Under One Person: Feng Shui Master, I Will Protect the Mountains and Rivers with My Own Body

The lawn in the backyard of Rainbow Garden, which was originally neatly laid out, now looks somewhat messy.

The autumn wind was bleak, swirling up a few fallen leaves, which were blasted into dust by a pink energy blast before they even hit the ground.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Xia He staggered backward, her feet carving two shallow furrows in the ground, until she finally came to a stop when her back slammed into the old locust tree. Her chest heaved violently, and her beautiful face was filled with frustration and irritation.

"Stop fighting! What's the point of fighting anymore!"

Xia He dispersed the two balls of pink energy in her hands, squatted down on the ground without any regard for her image, and grabbed her hair in a frantic manner, saying, "Brother Ding, I know you're powerful, but you don't have to do this, do you? You used my moves to beat me up, and I couldn't even defend against it. It's so embarrassing!"

Opposite her, Ding Shian maintained a seemingly casual stance. He wasn't even sweating, his gray tracksuit was perfectly pressed, and even his breathing rate remained unchanged.

"Sister-in-law, you are mistaken."

Ding Shian lowered his stance and corrected him earnestly, "There's nothing shameful about it. Although I've suppressed my strength and speed to the same level as you. In fact..."

He paused, his tone so sincere it made you want to punch him: "In terms of Qi usage, I'm still 30% less skilled than you."

"How did you do that?"

Xia He had just exchanged blows with Ding Shian, and her fingers were trembling. "I strike with my palm, you strike with yours; I use my leg, you use your leg. The key is, even though our movements are exactly the same, why am I always the one getting hit back? Even if I change my move, you can come up with the exact same move at the same time, and even at a more tricky angle than me!"

This is what drives Xia He crazy the most.

It's like sparring with an enhanced version of yourself... Your opponent knows all your habits, offensive strategies, and defensive tactics, and uses them even better than you do...

This feeling is so frustrating.

"Tsk..."

Not far away, Yan Sen was holding half a watermelon at a stone table, with a spoon in his hand, scooping it out while shaking his head.

"Xiangxiang, this is nothing."

He stuffed a piece of watermelon into his mouth and mumbled, "The 'disgust' you're feeling right now is the reason I asked Brother Ding to teach you. Actually, he's not imitating you; he's just—anticipating your situation."

"Prediction?" Xia He was taken aback.

"Yes, a prediction."

Feng Baobao, who was frantically cracking sunflower seeds next to her, spat out two seed shells, stared at Xia He with her dead fish eyes, and said in a statement of fact tone, "Because Old Ding knows what you're going to do. Before you even raise your hand, he knows where you're going to hit; before you even stick your butt out, he knows which way you're going to run. You can't see him, but he's already seen right through you."

Xia He: "..."

Although I know the baby is trying to explain, isn't this analogy a bit too vulgar?

When did I ever stick my butt out?

"...It's not that bad."

Ding Shian coughed awkwardly. Although he was really good, he still seemed a little flustered when being praised by others.

He walked up to Xia He and gestured for her to get up.

"What my brother and Miss Feng said is correct, but not entirely correct either."

Ding Shian looked at Xia He with a serious expression in his eyes: "The reason I was able to defeat you with your moves is because I was 'observing'."

"Observe?" Xia He used her waist strength to stand up directly from the ground, patted the dirt off her buttocks, and asked, "Observe what?"

"Observe the form, observe the meaning, observe the spirit."

Ding Shian pointed to Xia He's shoulder: "Just now, when we exchanged blows, before you made your move, your right shoulder made an extremely slight downward movement. This movement is a precursor to your exertion of force, and it's also an instinctive habit of your body. Although it only lasted for a second, it was enough for me to make a judgment."

"And your eyes." Ding Shian pointed to his eyes. "Before attacking, a person's gaze will unconsciously lock onto the target. When you tried to kick my knee, your eyes first swept downwards. In that instant, I was already prepared to raise my knee to block."

Xia He was stunned.

"Just...just because of that?"

"That's why," Ding Shian nodded. "The so-called 'anticipating the enemy's moves' is not some kind of metaphysics, but rather an ultimate insight into human biomechanics and behavioral logic accumulated from a massive amount of combat experience."

"Your current fighting style relies too much on instinct and superpowers."

Ding Shian pointed out Xia He's weakness incisively: "Your physical fitness is very good, and your superpowers are also very strong, but all your moves are scattered. It's like a child throwing gold bricks at people. Although the gold bricks are heavy, in the eyes of a true expert, they are full of flaws."

Yan Sen chimed in from the side, "That's only because Brother Ding is so particular, using your moves to train you. If it were me, I would have already used Earthwalking Immortal to drag you into the ground."

Xia He glared at Yan Sen, but this time she didn't refute him.

Because she knew they were right.

She has always thrived in the world of supernatural beings thanks to her domineering superpower, "Breath of the Skin." Most men would go weak in the knees just by seeing her, without her ever having to actually do anything.

This also means that she is still only a novice when it comes to pure physical combat skills.

"Then... how should I practice?" Xia He took a deep breath, her eyes hardening. "Teacher, please teach me."

Ding Shian looked at Xia He's eyes, which had regained their fighting spirit, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

It's not that I'm afraid of having a weak foundation, it's that I'm afraid of lacking ambition.

"OK."

Ding Shian took a step back and assumed a new stance, but this time, his aura had changed.

It's no longer that oppressive feeling of looking up at a towering mountain, but rather a kind of... etherealness.

"I have a technique called 'Observation of the Dharma and Concentration,' which was passed down to me by one of my mentors."

Ding Shian said in a serious tone, "This technique is a secret of our sect. I cannot teach it to you without my master's permission."

"but!"

Ding Shian changed the subject, a carefree smile playing on his lips.

"I can teach you the most basic concept of 'observation'."

"This is not some secret technique, but a principle common to all martial arts in the world."

"Observe and settle, settle and break through, break through and be free."

Ding Shian extended a finger and gently traced it in the air.

"Sister-in-law, from now on, forget your special abilities and forget your techniques."

"Use your eyes, your skin, and your pores to feel."

"Feel the trajectory of my punches and kicks, feel the rhythm of my breath."

"When you can clearly see my movements, that's when... you'll be considered a beginner."