Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Chapter 119: Breakthrough! [3]

Clara’s eyes lit up at their words, a brilliant spark of genuine joy lighting her face. Her radiant expression quickly gave way to deep, heartfelt solemnity as she stepped closer and bowed deeply at the waist toward the young couple.

"Thank you... Thank you so much for your selflessness," Clara said, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "Without your support, Soren... I wouldn’t have been able to overcome this wall. I am entirely in your debt."

Soren accepted her gratitude with a calm nod, recognizing that letting her express her thanks was the best way to ease her mind. He stood up from his seat, stacking the empty bowls neatly.

"You earned this breakthrough, Auntie, so please don’t overthink it," Soren said warmly. "You can continue the dinner. As for me, I also need to go and absorb the insights from earlier while my mind is fresh."

"Yes, yes, go ahead!" Clara replied hurriedly, quickly stepping to the side to clear the path for him.

Nodding, Soren left the two alone and entered the training room, sitting cross-legged on the mat. The two existing circles inside his chest rotated with a familiar, rhythmic hum, glowing with a deep, frosty light.

’Time to begin.’

With a sharp pull of his intent, he clamped down on his core.

The reaction was instantaneous and agonizing. Forcing those spinning layers to a sudden halt felt like trying to stop a speeding flywheel with his bare hands. A jagged shockwave of absolute cold rippled out from his chest, dropping his internal temperature as a crushing pressure settled over his heart.

He pushed his will harder against the resisting mana, sending lines of burning, icy pain radiating outward. His teeth chattered violently, frost instantly coating his lips. The two layers wobbled under the immense restraint, fighting to resume their natural spin.

’Hold still...’

Soren poured everything he had into the suppression, freezing the rotation until it snapped into a dead, absolute standstill.

The moment the core stopped, the space between the two frozen layers collapsed inward, creating a massive, terrifying vacuum at his center. That sudden internal void acted like a black hole, violently pulling from every corner of his anatomy. The extreme negative pressure dragged the dormant air and stagnant energy right out of his closed meridians.

CRACK...

CRACK...

Under the immense suction of the vacuum, every single hidden pathway throughout his body violently snapped open at once.

The sudden release of pressure caused the compressed mana to rebound, bursting out of his core like a tidal wave. It flooded the newly opened channels and rushed toward the surface of his skin. Thousands of frozen needles drove through his flesh, turning his entire body completely numb. He couldn’t feel his hands, his legs, or even the ground beneath him.

’Now!’

Fighting the blinding agony and the terrifying loss of sensation, Soren split his focus. He grabbed the runaway mana at the surface of his skin to anchor it into a perimeter, while simultaneously pulling the massive backflow inward to fill the vacuum of his chest.

The pressure inside him doubled. His heart hammered wildly against the frozen constraints as he forced the dual synchronization to hold. It felt as if his chest would rupture from the sheer density of the trapped energy.

Then, the chaotic forces reached their peak and locked into place.

The mana on his skin snapped into a perfect boundary just beneath the surface. At the exact same microsecond, the internal backflow condensed around his core, forging a solid, physical third internal ring.

The overwhelming pressure vanished in an instant.

Soren’s muscles gave out entirely, and he collapsed backward onto the mat.

"Huff... Huff..."

He lay there staring blankly at the ceiling, breathing in ragged gasps.

He was completely drenched, his clothes soaked through with a mixture of icy sweat and the dark, foul impurities violently purged from his pathways.

A sharp, pungent odor quickly filled the room, the foul smell of impurities making Soren grimace.

His nose wrinkled in immediate disgust, but with his muscles entirely drained and trembling from the breakthrough, he could do nothing but lie there and endure it for a few long minutes.

Once a fraction of strength returned to his limbs, he forced himself up. Gritting his teeth against the lingering aches, he dragged his heavy body across the floor and slipped into the attached bathroom inside the training room.

He spent nearly half an hour under the water, scrubbing away the dark residue and the stubborn stench until his skin was entirely clean. Stepping out of the shower, he wiped the condensation off the mirror to check his reflection.

"Whoa..."

An involuntary whisper of admiration escaped his lips.

The physical transformation was undeniable.

The impurities had been thoroughly washed away, leaving his skin noticeably paler and smoother, almost carrying a faint, ethereal luster characteristic of high-tier Awakened.

His frame had leaned out perfectly; his muscles were tightly defined without being overly bulky, and his abdomen had sharpened into an almost flawless, sculpted six-pack. He looked completely rejuvenated, possessing a sleek kind of athleticism.

Soren stared for a moment longer, letting out a quiet sigh of appreciation for the perks of the breakthrough.

’Alright, that is enough.’

Shaking off the daze, he quickly dressed in a fresh set of clothes and stepped back out into the training room.

The moment he opened the bathroom door, a soft hum vibrated through the walls. The room’s automated ventilation and purification arrays had already finished running. The dark residue on the mat had been neutralized, and the air was completely crisp, carrying a faint, clean scent instead of the foul odor from before.

’This is what you call a luxurious apartment~.’

Satisfied, Soren left the training room and walked back into the main living area.

The dining table had already been completely cleared of the dinner bowls. Clara and Ethea were sitting together, enjoying some light snacks while occasionally glancing toward the hallway. The moment Soren stepped into the light, both of their eyes snapped to him.

Soren rubbed the back of his neck, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I made you wait too long."

Clara and Ethea both shook their heads immediately.

"No, not at all," Clara said, waving her hand dismissively with a bright smile. "We were just enjoying some tea. Besides, you look completely refreshed."

"You took less time than expected," Ethea added, her eyes narrowing slightly as she swept her gaze over his altered appearance, noting the subtle shift in his presence.

"Right! Congratulations!" Clara said warmly. "Whatever insights you were processing, it looks like your session was incredibly successful."