Beautiful drama about love, chivalry, and destiny

This is a very beautiful story of man attempting to conquer fate and destiny. The sets and costumes are absolutely beautiful. The script is adapted from the novel Zhu Yan by Càng Yue, and actually does a phenomenal job telling a very complete story, with characters that each have their own growth arc. Xiao Zhan does an incredible job as our tortured hero, delicately balancing the shifting relationship with his disciple between one of apprenticeship and mutual appreciation to innocent love, all while trying to save his kingdom from utter destruction. Zhu Yan is a fun girl who can be adorable and oblivious but also brave and bold. The first half of the drama is an entertaining set up, a prelude to the storm until the plot starts unfolding quite intensely in the latter half. The magic is fun to watch. The choreography is executed in such an aesthetically pleasing way. The music, for the most part, is very beautiful and melancholic. In the end, it is a haunting story of ill-fated love that is delicately and craftily depicted over 40 episodes, allowing the viewer to immerse in an utterly fantastic world of magic and mystery.

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