When Qi Maigu heard Li Chen's question, he did not answer immediately. Only after giving it some thought did he say, "Our Golden Sun Gate has connections within the sect, and we once made inquiries. In every past Grand Artisan assessment, the final round has gathered all the candidates together to face the same test."
"This time should be no exception."
Li Chen asked with mild surprise, "In other words, we'll all be assigned the same task?"
"Exactly," Qi Maigu said.
September soon arrived, and sure enough, Li Chen received notice to attend the final round of the assessment.
This time, everyone left the sect's mountain headquarters in Spirit Province and once again boarded a Sky City suspended in the heavens. This one, however, was not the private property of any Grandmaster Artisan, but an asset of the sect.
Its name was Golden Light City, also known as the "Ironwood Forest," a fortress filled everywhere with deadly mechanisms and engines of war.
Inside a residence in the city, all the Puppet Master Grandmasters taking part in this assessment gathered, seated on cloud platforms arranged in a semicircle.
Below them lay a spacious hall. The candidates filed inside, and with a lift of their heads, they could see the Grandmaster Artisans seated high above them, imposing in the extreme.
"Everyone, this Grand Artisan assessment has now reached its final stage. I trust that, after coming this far, you have gained a deep understanding of our sect's purpose in selecting outstanding talent."
"Our sect stands upon the principle of honoring the Dao and upholding the truth. We pursue the crafts of the Puppet Master Order and cultivate the creation Great Dao. To carry forward our founding patriarch's spirit and select outstanding talents from across the world for our service, we publicly recruit