"Alright, it is time for me to leave. I look forward to meeting you again in another realm!" As soon as these words were spoken, the sky suddenly twisted, and a visible rift appeared out of thin air above, its dazzling white light impossible to look at directly. The sudden burst of white light caused even Henry Bolton, who had already reached the early Nascent Soul stage, to experience temporary blindness. When his vision returned, George Bolton, who had been beside him, was already gone. He could only see the rift in the sky slowly shrinking, then gradually disappearing! Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, and a heart-wrenching, long howl echoed through the valley for a long time. The animals in the valley and the birds in the sky seemed to understand that the Master Bolton who had always protected them had broken through the void and departed, and they all raised their heads and howled together. The sound pierced the clouds, passed through ancient immortal formations, and in the ears of mortals became a rare, thunderous roar that could only be heard once in a century.

Ever since George Bolton left, Henry Bolton had been unable to calm his heart for a long time. In his spare time, he would touch the chair his master once sat on and practice refining the Universe Ring his master left behind. Inside the Universe Ring were many treasured elixirs, magical artifacts, and cultivation techniques. Every time he saw the Universe Ring and the lifetime's worth of treasures George Bolton had stored within, Henry Bolton couldn't help but think of the deep affection his master had for him.

A year later, at dawn, a young Taoist priest with an ordinary appearance looked reluctantly at the simple thatched cottage before him, the surrounding misty peaks, and the cascading waterfall, then let out a long howl. All the birds and beasts in the valley gathered around the young Taoist, then quietly stayed by his side. If a beast tamer were to witness this scene, they would surely be astonished and would certainly want to take this young Taoist as their master.

"Fellow cultivators who practice here, I am leaving now. My master has instructed me to cultivate my Dao heart in the mortal world, so I entrust this place to your care. In the future, I will send some disciples from Wudang here to cultivate as well, and I hope you will look after them!" After speaking, Henry Bolton bowed deeply to the birds and beasts before him.

"Master, the mortal world is full of dangers. You must be careful. If you encounter trouble, just send us a signal. Even if it costs us our old bones, we will come to help!" said a tiger, the king of the forest, its entire body snow-white and imposing, in a deep voice.

Henry Bolton was not surprised at all to hear the tiger speak this way. They were fully qualified and capable of saying such things, for all the birds and beasts before him were old monsters who had cultivated for over a thousand years, some even reaching the Spirit Nurturing stage equivalent to humans, just one step away from breaking through the void. The tiger was a master who had already reached the Spirit Nurturing stage.

Tears once again blurred Henry Bolton's vision, just as they had a year ago. Henry Bolton knew that these so-called ferocious monsters, as seen by humans, were actually not bad at all—some were even kinder and more innocent than humans. Henry Bolton had grown up riding on tiger's backs and flying on immortal cranes; one could say that these "monsters" before him were all his elders. Although Henry Bolton regarded these monsters as his elders, they would never dare to see themselves that way. All these beast demons had been saved by George Bolton, who risked his life to rescue them from self-righteous cultivators who saw it as their duty to subdue demons and eliminate evil, and brought them to this spiritual immortal mountain to cultivate. Not only could they cultivate here in peace thanks to George Bolton, but they also received the careful guidance of a grandmaster, George Bolton, and could be considered half his disciples. Now that George Bolton had passed the Universe Ring to Henry Bolton, it was a clear sign to them that from now on, Henry Bolton was the master of this valley, the representative of George Bolton in this world. Although George Bolton never regarded them as his disciples or servants, these grateful beast demons had long since considered George Bolton their master in their hearts, and now, their master was Henry Bolton.

Chapter Three: First Steps into the Mortal World

Henry Bolton softly recited a few incantations, then pointed his index finger forward and gently uttered, "Open." The immortal mist dispersed, and the scene at the foot of the mountain became clear. A group of tourists was standing excitedly on the "Dressing Table," taking in the view of all the Wudang peaks. "So this is the mortal world!" said Henry Bolton, turning to give the beast demons a deep look, waving his hand, and instantly disappearing before their eyes. The valley returned to its original state, only now with one less Taoist priest.

Out of nowhere, a Taoist priest appeared at the foot of the mountain leading to Yuzhen Palace—this Taoist was our protagonist, Henry Bolton. He looked up at the Yuzhen Palace atop the mountain, watched the endless stream of tourists around him, and thought to himself, "This must be the place where Master first cultivated! Master said the main Wudang sect is at Yuzhen Palace, and there's even a statue of him there. I might as well go up with these tourists and have a look! I can also see how Wudang has developed these days." So Henry Bolton picked a tour group called "Qingshan" and quietly followed behind, feeling the vitality emanating from the crowd around him. Henry Bolton couldn't help but shake his head and think, "So this is how fragile mortal life force is. No wonder Master said that human lifespans rarely exceed 100 years."