The Immortal Ascension

凡人修仙传 ‧ Drama ‧ 2025
Completed
Dracoo101
2 people found this review helpful
3 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

YANG SPECIAL

I think after watching the whole show, which is very flawed in every plot. It is safe to say it is for Yang fans only. If we remove Yang from the story, the whole show looks like shit.
Acting is okay, but I wanted to ask the maker why you even put FL lead there when you have no useful plot for her. Such a waste of talent.
Okay to watch, nothing to embrace. Hope to see another good drama from Yang. Thanks
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
topmanglobal
2 people found this review helpful
5 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

Awaiting The immortal ascension season 2

I'm awaiting season 2 because the story never ends here...

Han Li ascend to heaven and he said he will be back to yue kingdom...

His power also plummet to qi refining stage because it was sucked by Nangong wan, so he must also regain his power back before he can comes back....

So many things still await home to settle...
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
MohammadJobaidulIslamMoh
2 people found this review helpful
5 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

One day, I will come back@ Han Li

This war Isn't over yet. One day, I will come back@ Han Li (ep-30)
😢😢
I am waiting for season 2( The immortal ascension)
As Han Li traveled from mortal life to immortal life, he encountered enemies along the way. He also lost many people close to him. The death of his master was especially painful for him.
I hope to see season 2 very soon.
Sorry, it's not over yet.
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Leeknow02
2 people found this review helpful
4 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

A true gem in Xianxia, faithful and stunning journey

This drama is a true gem in the xianxia genre, focusing entirely on cultivation without the distractions of unnecessary romance. It follows Han Li’s journey from the mortal realm toward immortality, telling the story faithfully and smoothly, with no filler or dragging moments.

The cinematography is stunning, beautifully blending CGI with real environments, almost like stepping into a living painting. Yang Yang perfectly portrays Han Li, showing his transformation from an innocent but clever young man into a skilled, intelligent, and formidable cultivator. His growth feels natural and believable, and he captures Han Li’s quiet strength, sharp mind, and determination with subtle yet effective acting.
His performance is balanced, never overdone or underplayed which makes him a pleasure to watch.

I especially enjoyed the fighting scenes, the fight isn’t just about raw power, it highlights Han Li’s quick thinking, resourcefulness, and precise control of his abilities. Unlike many xianxia dramas where battles are mostly flashy hand movements and CGI effects with little emotion, this drama brings real tension and meaning to its action scenes.
If you’re expecting a historical romance, this drama isn’t for you. And if you rate it low just because there’s no romance you like, then you’re missing the point. The story is clearly about Han Li’s journey to immortality, focusing on his strength and perseverance without distractions. But if you’re looking for a quality xianxia drama, this one is definitely worth watching.

The Immortal Ascension stands out as one of the best xianxia dramas in recent years, and I truly hope it will have a season 2.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Dropped 14/30
Onuta
11 people found this review helpful
9 days ago
14 of 30 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 2.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

The Hollow Journey of The Immortal Ascension

The first three episodes were lovely, well-paced, visually stunning, and full of promise. The landscapes and scenery were breathtaking, and the early mortal-world storyline had heart. I also enjoyed the “Mo Girl” character; her tenderness and sweet expressions brought warmth, and the actress delivered a genuinely touching performance. Unfortunately, the show never lived up to that strong start.

From episode 14 onward, I found myself fast-forwarding through large sections, and by episode 15, I dropped this drama entirely. The pacing felt both rushed and empty, with scenes that lacked meaning or emotional weight. After Han Li left the mortal world, his journey became a repetitive loop of collecting treasures, herbs, and artifacts—like a layered video game where advancement depends on gathering loot and killing to survive. The narrative lost any sense of inspiration or deeper purpose.

Relationships, which should be the lifeblood of any story, were shallow. Han Li meets countless characters, yet the script makes no effort to form meaningful bonds. There was no genuine grief over his best friend being turned into a puppet, no heartfelt goodbye to his parents, and no lasting connection with the girl who saved him in the mortal world. The sects and cultivators in this world were cold and selfish—often killing innocent cultivators to protect themselves. Sadly, even the main lead often felt detached and morally ambiguous, and I found nothing inspiring about the idea of becoming an immortal under such values.

