Chapter 51: A Gathering of Monsters

The entire Tangdu Jiaoda campus is divided into three campuses: Xingqing, Yanta, and Qujiang, covering a total area of 1.9894 million square meters—approximately 2,984 mu. The total floor area of various buildings reaches as high as 203.85 square kilometers.

The campus is vast, yet the population is not particularly large.

Wang Donglai quickly found his destination.

On the way, he briefly organized the information regarding the "Qian Xuesen Experimental Class."

There were three classes in total: the Mathematics Experimental Class, the Physics Experimental Class, and the Engineering Experimental Class.

Furthermore, these three classes were taught in small groups with relatively few students; each class consisted of only about a dozen people.

However, every single one of them was a top-tier scholar—a genius.

There was only one standard: quality over quantity.

With these thoughts in mind, Wang Donglai arrived at his destination.

It was a large lecture hall, where about thirty people were already seated.

"Hey brother, let's get acquainted. I'm Xu Zhibin, from the Mathematics Experimental Class."

A man wearing glasses with a smile on his face proactively greeted Wang Donglai.

"Hello, I'm Wang Donglai. I'm also a math major."

Wang Donglai also smiled and introduced himself to Xu Zhibin.

"What a coincidence."

Xu Zhibin gave Wang Donglai a subtle once-over, and the smile on his face deepened.

"I'm a local from Tangdu. Where are you from, brother?"

"Anshui County, Shangshan City. You've probably heard the name. Our county is quite close to Tangdu; many people from Tangdu go to our county for weekend trips."

Having worked before, Wang Donglai's communication skills were quite good, and he immediately struck up a conversation with Xu Zhibin.

"Anshui County, I know it! I heard there's an ancient town there that's quite interesting. It's just that high school was too busy, so I had no time to travel. Once I have time later, I'll definitely visit your hometown."

Xu Zhibin indeed knew the name of Anshui County and immediately began to praise it.

"No problem. My home is nearby. When the time comes, I'll host you properly. As the saying goes, 'Do not mock the rustic farmhouse wine, for in a bountiful year, guests are treated to plenty of chicken and pork.' Countryside ingredients have a unique flavor; just don't be too picky when the time comes."

"Alright, it's a deal then."

Xu Zhibin laughed heartily and made the pact with Wang Donglai.

The two didn't chat for long before the school leadership walked in, including Zhao Chengpeng.

"Ahem, hello everyone. I am Zhao Chengpeng, the Dean of Academic Affairs. It is a pleasure to meet you all. You are all top-tier scholars handpicked by the university, possessing outstanding learning abilities..."

"In the past, you were the top students of your respective schools, but university is a new starting point. Your classmates are all starting from the same level as you."

"The lowest Gaokao score among those present is over 650. Even those who didn't take the Gaokao were directly recommended for admission. You can truly be called the cream of the crop."

"Here, the school will use its utmost sincerity and resources to cultivate you. Excellent professors and associate professors will teach across multiple disciplines, including major courses, non-major courses, and experimental courses. The goal is to break down the boundaries between various scientific and technological fields, allowing you to form new scientific concepts and systematically and creatively solve various complex problems."

"I will briefly introduce your curriculum structure. It is set up according to eleven major scientific categories: Natural Science, Social Science, Mathematical Science, Systems Science, Thinking Science, Human Body Science, Military Science, Behavioral Science, Geographical Science, Architectural Science, and Literary Theory. In other words, the school aims to cultivate you into well-rounded talents who are both knowledgeable in astronomy and geography and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

"Finally, I must make one thing clear beforehand: the school's requirements for you are extremely strict. A rigorous elimination system will be implemented throughout. All compulsory course grades must reach 70 or above, and you must pass the National CET-4 English exam by your sophomore year; otherwise, you will be eliminated from the experimental class."

"If any of you wish to withdraw, you can come to me later to choose to exit."

"Next, please follow your respective homeroom teachers according to your classes to leave here, where they will explain your specific majors in detail."

After Zhao Chengpeng finished speaking, he stepped down.

Three teachers standing to the side stepped onto the stage and introduced themselves respectively.

"Hello everyone, I am Zheng Yalin. Students of the Physics Experimental Class, follow me."

"Hello everyone, I am Han Hua. Students of the Mathematics Experimental Class, follow me."

"Hello everyone, I am Zhou Yong. Students of the Engineering Experimental Class, follow me."

With those brief sentences, the three walked off.

The people in the classroom all stood up and followed their respective homeroom teachers out of the hall.

At this moment, Wang Donglai was observing his classmates.

The Mathematics Experimental Class had the fewest people, with only eleven students.

That wasn't even the most crucial part; the most crucial part was that among these eleven people, there wasn't a single female student.

While in the large lecture hall earlier, Wang Donglai had taken a general look at the room.

There weren't many girls, only about five or six.

