Qian Wenqing
韩立
A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality
2020
10 Seasons • 206 Episodes
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min read AI-generated editorial review
The Art of Being Ordinary in a World of Gods
I should admit this upfront: I am tired to death of chosen ones.
Watch enough modern fantasy—whether it’s Western epics or the sprawling, overclocked world of Chinese donghua—and the same shape keeps reappearing. Some kid discovers a secret bloodline, stumbles into a legendary weapon, and before long is glaring down a god through pure protagonist entitlement. It scratches a certain itch, sure, but after a while it starts to feel spiritually empty. That’s why A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality lands like a splash of cold water.
This isn't a story about destiny. It's a story about survival.
Adapted from the hugely popular web novel, the series follows Han Li, a poor village kid who finds his way into a low-level cultivation sect. The hook is simple and surprisingly rare: Han Li is ordinary. No sacred lineage. No buried divinity. No cosmic hand resting on his shoulder. What he does have is a ruthless practical streak and a very clear sense of what he cannot do. The show—now well into a 176-episode run over nine seasons—fully commits to the long, punishing grind of his progress.
The animation, done in 3D CGI, needed a little time to settle. In the early stretch, the character models can move with some stiffness. But what it gives you in return is a striking sense of physical presence. When fights break out, characters don’t just hover in place and lob glowing attacks. They feint, brace, duck, and fight for position.
I should admit this upfront: I am tired to death of chosen ones.
Watch enough modern fantasy—whether it’s Western epics or the sprawling, overclocked world of Chinese donghua—and the same shape keeps reappearing. Some kid discovers a secret bloodline, stumbles into a legendary weapon, and before long is glaring down a god through pure protagonist entitlement. It scratches a certain itch, sure, but after a while it starts to feel spiritually empty. That’s why A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality lands like a splash of cold water.
This isn't a story about destiny. It's a story about survival.
Adapted from the hugely popular web novel, the series follows Han Li, a poor village kid who finds his way into a low-level cultivation sect. The hook is simple and surprisingly rare: Han Li is ordinary. No sacred lineage. No buried divinity. No cosmic hand resting on his shoulder. What he does have is a ruthless practical streak and a very clear sense of what he cannot do. The show—now well into a 176-episode run over nine seasons—fully commits to the long, punishing grind of his progress.
The animation, done in 3D CGI, needed a little time to settle. In the early stretch, the character models can move with some stiffness. But what it gives you in return is a striking sense of physical presence. When fights break out, characters don’t just hover in place and lob glowing attacks. They feint, brace, duck, and fight for position.
Audience Opinions
AI summary of viewer review patterns
Audience 8.6/10 AI
"An immersive, long-form cultivation epic driven by tactical progression and standout 3D battles, but slowed down by draggy pacing and flat side characters."
Praise centers on the clever, hard‑working protagonist, the detailed cultivation system, and spectacular 3D fight scenes that grow more impressive with later seasons. At the same time, the story’s slow burn, stretches of repetitive combat, early stiff CGI, and a largely one-note supporting cast make the journey feel bloated or emotionally thin for some.
What viewers praise
- Exceptional action scenes Combat is frequently singled out as dynamic, creative, and among the most exciting in modern cultivation animation.
- Strategic, non-OP hero Han Li is appreciated as a cautious, calculating lead who advances through effort, planning, and risk management rather than instant power-ups.
- Deep cultivation progression The series offers a detailed sense of grinding advancement, scarce resources, and earned breakthroughs that appeals to progression-focused viewers.
- Atmospheric 3D visuals Many enjoy the 3D donghua look, noting especially the environmental art, lighting, and noticeable visual upgrades in later seasons.
- Epic long-term journey The sheer scope of Han Li’s path from village boy to high-level cultivator is seen as engrossing and addictive once the story clicks.
Common complaints
- Slow and dragging pace Early episodes are described as tough to get through, and later arcs sometimes feel stretched with more content per episode than necessary.
- Stiff early CGI animation Character movement and some early 3D work come across as clunky or lifeless before the production tightens up in later seasons.
- One-dimensional supporting cast Side characters and many antagonists are often reduced to a single trait or generic evil role, leaving little emotional attachment outside Han Li.
- Combat-heavy later seasons Several arcs devolve into near nonstop fighting with fewer quiet or character-focused moments, which some find numbing rather than thrilling.
- Sparse, undercooked romance Romantic threads are present but rarely foregrounded or deeply explored, underwhelming those hoping for a stronger emotional or relationship angle.
Recommended for
Cultivation donghua enthusiasts Progression fantasy binge-watchers Long-running xianxia saga fans 3D action animation viewers Strategic protagonist appreciators
Buzz & Rumors
Public reports AI-researched entertainment notes
Immortals, But Make It Messy: All the Real-World Drama Behind A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality
When the cultivation is this intense on-screen, you just know the off-screen qi is chaotic. Between a prickly lead pairing, a breakout “side girl” upstaging the heroine, death-threat‑level fandom rage, and hacked-to-pieces episodes, this franchise is basically a sect war in real life.
Cast Feuds & Tea
Yang Yang vs. Gina Jin: “Just Colleagues, Thanks”
When the live-action drama The Immortal Ascension wrapped, Chinese entertainment pieces gleefully reported that although Yang Yang and Gina Jin’s CP hashtag hit the hot searches, insiders claimed the two “mutually don’t like each other” and only maintain a bare-minimum working relationship 
. Allegedly, both worry the other’s “black history” could splash onto them, so they keep their distance off-camera [1].
