About the Series
Cha Ming escapes his mundane life when a mysterious ancient talisman brush carries him into a cultivation world and gives him a new body able to wield elemental powers. His cultivation is tied to painting, and the brush itself, the Clear Sky Brush, draws enemies who want its power. The world operates on traditional xianxia rules: ranked realms, tribulations, sect politics, and ascending planes of existence. Across 18 books, the scope expands from local sect politics to realm-spanning conflicts.
The painting-based cultivation path is the distinguishing feature. Cha Ming’s progression through his art and his brush gives the series a different rhythm from the usual fight-level-fight cycle. The series maintains traditional xianxia structure (sect politics, realm advancement, ascending to higher worlds) while offering a protagonist who approaches it differently.
This is for readers who want a long-form cultivation experience in English. The series runs 18 books so far with a 19th announced, which means hundreds of hours of content for readers who enjoy the cultivation loop at length. The non-combat focus offers variety within the subgenre. The tradeoff: the sheer length means quality fluctuates across books. Some middle volumes are transitional. The pace of release (four books in 2018, then two or three a year through 2023) meant the writing was not heavily revised. If you need consistent prose quality or tight plotting, the extended length works against it. If you want the “cultivation marathon” experience, this provides it.
Reading Order
- Clear Sky (2018)
- Blood Moon (2018)
- Light in the Darkness (2018)
- Pure Jade (2018)
- Corrupted Crimson (2019)
- Kindling (2019)
- Shifting Tides (2019)
- Shattered Lands (2020)
- Edge of Oblivion (2020)
- Words of Creation (2020)
- Crown of the Starry Sky (2021)
- Claddings of Light (2021)
- Echoes of Divinity (2021)
- Pendulum of Fate, Part 1 (2022)
- Pendulum of Fate, Part 2 (2022)
- Heartforge (2022)
- Bloodstorm (2023)
- Planesfall (2023)
The full 18-book reading order follows the numbered sequence. Pendulum of Fate is split into two parts (books 14 and 15).
If You Like This Series
- A Thousand Li by Tao Wong. Traditional cultivation with similar philosophical depth; 12 books, completed
- Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar. Cultivation with artistic elements and sect politics; ongoing
- Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer. Non-combat cultivation path taken to its extreme (farming); lighter tone
- Cradle by Will Wight. Faster-paced cultivation if you want the progression loop compressed; 12 books, completed
- Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends by Ivan Kal. Multiple progression systems coexisting; similar scope and length