NOT THE BEST OF CHENG YI ACTING.
*The Journey of Legend* had the potential to be a powerful drama, but it ended up unbalanced. The script itself was not bad—there were solid story beats and villains who were so evil they made the plot feel dark and heavy, which actually worked in its favor.The weakest link was definitely the female lead. Her off-screen scandals destroyed the immersion. No matter how the character was written, it was impossible to separate her from the controversies. Instead of feeling sympathy or connection, I felt annoyance whenever she appeared. It’s a huge flaw when an actor’s personal baggage overshadows the story.
Cheng Yi, however, was the saving grace. His performance carried the drama with heart and intensity. The pain he showed after having his wugong stripped away was raw and convincing—you could truly feel his suffering. He gave more than what the drama itself deserved. At the same time, his role as the youngest brother felt frustrating. He tried to help, but his brothers ignored him and never trusted him. He was left to follow, always treated as the “little brother,” while the elder brother—who was clearly not the smartest—chose to believe outsiders instead of his own blood. This dynamic made Cheng Yi’s character even more pitiful and tragic.
The only real disappointment from Cheng Yi’s side was how his voice was handled. Instead of the usual strength and clarity, it often sounded weak and strained, almost like he was dying. Whether this was a production choice or a post-editing issue, it did not do justice to his acting.
In short, the villains were convincingly evil, the script was fine, and Cheng Yi poured everything into his role. But the female lead’s scandals, the poor treatment of Cheng Yi’s voice, and the frustrating family dynamics dragged the drama down, turning what could have been great into something disappointing.
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Cheng Yi’s first flop drama
Neither inspiring nor entertaining. One moment he needs to learn how to fight and become a hero, and the next he is suddenly fighting like a hero—then again he doesn’t know how to do it, and the same loop repeats. The fights are boring. If it weren’t for him, I would have dropped it after episode 3, but I pushed myself to be patient and see how it would progress, only to be left disappointed.I like this actor a lot, and I know he can deliver top performances, but in this drama something felt off and unnatural—from his acting, to how he looked, to the costumes. The pink outfit at the start didn’t suit him at all, and the rest looked cheap. The scene of him standing in the pouring rain with perfectly dry clothes and hair was ridiculous. The shallow conversations and cheap, banal comedy only made it worse. The script is boring.
I really didn’t enjoy anything about this drama, I’m not even sure what genre this drama was meant to be, since it doesn’t fit into any I’ve watched so far.
I am looking forward to his next two dramas, hopefully, the scripts and directors will make better use of his skills. I do like Cheng Yi very much, but I don’t want to be biased when rating something that, in my opinion, is simply not good. I also think he still has room to mature as an actor. This role didn’t suit him, or maybe the director wasn’t good enough, and he isn’t yet at the level to pull off all kinds of roles.
I couldn’t make it past episode 8.
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Watch it
Watch it for yourself. It’s lighthearted at first and then takes you on a crazy ride.The acting is top notch and the budget is well spent. I love the action scenes so much. And there are so many action scenes that keeps you glued to your screen .
costumes are beautiful as well. I won’t spoil too much because like all dramas stories kicks in halfway through.
The negative reviews all seem from silly fanwars which is unnecessary. So watch it for yourself before you judge :)
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The Journey of Legend 赴山海: A Hero’s Path, Three Faces
🔹 What would you do if the only way to survive in your world was to live as someone you're not?🔹 Would I rewatch? No
✨ When the lines blur between reader and hero, can loyalty carry you through a world not your own?
📕 Overview
🔹 40 episodes, wuxia
🔹 Adapted from the novel Shen Zhou Qi Xia (神州奇侠) by Wen Rui An
🔹 Cheng Yi as Xiao Ming Ming: an ordinary man pulled into the pages of his beloved martial arts world
🔹 Cheng Yi as Xiao Qiu Shui: the young, impulsive swordsman he becomes
🔹 Xiao Ming Ming uses his company's immersive writing system, the Magic Compendium, and unexpectedly finds himself living in his own novel, where he must evolve from a novice into a true hero.
🔹 At the time of this review, early episodes have aired
🌸 How It Felt Watching
🔹The narrative shifts quickly from contemporary life to a martial world, focusing on clans, loyalty, and moral challenges.
