The Reincarnated Science Whiz

Chapter 8: High School Math Competition

The seven-day National Day holiday marked the start of the National Day Golden Week. However, for senior high school students like Qin Yuanqing, it was just a three-day mini-holiday. During those three days, Qin Yuanqing didn’t go anywhere; he stayed at home, reading books and eating the braised duck and chicken his mom had painstakingly prepared. The rest of the time was spent reading! He also helped his cousin—who had just started junior high—with her math problems. Among his peers, she was the most promising: she had been admitted to Jinpu No. 1 High School through the high school entrance exam, then scored 600 points on the college entrance exam to enter Fujian Medical University, where she is now pursuing a degree in clinical medicine. Moreover, his cousin was very sensible; out of concern for the financial burden on her parents, she had always planned to start working right after graduating from college. It took Qin Yuanqing several attempts to persuade her to pursue a master’s degree, making her the only one among her peers to earn a master’s degree—and the second person in the entire village to do so. The three days passed quickly. On the evening of October 3, Qin Yuanqing returned to Jinpu No. 1 High School in a private car, just as the results for this round of grade-level exams had been posted on the bulletin board. Qin Yuanqing walked over to the bulletin board. Under the dim lighting, he saw that he had ranked third: 130 in Chinese, 142 in Math, 131 in English, 98 in Physics, 100 in Chemistry, and 96 in Biology, for a total score of 697. Of the two students ranked ahead of Qin Yuanqing, one scored 705 and the other 702. The one with 702 was that prodigy who had memorized the Oxford Dictionary—a small frame harboring immense potential. When Qin Yuanqing read this, a smile spread across his face. This was the first time he’d achieved such a high score and the highest ranking—and unlike his last final exam, this time it wasn’t due to luck. This time, his performance was solid; even if he were to take the test again, he would achieve the same score. However, Qin Yuanqing knew that an exam like this wasn’t really that significant—it tested only the material from a few units, not the entire high school curriculum, and its breadth and depth were nowhere near that of the college entrance exam. Still, it at least showed that his efforts over the past month hadn’t been in vain—they had yielded tremendous results. Meanwhile, the students around him were buzzing with speculation, all asking who Qin Yuanqing was. After all, the top twenty rankings in the grade had always been quite stable—it was essentially the same group of students, with their positions merely shifting up or down. This was the first time a stranger had appeared in the top twenty, and not only that, but he had burst straight into the top five, ranking third! Qin Yuanqing returned to his dorm in high spirits. Since it was still a holiday, the classrooms were pitch-black, with no electricity. Back in the dorm, Qin Yuanqing gradually calmed down. He was now in the top three, but he couldn’t let pride get the better of him—pride leads to complacency, complacency leads to arrogance, and arrogance leads to regression. This had been one of his weaknesses in the past. Qin Yuanqing picked up his math book and continued reviewing. Having already completed all of this semester’s coursework, he had long since entered the review phase. To stay ahead of others, he had to work harder and be more meticulous. Genius is one percent talent and ninety-nine percent hard work. That one percent of talent is important, but that ninety-nine percent of hard work is just as important! He had the system as his “golden finger,” but the system didn’t teach him to get something for nothing; rather, he had to study hard. Only by studying hard could he earn the corresponding Study Coins, and only with Study Coins could he redeem what he wanted. Study Coins are the currency used to make exchanges within the system. Aside from completing tasks, the only way to earn them is through studying. Whether it’s working through practice problems or learning new material, both activities earn Study Coins. The next day, in the classroom Class teacher Mr. Chen walked in with a radiant glow on his face. Standing at the podium, he announced, “For this monthly exam, the student deserving of praise is Qin Yuanqing. With a total score of 697, he ranked first in the class and third in the entire grade!” Chen Zhifa had been feeling quite smug these past few days; having such a student in his class was a tremendous source of pride for him. When the teachers finished grading the exams, tallied the scores, and announced the rankings, gasps of surprise echoed throughout the classroom. The homeroom teacher of the experimental class was still envious and wanted to transfer Qin Yuanqing to her class, arguing that he would receive a better education there, but Chen Zhifa flatly refused. “Of course, a score of 697 at this stage isn’t the same as a 697 on the college entrance exam. I hope Qin Yuanqing continues to maintain this good form and keeps up the hard work!” Chen Zhifa said encouragingly, casting a pleased glance at Qin Yuanqing. He then announced the scores of the top ten students in the class, including their rankings within the grade. For the school, this was a strategy to highlight top performers and spur the rest of the students on, encouraging them to study hard and strive for even greater heights! When the experimental class was first established, the entire class underwent a major reshuffle, with all the top-performing students selected for it. The pressure on teachers like them was unimaginable—after all, the college entrance exam takes precedence over everything else! Next, the Chinese exam papers were distributed. As Teacher Chen went through each question one by one, Qin Yuanqing listened intently, comparing his answers to the solutions. For the questions he’d gotten wrong, he clearly understood where he’d gone wrong. This time, his essay score had actually improved slightly compared to before, reaching 50 points. Throughout his entire high school career, he had scored 50 or higher on an essay no more than three times, and whenever his essay score exceeded 50, his overall Chinese score was roughly the same. During the second period, Math class, Qin Yuanqing