"Fellow Daoist Qi has already crossed that threshold. I need to put in more effort too."
"Otherwise, when we meet again, he'll be a Grand Artisan while I'm still a Master Artisan. That would be far too awkward."
Although things were going very well at present, Li Chen still felt a faint pressure.
Li Chen had indeed done Qi Maigu a great favor, but he did not dwell on it, because he had benefited as well. Each had gotten what he needed.
He did not want his own stupidity and shortsightedness to sour their friendship, nor did he want to stand still and seek advancement only by clinging to the other man's coattails.
Naturally, the best outcome would be to become a Grand Artisan himself and continue associating with him as an equal.
Over the days that followed, Li Chen handled the handovers and arrangements for the newly arrived Master Artisans while cultivating in partial seclusion.
By now, he could be counted among the local powerhouses. The newly arrived Master Artisans all knew of his friendship with Qi Maigu and the benefits he offered for cultivating this path, and they proved extremely cooperative.
This allowed Li Chen to devote himself without worry to his chosen field of breakthrough: the application of the Cosmic Dao and the void.
"Heavenly Pivot, begin experiment number one-zero-zero-nine-nine!"
In a detached building deep in the Inner Valley beneath Broad Cloud Peak, an enormous, unusually shaped Mechanism Device lay quietly, large enough to fill three ordinary rooms.
Several Clay People walked around it, apparently performing routine maintenance before the experiment.
At Li Chen's command, the light drifting around it dispersed like clouds and mist, revealing its true form.
It had a ring-shaped structure, resembling a bird's nest built from blacksteel. At its center was a depression