School of Swords and Serpents
Gage Lee
Jace Warin never wanted anything more than to attend the School of Swords and Serpents to escape the labor camps and restore his family's stained honor. Born with a rare Hollow Core, he enters the Empyreal academy's deadly hierarchy where students cultivate cores, compete for School Champion, and master sword and serpent arts. As Empyreal society is upended by the return of immortal dragons from Shambala and the quest for the Empyrean Flame, Jace must evolve his core through Eclipse, Chaos, Burning, Infinite and Eternal stages, rebuilding the Grand Design while the School's very existence hangs in the balance. A 6-book academy progression fantasy where core tiers, school ranks and draconic trials drive every victory.
Progression: Core-based academy cultivation progression verified via Goodreads series and book blurbs: (1) Core Ladder — Jace begins with a Hollow Core (Book 1), the rarest/weakest type, and advances through Eclipse Core (Book 2), Chaos Core (Book 3), Burning Core (Book 4), Infinite Core (Book 5) to Eternal Core (Book 6). Each core stage represents a distinct power tier with new abilities; the dragon society's return tests control of unraveling cores. (2) School Ranks & Champion Tour — The School of Swords and Serpents is a deadly academy with year-based progression, School Champion tournaments, undefeated tours, and Grand Design rebuilding; advancement requires mastering sword/serpent techniques, surviving lethal school challenges and earning honor. (3) Empyrean/Draconic Threat Ladder — Progression is gated by external tiers: labor camp origins vs Empyreal society, immortal dragons from Shambala challenging Empyreal norms, and the quest for the Empyrean Flame beyond mortal realms; each book escalates the scale from school duels to world-ending draconic threats requiring higher core mastery.
Goodreads
