I control the AI ​​empire thanks to the geniuses in my group.

Su Zhou had already arrived at the multi-functional classroom on the fourth floor of the main building.

Wearing a white T-shirt under a dark blue Chongming school uniform jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, he stood in front of the podium fiddling with the projector.

Below the podium, eleven people were already seated, each with a copy of "The Boat Style Secret Manual" on their desk.

The front row was completely full.

In a regular class, nobody wants to sit in the front row, but here, everyone is vying to sit in the front, worried that sitting in the back will cause them to miss some exciting content.

Su Zhou glanced around the classroom, picked up a marker, and wrote four words on the whiteboard: Foundations of Number Theory.

"Let's get the schedule in order," Su Zhou tapped the whiteboard, mimicking Zhang Hengyuan's manner, "Turn to page three, divisibility and congruence. This chapter is the foundation of all the content that follows. If the foundation is not stable, everything that follows will be castles in the air."

The sound of pages turning filled the air.

"Someone probably saw it last night," Su Zhou said. "Raise your hand if you understand it."

No one raised their hand.

"What about those you read but didn't fully understand?"

Eleven hands were raised in unison.

Su Zhou sighed slightly; it seemed he couldn't even take the easy way out.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning."

He turned around, and his marker flew across the whiteboard, writing a problem.

"This problem would require at least four steps using the conventional method," Su Zhou wrote, then paused. "But if you understand the essence of congruence, one step is enough."

After saying that, he wrote only one line of equation below the question.

"This works?" The girl with the ponytail stared wide-eyed after reading it.

Su Zhou ignored her reaction and continued speaking.

He moved at a fast pace, but at each crucial step he would stop and explain in the simplest language possible, trying to translate complex mathematical concepts into human language they could understand.

This kind of presentation would never be heard in any training institution.

Because the teachers at the training institution teach methods, while Su Zhou teaches thinking.

Methods can be memorized, but thinking can only be grasped through understanding.

This is the essence of Rosenblatt's educational method.

Outside the back door of the classroom, Chen Feng and Li Minghui squatted in the corridor, looking inside through the glass window in the door.

The two of them originally came with the intention of watching the excitement.

The more I listened, the more something seemed off.

When Su Zhou discussed the application of congruence properties in Diophantine equations, he used a construction method: first, he transformed the problem into an equivalent form under modular arithmetic, and then used the structural properties of residue classes to directly lock the range of solutions.

Has Chen Feng ever seen this tactic before?

seen.

Where did you meet him?

In last year's training materials.

But the provincial team coach spent two whole hours explaining the material in that handout, while Su Zhou explained it thoroughly on the whiteboard in just half an hour, and even more clearly than the provincial team coach.

Li Minghui whispered from the side, "Isn't this outrageous? When did he learn all this?"

Chen Feng remained silent.

He recalled that after the last exam, he went back and studied Su Zhou's solution to that question all night long, and in the end he could only comfort himself that Su Zhou's mathematical intuition was abnormal.

But now he realizes he was wrong.

Su Zhou's strength isn't just intuition.

His knowledge system, his problem-solving framework, and his depth of understanding of the essence of mathematics seem to be fundamentally different from others.

But he couldn't figure out exactly what the difference was.

"Have you seen enough?"

A voice suddenly came from behind.

Chen Feng and Li Minghui both shuddered and turned around abruptly.

Zhang Hengyuan appeared behind them at some point, looking at the two eavesdropping students with a half-smile.

"Coach Zhang... Coach Zhang." Li Minghui stood up, his expression exactly like someone caught reading a novel in class by their homeroom teacher.

Zhang Hengyuan glanced at Su Zhou in the classroom, then looked at the two guys squatting by the door, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Su Zhou's class is a paid course," Zhang Hengyuan patted Chen Feng on the shoulder. "It doesn't look good if people say you two came to audit the class without paying."

Chen Feng was stunned for a moment.

TOLL?

Su Zhou actually charges for his classes?

Li Minghui was completely dumbfounded: "Does he charge for his classes?"

"What's wrong?"

"He's just a student, why should he have to pay for his classes?" Li Minghui asked, puzzled.

