The problem itself wasn’t hard; the difficulty lay in finding five different solutions using only math knowledge from middle and high school.

Cen Huaian didn’t even furrow his brow as he started writing one solution after another.

The students didn’t react much when he wrote the first solution; most of them could come up with that one.

But as he wrote the second and third solutions, some students began whispering to each other, even working through the solutions themselves.

“The third solution never even crossed my mind! Cen Huaian is amazing!” someone remarked.

By the time he wrote the fourth and fifth solutions, the students were even more astonished.

“Do you know how to do the fifth one?”

“I can’t figure it out.”

“Neither can I. How did he think of it?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of this student before.”

After writing the fifth solution, Cen Huaian turned around and asked, “Professor Hang, should I keep going?”

Hang Ling was genuinely surprised, “You can still come up with more?”

Cen Huaian nodded.

“Go ahead and write as many as you can,” Hang Ling encouraged, unable to hide his admiration.

“He already wrote five solutions. How is he still going?” someone in the audience asked in disbelief.

“Isn’t five enough?” another murmured.

“He’s now writing the sixth solution,” someone pointed out.

“Are our candidates really this talented? He’s incredible!”

“I wouldn’t have come up with more than four solutions,” admitted one student.

“I could only do three,” added another.

The discussion among the students grew livelier, and they quickly jotted down notes.

After writing the sixth, seventh, and eighth solutions, Cen Huaian finally stopped.

“Professor, I’ve finished using all the knowledge from high school. If I were to continue, I would need to use college-level mathematics.”

“You know college math too?” Hang Ling asked, his tone filled with genuine laughter. “Then go ahead and write those.”

Cen Huaian turned back and wrote three more solutions using college-level math before finally saying, “I’m done, Professor.”

Hang Ling had watched each solution closely, and with every one, he grew more fond of this student.

Cen Huaian was exactly the kind of brilliant student he dreamed of nurturing for the future of mathematics.

He wished he could immediately enroll Cen Huaian into his university and guide him in math studies.

But for now, he suppressed his excitement and began asking Cen Huaian to explain his thought process behind each solution, one by one.

Cen Huai’an nodded and explained one solution after another into the microphone, his voice calm yet edged with youthful sharpness.

The students below listened attentively; the ability to solve problems using university-level math was far beyond their current reach, creating a significant gap.

Li Shilai felt especially proud, continuously telling other students from different provinces that Cen Huai’an was his friend, a high school student!

Xin Yang sat nearby, listening to Li Shilai while watching Cen Huai’an radiate a kind of brilliance from the stage, his brows tightly knit with discontent.

He felt that if Professor Hang had called him up, he too could present five solutions.

Ignoring Cen Zhengnian’s solutions being written below him, Xin Yang dismissed the university methods entirely.

But he only dared to think this internally, well aware that voicing such thoughts would attract the wrong kind of attention from his peers.

On stage, Professor Hang asked Cen Huai’an why he was studying university calculus and remarked that he seemed to be doing quite well.

Cen Huai’an replied, “Because I finished high school math.”

This response was impressive and flawless, earning more admiration from Professor Hang.

However, academic presentations are time-limited, and Professor Hang didn’t engage with Cen Huai’an for long before launching into his own talk, based on the problem Cen Huai’an had just solved.

When Cen Huai’an returned to his seat, countless admiring gazes fell upon him, as if welcoming a returning hero.

“Cen Huai’an, you’re incredible! Some of those solutions I could never think of in my lifetime.”

“Just practice a lot,” he replied.

Li Shilai chimed in, “No… we’re not the same. No matter how much I practice, I can’t match your brainpower.”

Even among the talented, it’s hard to accept being outperformed in any area.

However, Li Shilai moved past it easily.

He had a clear understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and could graciously admit when others excelled, which made him even more likable.

Cen Huai’an appreciated Li Shilai’s attitude and was happy to be friends with someone like him.

After Professor Hang finished, Cen Huai’an was the first to stand up during the Q&A, voicing the doubts he had held back earlier.

Professor Hang listened carefully to his questions.

Later, Cen Huai’an raised his hand again for more questions but stopped after two, wanting to leave opportunities for others.

He listened intently to the other questions, many of which he also wanted to ask, diligently jotting down notes filled with information.

The fourth day of the academic report was as fulfilling as the opening ceremony.

On the fifth day of the winter camp, results were announced, revealing gold, silver, and bronze medals, with the top sixty gold medalists advancing to the training camp.

Gold medalists would have the chance to receive offers from universities; signing a contract would guarantee their enrollment.

As the results were announced, Cen Huai’an looked up at the stage, an unusual tension evident in his eyes.

