Arthurian Cultivation

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

An Arthurian legend + Fae lore + Cultivation mash-up.Taliesin had one plan: escape the Harkley family, dodge their blood curse, and live a quiet life far from trouble. What he got instead was death (briefly), an arranged marriage gone wrong (knives were involved), and a volatile new power, the dreaded death glamour. Armed with his magical lute, a dry sense of humour, and a loyal but chaotic group of Knights (who have a touch of destiny themselves), he’s determined to carve out a life as a bard in this dangerous world. But Taliesin must decide his fate when political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and a Divine Cultivator conspiracy all come calling. Will he play the role the Lady of the Lake has cast him in, or craft his own melody? Updates Mondays and Fridays! Book 1 is complete, with Book 2 uploading now. Average chapter length 2.5K What to expect An MC who is not overpowered, just competent. A character-centered story, told 80-90% from Taliesin's point of view. A plot centred around cultivator things, plus Arthurian things. Whatever meshes well. A system of cultivation consistent with most major cultivation stories just differently flavoured. Fae shenanigans including names, speaking only the truth, and oaths Character progression that stems from effort, reflection and just the occasional death. A Europe-based cultivation world where Ki is Glamour and connected to the Fae realm. Enough Arthurian Lore that you get a sense of who the major players are and some idea of what to expect when names are dropped. What it won't be No harem No OP MC Historically accurate to the time-period. A story entirely accurate to Arthurian Lore or your preferred cultivation system.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: BenBurch

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 2,325
Views: 1,062,132

Chapters(144 total)

What readers say about Arthurian Cultivation

“Fantastically written story connecting xianxia with celtic mythology. Currently one of my favorite stories on the website. The worldbuilding is superb, and characters are very engaging. The MC is not op, and has to use his his abilites in a creative way to…”
MyrdinRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Enter a mish mash world that blends a retelling of Arthurian legends with the religious politics of the brutual invasion of Christianity into the British Isles back during the dark ages. Our main characters represent the interests of the pagan worshiping n…”
BlueGuardianRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

MyrdinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fantastically written story connecting xianxia with celtic mythology. Currently one of my favorite stories on the website.
The worldbuilding is superb, and characters are very engaging. The MC is not op, and has to use his his abilites in a creative way to get things done. Looking forward for more.
BlueGuardianRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Enter a mish mash world that blends a retelling of Arthurian legends with the religious politics of the brutual invasion of Christianity into the British Isles back during the dark ages. Our main characters represent the interests of the pagan worshiping natives, from which they draw Asian cultivation powers. They treat the invading "Church" as demonic cultivators from the cultivation genre. However the pseudo-Christians do have a point that the Fae are not the "good guys". Though this point is then lost by their actions to torture and execute non-Church worshipers.
This is a really interesting blend of East meets West. Reframing cultivation tales into a new mythology is always fun and this is the first time that I've seen it inserting into the Arthurian tales.
Each chapter is relatively well polished already and the author has been slowly going back and re-editing some of their rougher chapters. It should really be a nicely published book by the time that they're finished.
ArcanaVitaeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Taliesin's story is really interesting and he's a very fascinating character. He's a man that's trying his best to deal with an absurdly shit hand and he's managed to survive and thrive in an really horrible situation. His choice to become a Bard after all he's been through was interesting and also something that doesn't really fit into the culture of the place he lives in. Also Taliesin's skills are believable, he's widely skilled and competent as well in the possession of a lot of talent but he isn't a Mary Sue.
The cultivation system of the world as well as how the culture has changed the terms and how cultivation has effected culture is intersting. It really does feel Arthurian and Western in a way that's really interesting. The whole Knights and Witches thing is intersting and the fact that the Demonic Cultivators are called Divine Cultivators is funny.
The other characters are really interesting, they're charming and compelling in their own fascinating way and all seem to be their own people with pasts, motives and character arcs. Taliesin's relationships with people is a great part of the story, he's building connections with people that are genuine even if it takes him a while to fully open up to them. But seeing him go from someone with no connections to the world to a person with a happy life that he enjoys with friends is great. Also he's very much a bard in being a social expert and it shows in his skillset and relationship building.
Draxen BetaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I throughly enjoyed this reimagining of the Wuxia genre in Arthurian era knights, witches and sorcery. There’s some grammatical errors and the story often doesn’t give enough time to the different scenes but that’s mostly due to the writeathon I think and can be rectified later with some edits.
I enjoy Taliesin as a viewpoint character but I do wish he could express his bardic persona more. I understand how hard it is to portray a musically gifted character though, the time investment to do it justice would be insane. His powerset of smoke and death is interesting and there’s been quite a few innovative ways it’s been utilized, but I do appreciate the author making sure he isn’t the strongest guy around. He’s a bard first and foremost and relies on tricks and his intelligence to come out ahead instead of raw power.
The plot seems to be revolving around the formation of the round table characters of legend, and these demonic divine cultivators threatening trying to get more control and power in the setting. Taliesin after escaping from them has a fateful meeting with the lady of the lake and gets dragged further and further into conflict whether he wants to or not.
Overall I can definitely recommend this one, especially if you’re into cultivation stories.
ElvenDenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
To be honest, at first, when I read the description, I was scared off by the idea of combining the legend of King Arthur and stories about cultivators, but I was pleasantly surprised by how neatly the author connected these worlds.
There are many and not many of the Legends About King Arthur at the same time: on the one hand, all (or almost all) names are taken from there and sometimes slightly modified, on the other hand, the characters are original and often refer to their namesakes by some character traits or a moment from the biography as an Easter egg, on the one hand, the basic alignment of forces corresponds to the legends, but on the other hand, an original flavor has been added to everything, combining cultivators and Fairies.
The point of view changes are just enough to show the character's way of thinking, their plans, experiences, or give the reader a piece of information to create a complete picture, but at the same time the reader should not have the thought "is the main character really the main character?", as happens in many fictions on RR.
The author has set a fairly pleasant pace to the work, which does not give the impression of constant turmoil or standing still, due to the fact that the action chapters and chapters alternate with a calm pace.
One of the things that I really like about this fiction is that knights/cultivators, in order to rise in rank, need not only to accumulate strength, but also to know themselves, and later forging themselves according to their purpose, which resonated in the soul.
GaiaOctaviaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have enjoyed this immensely so far. Everything I enjoy about a good cultivation story, but with so many interesting resonances with the interplay of cultivation and western mythological elements.
The characterisation is great, I really enjoy all of the side characters and that they have unique personalities and voices. And the main character is really fun, with charm and just enough mystery to be interesting. I really enjoy being in the MCs perspective, but I also have really enjoyed the alternate POVs, which I don't always like in some stories.
The Arthurian elements are fun, I've enjoyed seeing names from the legends and trying to work out what similarities they have with their legendary counterparts, but also enjoyed that the author hasn't been restricted by those stories, gender-swapping characters etc.
The cultivation system is really interesting, I love the elemental gifts, it feels like a deep system that is well thought out and we are only scratching the surface of. The worldbuilding in general is great, it just feels like a world I want to know more about and understand.
GershRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Amazing Story that I really cannot get enough of. The pacing is a masterpiece and I love how the author uses substitute terms for the Xianxia we know of in our microchasm of mainstream media. Every single term of which is grounded in, what I believe to be, ancient european legend and myth. The tale is, without a shred of a doubt, a xianxia tale that focuses on the same matters of cultivation that thousands of others have done before. The power systems are nearly identical to some (with many caveats, but not too many as to make it overly confusing). Along with that, the remark of "faes" are an incredible stylistic choice that do much to push the story forward. The fae themselves are a hard to understand group that have lots of power, but function off of different rules than others do. Their very inclusion isn't forced and instead is as seamless as the rest of the world. They have mystic powers and backgrounds that have been heavily foreshadowed at key points throughout the story so far. Personally I look forward to seeing the climax of such an epic.
Along with this the main character himself is delightfully smooth without being a perverted worm. As of publishing this chapter there is very little romance between the main character and anyone else, but I would not be surprised if it does appear. He is charming and witty in the way that many characters attempt, but fail, to be. It truly shows off the author's abilities to create such an interesting main lead.
DrakonaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This book is amazing, it manages to combine the themes of cultivation with the Arthurian legend really well. What's more the MC actually feels like a bard, he's charming and witty, but also has his own demons that he needs to deal with.
I also love how fleshed out the side characters are, they don't just exist to make the MC look cool, but have their own motivations and reasons for following him.
I think the highest amount of praise I kind give book is how faithfully it is too the Arthurian legends. While there are some characters who are gender flipped, none of it feels forced. I also appreciate that Taliesin isn't just obviously Merlin but his own character. This story is amazing and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Moon_WinchesterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
read the title, it says it all.
Hands down a great read with an interesting concept done well. I found this book a while ago but choose not to read it until book 1 was complete since I'm currently following tons of different books. Character development was great and the whole story was nice as well. I love the spin on the knights of the round table and can feel the mini family bond of it all. I am excited for book 2 and sad there isn't a patreon for me to read ahead on.
N_CabalRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A pretty cool concept of not just adding another variation to cultivation or some regular cheat.
I really liked the idea of Arthur and his knights set in a cultivation world, and everything about code of chivalry and fae was linked to xianxia. Which somehow works! The classic “You are courting death!” fits perfectly within the context of knights upholding their honor. It’s refreshing to see such a creative take rather than the usual cultivation tropes.
Also, the MC was well-written and had actual personality, not just some random insert. Most of the book had MC's POV and when there were others they only added to the extent of the world-building.
The side characters were done really well with unique voices.
What truly elevates this book is the prose. It’s witty, engaging, and had me laughing out loud in several places. While there are a few grammatical errors and some editing issues, the quality of the writing far surpasses most books on Royalroad. The humor and charm of the prose make it an absolute joy to read.
A really good book and am eagerly awaiting when the second part is done