How to get Sternness of Stone, Keenness of Tiger in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong Crouching Tiger Temple
(Image credit: Game Science)

You need to acquire Sternness of Stone and Keenness of Tiger if you want to progress in chapter two of Black Myth: Wukong and open the gate leading into the centre of the Yellow Wind Ridge. If you've already beaten the King of the Flowing Sands and the Second Rat Prince, you've likely investigated the glowing statue at the end of their arena. However, when you try to activate it and open the massive gate nearby, it says you need the two items mentioned above.

It's unclear what they are, but the good news is that they're items you can acquire in the surrounding area by completing a couple of bosses. If the Yellow Wind Ridge has you feeling a little turned around, I'll explain where to get Sternness of Stone and Keenness of Tiger, plus how to reach each location.

Sternness of Stone location

To get Sternness of Stone you have to defeat the Stone Vanguard boss in the Fright Cliffs. If you went into the Valley of Despair after fighting the King of the Flowing Sands and Second Rat Prince, then you're heading in the wrong direction. From where you fought them by the Valley of Despair Keeper's Shrine, you need to: 

  • Head across the wooden rope bridge at the opposite end of the arena and follow the trail through the gate
  • Continue through the area until you reach the Rockrest Flat Keeper's Shrine
  • Take the left path and turn left again through the gate into an arena

You'll spot a cluster of floating stones ahead of you, and when you approach, the Stone Vanguard will appear. This boss is pretty easy if you stick to its backside, but you should watch out for the follow-up shockwave from its two-handed downwards slam, since it's easy to get caught off guard once you've dodged the initial attack. Take it down and you'll get the Sternness of Stone item.

Keenness of Tiger location

Now, to get Keenness of Tiger you need to defeat the Tiger Vanguard boss who is in the opposite direction from the previous. From the Valley of Despair Keeper's Shrine, you should: 

  • Follow the path into the cave with the rat enemies
  • Turn left at the torch and wooden structure and descend into the centre of the cave near where the First Prince of the Flowing Sands is
  • Keep going a short way and you'll spot a spitting enemy by a wooden fence on the far side of a short stone bridge
  • Cross the bridge and continue on to find a crack in the wall you can squeeze through
  • Fight the bat enemy inside and turn right to leave the cave
  • Continue on to the Crouching Tiger Temple

Inside you'll find the Tiger Vanguard boss. This guy is a bit tougher than the Stone Vanguard since he periodically uses the Rock Solid spell to turn himself invulnerable. The two attacks you need to watch out for are when he slightly unsheathes his sword before performing a fast lunging slash towards you, and when he turns to stone in the middle of the arena before suddenly coming at you with a charged punch. Defeat him and you'll get the Keenness of Tiger item.

Now you have both, you can use the Tally to unlock any doors leading to the centre of the Yellow Wind Ridge, including the one back at the original King of the Flowing Sands arena, plus another in the centre of the Crouching Tiger Temple.

Sean Martin
Senior Guides Writer

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

Read more
Avowed piece of starmetal sitting on an altar
Avowed starmetal locations and Forged of Star-Stuff completion rewards
kingdom come: deliverance 2
12 things to grab first in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Assassin's Creed Shadows Makino Kurumazuka Kofun - Yasuke holding a large red explosive jar.
How to enter Makino Kurumazuka Kofun in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Avowed My Loyal Shield treasure map location - A scenic shot of a tower build on a rocky slope, with a volcano in the background.
My Loyal Shield treasure map solution in Avowed
KCD 2 The Lion's Crest - Cross and chest
How to get The Lion's Crest pre-order armor in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Monster Hunter Wilds - Olivia and the hunter
Monster Hunter Wilds: How to get the Armorcharm and Powercharm
Latest in RPG
Person battling bizarre four-eyed monster with stylish UI elements surrounding them
Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio's UI designer is open to accessibility options for players who find the stylish menus overstimulating: 'That is something we understand we'll need to work on and provide in the future'
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth money farm - Super Crazy Delivery
Like a Dragon series director sums up why sidequests are essential to a great RPG with a single metaphor: 'a good main dish alone will not earn you a Michelin star'
Image of a sweetroll with a candle in it
Bethesda marks Oblivion's 19th with a sweetroll, a candle, and absolutely no happy birthday gift for fans eager for the still-unannounced remaster
Fallout 76 ghoul screenshots
Getting to level 50 in Fallout 76 to become a ghoul actually isn't as daunting as it seems, which is why I created a new character
Koana, a main character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, stares thoughtfully at a book in his hands.
After a controversial coding slip-up fed stalkers info on their victim's alts, FF14 wipes the slate clean to try and fix its mistakes
Scorched person with their hands on their head
Ghoul players in Fallout 76 are starting to place their camps in the most radioactive areas of the map, and regular humans aren't happy: 'I had to inject 30+ radaway into my veins'
Latest in Guides
Assassin's Creed Shadows Tea Ceremony answers - Naoe about to sip tea from a bowl.
All Assassin's Creed Shadows Tea Ceremony answers
Assassin's Creed Shadows guided exploration - A close-up shot of Naoe with a contemplative expression, inside a dim building.
Assassin's Creed Shadows guided exploration explained
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode explained
Assassin's Creed Shadows canon mode - An upper-body shot of Yasuke standing in the hideout.
Assassin's Creed Shadows canon mode explained
Assassin's Creed Shadows Twitch Drops - An upper-body shot of Yasuke standing in a battlefield at night, lit by a fire.
All Assassin's Creed Shadows Twitch Drops and how to get them
Fallout 76 ghoul screenshots
How to become a ghoul in Fallout 76