This was a surprise drama I hadn't expected to like so much, but it's fast-pace, cgi, and comedy drew me to it. It's a beautiful romance, and redeemed Dylan Wang as an actor in my eyes. This is a drama I would recommend watching, especially if you love a story that focuses on the main leads, their romance, and their development as individuals.
The reason I've only given it 9 stars instead of 10 was the ending felt rushed, as did the side plots. This was a drama I could've happily watched to 40 episodes to see other stories fleshed out. Jie Li and Shang Que were fun to watch, but we barely watched any development between them, and so their romance fell flat a bit. I also felt Jie Li was an interesting character but didn't get anywhere near enough time to flesh out her backstory/ main story. Same with Shang Que, he was a dragon, yet we see very little of his power, and when trouble came, he was rarely found. In the end, being sisters to Danyin had very little impact and could've been written out. I was also intrigued by the Arbiter and her love story, but only saw a brief glimpse, not even a, hey after the peace treaty they were rescued from their prison. These little side stories can elevate a drama to 10 stars.
I was also disappointed the emperor didn't die. He was horrible.
However, this world was incredibly interesting, and I wouldn't say no to a season 2, I think corrupting the emperor would make an interesting story. Better yet, bring back the Arbiter, and lets roll the dice and play with fate?