The day's classes quickly concluded.
Most teachers wore displeased expressions. After all, with every student in the class having repeated their studies for at least five years, the instructors felt it was an insult to their teaching abilities.
At eight in the evening, physical training commenced.
The males formed one group, and the females another, their figures gracing the running track.
The standard for the male group was to complete three one-kilometer runs within an hour, with one of those runs needing to be under four minutes and ten seconds, and the other two no slower than six minutes and ten seconds.
Jiang Ye, his muscles well-defined, ran with effortless grace, merely breaking a sweat. However, some of the heavier students and older individuals found it quite arduous. During their runs, they would frequently reach into their pockets for small pills, presumably some kind of stimulant. Jiang Ye genuinely worried that some of his senior classmates might collapse on the track.
After the physical training session, many were carried away on stretchers by the school's medical staff, groaning throughout the process. Their expressions suggested they were not merely withdrawing from the track but retreating from a battlefield.
Cen Yemeng was also exhausted, sitting by the edge of the track, her face slick with sweat, complaining of leg pain. Jiang Ye wiped her face and carried her back to the dormitory.
The next morning.
The couple arrived at the classroom precisely at six o'clock.
As usual, a considerable number of students were already in the classroom, engrossed in memorization. However, their voices were noticeably less robust than the previous morning; many had not yet recovered from the previous night's physical exertion.
After the morning reading session, the first class began.
The subject was Philosophy of the Interstellar Era.
The lecturer was a very young woman who bore a slight resemblance to Tian Rao in appearance. Of course, this was only in terms of youthful looks; she had undoubtedly undergone rejuvenation surgery, and her true age could easily be several hundred years. Children were not qualified to lecture planetary leaders.
Based on yesterday's experience, Jiang Ye anticipated that this teacher would also need to clear her throat and begin by berating the students. However, to his surprise, the teacher did not scold anyone. Her first words upon starting the class were, "Which student is Jiang Ye? Please stand up." The teacher's gaze swept across the entire class, searching.
Jiang Ye felt a jolt of unease. Why was he being singled out immediately? Was he about to be subjected to a severe reprimand? That shouldn't be the case; he hadn't repeated his studies for many years; he was a newcomer.
He stood up, his heart filled with apprehension. All the students in the class turned to look at him. The teacher smiled, "My class will be directly passed for you; you do not need to take the exam."
The classroom fell silent. Jiang Ye was stunned, his face a mask of disbelief. His first thought was that the teacher had some connection to him. However, try as he might, he couldn't fathom any connection; he didn't know her at all. Moreover, even if there were a connection, such matters shouldn't be discussed openly in class, should they? A quiet word in private would suffice. The students in the class were also taken aback, their gazes fixed on Jiang Ye.
"You may not understand why, so please take out your new textbooks issued this year," the teacher continued with a smile. The repeating students all lowered their heads to rummage through their bags. They carried both old and new textbooks, as content was added and removed annually. The old textbooks contained previous notes, facilitating review, while the new ones served as reference.
Soon, everyone had placed their new textbooks on their desks. "Please turn to the twenty-third page from the end, which is page 577," the teacher instructed. A rustling sound of pages being turned filled the air. Jiang Ye also eagerly turned the pages. When the teacher had asked them to take out the new textbooks, he had suddenly felt a strong premonition. Indeed, upon reaching page 577, a photograph of Jiang Ye was displayed at the top. The photo had been taken when he was presenting his defense during a previous training session. He looked quite handsome, with an intelligent expression. Below it was an introduction:
[Jiang Ye, Commander-in-Chief of Jiang Ye Star, has garnered academic attention for proposing the Theory of Interstellar Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (also known as the Jiang Ye Theory). He is an ancient individual, born on Earth during its golden historical period, between the Second World War and the Third World War.]
[After becoming the Commander-in-Chief of Jiang Ye Star, Jiang Ye made numerous visits and inspections of the social conditions of various planets. Combining theories from various disciplines, he gradually formed his own academic school of thought. During his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, Jiang Ye Star experienced significant population and economic growth. Through quality planetary reviews, per capita happiness and social health indices were high. He also participated in the Mir War, supplying troops and materials.]
[His theory observes modern society from the perspective of an ancient person, deconstructing and analyzing the interstellar era with an appropriate sense of distance and full engagement. Through a return-to-simplicity approach, it exposes current societal ills and provides a novel entry point for research in the fields of interstellar philosophy and sociology.]
[His theory, newly proposed, is in its nascent stage and has the potential to develop into a more mainstream doctrine. Currently, approximately 59,000 undergraduate students specialize in researching the Jiang Ye Theory, and 15,000 related papers have been published.]
The following eight pages were dedicated to the key points of the Jiang Ye Theory. Jiang Ye was dumbfounded. He had no idea that what he had casually said to pass an exam had now become such an impressive theory. It had even made it into a textbook! The most outrageous part was that nearly sixty thousand undergraduates were studying it, and a plethora of papers had been written. Jiang Ye strongly suspected these were all slackers and superficial papers used for obtaining degrees; he would have to find some to read later.
Cen Yemeng, sitting beside him, was also awestruck, looking at her husband with immense admiration. She hadn't expected Jiang Ye to make such a mark in academic circles. The other students in the class displayed various expressions, likely ranging from "What a freakish junior," to "The textbook author is among us," "Quick, invite the junior to the podium," and "This is unbelievable; we're all in the same class, and he's already established a school of thought while I can't even pass an exam."
"Thank you, teacher!" Jiang Ye said. "Although my exam will be passed, I will still study this course diligently. In fact, I am a complete novice in the field of philosophy."
"Not only will you be exempt from my class, but the teachers of Planetary Immigration Sociology and Galactic Empire History have also decided to grant you direct passes for their courses. This is because relevant content from your theory has been included in portions of their textbooks. The textbook for Planetary Immigration Sociology features a page and a half, and Galactic Empire History includes three lines of expanded content," the teacher continued. Jiang Ye was ecstatic and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Many students in the class were consumed by jealousy. Passing even one subject was a significant challenge for them, yet this junior had passed three without even studying them? What kind of celestial classmate was this?
Cen Yemeng raised her hand. The teacher nodded at her. Cen Yemeng stood up, her face flushed, and said, "Teacher, I am Jiang Ye's wife, can I also pass together?"
"I'm afraid not, unless you also establish a theory," the teacher replied with a smile. Cen Yemeng sat down, her envy transforming her. She decided that when they returned home that evening, she would have Jiang Ye tutor her thoroughly.
"Um, what about this..." Jiang Ye suddenly had an idea. "Teacher, if I refine my theory during the training period, publish a paper, and list Cen Yemeng as the second author, can she be exempted from the exam?"
"This..." the teacher paused.