Tempest of the Stellar War

Chapter 33: Loose Lips Sink Ships

This was a golden opportunity to showcase one’s ability in front of Xiao Fei. Suddenly, the hallways were filled with students clamoring to enter the lecture theatre. Some of these students were even from higher year groups.

Yet Xiao Fei’s students were still hesitant in answering her question. Showing off one’s knowledge to a physics genius was daunting in itself. A student could very well embarrass him or herself in front of the entire Physics Department.

Chen Xiu stood up. “Doctor, I believe that space and time have mass. As we know, this is a major principle underlying physics. However, I also believe that we require new methods for testing this key principle.”

It was obvious that this student was still very young. Yet Chen Xiu did not sit there silently; he stood up to share his thoughts. Everyone in the Physics Department knew that there was an extremely talented young individual who possessed the spark which Xiao Fei had when she was younger.

Xiao Fei smiled slightly. Emboldened by his roommate’s bravery, Zhang Shan also stood up. “I believe that we don’t require a new method to affirm this key principle; rather, it is our concepts themselves that are flawed. Our viewpoint of mass has not changed for a very long time. I believe that we need to free ourselves from this outdated perspective, and only at that point will we be able to discover something new!”

Xiao Fei nodded her head slightly. By voicing their opinions, these two students had everyone else impressed. The audience had to know that these people were from Dormitory 007.

Yao Ailun had already changed back to his black rimmed spectacles to create a more intellectual image. Student Yao, who possessed different colored spectacles for different occasions, felt slightly pressured at this point.

“Time is the movement of space,” he began. “In order to understand space, I believe that we have to start by understanding time, and only by doing so can we further our understanding of the subject matter.”

Everyone had strong foundations supporting their opinions, but it was very theoretical. One could see the various directions that could shape an individual’s research.

These three individuals were intellectually gifted even during middle school, but it was only after they were put before Xiao Fei that they were truly able to showcase their knowledge and stand out from the crowd.

Xiao Fei looked around, eagerly awaiting the next student to contribute. The rest of the audience felt impassioned and wanted to speak up, but they had nothing to talk about! This was one of Xiao Fei’s issues with teaching physics. She believed that the vast majority of students typically lacked the creative spark needed for inspiration, a trait that was vital for theoretical physicists. Teaching in such an environment would always dampen Xiao Fei’s creative spirit. After all, one would always be influenced by one’s environment!

“Wang Zheng, what is your take on this?”

Xiao Fei directed her attention towards Wang Zheng; however, he was absentmindedly lost in his own little world.

Zhang Shan gave his daydreaming friend a swift kick, and Wang Zheng immediately jumped up and exclaimed, “Yes!”

The entire Physics Department burst into laughter. Xiao Fei, however, was not amused. She leaned in to hear his response.

Despite their rivalry in the field of physics, the four students from Dormitory 007 were still, at the end of the day, brothers-in-arms. Yao Ailun hurriedly whispered Wang Zheng the question. Truth be told, the three roommates were all eager to see Wang Zheng’s intellectual capabilities.

“I have a hypothesis to make. I believe that right now, the basic approach that we are using is fundamentally flawed. Although it can be used to explain current concepts, future breakthroughs in physics will require a completely different mindset. Take spatial manipulation for instance. The current status quo will need to be altered appropriately before we can truly understand spatial manipulation. Regardless of mass or anything else, our current perspective is simply too narrow-minded.”

The entire room erupted into discussion, criticizing Wang Zheng’s answer. F**k! This guy was just too full of himself! Making unsubstantiated claims and stepping all over the efforts of the scientific community was the height of arrogance!

“Tell us why you believe this is so. The objective of my classes is to put an end to ignorance. As such, never be afraid of making mistakes,” said Xiao Fei.

“Let us start with Newton’s Laws. With the discovery of the Theory of Relativity, it could be said that the pre-existing laws were no longer sufficient. The same can be said for today. We must first include all 13 dimensions into our discussion. Mass, space, and time are just building upon the 3-Dimensional Theory, with the 4th dimension being a foundation for this. Laolun Li’s Warp Theory is basically another form of the 13 Dimensions Theory of Existence; however, he has only used the scenarios from the 6-Dimensional Theory. That being said, his theory is the most modern one yet. From this, I feel that we can make a reasonable assumption. Since the Warp Theory has already been proven to be correct, we can justifiably hypothesize that the 13 Dimensions Theory is correct. In such a situation, time, space, and mass’ current problems are all research directions that do not have conflicting paths.”

