Training

Ogedei led Fu Qinghai into a familiar training cage.

Inside, a burly Space Marine with a hooked nose, a long face, and hair tied in a ponytail had been waiting for a long time.

When the training equipment surrounding the cage was inactive, it served as a sparring ground for Space Marines, and the reinforced structure here was strong enough to withstand the violent outbursts of a Space Marine.

Ogedei pointed at the warrior and said to Fu Qinghai, "Let me introduce you to Arslang, the best melee fighter in the Falcon Brotherhood besides myself."

Arslang laughed and said, "You could drop the 'besides myself' part, Khan."

Ogedei laughed and cursed, "Go to hell. Little Locke is in your hands now. Teach him well; he will become one of us."

Arslang seemed to have already known about Fu Qinghai's situation.

He gently picked up a long metal blade and said to Fu Qinghai, "Come, pick a weapon you like."

Fu Qinghai walked to the weapon rack, looking at the dazzling array of various weapons neatly arranged on it.

These weapons were the same size as the actual weapons used by Space Marines and were equally sharp, though they lacked the Power Field Generator inside. In terms of weight, these specially weighted training weapons were even heavier.

There were warhammers and battle-axes of various shapes and sizes, blades and swords of different lengths, as well as iron claws, guandaos, and halberds.

After browsing, Fu Qinghai ultimately chose a long blade similar to the one in Arslang's hand.

First, he followed his heart to choose the weapon he liked.

Second, he couldn't go wrong choosing the same weapon as the best fighter in the Brotherhood.

Seeing Fu Qinghai's choice, Arslang smiled, raised the long blade in his hands, and said:

"Come, I will first teach you how to perceive the weapon in your hand, to feel its character and soul."

The White Scars always liked to poeticize cold, ruthless killing tools.

Fu Qinghai asked, "How do I perceive it?"

A smirk that Fu Qinghai found somewhat familiar curled the corner of Arslang's mouth.

"Perceive it in battle."

With that, he lunged at Fu Qinghai like a swift, fierce wind.

The day's melee weapon training ended, and Fu Qinghai, once again bruised and swollen, stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror in his rest cabin, examining his naked body.

It was such a brawny, robust, and flawless physique.

Looking at the sharp, well-defined muscles in the mirror, Fu Qinghai couldn't help but reach out and touch his broad, solid pectorals, the deep sternal furrow, the deltoids, and the powerful arms.

These were muscles he could never have built in his past life, even if he had eaten a ton of protein powder and taken ten pounds of steroids.

Fu Qinghai turned slightly and flexed; the hideous, knotted back muscles that instantly bulged were enough to inspire awe.

Looking down, compared to the standard inverted triangle physique pursued by bodybuilders in his past life, Fu Qinghai's waist was not that narrow, and the difference compared to his shoulder width was not obvious, but the eight bulging, strong abdominal muscles and the clearly visible V-taper all indicated:

This body possessed extremely powerful core strength.

Bodybuilders pursue a thin waist to highlight the inverted triangle shape, but from the perspective of actual combat, a sufficiently thick waist represents sufficiently strong core strength and a stable base.

This was how some ancient generals developed their "general's bellies."

Fu Qinghai patted his solid abs, thinking that as expected of the world-renowned Space Marines, this muscle was truly impressive.

It wasn't just for show.

The test data provided by the training cage basically matched the data given by Master Kunto; Fu Qinghai's current thrust was nearly one ton, his running speed without armor was close to 60 kilometers per hour (faster when armored), and his standing jump height was about 4 meters.

This was mainly the ability brought to him by the Biscopea, though, of course, it was inseparable from the support of his reinforced skeleton and dual hearts.

Afterward, Fu Qinghai threw himself into busy training.

Having the hardware of a killing machine was one thing, but he still needed the matching software.

As mentioned before, the technology of bio-organs had existed since ancient times; what truly allowed the Astartes to make their name across the universe was, more importantly, the various combat skills and military-related capabilities stored in their brains.

There was no day or night during space travel, and with the regulation of the Space Marine Occulobe, Fu Qinghai only needed to rest for four hours between each training session.

Fu Qinghai's training intensity was pushed to the maximum right from the start.

Hand-to-hand combat, melee weapon combat—there was almost no ground fighting, submission, or grappling; everything was a kill move, inheriting the White Scars' style of being fast, precise, and lethal in one strike;

Proficient use and precision shooting of various ranged weapons;

Use of power armor;

Proficient operation of various specialized Space Marine vehicles of the Imperium, including Stormbirds, Rhino APCs, and especially the Jetbike, which the White Scars loved most.

Knowledge of various Imperial warships and commanding space naval battles;

Squad tactics, company tactics, regimental tactics, and simulating the command of an entire campaign;

Special operations, including torpedo boarding, teleport boarding, orbital drops, and so on;

Amidst the learning of these strategies, tactics, and techniques, Fu Qinghai was also instilled with the unique combat style and philosophy of the White Scars—luring the enemy deep, flanking and infiltrating, and striking rapidly.

Unlike many other Legions that preferred head-on collisions, frontal assaults, fighting to the death, and refusing to accept feigned retreats.

The Star Hunters, the predecessors of the White Scars, were originally a legion with a scout-oriented doctrine. After finding their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan, the Khan integrated his own understanding of the art of war into the legion.

