The Inevitable Node

11:30 AM.

The Fujin Hall, a small banquet room in Hongfu Restaurant, was buzzing with noise, its nearly twenty tables almost entirely full.

Relatives exchanged greetings, children chased each other between the chairs, and waiters wove through the crowd to begin serving cold dishes.

Chen Yu squeezed over to Lin Yi's side, his face bright with excitement as he lowered his voice.

"Brother Yi, the stuff is in my car. When are we going down to get it?"

"Right now. You head out first; I'll greet everyone and be right there."

With that, Lin Yi turned to his parents, uncle, aunt, and the others chatting nearby and said with a smile:

"Uncle, Uncle, my good buddy Chen Yu prepared a 'special gift' for me. I'm going down to grab it, and then I'll perform a little show for everyone later!"

He deliberately left them in suspense.

His uncle, Zhou Jianjun, asked with interest, "Oh? Little Yi prepared a performance?"

"Oh, this child, he's been fussing around the house for days," his mother, Zhou Jinghua, said with a smile, urging him on. "Go on, don't keep everyone waiting."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

After saying this, Lin Yi turned and walked quickly downstairs.

In the hotel parking lot, Chen Yu was already waiting by a sapphire-blue SUV, the brand of which Lin Yi couldn't identify.

Seeing Lin Yi approach, Chen Yu opened the trunk and clicked open the lid of a silver-white case inside.

In the center of the case lay the pitch-black titanium alloy armor components, with a short iron-wood staff on each side.

"How is it? Cool, right?"

Chen Yu patted the armor proudly.

"It's insanely cool!"

Lin Yi laughed and punched Chen Yu on the shoulder. He then picked up the two short staffs to inspect them, aligned the locking mechanisms, and gave them a twist.

With a sharp click, the two short sticks transformed into a weapon identical to the one the Great Sage used in the game.

He weighed them in his hand; they were cold, heavy, and perfectly balanced.

"Thanks, A-Yu. Everything depends on this later."

Lin Yi paused before adding, "Let's carry it up first and put it in the lounge behind the small stage in the hall for backup."

The two of them worked together to carry the case to the corner of the lounge next to the small banquet hall.

By the time they returned to the hall, the cold dishes were finished, and the hot courses were being served one after another.

Lin Yi checked the time; it was nearly twelve o'clock. He decided not to wait any longer and walked directly onto the small banquet stage.

Holding a glass of beer in one hand and a microphone in the other, his face wore the youthful awkwardness and solemnity typical of his age.

"Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts, and my good friends—"

Lin Yi cleared his throat, his voice carrying clearly through the microphone across the noisy banquet hall, drawing everyone's attention.

He wore a smile, his tone sincere.

"Thank you all so much for coming to my graduation banquet today!"

"To be honest, getting into Qingteng University wouldn't have been possible without my parents' hard work over the years, nor without the care and encouragement of all the elders and friends here."

"I toast this drink to you all. Thank you!"

Lin Yi tilted his head back and downed the beer, drawing a round of warm applause and cheers.

He set the glass down and turned his gaze to his parents.

"Dad, Mom, you are the ones I want to thank the most. You've worked so hard all these years!"

Lin Yi fell silent for a moment before breaking into a brilliant smile.

"I won't get too sentimental. I wish you both peace, joy, and good health in the future! And I wish all our relatives and friends good health and success in everything!"

The applause grew even warmer, interspersed with murmurs of "What a good kid" and "So sensible."

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua's eyes reddened, and they nodded repeatedly.

Then, Lin Yi shifted his tone, his face taking on a youthful liveliness and a hint of shyness.

"So... today, besides eating, I've prepared a little performance to liven things up! My desk-mate and good friend, A-Yu—"

He nodded toward Chen Yu, who was sitting at the students' table.

"You've all probably heard of Dark Great Sage recently; it's the pride of domestic production that made it onto CCTV."

"Today, he gave me a super cool 'Qi Tian Da Sheng' cosplay set. This is a titanium alloy armor and staff set crafted by an expert! It's the real deal!"

Everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to Chen Yu, who stood up proudly and waved.

"I've been watching a lot of Dark Great Sage videos lately and secretly learned a few staff techniques. I'm not very good, so please don't laugh!"

Lin Yi scratched his head and flashed a sunny smile.

"It's just a personal hobby, so I'm just making a fool of myself. I figured everyone is probably tired of singing and dancing, so I thought I'd put on a performance to add to the fun!"

"Great!"

"Give us a show!"

"Little Yi has this kind of talent too?"

The banquet hall was instantly filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Lin Yi glanced at the wall clock: 12:02.

"Yu, do me a favor and help me change into my gear backstage." He called out to Chen Yu, then cupped his hands toward the crowd, "Everyone, please wait a moment, I'll be right back!"

Amidst the expectant gazes and laughter of the crowd, Lin Yi pulled Chen Yu quickly toward the lounge next to the small banquet hall.

Once the door closed, shutting out the noise from outside, Lin Yi nimbly opened the silver-white alloy case placed in the corner, speaking at a rapid pace.

"Quick! Yu, help me put this on!"

The dark-colored armor components shimmered with a cold, hard luster under the lights, and beside them lay that heavy black iron staff.

"Damn, Brother Yi, you're being so serious—are you actually nervous? It's just a performance."

Although Chen Yu teased him, his hands moved quickly as he helped Lin Yi pick up the backplate.

The two worked together, one handing over parts while the other fastened buckles, their movements clearly showing signs of unfamiliarity and haste.

Lin Yi intentionally made his movements appear clumsy, struggling to align the buckles several times before they clicked into place, all while muttering:

"Even though this thing is titanium alloy, it's not exactly light. Where is the buckle? Is it here?"

Chen Yu was also flustered, "Right, right, here! Press it down! Oh, this strap seems to be tangled."

With Chen Yu's help, the imposing and ferocious "Heaven-Equaling Battle Armor" was finally fully equipped.

Of course, Lin Yi firmly refused to wear the exaggerated Phoenix-Winged Purple Gold Crown, citing that "if it isn't tied tight, a single big move will make it crooked, and then it'll become a joke."

Lin Yi grabbed the cold black iron staff, weighed it in his hand, and tried moving around a few times; his heavy alloy boots made dull thuds against the floor.

He glanced at the wall clock: 12:08.

"Let's go!"

Lin Yi took a deep breath, his eyes instantly becoming sharp and focused, as if he had truly stepped into character.

He pushed open the lounge door, the armor components clanking with the sound of metal friction as he walked, and under the astonished and curious gazes of everyone, he strode to the center of the banquet hall's small stage.

"I'll show you my clumsy skills!"

Lin Yi let out a low shout. As the music from the CG animation on the large screen began to play, he gripped the middle of the staff with both hands and struck the classic opening pose of the Great Sage from the Dark Great Sage game.

His movements were a bit stiff, but his stance was full of presence.

Immediately after, Lin Yi performed a slightly awkward staff flourish before beginning to swing the staff.

The movements were not complex, consisting mainly of basic staff techniques like chopping, sweeping, lifting, and poking. The speed wasn't particularly fast, and although it clearly bore traces of imitation and a hint of nervous stiffness, the whistling of the staff combined with the dark armor still carried quite a bit of power.

"Good!"

"Whoa! That's interesting!"

"That staff looks pretty heavy!"

Cheers and discussions erupted instantly in the banquet hall.

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua exchanged helpless glances, then looked at their son on stage, feeling both amused and proud.

As for Chen Yu, he stood by the small stage with his chin held high in triumph.

After all, once his good buddy finished the performance, he would still need to help him take off the armor, so he simply didn't return to his seat.