After Wang Zheng finished speaking, the entire classroom fell deathly silent. Everyone was shocked.

His words were filled with a conviction that could surpass Laolun Li’s. Wang Zheng’s knowledge was truly astounding!

There were those in the audience who understood a little and felt that Wang Zheng’s hypothesis did make logical sense, while there were those in the crowd who were convinced that his ramblings were nonsense. And then there were those who did not understand any part of Wang Zheng’s speech.

“Have you read Laolun Li’s Warp Theory?” asked Xiao Fei.

“I’ve have read it several times. It is truly a great achievement of its time,” replied Wang Zheng.

This was not Wang Zheng’s own opinion. Rather, it was something that had been brainwashed into him by the Old Merchant. Over time, Laolun Li’s Warp Theory had lost its plausibility in the field of physics. However, the Old Merchant criticized that there were still many in the scientific community who wholeheartedly supported the redundant theory. It was a pity that there were so many fools passing off as scientists, the Old Merchant would say.

Xiao Fei let out a large smile. Wang Zheng’s bearings and tone were similar to hers back when she was just entering the field of theoretical physics! Yet he was even more overbearing and arrogant! At the very least when she was a young physicist, Xiao Fei still had respect for other scientists. She even worshipped Laolun Li!

Everyone else was astonished. Was this b*stard faking it? Could he actually understand the theory? Had he really read it several times?

“I share Wang Zheng’s views. Physics today has become mired in restrictive mindsets, and this has limited our capacity for improvements in the field of study. I want everyone to understand that my curriculum will not advocate this old-fashioned mindset but will instead pursue an open-minded and unrestricted approach! An entirely new foray into theoretical physics awaits us from today!”

The applause was thunderous. Wang Zheng could feel a burning sensation on his back. He really wanted to kick himself! Why did he have such loose lips! He had said too much. After his insightful speech, Xiao Fei would never let him leave the Physics Department!

“Damned Old Merchant.” Wang Zheng cursed. His mentor had fostered in him the habit of debate. Once Wang Zheng started, he could not stop himself.

The school bell sounded, signaling the end of class. Everyone could still feel a sense of longing. It was unfortunate that Professor Xiao Fei did not like to waste time conducting a Q&A session. Instead, she had asked for questions to be directly sent to her public Skylink. Additionally, she would only answer questions worth answering.

“Wang Zheng, follow me!”

Wang Zheng was currently fooling around with his roommates, sharing information on whom the pretty girls were. At this time, Xiao Fei’s order pulled Wang Zheng away from their in-depth discussion.

Watching the two physics geniuses depart, the three kings of Dormitory 007 grumbled in annoyance.

“At this rate, before the days has passed, our dormitory leader will have an extremely high profile among the females in our cohort!”

“Ah, as fellow brothers-in-arms, we need to share the burden and help him out!”

“We must make sure Wang Zheng does not die a premature death,” Chen Xiu declared. “I’m the youngest of the four of us, and therefore I can share a larger portion of the burden!”

Zhang Shan and Yao Ailun immediately strangled the youngest one.

After arriving at her office, Xiao Fei removed her jacket and threw it into a corner, inadvertently exposing her curves. She collapsed into a chair and sighed in relief. Noticing Wang Zheng’s blushing face, she gave a slight smile and commented, “As a teacher, I have to act as a role model for students, which requires me to pay attention to how I dress. But this jacket is just too uncomfortable.”

Wang Zheng was speechless. He was a student too!

“Professor, do you have any instructions for me?”

“Ah. You performed well in today’s lessons. I do not care about your situation with the Mecha Department. I forbid you from missing any of my lessons, and you must complete all of the work I assign you,” warned Xiao Fei.

Wang Zheng could only nod in response. This beautiful teacher held Wang Zheng in the palm of her hand, and he truly did not dare defy her orders.

“I will strive to perform my best, even at the cost of my life!” Wang Zheng proclaimed.

“You do not need to exaggerate; however, I do appreciate your conviction. This is rarely seen in the Physics Department. Do you know what the most important thing is to a physicist?”

