In the beginning episodes I almost dropped because I thought it was childish, but putting that aside this was definitely worth every second. The pacing was amazing, the characters were enjoyable, and they didn't waste time or bore me with too much filler. While the romance wasn't the main focus, I was entertained enough just by the amazing friendship of the main trio and the mysteries surrounding their families and friends. Not to mention everyone had chemistry with each other, no ships were totally meritless.

Story: A group of friends go on a long adventure to discover the truth about their families and about themselves, finding love along the way.

As I said before, romance was not the main focus but instead individualism, plot, and friendship. Most of the romance only started near the end, so don’t expect tons of kiss scenes or romantic moments. That's not saying there wasn't romance, the main couple is definitely one of my favorites now. My biggest problem with the plot was that Lingsha was always getting harmed in the beginning, I didn’t find that fair with her character development. I also wish they focused a little more on Zi Ying’s backstory. It felt rushed and incomplete compared to the other main characters, although he also had less screen time than them in general. Lastly, China is definitely stepping up its game when it comes to cinematography and aesthetics. I was very impressed by the CGI and quality overall.

Acting/cast: I wasn’t too impressed with Chen Zhe Yuan in Hidden Love but this drama shed a new light on his acting for me. While this was my first Jing Yi drama, I am excited for her and She Yuan’s future works, all the hate was definitely uncalled for. The acting might not have been top tier, yet it wasn't unbearable and you get used to the playfulness of it after a couple episodes. For the most part I felt emotionally connected to everyone and that definitely makes me a little biased when it comes to the acting and everything else.

Other Pros:
- The Mystery aspect of the drama was entertaining and it was fun to watch the trio figure things out even if it was just filler from the main plot. Filler is not bad when used in the right way and Sword and Fairy did not disappoint. I loved watching everything piece together like a puzzle, almost everything had a purpose.
- The Ending. I was worried since there was a lot to wrap up in the last couple episodes, but they managed to do it nicely. The last episode was like a whole movie.

Others Cons:
- The story slowed down when they got to the sect, especially after the story was moving so quickly. I think they could have cut some things out and extended others.
- There were a couple things that were hard to follow when it comes to the story, mostly involving the stuff that happened in the past. That might be my fault for not being able to wrap my head around it although they could have simplified a couple things.

That being said, it was/is worth the watch. I usually cannot stay focused when watching longer dramas (I.e. most Chinese dramas) so if you're like that too, this was fast-paced enough that you won't get bored.