One second passed!
Bardock felt no different.
The second second began!
Bardock could clearly feel his aura slipping out of control. The energy he had been suppressing suddenly broke free, surging rapidly with incredible speed!
Boom!
A powerful aura erupted from Bardock. Tarble, standing beneath the raised platform, felt enormous pressure at once. He tried to release his own aura to resist, but a fierce storm of energy swept him away. He only managed to stop himself just before reaching the Royal Palace doors.
Just then, the guards on rotation outside the palace rushed in. As soon as they saw Tarble, one of them asked, "Tarble, what's going on in there?"
As he spoke, he looked inside and saw King Saigao and Captain Bardock on the throne platform. The one unleashing that powerful aura was Captain Bardock.
The guard who had rushed in was astonished by the discovery. He hadn't expected Captain Bardock to have become so powerful.
Tarble stared in shock at the raised platform deep inside the Royal Palace, his eyes full of envy. He replied, "It's fine! King Saigao is testing some kind of technique. You can head back and tell everyone not to panic. Just say King Saigao is running a test!"
"All right, then! If anything happens to Saigo, Tarble, make sure you call us! We'll be right outside!"
"We're heading back!"
In principle, the rotating guards, with battle power in the hundreds of thousands, had no reason to be so deferential to Tarble. But he was King Saigao's first and, so far, only disciple!
What's more, he was Captain Vegeta III's own son!
He was due the respect!
But Tarble had never thought himself superior or thrown his weight around. Instead, he got along with the other Saiyans and paid no mind to his status.
He was always polite to others and never lost his temper.
Tarble smiled and waved. "Thanks for your hard work!"
"It's no trouble! Standing guard for King Saigao is an honor. Plenty of people would love to be in our place, but they can't!"
The guard captain called back over his shoulder as he turned to leave, his face full of pride.
Tarble looked back toward the depths of the Royal Palace and felt the immense aura. He couldn't help sighing. "What a terrifying aura. I never imagined Uncle Bardock had become this powerful! Now our Saiyan people have another strong fighter!"
Tarble was delighted, and a little envious, but he felt no jealousy at all.
After 420 days of intense gravity training, Bardock's battle power had reached over 460,000.
Without counting the power brought out through the guidance, if he unleashed his original power in full, Tarble wouldn't have been able to stay on his feet at such close range.
Meanwhile, on the throne, Saigo's Potential Guidance for Bardock was nearing its end.
Feeling the boundless potential within Bardock, Saigo couldn't help thinking, The Saiyans really do have no limits to their potential!
It all came down to how far each individual could develop and guide it.
All right!
He had reached the limit of beginner-level Potential Guidance!
The next moment, Saigo opened his eyes and withdrew his right hand. Feeling somewhat drained in both body and mind, he stepped back and sat down on the throne.
After catching his breath, he lowered his eyes and asked softly, "How do you feel?"
Bardock clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling energy pour endlessly out of his body. He was both stunned and ecstatic!
"Th-this... is this really me?"
"This power is incredible! It's beyond anything I imagined!"
"King Saigao, how did you do it?"
When he looked up, he saw Saigo's exhausted expression. Panic seized him, and he hurriedly asked with concern, "Are you all right?"
Little did he know that Saigo was showing him exactly what he wanted him to see.
Saigo didn't want the Saiyans, upon learning he had this ability, to start chasing shortcuts and lose their resolve to grow stronger through steady effort. In the long run, that would be extremely harmful to the Saiyans!
That was why he pretended to be utterly drained.
In truth, it did take some stamina and concentration. He was a little tired, but nowhere near as exhausted as he was making himself appear.
"I'm fine! I just need to rest a little," Saigo said, waving a hand dismissively.
Bardock was deeply moved.
After confirming that Saigo was all right, Bardock carefully felt the surging aura inside him again. He discovered that he was nearly ten times stronger than before!
"King Saigao, what kind of power is this? It's incredible! You can even help other people grow stronger!"
An unprecedented look of worship and reverence appeared on Bardock's resolute face. His eyes blazed with fervor. In that moment, Saigo seemed to become the one true god of his faith!
The Saiyan God!
"This power is so immense, it's hard to imagine. I never knew I could be this strong!" Bardock exclaimed. As he reined in his aura, he found himself dropping to his knees. "King Saigao, I can never repay such a great kindness. H-how can your subordinate ever repay you?"
Even Bardock, a tough-as-nails Saiyan who had never shed a tear, couldn't stop a few tears from welling in his eyes.
Seeing the steely man, who always kept his cool no matter what happened, now weeping, Saigo couldn't help teasing him. "Captain Bardock, how about reciting the Nine Honors and Nine Shames of the New Age Saiyans for me?"
Unexpectedly, Bardock took him seriously!
He wiped away his tears and answered loudly, "Yes! I'll recite it now! Your will is the path that guides your subordinate forward!"
He rose briskly, cleared his throat, and began reciting with utmost seriousness.
Bardock's ringing voice filled the Royal Palace. It made everyone instinctively stop and listen, unable to bear interrupting him.
"Take pride in loving the Empire, and feel shame in harming the Empire!"
"Take pride in serving the people, and feel shame in betraying the people!"
"Take pride in honoring strength, and feel shame in ignorance!"
"Take pride in diligent work, and feel shame in idleness and laziness!"
"Take pride in unity and mutual aid, and feel shame in harming others for personal gain!"
"Take pride in honesty and keeping one's word, and feel shame in forsaking righteousness for profit!"
"Take pride in obeying the rules and the law, and feel shame in breaking them!"
"Take pride in humility and courtesy, and feel shame in arrogance and barbarism!"
"Take pride in hard work and perseverance, and feel shame in extravagance and debauchery!"
"Reporting, this subordinate has finished reciting! Please give your orders!"
Bardock recited the Nine Honors and Nine Shames of the New Age Saiyans in one breath. When he was done, he stood straight, his gaze resolute, like a soldier waiting for inspection.
The Nine Honors and Nine Shames of the New Age Saiyans was something Saigo had written by adapting a text from his memories of a previous life. The general content was the same, with only a few changes and additions.
Another decree had been issued at the same time: the New Age Saiyan Code—the Five Internal and External Prohibitions Code. Both had been promulgated on October 1, Year 737. Every Saiyan was expected to memorize and understand them, and to put them into practice!
The two decrees meant that for a long time, Saiyans could be heard muttering to themselves no matter what they were doing. They were memorizing and trying to understand the contents of the decrees!
Anyone who didn't understand had to ask someone who did. If that still didn't help, all those who were confused had to gather together and ask King Saigao for guidance.
Of course, this only happened during the first few days. Once some people had understood the decrees, those who hadn't would ask them for help.
Before you continue