didn’t pay much attention. He scored 142 on the math exam, losing points on the very last question. It was a somewhat obscure problem linked to material covered earlier, which Qin Yuanqing had forgotten, so he answered it incorrectly and lost 8 points. As soon as class ended, Qin Yuanqing was called to the office by his math teacher. This teacher had a ruddy complexion and was rather plump; his Mandarin was thick with a Southern Fujian accent. What left the deepest impression on Qin Yuanqing wasn’t how well he taught, but the fact that he would inevitably mention the “Elder of the Southern Tour” in the middle of his lectures, his words brimming with gratitude toward this elder. “Qin Yuanqing, are you interested in participating in the National High School Math Competition?” asked Wu Qishan. “Teacher Wu, isn’t the National High School Math Competition held in September?” Qin Yuanqing asked curiously. Qin Yuanqing had, of course, heard of the National High School Mathematics Competition. According to regulations from the Ministry of Education, students who won first prize in the competition during high school were eligible for direct admission to key universities, while those not granted direct admission received bonus points on their college entrance exams. Qin Yuanqing had enrolled in math tutoring during his freshman year, but because his grades weren’t very good, he dropped out as soon as the first semester ended. It was around that time that Qin Yuanqing first learned about the National High School Mathematics Competition. “Things are a little different this year. With the Beijing Olympics taking place, the competition has been specially rescheduled for November 15,” said Wu Qishan. “Teacher, is it hard?” Qin Yuanqing asked. “Winning an award won’t be hard for you, but making the provincial team is another story!” Wu Qishan replied. Those who make the provincial team typically score nearly perfect on math exams; they’ve all been taking specialized training throughout high school, so the problems they tackle are more flexible and cover more advanced concepts. Many problems even involved advanced calculus. Qin Yuanqing’s test scores had never been particularly outstanding, and he hadn’t received any specialized training—he might be able to win a consolation prize, but making the provincial team would be difficult unless some miracle occurred. “There’s a provincial team for math? Is there a National Team, too?” Qin Yuanqing asked; this was the first time he’d ever heard of a provincial math team. “Of course there is. Each year, a maximum of six members are selected for the National Team. They’ll represent Huaxia on the world stage, competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad,” said Wu Qishan. “As long as you win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad, you can get into Shuimu University or Yan Da University without even taking the college entrance exam!” The English abbreviation for the International Mathematical Olympiad is IMO. Qin Yuanqing recalled that before his rebirth, a peculiar-looking man at Yan Da University—who was unconventional yet turned out to be a super-genius known as “Big Brother Wei”—had gone viral across the internet after winning an IMO gold medal. “Teacher, what do I need to prepare?” Qin Yuanqing couldn’t help but ask. He wanted to give it a try—after all, there was still a month left. “The provincial competition starts on October 25. Go buy a few books of high school math competition problems to study, and I’ll handle the registration for you,” said Wu Qishan. “Okay, thank you, Teacher Wu.” Qin Yuanqing was a bit distracted during the remaining classes, his mind completely consumed by the Math League. Only by winning first prize in the provincial competition and demonstrating exceptional ability would he have a chance to make the provincial team—and only then could he compete in the National Math League. Making the provincial team wouldn’t be easy. As soon as school let out, Qin Yuanqing headed to the Xinhua Bookstore at the school gate and bought several high school math competition workbooks to study. Apart from his daily classes, Qin Yuanqing devoted most of his time to math, poring over the high school math competition problems. He was making progress every day, but he felt like there just wasn’t enough time. Wu Qishan also told him that he had already registered him for the competition. On October 24, he would have to travel to Fuzhou with the other students from his school who were participating in the competition; the provincial math competition was being held in Fuzhou, the provincial capital. Upon reviewing the Math League exam questions, Qin Yuanqing clearly realized that they were significantly more advanced than what he had studied in class; even if given to college students, the vast majority would be unable to solve them. Building on points to form lines, and on lines to form planes, Qin Yuanqing’s mathematical knowledge was rapidly expanding. Whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, he would ask Wu Qishan for help; however, even though Wu Qishan was a math teacher, there were still some problems he couldn’t solve. Wu Qishan kept a close eye on Qin Yuanqing and clearly sensed the improvement in his mathematical ability. Qin Yuanqing was solving problems faster and faster, and in terms of both breadth and depth, he had taken a significant step forward compared to a month earlier. In fact, during the mock exam for the school’s Math League competition on October 20, Qin Yuanqing took first place outright, outperforming more than a dozen other students. It’s important to note that the other students frequently scored perfect marks on math exams and had been attending math tutoring classes since their freshman year—yet Qin Yuanqing had managed to catch up to them in less than a month. This left Wu Qishan in a state of disbelief. He had a feeling that perhaps in this provincial competition, Qin Yuanqing would achieve the best results—or even make the provincial team to compete in the national competition. Qin Yuanqing, however, was unaware of any of this. His mind was entirely focused on studying the exam questions from the National High School Mathematics League. To solve these problems, he even bought a calculus textbook and used it to deepen his understanding—and it was precisely this approach that allowed his math skills to improve so dramatically in such a short time.