Ephemeral Glory is the third chapter of the Jianghu Legacy sequence set inside the Old Mohist City, reachable from the Hidden Mountain-Suixiang waypoint. The run is built almost entirely around mechanical bird statues that you rotate with telekinesis until they match the directions marked on the floor. Five of those puzzles gate your progress, and the last one raises the Mohist Skyward City out of the clouds.
Quick answer: Set the zodiac clock at the city entrance to the Shen (Monkey) hour to cross the collapsed bridge, then solve all five bird alignment puzzles — the fifth, after the mechanical guardian fight, triggers the Skyward City cutscene and completes the quest.
Where to start Ephemeral Glory
Open the world map and fast travel to Hidden Mountain-Suixiang. The entrance to the Old Mohist City sits a short ride from that point, and the quest picks up the moment you reach the ruined gate area where Chen Shezhi is waiting near the broken bridge.
Before the first bird puzzle you will pick up a second waypoint in the Old City Depths. Unlock it when you pass through — the rest of the quest runs deep underground, and that stone is the only quick way back in if you stop partway.
Zodiac clock: Set the time to Shen (Monkey)
The collapsed bridge at the start is not a jump you can make. A zodiac clock mechanism stands nearby, and it changes the layout of the crossing depending on which hour you select.
How the bird alignment puzzles work
All five puzzles use the same rule. Each mechanical bird statue can be grabbed and rotated with your telekinetic ability, and the floor around the chamber carries etched patterns showing which way each bird is supposed to point. Turn every statue until it faces its matching mark and the birds link together, driving whatever mechanism the room controls — a gate, a bridge, a sluice, or the city itself.
Tip: When a chamber looks unsolvable, the answer is usually a statue you have not spotted yet rather than a wrong rotation. Sweep the upper ledges and side alcoves before re-turning birds you have already set.
| Puzzle | Where it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| First | Old City Depths, after the opening flashback | Opens the first gate; unlocks “On a Wing and a Gear” |
| Second | Inner corridors past the gate | Activates the large stone bridge in the sky |
| Third | After the floating platforms and guard fight | Unlocks the next gate |
| Fourth | Cave chamber with the wall screens | Starts the water flow |
| Fifth | Main chamber, after the guardian boss | Assembles the Mohist Skyward City |
Mural passage and the second achievement
Past the sky bridge you enter a hallway lined with ancient murals. This stretch is not optional filler — examining the paintings triggers the historical dialogue that awards In Sages’ Footsteps. Walk the full length of the corridor and interact with each mural rather than running through to the next door.
Two readable items sit along this route. A Dictated Family Letter plays a memory of the Mohist disciples when you open it, and a Faded Manuscript rests on a table further on. Both feed the flashbacks involving Brant, Kuang Anshi, Chen Tu, and Qi Zhao.
Platforms, guards, and the third gate
Outside the towers you cross a set of floating wooden platforms. Falling here does not fail the quest, but it costs you the climb back up, so take the jumps one platform at a time.
A small group of guards blocks the far side. They are ordinary combat encounters with no mechanic tied to the puzzles — clear them, then solve the third bird alignment to unlock the gate behind them. A lever nearby operates a wooden lift that carries you to the level above.
The hidden cave, the portal, and the water puzzle
Above the lift, follow the sound of dripping water into a hidden cave. A single water droplet opens a portal that shows the Skyward City — the first proper look at what the quest is building toward.
Mechanical guardian boss and the final bird puzzle
The upper level holds a Good Luck Charm and then the fight. A large mechanical guardian defends the main chamber, and it must go down before the last puzzle becomes active.
The fifth alignment is the most involved of the set, with more statues and more floor markings to read at once. Work one bird at a time and check its floor pattern before moving to the next. Once every statue is correct, the mechanism locks and the Mohist Skyward City assembles in the clouds.
Ending the quest: Ring the bell for the ferry bird
An extended flashback follows the activation cutscene, laying out the legacy of the Mohist sect. After it ends, speak with Chen Shezhi one final time, then strike the giant bell to summon the ferry bird.
You will know the quest is done when the ferry bird arrives and the closing shot pans across the Skyward City, followed by the EPHEMERAL GLORY Completed screen with your rewards. If that screen has not appeared, the bell has not been struck or the final dialogue was skipped before it finished.
Achievements and items from the run
| Unlock | How it triggers |
|---|---|
| On a Wing and a Gear | Solve the first bird alignment puzzle in the Old City Depths |
| In Sages’ Footsteps | Examine the murals in the passage and complete the dialogue that follows |
Along the way you collect the Eagle Flight Diagram, Sluice Gate Diagram, Old Mohist City Layout Map, Mechanism Layout Map, Dictated Family Letter, Faded Manuscript, and Good Luck Charm. None of them are consumables you need to manage — they are clue items and keepsakes tied to the Mohist story.
If you are working through the wider Jianghu Legacy chain, these lore-driven side stories are grouped by region in your quest log and appear as book icons on the map, which makes it easy to see which chapters you still have open.
