This is probably the highest I've rated a drama, especially a modern one since I prefer Chinese costume dramas. I picked this up because it was widely recommended and am glad I did. I thought initially it was very shounen-anime-esque (Tournament arc, superpowers), but no it's definitely distinctly Chinese in many ways and not cliche. There are SO many surprises and very unpredictable, which I loved. I hate when I can predict how things will go, and even if you think things will fall into a trope, it always surprises you.

I won't make this a long review as there are others that go in-depth already, but overall I'd consider it nearly perfect with the exception that the I didn't particularly care for the humor of the first few episodes. After that the humor is genuinely hilarious (not cringey like the first 2 episodes), and it handles the serious aspects so well also. Storytelling, acting, music, visual effects, pacing, were all very good. Visual effects and pacing are especially impressive because Chinese dramas tend to not do as well in these aspects (no hate, I love Chinese dramas but I think even the biggest fans will agree on that).

There definitely needs to be a season 2 considering the ending (not all aspects of the main mystery are revealed). I believe the manhua it's based on is still ongoing so we'll see what a second season will bring us!