The launch of the Nalanda Mathematics Challenge (NMC) was the next strategic move in Arjun Singh's war against educational stagnation. His goal was not just to recruit students, but to irrevocably alter the landscape of Indian academia by proving that the nation's premier entrance exams, based on rote memorization and tireless coaching, were fundamentally flawed. To do this, he needed a test that was a pure measure of Aptitude—a psychological instrument cloaked as a mathematics exam.
He entrusted the design entirely to Professor Jha, the S-Rank Academic Pillar. Jha, fueled by the 100x Feedback Loop and the intellectual liberation of the NHIAR status, saw this as his magnum opus. He locked himself in the refurbished library, using the ambient [Aura of Focus] to its fullest extent. The System provided him with an unparalleled library of global cognitive science research, complex problem-solving heuristics, and mathematical psychology—all instantly processed and synthesized.
"The current exams test the persistence of the muscle memory," Jha explained to Arjun, his eyes gleaming with intellectual fervor. "They are a test of endurance, not genius. My test will be different. It will be a test of discovery."
Jha's final design was ruthless in its simplicity and profound in its execution. The NMC was divided into two core sections:
Lateral Problem Synthesis (LPS): A set of seemingly simple, low-calculation puzzles. They required no advanced knowledge beyond 10th-grade arithmetic, but demanded the immediate creation of an entirely new mathematical model to solve them. A student relying on coached formulas would stare blankly; a student with high Aptitude would spontaneously invent the required heuristic.
Unstructured Data Prediction (UDP): A section that presented students with large, messy datasets from chaotic systems (e.g., weather patterns, stock market noise, population growth models) and asked them to predict the next logical inflection point using pattern recognition and intuitive logic, rather than statistical formulas. This was a direct test of the raw, analytical power required for S-Rank aptitude—the ability to find order in chaos.
The System verified the test's efficacy:
[System Notification]: "Aptitude Assessment Tool [Nalanda Mathematics Challenge - V1.0] created. Accuracy in Aptitude Measurement: 99.8%. This tool effectively nullifies the advantage of external coaching and rote learning, isolating pure latent potential."
The NMC was not just an exam; it was a psychological weapon, guaranteed to expose the inadequacy of the established academic order.
(Paragraph 2: The Administrative Launch and the Infrastructure Fortress - 1200 words)
The execution of the NMC was a dual task for Shraddha Singh and Nihal Verma. Shraddha handled the administrative and PR launch, while Nihal was responsible for the technical infrastructure.
Shraddha utilized the massive, global press attention from the LID Index to launch the competition. She didn't advertise it as an entrance exam; she positioned it as a "National Search for Undiscovered Genius," a noble effort by the NHIAR to find the true intellectual leaders of India, regardless of social class or location.
"The NMC is open to all students, aged 16 to 20, free of cost. This is a challenge to the entire education system: if your coaching is so effective, prove it by having your students solve a problem that cannot be taught," Shraddha's press release dared. This bold move immediately ignited a nationwide debate, forcing prestigious coaching centers into a dilemma: ignore the challenge and admit their fear, or participate and risk exposure.
Meanwhile, Nihal Verma, the new S-Rank Engineer, was tasked with ensuring the online testing platform was absolutely flawless—a matter of pride and System Integrity. The test had to run simultaneously for potentially hundreds of thousands of applicants nationwide without a single crash, lag, or security breach.
"A typical server farm will buckle under the stress of simultaneous, high-intensity processing required for Professor Jha's real-time pattern recognition analysis," Nihal declared. He utilized the [Infrastructure Optimization: Rank C] bonus, combining it with the Supercomputer hardware (still housed in the old bazaar) to create a distributed, high-speed testing network.
[System Notification]: "Infrastructure Deployment: Temporary Sub-System Aptitude Bonus: [Network Resilience: Rank B] activated. The NMC testing network is guaranteed zero downtime. This resource expenditure is covered by the existing Infrastructure Optimization benefit."
Nihal supervised the setup remotely, treating the challenge platform as his first engineering marvel for Nalanda. He ensured the digital infrastructure was as structurally sound as his buildings, preventing any possibility of a software-based 'political ambush.'
(Paragraph 3: The National Tremor and the Public Response - 950 words)
When the registration window for the NMC opened, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands of hopeful students registered within the first 48 hours. They were drawn by the prestige of the NHIAR status, the promise of free, high-quality education, and the sheer audacity of the challenge.
The response from the established universities and coaching mafias, however, was panic. The LIFP (Local Institute of Finance and Politics) immediately issued a statement condemning the NMC as a "gimmick designed to lure away students." But their protest was ineffective; the public, already disillusioned by the market crash debacle, dismissed their complaints as sour grapes.
