At dusk.
Yellowing leaves ride the wind, drifting down upon shoulders.
Two shadows walked shoulder to shoulder into the city, casting long, slanted shadows behind them.
One carrying a large spear over his shoulder, dusty from travel, yet with eyes like twinkling stars, bright and sharp. His whole body bristled with unexpressed sharpness—it was Diao Xingyun of Mystic Sky Dojo.
Standing by his side was a man with a somber complexion, broad shoulders, and a commanding stride like a dragon or a tiger.
"Brother Zhang," Diao Xingyun said casually, patting Zhang Buzhou's shoulder, "With another strand of superior spiritual mechanism, I can undergo my seventh transformation."
In Federation Martial Arts, each intake of a spiritual mechanism is considered one transformation, and historically, the most anyone has ever transformed is seven times.
