Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

A Dao Transformation Level of 100% means one’s fundamental essence has reached the critical point of completely converting into unobservable matter, needing only to make that final leap.

To go beyond 100% means to draw infinitely close, yet never truly arrive.

This is because that last sliver of observable matter—be it flesh and blood, spirit, inspiration, or comprehension—represents the "unknown" itself, something a Cultivator at their current realm cannot understand or control.

The final leap requires completely abandoning this last bit of the "unknown," forcibly converting it into unobservable matter.

And this process is perilous, with only a slim chance of survival.

It is like pulling the most critical block from a tower, causing the entire structure to collapse.

Succumbing to Dao Transformation.

Even if one is fortunate enough to survive, it is easy to lose one’s sense of self—for the self to no longer be the self. This is called the "Heart Demon Tribulation."

It is the heavenly chasm a Cultivator must cross when ascending from a mortal state to a higher plane of existence.

However, refining a Lifebound Magical Treasure offers an alternative Path.

This Path allows one to take something that is "unknown" to the body—but has already been converted by the Magical Treasure into "known" unobservable matter—and initially integrate it into their own life structure through the resonant fusion of Dao Patterns.

By doing so, the "unknown" portion of oneself is reduced.

Thus, the Dao Transformation Level naturally breaks its limit, surpassing 100% to reach 110%. And if one were to repeatedly refine the Magical Treasure with the Profound Origin Nine Refinements Spirit Forging Chapter...

...reaching the Second Refining, Third Refining... or even the state of Ten Refinements.

Then the Dao Transformation Level would also rise without limit.

And the "unknown" would dwindle further.

The breakthrough to the Golden Core realm would then become increasingly tranquil, until at last, success comes naturally, and one steps into the Golden Core realm.

Murphy felt his memories integrating, a result of his 110% Dao Transformation Level. Though the feeling was still hazy, it was far better than simply reading text; it was more like watching a movie.

’If I just keep refining, my personality and sense of self will gradually return as my Dao Transformation Level increases.’

At this thought.

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers splayed open as he aimed at the cloudless, azure sky above the hillside.

The next instant, his outstretched fingers suddenly clenched into a fist!

BOOM!

In the air about a hundred meters above him, a blinding sphere of light fifty meters in diameter suddenly materialized! It was an incandescent white, fringed with a halo of Dark Gold light.

Its brilliance instantly outshone the Sun on the horizon!

Where the light passed, the air was completely ionized, letting out faint CRACKLES. Light bent, and the surrounding scenery warped and blurred.

But that was the extent of it.

By the time the shockwave spread to a radius of sixty or seventy meters, it had already weakened to a point where it could do no more than rustle the blades of grass and stir the treetops.

There were no earth-shattering tremors, no sky-scorching flames, none of the terrifying aftershocks from the Old Realm that could effortlessly sweep for miles, destroying cities and razing fortresses.

Murphy lowered his hand as a stream of data from the Mind Furnace flashed across his jet-black eyes.

[Attack Release Complete]

[Peak Core Energy Output: 17.1 Degrees]

[Effective Kill Radius: 18 Meters]

[Energy Dissipation Radius: 65 Meters]

[Environmental Spiritual Qi Mobilization Efficiency: 1.2%]

[Conclusion: Core destructive power aligns with preset model. Collateral damage from environmental Energy is significantly lower than the Old Realm baseline, approximately 0.05% of the effect under an identical Energy output scenario in the Old Realm.]

’17.1 Degrees...’ Murphy thought. ’Just as I expected. The varying activity levels of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in different worlds cause massive differences in how power manifests.’

The core power of this 17.1-degree attack—the Energy intensity used for direct target destruction—is identical whether in the Old Realm, the New Realm, or this Nightmare World.

The difference, however, lies in the aftershock.

In the Old Realm, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is less inert and more easily triggered by high-energy reactions. This stimulation produces a chain reaction, resulting in an energy-amplifying aftershock.

During Murphy’s fierce battle against the four Elemental Wizards in the Holy City, the city-wide Elemental Attack possessed an astounding amount of total Energy. However, that was mostly collateral damage generated by mobilizing a massive amount of environmental Spiritual Qi.

The core power of their attacks was nowhere near that of a nuclear warhead’s epicenter, which can instantaneously release an astronomical amount of pure Energy.

You could say the total Energy released in that battle was comparable to a nuclear explosion, but its core destructive power was absolutely no match for an actual nuke.

In the New Realm, or the Nightmare World for that matter, the situation is the exact opposite.

Here, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is far more inert. When he attacks, the amount of environmental Spiritual Qi he can mobilize is negligible.

Therefore, the 17.1 degrees of core power only caused high-intensity destruction within a core radius of a few dozen meters. The aftershock decayed so rapidly that it was unable to produce any large-scale, catastrophic effects.

’So, is it possible to actively reduce the mobilization of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Old Realm to control the blast radius?’

Impossible.

A full-power attack is like dropping a huge boulder into a placid lake; it will inevitably create ripples.

It’s not a question of whether the attacker wants to control it; it’s a matter of environmental factors.

One might try to use more refined techniques to reduce the "splashes," but they can never be eliminated entirely. This is especially true in high-level duels, where the environmental disturbances caused by both combatants’ powers stack upon one another.

And in a fight to the death, it’s even more impossible to show the slightest restraint.

But in the New Realm and the Nightmare Realm, that water has become viscous—or perhaps it’s not water at all. The same boulder falls, and while the core impact remains unchanged, the resulting ripples are far, far smaller.

However, even with the preliminary refining of his Lifebound Magical Treasure and the subsequent increase in strength, Murphy knew his current power was still far from enough.

In his final battle with the Ironspine Duke, the last strike he had unleashed—by sacrificing his sense of self and undergoing complete Dao Transformation—had reached a staggering 23.8 degrees of power.