Starting your journey in Destiny of Immortal can feel overwhelming. Every realm introduces new mechanics, stronger enemies, and more build options, making it easy to waste resources or invest in techniques that don’t scale well later.
After spending time with the game and comparing community strategies, one progression path consistently stands out. It focuses on a Sword Aura build during the early game, transitions into an Axe build during Foundation Establishment, and eventually evolves into the incredibly powerful Flowing Cloud Sword build once you reach Core Formation and beyond.
Destiny of Immortal Beginner Guide Wiki – Qi, Cultivation
This guide walks through each cultivation stage, recommended techniques, equipment priorities, and the best way to achieve a perfect Mortal Transformation.
Qi Refining Guide
The Qi Refining stage is where you’ll build the foundation for your entire playthrough. Your goal isn’t to deal huge damage immediately—it’s to create a build that scales efficiently.
Recommended Build
The strongest early setup revolves around three components:
- Sword Aura
- Treasure Flame Technique
- Flying Sword Magic Weapons
The idea is simple:
Every two stacks of Sword Aura increase Flying Sword damage, while Treasure Flame Technique boosts Magic Weapon damage with each stack.
Since these bonuses stack together, your overall damage climbs surprisingly fast.
Best Early Cultivation Techniques
If you only pick up a few manuals during Qi Refining, prioritize these.
Seed Sword Technique
This is arguably the best technique during Qi Refining because it grants an additional Magic Weapon slot.
Since you can only equip one cultivation technique early on, this provides the most value.
Sword Radiance Manual
A solid alternative if you manage to find one.
It’s not always easy to obtain, so don’t worry if you miss it.
Best Early Spell Combination
Your basic rotation should look something like this:
- Use a free (0-cost) support spell.
- Cast Golden Sword Aura.
- Activate your main Magic Weapon.
- Finish with your free Flying Sword.
This rotation keeps your Sword Aura stacks high while maximizing Flying Sword damage.
Equipment Priorities
During the early game, don’t stress too much about perfect gear.
Instead, focus on equipment that provides:
- Higher Speed
- Better survivability
- Additional Magic Weapon slots
If you’re choosing elemental affinities, Wood, Water, and Fire work particularly well with Flying Sword builds.
Foundation Establishment Guide
This is where your build starts becoming much stronger.
You’ll still rely on Sword Aura initially, but eventually transition into an Axe-focused setup.
Continue Stacking Sword Aura
During the first half of Foundation Establishment, keep building around:
- Sword Aura
- Treasure Flame Technique
- Flying Sword damage
However, be prepared for larger enemy groups.
Flying Sword builds begin struggling against multiple opponents because they lack strong area damage.
Always carry healing pills, as you can consume them during enemy turns.
Unlock Technique Fusion
One of the biggest upgrades during this stage is unlocking Technique Fusion.
Fusion allows you to combine cultivation manuals into stronger versions with improved bonuses.
It takes some experimentation, but the results are well worth it.
Best Cultivation Manuals
Some of the strongest options include:
Purple Cloud Manual Fragment
Provides additional Stamina when certain conditions are met.
Excellent for maintaining longer combos.
Cultivating Essence Golden Skill
Another useful source of bonus Stamina.
Zhubao Sword Technique
Provides two additional Magic Weapon slots.
It’s relatively rare, but incredibly valuable if you find one.
Best Foundation Spells
Two spells stand out during this stage.
Twin Treasures Reflecting the Moon
Allows repeated Magic Weapon activations.
This dramatically increases damage when paired with powerful weapons.
True Fire Refinement
A free damage increase for Spirit Weapons.
Since multiple versions can stack, it becomes an excellent long-term support spell.
Transition Into an Axe Build
Eventually you’ll obtain a high-grade Spiritual Axe through the Blood God Cult storyline.
This is where many players abandon the Sword Aura setup.
Axe builds provide:
- Higher burst damage
- Better AoE
- More reliable late Foundation performance
Once you have a strong Spiritual Axe, begin replacing Sword Aura-focused techniques with Spirit Weapon damage bonuses.
Core Formation Guide
Core Formation is where the famous Flowing Cloud Sword build truly comes online.
This setup is capable of clearing multiple enemies with ease while producing enormous burst damage.
