The Flying System Blocked Me

Blacklisting the Flying System

After completing several trivial tasks issued by the system in succession, Ye Lingyun eagerly anticipated tasks and rewards that might take a turn for the better; however, reality was like a basin of cold water, ruthlessly extinguishing that last sliver of hope burning in his heart.

Early this morning, just as Ye Lingyun awoke from his meditative cultivation, the system's familiar mechanical prompt rang out abruptly in his mind: "Ding! New task issued: proceed to the Ye Family Storeroom to sort out the piles of miscellaneous items and arrange them into categorized placements. Task completion reward: five Tier 2 Spirit Insect Shells and one copy of Basic Artifact Refining Insights. Please complete the task as soon as possible, host."

Upon hearing this task, Ye Lingyun's expression turned instantly and utterly gloomy. The dissatisfaction that had long accumulated within his heart erupted like a volcano, and he roared with fury: "Sorting miscellaneous items? Is this your so-called task that can help me step onto the peak of the cultivation path? Tier 2 Spirit Insect Shells are merely low-grade materials for artifact refining, and the Basic Artifact Refining Insights are of no help whatsoever to my current strength enhancement! You system are simply wasting my time!"

The system seemed to sense Ye Lingyun's anger and hastily explained: "Please calm down, host. Task difficulty and rewards will gradually increase along with your completion progress. Currently, your strength and system level are relatively low, so the tasks are comparatively simple. Please complete the task patiently, and the system will definitely grant generous rewards subsequently."

Ye Lingyun let out a cold laugh and said, "Patience? I have already given you enough patience! From binding the system until now, the tasks I have completed are not few, yet my strength enhancement has been negligible. Every time it is this sort of meaningless task and tasteless reward, how can I believe your so-called subsequent generous rewards?"

The system continued trying to persuade him: "Host, cultivation on the Lingxi Continent is inherently a gradual process, and the system's setup also follows this principle. You cannot negate the value of the system merely because of a setback right before your eyes. As long as you persevere, you will definitely reap unexpected gains."

Yet Ye Lingyun remained unmoved, a resolute look flashing within his eyes as he said, "In my past life, I, Ye Lingyun, was a top scientist, relying on my own wisdom and hard work to achieve success. In this world, I likewise believe in my own abilities. Rather than wasting time on these boring tasks of yours, I might as well explore the cultivation path myself. I have decided: I am blacklisting you, this system!"

The system emitted a succession of urgent warning sounds: "Warning! Warning! If the host blacklists the system, you will lose all assistance provided by the system, and on this Lingxi Continent, the path of cultivation will become doubly arduous. Please consider this carefully, host!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Lingyun moved his mind and directly severed his connection with the system, casting it onto his blacklist. In an instant, the annoying system prompts in his head stopped abruptly, and the world seemed to quiet down all at once.

After blacklisting the system, Ye Lingyun let out a long breath. Although he knew the future path of cultivation would be even more arduous, a sense of relief welled up within his heart. He secretly swore: "Without a system, I, Ye Lingyun, can still carve out a domain of my own on this Lingxi Continent!"

Nevertheless, the surrounding environment would not change simply because Ye Lingyun had blacklisted the system. The members of the Ye Family still looked upon him-a collateral scion whose Martial Soul awakening had failed-with contempt and disdain. Indeed, because he had occasionally displayed some minor abilities while completing system tasks recently, it had even drawn forth even greater jealousy and hostility.

"Have you heard? That Ye Lingyun has been showing off in front of the stewards lately. Isn't it just because he did some odd jobs? He really thinks highly of himself."

"Hmph, merely good-for-nothing, yet he still wants to turn things around. I see he is just wasting his effort. Once the novelty wears off, the stewards will still look down on him just like before."

The idle gossip of the Ye Family youths continuously drifted into Ye Lingyun's ears, but he had long since ceased to care about such things. He knew deeply that in this world where strength was paramount, only strength could shut the mouths of these people.

In order to enhance his strength, Ye Lingyun plunged into cultivation with even greater diligence. Every day before dawn, he got up and headed toward a secluded cave in the Ye Family Back Mountain. He had discovered this cave by chance; although the spiritual Qi inside was not considered dense, it had the advantage of being quiet and undisturbed by anyone.

Upon entering the cave, Ye Lingyun sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating in accordance with the knowledge he had learned from the Ye Family Library and his cultivation insights from this period. He circulated the meager Spiritual Power within his body, guiding it to flow slowly along his meridians in an attempt to condense stronger Martial Soul force. However, cultivation was not all smooth sailing; every circulation of Spiritual Power was accompanied by piercing pain, as if countless needles were stinging his meridians. Yet Ye Lingyun gritted his teeth, endured the pain stoically, and repeated the process of Spiritual Power circulation over and over again.

