The Palace of Annals in Where Winds Meet is a multi-layered quest that blends story, exploration, and a demanding boss fight against Lucky Seventeen. It also serves as the main way to unlock the Mountain's Might Inner Way and the repeatable Palace of Annals Campaign.
Palace of Annals quest overview
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Quest type | Lost Chapter Quest / Campaign dungeon |
| Region | Qinghe – Moonveil Mountain |
| Main location | Palace of Annals, Hall of Seasons, Hidden Loong Abyss |
| Quest-giver / key NPC | Long Wu (outside), Elder Servant (inside) |
| Boss | Lucky Seventeen (also called Seventeen) |
| Standalone rewards | Mountain's Might Inner Way (100% comprehension), Vital Leech Tome, antiques and lore items, currencies and EXP |
| Follow-up | Unlocks Palace of Annals Campaign (repeatable boss farm) |
The quest sends you up Moonveil Mountain to investigate strange activity at an imperial retreat once used by Emperor Chai Rong. The retreat is now abandoned, guarded by Aureate soldiers, and hides a deep underground archive complex that ends in the Hidden Loong Abyss and the fight with Lucky Seventeen.
How to start Palace of Annals
To begin, travel to the Front Mountain Landmark in Moonveil Mountain, Qinghe. From there:
- Climb the main staircase leading toward the Palace of Annals.
- Claim the Front Mountain Boundary Stone if you have not already.
- Continue up; you will encounter Long Wu near the approach to the palace.
Speaking with Long Wu near the Hall of Seasons flags the Palace of Annals objectives and also advances his separate Lost Chapter, The Silent Assassin. It is efficient to have both active before you push further into the estate.
From the staircase, keep heading up, taking right turns at the crossroads. You will come under fire from an Aureate Gale Guard using a roof-mounted ballista-style weapon. Use rooftops and cover to reduce incoming damage, and either:
- Clear the ground soldiers and then the rooftop shooters, or
- Use the Veil of Stillness Mystic Skill to slip past combat and reach Long Wu and the palace entrance more safely.
Near the Hall of Seasons, touch the local Boundary Stone (Hall of Seasons) for a nearby respawn and fast travel point.
Hall of Seasons ground level and roof
Outside the Hall of Seasons, you can deal with enemies in two layers:
- Double jump from Long Wu’s position to reach the roof and eliminate the shooter stationed there.
- Drop down from the roof for a plunging finisher on one of the Aureate Swordsmen below, then clean up the remaining guards.
Once the three soldiers at the entrance are down, go through the main doors into the Hall of Seasons.
Second floor exploration and the first Mountain's Might chests
Inside the hall, you immediately see a body near a table. Check it, then take the stairs on the right up to the second floor.
On this level, there are two important spots:
- Balcony chest: Step out onto the balcony. To the right of the doorway sits an Inner Way loot chest that grants +20% comprehension for Mountain's Might.
- Floor gap chest: Back inside, on the left side of the second-floor hall, there is a regular chest placed right beside a visible floor gap. Approach carefully so you can loot the chest before dropping.
After looting the second-floor chest, step into the floor gap to reach a hidden intermediate floor.
Hidden floor, Elder Servant, and breaking through
On the hidden level beneath the gap, you find a compact storage room with more rewards and a path toward the lower underground complex:
- A second Inner Way: Mountain's Might chest with another +20% comprehension, bringing you to 40%.
- The Elder Servant NPC, who provides additional context on the palace.
- The quest item Dark Surge Fragment - Master Wei on the floor to the Elder Servant’s left.
- A regular loot chest deeper in the room.
After clearing all containers, return to the corner where you first landed. Boards block the next drop. Use the Mighty Drop lightness skill directly above the planks to smash through and fall into the locked side room next to the palace entrance.
Finding the hidden mechanism and entering the tunnel
The side room you break into is the door-locked chamber you would see to the left after first entering the Hall of Seasons. From this room:
- Unlock the door on the right-hand wall to open it back to the main entrance corridor.
- On the left, interact with a lantern. This lantern triggers a mechanism that slides the bookshelf aside, exposing a hidden tunnel.
Use the lantern mechanism and step through into the secret passage. An Aureate Gale Guard immediately appears inside the new doorway; deal with him, then follow the stairs down to the first underground corridor.
