The Path of Ascension 8

Matt, Liz and their Bond Aster have survived Minkalla, the deadly proving ground that filled the earlier volumes. They come out of it changed and worn down, and what they want is time to recover. The Path of Ascension offers none.

The program keeps a relentless schedule, and every day spent resting is a day lost against the curve the team has worked hard to stay ahead of. A bigger obstacle waits at Tier 15. Reaching it means Aster has to go to the Bond Academy, and the two sides will be parted for ten years at the least.

The three have always been strongest together, so the deadline forces hard choices. They have to work out how far they can climb before the separation arrives. They also have to picture the climb if they must face it apart.

This is the eighth of twelve volumes in C. Mantis's series. It started life as a serial on Royal Road, and Aethon Books publishes it. The books blend LitRPG with xianxia-style cultivation: dungeons, skills and Tiers sit on top of a magic and progression system built to be internally consistent.

Matt was orphaned in a monster attack that came through a rift, and he was admitted to the Path despite a Talent rated detrimental. He climbs the Empire's Tiers alongside Liz and Aster, an Arctic fox. This volume opens right after Minkalla, so it reads best after the earlier books.