Above the Clouds: Saving One Self, Not the World

Introduction

At first, I planned to write a review on Above the Clouds, as I usually do with Chinese short-length series I watch. However, when I finished watching it, I realized that a review itself is not enough because the plot is quite intricate for a short-length drama, and some interesting elements differ from the typical xianxia elements.

But first, what are the elements in xianxia?

Xianxia (immortal heroes) is a Chinese fantasy genre characterized by characters who cultivate their way to immortality and supernatural powers through martial arts and meditation. Xianxia stories are heavily influenced by Chinese mythology, Daoism, Buddhism, and other traditional elements. Xianxia features powerful cultivators who can reshape landscapes, command elements, and even defy the heavens themselves. When such beings clash, the potential for destruction naturally escalates to a global scale. The concept of karma, destiny, and the cyclical nature of the universe play a significant role in many xianxia stories, often placing the protagonist in a fated position to resolve a major world crisis.

That being said, when watching the short-length Chinese drama Above the Clouds, it is explicit that the core message is the protagonist’s struggle to break free from fate’s control and embark on a journey of cultivation to gain the power to rewrite her destiny. The protagonist, Anning, is not fated to save the world from a clash between powerful beings from defying the heavens. Anning defies the heavens that destined a cruel fate for her and chooses free will and personal choices in shaping her life. The core message to take one’s destiny in his or her own hands is an unusual concept in xianxia.

Therefore, I wrote this article as an editorial that consists of three ideas:

One, the mini review for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. If you want to watch this drama, you can just read this and ignore the other ideas. No spoilers.

Two, the exploration of interesting elements that are different than the typical xianxia elements. This part can replace the third part since it still explains things to viewers without spoiling the entire plot. Medium spoilers.

Three, plot highlights with timeline and episode numbers to explain the entire story. This is for the readers who are watching the drama or who have watched the drama but get confused with the plot. Major spoilers.

Before we continue to the main topics of the article, just FYI, the featured image is taken from the first episode, in the scene when Lu Anning (Anning’s 1001th life) plans to kill her lover, Ye Sha. I think the kissing scene is more attractive for a featured image than the main poster. Click on the spoiler below if you’re curious.

Spoiler of the hot kissing scene!

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Drama Info

Drama title: Above the Clouds (Native title: 云天之上 )
Alternative title: Yun Tian Zhi Shang  
Genres: Xianxia, Romance
Aired: Jun 20, 2025 - Jul 4, 2025
Episodes: 24 |  Duration: 15 minutes
Director: Cui Xiao Xiao ( 崔肖肖 )
Screenwriter: Chen Yong Yi ( 陈泳夷 )
Where to watch: WeTV
Trailer (unofficial): 

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Synopsis

Lu Anning and Ling Cang, bound by a thousand lifetimes of tragic love, are puppets of destiny, from fierce rivals to awakening souls. They join forces in divine cultivation, fighting to break free from fate’s cruel game (Source: WeTV).

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Characters

Main Characters

Supporting Character

Other characters’ descriptions are spoilery (for example: the villains), so I won’t add them here.

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Part 1: Mini Review (no spoiler)

Story and plot

• Quite complex for a short-length series with total duration of 6 hours (24 episodes x 15 minutes)
• Interesting plot twists
• Core message: Taking destiny into your own hands by actively shaping your future through your choices and actions, rather than passively accepting what you believe is predetermined by fate.
• Contains some interesting elements that are atypical to xianxia elements.
• Wholesome ending (see Spoiler section at the end of the article)

Characterization and acting

• Most of the young characters are eyecandies.
• Healthy romance, misunderstanding were resolved in one or two episodes.
• Strong chemistry between the Female Lead and the Male Lead with several hot kisses
• The leading actress was able to act two different personalities
• The leading actor was criticized of being stiff and two-dimensional (flat and lacks depth), especially if he’s compared with the second male lead Ling Yun.

The Visuals

• In general, besides the eyecandies, this drama has good visuals in costume, makeup, and set.
• The cinematography is good, especially in doppelgänger scenes.
• The female characters’ makeup, especially the eyeshadows are really good.
• The fantasy CGI is mediocre because of the small budget in short-length series.

