(Author: Hello everyone! Arthur and Alice are on the road, journeying across the land with their father and selling goods. Arthur will also begin sensing spiritual energy. As soon as it stabilizes and reaches the first level of qi condensation, he will officially be an early stage Turang disciple! Again, Alice is a magus in training and will attend the academy in one year's time so this caravan is the last attempt by her father to learn of the outside world. Once she turns eleven, she's gone like her sisters. As for Arthur finding a halberd and weapon manual, we'll have to wait and find out. Enjoy.)

Chapter 3: Bandit Attack

Two weeks had passed since they had left Torque. Arthur had meditated every night and struggled to sense spirit energy. He could feel it around him, but was not able to contain it in his flesh and allow the qi to flow in his body. After the two weeks, he had finally managed to absorb small stands of qi energy under the moon light. Arthur had begun to believe that those who follow the Chaotic Moon must meditate under the stars and the moon light. After all, only at night can man see the stars and the moon in all their glory.

Arthur also realized that he had to adjust his sleeping time. He would rest for seven hours during the day and meditate the rest of the hours, meditating outside when night fell. His father, discovering Arthur's new ability was pleased. What father didn't want their son to be strong?

Gaius Raid was also glad that his son had found a manual as he had feared his son would have left to join a martial school once Alice left for the academy. By having found a manual, all Gaius needed to do to keep his son in the trade was hire a martial exponent to guide Arthur.

Unbeknownst to Gaius, the immortal that gave Arthur the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual had already sent a disciple to tutor Arthur. All the immortal needed was a convenient event to occur to showcase the disciple's abilities. The most common attacks on a trading caravan was a raid by bandits and the trading caravan was headed in the direction of the Desert of Gadza, located east to Yason.

"Soon I'll succeed," Turang murmured in his sleep during noon as a total of one month passed. After he had begun to sense qi and absorb it into his body, the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual said that he would become a Turang stage disciple once his qi developed a Chaotic Moon tattoo.

Chaotic Moon tattoos formed naturally upon completion of entering the first level of qi condensation. These tattoos formed on the practitioner's back and would glow silver whenever he used qi or entered into meditation.

Each tattoo was unique and would eventually become a symbol to represent that disciple. All the disciple had to do was envision an image and refine the qi circulating his body. Being from the twenty first century, Arthur had many myths and animals to choose from.

He wanted to create a tattoo like no other. It needed to be simple, yet obviously a powerful image. Arthur had decided on forming a Chaotic Moon tattoo of a Tyrannosaurs Rex as it was extinct on Earth, the most powerful dinosaur he had seen in books and in museums, and never heard of fossils of dinosaurs found on his new planet.

Arthur would occasionally twist and turn as he slept when the carriage had to travel up and down hills of sand. His sister would also barge into his carriage and demand a water skin or ice box. His sister had made a contract with a light elemental that looked like a white phoenix. It was only the size of a fist and his sister boasted it would continue to grow as she mastered magic and increased her mana capacity.

Finally, after a few nights passed, he succeeded and entered the first level of qi condensation. His shirt burst as a shining silver tattoo of a Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared on his back. He panted heavily and wrinkled his nose. From his body, black liquid had seeped outside his body and onto the wooden floor of the carriage. The black liquid liquid stained his clothes and the carriage and had to be abandoned. As he was outside, his guards saw the light and congratulated Arthur.

They also disposed of the carriage. According to the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual, when one reached qi condensation of the first level and formed a Chaotic Moon Tattoo, the body would release impurities from the body and become a Turang disciple. They put some goods into a different carriage and Arthur would use that carriage to replace the one they abandoned.

Arthur only had mnemonics and qi circulation techniques from the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual. It did not contain any Saint level, Demi-god level, god level, or high god level arts where he could utilize qi and fight with martial arts techniques. Saints were at the stage of Turang and Shan. Demi-gods were those at Yewan level while gods were at Yueliang stage. He didn't expect to have any arts from the high god level of Mingxing and didn't know what the other stages were called as the manual did not say anything about it.

"Wake up Arthur! I'm thirsty," Alice said as another week passed.

"Go bother dad," Arthur groaned and tried to sleep. After all, he slept during the day and mostly meditated at night. "In a few hours we should reach one of the desert cities. Relax and try not to move so much."

"Bandits ahead! Guards, stand at the ready!" one of scouts reported. "Protect the master and the two young masters!"

"Bandits?" Alice cried, horrified.

"Yeah. It's a common occurrence," Arthur waved as he rubbed his eyes, struggling to keep them open. "Bandits usually attack traders in the desert halfway through or near the end when their fatigue is near its end. Stay inside. I'm going to where dad is."

Arthur drew a dagger from his belt and ran out the carriage. He sighed as his twin little sister followed him. He motioned to her guards to follow him. As he had been a part of the trading caravans since he was six after failing the mana test, his guards had known their charge would go to the master and had already formed around him when they heard the scout's warning.

"How many bandits were sighted?" Arthur asked as they ran toward the front of the caravan where his father and most of the mages where. Most of the guard formed around the supplies and goods. They nodded in salute to Arthur as he checked the situation and made sure the goods where adequately guarded.

"Around fifty bandits," one of his guards murmured. "However, five mages were spotted among them and they all rode on horses."

"Damn," Arthur cursed and increased his stride. "If bandits were attacking on horses, their base was located nearby. It was bound to have treasures and goods, but also potential reinforcements."

"Notify my father to slow the trading caravans progress and to prepare for an assault. I will send a detachment of the guards with three of our mages and locate their headquarters. I will go with them to secure their headquarters. When they flee, their headquarters will be taken and we can fight them in a pincer attack," Arthur ordered. He may not be a fighter but he was adept at forming strategies after so many times playing many video games based on the Three Kingdoms and had learned of their strategies.

