ML&FL
the drama absolutely worth watching! the chemistry between the leads are cool and charismatic. never thought the drama would be my fav after moonlight Mystique, but it's do play with our emotion with the plot and the life story of both ml and fl previous life!!! The villain role also give their best ever acting. the reunites from the blood of youth to love of the divine tree. To all, please watch this amazing drama from Dengwei and Xiang hanzhi!!! They gave their best in this drama that people never thought!!Was this review helpful to you?
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The rebellious disciples ~ It will always be you, in all lifetimes | Great ending—Baby Machine CP!
"Everyone has their own fate. Sometimes, you can save a person but can't change their fate." - Ye XinAlright, I am totally sold! That was such an enjoyable and satisfying story overall. I love a lot of things about it but my love and adoration for Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ranran is even greater!
I typically jot down notes on how I feel about a drama I'm currently watching and upon checking it minutes ago, it was full of high praises and words of adoration for the FL. She's one of my most favorite FL character this year. I love everything about her and what she does...her broad-minded, non-condescending and appreciative view of everyone's potential and capabilities was truly commendable. + The way she finds meaning and fun in almost everything brings this delightful charm to her. A well-written character who made the story beautiful and admirable—the backbone of this story!
The story as I mentioned above was well-written and despite it being a Xianxia drama, the amount of cliché plot sand scenes were minimized to offer just the right amount and I would say that they did a spectacular job for that. Every scenes are interconnected to one another and I never felt at lost even once while watching it. The scenes were engaging and enjoyable that I don't feel bored at all.
Phasing was good and they were able to maximize all of the episodes to the fullest. No major nor minor plot holes I can think of, and I don't have any dissatisfactions either. Maybe something I 'hoped' was included even as a short scene is the wedding ceremony of Gao Cang & Xi Er (If they really ended up together)—I like this pairing a lot and I find the both of them adorable. It's just sad that we didn't get to see them be wedded but anyways, that's fine and totally understandable as it's not their story. Just wanna mention here that Xi Er's commentaries about what she smells to describe feelings and emotions is very unique and funny to me. She's even nonchalant whenever she delivers them which makes it even funnier. Haha!
The most important and noteworthy part of this story would probably be Mu Qing Ge's journey in making Su Yi Shui a better and kinder person. Her approach towards his violent reactions and retaliations is that one thing that made me look up and admire her. She was understanding, patient and sincere in dealing with him—Explaining things carefully in different ways in order for him to understand every situation. She's like a mother raising and correcting her juvenile naughty son.—She uses warmth to melt his frozen cold heart, gentleness to mend his maimed soul and love to lighten the darkness surrounding his world which made him gradually open up and love her in return.
The same credits should be given to Xue Ran Ran as she also suffered quite a lot dealing with his "Master". Although it was a completely different scenario this time as Su Yi Shui has already been tamed, felt indebted and of course, in love. He at the same time was the toughest to deal with, in his hot and cold, confused and full of hesitation phase. Thank god Xue Ran Ran's persistence and passion for him was boudles. Because if not? then I don't know anymore. Also, XRR & SYS chemistry gives off this extra cheerful and playful vibe which makes watching them more entertaining than ever!
Rising action and climax of the story were greatly executed and I hereby say that the most entertaining part of the whole drama is the last 10 episodes. I never felt that they were rushing anything at all. More so, they seemed like a water flowing smoothly in a river. The director and writers certainly got a good grasp of the story—on how should it flow and how should it be ended.
The conclusion was logically done as I don't expect Mortal Cultivators (no matter how powerful they are) to defeat an Immortal. So, kudos to the team for giving us such a satisfying and rational ending. Mu Ran Wu's ending on the otherhand felt lacking to me. That b*tch deserves an excruciating death more than that gone-insane trope.
Ending is my most favorite part of the whole drama. Xue Ran Ran & Su Yi Shui settling down, retiring and living their happiest days (becoming baby machines lol) with their kids is the best ending we drama fans could ever receive from a drama. So I truly appreciate and extremely grateful to the entire team for giving us such a happy ending.
P.S. Seeing kindness and reasons through Su Yi Shui's display of cruelty is Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran's real charm and power. Her words of affirmation and strong relentless love gave him warmth—She lit his life and provided him HOME.
Story - 10, Best Xianxia I have watched this year (2025) and in a while. Story is compact and has a smooth sailing flow. Like I mentioned above, the director and writer got a flawless idea of how the story should progress and perfect control on how to conclude it.
Acting/Cast - 10, I so love each one of the cast! Deng Wei is the perfect leading man and no one in my opinion can top Julia Xiang's performance in this show—She excels in this mischievous and silly acts/expressions which suits her the best + Flawless and effortless execution of both Mu Qing Ge & Xue Ran Ran was truly amazing. The supporting roles are great as well. It's also nice to see Ai Mi and Fo Bo Han again (since I have been seeing them in almost all of the dramas I watched. Haha!)