Coincidentally, the cold, beautiful girl from the library was among them, though Wang Donglai did not approach her to strike up a conversation.

Soon, Han Hua led the eleven students of the Mathematics Experimental Class to an office.

It was Han Hua's own office.

"I will be your homeroom teacher from now on. If any of you eleven have any issues in the future, just come to me."

"My number is 189*****457. Write it down."

"Besides that, your study plans will be formulated based on each of your individual thoughts. There is paper on the desk; everyone take one. These are the courses you will study during your freshman year. They are all compulsory. There are many courses and the pressure is high, so read more books once you leave. If there is something you don't understand, go to the library to look up materials, ask your seniors, or follow your mentors to learn."

"In short, during the first semester of your freshman year, you need to complete all these courses, and you must actually master them."

"In your sophomore year, you will be allowed to choose other professional courses. This will depend on your interests and can be chosen autonomously, but our requirements for you will remain unchanged."

"The day after tomorrow at 9:00 AM, the freshman military training mobilization meeting will be held at the Siyuan Activity Center. Do not forget the time."

"University is not like high school; teachers won't manage everything for you. You are all adults now, and you must be responsible for yourselves."

"Alright, everyone take a piece of paper and leave. Wang Donglai, stay behind."

After Han Hua finished speaking, she waved her hand to signal everyone to withdraw.

The others said nothing; they looked at each other, and finally, following Xu Zhibin's gaze, they found Wang Donglai.

After giving Wang Donglai a rather strange look, the group took their papers and left the office.

"Wang Donglai, right? I know you are this year's national top scorer in the liberal arts section. Although I don't understand why you didn't choose another major and opted for the Mathematics Experimental Class instead, I won't treat you any differently. Here, everything is decided by grades."

"If you perform at the level expected of a math student, I will be happy—at least I won't have wasted your time. But if you lack the talent and cannot keep up with the teaching pace, I won't be disappointed. You are an adult and should know that adults must take responsibility for their decisions."

"However, I still do not wish to see you waste a year only to slink out of the Mathematics Experimental Class in disgrace."

"Take these next two days to reconsider. You can still change your major. Once the military training is over, it will be too late."

Han Hua sat in her chair and gestured for Wang Donglai to sit down and talk.

Wang Donglai was not intimidated. He sat down gracefully and said with confidence, "Teacher Han, thank you for your concern. The library at Tangdu Jiaoda is very large; I have visited it and am very satisfied. As for the situation you mentioned, I also don't think it will happen. The reason I am the liberal arts top scorer is simply because by the time I wanted to study seriously, it was already too late to switch from liberal arts to science. Otherwise, I would have been the national top scorer in the science section this year as well."

Arrogant!

Confident to the point of arrogance!

That was the first reaction that flashed through Han Hua's mind after hearing Wang Donglai's words.

However, Han Hua did not show it. Instead, she quickly calmed down, stared at Wang Donglai for a moment, and then spoke: "Fine, then I look forward to your performance."

"High school mathematics is merely the foundation. Among your classmates, there are runners-up from the National High School Mathematics League, contestants from the Western Mathematics Olympiad, and even those who have participated in international math competitions."

"The professional knowledge you learn in your freshman year would likely take two years, or even three, to cover at other universities."

"I am saying all this not to discourage you or to drive you away, but simply to make you understand that the requirements for the Mathematics Experimental Class are very high. You need to be mentally prepared."

Wang Donglai nodded and said, "I understand."

"Good, then you may leave."

Seeing this, Han Hua said no more and would simply wait to see Wang Donglai's subsequent performance.

"Mm."

Wang Donglai took the paper from the desk and left the office.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw that Xu Zhibin was actually waiting for him.

"Holy cow, I just realized as I was walking out—you're that freak, the national liberal arts top scorer who got 737 points!"

Xu Zhibin had a look of exaggerated shock on his face as he looked Wang Donglai up and down.

"But, I am a bit curious. You are clearly the liberal arts top scorer, so why did you think of coming to the math department?"

"If it's inconvenient to say, you don't have to. I'm not one to pry into others' privacy."

Before Wang Donglai could answer, Xu Zhibin spoke up repeatedly to state his position.

Seeing this, Wang Donglai's evaluation of Xu Zhibin rose even higher.

High emotional intelligence, and smart.

"There's nothing I can't say. I've already achieved the title of liberal arts top scorer, and I want to try my hand at science. Since math is the foundation of science, I naturally chose math."

His words were calm, yet they were filled with a grand ambition that treated mathematics as something not to be trifled with.

"Brother, you are the man!"

Xu Zhibin threw an arm around Wang Donglai, extended his left hand, and gave a thumbs-up, praising him with a face full of admiration.

"Let's re-introduce ourselves. I am Xu Zhibin, this year's science top scorer in Qin Province, with a Gaokao score of 712."

After Xu Zhibin finished speaking, a bright smile broke out across his face.