I died young at the start, but I'm reincarnated with unlimited skill points!

Spring goes and autumn comes, and the seasons change.

In the world of cultivation, time always passes exceptionally slowly and monotonously. In the blink of an eye, five years have passed since Su Yu took office as the deputy manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion.

In the quiet room of the steward's residence.

Su Yu sat cross-legged on the futon, and with a long, drawn-out rise and fall of his chest, he slowly gathered the surging spiritual energy within his body.

A faint wisp of spiritual energy traveled along the meridians and eventually entered the dantian, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to create the slightest ripple.

Su Yu opened his eyes, his gaze revealing a clear and rational understanding. Then, he let out a soft sigh.

"In the end, I'm still limited by this ninth-grade spiritual root."

During these five years, thanks to the lucrative profits from the Spirit Herb Pavilion, he had a constant supply of various elixirs suitable for advancing his cultivation during the Qi Refining stage.

With his profound understanding of martial arts and internal energy from his previous life, he broke through the bottleneck of the mid-stage of Qi Refining with great ease and successfully entered the seventh level of Qi Refining.

In the world of cultivation, the seventh level of Qi Refining is a watershed moment.

Once you reach this realm, you can be considered a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

The spiritual energy gradually transforms from a gaseous state to a solid state, even enabling low-level magical artifacts to remain airborne for extended periods.

This is also the end point for the vast majority of elders in the Aoki Su family.

In the ironclad laws of this world, aptitude determines the upper limit.

The limit of a ninth-grade spiritual root is basically the seventh level of Qi Refining. Only a very few people with great perseverance and profound opportunities can barely grind their way into the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Those with an eighth-grade spiritual root can steadily enter the eighth level of Qi Refining, but breaking through to the ninth level is extremely difficult.

Only those with a seventh-grade spiritual root like Clan Chief Su Changhe are qualified to glimpse the scenery of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As for Foundation Building, that's not something that can be solved by hard work; it's purely a matter of fate.

With his current cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, Su Yu could easily reach that level among those with ninth-grade spiritual roots, provided he had sufficient resources.

The vast majority of the elders of the Su family are cultivators stuck on the seventh level, waiting to die.

Su Yu knew very well that at this rate, even if he were given another thirty years, he would never be able to reach the eighth level of Qi Refining in this lifetime.

Despite his sighs, he did not develop any resentful or irritable emotions.

Having lived two lifetimes, he knew that everything in the world was predetermined.

Since the upper limit of cultivation in this life has been reached, then I should enjoy the wealth and honor of the present moment in peace, leave behind more bloodlines and offspring, and place my hopes on the next reincarnation.

Composing himself, Su Yu changed into a light blue steward's robe, pushed open the door, and walked out of the quiet room.

Today is the day for Lingcao Pavilion to take stock of its accounts.

Upon arriving at the front hall, the staff were busy counting the medicinal herbs that had just arrived.

Upon seeing Su Yu emerge, they all stopped what they were doing and respectfully greeted him as "Manager Su."

As the Qingmu Su family's influence in this market has grown, the Lingcao Pavilion is now more than twice the size it was five years ago.

Many independent cultivators who originally set up stalls on the outskirts of the market were now willing to deliver their best medicinal herbs directly to the Su family's shop.

Su Yu nodded slightly, glanced through the account books, and after confirming that the income was correct, he walked out of the shop with his hands behind his back, intending to go to the Internal Affairs Hall to hand over the accounts.

The streets of the market were bustling with activity.

Halfway there, Su Yu paused slightly, his gaze falling on several laborers unloading the flesh and blood of demonic beasts by the roadside.

The men were wearing coarse cloth shirts and were covered in sweat and mud.

Seemingly noticing the gaze, one of them straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face, and happened to meet Su Yu's gaze.

The man froze, his rough hands unconsciously rubbing against the hem of his clothes, his expression awkward and complicated.

Su Yu recognized him.

This is Su Tie, one of the collateral descendants of his generation who pointed at him in the courtyard of the Inner Affairs Hall and called him a spineless coward and accused him of breaking the backbone of cultivators.

Five years have passed, and Su Tie is still stuck at the third level of Qi Refining.

Due to years of heavy physical labor, he suffered from severe deficiency of qi and blood, and at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, he looked like he was in his thirties.

Not only Su Tie, but most of his peers were also hovering around the third or fourth level of Qi Refining.

Lacking resources, they toiled day and night on the edge of the market, doing the most arduous menial tasks for just a few spirit stones.

The so-called unrealistic dream of cultivating immortality has long been crushed into dust by reality.

"Manager Su... Manager Su."

Su Tie opened his mouth, his voice somewhat hoarse, and awkwardly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Several of his peers nearby also stopped what they were doing and lowered their heads.

The contempt and anger they once held in their eyes were gone, as was the hatred they felt for Su Yu's defection to the main faction.

Yes, there was only a deep bitterness and a hint of secret envy.

Five years of brutal beatings made them fully realize the cruel truth of the bottom rungs of the cultivation world.

Now, looking at Steward Su, who wore brocade, held lucrative positions in the market, and had a large number of wives and concubines, they suddenly realized what was going on.

It turns out that Su Yu wasn't spineless back then, but rather that he was the first to see through this messed-up world.

Faced with the reality of lacking talent.

So-called backbone, besides earning a beating and a lifetime of poverty, is utterly useless.

If they had been half as shrewd as Su Yu back then, they wouldn't be in this predicament where they have to haul away monster corpses to exchange for spirit stones to buy their wives a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.

"How have you been lately?"

Su Yu spoke in a calm tone, without a trace of condescension or mockery, simply greeting him as if he were an ordinary member of his clan.

"I'm just trying to make a living, Manager Lao."

Su Tie gave a wry smile, cupped his hands again, and said, "I won't delay the steward from carrying out his duties."

Su Yu nodded slightly and walked past them.

In the struggle for supremacy, those who fall behind are destined to become nothing more than roadside scenery.

……

We arrived at the Imperial Household Department.

Su Yu met the young clan leader Su Hao in the main hall.

As soon as he stepped into the main hall, an overwhelming spiritual pressure rushed towards him. Even though Su Yu was already at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he still felt his breath catch slightly.

Su Hao, who was sitting in the first seat, was breathing with his eyes closed, but the spiritual energy emanating from his body was several times stronger than it had been five years ago.

Peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining!

Furthermore, its spiritual energy was powerful and surging, and it could break through its shackles at any moment and step into the ninth level of Qi Refining.

At the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining at the age of twenty-six, his talent not only surpassed all others in Qingmu Market, but was also regarded by the entire clan as their only hope to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and lead the clan to become a ninth-rank family!

Su Hao opened his eyes, his imposing aura subdued.

He took the account book from Su Yu, but without even opening it, he casually tossed it onto the table.

For a prodigy like him who aspires to build a foundation, worldly money and low-grade spiritual herbs are merely the fuel to sustain his ascent.

Su Yu was the fire-starting servant responsible for adding firewood.

"I heard you recently took a fourth concubine?"

Su Hao picked up his teacup and asked a question with a half-smile.

"I'm sorry to have made you look foolish, Young Clan Chief."

Su Yu looked ashamed. "I have no hope of becoming an immortal, so I can only indulge in sensual pleasures and get caught up in such mundane matters."

Su Hao chuckled, a hint of self-satisfaction in his eyes.

This is exactly what he wanted to see.

Over the past five years, the family's spirit herb business has been running smoothly under Su Yu's management, without the slightest mishap, continuously providing a solid foundation for his cultivation.

Su Yu himself remained the same greedy, lustful, and unambitious man.

He felt very at ease having such a person guarding his family business.