Shenrong's sudden and bizarre behavior completely baffled Yamiru.
He was stunned, and others weren't faring much better. When it came to Yamiru's desire to chat casually, Shenrong's response was either an agreement or a refusal. But what was the deal with suddenly lowering its head and leaning in to observe?
Everyone had the feeling that Shenrong's intelligence had increased.
Although it had always been understood that Shenrong was a wise and peculiar creature, the way it always followed a set process—speaking in fixed lines and completing its tasks before vanishing—had given it a slow, mechanical, and clumsy impression, even though it seemed all-knowing. But now, its unexpected reaction made everyone realize that it might not just be intelligent—it could even have emotions.
Yamiru's shocked expression was reflected in Shenrong's massive golden eyes.
"Hmm…" Shenrong hummed a deep, resonant sound from its nostrils, causing Tights to feel tense. She was afraid it might suddenly open its massive mouth and swallow Yamiru whole. The others weren't much better off. Even the usually calm Goku felt his scalp tingle, his hands and feet cold. Shenrong's proximity radiated an unfamiliar intimidation.
Bulma murmured, "Shenrong's eyes… they've changed color…"
Goku said, "Yeah, they look like Yamiru's now. They're both gold."
The two small ones were casually discussing it, and after Shenrong glanced at them, it finally raised its head back to its original height.
"Saiyans…"
It murmured, seemingly recalling distant knowledge. But Yamiru couldn't shake the feeling that Shenrong's demeanor was completely different from before—almost as if it had a different soul. Could it be that the Namekian from the temple had temporarily taken over Shenrong? Did the Namekian dragon clan have that kind of power? He wondered, though he decided not to overthink it.
Bardock and Gine's souls were further from Shenrong now. Being close to the dragon made them uneasy.
"Indeed, in the most distant eras, among the Saiyan race, there once existed extraordinarily powerful Super Warriors."
Shenrong spoke slowly.
Bardock and Gine both thought to themselves, So the legend of the Super Saiyan is real! The legendary Saiyan warrior who appeared once every thousand years…
"Super Saiyan?"
Yamiru tried asking, feeling that the context and atmosphere were right, and there was nothing suspicious about bringing up this not-so-new term.
As expected, neither Tights nor the others reacted strangely. A super-powerful Saiyan warrior could only mean the Super Saiyan, right? The concept was plain and unremarkable. And it also matched the Super Cells Bulma detected in Goku's back.
"No… At the time, it wasn't called that. And it was completely different from the power form of the first Super Saiyan, Yamoshi."
Shenrong denied Yamiru's interpretation but confirmed that the Saiyan history did include a great warrior known as the "Super Saiyan," and his name was Yamoshi.
Yamoshi… Bardock and Gine had never heard of this name. As a logistical warrior and a non-ranking soldier, they had no access to this information, especially since even the Vegeta royal family hadn't heard of him. Perhaps the information on Yamoshi was still kept on Planet Salad, before their Saiyan clan had left the planet.
Shenrong's voice took on a wistful tone, as though it were an old man reflecting on the passage of time: "Whether the Saiyans or other fortunate beings across the entire multiverse, they were all blessed by the lost brilliance of the All God… But is that truly a good thing? Not necessarily…"
The entire multiverse?
The All God?
Shenrong spoke like an old man spilling secrets, casually revealing names never heard before.
Not just Tights and the others, but even Yamiru was stunned. He thought to himself, The entire multiverse, I can understand—that's the collection of the twelve universes, including Universe 7… but the All God? Isn't that Zeno, The King of All? The lost brilliance? Does this mean he has lost some of its power, or… has already fallen? The Saiyans and other powerful races across the universes—were they all blessed by him?
Yamiru's mind was racing. He suddenly felt like he was back in the days of posting on forums, with his thoughts spiraling out of control: "Freeza can reach his golden form in just two months… Could it be that those damn Frost Demons, too, have received the so-called blessings from him?"
Shenrong abruptly stopped speaking.
In a distant and mysterious universe, far beyond the known realms, a strange and mechanical star ring slowly rotated around a tiny planet at its center. This inner mechanical star ring was surrounded by a larger rock-based ring, rotating at a higher speed. Further out, even larger rings, spinning even faster, connected in an endless cycle, creating an enormous and intricate system of interlocking rings, forming a magnificent and beautiful universe, blending magic and technology.
On the central miniature planet, an elderly man with glasses was assembling a mechanical dragon model with his hands while casually speaking.
"… But is that really a good thing? Not necessarily…" he sighed, and his words were eerily similar to what Shenrong had just said on Earth, in front of Yamiru and the others! As the old man spoke, suddenly, a figure composed purely of light materialized in the void nearby. The figure of light immediately spoke: "Dragon God, haven't you said enough?"
The Dragon God paused, smiling at the newcomer. "Getting old, huh? I just like talking to younger ones, maybe I've rambled a bit. What brings you to my Dragon Realm, Celestial God?"
"Celestial God?" The figure of light's voice was cold. "We only chose different phases—youth, adulthood, old age. Our ages are the same. Has your mind become muddled since Zeno's fall?"
The Dragon God sighed. "He will return…"
"Return?" The figure of light, referred to as Celestial God, responded indifferently, "Since his fall, I've had to intervene with part of the Celestial Realm just to maintain order and divine authority across the universe. You've been leisurely, but you've still given the entire universe technology, hope, and even part of your people. We all hope he will return, but in reality, I have to have my child watch over his remaining creation to prevent him from destroying his entire universe."
After a pause, the Celestial God added, "Or at least, slow down the destruction."
"He will return," the Dragon God emphasized again. "In one way or another…"
The Celestial God was about to speak again, but the Dragon God waved his hand, dispersing the figure of light.
"You old fool!" Somewhere in a special universe not too far away, someone was stomping their feet in anger, "How dare you dismiss my avatar!"
"Old fool? I'm still young, you old hag!" The Dragon God snorted indifferently, about to continue building his mechanical dragon model when suddenly he remembered, "Oh, right, I haven't finished talking to those little brats from the universe… Ah, getting old…"
---
In the Seventh Universe, Earth, on Mount Paozu.
"What's wrong with Shenrong? Why isn't he talking?"
Tights was puzzled.
"He stopped in the middle of a sentence…" Bulma and the others also looked confused. "Could he have forgotten what he was going to say?"
"You're the one getting old!" Shenrong cleared his throat, as though returning to his senses, and continued, "Anyway, before Yamoshi, there were indeed special individuals in the Saiyan race who could trigger unique latent powers. Back then… let me think… I believe they were called the S Warriors? Never mind… Anyway, from Yamoshi onwards, the first Super Saiyan was born, as well as… the Super Saiyan God."
He finished his sentence, but noticed that Yamiru was still silent, almost as though waiting for him to continue.
"Is that it?" Yamiru asked, confused. "You said you'd explain everything, but you haven't said how to become a Super Saiyan or a Super Saiyan God… Or even what those S Warriors were!"
You little brat! You're pushing it now… The Dragon God grumbled, unable to stop himself from crushing a piece of his mechanical dragon model.