So you're looking for a way to watch the first episode of the Lord of Mysteries donghua. Honestly, if you're confused by the search results, you aren't alone. It’s early 2026, and the landscape for this show has changed a lot since the massive hype of the Summer 2025 premiere.
The adaptation of Cuttlefish That Loves Diving’s legendary web novel finally hit screens on June 28, 2025. It wasn't just a quiet release; it was a full-blown global event. Tencent Video and B.CMAY Pictures basically decided to take over the internet for a weekend. Now that we’re a few months past that initial explosion, finding a stable place to catch up—or rewatch the beginning—takes a bit of navigating.
Where to Stream the Premiere Right Now
If you want the legit experience without worrying about your computer catching a digital cold, you've got three main choices.
Crunchyroll is the big one for most people outside of China. They secured the global rights early on. If you're in North America, Europe, or parts of South America, that’s your best bet. They have the episode with the original Chinese audio (with subs) and the English dub. Interestingly, they even added Hindi and German dubs late last year.
Tencent Video (or the international WeTV app) is the home base. Since Tencent is the producer, they usually have the highest bitrate and best quality. If you want to see every single detail of the "Gray Fog" in 4K, go there. They offer a "Free" tier, but for the premiere episode, you might have to sit through a few ads.
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Muse Asia is the lifesaver for fans in Southeast Asia. They’ve been streaming it on their YouTube channel. It’s free, it’s legal, and the community in the live chat is usually chaotic in the best way possible.
What Actually Happens in Episode 1?
The first episode is titled "The Fool," which is a direct nod to the first Tarot card Klein Moretti "draws." We start with Zhou Mingrui. He's a modern-day guy who performs a "luck enhancement ritual" that goes horribly sideways. He wakes up as Klein Moretti, a history graduate in a Victorian-era city called Tingen.
The vibe is very Dishonored meets Bloodborne. It’s dark, rainy, and everyone seems to be hiding something. Klein realizes he’s just "survived" a suicide attempt—there’s literally a bullet hole in his head that is actively healing. It’s grisly. The animation by B.CMAY (the folks behind The King's Avatar) doesn't shy away from the body horror. There’s a scene where Klein’s memories of his parents on Earth are nearly exposed to a psychiatrist who is secretly a "Beyonder."
The episode ends on a massive cliffhanger. Klein is cornered by Dunn Smith, the captain of the Nighthawks. Instead of arresting him, Dunn gives him a choice: stay a target for the supernatural forces that killed his friends, or become a Beyonder himself.
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The "Rushed" Controversy
You might see some old Reddit threads from late 2025 complaining about the pacing. It’s true—the first three episodes were pretty hectic. B.CMAY tried to cram a lot of world-building into twenty-minute chunks. They even skipped some of the internal monologues that made the book so famous.
However, they’ve since released "Special Episodes" and "Director’s Cuts" on Tencent Video that add back about ten minutes of footage. These extra scenes explain the "Sequence" system much better. If you can find the "Extended Version" of episode 1 online, watch that instead of the original broadcast version. It makes the transition to the Gray Fog much more impactful.
Why 2026 is the Year for LoTM
If you're just starting now, you’ve actually timed it perfectly. The first season (which covered the "Clown" arc of Volume 1) is fully out. But the big news for this year is Special Episode 1, which is slated for Summer 2026.
This isn't just a recap. It’s a full 60-minute feature that covers the "City of Silver" introduction and the "Vice Admiral Qilangos" arc. These were parts of Volume 1 that the main 2025 series had to gloss over for time. Basically, by watching episode 1 now, you’re getting ready for the massive "roadmap" Tencent announced that stretches all the way to a movie in 2035.
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Quick Tips for the Best Viewing Experience
Don't just hit play and hope for the best. This show is dense.
- Subtitles Matter: If you’re watching on Crunchyroll, check the settings. Their initial translation was criticized for being a bit too "AI-generated" in the first week, but they’ve since patched the subs to match the official Yen Press terminology.
- The Audio: Use headphones. The sound design, especially when Klein enters the Gray Fog, uses a lot of directional audio. You can actually hear the "whispers" of the Old Ones in the background.
- Watch the End Credits: Episode 1 has a post-credit teaser. A lot of people missed it. It shows a brief glimpse of the Antigonus family notebook, which is the "MacGuffin" for the entire first half of the season.
If you’re ready to dive in, head over to Crunchyroll or the WeTV app. Just make sure you have a light on. The "occult horror" tag isn't just for show—the scene with the mirror in Klein's room still gives me chills.
Start with the official platforms to support the 2027 release of Season 2. If you find yourself lost in the lore, the official Lord of the Mysteries wiki has a "Donghua-Only" section that avoids spoilers for the later volumes of the novel.