An epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic—the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao. It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle. But the prophecy was wrong. Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny. But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue—and an unexpectedly soft heart—Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend. What follows is a journey more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee: a story of master and student, assassin and revolutionary, of fallen gods and broken prophecies, and of a war between kingdoms, and love and friendship between deadly rivals.

Once there was a prophecy that a chosen one would rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, an immortal god-king. But the prophecy was wrong. Now Jian, the former chosen hero, is just an ordinary young man trying to find his own way. But he may yet have an extraordinary destiny, because he joins forces with Taishi, his grumpy grandmaster, who instructs him in the ways of her family's powerful war art. Jian still has a long way to go before he can become her heir, so she recruits a band of elderly grandmasters who come out of retirement to whip him into shape and help with this one last job. And there are others who are also seeking their own destiny, like Qisami, an assassin on a secret mission to protect a powerful noblewoman from her enemies. But as Qisami goes undercover to complete her mission, she takes on a new identity that gives her something she never had before: friendship, found family, and new purpose. Sali also thought her fate was laid before her. She was supposed to be looking for the next Eternal Khan and now finds her clan exiled from everything she's ever known. As she leads the survivors in search of a new home, Sali discovers that she's something she never thought she could be: a leader and a revolutionary. Because sometimes destiny is grander than any prophecy can foresee. And the greatest destiny of all is the one you choose for yourself.

A humbled prince, a grumpy grandmaster, and a ragtag band of heroes find out what it takes to become truly legendary, in the conclusion to the epic fantasy trilogy lauded as “dramatic, fun, thoughtful, clever, and (literally) punchy” (Kirkus Reviews). "Electrifying, thrilling, and a glorious, romantic ride."—Robert Jackson Bennett, on The Art of Prophecy Once in a faraway kingdom there was a prince prophesied to be the Chosen One, who would defeat a great villain, the Eternal Khan, and save the kingdom. But then the Eternal Khan died . . . and the prophecy was broken. For Jian, the fated prince, this could have been a moment to succumb to despair. But instead, he chose to create his own destiny. He studied under his curmudgeonly but beloved mentor to become a great warrior. And he banded together with some unlikely allies whose courage and determination match his own—such as Sai, a gruff warrior who is also forging a path different from the one her culture created for her. Because some heroes aren't simply born legends—they choose to become legendary. And great heroes do not stand alone, but are stronger together. Look for all the novels of the War Arts THE ART OF PROPHECY • THE ART OF DESTINY • THE ART OF LEGEND