Is this drama worth watching ? Definitely nof if you like deep thrilling love stories or real good martial arts fights and values. Still, it's worth watching if you are Arthur Chen or Dylan Xiong's fan or if you go for brotherhood stories with Wuxia background.
What is really disappointing in this drama is wuxia itself. We have in here something that is quite opposite to wuxia and martial arts world's values. Aren't martial artists cultivating all life through to become masters and wise people with good intentions and aims (when they don't follow an evil path) ? Has cultivation anything to do with blood specificity ? We are in this story in a confused storyline where the hero (Lu Ping, the awakening guy) is born with 6 inner QI. Only every 1000 years you will have such a prodigal child ! So you have a baby developping innate martial strength ... but such a power is meant to kill him. So what do you think his parents, who are astonishing martial heroes themselves are going to do ? They will seal his powers... in order to keep him safe ?...instead of helping him to cultivate, develop and master his innate gifted powers. With such a fate, Lu Ping will have his parents killed, no childhood, noone to protect him. When baby, this genius is kidnapped by an evil sect (Shanhai) that is just interested in his blood to make experiments in order to grow powerful soldiers and rule the world ! In Shanhai, Lu Ping is imprisoned in a cage and he is nothing else but a suffering laboratoy rat ! Is that a wuxia hero ? A Marvel hero? Everything but a hero ?
The story begins three years after Lu Ping and Su Tang escaped from Shanhai sect. They are training in an institute to become martial artists. Su Tang is considered as Lu Ping's sister, but she is not and we won't know anything about her background and why she was imprisoned in a cage just like Lu Ping. They shared the same childhood and their relationship is just like siblings who are keeping a secret... How funny they won't develop love feelings, or at least Lu Ping won't allow this to happen. Are we in a chinese drama ?
What is great in the storyline is how we get interested in these two characters. We want to know who they are and what is Lu Ping's secret ? Who is he ? We'll get the answer (quite disappointing) Who is she ? We will never know. Who cares ? She is not the hero in here !!! Very bad point, really, and this shows how the whole story has been built.
Now, we have brotherhood, 3 love couples, martial arts academy competitions, revenge that is not real revenge, revenge that will fail (bad luck for the vilain Prince of Dan/Shanhai Master) and later war plot for kingdom, blood transfusions, puppets, sacrifice and much more !
Honestly, the love storylines are rather rubbish or clichés. Lu Ping falls for Qin Sang and it's just ridiculous : how can a man who has suffered all his life and has no aristocratic values fall for an arrogant noble young lady ? Just because she is a martial artist ? Or because young noble girls are supposed to be very attractive even when they aren't ? We don't believe in this faked romance and there is too poor chemestry between the two actors ... We are granted
with the most awkward faked kiss in all c-drama history (ep #45) ! Great laughable moment ! The only couple who is interesting is Su Tang with Mo Lin, because Mo Lin is really in love and do his best to make Su Tang love and marry him. This couple is here to bring some comedy to the show and we like it. Both actors Ancy Deng and Jerry Yu are quite good, maybe this drama best actors with Hong-Konger Gwan Ho. I won't say anything about the third couple who is a real nonsens. By the way, who understands what this maid Ling Zyhan brings to the story ? Honestly, Xifan alone with no lover would have been so much better... authors could have enhenced his friendship and bromance with Lu Ping.
I'd better stop criticizing this drama, I have watched all of it. Surprisingly, never felt bored with the story progression, just annoyed with the storyline flaws and lack of chemestry between actors...