Chapter 97: Planet Yardrat

After confirming that all members of the Mecha Squad had been killed, Xavier leaped to Celine's side. He flipped his hand and retrieved a Senzu Bean from his dimensional space, feeding it to her. Immediately, Celine's injuries began to heal rapidly.

With a quick hop out of the impact crater, Celine's delicate face slightly tightened, and she unleashed a burst of energy, pulverizing the dust on her body.

Feeling the surging power flowing through her, Celine closed her eyes in delight and exclaimed, "Xavier, my power level has increased a lot. It seems to have reached 140,000."

Xavier nodded calmly, "That's normal because this was your first life-and-death battle, which triggered such a significant increase. This kind of rapid improvement won't happen again."

Previously, due to his extensive protection, Celine lacked the experience of life-threatening combat. Although her power was increased through various training methods, no form of training could match the effectiveness of actual battle. The most direct and efficient way to boost combat power is through real combat.

The battle with Shaviza had awakened the Saiyan fighting bloodline within her, triggering a latent power surge, resulting in her combat power soaring to 140,000.

Glancing at the scorched and darkened land due to the battle, Xavier deeply felt the cost nature paid to cultivate a high-level warrior. Shaking his head, he said, "Let's go!" With that, he and Celine took to the air, flying towards Bardock's location.

After the battle with the Mecha Squad, Xavier had a clearer understanding of his own power. Without using his special abilities, he could match the Mecha Squad, perhaps slightly stronger, but a decisive victory wouldn't come easily.

However, once he used his special abilities, formidable opponents like those in the Mecha Squad were no longer a threat. Killing them was easier than killing chickens, and he could even achieve it with a single move.

Despite this, Xavier remained cautious about using his special abilities.

"My special abilities only consume my internal energy when used. Over time, could this make me dependent on them, thus reducing my sensitivity to ki?" Pondering this, Xavier furrowed his brows, hesitant about overusing his special abilities.

Although special abilities were an excellent way to enhance combat strength, the Dragon Ball world ultimately relied on raw power.

In the original series, very few characters relied solely on psychic powers to become powerful. For example, Guldo from the Ginyu Force, who was proficient in time manipulation but lacked substantial combat power, ultimately met his end when Vegeta decapitated him once his abilities ceased.

Moreover, Xavier's time-space abilities consumed a significant amount of energy, especially when dealing with strong enemies. If his base strength wasn't solid enough, he could easily share Guldo's fate.

"Special abilities and magic are flashy and should serve as support, not the main combat skills," Xavier contemplated.

"Fortunately, I realized this early on. Relying too much on the convenience of special abilities could potentially become a hidden danger." Xavier decided that henceforth, he would use his special abilities as a trump card, refraining from their use unless absolutely necessary.

Just like this time, although he had easily dealt with the Mecha Squad and achieved an overwhelming victory, from another perspective, he had also missed the opportunity for a proper fight against evenly matched opponents. His combat strength hadn't increased significantly. Was he benefiting or suffering from this? It was hard to say.

He felt that in striving for the result, he had lost the thrill of an exhilarating battle. From a broader perspective, he might not have achieved the best outcome.

...

Meanwhile.

As the presence of the Mecha Squad vanished from the planet, Bardock's tense nerves relaxed. Seeing Xavier and Celine return safely, his stiff face finally broke into a smile.

Noticing the drastic change in Celine's aura, Bardock couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Then, coming to his senses, he asked, "Lord Xavier, who were those people that required you to use your full strength?"

From the earlier battle, even from a distance, the residual energy had been overwhelming for Bardock. He couldn't imagine anyone in the universe that would need Xavier to fight at full power. Not even the Ginyu Force under Frieza would warrant such effort, he thought.

"Yeah, the whole planet was shaking like it was an earthquake when you were fighting!" Merus, raising an eyebrow, asked curiously.

Xavier smiled, "They were the Mecha Squad, dominating the Northern Galaxy."

"The Mecha Squad? Never heard of them..." Merus shook her head, the concept of the Mecha Squad unfamiliar to her young mind.

