Sacred Valley has been saved...at least, what’s left of it. With his home finally secure, Lindon delves deep into the ancient labyrinth, seeking long-lost Soulsmithing knowledge and the secret to destroying the Dreadgods. Monarchs plot against him and against each other, unaware of the threats gathering in realms beyond. Far above Lindon and the Monarchs and the Dreadgods, another war is waged. Suriel and the Abidan clash against the Mad King and his forces in a battle for the fate of many worlds. And if it is lost, Cradle will be destroyed. 

As the Uncrowned King tournament reaches its final rounds, tensions between the competing factions are higher than ever. The outcome may determine the power balance throughout the rest of the world. Each Monarch schemes to seize any advantage they can...while far away, a Dreadgod stirs. When the tournament ends, the Dreadgod will rise. Whether it will be driven back into the sea or allowed to rampage depends on the Monarchs. And on which of them is left standing.

The Monarchs, the most powerful sacred artists on Cradle, rule with unquestioned authority. They are mysterious and distant, and catching a glimpse of one is privilege enough for a lifetime. To meet one is to come face-to-face with a legend. Now, they have all gathered in one place, bringing their heirs and greatest students together for a competition to determine whose successor is the best in the world.

A tournament approaches. All around the world, great clans and sects prepare their disciples to fight against one another in a competition of young Underlords. Even the Blackflame Empire is drawn in, but their youth are not strong enough to compete. Yet. To temper and test them, the Akura clan throws all the elites of the Blackflame Empire into a lush training ground. There, training will be much faster and more rewarding. 

Long ago, the Monarch Northstrider created a world of his own. This world, known as Ghostwater, housed some of his most valuable experiments. Now, it has been damaged by the attack of the Bleeding Phoenix, and a team of Skysworn have been sent to recover whatever they can from the dying world. And when the plan goes horribly wrong, Lindon and Orthos find themselves lost in the Monarch’s world alone. Now, Lindon must brave the depths of this new dimension, scavenging treasures and pushing his skills to new heights to compete with new enemies.

Lindon has a year left. When his time runs out, he’ll have to fight an opponent that no one believes he can beat. Unless he learns sacred arts the right way, from scratch, he won’t have a chance to win...and even then, the odds are against him. In the course of their training, he and Yerin travel to the Blackflame Empire, where they fight to master an ancient power left behind by a fallen clan. This is Lindon’s chance to learn a true Path, but there are those who do not wish to see these lost techniques revived.

Outside Sacred Valley, ancient ruins rise from the earth, drawing sacred artists from miles around to fight for the treasures within. Factions rise and fall as warriors bicker over rare resources, but time is limited. A powerful family from the Blackflame Empire is coming to claim the ruins, and when they arrive, no one else will have a chance at the prize. Lindon has reached Copper, taking the first step on the road to power, but the warriors of the outside world are still far beyond him. 

Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world. Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan. When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must rise beyond anything he's ever known...and forge his own Path.

A teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, Zorian is attending his third year of education at Cyoria's magical academy. A driven and quiet young man, he is consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, resenting the Kazinskis for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, Zorian has no time for pointless distractions, much less other people's problems.

Simon can only watch, helpless, as his family is killed and his friends captured by enemy Travelers - men and women who can summon mystical powers from otherworldly Territories. To top it off, another young man from Simon's village discovers that he's a savior prophesied to destroy evil and save the realm. Prophecy has nothing to say about Simon. He has no special powers, no magical weapons, and no guarantee that he'll survive. But he sets off anyway, alone, to gain the power he needs to oppose the Travelers.

Grant Leap is an orphaned, mortal farmhand in a world where cultivation methods and Weapons of Power are jealously guarded and only passed down among family. He’s not content with his lot; as a Januarian, someone living in District January, he should be living the good life just like everyone else. Food, parties, food, entertainment, and food are the minimum requirement. As an orphan, specifically a reviled Leap, there’s not even a chance of being treated as a human. 

When war wages, even innocents perish. Two years have passed, and the war between the kingdoms of Shen and Wei rages on. The Second Storm is the sixth novel in the A Thousand Li series, a book about immortal cultivation, wondrous martial arts, evil cultivation sects and spirit beasts.  

Beset by nightmarish creatures from the caverns below, Jason’s tribe is slowly being whittled away. He dreams of joining the glorious Shadowfront and battling the enemy known only as the Void. But, as a lowly Pastfinder, he is denied that path - until he chances upon the ruins of a long dead civilization and discovers a forgotten form of cultivation, one fueled by the ghosts of centuries-lost history and powerful, forbidden knowledge. If his fellow tribesmen learn of his new power's cursed origins, the Void will be the least of his concerns. 

Reidon Ward will become a god. He doesn't know it yet, of course. Reidon was born weak, sickly, and small. Afflicted with a painful disease and abandoned by his parents because of it, he has had to fight tooth and nail for every minor advantage life has allowed him. However, his perseverance has not gone unnoticed, and when the most powerful artificial intelligence in human history takes an interest in him, things began to change quickly. 

But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.