Chapter 1811 - 1812: 10 Years

Upon hearing this, Dai Pingbo shook his head with a bitter smile.

By then, it would be too late!

For a top scholar, the peak period usually spans around ten years, from 25 to 35 years old.

It's the most creative decade, often referred to as the golden decade. Looking through history, regardless of whether it's mathematics

or natural sciences, 99% of major achievements were made by researchers during these ten years.

For instance, Einstein was 26 when he published the special theory of relativity, proposed the general theory of relativity at 33,

and fully published it at 36, which was exactly within the ten-year period.

To be honest, the golden decade concept doesn't really affect Lin Xian, especially since he has the "Transcendent" skill, this

super cheat code.

Coding for a moment is enjoyable, but coding constantly is even more enjoyable.

And besides, what if I hit the jackpot someday and get the so-called heart of a scholar?

To him, Xing Chao is very important.

Maybe one day, he'll be interested and want to delve into academic research! Lin Xian laughed and said, "Mr. Dai, could you recommend

a few more books to me?"

Dai Pingbo instinctively twirled the pen in his hand, thought for a moment, then suggested, "Personally, I don't recommend you continue reading books."

Seeing Lin Xian's puzzled look, Dai Pingbo explained, "From the start of the semester till now, it has been less than two months,

and you've already read quite a few books. I suggest that you stop 'seven-twenty' for a while to consolidate what you've learned,

and then summarize and review."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xian couldn't help but nod in agreement.

The logic that Old Dai presented made perfect sense to him; it's like traveling - after completing a journey, you can't just set off

on another journey immediately.

Instead, you need to return home, rest for a while, digest the harvest of the journey, and then prepare for the next adventure.

Lin Xian is in the same situation now. After reading so many books and learning so much new knowledge in two months, it's time to pause,

summarize and consolidate the knowledge learned during this time, and lay a solid foundation for the future.

Of course, rest doesn't mean doing nothing.

Dai Pingbo paused and said, "Considering your current level, you could easily be my graduate student. How about this,?

during this time you should write a thesis, due by the end of the semester. This thesis will be your final exam paper!"

Sounds pretty interesting.

Lin Xian became interested and asked with a smile: "Mr. Dai, can I choose the topic for my thesis myself?"

No need, I've already picked it for you!

With that, Dai Pingbo took out another sheet of paper and quickly wrote down a formula. Taking the paper, Lin Xian glanced at it.

But as soon as he saw it, he was stunned.

I'm out, see you!

Lin Xian resisted the urge to turn around and leave, and grumbled, "Come on, Mr. Dai, you really see me in a high light!"

What are you shouting about! I didn't ask you to solve the Zhou Family's conjecture.

Dai Pingbo responded with slight irritation and added: "Of course, if you can solve it, that would be even better."

You're really funny! Lin Xian retorted.

This thesis is indeed on the topic of Zhou's Conjecture. I think you've got considerable talent in number theory; don't let me down.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xian nodded and said, "Alright, I understand."

Old Dai made it clear, what more could he say?

Dai Pingbo seriously advised: "Do take this thesis seriously, even if you can't finish it, don't just fluff it."

Lin Xian solemnly replied, "Understood, Mr. Dai, I'm heading off now."

Dai Pingbo waved him off.

On the way back to the dormitory, Wang Zejing and the others were, as usual, playing online games, each yelling and shouting and having a great time.

Lin Xian greeted them and climbed up to his bed.

Gazing at the formula on the sheet of paper, his brain started whirling. Although Zhou's conjecture isn't as famous as the Riemann Hypothesis,

Kakutani Conjecture, or the NS Equations, among the seven millennium problems, in the field of number theory, it is quite representative.

Moreover, its difficulty isn't low; otherwise, after so many years, no one has been able to prove Zhou's conjecture.

Honestly, Zhou's conjecture may seem simple or shallow for an undergraduate with decent mathematics, and upon seeing this topic,

anyone might have the illusion of 'I can do it too.'

Is that all?

It doesn't seem that hard, does it?

But upon deeper research one might start questioning life itself:

Who am I, where am I, what am I doing… and seriously, what exactly is this?

To be fair, Lin Xian's first reaction upon seeing the conjecture formula was that it seemed quite simple, but after pondering for a while,

he couldn't find any clue.

Ugh!

Old Dai is really giving me a hard time.

No way, I have no clue, gotta feel it. Plus, Wang Zejing and the others weren't helping with their loud gaming noises; it was hard to concentrate.

Thinking this, Lin Xian got out of bed, put on his shoes, and quickly walked out of the dormitory, heading back to Purple Gold Mountain District.

At home, Zhuang Tong and Qiang Qing were busy playing with the fish.

Seeing Lin Xian return, they were surprised, "Dear, why are you back so early today?"

"The teacher assigned a thesis, I came back to check some information. Help me fetch my laptop!"

Lin Xian said as he sat down on the sofa.

Zhuang Tong nodded obediently and quickly fetched the laptop from the bedroom. After turning on the computer, he quickly logged into CNKI

and started searching for papers related to Zhou's Conjecture. Fish in hand, after playing with them for a while, Qiang Qing realized that

Lin Xian hadn't made a sound and curiously peered over Zhou's Conjecture?

Upon seeing the screen filled with dense papers and a string of heavenly-book-like formulas, she turned right back around and continued playing with the fish, "Sorry to disturb."

Two hours later, Lin Xian sighed, closed the CNKI page - no harvest at all. On CNKI, papers on Zhou's Conjecture were plentiful, but 99% were those fluffy papers, lots of talk without any real value,

none of them had any reference value.

However, there were 2.9 some papers with substantial content, but their approaches seemed off, also lacking reference value.

Considering this, he logged into the website for Mathematical Annals and Acta Mathematica.

International Edition, of course.

Local editions of these math journals are existent but incomparable to the international ones – internationally, they are recognized by mathematicians everywhere as the most authoritative and prestigious journals.

Opening the webpage, the dense English text made his head buzz, but he couldn't help but keep pushing forward. Time passed unnoticed as the lights outside began to glow.

Who knows how long it had been until Lin Xian looked up and closed the laptop.

He finally understood why Zhou's Conjecture remained unproven after more than twenty years.

Why say this?

To illustrate, if mathematical problems were apples on a tree, the ones at the crown would undoubtedly be the Riemann Hypothesis, Goldbach Conjecture, Fermat's Conjecture, and other millennium problems. Zhou's Conjecture lies lower, at about head height, seemingly reachable by just stepping onto a stool and reaching out.

But the problem is, compared to other conjectures, this apple of Zhou's Conjecture, seemingly easy to pick, remained unpicked for more than twenty years; forget about moving a stool, not even anyone has attempted to jump for it. Why?

No clue!

Or, the path is too scattered, completely missing a starting point. Lin Xian found many papers in Mathematical Annals and Acta Mathematica, but none offered reference value much less being cited in his thesis.

This is somewhat intriguing!

Lin Xian scratched his head, feeling a rush of interest.

Ordinarily when solving math problems, he accessed the approach, thought about which tools to use, and then started dissecting, but Zhou's Conjecture is completely different. The feeling it gives Lin Xian is that no mathematical tool seems fitting, yet every tool seems appropriate.