- Rumor has it Gina Jin was especially unimpressed by how much the script slanted toward Yang Yang’s big male-lead arc, with talk that he “grabbed more scenes” while she did comparatively little promoting online, posting only a handful of drama-related updates versus his very active promo push [1].
Speedrun Leading Lady
Adding to the awkward vibes, reports note Gina Jin, the female lead, wrapped all her scenes in about two weeks, while roughly 90% of the story revolves around Han Li/Yang Yang . Fans immediately branded it “a man and his guest stars” more than a true two-lead romance.
Casting Controversies & Rival Queens
The Almost-Female-Lead Who Became “Girl No. 3”
Actress Zhao Qing (Mo Caihuan in the drama) almost had a very different fate. Gossip coverage says producer Yu Zheng originally fought to get her cast as the female lead, but the crew allegedly rejected the idea, deciding she was “not slim enough” and “not famous enough” at the time, bumping her down to third female lead instead [1].
- The karmic twist: Zhao Qing’s ethereal “white moonlight” performance blew up so hard that her discussion volume outpaced the actual female lead in many corners of the internet, and she reportedly started receiving multiple female-lead scripts afterward [1][3]. From “not hot enough” to “future No.1” — that’s what you call a successful cultivation.
Body Shaming, Diet Drama & A Producer With Opinions
Yu Zheng has publicly admitted he pushed Zhao Qing into a strict fitness and diet regime after she was mocked online as “broad-shouldered” and “heavy,” even having her eat weight-loss meals with him and hit the gym so she’d “fit the role” better [3].
- The move drew backlash: some commentators accused him of fixating on weight over acting, and later Weibo debates roasted him for essentially admitting he thought her acting “wasn’t there yet” while still using her as a heavily marketed face [3][4].
Scandals & Fandom Wars
The “All-Female Team” Rumor Explosion
On the donghua side, the 2026 “Mulian War” new-year arc (episodes 177–178) landed to massive heat—and massive rage. Viewers complained about choppy plot transitions, weird character reactions, and OOC moments; then a rumor went viral claiming the original animation team had been swapped out for an “all-female production crew” that was “butchering a male webnovel” with their own preferences [4].
- Director Wang Yuren publicly snapped back on Bilibili, saying he’d been on the series for more than five years and there was no such team switch. He blasted the claims as “nonsense” and said the supposed “all-women crew” was just a single production department clip where women happened to be in frame [4].
- Things got so toxic that Bilibili and the producers issued a joint legal statement announcing they would pursue those “fabricating false facts, maliciously distorting the show, and smearing the team” through the courts [4].
Reported Death Threats to a Young Director
Another article on the same controversy revealed that the new director brought in to push a year-long “season + movie” content plan—costing about ¥2 million per episode—was under intense pressure and allegedly received threats from extreme original-novel fans after making contentious story adjustments . When your job is animating a guy cultivating in caves and instead you’re dodging death threats… that’s a very different kind of final boss.
Leaks, Cuts & Lost Kisses
A 40-Episode Drama… Chopped to 30
Fans on Reddit and Facebook dug up the bombshell that the live-action drama was filmed as 40 episodes but delivered as only 30, reportedly due to network and platform demands to tighten the story 
.
- Viewers now trade notes on which relationships and sect politics feel “weirdly thin,” convinced the juiciest emotional beats and slower-burn character arcs were sliced out in post.
Donghua Deleted Scenes & Suspected Leaks
Over on Bilibili, a video titled “A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: The Deleted Scenes of Luoyun Sect” has been circulating, with the uploader and commenters speculating that certain clips—especially extra interactions between Han Li and Zi Ling—are leaked deleted scenes that never aired in the official cut . The label “suspected deleted scene leaked!!!” turned it into instant clickbait for lore-hungry fans.
Model Reuse Meltdown
When new character Zhong Weiniang showed up in the resumed donghua, Chinese entertainment sites gleefully reported that fans thought she looked like a mashup of earlier characters Xin Ruyin and Chen Qiaoqian, accusing the 3D team of copy-pasting face models to save money .
- Some defended the choice as smart budgeting (“save the good rendering for Han Li and Nangong Wan”), but others called it “lazy” and “disrespectful to the audience,” dubbing it an open “public execution” when compared side-by-side with better-designed characters [8].
Wild Trivia & Rumor Lightning Round
“Secret Wife” Buzz
One entertainment article lumped a 凡人 actor into a headline about a long-time low-key couple, teasing that a certain star’s “wife had been dug up by netizens” and that they had been quietly married and scandal-free for ten years, “re-boosted” in popularity by A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality . The piece offered no hard IDs, so file this under unconfirmed gossip, but it’s been gleefully passed around fandom spaces.
Obscene Budget, Mortal Story
Coverage of the live-action series highlighted that roughly ¥200 million was reportedly poured into special effects alone, with a total investment around NT$1.3 billion—for a story about a supposedly “ordinary” nobody climbing his way up [1]. If Han Li knew how many spirit stones his CG cost, he’d probably sell the rights.
Promo Cringe
When the drama announced its wrap in December 2023, multiple outlets noted that the official messaging leaned hard into the “Yang Yang & Gina Jin second collaboration” angle, to the point of feeling awkward and forced . Given all those “they don’t really like each other” rumors, fans couldn’t help side‑eyeing the pushed CP narrative.
Hidden Voice-Acting Powerhouses
Donghua fans on Bilibili have unpacked the voice cast and discovered that some seiyuu quietly voice multiple major and minor characters, including one actress credited for both Silver Moon and other side roles . Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it—cue threads arguing whether this is talent flexing or just budget optimization.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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