I have a Tantric panel

"Xia En, look! This will be your new room from now on."

Follow Eileen through the door.

Before me was a bright and clean room.

The floor has just been cleaned and is very clean.

The room wasn't particularly large, but it was at least much more spacious than the attic.

The furnishings were very simple, with only a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf.

Eileen didn't touch his personal belongings; she had to move them herself.

Even so, it took a lot of effort to clean up the previously cluttered storage room like this.

No wonder Eileen didn't go to school this morning.

I imagine I spent the whole morning cleaning.

My most tender spot was touched.

Xia En said softly, "Thank you, Eileen."

"No need to be so polite. Lucius said he owes you a huge favor, so it's only right that we make sure you have a better place to stay."

Eileen thought for a moment and then said, "By the way, don't leave the attic upstairs empty either; you can use it as your art studio."

"Otherwise, sleeping in the same room as oil paint would be so uncomfortable."

"Um."

Shane nodded: "By the way, where is Mr. Lucius?"

"After he finished eating, he helped move things for a while, then went back to bed and slept."

"That's very much his style."

"Who can argue with that?"

Ringing——

The clear sound of bells rang out.

The black cat jumped in through the window.

Sure enough, when Lucius returned home, it came back too.

"Oh, it's Watson!"

Eileen rushed forward excitedly and vigorously rubbed the cat's head with her two little hands.

Xia En's eyes widened.

The black cat, who usually ignored her, didn't resist Eileen's actions at all. Instead, it tilted its head back slightly and purred contentedly.

"Wait, you said his name is Watson?"

Shane noticed the blind spot.

"Yes, Watson is Watson."

After being petted for a while, the black cat walked to Shane's feet and looked up at his chest.

Shane paused for a moment, then remembered the old pen he had just brought back from Scotland Yard in his chest pocket.

"Are you looking at this?"

He took out a pen, squatted down, and placed it in front of Watson.

The black cat looked up and sniffed, a hint of nostalgia appearing in its eyes.

It let out a soft cry and then turned and left.

What does it mean?

Xia En didn't quite understand.

But cats are, by nature, unpredictable creatures.

……

……

It took half a day to move things and transform the attic into an art studio.

Xia En finally had some free time to sit down.

Before me lies a blank canvas.

There were various oil paints laid out all around.

Oil can, scraper, paintbrush... everything is ready.

The breeze blowing in through the skylight is cool and pleasant.

Although it can't compare to those luxurious art studios, it's the best environment he can have.

[Passion: 1 (21% → 30%)!]

Xia En's heart stirred slightly.

He now understands that the way to gain passion is to do things that bring him joy and pleasure.

This gives rise to a genuine desire to create and express oneself.

in other words.

This refers to the inner driving force.

Encouraged by Aurora and Eileen, his urge to paint became even stronger.

[Drawing (2→3)!]

After a long period of accumulation, this attribute was finally promoted to (3).

More importantly...

No [Soul Points] were used!

This is also why Shane didn't add any points to it.

Anyway, I've been grinding on drawing lately, so there's no need to waste points.

Unfortunately, the promotion criteria for painting (4) have also emerged.

[Progress 100%; Soul Point *1; Passion ≥2; Art ≥3]

The only regret is...

Art failed to reach the level of (3) before the formal painting was created.

The main problem is that he simply didn't have the energy to work on the other sub-items during this period (2).

have to say.

It was actually very fortunate that the first painting Xia En interpreted was "The Person in the Painting".

This painting is special in itself.

It is not just a self-portrait, but also Aurora's explanation of her skills and ideas.

This allowed Shane to build a solid foundation and experience in painting through "The Person in the Painting".

Otherwise, if he had to start from scratch on his own, it would have taken him an immense amount of effort to reach his current level.

After that, Shane also deciphered other occult works in Alara's office.

None of them had the same effect as "The Person in the Painting".

Ultimately, it comes down to not having enough time and soul points, so we can only try to improve the higher-priority major attributes as much as possible.

In any case, this is the limit that Shane can currently achieve.

It's time to start the preliminary draft.

In fact, two weeks of preparation time is very tight for a painting competition.

For large-scale oil painting competitions that require multiple drying and glazing processes, preparation time often takes several months or even half a year.

Again.

The White Canvas Award is an award for newcomers.

Aurora also hinted at it.

More than painting techniques, judges sometimes value the completeness and expressiveness of the painting, as well as the emotions it conveys...

Spirituality.

The competition doesn't even have restrictions on the type of painting.

Sketching, watercolor, oil painting... anything is fine.

Of course, oil painting remains the most classic and core type, and Shane also chose oil painting.

However, considering the drying time of oil paintings...

He also had to make some trade-offs, such as using paints that dry faster or skipping certain traditional steps.

Ara had already told him these points before.

Now is simply the time to put it into practice.

Before putting pen to paper, Xia En rubbed the old pen in his pocket with his fingers.

Fragmented images flooded my mind.

That was an ancient fortress ignited by war.

The saintess, holding aloft her banner and riding a black horse, led her army in a charge against an enemy as cold as winter.

The shouts of battle were incessant.

The smell of rust, the stench of burning, and the overwhelming stench of blood... were right up to my nose.

Gradually.

In those scenes, Shane confirmed the moment he wanted to paint.

He spread the paint and picked up his brush.

The first stroke was made on the canvas...

……

……

Two weeks later.

Shane devoted all his energy to creating this painting.

They had never even stepped outside the small building.

The only times I can relax each day are when I eat and when I meditate before bed.

To avoid the side effects of dying in his dreams again, he even temporarily stopped his nightly "dream entry".

This feeling of being completely focused reminded Xia En of the intense preparation for the college entrance examination in his previous life.

I'm very tired, but I'm also very motivated.

It felt like the finish line was right in front of us.

His daily life was entirely taken over by Eileen.

Originally, Xia En would occasionally help with some housework, but these days, Eileen has taken over all of it.

Even though she had to take care of both Lucius and Shane at the same time, the little girl still managed to keep the house in perfect order, making people unconsciously lazy.

Shane suddenly understood why Lucius had been raised to be such a useless person.

So much so that one day...

When Eileen woke him up, Shane almost cried out "Mom!"

Finally, the day before the deadline.

The setting sun bathed the attic in its glow.

Xia En took the smallest pen, dipped it in a tiny bit of pure white, and dabbed it on the right pupil of the person in the painting.

—The entire painting is now complete.

Followed by.

The colors in the painting surged forth, flooding his mind.

In the darkness, a phantom stone door slowly opened before him.