The day of the exam arrived. When the students logged in and saw the first question of the LPS section, a nationwide intellectual tremor began.
Example Question (LPS): A colony of ants is attempting to cross a 10-foot log. Each ant travels at 1 inch per second, but must pause for 1 second every time it encounters another ant. If 100 ants enter the log simultaneously from both ends, what is the maximum possible time any single ant takes to cross? (Note: This problem requires deriving a non-obvious conservation principle, impossible to solve with standard physics or kinematics.)
Across India, the high-flying students who had paid millions for coaching—students who could recite textbook formulas verbatim—were stumped. They tried to apply existing formulas, searched frantically online (the test was designed to time out the moment external software was detected), and quickly descended into frustration. The scores from these students were universally low (F and E Ranks).
But in isolated pockets, away from the glare of the coaching centers, a different reaction took place. A few students, pure problem-solvers who had always found exams tedious, looked at the questions and, without thinking, started sketching abstract graphs and conceptual diagrams. These were the true A- and S-Rank minds.
(Paragraph 4: The System's Catch and the First A-Rank - 750 words)
The Strongest Principal System was actively monitoring the entire exam, processing the students' raw input—their thought process manifested in their answers—and instantly determining their latent Aptitude. The System was a perfect, objective sorter.
Arjun, watching the real-time Aptitude heat map on his private console, waited anxiously for the crucial FIVE A-Rank or higher talents needed to satisfy the quest.
After two hours, a single, brilliant spark appeared in Chennai.
[System Notification]: "Latent Aptitude Detected. Candidate: Priya Sharma (Age 17, Chennai, Tamil Nadu). Primary Field: Applied Logic and Cryptography."
[Aptitude Scan Result: Priya Sharma]
Applied Logic and Cryptography: A-Rank
Lateral Problem Synthesis: A+ Rank
Focus and Persistence: B Rank
Coaching Dependence: F Rank (Zero)
Priya Sharma had cracked the core heuristic of the LPS section in less than 30 minutes, and her solutions for the UDP section showed an uncanny ability to find non-linear patterns. She was exactly the type of uncoached, raw genius Arjun needed.
[Quest Update]: "[The Fifth Step: Selective Brilliance] Progress: 1/5 A-Rank+ Students Recruited. Total Students to recruit: 73."
The floodgates of C and D-Rank students were opening—valuable, trainable talent, but not the breakthrough geniuses required by the System. Arjun knew he couldn't rely on chance. He needed to find the remaining four A-Rank or higher students quickly.
He instructed Shraddha to immediately dispatch a personalized, hand-delivered letter of invitation to Priya Sharma, utilizing the newly earned credibility of the NHIAR.
(Paragraph 5: The Final List and the Impending Showdown - 550 words)
By the end of the examination window, the NMC had generated a massive dataset. The System filtered the hundreds of thousands of applicants into a final, manageable list of 100 successful candidates—students whose inherent Aptitudes, regardless of their prior scores, were high enough to be accelerated by the Nalanda Method.
The list contained the crucial Priya Sharma, one other confirmed A-Rank in theoretical physics from Kolkata, and three promising candidates in the A- / B+ range who still needed physical verification. The quest objective of FIVE A-Rank+ was tantalizingly close, but not yet secured.
Arjun reviewed the final list of 100. They were students from diverse backgrounds—remote villages, small town schools, and even a few disillusioned high-scorers from metropolitan centers—all bound by their pure, raw intellectual horsepower.
The public reaction to the NMC's closure was split: the masses were impressed, but the entrenched academic powers were furious. They correctly saw the NMC not as a recruitment tool, but as a challenge to their dominance.
The LIFP, in particular, was seething. They had been publicly humiliated by the LID Index, and now their entire testing model had been implicitly labeled as inadequate. They knew Arjun was recruiting the next batch of unrivaled talent.
"They will not wait for the next crisis, Shraddha," Arjun predicted, looking out at the new construction site where Nihal's crew was already mobilizing specialized, rapid-deployment cranes. "They will try to stop these 100 students from ever setting foot on this campus. They'll use financial pressure, social pressure, and outright misinformation."
[System Notification]: "New High-Priority Threat Detected. Threat Level: Academic Sabotage. Be aware of external attempts to dissuade selected candidates from accepting the invitation. Immediate countermeasure advised."
Arjun smiled, the challenge sharpening his focus. "Good. We have the Aura of Credibility, the Financial Shield, and the Political Shield. Now, we will prove the final pillar: The Loyalty of the Recruits. We need to make these 100 students choose Nalanda, not just because it's the best, but because it's the only place they truly belong."
The race was on to secure the 73 new students and the five core geniuses before the opposition could launch its counterattack.