Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

’Anyway, let’s see what these are...’

Soren turned his attention back to the newly revealed abilities. He focused his intent on the lines, trying to force the interface to expand and display the detailed descriptions. But the screen remained static, refusing to yield anything beyond the bare names and ranks.

Giving up on the stubborn interface, he leaned back slightly and began to analyze what little information he had.

’Unshackled Soul... hmm, it sounds a lot like my Indomitable Soul. It must work similarly too then.’

If his own S-rank ability was anything to go by, Ethea’s version likely provided her with a formidable mental fortress, shielding her consciousness from external trauma, agony, or psychic interference. It also explained how her mind remained functional despite her body being a shattered wreck.

As for the second one, it was obvious from the name.

’Sovereign Swordsmanship...’

In fact, it made perfect sense when he considered her reputation. Ethea was also known as the Uncrowned Blade, not just the Ice Empress. While her talent in swordsmanship was undoubtedly among the best on the continent, she still fell a fraction short of the true Sword Empress herself.

’Hmm...’

Now that he recalled, there were rumors about the two women, suggesting they were actually close friends behind closed doors despite appearing to be fierce rivals on the surface.

’I’ll ask about it later. And...’

Soren’s gaze drifted back down the interface.

This also explained why she had chosen the path of the sword from the very beginning. It was the clear reason why she had so confidently rejected the Icebreaker Emperor’s rare offer to take her under his wing, choosing instead to forge her own legacy with the blade.

’And the next...’

Soren paused, his eyes narrowing at the third line. A familiar question mark sat squarely in place of the ability’s name, obscuring its identity. Fortunately, the grade right next to it was perfectly visible.

’What could it be?’

He couldn’t even begin to guess the nature of the power, but he knew with absolute certainty that it must be incredibly potent. After all, he had already seen firsthand what Ryan’s SSS-rank Amplification was capable of. For Ethea to possess an innate ability of the exact same tier, even while crippled, was staggering.

Shifting his focus downward, Soren decided to check her affinities next, hoping for a bit more clarity.

Instead, the interface displayed a frustratingly sparse layout:

[Affinities: Ice (Grade ?), ▇▇▇▇▇ , ▇▇▇▇▇]

’...’

Soren’s lips twitched. He stared at the heavily redacted text, a wave of mild annoyance washing over him. ’I really should have just waited until the Authority finished upgrading.’

Checking her status now was only giving him half the picture. Still, he could be certain about one thing. Her ice affinity grade was definitely above SSS rank, likely bordering on something unprecedented given her dormant Frost Sovereign Authority. As for the blacked-out slots, the censorship suggested they were rare or powerful, like the ice affinity.

Realizing he wouldn’t get any more answers for some time, Soren issued a mental command and closed the translucent status window.

He also wondered whether Ethea herself was even aware of these hidden affinities or her SSS-rank ability. After all, with this world’s still-developing evaluation systems, pinpointing rare affinities or unawakened latent traits was practically impossible unless the user felt a natural resonance or someone with a specialized appraisal skill like his checked it for them.

’In the end, it all comes back to Ethea.’

Everything depended on her waking up and filling in the blanks. Yet, as much as he wanted to speak with her directly and get some real answers, he knew she needed to rest more. He hadn’t forgotten the state she had been in yesterday: trapped in an endless loop of nightmares before finally regaining consciousness. A few hours of peaceful sleep wouldn’t be enough to heal that kind of mental exhaustion.

’But then... What should I do now?’

He fell silent, the quiet of the room offering no immediate answers. He could spend the remaining hours of the day studying the intricacies of mental cultivation while continuing to unravel the Sovereign Soul-Refining Scripture. Alternatively, he could focus on his normal cultivation to rebuild his own strength.

There was also the option of sorting through the items his father-in-law had left behind, searching for any tangible clue that might expose the man’s true motives. After all, there might be items embedded with secret surveillance functions, hidden tracking spells, or proximity triggers meant to monitor exactly when and how they were handled.

’W-Wait.’

Soren froze, a sudden spike of adrenaline piercing through his calm demeanor.

’What if... I’m already being watched right now?’

His mind raced as he recalled Darius’s ability.

What if one of his spirits was currently lingering in the shadows of this very room, or had been tracking his movements the entire time, from the moment Darius had chosen him? If a spiritual entity were observing him, there was a terrifyingly huge chance Darius might already know some of his deepest secrets... including the existence of his appraisal ability.

’...Gulp.’

He swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck. He barely managed to stop himself from instinctively looking around the room like an amateur, knowing that a sudden, paranoid glance into the empty corners would instantly give him away.

’...I have to be careful from now on and be mindful of every single action.’

But he couldn’t let his guard down by acting overly defensive or fake, either. He had to maintain a completely natural facade, behaving exactly as an exhausted cultivator normally would. After all, even if he wasn’t currently being watched, assuming the worst was a small price to pay.

It was infinitely better to be overly cautious than to end up dead.

With that grim reminder anchored in his mind, he forced his body to relax. Sighing at his current powerlessness, he crossed the room, lay down on his own bed, and pulled up the covers.

Closing his eyes, he decided to channel his focus inward.

’Let’s just cultivate for now.’

He began to circulate his mana steadily, but he deliberately avoided going too deep into meditation. He needed to maintain a constant baseline of alertness, keeping his senses sharp enough to react to any sudden danger or notice the exact moment Ethea woke up.

’And hopefully, by the time she opens her eyes, my Authority will finally be done upgrading too.’