Shennong Sequence

Within the secluded chamber, Xin Ruyin and Zhao Yun, in a state of yin-yang resonance, jointly explored the mysteries of extracting lead and mercury:
“The essence of mercury is not quicksilver, and cinnabar is not red, which is too deceptive. Who can recognize such true substances? They are the foundation for immortals to establish their destiny.”

"Lead is the Yang of life, and mercury is the Yin of nature; they are the root of life and nature."

"To extract lead, one must regulate one's breathing and preserve one's essence. One must grasp the right moment, which is when the primordial essence is about to be released. In a state of trance and confusion, one should feel a warm current about to flow out from the lower body. Through a secret method, one should block it in the perineum (the point between the penis and the anus), causing it to flow upwards along the Du meridian. This primordial essence is the true lead."

"Remember, the primordial essence exiting from the perineum is the natural course, and doing so will lead to death; from this point, it flows upward along the Du meridian, transforming into sweet dew, and doing so will lead to immortality!"

"To subdue mercury, one must stop thinking and nourish the spirit. At noon, one should withdraw the Yin talisman, use the primordial essence to lock the mind and spirit, and subdue the restless mind."

"And the collection of true mercury: Mercury is metaphorically referred to as the maiden, the middle maiden, the wood fluid, and the cinnabar mercury, etc. It is the yin energy of the center of the body, and is the primordial spirit..."

However, mercury is highly volatile and can easily rise to great heights when exposed to fire. Therefore, it is necessary to use true lead to subdue the mercury and to use primordial essence to lock onto the primordial spirit!

"Therefore, when collecting mercury and lead, the water in the Kan direction flows backward. Use true intention to capture true lead into the central palace, and then use lead to subdue mercury, so that the yin and yang energies naturally devour each other, like husband and wife tenderly loving each other."

Furthermore, it involves drawing upon the true yang energy from the lead to fill the emptiness within the fire element, until the lead is exhausted and the mercury is dried up, thus cultivating true nature!

Once one has cultivated to the point where one's innate essence, vital energy, and spirit are all perfected, simply collecting lead and mercury is no longer a major challenge.

The only problem is how to cultivate a 'true nature' in the combination of lead and mercury, which is the most important thing.

In spiritual practice, "true nature" is one of the core concepts of the essence of life, and it is a prerequisite for gathering the "unborn and undying, pure and undefiled" spiritual energy!

Therefore, "true nature" transcends the acquired natural state and is distinct from the "deluded mind" that is obscured by desires, habits, and discrimination.

Acquired consciousness (such as thoughts, emotions, and attachments) is the function of the "consciousness spirit."

"True nature" is the innate, unpolluted, original nature of the three elements, like the pure state of a clear mirror before it is stained with dust!
Moreover, "true nature" also possesses the essence of being of the same origin as "Tao"!

In the spiritual community, it is believed that all things are born from the Tao, and "true nature" is the manifestation of the Tao in a person, serving as a bridge connecting people and the Tao!

Therefore, the condensation of "true nature" has a profound and far-reaching influence in the entire Foundation Building realm, serving as a bridge between the past and the future!

Furthermore, in classic Taoist texts, such as the "Tao Te Ching" which contains the ideas of "returning to infancy" and "returning to simplicity," people are guided to break free from the disturbances of the world and return to their true nature—as pure and innocent as an infant, in harmony with the Tao.

Moreover, one of the core goals of cultivation, like the Foundation Building and Core Formation method that Zhao Yun is currently practicing, is a classic Taoist internal alchemy method that places more emphasis on cultivating one's mind and character to condense "true nature".
Its method for cultivating "true nature" involves the interaction of Yin and Yang, purifying the mind and dispelling desires, breaking free from attachments, and removing the obscuration of acquired "delusional thoughts," thus revealing "true nature." When "true nature" manifests, one can transcend afflictions and reach a state of oneness with the Tao, the state of "sitting in oblivion" and "free and easy wandering" described in Zhuangzi, achieving spiritual freedom and the sublimation of life…

Therefore, common ways to rediscover one's "true nature":

Quiet and free from desires: The Tao Te Ching says, "The five colors blind the eye, the five sounds deafen the ear." Worldly desires and temptations can obscure one's innate true nature.

