Martial Peak
Momo
Yang Kai is a lowly sweeper in Sky Tower, a cultivation sect that tests its disciples in the harshest ways. Born with no power, he obtains a mysterious black book and embarks on the lonely, solitary journey to the martial peak. Facing adversity with unyielding will, he breaks through realm after realm, forging connections and rising from obscurity. China's top phone novel in 2014 with ~50 million views, Martial Peak is the archetypal xianxia progression fantasy, spanning 6000+ chapters and 21 Goodreads volume splits, where each breakthrough marks a quantified step toward the strongest.
Progression: Classic xianxia cultivation ladder with explicit, quantified breakthrough tiers. Yang Kai advances from Body Tempering through successive major realms (e.g., Initial Element, True Element, Immortal Ascension, Saint, Emperor, Great Emperor and beyond), each subdivided into 9 minor layers/grades with tribulations and bottleneck breakthroughs. Progression is central and granular: every volume (Sky Tower, Showing Off One's Ability, Rising Fame, The Big Turnover, etc.) marks chapter-block milestones (6000+ chapters total) and realm ascensions verified via Goodreads series progression and the recurring blurb 'Only then can you break through and continue on your journey to become the strongest.' The black book artifact provides technique inheritance, enabling cross-realm combat and alchemy/martial dual cultivation. Unlike LitRPG stat-boxes, advancement is cultivation-realm based but equally explicit and step-laddered, with each major realm requiring condensation of Yuan Qi, opening meridians, and surviving Heavenly Tribulation — the textbook definition of progression fantasy cultivation.
Goodreads
