If we exclude the Beggars’ Sect Leader–one of the Three Calamities–then Noshin was undoubtedly the fastest man in the Beggars’ Sect.

Catching up to him wasn’t easy.

To make matters worse, the weight of the Sect Leader on my back kept shifting, making it even harder to run.

But as time passed…

Noshin, who had been messing around earlier, went silent, and even the Sect Leader didn’t say a word.

I had no choice but to focus entirely on my light footwork.

After a while, as I felt the erratic shifts in the Sect Leader’s weight, I was reminded of the White-Robed Scholar’s Jeunjong.

Hm?

That guy also ran while bending forward slightly, adjusting the heaviness and lightness of his own body.

How does one even control their own weight?

Impossible for ordinary people–but as martial artists, the first thing that came to mind was internal energy.

With the Sect Leader still on my back, I had to lean forward slightly. At some point, I found myself naturally counterbalancing his shifting weight and maintaining my pace.

When he became lighter, I leapt farther. When his heaviness forced me down, I channeled internal energy into my legs to rise again. In other words, the Sect Leader’s changing weight had forced me to mimic Jeunjong-like movement in real-time.

Eventually, the Sect Leader spoke.

“You’ve adapted to the weight. This is something you learn through your body–it’s not easy. Keep running until you’re exhausted. Even if you collapse, it’s fine. If your body remembers it, you’ll be able to do it alone next time.”

“Understood.”

To be honest, when he got heavier, it felt like I had an iron boulder strapped to my back. To endure it, I had to inject inner energy into my legs appropriately.

The weight was so punishing that sweat poured from my body like rain. But not just me–both the Sect Leader and Noshin were completely serious, so I couldn’t complain aloud.

And so I ran, carrying that massive iron lump, nonstop for over two whole hours.

Because Noshin was fast, I had to run at full speed too. Already exhausted, I pushed myself another two hours–and by then, the sun was dipping below the horizon.

I’m going to lose my mind.