After two decades of training in the Heartforge Realm, Cha Ming’s soul is finally on the mend. He and his friends have advanced to the second phase of the Heartforge Trials, where they must defend a dying world from fiendish invaders. Yet it isn’t just his friends who have come, but his enemies as well. When two aggressive neighbors start to nibble away at his territory, Cha Ming volunteers to buy his allies time. His actions instigate an all-out war between three regions, and countless innocents are dragged into the conflict. Dabbling in the morally gray comes at a price. Cha Ming’s auras quickly fall out of balance and threaten to tear apart his foundations. Yet this is only a backdrop to the greater conflict. The fiend outbreaks are getting worse by the day. To defend the Chasewind Plane, Cha Ming must awaken the Clear Sky Brush and embrace his destiny as the next Painter.