A/N: I will be using this format to name the chapters. [ Vol No. ~ Chapter No. ]
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In the expanse of white space, Jin sat cross-legged, meditating. Three small pyramid-shaped objects floated around him in a slow orbit, humming faintly.
After a while his eyes opened. Sweat ran down his face.
"How was it?" Zalama stood a few steps away. "The Realm of Laws."
Jin was quiet for a moment. The Realm of Laws — a space where every energy and law of the Omniverse existed simultaneously without conflict. Zalama had simulated it using one of his artifacts, forcing Jin's senses to expand and feel what most beings never would.
"It was..." Jin exhaled. "Overwhelming. But amazing."
He looked down at his hand. A small ball of energy formed above his palm — flickering, unstable, then settling.
"So this is the true nature of Ki." He steadied his breathing. "It functions differently depending on the reality. And God Ki — it felt like it was the reality itself. Like it embodied the fundamental rules of wherever it belonged." He paused. "But Higher Ki was different. It felt like Divine Ki but something different at the same time. It kept changing its nature constantly. Unlike Divine or Mortal Ki — it wasn't bound to anything. Just... Adapting."
He closed his fist around the energy ball.
"I think I understand now why you said I need to become a Higher Being." A pause. He looked up. "And I think... I also understand what the ancient Saiyan sages meant when they spoke of transcendence. By making mind and body into one."
Zalama replied, "You are partly correct. But it is much more than that. It is not the simple syncing of mind and body, but the uniting of body and soul. To a being, the mind is the core of existence. It can be broken, but never fully erased. Even if one can never return to reality, traces will always remain. The soul is the continuation of existence. Your identity, your power. And the body is merely the vessel that houses it."
Jin frowned slightly. "So… the body is supposed to exist as a vessel and the soul , but for most beings they're formed separately?"
"So the point of transcendence is to fix that." Jin said. "To reach the ideal existence."
"Precisely. It is not about becoming stronger but reaching an ideal existence. As for the transcendence those Saiyan sages were chasing — it was simply the starting point. If I have to compare — it was like trying to run before learning to crawl. But needless to say, it was impressive. Even so it soon became a fairy tale because of how difficult it was to achieve."
Jin clicked his tongue and gave a short laugh. "Typical. Just like how the story of Super Saiyan came to be later on."
Jin then looked at Zalama directly and asked, "So what are you? Thanks to expanding my senses, from what I can feel from you is neither the higher ki or divine ki. But something different."
Zalama replied, "I am a Guardian. Born from the Omniverse's own need for protection. Just as natural beings fall within mortal, divine, and higher categories, I exist in a different one altogether. My existence may resemble an ideal existence, but I am not a transcendent. I never transcended anything. I am exactly as I was from the beginning."
He continued, "And I am not alone. There are beings who exist outside the two classifications I just mentioned. One is for natural beings like you. The second is for those born to maintain the Omniverse itself, like me and the rulers of the Xenoverses. There are also those who shift between categories by integrating the essence of another onto themselves."
Jin then replied, "Like the divine and dark masters."
Zalama then answered, "Precisely. That is the case. As I said, there are many categories. Each one possessing their own form of ki. Their own use of it. The ki they possess work at different frequency."
Jin nodded. He could understand that much.
Zalama then continued, "Training in the Realm of Laws allowed you to become familiar with the fundamental aspect of ki. It also expanded your senses far beyond what they once were, allowing you to easily detect any form of energy. Now that the foundation has been laid, we can move on to the 2nd step. Manipulating different forms of Ki. Then we will proceed to the final step. Improving the body and mind."
Jin asked confused, "Lord Zalama, I understand the need to improve my mind as that is the one aspect that I did not train a lot but I don't understand what improvements can I do with my body?"
Zalama replied, "Yes, you might've improved the body but you neglected one aspect. Your Saiyan lineage. As I mentioned before, beings like you are defined by both your body and soul. If I put your soul into a Human body or a Namekian body, then you would become a Human or a Namekian. Losing your Saiyan lineage and aspects. Which is not the case for transcendent or higher beings."
Jin frowned as he thought about it before asking, "So before I can become a higher being, I first need to fully access my Saiyan lineage?"
Zalama nodded. "Correct. If you wish to become a higher being, you must first access all of your Saiyan lineage, even if it is not at the deepest level. For that, you need to train both the body and the mind. Especially the mind."
Jin then asked, "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Zalama then answered, "You will fight a clone of yourself that uses different forms of ki. At the same time, you will gradually release your primal instinct. Or to be more precise, your Ozaru mind. But you must do so without letting it consume you."
"A large part of a Saiyan's subconscious mind remains inactive. It only awakens when they transform into an Ozaru or draw upon its power. It is wild, violent and destructive. Which is why Saiyans often lose control and fail to access their true potential."
"Your goal is to remove the distinction between the inactive and active parts of your subconscious mind. Once you achieve that, you will be able to access the full potential of your Saiyan lineage. After that, we will begin the true process of transforming into a higher being."
Jin's eyes lit up. He slammed his fist into his palm and grinned.
"Finally! I was getting bored. It has been far too long since I fought someone who could actually push me. This will be fun!"