Martial Arts Genius with Proficiency System Chapter 2: New Skill - Gathering Dao

During the self-study session, every student scribbled intently on the papers in front of them. Standing out in this age has grown incredibly tough, yet studying can still forge a path forward for the moment.

Word is, the Second Colony Star has developed brain-machine interfaces that inject all knowledge directly into the mind in mere seconds. Should that tech go mainstream, true hopelessness will set in.

In Su Tu's elite class at a premier academy, the study vibe was intense—no talking during self-study, just the relentless scratch of pen tips over paper echoing through.

As classmates scribbled furiously, Su Tu set his pen down and tidied his papers.

Notifications raced across his vision.

[Completed the college entrance exam mathematics mock test paper A, Spiritual Wisdom Proficiency +1]

[Completed the college entrance exam mathematics mock test paper B, Spiritual Wisdom Proficiency +1]

[Completed....]

Ten prompts flashed one after another, granting Su Tu a full 10 proficiency points.

A consistent top performer, Su Tu's scores stayed firmly in the year's top thirty. With the system unlocked, regular studying now also yielded skills.

Not math or physics abilities, but one called Spiritual Wisdom.

In essence, all his studies boiled down to knowledge, which isn't a skill alone. Yet accumulated knowledge elevates intelligence, EQ, perception—and from those boosts emerges the Spiritual Wisdom skill.

Every bit of learning raises Spiritual Wisdom proficiency, explaining why it became Su Tu's first skill to hit Middle Tier.

Once at Middle Tier, though, proficiency gains slowed dramatically. A single paper used to yield 10 points; now it offers just one.

Su Tu felt his memory, grasp of concepts, and even raw intellect surge sharply as Spiritual Wisdom took hold.

For a clear example, his yearly rank once lingered near 30th. Spiritual Wisdom unlocked, his scores exploded, claiming school-wide first in the latest two mocks.

Mock papers done, Su Tu's thoughts swirled with Lin Feiyang's earlier words.

Dwelling on it more, his suspicion felt increasingly spot-on.

It stemmed from near-instinct, a strange power unlocked when Spiritual Wisdom hit Middle Tier.

"But in this day and age, does personal strength still matter?"

"With the Federation's current progress, colonial stars must already boast prosthetic enhancements and genetic mods. No amount of training in skills or power by an average person can rival that tech."

"A country would never include a useless subject in the college entrance exam unless... there’s something beyond my imagination behind Martial Arts Dao."

Su Tu's thoughts churned wildly, endless ideas sparking in a flash.

The teacher up front spotted daydreamers and prepared the signature pen flick, but paused upon recognizing Su Tu.

Do you grasp the prestige of topping the year!!

Others zone out and slack; but Su Tu's musing? That's prime mental refresh!

What, unfair? Snag first in the year yourself and taste it!!

"I have to track down Feiyang again to dig deeper. No idea what share Martial Arts Dao holds in the exam. A big chunk, and everything flips."

Su Tu's target school, Starship University, lies off Blue Star—on the Third Colony Star, planet Celestial City Star.

Since humanity's Interstellar Era dawned, Blue Star as mankind's birthplace remains safeguarded. Hazardous experiments and transformative policies play out on the colonies.

The world mirrors a hundred boats in fierce race—stagnation means sinking.

Blue Star gains shelter yet falls behind. Colony tech does flow back; stable versions hit Blue Star first, in fact.

But 'stability' is the crux. All advancement carries danger. Tech deemed stable? It's already passé.

Nearly all of the world's top 100 universities nowadays occupy colonial stars. Starship University, Su Tu's desired school, ranks as a top contender among them, demanding outrageously high admission scores.

Su Tu originally possessed solid confidence about entering Starship University, yet incorporating Martial Arts Dao into the college entrance exam would inevitably spark massive shifts.

This stems purely from the information gap; learning of something through others indicates they've already invested effort, with some fully conquering that path while countless remain oblivious to it.

Certain compelling reasons demand Su Tu's admission into Starship Academy, leaving him no choice but to treat this seriously.

Class over, Su Tu promptly exited the classroom.

His homeroom teacher immediately took notice.

"Why does this kid look so distracted? Is he getting into early romance?"

"That's no good. Puppy love harms academic results. I must have a stern talk with him..."

The homeroom teacher's concerns evaporated instantly upon seeing Su Tu's test paper.

Every single question earned a perfect checkmark, including solutions to some problems unfamiliar even to the teacher.

"Talk!!! Chatter all you want!!"

"Had you mentioned scores this stellar despite dating, I'd have matched you with my daughter!" The homeroom teacher epitomized double standards.

Su Tu reached Lin Feiyang’s office and rapped on the door.

To his surprise, the door swung open from his knocks before any answer came.

Before him stretched an empty office.

"Not around? Typical for the PE teacher, forever 'sick'—teaching even one class counts as heroic effort."

Su Tu sighed while eyeing the deserted office, knowing his journey proved fruitless.

He never intended to step inside. Absent any occupant, intruding without permission might demand awkward excuses later.

As he moved to shut the door, a highly unusual painting on the office wall abruptly drew his gaze.

Curiosity sparked, he peered at it, and in the blink of an eye, his environment transformed—he now stood atop a shadowy mountain ringed by grotesque rocks.

At the mountain base lounged a white-striped savage beast, eyes glowing crimson, body crouched, its slaughterous intent pulsing like a vast, unending sea.

A massive azure serpent wound around the peak, head thrust toward the heavens, as if devouring the essences of heaven and earth, scales scarred and tattered, two depressions marking its crown.

Yet neither creature fully seized Su Tu’s focus. What truly mesmerized him were the two colossal moons dominating the sky: one pristine white, the other... drenched in blood!

Enraptured by the otherworldly scene, Su Tu instinctively shifted his breathing rhythm. Each inhale and exhale pulsed with unique rhythm, his skin radiating a subtle rosy sheen that draped his form, making him resemble a divine immortal descending the peaks!

However, moments later, Su Tu sensed his breath falter; his body struck its boundary, jolting him to full awareness. The eerie landscape evaporated instantly, leaving no trace behind.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for learning the skill: Gathering Dao!]

[Successfully mastered a new skill, Skill Points +1]

[First completion of Gathering Dao: Gathering Dao Proficiency +10, Spiritual Wisdom Proficiency +10, Body Strengthening Proficiency +50]

Notifications danced ceaselessly before his eyes, igniting Su Tu’s breaths with fervor.

"This world truly harbors impossibilities that shatter all reason!"

This painting's existence solidified Su Tu’s convictions—a profound enigma lurked within Martial Arts Dao, proven irrefutably by the artwork itself.

No need to dwell on its owner. Su Tu felt absolute certainty that Martial Arts Dao would emerge as a fresh college entrance exam subject.

Composed once more, Su Tu refrained from staring further at the painting and sealed the door.

Reining in his thrill, he departed swiftly.

Stumbling onto a treasure spells fortune, but greedily pursuing it invites crime.

Su Tu wasn't some saintly gentleman, yet he scorned base pilfering.

Now, his eagerness focused on unveiling the role of his newly awakened 'Gathering Dao' skill.

Soon after Su Tu's exit, the office door parted on its own. Lin Feiyang coiled the painting he held, directing a profound glance along the corridor.

"In the end, you are a student of mine, Lin Feiyang. With your budding talent, I won't hesitate to offer aid, but tell me—Dragon Transformation, Crouching Tiger, Twin Moons, Green Peak—which vision struck you, and how deeply did you seize it?"