Time slipped away quietly amidst pain and perseverance, and before he knew it, several hours had passed. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans covered Ye Lingyun's forehead, and his garments were soaked through with sweat, yet he still did not give up. Finally, at a crucial moment during one cycle of Spiritual Power circulation, Ye Lingyun suddenly felt an abnormality arise within his body. A strand of Spiritual Power, even more mellow than before, formed within his meridians, and great joy welled up in his heart as he knew his cultivation had made a sliver of progress.

Yet this bit of progress was far from enough for Ye Lingyun. He understood that if he wished to gain a footing within the Ye Family and even across the entire Lingxi Continent, he had to achieve a qualitative leap. Therefore, unable to spare time for rest, he plunged back into cultivation.

Aside from cultivating in the cave, Ye Lingyun also utilized every moment to study the ancient texts in the Ye Family Library. Every day, he would spend several hours in the Library Pavilion, reading all kinds of books concerning Martial Soul cultivation, Spiritual Power application, pill refining, and so forth with a starved hunger. Relying on his formidable memory and analytical capability from his past life, he integrated the knowledge within the books, attempting to find from them the key to breaking through his predicament.

While reading an ancient book titled Exploration of Martial Soul Mutation and Evolution, Ye Lingyun was deeply captivated by its contents. The book recorded cases of certain Martial Souls achieving mutation and evolution through special methods; although these instances were extremely rare and the probability of success was exceedingly low, they opened a new door of train of thought for Ye Lingyun.

"Perhaps I can attempt to find a unique method to cause my Martial Soul to mutate, thereby acquiring formidable power." As Ye Lingyun flipped through the ancient text, he pondered within his heart. He knew full well that this path was fraught with risks, but in order to pursue formidable strength, he was willing to give it a try.

To verify his ideas, Ye Lingyun began searching for more related materials in the Library Pavilion. He shuttled back and forth through the vast sea of books, missing not a single ancient text that might prove useful. After several days of effort, he finally gathered some fragmented information related to Martial Soul mutation. Although this information was insufficiently complete, it allowed him to initially form a vague plan.

However, executing this plan required some special materials and conditions, and the most crucial material among them was the Spirit Illusion Grass. The Spirit Illusion Grass was an extremely rare spirit herb that grew in extremely secluded locations and was frequently accompanied by powerful guardian beasts in its surroundings. Ye Lingyun knew that acquiring the Spirit Illusion Grass was by no means an easy task, but he did not harbor the slightest intention of backing down.

Before preparing to set off in search of the Spirit Illusion Grass, Ye Lingyun decided to first elevate his martial skill proficiency. He selected a movement martial skill manual titled Breeze Phantom Steps and an offensive martial skill manual titled Rock-Shattering Palm, and began practicing assiduously.

Breeze Phantom Steps emphasized the agility and speed of movement; when cultivated to a profound realm, one could move instantly, making oneself hard to fathom. On the open ground of the Ye Family Back Mountain, Ye Lingyun practiced every single movement over and over, striving to push the speed and flexibility of his movement arts to the absolute limit. With every practice session, he felt as though he were merging as one with the wind, his figure fluttering unpredictably like a phantom.

Meanwhile, Rock-Shattering Palm stressed the ferocious and destructive force of palm power. Cultivation required gathering Spiritual Power in the palm of the hand and striking out with powerful explosive force. Ye Lingyun continuously executed his palm techniques against the boulders of the back mountain, every strike accompanied by the howling roar of Spiritual Power. Deep palm prints gradually appeared upon the boulders, and as Ye Lingyun practiced unceasingly, the palm prints grew deeper and the palm power grew stronger.

After a period of arduous practice, Ye Lingyun had mastered these two martial skills to a considerable degree of proficiency. Sensing that his strength had undergone a certain degree of enhancement, he felt it was time to go and seek out the Spirit Illusion Grass.

Before setting out, Ye Lingyun made thorough preparations. He packed some necessary cultivation resources, such as dry rations, water, and healing pills, and specially forged a sharp dagger to prepare for any contingencies. When all preparations were complete, he bid farewell to the Ye Family and embarked on the journey to search for the Spirit Illusion Grass.

According to the clues recorded in the ancient text, the Spirit Illusion Grass might grow in the depths of the Misty Forest at the edge of the Ye Family's territory. This forest was shrouded in mist year-round, featuring complex terrain and lurking dangers; not only were there all sorts of powerful demonic beasts, but there were also many unknown perils. Yet Ye Lingyun felt not the slightest bit of fear as he resolutely stepped into the Misty Forest.

The moment he entered the forest, Ye Lingyun felt a gloomy aura wash over him. The surrounding mist was so thick it felt almost tangible, and visibility was extremely low, allowing him to see clearly only a distance of a few meters before him. He proceeded with extreme caution, his ears constantly vigilant to the movements around him while his hand tightly gripped his dagger.

