You’ll run into Ji throughout your journey in Nine Sols. You won’t realize he is one of the main bosses until the latter part of the game. This boss is unique as opposed to others since you have some choice over what attacks he’ll use. Regardless of this autonomy, don’t take this little kitty lightly. He has a wide array of attacks that can catch you off guard.
Related: How to Beat Kanghui in Nine Sols
In this guide, we’ll go over all of Ji’s attacks and how you must counter them. There are some essential tips to look forward to making this fight more manageable.
Ji in Nine Sols
Ji holds one of the Sol Seals, Insight, that you must collect as part of your main quest in Nine Sols. This makes him a mandatory boss. He is the boss of Grotto of Scriptures.
You’ll meet a younger version of Ji multiple times while traversing New Kunlun. He’ll always say something cryptic that foretells the future, among other lore-specific stuff. You’ll largely ignore this babbling cat and be on your merry way.
When you reach the Ancient Stone Pillar in the Grotto of Scriptures, Ji reveals that Yi is supposed to die by his hands, as he saw in a vision. Ji transforms into his real adult version, and the battle ensues.
Ji has an arsenal of attacks to watch out for. Flying daggers, staff melee attacks, black holes, and a unique selection of Divination Balls you can choose from to “pick” the next attack (more on this later). The fight has two phases with separate health bars.
Ji’s – Divination Balls Attack
The first thing Ji does when the fight begins and continues to use throughout the fight (even in phase 2) is his Divination Balls attack. You better get accustomed to it and use it to your advantage.
During this attack, he will hover in the arena and conjure three balls with distinct icons/markings. These balls circle around Ji until you either air-parry one of them to select it, or he picks one randomly after some delay. Each icon has a corresponding attack he’ll execute once it’s chosen.
Note: In rare instances, he might use these attacks in his regular chain of attacks.
Let’s see what each icon means and how you should react to each attack:
| Ball Icon | Attack Description | Counter |
 Vial or Gourd | Ji throws a container on the ground. Break this container to receive either some HP or an arrow. A flying dagger attack immediately follows it. | This is the only ball that doesn’t result in an attack. If your reflexes are on point, you can always parry this ball to get yourself the rewards and not have to worry about an attack. Get ready to air-parry the subsequent flying daggers. |
 Purple Orb | He throws a black hole on the ground. This thing will continue to pull you while Ji keeps attacking you. It will vanish after some time. In Phase 2, he might throw a Big Black Hole (details below) | You must start running in the opposite direction of the black hole and continue to counter/parry Ji’s attacks. The pulling force is not strong, so you can attack Yi while airborne with only some counter-movement. |
 Swords | This ball will lead to him using a combination of his regular dagger attacks. (Each attack will be discussed in the section below) | React to each attack accordingly. |
 Blue Tornado | While hovering, Ji raises his relic overhead, which alternatively fires multiple daggers in each direction. These daggers will home in on you. | Go airborne when the first dagger comes closer, and then continue to parry all of them in quick succession. Attack Ji when all the daggers are finished. |
 Golden Ball | Ji teleports over the ground and charges his relic. It then sends a crimson circle that grows outwards from Ji’s location to cover the entire arena. The circle tends to stop in the middle and then travel farther. He’ll send out multiple circles if left uninterrupted. In Phase 2, this attack is transformed. Ji will charge the relic while floating and tracking you. Then he tries to slam the relic on top of you. The slam causes a crimson pillar explosion around Ji, sending out the same crimson circle. The relic stays active, which, if not destroyed, will call inwards two crimson circles. | You need to stand back as he charges the attack, dodge through the first circle, and then use the Azure Bow to stagger and stop him from casting more circles. Move in quickly to put in some extra hits. Phase 2 reaction: Watch closely as he charges the relic. Dodge to the side right before he lands, then quickly turn around, dash through the incoming crimson circle, and use the Azure Bow to destroy the relic and stop him from casting the circle again. |
Ji – Boss Strategy
Ji has many more attacks other than his Divination Balls attack. He regularly uses these attacks in the middle of the fight. Other than a few exceptions, the attacks generally stay the same between the two phases. Phase 1 is slower and easy to manage, while the speed in Phase 2 is turned up a notch.
Some tips to consider:
- The Waterflow Talisman helps you focus on the fight as it explodes automatically.
- Practice the Unbounded Counter to counter some of Ji’s attacks effectively.
- The Cloud Piercer arrow is great at landing attacks from afar especially when staggering him out of some of his special attacks.
- Try to capitalize on every small window between attacks, even while an attack is active.
- Talisman Strike is preferred in most instances, but if you don’t have Qi, make sure to use regular melee attacks.
| Attack | Description | Reaction |
| Double Dagger Boomerang | Ji hovers and sends forth two daggers that track you. After they pass you, they’ll stop and turn around to attack you again. | Jump and air pary both the daggers as they reach you, then dash towards and perform a Talisman attack on Ji. Then, quickly parry the daggers again as they return, and Talisman strike him again. Triple-slash him after that. |
| Dagger to Charge Combo | He appears near the ground, fires a dagger at you, then quickly teleports to the other side and performs a Green Crimson spear charge. | Parry the initial dagger, then jump to Tai-Chi Kick the spear charge. Talisman strike him when she stops from the Tai-Chi Kick. |
| Dagger Surprise | He appears near the ground and spins his finger to conjure a dagger from the ground behind you. The dagger will boomerang back to after the initial pass. | Turn around quickly when you see no dagger fired from his finger. Jump and air parry the dagger, then parry it again before you hit the ground, and then Talisman Stirke the boss. |
| Dagger to Staff Slam | He appears in mid-air and then fires a tracking dagger at you. Once the dagger blows past you, he’ll teleport to the dagger’s location and perform an overhead crimson staff slam on you. If it isn’t countered, the slam will send a crimson circle, just like when he uses the Golden Divination Ball. | Parry the initial dagger while stationary and wait for him to reappear. Charge the Unbounded Counter in the meantime and release it as he lands on you. If you do this successfully, it will stop him from releasing the crimson circle. If you are not confident with the Unbounded Counter, you can dodge the slam to the side, dash into the crimson circle, and attack the boss. |
| Big Black Hole | He throws his relic on the ground, which pulls you in while also calling inwards a crimson circle that travels from the end of the arena toward the relic.When the crimson circle reaches the relic, it creates a giant black hole that has more pulling power. | Run in the opposite direction of the black hole and dash into the incoming crimson circle. Jump up quickly and fire the Azure Bow at the boss to stop this attack. |
Ji is a very entrancing character in Nine Sols. The journey from an occasional NPC you meet on your travels to becoming one of the more formidable bosses in the game will definitely catch you by surprise. Not to mention, his unique fight and mechanics also sets him apart from the other Sols holders in Nine Sols.