Seeds of Ascension
In the cultivation world, spiritual roots determine destiny. Wei Jin’s three-colored, low-grade roots offer a mere fifty percent chance of ever reaching Foundation Establishment—odds that would crush most aspiring cultivators before they begin.
But Jin’s family has already sacrificed everything for this chance.
At six years old, Wei Jin arrives at the Dark Rose Sect with nothing but patched robes, a bundle of turnips for tribute, and the weight of his entire family’s hopes pressing down on his small shoulders. His father sold the farm. His brother worked three years in the copper mines. His mother’s tears still stain the letter tucked against his heart.
Assigned to the agricultural division—the lowest rung of sect hierarchy—Jin is given one hectare of neglected spirit rice and a cultivation technique that should take him decades to master. He is clumsy, naive, and utterly unprepared for the cutthroat world of cultivation politics.
But Jin possesses something that no one else can see: a mysterious ability that shows him exactly how to optimize his cultivation, pushing his efficiency far beyond what his spiritual roots should allow.
As seasons turn to years, Jin transforms from a stumbling child into a formidable cultivator. He learns that power comes in many forms—from the old farmer whose pranks hide genuine wisdom, from the gossip-loving girl who becomes his closest ally, from the silent giants who teach him that realm isn’t everything. He survives corrupt overseers, navigates deadly sect politics, and discovers that sometimes the most effective weapon is patience.
When tragedy strikes his distant family, Jin must leave the safety of the sect to confront enemies who threaten everything he loves. The quiet farmer who preferred to work in shadows must become something more—a protector, an avenger, a cultivator willing to do whatever it takes to shield those who depend on him.
But as Jin approaches the peak of Qi Gathering, he realizes that his greatest challenges still lie ahead. Foundation Establishment beckons—a transformation that will change everything he understands about cultivation. And in the world of immortals, those who rise too quickly often find themselves targets of those who rose before them.
The Burdened Heart is the first book in an epic cultivation series following one young man’s journey from forgotten outer disciple to legendary cultivator. It is a story about family sacrifice, quiet determination, and the discovery that true strength often grows in the most unexpected soil
