Today, the Astartes Are Full of Energy Again!

How could a lazy bum like Fu Qinghai possibly go to grad school?

Laziness and a thirst for knowledge weren't mutually exclusive.

Sometimes a person's laziness stemmed from their personality; sometimes it came from their physical energy levels.

But Fu Qinghai had undergone the surgeries that transformed him into a Space Marine, so fatigue and lack of energy were out of the question.

Every day, he felt full of energy and eager to learn.

Once he decided to study under Techmarine Master Kunto, his schedule grew even busier. In addition to his regular training and military studies, he now had to learn the science and technology unique to the Warhammer 40K universe.

Before becoming Master Kunto's apprentice, Fu Qinghai had already quietly crammed a great deal of basic theory about the Warhammer 40K universe in the frigate's small library. He'd focused mainly on physics, building a framework for the setting in his mind and cramming everything from the nature of the Warp to the workings of a Gellar Field.

After all, the body assigned to him by the Reincarnation World belonged to Locke, an Underhive boy who was, by the standards of the Imperium of Man in Warhammer 40K, more or less illiterate.

As mentioned earlier, Tony Stark Electronic Soul Backup wasn't quite the same as another Iron Man. Though it had copied some of Iron Man's memories, it was fundamentally an electronic brain, not a human one. It had the weaknesses of an electronic brain, but also advantages far beyond those of a human brain, especially when it came to memory.

Thanks to its electronic brain, it could read almost as fast as a scanner. Its memory and comprehension worked somewhat differently from those of a traditional human brain, and it quickly grasped the rules of this universe.

With a foundation in physics, he could move on to the prerequisites for engineering—materials science, energy and power systems, and so on.

Materials science covered rare natural materials unique to Warhammer 40K, especially Adamantium, as well as the Imperium's advanced composite materials, Ceramite and Plasteel.

As for energy and power systems, Fu Qinghai—or rather, Locke—was already familiar with Promethium, the Imperium's most basic and widely used liquid fuel. His main focus was learning about technologies such as fusion power, which were almost commonplace in the Warhammer 40K universe.

Training cage.

Covered in cuts and bruises, Fu Qinghai sat cross-legged in the center of the training cage. Bare-chested and wearing only a pair of exercise shorts, he relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and silently meditated and regulated his breathing in the manner Ogedei had taught him.

Even without the life-support systems in his Power Armor, a Space Marine's physique was more than enough to heal these painful-looking surface wounds.

Outside the training cage, Ogedei and Albuslang were whispering to each other.

Ogedei watched Fu Qinghai meditate quietly inside the cage. He tilted his head, covered his mouth, and lowered his voice.

"Albus, what do you think of Locke?"

"He's a cunning warrior," Albuslang concluded.

"I like him a lot. He's clever, a real fighter who uses his head. He isn't bound to any particular technique or school of thought. He can fight with sweeping, powerful moves or strike from an unexpected angle. And he'd never chase after some bullshit notion of beauty like those narcissists in the Emperor's Children. That kid cares about results. To beat me, he was willing to take a few light blows on purpose, feign retreat, fake an injury—he thought of everything."

Ogedei's mouth twitched. Albuslang's description made Fu Qinghai sound less clever and more shameless.

Still, Albuslang thought highly of him. Techniques had their limits; finding one's own path was what truly mattered to a warrior. And Fu Qinghai seemed to have shown signs of that from the very beginning.

Another nine standard Terran months passed.

Nine months of silent travel would have driven Fu Qinghai crazy with boredom, but for the crew, who were accustomed to long voyages through space, it wasn't particularly hard to endure.

Lower deck, in Kunto's laboratory.

Once again, Fu Qinghai sat on a metal box, his body covered in wires and sensors.

On a screen at the nearby workbench, Master Kunto, shrouded in a dark red robe, silently watched the readings flicker.

While Kunto analyzed Fu Qinghai's physical data, Fu Qinghai wasn't idle either. He quietly opened his status panel in his mind.

