The Person in the Drawing

Han Sen expected the holy child of the Elysium would have been just that: a child. He had a lot of experience babysitting, all things considered. But when he looked at what the woman was indicating, it wasn't a person from Elysium he was seeing. In fact, it wasn't even a spirit.

Han Sen saw a stone that was around ten feet tall. He initially believed it to be a fake mountain, often seen in such gardens as decorations.

Taking a closer look, he noticed a drawing on the rock.

The drawing featured a woman standing on a bridge with an umbrella. It was raining in the picture, and only the woman's back was seen. While you could not see her face, her posture suggested she was a woman of some elegance.

"Are you telling me she is the holy child? Where is she?" Han Sen didn't believe what his mind was trying to tell him, so he asked the woman for clarification.

The woman was able to read Han Sen, though, and she said, "It is just as you are thinking. That drawing is the holy child."

"The drawing itself? The actual drawing is the holy child?" Han Sen used his Dongxuan Aura and scanned the rock. There was no lifeforce, so even if it had been alive, it was now dead.

"Not bad," the woman said, quite seriously. "You can return to the Alliance, if you wish. It's best to be prepared. Bring back some famous books and try to get her to think, behave, and believe she is a human. If you teach her well, these are yours to keep. If you fail, your head will be mine to keep."

After that, the woman brought out the Crocodile Scissors and gave them to Han Sen.

"But..." Han Sen wished to say something, but she had already turned around and left the garden.

"Sh*t. Are you crazy? I have to teach a drawing? Does this rock have ears? Can she hear me?" Han Sen said, disheartened.

"Who suggested I cannot hear anything?" Suddenly, the rock sounded with the voice of a woman.

Han Sen jumped. He stared at the stone with his Dongxuan Aura, but noted it still appeared lifeless.

"Are you talking to me?" Han Sen looked at the stone in disbelief and directed his question to the drawing of the woman.

"Is there anyone else here?" The voice really was coming from the rock, but Han Sen could not see any changes in the drawing.

Han Sen said something, but she didn't reply.

"Hey, are you still there?" Han Sen asked this a few times, but he didn't hear her voice again.

"Weird. Am I hearing things?" Han Sen felt very strange. Regardless, he leaned in closer to check the painting on the rock with a keener inspection.

But Han Sen knew the rock and the drawing were special, that much was for sure. And Han Sen now knew why the woman had asked him to teach the painting.

Han Sen could not run-off or shirk this duty. So, he decided to return to the Alliance and find a few books he could read to her. After that sentence he first heard, though, he never did hear her speak again.

The woman wouldn't let Han Sen leave the garden, and so he was stuck there having to read a book to the drawing of the woman. When he wasn't doing that, he spent some time practicing his Jadeskin and Dongxuan Sutra so he could get the Crystal Core and Bulwark Umbrella back.

Han Sen did not focus on the woman with green clothes in the painting, actually. Before long, he spent most of his time playing with Bao'er and practicing.

It was not like he did not want to teach, but reading in front of a lifeless stone or painting felt silly. He thought he was over-qualified for something as simple as that. The woman could get any old books and any old spirit to read to them diligently; she didn't explicitly need Han Sen for that. And the spirits wouldn't be as lazy as him, either.

Fortunately, the woman hadn't come looking for him. So, Han Sen was free to be as lazy as he wanted to be. Her surprising absence was almost as if she had forgotten about him being there. Han Sen ended up staying there for half a month, and aside from the painting, he did not see another living soul.

"I hope Ling Mei'er is safe. I don't want her to get tricked by Spirit Thirteen." Even with Han Sen's desire to help her, he was unable to do anything for her right then.

After practicing Jadeskin and the Dongxuan Sutra, Han Sen had nothing to do. He summoned Taia to practice Six Path's Heart Sword technique.

Heart Sword wasn't really about attacking power or physical strength. This technique, in particular, boiled down to your heart and your mind.

Han Sen loved the skill, but his practice with it was not going well, at first.

Han Sen thought the problem lay in the Six Paths Sword. Six Paths could use Heart Sword because he was talented, and his geno core Six Paths Sword was a perfect match with Heart Sword.

Han Sen did not have the Six Paths geno core. If he wanted to master Heart Sword, doing so without it would be difficult.

But Han Sen did not plan to learn Heart Sword like Six Paths. He wanted to use Heart Sword to make his faith stronger and to find a way to look into himself. He wanted to understand himself more and become one with his true self.

Although Heart Sword was from Six Paths, Han Sen could use it differently due to the differences in their personalities. He and Six Paths were opposites.

Six Paths was a perfectionist, and nothing could leave a mark on his heart. He was even willing to destroy his emperor geno core due to it not being perfect.

But Han Sen had been through a lot, and he couldn't just let things go easily.

Heart Sword was based on the fortitude of your heart. The usage of that skill could be completely different, depending on who performed it.

Six Paths, when using Heart Sword, made others obey him. He got others to want to throw themselves onto his sword. But when Han Sen used it, it was different. If people saw it, they'd be provoked.

Han Sen could not control it. It came from who he was; it was reflective of his beliefs. He never gave up, even when the going was tough and the chances of success were slim. When that faith was put into the sword, it defined his style.

His performance of the technique would only change if his personality was somehow altered.

"This technique is good. What's its name?" As Han Sen practiced, the woman's voice came from the rock again.