Alchemical Methods of the Immortals 还丹众仙论

Compiled by Yang Zai, the Hermit of Baofu Mountain, in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Methods category of the Dongzhen Section of The Daozang.

The scroll opens with a preface by the author, who states that he was a native of Hexi in Fenyang. Having encountered an enlightened master who imparted alchemical secrets to him, he compiled this work in the fourth year of the Huangyou reign (1052 CE).

The text first collects essential treatises on elixir refining from ancient masters of all schools, ranging from the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, the Lord of the Dao, the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Emperor down to Lord Mao, Nagarjuna, True Lord Yin, Ma Mingsheng, Wei Boyang, Lord Peng, Celestial Master Zhang, Ge Hong (Baopuzi), Yuanyangzi, True Lord Sun, Yixuanzi, Rihuaizi, Hugangzi, Mr. Lü, and Haichanzi, amounting to more than thirty masters in total.

It then enumerates various methods of elixir refining, including the Secret Formula for Identifying Alchemical Wells, the Method of Dwelling in the Mountains, the Method of Forging Alchemical Stoves, the Method of Fire Control, the Secret Formula for Distinguishing True Lead and Mercury, the Secret Formula for Matching the Flower Pond, the Secret Formula for Subduing Lead and Mercury, the Secret Formula for Charging the Cauldron, the Secret Formula for Extracting Mercury from Cinnabar, and the Secret Formula for Removing Fire Toxins from the Elixir. It also records omens of efficacy upon ingesting the Golden Elixir, signs of the Three Corpses leaving the body, signs of bone transformation and appearance renewal, and the method of expelling fire toxins, among others.

The alchemical methods expounded in the entire work focus primarily on External Alchemy, and it preserves numerous essential secrets from ancient alchemical texts that are now lost.