This review may contain spoilers
Why Legend in the Clouds Deserves All the Hype It’s Getting
This has to be one of the most anticipated C-dramas of 2025 — and honestly, it was so worth the wait.
So, the story follows Ming Xian (also known as Yi), the God of War who’s been undefeated for seven straight years at the Qingyun Conference but ends up losing to Ji Bo Zai, a warrior from Jixing Abyss for the first time — not because she’s weaker, but because she gets poisoned. From there, the plot revolves around her getting close to Ji Bo Zai to uncover the truth behind the schemes and to find a cure for her poisoning. And of course, things get complicated between them along the way.
What I really liked about this drama is not just the visual effects and fight choreography — which were absolutely stunning, by the way — but how they handled the disguise concept. In most dramas, the female lead just cross-dresses and somehow nobody notices, which never makes sense. But here, Ming Xian is under a spell that actually makes her look male to everyone else, and that small detail made it so much more believable and immersive.
Now, I do understand some of the criticism going around about Ming Xian lying to Ji Bo Zai for almost half the series. At first, it made sense — she thought he poisoned her, so of course she wouldn’t trust him right away. But as the story goes on and their relationship starts to soften, it does get frustrating that she still keeps the truth from him. If she’d been honest earlier, she probably could’ve been cured sooner, and her poor pet wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself for her. I get that she didn’t want Ji Bo Zai to think she was using him or make him break his promise to his master, but I feel like those reasons weren’t deep enough to justify keeping the lie for so long.
As for the acting — Hou Minghao really surprised me here. I’ve seen him in Back From the Brink, and his acting there felt a bit stiff, but in this one, he’s definitely improved. He showed more emotion and range, and it really worked for his character. But for me, the real standout was Lu Yuxiao as Ming Yi. I’ve watched her in My Journey to You, where she was more cunning and mysterious, but in Legend in the Clouds, she shows a completely different side of herself. Her performance was emotional and powerful — especially that torture scene. It was heartbreaking and hard to watch, but you could feel every bit of her pain. Even her fight scenes were on point and super satisfying to watch.
And let’s not forget the soundtrack — Hou Minghao’s OSTs were beautiful! They perfectly captured the romantic and emotional tone of the story.
Overall, it really delivered. It’s visually stunning, emotionally charged, and has a story that keeps you hooked. Despite a few flaws in the writing, the chemistry between the leads and the overall execution made it one of my favorite dramas this year.
So, the story follows Ming Xian (also known as Yi), the God of War who’s been undefeated for seven straight years at the Qingyun Conference but ends up losing to Ji Bo Zai, a warrior from Jixing Abyss for the first time — not because she’s weaker, but because she gets poisoned. From there, the plot revolves around her getting close to Ji Bo Zai to uncover the truth behind the schemes and to find a cure for her poisoning. And of course, things get complicated between them along the way.
What I really liked about this drama is not just the visual effects and fight choreography — which were absolutely stunning, by the way — but how they handled the disguise concept. In most dramas, the female lead just cross-dresses and somehow nobody notices, which never makes sense. But here, Ming Xian is under a spell that actually makes her look male to everyone else, and that small detail made it so much more believable and immersive.
Now, I do understand some of the criticism going around about Ming Xian lying to Ji Bo Zai for almost half the series. At first, it made sense — she thought he poisoned her, so of course she wouldn’t trust him right away. But as the story goes on and their relationship starts to soften, it does get frustrating that she still keeps the truth from him. If she’d been honest earlier, she probably could’ve been cured sooner, and her poor pet wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself for her. I get that she didn’t want Ji Bo Zai to think she was using him or make him break his promise to his master, but I feel like those reasons weren’t deep enough to justify keeping the lie for so long.
As for the acting — Hou Minghao really surprised me here. I’ve seen him in Back From the Brink, and his acting there felt a bit stiff, but in this one, he’s definitely improved. He showed more emotion and range, and it really worked for his character. But for me, the real standout was Lu Yuxiao as Ming Yi. I’ve watched her in My Journey to You, where she was more cunning and mysterious, but in Legend in the Clouds, she shows a completely different side of herself. Her performance was emotional and powerful — especially that torture scene. It was heartbreaking and hard to watch, but you could feel every bit of her pain. Even her fight scenes were on point and super satisfying to watch.
And let’s not forget the soundtrack — Hou Minghao’s OSTs were beautiful! They perfectly captured the romantic and emotional tone of the story.
Overall, it really delivered. It’s visually stunning, emotionally charged, and has a story that keeps you hooked. Despite a few flaws in the writing, the chemistry between the leads and the overall execution made it one of my favorite dramas this year.
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