In the animated series Renegade Immortal (仙逆), the protagonist Wang Lin finds himself on Yun Xia Star (云霞) facing a colossal creature called Wang Yue (望月). He needs to extract gold ore without waking it, a task far beyond his current power. So he turns to the one person in the entire Luo Tian (罗天) Star Domain he trusts most: Sun Tai (孙泰). But here’s the twist—Wang Lin, who once called Sun Tai by his first name without a second thought, now suddenly addresses him as “senior”. Why the change? Is it just politeness, or something deeper? The answer lies in a mix of causal debt, a broken old man’s final years, and a young boy named Wang Ping who changes everything.
A Gift of Causal Jade
Sun Tai does not hold back. He gives Wang Lin every piece of immortal jade he has saved over the years—a fortune by any measure. More than that, he teaches Wang Lin about causality, the invisible thread that ties actions to consequences. For a cultivator trying to master the cycle of life and death, this lesson is gold. Wang Lin needs to weave causality into his own domain, his spiritual conception of reincarnation. Without it, his cultivation would hit a wall.
That is why he finally says “senior.” It is not fear or flattery. It is recognition. Sun Tai could have held a grudge—after all, it was Wang Lin who dragged him to the Luo Tian Star Domain in the first place. But he let that hatred go. He chose to help instead. That choice creates a causal bond, and Wang Lin, for all his coldness as a killer, respects that. He has seen too much death to ignore a genuine gift.
Some fans compare it to another character, Sun Xi (孙析), who once called Wang Lin “Brother Xu (许).” After being saved, she switched to “senior,” but Wang Lin felt awkward and asked her to go back. With Sun Tai, the title sticks. Because this time, the respect is earned. It is not about power levels or saving lives. It is about an old man who gave away his treasure and his wisdom without asking for anything in return.
The Righteous Grandson
Then comes Wang Ping. He is Wang Lin’s son, born from a tragic past and once a resentful spirit. Wang Lin brings him to Sun Tai during his second mortal life, a period where he deliberately sheds his violent edge and lives as an ordinary man. He wants to experience birth, aging, sickness, and death again—to feel what it means to be human. And part of that means letting his son grow up in a normal home, with a grandfather figure nearby.
Sun Tai’s own life is nearly over. His dao heart is shattered. He has no way to extend his remaining years. Before Wang Ping arrived, his days were empty—just tea, a pet bird, and silence. But the boy changes everything. Sun Tai adopts him as his “righteous grandson”. They spend their days together like real family. Sun Tai secretly teaches Wang Ping cultivation techniques, even though Wang Lin asked him not to. The old man cannot help himself. It brings him joy.
Now for the funny part. If Wang Ping is Sun Tai’s righteous grandson, then what does that make Wang Lin? By family logic, he becomes Sun Tai’s “righteous son”. Wang Lin never mentions this, and Sun Tai never brings it up. But the implication hangs in the air. For a cultivator who has killed sect elders and crossed entire star domains, being someone’s adopted son is ridiculous. Yet Wang Lin does not care. That is the point of his second mortal life. He is not playing the role of a mighty immortal here. He is just a father, living with his boy and an old man who drinks tea.
A Peaceful End
Happiness does not last forever—not in Renegade Immortal. Sun Tai’s clock is ticking. His remaining years are few, but they are good years. He dies with a full heart, having found meaning again. Wang Lin keeps his promise. After Sun Tai passes, he will take his ashes back to their homeland, letting him finally rest where he belongs. It is a quiet, human ending for a man who once stood as a powerful cultivator.
Wang Ping grows older. Wang Lin grows older too, by design. The second mortal life runs its course. The killing and the bloodshed will return eventually—that is the nature of the Renegade Immortal world. But for this short window, three people live like a real family. No magical treasures, no life-and-death battles. Just a father, a son, and a grandfather who found each other by accident.
So why did Wang Lin call Sun Tai “senior”? Because Sun Tai gave him causality. Because Sun Tai loved his son. And because, in the end, respect is a small price to pay for someone who makes your final years worth living. That is not cultivation logic. That is just human logic.
