The Journey of Legend

Best ever fight scene! Great wuxia!

I am absolutely obsessed with The Journey of Legend. It’s not your average wuxia drama; it's a rare find that completely hooked me with its emotional core, killer mystery, and a really cool transmigration twist.

Now, some people say the start is slow, but I totally disagree. For me, the pacing is perfect—it’s brilliant! It just nails the foundational setup, giving you all the space to understand Ming Ming's inner turmoil. Watching him get thrown into Qui Shui's body and life is so affecting. You can practically feel his resistance, his painful, step-by-step acceptance, and then his incredible emotional awakening. It’s portrayed with such raw, subtle power.

What truly elevates this show is its deep dive into morality. The Qui Shui we see is the epitome of chivalry—he is 100% righteous and dedicated to justice, unshakeable in his principles. This drama's brilliance lies in exploring how his pure integrity clashes with the harsh realities of the world.

The Acting Blew Me Away and Made Me Think
The mystery element is fantastic, with loyalties shifting all over the place. But the real game-changer is Cheng Yi's dual role. Seriously, it's a masterclass. He doesn't just play the complex Qui Shui; he fully embodies the cold, calculated hidden boss, Li Chen Zhou. Both characters actually share the same ultimate goal, but their paths are wildly different: Qui Shui focuses on principle, while Li Chen Zhou is fixated on results. This contrast forces you, the audience, to constantly weigh their choices and decide what road you would take. The way Cheng Yi flips between these two completely different people is seamless and electric. That performance alone seriously ratcheted up the whole narrative tension!

The production is just so well put together. The fight scenes are immaculate—honestly, the best I've ever seen! They are tight, fast, and totally purposeful—no over-the-top fluff here. Every move matters. The OST is gorgeous and hits you right in the feels during both the emotional and action moments. Everything about the cinematography and costuming feels elegant and focused. (I do have one minor gripe though: the post-production is a little lacking due to noticeable editing and timeline flaws. It's nothing major, and the story quality shines through, but it’s the one small thing I wish they’d polished more.)

Final Thoughts: Don't Miss Out
The Journey of Legend is a rich, emotional slow-burn that completely rewards viewers who love nuance, genuine character growth, and mature storytelling. If you’re like me and you're tired of surface-level hype, you need this sincere, intelligent, and heartfelt story in your life. Seriously, stop what you’re doing and start watching!

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Not the best wuxia BUT still entertaining and good fight scenes

It is my humble opinion that one should only write review if he or she has completed watching the series. The earlier part of the series was a bit messy but it did get better after api 13 or so. Cheng Yi was emo and cried a lot as Xiao Qiu Shui but i could understand it as he is a modern person travelled into ancient time. I feel that its his way of interpretation but most people are unable to accept or misunderstand his interpretation/performance. I love every scene of Li ChenZhou and Cheng yi nailed it. Other actors all did their job well too esp the villain of the show. The series also promotes a lot of moral and good values. What is the purpose of living? It is to live with joy, live without any regrets, live life to its fullest but doing the right things. Overall my entire family enjoyed watching the series but we wont say its the best series of 2025. I would say that the production team do indeed need to reflect on their work as they could have done a lot better.

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A Mixed Bag of Brilliance and Disappointment

I wanted to give 9 stars, but the ending of the last episode took this 9th star away... I've just finished watching and I really don't know what I feel now. It's just a mix of disappointment and sadness. Anyway, I've already watched so many brilliant dramas with a richly deserved 10, I cannot give it here even a 9. 对不起。

The story is about – well, what do you know? So surprising! – the triumph of good over evil. But for me, the deeper meaning is you cannot judge someone from your first impression, cause you can be mistaken about this person. Those who look vicious can turn out quite good and the other way around.

The whole drama is very uneven. There are some great episodes and some boring ones, where the action's moving so slow I was fast-forwarding... The first episodes were not something I'd expected. The plot twisted at the 32nd episode, making the drama go on in an interesting way. But the ending was not as joyful as probably most of the viewers expected.

