To beat Mu Xiaokui in Phantom Blade Zero, play her first phase safely by blocking or parrying her blue sword waves and countering the flash attacks at the end of her strings, then, once she becomes the Queen of Iron and Jade, dodge every grey attack from the phantom guardians she calls mid-combo instead of trying to block it. If her hidden third phase starts, kill the Jade Dancer first and keep the Iron Fiend in view.
Mu Xiaokui, the Young Mistress of the Order, is the last story boss of the Village of Lu and the fight that sends you on to Pangzhen. Each of her phases plays like a different encounter, so learning the first does little for the second. Below is where she waits, what to bring, every phase in turn, and what she drops.
Where to Find Mu Xiaokui
She waits at the Lakeside in the Village of Lu, beyond the Puppet Testing Grounds where you fight Yuzan, one of the Four Great Puppets.
- Beat Yuzan at the Puppet Testing Grounds.
- Take the lift west of the grounds toward the lake.
- Ring the Lakeside bell. It sits just before her arena, so it is your checkpoint for every attempt.
- Walk toward the reeds. A cutscene plays and the fight begins.
She is a required boss, so there is no way around her. Our list of every boss in order shows where she falls in the story.
What to Bring
- A healing weapon. The Outlaw Warblade heals you as you hit and breaks guards well, which buys you mistakes in the long second phase. It drops from Jing Ye in the Crimson Forest, as our guide to how to beat the Outlaw explains, and our guide to the best weapons covers what else is worth carrying.
- A weapon that closes distance. In the third phase you need to stick to one target while the other chases you. A weapon with strong forward movement, or the Hunter’s Chain Sickle to close the gap, keeps the pressure where you want it.
- The parry accessories. The Reflex Device widens your parry and dodge windows and the Counterstrike Bracers reward every parry with extra damage. If you have met Jewel, our guide to the best accessories to upgrade shows why both are worth a polish before this fight.
- Full medicine. Phase one is the easy part, so save your healing for what comes after.
Phase 1: The Young Mistress of the Order
The first phase is a straightforward sword fight and the gentlest part of the encounter.
- Short, readable strings. Her sword combos are short and keep consistent timing. Her flash attacks mostly come at the end of a recognizable string, so let the string finish and counter the flash: parry the blue ones, perfect dodge the red ones.
- Blue sword waves. She has two attacks that send waves of blue energy at you. You can parry or simply block them.
- The vanishing strike. She disappears and reappears with a red beam. Dodge it.
- Grey attacks. Anything that flashes black or grey breaks your guard, so dodge instead of blocking.
- Do not let your guard break. Her red attacks can turn into a grab while you are guard-broken, so keep your Sha-Chi healthy.
Her parry timing is forgiving in this phase. If you still find it hard to read, our guide to how to parry covers the blue and red flash system.
Phase 2: The Queen of Iron and Jade
Partway through the fight, she sheathes the sword and becomes Mu Xiaokui, Queen of Iron and Jade. This is the hardest part of the fight.
- Longer, faster strings. She switches to hand-to-hand fighting with extended punch and kick chains, some of them deliberately delayed. Her flash attacks come with tighter timing, and red ones can appear in the middle of a string, not just at the end.
- Phantom guardians. Mid-combo, she calls phantom versions of her two guardians into the attack. The Jade Dancer, marked by purple cracks, comes in with kicks. The Iron Fiend, marked by blue cracks, punches out waves and slams the ground.
- Dodge the grey attacks. Some of the guardians’ moves are grey, and they drain a huge amount of Sha-Chi if you block or parry them. Dodging a grey attack is always worth more than forcing another parry.
- Hollow Palm. For this palm string, block the first two strikes and dodge the third.
- The blue waves return. Her sword waves still appear, and they are the easiest part of the phase. Use them to steady yourself.
Do not try to match her aggression. Let her finish her strings, take the blue and red counters as your damage windows, and back off if your Sha-Chi is running low. If she keeps winning, you can change the difficulty at any time without losing any trophies.
Phase 3: Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend
The third phase only happens if you finish the Young Mistress side tale, which has you collect ribbons scattered across the Village of Lu, before the fight. If you skipped it, the fight ends after phase two.
In this phase Mu Xiaokui steps back and sends the Jade Dancer and the Iron Fiend at you together. It looks harder than phase two, but it is more manageable once you know the rules:
- Kill one, then the other. Focus the Jade Dancer first. Once one guardian falls, their combined attacks go with them, and the survivor becomes an ordinary one-on-one fight.
- Their Sha-Chi is lower. Both have far less Sha-Chi than Mu Xiaokui, and their red flash attacks have forgiving timing, so a few good counters break their guard quickly. Cash in every break straight away.
- Keep the other in view. The guardian you are not hitting keeps attacking and can catch you mid-combo, red flashes included. Position so both stay on screen.
Rewards
Beating Mu Xiaokui earns the Wild Oriole Sword, a one-handed sword that fires blade waves like the ones she throws at you, and the Will We Meet Again? trophy. Through Soul Tempering it later becomes the Tianmiao Wild Oriole, and our guide to the best weapon combo covers how it fits a weapon-swap build. Beating the third phase also adds the Fiend Saws, a dual-wield weapon built around a Fiend-Aura that erupts for extra damage.
With her down, the story moves on to Pangzhen. Before you leave the Village of Lu, it is worth finishing its side tales, including the one our guide to where to find Pei covers. Our trophy list has every other boss trophy, and every other guide is on our Phantom Blade Zero hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Mu Xiaokui in Phantom Blade Zero? At the Lakeside in the Village of Lu. Take the lift west of the Puppet Testing Grounds after beating Yuzan, ring the Lakeside bell, and walk toward the reeds.
Is Mu Xiaokui optional? No. She is a required story boss and the last one in the Village of Lu.
How many phases does Mu Xiaokui have? Two, or three if you finished the Young Mistress side tale before the fight.
How do you unlock Mu Xiaokui’s third phase? Complete the Young Mistress tale by collecting the ribbons scattered across the Village of Lu before you fight her.
What does Mu Xiaokui drop? The Wild Oriole Sword, plus the Fiend Saws if you beat her third phase.
What is the best weapon against Mu Xiaokui? A healing weapon such as the Outlaw Warblade for the second phase, and a weapon that closes distance, such as the Hunter’s Chain Sickle, for the third.