🔹For me, it felt nostalgic and warm, like stepping back into a beloved old martial arts paperback.
🔹 Themes: loyalty, courage, righteousness, family bonds, and identity.
🔹 I enjoyed the energetic fight scenes and the message, but the slow pacing and heavy filters occasionally distracted me.
✨ Cast & Acting
🔹 Cheng Yi as Xiao Ming Ming / Xiao Qiu Shui / Li Chenzhou: committed in action and expressive, although his emotions sometimes felt repetitive.
🔹 Gulnazar as Xiao Xueyu: is likable, I liked how she balanced out the tension around her
🔹 The supporting cast brought in some laughs and created tension, but the female characters often felt a bit shallow, which made me wish they had more depth.
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 The atmosphere embraced classic wuxia elements with dynamic choreography and a nostalgic, retro aesthetic.
🔹 The costumes were detailed but not extravagant, prioritizing homage over spectacle.
🔹The CGI was inconsistent; at times it had a fun, nostalgic style, while at other moments it felt distracting.
🔹 The pacing began slowly, and the side characters were not as well-developed as the main characters.
☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked: Cheng Yi's dedication, loyalty themes, and nostalgic martial arts elements resonated well.
🔹 What didn’t: The CGI is inconsistent, the pacing is slow, and the supporting roles lack depth.
🔹 Would I rewatch? No
☕ SpillTheDramaTea’s Rating: 7/10
🌿 Tea-Scale: A plain cup, fine but needs a better pour
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, I loved cheering for the scrappy hero.
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More exciting parts yet to reveal
As a modern and sentimental person, Xiao Ming Ming (Cheng Yi) is teleported to the troubled martial arts world, and it’s challenging for him to fully adapt as Xiao Qiu Shui. He struggles to be pragmatic enough to save the chaotic world, as he hasn’t yet unlocked his full potential in fighting skills. This is understandable for someone crossing dimensions, so it takes time for him to adjust to his new role, which Cheng Yi portrays brilliantly. Nevertheless, I’m excited for more thrilling moments, mind-blowing stunts, and the introduction of new characters in the unfolding story. And of course, the hottest highlight has to be the captivating villain, "Li Chen Zhou"! Let’s journey through this legendary tale until the end.Was this review helpful to you?
So, nope, I definitely won’t rewatch this.
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This review may contain spoilers
Boring plot, dream while man is dying in coma. Nonsence plot
First , except Cheng Yi other actors are very ordinary, they dont look like actors. But, all actors act good. Cheng Yi has extraordinary good martial arts skills here, difficult choreography , but he does it great! so skilled!So ALL actors act great. Martial arts of all actors is great.
Plot is real nonsence. I pushem my self to watch next eposides, and I watched all 40 but its boring.
Too many wide stories, I cant follow all characters, I cant follow what is point of story and story doesnt have a point, because its unconnected dream of man who is in coma and who will die in end.
Its very depresive, to know that story is coma dream, has no sense.
cant be compared to Lotus tower.
MUSIC is too loud!!!!! sometimes, voices of actors are not heard, because music is too loud! that is huuuuge huge lack of drama, and who ever added music, shouldnt work in fim industry anymore, he destroyed sound completely!!!! that person has no capability for music, no talent no ear!
and also I didnt liked date of release drama. it was 9/11. If they waited few years to release drama, why choosing so bad date when 3000 people are killed in america in twin towers ?
and in morning of day of premiere, as you know, actor yu menglong was murdered, and there is entire drama around that among citisens in china......... it was bad date for release drama.....
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IMO - another flop idol costume drama. Please no more stupid plot.
The Journey of Legend is yet another idol historical costume drama that falls short in its delivery.I watched about eight episodes, but I can no longer find the motivation to continue with it. The fighting scenes were good, but also had over-the-top choreography that came across as unrealistic.
The plot is so dull and draggy that I do not find it engaging, let alone waste my time watching 40 episodes of it.
