Archmage Abomination

Chapter 31: The Archmage Experiments

The basement stairs descended into darkness.

Arthur placed his hand on the rough stone wall as he moved downward, feeling the temperature drop with each step. The air grew cooler and damper. Musty. The smell of earth and old stone filled his nostrils. Behind him, Tao's lighter footsteps followed, the boy moving carefully on the worn treads.

The stairs ended in a rectangular chamber carved directly into the bedrock beneath the house. Arthur's eyes adjusted to the dimness. Weak ligh...

Chapter 30: The Archmage and the Village Children

The morning light arrived not with the gentle caress of a climate-controlled sunrise simulation in the Symphonic Spire, but with a harsh, unfiltered beam of photons that cut through the gap in the wooden shutters and struck Arthur directly in the eyes.

He groaned, rolling over on the wooden sleeping platform that possessed all the ergonomic forgiveness of a granite slab. His spine produced a series of audible clicks as he sat up, the sound resonating in the empty room like dry twigs sna...

Chapter 29: The Dao of Convenient Morality

Mo Lin sat in the chair opposite the Sect Master and organized his thoughts carefully before speaking. This was not a casual conversation. This was a formal report that could potentially affect the future of the sect.

"I arrived in Rising Stone Town two days ago and located the foreign cultivator named Arthur Ferrell within an hour," Mo Lin began. "He was staying at the Jade Phoenix Inn. I used spatial techniques to enter his room and waited for him to return so I could initiate contact...

Chapter 28: The Incident

The Ten Thousand Rivers Sect occupied the eastern approach to the Jade Serpent Mountains like a city built specifically for war and cultivation.

The main compound stretched across three separate peaks connected by suspended stone bridges that hummed with formation arrays. Each bridge could support a hundred armored cultivators marching in formation. The arrays would hold even if Foundation Establishment beasts tried to tear the structures down.

The sect had tested that claim dur...

Announcement!

Hey everyone,

A quick note: Archmage Among Immortals is now live on Royal Road!

I'd greatly appreciate it if you would take a second to follow, rate, or simply go visit me (click the page) at RR as well. Reviews would be awesome since you all got early access to this story. And the more attention my work receives, the more hours per week I will be able to dedicate to writing it and ultimately turning this into a real job so that you get more consistent, long-form, and high-quali...

Chapter 27: Falling Leaf Village

The journey to Falling Leaf Village took five days.

Arthur had initially estimated four days based on Tao's description of the distance, but Merchant Hua's slower pace stretched the travel time. The merchant carried significantly more weight than either Arthur or Tao. His pack contained trade goods, samples, account ledgers, and various tools required for his profession. The burden slowed him down, especially on the steeper sections of road where the terrain became difficult.

Arth...

Chapter 26: Goodbye

"Actually," Arthur said. "There is one additional thing you could provide. If it's not too much trouble."

Yuan Feng's expression brightened immediately. "Of course, Senior. Name it."

"Cultivation manuals.”

Yuan Feng's expression became complicated. Not hostile. Just uncertain. He was clearly thinking through the implications of Arthur's request.

"Senior," Yuan Feng said carefully. "I would be happy to provide such materials, but I must ask about your intentions. Cult...

Chapter 25: You Can Talk?!

Arthur found himself smiling back. The gesture felt natural. Easy. He had not smiled genuinely at another person in years. The Symphonic Spire had not encouraged such displays. Emotional connections were inefficient. Distracting. But looking at Tao's tear-streaked, beaming face, Arthur could not find it in himself to care about efficiency.

"Your village," Arthur said once again. "Tell me about it. How far is the journey?"

Tao wiped his eyes quickly, trying to compose himself. The ...

Chapter 24: The Boy's Goodbye

"Your offers are generous,” Arthur spoke carefully, keeping his tone respectful. “Both sects clearly provide valuable resources for cultivation development. I appreciate the time you have taken to present these opportunities."

He paused, letting that acknowledgment settle. Then continued.

"However, I must decline at this time. My cultivation method requires periods of intense isolation and focus. I am currently in the process of recovering." He gestured vaguely at his torso, i...

Chapter 23: Guest Elder Status: A Trap?

Arthur stood in his room and looked at the woman who had just materialized from the shadows. His mind was already working through threat assessments, escape routes, and the uncomfortable reality that he had two Nascent Soul cultivators in a space roughly fifteen feet by twelve feet.