I highly appreciate the fighting scenes. Cheng Yi is still irreplaceable in acting out martial arts in the best way. Even when he was injured while filming, he continued. I take my hat off to him.

On the character front, my feelings are mixed. Liu Sui Feng is a character I ultimately could not understand. He had potential, but finally turned out to be a monotonous figure with only one expression. Similarly, the main hero, Xiao Qui Shui, wasn't very interesting or surprisingly acted for me. This was in stark contrast to his second brother, who pretended to be calm, protective, and lovely, but turned out to be... well, you'll see for yourself ;)

Ultimately, my absolute favourite is Li Chenzhou. There's something very mystic in his composure, calm demeanor, and deep voice. (And that white hair... ;)) What I loved most was that his profound love for his wife never needed grand confessions—you could simply feel it in his every action and silent gaze. It leaves you wondering about the man behind the mystery: just how many years of life and loss are hidden behind that timeless, dignified presence?

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Decent start, draggy middle, confusing end

If anything could be the saving grace of the show, it would be the visual candy of Cheng Yi and Xu Zhen Xuan, along with the fight scenes which were truly quite epic.

Plot: The start was entertaining enough, and felt reminiscent of ADWAD but with a slight spin to the usual delivery, which led to some interest in how they would resolve the time travel (spoiler: the conclusion was unsatisfying). But somehow the pace or direction of the show was lacking, and quite a few scenes were fast forwarded as opposed to watching it in the entirety to understand/appreciate the plot. Said plot ended up being too convoluted, with too many sub-plots without a clear direction, like a cook adding too many ingredients when the focus should be on a few key ingredients and making the flavors pop.

Characters: Not sure if it was the direction or acting skills itself, but most of the supporting characters did not make much of an impression. There's not enough backstory to explain why they acted the way they did, and sometimes the actions of the main villain/antagonists just did not make sense, or overly contrived. Yeah sure some parts could be inferred, but cramming so many different subplots made it feel more like the additions were an afterthought, instead of intentional characterizations to bring the story to life. To be honest, even Xiao Qiu Shui's character growth seemed a bit bizzare, and the portrayal of his headstrong/childish (?) moments also feel a bit flat. The brief moments of supposed chemistry/sparks between XQS and Tang Fang also felt rather dull...

OST: Other than that one main OST, the other songs didn't make much of an impression.

Ultimately, I'm not sure what the show was trying to convey (other than serving great visual candy, lol). Granted, yes, there was quite a bit of exposition on ideals and how to fight the big baddies, with the usual notes of brotherhood, sacrifice and care for others, but maybe the message was not strong enough to hammer in the points? idk. As compared to ADWAD, A moment but forever, there were certain themes or messages that could be gleaned from the story, which made it feel more than surface visual entertainment, and left some food for thought.

Nonetheless, there were some highlights such as the pairing of Li Chen Zhou and Zhao Shi Rong, and the camaraderie in the brotherhood, especially with Tang Song. It's actually really enjoyable to see both LCZ and XQS together, because Cheng Yi portrays them so distinctly - but it also raises some questions on why they look similar. Afterall, they could have just pretended that the characters did not notice the similarities in appearance, but no, the similarities were highlighted multiple times! But even till the end of the show I had no idea why the creative direction was as such, other than wagering a guess that they were representing two opposing approaches to achieving their goals for the martial world/country??

TLDR, can watch just for Cheng Yi and the fight scenes, but don't expect to gain much out of it, and possibly feel a bit disgruntled even at the ending hahaha.

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This drama is well executed and projected.

At first, the drama seemed a little light-hearted. As we watched it continuously, it got deeper and deeper not only picking the interest but touching the hearts of many. Very great drama with exceptional execution of the fight scenes and heartfelt acting. The drama set the bar high to me and I can't find any drama with such astounding fight scenes. (I am very particular when it comes to fight scenes because I love watching martial arts).

