Earth's Orbital Non-Inertial Deviation Is Slightly Higher in the Northern Hemisphere's Summer Than in Winter

"Let me check our team's National Preliminary scores. Individual points: Shen Qi, 21; Yang Huan, 18; Luo Ming, 16; Shu Minbo, 15; Cheng Le, 14; Qi Jianhong, 12. Shen Qi is amazing—another perfect score, as predictable as ever!" Shen Qi had chewed Qi Jianhong out before, and even after getting yelled at, Qi Jianhong still thought Shen Qi was the coolest.

Shen Qi said, "The National Preliminary is about the team's overall strength. It doesn't matter how amazing I am; we all need to work together. We narrowly beat the Jinmen Math Olympiad team by one point this time. That's great, and it's all thanks to everyone's contributions. Qi Jianhong, your deduction skills are average, but your intuition isn't bad. Luckily, you blindly guessed on the first problem and got a point or two. Those points were decisive."

"Heh heh, I just got lucky. You, Shen Qi, have real ability." After Shen Qi praised him, Qi Jianhong felt a little embarrassed.

"Even the greatest mathematicians sometimes make wild guesses. They might start by guessing a conclusion, then spend years or even centuries proving it. There's nothing shameful about guessing. In mathematical terms, that's called having keen innate insight." Shen Qi was pleased with the team's atmosphere. They no longer bickered with one another. The good news that they'd narrowly qualified for the National Finals by one point had turned them from individuals fighting alone into a united team.

Granted, even in a team competition where scores were added together, Math Olympiad had no real teamwork or tactics. Everyone worked on their own problems, so the so-called overall strength was just the sum of each individual's ability.

But team spirit mattered. It might not be a direct factor, but it could still have a positive effect.

Thirty minutes later, the Chinese Mathematical Society's official website posted the final National Preliminary rankings.

There was no question about it. Shen Qi's team had scored 96 points in the National Preliminary, placing tenth and qualifying for the National Finals. It was an official result recognized by the Chinese Mathematical Society.

The system displayed a message: "New achievement: Math Olympiad Whiz! The host led his team to qualify for the National Math Olympiad Finals with a perfect individual score, completing an extremely difficult challenge. Reward: 6,666 Academic Prodigy Points. Please collect."

"Yeah! 6,666, right on time!" Shen Qi was thrilled. Adding the 3,826 points he had left over, he now had 10,492 Academic Prodigy Points.

Raising Math from Level 4 to Level 5 required 10,000 Academic Prodigy Points.

There was nothing to hesitate about. Shen Qi kept investing in Math, spending 10,000 Academic Prodigy Points to raise his Math stat to Level 5.

Host: Shen Qi

Age: 17

Math Level 5 (0/50000)

Physics Level 1 (0/1000)

Chemistry Level 1 (0/1000)

Biology Level 1 (0/1000)

Chinese Level 1 (0/1000)

English Level 1 (0/1000)

Sports Level 1 (0/1000)

History Level 1 (0/1000)

Geography Level 1 (0/1000)

Politics Level 1 (0/1000)

Remaining Academic Prodigy Points: 492

"The Level 5 task is complete." He had received the system's task in March, and now it was July. It had taken Shen Qi four months to raise his Math stat to Level 5, the professional level.

The system had required Shen Qi to complete the Level 5 task before graduating from high school. Over the past four months, he'd devoted a great deal of effort to Math, advancing step by step from the school team to the provincial team, then to the National Preliminary and the National Finals. He'd completed the task before starting his senior year.

System: "Congratulations, host, on completing the Level 5 task. You are rewarded with 8,000 Academic Prodigy Points, and the Main Talent Bonus module is now available. After reviewing the relevant information, please select your Main Talent."

Shen Qi opened the system's guide to selecting a Main Talent.

Main Talent Bonus Guide: "Throughout human history, there have been many versatile scholars, brilliant polymaths, and outstanding scientists proficient in multiple fields. But every one of them had a subject they were best at."

"The host may activate one of the system's ten subjects as a Main Talent. Once activated, the Academic Prodigy Points naturally accumulated in that subject, as well as achievement rewards, will be multiplied by two from their base values. The Main Talent subject will also receive further related benefits."

"Please note: The host may activate one, and only one, Main Talent subject in his lifetime. Please consider carefully. If you do not make a choice within the three-minute countdown, you will never be able to choose again... 2 minutes 59 seconds, 2 minutes 58 seconds..."

"Are you kidding me? You're giving me only three minutes to choose. How am I supposed to consider it carefully? Math. I choose Math as my Main Talent." Shen Qi made his decision without hesitation, choosing Math as his Main Talent.

System: "Selection successful! Math will be the host's Main Talent subject for life. The host's genuine, socially recognized activities in this subject will earn double points and receive further related benefits."

