Dean Yan was explaining his research findings at length when he noticed Mr. Bai's brows crease slightly and a trace of impatience flash through his eyes. His heart sank.
Oh no. Mr. Bai thinks nothing of my research.
A profound, inexplicable sense of defeat welled up inside the Federation's chief scientist.
Of course. After all that effort, I can only capture a little gaseous forbidden energy, but Mr. Bai has not only liquefied it-he can even use forbidden energy directly to manipulate time. The gap is far too great.
The more Dean Yan spoke, the less confident he became. He felt as though he really was making a fool of himself.
"Are you explaining so much because you're afraid I won't understand your shallow theories?" Bai Ye said flatly.
Dean Yan panicked. "Mr. Bai, that's not what I meant. I only wanted to..."
"No wonder you've only gotten this far." Bai Ye abruptly interrupted him, disappointment appearing between his brows. "You don't even understand that the greatest truths are the simplest. The more complex the research, the more you must hold on to its simplest core. No matter how sophisticated your instruments or how complicated your circuits, you must ultimately return to the essence of things.
"Cutting away complexity is the only way to reach the truth.
"Remember this: no matter how advanced your research is, if you can't summarize its core in one sentence that everyone can understand, it means you haven't truly understood it yourself!
"You can't explain it clearly in plain language because your own understanding is incomplete.
"Now, set aside all your scientific terminology and summarize your research in words even a child could understand."
Bai Ye's tone grew increasingly stern, like a strict teacher giving his student one last chance to pass an exam.
Dean