"You'll die," Alice cried, worried for her brother. She had never been in a fight or a life or death situation. As her brother was her age, she thought he was being foolish.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I have been on trading caravans since I was six," Arthur said and stopped to look at his sister. "Go ahead to father and tell him that I have headed towards the bandits headquarters. Tell him to have the archers shoot void crystals towards the bandits."

"Void crystal?" Alice cried, shocked. Void crystals were the natural enemy of adept and novice mages. Void crystals emitted a sort of energy that seemed to disrupt the mana in a magus within a fifty foot radius. Alice had heard that there were merchants who dealt with void crystals and that their mining and manufacturing process was a deeply guarded secret. After all, mages may be respected but not all countries accepted magic and were fearful that a magus might create an army and attempt to conquer the world.

"Where did father get those?" Alice asked.

"You're not a member of authority in dad's trading business," Arthur sighed as he waited for all the guards and the three mages to get ready and retrieve a horse for him. "Just go to dad. You'll be safe with him."

"We're ready young master!" one of his guards shouted and Arthur get on his horse.

"We ride! have the scout from before lead us. We'll hide behind a large sand hill as they leave their headquarters," Arthur shouted and the detachment of guards and mages headed to the west where the bandit headquarters was spotted.

Arthur and the guards slowly made their way to the bandit headquarters, following the scout and using large hills of sand as cover. Arthur took out a telescope from his interspatial ring and saw the bandit headquarters. There were many large tents with walls of wooden spears as fences. After waiting for twenty minutes, the bandits finally left their camp and headed toward the trading caravan.

While he was waiting, he had observed the attire of the bandits as well as searched for any breaches in their perimeter. He had his men disguise themselves and left the scouts and a few of the guard to watch the horses. Arthur stayed in the middle of the group so his height wouldn't be noticed and the men followed his orders to enter a small opening between the spear fences to the west of the camp.

Slowly but surely, the men crept up on the guard and slit a dagger through their throats. Even if one got away, they wouldn't be able to scream and alert the other bandits guarding the camp. They moved from the west of the camp to the north and then the east, killing the bandits guarding the camp. Then they converged on the guards on the main entrance to the south and killed them.

Arthur decided not to take any risks and told the mages to blast the tents where bandits slept with fire magic. His guards put their daggers away and drew their swords, stealth was no longer of any use to them as the mages attacked. It was easy for the guards to slaw the panic and half-awake bandits that managed to escape the tent.

Arthur quickly ran into the biggest tent of the camp where most of the stolen goods were and didn't bother to check what they were as they all disappeared into his interspatial ring. He was worried for his father and had spent enough time slaying the bandit guards.

Arthur nodded to one of his main guards and the guard blew a horn, signifying the scout and the few guards guarding the horses that it was safe. Casting away their disguises, Arthur and the men rode back at full speed. Fifty bandits on horseback was a small number but he was worried if the mages with them went outside the radius of the void crystals and attacked the trading caravan.

"What happened?" Arthur gasped as he and the men entered a field of blood and limbs. The bandits and their horses were slain. He looked at the caravan and was relieved that they were okay.

"Father? What happened?" Arthur asked, shocked at the carnage. He clearly didn't expect the bandits to suffer such a cruel death.

"A martial exponent arrived and saved us," Gaius grinned as he hugged his son and released him. "I was also able to hire him to tutor you to become an immortal. He's in your carriage. Alice is a little shocked but she'll get over it once we reach the desert city ahead."

Arthur nodded, relieved and paid his personal guards and the rest of the guards and mages for their service. His father had already retrieved the void crystal before Arthur arrived. His father also let him keep what he found in the bandit's base as he did not suffer any losses as the martial exponent killed all the bandits before they reached the trading caravan.

"Greetings Arthur Raid. I congratulate you for reaching early Turang stage after receiving the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual," a white hooded man in a luxurious silk robe greeted. "I am an early Yewan stage disciple and a disciple of the man in late Yewan stage who sold you the manual."

"So he was an immortal!" Arthur gasped and bowed deeply to the martial exponent.

"Yes he was," the Yewan stage disciple nodded, satisfied with Arthur's action and insight. "My name is Alexander and I will teach you how to fight with a halberd and talisman cards. I am a member of a sect known as the Moon Lotus Sect. One of the elder masters of the sect is the one who gave you that manual. The reason I am teaching you the halberd is that it combines staff and blade techniques. The founder of the sect was a great general who learned the staff techniques of powerful monks and combined their style to his own. Many of the other disciples of the Moon Lotus Sect as well as disciples of other sects learn to wield a sword. As you read in the manual, your path is not an orthodox one and neither was our master."

Arthur grinned and said excitedly, "Can I really learn Saint arts with a Halberd?"

"Yes," Alexander nodded. "You will also learn how to fight with talismans. Most traditionalists use flying daggers or flying swords. There is nothing wrong with fighting with talismans. The one who gave you that manual fights with talismans and he is at late Yewan stage and he taught me how to fight with talismans. I am at the early Yewan stage yet I can slaughter other martial exponents with talismans. The bandits who tried to attack your family were also killed by my talismans! You will find no finer teacher than I in other sects."

"Arthur bows to his master," Arthur shouted and fell on his knees and clasped his hands together as he bowed. Finally, not only has he become a Turang disciple. he can also continue his training with the halberd. It was the weapon Lu Bu used and one he had practiced with in his old life until he died.

"Some day I will be a great martial exponent and enter the Immortal Realms," Arthur thought. "I will be great!"

Chapter 2: Path to Immortality Main Page Chapter 4: Nightmare and Star Shadow