Music - 10, beautiful and lovely. It accentuates the mood and color of the drama. + It brought out the emotions of the scenes they're used in.
Rewatch Value - 10, A drama that I will surely re-watch if I can and would also recommend to people to watch.
Overall - 10, Everything about this drama is exceptional to me. Thinking about this drama reminds me of how beautiful the story and visuals/CGI are. I wish more directors can start making Xianxia dramas like this.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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Love of the Divine Tree – Vows, fate, and a role-swap romance
🔹 A role-swap xianxia brewed with tender vows and gentle romance. Cozy to follow, even when the side plots lose steam.🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes, for the chemistry
✨ What happens when the disciple becomes the protector and old vows turn into new love?
📕 Overview 🎬
🔹 40 episodes, xianxia romance
🔹 Adapted from the web novel Xian Tai You Shu (仙台有树) by Kuang Shang Jia Kuang (狂上加狂)
🔹 Deng Wei plays Su Yi Shui, a cool exterior but deeply loyal once you look past the surface.
🔹 Xiang Hanzhi portrays Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran, who bravely faces her challenges with courage as she begins a new journey
🔹 The story begins when the once-maligned master returns with a new identity, and the roles of master and disciple are reversed.
🔹 Perfect if you are in the mood for protective romance with fantasy twists
🌸 How It Felt Watching 💙
🔹 The opening builds quickly and makes a clear promise to protect, without a heavy backstory.
🔹 Viewing feel: cozy, romantic, and lightly dramatic.
🔹 Themes: loyalty, second chances, and found family.
🔹 The leads bring warmth and believable chemistry, though some supporting roles don’t leave much of an impression.
🎭 Cast & Performances
🔹 Deng Wei as Su Yi Shui: starts distant but slowly shows his softer side.
🔹 Xiang Hanzhi as Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran: gives a performance that feels easy to connect with.
🔹 The supporting cast helps keep the story moving, though a few characters don’t get much development.
🎵 OST 🎵
🔹 One Tree One Couple (一树一双人) – Tia Ray
🔹 Like an Immortal (若仙) – Zhou Shen
🔹 Fate Circle (缘圈) – Liu Yu Ning (Modern Brothers)
🔹 Unfinished (未尽) – Victor Wong
🔹 Dedication (尽献) – Zhang Zi Ning
🔹 Heaven and Earth (天地鉴) – Zhao Pin Lin
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 Costumes and sets bring the fantasy world to life.
🔹 The special effects looked smoother than expected, especially the glowing power scenes and the wide landscapes.
🔹 Pacing starts off strong, though some side plots drag.
☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked: lead chemistry, the protective-romance story, and a production style that fits the mood
🔹 What did not: a few side characters that felt like tropes and some uneven pacing
🔹 Still, the main couple and the core storyline were strong enough that I really enjoyed it overall
🔹 I also enjoyed the BTS clips with the cast and production team; they showed the fun and effort behind the scenes
🔹 Would I rewatch? Yes, for the chemistry
☕ SpillTheDramaTea’s Rating: 9/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: Full of flavor, really enjoyed this one, worth another cup
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, I felt relaxed, like enjoying a warm cup of tea after a long day.
✨ Do you feel the pull of a promise that grows into lasting love?
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Two halves of a fruit ,Vows, fate, and a role-swap romance
A powerful love story with reincarnation, epic fantasy, hidden identities, sword fights, devastating sacrifice, and love that makes you scream into your pillow — this drama will wreck you in the best way. It’s unskippable, unforgettable, and undeniably addictive. once you start, you won’t be able to stop. And once you finish, you won’t be able to move on.
"Everyone has their own fate. Sometimes, you can save a person but can't change their fate." - Ye Xin
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I would give up my golden core to watch this for the first time again
Where to even begin? This is the first ever drama that I have watched that I consider to be completely perfect. Everything, from the acting, to the CGI, to the costumes, to the BGM, to the plot is so perfect.Story:
This story takes many twists and turns but somehow manages to feel so coherent and bring back central focus effortlessly. This is definitely a character-focused drama, which is amazing as all of the characters are so compelling and beautiful written and acted. A few episodes at the beginning are dedicated to a flashback, which for some reason I found really funny. We were just inside of Su Yishui's memories for three years. The only parts that I would say were weak were Wei Jiu and Tu Jiuyuan's storyline, although that had its own charm, and the whole ending of the plot with Prince Ping, because it ended up just going to nowhere and was kind of confusing. I understand why it wasn't explained as there was no reason for Su Yishui to info-dump during his flashback, but a little more exposition would've made the situation a lot clearer. This drama took me on the ride of a lifetime, and I'll never forget it.
