The Immortal Ascension

I watched this series twice, the special effects, the superb acting of Yang Yang, and his marvelous fighting scenes all make this series the best of the year. Yang Yang is a very devoted and talented actor. In this series he epically depicts the male role given the difficulty of transforming such a piece into real person drama. After the series I watched The King's Avatar, again another great show by Yang.

Unfortunately, too many xianxia dramas in the past few years have been overwhelmingly boring compared to some of the jewels of the past such as Ashes of Love, The Journey of White Snake, An Oriental Odyssey and The Starry Love. Recently most xianxia dramas have been focused primarily on silly love stories without the adventure, action and mystery typical of xianxia dramas. In this case, the story is imbued with adventure, mystery, cultivation and magic thus making this drama the best release of 2025. I could watch several seasons as so far (I've only watched the first 20 episodes). Every single episode is very interesting and intriguing. The actors have done a fantastic job and the locations and special effects are jaw dropping. Bravo, bravo and bravo!

The first three episodes of THE IMMORTAL ASCENSION were promising - they take place in a gorgeous setting, show a warm relationship between the two boys. Both boys are under the care of a menacing antagonist, in the guise of an old "master." Yang Yang's acting was superb in these episodes.

Then the series fell apart.

The rest of the drama seemed to be slapped together without much effort or forethought. The "grandmasters" who are supposed to be the epitome of knowledge and sagacity, don't seem to have any moral compass or any real wisdom to impart.

Han Li was a constant puzzle to me. What was his goal? He seemed to be fixated on gaining magical artifacts, rising in status, and eventually achieving immortality without creating any meaningful connections with anyone--male or female, human or immortal. He did have a few tender moments with an animated mouse. Even his affection for his family seemed almost non-existent.

A number of mostly forgettable women pursue him. Does he have a capacity for intimacy? For love? If he did, I sure couldn't detect it.

Generic demons and bad guys show up, fight Han Li, and are destroyed. We know they're evil because, they scream at their underlings, smirk and laugh diabolically, and try to kill the good guys. Monsters include lizards with glowing eyes, a serpent, and a mantis demon or two, each, in turn, dispatched to the great beyond. Lots of spiky golden wheels turn in the sky.

I DID like the ending, and I'll probably watch Season 2.

As for Yang Yang the actor, I understand he studied dance and plays the piano. I'm glad he's got other interests. Hope there's someone in his life encouraging him to build a life on something other than his youthful good looks (which are mentioned by reviewers incessantly) so that he's not totally devastated when they're gone. Seven stars.

Great drama based on the novel. With Yang Yang in the lead, his portrayal brings Han Li's pain, pride, and eventual transcendence vividly to life, making the series both a feast for genre enthusiasts and a star-driven entry point for newcomers. As a martial cultivation tale, there's enough here to captivate fans of the genre-especially those drawn to power ascension and mythical lineages. If you're just starting your journey into Xianxia or craving an epic with a dragon-touched hero, this might be your next binge.

The number of people praising The Immortal Ascension as being the best xianxia of 2025 have set the bar shamefully low.

Absolutely everything about this show is overhyped. In fact, the success of this show is possibly powered entirely by Yang Yang's fans, who insist that Yang Yang "delivered a captivating performance." I think we need to be clear about which aspects of his performance were captivating. First, he really is very good at the combat choreography aspect of his role, and it doesn't seem like he needed a stunt double (based on the behind-the-scenes footage). However, acting-wise, it's like watching paint dry. He doesn't emote in a convincing way, and though he does display some degree of "spatial awareness," it feels forced (that is, he doesn't come across as being fully immersed in the role). Simply put, his acting feels very wooden, which is exactly how I feel about Zhao Xiao Tang's performance as well. This proves that having an attractive cast doesn't guarantee a show's success, especially when the actors are a mismatch for their roles.

To make matters worse, the storyline was all over the place. The first few episodes served as a clever smokescreen that piqued my curiosity, but after that, it starts going downhill fast. By episode 20, it becomes evident that the key to enjoying the show is not thinking too deeply about the plot or caring at all about character development. Just enjoy the combat sequences and CGI because that's literally all that's being served here.