Primordial Qi Manual 太初元气接要保生论

The author is unknown. Presumably composed between the Tang and Song dynasties, it consists of one scroll and is included in the Supplement to the Daozang (Xu Daozang).

This text elaborates on the practices of daoyin (guided movement), Qi absorption, elixir refinement, and life preservation. It asserts that at the beginning of chaos, the primordial Qi (Vital Energy) condensed to form water. Water, as the ancestor of the elixir, ranks first among the Five Elements and serves as the root of all things. For elixir refinement, this True Unity Water must be introduced into the Flower Pond (Huachi) to enable mutual resonance and embryo formation.

Primordial Qi Manual

It further states that this water is equivalent to black lead, whose true essence is named "True Lead" (Zhenqian). It constantly unites with the "Sun Pearl" (Taiyang Liuzhu, a metaphor for mercury) to nurture all creatures. Gold generated from water is called "White Gold" (Baijin), which is true mercury and the foundation of the Returning Elixir (Huandan). By taking this as the base of the elixir and advancing along the Dao through practice—following the cycles of "four seasons, eight solar terms, twenty-four Qi divisions, seventy-two pentads, and one hundred quarter-hours of day and night"—and practicing daoyin, breath regulation (tuna), and gargling-swallowing techniques as prescribed, one can achieve physical health, eliminate diseases, and prolong life. "For those who practice diligently, the Dao of immortality is not far away."