I debated whether to even start this one because of all the strongly negative reviews, but I ended up happily surprised that the show was much better than its MDL rating implies. If you haven't watched many Cdramas and are comparing it to the top tier dramas, then yeah, it's not going to be anyone's top ten of all time. But if you've watched a number of Cdramas and enjoy the jianghu adventure genre--with good pacing, an interesting and continuously unfolding plot, and decent acting--then I can tell you this one is good. The villains can be OTT, and the chemistry between the leads is a bit lacking, but as a story it pulls you along and keeps you invested in the characters' fates. The TMOPB actors were all very good (BinBin was gorgeously pouty and Wayne Liu's character was fantastic), and the ending was good.