Thematically, the message the show conveys felt hollow. Yes, it suggests that perseverance and hard work pay off, but it also seems to endorse cheating, lying, stealing, and killing as acceptable strategies. For me, cultivation stories should carry an element of moral integrity, honor, and inspiration. This drama instead portrayed a world where the path to ascension is more about opportunism and survival than virtue or good karma.

While the fight scenes are decent and the main lead is visually appealing, his character lacks emotional depth. The beautiful, colorful scenery in the early episodes eventually gave way to more artificial visuals, and the script was padded with filler scenes like meaningless gift exchanges between sect members.

Ultimately, the show felt like watching a series of disconnected scenarios from a moving train—colorful but without substance. It lacked emotional engagement, meaningful character arcs, and the moral weight I value in cultivation stories. I stayed entertained for a while, but in the end, The Immortal Ascension was more style than soul, and it left me feeling detached and disappointed.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
MartyS
1 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Lonely path through eternity

Immortal Ascension opened with some hard-hitting moments: a young boy (our protagonist Han Li, played to perfection by Yang Yang) and his best friend leave home and join the cultivators in order to provide for their families, and to have enough flatbreads. Throughout the show, the flatbread remains a powerful symbol of hope as well as a remembrance of who Han Li is/where he came from. The opening episodes were slow and poetic - time passes on and Han Li adapts to the world. These three episodes on the show set the tone for what unfolds later. These early moments of his life shape him both physically and emotionally and transform him into the loner that he becomes - as he experiences life, there is bitterness, there is also regret. Despite the way his shifu (physician Mo) turns out- the lessons he teaches Han Li echoes throughout Han Li's personal journey.

Han Li is the main character, and what this also means is that there are no other characters that take up significant screen time - the show is a ode to Han Li's journey to immortality. Yet, our main character is not born with extraordinary skills - he has to use his intellect to save himself in the beginning, and even later on. As Mo Cai Huan (Zhao Qing) tells him in what I consider the best scene on this show - "it must have been hard to cultivate without a spirit root". Yang Yang's expression is pained when he hears her say this. Maybe it's because she understands his suffering, intuitively. It's also the only moment in the entire show where we see Han Li's vulnerability and connection to Mo Cai Huan (I would say she is the only woman he runs towards; he runs away from all the others). We don't fully see Han Li's struggles - but he is seen working hard to cultivate. Perhaps it's the desire to survive, perhaps it's the desire to prove everyone wrong. One can cultivate without being born talented - working hard to immortality is a path in itself.

Mo Cai Huan was the only main female character that I really liked - her connection to Han Li and her own story was rather tragic: she lost her family and her love for Han Li remained unfulfilled. She did cry when she saw Han Li- she certainly had many reasons to cry, but Mo Cai Huan was the mortal reminder in Han Li's journey to immortality. She used her life to do good - to serve the people, and despite her life's tragedies, Mo Cai Huan is the most rooted character. When Han Li sees Mo Cai Huan's pharmacy he observes that this is also a good life. The two share a passion and talent for herbs and medicine, they instinctively understand each other - Han Li noticed that she was different when he first saw her at the Mo family house. Their many goodbyes are tragic too - perhaps Mo Cai Huan did not know which goodbye would be the last one. She, like all other mortal things in Han Li's life, perishes.

Of course, what immortality entails is itself hinted substantially in Han Li's own backstory - the family he left behind and watches from afar. The ending song on the show is brilliantly written - summing up Han Li's lonely path through eternity. Time passes by far too soon - to be immortal is to watch all else perish and disappear. "Was it yesterday, is it tomorrow"?
When Han Li hears of the passing of his shifu (Li Hua Yuan, whose death was one of the saddest moments on the show) this perishing world - his friends, his shifu, his colleagues- he knows this is a lonely path. His shifu's words resonate with Han Li's own: "There's so much beauty in the world - go and see it in my place"- Han Li is not a hero in the traditional sense - he does not rush into a fight - he mostly runs, knowing the limits of his own ability. Yet, he does stop to save some people in the course of the story.

