It was not until Jerome had left did Adrian turn around to look at him from behind. Calmly, he said, "I hope you won't disappoint me."

***

The next day, the candidates left The Dome for their respective competition venues, along with their friends and relatives.

Meanwhile, Adrian returned to Songton. The individual matchup would begin in three days. Surprisingly, he paid no attention to this segment. Instead, he was focused on making plans for Songton's future.

Mya became perplexed when she saw this. After a while, she could not stop herself from asking, "What's wrong with you, Adrian? The individual matchups began a few days ago, and there have been several powerful candidates emerging from each venue. Why don't you seem concerned at all?"

Without looking at her, Adrian replied, "The outcome has already been decided, so they can watch all they want. I'm only focused on my future right now."

"Are you giving up on Wyvern Peak?" Mya asked in confusion.

"Wyvern Peak no longer bel