My Ares Son-in-Law

Xiao Chen said no more, pushed open the door and walked into the quiet room. The door slowly closed, isolating him from everything outside.

The door to the quiet room slowly closed, isolating it from all the noise of the outside world. Xiao Chen sat down cross-legged, slowly closed his eyes, and the remaining star power around him spontaneously formed a faint halo, beginning to slowly recover from the depletion of his divine soul.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, so deep it seemed to swallow all light. The old town where Cangfeng Pavilion was located was quiet, but beneath this tranquility, undercurrents were surging.

Those peering eyes lurking in the shadows, those hidden forces that have slumbered for decades or even centuries, those ancient secrets sealed by time... will all be brought to the surface by the opening of this Reverse Scale Sword.

The Reverse Scale Sword is forged, and the Star Soul returns to its place.

A storm is brewing, and the world will be shaken.

Tonight is merely the prelude to this storm.

As the essence of the stellar core completely merged into the sword, Xiao Chen clearly felt two completely different changes occurring simultaneously... breakage and connection.

What broke was the last ancient seal within the sword, sealed away for countless ages. That seal had imprisoned the true power of the Reverse Scale Sword for countless years, and now, nourished by the Star Core Essence, it shattered with a deafening roar, leaving not a trace behind.

What connects him is a profound resonance with the sword that transcends the material realm. It is no longer a simple subordinate relationship between a master and his weapon, but more like a symbiotic bond of blood; the sword understands his every thought.

……

In Beijing, 300 meters underground in the Western Hills, there is a circular conference room marked "Top Secret".

On the huge circular screen wall, images captured by satellites are being played in real time...

Above the provincial capital of the western region, the silver beam of light that shot straight into the sky had dissipated, but its residual energy was etched into the sky like a brand, while dense data analysis scrolled below the screen.

In the center of the conference room, five chairs are arranged in a circle.

Four of them were dressed in crisp military uniforms, the gold stars on their shoulder insignia standing out in the dim light, and all of them held the rank of lieutenant general.

Sitting in the main seat was a middle-aged man in a gray Zhongshan suit. He had an ordinary face and a thin build, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if they could devour all light, making people afraid to look directly at him.

"Reporting to our commanders, the energy peak has exceeded the current upper limit of the divine weapon database, and the fluctuation frequency has a similarity of 87.3% with the residual data from the 'Starfall Event'!"

A technician's slightly trembling voice came from the loudspeaker, "Preliminary assessment indicates that this is a celestial phenomenon caused by the awakening of a 'Secret Realm' artifact!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint sound of air moving.

“Secret Realm level…” An elderly general with gray hair slowly spoke, taking a deep breath, his tone full of shock, “It has been a full sixty years since the appearance of the Zhenguo Ding, and no Secret Realm level artifact has appeared in the Dragon Kingdom. Old Qin, what is your opinion on this?”

The middle-aged man known as "Old Qin" was Qin Zhenyue, the director of the "Observatory of Astronomy," a special control department in China. He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, making a crisp "tap-tap" sound, and said in a deep voice, "It's not the awakening of the artifact, it's the sharpening of its edge."

"Sharpened?" The old general frowned. "You mean, this secret realm-level artifact has existed for a long time, but was only sharpened today?"

“That’s right.” Qin Zhenyue raised his hand and brought up another set of energy curve data. The red curve clearly showed the trajectory of “repair-fusion-outburst”.

"The energy fluctuations exhibit clear characteristics of 'repair' and 'fusion,' rather than 'new life' awakening. Moreover, the source of this anomaly is precisely located in the provincial capital of the Western Region." Another man wearing the rank of general frowned and said, "The Western Region? Old Qin, isn't that the foundation of your Qin family? Are they capable of opening the secret realm-level artifact?"

"The Qin family doesn't have that capability." Qin Zhenyue shook his head without hesitation, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"The strongest weapon forger in the Qin family today is only at the mid-level Earth rank, not even qualified to touch a secret realm-level artifact. This is what puzzles me the most... Who on earth could accomplish such a miraculous sharpening technique in the mortal world?"

……

The underground branch of the Blood Demon Society in the provincial capital of the western region.

Jiang Xueren remained standing in front of the observation window, the celadon teacup in his hand long since cooled, its walls covered with water droplets, but he was completely unaware of it.

A water mirror floated before him, repeatedly replaying the breathtaking scene of the silver beam of light piercing through the clouds. In the lower right corner of the mirror, a line of red numbers jumped wildly, finally settling on a value that made Jiang Xueren's heart stop beating... Initial level of the Secret Realm.

“Secret Realm level…” Jiang Xueren’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice dry as if sandpaper was being rubbed together, “Good heavens, a Secret Realm level treasure can actually be born in the mortal world… Just how many trump cards does this kid have hidden?”

"Sect Master." Su Yu's figure appeared silently behind him, her expression equally solemn.

"Our energy monitoring system has detected at least seventeen spy signals from different forces, all of which have been precisely located in the provincial capital. Three of these signals are extremely strong and, upon comparison, have been identified as originating from the three holy sites."

"Even the Holy Lands have gotten involved?" Jiang Xueren turned around abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The three Holy Lands are usually aloof and rarely interfere in worldly affairs, but now they are actively probing because of the sharpening of a sword, which is enough to show the significance of this matter.

Su Yu nodded and added, "That's not all. Three minutes ago, all the 'hidden sentries' of the Observatory in the western region were activated. Their objective was clear: to investigate the source of this anomaly."

Jiang Xueren paced rapidly in the room, his expression shifting constantly, sometimes grave, sometimes ruthless. He knew very well that the emergence of the Reverse Scale Sword had already stirred up the entire cultivation world of the Dragon Kingdom, and if they were not careful, the Blood Demon Society could be drawn into the eye of the storm.

After a long while, he suddenly stopped, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Pass on my orders! All forces of the Blood Demon Society's Western District are to be mobilized to investigate this matter at all costs! Focus on investigating the Hidden Edge Pavilion and that man named Xiao Chen. Any information related to him must be reported immediately!"

"Understood!" Su Yu bowed and accepted the order, then vanished in a flash.

……

Hidden Peak Pavilion, a quiet room.

Xiao Chen had already withdrawn his outward-projected divine sense, and the Reverse Scale Sword hovered quietly in front of him.

Although the towering silver beam of light had dissipated, the energy within the quiet room remained so dense that it was almost tangible. Countless tiny silver specks floated in the air, like the first snowflakes of a winter night, slowly rotating before finally merging into the Reverse Scale Sword.

Xiao Chen reached out and lightly touched the sword with his fingertips. The warm touch made him realize that the vast and powerful stellar energy within the sword was gradually calming down, achieving a strange synchronization with his heartbeat, breathing, and the flow of his divine essence, as if they were one.

He tried to let go.

The Reverse Scale Sword didn't fall; instead, it hovered steadily in mid-air, slowly circling around him. The speed wasn't fast, but it carried a lively rhythm, like a docile spirit beast that had recognized its master, affectionately accompanying him. (End of Chapter)