Mu Qingge/Xue Ranran:
I honestly don't know whether to categorise them as two different characters, or the same character. From the moment I saw her I loved her, to be completely honest. Mu Qingge has such a fun, playful yet straightforward charm that is just so attractive, while Xue Ranran's bright, lovely energy brightens up the screen. It is a bit of a pity that we didn't see more of the actual Mu Qingge, as she only got all of her memories back in the last few episodes, but the amalgamation of their two characters was also so compelling, and excellently handled, in my opinion. I've seen some complaints that Mu Qingge basically died and never came back, which is of course valid, but I don't share the same opinion as 1. I believe she did come back after she regained all of her memories and 2. It wouldn't be a fun or engaging story if there were no consequences to events. I think the direction that they went with her character is the most reasonable, as technically she never should have been revived according to Heaven's will. Her just coming back exactly as she was before would've made Heaven's will something to be taken much less seriously than it actually should've been in the story. Another complaint that I've seen is that Xue Ranran is a boring character, and I just can't accept this. Xue Ranran is a little bundle of joy and nobody is allowed to hurt her. And, she's an extremely relatable person because yes, I would also be thinking about my master that much if he were Su Yishui. If there is one thing that I dislike about both of their characters, it is their tolerance of Su Yu. However, I can ultimately see where their feelings come from, as he did treat them well for decades. I just hate him too much...
Su Yishui:
My favourite character hands down. It used to be Mu Qingge at the start of the story, but Su Yishui quickly stole the show for me. He is the standard for every single male lead character and I stand by that. He is a perfect character, but not in the sense that he is a perfect person. He's made plenty of mistakes and bad decisions, and yet I can't bring myself to hate him for any of them, exactly like Mu Qingge/Xue Ranran. He is a perfect blend of cold, straightfoward, brutal and no-nonsense towards others, and soft, sweet, playful and loving when it comes to the people he cares about. I genuinely have nothing else to say about him, he's just so perfect to me! Although can I just say that he really had me fooled when he was pretending to be the Mortal-Demon Lord.
Su Yu:
Possibly one of my most hated characters ever. He's just genuinely so insufferable, is willing to do whatever it takes to gain power and get what he desires at the cost of everyone else, and then turns around in the last second and gets to die an honourable death. I don't believe it. His passive-aggression and condescension is genuinely so infuriating and I was cheering for Su Yishui every time he tried to kill him, and every time he was suffering the effects of the poison. The scene where he got kicked out of Su Yishui's body and his spirit was being brought back into his own body, I was just saying, "Yes! No! Yes! No! Yes! No!!" the whole time. The fact that he threatened her into marrying him is absolutely despicable and he doesn't deserve anybody's sympathy, respect or affection. He doesn't deserve any of them, Mu Qingge, Xue Ranran, Mu Ranwu or Zhou Feihua. I think that he is at the center of one of the only problems with this drama, which is his constant infantilisation. The number of times Xue Ranran, Mu Qingge and Zhou Feihua said that they wanted to prevent him from making mistakes really pissed me off. He knew exactly what he was doing, including all the unspeakable consequences, so therefore it wasn't a mistake. I understand that there were decades of good feelings between him and those three, but it gets to a certain point. Especially after he invaded Su Yishui's body, I was shocked that Xue Ranran/Mu Qingge had any concern for him left. Genuinely about to punch a hole through the screen every time he spoke, especially when he had the audacity to imply that Su Yishui is interrupting his conversation IN HIS OWN HOME.
Mu Ranwu:
Just an annoying character overall. Feel infinitely worse for her than for Su Yu any day of the week, but she's still not good by any means. Even if you hate your sister that much, doing what she did is unforgivable. I believe that even if she was constantly compared to her her whole life, a genuinely good person wouldn't have blamed Mu Qingge for being talented, or for the choice she made to save the lives of innocent people. The only thing I respect about her is how fast she switched up on Su Yu. However, her switch up on Wang Suizhi was completely out of left field and felt so unnatural to me. Maybe I accidentally skipped a few lines in her scenes out of annoyance, but I didn't see any warmth from her side until the very last moment. Pretty in-character, though. Losing her sanity is what she deserved in the end. Living neither a happy or horrible life.
Other characters:
Let's start with positive ones and end with negative ones. Bai Baishan, Gao Cang and Xi'er were so funny and perfect as the three comic relief characters. Gao Cang was kind of weak but Bai Baishan completely subverted my expectations, he showed the most growth out of all of the three and was quite a pleasure throughout. Xi'er was just super cute, I adored her dynamic with Ranran and she was even able to save the chemistry between her and Gao Cang. Yu Tong, like Bai Baishan, subverted my expectations. Her unconditional support of the leads was heartwarming and refreshing. Zeng Yi's nickname for Su Yishui was super cute and their dynamic together was super entertaining. something that I appreciate is that his "protectiveness" of Xue Ranran was not at all dragged out, again subverting my expectations. Wei Jiu was an irrelevant character to me, the only thing I liked was his dynamic with Su Yishui and Mu Qingge/Xue Ranran. I could not bring myself to be compelled by Tu Jiuyuan, she did all of that for Wei Jiu? (strong doubt) The weakest major character (that I'm not forgetting about) might be Zhou Feihua. I wasn't paying attention when she was first introduced, and I continued to not really pay attention throughout all of her scenes. Her childhood backstory with Su Yu came of nowhere for me. They could've done some more with her character, but then again she's not really that important. Her insisting that Xue Ranran end her relationship with Su Yishui, and constantly going back to Su Yu really irritated me, though.
