Chapter 108: Bottleneck

SIZZLE!

The moment the Yellow Dragon Pill entered Ryan’s mouth, it melted instantly, transforming into a warm current that surged through his body and rapidly spread along his meridians.

As expected of a Tier 2 Top-Grade pill, the Yellow Dragon Pill contained an astonishing amount of free Origin Energy. Its energy content was at least ten times that of an ordinary Origin Power Pill!

After consuming just one pill, Ryan soon felt his meridians swelling with an overwhelming abundance of energy.

He immediately seized the opportunity, directing the surging Origin Energy toward his Origin Energy Sea and continuously condensing it within.

Vast amounts of energy streamed from the ends of his meridians like countless tributaries converging into a mighty river, rapidly flowing into his Origin Energy Sea.

HISS!

Ryan concentrated fully, controlling the incoming Origin Energy as he compressed and condensed it within his Origin Energy Sea, attempting to force his cultivation to break through its current limits.

Gradually, the free Origin Energy accumulated in his Origin Energy Sea grew denser and more abundant.

The pressure within increased steadily, while the temperature rose at an astonishing rate. It felt as though his entire Origin Energy Sea were being heated from within, approaching its absolute limit.

Feeling the dramatic changes taking place inside his body, Ryan secretly rejoiced.

’I’m close! I’m finally about to break through to the Origin Spirit Realm!’

He could distinctly sense the thin barrier separating his current realm from the next. It seemed that with just one final push, he would be able to shatter it completely.

However, just as he was about to succeed, something unexpected happened.

A strange sensation of deflation suddenly emerged from his Origin Energy Sea.

HISS!

In an instant, his previously brimming Origin Energy Sea seemed to collapse like a punctured balloon.

At the most critical moment, the massive amount of free Origin Energy he had painstakingly condensed suddenly became impossible to contain. It escaped from his Origin Energy Sea in a rapid surge, dispersing into the surrounding world like wisps of smoke.

"Huh? What’s going on?!"

Ryan stared in disbelief, momentarily unable to understand what had happened.

He had clearly felt the signs of an impending breakthrough. The barrier to the Origin Spirit Realm had seemed so close that he could almost touch it.

Yet, at the final moment, no matter how desperately he tried to compress the free Origin Energy and force it to remain within his Origin Energy Sea, he couldn’t break through.

It was as though an invisible force were preventing him from taking that final step.

"What happened? Is my Origin Energy still insufficient, or did I make a mistake somewhere during the process?"

Ryan carefully examined his condition, but his Origin Energy Sea had already returned to almost exactly the same state it had been in before he consumed the Yellow Dragon Pill.

All that energy had seemingly gone to waste.

He stared at his Origin Energy Sea for a moment before gritting his teeth.

"Hmph! I refuse to believe it. Let’s try again!"

With that, he retrieved another Yellow Dragon Pill from his spatial ring and swallowed it without hesitation.

Once again, he gathered the surging Origin Energy, compressed it within his Origin Energy Sea, and attempted to force his way through the barrier.

...

"Damn it!"

A while later, the same thing happened again.

The vast amount of free Origin Energy he had painstakingly accumulated escaped from his Origin Energy Sea, dissipating into the surrounding world.

Ryan’s expression darkened as frustration surged through him.

"Why can’t I break through?! I’m already so close! It’s just a thin barrier, so why can’t I overcome it no matter what I do?!"

He had made several attempts in succession.

Not only had both of his precious Yellow Dragon Pills been consumed, but he had also used seven or eight Tier 1 Top-Grade Origin Power Pills in his desperate attempts to break through.

He had burned through a considerable amount of cultivation resources, yet his efforts had yielded absolutely no results.

Every single time, the process followed the same frustrating pattern.

His Origin Energy Sea would fill with energy, the pressure would build, and the breakthrough would seem imminent. Then, at the final moment, the condensed Origin Energy would suddenly slip out of his control and dissipate completely.

It was as though an invisible wall stood between him and the next realm, refusing to let him advance regardless of how much energy he accumulated.

"Could this be a realm bottleneck?"

Ryan furrowed his brows, his expression turning bitter.

A bottleneck was one thing, but experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.

It gave him an overwhelming sense of helplessness, as though he could exhaust every last ounce of strength in his body without making the slightest progress.

This was the first time Ryan had encountered such an obvious cultivation bottleneck.

Perhaps he had simply been fortunate in the past. Alternatively, his previous cultivation realms might have been low enough that he had never encountered a serious obstacle.

Whatever the reason, he was now thoroughly stumped.

His enemies, including those threatening both him and Mira, possessed strength far beyond the Tenth Realm. Yet he was still stuck in the First Realm, unable to advance as quickly as he needed to.