The woman smiled. The expression was pleasant, almost friendly. Arthur distrusted it immediately.

"My apologies for the dramatic entrance," she said. Her voice was smooth, cultured. The kind of voice t...

Chapter 22: An Offer?

A/N

Chapter 21 came out a few mins ago in case you missed it!

Arthur’s Dissonance climbed from 98 to approximately 104 points. Minimal cost. He shaped the technique carefully, creating a precise disruption rather than a destructive blast. This was surgical work, not combat application.

The Void energy pulsed outward from Arthur's position. It touched Mo Lin's translation field at multiple points simultaneously. The qi structure destabilize...

Chapter 21: Nascent Soul Elder

Arthur kept his face carefully blank. The young man in his chair had just stated that Arthur was not a Nascent Soul cultivator. The assessment was correct. Arthur was an Archmage operating in a world with completely different power structures. But the observation also meant this person could read energy signatures with far more accuracy than anyone else Arthur had encountered in Rising Stone Town.

That was concerning.

Arthur's mind was already working through the tactical situatio...

Chapter 20: Aftermath

Author Note

Sorry for the delay, had some real life stuff I needed to sort out, we're back!

Arthur made it back to the Jade Phoenix Inn through sheer stubbornness. His legs wanted to stop working. His vision kept blurring at the edges. His Cadence was still screaming warnings about exceeding his threshold. But he put one foot in front of the other, maintained his balance through careful attention to his center of gravity, and kept walking.

T...

Chapter 19: Archmage VS Ancestor Shaman

As the massive face opened its mouth for what looked like some overpowered life-ending technique, Arthur reached for Prismatic Harmonic. Standard Synchronization. His Cadence aligned with the perception-and-illusion frequency. But Arthur was not using Prismatic to create false images or alter appearance. He was using it for its secondary property. The ability to perceive underlying patterns. To see connections that existed beneath surface reality.

His vision shifted. The world took on l...

Chapter 18: Angry Archmage

Arthur's Dissonance was at approximately 450 points. He had 150 points of capacity remaining before he hit his damaged threshold. That was enough for one serious fight if he managed it carefully.

The shaman was already beginning another chant, staff raised, preparing to follow up the attack that had hurt Tao. The figure's body language suggested confidence. The shaman had probably seen Arthur's earlier defensive work throughout the city, where he had used the kind of magic that prioriti...

Chapter 17: The Child Soldier

The boy appeared around a corner, his small hands were wrapped in cloth that was already stained with blood, and his gray robes were torn and dirty. His face was calm despite the obvious signs of recent combat.

Tao saw Arthur and immediately moved to stand beside him. The boy's posture suggested he intended to help with defense rather than seek protection. Arthur's first instinct was to tell the child to find shelter, that a nine-year-old had no business fighting in a war.

But Art...

Chapter 16: Humans VS Beastfolk

The beastfolk moved in organized ranks. Wolf-warriors in front, shields raised, spears ready. Tiger and bear warriors behind them, carrying heavier weapons. The shamans remained at the rear, beginning their chants and drums again, maintaining the enhancement effects on the advancing army.

Commander Zhao shouted orders. "Archers! First volley on my mark! Target the front ranks!"

Human guards along the wall raised bows. Arthur counted perhaps forty archers spread across this section...

Chapter 15: Cadence Flush

Arthur finally made his decision.

He would not hunt beastfolk warriors through the forest. Would not seek out their shamans for combat. Would not insert himself into a war he did not understand for people he had just met.

But he would not watch civilians die either. Would not stand by while children were killed because he had chosen perfect neutrality over imperfect action.

Defense. Protection. That was the line he could walk without compromising his principles or his safety...

Chapter 14: Moral Dilemma

Arthur stopped walking. His body went still as he extended his Attunement further, trying to get more precise information. Yuan Feng noticed immediately and stopped as well, turning to look at Arthur with a questioning expression.

The auras were getting closer. Arthur could distinguish different power levels now. Most were weak, probably Qi Condensation realm equivalent. But scattered among them were stronger signatures. Foundation Establishment level. And a few even more powerful, thou...

Chapter 13: Different World, Different Species

Yuan Feng slowly dropped his hands and tried to think.

Communication could take place without language. He had done it before with merchants from very distant places whose dialects were so heavy that they could be considered a separate language altogether.

He needed gestures, body language, lots of patience, and perhaps a willingness to look slightly ridiculous in public.