First underground section: Fire Arrows and explosive barrels
At the base of the stairs, the path bends left into a short corridor with two Aureate soldiers. Veil of Stillness works well here to line up easy assassinations or first strikes.
Around the next corner, you look into a wider space with several enemies clustered around explosive barrels. The safest approach is:
- Swap to a bow.
- Equip Fire Arrows. If you do not have any, pick them up from the corridor where you fought the previous pair of soldiers.
- Peek just enough to see one of the barrels near the group.
- Shoot a barrel with a Fire Arrow to detonate it and wipe out or heavily injure the squad.
- If anyone survives, there is another barrel closer to your position that you can trigger for a second blast.
Once the chamber is quiet, follow the route forward toward the first large elevator room.
Calling the first lift and handling mid-ride ambushes
In the lift chamber, you see a stone platform shaft with no elevator present and a lever beside the lift controls. To continue downward:
- Pull the lever in front of the shaft to call the elevator platform up from below.
- While the platform rises, loot the chest on the left and interact with the braziers along the walls to refill Fire Oil for your Divinecraft. Each brazier grants three Fire Oil uses.
- Once the platform arrives, stand on it and activate its lever to descend.
On the way down, several Aureate soldiers will jump onto the moving platform and attack in sequence. Be ready to deflect or dodge as soon as they appear and clear them quickly to avoid being overwhelmed in the confined space. When the ambush ends, the lift stops at an intermediate level blocked by debris and mechanisms; you must now free the platform by fixing the controls above.
Archive room one: loot sweep and more Mountain's Might
Leave the stalled platform via the nearby stairs leading up into the first underground archive hall. A group of Aureate soldiers patrols between shelves; Veil of Stillness helps you pick them off before they can group up.
This archive is dense with collectibles and Mountain's Might progress. After defeating the enemies, sweep the room for the following items:
- Journey to the North I (note)
- Journey to the North II (note)
- Coolbone Gauze – a Handicrafts category Compendium collection piece
- On the Hanging Blade I and On the Hanging Blade II (notes)
- Sword Above Blade (weapon-related item)
- Inner Way – Mountain's Might chest on a raised section just inside the room, on the left when looking from the interior toward the entrance
Opening this Inner Way chest adds another +20% comprehension, bringing Mountain's Might to 60% total so far. The room also contains several environmental interactions that flesh out the lore of the Hanging Blade and the palace, though these do not directly affect rewards.
A doorway to the right of the long table at the end of the room leads into a hallway with another standard chest on the left. Loot it, then continue to the circular corridor housing the lift contraptions.
Restarting the disabled lift
The circular hallway loops around the shaft and contains two mechanical levers that control the lower section of the elevator’s travel:
- Move forward along the corridor; the first lever is on the right-hand wall. Activate it.
- Continue around the curve to the second lever, also on the right. Activate this one as well.
- Near the second lever sits another standard loot chest.
Past the second mechanism, stairs and small ledges lead upward and back to the elevator shaft. Climb and drop down beside the platform. Before using the lift again, tap the brazier near the stairs for more Fire Oil.
Reactivate the lift lever to descend to the true lower level of the Palace of Annals.
Lower archives and completing Mountain's Might
The next stop is the second large archive chamber, which doubles as the last major loot room before the boss. Several Aureate soldiers guard the way, but the layout is similar: a ground level with lore items and a raised perimeter with Inner Way chests.
On the first level, gather:
- The Seal of Wang Hong (Anecdotes: Scheming for Peace I)
- Buddha Defilement Decree (Anecdotes: Scheming for Peace III)
- The Book of Spies
- Coin for Buddha Defilement – a Buddhism Compendium collection item (Anecdotes: Scheming for Peace II)
Then climb either of the two staircases flanking the room to reach the upper walkways. Up here, you find the final two Mountain's Might Inner Way chests:
- One chest on each side upper platform, both clearly marked.
Each chest grants +20% comprehension. Because you already collected three such chests on the way down (40% + 20%), opening both in this room brings Mountain's Might to 100% comprehension and unlocks the Inner Way permanently for use.
