Qi Refining Perfection, Bottleneck Appears

The construction plan for the "Lin Fan Special Super Gravity Training Room 1.0" acted like a shot of adrenaline for the entire Capsule Corporation.

Bulma swept away the despondency she had felt while searching for Foundation Establishment Pill materials; she was now as energized as if she'd been injected with stimulants, spending her days shuttling between the laboratory and the engineering department to direct a massive team in design, verification, and material procurement.

All sorts of bizarre, large-scale equipment components began to pour into the giant laboratory that had been designated as the "Gravity Test Zone."

Lin Fan, meanwhile, temporarily set aside the tempering of his flying sword and the search for materials, fully utilizing the available resources—primarily the high-efficiency "Modern Multi-functional Spirit Energy Reactor" and the automated production line optimized by Bulma.

"Body Strengthening Pills" and "Qi Recovery Powder" were mass-produced like candy on an assembly line.

Lin Fan was not stingy, treating these pills as "jelly beans" for his daily cultivation.

Every day, aside from his fixed routine of tempering his flying sword and studying the basic spells in the Great Dao Source Scripture, he spent almost all his remaining time meditating to refine the medicinal potency.

The results were self-evident.

Under the supply of near-infinite pills, the True Qi in his mid-stage Qi Refining body grew and condensed at an unprecedented, frantic speed.

The True Qi, which had once been like a trickling stream, gradually became like a rushing brook, then a surging river, galloping through his meridians and emitting a tidal sound that grew clearer and clearer, audible only to him.

His skin became more lustrous, his eyes held a hidden brilliance whenever he opened or closed them, and every movement he made carried a sense of natural coordination.

His five senses became sharper; he could even faintly perceive the brainwave fluctuations emitted by Bulma and the engineers as they discussed the design of the gravity room (though he couldn't understand the technical jargon).

The range of his divine sense also expanded significantly, allowing him to perceive the subtle changes in the energy around him more clearly.

This feeling of rapidly rising cultivation was truly intoxicating.

Several weeks passed in a flash.

On this day, Lin Fan took a double dose of "Body Strengthening Pills" and "Qi Recovery Powder" as usual, sat cross-legged in the quiet room, and channeled the Great Dao Source Scripture with all his might.

Massive amounts of medicinal power dissolved, pouring into his meridians like a breached flood, quickly refined by his cultivation technique into pure True Qi that merged into the already majestic, rushing river of energy.

The speed of his True Qi circulation grew faster and faster, cycling through his body in an endless, self-sustaining loop.

Finally, as the last strand of newly added True Qi merged perfectly into the river, his entire True Qi system seemed to reach a state of perfect saturation.

Hum!

Lin Fan's body trembled slightly. The rushing river of True Qi within him gradually slowed, becoming exceptionally heavy and dense, flowing slowly through his wide, tough meridians like mercury—flawless and rounded, with no room left for growth.

An unprecedented sense of power and fullness surged into his heart.

Every movement felt as if it contained the strength to shatter monuments and crack stones (though, in this world, it might barely be enough to smash a brick).

Qi Refining Perfection!

Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes. A substantive gleam flashed deep within them before vanishing. His aura was now rounded and restrained, having reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage!

He clenched his fist gently, feeling the mercury-like, surging power within his body—it was more than ten times stronger than before!

If he were to face Giran now, he was confident he could win easily using physical strength alone.

However, this feeling of power did not last long.

When he attempted to guide this massive True Qi to strike at the Foundation Establishment bottleneck recorded in the Great Dao Source Scripture, he encountered an invisible obstacle.

That barrier seemed intangible, yet it was incredibly tough!

His massive True Qi struck it like waves crashing against a reef; despite the grand momentum, it could not shake the barrier in the slightest, and instead, the rebound caused his blood to churn slightly.

Once, twice, three times...

No matter how he drove his True Qi, or even burned the power of his pills at any cost, the boundary of the realm remained unmoved.

Instead, the forced impact caused his True Qi to become somewhat scattered, and a faint, aching sensation of distension spread through his meridians.

Lin Fan had to stop immediately, slowly calming his churning blood.

He frowned, lost in thought.