The tactics of the White Scars are incredibly cunning; they frequently feign weakness to lure enemies deep into traps, disrupt their formations, and then strike back with a sudden, lethal blow. Their combat style emphasizes "speed"—speed is the core of the White Scars, whether in battle or in tactical planning.

However, by the same token, the White Scars are not proficient in areas where many other legions excel, such as constructing fortifications and solid defenses (Imperial Fists), artillery barrages and siege warfare (Iron Warriors), infiltration and assassination (Raven Guard), biochemical and gas warfare (Death Guard), or riot control and interrogation (Night Lords).

Fu Qinghai does not feel regret; stubborn, head-on brute force does not suit his personality, and the style of the White Scars is very much to his liking.

As the saying goes, all martial arts under heaven can be broken, except for speed.

Speed means that if he cannot win a fight, he can still run.

It is not running away; it is called making full use of spatial depth to reasonably preserve one's fighting strength.

In short, a strategic retreat.

This is where Fu Qinghai differs from other Space Marines.

For ordinary Space Marine candidates and recruits, the dozen or so years from selection to the final implantation surgeries are not entirely spent on training; a large portion of that time is used for brainwashing... or rather, psychological conditioning to cultivate a tenacious will to fight, absolute loyalty to the Imperium of Man and humanity, and contempt and hatred for heretics and xenos.

The ascension of a Space Marine is not just a physical transformation; it is also a severance from one's past self. Many people think that when Space Marines undergo brainwashing, their memories are artificially deleted, causing them to forget their past. In reality, that is not the case. Through the long, endless process of training and combat, their memories of life before ascension are simply eroded away, turning them into pure, efficient killing machines.

Fu Qinghai is different. He was already an adult before entering the reincarnation world and had already formed his own worldview. Under the technical guidance of Master Kunto, he completed his ascension in just a year and a half.

The memories of his previous life remain vivid and active in his mind, and his personality and values cannot be reshaped.

Talal and Ogedei do not know that Fu Qinghai's soul comes from outside the universe, but they do know that they are not the Administraturm or a monastery, and they have neither the means nor the time to conduct psychological training on Fu Qinghai.

This is the true point of contention when Talal emphasized to Ogedei that Fu Qinghai's ascension did not follow the regulations.

To put it bluntly, Fu Qinghai is willing to fight for the Imperium of Man, but he is not willing to die for it.

Not to mention that he is merely a traveler from outside the universe earning reincarnation points.

The Imperium of Man is not exactly a benevolent state. It can be described as a totalitarian, militaristic, and fascist nation with severe class stratification, where oppression and discrimination are ubiquitous. Various cyberpunk-style oligarchs and mega-corporations control the production and lives of the people. Aside from a few garden worlds, the lives of the common people at the bottom of the Imperium are neither comfortable nor affluent; it can only be called survival, and the living environment is extremely harsh.

But on the bright side, it is precisely this warmongering Imperium of Man that protects all of humanity, allowing them to survive in this cruel, dark universe and gradually become the masters of the galaxy.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of his factional affiliation in the reincarnation world or his own survival and development, Fu Qinghai has every reason to study hard and train with his life on the line.

Although he wears the power armor of the White Scars, in his heart, Fu Qinghai is a "Black Shield"—an unofficial term for Space Marines without faith or a faction; they fight for themselves.

Setting aside the pursuit of glory and achievement, staying alive is what matters most.

Another month passed.

Fu Qinghai woke up on time.

What is the daily life of a Space Marine like when there are no combat missions?

Space Marines are also called Astartes Monks, and the word "monk" explains it well.

In the daily schedule of every day without a combat mission, almost every moment is filled with various forms of training.

Space Marines have very little personal time; for them, combat is entertainment, and training is entertainment.

Today, Ogedei is teaching Fu Qinghai how to activate the Sus-an Membrane through meditation.

Fu Qinghai sits cross-legged on the floor, facing Ogedei.

Ogedei also gets down from his wheelchair, sitting on the floor to keep his eyes level with Fu Qinghai.

"Close your eyes, regulate your breathing, focus your mind, and feel that area in your brain," Ogedei's voice comes slowly.

Fu Qinghai closes his eyes as instructed.

"Calligraphy and meditation are unique adjustment methods of our legion. They can help you calm your heart, detach from the endless cycle of slaughter, reflect on yourself, contemplate the gains and losses in battle, and even ponder deeper philosophical mysteries."

"And it is not just for activating the Sus-an Membrane," Ogedei's voice is uncharacteristically gentle, like a muscular yoga instructor.

"Good, clear your mind of all distracting thoughts."

As Ogedei finishes speaking, Fu Qinghai subconsciously forms a mudra with his hands, palms facing up, resting them on his knees.

Ogedei stops, looking strangely at Fu Qinghai's gesture of pressing his thumbs against his middle fingers, and asks:

"What is this?"

Fu Qinghai opens his eyes, follows Ogedei's gaze, and immediately feels embarrassed.

"Uh... I thought this was necessary. This is, um, a gesture unique to my hometown."

This Chogorian probably doesn't know what "cultivation" is.

"It is not necessary. Just place your hands however they feel comfortable."

"...Understood."

I've watched too many martial arts movies and accidentally exposed my inner chuunibyou.