The disparity weighed heavily on his mind.

"Sigh, it seems I won’t be breaking through to the Origin Spirit Realm anytime soon."

Ryan sighed, his expression shifting repeatedly as he considered his next move.

"Since I’ve encountered a bottleneck, there’s no point in remaining cooped up in the cultivation room. I’ll go out and look for some opportunities instead. First, I’ll visit the City Lord of Ashfall City and find out why he gave me that city lord token."

Perhaps changing his surroundings would help him clear his mind. He might even stumble upon an opportunity that could help him overcome his bottleneck.

However, the thought of meeting the City Lord soon brought another concern to mind.

He had never met the man before. Although Ryan hadn’t sensed much hostility when he received the token, that didn’t mean he could afford to let his guard down.

In this world, trusting others too easily could cost him his life.

Before meeting the City Lord, he needed to acquire more means of protecting himself. That was the safest course of action.

"Since I can’t break through for now, I’ll use the Boundless Creation Furnace to create some powerful combat skills from these newly acquired Skill Stones."

Ryan’s eyes gradually brightened as an idea took shape.

"There’s no need to combine them. I’ll create each skill individually and supplement the required energy with Origin Stones."

With that decision made, he immediately summoned the Boundless Creation Furnace.

SWOOSH!

A soft sound echoed through the cultivation room as the ancient furnace emerged from his body.

In an instant, an overwhelming aura of ancient desolation permeated the entire room, bringing with it the familiar, mysterious sensation that always accompanied the furnace’s appearance.

Ryan turned his attention toward it.

"Mira, use Advanced Creation to create these four Skill Stones for me. Don’t combine them. Create each one separately, and I’ll supply the additional energy with Origin Stones."

As he spoke, he took out four Skill Stones and tossed them into the Boundless Creation Furnace.

The four Skill Stones were:

* Burning Blood Art

* Wandering Body Eight Trigram Palm

* Wandering Body Footwork

* Thunder Impact

SWISH!

The moment the Skill Stones entered the furnace, a vortex appeared within the swirling gray mist.

The four Skill Stones were immediately drawn toward it, disappearing into its depths like stones sinking into an unfathomably deep sea.

"Understood, Host!"

DING!

A notification appeared in Ryan’s mind.

[Energy value not met.]

[Please continue to input, Host.]

[Current total energy deficit: 86,353 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

[Energy deficit details are as follows:]

[Burning Blood Art: 18,657 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

[Wandering Body Eight Trigram Palm: 22,586 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

[Wandering Body Footwork: 21,648 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

[Thunder Impact: 23,462 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

Ryan’s mouth twitched as he read the notification.

"These Origin Stones really are never enough. I’ve barely finished spending resources on my previous upgrades, and now creating just four Skill Stones will cost me another eighty thousand-plus Origin Stones..."

He couldn’t help but frown deeply.

If he spent another 86,353 Low-Grade Origin Stones, his remaining balance would drop to approximately 360,000.

Although that was still a substantial fortune, watching his reserves dwindle with every use of the furnace made his heart ache.

At this rate, even a mountain of Origin Stones won’t last forever.

After a moment of silent regret, Ryan finally gritted his teeth and made his decision.

There was no point in hoarding resources if they couldn’t help him survive.

He waved his hand, causing a massive quantity of Origin Stones to spill out of his spatial ring and pour into the Boundless Creation Furnace.

WHOOSH!

As soon as the required amount of Origin Stones had been supplied, the ancient furnace erupted with dazzling white light.

A crisp notification rang out in his mind.

DING!

[Energy value met!]

[Advanced Creation: Turning waste into treasure in batches, randomly generating...]

[Output probability: 4 target items (Skill Stone): 99% Mutated unknown-type item: 1%]

Ryan’s eyes immediately lit up. "Give me something good..."

He watched the Boundless Creation Furnace intently, silently praying for a favorable result.

Inside the furnace, the gray mist churned and swirled, its movements becoming increasingly mysterious as the creation process unfolded.

Because the Boundless Creation Furnace operated randomly, Ryan had no way of knowing exactly what would emerge until the process was complete.

In theory, the furnace could even produce treasures that were currently beyond his ability to use.

Such items wouldn’t necessarily be worthless. He could always sell them or exchange them for resources he needed. However, doing so would require additional time and effort.

Naturally, he preferred to obtain treasures that would immediately improve his strength.

After all, his current situation left little room for complacency. With a cultivation bottleneck blocking his advancement and powerful enemies looming over him, every useful resource mattered.

Ryan held his breath, his gaze fixed on the swirling gray mist.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the long-awaited notification from the Boundless Creation Furnace rang out once more.