The Immortal Ascension (2025) Review: Caution as Cultivation

Is The Immortal Ascension worth watching?

Yes. The Immortal Ascension is one of the more satisfying xianxia dramas of recent years, because its hero succeeds through caution, planning and hard work rather than destiny. Yang Yang gives the lead a watchful, pragmatic intelligence that sets the series apart from chosen-one fantasies. The reservations are a slow opening stretch and a thick layer of sect politics and cultivation rules that newcomers may find hard to follow.

What is The Immortal Ascension about?

Han Li is a poor boy from a mountain village with no powerful family, no special bloodline and only a modest talent for cultivation. By chance he is taken into a small martial arts sect, where he quickly learns that the path to power is dangerous and that most people around him have better natural gifts. Rather than waiting for fate to favour him, he relies on hard work, careful observation and a willingness to plan several steps ahead, slowly making his way toward immortality in a world where carelessness can be fatal.

The Immortal Ascension is a Chinese series in Mandarin, created by Ding Lingtao and adapted from a popular web novel. Yang Yang leads a large cast that includes Jin Chen, Wang Duo and Zhao Qing. This review covers the complete release: a single season of 30 episodes that premiered in 2025.

A hero who survives by thinking

What makes the series distinctive is its protagonist. Xianxia stories often centre on gifted heroes blessed by hidden powers, but Han Li is defined by his limitations. He hides his abilities, avoids unnecessary conflict and treats every alliance with suspicion. That caution is not played as cowardice; it is presented as a hard-won survival skill in a ruthless world, and it gives the drama a grounded tension that many fantasy epics lack.

Yang Yang, who has played polished romantic leads and gaming heroes in the past, adapts well to this more restrained role. He keeps Han Li’s thoughts visible in small reactions and silences, and makes the character’s slow growth in confidence feel earned rather than sudden.

Sect politics and a sprawling world

The world-building is detailed. Sects compete for resources and prestige, cultivators guard their techniques jealously, and every level of power brings new rivals. The drama takes its time establishing these rules, which rewards viewers who like systems and strategy. Supporting characters, from fellow disciples to sect elders, are given clear motives, so the power struggles carry weight beyond the fight scenes.

The action itself leans on inventive use of techniques and tactics rather than raw strength, which fits the hero’s personality. Visual effects are generally solid for the genre, with the landscapes and spiritual battles given a painterly, otherworldly look, though some sequences are more convincing than others.

Where the climb feels slow

The early episodes can be heavy going. The series spends a long time on Han Li’s humble beginnings and on explaining how cultivation works, and viewers expecting instant spectacle may lose interest before the story widens. The large cast also means some characters appear and disappear with little development. And because the source novel is famously long, the drama cannot cover every arc, so fans of the book may find some favourite material condensed or missing.

Who should watch The Immortal Ascension?

It suits xianxia fans, readers of cultivation novels and viewers who enjoy fantasy with a strategic, underdog hero. Thirty episodes make it a substantial but not overwhelming commitment by Chinese drama standards. Content is typical of the genre: fantasy combat and some peril, with little graphic violence.

If you enjoy it, try these next from the fantasy shelf or the iQIYI hub:

• The Untamed for a landmark cultivation drama built around loyalty, sects and a richly developed world.
• Love and Redemption for a more romantic xianxia epic with high emotional stakes.

The verdict

The Immortal Ascension is a thoughtful, engaging xianxia drama that stands out thanks to its cautious, clever hero and Yang Yang’s steady performance. Its slow opening and dense world-building demand patience, but viewers who stay will find a rewarding story of survival and ambition.

Rating: 4/5