William seemed completely unaware and continued, “I’ve heard that among the young disciples from various sects who came this time, quite a few have already reached the Enlightenment stage before the age of twenty. Perhaps they’ll have a chance to enter the Human Ranking in the future. What about you? What martial arts do you know? Any unique skills? But our Shaolin is also full of talent—this generation’s Zhenchang, Zhenben, and Zhenmiao are no worse than them.”

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Eric Bennett, “Aren’t you going to clean Chanxin Courtyard yet?”

Eric Bennett gritted his teeth, calmed himself, picked up the broom, and walked toward Chanxin Courtyard.

William watched Eric Bennett's back, the smile on his face gradually fading, leaving only a trace at the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 7: Heaven’s Chosen Ones

Chanxin Courtyard was where Shaolin received guests, made up of several courtyards. At this moment, bare trees stood tall, a thin layer of snow covering them.

Eric Bennett swung his broom, clearing away the leftover snow in the courtyard, when suddenly, the door of a side room opened. A young Daoist boy with his hair in two buns stood at the door and called out, “Hey, little monk, it’s dirty inside. Come clean up.”

“Yes, benefactor.” Eric Bennett saluted with one hand, picked up his broom, and walked toward the side room, while the Daoist boy, who still had a hint of childishness, had already gone back inside.

When Eric Bennett reached the door and looked in, he saw seven or eight people inside, each dressed differently, their colorful attire much more eye-catching than Shaolin’s plain robes.

Huh, are there girls too? Eric Bennett didn’t dare look closely, for fear of being rude, but in that hurried glance, he seemed to see a young girl in a pale yellow long dress.

It seems that in this world, Shaolin doesn’t forbid female guests from entering… Eric Bennett carefully stepped past a few guests, planning to clean up the broken teacup on the floor.

Suddenly, a foot stretched out from somewhere, landing right in front of Eric Bennett.

Eric Bennett didn’t have time to pull his leg back and tripped over it, feeling his balance lost as he stumbled forward.

In his surprise, Eric Bennett vaguely saw that the one who tried to trip him was the same Daoist boy with two buns from earlier. His features were striking, but the most eye-catching were his thick, black eyebrows, sharp as flying daggers. At this moment, he didn’t even look at Eric Bennett, his eyes fixed intently ahead.

Eric Bennett flailed his arms, struggling to keep his balance and avoid falling, but the Daoist boy had timed his move perfectly, making it impossible for him to regain his footing. He could only watch helplessly as the ground got closer and closer, imagining himself falling flat on his face in a miserable heap.

Just then, a flash of pale yellow caught Eric Bennett's eye, and immediately after, a long sword in a heavy, bronze-green scabbard appeared out of nowhere, gently pressing against Eric Bennett's chest.

The sword barely used any force—Eric Bennett could hardly feel any pain—but its angle and strength were just right, instantly stopping his fall and helping him regain his balance.

A bit dazed, Eric Bennett looked up, just in time to see a stunningly beautiful face. She had elegant brows and large eyes, her black hair simply tied up and flowing smoothly down, dressed in a pale yellow long dress. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, but showed no trace of childishness.

Her rosy lips parted slightly, her voice crisp as an oriole, “The Xuantian Sect claims to be the Dao lineage of the Heavenly Emperor, and this is how they bully children?”

Hmph. The Daoist boy from Xuantian Sect didn’t answer, only gave a light snort.

The girl turned to look at Eric Bennett, suddenly breaking into a smile, two dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth, making her look very sweet. “Little monk, don’t mind that bad guy. He just wanted to use you to test my swordsmanship.”

At this, she pursed her lips slightly and lifted her chin a bit. “But even if he saw my swordsmanship, so what?”

She didn’t say it outright, but Eric Bennett could sense her pride and confidence in her own strength.

“Thank you, miss, for saving me.” Eric Bennett steadied himself and instinctively expressed his gratitude.

The girl withdrew her sword and giggled, “You sound more like a young master from a noble family than a little monk. You should address me as ‘benefactress.’”

Then she reversed her sword and returned the salute, “Mm, my name is Emily Carter, a disciple of the Sword-Washing Pavilion. Sorry for dragging you into our conflict.”

At this moment, the Daoist boy from Xuantian Sect snorted again, “I just didn’t expect Shaolin disciples to be so weak, tripping over so easily.”

He raised his eyebrows, and with his childish face, it looked a bit like he was trying to act tough.

“He’s just a menial monk. Why don’t I test the martial arts of your sect’s menials and see if they’re as strong as you?” Emily Carter retorted with a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“You!” The Daoist boy immediately stood up.

“What are you all doing?” Suddenly, a deep voice sounded at the door.

Eric Bennett turned to look and saw a young man in a bagua robe walking in with his hands behind his back. He had long brows that reached his temples, a straight nose, and eyes as sharp as lightning.

At first glance, Eric Bennett thought this handsome and masculine man was in his twenties, but on closer inspection, he realized from his features that he was probably only seventeen or eighteen.

Such a mature aura… Eric Bennett suppressed his earlier anger and frustration, silently evaluating.

“Senior Brother Bolton, Qingjing tripped this little monk to test my swordsmanship.” Emily Carter stated simply, without embellishment.