Therefore, by refining the mind and controlling the desires, one can free one's innate true nature from the complexities of worldly affairs, thereby allowing one's true nature to manifest.

Of course, there are many other ways to refine one's innate true nature, such as "sitting in oblivion and fasting of the mind," "quiet contemplation and observation," "daily reduction in the pursuit of the Way," and "doing good deeds and accumulating virtue."

However, the other cultivation methods involved are not closely related to the core steps of "extracting lead and refining mercury". Therefore, the key insights that Zhao Yun and Xin Ruyin gained from their respective immortal scriptures mainly revolve around the core process of "nurturing true nature with the three innate elements".

Therefore, when Zhao Yun and Xin Ruyin entered a state of spiritual cultivation involving the union of Yin and Yang,

On one hand, the two experienced the profound Daoist principles of Yin and Yang, which are mutually generative and complementary, through the fusion of their breaths;

On the other hand, Zhao Yun also simultaneously activated the secret technique, carefully sensing the changes within his body.

The original essence of the Three Flowers and Five Qi that had previously been integrated into the body has completely dissolved into the limbs and bones, and is continuously driving the physical body to undergo subtle innate transformation;
At the same time, he could clearly sense the innate kidney essence within his kidneys slowly awakening under the yin-yang resonance with Xin Ruyin. He could even sense the innate primordial energy about to spill out from his kidneys, accompanied by a surge of primordial desire in his lower body.
The moment Zhao Yun sensed this instinctive reaction, he immediately switched to a secret technique, using his powerful mental control to firmly intercept the innate essence that was about to spill out with the instinct. He first locked it in the perineum, then guided this pure essence to flow backward along the Du meridian, climbing all the way to the Yellow Court in the middle palace, where it formed a convergence of Kan and Li with the innate primordial energy and primordial spirit power in his body.

At this moment, the Yin-Yang Fire within the body quietly emerges, slowly rotating around the innate Three Elements Power that has been guided in. With gentle yet tenacious Yin-Yang power, it guides and refines it little by little, beginning to nurture true nature!
At the same time, the innate essence, vital energy, and primordial spirit circulating within Zhao Yun's body were no longer the pure innate substances that simply existed within the Three Flowers and Five Qi. Instead, they had undergone tempering through returning to their origins and circulating through the meridians of his physical body, resulting in a special form that carried his own rich primordial characteristics.

Among them are the physical body's qi and blood, and the strength of muscles and bones transformed from innate primordial essence, containing surging innate vitality;
It also contains the spiritual will and subconscious thoughts transformed from the innate primordial spirit, carrying all his insights and Daoist aspirations throughout his cultivation.

These innate powers, which incorporate the original characteristics, are being forged and purified in the Yin-Yang Fire in rhythm with the harmonization of lead and mercury, guiding the innate true nature hidden deep within the human body to be gradually tempered from its scattered parts!

Therefore, when Zhao Yun stared into the central palace of his body, he saw that deep within the core of the Yin-Yang Fire, where black and white flames intertwined and heat and cold alternated, a ball of pure white innate three elements was slowly rotating, and a faint golden innate mysterious light was quietly sprouting from it!
As the soft light shifted, it illuminated the entire meditation chamber.

And the instant this primordial golden light sprouted, Zhao Yun clearly felt that the many delusions in his mind and the restless desires in his body were being subtly influenced by this primordial golden light.

Moreover, it was not a brutal dispelling, but rather a higher-dimensional "authentic" approach that brought these delusions and desires under control. The lust and worldly distractions that had previously arisen at will now seemed to have become tributaries that could be adjusted at any time, and could no longer disturb his Dao heart. A state of authenticity, as if he had "enlightened his mind and seen his true nature," was slowly emerging from the depths of his will!

At that very instant, within Zhao Yun's sea of ​​consciousness, the long-dormant "Golden Register of the Great Dao: Dividing the Soul, Nourishing the Spirit, and Gathering All Beings" and the 'yellow cloth' simultaneously emitted a faint golden glow, flowing with a unique aura of the Great Dao. This resonated miraculously with the newly born "Innate True Nature" within the Yin-Yang Fire's Three Primal Elements! (End of Chapter)