SSS is the most calming Wuxia/strategy/adventure drama I have watched so far. ML is a smart, lucky, and entitled young master who is the son of a powerful military lord. Much of the story is about how he is forced to succeed his father, giving closure to his companion's death and investigating his mother's death.

ML is very lucky that he hardly fights and someone keeps saving him and even if he fights, it is mostly an easy win. ML is very smart to have massive chess pieces hidden in unexpected places but sometimes his reactions seem weird and he gets caught off-guard which was contradictory. Maybe it was genuine or maybe it was for the bigger plan. As I'm sick of watching dramas where ML is constantly outwitted, I didn't mind watching villains getting outwitted instead this time. Zhang Ruo Yun is one of my favorite actors and he didn't fail to charm here as well. His weight seems to fluctuate or something was wrong with his costumes. Sometimes he looked thin and sometimes with some weight.

I liked the different cultivation theories and techniques like the Open the heaven's gate(I loved this scene so much and it felt very realistic especially the dragon), Snakes in Sleeves, 12 Flying swords (the swords were so cute), etc. The CGI for these scenes was pretty decent though sometimes hazy. Also, the cute beast cubs were fun to watch.

FL is smart but I would have preferred if their relationship had started on equal status. FL's character is very strong and has a good backstory. The romance is not the main focus and it is just some bickering conversations and nothing flirty or serious.

The story is simple but has so many characters that you never know who is gonna pop out next. That is why it sometimes feels unpredictable and kept me surprised. After a point, it is easy to see this drama through. Scheming was pretty ruthless and dark. I was honestly baffled at how they did the scholar dirty. I know he was in the wrong but the punishment was overkill. In this context, even the so-called "kindness" pep talk was hypocritical. The leading characters are nearly grey so I didn't invest myself emotionally with their character inconsistencies and their hypocrisies.

My favorite characters were obviously the god of sword (I really liked his attitude towards life and other people's schemes), ML's brother (he is so cute), and Xuanyuan Jing Cheng ( I really love the entire segment of this character). And the dumbest character award goes to Zhao Kai. I loved the actor's character in JOL but here he is simply a comedy piece and I can't even take him seriously. I don't know why he speaks slowly and his actions were oddly brazen. Also, the kid from JOL plays a unique character and excels in it tremendously. At this rate, his career is set.

The vibe of the entire is drama is very slice-of-life and not fast-paced or edgy. I liked the muted color palette of the drama's cinematography. Though the production looks sometimes cheap, the costumes of the characters are rarely posh either, but it is compensated with good locations, decent camera work, veteran actors, and good music. I really loved the opening and ending theme music and the gong style bgm.


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If you think this is your Joy of Life substitute, then the answer is yes and no. (I have read JOL but not this drama's book)
Yes, because there are similar tropes like entitled young master ML who happens to be always lucky, smart FL, Pseudo Harem vibe, various cultivation techniques, the revenge plot, assassination attempts, traveling missions, a lot of people saving ML just cause they owed his parents.
No, the vibe is totally different. This drama is slower and humbly produced with less emotional impact than JOL.