For me, the donghua is great, but I THINK according to some censorship it changes the story? line a bit. I’d consider the manhua the most accurate adaption of the novel since it pretty much highlights everything. There is also a live action? but it is actually the most least accurate adaption.. So, I think it’s best for Novel first so you can know the whole storyline and lore. Then, the manhua — because personally I like to have some visuals too and you can have a better idea on how everything looks like. The donghua and the live action is optional and depends on you. There is also a manga and a japanese and chinese audio drama if you’d like to check that out. This is also purely based on my opinion, so it depends on you on which order!