CULTIVATE U - A Wuxia LitRPG Progression Fantasy

Book One of the Cultivate U Series

De: J.G. Johnson

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Power is mandatory. Choice is not.

In a world where civilization survives only because cultivators stand between humanity and annihilation, Gale Kent has already paid the price of cultivation in blood.

Orphaned by a beast wave. Disgraced by politics. Raised by a fallen Imperial Inquisitor.
Gale never wanted the path of power, but when his cultivation test shatters every stone designed to measure it, refusal stops being an option.

Welcome to Cultivation U, the Empire’s most dangerous university. A place where talent is weaponized, failure is punished, and advancement comes with consequences no system can quantify.

Gale is no prodigy blessed by fate. He’s a late bloomer with a bad attitude, a dangerous cultivation anomaly, and a habit of punching problems in the face. When he’s sentenced to six months among the university’s “misfits,” he quickly learns that being different doesn’t make you special—it makes you hunted.

Between brutal training, political enemies, deadly secrets, and a cultivation system that refuses to behave, Gale must decide what kind of cultivator he will become.

A tool.
Or something far more dangerous.

Cultivate U is a Wuxia LitRPG progression fantasy featuring:

• A detailed cultivation system with real consequences.
• Academy politics, rival factions, and Imperial intrigue.
• Slow-burn power growth earned through grit, pain, and cleverness.
• Snark, banter, and characters who refuse to stay in their lanes.

Power must be earned. Ascension is never free.

Cultivation Heaven at College

I really enjoyed this book — and my biggest complaint is simply that there isn’t more of it.

I wish there were additional books available already. I’d love to follow the author and get notifications for future releases, but since this is currently the only book available, there isn’t even an author page or series page yet. That’s disappointing, because this absolutely feels like the start of something bigger.

The story itself was a ton of fun. It hits so many of the cultivation elements I love: clearly defined ranks, structured progression, multiple paths, and real forward movement. The power system is easy to follow without feeling shallow, and the advancement feels earned instead of vague or hand-waved.

Setting it in a university on what appears to be Earth — just with cultivators integrated into society — was a great choice. It gives the story a familiar foundation while still delivering all the wuxia flavor. Alchemy, blacksmithing, martial paths, different professions — it felt like a cultivation playground in the best way.

As for the narration, this uses Virtual Voice, and for AI narration it’s honestly quite solid. There are occasional pronunciation hiccups (words like “tears” that depend on context), and sometimes sentences run together where a pause would help. But overall, it’s about as smooth as AI narration gets right now and didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

I’d absolutely listen to more from this author. I just hope we get the chance.

VAST POTENTIAL. I have hopes for this one.

There is a core of quality here. For this to succeed and become a series this Book needs some cultivation and reworks to align all of its meridians for successful expansion. I think the world needs a little bit of an intro chapter to establish contexts then cut to the MC where the book currently begins. the integration of technology into the world doesn't even seem to be mentioned until halfway through the book so I think the author added tech, mid writing. This book could easily also be recast to take place here on earth in the future to explain the presence of phones guns and trains. The characters solid. There isn't the standard anime garbage of everyone being shy around girls etc or anything overtly creepy happening. The progression is holding a decent pace for the length of the book. The author needs to keep the pace and not fall into the standard trap of other series where every 2nd or 3rd book is just AI generated nonsense filler. like the characters go to a tournament and the entire 20hr book is just worthless filler that takes place in a 14day period. and then you're waiting another 4 months for the actual continuation of the story.

Great modern cultivation story

I quite enjoyed the story. The author is witty and the listen was enjoyable despite the flat narration.
Note the narration is flat due to an AI doing the reading. It isn't terrible, but it misses some pronunciations that a real narrator that is genre savvy would not. It also doesn't alter voice based on character speaking like a good narrator does. And doesn't adjust cadence based on the tension of the scene. This book would be amazing with an actual skilled narrator like Travis Baldree. That said once it was not hard to get used to it, and it was not much of an impediment to enjoying the good.

Note for genre preferences. This one follows stages as the main character progresses, but does not go into stat spam, and instead focuses on the story. I don't care for "System" style stat screens tracking progress I find it immersion breaking. So I appreciate the author's approach to tracking progress. I understand others like it, so this is more letting readers what to expect on this front.

Setting note, this is a world that is more like our own modern world with cultivation added on top moreso than a traditional setting, and there is no isekai elements or reincarnation stuff. Just starting up cultivation at the beginning of the story and playing the genre strait.
Finally there is a definite relationship romantic plot front and center to the story, but it doesn't get past kissing and cuddling. There are no explicit scenes in the book.

Good story op mc zero to hero story

So it’s virtual voice 2025. It’s getting better but still not a “performance”. But story was good with a satisfying ending. It seems like a first book of a series but it works as a stand alone. One sentence cliff at the end but more a social tension thing then a core omg.

Virtual Voice diminishes the storytelling, but supports profits

The narrator was aweful - Virtual Voice
The story is ok.

AudioBooks are difficult to pull off. The author has to produce a story that is both engaging and entertaining. Then the narrator has to do the same thing with their voice and give the story life. If both aren’t top notch the AudioBook is meh or it slips into something less than meh.

Virtual Voice diminishes this story. No character voices, just the same monotone throughout. The dialog between characters are at times very difficult to follow. The
Virtual Voice continues to the predictable -> Variable mispronunciation, syllable mistakes, choppy stat reviews, spelling out Abbreviations & symbols like time to complete the dungeon, etc - you get it.

However, Gale (MC), Tess, Quency, and Rod - along with Gramps, the schools Head Mistress, and the Empress are entertaining if one can get past Virtual Voice.

Interesting twist on cultivating spirit were beasts and eating villians for revenge, growth, justice, and power.