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Eshmund went to the Weapon Development Department and spent a painful 250,000 contribution points on two low-level Beast Pouches before returning to his workshop. He felt the sting of the expense – Beast Pouches were absurdly more expensive than normal Space Pouches – but there was no way around it. Progress required sacrifices.

Still, he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “I swear, these guys are robbing me blind.”

Spending that many contribution points hurt, but he tried to cheer himself up by reminding himself that they had already made a huge breakthrough. It actually worked and before he knew it, he was whistling a tune, one he used to hear back when he worked at the cyber cafe on Earth.

Unlike regular Space Pouches, Beast Pouches lacked the preservative function that kept perishable goods fresh. However, they had one major advantage – they could store intelligent living beings. In theory, even humans could enter, though that would require modifications to make the inside safe and habitable.

Sage chimed in, his tone as casual as ever. “According to records, you’ll need Five-Colored Stones, Giant Spirit Turtle Scales, and Qilin Scales to patch the subspace interior. Once reinforced, the space will become stable and livable. There are some other minor materials, but we can let the nanobots handle those.”

Eshmund nearly choked. “What the hell? Are we supposed to become the goddess Nuwa and patch the heavens now?”

Sage chuckled. “Relax. Those are just names for the materials. You don’t need to go slay an actual Giant Spirit Turtle or hunt down a Qilin. They exist in other forms, just harder to collect.”

Eshmund exhaled in relief before scowling. “Bro, lead with that next time! You nearly gave me a heart attack. I know Five-Colored Stones are basically spirit stones of different elements, but for a second, I thought you were telling me to go – ” He dragged a finger across his throat in a cutting gesture – myself.

“Well,” Sage continued, “if you want to speed things up, you could go after the actual materials. We don’t need much – just 800 kilograms of each.”

Eshmund froze. “BRO! 800 KILOS ISN’T A SMALL AMOUNT!”

“That’s if we want a one-kilometer square habitable subspace.”

Eshmund squinted. “Okay, smartass. I knew you were messing with me. We don’t need that much space. For now, we just need a small passage – something to cut travel distance.”

Sage sighed dramatically. “Such a shame. If you made a top-grade subspace, you could literally carry your own world with you. No one would be able to mess with it.”

Eshmund smirked. “I know, but let’s be realistic. A six-square-meter space should be enough. No, make it three. We’re not setting up a vacation home inside – it’s just a shortcut.”

“Got it. To keep material costs down, we’ll go with three square meters. Five kilograms of each material should suffice. We can extract the Five-Colored Stone components from magic core dust – it’s essentially an oxidized version of the same thing. As for the other materials, we’ll need to gather them manually, which will take longer.”

“Would it be faster if we used the scavenger robot?” Eshmund tapped his fingers against the table.

“Yes, but it have to travel long distances to find and transport the materials back.” Sage Said

Eshmund’s eyes lit up. “Bro, we have tons of Void Stones. We can link them to a subspace. The scavenger wouldn’t need to carry anything back – the dude just need to locate the materials and toss them into the linked subspace.”

Sage was silent for a moment. Then, he let out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s an excellent idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because I’m the master, and you’re the butler. That’s how this works.” Eshmund leaned back smugly.

Sage scoffed. “Pfft. I just let you say it first, otherwise, you’d get all self-conscious.”

“Whatever, smartass.” Eshmund rolled his eyes.

“Alright, let’s start by making a few more scavenger robots.” Eshmund leaned back in his chair, cracking his knuckles. “They don’t need to be as big as their big brother, Crayfish. Just big enough to carry a miniaturized elemental energy gathering device and a Void Stone linked to subspace. That way, we can save on materials. Also, we need to modify Crayfish so it can be equipped with a storage pouch.”

He tapped the table as he thought it over. “Five scorpions, five dragonflies, and five crabs. That should do it. Land, air, and water – fully covered. These robots will act as drop points for nanobots and help collect larger materials. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Alright, let’s design them,” Sage said, already pulling up the schematics.

The two got to work, refining each model to optimize mobility and efficiency. The scorpions were built for rugged terrain, capable of traversing rocky landscapes and burrowing through soft ground. The dragonflies were fast and agile, perfect for scouting and covering large distances quickly. The crabs were designed for aquatic operations, able to sift through riverbeds and scrape materials off underwater surfaces.

Once they finalized the blueprints, Sage sent a command to the builder bots to begin production. While they assembled the new scavenger units, Sage turned his attention to testing and inspecting the Beast Pouch to ensure there were no flaws in its structure.

