Senior Brother Bolton looked at Lucas, his presence commanding respect without anger, and said, “Now that you’ve left the mountain gate, your every action represents the Xuantian Sect. Don’t lose your composure.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Bolton.” Little Priest replied a bit aggrievedly, but it seemed that this Senior Brother Bolton was highly respected among the young disciples of all the sects. No one else in the room spoke up for Lucas.

“It was my own recklessness.” Little Priest turned to Eric Bennett and said, then quickly turned his head away.

Eric Bennett took a gentle breath and didn’t say anything extra, only replied, “This humble monk is Matthew.”

Senior Brother Bolton nodded slightly and said to Eric Bennett, “Junior brother Matthew, I am Jason Bolton of the Zhenwu Sect. Thanks to the esteem of friends from various sects, they call me senior brother. As for today’s matter, I hope you won’t take offense.”

It’s just that my own martial arts are lacking… Eric Bennett didn’t say this out loud. He nodded, indicating that he wouldn’t take such a trivial matter to heart, then pressed his palms together, softly chanted a Buddhist verse, bowed his head to finish cleaning the floor, and left the room.

“That little monk does have some backbone…” From a distance, Eric Bennett vaguely heard Emily Carter make this comment.

Back at the chores courtyard, there was still some time before lunch, but Eric Bennett couldn’t calm his mind. He was eager to practice, but the “Hundred Days Foundation” was already complete, and there was no technique for “Zen Meditation and Qi Accumulation.” He could only hide in the meditation room, practicing the Arhat Fist over and over to temper his body.

At lunchtime, Ethan and the others hadn’t returned. It was said they’d been assigned to clean the Damo Courtyard, which was the place for the disciples of various sects to spar.

It wasn’t until evening that Eric Bennett saw Thomas, Ethan, and the others return, their faces full of excitement, chattering endlessly among themselves.

“The sparring started this afternoon?” Eric Bennett was intrigued and hurried forward to ask.

Ethan nodded vigorously. “Yeah, it was amazing! Too bad you weren’t there, senior brother.”

Thomas nodded slightly, then sighed, “They’re about the same age as me, but their martial arts are ten times better. Sigh…”

Comparing yourself to others is just asking for trouble… This phrase suddenly popped into Eric Bennett’s mind, and he curiously asked, “Who was the final winner?”

“The end was so exciting, long sword, Daoist…” Ethan waved his hands excitedly, but his words were so jumbled that Eric Bennett couldn’t understand.

Thomas smiled and said, “The final showdown was between Jason Bolton of the Zhenwu Sect and Miss Emily Carter of the Sword-Washing Pavilion. Heh, before that, they defeated the young disciples from all the sects, including Peter and Richard.”

Seeing his two fellow monks lose, Thomas looked rather gloating.

“Zhenwu Sect, Sword-Washing Pavilion?” At some point, William had walked over. “Heh, the young disciples of these two sects actually ran into each other as rivals.”

“Rivals?” Eric Bennett thought Jason Bolton and Emily Carter didn’t seem to have a bad relationship.

William clicked his tongue. “The Daoists have a technique that rivals the ‘Tathagata Divine Palm,’ called the ‘Seven Swords to Sever Heaven.’ It’s been lost for ages. The Zhenwu Sect and the Sword-Washing Pavilion each base their sect on one form of it. Their relationship is, heh, similar to that between the Vajra Monastery and our Shaolin. Also, the Sword-Washing Pavilion only honors the Dao Ancestor and doesn’t join the Daoist sects. So, who lost in the end?”

“Jason Bolton of the Zhenwu Sect lost to Miss Emily Carter by half a move,” Thomas quickly answered, quoting the evaluation of the Damo Courtyard’s head monk, Kongjian.

William was taken aback. “The little girl from the Sword-Washing Pavilion won? Don’t tell me she’s another Noah Harris. Heh, be careful—too much rigidity can break.”

The monks discussed the sparring match late into the night. After returning to his meditation room, Eric Bennett couldn’t calm his mind for a long time. Thinking of the outstanding Jason Bolton and Emily Carter, and then of himself, he felt nothing but frustration.

Outside the window, the bright moon shone through thin clouds, casting a shallow, rippling light on the floor by the bed.

“When will I finally leave the chores courtyard and truly begin my martial arts training…” As Eric Bennett thought about this, he couldn’t hold back and decided to ask Henry and David, the two long-time chores monks. There must be a reason why Uncle Charles assigned him here.

“Senior brother Henry, senior brother David, do you know how to leave the chores courtyard? Or are there any specific requirements?” As long as the requirements were clear and not just a matter of luck, Eric Bennett believed he had a chance.

Hearing this, the sleepy David suddenly sat up and laughed loudly, “After all that effort, I finally got into Shaolin, but three years after three years, I’ve always been stuck here. In two more years, I’ll be sent out of the monastery, having accomplished nothing. Haha, nothing at all—how will I face my family and elders!”

His laughter sounded more like crying, with a hint of a cuckoo’s blood-cry.

“Leave the chores courtyard? Hmph, in these seven years, I haven’t seen anyone succeed! Heh, that bald donkey Samuel is just lying to us to get us to do hard labor!” Henry gnashed his teeth, as if he wanted to eat someone alive.

Hearing their answers, the hope that had just risen in Eric Bennett’s heart was doused with cold water, leaving him at a loss.

David and Henry made a fuss for a while, then fell silent again, sinking back into their “shut-in” state, while Ethan’s breathing grew longer and deeper—he was clearly fast asleep.

Eric Bennett gazed out the window, unable to sleep, feeling like a caged bird, unable to break free, with anxiety, impatience, and frustration surging within him.