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...paving the [full of obstacles] way to fluency.
Is there a one-word adjective I can use to replace that outrageous 3-word one?
I swear I've heard of it somewhere, but I've been searching for it for almost an hour now, and have come no closer to success than when I began.
Given that the phrase the desired word is going to be inserted into is a metaphor about paving a road, perhaps "rocky" will serve. This sense of the word is defined by oxforddictionaries.com as
Difficult and full of problems
If you're wedded to "paving", @DougWarrn's suggestion of "rocky way" would work. If not, you might want to consider:
"navigating the obstacles to fluency"
OR
"clearing the hurdles to fluency"
OR
"overcoming the pitfalls to fluency"
There are many possible word choices.
From M-W:
hurdle: something that makes an achievement difficult
pitfall: a danger or problem that is hidden or not obvious at first
It sounds like you might be looking for the word 'hindered'. According to dictionary.com when it can mean (when used without an object):
to be an obstacle or impediment.
To use it in your sentence I would more likely use the opposite:
...paving the unhindered way to fluency.
which implies that the path paved will be free of obstacles and impediments.
Perhaps, thorny works here. A thorny way is a way full of difficulties (synonym of obstacles).
...paving the thorny way to fluency.
M-W:
thorny adjective
2 : full of difficulties or controversial points : ticklishstay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches
Usage examples: Google search for "thorny way"
