Within what is often called Zhenyi or “True Oneness” Taoism, the lineage is best understood as rooted in the broader Orthodox Unity (Zhengyi) and Celestial Masters tradition rather than as a completely separate school. At the heart of this stream stands Zhang Daoling, regarded as the first Celestial Master and the founding figure of organized Taoism in its Orthodox Unity form. His establishment of the Celestial Masters movement provided the institutional and spiritual framework from which later Orthodox currents, including those emphasizing inner alchemy and “True Oneness,” would unfold. The continuity of this current is carried forward through his descendants and successors, especially those who held the title of Celestial Master at Longhu Mountain, who maintained and legitimized the transmission.

Among Zhang Daoling’s descendants, Zhang Heng and Zhang Lu are particularly significant as early consolidators of the Celestial Masters heritage. They continued and systematized the tradition that their ancestor initiated, helping to stabilize its teachings and communal structures. This hereditary Celestial Master line forms the backbone of what later comes to be recognized as Orthodox Unity, within which Zhenyi is a distinctive inner-alchemical emphasis rather than a wholly new foundation. In this way, the “founders” of Zhenyi are less a separate group of innovators and more the ongoing Celestial Master lineage that preserves and adapts the original vision of Zhang Daoling.

Over time, inner alchemy becomes an increasingly important dimension of this orthodox stream, and several figures are especially associated with deepening its contemplative and transformative aspects. Ge Hong, known for his work on alchemy and for articulating methods of cultivation, contributes significantly to the theoretical and practical basis of inner alchemical work within an orthodox framework. Tao Hongjing further systematizes Taoist scriptures and practices, shaping a more coherent vision of cultivation that resonates strongly with later neidan-oriented currents. Their writings and practices, while not “founders” of the lineage in an institutional sense, nourish the inner life of the tradition and help orient practitioners toward the realization of a “True One” within.

Later, the emphasis on inner cultivation continues to be refined and reinterpreted by influential masters whose impact crosses formal sectarian boundaries. Wang Chongyang, though primarily associated with Quanzhen Taoism, exemplifies a powerful focus on inner transformation that deeply influences how Orthodox Unity practitioners understand and pursue inner alchemy. Within the Celestial Master line itself, figures such as Zhang Yuchu play a crucial role in consolidating and articulating Orthodox Unity identity, ensuring that the lineage remains both doctrinally coherent and spiritually alive. Taken together, these historical figures show that Zhenyi, as an orthodox Taoist current centered on inner alchemy, rests on the twin pillars of the Celestial Masters’ institutional transmission and the evolving corpus of inner-alchemical teaching that orients the seeker toward True Oneness.