Essentials of the Great Elixir 修炼大丹要旨

The compiler is unknown, but it is believed to have been written between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. Consisting of two volumes, it is included in the Methods category of The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.

This book compiles several formulas and secret instructions for elixir refining. The first volume opens with Secret Essentials of External Alchemy, stating that heating lead and sulfur yields true lead, also known as the White Tiger (Baihu); further grinding it with cinnabar and heating produces true mercury, also called the Azure Dragon (Qinglong)—this serves as the "elixir mother" (Dan Mu), which can be nurtured into an elixir. For example, the "Fire Dragon Mysterious Pearl Great Elixir" (Huolong Xuanzhu Dadan) recorded in the book involves grinding four taels of the collected Dragon-Tiger (true lead and true mercury) into a fine powder, refining it into mysterious pearls according to the method, then using the pearls to nurture mercury into silver and further into gold. After ten transformations, the refined elixir can be ingested to attain immortality or transmute mercury into treasures. This practice aligns with the alchemical traditions prevalent during the Tang Dynasty, where lead-mercury refinement was a core pursuit.

Another method, the "Golden Elixir Technique" (Jindan Fa), involves refining the elixir seed (Dan Tou) with gold into yellow powder, grinding it with boiled cinnabar, calcining with fire until the gold and cinnabar are fully "stabilized", then grinding finely and placing in a vat to nurture into treasures with fire. Additionally, it describes the method of nurturing mercuric chloride into the Divine Talisman White Snow (Shenfu Baixue), including transformations such as Divine Snow Elixir (Shenxue Dan) to Four Elders Elixir (Sihao Dan), and so on. These detailed techniques are among the valuable records preserved in The Daozang, reflecting the sophistication of ancient Taoist alchemy.

The second volume contains Secret Instructions for the Primal Chaos Ninefold Golden Elixir (Hunyuan Jiuzhuan Jindan Jue), whose refining process consists of nine transformations: nurturing cinnabar into elixir treasures, transforming elixir treasure cinnabar into Cold Forest Jade Tree (Hanlin Yushu), and ultimately nurturing golden cauldrons into golden elixirs. This ninefold refinement system inherited and developed the alchemical theories of the preceding dynasties, with clear traces of the systematic thinking characteristic of Song Dynasty Taoist scholarship. It is claimed that this elixir "can transform mortal bones into immortal bones and turn poor families into wealthy ones"—meaning those who ingest it can attain immortality, and the elixir can also be used to transmute metals into gold and silver.