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

After hanging up, Xu Chuan glanced at the Biology Building in the distance, a flicker of curiosity rising within him.

That girl Xu Xiao had already gotten into a lab as a second-year student. He figured it was probably for something quite advanced, perhaps working directly with her advisor. At the very least, it showed she was making some academic progress.

But where should he go for a walk now?

His eyes scanned the surroundings. After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan decided to go see Professor Shing-Tung Yau.

Mainly because he didn’t really know anyone else at Tsinghua University.

Following a tree-lined path, Xu Chuan soon arrived at the Shing-Tung Yau Mathematical Sciences Center.

He found Professor Yau’s office. The door was open, but he still knocked.

Hearing the sound, Professor Yau, who had been hunched over his desk calculating something, looked up.

When he saw the person at the door, he was momentarily taken aback, then a smile spread across his face as he stood up to welcome him. “Well, well, a rare guest. What wind blew you here?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I came for a conference and decided to visit my sister, but that girl is in her lab right now, so I thought I’d come over and sit for a bit.”

“Welcome, welcome,” Professor Yau said with a smile.

As he spoke, he got up to make tea. “Congratulations. From now on, I’ll have to call you Academician Xu. Being awarded the title of Academician of both Academies in the same year… you’ve broken another historical record.”

Xu Chuan laughed. “I was a bit surprised myself. I thought I would only get into the Academy of Sciences, I didn’t expect the Academy of Engineering to put my name forward as well.”

Professor Yau smiled. “It’s a well-deserved honor. Your contributions in the fields of batteries and nuclear energy are more than sufficient.”

After a bit of small talk, Professor Yau took a small sip of his tea and said with a smile, “Your timing couldn’t be better. As it happens, I’ve been studying a problem these past two days and have run into some trouble. Would you mind taking a look?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan grew curious. “Oh? What area is it in?”

Professor Yau put down his teacup, stood up, and retrieved a stack of scratch paper from his desk, handing it over.

Xu Chuan took the papers and flipped through them. The formulas and systems of equations on the pages caused a flicker of interest in his eyes.

After a moment, he looked up at the elderly man before him and smiled. “Elder Yau, you’re truly as vigorous as ever, your wisdom undiminished by age. To think you’ve pushed the KZB equation this far.”

With his mathematical ability, he couldn’t claim to fully understand all the formulas and equations on the scratch paper at a single glance, but he could at least grasp the general idea.

He had to admit, Shing-Tung Yau was truly worthy of his title as a top expert, hailed by Harvard University as the “Emperor of Mathematics.”

He was in his early seventies and was not only still researching a world-class problem, but also had the ability to push it forward by a significant margin.

The so-called KZB equation is a top-tier problem in mathematics. It is derived from the KZ equation and connects various branches of mathematics such as vertex operator algebra, representation theory, and Riemannian geometry.

The KZ equation was first proposed by the mathematicians Knizhnik and Zamolodchikov. Later, Professor Bernard generalized the KZ equation to more general Riemann surfaces, which constituted the KZB equation.

To put it simply, the KZB equation is somewhat similar to the NS equations; in both cases, studying the equation yields many related insights.

The NS equations are for fluid dynamics, while the KZB equation is related to the heat kernel equation and the index theorem.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s praise, Professor Yau smiled and said, “What ‘vigorous as ever’? It’s just a little hobby for my spare time.”

Xu Chuan gave him a thumbs up. He had to hand it to him for that flex!

So smooth.

With a smile, Professor Yau continued, “Speaking of which, this is actually somewhat related to you.”

“While researching this, I read your paper on the proof of the Weyl-Berry conjecture. In it, you constructed a counting function associated with a fractal drum, which gave me some inspiration.”

“In the second part of the paper in your hands, I defined and studied a special subclass of global and formal elementary spherical functions, which I call global and formal n-point spherical functions.”

“When the position variables tend to infinity, the limit of the correlation functions of the boundary Wess-Zumino-Witten conformal field theory on a cylinder is a formal n-point spherical function. However, I’ve run into some trouble when trying to advance this toward the eigenstate boundary values of the quantum spin Calogero-Moser system associated with n-point spherical functions.”

“I was wondering if you had any good ideas?”

Professor Yau looked at Xu Chuan with a smile. If there was anyone in the current field of mathematics who could surpass him in research, the young man before him was definitely one of them.

Xu Chuan put down the scratch paper, his brow furrowing slightly as he began to think.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head. “This problem is very difficult. I’m afraid it won’t be solved in a short amount of time.”

“And to be honest, my research in number theory isn’t very deep. In this area, I don’t really know that much.”

Indeed, his research in number theory was not very profound. In both his past life and this one, he had basically never studied it in depth.

However, this field had many famous conjectures, such as the Riemann Hypothesis, the Goldbach Conjecture, the Twin Prime conjecture, and so on.

Professor Yau thought for a moment, then continued, “Based on your intuition alone, what approach would be most likely to solve this problem?”

“Intuition?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Fundamentally, the eigenstates of the quantum spin Calogero-Moser system related to n-point spherical functions are also common eigenfunctions of a commuting family of first-order differential operators. Perhaps you could use a combinatorial construction of equivariant differential intertwiners related to the principal series representation as a starting point?”

“Of course, I haven’t researched this area in depth, so this is just a casual suggestion. Don’t let me lead you astray.”

After hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Professor Yau adjusted his glasses and fell into deep thought.

“Use a first-order differential operator for commutation? And start with a combinatorial construction of equivariant differential intertwiners…”

After thinking for a while, a thoughtful glint appeared in Professor Yau’s eyes.

Then, he looked up with a hint of excitement. “No, this might actually be a viable path. The operators explicitly given by the folded classical dynamical r-matrix and the associated dynamical k-matrix might just offer a new approach.”

As he spoke, he quickly got up and walked to the corner of the room, dragging out a mobile blackboard and beginning his derivations on it.

Chapter 335: Pandora’s Box—Gene Editing

Watching Shing-Tung Yau get up and work on the math at the blackboard, Xu Chuan stood up as well, observing from behind.

The process of a top mathematician working through a world-class problem held immense academic value, even for him.

Especially since this was in the field of pure mathematics, specifically number theory.

After watching with rapt attention for a while, the sudden ringing of a cell phone echoed through the office.

Xu Chuan jumped, then quickly realized it was his and fumbled in his pocket for his phone. It was that girl, Xu Xiao.

Glancing at Shing-Tung Yau, who was still absorbed in verifying his formulas, Xu Chuan decisively and swiftly declined the call. He then sent her a text, telling her where he was.

For a scholar, having their research interrupted when inspiration strikes was probably the most vexing thing possible.

Fortunately, it seemed Elder Yau was unaffected.

After watching for a little while longer and estimating the time, Xu Chuan quietly exited the office, running right into Xu Xiao, who had come looking for him.

“Big Bro!”

Seeing Xu Chuan, Xu Xiao’s face lit up with pleasant surprise as she trotted over.

Xu Chuan raised an index finger to his lips in a hushing gesture and said softly with a smile, “Let’s go. Elder Yau is in the middle of his research, so let’s not disturb him.”

With that, he led Xu Xiao out of the Shing-Tung Yau Mathematical Sciences Center.

“Big Bro! I saw the news, you’re an Academician now! That’s amazing!”

The moment they left the building, Xu Xiao started bouncing with excitement.

Xu Chuan smiled. “You have to work hard too.”

“Of course,” Xu Xiao nodded vigorously, then added, “Big Bro, I want bubble tea! Go buy me one!”

Xu Chuan gave a helpless smile. “It’s not like you’re short on money.”

He didn’t know the exact amount of her monthly allowance, but it definitely wasn’t low. Plus, she had gotten into Tsinghua University with a Silver Medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad and a gold medal in the International Biology Olympiad. The scholarships, financial aid, and other awards she received each year would not be a small sum.

It was no exaggeration to say that for someone her age, she was a veritable little rich lady.

Xu Xiao shook her head. “How can that be the same?”

Xu Chuan chuckled and shook his head. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll buy you one.”

What else could he do? She was his younger sister.

At Tsinghua University, sitting on a rattan chair outside a bubble tea shop, Xu Xiao sipped her drink with a look of pure bliss.

Xu Chuan looked at the bubble tea in his own hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He really didn’t understand what was so good about this stuff.

“Big Bro, do you think it’s possible for people to grow wings and fly?” Sipping her tea, Xu Xiao’s dark, glistening eyes rolled for a moment before she posed the question to her brother.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment, then he asked with a smile, “What made you think of that?”

Xu Xiao propped her small head up with her arm and said wistfully, “Throughout history, there are so many legends about gods and whatnot, right? They all had wings and could fly through the sky and swim in the seas.”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head. “You’re already in your second year of university and have access to labs for experiments and learning. You’re already on the path of scientific research. Why do you still believe in these myths?”

Xu Xiao turned to look at him and retorted, “Who says they have to be myths?”

After a pause, she continued, “A few days ago in class, we just finished learning about DNA, genetic information, and gene editing.”

“I was thinking, if we could find the DNA segments responsible for wing growth in birds and splice them into a person, could that person grow wings too?”

“Maybe the winged gods and angels from the old myths were created just like that.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned again. “That’s a bit too far-fetched.”

After a pause, as if remembering something, he slowly sat up straight and looked at his younger sister.

Being stared at, Xu Xiao’s sharp senses kicked in, and her gaze met her brother’s serious expression.

“What’s wrong, Big Bro?” Xu Xiao asked weakly, facing her brother’s stern look.

Xu Chuan took a deep breath and spoke with gravity, “Xu Xiao, you must remember that genetic modification and editing of the human body is explicitly forbidden by the state. It’s illegal, a bottom line that must not be crossed.”

“Human gene experimentation is a Pandora’s box. It’s not as simple as getting double eyelid surgery, nor is it a case of willing participants. It affects the lineage of the human genome, it affects every single person, and it is fraught with ethical risks.”

“The biggest difference between it and somatic cell gene therapy is that if it fails, it will directly affect the next generation, and even their descendants for generations to come. Because these changes will be passed down through the embryonic genes, ad infinitum.”

“Even if it’s just a single experimental procedure! The impact isn’t just on one person’s life or one family’s integrity, but potentially on countless people in the future!”

“No matter how far you go on your academic journey in the future, you must never touch this kind of experiment!”

“Do you understand?”

Xu Xiao swallowed nervously and nodded.

It was the first time she had ever seen such a look in her brother’s eyes when he spoke to her, as if she had made some terrible mistake.

Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, his posture relaxing. He continued, “Curiosity and the drive to explore are the most fundamental qualities a researcher should have. But as a researcher, you must also always grasp what can and cannot be done.”

“If you manage to forge a path for yourself in biology, your duty is to lead civilization forward, not to guide it down a path that could lead to either destruction or an unknown future.”

“Perhaps in the distant future, when human civilization begins to sets foot on other planets and venture beyond Earth, some people will do these things. It might even be unavoidable.”

“But for now, at least, do not touch it. Do not open this Pandora’s box.”

To be honest, Xu Chuan’s own feelings about gene modification technology were complex.

On one hand, gene-editing technology was like a Pandora’s box; opening it could very well lead to catastrophic, even world-ending, consequences.

One only had to think about it for a moment to realize that.

But to say he was completely against it wouldn’t be accurate either.

Because history, like a great wheel, was always rolling forward.

If one day in the future, human civilization on Earth developed the ability to travel into the cosmos and visit other planets, they might encounter other civilizations. It was also possible that as technology advanced and knowledge accumulated, the human physical form would become the greatest impediment.

A lifespan of a mere hundred years, the limits of brain development, a body adapted only to Earth’s ecosystem—for a spacefaring civilization, these would be fatal flaws.

The last point was easier to address; it could be solved through various technologies or other means.

But the former—frankly, lifespan, to a certain extent, limited the development of human technology.

The reason was simple: as technology advanced, the cumulative knowledge of human civilization grew ever larger.

For instance, a century ago, the field of mathematics could still produce an all-around mathematician like Poincaré. a century later, neither he nor Terence Tao could likely claim to be all-around mathematicians.

It wasn’t because they were less intelligent than figures like Poincaré, but because there was simply too much they needed to learn now.

With each passing day, the knowledge accumulated by humanity increased, and over time, this had become a colossal amount.

But in a person’s life, the golden age for research was basically before the age of forty.

After forty, it could be said that it became very difficult to make any major, groundbreaking achievements.

Nowadays, doctoral students commonly don’t graduate until they are over thirty, and those who can even pursue advanced studies to the doctoral level are already among the most elite of humanity.

If it was this difficult already, what would it be like in a few more decades?

When the development of technology and the accumulation of knowledge surpasses a person’s lifespan, when a person cannot even finish learning a single field in their entire life, let alone make a breakthrough, would someone be tempted by gene-editing technology?

He didn’t know how to answer that question either.

After some thought, Xu Chuan shook his head, pushing these thoughts from his mind.

He looked at Xu Xiao and continued, “If you’re interested in flying through the skies and moving through the earth, I do have a suggestion and a direction for you.”

Xu Xiao asked curiously, “Oh? What is it?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Virtual reality.”

Xu Xiao looked at her brother, confused. “Virtual reality? Isn’t that a technology from the Electronic and Information Engineering department? What does it have to do with biology?”

After a pause, she added, “Besides, I heard that technology is just a scam to get money.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “No. Although it’s a technology under the purview of electronic and information engineering, at its core, it cannot exist without the support of biology.”

Intrigued, Xu Xiao looked at her brother and asked, “How so?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then explained, “The so-called virtual reality technology refers to using computers, electronic information, simulation technology, and other methods to create a realistic virtual world with three-dimensional visual, tactile, olfactory, and other sensory experiences, making a person inside the virtual world feel as if they are truly there.”

“Currently, this technology achieves its ‘virtuality’ through head-mounted displays, visual stimulation, and auxiliary equipment to simulate a virtual world on a computer, essentially tricking the sensory organs like the eyes, ears, hands, nose, and mouth.”

“And since this technology is still nascent and immature, it has the vibe of being a scam based on fancy presentations.”

“But true virtual reality isn’t like that at all.”

“It’s like the virtual helmets in sci-fi novels and movies. It uses virtual devices to read, sense, and interact with the human brain’s brainwaves, thereby bypassing secondary systems like our eyes, ears, and sense of touch to achieve a state of complete virtual immersion.”

“And in this technology, a key point is how to achieve the interaction between the virtual device and human brainwaves.”

“Right now, the scientific community can only read brainwaves and break them down into various data, but this is just the beginning.”

“Because the forms in which human brainwaves manifest are extremely complex and difficult to interpret. Moreover, how to use a virtual device to synthesize sensory information like vision, hearing, force feedback, and touch and have it be received by the brain is another very difficult step.”

“If we can solve that, we might be able to achieve true virtual technology.”

“At that point, if you want to fly through the heavens, burrow into the earth, or shatter a planet with a single punch, you can experience all of it in a virtual game.”

Chapter 336: Virtual Reality Technology

Listening to her big brother’s description, Xu Xiao’s eyes sparkled with light.

She was incredibly interested in all of this.

However, she was also puzzled. What did this have to do with biology?

Xu Chuan smiled and continued to explain, “Of course it’s related to biology. The study of brainwaves falls under the biological sciences.”

“You might not have encountered this kind of knowledge yet, but you’ll learn about it in the future.”

“Whether it’s humans or animals, every emotion—joy, anger, sorrow, happiness—emits different brainwaves.”

“In reality, some people are good at hiding their feelings and showing false emotions.”

“But brainwaves don’t ‘lie.’ This is because emotional changes are always accompanied by changes in brainwaves and the way information is transmitted between the brain’s information units. Different emotions correspond to different brainwave characteristics.”

“If, in the future, you can manage to collect statistics on and decipher all these brainwaves, and then build a phenomenological model to generate corresponding data, you could achieve true interaction with a virtual world through a virtual headset.”

“Of course, all of this is very difficult.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained the future research path for brainwaves and virtual headsets to his younger sister.

In the past, he had thought his sister would follow him down the path of mathematics or physics research.

Unexpectedly, through a twist of fate during her three years of high school, she ended up on the path of biochemistry. And she was thriving on this path, like a fish in water.

But that was fine too. If she had studied math and physics with him, she probably would have forever been overshadowed by his halo in the eyes of the world.

It was also a good thing if she could forge her own path in biochemistry.

As for why he told her about virtual reality, it was mainly because this path was better than researching gene editing.

His views on gene editing technology were complicated.

At the very least, he didn’t want Xu Xiao to go down that road.

After spending a few days in Beijing to see Xu Xiao, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to Nanjing.

At the entrance of Nanjing University, Xu Chuan watched the snowflakes drifting down from the sky. He reached out, caught one, and sighed softly, “It’s almost Chinese New Year again.”

According to the Gregorian calendar, 2019 was already over; it was now 2020.

Although there was still some time before the lunar calendar new year, it was only about a month away—not long at all.

Shaking his head, he started walking towards the office building.

On campus, Xu Chuan’s gaze fell on a nearby news bulletin board. A few students stood in front of it, discussing something. Above the board, in the most prominent position, hung two large red banners.

[Warm congratulations to our university’s Professor Xu Chuan for conquering the Seven Millennium Prize Problem, the NS equations!]

[Warm congratulations to our university’s Professor Xu Chuan on his election as an Academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering for 2019!]

The two banners weren’t long—they were quite brief, but the information they carried was momentous.

Seeing this familiar type of banner again, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was probably the only one who didn’t pay attention to these things.

For Nanjing University, however, this was a great opportunity to boost its reputation and school spirit.

Both solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems and becoming an Academician of both Academies were honors that no other university in the country had.

And Nanjing University had truly struck gold in recent years. Now, the number one figure in the country’s academia was here. Even if he didn’t take on any teaching duties, his presence was a significant boost for Nanjing University.

It wasn’t just about reputation; research funding and national appropriations had been on a continuous rise these past few years.

For example, when Xu Chuan had previously used Nanjing University’s supercomputer center to test the mathematical model for plasma turbulence in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor, the center’s performance limitations were reported to the higher-ups by its director, Professor Zhou Qinglin.

Immediately, the university convened a meeting.

After deliberations, Nanjing University decided to expand the supercomputer center. They submitted an application to the higher-ups, and the official approval came back in less than a month.

In the past, an application for the construction of such a large-scale supercomputer would have taken at least half a year to get through the process.

There was also the expansion of the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Physics, all thanks to Xu Chuan.

Beyond the university itself, for the students of Nanjing University—especially those who hoped to advance further on the academic path—Xu Chuan’s presence was like a pillar supporting the heavens.

Not only could he bring them more knowledge, but they could also use this great tree to go further.

“Professor Xu is so awesome, getting the title of Academician of both Academies in the same year.”

In front of the bulletin board, a student looked at the two banners hanging above and remarked with emotion.

Beside him, another student said with a smile, “What do you mean, Professor Xu? We should be calling him Academician Xu from now on.”

The student in the middle, who was wearing glasses, nodded in agreement. “A Nobel Prize, a Fields Prize, and two Millennium Prize Problems. With Academician Xu’s achievements, this was only a matter of course.”

After a pause, this student suddenly remembered something and said with a look of disdain, “Though, I did see some garbage news online yesterday, questioning the fairness of the Academician selection and whether it was reasonable for the state to award the title of Academician of both Academies to Professor Xu.”

Beside him, another student carrying a single-strap backpack chuckled. “Oh, that? I saw it too.”

“But don’t worry, is our God Chuan someone that these garbage clickbait accounts can question? I reported it to the hotline that same day. I checked this morning and the news is gone. I guess the trash who wrote that news has already been invited to ‘have tea’.”

“Nice! If these unscrupulous clickbait media outlets aren’t dealt with, the online environment will become unbearable.”

Of course, Xu Chuan didn’t hear the students’ conversation.

Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.

The title of Academician wasn’t actually that important to him.

He was different from other scholars and professors who had strived for decades to finally attain the title of Academician. Even without the title, he could still receive strong support from the state.

After solving the nuclear waste problem, he now controlled the super project of controlled nuclear fusion, and his opinions on all matters could already reach the highest levels directly. The resources he could command were far beyond what an ordinary Academician could compare to.

Pushing open the office door, Xu Chuan walked in. The three students who were studying inside turned their heads, then quickly and delightedly stood up.

“Professor, you’re back!”

“Professor, congratulations on your election as an Academician of both Academies!”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to go back to his desk to organize his things, he saw a large pile of assorted gift boxes stacked in a corner.

He asked, somewhat curious, “Where did all this come from?”

Gu Bing quickly replied, “These are all from the other teachers at the university. They said they were to congratulate you on becoming an Academician. Since you weren’t back, we didn’t dare to touch anything, so we just put them all in the corner for now.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan suddenly remembered the unspoken rule of gift-giving in China.

It was mainly because he had spent too long at Princeton in his past life, and in this life, he was too immersed in academia. He rarely encountered such things and seldom gave gifts to others, so for a moment, he hadn’t thought of it and had forgotten to instruct his three students.

Looking at the mountain-like pile of gifts in the corner, Xu Chuan shook his head. Judging by the sheer volume, probably most of the professors and teachers at the university had sent him congratulatory gifts.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Gu Bing, please help me unwrap and organize these gifts. Make a list and keep a record.”

This sort of gift-giving for his election as an Academician was quite normal in China.

However, he still needed to catalog who sent what and check if there was anything particularly valuable.

After all, if something was too expensive, he would have to return it.

As for ordinary congratulatory items, he would accept them.

He figured Nanjing University would probably hold a victory celebration for him anyway, so he could just thank everyone then.

Leaving his students to handle the gifts, Xu Chuan turned on his computer.

In his inbox, as expected, was another large pile of emails.

Xu Chuan scanned through them, filtered out the useless ones, and his gaze landed on an email from Peng Hongxi.

The analysis of the plasma turbulence mathematical model and test data he had submitted earlier had been completed just two days ago, right when he was elected an Academician.

Seeing this good news, Xu Chuan snapped his fingers, a smile on his face, and quickly replied to the email: “Received. I’ll be there tomorrow!”

With the optimization of the control model for plasma turbulence complete, the next step was to find a national-level supercomputer center to verify the calculations.

If there were no problems, they could then proceed with a preliminary test on the reactor.

For the controlled nuclear fusion project, this was not just a small step forward.

Compared to the gifts piled in the corner, this was the best congratulatory gift for his election as an Academician!

Chapter 337: How Fortunate the Nation Is to Have You!

Inside the Industrial Building, Xianlin Campus.

This was Xu Chuan’s second time here, and on this occasion, he made a point to observe the work environment in the building.

Two months had passed. Under the leadership of Academician Peng Hongxi, tasks such as personnel recruitment and project research were now in full swing.

On his way in, he saw several groups of researchers gathered in different spots, discussing various matters.

Of course, he didn’t look too closely.

As the overall director, he only needed to maintain control over the project’s direction and solve the most difficult problems. That was enough.

As for the other issues, there were people to handle them.

He was just one man, not a god. For a super project like controlled nuclear fusion, it was impossible for him to take on everything.

Walking all the way to Peng Hongxi’s office, Xu Chuan knocked on the open door.

Inside, Peng Hongxi was at his desk, dealing with work. He looked up at the sound of the knock, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Putting down his pen, he rose with a smile and greeted him, “Academician Xu, you’re here. Congratulations, you’ve broken another record, achieving the title of Academician of both Academies in a single day.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You’re too kind, Elder Peng. In your presence, I am but a junior.”

Peng Hongxi chuckled. “Skill and knowledge take precedence. Your learning and abilities have long surpassed us old folks.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Chuan got to the point. “Let’s not dwell on that. I likely don’t have much time on this visit; I have many other things to attend to, and I’m sure you’re just as busy, Elder Peng.”

“What about that plasma turbulence control model we discussed? Take me to see it. If there are no issues, I’ll need to apply to the higher-ups for supercomputer time to verify it. There’s still a lot to do after that.”

Peng Hongxi nodded and stood up. “Follow me. The model optimization is more or less complete, but I’m not sure if it meets your requirements.”

Xu Chuan replied, “Let’s take a look first. If it’s not up to par, we’ll revise it.”

“For controlled nuclear fusion, controlling the plasma turbulence within the chamber is a major undertaking. We can’t rush it; we must ensure it’s absolutely foolproof.”

Following Peng Hongxi, the two of them went up to the seventh floor.

“Zhou Ji, Xia Guang, could you two come over for a moment?”

Peng Hongxi called out to the group of people busy at their computers in the office. Soon, two middle-aged men stood up and walked over quickly.

He then introduced them to Xu Chuan. “This office on the seventh floor houses the researchers specializing in mathematical physics models that you specifically arranged to recruit. All twelve of them are here.”

“For the past two months, they’ve been working with the plasma professors to optimize the model.”

“Zhou Ji and Xia Guang are the current team leaders, one in charge and one deputy.”

“Supervisor Zhou Ji was formerly an elite from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a talent primarily in plasma modeling.”

“Xia Guang is a graduate of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and previously worked on fluid dynamics at the Sichuan Aerospace Bureau.”

“Both have over a decade of work experience in fluid dynamics and modeling.”

After briefly introducing them to Xu Chuan, Peng Hongxi turned to Zhou Ji and Xia Guang and continued, “This is the overall director of our controlled nuclear fusion project, Academician Xu Chuan.”

Hearing this, Zhou Ji stepped forward with a smile. “Academician Xu, I’ve heard much about your great reputation and have always wanted to meet you. Today, I finally have the chance.”

Beside him, Xia Guang was a bit more reserved in personality. He simply smiled, came forward to shake hands, and offered a greeting.

Xu Chuan smiled and shook hands with both of them. “Thank you for all your hard work during this period. Please, take me to see the optimized model.”

Zhou Ji nodded. “Alright. Let’s find a conference room. It’s not convenient to demonstrate it here.”

In the conference room, Xia Guang inserted the USB drive he was holding into a computer and connected it to the projector.

Xu Chuan, meanwhile, was inspecting the work they had completed over the past few days.

[Applied Chain Rule – Optimized √]

[Neural Network Differentiation of Spacetime Coordinates – Optimized √]

[Multi-field Turbulence Model Constraints – Optimized √]

[Characterization of Turbulent Edge Electric Field Fluctuations – Optimized √]

[…]

A list of optimizations appeared before Xu Chuan’s eyes. Not only were they marked as complete, but the performance results from post-optimization tests and comparisons with previous data were also presented.

Although Nanjing University’s supercomputer center couldn’t run the entire mathematical model, it was perfectly capable of performing separate optimization tests on specific modules within the model.

To be honest, optimizing the test data for the plasma turbulence control model was quite a difficult task.

However, Zhou Ji and Xia Guang truly lived up to their reputations as top talents from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Aerospace Bureau. Not only had they completed all the optimizations he had marked, but they had also addressed and improved areas he hadn’t noticed or flagged, even if it meant only a minuscule performance boost.

After reviewing the relevant data, Xu Chuan nodded with satisfaction.

“Judging from the data, the optimization work is outstanding. Please compile the optimized model and give it to me. I’ll find a supercomputer to verify it.”

He had to admit, there was strength in numbers.

If he had to do all of this by himself, it would have taken him at least half a year, and that was with him already being extremely familiar with the model.

Taking the model with him, Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi left the seventh floor.

As they walked, Peng Hongxi spoke up. “This model of yours is currently just a phenomenological model, right? How do you plan to solve the problem of accurately detecting the ultra-high temperature plasma inside the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber?”

“If you can’t accurately detect the data of this plasma, I’m afraid your model can’t be applied to the reactor.”

The detection of ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence within a controlled nuclear fusion reactor is a major challenge in current nuclear fusion technology.

Strictly speaking, it is just one part of the larger problem of controlling the “ultra-high temperature, ultra-high pressure plasma turbulence” inside the fusion reactor chamber.

On the path of controlled nuclear fusion research, controlling the plasma turbulence in the reactor is a crucial step.

But this isn’t just a single problem; it is a series of problems.

Issues like a strong magnetic field generated by external superconducting coils for control, establishing a mathematical model to adjust the plasma turbulence, and the cooling system for the first wall’s outer ring are all part of it.

But for now, whether it’s inertial confinement or magnetic confinement, Tokamak or Stellarator, no single approach has been able to solve this problem.

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan smiled. “This problem is complex if you want it to be, but if you ask whether it’s difficult, perhaps it’s not that hard.”

His words piqued Peng Hongxi’s curiosity. “How do you plan to solve it?”

Currently, there are two common methods for measuring plasma turbulence inside the reactor chamber.

The first method is to measure the electromagnetic waves emitted by the plasma itself to obtain information about its parameters. The second is probe measurement, which involves inserting a physical probe into the plasma to obtain the desired parameters, and is one of the basic methods of plasma diagnostics.

These are the two most commonly used methods at present, but both have their own drawbacks.

The flaw in the first method is that the spectrum of electromagnetic waves emitted by the plasma is very broad, and the information it contains is quite chaotic. The phenomenological models built based on it are only accurate within a limited range.

Although the second probe method can provide detailed structural information about the plasma’s interior and the distribution of various parameters, its disadvantage is that it disturbs the plasma being measured.

For example, it can alter the flow pattern, form a space charge sheath, and cause impurity contamination.

After all, the plasma in a fusion reactor chamber operates under ultra-high temperature and ultra-high pressure. Any tiny disturbance could cause the entire fluid’s operation to collapse, leading to the plasma violently crashing into the first wall.

Xu Chuan smiled and gestured with the hard drive in his hand. “Actually, the answer to this question is already hidden within the mathematical model I’ve established.”

Peng Hongxi looked puzzled.

To be honest, he had also studied the model but hadn’t noticed anything hidden within it.

Xu Chuan chuckled. “The mathematical model I have here was actually built based on the data from the PPPL Laboratory at Princeton.”

“The biggest drawback of a phenomenological model is its lack of precision, but its greatest advantage is its simple logic, allowing it to be established even when raw data is scarce.”

“And I think you know how the PPPL plasma physics laboratory observed their data.”

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and said, “If I recall correctly, the PPPL plasma physics laboratory at Princeton uses a microwave detection method to observe high-temperature, high-pressure plasma. It utilizes the principle of interaction between microwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum and the plasma to measure its parameters.”

“Are you planning to use the same method for measurement? But the data obtained this way is also not precise enough. The amount of information is simply too large, making it difficult to analyze accurately. You can only get rough phenomenological data.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s right. Detecting the Deuterium-Tritium plasma in the reactor chamber does yield a massive amount of data, and it is difficult to analyze.”

“But why must we observe the Deuterium-Tritium plasma itself?”

At this, Peng Hongxi was once again taken aback. Not observe the plasma itself? Then what do we observe?

Xu Chuan smiled. “Observe the data from the ‘impurities’!”

After a pause, he continued his explanation, “The mainstream controlled nuclear fusion we are researching now is DT controlled nuclear fusion, and that’s the path we’re on. The fuel for DT fusion is Deuterium and Tritium, and the products of the fusion are a helium atom and a neutron.”

“The neutron will be reused in the tritium breeding reaction, while the helium atom will be removed by the divertor.”

“In this case, why can’t we add some helium atoms into the Deuterium-Tritium fuel to act as an initial ‘impurity’?”

“This helium impurity, mixed into the fuel, will circulate with the Deuterium-Tritium fuel in the reactor chamber. Of course, it will eventually enter the divertor and be removed along with the helium ash.”

“But during its circulation, it will produce electromagnetic radiation and microwave data that are significantly different from that of the Deuterium-Tritium plasma.”

“Compared to the information generated by the vast amount of Deuterium-Tritium fuel itself, the information from the helium impurities is undoubtedly much smaller. But by observing the data from the helium impurities, we can deduce the state of the plasma turbulence throughout the entire fusion reactor.”

“This way, the data we obtain will be relatively precise.”

As Xu Chuan explained, Peng Hongxi pondered for a moment and then his face lit up with understanding. A look of excitement in his eyes, he picked up the thread and continued:

“Most importantly, helium itself is a product of Deuterium-Tritium fusion and doesn’t participate in the reaction, because fusing helium atoms would require a temperature of at least one billion degrees.”

“This way, it won’t interfere with the Deuterium-Tritium plasma’s fusion reaction, because the temperature for DT fusion doesn’t reach that level.”

“And because it’s added with the fuel and removed by the divertor, it can monitor the movement of the entire plasma turbulence practically from start to finish.”

“The only drawback is that accurately analyzing the amount of information sent back by these helium atoms would be very troublesome. It can’t be treated phenomenologically like the information from the Deuterium-Tritium plasma.”

“But for you, that’s not a difficult task.”

“Because you have already solved the NS equations and have the ability—perhaps have already even created—a mathematical model to predict and control the plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber.”

“As for the computational load, that’s a job for a supercomputer. As long as the supercomputer’s performance is sufficient, these problems can be solved!”

After murmuring these points as if to himself, Peng Hongxi looked up at Xu Chuan, his eyes glittering with excitement.

Truthfully, the idea of adding impurities to the Deuterium-Tritium fuel to collect their electromagnetic waves for precise determination of the plasma turbulence’s state was not a new one.

But in the past, no one could do it.

The reason was simple: the calculations were impossible.

Even if someone could create a mathematical model for it, they couldn’t control the motion of the plasma turbulence for an extended period.

Because a fluid system is chaotic and extremely sensitive to initial conditions. In reality, you cannot provide a precise initial value, and minor disturbances are unavoidable. These disturbances get amplified, leading to unpredictable results.

In the past, the motion of plasma turbulence could be said to be a completely chaotic system; no one knew what it would evolve into over time.

The reason it was feasible now was because the young man standing before him had already established the theoretical foundation.

He had solved the NS equations and used his findings to create a targeted mathematical model. With this foundation, the calculations could be completed using this method.

This was the benefit of theory preceding application.

The technological development driven by this kind of top-tier, cutting-edge theoretical breakthrough was on full and vivid display at this very moment.

More importantly, this was just a part of it, perhaps even just a drop in the ocean. More advancements in the field of fluid dynamics would emerge one by one over time.

Including aerospace, aerodynamics, weapon systems, and various other fields involving fluid dynamics—all were poised for a leap forward in development following the deciphering of the NS equations.

Just like that figure from the past who enabled the nation to grasp a sword firmly in its hand, this young man likewise possessed the ability to drive an entire field, even an entire nation, forward.

Staring at Xu Chuan for a while, Peng Hongxi suddenly sighed softly, “How fortunate the nation is to have you!”

Chapter 338: A Breakthrough in Superconducting Materials

With the optimized mathematical model in hand, Xu Chuan sought out Gao Hongming, who had been assigned by the Ministry of Science and Technology to oversee the project, and explained his purpose.

“No problem, I’ll report this to the higher-ups right away.”

“But regarding the supercomputer center you’re applying for, do you have any specific performance requirements?”

Hearing that it was for testing the plasma turbulence mathematical model, Gao Hongming quickly agreed and followed up with a question about the requirements.

Xu Chuan smiled, pulled a notecard from his backpack, and handed it over. “The performance requirements are all on here. As for the timing, the sooner, the better. I’ll have to trouble you with this, Director Gao.”

“No, no, Academician Xu, please don’t say that. It’s my duty to cooperate with your work and ensure your needs are met. I’ll report this matter immediately. We should have some feedback by this afternoon.”

Gao Hongming took the notecard, glanced at it, and carefully placed it in his pocket.

To him, both the controlled nuclear fusion project and any request from Academician Xu were top priorities.

The former was a key national project, and the latter’s importance went without saying.

Now that the two were combined, any request was guaranteed to be reported and processed through the most direct and fastest channels possible.

For any other project, applying to use a national supercomputer center would involve filling out a mountain of forms, not to mention having the model or data reviewed. With all the queues and procedures, securing approval would take at least two or three months.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “In that case, I’ll wait here.”

He could afford to wait half a day.

Wandering around the controlled nuclear fusion industrial park at the foot of Qixia Mountain, Xu Chuan once again witnessed what was meant by “China Speed.”

In just a few short months, buildings had sprung up here according to the development plan.

Although the core area was still in the process of underground construction, the buildings in the surrounding residential and research zones were already erected.

He estimated that in another two or three months, the research team for the controlled nuclear fusion project would be able to move over entirely from the Xianlin Campus.

Of course, much of the necessary experimental equipment was still in the process of being procured and manufactured.

After all, controlled nuclear fusion was a super project. The equipment involved, such as the plasma operating tracks, external field coils, water-cooled divertors, and power-generating heat engines, couldn’t be handled by one or two companies, or even one or two hundred.

This kind of super project required the full backing of a nation, and a major one at that, to proceed smoothly.

Xu Chuan had never worried about the construction of the park. For an “Infrastructure Maniac” like China, if a completion date was set, the work would definitely be finished before then.

However, when it came to the reactor components, that was a different story.

There were very few manufacturers, not just in China but in the entire world, capable of producing such high-precision components.

Therefore, after the mathematical model was verified, he would still need to find a reactor in the country to test it on, to see if it could truly control the ultra-high-temperature, high-pressure plasma turbulence as the calculations predicted.

Around three in the afternoon, while discussing construction matters with Qi Zhongxing in the park, Xu Chuan received good news from Gao Hongming.

“Academician Xu, regarding your request for a supercomputer center, we have communicated with all the major centers. Currently, there are two that can free up a portion of their processing power within a week to complete your task.”

“The first is the Guangzhou Center, which is equipped with the Tianhe-2 supercomputer and related systems.”

“The second is the Tianjin Center, which has the Tianhe-1 supercomputer and the Tianhe-3 prototype system.”

“I’ve printed out the relevant information on these two supercomputer centers. Would you like to take a look?”

As he spoke, Gao Hongming handed a folder to Xu Chuan.

Taking the folder, Xu Chuan pulled out two documents.

The first was for the supercomputer center in Guangzhou. This center was located at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou’s University Town and housed the Tianhe-2 supercomputer, independently developed by Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Its peak computing speed was 5.49 times 10 to the 16th power operations per second, with a sustained speed of over 3.39 times 10 to the 15th power double-precision floating-point operations per second. It was mainly used for calculations in high-tech industries, modern services, digital city construction, and scientific research.

The second document was for the supercomputer center in Tianjin. Located in the city’s Binhai New Area, its computing performance was slightly weaker than Guangzhou’s.

However, it had a unique advantage: its primary applications were in aerospace, meteorological research, controlled nuclear fusion, civil engineering design and analysis, and high-end equipment manufacturing.

For fluid dynamics calculations and research, it possessed advantages that other supercomputer centers lacked.

After flipping through the documents, Xu Chuan made his decision.

Handing the files back to Gao Hongming, he said, “Please apply for the Tianjin supercomputer center for me, Director Gao. The sooner, the better. Just give me a call when it’s approved. I’ll bring the model over.”

In terms of processing power, any national-level supercomputer center was more than enough for his needs.

Even the relatively outdated Tianjin supercomputer center was only outdated when compared to other national-level centers.

Allocating just a fraction of its computing cores would suffice.

And its years of experience with fluid dynamics calculations and research gave it an edge that other centers didn’t have.

With this advantage, he might even be able to further optimize the phenomenological model in Tianjin.

The improvement might not be huge, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. For a mathematical model with countless variables, even an optimization of one ten-thousandth could save a massive amount of computing resources in the final calculation.

Gao Hongming nodded. “Alright, I’ll accompany you on your trip then, Academician Xu.”

After settling the matter of the mathematical model, Xu Chuan didn’t linger at the nuclear fusion industrial park. He went straight to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Back in October, he had tasked the institute with researching superconducting and carbon-based materials.

He hadn’t demanded any major breakthroughs, only that they continuously conduct experiments, essentially trading money for experimental data.

There was no other way. Compared to older research institutes or laboratories with decades of experience in materials research, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had far too little experience.

If this were a lab that had been studying superconducting materials for over a decade, there would be no need to spend so much money generating experimental data.

The accumulated data alone would be enough for him to use.

But for any research institute or lab, experimental data was its most crucial asset, the very foundation of its existence. Under normal circumstances, it would never be sold to others.

So Xu Chuan could only trade money for time and experimental data this way.

Summarizing experience through constant trial and error to find a path to the goal is a necessary journey for all materials science experiments.

The computational simulation model he was developing was indeed a promising method, but ultimately, it had to be verified through concrete experiments.

No matter how awesome mathematics was, unless you were an omniscient and omnipotent god, it could never completely replace all experiments.

It could only help you save some time or avoid unnecessary detours.

Knocking on the office door, his senior, Fan Pengyue, who was in charge of managing the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, was busy with work. Seeing Xu Chuan, he smiled and rose to greet him.

“Academician Xu graces us with his presence! My humble office is truly honored.”

Xu Chuan shot him a look. “You say that like I’m a guest.”

Fan Pengyue laughed heartily. “You barely come here a few times a year. You’re a little too comfortable being a hands-off boss. Aren’t you afraid I’ll conspire with the others to take over your lab? After all, over a hundred million has been invested so far.”

Xu Chuan glanced at him. “You can try. Even if you succeed, it’s only a hundred million. That’s not much to me.”

Fan Pengyue smiled. “Forget it. My Advisor would disown me, and I’d be finished.”

“Besides, where in China could I run after stealing from you? A big shot like an Academician of both Academies… I’m afraid I wouldn’t even make it out of this office before someone put a gun to my head.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Stop joking around. I came to see how the research experiments I arranged are progressing. If there’s enough data, I’ll start the research on the copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

As the conversation turned to business, Fan Pengyue’s playful demeanor vanished. He thought for a moment before speaking, “Two months is a bit tight. We currently have eleven experimental groups a total of eleven experimental groups for the copper-carbon-silver composite material, and we’ve accumulated about five hundred sets of experimental data.”

“As for graphene and carbon nanotubes, the equipment only arrived in the middle of last month, so we’ve only completed less than fifty sets of control experiments so far.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “This efficiency is not bad. I’m guessing you’ve all been working a lot of overtime.”

The exploratory experiments for the copper-carbon-silver composite material were quite time-consuming. Each set could take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two.

“Yeah.” Fan Pengyue nodded. “We have indeed worked a lot of overtime these past two months.”

Xu Chuan said, “Overtime is fine, as long as compensatory leave and overtime pay are given according to the standard rates.”

Fan Pengyue nodded. “You can rest assured on that. No one will be short-changed.”

“I won’t look at the raw data. Do you have a summary?” Xu Chuan asked next. Five hundred sets of experiments would generate a massive amount of data.

Most of this data would be repetitive or useless. Only a small fraction might offer some hope of leading to the correct synthesis path.

Screening useful information from this data was a troublesome task, as was parsing, processing, and inputting it into the materials calculation model. It was all tedious and complex, but fortunately, he now had enough people under him to do this work.

Fan Pengyue nodded. “Of course, the data from every experiment has been saved. We then analyze it to select potentially suitable methods and paths. As for the basic data, it’s already been entered into the materials calculation model.”

“Currently, the most optimal route is through nanotechnology synthesis. The copper-carbon-silver materials are first sintered under the protection of an inert gas. After a series of screening and purification processes, they are deposited as a two-dimensional thin film on a substrate via chemical vapor deposition to form a crystal structure.”

“When these 2D films are stacked and subjected to ultra-low temperature cooling with liquid helium, they can exhibit the properties of copper-oxide low-temperature superconducting materials.”

“This is currently the first successful instance of achieving ultra-low temperature superconductivity in a copper-carbon-silver composite.”

“As for the other experiments, they have yet to show such potential.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised. “A breakthrough already?”

Fan Pengyue nodded. “Yes, it’s been tested. At a temperature of 43.5K, this copper-carbon-silver composite 2D film material exhibits the properties of a superconductor.”

A flicker of interest appeared in Xu Chuan’s eyes. He said, “Let’s go see this first. Also, give me the detailed information on this route and the person in charge.”

To be honest, he was quite surprised that the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had found a path to ultra-low temperature superconductivity for the copper-carbon-silver composite so quickly.

Moreover, this route was very close to the one he had researched for copper-carbon-silver superconducting materials in his past life, which surprised him even more.

Even though he had provided a research direction at the beginning, it was only a vaguely defined path.

There were countless ways to synthesize the copper-carbon-silver composite, and countless material ratios.

The slightest deviation during synthesis could result in two materials with vastly different properties.

To find a relatively correct path on this vague road in just two months showed that the researcher was quite capable.

Of course, it was also possible that it was a fluke, like a blind squirrel finding a nut, and they had gotten lucky. But in materials science, luck was, in fact, a part of one’s strength.

Sometimes, with good luck, one could really follow a path smoothly to the end and directly synthesize the required material.

But the probability of that was very low. It would probably only happen if someone like Senior Bai showed up.

Chapter 339: Searching for the Mechanism of High-Temperature Superconductivity

In the conference room, Xu Chuan took the laptop from Fan Pengyue and leafed through the data within.

The researcher who had explored and found the ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material was named ‘Song Wenbai’, a professor who had been headhunted from Wuli University. His previous primary research area was materials chemistry.

This time, Professor Song’s discovery of the ultra-low temperature superconducting material was half experience and half luck.

He hadn’t followed the traditional powder metallurgy method of materials science, nor had he used the high-temperature, high-pressure synthesis method common in superconductor research to study the copper-carbon-silver composite. Instead, he had taken the developmental path of nanomaterial preparation and molecular modification.

He first prepared the copper-carbon-silver composite material using nanotechnology, then used vapor deposition to manipulate and adjust the fine atomic structure.

Compared to powder metallurgy, the conventional method for preparing copper-carbon-silver composites, this new technique solved the problem of weak interface bonding between copper and carbon, as well as the issue of numerous pores within the composite material.

And compared to the high-temperature, high-pressure method of superconductor research, it also avoided the disadvantage of copper and carbon atoms not reacting even at high temperatures due to their extremely poor wettability.

It had to be said that Wuli University, which ranked among the top five universities in the country for materials research, was quite capable.

A professor of materials chemistry who was above average but not quite top-tier had ample experience and a variety of approaches when it came to conceiving research and development for new materials.

If there was a downside, it was that a binder was used during the two-dimensional thin-film deposition process. Even a trace amount of this binder compromised the innate purity of the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

This not only meant that it required a lower temperature for the thin-film material to reach the superconducting energy gap, but also that the material’s performance was significantly reduced.

“A bit interesting. Give this Professor Song a call and ask if he has time. If he does, please ask him to come over. I have a few questions for him.”

After reviewing the information on the computer, Xu Chuan looked up with interest, tapping his fingers gently on the table as he spoke to Fan Pengyue.

To be honest, the value of this ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material itself wasn’t actually that significant.

First, the material Professor Song had developed was a two-dimensional thin-film structure, making it very difficult to process into wires or other forms of superconducting materials.

Second, achieving superconductivity at a temperature of 43.5K (approximately -230 degrees Celsius) was something that had already been done elsewhere.

Take CERN’s large particle collider, for example.

Accelerating particles requires an extremely strong magnetic field, and reaching the limits of a strong magnetic field requires superconducting materials.

The LHC particle collider uses a niobium-tin alloy. After being cooled by liquid helium, this material can achieve superconductivity in a normal pressure environment and can be mass-produced.

And setting aside low-temperature superconductivity, high-temperature superconductivity had also been researched for a long time.

As early as 1987, scientists in China, the United States, the island nation, and other countries had all discovered that ‘barium-yttrium-copper-oxide’ possessed a Tc in the liquid nitrogen temperature range, thus exhibiting superconductivity.

(Tc refers to the critical temperature, which is the temperature at which a material transitions from a normal state to a superconducting state. For example, when the temperature of mercury drops slightly below 4.2K, its resistance suddenly disappears, and it exhibits a superconducting state. Therefore, the Tc of mercury is 4.2K, approximately -268.95 degrees Celsius.)

However, due to limitations such as copper oxide superconductors being brittle like ceramic materials, making them impossible to draw into thin wires, combined with high manufacturing costs and their tendency to fail with even slight impurity contamination, high-temperature superconductivity has never been successfully applied in industry.

So, superconductivity at a mere 43.5K had no great practical value.

Not only did it require liquid helium for cooling to become superconducting, but it also couldn’t be industrially produced.

However, he had found something very interesting in this data.

If he could figure it out, he might be able to explain the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials from a different perspective.

It was worth noting that the high-temperature superconducting mechanism was a mystery that remained unsolved—not just now, in early 2020, but even more than a decade later in his past life.

Even after he had developed room-temperature superconducting materials in his past life, he had been unable to explain the reason for the existence of room-temperature and high-temperature superconductors.

In other fields, this would be an almost impossible or at least extremely difficult feat.

How could a practical result be achieved without an established theory?

But in the field of materials science, it was all too common for an experiment to stumble upon a result without any guiding theory.

Many of the materials used in society today were discovered first, with the theory behind them being researched afterward.

If he could clearly explain the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to the development of such materials.

Fan Pengyue nodded, took out his phone, made a call, and hung up after a brief conversation.

Before long, a knock sounded on the conference room door.

Xu Chuan called out, “Come in.”

The door opened, and a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses walked in.

“Director Fan, you were looking for me?”

Song Wenbai walked in and asked, but his gaze fell on Xu Chuan, who was sitting at the desk.

The familiar figure made him freeze for a moment, and he asked, half-doubting, half-believing, “Are you Academician Xu?”

When Chuanhai Materials Research Institute recruited him, he knew that the true owner behind this laboratory was the famous Professor Xu Chuan.

He recognized Xu Chuan, but he was a little unsure if it was really him.

Because from the day he joined until now, let alone him, most of the people at Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had never seen their real boss.

So even seeing him in person now, he somewhat suspected he was mistaken.

Across from him, Fan Pengyue looked at Xu Chuan and said with a smile, “Look at you. You’ve been an absentee boss for so long that your own employees don’t recognize you.”

Xu Chuan ignored Fan Pengyue. He smiled at Song Wenbai and said, “It’s me. Professor Song, please have a seat. I’ve asked you to come over mainly because I have some questions for you.”

Song Wenbai walked over quickly, asking with some nervousness, “Please, go ahead.”

Although he was much older than the man before him, the gap between them, whether in knowledge or status, was enormous.

Wuli University had only four big shots at the Academician level. While he had met and spoken with them, this was the first time an Academician-level master was his direct superior.

Moreover, this was a private enterprise, not a university. A leader’s authority over their subordinates was even greater, which put more pressure on him.

Of course, if he seized this opportunity, especially in a newly expanding company like Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, his future path would be very bright.

He was almost fifty this year, and his academic level, while not weak, wasn’t top-tier either. His prospects for promotion at Wuli University had more or less hit a ceiling.

A new environment might allow him to go further. This was a reason he could be recruited—not just for the money, but also for the hope of advancement.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much mind to these things. He connected the computer on the desk to a virtual projection and opened the research data on the ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material.

“I have a few questions for you regarding the ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material you’ve developed.”

“First, about the X-ray diffraction analysis data. Through X-ray studies, the sample undergoes a structural phase transition from an orthorhombic to a tetragonal crystal at x≈0.04, and the unit cell volume increases with the copper component.”

“And the R-T curve measurement shows that the zero-resistance temperature drops rapidly with the increase of the copper component. After it drops below 50K, the zero-resistance temperature decreases as X increases, and there is no abrupt change at the structural phase transition point.”

“What are your thoughts on this?”

This question had no analysis or answer in the data Fan Pengyue had given him, which meant the analysis had not yet been completed.

If he wanted to know, asking the lead researcher of the experiment was the fastest way.

Song Wenbai thought for a moment and replied, “According to my speculation, this should be the effect of doping from elements like the binder on the copper-carbon-silver composite material. The electron doping from the binder causes its lattice parameters to change.”

“When I was at Wuli University, I studied the effect of hole doping on the electronic structure. Under external pressure, the magnetism in a strongly correlated system is gradually suppressed by the many-body effect of electrons.”

“This may be the reason why, after the temperature drops below 50K, the zero-resistance temperature decreases as X increases, with no abrupt change at the structural phase transition point.”

Listening to Song Wenbai’s explanation, Xu Chuan tapped his fingers idly on the desk, lost in thought.

The effect of hole doping on the electronic structure and lattice parameters?

If he recalled correctly, in his past life’s research on copper-carbon-silver superconducting materials, he initially hadn’t studied the copper-carbon-silver composite, but rather copper-oxide-silver nanomaterials.

This was because oxide materials were widely recognized as the most promising for breaking through the limits of high-temperature superconductivity.

The reason he later replaced oxygen with carbon was actually due to a serendipitous lab accident.

The reason oxide superconductors became mainstream wasn’t just because they could break the limits of ultra-low temperature superconductivity, but also because copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors exhibited many strange properties.

For instance, their superconducting phase has d-wave pairing symmetry, which is different from the s-wave symmetry of conventional superconductors.

Another example is that their parent material has an antiferromagnetic Mott insulating phase, and phenomena such as a pseudogap and Fermi arcs exist in the underdoped region.

Today, Song Wenbai’s words had given him a new spark of inspiration. A key point he had never been able to figure out might now have an answer.

If the original copper-oxide-silver nanomaterial was considered the superconductor, then perhaps the carbon that was accidentally doped into the original material was the key to breaking the Tc critical temperature barrier.

Perhaps, he could find the mechanism for superconductivity in copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors.

If he succeeded, this would be the biggest breakthrough in the history of high-temperature superconducting materials!

And with this theory, he could logically and quickly develop the superconducting material.

But right now, he needed more data and information to verify the idea in his mind!

Chapter 340: The Mechanism of High-Temperature Superconductivity and the Strong Correlation Effect

In the office, Xu Chuan was lost in thought.

Beside him, Fan Pengyue and Song Wenbai didn’t dare to interrupt their boss’s thoughts and could only wait quietly.

After organizing his thoughts, Xu Chuan looked up at Song Wenbai, his eyes shining, and spoke.

“Professor Song, for the time being, I need you and your team to halt your research on the copper-carbon-silver composite material. Instead, focus all your efforts on analyzing the ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material you developed earlier.”

“I need more information and analytical data on this material!”

Hearing this, Song Wenbai was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and replied, “Switching from research to analysis is no problem, but for material analysis, our research institute might be lacking some equipment.”

“For example, we don’t have a pyrolysis-gas chromatograph for structural characterization analysis, or an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Without this equipment, the analytical data won’t be complete.”

Xu Chuan: “That’s not a problem. Director Fan will coordinate with you regarding the necessary equipment. Buy what needs to be bought. It’s not like we’ll only use this equipment once after we purchase it.”

Fan Pengyue nodded and said, “The institute was just expanded not long ago, and there are indeed some pieces of equipment we haven’t purchased yet. However, they’re already in the procurement plan. Their priority was just lower before. Since we need them now, we can procure them ahead of schedule.”

Xu Chuan: “If buying new will take too long, try to buy used ones from other domestic labs. It’s alright to pay a premium. I need the data as soon as possible.”

In the meeting room, Xu Chuan asked a few more questions about the experimental data of the ultra-low temperature superconducting copper-carbon-silver composite material before leaving the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute with some of the data.

Back at his villa, he plugged the USB drive into his computer, took a stack of scratch paper from a drawer, and sat at his desk, continuing to ponder.

Since H. Kamerlingh Onnes discovered in 1911 that metal elements like mercury and tin have superconductivity, dozens of metal elements that exhibit superconductivity at normal pressure have been found.

As for the classification of superconducting materials, there is currently no unified standard.

Generally, the most common classification is based on temperature.

Superconducting materials that need to be cooled with liquid helium to reach the critical temperature (Tc) are called low-temperature superconductors; those cooled with liquid nitrogen are called high-temperature superconductors; and those that can achieve superconductivity at room temperature are called room-temperature superconductors.

Currently, apart from the BCS theory which explains low-temperature superconductivity, the scientific community has no complete and unified explanation for why high-temperature and room-temperature superconductivity can also be achieved.

In materials science, it’s quite normal to accidentally create a material first and then find its mechanism by analyzing it.

In his past life, when he developed the copper-carbon-silver composite material, he had also tried to explore and explain the underlying principles of high-temperature and room-temperature superconducting materials.

But in the end, he didn’t get a precise answer. Later, with his research on controlled nuclear fusion and the NS equations, he had no time and gave up on this line of inquiry.

Of course, just because he didn’t research it in his past life doesn’t mean no one else researched the mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials.

The mainstream view in later generations was that the superconducting pairing in copper oxide high-temperature superconductors did not originate from the traditional BCS electron-phonon coupling, but from the strong correlation effect between electrons.

When we study physics in high school, we easily learn that outside the nucleus of every atom, there are varying numbers of electrons.

For example, an oxygen atom has eight electrons outside its nucleus, and a carbon atom has six electrons outside its nucleus.

Under normal circumstances, the electrons in a solid composed of these atoms are very stable. Each electron is considered independent and does not interact with others.

Just like the eight planets of the Solar System, each planet has its own independent orbit and they don’t collide.

However, in many substances, such as transition metal oxides and lanthanide oxides, the outer electron orbitals of the atoms overlap significantly. The electrons in these orbitals get close to each other, and the increase in electrostatic energy can no longer be ignored.

As a result, these materials exhibit a strong correlation effect.

And this strong correlation effect between electrons is precisely the cause of many novel physical phenomena.

Such as the fractional quantum Hall effect in a two-dimensional electron gas, the colossal magnetoresistance effect in manganese oxide materials, heavy fermion systems, and the metal-insulator transition in two-dimensional high-mobility materials, and so on.

Therefore, in later generations, the mainstream explanation for the mechanism of high-temperature and room-temperature superconductivity was the strong electron correlation effect.

However, this explanation was merely a theory and could not be explained through models or mathematics.

But today, Xu Chuan felt that he might be able to give it a try.

Reviewing the experimental data on the low-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material researched by Song Wenbai on his computer, Xu Chuan studied it carefully, preparing to deduce the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity once he was familiar with it.

Just then, his phone on the desk rang. He picked it up; the call was from Gao Hongming.

“Academician Xu, the application for the Tianjin supercomputer center has been approved. The time is set for five days from now. In five days, the Tianhe-1 supercomputer at the Tianjin supercomputer center will allocate the processing power you need to run simulations for your mathematical model.”

Gao Hongming reported over the phone.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll be there on time.”

After hanging up, he looked at the data on his computer and picked up the pen beside his scratch paper.

“Five days, huh? I should be able to find some direction, right?”

Xu Chuan muttered to himself softly and, without further thought, began calculating with the pen in his hand on the scratch paper.

“As shown in Figure 1, for the layered structure, its low-energy physics is mainly determined by the CuO2 planes. On the CuO2 plane, copper atoms form a square lattice, and there is one oxygen atom between two nearest-neighbor copper atoms. From an electronic structure perspective, the electron orbitals involved are mainly the copper 3d orbital and the oxygen 2p orbital…”

“When the parent material is doped with a certain concentration of holes, it enters a superconducting phase at low temperatures. This can be explained in mathematical language as:”

“H=μd,σ∑iσDi,σdiσ+μp,σ∑IσPI,σP,σ-∑.PI↑Pi↓.”

“Considering the single-band Hubbard model of the copper 3dx²-y² orbital, the holes doped in the oxygen 2p orbital will form a spin-singlet bound state with the holes in the copper 3dx²-y² orbital, which is the famous Zhang-Rice singlet.”

“A low-energy effective model for it is the t-J model, and the Hamiltonian is calculated as:

Ht-j=-∑,σtijPg(Ci,σCj,σ+h.c.)Pg+J∑Si·Sj”

In his study, Xu Chuan looked at the data on his computer while verifying the strong electron correlation structure in the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

Using mathematics to calculate physics was a breakthrough from his deep study of math in this life, and it was also one of his strongest areas of research at the moment.

Immersed in his work, he calculated the data while integrating the thoughts in his mind.

This was a path to explaining the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Others had walked it before, but had only paved a short distance. Now, he was pushing it forward.

Walking this primitive path, his powerful mathematical ability in this life was the machete in his hand, clearing away the thorns and brambles; while his research in physics from his past life was more like a compass, guiding him and ensuring he wouldn’t forge a wrong path.

The perfect combination of mathematics and physics. The last time, it advanced particle information calculations in the field of high-energy physics. This time, it delved deep into materials science to explore the mysteries between atoms and electrons.

Bit by bit, Xu Chuan’s eyes saw only the pen and paper on his desk. At this moment, he was like someone walking in darkness, with complete blackness before him, guided only by the distant, flickering light of a lighthouse.

The days passed one by one. Outside the window, uncharacteristically for the deep winter season, a heavy rain began to fall. The sky was filled with dark clouds, shrouding the earth.

After an unknown amount of time, the rain finally stopped. The sun began to move, trying to pierce through the dark clouds and cast its brilliance upon the world once more.

In the study, Xu Chuan, who had stopped writing at some unknown point, stood by the window gazing into the distance, mesmerized by the rays of light that pierced through the clouds after the rain and fell upon the land.

Watching the sun slowly set on the horizon, a smile touched the corners of Xu Chuan’s lips.

When the Tyndall effect appears, light takes on a shape.

Those rays of light, breaking through the clouds after the rain, were guiding the direction of civilization’s progress.

Although he hadn’t found the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, he had found a viable path.

All that remained was to continue deeper along this path.

If he could complete the theory behind the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, in the future, he might be able to derive the superconducting state of high-temperature superconducting materials through mathematical calculations.

At that point, superconducting materials would no longer be a shackle hindering technological development.

Perhaps he could even use this to deduce and find new, superior room-temperature superconducting materials, making them widely applicable across all industries.

After all, the properties of the copper-carbon-silver composite material he developed in his past life were somewhat similar to ceramic materials. Although it could achieve superconductivity at room temperature and pressure, it was difficult to process and shape, and it was susceptible to interference.

This kind of limited room-temperature superconducting material was fine for cutting-edge scientific equipment like controlled nuclear fusion reactors and particle colliders, but it was still very difficult to use it widely in fields like power generation, transmission, energy storage, and low-voltage electronics.

It was especially unusable for equipment in relatively harsh working environments.

If he could find a room-temperature superconductor similar to metallic materials like copper and iron, current technological development would experience a true leap forward.

After some thought, Xu Chuan turned back, picked up his phone from the desk, and dialed Gao Hongming’s number.

In less than half an hour, Gao Hongming rushed over from the controlled nuclear fusion industrial park.

“Academician Xu, you were looking for me.”

Xu Chuan nodded, picked up a prepared hard drive, and handed it over. “This contains the mathematical model established for the plasma turbulence in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.”

“I was originally planning to go to Tianjin myself to run the verification calculations, but things have changed. I have some other matters to attend to, so I won’t be going personally. I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip with this hard drive.”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming quickly said, “Making the trip is no problem, but if you don’t go, I won’t understand anything about the mathematical model or the testing.”

“If you really can’t get away, I can report back to the higher-ups. We could postpone it a little. That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Postponing it isn’t the solution. How about this: I’ll call Academician Peng Hongxi and have the two people from the modeling department who previously optimized the model accompany you.”

“They optimized this model, and they are professionals in modeling. They can go in my place.”

“If any problems really do arise, you can also call me.”

Gao Hongming thought for a moment and said, “That could work, but with you not going, I still feel a bit uneasy. After all, this matter is so important.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “If everything goes smoothly, there’s not much for me to do there anyway. Just bring back the data after the model verification.”

Gao Hongming nodded. “Alright. In that case, I’ll go find Academician Peng in a bit.”

Xu Chuan: “Thank you for your hard work. Have a safe trip.”

Gao Hongming carefully placed the hard drive into a shockproof case he had brought with him. “I’m just doing the odd jobs. You’re the one who’s truly working hard, Academician Xu.”

“Since you’re still busy here, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

“Also, I’ll notify the people from the military and have them arrange personnel to escort me and this model safely to Tianjin.”

“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, the model will be safe!”

Chapter 341: 152K High-Temperature Superconductivity!

After seeing Gao Hongming off, Xu Chuan called Peng Hongxi to briefly explain and arrange for the mathematical model’s testing. Then, he once again buried himself in his study.

Although the copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material created by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was a low-temperature superconductor, from it, he had found a glimmer of light leading to the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity.

Compared to going to Tianjin to verify the mathematical model for ultra-high temperature and high-pressure plasma turbulence, the significance of this theoretical work was, arguably, even more profound.

At least in his own opinion, it was of greater importance.

Many people could take his place in verifying the mathematical model for plasma turbulence, but for the work of finding the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials, there was almost no one who could replace him.

Even if his advisor, Witten, were here, he would not be able to use the language of mathematics to explain the superconducting energy gap of superconducting materials.

This was no longer a problem that could be solved by mathematical ability alone.

No matter how strong one’s mathematical prowess was, it would be impossible to succeed without understanding the basic characteristics and various properties of materials, without understanding their intrinsic and derived properties, and other related data.

In his past life, he hadn’t been able to find the superconducting mechanism for high-temperature superconductors, partly because he hadn’t invested his time in it.

At that time, he felt that it was enough to just create the superconducting materials. As for the mechanism, if he didn’t study it, others would. It wasn’t important.

Another reason was that his mathematical ability in his past life was far inferior to this one.

In his past life, he had won the Fields Medal as a byproduct of solving the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap problem.

In areas like partial differential equations, nonlinear equations, and computational functions, his mathematical ability was indeed among the top tier, but mathematics encompassed far more than just these fields.

Algebra, number theory, geometry, mathematical analysis, topology, functional analysis, probability theory… all in all, mathematics had over twenty major categories.

And each major category was further divided into numerous subcategories. For example, algebra included linear algebra, group theory, field theory, Lie groups, Lie algebra, Kac-Moody algebra, ring theory, and more than a dozen other different fields.

Forget his past life; even in this life, he wouldn’t dare claim to understand every field of mathematics.

In his study, Xu Chuan organized the data on superconducting materials he had brought back from the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory while continuing to perfect the superconducting mechanism of the materials.

Based on current research, the superconducting state is always a product of electrons forming Cooper pairs and then condensing. The core issue of the superconducting mechanism is the cause of electron Cooper pair formation.

In copper oxide superconductors, superconductivity is generally carried by the CuO2 planes, and the nearby-carrier reservoir layers serve to regulate the physical properties of these planes.

However, due to the strong correlation effect of electrons, the physical properties of CuO2 cannot be described by the existing solid-state band theory.

Therefore, he needed to create a new mathematical description for the solid-state band theory.

At his desk, Xu Chuan stared at the data on his computer screen, his eyes bright as he murmured to himself:

“Figure 1a shows the structure of the BiO plane exposed after the dissociation of a Bi2212 single crystal sample. It can be seen that an incommensurate modulation structure appears along one direction.”

“In high-temperature superconductors, the continuously closed Fermi surface predicted by band theory does not appear. Due to the strong correlation effect, the Fermi surface breaks into four Fermi arcs, with a very high density of states at the endpoints of these arcs.”

“Therefore, there are seven scattering wave vectors between the eight endpoints, described as q1…q7. After measuring the pattern formed by quasiparticle coherence scattering, a Fourier transform can be used to obtain the scattering bright spots for these seven wave vectors.”

“This can be identified using the Phase-Referenced Quasi-Particle Interference (PR-QPI) technique, which allows for mapping out the Fermi surface information in q-space.”

“However, in reality, this physical quantity is a complex variable at any given q-point, possessing both amplitude and a phase, i.e., r(q,E)=|r0(q,E)|exp[ij(q,E)].”

In front of the computer, Xu Chuan analyzed the data of the copper-carbon-silver composite material in his mind, refining his theories and ideas.

Unlike mathematical proofs, the exploration of materials physics did not require lengthy mathematical calculations.

In this process, mathematics merely played a crucial foundational role. The greater part was about using a comprehensive theory to explain the relevant phenomena.

This was actually somewhat similar to theoretical physics. Just as when Albert Einstein first proposed the theory of relativity, he first presented the initial form of general relativity and then perfected it bit by bit.

And in the process of perfecting the theory of relativity, he used mathematical tools to confirm it step by step through things like the field equations of gravitation, Mach’s principle, and spacetime diagrams.

This was perhaps the common thread among all natural sciences: in the end, all research boils down to mathematics.

If a theory cannot be made logically self-consistent or verified mathematically, then no matter how perfect the theory seems, it is likely just a fleeting fancy.

“Perhaps I’ve found a suitable path!”

Gazing at the images and data on the computer, Xu Chuan’s eyes grew deeper, like a vast ocean holding countless waves of knowledge.

He quickly took out a new stack of scratch paper from the drawer, picked up his pen, and began his deductions.

“rr(q,-E)=|r(q,-E)|cos[j(q,E)-j(q,-E)]”

“Based on the phase-referenced physical quantity calculated from experimental data, each small dashed circle indicates the position and integrated intensity region of the seven scattering spots. It is known that in the case of a d-wave gap, q1, q4, and q5 correspond to gaps with the same sign.”

“Thus, the phase-referenced QPI intensity is rr(q,-E)=|r(q,-E)| cos[j(q,E)-j(q,-E)]. Figures (d), (e), and (f) show the integration of the rr(q,-E) intensity within the small dashed circles, while q2, q3, q6, and q7 correspond to scattering with opposite gap signs.”

“In this model, if we only consider the square lattice formed by copper sites, with i and j as indices for the copper sites, and treat ci,σ as a standard electron annihilation operator in theory, then…”

The black gel pen left traces of ink on the white A4 paper.

As he calculated the data for the superconducting energy gap and phase physical quantities of the copper-carbon-silver material, Xu Chuan’s expression grew increasingly calm.

Finally, he stopped his pen and looked at the last line of the equation on the scratch paper.

【S→=C〃σc】

“So that’s how it is. The energy gap in the superconductor has d-wave symmetry, at least in the copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

“The energy gap can be calculated using the single-band Hubbard model and the Gutzwiller projection operator. Although this method isn’t applicable in all situations, the low-energy effective theories in the strong coupling case are essentially the same.”

“If we use theories like the t-J model and the renormalized mean-field method to handle high-temperature superconducting materials, we can first use the Gutzwiller approximation renormalization factor, and then, as a second step, use the standard mean-field method for further processing.”

“This way, the superconducting energy gap of high-temperature superconducting materials can be deduced step-by-step from experimental data.”

“Moreover, this method has the potential to become a powerful tool for determining the sign reversal of the gap function in other unconventional superconductors.”

“Perhaps in the near future, high-temperature superconductivity will see a period of vigorous development.”

Looking at the theories and formulas on his scratch paper, Xu Chuan let out a long breath.

By freeing up the time he would have spent verifying the plasma turbulence mathematical model in Tianjin, he had managed to make a preliminary breakthrough on the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconductors.

All that remained was to find more data on high-temperature superconducting materials to verify this theory.

After standing up and stretching his stiff muscles, Xu Chuan sat back down at his desk.

He organized the scratch papers and began transferring their contents to his computer, compiling them into a research paper.

Of course, this paper could not be made public for now.

Although the study of the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconductors was one of the hottest fields in superconductivity research today, and throwing this paper out there could instantly set the pond ablaze and make him a top expert in the field…

…it would also, correspondingly, point out a research path for others to follow.

So, for now, this paper had to be kept under wraps.

But Xu Chuan wasn’t too concerned.

It wouldn’t be too late to publish it after he had successfully created a high-temperature superconducting material.

After completely transcribing the paper from his notes onto the computer, Xu Chuan got up and headed straight for the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory.

He had a preliminary grasp of the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconductors. To utilize it, it would be best to build a strongly correlated t-J model for calculations.

However, building and testing even the most basic, rudimentary version of a model would take at least half a month.

He was getting impatient. He wanted to go to the lab and experiment to see if he could make further optimizations to the superconducting material based on his own calculated data and theory.

He sped all the way to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and found Fan Pengyue, asking him to arrange a laboratory.

The institute didn’t have any spare labs. After all, it had been less than two months since the expansion, and the recruitment of staff and procurement of equipment were not yet complete.

Furthermore, his previous request for extensive research on superconducting and carbon-based materials meant the institute was already operating at full capacity.

However, Song Wenbai, who had previously been researching the copper-carbon-silver composite material, had been assigned to analyze materials, so his former lab was temporarily vacant and could be repurposed.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan personally operated the vacuum metallurgy equipment to create the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

Compared to other nanofabrication methods like physical pulverization, mechanical ball milling, and vapor deposition, using methods like vacuum evaporation, heating, and high-frequency induction to vaporize the raw materials or form a plasma, followed by rapid cooling, could produce raw materials with high purity, good crystal structure, and controllable particle size.

Perfect crystallization and uniform particle size were extremely important in material fabrication, especially for research purposes in a laboratory setting.

Of course, there was a downside: this method of preparing nanomaterials had very high requirements for equipment and fabrication techniques.

However, in Xu Chuan’s view, anything that could be solved with money wasn’t a problem.

At his side, Fan Pengyue and Song Wenbai were in the lab assisting him.

Naturally, they were also curious about what he was preparing to study, or rather, how he planned to prepare the copper-carbon-silver composite nanomaterial.

Xu Chuan had taken Song Wenbai’s data a on the ultra-low temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconductor, obviously to study it.

In just ten days, could he really have made some discovery or found some inspiration from it?

Neither of them dared to imagine anything deeper.

They both just assumed that Xu Chuan had found some clues for potentially optimizing the copper-carbon-silver composite material by studying the data.

To be honest, that alone was already astounding.

After all, the time was so short, and materials data wasn’t that easy to analyze.

As for finding the superconducting mechanism behind high-temperature superconductors from this data, neither of them had even considered it.

If the superconducting mechanism of high-temperature superconductors was so easy to figure out, we wouldn’t be in a situation where iron-based, copper-based, and graphene high-temperature superconducting materials have all been developed, yet the mechanism remains elusive.

Inside the lab, Xu Chuan, dressed in a white lab coat and wearing a protective mask and goggles, was fully focused, carefully operating the RF magnetron sputtering equipment to sputter the prepared nanomaterial onto a SrTiO3 substrate.

This step took about two minutes to allow the nanomaterial to completely cover the SrTiO3 substrate and form a thin film on it.

Then, he added 2% (by volume fraction) of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and surface-modified CNTs coated with Cu, as the reinforcing phase.

After a series of treatments, it was finally heat-treated under inert gas protection at 860℃-900℃ for 30-50 minutes, causing a copper-carbon-silver composite film to form on the SrTiO3 substrate.

And this film was exactly what Xu Chuan needed!

He stayed in the lab for two full days, not relaxing his taut nerves until late the next night, in the early hours of the morning.

In the container in his hand, a silvery-gray film, no bigger than a child’s palm, lay quietly. This was the fruit of his two days of hard work.

Letting out a long sigh, Xu Chuan handed the transparent container to Song Wenbai and said, “Professor Song, I’ll have to trouble you to test this material’s superconducting properties.”

“If my calculations are correct, it should reach its critical temperature (Tc) at around 152K.”

After a full day of intense focus, he no longer had the energy to run the tests himself and had to entrust it to others.

Hearing this, Song Wenbai opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. Ultimately, he just nodded and took the material.

Testing superconducting materials wasn’t particularly difficult; it could be done using equipment like a cryostat and a Dewar flask with liquid nitrogen.

It was just that he found it hard to believe the claim of a 152K critical temperature.

What did a critical temperature of 152K even mean?

Converted to Celsius, it was about -121.15℃. This temperature sounded very low, but in the current field of superconducting materials, it was very, very high.

Putting aside materials that require high-pressure conditions, the current copper-based high-temperature superconductors can reach a superconducting temperature of 94.9K, which can be increased to 125K under pressure. In Celsius, that’s about -178.2℃ and -148.15℃, respectively.

That was a difference of a full 30℃. This shouldn’t be underestimated; the 94.9K critical temperature for copper-based high-temperature superconductors had seen no breakthroughs for nearly a decade.

As for iron-based superconductors, although their limit could reach -23℃, they could currently only be produced in tiny quantities in a lab at enormous cost.

Not only were the quantities small, but the material was also extremely susceptible to contamination. Simple exposure to air would cause its superconductivity to fail, so it didn’t hold much value for comparison.

But this thin film in his hand, if it could truly achieve superconductivity at 152K, the high-temperature superconductivity industry would probably undergo an earth-shattering change.

More crucially, his boss had calculated this number in advance.

He didn’t dare to think about what that implied.

Chapter 342: What It’s Like to Have a Freakishly Skilled Boss

Shaking his head, Song Wenbai cast aside the distracting thoughts in his mind and began using the lab’s equipment to test the silver-gray copper-carbon-silver composite material in the container.

After a short rest, Xu Chuan, having regained some of his energy, also walked over.

Testing superconducting materials was a tedious process, but it wasn’t particularly complex.

After all, most experimental equipment nowadays was either fully or semi-automated.

For instance, the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory had a complete superconducting electromagnetic testing system.

This system, composed of an instrument for measuring critical temperature (Tc) and resistance, a Meissner effect measurement device, a computer, CASSY sensors, and other equipment, could test superconducting materials and lower the experimental temperature to around 10K.

Of course, it could only test some of the fundamental key data of superconducting materials, such as resistance and magnetic flux. Analyzing the fine structure, crystal structure, and characterizing other structural aspects required different equipment.

The superconducting electromagnetic testing system began to operate under Song Wenbai’s control. Its various components whirred to life, and the connected computer projected the relevant data in real-time.

A large display screen, divided into four quadrants along X and Y axes, showed different data sets.

The main performance indicators for testing superconducting materials were displayed: resistance values, temperature control system values, magnetic field indicator values, AC magnetic susceptibility, and more.

As the prepared copper-carbon-silver composite material was placed into the superconducting electromagnetic testing equipment, the pre-set program on the computer began to run.

Liquid nitrogen, at a temperature as low as -196°C, was slowly injected into the cooling apparatus, rapidly lowering the temperature of the measurement chamber.

0°C… -50°C… -100°C…

Soon, the temperature in the chamber had plummeted to below one hundred degrees Celsius.

And as the temperature dropped, the parameter curves for resistance, temperature control, and magnetic field on the computer display began to fluctuate.

The resistance curve started a slow descent from 1.95x10⁻⁸ Ω·m.

Watching the slowly decreasing resistance value, Song Wenbai couldn’t help but swallow.

Xu Chuan’s words from just moments ago involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.

Reaching the critical temperature (Tc) at around 152K.

Was that even possible?

He glanced at the temperature data on the display. Under the rapid cooling of the liquid nitrogen, the temperature in the superconducting electromagnetic testing chamber had already dropped to -110°C.

Converted to Kelvin, that was already 163.15K. Another 10K drop, and it would reach 152K.

Could it really happen? A strange sense of anticipation began to build within him.

Instinctively, Song Wenbai held his breath, his eyes glued to the screen.

For the superconducting electromagnetic testing system, which used liquid nitrogen as a coolant, the temperature drop from 163.15K to 152K wouldn’t take long.

After all, liquid nitrogen itself is at -196°C, which is about 77K. There was still a long way to go before reaching its cooling limit.

On the display, the temperature data ticked down bit by bit. Xu Chuan also held his breath, watching the data intently.

152K was the critical temperature (Tc) he had calculated. If successful, it would truly open up a whole new world for high-temperature superconducting materials.

But honestly, he wasn’t entirely confident of success.

After all, this kind of breakthrough could be said to have shattered previous methods of materials research—simulating the structure of a superconducting material based on its superconductivity mechanism data, and then preparing it through experimentation.

This was a route almost completely different from traditional materials research.

As the temperature data continued to fall, the resistance curve showed no significant change when the display ticked to 155K. The resistance value continued its steady, smooth decline.

However, in the very next second…

A miracle occurred!

When the data on the display jumped to 153K, the curve, which had been maintaining a steady downward slope, plummeted as if falling off a cliff, hitting the bottom at a nearly ninety-degree angle.

Crouched in front of the display, holding his breath in rapt attention, Song Wenbai’s pupils contracted sharply at the sight.

“The resistance… it’s really zero?”

Staring at the curve, which looked like a flatlined electrocardiogram, he felt as if his own heart had stopped in that instant.

He stared blankly at the screen, feeling as though he couldn’t breathe.

“How is this possible?”

“How is this possible!”

“It really transitioned to a superconducting state at 152K?”

After muttering to himself, he suddenly realized something and whipped his head around to look at the figure standing behind him.

At that moment, a smile touched Xu Chuan’s lips and eyes.

That’s right, he had succeeded!

A second ago, the copper-carbon-silver composite thin film in the superconducting electromagnetic testing system was just a normal conducting material. In the next second, it had completed its transformation.

In the low temperature of 152K, it had successfully transitioned to a zero-resistance superconducting state.

Looking at the data on the screen, Xu Chuan’s gaze was deep and distant, as if he could see right through the void to the copper-carbon-silver composite thin film in the testing chamber.

There, stimulated by the 152K temperature, the atoms of that tiny film, like a disciplined army receiving an order, rapidly reorganized their formation into a new crystal structure.

At this moment, the electrical current passing through it did so without any loss.

Clearly, this was what he had been searching for!

Although a temperature of 152K wasn’t particularly high—in fact, it could still be considered extremely low—in the history of the development of superconducting materials, it was, relatively speaking, an achievement that would stun the world!

In the lab, Song Wenbai was too shocked to even savor the joy of the copper-carbon-silver high-temperature superconducting material reaching zero resistance. He stared at Xu Chuan in horror, as if looking at a monster.

After a long moment, he finally recovered enough to ask with difficulty, “How on earth did you do it?”

A high-temperature superconducting material at 152K was, in itself, an astonishing achievement.

Ever since scientists discovered the property of superconductivity in the last century, the materials science community had never stopped its research into superconductors.

But to this day, no one had ever heard of any country, any laboratory, or any research institute achieving high-temperature superconductivity at 152K under normal pressure.

It had already broken the historical record for high-temperature superconducting materials under normal pressure.

As for the iron-based high-temperature superconducting material from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, which could superconduct at -23°C, that was not maintained under normal pressure.

It required an ultra-high pressure of 170 GPa to maintain superconductivity at -23°C.

Such harsh conditions meant that, apart from its research value, the material had no other practical applications.

Even the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is only 1,100 atmospheres, while 170 GPa is one million seven hundred thousand standard atmospheres.

Such high pressure has almost no practical value outside of a laboratory.

But in contrast, the material he had just personally tested was under standard atmospheric pressure.

Superconductivity at 152K under normal pressure—if this parameter were announced, it would undoubtedly send massive waves through the field of superconducting materials.

What horrified him even more was that, before the test had even begun, this man had accurately predicted the critical temperature (Tc) of this copper-carbon-silver composite material.

This meant he already had a clear grasp of this superconducting material’s data.

If he hadn’t been in the lab himself, working as an assistant and watching this material being made step by step, he would have sworn it had been brought from somewhere else and had already been tested.

Otherwise, how could anyone know the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) before testing?

Hearing Song Wenbai’s question, Xu Chuan shifted his gaze from the computer screen, glanced at him, and smiled.

“It’s not that difficult. If you know the superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials, plus a little bit of mathematical ability and an understanding of the material itself, you can do it too.”

Song Wenbai froze at his words, his pupils once again constricting to a single point. What did he just hear? The superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials?

He couldn’t help but swallow dryly, his mouth suddenly parched. “You’ve… you’ve found the superconductivity mechanism for high-temperature superconductors?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I have you to thank for that. The low-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material you researched before gave me some inspiration and ideas.”

“Based on that experimental data, I expanded on some ideas and theories and used the lab’s model to make some optimizations to the copper-carbon-silver composite material.”

“In short, you were a great help.”

Hearing this, Song Wenbai’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked, “Are you saying you figured out the superconductivity mechanism for high-temperature superconductors in just these past few days?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Theoretically, yes. But I have researched superconducting materials before. Is there a problem?”

Song Wenbai swallowed again.

Is there a problem?

The problem was huge!

If he remembered correctly, it hadn’t even been fifteen days since this man got his hands on the data from his previous low-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material.

In other words, in less than half a month, he had unraveled the superconductivity mechanism that the entire field had been trying to figure out for a full half-century!

More importantly, he then used this mechanism, combined with the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory’s mathematical model, to completely redesign a high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material!

And he actually made it!

What kind of a freak was this?

Did winning a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal mean you could just do as you please, solving problems that had stumped others for half a century?

Or was this just the world of a genius?

Where a casual effort and a bit of research was an unassailable peak for others?

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. Snapping back to reality, Song Wenbai took a deep breath and couldn’t help but ask, “Can I see the research paper on the superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconductors?”

The superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials—it was something no researcher in the field of superconductivity, or even the materials industry, could resist. He was no exception.

Xu Chuan smiled. “The core of the superconductivity mechanism for high-temperature superconducting materials lies in the ‘strong electron correlation’ effect. But I don’t have the research paper with me. If you want to see it, I can send you a copy tomorrow.”

He paused, then continued, “It’s getting late. Tidy up the lab and go home to rest. Tomorrow, you can lead the team to continue testing the performance of the copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconducting material.”

“I still need to go back and organize some things. I’ll leave this to you.”

Song Wenbai’s face lit up with excitement. He looked at Xu Chuan and nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll get it done.”

Xu Chuan smiled and turned to leave the laboratory.

Late at night, in the small Hongqi sedan, Zheng Hai smiled as Xu Chuan got in. “I thought you’d be staying here tonight, just like yesterday.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “The experiment is finished, at least for this stage. There’s no need to stay here. It’s much more comfortable at home.”

Zheng Hai smiled back. He didn’t ask any more questions as he started the car and drove off.

He didn’t ask if the experiment was successful, nor did he ask what Xu Chuan was working on.

He just needed to do his own job well. As for the rest, it was not for him to inquire about.

After a smooth ride back to his villa, Xu Chuan took a hot shower, then dried his hair and sat down at his computer.

Although it was already the dead of night, he had something more important to do than sleep.

Opening the research paper on the superconductivity mechanism that he had completed two days ago, Xu Chuan began to make some revisions.

Conducting an experiment firsthand yielded far greater insights than simply looking at someone else’s experimental data.

Sometimes, theoretical research and applied experiments weren’t contradictory; in fact, they were often complementary.

The 152K copper-carbon-silver high-temperature superconductor embodied the superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials. Although he already understood the basic principles, behind this principle lay more profound theoretical work waiting for him to complete.

For example, why was it that in the past, people generally believed that excessive doping would lower the critical temperature (Tc) of high-temperature superconductors, yet today, he had discovered that an over-doped copper-carbon-silver high-temperature superconductor achieved high-temperature superconductivity at 152K?

Although 152K wasn’t exactly a high temperature, and although he could use a model to calculate the function between doping data and the superconducting energy gap, he still hadn’t figured out what kind of theory could explain the effect of doping on superconductors.

Or, how exactly did the strong electron correlation effect in high-temperature superconductors allow them to respond to external electromagnetic fields in unison, following the de Broglie wave—much like the Aharonov-Bohm effect for charged particles—thereby amplifying the insignificant wave-particle duality of a single electron to a macroscopic scale?

These were deeper questions that required him to study, and also required other researchers to study.

Of course, this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. It would require a long time, countless experiments, and countless theoretical revisions to complete.

Chapter 343: A Material That Will Influence National Development

Although he had been busy until after two in the morning, Xu Chuan still climbed out of bed around seven the next day.

After a quick wash and breakfast, he hurried to the research institute.

The testing of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material was far from over. The previous night, he and Song Wenbai had only tested the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) and the Meissner effect, confirming that this new copper-carbon-silver composite material could enter a superconducting state at 152 K.

But the tests for a material didn’t stop there.

In addition to the standard mechanical properties testing and electronic properties measurement for ordinary materials, superconducting materials had their own unique tests for critical current density, vortex pinning performance, and trapped magnetic fields.

And compared to the ordinary properties like mechanics and electronics, these subsequent superconductivity tests were the key to determining a superconducting material’s quality.

For example, critical current density refers to the maximum current density that can be achieved in a given chemical environment without causing electrode corrosion or changes in chemical impedance.

Anyone with a little knowledge of superconductors would generally know about the concept of a critical temperature, Tc, which is the temperature at which a normal material transforms into a superconductor.

But superconductors not only have a critical temperature, but also a critical current density and a critical magnetic field strength.

Once the temperature exceeds the critical temperature, the current density exceeds the critical current density, or the magnetic field strength exceeds the critical magnetic field strength, the material will revert to its normal state.

In simpler terms, too high a temperature, too large a current, or too strong a magnetic field will all cause a superconductor to lose its superconductivity.

As it stands, no superconductor has been prepared that simultaneously possesses a high critical temperature, high critical current density, and high critical magnetic field strength, which is why the application of superconductors is not widespread.

But for this very reason, research into superconductors holds great value.

If a “‘three-highs’ superconductor” (high critical temperature, high critical magnetic field, high critical current density) could be found, it would have vast application prospects.

Therefore, although related research wasn’t the hottest topic, it had always been one of the most important research directions in condensed matter physics.

And how to increase the critical current density and critical magnetic field strength was also the most cutting-edge research direction in the field of superconducting materials today.

So, in the time to come, Xu Chuan needed to conduct complete tests on the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he had prepared to determine all its various parameters.

Furthermore, he needed to industrialize this product as quickly as possible.

After all, time waits for no one. The controlled nuclear fusion project had already begun. Compared to using other superconducting materials, such as copper-oxide-based ones, to manufacture the magnetic confinement device, he was more willing and more familiar with using the copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconducting material he had developed in his later life.

On one hand, it wasn’t just because he was familiar with the performance of the copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconducting material; on the other hand, the magnetic field strength it could provide far exceeded that of ordinary superconducting materials.

The reason large particle colliders were often dozens of kilometers long was not only because the particles needed to be accelerated to the extreme, but also because the superconductors providing the magnetic field had their limits.

For example, the LHC collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research used magnets made of niobium-titanium (NbTi) superconducting material, which could currently only provide a magnetic field strength of 8.3 Tesla.

This performance severely limited the collision energy level, with the LHC’s current limit at around 13 TeV.

But if the magnetic field strength could be doubled to 16 T, then given the LHC’s scale, the collision energy could be raised to the 100 TeV level.

Doubling the magnetic field strength could increase the collision energy by nearly eight times.

This was the importance of a superconducting material’s critical magnetic field.

And in controlled nuclear fusion, the importance of the critical magnetic field strength was even more paramount.

A high critical magnetic field was needed to provide greater magnetic confinement. Xu Chuan couldn’t just build a giant reactor with a diameter of over ten kilometers to increase the confinement force; that wasn’t realistic.

So, increasing the high critical magnetic field was his only choice.

Currently, the superconducting material with the highest critical magnetic field was a magnesium diboride ultra-low temperature superconductor researched by Japan, capable of achieving a magnetic field strength of 40 Tesla.

A magnetic field strength of 40 Tesla might not sound that exaggerated, but it was actually astonishing.

A simple comparison would make it clear.

Take a common household appliance, the refrigerator, as an example. The magnet used in a refrigerator is only one-hundredth of a Tesla, or 0.01 T.

In comparison, the value of 40 T is quite exaggerated.

However, limited by the material’s inherent difficulty to shape and the need for an extremely low critical temperature, this magnesium diboride low-temperature superconducting material could not be widely applied to instruments and equipment and was currently only used for laboratory research.

And while conventional copper-oxide superconductor materials could also provide a magnetic field strength close to 20 T, they suffered from the same drawbacks as the magnesium diboride ultra-low temperature superconductor.

As for the copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconducting material, the material he had developed in his later life had a magnetic field strength of around 16 T.

In this life, using the superconductivity mechanism and mathematical models, he still didn’t know what the critical magnetic field strength of the material he prepared would be.

Theoretically speaking, the solid-state magnetic field strength of this new copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconductor should be able to exceed 20 T.

The exact value would only be known after testing.

. . .

In Fan Pengyue’s office at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan touched his face, feeling a little unnatural, as if there was something on it.

Across from him, his Senior Bear, Fan Pengyue, was staring at him with an extremely strange expression.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the stare, Xu Chuan coughed, breaking the odd atmosphere. “I say, it’s not like this is our first time meeting. Why are you staring at me like that? It’s not like there’s a flower on my face.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue said bizarrely, “Are you even human?”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. “There’s no need for that. Although a 152 K high-temperature superconducting material is indeed astonishing, it’s not impossible.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue felt like roaring. He felt his worldview was being endlessly challenged.

“Yes, a 152 K high-temperature superconductor isn’t impossible!”

“But didn’t you just take the superconductor material data from my lab half a month ago?!”

“Don’t tell me you also dabbled in materials research while you were studying math at Princeton!”

“Give us mortals a break!”

He remembered how during his doctorate, when he followed his advisor to research 2D tungsten diselenide materials, he had toiled for more than a year in experiments without finding the correct synthesis route for tungsten diselenide.

This monster got the superconductor data and, in less than half a month, raised the critical temperature Tc from 43.5 K to 152 K. Not only was that an increase of over one hundred K, but he had also directly broken the current record for high-temperature superconducting materials.

To be honest, he really wanted to cut open this monster’s brain to see if it housed a quantum computer.

Xu Chuan sighed and said, “Let’s not get sidetracked. There’s still a lot to do. Let’s finish testing this material first.”

When it came to business, Fan Pengyue became serious. He thought for a moment and said, “Testing the material shouldn’t be a problem. Although we lack the equipment for some parameters here, if you ask, borrowing the relevant equipment from Nanjing University will definitely not be an issue.”

“You and Song Wenbai already completed the preliminary tests last night. A 152 K high-temperature superconductor, even if its other properties are a bit weaker, this temperature alone guarantees its application prospects are quite broad.”

“And looking at the ultra-low temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material Song Wenbai researched before, the performance parameters of this material you’ve researched shouldn’t be low.”

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and looked at Xu Chuan, continuing, “If I’m not mistaken, you probably developed this material using theory and mathematical models, so you should have predictive data on its relevant performance parameters, right?”

Pausing, he interrupted himself and continued, “No, you definitely do. Song Wenbai reported that you accurately predicted its critical Tc temperature yesterday, so you must have data on the other aspects like critical current and critical magnetic field.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I do. Theoretically, the critical magnetic field of this copper-carbon-silver composite high-temperature superconducting material should be able to exceed 20 T. As for the critical current, that needs to be specifically determined based on the temperature and critical magnetic field.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue sucked in a cold breath. “A critical magnetic field of 20 T? Are you sure you didn’t miscalculate? That number is terrifying!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s alright. 20 T is a conservative estimate. According to theoretical calculations, in a perfect state, its critical magnetic field could reach a maximum of 28.74 T.”

“Of course, that figure is likely impossible to achieve in reality.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue couldn’t help but gulp. “If that’s the case, the value of this superconducting material is immense.”

“I was just thinking about how you planned to handle this material, whether to apply for a patent like with the artificial SEI film, or to build your own factory to produce and sell the finished product.”

“Now it seems building your own factory is the only way.”

“For a high-temperature superconducting material of this level, even if you wanted to apply for a patent, the higher-ups would probably want to have a discussion with you.”

“Although there’s a difference between a research paper and a patent versus actual manufacturing and technology, for a material of such high importance, one that could even affect national development, I’m afraid the higher-ups wouldn’t easily agree to let you publish the paper, right?”

After a pause, he thought of something else and asked, “Can this material of yours be made into wire? How are its conventional mechanical and electrical properties?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “It should be possible to make it into wire. Its conventional mechanical and electrical properties are, theoretically, slightly better than copper-oxide-based high-temperature superconducting materials.”

“But due to its crystal structure, it still leans more towards being a ceramic solid.”

“If you want to apply it on a large scale in fields like power generation, transmission, energy storage, and low-voltage electronics, it would still be quite difficult at the moment.”

Pausing, he added, “Of course, I’ll continue to research and optimize it during this time to see if I can further improve its performance.”

“Or rather, see if I can change it or dope it with other materials to optimize its conventional physical properties without affecting, or with minimal effect on, its superconductivity.”

Chapter 344: The Limitations of an Era

In the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory, just as Xu Chuan was busy testing the copper-carbon-silver high-temperature superconducting material, on the other side, in Tianjin, the second verification of the mathematical model for plasma turbulence was finally complete.

Carrying the verified data and model, Gao Hongming rushed back to Nanjing.

According to the staff at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin and the two modelers assigned by Academician Peng Hongxi, the model’s verification was a resounding success.

After simulating the addition of various initial values and variables, the model ran almost flawlessly, with the only change being an increase in the demand for processing power.

This feedback left him thrilled.

Although he wasn’t a specialist in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, having been assigned to assist with the construction of the controlled nuclear fusion project, he still understood a few things.

Controlling the plasma turbulence within the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor is an extremely difficult part of the technology.

Currently, neither the experimental piles being independently researched by various countries nor the international collaborative ITER project have made significant progress in controlling plasma turbulence.

Even the stellarator, which holds a significant advantage in plasma turbulence control, has not achieved long-term control.

The current record for the longest operation of a stellarator in terms of plasma turbulence control is six minutes, set by the Wendelstein 7-X experimental pile at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

And that was only after replacing the divertor with a top-tier water-cooled model in late 2019.

Six minutes translates to three hundred and sixty seconds.

This achievement is already quite long compared to the ITER project’s Tokamak-based approach. The longest runtime for the ITER Tokamak device is just over one hundred seconds.

Comparatively, the more recently developed Wendelstein 7-X stellarator experimental pile has already improved upon that several times over.

As for China, the current record was set by the “artificial sun” EAST experimental pile in Luyang, with a runtime of 101 seconds.

This figure is slightly lower than that of the international ITER project, but it is enough to prove China’s strength in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

However, for the commercial-scale, long-term operation of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, both six minutes and one hundred seconds are equally brief.

In contrast to controlled nuclear fusion, controlled nuclear fission power generation can operate uninterrupted, twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.

It could only be said that there was still a long way to go to achieve controlled nuclear fusion technology.

But now, a ray of light for controlled nuclear fusion had pierced through the darkness. The hope for controlling plasma turbulence was right in his hands!

Gao Hongming couldn’t wait to rush back and share this good news with him!

He firmly believed that with this model, China’s controlled nuclear fusion would surely lead the world. It might even be possible to successfully commercialize the technology within ten years under the leadership of Academician Xu!

In the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory, the superconductivity tests for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material were gradually coming to an end.

As the data from the final round of magnetic induction intensity tests was released, the laboratory erupted in cheers!

“22.714 Tesla! We did it!”

“A 152 K, 22 T high-temperature, normal-pressure superconducting material! Unbelievable, we actually did it!”

“Awesome! Boss! You truly live up to your name as a winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes and a Double Academician!”

“When our boss takes charge, there’s no problem he can’t solve!”

Looking at the magnetic induction intensity on the screen, the researchers who had been assisting with the tests clenched their fists, their faces flushed with excitement.

At 152 K, with an average critical magnetic field strength of 22.1 T, the outstanding performance of the copper-carbon-silver high-temperature superconducting material had shattered the current boundaries in the field of high-temperature superconductivity, setting a brand-new historical record.

Everyone stared excitedly at the young man standing in the center of the crowd. His presence was like the descent of a deity; no matter how difficult the problem, it became effortless in his hands.

Amidst the crowd, Xu Chuan looked at the excited researchers with a smile on his face. He announced, “Thank you all for your hard work and overtime during this period. As a reward, everyone gets three days of paid leave! And don’t worry, your year-end bonuses and performance pay will be generous!”

“Also, I’m treating everyone to dinner tonight. You can pick the place!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in cheers once again.

“Thank you, Boss!”

“The boss is so generous!”

“Awesome!”

“Reschedule! Boss, can we reschedule these three days of leave? I want to combine them with my annual leave!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Of course you can.”

His words were met with even more intense cheers. Xu Chuan didn’t mind. It was fine to be happy when it was time to celebrate and to work when it was time to work.

The researchers at the institute had indeed been working overtime constantly to achieve his goals. Now that a milestone had been reached, he wouldn’t be stingy with the rewards they deserved.

“By the way, Boss,” Song Wenbai asked, looking at Xu Chuan. “Aren’t you going to give this material a new name?”

He was well aware of his boss’s personality.

If he didn’t bring it up, it would probably end up with a randomly assigned name, maybe even something like ‘Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite High-Temperature Superconducting Material’ or ‘152K High-Temperature Superconducting Material’.

To be honest, if it was really given such a name, it would be a… real shame.

“A name?”

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “How about ‘High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Superconducting Material’?”

Upon hearing this, the laboratory fell completely silent.

Song Wenbai’s mouth twitched. Was there any difference between that name and ‘Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite High-Temperature Superconducting Material’?

His boss’s way of naming things was truly lazy.

If he had discovered a material that could change the entire industry, he would have at least given it a cooler name or included his own surname, right?

Seeing that everyone in the lab had suddenly gone quiet, Xu Chuan asked hesitantly, “What, is it a bad name? I think it’s alright.”

Song Wenbai: “…”

Fan Pengyue: “…”

The others: “…”

Professor Terence Tao was right. Their boss was terrible at naming things.

Then again, in the world of materials science, it was common practice to name materials after their main components or formula.

This was because it was more concise and easier to understand.

But ‘High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Superconducting Material’ was just so plain and unadorned. It would be better to call it ‘152K High-Temperature Superconducting Material’.

At least with the latter, people would know at a glance that it was a 152 K high-temperature superconductor.

Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on a trivial matter like naming.

He thought the name ‘High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Material’ was fine. It was good enough that he hadn’t used an abbreviation. Why bother aiming for something so lofty?

What did give him pause, however, was how to handle the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material.

In his eyes, a 152 K high-temperature superconducting material wasn’t actually all that great. After all, he had seen room-temperature superconducting materials.

In comparison, a temperature of 152 K still had considerable limitations.

If it were to be applied, its use would be limited to large-scale scientific instruments like large particle colliders and controlled nuclear fusion reactors, as well as some medical or transportation equipment.

While the market was vast, it wasn’t what one would call completely revolutionary.

A room-temperature superconducting material—now that would be a truly revolutionary material.

That was why Xu Chuan had always considered the room-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material his trump card. The high-temperature version, on the other hand, was initially just planned as a way for him to make some money.

However, Fan Pengyue’s reminder had made him realize something else.

The limitations of the era.

This was the beginning of 2020, not a decade or so later when high-temperature superconducting materials would be commonplace and room-temperature ones would also exist.

At this point in time, a 152 K high-temperature superconducting material was one of a kind.

This kind of material could provide a tremendous boost to the development of superconductivity for a country, and even for the entire world.

For instance, the controlled nuclear fusion reactor he had been obsessed with since his rebirth. After applying this high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material, everything from the manufacturing difficulty to the strength of the magnetic field and magnetic confinement capabilities would be vastly improved compared to before.

Or, take large particle colliders.

The world’s largest collider today was CERN’s LHC, which used a niobium-titanium alloy that could only provide a magnetic field strength of 8.3 Tesla, limiting the collision energy level to around 13 TeV.

If it were replaced with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material, the 22 T critical magnetic field strength would be enough to raise the energy level to over 100 TeV, an increase of an entire order of magnitude.

For the development of theoretical physics, this would be like sprouting wings, allowing it to soar through the heavens.

Just as Xu Chuan was pondering how best to handle this high-temperature superconducting material, someone rather unexpected appeared in Nanjing, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Chapter 345: The Nation is Fortunate to Have You

Inside the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, just as the group was celebrating the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the phone in Xu Chuan’s pocket began to vibrate.

He took it out and saw that the call was from Zheng Hai.

Seeing the caller ID, Xu Chuan quickly answered the phone.

He knew that Zheng Hai wouldn’t call him unless it was something particularly urgent. Usually, even if there was something to discuss, Zheng Hai would wait until after he had finished work.

The call connected, and Zheng Hai’s report came through from the other end.

Xu Chuan listened for a moment, then froze, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

After hanging up, he rose swiftly and called out to Fan Pengyue, “Senior Fan, come with me for a moment.”

With that, he hurried out of the laboratory.

In the lab, Fan Pengyue, who had been cheerfully discussing dinner plans with the others, quickly followed.

“What’s wrong?”

Jogging to catch up to Xu Chuan, Fan Pengyue asked quickly.

“Come with me to greet someone,” Xu Chuan replied, rapidly entering the elevator to go downstairs.

Beside him, Fan Pengyue opened his mouth, wanting to ask which leader was visiting.

He was a bit curious. After all, his boss’s status was nothing to scoff at—a Nobel and Fields laureate and an Academician of both Academies. For him to rush to welcome someone so hastily, could it be a major leader from Beijing?

Xu Chuan remained silent. The elevator quickly reached the first floor, and he stepped out immediately, heading towards the main lobby.

Fan Pengyue followed closely behind, eager to see which leader commanded such respect.

Ignoring Fan Pengyue behind him, Xu Chuan walked forward quickly and greeted the visitor with a smile, “Why have you come all this way, Elder? You didn’t even give me a heads-up.”

The elderly man smiled back. “How has your health been lately? I heard you’ve started pulling all-nighters for research again. You must pay attention to getting enough rest.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You worry too much. I’ll be careful.”

The elderly man smiled and said, “Don’t be in such a rush. You are still young, and the Motherland is still young. There is plenty of time to advance slowly.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The elderly man stepped forward with a smile. “Don’t be so formal. This isn’t an official visit. I came privately, just to see you. Just think of me as an elder relative.”

After a pause, the elderly man continued, “How about you show me around your laboratory?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Of course, no problem.”

He then called over Fan Pengyue, who was standing to the side, and introduced him to the elderly man. “This is my Advisor, Academician Chen Zhengping’s student, my senior, Fan Pengyue. He is currently helping me manage the research institute.”

The elderly man smiled, nodded, and greeted him, “Hello.”

Hearing the elderly man’s voice, Fan Pengyue finally snapped back to reality. He hurried forward and stammered nervously, “G-Good day, Leader!”

The elderly man chuckled. “Fellow students from the same school supporting and helping one another—that’s a wonderful thing.”

The leader’s arrival was truly unexpected for Xu Chuan.

As he led him on a tour of the laboratory, the researchers inside were left utterly dumbfounded.

The national leader, whom they had only ever seen on television or in the news, had actually appeared right here.

After showing the elderly man around the lab, the group went to Xu Chuan’s office.

Having found a packet of tea in Fan Pengyue’s office, Xu Chuan brewed a cup of light tea and handed it to the elderly man with some embarrassment. “I don’t spend much time here, and people don’t usually come to the institute to see me, so I don’t have anything on hand to serve guests.”

The elderly man accepted the tea with a cheerful smile. “If you like tea, I have two packets of quite decent tea back at my place. I’ll have someone bring them over to you later.”

Xu Chuan quickly protested, “How could I accept that?”

The elderly man laughed. “It’s just two packets of tea, nothing valuable. It’s settled. I’ll have someone bring it to you.”

Xu Chuan opened his mouth to protest again, but the elderly man waved his hand dismissively. “Just take it as a gift from an elder. A small token. My visit here today isn’t official business anyway.”

“Yesterday, I visited the controlled nuclear fusion project base at Qixia Mountain. Under your leadership, the project’s progress is vigorous and full of life.”

Xu Chuan said, “To be honest, I’m ashamed to say I haven’t done much in terms of project management.”

The elderly man smiled. “There’s no need to waste your energy on such minor matters.”

“I heard from Gao Hongming’s report that you applied to use the supercomputer center in Tianjin a few days ago to verify the mathematical control model for plasma turbulence. That kind of cutting-edge work is something no one can do in your place.”

“If there’s anything you need the nation’s support and help with, don’t hesitate to ask. If we have the ability to solve it, we will. If we lack the means, the nation will find a way to create them.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Of course. The controlled nuclear fusion project is a key initiative. If any difficulties arise, I will report them immediately.”

The elderly man smiled and shook his head. “You, ah. What I said encompasses more than just that.”

If he had said this to anyone else, they would likely have understood the underlying meaning with ease. Sometimes, even without him saying anything, many would have taken the initiative.

But with this young man, it was hard to tell if he had understood or not.

However, perhaps this was the purity of a true scholar.

Xu Chuan smiled, and after a moment of thought, he spoke up, “Actually, there is one thing I would like to discuss with the higher-ups.”

At these words, the elderly man looked over. Xu Chuan continued, “It’s about high-temperature superconducting materials.”

“After selling the artificial SEI film last time, I expanded the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and arranged for the lab to conduct some research on superconducting materials.”

“Recently, the lab has produced a new superconducting material. It can achieve superconductivity at a temperature of 152K and has a critical magnetic field of around 20T.”

Xu Chuan briefly introduced the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he had developed. However, as he detailed the material’s specific data, he noticed a look of confusion in the elderly man’s eyes.

Thinking for a moment, he rephrased his explanation. “Compared to other superconducting materials currently in the field, the performance of this material has broken records.”

“The critical temperature of commercially available superconducting materials on the market is around 70K. This material has nearly doubled that, so its performance is quite significant.”

“Initially, I was planning to apply for a patent. But considering the wide range of applications for superconducting materials—whether it’s controlled nuclear fusion, particle colliders, or even medical and military fields—I wanted to ask for the opinion of the higher-ups.”

The elderly man pondered for a moment. “I’m not very familiar with the performance parameters you’re talking about, but since you’ve brought it up, this material must be quite important.”

“How about this: if it’s convenient, provide me with a sample of the material and its data. I’ll take it back and have someone look at it, and then we can discuss it. How does that sound?”

“As for the ownership of the material and so on, you can rest assured. I can give you my promise that the nation will absolutely protect your rights.”

He truly didn’t understand the parameters of the superconducting material Xu Chuan was describing.

However, he was well-aware of this young man before him and the developments in superconducting materials.

The importance of superconducting materials needed no further explanation. It was one of the most vital areas in the field of materials science.

And for this young man, if even he was considering whether to publish a paper and apply for a patent, the superconducting material he had developed was likely no simple matter.

Keep in mind that he had published the paper and applied for a patent for the artificial SEI film, which solved the lithium dendrite problem, without a moment’s hesitation.

And that artificial SEI film was an absolutely disruptive technology for the lithium battery industry.

From that perspective, the importance of this high-temperature superconducting material was probably no less than that of the artificial SEI film, and perhaps even greater.

After hearing the elderly man’s proposal, Xu Chuan nodded. “That works.”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “In terms of value, I personally believe the high-temperature superconducting material isn’t as valuable as the artificial SEI film. It’s just that its applications are much more sensitive compared to batteries, which is why I asked.”

Hearing this, the elderly man said with emotion, “To have a scholar like you is truly the nation’s fortune.”

He understood the meaning behind Xu Chuan’s words and his way of thinking. It was precisely because of this that he found it so precious.

Xu Chuan smiled. “I am only doing what a scholar and a citizen should do. I believe anyone would do the same.”

The elderly man smiled, shook his head, and changed the subject.

The leader did not stay at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute for long. Much like an elder in the family stopping by to check on a distant junior, they chatted for a while before he left, taking with him the sample of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and its data that Xu Chuan had provided.

Just as Xu Chuan was about to return to the lab to continue his work, Gao Hongming arrived, carrying the verification data for the plasma turbulence mathematical model.

“Academician Xu, mission accomplished. The testing of the numerical control model for plasma turbulence is complete.”

In the office, Gao Hongming carefully took a black box out of his backpack—it was the small shockproof case used to store the hard drive.

After taking out the hard drive and USB drive and handing them to Xu Chuan, he continued, “No changes have been made to the numerical control model for now. The USB drive contains the data compiled by the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin and the teams of Zhou Ji and Xia Guang. Would you like to take a look, Academician Xu?”

Xu Chuan took the hard drive and USB drive, inserted the latter into his computer’s port, and said, “Thank you for your hard work. I’ll take a look now.”

“Not at all. This is my job; it’s what I should be doing.”

Clicking open the USB drive, Xu Chuan opened the verification data and began to browse through it.

Nearby, Gao Hongming sat on the sofa, waiting quietly with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Although the staff at the Tianjin National Supercomputing Center and the two accompanying programmers from the controlled nuclear fusion project had all said that the model’s verification was a great success, even perfect…

…whether it was truly successful and perfect was not for them to decide. The real answer would only be confirmed by the man sitting before him.

The model was his creation, and the controlled nuclear fusion project was under his command. His word was the final directive.

Chapter 346: Laser Energization and Particle Acceleration

In his office, Xu Chuan carefully reviewed the verification data for the optimized mathematical model, one piece at a time.

Wall boundary layer simulation verification data.

Verification data for the simulated circular orifice jet.

Verification data for adverse pressure gradient boundary layer flow, separation, and transition simulations.

Verification data for vortex-induced viscous flow simulations.

His eyes scanned one set of verification data after another.

It had to be said that after the optimization, the numerical model for plasma turbulence was practically perfect. The processing power allocated from the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin was also capable of running the model flawlessly.

Based on the calculations from the last application, the supercomputer center to be built at the controlled nuclear fusion industrial park might not need such high processing power; the requirements could be trimmed down a bit.

Of course, considering other computational needs, the supercomputer center’s processing power would still need to be increased by at least fifty percent from the baseline to run the model perfectly.

But even so, this would save a considerable amount of funding.

If they were to build a supercomputer specifically for running the plasma turbulence mathematical model, the cost could be reduced much further.

It was just like the “Anton Supercomputer” in the world of chemistry.

The Anton Supercomputer, unlike ordinary general-purpose supercomputers, was specially designed and optimized for MD simulations.

The main task of an MD simulation is to record the position and state of motion of every atom, and then calculate the interactions between atoms based on their positions. The most time-consuming part is updating and calculating the non-bonded interactions.

This type of parallel computing is a communication-intensive problem, requiring high-frequency data transmission.

In contrast, general-purpose supercomputers often cannot handle such high frequencies of data transmission.

To put it simply, one is a well-rounded student who performs a little bit of everything, while the other is a top performer in a single field.

It’s like having two students in a class: one can score eighty points in every subject, while the other can get a perfect score in chemistry but only sixty points or even less in other subjects like mathematical physics and Chinese language.

If a supercomputer center was to be built specifically for running the plasma turbulence mathematical model, it could be custom-made.

And such custom-built machines are often much cheaper than general-purpose supercomputers.

After carefully reviewing the verification report for the plasma turbulence mathematical model, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

He looked up at Gao Hongming and said, “Very good. There are no issues with the model’s verification data. We can now arrange for physical control experiments on an experimental pile.”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming clenched his fists, his face filled with excitement. “That’s wonderful!”

Although the current mathematical model had only undergone supercomputer simulations and the practical results were not yet out, in theory, as long as the model was excellent enough, it would be able to control the plasma turbulence within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

The biggest step toward achieving controlled nuclear fusion had been taken. How could one not be overjoyed?

Xu Chuan was also happy, but he was much more composed than Gao Hongming.

For controlled nuclear fusion, controlling plasma turbulence was undoubtedly a crucial step.

Although it hadn’t been tested in a real-world scenario yet, he had faith in the model he had personally built. He was confident it would hold up even in practical application.

Moreover, creating a model to control the plasma turbulence inside a controlled nuclear fusion reactor had been a dream he had pursued in two lifetimes, which gave it even greater significance.

With a smile, Xu Chuan said, “If you had arrived a few hours earlier, the Great Elder would have received this good news as well.”

Startled, Gao Hongming quickly asked, “That individual was just here?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “He was probably inspecting the controlled nuclear fusion project and dropped by on his way.”

Gao Hongming said with regret, “I missed him. But it’s alright, I’ll report this good news to the higher-ups as soon as possible.”

He didn’t comment on Xu Chuan’s remark about the dignitary coming to Nanjing to inspect the controlled nuclear fusion industrial park, but he knew that probably wasn’t the reason.

Generally speaking, when that individual traveled, notifications were sent out well in advance, as security details needed to be arranged.

He was in charge of the daily operations of the controlled nuclear fusion project. If that individual were to inspect the project, he would definitely have been notified to accompany him throughout and handle the security arrangements.

Since he hadn’t received any news, it meant it was almost impossible that the visit was for the controlled nuclear fusion project.

But it was precisely this that made him even more astonished at the status the young man before him held in the eyes of the top leadership. Setting aside those arduous years of the past, in this day and age, individuals who received such attention from the higher-ups were few and far between.

After chatting for a while, Xu Chuan spoke again, “Director Gao, I’ll have to trouble you with one more thing.”

Gao Hongming nodded quickly. “Academician Xu, please just say the word. It’s no trouble at all; this is my job.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I need detailed data on the country’s current controlled nuclear fusion reactors, like the EAST Tokamak device at the Southwest Nuclear Research Institute, and the magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak devices HL-2M and HL-2A at the Ninth Engineering Institute, as well as other experimental piles.”

Gao Hongming pondered for a moment. “Are you thinking of borrowing an experimental pile from another laboratory to test the plasma turbulence model?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s right. The construction of our fusion experimental pile here on Qixia Mountain probably won’t be completed until the second half of this year, or perhaps even next year.”

“We don’t have that much time to waste. Since the mathematical model for plasma turbulence has already been verified by a supercomputer, the most important thing to do now is to arrange for it to be tested on a real fusion pile as soon as possible.”

“Only through real-world testing can we discover any remaining deficiencies in this model and continue to improve and optimize it.”

“And only through real-world testing will we know if it can, as the supercomputer verification suggests, achieve global control over the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma in the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.”

“That’s why I need detailed data on the experimental piles from other controlled nuclear fusion projects in the country, to see if there’s a relatively suitable fusion pile that can be used for the practical model control experiments.”

“This is a very time-consuming task. If we wait for our own experimental pile to be completed, it will take far too long.”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming nodded in agreement. “No problem. Leave it to me. I’ll gather the data on this as quickly as possible.”

Gao Hongming left with his new task, and Xu Chuan returned to the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory to continue leading the optimization of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material.

A performance of 152K and 20T was indeed very impressive for a superconducting material, at least in the current era.

But for Xu Chuan, it still wasn’t perfect.

Of course, this “perfection” he sought was not in terms of its critical temperature or critical magnetic field, but rather its plasticity.

Indeed, the copper-carbon-silver composite material had excellent properties. Not only was it a high-temperature superconductor, but when manufactured through special methods to create a superconducting energy gap and a crystal structure bond, it could even achieve superconductivity at room temperature.

But it was not without its flaws.

Plasticity was its greatest weakness.

The copper-carbon-silver composite material, whether it was the high-temperature or the room-temperature version, behaved like ceramic in terms of its plasticity.

This low plasticity and brittleness limited its practical applications in many areas.

For example, manufacturing it into cables for power transmission or power generation, or for uses in short-range laser energization, short-range particle acceleration, and so on.

Both short-range laser energization and short-range particle acceleration had enormous energy level requirements.

The former, in particular, required the instantaneous delivery of billions to tens of billions of joules of energy. Current energy storage devices have very limited capacity and struggle to meet this demand.

However, the development of superconducting technology could provide a new source of energy. If a closed superconducting coil made of superconducting material were used, it would become an ideal energy storage device.

This is because the current in a superconducting coil is a persistent current. As long as the coil is maintained in its superconducting state, the electromagnetic energy it stores will be preserved indefinitely without any loss and can supply a powerful burst of energy to a laser beam at any time.

As for short-range particle beams, the key is the particle accelerator that produces the high-energy particle beam.

The role of superconducting materials in this is undeniable.

Therefore, a material that can achieve superconductivity at room temperature and possesses excellent physical properties is the key.

This was the reason he considered room-temperature superconducting materials his trump card; they could truly change the entire world order.

He had not been able to achieve this in his past life, but now, Xu Chuan felt he could give it a try.

In any case, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material was already developed. He could start by experimenting on it. If successful, it would provide enormous help and experience for the future development of room-temperature superconducting materials.

Even if it wasn’t successful, it could be considered an accumulation of experimental data.

Chapter 347: Monopolizing the High-Temperature Superconducting Material Market

Beijing, Ministry of Science and Technology.

In a laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, researchers were working overtime to test a material sample.

Even late at night, many people were still waiting for the results.

“Minister Qin, the test results are out.”

In the laboratory, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat walked in, holding a test report.

“What are the results?”

Qin Anguo, who had been waiting in the lab for a long time, asked eagerly.

“The critical temperature is 152K, and the critical magnetic field can reach 25T.” The middle-aged man in the white lab coat replied, a hint of disbelief on his face. “I’m very curious, where did you get this material? I haven’t heard of any research institute or lab making such a major breakthrough in high-temperature superconducting materials.”

Qin Anguo quickly asked, “Are these numbers excellent?”

He wasn’t an expert in materials science. While he knew some things about superconducting materials, he didn’t quite understand the specific parameters.

Academician Zhang Pingxiang nodded. “More than excellent. These parameters could be said to have broken the current record for high-temperature superconductivity.”

“Currently, the best materials in the field of high-temperature superconductivity can only achieve a critical temperature of around 120K, and breaking double digits for the critical magnetic field is already considered excellent.”

“Take the latest Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 (abbreviated as Bi-2223) high-temperature superconducting material previously developed by Japan, for example. Its current critical transition temperature is about 108-110 K—a difference of more than 40K—and its critical magnetic field is 16.8T. The gap is huge in comparison.”

After a pause, Academician Zhang Pingxiang asked again, “By the way, where on earth did you get this material? I haven’t heard of any lab or institute, domestic or international, researching superconductivity in copper-carbon-silver composite materials.”

Qin Anguo asked, “So, this material is extremely important?”

Zhang Pingxiang nodded without hesitation. “Of course, it’s very important.”

“Currently, the commercially available superconducting materials on the international market are still dominated by ultra-low temperature superconducting materials like NbTi and Nb3Sn, which require cooling with liquid helium.”

“Although in-depth research into the mechanisms of existing preparation techniques has continuously improved the overall performance of commercialized low-temperature superconducting materials, the limitations of ultra-low temperature materials are undoubtedly significant. For instance, they need liquid helium for cooling, and liquid helium is currently very expensive.”

“But high-temperature superconducting materials are different. The technology for producing liquid nitrogen is quite mature, and it’s also very cheap. If high-temperature superconducting materials can be commercialized, their range of applications will become much broader and more common.”

“However, only a handful of high-temperature superconducting materials have been commercialized so far. The Bi-2223 tape and REBCO coated conductors are representative examples, and currently, Sumitomo Electric Industries of Japan is the sole supplier.”

“As for our country, although we also have deep research into high-temperature superconducting materials and have developed many types of high-temperature superconducting substrates, none of them can be commercialized yet. They can only be produced in small batches in laboratories.”

Qin Anguo thought for a moment and said, “In other words, if this material can be mass-produced, it will completely monopolize the entire high-temperature superconducting material market?”

Academician Zhang Pingxiang nodded. “You could say that. Even Japan’s Bi-2223 tape would be completely powerless against this superconducting material.”

After some thought, Qin Anguo asked, “Then can this material be used in projects like controlled nuclear fusion or a large particle collider?”

Zhang Pingxiang replied, “Based on the current test data, there’s no problem at all.”

He paused, contemplated for a moment, and then continued, “In fact, to a certain extent, it could be applied to electromagnetic or particle weapons. Its critical magnetic field and critical current density are extremely high, allowing it to generate an incredibly strong magnetic field over a short distance.”

“If I had to point out a weakness, it would be that the material’s physical properties make it rather brittle. It’s more like a ceramic material, so its shock resistance might not be very high.”

“Of course, we haven’t tested its specific physical properties because we only have these two small pieces. Further research will be needed.”

Hearing this, Qin Anguo’s pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing grew heavy. “Are you serious?”

Academician Zhang Pingxiang nodded. “Of course. In matters like this, the data must speak for itself.”

Swallowing dryly, Qin Anguo thought for a moment and said, “Alright, come with me to look at some data, and then give me your assessment.”

When the Great Elder had given him the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and its related test data, he had only provided the raw material to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, keeping the test data for comparison.

Now, it seemed he had to make a judgment based on that test data first.

If it could really be used for electromagnetic physics or particle beam weapons, he would have to go to Nanjing immediately to discuss how to handle this material with that individual.

Hearing this, Academician Zhang Pingxiang grew rather curious.

He had originally assumed the material came from abroad, perhaps obtained through certain channels. That wouldn’t have been surprising; he had helped the country analyze plenty of “accidentally” acquired materials before.

But now, it seemed the material he had been analyzing for the past two days might actually have come from a domestic laboratory or research institute.

After all, with age comes shrewd wisdom. The moment Qin Anguo suggested looking at the data, he was able to piece things together.

This only made him more curious.

Which domestic lab or institute possessed such top-tier research and development capabilities to advance high-temperature superconducting materials to this extent, and with a non-conventional copper oxide-based material at that?

Following Qin Anguo, the two went to another office.

Qin Anguo opened the laptop he carried with him and pulled up the detailed test data for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

“This is the detailed data for the material. Academician Zhang, please take a look and see if it meets the standards you mentioned earlier. If there are any shortcomings, please be sure to tell me.”

Hearing this, Academician Zhang Pingxiang nodded and, filled with curiosity, took the laptop from Qin Anguo.

“Well? Does it meet the standards?” After a long moment, Qin Anguo asked nervously.

Zhang Pingxiang replied, “From the data, there should be no problem in theory.”

“However, the problem I mentioned earlier is also reflected in this data. The material is very ceramic-like—brittle, fragile, and with low resistance to shock and impact. Its capacity for post-processing is also poor. If you want to apply it to electromagnetic or particle weapons, this shortcoming is a fatal flaw.”

“Is there a solution?” Qin Anguo asked quickly.

“There are.” Zhang Pingxiang replied after a moment’s thought. “The traditional solution is to reinforce it with other shock-resistant materials. It’s like ultra-long-distance power transmission cables, which use high-tensile-strength steel inside for support.”

“It’s the same principle here. You can use cushioning materials on the outside for a degree of reinforcement.”

“But you should be well aware that for weapons applications, shock and impact resistance are absolutely essential.”

“So the best solution is to optimize the material itself. If it can be improved, it wouldn’t even need the tensile strength of steel. Achieving the level of tempered film or fiberglass—even the lowest grade—combined with cushioning materials, should be sufficient.”

“Of course, to know if this is actually achievable, I would need to meet and discuss it with the person who developed this material.”

He knew that Qin Anguo would definitely seek out the material’s developer later, so he expressed his own hope to tag along. Especially now that he suspected it was highly likely to have come from a domestic lab, he was even more eager to meet this mysterious researcher.

To be able to break away from the foundation of conventional oxide-based superconducting materials and forge a new, superior path in another domain… he truly wanted to meet a genius of this caliber.

Chapter 348: He, the Man, is the Most Precious Asset

Qin Anguo moved quickly. The day after the Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences gave its reply, he rushed from Beijing to Nanjing.

Early the next morning, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan, who had just arrived to conduct experiments to optimize the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, was intercepted by Qin Anguo and his party.

“Academician Xu, good morning.”

Downstairs, Qin Anguo walked up with a wide smile, greeting him warmly.

Seeing Qin Anguo, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback before smiling and stepping forward to welcome him. “Minister Qin, it’s been a while.”

Ever since Gao Hongming had been assigned here, this minister from the Ministry of Science and Technology had rarely appeared before him.

Qin Anguo exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then began the introductions. “Come, let me introduce you.”

“This is Academician Zhang Pingxiang from our Chinese Academy of Sciences. He specializes in the field of superconducting materials and has long been engaged in research on the preparation technology for practical low-temperature and high-temperature superconducting materials.”

“Academician Zhang, this is Academician Xu Chuan. The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material we’ve been studying these past two days was developed by him.”

Xu Chuan smiled, stepped forward, and shook hands with Academician Zhang, offering a greeting.

This Academician Zhang Pingxiang wore a pair of glasses, and his gaze seemed a little dull, as if his mind was wandering in the clouds. However, Xu Chuan had a deep impression of him.

If there was any researcher in the domestic superconductivity field who was world-renowned, Academician Zhang was definitely one of them.

His research paper, ‘Basic Physical Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors Above 40K,’ covered multiple systems, including copper-oxide superconductors, fullerene superconductors, iron-based superconductors, and organic superconductors.

He could be considered one of the founders of the high-temperature superconducting material system.

Xu Chuan’s own research on the copper-carbon-silver superconducting system, as well as some of his inspiration and theories, came from this very 40K high-temperature superconductivity paper by Academician Zhang.

Qin Anguo had clearly brought him here to discuss the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, so Xu Chuan didn’t linger. He led them to his office.

After boiling a kettle of water, Xu Chuan was about to steep a couple of cups of tea when Qin Anguo, sitting opposite him, slapped his own forehead in mock annoyance. He stood up with a smile, pulled two elegantly packaged tins of tea from his backpack, and pressed them into Xu Chuan’s hands.

“Academician Xu, that individual asked me to bring you this tea.”

With Academician Zhang present, Qin Anguo didn’t specify who had sent it, but both he and Xu Chuan knew exactly who the tea was from.

Holding the two exquisite tins, Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

A few days ago, the elderly man had said he would have someone bring him some tea, and here it was.

It was good timing, though. It wouldn’t have felt right to serve a distinguished guest like Academician Zhang Pingxiang the hundred-yuan-a-bag tea he’d purloined from Fan Pengyue.

He casually opened one of the packages and, after brewing a pot of fine tea, the group began to chat in the office.

As soon as the conversation turned to superconducting materials, Academician Zhang, who had seemed somewhat absent-minded, developed a sharp glint in his eyes and became visibly more animated.

It was the confidence a researcher exuded upon entering their familiar territory.

After chatting for a while and exchanging some knowledge about the field of high-temperature superconducting materials, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Research into superconducting materials is a field where experiments lead theory.”

“Often, we can only find superconducting materials by mixing various elements together like some kind of alchemy. Only then can we work backward from the material to understand the mechanism. Academician Zhang, your 40K theory is not just renowned in China, but internationally as well. You have pointed the way for the development of high-temperature superconducting materials.”

Zhang Pingxiang shook his head. “It’s not perfect. It’s just some basic, conceptual stuff. If I could, I’d rather find a path to the mechanism behind high-temperature and room-temperature superconductivity.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Well, as it happens, I’ve compiled some theoretical notes on the mechanism of the copper-carbon-silver composite material a few days ago. Would you be interested in taking a look, Academician Zhang?”

Hearing this, Zhang Pingxiang was stunned. He hadn’t expected Xu Chuan to make such an offer.

To be honest, the theoretical mechanism of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was incredibly alluring to him. But he had never even considered asking for something so core to the research. It was the foundation of the material and the most crucial part of any subsequent research paper.

Hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Academician Xu, you’re willing to discuss this with me?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “My research on the copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was inspired by your 40K theory, Academician Zhang. It’s nothing. I can’t prop up the entire field of superconducting materials by myself. With a senior like you here, we can go much further down this road.”

To him, the theoretical mechanism of the material wasn’t something critically important. Now that Qin Anguo was here, the research paper was likely not going to be published anyway. Instead of holding onto it, it was better to share it and exchange ideas.

Of course, the key was that he was sharing it with Academician Zhang Pingxiang. If it had been someone else, he probably wouldn’t have brought out this theory.

On one hand, in his past life, Academician Zhang had provided him with a great deal of help when he was researching superconducting materials. On the other hand, just as he said, he couldn’t shoulder the entire superconductivity industry alone; he needed the help of others.

In the office, Xu Chuan and Zhang Pingxiang talked for a long time before they ended their discussion, both feeling it had been too short.

Beside them, Qin Anguo took the opportunity to jump in. He asked, “Academician Xu, regarding the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, do you have any thoughts on how to handle it?”

Instead of answering, Xu Chuan asked, “Does Minister Qin have any good suggestions?”

Since Minister Qin had come today, the higher-ups must have already considered these things.

Qin Anguo coughed to clear his throat. “Here’s the situation. Regarding the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material you developed, the state fully supports all your legal rights and interests. However, given the importance and special nature of this material, we hope you will consider the matters of publishing a paper and applying for a patent more cautiously.”

“After all, both of these actions would be enough to point other countries in certain directions and down certain research paths. It’s not easy for us to have a material that is ahead of the curve. Our foundation is still relatively shallow compared to those nations. If we can maintain our advantage, that would naturally be for the best.”

“So, in comparison, keeping it confidential and either building your own factory for production or cooperating with qualified domestic enterprises to produce this high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and then selling it abroad would be a better choice. Although the return on investment might be a bit slower this way, it would allow us to maintain our advantage in the field of high-temperature superconducting materials.”

“If you, Academician Xu, are in urgent need of research funding, the state can provide an interest-free loan to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. What do you think?”

When dealing with this young scholar before him, even from a national perspective, they had to carefully consider his thoughts and opinions.

If he insisted on publishing the paper and applying for a patent, frankly, the higher-ups couldn’t do much about it. They couldn’t risk alienating him by forcibly stopping it.

Because compared to a patent for a high-temperature superconducting material, he, the man, was a far more precious asset.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “I considered this aspect when I first brought this matter up a few days ago. The applications of this material are indeed somewhat sensitive, so producing it ourselves and then selling it is indeed a more appropriate course of action.”

“As for building a factory ourselves, I’m afraid there isn’t enough time. One of the goals for researching this material was to replace ultra-low temperature superconducting materials and provide a strong magnetic field for the controlled nuclear fusion reactor. Based on the current progress of the controlled nuclear fusion project, we will need to use it by this time next year at the latest.”

At these words, a relieved smile appeared on Qin Anguo’s face. “If that’s the case, I can gather a list of qualified manufacturers for you. You can then choose from them. I will have someone make sure that the material’s production is put on the agenda as soon as possible.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “That’s fine. These are minor details. I can just find someone to handle them on my behalf.”

Qin Anguo smiled back. “No problem. You can rest assured on this point; the state will absolutely not let you get the short end of the stick.”

After a pause, he continued, “Additionally, there’s one more thing I came here to consult with you about today.”

Xu Chuan: “What is it?”

Qin Anguo organized his thoughts before speaking. “It’s also about the high-temperature superconducting material you developed. We wanted to ask, do you have any way to change its physical properties? Could you reduce its brittleness and improve its toughness, so it can be used to manufacture superconducting coils?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan instantly understood what the higher-ups wanted to do.

But on this matter, he was currently helpless. Even if he pulled out the room-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material, he couldn’t change its physical properties.

In fact, this was what he had been working on recently. The high brittleness, low shock resistance, and fragility of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material greatly limited its applications.

For equipment in power generation and transformation, even if you could achieve superconductivity by cooling it to its critical temperature (Tc) with liquid nitrogen, the vibrations caused by the equipment’s operation or external interference could easily cause the core superconducting material inside to break.

Even with shock-absorbing materials for protection, it couldn’t withstand the harsh environments where such equipment operates.

But if its physical properties could be slightly altered to make it less brittle, it would be worthwhile even if it meant sacrificing some superconducting parameters like critical temperature, critical magnetic field, or critical current density.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan replied, “For now, I’m afraid I can’t do that. It’s actually a direction I’ve been researching, but I haven’t made much progress yet.”

Beside him, Zhang Pingxiang suddenly spoke up. “Academician Xu, may I join your team? I want to participate in the research to improve the physical properties of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be involved in any publications or profit-sharing issues. You can just treat me as an ordinary researcher in your institute.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at Academician Zhang in surprise, not expecting him to make such a request. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “If Academician Zhang doesn’t mind how small this place is, you are welcome anytime.”

Chapter 349: A Method to Improve the Toughness of the High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Material

Qin Anguo left with the reply, but Academician Zhang Pingxiang stayed behind, preparing to participate in the optimization work for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The addition of an Academician, a foundational figure in the field of superconducting materials, breathed new life into the institute.

Some of the bolder and more academically ambitious researchers, upon learning of the big shot’s identity, began to cozy up to him to ask for guidance.

As for Zhang Pingxiang, he welcomed any and all questions related to superconducting materials. He was a true scholar, engrossed in the field of superconductivity, with a heart that was always striving to climb higher.

Of course, under normal circumstances, Xu Chuan wouldn’t refuse researchers from the lab who came to him with questions either.

But most of the time, he wasn’t in the lab.

Just as Fan Pengyue had said, he was a hands-off manager. He would only grace them with his presence whenever he felt like it or when he needed something, and he would leave as soon as he was done.

Therefore, when researchers in the lab wanted to ask Xu Chuan for advice, they usually couldn’t find him.

Now that a new big shot had arrived, they knew this was an opportunity not to be missed, lest they regret it later.

Academician Zhang Pingxiang had voluntarily requested to stay and work on an optimized copper-carbon-silver composite material. Although he had told Xu Chuan to just treat him as an ordinary researcher in the lab, there was no way Xu Chuan could make such an arrangement.

The travel expenses for an expert of an Academician’s caliber could no longer be measured in money.

Fortunately, Fan Pengyue was well-experienced in handling such matters. He had dealt with similar situations frequently while doing his PhD under Chen Zhengping.

As for Xu Chuan, he didn’t bother with any of it.

After Academician Zhang arrived, he practically moved into the research institute. The two of them were constantly exchanging ideas and opinions in the lab, searching for a way to optimize the physical properties of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

“How about doping it with some zirconium oxide using nanotechnology? Zirconium oxide itself is a superconductor at ultra-low temperatures. Its superconductivity mechanism stems from its twisted crystal structure. In theory, it should be quite suitable for your copper-carbon-silver material.”

In the lab, Academician Zhang Pingxiang gazed at the data on the computer screen, then spoke after a moment of thought.

Xu Chuan considered it and said, “We can give it a try, but I don’t think the chances are very high. It’s a pity the mechanism data for zirconium oxide hasn’t been entered into the materials model, so we can’t run a simulation.”

For the past few days, he and Zhang Pingxiang had been discussing ways to change the brittleness of the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

Compared to metals, being brittle and difficult to deform is a major characteristic of ceramics. To improve the brittleness of ceramics and increase their toughness, the current general approach is to reduce the grain size to the sub-micron or nanometer level to enhance plasticity and toughness.

Alternatively, effective methods like zirconium oxide doping, phase transformation toughening, fiber toughening, or in-situ particle growth reinforcement could be used.

However, while these methods worked for other ceramic materials, they were difficult to apply to superconducting materials.

This was because the superconductivity mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials stemmed from the strong correlation effect between electrons. If other materials were doped in or if the grain size and structure were altered, it was very likely to cause the superconductivity to fail or diminish.

If the reduction was not significant, it would be acceptable. But based on the current data he had, the degree of reduction would probably be quite substantial.

Hearing this, Zhang Pingxiang asked with interest, “That model of yours… if you could truly perfect it, it would probably completely overturn the way research is done in the materials science world. It’s just that achieving it will be very difficult.”

“Moreover, as more and more material mechanism data is added, the model will become increasingly massive. The existing supercomputers will probably soon be unable to run it. Perhaps quantum computers are its true destiny.”

Over the past few days at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, he had not only exchanged a great deal of knowledge about superconducting materials with the young man before him but had also witnessed a true ‘game-changer’.

Although the model’s current capabilities were still extremely limited, it had already carved out a brand-new path in the field of materials research.

In the past, the research process for a new material was generally based on empirical exploration.

While computer simulations could provide some assistance in this process—for instance, using computer simulation technology to predict and analyze the properties and behaviors of materials.

This part included theoretical calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, finite element analysis, and so on. But in reality, the accuracy of the simulated results was not very high, and its role in the overall materials research process was still quite limited.

The model at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was different. It extrapolated from the root source, based on the material’s mechanism, and could directly simulate the entire synthesis process with the help of the computer and the model.

To be honest, anyone in materials science had likely thought of doing something like this, but no one had been able to achieve it.

The reason was a lack of mathematical foundation. The difficulty of establishing a mathematical model for materials research based on a material’s mechanism was simply too great.

Only the young man before him had both the ability and the inclination to do so.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Let’s worry about that later. For now, at least, it can provide us with a lot of help.”

After a pause, he continued, “As for the zirconium oxide doping, we can arrange for researchers to run an experiment and see what the effects are.”

Zhang Pingxiang said, “I’ll conduct this experiment myself. To be honest, I’m quite optimistic about it.”

These past few days, he had had many discussions with the young scholar before him. Besides witnessing his extensive knowledge in materials science, a competitive thought had also begun to form in his mind.

After all, at his level, he could be said to be at the pinnacle of the superconducting materials field.

As the saying goes, there’s no clear number one in scholarship and no number two in combat. He wanted to see for himself who was stronger: himself, who had been immersed in the field of superconducting materials for decades, or the young man before him who had broken the record for high-temperature superconducting materials.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan just smiled, not minding it too much. For those in scientific research, having a competitive spirit that refuses to admit defeat was perfectly normal.

“Either way is fine. Let’s take our time. There’s no rush. Trying to change some of its physical properties while preserving its superconducting characteristics is no less difficult than developing a brand-new high-temperature superconducting material.”

Zhang Pingxiang nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I came here precisely to make a breakthrough in the field of high-temperature superconducting materials. As long as there’s hope, any approach is worth trying.”

After some thought, he asked, “If the zirconium oxide doping doesn’t work well, do you have any other ideas?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan mused for a moment and said, “As for ideas, we’ve been studying this for days, so it’s impossible not to have any. Compared to doping, I might be more optimistic about a coating.”

Zhang Pingxiang thought for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. “In the process of depositing a hard coating through conventional ion plating, there is often a droplet phenomenon. These droplets exist as a metallic phase within the coating and have a certain effect on releasing the coating’s internal stress and improving toughness.”

“However, the size of the metallic phase in the droplets is relatively large (on the micrometer scale) and randomly distributed (not uniformly), which not only reduces the coating’s hardness but also significantly degrades its corrosion and oxidation resistance. Therefore, it’s not an effective method for toughening hard and superhard coatings.”

“If you want to enhance the toughness of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material through a coating, it would probably be very difficult. It might even damage the surface crystal structure to some extent, causing the superconductivity to fail.”

“But since you’ve proposed this idea, you must have another method in mind. What is it?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “That’s right. Neither traditional coating methods nor ion sputtering can likely solve the toughness problem of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material. They might even cause doping issues due to the coating itself.”

“But we can think about it differently. Since the droplets produce a metallic phase, we can just prevent them from forming in the first place.”

“And among the traditional toughening methods for ceramic materials, there is such a way.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Pingxiang blurted out, “Whisker (fiber) toughening!”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile and continued, “Exactly. The mechanism of whisker (fiber) toughening is mainly that when the whiskers or fibers are pulled out or fractured, they must consume a certain amount of energy, which helps to prevent the propagation of cracks and improve the material’s fracture toughness.”

“Moreover, the combination of the toughening material and the original substrate is not a simple mixture; it’s an organic composite, bonded together by an extremely thin interface. Then, the bonding strength between the interface and the substrate can be improved.”

“This way, it should solve the problem of the metallic phase from droplets and the damage to the raw material’s crystal structure caused by doping. Plus, due to its thin-film composite nature, it won’t significantly affect the electron transport of the superconducting material itself.”

“It’s just that, finding a suitable toughening material will probably be…”

Zhang Pingxiang picked up where he left off, continuing, “Probably very difficult. To use whisker (fiber) toughening, the modulus of elasticity of the reinforcing material must be higher than that of the original substrate, and the toughening material and the substrate must be compatible.”

“The first condition is manageable; there are many materials with a higher modulus of elasticity than ceramic materials. But the second condition is more troublesome. Due to the properties of superconducting materials, if they are compatible, it could cause the superconducting energy gap to fail.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “We can just treat one side and preserve the integrity of the other side.”

Zhang Pingxiang pondered for a moment, then said, “That could indeed work, although the effect of single-sided treatment might not be as good. But for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, even a small improvement in the coefficient would be enough.”

“This method might actually be feasible. It’s just that we need to carefully consider which material to choose for the whisker (fiber) toughening.”

Stroking the stubble on his chin, Academician Zhang fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly came to and looked at Xu Chuan. “Since you proposed this method, you must have thought about which material to use as the toughening material, right?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “I have indeed considered it.”

“What material?” Zhang Pingxiang quickly pressed.

“Graphene!”

Chapter 350: Materials Lacking? Graphene to the Rescue!

“When in doubt, quantum mechanics. Not enough creative ideas, parallel universes.”

This is a very popular saying on the internet, meaning that when you encounter an unsolvable problem or question, you can just chalk it up to “quantum mechanics.”

In the world of materials science, a similar phrase exists.

Materials lacking? Graphene to the rescue.

Graphene is known by those in the materials science community as the ‘all-purpose material.’

It is a carbon material with a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure, formed by a single, tightly packed layer of carbon atoms. It possesses excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. It has adaptable and important application prospects in nearly every field, including materials science, micro/nano-fabrication, energy, biomedicine, and drug delivery.

This is a material that has become famous beyond its niche, known even by many ordinary people.

Of course, the performance of graphene is astounding.

Its strength and hardness surpass even that of diamonds, reaching a hundred times that of high-quality steel. A one-centimeter-thick plate made of graphene could support a five-ton adult elephant standing on it without collapsing or breaking.

In terms of light transmittance, for example, ordinary glass has a transmittance of only about 89%, while graphene can reach 97.7%, making it almost transparent to the naked eye.

And if graphene were used to manufacture the battery screens of mobile phones and computers, the screens could be folded almost at will, even folded into a small square and placed in a pocket without affecting its performance.

In terms of electrical and thermal conductivity, there are currently no traditional materials that can surpass graphene.

Furthermore, graphene is also a major area of research in the field of superconductivity.

In 2018, researchers represented by Cao Yuan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and his advisor, MIT physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, published a paper in the journal Nature showcasing the team’s research achievements with graphene.

When two sheets of graphene are stacked and twisted to an angle of approximately 1.1°, the band structure approaches a flat band with zero dispersion, causing it to transform into a Mott insulator when this band is half-filled.

This superconductivity is achieved by rotating and charging the stacked graphene.

Coupled with graphene’s extremely high electron mobility, which makes it possible for electrons to form pairs as they do in a superconductor, it has become one of the future materials for studying high-temperature superconductivity, and even room-temperature superconductivity.

However, achieving a breakthrough in room-temperature superconductivity with graphene is extremely difficult.

Even more than a decade later, Xu Chuan had never heard of any country being able to manufacture graphene-based high-temperature superconducting materials. Graphene high-temperature superconductivity remained in the laboratory exploration stage, to say nothing of room-temperature superconductivity.

Of course, the potential of graphene superconducting materials is enormous.

On one hand, graphene is a two-dimensional material that, once the method is found, can be molded at will like clay—round, square, long, flat, linear, or hollow.

On the other hand, there is the current-carrying capacity of graphene materials.

There are differences between various superconducting materials.

The stronger the current-carrying capacity, the stronger the magnetic field and various other properties it can provide.

In this respect, graphene holds tremendous potential.

The only reason this superb material’s applications are limited is that its industrial-scale production is incredibly difficult.

Currently, there is still no method for the large-scale, stable production of high-quality graphene.

However, for now, Xu Chuan didn’t need the superconducting properties of graphene. He only needed its excellent physical properties to help improve the toughness of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

As for the current inability to mass-produce graphene, that was not a problem he needed to worry about.

If it were to be used in superconducting materials, small-batch production would be sufficient.

How to cut costs, how to commercialize the product, and how to profit from it were all considerations for the industrial and business sectors, having little to do with him as a scholar.

Compared to Academician Zhang Pingxiang’s suggestion of doping with zirconium oxide atoms, Xu Chuan was more optimistic about using graphene as a whisker (fiber) toughening agent to compensate for the lack of toughness in the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material.

This was because for a superconducting material, if the crystal structure between materials fractures, it can lead to a gap in the superconducting energy gap. A gap in the superconducting energy gap would cause a sharp decline in all aspects of its superconducting performance.

But the core of whisker (fiber) toughening technology actually traced back to the material’s chemical bonds.

It is well known that most metallic materials are prone to plastic deformation because metallic bonds are non-directional.

In materials like ceramics, the bonds between atoms are covalent and ionic. Covalent bonds have distinct directionality and saturation.

In this situation, the repulsive force is very large when like-charged ions in an ionic bond get close. Therefore, ceramics, which are mainly composed of ionic and covalent crystals, have very few slip systems and tend to fracture before any slip occurs. (This is high school knowledge, don’t say you can’t understand it!)

This is the fundamental reason for the brittleness of ceramic materials at room temperature, and the properties of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material are very similar to those of ceramic materials.

But whisker (fiber) toughening technology can compensate for this well. When the whiskers or fibers are pulled out or fractured, they consume a certain amount of energy, which helps to prevent the propagation of cracks and improve the material’s fracture toughness.

To put it simply, it’s like when you try to break a chopstick, but there’s a thin film on it. This film can absorb the force from your arm, thereby preserving the shape of the chopstick inside.

Of course, the specific situation of using graphene for whisker (fiber) toughening would be more complex.

This is because the combination of graphene and the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is not a simple mixture. It is more like a composite material, organically bonded together through an extremely thin interface.

In this case, it is possible that the chemical bonds in the graphene could replace the doped carbon atom bonds in the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

Xu Chuan chose to use graphene as a toughening material precisely because he had considered this point.

Graphene is a pure, single-layer carbon material with a “two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure.” Its organic integration at the interface with the copper-carbon-silver material would not change the composition of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

So, in theory, it was still possible to achieve the goal through whisker (fiber) toughening with graphene.

As for whether it could actually be done, that would depend on the experimental results.

In the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory, Xu Chuan and Zhang Pingxiang were each researching solutions to the insufficient toughness of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, each pursuing the direction they favored.

Meanwhile, Gao Hongming, who had left earlier to prepare information on the parameters of domestic controlled nuclear fusion experimental piles, had returned.

He not only brought back detailed parameters of the experimental piles at major domestic controlled nuclear fusion research institutes but also a list of manufacturers qualified and capable of producing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

The first thing Xu Chuan looked at was the detailed parameters of the experimental piles at the various domestic controlled nuclear fusion research institutes.

This was related to the practical testing of the plasma turbulence control model.

In the office, Xu Chuan leafed through the documents Gao Hongming had brought.

By a generous count, there were over a dozen controlled nuclear fusion research institutes in the country, but only eleven fusion piles.

The number sounded substantial, but in reality, most of these eleven fusion piles were just experimental piles, or even just device-level piles.

An experimental pile referred to an experimental setup that could meet the most basic experimental needs for plasma experiments.

As for a device-level pile, it went without saying that it couldn’t even perform a single ignition experiment.

According to the data brought by Gao Hongming, there were only two fusion piles in the country currently capable of conducting operational ignition experiments.

They were the magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device ‘EAST’ at the Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Plasma Physics, and the Ninth Engineering Institute’s inertial confinement fusion device ‘Shenguang’.

The methods of inertial confinement and magnetic confinement were completely different.

Magnetic confinement could be understood as allowing high-temperature plasma to flow and fuse within a device to generate high temperatures.

Inertial confinement, on the other hand, utilized the inertia of matter. A few milligrams of a deuterium-tritium gas mixture or solid is placed inside a small sphere with a diameter of a few millimeters.

Laser or particle beams are then fired uniformly from the outside. The surface of the sphere evaporates outward due to the absorbed energy, and its reaction force causes the inner layer to be compressed inward, creating a high-temperature environment. This causes the few milligrams of deuterium-tritium mixture to explode, producing a large amount of thermal energy.

If such an explosion occurred three or four times per second and continued uninterrupted, the energy released would be equivalent to that of a megawatt-class power station.

Simply put, inertial confinement is akin to a hydrogen bomb explosion, from which thermal energy is extracted to generate power.

It’s just on a smaller, more controllable scale.

This method was of little significance to the plasma turbulence control model Xu Chuan was studying, as the fusion methods were entirely different.

So, after ruling out the Ninth Engineering Institute’s inertial confinement fusion device ‘Shenguang,’ the only experimental pile he could choose was the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device.

The ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device, also known as the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, had created plasma operation experiments of over fifty million degrees and one hundred million degrees Celsius in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

In 2017, it set a record by achieving a stable, long-pulse, high-confinement plasma operation of 101.2 seconds.

Domestically, it was the undisputed leader in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, and even on the world stage, it was among the top-tier experimental piles.

However, apart from ‘EAST,’ the other fusion devices were somewhat lackluster.

Xu Chuan hadn’t expected that at the end of 2019, the domestic controlled nuclear fusion field would still be in this state.

Indeed, from a technical standpoint, China was already among the leaders on the path to controlled nuclear fusion, and its technologies were generally quite good.

But in terms of experimental piles, they were indeed somewhat scarce.

Besides the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device, there were currently no other experimental piles capable of conducting ignition experiments.

Famous next-generation devices like the KTX fusion pile, the HL-2A, and the HL-2M experimental piles were basically still under construction.

Even the HL-2A, which had the earliest completion date, would not be finished until the latter half of 2020.

And even after its completion, it wouldn’t be able to conduct ignition experiments immediately. It would need at least one to two years to go through various tests and at least two to three rounds of ignition experiments before it could possibly be used to test the plasma turbulence model.

This situation made Xu Chuan give a helpless, wry smile.

It seemed he had no choice at all.

The only fortunate thing was that the various parameters of the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device were quite excellent.

The main body of the EAST device is eleven meters high, eight meters in diameter, and weighs four hundred tons. It consists of six major components: the ultra-high vacuum chamber, toroidal field coils, poloidal field coils, inner and outer cold shields, the outer vacuum cryostat, and the support system.

It boasts sixteen large “D”-shaped superconducting toroidal field magnets, capable of generating a toroidal magnetic field strength of 3.5 T; twelve large superconducting poloidal field magnets that can provide a magnetic flux change of ΔФ ≥ 10 volt-seconds; through these superconducting poloidal field magnets, it can generate a plasma current of ≥ one million amperes; the duration can exceed one thousand seconds, and the temperature will exceed one hundred million degrees under high-power heating.

This series of parameters was quite outstanding, even on a global scale.

With such excellent equipment, combined with a plasma turbulence mathematical model—even just a phenomenological-level model—Xu Chuan was confident he could break the current record for the longest operation time of a Tokamak device.

It wasn’t even impossible to chase the operating time record of a Stellarator.

After reading the documents in his hand, Xu Chuan gently shook his head and sighed, “I didn’t expect the development of controlled nuclear fusion in our country to be like this.”

On the sofa, Gao Hongming leaned forward and asked nervously, “Are there none that meet the requirements?”

Xu Chuan nodded, then shook his head again. “There is one that meets the requirements, but only one. The EAST device in Luyang fits the bill based on the data. As for the others, none of them will do.”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled, “As long as there’s one that fits, it’s fine. The leader of the EAST device is Academician Chen Mingji. He’s also our country’s person in charge of interfacing with the ITER international fusion project. I’ll follow up and communicate with Academician Chen.”

Xu Chuan nodded and, after a moment of thought, said, “I should have gone in person for this matter, but I’m currently working with Academician Zhang Pingxiang on how to optimize the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, and I really can’t get away.”

“How about this, I’ll ask Academician Peng Hongxi to go with you. It will show a bit more respect. After all, we need to use their equipment and modify the control model, which is a pretty big deal for controlled nuclear fusion.”

Gao Hongming smiled and nodded. “No problem. You can focus on your research first. I’m sure Academician Chen will understand.”

After a pause, he continued, “By the way, regarding the production of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material that you discussed with Minister Qin, I’ve brought the files on the qualified and capable manufacturers along with me. Would you like to take a look?”

Xu Chuan nodded and took the documents from Gao Hongming. As he was about to look through them, he thought of something and spoke again, “Right, I just saw in the files that the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device still uses niobium-titanium alloy as its superconducting material.”

“Regarding this application for the ‘EAST’ device, you can discuss with Academician Chen that I’m not just taking it for free; I will provide some compensation.”

“If he’s willing, once the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is produced, I can provide him with the first batch of high-temperature superconducting material for free. I believe the performance of the copper-carbon-silver composite will allow the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device to advance even further.”

Chapter 351: Snatching an Order from Japan

Gao Hongming nodded without comment at Xu Chuan’s proposal for a resource exchange.

Although this was all happening within China, with everyone working towards the realization of controlled nuclear fusion, different projects commanded different resources and assets.

Not everyone was willing to contribute the technology or key equipment they held.

It was just like the relationships between nations. Despite the establishment of the ITER International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, which proclaimed resource and technology sharing and cooperation, none of the participating countries—be it the United States, Europe, or China—would ever take out their truly core and leading domestic technologies to share.

With the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material as a foundation, the chances of exchanging for the right to use the ‘EAST’ magnetic confinement fusion Tokamak device would be much higher.

Setting aside the matter of testing the plasma turbulence mathematical model, Xu Chuan turned to another document in his hands.

Compared to the controlled nuclear fusion project, there were far more laboratories, companies, and institutions in China researching superconducting materials.

However, not many manufacturers were qualified to be on this list.

Western Superconducting Materials Technology Co., Ltd., BJ Inna Superconducting Technology Co., Ltd., Qingdao Hanhe Cable Co., Ltd.

Company after company flashed before Xu Chuan’s eyes. In his search for one or two manufacturers to produce the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, he still needed to grasp certain key points.

Although the higher-ups had already vetted them once, and any company on this list was certainly qualified in terms of background, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material involved matters of such critical importance that he had to exercise extra caution.

For instance, there was the ongoing controlled nuclear fusion project, the yet-to-be-launched large particle collider project, and the field of superconducting coil particle acceleration where the higher-ups wanted to apply it.

This also included other areas, such as large and medium-sized MRI equipment and permanent magnet medical devices in the medical field.

One of the core keys to all these projects was the superconducting material.

Only with a stable, high-quality output of superconducting materials could these projects develop steadily.

In fact, currently, over ninety percent of the large and medium-sized MRI equipment and permanent magnet medical devices in China’s medical sector were reliant on imports.

According to statistics, China had an average of only 3.5 MRI machines per million people, whereas the United States and Japan had 35.4 and 49.5, respectively.

This meant that if someone wanted to get an MRI scan, they might have to wait a very long time and pay a hefty fee, typically ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yuan. This was a significant burden for the average person.

And the key to this equipment lay in the core superconducting coil materials capable of providing strong magnetic fields.

Although China’s development in the field of superconductivity had been quite rapid, it had started late.

Coupled with factors like the technology blockade from Western countries, which included export bans and refusals to engage in academic exchange, China still lagged considerably in the field of superconducting coils.

And this time, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was an opportunity to break this complete reliance on imports.

Flipping through the documents, Xu Chuan picked out three manufacturers, marked them with a pen, and handed the file back to Gao Hongming.

“For now, these three companies look acceptable. They all have the proper production qualifications. However, the production of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is crucial, as it affects subsequent projects like controlled nuclear fusion. So, the specific arrangements will need further planning.”

“How about this, Director Gao, could you please contact these three companies? I’d like to meet with them in a few days.”

Although the state had already helped him select qualified enterprises, a cooperation for the production of high-temperature superconducting materials involved not only projects like controlled nuclear fusion but also the issue of profit distribution.

The previous patent licensing situation with the artificial SEI film was not applicable this time. That was more like a one-time buyout, whereas the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material required a complete reconsideration.

After dealing with the testing of the plasma turbulence mathematical model and the production of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, Xu Chuan did not return to his lab.

He still had to host a press conference for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material.

Although he wouldn’t be applying for a patent or publishing a paper this time, a press conference was still necessary.

After all, his initial goal in researching the high-temperature superconducting material was to make money. There was no point in just making money from his own country; if he was going to make money, he should make it from foreigners.

High-temperature superconducting materials had numerous applications, such as in large particle colliders, medical equipment, maglev trains, and so on.

Although only developed countries could support these fields, every single deal would be a massive order, worth billions or even tens of billions.

For example, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the historical trajectory would have had the LHC undergo another upgrade in 2019. This upgrade would have involved purchasing high-temperature superconducting materials from Japan to further enhance the collider’s energy level.

But due to the discovery of sterile neutrinos and dark matter, this upgrade plan was temporarily halted. Currently, CERN was still searching for traces of dark matter.

However, he estimated they were probably about to give up. After all, they had been searching for over half a year with no new discoveries. Dark matter was certainly fascinating, but no country could afford to keep throwing funds into such a bottomless pit.

Each activation of the large particle collider consumed an astronomical amount of money. He reckoned that CERN was already considering stopping the search and restarting the upgrade plan.

And Xu Chuan wanted to intercept that order for high-temperature superconducting materials from Japan before that happened.

As long as the press conference for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was held, he was confident he could do it.

This was not only because the high-temperature superconducting material he possessed had better performance, but also because his connections at CERN were stronger than Japan’s.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that he was just one person against an entire country. When it came to importance at CERN, the entire Japanese team probably wasn’t as important as he was alone.

The method of calculating physical particles through mathematics, the discovery of sterile neutrinos, the traces of dark matter and dark energy, the astronomical methods for observing and calculating distant celestial bodies—each of these was something CERN craved.

For Xu Chuan, snatching an order from Japan wasn’t even snatching at all!

This was called helping CERN upgrade and build a more powerful particle collider!

Understand?

As for the island nation’s opinion, what did that have to do with him?

You can’t expect them to use your inferior material when a better one is available, can you?

Under the preparations of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, the work for the press conference on the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material began.

Because the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had expanded, they no longer needed to borrow the large auditorium from Nanjing University for this conference.

However, the institute’s conference hall was undoubtedly much smaller than Nanjing University’s grand auditorium.

This led to the manufacturers and media reporters, both those who had received invitation letters and those who came on their own after hearing the news, almost completely packing the conference hall.

A row of cameras was lined up below the lectern, just waiting for the conference to begin.

In the venue, with the conference yet to start, some of the manufacturers who had heard the news were whispering amongst themselves.

In the front row, Kelvin Noah, a representative from Nexans, was quietly gazing at the empty lectern. Another middle-aged man walking towards him showed a hint of surprise upon seeing him.

“I didn’t expect you to be here. Is Nexans also optimistic about Professor Xu’s research?”

Hearing the voice, Kelvin Noah turned his head. He recognized the man sitting next to him; he was a representative from Norda Materials Company, also from Europe. They had had some dealings before.

Kelvin nodded and offered a greeting. “Of course. Although Professor Xu rarely dabbles in the materials world, every problem he chooses to tackle is a world-class challenge.”

Hearing this, the representative from Norda Materials Company, Saroyan Patrick, smiled and said, “But the field of materials isn’t mathematics. 152K room-temperature superconductivity… if you look only at this number, it is indeed astonishing. But it will likely be very difficult to transition a laboratory achievement into a commercial product.”

He paused, then added, “Moreover, I heard that what he’s researched this time isn’t a copper-oxide-based superconducting material, but another brand-new superconducting system. Without any industrialization experience, the transition will probably be even harder.”

To be honest, a superconducting temperature of 152K wasn’t all that extraordinary. In a laboratory setting, materials that became superconducting at even higher temperatures, or even at room temperature, were not unheard of.

However, achieving this temperature at normal pressure gave it a completely different significance.

Of course, for these world-leading suppliers of superconducting materials, a laboratory product and an industrialized commercial product were two entirely different concepts.

Undeniably, 152K superconductivity at normal pressure was excellent, but it wasn’t as if there were no comparable products in laboratories.

For example, Bi-based (92K), Y-based (125K), and Hg-based (135K) systems could all break the temperature barrier of liquid nitrogen (77K).

But to date, there had been no news of any laboratory being able to achieve large-scale commercial production of high-temperature superconducting materials.

So far, the vast majority of applications for superconducting materials in the industry still involved low-temperature superconductors.

And when they fabricated commercial superconducting magnets, they still used low-temperature superconducting materials from the niobium-titanium alloy series.

Of course, there was a very small amount of copper-oxide-based high-temperature superconducting material production, but the yield was very low. Only Japan’s International Superconductivity Technology Center (ISTEC) could produce a relatively larger quantity of Bi-series high-temperature superconducting materials.

It was said that they had already signed a contract with the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva and would be supplying a batch of Bi-series high-temperature superconducting materials in the second half of 2020 to upgrade the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

So, although the parameter of 152K superconductivity at normal pressure was indeed astonishing, it didn’t mean much to them if it couldn’t be commercially produced.

At most, it offered some research value.

Kelvin leaned back in his chair and said with a faint smile, “If that’s the case, why did you bother coming?”

At his words, Saroyan Patrick shrugged and said, “Just company orders.”

Kelvin said no more, silently raising his head to look at the lectern.

If only it were just a laboratory product.

What he was worried about was that this superconducting material might be like the artificial SEI film from last time—capable of being industrialized in a short period.

Given Professor Xu’s abilities and personality, this was not impossible.

More crucially, not only had he not published a paper this time, he hadn’t even applied for a patent.

This was what truly worried him and some other superconductor manufacturers.

From this perspective, it was highly likely that this Professor Xu would choose to produce it secretly, just like with some other materials, and then sell it directly.

If that were the case, it would be far from good news for superconductor manufacturers like them.

As for Norda Materials Company, if they were as foolish as their representative, then they deserved to go bankrupt.

Chapter 352: The Sound of the Waves of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Kelvin paid no mind to the others.

Everyone who had come here today, aside from wanting to see the performance and data of this high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, was also a potential competitor.

Compared to chatting with his peers, he was more interested in getting a chance to speak with that Professor Xu after the press conference.

Regardless of whether the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material developed by Professor Xu could be commercially manufactured, he wanted to secure an opportunity for cooperation.

If this high-temperature superconducting material couldn’t yet be industrialized for commercial use, he could represent Nexans and talk to Professor Xu about a potential collaboration, where they would research methods for its industrial production.

If this high-temperature superconducting material was already ready for industrial production and commercial use, then it was even more imperative that they secure a partnership.

At atmospheric pressure, a superconducting temperature of 152 K… As long as its critical magnetic field and critical current density weren’t too poor, this material’s performance was destined to crush all other superconducting materials in the world.

Nexans was a huge company, a Fortune 500 enterprise, and one of the top ten global brands for integrated wiring solutions. Its business spanned cable manufacturing and engineering in many countries across the globe.

Many of its products, such as winding wires, submarine cables, data cables, and power cables, ranked first or second in the world.

But if it failed to keep pace in the field of superconductivity, it would soon be left behind by the times and become a relic of the past.

Superconducting material was a revolution. As it developed, obsolete enterprises would eventually be relegated to the annals of history.

Over the past two hundred years, several industrial revolutions had forged several different powerful nations.

The first, in Great Britain, saw the development of the steam engine and related technologies, allowing the British Empire to nearly rule the world.

The second, in Europe and the United States, saw the development of electricity, the internal combustion engine, and the chemical industry, which made machine production more efficient and scalable, further driving industrialization and placing Europe and the United States at the pinnacle of the world.

The third began in the mid-20th century and continues to this day. Led by the United States, the development of computers, the internet, and communication technologies has made machine production more intelligent and automated, driving the processes of digitalization and informatization.

From a historical perspective, each industrial revolution lasted for about a hundred years, and each time, one or more scientists who could lead the era would emerge in the scientific field.

Today, the Third Industrial Revolution had been underway for over eighty years and was visibly entering its final stages.

The gradual decline of the United States and the gradual rise of China seemed to signal the end of the Third Industrial Revolution and the dawn of the Fourth.

Coupled with the appearance of that Professor Xu, whose monstrous skill in today’s scientific world was reminiscent of the legendary scientists of history, Kelvin Noah could almost hear the surging tides of the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution.

At ten in the morning, the press conference for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material officially began.

Xu Chuan walked onto the lectern with a steady gait. Behind him, a huge, silver-white projection screen lit up.

【152K High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Superconducting Material】

A title in both Chinese and English appeared on the screen, with a silvery-gray thin film rotating in the center, representing the theme of the day.

As he took the stage, the slightly noisy conference hall instantly fell silent, leaving only the click-clack of camera shutters.

Standing at the lectern, Xu Chuan looked at the crowd below and began, “First of all, I would like to welcome all of you who have traveled far to attend today’s press conference.”

“The theme of today’s conference presentation, as shown on the screen behind me, is the launch of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s latest achievement: the ‘high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material’.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan opened the PPT presentation that the research institute had prepared in advance.

“Superconducting materials and superconductivity are one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. They possess outstanding properties and vast application prospects.”

“Ever since 1911, when physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered that mercury’s electrical resistance suddenly dropped to zero when the temperature was lowered to 4.15 K, superconducting materials have become a hot topic in physics and materials research over the past few decades.”

“However, achieving superconductivity is very difficult, requiring extremely low temperatures. This has limited its widespread practical application.”

On the stage, Xu Chuan spoke with eloquence and confidence, starting from the history of superconducting materials to the present day, then to its importance, and finally extending to the current development of superconducting materials and the ‘high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material’.

“A critical temperature (Tc) of 152 K at atmospheric pressure is the first set of results that the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, and I myself, are presenting from this line of research.”

“I believe everyone present has already obtained some of this material’s properties from the invitation letter or other channels, so I won’t keep you in suspense.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan clicked the remote in his hand.

The image on the projection screen behind him changed, and a table appeared.

【Critical Temperature (Tc): 152.7 K】

【Critical Magnetic Field (Hc): At 152 K, Hc is 20.142 T. At 77 K, Hc is 23.268 T.】

【Critical Current (Ic): Can reach 5500 A/mm² at 20 T.】

【Critical Current Density (Jc): …】

【Thermal Conductivity: 572.3 W/m·K】

【…】

Test data filled the screen, item by item. Below the stage, the representatives from various companies couldn’t help but gasp in unison upon seeing the chart.

As representatives sent by superconducting material companies to attend this conference presentation, everyone present was well aware of the significance of the data on that list.

It was no exaggeration to say that this was a new material that would overturn the entire field of high-temperature superconductivity.

Its performance was even more outstanding than that of copper-oxide-based high-temperature superconducting materials. Not only was its critical temperature higher, but its parameters for other superconducting indicators like critical magnetic field and critical current/current density almost completely crushed the competition.

If there was a drawback, it would be some deficiencies in its conventional physical properties.

Although copper-oxide-based high-temperature superconducting materials are also ceramic-like, some of their composite materials exceed this new material in terms of toughness, brittleness, stiffness, and fatigue strength.

But compared to the outstanding performance this material demonstrated in superconductivity, its physical flaws were not unacceptable.

At the very least, for applications like large particle colliders, medical equipment, and maglev trains—where the operating environment is stable or the superconducting instruments are made from plates—it was perfectly fine.

Furthermore, although this high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material had high brittleness, its perfect diamagnetism could be used to manufacture precision instruments like frictionless gyroscopes and bearings without major issues.

After all, as long as it wasn’t subjected to major vibrations, components made from brittle materials wouldn’t break so easily under normal use.

It was just like jade. Unless you smashed it on the ground or something, it wouldn’t break from simply being held or worn.

So, if a stable working environment could be provided for this material, it wasn’t impossible to use it to manufacture high-precision equipment.

Of course, shaping it would be a challenge. But for the major manufacturers, this was hardly an issue. No matter how strange the shape, as long as there was demand and money to be made, they would find a way to produce it.

Without wasting too much time at the press conference, Xu Chuan began to wrap things up after about half an hour.

“That’s all for today’s press conference.”

“If any of you have any further questions about the ‘high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material’ developed by our Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, you may ask them now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the audience stood up with a raised hand.

Xu Chuan gestured for a staff member to pass the microphone over.

The questioner was a middle-aged man in a suit. He said, “Hello, Professor Xu. I am a representative from the SuperPower research institute of the Furukawa Company. I would like to ask if this high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material can be mass-produced at this time?”

With this question, all the company representatives in the hall pricked up their ears.

Without a doubt, for everyone present, this was the most critical question.

Onstage, Xu Chuan replied, “Currently, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material has not yet entered mass production. I am looking for a method to mass-produce it and for corporate partners.”

The moment his voice fell, arms shot up all over the conference hall.

Xu Chuan randomly picked one. The person quickly stood up and took the microphone from a staff member. “Excuse me, Professor Xu, regarding this high-temperature superconducting material, will you be applying for a patent and then selling the patent licensing, as you did with the artificial SEI film?”

Xu Chuan: “I have no such plans at the moment. I will likely adopt a different method for the sale of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. The specifics will be announced after a decision is made. Next.”

He then picked another raised hand, and a middle-aged man of about forty stood up.

“Hello, Professor Xu. I am a representative from AMSC, the American Superconductor company. I’ve heard that your Chuanhai Materials Research Institute possesses a mysterious mathematical model for materials research. Did your research on the artificial SEI film and the high-temperature superconducting material both rely on the capabilities of this model?”

This question caused a stir in the hall.

To the outside world, this Professor Xu standing on the lectern was undoubtedly a mysterious figure.

Reaching the pinnacle of the scientific world in his twenties was one thing. What was even more astounding was that in the field of materials science, a world away from mathematical physics, he was progressing just as smoothly, like a fish in water.

Although he only had two major achievements so far—the artificial SEI film and the 152K high-temperature superconducting material—the importance of both was enough to overturn their respective industries.

Many people wanted to know his secret. They all wanted to know how he managed to develop these two materials.

Previously, this had always been attributed to the talent of a genius. Now, it seemed there was more to the story.

Chapter 353: A Visit to Luyang Science Island

The question posed by the representative from AMSC, the American Superconductor company, made the manufacturer representatives at the press conference lift their heads in interest.

The research and development of a new material was no easy task.

Both the artificial SEI film and the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material were hot topics in the materials science world, fields that had been studied for over a decade, or even several decades, across the globe.

Yet, what the entire world couldn’t achieve after more than ten years of research, this Professor Xu had accomplished in a mere two to three years.

To say it was purely good luck was a bit too unbelievable.

One success could be attributed to luck, but if you claimed a second was also luck, few would believe it.

Not many had considered this angle before, but once the representative from AMSC brought it up, the other manufacturer representatives quickly connected the dots.

Compared to luck, they were more willing to believe that this Professor Xu truly possessed a “miraculous” mathematical model.

Although mathematical models had always played a supporting role in traditional materials R&D, with Professor Xu’s capabilities in mathematics and physics, he might have found another path where it could play a crucial role.

Especially since, at the previous press conference for the artificial SEI film, a researcher from the German Federal Materials Research Institute had asked about a mathematical model. If memory served, Professor Xu hadn’t denied possessing a model for materials research at the time.

If he truly had such a mathematical model, then developing two materials that could disrupt their respective industries in just two or three years no longer seemed impossible.

If that were the case, this might be the biggest takeaway from today’s event.

For a moment, the commotion and emotional stir in the conference hall intensified. Everyone was waiting for the answer from the man on the lectern.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan glanced at the representative from AMSC.

This representative is rather interesting. Is he trying to shift the focus onto the model I have? Or does he have other ideas?

It was unclear whether this was an instruction from AMSC or his own doing.

However, the existence of a mathematical model at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was something of an open secret; it couldn’t be hidden.

Of course, he had no intention of hiding it anyway.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan spoke. “My Chuanhai Materials Research Institute does indeed have a mathematical model for materials research, but it isn’t as impactful as you might imagine.”

“As for my research on the artificial SEI film and high-temperature superconducting materials being a result of this model, that’s even more impossible.”

“No one has ever been able to rely solely on a mathematical model to complete the development of a new material. That’s impossible. Everyone here is an expert in the materials field, so I trust you all understand the role of mathematical models in materials science.”

As he finished, the AMSC representative quickly followed up, “Then may I ask if Professor Xu has considered making this mathematical model public?”

“For the materials science community, an outstanding mathematical model could greatly advance the discipline. I’m sure you would consider this for the sake of the field’s development.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but let out a small, derisive laugh. This was a bit too shameless.

“If AMSC is willing to make all of its patent licenses available for free, then I am willing to make this mathematical model public.”

“If you can’t represent AMSC in this matter, I suggest they send a more capable representative next time. Next question.”

If not for AMSC’s meddling, the press conference would have been perfect.

But for Xu Chuan, it wasn’t a major issue.

What he needed to pay attention to now was strengthening cybersecurity and confidentiality measures.

This move by AMSC would likely attract the attention of many materials companies.

These capitalists were not above commercial espionage or buying off researchers from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to obtain the material calculation model.

And a material calculation model was different from other things. If the source code and underlying mathematical formulas were leaked, the other party could use them directly.

After the press conference for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material concluded, Xu Chuan returned to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. However, he didn’t immediately dive back into work. Instead, he took the time to call Edward Witten.

The superconducting materials needed for CERN’s upgrade of the LHC Large Hadron Collider was a massive order, worth at least tens of billions of RMB. An order of this magnitude was worth his personal intervention.

“Hello, Xu Chuan. What can I do for you?” After the call connected, Witten’s voice, tinged with exhaustion, came through the phone.

Xu Chuan noticed the fatigue and asked with concern, “Advisor, what’s wrong? You sound a little worn out.”

Witten replied, “It’s nothing, just a heavy workload at CERN recently.”

“Is CERN still searching for sterile neutrinos and dark matter?” Xu Chuan asked quickly.

Edward Witten fell silent for a moment before nodding, though Xu Chuan couldn’t see it. “Yes, but we haven’t had any results. Perhaps you were right. With our current equipment, it’s very difficult to find any trace of dark matter.”

After a pause, he continued, “CERN is just about ready to give up. We’re currently discussing an upgrade for the LHC.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s exactly why I’m calling you, Advisor.”

Witten: “?”

Xu Chuan: “For this LHC upgrade, you will likely be using the Bi-series high-temperature superconducting materials procured from Japan, correct?”

Witten sounded surprised. “How did you know? I don’t believe this matter has been publicly announced yet.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Let’s not get into that. I wanted to ask if CERN is interested in a new superconducting material? I have a new high-temperature superconductor on hand with a critical temperature of 152K at normal pressure, a critical magnetic field above 20T, and a critical current density that can reach 5500A/mm² under a 20T field. Would CERN be interested?”

On the other end of the line, Edward Witten’s jaw dropped. He was stunned, and it took him a moment to recover. He swallowed hard and asked in disbelief, “152K and 20T? Are you sure?”

As a theoretical physicist stationed at CERN long-term, he knew the performance of the large particle collider better than anyone.

The current superconducting magnets in the LHC were made from niobium-titanium (NbTi) superconducting material, which could provide a magnetic field strength of 8T. Any higher and the material would revert to its normal state due to the quenching phenomenon.

The Bi-series high-temperature superconducting alloy that CERN was currently planning to purchase from Japan had a critical temperature of 102K and a critical magnetic field of around 13T.

Looking at the numbers, it was completely outclassed.

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “That’s right. It’s the latest superconducting material developed by my Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. It’s undergone complete testing, and we’ve already held a press conference for it.”

“If you’re following the materials science world, Advisor, you should see the relevant news by tomorrow at the latest.”

Hearing this, Edward Witten was instantly reminded of his trip to China to invite this very student to participate in CERN’s dark matter project.

At the time, his student had declined the invitation, saying he was busy with his own research. It seemed now that this was the high-temperature superconducting material he had been working on.

But the speed of his research was simply too fast.

In half a year at most, he had made such a monumental achievement in the field of high-temperature superconductivity.

For a high-temperature superconducting material, a transition temperature of 152K wasn’t the most critical aspect, as it was already well above the 77K boiling point of liquid nitrogen.

But a critical magnetic field strength of 20T, and a critical current density of 5500A/mm² under that 20T field—these two parameters were incredibly important for high-temperature superconductors.

Especially for a large particle collider, the higher the critical magnetic field, the higher the collision energy level.

A 20T critical magnetic field was enough to raise the collision energy to the triple-digit level.

An energy level like that should be more than enough to search for dark matter, right?

After some thought, Witten continued, “I’ll speak with Director Gross about this first. There’s a related meeting tomorrow, and I’ll bring it up then.”

He paused, then asked, “Right, I’ll need you to provide the parameter data for the superconducting material. Also, can this material be mass-produced? If it’s just a laboratory product, it’s probably not of much use.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “The data is no problem; I’ll email it to you shortly. As for industrialization, I’ve already found a way to mass-produce it. We’re currently looking for manufacturing partners. With China’s speed, it shouldn’t take long to start producing it in batches.”

Witten: “If that’s the case, I’ll talk to the Council. This is a very good thing for CERN. Wait for my news; I’ll get back to you with feedback.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Thank you for the trouble, Advisor.”

While Xu Chuan was negotiating with his advisor, Edward Witten, trying to intercept the high-temperature superconducting material contract between CERN and Japan, another scene was unfolding elsewhere.

Gao Hongming and Academician Peng Hongxi had already taken a high-speed rail to Luyang.

This city was home to China’s largest controlled nuclear fusion base, boasting four major national science and technology infrastructures in the field of fusion research: the HT-7 Superconducting Tokamak, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), the EAST auxiliary heating system, and the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT).

Arriving at Luyang Science Island once again and passing through a security check, Peng Hongxi walked into the industrial park. Looking at the nearly unrecognizable scenery that had developed over the past decade, a complex emotion filled the elderly man’s eyes.

He had once worked here for more than a decade. In 1998, when the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences undertook the national major scientific engineering project to build the “HT-7U Superconducting Tokamak Nuclear Fusion Experimental Device,” he was here leading the work. He didn’t retire and return to Tsinghua University until a few years ago.

Even though he had left, he still followed the news from here.

After decades of development, the Luyang Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences had become China’s most important controlled nuclear fusion research base and had achieved brilliant and splendid results over the past ten-plus years.

For instance, in 2012, the EAST device broke a world record by obtaining a high-parameter divertor plasma at twenty million degrees Celsius for over four hundred seconds. In 2017, it achieved a record-breaking stable long-pulse high-confinement plasma operation of 101.2 seconds. In 2018, it achieved another major breakthrough with one hundred million-degree plasma operation, among many others.

Each achievement brought him comfort and pride.

Returning here now, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

It was like a child he had raised himself. Even though it had now grown independent and was making its own way in the world, seeing it walk further down the path of controlled nuclear fusion filled him with a sense of satisfaction and pride.

“Well, well, Old Peng, what wind blew you over here?” Inside the research building, Academician Chen Mingji, who was at his desk, smiled and stood up to welcome Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming.

The two were former colleagues. Though Chen hadn’t been based here before, he was transferred from the Southwest Institute of Nuclear Physics to take over the lead role at the Luyang Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences after Peng Hongxi stepped down.

“It’s been a few years since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?” Peng Hongxi said with a smile as he stepped forward, a touch of emotion in his voice.

“Indeed. After you left in 2012, we only saw each other once at the Academicians’ Conference in 2014. Another five or six years have passed since then,” Chen Mingji said with a laugh after a moment of thought.

“Come, please, come in and sit down.”

In the office, Chen Mingji brewed a pot of light tea. After the three exchanged pleasantries for a while, Peng Hongxi spoke up. “Let’s get down to business. I came here this time because there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Academician Chen Mingji smiled. “What is it? What could be so important that it’s worth you personally coming out of retirement for a trip?”

“Last year, I accepted Academician Xu Chuan’s invitation to help him with the Nanjing controlled nuclear fusion project. The project has now been initiated and has reached a critical stage. Academician Xu has established a mathematical model for the plasma turbulence within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.”

As Peng Hongxi spoke, the smile remained on Chen Mingji’s face, but his eyes had changed.

He was naturally aware that his old friend had come out of retirement to assist that young man with the fusion project in Nanjing. He just hadn’t involved himself or asked about it.

But now that it was brought up, he had a good idea why the two of them were here.

“After several rounds of verification on the supercomputer, the parameters for the plasma turbulence numerical control model are perfect. Plus, time is of the essence. For us and for the country, the sooner we complete the controlled nuclear fusion project, the better. So, I’ve come this time to discuss borrowing the EAST device to perform a real-world control verification of the model.”

Across from him, Chen Mingji pondered for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to your request.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi showed a trace of surprise and quickly said, “This is a great thing! You know better than anyone how much a control model for plasma turbulence can help with the operation of plasma in the reactor chamber.”

Chen Mingji shook his head, his smile fading. “It is precisely because I understand that I must refuse.”

“A control model for plasma turbulence is undoubtedly crucial for the operation of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor. But altering the control system poses too great a risk to the EAST device.”

“If the plasma in the reactor chamber goes out of control, the consequences for the EAST device would be catastrophic.”

“The JT-60SA controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile at Japan’s QST Fusion Research Institute is a cautionary tale. If something like that were to happen to the EAST device, you and I would both be held responsible.”

“So, I’m sorry, but I cannot grant your request. The EAST device is the culmination of everyone’s hard work. I cannot take such a risk with it.”

Chapter 354: Parting on Bad Terms

Hearing Academician Chen Mingji’s refusal, Peng Hongxi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, “We can provide the superconducting simulation data for the plasma turbulence control model. You can look at the data first before making a decision.”

“Besides, the disaster at the QST Fusion Research Institute was entirely their own doing.”

“We would also have to start validating the plasma turbulence control model from the minimum control level. If there’s an incident, we can stop operations at any time. It wouldn’t cause any damage to the EAST device.”

“But if we succeed, it will be a huge boost for our country’s controlled nuclear fusion efforts!”

Peng Hongxi continued to try and persuade him. To be honest, Academician Chen Mingji’s reason for refusal was indeed valid. Changing the control method for plasma turbulence was certainly a major affair for a fusion reactor.

In his view, there was still hope to win him over.

However, Chen Mingji’s next sentence left him stunned.

“Is it necessary?”

Peng Hongxi: “???”

Holding his teacup, Chen Mingji took a sip of the warm tea and continued nonchalantly, “In my opinion, the EAST device’s control model is already excellent enough.”

“In the summer of 2017, the EAST device achieved a stable 101.2-second steady-state long-pulse high-confinement plasma operation, setting a new world record.”

“The longest controlled nuclear fusion time for any superconducting Tokamak currently in operation internationally is just over 120 seconds. I believe the EAST device’s next run will steadily break this record and make new history.”

“I see no need to risk that for a mathematical model whose reliability is still unknown.”

Hearing these words, Peng Hongxi was somewhat stunned.

He couldn’t believe he was hearing such words from the mouth of his old friend.

Complacency? Conceit? Arrogance? Indifference? Disdain? What else?

Yes, the EAST device might indeed set a new operational record on its next run. But whether it was him, Peng Hongxi, or Chen Mingji, they both knew very well that even if they broke the historical record and made new history, it was still just a tiny step forward for controlled nuclear fusion.

A record of just over one hundred seconds, is that really something to be so proud of?

Isn’t our goal to see the spark of controlled nuclear fusion ignite on this eastern continent?

Why?

Why would he say such a thing?

Or had his years in academia or politics made him forget his original mission?

Or perhaps, was he no longer a pure scholar?

The smile vanished from his face. Peng Hongxi glanced at his former colleague. “Building a mathematical model for plasma turbulence in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber is something everyone in this field is striving for.”

“Until now, we have always lagged behind other countries. But now, Academician Xu has built a path to hope for us. We can’t just let this opportunity pass.”

“So, I hope you will consider it seriously. This will be our chance to be at the forefront of the world.”

After listening to Academician Peng, Chen Mingji said expressionlessly, “I’m afraid I can’t help you. The EAST device has its own tasks, and we don’t have time to carry out your work.”

