Chapter 39: Sorry, I'm in a Hurry

Last night, Xu You managed to squeeze out a few hours of energy to seriously study for the Mathematical Olympiad national selection.

Before this, Xu You had hardly ever dealt with problems from the national selection.

Moreover, having focused all his recent efforts on physics, Xu You felt somewhat rusty with mathematics.

Fortunately, the level two deep learning state, combined with a recent boost in mental power, gave Xu You a very high learning efficiency.

Although it was impossible to fully understand all of Part 1 of the national selection mathematics in just one night, securing some of the points was still feasible.

And through spending the night with mathematics, Xu You increasingly appreciated the beauty of math.

Compared to physics, mathematics seemed purer.

Mathematics is a very important foundational discipline. It's not an exaggeration to say that mathematical knowledge can be applied to any problem in the real world.

It's like a master key, a key that can unlock the door to any other field of knowledge.

Naturally, some may wonder: what's the use of mathematics?

We don't use functions when shopping, so why must we learn it? Indeed, for the average person, a little basic mathematical knowledge is usually sufficient.

But for humanity as a whole, mathematics sets the upper limit of our civilization.

If human civilization were compared to a skyscraper, then mathematics would be its foundation.

Beneath the surface, unseen by the average person, it supports the towering edifice of human civilization.

Even if a mathematical theory seems meaningless now and doesn't appear to support the edifice of human civilization in any way, one day it will undoubtedly prove its worth.

Quickly, three hours passed.

Xu You had done all he could and solved all the problems he was able to.

There were some questions he simply couldn't start on because he hadn't studied those areas on his own.

Under normal circumstances, even with little hope, Xu You would have fought until the last minute.

But to get back to preparing for the Physics Olympiad sooner, Xu You decided to hand in his paper early.

Xu You raised his hand to signal the invigilator, indicating he wanted to submit his paper now.

"You still have an hour and a half left. Are you sure you want to submit your paper now?"

Out of kindness, the invigilator confirmed with Xu You once more.

After all, though it was just an internal exam, it determined the final members of the Ningjiang Province team for the Mathematical Olympiad.

"Yes, sorry teacher, I'm in a hurry."

Although he hadn't solved all the problems, Xu You was confident that making the provincial team was almost certain.

Seeing someone submit their paper early, many candidates' attention was drawn.

Isn't that the student who didn't even attend the training camp?

At that moment, they all had a similar thought.

This student must have given up on the Math Olympiad.

Not attending the training camp and submitting the paper early in the selection exam seemed like a very passive attitude.

But that was okay for them; it meant one less competitor.

After collecting Xu You's paper, the invigilator skimmed through it from the beginning.

As this was an internal exam, this teacher was also one of the coaches for the Ningjiang Province Mathematical Olympiad team.

As the teacher read on, he suddenly frowned.

"This kid... did quite well!"

Although it was clear that Xu You seemed to lack professional training and solved the problems in unconventional ways, as long as the process was correct and the solution method wasn't beyond the scope, it was entirely possible to score.

Even by Xu You's standards, it was about at the national silver level, but it already surpassed most of the candidates who had undergone two weeks of special training in the camp.

"How did this kid do, Teacher Wang?"

"He's pretty much secured a spot in the provincial team. Eighth in the province in the league, and this paper is also top ten in class."

"Really? But hasn't this kid been with the Physics Olympiad team? How did he find time to study for the Math Olympiad?"

Teacher Wang looked up at a 45-degree angle and mused, "Perhaps, this is what being a genius looks like."

After leaving Ningjiang University, Xu You immediately took a taxi to Shengcheng University.

Finally, by noon, Xu You returned to Shengcheng University.

Seeing Xu You back so early, Hu Shucheng was also surprised.

"Back so soon? Wasn't it a four-and-a-half-hour exam?"

Hu Shucheng checked the time; the exam wasn't even over yet.

"Hehe, I wanted to come back early and not miss the afternoon classes, so I handed in my paper early."

"Wow, Xu You, you handing in your paper early? That's really not like you."

In Hu Shucheng's memory, Xu You would always answer until the last minute even in preliminary rounds.

This time, he

 was willing to hand in his paper early in the Math Olympiad selection exam to not delay his Physics Olympiad training.

Meanwhile, back in classroom 403 at Ningjiang University's Mathematics Department, the selection exam for the provincial Math Olympiad team was also coming to an end.

The full four and a half hours of answering was a double test of their stamina and spirit.

Even just the math paper alone was a great torment for them.

After lunch, the teachers immediately began marking the papers.

Since there were only a few dozen papers, the teachers marked them quickly.

By three in the afternoon, the final scores and rankings were out.

"Xu You... actually ranked sixth overall."

Including the weight of the selection exam, Xu You's provincial ranking improved by two places compared to the league.

With more spots available on the Ningjiang Province Math Olympiad team than on the Physics Olympiad team, a total of 18 spots, Xu You's ranking comfortably secured him a place on the team.

After the final team members were announced, the eliminated candidates ended their journey in the Math Olympiad with regret.

Since Xu You was not present, the teacher did not read his name but informed him through WeChat that he had made it into the provincial team.

Some observant students noticed that there were only seventeen students left in the classroom.

At first, a student worried they had miscounted and counted again.

Finally, they confirmed that indeed only seventeen students were present.

"Teacher, are we missing a team member?" a student raised their hand and asked.

"Oh, Xu You from Shengcheng No. 4 Middle School, because he needs to prepare for the Physics Olympiad national selection, won't participate in the Math Olympiad training for now. He came for the exam this morning and made it into the final top eighteen."

To dispel everyone's doubts, the teacher took the time to explain the situation.

Hearing the teacher's explanation, everyone finally understood.

Wasn't it the student who suddenly appeared this morning and then handed in his paper an hour and a half early?

Not attending the training camp, handing in the paper early, and still making the provincial team?

And also being exempt from later provincial team training?

This was somewhat astonishing.

But since the teacher had clarified, no one would easily doubt this fact.

Since they were all focused on studying for the Math Olympiad and were not familiar with Physics Olympiad participants, Xu You's previously somewhat unfamiliar name was now firmly remembered by them.

After class, they all discussed this matter.

Like the Physics Olympiad, the members of the Ningjiang Province Math Olympiad team were mainly from Shengcheng Experimental Middle School and Bincheng No. 24 Middle School.

Thus, they all asked their Physics Olympiad classmates about Xu You.

(End of Chapter)