I love how the story unfolded and I realized how difficult it is to be a hero, seeking righteous justice. The denouement broke my heart but it made me realize that no matter how painful the consequences are, if we're doing something for righteousness, we should accept the duty, responsibility and result. Too much for my soft heart but too good to be disregarded.

I love the osts here and hearing them from time to time pleases my ears.

This is the BEST drama I've ever watched despite its flaws. Congratulations to all who contributed to the success of this drama! Salute to you all!!!💙💙💙💙

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I do not think Cheng Yi wants to be in this role

If he is not looking bored, he looks pained, or numb. There is zero chemistry or connection between the characters of any kind either the supposed friendships, family ties, or ML-FL. The story is just all over the place. Some of the makeup and characters are trying so hard to be strange or funny it is painful. The CGI and editing are shoddy. The fight scenes are predictable and not exciting or interesting to watch. Chen Yi gets to be a fashion plate with a lot of different outfits but hey at least he has cute clothes. Man I could go on and on but why. I am sticking with it because I am hoping at some point after the endlessly long scenery and character establishment there will be something more fun to watch, but not holding my breath. I am actually quite sad for CY because I know he has a huge fan following and I do think he is a decent actor or at least I liked him very much in Mysterious Lotus Casebook. But this is just not good.

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I highly recommend this drama, even though I'm not a fan of wuxia dramas.

I'm not a big fan of wuxia dramas, but I confess that the plot captivated my attention because, naturally, a contemporary person might feel a bit confused when transported to a world of swords and spears. The drama's plot focuses on how a modern person overcomes this challenge of adaptation without masking the characters' fears and character flaws.

I simply admired the director's concern for building the drama's plot with a transparency that prioritizes honesty in human relationships as they simply are: with fears, flaws, and the willpower to overcome them.

As the protagonist delves deeper into the world he's been transported to, everything starts to become interesting.

The lead actor, Cheng Yi, demonstrates a high level of commitment to the performance, delivering great professionalism in the combat scenes and in the scenes of dialogue and internal contradictions.

When the viewer pays attention to the drama's details, they can perceive when situations begin and at what point they change.

All the fight scenes are truly surreal and demonstrate the actors' effort to naturally deliver every move with a high level of mastery.

The OST combined with the cast's performances made this drama an excellent entertainment option. I highly recommend this drama, even though I'm not a fan of wuxia dramas.

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Perhaps Worlds Don’t End When They Collapse – Reflection on The Journey of Legends Finale

When I reached the end of The Journey of Legends, I didn’t see Xiao Mingming’s awakening in his own world as a simple return — but as something far deeper.

Even though the Magic Codex world appeared to collapse, I believe it didn’t truly vanish. Instead, it released him — not as punishment or closure, but as an invitation. Perhaps that world wanted him to experience his own character’s emotions more vividly: to walk through the pain, love, and wonder he once only imagined.

His awakening, then, wasn’t a reset — it was a realization. The world of the Codex didn’t die; it transformed into something internal, something only he could carry forward. Through that collapse, Mingming gained clarity, empathy, and a new creative pulse. He didn’t escape the story — he became it.

To me, the ending suggests that the Magic Codex world wanted him to see, not just to write — to understand that some worlds collapse not to end, but to be reborn through the one who remembers them.

It’s a beautifully symbolic finale — one that blurs the line between creation and creator, between fiction and awakening.

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What a Messy Journey

Xiao Mingming was a wuxia novel writer who was facing confrontation from his colleague at the office. Frustrated about going forward with his novel progress, he stayed up at night to work on the novel using an AI software and at some point he somehow woke up as the novel’s protagonist, Xiao Qiushui. Although XMM wrote XQS emerging to be a top warrior at the early age of 20, he realized he had transmigrated into XQS’s body before all the many cheat-powerups he wrote for the protagonist happened. The AI software made contact with him and gave him some quite ridiculous tasks, which sound impossible to achieve with his mediocre martial ability, in order for him to exit the novel world. With that, he embarked on his journey to initially find a way out but eventually found himself treading the road to find his self worth.

