If the target were a human like Old Bird, Ethan could at least make a rough guess about what they desired, what they wanted to hear, and what kind of psychological need they had.
But a rabbit?
And not even an ordinary rabbit, but a Mystic Spirit rabbit?
Ethan had absolutely no idea what kind of psychological needs a creature like Rouge could possibly have.
The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
The Assassin moved like a ghostly phantom, forcing Rouge backward again and again. Her snow-white fur was covered in wounds, fresh blood dripping from every cut.
If this continued, it wouldn't be long before she completely lost the ability to fight.
"Rouge! You're the cutest Mystic Spirit in the entire world!"
"You're the fiercest! The wildest!"
"You're invincible!"
"One slash from you could split a mountain!"
"One stomp from your foot could shatter the earth!"
Ethan racked his brain for every possible compliment he could think of.
Nothing worked.
Rouge simply wasn't buying it.
Fuck...
What the hell am I supposed to praise you for?
Ethan was growing desperate.
He had practically exhausted every flattering word he knew, yet Cheerleader's Soul still produced almost no meaningful effect.
What kind of compliments does an Evil Bunny even like?
Don't tell me I'm supposed to praise her for being evil...
Ethan suddenly froze.
Wait.
Why not?
Praise doesn't necessarily have to use positive words.
And negative words aren't necessarily insults.
It depends entirely on who you're talking to.
If you praised a demon for being kind and compassionate, would the demon actually consider that a compliment?
Of course not.
It might even consider those words an insult.
And this creature wasn't called an Evil Bunny for nothing.
Perhaps all the normal positive compliments Ethan had been throwing at Rouge weren't merely ineffective.
Perhaps she actively disliked them.
Once that thought occurred to him, Ethan's mind suddenly opened to an entirely different approach.
Rouge was being forced back again and again.
She was almost at her limit.
Ethan's thoughts raced as he desperately searched his memory for every expression he knew associated with wickedness and evil.
Then—
His eyes narrowed.
He stared at Rouge and spoke in a deep voice.
"Rouge, you are the source of all evil throughout the ages, yet the cutest pet beneath heaven and earth."
"If Heaven had never birthed you, Rouge..."
"The path of evil would have remained trapped in eternal night."
Something changed.
Visibly.
Every strand of fur across Rouge's body seemed to stand on end.
Her tightly closed rabbit lips slowly began to spread apart.
And underneath them—
Rows of teeth appeared.
They weren't the teeth of an ordinary rabbit.
Two rows of razor-sharp, saw-like fangs filled her mouth, accompanied by a tongue stained as red as fresh blood.
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The corners of Rouge's mouth continued stretching upward and backward.
More and more jagged teeth were revealed.
She appeared to be smiling.
Yet that smile was so hideous and terrifying that anyone who saw it would feel a chill crawl through their heart.
It was more sinister than the grin of a demon.
Rouge's eyes had already resembled pigeon-blood rubies.
Now they began radiating an intense bloody light.
Her gaze itself seemed to transform into black flames soaked in blood, becoming so dense that they almost appeared tangible.
But something even stranger was happening.
Blood had been flowing from Rouge's wounds.
Now—
It reversed direction.
The blood was being drawn back into her wounds.
Even the blood staining her white fur began seeping back through her pores and returning to her body.
The crimson stains disappeared before Ethan's eyes.
Her fur became pure, crystalline white once more.
BOOM!
Rouge moved.
The instant she launched herself forward, an explosive roar erupted through the forest.
It was like a supersonic fighter jet breaking through the sound barrier.
Her body became a blur.
She shot toward the Assassin.
The sinister smile on her face stretched even wider.
The Bloodsucking Blade in her paw radiated an overwhelming aura of blood and slaughter.
Its crimson surface seemed almost liquid, as though fresh blood were seeping directly from the blade and threatening to drip onto the ground.
Even with the Assassin's incredible speed—
It couldn't dodge.
For the first time, the creature was forced to raise its dagger and directly block Rouge's Bloodsucking Blade.
CRACK!
Rouge's monstrous grin remained frozen across her face.
The Bloodsucking Blade struck the dagger.
And sliced straight through it.
The blade didn't stop.
It continued downward—
And cleaved the Assassin's body into two halves.
One strike.
Only a single strike.
The Assassin that had completely dominated Rouge only moments earlier...
Was dead.
Killed by one slash.
Ethan stared in shock and delight.
Even he hadn't expected Cheerleader's Soul to produce such a terrifying effect.
Rouge had just killed an opponent five levels above her.
As the Assassin died, black particles emerged from its body and flew toward Ethan.
The particles gathered in his palm.
They condensed into a black Mystic Core roughly the size of a peach pit.
