At this moment, a plainly dressed female cultivator named Yi Lan was also staring intently at the light screen, silently praying in her heart.
"Father, you must bless your daughter and let me be assigned to better academic officials, so I can graduate sooner."
Yet to her disappointment, when her name finally appeared on the light screen, the academic official's name was utterly unfamiliar.
Xu Chunniang.
Was she that newly promoted Earth-rank academic official with merely Deity Transformation mid-stage cultivation?
Seeing this name, Yi Lan and the other forty-nine students all wore complicated expressions.
Some had even mentally prepared themselves to fight again next time.
Before long, the drawing was complete, and ten thousand students were divided into one thousand teams.
Elder Zeng opened his eyes and calmly announced the rules.
"Each academic official now has the time of three incense sticks to formulate tactics. After that, teams will compete in pairs according to their numbers until the rankings are decided.
"Additionally, each team has only one chance after defeat. Once defeated, they are eliminated!"
Elder Zeng's words left the students who had been assigned to satisfactory academic officials looking pleased with themselves.
Meanwhile, those assigned to academic officials with little reputation and poor records looked dejected.
Xu Chunniang memorized the rules of the matches, her gaze sweeping across the five teams that had hurried over to gather.
Just as she was about to learn each student's strengths and make tactical arrangements, an unwelcome guest suddenly arrived.
It was Xu Zisheng.
Xu Zisheng's expression was as usual, as though he had long forgotten their previous unpleasant parting.
"Scholar Xu, if you change your mind, there is still time."
Xu Chunniang replied coolly, "Brother Xu, I still need to devise strategies with these five teams. Forgive me for not keeping you