Original subtitles

♪Chasing wind, I set out afar♪

♪The road ahead lost, my voice unheard♪

♪I've tasted joy and sorrow♪

♪Laying low, I plan every move♪

♪With a mortal heart and lingering ties♪

♪I'm roaming far and wide♪

♪A twist of fate in desperate times♪

♪A bond that outlives the dust of life♪

♪Still chasing what immortality means♪

♪Even eternity flashes by in a blink♪

♪Don't mock my ordinary life♪

♪I fight alone as chaos shakes the world♪

♪Don't scorn my humble roots♪

♪Kind at heart, ruthless when I must be♪

♪Fate stirs with joy and grief beneath♪

♪I hold the tide between life and death♪

♪Faith carries me through endless dark♪

♪And I return with a heart refined♪

♪Forged by trial, I rise through three realms♪

♪Reborn in the wheel of fate♪

[The Immortal Ascension]

[Adapted from the webnovel, The Immortal Ascension by Wangyu]

[serialized in www.qidian.com under China Literature Limited]

[Episode 2]

Isn't it odd?

We've been living with Master all this while

and we never knew he knew martial arts.

Everyone has their secrets.

We didn't tell him

about the Green Vial either.

He treats you like his own son.

Why are you doubting him?

I've been practicing

Mammoth Skin for a long time.

I was punched. I was in pain.

And I never complain.

That's different.

He killed someone.

Wu Yan was in the Wild Wolves Gang.

He betrayed Seven Mysteries Sect.

He deserves death.

Besides, Master did it to save you.

That doesn't even make sense.

Am I that important?

Of course.

Master has reserved the best for you.

He taught you how to heal and how to read.

He's nice to you.

It's raining.

Go back to sleep.

Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie!

Did I overthink it?

Are you leaving the mountain for real?

Your lack of progress

is tied to the herb's inefficiency.

I have thought about it

and decided to find better herbs for you.

But are you sure you're well enough to do this?

I can come with you.

No need.

Zhang Tie.

Stay here

and take care

of Han Li and his cultivation.

You'll be punished if he makes no progress

once I'm back.

Go back now.

No need to see me off.

Farewell.

For the next year or so,

Physician Mo often left for months at a time

to search

for herbs.

Everything seemed

to turn back to the way it was before.

[Four Years Later in the Valley]

Senior Li.

I am Han Li.

Senior Li,

you...

Your condition puzzles me.

I can only seal your pressure points

with my needles for the moment.

Did you ingest any herbs previously?

They are...

This?

This pill is made from Helan,

Scorpion Flower,

Blue Ant Eggs, and around thirty other rare herbs.

It is red

and repugnant.

Once you ingest it,

even your bones will ache.

Thus, it's called Bone Agony Pill.

It

brings out your potential

and makes you stronger.

But the caveat

is that it costs your life

and comes with detrimental side effects.

You should stop taking these pills.

If you continue,

you'll have at most ten years left to live.

Give me a reason to spare you.

I saved you.

Is that not a good reason?

Truth be told,

I did wonder if I would be killed

after saving you.

Who would have thought

that you'd turn your back on me this soon?

I swear

I won't tell anyone.

Your promise means nothing.

Surely you know

that I'm Physician Mo's final disciple.

That old man has many disciples.

It doesn't matter if you're the final disciple or not.

It does.

I study medicine under him.

I can treat

your condition.

That pill comes with grave side effects.

You will be gripped with excruciating pain

that you wish you could die right away.

I might not be able to save you

but I can alleviate your suffering.

How?

With your blade on my neck,

I can't think properly.

I can't recall anything.

Han Li,

I apologize for my conduct.

You saved me today

and swore to keep this a secret.

I owe you one.

The medicine

will be ready in three days.

We'll meet here.

Deal.

It's a promise.

I almost got myself killed.

I won't intervene as readily anymore.

Still,

Li Feiyu said Master

had many disciples.

Why have I never seen anyone else here?

Zhang Tie.

You're back.

I...

Why are you sweating so much?

I ran back for the food.

The food is ready.

What are we having today?

Water dropwort broth and black rice.

As usual.

You're awake.

You sat here for one whole day.

Did you know that?

You've been sitting here since last morning

when I left to gather wood.

When I came back for lunch,

you were still here.

I slept.

And when I woke up, you were still here.

You were like a statue.

If I hadn't checked your breathing,

I would have thought you were dead.

That long?

I reheated

the food several times.

I don't lie.

Time flies.

I merely had a dream.

I think Master is back.

Let me see.