The Great Dao Source Scripture clearly stated that after reaching Qi Refining Perfection, the next step was the Foundation Establishment bottleneck.

To break through this barrier, one needed to use powerful force to shatter the wall and reshape the foundation of the Dao.

He believed his accumulation of True Qi was already sufficiently vast, far exceeding the state described in the scripture for Qi Refining Perfection, so why couldn't he shake it even a little?

Was his accumulation still insufficient?

No, he felt he had reached the limit. Was his state of mind not there yet?

He felt his Dao heart was clear and without obstruction.

Was his method wrong?

The technique for striking the barrier was flawless.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind—the difference in world rules?

He was cultivating immortality in the Dragon Ball World!

The laws of heaven and earth and the essence of energy in this world might be completely different from what he knew in his past life, or even from the Primordial World described in the Great Dao Source Scripture!

Perhaps the "quality" of the True Qi condensed in this realm had not reached the standard required to break through to the next stage?

Or perhaps, the "Heavenly Dao" of this world had higher requirements for "Foundation Establishment"?

It was like forging a weapon with materials of different purity; they might look the same in volume and weight, but their strength and resilience would be worlds apart.

While the "quantity" of his True Qi had reached the mark, its "quality" was still lacking.

Improving that "quality" could not be achieved by simply piling up medicinal pills; it required deeper tempering and enlightenment.

A bottleneck had appeared.

And it was a bottleneck he currently had no idea how to break through.

Just then, Bulma's excited shouts echoed from the next room: "Lin Fan! Lin Fan! Come over here! The main frame of the Gravity Room is finished! It's super cool! Come try out the basic mode!"

Lin Fan gathered his focus, temporarily pushing aside the frustration of the bottleneck, and stood up to walk over.

In the center of the previously empty test area stood a massive, silver-white metal cube, its surface covered in complex energy conduits and cooling vents, radiating a sense of futuristic technology.

The hatch opened to reveal a spacious interior, with the walls, ceiling, and floor all lined with a specialized flexible cushioning material.

"Well? Isn't it cool?"

Bulma patted the cold metal shell proudly. "It can only stabilize at 3G for now, I'm still calibrating for higher levels! Why don't you go in and get a feel for it? See if it helps with your 'energy circulation'?"

Lin Fan looked at this "cultivation cave" tailor-made for him, then thought back to the bottleneck he had just encountered, and his heart stirred.

Perhaps this Gravity Room was the key to solving the issue of "quality."

He nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the Gravity Room.

The hatch closed slowly behind him.

Outside, Bulma pressed the start button on the control console.

"Gravity adjustment—3 times Earth standard gravity! Initiating!"

Hum—

A low, rumbling sound resonated.

Lin Fan felt his entire body sink abruptly!

It was as if he had been instantly draped in several layers of heavy iron armor!

Every cell in his body was sending out wails of agony to his brain! Breathing suddenly became difficult, and the flow of his blood seemed to turn viscous and sluggish!

Even the True Qi within him, which had reached the perfection of Qi Refining and surged like mercury, saw its circulation speed drop several-fold, becoming exceptionally difficult and strained!

Immense pressure bore down from all directions, threatening to crush and grind him into dust!

Yet, a flash of joy crossed Lin Fan's eyes.

This was exactly the feeling!

Extreme external pressure was the perfect catalyst for tempering True Qi and elevating its "quality"!

He gritted his teeth, ignoring his body's protests and the sluggishness of his True Qi, and began to circulate the Great Dao Source Scripture with all his might. He guided that incredibly heavy True Qi, struggling bit by bit to complete a cycle within this 3G hell.

Every cycle was agonizing.

But with every cycle, the True Qi seemed to become just a fraction more refined.

The bottleneck seemed to show signs of loosening.

Outside the Gravity Room, Bulma watched the monitor as Lin Fan's vital signs and energy readings fluctuated violently (though she didn't fully understand them, the trend was intense), and she was startled.

"Hey! Lin Fan! Are you okay? Your face looks terrible! Do you want to come out first?"

Lin Fan's voice, strained yet laced with a hint of excitement, came from inside the chamber:

"It's fine..." "Continue..." "...This is great!"