Where Winds Meet turns sects into full-on identity choices, and Midnight Blades is the one built for players who want to live in the red. It is a combat‑driven sect focused on killing, karma, and Infernal Twinblades, and it comes with its own rules, rank ladder, and cosmetics.
What the Midnight Blades sect is in Where Winds Meet
Midnight Blades is a warrior sect centered on relentless combat. Members are expected to fight constantly, harvest “karma” from victories, and show no mercy to enemies. The sect is tightly tied to the Infernal Twinblades martial art, which defines its playstyle: high‑speed, aggressive dual‑blade combat built around Karmic Flame and the Flamelash burst mode.
Joining Midnight Blades gives access to:
- Infernal Twinblades martial arts and weapon usage.
- A karma system that tracks victories and defeats against other wanderers.
- Reputation and a sect shop with dark, Asura‑themed cosmetics.
- A rank ladder starting at Novice Cultivator and expanding as commandments are fulfilled.
The core fantasy is simple: ascend an Asura‑like path by killing “Sufferers,” stealing their identities and karma, and refusing to let opponents walk away.
Where Winds Meet Midnight Blades: How to start the joining route
The path into Midnight Blades begins in Qinghe, in the Sundara Land region on the way up to Halo Peak. The entry is framed as a small exploration storyline that spills into a sect invitation.
| Step | Action | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meet level requirement | Reach at least level 25. | Needed to start the linked Exploration quest. |
| 2. Start “Building: One Last Job” | Open the Exploration Quests tab and initiate the quest. | This unlocks “To Save by Slaying” along the Halo Peak route. |
| 3. Head toward Halo Peak | Travel through Qinghe – Sundara Land up the path toward Halo Peak. | Listen for a man shouting for help; an icon will appear. |
As you climb toward Halo Peak, you will hear desperate cries for help. A mission icon guides you to a wounded traveler who protests that he is not weak and then dies in front of you. This moment kicks off the sect‑related quest “To Save by Slaying.”
Follow the blood trail and meet Icchantika
From the dead traveler, the game prompts you to “Follow the Blood Trail.” This leads you a short distance south (around 50 meters) into a small killing ground.
- Interact with the dead bodies along the trail.
- Loot the corpse that carries a “damaged decree.”
- Continue following the path until you spot a man seated on a rock above.
Climb up and speak to the seated man. Your character recognizes him as a member of the Midnight Blades sect. This NPC is Icchantika, the gatekeeper for your initiation.
After a short exchange, he asks if you “have a heart for the Dharma.” Two dialogue choices are presented; choosing the line “My heart is that of Bodhi Heart” allows the quest to continue. Pick that option to move forward toward initiation.
Pass the initiation: kill a living being and claim the decree
Once your intent is declared, Icchantika hands you a decree and instructs you to kill a living being. The test sounds brutal, but it does not force you into murdering townsfolk or quest NPCs. Killing a simple creature like a wolf is enough to satisfy the requirement.
| Objective | What to do | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kill a living being | Find and kill a nearby creature (for example, a wolf). | The kill must register while the decree objective is active. |
| Update sect menu | After the kill, open the Sects menu. | Midnight Blades becomes selectable as a joinable sect. |
Once the game acknowledges the kill, open your menu and navigate to the “Sects” section. Midnight Blades now appears as an option.
- Select Midnight Blades in the sect list.
- Choose “Join Sect.”
- Confirm with the “Join Now” option.
- Then select “Go to Take a Master” to set Icchantika as your master.
At this point, you are marked as a prospective disciple. The final step is to return to Icchantika and formally hand over your decree.
Formalize membership with Icchantika
Fast‑travel or run back to the rock where you first met Icchantika in Sundara Land. Interact with him again to complete the initiation.
- Select the dialogue option “Inherit Karmic Burden, join the sect.”
- Hand over the “Annihilation Decree” when prompted.
Icchantika mocks your weakness but accepts you regardless, recognizing that you have fulfilled the required act. After this exchange, your character is officially a member of Midnight Blades. The sect’s mechanics, karma tracking, and shop become available.