Mountain's Might is especially strong for Nameless Spear users. After unlocking it, you can equip it by opening the Inner Ways menu from the main menu path:
ESC → Develop → Abilities → Inner WaysSwapping in Mountain's Might increases endurance cost reduction, allowing you to maintain skills like Storm Dance significantly longer and convert that uptime into higher sustained damage. The Inner Way also has its own talent tree for further tuning once you invest points.
Into Hidden Loong Abyss and the boss arena
The stairs beside the final Inner Way chests do double duty: they take you up to the chests and also forward into a corridor that leads to Hidden Loong Abyss, the final stretch of the dungeon.
Follow the corridor, pass an unnamed NPC on the way, and keep descending until you reach a large set of doors. Beyond lies the boss arena, a cavernous, sun-lit chamber watched over by a stone dragon.
Before walking forward to trigger the fight:
- Activate the Boundary Stone labeled Dragon Abyss Depths on the right-hand side of the entrance. This is crucial for fast travel and future boss farming.
- Consider using the nearby Companion Assist sign if your build or level makes soloing bosses difficult. Available allies depend on your Main Story progression and can fill tank, healer, or DPS roles, with tank companions often providing the safest experience by absorbing most of Seventeen’s attention.
Approach Seventeen in the center of the room to start the cutscene and the fight.
Lucky Seventeen lore and campaign unlock
Seventeen is the last remaining caretaker of the Palace of Annals. Raised as an orphan by the sixteen Sword Saints of the Hanging Blade, he earned his name by following behind them as the seventeenth figure. The palace was his home, and three years before the current events, some incident forced the Sword Saints to leave, leaving Seventeen alone to maintain the estate and forge armor in the hope of their return.
Defeating him in this quest not only resolves the Palace of Annals storyline but also unlocks the Palace of Annals Campaign Challenge, letting you re-enter the arena to fight a repeatable version of Lucky Seventeen using energy for additional gear and materials.
Lucky Seventeen fight breakdown – Phase 1 (unarmed)
Phase 1 focuses on Seventeen’s fists and feet. His moves are heavy and often slow, which makes parrying more accessible if you watch his animations carefully.
| Move | Telegraph | How to respond |
|---|---|---|
| Roaring Leap | Short roar, then he crouches and launches toward you, ending in a ground slam followed by a second slam. | As soon as his roar recovery ends, get ready. Dodge or parry the leap, then immediately guard again for the follow-up fist slam. |
| Burning Body Slam | Body glows bright orange, then he smashes the ground and sends a fiery shockwave, followed by a short left-arm swing. | Once his body changes color, dodge backward before the slam. Keep moving back to stay outside the range of the follow-up swing. |
| Slow Kick | Quick swipe with right hand, then he rises and delivers a very slow, heavy left-foot kick. | Circle toward his side or back so the initial swipe whiffs. Watch his raised foot and time a deflect or sidestep as it finally drops. |
| Grappler Combo | Raises right hand overhead for a heavy downward claw, then repeats with the left. | Both swings have long wind-ups. Parry or dodge the right-hand slam, watch his left hand lift, then do the same again. |
| Ground Combo | Drops into a sliding sweep toward you, then rises to one knee and swipes with left hand, then later with right. | Deflect as soon as his body touches the ground to catch the slide sweep, then keep focus on his hands. After the second swipe, expect a slower final right-hand sweep before the combo ends. |
| Shockwave (Yellow) | Hands glow bright yellow; he plunges both into the ground and rips up a linear shockwave. | This is a Yellow Attack and cannot be blocked or parried. Watch for the yellow flash and sidestep out of the shockwave’s line as it fades. |
Throughout Phase 1, staying close but slightly off to his flanks works well. Many of his swings and kicks track poorly to the side, and their deliberate timing leaves wide windows to punish if you are patient.
