A Guide with a cougar spirit form X a Sentinel whose mental landscape is catnip
Qiao Xing is a couch potato who never strives for anything and just takes life as it comes. Then he transmigrates to an interstellar world and becomes a rare Guide.
Just after transmigrating, Qiao Xing awakens to his spirit form: a pitch-black cougar.
He can't get used to the change. In the mirror, he sees himself as a huge black cat on all fours, with soft pink paw pads and round, swiveling ears that twitch warily.
Qiao Xing is troubled. He only wants to keep lying flat. Why is that so hard?
Feeling glum, Qiao Xing tries to eat, only to find he can't even pick up his chopsticks.
Help! "Rawr!"
A low sound comes from his throat, and his ears instinctively flatten backward, making him sound as if he's purring for attention.
Qiao Xing immediately shuts his mouth, feeling even more depressed.
And things get worse.
In this world, severe pollution and radiation mean that very few people awaken as Guides. The ratio of Guides to Sentinels is one to a thousand.
As soon as they show signs of awakening, Guides are snatched up by various factions and kept as playthings.
Naturally, Qiao Xing, strolling openly down the street, catches someone's eye.
To survive in this world, he seeks out Jiang Ran, the Empire's most powerful Sentinel.
The Guide, who only meant to check things out and still had backup plans number one, two, and three, is struck down by Jiang Ran's sweet talk and decides to settle down right here.
Although Jiang Ran is the Crown Prince, his mental state is on the verge of collapse.
Everyone thinks it's only a matter of time before he has to give up his position as heir.
Without a Guide to stabilize his mental landscape, even the most powerful Sentinel will eventually end up exiled to a barren star.
Just as everyone waits for him to be exiled, Jiang Ran appears looking refreshed.
At his side is a majestic black lion with a star in the middle of its forehead.
"The rarest Dark Guide! Where did he find one?!"
Actually, from the moment Qiao Xing appeared, Jiang Ran knew he was his Guide.
That's because Jiang Ran's mental landscape is a giant catnip plant.
As everyone knows, felines simply can't resist catnip.
P.S. The author's own worldbuilding, explained below:
1. There are two types of Guides: ordinary Guides, who can transform from human to animal, and Dark Guides, who have a star appear on the animal's forehead.
2. Guides can switch between human and animal forms, but only one form can exist at a time.
3. Guides are extremely, extremely, extremely rare. Even the royal family has trouble finding one, so they can only be bought through illicit channels.
Theme: Take heart. Everything will be all right.