He had assumed these students were attending classes because Su Zhou's classes were free, but he never expected that Su Zhou would charge for his classes!

Li Minghui's brain briefly froze for a few seconds.

In his understanding, even if high school students explain problems to each other very well, the most they can do is treat each other to a bottle of Coke or a meal of spicy hot pot in the cafeteria after class as a favor.

We're all minors, how can you just ask for money outright?

This isn't some commercial tutoring center.

He instinctively felt it was absurd.

Zhang Hengyuan smiled but didn't reply, only gesturing for the two to follow him.

"Don't just squat here, I need to talk to you about something."

The three walked to the empty classroom at the end of the corridor, and Zhang Hengyuan closed the door.

"Please sit down."

Chen Feng and Li Minghui sat down in the front row and, judging from Zhang Hengyuan's expression, knew it was no small matter.

Zhang Hengyuan didn't beat around the bush; he directly opened his laptop, and a spreadsheet appeared on the screen.

"The list of participating teams for the Western Mathematics Invitational Tournament has just been updated, take a look."

Chen Feng leaned closer to take a look.

The list contains more than a dozen teams, mostly from China, but two lines stand out.

Japan's representative team: Tsukuba University Affiliated High School.

Thailand Team - Bangkok Science High School

"There are international teams?" Chen Feng frowned.

"Hmm," Zhang Hengyuan nodded, "We can temporarily disregard the Thai team, as their level is limited. But the Japanese team is different. Tsukuba Affiliated High School is a traditionally strong school in Japanese math competitions. Their students have very solid fundamentals, a rigorous problem-solving style, and a high degree of formulaic approach, making them difficult to beat."

He closed his laptop and looked at Li Minghui.

"Minghui".

Li Minghui's heart skipped a beat.

"How's your preparation going lately?"

"I've been... really working hard to prepare," Li Minghui straightened his back. "I've been working until 11 p.m. every day for the past two weeks, and I've already done three practice tests..."

"I know you're working hard," Zhang Hengyuan interrupted him, "but you also know that the Western Invitational Tournament is not a provincial tournament. Only the top two in the overall score have a chance to be noticed by Tsinghua and Peking Universities. With your current level, you might not get any ranking at all."

These words were so direct that Li Minghui's face turned pale instantly.

Zhang Hengyuan realized he had been too blunt, so he tried to explain: "Minghui, you're already a junior in high school." His tone softened, "If your goal is Tsinghua or Peking University, then you should really be aiming for the National High School Football League, the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), or even the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)."

"Going through the elite class for direct admission is the right path. The Western Invitational Tournament is too low a cost-benefit ratio for you."

Li Minghui opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but when he saw the line of text on the computer screen indicating the Japanese team, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

It's not that he doesn't understand the principles.

He had prepared for this competition for so long, but was suddenly told that he was not suitable to participate. He couldn't get over that mental hurdle for a while.

But Zhang Hengyuan is right.

If we don't get into the top two, we'll not only waste our spot, but also waste time preparing for the World High School Championship.

"...I understand." Li Minghui lowered his head, his voice very soft.

Zhang Hengyuan patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, and turned to look at Chen Feng.

"Chen Feng, you have extensive competition experience, so you will lead the team this time."

Chen Feng nodded, his expression unchanged, and simply asked, "Coach, has the team roster been finalized?"

"We're still missing one spot," Zhang Hengyuan said. "We'll confirm it in the next couple of days."

He gave Chen Feng a few instructions on the direction and key areas of preparation, and emphasized the importance of teamwork, before letting the two of them leave first.

As I stepped out of the classroom, I could faintly hear Su Zhou lecturing in the corridor, interspersed with a few exclamations of surprise from the students.

Li Minghui took a few steps and then suddenly stopped.

"Chen Feng".

"Um?"

"I've quit... Doesn't that mean there's one less person in the team?"

Chen Feng didn't turn around, nor did he stop walking.

Who do you think will be the substitute?

"...It's most likely Su Zhou." Li Minghui's eyes revealed resentment.

Chen Feng did not deny it. He suddenly laughed and said, "If that's really the case, you should be glad that he replaced you."

"The Japanese team is not so easy to deal with."