The Path of Ascension
C. Mantis
The story follows Matt, a young man planning to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and killed his parents. His dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental, and no guild or group will take him. Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple. They give him a chance to join The Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends. With their recommendation and a stolen skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power.
Progression: Explicit Tier-based power ladder (Tier 1 through Tier 40+): every person is rated for a Talent Tier, and Pathers climb by delving monster-spawning rifts, conquering limited-Tier zones like Minkalla (Tier 11-14, seven floors / seven rewards), pressing Talents, collecting Skills, and bonding spirit beasts (Aster). An empire-wide race, the Path of Ascension, gates advancement behind timed milestones (e.g. reaching Tier 25 to finish the Path); graduates become Ascenders, living legends. Author's own framing: LitRPG exterior (dungeons, skills, guilds, tournaments) with a Xianxia engine — no blue boxes, logically consistent magic and power system.
Royal Road
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