Overall, one thing that I appreciated in this drama, that maybe besides the Mortal-Demon Lord, nobody was evil just for the sake of being evil. This drama really cares about and cherishes its characters.
Rewatching:
I'm writing this review immediately after finishing the drama, but I am already excited to rewatch. It's the type of drama that's super nostalgic for me because the story came so far from where it started and so it's going to be such a blast to rewatch and rewatch and rewatch and rewatch... Will probably skip the scenes with just Su Yu, Mu Ranwu, and Dun Tian, though.
Romance:
The chemistry is immaculate, the writing is immaculate, I love everything about Mu Qingge/Xue Ranran and Su Yishui as a couple. I wish there was some more affectionate moments between them after they both regained all of their memories, though. Mu Qingge is stronger than me for sure. Something that I've seen about them and that I definitely agree with is that their dynamic and relationship throughout the story is very equal. They both sacrifice a lot for each other, both lose their memories, and even switch the master-disciple relationship. I can't possibly put my thoughts into coherent sentences, I just adore them so much!
Overall, the first and maybe the last 10 star rating I have ever given to a drama. Xian Tai You Shu you absolute masterpiece. I love art made by truly passionate people, and this drama screams passion, love and care to me. And by the way, what was in the air when Deng Wei and Xiang Hanzhi were filming? They look breathtaking.
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Excellent must watch
Finally Deng Wei got this kind of lead where he is flourishing... Excellent acting n he can pull both the negative n positive roll so well...Story, fight scenes , supporting leads ... all in all a must watch...
Finally Deng Wei got this kind of lead where he is flourishing... Excellent acting n he can pull both the negative n positive roll so well...
Story, fight scenes , supporting leads ... all in all a must watch...
Finally Deng Wei got this kind of lead where he is flourishing... Excellent acting n he can pull both the negative n positive roll so well...
Story, fight scenes , supporting leads ... all in all a must watch...
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Master-disciple Entanglement
Started with curiosity and craving for xianxia, I decided to watch this drama.Story,
Such a refreshing drama with nice layer of conflicts. I know there always be misunderstand and unexpected villain. However this frama reveal them in a wise way. There are no hints of rush or even surprised-yet-no surprise reveal in every conflicts. But yeah I can't deny that some of them are predictable. And the perfect thing is this drama got a perfect happy ending, as we know how most of xianxia drama always ended in an unsatisfied way.
Acting and Cast,
I watched Deng Wei from TTEOTM and Lost You Forever but He didn't impress me there. Honestly I got skepticism about him because I didn't feel his acting is lacking. But i'm happy that in the meantime he show how he improved his skill. This drama show me that he is good at acting, also he proved that there will be improvement for his acting. Even the action and zoom scenes he serve it perfectly. I will wait for his next drama to watch his progress.
As for Xiang Han Zhi, the way she potrayed both a mature-carefree-sincere master or a diligent-cheerful-responsible disciple perfectly. The fighting scene also done impressively.
Honestly, Chen Xin Hai as Su Yu is surprised me instead. How he potrayed such an good-evil-good character really impressed me. He show Su Yu as a whole person, like he really came out and live realistically. Sometimes I hate him, sometimes I fall for him, sometimes I cursing him, but sometimes I pity him.
For another cast like Deng kai, Zhang Wei Na, Cao Yu Chen, or even side character like Ai Mi, Bai Shu, Xia Zhu Yuan, etc, they really did amazing potrayed their character.
Music,
All of the soundtrack are really good. Liu Yu Ning and Zhou Shen are never failed to mixed your feeling with their song. The other songs are perfect too
Overall and Rewatch Value,
I enjoyed watching this drama and didn't skip the scenes. And of course the happy ending are really satisfying. Such a nice drama to watch in the weekend.
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A Drama that exceeds my expectation
Love of the Divine Tree (LOTDT) is a drama that have been on my watch list for a while now.But back then I wanted to wait until I have the right mindset to watch this because after watching Moonlight Mystqiue (which is another one of my top favourites), I was in that phase for a while and I couldn't really get into anything new for quite some time after MM ended. So this Drama have been on my watch list and I was kinda just putting it on hold until I was ready.
