SWNOVELXO Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Domain of the Swordless
At the heart of the gorge stood a lone temple, its doors half-collapsed, stone cracked by time.
Chen Xin entered and felt his blades grow cold.
When he tried to draw them — nothing.
A seal. Suppressing his spiritual connection.
A figure appeared in the center — a monk-like man, barefoot and calm, with no weapon, no
armor, no aura of battle.
Yet Chen Xin could feel it — this man radiated pressure, not from power, but from clarity.
The monk spoke:
"If your sword was taken, would you still be a swordsman?"
Chen Xin said nothing.
The monk raised a hand. "Let us see."
He attacked.
No flourish, no grand technique. Just a straight punch — faster than it should've been, heavier
than it looked.Chen Xin dodged by a breath, twisted, and countered with a palm strike of his own.
They fought — no blades, no spirit energy.
Just movement. Will. Balance.
Chen Xin moved like a sword — even without holding one.
Each dodge became a deflection. Each strike, a slice.
After what felt like hours, the monk halted, smiling.
"You understand."
The seal lifted.
His blades sang in their sheathes.
"A sword is not the steel," the monk said. "It is the soul that shapes it."