 The first organized form of Taoism , the Tianshi ( Celestial Masters ' ) school ( later known as Zhengyi school ) , developed from the Five Pecks of Rice movement at the end of the 2nd century CE ; the latter had been founded by Zhang Daoling , who claimed that Laozi appeared to him in the year 142 . The Tianshi school was officially recognized by ruler Cao Cao in 215 , legitimizing Cao Cao 's rise to power in return . Laozi received imperial recognition as a divinity in the mid @-@ 2nd century BCE . 
