The First Step

Wong (Climbing the Ranks) kicks off his Thousand Li series with this competent wuxia fantasy. Long Wu Ying works on his family farm in the kingdom of Shen and trains as a cultivator, someone with the ability to master his internal chi and the potential to live for centuries, at the command of the king, who hopes to bolster his forces in the war against a rival state. The king knows it’s a risk: cultivation allows an individual to become a superior soldier, but the discipline is also a threat, as “a single cultivator, if they achieved true power, could overturn governments.” Wu Ying’s progress leads to his selection by the Verdant Green Waters, Shen’s most powerful martial arts sect. Wong takes readers through the stages of Wu Ying’s training, which exposes him to multiple dangers, including a would-be murderer. The worldbuilding and magic system impress, but Wu Ying remains somewhat underdeveloped as a character, and the plot is a bit on the slow side. Still, there’s enough intrigue to make readers curious about where the series goes from here. (Mar.)