Donghua/1

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Season 1

The **1st episode** of the donghua belongs to Season 1. It was published on BiliBili (July 2020), and later in English on BiliBili & Youtube (October 2020).

## Synopsis

As Han Li defeats a beast in the Scattered Star Seas, he begins telling his monkey companion how he ended up here. 200 years ago, Han Li is sent to participate in the Seven Mysteries Sect's entrance examination. On the road he meets Zhang Tie and Li Feiyu. Zhang Tie and Han Li pass the test due to their determination, and are accepted as unofficial disciples under Mo Juren's wing.

## Recap

Han Li flies towards an island in the Scattered Star Seas (乱星海). Upon landing, a monkey companion peeks out from his shoulder. He takes out a small green bottle, and pours a drop on a plant he's landed beside, which begins growing rapidly, emitting quite the amount of fragrance. Han Li then places a formation. Then, from the horizon, an ominous dark thunder cloud approaches. Identifying it as a Rank 7 demonic beast, he tells the monkey to hide. It jumps into his hand and disappears off-screen. A sea monster slithers underneath the arch he's standing on, and Han Li activates the formation once it has entered. He then floats into the air and fires a couple of talismans at it. Hearing the monster wail, he flies towards its direction.

### Han Family

We return to 200 years ago. At night, Mother Han sighs that all the crops has been robbed, asking her husband how they will survive now. Father Han explains that farmers like them cannot afford to offend anyone, especially the Feral Wolf Gang, who are a bunch of bullies. Mother Han agrees, asking what he suggest they do. Han Li is sitting up awake on his bed, listening to his parents behind the wall. Mother Han then remembers that her third brother had told her that the Seven Mysteries Sect is recruiting, and confirms that Father Han intends to send Han Li to take the examination. If Han Li passes the examination, it will benefit to their entire village, reasoning that Han Li is grown-up now and that it's time for him to leave the nest. Mother Han refuses, saying they cannot separate from their son, to which father argues that if he stays, they'll just be starving to death together. Han Li looks down on his younger sister, Han Xiaomei, who is sleeping beside him. While their parents talk, Xiaomei turns in her sleep, placing her hand on Han Li's. While he walks towards the living room, father continues that Han Li will also have a better life with the sect than staying with them, and the sect will send them some money periodically. Mother maintains that there must be another way out, but is interrupted by her son, who says he'll go.

In the morning, presumably some time later, the family says their last goodbyes in front of the carriage. Mother Han asks Han Li to take good care of himself, and reminds him to write to them. She hugs him and cries on his shoulder. Father pats her back and tells her it's time to go because it's getting late. Mother lets go, and father places his arm around her shoulders. Han Li adresses them all one final time, telling them he's off. He walks to the carriage, casting one last look behind his back. The coachman press him to hurry and get on. Han Li opens the door and boards. Father Han holds his wife back from following. On the other hand, Xiaomei is free to run after the carriage. She calls out for her Li gege, Han Li telling her to go back. She says has something to give him, and Han Li reaches out for her hand to grab it. As she passes it on, she falls to the ground, sobbing. Han Li call out for her to take care of their parents.

Inside the carriage, he inspects the item. Zhang Tie interrupts his thoughts, asking if it was his sister, before sharing that he has three sisters of his own who also cried like crazy when he left. He offers Han Li his last yam. Han Li does not answer, meekly looking down on the floor. A boy laying on the bench named Li Feiyu states he would eat it if he were him, since he's been travelling in the carriage for two days and that there's nothing to eat. Zhang Tie introduces himself and the other boy, before asking for Han Li's name. The next day, Wu Yan enters the carriage. He pushes Feiyu's legs off the bench, startling the boy, and glares at them. Zhang Tie introduces everyone, but Wu Yan instead insults the smell in the carriage. Caught off-guard, Zhang Tie smells himself to check. Wu Yan then feigns surprise, claiming it's no wonder since there's a "homeless dog" in the carriage. Annoyed, Feiyu tells the new boy to watch his mouth. Wu Yan asks who he thinks he is, before pointing at all three of them in succession, asking if they really think they have what it takes to join the sect. Upset, Feiyu rises, a fight Wu Yan welcomes. Feiyu swings a blow, but Wu Yan dodges and hits him in the face with his palm, followed by directing his face to the carriage wall, before being pushed to the other side, landing on the back. He then firmly places his foot on Feiyu's shoulder, prompting Zhang Tie to leap forth to grab his torso. Zhang Tie in his right arm, and Feiyu grabbing his left leg, Han Li joins the fray by jumping on him from behind, receiving an elbow in the face. The coachman tells them to stop fighting, lest he'll kick them all out, as they pass under the sect's gate.

