Just like that, Shen Nanchu officially became the final and most esteemed disciple of the archaeological titan, Shen Yuan.

The news had not yet spread; otherwise, there was no telling how many people would be dying of envy.

Although Shen Yuan had heard of Shen Nanchu's intelligence, he did not truly know the depths of her capabilities. Maintaining his rigorous approach to teaching, he decided to first test the waters and see what his new apprentice was made of.

At first, the tasks he assigned to Shen Nanchu were probing in nature.

For example, he handed her a batch of rubbings taken from newly unearthed bronze fragments with blurred and nearly illegible inscriptions. He required her to piece them together, decipher the text, and write a preliminary analysis report all within a week.

For an ordinary graduate student, this task would take well over a month and require repeated verification.

Shen Yuan figured that if she could complete sixty or seventy percent of it, that would be considered excellent.

Unexpectedly, early on the third morning, Shen Nanchu placed a neatly bound and immaculately handwritten report on his desk.

Not only were all the fragments accurately pieced together, but even the inscriptions that were almost entirely obscured by bronze rust had been deciphered with incredibly high accuracy. She even pointed out several potential errors in previous academic interpretations.

Holding the report, Shen Yuan repeatedly checked it against the rubbings, growing increasingly astonished the more he looked.

Refusing to believe it, he then found a few of the most scrawled and illegible surviving fragments of ancient manuscripts. They involved Buddhist scriptures, transformation texts, and even some secular documents. The content was a mixed bag, and the handwriting was wild and unrestrained.

This time, he gave her a ten-day deadline.

As a result, on the fifth day, Shen Nanchu handed in her work again. Not only had she clearly classified and organized the fragments, but she had also provided precise collations and annotations for several key passages.

"This child... could it be that she was born with this knowledge?"

Shen Yuan muttered to himself as he looked at the report.

What Shen Nanchu displayed was not just a photographic memory, but an almost innate, keen insight and mastery over ancient texts, historical backgrounds, and literary contexts.

This brilliance made him vaguely recall an old acquaintance he had briefly encountered in his youth who had died prematurely; that person had been just as breathtakingly talented.

Beyond his surprise, Shen Yuan's competitive spirit and appreciation for talent were thoroughly ignited.

He decided to devote more thought to teaching Shen Nanchu, determined to pull out all the tricks at the bottom of his barrel to see exactly where this girl's limits lay.

However, he soon discovered that Shen Nanchu's intelligence was almost monstrous.

When he explained complex methods for dating ancient texts, not only could she understand them instantly, but she could also draw inferences and propose more optimized methods.

When he analyzed the difficulties in chronology projects, she could often hit the nail on the head, pointing out the key issues and suggesting brilliant solutions that even he had never considered.

He even brought out a few mysterious ancient Shu Kingdom symbols that he had spent half his life researching and deciphering.

After careful observation, Shen Nanchu was actually able to combine geography, astronomy, and early mythology to propose a highly convincing hypothesis.

In some aspects, Shen Nanchu's vision was even more far-reaching and profound than that of Shen Yuan, who had been immersed in traditional archaeology for decades.

This made Shen Yuan, as her teacher, feel deeply gratified but also a bit ashamed, even giving rise to a hint of the crisis that the master would starve before the apprentice was even fully taught. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He gathered all his energy and began to increase the difficulty for Shen Nanchu. The questions he posed became increasingly tricky, and the scope of knowledge involved grew wider and wider.

Shen Yuan threw out almost all the tough challenges he had encountered in his academic career.

Unfortunately for him, Shen Nanchu was like a bottomless pit. No matter how profound or obscure the knowledge was, she could always quickly absorb it and digest, integrate, and output it in an astonishing way.

Shen Yuan often looked at Shen Nanchu with deep emotion. This was not a student learning; it was clearly him communicating with an equal academic partner, one who even surpassed him in certain aspects.

Just as Shen Yuan felt he was about to be drained dry by this student, with countless brain cells dead or injured, a life-saving piece of news arrived.

He was invited to Hangzhou to attend a national archaeological academic symposium.

Shen Yuan almost could not wait to pack his bags, ready to take this opportunity to escape the capital and incidentally restock his knowledge, so as not to embarrass himself too much in front of his apprentice.

However, he did not expect that this academic exchange conference would lead him into another layer of crisis.

The symposium was held in an old-fashioned hotel by the West Lake, gathering prominent figures from archaeological circles all over the country.

Shen Yuan had high seniority and great fame. The moment he appeared, he attracted many eyes, and numerous junior scholars came forward to greet him and ask for advice.

Just as he was having a pleasant conversation with several old friends, a slightly sharp voice chimed in.

"Oh, isn't this Elder Shen? Long time no see, you still look as distinguished as ever!"

"I ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‍heard you have been tackling tough problems at Mount Li these past few years. How do you have the time to attend a small gathering like ours?"

Without turning his head, Shen Yuan knew it was his old rival, Liu Peiqing.

Liu Peiqing was a professor in the archaeology department of a key university in the south. He was considered successful academically, but he loved to compare himself with others, especially enjoying competing with Shen Yuan in terms of cultivating students.

Back in the day, the two of them had argued endlessly over an academic viewpoint, forging a grudge.

However, Liu Peiqing had lost.

The only thing Liu Peiqing could beat Shen Yuan in was his students.

Today, having caught an opportunity, how could Liu Peiqing not show off a bit?

Shen Yuan turned around, his face placid. "Professor Liu, I trust you have been well since we last met."

Liu Peiqing was slightly chubby, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with his usual, slightly exaggerated smile on his face. Beside him followed a young man of about thirty, wearing a Mao suit and sporting a slightly arrogant expression.

"Thanks to you, I have been well." Liu Peiqing's gaze swept around Shen Yuan, feigning surprise. "Eh? Elder Shen, did you... come alone again this time?"

"You didn't bring a student to see the world? Sigh, that makes sense. Your standards are high, and ordinary students would not catch your eye."

"Unlike me, I am not that capable, so I have to bring my students along more often, hoping they will amount to something in the future."

His words were a backhanded compliment, pointing directly at the fact that Shen Yuan had not taken an apprentice for years and had no successors.

The people around them quieted down, sensing the tension in the air.

Shen Yuan could not be bothered to engage in a verbal battle with him and said lightly, "When it comes to students, quality is more important than quantity."

"That is only natural!"

Liu Peiqing seemed to be waiting for exactly this sentence. He immediately raised his voice and pulled the young man beside him forward.

"Speaking of quality, my student here, Ma Jiancheng, although a bit dull, is fortunately willing to put in the hard work."

"Last year, he independently led a team to excavate that Han Dynasty royal tomb in Jiangdong, and the harvest was quite bountiful! The completeness of the unearthed jade burial suit sewn with gold wire is rare in the country! The related excavation report has already been published in the Acta Archaeologica Sinica and even won an outstanding paper award."

He patted Ma Jiancheng on the shoulder, his tone full of boasting.

"Jiancheng is not only a good hand at field excavation, but his theoretical foundation is also solid. He has his own unique insights into Qin and Han archaeology, especially regarding burial systems."

"He came to the conference this time bringing his latest research results and will be giving a presentation at the general assembly!"

Ma Jiancheng held his head slightly high. Although his mouth was saying that his teacher flattered him, the smugness in his eyes could not be concealed.