Unlock awards first, then later on raise the level of your Library so you can research skill scrolls to lvl 30, or hire rivals that have lvl 30 skills.
You can also do quests for extra rewards which you can then invest in training. There are less frustrating ways to progress in this game now than before. You might even find some quests to be more fun than the usual gameplay.
If you're level 800 you can take on the 600 Rivals in any stance and get all three stars. You can try minmaxing stats, hybrid, and familiarity for each rival but imho you'll just spin your wheels. Being at least 150 levels higher blows any rival out of the water.
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