It is hard for me to admit that this time, Cheng Yi falls short from my expectation, as Mysterious Lotus Casebook had been my first show of his and he was superb there. MLC set the bar very high, which tJoL failed to reach even halfway.

First off, I feel that the supposedly familial relationship between ML and his “storybook” family lacked substance that it made me fail to relate to the deep attachment that ML somehow grew for them in that short time that he spent with them after his transmigration, especially when ML was well aware that he was in a mere storybook and trying to get out. The sentiment just looked too fake, same goes to the camarederie that they try so hard to emulate among the youth gang that ML led (dang i forgot the name they made for their group). And since i could not relate to the relationship the screenwriter tried so hard to force down the viewers’ throats, I find all those crying and grief by most of the characters look fake too, their unconvincing crying ability only made it look worse. And it really gets on my nerves when ML turned into a crybaby after his fallout from his brothers. He cries at almost everything when it comes to his family, and those flashbacks that supposed to conjure up the lamentful feeling on the viewers? - Epic fail. Screenwriter tried too hard, showed those flashbacks too repetitively and eventually failed miserably to reach to the audience. Though I can’t speak for others, at least i can speak for myself as a viewer.

The most useless character without any depth is probably the first bro Xiao Yiren. It is quite a shame that the screenwriter decided to paint him as a dense and brainless little fellow when his background made him up to be quite a remarkable person who is supposed to be one of the most eligible bachelors out there. For an elder brother who was supposed to be a role model for his younger siblings, he has no respect and trust for his brothers at all, and would rather believe an outsider than his own blood. He is so gullible and yet showing so much shortfused temper when XQS admitted he was the one who took Liu Siufeng in. I mean, how is he any different than XQS with Liu Siufeng? Did he forget that he was ready to bring in the Sword King into the bunker? That little brother of his literally died to prevent him from doing this and now he was all worked up because the break-in happened anyway as if XQS wanted it to happen? For someone who was supposed to be intelligent and wise as a young leader of a sect, he showed none of this. Their brotherhood isnt convincing even in the earlier episodes as I mentioned before. He kept getting duped and influenced over and over again like an oblivious little puppy who had just ventured out into the world. This, when it was written that this character was supposed to be the most experienced of Jianghu among the three brothers. Oh what an absolute joke. This character is just one of many who acts incoherent to their written background, like the screenwriter got fedup halfway and said “to hell with it,” and then went on to write in blindfold. I am particularly disappointed with Crazy Yan because he also fell into the screenwriter’s ‘to hell with it’ syndrome when this character plumetted steadily from top fighter to top loser with unremarkable and very forgettable ending. Gosh Crazy Yan couldve been so much more with greater impact. But nope. The screenwriter said ‘to hell with it’ so to hell it goes.

I also find the supposedly subtle romance between Tang Fang and XQS to be too unreal. I just don’t see the spark. And that marriage promise between them looked lame and corny instead of comical that the screenwriter intended. Basically the whole plot of this show is too messy and all over the place with characters behaving incoherently against their written predisposition. The screenwriter failed to create comedic scenes that it ended up being slapstick and forced. There’s also too much chivalry speeches before fighting and useless draggy scenes that my fast forward button had to work overtime and my thumb constantly on overdrive. Everything didnt seem to work into becoming the scenes they were supposed to be, it’s simply an epic failure.

The premise looked too similar to the cdrama ‘A Dream within A Dream’ that i felt the screenwriter was trying too hard to copy its style, but this time the end product seemed to be of Grade D when ADwAD had been Grade A, especially when they started to show signs of possible other modern person transmigrating into the storybook (like how the screenwriter went into the story to rectify the plot in ADwAD) on episode 26. Like for real? I don’t watch much of novel transmigration drama so I am not sure if this is a common trope, but the similarities between the two that I’ve seen is just too cringy when one failed too miserably.