So now after I have finally watched it, I am glad to say this drama didnt disappoint me. Although there are indeed some plot points I find draggy like the amnesia arc as I was waiting for that to be over.... but overall, I do really like how Su Yi Shui(ML) played by Deng Wei was written.
If I have to say anything, that would be I love how Su Yi Shui character is written where he's not your typical "good/righteous" cultivator at the beginning, but he's someone who have started on the "devil/demonic" path due to his harsh upbringing and how he was mold into a character, where he is seen as cold, "selfish" killer seen as a "chess" piece of his "father" at the beginning, so in this regard, how he wanted to take revenge on those who treated him badly, and his unfair treatment, did kinda remind me to Tantai Jin in Till the End of the Moon.
However, all this change where Mu Qing Ge gave him that warmth, care and love his heart longs for ever since he was a child. So Mu Qing Ge was the person who changed Su Yi Shui path from walking down that devil/demonic path to who he is in the end, because she was able to awaken something in him which he thought he once lost, so how Mu Qing Ge was able to guide Su Yi Shui and how he wants to become a better person for Mu Qing Ge made his character more portrayed like a Grey character(to me), where he is neither purely good nor purely evil, as one example is seen how he would go through such extremes (which challenges morally white portrayal of heroes), as he was seen to activate the side to him to absorb Wei Jiu source of demonic powers into himself, to protect Xue Ran Ran/and the Mount Wester Sect. I find these characters appealing in that sense because they challenge the traditional black-and-white portrayal of heroes and villains, so bringing back to how his character did remind me somewhat to Tantai Jin, but unlike Li Susu who failed to show me she deserves Tantai Jin's love despite she was his light that changed his character from that Devil Path(into who he is in the end), but what Till the end of the Moon failed, this drama(Love of the Divine tree) succeeded imo. I won't express why Till the end of the Moon failed and disappointed me, if you want to find out you can check my review page for that drama in here. But simply put this drama did exceed my expectations in the end in terms of how they handled the plot, pairing, characters, developments and not to mention, the ending.
I love how Su Yi Shui will do whatever it takes to protect the 1 person he holds dear which is Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran (played by Julia Xiang). I love how he doesn't show mercy to anyone who dares hurts her, and he will secretly get back at that person tenth fold. I love how his character development was handled in terms of the portrayal of his character from his childhood (which formed him to be the SYS at the very beginning), to how he came to care for Mu Qing Ge when he opened his heart to her. It really symbolizes that Mu Qing Ge is that light that lights up his path because of his sad upbringing. Deng Wei did a good job in portraying his character which holds several layers with different character persona, and even when he is under the demonic influence, I still do like him on my end and I found that is interesting to watch him in portraying the different characters like this.
I love Su Yi Shui has his own "Dao/Path" that is not defined/restrained by good or bad but he just walks his own path. Those type of characters appeal to me more than the typical xianxia characters in the righteous cultivation sect where they put the protection of the other people(other realms) over the person they love(romantically) or there's conflict in their choice in choosing to protect that one person over the world etc
I do love the pairing chemistry between the main pairing Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran, although for me I find Mu Qing Ge character appeal to me more than Xue Ran Ran but overall how the writers handled MQG and XRR they are the same character to me. I do love watching their developments onscreen. While there wasn't really a moment that made me fangirl for the main pairing but I did enjoy and love their scenes when I see them interact.
This is my first time seeing Julia Xiang, but this is not my first time seeing Deng Wei. I first got to know him through Miss the Dragon and he was my fav character in that one even when he wasn't the main male lead but his acting and story appealed to me more than the male lead (Dylan) in Miss the Dragon
I love how they handled the fight scenes in this drama, that was nicely done. There was quite a few familiar faces as well, like I recognized Cao Yu Chen who played his role as Zeng Yi, since he was in the Untamed as Jing Zixuan lol. And I also find the actor Bai Shu familiar too, he played his character Liang Wu Meng in LOTDT but he also played as Teng She(Lord Flying Snake) in Love and Redemption and another actor I found familiar is He Zhong Hua since he was in LAR and LOTDT.
There is also several other pairings and characters in this drama that is nice too although I am not a die hard shipper but it is nice to know they got their happy ending too.
And this ending gives a really wholesome happy feeling that is fully satisfying for the viewers which is very nice. That fully satisfying feeling that gives a wholesome feeling reminds me to Love and Redemption which I really love and I missed from the good old days where Xianxia still gives us these type of endings so I am glad LOTDT have this same ending and honestly more script writer and director should learn from this because no matter how painful the journey is, we viewers just want a fully satisfying ending for our favourite characters!! What I found interesting is I did search it up and realized that both LOTDT and LAR have the same scriptwriter and director so that was very nice to know!!
Overall in 2025, this was a nice drama that even though there are some draggy parts I felt like skipping but ignoring those I did enjoy the drama as the overall and this drama did bump itself up to my top favourites! In 2025, aside from Moonlight Mystique which that one is my absolute favourite drama, LOTDT is definitely sitting next to Moonlight Mystique for me!
