Warhammer Cultivation: Cultivating the Tao Te Ching in the 40K Universe

But for another group of people—

For those imperial giants who witnessed the miracle at the "Fulcrum" space station, those who, at the terminals of their respective power networks, repeatedly watched frame by frame that "public tribulation"—a tribulation powerful enough to overturn the empire's millennia-old understanding of its psionic system—this was a different story.

These past few months have felt as long as a completely new era.

That sublimation ceremony, which later imperial historians named "The Proof of the Pivot" with a tone full of awe and bewilderment, was a ritual of sublimation.

Give the Taoist a fulcrum, and they can leverage the entire empire.

Its visual record, like the deepest and coldest "logic bomb" thrown into the stagnant waters of Terra, stirred up a monstrous wave far more turbulent and silent than any interstellar war.

The video footage contained no glorious battle cries, nor any dazzling psionic duels.

There are only three "samples" and three "Daoist hearts".

In the icy hell of fear, the young girl Karen sees through the opposition between cold and life, and with a heart of protection, gives birth to that emerald green that symbolizes "new life".

Her success, like the gentlest ray of dawn, illuminated a new path to "self-reconciliation" for the hundreds of millions of "gifted individuals" in the empire who also lived in the shadows out of fear of their own power.

Grol, a barbarian youth, breaks through the boundary between "blocking" and "dredging" in the infernal fire of "rage," and with the "heart of a warrior," bears the rage that is enough to burn the heavens.

His success, like an unbreakable lighthouse, pointed out a path for those Space Marine Auxiliaries, who were also struggling on the verge of losing control due to their inability to control their inner beasts, and even for Astartes himself, to... coexist with anger.

What silenced the entire empire, and even the Temple of All Machines on Mars, was that final miracle.

Technologist Tectus-19.

That perfectly chosen "logic bomb" by the Martian conservatives, that madman whose soul had long been corrupted by the shadow of something like the "silicon disaster" and endless paradoxes.

He should have been the perfect "sacrifice" in this drama.

He should have proven to the entire empire, in full view of everyone, in the most tragic and irrefutable way, how fragile and how utterly vulnerable the "way of silence" was in the face of true "madness".

But in the end, under the protection of the Dao Heart Jade Talisman filled with "harmony" and "balance," and enlightened by the phrase "'Dao' is just another door," which is full of Eastern metaphysical charm, he was able to overcome his obstacles.

A most incredible... "illogical" miracle has unfolded!

He did not attempt to "solve" that paradox.

He chose to "surpass" it.

No solution is also the answer!

Using a novel logic of "yin" (0) and "yang" (1), he reclassified and summarized that white data hell that could burn down any logic engine. Ultimately, at the core of his thinking, it coalesced into a perfect, slowly rotating image composed of countless "0"s and "1"s...

—Binary Taiji Diagram!

This scene was presented to all "observers" without reservation through the more than 17,000 holographic recording probes that are spread throughout the space station.

As that sacred image, filled with the beauty of contradiction and harmony, slowly rotated on the cold data screen representing mental state, the entire power core of Terra fell into silence for several standard days.

Waldo, the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard, the giant who was turning his attention to the Dao Academy for the first time, looked at the picture in the Imperial Guard headquarters, which was built of gold and silence, and remained silent for a long time.

A complex emotion, one that even he himself was unaware of, flashed in his eyes, which were as resolute as ancient glaciers.

He recalled those Imperial Guard candidates who, over the long years, could not withstand the overwhelming brilliance of the Emperor's will and whose spirits completely collapsed during the ritual, transforming them into "soulless beings."

The "Shadow Master" of the Assassin's Court, in that eternal darkness, let out a soft, indefinable laugh filled with pleasure and confusion.

What it "sees" is not a Tai Chi diagram, but a completely new, higher-dimensional "hidden" way that can perfectly integrate "chaos" (paradox) and "order" (logic).

Mars, that steel holy land shrouded in endless red sand, was completely plunged into an earthquake of faith!

General Kelbo Hall, the forging general, completely secluded himself in the deepest part of the Temple of All Machines. On the black crystal screen in front of him, the "Binary Taiji Diagram" had been playing on a loop for over ten million times.

His seemingly indestructible "heart of steel," built from absolute logic and cold dogma, cracked deeply in the face of this "heretical" miracle filled with "harmony" and "variables."

Throughout the galaxy, the Astartes Legion, like giant crocodiles at varying distances from the center of the ripples, sooner or later, felt the boulder thrown by the Academy.

Finally, after the ideological storm that swept through the entire imperial hierarchy subsided, a joint edict filled with absolute authority and unquestionable power was issued from the thrones of the Imperial Regent and the Emperor himself.

The "Intercepting Sect Academy," this new star that had just painstakingly torn open the veil of the old order in the skies of Terra, brimming with infinite possibilities, was at this moment struck by an irresistible, immense force originating from the highest will of the Empire...

