Unexpected Reward

Upon seeing the woman's arrival, Ban had a series of questions in mind.

Like who is this woman? How come nobody noticed her arrival other than him? What's her purpose coming to his sect?

But soon he will know the answer. He raised his guard to the maximum level even though he couldn't detect any malice from her.

"We finally meet again, Whiss. It's been a long while." The mysterious woman whispered which heard by Ban loud and clear as if she was right in front of him.

But what comes next made Ban almost cursed out loud.

That's because the mysterious woman appeared in front of him without notice.

However, that wasn't all.

Ban noticed that everything in his senses paused.

Not only everyone in the sect paused their actions, but everything that covers his senses. It was as if the world just stopped and silence ensued.

This is the most bizzare thing that Ban experienced. What's more terrifying is that, all this happens because of this mysterious woman in front of him.

Ban examined the mysterious woman.

Long silvery blonde hair, dressed in white like a fairy immortal in the legends. Her face was so beautiful that made him struggle to make an eye contact with her.

Ban also felt that he knew this woman. It's like he met his long lost friend after a long time of parting.

Seeing the lack of reaction of Ban, the mysterious woman only smiled. She also examined him with great interest in her phoenix like golden eyes.

"May I know who you are miss? How do you know my name?" Ban broke the silence since he felt uncomfortable at her scrutinizing eyes. It was as if his whole being has been exposed without restriction in front of her.

"Are you sure you don't know me?"

The mysterious woman chuckled slightly and replied. Her expression was that of a mature woman trying to tease a virgin guy, full of flirtatious vibe.

Ban gulped a bit and raised his guard again. He has the feeling that if he move somewhere his attention, this mysterious woman might bite his neck real hard.

Suddenly, Ban's expression changed greatly when his mouth uttered a whisper without his permission,

"...Minerva."

All of a sudden, Ban's field ofvision dimmed. It was as if something knocked him out.

Before he lost consciousness, he saw the mysterious woman gave him a kiss in his mouth. A light peck and yet it made him paused his breath in an instant. After that, he totally blanked out.

(A/N : Pftt what a virgin boy. Then again he's not.)

...

When Ban woke up, he was standing in the same position when he saw the mysterious woman that is now missing.

However, he was puzzled when he saw the diffierence after contemplation.

The time reversed to a minute. He was literally went back a minute in the past. This discovery scared him a bit.

He knew he wasn't a delusional guy. He clearly saw the mysterious woman made an interaction with him, but he couldn't explain how that happens.

He then waited for the mysterious woman to come by after a minute, but not even a shadow of her arrived.

"What just happened?"

Ban scratched his head in annoyance. This phenomenon really baffled him.

Glancing around, he saw the two most powerful people he knew in this planet- Ariana and Sven who remained silent. They did not actually detected the anomaly in the world.

"Whatever.."

Ban shrugged his shoulder and proceed to do his work.

Suddenly, new information flowed in his memory which made him paused his steps. He then widened his eyes after examining the contents.

"Two powerful cultivation techniques!"

After few minutes, Ban concluded that these two cultivation techniques are on par or higher in comparison with his current cultivation technique called Myriad Elements Divine Body.

Since his discussion with Ariana a while back, a Practitioner can have three cultivation techniques running on the body.

But due to the rarity of cultivation techniques, some Practitioners only practiced one cultivation technique on average.

Cultivation techniques have their own nature on gathering energies. And each practitioner can only practice one cultivation technique of specific type of energy it connects.

Like for example, Ban pointed out that his Myriad Elements Divine Body cultivation technique is connected with Elemental Energies. That is to say, his current cultivation progress is not fully optimized. Though he can manually gather Profound Energy and Spirit Energy through meditation, it will be much slower without cultivation techniques as his guide.

He was missing two cultivation techniques that connected on Profound Energy and Spirit Energy currently. And he just received these two different cultivation techniques out of nowhere. How could he not be surprised? This is just too good to be true.

After calming down, Ban realized that all his skills came from that mysterious man in his dreams.

'What was that for? Is this a compensation or a reward?'

Ban racked his brain again and again for the reason but to no avail. This two cultivation techniques are the ones he needed currently for faster progress in cultivation.

...

Ban headed towards the Tower of Challenge followed by Kaguya and Kagura.

Along the way, he noticed that they are on top condition for a challenge.

Ban also noticed that his forces are slowly forming. He needed some personal helpers that he could trust to manage those field of expertise.

Once these twins gets accepted as his personal disciples, they will be on the combat category.

These twins will represent his hands that cuts everything in their path. In where he pointed his finger, the twins will annihilate that direction without mercy.

They will carry his name when facing enemies. He will receive their glory defeating foes.

Although Ban already accepted the twins as his disciples in his heart due to their resolute attitude, they still need to carry out the trial as their last hurdle. If they fail, becoming sect disciple isn't so bad of a deal.

"Are you ready?"

Arriving at the Tower of Challenge, Ban asked the twins seriously.

The twins nodded with firm determination.

"Alright, good luck! Welcome to Citadel of Darkness."

Ban smiled as he sent the twins inside with a wave of his hand.

Swish!*

The twins then disappeared leaving Ban alone.

"Let's see if they are resolute enough to be my disciple."

Ban laughed slightly and left the place. He created a unique floor challenge that actually lasted for a week in duration. Even if the twins finish the trial early, it will take at least three days, so there are no reason for him to idle around the place. As for the result, he will check the array when the time comes.

As Ban headed back, he saw a familiar figure waited for him in the distance.

Ariana.

"Sigh.. Why am I getting busy all the time?" Ban shook his head as he approached the cold and elegant beauty.