Meanwhile, Eshmund was deep into another project. A design that would solve their biggest problem – selling space pouches.

This wasn’t just a workaround. It was the grand plan that would put an end to their struggles once and for all.

Occasionally, he pulled up records on protective formations and mechanical designs from Earth’s data repositories, cross-referencing ideas to refine his blueprint. It had been a long time since he used the virtual keyboard, and the feeling was oddly satisfying. The rhythmic tapping of keys, the precise adjustments in code – it all reignited his programmer’s soul.

Sage, of course, was there to correct him whenever he made dumb mistakes.

“That function is redundant,” Sage pointed out.

“Shut up, I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh really? Then why did you declare this variable twice?”

“For safety.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

Between bickering and brainstorming, their work started to take shape. When Eshmund got tired, he would throw a sarcastic remark at Sage, who never missed the opportunity to fire one back. The constant back-and-forth made the long hours more bearable.

But through it all, progress was steady, and the pieces of their plan were falling into place.

They worked until after midnight – a normal working hour for most programmers. Eshmund didn’t even remember when he crawled into bed. One moment, he was tweaking designs, and the next, he was waking up to the warm glow of morning light.

After a quick wash, he grabbed breakfast, eating mechanically while still half-asleep. Once he was done, he made his way to the herb garden, going through his morning routine.

First, exercise. He stretched his body, performed breathing techniques, and circulated energy through his limbs.

Then, combat training. He practiced Phantom Steps, refining his footwork, making each movement sharper, more instinctive. Then came the Four Kings Fist Technique, executing powerful strikes, repeating the cycle three hundred times before finally stopping.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, but instead of resting, Eshmund sat down and pulled out the Forge Demon Body Refining Art – the technique Elder Qiyang had given him.

As he studied the manual, he rotated elemental energy through his five senses, following the technique’s instructions.

“This art doesn’t just strengthen the body it actually enhances the senses?” Eshmund muttered, feeling a strange clarity wash over him. His ears twitched slightly, picking up faint details he normally wouldn’t hear.

He looked around, eyes narrowing as he focused on distant objects. “Wait my vision and hearing definitely improved. I can hear the creek flowing from here, and I can actually see that far? Usually, I can only pick up a faint sound.”

“Maybe that’s why blacksmiths train in this technique,” Sage suggested. “It probably makes them more sensitive to temperature changes, allowing them to see metal impurities better.”

Eshmund rubbed his chin, considering it. “That makes sense. I should try blacksmithing again. I might be able to see the benefits more clearly.”

But then, something felt off. His elemental energy reserves were draining way too fast.

“Ugh.. am I doing this wrong? I only used my eyes and ears a little, but it’s consuming so much energy. And this is just the first level there are ten levels in total.”

“You’re overdoing it,” Sage replied. “The manual says you’re only supposed to do five circulations at level one. You’re doing ten, and way too fast. Stop.”

Eshmund frowned. “I thought it was easy, so why stop at five?”

“Because you’re straining your body,” Sage said flatly.

Eshmund exhaled and adjusted his energy circulation, slowing it down. Almost immediately, the technique felt smoother, more natural.

“Huh. There’s definitely a difference” he admitted, relaxing slightly.

“Status Window”. Eshmund called the status window

“The Status Window looks much better now. Is it accurate?” Eshmund asked.

“It’s accurate within the sect’s radius,” Sage replied. “We’re still gathering data and refining what should be displayed, so expect some changes.”

Eshmund glanced at his stats. “My energy level seems a bit high. Based on what you showed me before, isn’t this the same as a Level 4, Early Qi Condensation cultivator?”

“Yes, it is,” Sage confirmed. “And your Strength attribute is equivalent to a Level 16 cultivator or a Late Qi Condensation Stage cultivator at Level 3.”

Eshmund frowned. “That’s a little confusing.”

“Cultivator levels are generally divided into three stages – Early, Mid, and Late – for every major realm,” Sage explained. “So within Qi Condensation, you have Early Qi Condensation, Mid Qi Condensation, and Late Qi Condensation. If we were to assign linear numbers to them, each stage would have six levels, making a total of eighteen levels in Qi Condensation. That means a Level 18 cultivator would be close to breaking through to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.”

Sage continued, “However, using a linear level system doesn’t reflect the real difference between cultivation stages. A Qi Condensation Stage cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator might only be one level apart numerically, but their stats and energy levels are vastly different.”

