(Ning Xueli's POV)
The moment I stepped into 901st step, it felt like the sky itself had collapsed and decided to rest specifically on my shoulders.
The moment my boot made contact with the cold, unforgiving stone, a sickening crack echoed through my ears—the sound of my own joints screaming in protest.
My vision blurred into a hazy smear of silver and gray, and for a heartbeat, I couldn't feel my feet.
It felt like I was no longer a person, but was a piece of iron being hammered on an anvil of pure, imperial will.
'Give up,' a voice whispered in the back of my mind, sounding cold and seductive. 'Just collapse. If you fall now, the pain stops. You've done more than enough, after all you're just a girl from a small clan. You were never meant for this.'
My knees buckled, hitting the edge of the step with a dull thud that sent a jolt of agony straight to my spine.
