Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

”So this is... an entirely new kind of power.”

Palpatine stared at his own hands, unable to suppress the excitement rising in his heart. He lifted his head and looked at himself in the mirror. Reflected there was an elderly man, seemingly in his fifties or sixties, with a head of white hair and a gentle, refined demeanor. This was Palpatine’s original appearance.

It was just that long ago, because of cultivating the Dark Force, Palpatine’s body had been corroded by darkness and long since become an eyesore. This was the main reason he was always wearing a black hood to cover his face. But Palpatine had never expected that this brand‑new way of using the Primordial Force would actually let him return to the years of his youth!

Well, strictly speaking, this couldn’t really be called ”youth.”

Even so, Palpatine could clearly feel that this power was not like the Dark Force, a wild and overwhelming strength, but a completely new sensation. He could feel his formerly aged body becoming strong and powerful again, his sluggish nerves turning sharp once more. For an old man, this already amounted to a miracle.

”Congratulations, all of you.”

Fang Zheng stood to the side, grinning as he looked at the three in front of him. Both Palpatine and Darth Vida had reaped considerable benefits from this Primordial Storm. Only Luke, because he had not been cultivating for long, had gained far less than the other two; but considering his age, it was already quite good.

”I should be thanking you, Mr. Fang Zheng.”

Palpatine withdrew his gaze and turned to Fang Zheng, his expression deep and thoughtful.

”So, what is it that you want?”

Palpatine was no fool. He knew it was Fang Zheng who had just saved his life. If Fang Zheng hadn’t blocked the Primordial Storm, he might well have exploded on the spot.

At the same time, Palpatine also understood that the other party clearly hadn’t done all this just out of the goodness of his heart; he definitely had something in mind. And as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, Palpatine was not stupid enough to fall out with such a powerful force—after all, the other side had just helped them block the assault of the Primordial Storm, and even now Palpatine did not believe he had any way to face a Primordial Storm of that magnitude head‑on.

”Order.”

”...Order?”

”That’s right, Mr. Palpatine.”

Fang Zheng nodded.

”The reason I’m helping you is because I want the Galactic Empire to continue to exist. You may not realize it, but a stable Galactic Empire, filled with order, in itself aligns very well with my interests. You and Mr. Darth Vida both possess the strength to stabilize the Empire, which is why I stepped in. All I ask is that you continue to maintain the Galactic Empire as a whole and not allow it to fall into chaos and fragmentation. That will be the best reward you can give me.”

”That’s all?”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, Palpatine and Darth Vida exchanged a glance. Both of them felt a bit surprised and at a loss. They had originally thought Fang Zheng would have some special demands, but they hadn’t expected him to put forward such a request... No, it couldn’t even be called a request. After all, this had always been Palpatine’s goal.

”Yes, that’s all.”

Fang Zheng nodded again, then narrowed his eyes slightly.

”Don’t underestimate what I’m asking. Although at first glance this might seem like something that goes without saying, the significance of order’s existence is far more important than you imagine. Right now I can’t give you a precise explanation, but I can tell you this, Mr. Palpatine: once order collapses, what will be destroyed is not just you and your Galactic Empire, and not merely the downfall of a political entity. It could very well involve the destruction of the entire Milky Way. The Primordial Storm you felt this time is just the tip of the iceberg. If you fail to hold things together, what comes next will not be this easy to deal with.”

”...In that case, do you have any good suggestions?”

At this point Palpatine’s expression grew solemn. He was an ambitious and shrewd politician. Although Palpatine indeed often resorted to any means necessary, his ultimate goal was to rule the entire Galactic Empire. Fang Zheng’s words were something he couldn’t ignore—indeed, the Galactic Empire might fall, but as long as he had the chance, he could always rise again.

But what if the entire Milky Way was destroyed?

What the hell would he have left to rule then?!

”As for suggestions, I do have a few.”

Fang Zheng had intended to bring this up anyway, and since Palpatine had asked, he simply went with the flow.

”This Primordial Storm has had a tremendous impact on the entire Milky Way. If my prediction is correct, among the children born during this period, a great many will possess the aptitude to manipulate the Primordial Force.”

”Oh!?”

Hearing this, Palpatine’s eyes flashed and his expression showed a mix of surprise and delight.

”Really?”

