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Jixia Interlude: Highest Academy (稷下幕间 最高学堂) is the brief transitional chapter that sits between Jixia Chapter 2 (通幽之异) and Jixia Chapter 3 (闪耀的星辰) in the main story of Honor of Kings: World. Unlike the combat-driven chapters on either side, this interlude is almost entirely narrative and tutorial focused. It carries the Child of the Primal Flow from the ruins of the underground Tianzhu Xu up to the West Yunluo Highland, aboard a cloud vessel, and through the gates of Jixia Academy itself. Completing the interlude unlocks the Gameplay Handbook (玩法手册) and sets a level gate at 11 before the next main chapter can begin.

Overview

The interlude exists to catch the player up narratively after the intense underground boss fight at the end of Chapter 2 and to formally introduce the central hub of the Jixia region. It is framed as a guided tour rather than a quest with combat, puzzles, or loot drops. The player follows Dongfang Yao from the open highland into the academy proper, rides two internal elevators to reach the upper floor, then witnesses a scripted exchange with Master Lu's cloud cocoon before the interlude closes.

What sets this chapter apart is its role as a soft transition. The chapter structure on either side is built around named locations, boss fights, and collectibles, while the interlude is essentially a storybook scene that lets the world breathe. Players who have just come out of the Tianzhu Xu can catch up on lore, unlock systemic resources, and prepare for the level climb required for Chapter 3: Shining Stars.

Prerequisites

The interlude triggers automatically at the end of Jixia Chapter 2. After defeating the underground boss 青钺铸将 (Qingyue Cast General) and interacting with the golden pattern on the platform, the player is pulled out of Tianzhu Xu and placed on the surface of the West Yunluo Highland (西云落高地). No menu selection or quest acceptance is needed: the interlude starts the moment the loading screen clears.

Players are typically around character level 9 to 10 at this point, which matters because the level gate for the following chapter is set at 11. Anyone arriving at the academy under level 11 should expect to pause the main story and grind daily tasks after the interlude ends.

Objectives

The interlude is short, with a handful of mandatory steps. There are no optional objectives or side branches.

Step by Step Walkthrough

1. Surface at West Yunluo Highland

Once Chapter 2 ends, the camera fades to black and fades back in with the Child of the Primal Flow standing on the surface of the West Yunluo Highland (西云落高地). The player spawns on foot with the quest tracker already pointing at a nearby Waystone (渡石). Open the map, follow the tracker icon, and interact with the Waystone. This reveals the surrounding highland terrain on the world map and registers the spot as a fast travel anchor for later returns.

The Waystone is not optional. The interlude progression waits for it, and skipping this step leaves the rest of the map unreachable by fast travel until the player backtracks. Activate it before moving on, even if the nearby conversation markers look more inviting.

2. Meet Dongfang Yao and Board the Cloud Vessel

With the Waystone active, follow the next yellow marker a short distance to Dongfang Yao. He is waiting near the docking platform for the cloud vessel. A short exchange introduces the idea that the Child of the Primal Flow is being brought to Jixia because of what happened underground, and he gestures toward the docking platform.

Walk onto the pier and speak with the Ferryman (引舟使). Choosing the dialogue option to board the vessel triggers a longer cinematic. The Cloud Vessel (云舟) lifts off, crosses the sky above the Jixia region, and sets down at the Entrance Plaza of the academy. Do not try to exit the vessel or interact with other NPCs during this ride: the cutscene runs on rails.

3. Tour the Academy with Dongfang Yao

The vessel deposits the party at the Entrance Plaza (进学广场), which is the front hall of Jixia Academy. Dongfang Yao takes point and starts walking toward the interior. The player is expected to follow. A helpful quirk of this segment is that if the Child of the Primal Flow falls too far behind, Dongfang Yao stops and waits in place until the player catches up. There is no failure state for taking too long. Feel free to pan the camera, sample the ambient barks of students on the plaza, or just walk slowly.

Inside the academy, the quest marker leads through two elevator rides that end on the second floor of the main building. Each elevator activates automatically when approached. The second elevator ride closes with the camera reorienting toward the dim hall where the next scripted beat plays out.