Synopsis: Once a spirited young man full of passion and justice, Xiao Ming Ming has grown disillusioned with reality and now lives a timid, unremarkable life, finding solace in writing martial arts novels online. When his company develops an immersive AI-based writing system that projects users into their own stories, he inputs a martial arts outline and becomes the protagonist, Xiao Qiu Shui. Within this virtual world, Xiao Qiu Shui faces betrayal, loss, and endless trials — from the deadly schemes of the Power Sect to the death of his sworn brother Tang Rou and the fall of his family. Through hardship and bloodshed, the once-fearful swordsman grows into a true hero upholding loyalty and righteousness, while Xiao Ming Ming’s fading heartbeat blurs the line between fiction and reality.
My Reviews:
1. Acting: 5
2. Script: 4
3. Music/OST: 5
4. Production Quality: 6
5. Cinematography: 5
6. Rewatchable: 3
7. On-Screen Chemistry: 3
Overall Rating: 4.5
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing Despite the Hype
This drama came highly recommended by a friend who's a big fan of Cheng Yi. She mentioned it was an S+ production and that Cheng Yi’s dramas never go wrong. However, after a few episodes, I honestly began to question the standard of what’s considered S+ these days.My personal opinions from the episodes I picked up so far:
1. Production Quality. The overall production falls short of what I expect from a top-tier drama. The CGI looks unsophisticated and at times even distracting. The cinematography feels flat and lacks visual depth, making the scenes appear two-dimensional. Some of the fight scenes are so chaotic that they’re difficult to follow.
2. Costume Design. The costume design, particularly for the ML, is quite underwhelming. Some outfits are overly plain . There is a set in particular, a simple white and pink ensemble with a matching sash, appeared to lack any styling effort. While a few other costumes lean too heavily into a feminine aesthetic, which feels out of sync with the ML’s character and presence. Furthermore his hairstyle looks unkempt in some non-action scenes.
3. ML's Acting & Line Delivery. Given that this is a time-travel drama, I expected more comedic or confused reactions from the ML as he adjusts to an unfamiliar world. Unfortunately, his performance feels flat, lacking the emotional range or expression the situation demands. It was so flat that both his character and the overall tone of the scenes come across as dull and even exhausting to watch. Even more frustrating is his line delivery where his enunciation is so unclear that I often have to rely on subtitles and even rewind to catch the details I missed from reading the subtitles. This makes it impossible to watch at 1.5x speed or multitask, which is quite a drawback. Instead, I’m forced to focus entirely on the screen, which only draws more attention to the flaws in his delivery and acting.
4. Storyline & Logic. The plot has quite a few logical inconsistencies. For example, the ML’s mother shows a baffling level of bias towards him, despite his older brother being clearly more sensible and responsible. The time-travel aspect is also poorly executed that I feel it was added to tap on the AI hype. And no one seems to notice or question the ML’s odd behaviour, which feels lacking from a writing standpoint.
Final Thoughts:
Personally, this drama feels like a letdown, especially considering the S+ label and the high expectations surrounding Cheng Yi’s performance. Ironically, it’s the weight of these labels and glowing fan reviews that set the bar so high, only for the drama to fall short in several key areas.
Without all the surrounding hype, I feel it still a watchable show. My friend mentions the story picks up after episode 8, but honestly, I think I’ve seen enough. Perhaps this series will still appeal to devoted fans. For me, it just didn’t deliver.
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2025’s Biggest Scam Disguised as a ‘Wuxia’ Drama
I went into The Journey Legend hoping for a real wuxia drama, but what I got is nothing short of insulting. They brag about a 300 million RMB budget (over 40 million USD), yet the result looks like a cheap train wreck project. Where did that money go?! It was not spent on sets, not on costumes, not on CGI, and clearly not on training the cast.The director deserves to be called out first. This is not his first time messing up with fake-looking productions, but somehow he keeps getting projects. Scenes are lifeless and flat, fights lack any weight, and the endless green screen shortcuts kill every trace of immersion. Instead of building the world of rivers and lakes, he reduces wuxia into a cartoon backdrop with no soul. He cannot stage action, cannot handle pacing, and his “vision” is just filters and fog covering up flaws. Covering wireworks with Microsoft paint level of fogs was not only lazy but straight up trash! With that kind of trash direction, no one in the world can save the final product.
