"A rare Mystic Spirit, the Evil Cute Rabbit?" Chen Guan recognized it at a glance.
Before entering the blessed land of Mount Pingdu, he had done thorough research and knew that the Evil Cute Rabbit was one of the most common Mystic Spirits in the area. However, ordinary Evil Cute Rabbits were not this large, at most the size of an adult wolfhound, and their quality was merely average.
Only a very few rare-quality Evil Cute Rabbits could break through the size limitation, growing as large as a bear.
This particular Evil Cute Rabbit was among the larger ones even among the rare ones, and for some reason, it even wielded a butcher knife-like weapon. This made Chen Guan wonder if its quality might be higher than rare.
But according to the information he had gathered, the highest quality of Evil Cute Rabbit ever discovered was rare. There had never been any reports of an exceptional or unique Evil Cute Rabbit.
If such a thing existed, given that the blessed land of Mount Pingdu had been explored for centuries, surely someone would have encountered it by now.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Seeing the Evil Cute Rabbit drop the bone it was holding and turn fully to face him, Chen Guan immediately summoned his Mystic Spirit, the Five Red Hound.
Outside of Mystic Realms, Mystic Spirits were rare, and even if they existed, ordinary people without Primal Energy could not tame or control them.
There was only one type of semi-Mystic Spirit that could be tamed and controlled by ordinary people before they absorbed Primal Energy and became cultivators: the Guardian Hound.
There were many breeds of Guardian Hounds, such as the White-faced Yellow Dog, the Tiger-striped Hound, the Five Black Hound, the Five Red Hound, and the Four-eyed Iron-wrapped Gold. These highly intelligent Guardian Hounds were raised by cultivators from a young age.
A true Guardian Hound was extremely clever. During the cultivator's training, it would mimic the cultivator's movements and train alongside them.
Although it couldn't truly sense or absorb Primal Energy, it would still awaken its semi-Mystic bloodline.
After the physical death of such a Guardian Hound, it would continue to stay by its master's side in the form of a Mystic Spirit, becoming the cultivator's Mystic Spirit.
For most cultivators, their first Mystic Spirit was usually a Guardian Hound. This was also one of the few Mystic Spirits that cultivators could control before entering a Mystic Realm to awaken their abilities.
Chen Guan had raised a Five Red Hound since childhood. After its physical death, it became his first Mystic Spirit.
As Chen Guan summoned it, a fully grown Five Red Hound with a dark red coat and fluffy fur appeared before him, baring its teeth and growling a warning at the Evil Cute Rabbit.
Chen Guan also assumed a combat stance. If it were just an ordinary Evil Cute Rabbit, he and the Five Red Hound could handle it together, and even three or four of them wouldn't be a problem.
But this Evil Cute Rabbit was simply too large, and its strength far surpassed that of a typical Evil Cute Rabbit. He and the Five Red Hound would likely struggle to face it head-on.
Moreover, both he and the Five Red Hound were at the first level, and he had no idea what level the Evil Cute Rabbit was at.
Adding to the challenge, the Evil Cute Rabbit was armed with a knife-like weapon. Whether they could defeat it or not, Chen Guan had no confidence, feeling that the odds were against them.
If not for the terrain constraints — with the valley's exit on the side of the Evil Cute Rabbit — Chen Guan would have preferred to avoid the fight altogether and would have already made a quick escape.
The Five Red Hound had just been summoned when suddenly, the Evil Cute Rabbit leaped into the air, covering several meters in an instant, and landed right in front of the hound. With a sinister grin on its face, its eyes glowing with a blood-red light, it swung a large butcher's knife down towards the hound's head.
Its speed was so fast that Chen Guan didn't even have time to react. The Five Red Hound, despite its seemingly clumsy appearance, was actually quite intelligent. It twisted its body and darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the rabbit's deadly strike.
However, just as its body shot out, with its hooves still in mid-air, the Evil Cute Rabbit swiped at it with its claws, sending the hound flying. Deep gashes appeared on its side, and blood splattered everywhere.
Bang!
The Five Red Hound crashed into a pile of bones, struggling for a moment before managing to get back on its feet. Its wounds were deep enough to reveal bone, and its leg was limping, but it still charged forward, barking furiously at the Evil Cute Rabbit, which was now licking the blood off its claws.
Chen Guan's expression turned grim. Seeing the rabbit's strength and speed, he knew that he and the Five Red Hound were no match for it. The gap was simply too vast.
He speculated that the Evil Cute Rabbit might be a level 2 or even level 3 Mystic Spirit, with abilities far beyond what they could handle. There was no way they could win.
Normally, a cultivator entering a blessed land for the first time shouldn't encounter such a dangerous place. Chen Guan couldn't help but feel that his luck was truly terrible.
Without hesitation, Chen Guan rushed towards the Evil Cute Rabbit from another angle while shouting at the Five Red Hound, "Warring States! Among the countless Mystic Spirits in the world, you are unique, a one-of-a-kind existence that cannot be found in any era. You are the great Mystic Spirit destined to stand with me at the pinnacle of the Mystic Realm. Warring States, fight on! We cannot fall here!"
Chen Guan racked his brain to come up with words of praise and flattery. The Cheerleading Soul's effect was that the more exaggerated the praise, the better the result. But how much it would actually help, Chen Guan didn't know. At this moment, he just hoped it would have some effect, allowing him and the Five Red Hound, Warring States, to defeat the Evil Cute Rabbit—or at least drive it away, or even carve out a path to escape.
Just as Chen Guan took two steps forward, he suddenly heard a fierce growl beside him. Before he could react, a red figure flashed past him like lightning, charging straight at the Evil Cute Rabbit.
An incredible scene unfolded. Warring States, who had been completely outmatched by the Evil Cute Rabbit and nearly crippled by a single swipe, now moved like a ghostly hound with extraordinary intelligence and elusive agility. Its eyes burned with an intense, fiery determination.
It circled the Evil Cute Rabbit at high speed, its movements almost as fast as the rabbit's, its body resembling a red mist. Even more bizarrely, it seemed to anticipate the rabbit's thoughts and actions, using sudden changes in speed to dodge its attacks while taking the opportunity to bite at the rabbit's tail.
For a moment, the hound and the rabbit were locked in a fierce battle, evenly matched. Chen Guan found himself unable to intervene.
"The effect of the Cheerleading Soul is actually this powerful?" Chen Guan was overjoyed. Although it was just a supportive talent, such a buffing effect meant that whenever Chen Guan used any Mystic Spirit in the future, its effectiveness would far surpass that of others.
Under the influence of the Cheerleading Soul, ordinary Mystic Spirits could rival rare or even legendary quality Mystic Spirits of the same level. This was truly astonishing.
Moreover, the Cheerleading Soul talent wasn't limited to just Mystic Spirits; it could also be used on other creatures, even humans.
The more Chen Guan thought about it, the more excited he became. However, his first thought wasn't about using the Cheerleading Soul to make a name for himself. Instead, he was considering how to conceal his talent, ensuring that no one else would ever find out about it.