One whole day

without food.

Why am I not hungry?

Is it because of the mantra?

They say only immortals don't get hungry.

Han Li!

Come!

Han Li!

Come!

Han Li!

Master is dying!

Quick.

I can't heal.

Master...

Master is dying!

Master!

Master!

Hurry up!

Han Li!

Quick!

Get me some water.

Master.

Caihuai,

is that you?

Master,

it's me.

I'm Han Li.

You'll be fine.

You'll be fine.

I...

You just have to take some medicine.

I...

Master.

Han Li.

I'm here.

- Han Li. - I'm here.

I'm here.

Master,

you're hurting me.

Oh, my.

You have ascended to Tier 3 of the Longevity Art.

[Longevity Art, Tier 3]

I didn't know that.

When I was training,

something got into me.

I had a dream.

In that dream,

there was a vortex on my tummy

that could absorb spiritual aura from my surroundings.

That's

Tier 3?

My child,

that is not a dream.

Zhang Tie!

Go

to the herb cabinet.

Third row,

second column from the left.

There's a white vial inside a small box.

Bring it to me.

Yes!

That's not a dream.

That's not a dream.

My child,

the day has come.

I'm so happy.

That's meditation.

That's inner eye.

My hard work has paid off.

The day has...

Great.

Bone Agony Pill?

Even Li Feiyu knows

how detrimental it can be.

Surely Master knows too.

Master.

My disciple.

My beloved disciple.

Han Li.

My hard work has paid off.

It has paid off.

The greed in his eyes

is unsettling.

It's as if

he's not looking at a human being,

but an object.

You sure are punctual, Han Li.

The hour of Wu three days later.

It is precisely the hour of Wu now.

This will last for a month.

That's all?

I

have run out of herbs.

I need time to gather the rest.

So be it.

Thank you, Han Li.

What is the meaning of this?

This concoction

uses rhinoceros horns as base.

I won't count the other costs.

Just give me two taels.

Can I pay you next month?

If you don't have money,

you can give me something else.

You do

have a fancy blade.

Not this blade.

What about a favor then?

A favor again.

If you need help, come to me.

I'll

help you.

Why

are you taking the pills?

You need an edge if you want a place

in the martial arts world.

I used to think that life is short.

I would rather fight for the present and not for a legacy.

The pills can give me what I want.

My health is a worthy sacrifice.

But now, I...

Well, forget it.

Thank you for the concoction.

See you next month.

Fight for the present

and not for a legacy.

What does Master want then?

Master!

The pot is here.

Master,

I spent the whole afternoon

looking for a pot.

They said no need to return it to them this soon.

Just return it to them once we're done.

Master,

let me cook

some of your favorite tofus.

Sure.

You're so thoughtful, Zhang Tie.

Why don't the three of us

have a toast together?

Sure.

Master,

take care of your health.

Just one sip.

It won't kill me.

Let me fill the bowl for Master.

Then, for Han Li.

I'll have one too.

On behalf of Zhang Tie and me,

we raise our bowls

to wish Master a life of longevity.

May you live

to one hundred years old.

One hundred years old?

I'm happy to see another day.

Master.

Come.

Master.

Allow me to say a toast.

It's my fourth year here in the valley.

You taught me Mammoth Skin

and many things.

You even allowed me to clear my debt.

I...

I'm not good with words.

Let this toast speak for itself.

Why do I feel dizzy?

Master.

Excuse him.

Bring him back.

I'm sick of coddling him

like a child.

Let's go.

Master,

I'll be back soon.

Where is Master?

Master.

If you don't see me

tomorrow morning,

[If you don't see me...] leave the mountain at once.

Do not return.

Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie.

Master.

Today,

you

will read my pulse.

Your pulse is disorderly,

as if there are two qis circulating in your body.

Wherever they go,

they damage your Meridian system.

If I may comment,

based on your pulse,

you...

My days are numbered

unless I find a cure.

I know

better than you

how fragile my health is.

Come, my child.

On this special occasion,

I am delighted to know

that you've made progress.

Hence,

I

would like

to be honest with you.

Time waits for no one.

Black hair can turn into white in an instant.

Guess how old I am.

Around

sixty

or seventy years old.

[Thirty]

[Thirty Seven]

37 after the new year.

You don't trust me?

Well,

you can ask the third uncle

of that outer disciple of Seven Mysteries Sect.

He must have heard

of Wondrous Hands,

Mo Juren of Lanzhou.

I am

Mo Juren.

Back then,

I was as young as you.

There was no ailment

I couldn't cure

and no toxin I couldn't remove.