It took a huge leap forward!

Chapter 189 From "1" to "100"

The "Wenxinzhai" that once occupied only a corner of the sky garden has now expanded into a vast, intricate, and magnificent architectural complex full of contradictory yet harmonious beauty.

Its territory has expanded more than tenfold, encompassing almost the entire floating continent in the Eastern Seventh District within its "Dojo" area.

Its entrance is no longer the inconspicuous side gate of the past. A brand-new, magnificent archway, tens of meters high, has risen from the ground, becoming the most eye-catching symbol of this ideological "special zone".

But its "grandeur" is completely different from any architectural language of the Empire. It does not have the skeletal eagles that are ubiquitous in Terra, symbolizing death and glory, nor the cold lines full of sharp Gothic angles, nor the huge statues used to intimidate mortals.

It consists of only two huge, unpolished, warm, moon-white, unidentified jade stones.

The surface of the jade naturally bears some light gray textures, like those in a traditional Chinese ink painting, and under the simulated sunlight, it emits a gentle halo that calms the mind.

Above the archway hang three plaques made of polished dark obsidian.

However, what is puzzling is that only on the most conspicuous horizontal plaque in the middle, four powerful characters are carved in an ancient calligraphy full of vigor and style: "Taoist Academy General Hospital".

The two vertical plaques on either side of the main gate, which should have been inscribed with couplets or maxims, were completely blank.

Passing through this seemingly unfinished "wordless door" leads to a vast new world, filled with a paradoxical beauty.

The most advanced anti-gravity engines and matter recombination technology from Mars were applied without reservation to the construction of this "Thought Zone." Pavilions and towers with flying eaves and brackets, full of the charm of oriental gardens, rose from the ground as if they had stepped out of a painting, blending perfectly with the sky gardens that were preserved and full of the style of ancient Terra.

A clear stream meanders between artificial mountains suspended in anti-gravity, making a pleasant sound; tall, verdant bamboos sway gracefully beside an alloy-crafted corridor, casting dappled shadows. Technology and nature, coldness and vitality—two completely different styles—achieve an unprecedented harmonious unity here.

The students of the academy are no longer the mere two hundred "defective products" selected from the black warship.

More than three thousand young souls from all corners of the galaxy, with different skin colors, cultures, and beliefs, have gathered here.

Among them were war orphans from the eternally war-torn land of the Cardian Stargate, whose parents had both perished in the chaotic turmoil.

Their eyes, like steel tempered by cold starlight, were filled with a deep-seated hatred for chaos and a primal desire for "power".

There is the second son of a certain ruling family from the "model world" of Macurag, a place full of order and reason.

His mind, like the most sophisticated logic engine, was accustomed to measuring everything with data and regulations. He came here not to seek "redemption," but to use his own eyes to "examine" and "deconstruct" this set of Eastern metaphysics that his father had denounced as "idealistic dross."

There were even a few... young descendants from the Navigator family who were considered a "disgrace" by their family because their "third eye" gene mutation was too weak, and were thus exiled here in a disguised form.

Their pale faces bore an innate pride and a deep-seated inferiority complex, like white swans with broken wings, walking alone in this Garden of Eden filled with "outcasts".

Different civilizations, different beliefs, and different ideas collided and rubbed against each other fiercely in this small temple, as if being repeatedly tempered and forged in a huge furnace by an invisible flame called "Tao".

In the months following the storm at the Fulcrum space station, the area outside the monastery was bustling with infrastructure expansion, with countless engineering servants and technical priests working day and night to turn the blueprint into reality.

However, the interior of the Taoist temple unexpectedly entered a peculiar state full of vitality, almost like "governing by doing nothing".

All of this was because their leader, Hector Kane, announced that he was going into seclusion.

Thus, this newly established academy, which had only just revealed a small part of its potential to the entire empire, entered a long and peaceful "summer vacation."

Without the mentor's anchoring presence, the students did not slack off. Instead, they continued their spiritual practice in a more spontaneous and exploratory way.

Those core Qi cultivators who were among the first to follow Hector and passed the first major test spontaneously took on the responsibilities of "senior brothers".

They would loosely organize the new "junior brothers and sisters" whose eyes were filled with confusion and awe, and under the ancient trees and by the stream, clumsily but sincerely teach them the most basic "Baoyuan Zhuang" and "Neiguan" methods, guiding them to become familiar with the cold yet absolutely fair "Legalist Ruler" daily practice system.

Some new students with exceptionally high spiritual talent and pure Daoist hearts even passed the Qi Refining Examination on their own under the guidance of Karen and Groll, and were exceptionally granted the qualification to cultivate the "Daozang·Qi Refining Scroll".

They cultivate diligently day and night, hoping that one day they can gain the personal recognition of the Dao Lord and obtain the coveted "Qi Refiner" rank.

The entire Wenxinzhai exists in a wonderful balance that is both organized and extremely loose. This is not chaos, but rather a kind of... "natural" and unbridled growth.

