University classes are usually pretty relaxed, unlike the rigid atmosphere of elementary, middle, and high school.
It wasn’t unheard of for a straight-A student or an academic prodigy to jump up and school the teacher.
Besides, anyone who got into a top-tier school like Jiang University was a brilliant student with exceptional learning abilities. It was perfectly normal for smart people like them to disagree with their professors.
In fact, some university professors were delighted to see students raise such questions.
After all, these challenges often signified critical thinking and progress.
"Teacher Xia, I’ve actually done some preliminary research on the relationship between the gallbladder and courage."
"What I’m about to present are purely my own views. I hope that after I’m done, Teacher Xia and my fellow students can offer some feedback."
After he spoke, Zhou Chuan walked straight to the lectern. He had a brief word with Xia Xue, and upon getting her approval, he pulled out a USB drive and plugged it into the computer.
However, when the projector lit up with a list of his bizarre research topics, the classroom’s commotion grew even louder. The titles included: "The Theory of the Inner Organs and the Five Elements," "Why Traditional Chinese Medicine Has No Concept of Cancer," "A Case Study Analysis of Cures and Spontaneous Remission in Late-Stage Cancer," "The Devolution and Evolution of Organ Structures," "A Discourse on the Body’s Innate and Postnatal States," and "A Study on the Physical Differences Between Ancient and Modern Humans."
"What kind of out-there topics are these?"
"This feels less like medical science and more like metaphysics or occultism."
"That’s our ’Academic Madman’ for you! Senior Zhou Chuan must have studied so much medicine he’s gone off the deep end."
As the students murmured among themselves, Chen Jue stared, captivated.
’Research that isn’t accepted by the mainstream... there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. So this is what they mean by an ’Academic Madman’?’ Chen Jue mused.
On stage, Zhou Chuan had already opened a document titled "A Discourse on the Influence of Regional Environment on the Function of Inner Organs."
After scrolling for a moment, he navigated to the section detailing his research on the gallbladder and courage.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Zhou Chuan, and I’m a second-year graduate student in the Linchuan School of Medicine." Zhou Chuan took the microphone from Xia Xue and began his presentation.
"The gallbladder is one of the Six Fu-Organs, but it is also classified as one of the Extraordinary Fu-Organs."
"In Western medicine, it’s simply known as the gallbladder."
"The classic Traditional Chinese Medicine text, *Thousand Gold Medical Formulas*, refers to it as the ’Office of Central Purity.’ The *Su Wen - Ling Lan Secret Canon Discussion* calls it ’the impartial official from whom decisions emerge.’ This means that in addition to storing bile, which clears and breaks down fats, the gallbladder also influences a person’s judgment and decisiveness—what we commonly call courage!"
"It’s clearly one of the Inner Organs involved in digestion. So why did our ancient Huaxian ancestors associate it with an almost abstract concept like ’courage’?"
"I’m sure many of you, Teacher Xia included, are wondering the same thing."
As he spoke, Zhou Chuan clicked to the next slide, which showed a typical scene in a dorm room.
In the picture, a group of students were still in bed at 11:00 AM.
"I’m sure everyone here has experienced being hungry—I mean, *really* hungry. Especially those of you who skip breakfast."
"You sleep in until noon on a weekend, and when you finally roll out of bed, you feel weak, dizzy, and your heart is racing."
"This is because when you’re starving, your body doesn’t have enough energy, leading to a series of symptoms like heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and low blood sugar."
"You only have the energy to do things when you’re well-fed. With that energy, the panic subsides, and you have the confidence to make decisions."
"This is a fundamental program of the body, one that links the digestive system with our neurological activity. It’s a survival mechanism that emerged during the earliest stages of human evolution."
Zhou Chuan continued, clicking to the next slide: a mural depicting ancient humans on a hunt.
"Early humans had two main food sources. One was gathering things from Nature like fruits and grains. The other was hunting."
"Before we discovered and domesticated oil-rich plants, our ancestors’ main source of fat was animals. And to get animal fat, you had to hunt."
"But the animals back then weren’t the harmless, domesticated livestock we have today. They were ferocious wild beasts, battling for survival against all other creatures in Nature!"
"Fighting these beasts required immense decisiveness. This is where the gallbladder’s role in judgment becomes critical! If you don’t have any guts, if your legs are weak with fear, how can you possibly fight a savage animal?"
"Furthermore, the stronger the gallbladder’s function, the more animal fat our ancestors could digest and store as energy. This was essential for surviving the harsh cold and ice in an ancient era of extremely low productivity."
"Conversely, the harsher the cold environment or the more intense the external stimuli, the more it would strengthen a person’s gallbladder function."
At this point in the lecture, a faint light began to gleam in Chen Jue’s eyes.
Especially when Zhou Chuan put up a slide showing the regional distribution of gallstone disease, the classroom erupted.
"According to the latest clinical data, over 100 million people worldwide suffer from gallstone disease."
"However, the incidence of gallstone disease varies by region. The farther north you go, into colder climates, the lower the incidence. For example, in Northeast China, the prevalence is about 8%. But the farther south you go, into warmer climates, the higher the incidence. In the Sichuan-Chongqing Region, it’s as high as 15%!"
"This reverse deduction directly verifies the truth and reliability of my ’Discourse on the Influence of Regional Environment on the Function of Inner Organs.’"
With his argument concluded, Zhou Chuan slowly closed the presentation file.
Chen Jue was the first on his feet, leading the applause. In an instant, the classroom was filled with a thunderous ovation.
The other students were mostly lost in the clouds, feeling that while they didn’t quite get it, it all sounded very impressive. So when they heard someone start clapping, they just went along with it.
But why was Chen Jue so excited?
Because after listening to the ’Academic Madman’ Zhou Chuan’s lecture, Chen Jue’s panel had actually reacted!
——————
[Ding!]
[A required Knowledge Learning session has been completed. You have gained a more direct understanding and insight into the function of the gallbladder.]
[Your gallbladder, in coordination with your brain, has executed a complex decision-making process. Your concentration is sharpening, your cognitive abilities have improved, and your judgment has slightly increased.]
[Spirit Attribute +0.01]