Despite the fact Zhang Li had barely moved from his position, while Dai Xin had been far more energetic, the bald monk was the first to start sweating, his breath losing its calm, steady rhythm. Dai Xin once more came at him with a flurry, a kick followed by punches and then another kick, all of them straight attacks targeting the face or body. Each one was swept away by the graceful, spiraling movements of the instructor.

[i]The essence of Five Wheel Striking is to let the opponent come to you, and strike them down while deflecting. Each counter is designed NOT to miss--I pull his arm and hold him in place, or I direct his momentum so that he is unbalanced.[/i] Dai Xin had already gotten away, but was coming back in just as hard and fast as he had begun the match. [i]Yet he manages to evade, every time. He has never seen our style before, of that I am sure. He can't be predicting my movements...he's simply fast and strong enough to get away, every time.[/i] 

This time, even as all his attacks missed their mark, Dai Xin had a smile on his face as he stepped back.

[i]And he has the stamina to continue this rate of attack. In development of his body, regardless of technique, he's superior. Is he the kind of fighter who focused on fundamentals--basic punches and kicks, relying on sheer speed and power to win against more technical opponents?[/i]

Dai Xin lunged forward, but this time his attack was one that had already failed. The basic side-punch he had begun the match with. By itself, it had failed. Added into a combination, it had failed. Again, Zhang Li took a step back with his right leg, his right arm making a wide circle to sweep the blow away as he coiled his legs together and let his hips sink.

As their arms were swept together, and they reached the peak of the circle...Dai Xin's own arm began a circle in the same direction, rotating back up and around in a back-fist strike at Zhang Li's face. The instructor's eyes widened, and his own arm continued its circle, chasing after Dai Xin's...

His palm clasped Dai Xin's forearm and pushed down, away from him, before the strike could reach full extension.

Dai Xin spun, the motion drawing his legs together in the same stance as Zhang Li, right knee in front of the left, knees supporting each other and hips sinking. His left hand came around from behind, whipping out so quickly his sleeve popped.

With the same technique Zhang Li had attempted earlier, Dai Xin struck his opponent's jaw with the heel of his palm. There was a loud sound, not like flesh on flesh but heavy wooden logs clunking together. The students let out gasping cries. Zhang Li's head spun violently as he bent forward at the waist.

[i]He wanted...to see...how our techniques worked...[/i]

Dai Xin spun again, legs uncoiling, torso torquing. His right hand whipped around, slamming the same palm heel strike into Zhang Li's chest. The stance the monk had taken allowed his hips and body to twist and spin easily, and kept him facing the opponent sidelong to reduce the number of targets his opponent could hit--but it didn't have enough root to withstand direct attacks from the front. Zhang Li was knocked backwards, hitting the ground shoulder first and reflexively rolling. He came up on his feet, still reeling. Dai Xin was already moving. 

The next technique wasn't so basic. Dai Xin was still a stride's distance from his opponent, yet with precise use of his hip flexors and the sole of his foot, he slid along the ground as he raised his knee. It was almost like the act of readying that kick was pulling him forward. The speed and lack of leg movement meant less ability to read the technique, and it snapped out in a blink. The edge of his foot slammed into Zhang Li's chest again, and this time lifted him off his feet, blasting him backwards. Again he hit the ground, but this time he slid on his back, before rolling onto his side, one hand clutching his chest. He struggled to get up, pushing himself with one hand.

Dai Xin loomed over him, cast in shadow, and his fist came down. Zhang Li felt the wind from it as the man's knuckles stopped less than a fraction of an inch from his nose.

"Do you yield?"

"I...I admit defeat..."

Dai Xin grabbed him by the shoulder of his uniform and helped him to his feet, dusting him off with light slaps before stepping back and bowing once more, left hand clasped over his right fist.

"Thank you for teaching me. May I have the honor of facing the headmaster now?" he asked.

While Zhang Li stared in confusion, the students were not so quiet. They immediately began railing against the results of the fight. Some of the townsfolk watching didn't seem happy either; they had reason to be proud of Mingdu Temple, obviously.

"Hey! That's Brother Liu over there!" one of the students shouted. Immediately several of them ran to the young hunter, looking to a graduate of their school now that their instructor had fallen. "Brother Liu, Brother Liu! You're strong, right?! Help us throw this outsider out of here!"

Dai Xin straightened from his bow, and turned his head to look at the man they were addressing. His eyes narrowed slightly.