Taoist Inner Alchemy - Nine Cycles 固气还神九转琼丹论

The author is unknown. Judging from its content and wording, it was presumably composed by a Taoist priest during the late Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties period, or early Northern Song Dynasty.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Jade Instructions Category of the Dongxuan Section within the Daoist Canon (The Daozang).

Taoist Inner Alchemy - Nine Cycles

The book comprises two chapters: Treatise on Consolidating Qi and Returning to Spirit and Treatise on the Nine-Cycle Jade Elixir. Treatise on Consolidating Qi and Returning to Spirit elaborates on the path of preserving essence and Qi, asserting that both essence and Qi (Vital Energy) are the sources of human life—neither refining essence nor nourishing Qi can be neglected. It further argues that the core of preserving essence and nourishing Qi lies in transformation and circulation: only by maintaining the unceasing movement of essence and Qi can one attain longevity. It opposes the common practice of blindly restraining essence without proper circulation.

Treatise on the Nine-Cycle Jade Elixir expounds the method of cultivating the Nine-Cycle Seven-Return Spirit Elixir, holding that the origin of the spirit elixir lies in the True Unity Qi and the Divine Water of the Flower Pond. Therefore, elixir refinement must first transform Qi and stabilize water, then follow the numerical principles of the Five Elements, Qian, and Kun (heaven and earth) for repeated circulation—thus, "the spirit elixir will naturally be accomplished." The described alchemical method belongs to Internal Alchemy, and it opposes the common practice of "foolishly seeking lead and mercury" (a criticism of external alchemy).