 |
| How The Immortal Ascension Became 2025’s Xianxia Gold Standard (Photo: Weibo, Youku) |
If you’ve been anywhere near Chinese drama circles lately, you’ll know there’s one title everyone’s talking about — The Immortal Ascension (凡人修仙传). Starring Yang Yang, the xianxia epic hasn’t just made waves, it’s created a full-on tidal surge in the entertainment world, racking up over 4 billion total views and planting itself firmly at the top of popularity charts.
It’s currently outpacing other heavyweight releases, including Dilraba Dilmurat’s Sword Rose (利剑玫瑰) and Wang Xingyue–Xiang Hanzhi’s The Wanted Detective (定风波).
Even on Netflix Taiwan, it’s sitting pretty at #2, right behind Korean legal drama Beyond the Bar (夢想成為律師們的律師). Not bad for a show about spiritual cultivation and giant mythical beast battles.
The Immortal Ascension is Yang Yang’s Big Comeback Moment
 |
| Yang Yang Redeems Himself in The Immortal Ascension, the Xianxia Drama Everyone’s Watching |
For Yang Yang, The Immortal Ascension isn’t just another role — it’s redemption. His last drama, Fireworks of My Heart (我的人间烟火), was… let’s just say, not warmly received. His portrayal of a romance-obsessed firefighter was widely criticised, turning the series into one of the most disliked titles of the year.
Rather than lying low, Yang Yang pivoted fast, signing onto The Immortal Ascension and transforming himself for the role of Han Li — a lone cultivator walking a dangerous, lonely spiritual path.
Reports say he dropped over 10 kilograms (22 lbs) to match the character’s leaner frame, a move that earned him a wave of respect from even his harshest critics. Fans now hail him as an actor who’s more than capable of delivering under pressure.
Blood Jade Spider: The Scene That Shut Everyone Up
【250807】Youku shares Original vs VFX footage of the White/Blood Jade Spider fight scene🔥#杨洋 #TheImmortalAscension #YangYang #YangYang杨洋 #凡人修仙传 pic.twitter.com/0kuZZoFmEH
— YANG YANG 杨洋 Han Li (@yangyang_tweets) August 7, 2025
Early in its run, the drama faced grumbles about “minimalist sets” and “too little CGI for the hype.” But then came Episode X’s face-off between Han Li and the Blood Jade Spider — and the complaints evaporated.
Picture this: a massive crimson spider lurking in a mine cave, its eyes glinting like molten rubies. Han Li opens with a scorching attack, stripping away the beast’s defences. Then comes his killer move — the Qingyuan Sword Art.
Dozens of glowing blue swords spiral into formation before merging into one colossal blade that pierces the spider clean through. The blend of sharp choreography and top-tier visual effects had netizens calling it “the best fight scene in recent xianxia history.”
A Budget Worth Every Penny
The numbers behind the production are as impressive as the visuals. With 300 million RMB (around $41 million USD) to play with — and nearly two-thirds of that funnelled into visual effects — the drama is a straight-up spectacle.
 |
Behind-the-scenes reels show Yang Yang performing all his own stunts, including a perfectly executed 720-degree aerial sword spin (yes, without a double). Fans of the novel and its hit animated adaptation (A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality) are particularly thrilled at how faithfully the live-action brings its universe to life.
While the fight scenes dominate headlines, The Immortal Ascension also weaves in heart-tugging emotional beats. Han Li’s bittersweet reunion with former love Zhao Qing (Jin Chen) under a sky full of fireworks has already spawned countless fan edits.
And a brutal duel with a sect leader (Wang Duo) that leaves him coughing blood brought a grounded, human vulnerability to the otherwise otherworldly hero.
From Skepticism to Sensation
 |
Given how beloved the source novel is in modern Chinese fantasy literature, expectations were sky-high — and doubters were many.
But rather than collapsing under the weight of fan scrutiny, The Immortal Ascension has surpassed expectations, proving that a live-action xianxia can be both faithful and fresh.
With rich world-building, blockbuster-level production, and a leading man firing on all cylinders, the series has set a daunting new benchmark for the genre. In the words of one trending Weibo comment: “If this isn’t the pinnacle of cultivation dramas, I don’t know what is.”