A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Han Li starts out as an ordinary, penniless kid from a backwater village who ends up as an Unofficial Disciple in a minor sect after a chance encounter. Lacking natural talent, he keeps a low profile while studying the basics everyone else overlooks. Rather than flashy breakthroughs, his progress is slow, built on cleverness, hard work and a willingness to learn forbidden or obscure methods. Along the way he crosses paths with scheming sect members, demonic threats and ancient beings, and he has to balance secrecy with ambition as he carves a personal route toward immortality without drawing deadly attention. No major twists or finales are given away here.

The animated series premiered in 2020 and was created by Ding Lingtao. The voice cast includes Qian Wenqing as Han Li, Ireine Song as Han Yun Zhi, Li Shimeng as Nangong Wan, Xu Jiaqi as Dong Xuaner, and Yang Mo in supporting roles, with a visual style that mixes classic xianxia imagery and modern digital animation.

It hasn't won major industry awards, but the show has earned steady praise from online viewers and fan communities for its faithful character work. Voice performances and the series' patient storytelling have been singled out in year-end web discussions, even if it didn’t land big festival or network trophies.

Among fans the series sparked a lot of artwork, theory threads and cosplay, and it helped introduce international viewers to cultivation fiction in animated form. Memorable moments of quiet strategy and small, personal victories have become shareable highlights, and fan edits and AMVs helped broaden its audience outside the usual donghua crowd.

Critical and fan reception is generally positive, reflected in an 8.5/10 average from viewer votes. Reviewers tend to praise its emphasis on steady character growth, moral ambiguity and resourcefulness over instant power gains. The show leans into themes of perseverance, class and secrecy, though some viewers note the pacing is deliberate and rewards patience.