Arrogance
Ryu felt like the world was collapsing around him, his expression finally twisting somewhat. His lips pulled themselves into a thin line and his jaw began to pop with veins. It truly felt like every aspect of his body was being stretched to the thinnest possible degree.
A string of doubt entered his heart.
Retreating now was impossible because that would mean shattering his Dao Heart. Although this staircase allowed for failure, that was under the assumption that the pressure was within the limits of what the trial taker could manage. In addition, there would always be some backlash when one failed, causing cracks in one's foundation. It was only a matter of whether the benefits you had gained outweighed what was snatched back upon your failure.