The dual blades in Where Winds Meet are tied to the Infernal Twinblades martial art. Unlocking them is less about random drops and more about picking one of several defined routes: an early-game Oddity reward, a stealth “Skill Theft” run in Midnight Mercy Sanctum, a sect path, or your first world-level breakthrough.
All ways to unlock Infernal Twinblades
| Method | When you can do it | Key requirement | What happens | Why (or why not) to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oddity reward from Qi Sheng | Very early, shortly after the tutorial | Bring your first Oddity to Qi Sheng at Melodies of Peace | Choose Infernal Twinblades as your third weapon/Oddity reward | Instant access but spends a rare early reward that could go to a harder-to-get weapon |
| World Level Breakthrough (Dragon Key) | When your character reaches level 15 | Clear World Level 1→2 solo breakthrough to earn a Dragon Key | Use the key to open a Loong/Dragon Pillar leading into the Infernal Twinblades cave and unlock the art at the end | Natural progression route; no permanent trade-offs beyond spending a Dragon Key |
| Skill Theft in Midnight Mercy Sanctum | Once you have a Dragon Key and Mystic Art “Touch of Death” | Enter Midnight Mercy Sanctum in southern Qinghe Moonveil Mountain and complete a stealth run to steal the skill from the Master | Unlocks Infernal Twinblades as a martial art, with several chests along the way for gear | Most involved and stealth-heavy, but gives chests and doesn’t use your early Oddity choice |
| Join the Midnight Mercy sect | After sects open up in the main story | Join Midnight Mercy (Midnight Blades) and meet their internal requirements | Infernal Twinblades is granted as sect progression | Good if you already planned to align with this sect; slower if your only goal is dual blades |
Early-game dual blades via Qi Sheng and Oddities
On the critical path, you are sent to Melodies of Peace and the Oddity Collection early in the game. There, Qi Sheng acts as the NPC who takes Oddities and hands out a major reward for your first one.
| Step | What to do | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Get an Oddity | During the first region, defeat a bear encounter and pick up the hive Oddity that drops. | This can be your very first Oddity and happens close to the start of the game. |
| 2. Report to Qi Sheng | Travel to Melodies of Peace and talk to Qi Sheng at the Oddity Collection to turn in the Oddity. | He offers a choice of martial arts/weapons as a reward. |
| 3. Choose Infernal Twinblades | Select Infernal Twinblades when prompted to pick your reward. | This effectively gives you dual blades right away. |
Tip: many players avoid spending this first reward on dual blades because Infernal Twinblades unlock through other routes fairly early. Using Qi Sheng’s choice on a weapon that is locked behind later regions or more tedious requirements can be more efficient in the long run.
Getting a Dragon Key from the level 15 breakthrough
Infernal Twinblades are also tied to the first solo world-rank breakthrough. This route is straightforward, and it sets up both the Crimson Cliff cave and Midnight Mercy Sanctum options.
| Milestone | Requirement | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reach character level 15 | Level through main quests, side content, and exploration until you hit level 15. | World Level 1→2 “Emerging” breakthrough becomes available. |
| Start the breakthrough trial | Accept the World Level breakthrough challenge from the appropriate menu/NPC. | Spawns a multi-wave boss fight that must be cleared solo. |
| Clear the trial | Defeat the boss and its waves. | You move from Beginner to Emerging, raise your max level cap and energy cap, and receive a Dragon Key. |
The Dragon Key is the important piece here. It unlocks certain Loong/Dragon Pillars in the world and is consumed when you use it to enter a hidden martial-arts cave, such as the Crimson Cliff or Midnight Mercy Sanctum.
Unlock Infernal Twinblades via Dragon Key cave (Crimson Cliff–style run)
One route to dual blades after the breakthrough is a Dragon Key cave similar to the Crimson Cliff. The flow looks like this:
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Locate the Loong/Dragon Pillar | Open the map and track Infernal Twinblades in the Develop → Martial Arts menu; set “Obtain” tracking and follow the marker to the cave entrance. | This takes you to a pillar where you can spend your Dragon Key. |
| 2. Spend the Dragon Key | Interact with the pillar to consume the key and reveal the hidden passage. | The pillar leads into a vertical cave instance dedicated to the martial art. |
| 3. Descend through the cave | Use platforms, elevators, and paths to work your way down without dying to fall damage. | Expect restricted sprinting and a more cinematic camera; you are in a non-combat traversal space at first. |
| 4. Reach the master arena | Follow the path until it funnels into a circular arena with a master in the center. | Stand in the marked circle to begin a short timing minigame. |
| 5. Complete the timing prompt | Hit the prompted button as the yellow ring lines up, several times in a row. | Finishing the sequence unlocks Infernal Twinblades and completes the instance. |
Once the martial art unlocks, Infernal Twinblades appear in your martial-arts list. You can then assign them to a slot and equip an appropriate twinblades weapon you have looted from chests or outposts.
Infernal Twinblades location: Midnight Mercy Sanctum (Skill Theft)
The other major “location” tied to dual blades is Midnight Mercy Sanctum in Qinghe’s Moonveil Mountain. Here, Infernal Twinblades are obtained through the Skill Theft system rather than a straightforward boss fight.
| Requirement | What you need | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Region access | Reach Qinghe and the Moonveil Mountain area. | Midnight Mercy Sanctum sits in the southern part of Moonveil Mountain. |
| Dragon Key | At least one Dragon Key in your inventory. | Used on the Loong Dragon Pillar at the Sanctum entrance to open the hidden passage; the key is consumed. |
| Touch of Death Mystic Art | Unlock “Touch of Death” by clearing the Jianghu Legacy quest “The Realm Endures”. | Allows you to silently eliminate certain guards blocking your path inside the Sanctum. |
Inside, the entire run is effectively a stealth puzzle. Combat is disabled; getting spotted ejects you back to the last checkpoint, and you advance by assassinating key guards and hugging blind spots. The goal is to reach the Master at the top and use the Skill Theft circle beneath him.
