The Eternal Fragrance

This Drama Is Actively Gaslighting Me... and Somehow I'm Still Watching??

Okay... my thoughts are all over the place with this one, so bear with me because I'm genuinely trying to figure out how I feel about it while writing this. 😂

Right off the bat, the drama starts very randomly. You're thrown into the story with little explanation, left to figure out who's who and what's going on as you go. Even the leads' first meeting in the present timeline feels abrupt, like I accidentally skipped an episode.

I've seen people complain that the drama looks dated since it was filmed in 2023. Sure, I noticed it, but it never took me out of the story. If that's enough to make someone skip it, fair enough—especially with how stacked this summer's lineup is—but I do think it's a bit unfair to judge the project mainly on that.

Despite all that... I found myself genuinely entertained.

I really liked the FL. She has a clear goal from the beginning—finding her master and senior brother—and she sticks to it. She's sensible, honest about her intentions, and never falls into the helpless damsel trope despite starting off as a weak cultivator. I also loved the little friend group that formed, and the academy sect might honestly be the first genuinely decent cultivation sect I've ever seen. That's rarer than gold in this genre.

What surprised me most is that I actually liked both leads more as individual characters than as a couple. The ML was genuinely enjoyable at first — but somewhere along the way he turned into a lovesick kicked puppy. It makes sense narratively, but I couldn't help feeling like he lost some of the qualities that made him interesting. Ironically, I still liked the FL on her own, yet together... something just doesn't click. I like him. I like her. I'm just not sure I like them.

The plot itself is familiar: reincarnations, fate refusing to mind its own business, and two people destined to find—and potentially destroy—each other in every lifetime. What did surprise me was how casually the drama handled some pretty massive reveals. The ML regains memories of his previous life... and basically shrugs. Eventually the FL finds out too, and everyone treats it like they remembered they forgot to buy milk. I honestly couldn't tell whether that was an intentional writing choice or another casualty of the editing.

Speaking of editing... yeah, you can definitely feel those missing seven episodes. Some transitions are so disconnected that I felt like I was constantly filling in blanks the drama forgot to include. Normally I enjoy piecing things together, but here it sometimes feels like someone handed me a puzzle with half the pieces from a completely different box. Before I've even processed one confusing sequence, the next one starts asking me to connect another set of dots that don't seem to exist.

Which brings me to my biggest issue:

I feel like something is missing... and I genuinely cannot identify what it is.
The chemistry isn't bad. The acting isn't bad. The visuals are nice. The story is perfectly watchable.

And yet...

The dynamic between the leads feels oddly... miserable for most of the drama. The ML's devotion feels both abrupt and somehow understandable at the same time. The FL is noticeably harsher toward him than almost everyone else, which I also understand given the circumstances. Individually, these choices make sense. Together? I don't know. The emotional payoff just isn't fully landing for me.

At this point, I'm not even sure I ship them romantically. Honestly... they both look like they'd have a more peaceful life if they simply minded their own business and stayed in separate realms. 💀

I'm enjoying myself. I'm entertained. I keep clicking "Next Episode." But somehow, the further the story progresses, the messier and more confusing it becomes, and I feel like I'm experiencing the plot through mild spiritual enlightenment mixed with sleep deprivation.

I've still got six episodes left, so maybe everything will suddenly click and I'll come back looking like a clown for doubting the process.

Final verdict pending... because, at this point, I'm just as confused as the script seems to be.

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Could've been much better, but it's still good

The main problem with this drama is the chopped editing that is very noticeable. Because 7 episodes were cut out, the transition between the early episodes is not very smooth.

I oftened asked myself, how are we already here? when did the relationship changed so suddenly?

I can overlook it, though. The plot itself isn't anything new, so if you think you found some unique xianxia, you're mistaken.

The first couple of episodes, I wasn't really sure by the ML acting. It felt like I didn't know what his true intentions were or what his personality is.

When we passed 10 episodes, it got better, and I do like his character. Do I think he's the best demon lord? No. He doesn't really give me that feeling, which makes sense because he doesn't even want to be the Demon Lord.

That's what surprised me the most.

The fact that he would give up his powers and people for Li Fei. The divine tree.

Lei Xiuyuan is very powerful, but so is Li Fei. The writers are just scared to show off her true potential. So she needs to be saved all the time.

Not even once she saved herself, which is honestly sad because I'd love to see her win at least once all by herself.

When friendship between the main characters and side characters is really great. They always come to help. No matter what is happening.

Now the positive things.

I absolutely love Li Fei masters. Both of them would sacrifice themselves for her. They love her too much. They are more like her father's she never had.

They're honestly my favorite masters.

Overall the drama is good. You'll like it if you're watching it for the plot. Even though there is chemistry between the leads, their romance is more like a subplot.

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My thoughts so far (Ep. 12):

Okay First of all, the start was actually so good. I love fantasy dramas, and I loved all the fantasy elements they introduced. The world-building had me hooked from the first episode. SWL was so insanely powerful too... I was like yeah..😭

But then after he met her... idk, it just feels like he became a completely different person.

