You might have missed where I said:
"I'll grant that the source is "direct" rather than from tape, but it doesn't change the number of steps here."
... in other words, still 5 to 7 steps from source to LP. We're discussing the differences between vinyl production and digital. Everything before the two paths diverge is the same (and out of scope). You're trying to move the goalposts.
You really can't admit you're wrong can you? Not only was step number one oversimplified and wrong but there is no step one with direct to disc. That is arguably the most important step too.
And actually you're misinformed on step five also. Most of the people I spoke with from both old (including RCA) and current companies did not make copy mothers. (Perhaps the commercial dreck did that.) In other words, each pressing comes from a unique stamper. And in fact, I made notes that are in storage documenting around a half dozen master tapes from the RCA Living Stereo LP series and each stamper, cutting levels, dates, etc,