Sure enough, once the cultivators sent back outside learned how the illusion space punished failure, they all grew cautious and no longer dared to try again rashly.
As more cultivators failed, everyone discovered that the lifespan penalty increased with each entry.
Since they still did not know exactly how much lifespan was lost, the cultivators in the Secret Realms could only use the fourth penalty—the highest anyone had reached—as their limit.
Cultivators who had made fewer than four attempts could consider entering the illusion space again.
Those who had already failed four times would do best not to enter again, lest they suffer a grievous loss of lifespan.
Later, as the more capable cultivators passed their trials and returned to the Secret Realms one after another, everyone began discussing what to do next.
In the Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Dao Secret Realms, quite a few cultivators had already passed their trials.
The Water Dao Secret Realm and Wood Dao Secret Realm were in the best shape, with seven cultivators through in each. Once two more passed in either realm, its barrier could be broken, fulfilling the condition for revealing the supreme treasure.
Next came the Earth Dao Secret Realm and Fire Dao Secret Realm, where six and five cultivators, respectively, had completed their trials.
After confirming who had passed, everyone began selecting cultivators who might still be able to challenge the Five Elements Barrier, judging by their number of attempts and how far they had progressed in the illusion.
The Wood Dao Secret Realm reached a decision first. Yang Yuanling had failed only once, and she had come close to succeeding on her first entry into the illusion space. She was named the first choice.
After her came a young disciple of Miaomu Immortal Mansion. He had failed twice,