Lucky Seventeen fight breakdown – Phase 2 (stone cleaver)
Phase 2 begins once Seventeen arms himself with a massive stone cleaver. The pace picks up considerably, with more chained combos, a mix of normal, Yellow, and Red attacks, plus some ranged tools.
| Move | Telegraph | How to respond |
|---|---|---|
| Downward Kick | Raises a leg high before stomping down. | Dodge backward once his foot starts to drop. This move often links into or out of other attacks. |
| Sword Throw | Plants cleaver in the ground, reaches behind for multiple swords, then throws them in a fan. | When you see two swords appear in his hands, deflect or dodge at that moment; that animation coincides with the actual projectile release. |
| Low Sweep, High Jump | Drags cleaver behind him, then spins in a low sweep, jumps up, hangs briefly, and slams down. | Deflect or sidestep the initial sweep as his drag ends. For the jump, watch him reach the apex; parry or dodge as soon as he starts falling, since the descent is much faster. |
| Heavy Combo | Two slow cross-slashes with blade raised high, followed by a forward block posture and shove. | The two slashes are easy to read; parry or dodge each as his cleaver comes over his shoulder. Once he enters the block stance, dodge laterally; he remains largely locked in place, giving a free punish after the shove. |
| Spinning Combo | Starts with a heavy diagonal slash that rolls into a rapid spin, then a final batter-style horizontal blow. | Deflect or dodge the opener and be ready to input at least two more reactions during the spin, as it has multiple hit frames. Count a short beat when the spin ends and time a final deflect for the last horizontal strike. |
| Imbibe | Places hand over cleaver tip, spins, coating the blade in sickly green energy. | While the weapon glows green, any hit builds a debuff even if you block. Favor clean dodges and punishes from the side instead of trading blocks. |
| Ground Smash (Yellow) | Grips cleaver with two hands; blade glows yellow as he raises it overhead before slamming down. | Another Yellow Attack. Watch for the yellow flare at the blade tip and dodge sideways as it disappears, before the impact hits. |
| Relentless Combo (Red) | Enters a wide stance, emits red smoke, then delivers four Red Attacks: diagonal overhead, horizontal slash, thrust, and a final ground slam with a shockwave. | Red Attacks cannot be blocked. As his blade tip flashes red before the first strike, start parrying. Continue roughly once per second across the first three hits, then choose to either deflect or simply dodge the final shockwave, which is generally easier to avoid by rolling out of range. |
Seventeen’s cleaver combos reward composure. Trying to spam dodge can get you caught by late hits, especially the last swipe in the Spinning Combo or the closing shockwave in Relentless Combo. Learning two or three main rhythms and focusing on them is often enough to bring him down.
Silk Binding is especially effective here: exhausting his endurance through clean parries and Silk Binding damage creates large windows for bursts before he recovers.
Quest completion, key items, and Campaign rewards
After you deplete Lucky Seventeen’s health and finish the second phase, the fight ends, and a conversation becomes available. Speak with Seventeen to trigger a closing cutscene that resolves his role and reflects the truth behind the Palace of Annals.
Once the cutscene finishes:
- Look to the right side of the arena toward the stone dragon sculpture.
- Interact with the glowing object in the dragon’s jaws to acquire Buddah's Light Jade Yang, the final quest item noted in the objectives (“Something glows at the Loong's head”).
Collecting the jade formally completes the Lost Chapter portion of the Palace of Annals. The completion rewards include:
- Vital Leech: Inner Way Complete Tome
- Medicinal Tales x1
- Oscillating Jade x5
- Echo Jade x55
- Qinghe Exploration Points x105
- Enlightenment Points x100
- Character EXP x35,000
- Zhou Coins x35,000
Separately, the first-time defeat of Lucky Seventeen yields an additional set of boss rewards:
- Echo Jade x50
- Medicinal Tales x1
- Zhou Coins x30,000
- Vile Leech: Tome x1
- Oscillating Jade x5
- Stored EXP x30,000
The fight also unlocks the Palace of Annals Campaign Challenge. Running this Campaign with energy lets you repeatedly farm Lucky Seventeen for:
- Jadeware Tiered Gear x2
- Palace of Annals Cosmetic Chest x1
- Crimson Leaves Chest x1
- Oscillating Jade
- Zhou Coins
- Character EXP
If you want to immediately refight Seventeen after completion, use the Return to Entrance sign at the far side of the arena. It teleports you back to the start of the boss room so you can trigger another encounter without leaving the dungeon.
Clearing the Palace of Annals efficiently means treating it as more than a straight shot to a boss. Snagging every Mountain's Might chest on the way down, touching the right Boundary Stones, and understanding Seventeen’s two-phase pattern turns what could be a punishing climb into one of the most rewarding early dungeons in Where Winds Meet.