And then there is Cheng Yi. He is completely exposed in this drama. His performance is unbearable, his face bloated, his energy off, and his line delivery so unclear that audiences joke he sounds like he has phlegm stuck in his throat. He tries to act youthful and lively, but his exaggerated grimaces just look clownish, while his age and tired appearance make the attempt even more painful. Worst of all, he relies on green men and wires for almost everything. The irony is brutal: a supposed physical ‘fit’ ’martial’ actor who cannot even get on a horse by himself. For a self declared martial actor, that branding is beyond embarrassing.
The styling only adds insult. Costumes look like 100% polyester, flimsy and cheap. Pink robes, weird braids, and nude-colored manicures on a male lead destroy any sense of jianghu spirit. It feels like cosplay done with no understanding of what wuxia aesthetics should represent.
And then comes the most shameless part: the data bragging. Yunhe Data itself posted on Cheng Yi’s Weibo supertopic 🙄 Many who follow data saw the numbers jumping by millions in seconds or with views being adjusted in real time 😂 . That is not popularity, that is botting. That is blatant data manipulation. And it raises the ugliest question of all: is this where the 300 million budget went, not to production, but to buying fake numbers to fool the public. Chinese netizens on Red Note are already calling it out and planning to report it, and honestly, they should. Because the poor quality we see on screen screams louder than any fake statistic.
This was marketed as an S+ wuxia epic, but what we got is a scam dressed up with plastic visuals and inflated charts. Poor direction, cheap production, an exposed lead, and a disgusting reliance on fake hype. Instead of elevating wuxia, The Journey Legend drags it straight into the mud.
⭐ Overall: 3.5/10
Not for the production, but for the sheer audacity of serving this kind of garbage in 2025 and thinking the audience would swallow it.
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The best drama of 2025 or another Cheng Yi 's masterpiece? : )
I was anticipating this drama since they started filming it... mostly because of faith in Cheng Yi's incredible talent and acting and i can say it didn't disappoint me. Cheng Yi is always good in making you feel all kind of emotions and thrill all in 1 drama. 1 second you smile about funny scene, another you cry hard because you feel heartbroken for the tragedy of his character... Costumes are very gorgeous. Same goes for fighting/ martial arts scenes, where Cheng Yi is unrivaled. Plot and effects, the whole production is top notch. If it wasnt restricted abroad for so many regions, noone would stop it from getting same rating in MDL abd IMDb as Lotus Casebook, or even to surpass it. This drama met lots of hate from start from other fandoms... but because of Love its still here... and its loved. It leads all charts in China since it started to air. Which is a proof of its value.Xiao Qiu Shui brothers are truly disappointing to me... family isn't supposed to be like this. because family is Love. If you Love him you will try your best to save him even if he's wrong, even to die for him. And if he says that he's right its loved ones who should believe him, and stay by his side till the end, even if the whole world is against him. Family name? honor? it all pales in comparing with staying loyal to the person you Love no matter what. /Love
I feel like i can watch this scene of fight between Xiao Qiu Shui and Li Chen Zhou millions of times on loop and won't get tired of it. . So gorgeous. : ) Some Chinese girl last week said that some haters on weibo accused CY of being gentle, I dont see anything contradicting in it with his manly, strong side.
But I've never seen anything more manly than the way Li Chen Zhou looks at Xiao Qiu Shui...
I feel like a little kitten under his look...
Don't look at ratings, enjoy your watch, make your own fair opinion instead.
And some should already stop these silly fan wars finally, you only set up your idol this way. Coz what these haters don't understand is that some people are already associated in my mind with despicable methods of their fans... Fandom is always a mirror of an idol in some way.. is he such too? if he's not they set him up. coz because of this bad association i'll skip some productions most likely and wait for someone with good character, Virtues and good associations to air new drama. Its not like we are in desert without water... there're plenty of drama nowadays and lots of choice. : ) 🩵🪽✨️
So, if you truly believe in their talents and worth, Let them, their masterpieces and their talents to compete free and fair. )
Coz the only true rival which 1 person may ever have is himself. ✨️
I hope you all find watch you enjoy,
As for me,
I m truly enjoying this one. /hug 😚 🩵🪽✨️
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