One reason to increase ixal rank is to gain access to lvl 50 crafting rewards such as echatl sealant worth 100k+ on the mb. This allows you to obtain an item in fairly high demand worth 100k give or take in about 20-30 minutes once per day.

As for actually leveling your crafts, I highly recommend provisioning if you're not already doing it as well as leves. They're by far the fastest ways to level up your crafting.