(Author: Hello all. I finished volume 1 of my other story so I had time to make this chapter for you guys. Arthur Raid has finally found a qi condensation manual that will allow him to sense spirit energy and walk the path of an immortal. Finally, he has a chance to become a great martial artist. This is a shorter chapter than I will usually post as it contains a lot to absorb. Enjoy.)

Chapter 2: Path to Immortality

Gaius Raid was ecstatic upon the return of his son with fifty bundles of silk. He was also relieved that no one attacked his son. As a very powerful merchant, not to mention quite rich, he had a number of enemies who would not hesitate to kill his son.

He added the fifty silk bundles into his inventory and began making plans to leave Torque. He would bring Arthur along as well as Alice. Snow wanted their daughter to keep practicing magic, but he didn't care about their incantation and elemental attribute symphony. He had plenty of mages guarding his caravans. He told Alice that she would learn under them and ordered her to join the caravan.

Gaius wondered if his wife had deluded his daughters with childish fantasies and told her to stay at their headquarters. She could bother Amber and Ashley. He wanted at least one of his daughters to experience the outside world and not constantly live in piles of books and weird rituals.

"Just had to marry the pretty mage who healed me with light magic," Gaius grunted and continued preparing the goods for the journey.

Arthur ran to his room, cleared the books off the floor and locked the room while putting a sign on the front not to disturb him.

"There are two paths to immortality," Arthur recited as he opened the manual. "One path follows tradition and is the path of the Divine Sun. It allows the practitioner to control fire and ice. The other path is an unorthodox one and follows the path of the Chaotic Moon. Its practitioners are able to control lightning. Why must society be chained by tradition? No, there must be change. Why fight with fire and ice when you can fight with the power of the heavens?"

"The Nine Heavens Sundering Manual was created for people to break tradition and conquer the land!" Arthur continued. "For practitioners of the Chaotic Path, there are seven stages of immortality. The first stage is Turang, soil. Those who reach Turang stage are those who have opened their eyes and begun the path to immortality. Shan, mountain, is the next path. Those who become Shan disciples are undergo numerous bodily changes and their life spans are no longer limited. Sickness and disease are immediately healed. Those who practice qi condensation will suffer nine tribulations. Only after the ninth tribulation will the practitioner break the Shan stage. Those who reach Yewan stage and become Yewan disciples are recognized as superior martial exponents.

"Nine tribulations?" Arthur gasped and continued reading. "Those who practice the path of the Chaotic Moon are at an advantage as they control lightning. They are able to endure the nine tribulations and require less preparations for the first four tribulations. Each tribulation is different as the more powerful the practitioner the more powerful the tribulation. Why? It is because they were not born mortal beings! After the ninth tribulation, the mortal body is destroyed and is reformed! They become immortal beings. Those who become Shan disciples will truly learn that those who practice magic are beneath them. They have stages of their own, but in a fight of a martial exponent and a magus, the martial exponent will always win unless he is a fool. The next two stages after Yewan stage are Yueliang and Mingxing. Moon and star.  They are the physical embodiment of the power of the body.

"Those who reach Benzhi stage have reached the stage of essence," Arthur said, his eyes sparkling. "It is they who learn the true nature of qi. The final stage is the Linghun stage. The stage of the soul. Among immortals, it is they who are the most powerful. Alas, no immortal past the Yewan stage stays in the Mortal Realm. A few choose to stay and it is through one of my disciples that have reached Yewan stage that you have received this. I leave now to one of the Five Immortal Realms. Follow my teachings and ascend mortal. Do not worry about the danger and to suffer danger is to know the thrill of life."

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"Amazing," Arthur said as he took a moment to absorb those words. "So the beggar who gave me this was a Yewan disciple in disguise? So immortals who reach the Yewan stage and the equivalent among practitioners of the Divine Sun leave the Mortal Realm? I wonder what they are like. Maybe in one of those realms, I will find the truth behind my reincarnation. First let's reach the first level of qi condensation. While I travel on the road, I will meditate in the caravan."

Arthur let out a sigh. On his right hand, he wore an interspatial ring. He had asked for his father to buy him one and his father happily bought one as his son failed to have any capacity to use mana as well as an apology as his mother no longer spent time with him to train Alice as she was the one gifted with mana. Inside his interspatial ring was several gold coins and a few platinum coins he had earned as commissions for his sales while he accompanied his father and learned the trade.

"Why do I have to go?" Alice grumbled, her hair tied in a pony tail. Arthur merely glanced at her and decided to ride a separate carriage. Ever since his sister had been declared a prodigy with light affinity, his mother had spoiled her and constantly trained her in magic and rituals. Arthur never cared for his sister or his mother as he had never had a sister before and his birth mother on Earth left his dad when he was three. His other two sisters normal as his family didn't have a son until he was born and they had to travel in caravans and learn the trade.

"Where are you going Arthur?" Alice asked as Arthur headed to a different caravan. "I'm using this one."

"That's the problem Alice," Arthur said and faked a frown. "Mother did say not to disturb you during your training. This is your first caravan right? I hope you packed enough water skins and ice boxes. Riding in a carriage makes the body very hot and the body will ache and become sore."

"I don't have a interspatial ring," Alice pouted. "How can I pack so many?"

"Mom can't do everything for you while we are on the road. Our guards are hired and paid for our safety, not to do our bidding," Arthur sighed. "Time to grow up little sister. Where we are going, mages may be respected but you are not a mage yet. Your new personality will also prevent you from making friends and allies later on. The caravan is leaving in an hour. I suggest you ask mother to help you. She clearly loves you more than me."

Arthur turned around and ignored her shouting and screaming. What he did may have been childish, but he was a teenager before he died and he had seen people with Alice's personality sit alone during lunch or with people who wanted to take advantage of them. He was also a little jealous as he had never felt his mother's love since he had been declared talentless with mana.

"Once I am able to sense qi and reach the first stage of qi condensation, I will become a Turang disciple," Arthur grinned. "I should also try to get information about tribulations and how to survive them as the manual did not indicate when the tribulations will strike except upon reaching the bottleneck of the Shan stage. I should also pick a weapon and find a weapon manual. Hopefully someone used a halberd and created a manual for it. I really want to be like Lu Bu. Using the same weapon would be epic."

Chapter 1: Child of a Merchant Main Page Chapter 3: Bandit Attack