‘Xian Wang de Richang Shenguo’ or ‘The Daily Life of the Immortal King’ is an action-filled donghua (Chinese animation) series streaming on Netflix. Directed by KuXuan and Zhu BeNing and produced by Bilibili, it is based on the light novel and Manhua series of the same name written by KuXuan. The series was originally released on 18th January 2020 and its first season is available on Netflix.
‘The Daily Life of the Immortal King’ Plot Summary
This donghua, like a lot of other donghuas, includes cultivation arcs. Cultivation is the ability to create different realms. It’s an omnipotent power that requires spiritual prowess. The only difference that makes this anime stand out is the dystopian tone that it has. The events take place in a fictional country called Huaxiu, which serves as the birthplace of Scientific Cultivation.
Wang Ling, the main protagonist, was born in this country and had unmatched spiritual prowess. He is a very detached and emotionless boy. He prefers to lead a very low-key life but certain situations in his high school test his resolve. Due to these situations, Wang Ling is forced to use his powers. This sheds light on exactly how powerful he is. Wang Ling also makes a few friends down the line and together they cope with high school life as well as the dangerous situations they come across during it.
Why is Wang Ling Obsessed with Normalcy?
Wang Ling is introduced in the prelude of the series as an innocent little kid eating rice noodles completely oblivious about the battle going on between Tuntian Ha, a frog-like demon king and Zhou Yi, a genius cultivator from Sector 60. Zhou Yi and his crew of cultivators could not defeat Tuntian Ha. Amidst the violence, carefree Wang Ling was saved by Zhou Yi from getting hit by Tuntian Ha. In turn, Wang Ling defeats Tuntian Ha with just a kick and credits the victory to Zhou Yi. This serves as a glimpse of the true power that Wang Ling holds.
Wang’s obsession with normalcy is seen throughout The Daily Life Of The Immortal King Season 1. His power renders him unable to do simple tasks, like holding a bowl and not breaking it. His parents support him unconditionally, yet they are afraid of his spiritual prowess. They are continuously seen distressing over the fact that if Wang Ling cannot control his powers then the destruction of the world will be inevitable. This had a huge impact on Wang Ling and his want to remain normal grew into an obsession. He adapts to his high school life and learns how to keep his destructive powers at bay.
What Made Wang Ling Emotionless?
The power that Wang Ling was born with truly surpasses that of any other individual living in Huaxiu. His power, if unchecked, would destroy the world. This thought kept him from utilizing his power or rather mentioning it to anyone other than his family. His father devised a talisman that would control his powers. This amulet however had a side effect, which included depriving Wang Ling of his emotions.
Not being able to feel the emotions led Wang Ling to lead a very lonely life. He was always left alone wherever he went because he didn’t have the required empathy to react to the situations. People always thought him to be weird and did not associate with him. There were times that Wang Ling wished he did not have this power so that it would make it easier for him to live a normal life. The intrusion of the talisman rendered him incapable of emotions. He could feel himself get disappointed during situations where his friends would need him to react accordingly. Emotional incompetence left him unable to respond to his friends making him seem weak. His approaches seem cowardly to his friends and that worries them immensely. His friends however accept him as he is. Wang Ling tries his best to go along with all the plans that his friends have.
The first season along with a little bit of expansion over his relations with his friends, however, does spark a romantic interest between Sun Rong and Wang Ling. Sun Rong, though she tends to be a bit annoying and drags Wang Ling wherever she wants, has a positive impact on him. In his heart, he feels affection for her but he cannot express it.
Shadow Stream & Sector 59
Wang Ling attends his high school, where he meets Tuntian Ha again. He tames him and makes him his friend. Tuntian Ha is renamed Froggy 2 and he becomes a friend of Wang Ling. His other friends, Chen Chao, who is a musclehead, Guo Hao, a game enthusiast and Sun Rong, romantic interest and descendent of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King are introduced eventually. Sun Rong is the successor of the Huaguo Water Curtain Group and is being targeted by the Shadow Stream Group. She is saved by Wang Ling whenever the Shadow Stream Group manages a sneaky attack.
Sector 59 is another district like Sector 60, who have their own school that the cultivators attend. There is a competition between schools of these two sectors. Wang Li and his friends are chosen to compete against the cultivators of this school. The magical auditorium where the competition is held is where the last battle of season one takes place. The leader of the Shadow Stream Group sneaks into this competition as a student and tries to kill Sun Rong.
‘The Daily Life Of The Immortal King’ Ending Explained – Does Sun Rong Regain Her Life?
Wang Ling is shown as an emotionless, detached boy throughout the season. At the end of ‘The Daily Life Of The Immortal King’ season one, the amulet is unveiled as the cause behind his uncharacteristic behavior. The amulet’s main use was to keep Wang Ling’s power in check and save the world from destruction. Wang Ling’s spiritual power could spill and put the world in danger, which is why his father devised the amulet to keep it from toppling. He had power, unlike anyone.
When the amulet broke in the second last episode, Wang Ling experienced a burst of emotions which made him unstable. In the second last episode, the leader of the Shadow Clan killed Sun Rong, this served as the last straw that broke the talisman. This incident called forth Wang Ling’s wrath and he unleashes all his power. He tries to bring Sun Rong back and whilst doing so creates a second world. This incident boasts about the unlimited power Wang Ling has. He tries to experience emotions and normalcy in this second world. Yet, he is unable to bring back Sun Rong. In this second world, he searches for Sun Rong to no avail. The reason why Sun Rong does not exist in this second world is due to her soul being detached from her body. Her body also has no spiritual power to keep her soul intact. When Sun Rong’s soul arrives at the gates of the underworld, Yama notices that Sun Rong is the descendant of the omnipotent Monkey King, Sun Wukong. He immediately sends her back. Sun Rong then wakes up to save Wang Ling from his rage and sets the world right with him.
Therefore, Sun Rong does remain alive, but she has no recollection of the events that transpire between her and Wang Ling. This is because while setting the world back to its original place, Wang Ling had to reverse time. Sun Rong was informed and she consented to lose her memory to save the world. After she did, they returned to the competition they were in before all this took place.
The Daily Life Of The Immortal King season 1 ends with the world put back in its place and everything returning to normal. The ‘normal’ is emphasized by Wang Ling’s father rushing over to put on a newly devised talisman over his neck where the previous talisman was. Here, Wang Ling does get questioned if he wants to return to his emotionless normal life or stay as he is and enjoy the instances as they come. Well, he sides with normalcy and discards his emotions yet again. This time he feels secure to do so because his friends accepted him the way he is. That marked the end of season 1.
Although the season ends on a conclusive note there is another season releasing soon. A new demon will be introduced that Wang Ling would have to deal with. This demon would be the boss of Tuntian Ha. It will also focus on the tender bond that Wang Ling shares with Sun Rong.
The Daily Life Of The Immortal King is a 2020 Animated Series directed by KuXuan and Zhu BeNing. Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
