He spoke animatedly, but the servant monks below showed mixed expressions—most of them were half-contemptuous, half-expectant.

“Is William Shishu really that powerful?” While listening to the tales of the martial world, Ethan was much more lively than usual, as if he was as interested in them as he was in food.

The drowsy monk in the front row, David, didn’t even turn his head and murmured in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s, “‘Flying Yaksha’ Yan Wushi is the head of the Jiangzuo ‘Zombie Fist’ sect, and ‘Ice Fairy’ Ye Yuqi is the sister-in-law of Master Lu from Huamei Manor in Northern Zhou. Both are ranked in the top thirty of the Earth List, on par with the heads of our Shaolin’s Damo and Bodhi Halls.”

Damo and Bodhi Hall heads, servant hall stewards… Eric Bennett instantly understood that William was bragging. Of course, he did it skillfully, cleverly grafting major events from the martial world onto himself.

This drowsy monk David seemed to be more knowledgeable than the cold Henry monk?

Ethan continued to ask blankly, “So William Shishu is really that powerful!”

He didn’t understand the hidden meaning in David’s words at all.

Eric Bennett tugged at his monk’s robe and whispered, “The head is much, much more powerful than William Shishu.”

“But…” Ethan still wanted to ask, if William Shishu isn’t that powerful, then how could he stop this great battle? But Eric Bennett waved his hand to stop him, telling him to ask later, lest William overhear and get angry.

William was speaking with great enthusiasm, and after a while, he finally finished telling this “Ten Thousand Families Living Buddha” martial world anecdote. At the end, he looked at the new little novices like Eric Bennett and Ethan: “Do you have any questions? When it comes to the martial world, your Shishu knows everything.”

Eric Bennett quickly said, “William Shishu, we know very little about the martial world. With the way you tell it, we can’t understand much.”

“Good point. If you can’t understand, you can’t truly feel my awe-inspiring presence.” William nodded, cleared his throat, “Then I’ll introduce you to some basic knowledge of the martial world, starting with our Buddhist Four Great Temples.”

“Thank you, William Shishu,” Eric Bennett said happily.

William began to boast, “Although there are countless martial sects in the world, when it comes to those who truly lead the way, there are only the Buddhist Four Great Temples, the Daoist Three Sects, the Six Sword Sects, the Six Overlords, the Nine Demonic Paths, the Fourteen Noble Clans, and, and the Six Heretical Masters, each with their own legacies.”

When he mentioned the Six Heretical Masters, he didn’t seem too sure, but that didn’t stop him from continuing: “The Buddhist Four Great Temples are our Great Jin’s Shaolin Temple, Northern Zhou’s Shuiyue Nunnery, the Western Region’s Vajra Temple, and… Lanke Temple.”

When he mentioned Lanke Temple, he paused again, showing some uncertainty, then, looking embarrassed and angry, said, “Actually, I’ve never understood why Lanke Temple is included among the Four Great Buddhist Temples. No one knows where it is, and its disciples rarely appear in the martial world. There are no deeds that have shaken the world.”

The other servant monks seemed to be hearing this for the first time as well, and all asked curiously, “If that’s the case, why is Lanke Temple included among the Four Great Buddhist Temples?”

William became proud again and boasted, “It’s said that when the abbot was young and traveling the martial world, he once met a disciple of Lanke Temple. Later, he only ever said one thing about it: ‘If fated, Lanke Temple is as close as the horizon; if not, the horizon is as far as Lanke Temple.’”

As close as the horizon, as far as the horizon?

How mysterious!

Including Eric Bennett, all the gray-robed monks were shaken, confused, curious, and a little awed.

Seeing that he had stunned the servant monks, William chuckled, “Back to the main topic, let’s talk about our Shaolin Temple first.”

“Tens of thousands of years ago, the Demon Buddha plunged the world into chaos, and was suppressed by the arrival of the Buddha. But the ‘Tathagata Divine Palm’ was lost to the ends of the earth, its traces vanished. Two thousand years ago, our Shaolin ancestor Bodhidharma came from the southern wilds, crossed the river on a reed, and by chance obtained the third form of the ‘Tathagata Divine Palm.’ Only then did this supreme Buddhist art reappear in the world.”

“Though the main manual was missing, Patriarch Bodhidharma, with his heaven-given talent, meditated facing the wall for ten years, and from the third form of the ‘Tathagata Divine Palm’ comprehended the ‘Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic’ and many other supreme arts, founding our Shaolin lineage. In just a hundred years, it became the great sect of the martial world. After generations of patriarchs and divine monks, our Shaolin now has seventy-two supreme arts. Even treasures on par with the ‘Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic’ have increased, such as the ‘Great Dream Sutra’ and the ‘Mahākāla Demon-Subduing Fist.’ As for which patriarch or divine monk created or obtained them, I’ll tell you about that another time.”

Demon Buddha, ‘Tathagata Divine Palm,’ ‘Great Dream Sutra,’ ‘Mahākāla Demon-Subduing Fist’—hearing all this made Eric Bennett’s heart waver and yearn. The martial arts of this world were probably not as simple as he had imagined; there were even gods and buddhas! Of course, it might all just be legend.

Ahem, William suddenly coughed, then grinned, “It’s late. I’ll tell the rest tomorrow.”

With that, he immediately got up and slipped into his meditation room.

This—this is such a tease! Eric Bennett was just getting ready to hear about the seventy-two supreme arts and Vajra Temple, and now he was left scratching his head, itching with curiosity, but William was already gone.

After tidying up the courtyard, Eric Bennett and Ethan quietly returned to the meditation room. Henry and David were already fast asleep, their breathing long and steady.

The two didn’t speak, each took off their shoes and socks, lay down on their beds, as if still immersed in the martial world that William had just described.