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You get the Training Grounds Key by defeating the Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation, a two-phase boss in the Mandate Encampment. The key drops automatically right after the Swordsman’s Summon Phantom Edge and opens the main gate to the Training Grounds, where the Yubi, No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet boss and the Baishan Stormswords weapon are waiting. Here’s the exact route I used, plus the one missable item most players lock themselves out of.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Item type | Story Item |
| Card text | “A key hanging from a yellow jade ring. Opens the main gate to the Training Grounds.” |
| How to get | Defeat the Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation (both phases) |
| Region | Mandate Encampment |
| What it opens | Main gate of the Training Grounds, just north of the encampment |
| Boss inside | Yubi, No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet |
| Key rewards inside | Baishan Stormswords weapon, Broken Vessel accessory, Illusory Pipa Backplate |
The Training Grounds lives inside the Mandate Encampment, so you can’t grab the key early. The zone opens during the main story: after you defeat Gu Wanyue, the Wailing Wraith in Pangzhen, jump down the well behind her arena and follow the tunnel until you spot the Mandate Encampment Gate Key sitting next to a Memory Flower. From there, the gate east of the Village of Lu region finally opens and the real climb begins. This works identically on PS5 and PC — the game launched in late October 2026, and nothing in the November 2026 patches touched this drop, so the route below is fully current.
Push through the encampment’s story path until you reach an open dirt arena guarded by a burning wooden watchtower that stands like a pyre, with bodies sprawled across the ground. You literally can’t miss it. Walking in triggers a cutscene showing a masked troop of white-robed swordsmen, then the health bar “Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation” appears while his disciples circle him. He’s boss #35 in the game’s full 61-boss lineup, so this is mandatory, not optional content.
This fight has two health bars, and you need to empty both to earn the key. Once the first bar is gone, the second appears under the name “Chief Disciple, Sword of Despair” and he gets noticeably more aggressive. My biggest tip: reposition constantly. The Seven-Stars Formation swarms you, and getting surrounded is the #1 way I died here. Area-of-effect damage saves lives in this arena — I ran the Hunter’s Chain Sickle, but any wide-swinging two-handed weapon works. If you want to sharpen your parries and Sha-Chi management first, our character skills breakdown covers the fundamentals.
The rewards pop in a strict order when the second phase ends:
On top of that, the fight grants the Twin Heroes’ Memory Flowers 1 and 2 and the Twin Fish Pendant accessory. Before leaving, look for a blue Memory Flower shining above a fallen fighter on the arena floor — it counts toward the Seven-Stars Formation flower set. A brand-new bell, Tower Rear Exit, also appears in the arena after the fight. Rest at it; it saves you a long walk back across the camp later.
With the key in hand, fast travel to the Tower Rear Exit bell and follow the path toward the Road to the Training Grounds bell, grabbing the Plain Hairpin story item on the way. The Training Grounds’ main gate sits a little north of the encampment — interact with it and the yellow jade key does its job.
One warning before you drop in: complete the Tale quest Secrets of the Baishan Sect first. Crossing the gate before that quest is done permanently locks you out of the Broken Vessel accessory. It’s the single most expensive mistake in this zone — check our full quest checklist if you’re unsure where that Tale stands.
That backplate is why this area matters beyond loot: the complete Phantom Edge collection can’t be finished without beating Yubi here.
The Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation in the Mandate Encampment. He’s a mandatory two-phase story boss, and the key is a guaranteed Story Item drop — you can’t trade, buy, or loot it anywhere else.
Just north of the Mandate Encampment, along the path past the Road to the Training Grounds bell. The key’s own card confirms it “opens the main gate to the Training Grounds.”
No. It’s tied to a mandatory boss and drops automatically. What you can miss is the Broken Vessel accessory inside the Training Grounds if you enter before finishing the Secrets of the Baishan Sect Tale.
The Yubi, No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet boss fight, the Baishan Stormswords weapon, the Illusory Pipa Backplate for Myst’s repair quest, two Memory Flowers, the Lament Draught, and a portal for The Herald’s Illusion quest.
You haven’t defeated the Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation yet. The key is a story-gated drop, so push the encampment’s main questline until that fight unlocks.
