Chapter 119: The Fated Treasure

The Dark-Hook Eagle soared through the sky, diving and climbing with playful agility. Li Mu, standing atop his flying shuttle, surged upward to intercept it. The eagle, inherently haughty and fierce, spread its wings and plummeted toward him with aggressive speed.

As the creature drew near, Li Mu remained calm. He drew a seven-inch sword that glowed with a lush, verdant light.

"Spirit Bamboo Bind."

A streak of emerald radiance erupted from the tip of the blade, manifesting in the air like a leafy bamboo stalk. It traced a long arc before descending precisely upon the Dark-Hook Eagle. The bird, showing no fear, maintained its momentum, ready to collide with Li Mu.

The onlookers gasped, with Li Ying’s exclamation being the loudest, but Li Mu merely smiled and commanded, "Bind."

The eagle let out a sharp cry, instantly immobilized, and dropped into the flying shuttle, unable to stir. The Spirit Bamboo Bind was a technique inherent to the seven-inch sword; wherever the sword light reached, imperceptible spirit bamboos would sprout, binding the target tightly. This restraint was deceptive and insidious; if one were not careful, it was easy to fall victim to it. However, the technique consumed a vast amount of true energy and possessed no lethality—in fact, it even replenished a small portion of the target's energy.

Li Mu landed, holding the restrained eagle. Everyone gathered around, staring at the creature without blinking.

"Brother Mu, you’re getting more capable by the day. A third-tier spirit beast, and you took it down in a few moves," Sun Qi said with a smirk. "Look at those feathers; they aren't ordinary. Could it be a third-tier high-grade material?"

"This is the first time we’ve seen a flying spirit beast," Sun Sanjiu added, examining the eagle from every angle with wide-eyed wonder.

Though the eagle remained motionless, its sharp eyes still glinted with residual anger as it glared at Li Mu. If it could speak, it would surely have challenged him to a fair fight.

"Big brother, could you let it go?" Li Ying asked, bending down to stroke the eagle’s feathers, her face full of pity.

"Oh?" Li Mu patted Li Ying’s head and smiled. "If my little sister says to let it go, then we shall." He knew her kind heart and fondness for birds; naturally, he would not refuse her.

Turning to the eagle, he said sternly, "I am releasing you today, but do not harass us again, or I shall not be so merciful."

The Dark-Hook Eagle was a spirit beast, not a mere creature of the wild. Though it did not understand Li Mu’s words, it clearly grasped his intent. It let out a low cry, the anger in its eyes fading.

"Release," Li Mu whispered.

The spirit bamboo dissolved into faint specks of green light, returning to the seven-inch sword. The eagle stood up, nodded to Li Ying and Li Mu as if in gratitude, then spread its wings and took flight, circling once before vanishing toward the horizon. Li Ying waved until it disappeared from sight.

Meanwhile, Shen Bingxue stared at the seven-inch sword, silent and transfixed. When Li Mu looked her way, she lowered her head, her cheeks flushing.

Moved, Li Mu handed the sword to her.

"For me?" Shen Bingxue asked, startled.

When she held the sword, she felt an inexplicable joy. There was a resonance between her and the blade, likely linked to the dense wood-element energy within it, though she couldn't fully explain the sensation—it felt as if the sword were calling to her.

Li Mu nodded naturally. "It truly suits you."

When Li Mu first obtained the sword, he had considered keeping it, but after meeting her, his thoughts shifted. Seeing her unwavering reaction, he decided to gift it to her.

"Thank you, I will take good care of it," she replied, her voice soft.

She held the sword, unable to put it down, her clear eyes tracing the inscriptions on the hilt as she stroked it gently.

"It consumes a great deal of true energy, so do not use it lightly," Li Mu cautioned. With his own energy reserves, he could only use it a few times, and he figured Shen Bingxue would be lucky to manage it once.

"Spirit Bamboo Bind."

Shen Bingxue flicked her wrist, and a bamboo-like radiance instantly ensnared a nearby monkey. The large monkey stood frozen, looking around in confusion, wondering why it had been bound. Shen Bingxue laughed and quickly released the technique; the green light returned to the sword, and the monkey, invigorated by the residual energy, hopped away happily.

"Stop that, don't use it so casually," Li Mu said, frowning slightly.

Shen Bingxue shook her head. "It’s not like that. I don't feel it consumes that much energy. I could cast this technique a dozen times or more."

"Oh!"

Now it was Li Mu’s turn to be stunned. *The same treasure, yet such a difference?* he thought. *My cultivation method is balanced, and my techniques are standard, but Shen Bingxue specializes in wood-element arts. Even so, the difference shouldn't be this vast.*

Shen Bingxue frowned slightly. "I don't know why, but it feels as if the sword and I are truly connected. It’s as if it acts the moment I have the thought."

"A soul-bound artifact?" Li Mu wondered to himself.

A soul-bound artifact was one that shared a profound resonance with the cultivator, becoming an extension of their body. Such artifacts could not be created by skill alone; they required a deep karmic bond and an innate connection between the cultivator’s talent and the artifact’s materials. It was a rare stroke of destiny. Over time, such an artifact would grow in power, developing unique abilities. The master and the artifact would be linked—if the artifact was damaged, the cultivator would suffer, and vice versa.

Shen Bingxue paused, a look of realization dawning on her face. "A soul-bound artifact? Now that you mention it, I do feel that connection. But I am only at the Spirit Building stage; how could I possess such a thing? I’ve read many books, and even among Core Formation cultivators, such artifacts are incredibly rare."

Li Mu shook his head. "There is nothing impossible about it. A soul-bound artifact has nothing to do with cultivation level; it is a matter of destiny. You and this sword share a profound bond. This is a rare blessing indeed. Congratulations."

Shen Bingxue remained somewhat dazed; this stroke of fortune had come too suddenly. Many cultivators spent their entire lives seeking such a bond, and she had stumbled upon it effortlessly.

"This is indeed destiny. I must say, I’m a bit jealous!" Li Mu laughed, genuinely happy for her. With this soul-bound artifact to nurture, her cultivation would undoubtedly grow by leaps and bounds.