SSS-Rank 10x Reward System: Accepting Disciples to Live Forever-Chapter 178: Limits Of Golden Core!!

Wang Chen waited in silence as Fatty Yang Kai made his way over, his thoughts drifting restlessly.

The limit of a Golden Core should be one meter...

That fact was carved into the foundation of cultivation itself. One meter was the peak, the theoretical extreme, the boundary no one crossed.

Yet his core had been compressed further.

Fifty centimeters.

Just thinking about it made his head ache.

He still vividly remembered the sheer brutality of compressing the quantal Qi Sea down to one-hundredth of its original size. Every moment had felt like tearing the world apart with his bare hands. It was a miracle he had succeeded at all.

And yet the system had done this next step so casually, as if it were nothing more than smoothing a wrinkle.

A dangerous thought surfaced.

Is there another level beyond this?

If one meter wasn’t the end... then what came next?

What kind of Golden Core would be born if it were compressed even further?

Under normal circumstances, Wang Chen would have chased this question to the ends of reality. He was exactly the kind of person who couldn’t resist poking at forbidden limits just to see what would break.

But now wasn’t the time.

When he last left, Li Mei had already been standing on the edge of her breakthrough. His focus couldn’t stray too far from his disciples.

Another unease crept in.

Wang Chen slowly lifted his gaze toward the sky.

Clear. Vast. Cloudless.

Too calm.

A faint frown formed between his brows.

Lin Huang should not have been spared the Heavenly Tribulation.

Wang Chen could hide from the heavens, obscure himself behind layers of authority and concealment. But Lin Huang couldn’t. Not yet. Not at his level.

And yet... nothing had come.

Lightning hadn’t descended. The heavens hadn’t questioned him.

That doesn’t make sense.

After killing the Original Demon, Wang Chen had felt something change.

Before, the world had watched him with naked hostility, a cold and oppressive scrutiny that pressed against his back no matter where he went. But now...

That gaze had shifted.

It was no longer hostile.

It felt... wary. Hesitant. As if the heavens themselves were reconsidering something.

Wang Chen wanted to sit down and unravel that mystery thread by thread.

But before he could sink deeper into thought—

Footsteps echoed.

A smile tugged faintly at his lips as Fatty Yang Kai entered the room, escorted by Yun Family servants.

The man was impossible to miss.

Yang Kai was dressed in an obscenely luxurious robe woven from spiritual mulberry silk, threads of gold shimmering across its surface. As light touched the fabric, it refracted strangely, creating the faint illusion of an immortal descending from the heavens.

The robe wasn’t just for show.

Wang Chen could feel it—Qi from the surroundings was being subtly drawn in, circulating around Yang Kai’s body in a constant, gentle flow. A treasure designed not for combat, but indulgence. One that passively increased cultivation efficiency simply by being worn.

So that’s how he lives so comfortably...

Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s face wore a stiff, carefully practiced smile.

The moment he left the Yang Family estate, he had spared no expense digging into what had truly happened. And the more he learned, the colder his blood became.

Lin Huang’s challenge.

Elders dying like weeds.

The Thousand Sword Sect brought to its knees.

And finally—

Wang Chen stepping in.

By the time Yang Kai pieced together the full chain of events, his scalp had gone numb.

I didn’t bring a random man to the Soaring Dragon Continent...

I brought a calamity.

Now, standing in front of Wang Chen once more, Yang Kai felt a strange mix of awe, fear, and disbelief churning in his gut.

That forced smile on his face... was the only thing keeping his legs from trembling.

And when Yang Kai remembered how he had threatened Wang Chen the last time they met, a dull, icy chill crawled down his spine.

The memory gnawed at him.

This time, he didn’t dare say a single unnecessary word.

Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and began kowtowing on the spot. His movements were hurried and clumsy; his round belly got in the way, preventing his forehead from fully touching the ground. Still, he bowed again and again, doing his utmost to look sincere.

Wang Chen watched the spectacle, the corner of his lips twitching uncontrollably.

After a few breaths, he finally couldn’t take it anymore.

"Brother Yang Kai," Wang Chen said in a calm, almost gentle voice, "what is the meaning of this? You are my benefactor. There’s no need to go this far."

As his words fell, an invisible force wrapped around Yang Kai’s body, steady and warm, lifting him effortlessly to his feet.

Yang Kai froze for a split second.

Then relief flooded his face.

That simple gesture told him everything. Wang Chen hadn’t taken his earlier words to heart. He wasn’t being punished. He wasn’t about to disappear quietly from the world.

Ancestor Yun, Young Master Yun, and Rong Lua all turned their gazes toward Yang Kai at the same time.

One glance was enough.

They recognized him immediately.

In the cultivation world, fat cultivators were rare. Being overweight hindered agility, combat responsiveness, and even Qi circulation. Anyone who chose to remain fat despite that could only be one of two things—insanely rich, or so powerful that such limitations no longer mattered.

And Yang Kai was very clearly the former.

The Young Master of the Yang Family...?

Rong Lua’s eyes narrowed, sharp light flashing within them. Almost instinctively, his gaze met Young Master Yun’s. No words were exchanged, yet countless thoughts passed between them in an instant.

Why was he here?

Meanwhile, Wang Chen’s attention remained solely on Yang Kai.

Yang Kai swallowed, then spoke carefully, every word weighed before leaving his mouth.

"My father... Great Grandmaster Yang Li... has invited you for lunch."

He paused, then added quickly, almost nervously,

"H-He hopes Senior—no, Brother—will honor us with his presence."

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Hmm?" He smiled faintly. "Why wouldn’t I?"

Those three words struck Yang Kai harder than any rebuke.

The stiffness in his expression finally eased, the forced smile on his face loosening into something genuine. He bowed once more, this time with far less panic, then didn’t linger any longer.

Within moments, he turned and left in a hurry, his figure disappearing beyond the Yun Family guest hall.

Silence followed.

Rong Lua exhaled slowly.

Young Master Yun’s gaze lingered on Wang Chen’s back for a long moment.

And Ancestor Yun sat there quietly, hands folded, heart pounding with a single, undeniable realization:

The Yang Family didn’t come to Ancient Sword City by coincidence.

They came because of him.