Only magic chords were the most reliable thing to use. No one had any idea who said that first, but they must have been a traditional mage. Saleen's thinking had been heavily influenced by Jason and because of that when he was training he did not care how much money he spent on his magic chords.
Saleen was only concerned with how he could continue training. The new magic patterns that he had just grasped were shabby. Not only could they not be used for attacking, but they also used up a lot of energy.
Saleen could not continue with them while he still had more pressing issues to deal with. If the lightning dragon were to return, it would be incredibly angry. He had to deal with that problem first before he considered other things.