Her presence filled with holiness and an imperial aura demanded respect and wors.h.i.+p from others.

“Dean, what’s happening here?” Her voice was heavenly and soothing; others became immersed while listening.

She was talking to the middle-aged man right now.

“Your Majesty...” The man cupped his fist in response.

She shook her head right away: “Dean, Meng Xi appreciates your kind gesture but you have the same seniority as the elders from our Northern Academy, so you are also my senior. Please call me by my given name.”

The crowd was surprised to see how amiable and approachable she was, feeling even more impressed. Her power didn’t result in her being prideful. This type of humility was very rare to see.

“Alright, deference is no subst.i.tute for obedience. Miss Meng, Elder Demg said that this young brother is from the sin tribe so we just want to verify it.” The middle-aged man smiled.

The girl glanced at Li Qiye, showering him with a holy radiance as pleasant as spring itself. One would feel comfortable but also inadequate in comparison.

“This young n.o.ble is a sinkin?” The girl didn’t see it at all. She was more perplexed by how calm he was despite being under scrutiny by her.

“Who might you be?” Li Qiye stared at her without holding back. 

This action looked very disrespectful to the rest of the crowd.

“Such impudence! You dare to act like this in the presence of a True Emperor?!” The youth who wanted to capture Li Qiye earlier instantly shouted.

He had nothing but admiration for the True Emperor. Just being close enough to see her was more than he could ever ask for. So now, he naturally hated Li Qiye’s lack of respect.

The girl waved her hand and stopped him. Her holy light also had an amicable aura to it.

“It’s understandable that you don’t know me considering how vast this world is.” She didn’t seem to mind.

“Hmph, what a frog under the well, he doesn’t even know who Holyfrost True Emperor is.” Another youth snorted.

All of them were fans of this girl. Though she was around their age, she was already standing at the apex as the pride of the Academy of Light.

She was extremely famous at the academy, the same for Immortal Lineage. 

The great prodigy came from the Northern Academy, a native emperor on top of hailing from the Sacred Spirit Race.

This was a n.o.ble race. Their infants were born with a pair of wings made of light.

“Oh, I see, a True Emperor.” Li Qiye leisurely smiled.

This only earned him more animosity from the youths here.

“Are you really a member of the sin tribe?” She asked again, still exuding a gentle holy light.

People couldn’t help wanting to submit to her gentle gaze. Unfortunately, Li Qiye was unaffected.

“I’ve never heard of this so-called sin tribe. I was simply leaving the wildland but feel free to make whatever claim.” He shrugged in response.

“Miss Meng, the sinkins have a mark on their forehead. He has one just like the description from the scrolls.” Elder Deng accused Li Qiye of being one from the very start. His full name was Deng Rensen, a very powerful cultivator.

She focused on his forehead instead. Though she didn’t exert her imperial aura, her gaze was still very oppressive. Others would have gotten on their knees already, just not Li Qiye.

“Such shallow knowledge, calling this the mark of a sinner?” Li Qiye shook his head: “It’s nothing more than a wound.”

“You!” Deng Rensen was an influential figure so to be looked down like this left him with an ugly expression. He would have exploded already if it wasn’t for the emperor’s presence.

“May I take a closer look at the mark?” She asked. Just her words alone were impossible to resist for most.

“Why not?” Li Qiye smiled in a carefree manner.

She raised her finger and a holy light gathered on the tip. This light seemed to have its own life like a spirit.

The spirit gently touched Li Qiye’s forehead. She bore no ill-will, only wanting to test the mark.

“Pop!” The spirit instantly dispersed after experiencing immense pressure.

“You have a dark affinity in you.” She was surprised to see this.

“See?! He’s clearly a sinkin, a creature from the darkness. We need to capture him right now!” The glowing youth shouted. His name was Lu s.h.i.+mao.

The group became frightened. Some started pointing their sword at Li Qiye. If the emperor said that he had darkness in him, it was definitely true.

Just think about it, how could that mark not have a trace of darkness when it was caused by the eye of darkness? 

It didn’t affect him too much, just another scar that would take some time before it goes away. This wouldn’t be the case for another person since they would be affected by the mark.

“So it’s true.” Deng Rensen glared at Li Qiye.

“Nefarious creatures are roaming in this wildland so no travelers can guarantee that they won’t be infected by dark affinity. How foolish to construe this as a sign for sinkins.” Li Qiye laughed.

Deng Rensen’s eyes flashed with murderous intent after hearing this taunting.

Li Qiye ignored him and turned towards this emperor, seemingly more interested in a cultivator like her.

“You were just there?” She gazed towards the direction of the wildland.

“To find some stuff. It is an evil land now.” He casually revealed.

“I see, the wildland has turned evil.” She withdrew her gaze and looked at him: “If you are in no hurry, it’s better if you don’t leave.”

“Oh, you want to keep me around?” He smiled.

“With the exception of Repentance City, the rest of our system is filled with holy light. Every inch of the land belongs to this affinity. As you are right now, you will be suppressed by the holy light if you were to leave and that will be very painful. Perhaps staying at Repentance isn’t a bad choice either.” She said.

“Her Majesty is so kind.” The young group gossiped among themselves.

“I suppose staying at Repentance is just fine since I’m just wandering around aimlessly.” Li Qiye smiled.

He wasn’t in a rush to leave. Plus, he was very interested in this particular city too.

“Dean, is Repentance still accepting people?” He asked the middle-aged man who just happened to be the Dean of Repentance.

“Yes, the new semester is starting so we’re recruiting.” The man answered.

“Then you can stay at Repentance Inst.i.tution right now. It does have holy power but it’s very gentle. Stay there and let it wash the darkness away. At the same time, you can get accustomed to the holy affinity too. It’s far better than venturing out into other parts of the system.” She told Li Qiye.

“Sounds good.” Li Qiye went with the flow: “Come visit me if you have time.”

“So ridiculous!” The group of youths glared angrily at him.