The Dragon family's dark guard spoke of the benefits of Dragon Claw Skill for a while before reciting the cultivation mantra.
Due to Long Xiao's foundation in cultivating techniques from the Dragon Scripture, he quickly grasped the cultivation mantra of Dragon Claw Skill.
Dragon Claw Skill was not difficult to cultivate. Long Xiao possessed the five-elemental Qi within his body. As long as the Qi was directed to his hands according to the mantra, he could achieve success in its cultivation.
In less than an hour, Long Xiao could skillfully wield Dragon Claw Skill. However, he did not reveal this, feigning continued practice.
This Dragon family dark guard exhibited many unusual traits, making Long Xiao wary of him.
Two days later, Long Xiao approached the cave wall and struck it with Dragon Claw Skill.
The cave wall yielded like tofu under Long Xiao's hands, which penetrated it with ease.
"Excellent, it only took you three days to master it. I, with insufficient skill, could only manage to insert my hand into a large tree after a year of practice," the Dragon family dark guard remarked.
Long Xiao patted his shoulder and said, "Climb up, I'll take you out."
The Dragon family dark guard looked at Long Xiao in surprise and asked, "It's so high, do you have enough strength to carry me?"
"Should be fine."
The Dragon family dark guard sighed and replied, "Let's forget it. You go out first, then find a rope and come back to rescue me."
Long Xiao hadn't expected the Dragon family dark guard to say that. He looked at him and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll go out first and rescue you."
After nightfall, Long Xiao climbed up the cave wall. It didn't take him long to reach the cave entrance.
The cave entrance was on a mountaintop, barren and devoid of vegetation, with nothing but rocks.
Long Xiao stood on the mountaintop and gazed down. Soon, he spotted a cluster of lights on the slope below, where there were clearly many houses.
Long Xiao descended the slope and soon arrived outside a castle nestled halfway up the mountain.
The castle was entirely constructed from stone and possessed a very ancient style. Long Xiao observed it from outside for a while when a group of Norse people, clad in rough linen robes, emerged from one castle and entered another, larger one.
Long Xiao looked down. The robes of these Norse people were identical to his own. He tore off a piece of linen from beneath his robe, used it to cover his face, and headed towards the larger castle.
The interior of the castle resembled a church, yet it was different. In the center of the castle stood a colossal statue of a Norse figure. A group of Norse people in linen robes knelt before the statue, chanting loudly.
Long Xiao entered the castle and knelt behind the group, joining their indistinct chanting.
A few minutes later, a stunningly beautiful Norse person with golden hair entered. Everyone stood up, gazing intently at the newcomer.
The beautiful Norse person made a gesture with their clasped hands and uttered a chant, which everyone else mirrored, repeating the words.
These people spoke an ancient language, similar to English but fundamentally different. Long Xiao could not understand it at all.
Long Xiao also chanted. After only a few lines, a few people standing in front of him turned to look at him.
Seeing that Long Xiao's face was covered, a bearded man asked, "Why are you covering your face? What's wrong with your face?"
The bearded man spoke in English, which Long Xiao understood. However, his English was poor, and he dared not reply.
"I'm asking you a question, why aren't you answering? Who are you?" the bearded man demanded.
Long Xiao slowly pulled down the linen covering his face. When the bearded man saw his face, a peculiar expression appeared on his features.
"An Easterner? How could an Easterner appear here?" the bearded man asked, looking at Long Xiao with extreme curiosity.
Long Xiao pointed to his throat, indicating a throat injury that prevented him from speaking.
The bearded man asked again, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
Long Xiao nodded, indicating that he could.
"How did you get here?" the bearded man inquired.
Long Xiao shook his head and pointed to his head, implying that he had forgotten.
The bearded man found this extremely strange, as the nearest inhabited area was three to four hundred kilometers away.
Unable to ascertain how Long Xiao had arrived, the bearded man, after the others finished their prayers, brought Long Xiao before the beautiful Norse person.
"Hello," the Norse person said with a smile. "Young man from the East, can you tell me where you are from?"
The beautiful Norse person spoke in perfect Mandarin. Long Xiao indicated that he could understand but could not speak.
The beautiful Norse person placed a hand on Long Xiao's head, and a mysterious power entered his mind, making him feel exceptionally comfortable.
Long Xiao felt this power was similar to life Qi, capable of clearing the meridians and ensuring the smooth flow of Qi within the body.
He could no longer feign ignorance. He had to speak.
Long Xiao coughed twice, his voice hoarse, and said, "Hello, I woke up outside this castle and don't know how I got here."
Long Xiao was unsure of the relationship between those who had captured him and the people here, nor what they were doing in this castle. Thus, he chose to play ignorant.
The beautiful Norse person looked at Long Xiao and said, "Poor young man, heaven will have mercy on you. The Lord will show you the path home."
Long Xiao shook his head and replied, "I don't know where my home is. I've forgotten many things."
"The Lord will make you remember, poor young man," the beautiful Norse person said, placing their hand on Long Xiao's head again.
Another wave of mysterious power, akin to life Qi, entered Long Xiao's body, helping to clear the meridians in his brain.
Long Xiao's head trembled slightly. He maintained a look of bewildered confusion, staring at the beautiful Norse person without speaking, his face showing fear.
"How could this be?" the beautiful Norse person murmured to themselves.
After a series of attempts, Long Xiao's memory did not return. The Norse person sighed and had to give up.
The beautiful Norse person handed Long Xiao over to the bearded man, instructing him to find a place for Long Xiao to stay temporarily.
The bearded man did not understand Mandarin, so he couldn't comprehend Long Xiao's words. However, Long Xiao could understand the bearded man's speech.
Following the bearded man, Long Xiao arrived at their living quarters. These were all stone houses with hard wooden beds. There were no bedding materials, only a single blanket on each bed.
Meals were also extremely simple, served with wooden bowls and spoons. They drank a white paste daily, one bowl per person per meal, with no side dishes.
Looking at the accommodations and the food, Long Xiao was utterly dejected, thinking he had become an ascetic.
The next day, the bearded man led Long Xiao in the morning prayers. Long Xiao couldn't understand the ancient language they chanted, but each time everyone chanted together, he felt a mysterious power emerge within the castle.
This mysterious power was similar to Qi but distinct from it. Long Xiao attempted to absorb this mysterious power into his Dantian, and he succeeded.
Every day, with morning, noon, and evening prayers, a stream of mysterious power entered Long Xiao's body. Soon, he felt a considerable amount of this mysterious power accumulating in his Dantian.