To illustrate, Sage provided a comparison. “A Level 18 Qi Condensation cultivator has at least 134 Strength and 6,040 Energy points. Meanwhile, an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator – who would be classified as Level 19 – has 300 Strength and 26,000 Energy. Their energy is already more than four times higher compared to the last stage in Qi Condensation, not to mention other fundamental differences.”

Eshmund nodded in understanding. “I see. That would just make things more confusing. The levels don’t really help as much as I thought.”

“Exactly. Right now, levels aren’t a perfect representation of someone’s true ability. But don’t worry – once we gather enough data, we can refine the Status Window to be more useful.”

Eshmund exhaled, crossing his arms. “That’s something we need to work on.”

Then, a thought struck him. “Wait could I combine this technique with Phantom Steps and Four Kings’ Fist? They all follow a similar energy path.”

“Let me run some simulations,” Sage said, immediately processing the idea.

A few minutes passed.

“It’s possible with some modifications,” Sage concluded. “At least up until the fourth level, there’s no need for major adjustments. But beyond that, there are issues.”

A projection appeared, showing an energy circulation model. “The way this technique interacts with your body it’s inefficient. It’s like dragging a cart without wheels. It damages your body instead of optimizing it.”

Eshmund glanced at the manual again. “The guide says the body eventually adapts to the technique. Besides, isn’t that the whole point? These techniques are designed to train the body – to push its limits and force it to improve.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s the best approach,” Sage countered. “Everyone’s body is different. Instead of forcing yourself to adapt to a technique, shouldn’t the technique be adapted to fit your body? Like software – it should be designed for the machine, not the other way around.”

Eshmund chuckled. “I get what you’re saying. And i do rather stay flexible and be able to use multiple techniques instead of locking myself into just one.”

“That’s the trade-off,” Sage mused. “If you can use multiple techniques, none of them will be fully optimized for your body. But if you tailor your body for one specific technique, you might lose compatibility with others. A tank-type fighter, for example, might be incredibly strong and durable, but they’d sacrifice agility.”

Eshmund waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t even like fighting, and I’m not a fan of bulky builds. I’d rather have many techniques to be used for different situations.”

“In that case, let’s modify them to suit you.”

Eshmund raised an eyebrow. “It’s not that easy to modify skills. One wrong move and it could be fatal.”

“For most people, yes. But not for you.”

Sage’s tone was confident. “People usually don’t modify techniques because they only have one life – one body. They can’t afford trial and error. But you? You have me. We can simulate thousands of variations before you even try them physically.”

Eshmund smirked. “That’s true, my real superpower is you.”

“Damn right,” Sage chuckled. “I’ll run tests and optimize the techniques to fit your body while preserving their training benefits. No wasted potential.”

Eshmund stretched his arms. “Thanks, Sage.”

Sage hummed in amusement. “You’re welcome, Master.'”

Eshmund rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the grin on his face.

After the excersise, Eshmund checked the herbs and his vegetable garden. After that, he went down to the underground lab.

“Are the new Subspace nanobot detectors ready?” Eshmund asked.

“Yes, we have a few thousand units prepared,” Sage replied. “I also finished processing the Void Stones. We now have two top-grade, six superior-grade, seven high-grade, fifteen medium-grade, and a hundred fifteen low-grade ones – all properly etched.”

Eshmund nodded, satisfied with the progress. “Good, but there’s still a lot left to cut and etch, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sage confirmed. “A pretty sizable batch remains.”

Eshmund moved on to another matter. “Have you started on the Beast Pouch modification?”

“I have. We’re using a single low-grade bound Void Stone for this,” Sage explained. “However, we can also sacrifice one of the low-grade Beast Pouches you bought and recycle its materials to speed up the process. Too bad we can’t repurpose them directly for the Dimensional Door project, but once we unbind the Void Stones, they’ll still be reusable.”

That piqued Eshmund’s curiosity. “Why can’t we use them directly? Aren’t we just making a smaller version of the same thing?”

Sage sighed, as if anticipating the question. “Beast Pouches are designed to function with a single bound Void Stone. But for our Dimensional Door, we need a structure that can support multiple bound Void Stones. The moment we try to tear space and bind another stone, the Beast Pouch will collapse, turning into a regular Space Pouch. It’s far easier to make a new one than to stop a crumbling pagoda.”

