The first book in an adventure-packed, hilarious new cultivation series, perfect for fans of Beware of Chicken and Heretical Fishing.

Casey Timmins dies at thirty-two after a lifetime of bad decisions and wasted potential. Instead of oblivion, he wakes up in a cultivation world full of qi, martial arts, and people who somehow survive while doing everything wrong. He has no talent. No rare item. No destiny. Just a teacher’s brain, a scientist’s mindset, and decades of frustration with people who cannot follow basic instructions. While everyone else chases breakthroughs until their bodies give out, Casey treats qi like a lab experiment instead of a wish. And for the first time, cultivation actually works. Which means the entire world immediately hates it. A genius with fragile pride decides Casey needs to be crushed. A Core Formation master demands he “prove” the method. A dying friend forces him to test everything he believes. Some breakthroughs require logic. Some require pain. Casey is about to get both. If he succeeds, he’ll build the strongest Foundation his sect has ever seen. If he fails, he’s dead. Cultivation is hard when you do it the stupid way. Casey refuses to.