Peng Hongxi took a deep breath. “Are you really not going to give it a try? You won’t even glance at the test data for the plasma turbulence control model?”

Chen Mingji picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said coolly, “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I’m powerless to do so. Our work schedule is completely full. There’s no need to sacrifice our own progress to accommodate an outsider’s work.”

Peng Hongxi gave him a deep look and said, “Don’t forget, the EAST device isn’t yours. It’s a national asset. If you don’t agree, I will go and appeal to the higher-ups.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji looked up to meet Peng Hongxi’s gaze and said lightly, “If you can do it, then go ahead.”

Undeniably, that Professor Xu now carried immense weight in the country. He was the undisputed number one, and even the higher-ups had to consider his opinions and views.

But on the path of controlled nuclear fusion in China, he, Chen Mingji, was the true authority and leader.

He had once led the country’s controlled nuclear fusion field from utter destitution to the forefront of the world. In 2003, he had fought passionately at the negotiation table for the ITER international thermonuclear experimental reactor, ultimately succeeding in getting China to join the world-class project.

He had been deeply involved in the country’s controlled nuclear fusion field for decades. The higher-ups had to consider his opinion as well.

If that Professor Xu had come to work on the EAST project, he would have supported him with all his might without hesitation.

But since he had now struck out on his own and started a separate controlled nuclear fusion project, there was no need for him to help an outsider perfect their technology.

The cake in the field of controlled nuclear fusion was only so big. If one more person came to share it, then the original people would get a smaller piece.

The rapid development of China’s controlled nuclear fusion project, and the brilliant, world-record-breaking achievements of the EAST device, were inseparable from the concentration of national resources on the Luyang controlled nuclear fusion project.

And as the overall director of the Luyang fusion project, he, Chen Mingji, had to be responsible not only for himself but also for the team under him.

The cake was only so big. If some people got a larger share, others would get less.

He couldn’t stop that Professor Xu from researching a controlled nuclear fusion project, but he could refuse to provide support and assistance.

So what if they reported him to the higher-ups? They had their own work and task schedules, and it was perfectly normal not to have time to cooperate with the other party’s work.

As long as he didn’t yield, the nation couldn’t force him to use the equipment he led to complete someone else’s work.

What’s more, under his leadership, the EAST device was already one of the world’s top controlled nuclear fusion experimental piles. He believed that without his support, no one in the country could surpass him on this path.

So what if he was a Nobel Prize winner? A Nobel Prize won for mathematics, and in the field of astronomy at that—what kind of results could he produce in physics?

In this regard, he firmly believed that he was the true authority and expert.

Peng Hongxi suppressed the rage in his heart and stared at Chen Mingji. “Chen Mingji, you’ve changed! You’ve forgotten your original mission. You’re no longer worthy of being a scholar!”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji sneered, “Changed? I never have.”

“I have dedicated my life to the country’s controlled nuclear fusion project, led the EAST device to the forefront of the world. My goal has always been to achieve controlled nuclear fusion.”

Admittedly, in not wanting to help the other party validate their control model for plasma turbulence, he did have his own selfish motives.

After all, the resources the nation could provide were limited. If the other party took a portion, what he could get his hands on would be less.

But his goal had never changed, and under his leadership, EAST had always been advancing toward controlled nuclear fusion.

As for whether he was a scholar or not, as long as he was still working in the field of scientific research, no one could strip him of that identity.

Narrowing his eyes, Peng Hongxi took one last deep look at the colleague who had once excitedly embraced him, tears of joy streaming down their faces when the HT-7 device was officially put into experimental operation and achieved its first ignition. Without another word, Peng Hongxi turned and left the office directly.

He knew that it was impossible to get any help here.

Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming left, and the office fell silent.

To the side, Chen Mingji’s assistant glanced at the empty doorway, swallowed nervously, and asked cautiously, “Academician Chen, Academician Peng… he’s not really going to report this to the higher-ups, is he?”

Chen Mingji said expressionlessly, “So what if he does? It’s not that we won’t cooperate, it’s just that we have our own arrangements and work, and we simply don’t have the time.”

“Besides, modifying the EAST device’s mathematical control model is an extremely risky matter in itself. The cautionary tale from Japan is right there. We can’t fall into the same trap.”

Chapter 355: All Roads Lead to Rome

In Nanjing, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Xu Chuan and Zhang Pingxiang were still busy optimizing the physical properties of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

By now, the two had already delved into different degrees of in-depth research along their respective paths.

In the laboratory, Zhang Pingxiang, holding a material sample and a data report, found Xu Chuan, who was studying how to toughen the copper-carbon-silver composite material with graphene whiskers (fibers).

“One moment, Academician Zhang.” Turning to glance at Zhang Pingxiang, Xu Chuan greeted him with a smile before turning back to the work at hand.

After about ten minutes, having finished with the material he was handling, he straightened up and walked over.

“So, how are your research results?” Xu Chuan asked curiously.

Over the past few days, Academician Zhang had been in the lab researching the zirconium oxide doping optimization route. He had certainly made some progress, but Xu Chuan didn’t know how much.

Zhang Pingxiang shook his head and handed over the sample and report. “Not much progress. I’ve tried more than ten different methods, but the brittleness and toughness of the copper-carbon-silver composite material doped with zirconium oxide atoms haven’t changed much.”

“If I use excessive doping, it does change the toughness to a certain extent, but the superconducting properties plummet.”

“Your previous guess was right. The zirconium oxide doping path probably won’t work.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan wasn’t too surprised. With his current abilities, while he couldn’t be one hundred percent accurate in judging whether a certain path was feasible, he could at least offer some suggestions.

Academician Zhang Pingxiang’s failure was within his expectations.

Doping zirconium oxide atoms into the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material would, to some extent, alter its crystal and atomic structures. With these two changes, the superconducting properties of the material were bound to be affected.

Flipping through the test report in his hands, Xu Chuan then pinched the sample.

As expected, Academician Zhang’s research was a failure.

A small amount of doping was largely meaningless, as it couldn’t change the physical properties of the superconducting material.

Conversely, a large amount of doping could indeed alter its brittleness and toughness, but it would drastically reduce its superconducting properties, with the Critical Temperature (Tc) and critical magnetic field being hit particularly hard.

With these two aspects severely compromised, the superconducting material in his hand was practically useless.

“How’s your graphene research coming along?”

After giving up on the zirconium oxide doping route, Academician Zhang didn’t dwell on it for too long. After all, in the field of materials, getting bogged down in a path that doesn’t work is a dead end.

Xu Chuan scratched his head and smiled. “I was busy with some other things the past couple of days and only just started the research. No significant progress yet.”

Hearing this, Zhang Pingxiang shook his head, sighing with emotion. “You’re researching too many things. If you focused on breaking through in a single field…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but both of them understood what he meant.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I actually think it’s fine. Many disciplines and fields are complementary. For example, if I hadn’t studied mathematics, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute wouldn’t have that materials calculation model today.”

Academician Zhang Pingxiang nodded. “That’s also true.”

“Never mind, let’s not talk about this.” Academician Zhang skipped the topic and continued, “Regarding the graphene whisker (fiber) toughening experiment, if you don’t mind, I can lend you a hand. Or you can tell me your experimental ideas and routes, and I can help you test some other paths.”

“I imagine you have a lot on your plate right now, and probably don’t have much time for the lab, right?”

Xu Chuan nodded, a little embarrassed. “Indeed, I don’t have much time for experiments in the lab recently.”

He had a lot going on. He had to communicate about the order from CERN, manage the controlled nuclear fusion project, and if Peng Hongxi’s negotiations were successful, he would have to go to Luyang personally to direct the work on the plasma turbulence numerical control model.

After all, no one was more familiar with the mathematical model for plasma turbulence than he was. If any problems arose during operation, he could be on-site to make adjustments and handle them immediately.

Academician Zhang smiled. “In that case, I’ll just take over the related experiments.”

“That theoretical paper on high-temperature superconducting materials you showed me was a great inspiration and help. I also need some experimental opportunities to verify a few things, and it just so happens you have a free materials lab and equipment for me to use.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Academician Zhang.”

Zhang Pingxiang smilingly said he was just borrowing the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s free lab, but that was just an excuse to help.

For a top-tier materials master like him, at the pinnacle among the Academicians of both Academies, how could he possibly lack a lab and equipment?

But some things, like favors and goodwill, don’t need to be spoken aloud; it’s enough to remember them in your heart.

It had to be said that since returning to China, the scholars he had met along the way were all exemplary representatives, both in their scholarship and their character.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that he didn’t really expand his social circle much. The national treasure-level academicians he knew were either introduced by acquaintances, introduced by the higher-ups, or people he remembered from his past life.

Under these circumstances, the scholars he could hold exchanges with were all quite good in terms of character and their interactions.

Just as Xu Chuan was marveling at how wonderful his academic friends were, the bad news arrived.

Gao Hongming and Peng Hongxi, who had gone to Luyang Science Island to apply for the use of the EAST device to verify the plasma turbulence model for the controlled nuclear fusion project, had returned.

“We couldn’t secure the EAST device in Luyang.”

In the office, Peng Hongxi sighed, feeling like he had let the young man before him down.

As one of the veterans of China’s controlled nuclear fusion field, he had been highly regarded and repeatedly invited out of retirement by Xu Chuan, yet he couldn’t even handle this small matter.

He had been so confident that this would be easy for him. After all, Chen Mingji was an old colleague, and they had a decent relationship. He never expected that the man was no longer the person he was familiar with, no longer someone solely dedicated to the development of the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion cause.

Perhaps his goal hadn’t changed, but in the process, too many selfish motives had been mixed in with his goals and ideals.

The man was now the overall director of the Luyang controlled nuclear fusion project, the director of China’s International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center, and the leader of the country’s controlled nuclear fusion project. He controlled billions, even tens of billions, in funding and led hundreds of projects.

In ancient times, such a position would be equivalent to that of a powerful marquis.

And in China’s academia, to be able to control so much funding and so many resources, his position could be described as an absolute throne, or that of an academic hegemon.

Especially in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, no matter how enticing the prospects were, the pie was only so big during the research and development phase.

Although China’s controlled nuclear fusion projects were divided into several different research directions, such as Tokamak, Stellarator, pebble-bed, and inertial confinement, in reality, most of the country’s related resources were concentrated in the Tokamak field.

As the overall director of the Tokamak field, Chen Mingji had to approve and be responsible for the funding of the country’s Tokamak devices to a certain extent, whether they were under construction or in the planning stages.

Never mind the Luyang controlled nuclear fusion project that he was personally in charge of; even other Tokamak projects in the country probably had to consider his opinion.

Peng Hongxi had originally wanted to write a letter directly to the higher-ups to report him.

But on the way back, he thought it over carefully and ultimately gave up the idea with a sense of helplessness.

What could the higher-ups do even if they knew?

At their level, even in the Ministry of Science and Technology or higher, it could be described as a clash of titans.

The higher-ups had to consider the opinions of everyone on both sides. In a matter like this, they would at most mediate between the two parties, like a police officer mediating the petty squabbles of citizens.

Forcing Chen Mingji’s hand and making him hand over the EAST device to cooperate with Xu Chuan’s research on the plasma turbulence model was impossible.

Xu Chuan was a national treasure-level scholar, but Chen Mingji was also a meritorious servant of the nation and a top academician. He had led China’s controlled nuclear fusion efforts for over a decade, from nothing to the forefront of the world, contributing both great merit and hard work.

Although he had some selfish motives, from a national perspective, it was nothing.

All that could be said was that he himself hadn’t thought it through at the beginning; the memories in his mind were still stuck a decade ago.

Back then, when the country announced its intention to pursue controlled nuclear fusion, their group of scholars from the nuclear energy field had rallied to the cause and thrown themselves into it.

From having nothing, to the first ignition of the EAST device in 2006, to joining the ITER international thermonuclear experimental reactor organization; even though every step was arduous, even though funding was incredibly tight, they all held a sincere heart, determined to light the spark of controlled nuclear fusion in this land.

However, more than a decade had passed. The country’s economy had developed at a breakneck pace, soaring to become the world’s second-largest economy. Naturally, more funding and resources could be allocated to the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

Profit and power truly sway people’s hearts.

Although the man was still working hard for controlled nuclear fusion, they could never return to the era of a decade ago, where everyone squatted together eating boxed lunches, arguing over how to optimize a certain plan or a single component, a time when everyone pulled in the same direction.

After Peng Hongxi briefly recounted what had happened, Xu Chuan nodded and comforted him, “It’s alright, Elder Peng. We can think of other ways.”

In fact, he had considered this issue from the very beginning.

On one hand, it was indeed no small matter. Modifying the control model of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor and subsequently making certain adjustments to the fusion pile, though theoretically reversible, was not something anyone would happily accept an outsider ‘messing around’ with on their equipment.

On the other hand, there were the various intricacies of China’s academia.

Although he was independently leading a new project, the pie for the field of controlled nuclear fusion in China was only so big. Since he had taken a portion of the research funding, it was inevitable that the research funds for other controlled nuclear fusion projects would be compressed.

Under these circumstances, it was perfectly normal for the original head of the domestic controlled nuclear fusion field to be displeased.

It wasn’t just academia; wherever there are people, there’s bound to be conflict.

What’s more, the academic world in China was particularly special, with major universities and research fields forming a small world that was almost an independent kingdom.

This was also the reason why, back when he won the Fields Medal and the country arranged for that individual, Mu Liangcai, to contact him, he asked for nothing but a guarantee.

Therefore, before Gao Hongming and Academician Peng Hongxi went to Luyang, he had already arranged a backup plan: using the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material as a bargaining chip.

He just hadn’t expected the other party to directly and bluntly reject the request without even looking at the verification data for the plasma turbulence numerical control model.

How should one put it? It was indeed a bit disrespectful.

Shaking his head slightly, Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on the matter.

Since he couldn’t get the EAST device, he would still have to find a way to solve the problem of verifying the plasma turbulence numerical control model later.

Of course, if he personally made a trip to Beijing or wrote a letter to the elderly man, the matter could still be resolved.

But doing so would mean completely and utterly offending the other party.

While he wasn’t afraid of offending people, he didn’t have the time or the leisure to waste on infighting with his own people.

After all, the other man was nominally the overall director of the Tokamak route in China. If they really threw all decorum aside and he started causing trouble, Xu Chuan wouldn’t be able to get anything else done.

Rather than that, it was better to think of other solutions.

Besides, the controlled nuclear fusion project was just one of his goals. If possible, he wanted to try and achieve the dreams from his past life that he hadn’t completed, such as gravitons, dark matter, and interstellar development.

Controlled nuclear fusion was merely the first step toward his dream.

Humanity must eventually leave Earth, and if possible, Xu Chuan wanted to see that era realized in his own hands.

Seeing that Xu Chuan showed no major emotional fluctuations, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

On their way back, they had been discussing how to tell Xu Chuan about this. After all, relatively speaking, he was truly young. To achieve so many top-tier results at a young age, it was normal for him to be spirited.

Of course, if one isn’t spirited when young, when will one ever be?

So they had been worried that he would, in a fit of pique, go and confront Chen Mingji personally, or go straight to Beijing to report him.

No matter which course of action he chose, neither would be a good thing. A conflict would inevitably disrupt the normal development of the controlled nuclear fusion field in China.

If a Nobel and Fields dual prize winner and the leader of China’s controlled nuclear fusion field truly threw all decorum aside and stood in opposition, the personnel in the domestic fusion field would surely be thrown into a state of panic. It might even drag in factions from other fields to crush each other in struggles, which would not be good for anyone.

Fortunately, he was more level-headed than they had imagined.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and then asked, “From the current situation, it seems we can’t count on the EAST device in Luyang. In that case, should we wait for our own fusion pile to be built, or should we think of other solutions?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop. After a moment of thought, he smiled. “All roads lead to Rome. There are still other ways. If we don’t have EAST, there are other options.”

Chapter 356: The Problem Is, I Don’t Want to Waste Time!

As the overall director of a super project like controlled nuclear fusion, Xu Chuan had to prepare at least two contingency plans when considering critical issues.

For the practical control test of the plasma turbulence numerical control model, he had also considered various scenarios.

If the application for the EAST device in Luyang was approved, that would be for the best.

After all, the EAST device was very well-developed and could complete the entire testing process to the fullest extent.

If Luyang refused, he would still need some other methods.

Of course, these alternatives would certainly not be as perfect as using the EAST device in Luyang, and the timeline would also be somewhat delayed.

On the sofa, hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Peng Hongxi sat up straight. “What are your thoughts?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I have a few ideas, I’m just not sure which one is more suitable.”

Beside them, Gao Hongming asked, “Academician Xu, please tell us. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll certainly do our best.”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then said, “The first method is to ‘borrow’ a controlled nuclear fusion reactor to complete the experiment. This would be the fastest way.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming both looked over with puzzled expressions.

They had both read the previous materials. Currently, within China, only the EAST device in Luyang was capable of conducting a practical test of the plasma turbulence numerical control model.

Other experimental reactors were either too old, only usable as test reactors, or were still under construction and not yet completed.

Xu Chuan glanced at the two of them and continued, “Although currently in China only the EAST device in Luyang can complete ignition and plasma operation experiments, China isn’t the only country in the world researching controlled nuclear fusion reactors.”

“Perhaps we can try to make a deal with another country.”

After a pause, he added, “If this method succeeds, it should be the fastest. But it has its drawbacks.”

“A control model for high-temperature, high-pressure plasma turbulence is extremely important in controlled nuclear fusion technology. If we apply to use another country’s experimental reactor for control experiments, it will, to some extent, expose our fusion progress.”

Hearing this, both Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming frowned slightly.

The first method Xu Chuan proposed was indeed feasible, and if successful, it would likely be the fastest.

However, the drawback was just as he said: it would, to some extent, expose the country’s research progress in controlled nuclear fusion, which might attract the attention and vigilance of other nations.

After some thought, Peng Hongxi asked, “What about the other methods?”

Xu Chuan spoke calmly, “Buy one!”

“Buy a complete controlled nuclear fusion reactor directly from abroad!”

“The Tokamak device was the previous mainstream research path internationally. Many countries have studied it. We don’t need to buy their latest equipment; buying their decommissioned equipment would be sufficient.”

“As long as it can perform ignition experiments and plasma turbulence control, that’s enough. After we buy it, we can then modify it. This is also a relatively quick method, it just costs a bit of money.”

Peng Hongxi considered it for a moment and said, “This is indeed a workable solution, but the funds required will be substantial, and we might not even be able to buy one.”

“After all, it’s a controlled nuclear fusion reactor. Even if it’s decommissioned, it still has high research value. If we’re just using money, we might not necessarily be able to acquire it.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Then what if we add technology? For example, using the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material as a bargaining chip.”

Peng Hongxi glanced at Xu Chuan and said softly, “But isn’t this material your own technology?”

For a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, superconducting materials are also a critical core component.

A high-performance, high-temperature superconducting material could not only save a huge amount of money but also improve the control performance of the controlled nuclear fusion reactor to a certain extent.

If the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was used as one of the technologies in a trade, many countries would surely be tempted.

After all, although a decommissioned controlled nuclear fusion reactor is valuable, it’s not something that absolutely cannot be sold.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, however, was different. Currently, among all superconducting materials on the market, it could be said to dominate others in terms of critical temperature, critical magnetic field, and critical current.

If this material were used to make the magnetic field confinement generator for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, the most direct change would be that the superconducting materials, which originally required liquid helium for cooling, could be replaced with liquid nitrogen.

And the price of liquid helium is more than a hundred times that of liquid nitrogen.

This point alone could save a large sum of money.

More importantly, a magnetic confinement device made with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material could generate a stronger confinement magnetic field. This is also extremely important for controlled nuclear fusion.

However, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was a national project, while the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was the private property of the young man before him.

If it were sold, considering the amount of high-temperature superconducting material needed for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, it would involve funds of at least several hundred million, or even more.

Using one’s private property to make a deal, in exchange for a decommissioned controlled nuclear fusion reactor to advance a national project… Peng Hongxi had never seen such a thing, at least not a contribution on this massive scale.

For most people, it was already commendable not to try to pocket the nation’s assets, let alone subsidize the country with their own.

Beside him, Gao Hongming wasn’t thinking about these things, or perhaps he had, but he knew the country would definitely not let this academician suffer a loss.

“Um, Academician Xu, isn’t the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material very helpful for controlled nuclear fusion? If we use it in a trade, wouldn’t it also significantly boost the development progress of other countries?”

Compared to Peng Hongxi, he was more concerned with whether China’s controlled nuclear fusion efforts could stay ahead of other countries.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Although the performance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is excellent, it’s not without alternatives.”

“A controlled nuclear fusion reactor is different from a large particle collider. The latter pursues the ultimate in magnetic field control, while the former just needs to be able to confine the high-temperature plasma turbulence in the chamber.”

“Besides, it was intended to be sold externally anyway, so it doesn’t really affect things. Don’t worry, this isn’t a major issue.”

Hearing this, Gao Hongming thought for a moment and nodded. “In that case, buying a device is indeed feasible.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Actually, it doesn’t have to be from abroad; a domestic one would work too. I’ve previously looked at the performance parameters of some Tokamak devices under construction, and they meet the requirements. It’s just that the hope of buying one domestically is probably even slimmer than buying from abroad.”

To be honest, China had quite a few Tokamak devices, but half were for experimental research and couldn’t be ignited, only used for some experiments. The other half were under construction.

Although most of those under construction met the requirements, he couldn’t just dismantle someone else’s project equipment to solve his own problem.

As for decommissioned old equipment, China didn’t have any that met the requirements for now. After all, China’s development in controlled nuclear fusion was still relatively young.

What’s more, the person in charge of the Tokamak field in China was still Chen Mingji from Luyang. Without his nod of approval, a purchase would probably be impossible.

He couldn’t possibly escalate this to the higher-ups over something so minor, could he?

Even if he did, the higher-ups probably wouldn’t agree. At best, they would help mediate and see if they could cooperate with other research institutions.

But that would bring the problem back to square one.

The authority in China’s controlled nuclear fusion field was almost entirely in Chen Mingji’s hands. If he disagreed, or if he sabotaged the cooperation, the subsequent experiments couldn’t proceed.

So rather than get entangled in domestic affairs, Xu Chuan felt it was better to buy directly from abroad.

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment, frowning slightly as he asked, “Buying one is certainly possible, but is it really that urgent? Perhaps we could take it slow and build one ourselves?”

Xu Chuan shook his head gently. “It is urgent.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Let me say something you might not believe. Even though our research has just started, in my view, we are already at the forefront of the world.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming were both stunned and looked over in surprise.

Xu Chuan gave a faint smile and said, “The control model for high-temperature plasma turbulence is the most crucial technology in controlled nuclear fusion.”

“And in this aspect, I can guarantee that no country or any laboratory researching controlled nuclear fusion technology in the world can compare with us.”

“As long as we have a reactor, I’m confident I can break the world’s operational records in a short period of time!”

“So I don’t want to waste time building a reactor for experiments. Two years is enough time for us to get a whole lot done.”

“Using money to save time is completely worth it, in my opinion.”

After hearing this, Peng Hongxi let out a long breath. He knew he definitely couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so he asked, “Do you have any targets for the purchase?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “France’s Tore Supra superconducting fusion device, Russia’s T-15 fusion reactor, Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics’ old ASDEX device, and the United States’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Alcator C-Mod compact fusion reactor.”

“For now, I’m considering negotiating for one of these four. The Alcator C-Mod compact fusion reactor and the ASDEX fusion reactor are the two I’m most optimistic about.”

“They each have their own unique advantages. The former is the world’s only compact, high-magnetic-field nuclear fusion Tokamak device, while the latter, due to the deep foundations of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, has relatively more complete equipment, making modifications easier.”

“Moreover, both are currently in a state of full decommissioning, which would make negotiations easier.”

“Of course, if you have other considerations or choices, you can say so, and we can discuss it.”

Peng Hongxi thought it over and asked, “Buying one back isn’t a problem, and spending a bit of money is a small matter. But we are also building a fusion reactor ourselves right now. Although it will take another two or three years to be fully completed, two or three years isn’t long for a project like controlled nuclear fusion. Won’t two fusion reactors be a bit redundant then?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s fine. If we decide to purchase a fusion reactor, I will adjust the project at Qixia Mountain accordingly.”

“Oh?” Peng Hongxi murmured softly, looking over.

Xu Chuan continued, “If the purchase is successful, I will modify the plans for the fusion reactor at the Qixia project base and design it directly as a large-scale demonstration reactor!”

“If everything goes smoothly, this will also be the first commercial reactor! It could then be transformed to provide electricity for Nanjing and even the entire Jiangsu Province.”

Hearing this, both Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming couldn’t help but gasp, utterly shocked.

This change, even for them, could be described as extremely crazy.

Although test reactor, experimental reactor, demonstration reactor, and commercial reactor all refer to controlled nuclear fusion reactors, the concepts are completely different.

A test reactor can normally only be used for phased or specific types of research.

For example, most of China’s older equipment, like the HL-1 Tokamak, primarily researched aspects such as auxiliary heating and drive systems, pellet injection systems, and supersonic molecular beam injection fueling technology.

An experimental reactor is more complete, like the EAST device, which can conduct a full set of fusion experiments and has a full set of equipment, excluding actual power generation operations.

Of course, any experimental device that can meet the most basic experimental needs for plasma experiments is called an experimental reactor. Theoretically, a test reactor and an experimental reactor are similar. However, they can be distinguished by their level of completeness.

As for demonstration and commercial reactors, those are on another level entirely.

The standard for a demonstration reactor is “a device that achieves a series of controlled nuclear fusion processes, from plasma confinement to fusion reaction to electrical energy output.”

The world’s first controlled nuclear fusion experimental reactor was the Williams Hampton Fusion Laboratory (WIFER) in Great Britain, built in 1956. Research on controlled nuclear fusion has been going on for over seventy years since then.

To this day, various countries have produced countless experimental reactors, from magnetic confinement to inertial confinement, from Tokamaks to Stellarators, and laser fusion devices.

The total number of experimental reactors worldwide is well over three digits.

But whether it’s the United States, China, or the European Union, no country or institution has been able to complete the construction of a demonstration reactor for controlled nuclear fusion.

Plans for demonstration reactors currently exist only in PowerPoint presentations and planning schedules.

Therefore, Xu Chuan’s idea of directly building the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project into a demonstration reactor left both men feeling shocked and that it was insane.

Gulping, Peng Hongxi asked with a hint of hesitation and concern, “Switching directly to a demonstration reactor, isn’t that a bit too fast? We haven’t even finished the experimental reactor yet.”

It had to be said, this young man before him was truly courageous, or rather, crazy.

Without even completing an experimental reactor or making any breakthrough achievements, he was already thinking of going all the way to a demonstration reactor in one step.

If he didn’t know the man’s character and academic integrity, Peng Hongxi would have suspected he had gone mad.

After all, this arrangement and plan sounded too insane.

Xu Chuan smiled. “It is a bit fast, but I’m definitely confident.”

“Besides, it’s not that urgent right now. The park is still under construction, and the related equipment is still being procured. This is just a temporary idea. If it doesn’t work out, we can change it later.”

“The key now is how we test the plasma turbulence model we have. This is a crucial step in the controlled nuclear fusion project. If we can take this key step, we’re not actually that far from a demonstration reactor.”

“As for other issues, we can work on them with the experimental reactor we buy. Just think of it as spending some extra money to save the time we would have spent on construction.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi nodded. Considering it this way, buying a device was indeed a good idea.

After some thought, he said, “If that’s the case, then the arrangements for purchasing the equipment must be put on the agenda. For us, the sooner we get the equipment, the better.”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment. “Besides the fusion reactor, the numerical control model for plasma turbulence requires a large supercomputer to run, so the daily construction of the supercomputer center also needs to be moved up. A timeframe of about six months to a year would be appropriate.”

“As for the time in between, once we’ve confirmed which device we can purchase, we can first build the optimized components for modifying the reactor, such as the superconducting plasma operating track and superconducting coils.”

“As soon as the equipment arrives, we can assemble and test it immediately.”

“According to the lunar calendar, it’s the end of 2019. If all goes well, we should be able to launch the first round of ignition experiments in early 2021.”

Chapter 357: A Deal with CERN

After preliminarily settling on one of the various plans, Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming temporarily departed to make preparations.

As for Xu Chuan, he opened his computer and clicked on his email client.

His fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard as he composed and sent an email.

The recipient was Professor Tillman Randt of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

Professor Tillman Randt was a German physicist who currently served as a director at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. The two had met a few times at CERN, where they had exchanged academic views and contact information.

Through him, Xu Chuan should be able to contact the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and complete the purchase negotiations for the old ASDEX device.

Of the four controlled nuclear fusion reactors he had slated for purchase, he was most optimistic about the old ASDEX device from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and the Alcator C-Mod compact fusion reactor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The ASDEX device was very well-developed. Moreover, he was relatively familiar with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, knew their situation, and was in a position to negotiate.

As for the Alcator C-Mod compact fusion reactor, the United States Department of Energy had decided to halt its operation due to economic and budgetary pressures.

Starting in 2012, C-Mod had now been shut down for seven years. Coupled with the increasing downturn in the United States’ economy, any plans to restart it were nowhere in sight.

Therefore, there was also a chance he could buy it, but this would require the nation’s help.

As for which one to choose, it would depend on which deal could be successfully negotiated and which was more suitable.

Only if he failed to secure a deal for both the ASDEX device and the C-Mod device would he consider the other two options.

Professor Tillman Randt’s reply came much faster than Xu Chuan had anticipated.

In the afternoon, Xu Chuan received a notification in his inbox. Professor Tillman Randt’s email expressed curiosity, asking why he wanted to purchase the ASDEX device.

Of course, Professor Tillman Randt was also very interested in the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. If possible, he hoped the two could have a video call to discuss it.

Upon receiving the email, Xu Chuan quickly replied, scheduling a time for a video call.

Since Professor Tillman Randt was interested in the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material today, there was a good chance the purchase of the old ASDEX device could be negotiated.

After scheduling the video call, Xu Chuan returned to the laboratory. Just as he was about to enter and speed up the optimization process for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, he received a call from CERN.

The call was from Professor David Gross, the Director of the CERN Council.

“Xu, long time no see. Congratulations on your election to the title of Academician of both Academies.”

Gross offered his congratulations with a smile. He was, in fact, also an academician in China, having been elected as a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011.

Of course, the title of foreign academician was more of an honorific and a lifetime achievement. The biggest difference from local academicians was that they couldn’t mobilize the vast domestic resources in the same way.

However, it was precisely because of his title as a foreign academician that Gross knew how much influence and what vast resources an academician in China could command—something the title of US National Academician could not compare to.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Thank you. How are things at CERN lately?”

Gross sighed and shook his head. “Not so good. We haven’t made any progress in our search for dark matter and dark energy. You were right back then; with the LHC’s current capabilities, finding dark matter and dark energy is likely an impossible task.”

After a pause, he continued, “Witten told me you recently developed a new type of high-temperature superconducting material? And that you want to make a deal with CERN?”

Gross didn’t waste any time, getting straight to the point.

Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s right. The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. Care to consider it?”

Gross replied, “Witten has already shown me the superconductivity parameters and data for this material. Based on the data, I can’t deny that it is indeed excellent.”

“But upgrading the LHC is no small matter. Although the 20T critical magnetic field superconductivity is indeed very tempting, the Council will likely favor a more stable material. Yours was developed in too short a time.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “A short development time doesn’t necessarily mean anything. A superior material can further enhance the LHC’s performance. I believe the CERN Council will consider it.”

Hearing this, Gross nodded, not denying it. “Indeed, a superior material is more attractive. But the LHC carries the hopes of more than half of the theoretical physics community. This upgrade, in particular, is crucial for the future search for dark matter and dark energy. So even if I personally lean towards the superior material you have, it might not pass the Council’s deliberations.”

Xu Chuan frowned slightly. “Compared to the superconducting material offered by Japan, the performance of the copper-carbon-silver composite material I have is clearly superior. Is that still not enough to convince the Council?”

Gross sighed. “If you had developed this material about half a year earlier, it probably wouldn’t be an issue.”

“The problem now is that your superconducting material has appeared too recently. A new material that hasn’t been verified makes people wary. On the other hand, the BI material from Japan has been around for nearly a year, and many manufacturers are already using it.”

“So, the Council will likely lean towards a more stable material.”

“What’s more, your material currently only exists in the laboratory and has not yet been mass-produced.”

“The journey from the laboratory to mass production is also quite a long one. CERN cannot gamble its hopes on this. After all, CERN doesn’t belong to me. Although the supervisors from the member states don’t usually get involved in day-to-day management, our funding comes from them.”

“If the supervisors strongly object, the Council will also have to consider their opinions.”

“Of course, I will do my best to push for it at the Council meeting.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I understand. That’s perfectly normal. For a large-scale collider like the LHC, stability is naturally a key consideration for any upgrade.”

After a pause, he continued, “However, I think that if we’re to search for traces of dark matter and dark energy, simply upgrading the collision energy level might not be enough.”

Hearing this, David Gross raised his eyebrows and asked, “What do you think we should do?”

Although the timing of this suggestion seemed a bit suspicious—as if meant to snatch the superconducting material contract—he had to take anything related to the search for dark matter and dark energy seriously.

After all, in the entire field of high-energy physics, when it came to in-depth research on sterile neutrinos, dark matter, and dark energy, if the young man on the other end of the line claimed to be second, no one would dare claim to be first.

The discovery of sterile neutrinos and the related theoretical data were all his work. In the field connecting conventional matter and dark matter, his opinions and theories had to be seriously considered not just by CERN, but by the entire physics community.

Coupled with his research in mathematical physics and his ability to use mathematical methods to explore physical particles, his capabilities in the field of high-energy physics were, if not number one, at least in the top three.

In the latter half of last year, wasn’t it precisely because of his outstanding abilities that he, Witten, and others had personally gone to China to invite him to participate in CERN’s future exploration work?

Xu Chuan: “Compared to the collision energy level, I think optimizing the detectors might be more appropriate.”

“Blindly increasing the collision energy level is not the solution. Because sometimes, the problem may not be that the collision energy is insufficient, but that our observation methods are relatively outdated, so that even if it appears, we can’t see it.”

Gross thought for a moment. “If that’s the case, what aspects do you think our detectors should be upgraded in?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s not part of the free consultation.”

“Actually, compared to upgrading CERN, I think building a large particle collider in China might be more in line with my goals.”

“And I’ve previously discussed this with the government. China does have the intention of building a large particle collider, especially after the discovery of the sterile neutrino. The higher-ups approached me and asked if it was necessary to build one.”

“It’s just that I have some other projects I’m busy with right now, and China doesn’t have a large number of physicists at the moment, so the plan to build a collider has been postponed.”

“If our country were to build a large particle collider, I believe that with China’s infrastructure capabilities, the construction speed would be faster than upgrading the LHC. And with me here, I am confident that the discovery of dark matter and dark energy will happen here before it does at CERN.”

On the other end of the line, David Gross fell silent for a moment.

To be honest, what he said was true.

With China’s capabilities, if they decided to build a large particle collider now, going all out would probably allow them to finish before CERN even completed its LHC upgrade.

And the man on the phone probably intended from the very beginning to keep the glory of discovering dark matter and dark energy in China.

CERN was able to secure funding for the upgrade so smoothly in part because the discovery and refinement of the Higgs boson provided value, and in part because the discovery of the sterile neutrino offered future prospects.

Dark matter and dark energy represented a completely new target, a direction beyond the Standard Model.

Without the emergence of this direction, CERN would likely not have secured upgrade funds so easily.

Currently, the LHC was the only large particle collider in the world, so various countries had no choice but to concentrate their high-energy physics funding in this area.

But if news came out that China was building a large particle collider, it would certainly be a blow to CERN, and soliciting funds in the future would likely become more difficult.

After some thought, David Gross spoke: “If CERN purchases the high-temperature superconducting material you have, will you provide the direction and technology for upgrading the detectors?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That would depend on how much CERN purchases.”

“Actually, for CERN, this is by no means a losing deal. Believe me, you will be satisfied with the performance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

“And regarding its performance and stability, I can provide a guarantee. All of this can be written into the contract. If any problems arise due to the superconducting material itself, I can take responsibility, and even provide compensation.”

Gross was silent for a moment, then said, “I will bring this matter up again at the next Council meeting.”

He had to admit, the young man’s words had indeed made him change his mind. He had originally called with the intention of politely declining.

As he had said during their conversation, from a practical standpoint, the CERN Council was more inclined to use the already established BI high-temperature superconducting material for the LHC upgrade, even if its superconducting performance was inferior to the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

But for a large-scale project like this, stable completion according to the projected plan was the most important thing.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Director Gross.”

Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan looked at the dark screen and smiled.

To be honest, he was being a bit cunning this time.

He was well aware of the LHC’s upgrade history. In his past life, the first LHC upgrade had failed to help him find any trace of dark matter and dark energy. The reason wasn’t insufficient collision energy, but inadequate detector performance.

Later, the LHC’s detectors were upgraded and optimized with new technology, which finally led to the discovery of traces and data of dark matter and dark energy.

And he was very clear about the upgrade path and technology for the LHC’s detectors.

In other words, he wasn’t trading his own technology, but rather technology from CERN’s own future.

Of course, for CERN, this wasn’t really a loss.

On one hand, there was time. He could bring them the detector optimization plan several years ahead of schedule. In science, every second counts.

A few years’ head start could potentially lead to the discovery of even more成果.

On the other hand, the performance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he possessed was indeed superior to the island nation’s Bi superconducting material.

Of course, he was still holding back some other things regarding large particle colliders.

After all, once he completed the controlled nuclear fusion project, the large particle collider project would also be initiated. He needed to retain some key technologies to ensure that the domestic collider would surpass CERN’s LHC in performance.

Only then could he attract numerous physicists from all over the world to work for him, and for China.

As for the discovery of dark matter and dark energy, he did initially have the idea of keeping it for his home country.

But now, he had encountered some difficulties with the controlled nuclear fusion project, and he needed more leverage to ensure he could trade for a reactor from Germany or the United States.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was key. He needed to ensure its performance and status to complete the purchase smoothly.

And a purchase order from CERN would undoubtedly be a guarantee of quality.

As for the discovery of dark matter and dark energy, it didn’t matter if he let CERN have it.

He still had the more important graviton theory to come.

Compared to dark matter and dark energy, if the graviton were discovered, that would be what truly changes the course of human development, allowing humanity to transition from a planetary civilization to an interstellar one.

Chapter 358: Oh No, There’s a ‘Bad Guy’ in Our Ranks!

Meanwhile, in Germany.

Inside the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Professor Tillman Randt was in discussion with the institute’s administrative staff.

The Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics is a branch of the Max Planck Institute, the latter of which is a major basic research institution that ranks among the top five, or even the top three, in the world.

This massive research institute was founded in 1948 and named after the famous physicist Max Planck.

To this day, it has a staggering eighty-three branch institutes and research facilities under its name, with research fields including astronomy, astrophysics, chemistry, biology, solid-state research, genetic ecology, botanical research, and more.

It covers almost the majority of scientific research fields in human civilization.

In this respect, even institutions like the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, CERN, and the Helmholtz Association pale in comparison.

In terms of total research output (un-cited or influenced), the Max Planck Institute is surpassed only by China’s Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Harvard University.

This alone is a testament to the institute’s standing in the scientific community.

And indeed, this was the case. Leaving other fields aside, in the branch of plasma physics alone, it possessed several controlled nuclear fusion reactors.

From Tokamak devices to Stellarator devices, and even pebble-bed, inertial confinement, and laser ignition devices, it had them all.

Not only did it have them, but in the realms of Tokamak and Stellarator devices, it had fully entered the second generation.

For instance, its Wendelstein 7-X created a record for long-pulse high-temperature plasma operation exceeding one hundred seconds in 2018, and by the end of 2019, it set an even more astonishing record of a full six-minute operation time.

This was a new world record for this type of stellarator, one that remains unbroken to this day.

The new ASDEX device currently under construction also set a new record for the configuration of a national Tokamak device, second only to the international joint ITER project’s Tokamak.

In the study of controlled nuclear fusion, only the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had truly achieved a multi-pronged approach.

As for the others, the United States focused on inertial confinement and stellarators, while China placed its bets on tokamaks. In other areas, they were generally no match for the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

Of course, this was also related to Europe’s desperate need for energy.

They were abnormally reliant on oil and natural gas imports from Russia. If a conflict were to arise in the future and Russia were to tighten the tap, the whole of Europe would suffer immensely.

Therefore, compared to the United States and China, Europe was more eager to find a new path in energy.

This included the previous trade with China for the “Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy Technology,” which was also done in the hope that nuclear energy could solve the energy crisis.

Inside a conference room at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Professor Tillman Randt was doing his utmost to report and persuade.

“Judging from the last run of the Wendelstein 7-X, we have not achieved our ideal goals on the stellarator path. Although the water-cooled divertor performed its function stably, the rate of first wall temperature increase due to the confinement of plasma turbulence in the chamber over time still exceeded our expectations.”

“This is a control issue with the plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber, and we’ve already communicated this during the last report.”

“We need stronger control methods. Whether it’s optimizing the control model or using higher-performance superconducting materials to create a stronger magnetic field, both are viable solutions.”

Across the desk, a middle-aged man in a suit frowned. “It’s meaningless to discuss these things. What I need is a solution, not wasting time on empty talk.”

“You must understand, we don’t have much time left. If we can’t achieve an operation time of at least thirty minutes this year, the Parliament will definitely cut funding for the controlled nuclear fusion project.”

“Especially now that the Department of Energy has acquired the ‘Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy Technology’ from China, withdrawing investment from controlled fusion and putting it into nuclear fission is obviously a more worthwhile venture.”

Professor Tillman Randt nodded. “Of course. The purpose of inviting everyone here today is that we have already found a viable solution.”

“What solution?”

Tillman Randt replied, “It is once again related to that Professor Xu who developed the ‘Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy Technology’!”

“Not long ago, his Chuanhai Materials Research Institute held a press conference on a high-temperature superconducting material. At the conference, they announced a new type of high-temperature superconductor that can provide a critical magnetic field of over 20T, which is more than three times that of the superconducting material we are currently using.”

“And a 20T critical magnetic field control could, in theory, greatly enhance our Wendelstein 7-X’s control over plasma turbulence.”

“You should know that the stronger the confinement field, the more stable the plasma turbulence becomes.”

“If we can acquire this high-temperature superconducting material, achieving an operation time of more than thirty minutes would be a breeze. In fact, based on theoretical calculations, with this material, we could even break the one-hour operation mark!”

“If we can do that, we will have enough capital to continue requesting research funding from the Parliament and the EU.”

Upon hearing this, another middle-aged man across the desk tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “I’ve seen news reports about that high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. Based on the data released, its performance is indeed excellent.”

“However, for such an important superconducting material, I’m afraid that Professor Xu won’t export it. Or rather, even if he wanted to, China would stop him, right? Or at the very least, they would have to satisfy domestic demand before considering exporting it.”

“And what we lack now is time. We only have the year 2020.”

Professor Tillman Randt smiled. “You can leave that to me. I got in touch with Professor Xu two days ago. If we make some concessions, he can provide us with a batch of materials before June 2020.”

“What are the conditions?”

“He wants our retired old ASDEX device!”

Hearing this, the middle-aged director asked curiously, “What does he need the ASDEX device for? Is he also starting research on controlled nuclear fusion?”

“If I remember correctly, China has a Tokamak device that is by no means weaker than our ASDEX device, right?”

Professor Tillman Randt nodded. “Indeed. The performance of China’s EAST device is, according to the data, slightly stronger than the old ASDEX device.”

“However…”

After a pause, he said with a smile, “You know how it is. The leader of controlled nuclear fusion in China is not him, but another Academician named Chen Mingji.”

“Compared to us, the academic monopoly in that country is a bit more severe. So, that Professor Xu is currently facing some trouble. He urgently needs a more versatile fusion device.”

The middle-aged director nodded in understanding. He could comprehend Professor Tillman Randt’s explanation.

China’s research capabilities were actually very strong, but the divisions between internal factions were quite serious. The phenomenon of their own people causing trouble for each other far surpassed that of other countries.

Professor Tillman Randt continued, “However, our old ASDEX device is not his only option. After all, the Tokamak was the mainstream route, and many countries have studied it.”

“When I talked to him about this two days ago, he revealed that he is also in contact with the United States regarding their currently decommissioned Alcator C-Mod compact fusion reactor.”

Here, Tillman Randt used a little trick, using Xu Chuan’s contact with other sellers to create a sense of urgency in the higher-ups.

After all, they were the ones who more desperately needed a higher-performance superconducting material to provide a stronger magnetic field to confine the plasma, in order to meet their goals and ensure their funding wasn’t cut by the Parliament.

In reality, however, Xu Chuan had not yet contacted the Alcator team.

As expected, upon hearing his words, the middle-aged director fell into deep thought.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “The old ASDEX device isn’t something that can’t be sold or traded, but its value is very high. It cost us hundreds of millions to build. If we’re just trading for high-temperature superconducting materials, we’d be taking a huge loss.”

“Also, Professor Xu’s high-temperature superconducting material is currently only in the laboratory stage; it can’t be mass-produced yet. Are you sure he can provide a batch of superconducting material sufficient for the Wendelstein 7-X upgrade before June?”

Hearing this, a trace of joy surged in Tillman Randt’s heart. He knew that since there was no outright rejection, it meant there was room for discussion.

However, he did not let it show on his face. He thought for a moment before speaking, “Indeed. Even though the old ASDEX device is retired, it is still quite advanced.”

“How about this, I will go and discuss it with Professor Xu again. If he is interested, he will need to pay a suitable amount of money as well.”

“As for the production volume issue, don’t worry about that. We can write it into the contract. If he fails to provide the materials by June, he will have to pay a large sum in liquidated damages.”

“Although there may be some disputes at that time, I believe that with the capabilities of the Max Planck Institute, it won’t be difficult to collect this penalty.”

“Besides, our new ASDEX device is also under construction. If we can reach a deal, we might also have the opportunity to upgrade it with more powerful superconducting materials.”

The middle-aged director pondered for a moment and then said, “If that’s the case, we can make contact. But I, or the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, cannot accept a trade using only superconducting materials and funds.”

“We cannot sell the ASDEX device on the cheap. Even though it’s retired, it still has a lot of advanced technology. And according to the rules of trade in the controlled nuclear fusion field, it’s technology for technology.”

“If we are to make a deal, the demand needs to be raised. We need to trade for the technology of the ‘high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material’.”

In fact, selling controlled nuclear fusion reactors was not unprecedented in the field; it could even be said to be quite frequent.

This was especially true in the international cooperative ITER project, where exchanges of technology for technology, and technology for funds, were particularly common.

After all, controlled nuclear fusion had been in development for decades. Europe, in particular, had invested heavily in this area. Bearing the long-term burden of such a super project was difficult even for a major economic power like Germany.

Therefore, it was quite normal to use the resulting technology to make exchanges with countries that were developing controlled nuclear fusion technology later on, in return for research funding and other technologies.

A project like controlled nuclear fusion was a constant drain with no returns. No country could bear it alone.

Hearing this, Tillman Randt frowned slightly. “That might be difficult. After all, in the Tokamak field, China’s capabilities are no weaker than ours.”

“How about this? I’ll lead a team to China. On one hand, we can learn more about the high-temperature superconducting material, and on the other hand, we can meet face-to-face to discuss.”

The middle-aged director thought for a moment, then nodded. “No problem. Go and talk first. Technology for technology is an unspoken rule in the controlled nuclear fusion trade. I believe that Professor Xu should understand this.”

If nothing else, he was confident in the capabilities of the Max Planck Institute. This was the basis for his confidence in trading the old ASDEX device.

As for that Professor Xu’s character, it seemed reliable for now. At least, there had been no negative news about him.

If it weren’t for the internal strife among that country’s own people, it would likely be much more difficult for them to trade for the high-temperature superconducting material.

Of course, what the middle-aged director didn’t expect was that there was a ‘bad guy’ within their own ranks.

Tillman Randt, the very person in charge of the controlled nuclear fusion reactor’s research progress, was the biggest ‘bad guy’.

It was clearly Xu Chuan who had proposed the trade first, but in his telling, it became the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics that was in greater need of the high-temperature superconducting material.

Overall, however, if the deal was right, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics wouldn’t actually be at a loss.

Professor Tillman Randt was also wholeheartedly dedicated to advancing the research and development of controlled nuclear fusion.

After all, the old ASDEX device was already retired. It could still be used for some experiments now, but in ten or twenty years, its fate was likely to be a museum.

What’s more, their focus was actually on the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator. If they could exchange a retired product for a critical material to advance the stellarator’s progress, it was also worthwhile.

Coming out of the conference room, Professor Tillman Randt eagerly returned to his office and sent an email to Xu Chuan.

After receiving the email, a smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

It seemed that the communication with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had gone much more smoothly than he had imagined. Perhaps there was hope of acquiring the old ASDEX device.

Providing a batch of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, at least enough for the Wendelstein 7-X upgrade, by June, and paying some money, was not a problem.

The Qixia controlled nuclear fusion project had just begun, and he hadn’t spent much of his funds yet. He could use a portion of the funds as a down payment to get the old ASDEX device first. After achieving results, he would be qualified to ask the higher-ups for more funding.

He knew very well that in academia, results were always more persuasive than anything else.

If he could push the operating time of controlled nuclear fusion to half an hour or even over an hour, the country would definitely support him with all its might.

Funding, naturally, would not be an issue.

As for technology for technology, that required some consideration.

If there was a breakthrough in the optimization of the high-temperature superconducting material before the Chinese New Year, it wouldn’t be a loss to trade this old, flawed superconductor technology for the ASDEX device.

After all, the technologies on the ASDEX device, such as the divertor and water-cooling equipment, were still quite advanced. Even if they weren’t as good as those used on the Wendelstein 7-X, they were still superior to most other equipment.

As for the specific negotiations, with the initial communication proving effective, he could let others handle it while he controlled the overall situation.

There was about a month left until the Chinese New Year. If possible, he wanted to take advantage of the time that Academician Zhang Pingxiang was still around this year to advance the optimization of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

He wasn’t asking to optimize it to the point where it could be stretched as freely as metal, but at the very least, its brittleness and toughness had to be improved so that it could be applied to equipment with less demanding operating conditions.

If he waited until after the Chinese New Year when Academician Zhang Pingxiang had left, it would be much more difficult for him to achieve a breakthrough on his own.

Chapter 359: Another Breakthrough in Superconducting Materials

After dealing with matters at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Xu Chuan returned to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and joined Academician Zhang Pingxiang’s work. The two of them delved into discussing, understanding, and researching methods and routes to optimize the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

With the assistance of other researchers at the institute, a new idea or route would be immediately put to the test in an experiment to obtain results.

The entire Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, centered around him and Zhang Pingxiang, was running at full capacity, completely focused on researching the optimization path for the superconducting material.

The days passed one by one.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived. In about ten more days, it would be the Lunar New Year again.

However, the efforts of the past month or so had not been fruitless.

On the path of graphene whisker (fiber) toughening, he and Zhang Pingxiang, working together through discussion and repeated experiments, had finally achieved a milestone.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan, dressed in a white lab coat, held a glass dish in his wide palm. Inside lay a small, thin film.

This was the product he and Academician Zhang Pingxiang had optimized in the last few days using whisker (fiber) toughening technology.

First, he carefully observed it with his naked eye. The silvery-gray film in the dish didn’t seem to look much different from the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he had initially researched.

However, graphene itself is remarkably transparent, with a light transmittance of over 97.7%. With few layers, it is practically invisible when attached to a material.

“Is this the latest finished product? How is its optimized performance? Has it been tested?”

Pinching the thin film, Xu Chuan examined it carefully for a moment before looking up to ask.

Beside him, Academician Zhang Pingxiang spoke up: “It’s not ideal, but it’s a significant improvement over doping with zirconium oxide.”

“The one in your hand is our best product so far. At the same thickness level, its toughness can reach that of a phone screen protector made from a combination of a polyester substrate and tempered glass. It can withstand an impact energy of about 2.5 J/m³, and its elastic modulus can reach 128.78 GPa.”

“At the same time, its superconducting properties have diminished somewhat, possibly due to instability in the lab’s processing. According to statistics, the Critical Temperature (Tc) and critical magnetic field have both decreased by about ten to fifteen percent. The change in the critical current and current density is not very significant.”

“On the other hand, the thermal conductivity has improved quite a bit. The piece you’re holding has been tested. The original core material had a thermal conductivity of around 570 W/m·K, but after toughening, it increased to around 987 W/m·K, nearly double.”

“This is likely related to the toughening graphene film material. As you know, graphene itself has extremely high thermal conductivity.”

Zhang Pingxiang briefly introduced the newly researched product. Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “A fifteen percent decrease in Tc and critical magnetic field is still acceptable. The increase in thermal conductivity is a pleasant surprise.”

“Superconducting magnets are key to magnetic confinement controlled nuclear fusion technology. Whether it’s the Tokamak or Stellarator technical route, both require powerful magnetic fields to confine plasma heated to hundreds of millions of degrees.”

“The improvement in thermal conductivity will aid the speed of liquid nitrogen cooling, helping to better maintain stability.”

“It’s already a good improvement compared to before the whisker toughening. You have other test samples, right?”

Zhang Pingxiang nodded. “Yes, we do.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan reached out and took the thin film from the glass dish. Grasping two corners, he slowly applied pressure.

The film in his fingers was not very thick, similar to a phone’s tempered glass screen protector, perhaps even thinner. As his fingers applied pressure, the film began to deform slightly.

As he increased the force, the arc of deformation grew larger. Finally, with a faint snap, the film in his fingers broke in two.

However, the broken film did not shatter and fly apart like glass. Although it had indeed been broken, at the fracture, another layer of highly transparent substance held it together, like threads still connecting a broken lotus root.

This was the graphene material, applied to the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material using whisker (fiber) toughening and composite technology.

Overall, the graphene used for toughening the superconducting material came in two forms. One involved using whisker (fiber) toughening technology to create an organic bond between the graphene and the superconducting material at the interface, improving the bonding strength between the interface and the matrix.

The other was the layer of graphene film adhered to one side. It also provided some toughening effect and could serve as a protective layer.

Xu Chuan pinched a corner of a fragment and held it up to his eye to observe. Although graphene is extremely transparent, it was still faintly visible adhered to the superconducting material.

“The bending arc can reach about twenty degrees. That’s a huge improvement over the un-optimized version. At the very least, it won’t shatter from a simple drop, a bump, or severe vibrations.”

Looking at the superconducting film, Xu Chuan stated his thoughts after a brief inspection.

Although he hadn’t seen the detailed test data yet, for him, a visual inspection and a simple pressure test were enough to understand some of the basics.

If this could be mass-produced and its quality maintained, this level of superconducting material could already be applied to some electrical equipment.

Zhang Pingxiang nodded in agreement. “From that perspective, the toughness of the optimized material is indeed good. It wouldn’t even be much of a problem to use it in electromagnetic weapons and particle weapons.”

“The drawback, however, is the difficulty of processing. At present, even replicating it in the lab is very troublesome, let alone industrial production.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “That doesn’t matter. For academic research, we don’t need to consider things like cost.”

“How to cut manufacturing costs, how to solve the difficulties of commercialization—those are matters for the industrial sector to consider.”

“As for it being expensive, that’s even less of a concern.”

“This is a product that can have military applications, so for the time being, it can probably only be supplied to a small number of domestic manufacturers.”

“Currently, a product of this level shouldn’t be exportable. Even if it’s nominally sold to controlled nuclear fusion research institutes or other manufacturers, other countries might directly intercept it.”

“Of course, there will certainly be no shortage of orders. It will bring us immense profits.”

“You’ve worked hard during this time, Academician Zhang. As a reward, you will receive a ten percent profit sharing dividend from the sales of the optimized high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. I’ve already had the relevant contract drawn up. Academician, you just need to go and sign it later.”

Although the Academician had volunteered to stay and help the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan couldn’t just offer nothing in return.

To him, money was just a number. On the other hand, his discussions with the Academician during this period had benefited him immensely in the field of materials science.

A world-class academician in materials science, with decades of countless experiments under his belt, had an accumulation of empirical data, ideas, and theories in his mind that even someone like him, reborn for a second life, couldn’t match.

Their exchanges during this time had brought him a wealth of knowledge, ideas, and theories, making him feel like he was back in university, absorbing knowledge.

For that alone, Xu Chuan felt it was worth it.

Hearing this, Zhang Pingxiang was stunned. He truly hadn’t expected Xu Chuan to offer him a share of the profits from this material.

Once he recovered, he quickly refused, “No, this won’t do. I can’t accept it.”

“The idea for graphene whisker (fiber) toughening was yours, and the lab is yours. I merely performed some experiments according to your ideas and requirements. I’m not qualified to take this profit share.”

Ten percent didn’t sound like much, but for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, just meeting domestic demand would mean at least tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions, in superconductor orders.

Civilian and commercial use was certainly out of the question for now. This material would first have to satisfy military and top-tier technological applications.

And the demand and profits from military and high-tech applications were actually quite substantial.

Excluding production costs and so on, the annual net profit would be at least several billion. If he took a tenth of that, it would be several hundred million. That was too outrageous.

Moreover, he really didn’t feel he had played any critical role in the optimization process.

The ideas and theories he had proposed earlier, like zirconium oxide doping, had all failed. The graphene whisker (fiber) toughening was Xu Chuan’s idea and theory, not his.

Furthermore, he had learned about the principles of the computational mathematical model for materials and the research paper on the superconductivity mechanism of the high-temperature superconducting material in the lab. These things were top-secret. Normally, an outsider would have no chance of seeing them if Xu Chuan didn’t make them public.

For these two points alone, Zhang Pingxiang felt his two months of research and experimental work at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute were worthwhile.

As for the ten percent profit sharing, there was even less reason for him to accept it.

In the end, however, he couldn’t win the argument against Xu Chuan and accepted some of the profit share.

After the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material was optimized, although it still couldn’t be widely applied across all sectors of society, some previously impossible application areas could now be attempted.

For example, the short-distance particle acceleration and electromagnetic acceleration that the higher-ups were most eagerly anticipating.

As for the results, that would have to wait until these products were manufactured and had undergone detailed testing.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to these things. From beginning to end, he always positioned himself as a scholar and a researcher.

Researching science and technology was his goal, but how these things were used after being created, though he also cared, was no longer his main focus.

Just like now, his goals had always revolved around advancing along the path of controlled nuclear fusion.

Whether it was the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the purchase of the ASDEX device from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, or even intercepting CERN’s order, all of it was for controlled nuclear fusion.

Compared to most scholars at home and abroad, having been reborn once, he was actually more pure, or rather, his ideals were more far-reaching.

He hoped to leave Earth and see other planets, to explore and understand the mysteries of the universe.

If possible, he even hoped to utilize gravitons within his lifetime and then attempt to open a wormhole or channel for time-space travel.

Perhaps by then he would be in his seventies or eighties. When that time came, he would travel to another planet on a spaceship to explore. Even if he were to be buried on an alien world, it wouldn’t matter.

If he could truly achieve that, for someone like him, it would actually be the best possible ending.

Chapter 360: Just How Awesome Is an Academician?

”

After the initial optimization of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, Academician Zhang Pingxiang left Nanjing, satisfied.

”

”

The date was approaching the Little New Year. Xu Chuan had arranged everything for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and the Qixia Mountain controlled nuclear fusion project, and was preparing to leave Nanjing to return to his hometown.

”

”

Although his parents hadn’t rushed him, they had called several times to ask when he would be home.

”

”

Just like previous years, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail from Nanjing back to Baling. Although Zheng Hai offered to drive, he refused.

”

”

Long-distance driving is tiring, and relatively slow.

”

”

By high-speed rail, he could leave in the morning and arrive in the afternoon. Driving safely would take at least a full day.

”

”

As for needing a car in his hometown, that wasn’t an issue.

”

”

Anyway, every time he took the high-speed rail somewhere else, Zheng Hai would somehow procure a car after they arrived. He probably contacted the local organization or some department in advance to arrange it. A single car was nothing for the omnipresent organization.

”

”

Meanwhile, just as Xu Chuan was boarding the high-speed rail to begin his journey home, in the Baling government office building nearly a thousand kilometers away, Baling’s top official, Han Kangping, was sitting at his desk, meticulously reviewing a document.

”

”

Chinese New Year was approaching, which was their busiest time. All sorts of matters, big and small, had to be properly arranged and handled.

”

”

Just then, the sound of hurried, heavy footsteps came from outside the office. Immediately after, the door was pushed open and a much younger-looking male secretary ran in.

”

”

Without even catching his breath, the secretary who had run all the way blurted out anxiously, “Chief, we just received a message from the traffic management department. That Academician Xu Chuan’s driver, Mr. Zheng Hai, contacted us and requested an Audi sedan.”

”

”

Before he could finish, Han Kangping shot up to his feet. “Academician Xu is back?” he asked.

”

”

Hearing this news, he lost all inclination to lecture his secretary for barging in without knocking.

”

”

The secretary quickly replied, “Yes, I’ve already confirmed with the transportation department. Academician Xu is indeed on his way back. He prefers to travel by high-speed rail, and since it’s almost Chinese New Year, he should be coming back for the holiday.”

”

”

Hearing this, Han Kangping put down his gel pen, grabbed the jacket draped over the back of his chair, and said quickly, “Contact the people from the other departments. We’ll go to the high-speed rail station to welcome him together.”

”

”

For the city of Baling, looking back at its entire history, only one person of an Academician’s caliber had ever come from here, and that was nearly twenty years ago.

”

”

And Academician Xu Chuan, who came from Baling’s jurisdiction, was the second such figure in nearly twenty years, not to mention he was an Academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

”

”

This was the pride of Baling city.

”

”

Leaving all else aside, the administrative rank that came with the title of Academician alone was equivalent to that of a deputy minister.

”

”

For a small prefecture-level city like Baling, a visit from a deputy minister-level leader was a major event.

”

”

Meanwhile, on the speeding high-speed rail, Xu Chuan rubbed his nose, resisting the urge to sneeze.

”

”

The business class car was quiet. Right now, the spacious car held only him and Zheng Hai.

”

”

It wasn’t that he was seeking special treatment, but rather that no one else had bought business class tickets. When they departed from Nanjing, there were a few other passengers in the same car, but after they got off at subsequent stops, the entire car felt like a private train.

”

”

This was quite normal. After all, high-speed rail business class tickets were quite expensive, sometimes even more so than business class plane tickets for the same distance, so naturally, fewer people chose them.

”

”

For Xu Chuan, this was fine.

”

”

He quite enjoyed the quiet environment of the car, as it allowed him to read journals, magazines, or books, and catch up on external developments and news from the scientific community.

”

”

As he flipped through the journal in his hand, the phone on the small table vibrated. Xu Chuan picked it up. Two WeChat messages appeared on the screen.

”

”

They were a wedding invitation from Xu Hou, a childhood friend from his village, asking if he was coming back for the New Year and if he had time to attend the wedding.

”

”

Staring at the message on WeChat, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment.

”

”

A wedding invitation?

”

”

If he remembered correctly, Xu Hou was only a few months older than him.

”

”

He had just turned twenty-two and entered his twenty-third year during the Little New Year a couple of days ago. That meant his childhood friend was getting married at twenty-three?

”

Even in a rural area, wasn’t that a bit too early?

”

”

After all, Baling wasn’t in the far-western hinterlands or an impoverished region. Even though it was the countryside, the marriage age wasn’t usually that young, was it?

”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan turned his head to look at Zheng Hai.

”

”

Noticing his gaze, Zheng Hai turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

”

”

After thinking for a moment, Xu Chuan asked, “When did you get married?”

”

”

Hearing this, Zheng Hai paused, then chuckled awkwardly. “I’m not married yet, though I am engaged. Why the sudden question? Thinking about getting married?”

”

”

If this individual were to get married, it would be a good thing for the country. In fact, the country would be thrilled if he had several children.

”

”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “No, my childhood friend is getting married. He just sent me an invitation.”

”

”

Zheng Hai asked curiously, “Your childhood friend must be someone you grew up with, the same age as you? Twenty-three this year? That is quite early to get married.”

”

”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. He was born in March, I was born in December. By the way, how old are you?”

”

Zheng Hai: “I’ll be thirty-three after the start of spring next year.”

”

”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Then I’m in no hurry.”

”

”

Zheng Hai: “?????”

”

”

He had a feeling he’d said something wrong.

”

Meanwhile, in Baling.

”

”

In the reception hall of Baling East Station, a dozen middle-aged men in suits stood in the empty hall, waiting in the cold wind.

”

”

To the side, a large red banner held up by staff and a group of reporters standing by with their cameras of all shapes and sizes made passersby turn their heads frequently.

”

”

As soon as they received the news, the Baling municipal government had organized a team and media reporters to rush to Baling East Station and wait in the reception hall.

”

”

Everyone waited with bated breath, their hearts only settling when they saw that figure walk out of the gate.

”

”

Leading the group behind him, Mayor Han Kangping walked briskly forward, calling out enthusiastically from a distance, “Academician Xu, it’s been a long journey! Welcome home!”

”

”

Looking at the approaching crowd and then at the banner being carried behind them, Xu Chuan sighed inwardly.

”

”

He certainly recognized the Baling city government officials. They had come to greet him when he returned home for the New Year in the previous two years, but he hadn’t expected them to come and welcome him directly at the high-speed rail station this year.

”

”

To be honest, he really disliked this kind of formal reception, but since they were already waiting here, he couldn’t just turn around and leave.

”

”

Composing himself, he put on a smile and went up to shake hands with Mayor Han Kangping. “I’m just coming home for the New Year. Mayor Han, this is all too grand,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

”

”

“Not at all, it’s what we should do.” Han Kangping enthusiastically gripped Xu Chuan’s hand with both of his and shook it. He continued, “Our Baling has waited for nearly twenty years, and we finally have another Academician. You are the pride of Baling, the pride of our hometown. I am merely expressing the gratitude of the folks back home on their behalf.”

”

”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said humbly, “I’ve only done what I ought to do.”

”

”

He had to admit, these administrative leaders were certainly skilled with words. Bringing up the hometown folks, they had a whole repertoire of pleasantries.

”

”

After exchanging pleasantries in the reception hall for a while, he politely declined Mayor Han’s dinner invitation, agreeing to chat again when they had time. Xu Chuan finally managed to get away from the enthusiastic leaders and, following Zheng Hai, got into the sedan and headed for his old home.

”

”

He was actually quite clear on why the Baling leaders were so enthusiastic.

”

”

After all, at his current position, a casual remark from him could bring enormous changes to Baling.

”

”

Of course, Xu Chuan wouldn’t refuse to help his hometown develop now that he had the ability to—it was a way of giving back. It was just like how he had funded the repair of the village pond after getting rich a few years ago.

”

”

Once the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had some new products, he would discuss things with the people from Baling.

”

”

To a person, their hometown is always their spiritual anchor. The leaders in Nanjing had hinted many times that they wanted him to transfer his household registration over, but he had always politely declined, precisely because this place was his home.

”

”

In the car, Xu Chuan stretched a bit and let out a breath. “Today I’ve finally learned how much influence an Academician has on a local level.”

”

”

To be honest, although the Baling leaders had visited him at home in previous years, this was the first time they had come to welcome him right at the high-speed rail station.

”

”

He thought about it. The biggest change in the past year was that he had obtained the title of Academician of both Academies.

”

”

From the driver’s seat, Zheng Hai smiled. “You could say it’s related to the limitations of what they can see.”

”

”

“For you, on a national level, it doesn’t really matter whether you have the title of Academician of both Academies. But for the leaders of most prefecture-level cities, the title of Academician is pretty much the highest-ranking scholar they’ll ever see.”

”

”

“Especially for your hometown. Since the founding of the country, Baling has only produced one Academician, and he’s almost a hundred years old now. You’re Baling’s sole successor, so of course they’re enthusiastic.”

”

”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “That’s true. An Academician enjoys deputy ministerial-level treatment. For a prefecture-level city, that’s a pretty high rank.”

”

”

Hearing this, Zheng Hai coughed a little unnaturally. “You might have some misconceptions about your own status and rank.”

”

”

Xu Chuan: “?”

”

”

Zheng Hai glanced in the rearview mirror and said softly, “What you said is true for most Academicians.”

”

”

“But for you yourself, that’s probably not the case.”

”

”

“Whether it’s the nuclear waste project in Qidong or the controlled nuclear fusion project at Qixia Mountain, both are units under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. Your residence has guards from the military stationed there for round-the-clock protection. Your opinions can reach the highest levels directly. A deputy minister… probably can’t do all that.”

”

”

After hearing this, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

”

”

In his memory, he only recalled that Academicians seemed to have deputy ministerial-level treatment. As for himself, to be honest, since returning to the country, he had never really thought about what kind of rank or position he held.

”

”

It seemed now that his status in the country was quite a bit more awesome than he had imagined.

”

Chapter 361: Bringing Glory to One’s Ancestors

The journey from Baling city to his hometown wasn’t long.

In less than an hour, Xu Chuan was home.

When the car pulled up to the paved area in front of their house, Mother Xu, who was inside, heard the sound and quickly came out.

Xu Chuan opened the car door and stepped out, immediately spotting his mother standing at the doorway, looking in his direction.

“Mom, I’m back,” Xu Chuan called out, his voice tinged with excitement and a slight tremor. He hadn’t seen her in half a year; it would be a lie to say he hadn’t missed her.

Mother Xu hurried over and looked him up and down. “As long as you’re back safe and sound.”

Inside, Xu Xiao heard the commotion and also ran out, exclaiming joyfully, “Big Bro, I thought you wouldn’t be back until New Year’s Eve!”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “How were your final exam results?”

At his words, Xu Xiao pouted. “Big Bro! You don’t even care if I’m doing okay. The first thing you ask when you get back is about my grades. Do you have that little faith in your younger sister?”

Xu Chuan smiled and ruffled her hair. As for her grades, judging from how she was when he visited her at Tsinghua University last time, they were bound to be good. Still, he had asked out of habit—a common tendency among Chinese people, perhaps.

Meanwhile, Father Xu also came out, wearing an apron and dusted with wood shavings.

“Dad!”

Xu Chuan looked over and called out with a smile. The scene was so familiar. He remembered that in the past when he came home, his father would often be making small things to sell and supplement the family’s income.

Now that the family was well-off, he still couldn’t stay idle.

But before, it was the pressure of life; now, it was a hobby to fill his free time. The difference between the two was significant.

Looking at his son and daughter standing together, Xu Jianguo said with a smile, “It’s good that you’re back.”

After greeting them, his gaze fell on Zheng Hai, who was standing to the side. He asked with a smile, “We’ve troubled you again, Little Zheng. You’re always the one who brings him back.”

Zheng Hai replied, “It’s my job. It’s no trouble at all.”

Beside them, Mother Xu said with a smile, “Dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you join us, Little Zheng? It’s just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks.”

Zheng Hai quickly refused, “No, thank you. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family reunion.”

Father Xu sighed. “You really work hard. I bet you can’t go home for Chinese New Year again this year, can you?”

Zheng Hai smiled. “It’s alright. I’m not actually alone.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan immediately understood and asked with a smile, “Did your fiancée come to keep you company?”

Zheng Hai nodded with a smile. “Yes, her travel is reimbursed. It’s actually not bad.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Well, it’s up to you then. Go ahead and spend time with your fiancée. You can take her around and show her the sights.”

At the side, Mother Xu quickly interjected, “Oh, Little Zheng, why don’t you bring your fiancée over? We’d love to meet her. You can celebrate Chinese New Year with us, and it’ll save you the trouble of cooking.”

Zheng Hai cleared his throat and politely declined, “No, no, that’s really not necessary. I have some other things to take care of, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Academician Xu, if you need anything, you can call me anytime.”

Xu Chuan laughed. “Mom, his fiancée came all this way to spend some quality time with him, all sweet and romantic. It wouldn’t be right for them to join us; we’d be intruding on their private time.”

Mother Xu glanced at him. “What’s wrong with that? They can come over for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Little Zheng is your driver, you should socialize with him. It’ll make us feel more at ease when you’re on the road.”

Dinner was sumptuous and lively, with the joy of a long-awaited reunion filling the small home.

And after word got out that he had returned, neighbors and fellow villagers came over to visit.

To the simple folk of the village, they might not have fully understood the significance behind the title of ‘Academician,’ but they all knew it was an achievement that brought glory to their ancestors.

The villagers were especially thrilled when they saw the photo of Xu Chuan standing with that individual, the elderly man, at the Academician selection ceremony.

You have to understand, in the entire genealogical history of Xujia Village, the most badass figure had been a mere ‘xiucai’ (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) over two hundred years ago. In ancient times, Xu Chuan would have undoubtedly been a ‘zhuangyuan’ (the top scorer in the highest imperial examination).

If they were to revise the family genealogy, he would need an entire page dedicated to recording his glorious achievements.

Xu Chuan smiled, handing out cigarettes and responding to the village elders.

Before long, another young man about his age walked in from the road.

“Chuan-zi! You’re finally back.” Seeing Xu Chuan in the crowd, the young man walked up with a smile. After calling out, he also greeted the other elders present.

“Big Bro Hou?”

Xu Chuan turned his head, looked at the person beside him, and asked with some hesitation, “How did you get so dark and chubby? Did you go to Africa to do some grinding away?”

Xu Hou chuckled. “Can’t be helped. For the past year or two, the fat on this body of mine has been piling on. Can’t even put the brakes on it.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Where’s your wife from? You guys got married pretty early.”

Xu Hou smiled sheepishly. “Well, we had an accident. If we didn’t get married, it would’ve been hard to clean up the mess.”

Speaking of the reason for his marriage, Xu Hou had a smile on his face.

There weren’t many university students in Xujia Village. He hadn’t gotten into a bachelor’s program, so after graduating from high school, he attended a vocational college. His original plan was to learn a trade to make it easier to find a job, save up some money, and then find a wife through matchmaking back in his hometown.

But life didn’t go as he’d planned. After starting college, he got a girlfriend who was also a Baling local. Their personalities clicked, and they moved in together before graduation.

He had intended to work for a couple of years to save some money before getting married, but they weren’t careful with protection, and a life was created.

Fortunately, both their families were supportive. So, in the latter half of the year, they all had a meal together, met, and settled on the engagement.

As for the wedding, they decided to hold it before the New Year, while the bride wasn’t showing much yet and while everyone was back home for the holidays.

“Oh!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan understood. A shotgun wedding—it was indeed common these days.

He smiled and congratulated him, “Congratulations, Big Bro Hou. You’re a lucky man.”

Xu Hou gave a simple laugh and said, “Speaking of which, I have a small favor to ask you for my wedding the day after tomorrow.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Between us, just say what’s on your mind.”

Xu Hou scratched his head and said with a smile, “Actually, I was hoping you’d be my best man.”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “No problem.”

In his generation, due to a certain policy from years ago, most of the kids in the village were only children, or from families with one son and one daughter. As a result, the relationships among the childhood friends in the village were quite good.

Hearing this, Xu Hou grinned. “Then it’s settled. I’ll be counting on you to be the best man at the wedding the day after tomorrow.”

After speaking, he seemed to remember something else and asked, “Oh, right, one more thing, Chuan-zi. What about your car? Would it be available to join the wedding procession tomorrow?”

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan was stunned for a second, then gave an awkward smile. “Uh, I don’t think I have a driver’s license. But it’s okay, hold on, let me make a call.”

Not only did he not have a driver’s license, he didn’t even own a car. The vehicle he used for travel was arranged by Zheng Hai.

He took out his phone and called Zheng Hai to ask about it. Zheng Hai said it was no problem. Although the car was borrowed on application from Baling, using it for a wedding procession was perfectly fine.

After confirming the news, Xu Hou said, a little sheepishly, “Sorry to trouble you.”

Listening to the phone conversation, he really hadn’t known that Xu Chuan didn’t own a car. After all, every year he came back, he was in a car with a driver.

This made him feel a bit emotional. He was afraid he couldn’t even see the taillights of his childhood friend anymore, given the heights Xu Chuan had reached.

The Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, a car and a driver provided by the state, the title of Academician… having a childhood friend like this was probably less likely than finding alien life in the Milky Way.

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “It’s a small thing. When the time comes, I’ll give a big red envelope to my yet-to-be-born nephew or niece.”

After Xu Hou left, Mother Xu smacked her lips and looked at Xu Chuan with a hint of envy. “Chuan’er, you’ve even become an Academician out there. Is there a girl you like? When are you going to bring one home?”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly. “Mom, we agreed before, no nagging before I’m thirty.”

Leaving that sentence hanging, he slipped into the house.

At twenty-three, he would normally have just barely graduated from university. Although he was technically of legal age for marriage, most people would work and struggle for a few years first before considering it.

Watching her son’s retreating back, Mother Xu shook her head with a smile.

Although she longed to hold a grandchild, it was unlikely her son would be getting married in the next few years.

She’d wait another four or five years, until he was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, before she started nagging him again.

For now, if he wanted to focus on his research, she would let him be.

Chapter 362: Having the Courage to Step Forward Is Another Matter Entirely

This was Xu Chuan’s first time being a best man.

However, a rural wedding didn’t have too many formalities or tasks. Generally, it just involved following the wedding procession to pick up the bride, helping the groom overcome the obstacles set by the bridesmaids, and blocking drinks for him at the wedding feast.

After waking up bright and early and having breakfast, Xu Chuan hurried over to Xu Hou’s house.

By this time, Xu Hou was already dressed to the nines in a suit, bustling about with various tasks.

Xu Chuan went up to help for a bit. As time passed, the other childhood friends from the village also arrived.

Following the motorcade, the group made their grand way to the county town hotel for the wedding procession.

Although the bride was also from Baling, Baling was a large area. So, after some discussion, the bride and her relatives had arrived a day early to stay at a large hotel in the nearby county town to wait for the wedding.

In the hotel, after Xu Chuan and the other two best men solved the puzzles set by the three bridesmaids, they pushed open the door and swarmed in.

The bride, wearing a pure white wedding gown, had a delicate and pretty face. A blissful smile graced her lips as she watched the group burst in.

After playing games and completing challenges, which culminated in finding the bride’s wedding shoe on another bridesmaid’s thigh, Xu Hou carried his entire world into the wedding car. The group then took a different route and triumphantly returned to Xujia Village.

In his hometown, there was a saying for the wedding procession: the journey there and the journey back should not be on the same road. This was called “not turning back on one’s path,” symbolizing that the newlyweds’ future life would be full of happiness and always move forward.

Upon returning to Xujia Village, the bride-pickup part of the day was temporarily concluded. Next came the task of receiving the guests.

Xu Chuan wanted to pitch in, but Xu Hou’s parents and relatives were more than enough to handle everything. So, he found a corner in the second-floor living room to sit down and rest for a while.

Compared to the bustling first floor, the second floor, which was reserved for the bride’s family and friends, had fewer people.

Xu Chuan sat in the corner, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting with another best man.

This was a college classmate of Xu Hou’s who had made a special trip from out of town for the wedding. However, he didn’t seem to recognize Xu Chuan, merely thinking of him as Xu Hou’s childhood friend from the same village.

Although the name Xu Chuan was very famous in the country, he wasn’t the only one with that name. Who would have thought they would run into that big shot in a remote village like Xujia Village?

Just then, the door to the room where the bride and her bridesmaids were temporarily staying opened, and two of the bridesmaids, having changed out of their dresses, walked out.

“Excuse me, are you Academician Xu Chuan?”

A girl with long, straight black hair, wearing a beige overcoat and light gray wide-leg pants that gave her a fresh and elegant look, walked up to Xu Chuan and asked softly.

Hearing her voice, Xu Chuan turned his head, nodded with a smile, and replied, “I am.”

Upon receiving confirmation, the other bridesmaid grabbed her friend’s arm and exclaimed with joy, “Qingqing, I told you I wasn’t mistaken! It’s really God Chuan! We’re seeing him in person today!”

Then, she let go of her friend’s arm, moved closer, and asked excitedly, “God… God Chuan, can I add you on WeChat?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course.”

After they added each other on WeChat, the other bridesmaid, Qingqing, stepped forward, her voice tinged with surprise and excitement. “This is incredible. I never thought I’d meet you here today.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “This is my hometown. Xu Hou is my childhood friend. I happened to be back for Chinese New Year just as he was getting married, so I got dragged into being a best man.”

Nearby, the other best man was now in a daze. He really hadn’t recognized that the man he’d been with throughout the whole wedding procession and game-playing was the renowned Academician Xu.

Thinking about all the boasting he had done in front of this individual on the way here, his face instantly turned beet red.

He wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him whole!

He was cringing so hard his toes could have carved out a three-bedroom apartment.

Once Xu Chuan’s identity was revealed and they had all added each other on WeChat, the atmosphere cooled considerably. The relaxed, joking camaraderie from the wedding procession was gone.

Even the Big Bro next to him, who had been bragging nonstop, was now too embarrassed to continue.

After all, the difference in their status was simply too vast, causing everyone who had been relatively unrestrained to become somewhat reserved.

However, the curious glances coming from the bridesmaids never ceased.

Xu Chuan shook his head slightly, not paying it much mind.

In the process of growing up, one was bound to lose many things.

He was no exception.

Time ticked by, and soon, the auspicious hour arrived.

The wedding ceremony began. Although it was held in Xujia Village, there were still professional wedding hosts and ceremonial staff. They had even arranged for a child to bring the flowers and rings.

After Xu Hou and the bride walked onto the stage, a staff member from the professional wedding hosting team, who had been hired from outside, came over from the side of the festive red canopy and found Xu Chuan.

“Um, Academician Xu, today is the wedding of your childhood friend, Mr. Xu Hou. Would you like to go up on behalf of his friends and the best man party to say a few words and offer a blessing?”

In contrast to the bridesmaids and others who were slow on the uptake, the professional wedding hosting team was aware of Xu Chuan’s identity.

Perhaps Xu Hou had informed them beforehand, afraid that the hosting team might recklessly come up with some antics or invite the best men to play games that, while good for livening up the atmosphere, were of a questionable nature.

After all, such things were quite common at rural weddings, like best men and bridesmaids clamping balloons between them, biting an apple together, passing a playing card from mouth to mouth, and so on.

These games were nothing at a typical rural wedding, but Xu Chuan’s status was special. It was hard to imagine such a top-tier big shot participating in games like these.

Hearing the staff member’s invitation, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback. “I haven’t prepared anything. Isn’t this a bit too sudden?”

The staff member smiled. “Just a few simple words or a casual blessing will do. Of course, if you’re really not prepared, we can cancel this part.”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll go up and say a few words then.”

It was his childhood friend’s wedding. As a companion from his youth and a best man, it was only right for him to support him. He just hoped that this “support” wouldn’t end up stealing the spotlight.

After all, he wasn’t the main character today.

Not far away on the wedding stage, the host, having received a positive reply, continued with the ceremony.

“Next, let us invite the groom’s childhood friend, world-renowned scholar, and national Academician, Professor Xu Chuan, to represent the groom’s dearest friends and the best man party in offering their most sincere blessings to the newlyweds! Please welcome him with your most enthusiastic applause!”

Applause filled the wedding venue.

For the guests attending the wedding today, more than half were from Xujia Village or were relatives and friends of Xu Hou’s family. They either knew or had heard that a great professor, a great scientist, had come from Xujia Village.

Upon hearing the name from the host, these people looked excitedly toward the stage, their eyes searching for the legendary great scientist.

As for the other part of the crowd who were unaware, they were all stunned by the host’s words.

The name Xu Chuan was one that many had heard, even in the countryside. They might not have known about the scientific problems he had solved, but nearly everyone present knew of the Nobel Prize, an internationally acclaimed award.

And the name Xu Chuan had appeared repeatedly on Xinwen Lianbo and on television.

So even if these people had never met him and didn’t recognize him, they had heard the name. Compared to those who were already familiar with him, they searched the entire wedding venue with even greater anticipation.

After all, for them, being able to see a figure of this caliber was an honor.

Hearing the host’s invitation, Xu Chuan rose from among the best men, walked onto the stage, stood beside his childhood friend Xu Hou, and looked out at the numerous guests below.

As a scholar who had presided over countless conference presentations and even large-scale international conferences, getting stage fright in this kind of setting was impossible.

He calmly took the microphone from the host’s hand. Xu Chuan glanced at his expectant childhood friend, then at the blushing bride, and slowly began to speak:

“Two families are joined in matrimony, a pact is made under this roof; a blessed union, eternally bound, a match made in seamless accord. Behold this day, as red plums bloom in celebration, you shall build a harmonious home; we foresee a future of flourishing lineage, may you prosper and thrive. With solemnity, the vow to grow old together is written upon this red missive; the pledge of the red leaf is now inscribed in the register of eternal love.”

“Rejoice, for today this joyous ceremony is complete. The red thread of fate is tied, a perfect union of pearl and jade. We foresee a future of lifelong companionship, your family fragrant as osmanthus and orchid.”

“From this day forth, this fated bond is forged, a perfect couple united. The red thread was tied long ago, for a lifetime of companionship. May your life be as perfect as the full moon and blooming flowers. Rejoice in your newlywed bliss. May your love last until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble. You are a pair of lovers who have made this pledge. This covenant is hereby solemnly made!”

“By this sacred rite, two families are joined in wedlock. As the odes sing of a harmonious home, may you cherish a century of tranquil goodness. Hereby witnessed!”

For Xu Chuan, this was not his first time speaking on a stage.

But it was his first time standing at someone else’s wedding, offering blessings as a best man and a childhood friend.

It was an impromptu decision, so he couldn’t think of any perfect words of blessing.

After all, he had been a single dog in both of his lives. He really didn’t know what to say when it came to cheesy, romantic lines.

However, just now below the stage, he had a flash of inspiration. He recalled some Republic of China era wedding vows he had read before and decided to recite them on stage.

Using the romance of the last century to bless the newlyweds of today was perhaps the most beautiful thing one could do.

Below the stage, the three bridesmaids stared intently at the figure on stage.

The bridesmaid who had first approached Xu Chuan for his WeChat poked her bestie beside her and whispered, “Qingqing, I heard Academician Xu doesn’t have a girlfriend. Do you want to try pursuing him?”

Su Muqing stared at the stage without speaking. After a long moment, she silently shook her head and said, “It’s impossible. The gap is too wide.”

To be honest, what girl wouldn’t be attracted to such an outstanding man?

But a person of his caliber could not possibly be short of excellent women. Liking someone was one thing, but having the courage to step forward and pursue them was another matter entirely.

At the very least, she did not have that kind of courage.

Chapter 363: My Brother Doesn’t Have a Girlfriend!

After attending his childhood friend’s wedding, New Year’s Eve and the Chinese New Year were fast approaching.

The atmosphere of the approaching Lunar New Year grew stronger with each passing day. The small mountain village began to fill with the faint smell of gunpowder from fireworks and firecrackers. Those who had been working hard outside all year round had returned to their hometowns, visiting neighbors and elders they hadn’t seen in a long time.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Chuan and Xu Xiao followed their father to perform ancestor worship.

It was a custom in Xiangnan to worship the ancestors the day before New Year’s Eve, inviting them to come home for the family reunion.

Compared to previous years, the ancestral burial hill had been renovated inside and out. The path up the hill was now paved with stone slabs, and the overgrown weeds and shrubs were gone. Even the graves that had no identifiable owners or descendants had been tended to, with fresh soil packed on top and incense sticks and paper flowers placed by the village’s arrangement.

These changes were all brought about by Xu Chuan. With such a great scholar and scientist hailing from the village, it wasn’t just his own family’s ancestral graves that were tended to; the entire burial hill had to be properly renovated and maintained.

After paying respects to the ancestors on the hill, Xu Chuan had just returned home when he saw two small cars parked in front of his house.

Entering the house, he found Mother Xu entertaining a few familiar guests in the living room.

“Well, well, our Academician Xu is back.”

Seeing Xu Chuan come in, a middle-aged man stood up with a smile and called out.

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted them, “Vice Principal Yuan, Teacher Tang, Teacher Xu…”

The visitors were several familiar teachers and leaders from Star City No. 1 High School.

Tang Gaoyuan walked up with a smile, looking his former student up and down before patting him on the shoulder. “Not bad, you’ve become an Academician this year.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s all because of Teacher Tang’s excellent teaching.”

Beside them, Yuan Jiye chuckled and teased, “See? I knew he’d say that. It’s been years, and whenever Old Tang praises him, this is the only thing he says in return. Hasn’t changed a bit.”

Hearing this, the group burst into laughter, and a faint blush appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

After opening the tea leaves the Great Elder had given him and brewing a few fresh cups, the group chatted cordially in the room. After a while, Vice Principal Yuan Jiye cleared his throat and spoke.

“We came this time with another matter we’d like to ask your help with.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan quickly replied, “Please, go ahead, Vice Principal. I’ll do my best to help in any way I can.”

He was a student who had graduated from Star City No. 1 High School. Although it was only a high school, it was where his academic career had truly begun.

Or rather, it was Old Tang who had laid the real foundation for his studies.

Yuan Jiye smiled and said, “It’s not a big deal, really. Thanks to having a student like you, our No. 1 High School is planning to expand next year after the New Year. We’re preparing to build more teaching blocks and dormitories.”

“Since the school has produced a Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winner, we were hoping to borrow your name for one of the teaching blocks. It would be a good way for the new students to soak up some of the scholarly and academic aura from a Star of Literature like you.”

Naming a building was indeed not a big deal.

After all, one of the favorite pastimes of many wealthy people was to donate money to schools to construct buildings and then have them named after themselves.

To leave one’s mark on history was likely the dream of most people.

However, throughout the several thousand years of human civilization, only a handful of people have ever managed to achieve this.

But taking an alternative path to leave a name for oneself in academia was also a fine choice.

For example, the Yifu Buildings, famous throughout the country, were all built with donations from the renowned entertainment tycoon, Sir Run Run Shaw.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback. He had originally thought his alma mater was looking for him to give a speech or a lecture to the students. He hadn’t expected it to be about this.

The expansion of No. 1 High School was certainly a great thing for his alma mater.

As for naming a building after him, Xu Chuan thought about it and didn’t completely refuse.

After some thought, he said, “Instead of naming it after me, how about calling it the ‘Chuanhai Building’? It would symbolize how the students of our alma mater are like rivers flowing into the sea, endless and unceasing; and like rivers flowing to the sea, they will eventually find their destination.”

Hearing this, the school leaders and teachers exchanged glances.

Tang Gaoyuan pondered for a moment and said, “The name Chuanhai Building is indeed good, but it’s hard to associate it with you.”

“How about this? The Chuanhai Building can be used for the new dormitory block—a hundred rivers return to the sea, students return home. The meaning is excellent. As for the teaching block, it would be better to name it after you.”

Pausing for a moment, Old Tang added, “You shouldn’t be so shy all the time. It’s just naming a building, something others couldn’t get even if they begged for it. Isn’t it good to let your junior classmates benefit from some of your talent?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Could you really put it like that?

In the end, Xu Chuan agreed to his alma mater’s request.

After all, he also hoped that more outstanding students would graduate from his alma mater.

The visit from the leaders of No. 1 High School was just one of many.

Ever since he had returned for the New Year, people had been visiting one after another. Even city officials and leaders from the Education Bureau in Xingcheng had come.

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t particularly interested in these things, he couldn’t just turn people away when they had already come to his door.

Fortunately, time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived.

Xu Xiao, with her youthful heart, ran to the store and bought a huge pile of fireworks and firecrackers, dragging Xu Chuan along to set them off.

A dozen sky-rockets shot straight into the sky, spraying out golden sparks that bloomed proudly in the air. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet—every color was present, a riot of purples and reds that adorned the night sky with stunning beauty and illuminated the ground as if it were day.

“Big Bro! Happy New Year!”

At twelve o’clock, as the New Year’s bell tolled, Xu Xiao shouted and laughed at the top of her lungs amidst the lively sound of firecrackers.

Xu Chuan smiled warmly and reached out to pat the big girl’s head, gazing up at the brilliant fireworks blooming in the sky.

A new year, a new beginning. I hope for a good harvest and a breakthrough this year!

After setting off the New Year’s firecrackers, Xu Chuan retreated to his room. His parents were watching TV, while he took out his phone to reply to well-wishing messages, occasionally scrolling through his contacts to send messages and make calls.

Outside, Xu Xiao, smelling of gunpowder after playing for a while, ran inside. Seeing that Xu Chuan was busy with his own things, she didn’t disturb him. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, took out her phone, and started snatching and sending red envelopes in her group chats.

After a long while, feeling her neck a bit sore, Xu Xiao twisted her head and looked over to see her brother still sitting there, motionless.

Her dark eyes darted around. She opened WeChat, found the “A Family that Believes in and Loves Each Other” group, and began her operation.

A short while later, Xu Chuan, who was sending New Year’s greetings on WeChat, suddenly noticed he was being tagged by many people in the family group chat.

He opened it to find the chat history filled with red envelopes.

But the names of these red envelopes made him freeze.

[Two golden orioles sing in the green willows, and my brother doesn’t have a girlfriend!]

[The ornate zither has fifty strings for no reason, and my brother still doesn’t have a girlfriend!]

[There are trees on the mountain and branches on the trees, and my bro has got no girlfriend!]

[Ask your sis how much sorrow she can know, it’s that my brother has no girlfriend!]

[…]

Looking at the red envelopes in the family group chat, and the person who sent them, Xu Chuan’s blood pressure shot up instantly. He looked up just in time to see the culprit, who had been watching him intently, make a face and quickly jump up from the sofa and run away.

He had just gotten up to chase her when his phone rang.

He stopped and glanced at it. The call was from Professor David Gross, the Director of the CERN Council.

Receiving a call from him, Xu Chuan stopped in his tracks.

“Xu, I wish you a Happy New Year!”

Once the call connected, David Gross offered his blessings in somewhat clumsy Mandarin. “I heard today is the New Year according to China’s old calendar. Happy New Year!”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Thank you for your blessings.”

Gross continued, “I have some good news to tell you today!”

Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “What good news?”

“After deliberations by the CERN Council, we have decided to temporarily postpone the upgrade of the LHC and will arrange for personnel to travel to China to discuss the procurement of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “This is the best news I’ve heard on the first day of the new year. I’m very happy to be able to cooperate with CERN.”

Gross chuckled and said, “CERN is also very honored to have an in-depth exchange with a great scholar like you. I hope that in the future, we can successfully find traces of dark matter together.”

“Also, I wanted to ask when would be convenient for you, so I can arrange for people to go to China to coordinate with you.”

Xu Chuan replied, “Of course. This is not only a goal for the physics community, but my goal as well.”

“As for the time, today is January twenty-fifth on the Gregorian calendar. After February fifth, I should be working in Nanjing, so any time after that is fine with me.”

Gross said with a smile, “Then I won’t disturb your family reunion today. Happy New Year, and we’ll see you after February fifth.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “No problem. I will be waiting for you at Nanjing University.”

Chapter 364: Finalizing the Purchase of the ASDEX Device

Receiving a piece of good news on the very first day of 2020 put Xu Chuan in an excellent mood.

He didn’t even mind the teasing from Xu Xiao in the group chat earlier.

However, seeing the string of red envelopes in the chat, Xu Chuan thought for a moment, and his finger casually tapped on the very last one.

It wasn’t that he was short on money; he just wanted to see how big of a red envelope that girl Xu Xiao had sent!

Yes, just out of curiosity!

“Open!”

[11.11 yuan. Deposited into balance. Can be used to send red envelopes.]

When the red envelope opened, the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched.

Well now, look at that number!

Damn it!

Was this stupid red envelope mocking him too?

Soon, a new message popped up in the group.

“Big Bro? You actually have the nerve to grab a red envelope! sticks tongue out playfully.JPG!”

Seeing the message, Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched again. After quickly opening the other red envelopes, he shot back in the group, “Your New Year’s red envelope for this morning is gone!”

“Ah, no! I’m sorry, Big Bro, I was wrong!” Xu Xiao immediately conceded. She came pattering down the stairs, grabbed Xu Chuan’s arm, and started apologizing and acting cute.

This was a classic case of losing a lot for a small gain. If she had known, she would have sent the message after getting her New Year’s red envelope!

After the New Year’s festivities and visiting relatives, Xu Chuan stayed at home until the eighth day of the Lunar New Year before setting off for Nanjing.

Compared to previous years when he would leave after the twelfth day or even after the Lantern Festival, he was indeed leaving a bit earlier this year.

However, the controlled nuclear fusion project still required his supervision, and he also needed to communicate with CERN and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. Both were extremely important matters.

In particular, he had arranged to discuss the procurement of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material with Professor David Gross after February 5th. Although he didn’t know when the professor would arrive, he needed to be in Nanjing before then to prepare.

After bidding farewell to his family, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail from Baling back to Nanjing.

At the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Fan Pengyue, who had been holding down the fort, was a little surprised to see him. “Why are you back today?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Professor Gross from CERN gave me a call. It’s basically confirmed that they will be purchasing our high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material for the upgrade of the LHC Large Hadron Collider. We’ve set a rough time to meet, so I came back early to prepare.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue was even more astonished. “Holy shit! The superconductor order for the LHC upgrade? That’s a massive order worth at least several billion, right? You got it?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “With the outstanding superconducting properties of the copper-carbon-silver composite material, sealing a deal is pretty easy.”

Fan Pengyue gave him a thumbs-up. “Awesome! You’re probably the only one who can turn a lab product into a contract this quickly!”

He wasn’t wrong. For a laboratory product to be successfully converted into profitable orders, it would take at least a year or two.

After all, there was a long road from a lab product to industrialization. Even if it could be industrialized, finding a suitable buyer wasn’t that easy.

Unless it was something almost irreplaceable like the artificial SEI film, which would have all manufacturers actively chasing after it.

But the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was clearly not that. Whether it was low-temperature or high-temperature superconducting materials, there were quite a few others that could serve as substitutes.

All he could say was that his boss’s connections were truly terrifying, to be able to smoothly snag a super-contract like the one from CERN.

Meanwhile, as Xu Chuan was rushing back to Nanjing, a plane from Berlin Tegel Airport was arriving in China.

“Professor Tillman, it’s a pleasure to see you!”

At the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, before Xu Chuan could meet the experts from CERN, he first welcomed Professor Tillman Randt from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

He stepped forward with a smile and a hug, greeting him warmly.

Since Professor Tillman had arrived today, it was a sure thing that they would acquire the old ASDEX device.

Professor Tillman Randt smiled. “Long time no see. I haven’t seen you at CERN for the past two years.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “The sterile neutrino’s mission is complete. There’s nothing more for me to discover there.”

Tillman Randt laughed. “What about dark matter and dark energy? I heard CERN has been searching for them for over half a year. If their traces could be found, it would definitely be an epoch-making discovery!”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “With the current particle colliders and detectors, I’m afraid finding traces of dark matter and dark energy won’t be that easy.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Also, I have some good news for you. CERN contacted me a few days ago to confirm the purchase of a batch of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from Chuanhai Materials Research Institute for the LHC upgrade. I believe there’s no better endorsement of our material’s quality than this.”

Hearing this, Tillman Randt raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That fast?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “A critical magnetic field of over 20T is enough to raise the LHC’s collision energy level to over one hundred TeV. You know, this is a huge temptation for the high-energy physics field and large particle colliders.”

Tillman nodded. “That’s certainly true. I’ve come this time precisely to discuss the deal for the ASDEX device and the high-temperature superconducting materials with you.”

Xu Chuan served a cup of tea, handed it to Professor Tillman Randt, and smiled. “Of course. If we can reach a deal, that would be for the best.”

“For you, the final destination for the old ASDEX device is either a museum or being sold to someone else. Instead of that, you might as well use it to make a deal with me.”

“I’ve looked into it, and it seems your Wendelstein 7-X stellarator project has run into some difficulties. Compared to modifying the control scheme or further optimizing your water-cooled divertor, perhaps what you need more are superconducting materials that can provide a stronger magnetic field.”

“It can enhance the performance of the confinement field in a shorter amount of time and provide a more powerful magnetic field to ensure the plasma turbulence inside the reactor chamber doesn’t fly all over the place. This is much simpler than the other two options.”

Tillman nodded. “You’re not wrong, but the ASDEX device did cost us over six hundred million, nearly seven hundred million euros to build, and that was seven hundred million euros from over a decade ago. Not to mention the countless upgrades we’ve performed on it since.”

“If you add it all up, the funds we’ve spent on it are at least over a billion euros.”

After a pause, Tillman continued, “We’re both scholars, so there’s no need to play merchants’ games. Let’s be open about it. We need your high-temperature superconducting material, and you need our ASDEX device. Let’s talk price.”

“Although we are looking forward to your high-temperature superconducting material, the ASDEX is our baby too. We can’t just sell it for a pittance.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Of course. As excellent as the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material is, it still lacks something when compared to an entire fusion reactor.”

After some thought, he continued, “How about three hundred million euros plus a supply of high-temperature superconducting materials sufficient for you to complete the Wendelstein 7-X upgrade?”

Hearing this, Tillman Randt pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Three hundred million euros in funding is barely enough, but regarding the high-temperature superconducting materials, I’m afraid that won’t work.”

“You should know that in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, we’ve always followed the principle of technology-for-technology exchange. Although the ASDEX device was decommissioned two years ago, it still has a lot of advanced technology on it, like the water-cooled divertor, multipole field coils, flywheel generators, and so on.”

“These things can help you and China make significant progress on the path to controlled nuclear fusion.”

“If it’s three hundred million euros plus open access to the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology, I can try to negotiate it.”

“The three hundred million euros is for purchasing the ASDEX device, and following the principle of technology-for-technology exchange, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material technology would be in exchange for the various technologies on the ASDEX device that you need.”

“This would also include us giving you access to advanced technologies like our water-cooled divertor, multipole field coils, and flywheel generators.”

“If you can’t agree to a technology exchange by opening up the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material technology, I’m afraid the purchase price would have to at least double.”

Hearing Tillman’s reply, Xu Chuan thought for a moment.

He originally hadn’t planned on trading for these advanced technologies, thinking of using funds plus a batch of high-temperature superconducting materials to buy the ASDEX device and study it himself.

Actually, three hundred million euros for the ASDEX device plus a technology-for-technology exchange—honestly, for China, this wasn’t a loss. It could even be said to be a gain, and a substantial one at that.

Just as Tillman said, the advanced technologies on the ASDEX, like the water-cooled divertor, multipole field coils, and flywheel generators, could greatly advance China’s progress on the path to controlled nuclear fusion.

However, for him personally, this deal required some consideration. After all, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material was his own technology, even if it was just opening up the most basic version.

But for him, this wasn’t something that required long deliberation.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Chuan nodded in agreement. “No problem. But regarding the technologies on the ASDEX like the water-cooled divertor, multipole field coils, and flywheel generators, I’ll need to organize a team to go to your institute to study them. This includes the future modification of the ASDEX after it’s transported here. You will also need to arrange for experts to provide full cooperation.”

If Tillman had proposed opening up the technology before he had optimized the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, he might have considered it for much longer.

But since he had already completed the optimization, there was no need to overthink it. As long as he maintained his lead, it would be enough.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Professor Tillman’s face as he extended his right hand. “Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation in the future!”

Xu Chuan smiled. “To a pleasant cooperation!”

Chapter 365: Like Albert Einstein, or Newton

Although a preliminary agreement for cooperation had been reached, Professor Tillman Randt did not leave.

The team he had brought with him also took up temporary residence in Nanjing.

Trading the ASDEX controlled nuclear fusion reactor for the ‘high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material’ technology was a major affair. Both sides needed to fully verify each other’s qualifications and the technology involved in the transaction.

In a hotel room, a middle-aged German materials expert with a high-bridged nose stood by the window, gazing at the brightly lit city in the distance.

“Bruce, care for some?” Behind him, another colleague walked in through the open door, holding a bottle of champagne and a glass.

Bruce Walker, who had been looking at the scenery outside, turned his head. “Alright, just a little. A bit of champagne helps with sleep.”

His colleague came in, poured him some champagne, and joined him at the window. Looking out at the glittering lights of the city, he sighed with emotion. “China’s development is so fast. The scale of this urbanization is much larger than Hamburg’s.”

Hearing this, Bruce Walker asked curiously, “Have you been to China before?”

His colleague smiled and nodded. “Yes, about ten or twenty years ago. I came as a visiting expert when we were trading the HL-2 with them. Back then, their development was still very behind.”

“Such a massive change in just over a decade is truly incredible.”

“I heard this city has a permanent population of over thirty million. Our country has no large cities like this. Berlin’s population is only about four million.”

Bruce Walker said with a smile, “Having too many people in one city isn’t necessarily a good thing. What’s the point if you’re living in a pigeon cage?”

“Berlin may have a smaller population, but everyone has their own home.”

Hearing this, Claire Bryan, holding his champagne, smiled and looked out the window without arguing.

In truth, Bruce Walker’s view was more representative of the majority in Germany. For most Germans, pride was etched into their very bones.

This was especially true when facing a country they considered more backward than their own.

In comparison, he was more rational and something of an outlier, perhaps due to his frequent business trips abroad. He had witnessed the development of many countries.

Over a dozen years might not bring any noticeable changes to Berlin or Hamburg. But for this country, it could transform into something completely unrecognizable.

After squinting at the scenery for a while, Bruce Walker suddenly spoke, “Do you think that Professor Xu can really show us the industrialized mass production of that high-temperature superconducting material tomorrow?”

“If I remember correctly, he announced this material last November or December, right? It’s only been three or four months. Can a laboratory product really be commercialized in that time? Do you think he can do it?”

He had no major objections to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics trading the ASDEX device with China.

After all, the ASDEX device was already decommissioned, and it wasn’t his decision to make anyway.

However, when it came to China’s capacity for technological innovation, especially in a field like materials science which is heavily reliant on experience and past data, Bruce held a deeply skeptical view.

In his mind, China had always been a relatively backward, third-world country. Even though its economic weight had now climbed to second in the world, he believed that was merely a result of its vast population.

In terms of per capita economy, Germany would win by a landslide.

Moreover, in his experience, China had always been in the stage of catching up technologically. For it to suddenly produce a world-leading scientific achievement was nothing short of astonishing.

More importantly, this was in the field of superconductivity within materials science.

How long had China been developing in this area?

Ten years? Fifteen?

It certainly hadn’t been twenty years.

Meanwhile, they had been researching in this field since the last century, accumulating experience and data far beyond what China could compare with.

Under these circumstances, for China to suddenly produce a world-class high-temperature superconducting material felt even more incredible.

Beside him, Claire Bryan thought for a couple of seconds before saying, “If it were anyone else, perhaps I would share your skepticism.”

“But when it comes to a result from Professor Xu, I am willing to believe it.”

After a pause, he added, “And based on the sample Professor Xu sent us last year, they have indeed achieved it. At least in the field of high-temperature superconducting materials, he is ahead of us.”

“It’s truly hard to believe,” Bruce Walker said, shaking his head.

Claire Bryan smiled. “It’s actually not that surprising.”

Hearing this, Bruce Walker cast a questioning glance at him.

Claire Bryan raised his glass, took a sip of champagne, and continued, “If you look into Professor Xu’s results and achievements, you’ll find that what is a miracle for others is just another day’s work for him.”

“A Nobel Prize, a Fields Medal, solutions to two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, a solution for nuclear waste, the artificial SEI film…”

“Any one of these achievements would take another scientist, even a top-tier one, a lifetime to research. But for him, they seem almost commonplace.”

“Throughout the history of human civilization, those who can match his achievements are few and far between.”

“Like Albert Einstein, or Newton, or Maxwell—a very small group of people whose research and accomplishments can change the world.”

Bruce Walker smacked his lips and said, “That’s some high praise you’re giving him.”

Claire Bryan smiled. “That isn’t my evaluation; it’s the evaluation of the entire academic community.”

After a pause, he added, “Actually, his true achievements aren’t in materials science. Materials are just the tip of the iceberg for him.”

For anyone else, turning a laboratory product into an industrialized one in two months would be exceedingly difficult.

But for Xu Chuan, or rather, for a high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material that already had a history of industrial production, it wasn’t difficult at all.

After Gao Hongming gave him the list of qualified domestic manufacturers last year, he had selected a suitable one to partner with for production.

More than two months had passed. Although Chinese New Year fell in the middle, it didn’t affect much.

For him, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.

As long as the overtime pay was generous enough, forget Chinese New Year; the people of China were willing to work around the clock as if fueled by gasoline.

While this sounded a bit funny, it was actually quite sad.

In China, those capitalists had made unpaid work from nine-to-nine, six days a week—or even around the clock, seven days a week—the new normal. Overtime came with no extra pay, and rescheduled leave was a fantasy. Forget labor contracts; the working conditions were so bad that even the Geneva Convention would pale in comparison.

Of course, such a thing would never happen under Xu Chuan’s watch. However, he could certainly use sufficiently attractive overtime wages and compensatory leave to entice workers to stay and build the superconducting material production line during the Chinese New Year period.

After confirming the partnership, Western Superconducting Materials Technology Co., Ltd. quickly began retrofitting the production line originally used for copper-oxide-based superconducting materials.

Although the main assembly line had not yet been fully modified, a small, single production line had already been deployed with equipment and related programs according to the industrial production technology provided by Xu Chuan.

Although the industrial park was in Chang’an’s Jinghe district, this was no issue given the country’s well-developed transportation network.

The next day, Xu Chuan and Fan Pengyue took the engineering team from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics to Chang’an. The production plant of the Western Superconducting Group was located in the Chang’an Jinghe Industrial Park.

The general manager of Western Superconducting Group in charge of superconducting materials personally waited with his team at the high-speed rail station to welcome them.

After a few pleasantries at the station, the group wasted no time and headed straight for the Jinghe Industrial Park.

Like the others, this was Xu Chuan’s first time here, his first time seeing the production base for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

The factory buildings, originally neatly planned for producing low-temperature copper-oxide superconducting materials, now looked somewhat cluttered.

Workers in hard hats bustled back and forth inside the factory, and the parts and equipment scattered on the floor showed that the work was not yet finished.

The general manager of Western Superconducting Group, Du Yingrui, smiled and introduced, “Academician Xu, this is the main production line for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material. As per your request, we are currently working around the clock in three shifts to expedite construction.”

“At the current pace, we estimate that the retrofitting can be completed and production can begin around March fifth. The daily output capacity at full load will be about two and a half tons.”

Xu Chuan listened to Du Yingrui’s introduction, his gaze falling on the factory under construction.

A daily output of two and a half tons would be considered abysmally low in an ordinary materials industry, but in the field of high-temperature superconducting materials, this figure was quite good.

For example, the BI-series high-temperature superconducting materials, which had achieved small-scale industrialization in Japan, had an annual output of only about fifteen hundred tons.

A daily output of two and a half tons would result in an annual output of over nine hundred tons. Although the quantity wasn’t huge, it was more than enough to meet the orders from CERN and the needs of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

As for the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, since they requested a technology-for-technology exchange, he would no longer be providing them with high-temperature superconducting materials for free.

“What about the small, single production line? Is it producing now? Take us to see it.” After touring the main production line’s renovation, Xu Chuan looked up and asked.

Hearing this, Du Yingrui quickly nodded. “Of course, it’s in production right now. Please, follow me.”

Following Du Yingrui, the group walked towards the small pilot production line.

In another, slightly smaller factory building, sat a massive piece of production equipment.

Its appearance was somewhat different from conventional equipment. It looked a bit like a starfish, with a core section in the middle and assembly lines branching out like a starfish’s arms, lying flat on the seabed.

Looking at the various components, it was clear that the machine had been pieced together by dismantling different pieces of equipment.

Without an introduction, no one would have imagined that this bizarre-looking device was capable of industrially producing superconducting materials.

Of course, the fact that the equipment looked ugly and oddball didn’t matter.

This was just a pilot device; as long as it could produce the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, that was enough.

In the field of materials, practicality would always trump appearance.

For Xu Chuan and the engineering team from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, no one cared about its looks. They only cared whether it could manufacture the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

After Du Yingrui swiped his access card, the group changed into protective suits and put on masks and goggles before entering the factory.

The workshop for producing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was a standard Class 10 cleanroom.

A cleanroom of this level was sufficient for manufacturing most pharmaceutical, precision semiconductor, and sterile biological materials.

Although theoretically, producing the copper-carbon-silver superconducting material didn’t require such a high-class cleanroom—a Class 1000 would have been enough.

After all, this material wasn’t a fragile item that would be contaminated by exposure to air. Still, when building the trial assembly line, Western Superconducting Group had adhered to the standards of a top-tier cleanroom.

After receiving permission, several engineers and materials researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics dispersed, circling the strange-looking machine and examining it.

With a mixture of skepticism, disdain, and a hint of curiosity, Bruce Walker carefully studied the device before him.

To be honest, based on imagination alone, even as a professional materials researcher who had been inside countless material production plants and seen numerous pieces of manufacturing equipment, he couldn’t imagine how this device could achieve nanometer-level, ultra-fine material processing.

After all, the structure of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was on the nanometer scale.

Although it was not at the lowest end of the nanometer scale, reaching that level meant that the technological breakthrough was already at the world’s top tier. Achieving this level of precision processing placed extremely high demands on the equipment.

And the more he looked at this machine, the stranger it seemed.

However, the equipment, which was continuously manufacturing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, unhesitatingly shattered the last shred of doubt and disdain in his heart.

At least, from what he could see, it was indeed capable of producing high-temperature superconducting materials.

Meanwhile, Claire Bryan, after observing the equipment’s operation for a moment, stood next to Xu Chuan and asked, “Is this the entire process for producing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material?”

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head. “Not entirely. The processing and synthesis of some of the basic materials are done elsewhere. But this machine is the core. It can synthesize the processed basic materials into the superconducting material and shape it as needed, such as into wires, plates, circles, and so on.”

After a pause, he added, “Of course, this machine can’t process many shapes, since it’s just experimental. The production line we just saw being built outside will be able to meet most shape requirements.”

On the other side, after examining the equipment, Bruce Walker asked with a skeptical tone, “Can it really produce high-temperature superconducting materials that are high-quality and meet the standards?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled faintly. “If you don’t believe it, you can take a sample from the freshly processed material and test it to see if it meets your requirements.”

“That’s a must. I would have demanded it even if you hadn’t offered!”

With a final, stubborn trace of doubt, Bruce Walker said with a serious expression.

Xu Chuan glanced at him and said nonchalantly, “If you know how, you can conduct the experiment yourself to verify it.”

Chapter 366: The Humbled Germans

Although the bizarre-looking device before him was producing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, Bruce Walker stubbornly believed this might just be for show.

Perhaps this Professor Xu had simply cobbled together a strange-looking machine to produce some substandard superconducting material?

A test was definitely in order.

It wasn’t just because of the ASDEX device deal, but also because of his own inner skepticism.

With the help of an engineer from the Western Superconducting Group, Bruce Walker took a section of the material from the production line and placed it in a sample bag.

Using the Western Superconducting Group’s product quality testing lab, Bruce Walker began to personally test the various parameters of this piece of superconducting material.

For any superconducting material, its superconducting properties are paramount.

He skipped even the most basic scanning tunneling microscope data collection, personally sending the material he’d collected into the measurement device.

The Superconducting electromagnetic testing system, connected to a liquid nitrogen tank, a temperature controller, an ammeter, and other equipment, was switched on. The introduction of liquid nitrogen rapidly cooled the superconducting material on the test bench.

In the blink of an eye, the material’s temperature had dropped below zero.

As the temperature decreased bit by bit, the testing lab fell silent. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the display screen connected to the computer and the testing system.

As the temperature neared the transition point, and the control system showed it had reached 152 Kelvin, the resistance curve, which had been steadily decreasing, suddenly plummeted like it had fallen off a cliff, hitting rock bottom in the next instant.

Just as everyone had seen in the previous test report, the 152 Kelvin high-temperature superconductivity was perfectly replicated.

No matter how unwilling he was to believe it, upon seeing the resistance data hit the floor, Bruce Walker had no choice but to accept that in the field of high-temperature superconducting materials, China had truly taken the lead.

Although there were other tests yet to be completed, the critical temperature of 152 Kelvin was right there before his eyes. Hoping to find flaws or loopholes in other tests was basically impossible.

After all, this was a superconducting material. If other properties were altered, the critical temperature would surely change along with them.

Beside them, Claire Bryan asked in astonishment, “Mass production… Incredible. You actually did it. Can you tell me how?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said casually, “It’s actually not that difficult.”

“There are two industrial preparation methods. One is high-temperature sintering and pressing, and the other is vapor deposition.”

“The first method involves mixing prepared superconducting powder with 99.99% pure high-purity carbon powder in a specific ratio. After mixing and grinding to ensure uniformity, it’s pressed into shape. Then it’s heated to a fixed temperature point and subsequently cooled down to room temperature at a rate of one degree Celsius per minute to obtain the superconducting bulk material in sheet form.”

“This method is used for manufacturing superconducting materials with unusual shapes. For example, the twisted, high-magnetic-field superconducting coils on the outer layer of your Wendelstein 7-X can be manufactured this way.”

“As for the vapor deposition method, you use a thin layer of polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA, as a substrate. Then, you use an inert gas that doesn’t react with the superconducting material to protect and clean both the material and the substrate. After that, you just perform the deposition process under special conditions.”

“As for the specific details of the process and the key steps, when we finalize the technology transfer, the Western Superconducting Group will have engineers and technicians explain everything to you in detail.”

After hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Claire Bryan thought for a moment and said, “But judging from the electron microscope data of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material, it has a very distinct nanostructure pattern. How do your two methods ensure the material achieves this nanostructure during manufacturing?”

In truth, after receiving the sample from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had certainly tried to study it.

After all, if they could replicate it, there would be no need for a transaction at all.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material hadn’t been patented. This meant that if they could replicate it, not only could they use it themselves, but they could even file their own patent to prohibit the other party from selling the material internationally.

This was not an impossible scenario.

A good example of this from years past was Co-artemether.

Co-artemether was the first drug with a completely new chemical structure discovered by China and a Chinese original drug that gained widespread international recognition.

By the end of 2005, it had been designated as a first-line treatment for malaria by twenty-six Asian and African countries, marking a milestone in the history of treating this highly infectious disease.

However, because the patent was taken by the Swiss company Novartis, the Co-artemether produced in China couldn’t get WTO certification and couldn’t be exported.

To be constrained by others at your own doorstep with technology you developed yourself—such a thing was simply heartbreaking.

But this was unlikely to happen with Xu Chuan.

The reason the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material hadn’t been patented was his absolute confidence in it. The difficulty for others to decipher and replicate it was immense, and the chances of success were slim.

And as he had predicted, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics was completely unable to replicate it, which was why they were now forced to come and make a deal.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It comes down to a catalyst that allows the crystal structure of the copper-carbon-silver composite material to optimize itself automatically. However, that’s the core of the synthesis process. If you want to know more, you’ll have to wait until after the contract is signed.”

Claire Bryan shrugged, looking slightly disappointed. “Fair enough.”

It was understandable when it came to such core technology. He was just asking out of curiosity, with no intention of probing for key secrets. However, any materials researcher in this situation would likely feel an itch to uncover the truth.

The researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics spent three days at the Western Superconducting Group’s facility. They conducted complete and detailed tests on the superconducting material produced by the small-scale production line and confirmed the industrial-scale production of the copper-carbon-silver superconducting material.

As for Xu Chuan, he did not stay with them the whole time.

His time was precious, and the fact that he had accompanied them on the first day was already a great courtesy. He left the subsequent matters to others.

The industrialization of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was tied to the ASDEX device deal. Not only had people from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute come, but the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had also sent personnel to assist.

On the high-speed rail, Fan Pengyue and Xu Chuan gazed at the distant scenery together. After a while, Fan Pengyue suddenly turned his head and exclaimed, “I have to say, it had to be you. The moment you made a move, even those ever-arrogant Germans bowed their heads.”

“You should have seen the look on that engineer’s face, what’s-his-name, Walker. When he confirmed the mass-produced material met the standards, his expression was as foul as if he’d eaten shit.”

“I bet his ego took a huge blow this time. After all, you accomplished something they couldn’t.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “There are still some differences. Germany’s precision machining and automation are indeed impressive, but in the field of materials, it has no right to call itself the world’s best.”

“That researcher, Walker, is just letting his arrogance get the better of him. There’s no need to pay him too much mind. I believe there are still some clear-headed people who can see things correctly.”

“Otherwise, this collaboration would never have been agreed upon.”

To be honest, in some areas, Germany and Europe were indeed at the forefront of the world.

For example, lithography machines, advanced CNC machine tools, optical systems and lenses, semiconductors, and so on.

However, many of these technologies actually originated in the last century, achievements from Europe’s peak. Now, they are merely continuing that legacy and making incremental improvements.

Since the Third Industrial Revolution, Europe’s technological and innovative capabilities have been in constant decline, and now they’ve nearly hit rock bottom.

And in the field of materials, especially superconducting materials, they had even less right to look down on others.

Nowadays, major breakthroughs in superconducting materials are mostly coming out of East Asia—for instance, Japan’s BI-series or the second-generation superconducting materials from Korea.

As for Europe, it had made almost no breakthroughs in the field of superconducting materials.

If they had, even a lower-tier high-temperature superconducting material, they would not have chosen to purchase from an external source.

Chapter 367: The Proof of the Bloch Conjecture!

While researchers from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics were conducting their survey at the Western Superconducting Group’s factory, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base selected a team of about thirty people to send to Germany.

For the trade involving the ASDEX device and the superconducting materials, both sides needed to fully confirm the other’s qualifications and situation before proceeding to the next step.

However, this didn’t take long. About half a month later, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and Xu Chuan communicated again and began to set the transaction in motion.

Xu Chuan did not go in person this time. Gao Hongming would arrange a dedicated team to handle the negotiations and related matters.

At this point, there was no other urgent work left, so Xu Chuan shifted his focus back to the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

Apart from the nuclear fusion project, Nanjing University once again welcomed back the days of having a master teach classes, to the great surprise and delight of the many students at the School of Mathematical Sciences.

The days passed one by one, and soon it was May.

By working around the clock in three shifts, with people resting while the machinery did not, and by pouring in several times the manpower, the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base had already completed the construction of its main buildings. It was estimated that the entire construction would be finished in about another month and a half.

Meanwhile, the ASDEX device that Xu Chuan was concerned about had already departed from Germany and was currently on its way across the ocean.

The transportation of such large, precise equipment required the vessel to take a more stable route to ensure no mistakes occurred.

Furthermore, the ship needed to constantly monitor meteorological changes during its voyage, so the transit time would be longer, with an expected arrival in early July.

In addition, the large-scale supercomputer center for running the plasma turbulence numerical control model was also being built at a feverish pace.

According to the plan, its completion time would be roughly the same as the research institute at the base, around mid-June. This would conveniently leave half a month for acceptance testing before the ASDEX device arrived, allowing synchronized testing to begin.

On the other side, at Nanjing University.

Since the New Year of 2020, Gu Bing and Amelia had been pulling all-nighters together after returning to school.

For no other reason than that their graduation thesis seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Having an Advisor like Xu Chuan could be seen as extremely fortunate, but also extremely unfortunate.

Because from the very beginning, his standards for them had been exceedingly high.

To use a world-class mathematical problem as the graduation requirement was simply terrifying.

Although the algebraic variety and group mapping tool had lowered the difficulty, for a Doctoral student, this requirement was still absurdly high.

But it was precisely because of this high standard that they had gained so much more knowledge while studying under him.

Even though their Advisor was often busy with his own affairs, he had never held back in his teaching.

Whether it was mathematics or physics, or any other questions they were interested in—as long as they were serious—he could provide the answers.

And this learning experience was extremely precious to them both.

In the blink of an eye, it was early June.

Inside the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute, Xu Chuan was in his office, processing documents.

As the project neared completion, his tasks multiplied. Every day, there were meetings to attend and reports to read.

Since the research institute was completed in May, the team that had been temporarily using office space at the Xianlin Campus had moved here collectively. He was no exception; most of his project work was now handled here.

His black gel pen signed his name on a business document. Just as Xu Chuan was about to open the next file, the phone on his desk rang.

He casually picked it up and glanced at the screen. The call was from his student, Amelia.

He answered the call, put it on speaker, and placed the phone on the desk, continuing to flip through the documents on his desk.

From the other end of the line, Amelia’s voice, tinged with excitement and elation, rang out: “Professor, are you free to come to the university right now?”

Xu Chuan asked casually, “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“We’d like you to look at a research paper.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan stopped flipping through the documents. He looked at the phone, thought for a moment, and then smiled. “Then wait for me a bit.”

“No problem!”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan fiddled with the gel pen in his hand, staring blankly at the white wall opposite him for a moment. Then he put the pen down, stood up, and left the office.

It didn’t take long to get from Qixia Mountain to Nanjing University. In less than twenty minutes, Xu Chuan was standing at the door of his office.

Looking at the half-open door, he paused his steps, waited for two seconds, then pushed the door open and walked in.

In the office, his three students—Gu Bing, Amelia, and Cai Peng—were all there. The trio, who had been cheerfully discussing something, instantly grew tense upon seeing Xu Chuan arrive.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Where’s the research paper you wanted me to see?”

At his words, Amelia and Gu Bing stood up simultaneously.

Xu Chuan smiled and took a stack of scratch paper from each of them, then combined them into one manuscript.

“A Generalized Proof that if p is a property such that no non-constant entire function has property p, then a family of holomorphic functions with property p in a domain is normal.”

Seeing the title, Xu Chuan’s pupils contracted slightly, and a faint smile touched his lips.

Just as he had expected, his two students were probably about to graduate.

His eyes fell on the scratch paper in his hands, and Xu Chuan became immersed, reviewing it seriously.

A specific family of holomorphic functions was a theory proposed by the mathematician P. Montel in 1912, which has wide applications in the theory of functions of a complex variable.

The Bloch Conjecture, strictly speaking, was not truly a conjecture but rather a problem derived from the normal families of holomorphic and meromorphic functions.

A normal family is a family of functions with a certain convergence property, defined as: “A family F of holomorphic functions in a domain D is called normal in D if from every sequence of functions fn(z) (n=1, 2,…) in F, a subsequence can be selected that converges uniformly to a holomorphic function in the interior of D or diverges uniformly to ∞.”

Today, the theory of normal families of holomorphic and meromorphic functions is well-developed, but an important research problem within this theory is the search for new criteria for normality.

Mathematicians have actually done a great deal of work on this problem.

For example, corresponding to Liouville’s theorem for entire functions is Montel’s theorem for uniformly bounded families of holomorphic functions; likewise, corresponding to Picard’s theorem for entire functions is Montel’s criterion theorem for families of holomorphic functions with two exceptional values.

These were all built upon the theory of normal families of holomorphic and meromorphic functions.

However, the scope of these achievements was quite limited. How to generalize the scope so that a family of holomorphic functions with property p in a domain is normal remained a problem that currently troubled the field of mathematics.

And now, Gu Bing and Amelia might have done it.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Xu Chuan stood in the office holding the scratch paper. Beside him, Gu Bing, Amelia, and Cai Peng waited in silence.

A tense atmosphere filled the entire room. The three of them didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of causing a disturbance.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the last two pages of scratch paper came into Xu Chuan’s view.

“. . . Because fn is a meromorphic function and Fn ≠ 0 in Δ(Z, δ)={z:|z-z|<δ}, then 1/Fn is holomorphic in Δ(Z, δ). Therefore, 1/Fn is holomorphic in Δ-(Z, δ/2)={z:|z-z|≤δ/2}, and we have max0≤θ≤2π(1/Fn(z+δ/2eiθ) < 2/A).”

“. . . Within this small circle, {Fn} converges uniformly to 0 in the interior, thus F is normal at Z. Therefore, F is normal in domain D!”

“From the above expression, it is not difficult to deduce that the Bloch Conjecture holds!”

After quietly finishing the last two pages, Xu Chuan looked up, a gratified smile on his face. “An outstanding proof. The work you’ve done is excellent. You have expanded the scope of normal family functions, surpassed the limits of your predecessors, and produced a great achievement!”

Looking at the two students before him, he was gratified—gratified that his students had grown.

From the beginning of 2018 to June 2020, for two and a half years, they had followed him to study mathematics, to learn the algebraic variety and group mapping tool; then, on this foundation, they expanded upon it, extended their own ideas, and created their own knowledge.

Now, it was time for them to reap their rewards.

A world-class problem was enough to prove their talent and effort.

Of course, at the same time, he was also very happy, delighted to see that the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool” theory he had constructed for the Hodge Conjecture was now demonstrating its tenacious vitality in the new generation.

It did not stop at the Hodge Conjecture, nor was it limited to himself, but was instead being passed down.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

Xu Chuan believed that one day, the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool” theory would blossom with the most dazzling life in the field of mathematics.

Chapter 368: Different Choices

Hearing Xu Chuan’s praise and affirmative response, the tense atmosphere in the office instantly vanished.

Amelia’s eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a happy smile.

For her, this was undoubtedly the best answer in the world.

“This is all thanks to your guidance.” With her eyes narrowed into crescents, Amelia said with a smile, her azure eyes full of gratitude.

Indeed, for her, the decision she had made back at Princeton had completely changed her destiny.

If she had followed her father’s plan and studied at Princeton, it would be hard to imagine her being able to complete the proof of a world-class mathematical conjecture today.

Although Princeton was indeed very strong, not every student who graduated from there was able to achieve breakthroughs and realize their dreams in their respective fields.

But here, she had taken that crucial step.

Of course, having come this far, she knew better than anyone how much help her young Advisor had given her and just how powerful he was.

Whether in mathematics or physics, it seemed that for him, as long as there was a problem, there was an answer.

Looking at the scratch paper in his hand, then at Amelia and Gu Bing standing before him, Xu Chuan smiled with gratification, as if looking at children he had raised with great care.

If one were to rank the difficulty of the Bloch Conjecture, it would be around Tier 3. It was slightly less difficult than the Weyl-Berry conjecture he had studied, perhaps comparable to the Twin Prime conjecture, or maybe even a little harder.

However, its name was nowhere near as famous as the Twin Prime conjecture, but its significance to the field of mathematics was considerable. This was because normal families had wide applications in the theory of functions of a complex variable.

Of course, in terms of difficulty, without the existence of the “algebraic variety and group mapping tool,” it might have been even more difficult than the Twin Prime conjecture.

But after this mathematical tool appeared, the difficulty was reduced considerably.

The bridge he had previously built between the three disciplines of algebraic geometry, analysis, and topology while researching the Hodge Conjecture had greatly reduced the difficulty of a Hodge-type conjecture like the Bloch Conjecture.

Two years was actually enough time for a portion of the mathematical community to accept and digest this mathematical tool.

In the days to come, even without Amelia and Gu Bing, it was very likely that others would have solved this problem.

After all, once a new mathematical tool is born, solving the mathematical problems it is capable of solving is merely a matter of time.

Just like Peter Scholze’s ‘Scholze’s p-adic geometry theory’ tool, after its completion, making further breakthroughs in the Langlands program was also just a matter of time.

Of course, regardless, to be able to use a mathematical tool to solve a Tier 3 mathematical conjecture was still quite an accomplishment for them.

After all, the algebraic variety and group mapping tool had been available to the field of mathematics for two years now, but so far, besides Amelia and Gu Bing, there had been no news of anyone else using it to make a major breakthrough on a Hodge-type conjecture.

At the very least, they were more outstanding than over ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of mathematicians and could be called great ‘mathematicians.’

It had to be said, this was a different kind of achievement, one that was no less satisfying than solving a problem himself.

Smiling, Xu Chuan said, “Rather than thanking me, you should thank yourselves. Thank yourselves for your unwavering dedication to studying and researching over the past two and a half years.”

“All I provided was a direction and a platform. You were the ones who walked this path and delved into the research.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “For this research paper, have you thought about which journal you want to submit it to?”

Amelia shook her head. “Not yet. Do you have any recommendations, Professor?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and smiled. “How about the Annals of Mathematics? Although the Bloch Conjecture isn’t a very popular research area, its difficulty is not low. I believe the Annals of Mathematics will be pleasantly surprised by your submission.”

“Of course, if you and Gu Bing have other choices, that’s fine too. I just recommend choosing one of the top four journals, because it’s worthy of it.”

After hearing Xu Chuan’s advice, Amelia nodded seriously. “I will discuss it carefully with senior Gu Bing.”

Xu Chuan smiled, looked at the two of them, and asked, “When your paper passes review, it’ll be time for you to graduate from my supervision. Have you thought about where you want to work after graduation? Or do you need me to make a recommendation?”

Although the paper hadn’t been published yet, after reading it, he was confident it would be accepted. Their graduation was just a matter of time.

Hearing this, Amelia replied without hesitation, “As for work, I probably won’t be looking for a job for now. Aren’t I still supposed to be learning mathematical physics calculation methods from you, Professor?”

Stunned for a second, Xu Chuan remembered his promise to teach her mathematical physics calculation methods and smiled. “Of course. But it’s best to combine learning mathematical physics calculation methods with practical application.”

“How about this? I’ll contact some high-energy physics research institutions and maybe arrange an internship for you. That includes the search and exploration for dark matter and dark energy at CERN after its upgrade is complete. You can join in on that.”

Hearing this, a joyous smile spread across Amelia’s lips. “I’ll have to trouble you then, Professor.”

When she first entered Princeton, she had chosen mathematical physics as her field, with the goal of working at a high-energy physics research institution.

And although her path had deviated slightly over the past two years, she was now back on her original track.

If she could join CERN as an official researcher, that would be for the best.

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “It’s no trouble.”

Pausing, he turned to Gu Bing and asked, “And you? Gu Bing, what are your thoughts?”

Across from him, Gu Bing smiled and said, “As much as I’d like to continue studying under you like Amelia, Professor, I know my own situation. Reaching this point is pretty much my ceiling.”

“After graduation, I plan to go out and find a job.”

Although he had previously considered continuing his advanced studies in mathematics, his own abilities wouldn’t allow for it.

After studying with Xu Chuan for two and a half years, he had clearly seen the gap between himself and true geniuses. He couldn’t even compare to his Advisor, let alone Amelia or even the new junior, Cai Peng. He was far inferior.

While researching the Bloch Conjecture with Amelia, it was Amelia who had contributed more.

If he had to put a percentage on it, his contribution to the entire problem was one-third at most.

Now, clearly aware of his own limits, he had come to terms with it.

Although compared to the vast majority of people, he was actually quite a genius himself.

To solve a world-class problem before the age of thirty, even if it was a collaboration, was a credential that would place him in the top tier, whether in his home country or abroad.

If nothing else, no university would reject his job application, including Princeton.

But people are different; there are gaps between them.

Gu Bing became acutely aware of this, especially after following Xu Chuan. Being with such an Advisor infinitely elevated the circles he moved in.

Realizing this, he chose to leave and find a job.

After all, he wasn’t young anymore. He was almost twenty-six when he enrolled in doctoral advanced studies under Xu Chuan, and now, two and a half years later, he was almost thirty.

Starting a family and building a career—these were things he now had to consider.

Of course, compared to most people, he was actually luckier.

He knew this himself, which was why Gu Bing was extremely grateful for the two and a half years he’d had studying under Xu Chuan.

Hearing Gu Bing’s choice, Xu Chuan wasn’t too surprised. He smiled, nodded, and said, “That’s fine. Do you have a place in mind?”

At this, Gu Bing scratched his head shyly. “Well, Dean Rong spoke to me before. He invited me to stay at Nanjing University as a Professor of mathematics if I graduate from your supervision, Professor.”

“Compared to other jobs out there, I think a university campus suits me better. And the salary Nanjing University is offering is quite good, I think.”

“Besides, staying at Nanjing University means I’ll be closer to you, Professor. Even though I’m planning to leave this path of study, I will continue to delve into mathematics. If I run into any problems in the future, I can still come and talk to you.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s great. It’s good that you have a choice.”

It had to be said, Nanjing University had good judgment, knowing his student had a promising future.

He was supportive of Gu Bing’s choice.

Although he couldn’t match the talent of people like Amelia, being able to co-author the proof of the Bloch Conjecture showed that he still possessed ability and talent in mathematics.

Staying at Nanjing University—though its mathematics department was much weaker than those at Tsinghua and Peking University—meant the environment was relatively purer, allowing him to focus on mathematics with a clearer mind.

He was twenty-eight now. He still had more than a decade until he was forty-five; perhaps there was still hope for him to make another breakthrough in mathematics.

Besides, after proving the Bloch Conjecture, the salary and benefits offered by Nanjing University wouldn’t be low. It was a good choice.

Chapter 369: Chen Mingji’s Scheme

In mid-June, a little ahead of schedule, the overall construction of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was finally complete. This was thanks to the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, which had poured several times the usual manpower into the project, working in three shifts around the clock.

Although it still had a long way to go before being fully perfected, at the very least, it could now officially begin experiments once the controlled nuclear fusion reactor was in place.

Dressed in formal attire, Xu Chuan personally hosted the completion and ribbon-cutting ceremony, where he saw pairs of eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

It was a yearning for the Motherland’s strength, a hope and expectation for the completion of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

In early July, after a turbulent ten thousand li journey that spanned three full months, the disassembled and crated ASDEX device finally arrived from Germany at the Yangtze River port in Nanjing.

Three hundred million euros, which at the current exchange rate, amounted to a full two point four billion RMB.

Even for a controlled nuclear fusion project, this was a considerable sum.

However, Xu Chuan knew it was worth it. Although the ASDEX device had been decommissioned for two years, its performance parameters were still formidable by global standards.

This was especially true for its water-cooled divertor. Even though Germany had moved on to newer models, the water-cooled divertor installed on this device was still unmatched by any other country.

Furthermore, considering the long-term upgrades, modifications, and compatible equipment developed for it by the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that over a billion euros had been spent on it.

From that perspective, trading three hundred million euros plus the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology for this complete device was actually a huge bargain.

If the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics hadn’t been in such a rush to prove its capabilities with the Stellarator to secure more funding, completing this deal would likely have been far from easy.

With the support and coordination of the Nanjing government, the transported ASDEX device was smoothly delivered to the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base and installed in the core area.

Subsequently, with the assistance of engineers sent over by the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, the dismantled parts and equipment were rapidly reassembled.

After the device arrived in China and was moved to the project base, the ASDEX device was officially renamed the ‘DAWN’ device.

Xu Chuan had chosen the name, symbolizing that it would, like the breaking dawn, tear through the thick, dark clouds shrouding the technology of controlled nuclear fusion. He had high hopes for the DAWN device.

With the arrival of the fusion reactor, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project officially entered its next phase.

Currently, Xu Chuan held three major pieces of the controlled nuclear fusion puzzle.

The first and most important piece was, of course, the mathematical control model for ‘plasma turbulence,’ one of the core elements of the entire controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Only by controlling the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber and ensuring its stable operation could a continuous stream of electrical energy be successfully produced.

The second piece was the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. It could provide a stable and powerful magnetic field to confine the plasma flow within the fusion reactor chamber.

The powerful properties of this material could more than double the confinement performance of the DAWN device compared to the original ASDEX device.

A stronger magnetic field could maintain the stability of the plasma inside the chamber much more effectively.

Especially after he and Academician Zhang Pingxiang optimized it late last year, the side enhanced with graphene whisker (fiber) toughening technology gained superior thermal conductivity.

This would help keep the superconducting material below its critical temperature.

When current passes through a conductor, a stronger current creates a stronger magnetic field, which in turn generates higher temperatures.

And when the temperature exceeds the material’s critical temperature (Tc), it causes the superconductor to revert from its superconducting state to a normal state, thus losing its superconducting properties.

Therefore, maintaining the temperature of the superconducting material below its critical temperature (Tc) while providing a powerful magnetic field was a major challenge.

This was where the value of a high-temperature superconductor’s thermal conductivity lay. The better the thermal conductivity, the smaller the surface area needed to be in contact with liquid nitrogen and liquid helium for cooling.

Compared to the unoptimized copper-carbon-silver composite material, the thermal conductivity was nearly doubled after being optimized with graphene whisker (fiber) toughening technology.

When applied to the modification of the controlled nuclear fusion reactor, this could save at least one-third of the required condensation surface area.

As for the third piece of the puzzle, it was the detection technology for plasma turbulence inside the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

Of course, this technology was still in a theoretical state and required the DAWN device to be fully assembled before it could be tested.

However, in the first half of the year, Xu Chuan had established a complete theoretical framework for this technology. All that remained was to wait for the DAWN device to be completed for testing.

While the ‘DAWN’ fusion reactor was being assembled and modified, over on Luyang Science Island, Chen Mingji, the overall director of the EAST project, was holding a tablet.

It displayed a news report.

Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and China Complete Deal for ASDEX Device

The news was delayed. The deal between the two parties was only officially reported by some media outlets in the nuclear energy sector after the ASDEX device had already been delivered to the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base.

Of course, this was at Xu Chuan’s request.

He had been worried that before the deal was finalized, it might encounter other setbacks and pressures.

For example, if the European Union and NATO had heard about the deal, they might have intervened to stop it.

For Xu Chuan and the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, it may have been a win-win deal, but the same couldn’t necessarily be said for others.

After all, China was already at the forefront of the world in the field of controlled nuclear fusion. If it also gained some technical support from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, it could undergo a complete transformation.

And aside from Western powers like the European Union and the United States, not everyone within China was happy about it either.

The two men in this very office, for instance, couldn’t bring themselves to feel any joy at all.

After rejecting Peng Hongxi’s request last time, Chen Mingji had been preparing to start up the EAST device again to break the Tokamak’s operational record. This was intended to send a message to the higher-ups that the Luyang controlled nuclear fusion project he led was the most promising path to achieving controlled nuclear fusion.

His refusal to lease the EAST device to Peng Hongxi was also partly driven by this line of thinking.

After all, the EAST device was currently the only one in the country capable of conducting ignition experiments. Without EAST, even a Nobel laureate like Xu Chuan couldn’t just conduct experiments out of thin air, could he?

And building one from scratch, even on an expedited schedule, would be impossible to complete in less than two or three years.

By the time two or three years had passed, EAST would have made even greater achievements. With a head start, he could keep his advantage. He planned to keep suppressing his rival this way and maintain control over the discourse in China’s controlled nuclear fusion field.

But what he hadn’t expected was that that individual would refuse to play by the script and had gone and bought a device directly from Germany.

He had never seen that coming.

Even more critically, the fact that the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had actually agreed to the deal was even more unbelievable.

He had personally flown to Germany before, trying to trade China’s advanced ICRF heating technology for their water-cooled divertor technology, only to be rejected without a moment’s hesitation.

And yet, that Professor Xu had managed to acquire the entire ASDEX device in a direct trade.

Thinking of this, Chen Mingji felt an even sourer taste in his mouth.

His assistant, who had brought him the news, smacked his lips, his face a mixture of what seemed to be envy and jealousy. He said:

“Academician Xu is certainly generous. Three hundred million euros… that’s two point four, almost two point five billion RMB, and he just threw it all in.”

Putting down the tablet, Chen Mingji said flatly, “It’s not his own money. What’s there to be generous about?”

The assistant smiled. “You’re right. It’s easy spending money that isn’t yours. Squandering the nation’s funds just like that. Two and a half billion… that’s no small sum.”

To be honest, as a public official, such words should not have been spoken, or at least they were inappropriate.

Never mind the fact that China had actually gotten a bargain in this deal, with the loss being Xu Chuan’s own technology. Even if the deal had been a slight loss, it wouldn’t have really mattered.

After all, along with the ASDEX device came more advanced technologies from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, such as the water-cooled divertor.

It could significantly address China’s shortcomings in controlled nuclear fusion technology.

But in an office with only the two of them, it didn’t matter.

There were no outsiders, after all.

And Chen Mingji said nothing after hearing this.

After a moment of thought, he slowly said, “Since he’s bought the ASDEX device, he definitely won’t let it sit idle. Find out when he’s going to start his ignition experiment. We’ll prepare to run our own experiment at the same time.”

Hearing this, the assistant’s eyes lit up. He said happily, “When the time comes, a comparison of the experimental results will naturally show who is superior.”

“If we break the world record and he can’t even achieve ignition, he’ll be utterly humiliated.”

“And even if he manages ignition, with that old ASDEX device, he definitely won’t be able to run it for very long! I’m sure the state will be watching.”

“At that point, we’ll still be the ones calling the shots in the field of controlled nuclear fusion!”

Behind the desk, Chen Mingji remained silent, but the slight curl of his lips showed that he fully approved of his assistant’s words.

An old, outdated ASDEX device… even if it could manage an ignition experiment, how long could it possibly run?

Chapter 370: Dawnbreaker! Activate!

After the ‘Dawnbreaker’ experimental fusion pile was delivered to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base, Xu Chuan moved into the base’s research institute, personally overseeing the assembly and modification of the experimental pile.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material produced by the Western Superconducting Group was processed into special shapes and delivered to the project base’s warehouse.

This work had been prepared in advance. Back during Chinese New Year, when the deal for the ASDEX device was confirmed, he had requested detailed design and structural diagrams for the device from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

The research team then created designs based on the relevant data. The resulting blueprints and data were immediately sent to the Western Superconducting Group’s production line, where they were fabricated into the corresponding superconducting components. These were delivered to the base even before the ASDEX device itself had arrived.

Following the designs, the project base was lit up twenty-four hours a day, with everyone working overtime in a flurry of activity.

To ensure the stable modification of the ASDEX device into the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile, Xu Chuan didn’t step foot outside the Qixia Mountain project base for over a month. He ate, drank, and slept entirely within its confines.

However, the month-long hustle was worth it. After August 1st Army Day, as if it were a specially prepared gift, the engineers of the Dawnbreaker project, working around the clock, finally completed the assembly of the last set of coils.

To install the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material onto the original ASDEX device, the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group erected a massive gantry crane over twenty meters high in the core workshop. Furthermore, they built corresponding fixtures on the exterior of each superconducting component that provides the powerful magnetic field.

These fixtures firmly secured the superconducting components and the Dawnbreaker fusion pile in their initial positions. The purpose was to prevent any displacement or other accidents involving the superconducting coils that generate the powerful magnetic field.

After all, what would be operating inside the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber was an ultra-high temperature plasma reaching hundreds of millions of degrees. If the magnetic field control were to deviate, the tragedy that struck Japan would likely be repeated.

This was also why Xu Chuan had demanded geologically stable ground when the site was first selected.

After a month of arduous effort, the assembly and modification of the ASDEX device were finally complete.

Standing before the colossal ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile, it wasn’t just Xu Chuan; the eyes of all the staff and researchers were filled with a mixture of pride, hope, anticipation, and longing.

But thankfully, the work was successfully completed!

All that remained was to start up the fusion pile, complete the acceptance test, and move on to the next stage of the journey.

A smile in his eyes, Xu Chuan glanced at the massive fusion pile before him, then turned to Academician Peng Hongxi standing beside him and issued the order:

“All teams, prepare. Begin checking the installation of the Dawnbreaker fusion device. Report your status promptly. We will proceed with the powered-on run according to the predetermined plan!”

After so much time and effort, having spent three hundred million euros and immense dedication to acquire the ASDEX device, they certainly weren’t going to let it sit idle.

Strictly speaking, this first powered-on run wasn’t an ignition experiment. It was simply the acceptance test following the completion of assembly.

The objectives of the acceptance test were actually quite simple.

The first was to check if the fully assembled Dawnbreaker fusion device could operate normally, which included injecting a certain amount of fuel and raising the temperature to control its operation.

The second was to confirm whether the external field coils, made from the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, could normally generate a massive magnetic field exceeding 40 Tesla.

These two points were the goals of the initial powered-on run; duration of operation was not a priority.

As long as these two objectives were met, it would confirm that the Dawnbreaker fusion device was ready for subsequent experiments.

If all went well, Xu Chuan planned to officially commence the first true ignition experiment on a very special day!

October 1st, 2020.

This year’s October 1st was particularly special. It was not only National Day, but also the Mid-Autumn Festival!

The nation and the family, both reunited in celebration.

To congratulate the nation with a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion on such a day would be one of the most wonderful things imaginable.

As for the timing, there wasn’t much of it left.

It was already nearly mid-August, leaving only a month and a half. This period also had to include the acceptance testing and post-test equipment inspection, maintenance, and adjustments.

While not extremely tight, the schedule was hardly relaxed.

After Xu Chuan issued the inspection order, the engineers of the Dawnbreaker fusion device engineering team quickly got to work.

For him, ordering an equipment check was just a matter of a few words, but in reality, it was an exceedingly tedious task.

From the main body of the Dawnbreaker fusion device, to the supercomputer center providing processing power, to the liquid helium and liquid nitrogen cooling systems, and even the stability of the power grid supplying electricity—and so on.

By the time the engineers of the Dawnbreaker fusion device engineering team had truly completed all their checks, four days had passed since the order was given.

In the underground core area housing the Dawnbreaker fusion device, all personnel of the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project stood ready at their respective posts.

Standing in the Main Control Room, Xu Chuan gazed down through the enormous monitor screen at the Dawnbreaker fusion device resting silently on the spacious floor below. The colossal reactor lay dormant like a great steel beast, merely waiting for the moment to awaken.

Although it wasn’t his first time standing in such a position, his heart was pounding with an unprecedented intensity.

No one knew that he had waited at least a decade for this moment.

Han Jin, Academician Peng Hongxi’s student who had previously been in charge of the “Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy” project, had also joined the controlled nuclear fusion project as Peng Hongxi’s assistant. He walked up to Xu Chuan’s side.

At this moment, he was responsible for relaying reports to Xu Chuan on behalf of Academician Peng Hongxi: “Academician Xu, the comprehensive inspection of the Dawnbreaker fusion device is complete. All equipment is normal with no issues. We are ready to proceed with the acceptance experiment.”

Hearing Han Jin’s report, Xu Chuan nodded. He took a deep breath, then calmly gave the command: “Begin the powered-on run!”

As the command to begin the experiment was given, the staff in the various control rooms sprang into action.

An external current was steadily supplied to the Dawnbreaker fusion device. The valves on the pipes connected to the liquid nitrogen and liquid helium storage tanks were opened, and the ultra-low temperature liquid helium and nitrogen flowed through different pipes to their designated areas.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material deployed in the external field, just as in countless previous experiments, quickly reached its Critical Temperature (Tc) under the cooling effect of the liquid nitrogen and helium.

As a strong current was continuously fed in, the current passing through the external superconducting coils began to increase rapidly and steadily. Accompanied by the ‘zzzt’ sound of a powerful current passing through a normal conductor, the external superconducting coils began to transition into a superconducting state.

At the same time, in the Main Control Room, the values displayed on the computer screens for the confinement magnetic field strength and other parameters of the Dawnbreaker fusion device began to climb steadily.

Watching the confinement magnetic field rise all the way to 40 Tesla, a faint smile appeared on Xu Chuan’s constantly tense face.

No matter how many times it had been tested before, no matter how many times he had used it in his past life, seeing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material now deployed on the Dawnbreaker fusion device perform so powerfully as expected, the heart that had been caught in his throat finally settled.

40.21 T!

The strength of the magnetic field used to confine the plasma is one of the keys to controlling the ultra-high temperature, high-pressure plasma turbulence within the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

With a magnetic field strength of over forty Tesla, this was already eight hundred thousand times the strength of Earth’s magnetic field and more than four times that of the original ASDEX device.

Such a massive confinement field could control the plasma within the reactor chamber even more effectively.

“Steady-state magnetic field strength has reached 40.21 Tesla! First-stage acceptance objective achieved!”

In the Main Control Room, the staff member’s report rang out, his voice trembling with excitement.

It wasn’t just this young researcher; joy was written on the faces of everyone in the control room.

A steady-state magnetic field of 40.21 T. This achievement alone had already broken the 25.72 T record set by the country’s most advanced Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).

In the Main Control Room, Xu Chuan stood before the control console. After confirming there were no issues with the confinement field and other components, he took a deep breath and continued to issue commands!

“Begin the next phase of the acceptance test. Inject Helium-3 into the Dawnbreaker fusion device!”

During the acceptance testing of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, injecting a small amount of Helium-3 gas into the chamber and then continuously raising the temperature to heat it into a plasma is also a crucial step. It is used to verify whether the external confinement field can successfully control the plasma fuel within the reactor chamber.

The reason for using Helium-3 instead of the Deuterium-Tritium gas used for D-T fusion is that Helium-3 fusion requires much more stringent conditions.

To be precise, there is no strict temperature requirement for nuclear fusion to occur; it’s more about the intensity of the reaction and whether it can be self-sustaining.

For example, the temperature at the Sun’s core is only fifteen million degrees, yet a hydrogen-helium fusion reaction is continuously occurring and being sustained there.

On Earth, however, sustaining a fusion reaction via controlled means requires a high temperature of at least fifty million degrees.

As for the next level, Helium-3, if it were to be used for the next stage of nuclear fusion, the temperature would need to be ten times that of Deuterium-Tritium fusion, or even higher.

Take this Dawnbreaker fusion pile as an example. Deuterium-Tritium gas can produce a fusion phenomenon at temperatures around the fifty-million-degree range, whereas for Helium-3 to do the same under similar conditions, it would need to reach at least one billion degrees.

And a simple acceptance test, of course, cannot involve igniting the fuel to produce electrical energy; the relevant equipment for that hasn’t even been installed yet.

Therefore, to prevent the fuel in the reactor chamber from spontaneously undergoing fusion at high temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees and causing experimental deviations, using Helium-3, with its much higher fusion temperature requirement, is the most suitable choice for the test fuel.

Chapter 371: After all, he was a man who worked miracles

With Xu Chuan’s command, the staff in each control room sprang back into action.

Compared to the previous powered-on run which tested the external steady-state magnetic field, the difficulty of introducing Helium-3 gas into the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device for a high-temperature run was much greater.

The first adjustment had to be made to the external superconducting coils that provided the strong magnetic field.

For a controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile, in addition to the superconducting coils used for basic control by providing a steady-state magnetic field, there were also control coils for real-time adjustments of the magnetic field strength within the chamber.

After all, the ultra-high-temperature, high-pressure plasma flowing inside the chamber wouldn’t just move according to your plans and pre-arranged routes every single second.

Every collision of Deuterium-Tritium atoms, every fusion event, would generate enormous energy, thereby disrupting the overall flow trend of the plasma.

It’s just like the Sun. Although the fusion reaction only occurs in its core, the outer layers still exhibit powerful activities like solar flares, solar prominences, and solar winds.

These are the trace ions that spill over from the intense fusion reactions in the core region. Although for the Sun, the particles dissipated by these activities are less than a single grain of sand on a beach, they can cause changes in the ecological environment of Earth, one hundred fifty million kilometers away.

The same is true for the high-temperature plasma inside the chamber of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor. Although the amount that spills out is also a small or even trace amount relative to the total, this trace amount of plasma can cause immense destruction and damage to the first wall and the reactor.

This is where the importance of fine-tuning and control models becomes apparent.

Following Xu Chuan’s command, the steady-state magnetic field and the micro-control magnetic field were activated simultaneously. Under the direction of the supercomputer center deployed in the facility, the magnetic field in the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s reactor chamber formed a channel for the plasma fluid to run through.

After confirming the field was formed and stable, Xu Chuan calmly issued a new command.

“Inject Helium-3 fuel!”

“Roger!”

With the reply, the valve of the fuel delivery pipe connected to the DAWN device opened. Under computer control, a precise, minute amount of Helium-3 was injected into the chamber.

Relative to the volume of the entire reactor chamber, this amount of Helium-3 was less than a drop in the ocean, but for a test, it was more than enough.

The Helium-3 atoms dispersed within the reactor chamber. With the adjustment of the ICRF heating antenna, they transformed into a plasma state and were quickly confined to a fixed orbit by the confinement magnetic field generated by the external superconducting coils.

Although the situation inside the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was invisible to the naked eye, the detectors deployed outside could fully capture the electromagnetic waves emitted by the Helium-3 plasma.

After image processing by the supercomputer center, the image projected onto the central screen of the Main control room resembled a pale blue galaxy emitting a soft glow in the night sky.

A temperature of over one hundred million degrees Celsius created this magnificent scene.

In reality, however, this was the most terrifying energy on Earth.

After all, even the core of the Sun is only about fifteen million degrees Celsius.

In comparison, for humanity to achieve controlled nuclear fusion, to conquer this temperature of over one hundred million degrees, and to make it serve mankind, the hardships to be overcome were far greater than those posed by nature.

As the pale blue galaxy flowed within the chamber, everyone in the Main control room stared intently at the screen.

Gazing at the exquisitely beautiful image, Peng Hongxi’s eyes grew a little red.

No one knew better than him how hard-won this achievement was.

Beside him, Team Leader Zhao Hongzhi, who had gone to the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics for training, was flushed with excitement and elation. His lips trembled slightly as he muttered inaudibly to himself.

Looking at the pale blue galaxy operating stably within the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile’s chamber, Xu Chuan also broke into a brilliant smile.

That’s right!

He had succeeded!

Although this was merely a result attached to the acceptance test, and though it was quite brief, it was still great and dazzling.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the numerical control model for plasma turbulence, the operation of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device—all past achievements received their most perfect interpretation at this moment.

As the ICRF heating antenna was turned off and the current to the superconducting coils was cut, the temperature of the plasma in the reactor chamber rapidly dropped.

When the entire ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device came to a complete stop, the cheers that had been suppressed in the Main control room finally erupted.

Some of the elderly men who had worked in the field of controlled nuclear fusion for years even had their eyes redden with tears.

Although this was only a phased success, it successfully brought the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project into the formal experimental stage, bringing with it a new ray of dawn and hope.

Regardless of the future, at this moment, its prospects were undoubtedly vast and bright.

Just like that pale blue galaxy, it had successfully twinkled in the hearts of everyone present.

With the acceptance test a perfect success, Xu Chuan hosted a victory celebration at the Nanjing Grand Hotel, not only to celebrate but also to reward everyone for their tireless efforts over the past year.

This included not only the researchers and engineers but also the workers who had stood fast on the construction site, whether in the scorching summer or the freezing winter.

Of course, the latter’s reward was not participation in the victory celebration, but a cash bonus after the project’s completion.

Compared to a celebratory banquet and moral encouragement, the workers toiling on the construction site needed more tangible rewards.

As the victory celebration progressed, Xu Chuan was plied with a good deal of alcohol.

Although he was still a long way from being drunk, compared to his usual teetotalism, he was genuinely happy today.

Unlike in his past life, in this life, the dream of controlled nuclear fusion had truly set sail in his hands, heading for unknown seas.

No one knew if storms lay ahead, but what he could do was to do his utmost to steer this mothership through the wind and rain to greet the rosy clouds of dawn.

Spurred by the alcohol and buoyed by the joyous atmosphere of the victory celebration, Xu Chuan stood in the center of the crowd, capturing everyone’s attention, and announced loudly:

“October 1st! In a month and a half, our Dawnbreaker will conduct its first true ignition experiment! Are you confident we can give the Motherland a birthday present with a perfect, even world-record-breaking, experimental result!”

“Yes!”

“No problem!”

“We can definitely do it!”

Before his voice had even faded, the celebration hall was drowned in a deafening wave of affirmative replies.

In the crowd, Peng Hongxi looked at the spirited and motivated people, at the young man surrounded by them in the center, and chuckled in spite of himself.

This was probably the first time he had seen this young man so fired-up and impassioned, even a little wild and out of character. Although for anyone else this might just be a common speech and nothing special.

But coming from this particular young man, it was truly a rare sight.

After all, in the past, the composure he displayed made people involuntarily forget his age.

Moreover, using a newly acquired device to break the runtime record for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor in just a month and a half.

To be honest, if anyone else had said it, it would have sounded like nothing but bragging and empty promises.

But coming from this individual, it might just be possible.

After all, he was a man who worked miracles.

Chapter 372: His Senior Is Back

After the victory celebration, Xu Chuan finally took off his white lab coat and left the Qixia Mountain base.

He entrusted the inspection and maintenance of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device to Peng Hongxi and Team Leader Zhao Hongzhi, who had trained at the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

The former would be in charge of overall management, while the latter was more familiar with the original ASDEX device, having trained in Germany for so long.

With the acceptance test complete, the next step was what Xu Chuan had announced at the victory celebration: to officially begin the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s ignition experiment.

The current international record for the longest runtime of a Tokamak or Tokamak-like device was just over 120 seconds, set by France’s superconducting Tokamak, which had also achieved controlled exothermic energy generation.

However, the performance and sophistication of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor aren’t judged solely on its runtime.

If one only looked at runtime, the EAST device had already achieved a 403-second, high-parameter divertor plasma operation at 20 million degrees Celsius back in 2012.

But on the path to controlled nuclear fusion, this was merely a very small step forward.

This was because, besides runtime, there were two other key metrics: plasma temperature and plasma density. Of course, the most important was the energy gain coefficient.

However, no country had yet been able to achieve a net energy gain from a fusion reaction in terms of the energy gain coefficient (Q).

Therefore, this metric was currently excluded from performance evaluations. Only when the first three conditions were met simultaneously would the latter be considered.

Currently, various countries had shifted their focus from purely pursuing longer runtimes to simultaneously pursuing hundred-million-degree temperatures and longer runtimes.

For example, Korea had set a world record this year for operating at a hundred-million-degree temperature, achieving a runtime of twenty seconds.

However, this record would soon be surpassed. Xu Chuan remembered that next year, in May of 2021, the EAST device in Luyang would achieve repeatable plasma operations of 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds and 160 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds, extending the previous record of 100 million degrees for 20 seconds by a full five times.

In other words, if he wanted to break the record in one fell swoop, he needed to achieve a runtime of at least over one hundred seconds at a hundred-million-degree temperature to be on par with the EAST device’s contemporary performance.

But for him, a one-hundred-second runtime was not the goal.

For the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s first run, his target was thirty minutes!

If this goal were announced in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, others would surely think he had lost his mind.

Never mind a Tokamak; even a Stellarator, which had inherent advantages in its control system, had a current maximum runtime of just over six minutes.

Half an hour. It sounded like sheer fantasy.

But Xu Chuan had some confidence in setting this target.

Compared to other controlled nuclear fusion devices around the world, he had two distinct advantages!

The first was the numerical control model for plasma turbulence. Although the previous acceptance run had only lasted a short time, the feedback data showed that this mathematical model, which he had built from scratch, was even more perfect than he had imagined.

The second advantage was the modified and optimized Dawnbreaker device, which, like EAST, was now a fully superconducting confinement fusion device.

And compared to the 25-Tesla-class magnetic field that EAST could provide, the Dawnbreaker, capable of generating a confinement magnetic field of over 40 Tesla, had a significantly greater advantage.

Therefore, Xu Chuan was confident he could achieve a half-hour run.

The day after the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s successful ignition, media outlets like the Nuclear Industry Daily and the Sci-Tech Innovation Herald, which had been invited to the acceptance experiment, published reports on the phased achievements of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

Upon receiving the news, the leaders of Nanjing also organized a visit to the Qixia Nuclear Fusion Industrial Park, making some concerned inquiries to show their strong support for the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

However, the person these city leaders most wanted to see, Xu Chuan, was not present during their visit.

Because by then, he had already returned to Nanjing University.

It wasn’t that he had important research work to do at Nanjing University; the inspection and maintenance of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had just begun, and the experimental data from the acceptance run was not yet available.

However, someone he was very close to had just returned from the United States to Nanjing University.

With a cheerful heart, Xu Chuan hurried back to Nanjing University.

Pushing open the office door and seeing the familiar figure, a smile spread across his face.

“Long time no see, Senior!”

The person who had rushed back from the United States was none other than Liu Jiaxin, his senior female student who had gone to Princeton to study abroad in 2018. More than two full years had passed since then.

Over the past two years, although they had never lost contact, Xu Chuan had only seen her once, at the beginning of 2019. After that, partly because plane tickets were too expensive, his senior rarely returned, and partly because he had been too busy after coming back to the country, he had missed her every time she came back.

“Long time no see.” Seeing Xu Chuan, Liu Jiaxin’s face broke into a joyous smile, and she greeted him softly, just as she always had.

“Congratulations on graduating!” Xu Chuan said with a smile as he walked up to her.

From September 2018 until now was just over two years. To complete her studies at Princeton in two years was already exceptionally outstanding.

Moreover, during her two years of study, his senior had participated in two major projects that could be considered world-class.

The first was her participation in the joint development of an ‘automatic cloud detection algorithm’ by Princeton and the Spanish company Ubotica, where she made significant contributions to the algorithm.

The main purpose of this technology was to use artificial intelligence to solve the problem of satellite images often being obscured by clouds.

Processed by the automatic cloud detection algorithm, the vast number of blurry and useless images containing cloud cover in satellite photos were identified and deleted. Only usable photos were transmitted back to the ground, saving 30% of the bandwidth and significantly reducing transmission costs.

The second was even more impressive. During her advanced studies at Princeton, she helped reconstruct Princeton’s AI cybersecurity platform at its joint school of information, enabling faster, more accurate, and more thorough detection of complex cyberattacks.

The optimized platform, based on massive amounts of multi-source heterogeneous data and algorithms, could quickly detect anomalies, assist in identifying attack patterns, recognize unknown threats, and reduce the time required to detect Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) from an average of three months to just a few days.

This was an absolutely enormous breakthrough for the development of cybersecurity. And his senior was one of the core members of the team that reconstructed the platform.

It had to be said, after overcoming her financial difficulties and stepping onto a higher-level academic platform, the talent she unleashed was enough to astonish even Xu Chuan.

After a bit of small talk, Xu Chuan asked with a smile, “You’re not planning to go abroad again this time, are you?”

Liu Jiaxin nodded and said softly, “No, I’m staying.”

“So, have you thought about where you want to work?” Xu Chuan asked with a laugh. “With your abilities now, I imagine any company developing artificial intelligence would be happy to accept your resume.”

“I haven’t looked into any domestic companies yet,” Liu Jiaxin said, shaking her head.

Before graduating, after completing the reconstruction of Princeton’s AI cybersecurity platform, famous companies like Google and Apple had sent her offers. The highest one even reached an annual salary of one million six hundred thousand US dollars.

Although that salary was indeed substantial, she preferred to return and contribute to her country’s development rather than work abroad.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “If you haven’t looked at any domestic companies yet, how about coming to work for me?”

“You probably know I started a materials research institute and created a computational model for materials research. As the institute grows, cybersecurity has become a major issue.”

“Since the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was announced late last year, the institute has suffered numerous cyberattacks. Considering future research and development, I’m planning to build a defense platform first.”

“Additionally, for future development in artificial intelligence and big data, I need a reliable person to manage things.”

Building a dedicated defense platform for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and developing capabilities in artificial intelligence and big data wasn’t a sudden decision on his part.

He had been thinking about it ever since the representative from AMSC, the American Superconductor company, caused a scene at the press conference for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material last year.

A defense platform was indispensable; there was no doubt about that.

And artificial intelligence and big data were the future.

Whether in daily life or scientific research, it was impossible to avoid AI and big data.

He planned to establish a new company to make some strategic moves in these two areas. It wasn’t necessarily about capturing a large market share or becoming a huge player, but at least ensuring he had a foothold in the industry to support his own development.

For example, the underlying architecture of the materials computational model at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was something he had written himself. However, he wasn’t very knowledgeable about programming, and the current architecture was limiting its future development.

Academician Zhang Pingxiang had clearly pointed out this problem during the research to optimize the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

Xu Chuan knew this as well, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

He couldn’t just drop his current projects to go and optimize the computational model, so he had to shelve it for the time being.

At the beginning of the year, he had planned to use a headhunter to find a suitable person to take charge of this area, but his work on the controlled nuclear fusion project had kept him busy, and the plan was put on hold.

Now that his senior had returned, with her current abilities, taking charge of this work should not be a problem.

After hearing Xu Chuan out, Liu Jiaxin agreed almost without a second thought. “Of course. As long as you’ll have me.”

She had agreed so readily that Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment.

After a pause, he said with a laugh, “You agreed without even talking about salary or benefits?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll sign a contract that makes you pay to work here?”

Chapter 373: I’d Like to See How You Break the Record!

Meanwhile, as reports from media outlets like the Nuclear Industry Daily and the Sci-Tech Innovation Herald spread, the news also reached the EAST controlled nuclear fusion base on Luyang Science Island.

Holding a newspaper, Chen Mingji’s face was expressionless.

Beside him, his Assistant spoke with a hint of sourness, “It’s just an acceptance test run. The results can’t compare to our EAST’s one hundred-plus seconds.”

Chen Mingji paid no mind to his assistant’s tone and asked, “Do we have confirmed news? When will they begin their first operational run?”

The Assistant quickly replied, “It’s been confirmed. At the victory celebration a few days ago, that Academician Xu said they would conduct the first ignition experiment on October 1st.”

“Not only that, but he also claimed at the celebration that he would break the Tokamak’s operational duration record as a gift to celebrate National Day.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji let out a cold snort. “With that second-hand ASDEX they bought? I’d like to see how he breaks the operational duration record.”

“Send word down. We will restart EAST on September twenty-fifth. This time, I want to push the hundred-million-degree temperature record to at least five minutes or more!”

“Doesn’t he want to break the record? Then let him try! I’d like to see how he uses that second-hand equipment he bought to break a five-minute operational record!”

Naturally, Xu Chuan was unaware of what was happening on Luyang Science Island.

Even if he knew, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Five minutes?

That was underestimating him by far.

In his past life at Princeton, after modifying the PPPL Laboratory’s fusion reactor with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the very first experiment pushed the operational duration record past fifteen minutes, and that was without the control of a mathematical model for plasma turbulence.

Not to mention, he had now solved the NS equations and successfully created a numerical control model for plasma turbulence. Although the current numerical control model was only based on phenomenological electromagnetic wave data, it was theoretically no problem to extend the runtime to over thirty minutes.

After all, the current operational experiments were mostly done with Helium-3 and hydrogen. There was still a long way to go before using actual Deuterium-Tritium fuel for ignition fusion experiments.

And while the electromagnetic wave data from Helium-3 and hydrogen was phenomenological by current technological standards, it was quite distinct from a detector’s perspective. For the mathematical model of plasma turbulence, calculating with this kind of data was not very difficult.

Once the first operational experiment was over, he could use actual Deuterium-Tritium fuel doped with Helium-3 to obtain complete and precise data. After re-optimizing the numerical control model and obtaining a complete mathematical model, Xu Chuan was confident he could directly push the runtime for a hundred-million-degree plasma to an hour, or even longer.

After having dinner with his senior female student and discussing the construction of a cybersecurity platform and the development trends in artificial intelligence and big data, Xu Chuan handed the matter over to Fan Pengyue.

It wasn’t to ask Senior Fan Pengyue to help directly, but to have him contact a headhunter to get the company’s initial framework set up.

As for his senior’s role, Xu Chuan didn’t really see her as a manager, nor did he think she could be one.

Like him, she was more inclined towards the technical side of things. It probably wouldn’t work to have her manage the company. Therefore, the plan was to recruit a dedicated professional manager to run the company, while his senior’s role would be to oversee product and technology development, which was more than enough.

Having dealt with these matters, Xu Chuan returned to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Base.

A few days had passed, and the engineers had completed a full inspection of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device. The research institute had also expedited the processing of the experimental data.

Taking the inspection and operational test data from Academician Peng Hongxi, he connected it to his computer and began to read it carefully.

【Steady-state magnetic field: Max 40.21T, Avg 30.72T】

【Regulating magnetic field: Max 17.90T, Avg 10.3T】

【Plasma current: 0】

【Plasma confinement time: 3.7S】

【Helium-3 plasma temperature: 121 million degrees Celsius】

【. . .】

Line after line of experimental data flashed before Xu Chuan’s eyes. He had to admit, judging from the data, the results were quite outstanding.

Of course, the perfection of the acceptance test also depended on the inspection data of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device post-experiment.

After reviewing the experimental data, Xu Chuan quickly opened the inspection data. After a quick browse, a smile of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Judging from both the experimental data and the equipment inspection data, this acceptance test run was undoubtedly a resounding success.

Nodding with satisfaction, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “The results are excellent. I’m even more confident about the first round of operations now.”

Beside him, Peng Hongxi hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “The Luyang team has decided to restart EAST’s operation on September twenty-fifth. This time, their target is five minutes.”

To be honest, although he was very optimistic about this young man’s research in controlled nuclear fusion and confident that the next operational experiment would be a perfect success, he had his doubts about breaking the world record. If the record was still the original one hundred seconds, there might have been some hope.

But with Luyang restarting their experiment on September twenty-fifth to push the world record past five minutes, it would be quite difficult for Dawnbreaker to break it, in his opinion.

After all, the EAST device in Luyang was clearly more mature and had undergone multiple ignition experiments. In comparison, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was like a newborn infant.

Furthermore, with Luyang intentionally spreading the news, the bold words Xu Chuan had spoken at the victory celebration a few days ago had already circulated throughout the entire nuclear fusion field. Everyone knew now and was just waiting to watch the drama unfold and see him become a laughingstock on October 1st.

If he failed to deliver, the blow to his prestige and reputation would likely be significant.

After hearing Academician Peng Hongxi’s words, Xu Chuan simply smiled and said, “Elder Peng, do you have so little faith in me?”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “It’s only five minutes. You should know that my next target isn’t five minutes, but at least half an hour.”

Peng Hongxi gave a wry smile at his words.

What could he say? This young man in front of him was truly full of drive.

A Tokamak device running for half an hour—what did that even mean?

It was heaven-defying, wasn’t it?

At least, for the current field of controlled nuclear fusion, it was heaven-defying.

One had to know that the Stellarator, which was superior to the Tokamak in terms of plasma operation, had only managed a runtime of a little over six minutes.

Half an hour. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Although he believed it would definitely be achieved in the future, this was the first round.

Challenging a half-hour runtime in the very first round—the idea was truly insane.

Seeing Peng Hongxi’s expression, Xu Chuan didn’t try to explain further.

Everything had to be proven with results. Before the results were out, anything he said was just empty talk.

With his experience, the Dawnbreaker device modified with high-temperature superconducting materials, and the numerical control model for plasma turbulence, achieving a half-hour runtime was not a problem at all.

Chapter 374: After All, He’s Only a Junior!

The joy from the good news on the controlled nuclear fusion project had yet to fade when another piece of good news arrived from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

It wasn’t a breakthrough in high-temperature superconducting materials, but a reported discovery of a method to rapidly synthesize graphene.

Graphene. Anyone with even a slight interest in the materials science world has surely heard of this name.

It is a two-dimensional, atomic-scale, hexagonal carbon allotrope with significant potential for applications in optics, electronics, mechanics, micro- and nano-fabrication, energy, biomedicine, and drug delivery.

It is also the thinnest, strongest, and most conductive (both electrically and thermally) nanomaterial discovered to date, earning it the nicknames “black gold” and the “king of new materials.”

Scientists even predict that graphene will “completely change the 21st century,” possibly triggering a disruptive global revolution in new technologies and industries.

If it has any flaws, one is that large-scale production of graphene is extremely difficult and expensive. The other is that graphene easily oxidizes in the air, which limits its range of applications to some extent.

Of course, this refers to graphene that can be used in industrial applications, not the so-called hundreds of layers of graphene you can get by scribbling on scratch paper with a 2B pencil.

That kind is completely meaningless.

In 2019, the reported cumulative global production of graphene from all countries combined was merely 1,200 tons.

Twelve hundred tons. Compared to the global market demand for graphene, this number is less than a drop in the ocean.

Previously, while replicating the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, Xu Chuan had tasked the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute with concurrently researching carbon nanomaterials. His aim was to see if they could achieve a breakthrough in this area.

After all, besides graphene, there are many other types of carbon nanomaterials.

For example, there are carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanospheres, fullerenes, nanodiamonds, and so on. These carbon nanomaterials also have incredibly broad application prospects.

Take fullerenes for example. In addition to some of the properties of graphene, they can also be used in cosmetics.

Fullerene C60 can eliminate reactive oxygen species, activate skin cells, and prevent aging.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, fullerenes have been used as a cosmetic ingredient. With their remarkable value in anti-wrinkle, whitening, and anti-aging properties, they have become a highly sought-after, cutting-edge beauty component. Many high-end skincare brands contain fullerene.

Its unique properties allow it to act like a sponge, clearing free radicals from the skin with strong absorption and an incredibly large capacity.

But like graphene, its drawback is that it cannot be mass-produced.

Carbon nanomaterials are an enormous treasure trove; digging out even a tiny bit is enough to reap lifelong benefits.

It was with this mindset that Xu Chuan had asked the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to look into it.

However, he had not expected the Institute to make a breakthrough in the field of graphene so quickly.

Hurrying to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan arrived at Fan Pengyue’s office.

Seeing him arrive, Senior Fan, who was busy with his work, put down his gel pen.

Xu Chuan didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point. “Where is the new method for synthesizing graphene?”

Fan Pengyue stood up, opened a drawer, and took out a file he had prepared in advance, handing it over.

Xu Chuan took it and began to read through it carefully.

The results were somewhat surprising. The method for rapidly synthesizing graphene material developed by the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute didn’t come from the carbon nanomaterials research team. Instead, it was an accidental discovery made by the lithium battery research team while studying lithium-sulfur batteries.

Thanks to the artificial SEI film, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had always maintained an independent department studying things like lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, and lithium-metal batteries.

After all, with the problem of lithium dendrites solved, these batteries represented a very promising field.

While attempting to further optimize lithium batteries, a researcher named ‘Yan Liu’ had used a reducing agent composed of hydrazine hydrate, ascorbic acid, molten salt hydroxide, and waste aluminum foil from a positive electrode current collector. He was trying to modify the LiFePO4 cathode to improve the electrochemical performance and cycling stability of the lithium battery.

The optimization was not achieved. However, unexpectedly, while testing the products of the failed experiment, Yan Liu discovered a thin carbon film attached to the negative electrode.

After analysis, it was confirmed to be a film of high-purity graphene.

This graphene film immediately caught Yan Liu’s attention. Knowing that the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was currently researching carbon nanomaterials, he quickly reported the matter to Fan Pengyue.

Under Fan Pengyue’s direction, a special team was formed with Yan Liu leading and other carbon nanomaterial researchers assisting. They began to study this graphene film, or rather, the original experimental process.

Ultimately, their research showed that the embedding and de-embedding of Li+ ions during the charging and discharging of LIBs would disrupt the van der Waals forces between the graphite layers, causing lattice expansion and thus effectively separating the layers.

As a result, after chemical oxidation, the graphite anode that had undergone electrochemical cycling produced uniformly dispersed GO. With the application of shear force and acid treatment, the yield of graphene could be increased, thereby forming graphene.

Through further reduction experiments, Yan Liu and his team obtained graphene with one to four layers. The exfoliation efficiency was 3 to 11 times that of natural graphite, with a maximum yield of 40%. The resulting material had a graphene layer thickness of 1.5 nm and a conductivity of 9100 S/m.

Compared to the conventional methods of preparing single- or multi-layer graphene materials, such as the mechanical exfoliation method, the oriented epitaxy method, or direct exfoliation in liquid or gas phases, the efficiency of this new method was indeed quite high.

After reading the document, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but sigh with admiration.

He had to admit, sometimes luck played a crucial role in materials research.

Who would have thought that while optimizing a lithium-ion battery, one would accidentally discover a brand-new method for preparing high-purity graphene?

Of course, this method of synthesizing graphene was not without its problems.

For example, using what could be considered a ‘chemical oxidation-reduction method’ to prepare graphene from spent lithium-sulfur batteries would inevitably involve the use of environmentally unfriendly and expensive oxidizing and reducing agents.

At the same time, the chemical reactions would also compromise the structural integrity of the graphene, and so on.

These were all issues.

But setting these problems aside, the prospects for preparing graphene using this method were indeed vast.

If nothing else, the fact that its exfoliation efficiency could be several times that of natural graphene was an astonishing figure in itself.

After getting a detailed understanding of the preparation process for this graphene material and organizing his thoughts, Xu Chuan left the matter in the hands of the researcher named Yan Liu to continue handling.

As for himself, he returned to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Campus to preside over the work there.

The mass production of graphene was indeed very important, as it was a vast market. However, the first ignition experiment of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was even more critical.

Meanwhile, as Xu Chuan was busy preparing for the ignition experiment, the EAST device on Luyang Science Island was ready for another run.

Time quickly moved to September 25th.

The early autumn sky was clear and cloudless, and a gentle breeze carried a touch of lingering heat as it caressed people’s faces.

In the Main control room of the EAST controlled nuclear fusion reactor on Luyang Science Island, Chen Mingji’s eyes were fixed on the screen of the main console. On it, various fluctuating graphs and curves showed that the EAST device was in operation.

Beside him, his assistant, Mo Hongyun, reported the situation: “Academician Chen, the plasma temperature has reached 117 million degrees Celsius. Shall we officially begin the operational experiment?”

Chen Mingji nodded and gave the command, “Begin the operational experiment!”

As the command was passed down, tasks were completed one by one, and a long, tense period of time ticked by.

Five minutes passed quickly.

It had to be said that the EAST device, having undergone thousands of experimental discharges, was truly capable. Five minutes, or three hundred seconds, was not its limit.

In the Main control room, Chen Mingji, who was constantly monitoring the data, showed a satisfied expression. Although he had previously ordered the runtime to be set at five minutes, he had also made other preparations.

If the EAST device performed well during the experiment, the experiment would continue until it reached its limit.

An unknown amount of time passed before a cheer erupted in the main control room.

Standing in the crowd, a smile appeared on Chen Mingji’s old face.

Although, due to his own allegiances and standpoint, he wasn’t particularly fond of that Academician Xu, he was genuinely dedicated to the advancement of controlled nuclear fusion experiments.

450.73 seconds!

Without a doubt, this runtime broke the historical record for a Tokamak device!

The record of over 120 seconds, set by France’s superconducting Tokamak, was merely a third of this.

Compared to the three hundred seconds he had previously proposed, this was nearly fifty percent longer.

Seven and a half minutes. This result was enough for him to show off to the entire world.

Once the wrap-up work was complete, Chen Mingji accepted a media invitation to give a detailed report on this EAST operational experiment.

After all, EAST was currently the largest and most advanced controlled nuclear fusion reactor in the country. A runtime of 450 seconds, shattering Korea’s 20-second record at a hundred-million-degree temperature, had set a new historical precedent.

There was no reason not to report on such a great moment and showcase it to the world.

For Chen Mingji, in particular, this kind of exposure was also a necessity.

After all, every operational experiment, especially one that broke records, was the best evidence for him to request more funding from the higher-ups and the best way for him to maintain control over the domestic controlled nuclear fusion field.

“Academician Chen, it’s an honor to interview you today. We’ve heard that EAST just achieved a runtime of 450 seconds. Could you please explain to the general public what this number signifies?”

The reporter from the Nuclear Industry Journal, after a polite greeting, began the formal interview.

Chen Mingji smiled and nodded, his mood clearly cheerful. “Of course, no problem.”

“EAST is a magnetic confinement nuclear fusion experimental device fully and independently developed by the Luyang Institute of Plasma Physics. It is also the world’s first fully superconducting Tokamak with a non-circular cross-section. In recent years, we have achieved a number of original results in the research of high-performance, steady-state, long-pulse plasma.”

“Take runtime, for example. At a hundred-million-degree temperature, the previous longest runtime was 20 seconds, achieved by Korea. Today, on that basis, we have increased the time to 450 seconds! A full twenty-two-fold increase.”

“This not only sets a new record for Tokamak device runtime but also breaks the longest runtime record for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, previously held by the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator.”

“Of course, this means we are at the forefront of the world on the path of controlled nuclear fusion, and it also means we are one step closer to truly realizing it!”

Reporter: “Congratulations on creating another piece of history.”

After offering his congratulations, the reporter from the Nuclear Industry Journal continued, “We heard that the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, led by Academician Xu Chuan, also achieved ignition in July. This is currently the second fusion reactor in our country capable of controlling hundred-million-degree temperatures.”

“And it’s estimated that on October 1st, they will also begin their ignition experiment. I was wondering what you think about this? Do you think Academician Xu can also achieve a runtime of 450 seconds?”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji let out a slight scoff, though he quickly composed his smile. “Achieving a 450-second runtime is not that easy.”

“From 2007 until now, it has taken EAST a full thirteen years to achieve a 450-second runtime. And no other country has yet managed to achieve this record, which shows just how difficult this path is.”

“To be honest, I’m not very optimistic about the nuclear fusion project led by Academician Xu. He is relying on retired equipment purchased from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, and it’s been less than two months since it was shipped back and reassembled.”

“In two months, just managing to conduct an ignition experiment would be quite good. To achieve EAST’s 450-second operational record would probably require a little more time.”

Chen Mingji deliberately put extra emphasis on the words “a little.”

Across from him, the reporter from the Nuclear Industry Journal clearly understood his meaning, but he didn’t say anything, just smiled.

According to the academician, this “little bit” of time was probably an indefinite period.

After all, he couldn’t press the matter to the very end; he could only take it as Academician Chen’s tactful response.

Smiling, the reporter continued, “So, you’re saying that Academician Xu’s announcement about breaking the runtime record on October 1st might not be so easy to achieve?”

Chen Mingji smiled and nodded. “There are many difficult problems to solve on a Tokamak device, not to mention it’s second-hand equipment. If their operation can successfully achieve ignition and run for ten seconds or so, that would already be very impressive.”

“As for breaking records, even breaking Korea’s previous 20-second ignition record at a hundred million degrees would be very, very difficult. The hope is slim. As for achieving EAST’s 450-second run, I’m afraid that will require a very long time.”

“After all, on this path of controlled nuclear fusion, he’s only a junior.”

Chapter 375: The Awakening Dragon

The EAST device had broken the world record with a 450-second runtime, even surpassing the record held by stellarators, which possess a unique advantage in operational control. This was undoubtedly a cause for joyous celebration for the development of controlled nuclear fusion in China.

Setting other matters aside, when Xu Chuan saw the news online, he felt genuinely happy for his country and for those researchers.

Their hard work had paid off.

If not for his rebirth, the EAST device, following its historical trajectory, would indeed have led China down the path of controlled nuclear fusion, securing it a place in the global field.