“I see,” Eshmund muttered, mulling over the explanation. “Alright ‘Dimensional Door,’ huh? That’s a fitting name.”

Then, with a grin, he added, “Let’s test the new Subspace detector nanobots. From now on, I shall call them ‘The Ghost Catcher!'”

A brief silence followed before Sage responded flatly, “What a lame.. ahem! – I mean, what a fitting name.”

Eshmund smirked. “I heard that. Alright, Mr. Sage, since you’re clearly unimpressed, why don’t you entertain me? What name would you suggest?”

Sage paused dramatically before answering, “Spectral Weave.”

Eshmund raised an eyebrow. “Spectral Weave?”

“Yes. It represents the way the nanobots form an invisible net across space, sensing and reacting to Subspace fluctuations like an intricate web. Unlike your ‘Ghost Catcher,’ it sounds sophisticated.”

Eshmund rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright, I’ll admit that sounds more sophisticated.” Then, with a smirk, he added, “But Ghost Catcher still has more soul, don’t you think?”

Sage groaned. “Just run the test before I decide to self-destruct out of secondhand embarrassment.”

Eshmund chuckled. “Fine, fine. Let’s get started.”

“Alright, let’s put the Space Bots to work and bind some more Subspace,” Eshmund said mischievously. “Let’s hope we get lucky and snag a huge one with the top-grade Void Stones.”

Sage immediately protested. “What the hell? You said Spectral Weave was more sophisticated, but now you’re not even using it? Instead, you came up with a completely different name? What was the point of asking me then? I give up.”

Eshmund chuckled.

“Why don’t we try here? Will there be any issues looking for Subspace in this underground lab?” Eshmund asked.

“We’re not using the isolation formation anymore – so anywhere should be fine,” Sage replied.

Eshmund chuckled. “Then let’s go outside.”

Sage sighed. “Oh my god, what’s the point of asking, you planned to go outside anyway, didn’t you?” Sage made a grumbling noise

Eshmund only smiled, feeling victorious. “The point is, I always win.”

“That’s unfair” Sage complained

Eshmund grinned. “Okay, okay, Let’s go outside, its more spacious and better scenery”

Once he was outside the Herb Garden formation, Eshmund released the Space Bots. These were the latest generation of builder bots, equipped with Void Stone fragments encased in Cold Umbra Glass, specifically designed to detect naturally occurring subspaces.

A total of 3,000 Space Bots were deployed, dispersing into the surroundings. They hovered in midair, forming a loose cloud around Eshmund, moving as he moved. To any outside observer, he merely appeared to be strolling leisurely through the area, taking his time as if enjoying the scenery.

His destination was the Alchemist Hall, specifically the section where the Kasan Tuber and the Bitter Umbrella grew. Despite having already assigned nanobots to monitor the plants remotely, he preferred to inspect them personally. There were things that direct observation could catch that data alone could not.

Upon arriving, he saw a guard stationed at the entrance.

“Hello, I came to check on the plants,” Eshmund said casually.

The guard, a Mortal practitioner, immediately cupped his hands and bowed slightly. “Ah, young master Eshmund.” His tone carried a hint of respect. Clearly, he had been informed about Eshmund beforehand. “May I see your token?”

Eshmund handed over his token, watching as the guard placed it inside a verification array. The array pulsed with a green glow, confirming his identity.

The guard smiled. “You may pass.” He gestured toward the entrance.

“Thank you,” Eshmund replied before stepping through the protective formation.

As he walked past the boundary, he glanced at the Space Bots and asked, “Will going through a formation like this cause any issues for them?”

“No, they’re safe,” Sage responded. “Unless we encounter a completely unknown type of formation, these kinds are already accounted for.”

“Good.” Eshmund nodded in satisfaction.

Inside, he carefully examined the plants. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He crouched beside the Kasan Tuber, and Sage instantly displayed its detailed information in his mind.

According to the data, the Kasan Tuber would mature in fourteen days. The Bitter Umbrella vine would also reach the end of its life cycle within the same timeframe.

He instructed the nanobots to collect detailed readings, following the same monitoring protocols he used in the Herb Garden. Every change in the soil composition, air quality, and internal structure of the plants was meticulously recorded. No detail was overlooked.

Once he was satisfied, he left the Alchemist Hall and made his way to the last location where he had previously searched for subspaces. Something about that place had stuck with him, perhaps it was a hunch, or perhaps there was something truly special about it. Either way, he felt his chances of finding something there were higher.