### Entrance Examination

Now gathered alongside all the other examinees, Zhang Tie with a black eye, and the others presumably with some bruises themselves, they listen to Elder Ma instructing them on how to complete the exam. According to him, this years exam is supposed to be quite easy, as all they have to do is ascend the Bone Refining Cliff before noon. The examinees confirms that they understand the task at hand out loud, before Ma tells them to set off. One participant is running in another path than all the others, encountering Ma, who kicks him down the slope, telling him this is the wrong way. Han Li runs through the bamboo forest, only stopping to call on Zhang Tie, informing him that Li Feiyu is hot on Wu Yan trail. Zhang Tie walks with a grimace, already looking out of breath, as he follows the nimble Han Li. Han Li stops in front of a wooded cliff, looking back on his companion, who tells him to go ahead and not wait for him, as he sits down to rest. Han Li grabs a rope and begins to clim. Another participant flings for him, kicking Han Li off his balance. Zhang Tie calls out for him, and when he regains his composure, he hollers back that he's fine. Almost at the finish line one boy kicks another examinee in the chest, causing the boy to loose his grip and drop to the ground. Shocked, Zhang Tie anxiously call out that this is not a fair competition to himself. From the top of the cliff, an old man complacently sighs that this is only their first lesson.

The old man is gone, by the time the first boy climbs to the top. Gasping for air, Han Li sits down beside Feiyu, who points at the peak telling Han Li how some punks were throwing rocks at them when they were climbing the ropes earlier. He sighs guessing all the sacrifices they've made to enter the sect are pointless now. Zhang Tie who has finally caught up, sits down beside them and asks why they haven't continued. Han Li examines the last cliff, noticing a rock formation that they could attempt ascending without ropes. Zhang Tie and Han Li begin walking up the steep clifface, each other's weight suspending them in the air. They slip, but manages to catch themselves from loosing all progress. From a distance, the old man comments on their intellect. At the top, they grab hold of a metal chain and begin hauling themselves towards the peak.

Witnessing the boys feat from the peak, Sect Leader Wang Lu asks Elder Ma if they could not make an exception for them, but Ma counters with a rhetorical question: The Feral Wolf Gang are ruthless, would they make an exception for us? Wang Lu sighs in resignation and turns to address the nine successful participants, announcing that the test is over. Han Li and Zhang Tie finally reach the peak in the middle of the Sect Leader's speech, where he states that being close is far less than enoguh in a life and death situation, telling those who didn't pass to return to try again next year, using Wu Yan as an example who is on his third attempt. The other boys snicker at this fact, as they've passed on their first try, while Wu Yan's face wilts with embarrassment.

The old man named Mo Juren enters, asking Han Li and Zhang Tie to come with him. Sect Leader and Elder Ma greet Doctor Mo, who claims he's short-handed, so he wants to give those boys who were very close to passing the test a chance. Elder Ma turns to tell the two boys to follow the doctor to the Valley of Divine Palm. Han Li describes the place as beautiful as a fairy land, the best place to cultivate that one could ask for, and continues to explain that only the three of them lived there. The camera pans upwards as day turns into night.

## Appearances

Han Li

Father Han

Mother Han

Han Xiaomei

Zhang Tie

Li Feiyu

Wu Yan

Elder Ma

Wang Lu

Mo Juren