(Author: Hello all. So far everything is going well right? Too bad not all good things happen in life. Sometimes there are setbacks you must overcome to reach the goal. The journey is ever-changing and unpredictable. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.)

Chapter 4: Nightmare and Star Shadow

"You cannot learn the halberd," Alexander  said as he observed Arthur's fighting stances and body movements. "You have talent for condensing qi and can learn how to use talismans, but your body is not strong. Your mind is too crafty. I have heard of your feat against the bandits at their base as well as stories from your father during your travels with him and his caravan. You live in a fantasy. I do not know the origin of your obsession of power, but strength is not the only display of power. I believe your talent lies elsewhere."

"This can't be!" Arthur shouted, dropping the halberd he borrowed from his new master on the sand. "I must be strong! The greatest warrior in the land!"

"Your body is more suited to fluid movements," Alexander said, trying to calm the boy. "Be honest with yourself. Is it the weapon that makes someone strong? No! Other great warriors have become strong using other weapons. Is it strength that will prove you are the most powerful? Strength is only one aspect of power. To become truly powerful, one needs strength, speed, reflexes, insight, experience, compassion, and the will to fight until you are satisfied. It is by utilizing those aspects in harmony and balance, that you will become the mighty warrior you wish to be."

Arthur stared at the sand, knowing his master was right. Lu Bu would not have gotten far on his own. He had subordinate,s like Zhang Liao and Chen Gong, who helped him start his rise to power and create his legacy. Arthur sighed and picked up the halberd. On Earth, he could have learned the halberd but he died. This was a new world and a much more dangerous one. Where the fight could not only end in defeat but death as well.

"I am sorry master," Arthur said and returned the halberd. "What weapon style will I learn now besides the talismans?"

"Twin swords," Alexander said. "It is a more difficult path of swordsmanship, but you are intelligent. Twin swords are reflections of one another. The style I will teach you originated from the founder. It was the style he used to achieve enlightenment before he used the halberd. I understand that you are young. Thus, I will give you the manual and will train you while conditioning your body. Use the time, when we arrive in the city, to study it. I heard we will spend a few weeks there. I will guide you in making your own swords and make you two other twin sword using Yueliang rank materials."

"WHAT?" Arthur asked, shocked. "Are you not at early stage Yewan master? You should keep them for yourself."

"My master, the immortal who gave you the Nine Heavens Sundering Manual, and I already use Yueliang rank weapons and armor," Alexander laughed. "That is how powerful my master's masters, who number five, were. You received one of the five manuals taught to my master from one of his five masters. My master sent four other disciples to train the other four who received the remaining manuals. You were the last one to receive a manual as a matter of fact. They will also receive Yueliang rank materials and forge their own weapon. Just because you are at Turang stage, it does not limit you to only use Turang rank weapons, armor, and other magical artifacts. If it did, there would be no way a Turang stage disciple can run away from a Shan disciple. Heaven is unfair, but kind. This is how the weak can overcome the strong. Remember this Arthur Raid. Take the manual and prepare to enter the city. I believe your father's men are done burying the bandits' bodies."

"Thank you master," Arthur said as he received the manual.

The name of the twin sword style Arthur would learn was called Starlight Waves. Attacks would be soft, but endless. The path of the first sword would be followed almost parallel by the other. One's body would move as if dancing, unable to predict where the twin swords would strike. It was like a dance of death shown before beheading or slashing the opponent with fluid motions. It required a fluid form and a cunning mind. Mastery of the style depended on the dexterity of the practitioner's steps and strides while relying on strength and timing when swinging the sword.

"The name is strange but it was created by the founder of the sect," Arthur said as he read the manual. "I'll study this later when we reach the city. For now I will meditate and try to master the first level of qi condensation."

When the trading caravan finally reached the long-sought city of Gahald, Arthur and his father visited the city lord and got permission to sell their goods with ten percent of the sale given to the city as taxes. Alice and some of the mage guards headed toward the market to resupply for materials for Alice's magus training and Arthur joined his master outside the desert after refilling his water skins and ice boxes.

"Tell me what you know of interspatial rings," Alexander asked his student.

"Interspatial rings are portable storage dimensions where its owner can put various items in the ring without having to carry it all," Arthur began. "The owner can also go inside the dimensional pocket and the inside of the dimension ranges from a house to a palace. When putting items into the interspatial ring, they are randomly categorized into different rooms depending on the ring."

"Very good," Alexander said. "Your father told me the interspatial ring he had given you was the size of a small palace. Your father is very rich and the seller was very stupid or would not have sold such a ring. I will insert a forge inside your ring where you can make your weapons and armor in secret. I will only give you materials for your twin swords. You don't have to make new weapons once you master the twin sword style and begin using the Yueliang rank twin swords but you should collect materials to make armor."

"Yes master," Arthur's eyes sparkling as his interspatial ring and that of his master's started to glow and then disappeared as the light converged into Arthur's ring.

"Now let's go inside your interspatial ring and begin forging," Alexander said and the two martial artists disappeared.

"First is smelting the metal," Alexander said. "Do as I say, while I supply you with the qi."

Arthur nodded and followed his master's instructions. First, the rare metals were displayed in front of a furnace. His master controlled the fire while he operated the bellows to keep the flame going. When the metal became liquid, He watched as his master poured the liquid into an empty metal table with the shapes of a sword's blade with a smaller version of the blade which would be inserted into a grip and guard of the sword. He watched his master pound the liquid as it cooled on an anvil to destroy the impurities in the metal, occasionally inserting the hot metal in a rare type of liquid he assumed was also a Yueliang rank material as regular water would not have cooled such metal.

