Reviews

Ascension token and joining yellow maple leaf

Grand Master got there in time to get creepy and dark lord out of the forest and spare Han Li. He has a lucky mantle that shrouds him in good fortune when talent and artifacts aren’t enough. Maybe since Mo couldn’t defeat him, he sent him with luck to take the path he wanted. When he gets close to yellow maple location the talisman flies off to return home. Apparently it has been 500-600 years since one has been seen. It also may have been making him work to make up for the fact he wasn’t gifted it, but claimed as a reward for defeating the owner. He prevaricated when asked how he got it. He admitted to being mortal and not of a clan but deliberately kept vague about it. He found out that admittance and a foundation pill were the prizes for using it. His nemesis wasn’t too happy when he learned his promised pill had been forfeited due to Ascension Token guy. 😝 since this was such a rare occurrence, this was his claim to fame with few knowing his real name. The one thing his new mentor noted was his gratitude for admittance. It struck a chord because most of these new recruits came with a sense of entitlement and lack of work ethic. He presented Han Li his foundation pill and told him to guard it well. It was implied that it might never be used. Han Li was sad that the resounding opinion was materials wasted. He is determined to prove them wrong. He is learning to use his new talisman gear and the last class was leaf flying. The master wanted to know if sparrow or swan….I vote eagle.😁 The first spell he wanted was aura concealer. While he was mocked and unable to do it, he knows being able to hide is worth his time to learn. He accepts that he will have to work many times harder than everybody there. He doesn’t flinch from it but glad for the opportunity. His tenacity is what will move him along rather than innate skills. The sect master was right with his swan choice. He has that regal look on the leaf at the end. It suits him.

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The Immortal Ascension Trials

Things start to get ugly when jerky boy is dissuaded by a woman beside him. He pretends to acquiesce and heads out. The young merchant invites Han Li to go with her to watch trials. It is a free for all where spheres show what roots, if any, are existent. Three or less are passing and four or more are not. One catches the sphere and has the right number of roots but is rejected. The GrandMaster tells him he knows what he did. There is a dark story here. Wan catches one and finds he has four and rejected. He throws the sphere to Han Li and jerky boy steals it. He passes and goes to yellow maple. He gives the sphere to the woman who made him behave and she too passes and heads for yellow maple. He tells her Han Li can have it now. Han Li is so hopeful because he has worked very hard. He finds out he has four. He is really stunned by this assessment. This is a harsh blow to be disqualified before even given a chance to try. He heads out with his friend and finds himself with Rogue cultivators combining their items arsenal so that they have a better chance of winning. Han Li wants no part, but it’s clear he doesn’t have a choice. He gives them a pill and leaves. His friend follows him and Han Li is a bit annoyed because he wants no part of this group. He is relieved when that was not the objective. The Azure Vein Society is the group’s name and it turns out they put on the facade of a friendly group but their real intention is to steal their artifacts and frame nobles for doing it. There are plans to arrest them once tournament is over and before seal is released. At the tournament it comes down to jerky boy and rogue leader. The rogue leader made a good showing but unfortunately, jerky boy won. I smirked when GrandMaster planted him on his ass for trying to cause real harm after forfeit was stated. He wanted to pretend he didn’t see it. He gloats towards Han Li. Grandmaster is returning look at Han Li from his original stare earlier. He quickly turns his back on her.😂He watched the tournament carefully. He noted the items that really were essential for defense and cultivating and made himself a shopping list of sorts for later. I like that he collects every book he can get his hands on. He knows he lacks education and he studies at every opportunity. He now has the tools to make talismans and he has helped merchant girl get meds for her sick brother. He sympathizes and does not take advantage. He meets up with Wan and asks him about talisman. He has Wan read through the page and tell him what it says. He recognizes the yellow maple leaf pattern and realizes what he has. He is smart enough to destroy the page so that nobody will recognize the talisman if they get it from him. I don’t think he should have shared any discovery with Wan. Only because his friend blabs to everyone everything he knows or discovers. He is not in the least prudent of keeping personal and important info to himself. Turns out jerky boy thinks he is all that because he has a hybrid root. Too bad such a gift is wasted on such an amoral ass. So what’s the first thing blabbermouth does? He goes back to rogue group and reports about ascension talismans😝 Here, Han Li deserves a hit because he knows this guy can’t keep anything to himself. The bad part is he was trying to warn him of the group’s bad intentions and steer him clear of them. But he was too kind hearted and embracing of everyone to heed the warning. This cost him his life. The fight scenes are choreographed nicely and it is very like a video game being played. That leader took out his top two so that no competition would exist for talisman. They battle it out and HanLi won until a dark force interfered. Creepy one and dark one. Fortunately GrandMaster felt the dark aura. This drama is very entertaining. It does have a gamer vibe, so if a genre you like, this will be a good watch.

