I have read the RAWs a couple months ago up to chapter 132. Author wrote in his reader notes that this novel was supposed to have a System, but he scrapped it and had to rewrite what he planned to write. Reason? He said something like ,,I know there are not many exciting moments, but I have ambitions in my little heart. With a System, everything would be too easy to solve, no tension, no suspension, no ability, just ask system and done. If you don't like it, then so be it, I am writing it for myself, as for those who continue to support, thank you".
He made the MC imagine himself to be as those in the books with system, but due to lack of cheat he started to write status bars, numbers and so on on normal paper. MC said it will help remember things more easily when he thinks it's his system :D
I stopped reading despite the novel being super good and author's personality as above. Why? Reason 1: A few years of timeskip (the type i don't like, because i don't know what happened during that time and he has children already, the time skip was done to make it more realistic: it's a long term family buildup novel so they can't really battle all the time or face crises hence why skip as he for some reason didn't want to write about peaceful days). Reason 2: A wife with secrets and too strong of a personality.. With these two things, the novel's model that focused on family rather than MC lost its charm for me. Sects didn't play any active role up to chapter 132, only mentioned, e.g. that some promising children have to be sent to make name for themselves or obtain outside resources while the rest it's best to cultivate by family for family. Maybe i'll pick the novel up someday but the timeskip+wife combo really put me off especially when it was MTL. Either way, do check it out, this is the best novel in this genre, the other ones like Ancestor Above are too bland, illogical etc. There's only Great Tang Idyll that could perhaps compare, but is still probably not as good, but it's quite different as it has 2 MCs as a core while this one has family as a core.