Yuan Feng pointed to himself and spoke clearly. "Yuan Feng." Then he pointed to his chest again, and rep...

Chapter 12: The Foreign Cultivator

Lord Yuan Feng descended from his office, heading down to the ground floor.

The administration building was largely empty at this hour with only a handful of clerical personnel completing mundane tasks. Yuan Feng gave each a slight nod as he passed by but didn’t stop to chat; he had somewhere to be.

Yuan Feng’s familiarity with the streets of Rising Stone Town couldn’t be overstated.

Over the course of several decades, he had walked those streets thousands of times. Ev...

Chapter 11: City Lord

City Lord Yuan Feng sat behind his desk and tried to focus on the grain requisition report in front of him. The numbers were not making sense. The harvest projections for the southern district showed a fifteen percent increase from last year, but the storage allocation requests were up by thirty percent. Either someone was inflating their estimates to skim off the surplus, or the population had grown more than his census officials had reported.

Both possibilities annoyed him equally. 2025-10-12 19:04:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 10: The Boy Who Watched

Arthur remembered hearing several references to cultivation realms.

Qi Condensation was the first big step. Following that was Foundation Establishment, the second major realm. After that, Arthur had not heard anything specific, but the format suggested a tiered progression system. So, Arthur assumed there were probably several layers or levels to every major realm.

That fit with the boy’s internal energy signature. Arthur had determined the structural development in Tao's energ...

Chapter 9: The Inn

The Jade Phoenix Inn, located in a prominent corner of the city, was a three-story structure made entirely of dark-colored wood with green tile roofing. In its architectural design and layout, the inn resembled the buildings depicted in historical illustrations Arthur had seen regarding the Eastern Kingdoms. However, the illustrations Arthur had viewed previously were from his world, whereas this was undeniably a building from a different world.

As soon as Arthur entered the inn with Me...

Chapter 8: The Locals

The sun was low now, approximately an hour from sunset. The shadows cast by the trees across the road stretched longer than they had earlier in the day. Arthur's Dissonance had dropped down to 350 points as they continued walking; slow but steady improvement. Another hour, or less, and Arthur would likely be back in the safe zone. At that point he could move more comfortably and wouldn’t run the risk of damaging his Cadence further.

Merchant Hua spoke again. There was a questioning qu...

Chapter 7: Translation Spells

Arthur followed the merchant and the boy, keeping enough distance so that he could observe the pair without appearing menacing.

Although his Dissonance was still significantly higher than it should be, not dangerous anymore, it was still too high to allow him to engage in major Resonance techniques. Currently his Dissonance levels were at approximately 380 points, and his reduced threshold was 600. So, while it was manageable, it wasn’t ideal.

As they continued down the path, th...

Chapter 6: Tao Part II

Merchant Hua was babbling on about something. Words tumbled from the fat man's lips faster than the rain poured from the sky. “Thank you, thank you, honored immortal, this lowly merchant offers his utmost…”

The man was kneeling, panting, blood from his torn robes soaking into the dirt. His face was pale, exhausted. But his eyes were sharp. Alert. The eyes of someone used to staying aware to survive.

Tao stepped slowly forward. His spiritual sense turned its attention to the ...

Chapter 5: Tao Part I

Merchant Hua had talked for nearly an hour, and Tao didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t care about the price of silk in the capital; he didn’t care about the fat man’s daughter’s wedding, which was supposed to take place next month; he didn’t care about any of it.

Tao stared at the trees on either side of the road.

The forest was thick here – a good place for spirit beasts to lurk. He’d kept his spiritual sense spread throughout the surrounding area, sensing any anom...

Chapter 4: The First Kill

Arthur allowed himself to connect more fully to Ember and Zephyr at the same time.

Dual Weave.

The two Harmonics were not naturally opposing, which made it easier to combine them, but using them simultaneously would increase the Dissonance cost greatly.

Arthur began by Deep Synchronizing with Ember. His consciousness tuned in to the transformation-and-heat resonance, until he was indistinguishable from the basic force of thermal energy itself. Then he synchronized with Zephy...

Chapter 3: The Immortal Boy

Arthur's hand had already begun to move to his belt before his conscious mind had even processed the decision.

The academically-trained part of Arthur's brain was already arguing that the unknown threat level was high, that he was in an unfamiliar environment, that he was operating under diminished Cadence capacity.

Every single logical indicator told him to stay hidden.

Yet he knew what the right thing to do was.

Before he could take a step forward, before he could ev...