honestly, years ago I did try went into this show but it was boring. and, heard about people said it was boring and also the criticisms about the actress’ looks.

went into it again few days ago, and by ep3 I was already quite interested to proceed. as episodes went by, I was quite amazed by how I didn’t even fast forward any single scenes until the end. compared to other xianxia I’ve watched, many were unnecessary filler scenes or misunderstandings that keeps piling up just to torture the viewing experience.

story
while many think first arc was boring, it was the base to understand the characters and while they solidify the main characters, the supporting characters were good too. then second arc, my fav arc, my fav couple. and those side couples didn’t disappoint too. I love Qingmu & Houchi. their love was much deeper compared to BJ&SG. things they do for each other and things they went through together. and that’s why the scene she stabbed him, it was really heartbreaking and sad. all those feelings, both side carried. ugh, my tears.
one thing I wish to praise is the villain. it was not those one dimensional villain. but a villain that stem from somewhere relatable in human nature. Wu Huan reminded me so much of Jin Guangyao from untamed. and to show how she grew from being a maid, to the ultimate villain and her downfall. it was just amazing journey.

acting
this is my 2nd XK’s drama. he’s good here as usual. sad boy is his forte tbh.

Zhou Dongyu. can I say this girl is amazing? like really. apart from some scenes where she smiled too much until I thought she did bloopers or something. her acting is damn solid. her smiles were really sweet, her crying scenes were heartbreaking.

OST
Ugh, this drama has one of best range of OST. Mao buyi, Ah Lin… just wonderful.

CGI
my previous drama was Shenli. while it was good, ALP was one level higher. it’s much big scale. see those dragons, qiongqi, Kylin etc it shows a lot.

ALP is one of the best xianxia I’ve seen. while following tropes here and there, what I appreciate here was the storytelling and believable characters. they don’t waste on any scenes and that is already one of contributing factor of a good production.