Heartforge
To heal his heart, he must forge it anew.
Recent events have proven too much for Cha Ming. His heart is broken, and his soul is shattered. He cannot move. He cannot speak. His friends worry for his safety.
Soul trauma is difficult to heal at the best of times, and to do so, the Monkey King calls in an expert. He sends Cha Ming to the Heartforge Realm, the place where legends are born and heroes are made.
Cha Ming isn’t happy with this arrangement, but he’s too busy surviving to complain. The Heartforge Trials aren’t for the faint of heart, and less than one in four ever make it.
Yet there are far worse fates than death. There are many who pass the trials but lose themselves. The realm doesn’t just train heroes, after all, but villains as well. The difference is often a matter of perspective.
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Patrick G. Laplante
Patrick G. Laplante writes fantasy that grows patiently, shaped by structure, consequence, and the quiet pull of long journeys. Best known for expansive progression and cultivation fantasy, his stories favor steady transformation over spectacle, inviting readers to follow characters who change not in leaps, but through discipline, failure, and choice.
Born in 1987 on the Canadian prairies, Laplante did not begin his career in fiction. He trained as an engineer at the University of Alberta, completing both bachelor’s and master’s degrees before turning seriously toward writing. That technical background left a lasting imprint on his work. His worlds are built with internal logic, layered systems of power, and rules that matter, not as exposition, but as forces that shape character decisions and moral weight.
Painting the Mists
Painting the Mists begins with a single, disorienting shift, an ordinary man pulled into a world where strength is cultivated through discipline, patience, and choices that cannot be undone. What sets the series apart within progression and cultivation fantasy is its commitment to earned growth. Power arrives slowly, shaped by hardship, reflection, and the quiet pressure of consequences that follow every advancement.
Painting the Mists consists of eighteen books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