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Part 2: Atypical xianxia elements (medium spoilers)

There are some elements in this drama, that in my opinion, have never or rarely presented in typical xianxia.

The objective of the protagonist is to save herself not the world

As I described in the Introduction section, Yan Anning was not destine to save the world, as typical heroes or heroines in xianxia. Her goal is in control of her own destiny.

The entrance into the sea of consciousness

The “sea of consciousness” is a metaphor for the vast and interconnected nature of awareness, encompassing all thoughts, feelings, and experiences, both conscious and unconscious.

Ling Cang or Yan Anning could enter her sea of consciousness through touching their noses or foreheads, but not kissing. This was perhaps because both were immortals in their first lives and had fragments of their immortality throughout their reincarnated bodies.

The Divine Consciousness

In many xianxia, we are introduced to the concept of sea of consciousness, but never the Divine Consciousness.

Because in her first life she was an immortal and a righteous character, Yan Anning accumulated good karma from her previous 1000 lives and the immortal Anning lives in her Sea of Consciousness as the Divine Consciousness.

The doppelgänger or soul sharing

Ning, the doppelgänger, was created by a lesser deity Xi Yue, to force the Yan Anning’s fate by falling in love to Ling Yun. This concept is different from another xianxia concept, in which a highly cultivated character can duplicate his/her body because the duplication is in his/her own control. The concept is also different from the modern Dissociative Identity Disorder, which usually a result of life trauma.

The fated partner is not the same in reincarnation

As we see in their 1002th life, Yan Anning and Ling Can were not destined to be a couple, because she was supposed to love and be killed by Ling Yun.

A lesser immortal can defeat and control a higher immortal

In the first life, Xi Yue, the Divine maid, could defeat and control King Asura who was a demon king. She even was able to make him her servant.

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Part 3: Plot highlights with timelines and episode numbers (major spoilers)

First life (10000 years ago) – revisited, Episodes 20 to 22

• Ep 20 to 22, Fate took Yan Anning and Ling Cang back to 10000 years ago when everything started. There, they saw Jing Yun, the Celestial Sovereign, punished Xi Yue, a divine maid, who practiced the forbidden demonic arts. Anning, Jing Yun’s disciple, defended Xi Yue. When Jing Yun wanted to punish Anning, Ye Sha, the Demon Sovereign, saved Anning.
• Xi Yue took the chance to run away and arrived at Asura Hall where King Asura, a demon king lived. Somehow she was able to control King Asura and made him her slave. She used his body for the formless Star Lord of Celestial Warfare, her sidekick, and called him Yu Han.

Second to the 1000th life (not shown)

• With the help of Yu Han, Xi Yue became Severeign of Fate from Providence Vault. But she was not the Fate, a deity, who was above all. Xi Yue saw that Anning’s fate was always good, so she was jealous and kill Anning for 1000 life times in the hands of her beloved. She also wanted to ascend to be Fate and sent Yu Han to collect divine artifacts.

1001th life (Episode 1)

• Lu Anning and Ye Sha were husband and wife for 10 years. Lu Anning was warned by her Divine Consciousness that Ye Sha would kill her because of her fate always died in the hands of her beloved. She had to kill him first. She killed him, but Yu Han resurrected Ye Sha. Ye Sha then killed Lu Anning. Yu Han killed Ye Sha, and took the Crimson Spirit Pearl for Xi Yue.

1002th life (The entire drama)

• Yan Anning was a Crown Princess of Yan Kingdom and bound the be the ruling Empress. Suddenly, because of Xi Yue’s intervention, she had to marry Ling Cang, the eldest prince of Ling Kingdom. He was the reincarnation of Ye Sha.
• Yan Anning didn’t want to repeat the fate that she had to die in the hands of her beloved. She found out that Ling Cang was seeking a political support to defeat the Crown Prince Ling Yun. So, instead of political marriage, she offered to send her army to attack and kill Ling Yun.

