After a while, Ye Shen had finished reading the contract. In summary, the Bailong Gym would charge him for each training camp. And it can range from $15,000 to $25,000 depending on what kind of training camp he would do for each camp. To make sure everything went according to plan, Bai Ning assigned herself as his Head Trainer.
As for the management, Bailong Gym would hire professionals in this field and deduct fifteen percent of his fight purse. After reading the explanation, Ye Shen found it quite reasonable given the fact that he would need many people to handle the sponsorship, endorsement, and legal issues such as waiver, taxes and so on.
It's not much different compared to what he used to be back in the Nine Heavens Continent where Ye Shen had hundreds of henchmen and dozens of ladies-in-waiting to do his daily miscellaneous task.
"Everything sounds good to me." Ye Shen finally signed the contractual paperwork.
Bai Ning could finally breathe at ease, leaning against the backrest. "I have arranged your fight debut in the Universal Martial Tournament in four months for now. Therefore, you can start training for tomorrow. Or, you may start today if you want to. I have bought the gears, clothes, and some boxers for you to wear."
"Terrific." Ye Shen couldn't hide his excitement. "Who will become my opponent?"
"We don't know yet. It's solely up to UMT's Marketing Division."
Ye Shen frowned. "I thought every bout was determined by the fighters themselves."
"If only the fans support the idea, then yes, you can pick a fight with whomever you want. You know, UMT is basically a show business. They will listen to the majority of the voice. Money dictates the overall event."
"Nevertheless, since there are no weight divisions in UMT, fighters are divided by Matchmaking Rating, or MMR for short. Each fighter would be given 100 MMR as a starting point and you'll get 25 MMR for each win and you'll lose 25 MMR if you lose a fight. You must have heard about the Tower of Babylon, yes? The higher your MMR, the higher chance you will get the chance to challenge the Floor Master."
From her statement, Ye Shen came to realize that the fighters who could enter UMT and fight at the Tower of Babylon were all monsters in the shape of a human. They were humans who had surpassed their limitations by using system and body augmentation.
As someone who had no body augmentation, Ye Shen knew that his debut would be sensational.
"Hehehe." Ye Shen chuckled lightly. "I will make my debut as grand as possible! I will start training today."
"I appreciate the spirit, but please don't overwork yourself. Be mindful of your health as a whole. I don't want you to get knocked out due to extensive training."
"Nah, you don't need to worry Lady Bai Ning. I'll be in your care." Ye Shen cupped his fist, showing his sincerity.
Though he was actually an immortal, he had no point in belittling and acting all haughty toward her. Besides, Lady Bai Ning had been so kind to him.
"Fine then, let's get to the gym hall, and see what I can teach you."
Arriving at the gym hall, every pair of eyes fixated on him. The regular members began to murmur how he could get inside without them noticing him going through the entrance.
Ye Shen, however, paid them no heed and put on his training clothes and gears. The black leather gloves fit snugly in his hands, it resounded with a crisp creaking noise when he flexed his fingers.
On the other hand, Bai Ning went to the lady's
changing room and returned with a protective helmet and a pair of gloves in her hands.
"So, what training are we going to do?" Ye Shen punched his left palm.
"I acknowledged that you are a natural striker. But, that won't be enough in UMT. Your opponent would outsmart you by simply dodging and tackling you down when you gassed out. Therefore, you'd need some grappling and wrestling in your skillset. Have you learned anything about it?"
Ye Shen scratched his chin, bemused on why he would need to wrestle. In his past life, Ye Shen was renowned for his fists and kicks when other Cultivators relied on Swords Intent or other powerful artifacts. Nevertheless, he once fought a huge serpent and had to choke it with his arms.
"Not really. But, I do know a move or two to tackle an opponent who is bigger than me."
"Splendid!" Bai Ning smiled charmingly. "Alright everyone, gather around! We will demonstrate how to get out from a deadlock position."
The gym members subsequently circled the two some of them were doubtful that Ye Shen would be able to escape from Bai Ning's monstrous grip.
At this moment, Bai Ning assumed her stance, ready to fight.
"Come at me with everything you've got. I will show you that striking is not the only way to win a fight."
Ye Shen was flummoxed. "Are you sure? You might get hurt."
"No worries. I'm a black belt in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu. I know what I'm doing."
"Very well…" Ye Shen finally got serious. His eyes narrowed down, aiming for Bai Ning's weak point.
In just a blink, Ye Shen closed his distance with a kick to the ground. However, Bai Ning was unfazed, she had predicted the trajectory of his punch perfectly. She ducked down, using Ye Shen's momentum to her advantage. Bai Ning agily slipped to his back, reaching for his neck, drowning him in a rear naked choke position.
Before Ye Shen knew what just happened, his neck was already being strangled by her right arm from behind. His lower body was locked, he couldn't even move no matter how hard he tried. The choke was rock solid as Bai Ning mustered all of her strength in her right arm.
"This is what happens if you lose sight of your opponent, Ye Shen. Now, what are you going to do in this situation?"