The Century Report

The Berlin Physical Society, founded in 1845.

Later, in 1950, it merged with five other associations within Germany to form the German Physical Society.

It is the world's oldest and largest professional society for physicists.

Its initiators were six deceased scientists, who were titans in the fields of physics, chemistry, and physiology.

The society holds a conference annually in a different city to discuss the latest scientific research achievements, especially hot topics in the current field of physics.

In 1900, the host city for the Berlin Physical Society's conference was Berlin, held at the Helmholtz Institute near the Reichstag Building.

As the pioneer of Quantum, Li Qiwei naturally secured a reporting slot, a highly coveted opportunity.

When Li Qiwei, escorted by Li San, arrived at the venue, it was already crowded, with an estimated nearly a hundred people.

They mingled in small groups, truly a gathering of distinguished scholars, with no commoners in sight.

At Li Qiwei's strong insistence, Li San still chose to enter the venue and sat in the farthest corner.

As a martial artist, upon hearing Li Qiwei explain that these people were great scientists, equivalent to the Grand Academicians of the Qing Dynasty, Li San immediately felt inferior.

Having heard tales of his own divine intellect since childhood, he held a deep reverence for scholars.

How could a mere warrior share a room with scholars, let alone listen to the young master's report on physics?

Little did he know, in later times, Li San would be the more sought-after individual: skilled in martial arts, robust, and gentle-tempered.

Instead of being like now, an invisible presence, quietly seated in the back row.

Li Qiwei intended to break Li San's misconception, to broaden his understanding so he wouldn't feel intimidated in the future.

After arranging a seat for Li San, Planck approached and, pulling him along, introduced him to two individuals.

"Bruce, this is Professor Röntgen, and this is Professor Boltzmann."

Li Qiwei quickly greeted the esteemed figures, showing his respect.

Röntgen appraised Li Qiwei with approving eyes and said with a smile, "A remarkable young man, I'm already looking forward to your presentation."

Boltzmann, on the other hand, maintained a constant smile, quietly observing Li Qiwei.

Soon, as the clock struck ten, the host announced the commencement of the conference.

To show respect for Quantum, Li Qiwei was scheduled to present first, which placed considerable pressure on him.

Taking a deep breath, Li Qiwei walked slowly to the podium, his gaze sweeping across the room before he spoke in a steady, resonant voice:

"Thank you, Professor Planck, for your kind invitation, and thank you to the Berlin Physical Society for this opportunity."

"To allow me, an undergraduate student from Cambridge University, to present before so many scientific elders."

"Before I share my thoughts on Quantum, I'd like to say something else first."

"I know many of you are curious about my identity. Yes, I am from the Qing Dynasty."

"The country that European nations perceive as ignorant, backward, and feudal."

"Perhaps you are wondering why I don't have a queue behind me?"

"Because I have never referred to myself as a Qing Dynasty person, but as a China person, a proud China person."

"I don't wish to recount China's glorious history here. I only want to tell everyone that the reason I study physics diligently is so that one day I can stand on the world stage and prove myself for my China."

"And now, I have taken the first step, and I will continue to walk this path in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. Everyone was moved by Li Qiwei's bold declaration. Li San, in the back, even felt tears welling up.

He couldn't understand why his young master had to carry such a heavy burden.

At that moment, he vowed to protect his young master for the rest of his life and help him achieve his dream.

When the applause subsided, Li Qiwei did not dwell on the emotional sentiment. Instead, he said, "Of course, all of this must be based on my strength."

"The reason I stated at Lord Kelvin's lecture that physics has only just begun is based on three phenomena."

"I believe these three phenomena are the most important discoveries in physics at the end of the 19th century."

"They are: the discovery of X-rays, the discovery of the electron, and the discovery of radioactivity."

As expected, when Li Qiwei finished speaking, exclamations of surprise erupted from the audience again.

Because the discoverer of X-rays, Professor Röntgen, was seated in the audience, his expression slightly moved.

Clearly, being praised in public by a physics prodigy was gratifying to Röntgen, greatly satisfying the old man's vanity.

Li Qiwei paid no mind to the audience's reaction and continued, "These three phenomena cannot be explained using existing knowledge of physics."

"Therefore, I dared to assert that there are new laws of physics yet to be discovered."

"And the concept of [Quantum] is one of my attempts."

"It is evident that this theory is so marvelous, my intuition tells me it must be correct."

"Physicists' intuition has always been this reliable, hasn't it?"

His humorous and witty remarks brought knowing smiles to the faces of the esteemed scholars present.

Soon, the atmosphere in the hall became lively. Boltzmann, who had remained silent, asked with a smile, "Bruce, if Quantum is eventually proven correct, what do you envision its future to be?"

Faced with the elders' question, Li Qiwei pondered for a moment before replying, "I believe the battlefield for Quantum is the atom."

The elders below began to contemplate. They knew Li Qiwei's mentor, Thomson, was the discoverer of the electron.

Had Li Qiwei already begun deeper work on Quantum?

"While my mentor Thomson proposed the plum pudding model of the atom, I myself am skeptical."

"No existing method can directly observe the motion of electrons."

"Therefore, I want to develop new theories based on Quantum to predict the motion and characteristics of subatomic particles."

"Of course, this is a long-term endeavor, and I hope to work together with all the seniors present."

As such profound physical predictions came from Li Qiwei's mouth, everyone fell into silent thought. The venue grew quiet.

They were convinced by Li Qiwei's genius and even more so by his ambition.

The atom and its internal structure were the most cutting-edge fields in physics. It could be said that any related discovery would be recorded in the annals of physics.

Just then, another person suddenly posed a question. Li Qiwei looked over and saw it was the great chemist, Fischer.

"Bruce, I'm not a physicist, and I wouldn't dare comment on the professional aspects."

"I just want to ask you, you've already solved the second cloud problem, so when will you solve the first cloud problem?"

The crowd, who had been contemplating, burst into laughter. Uproarious cheers filled the venue.

It seemed a few graduate students had started it, while the elders remained composed.

Everyone thought it was a joke. After all, proposing Quantum was already earth-shattering and astonishing. Was it too much to solve another difficult problem?

Li Qiwei couldn't help but chuckle at the question, but after thinking about it, he made a decision.

He silently said to himself, Sorry, Cupid.

Finally, under everyone's disbelieving gaze, Li Qiwei responded domineeringly, "Within three years, I will solve the first cloud problem!"

Boom!

The venue fell into a dead silence.

Many years later, the famous American five-star physics reviewer MacArthur said in an interview:

"The report delivered by the god of physics, Bruce Li, at the 1900 Berlin Physics Conference was the report of the century that completely changed the 20th century!"