[Name: Fu Qinghai (real name)

Reincarnation Number: 60731920

Race: Space Marine (biologically modified human)

Height: 249 cm

Weight: 301 kg

Special Ability: Tony Stark Electronic Soul Backup (17% complete), bound to brain

Reincarnation Equipment: None

Assimilation Points: 990

World Anchor: X1

Reincarnation Lives: X2]

Compared with nine months ago, he was a little taller and heavier.

After nine months of continuous development, his various superhuman organs had finally grown into their fully mature state.

Master Kunto's hoarse voice rang out. "My readings show no problems. How do you feel?"

"Me? I feel great every day. Full of energy."

Kunto gave a raspy chuckle. "That's your adrenaline urging you to get into battle as soon as possible. That day won't be far off, little Locke. Think about why Ogedei chose you. There's a price to becoming an advanced life-form beyond mortal limits."

After a pause, Kunto continued, "Dying in battle is the fate of every Astartes. I only hope you don't die too soon, so I can observe you a little longer."

"Even if you're destined to die, don't die like a pathetic fool. After all, you're a creation of mine, Kunto Anastasio's. At least make your death glorious. Don't let the common rabble question my skills."

"Return to your squad. They should have something prepared for you."

Master Kunto, you sure know how to make a guy feel lucky... Fu Qinghai grumbled to himself. Can't I just live an ordinary, uneventful life?

He'd heard that Ogedei and the others had prepared something for him, and he was about to ask what it was. But Kunto waved him off, apparently with no intention of explaining, so Fu Qinghai didn't press him.

He stood, nodded to Master Kunto, and then turned to leave.

Frigate Sword, bridge.

The bridge was unusually lively today. Many people who weren't usually there had gathered.

They seemed to have been waiting for Fu Qinghai to arrive.

The Sword's captain, Konrad Adenauer, was a middle-aged man with a black beard who was always in uniform. The bridge was where he belonged.

The ship's highest-ranking military commander, the Space Marine representative, the company captain of the White Scars' Falcon Brotherhood, and Fu Qinghai's old acquaintance, Ogedei Mangnut.

Aside from Ogedei, all six of the other Space Marines, including Talal and Albuslang, were also on the bridge.

That was unusual.

In the nine months they'd spent together, Fu Qinghai had grown familiar with his brothers in the company. He raised his arm to his chest and saluted them. The Space Marines, standing in a row and watching him, returned the salute in kind.

There was one more person: a tall, thin young man with untidy flaxen hair, pale skin, and a smattering of freckles.

White cloth was tightly wrapped around his eyes and forehead, yet he seemed unaffected as he turned to "look" at Fu Qinghai along with the others.

The instant he "stared" at him, Fu Qinghai felt his heart give a faint flutter.

So this is what it feels like to be watched by a Psyker... Fu Qinghai thought.

He was the Navigator of the frigate Sword, Marco van Riel, descended from one of the Navigator families within the Imperium.

When this special kind of Psyker reached maturity, a third eye grew on their forehead. It was normally kept closed and covered, to prevent ordinary people from accidentally meeting its gaze and being overcome by panic and fear.

Fu Qinghai nodded to Navigator Marco.

The other man returned a barely perceptible nod. He wasn't as cold and unapproachable as the stories made Psykers out to be.

Astropaths were usually blind, but Navigators weren't. Van Riel might have covered his eyes simply to heighten the sensitivity of the third eye on his forehead. That was Fu Qinghai's guess.

"All right, little Locke, come over here," Ogedei's deep, hoarse voice boomed. He sounded to be in a good mood today.

He motioned for Fu Qinghai to come before him and looked over the tall, young Space Marine. Ogedei's eyes were full of satisfaction.

The White Scars believed in the existence of killing intent. In Ogedei's eyes, after this long period of training, Fu Qinghai was beginning to show his edge. A certain "aura" and "presence" were gradually emerging from him.

"Today, you officially rise to become one of us. I've arranged a simple ceremony for you," Ogedei explained.

"I think you know everyone here, so there's no need for me to introduce them. Oh, right. This is Van Riel, Marco... blah blah blah Van Riel. I can't remember his middle name. He's our Navigator, from the noble... uh, House Riel of the Low Countries in Terra's Old World."

