The specific refining process of Taoist external alchemy
1. Select the alchemy site: When refining pills, a quiet and unpopulated place is required to avoid noise and filth. Some famous alchemy ruins include Longhu in Jiangxi, Luofu in Guangdong,葛仙山 and 丹景山 in Pengxian, Sichuan, and Tongliang Cave in Hechuan.
2. Establish an alchemy altar: The altar site is an important facility during alchemy, and the construction of the altar has certain rules. Different alchemy classics have different records.
3. Install the alchemy furnace: The furnace is a tool to hold the cauldron, which is equivalent to a stove and is called the alchemy stove or furnace. The selection and installation of the alchemy furnace also have certain requirements.
4. Place the alchemy cauldron: The cauldron and the container are containers used in alchemy and can be made of materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, or porcelain.
5. Conduct distillation: Distillation is an important link in alchemy. Substances such as mercury can be distilled through a distiller.
6. Grind the medicine: Grinding the medicine can make it fine and increase the chance of contact to promote chemical reactions.
7. Implement sublimation: Sublimation is the process of heating a substance so that it directly transforms into a gaseous state and then cools and condenses into a solid state.
8. Use the mud method: The mud method has the functions of applying mud and insulation, and can be used at the joint or as a thermal insulator.
Introduction to the types of external alchemy:
1. Nine-turn elixir: Ge Hong stated in "Baopuzi Neipian · Jindan" that taking the first-turn elixir (only the elixir that has been refined once) requires three years to become an immortal, the second-turn elixir requires two years, and the third-turn elixir is reduced to one year. If it reaches the eight-turn elixir, it can ascend to the sky in ten days, and taking the nine-turn elixir can ascend to the sky as soon as it is finished.
2. Golden Elixir: It is a golden elixir and is considered the top grade in external alchemy.
3. Taizhen Nine Ding Elixir: This is a very advanced external alchemy, and the refining method is extremely complicated.
4. Five-Spirit Elixir: It is refined from five different colored ores, and each color represents one of the five elements.
