Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 450

The Old Madam of the Xu family insisted on having Xu Ming sit in the main seat.

She was very determined.

Xu Yi and Xu Shan both frowned.

The others were also quite shocked.

They had assumed that the one sitting in the main seat would be either His Majesty himself or some high-ranking court official, which was why the Old Madam had given up the seat.

Someone like Prime Minister Xiao, for instance.

After all, Prime Minister Xiao’s great-grandfather had been a close friend of the Duke of Xu in their time.

So, if Prime Minister Xiao had come to present his congratulations and taken the main seat, no one would have had any objections.

But to their surprise, it was Xu Ming.

“Old Ancestor, this truly isn’t appropriate. I am but a junior—how could I possibly deserve such a position?”

Xu Ming continued to decline politely.

In truth, he didn’t really care whether he sat in that seat or not.

The Old Madam of the Xu family shook her head and said, “Ming’er, you are now a favored figure by His Majesty’s side, the Commander of the Jinyiwei, and you played a key role in forging an alliance between Beihai (North Sea) and our Wu Kingdom. Even though I spend most of my time in the courtyard, I still hear bits and pieces about matters of the court.

Now, only with you sitting in this seat can I feel at ease about the future of both the Xu and Qin families.”

Xu Ming: “…”

At this moment, Xu Zheng’s eyes flickered, and he stood up, saying to Xu Ming, “Ming’er, since the Old Ancestor has spoken, you should sit down. Just as she said, when people mention the Xu and Qin families, the first name that comes to mind is yours.

You may be young, but I know you are mature beyond your years. You are more than qualified to preside over the ancestral rites.”

“That’s right! Fifth Brother, just sit down. The Old Ancestor said that a younger generation should lead the ancestral ritual this time. I was wondering who it would be. If it’s not you, I wouldn’t accept anyone else. I only acknowledge you, Fifth Brother,” Xu Pangda chimed in with a smile, showing his support.

Soon after, Wang Feng, Xu Shuiya, and especially Qin Ruhai also voiced their agreement.

At this point, Xu Ming felt that if he continued to refuse, it would seem like he was just being pretentious.

“In that case, I shall take the liberty of sitting here temporarily in place of the Old Ancestor.”

Xu Ming cupped his hands and bowed to the crowd before confidently taking his seat.

The moment he sat down, the way the others looked at him subtly changed.

But Xu Ming wasn’t surprised.

He was just a junior, and in a large aristocratic family like this, he was even the son of a concubine. Yet now, he was sitting in the highest seat of honor.

For many people, this was something unimaginable.

Moreover, his seating here implied something else—that Xu Ming would likely be the next head of the Xu family, possibly even skipping over Xu Zheng’s generation.

This wasn’t unheard of. The larger the family, the more they prioritized capable leadership.

However, Xu Ming had no interest in becoming the head of the family.

But that was fine. He would just sit in for Third Brother for now.

Once he left, he could return the seat to him.

After Xu Ming took his seat, the family banquet officially began.

One by one, the maidservants served the dishes.

Only after Xu Ming took the first bite could the others at the main table start eating. And only then could the rest of the tables begin their meal as well.

However, at the main table, not everyone was enjoying themselves.

The most displeased among them were Xu Yi and Xu Shan.

“Fifth Brother, I heard that you ranked second on the Qingyun List and that you practice both martial arts and qi cultivation. Would you be willing to give me some pointers?” Xu Yi asked.

“Indeed, I’d also like to spar with Fifth Brother,” Xu Shan chimed in. “After all, I often see your name on the Qingyun List, and it makes me eager to test myself.”

As soon as Xu Yi and Xu Shan spoke, the atmosphere at the dining table grew even heavier.

Everyone knew that they were unconvinced about Xu Ming presiding over the ancestral ceremony or potentially inheriting the position of family head.

Xu Ming, of course, understood their thoughts perfectly.

Was the position of family head truly that important?

For cultivators, it absolutely was.

It wasn’t just about status in the mortal world—it also had a direct impact on cultivation.

The positions of Duke Xu and Duke Qin allowed one to share in the fortunes of Wu Kingdom’s mountains and rivers.

A dynasty’s fortune had immense benefits for cultivation. The simplest example was when facing tribulation lightning—if one carried even a sliver of a kingdom’s fortune, their chances of surviving the ordeal would be significantly higher.

Many cultivators were even willing to sacrifice part of their own life essence to take up an official post in the imperial court for this very reason.

So why had Xu Yi and Xu Shan, despite already becoming cultivators of the mountain sects, still come back for the ancestral ceremony?

Was it really just out of family sentiment?

No.

They simply wanted the position of family head.

And now that this position had seemingly been given to Xu Ming, it was only natural that they were displeased.

Madam Qian and Madam Lin quickly chimed in to support the idea.

“That’s right! You’re all cultivators, why not have a friendly match and let us witness some of your skills?”

From their perspective, it didn’t matter even if their sons lost—after all, Xu Ming was ranked second on the Qingyun List. Losing to him wouldn’t be embarrassing.

But if Xu Ming lost… then wouldn’t that make it awkward for him to continue sitting in that seat?

Madam Qin wanted to speak up for Xu Ming, but Wang Feng subtly held her back.

On the other side, Xu Pangda simply focused on his meal, unfazed.

He wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Though he didn’t know much about the cultivation world, he firmly believed that among their generation, no one could defeat Fifth Brother!

“Alright, since we brothers are gathered here, let’s have a spar,” Xu Ming said with a smile, accepting the challenge.

To be honest, he thought Xu Yi and Xu Shan were simply overconfident.

Ever since they had entered their sects, they hadn’t stepped outside, so they had no ranking on the Qingyun List.

But within their sects, they were highly respected and constantly praised, leading them to believe they were invincible.

They assumed that the cultivators ranked on the Qingyun List were just nobodies and that the only reason those people still held rankings was because Xu Yi and Xu Shan had never made a move.

People like them usually settled down after realizing the true gap in strength.

As for Madam Qian and Madam Lin, did they really think that having their sons spar with Xu Ming was a “nothing to lose, everything to gain” situation?

There was no such thing in this world.

This was a perfect opportunity for Xu Ming to establish his authority. Otherwise, he had no interest in dealing with trouble from his own family while handling matters for the Jinyiwei.

Xu Ming glanced at a tree branch nearby.

With a flick of his sword finger, the branch instantly shot into the air.

“I have no issue sparring, but I wouldn’t want to injure my two elder brothers. If you can break this branch, then we can proceed with the duel.”