Alas,

I can save everyone else

but me.

I was hurt by despicable beings.

My knowledge

keeps me alive.

But this broken body

can never recover!

Master,

you need to stop taking Bone Agony Pills.

It makes you feel better immediately

but it can never cure your condition.

If you continue taking it,

you...

I know.

The pills

can only give me one more year.

But the heavens are on my side.

I have found

a cure.

Which is?

You.

Me?

Only you

can save me.

I've raised you for so long.

It's time for you to return the favor!

Calm down.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Han Li.

You've been asking me

what the purpose of the mantra is.

I'll give you the answer now.

In effect,

I need

the qi of a Tier 4 cultivator

using that mantra

to stimulate my hidden pressure points.

That

will cure my condition.

Not only will it remove the toxin in me,

it also

restores my youth.

That's why you picked me.

Is that so?

Not me.

That mantra picked you.

Only the fated ones

can cultivate the mantra.

Even I cannot.

Before you came,

I had tens of disciples.

None of them was as fortunate as you.

Had you not appeared,

I would have

accepted my demise.

Everyone dies eventually.

But we crossed paths.

I will seize

this second chance at life.

Anyone else would have done the same.

So,

cure my condition

and you

can have everything in this valley.

What is it?

You agreed to everything when you asked to be my disciple.

You're regretting it now?

I will not

lie or betray you.

But why

have you never told me about this?

You have read many scrolls in the past.

Let me teach you

a few more.

Hide cleverness with clumsiness.

Do good with discretion.

Stay pure in this world of darkness.

Treat concession as a way to advance.

That's my motto.

There are certain things

that if I

tell you upfront,

you won't stay here loyally like you do now.

And if I fail to ascend to Tier 4?

You know how hard

it is to cultivate.

It took me two years to get

from Tier 2 to Tier 3.

And I'm stagnating now.

Getting to Tier 4 in a year is harder

than being an immortal.

Enough.

Do you think we're negotiating now?

Continue cultivating as usual.

I'll find those precious herbs for you.

And don't mention

this again.

Like I said,

get to Tier 4

within a year.

Hide cleverness with clumsiness.

Do good with discretion.

Stay pure in this world of darkness.

Treat concession as a way to advance.

That's my motto.

Zhang Tie.

- Wake up. - The dumpling is delicious.

That's all

you ever think of.

I finally

have the full picture now.

I'm thinking

that after I get

to Tier 4 next year,

I'll cure Master's condition.

Then, we leave Shenshou Valley

and open an apothecary.

We'll live

a comfortable life.

Right?

He has grown wary.

It took me a while to reassure him last night.

It's over

if he runs away.

Let me

take over his body

right away.

No!

Why not?

He's not strong enough for you to take over yet.

Do you want to be like me?

Formless?

You don't have time to find another disciple

who can practice the Longevity Art.

So we wait?

You can feel

that this body has run its course.

You can't carry on?

But carry on you must.

I am an Immortal disciple.

Do you expect me

to die

with a mortal like you?

So we wait

for a year maximum.

I will take him, whether he has reached

Tier 4 or not.

Who's there?

Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie!

Master.

Come in.

Master,

where is Zhang Tie?

Zhang Tie?

He didn't tell you he left the mountain?

He left the mountain?

He asked ten taels from me and said

that he would leave the mountain for a while.

Impossible.

He always lets me know where he goes.

I came clean to you just now.

Why would I lie to you?

Zhang Tie never leaves without a word.

And if he truly has left the mountain,

surely you know

where he is going.

If you won't tell me,

I'll find him myself.

As expected from a Tier 3 cultivator.

You sensed my actions.

My herbs have not gone to waste.

I just want

to read your pulse.

Come,

my dear disciple.

I want

to speak with you.

Okay?

You

have been here for a while.

Do you miss home?

You once told me that you missed your sister

from Qingniu Town.

Master,

let's not beat around the bush.

Just say

that you

need my help.

That's all.

I can't do many things,

but I know to be grateful.

Why are you doing this to me?

You are smart,

prudent,

and can't be controlled.

But you care too much.

And that

is the greatest weakness we share.

This is precisely why I don't want you

to see Zhang Tie.

Like I said,

if you can save me,

I'll promise you a life of riches.

Let's have a wager.

Let's see who dies first.

Me,

you,

or the ones you hold dear?

Fine.

I'll reach Tier 4 in a year

and cure you.

Then, you tell me where Zhang Tie is.

Also,

the herbs you bring back are running out.

I need more.

Focus on your cultivating.

