Chapter Fifty-Five: Of All Martial Arts Under Heaven, Speed Is the Only Invincible Technique (Second Update)

“There you are again.” The mysterious voice echoed, tinged with a trace of teasing laughter that stoked her annoyance.

“Is this place the Underworld or something?” Feng Ke’er wondered to herself. Otherwise, why did she always end up here in spirit form, reporting in, every time she fainted?

“Nonsense,” the voice replied with a huff, instantly dismissing the idea. “How could I ever live in such a place?”

Now that was strange. Feng Ke’er patted her chest in relief and let out a sigh. “Thank goodness—I’m not dead yet.”

But the voice scoffed, “You’ve been poisoned by fire ants and have fallen into a coma. If you don’t return soon, within an hour or so, the fire ants nearby will smell blood, swarm you, and strip you to the bone.”

Startled, Feng Ke’er cried, “What should I do? How do I get rid of the ant poison?”

The voice took a long breath and sighed, “Look at yourself… Sigh. The Purifying Heart Incantation can neutralize all poisons. You must go back at once. Cultivation depends on oneself; you must be diligent.”

There was a hint of reproach in his words, and Feng Ke’er felt wronged. Lately, she had shut herself away from the world, devoting nearly all her time and energy to training, except when eating or sleeping. How could she not be diligent enough?

Those fire ants were simply too formidable—what could she possibly do?

A thought flashed through her mind, and she smiled sweetly, asking, “Master, could you teach me a sword technique? If I master one, I can go back and wipe out those fire ants.” The current Cloudstream Sword technique she practiced was useless.

“No,” the voice replied with finality. “And I am not your master! Don’t call me that again.”

“Great Sage—” she pouted, refusing to believe him, resorting to coquettish pleading. She was now certain: the presence behind the mist was a supreme being. How could someone like that not have at least a few powerful sword techniques at hand? Something like the Jade Maiden Sword or the Seven Star Taiji Sword, for instance.

“Truly, I don’t,” the voice said helplessly, seeing through her ploy without ceremony. “I’m not some wandering performer hawking martial arts. Why would I possess the Jade Maiden Sword or the Seven Star Sword?”

Feng Ke’er was taken aback—it seemed she’d met another who could see right through her. And his words sounded odd, somehow. Still, her focus was locked on acquiring a sword technique; the oddness passed in a flash.

So, she plopped down on the ground, raising her voice in protest, “I don’t care! You have to tell me how to deal with the fire ants!” Hmph, just for being a great sage, she was determined to pester him.

Otherwise, even with the Purifying Heart Incantation, she would just be bitten all the same when she returned.

Frankly, fire ant bites hurt like hell!

“You!” The voice sighed repeatedly, exasperated yet amused. “What a burden you are. As I just told you, cultivation depends on oneself. The Cloudstream Sword you’re practicing now is only meant to teach you the basics of swordsmanship. As for techniques, you must figure them out yourself. If you insist on asking about sword moves, all I can say is: there are no fixed moves in this world. Mastery itself creates them. Think of the fire ants—do they have any special technique for biting? They simply pounce and bite. Pure, perfected instinct has elevated their attack to something extraordinary. Do you understand?”

Diligence and perseverance—over time, simplicity turns magical. Such an obvious truth, who couldn’t say it? But what she needed was a shortcut! Feng Ke’er protested, “The thing is, the fire ants have already reached ‘extraordinary,’ while I can’t even manage the ‘simple!’ Hmph! I’m not going back. I’d be bitten to the bone anyway!” Either way, she’d end up a skeleton. At least, for now, she wasn’t feeling the pain of being bitten!

The voice was now clearly impatient. “Then hurry back and start from the basics! There’s no shortcut in this world.”

“How should I practice?” Feng Ke’er was equally impatient. All this amounted to little more than schoolyard platitudes, nothing concrete.

“Overcome speed with speed! Counter attack with attack, counter offense with defense, and restrain the fire ants’ assault through counterattacks. Your moves must be clean and precise—strike back with the shortest distance and the fastest reaction.” The voice replied, “Remember, there is no fastest—only faster! All martial arts under heaven are invincible only in speed!”

Feng Ke’er listened, her mind filled with countless variations of the word “fast,” ricocheting around in confusion.

Then, as if a shooting star flashed through her mind, she bounced to her feet, exclaiming, “I know who you are!”

The voice laughed. “Who?”

“Firecloud Evil God!” Feng Ke’er was exasperated. Talking about performing in the martial world, preaching ‘all martial arts under heaven are invincible only in speed,’ but never actually demonstrating anything—clearly, the one behind the mist was a time traveler too, and a fan of Stephen Chow! If she’d known, she would have gone to Stephen Chow for the Buddha’s Palm technique instead.

“Get lost!” the voice snapped angrily. “You’re the Firecloud Evil God! Your whole family is!”

A sudden gust of wind swept over her, and Feng Ke’er yelped as she tumbled backward, plunging into a bottomless, pitch-black void.

Next came a jolt of pain in her shoulders and face.

Feng Ke’er snapped awake at once.

