Three Realms

After settling Lana in, Sun Yu followed Mr. Popo to meet the Guardian.

The Guardian was standing at the edge of the Lookout, overlooking the bustling world below. Sun Yu stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Lord Guardian, did you summon me for something?"

"Sun Yu, you're here." The Guardian turned around, forcing a stiff smile as he said, "I watched your training with Korin earlier..."

Oh, so he intends to guide my cultivation. Sun Yu's spirits lifted immediately, and he laughed, "I've embarrassed myself in front of you, Lord Guardian. I wonder if you might offer this junior some pointers!"

"Heh, 'pointers' is a strong word. I see your control over 'ki' has reached a rudimentary level, but are you aware of how the ancients categorized the realms of 'ki'?" The Guardian proposed a concept that had never appeared in the original Dragon Ball story, which immediately piqued Sun Yu's interest.

"This junior is ignorant. Please, enlighten me, Lord Guardian!" Sun Yu bowed deeply, his sincere attitude clearly pleasing the old Guardian.

"The realms of 'ki' are divided into Micro-Perception, Knowledge Realm, and Empty Clarity! You have already learned to integrate your 'ki' into your breathing, allowing it to rise and fall at will—this is the realm of Micro-Perception!" the Guardian explained patiently.

"Then what is the meaning of the Knowledge Realm? Please, Lord Guardian, clarify!" Sun Yu was thirsty for knowledge. He felt as though the Guardian's words had knocked open a door to the world of martial arts, and he was eager to push it wide and explore its mysteries.

"Knowledge Realm is the sublimation of Micro-Perception. The 'realm' refers to a state of mind. Let Popo demonstrate it for you; it will be easier for you to understand that way." The Guardian gestured toward Mr. Popo.

As Sun Yu looked at Mr. Popo, he noticed that at some point, Mr. Popo had picked up a wooden staff. Following the Guardian's signal, he began to wave the staff from a distance in front of Sun Yu.

Mr. Popo moved the staff very slowly. Sun Yu studied it carefully for a while but felt nothing unusual. Just as he was about to ask the Guardian for an explanation, the short wooden staff suddenly elongated and struck fiercely toward him!

"Dodge!"

Sun Yu was quick-witted and dodged to the side, but after taking a step, he realized the staff in Mr. Popo's hand hadn't changed length at all. Could that have been a hallucination?

"Sun Yu, how was it? Do you understand now?" The Guardian asked, observing Sun Yu's reaction.

Understand my foot! Why do you old guys love speaking in riddles? Would it kill you to just say it plainly? Sun Yu was on the verge of tears. He recalled that in the Dragon Ball anime, when young Goku trained at the Lookout, he had been frightened by Mr. Popo using a regular wooden staff in this exact way. However, because so much time had passed, Sun Yu couldn't remember how Mr. Popo had pulled it off.

"This junior is dull-witted. Please, Lord Guardian, just tell me directly."

There is no shame in being a student, but you old men are the bosses—I'll play the fool if I have to!

"Heh, this is the Knowledge Realm! All things have their own attributes, such as length, speed, heat, and cold... The ability for a person to perceive these attributes is 'intent.' And my ability to make you perceive these attributes is the 'realm.' Intent and realm can transform into one another. Just now, when Popo waved his staff, his intent was to strike you with it, and thus, his realm was created!" the Guardian explained.

Sun Yu nodded vigorously, lost in thought. "I understand. So, 'the realm is born from the heart'—is that the principle?"

"Precisely. It seems you truly understand!" The Guardian wore an expression of satisfaction.

"What about the realm of Empty Clarity? Could you demonstrate that for me as well?" Sun Yu asked.

"You impatient child, trying to run before you can walk? Very well, Popo, demonstrate for Sun Yu!" The Guardian chuckled and gave the order to Mr. Popo again.

"Very well, Lord Guardian..."

Before the words had even faded, Mr. Popo's eyes went blank. He stared vacantly into the distance, as if reminiscing about running under the sunset—the youth he had lost...

"Hey, Lord Guardian, Popo is clearly just spacing out. I admit Mr. Popo is cute and dazed, but..."

It wasn't that Sun Yu wanted to complain about Mr. Popo; it was truly because he couldn't sense anything at all. In this situation, anyone would think Mr. Popo was just zoning out!

"Don't speak. Close your eyes and feel it with your heart!" the Guardian reminded him from the side.

Fine. Actually, Sun Yu had wanted to close his eyes anyway, because he could activate his Sharingan without the Guardian seeing it.

With the Sharingan activated, Sun Yu's eyelids no longer blocked his vision. Although the Guardian noticed a slight anomaly in Sun Yu's aura, he didn't think much of it.

Under the insight of the Sharingan, Sun Yu discovered that he couldn't capture Mr. Popo's aura at all. How could this be!

Mr. Popo's Scouter reading was very low, sure, but it shouldn't be completely undetectable!

In Sun Yu's eyes, there wasn't a trace of energy in Mr. Popo's body. If someone told him Mr. Popo was a stone, Sun Yu would have believed it immediately. Even plants and trees have an aura, let alone a person.

"Well? Did you feel anything?" the Guardian asked.

"I felt nothing. If I didn't pay attention to where Mr. Popo was standing, I wouldn't be able to sense his existence at all!" Sun Yu replied truthfully.

The Guardian smiled and said, "This is the realm of Empty Clarity. All things are void. If there is nothing to begin with, how can there be anything to feel?"

"So that's how it is..." Sun Yu seemed to grasp a thread of understanding. It appeared that the cultivation of "ki" in this world was very similar to the Buddhist and internal martial arts philosophies back on Earth—both aimed to improve control over "ki" through cultivation that reached the very heart of one's being!

In Sun Yu's memory, after Son Goku finished training under 100x gravity and arrived on Namek, when the Ginyu Force members used their Scouters to measure his power, no matter how they looked at it, his base form only showed a power level of 5,000. But the reality was that the Son Goku of that time possessed a power level of over 90,000!

Thinking back, that Son Goku must have reached the realm of Empty Clarity! He no longer needed to deliberately hide his power. The realm of Empty Clarity left his heart void of all things, and all his energy was hidden within the heavens and earth, following his state of mind.

Perhaps someone would ask, didn't he still have a power level of 5,000 that he couldn't hide? Actually, it wasn't that he couldn't hide it; it was that he hadn't bothered to. Mr. Popo's power level was only a little over 100, so in the realm of Empty Clarity, he showed no power level at all. But Son Goku was different; his own strength was already beyond what the realm could conceal, so unless he deliberately suppressed it, a trace of his aura would always leak out.

"It is good that you understand. The path of cultivation requires steady progress; you must not be impatient! I am fairly at ease with you, but as for Miss Lana, her desire to win is too strong. If she doesn't correct this, she will easily take a wrong turn in her martial arts!" the Guardian sighed.

"Don't worry, Lord Guardian. I will keep a close eye on Lana."

"That is good! I have taught you what I can; the rest depends on your own efforts. Popo has cleaned out two rooms in the palace for you. You may stay as long as you like."

"Then we shall impose upon you!"