They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

"It seems... there's some truth to that. Could this algorithm really have been devised by an undergraduate? The non-linear programming approach used in it is something even graduate students might not be able to come up with..."

"Yes, although mathematical talent is often illogical, the knowledge involved in this algorithm is just too broad..."

"Indeed, even geniuses have to follow objective laws; they can't start learning advanced mathematics from elementary school, can they?"

"Ultimately, it's because this year's new rules have loopholes. I think Yannan University probably exploited them. Look at the quality of their paper; it's clearly far superior to the previous teams. They're not even in the same league!"

"However, Yang Han from Jiangcheng is really bold. Although I have some doubts in my heart, I wouldn't dare to say it in front of so many big shots even if you gave me ten lives..."

Chen Lin listened to every word of the discussion around him and found that there were quite a few people who agreed with Yang Han.

However, he didn't believe Yang Han was standing up for any academic justice. It wasn't that he was inherently prone to malicious speculation about human nature, but rather that his system-enhanced hearing clearly picked up on her hushed whispers with another girl beside her after she sat down:

"Look at that Shen Yan, she's one of those 'academic succubi' types you see online. She's got the looks to seduce some male professor at the school, that's why they taught her this algorithm. And she's pretending to be innocent here. Look at her face, she doesn't look like someone who's seriously doing academic work at all..."

Chen Lin was so angry he laughed on the spot; it was truly an eye-opener.

Based on his own dark speculations, how could he make such a serious accusation against another girl in such a public setting?

Didn't she consider the negative impact her words would have on Shen Yan personally, and even on the reputation of Yannan University as a whole?

Chen Lin subconsciously glanced at the audience area, and sure enough, Principal Chang Kai's face was quite ugly. His signature warm smile had vanished without a trace, replaced by a grim face.

On the judging panel, the experts were also surprised that a harmonious academic exchange would suddenly turn into a contestant challenging the representative on stage. For a moment, they all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liang Tianshi was the first to react. He turned to the side and whispered to another elderly man next to him, who also had gray hair and wore reading glasses.

"Old Duan, what do you think about this..."

The judge, known as "Old Duan," adjusted his glasses and pondered, "Old Liang, what this student said isn't entirely without merit. Although the rules have changed, the fairness of the competition remains paramount."

"Then..."

"Okay, let's do it this way."

Chen Lin nodded when he saw Liang Tianshi, then waved to the sidelines, calling over a young staff member. He leaned in and whispered a few words to Chen Lin, but before Chen Lin could concentrate, the staff member had already quickly left.

Then, Liang Tianshi picked up the microphone again, and his steady voice once again resounded throughout the venue.

"Yang Han, please sit down." He first calmed the situation down, then turned his gaze to Shen Yan on the stage, his tone still gentle, "Shen Yan, your answer just now fully complies with our organizing committee's new rules this year. However, the question raised by Yang Han just now, I think, does represent the thoughts of many students here."

Liang Tian paused for a moment, then asked, "To dispel everyone's doubts, did the student Chen Lin you mentioned attend today? If not, would you be willing to give him a WeChat voice call now? I happen to have a question I'd like to ask him."

Shen Yan was clearly still a little confused.

She usually focused on her studies and rarely interacted with strangers. This sudden turn of events completely threw her into disarray. As she racked her brains trying to figure out how to answer Liang Tian, ​​a voice she knew all too well rang in her ears.

"I am here!"

Chen Lin did not have a microphone.

But his body, enhanced by the title of "Little Champion," was full of energy.

This loud shout drowned out the noise of the entire venue, instantly drawing everyone's attention from the podium to the corner where he was.

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, Chen Lin stood up, calmly walked through the crowd, and strode onto the podium.

He exchanged a glance with Shen Yan, who was still standing there in a daze, gave her a reassuring look, nodded slightly, and then naturally took the still slightly warm microphone from her hand.

"Good morning, esteemed judges," he said, turning to the judges' panel, his voice steady and powerful. "I am Chen Lin."

Liang Tianshi sat in the center of the judges' panel, carefully observing the young man who had suddenly appeared on the stage. He was tall and handsome, with no trace of panic in his eyes, but rather a composure beyond his years.

His anticipation had grown even stronger without him realizing it.

"Chen Lin," Liang Tianshi said with a hint of admiration, "since you were here the whole time, you must be familiar with the situation. I have a question for you; would you be willing to answer it on the spot and prove yourself?"

"No problem," Chen Lin replied crisply.

"good!"

Academician Liang nodded approvingly and gestured to the staff behind him.

"This problem was recently devised by one of my students, and I can assure you that none of you here have ever seen it before." His gaze swept across the room, and his voice rose slightly. "Anyone here who is interested can try it out. Whoever can solve it within half an hour, I can personally recommend them for a year-long exchange program at the Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University!"

"Whoosh—"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of suppressed gasps erupted from the audience.

A year-long exchange program at Tsinghua University! This is a dream opportunity for any undergraduate student aspiring to a career in academic research, and its value far exceeds any amount of prize money!

Amidst the excited and expectant gazes of the crowd, the large screen in the center of the venue flashed, and Shen Yan's exquisite PPT disappeared, replaced by a pure white background and a simple line of black text.

[Problem: Two people, A and B, are playing a game on an initially blank blackboard. Starting with A, they take turns writing down integers greater than 1. The rule is that each number written down cannot be a linear combination of any natural number coefficients already on the blackboard. The first person who cannot write down a number according to the rule loses the game.]

Q: Who has a foolproof strategy?

As soon as the question appeared, the entire venue instantly transformed into a bustling marketplace. Students in the contestant area and professors in the guest seats alike immediately engaged in a lively discussion.

An ordinary student, clearly just tagging along to ride the coattails of the top student, poked the academic star next to him with a puzzled look: "What does 'linear combination of the natural number coefficients of existing numbers' mean?"

The top student next to him immediately gave him a disdainful look: "Seriously, you liberal arts students don't even know this? For example, if two numbers a and b are already written on the blackboard, then no more numbers of the form an + bm can be written. Here, n and m are any natural numbers."

In the corner, a student with a receding hairline, presumably a computer science major, stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "This problem doesn't seem to have many numbers. It's a bit like the game theory problems we use in the ICPC computer competition..."

His classmate next to him immediately laughed and said, "Then why don't you try and see if you can write a program to solve this problem?"

……

On the other hand, the real academic high-achievers had already begun preliminary discussions on their ideas.

"First, we need to prove that this game can definitely end within a finite number of moves..."

However, there's always a comedian around the top student, responsible for livening up the atmosphere: "Isn't it simple? The one who runs out of space on the blackboard at the end is bound to lose! Don't tell me you can erase the blackboard; logically, you can't erase it, because then you can't see what was written before..."