The entire auditorium was silent, save for the rhythmic 'da-da' of chalk against the blackboard as Ye Chen wrote.
At this moment, Ye Chen was completely immersed in the ocean of mathematics.
In his eyes, mathematics was fascinating, like a friend playing hide-and-seek with him.
All Ye Chen had to do was find him and unravel his mysteries.
"This child is only eighteen years old; how can he have such a profound understanding of mathematics?"
"He's actually applying the Three-Prime Theory. My God, that's incredible."
Time passed, second by second.
The blackboard was already covered in dense writing.
The Mathematicians below were all diligently taking notes, recording the answers Ye Chen wrote down.
As the proof concluded, Ye Chen turned around.
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.
Countless people were clapping, their eyes filled with admiration and excitement.
Ye Chen had solved Goldbachs Conjecture; this scene was a witness to a moment in mathematical history.
It could be said that Ye Chen, by his own strength, had solved a problem that had plagued the mathematical world for centuries.
Cabu took a deep breath and stepped onto the podium.
"Mr. Ye Chen, congratulations. This is your certificate. You have solved Goldbachs Conjecture and have been awarded the Putz Certificate."
The applause rang out once again.
Ye Chen was likely the youngest person ever to receive the Putz Certificate.
"May I take a few minutes of everyone's time?" Ye Chen asked as he accepted the certificate.
Cabu was stunned for a moment. "Do you have another method of proof?"
Ye Chen shook his head. "I suddenly had a bit of inspiration and want to prove another problem."
Cabu nodded. "Very well, the floor is yours. Begin your performance."
Only now did Cabu realize that the genius before him was invincible.
Even though he had leaked the questions to his son, cheating was utterly useless in the face of a god-like genius.
Ye Chen erased the previous proof and continued writing formulas.
Soon, someone noticed what Ye Chen was writing.
"My God, what is he writing?"
"It's the Monster Group. Is he going to challenge the Monster Group?"
"No way, is this young man crazy? He's actually challenging the Monster Group."
While Ye Chen was writing the previous proof, a spark of inspiration had suddenly struck him.
That was why he couldn't wait to give it a try.
The Monster Group was a nightmare for Mathematicians.
Almost every mathematician had tried to challenge the Monster Group at some point.
Some gave up quickly, while others became so deeply entrenched they couldn't extricate themselves.
Therefore, the Monster Group had even become a forbidden zone for many Mathematicians.
Almost anyone who studied mathematics would be warned not to touch the Monster Group lightly.
"Has Ye Chen's Chinese mentor gone mad? To actually let him research the Monster Group."
"Indeed, this could ruin a genius."
"He's only eighteen; how can he be researching such a thing?"
After Ye Chen finished writing the formulas, the following annotations were all in Chinese characters.
This left the foreign Mathematicians completely bewildered.
Because they couldn't understand it.
"Damn it, why is he writing in Chinese? I can't read it. Can someone translate for me?"
At that moment, a Chinese-American mathematician stepped in to translate for everyone.
"This young man is actually trying to prove that the Monster Group is correct?"
"He's challenging a behemoth."
"Holy crap, I feel like he might actually crack the Monster Group."
Ye Chen was proving that the Monster Group possessed a certain characteristic; if he could prove this characteristic existed, he could prove the Monster Group was correct.
This was already the consensus among global Mathematicians regarding the validity of the Monster Group.
Soon, the blackboard was filled with symbols and text.
"193415988 = 193415987 +?"
Everyone stared intently at the blackboard.
"My God, is this young man about to succeed?"
"Although I don't understand it, if the final result is 1, then he has succeeded."
But the final result was 2!
Ye Chen had failed after all.
He was just a tiny bit off.
But that's how mathematics is; a miss is as good as a mile.
Ye Chen sighed.
His calculation was very close, yet still just a bit short.
"Wrong, it's all wrong."
Ye Chen picked up the eraser and wiped away all the deductions.
His deduced result was completely incorrect; although it was only off by 1, that result was merely close.
In the field of mathematics, being 'close' is utterly meaningless.
Many people couldn't help but slap the tables in frustration; they had just nearly witnessed another great moment.
Perhaps this was the charm of mathematics.
Even though Ye Chen had made a mistake, no one blamed him; instead, they gave him another round of warm applause.
At the very least, he had the courage to challenge it. Even in failure, he earned the recognition of all the Mathematicians present.
At this point, Cabu walked over.
He smiled and said to Ye Chen, "Don't be discouraged, young man. By the way, there's a dinner salon tonight that you can attend. I'll introduce you to a beautiful girl then."
Cabu had been entrusted to invite Ye Chen.
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in girls."
Cabu thought Ye Chen was in a bad mood because of the recent failure and said, "Young man, even geniuses make mistakes. I can guarantee you won't regret seeing this girl."
Ye Chen shook his head again. "I already have a girl, so I don't need any others."
With that, Ye Chen walked straight off the stage, leaving a bewildered Cabu behind... The mathematics salon was held every year after the Mathematical Olympiad competition.
It was also an opportunity for Mathematicians to interact with one another.
Gathering together to chat and have a few drinks was a rare chance for Mathematicians to relax.
Although Ye Chen didn't come, Li Tongming did.
Li Tongming sat with George, and the two were still discussing Ye Chen's Monster Group attempt from the afternoon.
"It was such a pity today. I felt Ye Chen was extremely close. That number was very similar to the result of the mathematician Osp back then."
"Yes, close, but ultimately still wrong. Mathematics is that cruel; there's no room for maneuver. Right is right, and wrong is wrong."
Kajo asked, "Did that kid not come? Is he feeling discouraged?"
Li Tongming smiled. "A little setback isn't a bad thing. Haven't we all been hit by setbacks before?"
Kajo nodded. "Haha, it's not a bad thing for a genius to face a setback."
Suddenly, a mathematician holding a phone cried out in surprise, "My God, that young man is actually still doing calculations!"
At that moment, in the auditorium under the dim lights, Ye Chen was still writing something on the blackboard.
Many people thought Ye Chen would be despondent for a while after his failure, but no one expected him to return to the auditorium and that same blackboard.
"What's going on?"
The mathematician said, "The person Livestreaming the video is named Yili; she's a princess and is very interested in mathematics. She came with me to have some fun. She was supposed to attend the ball, but for some reason, she left halfway. Then I saw her Livestreaming Ye Chen cracking the Monster Group."
Li Tongming, who was nearby, was also stunned. He hurried over. "Let me see."
As everyone looked at the phone screen, their eyes were filled with shock.
Kajo gave a bitter laugh. "Perhaps we really are about to witness history!"