To start off, the first few episodes did capture my attention, but I did ended up fast forwarding a lot of the scenes. There was just so much talking going on.

The fight scenes were great and I did enjoy everyone's arch. I love that they all grew up to be mature martial artists. I am not going to lie though, the whole premise of this show is love. I love "love," don't get me wrong. Love is one of the greatest feelings in the world and I am a sucker for romance and love. However, the fact that the entire show is base on love and how it can destroy a person is kind of sad.

Ye Dingzhi turned evil not because of his revenge for his family, but because of one person. I know, I know, he wanted revenge for what happened to his family, but listen to me, did he really? If he did, why didn't he just straight up go and kill Prince Qing? He had so many chances to get revenge for his family. It wasn't until he lost Yi Wen Jun the second time that he went crazy. He wanted the world to burn because of one person.

Don't get me wrong, I do love the fact that he was willing to do anything for the love of his life, but that does not warrant killing hundreds and thousands of innocent people just because he lost her. Remember that she made the decision to leave. Baili Dong Jun and Sikong Chang Feng had fought along him to help him take her away, but yet, he put them in the same turmoil again.

I love Baili Dong Jun, but I did not like his undying loyalty to Ye Dingzhi. I get it, they're best friends. They grew up together and he thought that his only friend had died, and when they reconnected, he was happy. But he was willing to do anything for his friend. I understand that he treated Ye Dingzhi well, but I don't think it warrants him to sacrifice everything he had worked so hard for to save him. Ye Dingzhi was a lost cause the moment he allowed Yue Qing and the Sky Beyond people to manipulate him.

Don't come for me, because I really wanted the both of them to have the happy ending that they deserve after all they have been through, but I feel that Baili Dong Jun's undying loyalty to Ye Dingzhi was over doing it.

I have not watched The Blood of Youth, and I am planning on watching it after this. I want to see what differences they made between the prequel and original plot.

Characters:
Baili Dong Jun - he grew up. He went from this arrogant child to a true master artist. Even though he was still arrogant, he now has what it takes to back himself up. I feel that Baili Dong Jun's character was wholesome, but I do feel for him. I understand his conflict in saving the world and saving Ye Dingzhi. He wanted to do both, but he needs to understand that he can't. He can't bring his friend back from the brink of despair. When we first met him, he was this carefree boy who wanted to be nothing but a Liquor Deity and be the best brewmaster in the world. But he had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He lost his sense of carefree to the politics of the world. He went from someone who was always happy to someone who rarely smiles. He lost a lot to save the world and Ye Dingzhi.

Ye Dingzhi - when we first saw him, he was a loner but then he made a lot of friends. His past was indeed sad and he lost everything. But he also gained a lot too. I was really hoping to see him grow as someone who can overcome the past to have a better future. I wanted him to have a happy ending, but it wasn't meant to be. He ended his life to save his friend and the woman he loved the most, and I would have to say that that was the most unselfish thing he had done since he turned into a demon obsessed person. I do truly feel bad for him and everything that he had gone through to be able to get manipulated by people, but I feel that what he did at the end, was a means to end it all.

Yi Wen Jun - her past wasn't that great either, but I do feel that she was the cause of everything. Like Baili Dong Jun said, he does blame her because she left. If she never had left, none of this would have happened. Please don't come for me because I do agree that she had a hard life, but she was happy with Ye Dingzhi, but I don't think she would have stayed with him either. She had another child that was waiting for her and I feel that her heart was always with the other child. She probably feels regretful for not taking the child with her. As someone who is a mother, I understand her, but I just wish she would have explained everything to Ye Dingzhi. She should have left with Sikong Chang Feng and explain everything to him. There were people who were willing to give up their life for her and Ye Dingzhi and yet, she chose to go with the Grand Eunch. She chose to return to the palace. So yes, I agree with Baili Dong Jun. She should have never left in the first place. I do give her credit for thinking about Ye Anshi and returning to the palace. Even though, I do feel like Baili Dong Jun alone can protect her child with Ye Dingzhi, I feel that it would be a hard and long road for him and she understood that. She understood that she couldn't put Baili Dong Jun in that situation.

I rated this drama an 8/10 because of the fighting scenes. The fighting scenes were great and the CGI was amazing, but, I did not like the overall plot of the story and I feel that they rushed it at the end. They could have cut a lot of scenes out that I skipped because they were pointless to the storyline. Also the timeline is all over the place. I was honestly confused as to how long things were because of the timeline. Baili Dong Jun spent a year in his backyard being grounded and during that time, Yi Wen Jun was pregnant and had a child? I mean, we just found out that she was pregnant, and then the next scene she already gave birth. Like, huh?

I was going to rate this drama a little lower, but when they were fighting, it was incredible so I decided to give it an 8, if it wasn't for the amazing fighting scenes, I would have given this a 6.5-7 rating.