The sound of chittering filled her ears. Looking down, she was horrified to see a giant, crimson-purple ant—nearly two inches long—gnawing at her shoulder. Her once-smooth, round left shoulder was now a bloody, mangled mess.

“Mother!” she shrieked, instinctively flinging the fire ant as far as possible.

Then she wiped her face. Her hand came away wet and sticky with blood—there was another ant on her right cheek.

Seeing her hand, the creature tried to switch targets, leaping onto her finger for a bite.

Did it think her finger was a pig’s trotter? With a burst of energy, Feng Ke’er struck with all her might, killing it instantly.

With a crisp crack, the fire ant splattered into a mess, dead on the spot.

Immediately, she felt a surge of warmth in her lower abdomen, as though she had swallowed a powerful restorative. Even the pain of her wounds eased.

She hadn’t expected these fire ants to contain vital energy! Perfect—she could kill them to level up! Feng Ke’er’s spirits soared. Alright, she’d treat this as a month-long closed-door training—bitter cultivation for the sake of advancement!

Apparently, the fire ants had some intelligence. Seeing their companion dispatched so brutally, the nearby ants quickly retreated into the thick, fog-like miasma.

Taking advantage of the respite, Feng Ke’er took out the little gourd Shen Ping had secretly given her, poured out a Rejuvenation Pill, and swallowed it in one gulp. Though she knew from Ziyu’s example that spiritual medicine shouldn’t be taken carelessly, she figured Shen Ping wouldn’t dare tamper with a gift meant to curry favor with the Qin family and Qin Hanyan.

The Rejuvenation Pill worked wonders—her wounds healed in moments, leaving not even a scar.

Thank goodness for the Rejuvenation Pill. Otherwise, she’d be disfigured for life.

There were nine pills left in the gourd. Feng Ke’er treasured them, stowing them carefully in her storage pouch. Then she picked up her longsword, held it before her chest, steadied her breath, recited the Purifying Heart Incantation, and entered a state of high alert.

Seeing no further action from her, the fire ants that had retreated cautiously crept back, stopping about a meter away.

They clustered together, their enormous antennae tapping rapidly against one another before scattering.

Feng Ke’er’s heart sank—they were about to surround her from left, center, and right!

Fire ants attacked with incredible speed. If their battle plan succeeded, she’d be bitten again for sure.

“Overcome speed with speed. Counter attack with attack. Counter offense with defense…” The voice echoed in her mind. Inspiration struck. With her left hand forming a sword seal, she lunged forward, striking first. A swift, precise thrust—her sword stabbed one of the jumping ants straight through. Its body, as large as an oversized hawthorn berry, skewered on her sword, its antennae and six legs twitching in their final spasms.

Dead.

Another surge of warmth filled her lower abdomen.

Hmph, fire ants are just ants! Without their poisonous miasma, they’re not even as dangerous as wild chickens. Feng Ke’er’s confidence soared. She pressed the attack, thrusting three more times.

Two hit, one missed.

Another ant skewered on her sword. A third lost a middle and a hind leg, scurrying off in panic.

About to press her advantage, Feng Ke’er caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye, heading for her left ear.

No time to think—she spun and slashed.

With a crisp crack, an attacking fire ant was sliced clean in half, falling to the ground.

In a blink, three companions had been lost. The remaining ants quickly retreated into the miasma, likely to hold an emergency meeting.

It seemed the mysterious voice’s advice was effective after all. There truly were no fixed moves in combat—if you struck with the shortest, fastest action, even a simple thrust could suffice. Out of habit, Feng Ke’er reviewed the fight, then gathered the three dead ants for some quick work.

She cleaned them as she would crayfish. To her surprise, each had a tiny, pinkish demon crystal in its head, no larger than a grain of rice. The compendium confirmed they were fire-aligned, white-rank demon beasts.

Could these creatures breathe fire too? Not wanting to waste anything, she collected the crystals, antennae, legs, and tough red shells, storing them away. The ant meat, she ground into paste on a stone, then used it to draw a line—two fingers wide and a meter long—on the sandy ground before her.

She’d just noticed something interesting: the reason the fire ants had failed to overwhelm her seemed largely due to the corpses of their fallen kin skewered on her sword, which had enraged them.

So, she decided to experiment: was it the sword itself that hindered their attacks, or was it the presence of the ant corpses?

If it was the latter, then as long as she killed enough fire ants, she could carve out a safe resting spot in this low-visibility forest.

A resting place was vital. She had to survive in this forest for a whole month—even tigers need time to nap!

But to her surprise, the result was even better: after she drew the line, the miasma in front of her receded by three meters.

The fire ant juice could disperse the miasma!

The fire ants hiding behind the curtain were suddenly exposed and thrown into chaos.

Strike while the enemy is in disarray! Feng Ke’er showed no mercy, seizing her sword and dispatching them one by one—bloody lessons had taught her there was no room for hesitation in a fight for survival.

(Continued in the next chapter)

Tongtian Compendium, Chapter 55: All Martial Arts Under Heaven Are Invincible Only in Speed (Second Update) Complete!