Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 9 The Inevitable Node

11:30.

The small banquet hall of Hung Fook Restaurant, the Fujin Hall, was bustling with activity, with nearly twenty tables almost full.

Relatives exchanged greetings, children chased and played among the tables and chairs, and waiters moved about serving cold dishes.

Chen Yu squeezed next to Lin Yi, his face beaming with excitement, and whispered:

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

"Go now, you go ahead, I'll call and come right away."

After saying that, Lin Yi turned to his parents, uncles, aunts, and others who were exchanging pleasantries and smiled:
"Uncle, Uncle, my good buddy Chen Yu prepared a 'special gift' for me. I'm going downstairs to get it. I'll put on a show for everyone later!"

He deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

Uncle Zhou Jianjun asked with great interest, "Oh? Xiao Yi has prepared a performance?"

"Oh dear, this child has been causing trouble at home these past few days," his mother, Zhou Jinghua, said with a smile, urging him, "Go on, don't keep everyone waiting."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Lin Yi turned around and quickly went downstairs.

In the parking lot in front of the hotel, Chen Yu was already waiting next to a bright blue SUV whose brand he couldn't recognize.

When Chen Yu saw Lin Yi coming over, he opened the trunk of the car and clicked open the lid of the silver-white box inside.

Inside the box, in the center, were parts of a jet-black titanium alloy armor, with a short black iron rod on each side.

"How's it going? Handsome, right?"

Chen Yu patted his armor triumphantly.

"Absolutely stunning!"

Lin Yi chuckled and punched Chen Yu lightly. Then he picked up the two short black iron rods, examined them, aligned the grooves on the rods, and twisted them together.

With a click, the two short sticks instantly transformed into the Monkey King's weapon, almost identical to the one in the game.

He weighed it in his hand; it was cold and heavy, with a perfect center of gravity.

"Thanks a lot, Yu, we'll have to rely on it later."

Lin Yi paused for a moment before continuing, "Let's move it upstairs first and put it in the lounge behind the small stage in the hall for future use."

The two of them worked together to carry the box to the corner of the lounge next to the small banquet hall on the second floor and put it there.

Once back in the lobby, the cold dishes were served, and the hot dishes began to be served one after another.

Lin Yi checked the time; it was almost midnight. He decided not to wait any longer and went straight to the small banquet stage in the hall.

He held a beer in one hand and a microphone in the other, his face showing the naivety and seriousness that come with his age.

"Dear grandparents, uncles, aunts, and my good friends..."

Lin Yi cleared his throat, and his voice, transmitted clearly through the microphone, filled the somewhat noisy banquet hall, drawing everyone's attention.

He had a smile on his face and spoke sincerely.

"Thank you all so much for coming to my college admission celebration today!"

"To be honest, getting into an Ivy League university wouldn't have been possible without my parents' hard work over the years, nor without the care and encouragement from all the elders and friends here today."

"This glass is a toast to everyone! Thank you!"

Lin Yi tilted his head back and downed the beer in his glass in one gulp, drawing a round of good-natured applause and cheers.

He put down his cup and turned his gaze to his parents.

"Dad, Mom, I'm most grateful to you. You've worked so hard all these years!"

Lin Yi remained silent for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.

"I won't say anything sentimental. I wish my parents peace, joy, happiness, and good health in the future! I also wish all my relatives and friends good health and all the best!"

The applause grew even louder, interspersed with exclamations of "good child" and "sensible."

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua's eyes were slightly red, and they just kept nodding.

Then, Lin Yi changed the subject, his face showing a youthful liveliness and a hint of shyness:
"Well, today, besides eating, I've prepared a little performance to liven things up for everyone! It's my deskmate and good friend, Ayu."

He nodded to Chen Yu, who was sitting at his classmate's table.

"You've probably all heard of 'Dark Monkey King' recently; it was featured on CCTV as a shining example of Chinese cinema." "He gifted me a super cool 'Monkey King' cosplay outfit today—a titanium alloy armor and staff crafted by a master! Absolutely the real deal!"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to Chen Yu, who stood up triumphantly and waved.

"I've been watching a lot of videos of 'Dark Monkey King' lately, and I've secretly tried to learn a few stick techniques from them. I'm not very good at it, so please don't laugh at me!"

Lin Yi scratched his head and gave a sunny smile.

"It's purely a personal hobby. I'm just showing off a little. I thought everyone was tired of seeing songs and dances, so I thought I'd put on a performance for everyone, just to liven things up!"

"it is good!"

"one comes!"

"Xiao Yi has this talent too?"

The banquet hall was immediately filled with curiosity and anticipation.

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

"Ayu! Can you do me a favor and help me change my gear backstage?" he called out to Chen Yu, then bowed to everyone, "Please wait a moment, it'll be ready soon!"

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

As soon as the door closed, shutting out the noise outside, Lin Yi deftly opened the silver-white alloy box placed in the corner, speaking rapidly.

"Quick! Yu! Help me put it on!"

The dark armor pieces gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the light, next to which stood the heavy, black iron staff.

"Damn, Yi-ge, why are you being so serious? Are you actually nervous? It's just a performance!"

Although Chen Yu joked, he was quick to help Lin Yi pick up the back armor.

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

Lin Yi deliberately made his movements appear clumsy, trying several times before finally fastening the buckle, muttering to himself:

"This thing, even though it's titanium alloy, isn't exactly light. Where's the clip? Over here?"

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

With Chen Yu's help, a set of imposing and ferocious "Qitian Battle Armor" was finally put on.

Of course, Lin Yi resolutely refused to wear the exaggerated phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, arguing that "if it's not tied tightly, it might easily tilt with a big movement, and then it would become a joke."

Lin Yi picked up the cold, black iron rod, weighed it in his hand, and tried to move it around a few times. His heavy alloy combat boots made a dull thud as they stepped on the floor.

Tower glanced at the wall clock: 12:08.

"go!"

Lin Yi took a deep breath, his eyes instantly becoming sharp and focused, as if he had truly entered the role.

He pushed open the door to the lounge, the armor parts clanging with each step, and strode to the center of the small stage in the banquet hall, under the astonished and curious gazes of everyone.

"It's embarrassing!"

Lin Yi gave a low shout, and as the music from the CG animation on the big screen began, he gripped the middle of the long staff with both hands and assumed the classic starting stance of the Great Sage from the game "Dark Sage".

The movements were a bit stiff, but the pose was very impressive.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Yi first performed a slightly clumsy stick flourish, and then began to wield the long stick.

The movements were not complicated, mainly consisting of a few basic staff techniques such as chopping, sweeping, flicking, and pointing. The speed was not fast either, although there were obvious traces of imitation and a hint of nervous awkwardness.

But with the whistling wind from the staff, combined with the dark armor, it did have a rather imposing presence.

"it is good!"

"Wow! That's interesting!"

"This stick looks pretty heavy!"

Cheers and murmurs immediately filled the banquet hall.

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

Chen Yu stood beside the small stage, proudly raising his chin.

After all, his good friend would need his help to remove his armor after his performance, so he simply didn't go back to his seat.

(End of this chapter)