However, Bardock's face changed upon hearing it was the Mecha Squad, his expression turning peculiar. He asked urgently, "Lord Xavier, are you talking about Cooler’s Mecha Squad?"

"Yes, Cooler's Mecha Squad," Xavier confirmed, glancing at Bardock.

"Hiss! Cooler's Mecha Squad was defeated by Lord Xavier!" Bardock took a sharp breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.

While Merus might not know the Mecha Squad, Bardock did. He was well-acquainted with Cooler's Mecha Squad from his years of missions and expeditions.

That was one of the top-tier super teams in the Northern Galaxy!

Rumor had it that every member of the Mecha Squad was far stronger than Ginyu, the captain of the Ginyu Force. Recalling the fierce battle earlier, Bardock felt the rumors were justified. But then again, what did it matter? The formidable Cooler’s Mecha Squad had still been annihilated by Xavier.

Suppressing his astonishment, Bardock tried to calm his emotions, but his excitement was still evident, sparking Merus's curiosity.

"Hey, is this Cooler’s Mecha Squad really that powerful? How do they compare to Frieza's army?"

Bardock chuckled at her question. In Merus's eyes, Frieza's army, which had once chased and attacked her, was already very formidable. Her experience shaped her perception—so true!

Considering that Merus had exceptional talent and might become a pillar of strength for the Saiyans in the future, Bardock patiently explained to her, "Cooler's Mecha Squad is the most powerful elite force under Cooler, who rules the northern part of the Northern Galaxy. It's rumored that every member has a power level exceeding 100,000, making them an extremely formidable team."

"Not to mention Frieza's army, even Frieza's elite Ginyu Force is no match for any member of the Mecha Squad."

"That powerful, huh?" Merus was secretly astonished, then her young face showed a look of disdain. "But even so, they were still wiped out by Xavier, weren't they?"

She turned to Celine, saying, "I didn't expect you to be so strong, even though you're not much older than me..."

"Hmph, of course," Celine snorted lightly, proudly puffing out her chest and looking at Merus with a satisfied grin.

"Don't get too full of yourself!"

"Thud! Thud!"

Xavier playfully knocked on their heads, chiding them with a smile. Then, he led the group on their journey. They were only halfway to Planet Yardrat and still had some distance to cover.

A few hours later.

In the star system where Planet Yardrat was located, a brilliant array of colors briefly flashed, and four figures suddenly appeared on the surface of Planet Yardrat.

Feeling the gravity of Planet Yardrat and taking a breath of the planet's air, Xavier turned to the group and said, "Let's find the strong warriors of Planet Yardrat first, and then learn their secret techniques."

The group, led by Xavier, nodded in agreement and took to the sky, flying towards the strongest energy presence they could sense.

Planet Yardrat was situated in the eastern region of the Northern Galaxy, a mysterious planet with numerous coveted secret techniques. The Yardratians were a peace-loving people, hospitable and averse to combat, yet they had developed countless amazing skills.

Although their individual combat power was high, they never initiated invasions. The relative peace in the eastern part of the Northern Galaxy, near Planet Yardrat, was due to their influence.

The moist air blew against their faces with a refreshing coolness. Xavier and the others flew quickly, their figures becoming mere blurs before disappearing into the horizon.

The houses on Planet Yardrat were built on stone pillars, with spherical structures constructed atop pillars tens of meters high. From a distance, they looked like giant lollipops.

"The strongest presence on Planet Yardrat is below us," Xavier said with a smile, gazing at the simple yet elegant buildings below. "Judging by the aura, this Yardratian has a combat power of around 70,000!"

"Let's go down and take a look!"

With that, the four of them descended, landing atop one of the tall stone pillars. Nearby, a hemispherical building lay ahead.

"Welcome, friends from afar, please come in!" An ancient and deep voice echoed from the building, as if they had been expected.

Xavier and the others were momentarily stunned but then remembered the Yardratians' various mystical techniques. It wasn't surprising that they had foreseen their arrival.

"Let's go!" Xavier said with a confident smile, leading the way towards the hemispherical building.