The quick answer
Exquisite Scenery is obtained by defeating Puppeteer — Sheng Wu in the marsh northeast of Battlecrest Slope. It rewards a successful Thundercry Blade defensive action with a special charged counter opportunity.
On this page
Find the named Puppeteer encounter
- Travel to Battlecrest Slope in Qinghe and search the marsh to its northeast.
- Approach the large hooded, blade-wielding enemy to trigger the Puppeteer — Sheng Wu encounter.
- Defeat the boss and collect the Inner Way reward. Check the actual reward name, then learn and equip Exquisite Scenery.
Use the encounter’s displayed name and the Inner Way acquisition clue together. Older translated lists use other Puppeteer names and landmarks; a similarly named enemy is not enough to identify this reward.
Defend first, then take the counter window
The passive opens a special counter after the specified successful defense with Thundercry Blade. The Perception Skill or Heavy Attack input can then release a charged heavy attack without its usual charge time. Follow the on-screen opportunity rather than holding an ordinary charge out of habit.
Our suggested drill is to use a familiar enemy with one readable attack. First practise the defense; then add the counter; finally add a follow-up when there is room. This makes it easier to identify whether a missed sequence began with defense timing or with the next input.
Understand Battle Will before spending Notes
Later tiers interact with Battle Will recovery, Varied Combos and the counter’s trigger interval. A guide showing repeated enhanced attacks may depend on those breakthroughs. Check your current tier before assuming the same sequence is available.
Watch the resource before and after your chosen follow-up. If you are spending it without landing the attack, shorten the sequence or wait for a more reliable opening. The passive’s defensive theme does not remove the need to avoid attacks you cannot safely answer.
Separate three possible problems
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| No counter opportunity | Correct Martial Art, equipped passive and successful qualifying defense. |
| Opportunity appears, ordinary attack follows | Use the prompted counter input during the available window. |
| Counter worked once, then stopped | Read its trigger interval and allow the next opportunity to become available. |
Do not treat a cooldown as evidence that the Tome must be acquired again. Collection, equipment and the combat trigger are separate stages.