A Thousand Li: The First Step
by Tao Wong
About This Audiobook
Long Wu Ying is a rice farmer's son conscripted for war in the state of Shen — until a chance encounter redirects him to the Verdant Green Waters Sect and the long, long climb toward immortality. A Thousand Li is deliberately traditional xianxia: sect politics, breakthrough stages, sword arts, all of it explained clearly enough that this works as a first cultivation book for Western listeners. Tao Wong grounds every stage and custom, and both Will Wight and Matt Dinniman have blurbed the series, which tells you the neighborhood it lives in. Be honest with yourself about pacing, though — this is a slow grind by design, and Wu Ying's personality doesn't extend far past diligent in book one. Reviews call the early books flat for exactly that reason. Baldree's narration is the multiplier; half the Cradle audience wandered over because of him, and he treats this material just as well. 4.6 from 3.4K ratings.
