Episode Summary
Han Li is cured by Mo Caihuan's Warm Sun Treasure Jade but chooses to leave the Mo family to continue his journey. He befriends a fellow rogue cultivator, Wan Xiaoshan, and they enter a rare, ten-year market. There, Han Li is introduced to the wider world of cultivation, learning about spiritual roots and a looming Immortal Ascension Assembly. He successfully acquires the complete "Eternal Spring Arts" manual and a magical fragment to hide his secrets, but his actions at the market lead to a direct confrontation with another cultivator.
Spoiler Alert
The Immortal Ascension Episode 5: A New World and New Dangers
Waking from his poisoned state, Han Li is greeted by Mo Caihuan. She comes bearing the Warm Sun Treasure Jade, a precious item capable of curing him.She explains that the other women of the Mo household want him to stay as their protector, but she understands his path lies elsewhere. The jade is her dowry, which she willingly gives up, having decided against marriage so that he may be healed.
Despite her kindness and the family's wishes, Han Li knows he cannot linger. He must find a proper place to continue his cultivation. He makes the difficult decision to leave, leaving his powerful companion, Qu Hun, behind to offer the Mo family some protection. He pens a farewell letter to Mo Caihuan, who is left heartbroken upon discovering that he has gone.
Venturing into the wilderness, Han Li soon crosses paths with Wan Xiaoshan, another young, unaffiliated cultivator like himself.Wan Xiaoshan is friendly and knowledgeable, explaining that they have arrived just in time for a special event: a market that appears for only three days when a magical barrier opens every ten years.
As they enter the bustling market, the world of cultivators truly opens up to Han Li. Elsewhere, the powerful Nangong Wan of the renowned Masked Moon Sect emerges from her seclusion. Her sect is set to host the great Immortal Ascension Assembly, and she is tasked with investigating the recent murders of several rogue cultivators.Suspecting a plot to sow discord between the major families and the unaffiliated cultivators, she meets with Yan Ruyan of the Yan family. Presenting tokens found at the murder sites, she warns Yan Ruyan to be vigilant and increases security to prevent further incidents before the assembly begins.
Back at the market, Han Li and Wan Xiaoshan have a run-in with a thief named Wu Jiuzhi. After the thief steals Wan Xiaoshan’s pouch, Han Li deftly retaliates by taking Wu's. A cultivator named Qing Wen intervenes, smoothing things over and inviting them to join his group of rogue cultivators.
It is with this group that Han Li first learns about the fundamental concept of Spiritual Roots—the basis for a cultivator's potential.They explain the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) and how their combination determines one's talent. Having four or five elements results in a "pseudo-spiritual root" with low potential, two or three is a "true spiritual root," and a single, pure element is a legendary "heavenly spiritual root" signifying unparalleled genius. This revelation leaves Han Li wondering about his own nature, a detail his first master, Physician Mo, never explained.
While exploring the market, Han Li is ecstatic to find the complete version of the "Eternal Spring Arts," the very cultivation technique he practices.He offers two valuable pills for it, but the seller, an honest man, feels this is too generous and gives him a storage pouch in return. Shortly after, Han Li spots a fragment of a magical artifact for sale that can conceal one's aura—the perfect tool to hide his mysterious Small Green Bottle. Another buyer attempts to bully the seller into a low price, but Han Li steps in, offering two full bottles of pills. This act of fairness ruins the other man's scheme, and he angrily confronts Han Li for interfering.
