Absolute Protagonist C08

Genius Deduction Method 8

It was the end of the first semester when Chu Si received Professor Song’s recommendation. Being specially recruited into A University was even more difficult than passing the usual entrance exams, as it required knowledge of several college-level subjects.

During the winter break, Chu Si systematically reviewed and organized everything he had previously learned. By February of the following year, he stood out in A University’s special recruitment exam and secured a direct offer, exempting him from future exams. However, he would not officially enroll until September. With six months in between, Chu Si decided not to waste time at No. 1 High School. He planned to take a leave of absence, self-study at home, and earn some tuition money during this period.

A University was one of the top-ranked schools in the country. Being specially recruited was an honor. When Chu Si approached Wang, the homeroom teacher of Class 13, to explain his intention, Wang readily agreed.

Chu Si smiled and expressed his gratitude.

“A University, huh…”

Looking at the composed and upright young man before him, Teacher Wang couldn’t help but sigh. “This past half-year, the entire Class 13 has undergone a complete transformation, and it’s almost entirely thanks to you. On behalf of everyone, I should be the one thanking you.”

“Especially those troublemakers in class—they used to be out of control. Ever since you, Chen Mo, joined, they’ve all become much more disciplined. I really don’t know what method you used to convince them.”

“Hehe, I didn’t really do anything. It’s all thanks to everyone’s self-discipline.” Chu Si’s lips curved into a smile. With a modest wave of his hand, he appeared innocent and harmless, without mentioning the “physical persuasion” he used on those students in private.

Class 13 had long been acknowledged as the worst class in the grade. Some students genuinely wanted to study but lacked the means, so Chu Si taught them learning methods and thought processes. However, others were simply uninterested in learning. If not for the fact that these fools had protected him on various occasions, Chu Si wouldn’t have bothered with their academics, let alone gone out of his way to “reason with them.”

As Chu Si walked out of the office, he was immediately greeted by the very troublemakers mentioned earlier.

“Chen Mo, we heard you got specially recruited by A University?”

“Yes.” Chu Si nodded. “I came today to handle my leave of absence paperwork.”

Upon hearing his confirmation, the group became even more excited than Chu Si himself.

“As expected of the study god! You can get into A University just like that!”

“You have to treat us to a meal! Definitely!” The crowd of underachievers shouted enviously. “We’ll drain your wallet dry!”

Chu Si didn’t refuse. Letting them surround him, he was escorted out of the school. Watching their cheerful expressions, as if they had gained some huge advantage, Chu Si didn’t bother revealing that he had already planned to treat them.

Of course, despite their bold words, when it came to picking a venue, the group unanimously chose the affordable hotpot restaurant near the school. Its prices were always student-friendly.

After all, many of them were aware that Chu Si had spent the previous semester participating in competitions to earn scholarship money.

“Cheers!” The atmosphere in the hotpot restaurant was lively. Everyone raised their cans of soda, pretending it was alcohol, and declared, “To our study god! May he ascend to the top of A University!”

…

After the impromptu “graduation party” just for Chu Si, when it was finally time to leave, no one wanted to move. They sat glued to their seats, looking at each other and refusing to budge. Some even pretended to be “drunk.”

“Don’t go, boss… You promised not to forget us when you’re rich and famous!”

“My exam practice book isn’t finished yet! After this, I won’t have anyone to ask for help!”

“Alas, with the winds of change and fierce competition brewing, Class 13 is teetering on collapse. Without you, who will hold up the pillars of our class?”

Chu Si: “…”

… When it comes to drama, I admit defeat!

“Wow, you all really can’t bear to part with… my tutoring.” Chu Si pulled out his phone and flashed a dazzling smile at everyone. “Don’t worry, I’ve prepared a little gift for you.”

With a “ding,” a QR code was sent to everyone’s WeChat.

“‘Study Well’ App?”

“This is a little something I tinkered with recently. As the name suggests, it’s meant to help you study.” Completely unaware of how bad his naming skills were, Chu Si cheerfully explained, “I’ve loaded it with a carefully curated question bank that updates automatically. It even includes a unique problem-solving program I wrote. As long as you practice for an hour a day, I guarantee you’ll ace your college entrance exams in two years.”

Everyone: “…”

“Oh, and one more thing—it has a built-in focus mode. If your study time or accuracy doesn’t meet the requirements, the app will temporarily lock your phone, except for answering calls…”

Everyone sat frozen in their seats, staring at the seemingly ordinary QR code on their phones with twitching lips.

“There are many other features you can explore yourselves. With this app, you’ll have no excuses not to improve…” Chu Si’s smile grew brighter as he scanned the room. “Well? Aren’t you pleasantly surprised?”

Everyone: “… Yes, we’re definitely surprised.” [Forced smile.jpg]

Looking at the boy’s smiling eyes, sparkling like starlight, everyone inwardly screamed in unison.

—Are you the devil?

… Give us back our earlier reluctance and gratitude!

Watching their despairing expressions, the smile on Chu Si’s lips deepened.

In truth, this was just a spur-of-the-moment prank. The Study Well app had already been uploaded to the app store, but it hadn’t gained any attention due to the lack of promotion.

Chu Si had developed it while teaching himself programming, with Professor Song helping to connect him with a server provider. To save costs, he opted for revenue-sharing. He didn’t care how much it made.

