Bloodstorm
The brush of creation is about to awaken. Cha Ming must pass its final test, lest oblivion take him.
After two decades of training in the Heartforge Realm, Cha Ming’s soul is finally on the mend. He and his friends have advanced to the second phase of the Heartforge Trials, where they must defend a dying world from fiendish invaders.
Yet it isn’t just his friends who have come, but his enemies as well. When two aggressive neighbors start to nibble away at his territory, Cha Ming volunteers to buy his allies time. His actions instigate an all-out war between three regions, and countless innocents are dragged into the conflict.
Dabbling in the morally gray comes at as price. Cha Ming’s auras quickly fall out of balance and threaten to tear apart his foundations.
Yet this is only a backdrop to the greater conflict. The fiend outbreaks are getting worse by the day. To defend the Chasewind Plane, Cha Ming must awaken the Clear Sky Brush and embrace his destiny as the next Painter.
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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.
