One thing I’m beginning to discover about my viewing taste in dramas is that I prefer a plot-driven story to a character-driven one. In a plot-driven series, the lead characters react to one crisis after another, their archenemies create one obstacle after another, and I’m happy to follow one adventure after another. If a plot-driven drama is constructed well, there’s no boring moment for me.

In contrast, I easily lose interest in a character-driven story because:

a) there’s much navel-gazing or self-introspection involved,

b) the main characters start off as painfully lacking in self-awareness then they have to “find” themselves for the next 16 episodes, and

c) the internal conflicts are often just indecisiveness posing as dilemma (e.g., to be or not to be, to love or not to love, to stay or not to stay).

While I expect the main characters to undergo a transformation over time, it’s draining for me to watch them stumble over simple decisions. I already have my fill of real people’s stupid life choices at work.

My highlights for this episode:

1. JBZ undertakes the final step.

One thing I like about JBZ is he listens well to MY’s instructions. He may have taken a dig at her cleverness in Ep 14, but he trusts her guidance.

MY: The last step of being the NB vessel is to refine the NB core for seven days once you absorb the NBs’ primordial spirits into your body to contain them. However, this is most dangerous stage. Refining the core means suppressing each other and fusing with them. In the end, you’ll either dissolve them or be devoured by them.

In other words, eat or be eaten.

This reminds me of a painting by Francisco Goya, “Saturn Devouring His Son.” He painted the Roman god Saturn consuming one of his offsprings because it was prophesied that he would be dethroned by a son. In JBZ’s case, however, he must subdue the NBs or he’d be tempted by the NB to join their destructive and ruthless force.

To me, the NBs resemble Satan who tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. The NBs goad JBZ to ditch the worthless people of Jixing Abyss, take over the weak puppet of an emperor, and seize the Shouhua Academy from the Princess.

When they fail to tempt JBZ with power and authority, they try another tactic. Fortunately, MY warned him about it, too.

MY: The NBs will bring out your most painful memories to bring out your inner demons. You must stay firm without wavering. If your conscience is taken over by your inner demons, you will lose control of yourself and be taken over by the NBs.

Sure enough, NBs cast doubt upon MY’s motives, saying that she’s using and lying to him, just like the mother he once encountered at Sunken Abyss. The mother had tricked him to switch places with her son. 💡Ahhhh. So that’s why TRUST is JBZ’s Achilles’ heel! 💡I remember in Ep 13, after JBZ and MY bonded in the heart imprint, he told her, “After I left Sunken Abyss, this is my first time wanting to trust someone. I’m an idiot.” He has trust issues, stemming from that incident in the Abyss.

While he manages to subdue the NBs, I think the seed of doubt has been re-planted in him. Hence, the markings of a NB are left tattooed on his face.

It takes seven days to refine the NB core, but JBZ aims to finish the process in five.

MY visits the Princess to ask her to hold off MQ for a few more days, confiding in her that JBZ will return soon. Sure enough, when MQ visits Shouhua Academy on the fifth day, MY shows up with JBZ.

It’s supposed to be JBZ’s triumphant reappearance but it’s cut short by MQ.

2. MQ’s power grab and back-up plan

There’s nothing accidental about MQ’s visit to the Academy. He plans to force Princess Tianji to resign as the “Venerable” or leader of the Academy. Once she’s ousted, he can control the institution and kick out JBZ as the head warrior.

Now, one common trope of villains is the evil mastermind. A super-villain must be a scheming planner, capable of conceiving complex strategies, in order to outwit the hero. At the very least, he should have a Plan B.

For MQ, his Plan B is his weakest link, Meng Yangqui.

He has set up Princess Tianji’s close friend, the clueless Meng Yangqui, to give JBZ a Netherbeast-luring Caltrop.

Note: in the cdrama, a caltrop is a seed-like device with spikes. In the real-world warfare, it’s a metal weapon with spikes, often strewn on roads to puncture boots, hooves, and tires of an advancing army.

The caltrop works. It detects the NBs in JBZ’s core, and it punctures JBZ’s core. JBZ flees to his Spirit Well before the NBs escape his body.

3. MY comes to the rescue.

She and her cat 27 follow JBZ to his Spirit Well. With the help of 27’s power, they remove the caltrop from JBZ. Of course, he’s still leaking spiritual powers. If he had been in his usual tip-top shape, he could have healed himself. But as he’s already weakened by the NBs’ attack on his Achilles’ heel (i.e., his trust issue), he can’t self-rejuvenate.

Unaware of his real condition, MY leaves his side, and goes after Baixu to help the dragon stall MQ.

4. Situ Ling comes to MY’s rescue.

In normal situations, MQ would have been no match for MY. But because of her depleted powers (sigh! What’s up with our two wounded warriors?!), she cannot hold him off for a long time.

That’s when Situ Ling appears behind her to give her a boost of his own power.

After they release Baixu from MQ’s trap and Baixu demolishes MQ’s home, Situ Ling worriedly offers to accompany MY while she seeks medical attention for her broken veins.

I interpret his offer as:

a) he’s going to use the power of his office to assist her. This means that he’ll openly defy MQ, and

b) he’s got his hopes up again that maybe it’s not too late to win MY’s heart. You see, earlier, he had visited JBZ’s spirit well and concluded (wrongly) that MY only married JBZ and formed a heart imprint with him because of the Golden Millet Dream. He consoled himself, thinking, “That’s great. She isn’t in love with him after all. I must do everything I can to help her achieve her goal.”

I don’t know about you, but I felt pity for him when he said that. He wants so badly to be her anonymous benefactor, her superhero-behind-the-scene, or to borrow from Bette Midler’s song, her “wind beneath her wings.” 😂 This can’t end well for him.

SL: Ming Yi, you spent too much spiritual power. I’ll bring you to seek aid.
MY: (surprised) Lord Hafeng accuses Immortal Ji of raising NBs. You’re going against him just to help me?
SL: (reasoning) You protect Ji Bozai because you believe he doesn’t raise NBs. If you believe in him, I’ll believe in him because I know you are not someone who wants the power of NBs. If someone commits a crime, I’m sure you won’t forgive him.

Awwww. He’s remembering their first encounter. He knows how MY strongly feels about justice/injustice because of what she told him at their meeting when they were kids.

SL: Ming Yi, trust me. Let’s get you treated.

He offers her his hand, but she ignores it.

MY: Thank you. I’m fine. Let me check on Immortal Ji. Be careful.

Then she walks away without a backward glance.

The scene could have ended there, with SL’s poignant rejection/dejection. But since this is a plot-driven drama — not a character-driven one — the camera pans upward to reveal Chao Yu watching them from above.

What a great cliffhanger!

5. Cultivation Level

JBZ is at the Transcendent Stage, and he’s working towards his Perfected Stage. He needs a little bit more to level up.

I don’t know where MY is at but it’s safe to assume that she’s on par with him, maybe even higher, considering she started when she was 13, and she’s knowledgeable and skilled in plenty of other things.