Xiao Fei asked this with the intention of testing Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng absently rubbed his nose while in thought. As someone who did not aspire to become a physicist, this question was extremely difficult. He remained silent, awaiting Xiao Fei’s answer.

“Math,” Xiao Fei began. “Physics began as an imaginary ideal consisting of observations and guesses. Rather, it was the inclusion of math that proved many a scientific hypothesis. As such, having a strong understanding of mathematics will greatly increase your affinity for physics. Wang Zheng, I want you to visit the Mathematics Department when you are free. Perhaps you will be able to meet someone who can complement your views.”

Student Wang felt as though his head was going to explode. He hated all things related to formulae, as formulaic questions were typically very time consuming. However, regardless of his aversion to mathematics, he had no choice but to follow Xiao Fei’s orders. As she made clear at the start of their conversation, her word was law.

“Okay, please bring these materials to Professor Marcus from the Mathematics Department. Remember to leave a good impression!”

Xiao Fei patted Wang Zheng. She was confident that her protégé would turn out to be an extraordinary physicist. If only he would lose his infatuation with the Mecha Department. However, she reasoned that there was still plenty of time; she was definitely going to bring Wang Zheng back onto the right road, and teach him that mecha battles and whatnot were all beneath him. Only the boundless sciences were truly eternal.

Wang Zheng took the materials and rushed out of the office. Although he was grateful to Xiao Fei for recognizing his abilities, he was still strongly against pursuing a career in research. Truth be told, his knowledge was all due to conversing with the Old Merchant on such topics. As such, his knowledge still had many gaps. Wang Zheng was worried that one day, he would be exposed as a fraud and his inability would come to light.

In the Mathematics Department’s 4th year classroom, Marcus was furiously scribbling on the blackboard. “This question is the final test for your semester. Whoever is able to answer this will get an A+!”

Such was Marcus’ erratic personality. Every semester, the Math Professor would give a “bounty.” The first student to complete it would receive the best results.

It should be noted that in the field of science, Earth did not possess the highest academic standards. That being said, Earth did have a reputation for maintaining her position as one of the best, and she did not deteriorate in standards at the same rate as others.

All of the 4th year students immediately sat straight. If they were successful, not only would they receive excellent results for the semester, but they would also become famous!

Each field had their own struggles and pride.

Wang Zheng took half a day to find Marcus’ office. Marcus looked as though he was 60 years old. His hair was extremely messy like a pile of grass, and he was also dressed quite slovenly.

“Professor Marcus, these are the materials that Professor Xiao Fei instructed me to bring.”

Marcus was too lazy to even lift his head in acknowledgement. His table was full of materials that stacked up to the ceiling. “Place it on the table, then you can go.”

“Oh, and also, in classroom T-6, there is a mathematical sheet on the teaching podium. Please pass it to Xiao Fei and tell her she owes me a favor.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Despite his aversion to all things math related, Wang Zheng felt the utmost respect for those who were able to calculate complex mathematical balances. However, if it were to come to him, he would politely decline such a task.

After locating classroom T-6, Wang Zheng entered and searched the teacher’s podium for Marcus’ mathematical sheet. The classroom was mostly empty; only a few students had remained, scratching their heads as they attempted to solve Marcus’ final semester question. While Wang Zheng was searching for the mathematical sheet, he saw the question on the blackboard.

After scanning through it, he could not bear to leave. The Old Merchant used to give him questions to do every week. If he solved them correctly, he would get a reward. Otherwise, he would be punished by the Old Merchant. Ever since the Old Merchant left, Wang Zheng’s life had become quite boring. In truth, he even missed the math questions that the Old Merchant used to assign him.

This question did have some meaning to it.

This should be part of an arithmetic calculation. It looked to be Romeo’s Equation’s General Solution, as taught to Wang Zheng by the Old Merchant.

Wang Zheng started to scribble on the blackboard. There were still 7 to 8 students in the classroom, and they were shocked to see a Physics Department student messing with their work! As if some physics student could solve Marcus’ final semester question! Some students truly did not know their place!

Historically, physicists were renowned for the same achievements: advancing the sciences with new laws and theories. However, what most people did not realize was that many notable physicists had relied on their mathematical abilities to begin with. Advances in physics were only made possible by mathematicians. Without them, physics would be nothing more than mere speculation.