Arithmetic leads the way?

Chu Kingdom, Liyao City, Xiaoxiang Academy.

Although Xiaoxiang Academy is a rare girls' academy, it has recently become famous throughout Liyao City, and even the entire Human Race.

Because Xiaoxiang Academy was the first to discover the Mind Stabilizing Supernatural Power and actively reported it to the military, the great victory at the Two Worlds Pass was achieved.

And with this great victory, the Supernatural Power: Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage also became completely famous among the Hundred Races.

From then on, the army's assessment items gained another one: arithmetic. Those who are not good at arithmetic are just dragging the team down.

Later, the further update of this supernatural power completely kicked off the current era of "addicted to solving problems and improving cultivation." At the same time, it was also at that time that this supernatural power began to rapidly enter the homes of thousands of ordinary people.

As Xiaoxiang Academy, which was likely the earliest to discover and promote "large-scale problem-solving can stably improve cultivation," it has always been a topic of conversation among the people, and their words are filled with gratitude.

In a pavilion at Xiaoxiang Academy, the headmaster of the academy, Sun Xuehong, was sipping tea and discussing the Dao with the academy's numerology grandmaster, Gu Qiuhui. They were chatting happily.

At one point, Sun Xuehong suddenly frowned and asked:

"Qiuhui, do you think that Supernatural Power: Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage is really that difficult? I heard that this time, experts from three countries and many schools of thought, even grandmasters, couldn't solve it."

Even now, Headmaster Sun Xuehong still couldn't quite understand why such a small arithmetic problem could stump so many people. As a master of Confucianism, although she didn't specialize in arithmetic, she had studied it before. Weren't those arithmetic problems very simple? Why did everyone say they couldn't solve it in a short time?

Gu Qiuhui heard this, took a sip of clear tea, and after a while, said faintly:

"Sister Xuehong, it's not that this problem is particularly difficult, but rather that we have never paid attention to arithmetic problems. In fact, very few people have specifically researched arithmetic, which is why this problem seems unsolvable. In fact, even now, we don't have a universal solution for 'Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage.' Each solution is only effective for a certain type of problem. For example, some only work for an even number of legs, while others require it to be a multiple of three."

"How can that be?"

Hearing that there was no universal solution, Headmaster Sun looked up at Master Gu in astonishment.

"Also, you said that your numerology school doesn't research it? Then what about those ancient arithmetic texts?"

The numerology school doesn't research arithmetic? This was indeed a bit beyond Headmaster Sun's expectation. After all, wasn't arithmetic a part of numerology?

"Sister Xuehong, it's not that we don't research it, but we haven't specifically researched it. Those who practice numerology are all responsible for the Mingtang, Xihe, history, and divination. Do you know that we numerologists are divided into six major schools: Astronomers, Calendarists, Five Elements School, Yarrow and Turtle School, Miscellaneous Divination School, and Form and Method School."

Master Gu paused, then continued:

"Among them, Astronomers study celestial phenomena, calculate the movements of stars, sun, and moon, and observe the climate. Calendarists focus on dividing the four seasons, determining solar terms, calculating the trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars to record time, and also compile imperial annals. The Five Elements School studies the changes of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements and performs deductions. The Yarrow and Turtle School studies the art of turtle divination and yarrow divination. The Miscellaneous Divination School infers auspicious and inauspicious signs based on the signs of various things, including dream divination, seeking blessings, exorcism, and praying for rain. The Form and Method School studies Feng Shui, physiognomy, and so on."

"You see, there's no one who specifically studies arithmetic. As for those ancient arithmetic texts and calculation tables that appeared in the past, they were just occasional occurrences when someone was interested in arithmetic, which led to the emergence of these classics. Or you could say that the inheritance of arithmetic within our numerology school has been intermittent, and it has never truly formed a unified school. That's why we were so passive this time. Take myself as an example, I am an astronomer. If you talk about celestial phenomenon evolution, I am quite proficient; but when it comes to arithmetic, I only know some basics."

Hearing this, Headmaster Sun sighed deeply. At this moment, her wish to perfectly replicate the Supernatural Power: Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage in a short period of time was completely extinguished. She never expected that no one would research this. It seemed she had to agree to the government's request. She had come to find Gu Qiuhui this time, thinking that this numerology grandmaster could reduce the cost of replicating this supernatural power, allowing their Xiaoxiang Academy to once again steal the spotlight. However, according to Gu Qiuhui, no one in the world could solve this problem in a short time. Therefore, she had to give up this idea. Perhaps, that anonymous person could. But that person was too well hidden, and they couldn't find them, so they could only pretend they didn't exist. As for whether this problem would be solved in the future, it would depend on the investment in arithmetic.