Stealth route overview through Midnight Mercy Sanctum
| Phase | Route summary | Key actions and chests |
|---|---|---|
| Entry hallway | Slip through a left-hand passage in the first corridor to bypass the front guard. | Use cover along the wall, then assassinate the Midnight Blades Disciple when his back is turned and head upstairs onto wooden scaffolding into the library. |
| First library floor | Traverse the library by clearing the lower guards while staying out of overlapping sight lines. | Use Wild Senses to track their facing, assassinate two guards below, then take the right-hand path for a third guard and the first chest. |
| Second library level | Climb a nearby ladder to update your respawn point. | Eliminate the guard staring at the shelf, climb the adjacent stairs for the second chest, then time a jump to the left ledge while two guards look away, drop, and climb another ladder to cleanly remove them. |
| Central hallway cluster | Step into a long hallway crowded with guards. | Immediately climb the ladder on the right; watch for the roaming guard above, then remove him. From the far corner, assassinate a guard below, climb again, and ignore the third chest for now to keep the route simple. |
| Upper galleries | Use ladders and platforms to move between upper walkways. | Take out the guard nearest each ladder and immediately climb to avoid detection. Once stable, go right to reach the area above the third chest. |
| Third chest setup | Work around two guards guarding the chest. | Assassinate the stationary guard when the patroller walks away. When the patroller returns to investigate, take him out and loot the chest. |
| Fourth chest area | Return up the ladder behind you and follow the elevated path straight, then left near a ledge overlooking two guards. | Eliminate the guard on the ledge first. Drop down, then assassinate the second guard and open the final chest. |
| Final ascent to the Master | Backtrack to the elevated zone between where you looted the third and fourth chests. | Remove the guard closest to the central pillar, then sprint and crouch behind book stacks to avoid another guard. From there, run straight up the stairs; the remaining guards can be ignored as long as you are not seen on the final approach. |
| Skill Theft circle | Enter the arena-like chamber with the Master standing in the center. | Step onto the glowing circle and start Skill Theft. Complete the timing prompts to steal Infernal Twinblades. Failing the minigame simply means retrying until successful. |
Tip: multiple players report that all five chests in the Sanctum can be collected in a single clean run if you detour at the right ladders. They are not required for unlocking dual blades, but they help with getting an actual twinblades weapon to pair with the art.
Unlock Infernal Twinblades by joining Midnight Mercy
Infernal Twinblades are also part of the Midnight Mercy sect’s identity. Once sects are available, joining the Midnight Mercy (Midnight Blades) sect and working through its internal milestones eventually grants the martial art without needing Skill Theft or your early Oddity reward.
| Path | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight Mercy sect progression | Fits naturally if you want to role-play as a stealth assassin type and already prefer their other rewards. | Slower to reach than the Dragon Key or Oddity options; not ideal if you want dual blades as early as possible. |
How Infernal Twinblades play once unlocked
Infernal Twinblades is built around aggressive, fast attacks and a resource called Karmic Flame. Every hit adds to the Karmic Flame; once the gauge is full, you can activate the Burst Skill Flamelash, entering a Wrathful Form that upgrades your light attacks and spikes your critical stats while slowly draining your HP and the Karmic Flame bar.
| Category | Key martial art | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Special Skill | Calamity's Greed | Kicks the long blade upward, spinning it to hit enemies multiple times; unlocked on the seventh talent node. |
| Martial Skill | Addled Mind | A long-range spinning dash that hits multiple times as you slice through enemies. |
| Light attacks | Dual Blades – Light Attack | Up to four consecutive swings, each building Blazing Wrath, with a Flamelash variant that goes to five hits and ends in a Verdict stance. |
| Burst Skill | Flamelash | Consumes full Karmic Flame to enter Wrathful Form, adding critical rate and damage at the cost of HP drain. |
| Weapon conversion | Dual Blades – Dual-Weapon Skill | Swaps your current weapon set to dual blades and attacks. |
| Core basics | Deflection, Dash, Dodge, Airborne Light Attack, Jump Strike, Execute, Recovery | Shared fundamentals (parry, movement, gap-closer, finisher on exhausted enemies) that define the weapon’s feel. |
The talent tree matters: the third node unlocks your heavy and charged attacks (including Dual-Weapon skills), while the seventh enables the Special Skill category like Calamity’s Greed.
Infernal Twinblades pair particularly well with Mortal Rope Dart because of Rope Dart’s Rodent Rampage, which summons a rat that attacks whenever you land hits. The sheer speed of dual blades significantly increases how often Rodent Rampage can trigger, making that combination popular for damage-focused builds.
If the goal is to hold dual blades as fast as possible, the Oddity reward from Qi Sheng is the most immediate, but it costs you flexibility later. The level 15 breakthrough into a Dragon Key cave and the Midnight Mercy Sanctum Skill Theft give you Infernal Twinblades soon after, without burning that early choice, and both routes plug naturally into the rest of Where Winds Meet’s world-rank and sect systems.
