Joker007

Else how will it reach episode 10, for the best quality 6-8 is best, unless there is so much twist & turns & lot to offer.

This is a good drama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Siv2hoGMI&list=PLQoygnhlz2LjdjqBdyYtvfK5rUyCHOP_e

If this one is interesting till end it's great, like both leads, just worried about how the story will go.
Mainline Cultivation dramas most of the time are disappointing, starts great then losess steam near the middle & gets worse near end, few years back Cultivation dramas were even worse with 60 plus episodes of torture, good or bad atleast first few episodes are always good.

South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in briefly spoke about dying and his overwhelming guilt to Kim Hyung-joo, the director of his movie The Match. When they crossed paths at a funeral, the troubled actor admitted his mistakes, stating, "I have committed a crime that deserves death". I have nothing to say.
Yoo Ah-in was attacked with a bottle of coffee by a disgruntled individual as he was walking to his waiting car after an initial court hearing regarding his drug use charges in May 2023.
He was treated worse than when the scandal hit KSH, who is very lucky to make a faster comeback when few others still can't.
Actress Go Joon-hee, who was wrongfully linked to the 2019 Burning Sun scandal, is actively rebuilding her career. While her professional life suffered a massive halt due to unverified online rumors, she has resumed acting in television and theater and is working with a new agency.

Money wins, not surprising; some actors careers ended even when they were innocent & still couldn't make a comeback after their scandal.

Kentaro scandal: It's his private life.

Mix of martial arts & investigation, but don't expect spectacular investigation like in detective dramas, etc. Four main cases in the show are related to the leads & Ding Yue Hua.

No triangles; it's martial arts fighting & investigation with a little hint of romance, more like flirting in some scenes. The leads are mostly together. The ML's wife in The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants is Ding Yue Hua, but in this drama, which is an interpretation of "The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants", they are not in a relationship. Rather than a traditional romance, the series balances Zhan Zhao's duty, his deep connection with both women, and his iconic, legendary bond/bromance with fellow martial artist Bai Yutang.

From an article about the drama
The Three Heroes and Five Gallants is called the first true Wuxia (武侠) novel in China. It set the rules for generations of martial arts stories. Zhan Zhao Adventures takes that foundation and makes big changes. It mixes power struggles, detective work, and romance into one messy, ambitious weave. Some viewers love it. They say Yang Yang’s Zhan Zhao fits the role perfectly—polished as jade but with a sharp edge inside. The costumes and props are detailed. The fight scenes feel real, with heavy punches and classic Wuxia style.

It's better than most wuxia dramas, less frustrating elements more action, viewers won't get hit with ethics & moral lessons which is abundant in the classics.
This has a mix of action & investigation plus the lead character he holds his ground while facing hurdles.

She is a rich girl who is hanging out with the lead because she finds him intriguing plus she also doesn't like evil done by others causing hurt to others, she was helping lead at first then started to follow him.

The Immortal Ascension is cultivation drama based on A Record of Mortal's Journey to Immortality novel/donghua, where protag starts cultivation as human and becomes a powerful cultivator.
Anything based on classic wuxia etc. it won't be easy for protags even if they are strong fighters. Check for new wuxia titles like Joy of life etc. that have less frustrating angles plus protags are treated better and not humiliated like in classics. In The Journey of Legend drama ML makes a comment about his novel being a fan fiction of popular wuxia genre and that life has so much suffering so why need that in a story as well, so his version has less frustrating parts, he talks about state of wuxia stories during the early chapters when he enters the novel world.

I think he is good in costume dramas, liked both leads in Who Rules the World.
Two wuxia C dramas that I liked from start to end was The Moon Brightens for You & Who Rules the World. Both of them have interesting story line more action, less frustrating scenarios, characters don't act foolish or suffer like in classic wuxia.
As for this drama, The series reimagines the stories from the classic novel The Three Heroes and Five Gallants (also known as The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants), He serves as the head bodyguard to the incorruptible judge Bao Zheng and was famously dubbed the "Imperial Cat" by the Emperor, so investigation also part of story not just fighting.

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils protag might be the strongest character, yet he suffers a lot, female characters are always in danger as well in wuxia genre.
No use blaming the actor's character for being weak, wuxia genre like to torture and cause suffering to leads, journey to greatness filled with suffering for such leads.

Interesting KR show, never thought would enjoy watching this, watched till the latest episodes and enjoyed it, thought would drop it after first death of ZEZTZ but still picked it up and continued and decided to watch till end.

In C dramas becoming human, suffering, enduring humiliation, sacrifice, having no power or losing power as story progress, lead emperor can't have concubines when real life emperors except one, everyone had more than one wife, even the Tang empress had harem. Another popular scenario Lead emperor give up his throne so he can be loyal to FL and enjoy life while having no issue giving up empire to characters who are weaker and not good at ruling etc. found in almost every c dramas.
There are many superior cultivation novel/donghuas, but c dramas prefer novels where frustrating elements are its peak. Some of superiror cultivation donghuas
Mushen Ji – Tales of Herding Gods (There is Chinese mini drama version), Dadao Duxing: Die Long Bian, Xuan Jie Zhi Men, 100,000 Years of Refining Qi (Drama Short version exist), Bai Lian Cheng Shen – Apotheosis, Wan Jie Du Zun – Ten Thousand Worlds, Zhe Tian – Shrouding the Heavens, Wu shen zhu zai – Martial Master, Xian Ni – Renegade Immortal, Yong Sheng: Shi Nian Zhi Yue – Immortality, Guangyin Zhi Wai – Beyond Time’s Gaze, Legend of Xianwu – Xianwu Emperor, Cang Yuan Tu – The Demon Hunter, Shen Mu – Tomb of Fallen Gods, Jian Lai – Sword of Coming, Shixiong A Shixiong – Big Brother(C drama version upcoming), Yu Ling Shi – Spirit Master, A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality, Shi Fang Wu Sheng – The Invincible, Yi Nian Yong Heng – A Will Eternal, The Emperor of Myriad Realms, Xian Mu – Tomb of Fallen Immortal(B movie version available on IQIYI), Wan Jie Shen Zhu – Lord of The Universe. All of them are interesting cultivation stories with no or less frustrating parts.
Also even this drama story is different from novel, heard in novel he is trying to become stronger. Maybe what the drama want to say is being human is the greatest thing ever.

The Killing of Three Thousand Crows (Shared Universe) is also from the same author of A moment but Forever, same for this drama as well. All three are novels from Shi Si Lang.
https://www.novelupdates.com/nauthor/shi-si-lang/

Information regarding war demons was given in the first episode intro, like they were cursed, bridge is broken etc., listening to that again might help, else the story has to progress more.

Show is good, presentation of story is done well and not boring despite thinking this would be a slow burn.

50–100 episodes K dramas really test once patience, some rare occasions there are good ones as well.