"The host's Math stat has reached Level 5, the professional level. This system's beginner instruction phase is now complete. From here on, the system will no longer force the host to complete any tasks. The host must explore on his own."

"Friendly reminder: the host knows only the tip of the iceberg about this system. There are many more interesting and powerful features to explore. The door to a new world will always be open to you, but you haven't even touched the doorknob yet. Good luck!"

"So the story's going open-ended from here. Great, I like this setup. System, I'll give you a thumbs-up. You're not some stupid system after all. I misjudged you." Shen Qi snapped his fingers, feeling pretty good.

Today was a good day. Shen Qi had leveled up, and his team had qualified for the National Finals.

Before the National Preliminary, Teacher Tian and the team members had been extremely nervous.

After qualifying, they all relaxed.

Even though the National Finals were happening tomorrow, they'd completely let go. They weren't expecting to win the team championship. They just wanted to do their best, perform at their personal best—or even better—and leave a mark from their youth in their high school years and lives. That way, decades later, when their hair and beards had turned white and they sat with their grandchildren, sipping tea, drinking wine, and bragging, they wouldn't regret wasting their youth.

The National Preliminary didn't have individual awards. The National Finals awarded team championships, runner-up and third-place titles, as well as individual gold, silver, and bronze medals. Math Olympiad was a bit like competitive sports: years of hard work for a moment on the stage, and if you didn't win a medal, you'd come away empty-handed.

Teams from Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, and other regions with exceptional overall strength were naturally aiming for the National Finals team championship.

Shen Qi didn't dare set his sights on the team championship. His team's qualification for the National Finals had involved a little luck, too.

But he was determined to win an individual gold medal.

Teacher Tian was treating everyone to a big dinner that evening.

There were still a few hours to rest that afternoon. Shen Qi let Teacher Tian know, then wandered alone around Shuimu University's campus, stopping now and then to take in the scenery.

He'd been staying at Shuimu University for three days, but hadn't really explored this top university.

Since he was already here, he might as well take a look around. Shen Qi didn't need to prepare specially for the National Finals. What could he do with just half a day? He'd already learned what he needed to learn and spent all the Academic Prodigy Points he needed to spend. Relaxing now was the best preparation.

In early July, there weren't many students on Shuimu University's campus, though some were coming and going.

As Shen Qi walked, he eventually reached a lake on campus.

As soon as he arrived at the lake, an unusual scene nearby caught his attention.

A young man who looked nearly two meters tall sat on a stone bench by the lake. His hair was messy, he was very thin, and his legs were especially long. His gaze shifted between deep thought and blankness.

The two-meter-tall man gazed aimlessly at the sky and out across the lake. Shen Qi couldn't tell whether he was pondering some academic question or simply spacing out.

Just then, a woman jogging around the lake passed the tall man. She seemed used to all the scholarly men at Shuimu University pondering life or the vast universe. They didn't surprise her.

"Hey." The tall man stopped the jogger and said, "Your ponytail's come undone. Pull out five hairs for me." He spoke as though it were perfectly natural, with complete confidence.

Anywhere else, the woman would have thought the man was crazy.

But this was Shuimu University. You couldn't judge anything by ordinary standards here.

Without a word, she removed her Rubber Band, let down her ponytail, and pulled out five long hairs, one by one, handing them to the tall man.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," the woman replied calmly. She clearly didn't know him.

"About 70 to 72 centimeters long. Quite flexible, with both tensile strength and rigidity. Suitable for a pendulum string." The tall man stretched the woman's hair straight and reached a preliminary conclusion.

"In the Northern Hemisphere's summer, Earth's orbital non-inertial deviation is slightly higher than in winter. Personally, I wouldn't recommend using it for a pendulum experiment. But go ahead, handsome. Do what makes you happy." The woman tied her hair back into a ponytail and continued jogging around the lake.

The tall man twisted the five long hairs into a cord, picked up a thin twig from the ground, tied the cord to it, raised his right arm above his head, and swung the twig in a circular motion.

Under the blue sky, beside the clear lake and on the green lawn, a two-meter-tall man borrowed a woman's hair, braided it into a cord, and started swinging it in a circle—no part of the scene seemed out of place. The sky, the earth, the lake, the academic, the pendulum string and bob made from everyday materials—all of it was so perfectly natural it could have been a painting.

"It wasn't until I came to Shuimu University that I learned what it meant to pick up girls with technical know-how, or flirt with academic flair. These college students really know how to have fun." Shen Qi marveled. The act he'd put on in front of Chen Xiaoting, his high school deskmate, was nothing but low-level posturing. The young men and women at Shuimu University were the ones who knew how to put on a highbrow academic act.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Shen Qi edged closer to the tall man. He'd be heading home in just a few days, and he wanted to use his short stay at Shuimu to learn a little more.