Of course, as for whether it could ultimately achieve true controlled nuclear fusion technology, no one knew.

Not even Xu Chuan himself. Despite his experience of the next ten or twenty years, despite having forged new paths in mathematics and physics, he didn’t know if he could truly realize controlled nuclear fusion.

After all, this path was truly far too difficult.

Flipping through the news, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when he saw an interview with Chen Mingji by a reporter from the Nuclear Industry Times.

Spending two and a half billion on a second-hand device, a young man being impetuous and not level-headed, a mathematician directing a nuclear physics project, a waste of national resources.

And also, his claim that if this two and a half billion had been concentrated on EAST, he was confident he could achieve a controlled runtime of at least half an hour, or even longer.

Although the content of the interview published in the media was relatively impartial, anyone with a discerning eye could grasp the core message and the narrative being pushed.

Throughout the entire interview, aside from the information introducing EAST’s achievements, the rest was almost entirely dedicated to highlighting these core ideas. Through clever use of language, it branded him as an amateur leading experts, hindering the nation’s progress in controlled nuclear fusion.

It had to be said that, riding on the success of EAST’s 450-second achievement, this matter had indeed sparked considerable discussion online.

The crowd of onlookers who were just there to watch the drama unfold naturally started discussing it.

【Two and a half billion, hiss~! Does controlled nuclear fusion really cost that much?】

【I don’t get it. We already have the advanced EAST device, so why spend so much money on a second-hand one?】

【Just like Academician Chen said, he’s young, impatient, and eager for quick success. Building one himself would take too long, but buying one means he can just assemble it and use it right away.】

【Sigh… God Chuan. If only he would just focus on his math research. Nuclear fusion is a completely different field. It’s not something you can just waltz into just because you’ve won a Fields Medal and a Nobel Prize.】

【You guys don’t know shit. The ASDEX device might be second-hand, but the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics spent seven or eight hundred million euros to build it. It has a lot of technology that’s advanced for us, like the water-cooled divertor, multipole field coils, flywheel generators, and so on.】

【The fact that he could buy it for three hundred million euros is because God Chuan traded his own high-temperature superconducting material for it. Otherwise, you can forget about it for three hundred million euros. That Academician Chen in the report tried to trade our domestic ICRF heating technology with Planck for their tech, but they just ignored him.】

【Also, God Chuan’s first choice wasn’t to buy it. He approached the EAST team first, wanting to trade his high-temperature superconducting material for the right to use the EAST device for research. But they’re an academic monopoly and refused, so he had no choice but to buy one.】

【God Chuan is still the most badass. He can buy things others can’t. Is this what a true leading figure is like? His network is incredible.】

【But two and a half billion for a second-hand device still feels too expensive. Wouldn’t it be better to build our own?】

After briefly scrolling through the news, Xu Chuan shook his head with a light chuckle and put his phone down.

To be honest, most of the comments from netizens who had read the interview leaned towards Chen Mingji’s side.

Indeed, the figure of two and a half billion sounded exaggerated.

But in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, that number really wasn’t that large.

Without his high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, it would have been nearly impossible to acquire the ASDEX device for three hundred million euros.

Even if they stripped out the water-cooled divertor and other equipment, it still wouldn’t have been enough.

The interview with that Academician Chen Mingji was actually quite pointed.

It dodged other details and focused on amplifying the “two and a half billion” figure and the “second-hand device” aspect.

It had to be said, the effect was quite good.

If it were any other scholar, under such a strong narrative, the higher-ups would have had to send someone to investigate.

After all, the person being interviewed was of high standing.

A true leader in China’s controlled nuclear fusion field, a top Academician of the Academy of Sciences, who had just led the Luyang controlled nuclear fusion project to a 450-second runtime.

If things weren’t handled properly, the scholar could easily be crushed by public opinion.

For Xu Chuan, however, the impact of this matter was not significant.

First of all, the influence of a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal was undeniable. With these two halos, as long as he didn’t do something as outrageous as treason, he would be fine in China.

Moreover, the deal for the ASDEX device only seemed expensive to the average person.

If a fusion reactor of the ASDEX device’s caliber could be bought for a mere three hundred million euros, the higher-ups would probably be ecstatic and buy as many as they could get.

One had to remember that the ASDEX device possessed a great deal of advanced technology.

Secondly, he had used his own high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology as part of the exchange, and the higher-ups were well aware of this.

As for the online public opinion, to be honest, it had almost no effect at this level.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan paid the matter no more mind.

However, Peng Hongxi and the other researchers were furious when they saw the news report.

In their eyes, this was pure slander!

They even brought it up specifically during a meeting, wanting to go to Chen Mingji and demand an explanation.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “He’s speaking the truth. We did spend three hundred million euros to buy the ASDEX device. What’s there to be angry about?”

At the conference table, Zhao Hongzhi said indignantly, “Could three hundred million euros buy the ASDEX device? He didn’t mention a single word about the fact that you, Professor, used your own technology as part of the exchange!”

“Without the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology, how could three hundred million euros possibly buy the ASDEX device? As a fellow scholar in the field of nuclear fusion, how could he not understand this!”

“And he even disparaged us in the interview, thinking that we’d be lucky to achieve an ignition run of about ten seconds!”

“Ten seconds! We could do that during the acceptance test!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Whether he says it or not is his business. The mouth is on his face. As for his prediction that our run will last thirty seconds at most, well, the results aren’t out yet. Making a prediction isn’t a big deal.”

After a pause, he continued, “So, if we want to give them a slap in the face, we have to do our absolute best on this ignition experiment.”

“Nothing is more persuasive than results. He led EAST to achieve a 450-second run. I believe we can surpass that record.”

“As long as we produce results, no one on the outside will dare to run their mouths.”

“So, everyone, prepare well! In two more days, our own experiment begins!”

“Yes, sir!”

The days passed one by one, and soon it was October 1st.

On this special day, a day for the nation and families to reunite, everyone at the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was on high alert.

It wasn’t just the engineers and researchers at the institute; even the troops providing routine protection outside had doubled their manpower. They had swept the industrial park overnight, and helicopters hovered in the sky, with fighter jets occasionally streaking past.

This posture gave Xu Chuan the feeling that he was back at the acceptance test for the Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project.

At first, Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention. Although he was in charge of project security and could make requests, the security arrangements were mostly handled by the protection force itself.

It wasn’t until Zheng Hai, who usually didn’t follow him around much within the industrial park, started sticking to his side like glue that Xu Chuan realized what was going on.

The higher-ups were likely worried about a repeat of what happened at the QST Fusion Research Institute in Japan. The increased manpower and Zheng Hai’s presence were to ensure personnel safety.

After figuring it out, Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Looking at Zheng Hai, who was constantly following him, he said, “Why are you sticking to me all day today?”

Zheng Hai smiled. “For safety. It’s just a special case for today.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He explained, “Controlled nuclear fusion is different from uncontrolled nuclear fusion. Today’s experiment hasn’t reached the step of directly using Deuterium-Tritium fuel for power generation. Even if there’s an accident, there’s no real danger, so don’t worry.”

After a pause, he continued, “Having you follow my every step like this actually makes me uncomfortable.”

To be honest, it was unrealistic to say that a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was completely without danger.

If it were completely safe, the incident at Japan’s QST Fusion Research Institute would never have happened.

Moreover, the high-energy neutron radiation produced during Deuterium-Tritium fusion could penetrate almost anything. If an accident were to truly occur during a Deuterium-Tritium fusion event, even the few helicopters parked at the base wouldn’t be able to escape.

However, for today’s experiment, he was still using Helium-3 as the fuel and would mix in hydrogen gas to simulate the fusion process, so there would be no danger.

At most, there might be some issues with the control system, causing severe damage to the first wall material of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

As for a repeat of what happened at Japan’s QST Fusion Research Institute, that was impossible here.

Zheng Hai said with a smile, “Then I’ll stand a little further away.”

With that, he stepped back a meter or two, maintaining a distance from which he could reach Xu Chuan at a moment’s notice. “How about this, you think?”

Seeing this, the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched again. He said helplessly, “Suit yourself.”

After passing through the security checkpoint, Xu Chuan made his way to the Main control room.

Peng Hongxi, Gao Hongming, Zhao Hongzhi, Han Jin, and the other researchers and engineers were already waiting there.

In addition, two teams of media reporters were bustling about in the Main control room, carrying cameras.

One was from Everyone’s Daily, and the other was a reporter from the Nuclear Industry Times.

Many media outlets had applied to enter the park for follow-up reports, but Xu Chuan had rejected them all. If it weren’t for the need to have some media for reporting and publicity, he wouldn’t have been prepared to let these two into the Main control room either.

Compared to others, he didn’t particularly enjoy being in the spotlight.

One reason was his personality.

The other was that, in his view, there was no need to lavishly publicize this kind of phased achievement.

Of course, others saw it differently.

Besides hard work, scientific research required appropriate publicity to let the outside world know what you were doing and what stage of progress you had reached. This was a necessity.

For example, CERN was particularly fond of holding all sorts of press conferences. Even if there was nothing major, they would announce their plans or publicize some phased achievement by a research group.

This was also related to the nature of CERN. It was a large-scale research institution jointly established by more than a dozen countries, with its research funding coming from these member states and member countries.

If they didn’t hold more press conferences and announce what they had accomplished during the year, how would they ask for next year’s research funding?

For Xu Chuan, however, this wasn’t necessary.

His research funding came from China. As long as the higher-ups still supported him, he would not lack for funds.

After briefly dealing with the interviews from Everyone’s Daily and the Nuclear Industry Times, Xu Chuan arrived at the front platform of the Main control room.

It was 9:55 AM. There were five minutes left until the scheduled start of the DAWN device’s first ignition experiment.

The engineers debugging the equipment had already completed the final preparations before the experiment and had reported in one by one.

Glancing at the time, Xu Chuan looked at the monitoring screens in the Main control room.

On the screen, the behemoth resting silently in the center of the core laboratory was awaiting its moment of awakening.

All the necessary checks and preparations had long been completed. All that was left could begin at any moment.

Looking at Zhao Hongzhi, who was standing to the side, Xu Chuan asked again for confirmation, “All the preparations are complete, right?”

Zhao Hongzhi nodded with a serious expression. “Confirmed complete!”

Nodding, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and gave the command, “Then let’s begin!”

With the command given, the personnel in charge of a myriad of tasks in the various control rooms quickly got busy.

External power supply activated!

Liquid nitrogen and liquid helium flowing in!

Supercomputer and numerical control model beginning operations!

The steady-state magnetic field rose steadily.

Through the monitoring screens in the Main control room, everyone could clearly see that the steel behemoth, lying quietly on the ground, awakened like an Eastern dragon!

Chapter 376: Forty-Five Minutes!

The superconducting coils fixed to the outer edge of the steel beast steadily increased the confinement magnetic field until it reached a predetermined value.

Immediately after, the fine-tuning magnetic field began to adjust according to preset values, modifying the intensity of the steady-state magnetic field at various points to form a channel capable of confining the plasma flow.

If the former was like clearing out an entire field, then the latter was like drawing a dedicated track on that cleared field.

The high-temperature plasma turbulence was like an athlete, moving along the drawn track.

And the numerical control model was like a camera or a referee, specifically managing these athletes to prevent them from running off the track and causing chaos.

[Steady-state magnetic field strength has reached 40.21 Tesla. Target achieved!]

[Fine-tuning magnetic field has completed corrections as instructed. The magnetic field within the reaction chamber has reached the target configuration!]

[…]

[Helium-3 fuel injected!]

[ICRF heating antenna activation complete. Current temperature has reached fifty-seven million degrees Celsius. Estimated to reach one hundred million degrees Celsius in three minutes!]

[…]

A series of reports sounded continuously in the Main control room. Each successful report brought a flash of joy to everyone’s faces, but it was quickly replaced by a solemn and tense atmosphere.

Everyone held their breath, their faces grim as they stared at the various indicators on the main monitoring screen.

Xu Chuan stood in the crowd, watching and listening quietly, adjusting the timing and parameters of the various commands sent to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

Soon, the peak performance achieved during the acceptance test run was once again displayed before them. After double-checking the operational data and confirming there were no errors, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and issued a new command:

“Inject hydrogen! Begin the simulated ignition experiment!”

The command was clearly audible in the Main control room. The moment he finished speaking, the reply from the designated control team rang out.

“Roger!”

With the command given, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device began a new round of changes.

The plasma turbulence mathematical model in the supercomputer center was constantly expanding on the cutting-edge data every second, generating corresponding confinement magnetic field control schemes in real-time.

If the previous actions were merely the steel beast, which had been crouching on the ground, awakening from its slumber and yawning, then now, it was beginning to advance along its path.

How far it could go depended on everyone’s efforts during this period!

At this moment, even Xu Chuan’s heart began to beat a little faster.

Standing here, directing the operation of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, was an entirely different concept from directing experimental devices at the PPPL Laboratory at Princeton in his past life.

Time passed drop by drop, each second feeling incredibly long.

Ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes, five minutes…

Every time the DAWN device surpassed its own limits, the engineers and researchers in the Main control room clenched their fists and gritted their teeth. A few even dared not breathe, their faces flushing red, afraid that their own breathing might interfere with the fusion reactor’s operation.

At this very moment, within the core laboratory, the steel beast crouching on the ground was gestating the most terrifying energy and temperature on this planet, and perhaps even in this galaxy.

Gazing at the one hundred and twenty-seven million degrees Celsius displayed on the main control screen, Peng Hongxi’s old, cloudy eyes glistened with visible tears. Meanwhile, Zhao Hongzhi, who had organized the study trip to the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, bit down hard, his eyes filled with a mix of excitement, hope, and anticipation.

From the injection of hydrogen until now, the runtime on the main console had already broken the eight-minute mark!

This data had already refreshed the seven-and-a-half-minute record set by EAST just a few days ago!

More importantly, according to the reports from all teams, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was currently in excellent condition!

This meant it could keep going!

And every minute, every second that followed would be creating a new historical record!

On the other side, Wei Guoyi, who was in charge of security, stood ramrod straight at the doorway. Although he couldn’t understand the numbers and graphs on the control screens, he could feel the anticipation and fervor in every person’s eyes and expression in the Main control room.

The experiment seems to be going quite successfully?

As he thought this, he couldn’t help but stand even straighter, his gaze also falling on the young man standing in the C-position.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the gazes and thoughts of others. He was focused on the various data in the Main control room, ready to make adjustments at any moment.

Of course, with the injection of hydrogen and the start of the simulated ignition run, he no longer needed to issue new commands.

The supercomputer center’s plasma turbulence numerical control model had become the new brain of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, directing its advance and path.

It wasn’t until…

The timer reached thirty minutes that he spoke again.

“All teams, report your status!”

Thirty minutes was a key node in the plan. Xu Chuan needed to decide whether to continue the operation or stop, based on the condition of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

In fact, apart from himself, not many people standing in the Main control room today believed they could actually reach this point.

After all, a half-hour runtime was simply too incredible.

It was precisely because of this miracle that the voices of the personnel reporting for each team were trembling.

[Current confinement magnetic field is stable. Outer field coils are in good condition!]

[Supercomputer center is operating stably, using 34.7 percent of processing power. Can support continued operation!]

[ICRF heating is stable. Current plasma stream temperature is 128 million degrees Celsius!]

[First wall neutron load has reached 1.5 MW/m². It is predicted to reach its limit and begin sustaining damage in fifteen minutes.]

[First wall temperature…]

A series of reports rang out in the Main control room. Xu Chuan listened intently, his mind racing as he analyzed the state of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device based on the reported information and the data on the main control screen.

Overall, the DAWN device was undoubtedly still stable. All its equipment and components could continue to operate steadily, but the first wall’s temperature and its load from the neutron beam were beginning to approach their limits.

Fifteen minutes remaining, plus the thirty minutes it had already run, meant a total of forty-five minutes.

In the current field of controlled nuclear fusion, this runtime could be described as an extremely exaggerated, even heaven-defying, figure.

But for Xu Chuan, this runtime did not meet his expectations.

He had originally predicted it could run for over an hour. It seemed now that this would not be achievable.

As for what exactly went wrong, a detailed analysis would have to wait until the subsequent experimental data and results were out.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Chuan spoke in a steady voice, “Continue the experiment. First wall team, maintain close observation! Measurement team, do a good job of collecting data!”

To him, there wasn’t much difference between a thirty-minute and a forty-five-minute runtime.

However, pushing the device to its limits could yield more and more effective experimental data, which was highly significant.

Fifteen minutes was not a long time. The ICRF heating antenna was shut down, the current supply to the superconducting coils was cut off, and the plasma temperature in the reactor chamber rapidly decreased.

When the entire ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device came to a complete stop, the cheers that had been suppressed in the Main control room finally erupted, shaking the heavens and the earth.

“Awesome! God Chuan is awesome!”

“A forty-five-minute run! We broke the world record!”

“Beautiful! I knew we could do it!”

“Hahahahaha, this time I’d like to see what Luyang has to say!”

“…”

In the Main control room, cheers thundered. Many researchers and engineers even hugged each other, excitedly pounding on each other’s backs.

For everyone present, this was, without a doubt, a miracle!

Standing in the crowd, compared to the cheering and celebrating of others, Xu Chuan, though also smiling, did not seem quite as happy.

Beside him, Peng Hongxi clearly noticed his state. He walked over with a smile and said, “A forty-five-minute runtime, truly incredible. This can be called a miracle. But you don’t seem very satisfied?”

Xu Chuan turned his head to look at him and said with a smile, “It’s alright. We did indeed set a new record, but it’s still some distance from the one-hour mark in my mind.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi was taken aback. Seeing Xu Chuan’s nonchalant and even somewhat dissatisfied expression towards this achievement, he coughed and asked, “Are you serious? You’re not satisfied with forty-five minutes?”

“Back at the victory celebration for the acceptance test, I was already surprised to hear you set the goal for the second experiment at thirty minutes. Now that you’ve reached forty-five minutes, I didn’t expect you to still be unsatisfied.”

“Taking a second-hand device bought from Germany, modifying it a bit, and achieving a forty-five-minute run on the first experimental run… If the people in Germany found out, they’d probably be kicking themselves, right?”

“If they knew the ASDEX device could achieve this, they would never have sold it to you, no matter what.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “But if the ASDEX device had remained in their hands, the only record it could have created would have been a fifty-million-degree run for a few dozen seconds.”

Peng Hongxi said with a laugh, “That’s true. Your high-temperature superconducting materials and the plasma turbulence numerical control model played too crucial a role in this experiment.”

After a pause, he continued, “This time, that old fellow Chen Mingji’s face has probably been slapped raw by you.”

“He was so smug about EAST’s four-hundred-fifty-second achievement, publicizing it all over the news media. He even said in an interview that it would be great if ‘Dawnbreaker’ could run for twenty seconds. Today, with your forty-five-minute result out, hahahaha, I’m very curious to see how his expression will change.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan shrugged and said nothing more.

He didn’t actually enjoy the business of slapping other people’s faces.

This time, the other party had come looking for it. He had just gone along with it. What could he do?

Chapter 377: This Is Impossible!

The Qixia controlled nuclear fusion team’s first operational experiment with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was being watched with intense focus, not just by the Nanjing municipal government but also by personnel from other nuclear fusion projects across the country.

After all, almost every practitioner in China’s nuclear fusion field was aware of the recent events.

This included Xu Chuan’s words at the acceptance test victory celebration and Chen Mingji’s pointed remarks during an interview after the EAST device’s 450-second high-density plasma magnetic confinement run.

It was no secret within the nuclear fusion community that the two men were in conflict, having nearly reached a point of public opposition.

One was the foremost figure in China’s scientific community, a Double Academician and a winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes. The other was the standard-bearer of the domestic nuclear fusion field. Neither was an easy opponent to provoke.

Especially within the nuclear fusion field, Chen Mingji’s influence was considerably greater than that of Professor Xu.

On Luyang Science Island, Chen Mingji was busy with his work.

The 450-second run of the EAST device was in the past. The next natural step was to conduct experiments aiming for even longer run times.

According to the plan, the next startup of EAST would be in May of the following year, with the goal of achieving a run time of at least 1,000 seconds.

One thousand seconds—sixteen minutes. This would once again set a new record for EAST!

When that time came, how could Xu Chuan possibly contend with him using a second-hand device he had bought?

Just as he was thinking this, the door to his office was flung open with a bang, and his assistant rushed in, flustered.

“What is it? Why the rush?” Frowning, Chen Mingji put down the gel pen in his hand and glanced at him, saying with some displeasure, “You didn’t even knock.”

Without taking the time to explain why he hadn’t knocked, or even to catch his breath, the assistant, Mo Hongyun, quickly began to report, “Academician Chen, the results of Academician Xu’s ‘Dawnbreaker’ experiment are out!”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji asked with considerable interest, “Tell me, what are his results? How many seconds did he achieve?”

In his view, it would be quite an achievement if the other party managed to surpass Korea’s previous record. As for reaching the minute-level, that was practically impossible.

At these words, a bitter smile appeared on Mo Hongyun’s face.

“Not seconds. Forty-five minutes.”

“???”

Chen Mingji’s face was a mask of confusion. “Forty-five minutes? Are you sure it’s forty-five minutes? And not forty-five seconds?”

Assistant Mo Hongyun nodded, his voice tinged with disbelief. “I saw the news in the latest report from the Nuclear Industry Times. They achieved a high-density plasma magnetic confinement run time of forty-five minutes.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji quickly pulled out his phone and searched for it.

When he confirmed that the forty-five-minute duration was real, he nearly suffocated, holding his breath in shock. He stared at his phone in disbelief, the veins in his neck bulging from the rising blood pressure. His face flushed as red as a monkey’s rear.

“How is that possible!”

“How could this be possible?”

“This is absolutely impossible!”

To achieve a forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement run time with a Tokamak-like device—was this heaven-defying?

EAST achieving 450 seconds had already drawn worldwide attention in the nuclear fusion field. But forty-five minutes! Was that something a human could accomplish?

A forty-five-minute run time—it was no exaggeration to say that with this achievement alone, he had left the rest of the world far behind in controlled nuclear fusion research.

Even EAST, which was projected to exceed 1,000 seconds next year, would only reach sixteen minutes!

Achieving forty-five minutes with a decommissioned, second-hand device—how was that possible!

He refused to believe it!

Across from him, Assistant Mo Hongyun said with a wry smile, “Should I make a trip to Nanjing to check on the situation?”

Hearing his voice, Chen Mingji came back to his senses.

Looking at the news on his phone, at the silhouette of the man standing before the main control console, he took a deep breath and said, “No need.”

Both the Nuclear Industry Times and Everyone’s Daily were the first to report the news. It was highly unlikely to be false.

While a forty-five-minute duration was so incredible it was hard not to suspect the data was fabricated, falsifying it would be of no use to that individual. On the contrary, it would only earn him the ire of the higher-ups.

So, it could be said that this was basically a fact.

What he couldn’t understand, however, was just how they had done it.

This was forty-five minutes, not forty-five seconds!

Forty-five minutes… This record surpassed the current state of the magnetic confinement approach by a massive margin.

Even EAST’s latest record was merely 450 seconds. In comparison, that was only one-sixth of the time.

Even if EAST successfully ran for over a thousand seconds next year, it would pale in comparison to this achievement.

This record was simply too astonishing.

So much so that Chen Mingji truly couldn’t imagine how they had pulled it off.

Across from him, Assistant Mo Hongyun asked in a low voice, “Academician Chen, what should we do now?”

A forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement run time… a figure so staggering he couldn’t imagine how the EAST device could possibly surpass it.

Even if they were given another year, or two, or even three, they might not be able to reach that point.

It was too heaven-defying!

Were Nobel laureates really this terrifying?

It wasn’t as if China hadn’t had Nobel laureates before, but he had never seen one as ferocious as that individual!

Yes!

In Mo Hongyun’s heart, Xu Chuan was no longer a genius or a prodigy. He was ferocious!

From mathematics to physics, from materials to nuclear energy, whether it was nuclear fission or nuclear fusion, every field and industry he intervened in underwent a revolutionary transformation.

It was simply too ferocious.

He was like a scientist from an advanced alien civilization, or an omniscient scholar who had time-traveled back from some unknown future, all-knowing and all-powerful.

Hearing the question, Chen Mingji’s expression also soured.

What should they do next?

He didn’t know either.

EAST had been glorious, so glorious that it had created a seven-and-a-half-minute run time of 450 seconds, once breaking the world record for controlled nuclear fusion devices. The longest records in history for both Tokamak and Stellarator devices were just over six minutes.

But placed before the vast duration of forty-five minutes, it was like a meteor streaking across the sky attempting to compete with the sun for brilliance—far too insignificant.

The two men fell into a mutual silence in the office.

After what felt like an eternity, Mo Hongyun suddenly looked up at Chen Mingji and said tentatively, “Director, I have an idea. Perhaps we could give it a try?”

Chen Mingji looked up at his assistant. “What idea? Speak your mind!”

To be honest, he was completely out of good ideas.

Although he was still the standard-bearer of China’s controlled nuclear fusion field, controlling the allocation of resources and, it could be said, having to sign off on the majority of research funding for controlled fusion projects before it could be disbursed.

But that individual was an exception.

The Qixia Mountain controlled nuclear fusion project was not under his purview, and its corresponding research funding did not require his approval.

Ultimately, he had no authority over the man.

The tactics that worked on others were useless against him.

More critically, if he couldn’t quickly regain his ground in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, he feared his position as the leader would soon be lost.

Thus, when his assistant proposed an idea, he was desperate to hear it.

Mo Hongyun took a deep breath and began, “First, we can be certain that the second-hand ASDEX device alone could not have achieved this.”

“After Professor Xu bought it, he must have modified it. This includes the time he approached us, wanting to use the EAST device to test the mathematical model for plasma turbulence he had.”

“So, I believe the transformation of the ASDEX device, enabling it to achieve a forty-five-minute run time, is related to whatever modifications he made, and to that mathematical model.”

“Besides these two things, I can’t think of anything else that could have caused such a drastic change in the ASDEX device.”

“And if we can figure out these two things, perhaps we can apply them to our EAST device.”

Mo Hongyun didn’t finish his sentence, but Chen Mingji already understood what he meant.

After all, in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, many things were universal.

Anything that could be used on the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device could surely be adapted for use on the EAST device, especially since both were derived from the Tokamak design, with only minor differences in some components.

However, given the state of their relationship, he couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride and ask.

Across from him, as if seeing his superior’s hesitation and thoughts, Assistant Mo Hongyun took the initiative to speak. “Director, we’d be doing this for the development of the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion cause. After all, having another approach gives us another option. I’m sure Academician Xu will understand.”

Chapter 378: What Kind of Daydream Are You Having?

Forty-five minutes of high-density plasma magnetic confinement was, without a doubt, a bombshell dropped on the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

It took the researchers and engineers of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device three days to finish organizing the equipment reports and experimental data.

The relevant information was delivered to Xu Chuan’s office at the first opportunity.

At his desk, Xu Chuan leafed through the experimental data, considering the next steps for optimization and adjustment.

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

Hearing the knock, Xu Chuan answered without looking up, “Come in.”

“Academician Xu.”

The ones who entered were Gao Hongming and Peng Hongxi, followed by an unfamiliar middle-aged man.

Looking up, Xu Chuan’s gaze fell on the stranger behind the two. He had never seen this person before; he wasn’t a researcher or engineer from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

However, for someone to be brought to his office by Gao Hongming and Peng Hongxi, he was either one of the higher-ups or a colleague from the controlled nuclear fusion field.

But something seemed off about the trio’s mood.

Elder Peng Hongxi looked sullen and clearly displeased. Gao Hongming, on the other hand, showed little emotion—after all, as an administrator, he was skilled at hiding his feelings. As for the unfamiliar man behind them, he wore an awkward, sycophantic smile.

This situation piqued Xu Chuan’s curiosity.

After a brief greeting, Gao Hongming made the introduction, “Academician Xu, this is Mo Hongyun, the assistant to Academician Chen Mingji, the overall director of the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.”

Xu Chuan was taken aback by the introduction.

Luyang? Someone from EAST? What was someone from there doing here?

Across from him, Mo Hongyun stepped forward with an obsequious smile and took the initiative to greet him. “Academician Xu, hello. Congratulations on leading the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device to a forty-five-minute runtime. You’ve made new history.”

Snapping back to his senses, Xu Chuan replied simply, “Thank you.”

Although he didn’t know the true purpose of Mo Hongyun’s visit, he was certain it wasn’t for a simple congratulation.

After all, he’d had his conflicts with the Luyang team before. Their relationship wasn’t nearly that cordial.

Mo Hongyun smiled, a bit awkwardly. Xu Chuan’s attitude was much colder than he had anticipated, making it impossible to continue with the pleasantries he had prepared.

People like him were always like this, only ever considering their own position, completely forgetting what they had done in the past.

To expect a warm welcome after everything the Luyang team had done… well, that’s just how some people are.

However, Mo Hongyun had come with a purpose today. No matter how awkward it got, he had to bite the bullet and find a way to proceed.

After some small talk, Mo Hongyun cleared his throat and got straight to the point. “Professor Xu, I’ve come to trouble you today because there’s something I’d like to ask your help with.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan grew curious and looked at the man with a questioning gaze.

Given his relationship with Chen Mingji, the man could actually bring himself to send someone to ask him for help?

Interesting.

Seeing that Xu Chuan didn’t speak, Mo Hongyun had no choice but to press on. “Academician Xu, I have come today on behalf of the national Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project to request technical assistance from you.”

Listening to Mo Hongyun’s words, Xu Chuan looked as if he was questioning his own existence. He even wondered if he had misheard.

Interrupting him, he couldn’t help but confirm, “You mean, you want the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the mathematical model for plasma turbulence?”

Mo Hongyun’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he still nodded. “I hope that Academician Xu will consider that we are all colleagues in the field of nuclear fusion, all striving for the nation’s fusion cause, and lend us your support.”

After confirming that he had heard correctly, Xu Chuan was momentarily dumbfounded.

How could he even say those words?

Was this Mo Hongyun a fake assistant?

If he were real, how could he not know what had happened before?

Did this guy have the hide and the guts to withstand the high-temperature plasma turbulence of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor?

Xu Chuan couldn’t help but laugh. What a fine speech about developing the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion, what a masterful play of moral blackmail. A slick move indeed.

If they were truly and wholeheartedly dedicated to the development of the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion, then why didn’t they mention the time he had requested to use EAST to verify his numerical control model for plasma turbulence?

Now that they saw his mathematical model was effective and had produced results, they came shamelessly begging for it.

Tsk, tsk.

He didn’t even want to reply.

Honestly, he had never met someone so shameless since returning to the country.

Amused and angered by Mo Hongyun, Xu Chuan couldn’t be bothered that Gao Hongming and Peng Hongxi were still present. He sneered, “Stop daydreaming. It’s not going to happen.”

“If you were truly and wholeheartedly dedicated to the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion cause, how could EAST have dominated the domestic field for so long?”

“You know better than anyone how many academic factions you’ve established and how many other teams researching fusion technology you’ve suppressed.”

“The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the numerical control model for plasma turbulence are both my personal research achievements, not creations of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion research team.”

“If you’ve got the guts, go ask the higher-ups directly! I’d like to see if you really have the damn audacity to do something like that!”

At first, Xu Chuan thought Mo Hongyun had come to apologize and mend their relationship.

After all, the previous incident had caused a huge stir in the domestic nuclear fusion community. It wasn’t just known within professional circles; even some onlookers on the internet who were just there to watch the drama unfold knew about it.

He just hadn’t bothered to pay any attention to it.

He never expected that Assistant Mo would show up today, under the guise of “for the nation’s controlled nuclear fusion development,” to demand his high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material and plasma turbulence numerical control model.

He truly hadn’t seen this coming.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan turned to Gao Hongming. “Director Gao, please escort this Assistant Mo out. If he refuses to leave, I’ll have him detained for investigation on suspicion of espionage and attempting to steal core secrets from a national key project.”

Previously, he hadn’t wanted to throw all decorum aside with them, preferring to not burn bridges.

Now, it seemed there was no need for such considerations.

Gao Hongming gave a bitter smile, turned to Mo Hongyun, and said, “Assistant Mo, if you would…”

Across from him, Mo Hongyun’s face had turned the color of a pig’s liver. His features were twisted, his mouth no longer a mouth, his nose no longer a nose. He seemed to want to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Gao Hongming led Mo Hongyun away, leaving only Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi in the office.

“I can’t believe he’d do something like this! He actually had the nerve to send his assistant here!”

Staring at the door that Gao Hongming had quietly closed, Peng Hongxi said, his face filled with indignation.

Hearing the elderly man’s anger, Xu Chuan calmed down considerably. He smiled and asked, “That Mo Hongyun, he must have gone to see you first before coming here, Elder Peng?”

Peng Hongxi nodded. “Yes. I originally didn’t want to bring him to you, but he said he had something important he wanted to tell you personally. Director Gao was afraid we might miss something important, so we brought him over.”

“If I had known he was so shameless, I would have kicked him out long ago.”

“Don’t you worry. If that old-timer Chen Mingji really dares to go to Beijing to ask for the superconducting material and the numerical control model, I’ll personally go to Beijing and find someone to deal with it!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “Elder Peng, please calm down. There’s no need to harm your health by getting angry over this kind of person. It’s not worth it. Our controlled nuclear fusion project still needs you to keep things steady.”

Peng Hongxi sighed. “He wasn’t like this before. Back then, he was just like everyone else, striving and working hard together for the development of nuclear fusion.”

“After more than a decade, having sat in that position for so long, he’s completely changed.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s alright. We just need to do our own work well. As for the rest, there’s no need to worry too much.”

Peng Hongxi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, “Today’s events are indeed infuriating. But we should direct our anger at the responsible party. The ordinary researchers at EAST weren’t involved. If, one day in the future, EAST runs into problems, I still hope we can take in those ordinary researchers and engineers.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “This has nothing to do with the ordinary researchers. If they are willing to come here and work with me on nuclear fusion, I would welcome them with open arms.”

“Although we’ve achieved forty-five minutes of high-density plasma magnetic confinement, there are still many problems to solve. Naturally, the more talent, the better.”

Peng Hongxi nodded and changed the subject. “Our first run was a perfect success. What’s next? What do you plan to do now?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “To be honest, a forty-five-minute runtime doesn’t actually meet my expectations.”

“I just reviewed the inspection reports and experimental analysis data submitted by the engineers and researchers, and I have a general understanding of some of the issues.”

“On one hand, the numerical control model for plasma turbulence isn’t perfect yet. The phenomenological model, established based on Helium-3 simulations, can’t completely control the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma turbulence. This causes some high-temperature particles to escape their confinement trajectory and strike the first wall material during long-duration operation.”

“So, the next priority is to re-optimize the numerical control model based on the experimental data. Now that we can conduct our own experiments, we can continuously accumulate data. I believe this step can be completed quickly.”

“On the other hand, the water-cooled divertor also needs further optimization. The water-cooled divertor from the old ASDEX device is ultimately not the most advanced. While its performance is outstanding, it can still be improved.”

“So for now, we’ll focus on solving these two problems first.”

“Once we’ve dealt with those, we can then tackle issues like plasma irradiation damage to the first wall material and magnetohydrodynamic tearing.”

Chapter 379: Fuck! Why Don’t We Have a Mathematician Like Him!

As the news was reported by People’s Daily and the Nuclear Industry Times, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement runtime quickly went viral in academia and online.

When scholars and researchers in the field of controlled nuclear fusion learned of the miracle that had occurred with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, it could be said that the entire plasma physics community was abuzz.

Discussions erupted in major research institutes, and the topic became an inescapable part of everyone’s daily conversations.

This included the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, which had sold the old ASDEX device to Xu Chuan. At this moment, they were holding a meeting to discuss the situation.

“Forty-five minutes? Are you sure you didn’t get that wrong?”

At the conference table, Professor Tillman Randt looked at the executives who had relayed the news to him, his face a mask of confusion.

Recently, because he had obtained the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from Xu Chuan, he had been focused on upgrading the Wendelstein 7-X and had no time to keep up with events in the outside world.

As a result, upon hearing this news, it took a moment for Professor Tillman Randt to process it.

Across from him, a middle-aged director snorted coldly, tossed a newspaper over, and said icily, “See for yourself!”

Half-doubtingly, Tillman Randt picked up the paper. The report came from a well-known German media outlet, Bild, one of the country’s highest-circulation daily newspapers.

After finishing the article, Tillman Randt read it again from top to bottom in disbelief, his expression growing grave.

Confirming he hadn’t misunderstood, he sucked in a sharp breath, utterly shaken by the facts contained within the paper.

A forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement runtime!

“Unbelievable. How on earth did he do it?”

After swallowing hard, Professor Tillman Randt couldn’t help but ask the question aloud.

Across the table, the middle-aged director’s expression was grim. “I was about to ask you the same question! Wasn’t that so-called DAWN device purchased from us?”

“Why is it that after he took the ASDEX device, he can achieve a forty-five-minute runtime, while in your hands, it was only a few dozen seconds?”

Hearing this, Tillman Randt gave a bitter smile.

As a leader at the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, even though he was in charge of the Wendelstein 7-X lab and not the ASDEX lab…

He was the one who had evaluated the ASDEX device and persuaded the institute’s senior management to make the deal with Xu Chuan.

Although he knew full well that the ASDEX device could never have achieved a forty-five-minute run in their hands—its performance simply couldn’t support it.

But now, the facts were right in front of him, and anything he said would be useless.

Even if he presented all sorts of parameters and data, these executives wouldn’t believe him.

In academia, whoever controls the funding is the sponsor. He couldn’t possibly refute them, at least not now.

After all, they had taken the very ASDEX device he sold and had actually achieved a forty-five-minute run.

Beside him, Professor Tillman Randt’s assistant, Milton Barlow, spoke up softly, “Could it be some kind of data fabrication?”

Although Milton had no desire to get involved in such a discussion, as Professor Tillman Randt’s assistant, his fate was tied to the professor’s; they would rise and fall together. No matter what, he had to find a way to help him out.

However, to his surprise, the first person to rebut him was Professor Tillman Randt himself.

Tillman shook his head and said, “From the data in the report, there doesn’t seem to be any problem. The possibility of fabrication is low.”

Milton Barlow’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit speechless.

Professor, I’m trying to help you here!

Tillman ignored his assistant and continued, “Compared to data fabrication, I’m more inclined to believe that he actually did it.”

As soon as he said this, the faces of the executives and sponsors across the table darkened further. They stared intently at Tillman Randt, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

Tillman paid no mind to their stares and continued, “First, we can be certain that the original ASDEX device could never have achieved these numbers.”

“It’s crucial to find out what changes that Professor Xu made to the ASDEX after he bought it.”

“My personal opinion is that he definitely replaced the original outer ring conductors of the ASDEX with the high-temperature superconducting material he possesses, which has far superior superconductivity.”

Across the table, the middle-aged executive stared suspiciously at Tillman and asked, “Are you saying this is all because of that high-temperature superconducting material?”

Tillman shrugged. “I didn’t say that. Perhaps he modified some other things as well, like the control scheme or something.”

“Honestly, for a forty-five-minute runtime, I don’t think the key factor is the old ASDEX device we sold them. It’s more likely secrets that only Professor Xu knows, such as the superconducting material, the control scheme, and so on.”

“Don’t forget, he’s a Fields Medalist who solved the Hodge Conjecture and the NS equations. No one is more familiar with the movement of fluids and turbulence than he is. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the number one mathematician in the world today.”

“For him, creating a mathematical control model for the plasma turbulence within a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber or optimizing an existing control scheme wouldn’t be a very difficult task.”

“Besides these things, I can’t imagine what other changes could lead to such a massive improvement.”

It had to be said that as the person who had personally facilitated the sale of the ASDEX device, the pressure he was under in the current situation was immense.

To keep his position, he had to come up with some more plausible reasons.

And the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, along with Professor Xu’s formidable mathematical abilities, were excellent candidates.

Sure enough, after hearing his explanation, the middle-aged director across from him also showed a trace of doubt and speculation. Could it really be true?

After all, judging from the superconductivity data, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material did indeed have that kind of potential.

One of the senior executives, however, didn’t overthink it. Tapping the conference table, he asked, “Since you put it that way, I’ll give you another chance. When will the modifications to the Wendelstein 7-X be complete?”

“It will take about two more weeks,” Tillman replied.

“Fine. In two weeks, if the Wendelstein 7-X, modified with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, can’t achieve a forty-five-minute run, you can pack your things and get out!”

As the meeting adjourned, Professor Tillman Randt let out a long sigh.

Achieving at least a forty-five-minute runtime in half a month… honestly, he had no confidence at all.

For a forty-five-minute magnetic confinement experiment, if it were the original Wendelstein 7-X, the violent plasma turbulence would have likely torn the first wall material to shreds.

However, after modifying the Wendelstein 7-X with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, there might be a slim chance.

Tillman was certain that besides the new material, Professor Xu definitely had a comprehensive control scheme.

Perhaps he had even solved the problem of controlling plasma turbulence. After all, he was the one who solved the NS equations.

Building upon the NS equations, the motion and prediction of turbulence were no longer so difficult. With a perfect mathematical model and a powerful supercomputer center, achieving a forty-five-minute runtime with a modified ASDEX device was not impossible.

Now, his hope was that the Wendelstein 7-X could also achieve this.

Although he lacked a sufficiently perfect control scheme and mathematical model, compared to a Tokamak-type device, the Stellarator itself had a natural advantage in controlling high-temperature plasma flow.

He could only hope that the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver material was truly as effective as theory suggested.

Otherwise, he was truly finished.

As for the mathematical control model for plasma turbulence…

Thinking of this, Professor Tillman Randt gave another bitter smile.

Fuck! Why doesn’t Germany have a mathematician like him!

If it did, the Wendelstein 7-X might already have achieved runs of over an hour by now!

Chapter 380: A Strategy for Solving the Tokamak Magnetic Surface Tearing Problem

Meanwhile, in the office, Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi were discussing the challenges of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

After the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had extended the magnetic confinement time of high-density plasma to forty-five minutes, there were no longer any forerunners on the path of controlled nuclear fusion to guide their way.

Neither the domestic EAST nor the international Wendelstein 7-X had ever reached such heights.

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile was, one might say, groping its way forward through darkness and chaos.

As they discussed these matters, Peng Hongxi looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “Speaking of which, the DAWN device is currently running simulations with Helium-3 and hydrogen, but it will soon move on to actual Deuterium-Tritium fusion.”

“In the subsequent Deuterium-Tritium fusion, how do you plan to solve the most difficult problems in a Tokamak device, such as magnetic surface tearing caused by the internal plasma current?”

In the field of controlled nuclear fusion, different approaches came with different implementation methods and technologies.

The most promising route was currently recognized to be magnetic confinement, but this route had several different implementation methods, such as the Tokamak, Stellarator, reversed-field pinch, tandem magnetic mirror, and spherical tokamak.

These different methods had their own advantages and disadvantages.

The Tokamak device, for instance, had simpler technology and lower costs; low neoclassical transport; and strong toroidal rotation with related flow shear, as well as weak damping of zonal flows.

But correspondingly, it also had its drawbacks.

For example, generating the plasma current was difficult, and during operation, the internal plasma current could lead to problems like magnetic surface tearing, kink modes, and plasma magnetic islands.

In fact, the Stellarator was the same, with its own pros and cons.

Its advantages were its ability to operate in a steady state for longer periods, the absence of the need to generate a plasma current, and no issues with magnetic surface tearing.

But its disadvantages included a high level of neoclassical transport and the complexity of manufacturing and assembling the coils and their support structures.

These shortcomings were necessary hurdles on the path to controlled nuclear fusion, each one no less challenging than a world-class problem.

And given the DAWN device’s progress, it would soon encounter the greatest challenge of a Tokamak device.

That was, after starting a true fusion ignition experiment with Deuterium-Tritium fuel, how to solve the problems of magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands.

To be honest, he couldn’t think of any particularly good solutions.

It wasn’t just him; the entire world currently lacked any effective methods to solve the problems of magnetic surface tearing and plasma islands in Tokamak devices.

If it could be solved, the United States wouldn’t have abandoned the more mature magnetic confinement for inertial confinement, and Europe wouldn’t be leaning more towards Stellarators.

But perhaps the young man before him had a unique approach that could create a miracle?

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before speaking. “Honestly, it’s extremely difficult to completely solve these problems within a single approach.”

“Magnetic surface tearing, plasma islands, and similar issues are among the biggest problems for Tokamak and Tokamak-like devices.”

“To solve this problem, in my personal opinion, we have to tackle it from two aspects.”

At these words, a look of interest immediately appeared in Peng Hongxi’s eyes. He asked curiously, “Which two aspects?”

Xu Chuan replied, “External field coils and the numerical control model!”

Peng Hongxi quickly pressed, “How so?”

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan explained, “As we all know, problems like magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands in a Tokamak mainly stem from the way the magnetic field is provided.”

“In a Tokamak, the rotational transform of the helical magnetic field is formed by the combination of the toroidal field generated by external coils and the poloidal magnetic field generated by the plasma current.”

“This leads to conflicts between the toroidal and poloidal fields and difficulties in balancing them, which causes magnetic surface tearing during operation.”

“The Stellarator has an advantage in this regard. Both its toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields are provided entirely by external coils, so magnetic surface tearing does not form within it.”

“Therefore, in theory, it can operate without a plasma current, avoiding many of the instabilities caused by current distribution. This is one of its main advantages.”

“I am now considering a subsequent redesign of the DAWN device, integrating the advantages of the Stellarator. I plan to redesign the external field coils of the DAWN device and combine that with the advantages of the pebble-bed’s curved surface to minimize the magnetic field provided by the poloidal plasma current, and instead use the external field coils for synchronous control and rotation.”

Based on Xu Chuan’s experience from his rebirth, countries had actually started to gradually abandon single-type fusion devices around 2025, turning instead to study hybrid types.

For example, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics’ Wendelstein 7-X would collaborate with the PPPL Laboratory at Princeton, using PPPL’s magnetic mirror control technology to optimize the Stellarator’s neoclassical transport.

Another example was the quasi-toroidally symmetric stellarator being researched domestically, which also utilized Tokamak technology to optimize the Stellarator.

It had to be said that after the application of superconducting materials to controlled nuclear fusion technology, the advantages and future of the Stellarator were actually greater than that of the Tokamak.

The problems a Stellarator needed to solve were also fewer than those of a Tokamak.

As for why he still chose to continue down the path of the Tokamak, the biggest reason was that the plasma performance of a Tokamak device far exceeded that of a Stellarator.

That’s right. Currently, even the most advanced Wendelstein 7-X could only create plasma performance that would be considered ordinary and mid-level for a Tokamak.

A Tokamak could easily achieve hundred-million-degree plasma temperatures, but for a Stellarator to reach that temperature would be an immense challenge.

In any case, current Stellarators were incapable of it.

The most advanced Stellarator at present was the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics’ ‘Wendelstein 7-X’.

Although it had previously set a historical record of fifty million degrees for six and a half minutes, in reality, only the electron temperature reached that level. Its plasma ion temperature only reached twenty million degrees.

Although a temperature of twenty million degrees had already surpassed the minimum temperature for Deuterium-Tritium fusion of fourteen million degrees, it was indisputable that in controlled nuclear fusion, the higher the temperature, the more easily fusion occurs and the more energy it can provide.

Of course, this was a simplified explanation.

In fact, what truly affects fusion efficiency is the reaction cross-section, which is the probability of positively charged atomic nuclei colliding with each other in the plasma.

And the factor that affects the collision probability is the fusion triple product: the product of the density of the reactants, the reaction temperature, and the confinement time.

The greater these three factors are, the greater the possibility of fusion.

For example, the higher the plasma density, the higher the probability of collisions between plasma particles.

It’s like how the probability of having your foot stepped on during the peak holiday travel season is far greater than when you normally take a train, simply because there are more people.

And the higher the plasma temperature, the more active the plasma.

After all, temperature itself reflects the intensity of particle motion. The more active the particles are, the higher the probability of a collision leading to fusion.

Using the peak holiday travel season as an analogy again, if everyone sat quietly waiting for the train, it wouldn’t be easy to get your foot stepped on. The real risk comes when everyone starts moving to get on and off the train; the probability of getting stepped on increases.

Increasing the temperature makes the particles more active. The particles are like a crowd of people; once they become active, they are more likely to collide.

As for confinement time, that goes without saying.

Among these three factors, the Tokamak has an advantage in the first two, while the Stellarator has an advantage in the last one.

This was one of the reasons why Xu Chuan chose to start with a Tokamak-like device rather than a Stellarator.

Of course, the advantages of the Stellarator were still significant, and its superior magnetic field control was something the Tokamak could learn from.

He planned to use this point to modify the DAWN device’s external field coils to mitigate problems like magnetic surface tearing and plasma islands in the Tokamak.

As for the control model, if the redesign of the DAWN device’s external field coils could be a collaborative effort with other researchers, then this latter part would most likely have to be handled by him alone.

Fortunately, after his rebirth, he had decisively chosen to major in mathematics, which gave him the necessary mathematical ability to do this.

On the sofa, Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and said, “So you plan to improve the Dawnbreaker by referencing the Stellarator’s external field coils?”

Xu Chuan smiled, nodding and then shaking his head. He got up and dragged a blackboard out from a corner of the office.

“Yes, but that’s for the redesign of the external field coils. As for the mathematical control model, I have some ideas there as well. Since you’re here this year, Elder Peng, how about you help me take a look?”

Peng Hongxi stood up, walked over, and said, “What’s there for me to ‘take a look’ at? On this path of controlled nuclear fusion, you’ve walked much farther than I have, and your abilities are far greater than this scruffy old man’s.”

Xu Chuan smiled, took a piece of white chalk from the box hanging by the blackboard, and began writing mathematical formulas on the board as he spoke:

“In a Tokamak, the perturbation of the bootstrap current can excite the neoclassical tearing mode. The bootstrap current is directly proportional to the pressure gradient.”

“When a magnetic island forms, the local pressure gradient within the island is reduced through transport parallel to the magnetic flux tubes. This leads to a decrease in the bootstrap current. So, in a Tokamak, this negative current perturbation causes the island to grow further.”

“And from the data of the first ignition experiment, I found something interesting. Running the model with Helium-3 and hydrogen didn’t mean phenomena like magnetic surface tearing were completely absent, they were just much weaker.”

“I analyzed the data earlier and discovered the excitation mechanism of the 2/1 fishbone-like mode through the resonant interaction of high-energy ions with the 2/1 tearing mode, which provides a resonance relationship that can explain the energy exchange between the primary wave and high-energy ions in phase space.”

“The resonance relationship between the wave and the ions can be written mathematically as: nωt + pωp - ω = 0”

“If we consider the higher-order correction of the poloidal drift orbit, the resonance relationship is mathematically corrected to: ωt + (m+l)ωp - ω = 0”

“That is, co-passing ωt + ωp = ω, and co-passing ωt + 2ωp = ω”

“And when the central pitch-angle of the high-energy ion distribution is Λ0=0.6 and the high-energy ion beta value is βh=0.35%, the perturbed distribution function δf near the magnetic moment μ=0.554 in the Pφ-E phase space is…”

“…”

In the office, Xu Chuan stood before the blackboard, writing down what he had organized from the experimental data.

Beside him, Peng Hongxi had also risen from the sofa and walked over, silently observing the equations on the board and listening to Xu Chuan’s explanation.

In a Tokamak device, problems like magnetic surface tearing, electromagnetic islands, and plasma islands were extremely troublesome issues in actual Deuterium-Tritium ignition.

Among all the problems encountered in controlled nuclear fusion, it was one of the most troublesome.

Its severity was no less than that of the first wall material, tritium recovery, or neutron radiation issues.

This was because the loss and redistribution of high-energy ions would directly affect the density of high-energy ions in the core, thereby affecting fusion efficiency.

Secondly, high-energy ions escaping the confinement region and hitting the first wall would introduce impurities into the plasma, reducing the heating efficiency of the high-energy ions. This would directly impact the plasma performance in a future fusion reactor, becoming a stumbling block for steady-state, long-pulse operation.

This had been a persistent problem for the Tokamak ever since it was proposed.

The reason Stellarators were now being re-evaluated by various countries was, on one hand, that the development of superconducting materials had solved the Stellarator’s original magnetic control instability problem. On the other hand, it was because they didn’t have the Tokamak’s issues of magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands, making them easier to control.

But if the problems of magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands could be solved, there was no doubt that the Tokamak was more suitable for achieving controlled nuclear fusion than the Stellarator.

This was because it had a huge advantage in increasing plasma temperature.

But, could it be done?

To be honest, Peng Hongxi didn’t know the answer to that question.

But on the blackboard today, he saw a glimmer of hope.

Even though he was now standing in front of the blackboard, he was having a hard time keeping up while listening to the explanation and looking at the equations. He could only grasp the general idea from some of Xu Chuan’s words.

But sometimes, this is how scientific development works, especially in mathematics. Whether an idea is feasible or not, sometimes the intuition from the first glance is quite accurate.

“…From this data, it is feasible to explain the main resonance relationship of the 2/1 fishbone-like mode’s excitation through the resonant interaction of high-energy ions with the 2/1 tearing mode by changing the central pitch-angle parameter Λ0 in the high-energy ion distribution function to alter the species and fraction of high-energy ions loaded into the simulation system.”

“As for the specific situation, we’ll probably have to wait until the DAWN device achieves Deuterium-Tritium fusion experiments and we’ve collected enough data to confirm it.”

At the blackboard, Xu Chuan tossed the chalk stub back into the box and turned to face Peng Hongxi.

The elderly man didn’t answer immediately. He pondered for a good while before his eyes lit up and he said, “From your analysis and data, the tearing mode can couple with the Alfvén mode driven by high-energy ions to produce new physical phenomena, and large-scale Alfvénic perturbations can nonlinearly drive tearing mode reconnection and excite macroscopic magnetic islands.”

“So, stabilizing the Alfvénic perturbations must be the main thrust of your idea, right?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan grinned and nodded in praise. “Exactly! Elder Peng, you’re still sharp! You saw the core idea at a glance.”

“If we can suppress the occurrence of Alfvénic perturbations to a certain extent, then theoretically, the phenomenon of magnetic surface tearing will be greatly reduced. This might be a way to solve the magnetic surface tearing problem.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s praise, Peng Hongxi shook his head and said, “Sharp? I’m old, really old. Even with your detailed explanation, I have to think for a long time to understand it.”

“But from what you’ve said, this might indeed be feasible.”

After a pause, he continued, “I’m looking forward to it more and more. With you here, I might really see the spark of controlled nuclear fusion lit in my lifetime.”

Chapter 381: The United States’ Investigation

After chatting with Peng Hongxi about issues related to controlled nuclear fusion, Xu Chuan didn’t stay long at Qixia Mountain.

The subsequent modifications and related experiments for the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device would still require some time.

This included optimizing the water-cooled divertor hardware and the numerical control model software for plasma turbulence, all of which could be handed over to others to manage.

Taking a portion of the experimental data with him, Xu Chuan returned to his villa.

After soaking in a hot bath to wash away the chill, he brewed a cup of light tea and carried it to his study.

In front of his computer, Xu Chuan first organized the data and then began writing a research paper.

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device achieving a forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement run, breaking all historical records and setting a new world record, was naturally something worth reporting.

As a phased achievement, its success was more than enough to be published in top-tier journals like Science or Nature.

This was not his accomplishment alone, but the credit of everyone involved in the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

For those who made significant contributions to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion operation project, being credited as an author on a paper in a top journal like Science or Nature was a reward they deserved.

With all the data readily available, writing a research paper was not a difficult task for Xu Chuan.

The only thing to be mindful of was to avoid including anything that needed to be kept confidential, such as key methods or modification techniques.

As for the data, there was no problem with publishing the experimental results for controlled nuclear fusion.

This kind of thing, unlike materials or other items, was something you could only stare at even if it was published, without knowing how the other party actually achieved it.

After checking the paper one more time, confirming there were no issues and that he hadn’t missed the names of any researchers or engineers who had been agreed upon for authorship, Xu Chuan thought for a moment, opened his email, and submitted it to Science, while also uploading it to the Arxiv preprint website.

For other scholars, especially those from China, submitting to a world-class journal like Science was no easy feat. For Xu Chuan, however, it couldn’t be simpler.

If nothing else, his name was a guarantee. The honors brought by being a Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureate ensured that his submission to any journal would be taken seriously by the reviewing editors.

As for posting it on Arxiv, that was just a personal habit.

Compared to professional journals, preprint websites like arXiv didn’t have long review times or high barriers to entry, allowing others to see his paper and ideas immediately and preventing issues like plagiarism.

After dealing with the paper, Xu Chuan opened his web browser.

He had been too busy with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion work recently to spend much time online or accept interviews from media reporters. Even when the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile achieved a forty-five-minute run time, it was Peng Hongxi, not him, who took interviews from the outside world.

But just because he didn’t go out didn’t mean the media wasn’t interested in him.

Ever since he won the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize back-to-back in 2018, both domestic and foreign media had been extremely interested in him, constantly following his every move.

And he did not disappoint, making waves almost every year for the past few years.

From the reuse of nuclear waste to the lithium dendrite problem and high-temperature superconducting materials, and then to the NS equations, in over three years, every achievement he made attracted the attention of numerous media reporters.

This time was especially significant. The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device breaking the forty-five-minute mark for high-density plasma magnetic confinement had sparked intense discussions in the field of nuclear fusion and online.

[Forty-five minutes! Damn~ God Chuan is badass!]

[Suddenly remembered that report from a few days ago about 450 seconds! That’s seven and a half minutes, a whole six times less! LMAO, that old guy before said it would be a success if God Chuan’s fusion pile ran for over twenty seconds. How’s that for a slap in the face?]

[Awesome! Forty-five minutes! How far are we from controlled nuclear fusion?]

[The important thing isn’t how far we are. It’s that it must be ignited first in China. Hydrogen fusion, helium fusion, and even silicon fusion at the very end, all need to be ignited here! The very first degree of power from fusion generation must be produced on this red land!!]

[To pour some cold water on this, forty-five minutes was a high-density plasma magnetic confinement run simulated with helium-3 and hydrogen, not an actual deuterium-tritium fusion ignition run. There are still many challenges to overcome.]

[The Tokamak device is a dead end! The magnetic surface tearing problem during deuterium-tritium fusion is fundamentally unsolvable! If it could be solved, the United States wouldn’t have abandoned magnetic confinement to research inertial confinement, and Europe wouldn’t have abandoned the Tokamak to research the Stellarator.]

[May I ask the poster above, what’s your education level? I suppose you know more than God Chuan, is that it, old man? Why don’t you build one yourself?]

[Lol, when I read the first sentence about magnetic surface tearing, I thought you knew what you were talking about. But after the second sentence, I see what you’re really made of.]

After briefly reading a few domestic news reports, Xu Chuan turned his attention to the international media.

The domestic reports weren’t really worth reading; most media outlets, as usual, only reported the good news and not the bad.

Of course, this time it was indeed good news.

As for the foreign media, it might be a different story.

The forty-five-minute run of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was a bombshell for the field of controlled nuclear fusion. It would comprehensively boost the world’s confidence in and expectations for controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Especially at this point in time, which was arguably the darkest hour for controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Both magnetic confinement and inertial confinement were currently stuck in a predicament.

Even the international collaborative project, ITER, was constantly postponing its construction and ignition dates due to funding issues.

Not only that, but there were rumors not long ago that the United States was going to withdraw from ITER.

The one who made this decision was, naturally, that Mr. President with the cool hair.

For him, withdrawing from ITER was no big deal, because he had been leaving various “group chats” ever since taking office.

In 2017, his first year in office, he withdrew from four major group chats: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris Climate Change Agreement, UNESCO, and the Global Compact for Migration.

By now, he had withdrawn from over a dozen different international groups, so leaving one more like ITER wasn’t a major event.

However, for the field of controlled nuclear fusion and the international cooperative ITER project, this was not good news.

After all, the United States was still one of the countries at the forefront of controlled nuclear fusion research. If even they withdrew, ITER would likely fall apart very quickly.

Yet, just as the future of the entire controlled fusion industry seemed bleak, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s forty-five-minute achievement brought a new dawn to the sector.

Of course, this would certainly touch a raw nerve for some countries.

Especially when this achievement first appeared on this land under their feet, and not in the Western countries that considered themselves more advanced, the attitude of the entire Western world was something to watch.

It wasn’t even impossible that they might take some targeted actions.

So, compared to the online discussions, Xu Chuan was more interested in knowing the actions and opinions of those Western countries after this news was announced.

Meanwhile, as Xu Chuan was browsing the news reports…

On the other side of the Atlantic, on the West Coast.

A targeted investigation was underway.

The newly appointed United States Minister of Energy, Dan Brouillette, was in his office, flipping through a paper he had just printed from the arXiv preprint server.

It was the very manuscript Xu Chuan had uploaded less than half an hour ago.

In addition, his desk was piled high with a thick stack of letters and various investigation reports.

Compared to the paper in his hands, these letters and reports had been sitting on his desk for several days.

It had to be said, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s achievement of a forty-five-minute run time had indeed struck a nerve with some people.

In the field of controlled nuclear fusion, although the United States was not the founder, they had been the leading nation ever since the Soviets fell.

However, in this field, their path forward was not as smooth as in other areas.

They had made no major breakthroughs in either inertial or magnetic confinement.

Especially after the failure of the laser ignition at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in 2012, the budget that could be secured for controlled nuclear fusion projects had plummeted to rock bottom.

If it weren’t for the fact that the NIF could still play a role in the development of nuclear weapons, the relevant research funding would have likely been cut off long ago.

Flipping through the paper in his hands, the Energy Minister, who had been in office for less than a year, tossed the paper onto his desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking pained, and muttered a curse.

“What a bunch of useless fools!”

Brouillette was well aware of the importance of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Of course, he was also well aware of what a money pit this technology was.

Whether it was the United States, the former Soviets, or their ostensible allies in the European Union, all had fallen into deep pits on this path, stumbling along to this day, still trying to figure out how to maintain a run time of ten or twenty seconds.

Yet, at this very moment, that country on the other side of the world had suddenly announced a run time of forty-five minutes. How could this not be a headache?

That was a full forty-five minutes, not forty-five seconds!

And more crucially, this forty-five-minute run was achieved on the Tokamak pathway.

Did this mean that the red Eastern nation was now not far from mastering this technology?

If so, how should they counter it?

Weren’t they saying that their so-called ‘Dawnbreaker’ was struggling to even reach twenty seconds?

How did it suddenly become forty-five minutes?

Thinking of this, Brouillette couldn’t help but curse again.

“A bunch of liars!”

Chapter 382: The Truth Can Be So Frustrating

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, China.

In a quiet villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain, a warm yellow light shone through a glass window.

A guard on patrol outside looked up at the window, still lit even in the early hours of the morning, and silently walked on.

Inside the study, Xu Chuan was hunched over his desk, furiously scribbling with a black gel pen in hand.

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had indeed broken the record for controlled nuclear fusion operation, achieving a brilliant forty-five-minute run time. However, this had also nearly exhausted the first batch of research funding.

If the payment for the old ASDEX device hadn’t been in installments, and if the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material used to modify Dawnbreaker hadn’t been fronted and supplied by the Western Superconducting Group…

…the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project probably wouldn’t even be able to pay its researchers and engineers.

Fortunately, the results were gratifying.

A forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement runtime was more than enough justification for him to write a letter to the higher-ups requesting a new batch of research funding.

While Xu Chuan was busy late at night writing his funding request, on the other side of the world, at the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany, the Wendelstein 7-X in the northern city of Greifswald was slowly shutting down.

Spurred on by the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s forty-five-minute high-density plasma magnetic confinement runtime, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had finally become anxious.

After paying out a handsome sum in overtime wages, they had finally convinced the reluctant researchers and engineers to work around the clock, completing the modifications to the Wendelstein 7-X ahead of schedule and shortening the two-week timeframe to just one week.

Now, under the leadership of Professor Tillman Randt, the Wendelstein 7-X, having been upgraded with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, had just completed its operational test.

Gazing through the monitor screen at the device gradually coming to a halt, Robert Mac, the middle-aged director standing in the Main control room, looked over at Tillman Randt.

“What are the results of the run?”

Professor Tillman Randt looked at the various parameters on the control screen, took a deep breath, and said slowly, “We’ve met our initial expectations.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “But there’s still a bit of a gap compared to the forty-five minutes that Professor Xu achieved.”

Robert Mac frowned and asked, “How big a gap?”

“Fifteen minutes,” Tillman replied, shaking his head as he looked at the data on the main control screen.

If the Wendelstein 7-X had set this record a month ago—no, even half a month ago—it would have been an incredibly exciting event.

A thirty-minute runtime! Not only would that have been a great milestone worthy of a press conference and major newspaper coverage, but it would have also allowed them to request more research funding from their higher-ups and the European Union (EU).

But now, this figure was no longer a cause for excitement.

With the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s brilliant forty-five-minute precedent, a thirty-minute runtime from the Wendelstein 7-X seemed rather insignificant.

After all, everyone knew that stellarators had a natural advantage in controlling the operation of high-temperature plasma.

Now, even after replacing the external field coils with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, they were still trailing the other side by more than ten minutes.

More than ten minutes might sound short, but in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, it was a significant gap.

After all, just a few months ago, the record-setting EAST had only run for seven and a half minutes.

And other research institutes were still pursuing results measured in seconds.

Fifteen minutes was equivalent to two EASTs.

Of course, runtime in the field of controlled nuclear fusion couldn’t be calculated that way. Even if you combined two EAST devices, they wouldn’t be able to break the fifteen-minute barrier.

In fact, even a combined EAST and Wendelstein 7-X might not be able to beat ‘Dawnbreaker’—the very device they had sold.

Beside him, Robert Mac asked with a frown, “Why is there such a large difference?”

Compared to the people from the Department of Energy—the financial backers—who had been in the office earlier, his attitude toward Tillman Randt was much better, as he was also from the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

After all, the two had worked together for many years.

As for the matter of the ASDEX device, there was nothing he could do.

Tillman Randt wasn’t the only one who bore responsibility for that incident. As the director, he was also under enormous pressure.

After all, a device they had sold off had achieved a miraculous result. No matter how you looked at it, this was a major professional blunder.

Tillman was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m afraid there’s only one problem left.”

“What’s that?”

Tillman sighed and continued, “The control model for the plasma flow within the reactor chamber.”

He paused, then added, “Honestly, aside from that, I can’t think of anything else that could create such a massive gap.”

“I’m certain that the performance of the Wendelstein 7-X, after being upgraded with the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material provided by that Professor Xu, is superior to that of Dawnbreaker. I firmly believe this!”

“After all, you and I are both well aware of the ASDEX device’s capabilities. Even if that Professor Xu modified it, it’s impossible for it to surpass ours in such a short time.”

“Under these circumstances, the only thing that could provide such an extra boost is likely the control model for plasma turbulence, and that is precisely what we lack.”

As he spoke, he lamented, “No wonder that Professor Xu wasn’t concerned about trading away the high-temperature superconducting material technology…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Robert Mac knew what he meant.

Because compared to the high-temperature superconducting material, the control of plasma turbulence was the real key.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Aren’t you quite familiar with that Professor Xu? Is there any way to get your hands on his model? By buying it, or through other means?”

Tillman gave a bitter smile. “Would you sell such a critical game-changer to someone else? As for other methods, that’s not for me to consider. You’ll have to decide that for yourselves.”

After some thought, Robert said, “What if we offer to trade the water-cooled divertor technology from the Wendelstein 7-X?”

Hearing this, Tillman Randt shot his old colleague a surprised look. “Are you sure? That’s our real lifeline.”

Compared to the first-generation technology on the old ASDEX device, the water-cooled divertor on the Wendelstein 7-X is the truly complete version.

If the performance of the previous generation was a one, then the latest technology on the Wendelstein is at least a twenty. The gap is so large that an outsider would find it hard to imagine.

You could say it’s the absolute pinnacle of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics’ technology.

Robert Mac was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “What if it’s for the sake of survival?”

“The experiment led by Dawnbreaker has already reached forty-five minutes. I believe this achievement will cause a flood of funding to rush into the Tokamak route.”

“If our Stellarator can’t keep up, I’m afraid it will be obsolete very quickly.”

“Even if it isn’t completely eliminated, it will be slowly mothballed due to a lack of research funding. As for when it might be restarted… it could be a few years, a decade, or even longer. Or perhaps never.”

“Are you willing to see your life’s work come to an end like this?”

“At least, I’m not.”

Listening to Robert Mac’s words, Tillman Randt fell silent.

Yes, the Wendelstein 7-X was their life’s work.

He had been researching this since the WEGA stellarator. Counting the years, more than a decade had passed.

Compared to the Tokamak, the Stellarator did indeed have its own unique advantages, which was why he firmly believed that the Stellarator was the path to achieving controlled nuclear fusion.

If it were to end just like this… he couldn’t accept it either.

But now, the initiative was no longer in their hands.

Honestly, if he were in their shoes, would he trade the plasma turbulence control model for the Wendelstein 7-X’s water-cooled divertor?

If he had to answer, his answer would be: “No.”

He didn’t want to lie to himself.

Though the truth was frustrating, it was still the truth.

It was just like how they had been able to hold the other side by the throat, refusing to trade their water-cooled divertor technology for the ICRF heating technology.

Now, the tables had turned.

Chapter 383: Me, Xu Chuan. Send Money!

Nanjing, at the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Engineering Base.

It had been nearly half a month since the DAWN device broke the world record by completing a forty-five-minute high-density plasma operation experiment.

The relevant inspections and data analysis had been completed. Now, engineers and researchers were systematically optimizing the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s water-cooled divertor, external high-temperature superconducting coils, and plasma turbulence numerical control model.

According to the plan, this work was expected to take about a month and a half.

During this time, Xu Chuan did not remain at the facility.

These relatively simple tasks could be handled by others. As for him, he had other matters to resolve.

For example, using mathematics to solve problems that arise during the Deuterium-Tritium operation of Tokamak devices, such as magnetic surface tearing, plasma magnetic islands, and kink modes.

If substitutes could be found for the previous modification work, the latter task was almost irreplaceable.

At least, not within the country.

Although China had many mathematicians, there were truly no famous ones in the fields of fluid dynamics and turbulence.

This was evident in the field of CFD.

Currently, it could be said that over ninety-five percent of the CFD software in the country was imported.

ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS CFX, STAR-CCM, Comsol, XFLOW—these CFD programs, which occupied over ninety percent of the market, were all foreign.

The reliance on industrial software was far too severe.

If those manufacturers were to cut off access to CFD software, the majority of domestic companies in the industry would likely be paralyzed.

But there was nothing Xu Chuan could do about this.

Even though he could be considered a big shot in the field of fluid dynamics, ranking in the world’s top five or even top three in this area of mathematics, he still couldn’t change the situation.

This was because it was an established system, a field that was difficult to change in the short term.

At least, that was the case for now.

Meanwhile, in the United States.

In a conference room at the Department of Energy, the new Minister, Dan Brouillette, was looking at the investigative report in his hands with a headache.

The recent earth-shattering changes in the field of controlled nuclear fusion had left him, the head of the Department of Energy, feeling a bit lost and unable to grasp the situation.

First, China’s ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device achieved a forty-five-minute operation, shining as brilliantly and dazzlingly as a meteor in the night sky.

Then, news of Germany’s advanced stellarator, the Wendelstein 7-X, achieving a half-hour run spread through the media. Although not as impressive as China’s Dawnbreaker, it still created another wave in the field.

China and Europe had successively made breakthrough progress in controlled nuclear fusion. In contrast, they, the original leaders, had now fallen far behind.

What confused Dan Brouillette was how everyone had gone from playing in the mud in the seconds-long runtime domain to suddenly advancing to half-hour, or even nearly hour-long, runtimes.

What happened to “controlled nuclear fusion is always fifty years away”?

At this rate, it might actually be achieved in the next twenty years.

Just then, the office door opened. An assistant walked in hurriedly, handed him an investigation file, and reported, “This is the latest investigation report. According to the CIA’s investigation, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics was able to achieve thirty minutes of operation because they replaced the Wendelstein 7-X’s external field coils with new superconducting materials, which greatly increased the strength of the confinement magnetic field.”

“And the high-temperature superconducting materials they used for replacement came from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, which is under that Professor Xu’s name…”

Flipping through the documents in his hands and listening to his assistant’s report, Dan Brouillette couldn’t help but feel his headache worsen.

Lately, he’d heard this name so often his ears were calloused. It was impossible to avoid!

After finishing the report, Dan Brouillette pinched the bridge of his nose, overwhelmed.

From this report, the sale of the ASDEX device by the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics wasn’t the key. The key was the high-temperature superconducting material and the possible existence of a plasma turbulence mathematical control model.

And the key to all of this was that Professor Xu.

He had developed the high-temperature superconducting material, and he had also created the plasma turbulence control model…

Fuck, why didn’t we force a talent like that to stay in the United States back then?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Brouillette mulled over a solution.

At that moment, the assistant across the desk spoke up, “Sir, I have an idea about this matter.”

Hearing this, Brouillette looked up at his assistant and asked, “What idea?”

Compared to him, this assistant had been with the Department of Energy for a long time. His opinion might be worth considering.

At the very least, he himself didn’t have any good solutions at the moment. Unless they could obtain the technology or materials from that Professor Xu, it would be very difficult for them to catch up and surpass them.

The assistant, McAdam, said, “We can use ITER to pressure China into making their high-temperature superconducting material technology and control model public.”

“From our investigation, this is the primary reason why China and Europe were able to achieve forty-five and thirty-minute runtimes respectively.”

“And China is a member state of ITER. According to the original agreement, when a member state conducts research on technologies related to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project—such as device operation plans, magnetic confinement theory and modeling, overall plasma performance and control, materials physics, and technology—they must share and provide them to ITER.”

“But now, it’s obvious that China has not done so. They have not provided their high-temperature superconducting materials or their control model to ITER. They are using ITER’s sharing agreement to absorb technology from ITER to strengthen themselves, but they refuse to share their own research. This is a clear violation of the agreement.”

After a pause, McAdam continued, “Additionally, we can also investigate that Professor Xu under antitrust laws.”

“According to our investigation, the high-temperature superconducting material he developed has clearly monopolized the global market. Right now, he is the only supplier of high-temperature superconducting materials. Perhaps we can use antitrust laws to force him to open up licensing for the material.”

Listening to his assistant, Dan Brouillette’s index finger tapped lightly on the wooden desk.

He was well aware of ITER’s technology-sharing agreement. In fact, for the member states of ITER, it was basically a worthless piece of paper.

Whether it was the United States, Europe, or their old rival Russia, no one ever truly provided their core technologies to ITER.

This was precisely why ITER’s development and progress had been so slow.

Otherwise, how could a major international cooperative organization, comprising more than half of humanity, have researched for decades and still not have completed the construction of the reactor?

But now, this worthless piece of paper did seem like it could serve as a justification.

Of course, if the United States acted alone, forcing the other party to hand over the technology would likely be quite difficult.

But that was fine. He believed that on this issue, the European Union and the other ITER member countries would side with them.

After some thought, Brouillette looked up at his assistant and said, “Contact our allies among the other ITER member states. At the next meeting, we will raise this issue specifically. I believe they will be interested as well.”

“Also, gather more information on the technology China has obtained from the ITER project, whether it was public or acquired through deals. Collect it all. This is our evidence.”

Meanwhile, in Beijing, China.

In a building north of Chang’an Avenue, the elderly man who resided there year-round watched with unruffled eyes as Qin Anguo read through a letter in his office.

[Respected Sir,]

[Greetings. Over the past few months, the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has seen tremendous development. From the completion of the industrial park to the acceptance test and operation of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, and then to the forty-five-minute high-density plasma operation, we have created one miracle and achievement after another.]

[Looking back at the entire process of nuclear fusion research, at this very moment, our lead in controlled nuclear fusion research has placed us at the pinnacle of the world. I believe we are no longer far from the true application of this technology. At the very least, we are on the right path.]

[Of course, I believe you are already aware of this work.]

[As for the potential of controlled nuclear fusion technology, I trust I don’t need to elaborate for you to understand. It holds great significance and will have a profound impact on the development and future of human civilization.]

[I believe you are clearer on those long-term impacts than I am. From an economic standpoint, nuclear fusion is a cheaper energy source than nuclear fission.]

[Theoretically, a one-million-kilowatt nuclear fusion power plant would only consume three hundred kilograms of deuterium per year, whereas a one-million-kilowatt fission nuclear power plant requires about thirty-five tons of nuclear fuel.]

[The cost to produce one kilogram of enriched uranium is close to one hundred thousand yuan, while the cost to produce one kilogram of deuterium is only two thousand yuan.]

[Therefore, from an economic perspective alone, controlled nuclear fusion power generation has a huge advantage.]

[According to the plan, after completing the forty-five-minute high-density plasma operation, the next task for the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device will be to truly use Deuterium-Tritium fuel to conduct an ignition experiment.]

[This will be the first real step in pushing open the door to controlled nuclear fusion.]

[…….]

Reading the letter, Qin Anguo shook his head with a wry smile.

This was so typical of him.

This entire letter, just like the one he wrote last time for the “Nuclear Energy Beta Radiant Energy Aggregation and Conversion to Electrical Energy Project,” could be condensed into a single sentence!

“Me, Xu Chuan. Send money!”

The last time he wrote a letter here, it was to ask for money, for research funding. This time was the same. He really wondered if there would be a next time.

Of course, he had known what this was about before he came.

As the head of the Ministry of Science and Technology, he had been holding non-stop meetings ever since the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device achieved its forty-five-minute run.

He had even attended two or three top-level meetings.

For China, a major energy-consuming nation, seeking a new energy source to replace coal and oil was a necessity.

Nuclear energy was a good path, and both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion were viable options.

Especially the former. After Xu Chuan solved the problem of nuclear waste, nuclear fission power generation had already become a truly clean energy source. Large-scale construction of nuclear fission power plants could also alleviate some of China’s energy demands.

But nuclear fission power had significant drawbacks. First, the investment to build a nuclear fission power plant was enormous. Building a one-million-kilowatt nuclear power plant required an investment of nearly twenty billion.

If they were to rely on nuclear fission to achieve energy self-sufficiency, the amount of capital required would be astronomical.

It was unattainable, at least in the short term.

Moreover, nuclear fission power was not without its dangers. Although that Academician Xu had solved the difficult problem of nuclear waste disposal, the cautionary tales of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plants were right before their eyes.

The large-scale deployment of nuclear power plants would also place immense pressure on safety and other aspects.

Therefore, investing in the research and development of nuclear fusion technology was a must.

And that Academician Xu was probably worried about this. He was concerned that since the nuclear waste problem had been solved, the state’s need for nuclear fusion might not be so urgent. He had even specifically compared nuclear fusion with nuclear fission in his letter.

To be honest, controlled nuclear fusion was something that had to be pursued, especially now that they had a leading advantage. There was no reason for China not to maintain its lead.

But it had to be said, working on this thing was truly a bottomless black hole.

One letter, a request for a full twenty billion in funding, and this was only for the second phase of investment. There were still several phases to follow, and no one knew how many.

And given that Academician Xu’s spending habits, Qin Anguo seriously doubted whether these twenty billion would even last a year.

After all, from the establishment of the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project until now, just over a year and less than a year and a half had passed, and the first batch of sixteen billion in funding had already hit rock bottom.

And that was with many project costs, like the purchase of the ASDEX device and the high-temperature superconducting materials, being paid in installments or not at all.

If all those bills were paid in full, the twenty billion in funding would probably vanish instantly.

Of course, the returns were also enormous. A forty-five-minute high-density plasma operation had directly advanced the record, previously measured in seconds, by an order of magnitude.

Before, they were still wrestling with Western countries like Europe and the United States. Now, they had completely crushed them.

It had to be said, it was indeed incredibly satisfying!

Although Germany had also achieved a half-hour run with their stellarator a few days ago, in reality, insiders knew that it was vastly different from the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s forty-five minutes.

It wasn’t just the time, but also the fusion temperature.

The operating temperature of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was 120 million degrees Celsius, while the Wendelstein 7-X’s operating temperature was barely under thirty million degrees Celsius—practically a fraction of the former.

But then again, the rate at which the money was being spent was truly heartbreaking.

China’s economy was indeed massive, but there were also many places to spend money.

An annual investment of at least twenty billion for a single project—not even China, but the United States or the entire European Union couldn’t sustain that for many years.

Putting aside the international and industry predictions for controlled nuclear fusion technology, based on his own understanding, developing this technology successfully in twenty years would be considered extremely fast.

Two hundred billion a year, that’s four hundred billion over twenty years.

And that was the most conservative estimate. After all, with a technology like controlled nuclear fusion, the initial investment was far less than what would be required later.

Especially after starting the actual Deuterium-Tritium fusion experiments, each experimental run would cause a certain degree of damage to the first wall material and the fusion device.

Replacing these damaged components could cost hundreds of millions, or even more, each time.

By his estimation, over twenty years, it was possible it could even cost a trillion.

Of course, if they could really solve controlled nuclear fusion…

Then this investment would absolutely yield the greatest returns.

The value that controlled nuclear fusion could create would be worth countless trillions.

Chapter 384: An Accusation in Search of a Crime

After reading the contents of the letter, along with the appended experimental schedule, plan, and corresponding budget request, Qin Anguo handed the letter back to the elderly man.

The elderly man took the letter, folded it, and placed it in his pocket. “What do you think?” he asked.

Qin Anguo pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously, “If we can truly achieve controlled nuclear fusion, I believe it is essential that we provide strong support for the development of this technology.”

The elderly man nodded. This view was identical to that of almost every expert and professor he had consulted over the past two days.

Compared to controlled nuclear fission, controlled nuclear fusion had much more to offer.

Energy, materials, and information are the three pillars of modern society.

But if one were to delve deeper, energy is the sole core.

Take petroleum, for instance. One need only look at the number of conflicts that have erupted over it. The turmoil in the Middle East is almost entirely caused by oil.

Moreover, if the energy problem could be solved, slight deficiencies in materials and information wouldn’t be a major issue.

If energy could be resolved, it would be like using a big horse to pull a small cart; with power to spare, every corner of the motherland could gradually be transformed into a habitable area—not just the inland regions, but the South China Sea as well. We could even establish a residential base on the moon above.

After a moment of thought, the elderly man continued, “Since Academician Xu is confident, we must do our part in logistics.”

“The Ministry of Science and Technology must be prepared. Whether it’s research personnel or technical aspects, they must provide all necessary support.”

Hearing this, Qin Anguo’s eyes flickered slightly. He quickly and respectfully replied, “Yes, I understand. I will make the necessary preparations on my end.”

The elderly man nodded and continued, “There is one more thing.”

“Regarding ITER, I’ve received news that they will be holding a targeted meeting in Cadarache in a week. The United States may unite with other member states to lodge an accusation regarding the high-temperature superconducting material and the plasma turbulence numerical control model that Academician Xu possesses.”

“They believe we have acquired sufficient technology from ITER but have failed to provide the high-temperature superconducting material and the mathematical model to ITER as per the public agreement.”

Hearing this, Qin Anguo frowned and couldn’t help but say, “That’s utterly absurd!”

Setting aside the fact that the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project is not linked to the ITER project—the two are completely unrelated.

The mere fact that the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the plasma turbulence numerical control model were developed by Academician Xu himself, and thus fall completely outside the scope of the ITER agreement, was enough to refute their claim.

Besides, if they were to argue along those lines, which of the countries within ITER that are researching controlled nuclear fusion doesn’t have its own independent projects?

Leaving others aside, how many has the United States launched on its own?

They’ve built several devices for inertial confinement and laser ignition alone.

In addition to that, they’ve pursued nearly every viable magnetic confinement route, including Tokamaks, Stellarators, pebble-beds, and reversed-field pinches.

Despite all these different approaches, the United States has never been seen sharing much technology with ITER.

Not only have they offered no technology, but the United States has also failed to provide the research funding that everyone had agreed upon for ITER.

For years, the United States has been delinquent on payments that should have been made on time.

One really had to wonder how they had the audacity to spearhead this.

Then again, this wasn’t the first or second time they had pulled something like this.

If you want to condemn someone, why worry about a pretext?

Across from him, the elderly man smiled at the somewhat indignant Qin Anguo and said, “Academician Xu previously traded his own technology with Germany for the ‘Dawnbreaker’ device. We absolutely cannot allow such a patriotic scholar to be wronged.”

Qin Anguo nodded. “Yes, rest assured, I will handle this matter.”

Following the reply from the higher-ups, a special research fund of twenty billion was also allocated.

With the funds arriving, the research budget, which had been nearly depleted, was once again replenished.

And aside from the research funding, what surprised Xu Chuan a little was that the Ministry of Science and Technology had also organized a team to come to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

On one hand, their purpose was to help accelerate the progress of the controlled nuclear fusion project.

After all, compared to the newly recruited researchers and engineers at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, this team was backed by the entire Academy of Sciences.

Some problems that seemed difficult here might have ready solutions at the Academy of Sciences, or at the very least, relevant experience or discussions to draw upon.

While it wasn’t as if the entire Academy of Sciences was revolving around the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, it had to be said that with the support of such a small team, the modification of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device and the optimization of the plasma turbulence control model were greatly accelerated.

The optimization and adjustment period, which was originally estimated to take about a month and a half, was now projected to be shortened to around one month with the arrival of ample research funds and support from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

It was currently the end of October. In another month, it would be New Year’s Day of 2021.

After confirming the operational status of the entire project with Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan decided to schedule the second run of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device for December 31, 2020.

This run would not only involve simulating high-density plasma using Helium-3 and hydrogen, but if the modified ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device and mathematical model were confirmed to meet expectations, he would even attempt an actual Deuterium-Tritium fuel ignition fusion.

And this would be the first time in China’s controlled nuclear fusion field that an operational experiment would be conducted with real Deuterium-Tritium fuel!

If everything went smoothly, on New Year’s Day of 2021, China’s controlled nuclear fusion field would welcome a new piece of joyous news.

As for the other reason for sending a research team, it was for technology transfer.

Controlled nuclear fusion is a super project, involving multiple disciplines such as physics, engineering, and materials science.

In the process of its research and experimentation, various technologies would be born, in areas such as magnetic field manipulation, high-energy particle research, and radiation shielding.

In the context of controlled nuclear fusion, these technologies are just individual modules, but when taken out separately, they can also be applied to other fields.

It was like the large particle collider built by CERN; during the construction of the LHC, various technologies were born, such as beam instrumentation and systems, superconducting magnet technology, and ultra-low temperature cooling technology.

The成果 from such a systematic and vast project were extremely valuable, even for a country like China.

The research team was also sent to assist Xu Chuan in organizing and documenting these things.

While Xu Chuan was busy with his work, planning the second restart of the DAWN device…

On the other side of the world, in Europe, a targeted meeting was about to be held in the Cadarache area near the city of Marseille in southern France.

The Cadarache area is another major nuclear energy research center in Europe, its status currently second only to CERN.

The reason for this is that it is home to ITER, the largest “artificial sun” project in history.

To verify and realize the feasibility of nuclear fusion energy, a total of 35 countries around the world jointly participated in establishing the Cadarache fusion project.

But such large-scale international projects are generally fated to have a difficult journey.

ITER was no exception.

Over the years, exploration in controlled nuclear fusion had made almost no progress. The inability to extend the operational control of high-temperature plasma beyond the-second-level had brought the research and development of controlled nuclear fusion to a stalemate.

The participating and member states were also cutting back their investment in the project, reducing support in terms of funding and research personnel.

The United States, in particular, had once withdrawn from the ITER project. Although it later rejoined, under the leadership of that individual in recent years, it was again showing inclinations of leaving the group.

However, the topic of today’s meeting was not the United States’ withdrawal from ITER.

On the contrary, the United States, which had been hesitating about leaving, was not only not leaving this time, but it was even planning to use ITER to pressure another country into handing over technology completely unrelated to the ITER project.

Faced with this situation, apart from the nation being pressured, several other member states of ITER were mostly adopting a wait-and-see attitude or were supportive of the move.

After all, judging from the recent performance of that ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device and the Wendelstein 7-X, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the control model for the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had played a rather important role in the entire experimental process.

If they could force the other party to hand over these two technologies, all the member states of ITER stood to gain enormous benefits.

Of course, no country was foolish. On a matter like this, since the United States was willing to be the bird that sticks its head out, they would let it step forward first.

If there was a glimmer of hope, they would join in.

If not, then they would let it be.

In fact, every country was well aware that the so-called high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the numerical control model for plasma turbulence had nothing to do with ITER.

In fact, these two things had nothing even to do with the Luyang Fusion Project, which was China’s official contribution to ITER.

These two technologies were developed by the renowned Professor Xu himself.

Rather than taking sides prematurely and openly challenging someone alongside the United States, it was better to just watch the show.

After all, that Professor Xu was not someone to be trifled with.

Two years prior, a media outlet in South Korea had provoked him, and in retaliation, they were nearly stripped of their patent license for the artificial SEI film.

If they angered him, he was more than capable of outright refusing to sell the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material to any of the ITER member states.

Things could even get bad enough that the deal CERN had already negotiated might be stalled.

So, compared to Japan, which was ready to side with the United States, Europe was currently non-committal, at least not until it saw a glimpse of hope.

After all, if there was no hope of obtaining these two technologies through ITER, Europe would still choose to purchase or trade for a batch of the high-temperature superconducting materials from Professor Xu.

Because compared to other countries, the European Union was more desperate to achieve energy independence.

In the realm of oil and natural gas, they had been constrained by Russia for far too long.

Of course, if there was a chance to obtain these two technologies through ITER, they would not hesitate to join in and get a share of the pie.

Chapter 385: Rebooting the Experiment!

In the Cadarache region, below the ITER fusion reactor headquarters building.

Having just finished a meeting, Chen Mingji walked out of the building and glanced back at the not-so-tall headquarters. The expression on his face was somewhat complicated.

Two or three hours ago, an ITER Council meeting had been held here.

The ITER Council is the highest decision-making body of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor organization, composed of representatives from each of the seven member states.

Much like CERN, the representatives on the ITER Council are of two types: those from the technical side and those from the governmental and diplomatic side.

The outcome of today’s meeting was not very optimistic.

As a representative participating in ITER and the director of China’s International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Execution Center, Chen Mingji should have been a key player in the past.

But in today’s meeting, he barely spoke.

Of course, today’s meeting wasn’t actually about any technical matters.

However, the hardline attitude of some individuals at the meeting left him with a faint sense of worry.

Turning his head, Chen Mingji looked at the representative beside him and asked with a probing tone, “Director Xu, what do you think the United States is really up to?”

Hearing the question, Xu Mofu, who was walking beside him, turned to glance at Chen Mingji.

Although this Academician Chen had some friction with that Academician Xu, he was still an academician and a leader in the domestic field of controlled nuclear fusion, having dedicated his entire life to the country.

With a small smile, he said, “They’re simply coveting the technology Academician Xu has. Our ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device achieved a forty-five-minute runtime, a new brilliant achievement that has placed us at the forefront of the world. They just want to use ITER to pressure us into handing over the technology.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji followed up, “Then what should we do?”

Hand over the technology? Even he knew that was impossible.

He had his conflicts with Xu Chuan, but those were their own internal affairs, to be resolved behind closed doors.

When facing the outside world, they were all from the same country, one big family.

Making it public was out of the question, unless it was a technology-for-technology exchange.

Xu Mofu smiled and said, “For now, we don’t need to do anything. Just stall for time.”

After a pause, he glanced at Chen Mingji and continued, “We will not budge on technical issues. Both the high-temperature superconducting materials and the plasma turbulence numerical control model are Academician Xu’s private property. Unless Academician Xu himself is willing, the country cannot and will not engage in any technology exchange, let alone release it for free.”

This statement both clarified the higher-ups’ position and served as an indirect reminder to the academician before him not to entertain any other ideas.

After all, both the high-temperature superconducting materials and the numerical control model were crucial for controlled nuclear fusion. If they were truly traded, they could definitely be exchanged for many valuable things.

And the EAST project over in Luyang was linked to international cooperation projects with ITER. If technology was acquired through ITER, the Luyang side would certainly receive some of the benefits.

The reason why diplomats like them handled almost the entire negotiation at this meeting was due to concerns about this very matter.

Chen Mingji nodded, falling silent for a moment without saying anything more.

To be honest, none of this really had much to do with him.

What he worried about was that the Western countries might use this as a pretext to cause trouble and kick them out of ITER.

Although they hadn’t shown any such intention yet, there was no telling what might happen later.

Flying into a rage out of shame, it wasn’t beyond the US-led group to do something like that.

Even some existing agreements, or ongoing transactions, could be cut off.

Controlled nuclear fusion was a pie big enough to feed everyone. Even if it couldn’t be eaten right now, the mere sight of hope was enough to excite everyone.

To be honest, Chen Mingji truly hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the country’s controlled nuclear fusion was at the forefront of the world. If one were to set aside the achievements of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ device—and even including ‘Dawnbreaker’—they were currently still treading paths that had already been walked.

In fact, even the fusion devices themselves were bought or traded from other countries.

Luyang’s EAST was a modification of the HT-7 bought from Russia, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was a modification of the ASDEX bought from Germany, and the Southwestern Nuclear Industry’s HL-2M, HL-2A, and so on were all purchased as well.

It looked glorious, but in reality, for a large-scale systematic project like controlled nuclear fusion, China had not been researching it for long enough. China did not yet have a controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile built entirely on its own.

Although EAST had accumulated some experience, and even the ‘Dawnbreaker’ had achieved a forty-five-minute runtime and set a new record, in a major scientific research project like controlled fusion which involves many disciplines, how to conduct subsequent research and what the next steps should be are far more crucial and important than what has already been achieved.

And in this regard, both Europe and the United States were actually far ahead of them.

Severing communication with them at this point in time was not a good thing in his opinion.

However, the higher-ups had already made a decision, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

His technology was inferior. It was clear at a glance which held more weight: a 450-second runtime or a 45-minute runtime.

He could only hope that such a terrible thing would not happen.

Sighing inwardly, Chen Mingji buried his thoughts and suggestions deep in his heart.

Because of the previous incident, his relationship with that Academician Xu had already become very tense. If he were to propose some ideas now, there would probably be no room for reconciliation at all.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing, Xu Chuan was not yet fully aware of what was happening with ITER.

During this period, he hadn’t spent much time at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base. He had been mostly at home, perfecting some of his theories regarding issues like magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands that arise during the Deuterium-Tritium fusion process in a Tokamak device.

Of course, these were just theoretical refinements. The specifics would have to wait until the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device actually began Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition, so he could analyze and process the experimental data.

But to be honest, what Chen Mingji was thinking was not theoretically wrong.

China had started too late in the field of controlled nuclear fusion. Although it had now reached the forefront, it was still in a position of catching up.

However, that was for everyone else. For him, when it came to the future development trends of controlled nuclear fusion and how to conduct subsequent research, the rest of the world combined probably couldn’t match him alone.

No matter how genius the researcher or how badass the team, they couldn’t possibly predict how controlled nuclear fusion would develop more than a decade later, nor could they know which routes and research methods were wrong.

But Xu Chuan could. He was reborn with knowledge from the future.

He knew how controlled nuclear fusion would develop in the future, where the problems lay, which routes would be viable, and which would not. He might not know everything, but he was clear on most of it.

Therefore, from his perspective, even if China were to leave ITER, it wouldn’t be a major problem.

After all, from the very beginning, the Qixia Mountain Nuclear Fusion Project had been a completely independent project that had never relied on technology from ITER.

Of course, Chen Mingji couldn’t possibly know these things, so from his point of view, he wasn’t wrong.

One could only say that no one would have ever imagined a reincarnator would appear in this field.

As time went by, the days gradually turned to early December.

After returning to the Qixia Mountain base from his villa, Xu Chuan became busy. The retrofitting of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was nearing completion, and the optimization of the plasma turbulence numerical control model had long been finished with the support of the Academy of Sciences.

The second restart of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was just around the corner, and all related matters required him to oversee the big picture.

Finally, a week later, the retrofitting of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was completely finished.

All that remained were the corresponding checks.

It sounds simple, but to complete targeted inspections of all equipment, especially with the added procedure of Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition, the time needed for checks was much longer than before.

After all, Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition was no joke. A single lapse in attention could lead to a major safety incident.

Moreover, when Deuterium-Tritium fuel actually undergoes fusion, it produces neutron radiation. Although the first experimental run wouldn’t inject a large amount of fuel—at most one milligram—the energy released from fusion is far greater than that of nuclear fission.

Although the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device and the project base had already fully prepared countermeasures, it was still the first time such an experiment was being conducted. No one could guarantee whether the process would be smooth or if the results would meet expectations.

After five days, the engineers and researchers of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device finally completed the relevant equipment checks.

Standing in the Main control room, Xu Chuan’s gaze fell upon the behemoth in the core experimental area through the monitor screen.

This experiment had a total of two objectives.

The first objective was to extend the runtime of the high-density plasma, simulated by Helium-3 and hydrogen, to at least one hundred minutes.

The second objective was to conduct at least one Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition experiment.

The former was a targeted experiment to continue controlling the runtime duration, while the latter was to collect experimental data to solve problems such as magnetic surface tearing and plasma magnetic islands that occur during Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

As for the problem of neutron radiation damage to the first wall material during Deuterium-Tritium fusion, although it was also part of the data collection in this experiment, solving this issue was not a high priority for this particular run.

After all, if they couldn’t even achieve a long-duration plasma confinement, there was little point in addressing the problem of neutron radiation during the fusion process.

With the preparations complete, at 9:30 in the morning, Xu Chuan gave the command to start the experiment.

At the same time, under the operation of numerous staff members, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, which had been slumbering in the core experimental area, once again let out a roar.

Chapter 386: More Than a Hundred Minutes!

At the command from the Main Control Room, the modified ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device once again stirred to life.

It was a steel behemoth, its belly holding an ultra-high temperature plasma of over one hundred million degrees, advancing slowly toward the gate named ‘Hope’.

The external superconducting coils, which had been readjusted and even replaced, stabilized the confinement magnetic field within the chamber of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile just as predicted, after countless simulations on the supercomputer.

And the simulated high-temperature plasma, composed of Helium-3 and hydrogen, rotated within the chamber, moving along a predictable orbit, much like the Earth pulled by the Sun’s gravity.

Time ticked by, and soon, forty-five minutes had passed.

This was a critical juncture. The previous operational test had ended here. The reason was that the temperature of the first wall, as well as the load from the high-temperature plasma that occasionally escaped the confinement magnetic field, had been approaching their limits.

As for now, judging by the various data points monitored from the Main Control Room, the situation seemed to be quite good.

Staring at the various data on the console, Xu Chuan also heard the work reports from the various teams.

[Current confinement magnetic field is stable. External field coils in good condition!]

[…]

[First wall neutron wall load has reached 0.27MW/m². At the current rate of increase in plasma load, the first wall material is projected to sustain damage in six hours!]

[…]

Report after report sounded in his ears. Xu Chuan listened intently, analyzing the relevant data.

After confirming that the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was in good condition, he gave the ‘continue operation’ command.

It had to be said that after readjusting the external field coils and further optimizing the control model for plasma turbulence, the state of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was much better than he had predicted.

Problems that had previously existed during the simulated run with Helium-3 and hydrogen plasma, such as minor Magnetic surface tearing and Plasma magnetic islands, were suppressed in this run.

As a result, the rate at which the first wall’s temperature and load increased was far lower than in the first operational experiment.

Indeed, a hybrid-type fusion device was the true path forward for controlled nuclear fusion.

Of course, whether the optimized ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile was as excellent as theory suggested, and whether it could bear the heavy responsibility of controlled nuclear fusion, would depend on the subsequent Deuterium-Tritium operational experiment.

That would be the real test.

Time continued to slip by, and in the blink of an eye, it was nearly 11:45 in the morning.

The experiment had started at 9:30 AM, and the high-density plasma inside the chamber of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had now been controlled for over two full hours.

In the Main Control Room, after confirming that the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile’s operational status was still good, Xu Chuan issued a new command.

“Halt the simulated run with Helium-3 and hydrogen!”

“Roger!”

Two hours of a simulated run with high-density plasma, combined with the data from the main console’s monitoring indicators and the reports from the various teams, was enough to prove the excellence of the optimized ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

Two hours was not its limit!

But for Xu Chuan, this operational test had already achieved its first objective. Next up was the real battle.

As the DAWN device shut down, the various teams and units quickly got busy again.

Switching the operational mode from the simulated high-density plasma experiment with Helium-3 and hydrogen to a true Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion experiment was not as simple as just swapping the fuel.

In this process, a lot of equipment that wasn’t previously needed had to be connected or adjusted. For example, the filtration system for Helium ash, adjustments to the water-cooled divertor, modifications to the numerical control model for plasma turbulence, and a whole series of other things needed to be prepared and handled.

Even though a series of preparations had been completed in the preceding days, there was still a lot to handle today.

Even though it was nearly noon, time for lunch, not a single member of any team on the project left their post.

Of course, they still had to eat lunch.

After all, there was a tough battle to fight in the afternoon.

Boxed meals, prepared in advance, were delivered punctually at twelve o’clock to the staff in the Main Control Room and at their respective posts.

Aside from those who needed to perform immediate checks after the Dawnbreaker shut down, everyone took a boxed meal and started digging in, including Xu Chuan and several news media reporters who had come for a follow-up interview.

An army marches on its stomach, and you get weak if you miss a meal.

Especially at a crucial moment like today, everyone had to maintain their best condition.

After hastily wolfing down a boxed meal, Xu Chuan gulped down half a bottle of mineral water to wash the food down before quickly turning back to his work.

The preparations began at noon and continued busily until 3:30 in the afternoon, by which time the relevant equipment and adjustments had been handled.

Standing before the main control console, Xu Chuan looked at the readjusted ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device. Some small but noticeable changes could be seen on the steel behemoth.

Taking a deep breath and glancing at the time, he spoke in a steady voice: “All teams, report your status!”

[External field coils have been readjusted!]

[Numerical control model for plasma turbulence has been readjusted! The Dawnbreaker supercomputer is in good condition!]

[Water-cooled divertor has been readjusted!]

[ICRF heating antenna is in good condition!]

[First wall testing system is in position.]

[…]

Report after report, forceful and tinged with excited tremors, rang out in the Main Control Room.

Everyone knew that this afternoon’s test meant China’s field of controlled nuclear fusion was about to enter a brand new stage.

Standing in the Main Control Room, Xu Chuan listened intently to each report. After all teams had checked in and everything was confirmed, he took another deep breath and steadily issued a new command.

“All teams, attention! Commencing the second round of testing now!”

“Roger!”

“Roger!”

“…”

With the new command given, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device awoke from its slumber once more, beginning a new series of changes.

External power supply engaged!

Liquid nitrogen and liquid helium inflow initiated!

Supercomputer and numerical control model activated!

The steady-state magnetic field began to rise steadily.

Milestone after milestone, already achieved before, were being repeated. The adjusted mathematical model for plasma turbulence controlled the external superconducting coils, generating an entirely new confinement magnetic field within the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

The Helium-3 single-particle electromagnetic detection system, never used before, also came online.

As each requirement and stage was met, Xu Chuan’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

“Report! The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device has reached all expected parameters. All related equipment is operating normally. We are ready to inject the Deuterium-Tritium fuel for the ignition experiment at any time.”

Zhao Hongzhi, who was in charge of the overall status of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, came forward to report.

Xu Chuan nodded, his voice firm and strong. “Inject one milligram of Deuterium-Tritium fuel! Begin the ignition experiment!”

With the order given, the personnel in charge of a various tasks in their respective control rooms immediately got busy.

“Deuterium-Tritium fuel has been injected!”

Hearing this report, Xu Chuan looked toward the main control console, involuntarily holding his breath and clenching his fists.

Success or failure all came down to what happened next.

Chapter 387: The United States Can’t Sit Still

For controlled nuclear fusion technology, conducting a high-density plasma experiment with Helium-3 and hydrogen is a completely different matter from performing an ignition run with actual Deuterium-Tritium fuel.

In fact, setting aside the inertial confinement approach, which mimics a hydrogen bomb explosion, there are very few countries or devices on the magnetic confinement path that have ever conducted a genuine ignition experiment.

The former does not place exceptionally high demands on the experimental device; it’s sufficient to form a magnetic confinement field and allow the high-temperature plasma to flow within the reactor chamber.

Although Helium-3 and hydrogen at high temperatures can simulate the operational state of a high-density plasma, there is still a fundamental difference from Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition.

When Helium-3 and hydrogen circulate in the reactor chamber, they do not actually undergo fusion. This is the biggest difference.

When each Deuterium and Tritium atom fuses, it releases enormous energy and a neutron, both of which affect the high-temperature plasma circulating in the reactor chamber.

Furthermore, the neutron beam released during fusion escapes the confinement magnetic field, causing extremely severe damage to the first wall material.

This is an inevitable consequence of Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

It is common knowledge in the field of physics that neutrons cannot be confined by a magnetic field.

If someone could actually confine neutrons, the entire theoretical physics community, and even the whole field of physics, would have to kneel and beg him to guide the way forward.

The neutron radiation generated by Deuterium-Tritium fusion is one of the most difficult problems to solve in all of controlled nuclear fusion.

The damage from neutron radiation is not limited to atomic transmutation and the destruction of internal chemical bonds; it also includes the purest form of physical structural damage.

It’s like bullets striking a steel plate, each one creating a hole.

Of course, this happens at the microscopic level.

How to solve the problem of neutron radiation produced during Deuterium-Tritium fusion, along with the selection of the first wall material, is another super-problem in controlled nuclear fusion.

Now that the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had reached this stage, facing the neutron radiation from Deuterium-Tritium fusion was an imminent reality.

In the Main control room, Xu Chuan held his breath, his eyes fixed on the main monitoring screen.

After the Deuterium-Tritium fuel was injected into the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, it was rapidly converted into a plasma state under the power of the ICRF heating antenna system.

The outer coils formed a confinement magnetic field, swiftly containing the plasmatized Deuterium-Tritium fuel within the channels formed by the numerical control model. The fine-tuning magnetic field stabilized and controlled these trace amounts of high-temperature plasma as they circulated within the chamber.

If one had eyes that could see the microscopic world, one would now witness the most magnificent sight in the universe within the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

Under temperatures exceeding one hundred million degrees, the electrons were stripped from the Deuterium and Tritium atoms, leaving their nuclei bare. For this plasma, the extreme temperature brought extreme activity. Each nucleus was like a car on a highway, speeding along its path.

When a Deuterium nucleus collided with a Tritium nucleus, the most beautiful reaction in the universe occurred!

Deuterium-Tritium fusion formed a Helium atom and a neutron, releasing a tremendous amount of energy.

This is the source of all life, the ultimate energy source humanity has dreamed of.

In the Main control room, as the Deuterium-Tritium fuel turned into plasma, a series of excited reports rang out.

“High-temperature Deuterium-Tritium plasma detected!”

“Outer field superconducting coils operating normally!”

“Fusion reaction observed!”

“Strong neutron radiation detected on the first wall!”

“…”

With each report, everyone’s heart pounded violently.

The most thrilling of all was the report: “Fusion reaction observed!”

It meant that within the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, the plasma of Deuterium-Tritium fuel had successfully collided and fused, releasing a massive amount of energy.

Perhaps only a drop in the ocean of that one milligram of Deuterium-Tritium fuel had actually undergone fusion, but it still shone like a star, intoxicating to behold.

At this very moment, the Deuterium-Tritium plasma flowing through the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was like a dream made real.

Although its mass was only one milligram, although its runtime was only a brief minute, although it was just a phased achievement for controlled nuclear fusion…

It was still incomparably brilliant. It felt as long as a century, yet as radiant as a red sun rising in the east.

As the ICRF heating antenna was switched off and the current to the superconducting coils was cut, the temperature of the plasma in the reactor chamber rapidly decreased.

When the entire ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device came to a complete stop, the cheers that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted throughout the laboratory.

“We did it! We succeeded!”

Someone shouted, and the solemn atmosphere instantly ignited as everyone began to cheer.

Some cheered excitedly, some hugged each other in celebration, and still others gently wiped the moisture from the corners of their eyes.

Standing in the crowd, Xu Chuan also broke into a brilliant smile.

Regardless of everything, today they had achieved a new glory, and the pages of history would be written by them.

The successful completion of over two hours of high-density plasma operation and the Deuterium-Tritium fuel ignition experiment meant that the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had successfully entered the second stage on the path to controlled nuclear fusion.

Looking across the entire world, there was no country or experimental pile that had reached this level!

They were now the undisputed world leader in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

Of course, with the running of this experiment, they also had many new troubles and problems to solve.

The biggest trouble was, without a doubt, the neutron radiation produced during the Deuterium-Tritium fuel ignition and fusion process.

Although this experiment had only run for a short minute, although the magnetic field confined by the numerical control model had remained stable and firmly controlled the high-temperature plasma turbulence, and although there was only one milligram of Deuterium-Tritium fuel…

The neutron radiation generated during the Deuterium-Tritium fusion still caused a certain degree of damage to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, affecting both the first wall material and other equipment.

Fortunately, the runtime was short and the radiation dose was not too large, so the damage caused by the neutron radiation was all within a repairable range.

But even so, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device could not be started up for another experimental run anytime soon.

Of course, despite the considerable cost, the rewards were equally abundant.

Over two hours of high-density plasma operation data, the feasibility of Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition in a Tokamak device, neutron radiation data for the first wall material, and so on.

This was all extremely valuable experimental data.

The neutron radiation data for the first wall material, in particular, had a scientific value that could not be measured in money.

Data obtained from a genuine Deuterium-Tritium fuel ignition fusion lasting one minute was arguably unique in the entire world.

Perhaps some other devices that had previously risked ignition experiments had similar data, but Xu Chuan was certain that their ignition runtimes would not have exceeded ten seconds.

And within China, this was completely unprecedented.

Not even the most advanced EAST had ever conducted a Deuterium-Tritium fuel ignition experiment.

The second ignition run of the DAWN device did not attract much attention from the outside world; there wasn’t much discussion online.

However, in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, it was a completely different story.

Two hours of high-density plasma operation and one minute of Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition—the shock it delivered was no less than that of the forty-five-minute runtime they had first achieved.‘

Almost all scholars working on controlled nuclear fusion knew what this meant.

Although initiating a Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition was only the first step towards the true realization of controlled nuclear fusion, compared to them, who were still lingering at the gate, this was an enormous lead.

United States, Princeton PPPL Laboratory.

Director Halifax Bruce, who was discussing with Fefferman how to further optimize the control model for the PPPL device, received the stunning news.

Across from him, Fefferman noticed the incredibly complex change in Halifax Bruce’s expression and asked curiously, “What is it?”

Hearing the question, Halifax snapped out of his daze and said with a hint of envy, “Over in China, that Professor Xu restarted the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion experiment. Not only did he achieve two hours of high-density plasma operation, but he also attempted a one-minute Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition.”

Hearing this, Fefferman was stunned for a moment. “Two hours? Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition? Are they progressing that fast?”

Halifax Bruce gave a wry smile. “The news reports are out. It should be true.”

After a pause, he continued, “In comparison, we are far behind. The longest high-density plasma runtime PPPL has managed to achieve so far is just over ten seconds. As for a Deuterium-Tritium fusion run, that’s still a distant dream.”

As he spoke, Halifax looked at Fefferman and said bitterly, “It seems you were right back then. When it comes to controlling plasma turbulence, Professor Xu is the real key.”

Judging from the forty-five-minute and now two-hour-plus high-density plasma runs achieved by the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, no one would believe that Xu Chuan didn’t have a superior plasma turbulence control scheme.

He might have even completed the development of the mathematical model for plasma turbulence.

After all, with major research institutions still progressing in seconds, a two-hour runtime was simply too exaggerated by comparison.

And once, the PPPL Laboratory had such an opportunity.

Fefferman had expressed to him that only with Professor Xu on board would they have any hope of developing a control model for high-temperature plasma turbulence. But he hadn’t taken it seriously. Although he did personally extend an invitation, he gave up after just one attempt.

And now, the other party had surged ahead, while the plasma turbulence control model he and Fefferman were researching was still nowhere in sight, and the runtime of the PPPL device was still stuck at the second-level.

Across from him, Fefferman shook his head and said, “From the perspective of mathematical ability alone, I’m afraid there are few in the field of mathematics today who can compare to him.”

“Perhaps in some specialized fields, I can still hold my own against him, but in terms of all-around ability, forget me, even the polymath Professor Tao would likely be no match for him.”

“Two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems… an achievement of that magnitude has few, if any, parallels in the entire history of mathematics.”

“Perhaps his influence now isn’t as great as those legendary mathematicians from history, but as long as he continues to develop in the field of mathematics, influence is something that will grow with time.”

Halifax Bruce shrugged, then seemed to remember something. After a moment’s thought, he spoke excitedly, “Fefferman, do you think we have a chance to purchase a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from Professor Xu?”

“Judging from the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator at the Planck Institute, the runtime isn’t just affected by the mathematical model for plasma turbulence. I’m sure the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics doesn’t have the mathematical model, but with that high-temperature superconducting material, they still managed a thirty-minute runtime on their Stellarator.”

“If we can purchase it, the PPPL device might also be able to achieve a half-hour runtime.”

Fefferman thought for a moment and said, “There’s definitely a chance. He is a very sentimental person who cherishes old relationships. If we make the purchase in Princeton’s name, he should agree.”

After a pause, he added, “If we bring in Deligne and Witten, the probability will be even higher.”

Hearing this, Halifax clapped his fist into his palm and smiled. “Of course. I will pay a visit to Deligne and Witten.”

Meanwhile, in Washington.

As the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device made another breakthrough with a two-hour run, the United States Department of Energy finally couldn’t sit still. It convened a press conference at the White House.

Standing at the lectern, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette, was speaking eloquently, delivering a speech on the recently hot topic of controlled nuclear fusion technology, while also announcing increased funding for the field.

At the same time, Dan Brouillette also responded to the long-standing rumors that the United States intended to withdraw from the ITER organization. Of course, this was not his main purpose.

Responding publicly to this at a press conference was not just to boost national confidence, but also had the goal of attacking another country.

“…The United States has never had any plans to withdraw from ITER. On the contrary, not only will we not withdraw, but we will continue to increase our investment in ITER and fulfill our responsibilities and obligations within ITER.”

“On this point, the United States will not be like a certain country that uses ITER to acquire a large amount of technology in the field of controlled nuclear fusion but never fulfills its responsibilities and obligations.”

“To use ITER’s sharing agreement to absorb technology and strengthen oneself, while not sharing one’s own research, is a clear violation of the agreement. On this point, our great United States will continue to assume the role of world police and safeguard the interests of ITER member states!”

“At the same time, we will also increase our investment in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, enhance cooperation with our allies, and do everything in our power to complete the research and development of this technology as soon as possible.”

“…”

Chapter 388: The United States’ Antitrust Investigation

The achievements of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device were bound to strike a raw nerve with certain countries.

No one had expected that after the major breakthrough of a forty-five-minute run in October, the Dawnbreaker device, under the guidance of that individual, Professor Xu, would set a brand-new record in less than two months.

Two hours of high-density plasma operation and one minute of Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition.

Nearly every scholar in the field of controlled nuclear fusion knew what this meant.

Even government officials with only a rudimentary understanding of controlled nuclear fusion technology were equally aware of the implications.

The United States probably hadn’t anticipated that in the short span of two months, while they were still trying to gather intelligence and devise countermeasures, China could push controlled nuclear fusion technology to such new heights.

It had to be said that in the face of the second record-breaking achievement by the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, they were finally growing anxious.

Moreover, for the United States, if China and Soviet Russia—which they considered inheritors of the same legacy—gained an advantage in a technology or field where everyone was still competing, it stung their nerves even more.

The rivalry of the last century had left an incredibly deep impression on the United States.

Although that behemoth had since disintegrated, the spirit it left behind endured.

For the United States, the two nations that inherited that behemoth’s spirit undoubtedly demanded their full attention.

Decades had not been enough to completely erase their fear of that spirit.

After all, people from that generation were still alive.

Meanwhile, in Europe.

As the United States Department of Energy was making its public statement.

At the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, the Wendelstein 7-X was undergoing its second round of high-density plasma operation experiments.

It had to be said that the success of China’s ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had indeed stimulated the financial backers of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

After the Dawnbreaker device completed its two-hour run, they were quickly provided with a new batch of research funding, which was what allowed the Wendelstein 7-X to qualify for a second limit test in such a short time.

After all, such limit tests caused a certain amount of damage to the controlled nuclear fusion experimental pile. Although this damage was not irreparable, since it was damage, repairs would certainly require additional funds.

Walking into the Main control room, Robert Mac, the director of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, looked at Tillman Randt, who was overseeing the experiment, and asked, “Any hope of breaking the one-hour mark this time?”

Gazing at the data on the monitoring screen, Professor Tillman Randt thought for a moment before replying, “It’s difficult.”

“We’ve spent the last two months trying to improve the stellarator’s control scheme, and the confinement time has seen a slight increase, but we’re likely still some distance from achieving one hour of long-duration confinement.”

“Unless…”

“Unless what?”

Taking a deep breath, Tillman said, “Unless we lower the plasma temperature a bit and risk damaging the first wall to force an attempt. Then we might reach one hour.”

“But I don’t recommend doing that. Honestly, even if we do reach one hour, there’s still a huge gap between that and Professor Xu’s two hours. I’d much rather take things slowly.”

Hearing this, Robert Mac sighed. “There’s no time. We need an achievement to boost our own confidence, at the very least. At the very least, we can’t be left too far behind.”

At these words, Tillman Randt also fell silent.

Although he was a scholar who leaned toward the research side of things, in his position, he wasn’t entirely ignorant of what Robert was talking about.

If the Wendelstein 7-X were a Tokamak device, that would be one thing. Based on the achievements that individual, Professor Xu, had made with a Tokamak-like device, countries would undoubtedly invest their funds in Tokamaks without exception.

But the Wendelstein 7-X was a Stellarator. If it couldn’t keep pace, its budget would likely be slashed, and it wasn’t impossible that it would be mothballed as a result.

With this in mind, Tillman sighed and said, “I’ll do my best.”

Robert Mac patted his shoulder and silently looked toward the Wendelstein 7-X.

If you were to ask who least wanted to see the Wendelstein 7-X shut down, he would definitely be one of them.

It wasn’t just about his own fate, but also about the years of hard work invested in the Wendelstein 7-X.

To him, the Wendelstein 7-X was like a child he had watched grow up, bit by bit.

After a moment of silence, Robert remembered something and spoke again. “By the way, regarding that individual, Professor Xu’s, high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the contract CERN signed will likely be terminated.”

Hearing this, Tillman Randt turned to look at Robert, his face a question mark.

“Yes.”

Robert nodded and continued, “Not only that. As for the objective, could it be to force Professor Xu to provide the high-temperature superconducting material technology?”

“Of course, it could be for other reasons as well.”

“Have they gone mad?” Professor Tillman said, his face a picture of disbelief. “You have to understand, it’s not Professor Xu who needs to sell the high-temperature superconducting material now, but other research institutions that need it.”

“In the field of high-temperature superconducting materials, there is currently no material that can compare to the copper-carbon-silver composite material. Its improvement to various systems that require superconducting materials is quite significant.”

“If we had this material, we would probably prohibit its export. Even if we did sell it, we would likely only selectively provide some to our allies.”

“Given the current production volume of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, it’s probably not even enough to meet China’s own domestic demand. So what’s the point of this for him?”

Staring at the monitor screen, Robert narrowed his eyes. “Sometimes, when you can’t have something, making others lose it and ensuring your competitors can’t get it either is also a goal.”

“Given the relationship between China and the United States, it’s probably very difficult for the United States to obtain the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from that Professor Xu. But other countries, like us here in Europe, still have a chance.”

“So, in that case, why not just ban it for everyone?”

After a pause, he continued, “Besides, if CERN goes back on its order, that Professor Xu’s losses would be quite substantial. Coupled with the material issue, a void will open up in the international market for high-temperature superconducting materials. From this perspective, it’s obvious who benefits more.”

Tillman asked, “Will CERN agree? You know that other high-temperature superconducting materials are far inferior to what Professor Xu has, in terms of superconducting performance. We can see that from our own Wendelstein 7-X.”

Robert shrugged. “The scholars at CERN most likely won’t agree, but ultimately, it’s the council members who provide the research grant that call the shots at CERN. If the funding bodies don’t agree, the Council probably can’t do anything about it.”

Sighing, Tillman silently looked toward the Wendelstein 7-X.

Excessive political interference in scientific development is extremely detrimental to the progress of science.

But there was no helping it. For science to develop, it had to rely on political funding.

It was a vicious cycle that no country could escape.

Fortunately, they had already successfully completed their transaction.

As for other research institutions, there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t worry about that much.

Meanwhile, in China.

Naturally, Xu Chuan, who was still busy wrapping things up at the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Engineering Base, was unaware of the United States’ actions.

But even if he had been, he wouldn’t have cared too much.

Just as Professor Tillman Randt had said, with the current production volume of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, it was very difficult to even meet domestic demand, let alone the demand of the entire world.

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

Xu Chuan called out, “Come in.” The ones who entered were Gao Hongming and another middle-aged man. He was tall and thin, wore glasses, and looked to be in his forties.

He had never seen this person before, but after Gao Hongming’s introduction, he learned of the man’s background. He was from the National Energy Administration, and his name was Tan Yangxu.

After the three of them entered the reception area, Tan Yangxu smiled and was the first to greet him. “This is an urgent matter. I apologize for taking the liberty of interrupting your research, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You’re too kind, Director Tan. If there’s something on your mind, please speak freely.”

Tan Yangxu nodded and said, “In that case, I’ll be direct.”

“The first thing is that we’ve received news that the United States is preparing to unite with other countries to launch an investigation into the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute under your name. The main focus is the high-temperature superconducting material. It might affect the contract you signed with CERN, which could be canceled.”

Hearing this news, Xu Chuan was momentarily stunned, his mind filled with questions.

An antitrust investigation into the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material?

What the hell? Had the United States lost its mind?

His wasn’t the only type of high-temperature superconducting material out there. There were the Bi-family high-temperature superconductors from the island nation, the Lanthanide-family materials from Europe, and the United States’ own Yttrium-family materials. All of these were high-temperature superconductors; they just couldn’t compete with the copper-carbon-silver composite material in terms of superconducting performance.

From this perspective, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material under his name did not constitute a monopoly at all.

And more importantly, this was a seller’s market, not a buyer’s market.

Currently, it was other countries that needed the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he possessed, not him trying to force his way into their markets to sell it.

Under these circumstances, launching an investigation against him… one could only say that whoever came up with this idea was a real genius.

As for canceling the CERN order?

To be honest, if it were really canceled, he would feel a little pained. After all, it was an order worth several billion.

As for other aspects, like banning the sale of his high-temperature superconducting materials in other countries?

This might be a problem in the future, but right now, production couldn’t even meet domestic demand, let alone for export.

The significance of exporting the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material at present was not about making money, but about exchanging for certain technologies.

Like the ASDEX device from the previous cooperation with the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics—that was its true value.

As for anything else, honestly, Xu Chuan couldn’t think of much.

After all, he was in China, not the United States.

After some thought, Xu Chuan looked at Tan Yangxu and asked with some curiosity, “What is their goal in doing this?”

Tan Yangxu replied, “On the one hand, they probably want to ban the sale of the high-temperature superconducting material you possess. On the other hand, it’s likely related to ITER.”

“ITER?”

Tan Yangxu nodded. “Yes. A while ago, several Council meetings were held at ITER headquarters in Cadarache. The United States accused us of obtaining a large amount of technology from ITER without fulfilling our corresponding obligations.”

“They believe we have concealed our own research achievements while receiving ITER’s controlled nuclear fusion-related technology, which violates the member state agreement of ITER. They are demanding that we disclose the technology for the high-temperature superconducting material and the numerical control model for plasma turbulence. At least, disclose it to ITER.”

Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback, then shook his head. “Is there any difference between disclosing it to ITER and disclosing it to the whole world? Practically every country with the capability to independently pursue controlled nuclear fusion has joined ITER. Disclosing it to ITER is equivalent to disclosing it to the entire world.”

Tan Yangxu nodded. “That’s the difficult part. It’s obviously impossible for us to disclose these two technologies, but if this wrangling continues, the United States might unite with other member states to kick us out of ITER.”

“The sales ban and antitrust investigation against your high-temperature superconducting material is the United States’ first step. Kicking us out of ITER might be the second.”

“As for whether there’s a third or fourth step, that’s still unclear for now.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s brows furrowed.

Since this news was brought by high-level officials and told to him here, its credibility was certain.

Neither of these two pieces of news was good, whether for him personally or for the development of China’s controlled nuclear fusion program.

The sales ban and the investigation into the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, even the loss of the CERN order, were not very serious problems for him.

But if China were to be kicked out of the ITER project, that would be rather troublesome.

It was a fact that progress on a large international joint project like ITER had always been very slow, and it was also a fact that member states constantly bickered and shirked responsibility.

But it had to be said that in such large-scale international joint projects, member states and participating countries generally benefited.

Even though no country would contribute its most advanced technology, the things they did share were not too shabby either.

Especially for China, it had indeed gained a lot of benefits from joining ITER over the years.

Of course, while gaining benefits, it naturally had to contribute as well, including billions in research grants, some of a’s advanced domestic technologies, and so on.

If China were kicked out of ITER, it would mean all previous investments would go down the drain.

Furthermore, the contracts for which China was responsible, such as the ICRF heating antenna order, the tungsten-molybdenum first wall material order, and other projects, would be directly taken over and replaced by other countries.

These were direct economic losses.

In addition, there were also academic exchanges on controlled nuclear fusion with foreign research institutes, the jobs and research positions that ITER provided for China, and so on—all of these would be lost as well.

Take CERN, for example. The number of Chinese scholars currently participating in CERN, from graduate students and doctoral students to university professors, added up to at least several hundred people each year.

All these people relied on CERN to conduct their research and produce results.

The same was true for ITER.

If they were to withdraw, all these scholars would be affected.

If Xu Chuan hadn’t been too concerned about the United States’ antitrust investigation and sales ban against him, he now had to give this latter issue serious consideration.

Chapter 389: The Contest of Destiny Begins!

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In the office, Xu Chuan fell silent for a moment.

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Truth be told, he really wasn’t bothered by the antitrust investigation targeting him.

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He currently had a need for funds, but it wasn’t that great.

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More importantly, he was a scholar, a researcher—not a businessman.

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To put it simply: he who has no desires is unyielding.

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He had nothing to ask of the United States, so naturally, he didn’t need to pay them any mind.

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But when it involved ITER, other domestic scholars, and the development of controlled nuclear fusion, he had to give it more thought.

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Xu Chuan didn’t ask why the United States would do this, nor did he ask what justification they had.

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Because he knew that for that country, when they truly wanted to do something, the most common and even illogical pretext was enough.

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Besides, it wasn’t the first time the United States had been shameless.

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The question now was how to handle this matter.

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After some thought, Xu Chuan looked at Tan Yangxu and asked, “What are the higher-ups’ thoughts? Are there any plans or countermeasures?”

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Tan Yangxu replied cautiously, “This is a very troublesome matter. After receiving the news, they’ve already held meetings to discuss it. But frankly, we don’t have any particularly good solutions.”

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“I came here today with the hope of discussing this with you and figuring out how to handle things.”

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Hearing Tan Yangxu ask for his opinion, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but frown.

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After thinking for two minutes, Xu Chuan looked up at Tan Yangxu. Seeing this, the Director immediately sat up straight, his face solemn as he awaited instructions.

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Not paying much mind to this, he tapped his index finger lightly on the desk and said, “Let me share my thoughts.”

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Hearing this, Tan Yangxu quickly took out a notebook, ready to take notes.

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Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and continued, “First, based on my understanding of the United States, if I were to disclose the high-temperature superconducting materials and the numerical control model this time, they would only push their luck and demand more next time.”

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“The DAWN device’s great progress hinges on these two technologies. If we hand them over, not only will we lose our lead in controlled nuclear fusion, but it will also have a massive impact on other fields.”

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“In my view, this is a new kind of race.”

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“While it’s true that ITER has provided us with considerable help in the past, we’ve also contributed billions, even tens of billions, in funding and related technology. The help we received wasn’t free.”

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“Moreover, ITER’s help isn’t as significant for us anymore. On one hand, ITER’s progress is far behind that of the DAWN device. On the other, with the DAWN device having made such strides, it’s unlikely that other countries will continue to offer us technical assistance.”

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“After all, we both know the importance of controlled nuclear fusion.”

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“Therefore, rather than being constrained by others in ITER, we should just withdraw from it directly!”

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“As for the scholars and researchers who were working at ITER, if they’re willing, I can take all of them in.”

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“Of course, by doing so, we’ll lose our entire investment in ITER, which is truly a shame. But things have come to this point; we must make a clean break.”

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“We cannot retreat. It’s impossible. We have no path of retreat.”

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In Xu Chuan’s view, rather than continuing to get bogged down in the mess at ITER, it was better to pull their personnel and funding back and focus on their own work in China.

What ITER could offer was no longer that appealing to the DAWN project at this stage.

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As for the future trends and subsequent research directions of controlled nuclear fusion… with him around, was there any need to worry about that?

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In this field, Xu Chuan dared to claim that all of ITER combined couldn’t compete with him alone.

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Across from him, Tan Yangxu quickly jotted down some key information, then asked with some concern, “Withdrawing from ITER is one path, but won’t it affect the development of our controlled nuclear fusion field?”

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Before coming here, the higher-ups had consulted with experts and academicians from the Academy of Sciences on this matter.

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Withdrawing from ITER and giving up all previous investments was indeed a huge loss, but it wasn’t unacceptable for the country.

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However, if withdrawing from ITER would negatively impact the domestic development of controlled nuclear fusion, then it required careful consideration.

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Of course, the most important opinion would come from the young, national treasure-level scholar before him.

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If he felt that withdrawing wouldn’t be a problem, then the higher-ups would certainly take his opinion into account.

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After all, the one who had led China’s controlled nuclear fusion field to its peak and created this miracle was him, and no one else.

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Hearing this question, Xu Chuan actually relaxed quite a bit. He leaned back in his chair and smiled easily. “Don’t worry. I can guarantee that it won’t have much of an impact.”

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“EAST might be affected to some extent, but for the DAWN device, the impact is almost negligible. After all, from the very beginning, DAWN has been a completely separate and independent project.”

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He paused, then continued, “Besides, given the DAWN device’s current progress, ITER can no longer offer much help. We’ve achieved runtimes of over two hours and have even begun Deuterium-Tritium fusion experiments, while other countries, with the exception of the Wendelstein 7-X, are basically still experimenting in units of seconds.”

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“Do you think they, being so far behind, can offer us any significant help?”

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Hearing Xu Chuan say this, a smile appeared on Tan Yangxu’s face as well.

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Indeed, in any given field, a nation lagging behind might possess some unique advantageous technologies, but the one truly pushing the field forward is always the one at the very front.

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Smiling, he said, “With your reassurance, Academician Xu, I can rest easy. I will fully report today’s discussion and your opinions to the higher-ups.”

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Xu Chuan smiled. “I’ll have to trouble you, then.”

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“Not at all, it’s what I should be doing.” Tan Yangxu smiled, stood up, and took his leave from the office.

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Back in the office, Xu Chuan watched Tan Yangxu leave, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in deep thought.

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In his eyes, this was a new competition, one with an intensity no less than that of the Cold War of the last century.

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And with the tide of history turning, the only real answer was to press forward.

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The upheaval in the field of controlled nuclear fusion was the beginning of this competition, and perhaps it would also be the key to deciding the new world order.

“

“

As the key figure at the center of this swirling conflict, what he could do was to give his all to advance the DAWN project, to ensure the spark of controlled nuclear fusion would be the first to ignite upon this land of China.

“

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With these thoughts, Xu Chuan opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and headed towards the laboratory.

“

“

The contest of destiny had begun once more!

“

“

Chapter 390: Good News and Bad News

Inside the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute, Xu Chuan stood in the laboratory, looking at the images and data on the display screen.

To one side of the lab, there was an isolated experiment room.

Inside, equipment such as a scanning electron microscope, an in-situ metal analyzer, and a mass spectrometer were analyzing the materials from the device.

The second extreme experiment with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had not only set a record for two hours of high-density plasma operation but also included a Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition experiment.

The data and value derived from a genuine Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition experiment were incomparable to a high-density plasma flow simulation using Helium-3 and hydrogen.

Though the latter could approach the former in terms of temperature and density, it was ultimately incapable of producing a fusion phenomenon.

The former, on the other hand, even with a mere one milligram of fuel, could achieve true Deuterium-Tritium fusion, releasing energy, releasing neutrons, raising the plasma temperature, and disrupting plasma operation.

These were all things a simulation with Helium-3 and hydrogen could not replicate.

In particular, the neutron radiation damage to the first wall material was the next global challenge in controlled nuclear fusion after controlling plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber.

The first wall material not only had to face the hundred-million-degree Deuterium-Tritium plasma in the reactor chamber but also the neutron beam generated during the Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion process.

Beyond that, the first wall material might even have to facilitate tritium self-sustainment.

The two fuels for D-T controlled nuclear fusion are deuterium and tritium.

Deuterium is abundant on Earth, with about forty trillion tons stored in seawater alone, and its extraction is relatively simple.

But compared to deuterium, the amount of tritium stored on Earth is quite scarce.

The amount of tritium in the world’s natural resources is so low it’s almost negligible, with the natural inventory being only about 3.5 kilograms.

As for the current tritium reserves held by various countries, the total amount for all nations combined does not exceed twenty-five kilograms.

This is partly because tritium spontaneously decays by emitting beta rays, with a short half-life of only 12.5 years.

Another reason is that its preparation can generally only be achieved through nuclear reactions.

Currently, the industrial method for preparing tritium mainly involves using neutrons from a reactor to irradiate a lithium-6 compound target. The tritium produced is then enriched to over 99% using thermal diffusion before being collected and stored.

However, the neutron beam is uncontrollable, and the quantity produced in nuclear fission piles is not large, so the yield is very low.

Therefore, in controlled nuclear fusion technology, how to achieve a self-sustaining tritium cycle is also one of the most critical issues.

Some might think that a particle accelerator could be used to accelerate neutrons to bombard lithium material to produce tritium fuel. To be honest, anyone with this idea basically didn’t pay attention in high school physics.

Neutrons have no charge, so an accelerator’s magnetic field has no effect on them whatsoever.

If magnetic fields could confine neutrons, finding a suitable material for the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor wouldn’t be so difficult.

Fortunately, the D-T fusion process produces a large number of neutrons. In theory, using these neutrons to bombard a lithium-6 compound target can sustain the tritium supply.

And in the last run of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile, Xu Chuan did just such an experiment.

On the first wall, he had various material samples installed, including a lithium-6 compound target, tungsten alloys, molybdenum alloys, graphite, carbon composite materials, and beryllium alloys.

The lithium-6 compound target was to test whether the neutrons released during D-T fusion could, as theory suggested, bombard the lithium material to produce sufficient tritium fuel.

The other materials were to find the most suitable first wall material.

Neutron radiation is no laughing matter.

As it stands, it can cause extremely strong transmutation in most materials, especially most metallic materials.

This not only destroys the material’s structure but also acts like a foaming agent, turning the material into an extremely fragile foam.

Imagine a piece of steel as thick as a foam box. What would it feel like to gently snap it with your hands and have it crumble into dust?

The neutron radiation in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor can do just that.

And in fact, this was precisely the case. Although only one milligram of Deuterium-Tritium fuel was used in the last experiment with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, the neutrons produced during fusion still caused varying degrees of damage to the various test materials deployed on the first wall.

However, what was heartening was that the lithium-6 compound target did indeed play its intended role during the experiment. The neutron beam from the D-T fusion collided with it and produced some tritium.

Therefore, in theory, using a lithium-6 compound target as a reactant to solve the problem of tritium self-sustainment is theoretically possible.

This could be considered a major breakthrough.

After all, no experimental or research institution has ever been able to truly use an experimental pile to conduct a D-T fusion reaction test to synthesize tritium fuel using neutrons and lithium material.

Theirs was likely the first.

But while there was good news, there was even more bad news.

The damage to the various test materials designed to resist neutron radiation installed on the first wall was much higher than Xu Chuan had calculated.

Looking at the images on the computer screen, Professor Zhao Guangui, a materials science expert standing next to Xu Chuan, sighed softly and said, “From the experimental data, there are quite a few more problems than we imagined.”

Xu Chuan stared at the images on the computer and said, “No matter how many there are, we have to solve them one by one, don’t we?”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui sighed, “That’s true, but we’re in a lot of trouble. We’ve entered a new field now. When it comes to controlled nuclear fusion, there are no other research institutes or labs that can provide us with experience to use as a reference.”

At these words, Xu Chuan smiled. “Referencing the experience and ideas of others can indeed offer us great convenience, but ultimately, it’s just walking on a path someone else has paved. In scientific research, if you want to achieve something, you ultimately have to have your own ideas and approaches.”

“Lazy methods might work in other fields, but for those of us in academic research, how to do things and how to solve problems ultimately requires us to think independently.”

Beside them, Professor Xing Xuexing, a materials science expert transferred from Tsinghua University, smiled. “To be at the forefront, expanding the boundaries—this is something every researcher and scholar hopes for.”

After a pause, he steered the conversation back to the experimental data. “But Professor Zhao is right, we have a lot of trouble on our hands this time.”

“Both the tritium self-sustainment and the damage to the various neutron-resistant sample materials were far worse than anticipated before the experiment.”

“Using neutrons to bombard the lithium target can indeed produce tritium. But the amount produced and the amount we collected were not as much as theoretically predicted.”

“One reason is that not all of the neutron beams generated by the fusion in the chamber acted on the lithium-6 compound target. They carry too much energy and can pass straight through the target, causing the number of reactions to be far lower than expected.”

“Another reason is that the energy level of these neutrons is too high. At a temperature of one hundred and twenty million degrees, the energy level of the neutron beam released by D-T fusion is comparable to that of a medium-to-large particle collider. This causes extremely severe effects on both the target and the first wall.”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment. “The first problem is relatively easy to solve. At worst, we can increase the thickness of the target. We could also make it a full-coverage design, completely enclosing the reaction chamber. That way, the neutron beam won’t be wasted.”

“As for the second one, that’s a bit more troublesome.”

Controlled nuclear fusion is not nuclear fission; the temperature of nuclear fission is far lower than that of nuclear fusion.

Even in the explosion of a large-yield nuclear bomb, the core temperature at its peak is only in the millions of degrees Celsius.

The Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a core temperature of only over six thousand degrees. In comparison, this value is simply not worth mentioning in controlled nuclear fusion.

Over six thousand degrees—that figure doesn’t even amount to a fraction of a fraction of the plasma temperature in the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

And if the temperature of a nuclear bomb explosion is only that high, then the temperature of a nuclear power plant that uses the nuclear fission effect for power generation is even lower.

Therefore, most of the radiation-resistant materials that can be used in nuclear fission reactors are completely unusable in controlled nuclear fusion reactors.

It wasn’t just the lithium target used for tritium self-sustainment that was damaged during the experiment; the other experimental materials deployed on the first wall were also damaged.

Beside them, Zhao Guangui tentatively suggested, “What if we lower the fusion temperature a bit?”

“D-T fusion can occur at around twelve million degrees. One hundred and twenty million degrees is a full ten times that.”

“Although lowering the temperature will affect the activity of the Deuterium-Tritium plasma, which in turn will affect the number of fusions and the energy produced, sacrificing some heat and energy in exchange for the stability of the first wall material is not entirely out of the question.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “The feasibility is low.”

“Although thermal motion can cause inelastic collisions in neutrons, and the higher the speed of thermal motion, the greater the effect on matter, the energy level of the neutron beam in a fusion pile doesn’t come solely from temperature.”

“Its main source is the energy boost from the fusion of Deuterium and Tritium nuclei. Each D-T fusion produces a 14.1 MeV neutron. This part is predetermined in high-energy physics. Lowering the temperature only reduces a portion of the external force.”

Zhao Hongzhi nodded. “Hmm, from this perspective, it’s basically impossible to reduce the damage of neutrons to the first wall material by lowering the temperature.”

“And from the analysis data of the materials after neutron radiation, molybdenum, tungsten, and graphene are in the first tier, being less affected by neutron radiation. Austenitic steel and ceramics are in the second tier, and the others are worse.”

Beside him, Professor Xing Xuexing from Tsinghua University shook his head. “Molybdenum won’t work. Tsinghua has done research on this before. Molybdenum transmutes into a radioactive element when subjected to neutron radiation. As for molybdenum alloys, that would require more experimentation.”

“Tungsten, however… tungsten alloys might have some hope. Currently, the first wall materials for both ITER and EAST use tungsten alloys. They have good heat resistance, and their transmutation products are osmium and rhenium, which don’t have radioactivity issues.”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Tungsten probably won’t work either.”

“Tungsten’s heat resistance and transmutation products are fine, but its issues with physical plasticity, a different coefficient of thermal expansion, and the accumulation of thermal stress will cause cracks to form within the material.”

“This is fatal for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.”

Hearing Xu Chuan veto tungsten alloys, the laboratory fell into silence again.

The problem of the first wall material was indeed very troublesome, so troublesome that a suitable one had yet to be found anywhere in the world.

After all, in a controlled fusion pile, the first wall material is subjected to the intense effects of high-energy neutrons, electromagnetic radiation, and high-energy particles (deuterium, tritium, helium, and other impurities) emitted from the plasma.

For a commercial Tokamak reactor, the neutron wall loading should theoretically be at least 5 MW/m^2.

Neutron wall loading is a design parameter related to the power density of the fusion pile, numerically equal to the product of the fusion neutron source intensity and the neutron energy per unit area of the first wall material.

And most heat-resistant materials simply cannot meet the requirements when faced with these extremely harsh attribute challenges.

But then again, if this problem were so easy to solve, it wouldn’t have been left until now.

After all, controlled nuclear fusion is something every capable country in the world is trying to develop. The various technical difficulties and material problems within it have certainly been discussed countless times.

Staring at the data on the computer screen, Xu Chuan thought for a while before speaking up, “I think, for the choice of the first wall material, perhaps we need to change our way of thinking.”

At his words, everyone else in the lab looked over.

Zhao Hongzhi asked, “What do you mean?”

Xu Chuan mulled it over, organized his thoughts, and then said, “Every D-T fusion produces a 14.1 MeV neutron. Since neutrons are uncharged and cannot be confined by a magnetic field, they will directly bombard the first wall material and cause damage.”

“14.1 MeV is a very, very large amount of energy. You have to remember that the atoms in a material are bound by various chemical bonds, whose bond energy is about 1 to 10 eV.”

“In other words, the energy carried by a single 14.1 MeV neutron is enough to break over a million ordinary chemical bonds. This will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage to the material.”

“And inside a fusion pile, high-energy neutrons are like bullets being fired at the material, constantly striking metal atoms, breaking their surrounding chemical bonds, and forcing the atoms out of their original positions, thereby destroying the regular atomic arrangement.”

“If we were simply trying to resist neutrons, perhaps a structure made of materials like beryllium, graphite, or uranium-238 could do it. Aren’t these materials used for neutron reflection in nuclear fission piles?”

“But that won’t work in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.”

“The reason is simple: we need the neutrons for tritium self-sustainment. Otherwise, the current stockpile of tritium fuel is completely insufficient to support the commercial use of controlled nuclear fusion.”

“So, I personally think, instead of looking for a resistant material among metals, why not try looking at other materials?”

Chapter 391: The First Wall Material!

After hearing Xu Chuan’s words, the group fell into thought.

For the first wall material in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, the primary candidates currently being considered—whether in China, the United States, or the European Union—are metals and alloys.

The first wall is the inner surface of the device that must directly face the thermal radiation and high-temperature particle wind from the nuclear reactor.

At the same time, to generate electricity from the nuclear fusion reaction, the thermal radiation and particle wind produced must be converted into electrical energy. The equipment that performs this conversion also needs to be protected by a first wall.

And in addition to neutron beam radiation and bombardment from various high-energy particles like deuterium, tritium, and helium, the first wall material must also withstand extreme temperatures.

Although the high-temperature deuterium-tritium plasma within the reactor chamber is held by magnetic confinement and does not make direct contact with the first wall material, the wall still faces temperatures of several thousand degrees.

Not every material can withstand such high temperatures. Compared to other options, the properties of metallic materials are undoubtedly more suitable.

This was the main reason why metals and alloys were the current mainstream choices for first wall materials.

But now, the man before them was suggesting that instead of searching for a resistant material among metals, they should turn their attention to other materials.

This caused everyone to sink into contemplation.

After a moment of thought, Professor Xing Xuexing, a materials expert from Tsinghua University, looked up and asked, “If we set metals aside, there aren’t many options left.”

“A few months ago, I attended an international materials discussion in Europe. I spoke with some people there about first wall materials for controlled nuclear fusion, and it seems they are researching the feasibility of using ceramic materials for the first wall.”

“Furthermore, some international research institutions are quite optimistic about using nanoceramic materials. It’s a new technical route. Perhaps we could give it a try?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’m afraid ceramics won’t work either.”

“While ceramic materials have decent high-temperature resistance and can withstand neutron radiation, their thermal conductivity is too poor. If we can’t conduct the heat accumulated on the first wall out of the reactor, it will eventually lead to problems.”

“What about graphene or carbon nanomaterials?” Beside them, Zhao Guangui asked after a moment of thought. “From a heat-resistance perspective, carbon materials can withstand over thirty-five hundred degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free environment, surpassing the vast majority of metallic materials.”

“At the same time, the thermal conductivity of some carbon materials is also excellent. Graphene, for instance, has outstanding thermal conductivity, which would help dissipate surface heat.”

“I’ve reviewed the relevant literature. Using carbon fiber to replace tungsten-molybdenum alloys is a technical route in the international controlled fusion field that is considered just as promising as nanoceramics.”

“In fact, some research institutes have already begun experimenting with using carbon nanomaterials to replace certain metallic components in the inner structure of the first wall.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and replied, “Carbon materials are worth considering.”

“You’re right. When not in contact with air or oxidizing agents, some carbon materials can withstand temperatures over three thousand degrees. In terms of heat resistance, they can rival the melting point of tungsten, meeting the requirements for a first wall material.”

“However, when applied to a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, carbon materials have a fatal flaw at high temperatures.”

Hearing this, the others all turned to look at him.

Xu Chuan smiled and continued, “Don’t forget that the fuel for Deuterium-Tritium controlled nuclear fusion is primarily deuterium and tritium. They are both isotopes of hydrogen and share its chemical properties.”

“The high-temperature plasma of these two substances, upon striking carbon materials, can be easily absorbed by the carbon. Besides mere adsorption, there is also a chemical reaction that can turn the carbon into organic compounds.”

“This not only changes the properties of the material, affecting the performance of the first wall, but it also consumes the fusion fuel, reducing the reaction’s efficiency. The absorption of the expensive and radioactive element tritium, in particular, is something we very much want to avoid.”

“After all, tritium is already scarce enough. If it’s then absorbed by the first wall material, we’ll have a major problem on our hands.”

“However, carbon nanomaterials are indeed worth considering. If we set aside this fatal flaw, they are, in theory, actually very suitable.”

After a pause, Xu Chuan looked up at Zhao Guangui and said with a smile, “As for how to solve this flaw, I’ll leave that problem to you, Professor Zhao.”

“From here on, Professor Zhao, you can lead a team to specifically research this. It might be a viable path.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy and excitement. “I will do my absolute best!”

To be able to independently lead a project team in a super project like controlled nuclear fusion was a tremendous opportunity.

With this experience on his resume, he would be a sought-after talent no matter where he worked in the future.

Moreover, doing research here meant he wouldn’t have to worry about research grants.

With this big shot here, funding was not an issue.

Of course, this didn’t mean he could squander the funds or pocket the money. But at the very least, when it came to trial-and-error research and exploring new routes, he wouldn’t have to worry about funding being cut off due to a prolonged lack of results.

In academia, most people are still driven by passion and dreams.

Who doesn’t want to publish a few papers in top SCI journals? Who doesn’t want to produce a research achievement that will leave its mark on history?

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much mind to this. He just smiled and offered encouragement, “Do your best. Even if this path doesn’t pan out, I hope you can still discover something useful regarding carbon nanomaterials.”

Beside them, Zhao Hongzhi asked curiously, “Academician Xu, aside from nanoceramics and carbon nanomaterials, what is your choice?”

At his words, the others also looked over, curious as to what Xu Chuan’s choice was.

After all, now that this big shot had vetoed metallic materials, nanoceramics, and carbon nanomaterials, there was very little room left for choosing a first wall material.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “To be honest, I haven’t chosen a suitable material route. However, I do have a way to deal with all the radiation except for neutron radiation.”

“???”

In the lab, many people had question marks floating over their heads, but it didn’t take long for someone to realize what he meant.

Professor Xing Xuexing from Tsinghua University asked with a look of great interest, “Is it the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology that you, Academician Xu, developed two years ago for generating power from nuclear waste?”

Before joining the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, he had done some research on this exceedingly young big shot.

Putting aside his achievements in theoretical fields like mathematical physics and astronomy, this big shot’s accomplishments in materials science could also be considered the pinnacle in the country.

Others might not have felt it as strongly, as the fame of things like the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, and the Seven Millennium Prize Problems in the theoretical fields was simply too immense.

But as an expert in the field of nuclear energy materials, how could he not be impressed by a technology that could solve the problem of nuclear waste?

Nuclear waste was a world-class problem. Ever since nuclear energy was harnessed, nuclear radiation had been a massive headache for every country.

If it weren’t for the miracle created by the man before them two years ago, China would probably still be struggling with how to deal with its ever-increasing amount of nuclear waste.

Of course, he only knew that such a technology existed to solve the radiation problem; he didn’t know the specific details.

After all, that was the core of the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology, a strictly confidential matter.

Hearing Professor Xing Xuexing’s words, Xu Chuan chuckled and nodded. “That’s right. Within the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ technology, there is a specialized technique for constructing materials called the ‘Atomic Cycle’.”

“The danger of various types of radiation lies in their powerful ionization capability, which can destroy the grain boundaries, structure, and other properties of traditional materials, leading to embrittlement, weakening, and loss of characteristics.”

“But what if there was a material whose grain boundary structure could repair itself as fast as the nuclear radiation could ionize it? Wouldn’t that mean it could perfectly block all kinds of radiation?”

“The ‘Atomic Cycle Technology’ was established based on this very theory.”

“A material constructed with this technology can, after suffering radiation damage and having its grain boundaries ionized, rapidly self-repair and re-form stable grain boundary structures.”

“I think if we can find a suitable material and then construct it using this technology, it should be able to serve as the first wall material, facing the various types of radiation and high-energy particles from the high-temperature plasma.”

Three years ago, when he returned to the country, he had already thought about how to proceed down the path of controlled nuclear fusion.

The first project he took on after returning was, on one hand, to solve the nuclear waste problem, but on the other, it was also paving the way for controlled nuclear fusion.

The ‘Atomic Cycle’ and ‘Radiation Crystal Structure’ technologies were, in theory, perfectly suited for use in the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

Xing Xuexing thought for a moment with interest and said, “I’ve looked into some things regarding nuclear waste before. Theoretically, a material capable of handling the radiation problem from high-concentration nuclear waste should be applicable to the first wall without issue.”

“Of course, the choice of material to be synthesized using the technology you mentioned needs to be carefully considered. At the very least, we need to pay attention to its temperature resistance and ability to withstand particle bombardment.”

After a pause, Xing Xuexing continued to ask curiously, “If the bombardment from radiation and high-energy particles can be absorbed and dealt with, then what about the neutron beam and neutron radiation?”

“You have to understand, the toughest challenge the first wall material faces is neutron radiation. High-energy neutron radiation can destroy the structure of any material, even creating void structures, which leads to problems like overall swelling and embrittlement of the first wall material.”

“I imagine this technology of yours can’t absorb neutrons, can it? At least, large-scale absorption is impossible.”

“After all, neutrons are still needed in controlled nuclear fusion. If they are absorbed, tritium self-sustainment cannot be achieved.”

“So, how will you handle the neutrons?”

Chapter 392: The Final ITER Meeting

“How to handle the neutrons produced in Deuterium-Tritium nuclear fusion is one of the biggest challenges in controlled nuclear fusion.”

“High-energy neutron beams are simply too destructive to conventional materials.”

“More importantly, controlled nuclear fusion requires the neutron beam to bombard a lithium target to achieve tritium self-sustainment. Unlike nuclear fission reactors, we can’t just reflect them back with materials like beryllium alloys or graphite.”

Hearing Professor Xing Xuexing’s questions, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I don’t intend to use the first wall material to handle the neutrons.”

Hearing this, everyone else in the laboratory looked over with curiosity.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and continued, “Rather than dealing with neutron radiation at the first wall, I think it’s better to bypass the first wall and handle it elsewhere.”

“I assume everyone has eaten a sandwich before.”

“Two layers of bread on the outside, with meat and cheese in the middle.”

At this point, Zhao Hongzhi, who was in charge of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, already understood. He looked at Xu Chuan with bright eyes and said, “You plan to design the first wall material in three layers?”

“The first layer uses that anti-radiation material you mentioned to absorb all other radiation and high-energy particles except for the neutron beam. The second layer is for the lithium target material, which will be bombarded by neutrons to achieve tritium self-sustainment. The third layer is the final protective layer to prevent any neutron radiation leakage.”

“Is that what you mean?”

Zhao Hongzhi’s eyes shone with excitement as he looked at Xu Chuan.

Such a design was not unheard of in history. However, finding a first wall material that could absorb other radiation without absorbing or reacting with neutrons was difficult—one might even say nearly impossible to find.

But now, if they could find a way to develop such a material, then creating a three-layered, sandwich-like overall protection for the first wall was entirely achievable.

The key was the outermost protective material, which had to both absorb other radiation and withstand the impact of high-energy particles, while also not reacting, or reacting very little, with neutrons.

This was incredibly difficult.

Hearing Zhao Hongzhi’s explanation, the others in the laboratory also understood and began to ponder the idea.

They had to admit, this approach seemed genuinely feasible.

Using the neutrons generated from the Deuterium-Tritium fusion reaction to bombard a lithium target and produce tritium fuel was a crucial part of the entire nuclear fusion reactor technology.

After all, tritium was extremely rare and incredibly difficult to produce.

If tritium self-sustainment couldn’t be achieved and they had to rely on external supplies, no country could afford the exorbitant cost.

The current price of tritium was already as high as two hundred fifty thousand RMB per gram. By that calculation, one kilogram of tritium would cost two hundred fifty million.

Therefore, neutrons could not be wasted; they had to be utilized.

Xu Chuan glanced at the others in the lab and said with a smile, “The key is to find a material that allows neutrons to pass through while absorbing other radiation and high-energy particles.”

“This is why I said we might as well try focusing on other materials.”

“Neutron beams are highly destructive to metallic bonds, and the self-repair capabilities of metals are too poor. Even if we use Atomic Cycle Technology to reconstruct the metal’s structure, its repair ability won’t be significantly enhanced.”

“In comparison, some materials that can absorb energy to reform chemical bonds are much more suitable.”

“Even if they absorb a small amount of neutrons, I think that’s acceptable. After all, compared to other nuclear devices, the number of neutrons released by Deuterium-Tritium fusion is at least two orders of magnitude higher.”

“With such a vast quantity of neutrons, we should theoretically have enough to achieve tritium self-sustainment even with some losses.”

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan looked at Professor Zhao Guangui and smiled. “Theoretically, carbon materials actually fit this requirement quite well.”

“Carbon materials reconstructed with Atomic Cycle Technology have a very strong grain boundary repair capability, and the carbon nucleus is relatively stable, making it less likely to react with neutrons.”

“Unfortunately, most carbon materials have a flaw: they can absorb Deuterium-Tritium fuel. For controlled nuclear fusion, this is unacceptable.”

“Professor Zhao, you have a heavy burden. You need to find a way to solve this.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui couldn’t help but swallow hard. His heart instantly felt as if a massive boulder had been placed on it, weighing him down immensely.

This task was too heavy!

Wasn’t this just supposed to be a general direction? How did it suddenly become so critical? The pressure just skyrocketed.

Xu Chuan smiled, not paying it much mind.

He was just applying a bit of pressure. This Professor Zhao was capable, but the likelihood of him improving carbon materials to perfect the first wall’s material structure was not very high.

It wasn’t that he lacked the ability, but rather that he didn’t understand Atomic Cycle Technology.

To create a material that could absorb radiation, allow neutrons to pass through, and self-repair its grain boundaries, both Atomic Cycle Technology and Radiation Bandgap technology were indispensable.

Currently, these two technologies had not been made public. Besides himself, only a few researchers who had worked with him on the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ project had a basic understanding of them.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan and the materials science researchers discussed until late at night before dispersing.

Although today’s exchange didn’t finalize which material would be used for the first wall, some general paths and plans had been preliminarily established.

The next step was to further detail these plans and routes, then hold meetings to discuss, finalize, and perfect them before assigning them to different teams to be advanced step-by-step through experiments.

Achieving a technology like controlled nuclear fusion could not be done by him alone.

However, in Xu Chuan’s mind, a corresponding plan for how to achieve this goal already existed.

For such a large-scale project, even at the current experimental pile stage, the number of fields and topics involved already exceeded three digits.

As the overall director and chief designer, he had to break down this massive project into different topics and fields and assign them to suitable people.

Of course, this applied to the foundational and relatively simple parts.

For instance, after the Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition, further optimization of the plasma turbulence numerical control model, optimization of the cladding shielding module, how to design a brand-new electromagnetic observation system for Helium-3, and so on—these were things that had been experimented with before, or things that the Academy of Sciences or other domestic institutions had researched. Xu Chuan handed these off to others to handle.

As for the difficult problems that required discussion, they were singled out for discussion first before being assigned.

For example, today’s selection and consideration of the first wall material wasn’t limited to the carbon materials route. Other popular first wall materials like beryllium alloys, tungsten alloys, and austenitic steel were also being researched by dedicated teams.

Although Xu Chuan wasn’t very optimistic about using metallic materials for the first wall, he was still human, not an omniscient god. It was possible his views were flawed.

After all, these were things the entire world was researching. Dawnbreaker still had to set aside some researchers to conduct corresponding experiments.

As for himself, to be honest, he didn’t have much time to spare for materials research at the moment.

Before settling on the first wall material, he still had to solve problems like Magnetic surface tearing, kink modes, and Plasma magnetic islands that occurred during the Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion process.

Without the previous experimental data, he could only make theoretical predictions.

But now, although Dawnbreaker had only run one Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition experiment, and for only one minute, the data collected was enough for his preliminary analysis.

Once these issues were resolved, Dawnbreaker would continue to run experiments and send him more data, allowing him to perfect these things bit by bit.

…

Meanwhile, as Xu Chuan was busy with controlled nuclear fusion research.

On the other side, at the ITER headquarters in Cadarache, near the city of Marseille in southern France.

In the short span of the last two months, the ITER council members had already held several closed-door internal meetings.

The content of the meetings was, naturally, about the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the plasma turbulence mathematical model.

As for the results, every meeting ended on a sour note.

No one knew why China, which had previously been rather reserved in the ITER project and even willing to exchange or purchase technology, had suddenly adopted such a tough stance this time.

Not only did they flatly reject the United States’ demands, but they also refused Europe’s attempts to trade technology for technology.

Under these circumstances, the stalemate had become difficult to resolve.

The United States seemed to have lost its patience and was preparing to stop negotiating, instead moving to unite the other member states to directly kick their opponent out.

Today was the day of decision.

In the Council meeting that was about to begin, ITER would conduct one final discussion.

They would launch a final inquiry under the ITER contract’s technology sharing agreement regarding the high-temperature superconductivity copper-carbon-silver composite material technology and the high-temperature plasma turbulence numerical control model from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

If this meeting still failed to produce a result satisfactory to the majority of member states, the United States would initiate a Council vote in the latter half of the meeting.

Citing a failure to comply with the ITER contractual technology sharing agreement, they would call for a public vote to decide whether China could remain in ITER.

It could be said that today was the final deadline.

Sitting in the conference room, the council member from Germany, who had arrived early, sighed as he looked at the empty seats reserved for the Chinese delegation.

Judging from previous discussions, it was probably impossible for that eastern nation to yield on this matter.

More importantly, if they were truly kicked out of ITER, the future of ITER itself might not be so bright.

After all, China played a very important role in ITER, providing significant funding and crucial technologies like the ICRF heating antenna and the Tungsten-Molybdenum alloy first wall material.

If they left, who would fill this void?

Rely on the United States?

What a joke. The United States was already in arrears on the twenty-five percent of funding they had pledged, having only provided nine percent, with sixteen percent still unpaid.

Perhaps this would be the spark that caused the ITER organization to fall apart?

Suddenly, a thought formed in the mind of the German ITER council member.

It wasn’t impossible.

After all, for such a large-scale international joint project, especially one involving a critical energy source like controlled nuclear fusion, it was impossible to expect it to go smoothly.

Energy itself was a sensitive issue. A technology like controlled nuclear fusion, which would mean virtually infinite energy once realized, would make any country that took the lead a source of anxiety and sensitivity for others.

Furthermore, almost all member states had their own controlled nuclear fusion projects, so they were naturally unwilling to invest more in ITER.

Rather than calling it an international project where everyone worked together to achieve controlled nuclear fusion, it was more of an international trading and exchange platform built around fusion projects.

Everyone would take their advanced technologies, water them down, and then sell them to other countries to obtain funding or the technologies they desired. That was the truth of ITER.

And now, it was clear that this platform was on the verge of collapse.

Chapter 393: Go Ahead and Play by Yourselves

In the morning, just before ten o’clock, as the ITER meeting was about to begin, a few snowflakes began to drift down outside the ITER headquarters.

Soon, the scattered flurries turned into a heavy, swirling snow.

For France, especially the southern region, the Mediterranean climate means that while winters are cold, snow is not very common. Sometimes a whole year can pass without a single snowfall.

A heavy snowfall like today’s was a sight not seen in years.

The heavily falling snow seemed to be a premonition of something to come.

Arriving once again at the ITER headquarters, Chen Mingji stared silently out the glass window.

Today, the results would likely be decided.

The higher-ups had already lost hope in ITER. He estimated that by the end of the day, his time here would be over.

From 2003 until now, a full seventeen years had passed. Over a decade of hard work was about to go down the drain, and Chen Mingji didn’t quite know how to feel.

But Xu Mofu, sitting beside him, wasn’t dwelling on it. He glanced at his watch. It was nine-fifty. The meeting would start in ten minutes.

In contrast to their just-in-time arrival, the council members from the other member states had arrived long ago.

In the past, they would have been among the first to arrive. But now, they simply didn’t care.

Seeing the American ITER council member looking his way, Xu Mofu met his gaze nonchalantly before calmly looking away.

Five minutes passed quickly.

At ten o’clock sharp, the Director-General of the ITER Council, Professor Bernard Bigot, commenced the meeting.

The first item on the agenda was the construction schedule and related reports for the ITER demonstration reactor, but this was merely an appetizer for the meeting and was quickly concluded.

Immediately following that was the discussion regarding the ITER Agreement’s technology sharing protocol.

The moment Director-General Bernard Bigot announced the start of this agenda item, the American council representative eagerly stood up.

“Regarding the ITER Agreement’s technology sharing protocol, my country wishes to reiterate our call for an investigation into the principle of sharing controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“This is an investigative report. Since China joined ITER in 2003, it has received a total of seventy-three technologies related to controlled nuclear fusion from the organization.”

“However, while China has been receiving technology under the ITER Agreement’s technology sharing protocol, it has failed to fulfill its own corresponding obligations.”

“If, during this investigation and adjudication, China continues to refuse to fulfill its duties, my country, in conjunction with Japan and Korea, will formally petition the Council to hold a vote to determine whether China’s status as an ITER member state is still valid.”

As he finished speaking, a stir went through the conference room.

Although everyone present today had received prior notice and knew that the United States might be losing its patience and unwilling to drag things out any longer, the move to lay all their cards on the table from the very beginning still surprised most of them.

According to standard procedure, shouldn’t there be some discussion first, followed by the formal process?

It seemed the United States was truly in a hurry this time.

Was the plan to kick them out and then focus all their efforts on the ITER demonstration reactor?

After all, if they wanted to catch up to or even surpass China in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, building a demonstration reactor directly was the fastest way.

That Professor Xu had shown them a path. With the combination of the plasma turbulence numerical control model and high-performance superconducting materials, it seemed feasible to achieve controlled nuclear fusion by revisiting the Tokamak design.

If they truly pooled the capabilities of the other ITER member states, they believed their progress would be much faster than China’s.

But could they really do it?

In the conference room, the council representative from Germany looked at the expressionless Chinese representatives, a faint sense of unease stirring within him.

If asking China to leave ITER would cause their fusion research to fall behind ITER’s, he believed the other member states would be happy to see such an outcome.

But from the current situation, the two core technologies for controlled nuclear fusion—superconducting materials and the numerical control model—were both in the hands of that Professor Xu.

Once China was asked to leave ITER, they would have basically no chance of obtaining these two technologies.

At least when it came to controlled nuclear fusion, no country would be foolish enough to give up such a significant advantage.

One step ahead, always ahead.

China had already achieved over two hours of high-density plasma operation and had even begun attempting Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition.

Meanwhile, ITER had yet to even build its experimental pile, and the controlled nuclear fusion projects of various countries were mostly conducting experiments measured in seconds.

From this perspective alone, China was already far ahead of the rest of the world.

Relying on ousting them from ITER to slow their research progress was easier said than done.

What’s more, the person in charge of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was that Professor Xu.

Ever since he first made a name for himself in the field of mathematics, he had been constantly creating all sorts of legends.

Perhaps, asking China to leave ITER was truly not a good choice.

But for a matter like this, the opinion of a minor figure like him was useless.

Listening to the murmurs around him and watching the shifting expressions on the faces of the various member state representatives, Xu Mofu met the somewhat aggressive gaze of the American representative.

In the other’s eyes, he saw thirty percent smugness, thirty percent arrogance, and thirty percent confidence in having the entire situation under control.

Glancing at him indifferently, Xu Mofu stood up, surveyed the room, and began to speak slowly, “We have an old saying in my country: if you want to condemn someone, any excuse will do.”

“Regarding your accusations, my country has already provided a complete and detailed explanation during the first meeting two months ago. In the spirit of adhering to the rules of the ITER Agreement’s technology sharing protocol, we have already disclosed the relevant progress and necessary data.”

“However, despite a lack of evidence and in violation of established principles, your country has continued to baselessly accuse us of non-compliance with the technology sharing protocol. For two long months, you have relentlessly tried to use ITER to pressure us into handing over technology that has absolutely nothing to do with the ITER Agreement.”

“Judging by your country’s actions over these past two months, it is clear that ITER no longer has a foundation for fair cooperation. It has even become a tool for you to baselessly suppress other member states. As for my country, we have always been wary of international organizations that lack fairness and act without reason.”

“Therefore!”

Xu Mofu took a deep breath, his cold gaze fixed on the American council representative, as he continued in a steady, powerful voice:

“Here and now, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I declare that as of this moment, my country will formally withdraw from the ITER organization!”

As his words fell, the entire conference room became as silent as the Dead Sea. You could hear a pin drop.

Xu Mofu paid no mind to the stunned and dumbfounded representatives and council members. He gave a slight smile and said, “I have said my piece. Farewell, everyone!”

With that, he straightened the contracts and documents on the table and turned to leave.

Beside him, Chen Mingji glanced at the faces of the various representatives, which were filled with astonishment, shock, and a host of other emotions. He sighed softly in his heart and turned to leave with the others.

At the head of the table, the Director-General of the ITER Council, Professor Bernard Bigot, stared at the departing Chinese delegation with a look of utter shock and bewilderment.

They… had voluntarily left ITER?

Why?

This was only the first exchange. Although the United States intended to oust them, the vote hadn’t even begun. The final result was not yet certain.

At the very least, Europe would not necessarily have sided with the Americans in this vote.

Compared to expelling China from the ITER organization, Europe was more hopeful of using its relationship within ITER to trade for the numerical control model and superconducting material technologies from China and that Professor Xu.

But now, that hope was shattered.

On the other side of the table, the American council representative watched the Chinese delegation’s confident departure, his face also etched with bewilderment.

For some reason, as he watched their retreating backs and the empty doorway, a terrible premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

It seemed… they had made a terrible mistake.

With the departure of Xu Mofu, Chen Mingji, and the others, the deathly silent conference room gradually erupted into a clamor.

Looking at the chaotic conference room, Director-General Bernard Bigot sighed again.

China’s voluntary withdrawal from ITER was certainly not good news for the international organization.

In fact, ITER might just fall apart because of this.

But for him, the work that needed to be done still had to continue.

He could only hope that the Americans would fulfill their promise this time and take on the funding and research personnel gaps left by China after its withdrawal.

Otherwise, he could see ITER’s collapse as early as tomorrow.

After letting the conference room remain in chaos for a while, Director-General Bernard Bigot finally gathered his thoughts and spoke again: “Let’s begin the next agenda item.”

No matter what, today’s meeting had to be completed.

Moreover, taking advantage of China’s departure, ITER had to secure the promised funds and resources from the United States. They couldn’t afford to delay, or who knew if the Americans would go back on their word the next second.

It wouldn’t be the first time those Americans had turned a perfectly good international joint organization into a complete mess.

As the once-in-a-decade heavy snow came to an end, news of ITER’s final meeting spread far and wide.

Through media reports and a brief news broadcast in the country, the news quickly stirred up a considerable wave on the domestic internet, even briefly making it onto the trending charts.

Although its ranking wasn’t high, it sparked a lot of discussion among onlookers.

【So badass! First time I’ve seen our country speak so toughly!】

【What’s the use of being badass? Weren’t we still forced to leave ITER? Being tough doesn’t solve problems. Without ITER, I really don’t know how far our controlled nuclear fusion can go. All in all, I’m very pessimistic.】

【???? The poster above sounds like a real sycophant. Your impression of our country’s controlled nuclear fusion development is stuck in the last century, isn’t it? God Chuan’s Dawnbreaker has already achieved over two hours of operation, while ITER’s reactor isn’t even built yet. Who’s the one who can’t survive without the other?!】

【ITER is still very strong. Dawnbreaker may have achieved two hours, but the Wendelstein 7-X also managed one hour. Other countries will catch up soon. But now that we’ve been kicked out, I guess we’ll fall behind the other countries soon. ε=(ο｀))) Sigh*.】

【I heard the US is targeting us like this because that Professor Xu didn’t follow the rules of the ITER technology sharing protocol. According to the agreement, Professor Xu was supposed to disclose his research progress and relevant details to ITER, but he didn’t, which is why we got kicked out.】

【So you’re saying it’s Professor Xu’s fault?】

【Yeah, because he developed that superconducting material and didn’t want to hand it over. I heard CERN signed a deal with him. The LHC upgrade needs several billion worth of superconducting materials. With that much profit on the line, I wouldn’t want to hand it over either.】

【Hiss~】

【What fucking bullshit are you talking about? First of all, the project linked to ITER is our domestic EAST. God Chuan’s Dawnbreaker has nothing to do with ITER and has no obligation or responsibility to disclose anything to them! Second, so many countries participate in ITER—has any single one of them disclosed all their technology? Use your fucking brain!】

【Putting aside whether other countries are a problem or not, can you guarantee that Dawnbreaker has absolutely no connection to ITER? Can you swear that Dawnbreaker didn’t use any of ITER’s technology at all? If you can, why not just let the United States investigate? Why bother leaving the group?】

【…】

At the same time, the news of China’s voluntary withdrawal from the ITER organization spread throughout the nuclear fusion community, sparking discussions among numerous nuclear energy scholars worldwide.

Compared to the views of the partially informed netizens who were just watching the drama unfold, the vast majority of scholars in the nuclear energy field had a much deeper understanding of the matter.

On the surface, it seemed China had voluntarily withdrawn from ITER, but in reality, it was still the United States meddling in the middle.

Contrary to the concerns of some netizens about the development of China’s controlled nuclear fusion, the opinion of most scholars was the opposite; they held a pessimistic view of ITER’s future.

Many scholars in the field of nuclear fusion believed that ITER’s progress might grind to a halt with China’s withdrawal, and it was not impossible that it would even be disbanded in the near future.

This was not only because China was currently at the forefront of the world in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, but also because China had always played a very important supporting role in ITER.

Compared to the United States, China not only paid its share of the research grant on time every year, but it also spared no effort in supporting ITER with personnel and technology.

It was undeniable that China was using ITER to cultivate its own talent, but every country participating in ITER was doing the same.

Moreover, compared to scholars from other member states, Chinese scholars were more diligent and serious in their research, worked harder, and were more effective in promoting ITER’s development.

Therefore, for ITER, China was undoubtedly a crucial pillar of support.

Now that this pillar was gone, no one knew how long the cobbled-together ship that was ITER could stay afloat.

Chapter 394: The Last Hope of All of Europe

While heated discussions raged across the internet, Xu Chuan had already locked himself in his office for several days.

Paying no mind to the news online, he was engrossed in his research on issues like magnetic surface tearing, which occurred during Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

It had to be said that with actual operational data, combined with the comprehensive theories he had previously developed, he was making effortless progress in breaking through this problem.

It would be nearly impossible to solve this issue with the plasma turbulence mathematical model alone. However, by modifying the outer superconducting coils of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, he was confident he could suppress the magnetic surface tearing to a level where it would not affect the operation of the high-temperature plasma within the reactor chamber.

Although the problem wasn’t completely solved, reaching this stage meant the impact would be minimal.

He just had to wait for the next run of the Dawnbreaker device to verify it through another experiment.

If both the magnetic surface tearing and first wall material issues could be resolved, construction of the demonstration reactor could begin immediately.

Given the comprehensive state of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Campus, building the demonstration reactor would only require assembling the brand-new controlled nuclear fusion reactor in the core area.

This wouldn’t take much time at all.

As for the online comments, unless he saw them himself, no one at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base would go out of their way to show them to him.

After checking the organized data one last time, Xu Chuan saved the relevant files with a sense of satisfaction.

Just then, his phone rang.

He picked it up and glanced at the screen. The call was from Professor David Gross, the council chairman of CERN.

“Professor Gross, long time no see. How is everything at CERN?”

After answering the call, Xu Chuan asked with a smile. The preliminary solution to the magnetic surface tearing problem had put him in a genuinely good mood.

David Gross, however, was in a terrible mood.

“Not good. Not good at all,” Gross replied, shaking his head and sighing.

Xu Chuan chuckled, asking curiously, “What’s wrong? Did you run into problems with the LHC upgrade?”

After CERN had decided in the first half of the year to halt its search for dark matter and sterile neutrinos, the CERN Council had decided to upgrade the Large Hadron Collider LHC. They had even purchased a batch of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from him.

According to the schedule, the LHC upgrade should be about halfway done by now.

Gross sighed. “Yes. And this isn’t just about CERN; it concerns you as well.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s intuition sharpened. He asked, “Did someone interfere with the LHC’s construction? Are you canceling the order for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material?”

On the other end of the line, Professor David Gross fell silent for a moment before nodding with a wry smile. “Yes, the situation with ITER has affected us. The council members from the member states… canceled CERN’s order with you and are preparing to procure high-temperature superconducting materials from Japan again.”

Excessive interference in scientific work by financial backers was an almost inescapable fate for any large-scale international collaborative research institution or organization.

Although in normal times these behind-the-scenes member states might not meddle in research work or the procurement of equipment and materials, when it came to major technological competitions or decisions—like the site selection for the ITER demonstration reactor—the member states behind these institutions and organizations would fight tooth and nail.

After all, these things brought great benefits to the host country.

The same was true for CERN. Normally, the member states and their council members didn’t interfere much with their work. But once the member states united on a decision, the scholars and researchers like them were powerless.

Unless they all resigned in protest, which was obviously unrealistic.

In the field of high-energy physics, no other research institution could currently replace CERN.

What he truly lamented, however, was not just the cancellation of the order for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, but also Professor Xu’s proposed methods for exploring dark matter and sterile neutrinos.

Professor Xu’s agreement to cooperate with CERN was based on the superconducting material order. Now that the order was canceled, he was no longer obligated to collaborate with CERN.

Hearing the news, Xu Chuan showed little surprise or astonishment.

The higher-ups had given him a heads-up about this possibility long ago. CERN’s cancellation of the order for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was within his expectations.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan asked, “What was the outcome on ITER’s side?”

Hearing this, David Gross asked with some curiosity, “You don’t know?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’ve been focused on my own research for the past few days and haven’t paid much attention to outside events.”

Gross sighed. “Your country voluntarily withdrew from the ITER organization. They are currently clearing out data and related items in preparation for departure.”

Xu Chuan just smiled, unconcerned. “So be it. ITER’s progress is far too slow, with all the countries bickering and endlessly haggling over research grants. I’m sure you can relate.”

Gross nodded, letting out a soft sigh.

Indeed, this problem was a common ailment of all international joint organizations, and CERN was no exception.

In all his years directing CERN’s work, the task he performed most was not conducting research or managing CERN’s operations, but explaining the use of every single fund to the member states and justifying various scientific achievements.

There was no helping it. In the world of research, as a general rule, whoever controls the funding calls the shots.

After chatting with Professor David Gross for a while longer, Xu Chuan hung up the phone.

CERN canceling the order for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material under pressure from the United States was expected, but it still stung a little financially.

After all, it was an order worth billions.

However, when weighed against the alternative of publicizing the formula for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the plasma turbulence numerical control model, it was not unacceptable.

Unfortunately, the high-temperature superconducting materials that the Western Superconducting Group had produced specifically for the LHC upgrade were now wasted.

After all, production had started as soon as the contract was signed.

And due to its physical properties, once the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was formed, its shape could hardly be changed for use in other equipment.

Perhaps it was time to move the plan to build his own large particle collider up the agenda.

An idea sparked in Xu Chuan’s mind as he mused on the situation.

Influenced by the controlled nuclear fusion technology conflict and the events at ITER, CERN might even further exclude scholars from China.

If that was the case, building their own large particle collider was absolutely necessary.

In his office, Xu Chuan thought for a moment before opening his computer and searching for news reports related to ITER.

The news of China’s voluntary withdrawal from ITER, while not widespread enough to be known by absolutely everyone domestically, had made it to the trending charts.

It had to be said, the internet was full of ignorance.

Comments from those worshipping everything foreign, those who considered themselves enlightened centrists, and those who subscribed to victim-blaming theories dominated the online discourse.

Perhaps there weren’t many such people in real life, but on the internet, they were always the first to charge into the comment sections of any major news story.

Coupled with the amplifying effect of the internet, this often led to a toxic mess under every trending topic.

Especially concerning the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, many people believed that because he had sold the material for billions, he was unwilling to disclose the relevant data or accept an investigation.

Starting from this point, they commented on China being “forced out” of ITER, feeling that he was the one who had hindered the nation’s development.

It had to be said, the angle these people took and the narrative they pushed did seem plausible to many, garnering a lot of agreement.

The only problem was that they never bothered to understand the truth of the matter. They relied entirely on sensationalized media reports, or even on distorted truths from clickbait accounts and foreign propaganda outlets, to form their opinions and pass judgment on him.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to these comments, let alone getting angry over them.

While he wasn’t a celebrity or an actor, he was by no means obscure online. After all, he could be considered the foremost figure in the country’s academic world today, possessing an inherent celebrity status.

In fact, at his current level, or once one gains celebrity status online, the general public’s attention and curiosity are no longer focused on how many research breakthroughs one has made, what contributions one has made to the country, or what technologies one has developed.

Although the aforementioned things could indeed attract the attention of netizens, it would at most result in a few “Awesome” comments after the news report, and that would be the end of it.

But if there were reports concerning one’s private life or morality, it would instantly trigger a tidal wave of discussion.

It was just like years ago when that venerable scientist who ensured the people of China had enough to eat and prevented a food crisis from becoming a stranglehold was met with a storm of online abuse simply for curiously touching a Mercedes at a car show.

Some people asked if he had embezzled the hard-earned money of the common folk, questioning why a researcher should be able to afford luxury cars and live in a villa.

Little did they know, the villa was a reward from the state for his enormous contributions.

Moreover, the old gentleman never lived in the villa. Instead, he converted the “mansion” into a rice research center.

It was in this very villa, a gift from the nation, that the venerable scientist led his team to develop the salt-alkali tolerant “seawater rice.”

This type of rice could “turn saline flats into fertile fields.” TThanks to this research achievement, the country could increase its annual grain production by at least fifty billion kilograms, enough to feed at least another two hundred million people.

Xu Chuan understood the mentality of some people very well. In the minds of a certain segment of the population, researchers were supposed to be poor and struggling.

Of course, for many, it was more about how these things allowed them to stand on a moral high ground and judge someone they could not otherwise evaluate.

After all, for the vast majority of keyboard warriors, their knowledge and abilities were only sufficient to allow them to pontificate from a position of moral authority.

After briefly scrolling through the news reports about ITER, Xu Chuan shook his head and closed the webpage.

After a moment’s thought, he sent a message to his senior, Fan Pengyue, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

As far as he was concerned, since the United States had used its influence at CERN to cancel his order, not responding in kind would be out of character.

Meanwhile, at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Fan Pengyue was dealing with the cancellation of the high-temperature superconducting material order from CERN when his phone chimed with a “ding-dong” – the special notification sound.

Putting down his gel pen, he picked up his phone and read the message.

“Announce through media channels that due to ITER’s violation of international conventions, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute will no longer supply high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material to ITER or its six remaining member states.”

Reading the message, a slight curve formed on Fan Pengyue’s lips, and he shook his head with a smile.

He wasn’t surprised by the message.

Knowing the character of his junior, if he found out about CERN’s cancellation and the reasons behind it, he would never just swallow the loss. Hitting back was his style.

Only the person who sent him this message would be so unconcerned about these massive markets.

If it were anyone else, a businessman perhaps, they would probably choose to endure it, right?

After all, the ITER member nations were the real major buyers of high-temperature superconducting materials.

Shaking his head with a smile, Fan Pengyue reached for the phone on his desk and called the department in charge of media relations.

Since the decision was made, all he had to do was execute it as requested.

His boss Xu wasn’t short on cash anyway, so it didn’t matter.

He was, however, quite curious to see how Europe would react to this news.

Ever since the Wendelstein 7-X had achieved its one-hour run, Europe had been constantly contacting him, hoping to procure a batch of high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Now that this hope was snuffed out, Europe would probably be kicking themselves in regret.

After all, the superconducting performance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material was a significant leap ahead of any other high-temperature superconducting material currently on the market.

Lacking it would set their progress on the path of controlled nuclear fusion back considerably.

As for Germany’s Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, they were truly lucky to have completed their transaction before June. If they had delayed a bit longer, they might have been dragged down by the American troublemaker as well.

As for now, it would likely become the last hope of all of Europe.

This was good news for Germany, but the other countries that had followed the United States’ lead would not be so happy.

The European Union might seem like a single entity, but there was no shortage of individual agendas.

Especially when it came to a technology like controlled nuclear fusion.

Chapter 395: The Race Against Time

As the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute announced it would no longer supply high-temperature superconducting materials to ITER and its member states, the field of controlled nuclear fusion erupted in heated discussions again.

Many scholars and researchers remarked that this Professor Xu was truly gutsy.

CERN had just canceled its order for high-temperature superconducting materials due to the ITER issue, and in the next moment, Professor Xu turned around and directly cut off the supply to ITER and its member states.

It was very much a case of, “You don’t want it? Fine, then I won’t supply it to you anymore.”

Single-handedly imposing a sales ban on several major powers—he was probably the first person in history to do so.

The United States might not care much about this news, but for Europe, which aimed for energy independence, this was a disaster that caught them in the crossfire.

After all, the importance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material in controlled nuclear fusion technology had been verified by the Wendelstein 7-X.

Even without a perfect solution for controlling plasma turbulence, the superior superconducting properties of this material alone could provide a powerful confinement magnetic field to suppress the violent plasma in the reactor chamber.

As things stood, it was the most suitable superconducting material for controlled nuclear fusion.

Without it, even if they could find other high-temperature superconducting materials as substitutes, it would likely be very difficult to catch up to China’s pace.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing.

At the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base, Xu Chuan arrived at the Institute with his research findings on the problems that had emerged during the deuterium-tritium fusion ignition experiment, such as magnetic surface tearing, kink modes, and plasma magnetic islands.

Nearly a month had passed since the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device completed its second experimental run.

The year 2020 was coming to an end.

But the good news was that, thanks to the round-the-clock efforts of the engineers and researchers, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device, which had suffered minor damage during the second deuterium-tritium fusion ignition run, had been fully repaired.

With Chinese New Year approaching, Xu Chuan planned to conduct a few more high-density plasma operation experiments and one more deuterium-tritium fusion ignition experiment. He would only take his annual leave after collecting more data.

As for himself, he probably wouldn’t be going home for Chinese New Year this year.

The most important thing was to use this time to hurry up and perfect the work related to magnetic surface tearing.

After all, difficult problems like neutron radiation were still waiting for him.

And after their withdrawal from ITER, a targeted competition in the field of controlled nuclear fusion had begun.

This time, it was them, independently, competing against the entire Western world to see who could be the first to develop controlled nuclear fusion.

This was a crucial competition that would determine the nation’s fate and the new world order.

All he could do was press on and make the most of every second.

At the same time, in Luyang, on Science Island.

The EAST Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base, usually quiet and deserted, was now quite lively.

In a pavilion on the central island of Science Lake, two researchers who had returned from ITER were making idle chitchat out of boredom.

“Old Zhou, have you gotten any new work assignments from the institute?”

In the pavilion, a researcher wearing black-rimmed glasses and a black down jacket glanced at his colleague sitting next to him and asked.

Across from him, the researcher called Old Zhou, who looked somewhat reserved, shook his head. “Haven’t received any notice yet. You?”

Hearing this, Wu Pingle sighed and also shook his head.