Thank you for this lovely journey! It is currently on my rewatch list.
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Trees gives courage to the soul , so I'll be honest...
(positive : 🌿 green leafNegative: 🍁 red leaf )
The drama stars with Su Yi Shui the disciple of Mu Qing Ge the demoness , killing her to save the world. Qingge cursed Yi Shui and her sect , so Yi Shui didn't had any choice but to offer his half core to the divine tree and help her to reborn to lift the curse. But as the story continues we get to know the reality was completely different.
**Cinematography and production**:🌿
Have to praise the cinematography cause it's really good. The production and editing team did amazing job to make it feel natural and grounded. It giving high budget Vibes. And we got sword fights, real hand to hand combat and amazing action scenes that is stunning. Not your typical xianxia hand gesture fighting ! I didn't had much expectations from it but LOTDT gave a pleasant surprise.
The costumes and makeup is not overly done either so , it's pleasant to eyes. No whitewash, no flashy set and you can feel how carefully they created the setup .
**Male lead**🌿
I liked the male lead so far. He's smart, strong and scheming .... Su Yi Shui is that savage character who can slap or choke the annoying characters for us !
And have to say Deng Wei did amazing job in portraying Su Yi Shui.
**Female lead**🌿🍁
First time watching Julia. Her acting is admirable .She portrayed Mu Qing Ge and Xue RanRan so differently that it feels like they're different person. I developed girl crush on Mu Qing Ge. As for Xue RanRan she's your typical bubbly xianxia female lead. who can get away with anything by luck, without any consequences. Still the good thing is she improves in her cultivation .
I'm personally not a fan of childish characters. Initially I liked her but as the series continues , XRR turns into a bothersome character - like behaving like a child , forced smiling and over talking . Personally I think the voice actress's voice doesn't suits XRR at all .
**Story** 🍁
Of course we get a flashback that showed the past perfectly within 4 episodes and made us fall for Qingge too . And in ep 8 we come back to the present smoothly and the story continues .but the pace slowed down. Apparently it gives different dynamic between our leads
Flirty and badass fl x villainous ml
Bubbly fl x cold ml
Your shifu x I'm disciple
I'm shifu x you're disciple
The Plot is not completely original or unique . The storyline felt very weak compared to the production to me .
*Check*
Let me sacrifice for you, no I'll die for you ✔️
It's okay if you misunderstand me cause I'll die for you ✔️
I'll bring you back to life ✔️
ill fated main lead who has evil bone ✔️
Annoying second female lead ✔️
Obsessive second male lead ✔️
Cutesy bubbly female lead ✔️
Evil and hypocrite immortals ✔️
Clown brainless villains ✔️
Amnesia ✔️
It feels kind of mixture of all xianxia dramas specially it is showing significant similarities with "Till the end of moon".
I felt like they tried to create Dejavu effect by repeating the plot like shifu-disciple or giving similar circumstances to SYS as MQG . It works for a certain period but after that it feels draggy and boring .
** Chemistry**🌿🍁
Mu Qing Ge and Su Yi Shui's chemistry is the best part for me in this story. I loved how Mu Qing Ge cared for him and he developed crush on her. I liked the scenes when Mu Qing Ge opened the door for him , him secretly kissing her forehead...
She approached the potential devil with kind intention and tired to save him from the beginning. Unlike other xianxias where ml or fl tries to save the ill-fated person only after they fallen in love with them.
As for SYS and XRR , it is like cold ml and bubbly fl dynamic . But the chemistry between XRR and SYS feels forced to me . we got more chemistry between MQG and SYS in 4 episodes than all episodes with XRR and SYS .
**Cultivation**🌿
I love how the drama added the real xianxia novel or Donghua cultivation here . And it gives us an idea about the power system. They cultivate , practice and improves .
**Villains**🍁
The villains are one dynamic with background story. I get it that they have a hidden villain but the visible villains are like **Team Rocket**.
They have their reasons to do the evil works .But still they're unrealistic.
Given their background it was possible to add some new theme and dynamic !
Take example of Mu Ran Wu, (personal opinion)
yeah I know she's evil , selfish and beyond redemption But if you think logically,
Mu Ranwu is not heavenly gifted. she was repeatedly compared with her talented sister. From her viewpoint her sister cared about others more than her so her spirit root got destroyed . She lived in MQG's shadow, others saw her as a burden and the person she loved fall for her sister !
Then she does a lot of evil things from killing her sister to stealing her talents and identity blah blah .....yes she is annoying and dumb clown and my problem is this same "annoying unrealistic villainess trope" . Who's sole purpose is to make the "Heroine" shine !
But it was possible to make her a realistic character, there was a potential to create a decent villain who can make us feel sympathize with her .