Although the show had a lot of potential, I felt rather dismayed by the last two episodes. I know it is following the Donghua but Nanrong Wan was shoehorned into these last episodes, and her reaction to taking away Han Li's cultivation was rather frustrating. I found it very hard to like her, particularly as her character was infantilised. Having so many of the women fall for Han Li was also rather unbelievable, particularly with the limited time each of these characters spent with Han Li. He kept most of them at arm's length. Xuan'er's sudden obsession with Han Li was also unnecessary. The hunger games' parts were frankly not very interesting and as other viewers pointed out, it felt like a game - collecting treasures.

Although the show could have been better had it returned to its philosophical and emotional core in the last episode, I enjoyed this show overall. The cinematography was great, the music was perfectly placed and the acting (particularly Yang Yang, Zhao Qing, Wang Duo, Li Nai Wen, and Chin Shih Chieh) was great.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Bingedramawatcher
1 people found this review helpful
2 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers
Following is my opinion of this drama.
So don't be offended✌️✌️✌️

As a manhua reader, I was fully frustrated because of how slow paced it was.
If you're a fellow reader, you know what i mean.
Damn 30 whole chapters for him to just attain the 2nd stage of his cultivation only to end up losing everything.
For future viewers, my humble opinion is that you wait for next season and then watch altogether.
And the most frustrating and irritating were the 4 female characters having romantic feelings for him.
These directors, I don't know what they thought when filming. You either follow the cultivation harem route or keep one fl if you want realistic or whatever it is you think.
But here it's like they doesn't know what to do with these fl characters. It's like they were programmed to must have feelings for ml without any foundation and reciprocity from ml.
And in this setting of aloof and selfish ml ( which is absolutely needed for survival) this romance plot is a total waste of actresses and time. Man, it was hard to watch, these pitiful fl have a heartbreak.
And finally, this entire season in 3 lines
1) weak ml, no slowly growing ml.
2) wasted fl characters which were annoying because of the forced feeling
3) pointless battles and death. Literally pointless. None died in a well deserved battle.

I hope that next season will give me the cultivation thrill i seek in the manhuas.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
OPM
1 people found this review helpful
10 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

A Cultivation Extravaganza!

Majority of productions that tag cultivation, focus more on the Romance/Political side of things. Not this one!

Follow MC with his medicore talent as he fights fate through sadness, laughter, defeat and victory on the road to Immortality.
Martial Arts, Magical Skills, Alchemy, Sects, Factions, and Epic Battles galore!

This is how i'd imagine a full length/live-action Cultivation Story to be depicted, and it nails every aspect!

Highlights
- Cinematography that shows how vast the world is.
- VFX / Battle scenes that are as martial, magical, thrilling and impactful one would imagine reading a cultivation novel.
- The most fitting OST for every scene, whether it brings a tear, or gets the blood pumping.
- A strong lead actor and supporting cast.

All the above combined made every scene a treat for the senses!
Even scenes with minimal dialogue, reminded me of the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words".

There are some minor plotholes here and there, but nothing that affects the overall product.
With a market oversaturated with Romance/Detective Stories, this is a refreshing change.
Cannot wait for Season 2!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Shaun_96
2 people found this review helpful
4 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A drama about cultivating immortality can actually expand my depth of reflection on life

The plot and drama are captivating, and the action sequences are truly eye-opening, but what captivated me even more was Han Li's growth and transformation. This approach of "hiding one's ingenuity within clumsiness, using obscurity to achieve clarity"—a cautious, low-key, and steady approach that is both profoundly wise and seemingly foolish—is worth learning. Such a style of action ensures peace of mind.