Last month, China proactively withdrew from ITER, which not only meant pulling its investment but also that all the researchers like them, who had been working there, were brought back.

The EAST project, the HL-2A project, the HT-7 project—in short, all the researchers and engineers who had been sent to study and work at ITER by China’s major research institutes had returned to their original workplaces.

But that was where the problem lay.

In a country like China, with a large population and an abundance of talent, once a person was transferred out, a new person would inevitably be assigned to fill the vacancy.

And if the person who had been transferred out returned to their old workplace, it created a rather awkward situation.

There was only one position, but two people to fill it.

With China’s withdrawal from ITER, a large number of researchers and engineers had been sent back to the country’s major institutes all at once, and many of them needed to be reassigned.

As a result, their group had been sitting idle at their institutes or at home for over a month.

Although the institute was still paying their salaries, this was not a good thing for a researcher.

On one hand, being idle for too long would make their minds rusty; on the other hand, if the institute didn’t need so many people, they might end up being laid off.

For researchers or engineers in other fields, finding a new job might be a bit easier.

But for scholars like them, who worked on controlled nuclear fusion, finding a suitable job within the country was truly difficult.

After all, only a handful of institutions were working on this stuff.

With so many people returning from ITER at once, they’d be thanking their lucky stars if these renowned institutes didn’t lay them off, let alone hire anyone new.

As for private research institutes, the United States had a few privately funded controlled nuclear fusion labs, but in China, there were no damn private research institutes in the field.

The capitalists in China couldn’t be bothered to throw their money into this bottomless black hole.

With that kind of time and energy, wouldn’t it be more profitable to get into group-buying groceries or fleece the common people for all they’re worth?

Just as Wu Pingle was staring blankly at the lake, pondering what to do next, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

He took out his phone and glanced at it. The call was from an unknown number starting with the 010 area code. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered.

Before he could speak, a steady voice came from the other end of the line.

“May I ask if this is Researcher Wu Pingle from the EAST institute?”

Wu Pingle nodded and asked, puzzled, “I am. May I ask who you are?”

“Here’s the situation. Based on a recommendation and background check following an introduction from your advisor, Professor Weng Yongchang, we have a job opening that is suitable for you. Are you willing to leave the EAST institute and accept a new position?”

Hearing this, Wu Pingle was completely baffled. “A new job? What kind of job?”

“I’m sorry, but we cannot disclose any information about the position until you accept this invitation.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Pingle couldn’t help but frown. He asked, “Will my advisor be going too?”

“That question is outside the scope of what I can answer.”

Wu Pingle’s mouth twitched. He took a deep breath and said, “Even if my advisor recommended me, I should be able to get some basic information about the position, right?”

“For example, where is the job, which organization is it, what is the research about, what’s the salary and benefits, things like that. It’s hard for me to make a decision about a position I know nothing about.”

On the other end, the man on the phone replied, “The only thing I can disclose is that the job is located in Jiangsu Province. All other information is currently classified. Salary and other details will be discussed in an interview after you accept the invitation. Are you willing to leave the EAST institute and accept this new position?”

After a pause, the man added, “You have one hour to consider. I will call you back in an hour.”

With that, the call ended, leaving a stunned Wu Pingle staring blankly at his phone.

What the hell was that?

“What’s wrong?” In the pavilion, his colleague Zhou Xu turned his head and asked.

Wu Pingle came back to his senses and shook his head. “It’s nothing. It has something to do with my advisor.”

He didn’t mention the job offer. Although the call was brief, he had a vague sense of what was going on.

A job in Su Province?

Could it be related to that individual?

After all, both his and his advisor’s careers were related to controlled nuclear fusion. And in Su Province, the only one working on controlled nuclear fusion was that project, right?

Just as he was thinking, the phone of his colleague, Zhou Xu, who was sitting beside him, also began to vibrate.

After a few minutes, when the call ended, the two looked at each other. After a few seconds of silence, they spoke in unison:

“Are you going?”

After a pause, they both said in unison again:

“I’m going!”

Although neither had heard the other’s phone conversation, they both understood what was happening at that moment.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they missed it, it would be gone forever.

Rather than coasting at the declining EAST, it was better to take a gamble and fight for something more!

After all, as researchers, they still had dreams.

If they didn’t have dreams, they would never have entered this field that seemed to have no end in sight.

An hour wasn’t a long time. When the caller phoned back, both of them quickly gave their definitive answers.

Upon receiving their replies, the person on the other end of the line said, “Alright, your acceptance of the invitation is confirmed. I will arrange for your high-speed rail tickets for tomorrow’s travel. Please be prepared. A text message with the relevant details will be sent to your phone. Please pay attention to the travel arrangements and do not miss your train.”

With that, the call ended.

Staring at the black screen of his phone, Wu Pingle glanced at his colleague across the pavilion.

Sure enough, a moment later, his colleague Zhou Xu also received a call.

After he hung up, they looked at each other again, a peculiar expression on both their faces.

It seemed the people who called them today had a formidable background.

Even luckier, they had passed the vetting process and been given this opportunity.

Chapter 396: Integrating Talent

Recruiting the researchers and engineers returning from ITER was something Xu Chuan had settled with Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming a long time ago.

For other research institutes, constrained by limitations in available positions and funding, these scholars returning from ITER were actually not easy to place.

A handful would have been manageable, but for projects like HL-2A and EAST, where the number of personnel sent to study and research at ITER was in the double digits, arranging positions became difficult.

After all, with the withdrawal from ITER, most of their research projects linked to it had been canceled.

Meanwhile, positions in their own institutes’ projects had been taken by newcomers, leaving these returning scholars in a rather awkward position.

For Xu Chuan, however, these problems didn’t exist.

The research on the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile was advancing so rapidly that the recruitment of researchers had been constantly stretched thin.

Now, after the breakthrough in Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition, a large number of researchers and staff were needed to fill the vacancies in various research projects.

After all, controlled nuclear fusion is a systemic super project, and all sorts of problems, big and small, require people to solve them.

And these researchers and engineers returning from ITER were a perfect fit.

On one hand, they specialized in controlled nuclear fusion, so their expertise matched the positions.

On the other hand, during their time at ITER, these researchers frequently communicated with scholars from other countries, giving them a strong theoretical foundation and innovative ideas regarding the details and directions of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Xu Chuan was confident in his ability to manage the overall direction and roadmap of controlled nuclear fusion; he believed ITER couldn’t compare to him in this regard.

But when it came to specific, practical details—such as “how to handle Helium ash in the reactor chamber” or “tritium extraction in the breeding blanket”—ITER had undoubtedly conducted more in-depth research than he had.

With the help of these researchers and engineers returning from ITER, solving these problems would be much faster than the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base trying to do it all alone.

Of course, before accepting these individuals, a background check was essential.

Some had gotten their positions through connections to get credentials on their resumes and lacked real ability; others might not have entirely clean backgrounds. All of this needed to be thoroughly investigated.

They had to be cautious. The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was now at a critical stage. Given its current achievements, other countries would surely be coveting it.

Activities like spying, infiltration, and other attempts to gather intelligence, obtain data, and steal technology would certainly intensify.

If any of the returnees from ITER had been bought, the potential losses could be catastrophic.

At the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base in Nanjing.

As the Little New Year approached, the DAWN device had completed its related maintenance and was restarted.

Engineers and programmers worked overtime to make the necessary adjustments based on the optimization plans derived from the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction process.

This time, for the DAWN device’s restart, Xu Chuan was no longer directing from the Main control room.

He just needed to receive the relevant data after the experiment.

Taking advantage of the free time, he needed to first interview a few of the researchers who had returned from ITER.

Of course, it was less an interview and more of a consultation to understand certain issues.

Although he had been reborn and had a general understanding of the progress in controlled nuclear fusion across the globe, he wasn’t clear on the specific technological developments at certain research institutes.

These researchers and engineers returning from ITER were perfectly suited to help him fill this gap, allowing him to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his DAWN device compared to experimental facilities in other countries, or how wide the gap was.

“Academician Xu, I’ve brought them over.”

In the office, Gao Hongming, who was in charge of daily affairs, pushed open the door and led two people inside.

The two were researchers from EAST, Wu Pingle and Zhou Xu, who were now following behind, looking nervous and apprehensive.

“Thank you. Sorry to trouble you,” Xu Chuan said, putting down his pen and looking up.

Gao Hongming smiled as he stepped forward and placed the files in his hand on the desk. “Hey, it’s my job. No need for thanks or ‘trouble’.”

After a pause, he added, “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

With that, he turned and left the office.

Across from him, Wu Pingle and Zhou Xu looked nervously at Xu Chuan, who sat behind the desk. Their eyes held a mixture of anxiety, anticipation, and the excitement of a fan meeting their idol.

Xu Chuan picked up the files and smiled at the two. “Please, have a seat. Don’t be nervous. I asked you to come here today mainly to consult you on a few things.”

Hearing this, the two nodded nervously and perched on the very edge of their chairs.

While flipping through the files, Xu Chuan asked, “You both were visiting scholars at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, is that correct?”

Wu Pingle nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at grain. “Yes. When I was on exchange at ITER, I was arranged to visit the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. I studied there for three years.”

“I see on your file that your main research focus was the study of water-cooled divertors, right?”

“Yes,” Wu Pingle and Zhou Xu replied in unison, nodding.

Putting down the files, Xu Chuan thought for a moment before asking, “If it’s convenient, could you two tell me about the developments over at the Planck Institute? Specifically, concerning some of the designs and theories for the water-cooled divertor.”

The DAWN device was a modification of the ASDEX device. When the transaction was made, the water-cooled divertor technology from the ASDEX was included.

However, compared to the latest water-cooled divertor on the Wendelstein 7-X, the one on the ASDEX was practically an antique.

He was thinking of using this wave of personnel returning from ITER to redesign and optimize the water-cooled divertor on the DAWN device, among other things.

If the problems of magnetic surface tearing and first wall neutron radiation could be solved, construction of the demonstration reactor would also need to begin.

Compared to an experimental pile, a demonstration reactor has much higher requirements for all its components.

Any area that could be optimized had to be made the best it could be.

Hearing the man before them ask about water-cooled divertors, Wu Pingle quickly replied, “Of course, no problem.”

After collecting his thoughts and organizing his words, he began, “When I left the Wendelstein 7-X a year ago, they were studying a water-cooled divertor with a quasi-toroidally symmetric magnetic field configuration. This is a design that uses magnetic field lines to guide the particle and heat flux into the divertor…”

“…to exhaust the thermal energy and impurities produced by the fusion reaction.”

Behind the desk, Xu Chuan listened intently to researcher Wu Pingle’s report.

The water-cooled divertor was one of the key components of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics was currently at the forefront of this technology.

Although it would be impossible to advance the water-cooled divertor on the DAWN device to the same level as the one used on the Wendelstein 7-X just by relying on these visiting scholars, it would still be a significant performance boost compared to the old set of equipment from the ASDEX device.

As for the fact that the Wendelstein 7-X was a Stellarator while he was working on a Tokamak, meaning the water-cooled divertors would have different forms on the two different paths—that wasn’t a major issue.

After all, both were based on the magnetic confinement route. There were differences, but not to the extent that their fundamental principles were completely different.

These engineers and researchers should be capable of optimizing and adjusting the DAWN device’s existing water-cooled divertor based on the designs from the Wendelstein 7-X.

After listening to Wu Pingle’s understanding and introduction of the Wendelstein laboratory, Xu Chuan asked a few more questions.

Beside him, his colleague Zhou Xu also helped supplement some of the details.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan picked up his pen, put a checkmark on both of their files, then looked at them with a smile and asked, “You should know that the DAWN device was modified from the ASDEX device, which we purchased from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. It also has a relatively old set of water-cooled divertor equipment.”

“If you are interested, I would like to invite you both to join the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project. Your work would be in the water-cooled divertor research group, responsible for assisting in the research, optimization, and redesign of the water-cooled divertor.”

“As for compensation, if you are interested and accept the invitation, someone will come to discuss the details with you later. It should not be lower than your standard at EAST.”

“Are you interested in staying?”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s invitation, Wu Pingle’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest with excitement.

“Of course, I am!”

Having the opportunity to join the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project and work under the big shot in front of him was probably the dream of every controlled nuclear fusion researcher in the country.

Moreover, he had heard long ago that the way things were run here was very different from other research institutes.

Working here, one wasn’t judged by seniority, or at least not by traditional standards like SCI papers and assessments.

This master cared about your research capabilities. As long as you had an idea and it was theoretically feasible, you had the chance to conduct an independent experiment.

For a researcher, what was the biggest attraction?

It wasn’t the salary, nor the benefits and compensation. The biggest attraction for a true researcher was having an independent laboratory and being able to lead experiments based on their own ideas!

After all, having embarked on the path of scientific research, one still held onto their dreams.

Looking at the two excited faces, Xu Chuan smiled.

The Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was indeed very attractive now. Not only were the benefits and compensation here quite good, but more importantly, the project had a background that no other domestic research institution could compare with, even if they all relied on the state.

After all, he was stationed right here.

Of course, to work here, not working hard was impossible.

No matter how badass the scholar or how brilliant the genius, once they entered, unless they could surpass him, they were just a cog turning for the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Doing research here, living at the institute twenty-four hours a day was a common occurrence. Sometimes, they would even sleep in the laboratory. After all, some key experiments required hours of testing or experimentation, and to ensure no data was missed, it was normal to sleep on the floor of the lab.

But it was precisely because everyone was a cog that they had a chance to stand out.

As long as one could prove themselves, they had the opportunity to conduct independent research—a work environment that all researchers dreamed of.

Chapter 397: A Double Blessing

Integrating the researchers and engineers returning from ITER wasn’t Xu Chuan’s responsibility.

Others would handle such trivial matters. He sought out Wu Pingle and a few other regulars to inquire about the developmental status and technologies of various countries’ controlled nuclear fusion projects.

The DAWN device’s predecessor was the relatively old ADSEX. Aside from the external field coils made from high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite materials, its other components weren’t particularly outstanding.

A fusion reactor of this level was fine for experiments, but to use it as a demonstration reactor? Xu Chuan could only say that if you wanted to die, he couldn’t even be bothered to bury you.

Theoretically, controlled nuclear fusion is a rather safe technology. But theory also said that controlled nuclear fission power plants were a safe bet, too.

Yet Chernobyl and Fukushima still blew up just like that.

With plasma temperatures in the hundreds of millions of degrees and the intense neutron radiation produced during Deuterium-Tritium fusion, the consequences of an accident would be unimaginable.

Therefore, while the neutron radiation problem remained unsolved, further optimizing every component of the fusion reactor and then creating targeted designs was the best course of action.

Of course, Xu Chuan didn’t manage these matters.

It was enough for him to provide the general ideas and designs. As for the rest, he left it to the professional engineers and researchers to discuss.

By Little New Year, the third round of tests for the DAWN device was also completed.

While waiting for the results, Xu Chuan also began to arrange matters related to the annual leave.

Since the ADSEX was purchased back in July, the work at the research institute had truly never stopped.

Forget about two-day weekends; even for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, they only had two or three days off.

Many researchers, like Zhao Hongzhi’s team who had gone to Germany to handle the handover and study the ADSEX device, didn’t even get a break for National Day and ended up sleeping right at the institute.

There was no other way. There was a shortage of personnel, and for every experiment, they were needed to inspect and repair the DAWN device.

However, their hard work paid off. For Xu Chuan and the country, the reward was the numerous records set by the DAWN device, which placed China at the pinnacle of the world in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

And for researchers like Zhao Hongzhi, the reward was a hefty year-end bonus and project performance bonus.

When it came to money, Xu Chuan was never stingy.

After the annual leave was arranged, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project suddenly became much quieter. Over two-thirds of the researchers and engineers went home for Chinese New Year, leaving behind a small number who volunteered for overtime.

Xu Chuan hadn’t planned on going home for Chinese New Year this year. He had called his family two days ago on Little New Year to explain the situation, planning to use the holiday period to solve the magnetic surface tearing problem.

After inputting the data from the second Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition test into the computer, Xu Chuan connected to the supercomputer center supporting the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project and began running the model on the supercomputer.

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

Holding a pen, Xu Chuan was jotting down data on scratch paper. Without looking back, he called out, “Come in.”

“Big Bro! Surprise!”

A clear, crisp voice rang out beside him. A lovely figure trotted in, her face wreathed in smiles. Following behind her was a middle-aged couple.

Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Chuan put down his pen in surprise and looked up.

“Xiaoxiao, Dad, Mom. What are you all doing here?”

Mother Xu said with a smile, “You called two days ago and said you were too busy to come home for Chinese New Year this year. When this girl Xiaoxiao heard, she suggested we all come here to celebrate with you. We thought about it and agreed it was a good idea, since you have a villa for us to stay in anyway.”

“Big Bro, aren’t you happy!” Xu Xiao came around and asked mischievously.

“Of course,” Xu Chuan said with a smile. He had been prepared to spend Chinese New Year alone this year; he never expected that since he couldn’t go home, his family would come to him instead. Being able to have a reunion for the holiday was, naturally, a happy thing.

At the side, Father Xu looked his son over and said with a smile, “We went to your villa first, but no one was home. Then a security guard from your residential complex showed up and told us you were here, and he brought us over.”

“I was going to go back to your place and wait for you, but Xiaoxiao insisted on coming to take a look, so here we are. Speaking of which, it’s quite a hassle to get in here. They wouldn’t let us in at first. In the end, your driver, Zheng Hai, had to come out and get us. There were several checkpoints on the way in.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “This is a key national project. You can’t get in at all without a permit.”

After a pause, he added, “It’s a good thing you came today. I was originally planning to sleep here tonight.”

“Big Bro, are you that busy with work now? You don’t even get a break for Chinese New Year?” Xu Xiao tilted her head and asked curiously.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “We definitely get a holiday. A lot of researchers left yesterday. But my research has reached a critical point, so I was thinking of using the New Year break to take care of it, so it won’t delay work at the beginning of next year.”

Hearing this, Father Xu asked, “Doesn’t our coming here delay your work then?”

Xu Chuan smiled, “It’s fine, it won’t delay anything. This place isn’t far from where I live. I can head back after work.”

Father Xu nodded. Just as he was about to say something, there was a knock on the office door.

Before Xu Chuan could say anything, Mother Xu, who was closest to the entrance, pulled the door open.

Zhao Guangui, who was standing at the door, was taken aback when it opened. Since when did Academician Xu open the door for people himself?

After getting a clear look at the people in the office, he realized there were others inside.

“Um, Academician Xu, please, you carry on. I’ll come back later.”

Looking at Father Xu, Mother Xu, and Xu Xiao, who clearly weren’t researchers, Zhao Guangui understood the situation. He gave an awkward smile and quickly turned to leave.

But before he could leave, Father Xu called out to him, “Excuse me, Professor. Please wait a moment, we’re leaving now.”

Turning his head, he looked at Xu Chuan and said, “Chuan’er, we’ll head back to your place first. You get back to your work.”

Father Xu didn’t know Zhao Guangui, but he knew that anyone looking for Xu Chuan in his office at this hour must have something important to discuss, so he quickly stopped him.

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll have Zheng Hai drive you over. I’ll head back after I’m done with things here.”

Father Xu nodded and left, dragging along Xu Xiao, who was reluctant to leave and wanted to stay for the excitement.

In the blink of an eye, only Xu Chuan and Zhao Guangui were left in the office.

Zhao Guangui smiled awkwardly, a look of embarrassment on his face.

It was obvious that the Academician’s family had come to visit, and they had been chatting. It was rather inappropriate for him to barge in at a time like this.

Xu Chuan didn’t seem to mind, however. He asked, “What is it?”

Getting to the point, Zhao Guangui collected his thoughts and began, “Regarding the research on carbon nanomaterials, it seems we’ve made some progress.”

As he spoke, he handed over a printout of the data and continued, “In an experiment a few days ago, while my team was collaborating with the carbon nanomaterials research group from your Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Academician Xu, we unexpectedly constructed a new type of carbon material using the ‘Atomic Cycle’ technology.”

“Through testing, we’ve discovered that this new material may have the potential to be used as a first wall material.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan gave him a somewhat surprised look, quickly took the documents, and began to read.

Chapter 398: Even the Heavens Are on Their Side!

Taking the data from Zhao Guangui, Xu Chuan began to read through it seriously.

The problem of high-energy neutron beam irradiation has always been a century-old problem that the entire world has been studying.

The most troublesome aspect of high-energy neutrons isn’t the radiation they carry, but their ability to collide with the nuclei of different elements.

When neutrons collide with various atomic nuclei, a phenomenon known as “neutron activation” occurs, producing unstable isotopes, making the material radioactive, and damaging its structure.

To put it simply, it’s like a material was originally a happy family of four, with two neutrons and two protons.

Then, an external high-energy neutron collides with the nucleus and forces its way in like an unwelcome third party, and suddenly, the family is broken and no longer perfect.

Currently, the scientific community handles the problem of neutron radiation by using a combination of neutron moderator materials and slow neutron absorbers to intercept the neutron radiation.

Neutron moderator materials are divided into two types: heavy and light elements. The heavy elements are primarily common metals like lead, tungsten, and barium.

They can slow down fast neutrons, reducing the energy of the neutron beam and turning them into slow neutrons.

The neutrons, after being slowed by heavy elements, still need to be further slowed by light elements before they can be absorbed by slow neutron absorbers.

This step mainly uses materials with high hydrogen content, such as water, paraffin wax, and polyethylene.

Only after being treated with light elements can these slow neutrons be completely absorbed and eliminated by materials containing lithium or boron, such as lithium fluoride, lithium bromide, or boron oxide.

Otherwise, even the slowest neutrons are still destructive to materials and living organisms.

Just dealing with neutrons alone is so troublesome, yet the first wall material of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor must also withstand high temperatures, high-energy deuterium-tritium particles, gamma rays, ion contamination, and various other problems.

Even with the radiation and ray absorption capabilities of materials constructed with Atomic Cycle Technology and the Radiation Bandgap, finding a material that allows neutrons to pass through, withstands high temperatures, and maintains self-repairing properties is an exceedingly difficult task.

It became even more difficult after eliminating metallic materials as an option.

After all, there are very few non-metallic materials that can withstand temperatures of several thousand degrees.

Ceramic materials are one option, and carbon materials (graphite, diamond, etc. are also carbon materials) are another. Composite materials also count, but their types are numerous, and only a portion are usable.

At present, these are the only non-metallic materials that can withstand temperatures above three thousand degrees Celsius.

And all of these materials have their own respective flaws when used as a first wall material.

Therefore, when Xu Chuan heard Professor Zhao say that the new material they had developed might have the potential for application as a first wall material, he was quite surprised.

After all, only two or three months had passed since he formally issued the directive to research the first wall material.

Even though he had pointed them in the right direction and provided relevant methods from the beginning, and even with the assistance of the material computational mathematical models from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, this speed was a bit too fast.

Spending about ten minutes, Xu Chuan carefully read the entire data file in his hands.

According to the information, the material developed by Zhao Guangui and his team was a carbon nanotube and carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite with a hafnium oxide base.

In terms of properties, it was similar to a high-temperature resistant composite ceramic material, possessing most of the properties of such materials.

The difference was that, because the main structure was made of carbon nanotubes and carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide, its thermal conductivity was significantly improved compared to standard ceramic materials.

The thermal conductivity of ordinary ceramic materials is between 0.5 and 1 W/m·K, while this composite material had a thermal conductivity of 52.11 W/m·K, exceeding that of graphite at 40 W/m·K.

Of course, a thermal conductivity of 50 W/m·K is not particularly remarkable among some specialty ceramics.

For example, silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic substrates can have a thermal conductivity of 120-490 W/m·K, and aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic substrates have a thermal conductivity of 170-230 W/m·K.

These two are considered the ceramic substrates with the best thermal conductivity, but their high-temperature resistance is insufficient.

Most silicon carbides melt above 1600 degrees, and while aluminum nitride can remain stable up to 2200 degrees, it still falls short of the 3000-degree requirement.

Of course, if temperature were the only issue, it could be managed with water cooling systems. The crucial point is the destruction of metallic bonds by neutron radiation.

Although aluminum nitride is a ceramic material, the aluminum metallic bond is its core support bond, and the damage neutron radiation inflicts on metallic bonds is particularly severe.

As for carbon nanotube and carbon fiber materials, although they can withstand temperatures exceeding three thousand degrees in an oxygen-free environment, the problem of pure carbon materials absorbing the deuterium-tritium fuel is too severe.

This makes it difficult to apply pure carbon materials like graphene and carbon nanotubes to the first wall.

As for this enhanced composite material developed by Zhao Guangui’s team, it could withstand ultra-high temperatures of over three thousand four hundred degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free environment.

If compared among pure metals, only tungsten could match this value.

If compared with alloys, it was still some distance from the 4215 degrees Celsius melting point of Tantalum hafnium carbide (Ta4HfC5).

However, for application as the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, it was more than enough.

The most critical point was its absorption of deuterium-tritium fuel. The test results showed that this composite material would not combine or react with the fuel unless high-energy deuterium-tritium ions went out of control and struck the material’s surface.

Placing the document on the table, Xu Chuan looked up at Zhao Guangui and asked with interest, “This is interesting. Judging from the cross-section electron microscope image of the material, it seems the Atomic Cycle Technology and the Radiation Bandgap structure caused the carbon nanotubes and the hafnium oxide substrate to combine. The chemical bonds of the carbon nanotubes replaced the oxygen chemical bonds of the hafnium oxide, forming a uniquely ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.”

“And this uniquely ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure should be the key to this composite material’s high-temperature resistance and its non-absorption of deuterium-tritium ions.”

“Have you conducted any specific tests on this process?”

For him, with all the detailed data of a material laid out before him, it wasn’t difficult to identify the material’s core-defining feature.

This composite material was a case in point; its specially structured carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal was something he had never seen before.

Zhao Guangui nodded and said, “We did, but the results weren’t ideal. We couldn’t isolate the crystal structure you mentioned. We also couldn’t replicate this uniquely ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure using just carbon nanotubes and hafnium oxide separately.”

“So for now, we only have the test data for the material itself. We can’t obtain the data on its core crystal structure.”

After the test data for this material came out, someone in the research team had the same idea as Xu Chuan, speculating that this unique crystal structure was the active component.

However, since they couldn’t isolate this special structure, they couldn’t confirm whether it was truly providing the core enhancement.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan stroked his chin and fell into thought.

If it couldn’t be isolated, it was indeed impossible to be certain, but that didn’t matter much. As long as the material worked, it was fine.

From the test data, its thermal conductivity, high-temperature resistance, strength, and other basic physical properties all met the requirements for a first wall material.

Of course, the more critical points weren’t these ordinary properties, but its performance in high-energy fields, such as resistance to high-energy deuterium-tritium particle impacts, gamma rays, ion contamination, and, most importantly, neutron radiation.

The former issues weren’t a big problem; the Atomic Cycle Technology and the Radiation Bandgap structure had been verified.

The data also included tests showing this. Although they weren’t complete, one could get a glimpse of its excellent performance.

As for the latter, the neutron radiation experiments had not yet been done.

Neutron radiation experiments were not so easy to conduct.

He asked with interest, “How did you come up with this material?”

He had seen traces of the ‘Atomic Cycle’ and ‘Radiation Bandgap’ material construction technologies in the data.

The most obvious sign was the special crystal structure bandgap visible in the cross-section images, a structure used to absorb beta radiation.

At this question, Zhao Guangui smiled a little sheepishly and said, “Strictly speaking, I didn’t come up with the idea for this material all by myself.”

“After you assigned me to research carbon materials last time, I sought out Professor Han Jin and Academician Peng to learn about the Atomic Cycle and Radiation Bandgap technologies you developed.”

“During our discussions, Professor Han Jin mentioned the radiation-to-electricity semiconductor conversion material you developed while researching nuclear waste. Considering that the first wall would also face intense radiation, I thought we could dope the carbon nanomaterial with some silicon carbide material as an impurity to create a pseudo-semiconductor. This could be used to export the electrical energy converted from radiant heat, thereby maintaining the stability of the material to a certain extent.”

“Following this research path, and later with the help of the material models from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, we gradually added hafnium oxide as a strengthening agent.”

“Unexpectedly, the hafnium oxide, acting as a strengthening agent, underwent an accidental change with the carbon nanotubes. The two formed a special crystal structure that not only lowered the thermal conductivity of the carbon material but also brought new changes, mitigating the carbon material’s flaw of absorbing deuterium-tritium fuel.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised and asked, “So you’re saying it was a lucky accident?”

After a pause, he added with a smile, “Of course, in materials science, luck is also a part of strength.”

Zhao Guangui scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

Indeed, aside from some standard procedures, the development of this material could be called a complete accident.

No one had expected that adding hafnium oxide as an additive to a carbon material, with the help of the Atomic Cycle Technology, would form a unique carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.

This was something that not even they, the researchers, had anticipated, nor had the material computational models at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute predicted it.

After all, the initial reason for adding the hafnium oxide substrate with the model’s help was simply to increase the strength of the carbon material.

One could only say that the complex reactions in the field of materials were beyond the predictive power of even a supercomputer.

Or to put it another way, it was as if even the heavens were on their side!

Changing the subject, Zhao Guangui swallowed, then continued with a mix of tension and worry, “Judging from the test data, this material should meet all the requirements for the first wall, except for neutron radiation. The rest depends on how it performs when faced with neutron radiation.”

The selection of the first wall material for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor was arguably one of the most complex problems, ranking in the top three.

Its difficulty was no less than that of controlling high-temperature plasma turbulence or achieving tritium self-sustainment.

As for which of these three problems was more difficult, opinions differ. In any case, none of them were easy to solve.

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and said, “Carbon and silicon can maintain strong stability and integrity when facing neutron radiation. The only point of concern is this new carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure, and how stable it will be under neutron radiation.”

“Although it has maintained its stability against the impacts of high-energy deuterium-tritium particles and strong radiation, the decay properties of hafnium metal worry me. It might not hold up against neutron radiation.”

Realizing that saying this might sound like he was dismissing their hard work, Xu Chuan quickly added, “Of course, this is just my theoretical analysis based on the data. The actual results will depend on the experiment.”

“After the DAWN device is repaired next year, we’ll run a test on your material first. Who knows, maybe we’ll really be lucky this time?”

“If the test results are excellent, the construction of the demonstration reactor can begin.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui’s breathing quickened.

The construction of a demonstration reactor! If he could make a key contribution to it, being elected as an Academician next year would be a sure thing.

But after a moment’s thought, he quickly calmed down, swallowing nervously.

The neutron radiation experiment was the true key. If it couldn’t pass that test, all their previous efforts and all the material’s excellent properties would be for naught.

And what this master in front of him said was, in fact, not wrong.

Hafnium is a major additive element in heat-resistant alloy materials, and hafnium dioxide is a ceramic material with a wide band gap and a high dielectric constant, which was why they chose it as an additive and catalyst.

But hafnium has a major flaw when it comes to neutron radiation.

That is, hafnium has a strong affinity for neutrons. Simply put, hafnium can absorb neutrons, and its efficiency is hundreds of times that of ordinary materials.

In a nuclear fission reactor, uranium serves as the nuclear fuel, and the ideal material for the uranium rod cladding is a material with added hafnium metal.

Because hafnium has an extremely high neutron absorption rate, adding only a small amount of it can greatly reduce the transparency to neutrons released during nuclear fission.

From this perspective, it was likely that their material would have a huge problem.

Thinking this, a bitter smile appeared on Zhao Guangui’s face. “The element hafnium has an extremely high absorption rate for neutrons. Zirconium alloys with added hafnium are used for uranium rod protection sheaths.”

“Looking at it from this key point, I’m afraid this material won’t pass the neutron radiation test.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “There’s still a possibility, but I estimate it’s not a large one.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “But we’re not without hope. Hafnium has an extremely high neutron absorption rate, but don’t forget it has a metallic element that’s practically its twin brother.”

“Perhaps you could try zirconium metal. Zirconium and hafnium both belong to the Group VB of the periodic table. Their chemical properties are very similar, and in nature, they are two coexisting metal types.”

“Perhaps you can try using zirconium oxide as the additive and catalyst. If my guess is correct, this should be feasible.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui’s eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly added, “And the most crucial thing is that zirconium has an extremely low absorption rate for neutrons. Neutrons can easily pass through zirconium of sufficient purity.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “That’s right. The zirconium nucleus has a low neutron absorption rate. The only problem is that it can absorb hydrogen, and by the same token, it will also absorb the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium.”

“However, as an additive, its quantity won’t be very large. A slight loss of deuterium and tritium in exchange for the stability of the first wall is acceptable.”

Zhao Guangui nodded quickly. “I’ll go back and prepare a new experiment right away!”

Chapter 399: If Math Can Solve It, It’s No Trouble

After Zhao Guangui left, Xu Chuan turned his attention back to his previous research on problems like magnetic surface tearing, tearing modes, and plasma magnetic islands.

He glanced at his computer. The model running at the supercomputer center had churned out some data, but the majority was still being processed.

Even with a supercomputer’s assistance, simulating the magnetic surface tearing effects that occur during the fusion of high-temperature, high-density Deuterium-Tritium plasma was no easy task.

After all, the amount of data was simply enormous.

After briefly checking the model’s operational status and confirming there were no issues, Xu Chuan picked up the data Zhao Guangui had brought over earlier and began to leaf through it again.

He was quite interested in this new, unnamed material.

After all, a composite material that could withstand a temperature of thirty-five hundred degrees Celsius was astonishingly valuable.

Even if it couldn’t be used for the first wall material in controlled nuclear fusion, it was still valuable enough on its own.

Aside from common uses as a high-temperature refractory material—in abrasives, casting molds, nozzles, and heat-resistant bricks—heat-resistant materials could also be used as structural components in top-tier technologies like fighter jets and rockets.

For example, the outermost layer of the United States’ space shuttles was made of a high-temperature insulating ceramic material.

Of course, the material before him was certainly not at that level.

This was because it had a significant flaw: with most of its composition being carbon nanomaterials, its high-temperature resistance was only effective in a vacuum, making its application conditions quite strict.

This wasn’t an issue for controlled nuclear fusion, since the reactor chamber itself operates in a vacuum.

But for aerospace applications, it was a major problem.

After all, most of the areas on fighter jets, rockets, and space shuttles that required high-temperature materials were exposed to the air.

For instance, aircraft engines and the outer insulating materials on rockets and space shuttles.

Of course, if this new material were covered with a high-temperature coating that sealed it from the air, it could probably be used in engines.

However, the lifespan of a coating is generally a major issue, especially in the extremely harsh operating environment of a fighter jet engine.

If the properties of this new material could be optimized—specifically, the carbon materials within it—to withstand temperatures over three thousand degrees Celsius in a normal environment, then its value would be immense.

However, this was no easy task. For now, at least, he couldn’t find any good inspiration or ideas from the data in front of him.

Of course, this was just something to do on the side.

Compared to optimizing the material’s heat resistance in air, what Xu Chuan really wanted to do was see if he could use mathematics to calculate whether it could withstand neutron radiation.

It wasn’t impossible to use mathematical tools and models to verify a material’s radiation damage when subjected to neutron radiation.

After all, conducting a hands-on neutron radiation experiment was incredibly difficult.

Putting other countries aside, within China, the number of places with the capability and qualification to conduct a complete neutron radiation experiment were few and far between.

One was the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, and the other was the Spallation Neutron Source Base in Dongguang.

The former used the neutrons emitted from nuclear fission itself to conduct radiation experiments, while the latter used a high-current proton accelerator to accelerate protons to strike metals like tungsten or beryllium to produce neutrons for radiation testing.

But regardless of the method, there was a significant gap between the energy levels of these neutrons and those produced by true Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

Each Deuterium-Tritium nuclear fusion event produces a 14.1 MeV neutron. Although 14.1 MeV isn’t considered a particularly high energy level in a large particle collider…

…creating neutrons with such high energy is currently almost impossible through any means other than a hydrogen bomb explosion or Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

This was one of the reasons why developing the first wall material was so difficult.

Since they couldn’t conduct neutron radiation experiments, but the development of the first wall material had to proceed, physicists, in collaboration with material scientists and programmers, developed a “nuclear data processing program,” which included measurements for the “neutron radiation effect.”

The principle was actually quite simple: it used the mechanics of neutron radiation damage to make a phenomenological or big-data-based prediction of the collision between a neutron beam and a target material.

Because different neutrons carry different amounts of energy, it’s possible to predict how much damage a high-energy neutron from Deuterium-Tritium fusion carrying 14.1 MeV would inflict on a target material.

After all, during the interaction between an energetic neutron and a target atom, the neutron first has to interact (i.e., collide) with a lattice atom. Only then can the energetic neutron transfer its energy to this lattice atom, producing a Primary Knock-on Atom (PKA).

And whether this PKA would then be dislodged, go on to collide with another atom, how much energy would be lost in the transfer—all of these were recorded in original data and could be further extrapolated.

It’s just that this simulation method was inherently phenomenological, and the resulting data was, more or less, “a little bit” unreliable.

For comparison, the first phenomenological mathematical model he had built for plasma turbulence had only managed to achieve forty-five minutes of control in the initial experiment.

Later, after obtaining accurate experimental data and making targeted adjustments and optimizations, the operating time was pushed to over two hours.

This just goes to show how unreliable phenomenological models can be.

But when it came to neutron radiation experiments, there was no other way.

Although the simulated results weren’t necessarily reliable, it was far better to first use a phenomenological model to eliminate some materials and then conduct specific experiments than to just go straight to testing.

After all, tests for neutron radiation resistance were too precious and difficult to perform, especially high-energy-level neutron radiation experiments, which were even more challenging.

After consolidating the material data in his hands, Xu Chuan input it into the computer.

Although the material was newly developed, its components—carbon, silicon carbide, and hafnium oxide—were all common substances in neutron radiation experiments.

The only point of instability was the uniquely arranged carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure. There was no relevant empirical data for such a material from the past, so Xu Chuan could only make a prediction based on the conventional radiation test data provided in the documents.

After some thought, Xu Chuan pulled a stack of A4 paper from his drawer.

The black gel pen in his hand hovered over the paper. After a moment of contemplation, he began to write.

“Ignoring crystal effects and interatomic potentials, and calculating with classical mechanics. Let: M1 be the mass of the incident neutron, Eo be its energy; M2 be the mass of the stationary target atom.”

“Then the DPA calculation formula can be expressed as DPA = (∫σpx(E)Φ(E)dE)t, where σpx(E) is the displacement cross-section for an incident particle with energy E, and t is the irradiation time.”

“Derived: σpx(E) = 2∑i∫Tmax,Td vd(T)·dσd(T,E)/dT·dT”

“vd(T) = (0.8/2Td)·Tdam”

Line after line of formulas flowed from Xu Chuan’s hand. If he were just using the Lindhard-Robinson model to calculate the DPA under neutron radiation, he could have just plugged the data into the model.

However, the uniquely arranged carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure required him to reconsider certain material-related variables, especially the rate of neutron absorption by hafnium, which was a critical factor to calculate.

Rather than modifying the Lindhard-Robinson model to create a new one, it was easier for him to just calculate it by hand.

Besides, it wasn’t a difficult task.

At least, not for him.

For him, any problem that could be solved with mathematics was no trouble at all.

An unknown amount of time passed. When Xu Chuan finally put down his black gel pen, a sheet of scratch paper used specifically for listing calculation results was filled with lines of results.

[PWR·DPA, dpa/s = 2.718E-08]

[PWR·He, appm/s = 6.172E-09]

[HTTR·DPA, dpa/s = 2.602E-09]

[HTTR·He]

Picking up the scratch paper from the desk and looking at the results, Xu Chuan let out a long breath and couldn’t help but shake his head.

Judging by the simulated calculation results, it was clear that this new material’s performance in the numerical simulation of neutron radiation was not impressive.

It was even worse than austenitic steel.

The key, it seemed, lay with the hafnium oxide additive.

After all, for a neutron-resistant material, not all energy transferred from an incident particle to a target atom results in radiation damage.

The neutron’s energy is transferred to the atom’s interior, causing ionization and electron excitation effects, but this doesn’t persist in the material. Only a portion of the energy is transferred to the nucleus, causing secondary displacements and forming point defects. This portion of energy is called radiation damage energy.

To put it simply, when a neutron collides with an atom in the material, if the energy transferred to the lattice atom exceeds a certain minimum threshold, that atom will be dislodged from its normal position in the lattice. Not only does this leave behind a vacancy, but the displaced atom will go on to cause multiple subsequent collisions within the material.

It’s like playing pool—a powerful break works wonders. When you hit the cue ball with immense force, it transfers that force to the other object balls.

And as long as these object balls remain in motion on the table long enough, they will eventually fall into a pocket.

Of course, this was just a theoretical possibility. In reality, a billiard ball would stop for various reasons or fail to be pocketed due to the angle.

It was the same for neutrons. For Xu Chuan’s purposes, a neutron “falling into a pocket” was equivalent to it passing smoothly through the first wall material. Those that hit at the wrong angle, however, would cause radiation damage.

And hafnium has an extremely high neutron absorption rate. In this process, the initial number of interactions would increase significantly, which in turn would amplify the damage caused by neutron radiation.

For a first wall material, this was a fatal flaw.

Although the data calculated using the Lindhard-Robinson formula was phenomenological, it could still give a general indication of the material’s performance against neutron radiation.

However, despite the terrible results, Xu Chuan was not discouraged.

On the contrary, a hint of excitement glinted in his eyes.

Because these calculation results confirmed his earlier hypothesis.

Using hafnium oxide as an additive in the material didn’t work. So, what about zirconium oxide?

Zirconium is not very different from hafnium chemically, but in terms of neutron absorption, they were polar opposites.

Hafnium has an extreme affinity for neutrons, with an absorption rate more than five hundred times that of zirconium.

If zirconium oxide could replace hafnium oxide as an additive and be used to reconstruct this new type of carbon composite material, perhaps the first wall material problem could truly be solved.

Looking at the data on the scratch paper, a flicker of elation and excitement danced in Xu Chuan’s eyes.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Zhao Guangui and his team to synthesize the material again, this time replacing hafnium oxide with zirconium oxide. He hoped everything would go smoothly.

Chapter 400: The Subtle Flex is the Deadliest

After completing the targeted calculations for this new carbon composite material, there were less than two days left until the New Year.

Taking some data and materials back to his residence, Xu Chuan prepared to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Due to Nanjing’s ban on fireworks and firecrackers, the atmosphere of the approaching Lunar New Year in the city was far less festive than in the countryside.

However, for him, it was more than enough.

The family ate their reunion dinner together and watched the Spring Festival Gala. Life was simple and warm.

“Big Bro, do you think there could be life on Mars?”

After dinner, as the family was relaxing and watching TV in the living room, Xu Xiao suddenly peeked her head out from the other end of the sofa and asked curiously.

“Why the sudden question?” Xu Chuan asked casually without turning his head, his gaze fixed on a sketch on the Spring Festival Gala. With the retirement of the older generation of performers, the sketches had become more and more boring.

“Well, the United States just landed on Mars.” Xu Xiao handed over her tablet.

Curious, Xu Chuan turned his head and took the tablet. A news headline caught his eye.

[NASA’s “Perseverance” Rover Successfully Lands on Mars and Sends Back First Photos]

Seeing the headline, Xu Chuan, now interested, swiped his finger to read the details.

“…According to foreign media reports, the NASA”Perseverance” Mars rover reached the red planet after a seven-month journey. It has now successfully landed on the surface of Mars and transmitted its first images, becoming NASA’s fifth successful Mars rover landing.”

“It is worth noting that due to Mars’s thin atmosphere and the great distance between Earth and Mars, the rover had to perform its deceleration and landing sequence autonomously, a process of extreme difficulty. NASA had previously estimated the probability of a safe landing for”Perseverance” at only forty percent.”

“In addition to collecting data on Martian geology and climate to pave the way for human exploration, the rover will also focus on astrobiology—the study of life throughout the universe.”

“Currently,”Perseverance” has successfully landed in the Jezero Crater, a crater approximately forty-five kilometers wide in Mars’s northern hemisphere. NASA believes this location once had abundant water and hopes to use the rover’s instruments to search for preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life.”

“…”

“Big Bro, do you think there were ever Martians? Is there any life there now?”

At some point, Xu Xiao had crept over from the other end of the sofa and was now snuggled up next to Xu Chuan, peering at the tablet as she asked with interest.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan shrugged. “I’m afraid you’d have to go to Mars and investigate for yourself to find out.”

“However, based on Mars’s geological structure and past data, I think the probability of life existing, or having existed, on Mars is quite high.”

“If its planetary core hadn’t cooled, its magnetic field would have protected the surface ecosystem, and it might have had a chance to develop advanced life.”

Xu Chuan had some knowledge about Mars, but not much.

It was indeed a planet very similar to Earth. The difference was that Mars’s metallic core had cooled down. Without the flow of liquid iron, its magnetic field disappeared, and over a long period of being battered by stellar wind, its surface became desolate.

Whether it originally had life was unknown, but there certainly shouldn’t be any now.

Even if there were, it would most likely be microorganisms living in deep areas like canyons and craters where they could be sheltered from the stellar wind.

Hearing this, Xu Xiao’s face lit up with anticipation. “It would be great if we could catch a Martian and dissect it.”

Xu Chuan: “…”

He had only said there was a high probability of microbial life on Mars; he never said anything about Martians.

Besides, if there really were Martians, it was an open question who would be dissecting whom.

After all, being able to hide from human civilization on Earth would mean their technology had reached a very high level.

But he didn’t pay it much mind, figuring the girl was just daydreaming. He smiled and asked, “Speaking of which, how are your studies going?”

Like him, the girl was a natural talent. Perhaps influenced by him, she had graduated from university in just two years and was now officially a graduate student.

At the mention of this, Xu Xiao perked up and said excitedly, “Big Bro, my school is collaborating with the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT on a ‘Brainwave Data Analysis Project.’ I’ve already applied to participate, but I don’t know if I’ll be selected.”

“Brainwave data analysis?” Xu Chuan glanced at Xu Xiao, intrigued.

“That’s right! It’s the one you told me about last time.”

Xu Xiao nodded and continued, “It’s about creating a comprehensive database of human brainwaves, then analyzing them to achieve human-computer interaction.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan stroked his chin and asked with interest, “Is it just your school, Tsinghua, and MIT? If I remember correctly, analyzing brainwaves should be a massive undertaking, right?”

Xu Xiao: “For now, it seems to be just our school and MIT. But I heard Peking University wants to join in too. I’m not clear on the details, though.”

She paused, then, as if remembering something, puffed up her cheeks and looked at Xu Chuan, complaining, “Big Bro, now that I’m really in this field, I’ve realized you really tricked me good last time. You pushed me into a pit—no, an endless abyss—and I can’t climb out.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “How could that be? I’m not you; I never trick people.”

Xu Xiao ignored him, sighed, and continued, “Using brainwaves for human-computer interaction is just too difficult.”

“There are many kinds of brainwaves. For example, there’s the ‘Active Human Neural Information Database,’ the ‘Brainwave Information Molecular Imaging Database,’ the ‘EEG, ERP, fNIRS, and ECoG Neural Information Databases,’ and so on.”

“To fully analyze all of this is a task no less difficult than the Human Genome Project.”

“Although technologies for converting human physiological information into recognizable program data sources through sensor chips, algorithms, and devices are now very common…”

“…for instance, devices like smartwatches and smartphones that calculate steps, blood pressure, and detect heart rate can all monitor the human body’s data.”

“But brainwave signal conversion is on a completely different level from all that.”

“It’s easy to acquire brainwave signals, but reading and identifying them with high precision is incredibly difficult.”

“Unlike the distinct fluctuations of electrocardiograms, the voltage changes caused by brainwaves are on the microvolt scale. Not only is such a tiny voltage change difficult to detect, but external signal noise also very easily interferes with the readings.”

“Never mind the fact that interference from head movements, facial muscle movements, and the stability of the contact sensors severely affects the reading and differentiation of brainwaves.”

“Even changes in air humidity can cause interference.”

Listening to Xu Xiao vent, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but smile. “If it were easy, these problems would have been solved long ago. Why would they need to wait for you?”

“Besides, what’s the point of researching a problem that isn’t difficult?”

“It’s like mountain climbing. Conquering an ordinary mountain versus conquering Mount Everest are two completely different levels of challenge and feeling.”

Xu Xiao shot him a sidelong glance. She was about to retort but then remembered her big bro’s brilliant achievements and instantly fell silent.

The subtle flex is the deadliest of all.

Damn it, having a big brother like him put so much pressure on her.

Chapter 401: The Final Step!

After the New Year, on the third day of the first lunar month, Xu Chuan returned to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

The two greatest challenges of the Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition experiment phase—the magnetic surface tearing caused during the D-T fuel fusion process and the selection of the first wall material—now had promising leads and potential solutions.

Once these were solved, construction of the demonstration reactor could begin.

He wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Unaware of the progress Western nations were making in controlled nuclear fusion, all he could do was pick up his own pace as much as possible.

He wasn’t the only one back at his post on the third day. Zhao Guangui’s team, tasked with developing the carbon composite first wall material, was also there, along with other researchers and engineers who had returned from their annual leave.

Inside the Computational Materials Research Laboratory at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Institute.

Xu Chuan found Zhao Guangui leading his team in the diligent development of the new carbon composite material.

“How are things going?” Xu Chuan asked upon finding Zhao Guangui.

He was, of course, asking about the development of the new carbon composite material that used zirconium oxide as a catalyst instead of hafnium oxide. After all, this was the key to potentially solving the first wall problem.

Zhao Guangui shook his head. “Not ideal. Although the chemical properties of hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide are very similar, they are ultimately not the same substance.”

“On the last day before the New Year, we did manage to create a carbon composite sample using zirconium oxide as a catalyst, but the test results weren’t very good.”

“In terms of high-temperature resistance and radiation hardness, it couldn’t compare to the carbon composite made with the hafnium oxide catalyst. The parameters don’t meet the requirements for the first wall.”

Xu Chuan asked, “Is the problem with that unique, specially-ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure?”

Zhao Guangui nodded with a soft sigh. “Yes. After replacing hafnium oxide with zirconium oxide as the catalyst, we can still produce a carbon composite, but that unique, ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure didn’t form.”

“Your previous speculation was correct. From the looks of it, that special crystal structure is the key to the significantly enhanced high-temperature and radiation resistance of the hafnium oxide carbon composite.”

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan said, “Take me to see the experimental data.”

“Alright.” Zhao Guangui nodded and led Xu Chuan to another laboratory, where he turned on a computer.

A set of data was pulled up on the display.

Zhao Guangui stepped aside and said respectfully, “This is the test data. We were tight on time, so some of the irradiation resistance tests aren’t finished yet. We expect it will take another three days or so to get the complete data.”

“That’s fine,” Xu Chuan said, unconcerned. “I’ll take a look first.”

Sometimes, you didn’t need all the test data to understand a material’s properties.

Compared to everything else, he just needed to see the scanning electron microscope images and related data for this new material.

The main reason for the material’s failure in development was that the zirconium oxide had failed to bond with the carbon atoms as hoped to form the specially ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.

If he could find the reason for this and solve it, that would be more than enough.

Resting his hand on the mouse, Xu Chuan scrolled through the file, his eyes landing on the results from the scanning electron microscope.

The images showed that the carbon composite produced using zirconium oxide as a catalyst and strengthening agent indeed lacked that special, ordered carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure.

The carbon nanotubes in the material were piled together in a disorderly, chaotic manner. From a crystal structure perspective, it was no different from a sheet formed by pressing ordinary carbon nanotube powder.

In other words, the zirconium oxide had not acted as a catalyst in the material; it hadn’t co-crystallized with the carbon nanotube material to form a carbon nanotube-zirconium crystal.

As he scrolled through the test data, Xu Chuan asked Zhao Guangui, “Have you speculated on the cause?”

Zhao Guangui replied with a wry smile, “We have, but we can’t analyze it and get any meaningful results in such a short time.”

“Theoretically, both Zirconium and Hafnium are affected by the lanthanide contraction, making their chemical properties extremely similar. Their outer electron configurations are also identical. It shouldn’t be the case that hafnium can form the crystal structure while zirconium cannot.”

Analyzing a material to understand its formation and processes from the perspectives of physics, chemistry, and materials science was in itself a very difficult task.

Moreover, they didn’t even know why hafnium oxide as a catalyst formed the unique carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure in the composite material.

Under these circumstances, trying to find out why zirconium oxide couldn’t act as a catalyst to co-form a carbon nanotube-zirconium crystal structure was simply too difficult.

Xu Chuan stroked his chin. “Send this test data to me. I’ll take it back and have a look.”

His expertise in materials science was far beyond that of ordinary materials researchers like Zhao Guangui. Theoretically, there should be no problem with zirconium replacing hafnium to co-form a unique crystal structure with carbon nanotubes.

But since a problem had occurred, it meant something was wrong somewhere.

He planned to take the data back and study it to see if he could find the problem using computational materials science.

Although the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had a computational model for materials, the model was ultimately static and incomplete, unable to account for every single factor.

So he planned to investigate it himself.

Taking the data with him, Xu Chuan returned to his office.

To him, mathematics wasn’t just an independent discipline; it was a powerful scientific tool that aided other fields.

Although the results obtained from mathematical calculations couldn’t always provide a direct answer, especially in materials science, the related analysis could serve as a reference, helping him avoid many dead ends when developing new materials.

Especially now, when he didn’t need to analyze it from scratch but only needed to address a specific part of the process.

Staring at the data and images on his computer, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

Although computational materials science was his forte, it was still quite difficult to pinpoint the specific reason why zirconium oxide couldn’t co-form with carbon nanotubes.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up a ballpoint pen from his desk.

[GPAW Pseudopotential: 1s²2s²2p⁶Zr3s²3p⁶4s²3d¹⁰4p⁶5s²4d²]

[e convergence: Ve = ∫dr u(R)ψ + 0.05eV / (R)ψ(R)AB]

[eV particle convergence: ρ(R) = <Φ|ψ+(R)ψ(R)|Φ> 10⁻⁶ eV]

For computational materials science, achieving chemical accuracy through electronic-scale calculation methods is generally based on wave functions.

However, due to computational limitations, properties involving interfaces and other non-bulk material phenomena often required alternative methods, such as constructing thermodynamic phase diagrams. Given the extremely complex potential energy surfaces, the dynamics were essentially unsolvable.

In Xu Chuan’s view, the nascent field of computational materials science was fascinating.

Whether it was combining experimental data, establishing mathematical models, and then using numerical calculations to simulate and reproduce actual industrial processes;
or using computational simulations to target specific materials, physical mechanisms, or reaction mechanisms, directly predicting, designing, or modifying material structures and properties through theoretical models and numerical calculations.

These were all fields with vast prospects.

It was just that it was still a territory waiting to be pioneered by the scientific community.

Days passed one by one. Xu Chuan locked himself in his office, using mathematical tools to theoretically improve the co-formation properties of the zirconium oxide additive, while Zhao Guangui’s team continued their experiments.

Everyone else was also busy and methodically engaged in their own work.

Time flew by to the twelfth day of the first lunar month. As the New Year holiday drew to a close, Xu Chuan finally completed the last step of his calculations.

Looking at the screen full of equations on his computer, a smile slowly formed on his lips.

Through his calculations, he had found the problem!

After checking the data one last time to confirm there were no issues, he reached for the phone. Just as he was about to call Zhao Guangui and ask him to come over, Zhao Guangui appeared in his office.

“Academician Xu, the results from the neutron radiation test at Daya Bay for the hafnium oxide-catalyzed carbon composite are out.”

Carrying a stack of documents, Zhao Guangui walked up to Xu Chuan and reported the results of the neutron radiation on the hafnium oxide carbon composite.

Xu Chuan asked with a smile, “How are the results?”

Zhao Guangui sighed. “Very poor. The low-energy neutron beam caused significant damage to the sample material. At a neutron energy level of 3 MeV and a distance of 1.5 micrometers, the DPA reached 3.01, which is even worse than austenitic steel.”

“And in the test temperature range from room temperature to 300°C, the post-irradiation reduction of area was 73% to 80%.”

DPA is a method for measuring the degree of radiation damage in a material. It represents the ratio of the number of times an atom in the crystal lattice is displaced from its original position by particle bombardment to the total number of atoms in the lattice.

A DPA of 3.01 means that, on average, each atom in the material has been displaced from its original position 3.01 times.

That might not sound like much, but for a first wall material, this was an extremely high figure, not to mention the reduction of area reached over seventy percent in the subsequent fracture tests.

All this data meant that once the carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure was damaged by neutron radiation, the performance of the carbon composite plummeted.

Hearing this news, Xu Chuan wasn’t too surprised.

Before the New Year, he had already run his own simulations and predicted that the hafnium oxide carbon composite was likely a dead end.

Now the results were in, just as he had anticipated.

Smiling, Xu Chuan asked, “How is the research on the zirconium oxide carbon composite coming along?”

Zhao Guangui shook his head and sighed, “Still no major progress. I’ve let you down.”

Xu Chuan smiled, clicked the mouse twice, and then got up and walked to the printer.

After a short wait, a document printed out. He picked up the papers, handed them to Zhao Guangui, and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, and don’t feel any pressure. This is inherently difficult work; it’s normal to have no progress in a short time.”

“Take a look at this first.”

Zhao Guangui took the printout with a puzzled expression and looked down at it.

As he made out what was written on it, his pupils contracted sharply.

“You’ve found the problem?!”

Looking at the equations and conclusions on the document, Zhao Guangui couldn’t contain his shock and blurted out the question.

“Theoretically, yes,” Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “But the specifics will depend on the experimental results.”

He paused, then continued, “I’ll leave the specific experiments to you. If possible, I hope you and your team can produce these materials within five days and complete the tests within a week.”

“The slow neutron irradiation experiments at Daya Bay start at the beginning of each month. Today is already the 14th of the solar calendar. If we miss this window, we’ll have to wait for the next cycle, and that would be too long of a delay.”

Testing the first wall material was actually quite a troublesome affair.

First came the standard physical properties, like thermal conductivity, high-temperature resistance, radiation resistance, and so on, which could be done here at Qixia.

Only after confirming that these basic properties passed would the material be sent to Daya Bay for slow neutron irradiation testing.

If the results of the slow neutron irradiation test at Daya Bay were good, only then would he consider conducting a true Deuterium-Tritium fusion high-energy neutron irradiation test on it in the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

After all, in the current situation, every time Dawnbreaker was run for a true Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition, it would cause some irreversible damage to the device.

Repairing this damage each time would not only cost a great deal of manpower, resources, and funds, but it would also take at least half a month, or even a full month or more if it was a longer job.

And every time the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was shut down for maintenance, it was extending the frontline of this race for controlled nuclear fusion.

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui straightened his posture, his expression so serious that he almost saluted as he replied, “Rest assured, I will give it my all!”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Alright then, I’m counting on you for this.”

The Computational Materials Laboratory was highly efficient.

Or rather, after Xu Chuan had discovered why zirconium oxide couldn’t form the carbon nanotube-hafnium crystal structure like hafnium oxide did, the experiment progressed with remarkable smoothness.

With Zhao Guangui and his team sleeping on the floor and in lounge chairs, working around the clock in the lab, they managed to successfully produce the first batch of carbon composite samples using zirconium oxide as a catalyst in just three days.

Sample after sample was sent into different instruments for rapid testing. When the data from the scanning electron microscope came out, Zhao Guangui immediately found Xu Chuan, his face flushed with excitement.

“P-Professor, the SEM data for the new material… it’s out!”

“The carbon nanotubes and zirconium atoms… a similar crystal structure… it formed!”

“There’s hope!”

Panting heavily, Zhao Guangui, who had run all the way, managed to get his message across in a few breathless, jumbled sentences.

Xu Chuan stood up and took the test data from his hands.

On the SEM image, the special crystal structure of zirconium and the carbon nanotubes was incredibly conspicuous.

As for the other test data, although many values had some errors and discrepancies compared to the results he had simulated using computational materials science—for instance, the high-temperature resistance had dropped to 3100 degrees Celsius, nearly four hundred degrees lower than the hafnium-catalyzed carbon composite.

But a high-temperature resistance of 3100 degrees was still sufficient for application as a first wall material.

As far as the test results went, these samples were a basic match for his previous calculations.

Now, all that was left was the final step!

Theoretically, the carbon composite using zirconium as a catalyst instead of hafnium should be perfectly capable of meeting the neutron radiation resistance requirements.

Of course, the actual situation would depend on the experimental results.

But at the very least, his calculations had never been wrong!

This time, the hope was immense!

After looking over the test data in his hands, a smile touched Xu Chuan’s lips. He commended them with a laugh, “Excellent. You’ve all worked very hard. I’ll arrange for someone to expedite the materials to Daya Bay for the first round of slow neutron irradiation experiments.”

“As for now…”

He paused, his gaze falling on Zhao Guangui, whose eyes were ringed with dark circles and who was barely able to stand steadily. He continued, “You’ve all worked very hard. Go back and get some rest. The remaining work can be done at a slower pace.”

It had to be said that more than half of the members in the Materials Research Laboratory were middle-aged professors like Zhao Guangui, in their forties.

They were in the prime of their lives, with both energy and experience.

But no matter how vigorous they were, after continuously grinding and pulling all-nighters for more than ten days, it was truly lucky they hadn’t collapsed in the lab.

Chapter 402: Good News from Daya Bay!

Through a special logistics unit, Xu Chuan sent the samples to Daya Bay.

All that was left was to wait.

Although the slow neutron irradiation experiment wasn’t particularly time-consuming, preparing for the work and processing the relevant data still required some time.

And this waiting period felt exceptionally long for the eagerly anticipating researchers at the Computational Materials Research Laboratory.

This was especially true for Zhao Guangui, who, after a night’s rest, rushed to Xu Chuan’s office the next day to ask about the situation.

While Xu Chuan could understand this sense of anticipation and the urgent desire to know the results, he had to admit that the frequency with which Professor Zhao came to bother him was beginning to interfere with his own work.

After all, he was the overall director of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project. Besides the first wall material, other problems were also waiting for him to solve, handle, or delegate.

Fortunately, the wait was not long.

Marked with the highest priority, the Daya Bay Neutron Radiation Laboratory Center conducted the first batch of slow neutron irradiation experiments on the zirconium oxide carbon composite material in early March of the solar calendar.

After another three days of waiting, the relevant analytical data and the irradiated samples were shipped back to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project via logistics.

“The test results from Daya Bay are in.”

After the report on the slow neutron irradiation experiment was delivered to his office, Xu Chuan called Zhao Guangui to tell him the long-awaited news.

In less than five minutes, Zhao Guangui had rushed over.

“Academician Xu, what are the test results?!” Zhao Guangui asked, his tone urgent and excited as soon as he entered the door.

Xu Chuan smiled, pushed the test report on his desk forward, and said with a chuckle, “See for yourself.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui eagerly reached out, took the report from the desk, and began to scan it.

He was very clear about the materials sent to Daya Bay for testing.

Due to the urgency, a total of twelve sets of materials had been sent.

These twelve identical sets of materials were simultaneously undergoing different slow neutron irradiation tests in various irradiation scenarios to acquire data concurrently and save time.

Of course, along with these materials, other control materials also entered the testing site, such as austenitic steel, tungsten-molybdenum alloys, and ceramics.

These control materials are commonly used as structural or first wall materials in fusion devices, allowing for a better comparison of the test material’s resistance to neutron radiation.

[Group 1 Irradiation Conditions: PWR pressurized water reactor, irradiation temperature 702 K, fast neutron fluence 5.1 x 10²² n/cm²]

[Group 1 Irradiation Materials: Experimental Group (zirconium oxide carbon composite material), Control Group (austenitic steel + tungsten)]

[Group 1 DPA Generation Rate: Experimental Group (0.17%), Control Group (2.4%)]

[Group 1 Neutron Penetrability: Experimental Group (99.98%), Control Group (67.44%)]

[Group 1 Self-healing of Frenkel Defect Pairs:]

Item after item of experimental data flashed before his eyes, accompanied by an almost irrepressible joy and excitement.

For first wall materials, the DPA generation rate, neutron penetrability, and the self-healing of Frenkel defect pairs are all crucial metrics.

They are especially important for the first wall structure designed for the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion experimental device.

First is the DPA generation rate. In radioactivity testing, the DPA index is typically used to represent the number of displacements per atom; this needs no further explanation.

Neutron penetrability represents the stability of a high-energy neutron beam passing through the material, which is key to bombarding the lithium target material with the high-energy neutron beam to obtain tritium and achieve tritium self-sustainment.

As for the self-healing of Frenkel defect pairs, it represents the degree to which a damaged crystal lattice can repair itself after being bombarded by high-energy neutrons.

Judging from the test data sent back from Daya Bay…

There was no doubt!

They had succeeded!

They had successfully created a material suitable for the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor!

Although this was only a slow neutron irradiation test, it was history-making.

Because in the past, no country, institute, or laboratory had ever produced a neutron-radiation-resistant material comparable to the data in the test report he held.

Clenching his fists tightly, Zhao Guangui looked at Xu Chuan, his expression incredibly excited and his face flushed with exhilaration.

“Academician Xu, we…” He opened his mouth but trailed off, too excited to speak.

Xu Chuan smiled. Compared to Zhao Guangui’s excitement, he was much calmer.

“Judging from the experimental test data from the slow neutron irradiation at Daya Bay, we have indeed succeeded.”

“However,” he paused before continuing, “compared to the actual Deuterium-Tritium fusion inside a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber, the neutron irradiation experiment at Daya Bay lacks the necessary conditions, whether in terms of energy level, temperature, or other factors.”

“The highest neutron energy level Daya Bay can achieve is around 1.2 MeV, whereas each neutron released from the beam in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber has an energy of up to 14.1 MeV. And in terms of temperature, the highest test temperature was only 720 K, which is nearly two thousand degrees cooler than in a real experiment.”

“So, don’t be so quick to celebrate. Our goal is a structural material for the first wall of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile, and this is merely a phased achievement.”

“It will be plenty of time to celebrate after it passes the full tests in the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.”

Of course, while this material was indeed a phased research achievement for now, its value was still astounding.

Not to mention anything else, in the field of nuclear fission, this material’s excellent properties could largely replace cladding structural materials.

After all, while producing carbon nanotubes is difficult, they aren’t prohibitively expensive.

Traditional cladding materials, such as those made from beryllium mixed with graphite and uranium-238, are highly toxic, both in their final form and during the smelting process, due to the beryllium. A moment of carelessness could lead to a major accident with heavy casualties.

This zirconium oxide carbon composite material, on the other hand, was safe enough to hold and fiddle with.

Furthermore, it could also be applied in high-tech fields like nuclear energy, rocketry, military industries, and aerospace.

This is how top-tier materials are; even with limited usage requirements, they can find applications in many fields.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Zhao Guangui, who had been overly excited, gradually calmed down.

He smiled and said, “Academician Xu, you are truly too demanding of yourself. To be honest, if I had independently developed this material in the past, I would have thrown a massive celebration for three days and three nights.”

“This material is enough to publish two or three papers in top-tier SCI journals.”

Speaking of which, Xu Chuan shook his head with a smile, then seemed to remember something and added, “Oh, right, speaking of which, there’s something else.”

“Please speak, Academician Xu,” Zhao Guangui replied quickly.

Xu Chuan tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. “Regarding this material, you’ve seen from the neutron irradiation test data from Daya Bay that it has enormous potential for application in the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor.”

“Therefore, for now, before our controlled nuclear fusion project is complete, or before we can definitively confirm that this material cannot be used for the first wall, the relevant research papers cannot be published.”

As soon as Xu Chuan spoke, Zhao Guangui roughly guessed what this big shot meant.

In truth, this was nothing unusual. In universities, national laboratories, or private research institutes, research results like patents achieved under contract essentially belong to the institute or lab. This was standard practice in the materials industry and other fields, always stipulated in the contract, and not a point of contention.

As for the researcher who made the discovery, they would typically receive a project bonus and one or several papers written during the research process.

Of course, if it were a top-tier expert, like Academician Xu himself, they might have the opportunity to receive a share of the profits if invited to participate in a project at a private research institute or university.

Meaning, he could get a portion of the money earned from selling the resulting product.

Generally, this ranged from one to ten percent, depending on the researcher’s contribution, reputation, status, and so on.

But often, especially for someone like him participating in a key national project, the publication of a paper might be withheld and delayed for a period to protect project confidentiality, patents, and other related matters.

Sometimes, it might even be impossible to publish it or apply for a patent at all.

However, for the vast majority of scholars and researchers, especially within the country, research papers are their hope. They are the materials and tools to build bridges and climb the ladder; they are their seniority!

Whether for promotions or title evaluations—for example, advancing from an Associate Researcher (associate senior rank) to a full Researcher (senior rank)—top-tier SCI papers are required.

But there was no way around it. In confidential projects, especially to avoid helping competitors, papers on major experiments or projects are typically delayed, embargoed, or only published internally in a classified manner. They can only be fully published after the project concludes.

Although a paper isn’t a complete set of experimental data and reports, containing only partial data and related information, it’s still enough to provide competitors with a viable line of thought.

Of course, when such situations arose, the research institute or laboratory would usually compensate the researchers involved.

Common compensations included a larger bonus after the project’s completion or a larger research grant for the next project.

There were also more awesome rewards. He had a former colleague who was also developing materials with an academician. When their material was classified and the paper couldn’t be published, that academician simply gave him two of his own previously completed materials science papers.

The result was that one top-tier SCI paper was exchanged for two top-tier SCI papers.

For a researcher, something like this was a windfall from heaven.

After all, when it came to title evaluations or promotions, what mattered were the quantity of your papers and the prestige of the journals.

At the same level of prestige, trading one paper for two—if that wasn’t a gift from heaven, what was?

To be honest, if possible, he, Zhao Guangui, wanted that too!

Of course, all this compensation depended on a good trend, or rather, on having a good boss.

Sometimes, if you had bad luck and ran into a terrible leader or boss, things could get infuriating.

“Hey, young man, don’t be so obsessed with personal gain. It’s just one paper. You have your whole research career ahead of you. You need to have a spirit of collective dedication, you have to be grateful. The institute has been paying your salary and bonuses, providing for your food and lodging all these years, and giving you so much research funding without question. It’s just one paper, and you feel wronged?”

Something like, “Go back and work hard, young man. The lab won’t treat you unfairly later. Don’t waste your energy in the rat race for fame and fortune.”

Honestly, cases like these were actually considered mild.

In more severe cases, they might take your first-author paper, give you second-author credit, and on top of getting no bonus or performance pay, if you dared to talk back or expose them, you could even be fired.

These phenomena genuinely existed in academic circles.

Of course, with this person before him, Zhao Guangui wasn’t worried about such things happening.

In this master’s eyes, what was a single SCI paper?

Even top-tier SCI papers in journals like Nature or Science meant little in his eyes.

After all, look at how many top-tier world problems he had solved.

In the field of mathematics alone, he had single-handedly cracked two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

What he was more concerned about was how this generous big shot would compensate him.

Across from him, Xu Chuan saw the anticipation on his face, smiled, and said, “Don’t worry, the compensation package won’t disappoint you.”

“You won’t be short-changed on either the material bonus or the related honors.”

“As for the paper, my personal opinion for now is to delay its publication. However, this will require further discussion. If it’s later confirmed that this paper cannot be published, the Institute will compensate you with at least two top-tier SCI papers in the materials science field. Both the first author and corresponding author positions can be under your name, credited as your independent research.”

Hearing this, Zhao Guangui’s eyes lit up, and he blurted out, “I’m happy to comply with the arrangements!”

Chapter 403: High-Energy Neutron Irradiation Experiment

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The slow neutron irradiation experiment at Daya Bay is complete. Judging from the relevant test reports, this carbon composite material, which uses zirconium oxide as an additive and catalyst, has demonstrated outstanding performance in resisting neutron radiation.

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Although it was only a slow neutron irradiation test in a low-energy region, the excellent data was enough to support Xu Chuan in restarting the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device for another Deuterium-Tritium ignition, to test the material’s ability to resist neutron radiation in a truly high-energy environment.

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Developing a first wall material is, in itself, an exceptionally difficult task.

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They were already fortunate to have found a path through the fog toward the other shore.

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As for how far that shore still was, they would know once the real test was complete.

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The related preparations proceeded in an orderly manner, thanks to the diligent work of numerous engineers and researchers.

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After the New Year, the dormant ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile would be started once more. They just didn’t know if this time it would bring joyous news or cast them back into the chaotic fog.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.

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Europe, at the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in northern Germany.

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A group of plasma physicists from various EU nations was currently gathered in a vast main control room, engaged in discussion.

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The advanced成果 achieved by the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had made the United States worry about its international standing, prompting it to take further measures and actions.

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As a result, the seven member states of ITER had now become six.

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And as always, that individual, Professor Xu, had responded. The cancellation of sales of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material to ITER and its related member states was that response.

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It had to be said, the United States was a real troublemaker.

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ITER had been teetering on the brink for years. A faint light of fusion had just been rekindled, only to be immediately stirred into a precarious state by the US.

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Perhaps they thought that by pushing China out of ITER, they could halt or slow its progress in controlled nuclear fusion.

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But the one leading the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device forward was Professor Xu, a man adept at creating miracles. If only it were that simple.

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Today, ITER was all but dead in name. In Europe, after losing the opportunity to acquire the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material from that individual, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics was the sole successor.

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Although the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics had originally traded for technology, not materials, with Professor Xu, the relevant contract stipulated that the high-temperature superconducting material technology was for the institute’s internal use only.

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Of course, there were plenty of ways for them to circumvent such a contractual clause, but why would Germany and the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics simply give away the advantage they held?

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Wouldn’t it be better to have the other countries pool their funding and resources here, for research on their home turf?

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Besides, they had a ready-made excuse: the contract’s stipulations.

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Faced with this, the other EU countries had little choice. The best option was to collaborate with the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.

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It had to be said that once the entire EU united as one, with ample research grants and the support of a large number of researchers, the progress of the Wendelstein 7-X in the field of controlled nuclear fusion was remarkably fast.

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Originally, it had to risk damage to its first wall just to barely extend the runtime of its high-density plasma to nearly an hour. But after researchers from other countries joined, especially after mathematicians from France redesigned a control scheme for the high-density plasma turbulence of the Wendelstein 7-X, its runtime was already approaching the two-hour record set by ‘Dawnbreaker’.

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Having seen a glimmer of hope, the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics was also closely following in Xu Chuan’s footsteps, beginning to delve deeper into Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion.

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Unfortunately, the problem of neutron radiation remained a persistent roadblock on their path forward.

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Even with a gathering of experts in the field of materials science, they were unable to advance even a single step down this road.

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Of course, the first wall material itself was a super-problem; a lack of progress in the short term was perfectly normal. However, for the various sponsor countries behind the Wendelstein 7-X, this was somewhat unacceptable.

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In the control room, his gaze fixed on the device gradually ceasing operation through the monitor screen, Director Robert Mac, standing in the Main Control Room, turned to Tillman Lent beside him.

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“When can we catch up to China’s pace and conduct an ignition experiment?”

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Hearing this question, Tillman Lent couldn’t help but frown, saying with a headache, “I can’t guarantee anything. There’s still no progress on the first wall’s radiation problem. If we can’t solve this, forcing an ignition will cause significant damage to the Wendelstein 7-X.”

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“What about the neutron-resistant material? Any progress there?” Robert Mac continued to ask. “I need some results to report to the higher-ups.”

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At this, Tillman Lent gave a wry smile. “The materials side has already conducted numerous experiments, whether with tungsten, molybdenum, China’s austenitic steel, or even ceramics. None have been able to break previous records.”

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After a pause, he continued, “Moreover, based on the progress from the materials lab, it’s likely that the vast majority of metallic materials can’t be used for the first wall, be they tungsten, molybdenum, or zirconium alloys.”

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“Under a high-energy neutron beam of 14.1 MeV, the displacement and swelling effects on the metallic bonds of these materials are simply too severe.”

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“If it were merely about resisting neutron radiation, we would have some options. But the neutrons produced by Deuterium-Tritium fusion are crucial for us to maintain tritium self-sustainment. We can’t just reflect them all.”

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“Perhaps the metallic path is simply not suitable for first wall materials. We should consider ceramics, carbon nanomaterials like graphene, or carbon nanotubes.”

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Robert Mac frowned. “Nanoceramics and carbon nanomaterials are old-timers. Haven’t you found anything new?”

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Tillman Lent shrugged helplessly. “There are indeed many non-metallic materials, but you know as well as I do how harsh the environment is that the first wall must face.”

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“Temperatures of thousands of degrees, bombardment by all sorts of high-energy particles, exposure to various types of radiation, and the most troublesome of all, the high-energy neutron beam. Each one is a massive problem.”

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Robert Mac sighed. As the director of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, how could he not be aware of these issues?

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but if they wanted to catch up to, or even surpass, China, they had to gain an edge in first wall materials.

After a moment of thought, Robert suddenly asked, “In your opinion, how would Professor Xu solve this problem?”

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At this question, Tillman Lent fell into deep thought. After a long while, he shook his head with a wry smile. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine.”

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“He’s a man who is good at creating miracles, and a true genius. To be honest, a genius of his caliber, rarely seen throughout history, might just have a completely different perspective from us.”

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“Otherwise, I find it hard to imagine how he could have achieved so many great accomplishments at such a young age.”

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Gazing at the Wendelstein 7-X undergoing experiments on the screen, Tillman paused for a moment before continuing, “If only China hadn’t left ITER. Then maybe we could have visited China for an exchange through ITER channels.”

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“After all, sometimes a single line of thought is enough to push progress forward by a great distance.”

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Beside him, Robert remained silent, only letting out a soft sigh.

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Dream on.

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China had already left. To think about such things now was simply impossible.

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Moreover, in a field as sensitive as controlled nuclear fusion, no one would selflessly share their advanced technology.

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The United States is a real damn pain, dismantling things wherever it goes.

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Not only was ITER on the verge of being completely wrecked, he had heard that things weren’t going so well over at CERN either.

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Under semi-coercive pressure, a deal that CERN had already reached with China, which even involved the delivery of some high-temperature superconducting materials, was forcibly terminated.

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Although Japan and the United States quickly signed a new contract and provided some research grants, it was anyone’s guess how long the LHC’s restart would take.

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And after losing the high-temperature superconducting materials and the support of that individual, Professor Xu, the detection and discovery of dark matter and dark energy had become a distant prospect with no hope in sight.

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Many scholars in the fields of high-energy physics and particle physics held an extremely pessimistic view on the matter.

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It was even possible that CERN might follow in ITER’s footsteps.

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Elsewhere, in Nanjing, China.

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Xu Chuan was not very clear on the progress at the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. In his past life, a unified effort by the entire EU like this had never occurred.

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However, controlled nuclear fusion was not a problem that could be solved simply by piling on manpower.

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Manpower could accelerate the research and development of some conventional technologies, but those top-tier global challenges—
such as the mathematical model for plasma turbulence, the first wall material, or high-performance high-temperature superconducting materials—were not technologies that could be created just by throwing people at them.

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At least, not in the short term. Long-term investment might offer a glimmer of hope.

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Of course, it was only a glimmer of hope.

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The mathematical model for plasma turbulence, for instance, was predicated on a complete solution to the NS equations, a Millennium Prize Problem.

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And as for the latter, materials, that went without saying.

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Top-tier materials, unless you got incredibly lucky, could only be found through painstaking trial and error based on experience.

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Although he was concerned about Europe’s progress in controlled nuclear fusion, he was far more concerned at the moment with how the zirconium oxide-synthesized carbon composite material would perform under high-energy neutron radiation when the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device was started this time.

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After all, the truth was that it was better to maintain one’s own advantage and stay ahead than to hope for others to underperform.

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Under the leadership of Zhao Hongzhi, the engineering team installed ten sets of the zirconium oxide carbon composite material and ten sets of different control materials on the first wall.

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Subsequently, a comprehensive inspection was completed. The steel giant, lying quietly in the core experimental area, emitted a low hum—the sound of a powerful electric current flowing through the external field coils.

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Supported by the excellent superconducting performance of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, electrical energy was rapidly converted into a magnetic field, controlling the operation of the high-temperature Deuterium-Tritium plasma within the reactor chamber.

”

”

In the main control room, Zhao Guangui stood nervously behind Xu Chuan, his gaze constantly shifting back and forth between the control console and Xu Chuan’s back.

”

”

For him, the controlled nuclear fusion project was the largest he had ever participated in, not to mention he bore the heavy responsibility of solving the first wall material problem.

”

”

He heard that the project had already spent over fifty billion RMB to date, a thought that was simply terrifying.

”

”

He couldn’t even fully grasp what a concept like fifty billion truly represented.

”

”

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device before them alone cost two point five billion, not to mention the numerous subsequent modifications, each costing tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in funding.

”

”

If, by some chance, the zirconium oxide carbon composite material did not perform as well as hoped this time, he didn’t know how he would face the experimental results.

Chapter 404: No Obvious Radiation Damage!

Elsewhere, Peng Hongxi stood beside Xu Chuan. In his cloudy, aged eyes, there was a mix of anticipation and nervousness, along with a hint of worry.

The importance of the first wall material to controlled nuclear fusion technology was beyond question.

The high-energy neutron beam produced during Deuterium-Tritium fusion was a global problem. If it couldn’t be solved, controlled nuclear fusion would remain a pipe dream.

And now, a glimmer of hope was right before his eyes, naturally making him both expectant and tense.

As for his worry, it stemmed partly from the experiment at hand—a concern that the material they had developed might not have a strong enough resistance to high-energy neutron radiation.

But most of his worry came from the national treasure-level young scholar standing before him.

Compared to others, as the person responsible for managing the day-to-day technical issues of the controlled nuclear fusion project, he frequently discussed various tasks with Xu Chuan and had a good grasp of his thinking.

If today’s experiment confirmed the neutron radiation resistance of the zirconium oxide carbon composite material, the next step would be the construction of the demonstration reactor.

This would be China’s first demonstration reactor, and the world’s first.

But one had to remember that just two years ago, they were still manipulating high-temperature, high-density plasma in units of seconds. Now, in the blink of an eye, they were about to start building a demonstration reactor capable of actual power generation and commercial use.

He had to admit, from his perspective, this was a rather large leap.

There were still many unresolved issues in controlled nuclear fusion technology. For example, while they had an idea for tritium self-sustainment, it had not been fully refined. Key problems like magnetic surface tearing in the Tokamak device had only been suppressed, not completely solved. They hadn’t even achieved a continuous run of high-density plasma for at least twenty-four hours.

To start building the demonstration reactor at this point seemed too hasty in his opinion.

Of course, part of this sentiment was the older generation’s cautious mindset of seeking a complete solution before claiming success.

Compared to the younger generation, the older generation had endured many hardships, treading a path where funding, resources, and personnel were all insufficient when the country had nothing. This had cultivated a cautious and meticulous mentality, ensuring everything was foolproof.

After all, back then, the Motherland was truly poor and couldn’t afford any kind of waste.

Of course, in the present day, the Motherland had become relatively prosperous and strong. Using money, funding, and manpower to save time through trial and error, especially in a field like controlled nuclear fusion, was a completely viable path.

Because the first wall material problem had yet to be solved, every Deuterium-Tritium fusion experiment was exceptionally precious, and its duration would not be very long.

However, Xu Chuan had high hopes for this material and, risking accelerated damage to the first wall, extended the Deuterium-Tritium fusion time to two minutes.

As the ICRF heating antenna ceased operation, the temperature inside the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile chamber began to drop rapidly.

The heat generated by the fusion of a tiny amount of Deuterium-Tritium fuel was not enough to sustain the reaction. Coupled with the operation of the water-cooled divertor, the plasma temperature in the chamber quickly fell below one million degrees, continuing to decrease steadily.

After the device had completely cooled down, under the personal leadership of Zhao Hongzhi, two engineers in radiation protection suits swiftly entered the reactor chamber. They removed the previously installed material samples and control samples from the first wall.

The support staff waiting outside carefully received the samples and stored them in their respective containers.

These material samples would be sent to the research institute for testing with specialized equipment to analyze their various residual properties.

The most critical test, without a doubt, was for neutron radiation damage.

Parameters such as the DPA value and the material’s neutron penetrability would determine whether this carbon composite material, with zirconium oxide as an additive, could truly be used for the first wall.

After the last set of experimental samples was removed, maintenance engineers quickly entered the reactor chamber with detection equipment to assess the damage to components like the first wall material, the divertor, and the overall structure.

A two-minute Deuterium-Tritium fusion reaction was double the longest time they had ever run before. No one knew how much damage the first wall and the fusion pile’s structure would sustain under these conditions.

Of course, the damage to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile was not the main focus at the moment.

Right now, everyone’s attention was on the anti-neutron radiation materials that had been sent to the research institute. This was the key that would truly decide their fate.

As the materials were sent into the testing room, Xu Chuan, Peng Hongxi, and the other leaders followed.

The first thing to be done was, naturally, the neutron radiation damage test.

This was the core.

Under the personal supervision of Professor Zhao Guangui, it took nearly two hours to complete the DPA destructive physical analysis and the neutron penetrability and residual property tests.

The moment Zhao Guangui walked out with the test report, almost everyone in the laboratory swarmed around him.

“What are the results?”

“Did it meet the standard?”

“How did the tests go, Professor Zhao?”

Questions erupted from everyone talking at once. Zhao Guangui stood in the crowd, clutching the thin test report tightly, his eyes meeting Xu Chuan’s gaze.

With excitement and exhilaration in his eyes, he nodded forcefully, his voice trembling as he spoke, “According to the test report, the carbon composite material with zirconium oxide as a catalyst, after a two-minute test under high-energy neutron radiation, has shown exceptionally outstanding performance! The neutron radiation damage… completely meets the requirements for a first wall material!”

Hearing this, the laboratory erupted in thunderous cheers.

Peng Hongxi’s mouth was slightly agape, his eyes moistening.

Gao Hongming was so overjoyed he could barely contain himself.

Joyful smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.

The neutron radiation damage result was the absolute core issue.

For this test to be successful meant they had done it—they had created the first wall material!

Hearing Zhao Guangui’s report, a smile also appeared on Xu Chuan’s face. He reached out, took the test report, and began to read it carefully.

[Irradiation Conditions: Deuterium-Tritium fusion, irradiation temperature of 2945.15K]

[Irradiated Materials: Experimental Group (zirconium oxide carbon composite material), Control Group (Austenitic steel + tungsten)]

[DPA Generation Rate: Experimental Group (0.0067%), Control Group (7.4%)]

[Neutron Penetrability: Experimental Group (99.958%), Control Group (59.81%)]

[Self-healing of Frenkel Crystal Defects: Experimental Group (Grain boundary reconstruction observed, current efficiency at 58.92%), Control Group (No trace of reconstruction detected)]

[… ]

As the data points passed before his eyes, a curve formed at the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth.

According to the test report, the zirconium oxide carbon composite material had shown exceptionally outstanding performance under the 14.1 MeV high-energy neutron radiation produced by Deuterium-Tritium fusion.

Not only were the DPA destructive physics data excellent, but the grain boundary reconstruction ability endowed by the Atomic Cycle Technology also demonstrated remarkable performance within the material.

It could repair the minute neutron radiation damage, reconstructing the destroyed carbon nanotube-zirconium crystals to maintain the material’s own stability.

As for the neutron penetrability, although it had slightly decreased in the high-energy region, it didn’t affect the overall performance. The lost neutrons were less than a drop in the ocean compared to the total amount of neutrons that Deuterium-Tritium fusion could produce, making it completely acceptable.

It had to be said that today’s experiment was a resounding success.

The zirconium oxide carbon composite material had, as expected, exhibited extremely superior performance.

Staring at the test report in his hands, Xu Chuan mused with a smile on his face. The construction of the demonstration reactor could begin.

It was just that… he had to write another letter.

After handing over the other tasks to Peng Hongxi, Xu Chuan returned to his office with the test report for the zirconium oxide carbon composite material.

A clean sheet of letter paper was spread on the desk. He pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then a gel pen touched down on the paper.

[Respected Excellency:]

[Greetings. Recently, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has achieved a major breakthrough.]

[I trust you are already aware that, regarding the first wall material, through the unremitting efforts of the numerous researchers at the institute, we have found a material suitable for the first wall of a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.]

[In the field of controlled nuclear fusion technology, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has already acquired many pieces of the puzzle. Firstly, in plasma confinement, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device has already completed over two hours of high-density plasma operation (of course, we can run it for longer if needed). And now, in terms of the first wall material, we have also found a suitable material. We are confident that we have the capability to solve the remaining issues.]

[The progress of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device has shown us the hope of achieving controlled nuclear fusion technology in the near future. Dreams are becoming reality, and there is nothing more wonderful than this.]

[Of course, this would not be possible without the nation’s long-standing strong support and trust.]

[…]

After spending some time, Xu Chuan finished the letter and handed it to Zheng Hai.

This time, the purpose of the letter wasn’t to request research grants; the twenty billion from last time hadn’t even been fully spent. This letter was, on one hand, to report the good news, and on the other, to have the higher-ups arrange for personnel to handle the construction of the demonstration reactor.

An experimental pile and a demonstration reactor were two completely different things. The latter, whether in scale or in its supporting equipment, was much larger than the former, and its construction was far more complex.

Of course, beyond that, it was also to have the higher-ups make the necessary preparations.

Now that the first wall material problem was solved, he had enough confidence to make controlled nuclear fusion a reality.

After all, the remaining challenges were unlikely to be more difficult than the long-term control of high-temperature, high-density plasma turbulence and the first wall material.

And if the problem of controlled nuclear fusion were truly solved, the resulting impact would be absolutely earth-shattering.

This was not just in terms of economics and energy, but also in terms of politics.

Even controlled nuclear fusion itself would require careful arrangement and management.

Chapter 405: No problem, the state will fully cooperate with your work.

In a building on the north side of Chang’an Avenue in Beijing, an elderly man who lived here year-round took a letter from his guard.

When he heard the letter was from that individual in distant Nanjing, even he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

So soon?

Is he out of money again?

To be honest, it wasn’t a problem for the elderly man to have such a feeling.

After all, every time that individual wrote him a letter, it was to ask for money.

It had reached the point where, upon hearing the letter was from him, he couldn’t help but make the association.

But regardless, the letter still had to be read.

Tearing open the envelope, the elderly man took out the letter paper.

The paper was thin, only two pages, which surprised him slightly. Perhaps it wasn’t a request for money this time?

His gaze fell upon the letter. After a brief pause, his pupils contracted slightly. Having quickly skimmed the contents, he rose swiftly with the letter in hand and hurried to the Academy of Sciences.

Meanwhile, in Nanjing.

Three days had passed since the completion of the high-energy neutron irradiation experiment.

Through the round-the-clock overtime efforts of the researchers at the Computational Materials Laboratory, all the tests related to the zirconium oxide carbon composite material were finally finished.

After receiving the detailed test report, Xu Chuan read through it carefully.

Overall, the various parameters and properties of the zirconium oxide carbon composite material were consistent with the results he had previously calculated using the phenomenological model.

There were certainly numerical deviations—after all, it was a phenomenological calculation—but the deviations were all within standard acceptable ranges.

Relatively speaking, the test results were undoubtedly outstanding.

Theoretically, there would be no problem using this material for the first wall and structure in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.

Of course, it was still unknown what changes this first wall material would undergo in practice after being subjected to the high temperatures, intense radiation, and neutron radiation from deuterium-tritium fusion over a long period.

These things could only be known through actual experiments.

However, Xu Chuan was very confident in this material. He believed in his Atomic Cycle Technology, and he believed in the efforts that Zhao Guangui and the other researchers had put into it.

Putting down the test report, Xu Chuan opened his laptop. Just as he was about to handle some emails, Gao Hongming knocked and walked in, bringing the reply from the higher-ups.

There was no letter paper, nor any official red-headed document.

There was only a single sentence, relayed personally by Gao Hongming.

“No problem, the state will fully cooperate with your work.”

This one sentence brought not only the opinion and affirmation of the higher-ups but also funding and related policy support.

Even though Xu Chuan hadn’t mentioned anything about funding in his letter this time, the Central Finance Department still supplemented the account of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project with twenty billion yuan.

It had to be said that the solution for the first wall material and the construction of the demonstration reactor had allowed everyone in the leadership to see a real glimmer of dawn and hope.

Everyone was looking forward to that spark being ignited first on this land of China.

On the other side, the Nanjing Municipal Government subsequently received instructions to fully cooperate with the work of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project. Not only that, but the local military district also assigned another regiment-level unit to fully strengthen the security of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

These were all implemented along with Gao Hongming’s return.

The next day, a Work Group arranged by the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, led by two academicians from different fields, arrived at the project base at nine in the morning.

The two leading academicians were Academician Wang Yongnian, who specialized in nuclear power plant construction, and Academician Hou Chengping, who specialized in nuclear industry science and technology.

Both were top experts from the Nuclear Industry Group who had worked in the nuclear industry for many years. They had rich experience in designing fission reactors and nuclear power generator units, and had collaborated on designing famous nuclear power plant projects such as Qinshan Phases I, II, and III, and Sanmen.

They were also the foundational leaders for the fourth-generation nuclear power plant technology currently under development in the country.

Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi welcomed the two academicians in the office. Although it was the first time the four of them had met, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

“I heard that you’re going to build a demonstration reactor, Academician Xu. A few academicians from our Nuclear Industry Group nearly came to blows in the conference room fighting for the spot to lead this exchange.”

Compared to Academician Wang Yongnian, who was in charge of nuclear reactor construction, Academician Hou Chengping, who handled the design of nuclear industry technology, was a few years younger and more lively. He joked cheerfully in the office.

But what he said wasn’t far from the truth.

During the emergency meeting at the Nuclear Industry Group two days prior, when they heard they would be participating in the construction of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s demonstration reactor, every single one of them was astonished.

For most people at the Nuclear Industry Group, a controlled fusion demonstration reactor was something that existed in a future of an unknown number of years.

After all, judging by the development in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, it was still unknown how long it would take to achieve.

“The eternal fifty years” wasn’t without reason; the problems that needed to be solved to realize controlled fusion technology were simply far too numerous.

Even after the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had previously reported a two-hour high-density plasma operation, the vast majority of people still believed that achieving controlled nuclear fusion would take a very long time.

It was almost impossible within the next five years. Perhaps there was a glimmer of hope in ten years under the leadership of that individual.

However, the higher-ups had told them that the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was about to start the construction of a controlled fusion demonstration reactor, and the Nuclear Industry Group needed to arrange personnel to go and fully assist them.

Not only that, at the meeting two days ago, the president of the group who was chairing the meeting also announced on the spot a complete halt to the research and development of fourth and fifth-generation nuclear fission power plant technology.

This left them even more astonished.

One had to know that after this man before them had solved the difficult problem of nuclear waste disposal, the technology related to nuclear fission power plants had entered its most vigorous stage of development in the country’s history.

There was not only all kinds of funding and policy support, but even the fifth-generation controlled nuclear fission technology, originally planned to start in 2025, had been moved up on the schedule, with projects established and researchers assigned.

However, at the meeting two days ago, the president of the Nuclear Industry Group personally announced a complete halt to the R&D of fourth and fifth-generation nuclear fission power technology.

Nuclear fission technology, which had been flourishing in 2020, seemed to have been swept into the dustbin of history after the new year, catching everyone off guard.

But at the same time, this news also made everyone incredibly excited.

After all, this was controlled nuclear fusion.

In the office, Xu Chuan took out the tea leaves that the elderly man had someone bring over last time and personally brewed a pot. He said with a smile, “We’ll have to trouble you two academicians a great deal for the construction of the demonstration reactor this time.”

Academician Wang Yongnian took the cup of tea, placed it on the table in front of him, and smiled. “Academician Xu, you’re too kind. This is our job; there’s no trouble to speak of.”

After a pause, he looked at Xu Chuan with a hint of curiosity and asked, “May I be so bold as to ask about the progress and situation here at Dawnbreaker?”

Beside him, Academician Hou Chengping also cast a curious gaze.

The research progress of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was confidential. Unless Xu Chuan announced it, the outside world would not know. The latest news they had was still the previous two-hour high-density plasma operation.

And now that Academician Xu had initiated the construction of the demonstration reactor, even though it hadn’t been formally announced, it made them curious as to just how far Dawnbreaker had come in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “We have already found a suitable material for the first wall.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping narrowed, their gazes and faces filled with thick disbelief and shock.

A breakthrough in the first wall material!

How incredible, how shocking!

No wonder he had directly initiated the construction of the demonstration reactor.

Although they were expert academicians in the field of nuclear fission, both had some understanding of controlled fusion technology.

The most difficult problems in controlled nuclear fusion included the control of ultra-high temperature plasma turbulence, the first wall material’s resistance to neutron radiation, and the problem of tritium self-sustainment.

Combining this with the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device’s previous runtime of over two hours, it appeared that the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had made breakthroughs in the first two conditions.

Plasma confinement plus the first wall material—if tritium self-sustainment could also be solved, then almost all of the most difficult core problems would be resolved.

As for other issues like temperature control, energy recovery, helium ash removal, safety, and so on, their impact was not as significant.

Let alone Xu Chuan, even the two of them had no doubt that once these core problems were solved, China would soon witness the ignition of the controlled nuclear fusion flame.

Chapter 406: Construction of the Demonstration Reactor!

Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

In the lecture hall on the second floor of the Institute, a large-scale meeting was about to begin.

People continuously pushed open the front and back doors of the lecture hall, filing in one after another.

It wasn’t just researchers and project leaders from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, but also representatives from many partner organizations who had received urgent notices.

Among them were the Western Superconducting Group, responsible for producing the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material; the company in charge of the power system’s grid structure; and the China Nuclear Industry Construction Group, responsible for the engineering and construction.

Every company and group involved in the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had received an urgent notice and sent a representative.

Sitting in the middle of the lecture hall, Li Hua, the Vice President of Jiuzhou Electric Group who had been their main point of contact, looked at the dense crowd before him. He then glanced at the empty stage, where no one had yet appeared, and found himself at a loss as to what that Academician Xu intended to do by convening today’s meeting.

Although Jiuzhou Electric Group was involved in the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, they had only signed a contract to provide steel structures and components according to the other party’s requirements. Their contribution to the project was not particularly significant.

To be honest, this was his first time attending such a large-scale meeting.

He had no idea why he had been summoned in such a hurry.

“Long time no see, Director Li.” Just as he was pondering, a voice came from his side, and another figure sat down next to him.

Li Hua turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and said, “You came too?”

Beside him, Wang Demin, the Vice President of Shangwei Corporation, smiled and said, “Academician Xu summoned us, of course we had to come. I just don’t know what this is about. Do you have any news?”

Li Hua glanced toward the stage, his gaze falling upon the lectern. He shook his head. “No idea. I just know it was urgent.”

Wang Demin smiled. “The only ones who know the details are probably the big shots sitting in the front. For suppliers like us, they’d hardly leak any internal information.”

In contrast to the external partner companies like theirs, seated in the middle and back, those in the front rows were the internal personnel of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

If there was something that required such a solemn meeting for discussion or announcement today, it was likely that only the people in the front rows knew about it.

Of course, what Wang Demin didn’t guess was that in the lecture hall today, not even one in a hundred knew what was going on.

Even the internal staff seated at the front were just as bewildered as they were, whispering and discussing with their colleagues.

Li Hua shrugged. “Let’s just wait. Since we’re already here, they’re bound to tell us during the meeting.”

Wang Demin smiled and said, “That’s true. I’m just very curious. This is the first time I’ve ever attended such a large conference. We never had one like this before, not even when we were signing contracts to supply materials.”

After a pause, he added, “I wonder if we’ll get a chance to meet that Academician Xu and say hello.”

Li Hua said flatly, “You’re overthinking it. In the past two years, how many times have you even seen him? Given his status, if you were to approach him without an appointment…”

Wang Demin let out a laugh and didn’t mention it again.

As the two were chatting, a young figure emerged from backstage and walked onto the lectern.

The murmur of conversation that had filled the lecture hall instantly vanished. All eyes converged on the stage.

Walking up to the lectern, Xu Chuan first tested the microphone, then looked down at the crowd and the countless pairs of eyes fixed upon him.

Clearing his throat, under the intense gaze of the entire audience, he began in a steady voice, “Thanks to the tireless efforts of the many researchers at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Institute and the Computational Materials Laboratory, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has reached a new milestone.”

“A week ago, the materials research team led by Professor Zhao Guangui of the Computational Materials Laboratory successfully identified a material that can be used for the first wall of the controlled nuclear fusion reactor chamber.”

“After rigorous testing, the Institute has confirmed that this new material exhibits excellent performance in resistance to neutron radiation and meets all the performance requirements for a first wall material.”

The moment he finished, a commotion swept through the audience.

Sitting in the middle-back of the hall, Li Hua couldn’t help but swallow, his gaze fixed on the stage, filled with astonishment and shock.

Beside him, Wang Demin, the Vice President of Shangwei Corporation, wore the exact same expression.

After a moment of shock, they exchanged a look. Neither spoke, but they could read the unspoken emotions on each other’s faces and in their eyes.

A new material that meets the performance requirements for the first wall!

If this news got out, it would probably shock the entire world.

Neither of them had ever imagined that they would hear such a massive, bombshell announcement at a meeting today.

On stage, Xu Chuan’s report continued.

“…Last year, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device already achieved long-duration high-density plasma operation and successfully ignited Deuterium-Tritium fuel. Based on the progress of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, I believe we have made substantial preparations on the path to controlled nuclear fusion.”

“Now, it is time to push it one step further.”

Inside the lecture hall, it felt as if everyone realized what was coming.

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had already achieved initial Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition. If they were to take another step, it would mean converting the temperature generated by the ignition into energy.

And when it came to controlled nuclear fusion, there was only one type of device that could output energy!

At this thought, everyone’s breathing grew heavy.

No one spoke, but everyone present guessed what was coming next. At this moment, they all unconsciously clenched their fists and held their breath.

Barring any surprises, they were about to witness the birth of history in this very hall today. They were incredibly fortunate.

On the stage, Xu Chuan also felt a surge of excitement and exhilaration.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around the nearly full lecture hall and announced in a steady voice, “The Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project!”

“From this day forward!”

“Construction begins!”

As his words fell, a thunderous, tide-like applause erupted in the hall. Everyone stood up, clapping until their palms were red.

For everyone present today, this was undoubtedly a historic moment!

The meeting concluded, but the representatives from the various manufacturers and organizations did not leave.

The construction of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor would require the coordination of hundreds of different units.

The sourcing of every material, every component, was a major undertaking.

Xu Chuan didn’t concern himself with these details. For now, the demonstration reactor-related engineering had just begun. The task of resource integration was more than capably handled by Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming.

After the internal project meeting in the morning, a press conference was hastily arranged for the afternoon.

Naturally, Xu Chuan hosted it.

The construction of the demonstration reactor was a major national project and certainly needed to be publicly announced.

This was not just to boost national confidence; it also signified a significant elevation of the country’s international standing. Both its political and scientific research status would be greatly enhanced.

Of course, the press conference for the demonstration reactor’s construction was not a grand affair. Only a few well-known domestic media outlets were notified to provide brief reports.

Nevertheless, it still sent a massive tremor through the field of controlled nuclear fusion, and indeed, the entire world.

Following reports from media outlets like Everyone’s Daily, Nuclear Industry Times, and Huaxin News.

The entire internet instantly buzzed with activity.

In truth, the field of controlled nuclear fusion had not been quiet over the past year.

Or rather, ever since that Professor Xu returned to China and took charge of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, the field had become exceedingly lively.

From the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, to the deal for the ASDEX device from Germany’s Plasma Physics Institute, to the renamed ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device achieving forty-five-minute and two-hour high-density plasma runs, and finally, to the US representative’s challenge over intellectual property issues at ITER and China’s subsequent withdrawal from the project.

One major event after another unfolded, leaving people dazzled and overwhelmed.

The development of the international controlled nuclear fusion field seemed to follow like an EKG, rising and falling as if on a bungee jump.

Originally, the development of controlled fusion, especially the international collaborative project ITER, could be described as a small boat tossed about in a stormy sea. No one knew when a huge wave might come and capsize it completely.

Many people had a premonition that the Tokamak path might have inherent problems and might not be the most suitable route.

But ‘Dawnbreaker’, under the leadership of that Professor Xu, achieved a forty-five-minute run of high-density plasma, like a lighthouse erected in the middle of a vast ocean, providing new direction and bestowing hope once more.

This had invigorated many scholars at ITER and others researching Tokamak devices.

However, not long after, the US’s challenge at ITER and China’s withdrawal once again plunged the vessel of ITER, which had just set sail again, back into the storm.

And now, a news report released by Chinese media outlets like Everyone’s Daily and Nuclear Industry Times unleashed an earth-shattering wave throughout the international plasma physics community and the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

China’s Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had officially begun the construction of a demonstration reactor.

This news shocked the entire world.

Whether it was the United States, the European Union, or the many researchers working on the front lines, no one had expected all of this to come so quickly, so suddenly.

So much so that upon hearing the news, everyone’s first reaction was disbelief, followed by complete and utter bafflement.

China?

Is building a demonstration reactor?

How is that possible!

Chapter 407: A World in Chaos

”

”

With the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project officially starting construction of its demonstration reactor…

”

”

The entire field of controlled nuclear fusion and the world of plasma physics were thrown into a complete mess.

”

”

Nearly every country was seeking out experts and professors to assess just how far China’s controlled nuclear fusion had progressed, while scholars in related fields flocked to the internet to discuss, exchange, and publish their own views.

”

”

On Twitter, the famous American entrepreneur, Musk, responded swiftly after hearing the news.

”

”

[This is a milestone for controlled nuclear fusion. The appearance of a demonstration reactor means we are one step closer to the ultimate energy source of our dreams. It is the Holy Grail of the energy sector, and it will illuminate the future we cannot yet see.]

”

”

[Traditional fossil fuels are destined to be abandoned as the times change. This is not only because they pollute the environment—and we need a healthy global ecosystem—but also because of their low efficiency. In comparison, electric energy is the way of the future. Not just in the future, but right now. Whether in our daily lives or for transportation, we cannot do without electricity.]

”

”

[I desperately hope it arrives sooner rather than later.]

”

”

[To that end, I have decided to invest three billion US dollars to establish the TinySpot Fusion Energy Company, hoping to contribute my own strength to the great cause of controlled nuclear fusion.]

”

”

[Of course, I also hope like-minded friends will join in. Whether you are a researcher in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, an engineer, or another friend with the ambition to invest, you are all welcome.]

”

”

Compared to other tycoons in the business world, Musk was more enthusiastic about surfing the web and publishing his own opinions and views.

”

”

And after this Tweet was posted, countless netizens on Twitter immediately joined the discussion.

”

”

[My God, is controlled nuclear fusion really happening?!!]

”

”

[Unbelievable. China is already starting a demonstration reactor, while we’re still running plasma experiments measured in seconds. How did China come from behind to surpass everyone? Where has all our investment gone?]

”

”

[I told you, China’s withdrawal from ITER was not good news. Just watch, by the time the spark of controlled nuclear fusion is lit on that red land, ITER won’t have even started building its demonstration reactor.]

”

”

[This is terrifying.]

”

”

[Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think. Just a few months ago, they only managed a two-hour run. It’s impossible for them to have suddenly solved all the problems, especially the first wall material. This is probably just a smokescreen put out by China. After all, we are competing now.]

”

”

[The poster above is seriously out of date. I heard that Professor Xu has already solved the first wall material problem.]

”

”

[Impossible! The problem of neutron radiation is not that easy to solve. Whether it’s metal or non-metal, high-energy neutrons will destroy its crystal structure. You say it’s solved, so what material are they using?]

”

”

[I really don’t know if you’ve got your head up a horse’s ass. Do you think Academician Xu would reveal a core material like that?]

”

”

[To be honest, I’m more willing to believe that he really did solve the first wall material problem. It’s not for any other reason than just looking at his past brilliant achievements. You’d believe it too.]

”

”

Meanwhile, in Washington, at the White House.

”

”

A certain elderly man who had not long been in office was roaring with the last ounce of strength in his life.

”

”

“Shit! Are you people eating shit for a living? Why, why is it that China is about to start construction on a demonstration reactor, and I haven’t received a single piece of news?”

”

”

“Why is it that I only find out about something this important after it’s reported by their news media? Didn’t you form a special task force? Where are the people? Where’s the work? Where are the results? Was it all fed to the pigs?”

”

”

For him, no news could be worse than this.

”

”

He had just taken office, only to be met with such a disaster.

”

”

This was not good news for the promises he made before his election—to focus on economic issues and make the United States strong again.

”

”

He had also promised to be the “president for all Americans,” including those who did not support his campaign.

”

”

Now, it seemed, public opinion of him was likely to be even worse.

”

”

Across from him stood CIA Director William Joseph Burns, whom he had personally promoted, along with Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and ITER council representative Keker Brooke.

”

”

William Joseph Burns was composed, his expression showing little change, but Dan Brouillette and ITER council representative Keker Brooke had more complicated looks on their faces.

”

”

China was actually starting construction on a demonstration reactor.

”

”

This was something none of them had ever expected. For Keker Brooke especially, it was an incredible tale, straight out of a fantasy.

”

”

No one understood better than him the difference between an experimental reactor and a demonstration reactor.

”

”

If the demonstration reactor was completed, they were likely not far from true commercial use.

”

”

William Joseph Burns discreetly wiped the spittle from his face, cleared his throat, and said:

”

“This is related to my predecessor, Director Gina Haspel. I’ve reviewed all the files from her tenure and found that she didn’t take many measures regarding them.”

”

”

“This led to us missing a lot of crucial information.”

”

“Of course, I will immediately rectify this situation.”

”

”

Like the elderly President before him, he had not been in office for long. Of course, he had been working at the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming Director, so he was well aware of related matters.

”

”

But for now, the first order of business was to pass the buck.

”

”

After all, Gina Haspel was already gone. It was impossible for her to be here to confront him.

”

”

Across from them, the elderly President took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He asked, “I want to know, how much longer does China need to solve the technology of controlled nuclear fusion? And how much time do we have left?”

”

”

Hearing this, William Joseph Burns coughed lightly and said, “Director Keker Brooke would know about that.”

”

”

He then looked at Keker Brooke. “Director Keker, please explain. The decision to push China out of ITER was made by you all.”

”

”

Hearing his name, Keker Brooke sighed inwardly. His feeling from that meeting in Cadarache seemed to be coming true.

”

”

Taking a deep breath, he looked up and said, “I think we severely underestimated China’s investment in controlled nuclear fusion, and we also severely underestimated their technological reserves.”

”

”

“If their demonstration reactor for controlled nuclear fusion is truly built and can successfully achieve ignition, then they are probably not far from the true commercial use of controlled nuclear fusion.”

”

”

“Even if there is still some distance between a demonstration reactor and a true commercial reactor, with many problems still to be solved, for China, that probably won’t be a very difficult matter.”

”

”

“A specific timeframe? How much time do we have?” the elderly President asked, staring at him.

”

”

After a moment of thought, Keker Brooke spoke cautiously, “In my personal assessment, if the demonstration reactor is built, they could achieve commercialization in two to three years at most.”

”

”

“If we include the construction time for the demonstration reactor, at the very most, we have no more than five years. If everything goes smoothly for them, this timeframe could be shortened to three years.”

”

”

At these words, the elderly President couldn’t help but press a hand to his forehead.

”

”

Three years. It was far too short.

”

”

To suddenly go from “the eternal fifty years” to three years—the leap in time was truly hard to accept.

”

”

Why? Why was it that a country that had been on the same starting line, or even far behind them, had suddenly reversed course and overtaken them, leaving them far behind?

”

”

The office fell into a dead silence.

”

”

William Joseph Burns coughed lightly, breaking the deathly atmosphere, and said, “Perhaps it’s not China we’ve underestimated, but that Professor Xu.”

”

”

At his words, the other three men turned their gazes to him.

”

”

The new Director considered for a moment, then continued, “I’ve read the investigation files. Two years ago, China’s development in the field of controlled nuclear fusion was on the same level as ours, or even a bit behind.”

”

”

“The change began in 2019, after that Professor Xu took control of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.”

”

”

“And in fact, the achievements China has made in controlled nuclear fusion over the past two years have basically all come from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project led by that Professor Xu.”

”

”

“Moreover, my investigation shows that Professor Xu not only has enormous contributions in theoretical fields like mathematical physics and astronomy, but he is also a top-tier scientist in materials science.”

”

”

“The Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, under his name, once developed the artificial SEI film, solved the problem of lithium dendrites, and also created that high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.”

”

”

“The latter was the key to solving plasma turbulence, a point that has already been proven on the Wendelstein 7-X.”

”

”

“It could be said that in the field of materials science, his achievements are enough to merit a Nobel Prize. We severely underestimated him in this regard.”

”

”

“It’s safe to say that without Professor Xu, China’s development in controlled nuclear fusion could never have reached the stage it is at today.”

”

”

“Letting him go in 2018 was the biggest mistake that Mr. President ever made.”

”

”

“This kind of top-tier talent, no matter what, we should have kept him.”

”

”

“Even if we couldn’t keep him, we shouldn’t have let him go back.”

”

”

“Just like that Professor Qian from decades ago, this Professor Xu is also a scholar of terrifying capability. In fact, he is even more terrifying than the one from decades ago.”

”

”

“Because he not only has tremendous achievements in theory, but he is also a scholar who can transform theory into real-world applications and technologies.”

Chapter 408: Using Controlled Nuclear Fusion to Boil Water is a Bit Too Low-Tech

China’s announcement that it would build a controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor sent more than just the United States into a frenzy.

Almost every country with the capability to independently build a controlled nuclear fusion experimental reactor or participate in the ITER project was now anxiously working around the clock because of this sudden news.

Europe, Germany.

At the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Professor Tillman Lent, who had been busy planning to restart the Wendelstein 7-X for a Deuterium-Tritium fuel fusion ignition run to collect neutron radiation data, was completely baffled when he heard the news.

“A demonstration reactor? Are you certain?”

After being stunned speechless for a long moment and finally processing the information, Tillman swallowed hard and asked with disbelief.

Across from him, Robert Mac, the director of the Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, nodded. “The news is coming from their media. It can’t be fake.”

“Incredible. Truly unbelievable. Have they solved the first wall material problem? How? And what about tritium self-sustainment, magnetic surface tearing in Tokamak devices, and other issues? Have they all been resolved? You know, a demonstration reactor and an experimental one are two completely different things.”

Tillman Lent couldn’t help but fire off a series of questions. His mind was swirling with countless doubts.

Robert Mac sighed. “No one has heard anything about these problems being solved. After that two-hour high-density plasma operation experiment, that Professor Xu never publicly announced any further progress.”

“Forget us—even the United States doesn’t know what stage they’ve reached. The US is also scrambling because of this, increasing their infiltration efforts in hopes of obtaining more intelligence.”

He paused, then added with a sigh, “I have to say, that Professor Xu has really pulled off something major this time.”

“A demonstration reactor… ITER’s original plan was to start construction around 2025, or even 2035. This just moved the timeline up by several years.”

Beside them, Tillman Lent pressed on, “I just want to know how he solved the neutron radiation problem for the first wall material. What material did he use?”

Robert gave a wry smile. “How could technology this central to controlled nuclear fusion possibly be leaked?”

“However, there are rumors that the first wall material may be related to the radiation technology that Professor Xu previously developed for treating nuclear waste.”

“‘Nuclear Beta-Radiation Energy Concentration and Conversion to Electrical Energy Technology’?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Hearing this, Tillman Lent fell into thought. He had, of course, heard of this technology applied to nuclear waste.

Germany had also made a deal with China. A couple of years ago, the government had traded technology for China to build a nuclear waste power plant in Bavaria, preparing to transfer the nuclear waste from all seventeen of the country’s nuclear power plants there for one-time disposal.

For Germany, which was dependent on Russia for energy, this was a very good thing.

After all, due to the difficulty of handling nuclear waste, they had originally planned to gradually shut down all their nuclear power plants.

But now that the nuclear waste problem was being addressed, nuclear power plants were being promoted on a large scale again.

Of course, the energy issue remained a major problem for them.

Otherwise, the European Union wouldn’t have increased its investment in controlled nuclear fusion.

The troubling thing now was that they seemed to have been left far, far behind by China.

Regardless of how various countries fretted over this news, the moment the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project announced the construction of the demonstration reactor through the media, the financial markets had already reacted.

On Wall Street, just like the personnel in the nuclear fusion field, these financial elites who usually sat in their air-conditioned offices were now breaking out in a cold sweat, seized with panic and anxiety.

Financial institutions speculating in the fossil fuel sector—coal, oil, and natural gas—were especially frantic, selling off their stocks and futures with near-total urgency.

Did the construction of a demonstration reactor mean that the commercialization of controlled nuclear fusion was imminent?

The ultimate energy source of human civilization’s dreams… if it truly became a reality, wouldn’t fossil fuels be swept into the dustbin of history?

Oil and natural gas were slightly better off; even stripped of their fuel and energy properties, they still served as raw materials for the chemical industry.

But coal, although it could be used to obtain some chemical feedstocks through gasification and distillation, derived over ninety percent of its value from its role as an energy source.

What’s more, China was the world’s largest consumer of coal, importing an astronomical amount from other countries every year.

For some nations, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries, the revenue from exporting coal to China constituted a significant portion of their national GDP.

If, one day, China no longer needed their coal, anyone could imagine the consequences.

Although there was still a long road from a demonstration reactor to a truly commercial fusion reactor—and no one knew if it would take a few years, a dozen, or even several decades—for the market, the release of such news was enough to create a panic.

Of course, it was certain that some major capitalists were fanning the flames and exploiting the chaos.

But no matter what, the decline of fossil fuels was inevitable.

If more positive news about controlled nuclear fusion were to come from that Professor Xu in the future, it wouldn’t be impossible for the entire fossil fuel sector to be completely wiped out.

Xu Chuan could have predicted the frenzy in Western countries and the crash in the stock and futures markets, but he wasn’t particularly concerned.

Compared to these matters, he was more focused on the construction of the demonstration reactor.

This was a super project. Although the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base had been designed from the outset with the standards of a demonstration reactor in mind, with some experimental configurations also following those standards, an experimental reactor and a demonstration reactor were ultimately two completely different things.

Relatively speaking, a demonstration reactor required many more supporting facilities.

For example, ultra-high vacuum pumps, a plasma exchange system, generator sets, and grid regulation—a whole series of related equipment that the experimental reactor lacked.

In fact, Xu Chuan was currently in his research institute, discussing these very matters with two academicians sent over by the Nuclear Industry Group.

“Let’s tentatively plan for six generator sets, reserving space for another four. There’s no problem with that; we can proceed according to your requirements, Academician Xu.”

“But regarding the method of power generation, are we still going to use heat engines?”

“If we use heat engines, we have complete design and construction blueprints on our side. We can use them with just a few minor modifications, which would be very convenient.”

In the office, academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping from the Nuclear Industry Group were discussing the details of the supporting equipment for the demonstration reactor with Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Using nuclear fusion to boil water… honestly, that seems like a bit of a waste of its potential.”

Across from him, Academician Hou Chengping shook his head and said, “But it’s undeniable that boiling water is still the most efficient method of power generation we can currently produce.”

Ever since Watt and Faraday ushered in the age of steam and electromagnetism, no matter how energy and social technology have evolved, there has been no major change in how we generate electricity.

Boiling water remains the most common and most efficient method.

Although countries have been constantly optimizing this technology, they have never managed to move beyond it.

There’s a joke that goes:

“Hey, look! We’ve discovered a new energy source.”

“What can we do with it?”

“We can use it to boil water!”

It was a dark-humor joke, but it accurately reflected the current technological level of humanity in power generation.

To put it one way, with humanity’s current technology, it is very difficult to directly convert the chemical energy in things like coal and oil, or nuclear energy, into electricity on a large scale.

Everything still comes down to the same methods pioneered by Watt and Faraday two hundred years ago.

First, find a way to convert the energy into the internal energy of water, then use the steam to push a turbine, converting it into kinetic energy, and then cut magnetic field lines to convert it into electrical energy.

Modern thermal power, in essence, is just boiling water using fuel (coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, garbage, etc.) to produce steam, whose kinetic energy is used to turn a turbine, which in turn drives a generator set.

If you broaden the definition, hydropower and wind power can also be classified in this category, as the core mechanism is the same.

The only real difference is solar power, which relies on the photovoltaic effect.

In addition, there is also the rarely heard-of biological power generation, which utilizes a special chemical reaction within organisms to produce electricity, but it has basically never been used for true commercial purposes and is still being researched in laboratories.

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s undeniable that in the history of power generation, boiling water is indeed a very efficient method.”

“For mainstream heat sources like coal combustion, solar energy, nuclear fission, and geothermal energy, there is no other material that can replace water—this seemingly unremarkable substance—until the supercritical carbon dioxide cycle technology matures.”

“You could say that as the source of life, water is a magical thing. Humanity is very fortunate that such a good material can not only be drunk but also be used to generate electricity.”

He paused, then continued with a smile, “However, when it comes to efficiency, boiling water is not necessarily the most efficient.”

“Especially not for a technology like controlled nuclear fusion.”

Chapter 409: The Most Perfect Application for Power Generation

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, the other three people in the office looked over.

Among the many methods of power generation, boiling water was certainly not the most efficient.

For instance, supercritical carbon dioxide cycle technology or metals with high heat capacity could also be used for power generation, and with higher efficiency than boiling water.

However, in comparison, those technologies all had their own drawbacks, such as the immaturity of supercritical carbon dioxide cycle technology or the excessively high liquefaction temperature of high-heat-capacity metals.

But water was different. It combined numerous advantages: a large specific heat capacity, easy availability, non-toxicity, suitable operating temperatures and pressures, stable chemical properties, and moderate density. It was almost impossible to find a substitute for it.

Overall, there was no question that the most cost-effective way for humanity to utilize energy at present was through thermal energy conversion (doing work, i.e., boiling water).

Noticing the gazes of the three, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Actually, you all have the answer in your hearts without me needing to say it.”

Academician Hou Chengping smiled and spoke, “We have indeed considered it. Theoretically, that power generation method should be very suitable for controlled nuclear fusion.”

“However, compared to mature heat engines, its technology has fallen behind quite a bit, as it once faded from the mainstream public eye.”

Everyone present was an Academician and a top expert in the field of nuclear energy. The three of them naturally knew the technology Xu Chuan was alluding to.

In fact, before today’s discussion, Hou Chengping had already discussed this topic with Wang Yongnian.

Currently, aside from solar power, it could be said that all large-scale power generation methods fundamentally involve converting different forms of energy into kinetic energy to turn a generator.

But apart from this route, had humanity unlocked any other methods of power generation?

The answer was yes.

As early as the nineteenth century, after Faraday proposed the theory of magnetohydrodynamics, the theory of magnetohydrodynamic power generation was subsequently introduced.

And not only was the theory of magnetohydrodynamic power generation proposed early, but it was also applied quite early.

In 1959, the United States successfully developed an 11.5-kilowatt experimental magnetohydrodynamic power generation device.

Then, in the mid-1960s, the United States applied it to military use, building magnetohydrodynamic power generation devices for laser weapon pulse power and wind tunnel experiments.

The now-dissolved Soviets and the island nation had also listed magnetohydrodynamic power generation as a key national energy research project and achieved remarkable results.

In 1971, the Soviets built a magnetohydrodynamic-steam combined cycle experimental power station with an installed capacity of 75,000 kilowatts, of which the magnetohydrodynamic generator had a capacity of 25,000 kilowatts.

Subsequently, the world’s first 500,000-kilowatt magnetohydrodynamic and steam combined power station was also built by the Soviets.

The fuel used by this power station was natural gas. It could both supply electricity and heat. Compared to a conventional thermal power plant, it could save over twenty percent in fuel.

Despite this, magnetohydrodynamic generators did not become popular worldwide.

Currently, only a few countries have built magnetohydrodynamic power plants.

This was because the conditions for magnetohydrodynamic power generation were too demanding compared to traditional thermal power generation.

The so-called magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology refers to directly heating a fuel (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, etc.) to create an easily ionizable gas, causing it to ionize into a plasma at high temperatures exceeding two thousand, or even three thousand, degrees Celsius.

Then, as this plasma flows at high speed through a magnetic field, it cuts magnetic field lines, thereby inducing an electromotive force.

This technology directly converts thermal energy into electrical current without a mechanical conversion step, so it is called direct power generation, also known as plasma power generation technology.

The mainstream magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology used by various countries involves burning coal and natural gas, which requires very high temperatures, around 3000°C.

Achieving such a temperature through coal or gas is incredibly difficult.

Due to technical reasons and mediocre economic benefits, it couldn’t compete with the advancing technology of traditional thermal power generation, so it gradually faded from the public eye.

However, magnetohydrodynamic technology has always been a hot topic of research in various countries.

The reason is simple: magnetohydrodynamic technology has applications in military, aerospace, aviation, controlled nuclear fusion, and other fields.

Hearing Academician Hou Chengping list the shortcomings of magnetohydrodynamic power generation, Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Indeed, it’s undeniable that magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology once fell out of the mainstream.”

“But it’s also undeniable that from the very beginning, it wasn’t really intended for traditional fossil fuel combustion.”

“Even nuclear fission is not well-suited for magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology.”

“That’s because its temperature requirements for power generation are too stringent.”

“A high temperature of over three thousand degrees, and ionizing the fuel into a plasma—this is almost impossible, or at least very, very difficult, for the vast majority of heat engines to achieve.”

“However, for controlled nuclear fusion, this is quite easy.”

“Whether it’s the Helium ash channeled from the divertor or the heat we guide from the first wall, reaching a temperature of over three thousand degrees is effortless.”

“Fundamentally, magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology was designed from its inception to be paired with controlled nuclear fusion.”

Across from him, Hou Chengping nodded in agreement. “Indeed, it’s very difficult to heat other fuels to over three thousand degrees. Controlled nuclear fusion has a natural advantage in this regard.”

Xu Chuan smiled and continued, “In addition to magnetohydrodynamic power generation, we can also install ‘ultra-supercritical heat engine generators’ and ‘supercritical heat engine generators’ at the tail end.”

With that, he rose and dragged a blackboard out from a corner of the office.

Taking a piece of white chalk from the chalk box, he began to sketch on the board.

Starting from the demonstration reactor, he drew the heat energy being guided out, passing first through the magnetohydrodynamic power generation system via a pipeline, then continuing onwards through the ‘ultra-supercritical heat engine generator’ and ‘supercritical heat engine generator’ zones. He sketched a structure resembling a production line, or perhaps the geothermal pipelines of the north.

In the office, Hou Chengping and the other two men got up and stood behind him, looking at the structural diagram on the blackboard.

Although the diagram was quite rudimentary and not to standard, it clearly conveyed the intended meaning.

Looking at the diagram Xu Chuan had drawn, Academician Hou Chengping praised with a smile, “Interesting. It seems you’ve long since figured out how to use controlled nuclear fusion for power generation, Academician Xu.”

Combining magnetohydrodynamic power generation technology with heat engine technology to perfectly utilize the heat guided from the controlled nuclear fusion was something he and Academician Wang Yongnian had already considered.

After all, given the amount of heat produced by a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, even a magnetohydrodynamic generator set couldn’t consume all the thermal energy in one go.

In this situation, deploying conventional heat engines after the magnetohydrodynamic generator set to continue utilizing the remaining thermal energy was feasible.

Beside them, Academician Wang Yongnian remained silent, his eyes filled with interest as he fell into thought, studying the sketch on the blackboard.

In the sketch, he saw something new, something more advanced than the combined generator set he and Hou Chengping had originally conceptualized.

The so-called ‘ultra-supercritical heat engine generator’ and ‘supercritical heat engine generator’ refer to units where the parameters of the working fluid inside the boiler reach or exceed the critical pressure.

Generally, the working fluid in a power generation boiler is water. Water’s critical pressure is 22.129 MPa, and its critical temperature is 374.15°C.

At one standard atmosphere of pressure, the boiling point of water, where it turns from liquid to gas, is 100°C. To raise the temperature of the steam, one must increase the pressure to raise the boiling point.

At a pressure of 22.115 megapascals and a temperature of 374.15°C, the density of water vapor becomes the same as that of liquid water, reaching a critical state. When both temperature and pressure exceed these critical values, water enters a supercritical state.

Using water vapor in a supercritical state to generate electricity is called supercritical power generation technology, and ultra-supercritical power generation is a stage higher than that.

Currently, there is no internationally unified standard for distinguishing between ultra-supercritical and supercritical.

However, in the national “863 Program” project “Ultra-Supercritical Coal-Fired Power Generation Technology,” the parameters for ultra-supercritical are set as a pressure of ≥25 megapascals and a temperature of ≥580°C.

Looking at the diagram on the blackboard, Wang Yongnian’s eyes shone as he looked at Xu Chuan and said, “Use the residual heat from the magnetohydrodynamic unit to first heat the ultra-supercritical unit. Then, through a cycle of auxiliary heating pipes and technology, further raise the temperature of the waste heat to supply the supercritical unit.”

“If needed, a subcritical heat engine could even be added after that.”

“This method would achieve nearly perfect utilization of the thermal energy from controlled nuclear fusion. This plan is simply perfect, far more brilliant than the combined unit we envisioned!”

“I never thought Academician Xu would have such deep research into traditional heat engine technology as well.”

At that moment, he was truly filled with admiration and respect for the young man before him.

With his years of experience immersed in the design of nuclear fission generator sets, a glance at the structural diagram was enough for him to quickly grasp its core principles.

Yet for him, heat engine power generation was one of his most familiar fields.

To be so easily surpassed in his own area of expertise, to see someone come up with a more excellent and perfect plan—how could he not be convinced?

Chapter 410: Problems with Controlled Nuclear Fusion

In front of the blackboard, Xu Chuan finished the last part of the structural diagram just in time to hear Academician Wang Yongnian’s praise.

He smiled, tossed the chalk in his hand into the box, and said, “It was just a flash of inspiration. It pales in comparison to your decades of experience, Academician Wang.”

Wang Yongnian stared at the structural diagram on the blackboard. “You’re too modest. Compared to this, the magnetohydrodynamic and supercritical power generation combination that Hou Chengping and I designed is far inferior.”

“Your approach to energy utilization is simply brilliant.”

“By using circulating auxiliary heating pipes and technology, you expend a small amount of energy to significantly boost the residual heat that was otherwise unusable.”

“This is a line of thought that, at the very least, Hou Chengping and I never considered.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Academician Wang, you’re too kind. I merely provided an idea.”

“Within this idea, there are still many details and problems to discuss and design. I’ll have to trouble you with those.”

Wang Yongnian pulled his gaze from the blackboard, nodded with a smile, and said, “With the idea you’ve proposed, redesigning it won’t be very difficult.”

“Leave it to us. We’ll put our old bones to good use while we still can.”

Beside them, Hou Chengping chuckled. “Speaking of trouble, you’ve already solved the biggest one. There’s really not much that we scruffy old men can do.”

“You two are old but vigorous, still in the prime of your lives,” Xu Chuan said with a smiling compliment.

Wang Yongnian shook his head. “Let’s not talk about that. While my memory is still fresh today, I need to hurry back and jot down the initial draft.”

“Let’s leave it at that for today. We can discuss other matters another day, how about it?”

Compared to chatting and boasting here, he was more eager to get back and design this composite generator set as quickly as possible.

The construction of the controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor was a matter of national importance; it couldn’t be delayed because of their slow progress.

Xu Chuan smiled, “Of course. I’ll leave the work on the demonstration reactor’s construction to you two Academicians. I look forward to your good news.”

Wang Yongnian waved his hand, took one last look at the structural diagram on the blackboard, committed it to memory, then turned and departed in a hurry.

With Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping gone with their new concept for the generator sets, only Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi were left in the office.

After a few more words, Peng Hongxi also prepared to leave.

After all, the construction of the demonstration reactor had just begun, and he had a great deal of work to do.

Xu Chuan nodded, not minding it. It wasn’t just Peng Hongxi; he also had a lot of work to handle.

Controlled nuclear fusion was a super project, and the construction of the demonstration reactor was already approaching the middle and late stages of this project.

A project like this, involving multiple disciplines such as physics, materials, engineering, and computation, required the cooperation of dozens or even hundreds of companies to provide various materials and components during the construction of the demonstration reactor.

And allocating these resources and solving problems that arose during the coordination process were all part of his job as the overall director.

Although he rarely managed these things directly—with Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming typically handling the specific details—he was still the one who had to sign and stamp the contracts once a collaboration was finalized.

And even though he was an absentee boss, he still had to look over the relevant contracts and documents.

As Peng Hongxi stood up to leave, just before he walked out the door, Xu Chuan remembered something else and quickly called out to him.

“Oh, right, Elder Peng, one more thing.”

Peng Hongxi stopped and turned to look back. “What is it?”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Regarding the remaining problems with the controlled nuclear fusion project, could I trouble you to have someone compile a list, Elder Peng? I want to see how many are left.”

“After all, preparations for the demonstration reactor are about to begin. The problems that were assigned earlier need to be resolved as soon as possible.”

Controlled nuclear fusion was a massive undertaking. Famous issues like controlling plasma turbulence, achieving tritium self-sustainment, and solving the first wall material problem were the core challenges.

But beyond the core, this massive project was surrounded by a nearly countless number of smaller problems and minor troubles.

For example, tritium extraction, helium ash disposal, how to stably supply the deuterium-tritium fuel into the reactor chamber, how to visualize the data from within the reactor, and so on; all of these were difficult problems.

When the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was established, he had discussed this with Peng Hongxi, obtained a comprehensive list of problems from the higher-ups, and after some revisions, distributed the tasks to the researchers and engineers at the institute for them to handle.

Now, almost two years had passed. Although he had occasionally checked in on certain issues, he didn’t have a concrete number in his head for how many had been resolved in total, or how many new problems and projects had emerged.

So, taking advantage of the fact that the first wall material problem was solved and the demonstration reactor project had just been established, Xu Chuan wanted to get a clear picture of how many issues were left in the project, and then re-organize and re-allocate them for resolution.

Peng Hongxi nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll have Han Jin help compile it and send it to you.”

Xu Chuan smiled, “Thank you, Elder Peng.”

“It’s a small matter.”

Peng Hongxi waved his hand and left the office.

After a two-day wait, Professor Han Jin finally delivered the documents and information related to the controlled nuclear fusion project.

“Academician Xu, I’ve compiled the problems and projects related to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device. Please take a look.” Han Jin respectfully placed the files he had brought onto the desk and reported in a soft voice.

Xu Chuan looked up and was startled by the thick stack of files on his desk, nearly thirty centimeters high. He couldn’t help but ask, “How many are there?”

“In terms of problems, there are a total of 347. 169 have been solved, with 178 remaining.”

“In terms of projects, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-three independent projects. Seventy-two projects have been concluded, and ninety-one have not.”

“The relevant data and detailed progress are all in the files in front of you.”

“Additionally, a more general overview is in the small stack of documents on top. It’s seventeen pages in total. You can look at that first.”

“You scared me. I thought that entire pile was the accumulation of unresolved problems and projects.” Hearing this, Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out, found the small file Han Jin had mentioned on top of the stack, and began to flip through it.

Looking at the document in his hands, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but frown.

Three hundred and forty-seven problems and one hundred and sixty-three independent projects weren’t that many for a super project like controlled nuclear fusion.

But the progress was somewhat disappointing. In two years, not even half of them had been solved.

It seemed he needed to think of something, or it would be a huge disaster if the demonstration reactor was completed this year but couldn’t be ignited.

Chapter 411: Then I’ll Just Have to Offend Him This Once

Briefly flipping through the document in his hands, Xu Chuan rested his forehead on his hand and began to think.

In over two years, the researchers at the Dawnbreaker Institute had managed to solve one hundred sixty-nine out of three hundred forty-seven problems. This was actually quite impressive.

After all, they were constrained by manpower. Despite constant recruitment, the Dawnbreaker Institute was always short on researchers.

However, this rate of progress was starting to lag behind the overall advancement of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

Given the Nuclear Industry Group’s efficiency, the construction of the demonstration reactor would likely be completed around July or August of this year. And with the full cooperation of major domestic corporations, the production of the reactor’s various components could also be finished around the same time.

The only thing that might cause a slight delay was perhaps the first wall material.

After all, it was a new material that had only recently been developed, and a suitable manufacturer still needed to be found for its production.

But on the whole, the construction of the demonstration reactor was progressing much faster than the resolution of these problems.

At the previous rate, it could take another two to three years to completely solve all these issues.

And that was unacceptable to Xu Chuan.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, solving all the problems of controlled nuclear fusion in just two or three years was already unbelievably fast.

But in his view, there was absolutely no need to drag it out for so long.

After all, the core difficulties had essentially been resolved.

It just wasn’t worth extending the ignition time for these relatively simpler problems.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan took the documents and walked over to the other side of the Dawnbreaker Institute.

He knocked on the door of Academician Peng Hongxi’s office, then pushed it open and walked in.

Peng Hongxi, who was busy with his work, looked up. Seeing who it was, he smiled and asked, “What is it? Is something the matter?”

Xu Chuan nodded, handing over the file in his hand. “Elder Peng, please take a look at this first.”

Peng Hongxi took the file and quickly skimmed through it. He looked up, curious. “These are all problems from the controlled nuclear fusion project. What’s wrong, is there an issue?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “There isn’t an issue, per se. It’s just that the progress is a bit too slow.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi was momentarily stunned, then smiled. “I took a look when Han Jin was compiling these earlier. Given the Dawnbreaker Institute’s current capabilities, this pace is actually very fast.”

“Solving nearly one hundred seventy problems in controlled nuclear fusion in just over two years… that’s a very impressive efficiency.”

“Any faster, and you’d have to consider the working conditions, wouldn’t you? For the past two years, many of our researchers and engineers have practically been living at the institute, only taking breaks on special holidays. Working overtime has become the norm.”

Xu Chuan said, “I know all of that, and it has indeed been tough on them. It can only be said that we’re still a bit short-staffed, which has caused progress on these issues to fall far behind that on the core problems.”

After a pause, he continued, “According to the Nuclear Industry Group’s schedule, the main structure of our Demonstration Reactor Project should be completed around July or August.”

“But at our current pace, it will probably take at least another two years to solve these problems. I can’t help but feel it’s not worth dragging out the timeline over issues that are peripheral to the core.”

He paused again, then added, “And if we delay too long, I’m worried other countries will catch up.”

Peng Hongxi thought for a moment and said, “What you’re saying is reasonable. With the core problems already solved, the time it’s taking to solve these basic issues is indeed a bit long.”

“But our institute is already operating at basically full capacity, unless we continue to recruit and add more people.”

Xu Chuan said, “Relatively speaking, I’m more focused on how to solve these problems as quickly as possible, to achieve the ignition of controlled nuclear fusion at the fastest possible speed.”

“As for a solution, I do have one in mind, I’m just not sure if it’s appropriate.”

Peng Hongxi asked curiously, “What is it?”

Xu Chuan suggested, “Ask other domestic controlled nuclear fusion institutes for personnel and equipment support!”

“We aren’t the only institute in the country researching controlled nuclear fusion. Both the Southwest Institute of Nuclear Physics and Luyang Science Island are exceptionally fine research institutions.”

“If we could transfer some of their people over, or perhaps transfer our problems to them and solve them collaboratively, I believe our progress would speed up considerably.”

“The only thing is, if we want to solve the remaining problems before the demonstration reactor is complete, the other institutes would probably have to suspend all of their own work.”

After a pause, he continued, “But I think it’s worth it. After all, compared to our progress, theirs—even at the most advanced EAST facility—is far too slow.”

“Rather than wasting manpower and equipment treading the same old paths we’ve already walked, it would be better to concentrate our forces and advance our demonstration reactor.”

Peng Hongxi mulled it over. “The method is indeed feasible. Concentrating all our forces can rapidly advance the progress on the demonstration reactor.”

“However…”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Most of the controlled nuclear fusion institutions in the country are linked to the Luyang side, and their funding and so on are under their control. Would that Chen Mingji agree?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll really have to offend him this time.”

“I’ll write a letter to the higher-ups. No matter what, saving over a year to be the first to achieve ignition in controlled nuclear fusion is, in my opinion, necessary.”

“If he agrees, it’s a win-win for everyone. I would welcome him to lead his team here to advance the development of controlled nuclear fusion and build the demonstration reactor together.”

“If he doesn’t agree, then I’ll just have to be more forceful.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi sighed.

To be honest, academic turf wars existed everywhere, they were just a bit more severe in their country.

Of course, this was also related to the domestic emphasis on personal connections and control over resources.

After all, once someone reached that position, the taste of holding great power was naturally intoxicating.

Someone like the young man before him—young, yet unconcerned with power, focused solely on research and dedicated to academia—was a rare breed after all.

But it was for the best. Concentrating their strength would indeed allow them to advance the construction of the demonstration reactor and the resolution of its problems more quickly.

Chapter 412: I’ll Take the People and the Equipment!

In Luyang, on Science Island, inside the EAST Project Institute.

Chen Mingji stared expressionlessly at the official red-headed document in his hand, then looked up at the two people sitting in his office, his face darkening.

If there was anyone in the country he didn’t want to see, the young man before him was definitely on that list.

Although the two had barely interacted, their rivalry for authority in the field of controlled nuclear fusion was, to borrow a phrase from mythology, a “struggle of the Dao.”

One mountain cannot contain two tigers, and the field of controlled nuclear fusion could not accommodate two leaders.

He had toiled in China’s controlled nuclear fusion field for decades. For someone to just show up and try to take his position—no one would stand for it.

So what if he was a Nobel laureate?

Xu Chuan, however, paid little mind to the man’s murderous expression and said with a smile, “I figured you wouldn’t agree, so I went ahead and applied directly to the higher-ups.”

“I need both the EAST device and the researchers and engineers here at Luyang Science Island.”

“The official document in your hand makes it very clear. The Energy Bureau has already approved it. You are to cooperate fully with my research work.”

After a pause, he continued, “During this period of cooperation, I will be responsible for the researchers’ salaries and any wear and tear on the equipment.”

“Of course, you are also welcome to join us. For scholars at the Academician level, we offer an additional stipend.”

The corner of Chen Mingji’s mouth twitched. Who the hell cares about your damn stipend!

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his anger. “Is this a matter of salaries and equipment depreciation? You’re taking both the personnel and the equipment. What about the EAST fusion project? Are we just supposed to stop?”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “Just pause it for a while.”

He paused slightly before continuing, “Besides, to be honest, given EAST’s current progress, it doesn’t really matter if you continue or not.”

“On the Tokamak path, Dawnbreaker is already at the forefront. We have solved a series of core problems, found a suitable material for the first wall, and even started the construction of the demonstration reactor.”

“In comparison, EAST’s progress is just a bit too slow.”

“If it were a Stellarator or another approach, perhaps it could be kept for further experimentation. But for the Tokamak, I think it’s better to concentrate our forces and prioritize a breakthrough with the Qixia Demonstration Reactor Project.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Chen Mingji wanted to roar.

What do you mean, it doesn’t matter if we continue or not? What do you mean, EAST’s progress is too slow?

On a global scale, EAST is one of the top Tokamak devices in the world, okay? How is it meaningless?

But before his roar could escape, he heard another piece of information in Xu Chuan’s words that left him utterly shocked.

First wall material?

Solved?

How is that possible?

Was the first wall material something that could be solved so easily?

This was a century-old problem that the entire world had been researching for at least several decades, with exploration beginning in the last century.

So many scientists and researchers had spent decades, even centuries, without solving it, and you’re telling me you solved it in two or three years?

Is this some incredible tale?

Chen Mingji stared intently at the young man before him, trying to find a crack in his expression, a flicker in his eyes.

However, it had no effect on Xu Chuan.

He continued, unfazed, “In any case, the orders from the higher-ups have been issued. Whether it’s your EAST project, the Southwestern Nuclear Industry, or Tsinghua and Peking Universities, everyone will fully cooperate with the Qixia Demonstration Reactor Project.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you agree or not. In short, I’ll take the people and the equipment.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji almost coughed up blood.

It was bad enough that this man had snatched most of the funding and resources in the controlled nuclear fusion field, but now he was going to take the last few things EAST had left?

“Aren’t you going a little too far? Not only has all the funding in the controlled nuclear fusion field been diverted to you, but now you want to take the last remaining assets from all the major research institutes?”

His face grim, Chen Mingji stared at Xu Chuan and demanded an answer.

He just couldn’t accept it.

After tilling this field of controlled nuclear fusion for so many years, would he be left with nothing in the end?

Xu Chuan smiled. “EAST is still yours. I never intended to take it away. All I am doing is trying to complete the construction and ignition of the demonstration reactor as quickly as possible to realize controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“You can think of it as outsourcing. We are short-staffed on our controlled fusion project, and there are some problems we need to outsource to you to solve.”

“Of course, in terms of credit, if you can truly solve the problems, I will dutifully report it to the higher-ups.”

Chen Mingji stared at Xu Chuan, his expression dark and uncertain.

He desperately wanted to refuse, but the document in his hand made it impossible.

In the end, he could only let out a cold snort.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. Whether he agreed or not, the matter was already settled.

He didn’t even need to come in person; sending Gao Hongming with the official document would have been enough.

But he came personally anyway. On one hand, it was a gesture of sincerity. On the other, he needed to investigate the condition of the EAST device on-site to see if some experiments could be transferred here.

Although EAST was far behind the Dawnbreaker, it was still China’s top-ranked Tokamak device, with excellent performance.

Even without the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material and the mathematical control model for plasma turbulence, EAST had achieved four hundred and fifty seconds of high-density plasma operation.

If those two things were replaced, the operating time could be extended even further.

This would be of immense help in solving the various problems encountered in the process of controlled nuclear fusion.

“By the way, there’s one more thing. I need the detailed specifications and performance parameters of the EAST device. I’ll be modifying it later to better match and adapt to the Dawnbreaker in order to complete more experiments.”

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Chuan took a sip of tea and continued.

Hearing this, Chen Mingji finally lost his composure, retorting, “Modify it? On what grounds! EAST is our life’s work. Why should you get to modify it just because you say so! Who knows what you’ll do? What if EAST is destroyed in your hands…”

Before he could finish, Xu Chuan waved his hand, cutting him off.

“Don’t worry so much. If anything happens to EAST, the responsibility will naturally be mine.”

“Also, don’t think I’m so petty as to use the EAST device to get back at you. I don’t have that much spare time to waste on such things.”

He paused, then added, “Even if you don’t agree, it’s useless. The official directive is right there in your hands.”

At these words, Chen Mingji’s face turned the color of a pig’s liver, an expression of pure anguish crossing his features.

Finally, he let out a cold snort, threw the directive onto his desk, and stormed out of his own office.

Standing to the side, Assistant Mo Hongyun gave a sheepish smile. “Academician Xu, please don’t be offended. I will organize all the data and performance parameters for the EAST device and send them to you.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

He didn’t stay in Luyang for long. After obtaining the data and performance parameters for the EAST device and getting a grasp of the personnel situation at the EAST project, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing.

Under the powerful mobilization capacity of the official directive, renowned domestic controlled fusion institutions—including the Luyang Science Island, the Southwest Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Ninth Engineering Academy, and the State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology at Peking University—all temporarily halted their own projects and began dispatching personnel to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

For Xu Chuan, this was an excellent development.

With enough manpower, he believed the remaining problems could be resolved quickly.

He wasted no time. As soon as the personnel arrived, he promptly assigned them the previously identified problems.

As for security, there was little to worry about. The Security Bureau had already conducted a preliminary background check on all the newcomers.

The remaining security work could be implemented gradually.

Besides, until they were fully vetted, they would have no access to the core of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device.

All they could do was solve the tasks assigned to them.

At least, that was how it would be until the security issues were fully resolved.

Once the investigations were complete, they could be gradually granted access to the core project.

With the addition of this fresh contingent, the progress of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project advanced visibly almost every day.

Although they needed some time to adapt to the new environment, these researchers and engineers were already professionals in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

Before coming to Nanjing, they had all worked for long periods at major research institutions and possessed a wealth of experience.

For more than half of the problems that had once been listed in documents, they were able to find different researchers to continue pushing forward.

Compared to the research staff at the Dawnbreaker Institute, the scope of research covered by these new forces was considerably broader.

Of course, this was probably a concentration of power unique in the entire world.

Globally, apart from China, it was unlikely any other country could mobilize all its domestic research institutions to work together on a single project.

On this point, even the United States probably couldn’t achieve it.

After all, their respective national systems were what they were.

Chapter 413: Perhaps, Science Needs People Just Like You

With the efforts of the Nuclear Industry Group, several nuclear industry construction groups rushed to the other side of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project. Here, the construction of the first demonstration reactor was in full swing.

A site had been designated at the foot of Qixia Mountain back when the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project was first established.

When the area was originally designated, it wasn’t just for the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Experimental Project. At Xu Chuan’s request, the land for the subsequent demonstration project was also marked out and prepared.

However, considering issues like construction vibrations, the experimental pile project and the Demonstration Reactor Project were not located together. Instead, they were separated by a considerable distance to ensure that subsequent construction on the demonstration reactor would not affect the work at the experimental pile.

After all, for many high-precision devices and instruments, any interference from vibrations could lead to errors and problems with the equipment or experiments.

It was just like when Beijing was building its Subway Line 4, which nearly rendered useless a vast number of experimental devices at both Peking University and Tsinghua University.

On the Peking University campus at the time, more than four hundred million RMB worth of high-end, top-tier instruments and equipment were affected by the subway’s operation.

The reason was simple: the vibrational interference from the running subway was too great.

An ordinary person might not notice a subway running from dozens of meters away, but for those cutting-edge precision instruments, they could be affected not just from tens of meters, but even from hundreds of meters away.

If the operation of a subway could cause such problems, the construction of a demonstration reactor would be even worse.

If the sites weren’t separated, the rumbling vibrations of the heavy machinery would likely make it impossible to conduct any experimental research at the experimental pile.

Xu Chuan had not yet gone to inspect the construction site of the Demonstration Reactor Project. Before heading over, he had to arrange matters at the experimental pile first.

In his office, Academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping from the Nuclear Industry Group rushed over with the draft blueprints for the generator sets they had designed.

Xu Chuan spread the blueprints out on his desk and examined them carefully.

He had to admit, the structural diagrams drawn by professionals were far superior to anything an amateur in design like him could produce.

Despite the complexity, the structural diagram was laid out so clearly that the purpose of every part could be distinguished at a glance.

After a rough look, Xu Chuan lifted his gaze from the blueprint to Academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping, who were standing before it. He smiled and said, “I don’t know much about the engineering details, but looking at the blueprint, this thing seems a bit more complex than what I originally envisioned?”

Wang Yongnian nodded. “After we went back, we had further discussions and deliberations at the Nuclear Industry Group. We made some optimizations and design changes to the basic diagram you provided, Academician Xu. Compared to the original foundation, this design can accommodate a larger number of generator sets.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and asked, “Are you confident you can build it?”

Hou Chengping smiled. “Don’t worry about that. Since we dared to design it, we’re certainly confident we can complete the construction. This isn’t the first time the Nuclear Industry Group has undertaken such a task.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan felt a sense of relief and nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you with this.”

Wang Yongnian stepped forward to roll up the blueprints, his expression serious as he replied, “No problem. I guarantee that our team will design the detailed structural diagrams and construction plan as quickly as possible.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Wang Yongnian, face stern, shook his head. “This is our job. It’s not a matter of hardship.”

After a pause, he continued, “I wonder if Academician Xu has time today. Shall we continue our discussion on the issues we didn’t finish last time?”

Xu Chuan nodded and was about to speak when a knock came at the office door. Then, Peng Hongxi hurried in.

Seeing there were others in the office, he was slightly taken aback. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke up, “Academician Xu, from Science Island, Chen Mingji has come, and he’s leading the team himself.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned, a look of surprise on his face.

Chen Mingji?

He led the team here himself?

In the reception room of the Dawnbreaker Fusion Research Institute.

Xu Chuan saw Chen Mingji sitting quietly in the reception room, his face an emotionless mask.

Looking at the figure seated there, he walked forward with a smile, extending his right hand in greeting. “Welcome, Academician Chen. It’s an honor to have you here to guide our work.”

Chen Mingji rose, extended his hand for a brief, light touch, then glanced at Peng Hongxi and the others who had accompanied Xu Chuan. He said, “Can we talk alone?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright. Let’s go to my office.”

With that, he turned to Academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping and said apologetically, “Academician Wang, Academician Hou, I’m so sorry to trouble you today. How about we discuss the issues regarding the Demonstration Reactor Project construction later?”

Wang Yongnian nodded, while Hou Chengping smiled and said, “It’s no problem, Academician Xu. You go ahead and take care of your business.”

Xu Chuan turned and led Chen Mingji to his office.

“Please, have a seat. What guidance does Academician Chen have for me this time?”

In the office, Xu Chuan brewed a pot of tea, passed a cup to his guest, and asked with a smile.

Chen Mingji accepted the tea with a blank expression. “Spare me. I’m just here to deliver the personnel and, while I’m at it, see what kind of tricks you’ve been up to.”

Although he was here for the handover, it was impossible for him to be in a good mood looking at the face before him.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. He chuckled and said, “Then shall we go take a look together later? I haven’t been over to see the demonstration reactor’s construction yet.”

Hearing this, Chen Mingji couldn’t help but frown. “The construction of the Demonstration Reactor Project is such an important matter, and you’re not personally overseeing it?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Building an engineering park isn’t my specialty. I only need to state the requirements and maintain control of the overall situation.”

“Compared to spending my time on that, I’d rather use it to solve some problems.”

Chen Mingji stared at him for a few moments, somewhat silent, as if lost in thought.

The atmosphere in the office grew quiet and tense. After a long silence, Chen Mingji finally asked, “Have you ever thought about what would happen if you fail to build this demonstration reactor?”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “Honestly, I’ve never really thought about that.”

Chen Mingji glanced at him. “You mobilized all the fusion research institutes in the country without even considering the outcome. Don’t you think that’s too reckless?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was slightly stunned, then smiled and shook his head. “No, you’ve misunderstood.”

“What I mean is, I’ve never considered that I couldn’t build this demonstration reactor.”

At these words, it was Chen Mingji’s turn to be stunned. After a long moment, he said, “You’re far too confident.”

Xu Chuan chuckled, his tone light. “So-called confidence comes from one’s own ability.”

“I solved the NS equations and wrote the numerical control model for plasma turbulence. This has been perfectly demonstrated on Dawnbreaker.”

“I developed high-temperature superconducting materials, providing the most stable magnetic confinement for the controlled nuclear fusion reactor, which has also been perfectly controlled on Dawnbreaker.”

“And in the recent tests, Dawnbreaker has already achieved high-density plasma operation for more than twenty-four hours.”

“I solved the first wall material, creating something that can directly face the intense neutron radiation produced by Deuterium-Tritium fusion and can also achieve tritium self-sustainment.”

“I’ve solved all the core difficulties in controlled nuclear fusion technology. The rest… do you think I can’t solve them?”

He paused. Before Chen Mingji could speak, Xu Chuan looked at him and continued, “Besides, to be honest, I never consider whether I can or cannot do something.”

“For me, as long as there’s hope, if I work towards it, there will always be sufficient rewards.”

Chen Mingji was stunned for a long while before suddenly letting out a short laugh.

For a moment, Xu Chuan was a bit baffled, not understanding what he was laughing about.

Chen Mingji ignored him. After laughing, he heaved a long sigh and continued in a somewhat self-deprecating tone, “No wonder. I understand now why you’ve achieved so much at such a young age. I also understand why the higher-ups value you so much.”

“When I was young, I was once like you, thinking I could solve anything with just hard work. It’s easy to say, but you’ll understand when you get older.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Xu Chuan and said, “Looking back now, what I did before was wrong. I apologize to you here.”

After a pause, he continued, “Did you know? I’ve looked into your past, and I know your talent for scientific research is that of a genius seen once in a century. But in my opinion, you’re actually a bit too unfeeling.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was taken aback and asked with some curiosity, “Why do you say that? I think I’m quite a sentimental person.”

Chen Mingji didn’t answer his question, but mused aloud, “Perhaps, science needs people just like you.”

Chapter 414: The Elder’s Arrival

To Chen Mingji, his own life trajectory was that of a normal person—or rather, a normal genius scholar.

That’s right, he, Chen Mingji, was also a genius.

To fight his way through countless peers, progressing step by step from university to a doctorate, then studying abroad, and finally returning to China to participate in research projects and produce numerous achievements—he was, by all accounts, a true genius.

It was just that his life trajectory was completely different from that of the young man before him.

From his student days, he had advanced through the normal academic path, receiving guidance and help from his teachers and elders at school to get to where he was today.

For him, whether it was establishing research topics or experimental projects in his youth, he had always received some degree of help from elders within his faction.

Therefore, having reached his current position, it was entirely normal for him to appropriately look after the juniors of his own faction.

This was the true norm in China, and indeed in other countries, be it in academia or other fields.

But this was his experience, not that of the young man before him.

From the information he had on this young man, it was clear that throughout his development, he had almost never needed the patronage of his elders or his institution to apply for research resources.

His initial fame was built upon his own research into a world-class mathematical problem.

That first honor alone gave him sufficient standing, a credential that granted him freedom wherever he went.

Not to mention his subsequent proofs of various top-tier global conjectures and problems.

Therefore, on the path of scientific research, he was truly ‘free’.

This was also the reason why he had previously been unable to understand the young man, the cause of the difference in their ways of thinking.

It wasn’t a matter of who was right or wrong.

One could only say that this was the privilege of a true ‘genius’.

And the type of person best suited for the field of scientific research.

Pure and untainted, with all thoughts and ideas focused on how to continue pushing forward to solve problems.

Chen Mingji did not stay at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base for long.

Sitting on the high-speed rail, he glanced back at the receding city and silently closed his eyes.

After talking with Xu Chuan for a while, he didn’t go to inspect the Demonstration Reactor Project base.

There was no need. He knew that under this young man’s control, the controlled nuclear fusion Demonstration Reactor Project would be completed smoothly.

In this young man, he saw the hope that the spark of controlled nuclear fusion would truly be ignited on this land of China.

This was the dream in his heart, a dream of several decades.

However, for him, even if the dream might be realized, he could not accept working under this young man.

But to help realize the dream, doing some work that was merely icing on the cake was acceptable.

I hope everything goes smoothly.

Back at the Dawnbreaker Fusion Research Institute, Xu Chuan didn’t pay much mind to Chen Mingji’s departure.

Just as he had said before, all his confidence stemmed from his own ability.

When one was strong enough, the help of others was merely icing on the cake.

So, he didn’t have strong feelings about the attitudes of other domestic research institutes. It would be good if they were willing to cooperate, but it didn’t matter if they weren’t.

One must be strong to forge iron, and one must be jade to have the potential to be carved.

In fact, if Chen Mingji had been truly adamant about not sending his people over, he could have managed it.

Xu Chuan couldn’t possibly have had him removed from his position on Science Island. That would have been too disheartening for everyone.

Although they had their disagreements, Chen was, after all, a scholar who had dedicated his entire life, conscientiously and diligently, to the development of controlled nuclear fusion in China.

After getting the researchers Chen Mingji had brought settled in, Xu Chuan returned to the laboratory.

Just as Xu Chuan was about to continue discussing some details of the demonstration reactor with Academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping, another piece of news interrupted his work.

“You’re saying he is coming to inspect the Demonstration Reactor Project?” Xu Chuan asked Gao Hongming, who had brought the news, looking at him curiously in his office.

Gao Hongming nodded. “Yes. There’s nothing you really need to prepare. The main concern is security, but we’ve already coordinated with the authorities in Nanjing.”

“He’ll stop by here first, then go over to the Demonstration Reactor Project to see how things are.”

“After all, the development of the controlled nuclear fusion project is a major affair for us.”

He paused, then added with a smile, “I’m telling you this mainly because I was worried you’d bury yourself in the lab and we wouldn’t be able to find you. After all, when that individual comes, he’ll definitely want to meet with you.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

With that individual coming for an inspection, it was impossible to say that no preparations were needed.

Security was a major issue. Although the Nanjing side would certainly handle it, the situation at the demonstration reactor construction site was under his purview.

However, he wasn’t too worried. Anyone working on the Demonstration Reactor Project, even a cook, had undergone a background check.

The next day, at ten in the morning, Xu Chuan, Peng Hongxi, and Gao Hongming greeted the low-profile visitor at the experimental pile project base.

“Welcome, Chief, for your inspection and guidance.”

Seeing the visitor, Xu Chuan smiled and stepped forward, extending his hands.

The man grasped his hand firmly, looked at Xu Chuan’s skin, which was slightly reddened by the sun, and sighed, “You’ve really worked hard.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “This is not just my job, it’s also my dream. There’s no hardship to speak of.”

“Let’s go inside. It’s not good to be standing out here in the sun.”

The visitor nodded and followed Xu Chuan to his office.

The visitor glanced at the simple office and said, “This is the second time I’ve been here. Your office is still as plain as ever. Not a single decoration, not even a potted plant.”

Xu Chuan said with a laugh, “They got me a Chinese cypress or something before, but I thought it took up too much space, so I had it removed.”

“With that space, wouldn’t it be better to put up a bookshelf for research papers and materials?”

Hearing this, the visitor burst out laughing.

This was probably the first time he had met such an eccentric person.

“Is everything with the Demonstration Reactor Project going smoothly?” Holding the cup of tea Xu Chuan handed him, the visitor asked with a smile.

Xu Chuan nodded. “It’s going well. With the personnel support from other fusion research institutes, I estimate we should be able to solve the current problems by the end of this year.”

“As for the Demonstration Reactor Project itself, with the Nuclear Industry Group’s guarantee, I’m confident there won’t be any issues.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, the elderly man was slightly moved and asked, “What about ignition? When, approximately, can that begin?”

Chapter 415: Becoming the Rule-Maker

Although an earlier letter had mentioned the progress on controlled nuclear fusion, a wave of emotion still washed over the elderly man as he heard the youth before him say that most of the problems with the technology could be solved within the year.

This rate of progress, compared to the past development of controlled nuclear fusion, was truly like strapping oneself to a rocket.

Before, the pace had been like a turtle crawling; after this young man’s arrival, it had soared straight into the heavens.

Of course, this also heightened his anticipation, making him look forward to the day the spark of controlled nuclear fusion would finally be lit upon this land.

Hearing the elderly man’s question, Xu Chuan mused for a moment before replying, “I’m afraid I can’t give you a precise timeline just yet, but my personal estimate would be around the end of this year?”

“If everything goes smoothly, there’s a chance it could be even earlier.”

“Of course, if we run into any trouble, it might be delayed a bit.”

The elderly man nodded. “If there’s anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask. The country will provide its full support for anything within its power. For anything beyond that, we’ll find a way to create the conditions for you.”

If it weren’t for the fact that scientific research was a field where laymen could not interfere, he probably would have tried every means possible to accelerate the project.

After all, this was controlled nuclear fusion technology.

For now, all their hopes rested on the scholar before him. The most they could do was ensure the logistics were well-managed.

Xu Chuan smiled. “Of course. If I encounter any difficulties and need help, I will certainly ask.”

The elderly man smiled and nodded. After chatting for a while in the office, he asked, “Regarding the arrangements for controlled nuclear fusion, do you have any thoughts on the matter?”

According to the young man, controlled nuclear fusion technology would be ready in two years at most, perhaps even less than one.

Once controlled nuclear fusion technology was realized, it would send massive shockwaves not just through China, but throughout the entire world.

This was a technology that could truly change the global order.

It could allow China to leap back to its peak.

And in terms of contributions to this technology, the young scholar before him had played a monumental role.

It was essential to consult him on the arrangements for controlled nuclear fusion technology. His opinion was worth more than that of millions.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before speaking. “To be honest, asking me this question is rather pointless. I don’t have any strong opinions on the arrangements for controlled nuclear fusion.”

“How to use this technology, how to use it for exchanges of interests with other countries—I believe the state will handle these matters well.”

“I’m just a scholar, a researcher. All I can do is ensure this technology is developed as quickly as possible. As for administrative matters, asking me is truly of no use.”

“However, there is one thing I can comment on.”

At this, the elderly man adopted a serious expression. “Please, go on.”

Xu Chuan organized his thoughts and began, “I don’t know what your plans are, but from a researcher’s perspective, monopolizing a technology that has already been developed is very difficult.”

“This holds true in any field, regardless of how simple or difficult the technology is. Followers can always find their way forward by piecing together simple clues.”

“Take controlled nuclear fusion as an example. If our demonstration reactor achieves ignition and commercial application a year from now, I believe other countries will catch up very quickly, no matter how secretive we are.”

“At most twenty years, perhaps even ten, and those countries with relatively complete technological foundations will be able to replicate it.”

“That’s because many things are out in the open, no matter how much you try to keep them secret.”

“For instance, it’s very clear to other countries that I’m taking a hybrid route with the Tokamak device. With the general direction known, crossing the river by feeling for stones is always easier for those who follow than for the one who goes first.”

“After all, once it’s known that a technology is achievable, if its value is great enough, countless funds will flow into the field, and the difficulty of solving it will be reduced exponentially.”

“So, from a researcher’s standpoint, even if my team and I can solve a technology like controlled nuclear fusion, I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep it to ourselves exclusively.”

“And you know better than I do the consequences of trying to do so.”

“Therefore, I would suggest that after we achieve this technology, we should establish a series of standards with it at the core.”

“Third-rate companies make products, second-rate companies build brands, and first-rate companies set the standards. In truth, a country is no different from a company.”

“From a researcher’s perspective, I believe the best approach is to leverage controlled nuclear fusion technology, combined with our country’s well-developed power grid, power transmission, superconductivity, and other technologies, to create the standards ourselves and let the followers play catch-up.”

“Just like Qualcomm, Apple, and ASML in the chip industry today, as long as we become the writers of the standards and rules, we can maintain the greatest possible advantage.”

After listening to Xu Chuan, the elderly man nodded gravely. “Thank you for your opinion. We will consider it seriously.”

It had to be said, Xu Chuan’s words had truly stirred him.

To become the one who wrote and created the standards and rules in the field of controlled nuclear fusion.

Without a doubt, the thought alone was exhilarating and captivating.

Even he was filled with excitement.

After chatting in the office for a while longer, Xu Chuan and the elderly man went to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project base together.

Although it was also at the foot of Qixia Mountain, it was over a thousand meters away from the experimental pile’s campus.

At this moment, the base was bustling with activity. At the construction site, various heavy engineering vehicles moved back and forth, busy hauling building materials in and construction waste out.

Personnel from the Nuclear Industry Group, wearing hard hats, moved like diligent bees in this “garden” full of hope.

From the scene, it was clear that under the powerful drive of the Nuclear Industry Group, work at the demonstration reactor base was proceeding in an orderly fashion and was now on track. Both the construction site and the research institute were a scene of bustling, fiery activity.

For everyone working here, the project they were building was a lighthouse on the coast, illuminating the entire future of nuclear fusion research.

For the Motherland, and indeed the world, the entire field of controlled nuclear fusion would set sail from this very spot.

Xu Chuan and the elderly man stood side by side on the campus, gazing at the thriving base, smiles involuntarily appearing on their faces.

For the former, this was a miracle he had personally set in motion, the dream of his two lifetimes. It was a great ship, launched by his own hands, carrying his hopes and those of his Motherland, riding the wind and waves into an unknown ocean.

For the latter, to see the spark of controlled nuclear fusion ignite on this land he so deeply loved, to see endless energy flooding this land of China, strengthening the Motherland and bringing peace and prosperity to the people he governed—this was undoubtedly a leader’s greatest wish.

Chapter 416: A Gift from Luyang

The elderly man didn’t stay in Nanjing for long.

He met with Xu Chuan, discussed arrangements for the controlled nuclear fusion technology, inspected the construction of the Demonstration Reactor Project, and then departed.

Xu Chuan, for his part, returned to the experimental reactor project base to continue perfecting some of the core technologies he was working on.

By now, he had acquired enough pieces of the puzzle for controlled nuclear fusion, but some core issues remained completely unsolved.

For example, the problem of tritium self-sustainment. Although a design plan already existed and the research institute was working around the clock to refine it, a complete and viable solution had yet to emerge.

Tritium self-sustainment was a systemic challenge. From selecting the right target material for the device that withstands the high-energy neutron beam, to the amount of tritium produced by the reaction between neutrons and lithium, to how the tritium element is extracted—all of these were considerably troublesome problems.

Now that other controlled nuclear fusion research institutes were providing support for the relatively simpler issues, he couldn’t let his own progress fall behind.

Meanwhile, in Luyang, on Science Island.

Chen Mingji slowly walked into his office.

Ever since returning from Nanjing, he had been constantly on the move, so much so that even his assistant, Mo Hongyun, didn’t know what he was doing.

Glancing at his all-too-familiar office, Chen Mingji sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested in silence.

A long time passed before a long sigh echoed through the office.

“Hongyun, come to my office.”

After a long period of contemplation with his eyes closed, Chen Mingji finally stood up, felt for the phone on his desk, and dialed a number.

In no time, his assistant, Mo Hongyun, hurried over.

“Director, you were looking for me?”

Chen Mingji nodded and said, “There’s something I need you to do.”

“Please, go ahead, Director,” Mo Hongyun said respectfully.

“Take that batch of ICRF heating antennas, the one originally intended for ITER, and send it over to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project,” Chen Mingji said faintly.

Hearing this, Mo Hongyun was instantly flustered and alarmed. “Director,” he said hurriedly, “that equipment is our most important asset apart from the EAST device itself! To send it to them, this…”

He knew what Chen Mingji was talking about.

Those were the heating antennas manufactured for the ITER demonstration reactor back when China was still part of the project.

It was one of the two core “black technologies” of the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

The other was the fully superconducting D-shaped cross-section design technology already in use on EAST.

That batch of equipment was originally scheduled to be shipped to the ITER base in France in 2022. But after the trouble with ITER, they were forced to withdraw, and the heating antennas remained here on Science Island.

This equipment could be described as one of the world’s most advanced plasma heating technologies, capable of raising the plasma temperature in the reactor chamber to over one hundred million degrees in an extremely short time. Its performance was peak-level.

Not only that, the value of this equipment exceeded a hundred million.

And that was in US dollars. Converted to RMB, the total value was likely over one billion.

To just give it to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project? Even he couldn’t accept it.

Chen Mingji waved his hand. “Send it over. It’s no use to us sitting here. EAST is still a long way from becoming a demonstration reactor, and that equipment was prepared for the ITER demonstration reactor in the first place.”

“Although the Qixia project is taking the composite Tokamak device route, it’s still ultimately derived from the Tokamak device. Those ICRF heating antennas can be modified and used.”

Mo Hongyun sighed, asking one last time, unwilling to give up, “Really?”

Chen Mingji nodded. “Go on. I have other things to attend to. I’ll leave this to you.”

Nanjing, Dawnbreaker Experimental Reactor Project Base.

While Xu Chuan was busy with his work, people from the EAST project on Luyang’s Science Island had arrived again and requested to see him.

The message was delivered by Gao Hongming, who said it was something important.

Without thinking too much about it, Xu Chuan met the visitors from Luyang in his office.

He was a little curious why people from Luyang had come again, especially since Chen Mingji had already led his team to complete the handover.

In the office, Xu Chuan met the person sent from Luyang, a middle-aged to older man who looked to be about forty-five.

“Academician Xu, hello. I am Yu Mu. I’ve come this time on behalf of Academician Chen Mingji and the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project to continue our collaboration with you.”

Standing before Xu Chuan, Yu Mu seemed nervous and constrained.

Though he was much older than the man before him, sometimes, a person’s presence is just a strange thing.

Hearing Yu Mu’s words, Xu Chuan raised an eyebrow and asked with some curiosity, “And Academician Chen?”

With a constrained expression, Yu Mu replied, “Academician Chen retired from the institute a few days ago. He has resigned from all his positions. For now, I am serving as the acting director of the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute.”

“Retired?”

Hearing this news, Xu Chuan glanced at Yu Mu with some surprise.

He honestly hadn’t expected that Chen Mingji would voluntarily retire and resign from all his jobs and positions.

Strictly speaking, he and the Luyang project didn’t really have any major conflicts or grudges.

From start to finish, he hadn’t really done anything out of line or anything to offend them.

It was true that he had established his own controlled nuclear fusion project, diverting a portion of the funds the higher-ups had invested in the field.

But to say that no one else was allowed to work on controlled nuclear fusion independently, and that everyone had to work under him—that would have been going too far.

Besides, there were many controlled nuclear fusion research institutions in the country whose funding didn’t require Luyang’s approval.

Yu Mu nodded and said, “Before I left, Academician Chen instructed me to deliver a gift to you.”

“A gift? What gift?” Xu Chuan was momentarily stunned, then asked with curiosity.

“The ICRF heating antennas originally sold to the ITER Demonstration Reactor Project have been transported here with me. They are currently at the entrance of the institute, awaiting your acceptance.”

Yu Mu continued, “I was actually supposed to visit you last week, but ensuring the smooth transportation of the ICRF heating antennas caused some delay.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was astonished. “They’re already here? Let’s go. Let’s go take a look.”

He knew a fair bit about the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

Although EAST was now far behind the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device in terms of progress on controlled nuclear fusion, it wasn’t without its own unique advantages.

The fully superconducting D-shaped cross-section design technology and the advanced ICRF heating antenna technology.

These two were the “black technologies” that the Luyang team had developed.

In fact, the ICRF heating antenna technology used on the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device had its roots in EAST.

He had to admit, the ICRF heating antennas designed specifically for the ITER Demonstration Reactor Project were truly a precious gift.

Chapter 417: The Final Hurdle

With Yu Mu, Xu Chuan quickly hurried towards the entrance of the experimental pile campus.

At the entrance of the base, several special super-heavy trucks were parked.

Xu Chuan walked up briskly and inspected the vehicles.

The cargo inside was indeed the complete set of ICRF heating antennas transported from Luyang.

For the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project, these ICRF heating antennas could be used after some modifications to adapt them to the demonstration reactor.

After all, this equipment had been built to the standards of the Demonstration Reactor Project in the first place.

Originally, it was to be sold to ITER in exchange for funds and some technology, but now that China had withdrawn from ITER, it was impossible to sell these items to them anymore.

On one hand, Europe probably wouldn’t buy them anyway, as purchasing Chinese equipment now would be tantamount to aiding the enemy on the path of controlled nuclear fusion.

On the other hand, even if Europe were to buy them, China would no longer sell this batch of ICRF antennas to ITER.

After all, compared to other Western countries, China was considerably ahead in microwave heating technology. Selling it would likewise be considered aiding the enemy.

“I really didn’t expect him to send this over.”

Standing to the side, Peng Hongxi, who had also received the news, looked at the ICRF heating antennas inside the super-heavy trucks with some emotion.

Xu Chuan was a little curious and asked, “Elder Peng, you know its specific performance parameters?”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi nodded. “Actually, it’s derived from the microwave heating antenna technology I designed in the past.”

“After I retired, Chen Mingji led the people in Luyang to continue research on microwave heating technology. The student has surpassed the master. Today’s ICRF antenna heating technology is quite renowned internationally.”

“As for the set before you, I do know its performance parameters. When it was first developed, old Chen showed me some of the data.”

“This set of ICRF antenna heating equipment is designed to provide long-pulse continuous wave heating to the plasma for up to an hour, with a frequency range of 30 to 100 MHz, a transmission line impedance of 50 Ω, and a heating power of 1.5 to 3 MW.”

“Putting aside these conventional parameters, the most critical core point is that the vacuum feedthrough of this ICRF antenna assembly is a redesigned crank-shaped vacuum feedthrough, capable of withstanding ultra-high voltages of over 120 KV.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s expression was stirred with emotion.

He had to admit, judging from the performance parameters described by Academician Peng Hongxi, this set of ICRF heating antennas was incredibly powerful.

The ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating antenna is one of the most critical components of controlled nuclear fusion, playing the role of ignition, raising the temperature within the reactor chamber, and maintaining it.

And within the ICRF heating antenna, the vacuum feedthrough is the core key point. On one hand, it must withstand extremely high currents and voltages; on the other, it must serve to insulate the vacuum from hot nitrogen gas.

During the operation of an ICRF antenna, the voltage between the inner and outer conductors connected to the feedthrough can reach as high as 45 KV. Therefore, increasing the breakdown voltage of the feedthrough and reducing its dielectric loss are among the key technologies in feedthrough design.

Moreover, improving the voltage-withstanding capability of the feedthrough can reduce the occurrence of arcing events, thereby effectively enhancing the safety of the ICRF antenna and the entire device.

A withstand capability of 120 KV could be considered true black technology.

One had to know that for the vast majority of countries capable of researching controlled nuclear fusion, the voltage-withstanding capability of the vacuum feedthroughs they produced topped out at around 50 KV. The set before them was more than double that.

For Chen Mingji to have sent him this set of equipment was truly a great gift.

Not only did it save him the time of building it himself, but it was also superior.

After arranging for engineers to move the equipment into the project base, Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi returned to the office.

They brewed a pot of clear tea, and the two enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

When the conversation turned to the Luyang EAST fusion device, and upon hearing that Chen Mingji had resigned from all his positions and left the field of controlled nuclear fusion, Peng Hongxi also sighed with some emotion.

“To be honest, old Chen’s abilities are quite good. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to lead the EAST device to become one of the top three Tokamak devices in the world over these years. The development over at Luyang was actually going quite well under his leadership. It’s just that he ran into a prodigy like you, which made his progress seem a bit slow.”

“If he could stay and continue to research some issues with the engineers over at Luyang, I believe he could still achieve some results.”

Xu Chuan smiled, took a light sip from his teacup, and said, “Everyone has their own choices. Let him be.”

After a pause, he continued, “He came to talk with me a while ago, and after that, I could understand his decision.”

“He was in charge of the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project and sat in the leader’s seat for so long. To ask him to come here and assist me in achieving controlled nuclear fusion… I’m afraid that’s something he couldn’t do.”

“Besides, for the domestic controlled nuclear fusion field, even though I’ve achieved these results with Dawnbreaker, it might not be enough to convince everyone. After all, we haven’t truly realized controlled nuclear fusion technology yet.”

“If he stayed in that position, he might have been used as a figurehead by others for their own agendas. In that position, wasn’t he just sitting in the hot seat?”

“He probably wanted to use his retirement to let me completely take up the banner of the domestic controlled nuclear fusion field. For him, just like us, he’s someone who has longed for the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“Although we had some misunderstandings in the past due to some differences in concepts, these are not a big deal.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi sighed and said softly, “I just think it’s a pity. The hope for controlled nuclear fusion technology is right before our eyes. What’s the harm in holding on for a little longer?”

“We’ve been through decades of trials and tribulations. Why retire now?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps it’s precisely because he has always held on to this dream and hoped to see the realization of controlled nuclear fusion that he chose to retire.”

Hearing this, Peng Hongxi said no more, though a trace of regret remained on his face.

This was probably the most suitable way.

It was just that from his perspective, things were a bit different.

After all, the two of them had worked together for so many years.

For him, another colleague who had weathered storms and traversed a bumpy road, who had striven since the founding of the nation, had left the field.

Although his colleague had deviated from the path midway due to pride or his own ideas, in the end, he used his own departure to set the trajectory back on the right course.

“By the way, regarding the issues of tritium self-sustainment and tritium retention, I’ve designed a plan over the past few days. Elder Peng, would you take a look?”

After finishing his a cup of tea, Xu Chuan stood up, took a stack of scratch paper from a drawer, and handed it over.

Seeing that they were getting down to business, Peng Hongxi also put down his teacup and took the scratch paper with a serious expression, beginning to read through it.

After about ten minutes, he put down the scratch paper, his eyes shining as he looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “Lead-lithium mixture molten salt technology? A bit interesting. How did you think of this?”

In controlled nuclear fusion technology, tritium self-sustainment is a systemic challenge, yet it is also a critical issue for maintaining reactor operation.

The 14 MeV fusion neutrons produced during the operation of a fusion reactor, as well as transmutation products like hydrogen and helium, create various defects in the tritium breeding material. These defects affect the permeation and retention behavior of tritium, making tritium transport within the breeder a very complex process.

Currently, in the research of controlled nuclear fusion in various countries, there are generally two routes for tritium self-sustainment technology.

They are the solid breeder and liquid breeder methods.

Their names are self-explanatory.

The solid breeder method uses high-temperature resistant ceramic pellets made from materials like lithium silicate, lithium titanate, lithium zirconate, or lithium oxide. These are then placed in the blanket of the first wall, and tritium is produced through bombardment by high-energy neutrons.

During operation, the 14 MeV high-energy neutrons from the Deuterium-Tritium fusion reaction react with the lithium in the pellets to produce tritium. Then, at a suitable temperature, the produced tritium is extracted using a helium purge gas.

The disadvantage is that solid tritium breeders have a low lithium mass fraction and thus low tritium breeding capability, requiring the special arrangement of costly neutron multipliers.

This is its main drawback.

The liquid breeder method uses lithium-containing liquid metals, such as lead-lithium (LiPb), lithium (Li), or molten salts like lithium beryllium fluoride (FLiBe), as the breeding material.

Compared to solid breeders, liquid breeders have numerous advantages.

For example, high tritium breeding capability. Liquid lithium (Li) has a high atomic content, and the breeder itself contains neutron-multiplying elements like lead (Pb) or beryllium (Be), eliminating the need for additional neutron multipliers.

Or complex geometry and adaptability. Being liquid, it can fill every part of the blanket without requiring complex mechanical processing.

Or no lifetime limit. The liquid material can be circulated out and replaced at any time without shutting down the reactor, and so on.

However, liquid lithium materials also have huge drawbacks in the process of tritium self-sustainment.

Inside a magnetic confinement fusion reactor, the high-temperature plasma is confined by a high-intensity magnetic field.

This strong magnetic field not only confines the plasma but also has a negative impact—it causes the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect.

When a conductive fluid moves in a magnetic field, an induced electromotive force is generated, which in turn produces an induced current. The interaction between the induced current and the magnetic field produces a body force in the opposite direction, the Lorentz force, which then impedes the fluid’s motion—this is the MHD effect.

The occurrence of the MHD effect not only severely affects the flow characteristics of the liquid metal but also greatly increases the corrosion problem of structural materials.

In addition to this, it also causes changes in turbulence characteristics, suppressing turbulence and affecting the fluid’s heat transfer performance.

If these problems are not solved, the issues brought about by the MHD effect of liquid lithium will cause great harm to the development of the fusion reactor’s liquid blanket and the safety of the entire reactor system.

From this perspective, its usability is far inferior to the solid breeder cycle.

Therefore, although the Dawnbreaker Institute had two research paths for solid and liquid lithium breeding, the main focus was on solid breeding.

Because it was safer and would not affect the controlled nuclear fusion reactor.

However, on the scratch paper that Xu Chuan had handed over, he saw hope for solving the problems of liquid lithium tritium breeding.

Chapter 418: It’s Actually Not That Hard

“Liquid lithium for tritium breeding is nothing new in the complex field of controlled nuclear fusion.”

“The problem of tritium self-sustainment is one of the key issues, and countless scientists and researchers have explored it for decades.”

“However, due to the major safety hazards that arise from the strong magnetic interference of the external field coils on liquid lithium metal, this approach was a minor path that had been semi-abandoned.”

“Over the decades, it’s not as if no scholars have studied how to solve the problems with liquid lithium tritium breeding. After all, compared to solid lithium breeding, the liquid method has numerous advantages.”

“But it couldn’t be solved. When a liquid metal is in motion, it generates an electric current, which in turn generates a magnetic field. This is the law of electromagnetic induction.”

“A large part of the reason life could emerge on Earth is that the planet’s core, a molten mass of iron and nickel, generates an immense magnetic field as it rotates. This field blocks the external solar wind, protecting the atmosphere, water, and other substances on the surface.”

“Resolving this issue is incredibly difficult.”

“The most reliable method would be to find a way to transform the liquid lithium into a non-metal, so that it doesn’t generate current and a magnetic field at high temperatures and in a fluid state.”

“For a long time, the scientific community’s efforts have been focused in this direction.”

“However, there has been little success, because suppressing the electromagnetic induction of the lithium-metal battery would require adding a large amount of impurities, which would directly reduce the lithium content.”

“And a lower lithium content naturally leads to lower tritium production. Therein lies the problem.”

“One must solve the electromagnetic effect of liquid lithium metal without reducing its tritium breeding efficiency.”

“The difficulty was like trying to have one’s cake and eat it too.”

Hearing Peng Hongxi’s question, Xu Chuan smiled.

He stood up, dragged a blackboard out from his office, and said with a smile, “It’s actually not that hard.”

“The trouble with liquid lithium tritium breeding is that the liquid metal generates an electric current and a magnetic field. Suppressing this would inevitably reduce the lithium content.”

As he spoke, he wrote lines of mathematical formulas on the blackboard.

【ΔP_MHD = kρσuB²】

“According to the calculation formula for MHD pressure drop, the electrical conductivity (σ) of the liquid metal is directly proportional to the MHD pressure drop (ΔP_MHD). Lowering the electrical conductivity of the liquid breeder is clearly the most effective method.”

“But this approach reduces the efficiency of tritium production. So, the key is how to increase the tritium breeding ratio while lowering the electrical conductivity.”

“I’ve studied materials and know a bit of mathematics. I redesigned an intelligent calculation method to increase the tritium breeding ratio of the fusion reactor’s tritium breeding blanket for this technology.”

“The principle is based on high-order neutron perturbation theory and a simulated annealing algorithm, which can quickly find the global optimal solution by automatically adjusting the geometric boundaries of the functional zones in the fusion reactor’s tritium breeding blanket.”

“First, we can calculate the tritium breeding ratio of the entire blanket module when the k-th functional zone is perturbed under first-order perturbation; which is the tritium breeding ratio of the j-th group in the i-th tritium breeding zone when the k-th functional zone is perturbed under first-order perturbation.”

