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First, cleanse all distracting thoughts, choose a clean and quiet room for sitting meditation, close your eyes, strike the "Heavenly Drum" (ringing ears by pressing palms on them) thirty-six times to gather the spirit, swallow saliva thirty-six times to accumulate Qi, and naturally close the yin aperture so that various pathogenic factors cannot settle in the lower body. Hold the breath while silently counting from one to ten, stopping after completing nine cycles of nine (eighty-one counts). This is not about forcibly stifling the breath until suffocation, but rather letting the mind be calm and the Qi harmonious, cutting off thoughts and worries, so that breathing through the nose seems to exist and not exist simultaneously. In pulse diagnosis, six beats constitute one respiration; eighty-one respirations amount to four hundred and eighty-six arterial pulses. Constantly visualize red Qi exiting the mouth, shaped like a wheel of fire, circling the room. When the mind is settled and internal visualization leads to peaceful rest, diseases will naturally disappear and Yin pathogens will stay away.

Initially holding the breath, progressing from ten respirations to fifty, then to one hundred. The Qi is neither in the upper nor lower parts, wandering like chaos, unbreakable. A person breathes approximately thirteen thousand five hundred times in a day and night. The *Taiwei Shengxuan Jing* states: "When Qi ceases, it is death; when Qi is held/contained, it is immortality; the Po (corporeal soul) remains in the body, while the Hun (ethereal soul) travels to heaven." First, blow out seven breaths to expel turbid Qi from the anus. Use fingers to pinch the inner and outer canthi of the eyes, press the sides of the nose, rotate the ears, and massage the face. Then, place the tongue against the upper palate, stir inside and outside the mouth to generate saliva for thirty-six turns, and swallow when the mouth is full. Repeat this three times. Rinse and swallow the spiritual fluid to irrigate the five Zang organs, causing the face to glow.

The *Huangting Pian* says: "Primordial Qi originates from the Lower Dantian and flows throughout the body. At noon during the day, Yang reaches its peak and Yin begins to arise, thus converging at the Niwan Palace. Yin and Yang push each other in an endless cycle." If one can practice Qi swallowing and consolidate essence, adhering to its rhythm and rules, spiritual Qi will condense and transform, appearing like purple smoke and white clouds. It fills the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians, rising as clouds and descending as rain to irrigate the five Zang organs. By accepting fluids above and preventing Qi leakage below, Qi and fluids become abundant, like a spring gushing from a deep well, flowing endlessly, connecting the nasal opening to the mouth, nourishing the body. In this way, Yellow Lead and Purple Mercury (metaphors for refined essence and Qi) are generated. According to timing, collect and refine them into the Dantian, penetrating all joints. Naturally, one emerges from darkness to illuminate the gate of True Yang. Hence it is said, "Returning Purple and Embracing Yellow," entering the Dantian, which is what this refers to.

Each of the Five Qi belongs to one Zang organ, and the remaining Qi belongs to the Sanjiao (Triple Burner) acupoint. The sounds associated with Qi are Xu, He, Si, Chui, Hu, and Xi. Xu belongs to the Liver, which opens into the eyes; He belongs to the Heart, which opens into the tongue; Si belongs to the Lungs, which open into the nose; Chui belongs to the Kidneys, which open into the ears; Hu belongs to the Spleen, which governs the central palace; Xi belongs to the Sanjiao. Each Zang organ has turbid Qi. Upon waking at night, turbid Qi steams in the mouth, though one may not smell it. Turbid Qi should be exhaled through the mouth, and clear Qi inhaled through the nose. The method of exhalation involves initially blowing out turbid Qi until exhausted, then stopping. Thereafter, only clear, elixir-like saliva remains, which must be swallowed with the mouth closed. If one inhales and exhales alternately, the energy is gathered and dispersed simultaneously, rendering it ineffective.

Holding the breath requires an empty abdomen. During the day, sit upright and stretch the waist, similar to Zen meditation methods, inhaling through the nose as described previously. At night, practice after waking up; after the Zi hour (11 PM - 1 AM), lying supine or on either side is equally beneficial. Practice the method of holding breath diligently. The *Huohou Pian* states: "Hold the breath twenty-four times; this number is sufficient." Exhale and then hold again. Stir the tongue (Red Dragon) to the right seven times, to the left nine times, rinse the mouth sixteen times, grind the teeth twice, and swallow in three portions. Order: Right, then Left, then Center. This represents the Yin Yao (line). Hold the breath thirty-six times; this number is sufficient. Exhale and hold again. Stir the tongue to the left seven times, to the right nine times, rinse the mouth thirty-three times, grind the teeth three times, and swallow in three portions. Order: Left, then Right, then Center. This represents the Yang Yao (line). Total holding of breath amounts to one hundred and ninety-two times, balanced by Fire and Water. Practitioners must understand the method of Water and Fire Mutual Completion. Fire resides in the Heart representing Nature (Xing), and Water resides in the Kidneys representing Life (Ming); these two truly require mutual assistance. Kidney Water cannot rise without being nurtured by Heart Fire, and Heart Fire cannot descend without being stored by Kidney Water. If one can nurture and achieve this state, extending upwards and downwards, and connecting laterally and intricately through the Three Yuan, Nine Palaces, Five Zang organs, and hundred joints, one can preserve and sustain longevity.

Ordinary people, when going to bed, should hang their feet, hold their breath, place the tongue against the upper palate, gaze at the crown of the head, contract the Gu Dao (anal sphincter), and then swallow a mouthful of saliva. Perform this nine times. Rub the Shenshu acupoints until warm, performing eighty-one repetitions (9x9). For youths, this can prevent nocturnal emissions; for the elderly, it can cure frequent urination.