In the midst of anticipation, Sam discovered that the semi-annual event at the prestigious XYZ venue in Province Xth was set to unfold.
A revelation struck him: not only were the students from Federation School taking part, but also other random participants like himself.
This unexpected twist contrasted sharply with his earlier assumption that random students and those from the school would have separate competitions, a belief rooted in the previous year's format.
The realization dawned that the ultimate victor, be it from random students and the Federation School participant, would progress to the next phase of the competition.
This added a layer of intensity to the event, as only the top 50 students would emerge victorious from this fiercely contested phase.
Now, upon arriving here, Sam realized that all the students of the random and the Federation School, were competing simultaneously, and only 50 would emerge victorious.