“δtbr = tbr(δl’₁, δl’₂…δl’m) - tbr(δl₁, δl₂…δlm)”

“…And from this, derive the multi-dimensional second-order analytical function for the tritium breeding ratio of the entire blanket module as it changes with the boundary perturbations of each functional zone.”

In the office, Xu Chuan wrote line after line of equations on the blackboard, simultaneously explaining the core concepts to Peng Hongxi.

How to solve the liquid lithium tritium breeding problem was something he had been pondering for a long time, but he had made little progress.

The arrival of the two Academicians from the Nuclear Industry Group, who specialized in nuclear fission, finally gave him some inspiration.

The core idea was borrowed from molten salt reactor nuclear fission power plants.

In a molten salt reactor, the fuel salt is the key component. It serves as both a carrier for the nuclear fuel and a coolant for the nuclear fission reaction. Therefore, during use, it must be dissolved in a fluoride salt coolant to form a fluoride salt.

Following this line of thought, Xu Chuan used the calculation models at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to convert the lithium metal into a molten salt.

By using materials like silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, or silicon dioxide to create dispersed particles and integrating them into the liquid lithium-lead material, he could alter and reduce the electrical conductivity of the liquid lithium-lead while using mathematical methods to increase the tritium breeding ratio of the fusion reactor’s blanket.

Across from him, Peng Hongxi looked at the equations on the blackboard and sighed with admiration. “This is a path that only you could have accomplished.”

The method Xu Chuan was presenting wasn’t some highly advanced or groundbreaking new approach. It was, rather, a deeper dive into the existing method of liquid lithium tritium breeding.

But for decades, no one had been able to provide a complete path. He had done it, which was unique in itself.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s not that big of a deal, really. The pioneers paved the way and had already explored most of the method for liquid lithium tritium breeding. All I did was stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Peng Hongxi shook his head and didn’t continue to chat about it. “I will arrange for this method to be verified as soon as possible. If the tritium self-sustainment problem can also be solved, the hope for controlled nuclear fusion will truly have arrived.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “I’ll have to trouble you then, Elder Peng. The ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device probably won’t have the time to verify this method, but the EAST facility should be able to do it.”

Peng Hongxi nodded. “I’ll go arrange it right now.”

Meanwhile, as Xu Chuan and Peng Hongxi were discussing how to overcome the final hurdle of tritium self-sustainment, in a residential area near Qixia Mountain, an Asian man who looked Chinese but had a subtly different air about him was wandering along the riverside.

He seemed to have a purpose, however, specifically approaching the elderly people who were strolling along Riverside Boulevard.

“Hello, old man. I’m a reporter, and I’d like to interview you. It will be featured in the newspapers and on television later. What do you think?”

The Asian man caught up to an elderly man who was taking a walk to aid his digestion along Riverside Boulevard, asking with what he thought was a friendly smile while showing his “press pass.”

For him, this was a tried-and-true method for getting interviews in China.

As long as you mentioned getting on television or in the papers, making them famous, many people would be happy to oblige.

The strolling elderly man stopped, his aged eyes looking the man up and down a couple of times. Seemingly hard of hearing, he asked, “Inter-what?”

The Asian man replied, “An interview that will get you on TV!”

The elderly man asked, “On TV for what?”

The Asian man shouted, “An interview that will be on TV!”

“An interview for what on TV?” the elderly man asked, his expression still placid.

The Asian man let out a long sigh. So he’d run into a hard-of-hearing old man. He said helplessly, “Never mind, old man. Please carry on. I’ll be on my way.”

Just as he was about to leave, the elderly man grabbed him. His grip was surprisingly strong, and for a moment, the man couldn’t break free.

“Oh, an interview! Can I really be on TV?” the elderly man asked curiously.

The Asian man paused, then nodded quickly. “Of course, you can. Old man, do you know what they’re doing on Qixia Mountain nearby?”

The elderly man let out a huff and complained, “Who knows what they’re up to? There’s banging every night, dong dong dong. I can’t even get a peaceful night’s sleep.”

Hearing this, the Asian man quickly pressed on, “So, old man, do you know what kind of noises they are? What do they sound like?”

The elderly man frowned. “Who cares what the noise sounds like? It’s just dong dong dong.”

The Asian man didn’t press further, assuming the old man was just getting muddled in his old age, especially after he had been messing with him for a while.

“Well then, old man, since you live here at the foot of the mountain, have you seen any airplanes, tanks, or anything like that around here?”

At this question, the elderly man frowned as if in thought.

But just then, two men in plain clothes quickly emerged from the side of Riverside Boulevard and walked straight toward the Asian man who claimed to be a reporter.

Noticing the movement out of the corner of his eye, the Asian man assessed the situation. Feeling that escape was hopeless, he pretended to be calm and continued chatting with the elderly man.

However, the worst-case scenario came to pass. The two burly plainclothes men walked right up and twisted his arms behind his back.

“Ow, let me go! What are you doing! I’m a reporter, I have a press pass!” the Asian man yelled in a panic.

The two burly men ignored him, quickly found a recording device and a hidden camera in his jacket pocket, and then led him away.

Watching the three of them leave, the elderly man who had been strolling on Riverside Boulevard spat on the ground and muttered to himself, “Little bastard. I could tell you were no good from the start. Trying to trick me and pump me for information?”

Ever since China had launched the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project, the number of foreigners in the city of Nanjing had increased significantly, especially around Qixia Mountain, where they were often seen wandering about.

A small number were tourists who had originally planned to visit, but the majority were foreign media reporters, as well as some spies or foreign intelligence personnel.

In recent days, several people had tried to interview the old man to probe for information. He had also had dealings with the plainclothes military personnel, which was why he had immediately realized that this Asian man who looked like a compatriot might not be a citizen. So, he had pulled him into a chat to stall for time.

Sure enough, the security personnel in the area quickly took him away.

To the elderly man, anyone taken away by the security soldiers was a pest trying to disrupt the peace of the Motherland.

It had to be said that the secrecy surrounding the controlled nuclear fusion project was very well-maintained.

Although foreign intelligence personnel had been probing the vicinity, they had not managed to gather any information.

The Qixia Mountain area was like a black hole, swallowing all intelligence.

But this only made other countries more curious, leading them to insert and even bribe more personnel to try and uncover the progress and information here.

Even though every investment vanished without a trace, they gritted their teeth and continued.

After all, this was a technology that could change the entire global landscape.

Chapter 419: All Is Ready, All That’s Missing Is the East Wind

In mid-June, Xu Chuan personally arrived at Luyang Science Island.

The Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project was advancing steadily and in an orderly fashion. Both the ‘Dawnbreaker’ demonstration reactor construction site and the Dawnbreaker Institute were a hive of activity.

As for Xu Chuan, there was only one last problem he needed to solve.

That was to systematically perfect the final hurdle: lithium-neutron tritium breeding.

During the period when the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device required various experiments, the only facility in the country capable of handling Deuterium-Tritium ignition and conducting neutron radiation experiments was the EAST device.

After nearly two months of retrofitting, the EAST device was now completely transformed.

The original niobium-titanium alloy superconducting material for the external field coils had been completely replaced with a high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material produced by the Western Superconducting Group.

The control system had also been fully replaced with the plasma turbulence numerical control model written by Xu Chuan.

Of course, limited by the differences in equipment, the model had to be adjusted, and it certainly couldn’t be perfected in a short amount of time.

Furthermore, compared to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ experimental fusion pile, the current EAST was still missing a first wall material.

Although a suitable manufacturer had been found for the zirconium oxide carbon composite material, production output was temporarily unable to increase due to factors like manufacturing difficulty.

After replacing the entire first wall of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ experimental pile, the subsequent need was to supply first wall material for the Demonstration Reactor Project. There was no surplus production capacity to optimize the EAST device.

However, for the short-term operation of EAST to conduct Deuterium-Tritium fusion and the lithium-neutron tritium breeding and recovery experiment, the lack of these components was not a major issue.

Therefore, as soon as the modifications to the EAST device were complete, Xu Chuan rushed over.

“Are all the preparations complete?”

In the Main control room of the EAST device, Xu Chuan looked down at the steel behemoth below through the massive floor-to-ceiling tempered glass window and asked the new person in charge, Yu Mu, who stood beside him.

Compared to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ experimental pile, the control room here at EAST was actually better constructed.

Not only did it have a complete monitoring and protection system, but one could also see the EAST device directly with the naked eye through the tempered glass.

With a solemn and serious expression, Yu Mu nodded and replied, “All checks have been completed. Please give the order, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan nodded and calmly gave the instruction, “Then let’s begin.”

For him now, a single Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition experiment was no longer something to get excited about.

But for Yu Mu, who had just taken over the Luyang Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, this was arguably the most important event of his life.

As the command was relayed.

The EAST device, slumbering in the core area, awakened.

Liquid helium and liquid nitrogen for cooling began to be injected into the superconducting magnet pipes of the external field coils, immersing the rings of copper-carbon-silver composite superconductors wrapped around the outer tracks of EAST and rapidly lowering the temperature of the superconducting materials.

As the superconducting effect was achieved, a massive electric current began to flow through the coils. With the help of the control coils, a powerful confinement magnetic field formed around the EAST device.

Subsequently, under the microwave action of the ICRF heating antenna, the temperature inside the EAST chamber rose steadily to the hundred-million-degree level.

A pale blue film formed by the fusion of Deuterium-Tritium raw materials flowed at high speed within the reactor chamber, controlled by the external field coils.

The high-energy neutrons born from the fusion penetrated the first wall material and slammed into the liquid lithium molten salt. The 14.1 MeV-class high-energy neutrons, like a cue ball struck with great force on a pool table, continuously bombarded the lithium nuclei within the liquid lithium molten salt.

Particles of tritium were produced, diffusing throughout the liquid lithium molten salt.

Guided along, this liquid lithium molten salt continuously flowed along the blanket. A portion of the liquid lithium molten salt material that had already participated in the reaction flowed out from a guide port and entered the tritium extraction system.

Here, the tritium in the liquid lithium molten salt would be replaced by hydrogen, then purified, concentrated, and transported back to the raw material storage tanks to participate in subsequent Deuterium-Tritium fusion reactions.

At this moment, everyone in the control room couldn’t help but clench their fists.

Even Xu Chuan was staring through the tempered glass at the now-running EAST, which carried the hope of realizing controlled nuclear fusion technology.

[Tritium generation detected! Tritium extraction system operating normally!]

A report broke the silence in the Main control room.

“Beautiful!”

“We did it! We really did it!”

“Tritium self-sustainment! I never thought we’d one day participate in solving such a difficult problem!”

In the control room, the researchers from both the EAST project and the Dawnbreaker project went wild.

The final puzzle piece was in place. They were truly no longer far from achieving controlled nuclear fusion.

Even Xu Chuan, standing in the control room, broke into a brilliant smile.

The liquid lithium molten salt neutron recovery system he had designed was perfectly validated at this moment.

All that remained was to see how high the neutron recovery efficiency could be.

After all, in Deuterium-Tritium controlled nuclear fusion, over eighty percent of the energy is carried away by neutrons. It would be a great pity if this portion of energy could not be utilized.

As the ICRF heating antenna ceased operation, the temperature inside the EAST experimental pile chamber began to drop rapidly.

After the EAST device cooled down, staff in protective suits quickly entered the reaction chamber and removed some of the attached test materials from the first wall.

Since it was a Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition experiment, besides verifying the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system, many other tests could also be conducted.

After the attached test materials were removed, two other teams of staff swiftly moved in.

One team was responsible for completely disassembling the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system deployed in the blanket for inspection.

The other team was responsible for assessing the overall damage to the EAST device.

Conducting a Deuterium-Tritium fusion ignition without the zirconium oxide carbon composite material as a first wall for protection, even with a perfect magnetic field confinement and numerical control model, Xu Chuan estimated that the overall condition of EAST wouldn’t be very good.

After all, the neutron radiation produced by Deuterium-Tritium fusion was simply too terrifying.

In fact, the inspection of EAST confirmed his suspicions.

Not only was the first wall, made of a tungsten-molybdenum alloy, almost completely embrittled, but even the overall structure had been impacted by neutron radiation, suffering varying degrees of damage.

It could be said that after this one experiment, the EAST device was already half-crippled.

But for the progress of controlled nuclear fusion, it had made a tremendous contribution. Even if it were to be retired to a museum for it, it was completely worth it.

Carrying the data collected at the cost of nearly one entire EAST device, Xu Chuan returned to Nanjing.

This data was sufficient for him to optimize the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system.

The next time, it would be ‘Dawnbreaker’ that would conduct a more complete experiment.

However, it was time to write another letter to the higher-ups.

The test of the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system was a success. Although there were still some areas that needed optimization, he believed these were minor issues that could be resolved quickly.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was early July.

The entrance to the demonstration reactor base was bustling with activity.

All kinds of super-heavy-duty transport trucks were parked in the designated area, waiting to unload.

With the Nuclear Industry Group using several times the manpower and working around the clock, the construction of the buildings in the industrial park was already complete. Now, various pieces of equipment were being transported in and deployed to their corresponding locations.

Under the leadership of Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping, two academicians from the Nuclear Industry Group, the magnetohydrodynamic generator sets, conventional ultra-supercritical generator sets, and supercritical generator sets they had redesigned were being installed in an orderly manner.

Standing beside the construction site, Academician Wang Yongnian of the Nuclear Industry Group, who was personally overseeing the command, wore a hard hat. He watched as the magnetohydrodynamic generator was lifted by steel cables and slowly transported towards the power plant building under the traction of a crane’s jib. A heartfelt smile appeared on his wrinkled old face.

To be able to personally realize controlled nuclear fusion technology, even if his role in the entire process was only a very small part, still left him deeply satisfied.

Beside him, Hou Chengping squinted at the equipment being slowly installed and said with a smile, “I originally thought I’d spend the rest of my life with nuclear fission power generation. I never imagined that I’d get to preside over the construction of a nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project in my lifetime.”

Wang Yongnian gazed at the generator sets moving in the distance. After confirming that the assembly was proceeding on schedule without any issues, his lips curled into a rare, broad smile.

“Yes, it’s like a dream.”

After a pause, he continued, “This time last year, I was still researching the fifth-generation controlled nuclear fission power station. I can’t believe that in less than a year, controlled nuclear fusion is about to be realized.”

Hou Chengping smiled and remarked with a sigh, “Compared to that, I’m more curious about what kind of existence that individual is.”

“Over the past six months, the more I’ve interacted with him, the more I feel how unfathomably deep he is. It seems that in every field, he can produce the greatest achievements.”

“Breakthroughs in both theoretical and applied fields… throughout all of history, you probably can’t even count on one hand the number of people who could do that.”

“The most crucial thing is, he’s so young. He’s not even twenty-five this year, is he?”

Hearing this, Academician Wang Yongnian thought for a moment and said, “If I recall correctly, Academician Xu was born in ’97. He’s only 24 this year.”

The two men conversed while watching the installation and deployment of the magnetohydrodynamic generator sets.

Just then, another elderly man in a hard hat walked over.

“Old Wang, Old Hou, I knew I’d find you two here.”

The approaching elderly man greeted them cheerfully, striding forward to playfully punch each of them. Then, he glanced at the magnetohydrodynamic generator set still being installed and said with a laugh, “You guys are a bit slow over here. I’m already done on my end.”

Hearing this, Wang Yongnian was immediately displeased. He shot him a sidelong glance and said, “That low-tech stuff of yours? I could get it done for you in a week.”

The one speaking to them was another academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zeng Jitong, from the State Grid Group.

Although the three of them weren’t colleagues, they had cooperated many times and were quite familiar with each other.

Nuclear power plants were also used for power generation, so people from their Nuclear Industry Group naturally dealt with people from the State Grid Group often.

This Zeng Jitong was great in every way, with a good personality and temper. His only flaw was that he had a bit of a loose tongue and his words weren’t always pleasant to hear.

Just like now, the moment he arrived, he was complaining that their generator assembly was too slow.

Of course, Wang Yongnian had no qualms about firing right back at him.

Hearing Wang Yongnian say his work was low-tech, Zeng Jitong was instantly displeased.

“Well, look at you getting all cocky, Old Wang! Without the converters and grid I built, you wouldn’t generate a damn thing. And another thing, have you even tested this magnetohydrodynamic generator set you designed? It’ll be a real laugh if it can’t generate any power when the time comes.”

Wang Yongnian gave him a detached glance and didn’t bother with him anymore, turning his attention back to directing the installation of the magnetohydrodynamic generator set.

Beside them, Hou Chengping just smiled, not paying it much mind.

They were all old acquaintances. It was just that these two seemed destined to clash, as if their personalities were polar opposites; they bickered every time they met.

Old Wang wasn’t one for words and often responded with silence, while Zeng Jitong, despite his sharp tongue, couldn’t stand being on the receiving end of the silent treatment and would often keep talking.

But the more he talked, the less Wang Yongnian bothered to acknowledge him.

However, this didn’t hinder their work cooperation. Instead, it created an odd couple of bickering frenemies.

As for him, he was perfectly happy to just sit back and watch the drama unfold.

Chapter 420: Time to Give the Higher-Ups a Surprise

Mid-July.

At the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), a national laboratory in the United States, the modified NSTX device was running.

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory originated from a top-secret Cold War project to control thermonuclear reactions—“Project Matterhorn.”

In 1961, after Project Matterhorn was declassified, the associated laboratory was renamed the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

It housed the world’s largest medium-sized spherical Tokamak magnetic confinement nuclear fusion device—the NSTX fusion experimental device.

This device could simulate the high-temperature, high-density plasma conditions found at the center of the sun, achieving fusion reactions under controlled conditions.

According to investigations by the United States, although they hadn’t figured out exactly how that Professor Xu had modified Germany’s ASDEX device, they had managed to obtain some information.

And from the intelligence gathered, Princeton’s spherical NSTX device was the fusion equipment most similar to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device modified by Professor Xu from China.

Coupled with the powerful mathematical capabilities of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and Professor Fefferman’s research on the NS equations, the U.S. Department of Energy had invested a large amount of research funding into the PPPL plasma physics laboratory.

Professor Charles Louis Fefferman of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and Halifax Bruce, the director of the PPPL plasma physics laboratory, stood together, gazing at the various data on the control screen.

Beside them stood a middle-aged man in a suit, Dan Brouillette, the Minister of the Department of Energy.

As time passed, the running NSTX device gradually came to a halt.

“How did it go?”

The moment the NSTX device stopped, Dan Brouillette asked impatiently.

Halifax Bruce shook his head and said, “Not good. We only managed twenty-two minutes of operation, and that was by pushing it to the point of damaging the first wall.”

“Twenty-two minutes? Why is the gap so large?” Dan Brouillette frowned. “We’ve invested over a billion dollars in you. Why can’t you even achieve half of the record Professor Xu set on his first try?”

If this had been two years ago, achieving a twenty-two-minute runtime with the NSTX fusion experimental device would have had both the PPPL Laboratory and the Department of Energy jumping for joy.

Now, however, twenty-two minutes was far too short.

“It’s simple. Because our superconducting materials and the numerical control model for plasma turbulence are still not perfect enough.”

Beside them, Fefferman shrugged and answered in Halifax Bruce’s stead, “If you people hadn’t targeted Professor Xu, given Princeton University’s relationship with him, buying a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material should not have been a problem.”

Thanks to Xu Chuan’s efforts in the field of controlled nuclear fusion and the start of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ Demonstration Reactor Project, these masters in the United States were finally starting to feel the heat.

Funds from Capitol Hill were finally beginning to flow into the various controlled nuclear fusion institutions that had been on the verge of being abandoned, and the Princeton PPPL was one of them.

But even so, Fefferman still held considerable resentment towards these masters from Congress.

Back when Dawnbreaker achieved a two-hour high-density plasma operation, he had suggested to the PPPL that they purchase a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material to upgrade the NSTX device.

However, even with the PPPL Laboratory’s agreement, the Department of Energy had managed to bungle the deal, and the materials were lost.

Although they later bought a batch of superconducting materials from other suppliers that were much better than niobium-titanium alloy, it still couldn’t compare to Dawnbreaker, or even Germany’s Wendelstein 7-X.

Although stellarators are indeed better at controlling plasma than Tokamak-like devices, spherical tokamaks also have their own advantages.

Across from them, Dan Brouillette frowned and said, “There’s no need to rehash things that are already in the past. Besides, optimizing the mathematical model is your job. I don’t care how you do it. I just want to know how far we are from a demonstration reactor.”

Halifax Bruce gave a bitter smile. “No one knows. There are far too many problems to solve between the experimental pile and the demonstration reactor.”

“The runtime of high-temperature plasma, the first wall material’s resistance to neutron radiation, tritium self-sustainment, plasma magnetic surface tearing, and so on. These are all troubles.”

Dan Brouillette took a deep breath and asked, “So why can China do it, and we can’t?”

“Don’t forget, two years ago, we were ahead in the field of controlled nuclear fusion. Where did all your time and funding go?”

“I need a specific timeframe to report back to Congress and the public!”

Halifax quickly retorted, “That’s impossible. There’s no way we can break through so many problems in a short period.”

“If Congress maintains our funding, perhaps we’ll have a chance to start building the demonstration reactor in 2025.”

While the debate raged on at the Princeton PPPL, on the other side of the world, in Nanjing, China.

Xu Chuan was in his office, waiting for the verification results from the supercomputer center while also handling matters related to the construction of the demonstration reactor.

After collecting the data on the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system from EAST, he re-analyzed it.

From the collected data, it was clear that this was indeed the right path.

The liquid lithium, after being mixed with materials like silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide, or silicon dioxide to create dispersed particles, formed a lithium molten salt material.

This new type of lithium molten salt material would liquefy in the high-temperature environment of nearly fifteen hundred degrees Celsius. But because it had lost its metallic properties, it wouldn’t generate an electric current. Thus, it wouldn’t create a magnetic field that could interfere with the external confinement magnetic field, let alone jeopardize the control of plasma turbulence.

Furthermore, during the tritium extraction process, using hydrogen to displace the tritium in the liquid lithium molten salt material to extract it also went quite smoothly.

The only problem was with the intelligent calculation method he had previously designed to increase the tritium breeding ratio of the fusion reactor’s blanket; it had some issues.

This led to less tritium being formed than ideally expected, meaning the utilization of neutrons wasn’t as perfect as it could be.

However, Xu Chuan had designed the initial model based on supercomputer simulations and past experimental data on liquid lithium tritium self-sustainment, so it was normal for it to be imperfect.

Therefore, after returning, Xu Chuan had begun to re-optimize this calculation method. Then he had the Mathematical Physics Model Research Laboratory build a new model based on his optimized mathematical formulas.

Now, he just needed to wait for the verification results from the supercomputer center to confirm whether the new model could be applied to the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system.

His black gel pen signed off on an acceptance report for a steam generator. Xu Chuan then turned to another acceptance report.

As the construction by the Nuclear Industry Group progressed, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ Demonstration Reactor Project was gradually nearing its end.

This was a super project involving over a hundred research institutes, companies, and public institutions. Even with the help of Gao Hongming, Peng Hongxi, and others, he still had to handle a large volume of work every day.

For instance, signing off on acceptance reports for all kinds of completed equipment, coordinating the work of various departments, assigning project priorities, checking the progress of research projects, and so on.

Just then, the red phone on his desk rang.

Xu Chuan casually picked up the phone and answered.

On the other end, the voice of Director Pan Yuansheng, who was in charge of the supercomputer center, came through.

“Academician Xu, the supercomputer center has completed the verification of the new model for the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system. The results have been sent to your email through the internal network.”

Xu Chuan cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, his gel pen quickly signing his name on another document as he replied, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

After speaking, he hung up before the other party could offer a polite reply.

“Let’s see what the results are.”

Pushing aside the documents on his desk, Xu Chuan opened his email, his eyes dancing with a hint of excitement.

Compared to handling tedious administrative work, he much preferred to study some difficult problem.

After all, exploring the unknown is what allows one to advance.

In his inbox, an email from the secure internal network was marked with a star. Xu Chuan clicked it open and began to read it carefully.

A long time passed, his eyes gleaming.

“So that’s how it is. By modifying Serpent-2’s particle tracking principle and neutron-related parameters, and using a helium gas purging and transport technique, the form of the tritium in the liquid lithium molten salt material can be changed.”

Looking at the supercomputer verification data on the screen, a slight curve appeared on Xu Chuan’s lips. He had found the problem and confirmed the optimization direction for the new model.

If there were no accidents, the ignition time could be moved up by quite a bit!

His original plan was to conduct the ignition at the end of 2021 or in the first half of 2022. Now, it seemed the time could be advanced by at least one or two months.

With this thought, he took out a stack of letter paper from his drawer.

It was time to give the higher-ups another surprise!

Chapter 421: Ignition Approved!

Beijing. Mid-July.

For this northern city, the sweltering summer heat had only just begun.

On Chang’an Avenue, the Forbidden City, a famous historical site, was still bustling with people.

At this very moment, in a small to medium-sized estate not far north of the Forbidden City, an elderly man in simple clothes was busy in a field, his sleeves rolled up.

The small vegetable patch was filled with all sorts of vegetables.

Nearby, common fruit trees like apple, apricot, peach, and plum were laden with heavy fruit.

Every summer, as the season reached its peak, leaders of various countries in the Northern Hemisphere would switch their work mode to vacation mode.

“Politicians are human too, they also need rest.” This was said by Cameron, the former prime minister of Great Britain. When he said it, he was enjoying the sun and food on the streets of Portugal with his wife, Samantha.

As the national image of a country, ordinary people often only see their powerful political side, but rarely know what they are like when they rest.

For these people, their vacation lives were a mixed bag. Some were criticized for being “too extravagant,” while others were questioned for putting on a “vacation show.”

However, for those born on this land, the desire to plant something was probably etched into their very bones.

The elderly man cleared the weeds from the vegetable patch, stood up, dusted the soil from his hands, and walked toward the orchard.

In the garden, another man, who looked much older, was munching on a bright red peach.

The elderly man walked over with a smile, turned on the tap to wash his hands, then picked a peach from the basket and began eating it as well.

“How is it, Elder Pan? The ones I planted myself taste pretty good, don’t they?” the elderly man asked with a smile as he ate.

In the garden, the elderly man munching on the homegrown peach across from him was none other than Mr. Pan Deming, a former mathematics professor at Peking University.

This old Academician had long since retired. He was one of the nation’s earliest mathematicians and had participated in various national classified projects, such as building missiles with Elder Qian and launching satellites, earning him great respect.

Across from him, Pan Deming, still eating his peach, chuckled. “It seems you’ve been quite free lately, even in the mood for a break.”

The elderly man smiled and shook his head. “Not exactly free. There’s still plenty to do. But one can’t work around the clock. You have to have some time to rest, right? Just stealing a moment of leisure amidst the busy schedule.”

Pan Deming smiled and asked, “I hear the international situation isn’t looking too optimistic recently?”

The elderly man nodded. “Yes, those countries have tightened some restrictions, but fortunately, we’re still holding on for now.”

Pan Deming asked curiously, “How are things over in Nanjing?”

The elderly man thought for a moment and replied, “From the information I received, progress is quite smooth. The first wall material has been solved. Academician Xu wrote me a letter before, and he’s currently organizing other domestic controlled nuclear fusion research institutions to tackle the last few problems.”

Hearing this, Pan Deming was visibly moved and a little surprised. “The first wall material is solved? I haven’t heard any news reports about this.”

The elderly man smiled. “It was Academician Xu’s request. He was probably concerned about the international impact, so it wasn’t reported through the media.”

Pan Deming remarked with emotion, “He really thinks for the country’s sake.”

The elderly man smiled. “Indeed. It’s a blessing for the nation.”

After a pause, he continued, “From his last letter, it’s possible there’s hope for ignition next year.”

Hearing this, Pan Deming could no longer contain the shock on his face. He couldn’t help but ask, “Next year? Is he serious?”

The elderly man chuckled. “Although I’ve asked many people, and none of them are very optimistic, I still think there’s some hope.”

Hearing this, Pan Deming said with a sigh, “If this is true, then we would truly be witnessing history.”

“Controlled nuclear fusion… I’ve been hearing about it for decades. I never thought I’d have the hope of seeing it realized in my lifetime.”

“Decades ago, when I went to study in the United States, both the United States and the ‘Big Brother’ were already working on this. At the time, many thought it could be achieved in twenty or thirty years at the latest. Who would have thought that even after the ‘Big Brother’ collapsed and we entered a new century, controlled nuclear fusion would instead seem more and more difficult.”

“The eternal fifty years… I never thought I’d actually live to see this day.”

Although he wasn’t a nuclear energy scholar, as one of the country’s top mathematicians, he had participated in the calculations for many nuclear energy projects and understood some of the developments in the field of nuclear fusion both at home and abroad.

From the earliest Tokamak devices to inertial confinement. Then, after the NIF’s ignition failure in the United States poured cold water on the entire direction of inertial confinement, everyone started researching magnetic confinement again, and after that, a whole variety of approaches emerged.

Tokamaks, Stellarators, pebble-bed devices, reversed-field pinches, and magnetic mirrors.

All sorts of different approaches emerged after inertial confinement seemed hopeless.

Of course, the Tokamak and the Stellarator were the two most popular and promising paths among them.

But even so, controlled nuclear fusion still seemed hopeless, earning it the moniker ‘the eternal fifty years’ in the scientific community.

Who would have thought that the young man who once took the world of mathematics by storm was now leading the charge in controlled nuclear fusion and was actually on the verge of succeeding.

Listening to Academician Pan Deming’s emotional remarks, the elderly man grew somewhat curious.

He asked with a smile, “You seem to be very optimistic and confident about him?”

Pan Deming smiled and said, “Don’t forget, the field where he first became famous was mathematics. In the world of mathematics, he has created countless miracles.”

“At seventeen, he solved a world-class problem. At twenty, he cracked one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems and won the Fields Prize in the same year, setting a new record as the youngest-ever recipient.”

“To the field of mathematics, he is like a genius who appeared out of nowhere. Even the likes of Euler and Newton in history were probably only his equal in their youth.”

“If you look at him from the perspective of mathematics, I’m afraid any mathematician would have immense faith in him. To the mathematical community today, he is, you could say, a miracle in himself.”

“So even if he achieves controlled nuclear fusion, I wouldn’t find it strange.”

The elderly man chuckled. “Fortunately, we invited him back all those years ago. A talent like this, if he had been lost to a foreign country, it would be truly unimaginable.”

Hearing this, Pan Deming was also stirred by a memory and couldn’t help but smile.

Back in 2018, he was still able to fly to Sweden for the Crafoord Prize award ceremony to see that young man and to resolve some of the friction between Peking University and him.

Now… now all he could do was stay at home and enjoy his retirement.

The two elderly men chatted in the garden, reminiscing about the past.

Just then, a guard hurried in from outside the courtyard.

“Leader, Director Gao Hongming has come from Nanjing. He says he has something very urgent to discuss with you, regarding Academician Xu.” The guard reported quickly after walking up to the elderly man.

Hearing this, the elderly man’s expression tensed, thinking something had gone wrong. He said quickly, “Have him come in at once.”

“Yes, sir!” The guard saluted and jogged quickly toward the courtyard entrance.

It wasn’t a long wait. Accompanied by the guard, Gao Hongming walked in swiftly, his face filled with excitement and joy. The elderly man was slightly taken aback when he saw him, and the stone that had been weighing on his heart was immediately lifted.

It seemed nothing bad had happened to Academician Xu.

“What’s the matter? Why the rush?” the elderly man asked with a smile.

Gao Hongming’s face was a picture of excitement and elation. He quickly took a letter from an inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to the elderly man, saying, “The latest good news from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project! Academician Xu has solved the final problem of tritium self-sustainment! The Demonstration Reactor Project has now entered the final phase of equipment assembly and debugging!”

Hearing this, the elderly man’s pupils contracted slightly. He swiftly took the letter from Gao Hongming’s hand, tore open the envelope, and took out the letter paper inside.

【Esteemed Leader,】

【Greetings. Recently, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has once again achieved a major breakthrough.】

【Building on the solution to the first wall material problem, and through the tireless efforts of the many researchers at the Dawnbreaker Institute, we have found a technology suitable for recycling and reusing tritium in a controlled nuclear fusion reactor—‘Liquid Lithium Molten Salt Tritium Breeding Technology’.】

【This technology is of critical importance to controlled nuclear fusion, filling in the last missing piece of our important puzzle. With this, we have now mastered the vast majority of the pieces of the puzzle for controlled nuclear fusion technology.】

【Furthermore, the construction of the Dawnbreaker Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor is also entering its final stages, with the relevant equipment undergoing final assembly and debugging.】

【Therefore, I am writing now, in my capacity as the overall director of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, to apply to the Central Government for permission to conduct a fusion ignition test for the Dawnbreaker Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor in the latter half of this year!】

【We request the Central Government’s approval!】

The letter was not very long; a single page contained everything.

But the arrival of this letter made the elderly man, who was supposed to be on vacation, burst into hearty laughter, all his past worries completely vanishing.

“Good!”

“Good!”

“Good!”

“This is truly wonderful!”

The elderly man was unusually emotional, not even minding his composure in front of Pan Deming and Gao Hongming.

After the joy and excitement passed, the elderly man took a deep breath, composed himself, faced Gao Hongming, stood up straight, and gave the order with a steady voice.

【The Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project is approved for ignition!】

Chapter 422: The Final Preparations!

Following the directive from the higher-ups, the official approval documents passed through all reviews with maximum speed and were delivered to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

Simultaneously, security around the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base was immediately elevated to the highest alert level.

Xu Chuan took the approval documents from Gao Hongming, glanced through them, and placed them on his desk.

For him, such documents were no longer anything out of the ordinary.

“By the way, Academician Xu, have you decided on a time for the demonstration reactor’s ignition?”

Gao Hongming asked in the office after delivering the documents.

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Not yet. It depends on the overall progress of the Demonstration Reactor Project.”

“However, the forecast is around October.”

Gao Hongming nodded. “That’s all fine, but could I trouble you to give me or Colonel Zhou, who is in charge of security, a heads-up a few days in advance once you’ve set the date?”

“After all, the demonstration reactor ignition is a major event. We need to notify the Nanjing Municipal Government to coordinate traffic management, security, and public relations.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded and said, “That’s no problem. Once the work on the demonstration reactor is complete and I can confirm a date, I’ll let you know.”

Gao Hongming nodded. “Thank you for your trouble, Academician Xu.”

“It’s nothing.”

After the brief pleasantry, Xu Chuan picked up his gel pen, ready to get back to his work, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Gao Hongming was still standing in his office.

Lifting his head, he looked over curiously and asked, “Is there anything else, Director Gao?”

Gao Hongming took a deep breath and asked tentatively, “Well, Academician Xu, given your demanding work schedule and somewhat unstable lifestyle and sleep patterns, the senior leadership has tasked me with arranging a personal medical assistant for you, to ensure your health. What do you think?”

He wasn’t the only one with a headache over arranging a personal assistant for Xu Chuan; the higher-ups were wrestling with it too.

Normally, for scholars and researchers at the academician level, the higher-ups would assign a personal assistant. Alternatively, they were usually older, had families, or had housekeepers to take care of their daily needs.

But the man before him was an exception.

He was only twenty-two when he was elected as an Academician.

For most people, that’s an age when they’ve just graduated from university.

Not only was it difficult to find a suitable candidate to be his personal assistant, but more importantly, he seemed very resistant to the idea.

Back when he was leading the ‘’Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Technology Project,’ the higher-ups had proposed assigning him a personal assistant, but he had refused every single time.

Perhaps it was because he was young and not used to such arrangements?

In any case, all their pleading was useless. Forget a personal assistant; he wouldn’t even agree to a housekeeper to cook and clean for him at his villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain.

As a result, this famous Academician often relied on takeout for his meals.

Honestly, if you told someone this, they might not even believe it.

But the higher-ups were in a bind. It wasn’t that they didn’t provide one; it was that he truly didn’t want one.

So this time, Gao Hongming was still full of trepidation when he brought it up, afraid he would be rejected yet again.

But as the saying goes, what you fear most is what’s most likely to happen.

Sure enough, upon hearing the request, Xu Chuan refused outright without even a moment’s thought.

“Forget it. It’s not like I can’t take care of myself. A personal assistant is unnecessary, so let’s just drop it.”

To him, “personal assistant” had always been a distant concept, something he’d only heard about on TV long ago.

Besides, he honestly didn’t like the idea of a stranger living in his house.

Forget a strange personal assistant; even Zheng Hai, who had been his driver for two or three years, had never stayed at his house.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s reply, Gao Hongming shook his head with a wry smile.

His mission from the higher-ups had failed once again.

Fortunately, the senior leadership was well aware of his personality. This wasn’t a mandatory order, just a tentative inquiry in case he had changed his mind.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it any mind. After receiving the approval for the demonstration reactor’s ignition, he threw himself back into his work.

After the fully optimized liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system was confirmed to have no issues through supercomputer simulations, it underwent practical testing on the Dawnbreaker experimental pile.

Zhao Hongzhi delivered the experimental data to Xu Chuan at the earliest opportunity.

“Academician Xu, the test data for the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system is out.”

“We used a 567 mg Nb activation foil to monitor the neutron source. The foil was placed at a 30° angle to the right of the neutron emission direction, at a distance of 22.6 cm from the target.”

“The D-beam energy was 250 keV. After correcting for D-T reaction anisotropy and rotating target decay, the calculated activation reaction rate R of the Nb foil at that point was 6.26×10⁻²⁹. Combined with the irradiation and measurement conditions, the total integrated neutron yield was calculated to be 4.68×10¹⁵ neutrons.”

Listening to Zhao Hongzhi’s report, Xu Chuan flipped directly to the final statistical table for the TBR value.

The TBR value, or tritium breeding ratio, is a crucial indicator for measuring the blanket’s ability to achieve tritium self-sustainment and is one of the key design parameters for a fusion reactor.

Taking into account factors such as tritium decay, retention, leakage, circulation extraction efficiency, and burn-up, the fusion reactor blanket’s TBR must be greater than 1.1 to perfectly achieve tritium self-sustainment and maintain the reactor’s operation.

[Fusion Reactor Blanket TBR Value Statistics: MCNP: 1.2701]

[Fusion Reactor Blanket TBR Value Statistics: MCNP: 1.2897]

Seeing these two data points, a brilliant smile spread across Xu Chuan’s face.

“Using the same CFETR neutronics model and the FENDL-3.1b database, the TBR values calculated by the two software packages under identical sampling conditions have a difference of less than 0.1%.”

“This is excellent data. Theoretically, it’s more than enough to meet the operational requirements of the fusion reactor.”

Across from him, Zhao Hongzhi also said excitedly, “We’ve secured all the core pieces of the puzzle. All that’s left is to assemble them!”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “Theoretically, yes. But to ensure the success of the demonstration reactor’s ignition, we need to do even better.”

“So, between now and October 1st, the Dawnbreaker Institute has a heavy workload.”

“We must double-check every problem we’ve already solved, every single technology, to ensure that absolutely nothing can go wrong!”

His heart racing with excitement, Zhao Hongzhi replied, “No problem! We guarantee we’ll complete the mission!”

Chapter 423: Ignition!

The days passed one by one. Through the joint efforts of the Dawnbreaker Experimental Reactor Project Base and the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project Base, late September had arrived.

In his office, Xu Chuan signed the last work report on his desk, then put down his gel pen and stood up to stretch.

Outside the glass window, a fighter jet roared past overhead Qixia Mountain, its sound deafening.

Ever since the directive had come down from the higher-ups, this sound had become a regular occurrence.

For the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, located inland and not in a coastal area, the most likely source of any unexpected incident would be from the Yangtze River or the sky.

Therefore, the troops in charge of security had established a rigorous protection plan.

They had considered every possible scenario and had made adequate preparations to respond.

As the day drew closer, the engineers and researchers of the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor began their final inspections of the reactor and its related equipment.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean in Washington.

At the White House, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside the President’s office.

Carrying a file of intelligence, CIA Director William Joseph Burns burst in without even knocking.

The elderly President, woken from his afternoon nap, frowned and shot him an inquisitive look. “What happened?”

William Joseph Burns quickly stepped forward, handed over the file, and took a deep breath. “The latest intelligence suggests that China may be planning to ignite its demonstration reactor sometime in October.”

“That’s impossible!”

The elderly President, still groggy from being woken up, was suddenly wide awake, his face a mask of astonishment.

William Joseph Burns said bitterly, “But there’s no mistake in our intelligence. This information was incredibly difficult to obtain, and it’s very accurate.”

The elderly President took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He flipped through the intelligence file in his hand and then asked, “I need a more precise time, and more intelligence!”

“Also, convene an emergency meeting this afternoon. I will have the major controlled nuclear fusion agencies send representatives to assess the progress of China’s Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor. You will need to provide them with accurate, corresponding intelligence.”

William Joseph Burns nodded solemnly. “I’ll go prepare right away.”

After the CIA Director left, the elderly President leaned back in his office chair and stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Even though it was his nap time, he no longer felt the slightest bit sleepy.

It was already late September. If ignition was happening around October, and if this was true, then there wasn’t much time left for the United States.

Back in Nanjing.

In this golden autumn season, with the fragrance of osmanthus in the air, the annual National Day was fast approaching.

At the foot of Qixia Mountain, within the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project Base, everyone was busy working in a tense but orderly fashion.

What was a Golden Week holiday for others was, for the people working here, also the most anticipated day of the year.

Within the base, researchers and garrisoned troops alike were methodically carrying out their duties at their respective posts.

Three days ago, the entire Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base, including both the experimental and demonstration reactor sites, had entered a state of ultimate alert.

Two full regimental units, drawn from the Nanjing Military Region, were protecting the area so tightly that even a mosquito flying through the sky would be locked onto by the phased-array radar.

Squads of fully-armed soldiers patrolled endlessly both inside and outside the base, eliminating all potential threats and security risks.

At the same time, inside the core building housing the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor, engineers from the Nuclear Industry Group and researchers from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project were methodically conducting their final checks on all the equipment.

Elsewhere, in the Main control room of the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor, Xu Chuan was personally overseeing and simulating the next day’s ignition procedure.

In fact, since the beginning of September, this was not the first time they had conducted such a simulated ignition drill. Every staff member and Work Group in every post had long since committed their scope of work and operational procedures to memory.

The repeated drills were simply to ensure that tomorrow would be absolutely foolproof.

In the Main control room, after a long time had passed and all simulation drills were once again complete, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief and said, “Thank you for your hard work today, everyone. Go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, we face a real battle!”

“Yes, sir!”

A chorus of replies, as disciplined as a military command, rang out in the Main control room.

As the sound faded, the various groups and staff members began to check their work before leaving in an orderly manner.

For everyone here, tomorrow would undoubtedly be the day their hearts would race with the most excitement in their entire lives.

Success or failure, they would all be recorded in the annals of history.

In the Main control room, Xu Chuan also packed up his things and, accompanied by Zheng Hai, walked out.

Ever since the approval for the demonstration reactor’s ignition had been granted, his security detail had been significantly upgraded. Fortunately, having experienced this before while heading the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project, he had adapted quite well.

Just as he stepped out the main door, a familiar elderly man with a smile came into view.

Seeing him, Xu Chuan quickened his pace and said respectfully, “Hello, senior leadership.”

The elderly man smiled and patted his shoulder. “No need to be so formal. I just came to have a look. How is everything? Is it all going smoothly?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “We’ve run several simulation drills. We’re just waiting for tomorrow.”

The elderly man laughed heartily. “Good, good, that’s really wonderful! Thank you for your hard work.”

Pausing for a moment, the elderly man continued, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It doesn’t matter whether tomorrow’s ignition is a success or a failure.”

“We still have plenty of time, and you are still very young. You have a long future ahead of you.”

To the higher-ups, even if tomorrow’s ignition failed, it wasn’t a huge deal.

The core problems of controlled nuclear fusion had already been solved. A failure tomorrow would merely be a stepping stone to success the day after.

Besides, when it came to scientific research, when was success ever one hundred percent guaranteed?

It was quite normal for the input and output to be completely disproportionate. In fact, research projects that yielded no results at all were not unheard of.

So, for tomorrow’s ignition, they could accept either success or failure.

But at the same time, they worried that if an accident occurred during ignition, this exceptionally young genius academic might not be able to withstand the blow.

If he were to have some sort of breakdown because of one failed ignition, that would be a truly unacceptable loss for the country.

That was why the elderly man had made a special trip. On one hand, it was to witness the light of fusion tomorrow; on the other, it was a precautionary measure. If something went wrong, he could be there to counsel him immediately.

Xu Chuan naturally understood the meaning behind the elderly man’s words. He smiled and said, “Thank you for your concern, senior leadership. To me, these are all necessary paths in life. There won’t be any problem.”

He wasn’t truly a young man. He had experienced many setbacks on the path of scientific research. Coupled with the twenty years of his past life spent stranded in the United States, his heart had long been forged to be as firm as a rock.

The elderly man smiled. “I won’t disturb you any longer. Get a good rest. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.”

Xu Chuan nodded, bid the elderly man farewell, and walked away.

The night was both short and long.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, everyone in the base was already out of bed.

The familiar morning routine of washing up was today accompanied by a quickening heartbeat, and everyone instinctively hurried through their tasks.

Before seven o’clock, with more than two hours to go until the actual ignition, staff from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, the Nuclear Industry Group, the State Grid, and other units were already at their posts.

Outside the base, patrolling soldiers took over from their teammates, their concentration fixed on every single detail.

Inside the base, Xu Chuan and the elderly man walked side-by-side into the Main control room of the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project.

CTV cameras were pointed in their direction, recording this precious moment.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the media reporters. He walked calmly to the center of the Main control room, tested his headset, and said in a clear, powerful voice, “All units and groups, report your status.”

[External field coils adjustment complete! Ready to start at any time!]

[Plasma turbulence numerical control model adjustment complete! Dawnbreaker supercomputer state is normal!]

[Water-cooled divertor adjustment complete, state is normal!]

[ICRF heating antenna state is normal!]

[First wall system check complete, all systems nominal.]

[…]

A series of reports sounded in his ears, voices filled with excitement, suppressing their elation and trembling.

Everyone knew what today’s work represented.

Standing in the Main control room, Xu Chuan listened carefully to each report. After all groups had finished and everything was confirmed, he took another deep breath and issued a new command with a steady voice.

“Attention all units and groups! Proceed with the experiment in an orderly manner according to the work plan!”

“Received!”

“Received!”

“…”

With the new command given, the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor awoke from its slumber, gazing out at a new world.

[External field coils stable, liquid nitrogen and liquid helium injection in progress!]

[Dawnbreaker supercomputer starting up, Deuterium-Tritium plasma turbulence numerical control model beginning operation!]

[…]

[Steady-state magnetic field formed, confinement magnetic field undergoing fine-tuning.]

[ICRF heating antenna preparations complete, ready for ignition at any time!]

[…]

[Confinement magnetic field adjustment complete!]

[Deuterium-Tritium fuel has been injected!]

[…]

The procedures, which had been simulated countless times before, were carried out one by one. Finally, after a time that felt both brief and eternal, after the Deuterium-Tritium fuel was injected into the chamber of the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor, they arrived at the final step.

Now, all that was needed was to press the red switch on the main console, activate the final ICRF heating antenna, and witness the ultimate miracle.

Standing before the main console, staring at the screen in front of him, Xu Chuan’s heart pounded.

For some reason, at this moment, he suddenly felt a little lost.

Was the dream of two lifetimes about to be realized at this very moment?

Nervous?

Of course.

No one could face this ultimate moment without being nervous.

Hesitant?

Perhaps, but no matter what, hope was right before his eyes.

Standing beside Xu Chuan, the elderly man, his face slightly flushed, seemed to sense what the young man before him was feeling.

As their eyes met, he gave a slight nod, his gaze full of encouragement.

Feeling that powerful gaze, Xu Chuan nodded firmly, took a deep breath, and glanced around at the crowd in the Main control room.

There, everyone’s eyes met his, filled with anticipation and excitement.

From 1970, when China embarked on the path of controlled nuclear fusion research, a full fifty years had passed.

Half a century had witnessed the efforts of generation after generation.

The door to their dream was right in front of them.

Pushing it open would reveal a new world.

Chapter 424: Shining Like a Star!

Standing before the main console, Xu Chuan gazed at the button in front of him and took another deep breath. His voice trembled slightly as he began to speak.

“Everyone, it is an honor to stand here with you today and witness a historical miracle.”

“No matter what the future holds, no matter today’s outcome, we will all go down in history!”

The two short, trembling sentences made everyone hold their breath, their eyes fixed on the figure before the main console.

Xu Chuan hesitated no longer and pressed the button with force.

The CTV Media reporter, who had been watching closely, quickly pressed the shutter, capturing this historic moment.

With the activation of the ICRF heating antenna, the temperature inside the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor chamber began to rise steadily.

The Deuterium-Tritium fuel, which had already been fed in, rapidly transformed into plasma and was then confined within the pitch-black chamber by the magnetic field from the external field coils.

As the temperature continued to climb, a faint light began to glow in the pitch-black reactor chamber, like the dawn of the universe.

A tranquil, mysterious blue shimmered within the chamber, as beautiful as a galaxy, and like a galaxy, it was giving birth to a star.

A short time passed. As the ICRF heating antenna continued to raise the temperature, the final moment at last arrived.

At this instant, a light that shone like a star, energy as vast as a sea of stars, burst forth from the fusing atoms. It was brilliant, illuminating the entire universe like a supernova.

In the Main control room, Xu Chuan gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, his eyes glued to the screen on the main console.

There were no commands, no cheers. Everyone remained at their posts, continuing their work according to the pre-arranged procedures.

The biggest difference between the demonstration reactor and the test reactor or experimental pile was that the demonstration reactor was a complete, integrated system.

From controlling the high-temperature plasma turbulence in the reactor chamber, to achieving fusion, to using neutron radiation for tritium self-sustainment, and then channeling the heat from the chamber to generate power—every process of controlled nuclear fusion technology could be found in the demonstration reactor.

They had now achieved ignition. The next step was to control this star-like energy.

In the Main control room, everyone was working at their posts.

The CTV Media reporter seized the opportunity to take a few more photos, then quickly retreated to a corner to avoid disturbing anyone’s work.

Standing before the main console, Xu Chuan waited in silence.

[External field coils status: Normal. Steady-state magnetic field output: Stable!]

[Deuterium-Tritium fusion reaction detected!]

[First wall neutron radiation detected! First wall status: Stable!]

[Helium-3 observation system operating normally. Plasma in chamber observed to be stable!]

[Liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system operating normally. Tritium generation detected!]

[…]

Report after report echoed through the Main control room. Each voice was filled with excitement and trembled, pushing the atmosphere in the room to its climax.

Standing before the main console, Xu Chuan didn’t know how long he had been waiting.

Finally, a trembling voice made his eyes light up.

[Tritium recovery system operating normally. Tritium has been recovered from the liquid lithium molten salt tritium breeding system!]

This was the ultimate goal of the first ignition.

The recovery of tritium meant that the entire cycle, aside from power generation, was complete.

Although it was still an experiment and they couldn’t yet determine the neutron utilization efficiency or the tritium self-sustainment and recovery efficiencies, the goal of the first ignition had been achieved.

Tritium self-sustainment is one of the most critical cores of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Only by achieving this could the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor operate continuously for long periods.

After all, relying on external sources to supply tritium, as they did with deuterium, was simply impossible.

Only by solving the problem of tritium self-sustainment would controlled nuclear fusion be truly viable.

Otherwise, even if they achieved ignition, power generation, and output, they couldn’t sustain its operation for a long time.

The first ignition run would not be very long.

Using the tritium recovery system as the benchmark, twenty minutes was enough time for it to gather sufficient data. This data would be enough to determine key metrics like neutron utilization efficiency and tritium recovery values.

Once this time limit was reached, Xu Chuan decisively issued the command.

“All units and teams, attention. Cease operation of the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor.”

“Roger!”

“Roger!”

“…”

As the input of Deuterium-Tritium fuel ceased and the ICRF antenna stopped heating, the temperature in the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor chamber began to decrease rapidly and steadily.

Excess heat was quickly vented by the water-cooled divertor, and the plasma in the reactor chamber rapidly returned to its normal state before being expelled through the helium ash port.

From this point on, the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor would cease operation for thirty minutes.

During this time, the engineers would conduct a preliminary inspection of the overall condition of the demonstration reactor and its related equipment to assess its state after the first ignition.

Meanwhile, researchers from the tritium recovery system team would use the supercomputer to quickly process and calculate the tritium recovery data, determining whether the fusion reactor blanket’s TBR value met the standard.

If all went well, the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor would be restarted in half an hour.

The second ignition would achieve today’s second and final goal: connecting to the generator sets to complete the full-cycle power generation!

The Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor was shut down, but the staff of all units and teams remained at their posts.

Thirty minutes might not have seemed long on any other day. But today, in this race against time, it felt as long as a century.

Finally, the overall inspection results for the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor came in first.

A still-warm document was quickly delivered by Zhao Hongzhi.

Filled with excitement and exhilaration, his voice trembled as he reported the results to Xu Chuan: “Report, the shutdown inspection of the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor is complete. The reactor and all associated equipment are in good condition! There is no significant damage to the first wall material or structural materials. We can proceed with the next ignition test!”

Xu Chuan nodded, took the report, and began to read it carefully.

The demonstration reactor was in good condition, and there was no significant radiation damage to the first wall or structural materials. This was within expectations.

However, hearing it confirmed after today’s ignition experiment was still a cause for joy.

After waiting a while longer, the data from the tritium recovery system, compiled with the help of numerous researchers and the Dawnbreaker supercomputer, was finally ready.

Academician Duan Jianming, who was in charge of this area, immediately brought over the data, which had been verified by the supercomputer.

[Fusion reactor blanket TBR value statistics: MCNP: 1.3398]

[Fusion reactor blanket TBR value statistics: MCNP: 1.3406]

Seeing these two figures, a smile finally appeared on Xu Chuan’s face.

The fusion reactor blanket’s average TBR value was above 1.3! This was nearly 0.05 points higher than the tritium self-sustainment and recovery experiments conducted on the Dawnbreaker experimental pile. The result was perfect.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan stood up and issued a new command.

“All units and teams, attention. The second round of the demonstration reactor ignition will now commence!”

As the command was relayed, the steel behemoth resting quietly in the core area once again let out its unique roar.

The repeated procedure went smoothly, and all indicators quickly returned to their standard states.

Watching the data and images on the main control screen, Xu Chuan calmly issued the next command.

“Generator sets, attention. Connect to the system in one minute. Please be ready!”

Judging from the operational data of the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor, everything was perfect.

Now, it was time to flip the final switch and unleash its limitless energy!

The clear command was transmitted via headset to the personnel at the generator sets. In another control room on the other side of the Demonstration Reactor Project base, Academicians Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping looked at each other and nodded.

It was their turn!

Although they couldn’t be in the Main control room to witness history, they too bore a mission of the utmost importance.

All preparations were complete, just waiting for the final moment.

One minute wasn’t long. When the countdown ended, the staff member sitting at the computer pressed their finger, which had long been hovering over the button.

The thermal energy was channeled towards the generator sets.

For controlled nuclear fusion power generation and conventional nuclear fission power generation, setting aside the magnetohydrodynamic generator sets, the process of generating electricity is not fundamentally different.

Both methods involve channeling the heat produced by nuclear energy to the generator sets. This heat is then used by a steam generator to heat liquid water into steam, which in turn drives a steam turbine. This converts thermal energy into mechanical energy. The steam turbine then spins a generator, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

As for magnetohydrodynamic generator sets, they operate on a different principle.

Of course, there are still differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission power generation.

For example, to control power output, nuclear fission uses control rods to moderate the rate of reaction in the reactor, absorbing neutrons to slow the reaction and reduce thermal output.

With nuclear fusion, however, you simply input as much Deuterium-Tritium fuel into the reactor chamber as is needed for the desired amount of electricity and heat.

As long as the reactor chamber’s tolerance limit is not exceeded, and as long as you have enough accompanying generator sets, a single controlled nuclear fusion device can power an extremely large number of them.

With the connection of a set of magnetohydrodynamic and conventional generator units, a new phase of the experiment began.

When the star-like energy from the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor was channeled out, the generator sets deployed nearby began to run smoothly!

The fuel, heated into plasma, flowed rapidly through pipes to the magnetohydrodynamic generator sets, cutting across magnetic field lines at high speed and converting into a continuous stream of electrical energy.

But this was not the end. The plasma, having already gone through one round of power generation, still contained a considerable amount of energy. It would be guided towards the ultra-supercritical and supercritical generator sets to continue its mission, contributing every last bit of its heat.

In the Main control room, Xu Chuan’s eyes were fixed on the screen, waiting for good news.

Finally, a resounding report rang in everyone’s ears.

[Number One magnetohydrodynamic generator set operating normally! High-temperature plasma cutting magnetic field lines detected! Electrical output detected!]

[Number One ultra-supercritical generator set operating normally! Steam generator temperature has reached the critical point! Steam turbine activated! Electrical output detected!]

[Number One supercritical generator set operating normally! Steam generator temperature has reached the critical point! Steam turbine activated! Electrical output detected!]

[Number One combined generator set load has reached full capacity. Total power generation has reached its peak!]

Chapter 425: The Light of Fusion!

When the report from the number one combined generator set came back.

When that clear yet trembling voice reported back, the Main control room fell silent for a moment.

But less than a second later, cheers erupted like a tidal wave.

Everyone embraced, cheered, threw their arms in the air in fervent celebration, and shouted at the top of their lungs.

“We did it!”

“We succeeded!”

The peak load of the number one generator set was proof enough that they had mastered this energy, a power as dazzling as a star!

When the external energy gain factor was greater than one, when the energy from the number one generator set was fed back into the ICFR heating antenna, when a complete internal fusion cycle had formed and was capable of outputting energy!

They had succeeded!

Deafening cheers erupted in the Main control room.

They were victorious! They had won this arduous battle and witnessed the greatest miracle in history!

Standing beside Xu Chuan, watching the ecstatic crowd in the Main control room, Peng Hongxi sniffled, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. His wrinkled old face was already flushed crimson.

Decades of work, the goal of the latter half of his life, had found its most perfect answer in this moment. All the past efforts, grievances, and emotions were released at this instant.

Standing next to Xu Chuan, a joyous smile spread across the elderly man’s face.

Although his composure kept him from celebrating as wildly as the others, his inner excitement, elation, and joy reached their peak all the same.

Gazing at the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile’s stable output on the screen before the main console, and looking at the joyous faces in the Main control room, Xu Chuan smiled, a tear of joy he hadn’t noticed trickling down his cheek.

The dream of two lifetimes was realized in this moment.

All the regrets and ambitions of his previous life were fulfilled at this instant.

He had not failed himself, nor had he failed the hopes the Motherland had placed in him.

From this moment on, the spark of controlled fusion was ignited on this Eastern continent that had birthed and raised him!

From this moment on, the energy shackles binding the Motherland were melted away by the brilliant starlight within the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor!

From this moment on, no person, no country could ever again hinder her ascent. The Five-star Red Flag would forever fly over this land!

Inexpensive electricity and clean energy would bring about a revolutionary change for the Motherland and for the entire world.

Carbon neutrality, desertification, environmental pollution—none of these would be problems anymore.

Bathed in this light, as brilliant as that of a star, they would never stop advancing!

The future was filled with infinite hope!

October first, on this day for the nation and families to reunite.

After a leisurely day off, most people chose to lie on their beds, sofas, or elsewhere, scrolling through their phones, reading novels, or watching TV and movies.

No one yet knew what awaited them on this special day.

Beijing, Fuxing Road.

6:50 in the afternoon.

In Studio One of CTV, a male and a female host were looking at their scripts, making their final, tense preparations.

If the news hadn’t arrived a few hours earlier, giving him enough time to process it, Pan Qiang doubted he would be able to host smoothly today.

Even with several hours to digest it, his heart was still pounding.

After all, the news from Nanjing was simply too astonishing; to call it earth-shattering would be no exaggeration.

Under the leadership of the internationally renowned scholar, Nobel laureate, Fields Medalist, and Academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Academician Xu Chuan, China’s Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project in Nanjing has achieved successful ignition!

The spark of controlled nuclear fusion had been lit for the first time on this land of China, and for the first time on this blue planet.

Following the Central Government’s directive, to ensure the news of the successful controlled fusion ignition could be broadcast to the entire nation and even the world at the earliest possible moment, the News Department had made the most thorough preparations.

Several versions of the script and broadcast plans had been prepared to ensure the news could be reported smoothly and immediately.

Sitting in front of the camera, behind the announcer’s desk, Pan Qiang took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

After confirming he was ready, he turned to his partner. They exchanged a look and nodded, signaling that they were both prepared.

“Xiao Pan, Xiao Xia, one minute to airtime. Are you ready?”

In the studio, the Station Director stood behind the camera and asked the two hosts seated at their desk.

He was personally overseeing today’s broadcast; he had to ensure that absolutely nothing went wrong!

The two hosts, Pan Qiang and Dai Caixia, nodded in unison. They looked practicedly into the camera, and with their familiar, standard smiles, began today’s broadcast.

“Good evening, Viewers. Today is October first. Welcome to the program. First, let’s review today’s main stories…”

Just like countless broadcasts before, after the male host’s introduction, the female host smoothly took over.

“Today, on this special day of nationwide celebration, the Nanjing Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project, led by our country’s internationally renowned scholar, Nobel laureate, Fields Medalist, and Academician of both the Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor Xu Chuan, has achieved successful ignition!”

As Dai Caixia spoke, the Xinwen Lianbo broadcast cut to a new scene.

A short clip was inserted, showing the exact moment Xu Chuan pressed the ignition button in the Main control room.

Like a silent animation, the clip seemed to have been muted for security reasons. Other than the voice announcing the ignition from the main console, there were no other sounds.

But whether it was the audience watching Xinwen Lianbo at home or the people in the studio, everyone could feel the excitement, tension, elation, and earnestness of the people in the Main control room.

It was a silent battle!

Back in the Xinwen Lianbo studio, the male host, Pan Qiang, smoothly picked up the thread, continuing in a clear voice full of affinity and credibility:

“The Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project is a nuclear fusion project personally led by Academician Xu Chuan. It was officially launched in July 2019, and after a long period of struggle…”

“…”

“Currently, the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion demonstration reactor is operating stably. The conversion of fusion to electrical energy is complete, achieving a perfect success. According to the plan, the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor will gradually connect to the State Grid in one month to complete the grid integration process.”

“According to reports, the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor is equipped with four generator sets of twenty million kilowatts each, with a peak power output of eighty million kilowatts.”

As the Xinwen Lianbo report continued, the inserted footage updated.

When the footage showed the researchers in the Main control room cheering and embracing in excitement, the voices of the two hosts in the studio also grew more impassioned.

“The wheels of history roll forward, and the march of the times never ceases.”

“Today is a day that will be recorded in the annals of history. History will forever remember this hard-won, great moment. It will also forever remember the great scholars who dedicated their youths to controlled nuclear fusion.”

“This time, we stand at the forefront of the world. We have witnessed a historical miracle, turned the page to a new era, and welcomed a new age and a new journey.”

“This time, the spark of controlled nuclear fusion has illuminated the entire world, and it has illuminated the future of humanity!”

Chapter 426: World-Shocking News

Along with the news broadcast, another message was sent out. The Weibo account for the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, registered when the project was launched two years ago, posted a short message at precisely seven o’clock.

【We have lived up to expectations. Ignition successful!】

In that instant, the entire internet erupted.

Almost all mainstream media outlets and tech bloggers who saw the news quickly reposted the message.

The news spread as fast as thought itself.

Like the ignited light of fusion, it rapidly illuminated and spread across this land of China.

In just a few short minutes, the entire internet was bombarded by this sudden announcement.

Countless people just watching the drama unfold were stunned into a stupor by the earth-shattering news, even wondering if it was an April Fool’s Day joke, a massive prank coordinated by the media.

【Holy shit??????】

【What the f—! Controlled nuclear fusion ignition? What’s going on!!! Is it for real?!】

【Hiss! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in my lifetime!】

【October 1st! National Day! Controlled nuclear fusion ignition! I’m floored! I couldn’t have even dreamed of this!】

【Oh my god, did I time travel? Am I a hundred years in the future? Can someone please tell me if today is October 2021 or October 2121??】

【Witnessing controlled nuclear fusion ignition… when my friend kicked me awake to tell me the news, I was completely dumbfounded!】

【Awesome! Thumbs up for God Chuan! He’s incredible!】

【I was just saying how we haven’t seen God Chuan show off in the scientific community for the past two years. Turns out he was quietly preparing something this huge!】

【As a freshman at Nanjing University this year! I’m heading to the library to study right now! I can’t bring shame to my senior student!】

【Keep it up! If the youth are strong, the nation is strong! If the youth are wise, the nation is wise!】

【The people of Xiangnan send their congratulations! God Chuan is one of us!】

【The people of Nanjing send their congratulations! The Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor is right here on Qixia Mountain! Electricity bills are about to drop! Soon I’ll be able to carry an air conditioner on my back when I go out!】

【The people of Anhui send their congratulations! Big brother, please don’t forget us!】

【???? Isn’t Nanjing the big brother of Jiangsu? Did I remember that wrong?】

For countless netizens just watching the drama, today’s news was without a doubt the biggest and juiciest story ever.

After a leisurely day off, they were greeted by the brilliant flash of controlled nuclear fusion. Nothing could be more joyous.

Of course, aside from the comments of praise, awe, and admiration, there was also a tiny minority of contrarians online questioning whether the ignition was truly successful, whether the demonstration reactor could be commercialized, and whether the reported data was fabricated.

This group feigned scientific skepticism, a questioning attitude, and scientific rigor to doubt the news’s authenticity. In reality, they were nothing more than attention-seeking clowns trying to gain traffic and profit.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

It was five in the morning on the North American East Coast, which was about six in the evening Beijing time. The elderly President, sleeping soundly in his bed, was awoken by a red phone.

Knowing what the red phone signified, he didn’t feel any grogginess from being woken up. He simply sat up and quickly answered the call.

“China has completed the ignition of their demonstration reactor.”

Before he could speak, the voice of William Joseph Burns came through the line, hurried and laced with bitterness.

Hearing this piece of intelligence, the elderly President’s pupils contracted violently, and he became instantly wide awake.

China. Demonstration reactor ignition.

This stunning news made his breath catch in his throat.

How could it be so fast?

Isn’t today just October 1st?

“Is the information accurate?” Shaken by the astonishing news, he took several deep gulps of cold air after sitting up before he recovered from the shock and asked quickly.

On the other end, William Joseph Burns said bitterly, “It is now six in the evening China time. It’s expected that their Xinwen Lianbo will officially announce this news in an hour.”

Hearing this, the elderly President instantly understood and demanded angrily, “So, I’m the last one to know?”

On the other end, the CIA Director fell silent.

He wasn’t wrong. For those of them who should have known this information in advance, Mr. President might very well be the last to find out.

Seeing the other party’s silence, the elderly President became uncontrollably furious, spittle flying from his mouth. “Fuck! What the hell are you guys paid for? For something as important as China’s demonstration reactor ignition, why is it that you only find out after they’ve already done it?!”

For a country in a competitive relationship, especially between major powers, the timeliness and accuracy of intelligence are of paramount importance.

Being woken up in the middle of the night to be told that his rival had mastered controlled nuclear fusion technology was, for him, an undeniable bolt from the blue.

He had only been in office for a little over half a year, and his rival was already taking off. How was he supposed to handle his work and plans from here on out?

During his campaign, he had promised to focus on economic issues, to revive the United States, and to make America great again.

Now that his rival had achieved controlled nuclear fusion, what could he do to contain them? How could he lead the United States to greatness again?

Oil? Natural gas?

Don’t be ridiculous. Once controlled nuclear fusion technology is realized, would they even care about such things?

The most important attribute of oil is its use as fuel. Now, his rival had a more abundant and cheaper source of energy. Would they still care about oil and natural gas?

And their petrodollar system, which they used to control the world—how long could it hold up under the impact of controlled nuclear fusion technology?

Even if it didn’t collapse immediately, its demise was likely not far off.

One had to understand that when energy costs came down, it would be followed by a massive increase in productivity, and a precipitous drop in all sorts of costs, including living expenses and construction costs.

Energy is the most vital resource for any civilization, for any nation.

When a major revolution occurs in the energy sector, it almost certainly means a complete renewal in all other sectors.

It was worth remembering that the several industrial revolutions in history were almost all related to energy or the way energy was utilized.

If they couldn’t keep pace in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, the position of world number one would quickly change hands.

Even if they could keep up, the unipolar world order of one superpower and many strong powers would already be shattered.

In their current cycle of decline, did they still have the ability to defeat their rival through a Cold War, as they did in the last century?

On the other end, William Joseph Burns said bitterly, “We were indeed derelict in our duty to obtain intelligence on our rival’s progress in controlled nuclear fusion.”

“But honestly, we’ve tried hard enough. In the last six months, since they announced the Demonstration Reactor Project, we have sent over no less than a thousand personnel to gather information, and we’ve also activated informants deployed a long time ago.”

“However, none of these efforts managed to obtain sufficient information. The area around Nanjing’s Qixia Mountain has been placed under their tight control. The roads, and even the mountain forests, are filled with cameras and surveillance.”

“Forget about people from other countries; even the people we bribed couldn’t get close to the Qixia Mountain area. Almost everyone who attempted to approach the region, whether they were our people or their own, disappeared without a trace.”

“The most crucial thing is, it all happened too fast, too suddenly.”

“The establishment of any intelligence network requires a certain amount of time for slow infiltration. The Demonstration Reactor Project has only been established for half a year. We had just begun to make contact with their personnel working on this project and hadn’t had time to obtain much information before they’d already finished the race. It was simply too fast.”

William Joseph Burns felt quite aggrieved himself.

Normally, a super project like controlled nuclear fusion would take years, if not decades.

It wasn’t just politicians or intelligence officers like them; even the directors of several of the United States’ national laboratories, as well as Academicians and consultants in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, believed that even if a project advanced to the demonstration reactor stage, it would take at least three to five years to achieve ignition and power generation.

Moreover, when the other side announced the launch of the Demonstration Reactor Project, they had specifically sought out numerous experts in the field of controlled nuclear fusion for an assessment.

And the vast majority of these experts had given the same timeline: three to five years to complete the transition to commercialization.

However, no one could have possibly imagined that they would end the battle so quickly.

Half a year. For controlled nuclear fusion, that was an incredibly short amount of time.

Chapter 427: It Is Truly the Motherland’s Honor to Have a Scholar Like You

When the news of the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor’s ignition at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project spread through the internet and media, it was as if a giant boulder had been thrown into a small pond.

The waves surged, and the spray flew everywhere.

Excluding the impoverished nations in regions like Africa, nearly every other country was holding emergency meetings to discuss the authenticity of the news and formulate a response.

Controlled nuclear fusion, humanity’s ultimate dream energy source.

Without a doubt, this was a power that could change the entire world.

And the most immediate change brought by this power was reflected in markets for stocks, futures, and the like.

For the elites working on Wall Street, mornings were usually a time for a leisurely coffee. Today, however, was not so wonderful.

97 Wall Street, the headquarters of the renowned Wall Street investment firm, Bear Stearns.

Normally, the building would be quiet at this hour, but today, well before the start of the workday, every employee was already at their desk, poised for action.

Pierce Woodrow was one of them, an operator responsible for investments in the oil sector.

He was currently yawning, nursing a cup of coffee, his face a mask of exhaustion.

At just past six this morning, while he was usually still deep in sleep, a frantic call from his superior had jolted him awake with a world-shaking piece of news.

China had successfully completed the ignition of its demonstration reactor!

The astonishing message had instantly banished all sleepiness, but it couldn’t remedy his mental fatigue, leaving him reliant on coffee to stay alert.

“One minute to go. Everyone, get ready!”

In the office, the team leader of the oil investment group, wearing his ID badge, issued the command through his headset.

Today, when the US stock market opened, they had only one objective.

To dump every oil-related stock, future, and asset they held, with all their might.

With controlled nuclear fusion technology now a reality, no one knew just how far fossil fuels like oil would plummet in the stock and futures markets.

But everyone knew one thing: in this situation, the faster you run, the smaller your losses.

Those who were slow would surely perish.

At 9:30 AM, the US stock market opened on schedule.

Having already prepared, Pierce Woodrow took a deep breath and quickly moved his mouse to sell off his share of the stocks.

The result, however, left him stunned and frozen in front of his computer.

“Transaction failed!”

The moment the market opened, every sector related to fossil fuels—be it coal, oil, or natural gas—had hit its lower limit.

The panels on the screen were a sea of bright red.

“FUCK! It’s limit down!”

“Transaction failed!”

“Shit! All the fossil fuel sectors have hit their limit!”

“Son of a bitch, who the hell was so fast! I didn’t even manage to offload a single stock!”

The office erupted in a cacophony of shouts and curses, and everyone’s heart sank to the abyss.

If they couldn’t sell their holdings, they would suffer disastrous losses, a crippling blow even for a behemoth like the Bear Stearns Company.

Yet, this scene was merely a microcosm of what was happening all across Wall Street.

Today, even a resource as vital to the chemical industry as oil could not escape the same fate as coal.

This was not only because China was the world’s largest energy consumer but also because of the arrival of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Panic spread everywhere. The energy sector, which had only just managed to regain some upward momentum over the past six months, was now completely shattered.

And it wasn’t just the energy sector. Related fields like automotive and aerospace also suffered heavy blows.

When electrical energy becomes limitless, gasoline-powered vehicles will likely be relegated to the dustbin of history.

In addition, the US Dollar was also being frantically abandoned by countless investors.

After all, the Petrodollar system was the very mechanism the United States relied on to harvest wealth from the entire world. When that system was shattered, everyone knew that the value of the US dollar would lose its luster.

A few days later, a financial institution compiled statistics on that day’s trading. In less than half a day, the market value that had evaporated from the global energy sector was close to a trillion US dollars.

If other sectors linked to fossil fuels were included, the evaporated capital would likely be even higher.

Calculated at a market value of one trillion US dollars, an entire Apple company had essentially vanished in just half a day.

And this was with the mechanisms of the US stock market limiting the fall; otherwise, the drop would have been even more severe.

Of course, where there are losses, there are also gains.

Sectors related to controlled nuclear fusion technology, such as electricity and lithium metal, shot up to their upper limits the moment the market opened.

Although the global market was unclear on the specific details of the controlled nuclear fusion technology, everyone understood the general direction.

Take lithium metal, for example.

No matter how Professor Xu had modified controlled nuclear fusion, a tritium self-sustainment technology would undoubtedly rely on the material lithium.

And since the Earth’s production of lithium was not very abundant to begin with, a mad scramble for lithium resources was now likely to break out among nations.

In addition, something both unexpected and expected happened: the price of gold, as it always does after major international events, rose.

This was probably the most reliable store of value, wasn’t it?

Meanwhile, in Nanjing.

Following the publicity and reports from CCTV and other major media outlets, a banquet was held at the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project base.

This was a victory celebration, but not the official one organized by the state.

The real commendation ceremony and banquet would be held a week later in the National Great Hall.

Before that, today’s event was merely a celebratory dinner jointly held by the Qixia Mountain Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project and the Nanjing Municipal Government for the many staff and scholars who had worked hard on the front lines of fusion research.

Of course, despite being a hastily organized celebration, its lavishness was in no way diminished.

At the banquet, Xu Chuan was unquestionably the center of attention. Almost every person in attendance wanted to raise a glass with him.

Even the elderly man, who was still staying in Nanjing, drank with him, a broad smile on his face.

At the party, Xu Chuan accepted all toasts, letting himself go completely for the first time.

And then… he was drunk into a stupor and had to be carried back to his hotel room by Zheng Hai.

The night was long.

For Xu Chuan, ever since the controlled nuclear fusion project had begun, he likely hadn’t had a single night’s sleep as comfortable and peaceful as this one.

Solving the problem of controlled nuclear fusion had allowed his entire being to relax.

The next day, in the early morning, his biological clock woke him up on schedule. He opened his eyes and habitually sat up.

He stretched languidly and was about to throw off the covers to get out of bed, but then, he seemed to remember something and lay back down again.

Gazing at the white ceiling, a happy grin spread across Xu Chuan’s face.

Although the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project wasn’t over yet, the demonstration reactor’s ignition was complete. The subsequent work was just wrapping up, which could be done slowly.

He no longer had to leap out of bed the moment he opened his eyes, throw on his clothes, and rush to the Institute.

Lying in bed, he quietly savored this moment of time that was his alone. Then, Xu Chuan leisurely got up, washed up, and headed to the restaurant for breakfast.

Unexpectedly, or perhaps as expected, he ran into the elderly man, who was still there, in the restaurant.

The elderly man was smiling as he, like Xu Chuan, took a tray and selected his breakfast from the hotel’s buffet, making small talk with him. “Did you rest well last night?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “This was probably the most peaceful I’ve slept in the last two years.”

Hearing this, the elderly man said with some emotion, “You’ve worked very hard.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “You’re too kind. I was really just doing what I ought to do.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “For me, controlled nuclear fusion was also my dream. And to explore problems and solve them is the inherent responsibility of a scholar.”

For him, whether in his past life or this one, walking the path of scientific exploration was a goal in his heart that had never changed or wavered.

Whether it was solving a Millennium Prize Problem in mathematics, resolving the measurement of microscopic particles in physics, developing a computational formula in astronomy, or leading a team to solve the difficult problem of controlled nuclear fusion in applied science—these were all goals on the path of scientific exploration.

Moving toward these goals and solving them was, for him, the greatest pleasure in itself.

The elderly man nodded with a smile. He knew the character of the young man before him. But regardless, to have such a top-tier scholar was to have a national treasure, no matter the country.

His gaze fell on Xu Chuan, and the expression on his face grew much more solemn as he spoke, “In any case, on behalf of the country and the Motherland’s more than one billion people, I must thank you.”

“It is truly the Motherland’s honor to have a scholar such as yourself.”

Chapter 428: Listen to This! Is That a Human Thing to Say?

To be able to sit at the same table as this elderly man, sharing breakfast and making small talk—not just in this country, but likely on the entire planet, very few people could ever receive such treatment.

Of course, the same could be said for the other person at the table.

Originally, Xu Chuan had thought that since the elderly man was staying here and had made a special point of meeting him for breakfast this morning, there must be something he wanted to discuss.

But breakfast ended, and the elderly man said nothing of consequence. He simply chatted, told Xu Chuan to get some proper rest, and said that if he needed anything, he should not hesitate to ask.

In truth, the elderly man did have matters he wanted to discuss and consult with him about. After all, now that controlled nuclear fusion technology had been achieved, it was essential to hear his opinions and views on the future path of the nation’s scientific and technological development.

However, the time for that was not today. The reactor had only achieved ignition yesterday; to ask for his opinion today would be too hasty.

At the very least, the man needed a good period of rest.

It wouldn’t be too late to discuss future developments after the official award ceremony.

To the north, in Moscow.

In a conference room within the Kremlin, an elderly man who was not particularly tall but had a resolute and martial appearance sat at the head of the table, listening to the others in the room argue amongst themselves.

Today’s meeting was not the first.

They had already held an emergency meeting last night.

China had ignited the spark of controlled nuclear fusion, and for them, this was not good news.

In fact, it could be described as exceedingly bad news.

Although the two countries could be considered nominal “allies” in the international situation, this relationship was not very reliable, especially between two major powers.

If it were one large nation and one small one, it would be a different story.

A small country poses no fundamental threat to a large one, and their developmental needs are not on the same level.

But when both are great powers, the situation becomes indescribable.

More crucially, Russia was extremely dependent on the export of various fossil fuels to obtain foreign exchange and capital.

For the Leader sitting at the head of the table, no one understood better than him just how much they relied on the energy system.

In 2020, Russia’s total export trade amounted to around four hundred fifty billion US dollars, and oil exports alone accounted for forty-five billion US dollars.

That was about one-tenth of the total.

And that didn’t even include other fossil fuel exports like natural gas, coal, and methane.

If everything were added together, the total would likely account for more than a fifth of the total trade volume, perhaps even more.

Such a monolithic economic structure was not a good thing for a country.

They wanted to transition as well, but constrained by the international situation, it was almost impossible.

If the advent of controlled nuclear fusion technology caused the petrodollar system to begin its slide toward collapse, it would not be a good thing for their Ruble either. In fact, it would be unacceptably dire.

Perhaps in the short term, considering the international situation, China would still need them as an ally to maintain appearances.

But there was no doubt that in the future, China, having mastered controlled nuclear fusion technology, would hold much more sway in energy-related discourse.

Just then, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open. The Leader’s Assistant walked in quickly and whispered in his ear, “The Consul General from their embassy requests a meeting with you.”

The Leader nodded and said, “Please ask him to wait a moment. I will go over as soon as this meeting is finished.”

Under normal circumstances, such a request would need to be scheduled well in advance.

Often, you couldn’t just get a meeting whenever you wanted.

After all, every action a person like him took was fraught with meaning.

Sometimes, a single meeting with a foreign ambassador could trigger a shift in the international situation.

But the current situation was relatively special, and neither they nor China could afford to be so particular.

Moreover, compared to China, Russia currently had a greater need to obtain support from its “ally.”

Of course, that ally could be China, or it could be another country.

But for now, he was more hopeful of pursuing cooperation with China.

After all, the country that had first mastered controlled nuclear fusion, a technology that turned the page to a new era, was China.

After breakfast, Xu Chuan parted ways with the elderly man and headed to the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project Base.

Although the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor had successfully achieved ignition and completed its power generation work, there was still a long road ahead to final commercial application, grid connection, and so on.

Of course, for them, this road was merely a matter of course. It didn’t require much of his attention.

Unless, in the process, the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor encountered some major problem.

But he had great confidence in the fusion reactor he had built with his own hands.

After checking the reactor’s operation and related work, Xu Chuan returned to his office and began to stare blankly at his computer.

Without the familiar bustle of his daily routine, without the endless documents to sign and meetings to attend, he now felt a little empty.

He chuckled, stood up, and walked out of the office.

The problem he had been prepared to get bogged down in for half his life had been solved. It was time for him to relax his constantly tense nerves and body.

Two idle days passed like this. Free from the endless work, Xu Chuan was lazily fishing in the artificial lake at the Qixia Nuclear Fusion Industrial Park.

It was called an artificial lake, but it was actually a reservoir built according to the local terrain.

On one hand, it served as an emergency water reserve. After all, it was a nuclear power plant, and in case of an emergency, the valves could be opened to release the water from the lake for a rapid response.

On the other hand, it served as a recreational area.

After more than two years of development, others had released various fish fry into it, and it gradually evolved into a fishing spot.

It had to be said, the hobby of fishing was contagious.

At first, only a handful of people would occasionally fish by the lake. Later, it evolved to the point where there were at least a double-digit number of people fishing there every day.

Even the fish in the lake had grown as fat as koi carp.

It couldn’t be helped. How could a bunch of researchers know how to fish? They were, however, all very skilled at chumming the water, so much so that the fish were raised plump and white.

“Academician Xu, long time no see.”

By the lake, a cheerful voice sounded by his ear. Xu Chuan turned his head and saw a familiar old man.

“Well, well, what wind blew you over here?” Seeing the visitor, Xu Chuan stood up and greeted him with a smile. The visitor was a mathematics professor from Tsinghua University, Professor Shing-Tung Yau.

“I was watching Xinwen Lianbo a couple of days ago and saw some earth-shattering news.”

Shing-Tung Yau found a stool, left behind by who knows what fishing enthusiast, and sat down, smiling. “Controlled nuclear fusion… I never thought I’d live to see the day it was realized. I couldn’t have even dreamed it.”

“The widespread saying really holds true. No matter what field Professor Xu enters, he can solve its most difficult problem.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Without the cooperation of others and the support of the country, it would have been absolutely impossible to achieve such an accomplishment with my strength alone.”

Professor Yau laughed heartily. “What’s the use of having many people? So many countries gathered so many people and researched it for so many years, yet they didn’t make much progress, did they?”

“This kind of thing, research, has always been led by the very top handful of people.”

Hearing Professor Yau’s words, Xu Chuan just smiled and said nothing.

Although what he said was true, if it got out, it would probably offend a great many people.

But this old professor probably didn’t care. He had always been frank and outspoken, saying whatever was on his mind without any reservation.

Smiling, Xu Chuan steered the conversation away from the topic. “Professor Yau, you didn’t come all this way today just to praise me a little, did you?”

Shing-Tung Yau grinned. “Why, can’t I?”

Xu Chuan shook his head with a smile. “For others, maybe, but for you, Professor Yau, I doubt that’s the case.”

Shing-Tung Yau chuckled. “You’re right, there is something, but it’s not a big deal.”

He paused for a moment, the smile on his face receding slightly. “It’s about the field of mathematics.”

“Oh?” Xu Chuan looked over, intrigued, and asked curiously, “What’s happened in the field of mathematics?”

Shing-Tung Yau said, “The International Mathematical Union, the IMU, has been reviewing the development of mathematics over the past twenty years and has discovered that the field seems to be starting to forget some of the older mathematical knowledge.”

“For example, Professor Michael Freedman’s 1981 proof of the four-dimensional Poincaré Conjecture. This kind of groundbreaking result in topology is being forgotten by today’s mathematical community because the only mathematicians who understand it are getting older and leaving the field.”

“It’s not just because these older mathematicians are leaving, but also because certain shapes that are similar to a four-dimensional sphere in some respects must also be similar to it in other respects, making them ‘homeomorphic’.”

“Therefore, the International Mathematical Union is preparing to hold a conference to advocate for the organization of mathematical knowledge from all countries, while also hoping to breathe new life into that ancient mathematical knowledge.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan roughly understood what Professor Yau meant and smiled. “That’s a good thing, but where will the conference be held?”

“If it’s abroad, I might not be able to get out.”

He naturally supported such a beneficial event for the development of mathematics with both hands, but controlled nuclear fusion technology had just been completed. He probably wouldn’t be able to leave the country for some time.

The risk was simply too great.

Shing-Tung Yau smiled. “The venue will be at Tsinghua University. The time isn’t completely set yet, but it should be this year. I ran over here hoping to cash in on my old reputation and invite you to come help lend some weight to the event.”

“I was originally worried that you’d be busy with controlled nuclear fusion and wouldn’t have the time. I didn’t expect you to be so fast. A problem that the whole world has been researching for decades was finished in a flash once it landed in your hands.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It wasn’t exactly a flash. It’s been over two years since the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project began.”

Shing-Tung Yau shot him a sidelong glance, at a loss for words. “Are two years that long?”

Xu Chuan coughed. “This is probably the longest time I’ve ever spent solving a single problem.”

Of course, he was counting the time from both his past and present lives, which added up to more than ten years.

Hearing this, the corner of Shing-Tung Yau’s mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt no desire to speak to him anymore.

He had solved controlled nuclear fusion in two years and was complaining that it took too long.

Just listen to this!

Is that a human thing to say?

Chapter 429: Dawnbreaker!

A week is not a long time.

On October 10th, in Beijing, inside the Great Hall, the commendation ceremony for the successful ignition of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor began on time.

Amidst the host’s speech and a round of enthusiastic applause, the commendation ceremony began.

In the venue, Xu Chuan sat in the first row. To his left was the project’s scientific director, Academician Peng Hongxi, and to his right was the director of daily affairs, Gao Hongming. In the front row, there were also familiar figures like Wang Yongnian, Hou Chengping, Qi Zhongxing, and Han Jin.

As that familiar elderly man walked onto the stage, thunderous and enthusiastic applause erupted in the Great Hall.

All the researchers and scholars who could attend today’s commendation ceremony had faces flushed with excitement, their gazes filled with various emotions like anticipation, expectation, and satisfaction.

The elderly man first expressed his sincere congratulations for the successful ignition of the “Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project · Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor.” He then went on to praise and encourage everyone’s contributions and efforts, stating that they were the backbone of the nation. He expressed his profound gratitude to these scientific researchers and engineers who fought on the front lines of scientific research and made outstanding contributions.

In 1958, China’s nuclear industry system was initially established. After the successful hydrogen bomb test, China’s nuclear industry began to shift its focus to research on controlled nuclear fusion.

Under the backdrop of the peaceful application of atomic energy, the Institute of Atomic Energy and the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences simultaneously launched nuclear fusion research projects.

Later, under the slogan “Bring Atomic Energy to the Masses,” it expanded to several provinces. After many ups and downs, and numerous adjustments, some units withdrew while others joined. To this day, the research on controlled fusion has spanned nearly seventy years, almost as old as the Motherland itself.

The long years seemed like yesterday. Seventy years have passed, and this project of the century has finally been completed.

Today, a grand commendation ceremony has brought a perfect conclusion to this world-renowned super project.

After paying tribute to everyone, the elderly man personally awarded twenty-one unique golden “958 Medals” and bright red certificates to the researchers who made outstanding contributions to the project, such as Xu Chuan, Peng Hongxi, Gao Hongming, Qi Zhongxing, and Wang Yongnian.

He also awarded eight Outstanding Team Medals and ninety-eight Outstanding Individual Medals to the teams that made distinguished contributions to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, to show respect and gratitude to all the great scholars who participated in the cause of controlled nuclear fusion.

And besides these medals, there was one special medal, uniquely crafted like the Morning Star back then, belonging only to Xu Chuan.

The name of this medal was taken directly from the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor, called the ‘Dawnbreaker Medal’.

It symbolized that, like the breaking dawn, it would bring new hope, a new era, and a new epoch to the Motherland and the world.

In fact, when this medal was being designed, many names were considered, such as ‘Pangu’, ‘Star of Hope’, ‘Dawn’, ‘Sun Chaser’, and so on.

But in the end, the name ‘Dawnbreaker’ was decided upon.

This was a gold medal made of 24-karat pure gold. The main design consisted of elements such as a five-pointed star, Tiananmen, the sky, rays of light, and stars, accompanied by a seven-colored ribbon. It weighed one hundred ninety-five point eight grams, a number chosen to symbolize the successful conclusion of the work that began in 1958.

In the hall, with his head lowered, Peng Hongxi tightly gripped the golden medal on his chest, tears already streaming from the corners of his eyes.

He vaguely remembered how high-spirited he was in 1971. He was just thirty years old then, following his Advisor and other colleagues into the Southwest Institute of Nuclear Physics.

Back then, he had also made a bold vow, to be like his Advisor, like the great figures before him, and use twelve years to achieve controlled nuclear fusion technology, just as they had achieved the Two Bombs, One Satellite, to present the most precious gift to the Motherland.

However, twelve years passed, and then another twelve. Now he was eighty-two. On this seemingly endless road of controlled nuclear fusion, he had walked for a full fifty-two years.

In over fifty years, he had been confident, hopeful, and also lost, sluggish, and even at times thought of giving up. The one thing he never felt, however, was regret. He never regretted stepping onto the path of researching controlled nuclear fusion, not even when there was no end in sight for the first fifty years.

And now, he had no more regrets. Even if he were to pass away now and see his Advisor, he could proudly say that he had realized his dream!

He believed his Advisor, in heaven, would be proud of him too.

Elsewhere, Wang Yongnian and Hou Chengping, two Academicians from the Nuclear Industry Group, sat together, chatting in low voices.

Touching the heavy 958 Medal on his chest, Wang Yongnian said with some emotion, “I feel like I’m not really qualified to wear this medal.”

Beside him, Hou Chengping said with a smile, “Don’t say that. The Demonstration Reactor Project we led the construction of, and the optimized generator sets, are still very good.”

Wang Yongnian shook his head, but didn’t speak.

Although they had indeed made great contributions to the construction of the controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor, that was the team’s achievement. As for the combined generator, the core idea for its optimization was also given by that Professor Xu. Although they later optimized some details, honestly, anyone else could have done it.

Of course, what made him emotional today wasn’t just the medal on his chest, but also witnessing the rise of controlled nuclear fusion and the retirement of nuclear fission power plants.

With the successful ignition of the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor, the country probably won’t build any more nuclear fission power plants in the future, right?

Or rather, even if they are built, it would only be one or two for scientific research purposes, not for large-scale power generation.

After all, the construction of every nuclear power plant costs billions or even tens of billions of yuan. In comparison, a controlled nuclear fusion power plant can generate tens of times the electricity of nuclear fission for the same price.

The advantages and disadvantages were self-evident.

However, for him, who had been engaged in nuclear power plant construction for decades, to see his familiar field suddenly come to a close—it was impossible to say he felt nothing.

Perhaps, after this commendation ceremony, he should also consider retirement.

Beside him, Hou Chengping, his colleague of over a decade, seemed to have guessed his thoughts. He smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, “Old Wang, it’s not the time to be thinking about retirement.”

“The spark of controlled nuclear fusion has just been lit. As the first batch of builders and witnesses, we have to pass it on.”

Wang Yongnian looked at him and said softly, “That individual is still here.”

Hearing this, Hou Chengping laughed heartily. “Forget about counting on him. His energy shouldn’t be and can’t be wasted on this. Even if he wanted to, I’d have to chase him back to research other things.”

After some thought, a smile appeared on Wang Yongnian’s face. He nodded and said, “That’s true.”

On the other hand, compared to the excitement and elation of the others, Chen Mingji, who was also sitting in the front row, had rather complicated feelings.

Although he was also one of the foundational figures of controlled nuclear fusion in China, sitting here today, wearing this medal that symbolized the highest honor in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, he just didn’t feel right about it.

Looking at the young man giving a speech on stage, Chen Mingji sighed. Let the past be the past.

As for Xu Chuan, he hadn’t thought that much about it.

To be honest, although he and Chen Mingji had some past conflicts due to some issues of “position,” everything dissipated when that set of top-tier ICFR heating antennas was delivered to the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Base.

Moreover, in Xu Chuan’s view, without the framework built by the older generation like Peng Hongxi and Chen Mingji, it would have been impossible for him to complete the controlled nuclear fusion technology in just over two years.

In any case, they had cultivated a large number of talented people and developed a lot of technology.

After all, without these talented people and this technology, even if he had the ability to solve the various problems of controlled nuclear fusion, he wouldn’t have had a stove to cook on.

Chapter 430: A Plan More Ambitious Than Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Amidst thunderous applause, the commendation ceremony came to a close, fulfilling a long-held wish in the hearts of all the researchers who had poured their blood and sweat into the controlled nuclear fusion project.

For Xu Chuan, he had gained not only two medals and certificates of honor, but also a heavy sense of responsibility.

After enjoying the state banquet, he returned to the small island in Beihai, north of Chang’an Avenue, the next morning, accompanied by a guard.

As the overall director of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, it was time for him to make a report now that the demonstration reactor had successfully achieved ignition.

More importantly, he had been personally invited by the elderly man who worked and handled state affairs here.

Of course, Xu Chuan was also well aware of why the elderly man had asked to see him.

“You’re here. Please, have a seat.” In the main hall, the elderly man, who had been waiting, stood up with a smile to welcome Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan greeted him respectfully and sat down to the side.

“Did you find last night’s dishes to your liking?” the elderly man asked with a smile.

The chefs selected for a state banquet were naturally extraordinary, especially for a celebratory feast following the ignition of the controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor.

Moreover, in the hope that their guest of honor would enjoy the meal, the higher-ups had even invited a master of Hunan cuisine to prepare the dishes.

This was a significant departure from the usual Huaiyang cuisine that typically dominated state banquets.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. He had to admit, every dish at last night’s state banquet was a clash of titans. The guests could only wish they had a second mouth.

The elderly man chuckled. After a few more words of concern, he got to the point. He casually picked up a file folder from the mahogany table beside him and pushed it over, gesturing for Xu Chuan to open it.

With a hint of curiosity, Xu Chuan picked up the folder from the table. Under the elderly man’s smiling gaze, he opened it.

Inside was a document.

China Fusion Energy Power Corporation Share Transfer Agreement

His eyes fell on the large, bold title, and his pupils couldn’t help but contract. He had a good idea what this was.

Across from him, the elderly man smiled and began to speak, “Regarding investment in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, the state is preparing to establish a Fusion Energy Power Corporation.”

“In the coming months, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project will be restructured into the Fusion Energy Power Corporation, which will then begin domestic and foreign investment.”

“It will likely start with places like Southeast Asia and South Asia, then later extend to the rest of the world. All income from foreign investments will be distributed to shareholders as dividends.”

“These past two days, the other elders and I have held two meetings. Regarding your reward, to be honest, we couldn’t really think of anything better.”

“We know you’re not short on money. After all, the income from patents and such from your Chuanhai Materials Research Institute exceeds ten figures annually. However, this five-percent stake in the Fusion Energy Power Corporation is a reward from the nation.”

“Furthermore, regarding the technologies you developed yourself during the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, such as the superconducting materials, the state has no intention of expropriating them. They belong to you.”

“As for the future use of these technologies in the Fusion Energy Power Corporation, someone will be assigned to discuss licensing matters with you.”

…

Hearing this, even Xu Chuan, who had seen his fair share of storms, couldn’t help but swallow hard.

This was controlled nuclear fusion.

The Fusion Energy Power Corporation, restructured from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, would undoubtedly become a monster of unimaginable proportions in the future.

After all, it was currently the only entity capable of building and manufacturing controlled nuclear fusion reactors.

Considering the enormous demand for electricity both domestically and abroad, this five-percent stake would be worth at least a hundred billion in the future—and the currency might even be US dollars.

Xu Chuan was certain that in just a few years, the restructured China Fusion Energy Power Corporation would become even larger and more profitable than those companies.

Losing money? That was impossible.

After all, no business is more lucrative than a monopoly.

One only had to look at the tobacco industry, the power grid, or the big three oil companies to understand.

Even though he wasn’t short on money, and the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was raking in cash daily, he was still stunned by this share transfer agreement.

Of course, he was also surprised by the other implications in the elderly man’s words.

The Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor had only just successfully achieved ignition, and the subsequent grid connection work wasn’t even complete. Although its success was a foregone conclusion, the state was already preparing to ‘support’ its neighboring countries.

But this was perfectly normal.

For China, bringing its younger brothers along to play—the Belt and Road Initiative and so on—was a tradition.

Relatively speaking, China was still happy to ‘share’.

Swallowing hard again, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and asked, “The Fusion Energy Power Corporation will be a state-owned enterprise, won’t it? Is it really appropriate for a private individual like myself to hold shares?”

The elderly man smiled. “There’s nothing inappropriate about it. If you aren’t fit to hold shares, then no one is more qualified.”

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He nodded and said, “In that case, I accept.”

The elderly man said with a smile, “Another thing, regarding the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, I’d like to ask for your opinion.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Now that the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor has achieved ignition, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project has fulfilled its historic mission. Since it will be restructured into a new company, there’s little point in keeping it as it is.”

“The State Council has discussed this. We’ll transfer a portion of the personnel from the Qixia project to the new company, but the fusion energy corporation certainly won’t be able to absorb such a large number of people.”

“As you know, we pulled in quite a lot of people for the demonstration reactor project, whether from other nuclear fusion research institutes, the Nuclear Industry Group, or the power grid. It wouldn’t be appropriate for many of them to return to their original units.”

“But to just disband the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project’s research team… the other elders and I feel it would be a shame. After all, it was quite difficult to assemble so many researchers from all these different fields. So, I wanted to ask your thoughts. Do you have any arrangements or a suitable path forward for these people.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before replying, “Disbanding them or sending them back to their original units would indeed be a shame. I doubt any other project besides controlled nuclear fusion could mobilize so many people.”

He understood perfectly what the elderly man was saying.

In a country as populous as China, the positions of the seconded personnel would have been quickly filled in their original units. If they were to go back now, they would likely find no place for them.

A similar problem had occurred when they withdrew from ITER. More than a hundred researchers and engineers had returned to their former units only to find themselves without work or research projects.

Back then, however, the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project could absorb them.

But now, it would be very difficult to find a unit that could take in the people leaving the Demonstration Reactor Project.

Those from the Nuclear Industry Group and the power grid might have it easier.

But a path for the researchers seconded from other controlled nuclear fusion institutes would be hard to find.

Now that controlled nuclear fusion technology had been developed, let alone these researchers, even their original institutes were probably at a loss, unsure of what their next step should be.

Sending these people back was one thing, but even if they could return, they would likely resign before long.

After some thought, Xu Chuan looked up and replied, “Rather than disbanding them or having them return to their original institutes, I would suggest establishing a new organization to absorb all of these personnel.”

The elderly man looked at him with interest. “Oh? Go on.”

Xu Chuan organized his thoughts and began, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

“Now that we’ve achieved controlled nuclear fusion and liberated our energy supply to the greatest extent, we can start looking toward future development.”

“For example, the research and development of second-generation Tritium-Helium-3 fusion and third-generation pure Helium-3 controlled nuclear fusion, as well as the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion—these are things we should put on the agenda. After all, times are always changing. We can’t afford to rest on our laurels.”

The elderly man considered this for a moment and asked, “So you want to keep the personnel from the Qixia project to continue researching second and third-generation fusion?”

Xu Chuan smiled, nodding and then shaking his head. “Yes, and no.”

Hearing this, the elderly man looked at him, puzzled and a little confused.

Xu Chuan smiled. “To be honest, I have a more ambitious plan in mind, one that isn’t limited to just controlled nuclear fusion.”

“Second and third-generation fusion and its miniaturization are merely one part of this plan.”

Chapter 431: An Insane Proposal

Second-generation, third-generation, and miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion were merely a part of this plan.

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Hearing Xu Chuan say this, the elderly man was completely stunned.

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He certainly had some understanding of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

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Putting aside the past several decades, he had brushed up on a great deal of related knowledge after the Dawnbreaker Demonstration Reactor Project was launched.

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Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) controlled nuclear fusion, which was what the current Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor used, was classified as the first generation of nuclear fusion technology and was also the easiest to achieve.

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Following D-T fusion, there was the second-generation Deuterium-Helium-3 fusion and the third-generation pure Helium-3 fusion.

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The later second and third generations were far superior to the first, both in terms of energy release and aspects like neutron radiation damage.

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Correspondingly, however, achieving second and third-generation controlled nuclear fusion was naturally much more difficult. Not to mention, Xu Chuan’s words also included the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion, which was an equally formidable technology.

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And yet, this was all just one part of the grand plan he spoke of.

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From that simple sentence, the elderly man could imagine just how vast the plan in this young man’s mind truly was.

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He was also very curious as to what kind of plan it could be.

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Xu Chuan didn’t seem to mind the flicker of shock on the elderly man’s face. He continued, “It’s not just about controlled nuclear fusion. Manned spaceflight, moon landings, Mars landings, and colonies on the Moon and Mars are all part of this overall plan.”

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“You should be well aware that even if controlled nuclear fusion liberates our energy supply, the resources and land on Earth are still finite. We cannot stop our development, so to acquire more resources and land, our sights will sooner or later turn to the stars above.”

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“Out there, there are endless resources and possibilities.”

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“And with the energy problem solved, we can unleash our productivity ahead of other nations and gaze up at the sea of stars. Whether it’s the Moon or Mars, both are new continents for us.”

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“Within this plan, the scientific researchers from the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project are our strength. We must do our utmost to retain them and form a new organization.”

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“And within this organization, we can gradually begin research on the various technologies related to this plan.”

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Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, the elderly man couldn’t help but swallow hard. Even for him, this plan was utterly insane.

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Controlled nuclear fusion technology had only just been achieved, yet this young man had already set his sights on the Moon, and even Mars, planning for things like colonization.

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Taking a deep breath, the elderly man couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t we taking too big of a leap?”

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Xu Chuan smiled. “We’re just restarting our aerospace endeavors. That’s nothing.”

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Pausing for a moment, he continued, “What if I said I wanted to terraform Mars, to turn it into our second home? To allow us to live on Mars just as we live on Earth, without any spacesuits, without colonies, and without needing to build protective bases. Would you think I was crazy?”

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At this thought, the elderly man’s pupils contracted violently, and his breathing grew ragged.

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Terraform Mars? Turn it into a second home, allowing people to live there as they do on Earth.

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With today’s technology and their current capabilities, was such a thing really possible?

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If this idea had come from anyone else, he would have thought they were insane.

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But hearing it from the young man before him, he felt an inexplicable flicker of anticipation.

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After all, if this was truly achieved, it would mean expanding the nation’s frontiers!

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For the people living on this land, expanding the Motherland’s frontiers was, since ancient times, the greatest achievement, the highest honor, and the most captivating prospect! It was what they yearned for most.

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Taking two deep breaths, the elderly man calmed himself. “Can you tell me more about this in detail?”

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Xu Chuan nodded. “Actually, I’ve been conceiving this plan for quite some time. Theoretically, we might be able to do it.”

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“At the end of last year, I saw a news report about NASA’s ‘Perseverance’ rover successfully landing on Mars and sending back its first photo.”

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“Since then, I have collected some data on Mars.”

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“From the information I’ve gathered, Mars is quite similar to Earth in many respects. During its early formation and development, it could be said that it and Earth were a pair of twins, both located within the habitable zone for life.”

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“The only difference is that in its early history, Mars may have had some kind of accident that caused its metallic core to cool.”

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“The flow of a liquid metallic core is what gives a planet a magnetic field, which is key to defending against stellar wind and protecting the surface ecosystem. Just like with our Earth, the magnetic field generated by the flow of its liquid core protected our home planet’s atmosphere, allowing an environment suitable for life to emerge.”

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“Mars wasn’t so lucky. Its core may have cooled too early, causing it to lose most of its magnetic field.”

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“If we can find a way to reactivate Mars’s core and get it flowing again, Mars can regain its magnetic field. And with a magnetic field, it will have the ability to protect itself from the ravages of stellar wind, and its atmosphere can be sustained.”

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Hearing this, the elderly man frowned and asked, “Is that possible?”

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Xu Chuan smiled. “If Mars’s core had cooled completely, I’m afraid it would be impossible to reactivate it with our current technology and capabilities.”

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“However, judging from the data I’ve collected, Mars’s core has not cooled completely. It might be in a semi-dormant state, or it might be in the process of reawakening.”

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“The evidence for this is that Mars still possesses a weak magnetic field, and in recent years, Martian probes have observed indications of volcanic eruptions on the planet.”

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“Either way, both phenomena require geological activity for support, which means Mars’s core may not be as ‘cold’ as we imagine.”

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“If that’s the case, I might actually have a way to reactivate Mars’s core and restore its magnetic field.”

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At this, the elderly man’s heart began to pound. He thought for a moment and asked, “Even with a magnetic field, what about the atmosphere? How do you plan to solve that? The atmosphere on Mars now must be extremely thin, right? And what about water? These must all be difficult problems.”

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Xu Chuan nodded. “That’s right. The current surface atmosphere of Mars is indeed very thin, so thin that humans cannot breathe on it at all.”

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“However, based on the data I’ve collected, the Martian surface soil contains a great deal of carbon dioxide and other gases. If we can find a way to release them, it should theoretically be enough to form a complete atmospheric circulation system on the Martian surface.”

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“As for water, there is also solid water at the two poles of Mars and in places like Valles Marineris. These things have been discovered by probes.”

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“Of course, the exact quantities of all this still require more detailed investigation.”

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“But from the data I’ve gathered, Mars does have the potential to be transformed into our second home. It is worth investing our funds, time, and future in.”

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“It’s just that this will likely be a very long process, possibly on the scale of decades, or even centuries. We might even need to pull in other countries to do this together, but I think it’s worth a try.”

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After a pause, Xu Chuan added, “Of course, this is just the ultimate goal of the plan.”

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“Although we may not necessarily see the ultimate goal of this plan, nor may it be realized in this era, as long as we make a start, those who come after us will surely follow in our footsteps.”

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“Besides, we won’t be without gains in the early stages of this plan. Developing the next generation of controlled nuclear fusion technology, aerospace technology, exploration technology, colonization technology—all these are things we can and must do.”

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“Even without the ultimate terraforming plan I’ve proposed, these are the paths we must take next. I’ve merely linked them together.”

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“Pardon my frankness, but although we are currently ahead in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, I believe other countries will pour frantic amounts of funding into it. At the latest, in twenty years—or perhaps even ten—they may develop their own controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

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“After all, as you know, once a technology has been achieved, it’s impossible to maintain control over it forever, no matter how much secrecy you try to enforce.”

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“It’s just like the nuclear bomb. After the Manhattan Project completed the development of the bomb, it only took the Soviets four years to figure out their own. And we followed suit not long after.”

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“When a technology has already been realized, it’s easy for latecomers to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers.”

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“In the past, we learned to cross the river by following others. Now, it’s their turn to cross by following us.”

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“Therefore, holding onto controlled nuclear fusion technology forever is unlikely. To continue leading in this field, continuing to invest funds, developing next-generation products, and even expanding into other areas through it is undoubtedly the best choice.”

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“After all, there’s no reason why we, having been the first to master controlled nuclear fusion technology, should fall behind others in the future.”

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After listening to Xu Chuan’s grand plan and his arrangements for the future, the elderly man took several deep breaths to calm himself.

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He had to admit, what he had heard today could well be seen as a magnificent bluff, but it was a bluff he found himself genuinely tempted by.

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But being tempted was one thing; deciding to execute the plan was another. He still needed more advice and consideration.

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Nodding, the elderly man replied with a serious expression, “We will seriously consider your proposal.”

Chapter 432: A Step Towards the Future

It had to be said that the grand plan proposed by Xu Chuan and the elderly man had captivated the entire upper echelon.

Had any other scholar or researcher proposed such a massive plan, the elders of the State Council would likely have rejected it without a second thought.

But the one who proposed this grand plan was the man who had created countless miracles and led the country to achieve controlled nuclear fusion. They were truly intrigued.

Of course, intrigue was one thing. A decision on whether to execute a plan so grand, even larger than the controlled nuclear fusion project, still required investigation.

Even setting aside the ultimate goal of terraforming Mars, every part of this series of objectives—such as restarting manned spaceflight, landing on the Moon and Mars, and building bases in outer space—could be considered a grand plan in its own right.

Shortly after the internal meeting concluded, the elderly man invited Xu Chuan to a smaller meeting.

The attendees at this meeting included not only high-level officials but also several Academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

After learning the purpose of the meeting, Xu Chuan let out a small, wry laugh and began to explain:

“I think there might be a misunderstanding. Although I proposed this plan, its final form is still undecided.”

“Especially the ultimate goal of terraforming Mars—that’s merely a direction. You could even think of it as a dream.”

“We can’t possibly green-light such a project right now. Setting aside the question of feasibility, the economic pressure alone would be immense. Besides, taking too large a leap isn’t a good thing. I recommend we proceed step by step.”

Hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, another elderly man sitting across the conference table nodded and asked with a smile, “If that’s the case, what should our next step be?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and replied, “Personally, I suggest we approach this from two directions.”

“The first is to restart manned spaceflight and develop aerospace technology. This is the direction I recommend.”

“To be honest, developing manned spaceflight isn’t something we’re starting from scratch. Even if I hadn’t brought it up, we already have our own lunar and Mars exploration programs.”

“Developing aerospace technology isn’t just an inevitable path for the future; it’s also a necessity for us to maintain a leading position on the international stage. After all, we can’t live on Earth forever. As times change, exploring outwards is a path we must take.”

“I just hope that, in the future, we can allocate more resources to this endeavor.”

Hearing this, everyone in the office, whether they were high-level leaders or the invited Academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, nodded in agreement.

With the achievement of controlled nuclear fusion technology, energy had been liberated to the greatest extent.

And besides using it to boost the nation’s productivity and improve the people’s happiness index and quality of life, the development of science and technology was also a matter that required great attention.

After all, the level of technological advancement was one of the core factors that determined a country’s deterrent power, strength, and international standing.

A project like manned spaceflight was, as Xu Chuan said, a path that had to be taken.

It wasn’t just about exploration and planning for the future; the development of manned spaceflight technology could also be applied to many other fields, such as the military, civil aviation, communications, and information technology.

Sitting beside Xu Chuan, the elderly man nodded and said, “Regarding manned spaceflight and the development of aerospace technology, this is certainly a path we must take. As for the specific investment, resources, direction, and route, these will all have to be discussed further.”

After a slight pause, the elderly man continued, “Besides aerospace, what’s the other direction?”

Xu Chuan replied, “If the development of manned spaceflight and aerospace technology is our path in applied science, then the second initiative should be in the direction of theoretical science.”

“Application and theory are the two cores of scientific and technological progress. Lacking either one would make science and technology like a cripple hobbling on one leg.”

“For the second path, I lean towards the theoretical side: building our own large particle collider.”

At these words, a slight stir went through the office.

In fact, this was not the first time someone had proposed it.

For instance, the School of Physics at Peking University and the School of Physics at Nanjing University had both previously suggested to the higher-ups that a large particle collider be built.

It wasn’t just for research in high-energy physics and particle physics; the technological breakthroughs from a large particle collider have produced a wealth of research results applied in fields like medicine and biomedicine, aerospace, security, Industry 4.0, cultural heritage, and energy technology.

These application areas involved a wide and diverse range of key technologies.

Just like at CERN, they are at the pinnacle in areas such as beam instrumentation, superconducting magnet technology, ultra-low temperature cooling technology, ultra-high vacuum technology, industrial control, magnet technology, particle tracking and calorimetry, radiation protection and monitoring, radio frequency and sensors, superconductivity technology, and so on.

Of course, where there was support for building it, there was also opposition.

The renowned physicist, hailed as the foremost figure in the field of physics today, Elder Yang, was one of its public opponents.

The reasons were simple. On one hand, the cost of building a large particle collider was enormous. On the other hand, there was a shortage of physics talent in the country.

It wasn’t that the country lacked physics talent; many professors and researchers in physics went abroad each year, but many of them emigrated after going out.

The inability to retain top talent was the biggest problem and regret at the time.

Based on these two considerations, Elder Yang had stood up to oppose the construction of a large particle collider. He believed that even if it were built, there was a high probability that they would just be doing the hard work for foreign physicists to reap the benefits.

The higher-ups had also seriously considered whether to build such a large-scale research facility, and in the end, they decided to put it on hold for the time being.

After all, China wasn’t exactly wealthy back then, and spending two hundred billion to build a large particle collider was indeed a bit of a stretch.

Now that this old topic was being brought up again, and by Academician Xu, whose contributions to the country were immense, some commotion was only natural.

Sitting beside Xu Chuan, the elderly man lifted his eyes and said, “Could you share your views?”

He was actually in favor of building a large particle collider, but he needed a reason to convince others.

After all, mobilizing so many funds and resources to build a facility that was almost purely for scientific research was not a decision he could make alone.

Xu Chuan nodded and continued, “Regarding the construction of a large particle collider, as to whether it’s necessary, I personally believe it is very necessary.”

“First, this kind of large-scale scientific facility can cultivate talent for us, and not just in the field of physics, as we can see from CERN. At the same time, once completed, the collider will also attract physicists and other talent from other countries to us.”

“Second, with the completion of controlled nuclear fusion technology, we have sufficient capability to undertake this project. Moreover, the various technologies involved in its construction, such as superconducting materials, ultra-low temperature cooling technology, ultra-high vacuum technology, industrial control, magnet technology, particle tracking, and calorimetry, are not solely applicable to the collider.”

“Taken individually, they can also greatly promote development in other fields.”

“Third, with controlled nuclear fusion accomplished, it is inevitable that we will face competition with other countries in other fields in our future development, both in applied and theoretical sciences.”

“And rather than hoping others will always keep their doors open to us, it’s better to have our own resources, be it people or equipment.”

“Fourth, if there are any clear breakthrough and development directions in the field of high-energy physics right now, dark matter and dark energy are at the core.”

“Although we may find it difficult to harness them now, it is undeniable that this is a whole new field. If we don’t have our own large particle collider, could we fall behind?”

“In the past few decades, because we failed to keep pace with the times, we spent generations playing catch-up. No one wants to relive the hardships we endured, the blood and tears we shed, and the humiliation and grievances we suffered.”

Xu Chuan’s words left everyone in the conference room silent for a moment.

No one knew better than the people sitting here today about the hardships endured and the blood and tears shed over the past few decades. It was a painful experience and a bitter memory.

After a moment of silence in the conference room, the elderly man spoke up, “Thank you for your suggestions, Academician Xu. We will give these proposals serious consideration.”

Chapter 433: The Tide of an Era, Mighty and Unstoppable

As for the future’s path and its developments, let’s set that aside for the moment.

In the real world, however, the changes brought about by the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology were proceeding both slowly and swiftly.

State Grid Group’s latest planning report announces the comprehensive deployment of charging piles at all gas stations along highways! The plan is to have a minimum of ten charging piles per station within one year, thirty within two years, and one hundred within five!

Qin-Chuan-Shaanxi Coal Group announces it will gradually shut down over eighty percent of its coal mines within the province over the next five years, restoring green mountains and clear waters to nature!

The big three oil companies announce they will gradually reduce overseas oil investments and suspend the expansion of overseas oil and gas fields.

…

This series of news reports all pointed to the nation’s adjustment of its energy development strategy.

Whether it was the gradual shutdown of coal mines, the reduction of overseas oil investments, or the increased funding for highway charging piles, it was clear that the trend in energy was a complete shift from fossil fuels to electric power.

Of course, this was a task that would take time to complete. Even for a country like China with its extremely strong mobilization capabilities, it would be impossible to complete the transition in just one or two years.

However, it was easy to understand that after the successful development of controlled nuclear fusion technology, both coal and oil would gradually exit the stage as primary sources of fuel and energy.

For the common people, the biggest impact of these trends was probably that the cars they drove would switch from gasoline-powered to electric in the coming years.

These matters also sparked considerable discussion online.

[Has everyone seen the recent news? Looks like electric cars are the way to go in the future.]

[Totally normal. God Chuan already developed controlled nuclear fusion tech, so what’s the point of keeping gasoline cars around?]

[I guess gasoline cars will be banned eventually, right?]

[No way, right? Consumers should still have the right to choose. It’s like automatic vs. manual transmission—even though automatic is convenient and simple, there are always people who prefer manual.]

[I’ll say just one thing: as long as gas cars aren’t completely banned, I’m never buying an electric car!]

[I’ve been working on new energy vehicle controllers for ten years. What’s the biggest challenge in the lithium battery industry? Safety! Almost all lithium batteries face one problem: how to ensure a safe discharge of energy during a violent collision? To put it simply, how do you give the driver and passengers thirty seconds to escape when a car crashes, the battery gets short-circuited, and fifty kilowatt-hours of electricity are released instantly, melting the car’s steel frame into molten iron?]

[That’s a good point. What if a new energy vehicle gets in a crash and the battery just explodes?]

[Just install an ejection seat [doge face]. The moment things go south, you just ascend!]

[Gas cars have this problem too, you know. Gas can catch fire and explode! You can’t just focus on the batteries.]

[Then aren’t hybrids a lost cause? If the hybrid battery has a problem and catches fire, it’ll take the gas tank with it and blow that up too (sarcastic doge face)]

Regardless of the online discussions, an announcement from the Nanjing Municipal Government once again set the internet ablaze.

Report on Adjustments to Residential/Industrial Electricity Prices in Nanjing City

“Effective January 1, 2022, the residential electricity price in Nanjing City will be uniformly adjusted to 0.2 yuan per kilowatt-hour. Industrial electricity prices will be adjusted based on usage tiers, with a base rate between 0.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour and 0.68 yuan per kilowatt-hour.”

This news of an electricity price adjustment, breaking from Nanjing, shocked the entire nation.

[Holy shit! 0.2 yuan per kilowatt-hour!]

[My god, if that’s really the price, I’ll run my AC twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, just to contribute to the national electricity bill!]

[The folks in Nanjing are so lucky! I’m so jealous my tears are streaming from the corners of my mouth.]

[God Chuan is awesome! As someone living in Nanjing, I’m only a month and a half away from being able to run my AC 24/7! Sweet!]

[Waaaah, the people of Beihe are wondering, when will we get to use electricity at 0.2 yuan a kilowatt-hour?!]

[Hiss~, at a price of 0.2 yuan a kilowatt-hour, who the hell needs a gas car? Electric cars are ridiculously awesome!]

[We are taking off!]

[A netizen from Gusu comments: Goddammit! Let’s kick Nanjing out of the group chat!]

As the breakthrough in controlled fusion technology took hold, its most immediate effects had begun to gradually seep into the lives of ordinary people.

The Nanjing Municipal Government’s anticipated adjustment of electricity prices was the sounding of the bugle call to charge.

And the even bigger changes were occurring on the world stage.

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution sparked by controlled nuclear fusion, all countries and all powers would face a brand-new reshuffling.

Of course, in this process, there were those who rejoiced and those who despaired.

However, in the mighty, unstoppable tide of this era of change, not just the joys and sorrows of individuals, but even the joys and sorrows of great nations seemed utterly insignificant.

Just like the irreversibility of time, nothing could stop its advance and pulse.

In this era of change, no one could remain on the sidelines. Everyone was a small boat in the Age of Discovery, sailing forward with the tide.

And Xu Chuan, the man who had set this mighty, unstoppable tide of change in motion, was currently recuperating in a sanitarium in Beijing.

It wasn’t that he was sick. Rather, at the elderly man’s request, he was here for a full physical examination to check on his health.

After all, for him now, the state of his health was no longer just his own personal matter.

Xu Chuan didn’t resist the idea of a physical.

Although he knew the condition of his own body, the controlled nuclear fusion technology was already a reality. The burden on his shoulders had been lifted, and he had plenty of time. So, spending two days to get a comprehensive check-up and see if there were any hidden problems was completely worth it.

“What are the results, Academician Qiu?”

Looking at the middle-aged man standing before him, Xu Chuan curiously took the thick stack of medical report files from his hand.

He had to admit, the country was more concerned about his health than he was.

The team conducting his comprehensive physical this time had been specially assembled from the West Campus of the No. 301 Hospital in Haidian and was led by an expert at the Academician level.

Academician Qiu Kaiji smiled and replied, “Judging from the report, there are no major problems overall. You’re slightly nearsighted, but it’s less than fifty degrees, so it doesn’t affect your daily life. However, there are a few areas that you need to pay more attention to, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan nodded as he flipped through the report in his hands. “Please go on, Academician Qiu.”

Qiu Kaiji smiled. “First is your daily routine. You need to be careful with this, Academician Xu. According to the report, your schedule is a bit chaotic. You probably pull all-nighters often, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked up and said with a smile, “For people in scientific research, very few of us have a stable daily routine. Pulling all-nighters and so on is quite normal.”

“But speaking of which, my daily routine has always been quite good. It’s just that with the controlled nuclear fusion project recently, working overtime was unavoidable. Fortunately, it’s completed now, so I should be able to rest properly for a while.”

Qiu Kaiji shook his head and said, “You still need to take this seriously, Academician Xu. If you don’t pay attention when you’re young, it will cause problems later on.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “The second aspect is your diet. From the report, your eating habits aren’t very good, especially your fondness for high-oil, high-salt foods. As a result, your cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, and other indicators are a bit high. In the future, this could lead to problems like arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure.”

“I hope you will pay close attention to this, Academician Xu, and adjust your habits as soon as possible.”

Chapter 434: Planetary Engine

A physical examination left Xu Chuan baffled to find two people suddenly thrust into his life.

A personal assistant who looked to be about his age, and a housekeeper.

According to the elderly man and Academician Qiu Kaiji, who had conducted his physical, his body was in “urgent” need of recuperation, and he could no longer eat junk food and the like.

Thus, a personal assistant and a housekeeper were assigned to him.

Xu Chuan was completely baffled, staring wide-eyed at the woman standing before him. She stood ramrod straight, exuding a crisp, military-like aura.

This was the personal assistant they found for him?

Wasn’t she a bit too young?

Though he appeared to be under twenty-five, his actual age was much greater. If she was to be his personal assistant, who would be taking care of whom?

However, the woman across from him didn’t seem to overthink it. She looked at Xu Chuan and flashed a standard smile.

“Hello, Academician Xu. My name is Tang Sijia. As arranged by the organization, I will be responsible for your health and recuperation from now on. I hope we can work together smoothly and pleasantly.”

“Ahem, hello.” Xu Chuan coughed lightly, feeling a bit awkward as he returned the greeting. This was his first time having someone arranged to look after his daily life as a personal assistant.

After all, he’d grown up in the countryside. Even though he now stood at the pinnacle of the scientific world, it was hard to change the mindset he’d had his whole life.

But the matter was already decided, and it would be too awkward to send her back now, wouldn’t it?

After a brief exchange to get acquainted, Xu Chuan returned to the Beihai Hotel to pack his bags for his return to Nanjing.

Now that the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor had successfully achieved ignition, the next steps were to conduct repeated ignition tests and then begin the work related to grid connection.

Once the year 2021 was over, he would probably be able to step down from his position as the overall director of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

By then, he should also return to Nanjing University to teach a few classes.

Speaking of which, Xu Chuan felt quite guilty. After all, he held the title of full professor at Nanjing University but hadn’t taught a single class or supervised any students in the past two years. He had essentially been freeloading off Nanjing University’s salary and benefits.

Not that Nanjing University would likely mind this freeloading; in fact, they would probably be happy to have more “freeloaders” like him.

But for him, it still didn’t sit right.

Upon his smooth return from the sanatorium to the Beihai Hotel, Xu Chuan unexpectedly ran into another acquaintance.

“Academician Xu, hello.”

In the hotel lobby, a middle-aged to elderly man extended his right hand with a broad smile, greeting him with the ease of an old friend. “Please allow me to introduce myself, Academician Xu. I am the Station Director of China Central Television, Xiong Weizhao.”

Looking at the smiling CCTV Station Director before him, Xu Chuan skillfully extended his own right hand and shook it. “Hello, Station Director Xiong.”

While it was somewhat surprising that the Station Director of CCTV would personally come to interview him, he had long since grown accustomed to such things.

Ever since he led the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project to a successful ignition, he had received a great many visitors.

To put it bluntly, among these visitors, the Station Director of CCTV was probably one of the lower-ranking ones.

Xiong Weizhao enthusiastically grasped his hand with both of his, shaking it firmly as he said with a beaming smile, “It’s wonderful to see you, Academician Xu. Allow me to introduce you. This is one of our outstanding media reporters and hosts at CCTV, Sun Yutong.”

Behind him, the beautiful reporter Sun Yutong stepped forward with a radiant smile and greeted Xu Chuan. “Hello, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded at her in acknowledgment. “Long time no see, Reporter Sun.”

Hearing that he still remembered her, Sun Yutong was slightly taken aback, then a brilliant smile lit up her face. “I didn’t expect you to remember me.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “People always have a deeper impression of beautiful things.”

Beside them, Xiong Weizhao watched the friendly exchange between Xu Chuan and Sun Yutong, a cryptic smile also appearing on his face.

In fact, strictly speaking, Sun Yutong was not a core reporter for CCTV Channel 1, and today’s interview should not have been her assignment. However, after learning that she had interviewed Academician Xu several times before and had a good relationship with him, he had made the executive decision to bring her along today.

After all, given Academician Xu’s current stature, even getting a meeting with him was no easy feat.

Whether or not they could secure an interview with him depended entirely on his mood.

Bringing Sun Yutong today was, at the very least, the right move. The relationship between the two seemed even better than he had anticipated. The interview was a sure thing.

After the two had caught up for a moment, Xiong Weizhao spoke up. “I was wondering if you might have a moment, Academician Xu. We’d like to conduct an interview with you regarding the field of controlled nuclear fusion. After all, we are the first country to achieve this great technology. It is a necessary task to publicize it and bolster our national confidence.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Of course, we have applied to the higher-ups for this interview, and they have approved it. The interview questions have also been carefully selected so as not to touch upon any of the technical aspects of controlled nuclear fusion.”

“Furthermore, after the interview is concluded, we will thoroughly review the relevant content and will only release it after confirming there are no issues.”

“The main purpose is to provide the general public with a proper popular science explanation of controlled nuclear fusion. After all, you are the father of controlled nuclear fusion, and your voice on this subject is more convincing than anyone else’s.”

Hearing him lay it all out like that, Xu Chuan saw no reason to refuse. He nodded and said, “Alright, but my high-speed rail train is in the afternoon, around two o’clock. I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of time for you.”

“If the interview is rather long, you could also find time to come to Nanjing.”

Xiong Weizhao glanced at his watch and quickly replied, “That’s more than enough time, more than enough! I’ve already had the hotel manager prepare a conference room. We won’t take up too much of your time, Academician Xu.”

As he spoke, he shot a meaningful glance at Sun Yutong.

Sun Yutong quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, “We appreciate you taking the time, Academician Xu.”

“You’re welcome. It’s a small matter.”

The group went to one of the conference rooms in the Beihai Hotel. After a few words of simple conversation, Sun Yutong asked with a smile, “Academician Xu, shall we officially begin the interview?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, we can.”

“The first question is about the future. Now that controlled nuclear fusion technology has been realized, we all want to ask, what changes will it bring to our lives, the global environment, and other aspects?”

Hearing this question, which couldn’t be more conventional, Xu Chuan smiled. “If we’re talking about the changes that can be brought about by the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology, there are far too many.”

“I probably couldn’t finish explaining it all in three days and three nights.”

He paused for a moment to think, then continued, “If I were to name the biggest and most obvious change, it would be related to electricity.”

“For those living in Nanjing, even though it hasn’t started yet, they should be able to feel the change in electricity prices. Previously, the residential electricity price in Nanjing was about six-tenths of a yuan per unit, but after the Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor completes its grid connection, the fee will drop to two-tenths of a yuan per unit, a threefold decrease.”

“For our friends whose lives depend on air conditioning during the hot summer, the burden of electricity bills will be drastically reduced. As some friends online have said, you’ll be able to walk around with an air conditioner on your back twenty-four hours a day.”

Smiling, Xu Chuan added, “Of course, I personally wouldn’t recommend doing that. After all, it would be exhausting to carry an air conditioner around.”

Hearing this, Sun Yutong couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She hadn’t expected this humorous side of Professor Xu.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind and continued, “For society, the reduction in electricity costs will mean the rapid development of all industries. These are all predictable outcomes.”

“As for the impact on Earth’s ecology and environment…”

He thought for a moment, then described it in the simplest way possible: “After the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology, problems like the greenhouse effect and excessive carbon dioxide emissions will be greatly improved.”

“This depends on the type of energy used, which will shift from traditional fossil fuels to electrical energy from controlled nuclear fusion.”

“And as everyone knows, the use of fossil fuels—be it coal, gasoline, natural gas, or others—releases large amounts of total heat and greenhouse gases when burned to do work. These are one of the main reasons for the current drastic changes in Earth’s ecological environment.”

Sun Yutong nodded and asked curiously, “So, can we understand this to mean that global ecological and environmental issues, such as carbon neutrality, will be alleviated or even resolved in the future?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “You could say that. After the realization of controlled nuclear fusion technology, these problems can be greatly alleviated. And from a relatively long-term perspective, they can be completely resolved.”

“After all, the Deuterium-Tritium burned by controlled nuclear fusion technology releases neutrons and Helium-3. During power generation, there is no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases produced.”

“And when it comes to utilizing fusion’s thermal energy, nuclear fusion devices are far more powerful than ordinary power generation equipment.”

Sun Yutong nodded and continued, “The second question was selected from the internet. Before I ask it, I’d like to check if you, Academician Xu, have ever seen or are familiar with the novel or movie The Wandering Earth? If not, we will skip this question.”

“Of course, this part will also be edited out of the subsequent report.”

Xu Chuan glanced at her with some curiosity and nodded, though he wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “I have some familiarity with it.”

Sun Yutong: “It’s like this: a netizen wanted to ask you, in the movie The Wandering Earth that was released last year, the planetary engines mentioned in the film are based on the principle of nuclear fusion. What are your thoughts on this sci-fi direction? In your view, could the applications of nuclear fusion shown in the movie, such as the planetary engines, become a reality in the future?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan raised his eyebrows with interest.

He had to admit, this question was a bit more insightful than the last one.

After some thought, he organized his words and said, “First, it can be said with certainty that using nuclear fusion as an energy source to drive enormous planetary engines is a product of the science fiction author’s boundless imagination. It’s also an expression of the author’s hope for future technology, especially for a solution to humanity’s energy problems—controlled nuclear fusion.”

“As for controlled nuclear fusion technology, once it is applied, projects that were once prohibitively expensive in terms of energy consumption, like seawater desalination and interstellar travel, can all be expected to develop rapidly with the support of nuclear fusion.”

“As for the hardcore technologies in the novel and movie, like the planetary engines—from our current understanding, they do seem somewhat out of reach. But with major future discoveries and continuous breakthroughs in science and technology, perhaps they can become a reality.”

“Of course, to build such massive planetary engines would be an enormous extravagance, both for the structural materials and for controlled nuclear fusion itself. It would require at least several more rounds of breakthroughs before there could be any hope.”

“If I remember correctly, the fusion fuel used in the planetary engines is common stone. The principle is ‘heavy element fusion’.”

“The fusion of heavy elements is a more advanced form of nuclear fusion reaction. It generally only occurs inside massive stars. A star with the mass of our Sun cannot undergo heavy element fusion. Only stars more than eight times the solar mass can achieve the fusion of elements up to iron.”

“The controlled nuclear fusion technology we have currently achieved uses the hydrogen isotopes Deuterium-Tritium as fuel. It only requires about fifteen million degrees Celsius to reach fusion conditions. But the next level up, the fusion of helium, requires nearly two hundred million degrees Celsius.”

“However, to make conventional stone—whose main components are generally silicon dioxide, carbonates, calcium hydroxide, and so on—undergo nuclear fusion, the required temperature would be at least over two billion degrees Celsius.”

“Although theoretically, this is achievable.”

“But this technology, for humanity’s current level of science, is an unimaginable form of nuclear fusion. While possible in theory, it is far too difficult to achieve in reality.”

“Even I cannot give a predicted timeline for its realization.”

Chapter 435: The Marvelous Use of a Life Assistant

The interview lasted for nearly half an hour.

Originally, Station Director Xiong Weizhao had planned for the interview to be about an hour long, but considering that Academician Xu needed to catch a high-speed train back to Nanjing, he had significantly shortened it, cutting out several questions.

After the interview, Xu Chuan took his luggage, bid the two farewell, and began his journey home.

Standing at the entrance of the Beihai Hotel, Xiong Weizhao watched the silhouette of Xu Chuan’s departing vehicle, feeling a wave of emotion.

Having worked at CTV for so many years, he had interviewed and met countless scientific researchers, scholars, and even politicians, but this was the first time he had ever met someone as outstanding as the young man before him.

There were many academicians, but a scholar like this one, who could reach the highest echelons of power and directly influence the entire nation, even global development—in today’s society, he was probably the only one.

Watching the vehicle disappear, he suddenly turned to Sun Yutong, who was standing beside him, and said with a kind smile, “Yutong, I didn’t realize you had such a good relationship with Academician Xu. You must remember to stay in touch in the future.”

Sun Yutong gazed at the departing car, then at the station director, her mind a blank for a moment, unsure of what she was thinking.

Stay in touch?

It wasn’t that she didn’t have his contact information.

She had added Academician Xu’s contact details years ago, during her first trip to Sweden for the Crafoord Prize interview.

However, in the years that followed, apart from some polite holiday greetings, there had been little contact between them.

To be honest, as a woman of her age, it was perfectly normal to be thinking about a significant other.

It was just that her standards seemed to be a little too high.

Before she could even make a move, he had already ascended to a height far beyond her reach.

If she were to try now, she doubted she would even have the courage.

By the time he returned to Nanjing from Beijing, it was already quite late.

After a shower, Xu Chuan dried his hair and sat down in his study.

Although he had been away for many days, the villa was still spotless, without a speck of dust. It seemed that even while he was away, someone would come to clean the place periodically.

He turned on his computer, opened the document where he recorded his various tasks, and logged the recent matters. Then, he began to schedule his upcoming work and research directions.

Now that controlled nuclear fusion had been achieved, he had planned his next objectives, but the overall outline was still rather rough.

Now, it was time to set a new plan for himself.

He had rested for long enough.

After all, the mind of a scholar, or rather, a researcher, could not be left idle for too long.

After some thought, he opened his personal notebook and wrote down two terms: “Mathematics” and “Aerospace Engines.”

Mathematics was his own path.

No matter what, even after achieving controlled nuclear fusion, Xu Chuan had no intention of abandoning the field of mathematics.

On the contrary, he planned to dedicate more of his energy to mathematics in the coming years.

Though he had already solved two Millennium Prize Problems, the field of mathematics was vast, and there were still many areas he had yet to explore and needed to learn.

As for aerospace engines, they were undoubtedly in preparation for a breakthrough in aerospace technology.

With controlled nuclear fusion now a reality, taking a step toward the stars was essential.

But as things stood, whether it was China, the United States, the European Union, or other countries, there hadn’t been any major progress in aerospace technology.

One could even say that the peak of aerospace was during the famous “Cold War” of the last century.

In that turbulent yet competitive era, aerospace experienced the most glorious moment in human history.

A series of miracles, including launch vehicles, unmanned spaceflights, manned moon landings, the space shuttle, and the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle, were all created during that time.

But now, decades later, various countries’ aerospace technologies were still just tinkering and patching things up. Far from advancing, they might have even regressed.

Decades ago, both the Soviet Union and the United States had achieved manned moon landings, yet now, manned moon landings were no longer in any country’s plans or schedules.

Of course, this was also related to the long-stalled progress in aerospace engine technology.

In many science fiction novels or movies, spacecraft always had propulsion for the entire duration of their interstellar journeys.

But in reality, the engine technology of rocket propellants couldn’t achieve this at all.

Compared to the exposed propellant tanks, the engines of chemical rockets looked small, but they had a huge appetite.

“They consume a lot but aren’t very efficient.”

Traditional fossil fuel engines needed to devour massive amounts of energy, yet they were only effective at providing short-term power—the stored fuel was quickly depleted, and the boosters were immediately discarded as junk.

Most of a chemical rocket’s fuel was used to escape Earth’s gravity, with the little that remained used to push the rocket into a “space-coast.” The rocket traveled to its destination purely on inertia.

For interstellar flight, this type of engine was clearly inadequate.

Take the famous “Saturn V launch vehicle” for example.

It was a super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by the United States, hailed as the most powerful rocket system in history.

However, despite being 110.6 meters tall with a diameter of 10 meters and a thrust of 3,408 tons, it could only deliver 118 tons to low Earth orbit. If the destination was the lunar orbit, the payload would shrink dramatically to 45 tons.

The reason was that a large portion of the nearly thirty-five hundred tons of thrust generated by the rocket was used to “drag” the rocket itself and over two thousand tons of fuel.

Its “specific impulse” was not high, only a little over three hundred seconds, indicating its low propulsion efficiency.

This is why a massive rocket is needed to send a person of very small mass into space.

If these traditional fossil fuel rockets continued to be used as launch vehicles, aerospace technology would likely not see any significant breakthroughs.

So Xu Chuan wanted to focus his research on this area, to see if he could find a new path for aerospace engines.

Sitting in front of his computer, Xu Chuan pondered new directions for aerospace engines, and unknowingly, the night deepened.

When the moon had climbed overhead, the phone on his desk buzzed.

Xu Chuan picked it up and saw it was a message from his newly appointed life assistant.

“Academician Xu, it’s very late now. If you don’t have any urgent matters, it’s time to go to sleep.”

Reading the message, the corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He glanced at the time.

Alright, it was already eleven o’clock at night without him realizing.

Shaking his head, he put down his phone, saved the files on his computer, and got up to wash up.

Is this the marvelous use of a life assistant?

A researcher who can’t even have the freedom to pull an all-nighter—what kind of researcher is that!

After a peaceful night’s sleep, Xu Chuan went to Nanjing University the next day.

Now that controlled nuclear fusion was a reality, as a full professor at Nanjing University, it was about time he came back to teach some classes and mentor his students.

Pushing open the office door, Xu Chuan walked in. Cai Peng, who was studying by himself in the office, turned his head, and his face lit up with surprise and excitement as he quickly stood up.

“Professor, you’re finally back!”

The word “finally” made Xu Chuan cough a little unnaturally. Facing this student, Cai Peng, he did feel a slight bit of embarrassment.

After all, he had taken him on as a student for nearly two years but hadn’t taught him much. He had been busy with controlled nuclear fusion, and Cai Peng was mostly left in the care of Gu Bing and Amelia.

Across from him, Cai Peng might have realized he said something wrong, so he quickly changed the subject and offered his congratulations, “Professor, congratulations on solving the century-old problem of controlled nuclear fusion!”

Xu Chuan: “Thank you. Why don’t I see Amelia?”

Hearing this, Cai Peng’s expression turned a little strange. “Professor, didn’t you arrange for her to go to CERN for an internship back in February? She hasn’t returned yet.”

Xu Chuan coughed, only then remembering that because he had been busy with nuclear fusion, he had sent Amelia to CERN for practical experience to avoid delaying her progress.

Amelia’s field was mathematical physics. After solving the Bloch Conjecture, she had graduated from under his supervision along with Gu Bing.

However, Gu Bing chose to become a mathematics professor at Nanjing University, while Amelia, having more talent, chose to continue her advanced studies with him in the methods of computational particle physics.

This was a subject that required a combination of theory and practice. China couldn’t yet provide much support in this area, so he had sent Amelia to CERN, asking his own advisor, Edward Witten, to help look after her.

And so, Cai Peng was left at the university, either studying on his own or learning with Gu Bing.

Thinking about it, he really had let his students down, leaving them in a hands-off mode most of the time.

Clearing his throat, Xu Chuan said, “From now on, I should have enough time to teach you. I hope you haven’t fallen behind in your studies these past two years.”

Hearing this, Cai Peng had a bad feeling.

He had heard from his senior, Gu Bing, that this advisor of his was daring enough to assign a world-class problem as a student’s graduation thesis. Surely he wouldn’t also have to solve a world-class problem to graduate, would he?

If that was the case, they might as well just kill him. Wouldn’t that be simpler?

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the shifting expressions on his student’s face and continued, “I remember you chose to specialize in the field of differential equations, right?”

Cai Peng quickly replied, “Yes, Professor.”

Xu Chuan nodded and didn’t say much more. He took out a sheet of A4 paper from his desk drawer, thought for a moment, and then began to write:

“Let K be a differential field of characteristic zero, and Δ = {δ₁, …, δₘ} be its set of derivation operators. Let L = K<η₁, …, ηₙ> be the differential field extension of K generated by a finite set of elements η = {η₁, …, ηₙ}.”

“Let Θ be the free commutative semigroup generated by δ₁, …, δₘ. If r is any non-zero integer, let Θ(r) = {δ₁ᵏ¹…δₘᵏᵐ ∈ Θ | Σ(i=1 to m) kᵢ ≤ r}.”

“Question 1: Find an algorithm to determine a differential generating set η for a given differential field extension L over K.”

“Question 2: Find an algorithm that, given a differential generating set of a differential field extension L over K and the differential relations of this set, can compute the minimal differential dimension polynomial of L/K.”

In the quiet office, the sound of the ballpoint pen gliding across the clean white paper was particularly sharp. Listening to the sound, Cai Peng couldn’t help but swallow.

He was starting to feel a little panicked.

Less than two minutes later, Xu Chuan stood up and handed the paper with the completed questions to Cai Peng.

“Although it was my dereliction of duty not to have taught you properly these past two years, let me see if you’ve wasted your talent and studies during this time.”

“The problems on this paper should be suitable for you. I’ll give you three days. Solve as much as you can. Even your thought process and ideas will count.”

“If you’ve been slacking off these past two years, you might have to wait a while longer to graduate from under me.”

Chapter 436: Nanjing University Students: Is it Chinese New Year Already?

After tossing the math problem in his hands to Cai Peng, Xu Chuan turned on his office computer and registered his course with the Academic Affairs Office.

The course had originally been taught by him, but later, while he was busy with the “Beta Radiation Energy Conversion Project,” Gu Bing and Amelia had substituted for him for a time.

But when he was busy with controlled nuclear fusion, Gu Bing and Amelia had both graduated, and Cai Peng was a new student, so the course was temporarily suspended. Now, it was time to restart it.

One could only imagine the sensation his course submission would cause on the Nanjing University campus.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The staff at the Academic Affairs Office responsible for scheduling were collectively stunned for a moment before quickly publishing it on the official Nanjing University website, sparking fervent discussions on the Stone Forum and in various class group chats.

[Holy shit! Have you guys seen the course schedule? God Chuan’s name is on it!]

[It couldn’t be someone with the same name, right?]

[It’s possible. Maybe it’s an assistant professor or one of his students. I find it hard to believe. He’s the chief designer of the controlled nuclear fusion project—would he still teach a class?]

[It’s been so long since we’ve heard God Chuan himself lecture! The last time was almost two years ago. I hope it’s for real!]

[Controlled nuclear fusion is a reality now, so maybe he has come back? After all, he is still a professor at Nanjing University.]

[We’ll find out tomorrow. Just have to wait and see. But we should definitely get there early to grab a seat. Worst case, if it’s just a student or an assistant professor, we can just slip out early.]

For the students of Nanjing University, having God Chuan—the man who solved the century-old problem of controlled nuclear fusion—personally teach their class was, without a doubt, like Chinese New Year had come early.

Of course, many still doubted whether it was truly Xu Chuan who would be teaching.

After all, a top-tier master of his caliber would typically no longer teach undergraduate courses.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the outside world’s speculation. After submitting the course schedule, he got up and left his office.

Returning to Nanjing University after more than a year, he felt he ought to visit his former advisor and other acquaintances.

Walking down the corridor, Xu Chuan easily found Chen Zhengping’s office. He knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, “Come in.”

Pushing open the ajar door, he walked in and greeted with a smile, “Advisor.”

Hearing the familiar yet somewhat distant voice, Chen Zhengping, who was busy with work at his desk, suddenly looked up. The familiar face that met his eyes made him pause for a moment, then a smile spread across his face as he put down his pen and stood up.

“Our Chief Designer Xu has returned! What a rare guest! Welcome, welcome.” Chen Zhengping said, a delighted smile on his face.

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Teacher, are you teasing me now?”

Chen Zhengping laughed heartily. “What do you mean, teasing? The chief designer of the controlled nuclear fusion project gracing Nanjing University, gracing my humble little office—it brightens up the whole place.”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly. “Please, spare me. It’s one thing for others to say it, but Teacher, you don’t need to join in.”

Chen Zhengping smiled, steeped two cups of tea, and asked, “Is everything finished with the controlled nuclear fusion project? Nothing left to do?”

Xu Chuan accepted the tea with both hands and nodded. “Yes, I don’t need to worry about it for the time being. Although there are still some tests to run, grid connection by the beginning of next year should be no problem.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping was filled with emotion. “Controlled nuclear fusion technology… I never thought I’d live to see its realization.”

After a moment of reflection, he looked at his student curiously and asked, “Now that controlled nuclear fusion has been achieved, what do you plan to research next?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “I’ll probably take a break for a while. I plan to come back to my alma mater to teach some classes and brush up on my mathematics.”

“As for what’s further down the road, I’ll have to wait for instructions from the higher-ups.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhengping gave Xu Chuan a strange look. “You’re actually talking about taking a break? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Go on, which Millennium Prize Problem have you set your sights on this time?”

At this, Xu Chuan nearly spat out a mouthful of tea. He forced himself to swallow, choked, and coughed several times before he recovered.

“Teacher, what are you saying? What do you mean, it’s strange for me to talk about resting? The Millennium Prize Problems aren’t that easy to solve. If I could solve whichever one I set my sights on, wouldn’t that make me a god?”

Chen Zhengping retorted, “Aren’t you? The Hodge Conjecture, the NS equations, the controlled nuclear fusion conjecture… all the targets you set your sights on have now been solved.”

Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. He didn’t know how to refute that, so he could only say, “Luck. I was just lucky.”

Chen Zhengping shot him a look and said irritably, “You rascal, stop putting on an act in front of me. Your words are making me so annoyed I want to hit you.”

He paused, then added, “But it’s good for you to come back and rest. I imagine you didn’t get much sleep during the controlled nuclear fusion project.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Looking back, it was all worth it.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “This time, I’ll probably rest for a while, teach some classes, and mentor a couple of students. After all, I still hold the position of full professor in the Department of Mathematics at Nanjing University.”

As they were chatting, another figure hurriedly walked into the office.

“Academician Chen, regarding the Department of Physics—”

Before he could finish, the man’s gaze fell upon Xu Chuan sitting on the sofa. He froze for a second, then his face lit up with a pleasantly surprised smile.

“Academician Xu, you’re back!”

Xu Chuan glanced at the smiling, unfamiliar middle-aged man, extended his hand for a handshake, and asked curiously, “And you are?”

Hearing this question, Chen Zhengping, standing to the side, gave an embarrassed cough and quickly made the introduction. “Ahem, this is the new principal of Nanjing University, Principal Tan Shaoyuan. The previous principal, Liu Gaojun, has been transferred to a post at the Ministry of Education.”

A full professor who doesn’t even know his own university’s principal has changed… Chen Zhengping felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment, especially since it was said right in front of the man himself.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan finally realized that his alma mater had a new principal. He could only offer a slightly awkward and sheepish smile in greeting. “Hello, Principal Tan.”

However, the new principal, Tan Shaoyuan, didn’t seem to mind at all. He chuckled heartily. “Hah, Academician Xu is the chief designer of the controlled nuclear fusion project. It’s perfectly normal for him to be too busy with his work to know about such minor matters.”

He paused, looked at Xu Chuan, and continued, “On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you, Academician Xu, for the reputation and contributions you’ve brought to Nanjing University. It is our honor to have a scholar like you.”

It had to be said, someone who could become the principal of Nanjing University was quite skilled with words. With just two simple sentences, he dispelled the slightly awkward atmosphere in the office.

The three of them chatted for a while, making small talk, before Xu Chuan remembered something else. He looked at the new principal, Tan Shaoyuan, and said, “By the way, Principal Tan, there’s something I’d like to discuss with the university.”

Hearing this, Tan Shaoyuan quickly replied, “Please, go ahead, Academician Xu. If there’s anything Nanjing University can do to help, we will do our utmost.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s actually good news for Nanjing University.”

“After the completion of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project, I communicated with the Great Elder. We plan to retain the researchers, engineers, and other scholars who were assigned to the project and establish an independent research institution to advance various scientific and technological fields.”

“The main reason is that we all feel it would be a shame to simply disband the Qixia project team. With so many researchers, keeping them organized would be highly beneficial for the nation’s technological development.”

“If Nanjing University is interested, you could join as a cooperating institution.”

As soon as he said this, the other two in the office instantly understood.

Tan Shaoyuan said, “This is a wonderful opportunity! Of course, Nanjing University must join.”

Chen Zhengping thought for a moment and asked curiously, “Something like the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “You could say that. But it might go a bit deeper than the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study. Once this institution is established, it will likely cooperate with major universities and industrial partners as an independent research body.”

Chen Zhengping nodded. “If it can truly be done, it would indeed be very beneficial. But frankly, an idealistic research institution like the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study would have a hard time surviving in our country. It’s not that no one has tried before, but they all eventually faded into obscurity.”

At the side, Tan Shaoyuan spoke up. “In that case, I think the institution Academician Xu is describing sounds more like Germany’s Max Planck Society. May I ask, will this research institution be personally led by you, Academician Xu?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. Barring any surprises, I will be leading it myself.”

To be honest, he wouldn’t feel at ease entrusting such a large research institute to anyone else. There are too many cases of laymen leading experts, both domestically and abroad. If it were handed over to someone else, it would likely suffer the same fate as previous institutes and eventually wither away.

But in his hands, he was rather confident he could control its development.

As for future research into aerospace engines, aerospace technology, and other fields, it would, in all likelihood, be conducted within this research institution.

Chapter 437: Just Trying to Research It a Little

In Nanjing University’s largest lecture hall, there was a sea of people.

Although there was still more than half an hour until the class officially started, the room was already packed to the brim.

“Holy shit, why are there so many people?”

Wang Hai, clutching his books as he rushed to the lecture, couldn’t help but swallow hard as he stared at the jam-packed classroom.

He had come over half an hour early to grab a seat, but as it turned out, forget seats—even the aisles between the rows of seats were nearly full.

Beside him, a roommate also holding books grumbled, “Does the Nanjing University Department of Mathematics really have this many students?”

“I told you all to come earlier, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look. Stop complaining and find a spot. Any later and we won’t even have a place in the aisle,” another roommate urged before heading toward a still-empty space in an aisle. Without a second thought for the dirt, he sat right down on the floor.

Seeing this, his two roommates scurried over and squeezed in beside him.

For crying out loud, in the brief time they had spent talking, several more students carrying books had walked into the classroom. If they had been any later, they really wouldn’t have found a spot even in the aisles.

Half an hour wasn’t a long time. Just as the students were discussing whether Xu Chuan would personally come to teach them, he walked into the lecture hall with a textbook in hand.

Seeing the very figure they had been waiting for walk up to the lectern, the buzz in the classroom grew louder. Someone even accidentally shouted.

“Academician Xu! You actually came!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What, you don’t welcome me to teach you? Should I leave then?”

At his words, the student who had shouted blushed crimson.

The other students, however, started to join in the fun.

“No, no!”

“Of course we welcome you.”

“Don’t go!”

“Love me!”

Hearing the students’ shouts get more and more absurd, Xu Chuan quickly interjected, “Ahem, alright, everyone please quiet down. It’s time to start the class.”

At his words, the lecture hall instantly fell silent.

Xu Chuan cleared his throat and said, “Today’s lesson is on ‘Linear Analysis.’ It was announced a while ago, so I hope you’ve all prepared and can keep up with my pace in class.”

“Linear algebra is a branch of algebra that primarily deals with problems of linear relationships. Although it only became an independent branch of mathematics in the 20th century, its history is quite ancient. For example, the famous ‘chicken and rabbit in a cage’ problem is, in fact, a simple problem of solving a system of linear equations.”

“And in the ‘Equations’ chapter of the ancient Chinese mathematical treatise, the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, a fairly complete description was already provided. The method described therein is substantively equivalent to the modern method of eliminating unknowns by performing elementary row transformations on the augmented matrix of a system of equations.”

“In the upcoming class, I will deviate from some of the material in the textbook to show you how to learn this subject by understanding the axiomatic method abstracted from concrete concepts, as well as rigorous logical deduction and clever inductive synthesis.”

“Of course, because I’ll be deviating from the textbook, I strongly suggest you take out your notebooks and take notes while I’m speaking.”

“Otherwise, you might find yourselves completely lost when you go back.”

Hearing this, the upperclassmen and even graduate students in the classroom who had experienced his lectures before swallowed nervously.

Doomed!

We’re totally doomed!

In the past, when he taught, he would often blow through half a textbook in a single class. Even with preparation, it was hard for them to keep up.

Now he was going completely off-book. This was a guaranteed GG. Who was going to save them?

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much mind to the expressions on the students’ faces. Teaching without a textbook wasn’t an issue for him.

With his mathematical ability, he had long surpassed the person who wrote the textbook in his hands.

The only thing he needed to be mindful of was that this was a large-scale lecture, so he couldn’t let his teaching stray beyond what these undergraduate students could comprehend.

Moreover, in today’s class, he wanted to try something different, to see if he could provide these students with more help.

Seated at the very back of the lecture hall, Chen Zhengping, Director Zhou Hai of the School of Mathematical Sciences, and Vice-President Rong Zhizhuan sat together, discreetly listening to Xu Chuan’s first class after his return.

Listening to Xu Chuan’s lecture, Zhou Hai suddenly became emotional. “As expected of Academician Xu, to have such a profound understanding of linear algebra. I never would have thought that panel clustering and H-matrices could be used to compute matrix vectors.”

“Approaching from this angle can greatly improve the efficiency of solving corresponding systems of algebraic equations. To think that one could hear about methods for optimizing the solution of systems of linear algebraic equations in an ordinary university class.”

Chen Zhengping didn’t quite understand Zhou Hai’s emotional remark. He wasn’t a mathematics scholar and wasn’t very familiar with the subject.

However, Rong Zhizhuan, who had long since been promoted from Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences to Vice-President of Nanjing University, nodded in agreement. “The main difficulty in solving large-scale systems of linear equations is the workload. How to reduce that workload is one of the biggest challenges in computational mathematics.”

“This method of his… I don’t know if he came up with it on the spot or if he had already fully conceptualized it. If he came up with it on the spot, that would be too terrifying.”

After a pause, he continued, “However, for these students, this path might not be very suitable. Aside from some of the upperclassmen, the other undergraduates will probably have a hard time understanding this method. He’s going a bit too deep.”

Zhou Hai smiled and shook his head. “If he had jumped straight into this, it would indeed be a bit much.”

“But he started from the basics and gradually went deeper. For those who are paying close attention, even if they don’t fully understand, it will plant a seed in their minds.”

“As for whether this seed will take root and sprout in the future, who knows.”

“However.”

“If he can continue teaching in this manner long-term, I am certain that we will see the glory of the Nanjing University Department of Mathematics sooner or later.”

Rong Zhizhuan said with a smile, “Is the Nanjing University Department of Mathematics not glorious enough already? A Fields Medalist! Two Millennium Prize problems! No other school has such an honor!”

A class was ninety minutes long.

This time, Xu Chuan didn’t flip through the textbook much. In fact, he only covered about a fifth of the textbook’s content for this lesson.

However, the teaching method he improvised in class clearly brought inspiration to many of the students in attendance.

Although the vast majority of these students might not have absorbed all the knowledge on the spot, it was just as Professor Zhou Hai had said: this class had planted a seed in their hearts concerning the field of ‘linear algebra.’

The rest was up to the students themselves to slowly absorb knowledge, water, and fertilize it, allowing the seed to take root, sprout, and gradually grow.

Sitting in the front row, a third-year student who had come nearly two hours early to claim a seat stared at his notebook, which was already filled with several pages of notes. His face bore a pensive expression as if lost in thought.

Beside him, a graduate student whose hair was already showing a receding M-shaped hairline remarked with emotion, “As expected of Academician Xu. His teaching level is so much better than the professors in our school. No, I should say the two can’t even be compared.”

Hearing this sigh, the third-year student snapped back to reality. Although he didn’t know the gentleman next to him, he replied with pride, “Of course. Academician Xu is a Fields Medalist!”

Pausing slightly, he added, as if answering but also talking to himself, “But I keep feeling like Academician Xu’s teaching style today has changed compared to before.”

Upon hearing this, the graduate student next to him asked curiously, “What was Academician Xu’s teaching like before?”

After thinking for a moment, the third-year student replied, “He could cover half a textbook in one class. Flipping through dozens or even a hundred pages, spanning several majorly different knowledge points.”

“Half a textbook in one class? Good heavens, was it that exaggerated? He went through almost thirty pages today, and I already thought that was a lot.” The graduate student was a bit baffled.

“What, you haven’t heard? You look like a graduate student master, right? You should know.” The third-year student asked with a smile.

The graduate student with the M-shaped hairline shook his head. “I’m not from Nanjing University. I heard the news and took the subway over from Hohai University.”

Hearing this, the third-year student nodded calmly, not at all surprised.

Just two subway stops to attend a lecture by a master like him? It was insanely worth it, wasn’t it?

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Xu Chuan tossed the piece of chalk in his hand into the chalk box, swept his gaze over the students in the lecture hall, and said, “That’s all for today’s class.”

“There are still about ten minutes before class is over. If there’s anything you didn’t understand, you can ask questions now.”

At his words, hands immediately shot up in the classroom.

Xu Chuan randomly picked one and began to answer the question. Soon, he had answered several questions.

Just then, a female student stood up, her eyes dancing with excitement, and asked, “Professor Xu, may I ask if you have a girlfriend, and are you planning on getting one?”

Hearing this outrageous question, Xu Chuan coughed. “Such a personal question is outside the scope of what I’ll answer.”

After rejecting the female student’s question, he gave a strange look to the girl, who sat down with a regretful expression. If he didn’t find a girlfriend, was he supposed to find a boyfriend?

Ahem, the very thought was terrifying.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Xu Chuan regained his composure, checked the time, and continued, “There’s still a little time left. Are there any other students with questions?”

“Professor, I heard that when you were solving the NS equations, you were suddenly struck with inspiration during a class. I’d like to ask if this class brought you any inspiration.”

After a long-winded preamble, perhaps realizing he was being a bit long-winded, the chubby little boy who had raised his hand quickly cut himself off and posed his final question.

“Ahem, my main question is, which Millennium Prize problem will you tackle next?”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched, and he paused, at a loss for words.

Why did every single person think he was going to tackle another Millennium Prize problem next?

After a moment’s thought, he said, “I don’t have any ideas for now. As for the future, I might try to research the Yang–Mills existence and mass gap problem?”

“Like the NS equations, it’s also a difficult problem in the field of mathematical physics, and I’m quite interested in that area.”

Seeing the increasingly excited looks from the students below, Xu Chuan quickly added a postscript:

“Of course, I’m just interested in researching it a little.”

Chapter 438: Hand-Crafting Room-Temperature Superconducting Materials?

After answering a few questions, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

Hearing the bell, Xu Chuan deftly scooped up his textbook from the lectern and quickly slipped out of the classroom.

He was quite experienced in this regard. After all, he had been cornered once before when he wasn’t paying attention after a lecture, and it had taken him a long time to get away.

So, the best method was to declare class over and leave before these “enthusiastic” students could swarm him.

Xu Chuan hurried down the corridor and swiftly exited the teaching building.

Just as he was about to head back to his office, he ran into Nanjing University’s new principal, Tan Shaoyuan.

Principal Tan greeted him with a smile and walked over, asking, “Academician Xu, have you finished your lecture? How do you find the students here at Nanjing University?”

Xu Chuan smiled and replied, “They’re great. The students are all very diligent and passionate.”

Tan Shaoyuan chuckled. “That’s all thanks to you, Academician Xu. With you here, the admission scores and quality of students at Nanjing University have been getting better year after year.”

It was true. Over the past two years, Nanjing University’s admissions had improved significantly, both in terms of entrance scores and the caliber of students.

And Xu Chuan’s influence in this was immense.

A Nobel laureate, a Fields Medalist, and the chief designer of the national controlled nuclear fusion project—this series of titles and achievements had brought Nanjing University into the spotlight time and time again.

This included the Department of Mathematics. Once unremarkable, even somewhat underperforming among universities, it was now soaring. Many math competition prodigies were even choosing to apply to Nanjing University.

In the past, such students would almost always go to Tsinghua University or Peking University. Failing that, they would choose Fudan University or institutions in Hong Kong. Nanjing University’s Department of Mathematics was rarely ever on their radar.

Xu Chuan smiled. “It is my honor to see my alma mater grow stronger.”

After a short pause, he continued, “By the way, Principal Tan, regarding teaching, there’s a matter I’d like to trouble the university with.”

Upon hearing this, Tan Shaoyuan quickly responded, “Please, Academician Xu, go ahead.”

Xu Chuan said, “I’m planning to take on a few students and was wondering if there are any suitable candidates. Could the university help me with an initial screening?”

Hearing this, Principal Tan nodded without the slightest hesitation. “No problem at all. I’ll have someone arrange to compile student data as soon as I get back.”

“But do you have any specific requirements for the students?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “I’ll be supervising students, but let’s exclude undergraduates. I don’t have the energy for that; lecturing them is enough. I’m mainly looking for graduate and doctoral students.”

“For graduate students, their entrance exam scores should be at least 380, with a score of no less than ninety in their major. The exam score requirement can be lowered for those with excellent SCI papers or experience with various research projects.”

“As for doctoral students, they will be evaluated primarily on their theses and research project experience. Grades are secondary.”

For him, taking on students was no longer limited to a single university. He could recruit students from across the country, or even the world, if he just said the word.

However, considering this would be his first official batch of students since returning to the country, Xu Chuan decided to give the opportunity to the students of his alma mater first.

Tan Shaoyuan nodded. “No problem, I’ll handle it immediately upon my return. Are there any other needs?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s all for now. I’ll have to trouble you with this, Principal Tan.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Not at all. This is part of my job,” Tan Shaoyuan said, waving his hand. “The students you select—now that will be a great fortune for them and for Nanjing University.”

Xu Chuan smiled, bid farewell to the newly appointed Principal Tan, and returned to his office.

The room was empty; Cai Peng was nowhere to be seen. Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind. He turned on his computer and continued to refine the aerospace engine concept he had been working on the previous night.

Aerospace and aviation are two different concepts.

Although they might sound similar, the difference is significant.

Aerospace refers to the sum of all activities related to entering, exploring, developing, and utilizing space and celestial bodies beyond Earth. Its engines must operate in an oxygen-free environment.

Aviation, on the other hand, merely refers to the flight activities of aircraft within Earth’s atmosphere (airspace), which generally requires atmospheric oxygen as a fuel supplement.

The two are not the same thing.

Currently, aerospace engines are divided into four main types: solid-fuel rocket engines, liquid-fuel rocket engines, electromagnetic engines, and nuclear power engines.

The most commonly used type by various countries is the liquid-fuel rocket engine, which uses liquid fuel as its propellant.

Although solid-fuel rockets provide significantly more thrust than liquid-fuel ones for the same weight and have a simpler structure, their burn time is quite short. A typical launch vehicle can only sustain it for about two to three minutes.

In such a short time, it’s nearly impossible to send a satellite or spacecraft into orbit.

Combined with issues like the inability to adjust thrust and unstable combustion, solid fuel is used relatively sparingly in modern rockets.

Of course, in Xu Chuan’s view, both solid-fuel and liquid-fuel rockets had an unavoidable drawback.

Their specific impulse was too low.

Compared to electromagnetic aerospace engines, the highest specific impulse of a fossil-fuel engine would not exceed five hundred seconds.

In contrast, even the most basic electromagnetic aerospace engine could easily achieve a specific impulse of over one thousand seconds, and high-performance ones could even exceed five thousand seconds.

Specific impulse, described in professional terms, is a measure of the efficiency with which a reaction mass engine (a rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel) produces thrust.

Of course, a simpler way to understand it is “the duration for which a rocket engine can produce one ‘kilogram-force’ of thrust using one kilogram of propellant.”

Take the United States’ space shuttle, for example. Its main engine propellant is typically liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen, with a vacuum specific impulse of 452.3 seconds.

But behind the high specific impulse of electromagnetic aerospace engines lies their weakness: a thrust far lower than that of fossil-fuel engines.

The thrust of current electromagnetic aerospace engines is generally in the range of micronewtons or millinewtons.

While this level of thrust is feasible in the vacuum of space—after all, with no resistance, speed can build up with the continuous work of the engine—what if it were used within the atmosphere?

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it wouldn’t even have the power to lift an egg into space.

No one doubted the potential of electromagnetic aerospace engines in a future where controlled nuclear fusion technology was realized.

But for now, even he, the “Father of Controlled Nuclear Fusion,” was vexed by it.

Even if he could find a way to shrink a controlled nuclear fusion reactor as much as possible, or use a miniaturized fission reactor, and then cram it onto a spacecraft with magnetohydrodynamic generator sets, the weak thrust of electromagnetic aerospace engines would still be a massive problem.

“Perhaps I should consult the experts in the aerospace field on this matter. After all, I’m not a specialist in this area.”

After jotting down some of the ideas in his head, Xu Chuan decided to seek out aerospace experts in a little while to see if a high-power electromagnetic aerospace engine system was feasible.

As for fossil-fuel propulsion, he had already cast it out of his considerations.

After all, chemical fuel rockets had reached their limit, and any significant increase in specific impulse was virtually impossible.

But if a high-thrust electromagnetic aerospace engine technology and a high-energy-density power supply could be realized, the advantage of electric propulsion in specific impulse gave it the full potential to replace fossil-fuel rockets.

More critically, there was the matter of endurance.

If nuclear fusion were used to power a spacecraft, in addition to being able to travel between the Earth’s surface and space, the spacecraft would gain the ability to travel to distant destinations like the Moon and Mars.

Furthermore, with a sufficient energy supply, the spacecraft’s speed could be increased severalfold, drastically shortening the travel time to and from the Moon and Mars.

After recording his thoughts, Xu Chuan opened his browser and began to look through major events in the scientific community over the past two years.

Having presided over the Qixia Mountain controlled nuclear fusion project for over two years, he was almost detached from the world of mathematical physics.

Although he still maintained sporadic contact with some old acquaintances, he wasn’t really sure what else had happened in the fields of mathematics and physics in the last two years.

As he was browsing through events in mathematical physics from the past two years, an instant notification from arXiv caught his eye.

【The First Room-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Superconductor!】

Seeing the pop-up in the bottom-right corner, Xu Chuan was visibly stunned.

Room-temperature superconducting materials?

What was going on?

His right hand quickly moved the mouse, and he clicked on the arXiv notification, following the link.

“Abstract: The First Room-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Superconductor, by Sukbae Lee, Ji-Hoon Kim, and Young-Wan Kwon.”

“For the first time in the world, we report the successful synthesis of a room-temperature superconductor (Tc ≥ 400 K, 127 °C) operating at ambient pressure with a modified lead-apatite (KL-66) structure. The superconductivity of KL-66 is demonstrated through the critical temperature (Tc), zero resistivity, critical current (Ic), critical magnetic field (Hc), and the Meissner effect. The superconductivity of KL-66 originates from a minute structural distortion caused by a slight volume contraction (0.48%), not from external factors like temperature and pressure.”

“This contraction is caused by the substitution of Cu²⁺ for Pb²⁺(2) ions in the insulating network of lead phosphate, which generates stress. This stress is simultaneously transferred to the Pb(1) of the cylindrical column, leading to a distortion of the cylindrical interface, which in turn creates a superconducting quantum well (SQW) at the interface. Heat capacity results indicate that the new model is suitable for explaining the superconductivity of KL-66.”

“The unique structure of KL-66 allows the minute distorted structure to be maintained in the interface, which is the most important factor for KL-66 maintaining and exhibiting superconductivity at room temperature and ambient pressure.”

The brief abstract provided by arXiv quickly passed before Xu Chuan’s eyes. At the same time, the corresponding paper had finished downloading.

Eagerly, he clicked open the downloaded paper.

Room-temperature superconductivity?

In his past life, he had never heard of South Korea making any prominent breakthroughs in this area. How did this suddenly pop up?

With deep suspicion, Xu Chuan quickly scanned the entire paper.

However, after reading it, his eyes held only two words, writ large: “Outrageous.”

There was no other reason.

It was simply because the synthesis method for this KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material completely upended his understanding.

Step one: Synthesize lanarkite through a chemical reaction. Mix lead oxide and lead sulfate powders in a 1:1 ratio evenly in a ceramic crucible. Heat the mixed powder in a furnace at 725 degrees Celsius for 24 hours in the presence of air. During the heating process, the mixture undergoes a chemical reaction to produce lanarkite.

Step two: Synthesize copper(I) phosphide crystals. Mix copper and phosphorus powders in a crucible according to the specified ratio. Seal the mixed powder in a sealed tube at a vacuum of 10⁻³ Torr. Heat the sealed tube containing the mixed powder in a furnace at 550 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. During this process, the mixture reacts to form copper(I) phosphide crystals.

Step three: Grind the lanarkite and copper(I) phosphide crystals into powder, mix them in a crucible, and then seal them in a tube at a vacuum of 10⁻³ Torr. Heat the sealed tube with the mixed powder in a furnace at 925 degrees Celsius for 5-20 hours. During this process, the sulfur element in the lead sulfate evaporates, and the mixture reacts to transform into the final material, KL-66.

The three steps and the synthesis process were not only abnormally simple, but the raw materials were also readily available.

According to the method and steps provided in the paper, the synthesis of this new material was undoubtedly akin to “hand-crafting.”

That’s right, it was something you could practically craft with your bare hands.

If this method could truly synthesize a room-temperature superconducting material, then even he couldn’t help but wonder if the entire technology tree humanity had been climbing in the field of materials science had been completely off-course.

The synthesis method and the materials for this superconductor were just a bit too “cheap.”

Of course, Xu Chuan didn’t immediately dismiss this so-called KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material as fake.

No matter how ridiculous or crude its synthesis process seemed, proving or disproving it required rigorous and repeated experimentation.

And honestly, in the field of materials science, such things were not impossible.

After all, the fact that you could use a piece of adhesive tape to peel off “graphene,” the world’s most versatile material, and win a Nobel Prize for it, was a real historical event.

If you told that story to someone, they would probably think it was from a novel written by some hack author who didn’t know a thing about science.

It was just that ridiculous.

It was the same with South Korea’s KL-66 material. Although its synthesis process seemed outrageous and crude, in the realm of materials science, it wasn’t an impossibility.

Sometimes, you could take a “koi carp” with phenomenal luck who knew nothing about materials, put them on a project team, and they might just bring you good fortune, conjuring up a new material in the blink of an eye that would set you up for life.

Materials science—it was probably a field where, apart from experience, everything else was up to the kings of luck.

Chapter 439: A Nuclear Fusion Aircraft Carrier?

Regarding this research paper on room-temperature superconducting materials uploaded to Arxiv.

Xu Chuan didn’t jump to conclusions. Instead, he reviewed the paper again and again, poring over the synthesis technique and various superconducting parameters.

Even if the synthesis method seemed exceptionally ‘outrageous’ and ‘crude,’ he couldn’t rashly make a judgment.

Maintaining unwavering rigor in scientific research is a necessary motto for any researcher.

Rubbing his eyes, Xu Chuan stretched and leaned back in his chair.

From the paper on Arxiv, the data on the room-temperature superconducting material LK-66 uploaded by the South Koreans was incomplete, lacking a great deal of information.

It felt as if it had been uploaded in a rush, with no proper preparations.

In other words, it was a bit like something ‘amateur theorists’ would do—creating a big news story to stir up hype and traffic.

Honestly, it was no surprise that he had such thoughts.

After all, in both scientific and other fields, the various ‘fake news’ stories coming out of South Korea were practically the norm.

And the importance of room-temperature superconducting materials was beyond question.

If they could truly be created, it would be a world-changing achievement.

In terms of its importance to human development, it might not quite compare to controlled nuclear fusion technology.

But room-temperature superconductivity represented a change in how energy is transmitted and stored—the pinnacle of energy utilization efficiency. Moreover, it would greatly advance every common field in modern society.

If room-temperature superconducting materials were realized before controlled nuclear fusion technology, it would also significantly reduce the difficulties in developing controlled fusion.

One could say that in terms of traffic and hype, this was a field nearly on par with controlled nuclear fusion.

Using room-temperature superconducting materials to grab some eyeballs was not something beyond that country.

Therefore, his suspicion was not without reason.

Of course, the actual situation still needed to be verified through experimentation.

But before he could get up, another notification popped up on his screen from the Arxiv website.

The Superconductor LK-66 Shows Levitation at Room Temperature and Atmospheric Pressure, and Its Mechanism

Xu Chuan clicked it open, a hint of surprise and confusion in his eyes.

The title and abstract were slightly different, but it was another paper in the field of room-temperature superconducting materials, also uploaded by researchers from South Korea. Was there a difference in content?

Surely they wouldn’t upload the same paper twice?

Suddenly, he noticed the author list on this Arxiv paper.

Unlike the previous paper, this one had six authors, whereas the first had only three.

This detail piqued his curiosity.

With a light click of his index finger on the mouse, he downloaded the second paper as well.

To his surprise, the second paper was much more detailed than the first. Not only did it list the relevant preparation methods, but it also included a complete test report and experimental data for this LK-66 room-temperature superconducting material.

From this perspective, the second paper looked more like something uploaded by proper, serious researchers.

“Interesting.”

Looking at the two different papers, Xu Chuan stroked his chin in thought.

Based on the second paper, the mechanism and experimental data of this LK-66 room-temperature superconducting material almost perfectly matched the testing data for superconductors; it didn’t look like fabricated data.

And from that angle, if you took it at face value, the first paper was probably legitimate too.

In that case, could the two papers be a result of a dispute over credit for the achievement?

After all, according to the rules of academia, many awards are given to the first person to propose or achieve a result.

Take the Nobel Prize, for example. Not only is it awarded to the first person to achieve the result, but it’s also limited to a maximum of three recipients.

The Nobel is never awarded to a group. Even if he led the team at the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project to develop controlled nuclear fusion, a Nobel Prize would not be awarded to the project staff for it.

Of course, if Xu Chuan were to break down all the major challenges in controlled nuclear fusion and publish the solutions individually or in a group of two or three, he could easily sweep the Nobels for the next four or five years without any issue.

Whether it was the control model for plasma turbulence, the first wall material, or tritium self-sustainment technology, each was a surefire, stable Nobel-level achievement.

But he would never do that, of course.

This so-called LK-66 room-temperature superconducting material, however, was a real possibility.

It didn’t even need to maintain superconductivity stably or be a commercially viable product. As long as its superconducting properties were confirmed, its discoverers were practically guaranteed a Nobel Prize.

If that were the case, then seeing the same discovery published in two papers wasn’t strange at all.

The first paper was clearly rushed out to be the first to claim the Nobel-worthy achievement.

If all went as expected, then news of accusations and public spats would likely soon follow.

Having lived two lives, Xu Chuan had long grown accustomed to such things.

Of course, his interest lay not in these matters, but in whether this LK-66 room-temperature superconducting material could truly be replicated and possess superconducting properties.

If this turned out to be real, combined with the room-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material he had yet to announce, the implications were obvious.

It would be sufficient proof that there was more than one path in the field of room-temperature superconductivity.

It would also mean that humanity’s previous understanding of materials science had, to a large extent, gone down the wrong path.

His interest piqued, Xu Chuan quickly stood up, preparing to head to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to carry out a replication experiment himself.

Whether it was real or not, he was currently quite interested in such a simple synthesis method for a room-temperature superconductor.

If it were proven true, it would mean materials science might be facing a major turning point, or even a complete reversal in its direction of development.

However, just as he stepped out of his office, he ran into the special personnel sent by the higher-ups to discuss matters with him.

“Academician Xu, are you in a hurry? Should we come back another day?”

Accompanied by another colleague, Gao Hongming had just reached the office door when he saw Xu Chuan walking out hastily.

Seeing Gao Hongming, Xu Chuan paused.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the higher-ups had already finished their symposium regarding the matters he had previously discussed with that elderly man.

Their efficiency was quite impressive.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chuan said, “It’s nothing too urgent. Since you’re here, let’s talk first.”

As he spoke, he turned and walked back into his office.

If he followed the experimental procedures in those two papers, verifying the LK-66 room-temperature superconducting material would take at least three days to produce the first batch of replicated material.

The news had only just broken, so it wasn’t that urgent. Besides, the replication experiment was quite simple; it didn’t necessarily require him to do it personally. Asking Fan Pengyue to arrange for a couple of researchers to conduct the experiment would be sufficient.

It was just that this path, if it held promise, would be a completely new track.

Leading the two men into his office, Xu Chuan brewed a pot of light tea and handed them each a cup.

After accepting the teacup with both hands and setting it on the table, Gao Hongming began the introductions, “Academician Xu, this is my colleague, Comrade Wen Yuanhang from the Strategic Planning Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Due to my personal work transfer, the higher-ups have arranged for Comrade Wen to take over my previous role in the auxiliary management of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.”

“The subsequent transformation and recombination of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Institute will also be carried out with Comrade Wen’s cooperation.”

Xu Chuan nodded and extended his hand with a smile to the middle-aged man before him, who had a scholarly air about him. “Hello.”

Wen Yuanhang smiled warmly, shook his hand, and said, “I’ve heard so much about you, Academician Xu. It’s a pleasure to finally have the chance to meet you.”

“The higher-ups value your suggestions greatly and have instructed us at the Ministry of Science and Technology to coordinate with you to carry out the work. After a research meeting, I was assigned to come here and work under you to help resolve some of the routine work. I’ll be relying on your guidance from now on.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I’ll have to trouble you with the routine management work from now on. I’m just a scholar. I’m good at research, but management should be left to the professionals.”

Wen Yuanhang nodded. “Please don’t worry, Academician Xu. I’m here to assist you in carrying out your work. If any issues arise, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll be in your care then.”

Seeing that the two had been introduced, Gao Hongming, who was standing to the side, continued, “Academician Xu, we came here today for three main reasons.”

“The first is the transformation and recombination of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project. Wen Yuanhang will coordinate with you on this. As for the name and location of the reorganized research institution, do you have any suggestions, Academician Xu?”

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “For the name, how about the ‘Sea of Stars’ Research Institute? After all, our dream is the sea of stars.”

Wen Yuanhang smiled and nodded. “A name full of ambition. What about the location? Do you have any suggestions, Academician Xu?”

Neither he nor Gao Hongming had any objections to the name Sea of Stars Research Institute.

Things like naming were minor details. As long as that individual didn’t pick an outrageous name that was impossible to promote, the higher-ups wouldn’t mind much.

Besides, the name Sea of Stars Research Institute was indeed excellent.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan asked, “The demonstration reactor will be reorganized into a Fusion Energy Company. Are there any future plans for the experimental pile engineering base?”

Gao Hongming replied, “There are no specific arrangements for the experimental pile engineering base at the moment. It will likely be merged into the Fusion Energy Company later. However, it wouldn’t be a problem to split it off. Are you planning to place the Sea of Stars Research Institute at the experimental pile engineering base, Academician Xu?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “That would be the best arrangement.”

“The experimental pile engineering base has a complete research institute and numerous research facilities, including a crucial fusion laboratory.”

“Although its footprint isn’t very large, the adjacent Qixia Mountain and surrounding areas have ample potential for expansion and can be supplemented at any time. Placing the Sea of Stars Research Institute here would not only avoid a large-scale relocation but also allow for the fastest possible launch of related research work.”

Wen Yuanhang nodded. “That’s acceptable. I will communicate this with the higher-ups later. For now, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Beside him, Gao Hongming continued, “The second matter is regarding the construction of the large particle collider.”

“After discussions with the high-level leaders, the project has been approved to be established and initiated. However, we’ll have to trouble you, Academician Xu, to make a trip to Beijing for a meeting. After all, we still need to discuss the energy level, scale, and necessary supporting equipment for the particle collider we’re going to build.”

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “That’s all fine. I’ll prepare a general planning document for it later.”

Nodding, Gao Hongming continued, “Finally, there’s the matter you mentioned before about developing aerospace technology and restarting the manned moon landing. The higher-ups have approved this as well.”

“As per the instructions from the higher-ups, the work on developing aerospace technology and the manned moon landing will be incorporated into the soon-to-be-established Sea of Stars Research Institute. You would serve as the Chief Project Designer. What are your thoughts?”

He paused slightly before adding, “Of course, if you have too much on your plate and limited energy, that’s perfectly fine too.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s no problem. The purpose of establishing the Sea of Stars Research Institute is not just to research second and third-generation and small-scale controlled nuclear fusion technologies.”

“Overall, the Sea of Stars Research Institute will be a comprehensive research institution in the future. In addition to continuing in-depth research in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, research work in aerospace technology, materials, information technology, and other areas are also being planned.”

“As for time and energy, I don’t have any major issues. Whether it’s the construction of the particle collider or leading the Sea of Stars Research Institute, these can all be tackled sequentially.”

He wasn’t surprised by the arrangements from the higher-ups, nor did he refuse.

This was necessary for both him and the leadership.

Although he was not a professional in the field of aerospace, his research in mathematical physics, as well as materials science and astronomy, was sufficient to support him in leading and presiding over this work.

Gao Hongming nodded and smiled. “According to the leadership’s arrangements, we’ll have to trouble you with this work and research, Academician Xu. The relevant appointment letters, project approvals, and other documents will be sent over later.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s no trouble at all. I should also thank the country for giving me this opportunity. After all, these are my dreams as well.”

Gao Hongming smiled and said, “By the way, Academician Xu, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask your opinion on.”

Xu Chuan: “Please, go ahead.”

Gao Hongming: “Regarding controlled nuclear fusion reactors, do they have the potential to be installed on an aircraft carrier to provide it with power?”

Chapter 440: Fusion Reactor Aircraft Carrier Fleet

Hearing Gao Hongming’s question, Xu Chuan knew what the higher-ups were planning.

“Install a controlled nuclear fusion reactor on an aircraft carrier? A fusion-powered aircraft carrier?”

He had to admit, this idea was much easier to realize than installing a fusion reactor on a space shuttle.

An aircraft carrier was much larger than a space shuttle or even a space station. In terms of length, width, and height, it should theoretically be large enough to accommodate a fusion reactor.

The only problem was that the current fusion reactor and its supporting equipment were too bulky.

It was fine on land, but on an aircraft carrier, even if he redesigned it and did his best to shrink the reactor’s size, it would probably still take up at least one-fifth, or even more than one-third, of the carrier’s space.

This was a limitation of the fusion reactor itself; otherwise, he wouldn’t be thinking about approaching the miniaturization of nuclear fusion from other fields.

Miniaturizing a nuclear fusion device wasn’t as simple as just building a smaller reactor.

According to the Lawson criterion for self-sustaining fusion reactions and ignition conditions, the plasma density, temperature, and confinement time must satisfy a specific relationship.

This relationship required that the plasma density and temperature could not be too low, which in practice meant that the Tokamak or other magnetic confinement devices could not be too small.

Being too small would mean requiring extremely high temperature and density gradients, which would cause numerous instabilities.

Of course, even if it took up more than a fifth of the carrier’s space, a fusion reactor would bring about enormous changes to an aircraft carrier.

First were power and endurance.

With the immense power supplied by controlled nuclear fusion, an aircraft carrier’s endurance would be practically limitless, and its propulsion system could be strengthened to the extreme.

As long as the accompanying engines could provide powerful thrust, supported by the fusion reactor, it didn’t seem impossible for the carrier’s speed to soar to the level of a speedboat.

The thought of it was quite thrilling.

A carrier of over one hundred thousand tons, sailing at blistering speeds without any concerns about endurance… the picture it painted was almost too beautiful to imagine.

“Interesting. Who came up with this idea?”

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment and asked with some curiosity.

It was true that whenever a new advanced technology emerged, its first application was always in the military. However, he had never really considered packaging a whole controlled nuclear fusion system and installing it on an aircraft carrier.

Of course, he was thinking of something more advanced, like miniaturizing a fusion reactor and putting it on a space shuttle or a spacecraft.

However, the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion and aerospace engines were two major challenges.

If one wanted to build a space carrier similar in form to an aircraft carrier, there were currently no engines that could provide that much thrust.

Perhaps it would be possible in the vacuum of space, where there was almost no drag, and any small amount of thrust could propel it forward.