LXY(his character ) is actually testing my patience SO bad. Like why are you still begging and chasing someone just because of some old memories?? and when the hell you fell in love with her?? I get y'all have history, but that's not enough for me to understand why he's making these choices. At this point I'm more annoyed than sad for him. also remember his brother is dead(he killed him) still all he know is to asking for forgiveness?

And JLF(her character) girl, I'm so confused idk why her character is acting like that. Maybe I'm missing something that'll get explained later, but his brother literally just died and she barely seems affected?? I expected way more emotion. It's making it really hard for me to connect with her character. She's just annoying fr

One thing that ALWAYS annoys me in dramas is when a character has the power to change their situation but instead chooses to suffer because they're in love with someone who barely gives them the time of day. Like STAND UP PLEASE. 😭 That's exactly what's happening here and it's driving me insane.

After everything that happened with his brother, I genuinely thought LXY would be focused on grieving, getting revenge, or at least finding out the truth. But nope... he's still running after her. WHY?? 😭 And she's over here acting all cute like nothing even happened, which is making me even more frustrated.

I'm really hoping the later episodes change my mind because this drama genuinely has so much potential. The fantasy setup is interesting, and both leads are really good actors, so I know they can pull it off. I just hope the writing starts doing them justice.

But as of Ep. 12... these characters are stressing me out way more than they're making me emotional.

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Here are my thoughts on this drama so far.
As a massive heroine-stan, this show has been an absolute blast to watch! Even though it’s not labeled as a typical "female-centric" drama, the female lead’s actions, words, and choices give off major boss-lady energy. It completely breaks away from those tired old Xianxia tropes. She is incredibly realistic, completely immune to guilt-trips and gaslighting, and has rock-solid morals. She knows how to show gratitude but also stands firmly for justice. Honestly, it’s been ages since we’ve had a Xianxia female lead with this level of clarity and sanity. I don't mean to shade other Xianxia heroines, but Jiang Lifei is just built different. She doesn't just instantly forgive the male lead just because he "had his reasons" or played the pity card. A betrayal is a betrayal, a lie is a lie, and trust isn't something you just hand back easily. This is literally how a normal person would react! Like, sure, she gets that he wants to save his older brother, but since when does that give him the right to sacrifice an innocent person’s (Riyan's) life in a "one life for another" trade? Especially when Riyan actually saved their lives before. That's just fundamentally wrong.
Another thing I absolutely love about her is that she actually has a mouth and uses it! Seriously, in most dramas, the leads refuse to communicate, causing endless misunderstandings that make the audience lose their minds. But whenever Lifei has an issue, she confronts people directly to get things straight. She’s straightforward, doesn’t play mind games, and claps back on the spot. No internal conflict, no self-blame—if something is unfair, she will call it out right then and there. Her character writing is just top-tier. Every line out of her mouth is an absolute mic-drop quote:

"I know you want to save your family, your brother. And while I do sympathize with you, I am not going to help you. Everyone is busy; handle your own business yourself."

"Compensate me? If I had actually been killed by you, what were you going to do—cry at my grave?"

I am so obsessed with Jiang Lifei!!! Ju Jingyi completely brought this character to life. Honestly, she has so many more green flags, but I’ll talk about them as I keep watching. Haha! 😁

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what i think of TIF so far

first of all i like this it has a good story plot . and the being was i was hooked to this drama but FL anoyed me so much in ep 28 when she trided to kill him and his clan when he said he will take them back. he even died for her, and she is like i am doing this for the world, Bruh , how she allways doubt him like she dosent even give chance him to say anything. honesty i like her more when she was xiao bang chui she is more like cause more cheerful and had a park she lost it when she was becoming jian lifei,
and anyway i like this drama its giving like old xinxia drama.

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Pretty? Yes. But It's So Much More Than That

OKay, firstly, this drama is oddly uniquely pleasing to the eyes, it is strikening but also very un-strikening as well...IDK the possible words I can use, but it is exactly like that for me.....Please, do not misunderstand, I do not mean this is bad, it is not, it is just very unique---AHHHH, i feel like you will understand if you have checked out one or two eps.. BUT ALL IN ALL, it is veryyyyy goodddd....I'm really enjoying it... Okay, so lemme start with the characters because...I fear they've already got me.

Lifei is such a breath of fresh air. She doesn't have to be loud, sassy, or constantly proving she's "not like other girls" to be interesting. She's just...her. Curious, kind, a little stubborn, and so easy to root for. I found myself smiling whenever she was on screen because there's something so genuine about her.
And Lei Xiuyuan...sir, could you perhaps show ONE emotion? 😭 Every time he's on screen, he has that "I know 17 secrets and I'm telling absolutely no one" face. I'm eating it up though. The slow build between him and Bang Chui is exactly my kind of romance. No forced chemistry at all!!
Now...the third wheel(s). 😅 I'm sorry, but they're just not doing it for me. Every time the drama starts hinting at another romantic possibility, I'm just like...can we please get back to Lifei and Lei Xiuyuan? Their chemistry is already strong enough that I don't need a love polygon to convince me. If anything, it just interrupts the flow whenever the focus shifts away from them.
At this point, I'm way more invested in watching Lifei and Lei Xiuyuan continue to understand and choose each other than I am in any extra romantic complications😭.

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