The Path of Ascension

Matt dreams of delving the rifts that spawn the monsters that destroyed his city and killed his parents — but his Talent is rated detrimental, and no guild will take him. A chance meeting with a mysterious, powerful couple earns him a place on the Path of Ascension, the Empire's brutal race to climb the Tiers and become a living legend. Alongside Liz and his Bond, an Arctic fox named Aster, Matt sets out for the peak of power. The series crosses LitRPG-style systems with xianxia-flavored cultivation, built on an internally consistent magic and progression framework. First serialized on Royal Road, published by Aethon Books: twelve numbered volumes plus a side-story interlude, Book 10.5.