Nine Chapters on Inner Elixir 南统大君内丹九章经

The original text does not specify its author.

According to the preface attributed to "Wu Yun" at the beginning of the text, this scripture was imparted by Li Dixian. The preface was written in the tenth year of the Yuanhe reign of the Tang Dynasty (818 CE)—a time when Wu Yun had already been deceased for forty years.

It is thus evident that the preface was forged in the name of Wu Yun by a Taoist priest of the mid-Tang Dynasty, and Li Dixian is suspected to be a misnomer for Meng Dixian.

Tongzhi·Yiwen Lue (Comprehensive Records of Literature and Arts) recorded this scripture as one volume. The surviving version in The Daozang is also one volume, included in the Taixuan Section.

Divided into nine chapters, the scripture expounds on Internal Alchemy. The elixir method described therein essentially centers on spirit concentration and visualization, stating: "Concentrate the spirit to attain the Dao; when the spirit is gathered, the inner elixir is formed, and the physical form is preserved." Practitioners must first eliminate distracting noises, renounce lustful thoughts, tap the heavenly drum (a Taoist health-preserving technique), close their eyes to visualize the sun, observe a heart-purifying fast to worship the Dipper for three cycles of seven days, and on the night of Gengshen (the 57th day of the sexagenary cycle), contemplate the various spirits within the body ascending to pay homage to the Supreme Lord of the Dao, while gazing upward at the light of the Seven Stars and visualizing the dragon on the left and tiger on the right.

Furthermore, practitioners need to accumulate good deeds to cultivate yang virtue, perform daoyin (gentle exercises) to unblock blood and Qi, and avoid yin taboos such as thunder, lightning, wind, and rain. By doing so, the spirit will naturally gather and become efficacious, and the Qi will become pure and light. "When the spirit is gathered and the Qi is pure, this is called guarding the physical form; this is called preserving life in its entirety."

A postscript attributed to "Wu Yun" is appended at the end of the text, stating that this scripture was transmitted by an old hermit of Maoshan Mountain and is a technique entrusted by the Lord of Maoshan. Judging from the elixir method described in the scripture, it is undoubtedly a spirit-contemplation and internal cultivation practice of the Maoshan Shangqing School of Taoism during the Tang Dynasty.