Ogedei's tone carried a hint of teasing. He turned to Marco and asked, "Did I get that right, Your Navigatorship?"

The pale young man showed little reaction to Ogedei's obvious teasing. He merely shook his head slightly and said, "That's correct, Lord Ogedei."

Fu Qinghai knew why Ogedei was making a point of this. These White Scars needed to hurry back to the Solar System to complete their mission and join the coming war against the traitors. But since they couldn't make a Warp Jump, they'd been crawling through the vastness of space at sublight speed. At this rate, even without taking fuel and supplies into account, the rebels and loyalists would have settled the matter long before they reached the Solar System.

The reason the frigate couldn't make a Warp Jump was that the Navigator had been affected by the raging Warp Storms and couldn't find a suitable point of entry or route through the Warp.

Given Ogedei's temperament, it was only natural that he'd give Van Riel the cold shoulder.

Judging by Van Riel's reaction, he seemed to be used to it.

"Ahem." Talal cleared his throat, reminding Ogedei to get back to the point.

Ogedei took the hint and turned to face everyone. "Today, little Locke officially rises to become a glorious and mighty White Scar. I've invited you all here to witness the occasion. These are exceptional times of war, so we won't be holding the complicated ceremony used at the monastery. We'll keep it simple."

As he spoke, Ogedei turned to face Fu Qinghai and declared:

"Today, you leave the ranks of mortals and become an Astartes, one of the Emperor's closest sons. You become one of the Khagan's mightiest warriors, a member of Jaghatai's ordu. From this day forward, as you ride through the stars, proclaim the Emperor's truth, reclaim humanity's lost worlds, and trample the skulls of your enemies, do not forget this day. Do not forget the oath you take today!"

"This is not Quanzhou Monastery, so face in the direction of Holy Terra, kneel on one knee, and repeat my oath..."

Fu Qinghai did as instructed.

When the oath-taking was over, Fu Qinghai rose. Ogedei said to him:

"From this day on, you must sever ties with your former self. Abandon your old name and become someone new. Choose a Chogorian name for yourself. It will help you fit in with the Legion."

Ogedei had mentioned this to him before, and Fu Qinghai had already decided what to say.

Fu Qinghai declared, "Qingshan. My name is Qingshan."

He'd never liked Locke anyway. It was a bare-bones name, only three letters long.

The name "Qingshan" reminded him of an online novel he'd read more than ten years ago, back on Earth in his previous life. It had been the first online novel he'd ever read, and he still vividly remembered its characters to this day.

"Good. That's a fine name." Ogedei patted Fu Qinghai's shoulder approvingly. "It reminds me of Lushan, a mighty warrior from the Brotherhood of Dawn."

Then Ogedei handed him a small bowl of thick black liquid. "This is a deadly poison I asked Master Kunto to prepare for me. Put a little on the blade, then carve your own scar into your face. That'll complete the Ascension Rite."

Fu Qinghai solemnly accepted the small bowl of poison.

The reason for using a deadly poison was that Space Marines healed far too well. Ordinary cuts from a blade wouldn't leave scars on a Space Marine's body, and tattoo ink meant for ordinary humans wouldn't leave any color on their skin. So the Chogorian warriors had to use a corrosive poison to preserve their traditional custom.

Normally, a Space Marine's Ascension Rite was an internal affair of the Legion. The company would witness it, and there was no need to invite outsiders. Why, then, had Ogedei insisted on holding the ceremony on the bridge today? Fu Qinghai suspected it was still for the same reason—

The process by which Fu Qinghai had become a Space Marine hadn't followed the proper procedures.

By making a big show of the ceremony, Ogedei was telling everyone aboard the ship that he, Ogedei, acted for the common good and had nothing to hide.

P.S. "Ordu" originally meant a royal tent or palace, but in a broader sense it could also refer to a military unit. It was a term used by nomadic peoples such as the Turks, Mongols, and Khitans. In official Warhammer 40K novels, it's used internally by the White Scars Space Marines and roughly means "soldier" or "warrior"—a borrowing of steppe-culture terminology by British writers.