What Chu Si didn’t expect was that this casual prank would actually popularize his app.

Although it was just a practice project, the core design was highly refined. It recorded users’ problem-solving data, including common mistakes, unmastered concepts, and weak question types. It even provided personalized training for individual thinking patterns. The app’s features were comprehensive.

Despite their initial complaints, most students in Class 13 accepted the gift. Over time, their grades genuinely improved, and they even managed to outperform expectations in the next monthly exams.

As a result, the app—despite its uncreative name—became popular at Shen City No. 1 High School. With strong recommendations from teachers, its popularity quickly spread to nearby schools.

Chu Si’s previously empty wallet gradually began to fill up. At the same time, his “demonic” reputation spread among countless high school students, many of whom secretly plotted to ambush him.

The story shifts back to the day of the gathering.

Not long after leaving the hot pot restaurant, System 666, which had been silent all this time, suddenly said, 【Host, we just received a huge influx of faith power.】

“Faith power?” Chu Si paused mid-step and turned around, casting a deep glance at the group of people walking away. “Was it them…?”

He quickly turned back, his expression unchanged, though his tone carried a hint of curiosity. “If I remember correctly, I’ve gained some before, right?”

【Yes! In the past six months, when you became famous at Shen City No. 1 High School, there were sporadic gains of faith power. But compared to what we just received today, it’s a world of difference!】 System 666’s voice grew excited.

“…Oh? How so?”

【Well… let me give you an analogy. If the faith power we gained before was like thin, murky muddy water—plentiful, but impure—】System 666 worked its not-so-flexible mind to explain, 【then the faith power we gained today is like pure, crystal-clear mineral water. Though the quantity is smaller, its purity has increased significantly, making the energy within far stronger than what we collected before.】

System 666 tried to stay calm while explaining but couldn’t hide its excitement. 【Host 666! How did you do it? Why is the faith power from all the students at the school less powerful than what we got from Class 13? If we figure this out, we can collect more pure faith power in the future!】

At this point, System 666 felt as if it were about to drool—if it even had the ability to.

“It’s simple.” Chu Si recovered from his momentary surprise and spoke slowly, word by word. “The other students only have a vague and illusory impression of me based on what they’ve seen online or heard from others. Their admiration stems from a herd mentality and a desire to revere the strong… naturally, it’s very shallow.”

On the other hand, the students in Class 13 have spent time with him day in and day out and have genuinely benefited academically from his help. The faith power they provide contains genuine gratitude and admiration.

Chu Si broke it all down clearly: “Since faith power is ultimately an intangible mental energy, it must be tied to the sincerity of one’s heart. The more genuine the faith, the purer and stronger it becomes.”

System 666: 【That… makes so much sense… Let’s go collect more faith power now!】

“There’s no need to rush. This hypothesis will be confirmed soon enough.” Chu Si already had an idea in mind. “And I can even earn some travel and tuition money in the process.”

…

Not long after, a miraculous study livestream suddenly went viral on a streaming platform. The host didn’t show their face; the only content streamed was studying and knowledge explanation. But what seemed like a dull concept for a livestream somehow gained immense popularity.

When people first saw the buzz about it online, their initial reaction was disbelief: “How much ad money did they spend on this? Who would watch such a boring stream?”

“Seriously, do you people have no shame hyping this up? What’s so special about a study stream? I’ll go check it out myself and put this overhyped streamer in their place!”

Then, after entering the livestream: …This is amazing!

On screen, only a pair of slender hands were visible, gently flipping through book pages, while a clear and gentle voice of a young man rang out: “Today’s topic is…”

At first, the chat was flooded with all kinds of comments. Yet the boy’s voice remained calm and steady, with a rhythm that inexplicably drew people in. The chaotic barrage of comments quickly quieted down.

His tone carried an oddly compelling charm, making listeners unknowingly absorbed in it. No matter how complex the material was, he dissected it with clarity, ensuring anyone with the right foundational knowledge could follow along.

“Did the streamer cast some kind of spell? I’m a terrible student, but I unknowingly studied for an hour along with him. Even though I didn’t understand half the stuff, I was totally engrossed!”

“I came here because I was attracted by the streamer’s hands—yeah, I’m a sucker for pretty hands—but now I’m awestruck by his talent instead!”

“Yesterday during the math quiz, I solved several problems I could never do before. Is this streamer some kind of celestial being?”

The mysterious host, who never showed their face, ignored the comments and calmly concluded the one-hour daily session. He then asked within his consciousness, “So, how has the faith power changed during this period?”

【Host, you’re incredible! This study livestream actually brought in a decent amount of faith power.】 System 666 immediately answered, 【And the purity is quite high!】

Chu Si nodded.

It seemed that this faith power mostly came from students who had improved their academic performance thanks to him.

With energy accumulating, System 666 grew even more excited, urging its host to gather more faith power.

“Keep a long-term perspective. This is just an experiment,” Chu Si said, shaking his head as he looked at the little light orb bouncing around in the system space. He flicked it lightly on its “head,” making the excitable entity calm down. “What we’ve gained so far is insignificant. Why get sidetracked?”

“As long as I keep improving myself and pushing forward, reaching unprecedented heights, the so-called faith power will come naturally.”

When someone achieves a height unattainable by others, there’s no need to actively seek faith; the faith of all beings will naturally follow.