I'll handle

the herbs for you.

Halt!

Take this.

Won't you ask what it is?

Why should I?

Remember

what you promised me today next year.

As expected,

whatever bond between us

disappears after that day.

It can never turn back to the way it was.

And now,

Physician Mo has dropped all pretense.

He often left to gather herbs.

And when he returned,

he looked weaker than before.

How did it become like this?

Or perhaps,

it has always been like this.

Those carefree years in the past

seemed like an illusion.

I've tried many ways

but I failed to remove toxin he laid.

It seems like I'll just have to attain Tier 4.

But

this is a tall order.

Zhang Tie,

I will find you

wherever you are.

Anyway, the Green Vial

has lain silent for a while now.

This is

whatever it gets from condensing moonlight?

Can I

drink it?

Oh, no.

Physician Mo's bird.

I have to cultivate.

Stop staring at me.

Just leave.

Where did the rabbit come from?

Go away already.

It...

It exploded?

That rabbit.

What is in the vial?

Poison?

They grow so quickly.

Is it because of the liquid?

If the diluted solution

has this effect,

let's try the undiluted solution.

This...

This is...

A normal red sage

has grown several hundred years old in an instant.

This liquid

must have something to do with those mutations.

Animals can't take it.

But it can be used on herbs to speed up

their growth.

However, there isn't a lot of liquid.

It needs to absorb moonlight at night.

Perhaps

I can dilute it with water like

my previous experiment.

Furthermore,

I need to find somewhere remote

to grow many herbs,

refine many pills,

and ingest them.

This is how I can make a comeback.

Did you see him?

Is he cultivating?

Good.

It seems like

he has accepted his fate.

[Armored Puppet]

Growing these mystic herbs

to around three hundred years old should be enough.

If I follow the pill recipes in the book and make them into pills,

I'll have more than I can count.

This many

should be enough.

Yellow Dragon Pill can strengthen my power.

Golden Marrow Pill can boost my Meridian system.

If I take them together,

their effect will be amplified.

Oh, no.

If this carries on,

my Meridian system will be overwhelmed by these herbs.

I need to circulate my energy to progress further.

[Longevity Art, Tier 4]

Is this the power of Tier 4?

I can now

understand the greatness

of this unnamed mantra.

I can sense the beings around me.

No.

Sensing them

is not enough.

Not enough.

Still not enough.

Perception alone

is not enough to fight Physician Mo.

I need to be stronger.

Sorry to keep you waiting, Han Li.

Senior Li,

you're swift.

But you arrived first.

This Serpentine Art

is too brutal.

It doesn't suit me.

Do you have anything more subtle?

I do.

Han Li,

tell me honestly.

Did you cross someone?

If there's someone who wants to hurt you,

let me know.

I won't let them bully you.

You can't help me forever.

You study the art of healing.

Surely your master has taught you

to use

poison

to fight your enemy.

Right.

That's a strategy.

But one can never

have too many strategies.

All right.

What do you want to learn?

I want to be agile,

to use throwing weapons,

and a way to defeat enemies

without relying on my qi.

For example,

Misty Step.

Misty Step?

You want to learn my secret technique?

Will you teach me or not?

Just because I can use it with ease

doesn't mean it's easy.

It took me five years

to master it roughly.

I don't have much time,

but I'm willing to learn from you.

It seems like I have to demonstrate a few tricks myself

to convince you otherwise.

Look carefully.

At this point,

I am not gullible enough to believe

that Physician Mo will spare me

once I attain Tier 4

and cure him.

I need a way

to defend myself should the situation call for it.

♪Shards of dreams inside a dream♪

♪A pale moon falls into mirrored skies♪

♪Years slipped by as I lingered on♪

♪Old scenes rise again♪

♪Too hard to forget♪

♪Easier just to miss♪

♪They say the past fades like smoke♪

♪But looking back still stirs the ache♪

♪This noisy world, this lonely page♪

♪Swept away by time♪

♪Eyes once looked far♪

♪Now lost in the shift♪

♪Autumn winds stir♪

♪Smoke curls once more♪

♪Like clouds on the edge of sky♪

♪Returning to my eyes♪

♪Looking back from the mountaintop♪

♪Time lost its name♪

♪Was it yesterday♪

♪Or tomorrow?♪

♪The world has changed♪

♪Beyond recall♪

♪Time will fade♪

♪All the words ever spoken♪

♪Only this longing remains♪

♪Crossing centuries and days♪

♪In a fleeting moment we call eternity♪

♪In a fleeting moment called eternity♪