If not then at least give her brain !?
not to mention "Wei Jiu" who is a cheap version of demon villains . He's here to get beat up by SYS and add some comedy .
These villains are giving some nice comedy....but not much threat or weightage to the plot .
**Supporting characters**🍁
I have not found a supporting character whom I can root for. They're in the plot, but they don't have much value or important roles. Let's take example of some problematic supporting characters--
Su Yu : A character I don't know what to feel about. Sometimes he feels like a nice guy and other time obsessive 2nd lead . He's shown as a smart character but as he knew both MQG and MRW he should have been able to recognize her first. Guess what ! Even people who didn't know MQG personally could recognize her. As MRW *openly showing* her true nature . But he is just *suspecting* her for more than a year!
He's obsessed with *Mu Qing Ge* he doesn't care about her change in behavior or wrong doings as long as it's *her*.
SYS' mother: she doesn't has much screen time but I felt something is wrong with her character. She physically and Emotionally abused Su Yi Shui when he was a kid ! She literally tortured him , abandoned him in snow (where he could die) . And she did it cause of his future? So he will not live a poor life ?
How many times she checked on him after he went to the prince villa ? What about her having a happy life with her lover+ child and shut the door in his face after he already became a prince and came to visit her in his birthday?
I felt it wrong how they normalized *child abuse* here .....
I can't take the fact that she *sacrificed her life* for Su Yi shui and got redemption and respect !
**Finally**🌿🍁
I have kind of love-hate relationship with "xianxia" genre . I can't tolerate dramatic xianxia tropes but I love fantasy very much. The starting was strong but as the story continued it became draggy , repetitive and lost it's initial charm !
The action scenes, costumes, visuals, production and CGI are really good . I will not say the world building is best here, but it's not bad either. As we are given a chance to explore the Mortal realm , divine realm, conscious realm, royal family, immortal-demon sects etc. Also the ost is really beautiful.
So , if you love xianxia or Wuxia you can give it a chance .Overall LOTDT is okay to me .
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This review may contain spoilers
A Refreshing Xianxia: Grounded in Human Cultivation with a Truly Satisfying Ending
I've got so much to share after finishing the final episodes, and there's a lot to unpack. Overall, this is undoubtedly one of the best xianxia dramas I've ever seen in a very VERYYY long time.Unique Focus:
Although it’s a xianxia drama, the story centers on human cultivation rather than the usual celestial realm themes, which is a refreshing change. There are plenty of twists, and even the villains add a humorous touch. Instead of the typical portrayal where sect leaders are bad guys pretending to be good, unreasonable, here they follow their own moral compass—they have flaws in the views but at the end of the day when it really maters, they are willing to help fight and defend what they believe is best for humanity.
Power Couple:
The male and female leads are a true power couple. Their partnership, especially when they fight side by side, is nothing short of spectacular. Both are extremely intelligent and communicate well, so even if there are misunderstandings they eventually talk it out. There's a lot of weird dynamics here which is fun. The FL as master and the ML as apprentice. The ML as master and the FL as apprentice. The ML & FL both being apprentices. The Ml & FL both being masters... yup. that's the dynamic lol but it's entertaining as heck. The angst are angsty, the sweet scenes are nicely sugar coated.
Engaging Side Characters:
It’s been a while since I cheered for side couples. With five additional pairings, each with their own bittersweet story, the supporting characters add a delightful depth to the drama. I especially liked Wei Jiu. He's literally a villain that tries his best to be bad. I've never seen a villain that has villain codes...as in what in what is acceptable/unacceptable for a villain to do. He's a team rocket member that gets blasted away every time but always come back to try again.
Satisfying Ending:
The ending is far from typical for xianxia dramas. The final episode takes its time wrapping everything up, offering a candid and well-paced finale without resorting to making an extra episode to appease fans. There's also no "lets dedicate the last min to our main couple staring at each other" or "lets have one of them sacrifice each other so the other can live on in the end". I havent been so satisified with an ending in a while and It just makes the feeling of watching this drama feels so good after everything that happened.
Stunning Visuals:
The CGI stays impressive throughout the series, culminating in a grand finale of epic special effects. The integration of real nature scenes—like the sea, waterfalls, bamboo forests, farmlands, and cliffs—creates an incredibly immersive experience. I can't remember the last xianxia where there's so many dedicated real-scenes locations.
Outstanding Performances:
The entire cast delivers strong performances. I don't have any negative thing to say about anybody performance here. Even the bad people in the drama did really well in their portrayal. Deng Wei’s acting in Love of the Divine Tree truly stands out for me. His expressive eyes shift effortlessly from gentle sweetness to intense fury to deep sadness. His tearful scenes always move me, and his smile is simply contagious.
There’s so much more to discuss, but overall, this drama is hands down one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, despite a few minor flaws. It's definitely one that I would actually recommend to my friends and one with a high rewatch value.