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Exchanging treasures and on to Tainan Valley

The first portion of episode was a very sweet interlude with Caihuan. 🥰 She finds where the golem took Han Li and brings her treasure, the sunwarm jade. It was her dowry. What I am wondering is if the crafty doc Mo had visions of these two? She gives him the jade but he is too far gone with the poison and collapses. She comes into the room and assists with the healing process. I like that she shows such respect in treating him. She covers him up and only bares what is required to treat him. She really does seem to have her father’s gift of medicine. When he wakes up, they both note the jade absorbed the silver demon poisoning from him and he is truly cured. She even offers him the stone, her simple request was to go with him. He sees how sweet she is and how much of a treasure she is, but he also knows she cannot accompany him on the immortal path any more than her father could stay with his family. He doesn’t wish to cause her more pain, but I am sure he will see this as the one one he wished he could have stayed with. He leaves his golem with her as family protector and wishes her well. He then heads to Tainan Valley where he runs into a very chatty new friend. There is a brief scene where we learn the moon shadow sect is in charge of the Immortal Ascension Trials this year. Han Li’s new friend Wan takes him to the bazaar and introduces him to various artifacts and items that help with defense and cultivating. The Grandmaster is keeping an eye on things because rogue cultivators have been disappearing. Her colleagues discovered a Yan sect crest at the scene of a murder. The Grandmaster is trying to keep this under wraps due to the trials coming up but she is putting more security in place to monitor things. A member of the Yan clan is here for the trials and an incident with the guards has her meeting with the GrandMaster. She claims they were framed but is a bit less cocky when tested for truth telling. There is then a candid chat between the two that some entity is trying to sow discord amongst the seven sects. An incident at the bazaar introduces Han Li and new friend to a group of rogue cultivators. Han Li knows instinctively they are trouble, but his chatty friend has dropped his name to them. They are given a lesson about fake roots and true roots. There is a girl selling a cloth that makes things invisible. A rich jerk is trying to cheat her and Han Li intervenes. He takes his purchase and leaves but the rich guy isn’t done “bargaining”. So far, Han Li has learned that the real commerce most coveted are pills. This is where his training with doc Mo will come in very handy. Now to see how rich jerk is dealt with. I am most annoyed that his peers help him cheat a poor merchant. It does not say much for their characters.😝

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Meeting the Mo family

He arrives in the city and finds the Mo residence. There are three daughters and 5 wives and a granny. Somewhere they lost a wife because when he counted them coming there were six. There are three daughters and the only one worth mentioning is Caihuan. She is the true treasure of the Mo family. If our hero was remaining mortal…She would be a perfect match for him. She also needs away from these scheming loud women. Volume aside, they bargain to get rid of the worst villains in the city which Han Li does in record time. They were not expecting someone that dealt honestly and forthrightly. Their main plan is to wear him down by the poison taking over. They hope to trap him there indefinitely. Caihuan is the sweetest and smartest. Her request for a recipe resulted in her receiving her father’s journal with Han Li ‘s additional notes. To her, this was a priceless treasure and the legacy of her father. A sad moment is when Han Li discover his golem Qu Hun stayed at the restaurant because he was never ordered to leave. He brings him as backup and tells the women he’s done bargaining. The cacophony of their shrieks is silenced when he shows them fire. Then the claws come out. He ends up collapsing and stunned that Caihuan can speak. After hearing and seeing how these women plot and plan, it is no wonder physician Mo spent his time sending gems than visiting.😝The one moment that made me smile in spite of their noise, was the granny moving the golem to let them bring dowries in, and then pulling him back to guard the door. I like her best of the older women. Hopefully she and Caihuan can live somewhere minus the rest of them in future.

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