A person's life is a process of experiencing and understanding the world. But even throughout their lives, they may not be fully aware. It's even possible to remain unaware for their entire lives. Being able to realize something afterward is a worthwhile journey. To foresee the future, plan carefully before taking action, and act with every step carefully requires meticulous and thorough thinking.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Dropped 16/30
battleaxe
8 people found this review helpful
11 days ago
16 of 30 episodes seen
Dropped 2
Overall 4.5
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

a dry record of a mortal's dreary journey to immortality

likes
 - cute actors
 - the sweeping landscape
 - some ost were nice
- there were aspects of han li I liked: he was thorough, deadly, shrewd, careful, sharp, calculated, merciful (every single time someone plead on behalf of a life he relented), he never hesitated to kill to protect himself (need more mls like that), reclusive but watchful, mentally strong, an independent and creative thinker, kinda immoral too hehe
-none of the fls were weird, or thoughtlessly written. As ml centered drama heroines usually are. They were all just quite normal thankfully. I did not have a preference bc they collectively did not take up that much screen time, or space in the story. I also did not mind that there was no romance, the writing wasn't good enough for me to care.
-  I like that he starts off weak with little potential and was continually underestimated and written off. And i liked watching him level up in his cultivation at the start.

dislikes
-after he left the mortal world his progression became boring and lacklustre, dissatisfying even . watching him gather treasure and herbs and artifacts and other loot? yawn. his level ups after that inspired mehs, no yays. 
- I actually think they were going for nostalgia with the aged visuals and stale graphics, but the story progression and characters felt outdated so the whole drama unironically looked like it really was made in 2010. 
- all or most of the cultivators were cold, self absorbed, slow and selfish, including the ml for most of the time. and there was nothing entertaining or inspiring about that, or a journey to become one such as that. And Idc what anyone says, cultivation stories should have an element of inspiration and excitement and satisfaction and fun. this drama had none of that.
-  paper thin relationships - relationships are the lifeblood of any story, doesn't matter what the story is. But this drama didn't get the memo. han li meets many many people on his journey,  but no effort was put into building anything genuine or deepening his connection with any of them. There were flashes here and there, but nothing significant or thoughtful. even if you're a god you still need people. 
- hamfisted adaptation - the writing could have been more nuanced. there were things that shouldn't have been in the drama simply bc 'they are in the source material'. not all themes and subjects keep the same shape and form when translated across different forms of media. e.g hanli repeatedly drugging 2fl bcs she knows too much, a bevy of nonsensical 1D characters that you would typically only ever find in a donghua. 
- the villain: wang chan 2003 just called, they desperately want you back. 
- the drama leaned too heavily on the success of the ip instead of trying to be something that could be considered equally successful in its own right. coming from the team that brought us evernight,  I expected much much better than this.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Ongoing 22/30
DaaJupiter
2 people found this review helpful
10 days ago
22 of 30 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

This series drama really worth to watch

The acting and storyline really perfect. The cinematic level is really great hoping this series will be available in Netflix soon. Some fans they annoyed by FL doesn’t appear in the first few episode but for me i think writer did a great job for keeping us wonder about FL. I love how ML have ambitious and clear commitment to be an immortal without entangle with any FL yet so far. I find it really interesting and funny how ML try to buy and create many artifacts to protect himself and boost his cultivation level. Everyone keep surprising by his artifacts when they have dual match with him I think he’s have enough artifacts weapon and medicine pills to open a shop himself 🤣. He’s been visit YUE KINGDOM many times yet he’s can’t have a proper chit chat with his family and can’t even see his sister off during wedding ceremony that part really left me disappointed. Even though this drama only have 30episodes but I hope the ending will be satisfied for us viewer.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
slh.54
1 people found this review helpful
4 days ago
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Does anyone know when the second season will be?

Wonderful events, the most wonderful story, the acting is unparalleled, Yang Yang was creative with this work, it is his best work, and that does not mean that his previous works were average, but rather wonderful. I really hope that the next season will be as strong as this season or better. I am waiting for it impatiently. Does anyone know when the next season will be? I hope you can help me. In addition, I want to praise the other actors, they were really wonderful, and also the crew. I was waiting for a work like this. Thank you very much.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Immortal Ascension poster

Details

Statistics

  • Score: 8.3 (scored by 1,516 users)
  • Ranked: #903
  • Popularity: #1864
  • Watchers: 11,316

Top Contributors

247 edits
220 edits
75 edits
61 edits

Popular Lists

Related lists from users
Chinese Historical Drama
412 titles 660 loves 6
Upcoming Chinese Dramas
80 titles 287 loves 8
Best Wuxia or Xianxia drama
140 titles 1725 voters 327 loves 17

Recently Watched By