George Bolton, also known as Jack Bolton, is the founding patriarch of the Wudang Sect and a legendary grandmaster of martial arts. Later, he transitioned from martial arts to Daoism, and thus was also called Sage Bolton. In his early years, George Bolton traveled the world, his whereabouts unpredictable, always seeking to right the injustices of the world. Later, he visited Wudang, discovered the spiritual energy and natural beauty of Mount Wudang, and so, together with his disciples, cleared the wilderness, built a thatched hut, and began cultivating the Dao there. Not long after, he left Mount Wudang, and was never seen again by the world. In the late years of the Ming dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang suffered from illness and wished for George Bolton to concoct an elixir of immortality. In the 24th year of the Hongwu reign (1391), he sent people everywhere to search for him, but to no avail. During this time, he also sent Edward Bolton and others to look for him, but all efforts were fruitless. In the fifth year of the Yongle reign (1407), soon after Emperor Zhu Di ascended the throne, he sent the imperial official Hu Ying with an imperial edict to search for ten years, but still never found him. It is said that George Bolton may have already attained immortality and ascended. Later, under the stewardship of George Bolton’s four great disciples—William Foster, Samuel Carter, David Clark, and Thomas Harris, also known as the Four Immortals of Taihe—the martial arts created by George Bolton, including Wudang Internal Boxing, Wudang Swordsmanship, Wudang Qigong, and the Five Elements Daoist Arts, were all greatly developed and flourished. Wudang eventually rose to prominence, surpassing other sects, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shaolin, earning the saying: “In the north, Shaolin is revered; in the south, Wudang is honored.”

“Pan’er, I have cultivated here for nearly six hundred years and have finally seen through the Heavenly Dao!” George Bolton gazed into the distance with emotion. “Now you too have broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, becoming the first genius in the history of the cultivation world to reach this stage at the age of one hundred. Now, time can no longer threaten your life. As long as you continue to cultivate diligently, one day you too will see through the Heavenly Dao as I have, and shatter the void to depart!”

“Master, your disciple still needs you by my side to guide me at all times. Please don’t leave!” The Daoist called Little Henry, eyes red with emotion, looked at his master, who had taught and raised him for a hundred years as if it were a single day, unwilling to part.

“Foolish child! Your master must leave eventually, and your own path is one you must walk yourself! The road ahead is long and winding; I will search high and low! It’s a pity your senior brothers are no longer here!” Seeing his centenarian disciple so reluctant to part, George Bolton couldn’t help but feel sorrowful, gently patting his disciple’s shoulder. His thoughts drifted back to West Lake in the year 1900. When his most promising and beloved disciple, Thomas Harris, was unable to comprehend the Dao and break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and finally left him, after centuries of cultivation, he could no longer maintain his calm, and left the Ascension Cliff cave where he had cultivated for five hundred years, wandering the world. Unexpectedly, by the shores of West Lake, he found an abandoned infant, and it was this child who soothed his sorrowful heart. Not knowing the child’s surname, and since he was found by the lake, he gave him his own surname and named him Henry, with the Daoist name Brian. From then on, Henry Bolton became George Bolton’s last disciple. George Bolton taught him medicine, martial arts, and the Heavenly Dao, hoping that when he himself shattered the void and departed, Henry Bolton could inherit his legacy. Henry Bolton did not disappoint him, astonishingly breaking through to the nearly insurmountable Nascent Soul stage on his hundredth birthday. George Bolton’s four great disciples—William Foster, Samuel Carter, David Clark, and Thomas Harris, also known as the Four Immortals of Taihe—were unable to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in their lifetimes, and ultimately could not escape fate, passing away before George Bolton.

The stages of Daoist cultivation are divided into four major realms: ‘Qi’, ‘Dan’, ‘Yuan’, and ‘Shen’. These are further subdivided into twelve minor stages: ‘Qi Introduction’, ‘Qi Condensation’, ‘Qi Transformation’, ‘Dan Brewing’, ‘Dan Condensation’, ‘Dan Shattering’, ‘Nascent Soul’, ‘Soul Formation’, ‘Soul Shattering’, ‘Spirit Division’, ‘Spirit Nurturing’, and ‘Void Shattering’. Each minor stage is further divided into early, middle, and late phases. Once a cultivator reaches ‘Qi Introduction’, it means they have stepped from the acquired into the innate realm, greatly extending their lifespan to about 200 years. The ‘Dan Brewing’, ‘Dan Condensation’, and ‘Dan Shattering’ stages mark entry into the Golden Core path, making one a true expert in cultivation, with a lifespan extended to 500–600 years. The ‘Nascent Soul’ stage is a major threshold in cultivation; once crossed, one is considered half-immortal. As long as the primordial spirit remains, even if the body is destroyed, one can find a new body and be reborn, and lifespan is no longer threatened, reaching several thousand years. However, only those of extraordinary talent and great fortune can reach the Nascent Soul stage. Even George Bolton’s four great disciples—William Foster, Samuel Carter, David Clark, and Thomas Harris—with their outstanding aptitude, could only stop at the Golden Core path and were unable to truly embark on the path of immortality.

Henry Bolton was not only exceptionally gifted, but also incredibly fortunate. As an infant, he received the careful guidance of the grandmaster George Bolton, and from childhood cultivated on a spiritual mountain rich in energy, consuming countless elixirs and miraculous medicines! This allowed him to enter the Nascent Soul stage at the age of one hundred, a true miracle in the cultivation world.

A crisp birdsong pulled George Bolton’s thoughts back to reality. Looking back at Henry Bolton’s face, full of reluctance, George Bolton felt deep attachment and concern for this young disciple he had watched grow up. “Sigh!” George Bolton let out a gentle sigh, unable to bear seeing his disciple so heartbroken, and said, “Pan’er, as long as you too one day cultivate to the point of shattering the void, our master-disciple bond will bring us together again!”