Suddenly, a low roar came from ahead, causing Ye Lingyun's heart to tighten as he knew danger was approaching. Swiftly executing Breeze Phantom Steps, his figure flashed as he took cover behind a large tree. Through the mist, he saw a massive Tier 1 demonic beast-an Iron-Toothed Wild Boar-slowly approaching. Its body was covered in stiff black fur, and its two long tusks glinted with a cold light, exuding a formidable aura.

Ye Lingyun knew that with his current strength, the odds of winning a head-on confrontation against the Iron-Toothed Wild Boar were not high. He decided to first observe the wild boar's movement trajectory and look for an opportunity to bypass it. However, the Iron-Toothed Wild Boar seemed to have detected Ye Lingyun's presence; it halted its advance, its snout sniffing incessantly as it slowly lumbered toward the direction where Ye Lingyun was hiding.

Ye Lingyun cursed inwardly, knowing he could no longer sit passively and wait for death. The instant the wild boar drew close, he suddenly darted out from behind the tree, unleashed Rock-Shattering Palm, and struck fiercely toward the boar's head. Accompanied by an angry shout, Ye Lingyun's palm power hit the wild boar, but due to the disparity in strength, it merely caused the beast to sway its body without inflicting any significant damage.

The Iron-Toothed Wild Boar was enraged. Letting out a roar that shook the heavens, it lunged fiercely toward Ye Lingyun. Ye Lingyun hurriedly executed his movement arts to dodge while searching for the boar's weak points. During his skirmish with the beast, he discovered that the wild boar's abdomen was relatively vulnerable. Seizing the right timing, he once more executed Rock-Shattering Palm, and this time, his palm power accurately struck the wild boar's abdomen.

"Awoo!" The wild boar let out a painful cry, its body wobbling a few times before finally collapsing onto the ground. Ye Lingyun heaved a sigh of relief. Although he had successfully defeated the wild boar, he had also consumed a good deal of Spiritual Power and sustained some minor injuries. Tending to his wounds simply, he continued walking toward the depths of the forest.

As he penetrated deeper into the Misty Forest, the dangers Ye Lingyun encountered grew increasingly numerous. Not only were there all sorts of powerful demonic beasts, but there were also bizarre traps and mysterious Spiritual Power fluctuations. Yet relying on his indomitable willpower and flexible adaptability, he turned peril into safety time and time again.

Following several days of arduous trekking, Ye Lingyun finally discovered traces of the Spirit Illusion Grass within a secluded valley in the forest. The Spirit Illusion Grass grew within a fissure of a giant boulder, emitting an exotic radiance while a mysterious aura diffused through its surroundings. Great joy surged in Ye Lingyun's heart as he approached the Spirit Illusion Grass with extreme caution, terrified of alarming whatever guarded it.

However, just as he prepared to pluck the Spirit Illusion Grass, a sharp screech pierced the tranquility of the valley. A Tier 2 demonic beast-the Gale Spirit Sparrow-swooped down from the air with extreme velocity, resembling a bolt of black lightning. Ye Lingyun's heart dropped; he knew that this Gale Spirit Sparrow was the guardian beast of the Spirit Illusion Grass, and its strength far surpassed that of the Iron-Toothed Wild Boar he had encountered earlier.

Spreading its wings, the Gale Spirit Sparrow spat a fierce wind blade toward Ye Lingyun. Ye Lingyun hastily executed his movement arts to dodge; the wind blade grazed past his body, cleanly slicing a nearby large tree in half. Ye Lingyun knew that matching the Gale Spirit Sparrow head-on offered zero chance of victory, so he had to devise a scheme to outwit it.

During his skirmish with the Gale Spirit Sparrow, Ye Lingyun discovered that although this spirit sparrow possessed extreme speed, its attack pattern was relatively singular, relying mainly on wind blades and diving assaults. Consequently, he utilized the terrain of the valley to continuously seek cover while observing the spirit sparrow's attack rhythm.

After some observation, Ye Lingyun found that every time the Gale Spirit Sparrow completed a diving attack, there would be a brief pause. Catching this opening, when the Gale Spirit Sparrow swooped down once more, he did not dodge; instead, he charged straight toward the spirit sparrow. At the exact instant the spirit sparrow was about to attack him, he executed Breeze Phantom Steps, deftly evading the sparrow's onslaught while the dagger in his hand pierced fiercely into the sparrow's abdomen.

"Chirp!" The Gale Spirit Sparrow let out a miserable screech, its body wobbling in mid-air before it fled. On account of this single strike, Ye Lingyun had likewise consumed a massive amount of Spiritual Power, leaving him nearly exhausted. Knowing he could not afford the slightest slack, he endured his fatigue, walked over to the giant boulder, and carefully plucked the Spirit Illusion Grass.

Gazing at the Spirit Illusion Grass emitting an exotic radiance in his hand, Ye Lingyun felt his heart fill with joy. He knew this was merely the first step on his path of becoming stronger, and more challenges awaited him in the future. Yet he firmly believed that as long as he persevered unflaggingly and forged courageously ahead, one day he would stand at the peak of this Lingxi Continent...