The breakthrough in the rhino-skin realm happened even faster than Stirling had imagined.

  That night, while soaking in the medicine vat, Stirling discovered the stratum corneum falling off layer by layer. The outer skin sank to the bottom as the potion undulated around him.

  This strange sensation made Stirling feel like an onion, and he couldn't help but hum a song:

  "If you peel back my heart, layer by layer,"

  "You will find, to your surprise."

  "You are my most suppressed, deepest secret..."

  The breakthrough in rhino skin gave Stirling some relief from his tense state. He felt he could finally gain a foothold in this world.

  Stirling lay comfortably in the medicine vat until the dark color of the potion had completely faded. Then he stood up, gently stroking his skin, looking usual but as tough as rhinoceros hide, a smile playing on his lips.

  Stirling laughed as he jumped out of the barrel. He landed firmly on the ground, not minding his nakedness.

  Standing with his legs together, he extended his arms and twisted his waist. Ripples flowed through his skin like waves moving from his waist to his arms.

  Stirling shouted excitedly inwardly, then unleashed the first few moves of King Kong Boxing: jabs, swings, hooks... For a moment, the room echoed with heavy fists, like drums beating. Despite almost a month of King Kong boxing, Stirling had never felt as wonderful as he did tonight. He felt like the legendary Goku. His powerful punches made loud booms. As if they tore through the air and lit up this chaotic world!

  After a round of punches, Stirling felt a wave of fatigue. But the Aether within him came as expected. It quenched his fatigue like a gentle rain, leaving him feeling refreshed.

  Stirling chuckled, pleased with his recent flurry of punches. He pulled a towel from the nearby shelf, draped it over himself, and then headed back to the bedroom to sleep.

  Recently, Stirling had been looking at the Quicksand Map before going to bed. Just one glance made his hair stand on end; he jumped out of bed.

  A small red cross appeared on the map now, right in Stirling's area. The cross was so close, Stirling almost thought the enemy was hiding under his bed.

  Stirling's hands, holding the quicksand map, were shaking a bit, not out of fear but out of anger.

  Stirling gritted his teeth. The joy of breaking through the rhino skin barrier faded. Frustration and anger arose. But as the saying goes, A scholar should be treated with new respect after three days of separation. Since his time traveling, Stirling's heart grew as strong as a fortress wall. So he took a few deep breaths and soon calmed down.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The red cross wasn't large, not even as large as Monk Green's back then. This was enough to indicate that this person had murderous intent, but the threat was not so great. This left a lot of room for maneuver.

  But Stirling also noticed something else: the red cross's placement was very subtle.

  Stirling put down the Quicksand Map and hurried to dress. He also carried the Malice-Breaking Orb with him, preparing for Romeo's sudden attack. Then, Stirling lit the oil lamp and hurried to the table, pondering a countermeasure. First, he wasn't sure which party Romeo belonged to. Worshipper? Or a samurai? If it was a worshipper, the size of the red cross suggested he matched Monk Green. With the Malice-Breaking Orb in his hand, he should be able to handle him. But if it were a samurai, Stirling was in a dilemma.

  Yes, he had already broken through the Skin Barrier and entered the Bone Forging realm. But he had no experience fighting a samurai. The fighting strategy was completely clueless. So, he needed to be more prepared. Luckily, Stirling had entered the house of martial artistry. After over a month of hard training in the dojo, he clearly understood martial arts better. This gave him some valuable insight. Stirling rubbed his temples as he pondered.

  After a moment, Stirling made a battle plan. He hurried to the kitchen and retrieved a wooden cylinder. Then he scooped a finger of butter from the oil can into the cylinder. Next, Stirling brought the cylinder to the table. He crushed some dust from the floor and added it to the cylinder. Then, with a quill pen, he wrote the words on the cylinder.

  The major ingredients of a flash bomb are magnesium powder, gunpowder, and grease. Stirling was sure that magnesium powder wasn't available here. The residents might not even know what magnesium was. The military tightly controlled gunpowder. So, Stirling had no chance of getting it here. So, the only thing he could use to reduce the lifespan required for the enhancement was grease. Right now, as Stirling felt nervous, a line of text appeared before him.

  [A lifespan required for current enhancement: 2 months and 6 days. Do you want to enhance?]

  Stirling looked at the text before him, overjoyed. Since the flash grenade wasn't offensive, it had a shorter lifespan than when Stirling boosted his pistol. Also, it was beyond his expectations.

  Stirling muttered fiercely inside. This red cross appeared next to him, so how could he not get rid of it immediately? This isn't a law-abiding society like on Earth, where a complete chain of evidence is needed to convict someone. If he didn't kill Romeo with lightning speed, Stirling would spend his nights sleepless later on. A flash of light appeared, and the wooden cylinder on the table changed into a slender, dark green cylinder.

  [Wooden Flash Grenade]

  [There are three things in this world that cannot be looked at straight on: the human heart, the sun and the flash grenade. An exploding flashbang will blind low-level samurai and worshippers for a short while. Wow, it seems interesting.

  Stirling grabbed the flashbang from the table. He recalled the times he played with friends. Yet, seeing such nostalgic objects in this world was absurd. Stirling even wondered if he had actually traveled to another world. The ancient scenery reminded Stirling that he was in a strange and risky place.

  Stirling grabbed the flash grenade and examined it. Then he went back to the room. He picked out an outfit and then brought it to the table. Stirling laid the clothes flat on the table. Then, he took a cloth soaked in ink and smeared it over key spots. He aimed to make the entire outfit as black as he could. Soon, Stirling looked at the makeshift "stealth suit" on the table with a frown of disdain.

  Stirling sighed, then shed his clothes and put on the outfit still dripping with black water. After a quick stretching exercise, Stirling felt everything was ready. He grabbed the Tang Dao from the beam, opened the door, and stepped outside.