• Because of her attempt to defy her fate, Xi Yue created Yan Anning doppelgänger, let’s call her Ning. This Ning is an airhead. She was madly in love with Ling Yun, so she took over Yan Anning’s body when the latter planned to attack Ling Yun and gave the Yan tiger tally (military token) to her beloved. Ling Yun killed the Yan Emperor and Empress and took over Yan Kingdom.
• Yan Anning was saved by Ling Cang. Knowing that his brother was after his throne, Ling Yun schemed against Ling Cang, so the latter was stripped off his royal status and punished.
• Through the divine healer, Yao Sheng, Yan Anning and Ling Cang found out there was another body inside Yan Anning. The doppelgänger was then retrieved. Yan Anning loved Ning like a sister, because she realized Ning was created because she defied the fate. Another realization that the one lover who supposed to kill Yan Anning was not Ling Cang but Ling Yun, so Ning was madly in love with Ling Yun.
• Ning also realized that she was not loved by Ling Yun and saw how a true love was supposed to be from Yan Anning and Ling Cang’s romance. After finding out that Yan Anning was dissipating due to the separation and only one body could survive, Ning decided to sacrificed herself.
• However, the fate was Yan Anning had to die in the hands of Ling Yun. Her Divine Consciousness told her that she had to kill Ling Yun at an auspicious time. Yan Anning pretended that she was amnesiac and ran to Ling Yun to get married. On their wedding day, Yan Anning killed Ling Yun.

• Yu Han resurrected Ling Yun but Yan Anning, because she had a divine artifact called Luminous Heart she couldn’t be killed and killed Ling Yun in the process.
• Yan Anning’s fate she would be killed by Prince of Ling. Because Ling Yun was dead, Yu Han possessed Ling Cang’s body and he killed Yan Anning’s parents, who were resurrected by Yao Sheng, and his bodyguard.
• Yan Anning couldn’t be killed but was in a coma, so Ling Cang used his own blood and soul to nourish her back to life.
• When Yan Anning recuperated, she was informed by Ling Cang about the culprits: Xi Yue and Yu Han. Yan Anning was able to make Yu Han take her and Ling Cang to see Xi Yue. Xi Yue wanted to kill them but Fate took them to see what happened 10000 years ago in their first lives. Fate also put Yan Anning in Anning’s body and Ling Cang in Ye Sha’s body.
• Fate killed Xi Yue and Yu Han. Yan Anning and Ling Cang finally met Fate. Yan Anning argued with Fate on how the deity controlled everyone’s destiny. Fate sent them back to their current life.
• Back in the current life was at Yan Anning and Ling Cang’s wedding day. They got married. Three months later, while walking on the street, Yan Anning saw Xi Yue and Yu Han who were beggars now. Oddly, only she remembered them. The beggars and Ling Cang didn’t remember anything.
• Knowing that her consciousness was awaken, Fate took them back to the Providence Vault. The deity was angry because they challenged her authority. Fate killed Yan Anning and Ling Cang.

1003th life (Episodes 23 and 24)

• As a punishment, Yan Anning and Ling Cang were born as commoners with hardship.
• Ling Cang demanded to meet Fate at the Providence Vault. He tried to shatter the Mirror of Fate created by Fate to determine people’s destinies but couldn’t since it was made by many people’s wills it couldn’t be broken. To punish Ling Cang, Fate brought Yan Anning to Providence Vault to watch him die.
• Yan Anning found out about the Mirror of Fate. She dispersed her Divine Consciousness to every mirror and destroyed them with her strong will.

Ending (Episode 24)

• Yan Anning and Ling Cang were back in their 1002th lives. See Spoiler section at the end of the article.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, in my opinion, Above the Clouds is an interesting short-length series full with plot twists, and fantasy concepts that are not or rarely found in typical xianxia. Sure, because it tries to put a lot into such a short duration, it has plot holes. Nonetheless, it’s still an engaging story of how the protagonists defy their fates controlled by the deities and take the matter of their lives into their hands.

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Spoiler

The drama ending

Happy ending. Yan Anning was able to defeat the master villain and took her destiny into her own hands. She became the Empress of Yan Kingdom. Ling Cang consolidated Ling Kingdom to Yan Kingdom and became her husband (prince consort).