Chapter 54: The Diagnostic Test, Real Mathematics Begins

Xu Ming sat in an empty seat on the west side of the science section in the library. He first browsed through a tutorial on ordinary differential equations for a while, and then picked up a manuscript of number theory problem sets to study. Soon, his expression grew intensely focused as he entered a state of deep learning.

Since the diagnostic test scheduled for tomorrow was tied to tiered teaching and served as a selection process for elite cultivation programs, he naturally had to give it his all and present his absolute best state.

The fundamental difference between university and high school is that in university, various resources must be actively pursued and fought for by oneself. Otherwise, the four years would pass, resulting in nothing more than a graduation certificate.

In the reading area of the Yan University Library, closing time was at ten o'clock in the evening, preceded by closing music played ten minutes prior.

Xu Ming was completely immersed in concepts related to congruent equations and quadratic residues, gaining several new insights into number theory.

It was not until the administrator's reminder sounded beside his ear, interrupting his train of thought, that his perception of the outside environment was restored.

"Classmate, the library is closing shortly. If you still need to study, you can head to the specially designated all-night study room."

"Got it," Xu Ming responded immediately upon hearing this.

He quickly packed his belongings and, accompanied by the saxophone melodies of the closing music, headed downstairs to return to his dormitory building.

On the way, he did not forget to buy some snacks to stave off his hunger.

...

September 6, Wednesday.

After finishing lunch, Xu Ming and his dormmates followed the map of Yanyuan distributed on registration day and headed towards Science Building No. 1 to attend the freshman orientation for the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Since it was hosted by professors from the school, it provided an early opportunity to become familiar with the various instructors.

It was worth mentioning that along the way, they ran into several lost classmates who were calling their counselor, He Wenbin, on their mobile phones.

Before long, they arrived at the lecture hall on the west side of the building. Just as he found a seat and sat down, Ning Mingjie could not help casting his gaze around, searching for the dozen or so female students in this year's mathematics cohort.

Perhaps because it was the first time everyone was gathered together, the atmosphere was somewhat excited.

"It looks like all the female students are sitting in the first two rows; I can't see them clearly."

Just as his voice trailed off, his gaze was suddenly caught by a figure who had just entered, and he instinctively nudged Jiang Xu's shoulder beside him to ask, "Take a look. Is this girl from our math department too? She seems to have a lot of presence."

"Her name is Su Meng. Like me, she was directly admitted through the mathematics competition, but her ranking in the national training team was much higher than mine. I remember I even asked her for help with some problems," Jiang Xu said, looking up and instantly blurting out her name.

Xu Ming did not join the discussion; at that moment, he was examining the calligraphy inscribed by an academician of the mathematics department hanging inside the hall: "The beauty of mathematics lies in its simplicity."

Coincidentally, a female student in the front row shouted the name "Su Meng," and the next second, her figure entered his field of vision.

She wore a long-sleeved shirt and trousers in colors identical to those of the surrounding male students, and her hair lacked any discernible styling—clearly having grown out naturally to her collarline after a short haircut in high school.

However, paired with a rather spirited and heroic face, the overall appearance carried an air of dashing vigor.

No wonder she had elicited an exclamation from Ning Mingjie.

Xu Ming quickly withdrew his gaze, finding himself instead drawn to Jiang Xu's next remark.

"Did you guys see that guy with slightly curly hair? His name is Lu Mingzhe, an Olympiad gold medalist. He's probably the most formidable person among this year's freshmen. I heard he's already started exploring functions of a real variable and functions of a complex variable."

Following the direction of Jiang Xu's pointing finger and locking onto the target person, Xu Ming lingered his gaze for a few extra moments, a question welling up in his mind: "I wonder how my current mathematical proficiency compares to his?"

It was not that he was overly confident; rather, looking across this cohort of mathematics freshmen, whether top scorers on the college entrance examination or students admitted without examination, when it came to the mastery of mathematical knowledge, he doubted there were truly more than a handful who could surpass him. After all, he had already self-studied the entire freshman core curriculum.

Only this competition gold medalist managed to stir a sense of competitive desire within him.

Shortly after, counselor He Wenbin walked into the lecture hall. While confirming the headcount, he reminded everyone of various precautions, emphasizing the need to maintain discipline in the venue to avoid leaving a poor impression on the professors.

The meeting ultimately lasted for two hours. During this time, Lu Mingzhe was even invited onto the stage to speak and received praise from Professor Zhang Luping of mathematical analysis, undoubtedly replacing Xu Ming as the prominent celebrity figure among the new math students.

However, as the meeting concluded, everyone had no time to go over and greet Lu Mingzhe, for the diagnostic test was set to begin in a mere half-hour.

Emerging from the lecture hall, the crowd turned right toward the pedestrian stairs, descended to the fourth floor, crossed the long corridor to the east, and swarmed into lecture hall 1412.

The fan-shaped tiered lecture hall, capable of holding one-hundred and fifty people, saw everyone searching for suitable seats.

The moment Xu Ming's seat touched the chair, his attention was captured by the graffiti of integration formulas left on the desk by predecessors in the math department. The next second, raising his eyes to the podium, he saw a portrait of mathematician Shiing-Shen Chern hanging on the left side of the blackboard, while the right side bore a warning strictly prohibiting the use of computers.

By now, everyone was aware that this diagnostic test was a selection exam. As the students gradually filled the room, a tense atmosphere hung over the classroom, most visibly reflected in the anxious expressions of the regular college entrance examination students who were whispering among themselves.

"I've only just begun to grasp the $epsilon$-delta language of limit definitions. I reckon I'd struggle to complete even the simplest proof."

"Looks like the regular class is a certainty for me."

"I honestly didn't expect the math department to be so intense. Had I known, I wouldn't have spent the summer vacation running around playing; studying mathematical analysis and analytic geometry in advance would have made things much better."

"This kind of diagnostic test is still way too biased toward competition students. People like Lu Mingzhe and Su Meng will definitely breeze right through it."

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Even among the six top provincial scorers in our math department, who knows if any of them will make it into the elite class."

Listening to all these remarks, Ning Mingjie and Zhu Zhixuan felt considerably more at ease, knowing that everyone was essentially in the same boat.

"To be honest, I wasn't even this nervous during the gaokao. I just hope my ranking isn't in the bottom ten percent; I really don't want to attend the TAs' evening remedial sessions."

"I'm seriously grateful to Jiang Xu for tutoring us these past two days," Zhu Zhixuan said, picking up where Ning Mingjie left off.

"As long as you guys nail the elementary math problems in the front and write down some proof steps for the mathematical analysis in the back, your scores basically won't wind up at the bottom," Jiang Xu replied with considerable confidence. With that, he turned his head back toward Xu Ming and offered his own suggestion: "Xu Ming, since you touched upon mathematical analysis, higher algebra, and geometry over the summer, you might actually have a shot at making the elite class."

"I'll take your good word for it," Xu Ming nodded in reply.

Just as he was about to speak further, a slightly mature-looking young man holding a stack of papers walked straight up to the podium, causing the previously noisy classroom to fall instantly silent.

"My name is Liu Xinjie, and I am your teaching assistant. You can call me Senior Brother Liu from now on."

Liu Xinjie picked up a piece of chalk, first writing his name and a string of phone numbers on the blackboard, then turned to face the crowd and introduced himself.

"This diagnostic test is an old tradition of our math department. Even if you score a zero, it won't affect your graduation. So everyone doesn't need to be too nervous."

"The sole purpose of the diagnostic test is to tell you one thing: real mathematics has officially begun."