Golden Shimmer Through the Smoke [The Unrivaled Tang Sect]

"Let's make a promise: one day, everyone across this continent will speak of you and me with the greatest admiration!"

Legend says that the Sun-Moon Continent was once a barren wasteland, overrun by Soul Beasts, where people struggled to survive. Then the sun of day and the moon of night came to the people and said, "Choose. The sun will give you the power of Martial Souls, while the moon will grant you wisdom."

"But you will have to pay a price."

With no other way out, the people agreed to the exchange. They didn't know what kind of power a Martial Soul was, but the sun was brighter, hotter, and more powerful, so they chose the power it offered.

With the power of Martial Souls, people's lives improved immediately. They no longer lived from one day to the next. They even grew bold and combative, becoming hunters of Soul Beasts in turn. But they soon learned the hard way that power was not all-powerful. It needed time to recover and rest, and couldn't be squandered at will. This was especially true when the world was full of beasts. The strength of just a few people who had first awakened powerful Martial Souls was far too little.

Large numbers of ordinary people were still dying.

After reflecting on their suffering, the people decided to make another exchange, this time with the moon, whose light was cool and gentle. The moon granted them wisdom.

With wisdom, the people learned to think and reflect, and began to accumulate experience. They even learned to use metals, ores, and other materials to make Soul Tools. They discovered that using wisdom was often more effective than using strength, and could also bring out the power of far larger groups of people.

But their good fortune did not last. The sun and moon suddenly told them it was time to pay the price. Everything they had gained came from the stars above, and now the stars were gradually losing their power. No one knew when they might fall from the sky.

That would be a catastrophe for all living things.

The sun and moon expected the people to collapse in despair when they heard the news. But they simply carried on with their lives. Confused, the two asked, "Why aren't you afraid anymore?"

The people replied, "Now we are the stars."

The twelve-year-old girl slowly turned the page before her, rereading the fable known to every child in the Sun-Moon Empire.

When Jing Rulan first met Xiao Hongchen, the boy stood amid boundless glory, so lofty he seemed beyond reach.

Everyone said that arrogance and conceit were the only flaws of the greatest genius in the history of the Sun-Moon Empire. Yet at one moment, that boy's radiant spirit suddenly lit her up.

Xiao Hongchen once heard Jing Rulan say that she liked his pride, his contempt for all things, and his unstoppable determination. But he didn't understand. After his pride had been utterly shattered by failure, why did he still look the same as ever in Jing Rulan's eyes?

This is a story of a young woman and a young man growing together and influencing each other. Behind the scenes of the epic history of the sun and moon, these proud, ambitious youths deserve a little favor from fate. Set in the original world, with an original, non-transmigrated heroine from the Sun-Moon Empire.

A little indulgence for fun, while respecting the original work. 1v1, HE.

[Written when I was a schoolgirl. After the original author reclaimed the relevant fanfiction rights from other sites and I faced a series of other reports and personal attacks, I stopped updating. After signing with Jinjiang, I removed this work from my contract in accordance with the rules. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me along the way. If you like my writing, please support my other works under contract in my author profile.]

Theme: The choices and compromises of growing up, and the pride that never changes.