Wow what a combination of great performances, execution, story, stunning visual effects and production! This drama not only boasts an obviously high -budget production but it also delivered in every factor that mattered, It is difficult to find a great balance of everything nowadays, where one seem to excel in one thing, it glaringly lacks in another. But this movie was just stunning overall. It was ambitious but it never strayed further to compromise its storytelling. Everything complemented each other and this was boosted further by sincere performances by the leads, most notably Mark Chao and the Princess.

Mark Chao seem to have this command on screen and side by side with Allen Deng, it just elevated the quality of the movie even more. His expressions, down to the tiniest ones, conveyed so much emotions that even when he was doing those hand signals, what might have looked ridiculous and taken away from the scene just integrated nicely with the whole experience because he did them so convincingly.

The whole story was about the good and bad, yin and yang and how this concept, which is not new, have played out in this one compels you to watch it and grabs your whole attention. More than the stunning visuals and Mark Chao's performance alongside Allen and Olivia Wang, the story had substance and direction was solid. I thought whilst watching this movie how great the novel it's been adapted from must be seeing this all play out on screen. This movie has really captured the essence of the story because as someone who didn't have prior knowledge of the novel, everything was easy to follow along and the concept and flow were all very logical.

I have seen a behind the scene of this prior to its release and what drew me the most in that video was how high-budget it seemed to be and of course the cast who are a few of the most well-known faces in the Chinese entertainment industry. But like with a lot of other productions with impressive budget and visual aesthetics, I had my reservations because many fail to put importance on the actual story. You can breathe a sigh of relief with this one because it really felt like the story was done with sincerity that it really radiated with it.

It's been so difficult to get into any show these days but this movie grabbed my attention from the get-go. I was captivated the whole time and I enjoyed the whole ride. Really happy I gave this a chance and I cannot wait to see Mark Chao in a fantasy drama again, hopefully in the near future!