4. The Cloud Cocoon and Lao Fuzi

Near the end of the upper floor, the party approaches a large Cloud Cocoon (云茧), which is a luminous suspended object central to several pieces of academy lore. Lao Fuzi (老夫子) appears and launches into a short exchange with Dongfang Yao. The dialogue is scripted, unskippable in its meaningful beats, and must be allowed to finish before the next interaction prompt reappears. Approaching the cocoon too early will not move the quest forward. Stand close and wait.

Once Lao Fuzi wraps up, control returns to the player. A new marker points back to Dongfang Yao a few steps away. Speaking with him one more time concludes the interlude.

5. Unlock the Gameplay Handbook

Closing the final conversation completes the interlude and unlocks the Gameplay Handbook (玩法手册). The handbook is a menu entry that catalogs the game's major systems and unlocks them one at a time as the story progresses. It is worth opening immediately after the interlude finishes to review the list of systems the player now has access to: daily tasks, beginner journey, and the standard open-world loop.

Key NPCs

Other Star Team members such as Xi Shi, Meng Ya, and Sun Bin are associated with Jixia Academy in the broader story, but the interlude itself is a two-character walking tour. Expect to meet the rest of the cast over the following chapters.

Rewards and Unlocks

The interlude is narrative in nature, so its rewards are smaller in absolute terms than the surrounding chapters but important for the systems they open up.

After the Interlude: Level Gate and Level 11 Plan

The next main chapter, Chapter 3: Shining Stars (闪耀的星辰), requires character level 11 before it can be picked up. Because the interlude grants little direct experience, most players finish it just under the cap. The standard answer is to lean into daily content for a short session.

• Zhao Wen Dao (朝闻道) unlocks at level 10 and hands out around 2,600 experience per day for a handful of short tasks. This is the single most efficient way to close the gap.

• Beginner Journey (新手历程) hands out generous launch-window rewards, including hero resonance tokens that can pull strong early heroes such as Kai.

• Side exploration in the West Yunluo Highland and the spring-fed basin of Chapter 1 can also chip in a few levels through chests, enemy kills, and small quest chains.

Clearing a full daily cycle of Zhao Wen Dao at level 10 is typically enough to hit 11 in a single sitting. If you plan your session so that the interlude ends just before daily reset, you can even stack two rotations of daily rewards in quick succession.

Tips

• Activate the Waystone before looking for Dongfang Yao. The objective list will not advance until the stone is live, and it is the only fast travel anchor close to the cloud vessel dock.

• Do not sprint past Dongfang Yao during the academy tour. He paces the tour deliberately, and running ahead simply makes him stop and wait, which adds nothing. Walk alongside him and the scripted barks trigger on schedule.

• The Cloud Cocoon interaction cannot be rushed. If the prompt to interact does not appear, step back and let the Lao Fuzi dialogue finish first. This is the most common spot where players mistake a pause for a bug.

• Open the Gameplay Handbook as soon as the interlude closes. Each section of the handbook corresponds to a system that is live in the open world right now, so scrolling through it is a fast way to see everything that opened up in the past hour of play.

• If you are close to level 10 but not there yet when the interlude ends, detour to a nearby quest giver in the Entrance Plaza before grinding. A single plaza side quest is usually enough to cross the Zhao Wen Dao level threshold and start the daily loop immediately.

Lore Notes

Jixia Academy is framed as the highest educational institution in the King of Glory setting. It was founded by three sages (老夫子, 庄周, 墨子) and is organized around three schools: the Martial Way (武道), the Magical Way (魔道), and Mechanisms (机关). The interlude only directly introduces Lao Fuzi, but the environment foreshadows the other two schools through the building silhouettes visible during the cloud vessel approach and the later elevator ride.

Dongfang Yao's role as tour guide is not arbitrary. In the broader lore, he is the captain of the Jixia Star Team, a student squad that famously competed in the Guixu Dream Performance competition. Bringing a newcomer directly into the academy positions him as a mentor figure for the Child of the Primal Flow going into Chapter 3, which is named after his team's signature moment.

The Cloud Cocoon itself is a recurring visual motif for the academy. It functions in lore as a dormant vessel of cultivated energy tied to the school's higher teachings. The fact that Lao Fuzi meets the party near one on the second floor rather than at the entrance plaza implies a level of trust that the interlude treats as granted by the events of Chapter 2.

Related

• Main Story and Quests

• Jixia Academy

• Child of the Primal Flow

• Boss Encounters