But within the atmosphere, affected by gravity, it wouldn’t be able to fly at all.

Now that the higher-ups wanted to put a fusion reactor on an aircraft carrier to power it, it seemed like a good idea to him. After all, it would allow them to collect some data and prepare for the future launch of fusion reactors into space.

Gao Hongming cleared his throat and said, “It’s no longer known who first proposed the idea. After all, long before controlled nuclear fusion appeared, fission-powered aircraft carriers already existed.”

“As for fusion-powered carriers, many countries had plans for them long ago, but they were always just things on paper.”

“Now that we’ve achieved it, it’s only natural to think about putting a fusion reactor on an aircraft carrier to provide it with propulsion and energy.”

“As it happens, our Type 003 aircraft carrier is currently undergoing retrofitting, so the higher-ups thought of this. They’ve already consulted with relevant experts and professors from the Academy of Sciences, but the top leadership still wanted to hear your opinion.”

Xu Chuan nodded, thought for a moment, and said, “Theoretically, this should be feasible.”

“For a controlled fusion reactor following the magnetic confinement route, the fusion power is proportional to the fourth power of the magnetic field strength and directly proportional to the volume of the chamber.”

“Therefore, for the same fusion power output, substantially increasing the magnetic field strength can significantly reduce the volume of the fusion reactor.”

“The Dawnbreaker demonstration reactor was built as a medium-to-large-scale reactor to supply electricity to Jiangsu Province. Its external field coils use a high-magnetic-field-strength copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material. It is possible to shrink it some more, pushing the limits of magnetic confinement.”

“Of course, it can’t be shrunk too much. According to my previous calculations, a hybrid fusion reactor built with copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material for its external field coils would need a minimum stable diameter of 8.4 meters to reliably maintain its confinement ability, fusion capability, and an output power of five million kilowatts.”

“If you include the other supporting equipment, preliminary calculations show that, excluding the generator sets, it would require a space of at least about twenty meters long, fifteen meters wide, and ten meters high.”

“I don’t know if current aircraft carriers can provide such a large area for the fusion reactor, but if they can, then theoretically, it’s entirely feasible to fit a fusion reactor inside an aircraft carrier.”

After a pause, Xu Chuan continued, “If we can put a fusion reactor on an aircraft carrier, then there would be no problem supplying power to equipment like electromagnetic launch rails for carrier-based aircraft and electromagnetic weapons.”

“If I remember correctly, the nuclear fission reactors on the United States’ Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers provide less than three hundred thousand kilowatts of power.”

“Of course, the fission reactors on the Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers probably don’t take up as much space as a fusion reactor would.”

Xu Chuan briefly explained some of the calculations he had in mind regarding the fusion reactor.

Across from him, Gao Hongming had pulled out a small notebook at some point and was cheerfully jotting down the key points.

Although he couldn’t fully comprehend everything Xu Chuan was saying, the mere comparison between a five-million-kilowatt output and a three-hundred-thousand-kilowatt output was enough to excite him.

As expected, compared to nuclear fusion technology, nuclear fission was just trash.

If they built a fusion reactor aircraft carrier fleet, equipped with corresponding electromagnetic weapons, where in the world couldn’t they go?

After cheerfully taking brief notes on the points made by the master before him, Gao Hongming closed his notebook and said with a smile, “Thank you very much for your valuable input, Academician Xu. I will relay all of this back in its entirety.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “To see the Motherland grow strong is my dream as well.”

Gao Hongming didn’t stay in Nanjing for long. After meeting with Xu Chuan and discussing a few things, he returned to Beijing with some documents.

However, the newcomer, Wen Yuanhang, was now permanently stationed in Nanjing.

After helping him get familiar with the environment and key personnel, Xu Chuan handed over the recombination and transformation of the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Institute to this Manager Wen.

Administrative work wasn’t his forte, nor did he have the time to spend on it.

After arranging these matters, Xu Chuan went to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

In two years, with ample funding, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had expanded into a medium-to-large-sized research institution.

If Xu Chuan hadn’t been intentionally controlling its size, its expansion would have been even faster.

“Regarding South Korea’s KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material, what are the results from the model verification?”

In the institute, Xu Chuan found his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, and asked.

The day before, he had sent the news about the research paper he saw on the arXiv preprint server to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and had arranged for a replication experiment.

Although the experimental replication would take about three days, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute also had a materials computational mathematical model that had been developed over two years.

Using this mathematical model, with both the synthesis steps and experimental data available, it was no problem to first run a simulation test on a computer.

“The first round of simulated synthesis tests has been done, and the results are not very good.”

Fan Pengyue shook his head and continued, “I’ve already sent the relevant data to your email. According to the model’s simulation results, there’s no problem synthesizing this KL-66 material using the method provided in the paper.”

“However, after synthesizing the KL-66 material, the verification with the numerical control model failed to simulate complete superconducting properties.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was a bit curious. “What do you mean it failed to simulate complete superconducting properties?”

Fan Pengyue replied, “It might be that the newly added module isn’t functioning perfectly. When we ran simulation tests on this KL-66 material, we found that some of its superconducting phenomena were intermittent.”

“For example, its perfect diamagnetism. In multiple tests, there were one or two instances where we couldn’t verify its diamagnetic properties.”

“And then there’s zero resistance, which is even stranger. In multiple tests of the simulated material, it never once appeared at room temperature. However, it did appear when the temperature was lowered to around minus one hundred and sixty degrees Celsius.”

“Under these strange simulation conditions, it’s very difficult to determine whether this KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material truly possesses superconductivity.”

Chapter 441: An Early Exit

Hearing about such a strange simulation result, Xu Chuan was also a little surprised.

The superconductivity phenomenon was inconsistent. Although it was just a simulation and not the final experimental result, it was still indicative of something.

This was especially true for a materials test based on pure data simulation. Compared to replicating an experiment, it could better eliminate additional interference factors. To some extent, it was even purer and more representative.

“Interesting.”

Stroking his chin in thought, Xu Chuan murmured to himself before looking up. “Package all the simulation data from the computational model and send it to me. I’ll take a look.”

With his skills in mathematics and materials science, he might be able to uncover something from the data.

To be honest, though, regarding this KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material, while he hoped it was a previously undiscovered path, he didn’t hold out much hope.

Putting aside its synthesis route and materials, KL-66’s designation was ‘modified lead apatite crystal structure,’ which was essentially copper-doped lead apatite.

Although it required a high temperature of over nine hundred degrees Celsius for synthesis, coexisting ores of copper and lead apatite are not unheard of in nature, and temperatures over nine hundred degrees are not difficult to achieve.

In the geological activities over the past few billion years, if this material truly possessed superconductivity, it’s highly likely that people would have already found it directly in nature.

But with technology at its current stage, while not all types of minerals on Earth have been discovered, at least over ninety-nine percent have been prospected and identified, yet this material has never been found.

Besides this point, there was another key factor that reinforced his skeptical attitude to a certain extent.

The so-called ‘modified lead apatite crystal structure KL-66,’ according to the two research papers on arXiv, has a core technology that lies in substituting Pb2+ with Cu2+, inducing a slight distortion in the crystal structure. This causes a volume contraction of 0.48%, thereby creating a superconducting quantum well at the interface between the lead ions and phosphate, giving the KL-66 material its superconductivity.

But based on his own years of experience in materials science research, this kind of substitution shouldn’t be able to achieve superconductivity.

First, lead and copper atoms have extremely similar electronic structures. Replacing some lead atoms with copper atoms shouldn’t have a significant impact on the material’s electrical properties.

Second, if he recalled correctly, while substituting lead with copper atoms wasn’t impossible, theoretically, the energy required to achieve this was thermodynamically quite high.

The exact amount would require specific calculations, but in theory, it was definitely not something that could be achieved by heating at nine hundred degrees Celsius for a dozen or so hours.

After requesting a copy of the KL-66 data and the computational model’s simulation data, Xu Chuan began his calculations in his office.

Although it was impossible to definitively conclude that the KL-66 material was not a room-temperature superconductor through pure mathematical calculation, it was possible to make a rough deduction using methods like atomic formation energy calculations, phonon spectrums, and the tight-binding model.

【E5 = Ef -[(No– 1)/No]* Ei】

【Set variable Cu to 3.615, unit metal dimension 3, boundary…】

【Calculate engineering all pe/atom, calculate engineering all reduced sum c_eng】

【Calculate number of atoms.】

Referencing the core data from the KL-66 research paper and some data inferred from the computational model, Xu Chuan began to rewrite the model using the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s software.

This was one of the core aspects of computational materials science, and for him, it wasn’t difficult.

After spending some time, Xu Chuan placed the newly processed ‘package’ into the software and started the run.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the results appeared.

【Cu_Pb(Cu): ΔEf(eV)Max = 16.3 MeV, ΔEf(eV)Min = 12.6 MeV】

【Cu_Pb(Cu3P): ΔEf(eV)Max = 16.1 MeV, ΔEf(eV)Min = 12.1 MeV】

【Cu_Pb(CuS)1】

Looking at the calculation results, Xu Chuan shook his head.

From the results of the formation energy calculation, during the formation process of the KL-66 material, the energy needed for a copper atom to substitute a lead atom was a maximum of 16.3 MeV and a minimum of 12.6 MeV.

Even for copper sulfide, it required a minimum energy level of 8.7 MeV.

This result was quite unfavorable for the synthesis of the KL-66 room-temperature superconductor.

A temperature of over nine hundred degrees Celsius could in no way heat the molecules within the material to the order of 10 MeV, which meant it was almost impossible for copper to substitute lead atoms in the KL-66 material.

And according to the claims from South Korea, the core technology of KL-66 lies in using Cu2+ to substitute Pb2+, inducing a slight distortion in the crystal structure.

But based on the formation energy calculation, the very first step was impossible.

If substitution couldn’t even be achieved, there was no point talking about crystal structure distortion.

Shaking his head, Xu Chuan reran the calculations. After confirming there were no errors in the results, he performed an ab initio calculation for the interaction Hamiltonian and phonon spectrum data of the KL-66 material.

The phonon spectrum calculation revealed that both the undoped and copper-doped structures of the KL-66 material exhibited imaginary phonon modes, indicating structural instability. This further confirmed the results of the formation energy calculation.

As for the interaction Hamiltonian, in the KL-66 material, Cu forms a high-density flat band at the Fermi level. Quantum geometry indicates that this region is a strongly localized state, which is unfavorable for forming superconductivity and more likely to lead to magnetism.

“Magnetism… interesting. Could this thing be a strong magnetic material?”

Staring at the calculated results, Xu Chuan pondered for a moment.

It wasn’t impossible that KL-66 was not a room-temperature superconducting material, but rather a strong magnetic material.

On the contrary, based on the calculation results for formation energy, the Hamiltonian, and the phonon spectrum, the possibility of it being a strong magnetic material was quite high.

Moreover, a strong magnetic material could also exhibit the semi-magnetic levitation characteristic shown in the research paper and the video released by the team in South Korea.

However, it had to be said that this matter had stirred up quite a bit of heated discussion online.

The next day, during the usual Q&A session after Xu Chuan’s class, a student brought up this matter.

“Professor, have you heard the news about the KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material from South Korea that’s been trending recently? Is it real? What’s your take on it?”

Xu Chuan smiled and joked, “My take? I’m just sitting back and watching.”

Upon hearing this, the classroom erupted in laughter.

Xu Chuan cleared his throat with a slight cough and continued, “Regarding the KL-66 room-temperature superconducting material, I am indeed aware of it. However, before the replication experiments are out, I can’t give a definitive answer.”

“If it truly is a room-temperature superconductor, then for humanity, it would absolutely be one of the most glorious moments in history. The person who researched and invented this material would undoubtedly win a Nobel Prize.”

“And materials science would undergo a massive change. Its synthesis method would compel us to turn our attention in materials synthesis to areas that were previously overlooked or abandoned.”

“It would also mean that in the field of materials science, we have undoubtedly taken many wrong turns. Perhaps some materials with extremely high performance could be synthesized using simpler methods.”

Hearing this, a student in the classroom immediately followed up, shouting, “So, Professor, do you think it’s a success or not?”

Hearing the question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment before speaking. “If you had asked me this yesterday, I probably would have told you that I don’t know either. After all, a question like this can generally only be answered after the results of replication experiments are available.”

“But today, I can actually talk to you a bit about it.”

At his answer, ears perked up all across the classroom. Many students even got their phones ready to start recording.

Xu Chuan saw them but didn’t pay it much mind. He continued, “A couple of days ago, after learning about the KL-66 material, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute under my name began conducting replication experiments.”

“And out of personal interest, and since computational chemistry and materials science is a field I’m fairly skilled in, I performed some calculations based on a portion of the data provided in the research paper on arXiv.”

“Through computational simulations of the KL-66 material, specifically its formation energy, Hamiltonian, and phonon spectrum, the results lead me to believe that this material is more likely a strong magnetic material.”

“First is the formation energy calculation. Based on the results, it would require at least 10 MeV of energy for copper atoms to substitute the lead atoms in the KL-66 material.”

“So, overall, I’m more inclined to believe it might be a strong magnetic material, rather than a room-temperature superconducting material.”

“Of course, this isn’t a definitive answer, just some speculation based on the experiments and calculations I’ve done.”

“Currently, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute under my name is following up with replication experiments. The first to third batches of replicated KL-66 material are expected to be ready the day after tomorrow. We will then test them to verify whether they possess superconducting properties.”

“As for whether KL-66 is specifically a room-temperature superconducting material or something else, everything will require subsequent replication experiments to be truly answered.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “Also, tomorrow I will organize the data from my calculations, compile it into a research paper, and post it on arXiv. If any of you are interested, you can go take a look.”

“It contains some of my original computational mathematics for materials science, which are quite interesting.”

“I will also be opening a course on the mathematics of computational materials science later on, teaching this specific subject. Any interested students can sign up for it in the future.”

Chapter 442: No Meissner Effect

A single stone stirs a thousand ripples. Xu Chuan’s answer in class was quickly shared on the internet.

Of course, uploaded along with it were the results of his simulation calculations for the KL-66 material.

His judgment on the KL-66 material, at a time when the field of room-temperature superconductivity was blowing up online, instantly sparked heated discussions among the netizens watching the drama unfold.

【God Chuan has come forward to deny it. KL-66 is not a room-temperature superconducting material, but a strong magnetic material!】

【Sigh, all that excitement for nothing. It would’ve been awesome if it were true. With controlled nuclear fusion, I have no doubt electricity prices could drop to ten cents per kilowatt-hour.】

【It’s just a simulation. It can’t be taken as fact. Until the replication results are out and the final verdict is in, no person or institution can afford to stop. After all, the stakes are too high. Arrogance means defeat.】

【Indeed, God Chuan was a bit reckless this time. He could have waited for the replication experiment results before expressing his opinion.】

【??? God Chuan can’t even express his own opinion now without being labeled arrogant? The old man never said it was a definitive conclusion, just a preliminary judgment based on computational analysis, and the results will be uploaded to arXiv.】

【Outrageous. To those calling him arrogant, I bet you can’t even understand the research paper God Chuan uploaded, but you sure know how to preach.】

【I don’t understand superconducting materials, but I understand South Korea. Expecting a country addicted to fabrication like South Korea to create a superconducting material is less reliable than expecting The Japs to do it.】

【Hahahaha, nice one, what a finishing blow!】

Compared to the heated debate online, the materials science community’s view on the matter was much calmer, though many were still quite surprised.

No one expected the renowned Professor Xu to step forward and express his views at this juncture.

Although researchers in the materials field, more than the onlookers, hoped that this KL-66 material was a room-temperature superconductor, their scientific spirit kept them level-headed in such situations.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that most replication experiments were still underway.

Following the steps in the arXiv paper, the replication experiment was actually quite simple, just time-consuming.

Even for those who started the replication experiment immediately, like the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, it would still take another day or two to get the results.

And before the replication results were out, very few researchers in the materials field would come forward to express their opinions.

After all, if they got a slap in the face, it would be quite embarrassing.

Of course, for someone like Professor Xu, who had already performed simulation calculations before expressing his opinion, there was no problem at all.

Even if the final replication experiments differed from these simulations, there would be nothing to criticize.

After all, theory is theory, and experiment is experiment.

What surprised many researchers in the materials field was how incredibly fast he was.

It hadn’t even been three days since the paper on the KL-66 material was published on arXiv, and he had already completed the targeted formation energy calculations, phonon spectrum, and tight-binding model results.

That speed was a bit too exaggerated.

California, Institute of Technology, Materials Research Institute.

Two middle-aged men in white lab coats were casually drinking coffee in the lab, waiting for the mixture of copper and phosphorus powder to be calcined in the high-temperature furnace.

According to the arXiv paper, this step required calcination at 550 degrees Celsius for 48 hours to allow the mixture to react and form copper(I) phosphide crystals.

During the process, they only needed to stabilize the temperature of the vacuum furnace, with no other operations required.

For modern material equipment, which was largely controlled by intelligent computers, this was as easy as pie. Thus, they had ample time to chat and relax during the experiment.

“I hear that Professor Xu from China has already completed the simulation calculations for the KL-66 material, stating it’s just a strong magnetic material?”

Sipping his coffee, Hornby Eden asked his colleague beside him.

Speaking of which, his colleague nodded and said, “Yes, the relevant paper has been uploaded to arXiv. Judging from the data in Professor Xu’s simulation paper, it seems the hope for KL-66 being a room-temperature superconductor is slim.”

“If I’m not mistaken, that Professor Xu is a mathematician, right?” Hornby Eden asked after a moment of thought.

Hearing this, his colleague, Byrne Jones, smiled and said, “He is a mathematician, that’s correct. But he is also a top physicist, a top astronomer, a top materials scientist, and even a top engineer and designer, and so on.”

“Don’t forget, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was developed by him personally. I heard he originally developed high-temperature superconducting materials for the purpose of controlled nuclear fusion.”

“Incredible. Mathematics, physics, astronomy, materials, and he even solved the problem of controlled nuclear fusion. Is he immune to the challenges of switching fields?” Hornby Eden shook his head and exclaimed in an exaggerated manner.

“Who knows? He’s probably another prodigy on the level of Newton or Gauss,” Byrne Jones said with a smile.

Shrugging, he continued, “To be honest, even without Professor Xu’s calculations, I wasn’t very optimistic about this KL-66 material.”

“Putting aside whether room-temperature superconductivity can be achieved so easily, ‘fake news’ about room-temperature superconductivity pops up almost every year. The stock market gets a boost, investors are fleeced, and then the news slowly fades away, neither confirmed nor denied.”

“But what’s different this year is that before the stock market could even take off, it got slapped down by that Professor Xu.”

What Byrne Jones said was essentially correct.

If one were to look at the historical pattern of room-temperature superconducting material announcements that appeared almost annually, the related hype would last for at least ten days to half a month.

During this period, stocks related to superconducting materials would soar and then fall.

Capitalists would swoop in to fleece a wave of investors. If necessary, they would even personally get involved, for instance, by fabricating replication experiment data to suggest that the material highly likely possessed room-temperature superconductivity, repeating the harvest over and over.

This year, however, before they could make a move, they were slapped out of existence.

Even though replication experiments were still ongoing and no one could be certain whether the KL-66 material possessed superconducting properties, the stock market showed none of its usual gains.

There was nothing to be done about it; the name ‘Xu Chuan’ was simply too famous.

Although these were just speculative calculations, given the master’s mathematical abilities, his calculations were highly unlikely to be wrong.

After all, this was a Fields Medalist, a super-heavyweight who had single-handedly solved two Millennium Prize problems.

This led to the superconducting materials sector, which should have been white-hot, being as still as a stagnant pond, even experiencing a slight decline.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay much attention to these things.

He wasn’t even aware that his classroom remarks had shattered the dreams of some capitalists to fleece investors.

At this moment, he was in the lab, personally conducting superconductivity tests on the replicated KL-66 material.

Although from the perspective of material calculations, the probability of KL-66 being a room-temperature superconductor was already very small, Xu Chuan still hoped it might be true.

After all, for a scholar in the materials field, seeing a path that breaks the existing material development system was undoubtedly quite exciting and stimulating.

Three sets of replication experiments were conducted, and three samples of KL-66 material were perfectly replicated according to the paper.

Of the three samples, Xu Chuan personally verified one, while the other two were given to two researchers in the field of superconducting materials.

Testing a material for superconductivity was a field he was all too familiar with.

The most crucial indicator of whether a material is a superconductor is whether it exhibits the ‘Meissner effect’, so naturally, that was the first thing he tested.

Unfortunately, after several attempts, Xu Chuan was certain that the replicated KL-66 sample he was assigned did not possess the Meissner effect.

Without a doubt, the first replication experiment was a failure.

Of course, he didn’t give up and deny it outright. In the time that followed, he conducted various other tests on the synthesized material, including its magnetic field, resistance, and critical temperature.

He finally confirmed that the sample in his hands had some diamagnetism, but it was extremely weak.

As for its resistance, after several tests at decreasing temperatures, he found that its resistivity dropped sharply at 250K (about -23°C), but it did not fall to zero.

At 7.1K, the material’s resistance would drop rapidly again, approaching zero resistance.

This result was largely consistent with the tests performed on the computational material model of KL-66.

At room temperature, it did not exhibit superconductivity. It only showed superconducting properties when the temperature was lowered to 7.1K.

However, this was meaningless. There are many, many materials that can achieve superconductivity at 7.1K. Moreover, in this material, the superconducting critical temperature of lead is -265.95°C (7.2K).

Under these circumstances, it was hard not to suspect whether this critical temperature transition belonged to the material itself or the lead within it.

After completing all the standard tests, Xu Chuan took off his lab gloves.

Judging solely from the sample in his hands, the hope for KL-66 being a room-temperature superconductor was shattered, which made him sigh.

However, verifying a material cannot be done with a single replication experiment.

There are many random factors. To ensure that the replication experiment is free of errors, at least three or more control groups are needed.

After waiting for a while, the results from the other two groups also came in.

According to the test results, all observations of the Meissner effect had failed.

All three samples of KL-66 material, replicated according to the standard procedure, did not exhibit the Meissner effect.

However, what surprised Xu Chuan slightly was that the material labeled ‘Number Two’ showed a semi-levitating effect due to diamagnetism, similar to the video released by the South Koreans.

Although subsequent tests confirmed that this was merely diamagnetism, it still caught his attention.

If he could figure out the mechanism behind this diamagnetism, there might be some other discoveries to be made.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Fan Pengyue looked at the test report in his hand and said with a smile, “Looks like we can give those South Korean netizens a good slap in the face this time.”

Three sets of materials, made by different people, all failed to show the Meissner effect. It was safe to say that the probability of the KL-66 material being a room-temperature superconductor had dropped to an extreme low.

“Slap in the face? What’s going on?” asked Chai Su, another researcher conducting superconductivity tests in the lab, with some curiosity.

Fan Pengyue smiled and said, “Didn’t our boss previously release the results of his simulation, suggesting that this KL-66 material is more likely a strong magnetic material rather than a superconductor?”

“And then the people in South Korea got all worked up, expressing their disagreement and hurling insults.”

“It would be one thing if they just complained on their own country’s internet, but they’ve chased us over to our side. If you don’t believe me, open Weibo or β-hu. The internet is a battlefield right now.”

“There are those who support our boss, and those who support them. There are also plenty of people just here to watch the drama unfold.”

“Anyway, wherever there’s talk of room-temperature superconducting materials, it’s pretty lively right now.”

Hearing this, Chai Su couldn’t help but frown. “Wait, I just want to know, what’s there to disagree with about a judgment based on computational results? And they’re insulting people?”

Fan Pengyue laughed, “It’s normal. It’s an old tradition and habit over there in South Korea.”

“After all, our relationship with South Korea is rather ‘delicate’; we look down on each other. Plus, there’s a group of extremists over there who are quite crazy, can’t tolerate any dissent, and love to chase down and bite people.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan, who was reading the test report, glanced over curiously. He then took his phone out of his pocket, silently opened Weibo, and searched for topics related to KL-66.

【Aishibal, what the hell is this brat talking about!】

【He must be envious of our room-temperature superconducting material, so he’s slandering it out of jealousy?】

【It’s just the result of a simulation. We conducted actual superconductivity tests. A magnet can be stably levitated on the KL-66 superconducting material. Isn’t that much more powerful than some so-called calculation?】

【I strongly suspect that Professor Xu is slandering it to protect the status of his own high-temperature superconducting materials. After all, once our KL-66 is out, probably no one will buy his materials anymore.】

Under some of the popular videos on Weibo, one could indeed see some “familiar” remarks.

However, these comments had basically been flamed into oblivion by Chinese netizens.

When it came to flaming, perhaps no other country’s netizens could match the combat effectiveness of the Chinese.

“Send me the electronic copies of these three replication experiment reports.”

After glancing at the trending charts on Weibo, Xu Chuan looked up and said to Fan Pengyue.

Across from him, eldest senior disciple Fan Pengyue smiled and nodded in agreement.

It looked like there was going to be another good show.

Although those South Korean netizens who came chasing and flaming had already been blasted to smithereens by Chinese netizens, it had to be said that their behavior was indeed quite disgusting.

To chase someone to another country and curse them out over a difference of opinion was something probably only people from that country could do.

If it were any other scholar, they would likely ignore such messages.

But when it was his boss, if he hadn’t seen it, that would be one thing. Now that he had, it wouldn’t be in his character not to respond after the results were out.

Now the replication experiment results were here, and they completely matched the simulation results.

Thinking about the expressions on the faces of those South Koreans who had been flaming online when they saw these three replication experiment reports, he couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Of all the people to flame, you had to pick this one.

Most importantly, don’t you have any self-awareness about how many times you’ve committed academic fraud?

In 2005, the ‘research findings on embryonic stem cells,’ hailed as one of the world’s three major academic frauds, were found to be purely fabricated with intent.

In 2015, the ‘biggest academic fraud case’ in academia also occurred in South Korea, with nearly two hundred professors being sent to court at the time.

So, how much time has passed? Once the wound heals, is the pain forgotten?

Chapter 443: The Hope of Miniaturizing Fusion Reactors

After receiving the replication experiment data and superconductivity test data for the KL-66 material, Xu Chuan did not immediately release it to the public.

The Meissner effect had been confirmed to be absent in all three sets of replication experiments. Unless subsequent experiments from other labs and research institutions showed completely different results, this point alone was enough preliminary proof that the KL-66 material was not a room-temperature superconductor.

However, Xu Chuan felt that if he was going to do this, he should do it perfectly, leaving no room for doubt.

Having confirmed the absence of the Meissner effect, the remaining key point was to find out why this material exhibited diamagnetism.

After all, both the video released by the South Koreans and the second KL-66 material sample from his own replication experiment had displayed strong diamagnetism, enough to levitate.

Explaining the principle behind this would be enough to definitively disprove the room-temperature superconducting properties of this new material.

Of course, his reason for studying this mechanism wasn’t just to be thorough. It was also because the mechanism itself had piqued his curiosity.

It had to be said, the strong diamagnetic mechanism exhibited by the KL-66 material developed in South Korea was indeed quite something.

According to the diamagnetism test data from the number two KL-66 material, its ability to levitate was due to the presence of soft ferromagnetic components in some of the replicated polycrystalline ceramic samples.

This was the core reason it could levitate when an external magnetic field was applied.

However, what surprised Xu Chuan was that these soft ferromagnetic components did not become saturated even when the external magnetic field was increased to 5T.

This meant the material had enormous potential in terms of diamagnetism.

So, even though the Meissner effect was not observed in any of the three replication experiments, he remained interested in studying this material.

After all, strong diamagnetism had quite a few applications, such as in magnetic levitation, medical technology, electric motors, and so on. If a new strong diamagnetic material could be found, it might have the chance to replace the expensive superconducting materials required in some fields.

Of course, what interested him more was the underlying principle of this mechanism.

If he could uncover the mechanism behind this diamagnetism and apply it to the field of true superconducting materials, he might be able to further increase the critical magnetic field of superconducting materials, thereby further shrinking the size of controlled nuclear fusion reactors.

This was his real primary reason for being interested in this material.

This material might show him a path toward the miniaturization of fusion reactors.

In the lab, Xu Chuan found a researcher to assist with his work, specifically conducting diamagnetism tests and structural analysis on the number two KL-66 material.

At the same time, a second wave of replication experiments for the KL-66 material was launched.

However, unlike the first time, this replication was not to verify the superconductivity of the KL-66 material, but to study its diamagnetic effect.

Xu Chuan needed to figure out what happened during the synthesis process that caused the soft magnetic effect of the polycrystalline ceramic samples in the number two KL-66 material to be greatly enhanced, and how the corresponding crystal structure, atomic substitutions, and other factors were formed.

He also needed to understand why the number one and number three KL-66 materials did not exhibit this strong diamagnetism, despite following the same synthesis steps.

Only by knowing these things and confirming the mechanism could he proceed to the next step.

“Boss, the detailed magnetization measurement report is out.”

In the office, Chai Su hurried over with a test report.

“Let me see.”

Xu Chuan quickly took the report from him and began to read it carefully.

In physics, the magnetic properties of materials are generally divided into several types, such as paramagnetism, diamagnetism, and ferromagnetism.

For example, ferromagnetic materials, when placed in a magnetic field or cooled below a certain temperature, become magnetized, generating a strong magnetic field of their own with clear magnetic poles. Some materials containing elements like iron, cobalt, and nickel can retain their ferromagnetism after being magnetized.

Paramagnetic materials, when placed in a magnetic field, become magnetized and produce a smaller magnetic field in the same direction as the original field. The strength of this field is proportional to the original field, but it disappears once the external field is removed.

As for diamagnetic materials, when placed in a magnetic field, the internal magnetic field they generate opposes the original field, thus weakening the total magnetic field.

Generally speaking, ferromagnetic materials are attracted by the original magnetic field, while diamagnetic materials are repelled.

A simple way to understand it is to imagine putting two magnets with the same pole together and then trying to squeeze them with your hands.

The greater the force required to make them touch, the higher the diamagnetism.

Although this analogy is not precise, it is relatively easy to understand and visualize.

According to the test report, the magnetic susceptibility of the number two KL-66 material reached an astonishing -0.8225.

For a non-superconducting material, this value was already very high.

For magnetism, the magnetic susceptibility of a vacuum is 0, representing that the magnetic field in a vacuum is aligned with the original field. [Translator’s Note: The original text states this is 1, which is incorrect. Vacuum susceptibility is 0. This is corrected for scientific accuracy.]

Ordinary diamagnetic materials have a negative magnetic susceptibility, but it’s very close to 0. For example, water, some organic substances, and a few metals are ordinary diamagnetic materials.

A superconductor has a magnetic susceptibility of -1, the maximum value for diamagnetism. Significantly different from ordinary diamagnetic materials, it possesses 100% diamagnetism.

Therefore, a superconductor strongly repels external magnetic fields and can firmly pin magnetic flux lines, whereas ordinary diamagnetic materials only slightly repel external magnetic fields.

Although a magnetic susceptibility of -0.8225 was still some distance from the -1 of a superconductor, it was important to remember that the KL-66 material they had synthesized was not particularly pure.

If its purity were further increased, it wasn’t impossible for the material’s magnetic susceptibility to approach that of a superconductor or even hit the limit up.

“Interesting. When will the electron microscope structure data be ready?”

Putting down the report, Xu Chuan looked at Chai Su and asked.

“It’s being processed now. It should take about another twenty minutes,” Chai Su replied respectfully.

Nodding, Xu Chuan said, “Alright, bring me the report as soon as it’s done.”

The astonishing magnetic susceptibility had indeed piqued his interest, and it meant that even if this material wasn’t a superconductor, it had considerable potential in certain areas.

Chai Su nodded, turned, and left the office, gently closing the door behind him.

Sitting at his desk, Xu Chuan began to ponder.

From the previous tests on the KL-66 material, he had determined the interaction values’ orbitals from the constrained Random Phase Approximation (cRPA) through copper’s two-band model.

But he had found no forced magnetic or orbital symmetry breaking in the material’s electron holes.

And when using the DFT+U method, he had examined the mechanisms at play in the stable insulating state and the impurity levels within the band gap for two systems: Cu-doped Pb10(PO4)6O and V-doped SrTiO3 with transition metals.

So theoretically, it should have isolated impurity (flat) bands, independent of the doping site. In that case, even under the best conditions for superconductivity, the spin and orbital fluctuations would still be too weak for superconductivity near room temperature.

It was almost impossible for it to exhibit superconductivity at room temperature.

However, if diamagnetism was considered, the situation might be different.

Theoretically, when doping different types of sites within the same unit cell, the material’s gap could lead to two spin-polarized impurity bands.

And due to the relatively non-localized unpaired spins in the valence band, weak ferromagnetism was possible.

Further work should consider the possibility of variations in stoichiometry, different doping sites, supercell effects, and the quantification of magnetic exchange interactions.

In his office, Xu Chuan silently performed derivations in his mind, occasionally picking up a pen to scribble calculations on scratch paper.

His knowledge of materials science fused with information from the fields of physics and chemistry.

Anyone who had been present when he proved the final step of the NS equations in class would be familiar with this state he was in.

But right now, Xu Chuan was alone in his office. Completely absorbed in his deductions, he was unaware that he had once again returned to his most coveted state of mind.

A long time passed before Chai Su, who had hurried back with the electron microscope structure data, called out softly, pulling Xu Chuan back to reality.

The disorienting sensation of having been away for an eternity made him let out a long breath. A glance at the time in the bottom-right corner of his computer screen revealed that nearly half an hour had passed unknowingly.

“Boss, the electron microscope structure data… it’s ready,” Chai Su reported, swallowing hard. Why did he feel like he’d done something wrong, even though he hadn’t done anything?

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “Just leave it here.”

“Okay.” Quickly putting down the test report, Chai Su scurried away. He originally had some questions to ask, but he had suddenly changed his mind.

Sitting at his desk, Xu Chuan closed his eyes and savored the feeling for a moment. Then, he leaned forward, picked up the electron microscope scanning structure report from the desk, and began to read through it.

“Just as I thought. On a non-interacting level, KL-66 is an inversion-asymmetric Weyl semimetal material.”

“Weyl nodes with opposite chirality appear at different energies near the time-reversal invariant Γ and A points of the three-dimensional Brillouin zone. The unusual Weyl charge is CW=±2, and they are connected by two branches of topologically protected Fermi arc states on the surface parallel to the main c-axis.”

“In other words, in the KL-66 material, the spin-orbit coupling of the Cu atoms has a crucial impact on the material’s band structure and electronic properties.”

Looking at the scanned structural diagrams and related test data, a look of vindicated foresight appeared in Xu Chuan’s eyes.

Although Chai Su had interrupted his deductions, it wasn’t without gain.

He had already roughly deduced the core reason for the strong magnetism of the KL-66 material through theoretical reasoning.

However, whether it was accurate still needed to be verified by subsequent experiments.

Perhaps this time, he could establish a complete link between strong diamagnetic materials and band topology, thereby pushing the field of strongly correlated physics to a whole new level.

Chapter 444: I Don’t Understand Superconductivity, But I Understand South Korea

While Xu Chuan was busy verifying the strong diamagnetism of the KL-66 material, the first batch of replication experiment results from the materials science community, who had been closely watching KL-66, were already out.

The first to speak out was the materials science department of the University of Rochester in the United States, which published its replication experiment results online.

Like the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, the materials science professors at the University of Rochester also failed to detect the Meissner effect in their replicated KL-66.

Not only that, but having conducted only a single set of replication experiments, the research team at the University of Rochester failed to even replicate the strong diamagnetism.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in China, the research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences also published their replication experiment results on arXiv.

Unfortunately, the CAS research team was also unable to observe the Meissner effect in their replicated KL-66.

However, unlike the University of Rochester’s team, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, having conducted multiple sets of replication experiments, successfully observed the levitation phenomenon, indicating the potential for superconducting properties in this new material.

Of course, it was only a possibility.

After all, in this replication experiment, besides the failure to observe the Meissner effect, the resistance of the replicated KL-66 material itself was not zero—in fact, it could be considered quite high.

However, the CAS research team stated that this might be due to insufficient purity in their synthesized material, and that they would conduct further replication experiments to obtain more data.

The two sets of replication results sparked a heated discussion online.

Some were convinced that KL-66 was not a room-temperature superconducting material. After all, Xu Chuan’s simulation results, as well as the replication results from the United States and China, all indicated that it was not a superconductor, but more likely a strong magnetic material.

Others felt that KL-66 still had potential. After all, the CAS research team had successfully replicated the magnetic levitation effect. If the purity of the KL-66 material were further improved, perhaps the resistance would drop.

Additionally, some were asking when the Chuanhai Materials Research Lab’s replication results would be released.

After all, Xu Chuan had publicly stated several days ago that the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was already conducting replication experiments, and many were eagerly awaiting the results from this big shot.

While these netizens were happily watching the drama unfold, someone noticed a paper Xu Chuan had just uploaded to arXiv.

【arXiv! That Professor Xu has uploaded a paper, the replication results are out!】

【What’s the verdict? What does God Chuan say?】

【Chuanhai Materials Research Institute did three sets of replication experiments, and none observed that Meiss-whatever effect. However, one group showed strong diamagnetism and they observed levitation. According to the paper God Chuan uploaded, South Korea’s KL-66 is basically a bust.】

【But they observed magnetic levitation. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, doesn’t that prove its potential for superconductivity? Maybe the replicated material just wasn’t pure enough?】

【True, maybe the Koreans held something back and didn’t give the full replication steps. After all, this is room-temperature superconductivity. If you developed it, would you publish everything? No way.】

【Heh, stop struggling. God Chuan didn’t just upload the replication results this time, but also the principle of strong magnetism behind KL-66’s magnetic levitation. I can’t understand the principle, but based on the conclusion, it’s not superconductivity at all. It’s just a material with magnetic properties, like a magnet.】

【KL-66 is an inversion-asymmetric Weyl semimetal, the spin-orbit coupling of the Cu atoms affects the material… Holy shit, what the hell is any of this?】

【All hail the true master.】

【(▽´) This has to be the fastest downfall of a room-temperature superconductor claim ever, right? When God Chuan makes a move, it’s a killing blow.】

【Everyone pack it up. If room-temperature superconductors could be hand-crafted like this, humanity would have left the Milky Way by now.】

【Lol, I’ll stick to my original opinion: I may not understand superconducting materials, but I understand South Korea.】

【LMAO, where are those Koreans now? Go on, keep crowing!】

After figuring out the mechanism behind KL-66’s strong magnetism, Xu Chuan compiled the relevant data and uploaded it to arXiv.

As expected, countless people in the materials science community were already waiting for his replication experiment results.

The moment the paper was uploaded, it was downloaded by innumerable people.

In the United States, at the University of Rochester, Professor Shmuel Heath, a top expert in the field of superconducting materials, held a freshly printed document still fragrant with ink, reading it intently.

In the field of superconductivity, his voice carried significant weight.

The Barium-Yttrium-Copper-Oxide high-temperature superconducting material, famous in the United States and indeed around the world, was his discovery.

Furthermore, he was the one who had led the team that performed the first replication experiment of KL-66 and uploaded the results.

Finishing the paper, Professor Shmuel Heath took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Beside him, his assistant and student asked impatiently, “Professor, what are the results? Is there still any hope for KL-66?”

Sighing, Professor Shmuel Heath replied, “Based on the paper, I’m afraid there isn’t much hope left. You could even say there’s practically none.”

After a slight pause, he added with a sigh of admiration, “He lives up to his reputation, the famous Professor Xu. In such a short time, he’s found the mechanism behind the KL-66 material’s magnetic levitation. If it were anyone else—even if I had tackled it myself—it might have taken a month or two without any guarantee of results.”

He had truly hoped that the KL-66 material was a room-temperature superconductor. After all, if it were real, it would mean a major revolution and leap forward for materials science.

But unfortunately, judging from the latest paper, that hope was now dashed.

Although it was just a paper on arXiv, who in academia didn’t know Professor Xu’s habits?

He would never jump to a conclusion and publish it publicly without absolute certainty.

Moreover, looking at the paper uploaded to arXiv, Professor Xu had provided a completely sound explanation for both the replication experiment of the KL-66 material and the mechanism behind its magnetic levitation phenomenon. Theoretically, the data presented was impeccable.

Hearing the answer, the assistant and student beside him fell silent for a moment before saying, “This is probably the fastest a room-temperature superconductivity story has ever ended, isn’t it?”

News about room-temperature superconducting materials was not unprecedented.

Previous claims in fields like three-element hydrides and hydrogen sulfide had all caused a massive stir, typically lasting for several months within the materials science community before concluding.

After all, replication and verification took time.

But this time, from the moment the KL-66 paper was uploaded from South Korea to now, had it even been ten days? The conclusion was more or less already set in stone.

Hearing his student’s remark, Professor Shmuel Heath smiled. “Actually, this is a good thing. It saves everyone’s time.”

“After all, academic controversies, especially in a field as critical as room-temperature superconducting materials, often consume a vast amount of time from numerous researchers for verification.”

“And now, with the release of this paper, I believe very few research institutions will continue to focus on this. Everyone can go back to their own work.”

For the academic world, maintaining a rigorous and truth-seeking style was a fundamental principle.

On that basis, academic controversies or fraudulent incidents could mislead the judgment of the academic community, lead to erroneous conclusions, and undermine the integrity of academic research.

Take, for example, the academic fraud case in 2014 involving Haruko Obokata—hailed in the island nation as a “national treasure” and “the Marie Curie of the island nation”—and her “all-purpose cell” STAP cell, which caused a worldwide sensation.

Due to the importance of all-purpose cells, it attracted the attention of numerous researchers in the biomedical field from various countries, who all invested personnel to conduct replication and verification.

However, after wasting a tremendous amount of time, manpower, and resources from many scholars, it was discovered to be nothing more than fraudulent research.

Without a doubt, this was an extremely egregious act.

And this time, with KL-66, thanks to Professor Xu’s intervention, the matter would likely conclude very quickly—so fast the stock market wouldn’t even have time to fleece a round of investors.

However, what Shmuel Heath found a little strange was that after reading Professor Xu’s research paper on the magnetic levitation mechanism of KL-66, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the paper was missing something.

It wasn’t that the paper failed to prove that the magnetic levitation of the KL-66 material did not originate from a superconductivity mechanism, but rather that it lacked something else entirely.

If the sole purpose was to prove the origin of the magnetic levitation mechanism, this paper was certainly sufficient; it clearly and concisely explained the source of the KL-66 material’s magnetic levitation effect.

But as a top materials scientist, he just had this feeling as he read the paper that it was missing something, that it wasn’t the full picture—as if parts had been intentionally concealed.

However, not being an expert in computational materials science himself, he couldn’t pinpoint where the problem was, nor could he imagine what that hidden something might be.

Chapter 445: Grinding is an Essential Skill!

With the two research papers Xu Chuan had posted on arXiv, the discussion surrounding the KL-66 material once again surged across the internet.

However, this was more or less its last gasp.

After all, a corresponding explanation for KL-66’s magnetic levitation mechanism had already been provided. Unless a research team could subsequently observe the Meissner effect in a replicated KL-66 sample, a reversal was practically impossible.

In the days that followed, the replication results announced by various research teams from different countries thoroughly confirmed that LK-66 was not a superconductor.

Even South Korea’s own research institution, the Korean Superconductivity and Cryogenics Society, publicly released a statement that there was “not yet any result confirming superconductivity in the KL-66 material.”

While it was a pity that a brand-new path in the field of materials had not been found, this was far from the first time such news had appeared in the realm of room-temperature superconductivity.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the shifting news from the outside world. He was already back at Nanjing University, working on derivations and research in his office.

Although calculations and replication experiments had confirmed that KL-66 was not a room-temperature superconductor, his research on it had not been a waste of time.

On the contrary, in this diamagnetic material, he had discovered a novel atomic doping structure.

The inversion-asymmetric spin-orbit coupling of the copper atoms had a significant impact on the material’s band structure and electronic properties. The core of this was that the two branches of the Fermi arc state electrons connected along the c-axis, breaking the inversion symmetry.

This, in turn, caused the Dirac cone to split into two Weyl nodes with opposite chirality, leading to non-trivial quantum phenomena.

This was the core mechanism behind the KL-66 material’s strong diamagnetism, which even allowed it to float in a strong magnetic field.

It was also a phenomenon never before discovered in the worlds of physics and materials science.

And what he was exploring was the secret behind this very phenomenon.

“Professor, you’re back.”

Cai Peng walked into the office and immediately spotted Xu Chuan sitting behind his desk, exclaiming in pleasant surprise.

If one were to post a question on β-hu: “What’s it like to have a top-tier expert, a Nobel laureate, as your advisor?”

He, Cai Peng, was definitely qualified to answer!

First off, it was certain that studying under such a top-tier expert was a good thing.

However, the despairing part was that advisors of this caliber were almost never in their offices. They were either participating in national-level projects or busy with their own work.

Take him, for example. In the more than two years he had been studying under his advisor, the number of times he had actually seen him could be counted on one hand.

For a student, it was like being a left-behind child most of the time. All learning depended on self-discipline or seeking help from senior classmates.

If the advisor you encountered also had high graduation requirements, then things were even more miserable.

Fortunately, he had an eldest senior disciple. Although Gu Bing had already graduated and left, he was still a math professor at Nanjing University.

When he ran into problems, he could still seek help from his senior.

Relatively speaking, however, he was studying differential equations, while Gu Bing had studied algebraic topology and analytic geometry. Much of the time, Gu Bing couldn’t guide him.

In such a situation, the only thing he could do was send his questions to Xu Chuan via WeChat or email.

Although he almost always received a reply, asking questions this way was certainly far less efficient than asking face-to-face.

Of course, he could understand the situation. After all, his advisor was just a bit too “fucking awesome.”

But understanding was one thing; to not see him all year round, always feeling like a left-behind child, was a bitter pill to swallow.

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan looked up, nodded with a smile, and asked, “The problem I gave you last time, how’s it coming along?”

The last time he was back, he had written a problem for his student to check his foundation after the past two years, which would help in creating a targeted curriculum for him.

However, he had been delayed for some time by the KL-66 material incident in South Korea, so the original three-day deadline had certainly passed.

Cai Peng nodded, walked quickly to his own desk, found the scratch paper in his drawer, and respectfully handed it to Xu Chuan. “The stack on top is my thinking from the first three days. The part below is some of my thoughts from the past few days.”

In reality, more than ten days had passed since he received the problem.

He had been studying the problem on the scratch paper for over ten days but hadn’t solved it. Still, he definitely had some ideas and thoughts.

Xu Chuan nodded, took the scratch paper, and began to read through it seriously.

“Your foundation is decent. You’ve made progress these past two years,” Xu Chuan said with a smile after finishing the answer sheet. “But you took the long way around in some areas.”

With that, he stood up and dragged a blackboard out from a corner of the office. While writing, he explained, “For example, when solving this module, you used Gaussian elimination. You performed elementary row operations on the augmented matrix (A|b) to transform it into a row echelon form before processing it.”

“That method isn’t wrong, but don’t you think it’s a bit too complicated?”

Looking at the formula on the blackboard, Cai Peng scratched his head. “Is it? I thought Gaussian elimination was a very appropriate application here.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Do you remember iteration?”

Cai Peng thought for a moment, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he blurted out, “Gauss-Seidel iteration!”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “That’s right. When the coefficient matrix A is strictly diagonally dominant or symmetric positive-definite, the Gauss-Seidel iteration is guaranteed to converge. Approaching it from this angle would be much simpler than the Gaussian elimination you used.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Solving systems of linear algebra equations is one of the most fundamental problems in scientific and engineering computation. The vast majority of computational problems ultimately boil down to solving systems of linear algebra equations.”

“The main difficulty in solving large-scale systems of linear equations is the workload. How to reduce that workload is the key you should be thinking about.”

“Of course, this is also my failure. I really haven’t taught you much in these two years. But I should be in the office for the next few months, so I can teach you properly.”

In the office, Xu Chuan pointed out some problems in Cai Peng’s answer sheet and offered guidance.

Perhaps due to his own experiences, both in his past life and this one, he had mostly been a self-learner. As a result, he tended to take a hands-off approach with his few students.

However, this method wasn’t suitable for everyone. And even with a hands-off approach, it was still necessary to teach core theories and ways of thinking, otherwise, students would sooner or later go astray or fail to grasp the core concepts.

After about half an hour, Xu Chuan stopped and said, “Let’s call it a day here. Take the next two days to absorb and digest what I’ve talked about.”

“Also, I’ll list a few books for you. Spend the next two months reading them to catch up. You’re still lacking in some areas of knowledge and need to study more.”

As he spoke, he erased the formulas on the blackboard and, after some thought, wrote: Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, Theory of Special Functions, Numerical Solution of Differential Equations, Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering…

After listing six or seven books, he tossed the chalk into the chalk box, clapped his hands, and said, “That’s it for now. I’ll give you three months to study. If you have any questions during that time, feel free to find me. I’ll check your progress in three months.”

Staring at the six neatly listed books on the blackboard, Cai Peng couldn’t help but swallow dryly.

Six books in three months—that was an average of two books a month!

Master! These weren’t web novels, they were math textbooks!

Suddenly, he recalled something his senior, Gu Bing, had once told him: “When you study under our advisor, grinding is an essential skill!”

On the very first day of his advisor’s return to teach him, he was already experiencing what “grinding is an essential skill” truly meant.

After letting Cai Peng go study on his own, Xu Chuan sat back down at his desk.

He began once again to ponder the possibility of establishing a complete connection between the strongly diamagnetic material and band topology.

The problem of strongly correlated electron systems is one of the core issues in condensed matter physics today.

In materials like complex transition metal oxides (TMOs), due to strong electron-phonon or electron-electron coupling, the collective behavior of the system’s electrons determines its macroscopic properties, and the simple superposition of individual electron kinetic energies no longer plays the dominant role.

As external conditions like temperature and magnetic fields change, the material’s various order parameters—such as lattice structure, electronic structure, and spin alignment—become entangled with one another, leading to an extremely rich phase diagram structure.

This, in turn, gives rise to macroscopic quantum phenomena like high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance, endowing the material with new properties of immense application value.

There was no doubt that this new phenomenon discovered in the KL-66 material belonged to a strongly correlated electron system.

But incorporating this system into the language of mathematics and explaining it would be an exceedingly troublesome affair.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan took out a stack of scratch paper from his drawer.

[Research on Correlation Effects and Superconductivity in Multi-orbital Strongly Correlated Systems]

“S = (kB/e)ln(ge/gh)”

He had just written a title and had yet to elaborate when a knock came at his office door.

“Come in,” Xu Chuan called out. The visitor was Nanjing University’s new principal, Tan Shaoyuan.

“Academician Xu, regarding the matter of recruiting students you mentioned last time, I’ve had someone do a preliminary screening. The list is here, please take a look.”

Tan Shaoyuan greeted him with a warm smile and handed over the list of names.

Xu Chuan took the list and smiled. “Thank you. But for something like this, you could have just sent an assistant or secretary. There was no need to trouble you, Principal Tan, to deliver it personally.”

Tan Shaoyuan chuckled. “I was just passing by. It’s no trouble at all.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Besides the list, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask about.”

“Mm, please go ahead.”

Tan Shaoyuan cleared his throat slightly. “Last time you were teaching, Academician Xu, you mentioned that you were preparing to open a course in computational materials science here at Nanjing University. I wanted to ask about that.”

A course offered by a Nobel laureate—and not just any laureate, but the scholar hailed as the father of controlled nuclear fusion—would be incredibly popular and attract countless talented individuals, no matter the country or university.

And aside from that, for the university offering the course, it was a sure-fire way to expand its academic atmosphere and international reputation.

Therefore, more than ten days ago, after Xu Chuan had finished that lecture, he had eagerly come looking for him.

However, Xu Chuan had already left Nanjing University for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute to conduct experiments and only returned today. As soon as he was back, Tan had impatiently sought him out to inquire about the situation.

In today’s academic world, a leadership position at Nanjing University was a truly hot commodity.

After all, it was home to the number one figure in China’s, and indeed the world’s, academia. As long as this figure remained at Nanjing University, a few years in this position would guarantee all sorts of achievements.

Hearing the question, it dawned on Xu Chuan what he had said in class.

Smiling, he said, “I did have that idea. I feel I have some understanding in the field of computational materials science and was thinking about whether I could pass it on.”

Hearing this, Tan Shaoyuan quickly said, “Then I’ll start making the arrangements on my end and get the relevant work done as soon as possible.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “There’s no rush. Although I have this idea, my schedule is not stable. If I were to open a dedicated major, I’m worried I would be short-changing the students who enroll in it.”

After some thought, he spoke again. “How about this? For this computational materials science course that I would be teaching, let’s not make it a major or a minor. Let’s have Nanjing University offer it as a technological innovation special course.”

“I’ll teach on an irregular basis, with advance notice, and interested students can come and listen. When my situation is a bit more stable, we can consider opening a dedicated course.”

He had originally planned to start a computational materials science course, but while researching the KL-66 material, he had accidentally discovered something about strongly correlated systems.

Then, during his research, he found that it might promote the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion devices, so he canceled the idea of starting a course.

After all, compared to the importance of miniaturizing controlled nuclear fusion reactors, offering a computational materials course was a non-essential matter.

Hearing this, Tan Shaoyuan nodded with a smile. “That works. Academician Xu, you can arrange it however you see fit. If you need to start the class, you can let me know at any time, and I’ll help with the arrangements.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “No problem.”

“Then I won’t disturb your work any longer, Academician Xu.”

Tan Shaoyuan left the office with a cheerful smile, while Xu Chuan picked up the list of names and began to look through it.

“Professor, are you recruiting new students?”

In the office, Cai Peng, who had been silent all this time, looked over curiously after Principal Tan left.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes. I’m planning to take on a few students while I still have some relatively leisure time these next few months.”

Cai Peng asked excitedly, “Does that mean I’ll be the eldest senior disciple now?”

Xu Chuan shot him a glance. “You’d be better off thinking about how you’re going to graduate.”

Cai Peng: “(゜▽゜*)"

Chapter 446: Is Graduating Supposed to Be This Hard?!

Ignoring the student who had suddenly become agitated, Xu Chuan lowered his head to look at the list of candidates.

It had to be said that compared to when he had first enrolled years ago, the Department of Mathematics at Nanjing University was much stronger now.

If Nanjing University’s math department could only be ranked in the lower-middle half of the second tier among the nation’s universities back then, it could now be considered first-tier.

It had grown significantly, both in the quality of its students and the size of its faculty.

Flipping through the materials, Xu Chuan selected eight candidates and prepared to interview them.

Of course, he couldn’t take on this many students. This list of eight would ultimately be cut in half.

After spending some time interviewing each of the eight students, Xu Chuan finally settled on four.

Two master’s students and two doctoral students.

The most outstanding of the doctoral students had already received an offer from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He had published two papers in Q2 SCI journals, the one with the highest impact factor reaching over sixteen. However, upon hearing that Xu Chuan was recruiting students, he had decisively submitted his resume and participated in the interview.

Although he had an acceptance letter from Cambridge’s math department, the opportunity to become a student of a Nobel and Fields Prize laureate who was also the chief designer of the controlled nuclear fusion project made the Cambridge offer completely unattractive in comparison.

Even though the math department at Cambridge was formidable, ranking among the top ten in the world, the university’s prestige didn’t guarantee that the advisor he was assigned to would be as impressive.

If this leading figure hadn’t limited his recruitment to Nanjing University this time, he likely wouldn’t have even had this chance.

After all, China had no shortage of math geniuses.

At Nanjing University, he could rank among the top, but on the scale of the entire nation, there were far too many who were more outstanding than him.

If the scope were broadened to the entire world, he wouldn’t even have to compete with foreign students; just the ones studying abroad would probably rush back if they heard about this opportunity.

It just goes to show, sometimes a little luck is all you need in life.

Nanjing University, Department of Mathematics Experimental Building.

Outside an office with the most expansive view at the end of the third-floor corridor, three young men and one young woman—four students in total—arrived at almost the same time, as if they had coordinated it.

Although Professor Xu had told them to come after nine o’clock today, they had all tacitly agreed to arrive half an hour early.

For the four of them, being accepted as students by this master was like a pie falling from the sky. Naturally, they wanted to arrive early and make a good impression on their first day.

Xu Chuan was not in the office; only Cai Peng was inside, studying.

Seeing the four people who had knocked and entered, Cai Peng stood up and greeted them with a smile. “You must be the Advisor’s new students, right? The Professor mentioned you to me yesterday. My name is Cai Peng. From now on, I’ll be your eldest senior disciple.”

“Hello, eldest senior disciple.”

“Hello, Senior Cai.”

“…”

The four fresh-faced newbies hurriedly greeted him with respect. Cai Peng, for his part, was all smiles, basking in their chorus of “senior” and unable to tear himself away.

After seating the four on the sofa, Cai Peng poured them each a glass of water and said with a smile, “The Professor might be a little while. You can wait here for a bit. I still have a ton of reading to do.”

Having welcomed the new students, he returned to his seat and buried his head in his book once more.

In the office, the four new students looked at me, and I looked at you, then at the studying Cai Peng, all at a loss.

“Our eldest senior disciple is working way too hard!”

“Are the requirements for being the Professor’s student that high?”

The path to greatness is simple, and a true master’s student is utterly devoted.

It had to be said that in the half-hour or so while they waited for Xu Chuan, the sight of Cai Peng studying so diligently left the four new students in a state of profound shock.

Sure, anyone who makes it to graduate and doctoral studies must take their academics seriously. But to be this relentless, to be completely immersed in studying every single moment without a break—wasn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?

If Cai Peng knew what they were thinking, he would have rolled his eyes so hard they’d pop out.

Six textbooks in three months. If it were you, wouldn’t you grind like mad? You’d have to grind yourself into oblivion to get this done.

The group waited in the office for over half an hour. A little after nine, Xu Chuan arrived punctually.

Glancing at the students in his office, he greeted them with a smile, “You’re all here quite early.”

“Professor.”

“Good morning, Professor.”

“…”

Seeing Xu Chuan arrive, the four new students quickly stood up, greeting him with a certain reserve.

To be honest, none of the four really had a deep understanding of this advisor who would guide them through the final stages of their academic careers.

Of course, they certainly recognized him. After all, they often saw him on television, on school banners, on public notice boards, and in all sorts of other places. But their knowledge of him was limited to that.

Seeing this leading figure on a screen or a poster might not have elicited a strong reaction, at most a sigh of awe at his badassery.

However, coming face-to-face with such a leading figure as his student, even after having gone through an interview, the pressure was still palpable, making them incredibly nervous.

Xu Chuan noticed the students’ stiffness but didn’t pay it much mind. He smiled and said, “No need to be nervous. Since everyone’s here, let’s have you all introduce yourselves and get to know one another.”

Of the four students, the oldest, a doctoral student, was named Ding Rui. He was the one who had received the offer from Cambridge’s Department of Mathematics.

This student had majored in Applied Mathematics for his undergraduate degree (it was the only major in Nanjing University’s math department at the time), focused on functional analysis for his master’s, and was now continuing his research in functional analysis for his doctorate.

The second, also a doctoral student, was named Tong Yang. His current area of specialization was Analytic Geometry.

The third, the only woman among the four, was named Yin Shi. She was a second-year master’s student with an impressive graduate school entrance exam score of three hundred and ninety-three out of four hundred. She also had one published SCI paper, and while it was only in a Q3 journal, it was still quite an excellent achievement.

The fourth, Rong Xinjie, was the youngest at just twenty years old. He had just started his first year as a master’s student, having been admitted without an entrance exam. He had won an individual gold medal at the IMO, marking him as a high-talent prospect.

Normally, a student like him would go directly to Tsinghua University or Peking University, but Rong Xinjie was a huge admirer of Xu Chuan, so he had given up both to come to Nanjing University.

Now, his wish had been granted, and he had smoothly become Xu Chuan’s student.

After they had introduced themselves, Xu Chuan spoke with a smile, “Starting today, you are my students. I will do my best to teach you and pass on my knowledge to you.”

“However, as you know, I am usually busy with my own research and projects, so I may not have a lot of time to guide you. I mentioned this during your interviews. If anyone has an issue with this, I can help find you a new advisor.”

Xu Chuan was well aware of his time constraints, so he made a point to reiterate this.

But for these four students, having secured this advisor, what more could they ask for?

Seeing that no one was backing out, Xu Chuan continued, “Since you’ve all made your choice, you will need to put in double the effort in the time to come.”

“Regardless, I do not wish to see you waste your time and talent under my tutelage. Therefore, I will be conducting periodic checks and assessments.”

“Of course, if you encounter any problems in your daily studies that you can’t figure out, you can email or message me. I will reply as soon as I see it. Additionally, you can also seek out Professor Gu Bing from the math department. He was my student before, and I believe he can help you with some of your questions.”

“As for your daily studies, I generally don’t set requirements. What books you read, what papers and journals you look at—that’s all up to you. But I expect you to take your studies seriously. This is what will determine the course of your own lives.”

“As for graduation, my requirements for every student are high. If you work independently, you’ll need at least one paper published in a top-quartile (Q1) SCI journal.”

“If you work collaboratively, I will select some difficult problems based on your areas of study and research, and you just need to choose one and solve it.”

Hearing this requirement, the four new students almost simultaneously sucked in a sharp breath.

A minimum of one Q1 SCI paper to graduate. To be honest, in China’s universities, that requirement was terrifyingly high.

Even at Princeton, the holy land of mathematics, probably very few advisors set this as the standard for a student’s graduation thesis.

The two master’s students might have been slightly better off; being in their early years, they didn’t fully grasp what a top-quartile SCI journal entailed. But the two doctoral students were just stunned.

Even for Ding Rui, who already had two Q2 SCI papers to his name, this requirement was not so easily met.

No wonder their eldest senior disciple, Cai Peng, was working so desperately.

Perhaps the collaborative option—solving a problem chosen by their advisor—would be easier?

After briefly outlining some of his academic requirements and standards for the new students, Xu Chuan paused for a moment before continuing, “Also, regarding your future fields of study, I’ll give you another chance. You can choose a new one, or you can stick with what was on your resumes.”

“As for the fields and areas I specialize in, you can find them in my profile on the campus website. I’ll give you one day to think about it and do your research. Just email me your choice before tomorrow morning.”

“Any other questions?”

The new students shook their heads and replied, “No, nothing else.”

In the group, Ding Rui had originally wanted to ask about the standard for the collaborative graduation problem, but seeing that the other three had no issues, he held his tongue.

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright then, that’s all for today. Go and prepare yourselves.”

With that, he left the office without another glance at the students. He had other things to do today.

After Xu Chuan’s departure, the atmosphere in the office livened up considerably.

The four new students looked at me, and I looked at you, utterly bewildered.

That’s it?

In the group, Ding Rui remembered something. He walked over to the studying Cai Peng and asked curiously, “Senior Cai, are the Advisor’s graduation requirements really that high? A top Q1 SCI paper… isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

Cai Peng smiled. “Exaggerated? If you knew how hard the collaborative option is, you wouldn’t think a Q1 SCI paper is difficult.”

“How difficult?” Ding Rui asked, intrigued.

Cai Peng glanced at him with interest. Instead of answering, he posed a question of his own. “You aren’t thinking of choosing the collaborative option to graduate, are you?”

Ding Rui nodded. “I was indeed considering it.”

“Such admirable courage!” Cai Peng applauded, then continued, “Let me ask you, do you know that besides me, there are two other seniors who have already graduated, Senior Gu Bing and Senior Amelia?”

Ding Rui nodded again. “I’m aware of them. Is there an issue with them?”

“Then do you know what難題 they solved to graduate?” Cai Peng asked with a mysterious smile.

“What problem?”

“The proof of a world-class mathematical conjecture—the Bloch Conjecture!” Cai Peng answered. “You study functional analysis, so you might not be familiar with this conjecture or have heard its name, but you’ve heard of the Twin Prime conjecture, right? Its difficulty is on par with the Twin Prime conjecture.”

Hearing this, Ding Rui couldn’t help but swallow hard. He asked, his voice trembling, “Don’t tell me Senior Gu and the others solved a conjecture like that just to graduate?”

Cai Peng smiled and nodded. “I have high hopes for you, Junior Ding!”

At his words, Ding Rui’s mouth twitched.

To hell with the collaborative option. If that was the requirement for graduation, he’d probably never graduate in this lifetime.

A world-class mathematical conjecture, on the same level as the Twin Prime conjecture.

And to think he had just been considering the collaborative option. If he had chosen that path, he had no doubt he would never be able to graduate.

It was too terrifying!

Chapter 447: The Establishment of the Sea of Stars Research Institute

Of course, Xu Chuan was unaware of the discussions among his newly admitted students.

But even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.

Graduating under his supervision without genuine ability was out of the question. In any case, he couldn’t afford the embarrassment.

Leaving his office, Xu Chuan got in his car and drove straight to the experimental pile base for the Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project.

Of course, the place had now been renamed. It had been separated from the original controlled nuclear fusion project and was now called the ‘Sea of Stars Research Institute’.

Today was the first official day of the Sea of Stars Research Institute’s establishment, and as the institute’s Dean, he certainly had to go over to preside over the related work.

More importantly, there was also a meeting to discuss and plan the future development of controlled nuclear fusion, aerospace technology, and other fields.

At ten o’clock, the ribbon-cutting ceremony began on time, hosted by Xu Chuan. Amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers and a sky full of fluttering ribbons, the Sea of Stars Research Institute was founded.

This was a ‘pilot’ research institution established in the country, modeled after a combination of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and the Max Planck Society.

Through this institute, a complete conversion from theory to application to industrialization could be achieved. It could cooperate seamlessly with the vast majority of domestic enterprises, greatly saving time and streamlining the process for technological R&D projects.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was completed in the morning, and in the afternoon, a high-level meeting was held to familiarize everyone with the key personnel.

In reality, aside from Wen Yuanhang, who had been assigned from the Strategic Planning Department to assist with daily management, and some of the heads and researchers from the aerospace field, most of the personnel at the Sea of Stars Research Institute were already acquaintances.

After all, they had all worked on the original Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project and had some familiarity with one another.

After the establishment of the Sea of Stars Research Institute, aside from departments not directly related to scientific research like logistics, maintenance, planning, and liaison, four research institutes were temporarily established.

They were the ‘Energy Research Institute,’ the ‘Aerospace Research Institute,’ the ‘Information Research Institute,’ and the ‘Materials Research Institute.’

And under these institutes, various research labs were established.

For example, the Energy Research Institute currently had labs for second- and third-generation and miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion, as well as labs for battery technology, nuclear energy, thermal energy, and so on.

As their names suggest, these labs had a clear division of labor, each responsible for research in different fields.

The controlled nuclear fusion project was a super project. Especially after researchers and engineers were transferred from various major research institutions during the later stages of the demonstration reactor’s construction, the project had nearly three thousand researchers alone.

Even after about a third of the personnel were transferred to the Fusion Energy Company, there were still over two thousand researchers and engineers remaining.

Making arrangements for so many people was no small feat.

Fortunately, he had Wen Yuanhang, Han Jin, and others to assist with this work; otherwise, just handling this matter would have left him with no energy for anything else.

After the middle and senior management had familiarized themselves with each other, the next item on the agenda was, without a doubt, to hold a meeting to discuss and arrange the work for the various institutes and research labs.

After all, the Sea of Stars Research Institute now employed over three thousand people, and the daily expenses for salaries and other personnel costs alone amounted to a large sum.

Therefore, now that the institute was officially established and all personnel were successfully onboarded, the relevant research work needed to commence as soon as possible.

As for work involving the specifics of research projects, Xu Chuan couldn’t manage all the details by himself.

Of course, he didn’t need to control every detail and the planning and allocation of research projects either.

In his current position, all he needed to do was set requirements, plan the direction, and then communicate with the heads of the four institutes to determine feasibility before delegating the tasks. That was enough.

As for the specific methods and R&D approaches to achieve these goals, that was the internal work of the various institutes and their respective research labs.

After dismissing the introductory meeting for the middle and senior management, Xu Chuan kept the heads of the four research institutes, the director of daily affairs Wen Yuanhang, and the two Vice Deans, Han Jin and Zhao Hongzhi, for a small high-level meeting.

“Regarding the research work for each institute, the four of you can send me your relevant plans after you get back. I’ll take a look at them first.”

“Additionally, regarding the main research objectives for each institute, I will assign them now. Please take notes.”

Hearing this, the four heads all took out their pens, ready to take notes.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan continued, “First, the Energy Research Institute. Your main objective going forward will be the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion. Any problems with that?”

Liang Qu, the head of the Energy Research Institute, quickly nodded. “No problem. The path of miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion was a direction decided long ago. It’s just that the specific implementation will require further discussion in subsequent meetings.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Mm, we’ll talk about that later.”

“In addition to focusing on the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion, I have another task for you.”

“Research in the field of batteries. You can assign personnel to begin research. Whether it’s in the realm of lithium batteries, hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, or even molten salt batteries, all can be considered as potential directions. Prepare a report for me on this, and we’ll see which areas are suitable for investment in research.”

Now that controlled nuclear fusion technology had been solved, batteries were undoubtedly one of the hottest research fields.

From various electronic products like mobile phones and computers to electric new energy vehicles, or other fields like medicine and aerospace, none could do without high-energy-density batteries.

Although the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, which was under his personal name, was also researching lithium batteries, there was no conflict.

Lithium batteries alone could not dominate every market sector. Even after he had solved the lithium dendrite problem, there were still numerous fields that used different types of batteries.

Liang Qu quickly jotted down the task and then asked, “Is there anything else, Academician Xu?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment before replying, “You can also make some research arrangements for second- and third-generation controlled nuclear fusion. Aside from that, there’s nothing else for now.”

“Of course, if you have other suitable research directions, you can also submit a report to me for review.”

“No problem.”

After finishing with the Energy Research Institute’s work, Xu Chuan turned to the head of the Aerospace Institute.

“The main focus for the Aerospace Institute is engines. In the future, the Sea of Stars Research Institute will establish projects to restart manned spaceflight and even lunar exploration.”

“My current requirement for you is to design and conceptualize a high-thrust engine. This task is of great importance.”

“As for your current work, you need to first outline a general direction and the relevant feasible technologies. After I review them, we will hold another meeting to discuss it with you.”

The head of the Aerospace Research Institute, Weng Yunzong, had been transferred from the Chuandu Aerospace Research Institution. Perhaps because he was an outsider, he didn’t say much, merely nodding to indicate there was no problem.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it too much mind and continued to assign the directions and goals for the four independent research institutes.

From this day forward, the ship that was the Sea of Stars Research Institute had officially set sail.

And it had only one destination.

The sea of stars!

Chapter 448: The Direction for Aerospace Engines

After the official establishment of the Sea of Stars Research Institute, Xu Chuan’s work settled into a monotonous routine between three locations.

His home, a villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain; the Nanjing University campus, where he taught classes and guided students; and the Sea of Stars Research Institute, where he handled the initial project work.

Besides these, the rest of his time was devoted to studying the atomic doping structure mechanism discovered in the KL-66 material and the multi-orbital strongly correlated system.

Nearly a week passed like this. With only half a month left, New Year’s Day was fast approaching.

In a conference room at the Aerospace Research Institute, part of the Sea of Stars Research Institute.

Xu Chuan sat in a chair, listening to the report from Weng Yunzong, the head of the Aerospace Institute.

Although the official directive to restart the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects hadn’t come down yet, it was a foregone conclusion that the related projects would fall to the Sea of Stars Research Institute—or, like the controlled nuclear fusion project, a new research institution would be established here for it.

And for Xu Chuan, after the completion of controlled nuclear fusion technology, the development of aerospace technology was nearly his top priority.

After all, the sea of stars was the most captivating destination.

“Currently, in the field of aerospace engines, the main areas are chemical fuel propulsion engines used within the atmosphere and electric propulsion engines used in outer orbit.”

“Fossil fuel rockets primarily use several types of propellants: liquid oxygen-kerosene, liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen, liquid oxygen-methane, hydrazine fuel, and solid fuel. Our Long March series rockets mainly use liquid oxygen-kerosene.”

In the conference room, Weng Yunzong gave a brief and general report on the aerospace directions of various countries.

Through the meetings he had attended over the past few days, through Weng Yunzong’s words, and through various materials he had reviewed, Xu Chuan had gained a general understanding of the state of the aerospace industry and its development both at home and abroad.

After hearing all this, he spoke up, “From the information in your report, if we were to develop a space shuttle, liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen seems to be the most suitable fuel.”

Weng Yunzong nodded. “Yes, liquid hydrogen-oxygen fuel is indeed the most commonly used and highest-performing rocket propellant at present.”

“However, due to the ultra-low temperature nature of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, both storage and use are quite troublesome. Our domestic technology in this area is relatively behind.”

After a slight hesitation, he looked at Xu Chuan and said, “Pardon my frankness, Academician Xu, but although our domestic aerospace technology has developed rapidly in recent years, we started late. There’s still a significant gap between us and countries like the United States and Russia.”

“The launch vehicles we are currently developing, whether the Long March series or the Shenzhou series, have a payload capacity of basically under thirty tons. We don’t have much experience with heavy-lift launch vehicles over thirty tons.”

“And if we want to develop space shuttle technology, the heavy-lift launch vehicle combined with the shuttle-related technologies involves far too many things.”

He paused, then continued, “It’s unpleasant to say things that boost others’ morale while demoralizing our own, but based on our country’s current aerospace technology, completing a manned moon landing, especially with a space shuttle, is an almost impossible task.”

Xu Chuan wasn’t too bothered by these words.

Factually speaking, the development in the aerospace field was indeed as Weng Yunzong had described.

Because aerospace, especially manned moon landings, rarely brought an equivalent return on investment, countries had not invested heavily in it after the US-Soviet Cold War of the last century.

Take China, for example. The budget for China’s aerospace endeavors in 2020 was only thirteen billion RMB, less than fifteen billion RMB in total. And this was the combined sum for various projects like Long March, Shenzhou, Beidou, Chang’e, and Tiangong.

It sounded like a lot, but it was actually quite small.

Back in the last century, for the United States to achieve a manned moon landing, they created the Apollo program, with a total investment exceeding twenty-two billion US dollars.

If converted to today’s value based on US economic growth and inflation, that figure would be about seven to eight times larger.

In other words, achieving one manned moon landing would cost around one hundred fifty billion US dollars.

Of course, this conversion isn’t particularly meaningful, as technology was less mature back then, naturally requiring more funding.

A manned moon landing today, with relatively mature aerospace technology, certainly wouldn’t cost that much.

But this figure was enough to show just how capital-intensive investing in aerospace technology was.

And it wasn’t just about money; the core technologies involved in a manned moon landing were simply too numerous.

A single heavy-payload launch vehicle involved the rocket body, propulsion system, control system, telemetry system, tracking system, safety control system, and more, not to mention the space shuttle itself.

Manned spaceflight technology involved an almost complete industrial system. To some extent, its scope was even broader than that of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

Investing and researching in this area was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

Wanting to catch up, or even surpass others, in aerospace technology was exceedingly difficult.

Leaving other things aside, just consider the payload capacity of launch vehicles. The Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by the United States in the 1960s had a thrust of 3,400 tons and a payload capacity of 118 tons to low Earth orbit and 45 tons to lunar orbit.

Meanwhile, in China, the most powerful launch vehicle is currently the Long March 5, with a maximum thrust of 879 tons and a payload capacity of 25 tons to low Earth orbit. Data for lunar orbit is not available.

From this perspective, one could only say the road is long and the burden is heavy.

Xu Chuan was naturally aware of these gaps after his research, but he hadn’t given up.

For a scientific researcher, the thing one should fear the least is facing the difficulties one encounters.

After some thought, Xu Chuan looked at Weng Yunzong and asked, “If we could provide one million kilowatts of electrical power, is there a suitable electric propulsion engine technology that could achieve a payload capacity in the hundred-ton class?”

Hearing this question, Weng Yunzong was taken aback for a moment, then frowned.

After thinking for a long while, he shook his head with a wry smile. “This question is beyond my scope. I don’t know much about the electric propulsion series.”

“After all, back at the Chuandu Aerospace Base, I was mainly responsible for chemical fuel launch vehicles.”

He thought for a moment and added, “If you need information on electric propulsion, I can recommend someone to you.”

“Who? Is he in the country?” Xu Chuan asked.

Weng Yunzong nodded. “Of course. Academician Yang Hong, the chief designer of the Tiangong Space Station. He should be the top expert in the country on electric propulsion-related technology. The world-class Hall thruster used on Tiangong was designed by him.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright, I’ll contact Academician Yang later.”

Weng Yunzong glanced at Xu Chuan, hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak his mind. “Regarding electric propulsion engines, honestly, I’m not very optimistic personally.”

“Whether it’s ion thrusters or Hall thrusters, although I don’t know much about them, their thrust is not high. It’s sufficient for satellites or space stations in outer space, but if you want to use them within the atmosphere, it would probably take four or five generations of upgrades to make it work.”

“After all, the thrust is simply too weak, still at the millinewton level.”

“And compared to researching electric propulsion, I would rather suggest we imitate the American aerospace route and use chemical fuel for propulsion. At least that’s a path that has already been walked; our chances of success are greater.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. “You’re right. Chemical fuel propulsion is indeed a proven path, more mature, and we can also cross the river by feeling for the stones.”

“But its potential has basically been exhausted. It’s safe to say it’s very difficult to advance it any further. I think you’re well aware of this.”

Hearing this, Weng Yunzong nodded in agreement.

Although chemical fuel rocket technology was mature, its specific impulse could hardly be improved any further.

Xu Chuan continued, “If we want to surpass the Western countries led by the United States in aerospace technology, we must find another path.”

“And electromagnetic propulsion is undoubtedly the key to the future. Especially with controlled nuclear fusion technology already achieved, developing high-specific-impulse electric propulsion is even more essential.”

He paused, then added, “Of course, for now, our route has not been determined. Both traditional fossil fuel propulsion engines and electric propulsion engines are under consideration.”

“The specific development direction will be discussed and researched by a panel of aerospace experts after the manned spaceflight and manned moon landing projects are officially launched.”

“Our job right now is to sort out the advantages and disadvantages of various propulsion methods and related engines for discussion at the project meeting in a while.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not someone who won’t listen to advice. We will have the necessary discussions and deliberations.”

Hearing this, the anxiety in Weng Yunzong’s heart eased considerably.

When he was transferred here from the Chuandu Aerospace Base, his orders were to fully cooperate with this Academician Xu’s research work.

The implications of that were self-evident.

But honestly, changing careers is as difficult as climbing a mountain. The barriers between different fields are not so easily crossed.

This was especially true for two almost completely unrelated fields like controlled nuclear fusion and aerospace engineering.

He had been worried that this academician might fixate on a technology he believed was possible but was currently very difficult to achieve, pouring in vast amounts of manpower, resources, and funds, only to see slow progress or nothing at all.

This was not an impossible scenario.

But after Xu Chuan’s reassurance, he felt much more at ease.

Chapter 449: The Challenges of a Heavy-Payload Electromagnetic Propulsion System

After his conversation with Weng Yunzong, Xu Chuan promptly found Wen Yuanhang, who was in charge of managing daily affairs, and asked for his help in arranging a meeting with Academician Yang Hong, the chief designer of the Tiangong Space Station.

Of course, Wen Yuanhang took the matter Xu Chuan entrusted to him very seriously. He quickly contacted the Ministry of Science and Technology, and through them, got in touch with Academician Yang Hong and arranged the relevant itinerary.

Xu Chuan didn’t delay. As soon as the schedule was confirmed, he took a high-speed rail to the Jiuquan Aerospace Base.

There, he met Academician Yang Hong, the chief designer of the Tiangong Space Station. He was a man in his early fifties, not particularly tall, but he had a remarkably capable and vigorous air about him.

He didn’t have the air of a researcher at all, but more of a rugged, hands-on worker from a construction site.

“Academician Xu, welcome, welcome~”

Thanks to the prior communication from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Academician Yang Hong had been waiting specifically in his office that afternoon. When Xu Chuan arrived, he stood up with a warm smile, shook his hand, and greeted him.

“Academician Yang, hello. I apologize for coming so abruptly and disturbing your work,” Xu Chuan said with a polite smile in greeting.

“Nonsense, what are you saying? Academician Xu, you’re a great contributor to our country. Come, come, please have a seat,” Yang Hong said enthusiastically, personally boiling water and making tea.

Holding a cup of light tea, the two exchanged a few pleasantries before Xu Chuan cut straight to the chase. “Academician Yang, the main reason I’m here to bother you today is that I have some questions about electromagnetic propulsion that I’d like to consult with you about.”

The Tiangong Space Station is a key objective in China’s “three-step” strategy for its manned spaceflight program. It was still under construction, so Chief Designer Yang was naturally very busy. It wasn’t easy for him to take time out to discuss other work.

“Please, go ahead.” Seeing that the conversation was turning to business, Yang Hong’s smile faded, and he adopted a serious expression.

“It’s like this. I’d like to know if there is any suitable electric propulsion engine technology that could achieve a payload capacity in the hundred-ton class, assuming a supply of one million kilowatts of electrical power is available?”

Hearing this question, Yang Hong frowned and began to think.

After a moment, he looked up and shook his head. “That would be difficult, or rather, practically impossible.”

Pausing for a moment, Academician Yang continued, “Actually, in aerospace technology, apart from chemical fuels, we have been actively seeking alternative space propulsion sources to make space launches and in-orbit operations of spacecraft more efficient and economical.”

“However, with current technology, chemical fuel remains our only option within the atmosphere.”

“As for electric propulsion, to be honest, its current iteration, apart from being used for satellites and space stations in outer space, can’t even lift an egg within the atmosphere.”

“Take the Hall thruster unit I’m developing for the Tiangong Space Station, for example. It’s designed as a HET-5000 hundred-kilowatt class high-power unit, with an operating power of 50 to 100 kW and a thrust of 2 to 5 Newtons.”

“Used on the Tiangong in outer space, four such Hall thrusters are theoretically sufficient for all of its orbital maneuvers and emergency operations.”

“But within the atmosphere, at best, it could only lift a standard 500-milliliter bottle of mineral water.”

“Even the most advanced Hall thruster developed by the United States, based on publicly available data, has reached 160 kW, but its thrust still hasn’t exceeded double digits.”

“A thrust of this level is worlds away from the hundred-ton class you’re asking about, Academician Xu. This isn’t a problem that can be solved simply by providing sufficient electrical power; there are far too many challenges involved.”

Hearing this answer, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but frown.

Frankly, this was a far cry from what he had expected.

After some thought, he asked, “Then what are the core challenges in increasing the power of electromagnetic propulsion?”

Hearing this, Academician Yang pondered for a moment before replying, “If we want to solve the problem of electric propulsion thrust, the core issue is undoubtedly the thrust-to-weight ratio.”

“In terms of technology, electromagnetic thrusters have been maturely applied to devices like satellites and space stations for over a decade, but developments and improvements over these decades haven’t been substantial.”

“If you use chemical fuel for a rocket propulsion engine, from the structure to the engine itself, it’s relatively easy to build. The fuel delivery system and control system are not complex; simple pipelines will suffice. The underlying principle hasn’t changed significantly from Goddard to the V-2 rocket.”

“But with electric propulsion, you first need to consume and release a massive amount of electrical energy in a short time.”

“Take the Hall thruster I’m currently researching, for example. To provide thrust, it needs a large amount of high-temperature, high-pressure gas to generate a reaction force. A rocket engine doesn’t just blow out xenon ions like a gentle breeze, as a satellite’s electric thruster does; it’s far more violent.”

“This requires a much stronger magnetic field to accelerate the xenon ions, pushing them to speeds of tens or even hundreds of kilometers per second.”

“That’s the first problem. The second is the working fluid.”

“No matter how high the specific impulse of an electric thruster is, it undoubtedly needs to consume a working fluid.”

“Currently, the working fluid used in the electric thrusters on various countries’ satellites is mainly xenon gas. And xenon is extremely expensive, often called the ‘gold among gases.’ If it’s just for maintaining a satellite’s orbit or some minor orbital adjustments, a few kilograms of xenon is more than enough.”

“But if it’s used for a rocket launch or a space shuttle, honestly, I don’t know how many tons of xenon would be needed, and I can’t even calculate it. But I can be certain that the cost of each launch would be astronomical.”

“Furthermore, a series of other issues, such as the damage to the engine’s tail nozzle from the high temperatures and friction of the high-speed exhaust, electrode erosion, and rising ionization temperatures, are all difficult problems.”

Academician Yang Hong briefly described the problems associated with increasing the thrust of electric propulsion engines. After listening, Xu Chuan fell into thought.

Although he hadn’t studied aerospace technology much, Academician Yang’s concise language allowed him to understand the core of the problem.

From these issues, there were two or three core challenges to solving the thrust problem of electric propulsion.

The first was the strong magnetic field and electrostatic acceleration.

Undoubtedly, to generate immense thrust with an electromagnetic propulsion engine, the ionized working fluid must be accelerated to an extremely high speed.

This speed might be tens or even hundreds of kilometers per second, a velocity so high that it would be measured as a fraction of the speed of light.

Even just a thousandth or a ten-thousandth of the speed of light was a terrifyingly large number.

The second was the working fluid.

The primary working fluid for electric propulsion was currently xenon gas. Although he didn’t know the exact price of xenon, Academician Yang had said it wasn’t cheap, which meant it was indeed very expensive.

Therefore, finding a cheap substitute was essential.

After all, sending tens or even hundreds of tons of material into outer space would require a massive amount of working fluid.

The third was a collection of other engine-related problems.

After thinking quietly for a moment, Xu Chuan suddenly looked up and asked, “Academician Yang, if I can solve the problems of the magnetic field and the working fluid, is it possible to create this kind of electromagnetic propulsion engine?”

Hearing this, Yang Hong looked over in astonishment and asked with surprise, “Solve the problems of the magnetic field and the working fluid? How would you solve those two?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “First, tell me, if these two problems are solved, can a high-thrust electromagnetic propulsion system be achieved?”

Although he believed these two problems were nearly unsolvable at present, Yang Hong still thought for a moment. “If the magnetic field and working fluid issues can be resolved, the thrust of electromagnetic propulsion could certainly be greatly increased. But I can’t judge exactly how much.”

He paused, looked at Xu Chuan, and asked curiously, “So, how do you plan to solve these two problems of the magnetic field and the working fluid?”

Chapter 450: The Aerospace Engine!

“For electromagnetic propulsion, there are many key factors that constrain the improvement of its thrust.”

“But there are two main ones.”

“One is a high-power, high-density power supply, and the other is a strong magnetic acceleration field.”

“Electromagnetic propulsion, as the name suggests, is inseparable from a power supply, no matter the type.”

“Even without considering the power decay from being far away from the sun, the solar panels on the International Space Station, for all their size, can only provide about 120 kilowatts of electrical power.”

“And 120 kilowatts of power, for the current electric propulsion systems, can only provide a thrust of about five newtons.”

“The greater the thrust, the higher the demand for electrical power. This is an inherent exponential relationship in electromagnetic propulsion systems.”

“The strong magnetic acceleration field determines the velocity of the ionized ions. The faster the ions are ejected, the greater the thrust that can be generated.”

“As for the working fluid, it’s not actually a technical challenge, but more a question of cost-effectiveness.”

“After all, no matter how expensive xenon gas is, the industry today has ways to mass-produce it.”

“Of course, for Xu Chuan, aside from the technical difficulties, considering practicality was also something he needed to do.”

Regarding Academician Yang Hong’s curiosity, he smiled and replied, “If it were difficulties in other areas, I might not be able to think of a solution.”

“But for the magnetic field and the working fluid, I might just have a chance to solve them.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Yang Hong and continued, “Academician Yang, you should be aware of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material, right?”

At this, Yang Hong nodded. “I know of it. But if you’re thinking of applying the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material to an electromagnetic propulsion system, the difficulty will likely be substantial.”

“Both the volume and the additional cooling system would greatly increase the weight of the electromagnetic propulsion system, which is undoubtedly an added burden for aerospace.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Theoretically, that’s correct. But I recently have a research direction focusing on room-temperature superconducting materials and how to increase the critical magnetic field of superconducting materials. I’ve already made some headway.”

“Although I don’t know the final result yet, if it succeeds, there should be no problem using it in an electromagnetic propulsion system.”

Hearing this, Yang Hong was taken aback, opening his mouth to speak but then hesitating.

He wanted to ask what material and what direction, but at his level, he was well aware of the confidentiality of such research.

After some thought, he looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “What about the working fluid?”

“Even if you can solve the magnetic field, the working fluid is also key. Xenon gas is more expensive than gold. If a single aerospace mission requires too much working fluid, it would be better to use traditional chemical fuel for propulsion.”

Xu Chuan gave a faint smile and said, “Then let’s just not use xenon gas.”

“Not use xenon? Then what? Argon?” Yang Hong was stunned again, asking curiously, “Argon is indeed cheaper than xenon, but it’s still in the research phase. Besides, the amount of argon needed to complete an aerospace mission wouldn’t be small. It might not be any cheaper than chemical fuel.”

Xu Chuan shook his head with a smile. “No, we can just use nitrogen gas. Nitrogen is quite cheap, easy to separate, and sufficient to support an aerospace mission.”

“The reason current electric propulsion uses xenon is that xenon is the easiest to ionize. Other working fluids are much more difficult to ionize.”

“As for the difficulty of ionizing nitrogen, it’s certainly quite hard using traditional methods. But when you put it on a miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion reactor, it’s not a problem at all.”

“Nitrogen’s ionization temperature of over a thousand degrees is no issue for controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“Wait, perhaps there’s something even cheaper.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan suddenly froze, lost in his own thoughts.

Across from him, Yang Hong, who had only heard half of the explanation, felt his curiosity piqued but didn’t interrupt Xu Chuan’s train of thought.

He knew that if his counterpart had a breakthrough today, it could bring about a massive change in the development of the aerospace industry.

From the concise words just now, he understood the young man’s general idea.

Using controlled nuclear fusion technology to provide immense electrical power for the electromagnetic propulsion system, using high temperatures to ionize cheap working fluids like nitrogen, and combining that with the strong critical magnetic field superconducting material he was currently researching to provide thrust for the system.

This should be his complete concept for a new generation of electromagnetic propulsion systems.

It had to be said, theoretically, this set of technologies was entirely feasible, as long as the core components were sound.

Perhaps from having delved into one field for too long, the well-known difficulties had become deeply ingrained in his mind. When faced with this kind of cutting-edge technological construct, his thinking had become somewhat rigid, lacking the bold hypotheses and cautious verification of his younger days.

This was something that nearly every researcher developed after long years of work.

It was also why in academia, most breakthrough work was accomplished by people in their youth or middle age.

Lost in his conceptualization, Xu Chuan was completely oblivious to his surroundings.

In his mind, a blueprint for an electromagnetic propulsion system was gradually being perfected.

Suddenly, he raised his head, his eyes bright as he looked at Academician Yang Hong seated across from him. In an excited tone, he asked, “Academician Yang, do you have a blackboard here?”

“A blackboard?” Yang Hong paused for a moment. “I do have one, but it’s not in my office. If you need it, shall I go get it?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you to get a blackboard and some chalk, Academician Yang. I have a new idea.”

“Alright.”

Yang Hong nodded, got up, and left the office. A short while later, he returned, dragging a mobile blackboard with him.

Xu Chuan quickly stepped forward, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to draw on the blackboard.

The conceptual diagram in his mind gradually took form on the board under his hand.

Beside him, Yang Hong looked curiously at the strange image appearing on the blackboard, somewhat puzzled.

But as Xu Chuan began to label and explain each module, he gradually froze, his pupils filled with shock and amazement.

After a long moment, Xu Chuan, having drawn the final stroke, tossed the chalk into the chalk box, turned to look at Yang Hong with a smile, and said, “This is just an idea I came up with on the spot. Take a look, Academician Yang. I haven’t studied engineering drawing, so please forgive me if the drawing is a bit ugly.”

Looking at the structural diagram on the blackboard, Yang Hong couldn’t help but swallow. “How did you ever think of using compressed air as a working fluid?!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan just smiled and said, “It’s cheap!”

“At first, I was thinking of using relatively inexpensive and easily produced working fluids like nitrogen to replace xenon or argon as the engine’s working fluid.”

“But no matter how cheap they are, they still have a cost.”

“In that case, why not just get it directly from the atmosphere?”

“The main components of Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, which together account for over ninety-nine percent of the total composition. You could say that as long as you’re in the atmosphere, these two are inexhaustible.”

“Although nitrogen and oxygen are harder to ionize than gases like xenon and argon, and the requirements for ionization are higher, if a controlled nuclear fusion reactor is used to supply the power, ionizing air is completely effortless.”

“Since that’s the case, why not just add an intake compression device to draw nitrogen, oxygen, and other working fluids directly from the atmosphere to supply the electromagnetic propulsion system?”

“This way, this propulsion device directly solves the problem of working fluid and endurance within the atmosphere. As long as the controlled nuclear fusion reactor provides enough energy, theoretically, it can soar in the blue sky indefinitely.”

“As for venturing deep into outer space, that would require using the working fluid carried by the spacecraft itself.”

“But compared to launching and using it directly from the ground, switching modes at high altitude and then climbing into outer space would undoubtedly require a much smaller amount of working fluid.”

“What do you think of this idea, Academician Yang? Is it feasible?”

Across from him, Yang Hong took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and said slowly, “This is simply the most amazing electromagnetic engine design I have ever seen.”

“Astounding!”

“But I have to say, if you can solve the problems of miniaturizing controlled nuclear fusion and the strong magnetic current acceleration field, it really might be possible.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I plan to name this electromagnetic propulsion system the ‘Aerospace Engine’!”

“Aerospace Engine, Aerospace Engine…”

Yang Hong repeated the name twice, his eyes shining brightly as he said, “An engine suitable for both aviation and aerospace!”

“If you truly design and build this engine, it will be the biggest turning point for the aviation and aerospace fields!”

“It will even become one of the mainstream engines in the future era of interstellar travel.”

“After all, in theory, it isn’t just applicable to Earth. It can adapt to almost any planet with an atmosphere.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Thinking about other planets is still too far off for now.”

“But theoretically, it is indeed suitable for both aerospace and aviation. That’s why I call it the Aerospace Engine.”

After a pause, he extended an olive branch. “How about it, Academician Yang? Are you interested? Come to the Sea of Stars Research Institute and develop this new engine with me.”

Yang Hong’s expression clearly showed he was tempted. He opened his mouth, but the words of agreement didn’t come out.

He shook his head with a wry smile. “I appreciate the offer, Academician Xu, but I can’t accept. After all, I still hold the position of chief designer for the Tiangong Space Station.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan gave an embarrassed smile. He had almost forgotten about that.

Trying to poach another chief designer, of all people. Sigh!

Across from him, Yang Hong smiled and said, “However, I can recommend someone to you.”

“Who?”

Chapter 451: A New Generation of Bureau Chief?

“Academician Sun Ze, the former deputy chief designer of our lunar exploration project.”

Academician Yang Hong recommended a name, then continued, “In 2004, he was appointed deputy chief designer of our Chang’e-1 satellite development team. He helped oversee the general technical management of six subsystems: tracking and control, data transmission, antenna, mechanics and structure, thermal control, data management, and power supply and distribution. I believe his extensive experience could be of great help to you.”

“Furthermore, Academician Sun Ze is also quite knowledgeable in the field of electric propulsion.”

After a pause, he added, “I originally wanted to recommend Academician Ye Jianpei, the chief designer of the lunar exploration project, but Academician Ye is now in his eighties and has long since retired to enjoy his later years.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Thank you. I’ll look into it when I get back.”

Yang Hong smiled. “Also, Academician Xu, I have a small favor to ask. If this new aerospace engine is successfully developed, could you let me know?”

“After all, some of its concepts and ideas would be a great help to me in my own research on electric propulsion.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Oh, is that all? I thought it might be something difficult. That’s no problem at all.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “How about this, Academician Yang? Would you consider taking on a role as an honorary consultant at the Sea of Stars Research Institute?”

Yang Hong considered it, then nodded with a smile. “That would be fine. If you encounter any problems with electric propulsion, feel free to call or email me. I’ll see if I can help in any way.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Then it’s settled.”

At the Jiuquan Aerospace Base, Xu Chuan and Yang Hong talked for a long time, and Xu Chuan consulted him on many questions regarding electric propulsion engines.

With his answers, he returned to Nanjing.

Sitting in his office, Xu Chuan opened his computer and recorded the information he had organized in his mind, then began to reprioritize his work.

Setting aside the trip to Beijing to find Academician Sun Ze, the deputy chief designer of the lunar exploration project, the most important task now was undoubtedly to study the mechanism within the KL-66 material.

To be honest, before going to the Jiuquan Aerospace Base, Xu Chuan hadn’t expected the importance of his previous discovery within the KL-66 material to be elevated even further.

Initially, his research into the KL-66 material was merely due diligence, the rigorous verification of a scientist trying to determine if it was a room-temperature superconducting material.

And the new mechanism he discovered later was just something he decided to study on a whim, to see if it could be used to enhance the critical magnetic field of other superconducting materials.

Now, it seemed that both the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion and the aerospace engine were linked to this technology.

Just as Xu Chuan was deep in thought organizing his work, a knock came at his office door. He called out, “Come in,” and Wen Yuanhang entered.

“Academician Xu, the project approval documents for the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects have come through.” Holding a file pouch, Wen Yuanhang walked over briskly, his voice tinged with excitement.

“Oh? Let me see.”

Xu Chuan looked up, put down his pen, and took the file pouch from him.

The official establishment of the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects was also a matter of celebration and joy for him.

Opening the file pouch, he found an official red-headed document inside.

Approval for the Establishment of China’s 2021 Manned Spaceflight and Lunar Exploration Project

Flipping through the document, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised to find that what he expected to be two separate projects had been combined into one.

Furthermore, the project, which he thought would be under the Sea of Stars Research Institute, was instead placed directly under the State Council, just like the Nanjing Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project had been.

Not only that, but unlike when he was in charge of the nuclear fusion project, the overall director for this new project had not been designated in the document.

Putting down the document, Xu Chuan looked at Wen Yuanhang with a hint of confusion. This Director Wen, who maintained communication between the Sea of Stars Research Institute and the higher-ups, would surely know the reason.

Noticing Xu Chuan’s gaze, Wen Yuanhang smiled and explained, “It’s like this, Academician Xu. Regarding the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects, after deliberation, the senior leadership decided to combine them into a single project and asked me to explain the decision to you.”

“The main reason for this is that our country’s strategic focus remains on controlled nuclear fusion. Whether it’s building cross-regional power grids with neighboring countries or popularizing the construction of domestic fusion power plants, these are the most important tasks at hand.”

“After all, for now, it’s more important to be down-to-earth and focus on the nation’s current development. However, after discussions, the senior leaders agreed that your proposal is also vital—exploring outer space is also our future. So, they reached a compromise and merged the manned spaceflight and manned moon landing projects.”

“As for the position of overall director, the original plan was to select you. But after discussions, the senior leaders decided it would be best to ask for your opinion first.”

“This is mainly because this project will involve aspects of international competition, which might lead to some negative public opinion and other issues.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s sharp mind immediately grasped the implication. He asked, “Are the higher-ups planning to open up a new competitive front with this manned spaceflight and moon landing project?”

Wen Yuanhang smiled and offered a bit of flattery. “You’re as sharp as ever, Academician Xu. You guessed it right away.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Just as you guessed, after discussions, the senior leaders have decided to use our aerospace strategy to tie down those Western countries.”

“It’s been a month and a half, almost two months, since controlled nuclear fusion technology was announced. Our Dawnbreaker is preparing for official grid connection, and it’s impossible that other countries haven’t made any moves.”

“According to our intelligence, the United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan, South Korea—basically any country with the capability to independently pursue controlled nuclear fusion—have all started advancing their own demonstration reactor projects.”

“We are currently gathering information on the progress of each country, so we don’t know their exact status yet. But just as you’ve said before, Academician Xu, now that the feasibility of the hybrid Tokamak route has been confirmed, other countries will eventually develop their own fusion technology as long as they invest heavily in R&D, funding, manpower, and resources.”

“Although they don’t have you, they still have extensive experience with the technical route of controlled nuclear fusion. If they commit, they will eventually catch up.”

“Therefore, while leveraging our current advantage and expanding our international influence, it’s necessary to open up another competitive front to pull our rivals in and do our best to delay their development and research.”

“And as part of this project, we will definitely be announcing and publicizing some goals and statements of a… ‘misleading’ nature in the future.”

“For example, plans for manned moon and Mars landings, including establishing permanent residential bases and mining minerals on the Moon and Mars—goals designed to compel our rivals to invest more funds and energy into manned spaceflight.”

“If these goals are announced but then not achieved, it would certainly damage the reputation and prestige of the overall director. That’s why the higher-ups, after deliberation, decided not to appoint an overall director for now and sent me to ask for your opinion.”

“After all, your outstanding academic reputation and prestige are a precious asset, a source of honor and pride, for both you personally and for the Motherland.”

At this, Xu Chuan finally understood why an aerospace project like this would be directly managed by the State Council, and why the position of overall director was left vacant.

So they wanted him to be the chief designer, to be the public face for the nation and mislead other countries?

A new generation of Bureau Chief?

It did sound rather interesting.

Chapter 452: No One Was Better at Bluffing Than Him

It was a fact that China was not a strong player in aerospace.

Despite its rapid development in recent years, reaching a level on par with the United States and other Western countries in small-payload launch vehicle technology and even launching its own lunar exploration and space station projects…

…the gap was still quite large compared to the United States, which had possessed the ability to send astronauts to the Moon as early as the late 1960s.

After all, by that metric, their current aerospace technology was still behind that of the United States in the 1960s.

Under these circumstances, it would be quite difficult to get the Western nations, led by the US, to take a Chinese aerospace challenge seriously and drag them into this race.

After all, to fool others, you first had to make them believe you.

With their current capabilities laid bare, unless they could directly prove themselves by landing an astronaut on the Moon, others might not even pay them any mind.

Of course, for China, it was still possible to restart the space race, draw the United States into this domain, and thereby delay their progress on nuclear fusion.

The sheer size and influence of the nation were undeniable.

Furthermore, with the first-generation D-T controlled nuclear fusion already achieved, the second and third generations would require Helium-3. Helium-3 was as precious as tritium and was nearly impossible to synthesize artificially.

Earth has very little Helium-3, while the Moon is rich in it. By launching a space race under the pretext of developing second-generation controlled nuclear fusion, the United States would, one way or another, have to make some moves to keep up.

If, at this juncture, a highly respected scholar were to champion the aerospace program—someone like him, for instance—and if he were to directly serve as the chief designer of the lunar exploration project, the United States would probably panic.

After all, they had already fallen far behind in the field of controlled nuclear fusion because they hadn’t taken it seriously at the beginning.

No one would dare to gamble on a repeat of that same mistake.

However, for Xu Chuan, as interesting as all this sounded, it ran almost completely contrary to the scientific principles he had always held dear, creating a massive internal conflict.

In his past life and in this one, he had always acted and studied in accordance with what a scholar, a researcher, ought to do.

For a scholar, if the goal was no longer the pursuit of truth, then that person was essentially finished.

At the very least, it would be nearly impossible to make any further progress on the path of academia.

And to be honest, in his view, the goals Wen Yuanhang described weren’t really a bluff at all.

After all, he genuinely wanted to carry out projects like manned spaceflight and manned moon landings.

Something like terraforming Mars, which he had once discussed with the elderly man—now that was… ahem, that was what you would call discussing ideals and dreams.

As for manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, and landing on Mars, if he treated these as a bluff and then actually managed to accomplish them, this “strategic bluff” would likely turn into a “strategic panic.”

After some thought, Xu Chuan spoke up. “To be honest, I am very optimistic about the future of the aerospace industry. But if you’re asking me to step up and publish research papers and opinions just to fool others, that’s something I’m afraid I can’t do.”

He paused, then looked at Wen Yuanhang and continued, “Besides, in my opinion, manned moon landings, Mars landings, establishing bases on the Moon and Mars… none of that is a bluff.”

“If you really want to bluff, wouldn’t something like a mass driver, a space elevator, or the Nantianmen Project be much more convincing? Take the mass driver, for example—directly launching a spacecraft into the heavens using a large-scale electromagnetic catapult.”

Across from him, listening to Xu Chuan’s words, Wen Yuanhang silently took out a notepad from his pocket and jotted down the ideas Xu Chuan mentioned: mass driver, space elevator, and so on.

Seeing Wen Yuanhang taking notes, Xu Chuan paused, slightly taken aback. “What are you writing that down for?”

Wen Yuanhang cleared his throat. “Ahem, I think what you’re saying makes a lot of sense, Academician Xu. So I’m just noting it down for further research later.”

He paused again, then asked curiously, “By the way, Academician Xu, I’ve heard of mass drivers and space elevators, but what kind of technology is this Nantianmen Project?”

Xu Chuan’s lips twitched. After a moment’s thought, he explained, “It’s not a technology. It’s a sci-fi IP created by a cultural communication company. You can find out more if you search for it on Baidu.”

Hearing this, Wen Yuanhang quickly pulled out his phone and started searching.

After looking for a while, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a hint of excitement as he looked at Xu Chuan. “Academician Xu, I have to ask, is it possible for this Nantianmen Project to actually be realized?”

Xu Chuan was utterly stunned.

Wait a minute. I told you to use this for a ‘strategic’ bluff against others. How did you end up getting bluffed first?

Was this the so-called ‘great truths are always simple’—that to fool others, you first had to believe you could do it yourself?

But how was that possible?

Although the key energy source in that concept, controlled nuclear fusion, had already been realized, it was still utterly impossible to build.

This was because there were currently no materials that could withstand the launch of a space carrier of such enormous size and weight.

A carrier of this scale, if built with current materials, would be doomed to be torn apart by gravity the moment it appeared within the atmosphere.

And materials aside, no engine could provide that much thrust.

Theoretically, it might be possible in outer space.

After all, in the vacuum of zero gravity, the size of a spacecraft doesn’t matter.

But such a project was completely unnecessary at present.

Constructing such a super-massive spacecraft would be a super-complex process. It already takes several years to build an aircraft carrier a few hundred meters long, and that’s with a full suite of technological equipment.

A super space carrier like this wasn’t just a simple pile of materials; it was a complex system. The design alone would take years, perhaps even decades.

If the goal was to deter other nations, spending vast amounts of time, manpower, and resources to build such a carrier was, simply put, not worth it and completely unnecessary at this stage. A few fusion-powered aircraft carriers would be far more practical.

Perhaps in the future, after he had finished his work on observing and utilizing gravitons, a vessel of this class might be needed to travel to other star systems.

Of course, as a tool for bluffing, it was indeed an excellent choice.

After all, it was theoretically feasible.

And if it were ever achieved, its deterrent power would be immense.

Seeing Xu Chuan’s reasoning, Wen Yuanhang didn’t press the matter.

He had to admit, the Nantianmen Project he found online was quite alluring.

And most importantly, they had already solved the problem of controlled nuclear fusion!

If they could really build such a space carrier, where in the world could they not go?

With a space carrier like that, all aircraft carriers could be retired.

After a moment of wistful regret, Wen Yuanhang returned to the main topic. He looked at Xu Chuan and asked, “If it’s inconvenient for you to serve as the chief designer for the manned moon landing project, do you have anyone you’d recommend, or perhaps a different plan?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I do have a suggestion, though I’m not sure if it’s appropriate.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Xu Chuan mused for a moment before speaking. “Currently, due to certain strategic factors, the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects are under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council. I suggest we adopt a cooperative approach, with the Sea of Stars Research Institute and the Ministry of Science and Technology working together.”

“As for the chief designer, someone from the Ministry of Science and Technology can take the role, while the Sea of Stars Research Institute provides technical support. It could be done this way.”

Wen Yuanhang jotted this down, nodded, and said, “I will pass your suggestion along in a timely manner.”

He paused briefly, then continued, “Additionally, on the 25th of this month, which is one week from now, there will be a symposium in Beijing regarding manned spaceflight and the lunar exploration project.”

“The venue is on the campus of Tsinghua University. This is your invitation letter.”

With that, Wen Yuanhang took an invitation letter from his pocket and handed it to Xu Chuan. “At this symposium, it won’t just be people from academia and the government. Many enterprises from the industrial and even the commercial sectors have also received invitations.”

He smiled and added, “If you’re interested, Academician Xu, you could go take a look, and while you’re at it, lend the symposium some prestige.”

“During the symposium, the Ministry of Science and Technology will announce some news beneficial to aerospace engineering, as well as policies to encourage private companies to enter the aerospace field.”

“Although our Sea of Stars Research Institute is special in nature, it is also included in these policies.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded. “Alright, I’ll go take a look if I have time.”

To be honest, if it were a purely internal meeting with only academics and government officials, he wouldn’t be very interested.

In the country today, his suggestions could gain the support of the higher-ups even without being proposed at such a large-scale symposium.

As for networking at such events, it was even less necessary for him.

However, he was a little curious about the involvement of the commercial and industrial sectors.

From the sound of it, the country seemed to be preparing to vigorously promote and encourage private enterprises to participate in building a commercial aerospace industry chain.

This was a good thing. After all, China’s aerospace industry had been almost completely controlled by the state in the past.

Abroad, there were private commercial rocket companies like SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, and Blue Origin. But in China, private enterprises had almost no room for development in the aerospace sector, just as it had been with controlled nuclear fusion before.

This was actually a good thing for a research institution with a special nature like the Sea of Stars Research Institute.

Aside from the research grants allocated by the higher-ups, the Sea of Stars Research Institute also needed additional income to sustain its research.

Relying solely on government funding forever wasn’t sustainable; it was essential to find ways to increase its own revenue.

And income from the aerospace sector was undoubtedly a very suitable option.

After all, there weren’t many in the country with the capability to handle this kind of business. If the Sea of Stars Research Institute could develop its aerospace electromagnetic propulsion system, it could definitely secure most of the aerospace-related orders in the country, and even around the world.

Chapter 453: How Utterly Demoralizing!

In addition to news about the manned spaceflight project, Wen Yuanhang also brought an update regarding the project to establish a large particle collider.

On the Thursday of the first week after New Year’s Day of 2022, the Ministry of Science and Technology was preparing to hold a symposium on building China’s own large particle collider.

This meeting was to be a purely internal academic conference, with only scholars from the fields of high-energy and particle physics, as well as relevant personnel from the Ministry of Science and Technology, participating.

From site selection and budgeting to the implementation of technical details, every aspect needed to be discussed and confirmed through the meeting.

Xu Chuan would definitely need to participate in this meeting.

Putting aside the fact that he was the one who had proposed the need for a large particle collider, his opinion as a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate was also of utmost importance.

Moreover, sterile neutrinos, dark matter, dark energy, and the method for calculating the energy orbits of particles in computational physics—all these were related to him.

After Wen Yuanhang left, Xu Chuan brought his attention back to his work.

After handling some daily emails and related matters, he returned to Nanjing University and took out the manuscripts from his earlier calculations on the KL-66 material from his office drawer.

Since he was going to Beijing for the meeting in a week, he decided to handle the matter of inviting Academician Sun Ze, the deputy chief designer of the lunar exploration project, at the same time.

Meanwhile, understanding the mechanism of the KL-66 material had become an extremely high priority for his upcoming research.

Most importantly, there were very few people who could help him in this area; he would have a hard time finding a collaborator for this research even within China.

The influence of the Cu atoms’ inversion-asymmetric spin-orbit coupling on the material’s band structure and electronic properties; the two branches of electrons in the Fermi arc state connecting along the c-axis, which broke the theory of inversion symmetry.

Gazing at the data and theories on his scratch paper, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

The problem of strongly correlated electron systems is one of the central problems in condensed matter physics today.

But when it came to this subject, forget China; the entire world had made little breakthrough progress.

More crucially, the fundamental physical processes involved in the currently discovered phenomena of strong correlation are often difficult to describe accurately within existing physical frameworks, making this research extremely difficult to tackle with traditional experimental and theoretical methods.

Perhaps Elder Yang, Chen-Ning Yang, would be an excellent person to discuss this with. His research in condensed matter physics could be considered world-class.

But the old man was already ninety-nine years old, and Xu Chuan couldn’t bear to disturb the elderly gentleman’s later years.

After thinking alone in silence for a while, Xu Chuan picked up where he had left off on his scratch paper and continued to write:

[Research on the Correlation Effect and Superconductivity in Multi-Orbital Strongly Correlated Systems]

“S = (kB/e)ln(ge/gh)”

“Starting from the tight-binding interaction Hamiltonian: [H = ∑i,j Ti,j a†i,σ aj,σ + ∑i,i’,j,j’ Uii’ a†i,σ a†i’,σ’ aj,σ’ aj,σ]”

“The second interaction term has different contributions: [Uii′ = Vi,i′ → ∑i,i′ Vii′ ni ni′], which is the density-density interaction.”

“From a physical perspective, this is because the wave functions of the two Wannier centers must be antisymmetric, and the lowest energy state is a symmetric arrangement of the two spins (and an antisymmetric spatial wave function). When hopping between i and j is forbidden or suppressed, meaning the overlap between adjacent orbitals is small, Uiii = U/2→ΣiVii′n_i n_i′ becomes dominant, which can yield the Hubbard model.”

“But how can this theory be explained mathematically?”

At his desk, Xu Chuan stared at the theory he had written on his scratch paper, his brow furrowed.

This was the most troublesome point in strongly correlated electron systems.

“Can I use the single-site Hubbard model?”

Thinking, he wrote down a new formula: [H = Ht + Hu = -t(a↑a↑ + a↓↓ + h.c.)]

This is a particle-number-conserving model. At half-filling (where exotic physics emerges), the Hilbert space consists of 6 states, including 2 fully polarized states |↑,↑> and |↓,↓>, and 4 states with S=0.

Theoretically, the first two states are eigenstates. The Hamiltonian can be diagonalized in the 4x4 S_z = 0 subspace.

On the scratch paper, Xu Chuan verified the mathematical formulas against his ideas.

After a short while, he stopped his pen, the calculation unfinished.

The Hubbard model was indeed feasible, but it couldn’t be used in a multi-site situation.

And this was clearly not applicable to the mechanism in KL-66.

After the Cu atoms replaced the lead atoms, the Dirac cone split into two Weyl nodes with opposite chirality, creating a multi-site effect. This was also the core mechanism behind the KL-66 material’s strong diamagnetism, which even allowed it to float in a strong magnetic field.

“Perhaps I should try a different route and use Fermi liquid theory to calculate its electrical and magnetic properties.”

With that thought, Xu Chuan switched to a new line of reasoning and began again.

Explaining an unknown mechanism was an extremely difficult task to begin with, and he didn’t expect to find any useful clues in just a day or two.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before a voice reached his ears.

“Professor, you have your Algebraic Geometry class scheduled for this afternoon. It starts in fifteen minutes.”

In the office, the voice of his newly admitted student, Rong Xinjie, rang out.

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan came back to his senses, nodded, and said, “Alright, I know.”

Out of curiosity, Rong Xinjie glanced at the scratch paper on Xu Chuan’s desk.

His advisor had been sitting there all afternoon, frowning and researching something. He wanted to see what kind of difficult problem his idol was tackling now. Maybe he’d even have a chance to get in on the opportunity.

After all, he was a graduate student and an IMO gold medalist. He had some skills!

[S =(kB/e)ln(ge/gh)H=i∑jTi,jaii,σaj,σ+i,i′∑j,j′Uii′aiσai]

[…]

Rong Xinjie: ????

Holy shit? What the hell is all this?

How could he not even recognize the mathematical symbols???

Painfully tearing his gaze away from the scratch paper, he couldn’t help but swallow and ask, “Professor, what are you researching?”

Xu Chuan glanced at him and asked with a smile, “Can you understand it?”

Rong Xinjie shook his head.

Understand it? He didn’t understand a damn thing.

He, an IMO gold medalist and a mathematics graduate student, didn’t even know what the symbols in the formulas meant.

Would anyone even believe this if he told them?

How utterly demoralizing.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s perfectly normal that you don’t understand. This isn’t from the field of pure mathematics.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Have you heard of strongly correlated electron systems in physics?”

Rong Xinjie nodded at this question. Although he wasn’t a physics major, he had heard of something as famous as strong correlation.

Smiling, Xu Chuan continued, “What’s on this scratch paper is the mathematical calculation of the relationship between the correlation effect and superconductivity in multi-orbital strongly correlated systems.”

Hearing this, Rong Xinjie was instantly baffled again.

Calculating what????

Seeing his student’s dazed look, Xu Chuan smiled, stood up, and patted his shoulder. “Just focus on your studies. If you’re interested in mathematical physics, you can read more books on the subject. You could even choose it as your direction for your PhD later on.”

“As for now, this isn’t a problem you should be thinking about.”

Chapter 454: Manned Spaceflight and Lunar Exploration Project Symposium

After a normal mathematics lecture, Xu Chuan packed up his things on the lectern and his textbook, then left the classroom.

Although the lecture hall was still packed to the rafters, his recent consistent teaching schedule meant he was no longer mobbed by students like before.

After all, the mystique had a time limit.

It was like being fascinated with your favorite celebrities and idols from behind a screen, loving them to the point of obsession. But if you were to actually live with them for a period, you’d discover that these so-called stars and idols were just ordinary people.

Even famous people were still people, with their own daily lives.

Carrying his teaching materials, Xu Chuan didn’t return to his office. Instead, he went to find Principal Tan Shaoyuan.

“Well, well, what brings Academician Xu to my humble office today?”

In the administration building, Tan Shaoyuan, who was busy with official duties, smiled and rose to greet Xu Chuan as he walked in.

Xu Chuan smiled back. “I came by today to ask for a small favor, Principal Tan.”

“Please, Academician Xu, go ahead.”

“Ahem, it’s nothing major. I was just hoping the university could help me find an administrative assistant,” Xu Chuan said with a slight cough.

Normally, a scholar or researcher of his caliber would have long been assigned an assistant.

However, for various reasons, and because the position was often filled by someone assigned by the state—like when Gao Hongming effectively served as his assistant during the controlled nuclear fusion project—he hadn’t given it much thought.

Furthermore, his driver and bodyguard, Zheng Hai, could occasionally take on assistant-like duties to pass on work-related information, so Xu Chuan had never really considered the matter.

But with the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project, the construction of the large particle collider, and his teaching duties at Nanjing University all piling up, it was time he arranged for an assistant or two.

After all, he couldn’t possibly run around in person for every little thing.

Moreover, before class today, it was one of his students who had reminded him about the lecture, which made him realize that was something an assistant should be doing. So, after class, he came to see the principal.

“Is that all? No problem. I’ll look into it for you,” Tan Shaoyuan replied with a cheerful smile.

There were many types of assistants for university professors.

They covered various areas, including administration, finance, teaching, foreign affairs, industry-academia research, team building, and more.

Generally, however, they fell into two main categories. One was for administrative and personal matters, handling daily tasks like scheduling classes and managing administrative issues.

The other was the research assistant.

Research assistants at universities were typically students under the professor’s supervision. Many graduate students progressing to their doctorates would take on the role of a research assistant.

It allowed them to earn some extra income and participate in their advisor’s experiments.

For the professors, having students as assistants also had its advantages. The close relationship made confidentiality easier, they knew each other well, and so on.

Of course, the salary for a student assistant was also relatively low.

As for Xu Chuan, he hadn’t spent much time teaching or conducting research at Nanjing University in the first two years after his return, so he hadn’t bothered with either an administrative or a research assistant.

But now that his teaching schedule was becoming more frequent, it was necessary to hire one.

Nodding, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “I’ll have to trouble you then, Principal. However, when selecting an assistant, their background must be clean, and confidentiality is a high priority.”

A lot of his work was connected to key national projects.

Although he was usually careful not to bring such matters to the university, it was sometimes unavoidable.

Of course, his assistant wouldn’t just be vetted by Nanjing University; the security team responsible for his safety would also do a thorough background check.

He was mentioning it in advance mainly to prevent the university from accidentally hiring someone problematic, which would be troublesome if his security team later uncovered it.

“You can rest assured on that point, Academician Xu. The assistant we find for you will have a completely clean background,” Tan Shaoyuan replied with a serious expression.

The security level for this individual was extremely high.

After all, he was the only national-level scholar of his kind in the entire country. Anyone who tested his security and protection would know just how serious it was.

If nothing else, the scope and level of security at Nanjing University had been raised several notches because of him.

Previously, Nanjing University students and outside visitors could enter and leave the campus pretty much as they pleased.

Most domestic universities were considered tourist attractions, after all. Apart from a few special-purpose institutions, even top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University were open to the public for visits.

Now, however, Nanjing University had implemented a card-swiping system for entry and exit. Besides parents who could register to enter during the first two days of the semester, or others with legitimate reasons, strangers were generally denied entry.

Even takeout deliveries couldn’t get in anymore; they had to be left at the security office for students to pick up themselves.

In addition, there was surveillance everywhere on campus, especially in places he frequented, like the teaching buildings, which were covered from every conceivable angle, three hundred and sixty degrees without a single blind spot.

All of this was because of the man standing before him.

If he were to find an assistant with a questionable background for this individual today, he would probably be invited to cooperate with an investigation tomorrow.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that a university principal held a deputy ministerial-level rank, which was already very high. In front of this man, it really didn’t count for much.

Finding an assistant was a small matter for others, something that might be settled in a day or two. But for Xu Chuan, it would likely take several days just to select the candidates.

Xu Chuan wasn’t in a hurry. For now, his need for an assistant wasn’t that great.

Aside from his research, he rarely had errands to run.

Usually, for matters concerning him, even for things like receiving benefits, others would take the initiative to come to him.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

After careful selection by Nanjing University and a thorough background check by the security team, two candidates for the assistant position were finally confirmed.

By this time, however, Xu Chuan was already on his way to Beijing.

In one more day, on December twenty-fifth, the symposium on manned spaceflight and the lunar exploration project would be held at Tsinghua University.

Although he didn’t know why such an event was being held at Tsinghua University instead of an aerospace university, Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind.

On the contrary, he was much more familiar with Tsinghua University than with any aerospace university he had never visited.

On the morning of the twenty-fifth, which was also Christmas Day.

A large red banner hung over the main gate of Tsinghua University, celebrating the opening of the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project symposium.

For Tsinghua University, the principal himself had personally named this symposium as a top priority for security.

To ensure that absolutely nothing could go wrong, the university had specially requested a security team from the police to implement comprehensive security measures around the Great Hall where the symposium was to be held, as well as the campus roads leading to it.

Of course, Xu Chuan was unaware of all this. It was impossible for him to walk there anyway. Before the symposium began, Zheng Hai drove him directly to the entrance of the Great Hall, so he didn’t notice the tight security outside at all.

As the Hongqi sedan pulled up, the attendees who were chatting by the roadside near the entrance of the Great Hall cast looks of surprise and curiosity.

Which big shot was this? To be able to drive right up to the entrance?

One had to understand that everyone attending the symposium, whether from academia, the industrial sector, or even government officials, had all walked over after passing through the security checkpoint.

A car pulling up directly to the Great Hall’s entrance was like a beacon in the night—far too conspicuous.

“A Hongqi? Could it be a leader from the Ministry of Science and Technology?”

Some people from the business and industrial sectors had ideas, preparing to go over and say hello.

However, when they saw the person who stepped out of the car, they all halted.

“Who’s that? So young?” someone in the crowd asked curiously upon seeing the figure emerge from the car.

A colleague beside him shot him a glance. “You don’t recognize him?”

“He looks a bit familiar, but I can’t place him for a moment… Wait, is that that individual?”

“Mm. Who else would be qualified to drive right up to the entrance? Didn’t you see the deputy minister from the Ministry of Science and Technology walking with the rest of us earlier?” his colleague replied with a nod.

“Damn, that master is actually attending this symposium! You don’t think this manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project is for real? Is the country really going to do it?”

“Who knows? But since he’s here, we might actually get something out of this symposium.”

As he spoke, he caught his colleague out of the corner of his eye, eagerly starting to walk forward. He quickly reached out and grabbed him. “What are you doing?”

“Going up to say hello and make an impression, of course!” the colleague said excitedly. “If I can get his contact information, then…”

Before he could finish, his colleague cut him off. “Ahem, I’d advise you to drop that idea. Didn’t you see that none of the other big shots have made a move?”

“If you really want to get to know him, see if he attends the evening reception. If he does, you can go say hello then. If you go up now, you might get pinned to the ground by his security.”

Although what his colleague said was a bit of an exaggeration, considering the current environment, the man who wanted to go up and say hello ultimately retreated.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay them much mind. He smiled and nodded at those looking his way before walking towards the Great Hall.

No matter what, anyone attending this conference was a person of some standing. How could they possibly be tackled to the ground just for trying to say hello?

Inside the hall, as Xu Chuan was looking for his seat, someone suddenly called his name from behind.

“Professor Xu, long time no see.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Chuan stopped and turned around. He saw an elderly man, accompanied by another middle-aged man, approaching him.

Seeing who it was, a smile bloomed on his face. He quickly walked over and greeted him with a smile, “Long time no see, Elder Pan.”

The newcomers were none other than the Academician from Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences he had met before, Mr. Pan Deming.

“It’s been over three years, since 2018,” Mr. Pan said with a smile, looking Xu Chuan up and down. He continued, “I haven’t seen you in over three years, yet you still look as spirited as ever, while I’ve grown so old I don’t even have the energy to travel to Xingcheng anymore.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Elder Pan, please don’t say that. You represent my future, and I represent your past. How can you say you’re old?”

Offering a comforting word, he also sized up the elderly man before him.

In the three-plus years since 2018, he could clearly see that the man had aged considerably since their first meeting in Sweden for the Crafoord Prize.

Back then, the old academician still had the energy to fly abroad to Sweden to mediate the conflict between him and Peking University’s School of Mathematical Sciences. Now, he probably didn’t even have the stamina for a trip to Xingcheng.

Hearing this, Pan Deming laughed heartily. “Time and tide wait for no man. I fell ill last year and almost didn’t make it, but thankfully, that’s all in the past now.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan quickly found a seat and helped the elderly man sit down.

At the elder’s age, a common cold could honestly be fatal.

To see these respected elders and veterans grow old with the passage of time was undoubtedly the most heartbreaking and regrettable thing.

But time was like a shuttle, never stopping for anyone, and there was nothing Xu Chuan could do.

The elderly man, however, watched him with a cheerful smile, not minding it at all. “When we first met in early 2018, I knew you would achieve great things in the future. I never expected that in just over three years, you would not only win the Nobel and Fields Prizes, but even solve the problem of controlled nuclear fusion that has plagued the world for decades.”

“None of this would have been possible without the nation’s support and help,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, changing the subject. “Elder Pan, what brings you here today?”

Pan Deming smiled and said, “I heard you were going to attend this symposium, so I brazenly asked the Ministry of Science and Technology for an invitation to come and see you, have a little chat.”

Xu Chuan smiled, a little embarrassed. “Come on, Elder Pan, if you wanted to see me, a phone call would have been enough. I would have just gone to Peking University. How could I trouble you to come all this way?”

Pan Deming smiled, glanced at the Great Hall that was gradually filling up with people, and said with a chuckle, “Alright, you said it yourself. How about a visit to Peking University after the meeting today?”

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “No problem. I’ll visit you at Peking University tomorrow and have a chat with you.”

After this symposium on manned spaceflight and the lunar exploration project, he had another symposium for the large particle collider in Beijing a week later. There was plenty of time in between for him to visit Peking University.

Academician Pan beamed and patted his hand. “Then it’s a deal. I won’t disturb your meeting for now.”

Chapter 455: Strategic Goals and Strategic Bluffing

Old Academician Pan Deming did not formally participate in this grand event of the aerospace sector.

He had made a special trip over from Peking University across the street just to greet Xu Chuan, have a quick chat, and schedule a time for a longer conversation before leaving the venue.

After the old academician left, Xu Chuan found his own seat and sat down.

Unsurprisingly, his seat was in the front row.

To his left was the head of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Qin Anguo, and to his right was the Dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering, Chen Xinhai.

If one were to trace its history, Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering was actually quite famous, having been founded before the establishment of the new China.

During that difficult period of struggle, it was known as the Department of Aeronautics and cultivated a large number of outstanding talents, making significant contributions to the creation of China’s aeronautics discipline and the development of its aviation technology.

Later, in the late 1950s, when the nation was developing high-tech national defense projects represented by the “Two Bombs, One Satellite” initiative, more than half of the talent came from Tsinghua University’s Department of Aeronautics.

However, the once-powerful Department of Aeronautics was later dismantled and restructured to form Beihang University, becoming one of its key origins.

As for its current strength, while not weak, it is not considered top-tier among the country’s aerospace colleges or institutions.

There are many stronger than it, such as Beihang University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the National University of Defense Technology.

To be able to host such a grand discussion in the aerospace field today was undoubtedly a clarion call for the revival of Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering.

After he had been resting in his seat for a while, Minister Qin Anguo of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Dean Chen Xinhai of Tsinghua University walked over together.

When they saw Xu Chuan resting in his seat, the two, who had been in the middle of a conversation, paused for a moment before quickening their pace and approaching him.

“Academician Xu, it’s been a while,” Qin Anguo said with a warm smile, extending his hand to greet Xu Chuan.

“It has indeed been some time,” Xu Chuan said with a smile as he stood up and shook hands with Mr. Qin.

When he had first returned to the country, it was this very man who had personally contacted and communicated with him. It was only after the nuclear waste-related project was completed that someone else was assigned to take over.

Qin Anguo smiled and introduced the man beside him to Xu Chuan. “This is Comrade Chen Xinhai, the Dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Aerospace Engineering.”

“And this is Academician Xu Chuan.”

With a smile on his face, Dean Chen clasped Xu Chuan’s hand with both of his and shook it enthusiastically. “I’ve long heard of Academician Xu’s great name, and today I finally have the chance to meet you. You’re every bit as young and brilliant as the rumors say.”

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted him, and the three of them sat down again.

Qin Anguo looked at Xu Chuan with a smile and continued, “Regarding the position of overall director for the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project, is Academician Xu really not interested? To be honest, we probably couldn’t find a more suitable candidate in the entire country.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan coughed lightly and said, “The field of manned spaceflight is not within my area of research. Making me the overall director would be a case of a layman directing the experts.”

“Besides, I have quite a few projects on my hands already. I definitely wouldn’t be able to manage coordinating another major project like this.”

Qin Anguo smiled and said, “If Academician Xu truly doesn’t have the time, then we’ll let it be. But how about taking on a nominal post as Chief Technical Consultant for the project?”

“After all, if we want to successfully drag the United States and Western countries into an aerospace competition, we still need a top scholar to lend their prestige to the project.”

“I believe no one is more suitable than you.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “Of course, you can rest assured that we will absolutely not use your name to publish news or research papers. Unless you yourself are willing to.”

Since he had put it that way, Xu Chuan found it difficult to refuse. He nodded and said, “Taking a nominal post doesn’t matter much to me. After all, the Sea of Stars Research Institute is already a cooperating institution for this project.”

This kind of thing was all too common for top scholars.

It was like a Nobel laureate often holding various honorary consultant titles, or perhaps even being a partner in a certain laboratory.

But in reality, the Nobel laureate might not have done anything at all, simply holding a nominal position, and the related research would then be viewed with increasing optimism by others.

This was, in fact, a way to leverage the reputation of a famous scholar to expand the influence of a project or research. Ultimately, however, it was different from when a renowned scholar proactively stepped forward to express their views and publish papers.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind this sort of thing too much.

Even if he didn’t take the post, the United States would investigate and discover that the Sea of Stars Research Institute, which he led, was the main research and development team for the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project.

Beside him, Qin Anguo smiled and said, “Then we’ll have to trouble Academician Xu.”

As they were speaking, the discussion began.

Standing at the lectern, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Science and Technology announced the main agenda for the conference.

The morning session was mainly for the announcement of some policies.

For example, increasing the budget for aerospace projects and encouraging the entry of private enterprises through measures like tax exemptions and research subsidies.

Overall, these were mostly the usual talking points, but compared to the past, the efforts this time were significantly greater.

These things were of little interest to Xu Chuan. He wasn’t short on funding, nor did his institute count as a private enterprise. As for tax exemptions and research subsidies, they didn’t mean much to him either.

For some private enterprises, however, this subsidy was quite a sincere offer.

The policy that for every one dollar invested in aerospace, two dollars could be deducted from taxes was particularly attractive.

After all, investments in aerospace typically started in the tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions.

If an investment of one hundred million could offset two hundred million in taxes, it was quite tempting for some large corporations.

For example, Tencent launched its “WeEarth Super Earth” project back in 2019.

The goal was to establish a peer observation network of 300 satellites within the next few years and provide “out-of-the-box” remote sensing services to government agencies, research institutions, and technology companies through a “dedicated satellite” service.

Sending three hundred satellites into the sky would cost a considerable sum of money.

Even for SpaceX, currently the cheapest provider of rocket launches, the cost per kilogram for its main launch vehicle—the reusable Falcon 9 rocket—exceeded two thousand US dollars.

And two thousand US dollars was just the cost price. Selling it to other companies would likely multiply the price several times over.

A satellite capable of functions like peer observation networking, remote sensing, and positioning services would weigh at least several hundred kilograms.

Calculating with a very low launch cost of five thousand US dollars per kilogram for a three-hundred-kilogram satellite, the launch cost alone would be as high as five hundred million.

Five hundred million, which according to the policy announced at this discussion, could offset a full one billion in taxes.

For companies with satellite launch needs, this was equivalent to the state directly covering their launch costs while also providing an additional five hundred million in research funds.

Of course, this extremely favorable tax deduction policy was not without conditions.

To qualify for the tax credit, the investment had to be in China’s domestic aerospace industry. You couldn’t take a billion, hire America’s SpaceX to launch your rocket, and then come back with an invoice to claim the tax deduction. That was impossible.

Simply put, this policy was intended to promote the development of domestic private aerospace enterprises. Whether you invested in your own rocket launches or hired other domestic aerospace companies to launch them, it was all acceptable.

But using foreign companies was not.

That was the gist of the morning discussion.

In the afternoon, renowned scholars from the domestic aerospace field and several academicians from the Academy of Sciences presented their reports on the direction and planning of aerospace development.

Topics included “The Development of Manned Spaceflight Engineering and Aerospace Technology,” “Progress and Prospects of Lunar Resource Development and Utilization,” and “A Vision for the Development of a Space Resource Development System.”

At first, Xu Chuan thought it was a normal discussion, but when the publicity department from the Ministry of Science and Technology began reporting on their plans, he heard something strikingly familiar in their words.

“…According to the plan, we will build a super-large mass driver by 2030. This mass driver will be powered by a controlled nuclear fusion reactor and will be used for aerospace applications. In the future, it will be able to directly accelerate spacecraft, satellites, materials, and other items that need to be launched into space to the first cosmic velocity, achieving unpowered delivery into outer space and greatly saving on rocket launch costs.”

“Furthermore, it is expected that by 2040, the Ministry of Science and Technology will lead the ‘Nantianmen Project,’ using the mass driver to construct a fleet of aerospace carriers in outer space for navigating within our solar system.”

“This fleet will use controlled nuclear fusion reactors as its power source to transport materials and minerals back and forth between the Moon, Mars, and other planets.”

“…”

“We welcome other nations to participate in the development of interstellar resources, to jointly create a bright future for humanity, and we also welcome companies from all aerospace sectors to invest in China.”

As the person in charge on the stage spoke, a palpable stir went through the crowd in the Great Hall.

A super-large mass driver?

The Nantianmen Project?

Fusion-powered aerospace carriers?

Interstellar resource mining?

This series of terms made everyone present swallow hard, their faces filled with astonishment.

Had they traveled through time? Directly into the interstellar age?

Could such things really be achieved now?

Wasn’t this promise a bit too grand?

But at the conference, the appointed Chief Technical Consultant for the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project was that Academician Xu.

Everyone knew the miracles this Academician Xu had created.

Controlled nuclear fusion, said to be perpetually fifty years away, was solved by him in less than three years.

Looking at it from that perspective, this mass driver might actually be possible within the next ten years.

At that thought, everyone in the Great Hall couldn’t help but take a deep breath, suppressing the shock in their hearts.

The masters of the business and industrial sectors, meanwhile, were all jotting these things down. It seemed a serious study was necessary upon their return.

If this could truly be achieved, this was the future.

Chapter 456: When in Doubt, Quantum Chemistry!

After listening to the plan outlined by the person in charge on stage, Xu Chuan turned to Qin Anguo, who was seated next to him, with a strange look on his face.

The mass driver, the Nantianmen Project, the aerospace carrier—these were all things he had discussed with Wen Yuanhang just a week ago.

He hadn’t expected them to be brought up today and used for promotion.

Noticing Xu Chuan’s gaze, Qin Anguo turned to him and smiled. “We have to thank you for your proposals, Academician Xu. After Comrade Wen Yuanhang returned, he reported on these directions and developments.”

“After an internal meeting discussion at the ministry, everyone thought your suggestions were quite good. So, we developed a more detailed plan and used it for today’s discussion.”

“After all, today’s discussion is open to the public. And with a report of this scale, it should at least catch some of the United States’ attention, don’t you think?”

Xu Chuan stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, “To be honest, I think the plan you’ve come up with might actually be feasible. A mass driver is, in theory, achievable.”

Hearing this, Qin Anguo asked curiously, “How so?”

Xu Chuan smiled and explained, “If we’re only talking about simple manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects, building a large-scale mass driver isn’t really necessary.”

“After all, the spacecraft required for a single manned spaceflight or lunar mission theoretically won’t exceed one hundred tons.”

“Even if we can’t send a hundred-ton-class spacecraft into orbit in one go right now, we can do it in multiple launches. The cost wouldn’t be that much higher.”

“However, if we want to carry out large-scale exploration of the Moon and Mars, and even establish permanent research and residential bases on them, a simpler and more cost-effective mode of transport is absolutely essential.”

“From a long-term perspective, building a large mass driver is a very good choice.”

Qin Anguo pondered for a moment and asked, “If we were to build such a project, how much funding and time would it require? And is it achievable with current technology?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a bit and said, “A mass driver generally consists of a giant electromagnetic rail, or possibly coils, a vacuum tube, and a power supply system.”

“Each of these three components presents enormous engineering challenges. The electromagnetic rail or coils should ideally be made of superconductors. The massive demand for superconductors and the corresponding cryogenic requirements are almost unacceptable with current technology.”

“However, as long as superconducting materials develop further, this drawback can theoretically be resolved.”

“Secondly, there’s the engineering difficulty of a vertical, multi-kilometer-long vacuum super-tube. But this can be mitigated by building it along a mountain range like Mount Everest. With the structural support of the mountain, this is actually not the most critical issue.”

“As for the power supply problem, once controlled fusion technology is solved, electrical energy will be the easiest problem to deal with.”

“So, from a theoretical standpoint, it is indeed feasible.”

“In terms of funding, I did a quick calculation. This project would probably start at a trillion RMB.”

“The advantage, however, is that once it’s built, the cost of each launch would be extremely low. With something like this, we could conduct large-scale, extensive aerospace activities in the future.”

“If you’re interested, I can have someone draw up a plan and a budget proposal for you when I get back.”

Hearing the budget Xu Chuan quoted, Qin Anguo gave a wry smile and shook his head. “A trillion? Impossible. At least not now. The NDRC would never approve a project with a budget of that magnitude.”

If it were for controlled nuclear fusion, an investment of this level might pass when there was a glimmer of hope, like during the demonstration reactor phase. After all, China has an extremely desperate need for energy, and the amount spent on fossil fuel imports each year far exceeds this figure.

But for an aerospace project, it was virtually impossible.

Even if the country could free up that much capital, it would never be invested in such a project. Wouldn’t it be better to excavate resources on Earth? Why insist on going to space?

What, was iron from space somehow superior to iron from Earth?

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Actually, compared to building this on Earth, I’m more optimistic about building it on the Moon.”

“For mining the Moon’s Helium-3 and other minerals, the low gravity and lack of atmosphere mean you wouldn’t need a very large mass driver to launch massive objects toward Earth.”

Qin Anguo thought for a moment, then smiled. “That’s a rather unique idea. I’ll propose it for research when I get back.”

As the two chatted, the discussion on stage was drawing to a close.

Aside from the representatives from the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology, major figures from the aerospace sector and even some private enterprises with little connection to aerospace, like Tencent and Tmall, also took the stage to give presentations.

The former group mainly shared and discussed certain technologies in the aerospace field, drumming up business and fame for their companies.

The latter group expressed their interest and budget for entering the aerospace field, or announced plans for satellite network projects and the like.

Even Xu Chuan himself, at Minister Qin Anguo’s request, went on stage to deliver a report on the development and direction of the aerospace field.

Of course, his speech wasn’t very long and focused primarily on the field of electromagnetic propulsion.

After all, ever since his conversation with Academician Yang Hong, the aerospace electromagnetic propulsion system had been his top choice for aerospace engine technology.

However, with his reputation, the directions he pointed out were noted down by many in academia, the industrial sector, and even the business world.

All in all, the industrial and business sectors could showcase themselves and meet partners at the discussion.

More importantly, investments in the aerospace sector were eligible for a two-to-one tax deduction.

This was undoubtedly great news for companies with large tax bills.

Companies like Tencent already had needs and dependencies on satellites. The state’s de facto subsidy for research grants in the aerospace sector would undoubtedly save them a great deal of money.

And the state, through this discussion, promoted the development of the domestic aerospace industry.

Of course, more importantly, by publicly announcing China’s goals and plans in the aerospace field through this kind of discussion, it would help draw the attention of Western countries, led by the United States, and drag them into the aerospace race.

This, in turn, would slow down their research progress in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, allowing China to maintain its leading edge and expand its influence in the international community.

For everyone present, today’s meeting was a win-win.

Following the daytime discussions, a large-scale event like this would also feature an evening reception, allowing the guests to meet and socialize.

At the reception, many people scanned the venue with wide eyes, searching for that young figure. However, to everyone’s disappointment, that individual did not attend.

At this moment, Xu Chuan had already returned to the Beihai Hotel.

For him, attending such a reception held little meaning. It was better to return and study mathematics.

“The Study of Correlation Effects and Superconductivity in Multi-Orbital Strongly Correlated Systems” was not yet complete, and he needed to hurry up and finish it.

After all, superconducting materials with high critical magnetic fields were the foundation for the miniaturization of controlled nuclear fusion technology and the aerospace electromagnetic propulsion system.

In his hotel room, having ruled out yet another approach, Xu Chuan put down his pen and looked up silently at the white ceiling.

Over the past few days, he had used mathematical methods to rule out several different paths and had tried various different computational methods.

But in the end, none of them had yielded any good results.

However, if the problem of correlation effects and superconductivity in multi-orbital strongly correlated systems were so easy to solve, it wouldn’t be a century-old problem in the field of physics.

Letting out a long breath, Xu Chuan looked down at the scratch paper on the desk and began to reconsider.

“Strongly correlated electron systems are, for the most part, described or approached from the perspective of condensed matter physics. But quantum chemistry can also explain this. Perhaps I can try approaching it from quantum theory?”

Staring at the scratch paper on his desk, Xu Chuan fell into deep thought.

“Strictly speaking, the single-electron (mean-field) approximation doesn’t mean that the interactions between electrons are ignored. Rather, the interactions are considered in the form of a mean field. That is, the two-body operator is transformed into a one-body operator by taking the trace with the single-particle density matrix.”

“But the mean-field approximation isn’t the same as having no correlation. In Hartree-Fock, because the wave function is antisymmetrized (Slater determinant), there is actually a correlation between electrons with the same spin. This is called Fermi correlation.”

“Therefore, the correlation effect truly missing from the mean-field approximation is the so-called Coulomb correlation.”

“If one wants to calculate this sort of broad correlation, one has to start with the specific form of the wave function. The approximate wave function used in the mean-field approximation, Hartree-Fock, is called the Slater determinant, which is the antisymmetrized product of single-electron wave functions and satisfies the Pauli exclusion principle.”

As he pondered, Xu Chuan subconsciously picked up the gel pen on his desk again and wrote on the scratch paper:

【|Ψ⟩ = c₀|Φ⟩ + Σᵢ,ₐ Cₐⁱ|Ψᵢᵃ⟩ + Σᵢⱼ,ₐᵦ Cₐᵦⁱʲ|Ψᵢⱼᵃᵦ⟩ + … (eqn 1)】

Starting from the ground state configuration, the single-electron wave function |Φ⟩ is a good approximation of the many-body wave function |Ψ⟩, which indicates that the Coulomb correlation is very small.

In a weakly correlated system, the mean-field approximation can qualitatively describe many of the system’s properties well, with only some quantitative shortcomings. These quantitative deficiencies arise from the contributions of the excited configurations, which have a very small proportion.

In other words, it can be generalized!

Perhaps, by starting from the field of quantum chemistry, he could really find a mathematical path to the correlation effects in multi-orbital strongly correlated systems.

Staring at the data on the scratch paper, a glint of excitement flashed in Xu Chuan’s eyes.

He might have found a breakthrough.

But just how far this opening would take him, he didn’t know yet.

Chapter 457: They’re All Damned Here for Funding!

News of the discussion on manned spaceflight and the lunar exploration project held in Beijing, accompanied by press reports, quickly spread across the entire internet.

Unexpectedly, yet reasonably, more than half of the news reported by the media was related to Xu Chuan.

Warmly Celebrating the Manned Spaceflight and Lunar Exploration Project Discussion, Renowned Scholar Academician Xu Chuan to Serve as Chief Technical Consultant!

The First Manned Spaceflight and Lunar Exploration Project Discussion Held in Beijing, Led by the Ministry of Science and Technology, with Hundreds of Companies and Their Heads Participating.

The headlines and content from the official media were relatively sober.

But for those independent content creators or clickbait accounts that reposted the news, the headlines were as eye-catching as possible.

Shocking! The Chief Technical Consultant for the Moon Landing Project is Actually Him!

Nantianmen Project! Aerospace Carrier! Interstellar Mining! Our Mission is the Sea of Stars!

The Father of Controlled Nuclear Fusion Enters the Aerospace Field, a New Era of Spaceflight is Coming!

Shocking! The Father of Controlled Nuclear Fusion is Gearing Up to Transcend Tribulations and Ascend to the Moon Palace!

It had to be said that in China, and even across the world, any news bearing Xu Chuan’s name or related to him undoubtedly had the highest popularity in the scientific community.

Previously, similar conferences would typically generate little buzz on the internet. Apart from netizens in specific fields who would proactively pay attention, others would likely not notice at all.

This time, however, it was surprising that the conference shot into the top three on the trending charts, sparking discussions among numerous netizens.

[Moon Landing Project! Awesome, my country!]

[Exciting! Let’s go up and see if there are really footprints, a Stars and Stripes flag, and all that stuff!]

[Could it be the first moon landing in human history? (doge face!)]

[Compared to the moon landing, I think the mass driver and the Nantianmen Project are even more badass! If they really pull it off, tsk tsk, we could just fly over the United States and drop a meteorite. Sweet!]

[Should drop it on the island nation instead!]

[The Nantianmen Project is actually happening. I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime.]

[I’m more curious why God Chuan isn’t the chief designer?]

[God Chuan isn’t an aerospace expert, right? But he’s the Chief Consultant, which is still super badass, okay? It basically means he has the final say on the technology!]

While discussions raged online, in the real world, governments around the globe were being driven to distraction by the sudden news.

As China restarted its manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects, the related information drew considerable attention worldwide.

On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in the White House.

The elderly President was holding a newspaper.

The headline was striking: China Restarts Manned Spaceflight, Will a New Cold War Begin?

It had to be admitted that this headline was indeed quite potent for the United States.

After all, the Cold War of the last century was one of the most glorious chapters in their history.

That time, they had successfully caused a red behemoth to disintegrate into dozens of countries that no longer posed any threat to them.

But now, a new era of change had begun once more. Could they win again this time?

As he was pondering, CIA Director William Joseph Burns, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and the director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Halifax Bruce, entered the office together.

“What do you make of the news China has announced?” the elderly President asked, putting down the newspaper.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson spoke first. “This isn’t good news. They’ve restarted their manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects and announced plans to build a mass driver and an aerospace carrier. Their target is most likely the abundant Helium-3 resources on the Moon.”

“And according to our investigation, under the leadership of that Professor Xu, China’s newly established Sea of Stars Research Institute is researching second-generation controlled nuclear fusion. We must keep pace and increase our investment in the aerospace sector.”

For NASA, it didn’t matter if this news was true or false; they would present it as fact.

After all, this was a golden opportunity to get the old masters in Congress to increase funding for the aerospace sector.

“Second-generation controlled fusion won’t be developed that easily. You have absolutely no need to worry about that,” Halifax Bruce, the director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, quickly interjected.

Although China had unexpectedly and flamboyantly announced the restart of its manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project, a complete departure from its previous low-key approach, and even announced sci-fi concepts like the mass driver and the Nantianmen Project, to an expert’s eye, these things were almost impossible to achieve.

And NASA’s claim that their target was the abundant Helium-3 on the Moon was even more ridiculous.

Even though first-generation Deuterium-Tritium controlled nuclear fusion technology had been solved, the challenges of second-generation controlled fusion were far greater than the first.

What Bill Nelson said was merely a ploy for NASA to demand more research funding.

But for a country, the total amount of research funding has a limit.

If NASA took a larger share of the funds, the amount the Princeton PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory could get would naturally be much less.

It was worth remembering that two months ago, when China achieved ignition of its Qixia Controlled Nuclear Fusion Demonstration Reactor Project, the United States had quickly followed suit by launching its own controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project.

And the spherical NSTX device in the PPPL Laboratory was the fusion device most similar to the ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion device modified by that Professor Xu from China.

Coupled with the formidable mathematical prowess of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and Professor Fefferman’s research on the NS equations, the U.S. Department of Energy had invested a huge sum of research funding—over one billion US dollars—into the PPPL Plasma Physics Laboratory.

This included the subsequent super demonstration reactor project being built in Washington State, an over ten-billion-dollar super project from which the PPPL Laboratory could also carve out a large slice of the pie based on its existing technological expertise.

But if the United States was dragged into a space race with this manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project, those old masters in Congress would certainly re-evaluate the budgets and funding for ongoing research projects.

Having already lost the upper hand in controlled nuclear fusion, if they were to suffer another setback in the aerospace field, the public outcry would likely be even harsher.

So, even though the controlled nuclear fusion project was urgently needed by the United States, as the world’s number one aerospace power, they probably couldn’t tolerate being caught up to, or even surpassed, by the Chinese in this domain.

Therefore, allocating funds to NASA was likely a foregone conclusion.

However, Halifax Bruce did not want this amount to be too large.

After all, if the aerospace sector took too much funding, the controlled nuclear fusion side would naturally receive less.

Hearing Halifax Bruce’s words, NASA’s Nelson immediately looked over and stared at him. “But the person leading the lunar exploration project is that Professor Xu. Can you guarantee he can’t do it?”

“Don’t forget what happened with controlled nuclear fusion. If that’s repeated in the aerospace field, who will be responsible then?”

Hearing that troublesome name, everyone in the office frowned involuntarily.

Halifax Bruce cleared his throat lightly. “My friend, you don’t need to be so worked up.”

After a short pause, he continued, “As I understand it, that Professor Xu is merely serving as a technical consultant, not the overall director like he was for controlled nuclear fusion.”

“If my information is correct, China is planning to build a large particle collider, proposed by that Professor Xu. I believe his attention will be focused on that.”

“I’m not wrong, am I, Director Burns?”

With that, he looked at CIA Director William Joseph Burns.

Across the desk, the elderly President also looked over.

William Joseph Burns nodded. “According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, China has indeed decided to build a large particle collider. They are currently in communication with CERN.”

“However, the manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project is also on their schedule. And according to our intelligence, that Professor Xu’s responsibility is not just a figurehead position as Chief Consultant.”

“China’s newly established Sea of Stars Research Institute is led by that Professor Xu. Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, their manned spaceflight and lunar exploration project will most likely be conducted within the Sea of Stars Research Institute, or in cooperation with it.”

Hearing this, the elderly President pondered for a moment and asked, “What do you think we should do?”

Director Burns shook his head. “I don’t know, and it’s not within my scope of responsibility. I have no objection to investing in either field.”

“However, I would recommend increasing the CIA’s funding.”

“After all, no matter what, we need to know what our opponent is doing. That’s fundamental, and only then can we formulate countermeasures.”

Hearing this, the elderly President couldn’t help but rub his temples.

Not a single meaningful opinion. They were all damned here for funding!

Chapter 458: First Meeting with Elder Yang

Regardless of how other countries were scrambling over China’s decision to restart its manned spaceflight and lunar exploration projects, Xu Chuan was immersed in his own world.

He was attempting to explain the strong diamagnetism mechanism in the KL-66 material from the perspective of quantum chemistry.

It had to be said that when traditional condensed matter theory lost its efficacy, quantum theory played a surprisingly effective role.

However, for now, this was merely a new path. Xu Chuan was not yet certain if it would lead anywhere.

Night fell. In the Beihai Hotel, Xu Chuan organized the scratch paper on his desk, then got up to wash.

On any other day, he would have likely stayed up a while longer to continue his research.

But today, he had already promised Elder Pan that he would visit him at Peking University for a chat tomorrow, so he decided to rest early.

After all, the elderly tend to sleep less, and morning was likely when the old man would have the most energy.

The next day, at dawn.

Xu Chuan rose bright and early. After some exercise and breakfast, he headed to Peking University.

He passed through security smoothly and found the professor’s residential area. Academician Pan Deming was currently in the community courtyard, stretching his muscles.

“Elder Pan, good morning,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, walking over after watching for a moment.

Hearing his voice, Academician Pan Deming, who was practicing Tai Chi, turned his head. A smile spread across his face. “Good morning. Have you had breakfast?”

“I have. Elder Pan, how is your recovery going?” Xu Chuan said with a smile as he presented the old academician with a small container of tea he had brought, his tone full of concern.

“Tea?”

Pan Deming took the box with curiosity, looked it over, and sniffed it. He then smiled and said, “This is some high-quality tea. Where did you get it?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “A gift from the Great Elder. I’m not sure what variety it is. He had Minister Qin bring it to me during yesterday’s meeting. I figured you aren’t lacking for food or drink, so I thought I’d pass a box on to you.”

Hearing this, Academician Pan Deming was slightly taken aback, then he smiled and said, “Then it must be something special. I’ll gladly accept it.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Elder Pan.”

Pan Deming let out a hearty laugh. “Speaking of tea, I used to be able to get a couple of boxes of good tea from Minister Qin a few years ago. But I think I took advantage of his generosity too many times, because now he hides it all away from me.”

“Come, come, let’s go inside and sit. You have time today, don’t you? Stay for lunch. You can have a little drink with me.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “You need to take care of your health, Elder. It’s best to drink as little as possible.”

Leading Xu Chuan into the house, Pan Deming chuckled. “Hah, it’s a rare happy occasion. Let’s not talk about such things.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “I hear we’re going to build a large particle collider?”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, that’s the plan. The official approval has already come down. There’s a related symposium at the Ministry of Science and Technology next Thursday.”

Pan Deming smiled and looked at Xu Chuan. “That’s a good thing. It’s necessary to build such scientific facilities.”

“But can you manage it all? You have the manned spaceflight project, the collider, and you still have to manage the Sea of Stars Research Institute. Do you have enough energy for all that?”

Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “That depends on how you use it.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “For me, management has never been the focus. I prefer to lead teams in tackling technical problems.”

“Just like with the controlled nuclear fusion research, the daily administrative work was mostly handled by Elder Peng Hongxi and Gao Hongming. All I had to do was focus on overcoming the technical challenges.”

Pan Deming smiled. “You really don’t care about these things at all, do you? You gave up the position of chief designer and overall director for controlled nuclear fusion just like that.”

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Chuan, smacked his lips, and shook his head with a smile.

To be honest, a position like chief designer and overall director of controlled nuclear fusion was something most people, including himself, might not have the resolve to give up.

After all, there was still the development of the second-generation controlled nuclear fusion and the Fusion Energy Company. As long as one sat in that position, their authority would be unshakeable.

But the young man before him, as soon as the demonstration reactor successfully achieved ignition, had turned and walked away as if his mission was complete.

Xu Chuan smiled. “What I did was simply what a scholar, a researcher, should do.”

Pan Deming smiled and asked curiously, “Speaking of which, do you still have the time and energy to study mathematics?”

“You’re developing in so many other fields now, you’ve almost turned into an applied scholar. Are you still doing any theoretical research?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan replied with a smile, “Of course. Application and theory are parallel tracks. If you abandon either, the train of scientific research will derail.”

“I did indeed study it less over the past two years because of the controlled nuclear fusion project, but I have to pick it up again eventually.”

He paused, then continued, “Actually, I’ve been researching some theoretical things recently, though I haven’t made much progress yet.”

At this, Pan Deming looked over with curiosity. “In what area? Mathematics or physics?”

“A bit of both, I suppose. It’s mainly in the area of strongly correlated electron systems.”

Xu Chuan answered with a smile, “I had an unexpected discovery while studying the KL-66 material from South Korea, and I’m trying to see if I can explain it using mathematics.”

“If I succeed, it should lead to a small breakthrough in the theory of strongly correlated electron systems. But I’m still feeling my way through it, and a breakthrough will be quite difficult.”

He didn’t mind revealing the direction and scope of his research to the elderly academician before him.

After all, if even he couldn’t be trusted, there was no one in the world who could be.

Hearing this, Pan Deming’s expression grew serious. “This must be a world-class problem. The condensed matter physics community has been studying it for many years.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Yes, you could say that.”

“This research is primarily for superconducting materials. The subsequent aerospace engineering and controlled nuclear fusion projects will both require superconducting materials with high critical magnetic fields.”

“If there’s a theoretical breakthrough this time, we might have a chance to increase the critical magnetic field of superconducting materials by an order of magnitude.”

Pan Deming thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know much about strongly correlated systems, but perhaps you could talk to Chen-Ning Yang? His research in condensed matter physics is quite exceptional.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Elder Yang is celebrating his hundredth birthday next year, and he’s already ninety-nine this year. It wouldn’t be very appropriate to go and bother him.”

Hearing this, Academician Pan Deming sighed. “There are many scholars in China, and quite a few are working in mathematics and condensed matter physics, but very few have reached the top of the world. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have this problem of not being able to find someone to talk to.”

“After you, the talent gap among top-tier scholars has become too severe. No, I should say it’s because you pulled the fields of mathematical physics in China to a completely new height that this problem arose.”

Two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems—for the field of mathematics in China, they were like an insurmountable, towering mountain.

A mathematician of the caliber of the young man before him… looking across all of China, among the living, perhaps only Professor Yau, who had returned from the United States, could enter this league.

Perhaps Elder Yang from the physics world could count as half a person, but he was ultimately not a mathematician.

As for the others, like Yitang Zhang, Peking University’s golden generation, and Li Jun from Fudan University, there was still a significant gap between them and the young man before him, as well as Professor Yau.

Xu Chuan smiled and was just about to speak when two elderly men, accompanied by a middle-aged woman, walked into the living room.

Seeing the newcomers, Xu Chuan froze for a moment, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The elderly man in the lead was none other than the Elder Yang he and Academician Pan had just been discussing. The middle-aged woman by his side was undoubtedly his wife, Ms. Weng, who was carrying a fruit basket.

And standing slightly behind them was Professor Yau.

Seeing the two of them arrive together was indeed a surprise to Xu Chuan.

After all, this was Peking University, while both Yau and Yang were at Tsinghua University.

Of course, they weren’t far apart, just a street away, an easy stroll.

In the living room, Elder Yau, who was walking slightly behind, had a sharp gaze. He spotted Xu Chuan on the sofa at a glance and greeted him with a smile, “Well now, Academician Xu, what a coincidence. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Hearing this voice, Elder Yang, who was a little ahead, squinted for a moment before he recognized Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan smiled and stood up, greeting the two elders, “Elder Yau, Elder Yang, I didn’t expect to run into you two here.”

Shing-Tung Yau said with a smile, “It’s all because of this old fellow Pan Deming. He was laid up in the hospital for over a month not long ago, making everyone worry. So now that he’s discharged, old Yang and I came over to have a look. We can’t have this old guy leaving before we do.”

“But seeing him today, he seems to have recovered pretty well.”

For Yau, although he had a complicated history with Peking University’s Department of Mathematics, that was a separate matter and didn’t affect his friendship with Academician Pan.

After all, they were more or less peers and could be considered friends of many years.

Hearing this, Pan Deming’s beard bristled, and he glared. “You old-timer, how can you say that? I’ll outlive you!”

Shing-Tung Yau ignored him and, smiling, looked at Xu Chuan. “Speaking of which, what are you doing here?”

Hearing the sharp ‘argument’ between Shing-Tung Yau and Pan Deming, the corners of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched a few times. He replied, “There was a meeting for the manned spaceflight project at Tsinghua yesterday. I came to attend and decided to drop by for a visit.”

Shing-Tung Yau raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, “It seems you’ve known this old fellow for quite some time.”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly. “We have indeed known each other for a while.”

Nearby, Elder Yang sat down with Ms. Weng’s help and looked Xu Chuan up and down.

This was the first time the two had met; they had never seen each other before.

After all, when Xu Chuan returned in 2018, this venerable scientist was already 96 years old and had long since retired.

However, they certainly knew of each other.

After staring at Xu Chuan for a while, Elder Yang said with a sigh, “The first time I heard your name, it was from the field of astronomy.”

“If I remember correctly, it was in 2015. Your observations and calculations regarding Betelgeuse shocked the entire field of astronomy and astrophysics.”

“I never imagined that just three years later, you would receive the Nobel Prize in Physics and solve the problem of controlled nuclear fusion. The younger generation is truly formidable.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “I’ve always wanted to pay you a visit, but I’ve been too busy with work to find the time.”

Elder Yang waved his hand. “I was originally planning to talk to you at the collider symposium in a week. I didn’t expect to meet you today. I suppose it’s fate.”

After a short pause, he glanced at Xu Chuan and asked curiously, “How is your research on sterile neutrinos and dark matter progressing?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “For that research, I can only say I have a direction and a general approach. The specifics will require experiments with the particle collider to verify, collect data, and analyze.”

“Are you confident?” Elder Yang pressed.

Xu Chuan smiled. “When it comes to research, no one can say they are one hundred percent confident of success before the dust has settled.”

He paused, then looked at Academician Yang and said with a smile, “But of course, I have some degree of confidence. I just don’t know how many difficulties I’ll encounter along the way.”

Upon hearing this, Elder Yang stared at him for a long while, remaining silent before finally speaking. “For decades, whenever the nation discussed building a large particle collider, I was one of those who publicly stood up and wrote articles in opposition, which directly delayed the process of building the collider.”

“I felt that spending 200 billion to build a collider was completely not worth it. After all, we are still a developing nation with many other areas in greater need of funding.”

“Moreover, we lack high-level physicists. Our numbers don’t even make up one percent of the world’s physics researchers. Even if the collider is built, how many of us can fully utilize it?”

“Even in 2016, when the country was capable of building it, I still felt it was a project that would waste both manpower and resources.”

“Because of this, I had a falling out with almost the entire physics community in China.”

“I know my colleagues were very displeased with me, saying I was trying to shut down their field. But this collider would cost 200 billion, and possibly even more later on. I felt that I just couldn’t accept it.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and asked, “So today, Elder Yang, are you trying to persuade me to slow things down as well?”

He was aware that this man had always opposed the construction of the collider, but he hadn’t expected that on their very first meeting, the esteemed scientist would seem to want to convince him directly.

Chapter 459: Nothing Out of the Ordinary

Xu Chuan had thought Elder Yang wanted to persuade him to delay the construction of the large particle collider, but to his surprise, the elderly man fell silent after hearing his question.

After a long moment of silence in the living room, Elder Yang heaved a long sigh. “If you had asked me this question a few months ago,” he said, “I likely would have still been opposed to its construction.”

“But today, to be honest, I’m also a bit lost.”

“Before, research on large colliders had been going on for nearly a century. After countless experiments and studies, it was nearing its end, and the Standard Model had already been established.”

“At that time, the only remaining tasks were to verify the Standard Model and a few other conjectures. The risk of such research yielding no results was very high.”

“Therefore, I believed that even without building a supercollider, high-energy physics still had other avenues worth exploring. If that money were invested in other, more practical research, the benefits might have been more substantial and more feasible.”

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Chuan, took a deep breath, and continued, “And back then, I thought that in my lifetime, I would only ever see things within the scope of the Standard Model.”

“I never expected you to bring a new ray of light.”

“I once thought CERN could do it, but it later became clear they were also powerless.”

“As things stand now, if anyone is to completely break the Standard Model in this era and find what lies beyond, you are likely our only hope.”

“Perhaps you haven’t reached the absolute pinnacle in theoretical physics yet, but the methods you’ve established using mathematics are undoubtedly the most promising.”

After a pause, he continued, “But even now, I still feel that spending two hundred billion to build a large collider is a boondoggle.”

“Even though controlled nuclear fusion has been achieved under your leadership, the country still has a great deal of infrastructure to build, and many areas are still impoverished.”

“Breakthroughs in basic science, especially in fields like high-energy and particle physics, take an unknown amount of time to be converted into applied technology.”

“In this respect, even if we reach the peak, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be that far ahead of other countries.”

Hearing Elder Yang’s words, Xu Chuan understood the complex thoughts weighing on the elderly man’s mind.

In the past, he had indeed opposed the construction of a large particle collider, partly out of patriotism and not wanting it to be a waste of public money and resources.

After all, two hundred billion was a huge sum for China at the turn of the century. In the nineties, the country’s total annual GDP was only a few trillion.

Spending a massive amount of money to build a basic science facility that couldn’t be quickly converted into national strength or returns was undoubtedly not worth it.

On the other hand, before the discovery of the sterile neutrino, the path of high-energy physics could be said to have reached its end for this century.

The elements within the Standard Model had been largely perfected, while observing anything beyond it seemed hopeless in the past.

Under such circumstances, building another large particle collider would yield very little.

However, the situation had now changed. The appearance of the sterile neutrino, a particle that transcended the Standard Model, had shocked the entire physics community.

Something beyond the Standard Model was the hope the entire field of physics had been chasing.

It could help the scientific community understand the world and the entire universe on a deeper level.

And dark matter, dark energy, and how to incorporate universal gravitation into the framework of quantum mechanics and physics all required a breakthrough beyond the Standard Model.

If this discovery was further confirmed, it would mean that basic physics, which had been nearly stagnant, had taken a great leap forward. It also signaled that the universe had opened a new window to humanity.

Through this window would lie a brand new world of physics.

So now, Elder Yang felt conflicted and lost.

On one hand, having lived through the 1990s, he knew how difficult China’s economic development had been. Two hundred billion was not a small sum.

On the other hand, there was his inner craving for a new world of physics.

After all, for a physicist, no piece of equipment was more alluring than a large particle collider.

After figuring this out, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I was the one who proposed building the large particle collider to the higher-ups in the first place.”

“If you’re asking for my opinion, I naturally support it wholeheartedly.”

“I’m sure you’re well aware of how important a large particle collider is for the development of high-energy and particle physics, Elder Yang.”

“As for the funding, while two hundred billion is a lot, if this money is used to open up a new world for the field of physics, it is definitely worth it.”

“What’s more, with controlled nuclear fusion technology now realized, the funds saved on energy alone will be at least several trillion a year. Two hundred billion is just a drop in the bucket.”

Elder Yang glanced at him and said softly, “But there’s no denying that this is not a small sum. A two hundred billion fund, a project of this scale would be a super project anywhere in the world. Can you handle it?”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly and said with a smile, “If we go by the old exchange rate, two hundred billion RMB is only about thirty billion US dollars.”

“As for me, the investment in the controlled nuclear fusion project alone was about eighty billion US dollars, which converts to roughly five hundred fifty billion RMB.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the living room suddenly fell silent.

Everyone then remembered that although the young man before them looked young, the projects and funds that had passed through his hands were already beyond their comparison.

The controlled nuclear fusion project alone was equivalent to two and a half large particle collider projects.

The massive projects and huge numbers in their eyes were, for him, nothing out of the ordinary.

His expression slightly awkward, Elder Yau forcefully broke the atmosphere, letting out a couple of laughs before speaking. “I’d forgotten about that. For you, two hundred billion really isn’t much.”

Beside him, Elder Yang didn’t seem to mind much. He nodded and said, “Since you have that confidence and ability, I’ll leave this matter to you.”

After a pause, he continued, “To be honest, for someone like me with one foot already in the grave, who knows if I’ll open my eyes to see the sun tomorrow. I probably won’t last long enough to see that new world appear.”

Elder Yang’s words immediately struck a chord with the other two elderly men in the living room.

Even Elder Yau, the youngest of them, was already past seventy.

Not to mention Elder Yang, who would cross the hundred-year mark after the last few days of this year.

And while Xu Chuan couldn’t fully comprehend it, he could feel some of it.

Pan Deming, who had been quiet for most of the time, spoke up. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t see it. As long as there are successors and science continues to move forward, that’s enough.”

Pausing for a moment, he changed the subject. “Speaking of which, your arrival is quite timely. I was just talking to Xu Chuan about his research.”

“He’s run into a rather troublesome problem with strongly correlated electron systems. Elder Yang, you’re in condensed matter physics, would you like to hear about it?”

Hearing this, Elder Yang looked over with curiosity, a hint of interest in his clouded eyes. He asked, “A strongly correlated electron system? What’s the problem?”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly. “It was just an accidental discovery while studying KL-66. I wouldn’t want to trouble you with it, Elder Yang.”

“What? Looking down on a scruffy old man like me who’s about to be pushing up daisies?” Elder Yang’s tone became a notch more animated as he stared at Xu Chuan. “I still know a thing or two about research in condensed matter physics.”

Xu Chuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The saying that the older people get, the more eccentric and competitive they become, was absolutely right.

But then again, there were very few scholars in the country with whom he could discuss research in condensed matter physics.

Since he had run into him by chance and Elder Pan had brought it up, it wouldn’t hurt to have a discussion.

After some thought, he briefly described his research over the past few days.

Nearby, Elder Yau also leaned in to listen. Although it was a physics problem and he was a mathematician, mathematical physics often overlapped, and his own physics ability was not to be underestimated.

He was, after all, the only person in Harvard University’s history to hold professorships in both the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Physics. While condensed matter physics was outside his research scope, he still knew a fair bit about it.

After listening to Xu Chuan’s problem, Elder Yang frowned in thought for a moment before speaking. “Strongly correlated electrons generally refer to substances where the interaction between electrons is much greater than their kinetic energy. These systems exhibit very rich physical phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity, giant magnetoresistance, and metal-insulator transitions.”

“I’ve followed the KL-66 material developed in South Korea, but I’m getting old and haven’t done any experiments or detailed studies on it.”

“Without seeing the specific experimental data, and judging from what you’ve said, you want to use this system to calculate an increase in the critical magnetic field strength of superconducting materials. Theoretically, it should be possible, but the difficulty is likely immense.”

“If methods like Green’s function, density functional theory, and dynamical mean-field theory are all inapplicable, the first thing I can think of is that the problem you’re studying has surpassed the usual strongly correlated electron systems and has entered the realm of non-equilibrium strongly correlated systems.”

“Perhaps you can try approaching it from that angle.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and asked, “Studying the electronic dynamical behavior of strongly correlated systems in a non-equilibrium state?”

This was indeed a path he had not yet explored.

Elder Yang nodded. “I don’t know if you’ve studied this before, but if not, you could give it a try.”

Pausing slightly, he added, “Also, perhaps you could consider the connection between the strongly correlated electron system and the strong interaction force. It might not be related, but it could help you better understand the properties of electrons and their interactions within the strongly correlated system.”

Chapter 460: A Young Genius’s Scientific Intuition

In the living room, Xu Chuan and Elder Yang discussed some research directions for the strongly correlated electron system.

It had to be said that although the elder was nearly a hundred years old, his mind was still remarkably clear. He could rely on the knowledge in his head to filter and rule out many potential directions.

This was extremely rare for a man of a hundred years.

And for Xu Chuan, although this exchange only involved research directions and theories, it still saved him a considerable amount of time and illuminated certain paths. He had gained a great deal.

At the side, Shing-Tung Yau, who had been listening to the conversation with Elder Yang, suddenly interjected, “Although condensed matter physics is outside my area of research, why don’t you view the behavior of electrons in a strongly correlated electron system as an electron liquid or an electron solid?”

“Things like Luttinger liquids, liquid crystal states, charge density waves, Wigner crystals… perhaps explaining it from this angle could achieve your stated goal?”

“An electron liquid?”

Elder Yau’s sudden interjection made Xu Chuan look over in puzzlement.

The famous mathematician continued to explain, “While my main field of research isn’t physics, I know that based on the idea of topological spin, a unified mathematical theory of quantum liquids has been developed. This includes topological order, SPT/SET order, symmetry-breaking order, and CFT-like gapless phases, among others.”

“If you can explain the topological skeleton and local quantum symmetry of quantum liquids, and show that all n-quantum liquids form a condensation-complete higher category whose equivalence types can be explicitly calculated by a simple fusion 1-category, perhaps you could achieve what you need?”

“Start from the field of quantum liquids?”

These words made Xu Chuan pause and fall into deep thought.

The strongly correlated electron system arises from electron interactions; without interaction, the movements of electrons are uncorrelated.

Simply put, strong interaction leads to strong correlation, and weak interaction leads to weak correlation. Here, “strong” and “weak” are relative, not absolute, and depend on the competition between different energies within the system.

The effect of the same interaction on a half-filled band versus a full band, or on a massive electron (flat-band electron) versus a massless electron (Dirac fermion), is completely different.

In condensed matter physics, the behavior of an electron system is usually treated as a gas (a free electron gas).

The “electrons” here can be quasiparticles, like conduction band electrons in a crystal, or single-particle excitations in other interacting systems. In other words, what is originally a liquid can still be approximated as a gas.

After all, when the interaction is very small, the free electron approximation can be used. When the interaction is very large, a Mott insulator is formed, and the electron’s freedom of movement is frozen, leaving only the spin degree of freedom.

At this point, a large-degree-of-freedom expansion can yield an effective spin model.

Looked at from this perspective, treating the locked electron motion in a strongly correlated electron system as a liquid or a solid was indeed feasible.

However, he couldn’t figure out how to walk this path in a short amount of time.

After all, going from an idea to actual research often requires a very long time.

Meanwhile, in the living room, neither Elder Yang nor Elder Yau disturbed Xu Chuan, who was lost in thought. They each pondered other directions and ideas.

The purpose of today’s discussion on the strongly correlated electron system was to provide this young scholar with some ideas and directions, and that was something they could still do.

As for the more specific calculations, he would probably have to rely on himself.

At their current age, both Elder Yang and Elder Yau could be said to lack the energy to complete the calculations for such a cutting-edge, difficult problem.

Even two years ago, Elder Yau still had the energy to research and advance the KZB equation problem.

But as the years went by, a person aged faster and faster.

Science is always for the young. They, the old men in their twilight years, were no longer capable of advancing new knowledge.

In the living room, Xu Chuan pondered for a long while before coming back to his senses.

Seeing him stir, Professor Yau looked over and asked curiously, “How is it?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “I have a bit of an idea. As for whether it can be done, I’ll need to research it further. Thank you both for your ideas and theories today. I’ve really troubled you.”

Elder Yau smiled. “How is this a a trouble? It’s fine as long as it’s helpful to you.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Of course, I’m not very familiar with physics, so you don’t have to get bogged down in the theory I proposed. It might even be wrong, for all I know.”

He was giving him a heads-up, to prevent Xu Chuan from getting bogged down in the direction he’d suggested. After all, he wasn’t a pure physicist, and condensed matter physics wasn’t within his field of research.

Xu Chuan nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve never been one to get bogged down in a single path. When I feel a path is unworkable, that’s most likely when I’ll give up on it.”

“But for now, I think it’s worth a try. At least, I feel it should be feasible. I feel like I can see the end.”

Across from him, Elder Yang seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke up, “Is this the scientific intuition of a young genius?”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Back when I was studying the Yang-Mills equations, trying to generalize gauge invariance to non-abelian groups, I tried many methods, but failed many times.

“I was stuck for a long time on the problem that U(1) symmetry is commutative while SU(2) symmetry is non-commutative. Until one time, when I decided to add a quadratic term. The moment I had that idea, the thought that this was the right path just popped into my head uncontrollably.”

“It was soon confirmed that this idea was correct, and it smoothly led to a new field theory.”

He paused, then added with a sigh, “It’s just a pity that in my subsequent research, I’ve almost never had that kind of exceptionally clear feeling again, where it’s as if you can see the correct answer the moment the idea appears.”

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Chuan and said, as if asking and stating at the same time, “I could never figure out how you achieved such brilliant results at your age. Now it seems you might experience this kind of intuition often when you’re researching problems?”

Hearing Elder Yang’s感慨, Xu Chuan was taken aback.

This kind of intuition… he seemed to have it too?

And it wasn’t just once or twice. When he was researching mathematics before, whether it was the Hodge Conjecture or the NS equations, at critical points, he could always rely on this feeling to judge if the subsequent path was viable.

Of course, to say he could see the correct answer at a glance was unrealistic.

But this feeling had indeed helped him save a lot of time.

He had always thought it was judgment born from the knowledge in his mind, but hearing Elder Yang talk about it now, it seemed to be something a little different?

At the side, Elder Yau said with a smile, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. What scientific intuition? He makes it sound so metaphysical and mysterious. It’s just an empirical feeling brought on by knowledge.”

“This bunch of physicists, they all start heading towards theology in the end. This old fellow was already showing that tendency in his early years. Don’t you let him fool you, kid. Just focus on your own research. If you could rely on this kind of idea, pigs would fly.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan coughed in embarrassment.

He seemed to be one of those physicists.

Chapter 461: Your Brother Chuan Is Still the Same Brother Chuan!

After visiting Academician Pan and unexpectedly gaining some new ideas and directions regarding the strongly correlated electron system, Xu Chuan left with Elder Yang and Elder Yau.

On the Peking University campus, Elder Yang, whose mobility wasn’t the best, said his goodbyes and left first, accompanied to his car by Ms. Weng.

Elder Yau, however, wanted to continue chatting with Xu Chuan and decided to walk all the way back to Tsinghua University.

On the campus of Peking University, Xu Chuan naturally accompanied the old man, and as they walked and talked, he remembered something and asked, “By the way, Professor Yau, about that conference you mentioned last time—the one advocating for the organization of mathematical knowledge to revitalize old mathematical principles—has a date been set yet?”

Professor Yau shook his head. “The IMU held two more meetings about it, but they’re still in discussions.”

“As you know, for a conference like this held in China, the country naturally wants to host it on a grand scale. So they’re hoping the IMU will invite more top-tier mathematicians to expand its influence.”

“Of course, the International Mathematical Union also hopes to use this opportunity to broaden the influence of mathematics, so they are constantly negotiating and making revisions, which is why a date hasn’t been set.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “But based on the last meeting, it should be soon, probably around January after New Year’s Day.”

“I’ll let you know once the date is confirmed.”

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “No problem. But speaking of which, didn’t Peking University try to get involved with this conference?”

When it came to the influence and strength of mathematics departments in domestic universities, Peking University was indeed in a league of its own. That was indisputable.

Whether in terms of domestic status or international influence, Peking University’s Department of Mathematics surpassed Tsinghua’s by a considerable margin. Sometimes, Tsinghua’s math department didn’t even rank in the top three in the country.

For a conference with such significant international influence, it would normally be held at Peking University, as it was the public face of China’s mathematics community.

At this, Professor Yau snorted. “They wanted to host it, but I was the one who initiated this discussion. Why should I give them the opportunity?”

“Besides, setting aside their reputation, they don’t have the influence among top international mathematicians to make a conference like this happen.”

The old man grew a bit disgruntled when speaking of Peking University. His friction with their Department of Mathematics was common knowledge.

In terms of overall strength, Peking University’s math department was indeed number one among domestic universities.

But in terms of influence among the world’s top mathematicians, since Elder Chern’s passing, Peking University as a whole was lacking.

And whether it was Xu Chuan or Shing-Tung Yau, their influence among top-tier mathematicians far exceeded that of Peking University.

After all, the prestige of solving a Seven Millennium Prize Problem and being a Fields Medalist was plain to see. Peking University couldn’t catch up no matter how hard they tried.

Xu Chuan smiled but didn’t comment. The two of them dropped the subject and continued walking and chatting.

Suddenly, Xu Chuan noticed a young man who looked very familiar, like someone he knew from the past.

He stopped, squinted for a moment, and then called out, “Lu Tianrui, over here.”

On the side of the road, Lu Tianrui, who was hurrying across campus with books in his arms, looked over when he heard his name. A young man and an old man, both of whom looked somewhat familiar, were standing on the other side of the road looking at him.

He stared at them for a moment, as if he recognized them but couldn’t believe they would be here.

Rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, he quickly ran over. “Brother… Brother Chuan,” he asked, his voice trembling with excitement, “is it really you, sir?”

After greeting him, he turned to Professor Yau, who was standing with Xu Chuan, and said timidly, “Professor Yau, hello.”

Looking at the familiar figure before him, Xu Chuan felt a wave of nostalgia.

The person he had just run into was none other than his good friend from high school, with whom he had competed in the IMO competition. Six or seven years had passed, and the little fatty from back then had grown up.

The only things that hadn’t changed were his plump build and the round glasses perched on his nose.

“I never thought I’d run into you at Peking University. Last time we talked, you said you were applying to Princeton. I thought you’d already gone abroad to study,” Xu Chuan said with a smile, looking at the little fatty from his past.

As his former teammate and a fellow gold medalist in the CMO (Chinese Mathematical Olympiad) competition, Lu Tianrui’s talent in mathematics was beyond doubt. Having been admitted to Peking University early, it was natural for him to continue down the path of mathematics.

Lu Tianrui nodded. “It’s happening soon. I have to go over in January next year.”

Xu Chuan said with a smile, “Impressive. You’re going for your PhD, right? Finishing your undergraduate and graduate degrees in six years is excellent.”

Hearing this, Lu Tianrui scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. “I’ve already received my doctoral program from Peking University. This time I’m going for advanced studies.”

Xu Chuan was surprised. “Not bad, Little Tianrui, that’s quite a flex. Finishing all your studies in just six or seven years.”

Lu Tianrui replied, “Compared to you, Brother Chuan, I’m still worlds apart.”

Beside them, Professor Shing-Tung Yau said with a smile, “Finishing your undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies in six years is already very impressive. Don’t compare yourself to this monster. He’s not normal.”

He paused, then turned to Xu Chuan with a smile. “Find some time to come chat with me at Tsinghua. I won’t disturb you two young people today.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I definitely will.”

Professor Yau waved with a smile, nodded at Lu Tianrui, and then walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back.

“Come on, let’s find a place to sit.”

After Professor Yau left, Xu Chuan smiled and clapped his teammate on the shoulder.

Although the two had occasionally kept in touch via WeChat, this unexpected meeting after six or seven years was a joyous occasion, especially given the friendship forged through competing together.

At a milk tea shop on the Peking University campus, the two found a quiet spot to sit down. Looking at his old friend, who was now a big shot, Lu Tianrui also felt a sense of nostalgia.

The god-tier master who had led him in competitions back then had now truly become a god-tier master.

Though he had long been aware of the gap between them, he never imagined it would become so vast.

He was still studying and pursuing advanced studies, while this god-tier master had already solved two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, won the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize, and served as the chief designer of the controlled nuclear fusion project, solving a century-old problem.

The gap between them could probably no longer be measured in years. If one had to describe it, one could only say they were two different species.

After all, even though he considered his own talent in mathematics to be decent, he had never imagined solving a single Millennium Prize in his lifetime.

But his teammate, who was only a year older than him, had already solved two.

If not for the friendship forged from their competition days, had it been someone else sitting with him, he probably would have been too nervous to even know what to say.

After chatting for a while, he relaxed a bit and looked at Xu Chuan curiously. “Brother Chuan, what are you doing at Peking University?”

He was aware of the friction between Peking University’s Department of Mathematics and his god-tier teammate, so he was surprised to run into him on campus today.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I know Mr. Pan Deming from your university. I came to visit him, but I didn’t expect to run into you.”

After a short pause, he continued, “When you go to Princeton next year, what field are you planning to specialize in?”

Lu Tianrui replied, “My current choice is algebraic geometry. If all goes well, I’ll try to delve deeper into this field.”

“That’s great. Algebraic geometry is a very broad field,” Xu Chuan said with a smile.

Lu Tianrui nodded. “Speaking of which, it was your influence that led me to choose algebraic geometry. Your research on the Hodge Conjecture was incredibly stunning and inspiring to me.”

He paused, then added, “I’ve read your research paper proving the Hodge Conjecture, Brother Chuan, but unfortunately, I could barely understand a tenth of it.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “The proof of the Hodge Conjecture is indeed quite complex and involves many areas of mathematics. When I get back, I’ll mail you some of the books and scratch paper from when I was studying algebraic geometry. You can take a look at the path I took.”

When he was studying at Princeton, he had left behind several boxes of books and papers he had read and studied. All those materials were later mailed back to him.

To him now, those things were no longer useful, but giving them to Lu Tianrui should help him advance further in the field of algebraic geometry.

After all, they contained many of his thoughts on various problems and some of his research approaches.

Hearing this, Lu Tianrui swallowed hard. He naturally knew how precious these materials were.

They would be helpful not just for a student like him who was still in the learning phase, but possibly even for a top-tier mathematician.

But he found it hard to refuse. For a mathematics researcher, such a gift was something one could only dream of.

Noticing his old friend’s hesitation, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Don’t be polite with me. Those old things are just sitting there gathering dust anyway.”

Lu Tianrui took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and said, “Then thank you, Brother Chuan.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “If you encounter any problems in mathematics, feel free to come to me.”

The two chatted for a while longer. Suddenly, Lu Tianrui seemed to revert to his old self, his eyes wide with curiosity as he asked Xu Chuan, “Brother Chuan, what does it feel like to win both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal at the same time?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment before replying, “It’s alright, I guess.”

