auriel

Yes, it is the pacing and the tropes. JoL's trope is well-known while SSS's identity is subtle and very novel-like.

Seriously, the comedy is top-notch.

I absolutely thought that Zhao Kai's character was horribly written until the last few episodes where we him interact with his master on horseback. In that scene, he started talking like a little kid and that sold it for me. It showed how he was entirely dependent on his master and despite his guise as a street rat who had to work on his own, he was just as inexperienced and coddled as the protagonist.

I've watched a lot of dramas now and I keep coming back to this one to compare. Perhaps it's because I've always loved slice-of-life mangas, old british tv shows and long drawn-out novels. No other drama I've watched to completion gets character interactions as well as this drama. It mixes the slice-of-life atmosphere with a coming-of-age adventure and old Kung-fu movie humour. I love subtle deviance from most values presented in other dramas for more realism- MC and his father's love and respect for each other and not set in stone and it goes against wuxia's filial piety, MC and Li Chungang's master and protege relationship is also not a devout one, wudang sect and other "neutral" factions have their facades discussed.

there will be more political scheming. mixing it with cultivation is one of the best things this drama does and the crisis between the two is the root of the main character's motivation.

absolutely and it's not even close

If you’re talking about me, I’m only talking about the lack of building female characters received throughout the story, not romance. You can see from my review that I say this drama is excellent otherwise. The male characters are well written, the female characters aren’t. It wouldn’t have been a problem if they didn’t appear much in the story, but they do and when they do, they’re very one-note.

what do you mean she was for decoration? she actually had own desires and motivations. her friendship with li chunggang was entirely separate from the ml and it even served as a bridge for the ml to become closer with him.

Too serious? what? the first episode is just complete comedy.

There's no excuse for it, however, in any genre. It makes the world less believable.

My biggest qualm in this drama is the lack of exploration of the female characters. They didn't have desires and interests outside of serving/helping their closest male figures. Lin Shu, Jing Yan, Prince Yu and the emperor were all depicted well, in a mutli-dimensional fashion. I hoped they would do the same with Consort Jing as she got a lot of screen time but she ended up being very one-note. It's even worse for Nihuang, Xiadong and Banruo.

I keep wanting to share my appreciation for the funny moments in this drama but I don't know anyone who watches these dramas. I still laugh thinking about how the horse Fengnian and old Huang just sold off was waiting ahead of them in anticipation. Jiang ni making sword god Li to wash his smelly feet. Little things like those make me immerse into the world like no other. They also serve a purpose in deepening the relationships between these characters.

We like it because we like good stories, a well realized world and nuanced characters. The mix of seriousness and comedy is well-balanced and it is an attractive aspect for us.

Xu Fengnian is the most interesting main character I've seen in a long time. He tries to embrace both the meticulous scheming as well as the martial foolhardiness and the writers and ZRY are good enough to pull it off. He is way scarier than Xu Xiao.