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He watched his master repeat the process a second time with a different metal. The blades were of the same shape but the grip, metal, and color were all different. One sword was a dark purple and black combination with the side of the blade having the appearance of swirling waves on the surface. The grip was made of some sort of leather he assumed belonged to a stingray of sorts. The blade of the other sword was completely white with a smooth, clear surface on the blade. The grip was leather made from a kind of tiger. Arthur just assumed that they were god ranked beasts as his master said he would be using Yueliang stage materials.

It took his master two weeks to complete the twin swords. The twin swords looked beautiful, but not as expensive as an emperor's sword would be. His master said that decorations, such as jewels, were the weak point of the weapon and disturbed the balance of the sword. Arthur named the dark purple and black sword nightmare and the white sword Star Shadow. He would wield the heavier Nightmare on his right hand and the more flexible Star Shadow on his left. His master said that twin sword styles needed one blade to be strong and defensive while one sword must be swift and flexible.

He wasn't allowed to use his swords until he reached he became a Shan disciple so he had Arthur forge his own sword using silver. His master made sure the weight and special characteristic of the silver swords matched his immortal ranked swords. Arthur named his silver sword Silver Lion and Silver Hawk. Silver Lion was made similar to Nightmare while Silver Hawk was made similar to Star Shadow.

Arthur spent another five weeks learning the stances of his new weapon style. It felt more comfortable than wielding the halberd. Arthur sighed, relieved that he did have talent with twin swords or the Yueliang ranked materials would have been wasted. Arthur could not use talismans until the third level of qi condensation so he focused on mastering his swordplay. His master also took him to fight bandits in the area alone, interfering only when a mage appeared or when Arthur would have died without help. He had a new scar over his left eye but he could still see and after circulating his qi, the wound no longer bled.

After fighting in life or death situations, Arthur got used to the stances and appeared to be dancing as if he was on a wave, his silver swords gleaming as he swung his swords. They returned to the desert city, Gahald, once his master thought he made enough progress.

"Welcome back Arthur," Gaius beamed as his son appeared. "How goes the training?"

"I am still at the first level of qi condensation so I am still weak compared to other Turang disciples, but I made some progress with twin sword style fighting," Arthur answered.

"No one gets overpowered in a single day," Gaius laughed. "Well, unless you're a mage. Between you and me, I sleep with a void crystal under my bed. You still do it too right? I have told you to do so since you started learning the merchant trade and traveling with the trade caravans."

"Don't worry dad. I still do it. I hide it so Alice doesn't know," Arthur assured his father. "How has she been since we arrived in Gahald?"

"Tolerable for now," Gaius answered. "Now that she doesn't complain about waking up sore and can practice her magic voodoo in peace and quiet in her room. Her tutors said she made progress and is no longer in shock from the bloodbath caused by your new master. Who knew such a powerful being would be roaming the desert? Whichever sect this person comes from, join it. They are sure to be one of the most powerful in the Mortal Realm as you call it."

"I can leave? But I thought you didn't want me too," Arthur asked, confused.

"Still don't," Gaius replied. "But I have seen how that master fought and I know how much you want to train and become a great warrior. I only ask that you stay for the rest of the year like Alice. By the way, you're mother's pregnant and its twins again. Due to some connections of your old man, we discovered that the gender of both the twins are boys. I'll still have a successor yet! Just got the message from a messenger bird a few days ago while you were gone. I guess my last night with your mom went well."

Arthur's face turned red and looked away while his father laughed. Gaius didn't think his son understood, but Arthur was a teenager named Gabriel once. Of course he knew what it meant but didn't want to ask and find out the details.

"Arthur!" Alice cried as she saw her elder brother arrive. "You're back. Want to see my elemental? It grew a little."

"That's okay Alice. I'm tired and need to meditate," Arthur said.

"Did you really kill those bandits?" Alice asked, refusing to let her brother go away. "I heard the guards say you used two silver swords to kill them."

"I am learning how to use twin swords. I've killed before with a dagger," Arthur said with a wave.

"But that scar wasn't there before. The one over your left eye," Alice said and Arthur touched his eye.

"Scratches heal as I circulate my qi. I got this scar the first time I used my twin swords. Dad didn't seem to care. He used to say that scars are a man's trophy. I can still see with my left eye and it doesn't feel uncomfortable," Arthur said silently as he patted Alice's head. "You go off to study magic. Maybe you can become strong enough to heal other people's wounds. Light magic is a noble profession. You can make a lot of friends doing charitable acts with healing magic."

"You sound like mom and dad. You sure you're ten like me?" Alice asked. "Are you really my twin by seven minutes?"

"Go study. I'm sure your magus tutors are wondering where you are. We might leave in a few days to go to another country. This will be the last few days we will live in the desert," Arthur said and led her to her room. "Be sure to pack enough water skins and ice boxes this time."

"You are definitely not my elder brother," Alice said and stuck out her tongue and laughed as she entered her room. Arthur shook his head and wondered if that was how a big brother tried to teach a younger sibling. He shrugged and headed back to his room. He had studying of his own to do.

Chapter 3: Bandit Attack Main Page Chapter 5: Departure