Old Priest pointed at the characters written by Samuel Bennett, then smiled and asked, “Do you want to be chosen today with this?”

“Yes!” Samuel Bennett answered firmly.

“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Those old and young geezers from the Two Palaces and Three Temples only care about martial skills, not literature. Showing them your calligraphy is like playing music to a cow. You’d be better off coming with me!”

Chapter 0002 Daoist Novice Samuel Bennett

It seemed like this was the first time in three years that someone had specifically asked for him, and Samuel Bennett almost agreed immediately.

But he held back. He was no longer the original Samuel Bennett. After eating wild vegetable porridge for seven days, he still wanted to try for a chance to eat imperial rations.

Old Priest saw his hesitation and laughed, “I’ll be waiting for you outside today. If you come, we’ll leave together!”

With that, Old Priest drifted away. Samuel Bennett watched Old Priest walk off and was surprised to notice that the wooden sword on Old Priest’s back was actually a Western-style greatsword in the shape of a cross.

Who exactly was this Old Priest?

……

The Zixiao Heavenly Palace was the largest Daoist palace on Kongtong Mountain, towering above all. But it didn’t select novices itself; it usually picked outstanding Daoists from its five affiliated temples.

The five affiliated temples of Zixiao Heavenly Palace were called the Two Palaces and Three Temples: Chiyuan Palace, Xuanhu Palace, Qingniu Temple, Baiyang Temple, and Huanghe Temple.

They were the real protagonists today. Five true Daoists sent by the Two Palaces and Three Temples sat high on the wooden platform, sipping tea and watching the children’s performances with expressionless faces.

Each child had about twenty seconds to show their strengths. Within those twenty seconds, they had to display their advantages, and then their fate would be decided by the five true Daoists—either a check or a cross.

Of course, sometimes all five Daoists would want the same person, but they already had an unspoken understanding on how to coordinate.

Three hundred and twenty candidate children lined up in five teams according to the roster, taking turns to step forward and immediately learn their selection results.

Samuel Bennett was in the fourth team. Ahead of him was James Foster, and before that was William Bolton, who had nearly beaten him to death.

“Next, Wei Ping from Qingzhou!” the steward of the Reception Hall shouted.

A child stumbled onto the stage. He was of average build, neither strong nor thin. He took out a letter of commitment and shouted, “I am a novice from the most prominent Wei family in Qingzhou. My family promises to donate eighty strings of incense money every year.”

The five Daoists exchanged glances. Richard Wright from Xuanhu Palace put a check next to his name. This novice was accepted by Xuanhu Palace.

There were only three ways to be chosen: either you had power, money, or a strong physique.

This time, the wealthy one was taken by Xuanhu Palace. The next wealthy candidate would go to Qingniu Temple, and the one after that to Baiyang Temple, and so on in rotation. This had been the rule for over twenty years, and everyone understood it well.

The Daoist behind Richard Wright raised a red card, and the steward immediately shouted, “Xuanhu Palace has chosen!”

Wei Ping was overjoyed, knelt down and kowtowed three times, then left in high spirits.

“Next, Ma Mingming from Qizhou!”

Another child ran up. He had no background, his face flushed red as he struggled to lift a thirty-jin stone lock. The stone locks came in thirty, forty, and fifty jin.

If you wanted to show you were strong, you had to lift forty jin above your head or raise fifty jin to your chest. Like John Mason, who only managed thirty jin—he might be taken by the wild Daoists, but the Two Palaces and Three Temples definitely wouldn’t want him.

Samuel Bennett quickly glanced at the main gate, where dozens of Daoists stood. They were all wild Daoists, waiting to pick up the leftovers after the Two Palaces and Three Temples finished their selection.

But Samuel Bennett didn’t spot that Old Priest. He wondered if he had gone back.

The five Daoists shook their heads and put a cross behind John Mason’s name. The black card was raised, and the steward said coldly, “Not accepted!”

John Mason walked off the stage, dejected, and headed quickly toward the main gate. Now, he could only hope a wild Daoist would take him in.

……

Time passed quickly, and after an hour it was the fourth team’s turn.

“Next, William Bolton from Weizhou!”

William Bolton strode onto the selection platform, picked up the fifty-jin stone lock without hesitation, and lifted it high in one go.

The Daoist behind the Xuanhu Palace Daoist raised a red card, and the steward shouted, “Xuanhu Palace has chosen!”

William Bolton arrogantly waved his fist at the crowd below and swaggered off.

“Next, James Foster from Lingzhou!”

James Foster rushed onto the stage, bowed deeply, and struggled to lift the thirty-jin stone lock…

“Not accepted!”

James Foster lowered his head and walked toward the main gate, knowing he wouldn’t pass and hoping a wild Daoist might take him in.

“Next, Samuel Bennett from Lingzhou!”

The crowd below burst into laughter. Someone called out mockingly, “Marshal Guo Cao, come up and accept your seal!”

The laughter grew even louder.

Samuel Bennett walked onto the selection platform. The five Daoists all frowned—they remembered this child, the weakest in the Reception Hall, and yet he had come again.

Before the black card could be raised, Samuel Bennett immediately took out his handwritten copy of the Dao De Jing and said loudly, “This is a copy of the Dao De Jing written in regular script. I can also recite the Analects from memory, guaranteed word for word!”