Ge Ling is located on the north shore of West Lake, stretching between Baoshi Mountain and Qixia Ridge, spanning several miles. From the mountaintop, you can overlook the entire West Lake, with beautiful scenery.

Halfway up Ge Ling is the Baopu Daoist Temple, one of the three major Daoist temples of West Lake.

The main hall of Baopu Daoist Temple is the Ge Xian Hall, dedicated to Ge Hong. To the east of Ge Xian Hall are the Hongmei Pavilion, Baopu Cottage, and Banxian Hall, all exquisitely designed and representing typical southern courtyard-style architecture.

Both Hongmei Pavilion and Banxian Hall were added later; Banxian Hall, in particular, was a place where Southern Song Prime Minister Jia Sidao indulged in pleasure, and had nothing to do with Ge Hong. Therefore, George Grant only comes here to pay respects to the statue of Ge Hong and personally cleans Baopu Cottage to honor his ancestor.

Although George Grant is a descendant of Ge Hong, he does not live in Baopu Daoist Temple on Ge Ling, but rather in a two-story tile-roofed house at the foot of Ge Ling.

Chapter Five: Chuyang Terrace

Peter Thompson parked his bicycle at the foot of the mountain, then briskly made his way up the winding path toward Chuyang Terrace at the top of Ge Ling.

Along the way, mountain ponds and flatlands could be seen everywhere, as well as large areas of rock exposed by rain erosion. Shrubs grew in clusters beside the rocks, creating a unique landscape.

At the top of Ge Ling, there is a flat area with a two-story building made of rough stone. Around it are scattered trees of varying heights and species—this is Chuyang Terrace.

This is one of the best places in Hangzhou to watch the sunrise. Whenever the morning sun rises, standing on the terrace and gazing out, the sky looks like a crimson ribbon, the rising sun like a giant disk, the sea of clouds ever-changing, golden light flowing everywhere—a truly magnificent sight. Hence the name Chuyang Terrace.

At five in the morning, almost no one would climb up to Chuyang Terrace this early.

Beneath an ancient pine tree, an elderly man with a ruddy face and white hair, dressed in a white Tang suit, stood facing east, his hands naturally hanging down, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

At this moment, the eastern sky had already begun to glow red, with purplish-red morning clouds churning like stormy waves in a raging sea.

A young figure was swiftly making his way along the path toward Chuyang Terrace. If you looked closely, you would notice that as he ran, he almost seemed to be flying—each push of his legs sent him forward like a rabbit, covering a distance of two meters with every stride.

The old man showed a look of surprise, then stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled.

Peter Thompson felt that his legs were full of strength today; with each light push, he felt as if he could soar into the sky. Climbing up to Chuyang Terrace was not tiring at all—in fact, he felt he could keep going.

“Master!” Peter Thompson called out respectfully from behind the old man.

“You’re here,” George Grant said, turning around.

“Yes.”

“Give me your hand,” George Grant said.

Upon hearing this, Peter Thompson extended his hand. George Grant placed his fingers on Peter Thompson’s wrist, and two subtle streams of energy flowed from George Grant’s fingers, entering Peter Thompson’s arm and slowly probing within his body.

Peter Thompson secretly admired his master’s skill—able to project internal energy outside the body, controlling it at will, strong or weak, and using this method to examine another’s internal condition. Peter Thompson was still far from achieving this. At present, he could at most emit energy from his feet, and his arms were much stronger than ordinary people’s.

After probing for a while, George Grant let go and sighed, “You truly are the most gifted person I have ever seen. The old saying goes, to master martial arts, one must start from childhood to achieve great success. It’s like learning a language—if you start young, you can fully immerse yourself, and it becomes your mother tongue. If you start after childhood, it will always be a second language, never as natural as your native tongue. Over three years ago, if I hadn’t seen your pure and rare heart, I would never have taken you as my disciple at your age. I never expected that, if not for that moment’s impulse, I might have missed a once-in-a-generation talent.”

“Master, you flatter me. Any achievement I have is entirely due to your excellent teaching,” Peter Thompson said, feeling a bit guilty at the praise. To him, he had simply practiced step by step, without any special tricks. If it weren’t for the marvelous ‘Longevity Formula’ passed down by George Grant, he could never have achieved what he had today.

George Grant gave Peter Thompson an approving look and waved his hand, saying, “Although diligence is important in all things, in martial arts, the first priority is talent, the second is opportunity, and only then comes hard work. Your three senior brothers have practiced for half their lives and only reached the third level; even I have only reached the fifth. You, in just three and a half years, have opened both the Yangqiao and Yinqiao meridians, reaching the second level. Although the ‘Longevity Formula’ is easy at first and difficult later, and advancing from the second to the third level is as hard as reaching the sky, for you to reach the second level in just three and a half years as an adult is already far beyond your three senior brothers.”

This was the first time Peter Thompson had heard George Grant mention his senior brothers. In the past, every time he came to Chuyang Terrace, George Grant only talked about martial arts and cultivation, never mentioning them, nor had he ever asked which school Peter Thompson attended.

Hearing that he had senior brothers, Peter Thompson felt a bit curious and excited, so he asked, “So I have three senior brothers, Master—where are they now?”

“They’re scattered all over the country; there’s no need to talk about it. You’ll meet them one day,” George Grant replied.

“Master, ever since I opened the Yangqiao and Yinqiao meridians yesterday, I feel strength in my legs and clarity in my senses—it’s truly wonderful.”

Seeing George Grant respond this way, Peter Thompson didn’t press further and instead turned the conversation back to cultivation.