Lu Tianrui was stunned by the answer. He had expected some emotional reflection, but instead, he got just that one sentence.

But then, it dawned on him.

Sure enough, no matter how much time passed, Brother Chuan was still the same Brother Chuan from their competition days—just as heaven-defying, just as calm, only his flexing had become more fluid and natural.

After bidding farewell to his old friend, Xu Chuan returned to the Beihai Hotel and began to organize the insights and gains from his discussions with Elder Yang and Professor Yau that day.

If it weren’t for him, these two elders could be said to be the foremost figures in China’s fields of physics and mathematics, respectively.

Even on a global scale, these two gentlemen were among the absolute top tier.

Ideas proposed by big shots of their caliber were naturally well-considered and held immense value, even for him.

The days passed one by one, and in a blink of an eye, New Year’s Day of 2022 arrived.

In this new solar calendar year, China embarked on a new journey.

The ‘Dawnbreaker’ Demonstration Reactor Project in Nanjing was officially transformed into the China Fusion Energy Company. The ‘Dawnbreaker’ demonstration reactor also completed its final grid connection work and began to supply a continuous stream of electricity to the entire city of Nanjing.

Of course, supplying a single city, even a provincial capital like Nanjing, was not the limit of ‘Dawnbreaker’.

When all four of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ demonstration reactor’s generator sets were running, its full-load power generation was enough to supply the entire Jiangsu Province.

And along with the news of the ‘Dawnbreaker’ demonstration reactor officially connecting to the grid, there was another piece of good news.

“China and Pakistan Sign Cross-Border Power Grid Interconnection Project!”

“China in Talks with Laos, Cambodia, and Other Southeast Asian Countries on Cross-Border Power Grid Interconnection Projects.”

These two news items sent considerable tremors throughout the world.

This news was definitely not good news for countries other than China and its partners, especially for Western countries led by the United States.

On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in the White House.

The elderly President was holding a newspaper, staring at the headlines, lost in thought.

China was now beginning to export energy to other countries, which meant they were starting to encroach on the resources of other nations in Southeast Asia.

For the United States in particular, the small countries in Southeast Asia were an important means of containing their rival.

If China had only signed a cross-border grid interconnection project with Pakistan to provide it with cheap electricity, it wouldn’t have been a major issue. After all, Pakistan alone was far from enough to change the situation.

But when all of Southeast Asia began to lean toward China, the situation in Asia would gradually and completely unravel.

And it wasn’t just Southeast Asia, but other countries as well.

When faced with cheap energy, it wasn’t just the small nations of Southeast Asia that would be tempted. Even the European Union might not hold out for long, as long as the conditions proposed by China were not too excessive.

After all, the EU’s urgent need for energy was a pressing issue.

Although switching the lifeline of their energy supply from Russia to China was not a good thing for them either, it was not entirely unacceptable if the price of energy could be significantly reduced.

Although everyone was now racing to catch up in controlled nuclear fusion technology, no one knew how long it would take for other countries to match China in this field.

It could be ten years, or twenty, or even longer.

During this period, it was not out of the question that some countries might directly trade core technologies to gain support from China and build a controlled nuclear fusion reactor on their own soil.

After all, for many countries, judging by the already operational ‘Dawnbreaker’ fusion pile, a single large-scale fusion reactor could generate enough electricity annually to supply a small to medium-sized country.

And for the United States, every country lost meant a weakening of its global influence.

This undoubtedly made a bad situation worse for a nation already in decline.

Chapter 462: Most Importantly, I Am Here!

Solving the problem of multi-orbital correlation effects and superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems is a very difficult task.

Of course, Xu Chuan never expected to solve this problem in a short amount of time.

But at the very least, he was already making headway on the mechanism of strong diamagnetism discovered in the KL-66 material.

It had to be said that the two elders, approaching from different perspectives, had given him some excellent inspiration.

Whether it was Elder Yang’s approach of starting from the electron dynamics of strongly correlated systems in a non-equilibrium state, or Elder Qiu’s idea of viewing free electrons in a strongly correlated state as an electron liquid or electron solid model, both were proposed based on theoretically feasible points.

The former was applicable to the KL-66 material, while the latter could potentially be extended to the entire field of strongly correlated electron systems.

Thus, after his discussions with the two elders, he shut himself in his room at the Beihai Hotel and immersed himself in research.

The days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, New Year’s Day was over, and the time had come for the meeting led by the Ministry of Science and Technology regarding the construction of a large particle collider.

At Zheng Hai’s reminder, Xu Chuan made his way to Fuxing Road.

The headquarters of the Ministry of Science and Technology was located here, and the meeting would also be held here.

Compared to the manned moon landing project discussion held the previous week, this meeting was minuscule in scale.

But in terms of the importance of the attendees and the-project’s financial planning, it was in no way inferior to the former, and perhaps even surpassed it.

After all, even after an increase, the total funding for the manned moon landing project was now only in the range of tens of billions.

Whereas the construction of a large particle collider had been budgeted at nearly two hundred billion in earlier years.

Of course, the technologies related to the collider had matured considerably since then, including superconducting materials, detectors, and other aspects, which greatly reduced the financial requirements. As a result, the construction budget would also be significantly lower.

However, even with mature technology and a reduced budget, it was still a massive project on the scale of over one hundred billion.

The one-time appropriation of funds would also be much larger than that for the manned spaceflight program.

There was no helping it; this kind of fundamental, large-scale scientific facility was enormously expensive, no matter which one you looked at.

Take the International Space Station, for example. It is humanity’s largest facility in low Earth orbit, a project jointly developed by sixteen nations, including the United States, Russia, and the European Space Agency.

The upfront construction cost of this project reached a full one hundred sixty billion US dollars—and that was one hundred sixty billion US dollars from twenty years ago.

Or take Europe’s “Future Circular Collider” (FCC), the construction of which was originally planned but has now been mostly shelved, with a projected cost of about twenty-one billion euros.

This shows that for this type of basic scientific research equipment, apart from a very small number of top-tier major powers capable of completing them on their own, most are joint ventures involving dozens of countries.

The meeting was held in the Ministry of Science and Technology’s headquarters, and the number of attendees was not very large.

When Xu Chuan walked into the building, a staff member immediately approached him. After verifying his identity, they led him all the way to the conference hall.

Many people had already arrived in the hall.

Upon seeing Xu Chuan, they came forward one after another to greet and chat with him.

In today’s meeting, he was the true big shot. His ideas could be said to almost single-handedly determine the fate of the future collider.

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted these scholars and government department officials one by one, then found his seat and sat down.

Presiding over this meeting was, naturally, the Minister of Science and Technology, Qin Anguo.

Following the meeting’s agenda, Minister Qin first gave a brief report on the whole meeting, then began, “Today’s meeting is primarily to discuss and exchange ideas on some of the matters and problems in the process of building and using the large particle collider.”

“The specific details are in the documents in front of you, which were also sent out to you all previously. Please take another look, and then we’ll begin our discussion. Feel free to voice any thoughts you have. The country needs your ideas and assistance.”

Hearing this, everyone in the conference hall lowered their heads and began to flip through the materials.

Whether or not to build a large particle collider was no longer within the scope of this meeting’s discussion.

On Xu Chuan’s recommendation, the construction of the large particle collider was already a foregone conclusion.

What was being discussed today were matters of how to build it, its scale, the budget, whether to involve other countries, and other technical aspects.

Of course, for most of the issues and content up for discussion today, everyone present already had their own answers in mind.

After a short wait, Qin Anguo continued, “If there are no other questions, let’s officially begin. Regarding the arrangements in the materials before you, if anyone has thoughts or suggestions, you may raise your hand to discuss.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the conference hall raised their hand.

“Regarding the construction of the large particle collider, I have an idea.”

Qin Anguo looked over. The person who had raised his hand was China’s council representative at CERN, Director Tai Xuewen.

After China became a member state of CERN some years ago, Director Tai had been responsible for communication between China and CERN.

“Director Tai, please speak,” Qin Anguo nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

Tai Xuewen cleared his throat and continued, “Regarding the construction of the large particle collider, I believe we can adopt CERN’s model and expand it into an international cooperative project.”

“On one hand, through multi-national cooperation, we can greatly reduce the expenses we would have to bear ourselves. After all, according to the preliminary plan, a budget of one hundred fifty billion is no small sum.”

“If we can bring in funds from other countries, it would significantly cut down our own expenditures.”

“On the other hand, through multi-national cooperation, we can absorb other countries’ excellent materials, instruments, equipment, technology, and talent in the field of large particle colliders.”

“Especially CERN. In this respect, CERN’s experience is something we can draw upon. Whether it’s the construction of the collider or the scholars in the field of fundamental physics, bringing these in would be of great help to us in building our collider.”

At these words, a murmur of discussion broke out in the conference hall. Quite a few people nodded in approval, feeling that this approach was feasible.

“I think this suggestion is feasible. Whether it’s the budget or the technology, if we opt for cooperation, it would indeed relieve a great deal of pressure. CERN has extensive experience in collider construction; bringing them in would certainly help us save a lot of time.”

“It’s feasible, yes, but how do we ensure our country’s control over the collider? You have to remember that every time a research project is initiated at CERN, it’s preceded by endless debate.”

“We could adopt a membership system. We do need other countries’ research and technology for the collider. A membership system would be sufficient to ensure our own research projects have a significant share.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate. We’ve already stockpiled the technology to build the collider ourselves. The help from other countries wouldn’t be that significant, and it comes with the risk of losing control over the collider. If we’re going to do it, we might as well do it ourselves. A budget of one hundred fifty billion is not something we can’t afford at this point.”

In the conference hall, some were for, and some were against.

An issue like this involved numerous aspects; it was impossible for everyone to see it from the same perspective.

Suddenly, Elder Chen-Ning Yang, who was sitting across from Xu Chuan, looked at him and directed the topic his way. “I wonder what Academician Xu’s thoughts are on this matter?”

At his words, the conference hall instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned to Xu Chuan.

Under the gazes of the others, Xu Chuan cleared his throat lightly and said, “Regarding whether we need to bring in technology from CERN or other countries, I believe it is necessary.”

Hearing this, Elder Yang gave him a slightly surprised look. Based on his understanding of the young man, he would have expected him to be against it.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the others’ gazes and continued, “In the area of constructing a large particle collider, although we already possess the corresponding technology, it is undeniable that CERN has been researching this field for much longer than we have, and their accumulated technology is more advanced.”

“Therefore, bringing in CERN is necessary.”

Pausing for a moment, he went on, “However, I also believe that it’s just as necessary for us to have control over the collider we are funding and building ourselves.”

“The purpose of building the collider is, on one hand, to explore physics, and on the other, to cultivate physics talent for our nation.”

“If we lose control and are subject to others, having to debate over every basic matter, then it would be meaningless for us.”

“So, no matter what, control over the completed collider must remain in our own hands.”

Hearing this, Director Tai Xuewen frowned slightly and asked, “If that’s the case, how do we bring in the collider technology from CERN and other countries?”

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s simple.”

“My suggestion is that the funding for the collider’s construction will be handled by us alone. However, we can communicate with CERN and other countries, and if they are willing to provide us with technical and personnel support during the construction process, we can reserve a member state seat for them after the collider is completed.”

“Just like our current status as a member of CERN, where we provide corresponding research funding annually in exchange for a certain number of work positions, research tasks, technological achievements, and so on.”

“Under this arrangement, if anyone causes trouble, we can easily kick them out.”

“Of course, under normal circumstances, I believe we wouldn’t do such a thing. After all, basic scientific research benefits the entire world, and we aren’t some kind of bandits.”

Hearing this, Director Tai Xuewen frowned and asked, “And what if they don’t agree to this arrangement?”

Xu Chuan said calmly, “Then we don’t need them.”

“According to the plan, the super-large hadron collider we’re building this time will be constructed to the standard of one hundred trillion electron volts, or even a higher one quadrillion electron volt energy level.”

“This will be the world’s first large collider at the hundred-trillion-electron-volt energy level. It’s not just us who need a collider; the European Union and other countries do as well.”

“The situation now is that while we could use CERN’s technical support, we don’t absolutely need it. But collision experiments are needed by all countries.”

“The situation now is that we are giving them an opportunity, not that we are begging them to join in, let alone surrendering control of the collider to a committee-based system.”

“If they think it’s unacceptable, then they can just go and build their own.”

Hearing this, a trace of interest flickered in the cloudy eyes of Elder Yang, who sat opposite Xu Chuan. This was the young scholar’s true nature; in certain matters, he could be quite domineering.

Across from him, Director Tai Xuewen frowned. “If CERN and other countries choose to refuse, we will likely face a severe shortage of personnel for the experiments once the collider is complete.”

“After all, it’s impossible for us to support a large-scale basic research project like a collider on our own. Furthermore, the pressure from future operating expenses and so on will be enormous.”

Although China had many physicists, it was impossible to dedicate all of them to the large particle collider.

After all, there were many other fields that needed to be developed.

The mission of basic scientific facilities like a collider is to advance humanity’s understanding of the natural world and provide the fundamental scientific knowledge to solve real-world problems.

This type of endeavor is very difficult for a single country to accomplish.

It benefits all of humanity, but for the country that builds and operates it, it is a great burden.

Setting aside the huge funds consumed during construction, just starting it up each time, along with maintenance and upkeep, requires a massive amount of funding.

More critically, its results are very difficult to translate into applied technology and profit in the short term.

Just like the verification of the Higgs boson and the study of the Standard Model, such theoretical achievements merely fill in the gaps in humanity’s understanding of the universe and the physical world.

In reality, any boost to technological development would be a matter for many, many years in the future.

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan smiled and said, “We won’t be short on people.”

“Even if the United States, in coalition with the EU and other countries, refuses to join us, they have no way of stopping physicists from coming here to conduct their research. Unless they can provide a collider with the same intensity as ours.”

“But for the United States and the European Union, that is a very difficult thing to do.”

“First of all, they are currently too busy investing in and researching controlled nuclear fusion to be able to divert research funding to the field of colliders.”

“After all, besides the massive funds required for construction, a large particle collider also needs a substantial budget for each collision experiment.”

“Even now, CERN’s budget has already caused dissatisfaction among many member states. To ask them to invest massive amounts of money on top of that—pardon my bluntness, but that is almost impossible.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Secondly, even if the worst-case scenario happens and the United States and the EU follow up with investment in this field, the collider they build will find it difficult to surpass ours in terms of energy level.”

“Don’t forget, the core of a collider lies in its superconducting materials and detectors.”

“The particle confinement capability of a superconducting material’s critical magnetic field determines the intensity of the collision energy level. And in this respect, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material I developed has the highest critical magnetic field of any superconductor to date.”

“Lacking top-tier superconducting materials, they will find it very difficult to compete with us in collision energy levels. I believe CERN’s cancellation of their order for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver superconducting material, under pressure from the United States, is the biggest regret of their lives.”

“And scientists are practical. If we welcome and accept other scientists, we will definitely not be short on personnel.”

“As for funding, it’s undeniable that every startup of the collider consumes a massive amount of electricity, which is the reason for its high operating cost.”

“But don’t forget, for us, electricity will be the one thing we won’t lack in the future. A single small-scale controlled nuclear fusion reactor is enough to provide power for a large collider.”

“Excluding electricity, the expenses for all other aspects make up half of the cost at most.”

With that, he looked at Director Tai Xuewen and continued, “Finally, there is one more, even more important point. I am here!”

“I can state with confidence that besides me, no one can find a particle that truly goes beyond the Standard Model within the next ten years.”

Chapter 463: All of You Here Are Trash

This one sentence drew looks of surprise, astonishment, and disbelief from everyone in the conference hall.

“Within ten years, no one but him will be able to find a particle that is truly beyond the Standard Model.”

The arrogance of that statement was just one step short of him standing up and declaring, “All of you here are trash!”

If he had then flipped the conference table and turned to leave, he would have had the perfect air of a major villain.

Yet, aside from a strange sense of incongruity, hardly anyone in the entire conference hall felt there was anything wrong with his statement.

After all, this individual’s standing in the world of physics today, if not definitively number one, was at least in the top three.

Moreover, he was the one who had discovered the sterile neutrino. Dark matter and dark energy were the mysteries behind sterile neutrinos, and if there was anyone in the field of physics who could unravel this enigma, he was the most likely candidate.

What surprised them was that such words would come from the mouth of the scholar before them.

The contrast was simply too great.

Alright, perhaps they had misjudged him.

For the people of China, due to historical and cultural traditions, the image of scholars like them was generally one of a humble, polite, gentle, and refined gentleman.

To suddenly have someone stand up and proclaim that everyone present was trash and that he was the greatest in the world created a sense of incongruity that was simply too strong.

Then again, if they had won a Nobel Prize, a Fields Medal, solved two Millennium Prize Problems, solved the nuclear waste problem, solved the controlled nuclear fusion problem, become the founding father of astronomy, and so on and so forth in their twenties…

Even just one of those achievements, let alone all of them, would have been enough to send them soaring with pride.

This was quite normal. Nearly every young genius who achieved fame was like this—confident, proud, even arrogant.

Every genius goes through such a period, which is then tempered either by learning and seeing a wider world, recognizing their own shortcomings; or by being outshone by an even greater genius; or gradually worn away by the passage of time.

And for the young scholar before them, now in his twenties, this was precisely the time for him to be in high spirits.

In the conference hall, the peculiar atmosphere lasted for quite some time, until Qin Anguo came back to his senses and broke the silence with a light cough.

“Thank you, Academician Xu, and all the professors for your opinions. I will take note of them for now, and we will discuss them in more detail later.”

“For now, let’s continue with the relevant discussions.”

Qin Anguo brought the atmosphere back to normal, and the conference hall buzzed with activity once more.

The morning-long meeting not only involved discussions on whether to bring in technology from other countries and CERN but also covered various aspects of the large particle collider, including site selection, tunnel construction, key technologies, preliminary design parameters, and the pros and cons of existing technologies.

Although this wasn’t the first collider in the country, as the largest-scale and highest-collision-energy-level facility designed to date, it would play a significant role in advancing future development.

This included matters like site selection.

Putting aside the basic requirements for geological conditions, the site for a large particle collider should be in an area with a beautiful environment, rich tourism resources, good cultural conditions, a solid international foundation, good geological conditions, convenient transportation, local government support, and potential for future development.

All of this boiled down to one main goal: to use this project to develop the entire area into an ‘international science city,’ or even the ‘world’s future science center.’

Such a large-scale scientific facility would lead the development of international high-energy physics and related technologies, and it would also unequivocally establish China’s comprehensive global leadership, turning it into an international research center.

This was something the Chinese people had dreamed of since modern times and could serve as a symbol of the nation’s complete rejuvenation.

After two consecutive meetings, Xu Chuan confirmed he had no other obligations and set off back to Nanjing.

Just as he landed, he received a call from Elder Yau.

“Hello, Xu Chuan, are you still in Beijing?”

As soon as the call connected, Elder Yau’s somewhat excited voice came through.

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “I just got back to Nanjing. What’s up?”

“The ‘International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics’ that I mentioned to you before has been scheduled. It will be held at Tsinghua University in a little over half a month, on January 20th.”

“I was thinking that if you were still in Beijing, you could just stay a few more days to save you another trip,” Elder Yau said with a chuckle.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It’s alright, I can just go over then. It’s easy, since China’s high-speed rail is so convenient.”

“Alright then, I’ll have the invitation letter mailed to you.” Shing-Tung Yau didn’t mind and nodded. “Remember to come. A lot of mathematicians are coming specifically for you.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan’s expression turned slightly odd. He guessed that the old gentleman had probably used his name quite a bit to make this conference happen.

However, he didn’t mind such things. He didn’t have the time or energy to organize something like this himself, so it was a good thing that Elder Yau could make it happen.

“Don’t worry, I won’t stand you up.” He nodded with a smile, agreeing before hanging up the phone.

He was quite happy that such a large-scale symposium could be organized and held in China.

On one hand, he was happy for the field of mathematics. That ancient knowledge had not been forgotten, and more people were willing to work towards its revitalization.

On the other hand, he was happy for the country. After all, China had always been relatively weak in the field of basic sciences. Hosting such a major mathematics symposium would allow China to gain recognition in the mathematical world, be remembered by more top mathematicians, and expand its influence and academic atmosphere.

As for the scale of this symposium and whether it would be successful, Xu Chuan wasn’t worried at all.

After all, this was China.

Putting other things aside, if someone were to mess up a conference that could bring glory to the country in the global mathematics community, they would likely be questioned by everyone from top to bottom.

Having returned to his villa without a hitch, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief and tossed his luggage aside.

For him personally, the biggest gain from this trip to Beijing wasn’t the two meetings, but the unexpected encounter with Elder Yau and Elder Yang.

Their conversation had given him some new research directions and inspiration for the strongly correlated electron system.

Although they were just rough theories and directions, for a scholar of his caliber, these were the most precious things.

After a bath to wash away his fatigue, Xu Chuan sat down in his study, refreshed, and continued his research on the multi-orbital correlation effect and superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems.

Three or four days passed just like that.

Striking while the iron was hot, Xu Chuan made further progress in his research on the KL-66 strong diamagnetism mechanism. He had already begun the final steps, attempting to use mathematical language to perfect the related mechanism.

However, while researching this problem, he always felt as if he had forgotten something.

It didn’t feel very important, but it seemed like someone was constantly thinking about him.

After pondering for a while, Xu Chuan couldn’t remember what it was, so he simply stopped thinking about it and focused on his research.

Meanwhile, the two assistants, who had been personally vetted by Nanjing University’s Principal Tan Shaoyuan, looked at each other, bewildered and unsure of what to do as they waited on campus.

Hadn’t that Academician Xu already returned? It had been several days, so why hadn’t they received a notice for an interview?

Had they been forsaken?

If they were no longer needed, they should at least send a message. Being left hanging like this was torture.

Meanwhile, in Xu Chuan’s office.

His four newly admitted students were now truly understanding what their advisor meant when he said he might not have much time to teach them.

After mentoring them for a period, their advisor had vanished.

And he had been gone for the better part of a month.

Although they heard the Professor had returned from Beijing, he still hadn’t come back to Nanjing University to teach.

According to their eldest senior disciple, this was a minor matter.

The longest stretch he had once gone was nearly half a year without seeing his advisor, a pure-blooded left-behind child.

Cai Peng guessed that his advisor had probably started delving into some new problem and had forgotten he still had students.

If this were any other professor, the chances of this happening would be almost zero.

After all, people needed social interaction.

But for their advisor, it was perfectly normal.

His style of problem-solving was truly unique.

Elsewhere, Xu Chuan, who was on the minds of his yet-to-be-employed assistants and students, let out a sneeze, then continued to stare blankly at the scratch paper on his desk.

Ever since returning from Beijing, he had been researching the KL-66 strong diamagnetism mechanism.

He had made progress, and significant progress at that.

The direction of the non-equilibrium strongly correlated system proposed by Elder Yang indeed fit the KL-66 strong diamagnetism mechanism quite well. The trouble, however, was that studying a non-equilibrium strongly correlated system would inevitably involve quantum many-body systems.

Compared to classical non-equilibrium systems, the dynamical behavior in quantum many-body systems is often more complex.

Due to the inherent complexity of quantum correlated systems, whether universal dynamical behaviors exist in quantum many-body systems far from equilibrium has always been a fundamental question in the field.

To put it simply, he couldn’t find an effective mathematical method that could both handle correlated systems under low-dimensional concepts and consider spatial quantum fluctuations.

“In that case, I’ll just create a universally applicable dynamical mathematical tool for quantum many-body systems.”

At his desk, Xu Chuan stared at the calculations on the scratch paper for a moment, then pushed the messy pile aside and took out a fresh stack of A4 paper.

In mathematics, when researching a difficult problem, it is very common to break through the existing foundation and construct new mathematical tools to solve it.

Whether it was the ‘algebraic variety and group mapping tool’ he constructed when studying the Hodge Conjecture, or the ‘infinitesimal element construction method’ he built using infinitesimal fluids to study the NS equations, these were all things that emerged from the research process.

Therefore, for the difficult problem of the multi-orbital correlation effect in strongly correlated electron systems, Xu Chuan also planned to create a targeted tool to bridge the correlated systems under low-dimensional concepts and the quantum fluctuation effects in space.

After some serious thought, Xu Chuan picked up his pen and wrote on a sheet of paper:

“Consider a typical strongly correlated system, the ‘one-dimensional transverse field Ising model’. Its Hamiltonian is: [H₀ = -J(Σⁿ σᶻₙσᶻₙ₊₁ + ησᶻLσᶻ₁) - hΣⁿσˣₙ].”

“Here, σˣ,ʸ,ᶻ are the Pauli matrices; J>0 is the ferromagnetic interaction; h>0 is the transverse field strength; L is the spin chain length; η=1 represents periodic boundary conditions, and η=0 represents open boundary conditions.”

“The ground state of the transverse field Ising model has two phases. Considering only the behavior of the ferromagnetic phase and using techniques such as the Jordan-Wigner transformation and the Bogoliubov transformation, its Hamiltonian can be written as an ensemble of two-level systems using Anderson pseudospins, namely: [H₀ = Σₖ>₀ λₖτᶻₖ].”

“…”

In the quiet study, the soft white light shone on the figure sitting at the desk, leaving scattered flecks of shadow on the off-white tabletop.

Xu Chuan paid no mind to the time, nor did he consider whether he could accomplish it.

For a scholar, challenging difficulties should be the most common experience in life.

“Since the operators of Anderson pseudospins with different momenta commute with each other, the two-level systems describing different momenta are independent. This method belongs to the category of two-level system methods.”

“And a detailed calculation of the various orders of response functions, such as the linear response, second-order nonlinear response, and third-order nonlinear response. The result for the linear response is: χ⁽¹⁾ₓₓ(t) = 2θ(t)L⁻¹Σₖ>₀sin²θₖe⁻ᵗ/ᵀ²sin(2λₖt).”

“…”

“In other words, in the KL-66 mechanism, both the decoherence decay and the dephasing-induced decay are related to t and thus cannot be distinguished. In frequency space, by combining the Boltzmann function with the Monte Carlo method, the linear spectrum can describe the continuous spectrum of Cu ‘spinons’ with different momenta.”

“Through this method, a model for the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material can be completed, and perhaps it can be applied to other superconducting materials.”

“At this point, my goal has been achieved.”

“However, for the multi-orbital correlation effect in strongly correlated electron systems, the universality of this method is far from sufficient.”

“How can I find a new path that leads to this ultimate direction?”

At his desk, Xu Chuan murmured to himself as he looked at the messy scratch paper on the table.

Over an unknown period of time, by creating a mathematical tool to bridge the correlated systems under low-dimensional concepts and quantum fluctuation effects in space, he had established a complete set of mathematical methods specifically for the KL-66 strong diamagnetism mechanism.

This should have been a cause for celebration, yet the result was now cast aside by him, relegated to a forgotten corner.

This was because the mathematical tool he had built to bridge low-dimensional correlated systems and spatial quantum fluctuations had shown him a glimmer of hope for solving the puzzle of multi-orbital correlation effects in strongly correlated electron systems.

His intuition told him that the research path he had chosen was correct.

However, just like when he was at the final step of studying the NS equations, it seemed as though an invisible barrier, or a bottomless abyss, stood in his way, completely cutting off the path he had forged.

He stubbornly stayed in his study for two more days, searching the internet and collecting a large pile of research papers related to strongly correlated electron systems, strong magnetism mechanisms, non-equilibrium quantum correlated systems, and universality classes of dynamics in open quantum many-body systems.

But these papers were of almost no help to him.

After all, the scope of his research had long since surpassed the boundaries of conventional condensed matter physics.

The research of ordinary scholars in these fields was far from sufficient to inspire him.

“Perhaps I need to go out for a walk.”

In the study, Xu Chuan shook his slightly groggy head.

The massive amount of reading of other scholars’ papers and research over the past two days, absorbing their knowledge and essence, had caused him considerable interference.

His brain’s efficiency wasn’t enough to support such prolonged study and research. For a scholar like him, excessively absorbing knowledge without being able to integrate and master it was meaningless.

Balancing work and rest was the best course of action. Going for a walk might even lead to new inspiration.

After some thought, Xu Chuan decided to go back to Nanjing University to teach.

The unexpected inspiration he had received in class last time had allowed him to successfully bypass the final abyss and solve the NS equations. This time, he was facing almost the same problem.

Who knows, maybe he could get enough inspiration in the classroom again?

Chapter 464: Why Are They All Female Assistants?

Since he had decided to slow down for a bit, Xu Chuan put his current research on hold. He organized his findings on the KL-66 material and then stopped.

After having provided a complete and detailed mathematical explanation of its mechanism, the remaining work was to convert it into a mathematical model. Then, using the model, they could perform deductions to determine how to apply the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material to other superconducting materials.

This was a process that required continuous experimentation and would take a considerable amount of time. However, it presented relatively few difficulties. Through constant calculation and experimentation, they would eventually be able to lock onto the most suitable method.

For computational materials science, this was where mathematics was most powerful.

Once computational materials science reached a certain stage of development, it could use a series of mathematical methods and models to directly simulate the entire process, from raw materials to finished products.

The most difficult part, however, was using mathematics to find the appropriate mechanisms and models.

But now, he had already overcome the hardest part. The rest could be completely handed over to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The computational models at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had become quite powerful after years of continuous improvement.

The next morning, after waking up, washing, and eating breakfast, Xu Chuan habitually walked toward his study, preparing to continue his research. He stopped abruptly at the door, suddenly remembering he had decided yesterday to take a temporary break.

Shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh, he turned around, went back to his bedroom to change, and then headed for Nanjing University.

He hadn’t been back to the university in over half a month. He wondered how the four new students he had recruited were doing.

Oh, right, and the matter with the assistant.

A memory suddenly flashed through Xu Chuan’s mind. No wonder he had felt like he was forgetting something. There was still this one thing pending.

It was supposed to have been handled before he left for the conference in Beijing, but so much time had passed. The university was probably getting anxious.

He walked through the academic building and made his way to his office.

Pushing the door open, he saw that of his five students, only Ding Rui and Rong Xinjie were in the office. The other three were likely in class or busy with other things.

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. After all, at the graduate and doctoral levels, learning was largely dependent on self-discipline.

The two new students, however, turned their heads at the sound. Seeing it was their advisor, they called out with a mix of pleasant surprise and astonishment, “Professor, you’re back!”

Not seeing him for over half a month was a new record in their academic careers.

After all, they had never gone more than half a month without seeing their advisor before.

But according to their senior, Cai Peng, half a month was nothing.

Xu Chuan nodded and responded, “Mm. How are you doing with the textbooks I assigned you?”

“I still have a little left.”

“I’m almost finished.”

The two students gave different but essentially similar answers. Xu Chuan nodded, sat down, turned on his computer, and prepared to submit his course schedule.

In the office, Rong Xinjie looked up and glanced curiously at his advisor, who was busy with his own affairs. Senior Cai’s words surfaced in his mind.

“If you see our advisor in the office, it either means he’s solved a problem he was working on, or he has no research on his plate at the moment.”

Thinking of the problem he had seen over half a month ago, he gulped, asking with a mix of nervousness and anticipation, “Professor, have you solved that strongly correlated electron system problem you were researching last time?”

Although the formulas on the scratch paper he had glimpsed last time had made him, an IMO gold medalist and mathematics graduate student, feel a sense of despair, he wasn’t someone who gave up so easily.

Besides, he also wanted to know just how vast the gap between himself and his advisor truly was.

So, after class, he had gone online to look up information on the strongly correlated electron system. Although the materials he found were quite detailed, he wasn’t a physics student, so he didn’t fully grasp the ultimate difficulty of the problem.

It wasn’t until later, during a minor course, that he asked a professor from the School of Physics and finally understood the significance of the strongly correlated electron system problem to condensed matter physics.

If the Seven Millennium Prize Problems were the seven most prominent peaks in mathematics, then in his field of number theory, the most famous was probably the Riemann Hypothesis.

And the status of the strongly correlated electron system problem in condensed matter physics was in no way inferior to the stature of the Riemann Hypothesis in pure mathematics.

As for the difficulty, it was hard to compare since they belonged to two completely different systems.

But the professor from the School of Physics had told him that while the strongly correlated electron system problem might not be as difficult as the Riemann Hypothesis, its difficulty was absolutely no less than one of the most important problems in pure mathematics, the Goldbach Conjecture—and possibly even greater.

Rong Xinjie might not know much about physics, but when it came to his own field of study, mathematics, he understood perfectly.

He gasped audibly when he heard that answer.

The Goldbach Conjecture was a representative problem in additive number theory. Although it wasn’t selected as one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, that was only because the other two number theory-related conjectures chosen for the Millennium Prize covered broader fields and their solutions would more significantly advance mathematics and even science.

Not being selected as a Millennium Prize Problem didn’t mean the Goldbach Conjecture wasn’t difficult. If it weren’t, it would have been solved long ago in the nearly three hundred years since it was proposed in 1742.

A problem on the level of the Goldbach Conjecture made Rong Xinjie instantly understand the gap between himself and his advisor.

Describing it as ‘just a little bit’ of a gap was hardly appropriate.

After all, he had never imagined he would one day be able to solve a mathematical problem on the level of the Goldbach Conjecture, even as an IMO gold medalist.

An IMO gold medal wasn’t that rare; there have been several hundred winners in the hundred-plus years since the competition began.

Yet, among those nearly one thousand people, how many could even touch a T1 or even T0 level problem like this? You could count them on one hand.

It could only be said that his advisor’s monstrous skill was top-tier, even when placed in the entire history of mathematics.

Of course, at this moment, Rong Xinjie was more concerned about whether that problem, the strongly correlated electron system, had been solved by his advisor.

Hearing his student’s curious question, Xu Chuan replied without looking up, “Not at all. The strongly correlated electron system is not a problem that can be solved so easily.”

“Then why are you back in the office? Didn’t Senior Cai say you usually only come back after you’ve solved a problem?” Rong Xinjie asked bluntly.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan finally looked up at his student. “If you’re talking about the problem you saw here over half a month ago, then yes, that has been solved.”

Rong Xinjie’s mouth twitched. After a long moment, he managed to choke out, “Congratulations, Professor.”

Alright, it seemed Senior Cai was right after all.

He had thought his advisor had made an exception this time. After all, for a problem of this magnitude, making no progress was perfectly normal.

He never expected his advisor to have actually solved the problem before showing up again.

Although he didn’t know how long his advisor had been researching this problem, even if it was just the final step, it was still a world-class problem.

It was just like the Goldbach Conjecture. Even though a mathematician from Great Britain had proven the Weak Goldbach Conjecture back in 2013, nearly a decade later, a solution to the strong Goldbach Conjecture remained nowhere in sight.

To solve this problem in just over half a month, what was he supposed to say?

Stand up and give him a round of applause?

Though he found his student’s expression a bit odd, Xu Chuan didn’t dwell on it. After submitting his course schedule information, he picked up his phone from the desk and called Principal Tan Shaoyuan.

Hearing that he was already at Nanjing University, Principal Tan quickly hung up.

A short while later, he personally arrived with two pre-selected administrative assistants.

Walking into the office, Tan Shaoyuan greeted him with a smile, “You’ve finally come out of your house.”

Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly. “I got a bit of research inspiration and forgot about the assistant matter.”

Tan Shaoyuan chuckled. “No problem. Academician Xu, your research is what’s important. It’s no big deal for us to wait a bit.”

Pausing, he stepped slightly to the side, revealing the two assistants behind him. “These are the assistants the administration has selected for you. Both have extensive work experience. Academician Xu, what do you think?”

Behind him, the two assistants introduced themselves.

The slightly taller one was named Tang Ran. Her hair was in a simple ponytail with fine, wispy bangs that half-exposed her forehead, making her look sharp and capable.

The other, slightly shorter one was named Lu Ling. She wore round-framed glasses and had long, straight black hair that fell past her shoulders. She had a rather cute appearance.

After glancing at the assistants Nanjing University had picked for him, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but look at Principal Tan again. He opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating to speak.

To be honest, he highly doubted the principal’s claim that both assistants had “extensive work experience.”

Judging by their appearances, these two female assistants were probably not even twenty-five years old.

Besides, since when were assistants at Nanjing University this good-looking?

While he wasn’t a looks-supremacist, he had to admit that with their looks, these two female assistants could easily be considered department beauties at Nanjing University without any issue.

Of course, what Xu Chuan didn’t know was that these two assistants hadn’t actually been selected from within Nanjing University.

Originally, Nanjing University had chosen two assistants from the administration, one male and one female, but they were both replaced later on.

Noticing his gaze, Tan Shaoyuan said with a smile, “Please rest assured about the candidates, Academician Xu. Tang Ran and Lu Ling are both outstanding comrades. Their work is absolutely meticulous, stable, and reliable.”

Xu Chuan opened his mouth, wanting to ask why they were both women, but he ultimately held his tongue.

The job of an assistant, whether a research assistant or an administrative assistant, was frankly bitter and tiring work.

Forget female comrades, even male comrades might not last long in an assistant position.

So he didn’t quite understand why the university had picked two female assistants for him. Pairing them with a man to handle the heavy lifting would have been good, too.

Chapter 465: The Graphene Breakthrough

Although he was a little skeptical whether these two very young female assistants could handle the job, they had already been selected and brought over. Xu Chuan couldn’t very well ask for them to be replaced with men to their faces.

He’d see how they worked out after a trial period.

After some thought, Xu Chuan decided he would get a private email address and phone number later.

Having assistants was a good thing, but it could be inconvenient in some respects, especially when it came to private communications.

It was fine for the assistants to handle the preliminary processing of project-related or public matters on his behalf.

But when it came to personal matters, it was better for him to handle them himself.

At this thought, Xu Chuan suddenly remembered something else.

When he was in Beijing before, he had run into his old friend from Star City No. 1 High School, Lu Tianrui, at Peking University. He’d promised to mail him some of his old textbooks after he got back, but he had gotten busy and forgotten all about it.

Now that he had two new assistants, it was the perfect opportunity. He could have them go to the villa and bring over all the books from his time at Princeton.

On one hand, they could organize them and send photocopies of some of the books to Lu Tianrui.

On the other, they could be categorized and used as study materials for his new students. Although the books were a bit beyond the scope of graduate and doctoral students, that didn’t matter as long as they were useful.

After all, reading books slightly beyond one’s current scope helped stimulate the brain.

After assigning their tasks and checking on his two students’ progress, Xu Chuan set off for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Applying the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material to other superconducting materials required him to perfect the mathematical methods, but it also required the computational mathematics model at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Besides, he hadn’t been to the Institute in a while.

Even though someone was managing it for him, as the boss, he still needed to stay informed about the Institute’s work and progress.

He made his way to the Institute at the foot of Zijin Mountain and, having contacted him in advance, found Fan Pengyue without any trouble.

Right now, Senior Bear was busy in the lab.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan grew curious and asked with a smile, “Why are you suddenly down in the lab yourself?”

Although Senior Bear had come from a lab background and had conducted numerous experiments under Chen Zhengping, since taking over the management of the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, he rarely had the chance to personally work in the labs as a “lab monkey” anymore.

“Graphene!” replied Fan Pengyue excitedly, clad in a white lab coat. “We’ve found a way to mass-synthesize high-quality graphene! We’re running the final experiments now. If it works, this will be the biggest revolution in the materials world!”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. He strode forward and asked, “When did this happen? Why haven’t I heard you report on it?”

“Hang on, let me finish this step,” Fan Pengyue said without turning his head, his eyes fixed on the equipment.

At his words, Xu Chuan waited patiently.

If high-quality graphene could be mass-synthesized and industrially produced, it would indeed be, as Senior Bear had said, one of the greatest revolutions in the materials world.

That’s right, one of the greatest, not the only one.

In fact, compared to other researchers or scholars in the materials field, his attitude toward graphene wasn’t quite so fanatical.

Although he was also very optimistic about this new material, believing it held immense future potential—he had even used graphene when researching the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material—…

…he was still more level-headed about it than others.

Graphene had long been hailed by the materials science community as the “King of New Materials.”

Its excellent physical properties in a wide range of aspects—extremely high strength, conductivity, and thermal conductivity; being ultra-thin, highly transparent, highly flexible, and highly chemically stable; possessing magnetic properties, and so on—gave it broad adaptability.

Graphene was suitable for everything from basic raw materials to cutting-edge fields like new nanomaterials, high-performance electronic devices, energy storage and conversion, and biomedicine.

But it wasn’t without its shortcomings.

For example, there were the commonly cited problems: difficulty in mass-producing high-quality graphene, its tendency to oxidize in air, and the need for special encapsulation in application environments.

Apart from these conventional drawbacks, graphene’s biggest problem didn’t actually lie here.

Graphene’s greatest challenge was that its on-paper performance was outstanding, but its practical application performance was actually quite average.

That’s right. Extreme strength, conductivity, and thermal conductivity were all advantages of graphene, but what no one ever told the world was that these advantages almost exclusively existed at the laboratory or microscopic level.

Those exceptionally outstanding properties either only existed on a PowerPoint slide, in a lab, or could only be achieved by practically perfect graphene.

Take mechanical properties, for instance. Everyone has probably heard about graphene’s excellent mechanical properties, which surpass steel.

But what no one tells you is that this requires extremely high purity and special assembly processes.

Under conventional manufacturing, the mechanical properties of stacked graphene become similar to those of graphite. In this regard, carbon fiber is currently stronger—one could even say it completely demolishes graphene.

There was no way around it; current graphene simply couldn’t achieve the kind of mechanical performance seen in PowerPoint presentations.

Or take batteries. In the past, the capacity of graphene batteries was hyped up to be comparable to lithium-air batteries and even stronger than lithium-sulfur batteries.

In reality, however, graphene has high chemical reactivity and tends to lose stability during electrochemical reactions, which leads to problems like decreased electrode material capacity and a shortened battery life.

Of course, if these problems could be solved in the future, graphene could indeed be called the ‘King of New Materials.’

As for now, its future remained to be seen.

However, for Xu Chuan, if the Chuanhai Materials Laboratory could find a way to mass-produce high-quality graphene, it was still incredibly impressive.

At the very least, there was currently no way to industrially produce graphene on the market, and the gap was enormous.

If they could enter the market with mass production, graphene could bring him a market worth at least several billion US dollars annually.

The global production of graphene in 2019, from all countries combined, was a cumulative total of merely 1,200 tons.

Compared to the global market demand for graphene, this figure was less than a drop in the ocean.

Moreover, he would be able to seize the initiative in graphene research.

After all, once the costs came down, people would naturally be willing to invest further in it.

After a short wait, Fan Pengyue finished the step he was handling and handed over the subsequent experiment to the assistant working under him.

“What’s the situation? How did you suddenly have a breakthrough?” Xu Chuan asked curiously, watching Senior Bear walk over after removing his lab gloves.

Fan Pengyue smiled and replied mysteriously, “We have one person to thank for this!”

“Who?”

“That senior female student of yours.”

“Liu Jiaxin?” Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, “How is the graphene breakthrough connected to her?”

Fan Pengyue smiled and said, “After she returned last year, you asked her to help build a security platform for the Chuanhai Materials Institute, didn’t you? Because she needed to communicate with the Institute, she came here often for discussions.”

“In the second half of this year, while researching the rapid graphene synthesis route discovered in 2019, the Institute ran into some difficulties. She helped by re-optimizing and redesigning the materials model for that specific area.”

“Then, using the model, we recently found a viable path. It’s already been verified through the supercomputer and computational models, and production is feasible.”

“That’s why the entire graphene department is working overtime on experiments right now, and I haven’t had the chance to consolidate the materials to report to you.”

“But even if you hadn’t come, I was planning to contact you in the next day or two anyway.”

Xu Chuan nodded in understanding. “So that’s how it was.”

Fan Pengyue asked a bit curiously, “Speaking of which, what’s your relationship with that senior female student of yours? Could you get her to help us with something?”

“Help with what?” Xu Chuan asked, intrigued.

“Ask her to help optimize the computational materials model,” Fan Pengyue said. “As you know, as more and more material mechanism data is added, the model you built before gets bigger and more bloated.”

“In fact, it’s already massive. Every calculation requires an immense amount of processing power. If we couldn’t borrow the massive processing power from Nanjing University’s new supercomputer, the Institute wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“And the processing power of Nanjing University’s supercomputer is limited; the university can’t possibly allocate all of it to us. If it keeps expanding like this, I’m afraid our only option will be to build our own supercomputer.”

“Although the Institute has been trying its best to optimize it, our capabilities are ultimately limited. Plus, the complexity and confidentiality of this thing are very high, making it difficult for us to recruit suitable personnel to optimize it.”

“Speaking of which, that senior female student of yours is truly strong in mathematical modeling. I feel like even you might not be her match in this area.”

“The computational simulation module for graphene we’re using now was restructured by her. Its computational performance is about one hundred and seventy percent higher than the one we wrote before.”

“That’s why I want to ask her to help re-optimize the entire architecture.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “I’ll ask her about it later. Optimizing the architecture is indeed something that needs to be done.”

He paused, then continued, “But for now, tell me about the graphene. How exactly are you mass-producing it?”

Compared to optimizing the computational materials model, Xu Chuan was more curious at this moment about how they had managed to mass-produce high-quality graphene.

One had to understand that before his rebirth, the problem of its complete industrial manufacturing hadn’t been solved. The difficulty was immense, to say the least.

Chapter 466: A Stunning Preparation Method!

The industrial-scale mass production of graphene isn’t actually a major challenge these days.

Methods like the graphene oxide reduction method, micromechanical exfoliation, chemical vapor deposition, and epitaxial growth have already achieved a certain degree of mass production.

However, the graphene produced by these methods is, on one hand, not of high quality, and on the other hand, suffers from a high degree of contamination.

For instance, with the graphene oxide reduction method, the prepared graphene needs to be reduced at high temperatures. During this process, incomplete reduction leads to the coexistence of graphene and graphene oxide, and also results in the doping of other impurities into the graphene.

Using a vacuum furnace for the reduction, however, is far too expensive.

This has meant that this method can currently only produce low-quality graphene.

And this type of graphene is essentially unusable in fields like high-performance electronic devices, energy storage, and medicine. Generally, this kind of doped and contaminated graphene is mainly used in basic fields such as construction, adsorbents, seawater desalination, and composite materials.

However, the demand for graphene in these fields isn’t actually that large. After all, no matter how low its quality, it’s still graphene, and its price is considerably higher than the technologies and materials originally used in those industries.

High-quality graphene is where the real demand lies.

Whether in electronics, photosensitive components, or aerospace, the shortage of high-quality graphene has always been a persistent issue.

But the industrial-scale mass production of high-quality graphene is an exceptionally difficult problem to solve.

It can’t be helped; the production process for high-quality graphene is just too complex.

First, to create high-quality graphene, one must first prepare high-quality single-layer graphene.

The preparation of high-quality single-layer graphene, at present, is almost always limited by the chamber size of CVD equipment, as existing CVD methods cannot achieve continuous production of single-layer graphene.

Although in this field, a certain country that has secretly started discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean once displayed a “so-called” one-hundred-meter-long sheet of graphene, its surface was riddled with holes and completely unusable.

Furthermore, the continuous production technology for CVD graphene and the issue of product yield have yet to be properly resolved.

Second, a high-quality transfer method for graphene is a tough problem. The commonly used wet etching transfer often introduces issues like wrinkles, impurities, and damage, making large-scale transfer difficult.

Finally, there’s the combination of the first two issues.

That is, achieving the continuous production and transfer of CVD graphene, matching and integrating the two to form an automated production technology.

Without solving these first two difficulties, the manufacturing of high-quality graphene had virtually no path forward.

In truth, evaluating a new technology, especially in materials science, is in itself not an easy task.

It requires many supporting conditions to be in place.

In fact, for many technological breakthroughs in materials science, half the effort needs to be spent on subsequent pure application testing.

And this work requires substantial investment. Without sufficient capital and downstream application support, it’s basically a non-starter.

Although graphene has support from downstream manufacturers, its production and application remain difficult problems.

That was why Xu Chuan was so interested in the method for mass-producing high-quality graphene that the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had developed.

“Let’s talk in my office. The experiment here won’t have results until around three in the afternoon, but I roughly organized the production method and steps yesterday.”

Fan Pengyue took off his lab gloves and led Xu Chuan to his office.

He turned on his computer, unlocked it, and pulled up a document. After opening it, he said, “I haven’t had time to print the files yet. You can just read it on the computer for now.”

Xu Chuan didn’t mind. He took the seat and began to carefully read through the information before him.

According to the document, this method for preparing high-quality graphene was an extension of a technique for recovering graphite to prepare graphene from LIBs batteries, which was accidentally discovered in the second half of 2019.

Back in 2019, a researcher named Yan Liu from the Institute’s lithium-sulfur battery laboratory was working on further optimizing lithium batteries. He used materials like hydrazine hydrate, molten salt hydroxides, and discarded aluminum foil from the positive electrode current collector as reducing agents in an attempt to modify the LiFePO4 cathode, aiming to improve the lithium battery’s electrochemical performance and cycle stability.

However, the intended optimization was not achieved. But surprisingly, while testing the failed experimental product, Yan Liu discovered a thin carbon film attached to the negative electrode.

After testing, it was confirmed to be a film of relatively high-purity graphene.

In this novel chemical synthesis method, the graphite anode, after undergoing electrochemical cycling and then chemical oxidation, yielded uniformly dispersed graphene oxide.

Then, through the use of oxidizing and reducing agents, the graphene oxide was reduced back into graphene.

The graphene synthesized this way had a higher purity and was relatively clean and free of contamination.

Of course, it had quite a few drawbacks as well.

For example, reducing graphene oxide involved the use of environmentally unfriendly and expensive oxidizing and reducing agents. At the same time, the chemical reaction would also damage the structural integrity of the graphene film material.

Furthermore, transferring the graphene was also an extremely difficult task.

Despite the numerous drawbacks, it was still a direction well worth exploring.

The matter had caught Xu Chuan’s attention at the time, but he was busy with the controlled nuclear fusion project and couldn’t spare the time to delve deeper. He could only entrust the matter to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Now, after more than a year and a half, combined with the Institute’s computational materials model, this method of synthesizing high-purity graphene film material had seen significant improvements.

As is well known, there are three main difficulties in synthesizing high-quality graphene.

From the continuous synthesis of high-purity, single-atom-layer graphene to the transfer of the film, and finally to continuous industrialization, each step is extremely difficult.

But after a year and a half of exploration, the materials laboratory had improved this new electrochemical synthesis method.

First was the further high-purity optimization of the graphite anode material from the original LiFePO4 battery.

They used high-purity synthetic graphite with a purity of over ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent to replace the original battery’s anode graphite material.

After all, although the anode of an LiFePO4 battery uses graphite, it isn’t high-purity graphite; it contains impurities to enhance battery performance.

And while the amount of these impurities isn’t large, they still affect the quality of the graphene during the synthesis process.

Of course, this wasn’t the key.

The critical issues with this electrochemical method of synthesizing graphene lay in the required oxidation-reduction process and the transfer of the synthesized graphene.

The latter was relatively easier to solve. It could be achieved through external microwave transfer or the liquid-phase exfoliation method, though the efficiency was low and problems like defective products would arise.

But the former, the reduction of graphene oxide, had always been a major challenge for the industrial sector.

Although there are many choices of reducing agents for graphene oxide—from hydrazine and its derivatives, to metal hydrides like sodium borohydride, strong acids, strong bases, alcohols, phenols, Vitamin C, and reducing sugars (like glucose, chitosan, etc.)—they could all do the job.

But no matter which one was used, each had its own drawbacks.

For instance, using certain acids to reduce graphene would cause the single-layer graphene structures to agglomerate and stack due to π-π interactions, leading to a smaller specific surface area, increased resistance, and a significant drop in performance.

This, in turn, limited its application prospects.

Alternatively, using hydrazine or its derivatives for reduction, while solving the problem of product agglomeration, also introduced C-N bonds into the reduced graphene, causing contamination.

Moreover, the hydrazine hydrate used is highly toxic and unsuitable for large-scale production, industrial use, or in biomedicine.

So Xu Chuan was very curious about how exactly the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had solved this problem.

Following the document, Xu Chuan continued to read.

In the summary of graphene oxide reduction methods, he saw how the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute reduced graphene oxide.

“…Utilize various film assembly methods to modify a specific electrode substrate with graphene oxide, obtaining a graphene-oxide-modified electrode. Subsequently, use this modified electrode as the working electrode in a classic three-electrode electrolysis system to carry out an electrolytic reaction in a specific electrolyte solution, thereby achieving the reduction of the graphene oxide film.”

“Electrochemical reduction method?”

Seeing this method, Xu Chuan was taken aback for a moment.

He had originally thought the lab had found a new type of reducing agent, but he never expected them to completely bypass the limitations of reducing agents and use an alternative electrochemical method.

First, sonicate the graphene oxide in deionized water for one hour, then modify it onto a conductive glass substrate. An electrochemical reaction is then initiated in a standard three-electrode cell using a 0.1 mol/L Na2SO4 solution with Hg/Hg2SO4 and Pt electrodes as the reference and counter electrodes, respectively. The reduction of the graphene oxide occurs through extended cyclic voltammetry (CV, -1.0 to 1.0 V, relative to the reversible hydrogen electrode).

The degree of reduction of the graphene oxide is detected and controlled by testing the reduction peak and specific capacitance value at -0.75 V using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Further, using an electrochemical deposition method, the graphene oxide is modified onto a conductive glass substrate. This is then paired with a glassy carbon electrode in a 0.1 mol/L solution, and a scan from 0 to -0.1 V is performed to obtain a film on the substrate.

…

The document wasn’t very detailed, not even including things like electron microscope structure images, but it was enough for Xu Chuan to understand exactly how they had done it.

It had to be said, this was an exceptionally clever way of breaking new ground.

Currently, the materials science community’s approach to reducing graphene oxide and preparing graphene had always focused on using reducing agents or catalysts.

Although methods like microwave reduction, hydrothermal reduction, and catalytic reduction were already being studied, they hadn’t actually escaped the limitations of reducing agents and catalysts.

But this electrochemical reduction method directly bypassed the influence of reducing agents and catalysts.

Setting aside its efficiency for a moment, without additives like reducing agents and catalysts, the purity of the reduced graphene would undoubtedly be remarkably high.

After all, during the reduction process, it was no longer affected by any external additives.

Chapter 467: Synthesizing Starch from Carbon Dioxide

Aside from the oxidation and reduction of graphene, Xu Chuan’s sharp eyes noticed another detail in the document.

During the reduction of graphene oxide, an electrochemical reduction method was used.

The lithium in the lithium iron phosphate batteries was reduced and recovered, combining with other substances produced during the process to form lithium salts.

This was an unexpected but extremely useful outcome.

Leaving aside the reduction of graphene oxide, this result alone was enough to apply for a patent and be used in the processing of lithium phosphate batteries.

In fact, lithium battery recycling has always been an enormous challenge.

The collected batteries must first be pre-processed, which includes discharging, dismantling, crushing, and sorting.

Although the plastic and metal casings can be recycled after dismantling, the process carries considerable risks, not to mention the even more troublesome issue of treating the waste liquid from lithium batteries.

At the current level of technology, the cost of treating the waste liquid alone is enough to devour the meager profits from recycling the metals.

People will engage in high-risk ventures, but no one will do business that loses money. It could be said that under the current technological conditions, very few companies would voluntarily invest in the lithium battery recycling industry.

The lithium battery recycling operations seen on the market are basically born out of various national policies. Without subsidies and supportive policies, the final destination for lithium batteries would likely be none other than the landfill.

Of course, if it were only this, it would merely be a pleasant surprise, not enough to capture his serious attention.

What truly caught Xu Chuan’s attention was that throughout the entire process, the experimental data from the computational materials model showed that the waste liquid from the lithium iron phosphate battery was first broken down. Then, these mixtures reacted to produce carbon dioxide.

But during the entire electrochemical reduction process, the carbon dioxide was not superfluous; it participated in the reduction of the graphene oxide and the lithium salt.

This was what truly captured Xu Chuan’s attention.

Taking some time, Xu Chuan read the entire document twice.

Without getting up or speaking, he leaned back in his office chair and began to think.

In the office, Senior Bear Fan Pengyue, who had just boiled water, made tea, and brought it over, saw this and didn’t disturb him. He sat to the side and waited quietly.

The freshly made tea had already gone cold by the time Xu Chuan returned from his deep thoughts.

Across from him, Fan Pengyue saw him and asked curiously, “What were you just thinking about? The tea’s already cold.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan said directly, “I was thinking about the feasibility of a new technology.”

Although he had finished his contemplation, he was still in a bit of a daze, the ideas lingering in his mind not yet fully dissipated.

“What new technology?”

At this question, Xu Chuan finally snapped back to reality completely. He smiled and said, “A technology that uses carbon dioxide to synthesize carbon compound materials.”

Hearing this answer, Fan Pengyue was taken aback for a moment. “How did you end up thinking about that?” he asked.

Reaching out to pick up the teacup from the desk, Xu Chuan said with a smile, “I thought of it from the data I just saw.”

Fan Pengyue was stunned again. “Where?”

Taking a sip of the now lukewarm tea, Xu Chuan continued, “During the process of electrochemically synthesizing graphene oxide and reducing graphene using a lithium iron phosphate battery, the oxygen in the lithium iron phosphate combines with the graphite from the negative electrode to produce carbon dioxide under the combined effects of the electric current and the electrolyte solution.”

“And theoretically, this carbon dioxide isn’t superfluous. It might have participated in the reduction of the graphene oxide or the lithium salt.”

“This made me think about the reuse of carbon dioxide, and also about photosynthesis.”

Pausing for a moment, he went on, “As we all know, when plants and algae perform photosynthesis, they can synthesize energy-rich organic matter from carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen at the same time.”

“This mainly includes two stages, the light-dependent reactions and the light-independent reactions, involving important steps like light absorption, electron transport, photophosphorylation, and carbon assimilation.”

“Theoretically, this entire process can be perfectly replicated through experimental chemistry.”

“And in this new electrochemical graphene preparation process, I saw at least two processes that use carbon dioxide to synthesize relatively valuable materials.”

“So I was just thinking, could we collect carbon dioxide from the air or other sources and use it to synthesize various carbon compounds, oxygen, and so on.”

“Carbon is the element that forms the most types of compounds. For example, gasoline, starch, glucose, silicon carbide, hydrocarbons, graphene, and so on are all carbon compounds or carbon materials. Theoretically, all of these can be achieved through technological means.”

“If this method is achievable, it could potentially solve various problems like the greenhouse effect, the food crisis, and resource shortages.”

After hearing Xu Chuan’s explanation, Fan Pengyue was almost stupefied, staring at him with a strange expression.

He genuinely couldn’t understand how this junior of his connected so many dots.

Although graphene was indeed a carbon material, how on earth did it get linked to things like carbon dioxide collection and reuse?

From graphene, he had jumped to the collection and reuse of carbon dioxide.

To be honest, he really wanted to open up his junior’s head and see what was inside.

This mental framework… how could it be so different from an ordinary person’s?

Xu Chuan, however, didn’t mind Fan Pengyue’s strange gaze. After taking a sip of tea, he asked, “Speaking of which, who thought of using electrochemical methods to reduce graphene oxide?”

Coming back to his senses, Fan Pengyue replied, “It wasn’t something someone thought of. It’s something that was deduced by the computational materials model.”

Hearing this answer, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised and asked curiously, “Deduced by the computational materials model?”

He was perfectly clear about the capabilities of the model he had personally created.

Unless the underlying logical mathematical formulas were altered, it would be impossible to achieve this in a targeted manner.

The reason was simple: he hadn’t set up such a system in the underlying logical mathematical formulas.

To infer potential chemical combinations based on a material’s properties and mechanisms—that was already beyond the framework he had designed years ago.

Fan Pengyue nodded. “Yes, the graphene module didn’t originally have this function. It was only after that senior female student of yours modified it that it was able to make this deduction.”

“That’s why I wanted to ask for her help to see if she could optimize the other modules.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan stood up. “Optimizing is easy to talk about. First, take me to see the modified graphene module’s code and the underlying logical formulas.”

After confirming that this change was due to a modification of the computational materials model, he grew curious about what exactly that senior female student had changed.

Chapter 468: Technology in Preparation for Mars Development

In the computer lab of the computational materials model group, Xu Chuan opened the code for the graphene module and began to review it carefully.

He naturally understood the mathematical models, though not in great depth.

After all, he wasn’t a student of this specific field and hadn’t studied it systematically.

Of course, when someone else had already written the code and placed it before him, understanding its meaning was no problem at all.

“They’ve added a quantum mechanics calculation program here using the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional method and applied a linear combination of atomic orbitals method.”

“Here, they’ve introduced a hybrid method of quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics, combining the high precision of quantum mechanics with the efficiency of force field calculations.”

“…”

“Judging from the program, this method can perform high-precision calculations on large systems while reducing computational costs, and it can simulate both organic and inorganic molecular systems.”

After spending some time, Xu Chuan finished inspecting the relevant code for the graphene module.

What puzzled him was that if these were the only changes, it shouldn’t have led to such a drastic improvement in the graphene module’s computational power.

After all, these approaches were all quite conventional. While they certainly offered improvements, they shouldn’t have been so significant.

According to Fan Pengyue, it wasn’t just this part that had been modified; some other modules had been changed as well.

Opening up this section of the code, Xu Chuan browsed through it, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

[// Algorithm Set]

In the algorithm section of the graphene module, he saw something new. After a quick look, he immediately understood why the module’s computational capabilities had improved so dramatically.

He also understood the key to why the reduction of graphene oxide was done directly through electrochemical reduction without any reducing agents.

After reading through the algorithm set, Xu Chuan let out a long breath.

With his expertise, he could naturally see the underlying logic of this algorithm.

In this algorithm set, his senior, Liu Jiaxin, had created an independent algorithm collection specifically for lithium iron phosphate batteries and rigid, non-ionic, or ionic molecules composed mainly of C, O, H, Li, Fe, and P.

By referencing underlying physical properties and bonding methods, it searched for the crystal structure with the lowest energy by generating various possible packing and arrangement forms of a given molecule within a space group.

Then, on this basis, it introduced another algorithm, the Biovia algorithm, to predict the relationship between the structure of atoms and molecules and their properties and performance.

This method was used to specifically deduce the electrochemical process for manufacturing graphene for lithium iron phosphate batteries.

It was a very clever method, but undeniably very useful.

At the very least, it could generate more possibilities from a limited set of conditions.

Of course, this algorithm set had its drawbacks. Its scope was very limited; while useful, it was only applicable to lithium iron phosphate and graphene.

It was based on deductions from rigid, non-ionic, or ionic molecules composed of C, O, H, Li, Fe, and P, and it was built upon the mathematical methods he had originally created.

In layman’s terms, this algorithm set was somewhat like a banyan tree. After its root system spread out, it broke through the soil far away and grew into another tree.

It appeared independent, but its roots still originated from the main root system.

“A very clever method, but shouldn’t someone in the computational materials department be able to figure out the principles behind this?”

After reviewing the optimized graphene module program, Xu Chuan looked up at Fan Pengyue and asked.

Senior Bear nodded and scratched his head, replying with some embarrassment, “They can probably figure it out, but that algorithm set involves the mathematical formulas your senior, Liu Jiaxin, structured. That’s the hard part.”

“You know, even though the computational materials department is always hiring, it’s incredibly difficult to poach a top-tier talent who is proficient in both mathematics and algorithms.”

“Talent of that caliber is usually in top laboratories abroad. It’s almost impossible to recruit them.”

Hearing Fan Pengyue’s explanation, Xu Chuan suddenly realized he had overlooked the mathematical methods within the algorithm set.

From his perspective, the optimized mathematical methods in the graphene module were indeed simple, but that was because his mathematical ability was top-notch.

However, in the eyes of other researchers in the computational materials field, the difficulty was substantial.

And top-tier talents like his senior, Liu Jiaxin, who had received offers from famous companies like Google and Apple, with the highest annual salary reaching one million six hundred thousand US dollars, were basically tied to major corporations.

Even at companies like Google and Apple, they would be at the chief engineer level, capable of influencing an entire industry.

Besides salary, such talents typically receive rewards like stocks, options, and other benefits. How could they be easily poached?

After figuring this out, he shook his head with a smile and said, “Alright, I’ll find Senior Jiaxin when I have time and we’ll talk about optimizing the computational model.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “However, computational materials science is vast. It’s impossible for one method to cover all types of materials.”

“And as more mechanisms and algorithms for various materials are added, it’s inevitable that the model will become larger and larger.”

“As for the issue of processing power, let’s just build our own large-scale supercomputer center.”

Hearing this, Fan Pengyue thought for a moment and said, “Building our own supercomputer is indeed feasible, but won’t the cost be too high?”

“If it needs to be able to run the institute’s computational models perfectly, the funds required would probably exceed two billion, and that’s in US dollars.”

Although the US dollar had been continuously depreciating against the RMB since the realization of controlled nuclear fusion, the RMB had been rising.

However, under China’s deliberate control, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the RMB was still maintained at around 1:5.

Two billion US dollars was equivalent to over ten billion RMB.

Xu Chuan shook his head and said, “Just like the ‘Anton’ supercomputer in the world of chemistry, building a supercomputer specifically for materials computation won’t cost that much. The institute can afford it.”

After a pause, he continued, “Besides, my initial purpose for establishing Chuanhai Materials Research Institute wasn’t really to make a lot of money from it.”

“While making money is one aspect, its purpose is to explore more science. In that regard, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem at all.”

“Moreover, besides Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Chuanhai Network Technology Company also has a need for supercomputers. Building one for both companies to share is perfectly fine.”

Fan Pengyue nodded. “Since you’ve decided, I’ll have someone look into it. I’ll send you the plan once we have one.”

“Alright.”

Xu Chuan nodded in agreement. He chatted with his eldest senior disciple for a while longer in the office, outlining a plan for Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s next steps.

Although he rarely came here, he still needed to maintain control of the overall direction.

After their chat, Xu Chuan set off for another company under his name, Chuanhai Network Technology Company.

The results of the graphene mass synthesis wouldn’t be out until after three in the afternoon. He still had time, so he might as well go see his senior.

Chuanhai Network Technology Company was newly established after Liu Jiaxin returned from Princeton.

Of course, saying it was “newly” established was a stretch; it had been over a year.

Its main purpose was to create a cybersecurity platform for Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, and on the other hand, to develop in the fields of artificial intelligence and big data.

A year wasn’t long enough for the company to grow significantly.

After all, he wasn’t a professional in the computer field and couldn’t drive the company’s development through his own research as he had with the Materials Research Institute.

However, with ample financial backing, its progress was quite smooth.

It had at least managed to rent two floors of an office building in the industrial park near Zijin Mountain, employing over a hundred programmers and corresponding staff.

Arriving smoothly at Chuanhai Network Technology Company, Xu Chuan found Liu Jiaxin busy at work in her office.

With a smile, he knocked on the door. Startled, his senior looked up. She was clearly stunned for a moment upon seeing him, and then a smile blossomed on her face.

“What brings you here?”

Xu Chuan teased with a smile, “Even though I haven’t been here in a while, you can’t forget that this is my company.”

Hearing this, Liu Jiaxin’s face flushed slightly, and she said with some embarrassment, “That’s not what I meant.”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “I just came from Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. I heard you helped them optimize a model?”

Liu Jiaxin thought for a moment, then nodded and asked nervously, “Yes, I did help improve the model back in June. Is there a problem?”

Xu Chuan pretended to be serious. “A problem? A huge problem!”

Hearing this, Liu Jiaxin immediately tensed up. “Wh-what is it?”

Seeing her reaction, Xu Chuan stopped teasing her and said with a smile, “The problem is that the model you optimized is too good. It was a great help, and now Senior Fan wants me to drag you over to continue being a workhorse.”

Seeing that there was no issue with what she had helped modify, Liu Jiaxin finally relaxed. After letting out a secret sigh of relief, she said, “Then, should I help modify it again when I have time?”

Xu Chuan shook his head and smiled. “There’s no rush on that. I actually came this time to ask for your help with something.”

As he spoke, he handed her the document he had brought from Chuanhai Materials Research Institute. “I saw the model you modified at the institute, along with some of their experimental data on graphene, and it gave me a new idea.”

“It’s about carbon dioxide. I want to design a synthesis route.”

Xu Chuan concisely explained the concept he had thought of that morning at Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, then continued:

“There are many carbon compounds, from organic materials like anic proteins and fats to inorganic ones like petroleum, hydrocarbons, and graphene, all of which can be synthesized. But correspondingly, this process requires a computational model to perfect the relevant synthesis routes, as well as to design carbon dioxide collection and synthesis devices, and so on.”

“And the mathematical method and related algorithm set you used to optimize the computational model are very suitable. Creating an independent algorithm set for non-ionic or ionic molecules might have a limited scope of application, but by focusing on carbon as the core and deriving other materials from it, the range is relatively small, which is more suited to your logic.”

Flipping through the document in her hand and listening to Xu Chuan’s request, Liu Jiaxin thought for a moment and said, “If you can provide the formulas for the carbon synthesis routes and the related data, I can give it a try. It should be doable.”

“Compared to optimizing the institute’s graphene module, synthesizing carbon compounds generally involves hydrogenation to add long chains. The difficulty lies in the fact that carbon dioxide is a very stable molecule. Its catalytic reaction with hydrogen molecules mostly yields short-chain hydrocarbons like methane, ethane, and propane. It’s difficult to obtain the long-chain hydrocarbons found in gasoline fuel.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at Liu Jiaxin with some surprise. “You know about materials?”

Liu Jiaxin pursed her lips and said, “Princeton had research in this area. I learned a little about it when I was there and participated in a project to build a related mathematical model.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “That’s even better. I’ll send you some materials when I get back. You can take a look first, and when I’m done with what I’m working on, we’ll research this together.”

After a thought, he added, “There’s no rush on this. It’s a technology we’re preparing for the future. Just look at it when you have time. There’s no need to work overtime.”

He knew his senior’s personality. If he didn’t say this, she would definitely raise the priority of this matter to the highest level and work overtime to handle it.

But this technology for collecting, converting, and synthesizing carbon compounds from carbon dioxide was something he was preparing for a future Mars landing, and even for the development of Mars itself.

The atmosphere on Mars is thin, but over 96% of it is carbon dioxide.

Moreover, historical data from aerospace Mars landings shows that the Martian surface soil contains large amounts of carbon dioxide.

For example, at the two poles of Mars, there are vast water ice bodies composed of a mixture of carbon dioxide and water.

On Mars, both the North and South Polar Ice Caps can extend for thousands of kilometers during the aphelion period, indicating extremely abundant reserves of water ice and carbon dioxide.

And compared to transporting these substances from Earth, the cost of synthesizing various carbon compounds using carbon dioxide, water, and materials like oxygen and hydrogen from water electrolysis would undoubtedly be reduced by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times.

This provided real feasibility for developing Mars.

Even if the grand plan to completely terraform Mars is ultimately rejected, this technology could still provide enormous convenience for establishing a colony or a permanent base on Mars.

Of course, the technology for converting carbon dioxide into carbon compounds is not without its uses on Earth.

Although the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is lower, the atmospheric density is incomparable to that of Mars.

More importantly, carbon dioxide is a byproduct of many products. Under low-carbon policies, using this technology to synthesize it into other valuable products also holds great promise.

Its future is well worth looking forward to.

Chapter 469: That Is the Greatest Achievement in the Field of Materials Science!

He stayed at Chuanhai Network Technology Company until a little after two in the afternoon.

Besides the technology related to carbon dioxide collection and the synthesis of carbon compounds, Xu Chuan also caught up on the development status of Chuanhai Network Technology Company.

The cybersecurity defense platform being built for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute was progressing steadily. With nearly half of the company’s entire workforce dedicated to it, the progress was quite fast.

It was estimated that in about another six months, after testing, the defense platform could be officially launched.

This wasn’t some initial version, either. Upon launch, it would immediately take over the institute’s defenses, a platform designed to withstand assaults from various hackers and other organizations.

Next, the area with relatively faster progress was the field of artificial intelligence.

In this area, there was a good amount of domestic talent. Whether it was for robotic intelligence programs, intelligent speech recognition, intelligent image recognition, or natural language processing, there were suitable experts to be hired.

Currently, the company already had a team of over thirty people dedicated to development in the fields of robotic intelligence and artificial intelligence.

As for big data, there hadn’t been much progress yet. The only achievements were mainly confined to data statistics and analysis within the field of materials.

Of course, this was related to the nature of Chuanhai Network Technology Company. At present, its only partner was the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

However, after the network defense platform was completed, it would gradually begin to approach other companies to develop its own business.

For now, it could be said that all its revenue came from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute and Xu Chuan’s investments.

Making it back to the Materials Research Institute just in time, Xu Chuan was there to see the results from a key stage of the graphene mass production process.

Dozens of graphene films, adhered to substrates, lay quietly in glass containers.

This was graphene that had already undergone oxidation-reduction, with only the final transfer and testing remaining.

If it were any other experiment, reaching this stage with the finished product would have been enough to declare success.

But in a materials experiment, synthesizing the final product wasn’t the end point. The end point was whether the synthesized product could meet the required standards after testing!

And the testing process for graphene was particularly complex.

For example, various microscopes like electron microscopes, scanning tunneling microscopes, and transmission electron microscopes were needed to observe the graphene’s growth domains, surface morphology, thickness, layer uniformity, domain growth, and so on.

Spectroscopic methods like Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were also needed to determine various parameters, such as the number of graphene layers, the presence of functional groups, the combination of chemical bonds on the surface, and more.

In addition, there were also mechanical properties testing, as well as thermal properties and thermal effects testing.

Compared to other traditional materials, the testing for graphene was so complex it could be considered cumbersome even within the field of materials science.

But for a material hailed as the ‘King of New Materials,’ the ‘Universal Material,’ and ‘Black Gold,’ it had to undergo this extensive testing to determine its performance in all aspects.

Whether it was its strength, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, high transparency, high flexibility, high chemical stability, magnetism, and so on.

It was precisely these properties that gave it a wide range of applications, but they also necessitated complex testing.

In the laboratory, the final steps were being carried out in a tense but orderly fashion.

Fortunately, with this electrochemical synthesis method, they had achieved mass production of graphene, allowing them the luxury of using a different piece of graphene for each individual test.

Otherwise, relying on the one, two, or three pieces of graphene sporadically produced in a traditional lab, just completing the entire testing process would take at least two or three days.

Xu Chuan didn’t wait in his office; instead, he stood on-site with the researchers.

He hoped to hear the cheer that would echo through the entire room.

Of course, he didn’t go up and disturb the researchers’ work. He just stood to the side, waiting quietly, even though he was capable of lending a hand.

After all, this was their glory.

The development of science has never depended on a single individual.

Even Albert Einstein had countless people working for him, verifying various theories and data.

Xu Chuan never expected to be able to drive all scientific progress by himself; otherwise, there would have been no need for him to establish the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

And as it turned out, anyone could be the protagonist of their own world.

Even without him, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had still made a major breakthrough in the field of materials.

Now, all that was left were the final test results.

Time passed, bit by bit. More than half an hour quickly slipped away.

In the lab, Yan Liu, the man who had developed the rapid synthesis method for graphene, was personally stationed in front of a computer, waiting for the results.

As streams of test data flowed in from the various testing labs and equipment, the expression on the face of this middle-aged, round-spectacled researcher grew increasingly excited.

When the final piece of critical data came through, Yan Liu clenched his fists and couldn’t help but shout, “The test results are in!”

Hearing this, the other researchers in the lab, who were just as eager as Xu Chuan for the results, all looked over.

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Yan Liu couldn’t help but swallow dryly. He took a deep breath and then announced:

“All parameters from the test reports…”

“…perfectly meet the standards!”

“We… succeeded!”

Upon hearing these staggered words, the laboratory erupted in fierce cheers.

“Nice!”

“King Yan is a beast!”

“You’re treating! You have to treat us!”

The lab was filled with cheers as everyone celebrated. Xu Chuan, a smile on his face, looked at Yan Liu, who was looking back at him. He gave him an approving gaze and a thumbs-up.

Regardless of how this research result was discovered—whether by accident or by luck—it was now a reality, already a shining moment in history.

Even for him, the technology for mass-producing high-quality graphene was an invaluable achievement.

This was a problem for which a clear path wouldn’t be found for another decade or more, but now, it had been brought into the world.

On the strength of this achievement alone, this researcher was worthy of joining the top ranks in the world.

Of course, this glory belonged not only to Yan Liu but also to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, and even more so to all of China, and indeed, the entire world.

In the lab, facing Xu Chuan’s look of praise and his thumbs-up, Yan Liu broke into a brilliant smile.

A breakthrough in the field of high-quality graphene—this was, without a doubt, a great achievement.

Although he was the one who had brought it about, he knew that without the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute’s computational materials model, he might never have found the right path in his entire life.

It was less that he had brought this great achievement and glory to the institute, and more that the institute had made his achievement possible.

No one knew better than him just how astonishing that underlying computational materials model, the very foundation of the laboratory, truly was.

That was the greatest achievement in the field of materials science.

If it could one day be fully perfected, it would probably completely shock and change the world.

Chapter 470: Giving South Korea Major Credit

In his office, Xu Chuan received the complete report on this electrochemical synthesis of graphene.

From the full synthesis process to the various test reports and performance parameters of the final synthesized graphene, it was all there.

After a brief look at the synthesis process, his eyes fell on the graphene test reports and performance parameters.

【Graphene Powder A (colloidally dispersible), Layers: 1–5 (controllable), Average Thickness: 2 nm, Graphene Flake Size: 5–50 μm (controllable), Purity (carbon content): ~97 wt%】

【Graphene Powder B (lower cost), Layers: 2–10 (controllable), Graphene Flake Size: 20–200 μm (controllable), Specific Surface Area: ~50 m²/g, Purity (carbon content): ~98 wt%】

【Graphene Film A】

One by one, the data and tested performance parameters flashed before Xu Chuan’s eyes.

Graphene products generally come in two forms: graphene powder and graphene film.

Graphene powder is currently mainly used in fields like new energy, anti-corrosion coatings, composite materials, and biosensors, enjoying a relatively wide range of applications.

Graphene film, on the other hand, is primarily used in flexible displays, sensors, electronic devices, and other fields, making its application scope comparatively smaller.

But his main focus was on the graphene film.

This was because, compared to graphene powder, graphene film had much broader prospects.

Whether it was flexible displays, sensors, or graphene-based electronic devices, these were all more refined and more expensive products.

Moreover, producing large-area, high-quality graphene was exceptionally difficult, and the market it could create was much larger.

【Graphene Film A: Density: 0.3–2.2 g/ml (adjustable), Light Transmittance: 99.98-99.7% (depending on layers), Thickness: 1–50 μm (adjustable), Thermal Conductivity: 4837.21 W/m·K, Electrical Conductivity: 10^6, Tensile Strength: 1 - 50 MPa, Internal Carrier Mobility: 2×10^5 cm²/Vs】

【Graphene Film B: …】

There were six sets of controlled experiments. Judging from the data, the graphene film prepared by this electrochemical method was outstanding in all its parameters and specifications.

Whether it was its light transmittance, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, or tensile strength, it could be said to be at the top tier among graphene films.

A graphene film of this caliber had a considerably wider range of applications.

For example, in heat dissipation for mobile phones or computers.

Nowadays, after the great leap in mobile phone performance, there was no longer a lack of power. However, unleashing that performance generated heat, and the more powerful the SoC, the more heat it produced.

But the internal design of a mobile phone was prime real estate, and “how to dissipate heat” during performance release was a key problem that modern smartphones needed to solve.

With a thermal conductivity as high as 4837.21 W/m·K, nearly five thousand, its heat dissipation performance surpassed all thermal conductive materials on the market.

Typical mobile phones or computers used thermal grease or thermal silica gel pads for heat dissipation.

The thermal conductivity of these two materials was only around 10 W/m·K. Even high-conductivity silicone was only about 15-45 W/m·K.

Better phones used a more advanced and expensive thermal solution combining several materials, such as phase change thermal pads, thermal graphite sheets, VC vapor chambers, and thermal conductive silicone gel.

But even for the best of these, the graphite sheet, its thermal conductivity was only 1500-2000 W/m·K.

This number was already astounding among conventional thermal materials, but compared to graphene’s nearly five thousand, its performance seemed rather underwhelming.

It had to be said that the achievement from the Chuanhai Materials Research Lab this time, even without his involvement, was enough to make the institute one of the top materials research institutes in the world.

After all, this was a technology that could enable the industrialized mass production of high-quality graphene material.

Naturally, Xu Chuan attended the celebration party that evening.

After all, for the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, the ownership of all research results developed by its researchers belonged to the institute.

The graphene technology developed by Yan Liu and the other researchers this time, whether it was the patent or anything else, essentially belonged to the institute and the lab.

In the materials industry, this was standard practice and was always stipulated in contracts, leaving no room for dispute.

As for the researchers who made the achievement, they typically received a project bonus and one or more research papers written during the research process.

Of course, in many cases, after a researcher made a breakthrough, considering project confidentiality, patents, and other related projects, their papers might be withheld for a period before being published.

Sometimes, they might not be published at all, or even be ineligible for a patent application.

Under such circumstances, the institute or lab would naturally compensate the researchers in other ways.

Just like this time. After considering the special nature of high-quality graphene, Xu Chuan had a chat with Yan Liu. The research papers would most likely have to be published later, or perhaps not at all.

But the compensation was very generous.

To put it simply, besides a promotion, a raise, and an extra bonus, Yan Liu would also receive two percent of the net income once the graphene was mass-produced on a large scale.

Two percent might not sound like much, but the market for high-quality graphene was vast, amounting to billions of US dollars annually.

Although the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute couldn’t possibly monopolize the entire market, as high-quality graphene flowed out, this market would expand year by year.

In the future, the high-quality graphene market might not be just billions, but tens or even hundreds of billions.

Even if the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute could only capture half, or even a third of the market, the dividends Yan Liu would receive would be calculated in the tens or hundreds of millions.

In fact, for most research institutes, under normal circumstances, even if an ordinary researcher accidentally developed a material or patent that could bring high profits to the institute, it would be very difficult for them to get a share of the profits.

After all, you were using the institute’s funds and equipment for your research, and the contract stipulated ownership of these things.

However, for Xu Chuan, he had always been rather generous in this regard.

Besides, being able to tie Yan Liu to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute with two percent of the profits to prevent other institutes from poaching him and leaking the graphene synthesis process was definitely worth it.

Of course, this also served the purpose of spending a fortune on horse bones to attract even greater talent.

When other researchers found out, they would surely work harder on their research.

And with every new achievement, even after giving a portion of the profits to the researchers, the institute would still be the one making the big bucks.

It was completely worth it.

As for this compensation, Yan Liu naturally accepted it with delight.

Although he couldn’t publish the paper, he got a promotion, a raise, a bonus, and even profit-sharing he had never dreamed of.

If he weren’t so thick-skinned, he really would have wanted to shout, “God Chuan is awesome! God Chuan is so generous!”

After all, researchers worked so hard on experiments and publishing papers, wasn’t it to enhance their reputation, get promoted, get a raise, and earn more money?

Ideals were a part of it, but before chasing ideals, one had to put bread on the table, right?

This time, he had achieved it all in one step, and even received an unexpected share of the profits. If he wasn’t satisfied, it would be truly unreasonable.

After briefly handling the work brought on by the mass production of graphene, Xu Chuan found Fan Pengyue, or Senior Bear, and handed him a USB drive.

“This contains a research achievement on a strongly correlated electron system, mainly focused on the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material that South Korea was researching.”

“Find a few modeling personnel who are guaranteed to be ‘clean’ and use this to build a targeted mathematical model, then introduce it into the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material system.”

“This task is very important, and you must ensure its confidentiality.”

Xu Chuan passed over the USB drive, which contained the fruits of his research from the past period.

Although the problem of the strongly correlated electron system was still stuck on the final step, his research on the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material was complete.

The remaining work was to use this research to build a mathematical model and then introduce it to the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material to see if it could improve the material’s critical magnetic field.

In the KL-66 material, the strong diamagnetism mechanism arose from copper substituting lead ions in the lead phosphate insulating network. This produced stress, which was transferred to the Pb cylinder, causing a deformation of the cylinder’s interface and thereby creating a magnetic trap.

To explain it mathematically, it was because the two branches of the Fermi arc state electrons connected along the c-axis, breaking the inversion symmetry. This, in turn, caused the Dirac cone to split into two Weyl nodes with opposite chirality, leading to a non-trivial quantum phenomenon.

If that’s hard to understand, the simplest way to put it is this: imagine placing a massive star in the Solar System to replace a planet like Jupiter or Saturn.

Because of the star’s powerful gravity, this newcomer would stretch spacetime, forming another gravitational field and altering the orbits of other celestial bodies in the Solar System.

The magnetic trap in the KL-66 material had a similar effect. It formed its own unique additional magnetic moment, with a direction opposite to the external magnetic field, creating the phenomenon of Larmor precession and possessing strong diamagnetism.

This phenomenon, in theory, could be applied to many materials, especially semi-metal semi-organic composite materials.

However, how to control it at the atomic scale to form that unique additional magnetic moment was a difficult problem.

This would require continuous experimental verification in the future.

But at the very least, before he conducted the experiments himself, the relevant mathematical computational model needed to be created first.

It had to be said, if they managed another breakthrough with the superconductor’s critical magnetic field this time, and could build the miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion device and the aerospace engine, they would really have to give South Korea major credit.

If it weren’t for this KL-66 material they cooked up, increasing the superconductor’s critical magnetic field would have been as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Although the purpose for which they created this material might have been baseless, its intrinsic value was very real.

And what’s more, their own scientists had never even discovered it.

Chapter 471: Witten: How is this possible?!

Beijing, mid to late January.

As time passed, this city, full of ancient charm, welcomed flights from all over the world, just as it always had.

The crowds of people came and went endlessly, but what set this time apart was the touch of academic spirit amidst the usual bustling atmosphere.

Bringing five students with him, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail and arrived here once again.

He had been urged to come by Elder Yau.

The elderly man was likely afraid that Xu Chuan would forget about the “International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics” and stand up the entire field of mathematics, so he had started calling a few days in advance to ask when he would be arriving.

Although he understood Elder Yau’s feelings, did he really seem like the type to stand people up?

Obviously not.

So, Xu Chuan chose to bring all five of his students to Beijing, under the admirable pretext of letting them see the world.

In reality, it was more like: Eat your fill at the banquet for me! Eat Tsinghua University into bankruptcy!

It was their first time being brought to such a high-profile symposium by their advisor, and the students trailed nervously behind Xu Chuan like little ducklings, the very picture of inexperienced students who hadn’t seen much of the world.

Xu Chuan paid them no mind, checking the invitation letter as he led the way to the hotel where the symposium attendees were staying.

It had to be said, as one of China’s top-tier universities, Tsinghua University was truly generous with its funding.

Perhaps in an effort to showcase China’s culture and history to mathematicians from around the globe, the hotel provided for the attendees of the “International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics” was the top-tier Aman Summer Palace.

The hotel’s most distinctive feature was that it wasn’t a modern high-rise but was instead styled after traditional courtyard residences.

Upon entering the hotel, even Xu Chuan couldn’t help but marvel, Damn, they’re rich.

As for the students who had come along to see the world, it went without saying that they were completely floored.

Trailing behind his advisor, Cai Peng gawked at the undeniably luxurious courtyard residence and clicked his tongue in amazement. “Professor,” he asked curiously, “do you always stay in places like this when you travel for work?”

Beside him, the other four students pricked up their ears, listening with curiosity.

Xu Chuan shrugged. “To be honest, this is my first time staying in a courtyard residence like this too.”

He paused, and just as he was about to add something more, he caught sight of an elderly man in a trench coat pulling a suitcase into the courtyard.

He stopped mid-sentence, quickened his pace, and greeted the man with a smile. “Advisor, I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Hearing the voice, Deligne stopped pulling his suitcase and looked up. A rare smile spread across his face when he saw the familiar figure. “Long time no see.”

Xu Chuan nodded, taking the suitcase from Deligne. “Yes,” he said with a smile, “it’s been about two years, hasn’t it?”

Looking at his ever-youthful student, Deligne remarked emotionally, “I heard Shing-Tung Yau invited a lot of his old friends to this conference, so I decided to come and take a look.”

“Besides, to be able to leave something more to the field of mathematics in my later years… it’s something I ought to do.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Knowledge is never truly old or new. Even methods that have been replaced once sparked brightly in the history of civilization. They carry the dreams of that civilization and are a treasure worthy of everyone’s memory.”

After a slight pause, he added, “Besides, old methods can sometimes find new applications. In a different field, they might just shine brightly once again.”

Hearing this, Deligne glanced at him with curiosity. “Are you planning to present something at this conference?”

He knew his student. If he hadn’t already discovered something, he likely wouldn’t be speaking this way.

Perhaps I’ll see something interesting at this symposium?

Xu Chuan gave a mysterious smile. “I have a half-hour presentation at this symposium. You’ll know then.”

Hearing this, Deligne nodded and didn’t press for more details.

It was only a day away. He could wait.

January 20th.

In the Great Hall at Tsinghua University, the first “International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics” officially began.

Before nine in the morning, the Great Hall at Tsinghua University was already a dense, dark sea of people.

Arriving at the venue, Xu Chuan navigated through the crowd and, following the signs, found his assigned seat.

To his surprise, another elderly man, wearing a wool sweater, was seated next to him.

“Advisor, I can’t believe you came all this way. Aren’t things busy over at CERN?”

Xu Chuan was quite surprised to see the familiar man.

The person sitting beside him was none other than his other advisor from his Princeton days, Edward Witten.

If Professor Deligne’s arrival was somewhat expected, then Witten’s presence was a genuine surprise.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s question, Edward Witten smiled and replied teasingly, “Although the world may see me as a physicist, I am a bona fide Fields Medalist—the kind with an actual medal and everything.”

“If someone like me isn’t qualified to attend this symposium, I can’t imagine who else would be.”

At this, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but give a dry cough. He had almost forgotten that this advisor of his was the first physicist to ever win a Fields Medal.

And just like that, he got to flex on me.

But he did have a point.

After all, if even a Fields Medalist wasn’t allowed to participate, then more than ninety-nine percent of the people in the Great Hall would have to show themselves out.

Clearing his throat, Xu Chuan sat down and began chatting with Witten as they waited for the presentations to begin.

At nine-thirty, the first “International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics” officially commenced in the Great Hall of Tsinghua University.

First, the host of the symposium, Tsinghua University, gave a brief overview of the conference’s agenda.

Next, the President of the International Mathematical Union (IMU) took the stage to deliver an address. He gave a detailed speech on research topics like ‘The History of Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary Mathematics,’ ‘Mathematical Exchange and Dissemination,’ and ‘Mathematics Education and Culture,’ concluding with a call for all nations and the mathematical community to protect, disseminate, and promote mathematical culture.

This was followed by a representative from the Chinese government, who went on stage to address the symposium, stating that China would contribute to better promoting research into mathematical culture, advancing mathematical development, disseminating mathematical culture, and helping to guide the future of the field.

The morning’s presentations were not particularly exciting.

The real highlight was the afternoon’s discussion sessions.

Tsinghua University had provided three lecture halls to accommodate the various discussions for the scholars attending the symposium.

Xu Chuan did not have long to wait. After the afternoon discussion sessions began, he was scheduled for the second presentation in Lecture Hall 1, a slot of about half an hour.

By around three in the afternoon, as per the schedule, Lecture Hall 1 was already packed. Some of the attending mathematicians, unable to find a seat, were even sitting in the aisles.

When Xu Chuan entered the lecture hall, the sight of the jam-packed room made him wonder if every single scholar at the symposium had squeezed their way in here.

The crowd was simply astonishing.

Fortunately, he was no stranger to large crowds. Though a bit surprised, he walked calmly to the lectern.

He tested the microphone, and once he confirmed it was working, he scanned the lecture hall, spotting quite a few familiar faces.

He smiled and began, “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all the scholars who have traveled from afar to be here. I believe today’s discussion is a very meaningful event.”

“Of course, I don’t need to repeat the platitudes about protecting and developing mathematics. I’m confident that everyone here today is here because they love mathematics.”

“My presentation today, however, isn’t from a purely mathematical standpoint. To be frank, the content I’m reporting on is more focused on the application of mathematics and its complementary relationship with physics.”

“Some of you may find parts of today’s presentation difficult to follow, but I believe it will be worth your while and will not be a waste of your time and energy.”

A slight stir went through the lecture hall at Xu Chuan’s words.

Sitting in the front row, Edward Witten raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Bringing physics into a mathematics symposium… He must be the first person in history to do so.

After a moment’s thought, he leaned slightly toward Deligne, who was sitting beside him, and asked, “Do you have any idea what he’s going to present?”

Deligne shook his head. “I don’t.”

He paused for a beat, recalling his unexpected meeting with his former student the day before, and added, “But I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Unfazed by the murmuring from the audience, Xu Chuan continued.

“After developing for several millennia, the ancient discipline of mathematics has branched out in countless new directions over the past century, giving rise to many applied fields.”

“But if we look back at history, the development of mathematics has often benefited from problems posed by physics, while every major revolution in physics has been accompanied by the introduction of new mathematics.”

“The two fields are complementary.”

“Some time ago, while researching certain problems, I made some unexpected discoveries. Today, I would like to share these findings to add a splash of color to our symposium.”

“Admittedly, my topic leans heavily toward the field of mathematical physics. Scholars outside this area may find it somewhat difficult to follow, but I will do my best to present it as concisely as possible.”

With that, he switched on the projector behind him.

A silver-white screen slowly descended.

After a few seconds, a soft white light illuminated the screen, and a clear title appeared.

[The Mathematical Theory of Non-Equilibrium Strongly Correlated Electron Systems and a Calculation Method for a Specific Type of Correlation!]

A line of large, black, standard-script characters jumped out at everyone.

Of course, considering that most of the scholars in attendance were international, a line of English text was provided below the Chinese characters.

As the clear title on the silver screen came into view, Professor Witten, sitting in the front row, felt his dark brown pupils contract sharply. He couldn’t stop a low gasp from escaping his lips:

“A mathematical theory for non-equilibrium strongly correlated systems… how is that possible?”

Beside him, Professor Deligne noticed his reaction and turned to look at him, asking curiously, “What is it?”

Chapter 472: Deligne: How Am I Supposed to Understand Any of This?

At his friend’s question, Witten took a deep breath and slowly composed himself.

Staring at the silver-white screen on the lectern, he said, “You’re a pure mathematician. It might be difficult for you to grasp the impact that a foundational mathematical theory for non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron systems would have on condensed matter physics.”

“If I had to make an assessment, the problems within strongly correlated electron systems hold a status in condensed matter physics similar to that of the Riemann Hypothesis in number theory.”

“It might be difficult to compare the difficulty of solving each in their respective systems. But the impact is by no means weaker.”

“And the non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron system is one of the most classic problems within the broader challenge of strongly correlated electron systems. It involves studying the dynamic behavior of strongly correlated systems in a non-equilibrium state to reveal new physical phenomena and potential applications.”

“But to this day, no one in either the field of physics or mathematics has been able to provide a complete mathematical foundation for it, or even a complete set of mathematical tools.”

Witten offered a simple explanation, but his eyes never left the lectern. The turmoil in his heart was written all over his face, which surprised Deligne.

Having worked alongside his friend at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study for so many years, he had rarely seen Witten this flustered, especially in recent years as he had grown older.

However, after hearing the explanation, he began to understand.

If a problem’s impact could be compared to the Riemann Hypothesis in the field of mathematics, then that problem was bound to have an extremely high level of recognition and influence in its corresponding field.

Just like the Riemann Hypothesis—with the development of mathematics in recent years, there were now thousands of mathematical formulas built on the assumption that the hypothesis was true.

If the Riemann Hypothesis were proven true, then those thousands of formulas would be elevated to the status of theorems along with it.

If it were disproven, the field of number theory would experience the greatest upheaval in its history.

If the influence of the strongly correlated field on condensed matter physics was truly on that level, it was no wonder Witten was so astonished.

Even a partial result could influence the development of condensed matter physics.

In truth, Deligne’s understanding was still too simplistic.

Compared to Witten, he was truly a pure mathematician, focused primarily on algebraic geometry and number theory. His entire life had been dedicated to mathematics.

He didn’t know much about physics. Although he was aware of condensed matter physics and strongly correlated electron systems, he was unclear about the specific impact these had on the field.

Even Edward Witten’s description of the impact of strongly correlated electron systems was not entirely complete.

After all, his main area of research did not include condensed matter physics; his knowledge came from its connections to mathematical physics and Quantum theory.

In fact, the influence of strongly correlated electron systems was one of the greatest of any subfield within condensed matter physics, and even the entire field of physics.

The correlation of electrons leads to a vast wealth of quantum effects and phenomena, such as high-temperature and unconventional superconductivity, anomalous magnetism, metal-insulator transitions, semimetals, the giant thermoelectric effect, multiferroicity, heavy fermions, and more.

Exploring the microscopic mechanisms behind these effects and phenomena, and establishing a many-body quantum theory system, is one of the most active and challenging frontier research areas in condensed matter physics, quantum physics, and chemical physics.

Perhaps comparing the strongly correlated electron system to the Riemann Hypothesis wasn’t a perfect analogy.

If one had to find an approximate problem in mathematics, the NS equations would be the most similar.

Progress on and solutions to the NS equations would elevate humanity’s understanding of fluids to an entirely new level, ushering in enormous developments in all theories and technologies related to fluids.

From simulating the flow of clouds and ocean currents to the turbulence after an airplane takes off, the flow resistance after a rocket launch, and even the flow of blood through the heart—all these areas would see tremendous improvements.

As for the strongly correlated electron system, solving this entire set of systematic problems would result in a qualitative leap in humanity’s understanding of condensed matter physics and microscopic particles.

And this field impacts the development of materials.

New materials that have been hot topics in recent years, such as copper-based/iron-based superconductors, FeSe/STO interface superconductivity, iridium oxides, Mott insulators, quantum antiferromagnetism, and other low-dimensional quantum systems, were all born from the study of strongly correlated electron systems.

The emergence of each of these materials has pushed human technology forward by a great leap, and their significance is self-evident.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan pulled up his PPT and advanced to a new slide.

“For us, mathematics is a discipline that studies concepts like quantity, structure, change, and spatial models.”

“Through the use of abstraction and logical reasoning, it arises from counting, calculation, measurement, and the observation of the shapes and movements of objects. We expand upon these concepts to formulate new conjectures and establish rigorously derived truths from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions.”

“And when these truths are applied to other fields, they bring technology and progress to humanity.”

“What I’m going to talk about today is the use of mathematical tools to provide a mathematical theory and calculation method for strongly correlated electron systems in condensed matter physics. It has the potential to greatly promote the development of condensed matter physics and particle physics.”

“Of course, conversely, as physics develops, it will inevitably drive progress in mathematics.”

“Just as Newton invented Calculus to solve problems in physics. Faraday studied electricity and magnetism, but limited by his mathematical ability, he couldn’t reveal the profound connection between them. It was Maxwell, with his superlative mathematical talent, who perfectly unified electricity and magnetism.”

“After all, we always need mathematics to explain these new phenomena and theories.”

As he spoke, Xu Chuan clicked through the PPT slides.

“Alright, next I will present a report on my research paper, starting from the basics and moving to the more complex.”

“First-principles calculation is an algorithm that, based on the principles of interaction between atomic nuclei and electrons and their fundamental laws of motion, applies the principles of quantum mechanics to directly solve the Schrödinger equation after certain approximations, starting from specific requirements.”

“Both ab initio calculations, based on the Hartree-Fock self-consistent field method, and calculations from Density functional theory (DFT) fall into this category.”

“For example, φM = -(Ve + εFe).”

“I trust that everyone here, even those who haven’t studied physics, can recognize that this calculates the minimum work required to extract an electron from metal M across a surface with no net charge, a value related to the Fermi level.”

“…”

At the lectern, as Xu Chuan explained, lines of formulas appeared before everyone.

For the mathematicians sitting here today, as time passed, not everyone could successfully keep up and understand everything.

But in the Lecture Hall of several hundred people, there was no shortage of top-tier mathematicians and scholars in mathematical physics, such as Edward Witten, Elder Yau, Deligne, and others.

These individuals were all listening with rapt attention.

First-principles calculation wasn’t difficult for the mathematicians present to understand. After all, it used mathematics to calculate from scratch, requiring no experimental parameters, only some basic physical constants, to obtain the fundamental properties of a system’s ground state.

But as time went on, fewer and fewer could keep pace.

As for Xu Chuan, he didn’t expect to make something related to physics perfectly clear to everyone at a mathematics conference.

What he was doing was showing the numerous mathematicians the applications of mathematics and the relationship between mathematics and physics in the process.

Compared to a mathematician like his advisor, Professor Deligne, he was far from being so “pure.”

If he could, he hoped more mathematicians would step into the field of physics. Of course, he also hoped more physicists would be receptive to newer mathematical knowledge.

Physics is a science for understanding nature and providing an abstract description of the real world, while mathematics is the language of science. Neither can exist without the other.

In the front row of the audience, watching Xu Chuan presenting on the lectern, Professor Deligne couldn’t help but poke Witten, who was sitting beside him. “What is he doing?”

The presentation had reached its second half, and he could no longer understand a single thing his student was saying.

For a top-tier mathematician like him, this feeling was incredibly difficult to accept.

Without turning his head, Professor Witten stared at the lectern and replied, “Simply put, he is using mathematics to explain the non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron system. Just like Albert Einstein used Riemannian geometry to describe gravity.”

“What he’s doing now is using mathematics to describe the non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron system.”

Deligne was silent for a moment, then asked, “How am I supposed to understand any of this?”

Hearing this, Edward Witten snapped back to the present. He thought for a moment and said, “You might need to learn some condensed matter physics?”

He paused slightly before adding, “You’d probably also need some knowledge of quantum chemistry, quantum many-body physics, and atomic and molecular physics.”

“But it’s most likely too late. What he’s presenting today involves the cutting edge of condensed matter physics. Even for me, it’s not that easy to comprehend.”

Deligne: “…”

Chapter 473: The Final Answer

The conference presentation continued.

For today’s presentation, Xu Chuan hadn’t prepared an overly detailed report.

After all, today’s conference was for the field of mathematics, not the field of physics.

Even though he used mathematical methods to explain the non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron system, he estimated that few people in the Lecture Hall could understand this material.

After all, it was a topic in the field of physics.

While a select few, like Witten and Shing-Tung Yau, might have been able to fully understand his presentation, it held little significance for the complete methodology and paper.

Ultimately, this kind of work still needed to be recognized by the entire field of physics.

“. . . Consider a two-variable function f(x1, x2). If we expand the second variable in a complete basis of single-variable functions {φᵢ(x)}ᵢ₌₁…ₙ, we get f(x1, x2) = Σ(from i=1 to n) bᵢ(x1)φᵢ(x2), where the coefficients bᵢ(x1) are functions of the first variable.”

“The basis functions are further expanded as . . .”

“f(x1, x2) = Σ(for i>j) Cᵢⱼ[φᵢ(x1)φⱼ(x2) - φᵢ(x2)φⱼ(x1)] = Σ(for i>j) | φᵢ(x1) φᵢ(x2) / φⱼ(x1) φⱼ(x2) |”

“From the formula above, it is not difficult to see that for an antisymmetric two-variable function, a complete basis is the two-variable Slater determinant.”

“Applying this to the Non-equilibrium strongly correlated system, after atoms at high-energy sites replace those at low-energy sites, they split into two Weyl nodes with opposite chirality via the Dirac cone, forming a multi-site effect and thus exhibiting a non-equilibrium strongly correlated state.”

“The above is the mathematical explanation for the Non-equilibrium strongly correlated system, and it is also the content of my presentation today.”

“Thank you all for your patient attention. I will organize the relevant content into a corresponding research paper and post it on the Arxiv preprint website for everyone to review.”

“Of course, if you have any questions, you can ask them now, and I will do my best to answer.”

On the lectern, just as Xu Chuan’s voice fell, a hand that had been ready shot up from the audience.

It was Edward Witten.

Xu Chuan nodded, and his former Advisor eagerly asked, “In the strongly correlated electron system you reported on, how is the entropy change of the non-equilibrium process defined?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan thought for a moment. He habitually looked around on the lectern, only to realize there was no chalk.

Smiling, he looked at the staff below the lectern and said, “Could you please get me two blackboards and a box of chalk?”

Upon hearing this, a staff member who had been zoning out, bored from not understanding the presentation, was suddenly jolted awake. He nodded quickly and trotted off.

A short while later, several staff members hurried over, dragging a few blackboards.

Xu Chuan went forward, said thank you, and took a piece of chalk from the box. He began to speak as he wrote:

“A non-equilibrium system is a non-conservative, non-Hamiltonian system. Therefore, the entropy defined in a non-equilibrium system is not fundamentally equivalent to entropy in the thermodynamic sense.”

“It can be defined by phase-space contraction. That is, for ẋ = f(x), the phase space volume is not conserved, so the divergence σ(x) = -Σᵢ(∂fᵢ(x)/∂xᵢ) is non-zero. Under this model, a mechanical system C₀ is in contact with several other mechanical systems Cᵢ. Based on the details I explained earlier, we can derive σ(x) = Σⱼ Q̇ⱼ(x)/(kₒTⱼ) + Ṙ(x).”

“In summary, Ṙ(x) is a term that can be eliminated through time averaging. Theoretically, in the non-equilibrium state strongly correlated electron system I’ve constructed, σ(x) is one definition of entropy change in a non-equilibrium system.”

Staring intently at the blackboard on the lectern, which was being recorded and projected, watching the formulas and listening to Xu Chuan’s explanation, Edward Witten’s eyes glinted with an inexplicable light.

When Xu Chuan finished speaking, he didn’t sit down. Instead, he continued with another question:

“Then, for an electron correlation system, how does your theory explain the complex collective modes that its charge, spin, and phase can form under different nuclear configurations?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan couldn’t help but shake his head and reply:

“This question is beyond the scope of my answer. In strongly correlated systems, the electron Fermi system exhibits new, strong-coupling collective behaviors. Especially in a non-equilibrium state, the topological structure of the electron distribution phase or electron density distribution can lead to new collective orders outside the Landau theory framework. I can’t find a more universal, unified theoretical framework to answer your question.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Witten and continued, “However, I do have some understanding of this from my previous research. Perhaps I can answer a part of your question.”

With that, he erased the formulas on the blackboard and started writing again:

“Consider a typical strongly correlated system, the one-dimensional transverse field Ising model. Its Hamiltonian is: H₀ = -J(Σ(from n=1 to L-1) σᶻₙσᶻₙ₊₁ + ησᶻₗσᶻ₁) - h Σ(from n=1 to L) σˣₙ.”

“Here, σˣₙ and σᶻₙ are Pauli matrices; J > 0 is the ferromagnetic interaction; h > 0 is the transverse field strength; L is the spin chain length; η=1 represents periodic boundary conditions, and η=0 represents open boundary conditions.”

“. . .”

In front of the blackboard, Xu Chuan wrote out his research on the strongly correlated electron system from the past few weeks.

Edward Witten’s question was also the goal he had been pursuing: to find a new framework and theory to unify the various problems and theories within strongly correlated electron systems.

But the field of strongly correlated electron systems involves many frontier areas of modern physics, such as condensed matter physics, atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, quantum control and quantum computing, and non-equilibrium statistical physics.

The non-equilibrium quantum correlation phenomena that emerge from these different systems both incorporate the distinct features of each system and display universal, general laws.

Their novelty and complexity mean that these systems contain a vast number of unknown fundamental physical problems and novel physical phenomena. Finding a new framework and theory to unify them was a task whose difficulty was no less than solving one of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

Even though he had been reborn and possessed a perspective from the future, he still couldn’t find a suitable way to achieve this goal.

On the lectern, as Xu Chuan wrote on the blackboard and explained his research, he was also organizing his thoughts on the challenge of the Strong electron correlation system.

Below the stage, Edward Witten’s gaze was as sharp as a torch, fixed intently on the blackboard on the lectern.

And in the Lecture Hall, the numerous mathematicians also focused their attention on the lectern. Even though most of them couldn’t understand what was being written on the blackboards, and even though the time had already exceeded the originally scheduled half-hour, no one left.

Some had even started to take out their phones to record videos.

Meanwhile, on the lectern, Xu Chuan was completely immersed in his own world, sorting through the thoughts in his mind piece by piece.

Nearly a week had passed since he last set aside this research.

The ideas that had become somewhat hazy were now resurfacing in his mind, clearer and more natural than before.

“[In the strong correlation case, the spin-raising operator is expressed using chiral fields as: S⁺ⱼ(t) = e^(iθ(x,t)) = e^(i[θₗ(x+vt) + θᵣ(x-vt)])]”

The chalk in his hand wrote the last line of the formula on the blackboard. Xu Chuan let out a long breath. This problem was, after all, not so easy to solve. He had been stuck at this point for some time.

He smiled, turned to look at Edward Witten in the audience, and said:

“My research ends here. In other words, in frequency space, by combining the Boltzmann function with the Monte Carlo method, a linear spectrum can describe the continuous spectrum of ‘spinons’ with different momenta.”

“And through this method, it’s possible to explain the multi-orbital correlation effects in the Non-equilibrium strongly correlated electron system. But as for how to extend this description to the entire strongly correlated electron system, I haven’t yet found a way.”

“Perhaps it has a solution, perhaps it doesn’t. At least for now, that answer is probably only known to a God who resides outside of dimensional space.”

“Of course, I will continue to… in the time to come.”

Before he could finish, a thought flashed through his mind like a spark of inspiration.

“God? Dimensional space?”

The two keywords flashed through his mind, forcing the unfinished sentence to a halt. Xu Chuan stood motionless at the lectern, his pupils unfocused, lost in deep thought.

Chapter 474: The Answer for the Strongly Correlated Electron System!

On the lectern, Xu Chuan stood there, stunned.

The sound of his voice stopped, and the audience below also froze for a moment.

What was going on?

Hadn’t the presentation already finished? Why was he just standing there stunned on the stage?

Did something go wrong? Or what was the situation?

Although most of the mathematicians present hadn’t understood the report on the strongly correlated electron system, there were still quite a few among them who specialized in mathematical physics.

During Xu Chuan’s presentation, most people had consulted with their companions and come to understand the importance of the strongly correlated electron system problem to the field of physics.

This was a problem no less important than the Seven Millennium Prize Problems in the world of mathematics. If it could be solved, it would greatly advance fields like materials science, condensed matter physics, and quantum physics.

Although it was unclear why this top-tier expert was presenting on such a topic at a mathematics conference, people were generally quite tolerant of such big shots.

So even as Xu Chuan stood dazed and motionless on the lectern, no one made a sound to disturb him. They just discussed quietly among themselves below the stage.

In the front row of the Lecture Hall, Terence Tao was conversing in a low voice with Peter Scholze, who was sitting beside him.

At first, he hadn’t paid it much mind, but as he looked at the figure standing on the stage, a spark seemed to flash in his mind, and his expression suddenly turned serious.

Beside him, Scholze looked at Terence Tao, who had inexplicably sat up straight, and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Terence Tao took a deep breath. “It reminds me of the video where he proved the NS equations. Back then, he also stood lost in thought in a classroom for a long time, and then solved the NS equations in one go.”

“And that proof, along with the tools he used, were like something written by God himself to the field of mathematics.”

“Perhaps…”

“Today, we might witness another miracle.”

Hearing this, Scholze also remembered the video about the NS equations. He smiled and said, “Tao, could you be overthinking it?”

He chuckled. “That kind of miracle and inspiration… one is lucky to have it even once in a lifetime. To be able to do it every time would be too incredible.”

After a pause, he added teasingly, “If that were the case, I’d suspect he was the reincarnation of God.”

Terence Tao shook his head. “We’ll see. I have a feeling I’m not wrong.”

On the lectern, Xu Chuan paid no mind—or rather, at that moment, he had completely forgotten that he was still on stage.

He stood there motionless, utterly oblivious to his surroundings, forgetting the hundreds of audience members before him.

In his mind, the door that locked away the solution to the strongly correlated electron system problem had clearly appeared.

And the key to open that lock was currently being forged and shaped.

The conversation with Witten had made him think of another way to cross this abyss.

And that was dimensional space!

To be precise, it was dimensions and their influence on the properties of the strongly correlated electron system.

In materials science, dimension is a tangible concept. It’s similar to the concept of dimension in physics, yet different.

For example, low-dimensional materials refer to materials that do not exceed the nanometer scale in any of the three dimensions. Specifically, this includes two-dimensional, one-dimensional, and zero-dimensional materials.

Zero-dimensional materials are also called quantum dots. They are formed by the aggregation of a few atoms or molecules, with particle sizes on the nanometer scale. Atomic clusters of semiconductors and metals are typical examples of zero-dimensional materials.

One-dimensional materials are called quantum wires, with a thickness on the nanometer scale. For example, carbon nanotubes and one-dimensional graphene are one-dimensional materials.

Two-dimensional materials include the interface between two different materials or thin films attached to a substrate, where the depth of the interface or the thickness of the film is on the nanometer scale—for example, metal nanoplates.

In his earlier years, he had participated in a project on tungsten diselenide materials with his Nanjing University Advisor, Chen Zhengping.

And tungsten diselenide is a typical two-dimensional material.

In low-dimensional materials, the influence of dimensionality on the material itself is a factor that cannot be ignored.

Especially in materials like complex transition metal oxides (TMOs), due to strong electron-phonon or electron-electron coupling, the collective behavior of the system’s electrons determines its macroscopic properties.

The simple superposition of individual electron kinetic energies no longer plays a dominant role. As external conditions like temperature and magnetic field change, various order parameters such as the material’s lattice structure, electronic structure, and spin alignment become entangled with one another, leading to an extremely rich phase diagram structure.

This in turn leads to macroscopic quantum phenomena such as high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance, endowing the material with new properties of immense application value.

And in this process, the influence of dimensionality was the question Xu Chuan was contemplating.

Regulating the coupling strength between multiple degrees of freedom by utilizing effects like quantum confinement, which arose from changing the dimensionality of the strongly correlated system, thereby controllably inducing a richer variety of physical phenomena—this was a truth that could be proven through experiments.

What he was pondering now was how to explain it using mathematics.

Perhaps by achieving this, he could find a more universal, unified theoretical framework for the strongly correlated electron system.

Just like that, he became lost in thought on the stage, forgetting his surroundings.

And in the Lecture Hall, the mathematicians below waited patiently.

Time trickled by in the silence.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

In the blink of an eye, about ten minutes had passed.

The crowd below the stage was much more restless than before, but everyone still did their best to maintain a quiet atmosphere. Even when they talked, they kept their voices low so as not to disturb the person thinking on stage.

By now, the scholars in the Lecture Hall probably all understood that this young big shot seemed to have been struck by a new inspiration.

Although the strongly correlated electron system was not a problem from the field of mathematics, everyone present was hoping for some new breakthrough.

After all, mathematics is the foundation of all natural sciences, the language of other disciplines.

If physics is the discipline that studies natural laws and logic, then mathematics itself is logic.

It is a tool of thought subjectively created by humans, a further simplified logic based on existing natural laws and logic.

The things that humanity can currently reach within the constants of this universe are so limited, but mathematics offers infinite possibilities and brings infinite beauty to humankind.

It is the Venus born from sea foam, the Air on the G String. You can experience the vast changes of coastlines through natural fractals, create a grand starry sky in a conservative chaotic system, or even create your own artificial intelligence in a vector space.

In the Lecture Hall, a few students attending the conference with their advisors for the first time couldn’t help but clench their fists, feeling both worried and at a loss.

Even though they weren’t the ones standing on the lectern, they seemed to empathize with the tension of the moment.

Of course, what they didn’t know was that their Advisor, standing on the stage, felt no tension at all.

Time passed bit by bit. It was unclear how long had gone by, but just as the staff below the stage were hesitating whether to report to their superiors and remind everyone that the third presentation should begin, Xu Chuan, who had been motionless all this time, suddenly moved.

He turned, took the eraser from the hook on the movable blackboard, and cleanly wiped the previous formulas off the board in a few strokes.

Immediately, a piece of white chalk touched down on the black surface, and lines of formulas leaped forth with the dance of his hand.

【χ(q,ω)=∑kfkfk+qεkεk+q+ω.】

【λsp=8πe2vFπn√ω2(1+εsub)】

Below the lectern, when Xu Chuan suddenly started to move, Terence Tao, who had been watching intently, abruptly held his breath, his eyes glued to the blackboards.

Was his feeling about to come true?

But, how far would he be able to go this time?

A partial result?

Or would he find a new method that could encompass the entire strongly correlated electron system?

He was not a scholar in the field of physics. Although he was widely learned in mathematics and understood some physics, the knowledge from the forefront of physics on the blackboard still left him somewhat bewildered.

On the other side, Edward Witten, who had sat back down, felt his pupils contract the moment he saw those lines of formulas. It was as if he had a premonition of something, yet he dared not trust his own judgment.

There was no other reason. If it was truly that, it was simply too astonishing.

Involuntarily, his breathing became a little heavier.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan paid no attention to the audience below. The chalk in his hand continued to sketch out formula after formula on the blackboard before him.

The train of thought in his mind propelled him forward. His research and abilities in mathematical physics and materials science were his most powerful weapons at this moment, clearing a path through the thorns and opening up a brightly lit road.

Meanwhile, in the front row of the audience.

Looking at Xu Chuan’s back in front of the blackboard, then glancing at his friend Witten who had stood up again in astonishment, Deligne cast a questioning gaze at him.

“What is he doing?”

Witten’s brows were also tightly furrowed. He stared motionlessly at the blackboard, his gaze following the listed formulas as if he were thinking along with them.

Receiving no answer, Deligne’s gaze fell upon Xu Chuan, who was writing formulas at the blackboard.

This student of his… wasn’t he a bit too freakishly good?

Mathematics, physics, astronomy, materials, chemistry, quantum theory… was there anything he didn’t understand?

He really couldn’t figure out how he had managed to master so many fields at the mere age of twenty-five.

Even his advisor, Grothendieck, couldn’t have achieved something like this when he was young, could he?

On the lectern, Xu Chuan didn’t stop until several blackboards were filled with formulas. He then paused and stood there, staring blankly at the boards covered in equations.

A long moment passed before he finally came back to his senses. He let out a long breath and tossed the chalk into the chalk box.

This was the second time he had encountered such a situation—being forced to interrupt a proof because he ran out of blackboard space.

Fortunately, he had already grasped that flash of inspiration.

If all went well, he would be able to complete the rest in the next few days.

Below the lectern, looking at Xu Chuan, Professor Witten asked with a slight tremble in his voice, “Have you done it?”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “Not yet.”

After a slight pause, he added, “But at least I’ve found a path that should be viable.”

Witten: “What path?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Dimensions!”

With that, he left the lectern. Instead of returning to his seat, he walked directly out of the hall.

Chapter 475: To Learn the Truth in the Morning and Die by Dusk, I Would Be Content!

With Xu Chuan’s departure, the entire Lecture Hall erupted into a hubbub.

Everyone was discussing, the commotion spreading from the center outwards like a tide.

A world-class physics problem had appeared at an international mathematics symposium and, it seemed, had been solved. This was the core of everyone’s fervent discussion.

Of course, there was no shortage of discussion about Xu Chuan himself.

After all, today’s symposium was for the field of mathematics. Compared to whether a physics problem could be solved, these mathematicians were perhaps more interested in the gossip.

For example, where would this master’s mathematical abilities rank in the history of the field?

Or how many more of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems could this master solve?

Compared to studying a physics problem they couldn’t understand, these topics resonated more with the mathematicians present.

Of course, not everyone was talking about such things.

In the front row of the Lecture Hall, Professor Deligne curiously studied the blackboards on the lectern, turning to Edward Witten, who stood beside him, and asking with great interest, “Do you think he can do it?”

Although he didn’t much care what the physics community thought about whether the strongly correlated electron system problem was solved, he was quite interested in the mathematical formulas themselves written on the blackboards.

Though he couldn’t fully comprehend the formulas, he could sense something different about them.

It seemed to be related to another Millennium Prize Problem.

Of course, his feeling wasn’t necessarily accurate. After all, he had barely researched that particular Millennium Prize Problem, which fell into the category of mathematical physics.

Witten stared at the blackboard for a long while before taking a deep breath and speaking. “Although I am a physicist, I don’t specialize in condensed matter physics.”

“To be honest, it would probably take me some time to fully understand what’s on these blackboards.”

“What about your gut feeling?”

Witten fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. After a while, he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”

Deligne: “??? What kind of answer is that?”

Staring at the blackboards on the stage, Edward Witten pondered for a moment before saying, “Although physics and mathematics complement each other, they are two completely different fields.”

“Especially in a field like condensed matter physics, which involves real-world materials and requires extensive experimentation for verification, it’s difficult for me to make a judgment.”

After a pause, he continued, “More importantly, he didn’t write out the complete solution. Although explaining it from the perspective of dimension is indeed a viable path.”

“If he had provided the entire solution and process, perhaps I could make a judgment. But as it is, I’m afraid we can only wait for him to organize his thoughts and upload them to the arXiv website.”

After speaking, he paused again, then added thoughtfully, “But if you’re asking whether I think he’s capable of doing it, I do believe so.”

“Even if he can’t solve this problem this time, I believe he will be able to solve this troublesome issue in the future.”

“After all, he is still so young.”

Hearing this, Professor Deligne also recalled something and fell silent.

Today’s conference presentation had probably left the deepest impression on him in many years.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Lecture Hall, the few students who had come along to broaden their horizons looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Our Professor proved it?”

Watching their Advisor, who had already left the Lecture Hall, Rong Xinjie couldn’t help but swallow hard and ask.

The other four looked utterly lost.

They were a group of math students, what the hell would they know about this problem?

After looking at each other for a long while, the only girl among the students, Yin Shi, cautiously spoke up. “I don’t think so. Didn’t the Professor himself just say it isn’t solved yet? It seems he just had an idea, right?”

Another Doctoral student, Tong Yang, asked, “So, what should we do now? Go back to the hotel to find the Professor, or stay here?”

Hearing this question, the other three new students also turned their gazes in unison toward their eldest senior disciple, staring at Cai Peng.

Their Advisor had put on a show and then bailed, but what were they, who were attending such a large-scale symposium for the first time, supposed to do?

Being stared at by his junior classmates, Cai Peng’s expression was also a bit unnatural.

Why are you all looking at me? I’m not familiar with this either, it’s my first time at a conference like this too!

After some thought, he decided to shoulder the responsibility of the eldest senior disciple. He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s stay here. It’s good to interact with the other masters.”

“As for the Professor, I estimate we won’t be seeing him for the next few days anyway. It’s better not to disturb his research.”

Never mind the chaotic Lecture Hall Xu Chuan had left behind. Having walked straight out of the building, he was already in Zheng Hai’s car, heading for the Aman Summer Palace.

Pushing open the door to his hotel room, he went straight to the study and sat down at the desk.

That’s right, the hotel room Tsinghua University had provided him with also came with a study, bedroom, living room, and a series of other rooms. One could find almost every household amenity inside.

Taking the laptop computer he carried with him out of his backpack, Xu Chuan opened the screen and clicked on the document from his research on the strongly correlated electron system problem.

Then, he eagerly pulled out a stack of A4 paper used as scratch paper from his backpack and quickly wrote a title on the first page:

【The Influence of Dimensional Space on the Properties of Strongly Correlated Electron Systems!】

Looking at the title displayed on the scratch paper, Xu Chuan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“The influence of dimension on the properties of strongly correlated electron systems, and using dimension to establish a unified method for the entire system… why didn’t I think of this before!”

Muttering to himself, he continued to complete the inspiration that had been left unfinished in the Tsinghua Lecture Hall.

Inspiration often strikes at the most unexpected times.

Xu Chuan had never imagined that an unintentional decision he made at this international mathematics symposium would bring him such a massive reward.

The exchange with his former Advisor not only allowed him to completely sort through his entire understanding of the strong electron correlation system, but it also sparked a new inspiration with a single sentence.

His research in physics in his past life, his expansion into the field of condensed matter, and the mathematics and knowledge he had learned in this life all merged perfectly at this moment, forging a completely new path.

And throughout this entire process, all the time, all the dedication and effort, received its greatest reward at this very moment.

【The Dimensional Space in Strongly Correlated Materials and its Corresponding Influence!】

【…The oscillations caused by magnetic flux vortex motion and the Weber blockade effect. Van der Waals heterostructures can be formed between different low-dimensional thin films, and their physical properties can be tuned through symmetry engineering methods such as twisting and stacking.】

【For example, the study of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene, the mechanism of strong diamagnetism in the KL-66 material, and so on. One can also study the novel physical properties of interfaces by stacking thin films with different properties, such as the study of superconductor/ferromagnetic heterostructure interfaces.】

【…】

【The mathematical system for strong electron correlation, born from dimensional space, should, in theory, be applicable to the K/U0(1) system. That is, it should systematically apply to most strongly correlated systems!】

An unknown number of days passed. When the last sentence, the last symbol, was penned on the scratch paper, Xu Chuan’s right hand, holding the ballpoint pen, was trembling slightly, a rapturous light flickering in his eyes.

If physics was the discipline that studied the laws and logic of nature, then mathematics itself was logic.

At this moment, he was the God who had mastered that logic.

At least, within the realm of strongly correlated electron systems, he was.

Standing at the most direct vantage point, overlooking the beauty of the entire world, he was utterly intoxicated.

At this moment, he had taken another giant leap closer to the rules of the universe, closer to the truest logic of the cosmos.

If one day, he could lift all the veils of this universe and see the truth shrouded in mist, then everything in life would be worth it.

Even if it meant he could learn the truth in the morning, only to die by dusk.

His answer was still: It would be worth it!

Chapter 476: Even Waiting a Month Would Be Worth It

As Xu Chuan returned to his hotel and began to organize his thoughts to continue his research on the strongly correlated electron system, academia and the internet started to buzz with excitement.

Compared to the media outlets invited to the conference presentation, who still had to edit their articles, the mathematicians were generally much more spontaneous.

Many of the younger mathematicians had started taking photos or recording videos with their phones when the discussion began, or when Xu Chuan had frozen on the lectern.

After the presentation ended, they posted the pictures and videos they had taken online.

The entire field of mathematics erupted, especially when Terence Tao reposted a relatively complete video with the caption, “This is truly the most brilliant conference presentation I’ve seen this year, even though I didn’t understand it!”

Professor Tao had a large following online, particularly among scholars in the mathematical community.

After all, compared to other big shots in mathematics who didn’t frequent the internet, this master was practically an expert internet surfer.

[What in the world? A presentation that even Professor Tao couldn’t understand? Let me see what this is all about!]

[It’s that man, as expected! Come out!]

[Ever since he went to work on controlled nuclear fusion, we haven’t seen this master in the field of mathematics for a long time.]

[What is the strongly correlated electron system problem? Is there such a problem in mathematics?]

[No wonder God Tao said he didn’t understand it. This is a physics thing, not from the world of mathematics.]

[Strong correlation, also known as strongly correlated electronic systems, refers to systems where the interaction between electrons cannot be ignored. Simply put, a system where the mutual interaction between electrons is non-negligible is a strongly correlated system.]

[…..In human terms, please!]

[It’s normal not to understand. I don’t get it either. This is a major problem in condensed matter physics. In the field of mathematics, its difficulty is on par with the seven Millennium Prize Problems.]

[Hiss~ Professor Xu is a true legend, isn’t he? When he makes a move, it’s always groundbreaking!]

[Speaking of which, isn’t this a mathematics discussion? Why would a presentation on a physics problem appear here?]

It wasn’t just Terence Tao’s Twitter and the foreign internet that were abuzz.

As the media reporters who attended the discussion compiled their reports, the internet in China also lit up.

Sensing the traffic, independent content creators swarmed in to ride the wave of popularity, their headlines more exaggerated than the last.

Away from Mathematics for Three Years, His Return Is a World-Class Conjecture!

Starting at the Peak: Our Nation’s Renowned Scientist Conquers Another World Problem!

The CIA: The Biggest Regret of My Life Was Letting That Man Go!

India Will Cry, the United States Will Regret! This Is the Story of a Legend.

All sorts of clickbait headlines from independent creators attracted the attention of countless netizens. The image of Xu Chuan standing on the stage in the Lecture Hall, lost in thought, was turned into all kinds of memes by netizens.

A series of memes like “Let me think!”, “What should I have for dinner tonight?”, “Lost in thought.JPG”, and so on suddenly went viral.

Of course, the trending charts were inevitably filled with discussions about the event.

[As expected, it’s this master again!]

[I just want to know, did God Chuan go god-like again?]

[Definitely. When he makes a move, the problem gets solved. It’s a universal law!]

[So, whenever I see news like this, I know it’s time for me to go study!]

[God Chuan: Let me think, how should I solve this problem? Ding! I’ve got it!]

Related news quickly swept across the entire internet. Although 99.9999 percent of people had no idea what the strongly correlated electron system problem was, it didn’t stop them from gleefully watching the drama unfold.

Of course, aside from the surprise and admiration, there were also some unconventional netizens who expressed more critical opinions from a different angle.

[Regardless of the significance of the strongly correlated electron system to academia, isn’t it a bit disrespectful to other mathematicians to present a physics problem at a mathematics discussion full of international friends?]

[Even if he’s a Fields Medalist, I don’t think he should do that. This is a mathematics conference, after all, and he represents the image of the entire country. I think this is very irresponsible!]

[???? Is the original poster looking to get flamed?]

[What the hell? None of the mathematicians present said anything, so who are you to run your mouth here?]

[Fellow mathematics student here. I can confirm this guy is an idiot. God Chuan’s presentation was about how to apply mathematics to solve problems in other fields, which is extremely beneficial to mathematics and can expand its influence. The proof later on was just an extra part expanded upon in response to a question from Professor Witten.]

[Speaking of which, I’m more curious if these mathematicians could understand the latter part of God Chuan’s presentation. After all, even Professor Tao said he didn’t understand it.]

[It’s normal not to understand. They’re two different fields.]

Regardless of the discussions online, when the news reached the field of physics, the entire community was stunned.

The strong electron correlation system problem had been solved?

What was going on? They hadn’t heard of any such research paper being published or any conference presentation recently. There wasn’t even any news about it.

After numerous physicists learned the whole story, they were left dumbfounded.

A mathematics discussion? What was the situation?

Why would a physics problem be tied to a mathematics conference?

However, after finding out who the presenter was, the physicists collectively relaxed.

Oh, it was that master. That explained everything.

After all, this was the super expert who had solved two Millennium Prize Problems. It was perfectly normal for him to have a sudden inspiration during a presentation.

It was just frustrating that the proof wasn’t finished.

What exactly was the connection between the strongly correlated electron system and dimensions? Had the grand unified model been developed? All these questions were tantalizingly hanging in the air.

Many physicists even began planning to make a trip to China in person to get their hands on the results as soon as possible.

Of course, even more scholars logged onto Arxiv, keeping a close watch on the strongly correlated electron system.

Everyone knew that, according to this master’s habits, if he produced results, they would appear on Arxiv at the earliest opportunity.

Even the staff at Arxiv were monitoring the situation, ready to add server resources the moment the paper was uploaded to ensure the website wouldn’t crash.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, at Tsinghua University.

Evening had arrived. Despite the unexpected turn of events, the discussion had progressed quite smoothly.

With the cooperation of Tsinghua University and the International Mathematical Union, the first day of the discussion concluded perfectly.

For an international conference, an evening reception had become an indispensable part.

In the banquet hall of the Aman Summer Palace, scholars in formal attire held champagne glasses, walking through the hall, seeking out and making new friends or meeting big shots.

If one looked closely, they could also spot quite a few physicists mixed in among the numerous mathematicians in the hall.

Although it was unclear how these people had managed to get in, it was evident that most of them had no interest in conversing with mathematicians. Their gazes were fixed on the entrance of the banquet hall. Every time someone walked in, they would look up, only to lower their heads in disappointment.

“It seems he won’t be coming.”

In a corner of the banquet hall, Edward Witten sighed, holding a glass of champagne as he retracted his gaze from the entrance.

Beside him, Professor Deligne shrugged and said, “I told you so. Unless he managed to solve that problem this afternoon, don’t expect to see him at the reception tonight.”

Witten replied, “Though I don’t doubt his ability to solve the strongly correlated electron system problem, an afternoon is just too short. Even for him, I’m afraid it’s impossible.”

After a moment’s thought, he continued, “How long do you think it will take for him to come out?”

Although he had also been Xu Chuan’s advisor at Princeton, he wasn’t as familiar with this student as Deligne was.

On one hand, he used to travel all over the world frequently. On the other, Xu Chuan had mainly focused on mathematics during his time at Princeton, and it was Deligne he followed day to day.

Deligne shook his head and replied, “You should be asking yourself that question. With his personality, he will only come out after he has completely solved the strongly correlated electron system problem.”

“As for how long it will take to solve it, why are you, a physicist, asking me, a mathematician?”

Witten was speechless.

“Then it will probably take at least ten days or so. Even with a complete train of thought and direction, integrating all the ideas and thoughts into a coherent method will take a considerable amount of time.”

“After all, the strongly correlated electron system involves a lot of things.”

Deligne asked, “So, are you planning to wait here, or are you returning to Princeton? Or perhaps heading over to CERN?”

Hearing this question, Witten frowned. “I don’t know. I want to wait for him here, but I can’t be sure of the time.”

“After all, I can’t just live here for a month. I still have some meetings to attend at CERN.”

Just then, another voice came from the side. “If the strongly correlated electron system problem can truly be solved, waiting a month is nothing.”

Hearing the voice, Deligne and Witten turned their heads simultaneously. An elderly man, accompanied by a middle-aged woman, walked over and greeted them. “It’s been a long time, you two.”

Seeing the newcomer, smiles appeared on the faces of both Deligne and Witten. They nodded in greeting. “It’s been a long time, Professor Yang.”

The person who had arrived was none other than Mr. Chen-Ning Yang. He smiled and greeted the two before continuing, “I heard Professor Xu did something major at the presentation today. It’s a pity I missed it.”

“For an opportunity to witness history, even waiting a month is worth it.”

Chapter 477: Domination from a Higher Dimension

Waiting for a month was impossible; of course, it wasn’t necessary to wait that long either.

Less than a week after the conference presentation, Xu Chuan had uploaded the formal research paper to the arXiv preprint server.

In fact, he had already completed the final step on the third day.

After all, he had already made significant progress down the path of strongly correlated electron systems long before this.

The reason it took nearly a week was mainly for checking for omissions and correcting deficiencies, as well as organizing the relevant manuscript.

He hadn’t expected to find the crucial breakthrough so quickly, nor that he would be able to smoothly connect all his previous research.

Because of this, some of his earlier research materials hadn’t been organized yet, as he had to come attend the conference presentation.

In his study, watching the paper finish uploading, Xu Chuan let out a long sigh of relief.

Using dimensions to study the strongly correlated electron system, and classifying different strongly correlated electron systems according to different dimensional spaces…

This path was far more perfect than any other direction he had previously considered.

But correspondingly, it was also much more vast.

Even he couldn’t perfect and supplement all the dimensional systems in a short amount of time. What he had done so far was create an overall framework.

The subsequent work would require other physicists to supplement and perfect it over a long period.

Nevertheless, this was still a piece of work that could be called great.

He had finally found a more universal, unified theoretical framework to unify the complex collective modes formed by charge, spin, and phase under different atomic nuclei configurations in strongly correlated electron systems.

At least, that was the case from a mathematical theory perspective.

As for whether this framework could be applied to most strongly correlated systems in reality, that would require subsequent experimental verification.

Problems in the field of physics are different from those in mathematics.

The proof of a mathematical conjecture requires a complete, correct, and logically self-consistent process, and it also needs to pass peer review.

But the solution to a physics problem, especially in a field like condensed matter physics that leans heavily on experiments, requires a long time for the entire field of physics to accept it.

Furthermore, it needs to be verified through numerous experiments.

It’s entirely possible that flaws and problems might be found during this process, or that it could even be overturned.

After all, even the Standard Model, after being proposed in the 1960s, had also experienced countless ups and downs over the past few decades and was even on the verge of being completely overturned several times.

Today, after undergoing decades of continuous patching by the physics community, it has become one of the cornerstones of physics.

Xu Chuan believed that in condensed matter physics and quantum physics, the unified framework for strong correlation he had developed could also withstand the test of time and stand firm.

After uploading the paper to the arXiv server, Xu Chuan stretched, rose from his chair, and went into the bathroom for a good, hot shower.

This would probably be his last achievement of the year.

Of course, this “year” was based on the lunar calendar.

It was already the middle of the twelfth lunar month. In about ten more days, it would be Chinese New Year.

It was time for him to go back.

As for the conference presentation on the strongly correlated electron system, that could wait until after the new year.

Celebrating Chinese New Year was more important.

Besides, the field of physics would need some time to comprehend his paper and framework anyway.

Building the framework for the strongly correlated electron system used mathematical theory. Although it didn’t use any highly advanced mathematical knowledge, such as Hodge theory or the NS equations which had only been proven in recent years, the mathematical methods within the framework were still somewhat complex for many physicists.

Compared to mathematics, a discipline that relies almost purely on brainpower with the occasional supercomputer as a tool, physics is heavily dependent on all sorts of research equipment for breakthroughs.

For example, large particle colliders, Tianyan, the Hubble/Webb telescopes, observation arrays, electron microscopy equipment, and so on.

The use of purely mathematical methods is, by contrast, relatively rare.

One could even say that the mathematical methods used in the field of physics today are basically still from the last century.

The gap was just that large, that real.

After a hot shower and changing into clean, fresh clothes, Xu Chuan went to the bedside, picked up the landline phone, and called the hotel’s front desk to ask them to prepare a meal for him.

Although it wasn’t dinnertime yet, his stomach had been growling for a while.

Organizing the materials and manuscript and entering them into the computer had been too draining.

After drying his hair, Xu Chuan made a cup of tea and returned to the study.

Although the framework for the strongly correlated electron system was complete, it didn’t mean the work was over.

Besides the grand unified framework, the strongly correlated system still had plenty of other problems.

For example, finding a more efficient and accurate numerical method for the analytical solution of the many-body problem in strongly correlated electron systems; designing predictive and optimization model algorithms for novel strongly correlated materials; exploring the generation mechanism and properties of topological states of matter in strongly correlated systems to provide a theoretical basis for novel quantum devices, and so on.

This was the biggest difference between physics and mathematics.

The solution to a single problem is not an end, but a beginning.

Especially the last point—providing a theoretical basis for novel quantum devices—was the new research direction he had planned for himself for the near future.

Speaking of quantum devices, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is the quantum computer.

It is a machine that can perform quantum computing, using the laws of quantum mechanics to carry out mathematical logic operations and to process and store information.

Compared to traditional computers, quantum computers have numerous advantages.

For example, stronger ‘parallel computing capability,’ higher ‘information storage density,’ and ‘rapidly solving specific problems,’ among others.

When a traditional computer handles multiple computational tasks, it needs to complete them sequentially.

A quantum computer, however, can process multiple computational tasks simultaneously.

This means a quantum computer can complete more complex computational tasks in a shorter amount of time.

Especially in the field of scientific research, quantum computers have unique advantages.

For instance, in chemistry, materials science, and medical simulations, classical computers require a great deal of time and enormous computational resources to calculate the properties of large-scale molecules.

A quantum computer can simulate the properties of molecules, providing more accurate predictions and calculations for these kinds of scientific simulations.

However, as excellent as quantum computers are, how to manufacture an error-free, general-purpose quantum computer remains one of the greatest challenges in science.

The key to this lies in the basic unit of information used by a quantum computer: the ‘quantum bit,’ or qubit.

Unlike the binary system of 0s and 1s used by conventional computers, a qubit can exist in both the 0 and 1 states simultaneously.

This uncertainty stems from quantum superposition in physics: “a quantum system can exist in multiple distinct quantum states at the same time.”

This sentence is a bit of a mouthful, but it’s actually quite easy to understand.

The quickest way is through the famous physicist Schrödinger’s “both dead and alive” cat.

‘Schrödinger’s cat’ refers to a cat locked inside a sealed room.

Inside this sealed room, there is a glass vial containing poisonous gas. Above the vial is a box containing a radioactive radium atom, and in the box is a mechanism that detects whether the radium atom has decayed.

If the radium atom decays, this mechanism controls a hammer to shatter the glass vial, releasing the poison gas, and the cat dies.

If there is no decay, the mechanism is not triggered, and the cat lives.

But according to the theory of quantum mechanics, because the radioactive radium exists in a superposition of both decayed and non-decayed states, the cat should theoretically exist in a superposition of a dead cat and a live cat.

Therefore, before you open the box, you can never know whether the cat inside is dead or alive.

And once the box is opened, it will rapidly collapse into a single reality: dead, or alive.

Although Schrödinger initially proposed this thought experiment simply to mock quantum mechanics, it is the simplest and most fitting way to quickly understand quantum superposition.

Although people do not encounter such “ghost cats” in real life, quantum bits exist in a similar situation.

They can simultaneously possess two or more multiple states, just like Schrödinger’s cat, being both dead and alive.

The way to break the superposition state is through measurement.

We know if Schrödinger’s cat is alive or dead after opening the box because we have obtained a definite result (either dead or alive), and the superposition state no longer exists.

The computational process of a quantum computer involves measuring quantum bits, causing their superimposed quantum state to collapse to either 0 or 1.

This is the core mechanism of a quantum computer, and also the greatest core difficulty in realizing one.

This is because a quantum bit is, in essence, a subatomic particle in a superposition state.

It is exceptionally sensitive. Whether it’s an electron, ion, or photon, or even subtle changes in the qubit’s surrounding environment, such as vibrations, electric fields, magnetic fields, or cosmic radiation, all can input energy into the qubit, causing the superposition state to collapse and the qubit to fail.

Therefore, quantum bits need to be sealed in an extremely cold, vacuum environment to avoid any interference as much as possible.

However, with the construction of the theoretical framework for the strongly correlated electron system, research into the generation mechanism and properties of topological states of matter can, in the near future, effectively provide a theoretical basis for novel quantum devices.

It can greatly reduce the difficulty of manufacturing and realizing new quantum devices.

And as the author who realized the theoretical framework for the strongly correlated electron system, Xu Chuan had no reason not to continue delving deeper into this area.

After all, if quantum computers were to achieve a new breakthrough, then existing traditional computers, even large supercomputers, would be utterly powerless in comparison.

Because this wasn’t a matter of processing speed, but a domination from a higher dimension!

Chapter 478: What Kind of Monster Did We Take on as a Student?

While Xu Chuan was contemplating the generation mechanism and properties of strongly correlated electron systems and topological states of matter, the internet had already erupted.

Unsurprisingly, after he uploaded his research paper on the theoretical framework for strongly correlated electron systems to arXiv, scholars who had been following the matter were immediately notified.

Thanks to the site staff promptly adding more server resources, arXiv managed to withstand the overwhelming flood of traffic this time.

Not just physicists, but mathematicians, materials scientists, and even some regular netizens who used arXiv downloaded the research paper.

Although not even one in a hundred of them could understand the paper, that didn’t stop them from discussing it heatedly.

[It’s out! It’s out! Professor Xu’s paper is on arXiv!]

[Downloaded, but I can’t understand a single thing. Is there anyone who gets it? Pipe up and let us know. I just want to know if he solved the problem.]

[The people who can understand it are probably still chewing on the paper. I doubt anyone will come out to answer your question.]

[But based on that Professor Xu’s style, any paper he publicly uploads to arXiv can basically be treated as something that has already been proven. If it wasn’t solved to the point where it could gain everyone’s approval, he wouldn’t upload it.]

[Is it really that big of a deal? This is just arXiv, a place to gather ideas, not a journal. Besides, even papers in journals get retracted sometimes. Who can guarantee their work is always correct?]

[But have you ever seen anything he’s uploaded be wrong?]

[…]

With that comment, the arguments on forums and websites immediately died down.

Although the professional physicists were all busy poring over the paper and had yet to offer their opinions, most people in academia were relatively optimistic about whether the problem of strongly correlated electron systems had been solved.

The reason was simple: the person who had solved the problem and uploaded the paper was the renowned Professor Xu.

Since his debut, almost every paper he had published was ultimately solved and verified.

At least until he made a mistake, academia was willing to trust the integrity of such a top-tier scholar.

Of course, this didn’t mean academia would abandon the process of repeated verification and review to accept this paper lightly.

Whether for the personal reputation and integrity of the reviewers or for the future of all humanity, not just the field of mathematics, but everyone in academia should maintain the most rigorous attitude when facing any problem or conjecture being solved.

Beijing, Aman Summer Palace.

Inside his hotel room, Edward Witten was packing his luggage, preparing to head to a meeting at CERN.

Although he had chatted with Chen-Ning Yang at the seminar and decided to wait a few more days in China after finding his words reasonable, a week had now passed with no news on arXiv. He felt it was about time to head to the meeting at CERN.

After all, the problem of strongly correlated electron systems was not easily solved. It was impossible to crack such a a difficult problem in just a few days.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from the door.

Putting down the trench coat in his hand, Witten got up and opened the door.

“Have you checked arXiv today?” Before he could speak, his old friend Deligne, who was standing at the door, blurted out the question.

Witten, not yet processing the situation, subconsciously shook his head and said, “Not yet today. What’s wrong?”

The moment he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and asked quickly in disbelief, “Are you saying… he’s proven it?”

Deligne nodded. “I just got the notification from arXiv.”

At these words, Witten’s breathing grew heavier. He quickly returned to his room and pulled his laptop out of his already-packed suitcase.

He turned it on and waited.

Staring at the boot-up screen, Witten couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The normally brief dozen or so seconds felt exceptionally long.

Fortunately, no accidents occurred. If his computer had suddenly frozen at that moment, he might have actually had a brain hemorrhage.

Successfully connecting to the internet, Witten quickly opened the arXiv preprint server.

A research paper was displayed prominently before his eyes.

He clicked it open and began to read it intently.

Nearby, Deligne waited in the room for nearly half an hour before asking, “How is it?”

Staring at the paper on the computer screen, Witten was silent for a moment before replying, “From the looks of this paper, I can’t find—at least for now—any flaws or problems. His logic is remarkably self-consistent.”

“And theoretically, explaining the strongly correlated electron system through dimensions is indeed a viable path. I’ve been thinking about it myself these past few days. However, physics is different from mathematics, especially in a field like condensed matter physics that leans more toward practice, which often requires a large amount of experimental results for verification.”

“It’s like the Standard Model, which took decades of additions and refinements to gradually become perfect.”

He paused, then continued, “Even so, theories in the field of physics can still be overturned. After all, as technology advances, we will one day develop more advanced theories to replace the Standard Model.”

Deligne hadn’t thought that far ahead. He pondered for a moment and asked, “So for now, you’re more inclined to believe he’s done it?”

Hearing this, Witten nodded. “Judging by this paper alone, yes.”

Deligne took a deep breath, fell silent for a moment, and then sighed, “Witten, what kind of monster did we take on as a student all those years ago?”

Professor Witten thought for a moment and shook his head. “I don’t know. But what’s certain is that he has already gone much further than either of us, in both mathematics and physics.”

After a slight pause, he smiled and said, “Speaking of which, I’m glad I became his advisor along with you back then. If I had missed it, I would definitely be regretting it now.”

“By the way, is he still at the hotel?”

Deligne replied, “He should be. Although I haven’t seen him in the restaurant or other places these past two days, it’s unlikely he’s gone back to Nanjing.”

Hearing this, Witten immediately stood up. “Let’s go. We’ll go talk to him.”

Deligne said, “You should probably print out the paper first. What are you going to talk about if you go over just like this?”

Witten slapped his own forehead in frustration, quickly sat back down at the computer, and connected to the hotel’s public printer.

With the paper in hand, the two of them hurried toward the room where Xu Chuan was staying.

Seeing Deligne and Witten arrive, Zheng Hai, who was in charge of security, didn’t pay them much mind. After all, many people had come looking for Xu Chuan these past few days.

However, Xu Chuan had given instructions beforehand that unless he came out on his own, he was not to see anyone.

Although he recognized Professors Deligne and Witten and knew they were Xu Chuan’s former advisors, he still stopped them at the door.

“Professor Deligne, Professor Witten, I’m sorry, but Academician Xu is currently engaged in research. He has given instructions that unless he comes out on his own, he is not to see anyone.”

Zheng Hai apologetically blocked their path.

Deligne didn’t mind. He was well aware of his former student’s current status; in any country, he would be the type to be placed under protection.

Nodding, he said, “I know, but he has already solved the problem. It was posted on arXiv today. Please help us contact him.”

Zheng Hai was slightly surprised to hear this. It’s done already? Didn’t they say this problem was very difficult?

But he didn’t dwell on it. After all, this was Academician Xu; creating a few miracles was nothing special.

He nodded and said, “Then please wait a moment, Professors.”

With that, he picked up the phone and called Xu Chuan.

If it had been anyone else, he might have tried to delay them until Xu Chuan came out.

But he couldn’t very well refuse these two, as they were Xu Chuan’s former advisors.

In his hotel room, Xu Chuan, who was pondering over quantum computers, heard his phone ring. After answering, he quickly got up and walked to the door.

“Advisors? You two never left?”

Seeing Deligne and Witten standing at his door, Xu Chuan felt a little sheepish. He really hadn’t expected them to still be here.

After all, a week had almost passed.

“I was just packing my luggage. I can’t believe I caught it on the last day. It’s truly astonishing that you could solve this problem in such a short time,” Witten said with a smile.

Xu Chuan smiled back. “It wasn’t that short. In fact, I had been studying it for a long time before this. Please, come in and have a seat. I have time to talk now.”

Meanwhile, in the United States.

While Xu Chuan was meeting with his two advisors, Professor Shmuel Heath of the University of Rochester was intently reading a document that had just been printed, still reeking of fresh ink.

As a top professor in the field of superconducting materials, his achievements in condensed matter physics were naturally at the highest level.

This was especially true for the strongly correlated electron system, which has been widely applied in the field of superconductivity.

For example, it could explain strange phenomena in copper-based superconductors like the pseudogap and charge-spin separation, describe electron interactions using the Hubbard or t-J model, and help determine the specific origins of the mechanisms in some superconducting materials.

Of course, although the strong correlation model had made some progress in the study of superconductivity, it still faced challenges in describing other superconducting materials and experimental phenomena.

However, by combining the strong correlation model with other theories and leveraging advances in computational methods and experimental techniques, future research held the promise of uncovering the true nature of superconductivity within the strong correlation model.

Therefore, as soon as news of the report on the strongly correlated electron system problem broke, Shmuel Heath had logged onto arXiv and started following the relevant field.

“Explaining the strongly correlated electron system from the perspective of dimensional space, and classifying different strong electron correlation systems according to different dimensional spaces… Interesting.”

“From the paper, this logic is perfectly self-consistent. However, what the specific experimental data will show and whether it will all be encompassed by this framework still require subsequent experimental verification.”

After carefully reading the entire paper, he let out a long breath, preparing to read it again.

Beside him, his assistant and student, seeing that he had finished reading, couldn’t wait to ask, “Professor, did Professor Xu… did he do it? Can the strongly correlated electron system really be unified?”

Hearing his student’s question, Shmuel Heath looked up, thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”

After a slight pause, he added, “To be precise, I haven’t fully understood this paper yet.”

The student was completely baffled by this answer. What’s going on?

His professor was known as the “father of superconductivity in the US.” His research in condensed matter and strongly correlated electron systems was absolutely top-tier.

If even he couldn’t understand the paper, was there anyone who could prove whether that Professor Xu’s work was correct?

Seeing the shock and astonishment on his student’s face, Shmuel Heath knew what he was thinking. He smiled and explained, “This isn’t purely a physics paper. It involves a lot of mathematical methods, and my research into mathematics isn’t that deep. So I need some time to understand it.”

After adding that, he lowered his head and began to read it again.

A single pass was not enough for him to fully comprehend this exquisite paper.

However, as he was reading, he kept feeling that some parts of the article were exceptionally familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Puzzled, he read it several more times. It wasn’t until he had flipped to the section on superconducting materials for the umpteenth time that Professor Shmuel Heath stared at a formula in the article and suddenly realized where the sense of familiarity came from.

KL-66 material!

Several months ago, the person who wrote this unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems had also written a research paper on the magnetic levitation mechanism of South Korea’s KL-66 material.

Almost every researcher in the materials field had read that paper. It had single-handedly demoted South Korea’s KL-66 material from a room-temperature superconductor back to a conventional material, ending a dispute that might have otherwise dragged on for two or three months, or even longer.

As one of the pioneers of high-temperature superconducting materials, he had naturally read that paper as well, and it had left a very deep impression on him at the time.

Besides proving that the magnetic levitation effect of the KL-66 material did not originate from a superconductivity mechanism, he had clearly sensed that the author had hidden something in that paper.

He had pondered it over and over afterward but could never figure out what that Professor Xu had hidden. It wasn’t until today, after seeing this paper on the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems, that he finally understood what had been hidden in the earlier paper.

“So that’s it. He had already perceived the path and direction behind the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material back then.”

Muttering to himself, Shmuel Heath shook his head with a sigh.

Suddenly, he remembered something else and froze.

If he remembered correctly, it had only been about four or five months from the KL-66 material until now, right?

Four or five months… to find the path to a unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems through the strong diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material… wasn’t that a little too freakishly good?

At the thought, he couldn’t help but swallow hard. To be honest, this speculation had truly scared him.

He would rather believe that the other man had already been researching it for a long time, rather than achieving a breakthrough in just four or five months.

After all, the strongly correlated electron system had always been one of the most cutting-edge and hottest research directions in condensed matter physics; it was no niche field.

For decades, no one had made a breakthrough, yet he had solved it in four or five months. It was truly a bit too terrifying.

Chapter 479: South Korea: This is Plagiarism of Our Work!

As Xu Chuan uploaded his research paper on the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems to the arXiv website, the entire field of physics erupted with excitement.

Just as everyone was waiting for opinions from the big shots in physics, or for Professor Xu himself to publicly announce a conference presentation, an interview stunned the physics world once again.

Plagiarism! This is Plagiarism! The Framework for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems Was Plagiarized from South Korean Research!

A single news report instantly detonated the entire internet.

The story was reported by South Korea’s renowned Yonhap News Agency, one of the country’s three major news agencies, which provides news, images, and video services to the world and wields considerable influence.

For such a media outlet to publish a report with this headline immediately generated immense buzz in South Korea.

Along with the news report, an interview was also released.

Seoul University, South Korea.

A reporter from the Yonhap News Agency was interviewing a professor who looked somewhat familiar.

“Professor Young-Wan Kwon, we hear there has been a brand-new breakthrough in the field of condensed matter physics recently?”

Across from him, a middle-aged professor with gold-rimmed glasses nodded gravely. “Yes, there has been a major breakthrough regarding the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems in condensed matter physics.”

Reporter: “Could you please explain it to us in simple terms?”

Young-Wan Kwon: “Simply put, the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems will greatly drive the development of condensed matter physics, which in turn relates to materials science, including fields like high-temperature superconductivity and magnetic materials.”

Reporter: “Are you saying that we might see major breakthroughs in materials next?”

Young-Wan Kwon: “You could say that. At the very least, fields like high-temperature superconductivity and magnetic materials will see relatively vigorous development.”

Reporter: “If that’s the case, that’s truly wonderful news.”

Young-Wan Kwon: “Indeed, it is a very great piece of research.”

After a pause, his tone shifted. “However, I must say that in that Professor Xu’s research paper, ‘A Unified Framework for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems,’ there are a large number of research findings from the South Korean materials science community, and he failed to mention this anywhere.”

“There was no mention of co-authorship or even acknowledgments.”

The reporter asked in surprise, “Are you saying that Professor Xu plagiarized our country’s research?”

Young-Wan Kwon nodded. “Yes. I and the other physics professors in my research group have all carefully studied the paper he published on arXiv.”

“We found many derivative theories related to my previous research on the KL-66 material. It forms the core foundation of the entire paper; the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems is a result derived from this foundation.”

“I have reason to believe that Professor Xu extensively cited theories related to the KL-66 material without informing us, and without even acknowledging us or co-signing the paper. This is a great disrespect to me and the other researchers of the KL-66 material.”

“To put it more severely, this is academic plagiarism! It’s a serious breach of ethics, and I very much hope that Professor Xu will step forward and provide an explanation, or an apology.”

“I understand, Professor Kwon. I will report on this matter in full.”

“Additionally, it would be even better if you could provide me with some evidence. I believe that with evidence, the report will be much more convincing.”

A glint of excitement flashed in the reporter’s eyes. He hadn’t expected today’s interview to yield such a massive scoop.

After all, Professor Xu was currently the most hotly and widely discussed scholar in academia. His fame had spread beyond academic circles to the general public.

The first-ever winner of both the Nobel and Fields Prizes, the prover of two Millennium Prize Problems, the Father of Controlled Nuclear Fusion. And on top of all that, he was so young.

At least in this day and age, no other scholar could match his prestige.

And for the news media, all of this meant traffic.

Not to mention today’s interview was so explosive.

He could imagine that if this interview was released, the buzz would absolutely explode. A promotion and a raise were right around the corner.

Following the Yonhap News Agency’s report, the entire internet was in an uproar.

South Korean netizens, in particular, flocked to the internet to discuss the matter.

[Plagiarism? What’s going on?]

[From the news, it seems that Professor Xu cited some of our research but didn’t inform Professor Kwon?]

[What do you mean ‘cited’? This is plagiarism! He’s plagiarizing our country’s intellectual property! This must be strictly investigated!]

[I can’t believe he’s this kind of person. I used to admire him. So disappointing.]

[I’ve always wondered how a twenty-five-year-old kid could achieve so much. Looking at it now, could some of it be questionable?]

[I don’t think Professor Xu would do something like this. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.]

[Aishibal, you dog up there! Yonhap News Agency has already laid out the evidence, and you still don’t believe it?]

[How could a genius like that come from that country! Even our Great Han (Korea) doesn’t have one. I’m more inclined to believe he must have stolen other people’s work.]

[Apologize! He must apologize!]

[If that’s the case, then maybe the KL-66 material really is a room-temperature superconductor. I no longer trust his research papers.]

[Exactly! I knew such a great material couldn’t possibly be a magnet!]

With the Yonhap News Agency’s report, South Korea’s netizens went into a frenzy.

Although a very small minority of more rational people didn’t quite believe Professor Xu would do such a thing, their voices were quickly drowned out by the Curses of others.

As the controversy fermented, the news soon spread internationally and was then reposted by Chinese netizens who liked to browse foreign websites.

With the topic already at a fever pitch, the sudden explosion of such a story sent the related news soaring directly to the top of the trending charts, sparking discussion among countless netizens.

[What’s this? God Chuan plagiarized South Korea’s work?]

[Impossible. With God Chuan’s character, how could he do something like this? It’s most likely South Korea acting up again. Sour grapes, just trying to stir up trouble.]

[This time seems different, though? They’ve even produced evidence.]

[Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There must be something to it for them to say this. I think he needs to come out and respond. If he made a mistake, he should apologize!]

[I don’t believe God Chuan would do this. Besides, it’s not like he’s short on achievements.]

[A response is definitely necessary. God Chuan can’t just be slandered like this!]

[Have you all forgotten what happened with the NS equations so quickly? In the end, wasn’t it the South Korean media behind it all? They found some professor who didn’t know anything to slander him!]

[I’m guessing it’s the same this time. Besides, the KL-66 material was something South Korea faked in the first place, wasn’t it already proven not to be a superconductor?]

[There’s no smoke without fire, and everything happens for a reason. What’s more, South Korea has even released evidence. Can’t you all be a bit more rational?]

[Hah, the physicists haven’t even said anything yet, and you’re all getting so worked up?]

The related discussions quickly exploded online, and the buzz naturally caught the attention of the scientific community.

At Nanjing University, the university leaders who were constantly keeping an eye on Xu Chuan quickly noticed the incident.

The new principal, Tan Shaoyuan, rushed to Chen Zhengping’s office with the news.

Xu Chuan’s reputation was at stake, which directly involved Nanjing University’s reputation, as the two were now intrinsically linked. Nanjing University could not sit by and watch this mud be slung at Xu Chuan.

“Academician Chen, take a look at this.”

Without bothering to knock, Tan Shaoyuan pushed the door open, hurried into the office, and quickly handed the news to Chen Zhengping.

Nanjing University held significant sway in the field of condensed matter physics, at least ranking in the top three among domestic universities. And the man before him, Academician Chen, was not only a professor of condensed matter physics but also Xu Chuan’s Advisor.

Chen Zhengping gave the somewhat ‘agitated’ principal a surprised look but didn’t ask questions, taking the tablet and starting to read.

Instantly, upon seeing the news, his brow furrowed.

“This is utter nonsense!”

After finishing the article, Chen Zhengping’s chest heaved twice as he frowned, suppressing his anger and tossing the tablet onto the desk!

The unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems plagiarized from South Korea’s KL-66 material?

How could they even say such a thing!

They were two completely different things, weren’t they?

It wasn’t that he hadn’t read the paper. Although his mathematical ability wasn’t enough to fully comprehend the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems in a short time, the framework part had absolutely no connection to that KL-66 material.

If there was any connection at all, it was that when verifying the low-dimension framework theory in the paper, the diamagnetism mechanism of the KL-66 material was used.

And even that was a discovery made by his own student, who had used this very finding to debunk the reports that KL-66 was a superconductor.

As for plagiarizing research, he truly had no idea how South Korea had managed to connect the dots in this way.

Beside him, Tan Shaoyuan quickly asked, “Academician Chen, what should we do now? The public opinion online is very unfavorable for Professor Xu. Should we do something?”

Chen Zhengping took a deep breath and said, “There’s no need. I believe he would never do such a thing. And based on the paper, the unified framework theory has nothing to do with South Korea’s KL-66, at least not with the research they’ve done themselves.”

“The thing Xu Chuan cited was his own previously established mechanism of strong diamagnetism.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “The university should hold off for now. I’ll contact Xu Chuan first and see what he thinks.”

“I believe he won’t just stand by and watch. When the time comes, the university can coordinate and issue a public statement at the same time he gives his explanation.”

“We cannot watch South Korea slander our scholar like this!”

Tan Shaoyuan nodded. “Alright. In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, Academician Chen, to communicate with Academician Xu first. If there’s anything the university can do to help, we will do our utmost!”

“The university will contact more media outlets. We must wash this dirty water away! We can’t let it stick to Academician Xu! The nature of this is too malicious!”

Chapter 480: A Single, Painful Lesson Will Suffice

Meanwhile, in the United States.

At Brown University, Professor Michael Kosterlitz, wearing round black-framed glasses and sporting a full beard, was intently reading a copy of the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems.

He was a recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he won alongside his colleague for their discovery of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.

His research primarily focused on condensed matter theory, with profound expertise in fields such as one- and two-dimensional physics, phase transitions, random systems, electron localization, spin glasses, and critical dynamics.

Compared to other physicists, his work in condensed matter physics meant his mathematical achievements were considerably more profound.

The discovery of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter was, in fact, born from research conducted using topology.

Therefore, to Michael Kosterlitz, the mathematical framework and theory within the paper he held was like a priceless treasure.

The mathematical framework for strongly correlated electron systems had brought him a great deal of inspiration and new methods.

That was why, ever since downloading and printing the paper, he had barely let it out of his sight, studying it with rapt attention.

Just then, the sound of hushed discussions broke the silence in his office.

Slightly annoyed by the distraction, Michael Kosterlitz frowned at his students, wondering what they were talking about.

Seemingly noticing their advisor’s gaze, one of the students spoke up. “Professor, we just saw the news. It says that Professor Xu is suspected of plagiarizing the work of the South Korean KL-66 team for his unified theoretical framework of strongly correlated electron systems.”

Michael Kosterlitz: “???”

Hearing this, Professor Michael had a look of utter confusion on his face. “What did you say? Plagiarized what?”

“Uh, I’ve sent you the news link, Professor. You should take a look,” the student said, holding up his phone after a moment of fiddling.

At his words, Michael Kosterlitz quickly grabbed his own phone, clicked the link his student had sent, and began to read.

His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

“This is utter nonsense!”

If the phone hadn’t been his own, he would have smashed it right then and there.

This was so damn outrageous!

Did South Korean academia have any shame left?

How could they even say something like that?

In the office, the students, who had been stunned by their advisor’s sudden outburst, took a moment to recover. One of them asked cautiously, “Professor, did Academician Xu really plagiarize the South Koreans’ work?”

Michael Kosterlitz glanced at his student and said flatly, “Do you believe a top scholar like Professor Xu would do something like plagiarize someone else’s work?”

“Or do you think he’s in need of the honor that a framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems would bring him?”

Hearing this, the student shook his head vigorously.

Although a framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system was incredibly important to condensed matter physics, and even to the entire field of physics, for a man like Professor Xu, it was just one of many achievements of that caliber he already possessed.

Whether it was the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, the mathematical method for calculating distant celestial bodies, or the controlled nuclear fusion technology, each of them was comparable, if not superior, in significance.

Especially the last one. Honestly, he truly couldn’t fathom what kind of intellect Professor Xu possessed to be able to lead China to achieve ignition in this day and age.

Seeing this, Michael Kosterlitz continued impassively, “Then that settles it.”

Meanwhile, in Beijing.

At the Aman Summer Palace, Xu Chuan was still in discussion with Witten and Deligne.

The grand unified framework of the strongly correlated electron system integrated not only strongly correlated systems but also knowledge from fields such as non-equilibrium electron dynamics and quantum many-body systems.

Even for a master like Witten, who was well-versed in multiple fields including mathematics, physics, and quantum mechanics, fully grasping it was no easy feat.

Witten had deliberately canceled his flight, turned down a meeting at CERN, and extended his hotel stay for two more days to discuss the framework for the strongly correlated electron system with Xu Chuan.

As for Deligne, he simply stayed behind because he had nothing else scheduled.

Though he wasn’t well-versed in the field of condensed matter physics, that didn’t stop him from studying the mathematics within it.

“Speaking of which, when are you planning to hold a conference presentation?” Witten asked curiously after chatting with Xu Chuan for a while. “Many people in the field of physics are waiting for it. I imagine everyone has quite a few questions.”

“The mathematical methods used in your grand unified framework theory are likely a bit difficult for most physicists to understand. They all need your explanation.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Let’s wait a little longer. Chinese New Year is in about a week. It won’t be too late to hold it after the New Year is over.”

“Besides, the physics community needs some time to digest my paper. It’s good to let things settle for a bit.”

Witten nodded. Just as he was about to say something else, a phone began to ring in the room.

Hearing the ringtone, Xu Chuan pulled a phone from his pocket. Seeing that the call was from his Advisor, he answered it without a second thought.

After listening for a moment, he frowned slightly, a hint of surprise on his face.

After learning the full story from his Advisor, Chen Zhengping, he nodded and asked, “Is there anything else, Teacher?”

Chen Zhengping shook his head. “No, but how do you plan to handle this? If you don’t handle this well, it could be a significant blow to your personal reputation.”

Xu Chuan chuckled. “Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with something like this. The Washington Times kicked up a similar fuss over the NS equations, and it didn’t affect me at all.”

On the other end of the line, Chen Zhengping nodded. “Alright, you can handle it as you see fit. Principal Tan was just here. He said that if you need any help from the university, just ask, and they will fully support you.”

Xu Chuan smiled. “Got it. I’ll take a look at their specific report first.”

“That’s all for now then.”

After hanging up, Xu Chuan opened WeChat, clicked on the news link his Advisor Chen Zhengping had sent him, and skimmed through it.

Beside him, Witten asked curiously, “What is it? Did something happen?”

Although he hadn’t heard the specific conversation and didn’t understand much Chinese, the moment he heard his student mention the “NS equations” and the “Washington Times,” he knew something was probably wrong.

After all, he had attended that mathematics conference presentation from start to finish.

Xu Chuan smiled. “It’s nothing serious, really. One of the researchers for the KL-66 material said in a media interview that I cited—or rather, plagiarized—their research results on the KL-66 material and demanded that I come forward and give an explanation.”

Hearing this, Deligne frowned slightly and asked, “Why is it South Korea again?”

Xu Chuan shrugged. “It’s normal. My Motherland’s relationship with South Korea is rather complicated; you could call it a long-standing feud. If they get a chance, they don’t mind trying to discredit and smear us.”

Deligne said with a frown, “So, does your paper cite their work? If not, I suggest you respond publicly. This kind of slander shouldn’t be cast on you.”

“If you did, then this might be a bit troublesome. This type of person will probably latch onto this point and refuse to let go.”

In fact, in academia, citing others’ work as a tool or step in one’s own proof is a perfectly normal practice.

This was especially true in the field of mathematics, where many problems were too difficult to be solved by one person or in a single attempt.

Building upon the foundations of predecessors, citing the work and papers of other mathematicians as one’s own cornerstone to continue climbing higher, was something no one would object to.

It was a perfectly normal practice. After all, science is built brick by brick. Without the groundwork laid by those who came before, there would be no success for those who follow.

But sometimes, you couldn’t guard against malicious troublemakers. It was very annoying when trash like that latched onto one point and wouldn’t let go.

Xu Chuan smiled and was about to answer when Edward Witten, who was sitting next to him, shook his head and cut in, “He didn’t! I’m familiar with South Korea’s work on the KL-66 material, and I’ve read the related papers.”

“In Xu’s unified framework paper, he never cited the work on KL-66 from beginning to end. What he cited was his own previously researched diamagnetic mechanism of the KL-66 material, which he used to explain the low-dimensional strongly correlated transition state.”

After a pause, he looked at Xu Chuan and added, “Deligne is right. You should fight back. This kind of slander shouldn’t be thrown at you.”

Xu Chuan nodded. “Of course. This sort of thing can happen once, but not twice. It seems the lesson from the NS equations wasn’t painful enough, and now they think I’m an easy target.”

He had plenty of experience dealing with situations like this. A single, painful blow was all it would take to resolve it.

After all, he wasn’t just a simple scholar. He held a number of key technologies, some of which were essential.

As the debate online fermented, the related discussions grew more and more heated.

Just as everyone was arguing endlessly, an announcement from Tsinghua University captured the attention of all netizens.

Regarding the Incident Involving the Citing of the KL-66 Research Paper as Raised by South Korea, Academician Xu Chuan Will Hold a Press Conference at Our University Tomorrow to Respond!

The moment this announcement was released, it immediately attracted the attention of countless netizens.

For Xu Chuan, responding to the slander thrown at him by South Korea was a necessity.

To end the controversy as quickly as possible and restore his reputation, he directly contacted Tsinghua University to hold a press conference on campus and formally respond to the matter.

Of course, he would also be announcing a few other things.

After all, with some people, if you don’t hit them hard once and for all, they’ll just keep making a scene.

Chapter 481: I’d Sooner Suggest You See a Psychiatrist!

The moment Tsinghua University released its announcement, it immediately sparked considerable heated discussion.

Online, there were voices of support, feeling that no matter what, it was always good to step forward and respond to such a matter.

Of course, at the same time, there were also those who liked to show off their cleverness, preemptively labeling the incident as academic misconduct before anything had even begun.

It takes all sorts to make a world; this was perfectly normal.

For some people, the only things they ever saw were the things they wanted to see.

As for the actual truth, these people couldn’t care less.

The next day, at ten in the morning.

A simple press conference was held in the Great Hall of Tsinghua University.

Although there was no prior notice and the schedule was tight and rushed, a significant number of reporters still showed up.

This was partly due to Tsinghua University’s assistance and partly due to the influence of the matter itself.

Aside from media outlets like People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency, Beijing-based media such as Sina and TMTPost also sent reporters.

Of course, South Korean reporters were present as well. Despite the urgency, the journey wasn’t long—just a two or three-hour flight.

Inside the Great Hall, a neat row of cameras was lined up below the lectern. The reporters who had come for the event waited for the press conference to begin.

Meanwhile, they huddled together, discussing the matter in low voices.

The only one who was ostracized, standing alone and isolated to the side, was the reporter from South Korea.

Though he was shunned, he didn’t mind.

He had already obtained sufficient evidence from that Professor Young-Wan Kwon, evidence that could prove that this Professor Xu’s unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system was related to their South Korean KL-66 material—that the core idea had been plagiarized from them!

Of course, what he didn’t know was that the so-called evidence in his hands had nothing to do with the mathematical unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system.

Furthermore, the parts of the research papers that were relevant were things Xu Chuan had written himself.

At ten o’clock sharp, under the watchful eyes of the reporters below the stage, Xu Chuan emerged from the backstage.

He couldn’t even be bothered to change his clothes. He walked straight to the lectern in his casual attire, facing the crowd of media.

Looking at the pairs of eyes fixed on him, Xu Chuan cleared his throat and began, “I’m sure everyone knows the reason for today’s press conference, so I won’t waste any time.”

“If you have any questions, you may raise your hands now.”

At his words, a forest of hands shot up below the lectern with a swoosh.

Xu Chuan scanned the crowd and immediately spotted the agitated reporter from South Korea.

However, he ignored him, his gaze sweeping past and landing on the reporter sent by CTV, signaling for them to ask the first question.

As for the South Korean reporter, he could wait.

The CTV reporter seemed a bit surprised that Xu Chuan would choose him first. He paused for a moment before snapping back to reality.

Stepping forward with some excitement, the reporter held the microphone and said, “Academician Xu, we’ve heard that you recently completed the unification of the strongly correlated electron system in condensed matter physics. Could you briefly explain its significance to the public?”

Hearing this question, Xu Chuan was also slightly taken aback.

He had expected to be asked about the South Korean KL-66 material, but this reporter hadn’t touched on it at all.

After a moment’s thought, he replied, “The strongly correlated electron system is an important branch of solid-state physics, possessing a wealth of physical phenomena and promising applications.”

“By developing more precise and efficient theoretical methods, we will be able to better understand the electronic properties and interactions within strongly correlated systems, providing crucial theoretical guidance for the design and application of new high-performance materials in the future.”

“For instance, things we often discuss like superconducting materials, strong magnetic materials, the colossal magnetoresistance effect, quantum devices, and so on. All of these can be rapidly advanced through the strongly correlated electron system.”

“Moreover, for materials science, the unified framework of the strongly correlated electron system helps to enhance our understanding of the microscopic structure of materials, enabling us to quickly design and manufacture various new materials.”

As he finished speaking, another hand went up. Xu Chuan nodded, and the person quickly asked a question:

“Academician Xu, listening to your previous answer, I heard you mention quantum devices. I’d like to ask, what are quantum devices?”

Hearing the second question, Xu Chuan was again slightly stunned. He had thought the second person would ask about the South Korean KL-66 material, but once again, they didn’t.

However, he was no stranger to quantum devices. After all, he had briefly researched the topic after completing the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system.

“Simply put, a quantum device is a piece of equipment that operates based on quantum phenomena, such as quantum transistors, quantum memory, quantum well lasers, quantum interference component sensors, and so on.”

“It’s a general term for devices that utilize quantum effects to construct electronic components.”

“If these things sound unfamiliar, then I’m sure everyone has heard of the quantum computer.”

“A quantum computer is a device composed of a series of quantum devices.”

Xu Chuan gave a simple introduction to quantum devices. This was a cutting-edge research area in the fields of quantum mechanics and the computer industry. Artificial quantum devices were one of the future directions of technological development.

“Are you saying that the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system you’ve established can provide theoretical support for quantum computers? Is that what you mean?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded. “Theoretically, the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system can indeed promote the development of quantum computers and provide theoretical assistance.”

“However, in practice, there are still many problems and difficulties to be solved. The development of quantum computers is not something that can be resolved by the establishment of a single theory.”

To Xu Chuan’s surprise, the domestic media reporters seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic of South Korea’s KL-66 material. One by one, they all asked questions about unrelated matters.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Xu Chuan turned his gaze to the South Korean reporter present and gestured for him to ask his question.

The South Korean reporter, who had finally gotten his chance, cursed inwardly. He stood up, head held high, and looked at Xu Chuan, asking, “Professor Xu, are you aware of the accusations made against you by Professor Young-Wan Kwon of Seoul University? What is your take on the matter of you plagiarizing the research results of the KL-66 material? Will you publicly apologize to Professor Kwon and the others?”

The moment this question was asked, the domestic reporters, who had been watching him intently, all showed expressions of surprise and astonishment, and a small commotion rippled through the hall.

Although everyone had tacitly left this “offensive” topic of the South Korean KL-66 material to the reporter who had traveled from afar, they hadn’t expected his line of questioning to be so direct.

He might as well have directly branded Academician Xu a plagiarist.

Xu Chuan smiled, completely unbothered by the other’s arrogant attitude. He said, “Plagiarism?”

“I don’t know how you people define this, or is that Professor Kwon of yours just a scholar in name only?”

At these words, the South Korean reporter instantly clenched his teeth, staring daggers at Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan paid his gaze no mind and continued, “I’ve heard some of the rumors circulating online before this, and as for the claims that I plagiarized the results of the South Korean KL-66 material, I cannot accept them. This is pure slander against me.”

“That’s why I am standing here today to give a direct response to this matter.”

“First of all, I can tell you all that the claim of plagiarizing research results from the South Korean KL-66 material has never happened.”

“For anyone who can say such a thing, I suggest they go and read my research paper on the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system carefully.”

“Of course, it’s possible they won’t understand it and will only notice that my paper mentions the KL-66 material as a supplement.”

As his voice fell, a ripple of laughter spread through the audience below.

To the domestic reporters, this Academician Xu was quite ‘humorous’—he had all but pointed at the other man’s nose and called him stupid.

The only one fuming was the South Korean reporter, who quickly retorted, “If you’ve read the news reports, you should be very clear about Professor Kwon’s accusations.”

“In his accusation, he very clearly listed the evidence of you plagiarizing the results of the KL-66 material! How do you explain that?”

Xu Chuan glanced at him and pressed a button on the lectern. A prepared screen slowly descended.

The projector turned on, and the screen clearly displayed images, mathematical formulas, and some content from a research paper.

Looking at the lowered screen, Xu Chuan shot a glance at the South Korean reporter and asked, “This is what you’re talking about, right?”

The South Korean reporter nodded quickly. “That’s right. Do you dare say this isn’t from your paper? That this isn’t evidence of plagiarism?”

Xu Chuan turned around, a playful curve forming on his lips as he looked at the reporter. “Speaking of which, you people already fell into a huge pit with the NS equations. I already slapped your faces swollen, so why are you sending them over to be slapped again?”

“It’s obvious that you media reporters are being used as a pawn again. Or perhaps, you yourselves are more than happy to do this kind of baseless slandering.”

Hearing this, the South Korean reporter’s heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling surged through him.

Xu Chuan ignored him and continued, “It’s undeniable that this content is indeed from the research paper I published on the unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system. But does it have anything to do with the results of the KL-66 material developed in South Korea?”

“If I recall correctly, these data, formulas, and related theories have not a single thing to do with your KL-66 material’s results. This is all my own previous work.”

“Oh, right. I also used it to prove that your so-called KL-66 material, which you hyped up as a room-temperature superconductor, was just a bubble.”

“And yet now you’re coming to me with it, accusing me of plagiarizing your results? Isn’t that just claiming my work as your own and then making a false counter-accusation? Where’s the logic in that?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can go back and find your research paper on the results of the KL-66 material, and then compare it with my paper on the unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system.”

“Or, you can have that so-called Professor Kwon point out where exactly in my paper I cited his research on the KL-66 material.”

“If you can find a single point of similarity, I will immediately apologize, offer compensation, and hand over the成果 of the unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system to Professor Kwon.”

“If you can’t find anything!”

Pausing for effect, Xu Chuan looked at the other reporters and continued, “If you cannot find anything, I will file lawsuits in both Chinese and South Korean courts against Seoul University, Professor Young-Wan Kwon, and the Yonhap News Agency. I will seek arbitration for malicious rumor-mongering, slandering another for plagiarism, and damaging the reputation of a top international scholar.”

“Furthermore, until this matter is resolved, I, and all research institutes and companies under my name, will refuse to have any cooperative relationship with any enterprise or company in South Korea. This includes existing collaborations on the artificial SEI film and the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, which will be completely suspended, with authorizations revoked, and so on.”

“Also, given that this is the second time I have been baselessly slandered by scholars or media from your country, I have ample reason to believe that the overall integrity of this nation is subpar. Until this matter is justly resolved, I will refuse to review any academic papers from South Korean scholars in the fields of mathematics, physics, materials, and others.”

“That’s all for today’s press conference. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules.”

To be honest, he had originally wanted to permanently revoke all authorizations at once, but considering that country’s knack for being disgustingly persistent rather than outright harmful, it was better to not burn all his bridges just yet.

If he went too far, he would likely be targeted with nuisance tactics in the future. He had no doubt they were capable of such things.

Besides, he could drag out the lawsuit in the domestic courts for as long as he wanted. If he so wished, it would likely be years before a verdict was reached.

After speaking, Xu Chuan turned as if to leave, but then he seemed to remember something. He stopped and looked at the South Korean reporter, who was standing there dumbfounded, and added a final remark:

“If you people insist on believing that this is a result derived from the KL-66 material, then I can only suggest that you go see a doctor in the psychiatry department.”

Chapter 482: An Aggrieved Samsung

With that, Xu Chuan left the ashen-faced South Korean reporters and turned to leave.

Inside the Great Hall, the security personnel stared intently at the South Korean reporters and camera crew, afraid they might charge forward and start a fight with Academician Xu. They were ready to pin them to the ground at a moment’s notice.

After all, people from South Korea were not incapable of such things.

In many respects, the people of that country were quite radical.

There were historical records of them doing things like throwing rotten eggs and leather shoes at unsuccessful soccer players, or rushing onto a stage to beat up a speaker.

Moreover, Academician Xu’s scolding had been so thorough, they were very worried the South Korean media reporters would lose control.

However, even as Xu Chuan departed, the South Korean reporters just stood there, their faces livid, making no move.

In a corner of the Great Hall, the security captain who was on duty had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his subordinate sigh next to him.

“What a pity. There goes our Third-Class Merit.”

Hearing this, the security captain froze for a second.

Holy crap?

Damn, he has a point!

If they had charged forward, wouldn’t his men have secured a Third-Class Merit for sure?

As the press conference concluded, various media outlets began reporting on it, and the internet once again erupted with activity.

《A Departure from Civilization, an Exposure of Hypocrisy! Ignorance is the Greatest Sin Against Science!》

《Unified Framework for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems May Provide Theoretical Support for Quantum Computers!》

《The So-Called Plagiarism: A Farce From Beginning to End.》

《Academician Xu Proves His Innocence, South Korea Embroiled in Slander Scandal!》

Compared to the near-silent South Korean media, the domestic media was far more boisterous.

The moment the press conference ended, major outlets quickly compiled the interview content into news articles.

[I knew it! There was no way God Chuan would do something like plagiarize! Where are all those people who were spouting “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”? Come out and apologize to God Chuan!]

[LOL, not only was it not plagiarism, but South Korea was also trying to claim God Chuan’s old man’s previous papers as their own? And then turn around and accuse him? That’s outrageous.]

[I seriously doubt whether South Korea has any real scientists. How could they stir up something like this?]

[Drop the “doubt.” You don’t need to “feel.” It’s a fact.]

[Say what you will, but it’s a fact that the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system cited the KL-66 material, right?]

[???? Still being stubborn, are we?]

[To borrow a line from God Chuan: If you insist on thinking this is a result derived from the KL-66 material, I can only suggest you see a psychiatrist. I think the poster above should do the same.]

[It’s 2202, for crying out loud! Controlled nuclear fusion has been achieved under God Chuan’s leadership, yet there are still people sucking up to foreigners??? Have you been kneeling for so long you can’t stand up anymore?]

[Wait, is no one paying attention to the quantum computer? God Chuan’s theory is said to provide support for quantum computers. Is the age of quantum computers coming?!]

Amidst the heated online discussion, the matter came to a satisfactory conclusion in China. After the initial burst of debate, the topic’s popularity gradually began to wane.

But for South Korea, this was only the beginning.

Following the suspension of cooperation on the artificial SEI film and the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, many South Korean companies were affected to varying degrees.

The one most heavily impacted was, without a doubt, Samsung Mobile.

When they learned of the situation, they hadn’t even had time to step in and force the Yonhap News Agency to back down and apologize before Xu Chuan’s press conference was held.

Immediately after, the NS equations incident repeated itself.

As the world’s largest mobile phone shipper, Samsung was truly so aggrieved they wanted to jump up and down and hit someone.

This was the second time they had suffered such an undeserved disaster.

Battery capacity was an absolutely crucial factor in mobile phone sales.

And the importance of the patent licensing for the artificial SEI film to battery capacity was beyond question.

Their collaboration had been going perfectly fine, and they hadn’t done anything to provoke Professor Xu. But to their surprise, their own country had to go and stir up this mess again.

It was the same with the NS equations incident before. Those damn media outlets just had to go and pick a fight with Professor Xu. It was a real headache.

If it were an ordinary scholar, even a very famous one, Samsung wouldn’t have been so aggrieved.

But this Professor Xu was truly different from traditional theoretical scholars. The key technologies he controlled had a chokehold on the very lifeblood of the battery industry.

Although various countries were trying to break through this technological blockade, for now, there was really only one option.

Without the artificial SEI film technology, battery capacity would drop several-fold compared to before.

Consumers who had long grown accustomed to charging their phones only once every few days would never be able to accept returning to an era of charging once, or even two or three times, a day.

If Samsung lost its high-capacity battery technology, its throne as the world’s number one in mobile phone sales would likely be snatched away by other phone manufacturers very quickly.

Especially the mobile phone manufacturers from China, whose development speed in recent years had been terrifyingly fast.

Xu Chuan ignored the flood of apologetic phone calls from South Korea and paid no mind to matters of patent licensing.

Let them wait.

If it weren’t for the fact that a toad doesn’t bite but is disgusting, and that his reputation had been slandered, he wouldn’t even have bothered with this kind of thing.

