Break through on time; earlier is better. Immortality is a time of strength. Before Immortality, don't exchange. On reaching Immortality, expend all exchanges, unless your deck becomes very good before they're all spent (for example, two or more copies of Unrestrained Sword - Two, having Giant Kun Spirit Sword, Cloud Sword - Flash Wind + Cloud Sword - Pierce the Star).

Losing Destiny early is not a problem, but take care that after reaching Immortality, ensure you don't lose more than one battle; reaching Immortality with at least 60 Destiny is relatively good.

Zero = Meru Formation > Two > Flash Wind / Heavenly Spirit Forceage Formation / Giant Kun Spirit Sword > At Own Pace

[TL Note: I think this guide might be older than the Anthomania buff? Not sure.]

Fortunes and Luck is must-pick. (There's not much difference among Foundation-phase card-draw Immortal Fates, and Fortunes and Luck is useful and not less Cultivation.)

Sword Pool The Heart Ask, Tool Governor (Cacopoisonous Formation)

Recuperate and The Way of Adaptation belong to the third tier.

Other choices you can choose as appropriate. For example, if you're playing Cloud Sword, you can choose Inheritance of Cloud Sword or Rule Of The Cloud; for the mirror, you can choose Epiphany to compete on Cultivation (if there are many Yao Ling, don't choose it); with good cards early, you can choose Thunder Tribulation.

Not recommended: Shattered Dao, Store Qi, Bodybuilding, Meteor Quench, Sword Rhyme Cultivate, Mad Obsession, Fire Flame Blade, Solid Foundation

[TL Note: This guide is older than the early 2023 buff to Fire Flame Blade. Also, I'm unclear on whether Sword Rhyme Cultivate used to give less Cultivation.]

Mad Obsession is must-pick.

Sword Pool The Heart Ask and Fortunes and Luck second-tier.

Other choices you can choose as appropriate. If you have more than 3 qi, you can choose Inheritance of Spirit Sword.

Not recommended: Shattered Dao, Store Qi, Meteor Quench, Sword Rhyme Cultivate, Drift Ice Blade, Solid Foundation, Epiphany

[TL Note: This guide is older than the 2024-1-22 buff to Drift Ice Blade. Also, I'm unclear on whether Sword Rhyme Cultivate used to give less Cultivation.]

Mad Obsession is must-pick.

Shattered Dao second-tier.

Inheritance of Cloud Sword, Inheritance of Spirit Sword, and Sword Pool The Heart Ask, third-tier.

Other choices you can choose as appropriate.

Not recommended: Store Qi, Bodybuilding, Meteor Quench, Sword Rhyme Cultivate, Avalanche, Rule Of The Cloud, Recuperate, Solid Foundation, Sword Formation Guard, Epiphany

Flame Dance is must-pick.

If you have too few Unrestrained Swords, use Cloud Sword or Spirit Sword to scrounge rank points; according to the situation, choose Recuperate, Inheritance of Cloud Sword, Inheritance of Spirit Sword, Fortunes and Luck.

Unlike Five Elements and Heptastar, Cloud Spirit Sword Sect has no fixed form for transit from Meditation to Immortality. Cloud Sword, Sword Intent, use whatever you have; you can mix them, too. On reaching Virtuoso, Cacopoisonous Formation is must-pick. [sic]



Conditions permitting, upon reaching Immortality and exchanging, the framework of two Consumption + three Chase can be assembled. The best Consumption cards are Heavenly Spirit Forceage Formation and Motionless Tutelary Formation. Follow with Flash Wind, Giant Kun, Pierce the Star. (Spirit Coercion can substitute for Pierce the Star, Moon Shade can substitute for Forceage, Giant Roc can substitute for Giant Kun.) With CentiBird Spirit Sword Rhythm, you can play more Chase Spirit Swords.

For example: Forceage + Tutelary + Pierce the Star + Flash Wind + Unrestrained Sword + Kun + Unrestrained Sword + Unrestrained Sword; other cards can substitute for Unrestrained Swords, such as Mirror Flower, Moon Water, Tri-Peak Sword, etc.



The final deck is usually: Forceage + Zero + Flame Dance + Unrestrained Sword + Meru + _ + _ + Unrestrained Sword.
When missing Zero, you can use Tutelary transitionally; when missing Meru, you can substitute lv.2 Pierce the Star + Flash Wind + Giant Kun.



On breaking through to Incarnation, if you really haven't gotten Unrestrained Sword cards, choose Cloud Sword / Spirit Sword / Sword Intent / Sword Formation to scrounge rank points.

1. In the first two rounds, if you can't merge, don't absorb; wait and see if you draw upgrades.
2. Look at the opponent's Cultivation, and estimate whether you can go first. If you can't go first even if you absorb your hand, you might as well keep the cards. If you can absorb to go first, it's best to absorb.
3. Estimate approximate damage, and change the positions of your cards. Early on, if you encounter Mu Yifeng Sword Intent with Sword In Sheathed, move your defense cards to when he attacks; stop the Injured (same for other Sword Intent). Against Metal, pay attention to Heart Pierce, don't waste your DEF. Against Jiang Ximing, concentrate your defense cards against his turns 3-6; his other turns are usually low-damage. Against Five Elements, if you go first, you can play around Wood Spirit Seal by not doing damage on turn one.
4. In the mirror, remember to compete on Cultivation. It's best to go first against everybody except Du Lingyuan and Yao Ling. [TL: Other fast characters hadn't been released.]
5. Against Metal, remember to keep Unrestrained Sword - One.
6. Fraccide Formation can be useful for its Smash DEF.
7. Against Jiang Ximing, four-turn Scutturtle Formation can be useful.
8. Hexproof Formation can be useful for Hexproof.
9. Try to stop Injured with DEF, and try not to let your Injured get stopped.