Quick answer: Mu Xiaokui hits in fast two- and three-hit bursts. Dodge each hit on its own timing, leave her spinning crimson rings immediately, and heal only after she dodges away from you.
Mu Xiaokui at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Village of Lu, Chapter 1 (Lakeside) |
| Phase 1 | “Mu Xiaokui, Young Mistress of the Order”, 46,890 HP |
| Phase 2 | “Mu Xiaokui, Queen of Iron and Jade”, 62,520 HP |
| Secret phase 3 | Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend, 41,680 HP each |
| Phase 3 requirement | Young Mistress quest complete |
| Arena | Reeds, shallow water, lily pads, boardwalk, moored boats |
| Respawn point | Lakeside bell |
| Heaviest hit (phase 1) | A single hit deals roughly 307 HP on PATHBREAKER or 215 HP on WAYFARER. |
These figures use Soul’s 1,402 max HP and 3 healing gourds. Her hardest blows remove a fifth of the bar on PATHBREAKER, and she takes a while to wear down. About a minute and a half of fighting on WAYFARER took her from 46,890 to about 43,400 HP, under a tenth of her first bar.
Where to fight Mu Xiaokui
Mu Xiaokui waits in the reeds about 55 m beyond the Lakeside bell, which sits at the top of the lift from Yuzan’s arena. Her intro scene plays as you walk out from the bell, and the fight starts right after it ends. The Mu Xiaokui location guide covers the walk-in in full.
Mu Xiaokui’s attacks in phase 1
Mu Xiaokui moves quickly and rarely pauses. She evades laterally or backward between attacks, repeatedly changing the distance. Her damage usually comes in brief bursts, so time your response for every strike in a sequence, not only its opener. Each move below includes damage for PATHBREAKER and WAYFARER when known.
Leaping strike and white dash
She vaults over Soul, lands, then streaks across the reeds in a white-blue dash.
The two impacts arrive about a second apart, dealing roughly 154 HP each on PATHBREAKER or 108 HP each on WAYFARER. Watch her landing point, then dodge twice, leaving a beat between the first and second dodge.
Lunge
At medium range, she drives forward in a direct charge, hitting about 0.8 seconds after beginning the move. It deals roughly 154 HP on PATHBREAKER or 108 HP on WAYFARER. The gap closes quickly, so evade before she reaches you.
Crimson slashes
At close quarters, she swings one or two crimson arcs. Each connects about 0.7 to 0.9 seconds after she winds up, dealing roughly 123 HP on PATHBREAKER or 86 HP on WAYFARER. She may repeat the sequence until she has attacked two or three times. Evade every swing separately; block or parry only when you are already near her.
Spinning crimson combo
Red rings revolve around Soul. Their opening strikes deal just 31 to 61 HP apiece on PATHBREAKER. Roughly 3 seconds into the combo, a powerful final blow hits for about 307 HP on PATHBREAKER or 215 HP on WAYFARER, making it the biggest single hit seen in phase 1. Move clear when the rings appear; don’t remain among them to trade attacks.
Red crescent
At a distance, she sends a red crescent-shaped projectile across the field. It inflicts roughly 108 HP on WAYFARER. Evade sideways.
Red burst
A red burst erupts under Soul’s feet and deals about 86 to 108 HP per hit on WAYFARER. When she pauses at range, keep moving so the burst has nothing to land on.
Blade chain
She unleashes a long sequence of extremely quick cuts, flashing white-blue before ending in a red trail.
On WAYFARER, each cut deals around 86 HP, with the final one dealing 108 HP. Taking the entire sequence costs over 600 HP, making this her most dangerous move. Evade sideways at the first flash rather than attempting to block the whole string.
Delayed heavy strike
This heavy swing is slower, connecting about 1.8 seconds after she begins and dealing roughly 246 HP on PATHBREAKER. Evading as she winds up will leave you dodging too soon; wait until the swing descends, then move.
Mu Xiaokui phase 2: Queen of Iron and Jade
When her first bar empties, a short scene plays and she drops into a crouch on the boardwalk.
Her health bar changes to “Mu Xiaokui, Queen of Iron and Jade” with 62,520 HP. She stays just as fast as in phase 1, so the same dodge-first approach still applies.
Secret phase 3: Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend
If Young Mistress is complete, two guardians join the fight, each with their own bar. “Jade Dancer, Young Mistress’s Guardian” and “Iron Fiend, Young Mistress’s Guardian” have 41,680 HP each.
- Jade Dancer fights with blades on her legs and throws blue crescent kicks.
- Iron Fiend charges in and swings heavy punches. Step away when he charges.
- Keep both guardians on screen at all times, because they attack together.
The Iron Jade Strike combo scene may occur during this phase. Its prompts vary each time, so follow them as they appear.
Tips for fighting Mu Xiaokui
- Create distance when each chain ends. Her attacks usually arrive in bursts of two or three hits.
- Get out as soon as the crimson rings start spinning; the finishing blow is her hardest hit.
- Use Heal only after she has dodged away, not as she moves in.
- Complete Young Mistress before the encounter to access phase three and the guardians’ rewards.
If PATHBREAKER is too punishing, switching to WAYFARER lowers her damage. The difficulty modes breakdown explains how the two compare.
Mu Xiaokui rewards
- PUPPET NO. 44’S EYE: a story item that opens the Smuggler’s Tunnel puppet lock.
- FIST FRAGMENT: CORE: Phantom Edge Soul Tempering Materials for the Worldbreaker Fist and the Iron Gauntlets.
- FIEND SAWS: a Dual Wield weapon with Damage 302 and Guard Break 120 (full Fiend Saws details).