As for now, he would first make one of South Korea’s chaebols feel the pain.

He couldn’t deal with everyone in South Korea at once, but the people within that country could.

He couldn’t handle another incident like this one.

Returning to the Aman Summer Palace, Deligne and Witten were waiting for him in the hotel lobby.

“Is it resolved?” Sitting next to his packed luggage, Edward Witten looked at Xu Chuan and asked.

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded. “I believe this sort of thing won’t happen again.”

“Good. Since you’ve handled it, I should be heading over to CERN for the meeting,” Witten said with a nod.

It had to be said, South Korea had truly embarrassed itself in front of the whole world this time.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “Speaking of CERN, Professor, why don’t you choose to come here to do your research?”

“CERN’s era is coming to a close. I’ve heard that the LHC’s originally planned upgrade has been put on hold. There’s not much point in sticking with the LHC anymore. I’m sure you know this, Advisor.”

“Meanwhile, my country is preparing to build a new large particle collider, with a standard collision energy level of 100 TeV and aiming for even higher.”

“A large particle collider like this will have performance far beyond what the LHC can offer. Even the upgraded High-Luminosity LHC won’t be able to compete with it.”

“I believe that once it’s completed, it will definitely bring brand new discoveries to the world of physics.”

“More importantly, I am the head of this project. And with my Motherland’s capabilities, once this plan is confirmed, it will only take a year or two, maybe even less time, to build it.”

“But right now, I need the help of many physicists to perfect this collider, this gateway to the depths of physics and the universe.”

In the hotel lobby, Xu Chuan was trying to recruit his former Advisor.

Witten had extensive work experience at CERN and a vast network in the field of high-energy physics. If he could be brought over to China, he could surely help solve many problems.

He might even be able to bring a large group of physicists from CERN to help him, and help China, perfect the construction of the large particle collider.

Of course, the chances of this were high.

After all, for a theoretical physicist, a large particle collider was the ultimate dream.

If you’ve ever watched The Big Bang Theory, you’ll surely be familiar with its most popular character, Sheldon Cooper.

In the show, Sheldon once said, “Ever since I was nine years old, I’ve dreamed of seeing the Large Hadron Collider.”

To a physicist, a large particle collider is a device for studying the mysteries of the universe. It is the key to knocking on heaven’s door, the magic wand for seeking out God’s creation.

It allows us to see particles and their interactions at an extremely small scale, on the order of one-hundred-quintillionth of a millimeter.

The secrets of the microscopic world and the vast universe are hidden there, waiting to be discovered by physicists.

And every single discovery is enough for one to leave one’s mark on history, to be remembered in the annals of science forever.

Standing in the lobby and listening to Xu Chuan’s words, Witten was, admittedly, moved.

After a long silence, he suddenly spoke. “I will give this suggestion serious consideration.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled. He knew it was a done deal.

Standing up, Professor Witten grabbed his luggage, looked at his former student, and said earnestly, “I truly hope that one day, we can see the birth of a particle that is genuinely beyond the Standard Model.”

Xu Chuan nodded and replied seriously, “We definitely will. Not just beyond the Standard Model. I believe that one day, we will be able to step out of the Solar System and venture into the deeper, more mysterious depths of the cosmos.”

Chapter 483: An Unexpected Visitor

After seeing off Professors Deligne and Witten, Xu Chuan returned to his hotel room.

Chinese New Year was just a few days away, but he had to wait two more days before returning to his hometown in Xiangnan.

It wasn’t because he had other business to attend to, but because he was waiting for that girl, Xu Xiao.

Ever since starting her graduate studies, Xu Xiao had thrown herself wholeheartedly into the field of biochemistry, never looking back. And because her math skills were significantly better than those of other graduate students, she had been press-ganged by her Advisor.

While other students had long since started their winter break, she was still busy in the lab.

Not long ago, after hearing that her big bro had come to Beijing, Xu Xiao had called, wanting to go back home with him.

Xu Chuan thought it over and, realizing he wasn’t particularly busy lately, agreed.

After staying at the hotel for another two days and spending some time researching the application and promotion of the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems in quantum devices, Xu Xiao was finally on break.

“Big Bro! Do you always stay in these courtyard-style hotels on business trips? This is so luxurious! I’m so jealous!”

Dragging her suitcase, Xu Xiao started exclaiming the moment she walked in.

Xu Chuan, who was sitting on the living room sofa reading a math research paper, put down the journal in his hands and looked over with a smile.

Xu Xiao, walking in with her suitcase, was wearing a down jacket. Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a simple ponytail, and her face, which he remembered as having a bit of baby fat, looked much thinner.

It seemed that her research work had been quite grueling lately.

Smiling, Xu Chuan asked, “What have you been researching recently? Your winter break is starting so late.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao immediately pouted and began to complain to her big bro, “It’s all because of the trap you set for me! We still don’t have a single clue about that Virtual Reality technology.”

“I’m in the lab every day calculating mathematical formulas for some brainwave statistical information or whatever. I don’t even feel like a biology student anymore!”

Listening to Xu Xiao’s complaints, Xu Chuan laughed. This was probably a warmth that only children could never imagine—the preciousness of having a sibling.

He smiled and continued, “This is just the beginning. There’s still a long way to go.”

Although he wasn’t a biology major, his familiarity with Virtual Reality technology was far beyond what Xu Xiao could compare to.

Statistics on brainwave information and the like were merely the beginning.

There were still many hurdles to overcome later on.

If Xu Xiao could produce some research results in this field, she would, without a doubt, be a founder on the path of Virtual Reality technology.

Of course, if needed, he would still help her out.

As for now, he would let the girl learn, do, and research on her own.

That was life, after all. How could one see a rainbow without experiencing some storms and setbacks?

After spending a night in Beijing, Xu Chuan took Xu Xiao on the high-speed rail back to their hometown in Xiangnan.

Looking at the small country villa outside the car window, he let out a long breath. He was finally home.

He had been away for nearly half a year without coming back, and he quite missed this place.

But now that he had reached his current status, he couldn’t just come back whenever he wanted.

After all, Security was a major issue.

For him, coming home meant Zheng Hai and his team had to prepare in advance. They not only had to notify the local County government but also arrange for guards to be stationed there.

So, to avoid troubling these people, Xu Chuan returned to his hometown relatively infrequently.

He parked the car. Xu Xiao got out and ran into the yard, while Xu Chuan took the luggage from the trunk and followed her toward the courtyard.

Just then, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that his life assistant was also following behind him, carrying a suitcase.

Stopping in his tracks, Xu Chuan hesitated for a moment before turning to look at her. “Why are you following me?” he asked.

Hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Tang Sijia looked back at him, bewildered. “Is there a problem? I’m your life assistant, responsible for your health and physical well-being. Isn’t it normal for me to live with you?”

Xu Chuan: “????”

What did she mean, ‘it’s normal to live with him’?

He had never even had a girlfriend before. If he brought a female comrade home to stay during Chinese New Year, who knew what the villagers would say.

Of course, if he really did bring a girlfriend home, his parents and fellow villagers would surely be happy, but this clearly wasn’t the case.

Unable to hold back a ‘cough’, Xu Chuan said, “Isn’t this… inappropriate? For you, a single woman, to move into someone else’s house like this.”

Tang Sijia replied nonchalantly, “There’s nothing appropriate or inappropriate about it. Ensuring your physical health is my mission. Besides, don’t worry, I’m not picky about where I stay. Any room will do.”

The corner of Xu Chuan’s mouth twitched. “Ahem, that’s not what I meant. I was talking about our reputations.”

Tang Sijia: “It’s fine. I don’t care about that kind of thing.”

Xu Chuan: “No, I’m talking about my reputation!”

Tang Sijia: “…”

Even though she was his life assistant, Xu Chuan found it very difficult to accept someone else living in his house.

Forget his hometown; even in his villa in Nanjing, no one other than his parents and his younger sister, Xu Xiao, had ever stayed overnight.

Zheng Hai had been his driver for several years, and although he had access to the security gate, he had never stayed over at his place.

As for security work, it wasn’t as if it had to be done from inside the house.

“Dad, Mom. I’m back.”

Stepping through the gate of the courtyard, a familiar feeling washed over him, and a smile involuntarily appeared on Xu Chuan’s face as he called out.

Inside the small building, Father and Mother Xu, who were beaming as they talked with Xu Xiao, quickly walked out upon hearing his voice.

“Chuan’er.”

Seeing Xu Chuan standing at the door with his suitcase, Mother Xu hurried over, her face filled with excitement and joy.

Both her children had gotten into university, and her son had even become a great scientist—it was an honor to their ancestors. But she hadn’t seen him in over half a year, and it would be a lie to say she didn’t miss him.

Xu Chuan smiled and greeted her again, then turned to his father and called out, “Dad.”

Xu Jianguo walked out calmly and looked his long-unseen son up and down. Seeing his rosy complexion and good spirits, he nodded in approval.

These days, a mountain of gold is not as important as good health.

As long as his two children could take care of themselves out there, he could rest easy.

By the time they arrived home from Beijing, it was about time for dinner.

Because his parents knew he and Xu Xiao were coming back, the dinner was exceptionally lavish.

After dinner, Xu Chuan chatted with his parents for a while before picking up his backpack and heading up to his room on the second floor.

But not long after, his father called him back down.

With the New Year approaching, there were many people visiting relatives and friends, especially now that the villagers and neighbors knew he was back.

Under these circumstances, someone would come to his house to sit for a while almost every day.

They weren’t asking for anything; just seeing the great scientist and, at the very least, hoping some of his Star of Literature aura would rub off on their own children was good enough.

Xu Chuan also smiled and greeted the neighbors from the village, handing out cigarettes and candy.

The days passed one by one, and the atmosphere of the approaching Lunar New Year grew stronger each day.

On the night of New Year’s Eve, Xu Chuan sat on the balcony of the second floor, gazing at the distant sky.

The faint smell of gunpowder from firecrackers drifted through the air. The fireworks illuminating the night sky and the bright lights from other houses nearby came into view, and the festive clamor of the New Year celebrations from downstairs reached his ears. A smile graced his face.

It wasn’t just the joy of the New Year, but also the memory of the enormous gains of the past year.

The achievement of controlled nuclear fusion technology had raised the curtain on a new century and a new world.

And the solution to the strongly correlated electron system problem was a great achievement he had never anticipated.

Although he only had these two presentable achievements in the past year, in terms of gains, it was the greatest harvest he’d had in years.

Controlled nuclear fusion technology alone was enough to completely change the entire world.

After Chinese New Year, he had only spent two days visiting relatives when, on the fifth day of the new year, a car drove into the quiet little mountain village.

“Academician Xu, it’s truly an imposition to disturb you right after the New Year.”

As Xu Chuan came down from the second floor, the middle-aged man who had been chatting with Father Xu while holding a teacup quickly stood up, greeting him with a smile.

Looking at the middle-aged man, Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised. He extended his hand to shake the man’s and asked curiously, “Hello, may I ask who you are?”

Although the face was unfamiliar and he had never seen him before, the fact that he could drive his car directly here, passing through the security and guards led by Zheng Hai, suggested his position was not low.

And in the living room, besides this middle-aged man, there was another middle-aged to elderly man standing behind him who looked quite familiar.

The middle-aged man enthusiastically shook Xu Chuan’s hand with both of his and introduced himself, “Academician Xu, hello. My name is Ding Jingguo, and I am currently a Vice Minister at the National Development and Reform Department.”

Hearing Ding Jingguo’s self-introduction, Xu Chuan was stunned for a moment. Good heavens, a leader from the NDRC? What on earth could this big shot want, coming all this way to find him right after the New Year?

“So it’s Minister Ding. A pleasure to meet you.” Full of questions, he shook his hand and looked at him.

Across from him, Ding Jingguo smiled and said, “Come, Academician Xu, let me introduce you. This is our country’s outstanding entrepreneur, Comrade Ren Zhengfei.”

Hearing this name, Xu Chuan paused, his gaze falling on Ren Zhengfei.

No wonder he found the elderly man so familiar. It was the famous Director Ren.

Standing behind Ding Jingguo, Ren Zhengfei, his face wreathed in smiles, stepped forward and greeted Xu Chuan warmly. “I have long heard of Academician Xu’s great name but have never had the chance to meet you. Seeing you for the first time today, Academician Xu, you are indeed as young and promising as the legends say.”

After shaking hands with Elder Ren, Xu Chuan also put on a smile and warmly greeted the entrepreneur before him. “Hello, Director Ren.”

If there was any private enterprise in the country that could be called a true ‘enterprise’, then Huawei, founded single-handedly by the elderly man before him, was undoubtedly one of them.

It was a true enterprise, and the Director Ren before him could be called a true entrepreneur.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ding Jingguo smiled and said, “Academician Xu, we were forced to disturb you right after the New Year because we have some rather urgent matters we’d like to discuss with you.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, “This isn’t the place to talk. Since it’s just after the New Year, neighbors and villagers will be coming over to celebrate. Let’s go to the study on the second floor; it’s quieter there.”

Ding Jingguo smiled. “Then we’ll have to trouble you, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan waved his hand and called out to his father, who was making tea in the living room, “Dad, I have some important business. If any of the neighbors want to see me, please help me turn them away.”

Xu Jianguo quickly nodded and replied, “Okay.”

Chapter 484: Hope for a Chip Breakthrough

On the second floor of the small villa, in the study, Xu Chuan boiled a kettle of water and brewed a few cups of tea with the leaves the Great Elder had given him.

After handing a cup to each of the two men, he took a light sip and asked, “I wonder, Mr. Ding, what is so urgent that you’ve come to see me?”

Ding Jingguo put down his teacup and thought for a moment, organizing his words before speaking. “I’m sorry to impose on you right after the Chinese New Year, but it’s mainly about a matter concerning chips, and I wanted to ask for your advice, Academician Xu.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked at the big shot from the NDRC with some surprise and asked curiously, “Chips?”

Ding Jingguo nodded. “Yes, about chips.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “When it comes to chips, our current situation is quite severe. In recent years, due to changes in the international situation, many of our high-tech companies have faced malicious technology blockades from some Western companies.”

“Having monopolized the chip industry and others, they maliciously restrict others from purchasing products and components, including electronic chips. This not only forces other companies to pay exorbitant protection fees, but they also frequently violate the spirit of their contracts and abuse and overgeneralize the concept of security.”

“Of course, I’m not here to complain to you. We have already recognized the strategic importance of the semiconductor industry and have been actively increasing our investment in R&D.”

“Especially in the high-end chip sector, encouraging companies to increase R&D investment, strengthen technological innovation, and protect their own intellectual property are all things we’ve been continuously working on.”

“However, in this field, we face enormous technical challenges in catching up to the world’s most advanced semiconductor industries. This is especially true in high-end chip manufacturing, such as integrated circuit processes below seven nanometers, where we are far behind Western countries that have decades of development history in chips.”

“Trying to catch up is a massive and arduous task that requires continuous effort and innovation.”

“But, to be honest with you, Academician Xu, we’ve already made some breakthroughs in this area. However, we’ve encountered some crucial problems that no one has been able to solve yet.”

“If we can solve this particular problem, we might be able to produce chips approaching the seven-nanometer process.”

“And my purpose in visiting you this time is to ask for your help to see if this problem can be solved.”

Ding Jingguo briefly explained the purpose of his visit to Xu Chuan.

After hearing all this, Xu Chuan asked in astonishment, “Seven nanometers?”

To be honest, he had never heard of this in his past life.

Although he had been in the United States his whole past life, it wasn’t that he paid no attention to developments back home.

From what he remembered, China’s real breakthrough to the seven-nanometer level seemed to be still some years away.

The reason was that seven nanometers is an important milestone in chip technology. It represents one of the most advanced processes for manufacturing chips, and chips below seven nanometers are considered advanced-process chips.

Compared to previous processes, like fourteen-nanometer or ten-nanometer, chips at seven-nanometer and below represent a major turning point in all aspects, including design, lithography, and materials.

It’s not just about fitting more transistors onto a chip of the same size, providing greater computing and processing power, reducing power consumption and heat generation, and improving battery life and device reliability, and so on.

Chips at seven nanometers and below have undergone enormous changes in design, materials, processes, and other aspects.

For example, using Gate-All-Around (GAA) nanowires in the chip’s horizontal array, at the seven-nanometer node, it becomes unavoidable to use Tunnel FETs, group III-V element channel materials, and vertical nanowires to perfect the process.

Processes above seven nanometers, however, do not require these things.

Speaking of which, the development, design, and manufacturing of chips is actually like a staircase in a building.

As you go down from the upper floors, each step down means solving one problem.

And when you reach “floors” like 28 nanometers, 14 nanometers, 7 nanometers, 5 nanometers, 3 nanometers, and 2 nanometers, it means you’ve reached a turning point on that corresponding floor.

What allows you to continue downward is not just the solution to a single problem, but the solution to a whole series of problems, or even more.

Light sources, materials, EDA, design, and all other aspects must have breakthroughs to continue sinking lower.

Take light sources, for example. Different light sources have different wavelengths, which determines the scale of exposure possible. In the field of chips, as microelectronic manufacturing processes continuously advance, the size of chip transistors gets smaller and smaller, and the requirements for device structure become higher and higher, necessitating higher resolution and finer exposure patterns.

Anyone who pays even a little attention to this area knows that the lithography machines on the market today are generally divided into DUV and EUV.

DUV is the more mature solution at present, using a deep ultraviolet light source with a wavelength of 193nm at its most advanced, and is widely used in processes for 7nm and older technologies.

But as processes continue to shrink, DUV is no longer sufficient, and it becomes necessary to use EUV equipment with an extreme ultraviolet light source.

That’s why Xu Chuan was so surprised by what Minister Ding said about seven nanometers.

Because according to his understanding, to be honest, this was truly not something China should have been able to produce at this time.

Although Ding Jingguo said there were still difficulties to overcome, the fact that he could say this meant they were surely just a small step away.

What surprised Xu Chuan was that the country had been making a lot of moves in secret over the years, hidden from the United States and other Western nations.

Worthy of being called the Rabbit. The old saying about a clever rabbit having three burrows was an understatement.

Ding Jingguo smiled and said, “Speaking of which, we a have you to thank for this, Academician Xu.”

“Me?” Xu Chuan glanced at him curiously.

Ding Jingguo nodded and said with a smile, “You might not pay much attention to these things, but the nation will forever remember your contributions to the Motherland.”

“Back in 2018, you led a team to complete the ‘Mechanism of Concentrating and Converting Nuclear Beta Radiation Energy into Electrical Energy’ Project. Using this technology, we were able to trade with other countries for some technologies and equipment that were originally under sales bans or simply not for sale.”

“Some of these things were related to chip development, and they directly promoted the development of our country’s chips, accelerating the pace.”

“And with the solution of controlled nuclear fusion technology, the country had more ample funds to invest in other fields. All these factors combined led to today’s results.”

“Of course, all of this is currently classified national information, so please don’t let it spread, Academician Xu. After all, if other countries find out we’ve had a breakthrough in chips, it will certainly cause other troubles.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan nodded in sudden understanding.

No wonder his memories were so different from the current situation. Because of the Butterfly Effect, it wasn’t just his own field of research that had seen breakthroughs; other areas had advanced along with it.

Smiling, he said, “This is a good thing. If we can break through the seven-nanometer process, we’ll be one step closer to solving the stranglehold on our chip industry.”

“Although we still have a long way to go to catch up with companies like ASML and their three-nanometer and two-nanometer technology, at least there’s now hope and a glimmer of dawn.”

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Ding Jingguo and continued, “So, what exactly is the problem you’ve come to me with this time?”

“I’m just a mathematician and a physicist. If you’re asking me to help design chips or something, I’m afraid that’s unrealistic. I don’t have that ability.”

Although he was happy that the country was making huge breakthroughs in chips, he definitely wouldn’t rashly enter this field and start telling experts what to do. That was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

After all, he wasn’t a scholar in the field of chips and wasn’t familiar with it.

Across from him, hearing Xu Chuan’s “humility,” the corners of both Ding Jingguo’s and Ren Zhengfei’s eyes couldn’t help but twitch.

Just a mathematician and a physicist.

Just listen to that. Could there be a bigger humble-brag?

But they had serious business to attend to and no time for idle chat.

Taking a deep breath, Director Ren, who was sitting to the side, spoke up. “It’s like this, Academician Xu.”

“In chip design and manufacturing, mathematics plays an extremely important role. The most representative example of this is EDA software, which is now almost completely controlled by foreign manufacturers.”

“It’s relevant to all aspects, from integrated circuit design and wiring to numerical control, calculations, and signal integrity.”

“Currently, Huawei’s HiSilicon is working with HuaXin to find a breakthrough in this area, but our R&D team has encountered some very difficult problems in numerical control and the full custom circuit design flow.”

“For example, boundary value problems for nonlinear partial differential equations, numerical algebra design, discrete mathematics, and so on.”

“We’ve sought help from other mathematicians for these problems, but so far, we haven’t made much progress. For some key mathematical problems, the optimizations made by the professors we’ve consulted haven’t had much effect and aren’t enough to improve the quality grade of the chips.”

“But all these problems must be solved, because they are fundamentally related to reducing the nanometer scale of the chips, the performance of the final product, and other crucial aspects. They are very important, so…”

“So you want me to help you solve these problems?” Xu Chuan asked directly.

Director Ren nodded, a little sheepishly.

HiSilicon and HuaXin combined were a significant force in the domestic chip industry, but in front of this man, forget HiSilicon and HuaXin; even adding Huawei to the mix probably wouldn’t be enough to measure up.

The value he alone had created for the country far exceeded the combined value of all of them.

Leaving other things aside, just with controlled nuclear fusion technology alone, he didn’t know what they could possibly use for comparison.

Chips, mobile phones, and communications were important, but when placed before a fusion technology that solves the energy crisis, there was simply no contest.

After hearing Director Ren’s problem, Xu Chuan didn’t agree immediately.

If it were a purely mathematical problem, he would have agreed to give it a try right away.

He couldn’t say for sure that he could solve every problem, but there were probably very few mathematical problems that could stump him, especially in the field of Applied Mathematics, which was his forte.

But this clearly involved more than just pure mathematics; it also touched upon aspects of chip design and manufacturing, which were outside his scope of research.

Across from him, Ren Zhengfei waited anxiously for an answer.

To be honest, he hadn’t felt this kind of nervous anticipation in a long time.

If this man refused, they could only try to find other mathematicians.

But they had already consulted many of the famous mathematicians in related fields in the country, with almost no change in the outcome.

There was no other way. The country had started very late in the chip industry. On top of that, it was a field with extremely high technological barriers, and there were very few corresponding mathematicians in the country.

So, when it came to related research, they were at a loss.

But if they didn’t achieve a breakthrough soon, there might be other changes regarding chips and the international situation.

Fortunately, after the higher-ups learned of their difficulties, they had secured this opportunity to meet him with the support of the NDRC.

Across from them, Xu Chuan frowned in thought for a moment, then looked up at Director Ren and said, “I can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee I can solve your problems.”

“After all, the mathematical challenges in chip design and manufacturing are likely different from my own field of mathematical research. I haven’t had much contact with this area. I’ll need you to arrange for some people to cooperate with me, and I might even need to visit your R&D department to study the issue together.”

Although he wasn’t very familiar with the mathematical design involved in the chip industry, he still decided to give it a try.

After all, if they could achieve a breakthrough with seven-nanometer chips, the next step would be five nanometers.

And the maturation of the seven-nanometer process would inevitably drive the maturation of the domestic chip design and manufacturing technology.

Even if it still couldn’t compare with the top-tier two-nanometer and three-nanometer technologies from abroad, at least there was now hope of catching up.

Hearing his answer, a look of delight instantly erupted in Ren Zhengfei’s eyes. He nodded quickly and said, “None of that is a problem. Rest assured, as long as you have a need, HiSilicon and HuaXin will do everything in their power to make it happen.”

Xu Chuan nodded, “Alright. By the way, are you in a hurry? If you are, you can send me the problems you’ve encountered first, so I can take a look and familiarize myself with them.”

Ren Zhengfei nodded quickly. “No problem. I’ll contact the R&D team right away and have them compile the problems and send them over to you.”

Beside them, Ding Jingguo also had a smile on his face. He said, “We’ve really troubled you this time, Academician Xu. To be honest, we’ve already approached many mathematicians, but none of them could solve these problems. We’re fortunate to have you.”

It had to be said, with a top scholar like him around, they always felt a sense of confidence, as if they had a safety net. It was as if any problem could be solved as long as he took action.

Chapter 485: A Shock Beyond Words

After seeing the two of them off, Xu Chuan went back to the second floor to pack his luggage.

Normally, he would have stayed at his parents’ home until the twelfth day of the new year before leaving.

After all, he rarely had the chance to come home during the year, and spending quality time with his parents and visiting relatives was an essential part of the Chinese New Year.

But this year was different, so he planned to leave on the sixth or eighth day of the new year.

Although he didn’t know how far HiSilicon and HuaXin had progressed with their chip research, the international situation and the nation’s desperate need for chips were indeed grim.

During his chat with the two of them that afternoon, Ding Jingguo, a leader from the development and reform commission, had mentioned these matters more than once. The situation and its developments had become even more severe, especially after the breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion.

Therefore, Xu Chuan planned to end his vacation early and head over to HiSilicon and HuaXin to see how things were.

He would be very happy if he could solve these mathematical problems and help the country achieve a breakthrough in chip technology.

After all, technological advancement had never been a one-man show.

It was just like the breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion; without the efforts of other researchers, engineers, and even grassroots personnel in security and construction, it would have been impossible.

In fields often overlooked by the average person, countless individuals were quietly striving.

After saying goodbye to his parents, Xu Chuan took the high-speed rail back to Nanjing.

Outside the villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain, a middle-aged man, led by Zheng Hai, passed through the security check. He was nervous and apprehensive, yet also filled with anticipation as he entered the unremarkable-looking villa.

“Academician Xu, the person from HuaXin is here,” Zheng Hai reported in the living room.

Xu Chuan nodded and smiled. “Thank you for your trouble.”

Zheng Hai replied, “I’ll be outside. If you need anything, just give me a call.”

After a salute, Zheng Hai turned and left. In the living room, only Xu Chuan and the middle-aged man from HuaXin remained.

Seeing the figure seated in the living room, the middle-aged man felt nervous and apprehensive, yet also full of anticipation and admiration.

After all, this was that legendary big shot. In terms of accomplishments alone, he was no different from the famous historical figures people had looked up to for centuries.

Xu Chuan didn’t pay it much mind. He glanced at the tense middle-aged man and said with a smile, “Please, have a seat. Did you bring the data on the problems?”

“Hello, Academician Xu. My name is Mao Shun. I’m the team leader of Group Three in HuaXin’s Technical R&D Department, mainly responsible for mathematical design. Here is the information you requested.”

Hearing this, Mao Shun snapped to attention. He quickly walked forward, took a small box from his backpack, entered a password, and retrieved a hard drive, which he then handed to Xu Chuan with the utmost respect.

Xu Chuan took the hard drive, examined it for a moment, and asked with a smile, “Do you understand all the mathematical problems on this hard drive?”

Mao Shun replied, “I wouldn’t dare say I understand them all, but I have some familiarity with most of them.”

This was the main reason his superiors had sent him. His rank wasn’t particularly high; theoretically, a task like liaising with this master should have fallen to someone at least at the Vice President level.

However, during yesterday’s meeting, Director Ren from Huawei had specifically said it would be best to send someone who was knowledgeable about the mathematical design aspects of chips.

But when it came to understanding mathematics, probably no one in the world would dare claim to be an expert in front of the man before him.

It was hard to say where this expert ranked in the grand history of mathematics, but in this era, he was undoubtedly the number one figure in the field.

“Then let’s not waste any more time. Follow me,” Xu Chuan said with a nod, getting up and heading towards the study.

Solving the mathematical challenges in chip design was a matter of urgency.

Since this Mao Shun guy knew a thing or two, it would be best to have him look over things first. If any questions arose, he could explain them on the spot.

In the study, Xu Chuan connected the hard drive to his computer.

He wasn’t using his laptop, but a small supercomputer that Zheng Hai had arranged to have set up in the adjacent villa.

While his laptop could potentially be hacked since he used it to connect to the foreign internet for research papers and the like, this dedicated small supercomputer was virtually impenetrable.

When it came to something concerning the nation’s chip development, the necessary precautions had to be taken.

He clicked open the hard drive, entered the password, and found the problem files Mao Shun had mentioned, beginning to read them carefully.

Although he wasn’t familiar with fields like circuit design in chips, he did understand the fundamental principles of how chips, or computers, operated.

The foundation of the computer was laid by three people: Leibniz invented the binary system, George Boole introduced Boolean algebra, and Shannon described switching circuits.

The combination of these three methods paved the way for the development of the computer.

The binary system was a change in algorithm from the decimal system. It was the basis of machine operation and the embodiment of mathematics being applied to daily life.

It was, without a doubt, the lowest level of computing. Whether a problem was simple or complex, it ultimately needed to be simplified into arithmetic operations to be processed by logic switches.

The core of this was using Boolean algebra to simplify all calculations into AND, OR, and NOT operations with 0 and 1.

For example, in the addition a+b, the carry is a&b, and the sum bit is (a&!b)|(!a&b). This means addition and subtraction can be expressed using AND, OR, and NOT.

The binary system, combined with Boolean algebra, could represent all mathematical operations.

And Claude Elwood Shannon brought forth “A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits,” which brought binary and Boolean operations into reality through relays, laying the foundation for modern digital circuits.

To this day, regardless of the ever-increasing integration of chips, the release of the latest CPUs, GPUs, and mobile processors, or even the fact that transistor counts now exceed tens of billions…

The underlying mathematical logic of their operation remains the binary system proposed by Leibniz, the Boolean computation invented by Boole, and the switching circuits described by Shannon.

It has never changed!

Of course, this was just the most basic foundation.

The actual calculations and designs within modern computer chips were far more complex.

This included the documents Xu Chuan was currently reading.

Although he didn’t know much about chip design, he was an expert in mathematics and modeling.

So, he didn’t immediately jump into the mathematical problems. Instead, he first familiarized himself with the information in the documents.

After all, he couldn’t possibly solve a problem without first understanding the situation.

It was like solving a mathematical puzzle; you first had to understand what the core of the problem was.

Through the materials Mao Shun had brought, he got a general idea of the vision and progress at HiSilicon and HuaXin.

According to the documents, the seven-nanometer chip the two companies were designing was based on the ARM architecture.

The so-called ARM architecture is a family of architectures that ARM Holdings licenses to other companies, who design their own microarchitectures that implement one of those architectures, offering various combinations of power, performance, and size. It is currently one of the three most powerful processor (CPU) architectures.

Purchasing someone else’s basic architecture and developing it further is a common practice in the chip industry.

It’s just like how the vast majority of scholars need to stand on the shoulders of giants to make further progress when tackling a mathematical problem.

Creating one’s own methods from scratch was, ultimately, something only a very few could do.

And that was what HiSilicon and HuaXin were doing.

Through in-depth research into the ARM architecture, they had continued to optimize and modify it, creating their own NPU neural network architecture.

The so-called NPU (Embedded Neural Network Processor) is a specialized type of integrated circuit. Unlike an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) which has a single function, a neural network processor is more flexible when it comes to handling more complex problems.

Generally, software or hardware can be specially programmed according to the characteristics of network computing to achieve special network purposes, implementing many different functions on a single chip for application in various network devices and products.

The architecture designed by HiSilicon and HuaXin used a “data-driven parallel computing” method, making it superior to traditional methods in processing massive amounts of multimedia data like videos and images.

One could say the student surpasses the master.

However, the construction of this architecture currently involved many systemic mathematical problems, such as those related to activation functions, 2D data operations, decompression modules, and so on.

In a conventional CPU or GPU chip, these would not be difficult problems. But the nature of the NPU neural network architecture was different from the other two, and its mathematical compatibility was completely different.

This led to the designed chip having even poorer performance than 10-nanometer or even 14-nanometer chips.

Currently, this was the bottleneck holding HiSilicon and HuaXin back.

Neural network and machine learning processing were still in the early stages of a demand explosion. The number of mathematicians specializing in this area was far smaller than those focused on traditional CPU/GPU architectures. There were few such talents abroad, let alone in the country.

Thus, out of desperation, the development and reform commission had approached him, hoping he could help solve the related mathematical problems.

Once he had a clear understanding of the overall situation, Xu Chuan finally clicked on the mathematics files and began to read through them.

Calculation of Eigenvalues for Large-Scale Sparse Matrices

The Global Solution to the Initial Value Problem for a System of Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations

The Initial Value Problem for First-Order Nonlinear Delay Differential Equations under a Neural Network Architecture

Parallel Computation of Polynomial Matrix Eigenvalues Based on NPU

…

The titles scrolled past his eyes. There were a fair number of problems, about a dozen in total, most of which were difficulties arising from the NPU neural network architecture.

Xu Chuan first clicked on each problem to take a look. From a fundamental mathematical perspective, these problems weren’t difficult for him, but he wasn’t familiar with the NPU neural network architecture they involved.

To work on them, he would first need to study the NPU neural network architecture, get a general understanding, and then tackle the problems.

However, not all of them were like that. There were two or three mathematical problems he could probably solve right now.

No matter how complex the mathematical problems involved in chip design were, to him, their difficulty was manageable.

No matter how intricate the calculation methods, how complex the model architectures and values were, they couldn’t possibly be more complex than the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma turbulence model in controlled nuclear fusion, let alone be compared to the Seven Millennium Prize Problems.

And to him, someone who had already solved two of the Seven Millennium Prize Problems, describing these problems as elementary school math might be a bit of an exaggeration, but at most, they were at the university level.

In any case, the moment he saw these problems, solutions and methods had already formed in his mind.

After spending about half an hour roughly going through all the documents Mao Shun had brought, Xu Chuan sat up straight, stretched, and let out a long breath, leaning back in his chair to think.

Across from him, Mao Shun, who had been sitting rigidly in the study for what felt like ages, immediately looked over with anticipation.

But before he could speak, Xu Chuan took out some scratch paper and a pen from the drawer, lowered his head again, and got busy.

Seeing this, Mao Shun swallowed the words that had already reached his throat.

Across from him, Xu Chuan paid no mind to Mao Shun, who was still sitting in the study. The black gel pen in his hand moved quickly, writing a title on the scratch paper.

【Stability Analysis of Stochastic Delay Differential Equations Driven by Fractional Brownian Motion】

“Let (Ω,F,P) be a complete probability space with a non-decreasing family of σ-algebras {Ft}t≥0 satisfying the usual conditions, i.e., {Ft}t≥0 is right-continuous and Fo contains all P-null sets. For all t<0, let Ft=Fo. The symbol |·| denotes…”

“Then the time-fractional Sobolev space can be defined by its norm: Hs0(D)={u∈Hs(D), supp u⊆D}”

“…”

【High-Precision Calculation of Eigenvalues and Singular Values of a Vandermonde Matrix】

“First, we give…”

“…”

In the study, Xu Chuan was busy solving the problems.

Sitting at the desk across from him, Mao Shun didn’t dare to make a sound to disturb the master, even though he had no idea what he was working on. He could only sit quietly and wait.

Time passed, drop by drop. At the desk, Xu Chuan had already forgotten there was another person in the room.

After writing the last line of an equation, he looked at the scratch paper on his desk and rubbed his chin.

Three problems, that should be enough for now.

He tidied up the scratch paper on the desk and began his usual process of checking his solutions.

Although problems of this level were not difficult for him, rigor was still essential.

After rechecking the answers on the scratch paper, he nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad. Theoretically, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Across from him, Mao Shun, who had finally waited until Xu Chuan stopped calculating, thought for a moment. After some hesitation, he gathered his courage and asked, “Academician Xu, how is it looking?”

Xu Chuan organized the papers on his desk and said, “I just took a quick look. Most of the problems involve your NPU neural network architecture, so I can’t give you a definite answer right now.”

“However, I’ve already solved the purely mathematical problems for you.”

Hearing this, Mao Shun was completely baffled. He stammered, “W-what do you mean, you’ve already solved them for us?”

Xu Chuan smiled, picked up the scratch paper, stood up, walked over to him, and handed him the papers. “Literally what I said. This is the process and the answers. I haven’t had time to type it up and print it out, but I think this should be enough. You can take it back with you.”

“As for the other problems, I’ve had a look. Most of them are difficulties that arise from the NPU neural network architecture. I might need some more time to study it.”

Mao Shun took the stack of scratch paper with a dazed expression. He flipped through it; the white pages were already covered in all kinds of mathematical formulas.

Looking at the stack of paper in his hands, he couldn’t help but swallow hard.

He had been in this villa for… less than two hours, right?

He glanced at his watch. It was 2:34 PM.

He could clearly hear the sound of himself gulping. Mao Shun tried to recall—if he wasn’t mistaken, he had arrived right on time at 1 PM.

Excluding the time for the security check, conversation, and Academician Xu reading the materials… stretching it, the actual work time was probably only about an hour, right?

He genuinely found it hard to describe the shock he was feeling.

As the team leader in charge of mathematical design, he had been in contact with numerous mathematicians in the country over the past year, some of whom were even Academicians from the Academy of Sciences.

But problems that hadn’t been solved in an entire year were finished by this man in just one hour?

Even if he had only solved one, wasn’t that a bit too outrageous?

Chapter 486: A Breakthrough Improvement!

Staring at the scratch paper in his hand, Mao Shun couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

Although he couldn’t understand whether the solutions on it were correct, he didn’t think the man before him would fabricate answers just to fool him.

After all, there was no reason for him to do so.

But to solve problems in just over an hour that they had researched for years and consulted numerous mathematicians on without success… wasn’t that a bit too terrifying?

Was this the power of the world’s foremost mathematician?

Taking a deep breath, he carefully organized the papers, took a file folder from his backpack, and placed them inside meticulously.

No matter what, he had to take these papers back for study.

After all, the research and design of the chip were related to these things. HiSilicon and HuaXin needed to adjust their mathematical models and control commands based on these answers to design and manufacture chips with superior performance.

As for whether it would achieve the expected optimization, that would have to wait until the optimized chip was produced.

Across from him, Xu Chuan paid no mind to the constantly shifting expressions on Mao Shun’s face. He continued, “Oh, right, there’s one more thing.”

Hearing this, Mao Shun quickly snapped back to his senses and replied promptly, “Academician Xu, please go on.”

Before he came, the higher-ups had instructed him that if Academician Xu made any requests during this trip, he had to find a way to fulfill them, no matter what.

Xu Chuan said, “When you go back, communicate with your leaders and see if you can send me a copy of the detailed information regarding this NPU neural network architecture you’re researching.”

“It’s mainly because many of your problems are based on the architecture you’re studying. I need to work from your foundation to research optimizations.”

Mao Shun nodded. “Alright, I’ll report this immediately.”

Xu Chuan said, “Okay, then I’ll keep this hard drive for now. I’ll do some more research.”

Mao Shun stood up, bowed slightly, and said gratefully, “We’ve really troubled you, Academician Xu.”

Xu Chuan smiled and waved his hand. “It’s a small matter.”

After seeing Mao Shun off, Xu Chuan returned to his study, opened the file with the math problems, and began to look through them again.

Meanwhile, Mao Shun, having just left the villa, was led out of the residential complex by Zheng Hai. He immediately found a quiet place to call his superiors and report the situation.

“Yes, I understand. Just stay there for now. Don’t worry about the time. I’ll have someone on my end prepare the materials and send them to you. You can then liaise with Academician Xu,” a steady male voice came from the other end of the line.

Mao Shun nodded, then remembered something and quickly added, “There’s one more thing. Regarding the math problems I delivered today, Academician Xu has already solved a portion of them. I have the answer sheets with me now. Should I bring them back, or will you arrange for someone to pick them up?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a confused voice, “What do you mean, ‘solved a portion’? If I remember correctly, you only just arrived in Nanjing today, right?”

Mao Shun replied, “It’s exactly as it sounds. I arrived this afternoon and just met with Academician Xu. After he took the problems from me, he solved three of them on the spot. It took about an hour.”

Hearing this, the other end of the line went completely silent.

Just as Mao Shun was wondering if the call had been disconnected, a voice filled with disbelief came through.

“Are you sure?”

Mao Shun nodded and said with certainty, “The scratch paper with the solutions is right here in my hand. Although I can’t tell if the answers are correct, I personally don’t believe Academician Xu would make up answers to fool us. I can only say that his mathematical ability far exceeds our imagination.”

The other end fell silent again before speaking, “Keep the papers safe. I’ll have the Nanjing branch send someone to you to pick them up right away.”

Helping HiSilicon and HuaXin solve the mathematical problems in their chip design was not something that could be done in a short time, especially without being familiar with the overall architecture. Even for a Fields Medalist, it wasn’t that easy.

So, after looking through the problem set again, Xu Chuan temporarily set it aside and began to gather information on chip design and NPU neural network architecture.

To solve problems in a targeted manner, it was essential to understand their essence and related information.

This was true in mathematics as in any other field.

The days passed one by one. The people dispatched by HiSilicon and HuaXin soon delivered the detailed information on the NPU neural network architecture and, at the same time, took the answer sheet that Xu Chuan had spent an hour writing, rushing back to begin their research.

Shanghai, on Zhangjiang Road in the Pudong New Area.

Inside the HuaXin International Technology R&D Center, numerous researchers and staff were bustling about in a building that didn’t look particularly tall.

For those working here recently, “leaving early and returning late” and “working overtime” were the most common phrases.

Many didn’t even use such terms, because they ate, drank, and slept entirely within this building.

The research and design of a chip is an extremely complex task.

The initial simulation design work, in particular, is so complex that even people within the industry might not understand it if it’s outside their specific domain.

If digital ICs are like science, then analog ICs are more like a kind of magic.

Using computers to assist in the design of analog chips is, in essence, solving one high-order differential equation after another.

From the early stages of design requirements, specification architecture, schematic design input, and pre-simulation result comparison, to the mid-stage layout design and DRC/LVS rule checks, and then to the later-stage parasitic parameter extraction, back-end simulation, GDS file generation, and finally, software verification to see if the desired functions and performance can be achieved.

Every step contained countless processes and the blood, sweat, and tears of countless people.

In the laboratory, Yu Mingzhi, the Vice President of HiSilicon and also the General Manager of HiSilicon’s Chip Design Department, sat anxiously in his office, waiting.

Today was the first time optimization results were coming out since the new year, and it was also the first time they were getting results from solving a design problem based on the answers received from Academician Xu.

Whether the chip’s parameters and performance would be greatly improved as they imagined, or if it would be like before with no significant breakthroughs, all depended on today’s results.

So, even though he was already the Vice President of HiSilicon, Yu Mingzhi still felt restless.

After all, this chip design and manufacturing process was not just about whether China could have its own seven-nanometer chip; it also concerned the subsequent deployment of a whole series of products from HiSilicon and Huawei.

Such as mobile phones, computers, smart devices, and so on.

Putting other things aside, in the mobile phone sector alone, they had been lacking a chip of their own for far too long.

A few years ago, after Qualcomm banned the export of top-tier chips to them, Huawei’s high-end flagships were once left with no chips to use.

And last year, both Qualcomm and TSMC stopped their chip supply, which pushed them directly into a desperate situation.

Although Huawei and HiSilicon could survive just fine without the mobile phone business, the feeling of being held by the throat, completely at another’s mercy, was simply too suffocating.

In his office, Yu Mingzhi scrolled through his email, saw some messages on other matters, but had no heart to deal with them, his gaze drifting to the door from time to time.

“I wonder if that Academician Xu can solve this trouble this time. But besides him, we can’t find anyone more suitable in the country.”

“If this still doesn’t work, a breakthrough on the seven-nanometer process might be very difficult in the short term.”

As he thought this, Yu Mingzhi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Having come this far, he knew very well how many difficulties and obstacles HiSilicon and HuaXin had faced. Even now, with a glimmer of hope in sight, a seemingly bottomless abyss still blocked the path to the finish line.

If they could ultimately reap a reward, then all of this would surely be worth it.

If, in the end, they came up empty-handed, he didn’t even know what direction to take in the future.

Not just for Huawei, but for all of China.

After all, HiSilicon plus HuaXin was already one of the top combinations in China’s chip R&D and design field.

Perhaps others like Ziguang and Changdian were researching different paths, but a breakthrough in this area was just too, too difficult.

As his thoughts were wandering, there was a sudden knock on his office door.

Before Yu Mingzhi could speak, the door was pushed open with a bang, and another middle-aged man rushed in, holding a report.

“Director Yu, the simulation test results are out!”

The man who had rushed in had a look of excitement and exhilaration on his face. He didn’t bother with pleasantries and reported directly.

Yu Mingzhi didn’t care about anything else either. Hearing the report, he shot up from his chair and asked quickly, “How are the results? Let me see!”

“The overall performance index for single-module tasks has improved by 24.71% over the original baseline! The signal-to-noise ratio, distortion, and filtering capabilities have all seen slight improvements!” The man who rushed in, Pei Zheng, reported excitedly as he handed over the report.

Yu Mingzhi quickly took the results and began to flip through them.

He was a Vice President, but one with a technical background, so he could naturally understand the test report.

Looking at the test values one by one and the previous control data, his tense face gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Beautiful!”

Clenching his fist tightly, Yu Mingzhi let out a low growl. All the pent-up pressure and worry from this period were released in this single moment.

Although it was only a phased achievement, for them, who had long been stagnant, this was the dawn of hope!

Across from him, Pei Zheng, who was in charge of the simulation tests, also broke into a brilliant smile and said, “Yes, it’s truly beautiful!”

After a slight pause, he continued, “According to the design department, the data from this simulation design can likely be further optimized.”

“They said they are still studying some things. If they can fully grasp them, based on the current results, the overall performance index for single-module tasks could be improved by more than thirty percent over the original baseline.”

Yu Mingzhi said with a smile, “Yes, this is a very good result. My original expectation was around ten to fifteen percent. I didn’t expect it to more than double.”

Pei Zheng asked curiously, “Such a big breakthrough must mean there’s been progress on those key mathematical design problems. Which big shot did you poach from abroad? To be able to solve some of your problems so quickly.”

Yu Mingzhi smiled. “You’ll probably have to ask the big boss that question yourself.”

Although he knew, it was impossible for him to reveal this matter.

Pei Zheng didn’t press further. Everyone who worked in this building had signed confidentiality agreements and undergone confidentiality training.

Although he was curious, there were some things they didn’t need to ask the source of. They just needed to do their own jobs well.

Nodding, Pei Zheng said, “Alright, the report is with you. I have to get back to work.”

Yu Mingzhi smiled. “Yes, I look forward to your good news next.”

After Pei Zheng left the office, Yu Mingzhi picked up the simulation design test report from his desk again. Looking at the excellent data on it, he couldn’t help but feel emotional.

“As expected of the famous Academician Xu. Truly impressive.”

In just one hour, he had solved a problem that had plagued them for over a year, and the change it brought to the simulation design directly increased the overall performance index for single-module tasks by 24.71% over the original baseline.

And this was with their design department not having fully digested it yet. If they did, the improvement could even reach about one-third.

This number might not sound like much, but it was actually terrifying.

After all, this was only the simulation design, and it only solved one part of the problem.

If all the problems they had listed could be solved, how much would the performance of the chip designed this time improve?

Honestly, he could hardly imagine it anymore.

If that individual could come and participate in the chip design, forget seven nanometers, maybe they could even hope to attempt a breakthrough on five nanometers, or even three nanometers.

Chapter 487: The Impatient Physicists

While HiSilicon and HuaXin were busy with chip design and breakthroughs, Xu Chuan was also in his villa, studying the mathematical problems related to chip design.

Compared to CPU and GPU architectures, the NPU neural network architecture is a relatively new field in computing.

It was first proposed by psychologists and neurobiologists, applying the simulated structure and computational methods of human or other living brain nerve cells to computers.

Compared to the original flat computing architectures, the neural network architecture is more akin to a 3D structure, often providing a relatively simpler method for solving complex problems.

Therefore, the neural network architecture has been gaining more and more attention in the computer industry in recent years.

The reason HiSilicon and HuaXin chose to pursue a breakthrough in this area was partly to leapfrog the competition, and partly because they had no other choice.

It couldn’t be helped. Compared to Western countries and companies, China started its fundamental research on CPU and GPU architectures far too late, and couldn’t match their vast experience and strength.

Of course, there was also the most crucial factor: patents.

Relying on patents as their moat, Western companies like Qualcomm, Apple, and Google had almost completely monopolized this field.

To get around them, they had to break new ground.

This was also why HiSilicon and HuaXin chose to start with the NPU neural network architecture.

Although this architecture was still developed based on the ARM architecture researched by ARM Holdings, it could lay a solid foundation for future independent research and development.

Flipping through the materials on his computer, Xu Chuan studied and analyzed them earnestly.

Generally speaking, neural network architectures mainly use a wide variety of mathematical models to describe and simulate biological neural systems from different angles and at different levels.

Representative network models include the BP network, RBF network, Hopfield network, self-organizing feature map network, and so on.

Compared to traditional CPU and GPU architectures, he was able to grasp this new architecture much faster.

After all, mathematical models, modeling, and the mathematical formulas behind them were already a part of his research scope.

For example, the RBF neural network architecture (Radial Basis Function network architecture) is a type of feedforward network constructed on the basis of function approximation theory.

The learning process of this type of network is equivalent to finding the best-fit plane for the training data in a multidimensional space. The activation function of each hidden layer neuron in the radial basis function network constitutes a basis function of this fitting plane.

Explained with mathematical theory, the principle is actually very simple.

That is, within a selected class of functions, to find a certain function g that serves as an approximation of a known function in a certain sense, and to calculate the error produced by this approximation using g.

This is one of the fundamentals of functions taught in high school mathematics.

For Xu Chuan, studying these things was initially just to solve HiSilicon and HuaXin’s problems. However, as time went on, he grew more and more interested in this type of neural network.

This structure, which originates from mathematical mechanisms and uses models to comprehensively describe and simulate at different levels, has many applications in other fields besides chips.

For example, artificial intelligence, automatic control, robotics, statistics, and so on.

These were all fields that Xu Chuan was quite interested in.

There’s no need to say much about artificial intelligence; it’s the trend of future development.

And automatic control and robotics are one of the core key points for the advancement of social productivity.

As for statistics, it might seem like a field of Applied Mathematics that primarily works in service of other fields.

But in reality, it can also be applied within the field of mathematics itself.

Of course, what he valued more was the potential to use neural networks to statistically analyze data in the fields of high-energy physics or materials science.

The latter two fields both have massive amounts of data, requiring more robust and simpler methods for mathematical statistics and analysis.

Moreover, after several days of research, Xu Chuan had a keen sense that this type of neural network, compared to computers built from ordinary silicon-based chips, seemed better suited for quantum chips and quantum computers.

If a computer built from traditional silicon-based chips is considered 2D or 2.5D, then a quantum computer is 3D, inherently a level higher in dimension.

And from a biological perspective, one can see that the computational method of a neural network is inherently a 3D, stereoscopic architecture.

Of course, this description might be somewhat inaccurate.

But he did feel that it might be more adaptable to quantum computers.

It was just that there were no fully functional quantum computers available for him to verify this idea yet.

Solving HiSilicon and HuaXin’s problems couldn’t be done in just a few days. While studying and researching, Xu Chuan also devoted some of his energy to other work.

The days passed by one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival arrived.

In the villa, Tang Sijia knocked on the study door.

A moment later, there was movement inside. Xu Chuan came out and glanced curiously at the life assistant, who was wearing a white lab coat, and asked, “Is something the matter?”

It was the first time he had seen his life assistant in this kind of doctor’s uniform. It looked quite similar to the white lab coats seen in a laboratory.

Tang Sijia, carrying two bags, said concisely, “Today is your quarterly physical examination. I’m here to take samples and conduct the check-up.”

“Oh, alright. Give me a moment, I need to save the files on my computer.” Xu Chuan understood and nodded.

Ever since the higher-ups assigned him a life assistant last year, physical examinations had become a regular occurrence.

At first, it was a monthly check-up. Later, he felt that once a month was too much trouble and wanted to change it to once a year.

After all, ordinary people generally only have a physical examination once a year. However, Tang Sijia argued with him about it, and they finally settled on a simple check-up every quarter and a detailed one once a year.

Counting the time, today was about the end of the first quarter.

After drawing two blood samples for the examination, Tang Sijia first stored the samples properly, then handed over a kit.

“This is for collecting a urine sample. Do you need my help?”

Xu Chuan coughed lightly and took the kit. “I can do it myself.”

How could someone else help with something like that?

After handling the physical examination, Tang Sijia checked and recorded his physical information, such as blood pressure, weight, height, vision, and hearing. After packing away her tools, she handed Xu Chuan the other bag she had brought.

Xu Chuan took it, opened it, and glanced inside. It looked like a lunch box?

“What’s this?”

Tang Sijia smiled. “Tangyuan. Isn’t it the Lantern Festival today? I figured you probably wouldn’t remember, so I had Auntie Lin make some and brought them over.”

Xu Chuan took out the food container and opened it. Inside were indeed plump, white tangyuan, still steaming hot.

Closing the lid, he smiled and said, “Thanks.”

Eating tangyuan on the Lantern Festival is a southern custom, but it had been a long time since he’d had any.

After all, by the time the Lantern Festival came around, he had usually already left his hometown.

Living alone, he wouldn’t make a special effort to remember the date and order tangyuan.

Taking the tangyuan, Xu Chuan turned and went back into his study.

On his desk, the phone was ringing. It was a call from the principal of Nanjing University.

“Academician Xu, I wish you a happy and healthy Lantern Festival.” Once the call connected, Tan Shaoyuan’s cheerful voice came from the other end.

Xu Chuan replied with a laugh, “The same to you, Principal Tan. I wish you good health as well.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tan Shaoyuan asked with a smile, “I was wondering, Academician Xu, when are you planning to return to Nanjing?”

Xu Chuan: “I’m already back in Nanjing. Is there something you need?”

Tan Shaoyuan: “Well, here’s the thing. I’m calling you mainly because of the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems that you completed and proved at the end of last year. The university has received many inquiries from physicists at home and abroad, all asking when you’ll hold a conference presentation to explain it.”

“So I wanted to ask when would be convenient for you, so the university can start preparing in advance.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Let’s make it ten days from now. I’m still busy with a few other things at the moment.”

He had already familiarized himself with many things related to neural network architecture these past few days. He planned to use the next ten days to solve HiSilicon and HuaXin’s problem.

Although the time was short and he might not be able to come up with the optimal solution, from their previous communications, it was clear they were in a hurry.

In that case, he would just solve the problem first. As for optimization, that could be done later when there was more time.

You can’t get fat with one bite.

Tan Shaoyuan: “No problem, we’ll work with your schedule. The university can be ready anytime. Then it’s settled. The university will send out the notices and announcements and get everything ready.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said with a smile, “Alright. My apologies for troubling the university.”

Tan Shaoyuan: “Ah, how could you call this trouble? You know, Tsinghua and Peking University couldn’t get this opportunity even if they begged for it. Well, I won’t disturb you any further today, Academician Xu. Let’s talk again when you have time.”

“Alright.”

Hanging up, Xu Chuan looked at the black screen of his phone and shook his head with a smile.

Speaking of the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system, almost a month had passed since before the New Year. He figured that many in the field of physics were getting impatient, and since they couldn’t find him, their only option was to contact Nanjing University.

But after so much time, it was indeed time to give the world an answer.

Chapter 488: The Hope for Miniaturized Controlled Nuclear Fusion and Aerospace Engines

Ten days wasn’t a long time, but for Xu Chuan, it was more than enough to solve the problems for HiSilicon and HuaXin.

He had initially thought it might take a month or two, but after understanding the neural network architecture and its underlying mathematical logic and modeling foundations, he realized it was almost entirely built on mathematics.

Although it involved some elements of chip design, understanding them wasn’t difficult for him.

The days passed one by one. In the first week after the Lantern Festival, good news came from the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

Thanks to the round-the-clock efforts of the modeling staff in the institute’s computational laboratory, a mathematical model for the strong diamagnetic mechanism of the KL-66 material had been established.

Upon receiving this news, Xu Chuan’s eyes brightened.

A superconducting material with a high critical magnetic field was one of the cores of miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion and aerospace engine systems.

Only by breaking through the existing limits of the critical magnetic field could a stronger confinement magnetic field and acceleration magnetic field be provided.

And the mathematical model for the strong diamagnetic mechanism of the KL-66 material was, without a doubt, the most crucial beginning.

After deploying the arrangements for the pilot experiments, Xu Chuan, in a cheerful mood, also sped up his work on the mathematical problems.

After solving the problems for HiSilicon and HuaXin, the next one was his own.

The development of aviation and aerospace was the first step toward space and the distant depths of the universe.

After pulling two all-nighters to speed up the process and solve HiSilicon and HuaXin’s problems, Xu Chuan handed the solutions and methods to Mao Shun and quickly rushed to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The breakthrough in the chip industry wasn’t his achievement.

Using his mathematical abilities to help HiSilicon and HuaXin solve their problems was merely icing on the cake.

Nevertheless, Xu Chuan was still very happy about it.

After all, technological breakthroughs could not rely on a single person.

This was reality, not a novel, and he couldn’t single-handedly drive the development of every field.

Unless, like in a novel, he was given an omnipotent system and a lifespan of a thousand years, then perhaps he might have a chance to touch upon and familiarize himself with every field.

Take chip development, for instance. It could be said to be a field with a level of complexity no less than that of controlled nuclear fusion technology.

From design, manufacturing, packaging, and testing, each stage branched out into numerous subdivisions.

Not to mention anything else, just in the manufacturing stage, the lithography machine alone was enough to be a bottleneck for the vast majority of countries.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that ASML can produce the world’s most advanced EUV lithography machines; that is not the achievement of the Netherlands alone.

This jewel in the crown of industry was the result of the cooperative efforts of more than a dozen Western countries and dozens of top companies, who worked together to complete its research, development, and manufacturing.

For China to try and surpass the achievements of more than a dozen countries on its own, the difficulty was self-evident.

Therefore, when it came to technological development, Xu Chuan naturally hoped that the more people who entered the field, the better.

Arriving at the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan gave Fan Pengyue a call, and Senior Bear quickly rushed down.

“What’s the situation?”

Looking at his eldest senior disciple in his familiar white lab coat, Xu Chuan didn’t waste any words and asked directly.

Fan Pengyue reported succinctly, “The model has been established, and the mechanism of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material has been incorporated. We are currently running simulation experiments to see if we can use the model to find a way to increase the critical magnetic field of the superconducting material.”

“Take me to see it first.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said no more, following him towards the lab.

Raising the critical magnetic field of a superconducting material was no easy task. Ever since 1911, when Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered that mercury exhibited zero resistance at the extremely low temperature of 4.2 K, the phenomenon of superconductivity had attracted widespread, intense attention from the physics and materials science communities. A large number of researchers plunged into the fervor of researching and developing these new materials with high current-carrying capacity and uncovering the transport mechanism of superconducting currents.

But to this day, there had still been no major breakthroughs in superconducting materials.

If he hadn’t brought forth the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, the large-scale application of high-temperature superconductors would still be a difficult problem for the scientific community today.

As for how to improve the three critical properties of superconducting materials—that is, their superconducting characteristics—it remained a frontier of discovery in scientific research.

Although researchers could now increase the critical magnetic field strength of some superconductors by controlling the superconductor’s microstructure, adding doping elements, superimposing magnetic field strengths, and other methods, improving the intrinsic critical magnetic field of the superconductor itself remained a huge challenge.

So, even though all the theoretical work was done, Xu Chuan didn’t dare say with one hundred percent certainty that they could produce a superconducting material with a high critical magnetic field strength.

In the laboratory, the computational model incorporating the strong diamagnetic mechanism of the KL-66 material was running on Nanjing University’s supercomputer.

Through its underlying mathematical architecture, the supercomputer was simulating the inversion symmetry of electrons in the Fermi arc state.

Using this method, Cu atoms were introduced into the positions of C atoms in the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, creating stress-induced deformation. This, in turn, generated a non-trivial quantum phenomenon, leading to the formation of a magnetic trap.

Theoretically, using this method to increase the critical magnetic field of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material should be no problem.

In practice, however, any minor change to a material like a superconductor would cause a chain reaction.

Therefore, when increasing the critical magnetic field, it would inevitably trigger changes in other properties, such as a lower limit for the critical current strength, a decrease in the critical temperature, and so on.

Of course, they could also be enhanced.

After all, until the experimental results were out, no one could say for sure how the material would ultimately change.

However, in Xu Chuan’s view, the probability of other superconducting properties degrading was far greater than them improving.

But as long as the degradation of properties was within an acceptable range, it was sufficient.

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan watched the real-time logs scrolling from the running computational model for a while, then turned to Fan Pengyue and asked, “By the way, how are the preparations for the supercomputer I asked you to arrange at the end of last year?”

Fan Pengyue replied, “We already have people handling it. The original plan was to ask IBM to custom-build a supercomputer for the computational materials field, since IBM is very skilled in this area.”

“But after some discussion and communication, considering security, confidentiality, and other factors, we contacted a domestic company, Huake Sugon, and are currently in negotiations with them for a custom build.”

“The current estimated budget is around one billion.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan frowned slightly. “One billion? Why so little?”

A fund of one billion sounded like an astronomical figure, but in the field of supercomputers, it was far from enough to custom-build a high-performance one.

Take the Tianhe-2 supercomputer built in Guangzhou ten years ago, for example. Its construction cost reached two point five billion.

Although a supercomputer built by a private enterprise wouldn’t be expected to surpass the performance of a national supercomputer center, a budget of one billion, frankly, seemed insufficient to him.

Fan Pengyue said with a smile, “The total cost is more than one billion. The total cost of the custom supercomputer negotiated with Huake is around three point five billion, which is about three point five times our one-billion-yuan budget.”

“However, our Chuanhai Materials Research Institute is classified as a key state-supported technological innovation enterprise. Not only do we get preferential tax policies, but we also receive various subsidies and support when constructing large-scale scientific research equipment like this.”

“It’s not just direct research funding subsidies, but also subsidies that lower the price when purchasing and building this type of equipment.”

“So, all in all, we only need to pay less than a third of the cost to build the supercomputer center. The rest is covered by state subsidies or shouldered by Huake.”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment and finally recalled that after the nuclear waste project was completed, the higher-ups had given him an application form to include the then-newly-established Chuanhai Materials Research Institute in some policy.

He hadn’t paid much attention to it back then. Only today did he realize—were the subsidies really that substantial?

The computational model incorporating the strong diamagnetic mechanism of the KL-66 material had been running on Nanjing University’s supercomputer for four days. Xu Chuan waited at the institute for another two days before the simulation test results were finally out.

After receiving the data transmitted back from the Nanjing University supercomputer, Fan Pengyue came looking for him immediately.

Xu Chuan: “What are the results?”

With an excited expression, Fan Pengyue said quickly, “Judging from the simulation results, it’s a theoretical success! The increase in the critical magnetic field is huge!”

Xu Chuan took a deep breath. Without asking further questions, he strode quickly to the printing room.

The buzzing sound of the printer was humming.

Soon, Xu Chuan had what he wanted: the simulation test results for introducing the strong diamagnetic mechanism into the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material.

Holding the documents, Xu Chuan didn’t return to his office but began to look through them right there in the lab.

One by one, data charts and tables were reflected in his pupils.

“The Cu, having crossed the Fermi level, is now far inside the flat band. Theoretically, this should be formed by the hybridization of the Cu orbital and the C 2d orbital.”

“And at the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band, after simulating the introduction of holes, the Cu atoms all possess spin polarity. Judging from the results, this new material has become a bipolar magnetic semiconductor at room temperature… interesting.”

Stroking his chin, Xu Chuan continued to flip through the materials in his hand.

What surprised him was that, according to the simulation results, after being adjusted by special nanotech methods and introducing additional Cu atoms to occupy the orbitals originally formed by the hole effect, the properties of the copper-carbon-silver composite material had unexpectedly changed, transforming from a ceramic-like material to a semiconductor-like material.

This was something he hadn’t expected.

Although many ceramic materials are themselves semiconductors, he was genuinely surprised to see this property appear in the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material that he had personally developed.

After all, in his past life, after he developed this material, he had surely tested, verified, and tinkered with it countless times, but he had never discovered that it had such a property.

He could only say that he didn’t know if this additional change would drastically affect the original superconducting properties.

As for an effect, there would definitely be one.

After all, the properties of the material had already changed.

However, on the whole, the altered regions were mostly non-superconducting parts, so it probably wouldn’t cause it to fall out of the realm of superconducting materials altogether.

After all, synthesizing an absolutely pure superconductor is exceptionally difficult, as it will contain other phases besides the desired superconducting phase.

For example, in copper-oxide-based yttrium barium copper oxide, the superconductivity is mainly in the YBCO-123 phase, but there is also the non-superconducting 211 phase. In BSCCO, the superconducting phases are the 2223 and 2212 phases, and these two phases have different critical temperatures.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was the same. Its main superconductor was composed of a copper-carbon-silver-based composite structure, which was its superconducting phase. Outside of this superconducting phase, there were various other composite structures formed by the copper-carbon-silver material.

And these composite structures were non-superconducting. What was changed by the model was precisely these non-superconducting phases.

“Using the creation of a magnetic trap, in conjunction with the original superconducting phase, to further increase the critical magnetic field” — that was the academic terminology.

To put it simply, it was further doping a composite material with another composite material to continue enhancing its performance.

Crude words, but a sound principle. Using the properties of Cu atoms to form a magnetic trap in the non-superconducting phase was exactly that.

Pondering, Xu Chuan continued to flip through the simulation results in his hand.

After the material’s optimization was complete, the Nanjing University supercomputer center used first-principles calculations and the computational materials model to calculate the superconducting properties of the optimized superconductor.

The data was listed item by item in a table.

Various conventional properties such as hardness, toughness, phase purity, phase percentage, and plasticity were the first to catch his eye.

Xu Chuan merely glanced at these ordinary material properties before his gaze fell on the superconducting properties that followed.

[Simulated Critical Temperature (Tc): 121.6-134.3 K]

[Simulated Critical Magnetic Field (Hc): At 152 K, Hc can reach 37.4 T - 42.7 T. At 77 K, Hc can reach a maximum of 47.268 T.]

[Simulated Critical Current (Ic): Estimated to reach 5100 A/mm² at 40 T.]

[Critical Current Density (Jc): ]

[Thermal Conductivity: 591.3 W/m·K]

The three sets of critical data appeared before Xu Chuan’s eyes.

The critical temperature had indeed decreased, dropping from the original 152 K to a simulated 121.6 K. However, this impact wasn’t significant, as it was still within the cooling range of liquid nitrogen.

The key point was the simulated data for the critical magnetic field. It had increased from the original 20 T to 37 T, with a maximum value reaching 47 T. This was an increase of more than double.

“Beautiful! A critical magnetic field of 40 T, that strength is definitely enough!”

Looking at the A4 paper in his hand, still warm and smelling of fresh ink, Xu Chuan’s pupils filled with joy and excitement.

The huge increase in the critical magnetic field undoubtedly confirmed his previous theoretical calculations.

If they could replicate these superconducting data in the actual experiments to come, then without a doubt, the hope for miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion and aerospace engines was here!

With a 40 T critical magnetic field, they could easily achieve over 60 T, or even higher, through magnetic field superposition.

And a magnetic field strength of this level, whether for confining high-temperature plasma or for constructing an acceleration magnetic field, would be a tremendous improvement over the current foundation.

Chapter 489: A Sudden Spark of Inspiration

The results of the simulation gave Xu Chuan a shot in the arm.

It also strengthened his resolve to continue his studies and research in mathematics.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t done much in-depth research in the field of materials in this life. Up to this point, almost all of his research, knowledge, and abilities in the field of materials came from his past life.

But it was clear that, compared to his past life, his breakthroughs in materials science in this life had already far surpassed it.

The mechanism of high-temperature superconducting materials, the exploration of computational materials science models, the optimization of the copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, a unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system—all these breakthroughs were in fields he had never ventured into in his past life.

And the foundation for all of this was inseparable from the mathematical foundation he had built in this life.

It had to be said that during his years in university and studying abroad at Princeton, his repeated breakthroughs in the field of mathematics had greatly propelled his development in the two major fields of physics and materials.

As for astronomy, that could only be considered an additional gain.

Although it seemed very important in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, for him at present, he wasn’t too concerned about the results and breakthroughs.

After all, in this day and age, a method for calculating the parameters of distant celestial bodies would likely take decades, or even a century, before it could be utilized.

At the very least, it could be said to be useless before humanity leaves the Solar System.

Of course, when the future interstellar Age of Discovery began, it would bring precious, habitable planets to human civilization.

After carefully reading the printed simulation data once, Xu Chuan began to review it again.

A cursory glance was not enough for him to fully understand the entire simulation experiment.

Suddenly, just then, his eyes froze as he stared at a line of data in the report.

Looking at the simulation data, Xu Chuan was lost in thought. After waiting for a moment, he ignored his eldest senior disciple, Fan Pengyue, who was waiting by his side, and walked straight toward his own office.

Fan Pengyue, who had been standing behind him, thought his junior had something to tell him and followed close behind.

But he soon discovered that things were not as he had imagined.

Xu Chuan, clutching the printed paper, paid him no mind at all. After entering his office, he casually slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving him locked outside.

He had been just about to follow him in and nearly crashed right into the door.

Staring at the closed door, senior Fan Pengyue was completely baffled.

What’s going on?

He stood dumbfounded in front of the door for a moment, then seemed to remember something. He rubbed his nose, shrugged, and turned to leave.

Perhaps his junior had a new spark of inspiration?

Although he had never encountered such a situation himself, he was well aware of the prodigious nature of his fellow disciple.

It would be fine once he snapped out of it.

For now, he would just go and arrange the other work.

Inside the office, Xu Chuan had already forgotten about the other matters at hand and hadn’t noticed his eldest senior disciple following behind him.

After casually closing the door, he sat down at his desk.

He took out his essential A4 paper and a ballpoint pen from the drawer and opened the results of the simulation experiment.

【H±W (p)= v±[(px py)τx 2pxpyτy]± VzPzτz.】

【Ωαβj(k)= Trh Pj (k)αPj (k)βPj (k)i(αβ),】

After writing down the two formulas, Xu Chuan stared at the recently printed report and fell back into deep thought.

While verifying this report just now, he seemed to have perceived something vague, something that felt important, but now his mind was in a state of chaos, unable to sort anything out.

To be honest, it had been a long time since he had felt this way.

Although he couldn’t remember what he had discovered earlier, he was certain that it was very important!

After staring at the scratch paper and pondering for a while, still unable to find what he was looking for, Xu Chuan shook his head, clearing the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He refocused his attention on the strongly correlated electron system and began to organize his thoughts, bit by bit.

Strongly correlated systems are at the core of condensed matter physics, which primarily studies systems composed of a large number of particles. Its main research content includes classifying states of matter, exploring novel phases of matter, and understanding the laws of phase transitions.

For a long time, Landau’s Phase Transition Theory, based on “symmetry” and “order parameters,” was considered the “ultimate theory” for classifying condensed matter, until topological quantum states of matter were experimentally discovered.

The most famous example is probably the discovery of the quantum Hall effect.

In 1980, Klaus von Klitzing and others discovered that under extremely low temperatures and strong magnetic fields, the two-dimensional electron gas in the inversion layer of a Si-SiO2 interface would exhibit quantized Hall resistance plateaus, accompanied by the appearance of zero longitudinal resistance.

This phenomenon led to the theory of topological quantum phase transitions, which surpassed the Landau paradigm and has now become a focus and frontier of condensed matter physics research.

Little by little, Xu Chuan retraced his thoughts, starting from the very basics of condensed matter physics. When the quantum Hall effect entered his mind, his eyes gradually brightened.

He seemed to have found the source of his earlier inspiration.

Pondering, he quickened the pace of his reasoning.

“…Since the experimental discovery of the integer quantum Hall effect, a considerable number of topological quantum materials and novel quantum effects have been found.”

“For example, the chiral dissipationless edge states in magnetic topological materials can be used to create low-power electronic devices, and Majorana zero modes exist in topological superconducting systems.”

“The latter is closely related to topological quantum computing. These are two important development directions for topological quantum states of matter… Wait, topological quantum states of matter… I’ve found it!”

At his desk, Xu Chuan excitedly clenched his fists and pumped them in the air.

He had recovered that spark of inspiration, had found what he had seen in that data!

【Topological superconducting system!】

A field distinct from conventional superconducting materials, a material applied in the direction of topological quantum computing!

In topological superconductor materials, there is a very important thing called the ‘Majorana zero mode.’

It possesses the characteristics of non-Abelian anyons and can be used to realize topological quantum computing.

In other words, to realize quantum computation in a quantum computer in the conventional sense!

In 2001, the American theoretical physicist Kitaev proposed a one-dimensional topological superconductor model, in which Majorana zero modes could be realized at its endpoints.

And this model could utilize semiconductor nanowires with strong spin-orbit coupling, which, when coupled with an s-wave superconductor under an external magnetic field, could be used to construct high-quality topological qubit devices.

Simply put, this could form the basis of a quantum transistor, and the quantum transistor is the core of a quantum chip.

Of course, no matter how core a component is, it cannot be separated from the most basic materials.

Traditional chips use semiconductors with silicon as the raw material.

The raw materials for quantum chips are more diverse; they can be superconductors, semiconductors, insulators, or even metals. But no matter what, it cannot be separated from the core qubit effect.

How to allow a qubit to complete its mission without interference is the core difficulty of current quantum devices.

And topological quantum materials theoretically have excellent performance in this regard.

For example, an intrinsic topological superconductor itself has a topologically non-trivial band gap structure.

And by manipulating the external magnetic field, an orderly vortex structure with adjustable density and geometry can be achieved, which provides an ideal material platform for manipulating and braiding ‘Majorana zero modes.’

Theoretically, four Majorana zero modes can be braided into one topological qubit. This braiding of quasiparticles is an important path to achieving fault-tolerant topological quantum computation.

This is because it directly circumvents the complex problem of the conventional superconductor-semiconductor interface.

In fact, such an excellent material has naturally attracted the attention of the scientific community.

But its shortcomings are not small either.

The biggest problem is how to construct a suitable topological quantum material.

For example, the required features are too far from the Fermi level, or they are distributed over too large an energy range, and so on.

But for Xu Chuan, he had found a theoretically feasible path in the simulation data.

With this thought, Xu Chuan quickly picked up the ballpoint pen on his desk and began to write furiously on the A4 scratch paper.

Although this sudden spark of inspiration had already deviated from his original research.

But if everything went smoothly, he might be able to provide complete theoretical support to solve this problem, giving the advent of the quantum computer a significant push forward!

Chapter 490: Providing a Theoretical Foundation for Quantum Chips

When Xu Chuan went into his office to work on something, Fan Pengyue didn’t think much of it at first, assuming he would be out soon.

But the next day, during a meeting, he suddenly remembered.

He pulled out his phone to call and discovered that his junior had already returned to his own villa.

In his study, Xu Chuan hung up the phone. He looked down at the scratch paper on his desk, which was already covered in dense characters, and continued with the research in his hands.

He had caught hold of his inspiration and wanted to ride the momentum to perfect the entire theory in one go.

“By considering the regular placement of dopants in the lattice of the space group (SG), the symmetry is reduced to CUC143, whereas the two-band and four-band models are characterized by symmetry-enforced double Weyl points at the Γ and A points.”

“Due to the non-trivial multi-band quantum geometry of the mixed orbital characteristics and a singular flat band, the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite material, after the introduction of Cu atoms to form a magnetic trap, shows excellent consistency with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. This provides evidence that a minimal topological band at the Fermi level can be realized in the doped material.”

“Theoretically, this is already enough to provide a foundation for constructing topological quantum materials.”

Looking at the words on the scratch paper, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Xu Chuan’s eyes.

Three days of tireless work, forgoing sleep and meals, had allowed him to grasp that fleeting spark of inspiration and fully expand upon it. He had successfully incorporated topological states of matter into the foundation of the unified framework for strongly correlated electrons.

And exploring the generation mechanisms and properties of topological states of matter in strongly correlated systems was precisely the theoretical foundation needed for realizing novel quantum devices.

Although a wide gulf still separated theory from application, with this theoretical foundation to guide them, the path forward for practical application was now clear.

It was like a ship caught in a storm at sea, seeing a bright lighthouse on the coast amidst the towering waves and hurricane winds—a clear direction forward had appeared.

Stretching with satisfaction, Xu Chuan stood up and moved his stiff joints.

A series of cracks sounded from his bones. He cracked his knuckles, sat back down, and organized the scratch paper on his desk.

This research into the generation mechanisms and properties of topological states of matter could, in fact, be considered a continuation of the unified framework for strongly correlated electrons.

However, he probably wouldn’t publish this research paper.

Its importance was simply too high.

A paper that provided the theoretical foundation for the materials used to construct quantum chips—no matter which country it was published in, something like this would be subject to top-level national confidentiality.

After tidying the papers and putting them in a drawer, Xu Chuan leaned back in his chair and stared at a nearby bookshelf, lost in thought.

With his research paper on the generation mechanisms and properties of topological states of matter, the development of quantum computers should be able to accelerate.

The development of quantum chips and quantum technology was the trend of the future, and also a shortcut for China to leapfrog the competition in the field of chips.

As for traditional silicon-based chips, frankly, there was little opportunity left in that area.

This wasn’t just because Western countries, led by the United States, had spent decades cultivating silicon-based chip technology, establishing a complete set of rules and advanced lithography techniques that left other nations playing catch-up with no hope of surpassing them. It was also because silicon-based chips themselves were nearing their physical limits.

Traditional chips have always primarily used silicon, but as manufacturing processes have improved, silicon-based chips are steadily approaching their limits.

Currently, companies like ASML and TSMC can already produce three-nanometer, and even two-nanometer, chips.

But for silicon-based chips, going any further, one nanometer is their theoretical limit.

The first reason is that a silicon atom is only 0.12 nanometers in size. Based on this, once the chip process reaches one nanometer, it will be virtually impossible to fit any more transistors.

Therefore, traditional silicon-based chips have essentially reached their limit. If more transistors are forcibly added after the one-nanometer mark, the chip’s performance will suffer from various problems.

The second reason is the quantum tunneling effect, which is the biggest factor limiting the development of silicon-based chips today.

The so-called tunneling effect, simply put, is a phenomenon where microscopic particles, such as electrons, can pass directly through a barrier.

Applied to chips, this means that when the manufacturing process is small enough, the electrons that normally flow in an orderly manner to form a current will no longer follow their designated path. Instead, they will pass through the semiconductor gates and run rampant, ultimately leading to issues like current leakage.

To put it simply, it’s like a person learning how to walk through walls, passing directly from one side to the other.

In fact, this phenomenon isn’t something that only appears when silicon-based chips reach one nanometer.

This leakage phenomenon had already occurred before, when chips reached the 20-nanometer mark.

However, chip manufacturers, including TSMC, later improved their processes to mitigate this problem.

Later, between seven and five nanometers, the phenomenon reappeared. ASML solved it by inventing the EUV lithography machine, which significantly enhanced lithography capabilities.

But in the future, as the chip process gets even smaller, the various problems caused by the quantum tunneling effect will gradually be exposed when traditional silicon-based chips reach two nanometers.

At the one-nanometer mark, even if some manufacturers manage to break through this barrier, the overall chip performance will theoretically be subpar. It might not even be stable, and various problems could arise.

Perhaps during this process, scientists will devise various methods to solve this problem.

But the limitations of silicon as a material are inherent; its development potential is finite.

And so, searching for an alternative material, or developing other types of computers, is something the chip and computer industries have been working on continuously.

Quantum chips and quantum computers are undoubtedly the most important path in future development.

In this respect, even carbon-based chips, which have the greatest potential to replace silicon-based ones, are slightly less important.

After all, quantum computers already have a fairly complete theoretical foundation. Physical machines capable of manipulating a double-digit number of qubits have even been built, and the future looks bright.

The tricky part is how to control the qubits and store information.

And the research paper he held, on the generation mechanisms and properties of topological states of matter, could solve this problem to a large extent.

This means that the number of manipulable bits in a quantum computer could enter the triple digits, or even four digits.

Don’t be fooled by the tens of billions of transistors in the chips of traditional silicon-based computers; the number of qubits might sound pitifully small in comparison.

But in reality, the two can’t even be compared.

If a direct comparison had to be made, the computing power of a 30-qubit quantum computer is roughly equivalent to a classical computer capable of a trillion floating-point operations per second.

And the computing power of a quantum computer increases exponentially with the number of qubits it can control.

Scientists estimate that a 100-qubit quantum computer, when tackling certain specific problems, will have a processing speed that surpasses the most powerful supercomputers currently in existence.

If the number of qubits in a quantum computer could be increased to five hundred, that machine would completely trounce all current supercomputers across the board.

Of course, this is all theoretical. The actual situation remains to be seen.

However, such a tantalizing prospect in theory has naturally attracted countless countries and scientific institutions to focus their attention on it.

Xu Chuan was no exception, especially since he now held such a game-changer in his hands.

He was just contemplating whether he should cooperate with the country to develop the field of quantum computing together, establish the rules, and seize quantum supremacy, or if he should continue his research on his own for now.

Each path had its own advantages and disadvantages, making the decision difficult.

After some thought, Xu Chuan shook his head, pushing the ideas from his mind.

“I’ll take it one step at a time.” He didn’t have the time to spare for the development of quantum computers right now.

The miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion technology and the Aerospace Engine weren’t finished yet. For now, his main focus had to remain on them.

After tidying up the mess on his desk, Xu Chuan stood up, took a shower, and then headed to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

The superconducting material with a high critical magnetic field had already been supported by data from simulations. The next step was, naturally, to prepare it through a real experiment.

This work should have started three days ago, but he had ended up researching in his villa for three days because of some unexpected inspiration. Fan Pengyue, having received no instructions, hadn’t dared to start without authorization, and so it had been delayed for three days.

But Xu Chuan wasn’t too concerned. Those three days had been completely worth it.

Entering the lab, he changed into his work clothes, found two official researchers to act as his assistants, and personally began to prepare the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material that incorporated a mechanism for resisting strong magnetic fields.

The initial steps for preparing this improved superconducting material weren’t much different from the original.

Using vacuum metallurgy equipment to produce raw materials with high purity, good crystallization, and controllable particle size was the foundation for preparing the copper-carbon-silver composite material.

Afterward, using RF magnetron sputtering equipment, the prepared nanomaterials were sputtered onto an SrTiO3 substrate to form a thin film.

And from here, the process diverged.

In the original high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, it was necessary to add a 2% volume fraction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and surface Cu-plated modified carbon nanotubes as a reinforcing phase.

But in the enhanced superconductor, it was necessary to introduce an excess of Cu nanoparticles while simultaneously, under high temperature and high pressure, using an electrical current to stimulate and guide the Cu atoms to form spins and create orbital hybridization with the C atoms, thereby improving the material’s surface structure.

The main purpose of this step was to have the Cu atoms from the excess Cu nanoparticles dope the holes, which would then generate non-trivial quantum phenomena and induce the formation of a magnetic trap.

Simply put, the formation of the magnetic trap requires an external energy supply. High temperature, high pressure, and electrical conductivity are the methods for supplying this energy and adjusting the spin angle of the Cu atoms.

This is one of the common methods for optimizing the performance and microstructure of nanoscale materials and superconducting materials.

Besides high temperature and pressure, there are also methods like infiltration growth, the solution method, the vapor deposition method, and the physical deposition method.

But because of the need for an additional energy supply, these methods were probably not suitable for a superconductor with an enhanced critical magnetic field.

If the high-temperature and high-pressure guidance method was unsuitable for the improved superconducting material, the only remaining path would likely be to use an ion implanter.

But the energy level of an ion implanter is too high; it would significantly damage the superconductor, not to mention reduce its performance. Industrialized mass production would also be quite troublesome.

After all, this was the preparation of a raw material, not the production of a semiconductor; cost-effectiveness and ease of preparation had to be considered.

Chapter 491: Success!

In the laboratory, Xu Chuan was personally operating the equipment to prepare the improved superconducting material.

It had been a long time since he had personally conducted an experiment. He was more often driving the development of new materials by solving theoretical problems.

However, the muscle memory was still there. The moment he entered the lab, a familiar feeling for all the various equipment and instruments quickly flooded his mind.

Through his rubber gloves, Xu Chuan skillfully manipulated the micromechanical arm, transferring the thin film that had completed its guided growth to an inert atmosphere furnace.

There, protected by the inert gas, the grown film would undergo heat treatment at a temperature between 860°C and 900°C to produce the final, improved superconducting material.

After completing this step, Xu Chuan took off his gloves and let out a long sigh.

At this point, the entire experimental process was essentially complete.

All that remained was to wait quietly for the inert atmosphere furnace to finish the final heat treatment.

After that, it would be time to test the prepared material.

“Academician Xu, would you like to take a break? I can watch over things here.”

In the lab, an assistant researcher asked, looking at Xu Chuan’s exhausted face.

Experimentation was a mixed bag. Some parts were quite easy, but for the most part, it was an incredibly taxing endeavor, both mentally and physically.

Although conducting experiments in a lab rarely involved moving large components or heavy objects, precision experiments, especially in materials development, often required researchers to maintain a high level of concentration.

After all, any error or mistake during the process would basically ruin the entire experiment, forcing them to start over from the beginning.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan glanced at the inert atmosphere furnace, which had just started its work, and nodded.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have pushed himself to the point of exhaustion.

But before today’s experiment, he had already been working nonstop for two or three days. Without any time to recover, he had rushed over to the lab, so his energy levels were naturally low.

After handing the remaining work to his assistant, Xu Chuan returned to his office and rested his eyes on the sofa for a short nap.

The reason he had pushed to complete the experiment today was that the conference presentation for the unified framework of the strongly correlated electron system was scheduled for tomorrow.

Considering that conference, and the presentation on the construction of the large particle collider that would follow soon after, Xu Chuan had rushed to move the materials experiment to today.

By producing the material today, he could run an initial superconductivity test to see if the improved superconducting material possessed the immense magnetic field strength seen in the simulations.

If it did, he could hand off the remaining tests to others. By the time he finished his presentations, the overall test results would be more or less Cready.

If not, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute could use the time during his conference presentations to analyze the entire experimental process and identify the problem.

Otherwise, if he waited until after the conferences to do it, the delay would be several more days.

Perhaps for other researchers or scholars, a few days was nothing, but for Xu Chuan, not wasting any time was always the best option.

He casually set an alarm, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes for about forty minutes.

It wasn’t a long time, but it was enough to greatly alleviate his fatigue.

He was young, after all. His body could handle it.

Reaching out to the coffee table, he fumbled for his phone, turned off the alarm, and stood up. After a good stretch, he returned to the laboratory.

In the lab, the preparation of the improved superconducting material had just finished. The assistant researcher was transferring the silver-gray films, piece by piece, into glass containers.

Fan Pengyue, who had finished his own work and come over to supervise, heard the commotion and turned his head. “Why not rest a little longer?”

Xu Chuan smiled and said, “It was enough. How are the results?”

The assistant researcher, who had been assisting him throughout the research, quickly reported, “By visual inspection, the morphology of the prepared improved superconducting material is quite perfect, showing no signs of tearing, wrinkling, or curling. Its specific performance will have to be determined after testing.”

Xu Chuan nodded, walked over, put on a pair of gloves, and picked up a glass container. He took out an improved superconducting material film and examined it closely.

The film, smaller than a child’s palm, rested between his fingers, its surface gleaming with a faint quasi-metallic luster.

This was a feature the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material didn’t have. That material was a ceramic, and although it also appeared silver-gray to the eye, it had a matte finish and would never exhibit such a metallic sheen.

Perhaps, after the experimental improvements, the doping of Cu atoms from the excess Cu nanoparticles into the holes created magnetic traps that altered the properties of the original material, endowing it with a reflective quality similar to a quasi-metal or a faint metal.

After a careful visual inspection, Xu Chuan pinched two corners of the film and slowly applied pressure.

The film in his fingers wasn’t very thick, roughly the thickness of an adult man’s fingernail. Under the pressure from his fingers, the silver-gray film actually deformed slightly, taking on a gentle curve.

Noticing this, Xu Chuan’s pupils constricted slightly.

This was another characteristic that the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material lacked.

After all, ceramic materials generally have almost no toughness. He and Academician Zhang Pingxiang had only managed to increase its toughness a little through later research.

But now, this raw material, which had not yet undergone whisker toughening, clearly possessed some inherent toughness.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuan wanted to see the limits of this improved superconducting material. He found a container and continued to slowly apply pressure inside it.

As the force increased, the curvature of the film began to increase, but it didn’t last long. With a crisp snap, the film in his fingers shattered, breaking into several pieces that flew out and landed inside the glass container.

“It has toughness, but it’s nowhere near that of the material after whisker (fiber) toughening. I’d estimate it can bend to an arc of about 7-8 degrees under pressure, and its impact toughness should be between 8 and 10.”

Looking at the shattered material in the glass container, Xu Chuan made a quick calculation.

Although the values weren’t high, as an unexpected discovery, it was still a very pleasant surprise.

Given the physical properties of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, its toughness value was very low. Even a small increase was enough for significant optimization.

If this were combined with whisker toughening technology, he believed its performance would be even higher.

In the laboratory, no one made a fuss about Xu Chuan having just destroyed a sheet of the improved superconducting material film. They merely glanced over before continuing with their work, preparing for the relevant superconductivity tests.

He was the big boss, after all; he could do as he pleased.

Testing for superconductivity wasn’t very difficult; it could be done with equipment like a cryostat and a Dewar flask of liquid nitrogen.

Moreover, the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute had a complete Superconducting electromagnetic testing system, so all they had to do was place the material inside.

Xu Chuan didn’t perform the test himself; he waited on the side.

For the current Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, this kind of work was now one of the smallest, most routine testing procedures imaginable.

While not everyone could do it, any researcher in the superconducting materials lab, even a graduate student intern, was capable of it.

Compared to the cumbersome process of testing the critical magnetic field, the data for the critical temperature was obtained first.

“First test result for the Critical Temperature (Tc) is in. Current temperature is 127.3K!”

In the lab, the assistant researcher in charge of the test, upon seeing the curve on the graph plummet, quickly reported the result.

Hearing this, Xu Chuan, who had been waiting expectantly, leaned over to look at the computer screen.

The large display was divided into four quadrants along X and Y axes, each showing different data.

The main performance indicators for testing superconducting materials were all displayed: resistance values, temperature control system readings, magnetic field indicator values, and AC magnetic susceptibility.

In the resistance quadrant, the previously smooth curve had now plummeted to the bottom.

And in the temperature control system quadrant, a large number was frozen at 127.3K, the bright red color indicating the critical transition point.

127.3K, or -145.85°C!

This number fell exactly within the results of the simulation, perfectly verifying the theory.

“Success!”

Looking at the data on the screen, Xu Chuan clenched his fists, almost shouting for joy!

Although the magnetic field test data wasn’t out yet, the change in the critical temperature had already given him the answer he wanted.

Quickly moving out of the way to let others continue their work, Xu Chuan sat in the lab and continued to wait.

The key was no longer the critical temperature. The final indicator still depended on the critical magnetic field!

After patiently waiting for more than two hours, the first round of superconductivity tests was finally complete.

The test results were immediately printed out and handed to him.

Xu Chuan flipped directly to the section on superconducting properties.

【Critical Temperature (Tc): 127.3K】

【Critical Magnetic Field (Hc): At 127.3K, the critical Hc is 40.76T, with a maximum of up to 46.68T.】

【Critical Current (Ic): Reached 5092A/mm2 at 43T】

【Critical Current Density (Jc):】

Looking at the initial test results in his hand, a wide grin spread across his face.

Theoretically, these values were more than enough!

Not just for miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion and the Aerospace Engine, but also for the large particle collider, which he hadn’t previously factored in.

With this new material, the collision energy level could potentially be increased by more than half an order of magnitude from the original baseline!

This would bring new science to the world of physics, and indeed, to the entire world!

Chapter 492: Becoming the Greatest Miracle of the 21st Century

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A critical magnetic field strength of over 40 T was proof enough that introducing the strong diamagnetic mechanism into superconducting materials was the right way to enhance their magnetic field strength.

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For Xu Chuan, the breakthrough with the improved superconducting material was not just a great leap forward for superconducting materials; it was the dawn of hope for small-scale controlled nuclear fusion and aerospace engines.

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It wasn’t that he didn’t have more advanced room-temperature superconductor materials on hand. But in truth, the critical temperature of a superconductor was not the only factor influencing technological development.

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For any superconducting material, its range of application was determined by its critical temperature, its critical magnetic field, and its critical current and current density.

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For technologies like small-scale controlled nuclear fusion, aerospace engines, or even large particle colliders, the magnetic field strength that a superconductor could generate was a relatively more important factor.

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Only a high-intensity magnetic field could more effectively confine the violent, high-temperature plasma or provide a stronger magnetic field for acceleration.

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This was why Xu Chuan had been continuously researching how to increase the critical magnetic field of superconducting materials.

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The room-temperature superconductor he possessed was not superior in this aspect. He needed a superconducting material with a much higher magnetic field strength to achieve the necessary magnetic confinement and acceleration.

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Fortunately, thanks to the fiasco involving a “room-temperature superconductor,” he had found the path.

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Though the process was full of twists and turns, a superconductor with a powerful 40 T magnetic field had finally emerged from his hands.

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After handing over the remaining tests for the improved superconducting material to the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute, Xu Chuan returned to his villa at the foot of Zijin Mountain. After a quick wash, he collapsed onto his bed.

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Asleep the moment his head hit the pillow—that was his current state.

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He had a conference presentation the next day and should have been familiarizing himself with his thesis and making preparations that night. But after pulling several all-nighters in a row, even a body of iron would break if he didn’t get some proper rest.

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The next day, in Nanjing, at Nanjing University.

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Physicists and materials scientists from all over the world began to stream into the ancient campus.

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Bright red banners were hung everywhere. Slogans like “Warmly Celebrating the Conference on the Unified Framework for the Strongly Correlated Electron System” and “The Holy Grail of Physics, the Crown of Condensed Matter Physics” adorned the entrance of Nanjing University and the campus roads.

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For Nanjing University, although this wasn’t the first time they had hosted such a grand event, any university or institution would only hope for more world-class conferences like this.

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After all, a conference that showcased their image to the international community not only enhanced the university’s academic influence and honor but also served as a political achievement for the school and the entire city of Nanjing.

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In the morning, as eight o’clock approached, the physicists and materials scientists who had traveled from all corners of the globe passed through strict security checks, entered the Nanjing University campus, and made their way towards the Great Hall.

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At the campus gate, Edward Witten, dressed in a wool sweater and a pair of round-framed glasses, handed his invitation letter to the guard. After passing the inspection, he walked onto the campus.

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Behind him, David Gross, his hairline having receded over more than half his head, followed closely and also passed through the security check.

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Catching up to Witten, Gross glanced curiously at the tight security behind them and asked, “Is the security here always this strict? It feels completely different from before.”

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Although he didn’t come to China often, he had attended a few presentations and conferences here before. He felt that the security this time was completely different, exceptionally strict.

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Witten replied, “It’s because of Xu Chuan. Any conference he leads basically follows this procedure. It’s probably to prevent any unexpected incidents during the event.”

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It wasn’t his first time attending one of his student’s presentations. Not long ago, there was a mathematics seminar in Beijing, and the security level was about the same.

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Gross said, “This is too much. They even confiscated the utility knife on my keychain.”

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He had a small utility knife on his keychain, less than three centimeters long and more of a decoration, but he was told it was prohibited and had it taken away during the security check.

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Witten shrugged. “Don’t worry, they’ll arrange for someone to return it to you when you leave. Even if you forget, you don’t have to worry about leaving it behind.”

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He wasn’t too surprised by this level of security. While he had been a bit taken aback at first, just like Gross, it all seemed perfectly reasonable when he thought about the achievements his student had made.

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The two of them arrived at the Great Hall where the conference was being held. Quite a few people had arrived before them, and the hall was already a sea of dark figures, buzzing with quiet discussions.

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Witten made his way through the crowd and found his seat.

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Sitting next to him was another top physicist, Michael Kosterlitz.

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For his discovery of the topological phase transition and topological phases of matter, Michael Kosterlitz had won the Nobel Prize in 2016.

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Witten showed no surprise, greeting him with a smile before sitting down.

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“Witten, did you see him yesterday? He doesn’t seem to be at the university,” Michael Kosterlitz asked Edward Witten after a brief chat.

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He had arrived the day before but couldn’t find Xu Chuan on the Nanjing University campus. He’d even called, but no one answered, which left him quite disappointed.

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He had wanted to talk to Xu Chuan about the fundamentals of the strongly correlated system and topological states of matter, but he couldn’t find him.

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Witten shook his head. “No, I sent him a message yesterday as well but didn’t get a reply.”

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He paused for a moment before adding, “But you’ll definitely see him at the conference today. He’s always punctual.”

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Kosterlitz said, “Then we’ll talk after the presentation. By the way, I heard there have been some major changes at CERN?”

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Witten nodded. “CERN is discussing canceling the construction of the LC-LHC high-luminosity collider. Of course, nothing’s been finalized yet.”

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Hearing this, Kosterlitz gave him a stunned look and asked, “Why cancel it? Is physics no longer going to advance?”

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Although he wasn’t a scholar in the field of high-energy physics, he knew the importance of a large hadron collider to the discipline.

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Witten explained, “China is preparing to take over this work. They’re planning to build a hadron collider with a higher energy level and are currently in talks with the CERN Council about a collaboration.”

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Kosterlitz countered, “But shouldn’t something like this be kept in our own hands? This is a collider, an essential research facility for the advancement of fundamental science.”

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“Besides, if China controls the collider, does that mean we’ll all have to come to China to do research in the future?”

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Witten smiled. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

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Kosterlitz shook his head. He felt that doing so was tantamount to handing over the development of fundamental science, at least in the fields of high-energy physics and particle physics.

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In fact, he was not the only one who held this view.

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The question of whether to continue building the high-luminosity LHC and the Future Circular Collider (FCC) was a matter of constant debate within the CERN Council.

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There were supporters and opponents.

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The supporters argued that since China had already confirmed it would build a 100 TeV energy-level hadron collider, even an upgraded LHC, the LC-LHC high-luminosity collider, would have no competitive advantage. It would be better to just give up.

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The government’s council representatives, in particular, felt that since China wanted to take over this work, they should let them. The funds could then be redirected to other areas.

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In any case, the findings in high-energy physics were almost always made public. And China wasn’t trying to keep it all for themselves; they had invited them to participate.

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If they needed one in the future, they could just build another. They had the technology, so what was there to fear?

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The opposition believed that they must keep fundamental research facilities like the Large Hadron Collider in their own hands. The importance of fundamental science was beyond doubt, as it guided technological development.

If they did not maintain the initiative in fundamental science, the entire landscape of future technological development might be completely transformed.

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CERN had held many meetings on this matter, but each one ended inconclusively.

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Witten had no interest in getting involved in these things. For him, whether CERN continued to build the high-luminosity LC-LHC or not probably wouldn’t affect him.

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On one hand, the string theory he was researching was not something that could be discovered in this century anyway.

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On the other hand, China provided a safety net. No matter what, China would not refuse the participation of a top physicist and would treat every participating country and physicist fairly and justly.

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His student had personally guaranteed this to him.

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Time passed amid the murmurs of the crowd. At nine o’clock sharp, Xu Chuan, dressed in formal attire, walked with a steady gait onto the stage of the Great Hall.

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Standing at the lectern, he scanned the audience, which had quickly fallen silent. Xu Chuan’s mind was exceptionally calm.

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He felt no particular excitement about today’s presentation.

“

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The results that needed to be achieved had been achieved. Although the research paper had not yet been submitted and peer-reviewed, he had already obtained the corresponding outcome.

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The improved superconductor, capable of generating 40 T, was the best verification of his achievement.

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Reaching out to adjust the microphone, Xu Chuan briefly tested it to see if it was working properly, then spoke in a steady, clear voice.

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“First of all, I’d like to welcome everyone to this exchange and presentation. I am also grateful that you have all taken the time out of your busy schedules to come here and listen to my academic presentation.”

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“Today’s presentation, as you all can see, is about the unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system.”

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“I believe that since the paper was made public, everyone present has already read it, so I won’t waste any time and will get straight to the point.”

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After a brief opening, Xu Chuan went directly to the main topic.

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The screen behind him lit up, clearly displaying the content of today’s presentation.

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“The main difference between a strongly correlated system and a weakly correlated system lies in the strength of the electron-electron interaction. In a strongly correlated system, the Coulomb repulsion between electrons cannot be ignored, which causes the normally applicable band theory to fail.”

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“And in this area, we have always lacked effective computational methods and a relevant unified theory.”

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“Today, I will present a demonstration here, and I hope it will bring some inspiration to everyone.”

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“…Consider the second variable of a bivariate function f(x1, x2) in a complete set of univariate basis functions {φi(x)}i=1^N. Expanding f(x1, x2) = ∑^ni=1bi(x1)φ(x2), we get the coefficient bi(x1), which is a function of the first variable.”

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“The basis functions are further expanded as…”

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As Xu Chuan explained, the scholars in the Great Hall’s audience looked up and listened attentively.

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This included Witten, who had already gone over the complete research paper with Xu Chuan, and Michael Kosterlitz, who sat beside him.

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The latter, in particular, had many questions in his mind that he hoped would be answered during this presentation.

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Sitting in the front row, Shing-Tung Yau, who had made a special trip from Tsinghua University, looked at the figure on stage and suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

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“It’s truly hard to imagine.”

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Beside him, Chen Zhengping from Nanjing University heard this and asked curiously, “What is?”

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Shing-Tung Yau smiled. “It’s hard to imagine that he could achieve so much in so many fields at such a young age.”

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Hearing this, Chen Zhengping thought for a moment and replied, “If I remember correctly, he just celebrated his twenty-fourth birthday during Chinese New Year last year. He’s twenty-five now.”

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“Twenty-five?” Hearing this answer, Shing-Tung Yau was stunned for a moment, as if lost in thought. He remained silent for a long while before speaking:

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“At the age of twenty-six, Albert Einstein wrote four papers that shocked the world, establishing his status as the greatest physicist of the twentieth century in one fell swoop.”

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“Do you think he has a chance to create a similar miracle, to become the greatest physicist of the twenty-first century in one go, or even to surpass all who have come before?”

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Hearing this question, Chen Zhengping was taken aback, then he chuckled and said, “I’m afraid that would be quite difficult.”

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He paused briefly, then continued, “While I have never denied his talent—I would say that in all my years, he is the most talented scholar I have ever seen—surpassing everyone in physics would be incredibly difficult to achieve.”

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“If he focused solely on research in physics, I think he would have a chance.”

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“But look at how many fields he’s involved in now. Mathematics, physics, astronomy, materials science, computational chemistry, even computer programming and modeling, applied sciences… I’m afraid there is no one in the world today with a broader scope of involvement in the sciences.”

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Shing-Tung Yau smiled. “I, for one, am quite optimistic about him. This kid might just create an unprecedented miracle.”

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“Which is?”

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“Reaching the absolute pinnacle of all time in both mathematics and physics.”

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The words that came from Shing-Tung Yau’s mouth stunned Chen Zhengping once again, and he could only shake his head with a wry smile.

“

“

To be honest, even he, Xu Chuan’s former Advisor, had never thought of such a thing.

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The greatest of all time… That would mean surpassing all mathematicians and physicists simultaneously.

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Seeing Chen Zhengping shake his head, Shing-Tung Yau said with a smile, “Then let’s make a bet. I think he really has a hope of achieving it, and I might even see it in my lifetime.”

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“

At these words, Chen Zhengping was stunned again. Yau was seventy-three this year. Even if he lived to be ninety, which was a very long life, that was only seventeen years from now.

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“

It was undeniable that in mathematics, his student’s achievements were already enough for him to contend for a place in the history of mathematics. It might need time to settle, but the hope was certainly there.

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Both the algebraic variety and group mapping tool and the infinitesimal element construction method were significant enough to be expanded into tools like calculus or the Fourier transform, if he had the mind to promote them.

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But in physics, the achievements he had made were probably far from enough.

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Seventeen years. That meant Xu Chuan would have to surpass all his predecessors in both mathematics and physics and reach the pinnacle in both fields before the age of forty-two. That was a feat that could no longer be described in terms of difficulty.

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If he truly achieved that, he would be the greatest miracle of the twenty-first century.

“

“

Chapter 493: Forever Shining in the History of Physics

The conference presentation on the stage was still underway.

Xu Chuan methodically explained the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems, only slowing his pace slightly when he reached the introduction of dimensional space.

This was the core of the entire framework theory. It utilized the concept of dimension to classify different materials, and then employed various mathematical theories and methods to explain the strong correlations within different dimensional regions.

“The oscillations caused by the motion of magnetic flux vortexes and the Weber blockade effect can form Van der Waals heterostructures between different low-dimensional films, whose physical properties can be regulated through symmetry engineering methods such as twisting and stacking.”

“It is also possible to study the novel physical properties of interfaces by stacking films with different physical properties, such as in the study of superconductor/ferromagnetic heterostructure interfaces.”

“And the specific mathematical method can be approached as follows: χ(q,ω) = ∑k f_k f_{k+q} ε_k ε_{k+q} + ω.”

“…”

On the lectern, Xu Chuan isolated the introduction of dimensional space and explained it in detail.

Below the stage, the numerous physicists in the Great Hall stared intently at the slides on the screen, straining their ears to catch every word, afraid of missing a single detail.

To Xu Chuan, the mathematical methods applied in the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system were not particularly profound, but for the majority of physicists, fully understanding these concepts was still quite difficult.

It’s true that top physicists often understand mathematics; many are even top-tier mathematicians who have greatly advanced the field of mathematics themselves.

Examples include Newton (Calculus), Heisenberg (Matrix), Descartes (the Cartesian curve), and Laplace (the Laplace transform).

But not every physicist could master mathematical physics.

Take Albert Einstein, Maxwell, and Bohr, for instance. Although they were highly proficient in mathematics, they were still some distance away from the very top tier.

And while the vast majority of physicists here today could use mathematical tools to solve problems in their research, very, very few possessed the top-tier mathematical abilities of people like Witten or Xu Chuan, who had won the Fields Medal.

Fortunately, they had ample time to familiarize themselves with the research paper before this conference presentation, which kept them from being unable to follow along.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan explained his research paper while keeping an eye on the audience’s reactions.

He paid particular attention to the experts in the front rows, checking to see if they were understanding his presentation.

For a novel theory, it was impossible for everyone to accept it immediately.

But as long as the logic was sound and flawless, and it could be recognized by the top-tier experts, pass peer review and journal reviews, and be officially published to circulate in academia, that was enough.

As for those who didn’t understand or still held doubts, their opinions, frankly, were not that important.

Unless they could find a flaw in the paper, the presenter had no obligation to respond.

After all, a truly cutting-edge theory could not possibly be understood by everyone, by every scholar.

If a presenter had to explain every time an individual raised a question, how would academia ever progress?

This was especially true for the amateur theorists, who loved to get involved in such events.

Therefore, for today’s conference presentation, Xu Chuan didn’t need everyone to understand his paper and explanation. He just needed to ensure that most of the experts sitting in the front rows could.

And fortunately, judging from the reactions of these experts in the front rows, Xu Chuan knew he was already halfway to success.

At the very least, they should have understood the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system.

Some might still have a few doubts and questions, but the upcoming Q&A session should be able to resolve those.

The rest was just waiting for peer review and journal review.

Once the paper was published, the world of physics would gain another unified framework theory.

Perhaps its importance was far from that of the Standard Model, nor could it compare to the five great laws.

But in condensed matter physics, it would be the Bible, guiding its development.

As time passed, the conference presentation began to draw to a close.

As this next stage began, the atmosphere in the Lecture Hall grew noticeably more fervent and excited.

Sitting beside Edward Witten, Michael Kosterlitz closed his notebook and sighed softly. “What else can you expect from a genius who has won both the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal? This theory will forever shine in the history of physics.”

To be honest, before he came, he had read the research paper on the strongly correlated electron system countless times and had jotted down numerous questions in his notebook.

He had originally planned to resolve them during the Q&A session, but now it seemed unnecessary.

During the presentation, the scholar had already answered the vast majority of his questions.

His application of dimensional space, his use of mathematical methods—every aspect was nothing short of astonishing.

Beside him, Witten turned to look at him and smiled. “If only he could spare a little more time for physics. Then perhaps we might live to see something that goes beyond the Standard Model.”

Hearing this, Michael Kosterlitz paused for a moment, then came to a realization and said with a smile, “I almost forgot, this man is most famous in academia not for his achievements in physics, but for mathematics.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “But speaking of which, you are his advisor in physics. Isn’t it your job to guide him toward researching physics?”

Witten shrugged, not answering the question.

If only he could.

Then perhaps physics would advance by leaps and bounds.

On the stage, Xu Chuan hadn’t stopped his explanation. The slides of the research paper continued to turn, until the very last one:

“…From the above formula, it is not difficult to see that for an antisymmetric function of two variables, the complete basis is the Slater determinant of two variables.”

“And the mathematical system for strongly correlated electrons, born from dimensional space, is theoretically applicable to the K/U0(1) system.”

“That is to say, the mathematical system for strongly correlated electrons born from dimensional space should systematically apply to most strongly correlated systems, forming a unified framework!”

As the paper on the screen froze on the final page and Xu Chuan’s voice faded, the Great Hall was suspended in a moment of silence.

Looking at the quiet crowd below the stage, Xu Chuan smiled and continued, “”

“A long time ago, we already knew the universal theory for most materials: Newton’s equations for atomic nuclei, the Schrödinger equation for electrons, and the particles of electromagnetic interaction between nuclei.”

“But in many more materials, these theories have their limitations and counterexamples. For a macroscopic system, precisely solving these equations is impossible.”

“So we are left with only two possibilities: either make some approximations, which are usually very strict, or study a simpler problem whose fundamental physics we can grasp.”

“And today, the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electron systems will fill the last major gap in condensed matter physics, at least in current research.”

“It will transcend the standard model of materials we have previously defined and will lead us to find materials that are not described in the traditional paradigm.”

“My presentation ends here. Thank you all for your patient attention.”

With that, Xu Chuan took a small step away from the lectern and gave a slight bow to the audience below as a sign of thanks.

At the same time, the vast hall was filled with thunderous applause.

Chapter 494: The Fatal Flaw in the Thesis

The end of the presentation didn’t mean the conference presentation was over.

For a presentation of findings in a natural science like mathematical physics, the Q&A session is the real challenge.

For many researchers, submitting a conference paper is nerve-wracking, but answering questions is even harder.

This was because the presenter not only had to answer questions from everyone in attendance, but sometimes those questions were long-winded tirades couched in false humility, rambling self-statements, or blatant intellectual grandstanding.

Simply put, one might encounter some people trying to show off during the Q&A session.

Of course, at Xu Chuan’s presentation, this kind of situation was impossible.

After all, when it came to showing off… ahem, high-level maneuvers, who at his presentation could possibly outdo him?

As the applause in the Great Hall subsided slightly, Xu Chuan returned to the lectern, picked up the microphone, and spoke again:

“That concludes my presentation on the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them.”

For the strongly correlated electron system, and indeed for the field of physics, the most crucial parts were the introduction of the dimensional space concept and the corresponding mathematical methods in the thesis.

Master these, and understanding the paper wouldn’t be difficult.

As soon as Xu Chuan finished speaking, a sea of arms shot up in the Great Hall.

Starting from the front row, Xu Chuan began to take questions.

At this kind of presentation, the choice of who to call on was naturally at the presenter’s discretion.

The first to ask a question was Franck Wilczek, a 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, whose research focused on condensed matter physics, astrophysics, and particle physics.

The master asked two questions related to calculation methods in low-dimensional mathematical theory, and after receiving a perfect answer from Xu Chuan, he sat back down.

Next up was Michael Kosterlitz.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate’s research interests were mainly in condensed matter theory and one- and two-dimensional physics.

When Xu Chuan gestured for him to ask his question, Kosterlitz quickly stood up, took the microphone from a staff member, his voice filled with a hint of excitement and anticipation.

“When correlated electron-electron interactions are introduced into topological quantum materials, complex and novel ordered phases emerge in the system. But how to explain this mathematically remains a mystery.”

“Professor Xu, what are your thoughts on this problem? Does it have a rigorous model and an analytical solution?”

As a scholar who studied topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter, he had always been searching for a way to unite topological phase transitions and strongly correlated electron systems.

Unfortunately, even though he could approach it from a mathematical perspective, using topology to study the topological phase transitions and topological phases of physical materials, he still hadn’t found a suitable path.

But now, in the young scholar on the stage, he saw a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough.

Of course, what he didn’t know was that the path he yearned for had already been paved.

On the lectern, upon hearing the question, Xu Chuan instantly understood what the other man was thinking.

To establish a unified theory for topological phase transitions and strongly correlated systems, and then delve deeper into topological quantum materials.

This was the very work he had been busy with just a few days ago. He hadn’t expected someone else today to be thinking along the same lines.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Chuan said, “This is one of the unsolved problems in strongly correlated systems: unifying strongly correlated systems and topological states of matter.”

“Theoretically, it is possible to unify topological states of matter within the framework of strongly correlated electron systems. However, I haven’t delved deeply into this area. Perhaps you could consider a non-trivial multi-band quantum geometry approach with features of hybridized orbitals.”

“This route has already demonstrated numerous physical phenomena that can also be explained by mathematical methods. It might be possible to extend and expand upon it.”

Although he had already completed this theory, he couldn’t speak of it plainly, nor could he bring out his own paper to explain it.

After all, topological quantum materials were tied to research on quantum computers and were of extremely high importance.

But at the presentation, with a fellow scholar from the audience having posed the question, he couldn’t just say he had no thoughts on the matter.

Listening to Xu Chuan’s answer, Professor Kosterlitz sank into thought and, without realizing it, sat back down.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan moved on and called on the next person.

And the next person to stand up was Professor David Gross, the chairman of CERN.

Like Franck Wilczek, he was also a 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate.

Moreover, academically speaking, this big shot was Xu Chuan’s academic grandfather.

This was because he was Witten’s Advisor. Theoretically, he was on the same level as Alexander Grothendieck.

Of course, in terms of influence in their respective fields, Gross certainly couldn’t compare to Grothendieck. After all, the latter was hailed as the founder of modern algebraic geometry and the greatest mathematician of the 20th century.

But Professor Gross’s achievements were by no means small; in fact, they were incredibly high.

He was the creator of ‘heterotic string theory’, a founder of asymptotic freedom in the theory of strong interaction, one of the main founders of quantum chromodynamics, and widely recognized as a leading figure in modern physics.

In today’s physics world, while his standing might not place him in the top three, a spot in the top five was almost certainly guaranteed.

His presence here was, on one hand, because the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems was indeed within his research scope.

On the other hand, he was preparing to connect with Xu Chuan to discuss collaborative matters between CERN and China regarding the construction of a large particle collider.

Although CERN was still debating whether to proceed with the construction of a High-Luminosity LC-LHC Hadron Collider, the prospects were likely dim.

With the rise of China, the gradual decline of the United States and the European Union was inevitable.

In a cycle of economic downturn, the importance of basic research facilities like a large particle collider—which are enormously expensive to build and maintain, requiring vast sums of money—seemed to diminish.

Of course, here at the presentation today, his questions would certainly have nothing to do with colliders and would only pertain to the strongly correlated electron system.

After all, this was an unspoken rule of such presentations, as well as a matter of necessary respect and etiquette toward the academic presenter.

Standing up, Professor Gross paused to organize his thoughts before speaking: “On page thirty-one of the thesis, I noticed your proposition on the topological insulator effect formed by a strongly correlated electron effect in a two-dimensional state.”

“The study first proposes a minimal continuum model for the p+ip exciton phase and introduces a new topological invariant, the chiral Chern number, to characterize the topological properties of this system.”

“However, in the minimal two-component model in two dimensions, although the traditional Chern number of the topological exciton insulator phase is zero, it possesses a chiral Chern number of one-half. Could the presenter please explain this point?”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan looked down and flipped through the thesis. “Page thirty-one, you say?”

“To put it simply, this new topological insulator is formed by the condensation of excitons with a p+ip wave function. The mechanism is similar to how the condensation of p+ip-wave Cooper pairs leads to the well-known topological superconductor.”

“And while the vortices of a topological superconductor contain Majorana fermions, the vortices of a topological exciton insulator contain quasiparticles with a half-charge. But unlike p+ip topological superconductors and Chern insulators, this new topological exciton insulator has a traditional Chern number of zero. Therefore, its topological properties are characterized by the ‘chiral Chern number’ newly proposed by our research group.”

“Furthermore, the condensation of p+ip excitons also leads to in-plane spontaneous magnetization and the breaking of time-reversal symmetry…”

Before Xu Chuan could finish, Professor David Gross interrupted him.

“I know all that. What I want to know is how you define a scattering channel with p-wave symmetry arising from strong electron-electron interaction.”

“If I recall correctly, this part of the theory involves small polarons in a strong electron-phonon interaction system. However, that remains an unsolved problem to this day.”

Standing in the audience, David Gross looked at the young man on the stage and slowly voiced his question.

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it boomed like a clap of thunder through the Great Hall, capturing everyone’s attention.

Hearing his Advisor’s question, Edward Witten’s dark green eyes instantly focused, and his breathing quickened slightly.

This was a flaw he hadn’t detected. In fact, very few people in the entire field of physics had likely noticed this extremely subtle, critical point.

Sitting beside him, Professor Michael Kosterlitz, who had just asked his question, froze for a moment. Then he quickly bent over, pulled the thesis out of the backpack at his feet, and flipped to page thirty-one.

Staring at the theory and mathematical formulas on the page, he began calculating rapidly in his mind.

The small polaron problem in strong electron-phonon interaction systems was an issue within strongly interacting systems. It was extensively and deeply studied from the 1960s to the 1980s.

But with the subsequent discovery of strongly electron-electron coupled systems, represented by high-temperature superconductors, research in this area ceased to be mainstream. As a result, there was no complete theoretical picture to uniformly solve this problem.

He never expected to find this deeply hidden point in this thesis.

And now, for Professor Xu, this could be the ‘fatal’ flaw in his unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems.

Chapter 495: The First Flaw of His Life

As Professor David Gross posed his question, the Great Hall quickly grew noisy.

It had to be said that the issue Professor Gross raised was indeed a fatal flaw for the entire research paper, or rather, for the dimensional space framework at the two-dimensional level.

This was a defect hidden deep beneath the surface of the paper. Of the several hundred people present, even with the Q&A session still ongoing, probably no more than a handful had truly noticed it.

“It seems today’s conference presentation will have to end with a bit of regret.”

In the front row, Professor David Politzer from the California Institute of Technology in the United States rubbed his shiny forehead, his eyes fixed with interest on the figure standing on the stage.

In academia, finding flaws and problems in a research paper was far easier than constructing a perfect, flawless one.

If Gross hadn’t raised this question, he would have brought up the same point of confusion in the following segment.

It was undeniable that this Professor Xu’s research paper on the strongly correlated electron system was of considerable importance to condensed matter physics.

But the small polaron problem within the strong electron-phonon interaction system remained a fatal flaw.

Unless he could perfectly supplement it right here on the lectern today, no matter how outstanding the presentation was, it would ultimately be marred by regret.

And he did not believe this young presenter could patch up this flaw on the spot.

After all, this touched upon the very frontier of physics: the strong interaction system.

Nearby, Edward Witten stared intently at Xu Chuan on the stage, a hint of worry in his eyes.

Although this flaw only threatened the unified framework theory in its two-dimensional state, it was still a problem.

As long as this student could fill this gap in the future, the framework for the strongly correlated electron system would still be perfect.

But for today’s conference presentation, it felt somewhat regretful.

More importantly, this flaw directly shattered the ‘invincible’ legend he had built since his debut.

Everyone in academia knew that since rising to fame, nearly every paper he had publicly released was verified and ultimately proven correct.

But this flaw today severed that near-mythical miracle, pulling him directly back into the realm of mortals.

So, he could make mistakes too.

Although this was a good thing for a scholar—after all, how could one forge a strong mentality to keep moving forward without experiencing setbacks and trials?

But Witten was worried whether this student could handle such a blow.

He only hoped that after completing today’s presentation, he could continue to press forward, creating even greater brilliance after experiencing this setback.

Otherwise, for academia, it would be the greatest loss of the twenty-first century.

Even though this century had barely passed its first fifth, had barely just begun.

On the lectern, Xu Chuan stood frozen, oblivious to the countless gazes and rustling discussions from the audience below.

After hearing Professor David Gross’s question, he suddenly realized—realized he had made a colossal error.

It wasn’t that the small polaron problem in the strong electron-phonon interaction system was a fatal flaw, but that he had directly cited the results of his previous life in this paper.

At a future point in time, after he had completed his work on the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap, he had studied the Grand Unified Theory for a period. Although he hadn’t finished it, he had still made some achievements.

The small polaron problem in the strong electron-phonon interaction system was one of the core issues he had solved.

But at this current point in time, this problem was still an unresolved nuisance. Yet he had directly cited it as a law in his paper on the strongly correlated electron system.

It was like all the mathematical achievements that depended on the Riemann Hypothesis being true.

Although the Riemann Hypothesis had been tested with tens of trillions of data points by computer, without a single one failing to conform to the formula Riemann gave.

It was hailed by the field of mathematics as “a fact without proof, a conjecture that must be true,” and the mathematical research and results that relied on it could be treated as theorems.

But the Riemann Hypothesis was, in the end, a conjecture, not a theorem.

The mistake he had made now was just like those of the mathematicians.

Although he had indeed produced this result, and perhaps to others, it was no big deal—all he needed to do was supplement this part during the conference presentation.

But for him, citing a paper that had not been publicly released or verified in this era was a tremendous error.

He found it hard to forgive himself for making such a careless mistake.

But the most important thing right now was to first answer Professor Gross’s question.

No matter what, the conference presentation had to go on.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Chuan looked up, meeting David Gross’s aged yet profound eyes, and spoke with a hint of apology.

“My apologies, that was an oversight on my part. However, I can provide an answer to this question.”

As his words fell.

A wave of commotion instantly spread through the Great Hall.

Surprise, astonishment, confusion, doubt.

All sorts of gazes fell upon him simultaneously, including those of Professor David Gross, who was still looking at him. His deep eyes were now filled with profound confusion.

Xu Chuan took another deep breath, nodded at Professor Gross, then turned to a staff member standing in the corner beside the lectern and said softly, “Excuse me, could you please prepare two more blackboards for me?”

After speaking, he picked up the blackboard eraser from the lectern and wiped away what he had written earlier during his presentation on the unified framework of the strongly correlated electron system.

Seeing this, while others might still be lost in confusion, astonishment flashed in Witten’s eyes from his seat in the audience.

Last year, he had attended the ‘International Symposium on the History and Education of Mathematics’ in this country’s capital, Beijing. At that symposium, he had personally witnessed a proof that could be described as a ‘miracle’.

The unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system was created by this very student during that miracle. Could it be… that he was going to do it again today?

On the lectern, Xu Chuan paid no mind to the commotion below.

After erasing the formulas from the blackboard, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a line of neat script on the board.

[The Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior in a Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction System!]

The moment this title was written, the other scholars in the Great Hall, much like Witten, seemed to realize something.

The atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch.

Chapter 496: Another Crown on the Throne of Physics

”

”

At the lectern, Xu Chuan wrote a line for a title, then paused.

”

”

He turned slightly to face the audience in the Great Hall and spoke with a hint of apology, “I’m very sorry to have you all try to understand a new theory on such short notice, but I have a responsibility to mend the flaws and errors in my paper.”

”

”

“As compensation, after today’s conference presentation concludes, I will remain at Nanjing University for three days. During this time, anyone present with difficult questions regarding this new theory can come find me for a discussion. I will do my utmost to provide answers for everyone.”

”

”

“Of course, during the upcoming presentation, I will also do my best to slow down my explanation and make it as comprehensible as possible for everyone.”

”

”

“Okay, let’s get to the main topic.”

”

”

With that, Xu Chuan turned back to the blackboard and wrote out a mathematical formula:

”

【H=p²/2m + ∑q ħωq a†q aq + ∑q (Vq a†q e^iq·r + h.c.)】

Note: The original text had a few typos in the formula. p/2m should be p²/2m; hωaqaq should be ħωq a†q aq; and AqE^iqr should be a†q e^iq·r. The translation uses the standard form of the Fröhlich Hamiltonian for clarity. “h.c.” stands for “Hermitian conjugate”.

”

”

“I believe everyone here can easily understand the formula I’ve just written, and you all know what it is.”

”

”

“For condensed matter physics, one of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century was undoubtedly the single-electron band theory or the Fermi liquid theory in weak interaction systems. It brought us a brand-new method for studying particle physics.”

”

”

“As for strong interaction systems, researching, establishing, and perfecting a self-consistent theoretical framework is currently a major challenge in the field of condensed matter physics.”

”

”

“This is because, in such systems, the degrees of freedom like charge, spin, orbital, and lattice compete and cooperate with one another, causing the system to exhibit all sorts of astonishing new states of matter that are difficult to predict, making a unified theory elusive.”

”

”

“Among these is the polaron system.”

”

”

“A polaron is a type of quasiparticle. The most typical example is an electron in an ionic crystal, enveloped by a phonon cloud. They are generally categorized by size into so-called large polarons and small polarons. The former’s scale is much larger than the lattice spacing, while the latter is roughly the size of the lattice spacing.”

”

”

“To fully understand the polaron system, one must…”

”

”

On the stage, Xu Chuan began to speak slowly, starting his explanation from the most fundamental polaron system.

”

”

He had no choice; to fully comprehend his presentation today, this was a necessary step.

”

”

In the Great Hall, Witten’s eyes were fixed on the lectern. From the moment Xu Chuan erased the formula on the blackboard and began writing the first new equation, his gaze was locked in place, afraid of missing any formula, or even a single punctuation mark.

”

”

The worries he had harbored before were now completely forgotten.

”

”

All that remained in his mind were those lines of beautiful formulas.

”

”

For a scholar, nothing was more exhilarating than this.

”

”

Elsewhere, in a corner of the Great Hall, Feng Shen, a Nanjing University student who had come along with his advisor Chen Zhengping to broaden his horizons, stared at the ‘senior’ on the stage, completely baffled, unable to understand what he was doing up there.

”

”

“Professor, Professor Xu… what is he writing?”

”

”

After holding it in for a long time, the newly-admitted student couldn’t resist asking his advisor sitting next to him.

”

”

Chen Zhengping ignored him. His eyes were glued to the blackboard. Just like Witten, he was afraid of missing any detail and had no mind to answer his student’s question.

”

”

Because if he didn’t pay full attention, he himself might not be able to keep up.

”

”

Although he was once Xu Chuan’s advisor, he had to admit that this student of his had long since surpassed him, not just in mathematics, but also in physics, even in his own specialized fields of condensed matter physics and high-energy physics.

”

”

Meanwhile, sitting in the front row, Professor Stuart Parkin, the Millennium Technology Prize laureate, stared intently at the lectern, muttering to himself with a mix of excitement and thrill.

”

”

“The entropy change from the lattice charge carriers, does it originate from the degeneracy effect brought by the carriers? I can’t believe electron-phonon coupling would also cause a softening of the phonon dispersion at twice the Fermi wave vector. So that’s how it is. Truly incredible.”

”

”

Beside him, another professor in the condensed matter field spoke with a grave expression, “Yes, I never thought the small polaron could be explained this way. The characteristic quasiparticle peak we’ve been searching for… it seems we were looking in completely the wrong direction.”

”

”

On the stage, Xu Chuan continued to write out formulas, explaining ‘The Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior in a Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction System’.

”

”

This was a theory he had established in his past life. Although he had yet to research anything related to it in this life, for him, it was impossible to forget this knowledge, even if he forgot everything else.

”

”

The moment the title was written on the blackboard, the theory buried deep in his memory swiftly reawakened.

”

”

As he explained and wrote, what little time was left of the morning slipped away bit by bit. When the clock struck twelve, an administrative teacher from Nanjing University’s backstage staff anxiously sought out the university leaders.

”

”

“Principal Tan, it’s already twelve o’clock. Should we have lunch first? The people from the hotel have already asked several times.”

”

”

Looking at the figure still continuing his presentation on stage, Tan Shaoyuan thought for a moment and said, “Tell the hotel to get everything ready, so the food can be served immediately after this concludes.”

”

”

“As for when it will end, that’s uncertain for now. If it drags on past one o’clock, I’ll figure something out.”

”

”

“Also, arrange for someone to get some small cakes or biscuits. Distribute them to the scholars here first so they can have a little something to eat.”

”

”

Although he couldn’t understand the content, he knew how important this impromptu addition to the presentation was for Xu Chuan.

”

”

It was crucial, both for rectifying the flaws in the paper and for the perfection of the conference presentation itself.

”

”

Of course, more importantly, for the field of physics, for all the scholars gathered here today, this was an unparalleled grand event.

”

”

Although it wasn’t the complete Grand Unified Theory, a theory explaining the strong electron-phonon interaction system was still enough to elevate physics to a new height.

”

”

At this point, asking Xu Chuan to pause his lecture for lunch… never mind whether Xu Chuan would agree, even if he did, the hundreds of physicists in the Great Hall probably wouldn’t.

”

”

For a scholar, the pursuit of uncharted territory was far more important than a meal.

”

”

Of course, for Nanjing University, such matters needed to be considered from multiple angles. After all, this conference was a reflection of their international image.

”

”

As the host, it was their duty to take good care of the guests attending the conference.

”

”

So Tan Shaoyuan considered it and decided that if the presentation wasn’t finished by one o’clock, he would communicate with Professor Xu and see if they could take a short break.

”

”

After all, many of the scholars present were over seventy, or even eighty, years old. Even if Xu Chuan could handle such a high-intensity presentation, these older-generation big shots might not be able to endure it.

”

”

Fortunately, as one o’clock approached, Xu Chuan began to wrap up.

”

”

“…In the static structure of the correlated system, which serves as the initial condition for the dynamic evolution, its electronic state satisfies the time-independent Schrödinger equation. The lattice part is determined by the condition of minimum system energy, and the two are coupled together to find a stable structure through self-consistent solving.”

”

”

“At the same time, the time evolution of the system with opposing polarities is solved using a non-adiabatic dynamics method. The motion of the lattice satisfies the classical Newton’s equation of motion: Müi(t) = -K[2ui(t) - ui+1(t) - ui-1(t)] + 2α[pi,i+1(t) - pi-1,i(t)] + IelE(t)[pi,i(t) - 1].”

Note: The formula contains non-standard notation and is preserved as in the source material.

”

”

At the lectern, Xu Chuan did his best to streamline and simplify the core of the framework in his final steps, trying his best to make his thought process clear to the audience.

”

”

And below the stage, upon hearing this step, Edward Witten, who had been sitting upright and forcing himself to stay strong, finally relaxed. He leaned back against the soft backrest of his chair, a smile touching his lips.

”

”

“Another miracle. It’s simply unimaginable how he did it.”

”

”

Beside him, Nobel laureate Professor Michael Kosterlitz stared at the blackboard on stage for a while before speaking softly, as if in response, or perhaps just to himself, “Could it be that he had this prepared all along?”

”

”

“Hmm?”

”

”

Coming back to his senses, Kosterlitz smiled and said, “It’s like a magic show. The flaws and details we think we see are deliberately shown to the audience by the magician.”

”

”

“And just when we try to expose this ‘flaw,’ attempting to negate his performance, we discover that everything was under the magician’s control all along. That so-called flaw was merely something he deliberately let us see for the sake of the performance.”

”

”

He paused slightly before continuing, “After all, I find it hard to believe that anyone could solve such a transcendental problem in such a short amount of time, especially at a conference presentation like this, without prior preparation.”

”

”

“Based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and Newton’s equation of motion, in a strongly correlated system, there is scattering between the electron polaron and the hole polaron in a non-degenerate ground state polymer. Instead, the electron polaron and hole polaron move towards each other along the polymer chain under the influence of an electric field, and the system eventually forms a neutral excitonic state.”

”

”

“Due to the competition between the electric field force and the electron-phonon coupling, the formed exciton exhibits a phenomenon of oscillation between positive and negative polarizations, and the system eventually reaches a dynamic equilibrium.”

”

”

“This set of theories can provide a reasonable explanation for the typical behavior of small polarons in a strong electron-phonon interaction system.”

”

”

“That concludes the additional report. I believe with the knowledge of everyone present, understanding this theory will not be difficult.”

”

”

“The Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior in a Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction System is a very interesting problem. It is part of the strong interaction, and also part of the Grand Unified Theory.”

”

”

“In the time to come, I hope it can serve as a catalyst in the fields of the Grand Unified Theory and strong interaction theory, allowing more people to see and invest themselves in these areas.”

”

”

Speaking, Xu Chuan looked toward Professor David Gross and continued, “Of course, for now, it should be sufficient to answer Professor Gross’s question.”

”

”

Below the stage, David Gross met Xu Chuan’s gaze, then shifted his eyes back to the blackboards on the stage. The dense array of formulas had already thoroughly conquered him.

”

”

After getting his answer from Gross’s eyes, Xu Chuan took a deep breath and continued:

”

“That’s all for the additional report. For the next three days, I will be at Nanjing University and will do my utmost to answer any questions that arise from this new theory, until there are no more questions.”

”

”

“Thank you all for your patience. The Q&A session will continue in the afternoon report. As for now, please make your way to the dining hall for lunch. It’s getting late, after all.”

”

”

With that, he bowed slightly to the Great Hall as a sign of thanks.

”

”

And at that very moment, a flood of thunderous applause erupted in the Great Hall, crashing like waves, one after another, lasting for a very long time.

”

”

Even after Xu Chuan had left the lectern and his back was no longer visible, the applause continued.

”

”

For everyone sitting here today, this was a miracle in physics that brought them an unprecedented shock.

”

”

A breakthrough in the strong interaction and the Grand Unified Theory—no one had expected to witness it here.

”

”

It was even possible that it was a spontaneous idea, a spontaneous deduction.

”

”

Of course, most people were more willing to believe that the relevant theory had already been perfected long before, and it was simply brought out today.

”

”

But regardless, from this day forward, another glorious crown would be added to the throne of the field of physics.

”

”

And the story of today would be passed down forever with time.

”

”

Behind the lectern, Xu Chuan walked out of the Great Hall through the back door, heading toward his office.

”

”

Behind him, several of his students quickly followed.

”

”

“Professor, your performance at the conference today was absolutely brilliant!” The first to speak was naturally Xu Chuan’s young fan and admirer, Rong Xinjie. He had breathlessly chased after him from the Great Hall, and upon catching up, he spoke with an expression of pure worship.

”

”

“Yeah! At first, I thought this presentation would have some minor flaws, but I didn’t expect you to be so incredible, Professor, solving it right on the spot!”

”

”

Immediately after, Yin Shi, the only girl among them, followed up, her eyes sparkling like stars. Although she wasn’t a physics major and couldn’t understand today’s presentation, she knew that her advisor had once again done something earth-shattering at the conference.

”

”

Listening to his students’ praise, Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head, asking, “Which of you can go to the cafeteria and get me some food? Bring it to my office.”

”

”

Hearing this, the students were all taken aback.

”

”

“Professor, aren’t you going to the banquet at the hotel?”

”

”

Xu Chuan shook his head. “You all can go. I have some other things to take care of here.”

”

”

Perhaps for others, the matter was already resolved once he had perfectly proven the small polaron problem in the strong electron-phonon interaction system.

”

”

And today’s conference presentation, despite its twists and turns, had undoubtedly added to its drama and legendary status.

”

”

But for him, today’s presentation was not so perfect. The paper he had uploaded to Arxiv and was about to submit for publication also needed revision.

”

”

Perhaps these things didn’t need to be done right this second.

”

”

But at the very least, he needed to remember the mistake he had made today.

”

”

Chapter 497: The Buzzing World of Physics

With the conclusion of the first half of the conference presentation, related news quickly spread throughout the field of physics.

During the midday break, many of the younger scholars who had attended the conference uploaded the videos and pictures they had taken to various websites.

On the internationally renowned physics forum, PhysicsForums, videos and pictures related to the first half of the conference—especially the segment where Professor David Gross asked his question—were marked as trending by numerous physicists, sparking a great deal of discussion.

[I heard that a flaw was found in that Professor Xu’s paper!]

[For real? He makes mistakes too??]

[He has so many papers, which one are you talking about?]

[Which one could it be in physics? The one from today’s conference, the unified framework for the strongly correlated electron system. I heard Professor David Gross found a problem with it.]

[The poster above is out of date. The flaw is real, but not entirely. Professor Gross did find a flaw in the paper, but Professor Xu solved it right there on the spot!]

[WTF? Solved it on the spot? Is he that much of a beast?]

[Yes, and that flaw was related to the Grand Unified Theory.]

[Strong-Electroweak Unification?]

[A part of it. And we don’t even know if it’s correct yet, but that Professor Xu said he would be holding a three-day symposium to verify it.]

PhysicsForums is one of the more famous forums in the physics community, and many physicists from both home and abroad are registered users who participate in discussions and exchanges. In addition, some official organizations also maintain accounts on the site to post news and expand their influence.

Therefore, the discussions on this forum could basically reflect the level of buzz an event was generating in the world of physics.

To be honest, at the very beginning, the unified framework theory for the strongly correlated electron system didn’t generate much discussion on the forum.

Despite its extreme difficulty and sufficient importance in physics, the paper was not very accessible to the average scholar. Most of the academics discussing it on the forum found it hard to understand.

The related discussions on the forum were mostly limited to watching the drama unfold, but once it became connected to the Grand Unified Theory, its popularity began to skyrocket.

After all, when it came to the Grand Unified Theory, basically everyone who frequented the forum could chime in with a comment or two.

Meanwhile, the heated discussions weren’t limited to professional academic forums; they also spilled over onto social media sites.

Even though the vast majority of people had probably never even heard of the strongly correlated electron system, most had heard of the problem of epic proportions in the world of mathematics: the unification of the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces.

After all, it was just that famous.

Of course, compared to the more rational discussions on professional forums that focused on the problem itself, the reactions from the general public were almost entirely detached from the issue at hand.

[Did you hear? That Professor Xu unified the strong and electromagnetic forces?]

[What the hell? Him again?]

[If I remember correctly, he’s already solved two Millennium Prize Problems.]

[This is terrifying. At this rate, is he going to solve all the mathematical physics problems in the world by himself?]

[Am I crazy, is he crazy, or has the whole world gone mad?]

[I watched the video, but I couldn’t understand a thing. I just want to know, is this a huge deal?]

[Duh, you couldn’t even understand it. How could it not be a huge deal?]

[I think the truly amazing thing would be if he could explain this theory so that even I could understand it.]

[…]

Online, the topic continued to ferment and gain traction.

In the real world, the conference on the unified framework theory for strongly correlated electrons, organized by Nanjing University, was completed in a stable and orderly manner.

Compared to the first half, the physicists present in the second half were clearly more interested in “The Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior in a Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction System,” which Xu Chuan had completed during the conference.

The questions in the afternoon were also mostly related to this theory.

This was quite normal. For one, it was a brand-new theory.

For another, the strong electron-phonon interaction system touched upon certain areas of Strong-Electroweak Unification.

For the world of physics, the Grand Unified Theory was one of the ultimate dreams pursued by all physicists in this century.

Although gravity still remained, for physics today, unifying gravity within this century was basically a hopeless endeavor.

Thus, falling back on the next best thing, mathematically unifying the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces was the dream of all physicists in the twenty-first century.

Now that a glimmer of hope for this dream had appeared, how could people not be excited?

Although the strong electron-phonon interaction system was only a small part of the field of Strong-Electroweak Unification, it had opened a breach toward the goal.

Continuing to explore along this route was undoubtedly more promising than the previous aimless fumbling.

After the conference presentation, Xu Chuan used the venue at Nanjing University to hold a targeted symposium focused on the “Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior” and the “unification of the three forces: strong, weak, and electromagnetic.”

Although many scholars left midway due to various commitments, at least half of the physicists who had come for the conference stayed.

Some stayed for a day, while others remained for all three days.

In addition to these physicists who had traveled from afar, many domestic scholars who had not originally attended the conference also rushed over by high-speed rail and plane.

The creation of a path toward the unification of the three forces by the theory of typical small polaron behavior in a strong electron-phonon interaction system was reason enough for any physicist to be excited and make the trip.

During these three days, besides discussing the theory of typical small polaron behavior, Xu Chuan also heard many questions and ideas from physicists regarding the Grand Unified Theory.

He wasn’t secretive about his research in this area, openly communicating with the scholars who came to discuss it with him.

The unification of the three forces—strong, weak, and electromagnetic—was not just these physicists’ dream, but his dream as well.

It was just that this path was not so easily walked.

After all, if it were easy, the multitude of physicists in today’s world of physics wouldn’t be running around like headless chickens.

There were all sorts of conjectures and theories, but a breakthrough path had yet to be found.

There was no helping it. Before the unification of the three forces, the physics community had a “fundamental” threshold to cross: the “Yang-Mills existence and mass gap” problem.

This Millennium Prize Problem from the world of mathematics stood before the unification of the three forces like a lion guarding a treasure. Without solving this problem, one couldn’t even touch the threshold of unifying the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces.

And for a top-tier, century-old problem like this, even if Xu Chuan had an advantage in solving it, he couldn’t necessarily complete it with his own strength alone.

The collision of different sparks of thought was needed to give birth to more inspiration and ideas.

Three days was not a long time, and it passed quickly amidst the discussions.

As the many physicists departed, the Nanjing University campus returned to its former tranquility.

Although the students coming and going were still a lively sight, it was considerably quieter compared to the spectacle of the past few days, when one could randomly spot top physicists almost anywhere on campus.

After pulling two all-nighters to finish writing “The Theory of Typical Small Polaron Behavior in a Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction System,” Xu Chuan organized it and submitted it, along with the paper on “The Unified Framework for the Strongly Correlated Electron System,” to Physical Review Letters, one of the top four journals in the field of physics.

This was the most prestigious journal in physics, with an impact factor second only to Physics Reports.

The latter’s high impact factor was because it was a review journal. This journal primarily published overviews of research on important topics in the field of physics.

Under normal circumstances, this journal did not accept unsolicited submissions. The articles it published were usually comprehensive summaries, interpretations, and conclusions on a specific field of research, authored by famous physicists at the journal’s invitation.

This was why its influence was so great.

As for Physical Review Letters, it was the number one journal among those that accepted regular submissions. If one were to make a comparison, its status was roughly equivalent to that of the Annals of Mathematics in the field of mathematics.

After submitting the two papers, Xu Chuan paid the matter no more mind.

But while he may have moved on, the wave in the world of physics had only just begun to crest.

On arXiv, one paper after another began to appear in a frenzy.

It had to be said that the current field of theoretical physics was a place full of people with too much time on their hands.

The last time Xu Chuan had found traces of the sterile neutrino and followed the trail of clues to explore the dark matter and dark energy behind it, arXiv had been just like this, with all sorts of related papers flooding the site one after another.

This time was no different. The traces of strong interaction and the unification of the three forces had once again sent the theoretical physics community into a frenzy.

The ordinary physicists were all scrambling to write papers, rushing to post them on arXiv to stake a claim.

What else could they do? The big shots at the top had already claimed almost every available space. For an ordinary theoretical physicist, the difficulty of churning out a logically complete paper that could withstand initial scrutiny was simply tear-jerking.

One could only say that if the field of theoretical physics didn’t produce something new soon, there would be no topics left for university students and graduate students to write their graduation theses on.

Chapter 498: CERN’s Unrealistic Idea

The conference presentation had concluded. The next day, Professor David Gross and Edward Witten, who had traveled all the way from Europe, knocked on the door of Xu Chuan’s office at Nanjing University and entered.

Most of the other physicists had already returned home, but the two of them had some other matters to discuss with Xu Chuan, so they stayed a while longer.

“Advisor, Professor Gross.”

Seeing his visitors, Xu Chuan smiled, stood up, and greeted them. “Coffee or tea?”

“Coffee.”

“Tea.”

Gross and Witten each requested a different beverage. Xu Chuan nodded and smilingly asked his Assistant to prepare them.

“Speaking of which, how are things at CERN these days?”

After the Assistant served the coffee and tea, Xu Chuan sat on the sofa and started making small talk with the two professors.

Of course, considering the purpose of today’s meeting, it wasn’t really small talk.

After all, the main purpose of Witten and Gross’s visit today was to initiate a preliminary collaborative discussion with China regarding the construction of a large particle collider.

Normally, such a discussion would warrant a formal meeting, but Xu Chuan found that too troublesome and opted against it.

For one, he was the overall director of China’s large particle collider project. For another, this was just a preliminary discussion.

If an intention to cooperate could be established, there would certainly be dedicated personnel to handle the various details later on.

So, he didn’t invite anyone else and held this discussion—one that could arguably decide the future of high-energy physics—in his own office with Chairman David Gross.

Taking a small sip of his coffee, Gross shook his head slightly and said, “Not very well. Whether to proceed with the LHC upgrade is still under constant debate, and the EU member states are all looking to reduce their investment.”

To be honest, this chairman of CERN was more of a scholar than anything else.

With just those words, he directly exposed CERN’s situation and his own worries about the future of the high-energy physics world.

Had it been any other politician, they would have started with boasting, regardless of the facts, trying their best to magnify their advantages and squeeze more benefits out of this deal.

Of course, it was also possible that CERN had already made their decision, and this was just a formality.

Still, this kind of straightforward discussion was more to Xu Chuan’s liking.

He smiled and said, “That’s to be expected. The United States and the European Union are currently in a cycle of economic decline. Compared to investing in a fundamental research facility like a large hadron collider, they’re more willing to put their money into controlled nuclear fusion research.”

Xu Chuan wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

Although a groundbreaking new technology often requires a great deal of time to mature and drive development,
it was undeniable that ever since he led his team to successfully achieve controlled nuclear fusion, the global situation had begun to change drastically.

In an era already in a cycle of economic decline, having to squeeze out massive funds to invest in the field of controlled nuclear fusion would inevitably and severely constrict the room for other research projects to survive.

Especially a fundamental research facility like the large particle collider, which is difficult to generate returns from in the short term and can’t even maintain a balanced budget.

Under these circumstances, it’s quite normal for the LC-LHC high-luminosity collider, and even its current upgrade, to be cut.

Speaking of controlled nuclear fusion, Gross lifted his head to look at the young man before him.

He truly had no idea what kind of wisdom this scholar, who seemed so incredibly young in his eyes, had used to solve the various challenges of controlled nuclear fusion.

After all, this was a technology considered to be “the eternal fifty years,” and many researchers even believed it was impossible to achieve in the twenty-first century.

Although he was tempted to ask, he knew that the other party would never answer technical questions on this subject.

After a moment of thought, he said, “Let’s talk about the collider. If China needs CERN’s support and help, what are your plans?”

Hearing Gross’s words, Xu Chuan smiled. Now that the official discussion had begun, the old professor was undoubtedly siding with CERN.

The subtext of “what are your plans” was, “What can China offer in exchange for CERN’s technical reserves, superior materials, instruments, equipment, talent, and so on?”

However, he had a completely different view on the matter.

Smiling, Xu Chuan replied breezily, “Rather than what you’re suggesting, I’d like to ask what CERN can offer in exchange for member state status in the collider being built in China.”

“Just like China’s current position at CERN, you would provide corresponding research funding annually in exchange for a corresponding number of jobs, research tasks, technical results, and so on.”

“It’s not about us offering something more to obtain technology from CERN.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “To be honest, we’ve actually had the technology to build a large particle collider stockpiled for some time now.”

“The reason we’re willing to discuss and share with CERN and other countries is, on one hand, because CERN is indeed more advanced in certain aspects of collider technology.”

“On the other hand, it’s because I would rather see all the physicists in the world, and even all nations, unite to explore the development of fundamental science and the more distant future.”

“If that weren’t the case, I believe we are fully capable of closing our doors and conducting the research independently. Perhaps doing so would slow our progress, but I believe we are capable of achieving it.”

Now that the official talks had begun, he would naturally take a stance that favored his country and himself.

CERN’s technology and some of its corresponding equipment were indeed important, but they weren’t indispensable for China’s construction of the large particle collider.

After hearing Xu Chuan’s words, Gross shook his head. “I’m afraid CERN’s Council will find it difficult to agree to this kind of cooperation. In the field of fundamental science research, to be frank, China still has a long way to go.”

For CERN, trading its technology for a member state seat similar to the one China currently holds at CERN is something few countries would agree to.

Even if they are in decline, it’s only relative.

In the field of fundamental science research, it’s not that CERN looks down on anyone, but that China is indeed very, very far behind.

Even with a scholar like the young man before them, it wouldn’t be enough to close the entire gap.

Xu Chuan asked with a smile, “Then what does CERN have in mind?”

He was certainly aware of the gap in the field of fundamental research.

Due to certain historical reasons, China had fallen behind mainstream countries in the development of science and technology.

Although they had gradually caught up with Western countries in applied sciences and engineering, they were still more than just a little behind in fundamental science.

If nothing else, one only had to look at the textbooks and walls of fame; it was nearly impossible to find the names of Chinese scholars among the figures immortalized by history.

It had to be said, in this respect, China truly needed to work harder.

And the purpose of building a large particle collider and inviting scholars from other countries was precisely that.

To control a fundamental research facility like the collider, attract scientists and researchers from other countries, establish an international research center on that foundation, and then cultivate their own talent.

Although this was a very long timeline, it was the only path to development in the current era.

Across from him, David Gross said, “The Council’s demand is to trade for the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology, as well as an open laboratory and knowledge transfer policy.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan shook his head without a second thought. “The request for an open laboratory and knowledge transfer policy is acceptable, but trading the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology is impossible.”

The demands for an open laboratory and knowledge transfer policy were quite normal. CERN currently operates in the same way.

For something in the realm of fundamental science, it would be difficult to make progress without being open to member states.

But the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology was out of the question. It wasn’t something that could be discussed.

Superconducting material is one of the core components of controlled nuclear fusion technology. CERN’s desire to trade for it was, without a doubt, aimed at controlled nuclear fusion.

But in this area, China already held the advantage. How could it possibly give up its core technology for a less critical asset?

He would never agree, and the higher-ups would be even less likely to agree.

If they were offering low-nanometer lithography machines or high-precision industrial machine tools in exchange, he might consider it.

But the things CERN controlled were nowhere near important enough.

Across from him, Professor David Gross sighed and said with a wry smile, “If that’s the case, I’m afraid it will be difficult for the Council to agree to a collaboration.”

Xu Chuan: “To be honest, I don’t think you understand the situation clearly.”

“This will be the world’s first large collider at the hundred trillion, or even quadrillion, electron volt energy level.”

“Although China does need CERN’s technical support to optimize the collider’s technology, it’s not absolutely necessary.”

“With our current capabilities, we are fully capable of independently building a complete collider, even if it might be weaker in certain functions.”

“The situation now is that I am giving you an opportunity to participate in this endeavor. It’s not us begging CERN to join, let alone demanding that I hand over the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology.”

“That is impossible.”

Although he dearly hoped that the large hadron collider being built in the country could replace CERN as the new mecca of world physics, he would never agree to anything that crossed his bottom line.

If CERN refused, it was highly likely that a new contest and race would begin in this field.

And to be honest, in a competition in the field of fundamental science, China truly had no advantage.

Once vicious competition formed, and top foreign universities completely rejected Chinese international students, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for them at present.

So Xu Chuan chose to try and mediate between the two sides as much as possible.

Like boiling a frog in warm water, he would slowly, bit by bit, shift the center of fundamental science from the Western countries to China.

Hearing this, Chairman David Gross fell silent for a moment.

At his side, Edward Witten, who had been silent the whole time, shrugged and interjected, “I told you this kind of deal was unrealistic. That bunch of idiots on the Council insisted you bring it up. It’s just a waste of time.”

Xu Chuan glanced at his Advisor, thought for a moment, then looked at Gross and said, “I know what the member states behind CERN are thinking, but this is clearly outside the scope of a fair trade.”

“I warmly welcome everyone with a common goal to join the large particle collider project and advance the development of fundamental science together.”

“The progress of civilization and science can never be sustained by a single individual; it requires the efforts of countless people.”

“But if you want to use this to gain something extra, I can only advise you to give up this unrealistic idea.”

“If you insist on being rigid on this point, then I can only tell you with regret that this collaboration will not be possible.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Of course, even if we cannot cooperate with CERN and other countries, we still welcome physicists from all nations to come here and conduct research.”

“This includes the use of the collider and experimental projects. As long as the proposed project is feasible and has research value, it can absolutely pass review and receive project support.”

“However, you should also be well aware that if this is the case, the opportunities available to others will be comparatively smaller.”

“The basis for my negotiation with you now is that CERN does indeed possess technology that can help us build and optimize the collider. This is what we need.”

“And what CERN will get is member state status, as well as more jobs, research tasks, technical results, and so on. Just like China’s current position at CERN.”

Chapter 499: Paying the Price for a Mistake

The atmosphere in the office fell silent.

To David Gross, what Xu Chuan had said, while perfectly reasonable from a personal standpoint, fell far short of CERN’s expectations.

Or rather, the expectations of the member states behind CERN.

The United States, in particular, was desperate for a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion technology.

After all, the emergence of controlled nuclear fusion had already shattered the fragile order that the international community had struggled to maintain.

Energy, for human civilization, or indeed any civilization, is the prerequisite for social and technological development.

Throughout history, all of human society’s activities have been inseparable from energy. From the basic necessities of life to cultural and entertainment pursuits, everything directly or indirectly consumes a certain amount of energy.

It is the vital material foundation upon which humanity depends for survival and development, the driving force behind socioeconomic progress, and one of the pillars of modern human civilization.

Energy is the lifeblood of civilization, driving its progress. The more modernized a society becomes, the more it depends on energy.

And now, this fundamental prerequisite had been shattered.

For a nation, or indeed a civilization, resolving the energy problem would mean solving virtually all conflicts arising from insufficient productivity.

The realization of controlled nuclear fusion was bringing about just such a change.

If the United States, which had long styled itself as the world’s policeman and top dog, couldn’t keep pace in this field, its decline in status was inevitable.

But for the United States, this was an unacceptable change.

Therefore, compared to the European Union, the United States was more desperate to achieve a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion to maintain its position.

And the United States had undoubtedly had a hand in the CERN Council’s proposed deal.

Of course, CERN’s other member states also hoped to use this opportunity to obtain the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material technology, or at least a batch of the material, from China.

After a moment of thought, David Gross voiced this idea.

“An exchange for a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material?” Xu Chuan asked.

Chairman Gross nodded. “Yes. If we can obtain a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material, I’m much more confident I can persuade the Council.”

“Of course, aside from the technology exchange, CERN could also pay an additional sum to purchase this batch of superconducting material.”

Hearing this, Xu Chuan began to ponder.

CERN’s desire for a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material was likely their bottom line for this discussion.

As for why they needed the material, it was naturally related to controlled nuclear fusion.

This was an unspoken understanding between them.

After some thought, he decided the condition was not unfeasible.

For controlled nuclear fusion, a superconductor with a high critical magnetic field was an essential material, but it wasn’t without substitutes.

The high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material had an advantage in magnetic field strength, but some low-temperature superconducting materials could also achieve a similar level of strength.

The main differences lay in aspects like thermal conductivity, critical current density, and superimposed magnetic fields.

If they enlarged the core fusion reactor and used superimposed magnetic fields for control, it wasn’t impossible to confine the plasma.

He wasn’t worried that the EU would make a breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion just by getting their hands on this material, as two other key factors were holding them back.

One was the mathematical model for high-temperature plasma turbulence, which was crucial for confining the plasma’s behavior inside the fusion reactor.

The other was the first wall material, which was even more difficult to develop.

While there was a chance that the EU’s top mathematicians could develop the mathematical model for high-temperature plasma turbulence, the first wall material was extremely difficult and simply impossible to create in the short term.

After all, they themselves had only developed the first wall material by a stroke of luck.

Without the core manufacturing technology being leaked, even if they had the raw materials, reverse-engineering it would be incredibly difficult.

Therefore, trading a batch of the copper-carbon-silver composite material to CERN wasn’t out of the question.

Besides, the technology CERN possessed wasn’t as dispensable as he had let on.

Nothing else aside, he needed the reserve high-energy and particle detector technology that CERN possessed.

This was because the technology was related to the observation of dark matter.

In his past life, he had observed dark matter using the High-Luminosity LC-LHC collider. Construction of that collider began in 2025, which was enough to prove that CERN already possessed the corresponding reserve high-energy and particle detector technology now.

Without a doubt, this was something he, and China, needed.

But this was a negotiation. You couldn’t reveal your true intentions, just like when shopping in an antique market—it’s best not to immediately ask about the item you actually want.

If CERN knew he desperately needed something they had, they would definitely jack up the price.

But for now, trading a batch of the high-temperature copper-carbon-silver composite superconducting material for CERN’s reserve high-energy and particle detector technology was still worth it.

After confirming that this deal could be made, the CERN Chairman’s expression relaxed considerably.

Although his term as CERN’s Chairman was ending in the latter half of the year, he truly had the interests of physics at heart. During his tenure, he had not only facilitated China’s entry into CERN as a member state but had also laid the groundwork for future cooperation between CERN and China.

After reaching a preliminary agreement with CERN and seeing off David Gross and Edward Witten, Xu Chuan returned to his office.

“Tang Ran, here’s a list of books and research papers. Could you please purchase them for me?”

In the office, Xu Chuan called for his assistant and handed her a sheet of paper torn from his notebook. On it was a list of book titles and research papers he had written down.

Having dealt with the conference presentation and the matter with CERN, it was now time to deal with his own mistake.

Introducing the unpublished small polaron theory for strong electron-phonon interaction systems into his thesis on the unified framework for strongly correlated electron systems—that was the mistake he had made.

Perhaps to others, it wasn’t a big deal, but to him, it was a mistake that should never have been made.

Scientific research must always be rigorous. Even though he himself had developed the small polaron theory for strong electron-phonon interaction systems, he shouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake.

And when one makes a mistake, one must naturally accept the punishment.

In the past, when he taught students, if they made a mistake or failed to meet a target, one of his punishments was to give them a list of books they had to finish within a specified time, followed by an assessment.

He was no exception.

Perhaps reading books wasn’t much of a punishment for him, but there was no doubt that finishing the assigned books within the given time would require him to devote all of his free time to it.

And the subsequent assessment wouldn’t be so easy to pass either.

Tang Ran took the paper and glanced at it curiously. The neat sheet was densely packed with book titles, two or three per line, and the page was almost completely full.

A rough estimate suggested there were dozens, perhaps even a hundred books on the list.

Although surprised by the sudden need for so many books, Tang Ran didn’t ask further. She simply said, “Professor, after these books are purchased, should they be delivered to the office or to your villa?”

Xu Chuan thought for a moment. “One-third to the villa, one-third to the office here, and the remaining third to the Sea of Stars Research Institute.”

His time in the coming days would be divided much the same way.

Tang Ran nodded. “Is there a plan for which ones go where? For example, which section goes to the villa and which to the office?”

Xu Chuan replied, “Just follow the order on the list.”

He paused, glanced at Tang Ran, his gaze falling on her slender arms. After a moment’s thought, he said, “That’s a lot of books and research materials. I’m afraid you and Lu Ling won’t be able to move them all. Find two male comrades to help you.”

It would be nice if the university had assigned him a male assistant; he could have just delegated this task to him.

This was the downside of having all female assistants. When it came to daily tasks that required manual labor, it was almost always difficult for the female comrades.

Tang Ran smiled. “Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll handle it.”

Xu Chuan nodded, didn’t give it another thought, and left the office after entrusting the task of purchasing the books and papers to his assistant.

The conference presentation on the ‘Unified Framework for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems’ had concluded successfully. Having also settled the collaboration with CERN, he finally had time to visit the Chuanhai Materials Research Institute.

And over there, the test results for the improved superconducting material were waiting for him.

UNTITLED

Chapter 1: Returning Home
Chapter 2: A Soul’s Return Home
Chapter 3: IMO and IPhO
Chapter 4: Planning for the Future
Chapter 5: The Flaw of Rebirth
Chapter 6: First, Let’s Solve a Problem
Chapter 7: Intensive Training
Chapter 8: Leading Astray
Chapter 9: The Preliminary Round
Chapter 10: Test II
Chapter 11: Provincial First in Two Subjects
Chapter 12: A Problem Upon Entry

Chapter 13: An Astonishing Problem-Solving Method

Chapter 14: The Research Paper

Chapter 15: Golden Autumn Camp and the Physics National Finals

Chapter 16: An Offer from Peking University
Chapter 17: The Wheel of Fate
Chapter 18: The National Finals Begin

Chapter 19: An Incident at the National Finals

Chapter 20: In the Exam Hall, There’s No Luck, Only Skill!

Chapter 21: The Physics Olympiad Experiment
Chapter 22: The Dangers of Competitions
Chapter 23: The National Finals Conclude
Chapter 24: The Awards Ceremony
Chapter 25: Practicing Sprints
Chapter 26: Vying for Him
Chapter 27: The Paper Passes Review

Chapter 28: An Alma Mater of Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers

Chapter 29: The Math Olympiad National Finals Begin

Chapter 30: The High-Difficulty Second Half

Chapter 31: A Tale of Olympiads and College Entrance Exams

Chapter 32: You Might Never Know Why the Exam Was So Hard

Chapter 33: The Only Perfect Score in the CMO
Chapter 34: Information Security
Chapter 35: Shadows Under the Light
Chapter 36: Going Home for the New Year
Chapter 37: The Paper Is Published

Chapter 38: The Math Olympiad National Training Team, Brought Forward by a Month

Chapter 39: The Ultra-High-Intensity National Training

Chapter 40: National Training Team Test and Bonus Points

Chapter 41: Solving the Problems

Chapter 42: A Strange Problem and a Strange Answer

Chapter 43: An Invitation
Chapter 44: The Wrong Modeling Method
Chapter 45: Heading to Brightmoon City
Chapter 46: Two Encrypted Messages
Chapter 47: Provocation and Humiliation
Chapter 48: Don’t Forget the Motherland
Chapter 49: Beginning the Decryption Work
Chapter 50: Organizing Data, Gathering Clues
Chapter 51: Discovering the Pattern
Chapter 52: Decryption Complete
Chapter 53: The Conceited Americans
Chapter 54: Modeling and Hints
Chapter 55: Falcon!
Chapter 56: Closing the Net!
Chapter 57: Fact and Fiction

Chapter 58: Eradicating the Intelligence Personnel

Chapter 59: The US Suffers Heavy Losses
Chapter 60: The College Entrance Exam
Chapter 61: A New Journey
Chapter 62: The Provincial Champion
Chapter 63: 750+20+20

Chapter 64: A Prestigious University’s President Comes to Recruit in Person

Chapter 65: Shocking! The Perfect-Score Top Scholar Actually Abandoned Tsinghua and Peking University, Choosing…

Chapter 66: The End of High School and Planning for the Future

Chapter 67: A New Journey

Chapter 68: Dual Major in Physics and Mathematics

Chapter 69: Zhou Hai’s Admiration

Chapter 70: A Problem That Stumped a Math Professor

Chapter 71: The Weyl-Berry Conjecture

Chapter 72: Can You Hear the Shape of a Drum?

Chapter 73: Proving the Weakened Weyl-Berry Conjecture

Chapter 74: Did I Go to a Fake University and Grad School?

Chapter 75: Submitting the Paper

Chapter 76: Professor Gowers’ Praise

Chapter 77: The Tragedy of a Certain Graduate Student

Chapter 78: The Seventeen-Year-Old Genius
Chapter 79: A Fleeting Spark of Inspiration
Chapter 80: Trending Again
Chapter 81: Inspiration Lost and Found
Chapter 82: A Stuck Train of Thought
Chapter 83: The CCTV Interview

Chapter 84: The Greatest Liberal Arts Student in History

Chapter 85: Nanjing University’s Reward
Chapter 86: Something Forgotten
Chapter 87: An Invitation from Princeton
Chapter 88: Treating Someone to a Meal
Chapter 89: Mathematical Modeling
Chapter 90: A Request from His Advisor
Chapter 91: The Crux of the Problem

Chapter 92: Do You Have a Quantum Brain or Something?

Chapter 93: A Market Worth Billions
Chapter 94: Modeling
Chapter 95: The Senior Who Works Part-Time
Chapter 96: Asking a Senior for Help
Chapter 97: The Modeling Work Begins
Chapter 98: Modeling Complete
Chapter 99: A Message Before Premium Release
Chapter 100: Well Done!

Chapter 101: How to Solve the Collapse and Folding Caused by van der Waals Force

Chapter 102: What Does the Junior Like?

Chapter 103: A Speech at Star City No. 1 High School

Chapter 104: Heading to Princeton

Chapter 105: The Hidden NPC Among Mathematicians

Chapter 106: An Invitation from Terence Tao

Chapter 107: Xu Chuan, What Do You Think?

Chapter 108: The Final Step in Proving the Weyl-Berry Conjecture

Chapter 109: Presenting on Stage
Chapter 110: That Glimmer of Inspiration
Chapter 111: Witnessing a Miracle
Chapter 112: That Year, at Eighteen

Chapter 113: Professor Deligne’s Invitation and Princeton’s Exception

Chapter 114: Truly Money-Burning Research Projects

Chapter 115: The Paper Passes Review
Chapter 116: Returning to China
Chapter 117: The Proton Radius Puzzle
Chapter 118: A Treat from His Senior
Chapter 119: Morningside Medal of Mathematics
Chapter 120: The Betelgeuse Research Project
Chapter 121: The Research Project Begins
Chapter 122: Calculating Betelgeuse

Chapter 123: The Mysterious Betelgeuse, Two Sets of Vastly Different Diameters

Chapter 124: The Situation Inside Betelgeuse’s Hydrogen Envelope

Chapter 125: The Companion Star’s Influence on Betelgeuse (Part 1)

Chapter 126: The Probability of a Companion Star

Chapter 127: An Anomaly Discovered!
Chapter 128: Something of Even Greater Value
Chapter 129: On Par with the Pope
Chapter 130: The Research Concludes

Chapter 131: A Heated Discussion in the Astronomy Community

Chapter 132: The Companion Star’s Influence on Betelgeuse (Part 2)

Chapter 133: The Press Conference

Chapter 134: The Astrophysics Journal That Couldn’t Find a Reviewer

Chapter 135: Urged by the University to Graduate

Chapter 136: Graduation

Chapter 137: Harvest and Dividing the Spoils

Chapter 138: Marriage Right After College Graduation?

Chapter 139: A New Journey!

Chapter 140: International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians

Chapter 141: The Morningside Medal of Mathematics is Awarded

Chapter 142: New Inspiration

Chapter 143: The Strongest Genius in the History of Mathematics

Chapter 144: The Opportunity at the European Organization for Nuclear Research

Chapter 145: Enrolling at Princeton

Chapter 146: Deligne and Witten, A Pair of Advisors

Chapter 147: Neither You Nor I Am His Equal

Chapter 148: Witten’s Request

Chapter 149: A Talent for Learning that Shocked Deligne

Chapter 150: Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle
Chapter 151: The Negligent Nature Journal
Chapter 152: Admiration from a Nobel Laureate
Chapter 153: Heading to the LHC
Chapter 154: A Tool to Open Hell
Chapter 155: A New Proton Radius Value

Chapter 156: The Culprit Behind the Proton Radius Puzzle

Chapter 157: The CERN Conference

Chapter 158: Solving the Proton Radius Puzzle

Chapter 159: An Exclusive Interview with The Times

Chapter 160: Failure is the Mother of Success
Chapter 161: Starting from Mathematics
Chapter 162: David Gross’s Guidance

Chapter 163: Perfecting the Calculation Method

Chapter 164: Plagiarized?

Chapter 165: Expanding China’s Influence at CERN

Chapter 166: A Perfect Fusion of Mathematics and Physics

Chapter 167: I’ve Never Seen Anyone So Shameless

Chapter 168: A Fish Rots from the Head Down

Chapter 169: The Evidence Slapped in Your Face

Chapter 170: The Old King Abdicates, The New King Is Crowned

Chapter 171: Restarting the Collision Experiment

Chapter 172: China’s Application

Chapter 173: Debate and Exchange

Chapter 174: A Call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Chapter 175: Simultaneously Winning the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy

Chapter 176: Happy New Year

Chapter 177: The Crafoord Prize Award Ceremony

Chapter 178: The Award Ceremony in Stockholm

Chapter 179: The Only Woman to Win a Fields Medal

Chapter 180: A Letter Left Behind by Professor Mirzakhani

Chapter 181: Testing His Progress with a World-Class Math Problem

Chapter 182: Advancing Towards the Hodge Conjecture

Chapter 183: Another World-Class Problem

Chapter 184: Flexing in Front of His Two Advisors

Chapter 185: The Tools Before Climbing Mount Everest

Chapter 186: Proving the Hodge Conjecture!

Chapter 187: The Undercurrents Stirring in the Field of Mathematics

Chapter 188: Go Conquer the Mathematicians of the World

Chapter 189: The World Has Come for You

Chapter 190: Conquering the Mathematicians of the World

Chapter 191: Shing-Tung Yau’s Invitation
Chapter 192: The Xu-Hodge Theorem
Chapter 193: Princeton’s Dual Job Offer
Chapter 194: Surprising News
Chapter 195: A Professor Starting Today
Chapter 196: An Unexpected Student
Chapter 197: Returning Home

Chapter 198: The Sister Who Set Her Brother Up

Chapter 199: The Problem That Takes a Lifetime to Grapple With

Chapter 200: How is This Not Difficult at All?

Chapter 201: Smooth Manifolds and a Discussion with Fefferman

Chapter 202: The NS Equations

Chapter 203: Two Different Paths

Chapter 204: Solving the Isospectral but Non-Isometric Conjecture

Chapter 205: A Phased Breakthrough on the NS Equations

Chapter 206: Plasma Turbulence

Chapter 207: An Invitation from the PPPL

Chapter 208: The Tears of the Field of Astronomy Fall on the Field of Mathematics

Chapter 209: The Upcoming International Congress of Mathematicians

Chapter 210: Greater Than the Nobel Prize

Chapter 211: The Congress Opens

Chapter 212: The Youngest Fields Medalist in History

Chapter 213: History Repeats Itself

Chapter 214: The Senior Female Student’s Idea

Chapter 215: Negotiations Before Returning Home

Chapter 216: The Way of Man

Chapter 217: The Xu-Weyl-Berry Theorem and Higher-Dimensional Space

Chapter 218: Gravitons and Spacetime Wormholes

Chapter 219: Final Arrangements Before Returning Home

Chapter 220: Returning to China

Chapter 221: An Incredibly Important Conversation

Chapter 222: The Most Suitable Technology

Chapter 223: A Legacy for the Present, a Benefit for Millennia

Chapter 224: The Right Candidate

Chapter 225: The Materials Research Institute

Chapter 226: An Extremely Dangerous Experiment

Chapter 227: Methods to Counteract Nuclear Radiation

Chapter 228: Chuanhai Materials Research Institute

Chapter 229: Working on Multiple Fronts
Chapter 230: The Nobel Prize’s Choice
Chapter 231: An Extraordinary October

Chapter 232: The Youngest Nobel Prize Laureate in History

Chapter 233: The Nobel Prize in Mathematics

Chapter 234: The Nuclear Radiation Resistance Test Begins

Chapter 235: The First Interim Result

Chapter 236: Academician Peng Hongxi’s Amazement

Chapter 237: Preparations Before the Nobel Prize

Chapter 238: The Key to Solving the Lithium Dendrite Problem

Chapter 239: The Hearts of Capitalists Are Indeed Black

Chapter 240: The Future of Chemistry
Chapter 241: To Stockholm Again
Chapter 242: The Nobel Prize Ceremony

Chapter 243: The Youngest and Oldest Nobel Laureates

Chapter 244: The World’s Most Mysterious Menu

Chapter 245: The Nobel Lecture—The Future of Humanity

Chapter 246: A Certain Someone with a Cool Hairstyle

Chapter 247: The National Science and Technology Award Conference

Chapter 248: State Natural Science Award

Chapter 249: Infrastructure Maniac

Chapter 250: The Second Phase of Nuclear Energy R&D

Chapter 251: An Invitation from the Clay Mathematics Institute

Chapter 252: Sterile Neutrino

Chapter 253: Dark Matter

Chapter 254: Radiation-to-Electricity Conversion

Chapter 255: This Is Already Incredible!

Chapter 256: A Letter

Chapter 257: The Most Important Technology in the Letter

Chapter 258: Birthday
Chapter 259: Looking to the Future
Chapter 260: Super-Stealth Material
Chapter 261: Wave-Absorbing Material

Chapter 262: The Investigation from the United States

Chapter 263: The First Lecture Back Home
Chapter 264: For You, It’s Still Too Early
Chapter 265: A World-Shaking Discovery!

Chapter 266: The Greatest Puzzle Humanity’s Scientific Community Has Ever Encountered

Chapter 267: A Discovery That Will Change the Edifice of Physics!

Chapter 268: The Grand Plan!
Chapter 269: Because I Don’t Have the Time
Chapter 270: Shing-Tung Yau’s Admiration
Chapter 271: Exchange and Inspiration

Chapter 272: Advancing the NS Equations from a Physics Perspective!

Chapter 273: A Breakthrough Result!

Chapter 274: A Gale from Mathematics Sweeps into Physics

Chapter 275: The Frenzy in the Mathematical World

Chapter 276: Problems in the Nuclear Energy Project

Chapter 277: A Solution to the Problem!

Chapter 278: As Expected of Professor Xu!

Chapter 279: That Would Be a Good Thing Indeed

Chapter 280: He Is My Student, After All
Chapter 281: An Impassable Path
Chapter 282: What If There’s Hope?

Chapter 283: The International Patent is in Hand!

Chapter 284: The Frenzy of the Outside World

Chapter 285: The Biggest Revolution in the Lithium Battery Industry!

Chapter 286: The Best Choice

Chapter 287: The Monumental Change in Lithium Batteries Is Merely a Small Ripple!

Chapter 288: Qin Anguo: “What If You Were to Take Action?”

Chapter 289: Only Success Is Allowed, Failure Is Not an Option

Chapter 290: Initiating the Test!
Chapter 291: Living Up to Expectations
Chapter 292: At the Forefront of the World

Chapter 293: The Battery Manufacturers Unite to Suppress Prices

Chapter 294: I, Xu Chuan! I Don’t Need Money! I’m Not Interested in Money!

Chapter 295: The Proactive Visit from the Director of Princeton’s Chemistry Department

Chapter 296: MacMillan: You’re a madman!

Chapter 297: Modeling Plasma Turbulence

Chapter 298: The Morning Star, A Custom-Made Medal!

Chapter 299: Starting the Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Ahead of Schedule

Chapter 300: The Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project Is Approved

Chapter 301: The Manuscript Was Stolen???

Chapter 302: Let the Bullets Fly for a While

Chapter 303: Testing the ‘Plasma Turbulence’ Mathematical Model

Chapter 304: You Might Need a Quantum Computer!

Chapter 305: The Exploding Controlled Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Chapter 306: Another Nobel Prize-Level Achievement

Chapter 307: A New Epic and Glory!

Chapter 308: The Particle That Shatters the Standard Model!

Chapter 309: A New Edifice of Physics

Chapter 310: Witten’s Inspiration and a Method for Observing Dark Matter!

Chapter 311: Construction Begins on the Controlled Nuclear Fusion Project

Chapter 312: At Least a PhD Graduate with Two Years of Work Experience, Right?

Chapter 313: Academician Candidate

Chapter 314: One Achievement, Two Nobel Prizes

Chapter 315: Laying the Groundwork for Superconducting and Carbon Nanomaterials

A Special Chapter to Ask for Monthly Tickets

Chapter 316: Fleecing the Western Countries

Chapter 317: NS Equations—A Flash of Inspiration

Chapter 318: As If Witnessing a Miracle!

Chapter 319: The Agony of Terence Tao!

Chapter 320: The Solution Exists! And It Is Smooth!

Chapter 321: Answering a Millennium Prize Problem!

Chapter 322: Founding a New Field!

Chapter 323: Igniting a Storm in the Worlds of Mathematics and Physics

Chapter 324: A Second Fields Medal?

Chapter 325: If I Can Understand It, Then It Probably Didn’t Solve a Millennium Prize Problem!

Chapter 326: Terence Tao, All Guns Blazing

Chapter 327: Witten: This Guy is So Annoying!

Chapter 328: A Second Slap in the Face, Served Up on a Platter!

Chapter 329: Have Journals Gotten This Crafty Now?

Chapter 330: The NS Equations Paper Passes Peer Review!

Chapter 331: The List of Academicians is Announced

Chapter 332: Unprecedented and Unsurpassed

Chapter 333: Xu Xiao’s Fantasies

Chapter 334: Xu Chuan: I Don’t Really Know That Much

Chapter 335: Pandora’s Box—Gene Editing

Chapter 336: Virtual Reality Technology

Chapter 337: How Fortunate the Nation Is to Have You!

Chapter 338: A Breakthrough in Superconducting Materials

Chapter 339: Searching for the Mechanism of High-Temperature Superconductivity

Chapter 340: The Mechanism of High-Temperature Superconductivity and the Strong Correlation Effect

Chapter 341: 152K High-Temperature Superconductivity!

Chapter 342: What It’s Like to Have a Freakishly Skilled Boss

Chapter 343: A Material That Will Influence National Development

Chapter 344: The Limitations of an Era

Chapter 345: The Nation is Fortunate to Have You

Chapter 346: Laser Energization and Particle Acceleration

Chapter 347: Monopolizing the High-Temperature Superconducting Material Market

Chapter 348: He, the Man, is the Most Precious Asset

Chapter 349: A Method to Improve the Toughness of the High-Temperature Copper-Carbon-Silver Composite Material

Chapter 350: Materials Lacking? Graphene to the Rescue!

Chapter 351: Snatching an Order from Japan

Chapter 352: The Sound of the Waves of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Chapter 353: A Visit to Luyang Science Island
Chapter 354: Parting on Bad Terms
Chapter 355: All Roads Lead to Rome

Chapter 356: The Problem Is, I Don’t Want to Waste Time!

Chapter 357: A Deal with CERN

Chapter 358: Oh No, There’s a ‘Bad Guy’ in Our Ranks!

Chapter 359: Another Breakthrough in Superconducting Materials

Chapter 360: Just How Awesome Is an Academician?

Chapter 361: Bringing Glory to One’s Ancestors

Chapter 362: Having the Courage to Step Forward Is Another Matter Entirely

Chapter 363: My Brother Doesn’t Have a Girlfriend!

Chapter 364: Finalizing the Purchase of the ASDEX Device

Chapter 365: Like Albert Einstein, or Newton

Chapter 366: The Humbled Germans

Chapter 367: The Proof of the Bloch Conjecture!

Chapter 368: Different Choices
Chapter 369: Chen Mingji’s Scheme
Chapter 370: Dawnbreaker! Activate!

Chapter 371: After all, he was a man who worked miracles

Chapter 372: His Senior Is Back

Chapter 373: I’d Like to See How You Break the Record!

Chapter 374: After All, He’s Only a Junior!

Chapter 375: The Awakening Dragon

Chapter 376: Forty-Five Minutes!

Chapter 377: This Is Impossible!

Chapter 378: What Kind of Daydream Are You Having?

Chapter 379: Fuck! Why Don’t We Have a Mathematician Like Him!

Chapter 380: A Strategy for Solving the Tokamak Magnetic Surface Tearing Problem

Chapter 381: The United States’ Investigation
Chapter 382: The Truth Can Be So Frustrating
Chapter 383: Me, Xu Chuan. Send Money!

Chapter 384: An Accusation in Search of a Crime

Chapter 385: Rebooting the Experiment!

Chapter 386: More Than a Hundred Minutes!

Chapter 387: The United States Can’t Sit Still

Chapter 388: The United States’ Antitrust Investigation

Chapter 389: The Contest of Destiny Begins!
Chapter 390: Good News and Bad News
Chapter 391: The First Wall Material!
Chapter 392: The Final ITER Meeting
Chapter 393: Go Ahead and Play by Yourselves
Chapter 394: The Last Hope of All of Europe
Chapter 395: The Race Against Time
Chapter 396: Integrating Talent
Chapter 397: A Double Blessing

Chapter 398: Even the Heavens Are on Their Side!

Chapter 399: If Math Can Solve It, It’s No Trouble

Chapter 400: The Subtle Flex is the Deadliest

Chapter 401: The Final Step!

Chapter 402: Good News from Daya Bay!

Chapter 403: High-Energy Neutron Irradiation Experiment

Chapter 404: No Obvious Radiation Damage!

Chapter 405: No problem, the state will fully cooperate with your work.

Chapter 406: Construction of the Demonstration Reactor!

Chapter 407: A World in Chaos

Chapter 408: Using Controlled Nuclear Fusion to Boil Water is a Bit Too Low-Tech

Chapter 409: The Most Perfect Application for Power Generation

Chapter 410: Problems with Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Chapter 411: Then I’ll Just Have to Offend Him This Once

Chapter 412: I’ll Take the People and the Equipment!

Chapter 413: Perhaps, Science Needs People Just Like You

Chapter 414: The Elder’s Arrival
Chapter 415: Becoming the Rule-Maker
Chapter 416: A Gift from Luyang
Chapter 417: The Final Hurdle
Chapter 418: It’s Actually Not That Hard

Chapter 419: All Is Ready, All That’s Missing Is the East Wind

Chapter 420: Time to Give the Higher-Ups a Surprise

Chapter 421: Ignition Approved!

Chapter 422: The Final Preparations!

Chapter 423: Ignition!

Chapter 424: Shining Like a Star!

Chapter 425: The Light of Fusion!

Chapter 426: World-Shocking News

Chapter 427: It Is Truly the Motherland’s Honor to Have a Scholar Like You

Chapter 428: Listen to This! Is That a Human Thing to Say?

Chapter 429: Dawnbreaker!

Chapter 430: A Plan More Ambitious Than Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Chapter 431: An Insane Proposal

Chapter 432: A Step Towards the Future

Chapter 433: The Tide of an Era, Mighty and Unstoppable

Chapter 434: Planetary Engine

Chapter 435: The Marvelous Use of a Life Assistant

Chapter 436: Nanjing University Students: Is it Chinese New Year Already?

Chapter 437: Just Trying to Research It a Little

Chapter 438: Hand-Crafting Room-Temperature Superconducting Materials?

Chapter 439: A Nuclear Fusion Aircraft Carrier?

Chapter 440: Fusion Reactor Aircraft Carrier Fleet

Chapter 441: An Early Exit

Chapter 442: No Meissner Effect

Chapter 443: The Hope of Miniaturizing Fusion Reactors

Chapter 444: I Don’t Understand Superconductivity, But I Understand South Korea

Chapter 445: Grinding is an Essential Skill!

Chapter 446: Is Graduating Supposed to Be This Hard?!

Chapter 447: The Establishment of the Sea of Stars Research Institute

Chapter 448: The Direction for Aerospace Engines

Chapter 449: The Challenges of a Heavy-Payload Electromagnetic Propulsion System

Chapter 450: The Aerospace Engine!

Chapter 451: A New Generation of Bureau Chief?

Chapter 452: No One Was Better at Bluffing Than Him

Chapter 453: How Utterly Demoralizing!

Chapter 454: Manned Spaceflight and Lunar Exploration Project Symposium

Chapter 455: Strategic Goals and Strategic Bluffing

Chapter 456: When in Doubt, Quantum Chemistry!

Chapter 457: They’re All Damned Here for Funding!

Chapter 458: First Meeting with Elder Yang

Chapter 459: Nothing Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 460: A Young Genius’s Scientific Intuition

Chapter 461: Your Brother Chuan Is Still the Same Brother Chuan!

Chapter 462: Most Importantly, I Am Here!

Chapter 463: All of You Here Are Trash

Chapter 464: Why Are They All Female Assistants?

Chapter 465: The Graphene Breakthrough

Chapter 466: A Stunning Preparation Method!

Chapter 467: Synthesizing Starch from Carbon Dioxide

Chapter 468: Technology in Preparation for Mars Development

Chapter 469: That Is the Greatest Achievement in the Field of Materials Science!

Chapter 470: Giving South Korea Major Credit

Chapter 471: Witten: How is this possible?!

Chapter 472: Deligne: How Am I Supposed to Understand Any of This?

Chapter 473: The Final Answer

Chapter 474: The Answer for the Strongly Correlated Electron System!

Chapter 475: To Learn the Truth in the Morning and Die by Dusk, I Would Be Content!

Chapter 476: Even Waiting a Month Would Be Worth It

Chapter 477: Domination from a Higher Dimension

Chapter 478: What Kind of Monster Did We Take on as a Student?

Chapter 479: South Korea: This is Plagiarism of Our Work!

Chapter 480: A Single, Painful Lesson Will Suffice

Chapter 481: I’d Sooner Suggest You See a Psychiatrist!

Chapter 482: An Aggrieved Samsung
Chapter 483: An Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 484: Hope for a Chip Breakthrough
Chapter 485: A Shock Beyond Words
Chapter 486: A Breakthrough Improvement!
Chapter 487: The Impatient Physicists

Chapter 488: The Hope for Miniaturized Controlled Nuclear Fusion and Aerospace Engines

Chapter 489: A Sudden Spark of Inspiration

Chapter 490: Providing a Theoretical Foundation for Quantum Chips

Chapter 491: Success!

Chapter 492: Becoming the Greatest Miracle of the 21st Century

Chapter 493: Forever Shining in the History of Physics

Chapter 494: The Fatal Flaw in the Thesis

Chapter 495: The First Flaw of His Life

Chapter 496: Another Crown on the Throne of Physics

Chapter 497: The Buzzing World of Physics
Chapter 498: CERN’s Unrealistic Idea
Chapter 499: Paying the Price for a Mistake