Midnight Blades rules: how karma, mercy, and banishment work
Midnight Blades runs on a simple but unforgiving philosophy: do not leave enemies alive. Mercy is treated as a violation of sect law. The rules focus on combat outcomes and karma accumulation.
| System | Effect | Practical impact |
|---|---|---|
| Suffer no opponent to live | Letting enemies go or being overly merciful breaks sect expectations. | Persistently sparing foes can lead to banishment from the sect. |
| Karma from wanderers | Defeating other wanderers increases your karma; being defeated lowers it. | High karma moves you along the Asura path; low karma slows progress. |
| Perception Forest | Location where large amounts of karma can be obtained. | Useful for players who want to farm karma more efficiently. |
The sect describes its goal as ascending the Asura path by killing “Sufferers” and stealing their identities and karma. In practice, that means Midnight Blades rewards consistent PvP and punishes passivity.
Rank progression: from Novice Cultivator to higher roles
You enter Midnight Blades as a Novice Cultivator. Progression is tied to specific in‑game tasks framed as commandments. Fulfilling them raises your rank and unlocks further benefits.
The early rank requirements focus heavily on arena combat and a specific story encounter:
| Requirement | Details | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 20 kills in the Arena | Secure 20 victories in 1v1 Arena matches. | Advances your Novice Cultivator commandment progress. |
| Slay the Ferryman | Defeat a boss‑type enemy referred to as the Ferryman. | Grants the Faded Decree item. |
| Tree of Sin ritual | Hang the Faded Decree at the Tree of Sin and meditate. | Allows you to “comprehend the Path of Bloodshed.” |
Clicking the icons for these objectives inside the sect interface highlights their locations, so you are rarely left guessing where to go next. As ranks increase, your access to the sect store improves, and higher‑tier cosmetics and items become available.
Midnight Blades rewards: reputation and cosmetics
Every sect in Where Winds Meet has its own currency and shop. For Midnight Blades, the relevant progression stat is Reputation, earned by obeying the sect’s commandments and playing to its strengths.
- Reputation is gained by completing sect‑specific tasks and commandments.
- Reputation unlocks access to additional items in the Midnight Blades shop.
- Shop inventory leans into the sect’s identity: dark outfits, grim accessories, and cosmetics that match Infernal Twinblades animations and themes.
For players who already lean into PvP and fast, high‑risk builds, this structure means normal play naturally feeds into new cosmetics and status items, rather than forcing a separate grind.
How Midnight Blades ties into Infernal Twinblades
Midnight Blades is effectively the home sect for Infernal Twinblades users. The sect’s martial arts kit revolves around this dual‑blade stance.
| Infernal Twinblades skill | Type | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Heaven’s Wrath | Light attack | Chains multiple quick strikes, finishing with a sheathing motion that enters a special state. |
| Addled Mind | Skill | Performs a long‑range spinning dash, hitting enemies multiple times. |
| Calamity’s Greed | Special skill | Launches a long blade that spins and deals repeated hits. |
| Flamelash | Enhanced / burst skill | Consumes full Karmic Flame to enter a Wrathful Form, increasing critical rate and damage while draining HP over time. |
Infernal Twinblades revolves around building Karmic Flame through your attacks and then spending it on Flamelash. While Flamelash is active, normal attacks turn into empowered Flamelash variants until the Karmic Flame gauge runs dry.
Outside of Midnight Blades, Infernal Twinblades can be unlocked through other routes, such as Midnight Mercy Sanctum theft or certain NPC rewards, but Midnight Blades is where the style’s ideology and mechanics line up most clearly with the surrounding systems.
Who should join Midnight Blades
Midnight Blades is not a passive, background faction. It works best if you already enjoy:
- 1v1 Arena fights and duels with other players.
- High‑risk builds where HP is traded for damage (as with Flamelash’s Wrathful Form).
- Role‑playing a ruthless wanderer who rarely spares enemies.
Because mercy is treated as a violation and karma drops when you lose, Midnight Blades rewards consistent performance and a willingness to seek out fights regularly. For players who want their sect to reflect a harsher interpretation of Wuxia justice, it is the most direct path available.
Once the Halo Peak initiation is complete and Icchantika accepts your decree, Midnight Blades turns Where Winds Meet into a very different game. Every duel feeds your karma, every victory pushes you further down the Asura path, and every cosmetic in the sect shop reminds everyone else in Jianghu that you chose bloodshed on purpose.
