Chapter 75: Digesting the Bottleneck

Just by observing the system’s data, he had no idea when the changes had occurred.

Knowledge Points: 634
Page Count: University Runes (0/1998), Primordial Language (10/698 (69%))
Analysis Progress: Ghost Lotus Step (7%)
Digestion Progress: Pale Elixir (12%)

At some point, the system interface had gained a new line for digestion progress. Everything else remained unchanged—Ghost Lotus Step, which he had been unable to improve, now showed 7%, and the portion of Primordial Language yet to be learned had shifted from 71% to 69%, something he’d noticed before.

“It matches what I found with the test paper—the Pale Elixir is already 12% digested.” Chen Meng murmured to himself. “According to Han Hao and the others, my digestion progress is only average. But since the system displays digestion progress, perhaps I can use knowledge points to improve it.”

With this thought, he silently repeated in his mind, “I want to digest the Pale Elixir!”

Instantly, his knowledge points decreased by one, but after waiting a few minutes, he saw no improvement in digestion progress. This made him frown.

So digestion progress couldn’t be improved this way? Yet his knowledge points had decreased, which meant the method should work—otherwise, there was no reason to deduct them.

“Maybe the progress is too small to register, less than 1% and so it doesn’t show.” This possibility made him frown again. “What a lousy system! Can’t it display progress to a decimal? If it increased by 0.1%, at least I’d be able to see it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the data before his eyes suddenly changed.

Knowledge Points: 633
Page Count: University Runes (0/1998), Primordial Language (10/698 (69%))
Analysis Progress: Ghost Lotus Step (7.5%)
Digestion Progress: Pale Elixir (12.3%)

Chen Meng was speechless for a moment, cursing under his breath, “Stupid system, this is the second time already. If I don’t scold you, you never get more user-friendly, do you? Idiot, who manufactured you—are you the beta version?”

The system, of course, never replied.

Knowing there was nothing to discuss with a foolish system, Chen Meng pondered a moment and said, “Continue to improve digestion progress!”

He felt a rising anticipation. If he could fully digest the Pale Elixir this way, he’d soon be able to take the second advancement elixir.

Gradually, the digestion progress of the Pale Elixir increased, and Chen Meng felt his body heat up, as if someone were pouring internal energy into him.

After about ten minutes, the data finally settled before his eyes.

Knowledge Points: 557
Page Count: University Runes (0/1998), Primordial Language (10/698 (69%))
Analysis Progress: Ghost Lotus Step (7.5%)
Digestion Progress: Pale Elixir (19.9%)

Chen Meng calculated—it had cost him 76 knowledge points, raising digestion progress by 7.6%, precisely 0.1% per knowledge point.

“Can’t improve it any further?”

He tried several times to mentally repeat the command, but the data remained unchanged.

He remembered that analysis progress could be improved by spending knowledge points, and later confirmed that using more points could continue analysis. But now, after digestion progress stopped increasing, he couldn’t even spend knowledge points. Did this mean it could no longer be improved by just spending points?

What was the reason?

He had hoped for a shortcut, but it seemed impossible.

“This thing…”

Chen Meng looked at the booklet Han Hao had given him, which contained some basic knowledge about cultivating the Divine Body. Perhaps he could find an answer there.

He opened the booklet—though called a booklet, it was over thirty pages, about a quarter the size of A4 paper.

He read carefully, taking nearly an hour to finish.

“Digestion Bottleneck!”

Chen Meng muttered, a term he found in the booklet.

The explanation was as follows: digesting an elixir was like losing weight—everyone encountered bottlenecks, and once reached, progress stopped.

During the elixir’s digestion, everyone faced bottlenecks; some early, some late, some frequent, some rare.

The earliest might appear upon becoming a Divine Body, while the latest might occur after digesting half the elixir. Some had five or six bottlenecks, others only one, or even none.

Before and after the bottleneck, even if you lay still, the elixir would slowly digest. But if you were stuck at a bottleneck and couldn’t find a way through, you might be stalled for years. This explained why some took longer to digest the elixir, while others finished quickly.

“I must have reached a bottleneck.”

Chen Meng murmured. Knowledge points could improve his digestion progress, but couldn’t help him break through the bottleneck.

Unless he overcame it, no amount of knowledge points would help.

For the first time, he felt a deep sense of helplessness—it turned out the system was not omnipotent.

He picked up the booklet again. It listed methods for overcoming bottlenecks, similar to ways to speed digestion: exercise, taking other elixirs, combat, even getting beaten.

There were also more extreme methods—some broke through under life-and-death crises.

“The breakthroughs in novels between life and death aren’t exaggerated at all.” Chen Meng shook his head, but who would deliberately seek such danger, just to experience a brush with death?

“Tomorrow’s Sunday, Mo Xiao Yi will be at the martial hall. I’ll see how he’s doing then. He’s just become a Divine Body, and no matter how talented he is, his digestion progress should be around 15%. I’m nearly at 20% now—let’s see if he’s discouraged by me.”

Chen Meng thought, feeling a bit pleased.

After all, everyone faced bottlenecks—if others could overcome them, so could he.

With the system’s digestion boost, he was already at an advantage.

The next day, after breakfast, Chen Meng headed straight to the martial hall. Inside, he already heard Mo Xiao Yi and the old man’s voices.

“The old man’s here too?”

Chen Meng was a little surprised; when did the old man start coming to the martial hall so early?

Upon entering, he saw the old man holding a stick of fried dough, dipping it in soy milk, looking rather dejected—probably lost at cards again.

“You’re here, junior?”

Mo Xiao Yi saw Chen Meng and greeted him excitedly, “Come have breakfast, it’s on me today!”

Chen Meng smiled, “Senior, why so generous today?”

“Haha, I’ve been in a good mood all week. The ones who used to beat me, I’ve beaten them back now—so satisfying.” Mo Xiao Yi grinned. “Junior, I saw your message yesterday—you advanced to Divine Body, right? How’s your elixir digestion progress?”

Chen Meng looked at Mo Xiao Yi, reluctant to dampen his spirits. “Just average, a bit over ten percent.”

19.9%—still “a bit over ten percent,” no problem.

Mo Xiao Yi didn’t react as Chen Meng expected, instead lamenting, “Only a bit over ten percent? That’s not good, junior.”

Chen Meng was stunned. Was ten percent so little? He thought average was about that.

Mo Xiao Yi continued, “When I advanced, my digestion progress immediately exceeded thirty percent—precisely 33%. Now, after just a week, I’m at 42%.”

At that moment, Chen Meng felt his mind buzz. Had Han Hao lied to him? He said even the best only reached 15%.

The old man looked at Chen Meng with a strange gaze, tinged with pity.