”In theory, that’s exactly how it works, so I suggest, Mr. Palpatine, that you can start considering building a brand‑new Army right now... Also, my personal suggestion is that it’s best to take the current Primordial Force doctrine as guidance and create an entirely new school of thought. The Jedi are too pedantic, the Xis are too radical, and how both of them ended up—I think, Mr. Palpatine, you’ve seen it quite clearly. As far as I’m concerned, if we can combine the strengths of the Xis and the Jedi to create a new Primordial Force school, it should be very beneficial.”

”Hmm... indeed...”

Faced with Fang Zheng’s suggestion, Palpatine fell into thought. Although he looked very calm, Fang Zheng could still sense Palpatine’s excitement. Seeing this, he also chuckled softly in his heart.

Bringing up this proposal was basically Fang Zheng playing to his tastes. Palpatine loved power and Reputation; he was an ambitious man full of ideas. But you have to look at the circumstances with an ambitious man—if you give him the right direction, then an ambitious man can be very useful.

Right now Palpatine was already the Galactic Emperor, holding sway over the world. He had status, he had power, he had wealth, women—Palpatine didn’t seem interested in that, could it be he’s actually gay?

So what’s left is fame.

Everyone wants to be remembered forever; Palpatine is naturally no exception. But if he’s only the Galactic Emperor, that doesn’t mean much. There is no eternal kingship; for all he knows, in a few decades Palpatine might die, or the Galactic Empire might collapse for some reason, and then his name could be swallowed by darkness.

However, creating a brand‑new school would be a completely different story.

Just like the Jedi and the Xis—even if the founders die, their schools continue to be passed down. Just imagine how many Primordial Force users in the future will be studying his ideas, his knowledge, his Skills, shouting ”long live” for him—Palpatine was so excited he could barely stand still!

The Galactic Emperor can act whenever he wants, but the chance to be remembered for all ages might only come this once!

Thinking of this, Palpatine immediately turned to Darth Vader.

”Lord Vida.”

”Yes, my Master.”

Hearing Palpatine’s order, Darth Vader hurriedly dropped to one knee.

”I order you to immediately begin constructing a brand‑new Legion framework. As for manpower, transfer whoever you like. Go and conduct an evaluation of all newborns in the entire Galactic Empire this year, hmm, and then...”

At this point, Palpatine frowned. The Jedi and the Xis recruit disciples differently: the Jedi Knights only take infants as apprentices, while the Xis do the opposite and choose slightly older people as disciples. Faced with this brand‑new Primordial Force sect, Palpatine honestly couldn’t say whether he should use the Jedi’s method or the Xis’ method to select personnel.

More importantly, the recruitment standards for Jedi and Xis apprentices are fixed: one Master, one disciple. After all, a situation like this has never happened before; there have always been very few people who could use the Primordial Force. Now they suddenly want to ramp this up to the scale of an entire corps—how to teach them is really a headache.

”I have a suggestion.”

At this moment, Fang Zheng once again chimed in with a cheerful smile.

”If you find it troublesome, you might consider referencing our experience—build a dedicated School of Primordial Force Users, then have those Primordial Force holders enroll. You can provide them with some preferential treatment, like completely free tuition, or scholarships for excellent grades, that sort of reward. And those children can study normal courses at the school along with basic methods of using the Primordial Force—don’t make it too complicated, just the fundamentals are enough. You can pick the standouts among them to serve as the backbone of the new sect, and the mediocre ones won’t be wasted either. This way, you can also cultivate their loyalty to the Empire. I think it’s a pretty good approach.”

What Fang Zheng basically did was lift the school system straight out of Japan ACG and China online novels—any School of Superpower Users, or Magician Academy, it’s all the same stuff. The Galactic Empire isn’t short on money, so why act like a villain and go around kidnapping kids?

If someday a gifted child finds out he was kidnapped, then goes looking for his parents, discovers they were killed by the Empire, and in his rage rises up to oppose the Empire—what then about your ”main‑character” script?

Isn’t that just looking for trouble when you’ve got nothing better to do?

”Hmm, that is indeed a good method.”

Palpatine nodded and looked at Darth Vader again.

”Then we’ll proceed in this direction. Also, the encirclement and suppression of the Rebel Army must be completed in the shortest time possible! I already have a plan; this time we will definitely wipe those Rebel Armies out in one stroke.”

At this, Palpatine’s lips curled slightly.

”Oh, and a new Legion needs a new name—then let’s call them the First Order.”