Sect Guide

Yuanshan

Twin peaks, twin disciplines — where blade and sword unite as a single art against the forces of corruption.

RighteousRival: Five Immortals CultLeg / Sword / Blade

Yuanshan’s disciples are many, and they carry a single shared purpose: upholding the righteous path of the martial world. Greater Yuanshan cultivates the Dao and holds a Blade Tomb; Lesser Yuanshan cultivates Buddhism and holds a Sword Tomb — two peaks, one spirit, their combined blade-and-sword art renowned across the land as demon-slayers and guardians of order. Based in the Shanxi–Greater & Lesser Yuan Mountains region, its arts run on the Return to Origin elemental attribute.

Yuanshan is a righteous sect that won’t teach anyone whose reputation has fallen too low, and stands opposed to Five Immortals Cult. Politically, its members lean Upright/Just.

Sect Philosophy

Yuanshan’s arts span leg techniques, sword, and blade — bold and expansive in form, sturdy and unadorned, rich in variation yet always upright, advancing and retreating with discipline, as if touched by a boundless light. Its arts are luminous and forthright by nature: if your worldview leans Upright/Just or Benevolent, study of Yuanshan manuals is 50% faster; if it leans Rebellious or Solipsistic, it’s 50% slower (this modifier does not apply to a manual’s overall framework, only individual chapters). Techniques run on Daoism and Buddhism aptitude. Yuanshan members can be asked to tutor Medicine, Poison, Daoism, Buddhism, and Cooking.

Full Technique Roster

By category × grade (9th grade = entry level, 1st grade = pinnacle)
Type 9th 8th 7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
Internal Power Expel-Impurity Method Lesser Yuan Force Greater Yuan Force No-Thought Mind Method Formless Primordial Method
Movement Stone Stake Technique Tiger Descending the Mountain 1000-Mile Solo Walk Mystic Armor Stance
Ultimate 9 Rolls, 18 Falls Both Blade and Sword Yuan Mountain Seven-Bane Array Golden Blade Palm Exchange Buddha’s Elephant Throw Mystic Divination Classic Origin Return Method
Leg Yuan Spring-Leg Mandarin Duck Chain Kicks Tiger-Tail Technique Nine-Palace Chaos Eight Steps Mighty Vajra Leg Five-Blacksmiths Mountain-Opening Leg Nine-Dragon Cloud Leg Turtle-King Divine Leg Six-Tusk Four-Deva Foot
Sword Arhat Swordplay Salvation Swordplay 72 Wrath Swords Great Compassion Sword Manjushri’s Great Wisdom Sword Skanda’s Demon-Subduing Sword Supreme Bodhi Sword Bodhidharma’s Swordplay
Blade 8 Trigrams 5 Elements Blade 6-Harmony Bladeplay Tiger-Step 8 Extremities Blade Taiyi Golden Blade 7-Star Bladeplay Boundless Bladeplay Heaven-Net Bladeplay Taixuan Divine Blade

Favor Interaction: Stone-Cell Meditation

Reduce a character’s corruption level.

Regional Story: “Three Demons of the Stone Cell”

Every demon cut down, every fiend reduced to ash — Yuanshan has made expelling the Xiangshu and warding off evil its lifelong mission. Across a century since its founding, the demons it has slain and the common folk it has saved are beyond counting.

And now, word has spread that Yuanshan has found a way to save the world — one that might finally cure the affliction of corrupted minds that plagues the realm…

Trigger 4 sword-tombs already cleared, Yuanshan’s support reaches 50%, then visit the Greater/Lesser Yuan Mountains region
Reward Demon-Slaying Bone
Sequel unlock condition Hold Emei’s treasure, the Demon-Immortal Pearl
Sequel reward Ancient Stone Sutra

Signature Mechanic: Three Sages Guard Array / Three Demons Chaos Array

Completing “Three Demons of the Stone Cell” unlocks Yuanshan’s centerpiece feature: recruiting the Three Sages or Three Demons as battle companions, each with unique support commands. Which set becomes available depends on which ending branch of the regional story you reach — the characters who survive that story become either the Three Sages or the Three Demons.

Activation

Use the special item “Thought-Transforming Beads” from your inventory.

Three Sages rules

  • Corruption increases by 5% each month for every Sage.
  • From the Three Sages Guard Array screen, you can transfer your own (or an ally’s, or a prisoner’s) corruption onto a Sage.
  • While a Sage’s corruption is below 80%, you can swap them in as a battle companion (max 1 active at a time).
  • At 80%+ corruption, a Sage can no longer join your side — and may instead randomly convert into its corresponding Demon, fighting for the enemy.

Three Demons rules (mirror image)

  • Corruption decreases by 5% each month for every Demon.
  • You can transfer corruption from yourself/allies/prisoners onto a Demon to accelerate their conversion.
  • While a Demon’s corruption is above 20%, they can join as a battle companion (max 1 active).
  • At 20% or below, they can no longer fight for you and may randomly convert back into a Sage on the enemy’s side.

Sending them back

You can banish any Sage/Demon back to the Yuanshan Stone Cell by defeating them in combat. Once banished, they retain their current corruption level (frozen — no further monthly change) and won’t appear as a companion. Interact with the “Yuanshan Stone Cell” facility to re-summon a banished Sage/Demon into your Beads. Completing the sequel story raises your active-companion cap from 1 to 3.

Companion Battle Commands

Role Command Effect Cooldown (progress needed)
Heaven Method of the Dao For 15 seconds, the user and their companions’ weapon attacks drain 3 points of every Qi type from enemies hit, and briefly lock one random technique type on the target. 360,000
Earth Method of Heaven For 15 seconds, weapon attacks from the user and companions gain 3× charge accumulation and maximum attack range. 720,000
Human Method of Earth For 15 seconds, direct damage from weapon attacks is tripled, and any wound marks inflicted become “old wounds.” 180,000

Chance to flip sides: Sage’s chance to fight for the enemy = Corruption − 45%. Demon’s chance to flip back = 55% − Corruption.

Best for — players running a righteous, Divine Flame or Iron Plate playthrough who want combat variety through the Three Sages, or Demonic Path players who prefer managing the Three Demons — either way, a build centered on actively managing a corruption meter rather than avoiding it.