But no one knew that beneath this tranquil facade, their Dao Lord was undertaking an even more arduous and grander "creation of heaven and earth."

Hector's "seclusion" was not a form of spiritual practice.

He wanted to infuse this newly established Taoist temple with a true "soul." He wanted to share all the experiences of his two lifetimes—

Whether it's the management philosophy of the information explosion era or the power rules of this iron-fisted universe...

—Completely integrate with that ancient and profound Eastern wisdom, and plan a clear and solid future path for the unprecedented organization "Jiejiao Daoyuan" to go from "1" to "100".

From the selection and training mechanisms of the teaching system to the inheritance and assessment standards of different exercises;

From the allocation of resources within the Taoist academy to the future division of responsibilities with various institutions of the empire...

He had no existing examples to draw upon, and could only play like the loneliest chess player, on a blank chessboard, engaging in silent battles with himself and with the future.

Every plan he made had to be approved by the Imperial Regent, who was also quietly observing everything.

This consumed almost all of his time and energy.

However, this temporary "letting go" and this deliberate "leaving blank space" did not damage his reputation in any way.

On the contrary, the magnificent Taoist temple, full of oriental charm, became clearer and more complete on Terra's skyline day by day;

As the legend of that "public tribulation" was passed down, it was continuously mythologized and embellished by countless people.

As the anticipation and awe for the Dao Lord's return grew ever stronger in the eyes of those three thousand psionic trainees...

Hector Kane, this name is becoming increasingly mysterious and legendary.

It was precisely at the height of the academy's prestige and scale that its founder, the mysterious "Master of the Dao" who had long been mythologized in the hearts of countless people—Hector Kane—finally ended his months-long seclusion and reappeared before everyone.

The first thing he did upon his return was to personally preside over this event, a momentous occasion worthy of being recorded in the annals of the empire—the first such event for the "Intercepting Sect Academy"...

—Opening Ceremony!

Chapter 190 Opening Ceremony (Long Chapter)

The ceremony was not held in any magnificent hall.

The location remains the same open-air platform, once imbued with the spirit of "the balance of the gods," now occupied by only an ancient tree and a stretch of white sand.

More than three thousand students, dressed in uniform grey monk robes without any extra embellishments, sat cross-legged on the vast sandy ground like three thousand silent statues seeking answers.

Their aura, though still mixed, was enveloped by an invisible, tranquil order, creating a wondrous harmony with their surroundings.

There were no flags, no war songs, and not even a single "distinguished guest" from the imperial high command.

The ceremony was so simple it was almost “simple”.

But everyone knows that today, here, something entirely new—a "thought" and a "system"—is about to be born, one that will change the future of the entire galaxy.

When Hector Kane appeared silently beneath the ancient tree, as if arriving with the morning light, the entire platform instantly fell into an even deeper silence.

Three thousand gazes, filled with awe, curiosity, and fervor, flowed like three thousand rushing rivers into his small, abyss-like figure, which remained calm and serene.

He simply watched them quietly.

His dark eyes, which seemed to contain the birth and death of the entire universe, swept over every young face, yet filled with confusion.

Then, he slowly began to speak.

"I know why you have come."

His voice, though not loud, was clear and resonated in everyone's hearts, like the gentlest spring rain, silently nourishing their long-parched souls.

“Some of you have come here to control the ‘curse’ that once brought you endless suffering.” His gaze fell on the students who were once wild psionicists.

“Some people have come seeking a ‘power’ that will allow them to survive longer on the brutal battlefield.” His gaze shifted to the battle-hardened young soldiers from the mortal auxiliary army.

“There are also those who come simply to escape the cold reality that is already filled with despair and injustice.” His gaze finally fell on the young people from the lower classes of the capital and noble families, whose eyes were filled with confusion and rebellion.

“Your causes are all different, but your effects all point to the same place.”

He slowly extended a finger and gently tapped his chest.

"--here."

"Is psionic power your gift, or your curse?"

"You are all searching for an 'answer'."

"An answer that can tell you, 'Who am I?', 'Why do I fight?', 'What is the meaning of my existence?'"

“And the Empire,” Hector’s voice deepened, “for a long time, gave you only one answer.”

"—That is a 'tool'."

“You are the places on the Empire’s massive war machine that need psionic energy, the cogs that can be replaced at any time, the ammunition that can be sacrificed at will. Your value lies only in your ‘utility’. Your loyalty is based solely on absolute obedience to ‘orders’.”

“That’s right.” Hector’s tone shifted unexpectedly. “In the dark ages when the human race was struggling for survival, this was the only right choice. We need a sword that is sharp enough and ruthless enough.”

“But,” his voice became distant and profound again, “the darkness will not last forever; we fight for a bright future.”

"As the darkness recedes and the empire's territory encompasses millions of worlds, shouldn't we begin to ponder a deeper question?"