Afterward, Headmaster Sun told Gu Qiuhui all of this, letting her know that she didn't need to keep stubbornly working on "Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage."

"By the way, Qiuhui, do you think we should specifically train some students to learn and research arithmetic?"

In fact, Headmaster Sun had this idea half a month ago. After all, with the popularity of that arithmetic supernatural power, arithmetic was becoming increasingly important. However, at that time, she didn't know that there was no school within numerology that specifically researched arithmetic, and she thought it would be fine as long as they followed along. Therefore, she wasn't in a hurry.

But based on what Gu Qiuhui said earlier, very few people in the Numerology School study Arithmetic. So, although Headmaster Sun felt Arithmetic should be important, she wasn't sure if her vigorous development of Arithmetic was the right move.

After speaking, Headmaster Sun looked at Gu Qiuhui opposite her with unease, wanting the other party to give her some advice. This was a rather significant issue, and she couldn't quite grasp it herself. She needed to see what the professional, Gu Qiuhui, thought.

"Sister Xuehong, do you mean you want to cultivate a new school of thought?"

Gu Qiuhui understood Headmaster Sun's meaning. Specializing in the study and research of Arithmetic—wasn't that a new school of Numerology?

"Yes!"

Headmaster Sun nodded, but then her brow furrowed slightly. "But I don't know if doing so will affect the students' futures? No one has done this before, so everything is unknown.

Moreover, can a new school of thought even last?"

Hearing this, Gu Qiuhui didn't rush to answer, as the issues Headmaster Sun raised were indeed valid.

No one knows if a new path will be thorny, a smooth road, or a dead end.

If it succeeds, one becomes a pioneer, admired by all. But what if it fails? It could ruin someone's life.

They at Xiaoxiang Academy couldn't gamble with their students' futures.

This indeed required careful consideration, careful consideration, and more careful consideration.

After weighing it in her heart for a long time, Gu Qiuhui finally spoke:

"Then, how about this? I'll have Xia Qing and the others offer more Arithmetic classes first. We can then naturally identify students who are particularly interested in Arithmetic.

As for whether they will specialize in it later, that will be up to them. We just won't interfere too much.

Of course, we must clearly explain the pros and cons so they can choose freely."

Speaking of this, a young woman named Jiang Zichun came to Gu Qiuhui's mind.

She heard that this young woman originally loved martial arts, but recently, she had become fascinated with Arithmetic, attending almost every Arithmetic class.

In Gu Qiuhui's opinion, Jiang Zichun was a very good candidate. She just didn't know if the other party would choose to specialize in Arithmetic.

"Naturally, we can't force the students."

Sun Xuehong secretly weighed Gu Qiuhui's proposal and felt that this method was indeed good and not rash, so she agreed.

"Yes, then let's leave it at that! We really can't rush. Whether they persist will depend on their own wishes at the time."

A moment later, Sun Xuehong asked, "By the way, Qiuhui, how is the research on other Arithmetic problems on your end?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Qiuhui smiled slightly. "Sister Xuehong, we've already achieved results in that area.

The 'Hundred Chickens Problem,' also known as 'Hundred Coins to Buy Hundred Birds,' and similar problems like 'Hundred Monks Eat Hundred Steamed Buns' have already been solved. Once we have enough problems in a couple of days, we can upload them."

Actually, Gu Qiuhui's 'Hundred Chickens Problem' could already be uploaded, but they didn't have enough problems yet and had to wait a few more days.

With enough problems, they could steadily improve their cultivation for a long time. They could sell more.

"So quickly?"

Sun Xuehong was filled with surprise when she heard that Gu Qiuhui and the others had solved a problem. Wasn't it said to be difficult to solve? How could this problem be resolved so quickly?

Recently, she had been watching the Heavenly Dao Virtual Net every day. Although other Arithmetic problems with supernatural powers had appeared, the number of problems was small, only a few dozen, which was useless.

Gu Qiuhui said they could upload in a few days, so by then, there would be at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, problems. Therefore, she was genuinely surprised by Master Gu's speed.

