As Hou Congwen’s words fell, the laboratory’s double-layer explosion-proof glass doors slowly retracted to either side, revealing the way in.

Qiu Hong stepped in with practiced ease. Su Mo followed close behind.

The first compartment of the laboratory was probably where Hou Congwen received guests. It was only about fifteen square meters, furnished with two simple tables and a few scattered stools.

Following Qiu Hong through the door and farther in, they came to several of Hou Congwen’s work areas.

“Teacher Su, Researcher Hou is in the experimental area right now. Please stay close to me, and don’t touch the instruments.”

The second room was filled with all kinds of instruments for direct contact.

In a corner, Su Mo even saw a medium-sized operating platform of the same model as his own, but clearly much larger.

Passing through those instruments, they came to a wooden door.

Qiu Hong stopped, stretched out a hand, pushed the door open a little and pointed inside.

“Teacher Su, from the moment you go through this door, the answering will begin.”

“No matter what you see, don’t panic. This is a technology unique to our Academy of Sciences. It lets you present your answer to the question better.”

“You only need to... never mind. I believe Teacher Su won’t be afraid.” Before they went in, Qiu Hong kindly reminded him a couple more times.

But seeing that Su Mo remained as steady as ever, his tone softened of its own accord and a quiet smile crept in.

To be fair, that composure alone was something most researchers would still fall short of by several degrees if they came here.

If they really had to compare, probably only people at the dean’s level could steadily outmatch him.

“I wish you success!”

“Thank you.” Sorting out his thoughts, Su Mo let out a long breath and stepped inside through the gap Qiu Hong had pushed open.

At first the room was still somewhat dark after he entered, as if he had walked into a darkroom.

But as Su Mo took another step forward, black and white flipped in an instant. A piercing glare came from ahead, so bright that he could not open his eyes.

“This is... entering virtual reality?”

The familiar way in. The familiar tearing sensation in his consciousness.

He had entered dozens, even hundreds of times, and had completely dismantled virtual reality servers and understood how they worked.

Su Mo swayed only slightly in spirit before he let go of the defenses around his mind and allowed the tearing sensation to carry his consciousness toward another world.

It felt as if only an instant had passed, and also as if months or years had gone by.

When Su Mo could see again, the scene before his eyes had changed completely.

The darkroom was gone. In its place was a lakeside pavilion filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.

The lake was not large. It was a perfect circle, about thirty meters across, with white lotuses in full bloom floating on its surface.

By the lakeside stood a pavilion, and Hou Congwen was sitting in it.

He was smiling, dressed in a scholarly blue-and-white long robe, his long hair pinned up with a hairpin.

Compared with the unkempt look Su Mo had seen yesterday, he now truly had a bit more of a researcher’s air.

But at that moment Su Mo’s gaze was no longer on him.

From the first instant the lakeside cottage appeared, his attention had been completely drawn away.

Unlike an ordinary wooden house, this three-story wooden building, on close inspection, was built from nothing but arm-thick moso bamboo.

Each bamboo stalk was about six meters long, thick in the middle and thin at both ends, with extremely uneven load distribution.

Yet strangely, once built up through layer upon layer of interwoven structure, its stability was in no way inferior to a solid wood house. It could truly be called a masterpiece of architecture!

“Amazing. To weave the idea of hardness and softness working together into a single building... that skill is no ordinary thing.”

Unsure whether this cottage was Hou Congwen’s work, and having made out the architectural concept and technique, Su Mo drew his mind back and strode toward the pavilion.

“I am Su Youzong. I’m here to take on the question Researcher Hou posted yesterday.”

Su Mo stepped into the pavilion, set down the suitcase in his hand and cupped his fist slightly in salute.

“Su... Youzong. Very good. This year there have been twenty-nine architecture questions in all. So far, you are the third person to come and answer one.”

“Come, sit!”

When Hou Congwen finished speaking, he waved a hand toward the ground.

In the pavilion, which had originally held only one seat, a puff of white smoke suddenly rose, and an extra seat appeared out of thin air.

The small tea table also enlarged several times, to exactly twice the size of the suitcase on the floor.

“You seem a little too calm. Aren’t you curious about this place?”

Seeing Su Mo sit down with composure, a different emotion suddenly appeared on Hou Congwen’s usually placid face.

He had been among the first researchers to enter the Academy of Sciences after it opened, and he had never gone through an examination like this.

But over the years he had seen plenty of “examinees” crash and burn while answering questions, and he had long grown used to it.

Moreover, he still clearly remembered how, when he first came into contact with virtual reality that year, he had looked like a country bumpkin entering the city.

Compared with Su Mo now, it almost seemed as if he were the one taking the exam.

“Curious?” Su Mo smiled. “I’ve heard people talk about this thing before. Seeing it now, it really is marvelous.”

“Heard people talk about it?” Hou Congwen was taken aback, then, as if something in his heart had deepened, he did not press further.

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