Indeed, in this prefecture exam, the test-takers are not only new souls like him, but also some old ghosts and even some Yin officials and divine officers, who have achieved results in the county or village, and managed connections to ultimately come for the test and complete their promotion.
Because the power of "official appointment" is only possessed by Prefecture City Gods of Sixth Grade and above, those below Sixth Grade are County City Gods and do not have the authority to appoint Yin officials, only able to bestow titles to junior clerks. Therefore, these junior clerks of the county and land gods of towns must come to Prefecture City for the exam to complete the promotion process.
Of course, if you achieve significant merits, you can be directly promoted, but such cases are extremely rare.
Thus, in this prefecture exam, the literacy value of the articles is not that high, and it relies more on the relationships behind them.
