As expected, the class full of noble kids was standing at attention when the Eternium Knight entered the auditorium. Some of them even seem a bit terrified or traumatized by her mild disciplinary actions. It wasn't like she murdered or mutilated anyone, not permanently anyway.
"Salute!" the class leader demanded, and everyone bowed in respect.
The Eternium Knight calmly measured the spines inclinations and only had to smack a couple of kids into proper form. They were learning, slowly.
"I am so glad there wasn't any worried parent or uncle at the Academy gates today, complaining about the treatment of their scions. The Thousands Hells detention room may even become empty, one day soon. Did everyone read the materials for today's lecture?" the Eternium Knight asked in a soft voice.
Hurried hands rose in the air, signaling they had indeed studied for today, as to avoid far more painful lessons. The glove glanced over the kids with a knowing smile under her armor. Training a bunch of narcissistic sociopaths to become real humans would take more time, but then, nobody would ever graduate until she was satisfied.
"Great! The test today is easy. Write down all powers in the High Heavens, starting with the honorable Steel Eminences, then Patriarchs and so on, including their known domains and other assets." she demanded in a calm tone, and the students began to list down precious knowledge on their student tablets.
An hour later, the first students began to raise their heads, as they completed decanting their meager knowledge. The glove also began to collect the tablets and grade the tests, while also finding out hidden things that only well-placed sources could ever know. She didn't plan to teach them about information policing and the importance of keeping secrets until the second year anyway. Might as well abuse their naive pride to obtain priceless data about the power structure and assets of the High Heaven.
Of course, there were always dumb ones who didn't even study well for the test, managing to forget a Tier 12 powerhouse in their list or an entire Ancient Sect in another case.
"You and you, fail! Back to detention and study the material again. If the peace and quiet of your fancy courtyards doesn't suit your learning, I am certain a couple of hours with the flesh-eating myriapods should work." the Eternium Knight decided in harsher voice, and directly transported the lazy ones to the Thousand Hells plane. It would be a pity to keep an entire punishment hell without habitation, so she re-purposed it for detention hours, with some decent results already.
The rest of the class shivered or gulped, while also happy they studied enough to pass the test.
"The material for tomorrow is about the Celestial City. If everyone passes, we may have a field test as well." the glove explained as she updated the student tablets with all the knowledge she could find about the city below. And last, but certainly not least, Pef would arrive today at the Academy.
"Kids, our glorious Celestial Dean will bring a new student to the Academy, who wants to be the orientation guide?" the Eternium Knight asked after the grading was finished.
Two hands rose up, the class leader, a boy sponsored by the Jade House and a girl sponsored by the Yin Wood Ancient Sect. Curious...
"Fight it out in the ring, the winner will present themselves at the Entrance Hall." she decided with a small smirk.
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The two kids glared at each other, and even though the girl had a lower realm, she didn't back down. Could it be a Sect mission?
Yin Wood, they might have some connection with the World Tree, even though it wasn't listed in the test.
As for the Jade House, they did have a Tier 12 oracle as a clan head, and possibly multiple bloodline skills in Time Dao manipulation. The class leader did manage to get perfect scores in every single test. The glove suspected a type of time return, maybe even a whole day long.
As they left the class, the Jade scion looked over his shoulder at his teacher and grit his teeth in near pain.
'Yes, certainly tried to test something on me, and didn't go well for him.' the Eternium Knight concluded as she wiggled a finger in warning at the departing student.
Although she left the auditorium and returned to the Teacher Hall, the glove continued to keep watch via multiple golems she had emplaced at important locations throughout the Academy. From the Academy Gate to the Entrance Hall, and from the detention room to the Crafting Hall, a dozen Tier 10 golems maintained security and surveillance over the Celestial Academy, or at least the public spaces.
There haven't been any suspicious deaths or other abuses since the glove deployed the guardian golems, especially after a group of second term bullies had been discouraged forcefully and convinced to study hard. Their limbs did grow back, eventually.
"Eternium Knight, I hear you sent two more students for detention in the Thousand Hells." another teacher spoke in a provoking tone. Obviously, her methods were not very popular with most teachers either.
The glove turned towards the man and waved an armored hand. "Indeed, imagine what might happen if that student would one day encounter his Eminence the Demonhunter Steelord and just ask him who he is, or kindly demanded he make way for his pretentious ass. Do you think that Eminence would send him to detention, for a few hours?" she asked rhetorically.
The teacher grunted and turned away, knowing he had lost the debate while a couple other teachers smiled in amusement.
"Enough! In three months we will have the mid-term examinations, and the student tournament. I need more ideas for the prizes." the Vice Principal demanded in an imposing voice.
People began to propose all sort of prizes, from martial techniques to cultivation pills and even Skills. And since most teachers were also in Tier 11, they did have lots of gifts to offer. Each of them could easily raise and equip an army only from their spare inventory.
"These things would make decent prizes for the top 100. However, for top 3 I propose we offer a better prize. Eternium weapons." the Eternium Knight said while gently tapping the armor on her chest.
Everyone fell silent as they turned towards the new teacher.
"And where would we find these weapons, Eternium Knight?" the Vice Principal asked curious.
"Same place I got my armor, of course. From the Elf Steelsmith." the glove answered with a teasing voice.
Knowing glances and secret messages passed among the present teachers, as most of them didn't even have such expensive weapons, not to mention an entire armor suit.
"Are you willing to speak with his Eminence about this? We will pay his price, whatever it is. Even more, if he can produce more Eternium weapons." the Vice Principal probed in a more hesitant voice. Truth was, dealing with any Eminence was always difficult, as they rarely had time to spare for a lower realm cultivator.
The orange glove assumed a thinking pose, then shook her helmet in denial. "That won't work, Vice Principal. Nothing we have could entice an Eminence to spend his time or resources to craft such weapons for us. Luckily for us, the Celestial Dean will return today with a new student. They are old friends, right?" she proposed in a scheming voice.
The news lit up the room, as the old Dean was rarely around. The Academy mostly coasted on his influence and protection, with most teachers having been his students at some point, and those who were lucky enough to be selected as teacher for the Academy. Maybe half of the existing 3000 Patriarchs were also Academy students once, but only 30 of them were allowed and chose to become teachers.
Some of them reached Tier 11 despite their commoner backgrounds, others had trouble inside their Sects or Houses, or simply had no safe place to go, a common trait among those who offended an Eminence at some point.
"It would be great if the Dean would stay a bit, maybe preach the Dao again. I'll ask him when he arrives" the Vice Principal said in a hopeful voice, when the powerful presence of a Tier 12 Eminence covered the Celestial Academy with a suffocating aura.