Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chen Fan accepts all comers.

He treated the ankles of hunters bitten by venomous snakes, set the broken ribs of quarry workers, and cleaned and bandaged the wounds of beast slaves bitten on the arms by ghost beasts.

He even prescribed some herbs for an old demon who had been suffering from headaches for more than half a year. After taking the herbs for seven days, the old demon actually recovered and told everyone he met that the beast slave's hands were stained with the ancestral spirit.

He treated injuries skillfully and used medicine precisely, never asking about the patient's bloodline or social status.

Gradually, one could often see ancient demons queuing up for treatment in the open space in front of the stone house.

Some of them squatted or sat, some carried monster meat, some held a few pieces of decent-quality ore, and some came empty-handed.

Chen Fan never asks for payment; he accepts whatever is given to him and doesn't mind if he isn't paid.

Over the course of the year, Chen Fan's fame grew steadily in this small tribe.

Some soldiers, even after sustaining minor injuries, would rather take a long detour to see him for treatment than go to the tribe's eccentric shaman.

The witch doctor initially had some reservations about Chen Fan, feeling that a beast slave taking over his job was a violation of the rules.

However, after visiting several times, he found that Chen Fan was indeed highly skilled, and some of his methods were even beyond his comprehension, so he tacitly approved of the matter.

Fame brings subtle changes in status.

In the past, in the Black Rock Tribe, no one would give Chen Fan a second glance when he walked on the road, and he would occasionally be amused by the mischievous little ancient demons throwing stones at him.

Although he is still a beast slave, when he walks on the road, his tribesmen will nod at him.

Some of his clansmen even stopped to chat with him when they encountered him at the Netherworld Beast Pool.

Although most of the time he just complained about the weather, the mines, and the unfair distribution by the tribal elders, the fact that he was willing to chat with a beast slave was an attitude in itself.

More than a month later, Chen Fan was drying newly picked herbs by the medicinal field when an exceptionally burly ancient demon warrior with dark black scales on his chest strode over.

This was no ordinary soldier; Chen Fan recognized him.

Ironbone, the chieftain of the Black Rock Tribe.

Iron Bone was nearly twelve feet tall, standing before Chen Fan like a small mountain. Dozens of old scars crisscrossed his bulging muscles. The most striking one ran diagonally from his left forehead to his right jaw, almost splitting his face in two.

In Chen Fan's memory, this was the most powerful ancient demon in the entire Black Rock Tribe, said to be able to shatter a small mountain with a single punch.

"Beast slave." Tie Gu's voice was deep and resonant, like the beating of a drum. His dark red eyes swept over Chen Fan with a scrutinizing gaze. "You've healed many wounds for the tribe; your contribution is considerable. According to the rules, merit should be rewarded. I, the chieftain, grant you permission to move into the stone building in the center of the tribe and will also reward you with two female slaves to serve you. As for those Netherworld Beasts, someone will take care of them."

This is a promise from the tribe's highest ruler.

For an ordinary beast slave, being able to move out of a drafty stone house and into a sturdy stone building in the center of the tribe for the soldiers to live in would be a reward they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Not to mention there were two female slaves serving him.

In the Black Rock Tribe, having female slaves is a privilege reserved for warriors; beast slaves have no right to marry and cannot pass on their bloodline.

The other clansmen who came to join in the fun all looked on with envy. One of the bolder ones even winked at Chen Fan, seemingly congratulating him on his meteoric rise to fame.

Chen Fan simply cupped his hands in greeting, his tone indifferent: "I appreciate the clan leader's kindness. However, I am responsible for the Netherworld Beast, and it would be difficult for someone else to take over. I am used to living in the stone house, so there is no need to move. If the clan leader is so kind, please allocate some more herbs for me."

Tie Gu narrowed his eyes, staring at Chen Fan for a long while with his dark red eyes.

The surrounding tribesmen fell silent, wondering how anyone could dare to refuse a reward in front of their chieftain—this was unheard of in the Black Rock Tribe.

But Tiegu did not get angry in the end. He just snorted and left in a big stride.

Chen Fan watched Tie Gu walk away, then turned back to continue drying the herbs.

He knew that Ironbone wouldn't fuss over such a trivial matter. After all, a beast slave who could heal wounds was a real benefit to the entire tribe, and a beast slave who was unwilling to leave the stone house posed no threat whatsoever.

Iron Bone has the magnanimity to become the clan leader.

After this incident, Chen Fan's status in the Black Rock Tribe was subtly elevated to another level.

Even the clan chief personally visited him and promised him a reward. Such treatment was unique among the beast slaves of the entire Black Rock Tribe.

If before, when the tribespeople sought his help for their injuries, they were somewhat skeptical, as if they had nothing to lose, now even some self-important soldiers would occasionally sneak into the stone house seeking medicine after suffering hidden injuries.

Although they mostly came with stern faces, put down their things, took the medicine, and left without even saying thank you.

Two months later, Chen Fan's Blood Tempering Technique also broke through.

It was an ordinary morning.

He sat cross-legged in front of the stone house, activating his bloodline power according to his adjusted circulation path.

The power of blood flowed through his limbs and bones, causing his muscles and bones to resonate and produce a series of popping sounds like popping beans.

The red glow beneath the scales intensified, gradually transforming from a dark red to a bright blood red, like burning embers beneath the skin.

This state lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. When the red light finally subsided, Chen Fan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He looked down at his arm.

A faint sheen appeared on the dark gray scales, and the black fingernails at the tips of the nails were harder than before. They gently scratched the stone surface, leaving a shallow white mark.

The power of blood within the body no longer surged wildly as before, but flowed steadily along a fixed path, like a stream flowing into a river.

More importantly, Chen Fan could clearly feel that the ancestral power in his bloodline was more than twice as concentrated as before.

The highest grade of bloodline.

This discovery surprised Chen Fan as well.

A body with extremely thin bloodline broke through the innate shackles and reached the level of the upper third-grade bloodline through his unconventional cultivation method.

Although it was only a barely passing threshold of the upper three classes, this was a qualification that less than a hundred out of the thousands of Black Rock tribe members possessed.

This incident caused a minor stir within the Black Rock Clan.

Bloodline breakthroughs are not unheard of among the ancient demon race, but they are certainly not common. Generally speaking, bloodline rank is innate, and although there are methods to improve it later in life, most of these require consuming extremely precious natural treasures or being rewarded by the tribe with the essence blood of their ancestors after achieving military merits.

The tribal elders, who have lived for hundreds of years, have only seen two or three cases like Chen Fan, who pushed their bloodline to a higher level by adjusting their cultivation methods without relying on external forces.

Tie Gu personally came to take a look and, after confirming that Chen Fan's bloodline had indeed broken through, simply patted him on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, you can go to the battlefield now," before striding away.