I think ML and FL are particularly lousy at crying scenes, especially ML with his supposedly overdone red eyes, like he sprayed too much onion juice into his eyes before the take. And this didnt look great when he’s supposed to cry (fakely) every few episodes that i began to label him a crybaby. Honestly Cheng Yi should stick to cold and aloof type of characters, he’s great with those - Li Chenzhou was awesome, and avoid characters that have more than two crying scenes until he learn to cry convincingly. The only one who looked good at crying here is the one who played Xiao Xueyu, i can really feel her devastation when she realized her third brother might have perished, but thats just about it. The rest of the cast failed miserably, they should go back to acting school specifically to learn how to cry. Other than the lack of substance, this unconvincing crying is also why I could not feel the sadness when characters started dying. Unlike A Journey to Love’s pointless and unnecessary character massacre that left me bawling at each death even when on rewatch, the character deaths here on TJoL seem pointless and “meh”. I failed to feel for them, sorry.

Poison trope is abundant here. People keep getting poisoned left and right but none of it really do anything but make people faint or deplete neili (but they regain them shortly after since they had no problem fighting with inner strength). And of course when any of the mainleads gets poisoned, stabbed, sliced or crushed, all they suffered was fainting which theyd just get up and start kicking again after a good night sleep. After episode 20, i contemplated on dropping this title so many times, the only thing that kept me going was the curiosity of the real mastermind in the mask.

Such a lengthy negative review, is there anything positive at all? Well the fight choreograph is good, hat’s off the the action choreographer team! All the hand-to-hand combat and swordplay turned out to be impressive and not boring. They look fierce and yet also graceful. I especially love ML’s swordplay cuz he looked formidable with every swing like he really trained hard for it. Same goes to rest of the cast. If only they tried as hard at crying too.

Oh and before i get accused of being a hater or biased for this review, to be honest, of all the casts, i only recognized Cheng Yi from Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Although i have seen Eleanor Lee in Fake Princess I didnt recognize her until I saw the list of casts when her character made an appearance while I was watching (I like to look up the casts in accordance to character appearances to see if i have seen them in other drama). So you can’t say I am biased against the show or any of the casts because Cheng Yi actually left a deep impression on me for his performance in MLC, and I was more satisfied of Eleanor’s performance on Fake Princess than her co star, so I actually started watching this title with a pretty high expectation. Being an objective viewer, I cant possibly rate any higher when the show doesnt match even the baseline of my expectation, even if it had my favourite actors on it (Cheng Yi isnt my fav actor, but i have rated low for some series starred by my fav actress Zhao Liying).

So that’s it. You might like this if youre a Cheng Yi fan, but if you’re not, oh well don’t put too much expectation before watching and maybe you won’t be as disappointed as me.

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Life imitating art

This wuxia and transmigration drama may look great on paper - solid cast, great choreography for the fights, and a transmigration storyline - but its execution is much more mixed. The use of transmigrating a character from modern day to ancient China is not a new story device, and here, it indeed feels stale and underused. I found that it did not add much to the overall storyline. If it were completely removed from the story - everything would have flowed just fine.

As far as wuxia goes, the story does attempt to bring out some classic elements - the brotherhood, the chivalry, and the search for a more just world, but not everything melds together well. For a whopping 40 episodes, it seems like not a whole lot is explored more deeply whether it is character arcs or thematic developments. For a cast featuring Cheng Yi at the helm and a slew of many other experienced actors, it is a bit of a wasted opportunity.

The fights are truly exhilarating - and it is still worth checking this out for this and for some great moments of drama scattered through the duration of the story. The soundtrack boasts a few great tracks from various singers, but the instrumental music is a hit or miss for me.

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