Cen Huai’an’s winter camp was scheduled for next month, lasting five days, still in Liangzhou and hosted by the Liangzhou Mathematics Association.

Three out of those five days would be spent taking exams, and from the 400 outstanding high school students attending from across the country, only 60 would be selected to join the national training camp for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

From this camp, six would be chosen to represent the country in the IMO.

Cen Huai’an’s first goal was to make it into the national training camp, though it wouldn’t be easy.

Despite not placing first in the national competition, Cen Huai’an hadn’t relaxed at all after returning home.

A month later, he set off for Liangzhou again, though this time by plane, as the Beijing City Mathematics Association had arranged for flights for the students attending the winter camp.

It wasn’t Cen Huai’an’s first time flying, so unlike his classmates, who were visibly excited, he remained calm.

Li Shilai pressed his face against the airplane window, eyes wide. “Cen Huai’an! We’re on a plane!”

Turning to see Huai’an sitting as composed as ever, he couldn’t understand it. “Aren’t you excited? We’re flying to Liangzhou!”

Cen Huai’an glanced out the window.

The plane hadn’t taken off yet, and there was nothing to see but passengers boarding below.

He nodded, “Excited.”

There were only eleven people from the capital attending the winter camp, which was considered a larger group; in some provinces, there might only be a few participants.

Li Shilai didn’t know if Cen Huai’an was being truthful, but seeing someone else as excited as he was, he began to chat with others.

Cen Huai’an took out an advanced math problem set that Teacher Jiang had somehow acquired and focused on solving it.

Teacher Jiang, who had flown before, had shared various precautions with the students, including how to relieve discomfort during takeoff and landing.

After listening to Teacher Jiang, Cen Huai’an swallowed the words he had intended to say and remained silent.

As the plane ascended, his classmates began to show signs of discomfort, despite Teacher Jiang’s warnings.

Cen Huai’an noticed Li Shilai trembling beside him and reached out to hold his arm.

Once the discomfort passed, he let go of Li Shilai and continued working on his problems, as if nothing had happened.

Li Shilai looked at Cen Huai’an with gratitude. “Cen Huai’an, you’re really nice!”

Cen Huai’an didn’t stop writing: “Just a small effort.”

However, Li Shilai took this to heart and, upon arriving in Liangzhou, went out of his way to look after him, acting as his close friend.

The first day was spent resting and adjusting.

On the second day, the winter camp’s opening ceremony took place, where Cen Huai’an sat among many high school students.

Various prominent figures from the mathematics community in Huaguo and professors from different universities were seated on the platform.

Outstanding high school students at this winter camp would catch the attention of admission committees from various universities, receiving opportunities for guaranteed enrollment.

However, these guaranteed spots were generally limited to math-related fields.

If one wasn’t prepared to dedicate their life to mathematics, they needed to reconsider the offer.

Cen Huai’an didn’t think too much about it; he was intently listening to names he had only seen in math textbooks.

The speakers discussed their latest research and the future of mathematics in Huaguo.

His gaze was unwavering, completely absorbed, and while others shared the same demeanor, only Cen Huai’an felt a growing fire within him.

It was as if he had entered the wonderful realm of mathematics alongside these professors, surrounded by various formulas and numbers, with many challenging math problems to solve.

The light in Cen Huai’an’s eyes grew brighter.

The opening ceremony was spectacular, and Cen Huai’an gained a wealth of knowledge, filling his notebook with dense notes and the names of journals where the professors’ papers were published.

He decided that after returning from the winter camp, he would buy each one to read.

The second and third days of the winter camp consisted of exams, each with different types of questions.

After each exam, some were happy, while others were worried; Cen Huai’an, however, maintained a stable state throughout.

His steadiness drew the attention of many. “That kid is not bad.”

“Cen Huai’an, third in the national competition, his performance is impressive.”

“I just saw his exam paper; he’s very steady.”

These supervising math experts strolled around the exam hall, often stopping beside Cen Huai’an to glance at his work.

Cen Huai’an seemed oblivious, focused entirely on his paper.

Though he didn’t write much on scratch paper, his steps on the actual exam were clear and detailed.

As he turned the page and continued writing, few of the surrounding students were influenced by him.

They were all experienced competitors, having improved their mental resilience over time.

Of course, some didn’t have a strong mindset.

When the questions became too challenging and the supervising teachers hovered, anxiety would mount.

Xin Yang was one such candidate; with a supervising teacher nearby, he hadn’t solved the second question yet, and his hands began to shake.

He raised his hand. “Teacher, could you please not come over here? It makes me nervous.”

The supervising teachers all turned to look at him, and the one beside him hesitated before nodding, “Okay.”

However, the supervising teachers mentally marked Xin Yang with a strike.

A poor mindset would be detrimental in major exams; even highly capable students could falter under pressure.

No more teachers roamed the center of the exam hall, but everyone gained a general understanding of the students’ levels.

After two days of testing, all the students breathed a sigh of relief; no matter how they performed, the exams were finally over.

Li Shilai joyfully ran out of the exam hall, laughing at Cen Huai’an, “I finally finished! If I had to keep going, those questions would’ve driven me insane! Who set these questions? They’re too twisted!”