Core Build
The centerpiece of this stage is:
Flowing Cloud Sword Art
Once upgraded, you’ll unlock:
Flowing Cloud Kill
Every successful attack increases Flowing Cloud stacks.
Each stack boosts subsequent damage, allowing your Flying Swords to deal massive numbers after only a few attacks.
Against multiple enemies, the damage ramps up extremely quickly.
Flying Sword Strategy
Fill every available Magic Weapon slot with Flying Swords whenever possible.
More Flying Swords mean:
- More attacks
- Faster stack generation
- Higher Flowing Cloud damage
This combination is powerful enough to carry you well into the Nascent Soul stage.
Breaking Through to Nascent Soul
Before advancing, you’ll need to craft the Breaking Illusion and Condensing Infant Pill.
Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need the recipe.
As long as your ingredients meet the required elemental values, crafting will still succeed.
Important Preparation
Before entering the new map:
- Purchase Lightning herbs.
- Buy any required materials from Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
- Obtain a high-quality cauldron.
- Prepare crafting ingredients in advance.
Several shops become unavailable later, so planning ahead saves a lot of frustration.
Nascent Soul Guide
At this point, you’ll begin optimizing your build instead of simply collecting stronger equipment.
Continue using:
- Flowing Cloud Sword Art
- Flowing Cloud Kill
Then begin fusing sword techniques to improve:
- Speed
- Magic Weapon slots
- Sword damage
Several hybrid combinations outperform their original versions.
Experiment whenever possible.
Best Offensive Spell
The community generally recommends:
Three-Turn Golden Edge
Then fuse it with:
Flowing Cloud Kill
This combination becomes one of the strongest single-target damage options in the game.
Best Support Spell
Sharp Blade Technique works extremely well as your primary support spell.
It increases overall sword damage while helping trigger additional Golden Sword effects.
Only keep one copy of each support buff since duplicate buffs don’t stack.
Defeating Elder Jianmu
One of the biggest late-game challenges is Elder Jianmu.
To defeat him consistently:
- Reach over 1200 Speed.
- Maintain at least 3000 HP.
- Attack first whenever possible.
- Focus on sword damage rather than relying on Magic Weapons.
With proper preparation, even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator can defeat this encounter.
Perfect Mortal Transformation Guide
Reaching Deity requires first completing Mortal Transformation successfully.
Different life paths reward different endings, but each one has its own priorities.
Doctor Route
Aim for:
- Medical Skill: 140
Study medical books whenever possible.
If you’re short on money:
- Sell poison.
- Study again immediately.
Avoid repeatedly selling poison without improving your Medical Skill.
Poison Master Route
Target:
- Poison Skill: 120
Craft poison whenever you have enough money.
If funds run low:
- Sell poison.
- Continue improving your poisoning abilities.
Several story events also increase Poison Skill automatically.
Balanced Doctor Route
For a mixed approach:
- Medical Skill: 60
- Poison Skill: 60
This route allows you to unlock additional story events before specializing further.
Benevolence Route
To reach 100 Benevolence, consistently help other characters whenever opportunities appear.
Choosing generous dialogue options throughout the story contributes significantly toward this ending.
Perseverance Route
Target:
- Perseverance: 140
Spend most of your time studying.
Avoid selling paintings unless absolutely necessary.
Always participate in examinations whenever they’re available.
Xiaoyao Route
For the carefree Xiaoyao ending:
- Sell paintings early.
- Spend your money listening to music.
- Skip examinations.
This route differs significantly from the scholarly path but is considerably easier to manage financially.
One thing that makes Destiny of Immortal so enjoyable is how your playstyle evolves throughout the game. You’ll start by carefully stacking Sword Aura with Flying Swords, shift into a powerful Axe build during Foundation Establishment, and eventually unlock the devastating Flowing Cloud Sword style that dominates the late game.
Don’t feel pressured to chase every rare technique immediately. Focus on building a solid foundation, upgrade your cultivation manuals through fusion when possible, and prepare your breakthrough materials before advancing to the next realm. By following a smooth progression instead of constantly changing builds, you’ll have a much easier time reaching Nascent Soul and eventually completing the Mortal Transformation on your preferred life path.