Marry into the wife’s family?

“Faster! Sui Ming, push harder! You can do it!”

“You… quit yelling, will you?! I’m already at it!”

“Uuugh!!! It’s coming out! It’s coming out!”

“Come on, you can do it!”

If not for the video recording, Heikale would’ve thought Sui Ming was doing something indecent.

But then again, this whole scene did seem rather suspicious.

Boom!!

“Looks like… it still failed.”
Staring at the pile of ashes in his hand, Sui Ming let out a helpless sigh.

“Your mana reservoir is still too low. You just can’t sustain the array’s operation. That’s why the cauldron exploded.”

After all, arrays designed to amplify vitality were far too demanding in terms of required materials.

And Sui Ming, being the miser that he was, loathed anything that touched his bank account.

Of course, his account balance couldn’t sink any lower than it already had, but that made no difference to him.

What infuriated him most was that this kind of alchemy array was not about skill at all—it was about tossing extravagant amounts of money into rare materials.
That… was something Sui Ming could never accept.

One demanded material was bad enough.
But another?
And another on top of that?
Insatiable!

Fortunately, since his time in the Mirror Realm, he had comprehended a technique that allowed him to crush raw materials out of thin air.
Otherwise, he’d already be borrowing another huge sum from Bai Luoxia.

Still, the skill carried two crucial limitations:
First, the material couldn’t be something Sui Ming had never seen before.
Second, the overall mana cost had to remain within his bearable threshold.

As things stood, Sui Ming already owed Bai Luoxia almost 500,000 Fal.
If he went further into debt, he might really have to pay with his body.

“One more try! You can do it!”

The reason Crow was so abnormally excited… came down to the dagger poised against her own neck.

How could she not feel thrilled?
Even if an Abyssal Invasion occurred this very night, she would still be brimming with excitement.

[Miracle—Convergence!]

“Grant me—Cauldron Break!!!”

A sudden flash of brilliant light burst forth, blinding everyone except Crow.

“Now! It’s done!”

She flared her wings, and a vial of [Echo of All Things] was hurled straight into the cauldron.

Emerald radiance surged outward.
An intense wave of life essence erupted, and the once-dull green meadow instantly flourished as if reborn.

“It’s done! I, Dao-ye, have done it! Hahahaha!”

“Alright then, let me finish it.”

Crow beat her wings, gathering streams of verdant mana into a vast swirling vortex.
Gradually, it condensed into a gleaming green pill floating in the air.

“This thing… is it reliable?” Sui Ming couldn’t help but doubt.

“Anything crafted by Crow is guaranteed top quality!”

With that, she stuffed the jade-green pellet into Sui Ming’s mouth.

Somehow… the scene felt oddly familiar.

But unlike the ripping, soul-burning agony of the last time, this time Sui Ming only felt a warm current coursing gently through him.

From inside out, it was washing over his very soul.
His life force was being replenished.

“This vitality output… isn’t it a bit much? This is already close to the consumption rate of a Gold Vein tier warrior.”
Heikale’s eyes widened in shock.

For him, seeing a talking crow wasn’t nearly as astonishing as this.

He knew Sui Ming wasn’t normal—
But this level of life force was outright inhuman.

A dazzling yellow radiance suddenly erupted.
Even the imperial palace, thousands of meters away, noticed the disturbance.

“Seems like your little boyfriend is something extraordinary,” Bai Yunqing teased.

“Hehe… Sui Ming… hehe—”

Bai Luoxia leaned against the window, gazing toward the luminous column.

Oh no.
Her niece was already fatally poisoned by love.
What should one do in this situation? Asking for advice, online.

“Wait a second… why does this aura feel so familiar?”

As the pillar of light dwindled, infinite life energy gathered into Sui Ming’s body.
It condensed into a verdant spring, endlessly flowing inside him.

“Alright. Mission accomplished.”
Crow flapped her wings once in satisfaction.

Inside, Sui Ming could feel it clearly—an unprecedented torrent of vitality constantly cycling through his veins.

“Good heavens… a Mortal Dust tier with vitality on par with Gold Vein. Are you… even human anymore?”

“But… something still feels missing…”

He tried channeling part of this new life spring into his heart—

Boom!!!

Blinding white light detonated across the meadow.
A force named [Order] reappeared in the mortal world.
Countless azure swords materialized, plunging into the ground, outlining a gigantic array.
Nothing living survived within its reach.
Even a mouse that skittered past was skewered instantly, dying on the spot.

Crow raised a talon and nudged one of the azure blades.
Her heart finally settled.

But Heikale was not so lucky—he stood there impaled with a forest of swords.
Blood gushed wildly, soaking the grass crimson.

He yanked one blade from his back, inhaling sharply.
“Sui Ming! What the hell did you just do?!”

“I don’t know! How should I know?”
Sui Ming bent down, picked up a light-blue longsword, and examined it.

Could it be… he could trade life for power now?
What sort of bizarre development was this?

Heikale, looking at his sword-riddled body, felt cold sweat run down his back.

Of course, these little wounds were nothing for someone at Gold Vein tier.
But the fact that they came from Sui Ming, a mere Mortal Dust tier four—
That was a staggering blow to his prestige!

“That girl really gave you her all, huh? She must care for you deeply, to share this with you,” sighed Crow.

“You mean… this thing is actually…”

“That’s right. Exactly what you’ve guessed.
The heart beating inside you—
Is part of the divine relic [Law-Engraved Balance].”

Those words made even Heikale freeze.

“What did you say? His heart… is that relic?”

“That little girl… what a willful one.”

Heikale patted Sui Ming’s shoulder with a look that screamed: Brother, I pity you.

“What? Don’t tell me this thing is a bomb! I knew she was up to no good!”

“Not a bomb, no… but there is a teeny-tiny issue.”
Heikale hesitated.

“You see, the Law-Engraved Balance was once part of the God of Order.
The very first royal bloodline of Mingxi inherited and guarded it after the God’s fall.”

“Which means… this relic is bound tightly to Mingxi’s imperial family.”

“Wait… don’t tell me…”

“Exactly. Because your heart houses part of the relic, Sui Ming—
You must formally marry into the Filar family.
Otherwise… they’ll have no choice but to reclaim the relic from your chest.”

“Bai Luoxia! You damned traitor!!!”

Sui Ming’s roar echoed across the entire field.