A student nearby whispered, “I heard it was Professor Hang Ling from Jinghua University.”

Li Shilai exclaimed, “What?! Isn’t he the most formidable figure in our math community?”

Anyone familiar with the math field would know of Hang Ling; he was a leading figure in Huaguo mathematics, with many of the cutting-edge research outcomes stemming from his work.

“Right!” Li Shilai covered his forehead.

“What right do I have to tackle a paper set by Professor Hang?!”

“Same here. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so difficult.”

It was Cen Huaian’s first time hearing the name of the exam author.

He usually didn’t pay attention to these rumors, as he was deeply engrossed in his own world.

He walked beside Li Shilai, listening to people around them discuss Professor Hang Ling and why he was chosen to write the exam.

“I heard he also wrote the exam last year. Because our country’s team had been unable to secure first place in the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad), he personally wrote the exam to select top talents. Our country won first place in the IMO this July, so he’s here again to write the exam this year.”

Li Shilai nodded, saying, “No wonder the questions were so difficult, yet so fresh. If your brain isn’t quick enough, you can’t solve them at all.”

His companion agreed, nodding with shared sympathy, “Exactly. Professor Hang appreciates students who are flexible thinkers in math, but it’s torturing our brains!”

Someone with even more inside information chimed in, “I heard Professor Hang is leading the national training team. Oh, how I wish I could join! Even listening to just one of his lectures would be enough for me.”

Cen Huaian had heard of Hang Ling, but he wasn’t aware of the inner workings of the competition or the training teams.

Now, after hearing his classmates, his desire to join the training team grew even stronger.

At this time, Hang Ling was reviewing the exams with the other professors, working overtime.

The more exams he graded, the more furrowed his brow became, and confusion clouded his eyes.

Hang Ling put down his red pen and looked around at the other teachers, all diligently grading.

He suddenly asked a nearby teacher, “Are my questions really that hard?”

The teacher immediately shook his head, “No… well, they do have a certain level of difficulty.”

Another professor, who was around the same age as Hang Ling but with a full head of white hair, laughed heartily when he heard this. “When have your exams ever not been hard?”

Hang Ling frowned deeply, “But surely not so hard that so many students left them blank.”

The white-haired professor laughed even harder, “You should be satisfied. At least someone got a perfect score.”

Hang Ling’s brows immediately relaxed. “Who?”

He stood up and walked over to the white-haired professor.

“Here, this is the paper I just finished grading. Both the steps and the results are flawless, like the model answer. Not only did I give him full marks, but I even wanted to give him an additional five points for presentation.”

As soon as Hang Ling saw the handwriting, he recognized it as the child he had been paying attention to during the exam—Cen Huaian.

The exam papers were sealed, so Hang Ling couldn’t look at them now.

But after carefully examining Cen Huaian’s paper, his impression of the boy deepened, and he began to value him even more.

As he continued grading papers, he was no longer as agitated as before.

Not every top math student can be found through mass selection.

Even if just a few students emerged, it would be a success.

However, most of the time, these top students would choose other fields in the future.

The path of mathematics was too arduous and lonely. Without patience, few could endure it.

Hang Ling had been searching for someone who could support the future of mathematics in their country.

He and his colleagues were getting older.

Even if they had research they wanted to pursue, they had to consider their own health and the dwindling number of days they had left.

On the fourth day of the winter camp, the organizers had arranged an academic seminar instead of the sightseeing activity that many students had hoped for.

But Cen Huaian actually preferred academic seminars, where he could hear fresh insights from various mathematical experts.

He was especially excited because Hang Ling was also scheduled to speak at this seminar.

When Hang Ling stepped onto the stage, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Many looked at him with the admiration reserved for a role model.

Cen Huaian was no exception; the light in his eyes was so bright it could illuminate himself.

Without saying anything, Hang Ling wrote a question on the blackboard, then turned to the now-quiet audience and said, “I’d like to invite a student to come down and solve this problem.”

Countless students raised their hands, eager to be chosen.

Hang Ling smiled kindly, “It seems everyone is enthusiastic! Alright, the boy in the black shirt in the fifth row, ninth seat.”

Cen Huaian, being sensitive to numbers, immediately knew Hang Ling was referring to him.

He stood up, his eyes filled with nervous joy, but outwardly, he remained calm and composed, hiding his excitement.

By the time he finally stood before Hang Ling, his heart was racing so fast he could hear the loud “thump thump” in his chest.

“Professor Hang,” he greeted respectfully. Before him stood the mountain he had always admired, now so close, and his emotions were anything but calm.

“Introduce yourself to everyone first,” Hang Ling said with a gentle smile, as if sensing Cen Huaian’s nervousness.

He didn’t have the air of a prestigious academic leader at all—there was nothing forceful about him.

“I’m Cen Huaian, from the capital,” he introduced himself, then looked back at Hang Ling, as if silently asking if he could start solving the problem.

Hang Ling was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled, “Very good. Go ahead and write the answer.”

Cen Huaian nodded and stepped up to the blackboard.

Hang Ling stepped back, watching along with the other students to see how Cen Huaian would solve the problem.