The Chronicle of Mingling

[A long-form progression fantasy. The protagonist starts at age nine with nothing and rises to godhood.]

The Moon Goddess governs the order of the world and life and death. She has no heart, knows nothing of love, and understands nothing about humanity.

But that's all right. The Sun God has the most passionate heart in the world, and he is willing to give her everything.

And so the world's most beautiful myth is born.

Guan Shanyue isn't human; she's a spirit. She has too much spiritual nature and too little humanity, but she's been curious about what humans are like since birth. She wants to be human, but she's a slow learner, and it takes her a long time.

She climbs mountains and crosses rivers, walks through streets and alleys, and clumsily learns most of the things mortals do, becoming the most ordinary person of all.

She has hands that can do anything, is both capable and strong, and keeps a little golden pouch she treasures dearly. She's a miser, and a shrewd one at that.

She thinks: Being human really isn't bad. Drink the strongest liquor, sing the loudest mountain songs, beat up the cockiest man, fight the fiercest battles, roam the world in white with a sword in hand. There's no one like me in all the world. What more could I want than this kind of fun?

How blessed I am! I'll sing to express my aspirations!

Guan Shanyue often dreams of the sea crying and the wind crying. She doesn't cry, but she feels awful.

Later, she meets an adorable girl in a mortal village. The girl asks her, "Will the moon always shine bright?" She says yes. But before long, the village is empty. The girl is dead, and so many others have died too.

The village worships the moon, and she is a moon spirit given human form.

She has always known that mortals are cheap lives, overlooked by Heaven and ignored by the gods. Mortals are the karmic burden of spirit cultivators, the lowest form of life.

People die so easily. A gust of wind blows, and they're gone.

So she planted spirits and severed the karmic ties that bound mortals. With her in the world, mortals no longer existed.

Heaven's pass, Shanyue; the vast sky shines bright.

Witness the rise of a generation's bright god!

[Main and Supporting Characters]

Jade-faced goddess of death heroine x tsundere spear god hero

Blunt, mischievous half-demon x optimistic, beautiful but tragic

Blade that cuts through iron like mud, and a foodie x the knife god who cuts people down every day

Stone-faced thunder arts master x charming, lively childhood sweetheart

Violent, fierce, and adorable little girl x earnest, lively dragon god

Elegant musician of crane and bamboo x formation master devoted to his career

[Reading Guide]

1. Slow leveling, plot-driven, with character growth at an academy, tournament combat, travels far and wide, and political intrigue.

2. The blurb is from the heroine's perspective, but the supporting characters also get plenty of spotlight (the heroine gets the most), with clear character arcs.

3. Spirits, ghosts, gods and immortals, plus martial arts, talismans, music, dance, artifacts, and formations. Don't be fooled by the literary blurb (I had no choice). There's a lot of fighting, and demons, gods, ghosts, and monsters are all here.

4. Humans and demons are at war. Demons are strong, humans are weak, and civilization is built around formations and artifacts.

5. The exceptional people find partners, and every couple has their own charm.

[Content Warnings]

1. The male and female leads won't regain their memories and start over, with the hero falling in love all over again.

2. Slow burn focused on character growth. Many worldbuilding details are original. A purely fictional Eastern fantasy setting, not orthodox immortal cultivation.

3. Characters are imperfect, and the main cast is devoted to true love. Updates are irregular.

Theme: Protection is the moon's tenderness