Manual of Forty-Five Minerals 金石簿五九数诀

The compiler is unknown.

Since the book mentions "the Jiazi year of the Lindé reign period in the late Tang Dynasty" (664 AD), it should have been compiled by a Tang Dynasty author. It was recorded in Bibliography of Arts and Literature in Comprehensive Records. The existing version in The Daozang consists of one volume, included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section.

The book states that those who study the Dao and refine elixirs must first identify the origins of metallic and mineral medicines, determine their forms and textures, and distinguish their quality. Therefore, the book lists forty-five types of metallic and mineral medicines including cinnabar, realgar, and nitre, detailing their producing areas, appearances, properties, as well as methods for identifying their quality. It is named "Formula of Five Nines" precisely because the number of medicines recorded is forty-five (which equals the product of five and nine).