Information immediately appeared.
Undying Assassination Art — Unique-grade Secret Art
Ethan focused on the Mystic Core and examined the information regarding the Undying Assassination Art.
A short description appeared.
Steal another's life to prolong my own.
He who kills men shall not die.
He who kills gods shall live forever.
Old Bird cultivated the ordinary Assassination Art.
This Undying Assassination Art was clearly a superior version.
Its effects should be vastly stronger than Old Bird's Secret Art.
Still...
It was only Unique-grade.
Ethan hesitated.
Should he cultivate the Undying Assassination Art?
This island was far too dangerous.
Increasing his own level would unquestionably improve his chances of survival.
He considered the decision for quite some time.
In the end, Ethan stored the Mystic Core away.
With a Spirit Pet as powerful as Rouge beside him, he was still willing to gamble.
He wanted a Peerless-grade Secret Art.
If possible, Ethan wanted his cultivation path to be perfect from the very beginning.
After all, Rouge under the effects of Cheerleader's Soul had just killed a Unique-grade Assassin five levels above her with a single strike.
If she reached Level 10...
Killing the Great Dark Heaven Demon Idol by herself might not even be difficult.
Rouge walked over to the Assassin's corpse and plunged the Bloodsucking Blade into it.
The blade began absorbing its blood.
Once the process was complete—
Rouge leveled up again.
Level 6.
Ethan was delighted.
He immediately checked her information.
Then he froze.
Bloody Evil Bunny — Peerless
Spirit Pet: Level 6
Origin Energy: 11
Growth Rate: 2.0
Innate Talent: Bloody Revival — Peerless
Secret Art: Bloodsucking Art — Level 6, Peerless
Secret Technique: Bloodsucking Blade Art — Level 6, Peerless
Mystic Treasure: Bloodsucking Blade — Level 6, Peerless
Ethan stared at the information.
"What the..."
"Why did Rouge's quality become Peerless?"
"And her Growth Rate increased to 2.0?"
His shock quickly turned into excitement.
It wasn't that a Spirit Pet's quality and Growth Rate were absolutely impossible to improve.
It was simply extraordinarily difficult.
Certain priceless natural treasures found within hidden realms could improve a Spirit Pet's quality or Growth Rate.
But such treasures were unimaginably rare.
Any one of them could be worth a fortune.
Ethan remembered seeing a news report before.
A single Longevity Fruit capable of increasing a Spirit Pet's Growth Rate by 0.1 had once sold at auction for more than one hundred million.
As for natural treasures capable of directly improving a Spirit Pet's quality...
Most people had only ever read about them in records.
Ordinary cultivators might live their entire lives without even seeing what such treasures looked like.
Yet Rouge had just advanced from Unique-grade to Peerless-grade.
Her Growth Rate had also reached the theoretical pinnacle—
2.0.
No wonder she had been able to kill a Level 10 Assassin with one slash while only Level 5 herself.
There was no question about what had caused this transformation.
Cheerleader's Soul.
Even in his wildest dreams, Ethan would never have imagined that Cheerleader's Soul possessed an ability like this.
It was far more absurd than he had initially believed.
This was practically a miracle.
With Cheerleader's Soul, why would I ever have to worry about not having top-tier Spirit Pets?
Countless possibilities immediately flooded Ethan's mind.
He could simply purchase cheap, worthless Spirit Pets.
Then—
He could use Cheerleader's Soul to praise them, stimulate their potential, and increase their quality and Growth Rate.
Afterward, he could sell them for enormous profits.
The difference between the purchase price and selling price wouldn't merely be tenfold or a hundredfold.
It could potentially be thousands of times greater.
In the future, Ethan wouldn't even need to risk his life exploring hidden realms.
He could simply stay home, buy and sell Spirit Pets, and become unimaginably wealthy.
Secret Arts.
Secret Techniques.
Mystic Treasures.
As long as he had enough money, there would always be ways to obtain them.
He could even trade Peerless Spirit Pets directly for Peerless Secret Arts, Secret Techniques, and Mystic Treasures.
Imagine it.
A Peerless Secret Art.
Peerless Secret Techniques.
An entire body covered in Peerless Mystic Treasures.
Only after obtaining all of that would he venture into hidden realms again.
At that point—
Who could possibly threaten him?
Unfortunately...
There was one rather serious problem.
He couldn't leave this island.
And even if he somehow escaped, Ethan knew he couldn't recklessly display such an ability without possessing enough personal strength to protect himself.
If he openly started producing Peerless Spirit Pets and selling them one after another, sooner or later someone would notice.
Then one day...
He might simply disappear from the world without anyone knowing what had happened to him.
And once he was dead—
It wouldn't matter how much money he had.