I WILL ASCEND

Nathan Erickson, a fifteen-year-old orphan servant in the prestigious Azul Sky Sect, spends his days sweeping courtyards and hauling water—forever beneath the gaze of those who wield power and cultivate qi. Having failed to awaken a spirit root, he is destined to remain nameless and unseen. Yet he clings to a quiet dream: to ascend beyond servitude and touch the sky.But when he stumbles upon a secret that should have remained hidden, the wrath of those above turns lethal. His bones are shattered, his body cast from the cliffs to die in silence.Fate, however, is not finished with him. Nathan survives the fall—and in the abyss, he makes a vow:He will rise.He will defy the world's expectations.He will ascend.