He was usually confident about his performance, but at that moment, uncertainty crept in.

Everyone around him was tense; the solemn atmosphere only heightened their anxiety.

“Gold medal, gold medal, please let me get a gold medal!” Li Shilai exclaimed, waving his hands fervently. “All you gods and ancestors of the Li family, whether we can bring glory to the family this time depends on you.”

Cen Huai’an couldn’t help but think: “Does praying to the gods actually help?”

Li Shilai responded, “It doesn’t hurt to ask; what if it works?”

Cen Huai’an was left speechless.

At that moment, the results announcement began.

The bronze medal winners were announced first, one name after another.

Some were ecstatic about winning a bronze, feeling that their trip had been worthwhile, while others were utterly devastated.

When Xin Yang heard his name among the bronze winners, his face turned pale: “How could this be? How could I be a bronze medalist? I shouldn’t be…”

But there was no time for him to think it through.

The students whose names were called had to go up to the stage to receive their medals.

Regardless of how many won a bronze, everyone would get a medal.

Xin Yang took his bronze medal and returned, his face still lost in disbelief.

Li Shilai, who attended the same math Olympiad class as Xin Yang and was familiar with him, saw his expression and asked with concern, “Xin Yang, what’s wrong?”

Xin Yang gripped Li Shilai’s hand tightly: “How could I be a bronze medalist? Could the teachers have graded the papers wrong?”

Li Shilai’s eyes widened in shock, and his attempt to pull his hand free stopped: “Xin Yang, have you lost your mind? This is the Olympiad. The papers were graded by experts like Professor Hang! Do you think they could have made a mistake?”

It was a math competition, and these distinguished figures in the math world wouldn’t make an error in something as basic as grading a test.

That would be an outrageous joke!

“Xin Yang, don’t say something crazy, or even I won’t be able to help you.”

If Xin Yang truly questioned the results, and it turned out that no mistake was made, he might lose the chance to be favored by any top universities.

It wasn’t clear if Xin Yang heard this, as he continued to stare at his bronze medal, overwhelmed with complicated emotions.

He had thought he would be the best competition student from his school, but now, with only a bronze medal in the Olympiad, he couldn’t face going back.

After the bronze medal announcements came the silver medalists, but still, neither Cen Huaian nor Li Shilai’s names were called.

Li Shilai’s eyes were as wide as they could go, and his heart pounded like a drum.

“Cen Huaian…” He licked his lips, trembling with nervousness. “Are they about to announce the gold medalists?”

Cen Huaian nodded, “Yes.”

Even though Li Shilai had expected the result, when he finally heard his name among the gold medalists, he couldn’t help but jump up and down with excitement.

“I’m amazing!” Li Shilai grabbed Cen Huaian in a tight hug and then hugged Xin Yang just as fiercely: “My family should be overjoyed to have me! Our ancestors must be so proud of me for bringing honor to the Li family!”

Saying this, he ran towards the stage, eager to see if the gold medal was actually made of gold.

Cen Huaian, completely calm, simply listened attentively as the host announced the gold medal winners.

“Cen Huaian.”

Cen Huaian stood up and walked towards the stage.

He wasn’t the last to be called, but he didn’t feel disappointed.

He had won the gold medal, and his spot on the training team was secured.

As the medals were being handed out, Professor Hang smiled at Cen Huaian, a girl standing beside him, and a tall, thin boy.

He said, “Actually, the three of you have the same score.”

The three of them immediately looked over, and Hang Ling smiled mischievously, “But Cen Huaian, since your name comes first alphabetically, you got called first.”

Cen Huaian replied calmly, “It’s fine.”

In fact, he thought the order was a bit strange.

If they were going alphabetically, he should have been called first.

If they were going in reverse, he should have been last.

But it didn’t matter much to him—he had the gold medal, and his spot on the training team was secure.

Who was called first or last was a trivial detail.

After the awards ceremony, the host announced the names of the students selected for the training team.

Including Cen Huaian, three students from the capital had made the team.

Li Shilai wasn’t one of them, but he wasn’t upset.

He held his gold medal with joy: “I never even imagined I’d win a gold medal.”

Xin Yang, who had been listening silently all along, looked at Li Shilai’s gold medal, his eyes red with envy.

That afternoon, during the free time scheduled for the winter camp, professors from various top universities began to approach the students they had their eyes on, extending invitations.

Some students accepted, while others declined.

Most of the students who were offered guaranteed admission were gold medalists, though a few silver medalists also succeeded by approaching universities and showcasing their abilities. Of course, some failed in their attempts.

Professor Hang sought out Cen Huaian.