Edit:
MQG is SYS's Moon, and SRR is SYS's Sun. Coming from the same soul, they both provided him with light during his darkest days.
MQG lit the way for SYS when all he could see ahead was darkness and hate. She gave him a home, a choice to change his destiny, and the reassurance that he deserves to be happy and experience all the sweetness the world has to offer. She believed in him when no one else did.
SRR showed SYS that he could be loved and forgiven. Living with regret and depression, feeling unworthy of happiness because of his past and unable to forgive himself, he found warmth, reassurance, and care in her presence —just as the Sun nurtures life, she reminded him that he, too, could heal, grow, and shine again.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Romantic&Light Xian Xia
While this seem to just another XianXia cdrama trope. Master-disciple , reincarnation and etc. But the feel probably will be different especially with how romance is shown. Im a sucker for "undying love between 2" trope in romance.However what I like about this drama is how the main cp know their own hearts and sort of follow it. (Even though right now ML is supressing it in order to help and fulfill his master wish but I am sure that soon he will do what he wants).
Su Yishui and Ranran scenes are just so worth giggling for. And I have big smile everytime their sweet scenes come. I guess i like this trope of cold but devoted ml and bubbly cute and straight forward fl.
I like everyone actings here. They all just fit to their roles.
And the cinematography and cgi (for c drama) is perfect. I hope to see more of the white tiger in upcoming eps both its original size and the small cute one. The lightning in fighting scenes do not bother me like some other Xian Xias do.
And the osts are just so nice. I love all the 6 songs i have listened. But my two favourites will be One Tree, Two People by Tia Ray and Circle of Fate by Liu Yining.
Update on my thoughts (Spoilers 🚨)
The production and CGI never fails till the end.
I love all the actions and fighting scenes. Its 100/10 for me.
As for the story, I love how we SYS/MQG loves each other as shown. I was giggling in most of their scene.
The ending is actually quite happy. (Feel rushed a little)
I am grateful this adaptation keeps many characters alive just like in novel. But i find the last scene to be very childish cringe in way they (mature cultivators ) taking token to be domestic slave. Lol Imany find it cute. I just cant. 😅 WHY CANT THEY DO IT TOGETHER which would be more fulfilling for me.
All in all I enjoy the show despite something i wish there is. My overall score is 9.5/10.
(I personally prefer the novel and the build up plot for the divine tree. Guess i prefer more grounded Ranran in novel although I do appreciate straight forwardness of mqg/rr in the drama. Im annoyed mqg was quite nice to Suyu in drama even after things happened. Another thing is I dont like this lotus freeze technique to torture ML whenever he felt emotion. And him having to push away fl when she confessed . I prefer the version of novel more in which Su Yishui can control Spirit Spring to a level. I somehow did not feel hes pushy. Besides i, as novel fan, also cut score drama for cutting out on their original lives in heaven while ML was sent to mortal world as demon child and why MQG had to recruit and forced him to be her disciple. I much prefer how in novel he is demon immortal and can control his demonic power to use it very consciously , not actually possessed by it as shown in later eps in drama. Of course these are just my personal preferences. )
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One of the best and most satisfying xianxias I have watched!
Most viewers who have seen this drama will agree that Love of the Divine Tree has been an amazing ride.I have read the novel, and I appreciate the screenwriter 刘芳 Liu Fang's immense efforts to preserve as much of the novel as possible while updating the story for drama so that its more exciting and flows more logically.
I really can't nitpick on anything in this drama.
From the casting of Deng Wei as the perfect, breathing Su Yi Shui, to the fresh-faced ingénue Xiang Hanzhi as Mu Qingge and Xue Ranran, to every other cast ( except Medicine Immortal who is not as beautiful as he should have been - hahaha ), just watching these talented ensemble perform is a wonderful experience.
Next we have costumes that flow like fairy garments, designed by the very popular 易小雅 Yi Xiaoya. The sets designs combined with fake and actual scenery whenever they could, made for a very immersive and gorgeous scenery vibes we cannot get off a high tech cold LED screen.
Then the Visual Effects. Certainly it cannot compare to HBO's Game of Thrones level but to be fair, its really the best I have seen so far for a Cdrama. They really did their best with their budget. The aesthetics end result was pleasing and even amazing at times. They tried their best to bring the story to life.
As a director, 尹涛 Yin Tao really suits my aesthetic tastes. He knows how to direct and what to present. The finished drama feels sincere and well put together. Its truly 良心制作. I can consider it a masterpiece of xianxia.
OST, we have the veteran singers and some of these songs will be looping in our minds for a long time. They also appear in the drama subtly. My only complaint is the subs of the songs go almost to the middle of the screen and covers the actors faces. lol
AHEM when we are trying to watch them kiss, please relocate these annoying subs!
So far the most amazing thing this drama has achieved with me is, I did not fast forward but only rewind when I missed things.
Hope you will find this review helpful and experience this for yourself!
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