Method of the Ninefold Transformation of Divine Cinnabar 太上卫灵神化九转丹砂法

The compiler is unknown, but based on its content, it is believed to have been written during the Tang Dynasty.

Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Methods category of the The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.

Method of the Ninefold Transformation of Divine Cinnabar

This book details the method of refining Ninefold Cinnabar. The refining process is as follows: the first transformation converts cinnabar into mercury; the second transformation converts mercury back into cinnabar; the third transformation converts cinnabar into mercury (Sun Fluid Beads); the fourth transformation converts Sun Fluid Beads into cinnabar; the fifth transformation places the medicinal cinnabar in a Yin-Yang furnace to make it firm and hard; the sixth transformation turns the hard cinnabar into fire-subdued yellow silver; the seventh transformation turns yellow silver into red lead gold; the eighth transformation turns red lead gold into gold powder; the ninth transformation (missing from the original text). Except for the first transformation which uses Bright Cinnabar as the medicinal ingredient, each subsequent transformation takes the product refined from the previous step as the base medicine, combined with other ingredients for co-refining. The book lists the medicinal formulas, methods for sealing and fixing the ingredients, and the firing temperature for refining, citing Cantong Qi (Commentaries on the I Ching as a Guide to the Unification of the Three) as evidence. An appendix at the end of the book describes the method of making Xuanming Powder (Mysterious Bright Powder).