A genius student? Ha, they're nothing but ants at your feet!

Hearing this, Zhou Mingyuan's expression softened somewhat; he was well aware of the situation.

No one can have a smooth journey all the way to the end.

This is a life-or-death ordeal that everyone with ambition and aspiring to reach the pinnacle of mathematics must endure.

"So now... you're suddenly making such an impulsive decision because you've found the reason?"

Theodore's eyes were clear as he nodded solemnly.

His voice carried a hint of bitterness and self-mockery.

Yes. I found it.

The reason is that my perspective... is too narrow, as narrow as a frog at the bottom of a well.

Theodore's eyes were vacant, as if recalling some shocking scene.

"After returning from my exchange program at MIT, I went crazy and locked myself in my room."

I re-examined every step of the derivation and proof I had written over the past two years.

Those were dozens of thick notebooks filled with calculation notes he wrote during his master's studies, through countless sleepless nights.

Analysis, differential dynamical systems, topology, group theory...

Every word is imbued with his heart and soul.

But I discovered in despair!

All my research has fallen into a rigid, outdated pattern!

A perspective for analyzing problems!

The path of logical expansion!

Develop the habit of building a systematic framework!

I thought I was sprinting like crazy, but in reality, every single attempt I made was, without exception, just making no progress!

He paused for a moment, then forced a bitter smile that looked more like a grimace.

"But I met someone."

I spent a few short weeks there.

That person merely demonstrated a tiny fraction of the equation, yet it completely and utterly overturned all my understanding from the previous twenty years!

"Ridiculous! So what!"

Zhou Mingyuan's face suddenly darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"In terms of historical heritage and faculty strength, Stanford is by no means inferior to MIT!"

The perspective they can give you, I, Zhou Mingyuan, can give you just as much!

The atmosphere in the office instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Theodore shook his head repeatedly.

"Professor, you've misunderstood."

I'm not fixated on the MIT brand, nor am I drawn to their academic resources.

The only reason I absolutely had to go was because:

Su Hao is there.

"What?!"

Zhou Mingyuan was stunned; the anger that had just begun to build up instantly caught in his throat.

A near-fanatical light shone in Theodore's eyes.

"Su Hao".

He can give me a kind of penetrating mathematical intuition that seems to see through the essence of the universe.

Professor, Su Hao is a completely different species from ordinary people like us!

I could not imagine it even if I used all my imagination in my life.

In Su Hao's eyes, what kind of exquisite and otherworldly logic is the world constructed from?

Theodore was so excited that he unconsciously gripped his trousers at the knees.

"However, just that day, I stood beside him and tried, with a very strained effort, to imagine the perspective he had casually written down..."

That knot that had been stuck for two whole years, making me feel like I was living a life worse than death, was suddenly untied, like thin snow in the sunlight!

That was an absolutely magnificent path! It was a path that followed my usual, habitual way of thinking...

Even if I were given eight more lifetimes, I would never set foot on that path of proof!

Another long silence filled the office.

"Su Hao..."

Zhou Mingyuan seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slumped back into his chair.

His expression was extremely complex, revealing a hint of indescribable reminiscence.

Theodore seemed to remember something.

"Speaking of which, Professor, you're of Chinese descent, aren't you?"

"That's right."

Zhou Mingyuan took off his glasses and rubbed his temples wearily.

"I know a bit about Su Hao, that kid."

Although that happened many years ago when he was a child,

But we even have a history of co-authoring a paper published in a top journal.

Theodore's eyes lit up.

"That's wonderful! Now that you've personally met him..."

Then you can truly understand the overwhelming feeling I have right now, as if I've witnessed the truth itself!

"No. Quite the opposite, Theodore."

Zhou Mingyuan suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Theodore.

"It's precisely because I understand all too well what that kind of extra-standard existence means..."

That's why I'm even more determined to stop you from this suicidal act, like a moth drawn to a flame!

"what?"

Theodore was taken aback by his mentor's sudden stern tone.

"young people."

Zhou Mingyuan's voice carried a hint of helpless bitterness.

"You don't naively believe that the entire vast system of mathematics is merely a game for a very small number of geniuses at the very top of the pyramid throughout history, do you?"

Theodore was taken aback.

He rested his chin on his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

"It's not that extreme. But I don't deny..."

I believe that throughout history, the vast majority of mathematical breakthroughs have been truly epoch-making and capable of overturning existing paradigms.

It was all driven by those once-in-a-century geniuses, single-handedly.

Upon hearing this answer...

Professor Zhou Mingyuan shook his head firmly and slowly.

"Child, you're oversimplifying things."

The true evolution of mathematics, the true cornerstone of civilization.

It is precisely because of ordinary people like you and me, who appear dim and insignificant under the brilliance of genius,

Built brick by brick with bloodied hands, over hundreds of years by successive generations!

Theodore was completely overwhelmed by his mentor's imposing presence, and he instinctively held his breath.

Stand up straight and listen quietly to the teachings of this academic giant.

Zhou Mingyuan stood up and walked to the bookshelf.

"Newton, Euler, Gauss, Riemann, Hilbert..."

Undoubtedly, mentioning any one of these names...

Their theories are like dazzling suns, shining brightly and illuminating the ages.

The old professor turned around and looked directly at Theodore.

"but!

After they, like gods, casually threw out those shocking and forward-thinking conjectures that were hundreds of years ahead of their time.

Until the whole world truly digests these theories and these formulas bring about industrial or academic changes.

In the middle, there was actually an extremely long and painful period of blank time!

Because so-called "academic progress" is essentially the result of countless ordinary scholars like us.

Go and meticulously organize, painstakingly expand, and painstakingly stitch together those sparks of inspiration that geniuses casually unleash!

Zhou Mingyuan became more and more excited as he spoke.

"And those who undertake this extremely massive, tedious, pyramid-like project."

These are the tens of thousands of ordinary mathematicians who were historically unknown and completely overshadowed by the brilliance of genius!

They might spend their entire lives trying to fix a single formula!

Do you dare to assert that this arduous work—quietly filling in the gaps and verifying calculations with one's life—is utterly worthless in the history of mathematics?!