But fortunately, it was a pleasant surprise.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qiuhui opposite her showed a hint of embarrassment. "Actually, we haven't found a quick way to solve this problem either.

As for why it was so fast, we have to thank that Anonymous Master.

Isn't the 'Hundred Chickens Problem' a classic example of multiple solutions to one question?

Recently, that master also released some problems with multiple solutions, and there was even a problem-generating function that provided answers. So, we used that function to crack the 'Hundred Chickens Problem'."

"Cracked using a problem-generating function? Aren't those two different problems?"

Sun Xuehong was a bit confused.

Yes, they were all problems with multiple solutions, but these were clearly different problems. How could they be used together?

Had she fallen behind?

Facing Sun Xuehong's question, Gu Qiuhui patiently explained:

"Sister Xuehong, let me give you an example, and you'll understand."

"Let's use the classic 'Hundred Chickens Problem' as an example."

"There is an old rooster, worth five coins; a hen, worth three coins; and three chicks, worth one coin. If one hundred coins are used to buy one hundred birds, how many roosters, hens, and chicks are there?"

"This problem actually has three solutions:

Rooster: four, worth twenty coins; Hen: eighteen, worth fifty-four coins; Chick: seventy-eight, worth twenty-six coins.

Rooster: eight, worth forty coins; Hen: eleven, worth thirty-three coins; Chick: eighty-one, worth twenty-seven coins.

Rooster: twelve, worth sixty coins; Hen: four, worth twelve coins; Chick: eighty-four, worth twenty-eight coins.

Now, let's use the problem-generating function of the [Supernatural Power: Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage] to solve it.

First, replace the rooster, hen, and chick with various beasts, Beast A, Beast B, and Beast C, respectively. Then, consider the number of chickens as 'head' and the unit price as 'foot.' This then becomes:"

"Now there are beasts, Jia, with one head and five feet; beast B, with one head and three feet; beast C, with one head and one-third of a foot. Currently, there are one hundred heads and one hundred feet. Question: How many of beast A, beast B, and beast C are there?"

"Because fractions appear here, we need to multiply everything by three to eliminate the fractions. This way, it becomes:"

"Now there are beasts, Jia, with three heads and fifteen feet; beast B, with three heads and nine feet; beast C, with three heads and one foot. Currently, there are three hundred heads and three hundred feet. Question: How many of beast A, beast B, and beast C are there?"

"At this point, we can solve it. The final answer will be the same."

"Afterward, we tried several more problems, plugged the answers in, and all of them passed verification."

Hearing this, Sun Xuehong's eyes suddenly lit up. "It can be done like this?"

"And it's so simple?"

Subsequently, she casually came up with a few problems herself to verify, and found that it indeed worked.

"So, does this 'Chicken and Rabbit in the Same Cage' problem and the 'Hundred Chickens Problem' turn out to be the same?"

This truly exceeded her expectations.

"No wonder you said you could come up with tens of thousands of problems in the next few days."

"I discovered it by chance. If we didn't do it this way, relying solely on ourselves to solve them, let alone whether the answers were correct or complete, just the sheer number of problems would be impossible for us."

"That's true! Having multiple solutions for one problem is indeed quite energy-consuming. We can't even produce a few problems a day. It seems our Xiaoxiang Academy will once again take the lead."

The two women exchanged a smile, having no doubt about this.

They had been at Xiaoxiang Academy for decades and had long considered it their second home. The more famous and powerful the academy became, the happier and prouder they felt.

At a subsequent moment, Sun Xuehong seemed to recall something and asked excitedly, "Then other problems, like 'Things Unknown Number,' can also be solved this way?"

If it were true, then their Xiaoxiang Academy would have the capital to establish a whole new school of thought.

Wealth allows for arrogance.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qiuhui shook her head. "Those are different types of problems. I haven't figured out an alternative method yet."

"Moreover, the solution to the 'Things Unknown Number' problem is currently infinite. I don't even know how to write down the answer. So, there's no hope for now."

"The answer is infinite? That's indeed not very suitable."

Headmaster Sun narrowed her eyes. This was indeed very different from the 'Hundred Chickens Problem.'

The solution to the 'Hundred Chickens Problem' was finite; while the solution to 'Things Unknown Number' was infinite.

An infinite solution, how could one write down the answer?